MeloManiac

Thriftstore finds of the week: Chris Rea (1981😞His 4th studio album (of 25), before he became really famous with Road to hell and Driving home for Christmas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Rea_(album)?wprov=sfla1 Mahalia Jackson, The power and the Glory (1960) A Christian album, her voice is amazing. Some say these Christian albums are better than her jazz album. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahalia_Jackson?wprov=sfla1

Both Verdon Fleece and Tupelo on vinyl are extremely rare! I wish I had them!

The inwards ooze power!

First Van and now Horace on vinyl. So jealous of your collection!!!

I could not resist it so I bought this Led Zeppelin (1969) debut album. The band has been lauded so often here in this thread so I just had to buy it! Edit Already I like I'm gonna leave you after hearing it just once. And You shook me!

For archival purposes I would choose vinyl records too, but this 40th birthday box cost only 15 euro and has so much more to listen and watch to than the double LP, which is 19.99 euro or more...

I use a Denon RCDM41DAB 40wpc system in the bedroom with my RP160M. I also have a small Yamaha sub connected, but seldom use it. I like being able to play CDs and its Bluetooth connectivity is very reliable.

TT is indeed a Garrard 301

Some of you will enjoy watching this one...

This is the one you are referring to, right?

I use the iFi Phono Zen, which is €199. (Used to be €149)

After all my posts about Belgian beers, let's get back to vinyl records. Sinead O'Connor was huge in the 1980s-1990s, thanks to a Prince cover Nothing Compares 2 U, she became world famous. But then, she decided to tear up the picture of the Pope live on television in the US. After that, she was 'canceled' and booed at, and her career was dead... History would prove her right: Ireland's catholic Church was responsible for child abuse and murder of orphans on an unimaginable scale. Two weeks after the Pope incident, there was a live concert at Madison Square Garden where O'Connor would perform a quiet 'whisper' song, but the public wouldn't let her do that. Kris Kristofferson came on stage and told her 'Don't let the b*st*rds grind you down'. Later, Kris Kristofferson was interviewed about it: ... and he even wrote a song about it, and sang it together with O'Connor. The Lion and the Cobra is her 1987 album.

As for the beer, Belgium is the best. Belgium is in a different league compared to Germany and Holland! https://www.jamieoliver.com/features/belgian-beer-best-in-the-world/

https://www.vinshineaudio.com/post/bluesound-node-node2-node2i-psu-kit

The simple act of migrating the power supply from internal to external may already result in improvement. It would be interesting to do just that - while keeping it safe. I remember that iFi Phono Zen can be bought with an upgraded, external power supply, which results in better sound quality. Standard external power supply: https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-phono/ Upgrade: https://ifi-audio.com/products/ipowerx/

Love the cover art!

Welcome to the forum! You have a winner! I would say: invest in a good quality amplifier and enjoy the music. Used Heresy speakers are wanted nowadays. Their prices have gone up in the past months. 1980, in mint condition, I would say €1000 to €1250, euro or dollars depending on where you live.

Around 30 years ago, when I was in my early 20s, I started buying jazz CDs. I wanted to build a collection of essential albums. I bought them on CD, not on vinyl, because in that era, 'digital' was modern and hip. The first CDs I bought were Miles Davis Birth of the Cool and Kind of Blue. In the years that, followed, I bought some more, like Miles Ahead. The man recorded a huge number of albums, so where do you start, when do you stop buying? I stopped buying, I guess, when I started a family (wife and three kids). Now, my kids are in their teens, so I started buying CDs again. Sometimes, I buy vinyl records, but budget wise, it makes more sense to buy CDs. This weekend, I bought two more Miles Davis albums, which are considered 'essential': ESP (1965) and B*tches Brew (my censoring) The 40th anniversary edition. ESP is considered a landmark album because all the compositions were all-new, it is the second Miles Davis Quintet album. The B*tches Brew box is really special, because it contains 3 CDs: CD1 + 2 is the original album plus alternate takes and single edits; CD3 is a 1970 Live at Tanglewood recording, and there is also DVD with a live concert at Copenhagen (1969). The box is beautifully made and has a thick booklet inside with lots to read and nice pictures, including the original album cover art. Davis recorded this album in 1969, which is also the year I was born. The album became Davis' first RIAA gold album. When I listen to it now, on CD, I finally 'get it'. Yes, I listened to it in the past, on Spotify, but for some reason, I didn't 'get it' then. Is it because of the medium? Is it because I'm older now? I don't know. But Davis is a musical genius!

I love its looks!

Getting caught up reading in here is always a trip but MUSTARD? I'd have to try it before I packed up my gear. Hard to quit the Heineken after 50 years. Sounds good though. Maybe just maybe In Belgium, we call Heineken "angel p*ss"... If you ever come to Belgium, I'm taking you on a beer tour! Just to prove I'm no total nutcase: see pictures. Wostyn Mustard is owned by a distant cousin of my wife. It is a family run company since 1869. The socalled Iron Arm Beer has their mustard added during brewing.

Fisher Z used to be hugely popular in Belgium and they loved to come to festivals here. Even I have seen them live back in the 1980s! I liked this song the most:

As for the beer connoisseurs, the glass is Leffe, but the beer in the glass is actually 'Den Ijzeren arm', a tripple beer 9% with mustard as a special ingredient. Powerful stuff... Love being Belgian!

I toast to that!