Archive for January, 2010
MYSBLT: NYE 2010, Vampire Weekend, Coachella 2010, Jay Reatard
Author: Taylor Roberts
In this issue of Music You Should be Listening to:
Welcome to 2010! The Indie music world has been gearing up for these first couple months and MYSBLT is all a buzz for things to come. New Years Eve is one of the best nights for hearing good music, but only if you are willing to spend a little extra. So I will let you in on the secret to dropping less coin without sacrificing good tunes. For those of you who have been on the edge of your seats waiting for the new Vampire Weekend album, I will let you know what I think of my first couple listens. Want a hint? I am not happy. On the side of recent news, the Coachella 2010 lineup has been announced and we finally have news from the guys at Brand New who have been tormenting their fans with the possible release of God and the Devil on vinyl. And finally, MYSBLT will pay its last respects to indie garage rock mastermind Jay Reatard who tragically passed away on January 13th at the age of 29.
read comments (0)Vinyl or CD? (Setting the record straight)
Author: Doctor B
The great debate over digital versus analogue audio has been raging since a joint venture between SONY and Philips brought the (literally) logical successor the the vinyl record to market over a quarter-century ago. It came up again in the course of a review in Goldmine magazine, the New York Times of the music-collecting community. It was for the vinyl reissue of a long-sought-after 1973 album by the seminal German progressive (or “kraut-rock”) band, Faust,. whom I had the privilege of seeing live in concert at Philadelphia’s International House last fall. The Goldmine review lauded EMI’s 180-gram audiophile edition of Faust IV. I recommend this album or any other by this act without hesitation, whatever form you choose to buy it in.
I’m always glad to see great vintage music back in print. I do take issue however with the reviewer’s apparent assertion that vinyl always sounds better than digital audio. As I’ve pointed out from time to time elsewhere, the technology used to make a recording, analogue or digital, takes a back seat to the technique and skills of the engineer and the amount of care he or she takes in making the recording. The mastering process, as any producer can tell you, can make or break the sound of a recording. And the efforts of everyone else in the chain, from the performers on down, don’t mean a thing if similar care isn’t taken in manufacturing the final product. Read the rest of this entry »
Hello from Princeton Record Exchange,
Recently arrived: two collections totaling over 2,000 LPs and 3,000 CDs comprised mostly of Oldies, Blues, Soul and Country.
We have just purchased a great assortment of less common titles. The two collections were remarkably similar in that they both contain a large amount of very clean, mostly reissued LPs and very thorough assortments of CDs; the first predominantly Oldies and 60’s soul, the second Blues, Country and some Folk.
Continuing our visual experiment, we have uploaded a short video about them. You can watch this video by clicking on the image above.
The records are mostly reissues pressed in the 70’s and 80’s with very few originals. They are, almost without exception, in excellent shape; the covers are crisp and clean and the vinyl is pristine. Some of the labels featured are Ace, Charley, Krazy Kat, Bear Family, Relic, Official, Crystal Ball, and many others. While mainly domestic, there is a healthy dose of British and Japanese imports as well.
Most are priced from $1.99 to $4.99 with a few higher. We have sorted out the bulk of the Oldies, Soul, and Blues and created separate new arrival sections for them in the back of the store; the Country and Folk is mixed in with the regular new arrivals.
The CD portion of these collections includes one of most thorough Oldies/Doo-Wop/Vocal Group selections we have ever seen. Over 2,000 are out now and priced cheap at $1.99 to $4.99(as always, we need to make room!). As well as the common artists from that era, there are a LOT of unusual and obscure artists and many long out-of-print, small-run compilations. The Cheap Blues section has also been very beefed up with over 700 new titles.
On a completely unrelated note, we have also just put out over 1,000 Laser Discs! There are tons of great movies here, including some rare Criterion Collection on an archaic, but actually very high-quality medium. Ok, so there not for everybody, but it does go to show just what a diverse store we are and that you just never know what will come in the door!
Please note if you are not familiar with our store…we are a bricks-and-mortar walk-in store only. We do not ship.
Hope to see you soon.
Princeton Record Exchange
20 S. Tulane St.
Princeton, NJ, 08542
609-921-0881
www.prex.com
The Doughboys “Act Your Rage”
Author: Beverly Paterson
Formed in 1965, The Doughboys released two singles, “Rhoda Mendelbaum” and “Everybody Knows My Name,” that have since become favorites with record collectors from here to eternity. Steady gigs provided the Plainfield, New Jersey band lots of exposure, making them a local sensation. It was a sad moment for many when The Doughboys called it quits as the sixties bled into the seventies, but thankfully the members of the band continued playing music. Bassist Mike Caruso took the session route, working with Jimi Hendrix, for instance, while lead singer Myke Scavone joined Ram Jam, who netted a top forty hit with “Black Betty,” and drummer Richard X. Heyman launched a solo career that has resulted in a truckload and a half of critically acclaimed power pop discs. Read the rest of this entry »