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SACD

Arthur Fielder with Boston Pops Orchestra – Pops Caviar: Russian Orchestral Fireworks (2006) [SACD / Living Stereo – 82876716182]

adminMay 29, 2025 149 Views

Title: Arthur Fielder with Boston Pops Orchestra – Pops Caviar: Russian Orchestral Fireworks (2006)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Pops Caviar — Russian Orchestral Fireworks, featuring Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, delivers over an hour of vibrant Russian showpieces by Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Khachaturian, and Tchaikovsky, with DSD remastering vividly capturing the original master tapes’ superb sound. These performances, neither strictly good nor bad, embody the Boston Pops’ middle-brow appeal, transforming the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s high-caliber playing into lush, colorful, and bold renditions tailored for excitement rather than subtlety, with sweet strings, blended winds, big brass, and gargantuan percussion. Fiedler’s capable conducting shines in the brilliant balances of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Overture and the driven tempos of Borodin’s Polovetsian Dances, prioritizing thrills for audiences who relish loud, sexy orchestral flair. For those seeking similar excitement with deeper interpretive nuance, Gergiev’s Kirov Orchestra recordings on Philips offer lyrical and incandescent alternatives, while RCA’s remastered stereo sound, though flashy, lacks some depth compared to the original LPs.

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SACD

Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops – Up, Up and Away & Fiedler’s Choice (1968 & 1970) [Reissue 2019] [SACD / Vocalion – CDLK 4623]

adminMay 29, 2025 99 Views

Title: Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops – Up, Up and Away & Fiedler’s Choice (1968 & 1970) [Reissue 2019]
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Arthur Fiedler, the beloved conductor of the Boston Pops for nearly 50 years, embodied orchestral music for everyday Americans with his approachable, populist programming and warm podium presence, outlasting Leonard Bernstein’s briefer New York fame but often typecast as a pops conductor. His album Up, Up and Away, featuring Richard Hayman’s lush arrangements, transforms 1960s hits like Jimmy Webb’s title track, Paul Mauriat’s “Love Is Blue,” and “Lara’s Theme” (aka Ray Conniff’s “Somewhere My Love”) into vibrant orchestral renditions without vocals, distinct from their pop origins. Producer Peter Dellheim’s liner notes reveal the influence of Diana Ross & the Supremes’ “A Lover’s Concerto” (itself a nod to the Toys’ version) on the inclusion of a Bach Minuet, alongside majestic takes on André Previn’s Valley of the Dolls theme and lively versions of “Cabaret” and Beatles’ hits “Yesterday” and “Michelle.” The album, enriched by a playful cover featuring Fiedler with eight women by an airplane, perfectly captures the easy-listening spirit of 1968 with the Boston Pops’ signature polish and charm.

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SACD

Arthur Fiedler & Boston Pops – Hi-Fi Fiedler (2005) [SACD / Living Stereo – 82876678952]

adminMay 29, 2025 176 Views

Title: Arthur Fiedler & Boston Pops – Hi-Fi Fiedler (2005)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

RCA Victor’s pioneering three-channel recordings, begun in 1953 using Ampex decks, predate the 1958 stereo LP and are showcased in this SACD, which restores the original three-channel master tapes for a deeper, wider soundstage unattainable even by mint vinyl pressings. Featuring Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, the disc includes Rimsky-Korsakov’s vibrant Le Coq d’or suite, Rossini’s William Tell Overture, Tchaikovsky’s Marche slave, Chabrier’s dazzling España, and Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 and Rakoczy March, all chosen for their colorful orchestral brilliance ideal for hi-fi demonstration. Recorded between 1956 and 1960, these selections highlight Fiedler’s knack for infusing light classical music with excitement, a talent that made him the best-selling conductor in history, notably with his million-selling Jalousie 78rpm. The SACD’s three-channel playback, offering enhanced flexibility in mixing for a balanced stereo soundstage, delivers the vivid impact RCA engineers experienced, making this budget-friendly disc a remarkable audiophile treasure.

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1 min read

SACD

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – Moanin (1958) [Analogue Productions 2009] [SACD / Analogue Productions – CBNJ 84003 SA]

adminMay 28, 2025 192 Views

Title: Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – Moanin (1958) [Analogue Productions 2009]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Moanin’ includes some of the greatest music Blakey produced in the studio with arguably his very best band. There are three tracks that are immortal and will always stand the test of time. The title selection is a pure tuneful melody stewed in a bluesy shuffle penned by pianist Bobby Timmons, while tenor saxophonist Benny Golson’s classy, slowed “Along Came Betty” and the static, militaristic “Blues March” will always have a home in the repertoire of every student or professional jazz band. “Are You Real?” has the most subtle of melody lines, and “Drum Thunder Suite” has Blakey’s quick blasting tom-tom-based rudiments reigning on high as the horns sigh, leading to hard bop. “Come Rain or Come Shine” is the piece that commands the most attention, a highly modified, lilting arrangement where the accompanying staggered, staccato rhythms contrast the light-hearted refrains. Certainly a complete and wholly satisfying album, Moanin’ ranks with the very best of Blakey and what modern jazz offered in the late ’50s and beyond.

