J Larsen

Yes, that's the one - well worth picking up IMO. Gets well above average play time in my system. It's loose but focused, informed by fusion without really being fusion. I guess that's why MGF reminds me of it so much - except MGF is lacking in the focus department.

Well, I will! It's a pretty raggedy session, actually. Never really gels, imo. Not for nothing was it kept in the can until after Weather Report started making waves. Odyssey, otoh, is all the way there. I listened to Moto Grosso again this weekend (first time in a long time), after Odyssey ended too quickly for me. It's not one I return to a lot, and it is unfocused, but I didn't dislike it. You might call me crazy for saying this, but it comes across to me as a less successful version of that Michael White album on Impulse (which I have to confess to really enjoying - seems to be a controversial album).

The thread took a totally unneccesary and nasty turn, which I nearly made the mistake of furthering. In any case, glad it went well, Michael. Sorry I couldn't make it.

Motto Grosso Feio was last out on One Way, so there may be a licensing poblem there (though One Way does seem to get short-term rights to a lot of the stuff they put out). I think Odyssey is a much better record, but I'm not going to say anything bad about Moto Grosso.

Unfortunately, that hasn't been my experience through the normal second hand channels.

Yeah, I hear you, and I guess I knew the answer to my question before I even asked it. It's frustrating though, because it's such a great record. Super Nova is another favorite of mine.

They're going to have to reissue it first...

I'm having a hard time believing this can really make a difference - I worked with a reputable experimental physics lab for a while and they weren't very fussy about the power cables being used for instruments measuring GHz frequency signals, and your stereo only needs to accurately measure signals up to aroud 25 kHz. But I've never tried experimenting with power cables in my own system and there could always be some aspect to the electronics that is not occuring to me right off the cuff. On the other hand, I can very easily see how a good power regulator could (and should) improve system performance.

Listened again - with irreproachable care - and still didn't like it. I wouldn't go quite so far as to say I hate it, or even to say that it's awful or really bad, but I'd certainly reach for any other Hank title in my collection before this one. It will be a while before this one gets another spin in my system. To each their own...

Unfortunately, I only have an MP3 of this great album... is there any good reason it hasn't been reissued since the mid-90s? Like a licensing problem or something? It seems to be a more logical choice for an RVG than some of the readily available titles they've been rehashing lately... Wayne sells comparitively well, doesn't he?

I haven't listened to it in a long time, but I didn't care for it. It sounded very commercial to me. I may give it another chance some day. My initial impressions are not always fair.

Geez, I think I glossed over a few key posts there... Good luck Jim!

The movie is interesting as a curiosity, but I have a hard time seeing how anyone can call it amazing. I haven't seen it in a long time, but I recall there being an apparently unintentional tension between the sinister theme and this odd, dated Disney-esque production quality. Certainly a cult classic and something to rent once when you just want something completely off the wall.

Jim - I didn't see this thread when you started it. I had very severe back and shoulder pain for years (yes, at 31 I am young for that, some of us are just lucky I guess). I went to several doctors who couldn't help me and took medications that only reduced my pain from excrutiating to marginally tolerable while making me too foggy headed to do the kind of work I need to do. I'll tell you one thing that really helped a lot: giving away my spring mattress and box spring and switching to a Tempurpedic. Yes, they are expensive; when I got mine I really couldn't afford it at all, but I've never regretted it for a second. You may be able to find a dealer with a 30 day money-back guarantee. Believe me, it's worth trying. If there is a Design Within Reach in your area, they do a good copy of the Tempurpedic called the Sonno for a little less, but I've heard that their quality control isn't very consisitent.

Man, I'm afraid I'm really going off the deep end now... I just upgraded the interconnect cable going from my CD player to my amp to the Kimber Hero, which cost more than a normal person spends on a CD player! I notice a *huge* improvement in the sound quality over using the stock cable that came with my CD player though; almost as big of an improvement as I got from swapping my Infity speakers for the B&Ws. I just have to make sure this doesn't develop into a habit...

Damnit, I was hoping this would be the Velvet Lounge on my block (although it would have been an odd match). I've seen Grimes with Roy Campbell Jr before several times with Marc Ribot's Ayler tribute band Spiritual Unity (great live band, not so great album). They're great together! Enjoy...

HOLY $*%(ING $(@#!!!!!!!! This was one of the best shows, if not the best show, I've ever seen. Thank you SO much for starting this thread, Chuck - I hadn't noticed it advertised anywhere. The *only* downside was that Henry Grimes had to use the house amp, which was obviously completely blown. However, I was sitting directly in front of him (and about 3 feet from Cecil Taylor), so I was one of about a half dozen people who could actually hear what he was playing. I'm going to be processing what went into my ears tonight for a long time. This was *not* a 60s revival thing, they were on to some new shit, and in a really good way. I really wish I had the talent some of you have for translating sound into words right now... Damn I feel lucky for having been there tonight.

Ten copies of the same disc?????

I'm soooo bummed that the Hill Mosaic went OOP while I was a completely broke grad student. I've found duplicate discs in my collection a couple times, too, but usually it's because I found something at a really good price and I couldn't remember if I already had it or not. Duplicate sealed cds is a bit of a different story!

Let me know if you're ever interested in trading vinyl...

Did they mix in artificial cracks and pops into the sound, as well? When you get to the end of "side 1" do you hear the needle hit the center label? (I think someone actually did do the latter on a cd once.)

What ever happened to Lon, anyway?

I won't diagree with you on that - they are definately a lot more detailed in the high-end than in the bass. This is offset a little by the fact that they are in a small room, where a lot of the extra bass that I would get from an upgrade would be wasted or even counterproductive anyway. On a good recording, the cymbals sound like they're in the room, and the bass... well, it sounds nice enough to me for now. Good tip on the XRCDs - I have an XRCD of Workin' that I picked up mispriced at Tower for about $12 a few years ago (is it my fault they went bankrupt???). I'll throw it in as soon as I get home.

704. I wasn't ready to spend more than a couple grand; I thought it better to ease my way into hi-fi. A coworker offered me his 802s for $3k delivered to my door, but I felt a little bad spending that much and didn't want to spoil my ears - going from the Inifitys to the 704s is a huge enough leap for right now.

Back when I had a 1993 Onkyo receiver hooked up to a pair of 1994 Infinity speakers and a Philips CD player, all bought from Circuit City when I was 20, I had absolutely no clue what you guys were talking about when discussing the relative merits of McMasters vs. RVGs, etc. Over the last few months, I've upgraded to a Rotel amp, NAD CD player, and B&Ws (which a few of you were kind enough to advise me on)... all I can say is WOW!!! You guys weren't crazy after all! Some of the remasters I've A/B'ed on my new system are like night and day... Sadly, I've found that some of my favorite discs are sort of lacking in the fidelity department (which doesn't make me love them any less). Anyway, I want to get a better sense of what my new gear is capable of, so I'm wondering what I might already have on my shelves that can really reveal its potential. So how about it? What are some of the best sounding discs in your collection? (God, I hope this doesn't mean I'm becoming an audio nerd...)