Here Is Barbara Lynn on Light In The Attic vinyl!

Light In The Attic has become one of the best reissue labels in the business. From the outstanding Michael Chapman reissues of a few year ago to their Record Store Day soul boxes, these folks don't get the self-glorification of the reissue labels that have the online big box retailers behind them, but deserve even more praise as they have been putting out quietly some very overlooked masterpieces - like their latest, Here Is Barbara Lynn, originally issued on Atlantic in the mid 60's.

Here Is Barbara Lynn is a record that has it all - outstanding songs, an outstanding singer, and - incredibly for the era - a pretty good R&B guitarist. As far as classic R&B goes - this one is a true gem. Lynn is a great singer and could have been as big as Aretha - she has a more down home voice, that does not have the operatic range of Aretha but is just as affecting - the songs are on average way better than her peers of the Atlantic roster typically had, mostly written by Lynn.

I understand the source was a 24/96 transfer of the master tape. It sounds terrific, better than an original - if you can find it, because this is a known classic in high demand among collectors. Get one, Light In The Attic have done an amazing job. Fantastic, quiet pressing too.

IQ - The Road Of Bones on triple vinyl!

 IQ The Road Of Bones on triple vinyl, the new (2014) record from the UK prog bang whose roots trace back to the 80's, and it is a great one, one of my favorite recods of the year.

 The technical part is - a nice, clean, quiet triple vinyl pressing in a triple gatefold sleeve, and it sounds very, very good.

The music is wonderful, easily IQ's best since the underground classic Subterranea. Beautiful, intricate expansive songs that are very much in a tradition following from early Genesis through to Marillion. Peter Nicholls is an excellent songwriter and a great lead singer. Paul Cook returns on drums bringing IQ back closer to their roots. The Hackett era Genesis influence is clear, but this is a band that still gets better even after 30 years.

The tone is overall dark and baroque, this is not neo-prog or Dream Theater like heavy prog, it is very much classic progressive rock, very British prog. Symphonic in places, very epic.

There is almost two hour of amazing modern prog here, and even dropping the 'prog' part - to hours of fabulous songs, wonderful stories, and not a minute of it wasted. A record that you will listen to end to end and still find new layers.

A great record, one of the best of 2014, from a band that never got the dues it deserves or would have in an earlier era. Find it while you can, this is the real deal.

I wish they would put out  a hi-res digital file of this one, which must surely exist. That would be stunning.

JOHN COLTRANE Offering - Live At Temple University Vinyl:

The long awaited first 'official' release of the legendary and much bootlegged late 1966 Temple University concert is a major, major event. First time from the single microphone mono master tapes, mastered by Bernie Grundman. Although Coltrane lived less than another year after the Temple concert and made a handful of live appearances, for all intents this is the last true concert Coltrane gave before illness started to overtake him. That alone would make the Temple recordings legendary, but even more, this is the sole document of what Coltrane's performances in the late period were truly like. For sure, his late period quintet with (an unusually restrained) Phraoah Sanders is well documented, but as was his performance practice at the time, there is an ad-hoc cast of supporting players, some unknown locals, added, and Coltrane himself is clearly reaching for a higher level at Temple.

The sound is problematic yet magnificent. Only the horns are captured full-on by the single mic, but that is interesting of itself - Coltrane himself sounds incredibly present. Alice Coltrane is also well captured if somewhat distant, only the bass and drums are further back and somewhat less defined. But it is about the music, which is absolutely hypnotic and very special. Sonic considerations fall apart when faced with music as powerful as this.If you are looking for audiophile sonics, look elsewhere, music like this isn't for you anyways.

This is not free jazz, it is too highly structured. If a label must be placed, let's call it 'post-avant garde'. That comes closest. It is a roar and a sonic wall from start to finish, but the eye of the storm is acutely melodic and spiritual, almost a gospel revival and thi is no more evident than on the reworking of My Favorite Things. This was the typical 'crowd pleaser' Coltrane often ended sets with, and the version at Temple is a  remarkable revelation that embodies everything that went before and everything Coltrane represented in the final months of his life.

