The Passing of the 40’s, the event, not the compilation album, must have been a riveting and ambitious affair. Big bands were still the big deal, and the seeds of rock n’ roll had just been planted. With big bands for the quaint, and jazz for the city folk, The Big Band Era Volume IV (The Passing of the 40’s) covered a lot of ground, and offered much to a wide range of listeners. As seen on TV, and neatly organized in the library.
Tag Archives: tape
Tape it or Leave It
One of the few essential tapes I kept after the great cassette breakup of 2011, is this 1993 soundtrack to the motion picture, Judgment Night. One of those rare moments where the soundtrack far exceeds the movie’s potential, this one, in any format, is an obvious essential.
Book 1
The secret ingredient inside the 2014 LP boxset by experimental-thrash-geniuses, Fantomas titled, Wunderkammer, contains the all-inclusive Mike Patton demo of the band’s first album… on cassette. She was digitized today, and let me be the first to tell you, it was no easy feat. Interweaving rhythmic bursts make for a significantly difficult editing session, but we were able to hammer out something of adequate sustenance. The results were well, well worth the frustration.
Epic Stereo Cassette
Double analog owner of this “Epic Stereo Cassette” MAY have cycled one official listen way back in the day, but she’s new meat now that Mr. Suave Walkman is in town. One acquires an eye for the essentials, regardless of the medium, while on the frigid hunt. 2 Record Set on One Cassette ain’t too shappy… Epic Stereo Cassette
License to Chill
This recent tape obsession seems not to be going away, especially since a fully functional Walkman entered the home. At the very least, cassettes offer an interesting perspective on album art, if and when done well, like with 1986’s License to Ill. Check Your Head uses the same landscape layout, as I’m sure several other legendary albums I’ve yet to acquire also incorporate. Heavy static and bass-y hum offer a nostalgic glimpse into the media of yesteryear, and we’re slowly grabbing up the essentials.
The Peak of Achievement in Recorded Sound!
This is 1959, and size matters. Until the launch of “the remarkable Everest sound”, we’ve all been, collectively and obliviously, shortchanged when it comes to the quality of our audio recordings. You see, standard tape size for recording audio (that will later be transferred, then pressed into a platter spinning, groove disc) is ¼” or 6.35mm. Conventional stereo recording is ½” or 12.7mm (feel free to view the picture for tape scale). But Everest, with its 1) No distortion from print through, 2) No distortion from lack of channel width, 3) Absolute minimum of “wow or flutter”, 4) Highest possible signal to noise ratio, and 5) Greatest quality and dynamic range ever recorded, well tape stock used by Everest clocks in at a whopping 35mm! How you feeling now, standard and conventional stereo recording? Not so good, huh? Once you go thick, you’ll never get sick. Once you drop thin, you can’t help but grin. Or how about, once you go fat, you’ll never look back… I give up.
This is Everest… the peak of achievement in recorded sound!
The Prudent Groove 