tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post8619914549174183884..comments2024-03-08T06:18:28.125+11:00Comments on Bronte Capital: Smashed up old fuddy-duddy guysJohn Hemptonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766274392122783128noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-2742888548801772562009-07-29T17:29:40.763+10:002009-07-29T17:29:40.763+10:00John, I DID cross the Pacific (from Adelaide) to s...John, I DID cross the Pacific (from Adelaide) to see and hear Astral Weeks live at the Hollywood Bowl, both nights and let me tell you, it was worth it - without question the highlight of my life as far as music listening is concerned. Astral Weeks comprised the second set each night (followed by an encore of Listen to the Lion both nights) while the first sets prior to interval were also amazing - over 2 nights we were treated to Saint Dominic's Preview, And The Healing Has Begun, Moondance, Caravan, Summertime in England, Wavelength, All in the Game, Angeliou, among others. He still has some dates booked in the States which are billed as Astral Weeks concerts, so you could still be in luck, if you can make it. If you can, do!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-20538873630038242009-02-17T14:29:00.000+11:002009-02-17T14:29:00.000+11:00I got here from Kevin Drum via your insolvency pos...I got here from Kevin Drum via your insolvency post and have churned through shark attacks to Circuit City to Astral Weeks. You are bookmarked now.<BR/><BR/>FWIW, Circuit City never had the density of BB or Fry's. BBs were bigger than CC as well, but Fry's are truly huge. My kids would sometimes get gift cards for CC and were not as happy as with BB. <BR/><BR/>Tweeters was fairly pretentious mid-fi and I was not surprised at its passing. I found it a tweener sort of place, neither fish nor foul, best suited for the new malls next to the new housing developments. Sort of for those folks wanting something a bit better for the new McMansion, instantly. Best Buy and Fry's have lots of dreck a bit lower in the hifi food chain, but it is all disposable (as is Tweeter gear for that matter.) <BR/><BR/>You have to hunt these days for the modern equivalent of your LP12, and you are probably better off buying the vintage original off of the web. No Ipod for me but I understand the attraction.Nathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16313341001000300892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-66717227499236994642009-02-05T16:40:00.000+11:002009-02-05T16:40:00.000+11:00Tweeters never sold high-end audio. Mid-fi, sure,...Tweeters never sold high-end audio. Mid-fi, sure, but not high end. The names in the ad sold decent power receivers in the 70's but in the 80's and 90's, you wouldn't have found real audiophiles at a Tweeters. And I am not saying that you can't find audiophile components at Tweeters' prices. It just takes effort and time to separate out the chrome crap from that which sounds really good.<BR/><BR/>That said, it is a mystery to me that fewer people seem capable of distinguishing between worse and better sound reproduction. Hell, even at high bit-rate settings, MP3s aren't so bad, but almost no one uses lossless compression or the high variable bit-rates. Quantity trumps quality. Strange.<BR/><BR/>- Into the MysticAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-37747305461013695622009-02-05T05:41:00.000+11:002009-02-05T05:41:00.000+11:00A bit suprising post ... sounds like mid-life cris...A bit suprising post ... sounds like mid-life crisis ... well, you're not alone ... it comes and it goes ... at 60+ the optimism is back all the way to 80+ ... have seen it on several persons ...<BR/><BR/>As for audiophiles, don't worry. You're not alone. When looking for something to attach to my computer to enjoy music while working, I had no choice but to settle for $2000+ solution. It has 34Hz to 100kH troughput from soundcard to amplifier and speakers and is a pure enjoyment to listen to. Got SACD player on top of it, but put it away fairly soon -- frankly, I couldn't tell the difference between SACD and 320kbps bitrate or FLAC digital files when playing in stereo mode. And stereo is still the best way to play music ... <BR/><BR/>I still have an idea about $75k Linn or MBL and, if times turn splendid again, definately will go for it ... <BR/><BR/>iPod is fairly poor device for listening music. I was looking for hi-fi mp3 player, but couldn't find one. B&O seems to be only marketing, not quality ... Maybe Sony, but all those have frequency responce of just 20-20k, not even talking about something so inferior as Nokia N95 phone mp3 player ... <BR/><BR/>However, iPod is a splendid device for listening podcasts when running or in car ... that's it. <BR/><BR/>As for youngsters, what is important to them is basically the structure of the music and bass ... I was no different ... and mp3 players are great invention to them ... listen on the road, while skateboarding and plug it in as usb in