Analog After Dark - Jethro Tull Box, R.E.M. Reckoning One-Step & Blue Note's $20 Records EP.7 transcript

Hi, I'm Mike the Groove in Phoenix, Arizona. Welcome to episode 7 of Analog After Dark and we haven't actually done this in three weeks. So, there is a immense amount of stuff to talk about. You unfortunately have a life and you've got other stuff to do and you got a job and kids and a wife. So, >> unfortunately, we were delayed in this episode. We like to do them about every two weeks, but this ended up being a once every 3 weeks type of, you know, episode.

But, we'll be back on track, I believe, next week. But a lot of stuff was announced and we'll talk about all of that. We'll start with the news, but we'll also touch a little bit later on the fact that you went to Vinyl Con in LA or the beginning of Vinyl Con in LA, but we'll we'll >> Yeah, >> no spoilers. Don't [laughter] tell anybody. Okay. Big news this week is they have announced a new Rhino Hi-Fi box set. It is a Jethro Toll box set limited to 3,000 copies.

And this is covering what their first five albums. Uh this was Stand Up Benefit, Aqualong, and Thick as a brick. Of course, all analog cut by uh Kevin Gray. Now, this box set is a Rhino exclusive only for the time being, but like all the ones that have come in the past, I'm assuming they'll break it up and sell it individually with most people buying Aqualong. [snorts] >> That's kind of the the Jethro way. Uh what is cool about this announcement is right now you can actually buy it as a reeltore as well which [sighs] >> just the Aqualong. >> Just the Aqualong.

Yeah. Which makes sense. >> Yeah. >> The thing is it's not a really good recording. Never has been. >> There was a Steve Wilson remix that was done a while back that was kind of I think an improvement, >> but it's not a hi-fi recording. by any stretch of the imagination. Not that the Sex Pistols were or the Ramones were. Uh, and I don't mind the idea of the Rhino Hi-Fi doing titles like that because in my opinion, it's okay still on a non-hi title to still get the best presentation possible. >> Yeah. >> And that's kind of the thinking I have with uh those types of releases. >> Yeah.

We've had a Rhino or excuse me, we had a UHQR of Aqualong. It's been long out of print. That was the second title that Analog Productions did. >> Yeah. >> The Jimmyi Hendricks Axis Bold of Love was first. Jethro Tall Aqualong was second and then they ratcheted up the quantities and they've been much easier to get ever since. But those first two were pretty difficult. So getting an all analog cut of this in print will be good.

It'll be beneficial. >> Yeah. And was that was the UHQR off of the classic metal work because the classic it was classic metal work. >> Yeah. which Kevin Gray just did a better job. >> Yeah, >> I'm assuming. >> Yeah. >> And it's to the point now, and I think about this somewhat frequently, you got to think I think Kevin is obviously at his peak work, even if you go back and do his previous DCC output compared to now, >> uh, previous, >> you know, he did stuff in the 90s going back to those MCA super heavyweight vinyls.

He did the Who's Next. If you go back and you the original Music Matters at 45 RPM, if you go back and you compare that against what he's doing now at Coherent with his latest generation system, this is the best he's ever done. I think it's the best in the industry. And unfortunately, Kevin's old and in the back of my mind, I think about it like we're getting towards the end. Yeah. Yeah, like what we >> mean the age demographic of people that are mastering stuff now, old versus young is very heavy on the older side. >> It's kind of funny they talk about Chris Bellman as like the young engineer.

I'm like he's like 70. I'm guessing sorry Chris if you're watching and you're 68, but he's not young. >> Yeah. >> Uh there are younger guys >> getting out there. >> Yeah. >> Ryan, uh >> Matt Luans. >> Matt Luth. There are Yeah, there are younger guys, >> but the greats that we've been talking about for decades, there none of them young. >> Yeah, >> there's old and older, you know. It's that's kind of we're in the old scale. >> Yeah. >> Uh but the stuff they're putting out now is about the best they've ever done.

And we definitely are in the golden age of audio file records. People complain about, oh, the same stuff is being overdone. And I'm sure with this announcement of Jethro, people will be complaining again, oh, they've already done this. But very few people have that Aqualong. >> Yeah. >> UHQR. There's many people that would want it. They're not going to spend $125 or $150 on a UHQR. And I love to remind people of the fact that these Rhino Hi-Fi live in record stores. people that are not audio files that know nothing about audio file records >> stumble into the Jethro Tall section of a record store and say, "Oh, this looks cool.

I'm going to buy this." >> Yeah. >> And it introduces people >> to audio file records. >> But there's an immense amount of stuff that Rhino has done as part of the series that hasn't been done, including minus Stand Up, which came out as a 45 RPM from Analog Productions, all of these other records. >> Yeah. >> So, >> yeah. >> And the price point's killer. I mean, if you're talking >> 245 UHQRS or an entire box set by Rhino Hi-Fi. >> Yeah. >> I mean, and their presentation, especially on the doors, was just >> And it takes the same amount of space on your shelf. >> Yeah. >> Even with the thinner box, it still takes the same amount of space. >> Yeah. >> Uh >> and they're 33, you know, it's it's I feel like a really good entry point for people in the singles.

You're spending 45 bucks, 33 RPM. >> Yeah. >> Not going to have probably, you know, many if any pressing defects on it and it's going to sound killer. So, >> I'm not a huge Joshua Tull fan. >> I like Aqualong. Yeah, I'll get Aqualong. >> To be honest, I'll free some shelf space up because I'll probably end up replacing the uh I've gotten to the point now where I'm just >> Yeah, >> I look at the boxes. I I got to do a standalone video on the big multi00,000 jazz collection I bought.

It was jazz and R&B. But the amount of stuff I'm bringing home from that is a lot less than I would have thought. But the stuff I'm bringing home is like >> Yeah. >> Holy. Like I look through the boxes of the stuff I bring home and they're not, you know, they're small small boxes, but when I look through it's like it's all gas. >> Yeah. >> But I'm to the point now I just got to slim down stuff. I've got too many records.

I saw a post today on Facebook or some social media where it was somebody that was organizing all of their box sets like Analog Productions, Mofi, all that and they had two full expedite cubes just full I mean it would look beautiful but it's like if those are just your box sets I mean that again especially people that don't prefer box sets I mean it's like >> how many records could you fit in there if you got rid of you know slim down and got rid of the boxes which >> it's just moving for me is on the horizon. >> Uh I'm waiting for my alimony to be done which is coming up soon.

So as soon as >> you got a big circle on your calendar on when that ends. >> I got a circle. I got a party scheduled. There's a vacation. >> It's going to be glorious. >> Yeah. >> But my house is falling apart around me. This room looks nice because it's been done up. >> But the house is crumbling and it's a tear down. So, it's like in the back of my mind, any amount of money I put into it, I know is 100% a complete waste cuz >> it's a scraper. >> I've got the crummiest house in the nicest neighborhood.

So, it's like nobody's >> rehabbing this 50-year-old 70-year-old home. Yeah. Not happen. >> So, the house is being gumbled together. I got to move. And I just look around and I look at 700 lb Wilson speakers and 700 lb subwoofers and 300lb amp. Just looking at all these amps and I'm like, you know, >> I just want to move less. >> Yeah. >> And that's really allowed me to focus on pruning the collection. >> I got to fire up some whatnotss again because I'm going to start burning through some first, you know, some better stuff.

