Monthly Archives: February 2010

WTF: Roy Harper Wears the Emperor’s New Clothes

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WTF bad album covers Roy Harper Flashes from the Arichive of Obliviion

Bad album covers rule. Especially THIS one. We already know what’s going on here, but it’s the MESSAGE here that is the real head-scratcher. The artist seems to be saying, “Why yes, I AM a wanker. I’ve proved it with this here album cover.”

Now here’s the real mystery. Guess how much this album is selling for on Amazon. Just you TRY to guess. I don’t care if the guy DID do the vocals on Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar”, there’s no reason for the compact disc of this album to sell for $50. Is there? This album is standard folkie finger twiddling and caterwauling. It’s not Johnny Rotten’s secret outtakes from an unreleased collaboration with Joe Strummer we never knew about or anything.

And to hear this music while staring at this album cover makes the entire affair seem kinda sad. “Here’s me with no clothes on. And my music sounds about the same. Please like this record!”

Ahh well.

–Joe Wallace

John Carpenter In The Mouth of Madness Soundtrack CD

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A full hour of John Carpenter music! Now on sale for a very limited time at Turntabling– the In The Mouth of Madness soundtrack CD, written and performed by John Carpenter and Jim Lang. Some people are surprised to hear passages on this disc–they swear they aren’t in the film, but the music is there, it’s just set lower in the background.

Favorites on this one include the opening track, plus The Book Comes Back, and Just a Bedtime Story. This is a good one to put on for creepy ambiance at your next Halloween party or visit to the haunted house.

This is a new, sealed compact disc available in limited quantity. Buy the In The Mouth Of Madness soundtrack now from Turntabling for $16 plus shipping. Overseas shipping  on this item is $10.





Bride of Frankenstein Soundtrack CD

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bride of frankenstein soundtrack CDNow selling at Turntabling for a limited time, The Bride of Frankenstein soundtrack CD. This isn’t your typical horror movie soundtrack, Franz Waxman pulled out all the stops for the movie many believe is greater than the original Karloff classic. If you can’t get enough of those 30s soundtrack sounds, this one is definitely for you. The CD includes a bonus track–soundtrack music for another Karloff vehicle, The Invisible Ray. The “Invisible Ray Suite” is a nice bonus on this disc.

The Bride of Frankenstein soundtrack CD is a new, sealed compact disc. Buy it now from Turntabling for $16.00 plus shipping. Overseas shipping on this disc is $10.





Making Great Vinyl Records–United Record Pressing on Mastering For Vinyl

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United Record Pressing has an interesting section on mastering for vinyl. There is plenty of advice there about the physical limitations of vinyl as a medium and what bands can do to make sure they get good fidelity from the finished product.

My only question about this section–having been written in 1997, is what has changed and updated since that time? Surely not the laws of physics with regard to how hot your master tracks can be before they overload and distort, or when too much treble becomes, er, troublesome. (Treblesome is not a word. But I almost used it here. Heh.)

Fortunately there are more recent discussions on the mastering to vinyl issue. Gearslutz.com has a thread from 2008 and another one here. CustomRecords.com throws its two cents worth in here, so you’ll have plenty to chew on. Continue reading Making Great Vinyl Records–United Record Pressing on Mastering For Vinyl →