Discographies and buyer’s guides Books

Book SynopsisThe Audiophile Record Collector''s Handbook (ARCH) has been in print since 1991. It is aimed mainly at collectors of fine sounding analogue stereo LP records. In this sense it was responding to a worldwide interest in vinyl LPs from the standpoint of their great sound quality. During the latter part of the 1990s the enormous interest in stereo records began to reduce from its almost obsessive levels and people began to take more interest in the mono recordings of the 1950s. I am not ashamed to include myself in this. In a way it has been like returning to one''s musical roots, replacing the concerns of audiophile stereo (image placement, depth, dynamic levels, etc) with the deeper concerns of true music making (artistic sincerity, emotional immediacy, etc). It seems obvious that the same demand that made ARCH so popular also exists for the mono LPs. The basic requirement for any collector is to have full details of what there is to collect.The information in this book represents the labour of many years, not just by the author, but by many others too. I have been a record collector and/or dealer for many years. I first became aware of the great sound quality of some of the early Deccas and RCA shaded dogs during the mid 80s. I then formed a collection including practically every worthwhile RCA shaded dog, Mercury, Decca SXL, EMI ASD, SAX, Lyrita, etc. This collection was acquired by a process of swapping records with many internationally based fellow collectors. Around 1989 I started selling records in my spare time, and in 1993 this became a full time activity. The business was joined by my wife, Jan, in 1994 and has since supplied many thousands of audiophile records to collectors all over the world, being generally regarded as the premier international source of quality English vinyl.

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Book SynopsisThis book is aimed mainly at collectors of fine sounding analogue stereo LP records. It concentrates largely on orchestral repertoire - that is what such collectors listen to in the main. I have started from the assumption that the analogue stereo recordings from the period late 50s to mid 70s are far more satisfying than any other recordings ever made. The great majority of good recordings from that period are to be found on the RCA, Mercury, Decca, EMI, and Lyrita labels.The information in this book represents the labour of many years, not just by the author, but by many others too. I have been a record collector and/or dealer for many years. I first became aware of the great sound quality of some of the early Deccas and RCA shaded dogs during the mid 80s. I then formed a collection including practically every worthwhile RCA shaded dog, Mercury, Decca SXL, EMI ASD, SAX, Lyrita, etc. This collection was acquired by a process of swapping records with many internationally based fellow collectors. Around 1989 I started selling records in my spare time, and in 1993 this became a full time activity. The business was joined by my wife, Jan, in 1994 and has since supplied many thousands of audiophile records to collectors all over the world, being generally regarded as the premier international source of quality English vinyl.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisA pesar de su dilatada y rica trayectoria, Peter Hammill es uno de los más importantes "secretos mejor guardados" del rock inglés. En 1967 forma el grupo Van Der Graaf Generator mientras estudia en la Universidad de Manchester, grupo que liderara como guitarrista, tecladista, cantante y compositor hasta 1978. Van Der Graaf Generator fue el más oscuro y caótico compañero de viaje de otras bandas progresivas británicas de principios de la década del setenta como King Crimson o Genesis, aunque sería erróneo enrolarlo bajo el rótulo de rock sinfónico o progresivo. Paralelamente a su trabajo con la banda, Hammill comienza, en 1971, su carrera como solista con más de 40 trabajos editados hasta el año 2015. Verdadero artista, mas interesado en la autenticidad de su arte que en reglas de marketing, su trabajo es imposible de etiquetar o de encerrar en una fórmula; solo o acompañado puede desgranar una andanada de furia eléctrica o la mas bella calma acústica, encabritarse como el más filosófico de los sicóticos o dedicar un álbum entero a canciones de amor, componer una opera sobre un texto de Poe o realizar espontáneos trabajos experimentales. Siempre con la canción como eje fundamental de su obra. Así es como lo reverencian importantes músicos de las más disímiles extracciones, de Peter Gabriel a Johnny Rotten, pasando por Luca Prodan, David Bowie, Jello Biafra, Roger Waters, Peter Murphy, Nick Cave, Robert Fripp, Marc Almond, Bruce Dickinson, Mark Smith, Thom Yorke o Steve Wilson a los cuales ha influido de distinta manera. Dueño de una voz única e incomparable (capaz de los más variados matices), multiinstrumentista y prolífico compositor, Hammill es además uno de los mas grandes letristas que haya dado la historia del rock, autor de una poética que trasciende su ámbito y lo erige en uno de los principales artistas surgidos a fin del siglo XX.