And, you know, a lot of it's been going to the store. A lot of it's been on our pre-owned section, but I will pick up the Realtore, which I'm crazy at this point cuz I just >> stack of realtore sitting there waiting for you. >> I just acknowledge it's not a good recording. So, the real to real is going to be eh, who knows the mastering work that's been done on it to make it sound even not a good recording. >> And has there been a preferred source? because it sounds like from this they're using the UK tapes.

I don't know what they've used in >> T Wilson was digital obviously, but >> I don't think it's nothing against it's nothing against the source. It's just the album itself wasn't it's like Black Sabbath self-titled. >> Black Sabbath self-titled is not in the same league as Steelely Dan Asia. So, it's not holy cow a wow type of experience, >> but it's a great record. And if you want a great record, this is the only way to, you know, it's one of those things.

You don't >> you don't skip on a record >> because it's okay. You know, the music means a lot. Sex Pistols is an amazing record. It's not a hi-fi record, >> but you can have a great record that, you know, >> some audio files only want good sounding records. >> Yeah. >> So, there's a lot of music that never hits their shut because it has to sound good. I want it to sound as best as possible, but I still buy it for the music. >> Yeah. >> And there was a time when I bought a lot of audio file records because they were audio file records, but that was 30 years, 20 years ago. 20 years ago, I wasn't buying, you know, the beginning of the O's when I was buying a because nothing else came out.

So, you had to wait once every couple of months to get a new, you know, audio file record. So, you pretty much took what you could get. Now, I do a new arrival video and there's 14 a week. [laughter] But in the old days there was four a year. So it was an event. It was all the latest >> Dick Shorty's uh percussion ensemble is out. We got to we got to you know music for Brit Bram broom and harp. Let's get it. You know that was a big deal.

But that's not the case anymore. So I can be a lot more choosy. >> Yeah. >> But you want to buy a record because it's a good record. And Aqualong >> this is a great record. Yeah. I mean you do you own it? >> I have a first UK press of Aqualong. It's the only Jethro I have. >> How does it sound? >> I mean, it's old vinyl, you know, it's it's a clean copy, but it again, I don't look at it as being some audio file. >> Yeah. >> Anything.

I mean, it's an artifact, you know. It's it's I've listened to it a couple of times. >> I remember listening to that record. My father had an old Serwin Vega, Prologic. You know what Prologic is? >> Prologic was before 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround. It was the surround sound. It was called Prologic in the early 90s and he had these Seren Vegas were not they were like club speakers when you when I look back at it but at the time boy did they >> they got earpiercingly loud to the point where I was like 10 years old 11 years old I would bring my friends over and my dad wasn't there of course he'd kill me and we would blast it so loud we couldn't sit in the living room we had to go stand out on the street and we >> what would like what was a key title that you would play or was it >> Hataways Baby Don't Hurt Me.

Okay. >> Cuz that was new at the time. >> But Locomotive Breath, I remember listening to that on the street. >> Wow. >> Try and impress my like look at my dad's system, you know? It was one of those things. And I would crank it and do this >> as I ran out to the street and we would listen to it on the street. >> Yeah. >> But that was one of those one of those tracks I remember listening to. >> But Hataway's Baby Don't Hurt Me was new at the time.

So, we were listening to an immense amount of Hathaway. >> Yeah. >> You know, my father only had we had like 20 CDs. >> Mhm. >> And he had a box of records and I had a record player at the time, but my father was under the impression that if you played a record and a scratch or like a you know, if the the needle went over a scratch, it'd blow his speakers. >> Oh, okay. Yeah. >> Hindsight, I look back at those. First of all, those S and Vegasos were like indestructible party monsters.

They were not blowable. Yeah. >> But the misconception of vinyl is kind of funny when I think back on it. >> But yeah, I got my father's old box of beat up, scratched up Elvis records and >> yeah, >> lady sings the blues, you know, >> KTEL samplers >> and uh yeah, it's kind of funny looking back on it, but I remember playing Locomotive Breath. So, it's a great record. I've been listening to it since I was a kid. Yeah. >> And I'll own this, but I think me owning this is going to slim some I mean, I'll do a shootout of it.

It's one of those things I if a record is significantly better as a 45, I will keep it, but it has to be >> pretty substantial. >> Yeah. >> So, I'll give it a listen to and I'll buy the Realtore even though, >> like I said, it's not the best sounding record. I don't have a working Realtore player, >> but and I got to buy Joanie Mitchell's Blue. That's the only one that I haven't bought from the series that I need to get on.

It's interesting that your main focus has been records for so long and now you're like, I got to go get this real to real. I'm missing a real to real in this entire set. Like >> I've had >> you're going to have FOMO real tore. Like that's a weird dynamic. >> A beautiful Realtore player for over a decade and you know 15 tapes to play on it. 20 tapes. Now they're coming out of the woodwork. There's new. So it's like >> I'm catching up for lost time.

But right as I'm catching up for lost time, >> the deck stopped working. But I got it I got to get it sorted. I I I >> Kevin Gray hooked me up with the guy. >> I got to call the guy. I gota >> I'm going to disassemble it in my living room apparently. And he thinks it's the power supply. I'm going to send the power supply. >> Okay. >> We'll see how that goes. There's going to be a disc. >> Well, then you'll have Yeah.

You'll have a real toreal. That's Kevin Gay Kevin Gray approved or >> We We'll see. >> Yeah. Other big news, they announced they're doing another title. They're doing Reckoning as a OneStep. >> In my opinion, a much better >> I didn't get the first RM. Not >> wasn't the biggest fan of that album. Reckoning is a great record. I am picking this up. They've upped the number. >> They're doing 5,000 of these and it is selling like gang busters in the pre-orders. >> Yeah. >> I ordered as many of these as I actually have Pet Sounds at this point. >> Wow.

Uh, I've got hundreds of copies of this that I've ordered because it's selling really, really well. It's a great record. >> Yeah, it was interesting. I watched Fremer's comparison where he played a first press and then the one step and there was a noticeable difference in it. I felt >> I listened to it in the bathtub on my cell phone. >> Don't take advice on how to view YouTube videos for Mike. Please, anybody out there, don't dropping your phone in the tub.

Watching a Michael Fmer video is not the way. >> I actually did drop it in the tub. >> Oh my god. >> But it's waterproof, so closed it off. >> But and it was only half of it. I only dropped the top half the top. Okay. But anyways, I listen >> listening to an iPhone. Yeah. In the back freaking sounded the same. I can't I'm not saying that. I'm sure when I get them they're going to be relatively radically different. >> Yeah.

But in the bathtub, >> yeah, >> after submerging my tub or my my phone in the tub, it was, you know, >> Yeah, >> the original sounded pretty damn good. >> Yeah. I mean, those came out on, I'm sure, Quax or something, if I remember correctly, Quax versions of it. >> They're really good sounding records. And can they be approved upon? Yeah. Is this better? Probably is. >> Yeah. >> But the original is pretty damn good. So, >> but I think it's showing that again the 90s, late 80s and 90s stuff is pe is what people are clamoring for.

