The Reel Deal

WE'RE BACK IN BUSINESS!!!

2007-04-11T21:51:00.000-06:00

I just this very night got the word that the hard drive that puked got restored, and all the archive files, as far as I can tell, are intact! So, this means that you now can peruse all the musical files you thought were gone forever. Don't feel bad, I thought they were gone, too.

A Great Big Shoutout goes to Duane & Diane for getting the drive restored intact... Duane is the connection between myself and the hosting site, and Diane is a veritable wizard when it comes to network and site admin. Massive Blessings to both of you for the assistance!

The bad news: I am back on the night shift for 6 weeks, so new material may be slow to happen, but there'll be some great stuff coming! I have boxen and boxen (inside joke) sitting in here....

And to all of you, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, as well as thanks for your kind offerings on the PayPal front.

Cheerios!!!

HOSTING SITE DOWN!

2007-02-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

If you're wondering where everything went, the box that hosts all of the pic and sound files has taken a massive POOP and will be down for a while. I don't know when it will return, but it should some time soon.

Pray that it wasn't the hard drive....

Bel Canto Nutcracker Suite

2006-12-12T20:47:00.000-07:00

OK, so Mitch Miller isn't holiday enough. No worries. This should make up for it, though.

In amongst the haul of Bel Canto 2-tracks is this little number by the infamous Hamburg Philharmonia: The Nutcracker Suite. It's the standard suite, even though the names of the movements are a little "French-ized". Don't ask me why, they came from some silly Wiki link. But, and if you can believe WikiPedia, this would be one of the first stereo recordings of the Nutcracker. Antal Dorati did the complete Ballet with the Minneapolis Orchestra in the mid-1950s, and the first full recording of the ballet in stereo was in 1958. That, of course, was on LP. If anyone has a GOOD Bel Canto discography, then I'd sure like to know when this was recorded.

I have also seen this on the 4-track version, but I still think that the 2-track Bel Canto tapes are far superior. Even if Bel Canto *did* do all the Dot library (things like Pat Boone and Lawrence Welk...), but they also did the HiFi label, as well as some of the early Liberty catalogue. Honestly, I don't know why people aren't collecting Bel Canto stuff, their LPs were BRILLIANT, as are their 2-track tapes.

Oh well, enough blather, I give you the usual full-size scans:
The front of the box, and
The back of the box.

Note that this was part of a promotinal deal (as seen on the back of the box)... does this make it a "rare Bel Canto"? Only time will tell...

Meanwhile, rack this one up and enjoy The Nutcracker Suite!

Mitch Miller - More Sing Along with Mitch

2006-12-12T01:11:00.000-07:00

Here's another piece of two-track goodness, this time courtest of Columbia, and NOT Columbia House! I have this and three more Mitch Miller & the Gang 2-track tapes, I'll put 'em up if people want...

I loaded this up on the Otari and again was simply AMAZED at how GOOD this sounds! I remember watching Mitch Miller on television in the 60s (on an old Magnavox dial-tuner black & white set at my grandparents'), and, frankly was kind of ho-hum about it all. Even worse were the scratchy Mitch Miller LPs you'd always find at thrift stores and yard or boot sales. They sounded like BLEAH-on-toast. So, I was kinda expecting audio torture when I loaded this up, but NO! This sounded GOOD! You could hear all the things you're supposed to hear in a gerat recording...

Granted, the songs are kind of smarmy (they were all written in the Shellac era), but they sound soo GOOOOOD....

Unfortunately, I can't get scans of the liner notes (they're on the inside of the box), and the back is the standard Columbia 2-track back, which is nothing but a tile of Magic Eye symbols... so you only get a scan of the front of the box this time around.

So, my friends, rack up this tape on the two-track deck of the imagination and enjoy More Sing Along with Mitch!

Eric Rogers Chorale - The Glory of Christmas

2006-12-06T16:06:00.000-07:00

Another piece of Yule-dom for you to make your holiday cheer factor a little cheer-ier :)

This was released in the late 60s methinks, because of the Phase-4 label on it... it's a nice set of the usual Yule classic-type tunes, sung very well (except for one Soprano in a couple of places), with a decent orchestra and organ (and you can REALLY hear the pedal tones in places!)... perfect for those snowy Christmas Eves when you want to remember the reverence of Christmas.

I had this tape up on eBay and it sold, adding a few pennies into the coffers... it was in pretty decent shape, actually!

I can't think of too much more to say, except that I hope you enjoy this'un, and if I find any more cool holiday type reels, I'll post 'em up!

Again, may the Season bring you and your family happiness, togetherness, and, most importantly, the Blessing of Peace.

Here are the full size scans of:
The front of the box, and
The back of the box.

Something for when the snow is falling and you want to gather the family around the fireplace... The Glory of Christmas!

A Christmas Greeting In Stereophonic Sound

2006-12-02T22:48:00.000-07:00

In the mid-1950s, when stereophonic tape was in its' infancy, Ampex had a nationwide dealer network selling their tapes and decks. So, it was a natural that Ampex, the then-leader (perhaps self-proclaimed?) of stereo tapes, made a little Yule greeting gift that was sent out to "friends of Ampex", which meant dealers and people that bought decks.

This has been hawked on eBay a few times as "the first Stereo Christmas Greeting" tape, and it is not too bad, musically... the recording is full of 60-cycle hum and lots of thumps and stuff, but what would one expect from a tape recorded in, what, 1954?

Well, enough kvetching, this IS a nice little 10-minute Yule tape, done in 2-track stereo, the choir is directed by John Halloran, who I assume does the vocal segues as well.

COnsider this my Yule greeting to all of you, especially those who have thrown a penny in the Poor-Man's hat (or PayPal box) :)

May the Season bring you and your family happiness, togetherness, and, most importantly, the Blessing of Peace.

Here are the full size scans of:
The front of the box, and
The back of the box.

May you have a Most Blessed Yule, and here's A Christmas Greeting In Stereophonic Sound!

Kangaroo

2006-11-27T22:29:00.000-07:00

A change of pace... a DRASTIC change of pace!

I saw this one up on eBay (thanks to your donations... that helped snag this rarity!) and just HAD to bid on it... it came yesterday, and.... boy is it different!