amplifier when at home ... It's all perfect ... <BR/><BR/>If you go for a really good sound, what you discover that there is extremely limited choise of SACD or DVD Audio music and that the CD itself is the factor that limits sound quality ...Aighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11243768733855184326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-60733796848685495412009-02-05T01:44:00.000+11:002009-02-05T01:44:00.000+11:00This book has the history of "The House of th...This book has the history of "The House of the Rising Sun"<BR/><BR/>http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?tab=25&pid=534529Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-44858260384750861162009-02-05T00:27:00.000+11:002009-02-05T00:27:00.000+11:00John, I am 26, not a fuddy duddy, but I have been ...John, I am 26, not a fuddy duddy, but I have been a fan of Astral Weeks since I was 19. Some things are ageless and that album is one of them. I have listened to it maybe 200 times, and each time I listen to it I find a layer of subtlety I did not find before. <BR/><BR/>I always knew I liked your blog, but the Astral Weeks reference only confirmed it further. <BR/><BR/>Also, you have another shot to see Van, he is coming to NYC February 27th and 28th to MSG Theater (I have seen Van in 5+ different venues and MSG Theater was by far the best sound quality of the lot). He will be playing Astral Weeks in sequence. <BR/><BR/>For those of you intrigued to find out more about Astral Weeks from John's post, check out Lester Bangs wonderful, ispirational article on the album. <BR/><BR/>Great post,<BR/>TylerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-55782990061308780752009-02-04T13:51:00.000+11:002009-02-04T13:51:00.000+11:00JohnCould you comment on the economic stimulus pla...John<BR/><BR/>Could you comment on the economic stimulus plans for Australia?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-23105382271697630862009-02-04T02:27:00.000+11:002009-02-04T02:27:00.000+11:00Bob Dylan "borrowed" his version of &quo...Bob Dylan "borrowed" his version of "House of the Rising Sun" from Dave Van Ronk, a long time fixture of the West Village folk scene who also recorded in the 1970s fronting his band Dave Van Ronk & the Hudson Dusters.Ron Basshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14211582727812955303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-78718512016948865092009-02-04T01:26:00.000+11:002009-02-04T01:26:00.000+11:00Also covered by Doc Watson--though I'm not sure wh...Also covered by Doc Watson--though I'm not sure when. . .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-45413209585328981982009-02-04T01:20:00.000+11:002009-02-04T01:20:00.000+11:00yes, kids today don't listen to music, they just l...yes, kids today don't listen to music, they just listen to structured sound products. music producers were once faithful intermediaries and now have the role of the 'structurer'.<BR/><BR/>let's declare aesthetic bankruptcy and start making music based on fundamentals again.babar ganeshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01898299856773302141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-82731688637576099702009-02-04T01:07:00.000+11:002009-02-04T01:07:00.000+11:00It doesn't count for much that you have Astral Wee...It doesn't count for much that you have Astral Weeks on the iPod - unless you have ventured in the slipstream lately (between the viaducts of your dreams). <BR/><BR/>Ok - that was an insider line - but to remind me how old I am Van played Astral Weeks live at the Hollywood Bowl a few weeks ago. I was in LA a few days later and went look for a gig to go to - and woe - discovered I had missed it. I would have travelled the Pacific (13 hour flight) for that.<BR/><BR/>He also did it again in NYC - but I did not have the ability to get there.<BR/><BR/>JohnJohn Hemptonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03766274392122783128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815867514277794362.post-83431195894515848552009-02-04T00:33:00.000+11:002009-02-04T00:33:00.000+11:00Great post.I'm in between worlds. Back in my high...Great post.<BR/>I'm in between worlds. Back in my high school and college days I invested what was then a small fortune in my stereo, and traded up equipment regularly.<BR/><BR/>But these days that system is sitting in my basement, and I carry around an iPod filled with tens of thousands of songs (it took me weeks to digitize my CD collection). <BR/><BR/>Realities of life mean that I don't get the opportunity to listen to loud music at home any more (or the time to listen to CDs properly, from beginning to end), so convenience wins. <BR/><BR/>Truth be told, I miss the ceremony of playing records, and even CDs for that matter. Nowadays I mostly tell my ipod to "shuffle albums" and listen to whatever comes up.<BR/><BR/>And oh yeah, I have Astral Weeks on my ipod, if that counts for anything.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com