And I think >> people want to buy. >> Yeah. >> It's >> it's kind of funny because I think back on me in the record business. I remember a time where you find Depes Mode Records, New Order Records, Smith records for one, two, three, >> $4. >> Good luck. Like that's the hottest of the hot. >> That is what everybody wants. It goes for the most amount of money. I remember going into ZAS 15, 20 years ago, local chain here, and their REMM section was just packed to the brim because I was looking for uh I'm thinking of the out with Losing My Religion came out in '92.

What the hell is the name of that record? You know, great cover. >> Brain fart. and always going into the RM section to see if they ever had it, you know, and but they had like piles of REM records for three, four, five dollars a piece and they just never sold them. >> Yeah. >> They were just four, three, four, five deep, >> right? >> It's amazing how the times have changed, but it's nice that the audio file labels are actually starting to catch up.

They're actually starting to put out stuff that people want. >> Yeah. And we're getting everything because obviously there's a demand for Aqua Long, Kind of Blue and like all these >> workh horses in music, >> but there is a need for this newer stuff and >> yeah, the generation that's getting into, >> like I said, for me, RDM >> Reckoning is selling to the level of >> Pet Sounds, one of the greatest top 10 albums of all time. >> Yeah.

Many people rate it as like, you know, a top five album. It's up there. It's Beatles. It's I mean, it's up the upper echelons. And this is selling as well because there's a market for it. So, it's nice that they're finally doing it. >> And I really think they need to take it a little bit farther. They really need to take this more >> even into modern. >> Yeah. >> Like, >> you know, >> they've done the Casey Musgrave, which was the back is coming.

Yeah. But there needs to be like a Dell and there needs to be Lana Del Rey. There's a lot of modern masterpieces. >> Yeah. >> You know, uh that really need to be touched on stuff from the last 1015 years. >> Yeah. >> Uh you know, they did Beck Morning Phase and >> pretty much all of these DSS are pretty much sold out at this point. I was talking to Tom Grover, the >> [clears throat] >> uh guy who's producing this. You know, he's did some podcasts.

You guys, if you've paid attention, you've probably seen, but I was talking to him a little bit about the also he's got a new record coming out on his label, the Terry Calier record, all Kevin Gray cut. Great record. >> Oh yeah, Slow Down Sound. >> Slow Down Sound. >> He's done like a total of like I don't know, five titles on that label, but kind of like Little Nuggets he did. >> Yeah. The Grant Green. >> The Grant Green. >> That was great.

I remember when that came out. That was >> was it where have all the Cowboys gone freaking singing that song? [laughter] >> It's like I got all the details but the main detail. >> Yeah. >> But you know he's done a couple of and that was an I don't think ever Paula Clark. My brain says Bula Clark. That's clearly not it. >> No not it >> but you know what I'm talking about. Uh, so he's done some nuggets and that was a title I don't think has ever been done, but the Terry Calier a home run record like those cad he had three records on cadet and those are like his best records.

Those three cadet records that Terry did are amazing. Occasional Rain uh is such a great record. It's they're all hundred records. I want to say all the cadet titles are like a hundred or more. his earlier stuff. You know, it's been that first record he did on was it Prestige? Maybe. Not my favorite records. It's really about those three cadet records. Anyways, we were talking about that and talking about the REMM, >> but those there's newer records that need to be addressed and it's they're starting to veer that way.

We're getting it with the Casey Musgraves, >> uh, the Beck. Hopefully, this is a thing that continues. And when I talked to him, he had kind of mentioned that for the most part, they're like all sold out >> or very very close to being sold out. So >> that's good news. >> Yeah. >> Because that means they're going to make more. >> Yeah. And it'd be interesting if the Beck takes off and more artists pay attention to, you know, coming out with an audio file version of it out the jump versus five years later, 10 years later, whatever it is. if that kind of shifts the market a little bit. >> It's and this leads me into my next story because I wanted to talk about this because this is kind of the opposite of what we've talked about so far.

The Rhino Hi-Fi has been such an amazingly done series. The DSS have been fantastic. The vinyl file titles, >> they've announced two. Sinatra at the Sands and the Almond Brothers. >> Oh, they had a third. >> What was the third? >> Uh, Liquid Swords. >> Yeah, nobody cares about that. >> Yeah. Who cares about that? [laughter] >> Hey, somebody >> somebody might. >> But yeah, they're doing weird titles. Like they're doing digitally sourced hip-hop.

That's a hip-hop title. >> Yeah. >> I I mean, they did a Lauren Hill, which was good. I mean, it almost seems like if they're doing them in threes, they're kind of spreading the genres around where >> in my opinion, this has been a really poorly executed series. It hasn't gotten a ton of hype. There's really nobody pitching it. So, they don't have a pitch, man. >> Yeah. >> It's a direct to consumer title, which is stupid.

And people look at, oh, you're a store, you just want to sell. Well, you know what? >> Having 3,000 stores promote your product is good for your product. M >> uh but for whatever reason, you know, they need to make that extra what 10, 15, 20, whatever it is, 20 grand. How much extra could they possibly make doing a couple of thousand records direct to consumer? It's not millions of dollars. >> Yeah. >> So, it's not been a really wellexecuted series.

There's been some killer titles in it, and some of them sound phenomenal, >> but it's not advertised well. It's not promoted well. There's not a lot of buzz about it. You don't hear it as much as everything else. >> It's nowhere near a Rhino Hi-Fi or a Rhino Reserve or the DSS titles or Mofi titles or Analog Productions titles. And they're making great titles and they're making stuff that a lot of other labels never touch like Giza. >> Is it Giza? >> Jiza. >> Yeah. >> They're making they're making the Jiz.

So, but [laughter] you know what I'm saying. They're making titles. >> Tweet that out a little. >> They're making titles that not everybody else is making. So, there's a market for they really need to do a better job. >> But I think it's kind of the script that some of these guys were doing. You know, Rhino Hi-Fi was direct to consumer out the gate and then enough stores were probably hounding them. When are we going to get these titles?

And then they change. Same with DSS. >> So, maybe the vinyl files are going to be sitting around for a while and they're like, well, we got to load these somebody. >> I look at online sales for myself. Mhm. >> You know what sells extremely well in store is the Jiz, but it doesn't sell well at all online. Like those are instore sales. >> Lauren Hill, >> Modern Hip Hop, like people like to go on into stores and buy those records.

At least for me, >> D'Angelo has been a big name. >> Yeah, those need to be in store. >> Uh, >> old audio files like to do some at home shopping, although a lot of them come into the store, but an immense amount of those folks sit home and shop. Yeah. >> So the direct to consumer works better. But the reason I mentioned this I like I said I don't think it's a very wellexecuted thing and I wouldn't have said that even about the Rhino Hi-Fi when they were direct consumer as well because they were very well promoted.

You know Patrick >> Milligan >> was getting online he was pitching it. He was talking about it. We were doing streams. We were doing streams with production people and you know there was just a lot more buzz about it as opposed to this vinyl series. It's kind of >> it's all through YouTube. All the buzz is coming from YouTube people. People getting them talking about the new releases reviewing them. That's it. I mean and maybe some of the you know magazines or the bigger reviewers out there may be doing it as well. >> This series is a little >> they're doing some killer t like the Almond Brothers Phil Mor East.

