1. Not old. Vintage. :)

Most liked posts in thread: What's new Pussycat too?

  1. by Andy Barr
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    You know what, Matt, you are even more coco loco than me when it comes to retro-dabbling, disc discovering, retrograde tape restoring, blu ray re-badging and VHS/VCD vanquishing... I thought I was pretty much past any hope of salvation but you take every biscuit and cookie in the store, mate.

    I doff my hat in your general direction, clean my tape heads on my seventies star jumper and demagnetize my digital dungarees... you have got the retro geek market absolutely nailed on, fella... :)

    upload_2022-10-19_18-23-45.jpeg

    Baz in his heyday with some fellow tape/jumper munchers
     
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  2. by M.D.Baker
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    Here are photos of my audio-video electronics set-up I promised to post. I still need to clean some components up a bit.

    capturing the cabinets. A standard 80/90's entertainment center.

    20221020_164815.jpg

    The other is an artist's supply storage cabinet. An antique I got from my grandfather. He had it in his dorm room while attending the Chicago Art Institute back between world war I and the roaring 20's. He met my grandmother there. The top part normally lifts up and has an arm to hold it up and is meant for overnight storage of unfinished art. There's nothing in the top atm since I can't open it due to placement which is basically regulated by my small room and everything I am currently cramming into it until I get more space.

    Here is my JVC component stereo (circa 1978/79) minus a second tape deck for dubbing. And on the bottom, from bottom up are my RCA CED player, Sony Super VHS deck, and my Symphonic dual VHS/DVD deck.

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    Next upwards is one of the best cassette decks for recording and playback ever made, quite literally a legend in the cassette deck realm.

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    Above that is my JVC amplifier-one of the best in is price range with features usually found on amplifiers costing hundreds or thousands more. One of the interesting features about this amplifier and found out by accident, when I bought the Pyle Amplifier to temporarily replace it, is that it is an integrated amplifier, which I mistakenly took that it was somehow referring to the entire component system as being integrated. But it actually means that it serves as both a pre-amp to all the components and the final amp.

    20221020_164943.jpg

    Which means none of the components have there own line-level amplification! They wouldn't work directly plugged into the new amp! But since I had to purchase a pre-amp for the turntable anyway, as I automatically knew without a specific phono input, it had no pre-amp on board for the turntable. But I have to have all the JVC components run through that pre-amp too, via a switchbox, until I get around to finish repairing my JVC amp (I was waiting on parts, which came recently).

    My new Pyle surround amplifier is on top of the JVC amp. A great amp considering it was only $100!


    Next up is my JVC tuner (another legend in tuners) and my recently acquired JVC equalizer on top of the tuner-meant for a lower-end JVC system than mine, and I didn't realize it was narrower and didn't match the size of the other components until I got it. But it works fine with the system and better than no equalizer and it matches the rest in color and styling.

    20221020_164950.jpg

    Up top is my Pioneer turn-table, another feat of engineering for the original price, I love it and made it as good as a higher end JVC with the upgraded needle and cartridge head. Next to it is my Pioneer laserdisc & 5 CD carousel deck. A mid-range one that lack S-video out, but I'm going to mod it for S-video.

    20221020_164915.jpg

    The rest up top and on the wall shelves are my consoles which you have all seen in pics posted before.

    20221020_165018.jpg

    To the right of the stereo system is my late model Sanyo flat screen tube CRT TV that still works great, I use it mostly with my vintage 8-bit consoles. It is an "enhanced definition" 480p TV that does automatically upscale all 480i video input into 480p. But I mostly use my projector with my video-to-VGA up-scaler/converter which can upscale to 720p and has 3D motion-adaptive comb filtering so it makes old 480i signals even better than the Sanyo TV.

    I just got a used Roku device that has both video and HDMI outs, so it will be hooked up to the TV and my projector. Above the TV are all my switch boxes and video converter/up-scalers so everything can be hooked into my TV, projector and stereo at the same time and I just flick switches for what I want to use. And yes, I even still forget and confuse myself keeping track of them all, even with labels, so I am going to re-label with color coding. I also have my LG Blu-ray and Panasonic DVD decks by the switch boxes too, since they are so small.

