Needle Time

  Bill Evans & Jim Hall - Undercurrent [MOFI 1-031 USA 2014 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on United Artists Records in 1962, this Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab Silver Label Series release is cut all-analogue from a copy of the original master tape by Krieg Wunderlich. Today's Sunday jazz selection represents the genre in its most stripped back format - music for guitar and piano only, performed by two virtuoso musicians, recorded & produced by Alan Douglas at Sound Makers Studios in New York on April 24th & May 14th 1962. I'm away now for a bit, so the next post from me will be around mid-August. A1 My Funny Valentine A2 I Hear A Rhapsody A3 Dream Gypsy B1 Romain B2 Skating In Central Park B3 Darn That Dream In complete contrast, Digitalia readers also get something a little more lively today.

  Sly & The Family Stone - There's A Riot Goin' On [VMP-E127 USA 2023 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Epic Records in 1971. Oddly, Vinyl Me Please placed this recent release in their Essentials Series rather than the more worthy Classics Series, maybe I am just being pedantic however I am growing towards questioning many of VMPs decisions recently. Anyway, I have a pile of unripped VMP vinyl, so let's crack(le) on..... Cut all analogue from tape expertly by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound, pressed carelessly onto clear/red pinwheel vinyl at GZ Media, and then nicely gatefold packaged with pamphlet & art print, this release is certainly eye catching. I compared this to a rip of the ORG double 45rpm release from back in 2013, mastered and cut by Chris Bellman & Bernie Grundman which was pressed by Pallas in Germany. Considering the differences in hardware to manufacture each rip and that a 45rpm cut will sound better due to wider groove spacing, I th...

  The Post Romantic Empire Ensemble - The Post Romantic Empire Album [OSS001 ITA 2013 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Maintaining our position among the darker edges of music, here is an album I last ripped back in 2016 and removed the link after two weeks. For you genre buffs, let's call this all neo-classical experimental post-punk which occasionally dips into neo-folk. From one or the most beautifully package releases in modern times comes The Post Romantic Empire Album assembled in Italy from mostly British ingredients in hand-made sleeves, this collection of work is worth tracking down for any serious vinyl enthusiast. There are just 1001 copies circulating worldwide ...oddly some may still be available. Whilst it could well be deemed quite pretentious in places, the assembled artists recreate the strange beautiful aura you only ever used to find on the works of This Mortal Coil and such like. There are many involved but Peter Hook, Dave Barbarossa, Annabella Lwin, David Tibet, Larry C...

  Bauhaus - In The Flat Field [CAD 13 UK 1980 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] As promised recently, here is my rip of my original UK pressing on 4AD Records of the Bauhaus debut long-player, In The Flat Field . Inspired by a fusion of the darker depths of post-punk & all things Bowie, the Northampton four piece recorded one of the most important genre defining albums of the time. This arrangements are stark & raw, twisted & complex, this is band who were breaking ground outside the norms of post-punk music. Classic tracks such as In The Flat Field , The Spy In The Cab &  Stigmata Martyr still   linger as some of the band's best work. My copy is the original Utopia Studios mastered version, cut at WEA in West Drayton, London. After a good clean, I managed to produce a quality rip for your listening displeasure. On a side note, judging by the large number of re-post requests for older rips, we must have many new readers on Needle Time. All re-posts will now go onto ...

  Tones On Tail - Pop [BEGA 51 UK 1988 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I previously posted the mid-price repress of this popular album by Bauhaus splinter group, Tones On Tail. Here is a 176.4kHz rip of the original 1984 UK pressing The opening bars of Lions are a clear indication that the talented Daniel Ash had a great deal more to contribute than just his guitar and occasional sax with Bauhaus. His voice is dreamy and melodic, fitting neatly within the gentle pop-synths - a great opener and a real surprise to all those who were expecting something darker. The British pressing does not include the American college radio hit, Go! . Aside from the splendid darkwave synth classic Performance , this album does struggle to keep up to the standard of the opening track. War borrows heavily from Kick In The Eye , and then you have to endure plenty of filler, Movement Of Fear and The Never Never (Is Forever) sound like Bauhaus b-sides - Happiness is their Love Cats , Slender Fungus  just ...