Mhm. >> Like that's a huge title that's going to be really well. The other title that they announced was Sinatra at the Sands. That's actually done digitally from a new mix which could it might be better. >> Yeah. >> You know, uh if they felt the need to go back and remix it, it might be significantly better. Yeah. But it's digital. >> Uh the Velvet Underground I thought was killer. They did that Velvet Underground. The new >> sold out pretty quick too, I think, too.

Yeah. That was an amazing like I was blown away how good that sounded because that's again another not hi-fi record but it sounded really good. >> Uh so I don't know I'd like to see them expand their reach on these. They really need to open these up, get these out into stores, make it much more accessible >> because they're really like a lynch pin and doing titles that haven't been done to death. I make fun of the Giza, but like the market wants that stuff.

The market needs higher quality, especially of hip-hop. >> These labels have abused hip-hop customers for so long by putting out the lowest quality, most crummy. >> It's terrible. And it's the music that needs better quality because, >> you know, a budget pressing of like a bassoriented album is just ripe for disaster, >> right? So >> yeah, DSS coming out with the very first title as Dr. Dre was I think a smart move for them. >> Yes.

So there and there's a market. People say, "Oh, who's going to buy that?" Well, people bought it. >> Yeah. >> And like I said, when I spoke to Tom, they're all close to being sold out. So >> Mhm. >> there's a market for it. But I really wish I I'm to the point where I want to see two separate markets. I want to see the limited DSS market, but I even and I mentioned it to Tom. I'm like, I want like we need in print versions of these records. >> Okay, we're doing the one steps.

We're doing the fancy packaging, the VR900 compound, >> the the like we need the Rhino Hi-Fi equivalent though of these titles so where we can keep them in print for an extended period of time, not a oneandone like because now we're at the point, okay, Pet Sounds is done. >> There's no more Pet Sounds sold out. What if you want a good quality? I mean, there's the vinyl file, but what if you want I'd love to see them do a three-step version of some of these titles. >> Yeah. >> I like the Rhino reserves.

They're in print. You know, the Rhino High-fives. Patrick has come out and pretty much said they're limited to as many as we could sell. Yeah. >> They're going to put these in production and keep them in production for as long as possible. >> Same thing with the tome poets. Same thing with the Blue No Classics. >> Uh it's a fantastic idea. And I'd like to see obviously Sony's absentee on this whole deal, so we won't even mention that.

But >> there's a lot of potential here with the vinyl file, but I really think they need to expand it. >> And >> yeah, it would be Yeah, it'd be nice to see those >> get it into more. Yeah, >> I didn't have it on the list, but I actually wanted to mention this because it's a it's a bit of news and it took me I made fun of it at first and this is me apologizing because it kind of dawned well not controversial but it kind of dawned on me what they were doing after a while.

Like I thought about it. So Bluenote announced an essential series called the Bluenote essentials. They're $20. Mh. >> And for a record store, they're actually relatively good margin. >> Mhm. >> They're not like what every other v retailer, not vinyl, but retail in general. You know, most retailers trying to make Keystone, which is they double their money. It's not that, but it's much better. >> Mhm. >> So, they're $19.99 titles, and there's more coming out.

I don't know if they've all been announced. There's some stuff that's embargoed, but there's more series coming out and they'll be announced any day now, but they're going to follow the same suit. They're $20 140 gram vinyl records. Decent margin for the store, >> but they're officially licensed product. And I at first I made fun of it. I remember doing a new arrival video with the Blue Node Essential Series. I'm like, what the hell?

Why would you buy this? >> Yeah. for 28 or for $ 199.99 when you >> staking it for like a Dole press or something like that. >> No, my thinking is why would you pay $20 for a digitally cut >> Monan? >> Mhm. >> When you can get for $28 a Blue Classic. >> Like why would you do that? That's ridiculous. >> Mhm. >> It's $8. So I was making fun of it at first and then I thought to myself on it a little bit more. I'm like you know what they're doing here?

They're going after Dole. >> They're going after wax time. They're high margin items, right? So, you can actually make some money on it, >> right? >> And they're officially licensed products that retail for $ 199.99. That's what Dole Wax time >> and I've been railing on these Spanish. They're not technically bootleg because these are legal to make because copyright laws expire out in the Europe after x amount of years. >> But they don't have the Blue Note logo on it.

You know, they airbrush whatever the original label, Blue Note Impulse, whatever it is, they airbrush it off. >> Yeah. And it's the original artwork just not the because the music is no longer copyrighted over there. But obviously Blue Note is an active functioning business. That's a copyrighted. Yeah. Yeah. So that's all airbrushed off. But they're essentially making official Dole Wax time titles. And it's still a Kevin Grey Master title.

It's just digitally cut. >> Yeah. >> It dawned on me. I'm like this is fantastic. the I was bitching five years ago, six, seven years ago at, you know, stores that carried these crappy titles and like I hated the idea. I refused to carry them. People bring me collections in and I pull the Dole out. I'm like, "Nope, I'm not buying the I don't even want to have anything to do with it." >> You know, you're mastered from CD record. >> Yeah. >> But, uh, >> it's also interesting that it's kind of keeping the clientele in the Blue Note lane of like, "Hey, you want to start out listening to jazz?

You spend 20 bucks on it." Okay, you really like this album. Do you want to upgrade to the classic series or do you want to upgrade to the Tone Poet series? Like >> there are some people that are going to buy just whatever the cheapest is. >> Yeah. >> Some people just truly do not care about >> analog, you know, those obviously aren't the people that are watching, but there's people that all they care about is the oldtimey feeling of playing their record with the pops and the clicks. >> Just have Yeah. have people or for cocktails and have >> Yeah.

That and they don't record. Yeah. >> They want the cheapest version of it. And this essentially eliminates Dole from the equation >> because as a store, why would you import a Dole record from Spain? >> Yeah. A CD rip of >> Yeah. >> Whatever. >> Why would you import that when you can get now officially licensed titles with good margin >> that retail for 20 bucks? >> Yeah. So, you know, I got it wrong, but like it took a second for it all to come in and click. >> Yeah. >> But yeah, that is a new series called the And they're going to be pumping them out because they've announced a bunch more.

We're going to get a whole rip of these essential titles for 20 bucks. >> So, who do you think? Yeah. You do you think it's somebody that's new getting into vinyl that you would market that to in the in the shop? They come in, they say, "Let me try a jazz album out. Here's the essentials." >> The thing is, I don't know. >> Yeah. But they just me mosey over there. >> Yeah. >> And they just pick up a record and they want the cheapest album possible. >> Sometimes I explain to people like, "Oh, like this is analog.

Look at this jacket." And they just look at you and their eyes glaze over and you could just tell >> they don't care about anything you're saying. >> Yeah. >> Those are the customers for it. They just want the record. >> There's some people that just want, you know, I had a guy come in a couple weeks back. He's got an Airbnb and he wanted a couple of jazz records for his Airbnb. You know what are a couple He wasn't buying to poets, right? >> These are records that are going to get destroyed by guests.

But he wanted the cool >> He wanted the cool vibe of having records in his Airbnb. >> Yeah. Those coffee shops that have, you know, records on the wall or something. >> Those are the customers for >> Okay. >> these, you know, you need a cheap copy of Moan. Here it is. doesn't have to be a wax time anymore. >> It's so interesting to think that back during COVID whenever the FOMO was going crazy, the supply chain shortages and all that, we would never even think that they're Blue Note's ever going to put out a $20 album. >> Yeah. >> You know, like it wasn't even >> You got to think too, a $20 album in 2026, like 10 years ago, that was somewhat standard, somewhat normal.