    20221020_165056.jpg

    Lastly for hardware, here is my Masterworks 8-track player deck from the late 60's early 70's era sometime. It still works fine. I only have to replace one missing light bulb cover for choosing a track. It's a wooden case that I repaired and repainted to match my other black and silver components better.

    20221020_165110.jpg

    Last, a look inside my antique cabinet where I store my records, tapes, VHS tapes, CD's, laserdiscs and CED discs in caddies. All the white albums you see are my albums that got water damaged and I could only save the records themselves and give them new sleeves and covers. right now I just have written on them what is inside, but I intend to printout images of the original cover art and glue them to the covers. The ones to the right are all my new Rush albums and CD's. My older, meager CD collection is above the records and my laserdiscs and CED discs on the bottom. Cassette tapes are bottom right and a fraction of all my VHS tapes fit in the cabinet, so I mostly just put the stuff there that are out of print and can't be had in a modern format. I also have a bunch of blank T-120 videocassettes and C-50 audio cassettes for recording onto behind the box sets of VHS tapes.

    where I have the LP's I recently built shelves for, as originally vertical slats for holding artist's frame canvas's and whatnot were originally stored.

    20221020_165159.jpg

    I also have two racks not pictured (clearly anyway) of DVD/Blu-rays and video game discs for the various disc based game systems I own.

    So that's my Coco loco vintage electronics. I have other old audio/video equipment but they are all redundant back-ups (and inferior to what is set-up) I don't need as long as these are working.

    For example, I do have a pretty nice Onkyo Amplifier, mid to late 80's model, 4-channel stereo, but it is just stereo, the rear speakers are merely repeats of front left and right and it's only 180 watts or 45 watts per channel (decent but not great). Equivalent on a single channel basis (45 watt), to my new Pyle amp, but the Pyle is 5.1 surround so 45x6=270 watt.

    And the Onkyo has a channel out that needs repair, but the JVC amp comes first, because it is 400 watt, 100 per channel and it's 4 channels are true Quadrophonic, not just double stereo out. And quadraphonic is literally just the original name for surround 4.0. And yes, that means that the front and rear, left and right channels of 5.1 surround work as they should off of modern 5.1 surround media, and the center channel and subwoofer channels are only there on modern surround due to the short comings of small, modern surround sound system speakers: the center channel is just L/R front combined to help enhance the vocals and other mid-range in movies, and the subwoofer channel is to make up for a lack of bass out of the small surround speakers.

    There is plenty of bass out of 4 large floor speakers with 16" woofers. And the other 2-way mid and tweeter speakers on 3-way floor speakers are powerful enough to accomplish a virtual center channel with stereo/surround sound scaping. The DIY redneck subwoofer I recently made is for the subwoofer out on my Pyle amp, to give a bit more bass kick since I only have 45 watts running out to 100 watt speakers. I don't need it for the JVC amp, and there is no low-frequency extraction on the JVC for just bass to the subwoofer so if I did splice it into the system I'd be getting the entire frequency range through it as a mono speaker. In fact, the only reason I'll keep the Pyle with the JVC once it is fixed is it's Bluetooth capability and MP3's from SD & USB thumb drives. So I'll still use that amp once in a while instead of the JVC when I want to use those features. 4 speakers will be connected to two amps at the same time, but only one amp will be on at any given time. And of course the Pyle amp will also have the center speaker and sub connected to it alone.
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2022
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  3. by M.D.Baker
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    Thanks for your appreciation of it all guys. It's the culmination of slowly collecting different audio/video components over the last 3 decades. Most of the audio/video kit I was given for free over time from friends, family and neighbors that are busy keeping up with the Jones', suckered into replacing perfectly good equipment by marketing tactics of corporations, and old equipment was either offered as they knew of my electronics hobbies or I saved it from the junk piles before it was hauled of to the dump. The perfectly working Sanyo CRT TV, I grabbed off the side of the road, put out for garbage and I saved it. I did buy a replacement remote for it of ebay for $10. Some of it is mine from back in the day and I just keep and maintain it all instead of constantly out with the old, in with the new like most consumers. I get the new, but keep the old too. Except for audio equipment; today's stuff may have features like 5.1 and blu-ray etc., but the sound coming out of them is a pale comparison to the sonic audio systems of yesteryear, like the JVC stereo.
     