Coltrane delivers a smoking hot solo, then passes to Steve Knoblauch on alto, who picks up right where Coltrane left and delivers a solo that must be the greatest of his life. This is what Coltrane did late in his career - picked up young local players and let them blow, and putting them in the cauldron that was the late period Coltrane band made faceless players rise and step outside themselves to reach a higher level - Knoblauch does it here big time. At a mid way point, Coltrane exhausts his horn and starts to sing - chant, more accurately, beating his chest as he does. The bata drum chorus behind swings and shimmys and brings an ethereal, world music drum chant to transform the tune into a spiritual revival.

Despite never having been released until now, Temple University has cast a long shadow on players for almost 50 years. It is quite possibly - likely - the single greatest concert performance Coltrane ever did, and is unique in the Coltrane discography as the only representation (outside the later Olatunje recording, which truly is unlistenable) of late period Coltrane performance practice. It is a scorcher of a performance, from an artist that can never be equalled. It is essential.

Rounding Up Some Recent Speakers Corner and Pure Pleasure Vinyl - CTI, Sarah Vaughan, Otis Spann, Howard McGhee, J.J. Johnson:

 After a bit of a lull in interesting titles, both Pure Pleasure and Speakers Corner have reissued some very interesting titles lately. I tend to (wrongly) think of Speakers Corner and Pure Pleasure together for some reason, even though they are quite different, but share pretty much the same manufacturing partners. CTI have been top of the list for both, which is something they have in common.

Pure Pleasure has reissued Freddie Hubbard's Straight Life, a fine title from the mid 70's that has aged very well. It is contemporary for the time, still contemporary today, is not a fusion record but a modern hard bop date with the usual CTI anchor in Ron Carter, Joe Henderson on tenor, George Benson, Herbie Hancock mostly on Rhodes, Jack DeJohnette. It is pretty straight ahead, the nod to fusion - or more so rock - is that it is a very hot date, with DeJohnette particularly laying out a harder, more rock oriented beat, and Hancock very electric. To those who mistakenly dismiss the 70's, this should be a wakeup call, a loud one. The music is fantastic and all the cast are far advanced from their Blue Note beginnings. This, in my opinion, is Hubbard's prime period. It is Joe Henderson's prime also, both on his few CTI appearances and his contemporaneous recordings on Milestone. These guys had broken out of the Blue Note shell and were on fire, and this is one of the trilogy of Hubbard masterpieces on CTI, and has never sounded better or been pressed better - original CTI pressings were pretty bad, suffering from the oil crisis induced quality decline in LP pressings of that era (except in Japan, where the original CTI pressings are excellent). Essential.

So is George Benson's Body Talk, reissued by Speakers Corner. A great choice by SC, a great Benson recording that predates his gradual descent into smooth jazz, still a jazz date that heads towards funkier, more street sense territory, this is prime Benson - the guitar dominates, his technique is incredible as is his melodic sense, these are solid tunes, with an "A" cast - and Benson is on fire - explosive, with a sense of carving out a new direction and taking jazz into more accessible, physical territory without ever losing the essence. There is a sense in these CTI recordings of artists breaking out of the confines of the 1950's bebop model, and no longer bound by Coltrane's direction, free, innovating, yet at their technical peak. Inspired. A fine job by Speakers Corner, a flawless pressing, and a very enjoyable record.

 Pure Pleasure have just reissued The Divine Sarah Vaughan, and again show that they have been quietly curating a reissue catalog of prime material that American reissue labels don't even know exists or have the courage to bring back to life. A Roulette period Sarah Vaughan recording and one of her best, well deserving of "The Divine" title as this is jazz singing that has been lost to the influx of faceless, mostly white, traditional 'jazz' singers catering to older white males with pleasant, inoffensive, generic jazz standard recordings that are usually demonstrative of the worst in 'audiophile' recording. There can never be another Sarah Vaughan, nor another The Divine Sarah Vaughan - this prime recording is a stunner, Vaughan had matured well beyond her earlier, better known Emarcy recordings and her phrasing, nuance and expression had come to a point of absolute mastery, and this record - one of her masterpieces - is the prime exhibit. The orchestrations are wonderful and subtle, never overblown or sugary, and form a perfect backdrop for Vaughan's masterclass. The remastering is outstanding, easily exceeding in transparency and richness any original pressing, and is dead quiet. You will never be able to listen to any of the current crop of "jazz" singers again, and the only disappointment here is that The Divine Sarah Vaughan shows just how much the recording industry has fallen in being unable to uncover, nurture and develop artistry on this level. Essential.