That's like the equivalent of a $10 record 10 years ago. Like >> this is super super duper budget record. >> Yeah. >> And I've had them in my hand. They're pretty solid. This just a 140 gram. >> Yeah. >> It's solid for the money, >> right? >> But yeah, it's eliminating essentially it's giving the stores an opportunity to make the same amount of money, >> not have to deal with importing something and making the same amount of money on an officially licensed product. >> Yeah.

That's easier. It's gonna be much easier to get in the United States. You know what I mean? >> Right. Uh, I think it's designed to I think somebody over there finally said, "You know what? >> Why are we just seeding all this money to Dole. Let's just make I mean, we can do the exact same thing they're doing and do it better." Yeah. >> We can make, you know, >> and that's what they did. >> That was a little sprung in news. >> No, that's uh Yeah, >> but it's a new series.

It's an there's an immense amount of new series coming out on a daily basis. >> Okay. Rhino Rocktober was just announced. The Rocktober, what is it? 50 some odd titles. They do it every >> Yeah. 54 57 titles. >> They do it every October. They announce a bunch of titles and it's a bunch of killer stuff. It's This is kind of how it breaks down. They've always announced the last couple of years. There's new Rhino Reserves that get announced.

There's new Rhino Highfives. And by new, I mean new to indie record retailers, titles that were exclusive only to Rhino that are now coming to hi-fi shops. Prime example, Crosby, Stills, Nash, previously available only through them. Now it's being made available to record stores. And then they always do like there's always sleeper titles. There's always titles they never announce as analog that end up being analog. Why in the world they do that, I don't know.

No. >> And then >> the war greatest hits. Was that a >> Yeah, that was like a sleeper. >> Yeah. Was record sort and then they >> record sord a sounds of summer which is another one of their series and then it was like a rocktober title. >> Yeah. >> But anyways, I think the big news from this that we can take away like immediately is all the new Rhino Reserves that were announced. >> Rhino Reserves are mostly analog. There are some digital titles in there, but it's very clearly printed on the label. >> Mhm.

This is the list of rhino reserves. I don't know yet if all of these are analog or which ones are digital. They're doing the chills submarine bells. The B-52 B-52's Cosmic Thing. Doug Som, Grover's Paradise, two Randy Newman titles, Good Old Boys and Sail Away, Not a Surf, High and Low, M the Hoopal, Brain Capers, uh, The Dream Academy, The Dream Academy, Self-titled, and Alice Cooper Goes to Hell. What is cool about this list is I'm actually I zeroed in on the B-52s, Cosmic Thing that had their biggest hit on it, Love Shack. >> Yeah. >> The mobile fidelity of it is not great.

Was that one of the B50? Because I know >> they did three titles. The first two titles were actually done really well. >> Analog probably. >> Yeah, they were like from a safety tape and I think this was from a safety tape, >> but it wasn't good. >> But a lot of the modern reissues of that record haven't been very good. I don't know what the hell happened. I don't know where the master tape went. I don't know what the deal is.

But this is actually being advertised as cut from the master tape by Matt Luans. Hopefully, this sounds good because like I said, the Cosmic Thing from Mofi, not one of their best records. The self-titled, you know, the the Yellow and the Red album, the first two are really good. I really dig them. They did a good job with them. >> Cosmic Thing, not so much. >> But a pretty solid list of Rhino Reserve titles. And there was also, you know, Jonie Mitchell Blue Rhino Highfi is coming to indie record stores, so that'll be here. couple NXS titles for the Rocktober. >> The Ramon's debut album as a mono mix.

I don't even know the story on that. I don't even know what the hell that is about. >> But Lane titles. >> Yeah, the clear violent. I think those are like there was a box set where they came out. Clear viol. >> Uh but yeah, all of those should be on the website. If they're not on there already, they'll be on the website, you know, later in the week. Yeah. Yeah. Once I get all the official >> a lot of SKs and everything to build.

Yeah. >> Uh so I'm looking out of this. You going to pick any of these up? >> Yeah, probably some of the the reserve titles. Alice Cooper. The Yeah, the B-52s sounded interesting. >> I'll do the B-52s. I'll probably >> The Ramon's mono is interesting. I'd be curious. >> Yeah. And like I said, there's always some details of that >> analog cuts in there that they don't tell anybody. Why? I don't know. I'll keep it a secret. >> But you can feel, you know, once October hits, everything seems to ramp up towards the holidays with >> stuff coming out.

It's >> I'm waiting for it. I hate summer. >> Yeah. >> Summer >> summer here, especially >> summer in Michigan is fantastic. Summer in Arizona, less summer. >> Yeah. >> But it's not only that, like it's a tourist town, so business is slow. >> There's less going on. It's just in general in Arizona. But once October hits, it's >> Yeah. starts hopping and popping. Football comes back. >> Yeah. >> You know, >> November hits or even October now Christmas starts coming back.

Charlie Brown Christmas is coming out. >> Get the year's latest version of Charlie Brown Christmas, which they announced an OJC of. >> Yeah. >> Which is big news. >> That was exciting. >> That's going to be a home run sale. >> I think this one's somebody put in the comments, I didn't verify it, but they said this one's actually cut by Matt Luans. >> Yeah. I'm sure he did the 33 and same time as he did the 45 for the UHR.

So, >> so this is a non I said Kevin Gray originally because he did most of them, >> right? >> And the ones he didn't do were actually Matt Luans at Coherent. This is actually a Matt Luans at the Mastering Lab. So, >> all right, let's move on to the Tonk Music segment. And I'll start by saying a lot of people have asked me about my ERC review. There's been [snorts] there's been trouble. Speaking of Arizona heat. >> Well, this could be this is not I don't blame Arizona for this.

This is FedEx in >> confidence. Yeah. >> So, I'm not blaming ERC, although I guess ERC could have theoretically sent it. Signature required. >> Essentially, this is what happened. FedEx delivered my record. I didn't know because it actually had an original delivery date that was the next day. So FedEx, nice of them to deliver it one day early when I wasn't expecting it. And they left it on my porch in direct sunlight for 13 hours.

[snorts] So 13 hours it was hot. Like >> yeah, >> direct sunlight is terrible. 113 I think it was that day. Direct sunlight at 85 degrees for 13 hours is going to toast your record. >> Yeah. >> So, it's not Arizona like direct sunlight is the worst. I have records behind my garage. >> It's not air conditioned, but they're stored right >> and it gets 110 back there. 112, 113. Those records are fine. They've been there for years.

I go in there, I pull boxes out of there every now and then to bring to the store and process. No warping issues. >> In the dark, >> properly stored. Fine. Indirect sunlight baking major problem. >> Yeah. >> Uh >> so you just took your box when you got home and just tipped over and all this black ooze just came out of the >> Actually, the way they packed it >> kept it from being completely bowl-shaped. >> I mean, it was like this. >> Yeah. >> And it was so hot it actually damaged, you know, there's the pitcher window.