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  4. by Andy Barr
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    I'm similar, Matt.
    I hate chucking anything electrical (esp hifi and micro/radio/video) and whenever I hear of folks lobbing out old kit - or they know to come to me now anyway - I make a beeline for such kit.
    It might not be needed now BUT I know in my heart that I will find a place and a role for it soon and sure enough, more often than not, I give the gear a new lease of life.
    Fast Eddie was round last night/this morning til 2am and he was looking over my separates and he said... Didn;t you used to have this stuff with me in the flat about 20yrs ago? I said yeah I did and then I stored it away and it gathered dust but I always knew it would come in handy for some project eventually so just like you Matt, here we go now in its new incarnation giving pleasure to ale drinkers in a 80s retro bar garage project - all assembled for next to nowt as the speakers were destined for the tip and donated by a mate.
    Gives us all a warm glow inside when we see this brilliant old kit back in action and you're one of the best examples of a guy doing just that, Matt.
    Shine on, you crazy diamond... ;-)
     
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  5. by Andy Barr
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    LOL!
    You are indeed a rarity these days, Matt.
    Your philosophy was make do and mend, go green, take care with valuable resources and reduce your carbon footprint - decades before any of this was fashionable - as you have all this already written up in your DNA.
    It totally makes sense whereas this slave to the rhythm being tied to the conveyor built of consumerism and forever chasing the Next Big Thing is utterly ridiculous, inefficient and incredibly costly (as you point in terms of finance and to the environment as so much is trashed and wasted in the pursuit of being hip and ahead of the game) yet billions of us have become such addicts of capitalist society with the grab all you can as soon as you can mentality and for God's sake, don't get left behind as that's a sin!
    Love it.
    When you building the crop duster airplane, Matt, and will we make Costa Rica in it if you fit those "1050" drop tanks? :)

    [​IMG]
     
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  6. by M.D.Baker
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    Well, you certainly hit the nail on the head there @Andy Barr , though the reduced carbon footprint bit is a lucky side-effect and not something I was pursuing in and of itself with my lifestyle. And the intent of the lifestyle wasn't just necessarily about living a decent standard with less money either, more about preparing myself mentally and physically for the day civilization comes falling down and making due with what I have then, or if I did just get sick of it all and moved to some remote part of the globe and be a hermit. So my lifestyle won't have to change much except to add hunter-gatherer to my repertoire. I was never going to go all the way off the rails and be one of those survival preppers with the bunker and tons of goods stored away, I still have hope, it doesn't come to that, just knowing how to scrounge and repair things, etc. is enough for me. :) Costa Rica will be the first destination for us, and no worries, I'll make sure the crop duster I buy is one from the WWII era or just after that have Rolls-Royce engines, so yeah, it will make it with 1050 drop tanks!
     
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  7. by M.D.Baker
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    So, @Paul "Mclaneinc" Irvine and @Andy Barr , have you had a chance to have a good listen to some or all of the Rush songs I posted yet?

    I received my latest Rush Album today. All the way from Venezuela, because it was priced for a fraction of the cost of U.S. and Canadian sellers and included free shipping. I payed less than $50 for this album, other sellers were wanting $100-$150 or more for! It was a bit of a chance as I know music piracy is big in South America, and there was a chance I was not getting an original recording from a master recording DMM (direct to metal master) like the other audiophile quality albums I'd bought.