Kangaroo is a band I have NEVER heard of, kind of like Jefferson Airplane meets Country Joe & the Fish. From the address on their fan club, this seems to be a New York City group that had maybe one labum in the 60s and then faded into obscurity. I have NEVER seen any kind of LP or CD, so I assume that this one is safe to post...

The music is psychedelia but not too over-the-top... there are a couple of light-hearted bits in here, and the usual Longhair Love songs... it's an interesting listen!

The tape wasn't in the greatest shape, but I think I got the best I could out of it on the remaster process... it's an Ampex dupe, done at 3.75 ips, and the tape is showing a little bit of stretch wear... but the TEAC handled it nicely enough to get at least a fair remaster of it.

Here are the full size scans of:
The front of the box, and
The back of the box.

Fire up those Moire boxes and Lava Lamps! Here's Kangaroo!

Clebanoff Strings - Moods In Music

2006-11-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

More two-track goodness for you this week... This came from an estate sale via eBay (with help from your donations!) and WOW is this GOOD! It's mood music, not even really lounge, but when I mounted it up on the Otari and played it, ooOOoo lush lush lush, and dynamic range that you just can't really get on a 4-track recording. This is your basic Mercury stereo tape from the late 1950s, recorded really well, so well that you can hear chairs scraping in a couple of places!

The music runs almost a full 30 minutes, it's really good, it's great for that romantic dinner, and it sounds, just, utterly FANTASTIC. I'm putting this reel up on eBay and I'll probably not get as much as I should for it... I can't understand why audiophiles aren't falling all over this stuff, really.

Here are the full size scans of:
The front of the box, and
The back of the box.

Enjoy this piece of audiophilia: The Clebanoff Strings - Moods In Music!

My work schedule will be cooling off after Thanksgiving, so I should be able to do some more postings on all four blogs during December... STAY TUNED!

Stereophony Sampler, Vol. 2

2006-11-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I seem to have a thing for Second Volumes of stuff... take for example this stereo demonstration tape from an outfit called Stereophony Incorporated, out of St. Paul, Minnesota. This demo tape, done in wonderous 2-track stereo, dates from around 1957, I believe, and has the usual fluffy pop and light classical things that audiophiles of the day drooled over. And, even though there is a tracklist of sorts on the inner liner notes, all the tracks are still announced, by a Real Announcer Guy! I can never get his name, but he's got one of those Real Announcer Voices...

The music... there is, of course, an assortment here, including a nice cut of gospel singing, and something called a "Voicestra". The explanation is this: a Voicestra is a group of human voices backing up a solo instrument. Novel, I think... very 50s. The remaining cuts do a good job of showing off just how spiffy and keen stereophonic music could be. Remember, a vast majority of the recorded library out there was monophonic, except for those audio geeks that had the stereo tape machines. Also consider that people were paying anywhere from 8 to 15 1950s dollars for tapes that had a run length of 15 to 20 minutes! The norm for the time was a mono tape that you could reverse... to get to the B-side, or 2nd mono track, you had to flip the tape over... 2-track stereo tapes only played ONE DIRECTION!

To give you an idea of what was out there, I have also included scans of the leaflet catalogue that came with this tape. Granted, this isn't the offering of a COlumbia or an RCA, or even a Bel Canto, but they were a quality house, even though they only lasted in the consumer market for a relatively short time.

I dubbed this on the Otari, as it does the best job for 2-track tapes (duh! silly me, thinking I was gonna get a decent dub off of a 4-track machine!)... I switched over to 4-head mode after the dub and boy! What a DIFFERENCE! This makes me want to go back and re-dub the Dixieland In Stereo tape...

So, I give you the full size scans of:
The front of the box,
The back of the box,
One side of the inner liner notes,
The other side of the inner liner notes,
One side of the catalog leaflet, and
The other side of the catalog leaflet.of the reel box.

Sit back, put on your audiophile smoking jacket, and enjoy the Stereophony Sampler Volume 2!

"Your Kind of Music"

2006-11-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

Well, when it rains, it pours, I reckon... not 2 weeks go by when I get the Revox A77 running, I get a call on the phone from a friend saying "I have a 2-track reel deck here, you want it?"

After I pick myself up off of the floor, I QUICKLY agree, and we set a date for me to come pick it up. Last Friday night, I took posession of a VERY nice rack-mount Otari MX5050. FINALLY I have something to play the NAB reels on, and it will do 15 ips as well (I have some 15 ips 2-track stuff here that needs to get dubbed off, and you'll hear it when I do get that dubbed off).

The first thing I ran through the Otari was a NAB-hubbed reel of a half-hour radio program called "Your Kind of Music", done as a syndicated thing in the late 80s for an automobile sales outfit in Springfield, MO, on KTXR Radio. The program was produced by Kingsbury Broadcasting Systems, and done on 2-track stereo at 7.5 ips, of course on the big 10.5 inch reels. I tried a pass of this on the Revox, but really wanted to see what it would do on a 2-track machine (the Revox is a 4-track deck)... and HOLY PINCH ROLLERS... I got dynamic range out the WAZOO! I had forgotten jsut how good 2-track stuff sounded on a 2-track deck!

The tape came in a plain white plastic box, so here is the cue sheet for the show, which I'll give you in one mp3 file... Here is the cue sheet...

Sit back and enjoy this, it's neat! THere's a little clipping on some of the tracks but I attest that to sloppy production, as the rest of the material is really really good. Here's Your Kind of Music... right-click to download!

No Squares Allowed!

2006-10-29T23:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a little something to tide you over while I start my full-time work schedule... this is something I got on eBay a while back, a nice little set of 2 mono tapes that Command did for Voice of Music. Yes, Command. That means Enoch Light, Dick Hyman, Doc Severinsen, and even a Tony Mottola cut. There's even a little scary piece for All Hallows' Eve (I'll let you discover THAT scary bit on your own!). This is a nice set from the early 60s (I think 1965, because of the Mottola tune), but I am still wondering why this wasn't released in stereo...

Still, a very nice little set of tunes, these, on a pair of 5-inch reels... and something to keep you going while I work my buns off with a 60-mile each way commute.