M >> it actually started >> the colors or >> Well, it started melting it to where it wrinkled. >> Oh, wow. >> So, like I said, it's not an ERC problem. >> Yeah. >> It was just the circumstance of FedEx delivering it to my house when I wasn't expecting it and sat on the porch for 13 hours. >> Yeah. >> Not even in the shade. FedEx didn't like I've got bushes. They could have put it behind a bush and I think it actually would have survived in the bush >> because the way they pack it, it's between, you know, 10 pieces of cardboard.

If it was off in a bush, that wouldn't have been a problem. [laughter] >> Instead, it was just >> So, I got a delivery notification. I don't know where the package is. Well, have you checked your bushes lately? >> Well, they take a photo of it. >> Yeah. >> And this actually, they have a they they took a you know, I look and I look at the photo. I'm like, and lo and behold, you could just see like the sun just in the photo.

Oh, it's I'm like, "Oh, God." >> If you were quick enough, you could have just Yeah, if you have a Ring doorbell, just intercom the delivery drive. Can you move that over like 5t tall, please? >> I have a Ring doorbell. >> They didn't even push the bell. They just literally dropped it on the porch in the light and let it just cook for 13 hours. >> And they literally delivered it, >> you know, you open the store at 11:00, I leave here at 10:30.

They delivered it at 10:42. So, it set the entire day. >> Yeah. Yeah, again, not an ERC issue, but still your luck with ERC is just adding to the never ending. The never- ending looked cool, but you know, they did a good the jacket looked obviously top quality. They did a good jacket though >> originally for the just $25 version. They did, >> you know, the plastic window like that was a good jacket. Emboss cover. Yeah.

But they did a good job on the jacket and that's all I could tell you because the record was toast. >> Yeah. So now you're getting a full replacement. >> I'm getting a replacement. So in the past like they've had issues like if you had an issue they just sent you out a new >> disc or a new but that was not the case this time. They're like you have to send it back and they wouldn't send me a replacement until I sent and I >> I got busy and it took me about a week to send it back. >> So I still haven't had a chance to listen to it. >> Yeah.

I'm looking forward to it. Uh I was so looking forward to it. I had grabbed a Rhino Hi-Fi off the shelf and I just played it in store because I'm like I want to listen to it because I had in my mind >> Yeah. >> prepared to listen to it. So >> yeah, >> I couldn't I listen to the Rhino Hi-Fi >> which is amazing. >> Got my initials in the dead wax, but that's not the reason it's amazing. It's just good. >> Okay, tell me about LA.

This is the talk music segment. So yeah, let's talk some music. >> Let's talk some music. You went to LA. I sat here. It was not as fun, but you went record shopping. >> Yeah. I mean, I didn't escape the heat necessarily, but I was there uh for work. I was there Wednesday through Friday last week and Vinyl Con was happening uh Saturday and Sunday. So, a bunch of the VC folks were out there and kind of orchest like organized it with them a little bit because I wanted to see everybody in person for the first time.

I've talked to everybody over the years in chats and emails and texts and all that, but uh yeah, spent some time when I had free time to go to some of the record stores there. I think I went to maybe six or seven while I was there. I again, I hate traffic here, but traffic there is on a whole another level. Um I was there probably during a hot streak, too. It was probably 95ish degrees with humidity in >> traffic there makes Arizona like a small country town.

Yeah. And I [snorts] was driving everywhere. My I had rental car, so I had one day where I went up to Santa Barbara for work, which was nice because it was 25 degrees cooler. Um, but yeah, I I connected with the guys out there and it was >> So, who's you met a lot of the vinyl YouTubers there? >> Yeah. Yeah, they were all they were all doing some shopping, doing like a record crawl on Friday. Um, I got to meet Mazy Mazy's music or Yeah.

Uh, >> he doesn't need a plug. >> He does. Yeah. >> Yeah. Carry on. Uh Jim from Record Collector News was there. Super nice guy. Uh Tim from University of Vinyl was there. Rob the Wax was there. Um I think Joey from Seven Horse came in that night or later. I didn't see him, but they he was there as well. >> So you went to how many record stores with these guys? >> And then Patrick from >> Yeah. >> PBthall. Um I went to maybe three or four with them cuz they had gone to Record Safari first, which I was there the day before.

Um, but they went to Record Safari and then we did like two or three shops afterwards before I had to cut out and head to the airport, which again, just from being in LA area just to get to LAX is like an hour and a half to get there. And then returning the rental car, going through Yeah. all that stuff. So, I I definitely gave myself plenty of time to get back. But yeah, six sixish, sevenish record stores. Um, I went to maybe three or four of these guys and again they are they know the they know the deal.

They know how to uh to dig and there was yeah plenty of record stores to go around. I a lot of the higher dollar stuff probably was going to vinyl con >> just the nature of the weekend. But >> um being in LA I picked up quite a few soundtracks which was cool. That was kind of what I came back with and then some store merch. But >> who sent me some pictures? I mean, there was definitely >> Yeah, there was. I think the two best places that I at least I like the most were it was CD Trader in Tarzana and then Permanent Records in LA. >> I see you got the shirt. >> Yeah.

Yeah, I was there with the guys and and got a shirt there. The thing and I told this to Rob and the other guys, the thing that drove me crazy is almost every shop like surgically seals all their records. I think it's to prevent theft, but you have to take the record if it's a $30 or more record to the front to have them open it up. The records are in the jacket, so you can't see anything. You have to go up there, inspect them before you buy anything.

I was like, >> "Yeah, this kind of takes the fun out of it." Yeah. >> If you don't buy it, they always give you the look, oh, you just wasted my time. I got to seal these records all back up. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I hate that. >> I'm just not used to that. I'm used to being able to look at everything. And you know, if you got a higher dollar record that's on the wall, you bring it down, you open it up in front of the owner, you know, hey, is it okay if I check this out, but with vinyl conditions, everything.

So, you obviously want to look at everything before you buy it. >> I always LA I've shopped at records, you know, for records, many spots around the world. There is the most concentration of good records in LA, >> you know, than anywhere. I mean, short of going to like the Denbos Records, >> which is the largest record fair in the world. Obviously, there's a lot of records there, but as far as a city, nothing beats LA as far as records.

Not the cheapest place. I mean, you're going to pay for it, but if you want to go out to record stores and find great titles, >> LA is the place because you're going to find an absolute immense amount of records. And I had fun. I went with Rob and Record Collector Jim the last time I was there. >> And they took me to like three or four shops and Records Safari. We did all that. And >> yeah, >> I found all kinds of stuff. mostly stuff for the store, >> but I had a great time finding Yeah. records out there. >> Yeah, I think Vinyl I we'll try and do Vinyl Con next year just from what it was like this year and how it's gotten bigger over the last couple years.

Definitely looks like these stores are bringing the heat when it comes. >> Yeah. I mean, I saw a walkth through I think that one of the guys posted and it looked pretty for for >> for not being Austin, which is a big show. >> Nothing. Nobody's competing with Denbos, but it looked pretty solid. I mean, it looks like it's starting to rival Austin as far as what they're putting together. Yeah. Which if it gets to that point, maybe I'll >> I don't know if I'll set up there.

Maybe. >> Yeah. >> I'm prepping. This is the first year I'm actually going to do Denbosh as a real dealer. Like, I'm palletizing stuff and I'm bringing it over there. >> Something in my eye here. I'm palatizing stuff and I'm bringing it over there. >> See how it goes. But >> I did Austin a couple years back. It was just it's a lot of work. >> Yeah. >> And I work a lot and I don't want to work more. >> Yeah. >> Like I already have zero life.

