The greatest record collection in the world?

Well, there is competition for the title (see earlier post on the Mr Freitas who wants a copy of every LP ever made) but this guy is surely up there with the top candidates. Great personal story of one man's obsession (slightly dated now):

The Archive from Sean Dunne on Vimeo.

The state of the music industry is not the state of the musicians

For once, a relatively positive voice (unless you believe the future rests on you and me buying the same albums again and again in a new package, in which case, you are welcome to spend your money and to contemplate just what Ringo really was thinking or if we need that 93rd reissue of Kind of Blue)-- welcome Steve Albini. This takes some time but it’s worth it.

MusicMatters announces new titles for 2015 Blue Note series

It was anticipated this would happen by regular purchasers of the wonderful 12 LP series but today MusicMatters confirm that a new series is coming in 2015. And 20 new titles are promised including Dolphy's Out to Lunch and other gems, which will be happy news for many. I bought the full set so far and love them. So, if you thought you spent a lot on vinyl last year, brace yourself for another $700 or so on these if you want the lot (and you know you do)

The crap side of being an LP lover

I've done it again -- in a moment of minor inattention I brushed the back of my middle finger against my cartridge as I changed sides on a recently cleaned and wonderful sounding used LP that I was pleased to have found (Duke Robillard's Swing on Rounder Records, as a matter of fact) and 'pop'..there goes the cantilever. "Oh" went my first reaction, "how did I touch that?"...assuming no real damage as the touch was so light. But my eyes soon revealed the full horror -- the cantilever was shorn completely off the body and was lying dead on the platform of my SME 20.

Now I could go on about how rare this is but I did it less than two years ago with a previous version of this same, rather extended-cantilever cartridge. At that time, I blamed my overzealous efforts at trying to position a magnifier close enough to see VTA but this time I had no excuse - not alcohol, not careless handling, not hurrying, just plain accidental hand positioning as I went through a routine, habitual physical act of changing a record.  I've played records for 40 years, I never damaged a cantilever until two years ago, I look after my gear.  I could scream since I have just completed a series of reviewing and adjustments that had the table sounding about as well as I have ever heard vinyl in my home. This $2800 cartridge had only 200 hours on it, carefully logged, carefully cleaned and usually, carefully handled. Right now, I am sitting in silence as I cannot bear to put a CD on and I am contemplating the decimation of all the plans I had for the upcoming holidays to binge clean and wallow in vinyl. I was even contemplating investing in an ultrasonic record cleaner. Not now. I don't know if I have the money or the inclination to do this all over again.

Sometimes being a vinyl lover just f^*k+n# sucks!

Wilson Benesch set up new distribution in the US

I've long been intrigued by the designs of Wilson Benesch. Their use of carbon composites and their rather elegant flowing lines always struck me as eye-catching. Have never managed to hear their products though and I am hoping this might change soon as the Sound Organization in Dallas has been named their new US distributor.Pictured to the right is their new Cardinal model from the Geometry series, described poetically as consisting of "a silk black baffle, spine, foot and carbon fiber cabinet is beautifully augmented with side cheeks that may be customized with a choice of 14 polymer or natural wood veneer side cheek finishes, expertly applied by Bentley trained craftsmen to compliment any décor."  Wow, it sounds good already right? No US prices that I can determine yet but start saving, a published German review listed it as well north of 'more than you can afford' at 55,000 pounds