Oh, did I tell you that the Jeep got broken into and the stereo stolen? I guess it's walkman-and-headset time until the paychecks start coming in...

Here is The outer cover, the cover of box 1, and the cover of box 2of the box set.

...and, thanks to the Voice of Music people, here's No Squares Allowed!

* * * LINK IS FIXED!! * * *

Bel Canto 2-track test - REVISITED!

2006-10-28T21:42:00.000-06:00

Here's the first of the lot of 2-track tapes I got (pics of the MESS will be forthcoming), and also the first tape to be played back on the Revox A77 that I dug out of the shed. It is a MkII 4-track machine with the dual 8-watt audio amps inside, and a nice machine, even if the hub brakes are non-existent. Yes, it makes rewinding tapes on 10-inch NAB reels an ADVENTURE! If I don't stop the reels by hand, I have a nice pile of shredded tape to deal with. I have a service manual around here somewhere... plus I think the heads are in need of alignment, but I have a couple more test reels to run through it first.

So, my dilema is this: what deck to I do transfers with, the Revox or the Teac 4300? Well, I will let YOU decide! I have taken this tape, made a recording in WAV format from BOTH decks, set both to 85% peak levels, and put them up here for you to download. The file names should be self-explanatory.

I'll have these up in proper hi-bitrate MP3s after your decision!

The tape is an old Bel Canto 2-track stereo recording of the Warsaw Concerto and Rhapsody in Blue, as performed by the "Hamburg Philharmonia Orchestra". No solo credits for piano as far as I can see, but I have, as usual, included full size scans of the box for you. The front, and the back of the box, and also a scan off the reel label, such as it is.

You be the judge, let me know what deck does the better job, and I'll post the MP3 files based on that recording!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Well, by now you know that I picked up an Otari 2-track deck, and, now, of course, I HAVE to make the ultimate comparison. I ran this tape through the Otari, and did the same setting to 85% peak levels as the other two files, and posted it in the DID folder. Now, see what you think comparing this file to the Teac and the Revox. Granted, it may be a stacked comparison, a true 2-track deck against a pair of (very quality) 4-track decks, but it is still interesting to see (and hear) just what a true 2-track deck can do with 2-track tapes.

I have a bunch more 2-track tapes, and I think I'll use the Otari to share them with you, it'll be worth it!

A note on some of the feedback I got... yes, there is a little 'wandering' of the piano and the orchestra on the Warsaw Concerto, I suspect that was something during the recording process... there seems to be a place in there where 2 takes were spliced together in the master. I'm not sure, but suddenly, the piano moved from full-left to somewhere near center, then moved back... maybe an 'oopsie' on the recording engineer's part, I don't know. That's what makes these things so much fun :)

Julie Is Her Name, vol. 2

2006-10-22T21:19:00.000-06:00

OK, kids, I have not gone dissaperiang on you, I got a ramped-up work schedule, which pretty much takes almost all of my spare time (that plus getting tapes prepped and sold on eBay)... so, not to worry, I'll have postings, but not as frequently as they used to be.

I do have a bunch of stories to tell, like the piker that sold me an American Airlines reel with Dick Hyman & Enoch Light on it (the label was Project 3) that was absolute utter CRAP... and the Elton John tape that got into a bidding war and sold for $75... and other fun things too. I am awaiting getting a box of about 180 reels (35 of them are 2-track stereo things), so there's no lack of upcoming content, to be sure...

As a way of apologizing, and to fill both the needs of the reel AND the lounge community, I hereby present, from the original Liberty Stereo reel, Julie London's follow-up to the GREAT LP, "Julie Is Her Name" (which I only have in mono, dammit). This is her, Howards Roberts on guitar (and all the arrangements are his, too!), and Red Mitchell on bass. Her husband, Bobby Troup produced it, and, let me tell ya, it's a WINNER. Just as sultry and playful as the first LP was, so this one is also. Only the cover has been changed to remove the little pout she had on the first LP cover.

I think this was released in the early 60s, the catalog number is LST7100, and it's a 4-track stereo tape... plus the dubbing house's address on the back has a ZIP code, so that would put THIS release at right around 1963 or 64... but I have a feeling that the LP may have been released earlier... I dunno, if anyone has that info....

So, without further ado, I give to you Miss Julie London.

Here is The front and The backof the reel box.

Julie Is Her Name, what more needs be said!

Dixieland Jamfest in Stereo

2006-09-28T00:23:00.000-06:00

I got this tape today, and HAD to share it, it's too good.

It's a Reeves Soundcraft tape (I can hear the gagging and other noises already, calm down...), but this one was a PRE-RECORDED one. The only way you can tell is by the red label with the lettering on the front of the stock tape box, and a label on the second side of the reel that says "DANGER! DO NOT ERASE! PRE-RECORDED TAPE!"

What is it, then, you ask... well, it is a 2-track stereo (inline head) recording of a BRILLIANT Dixieland all-star group doing a 5 tune, 20 minute set, and boy is it a blowing session! The only clam is on the third musical cut where someone didn't start the tape in time, and shut it off rather abruptly, but the tunes... the playing... the SOUND QUALITY!

Here's the lineup:
Coleman Hawkins - Tenor Sax
Henry "Red" Allen - Trumpet
J. C. Higginbotham - Trombone
Cozy Cole - Drums
Sol Yaged - Clarinet
Milt Hinton - Bass
Lou Stein - Piano

Recording date was September 16, 1958, and duplication was done by Livingston Audio Products of Caldwell, New Jersey.

I'm gonna shut up and let the playing speak for itself.

Here is The front of the box.

Step back in time and enjoy a little piece of almost-lost history: a Dixieland Jamfest In Stereo!

Concert in the Clouds - American Airlines

2006-09-26T12:44:00.000-06:00

Well now, what with a bunch of projects I have in the fire, I haven't posted anything for a week... gonna FIX that!

Here's another eBay win, another three hours' worth of 1960s 'popu;ar' music, American Airlines Popular Program No. 20. The 'sponsor' label this time is United Artists, so there is a lot of Ferrante & Teicher and Lena Horne in here, as well as (drum roll!) AL CAIOLA! This is a VERY nice Martini Tape, well worth the download (it's ONE BIG download, as fair warning), with some very nice music for the road.