    So is it original? I can't say for sure, as it is definitely not identical to the North American releases, but it may but it does seem to be an officially authorized edition. The Atlantic records label is a different style that North American releases, and the included bonus booklet with photos of the band and a bit of history, as far as I can make out, it has photos of the band from the 70's through to '89 when this album was originally released, but is in a Latin language (I'm not entirely sure if Venezuela has a unique version of Latin or not). I haven't looked closely at the lyric sheet yet as I need reading glasses and a magnifying glass for my old eyes to read it, so I don't know yet if the Lyrics are the in English or if they are translated.

    But the important part is that the album cover looks good, and original and the vinyl itself is indeed an audiophile quality heavy-weight platter and it sounds good. It's not an inferior quality of recording, so I think I got the real deal, but just stamped by a manufacturer in Venezuela to the official high-quality standards. There is a Venezuelan company listed as well as Atlantic Records and of course the official Rush label of 'Anthem' is also printed next to the other company names.

    It's my first ever album that has a sticker price of $3000 though! :jawdrop:;) (see bottom left corner of the album cover in the bottom photo)

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  8. by Andy Barr
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    Another treasure - at a great price - to add to your collection, Matt. Wonderful stuff - I can feel the lurve from here. I was out and about last night, on the thrift Marketplace hunt, bagging a cheap Sony DVD/CD player with remote and a Panasonic home theatre speaker system (boxed) ... all for £30 so like you, I don't half lurve a bargain. Pics to follow later, chaps, and keep up the good work with the bargain hunts.
     
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  9. by Andy Barr
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    You get through some incredible deals, bits of kit and your restorations and renovations are legendary, Matt. Here you go then - just a brief update and a quick look at the Sony DVD/CD player that is now sounding great on my little separates tower in the Barr Retro Bar:

    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    I must have approx 200-300 CDs and about the same number of music tapes so at long last I have the space and freedom to give them some hammer and appreciation.

    I will also be giving Rush some attention too, Matt, so will let you know what floats my boat from your recommendations the other week...
     
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  10. by Andy Barr
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    Cheers, Al.

    Like you and Matt, you can't beat getting your hands on the odd music/micro/hi fi bargain and although this kit is not of premier quality, this little Panasonic cinema surround sound set-up (boxed) wasn't bad for £20 either:

    upload_2022-10-27_23-20-19.png
     
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  11. by M.D.Baker
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    I'm lovin' your set-up Andy, you do retro geeks proud. Though I wish I could zoom in on your pics! Is that a Denon cassette deck I see? And what brand/type of Amplifier is under it? They both look like quality to me, I know the Denon brand well. A deck about as good as mine I think, though a bit more modern! Love it!

    It would go well with my neighbor's Denon tuner/amplifier I am currently repairing and restoring for him! It's in better cosmetic condition than the photo reflects, which is crusty, smudgy crud left behind by the sticky little fingers of his grandkids. I just don't bother to clean until I make sure I can fix. The one on the bottom is the Onkyo stereo-only amp I mentioned I had as a back-up that needs one of the channels repaired on. It will most likely be used in my office/shop trailer were it now sits, once I get around to repair it...one at a time though...

    20221028_164252.jpg
     
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  12. by M.D.Baker
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    It's a better surround system than the cheap-o one I have hooked up to my 8-bit equipment that I payed about the same price for new (reflecting how low quality mine is, not suggesting you over payed)! Kudos.
     
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  13. by M.D.Baker
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    Thanks @Andy Barr for the better pics! Yeah, that's a great cassette deck for mix tapes! I hope I'm not being patronizing, as you probably already know how to get the best out of cassettes with good decks, but many people don't know how to use the high quality tapes and high quality features of tape decks properly. Obviously high-bias or metal tapes will give much higher quality audio than normal bias tapes, but also the correct settings for recording and playback must also be used. Many people misunderstand how advanced recording features are used properly to get the best sound.

    You definitely want to use the highest quality tapes you can (if the tape deck supports them) but also need to take advantage of features like Dolby noise reduction. But these features need to be used with both recording AND playback. If you record with noise reduction but don't use it in playback then the recording will sound more muffled than not using noise reduction at all. This is due to how the noise reduction technology works. The same is true with using high-bias chromium or metal tapes, the settings for these tapes must be used in both recording and playback as well or it all sounds muffled instead of clearer with less background hiss.