 Perhaps not as essential, but still very worthwhile, is the early 60's J.J. Johnson Sextet recording J.J. Inc., featuring Clifford Jordan on tenor among other top players. Speakers Corner have given this minor gem a sturdy, fairly forward remastering that is perhaps not their absolute finest, but excellent still in every respect. This is a solid hard bop date very much in the idiom, distinguished by creative sextet orchestrations and fie playing. J.J. in particular is on fine form, and the band is up to the challenging, melodic material. No classics here, just a fine date from the period, given a good sonic cleanup. Recommended.

 Otis Spann's blues classic Walking The Blues is reissued on Pure Pleasure, an original Candid recording that is a classic of the acoustic blues genre. A bass and drum-less trio led by Spann's virtuoso (yet never showy) piano, this is a wonderful record that is magnetic from start to finish. The sound is crystal clear and detailed, but betrays some limitation of the 60's recording in that the piano is a bit on the thin side. Nonetheless, the sound is excellent and the playing has such elegance and conviction that more than compensate for any minor sonic drawbacks. Pure Pleasure have done an outstanding job and a real service by bringing this fine record back to life.

 Also from Pure Pleasure, the absolutely fabulous Return Of Howard McGhee, a mid 50's Bethlehem recording that is just stunning. An amazing band with the far too seldom heard baritone of Sahib Shihab and Duke Jordan on piano, this is a typical Bethlehen date of the era - short, concise tunes, excellently recorded. The difference in this case is the level of inspiration and sheer joy in the playing, And maybe joy in being just released from the slammer, and inspired as he had a lot to prove with this comeback record. Shihab is a treat, as is Jordan. McGhee is a wonderful player, with a rich tone and quick, agile runs full of harmonic and melodic ideas. This record is simply a joy to listen to, and Pure Pleasure have given it fabulous sound, making it essential and elevating it, after half a century, into the great recordings of the 1950's.

Masterpieces By Ellington - Duke Ellington on Analogue Productions, or - how Quality Records Pressings can screw up...

Just arrived - "Masterieces By Ellington", a historic 1950 recording by Duke Ellington. Skipping the back story of this recording, it is truly outstanding to see this fabulous recording reissued on vinyl, and the job AP have done is beyong amazing. Often you will read a review qualified by saying something to the effect of 'for 1950, the sound is...' - well, here, there can be no such qualifier. The sound is light years beyond anything recorded today. There is not only a timral, tonal richness and analog organic quality - the definition and lifelike-ness is astonishing, as are the wide dynamics, somethimes, the full band comes in and the dynamics are almost frightening. The dimensionality is so lifelike, it is hard to distinguish this as a mono recording. You have to wonder about why stereo or MCH were ever introduced when mono is capable of a recording such as this.

The music is genre-defining. The last of the WWII era Ellington band's recordings, and the first time Duke could record his finest compositions in full concert length, this is historic. It simply cannot be missed.

But - and a big but. The pressing simply isn't up to the quality of the mastering, and does this magnificient, timeless music a big disservice. QRP - Quality Record Pressing - claims unashamedly to be the best pressing plant in the world. The problem with making such an inflated claim - unprovable as it is - is that you then have to keep that promise.

The pressing is flat. It has the usual marbling and light scuffs typical of vinyl today - but has multiple pinpoint dots, which are literally tiny, microscopic gaps - throghout, and despite my usual meticulous efforts - First RV mostly - the pops during quiet passages cannot be eradicated, and are intrusive, and wholly unacceptable.

Of course, Acoustic Sounds will not post anything approaching a negative comment about their product on their store website, so all you will find is positives there, as well as on the usual professional reviewer sites. My lengthy experience is that if I got a screwup, a whole lot of the pressing run is going to have that same screwup.  It seems to me that AP/QRP rushed this out to hit the Christmas market and the quality conrol just wasn't there. Unfortunate, and a real disservice to this great music.

The SACD coming next year will no doubt be a stunner. Wait for it. Even with the sub-standard pressing, Masterpieces By Ellington is revelatory, revolutionary, and beyond essential. You have been warned about the pressing, so buy forewarned, or wait for the SACD. Either way, this is magnificent.