My girlfriend's yelling at me all the time. Like >> you >> all you care about is records. >> All you do is records. Record. >> Yeah. I need a little time off and although she's humping to Denbos with me [laughter] a record shop, >> but I kind of push it off as a vacation. I'm like, we're going to rent a car. We're going to go to Germany. It's going to be fun. We're going to go like record shopping in Germany. >> But I'm like, we're going to see things on the way to the record store.

On the way to the store, be like, "Look at a building." And >> she'll have fun. But and we went to London and we did a lot of that, too. you know, like we stopped and saw, you know, we're on our way to a record store. Oh, look, there's Big Ben. It was kind of like So, uh, >> you got to be a professional by this point in the distraction of look over here. But also, there's a record store right over here. >> Luckily for her, the record stores in London were terrible.

Like, in proper London, >> like they're just tourist traps. >> Yeah. >> So, we got to do all the touristy stuff. But then when I got outside of London or in London but in the very outskirts and the stores got really good but they got a lot farther away. There was nothing for her to see and the rec the amount of records I bought got much larger. So we were humping a lot more weight obviously on a train. Well, having the locals there that know where to go and where not to go is very helpful, especially when >> when I went to the record show, I went and I met a couple of the local guys, guys who knew who I was, watched me and been on different live streams and like, "Hey, Mike, you got to go here, here, here." When I followed their list, it was like, "That's when I found this stuff." >> Yeah. >> But as a tourist, going off of >> just what you would find as a normal consumer going to, >> you know, the record stores there, I was like, "This is terrible." I know there's great record stores everywhere.

I feel like for me the big three is Seattle, LA, and New York would be the three big >> I mean outside of Phoenix, which has the greatest record store in the world. Yeah. >> Uh but outside of that, >> as far as a grouping of, you know, >> I've been to Portland, you know, I I've record shopped in Portland before and I know there's the biggest concentration of record stores within a certain mile radius. I have I have not been >> I haven't >> No, like New York City doesn't have >> because real estate is so everything is like >> Yeah. >> this and the prices match >> and I don't know I've never found a ton.

I've gone a few times like I went to the jazz record center and like the best stuff you would think about when you think of like that goes on eBay. >> A lot of 2030 $40 records >> but not I mean I guess it depends on what you're looking for. I'm not looking for $30 records anymore. Like if it's $30 and I want it, like I already have it cuz it's $30. >> Yeah. >> The stuff I'm looking for are big records. >> Mhm. >> That I want to see in person.

And >> a lot of stores sell that stuff online. So it's harder to find. >> But when you go to LA, man, like you sent me pictures of their wall. There's $500,000 >> that Misfits. Yeah. >> What was that? Swirl. What was it? >> Yeah. It was uh Yes. the one of the clear pink swirl versions that Glenn signed and like >> 6,500 bucks and that looked like it had come from Amoeba. So, I'm sure a lot of the stuff between all the big stores there kind of circulates around.

But yeah, >> there is a lot of high quality stuff on walls in LA and a lot of other stores just >> dump that stuff online. >> Yeah. >> But LA, man, you find the stuff. But you uh >> it was good. Yeah, it was good. You You met Rob when he was here. So I guess you met Rob for the first time. >> Yeah. But it was great to Yeah. see everybody for a little bit. I again I wasn't there. >> He's such a world traveler, but yet he doesn't come to Phoenix, Arizona. >> I don't know. >> It's ridiculous. >> Boycott it.

I don't know. >> Do people not realize how awesome Phoenix is? You guys are mistaken? Like this this is eight months of paradise here in Phoenix. >> Yeah. Well, we talked so much about the heat earlier on in the pod. Now go back to what it's like November through >> you guys are like >> March >> you're dealing with rain and thunderstorms and snowstorms and it's 75 degrees with no humidity. >> Yeah. >> So like like it's amazing in Arizona. >> I feel like until people come here once they're here during that time like so many of these snowbirds are like I would never leave.

Like I'll deal with the heat. >> That's why most of the people that live here are snowbirds. >> Yeah. >> Because they're like this is amazing. We And then >> Phoenix is like a worldass city. We got Scottsdale. We've got all the sporting teams you could want. We've got >> I feel Yeah. >> major events. >> Mazy's uh Mazy's lane. >> He needs to >> He needs to come in and be on the pod, too. >> Throw him on the pod. We can put a seat >> What?

Right in the middle here, maybe. And just grill them from >> Yeah. Just >> put a spotlight on him. We're interrogating him. >> Put the juice on the light. >> Yeah, >> it'd be fun. I would love to actually have guests on the podcast, but >> apparently nobody likes to come to Phoenix >> or they're not telling you. >> Perfect opportunity. >> Sneak in, sneak out. >> Perfect opportunity. And I told him, you need to do a record store day in Arizona.

You need to do a proper ingroup record store. >> None of this Write your list out of records you want. What the hell's the fun in that? A nice orderly trip to the record store. You dump through the racks. You look, you peruse, you buy what you want. >> Yeah. >> No pandemonium at the record store. >> We could make a big deal out of it. We could do, you know, close the shop on what, Friday or whatever it is, and then have after hours people bring records in, have a couple cocktails in the shop, and then open it up the next day for record. >> We can get Well, there's no martini mix here, but I was going to say we can lube them up right here on the pod. >> Yeah.

Be great. >> Get some barrel select here for him. >> Yeah. But, uh, yeah, you had fun. >> Yeah, it was good. >> And you, what was the most expensive record you bought there? >> Uh, the probably the sealed DCC of, uh, Raiders of the Lost Arc soundtrack. It was like >> 120 bucks or something like that. I mean, it was clean. It was sealed. So, >> yeah. All right, let's get to segment number three, which is the viewer question and answer segment. >> Oh, yeah.

Okay, you were we supposed to intro with send us your questions early, not at the end. >> I'm done. >> Apologies for >> you guys don't send me questions. >> I'm going to just eliminate this questions. We're not going to answer. We're going to eliminate this in the future because this isn't going well. >> Uh but we did get one question and it's a question I've answered quite a few times and I'll answer again because it is a good question.

I'm going to ask you the question and then I'll answer it. >> Okay. >> This is from Mattsy Waffles. question for a future episode. What albums do you guys first spin when you swap new gear in your system? Demo quality stuff only or is there some personal favorites you listen to as well? That's Yeah, there's usually, you know, some of the harder stuff to track. Um, Come Away with Me is a big one. The 33 RPM of that. I mean, it sounds great and you can really It's a very >> The QRP, the Kevin Gray cut.

Yeah, it's a it's very quiet, so you can hear a lot of the details throughout that. So, if you're swapping cartridges or whatever it may be, you can really pick out some of the details within a record like that. You know, uh Led Zeppelin 2RL is always great for bass. Um the Billy Isish album's good for bass, too. Um, yeah, those are probably like three, you know, three different genres, too, to to to play and kind of spread it out a little bit.

I mean, I know I remember when I was getting into, you know, during COVID and I was getting into more audio file stuff. I mean, you always had your demo records in the shop that you would plug on good stuff. Dave Breubck's Timeout at 45, The Door's 45, LA Woman, you know, some of that stuff, especially if you're really familiar with it. I feel like the more familiar you are with an album, the more you can hear the layers. >> It doesn't necessarily matter the title you choose, it matters the familiarity you have with that record.