    If the tapes are going to be played back on a deck that isn't made for high-bias or metal tapes and don't have Dolby or other noise reduction features built-in then it is better not to use them at all and just record and play on normal tapes without noise reduction.

    If recorded and played back with these features on the high-end tapes then you will get rid of unwanted noise but won't lose the high-frequency high fidelity sounds too, just the high frequency background noise. Otherwise the recordings will just sound more muffled instead of cleaner and clearer.

    It's a bit much to explain how the tech works here though, so if you don't already know, I recommend looking up how the high end tape technology and noise reduction technology accomplish what they do for better sound quality if you want to know. Otherwise just remember the correct settings for the tape used and the noise reduction used is just as important in playback as it is in recording.

    Obviously the person demoing the Denon deck in the video you posted does not know how to properly use the noise reduction technology otherwise he would not be pushing those buttons on and off while playing the tape back and they would be properly set before he starts to play the tape, except if he was specifically demoing the sound difference using a tape recorded properly with sound reduction. It is obvious to me that the tape was not recorded using those functions in the first place, which is why you don't hear any significant differences when he is pressing them on/off in the video besides it sounding like the volume is slightly higher or lower when he does it. If the noise reduction was used when recording the tape he is playing a definite difference in sound quality would be heard while he is pressing the buttons on and off.

    I just felt the need to explain everything above after watching the demo video you posted. Again, sorry if you already know, I don't mean to be patronizing to you, just the guy who made the video.

    These videos will explain it all.

    Noise Reduction



    Tape Bias



    Metal tapes-the best and closest to CD, IF used properly (along with noise reduction) on a tape deck that is made for them with a proper source; they are better for modern digital than older analog sources. For recording analog, like audiophile quality LP's, you want the best high-bias non-metal tapes. If your tape deck is NOT made for them (metal), they will actually sound worse than high-bias chrome tapes or even normal bias tapes. High-bias non-metal tapes can sound very close to CD quality too, if properly recorded (on quality decks with all the bells and whistles) and played back using high-quality analog source like high-end LP or reel-to-reel, on the high quality tape deck with the proper bias and noise reduction features.



    One of the reasons my JVC tape deck is legendary for a mid-range tape deck is due to JVC's own noise reduction technology, called ANRS (audio noise reduction system) that surpasses, but is still compatible with Dolby B noise reduction technology. In fact, it has their second generation Super ANRS that equaled the even later Dolby C noise reduction and was also compatible with metal tapes, something usually only found on very high-end tape decks (metal compatibility) on top of a superior noise reduction system.

    Not to mention a superior build quality and better quality heads than most other mid-range decks in the same price range. Of course Super ANRS recorded metal tapes need a tape deck that can also play back S-ANRS. Then if you use the highest quality, high bias or metal tapes, most people can't tell the difference at all between high-bias tapes or metal tapes recorded with Super ANRS, compared to compact disc.

    20221029_114738.jpg 20221029_114803.jpg 20221029_114859.jpg

    Your newer Denon tape deck, @Andy Barr , I see has Dolby B and C and is HX Pro compatible, which puts it on a par with my JVC when it comes to high-bias, non-metal tapes with Super ANRS. I can't tell if your deck is also metal tape compatible or not, but without SUPER ANRS and metal tapes, mine would still sound better with metal tapes.

