Monthly Archives: June 2013

Pretty Icky Old Record

My geekiness extends to forming attachments to record labels. Currently I’m enamored with American colossus RCA Victor, in particular, their series of Living Stereo recordings that began in 1958. But I do not limit my interests to stereo only. Before … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Pretty Icky Old Record

Living Stereo

I’m not altogether certain, but I’m pretty sure that the first golden-era RCA Living Stereo record I ever owned was LSC-2234, two French works for piano and orchestra, featuring Arthur Rubinstein, Alfred Wallenstein, and the Symphony of the Air. I’m … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Living Stereo

Never Enough

With the summer vacation really and truly upon me, I find myself sinking into a comfortable and reassuring routine. I have concocted a few projects for myself, none of them earthshattering, but enough to fill a few hours in the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Never Enough

Wiggle

An aura of the miraculous hovers over the Lilliputian world of phonograph records. The mystery began with the tiny yet complex wiggles that Edison etched onto whirring cylinders. Tinfoil soon gave way to wax; then came flat shellac discs, then … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Wiggle

Definitely Stereo

Just stick your head outside your door and you will hear that the world is mono. What gives sound its location is volume and frequency. The audiophile world is awash in reactionary thinking—puzzling, given the technical leaps taken by audio … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Definitely Stereo

More Heritage Preserved

Certain household furnishings loom large in my memory, and none so than the blondwood RCA Victor Orthophonic Hi-Fi record player in the family room. It was the “good” record player, the one that only Dad was allowed to operate. A … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on More Heritage Preserved

Fastidiously Queasy

Back in my days when I minored in harpsichord with that Pied Piper of all things Baroque, Laurette Goldberg, on occasion I would take a lesson with Laurette’s graduate assistant. I forget her name. She was a representative of a … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Fastidiously Queasy