I have, I don't know, five or six records that I always go to when I change gear. Billy Isish is one of them because it is a very bass heavy record and the way it images is much different on different systems. her first album. What is it called? Uh with Bad Bad Guy on it. >> Oh, >> her first. What's the name? >> Where do We go When we all fall asleep. >> Yeah. Where do We Go When we All Fall Asleep. >> Yeah. >> That is one of them.

Roger Waters Amuse to Death from Analog Productions. It's just an album I'm extremely familiar with and there's a lot of layers to it. From the explosions that are hard to track, from the softer, quieter parts. I like the way it builds up. So, it's just a good record. I'm very familiar with it. the LA Woman uh on the AP title. It's just that I've heard it a gazillion times. I've heard the album >> 10 gazillion times.

I'm so familiar with it. >> Uh the Norah Jones is a good example because that is a record that a lot of systems will handle the sibilance and her voice much different. >> So that's another record I like to demo. the Dave Breubbeck, Timeout, the the solo on Take Five. I like to just fast track right to that. And these are albums that typically when I'm doing a major system change, all of those are the first four or five, six things I listen to. >> Without fail, every time. uh when I'm doing speaker positioning and I'm trying to get something right, it's generally those albums again to image to see how it sounds.

Another one I like to play too, not that it works, but I always like to when I'm doing a turntable swap out or anything cartridge related, is the Tchaikovsky Teldark, the 1812 >> with the digital cannons that never track, like the very very very impossible to track cut. I always I don't expect almost anything to track. Although I had a Lin LP12 once that it actually tracked. But virtually everything I've ever put that record, you know, on it skips or it doesn't skip.

It just it doesn't skip that. It just jostles around so much in the grooves. Just doesn't track. >> But I like to do that as a test to see how well it tracks. Not if it can track because it almost never can, but how erratic does it traverse the groove. >> Yeah. But, uh, yeah, that's kind of mine. And I talk about these quite frequently. And a lot of these records, to be honest, are in I've got a box of records. So, the hi-fi section of the store.

A lot of people might not even know. We sell hi-fi gear. A lot of it's on the website, but I also have a demo room in the shop. Actually, I'm in the process of doing a lot of swap outs in there right now, but I have a demo room in the shop. And a lot of the gear that I have or I have a box of records, a lot of those records are just what I've described. >> Yeah. >> Because I think they're great sounding records and they're just go-to.

And then there's I don't know, there's another record I listen to a lot. Not necessarily demo or when I swap out equipment at the house, but I actually find myself listening to this the most at the store to demo gear. And that is the various sounds of QRP. It's an old Thorn sampler. >> It was made for thorns originally, >> but that was all analog as opposed to the wonderful sounds of female vocals, Christmas and male vocals.

Those were all digital. This is actually analog. And I like it because it really I can pull out one record and go to a customer, well, what do you want to listen to? And then they're like, yeah, they and I'm like, well, you want to listen to classical, you want to listen to jazz, you want to listen to blues, you want to listen to rock, soul, they can typically just tell me a genre and then I just grab one of the six sides and play it.

So, I find myself grabbing that record all the time. That shaft, >> there's a staple the shaft theme, the Staple Singers, the Ricky Lee Jones doing uh the Steely Dan cover is great. There's a couple of the classical tracks on there. There's the hope Hugh Massacella. >> Yeah, >> there's a couple tracks from that or a track from that on there. There's some of the APO, which is the Analog Productions label, their blues label.

There's a couple tracks on there, but I find myself grabbing that a lot. So, it's a good demo record. >> Yeah. >> But yeah, >> play what's familiar. >> Play what's familiar. That's probably the easiest to tell little differences between what you've done to the setup in your system. >> And the thing is too, and I try to tell customers, it's it's counterproductive to what I should be doing because when customers come in like, I want to buy a bunch of stuff.

I always try to talk them out. I'm like, you really want to do one thing at a time. You can buy a bunch of gear and will you get improvement? Yeah, if you go from a bunch of $100 gear to a bunch of th Yeah, you'll get an improvement upgrading stuff, but like where do you get the most bang for your buck? And you don't really know that when you make these massive wholesale changes. So, it is good if you're going to like I always recommend customers to put the most they can into an individual piece of gear and upgrade that like a piece of gear at a time is really the best way to go because then you feel like you got value for like you know right away like if you buy a new turntable and you listen to you're like damn that made a huge difference. >> Yeah.

Well, if you buy a turntable, a cartridge, and a phono stage, what made the difference? So, that's kind of that philosophy is kind of how I switch out gear. And also kind of I don't know though, between the records and the gear, like I I like to know what I'm getting for the money. That kind of helps. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. What's the last piece of gear on a side note you upgraded? Uh the cartridge. Um, well, yeah, I had the cartridge and then I did some tube rolling on my uh project photo stage. >> Mhm. >> Um, but yeah, the the cartridge I swapped out was the last piece and that's been again cartridges I feel like are the most fun to just listen to records that you didn't listen to before or have listened to a million times and compare and see >> it's different here versus there and all that.

And as an industry, not enough money is spent on cartridges. I know they're crazy expensive, >> but folks will spend $7,000 on a turntable. They'll put an $800 cartridge on it, but man, the difference between a good $800 cartridge and a good $3,000 cartridge is pretty monumental. >> Yeah. >> And I'll never forget, I went to Expona maybe three years ago, and Frank Koosma was there. We were in the Koosma booth and he had the Stabby, like the basic Stabby turntable, which was great turntable.

It's a couple thousand dollars, but he had their top-of-the-line sapphier tone arm and 20 some odd thousand cartridge on it, but the table itself was the base >> model table. >> Yeah. >> And I was talking to Frank about it and even he mentioned he's like, "Not enough money, attention is put on these other two components because the juicy stuff is a turntable." So that's what people focus on. >> Yeah. >> And it was a great sounding great sounding table with that obviously $2,000 table and $50,000 tone on cartridge, but it sounded good. >> Yeah. >> But yeah, I have a lot of fun doing cartridge swaps because it makes an immense difference. >> Yeah. >> And you got a table though.

You got to do you got Well, it's not new. Yeah. >> You got the 1200G which is now out of production. It's been replaced by the anniversary table. But that table >> so many people buy it. It was like 40. Was it 4,200 bucks at the time? >> Yeah. >> It went up and then it went out of print production. But I, you know, a lot of people buy that table and put five, $600 cartridges. I'm like, man, you are missing the boat. This table is capable of holding. >> I put $5,000 cartridges on that table in the shop and it there wasn't diminishing returns like you would get on a lot of tables, right?

A lot of tables that were three, four, $5,000, you put a $5,000 cartridge, it could be diminishing returns, but that table carried whatever cartridge you put on it. So, well, >> yeah. >> All right, guys. That is episode seven. We'll be back in a couple weeks for episode 8. Uh, let's see uh what predictions. We seem to have [laughter] >> the the Yeah, what's what's what's coming next? >> We seem to talk about things that end up happening in relatively short order.

That's kind of that's because >> maybe more budget label releases. >> Well, that I already know is coming. >> Well, >> there's embargoed stuff. >> Yeah. >> So, I know stuff is coming. But yeah, who knows? Until next time.