    Dolby actually came up with the later type C noise reduction and HX Pro in response to JVC's, superior-to-Dolby B, ANRS and Super ANRS

    Anyway, my JVC tape deck will be playing a very important role in my stereo system, once I get some high quality tapes (I bought a couple dozen tapes a year or two ago, but they are normal bias which is good enough for my 8-bit computer system tape decks) as I'll be using them to record all my high-end LP's to cassettes for indistinguishable audio copies of my expensive LP's to protect them and my turn-table needle from getting worn out, and only used again to re-record once the cassettes wear out instead from use.
     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2022
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  14. by Andy Barr
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    Hi, Matt.
    Thanks a lot for all that info on cassette decks and noise reducing features as most of it was completely new to me so none of it is teaching granny to suck eggs as it were.
    There is so much to go at there and we've been so busy again with family members poorly of late (up and down to Sunderland to see Bev's dad and out to the coast to see my folks) so I've had precious little time to do anything with any micro or HI-FI gear but tonight I did get 30mins to faff about playing and recording from the Denon and I'm noticing the left hand stereo channel is definitely weaker/poorer/noisier than the right (this doesn't manifest itself when I play a CD for instance) so I'm thinking that Denon deck either needs some contact spray somewhere in the internals OR the heads need cleaning (tried that already) or maybe demagnitizing? Anyhow, I'll take a little look when I get a bit more time and then definitely give your Your Tube recommendations a good going over soon too.
    Cheers, Matt - everyday's a learning day (as has been mentioned on this forum more than once ;-)
     
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  15. by Vyper68
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    I’m trying to get hold of a Rotel RA-931 Amp as Sonia bought me a turntable for my birthday which has Bluetooth but I would like to have a proper setup again.
     
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  16. by nysavant
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    Always had a soft spot for the C16 and Plus 4. I hear some of the chips in them can be quite fragile nowadays though.
     
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  17. by Vyper68
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    Yeah, the TED chip is very fragile and if that fails you are scuppered - replacements are expensive.
     
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  18. by M.D.Baker
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    You'll have to listen to the second half of Cygnus X-1: Book Two on first side of the next album, Hemispheres.

    Have you listened to Xanadu on A Farewell to Kings album yet?

    The term "rock opera" or "opera" associated with rock music has always left a bad taste in my mouth, so to speak. I prefer the term rock symphonies. But yeah, Cygnus X-1 is definitely diving head first into the deep end as far as Rush goes...next step should be Rush 2112, the 20 minute rock symphony story that covers the entire first side of the album of the same name. My favorite Rush rock symphony story is on their album Caress of Steel; called The Necromancer...

    Next will be time to go wading into their instrumentals including La Villa Strangiato, YYZ (YYZED), and Malignant Narcissism to name a few.

    And if you didn't already know, all that incredible sound come from just 3 members in the group, all with multiple virtuoso talents to multi-task with multiple instruments.

    Geddy Lee, the singer, is also the bassist and keyboards too, often switching between them in the same song, and he also uses foot-peddle keyboard synths when he has to play bass and sing at the same time too.

    Alex Lifeson, the lead guitarist also sometimes plays keyboard and is back-up vocals and both him and Geddy play rhythm guitar too, often using double-neck guitars with rhythm and lead, and rhythm and bass for each. Neil Peart, the groups drummer and percussionist is the greatest drummer in the history of the world, and also is the sole lyricist for all the songs, the other two compose the music. A discography of 168 original songs and 8 cover songs covering 19 studio albums, and one studio cover album. Many more than that, but the rest are "live" albums from tours, which is actually the better way to experience Rush...
     
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  19. by M.D.Baker
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    I just purchased my 16th Rush album (14 out of 20 studio albums and 2 out of 5 live albums. Not counting live video recordings), I just happened to find a sealed copy that could not be sold as "mint" because the cellophane wrap has a tear in it and apparently part of the sticker on the wrap is damaged, though I can't see either in the photo. But it brought the price down to $60, while all other copies of the remastered edition are selling for $100+ more. Two other albums I really want I haven't seen for less than $250, so I'm still waiting and watching. The other 4 missing studio albums I'll just get $10 CD's for. Only favorites get the royal vinyl treatment. Which includes 9 LP's out of the 16, and 7 CD's. Though I do have several albums on both vinyl and CD too; one for the home, one for the car/truck.

    R-7955626-1452800991-2512.jpg

    This sheet comes with the album, I thought I'd post it as well because it has a description of how these modern, audiophile quality LP's are made.

