Tír Na HiFi

mcq wrote:And, perhaps more relevant to my earlier post on Lather and specifically Live in New York, here is Zappa performing Black Napkins with his superb 1977 band.  

Jesus! Right that's it, it's time I got myself a cd player ;) Seriously though that is simply sensational guitar playing!

Right.....Below is a list of my Zappa/MOI vinyl; what other vinyl from the boys would you recommend Paul? Looking at the list do I actually need any more Frank?



1. Unkle Meat double

2. Hot Rats

3. The Singles Collection double

4. You Can't Do This On Stage Anymore Sampler double

5. Old Masters Promo

6. Freak Out double

7. Shut Up And Play Yer Guitar triple Lp box set plus follow up 'Guitar' double Lp

The man was a complete and utter inspiration to me, Dermot.  I learned so much both from his music and from his musical influences like Mingus, Dolphy, Varese and Nancarrow.  Essential recordings in my opinion are the following:

1.  We're Only In It For The Money
2.  Burnt Weeny Sandwich
3.  Weasels Ripped My Flesh
4.  Waka/Jawaka
5.  The Grand Wazoo
6.  Roxy and Elsewhere
7.   One Size Fits All
8.  Zappa in New York
9.  Studio Tan
10.   Sleep Dirt
11.  Joe's Garage


The holy grail for vinyl afficionados like yoursef, Dermot, are the three Old Masters boxes, which encompass everything from Freak Out to Zoot Allures. 

mcq wrote:The man was a complete and utter inspiration to me, Dermot.  I learned so much both from his music and from his musical influences like Mingus, Dolphy, Varese and Nancarrow.  Essential recordings in my opinion are the following:

1.  We're Only In It For The Money
2.  Burnt Weeny Sandwich
3.  Weasels Ripped My Flesh
4.  Waka/Jawaka
5.  The Grand Wazoo
6.  Roxy and Elsewhere
7.   One Size Fits All
8.  Zappa in New York
9.  Studio Tan
10.   Sleep Dirt
11.  Joe's Garage


The holy grail for vinyl afficionados like yoursef, Dermot, are the three Old Masters boxes, which encompass everything from Freak Out to Zoot Allures. 

Thanks for your quick response Paul. Better start saving so :)

I know this slightly off topic Paul but I would really appreciate your input on this dilemma I have concerning the imminent (Sept. 8th) Beatles vinyl mono box set which are completely digital free.

My dilemma is this : I have a few Mono copies in my collection but no The White Album Mono. Will the new versions compete with my old Mono's? Do I just buy the White Album, Revolver and maybe Sgt. Pepper and forget about the complete box?

I know you raved about the digital Mono box set particularly the White Album. I currently have three copies of TWA - a Jap copy, last years remaster and a second hand American copy I picked up years ago. Guess which is the sonically superior copy? Believe it or not it's the American copy! Far more life and presence.....

Over to you Paul and thanks in advance for your advice. BTW anybody else feel free to join in :) Maybe this should be in a separate thread?

cybot wrote:My dilemma is this : I have a few Mono copies in my collection but no The White Album Mono. Will the new versions compete with my old Mono's? Do I just buy the White Album, Revolver and maybe Sgt. Pepper and forget about the complete box?

I know you raved about the digital Mono box set particularly the White Album. I currently have three copies of TWA - a Jap copy, last years remaster and a second hand American copy I picked up years ago. Guess which is the sonically superior copy? Believe it or not it's the American copy! Far more life and presence.....

Over to you Paul and thanks in advance for your advice. BTW anybody else feel free to join in :) Maybe this should be in a separate thread?

I will be watching the answer to this one with interest.

The box sets of Bob Dylan's and The Beatles' output in mono were among my most cherished purchases in recent years.  I grew up listening to this music in stereo and knew of the mono versions only by reputation.  What I hear in these mono recordings is an incredible sense of clarity, intimacy, vibrancy, realism and a very tangible in-the-studio presence.  In particular, Rubber Soul and Revolver sound simply breathtaking.  I haven't heard the stereo remixes so I can't comment on how they compare to the mono recordings.  Reviews of both mono and stereo boxes, whilst confirming the superiority of the mono recordings on general, concede that the differences are less noticeable with Sgt. Pepper and the White Album than they are with the earlier material.  The mono LP box will be a significant financial outlay, Dermot, but I think it will be worth it.  The Abbey Road engineers have certainly taken their time to get it right as befits the importance of this music.

mcq wrote:The box sets of Bob Dylan's and The Beatles' output in mono were among my most cherished purchases in recent years.  I grew up listening to this music in stereo and knew of the mono versions only by reputation.  What I hear in these mono recordings is an incredible sense of clarity, intimacy, vibrancy, realism and a very tangible in-the-studio presence.  In particular, Rubber Soul and Revolver sound simply breathtaking.  I haven't heard the stereo remixes so I can't comment on how they compare to the mono recordings.  Reviews of both mono and stereo boxes, whilst confirming the superiority of the mono recordings on general, concede that the differences are less noticeable with Sgt. Pepper and the White Album than they are with the earlier material.  The mono LP box will be a significant financial outlay, Dermot, but I think it will be worth it.  The Abbey Road engineers have certainly taken their time to get it right as befits the importance of this music.

Thanks a million for that Paul. As you probably already know the Mono Lps are being released separately anyway which is a relief I suppose! But I have a feeling that this will be the very last time that this much care and attention will be accorded the Beatles in Mono. So it's a no brainer to invest in this last-in-a-lifetime complete recordings of the Beatles as they were meant to be heard this century.

As a footnote Hi FI World will be doing a full appraisal of the set in the very next issue.....

The projected cost? £288 for the complete 14 Lp set.....

cybot wrote:Just picked this track at random. Wow! Cannot believe how good this is!!!!! Thanks guys for putting me right :)

I really enjoyed that!!!

Diapason wrote:

cybot wrote:Just picked this track at random. Wow! Cannot believe how good this is!!!!! Thanks guys for putting me right :)

I really enjoyed that!!!

Delighted :)

Maybe this should be in a separate thread?

Dermot NAMA might have a thread for bankrupt vinyl fans? Let me know if you find it ;-)

tweber wrote:

Maybe this should be in a separate thread?

Dermot NAMA might have a thread for bankrupt vinyl fans? Let me know if you find it ;-)

Ha ha :) I have two more delicious pieces of vinyl for you delectation which you MUST buy. I'll post them as soon as I can. I was listening to them yesterday and I immediately thought of you. Sorry :(