New Ride & In the Listening Room

This past week, I found myself without a working record player... or turntable, to be more exact. My old 90's model Sony gave up the ghost, and actually, if it was meant to be, then this was just the right time. A bit of cash came my way in the form of an income tax return recently, so the money was there for a pre-ordained upgrade. I had a brand and model in mind, since I'd already done some homework. My plan was maybe for Christmas time to upgrade, but hey, you can't plan for everything. But it worked out nicely.

So I got myself a brand spanking new Audio Technica LP60X, a slightly newer version of what some of my friends have. It's a sleek, compact turntable, a solid starter to higher fidelity sound equipment. I wouldn't call myself a true audiophile, because I am not all about the gear, but this AT turntable is a fine entry point.

Vintage vinyl from my youth that sounded super on my new table

Once I got the rig set up, which took all of a few minutes, I plopped on the album I had decided would be the baptismal record: Crime of the Century, by Supertramp. What, not Dark Side of the Moon, you demand? Hey, that was my first thought, but then I was swayed by even stronger nostalgic reasons to the Supertramp. And boy am I glad I did. Opening track School rang out with greater clarity and oomph than I'd ever heard it on any of my previous home systems. By the way, I test drove the TT (turntable) using my Sennheiser headphones, which allow me to nudge up the volume without turning all of my fellow apartment dwellers against me.

The turntable sounded and operated beyond my expectations. I'd never listened to one before, so I had no clue what was coming. Anyway, after a highly successful Supertramp session, I then reached for The Dark Side of the Moon. And yes, that, too, sounded excellent. Very happy.

During the course of the week, I did a bit more record listening than usual just to play with my new toy. I wanted to put the AT through its paces, using all of its features and giving it the chance to impress me. I put the Supertramp back on, this time with the speakers activated, and whoa!

Not exactly a hi-fi album, I put on my vintage K-Tel Music Express compilation, more for old-time's sake than anything else. Just so I could hear favourite oldies Philadelphia Freedom by Elton John, Help Me Rhonda, a cool cover by Johnny Rivers, and Wildfire by Michael Murphy. All very good.

Then I dug through my handful of old 45's for something I wouldn't mind revisiting from my past. All but a few of my 7" singles are vintage from the 70's, a couple from the 80's. A few I'd never played, and I'll keep it that way until I can sell them for a pretty penny. But I chose one that I used to enjoy back in the day, Stayin' Alive by The Bee Gees. I was pleasantly surprised at how clean this record sounded. I dreaded a noisy playback, since the cheapie all-in-one system I had back in the 70's must have carved its grody needle deep into its grooves. But apparently not. The fidelity is still there. I'm not big on 45's since they require more physical movement on my part just to listen to a song or two. Gotta get up after just a few minutes of listening. Long-players are more my thing.

This weekend, I'd like to play both older pressings (Beatles, Monkees, Van Halen) and newer reissues (Commodores, Cats in Space, Beatles) to get a feel for how this Audio Technica performs with a variety of recordings. But so far, so good. I'm very happy with the new player, and am already pondering a new vinyl record purchase to spin on it. In the meantime, I've got plenty to choose from.

Adios, fellow music fans!

The Covid Blues... Books Heal Best

Hey readers.... sorry for my lapse in posting the past couple of weeks, but I just haven't felt like I have had much to talk about lately. Movies are pretty unexceptional, and I haven't tapped into much music worth mentioning, other than what I've already posted about. What has kept me going entertainment-wise have been books. I love to read, and if I really had to pick just one medium to keep me occupied, I think it would be books.

I've seen all my favourite movies many times over, and have heard my best-loved music recordings hundreds if not thousands of times... so over the past year or so, books have been my go-to for satisfying downtime. I've had spells of great album listening, but even those kind of fell by the wayside after a little while. Books, on the other hand, I feel like I connect more with them since I'm spending more time with them. Immersing myself in that world for many days, or however long it takes to move through a particular book.

Though I got off to a slow start with reading books this year, I've kinda picked up steam. On the plus side, I've had great luck with finding really great reads. There were some longer novels, and some were so good that I wanted to enjoy them for as long as possible, so I didn't try to rush through them. Especially the first two I read this year, two Amor Towles stories, which you'll see in my little list below. Here are the books I've read so far this year:

A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles

Rules of Civility, Amor Towles

The Guilty Plea, Robert Rotenberg

Child of God, Cormack McCarthy

Movie Freak, Owen Glieberman

Strangle Hold, Robert Rotenberg

Limelight: Rush in the 80's, Martin Popoff

The two Towles novels won me over effortlessly, and I can easily say these are now among my favourite books of all time. I'd give both of them a perfect score... five out of five, or ten out of ten, whatever. Excellent writing, great stories and characters and pacing, everything. If you're looking for some exceptional modern fiction, I highly recommend both books.

Rotenberg is a newer discovery for me, so I've been quickly acquiring his handful of novels about police detective Greene. The first two are great, the third just a little less so, and I plan to tackle the fourth shortly. Very nicely written crime thrillers with a law slant to them, which goes deep into courtroom procedures and drama in addition to the police investigative angle. Highly readable, fun and fast-paced, gripping and realistic.

The Rush book is the second in a trilogy (book three on its way) covering the band's illustrious and lengthy musical career. I'd rate it as highly as the first book, Anthem: Rush in the 70's. Fascinating and revealing in every respect, these tomes are essential for the true Rush fan.

I'm about two-thirds into movie critic Roger Ebert's memoirs entitled Life Itself. A truly amazing book full of fun stories and not-so-fun details about his travels through life, especially toward his later years. But a must-read for film fans, as there are several chapters dedicated to various movie directors that Ebert knew well.

As I scan my reading pile, I am torn about my next book. On the one hand, I know I should finally finish the non-fiction Completely Mad: A History of the Comic Book and Magazine which I got over halfway through about a year ago... before getting sidetracked by some quicker reads. Then there are some less cumbersome novels by the likes of Scott Turow, Michael Crichton, and another Robert Rotenberg to choose from. I'll figure that out when I get there.

What are you reading? Please let me know in the comments section!