    R-7955626-1654029337-5011.jpg

    You may have noticed the sticker on the album that says 'Quality Records'. This is part of a company known as Acoustic Sounds that was started in middle-America a dozen years ago. They make the best records in the world and where this album above, and many of my other remasters are made by. This is why they are superior to CD's. I think you will really enjoy this video:

     
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  20. by Andy Barr
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    Bloody marvellous.

    This post/record/artwork just oozes quality and interest and retro joy...

    I will play the link sometime over weekend, Matt as am about to go out for a pre-Xmas meal with friends.

    I hope everyone is keeping well.

    Lurve those retro TVs in the kid's room on the cover art - I want one.

    Brilliant and watch yer letterboxes over the next week or three (postal strikes permitting).
     
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  21. by Andy Barr
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    Well protected, Matt.

    They'll last forever with those plastic covers.

    The Rush CD vs LP differences - doesn't one have swirly cloud patterns whereas the other has radiating 'water' circle ripples?

    A subtle background shift.
     
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  22. by M.D.Baker
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    And not a moment too soon as I noticed some light scuffs on the edges and corners of my cardboard cased CD's too (easily seen if you zoom in on them). The LP's still had the original shrink-wrap protecting them until I got these new sleeves. But it's nice to have them all in clear, unwrinkled plastic and out of the original wrinkly shrink-wrap.

    I have only one Rush box set (Permanent Waves) that is too large for the protective sleeve. The inner albums have the sleeves over them, but I'll have to buy some larger sleeves made for large box sets before I can remove the shrink-wrap from the outer box for that album. The problem is I think the minimal set of sleeves is a pack of 25-50, and I have one box set album. I may get one more Rush album box set, that I only have a CD for now, but that's a lot of unneeded sleeves left over I'll most likely never use. There aren't any other groups I like enough to pay hundreds for a box set album, and even Rush only has a few box sets themselves. I may just end up cutting up a couple sleeves and taping them together to make one that fits the box.


    As per album covers: That is correct. I first noticed a different cover from a Youtube reaction video that had the clouds. But I hadn't noticed, until taking that picture, that my CD had the same clouds instead of "rain drops." I'll have to investigate further, but I think the clouds are the original release, which my CD is, and the "rain drops" was done for my special 200g double-LP audiophile version only. I personally prefer the "rain drops."
     
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  23. by Andy Barr
    Andy Barr

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    So sorry to hear of the fall and the damage, Matt. Just the sort of thing that happens this end when we're trying to be careful with precious stuff and then oops, slip... crash. Sod's Law. Almost like something reminding us that nothing remains perfect and lasts forever.
     
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  24. by Paul "Mclaneinc" Irvine
    Paul "Mclaneinc" Irvine

    Paul "Mclaneinc" Irvine Captain

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    Yup, sorry to hear Matt, not good. When I did have vinyl, bitd, I had 2 shockers that decimated my beloved records. First was we had some stored in a box on top of a cabinet. I climbed up a ladder to get and the ladder had a wobble, making me drop the box. The box landed right on top of a gas fire fitting sticking out from the fireplace (there was no gas actually on, just a relic from when there was). The metal prong skewered the first four records and twisted and cracked a few more.

    The second was just classic IDIOT, we were moving, and I was filling the car up with gear, brought my record box out and tried to get it in the car but it would not fit, so I put it on top of the car to make room. As it was getting very dark and late I got side tracked, totally forgot the box and it was so dark I didn't see it when I got in the car. Off I went down the M4 which was very close to where we then lived. As I sped up to get to the other place I heard a slide, off went the box down the back of the roof and off the boot in to the motorway lane, bloody great truck came along and I though was going to go over it, but the guy swerved at the last min but clipped the box, the box rolled, smashed open and sent the records spraying all over the lane and lay-by. Most ruined...Gutted..I hate vinyl..
     
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  25. by Andy Barr
    Andy Barr

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    LOL! What a tragic set of circumstances, Paul, but we can easily see why you and vinyl go your separate ways... ;-)
     
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