A word about these American Airlines tapes, one of them, #40 (Capitol being the label), fetched $78 on eBay recently! I have a few more of these in-house now, so there is the possibility for more of these on the blog... donate a few coins and I can get more of 'em!

Here are the scans of the box:
The front...
The back...

Enjoy a martini and the AstroVision Concert in the Clouds...

Also, since I have 2 copis of this one, I have this tape up on eBay for sale as well. End of commercial :)

Voice of Music - Everybody's Favorites

2006-09-20T09:30:00.000-06:00

Egad.

This is a 1960 compilation of mood & lounge & light classical & polka (yes, polka) music put out by "the Voice of Music" company of Benton Harbor, Michigan. Actually, V-M Corporation was a manufacturer of tape recording and playback gear in the 50s and early 60s, and had their own line of pre-recorded reel tapes (I have another one coming up from VoM in a couple of posts). Somewhere along the line though, I think someone forgot to tell the people who were in charge of the artist credits that they could take the day off on this one... because only four artists are credited! The rest? A good question! So that kind of makes this another Mystery Tape, at least as far as the artist creds go. And it is too bad, because there are some VERY tasty things on this tape,including one of the most WACKED-OUT instrumental versions of "Mack the Knife" I think I have ever heard... a version that Kurt Weil would have been very proud of. The sound quality on this one is nothing short of exceptional on most of this stuff, there's even an example of no-center-channel stereo on here ("Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine" by a fair Judy Garland imitator... couldn't tell if it was the Real Judy, because the singer was waaaaaay off in the left channel across the room...).

Unfortunately, the reel didn't have a label on it, plus there was a couple (one and one-half cuts actually) of 'extra tracks' that someone put on to fill side one. Those are NOT included here. I hate it when people do that....

Which brings me to my latest bitch-rant: eBay poo-heads. There are SOME people out there in ePoo land that think they can sell crap out there, and sell it as original! I have even seen listings where people say that they re-mastered the old program and put it on (gag choke retch puke) Ampex/Quantigy 457 tape! Uhhhhh, guys, 457 is the formula that decides to SELF DESTRUCT because there's no whale oil in the backing formula!!! Ever heard of Sticky Tape Syndrome?? Or, even better, I have seen someone put some Old Time Radio programs ON JUNK STOCK TAPE!!!

Hmmmm, with all the OTR I have in MP3, and all the junk stock tape I have around here......

Oh yea, and props to grannystjean, she took it in the shorts on a lot win of reels... a bunch of them were absolute JUNK... she runs her store as a neat little extra-income business, and I hope that she nails this poo-head that stiffed her.

Seriously, watch what you're bidding on in eBarf... I am gonna put a few things up that I have posted here (sniff sniff WAAH!)... see what happens when people don't leave a Love Offering?

Here are the scans of the box:
The front...
The back...

Somebody thought that these would have been Everybody's Favorites...

Stanley Black - Continental Tango Golden Album

2006-09-19T21:32:00.000-06:00

Tonight, the last of the Japanese releases I have (until I find what I think is one more that may be buried in here...)...

This time, a 1966 London Phase 4 album, released by King Record Co., Japan, and recorded on Sony tape. A GREAT LP, one that I haven't seen very often, and one that sounds really really good.

Stanley Black did a few things for London, unfortunately I don't have any more of them... these are the standard tango dance numbers, although I think one or two may have not quite made it past the translators (Something tells me "Tango Delle Rose" should be "Tango De La Rosa"...). The emotion is not quite at the fever pitch of some of the Argentine tango I have heard, but it's still quite the stirring dance music, and still VERY well recorded.

Here are the scans of the box:
The front...
The back...

Put the sambuco on, get the rose between her teeth and enjoy the Continental Tango Golden Album.

THIS TAPE IS GOING UP FOR AUCTION ON E-BAY TO HELP SUPPORT THIS BLOG...

I told you I was serious about trying to fund space for it...

What a difference 5 years makes!

2006-09-16T23:28:00.000-06:00

FOUND SOUNDS!!!

Wow, remember the "unknown dance band" and the Rehearsal from Hell a couple of posts back? Well, I found some more stuff in this batch of tapes, this one from 5 years later (it's dated as you can see, that's just an enlargement of the only thing writtenon the back of the box), and WOW... these guys got GOOD!

It starts with an unknown piece for "Bob" (on piano) and someone on trumpet, then goes into 8 cuts from a live performance from 1960. The instrumentation is, on most cuts, trio ("Bob" on piano, with a drummer and an acoustic bassist), but someone with a sax shows up for the last cut or two. The fare is jazz standards of the day, but, let me tell ya something, this is a nice little set, especially after "Bob" finds his hands a couple of numbers in. This is a RAW recroding, the only thing I did to it was get rid of a little of the tape hiss. There's a few places where you'll hear the fluorescent lights buzz, and someone mic'ed the drummer's kick bass a little hot, but other than that, it wouldn't take too much to really clean this one up. And, if I find some more of this band, I'm definately gonna post this stuff up. These guys SWING.

Just goes to show you, practice and getting the right sidemen can do wonders for a band.

Here are the scans of the box:
The front...
The back...

Heeeeeeere's Bob & His Jazz Combo

Red Nichols and his Pennies

2006-09-13T10:19:00.000-06:00

Got for you today another 5-inch 2-track mono tape, this time from the UK...

Red Nichols built his reputation in the US by being one HOT trumpet and cornet player. Hot Jazz was his bailywick, and he did it VERY well. I have some 78s of him tearing it up both with his group, the Five Pennies, and with other big bands as well as all-star combos.

This collection shows a mixture of lounge, traditional jazz, and, for the lack of a better term, 'lounge-jazz'. There are some tracks that reflect the 1930s, some that reflect big bands of the 40s, and a couple that get into the mood-lounge of the 50s. It is an interesting jumbo-gumbo, but it is tasty, once you get over the initial expectations.

Unfortunately, unlike most World Record Club tape issues, this tape didn't have the nice little leaflet inside, so there are absolutely NO liner notes to be had, which heans, I have bloody naught of a clue as to support personnel or backing orchestrae. Which is a shame, because there's noteworthy performances on this little gem. I'll have to dig around and see if this is a compilation or if these tracks were recorded exclusively for the UK.

