After several years, I decided to buy a new turntable, mainly to be able to play the small collection of LP's that I have. Then I was hooked, especially after purchasing some new albums. Two that I absolutely love are ones on John Coltrane and Dave Brubeck. The Brubeck album is a 180g and I can tell the difference: slightly heavier in terms of weight, and a deeper, richer sound. I also like film music and my favorite composer is Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975), who scored CITIZEN KANE (1941), PSYCHO (1960), and TAXI DRIVER (1976), just to name a few. This album had him conducting the London Philharmonic, in a great program consisting of Sibelius' "Finlandia", Liszt's "Les Preludes", Dukas' "The Sorceror's Apprentice", and Saint Saens' "Bacchanale" from "Samson and Delilah". All were first-rate, and I actually felt the hairs raise on the back of my neck. This was one of London Decca Records' "Phase 4" releases, and the four-channel stereo brings out every instrument to the point that you feel as though you are in the studio or concert hall.
Another genre that I've been revisiting are vintage radio shows, being particularly taken with the horror-themed ones, like "Inner Sanctum"(IS), "The Strange Dr. Weird". These have been great fun and some surprisingly grisly for the time (wartime). These two programs in particular were hosted by distinct personalities, "Raymond" (IS) and "Dr. Weird". The TV horror hosts that came later are direct successors to their radio ancestors, with their tongue-in-cheek introductions and commentary on the stories. Example: Raymond's parting comment at the end of every IS program, "Good Night, and Pleasant Dreams, hmmmm...?, and Dr. Paul Bearer's "I'll be lurking for you.....". As a result of all these tasty treats, my appetite for more has resulted in a wish list.......Stay tuned......
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