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Book SynopsisDmitri Shostakovich was one of the great composers of the 20th century, the first major Soviet composer and a figure of some controversy. This third edition is an up-to-date catalogue of the composer;s works.Trade ReviewReviews from the Second Edition Derek Hulme has produced an exuberantly encyclopedic work that expands the concept to include an extensive bibliography and discography and-as if it were not enough-a listing of BBC broadcasts on the composer plus seven appendices...As a diligent amplification and updating of Macdonald's catalogue, the discography and bibliography alone-to say nothing of the appendix of BBC broadcasts-would make it indispensable to any person or organization concerned with the composer. All in all, it is a formidable achievement, which fully deserves Mme. Shostakovich's prefatory accolade... * Music & Letters *Hulme's combing of secondary sources, Soviet and Western, has been laudably thorough...Where Hulme has already performed a heroic and indispensable service is in the compilation of an exhaustive discography. In its comprehensiveness and detail, it far surpasses any previous efforts; the book amply justifies its claim to usefulness by this feature alone. * Notes: Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association *A massive work of scholarship and organisation. * Inverness Courier *Derek Hulme's labour of love has turned into an essential reference work for scholars, publishers, performers, and of course, the ever growing number of concert goers whose love of Shostakovich's music goes beyond the superficial....this compendium deserves to be bought by libraries, both general and specialist. * The Slavonic and East European Review *Reviews from the Second Edition Derek Hulme has produced an exuberantly encyclopedic work that expands the concept to include an extensive bibliography and discography and-as if it were not enough-a listing of BBC broadcasts on the composer plus seven appendices...As a diligent amplification and updating of Macdonald's catalogue, the discography and bibliography alone-to say nothing of the appendix of BBC broadcasts-would make it indispensable to any person or organization concerned with the composer. All in all, it is a formidable achievement, which fully deserves Mme. Shostakovich's prefatory accolade. * Music & Letters *Table of ContentsChapter 1 Foreword to the Second Edition Chapter 2 Preface Chapter 3 Preface to the Third Edition Chapter 4 Acknowledgments Chapter 5 Abbreviations Chapter 6 Introduction Chapter 7 CATALOGUE Chapter 8 Bibliography Chapter 9 BBC Broadcasts Chapter 10 APPENDICES: I Collections of Shostakovich's Music and Addresses of Music Publishers Chapter 11 II Television and Theatre Productions Chapter 12 III Information of the History of Recording, Four Special USSR Recordings, the Composer on Records, and Samplers of Shostakovich's Music Chapter 13 IV Chronological Chart of Main Works and Historical Events Chapter 14 V Abandoned Projects and Obscure and Doubtful Works Chapter 15 VI DSCH—the Composer's Monogram Compositions Based on DSCH by Other Hands, and Tributes Chapter 16 VII Index of Russian Titles Chapter 17 Postscript Chapter 18 Index of Names (figures refer to opus numbers) Chapter 19 Index of Compositions (figures refer to page numbers)

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Book SynopsisALTERNATIVE ROCK - THE BEST RECORDINGS AND MUSICIANS, THIRD EAR LISTENING COMPANION

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Book SynopsisAn analysis of the 113 singles which have passed the magical million sales threshold in the UK in the past 60 years, from Bill Haley & The Comets very first UK million-seller right through to more recent singles by Lady Gaga, Rihanna and the Black Eyed Peas. Interviews with some of the artists reflecting on their memories of their million sellers and what they remember of the success at the time. At - a-glance facts and data outlining the songwriters, producers, albums and total sales figures for the million selling track. A foreword by one of the million selling artists talking about how it feels to be a member of 'millionaires club'.

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Book SynopsisSoul is the most powerful expression of American music -- a distinct combination of roots, migration, race, culture, and politics packaged together for your dancing pleasure. But if you thought the sounds of Motown or Stax Records died along with 8-tracks and macrame, you d be wrong. For two decades, Daptone Records has churned out hard funk and such beautiful soul that these records sparked a musical revolution. Run by a collective of soul-obsessed producers and musicians, the Brooklyn-based independent label launched the careers of artists such as Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, Charles Bradley, and Bruno Mars. Their records paid homage but never lip service to the original artists, proving that soul is still culturally relevant and just as exciting. It Ain t Retro charts this revival s players, sounds, and tectonic shifts over the past twenty years, taking you from dingy clubs where soul crazed DJs packed the dancefloor, to just uptown where some of the genre s heaviest musicians jumpstarted the renaissance in a basement studio, and all the way to the White House. This definitive tale of Daptone Records soulful revolution chronicles the label s history, players, and sounds while dissecting the scene s cultural underpinnings, which continue to reverberate in pop music.

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Book SynopsisExplores the Frontera Collection, discussing genre, themes, and some of the thousands of performers whose recordings are archivedTrade Review"Chris Strachwitz . . . became an ardent collector of 'roots' recordings . . . and personally assembled this focused archive of some 147,000 items. Highly recommended." * Choice *"This book is aimed at fans of US border music and students (studying Chicano Studies) yet it contains much entertaining info and is well illustrated with vintage photos, record labels and advertisements— thus enthusiasts for American roots music will find much rewarding here." -- Garth Cartwright * Songlines *

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Book Synopsis

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