I suspect it is a compilation becasue I heard some pops as if this was from disc... which I removed :)

Actually a question for you all... I realize that this is a 2-track tape, and I dubbed this off on a 4-track machine (albeit a GOOD 4-track deck!), does the equalization sound somewhat 'hollow' to anyone here? If it is, I may re-EQ these cuts and repost at a later date... let me know what'cha think.

Here are the scans of the box:
The front...
The back...

Some very sophisticated gumbo from a hot cornet and cool sidemen... Red Nichols and his Pennies

Giuseppe di Stefano - Catari, Catari!

2006-09-12T11:09:00.000-06:00

Here's a nifty tape that when the computer crashed I lost my entire, well-written, witty review.

We have selections by Neopolitan tenor Giuseppe di Stefano, backed by the New Symphony Orchestra of London, performing your basicly brilliant Neopolitan singing. The album is a London FFST tape, but, as you can see by the back of the box, it's a Japanese release! No slouches, this King Record Co., as they released it on Sony tape! This was in the pile of Japanese tapes I was going through a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't notice it for some reason until I looked at the back of the box. Silly me.

This is some brilliant singing, making me pine for a cappucino and biscotti somewhere in a sidewalk cafe in Naples, to be followed by liberal dashes of a decent wine, while watching the world pass by.

I have never seen this one show up in the thrift stores on London or UK Decca on LP, so I am thinking that this may be a new treat for many of you, it certainly was for me!

THe orchestra, the New Symphony Orchestra of London (under the capable baton of Iller Pattacini) backs Signore di Stefano very well, bringing a great flair to the proceedings.

I think that you will enjoy this tape, much as I did when listening to it during the encode pass, which was a GREAT way to start a beutiful early autumn day in the Rockies.

Here are the scans of the box:
The front...
The back...

Order up a cappucino and biscotti and enjoy Catari, Catari!

New Animal Crackers Jazz Band - Cinematographe 1925

2006-09-08T19:36:00.000-06:00

I JUST TODAY got this tape... and HAD to encode it. This is one GREAT tape!

It was recorded in France by Club Francais du Disque, I think from around 1955, and released as a 2-track mono tape in the US by JazzTapes on 5" reel at 7.5 ips. I wish I had a 2-track deck, but the TEAC handled it well enough, so here it be.

I don't know all the personnel, but I *DO* know that Claude Bolling did the arrangements, and I will wager he's playing something instrument-wise here, quite possibly the piano... would make sense because that's his instrument...

The jazz is what you would hear circa 1925, played hot and brilliantly, with enough fun being had to make this one HECK of an enjoyable listen. It is an extremely rare recording that I am very proud to share with all of you jazz fans and reel-tape afficionados.

Here are the scans of the box:
The front...
The back...

Travel back in time and enjoy Cinematographe 1925!

Vive le Jazz au Francais!

1955 Ohio Folklore Society Meeting

2006-09-07T22:27:00.000-06:00

I love getting used reels from eBay some times.... sometimes you get a GOLDEN NUGGET, and boy oh boy here is one.

The back simply says: "Ohio Folklore Society Meeting" with a date of 10/1/55. On the tracklist it says "Weber Ohio Folklore Society". I took liberties and added text to the back pic scan to make it easier for you to read it...

This is reel 1 and 2 of 2 (I think) of this meeting, which consists of 4 30 minute portions of a lecture, with singing and dulcimer playing demonstrations of regional area folk songs. The first side has a few recording issues, but the second side came out VERY nice. I'll load these up as mp3s so you can play or download and save or whatever.

I did load up the other reel, so you have 2 hours available... the sessions seem to be part lecture, part Q&A and part demonstration of folk music... some sung well, some sung by perhaps a student of Florence Foster Jenkins :) There are some points in these where the recordist very noisily moved or adjusted the microphone, but I left those in for historical continuity's sake. I did do a little remastering on the second reel to bring out the voices more, I may re-do reel 1 the same way in the near future, now that I have a fairly good re-EQ curve set up.

Again, a 51 year old 2-track mono tape, some microphone bumps and readjusting, as this was recorded live from the audience in a lecture hall... nicely done for an amateur recordist getting a piece of history. I have contacted the Ohio State Historical Society to see if there is any interest in these...

Reel 1 Side 1
Reel 1 Side 2
Reel 2 Side 1
Reel 2 Side 2

The front...
The back (without notes)...
The back of reel 2 (with notes I added)...

Another eBay win... if you want more, I need to get something besides spider poop in the PayPal box!

Jake's Boys and The Rehearsal from Hell

2006-09-07T19:14:00.000-06:00

First off, a bit of administratia: I killed the Box Tops posting. It was just too too awful.

Now, on with the reel for today!

Got a two parter tonight for you... first up, we have some country & western from 1955, recorded at a live show, somewhere, with a very small audience. The reel said "Jake's Boys" and they give us a nice little 6 tune set, with a couple of rehearsals of their song they recorded for Decca. I wonder who these guys REALLY are...

BUT!! It's a fairly good recording for 1955, and it looks like it is a 2-track mono tape. On the scan, I cheated on the back and put in the indexes myself, but you get the idea of what the boxes looked like for blank tape in the late 1950s.

Here's Jake's Boys, live, somewhere, in 1955!

Now, the next archive. This is of a dance band, personnel unknown, date unknown (but I'd wager 1955 as well), and, well, they REALLY REALLY need to rehearse some MORE. These guys are CRINGINGLY bad. Do not mistake this stuff for be-bop, this is just a band that needs.... something. A LOT of something...

I have spaced the title of the third song, it was really popular, but I spaced it....

You'll either cringe or laugh yourself silly at this, but it was SO well-intentionedly BAD I *HAD* to arc it up and share it with you.

The Rehearsal from HELL!

The front...
The back...

A Reminder... this was an eBay win, to assist me in getting more of these, drop something in the PayPal box please? Thanks!

Ronnie Aldrich - It's Happening Now

2006-09-06T01:03:00.000-06:00

I'll either (a) go easy on you, or (b) inflict some popular music juxtapositional audio torture. You decide.