  Yeah Yeah Noh - Cutting The Heavenly Lawn Of Greatness.. [IT 021 UK 1985 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] ..Last Rites For The God Of Love. Once upon a time, Yeah Yeah Noh were one of the most important indie-rock bands of their era. Championed by the mighty Peel, adored by thousands of British indie-pop fans, their dry humour and injection of psychedelia into indie-rock is legendary (in Leicester). I've featured a few Yeah Yeah Noh singles and EPs over the years, here for the first time is their debut album in totally unnecessary high resolution 176.4kHz FLAC. A1 Temple Of Convenience A2 Prick Up Your Ears A3 Married Miss New Jersey A4 Starling Pillowcase A5 Houdini A6 Susie's Party A7 Panacea's Pictures A8 She Said She Said B1 Stealing In The Name Of The Lord B2 Home-Ownersexual B3 The Short-Cut Way To Saturday B4 Crimplene Seed Lifestyle B5 See Through Nature B6 Zoological Gardens B7 Blood Soup

  Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow [SF 7889 UK 1977 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on RCA Victor Records (LSP 7366) in 1968. As we are dabbling in San Francisco, here is one more old psych classic before I return to more regular fayre. Posts are going to become sporadic over the next few weeks, likely until mid-August, as the summer period is busy for most of us ...and I have places to go...and people to see. There will be three or four more posts this week before I take some more time away from Needle Time. The British version of  Surrealistic Pillow is quite different to the US release with alternative tracks in a differing running order. Most noticeable is the absence of White Rabbit , I can only assume that the UK label believed this version was more suited to the UK market at the time. I found this record a while back in a charity shop for a couple of quid, it is in near mint condition and ripped remarkably well considering its age. A1 My Best Frien...

  The Grateful Dead - Anthem Of The Sun [VMP-E121 USA 2023 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Warner Brothers Records in 1968. It is unlikely you will come across many rips of The Grateful Dead albums among these pages, however this wonderfully packaged release came my way courtesy of a box from Vinyl Me Please earlier this year. Cut from the original 1968 master tape, all-analogue by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, pressed onto psychedelic 'noonday sun' coloured vinyl at GZ Media and wrapped in a very high spec tip-on gatefold jacket with art print and detailed pamphlet notes. This album was a hybrid matrix mix of live and studio recordings, seamlessly over-layered in the studio to produce a unique audio experience. A more commercial remix was released in 1972, however many are now saying this is the definitive version of this record as Bellman has managed to coax more space and detail from the master tape than the more muddy original pressings.  N...

  Miles Davis - Tutu [925 490-1 UK 1986 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] After the complex & 'difficult' fusion albums, Decoy and You're Under Arrest , Miles Davis released his most accessible eighties album Tutu to some acclaim . Written & arranged mostly by George Duke and Marcus Miller, Tutu was allegedly planned in parts as a collaboration with Prince ...the purple-funk of  Full Nelson is a clue, however the Minneapolis One was otherwise engaged.  Tutu is a very funky record using a lot of synths and keyboards (courtesy of George Duke), Marcus Miller's fretless-funk bass wizardry fits well with Davis' muted trumpet. The glossy eighties production is very much of its time, so this record may not fit well with hardcore jazz aficionados.  The electrofunky  Splatch has always been a particular favourite of mine, the track also features highly regarded keyboardist Adam Holzman making his debut as part of the Davis ensemble. In 1984, Davis recorded a credi...

  The Rhythm Makers - Soul On Your Side [BEWITH089LP UK 2023 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on Vigor Records (VI 7002) in 1976. Manchester's Be With Records have pulled yet another lost gem out of vinyl obscurity. The Rhythm Makers came out of The Bronx and released only one album of hard-hitting funk, laden with funky breaks and heavyweight bass lines. This 2023 reissue (the first since 1976) was considerately mastered by Simon Francis and cut by Cicely Balston for Alchemy at AIR Studios, as usual with Be With, Record Industry in Holland took good care of the pressing. Some tracks verge into soul/disco, however it is the hard-funk tracks like the mighty Zone & the pounding beats of Monterey which make you sit up and pay attention. Even the more gentle tracks possess oodles of funky breaks, making this album essential to those who seek out rare breaks or just hunt for last classics from the depths of funk history. You Better Believe It . A1 Can You Feel It Part ...