If you like option (a), this is an interesting, later Phase 4 series tape of Ronnie Aldrich and his Two Pianos, this time doing hits of the late 1960s in his own inimitable style. Nice, lush arrangements, the usual theme of one piano per channel, and even sneaking in one of his own compositions. The usual London Phase 4 recording quality, no surprises there...

However, if you choose option (b).... some of these tunes done in the Muzak Manner... "Light My Fire"??? Jim Morrison is turning in his grave over this one I betcha... and "Ride My See-Saw"??? Well, because of the time, I guess this was Aunt Martha's access to the pops, I dunno.

While not as trite as the Sound in the ROund (which I saw an ORIGINAL 1956 version on eBay), this one, well, let's just say that the juxtaposition of the great hits and the way that Ronnie did them..... one man's brilliance is another man's Death-by-Muzak.

Here are the scans of the box:
The front...
The back...

Love it or hate it, It's Happening Now!

Sound in the Round...

2006-09-05T20:38:00.000-06:00

This.... is one of the most IDIOTIC stereo demonstration tapes EVER! Imbecilic! Supercillious! Insipid! Dumb!

Robert Oakes Jordan was one of the more reknowned field recording specialists, and along with James C. Cunningham, recorded the material for this piece of DREK. This thing is so campy, it's HILARIOUS! Tom Mercein gives the sappy, juvenile narration, around the sound bites, but you may need a barf-bag after hearing his twaddling efforts at walking us through all the sound samples.

Oh, yes, on some of the samples the microphone was overdriven, and you can hear the distortion from extreme sound pressure levels.

I encoded this and saved this as one long mp3 instead of breaking out the tracks, because there's no way to really break out the tracks. Also, somewhere, the first few feet of the tape have literally vanished... maybe someone's hub brakes needed a little adjustment? I do not know.

Here are the scans of the box:
The front...
The back...

And here is one fo the worst pieces of sonic silliness I have ever heard, Sound in the Round.

Bring your own barf-bag.

--- ADDENDUM ---

This was originally released on ConcerTapes in 1956, someone had one up on eBay so I snagged their picture of the original cover...

Astrud Gilberto - The Shadow of Your Smile

2006-09-05T17:49:00.000-06:00

Hopefully, another tribute to my favorite parrot, zecalouro, that he hasn't posted in the last 3 weeks :)

Friends, this is what we in the US of A got for Brasilian music, not that it is BAD, no, it is VERY good, but this is only a small slice of the pie, as it were. And such a yummy pie it is! Astrud Gilberto needs no introduction to the many fans of Brasilian music, those of us in the US of A would remember her as the singer of "The Girl from Ipanema", in one of the many variations we heard on the radio up here.

This album is kind of a joint, almost schizophrenic look at Astrud, since some of the arrangements are by the wonderful Joao Donato, some are by the classy Claus Ogerman, and some by the... the... the... unique Don Sebesky, all under the watchful eye of Creed Taylor in 1964 and 1965.

Creed mixed up the tracks, giving us some American standards and some Brasilian standards, which makes this a multi-layered cake of such delicate sweetness, it is hard to resist going back for more and more!

Scans:
The front...
The back...

Cut yourself a piece of The Shadow OF Your Smile, and think kindly of our favorite parrot.

Mystery Reel!

2006-09-04T22:40:00.000-06:00

MYSTERY REEL TIME!!!!

What we have here is a reel, from a box, that has no label, but has some awfully good light/lounge music on it. Now, here's the mystery... I know the titles of a FEW of the tracks, but not all, and I have NO idea who the artist is!

The music is orchestral, almost in the mode of Edmundo Ros but not quite, fairly lush strings, and the use of some different and exotic percussion instruments. Whoever the heck this is, it is an album I'd love to have! There is definately some hints of ping-pong-y stereo, but nowhere near as nasty as a StereoAction disc.

I would ALMOST, but NOT QUITE, put this as an Esquivel LP, but which one? I honestly do not know.

Anyone out there care to try their hand? At least get me the song titles and maybe I Can go from there?

There are 2 more LPs' worth of tunes on this reel, I'll post them tomorrow after I clean them up and tag the tracks as best I can.

Mystery Reel number 1-a.

The second LP in the Mystery Reel.... it was recorded pretty hot, but it is some HOT orchestral tracks, with the occasional guitar solo... there's only ONE track I recognize the title to, that being the tango "Jealousy", but everything else definately has a LAtin/Spanish flavor to it. There are a few dropouts, and signs of over-saturation, but it is still good for some nice backgrounds for sipping the sangria on the deck...

Help me out kind friends, see if anyone knows the titles to Mystery Reel number 1-b.

Lastly, we go from Spain to a little north... the accordion interludes are a dead giveaway of something themed with Love and La Belle France... I caught two track titles here (you can see them in the track ID tags...), but most of the titles elude me. Maybe I'm in a fog, or maybe I have heard them all and just can't remember the title names or the orchestras, but come on, how many LPs do you know of that have these titles in the combination?

Recorded well, don't know if this was an LP or tape dub, but there is only a little bit of shrillness on the strings, and the orchestrations are Clebanoff or Mantovani lush... if you have ANY idea on tracks or orchestras, please???

Otherwise I'll be forced to load up Johnny Mathis or Polka tapes!

Take your best shot with Mystery Reel number 1-c.

Melodies of Japan

2006-09-04T00:34:00.000-06:00

Double shot of tapes tonight! Here is something interesting from 1964, Japanese classical and folk melodies with Western orchestral backgrounds! Actually, the orchestrations are referred to as "Latin", but, hey... The artist credit is given as Ko-Tamae & her Stereo Strings, conducted by Tadashi Mori, and, apparently this is TDK's first commercial musical release!

The music here is very very good, the high-end can still blow the top off of a bottle of Kirin (GOOD Japanese beer), but I guess that's how they EQ'ed stuff over there?

THe one thing that I had an issue with was one of the Japanese flutes and how it very slowly approached Western pitch to match the orchestra... having listened to a LOT of Japanese msuic (without western orchestra) I am used to it, but having it be very dissonant against the western ear... well, it's just a warning... or maybe that's what makes stuff like this so doggone culturally INTERESTING!

Scans:
The front...
The back...

Enjoy this rich variety of Melodies of Japan.

Great Trumpet Solos

2006-09-03T22:42:00.000-06:00

We get back to the moody swing/light music thing now, beginning with a couple of reels I found in a thrift store a long time ago... what's so different? These are Japanese issues! I'll get through these somewhat quickly, but as a curiosity, I loaded this one up, and WHOA. NICELY surprised. Granted, the high end could knock the top off of a bottle of Kirin, but these cats can PLAY!

Whomever the horn player os for the Francis Bay Orchestra, my hats are off to him, he certainly displays some chops. The arrangements are a bit stock-standard-ish, but the band has a good ensemble sense, and can cut loose as required.

If anyone has any info on who these people are, kindly forward?

Scans:
The front...
The back...

Sit back in your easy chair, pop open a bottle of Sapporo, and picture yourself on a balcony in 1964 Tokyo, with some Great Trumpet Solos on your Sony.

Dylan Thomas Reading His Complete Recorded Poetry

2006-09-02T00:29:00.000-06:00

This, I realize, will be from completely out in left field, but after being 'niched' as a classical afficionado, I felt I had to pull this one off the shelves (yes, shelves... NEW shelves, built by mine own hand, a Makita cordless drill, scrap wood, and a bunch of deck screws) and regale you with it.

This, I would recommend, unless you are a LARGE fan of spoken word poetry, taking in doses. There is almost two hours of read poetry here... and DYlan's voice, even though it is sonorous, may start to 'get to you' after a while... make no mistake, these are classic poetic works... just that I found I needed to break it up a bit.

There are 29 works here, his complete recorded works, sourced from older records, some BBC recordings, and some recordings he made for Caedmon. You will also notice that the back label of the box with the tracklist is NOT correct, and neither is the label on the tape... so if anyone finds inconsistencies with the titles, PLEASE let me know and I'll adjust accordingly.

Scans:
The front...
The back...

Settle back in your auditorium seat as Dylan Thomas ascends to the lectern and reads His Complete Recorded Poetry.

London Phase 4 Sampler

2006-08-31T14:52:00.000-06:00

Here we go, the first of a new batch of tapes for the Reel Deal!

We have a treat, something sure to please! At least I think so, because I have seen three or four of these go on eBay lately... if you like a mix of lounge and light classical, recorded with the usual quality associated with London (the US versions of DECCA-UK), this is a great sampler. Everything from Edmundo Ros, ROnnie Aldrich, and Ted Heath to Stanley Black & the London Festival Orchestra, the Eric Rogers Chorale, and Will Glahe & His Orchestra... there's bound to be something that will tickle your fancy. And, these sound really really great, too!

Instead of going on about what "Phase 4" is, I have included a scan of the insert that is the promotional rah-rah included on all Phase 4 tapes (and is somewhat repeated on most of the London Phase 4 LP jackets).

Scans:
The front...
The back...
The rah-rah insert...

It's definately less messier than Whitman's, and lasts a whole lot longer, too! The London Phase 4 Sampler.

REPOST: Si Zentner - Desafinado

2006-08-30T21:38:00.000-06:00

Bossa Nova & Si Zentner, an explosive combination. On the back of the box, the liner notes say that "bossa nove" translates into "new wrinkle", which has a bad connotation when dealing with tapes (or the faces of pretty women, but that's another matter entirely!)...

This is a Liberty stereo tape that has SIZZLING audio, nice charts, and other really good stuff. Si knows how to swing it, definately. I think the tape is from around 1965 or 66, again I'm not sure...

Cover scans are here:
The front...
The back...

Without further ado, I present for you some definately UN-WRINKLED bossa nova in the form of Desafinado.

Now, a note on further postings...

I have had some requests for more tapes, including those that would fall outside of the scope of the otherwise loosely defined genre of this blog... should I start another share site that is exclusively reel tapes? I have a BUNCH of classical material, including some WFMT airchecks that are absolutely WONDERFUL as far as audio quality goes... those would be easy to put up as a bunch of them (there are 80 reels in all) are already encoded.

Now for the other shoe... if I do start up a new tape share site, I will be putting up a PayPal donation link, as I will need to subsidize server space as well as media acquisition cost... what say you, faithful fans... post comments & let me know.

Rest assured, I have a bunch of material on LP for moodietoonz, so there would stil be postings here either way, it is just that I am reluctant to put full classical stuff on a lounge/tiki/jazz site...

REPOST: Sheer Stereo Delight!

2006-08-30T21:37:00.000-06:00

You asked for more, so here is more!

This one is earlier in the string, this is Popular Program number 10 (W-10 to be exact), with the 'sponsor' being 20th Century Fox Records. Someone posted in the comments section that there may be some Art Tatum, but, alas, no Art is to be had here. There ARE some nice performances by Andre Previn and Lena Horne, along with some good crooning by Tony Martin and Al Martino, and some very surprising jazz vocals by Joya Sherrill. You also get a couple of things from "Zorba the Greek" and "Those Magnificent Young Men In Their Flying Machines"... all in all it is a pretty good set, just right for that extra-dry martini as you cruise across the plains in your comfy seat (remember those?) with the legroom (remember that?) as you are pampered with smiling service by your flight attendant (remember THAT??).

I would probably put this tape at around 1964 or 1965 (there's no date anywhere on the thing, so I'm guessing), "...exactly as heard on American Airlines Astrovision." These are showing up occasionally on eBay, which leads to my next little bit... if you want more of these, I may have to set up a PayPal donation thingy, as these are NOT cheap... I was fortunate to snag these in the thrift shop, but any more of the popular ones are gonna cost me some serious buck-age :(

This tape runs out at about 92 minutes per side, I split out all 65 tunes on this and put them into three archives, each running about an hour.

Here are the three archives:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Cover scans are here:
The front...
The back...

This will be the last one of these, the Command/Westminster tape is a Classical programme, so I won't post it, unless there is a HUGE demand for it... I have a huge stack of reels to do up so that'll keep you occupied for a little while....

Coffee, tea, or milk?

REPOST: Music with a Touch of Heaven

2006-08-30T21:36:00.000-06:00

Up now is something of a sub-culture colletor's thing... starting in the early 1960s, American Airlines began to make available recordings of their in-flight audio program to the public. I don't know if these were sold via retail, or if you had to buy them from American, but they are pretty sought-after tapes. Each side runs 92-3 minutes, so you have a little over three hours of music to soothe the savage frightened flyer. Each program was 'sponsored' by a particular record company, this one being Kapp records. Even though they were recorded at 3 3/4 ips, the audio quality on these was really really good, even if the music wasn't 'cutting edge' for the times.

Since Kapp was the 'sponsor', we have a mixture of late Louis Armstrong, some early Burt Bacharach, some Jack Jones, some Hugo Winterhalter, and a LOT of Roger Williams (as he was a Kapp 'feature artist'). The mixture is pretty darn good, thouth, and somewhat harkens back to the day of the mid 1960s 'Beautiful Music' format one would hear on FM stereo broadcast stations in the USA at the time.

This tape, from 1966, is Popular Program No. 16 in the series, "...exactly as heard on American Airlines Astrovision."

I am going to admit something right here and now... I am a lazy sod. This tape runs over 93 minutes per side, and there's no way I am going to break out all the tracks... all 67 of them!
(ADDENDUM)
I changed my mind... I went ahead and split out all 67 tunes, tagged them using my bulk tagger, and now they're in three archives of 30-some songs each. So, no complainin' outta any youse! You can split them up however you want to, make CDs or just chucnk it on to one big MP3 CDR with the other stuff (like I do for commuting).

Here are the three archives:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Cover scans are here:
The front...
The back...

I have a couple more of these, let me know if there is an interest and I'll post them... one I know of has Command and Westminster as the 'feature labels', so you KNOW there's gonna be some Enoch Light and Dick Hyman on THAT one!

Martini and a pillow, sir?

REPOST: Bola Sete at the Newport Jazz Festival

2006-08-30T21:35:00.000-06:00

As a tribute to one of the coolest sites for Brasilian music, loronix (see sidebar for the link), I found this Bola Sete set in the pile-o-reels that I'm doing up for your listening pleasure.

Recorded at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1966, Bola cuts loose with a great, albeit WAY too short, musical adventure into sonido Brasilero. His sidemen, Sebastian Neto on bass and Paulinho on drums, I can't say enough! Herb Wong, on the liner notes, says "This is a MAGNIFICENT album!" and I heartily agree with him.

Bola had been playing a lot of gigs with a lot of different combinations of players in the San Francisco Bay area, and had been with Vince Guaraldi for some time before this appearance. The current personnel, he had been with for about a year before the appearance at Monterey.

This was released in 1966 on Verve, and was produced by Creed Taylor (and thankfully, NOT overproduced!)... heck, I'm gonna shut up, now, RACK THE TAPE!!!

Cover scans are here:
The front...
The back...

What else can I say? enjoy Bola Sete at the Monterey Jazz Festival!

REPOST: Louis Armstrong - I Love Jazz

2006-08-30T21:32:00.000-06:00

Next up is a tape that kind of scares me... as you can see from the rear scan, it says "enhanced for Stereotape..." YIPE!

What we have are some recordings taken between 1950 and 1958 of Louis playing with several different groups... the personnel are on the back scan, along with recording session dates and locations.

What scares me is that I am looking at the waveforms and this is NOT mono, so someone has doinked with the recordings... I summed the 2 channels (post-recording) and it really doesn't sound that good in mono, so I did a little tweaking and left them as stereo files. At least these aren't treated like the crummy Capitol DuoPhonic process (BLEAH).

There are some good performances in here, and good sidemen, like Trummy Young, Peanuts Hucko, Barney Bigard, Charlie Shavers, Earl Hines, Cozy Cole, and Jack Teagarden to name a few. Give it a listen and see what you think.

Cover scans are here:
The front...
The back...

See why Satchmo says: I Love Jazz!

REPOST: Herbie Mann - Today

2006-08-30T21:31:00.000-06:00

Ah, the rites of cleaning and the joys of unearthing stuff I forgot I had... I was tasked by She Who Must Be Obeyed to find a certain Rod Stewart album that I thought I had on vinyl. No, sir, no LP there, so I have this bright idea: dig into the rack of boxes covered up by several sleeping bags and about 500 lbs of cables... the boxes that hold the reel-to-reel tapes. I found said Rod Stewart album, dutifully ripped it and burned a CD for her, then went back in and dug out a BUNCH of reels that were in there, undiscovered for well over 2 or 3 years. This will give me some great material for you for the next few postings (interspersed with the usual vynil goodies, of course!).

First one up is a Herbie Mann album from 1966, with arrangements and combo conducted by Oliver Nelson. Why Herbie needs a conductor for a small group, I know not... but it has some good stuff on here. With compositions ranging from David & Bacharach to Duke Ellington to Lennon & McCartney, there is grist for the mill, as it were, and it is handled quite well.

The personnel are listed on the back cover, so I won't re-post that here, as the full size scans are available.

So, off we go, with the first of a bunch of nifty reels for your pleasure... no having to thread up the reel deck, no worries about splicing a broken tape, just enjoyment!

Cover scans are here:
The front...
The back...

Rack up Herbie Mann - Today and press the play button!

First off... reposts!

2006-08-30T21:25:00.000-06:00

Hi there, welcome to ANOTHER audio share from Casa del Club Impaler.

What I'm gonna do is this: I am gonna repost ALL the reel posts from MoodieToonz over here so we have something to look at, then we can start with new stuff.

I'll be posting pop, jazz, classical, and even some spoken word reels here, even some home recordings of stuff. The only limitation is that it has to (a) not be currrently in-catalog & available to buy retail, and (b) it's on reel-to-reel tape.

Also, I will be bringing up my Revox A77 so there may even be some stuff from 10.5" reel on here.

Also, since some of this stuff will be coming from eBay, and I am starting to get The Eyebrow from my server provider, it would be nice to throw some shekels at them.... and that will help me get more cool stuff for you all to enjoy!

Thanks for the support, and be looking here for more reel adventures.

- the Impaler