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1 min read

SACD

Argent – In Deep & Nexus & Ring Of Hands [Reissue 2019] [SACD / Vocalion – 2CDSML 8568]

adminMay 28, 2025 169 Views

Title: Argent – In Deep & Nexus & Ring Of Hands [Reissue 2019]
Genre: Rock, Progressive Rock
Format: MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

When the Zombies disbanded in 1969, their keyboardist and songwriter Rod Argent formed the band “Argent,” incorporating jazz, classical, and art rock influences. The other members included guitarist and songwriter Russ Ballard, bassist Jim Rodford, and drummer Bob Henrit. Their earliest releases received a fair amount of critical acclaim, but the real breakthrough came later on with their album “In Deep” with their minor hit “God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll to You”. For those in the know you are well aware that Dutton Vocallion has been masterfully re-issuing classics like this over the past few years. Argent is part of a new batch of reissues that contain a double SACD set that contains three of their mid-career albums: “Ring of Hands”, “In Deep”, and “Nexus”.

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1 min read

SACD

Aros – Train Song (2004) [SACD / Songlines Recordings – SGL SA 1546-2]

adminMay 28, 2025 131 Views

Title: Aros – Train Song (2004)
Genre: Jazz
Format: MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Aros, an Amsterdam-based sextet co-led by Canadian saxophonist Rob Armus and Austrian pianist Marion von Tilzer, blends American jazz, European classical, new music, and tango influences in their 2004 album Train Song, their first North American release, recorded in vibrant DSD sound. Featuring a lineup of trumpet, sax, violin, bass, cello, and piano, the album spans heartfelt lyrical moments to soul jazz vamps, with complex rhythms like the 12/8 melody against 11/8 accompaniment in “Song of the Heart” or interlocked 5 and 6 rhythms in “30.” Armus’ jazz roots shine in danceable tracks like “Tango” and Glass-like arpeggios, while von Tilzer’s classical background drives the standout “Ostinato,” building from a modest piano figure into a forceful, layered soundscape. Despite occasional improvisational bursts from Armus and trumpeter John Korsrud, many tracks lean cerebral, prioritizing intricate rhythms over exuberant grooves, leaving listeners wishing for moments where Aros might simply charge forward like the locomotive suggested by the album’s title.

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1 min read

SACD

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi – Anton Bruckner: 7th Symphony (2009) [SACD / RCA Red Seal – 88697389972]

adminMay 28, 2025 111 Views

Title: Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi – Anton Bruckner: 7th Symphony (2009)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Paavo Järvi’s 2006 recording of Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony in E Major with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, using the Leopold Nowak edition, channels the legacy of Hans Rosbaud, treating the work as a dynamic, evolving masterpiece with a streamlined yet radiant approach. The first movement emphasizes lyrical themes in hymnal syntax and Wagnerian harmony, blending bright clarity akin to Günter Wand with a propulsive rhythm and organ-like monumentality, captured vividly by Ruediger Orth’s engineering. Järvi’s etched orchestral colors, reminiscent of Rembrandt’s shading, and a fluid, Furtwängler-like transition to the recapitulation create an Elysian grandeur, while the Adagio, a glowing tribute to Wagner, balances taut pulsation with expansive architecture, culminating in an ethereal pianissimo. The Scherzo’s march-waltz evokes Valkyries with chirping fourths and fifths, relenting into a Schubertian trio, and the Finale recycles earlier themes with energetic concision, culminating in a seamless, Wagnerian peroration. This vast, rewarding interpretation echoes a Rhine Journey, blending monumental and bucolic elements with masterful orchestral interplay.

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2 min read

SACD

Art Garfunkel – Breakaway (1975) [Reissue 2018] [SACD / Vocalion – CDSML 8537]

adminMay 28, 2025 239 Views

Title: Art Garfunkel – Breakaway (1975) [Reissue 2018]
Genre: Rock
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Breakaway, Art Garfunkel’s second solo studio album, released in 1975 on Columbia Records and produced by Richard Perry, is his most successful, earning RIAA platinum certification despite peaking at #9 in the US, lower than his debut Angel Clare (#5). Featuring three Top 40 singles—“I Only Have Eyes for You” (US #18, UK #1), “Break Away” (US #39), and the Simon & Garfunkel reunion duet “My Little Town” (#9)—the album swaps the angelic style of Garfunkel’s first record for Perry’s lush pop production, recorded in studios rather than cathedrals. Standout tracks include Bruce Johnston’s “Disney Girls,” Stevie Wonder’s “I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever),” and Hal David and Albert Hammond’s “99 Miles from L.A.,” showcasing wise song choices that overcome the uniformity of Garfunkel’s vocal style with vibrant, polished arrangements.

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SACD

Art Garfunkel – Angel Clare (1973) [Reissue 2018] [SACD / Vocalion – CDSML 8534]

adminMay 28, 2025 293 Views

Title: Art Garfunkel – Angel Clare (1973) [Reissue 2018]
Genre: Folk, Rock
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Art Garfunkel’s debut solo album, Angel Clare, released on September 11, 1973, and produced by Roy Halee with Garfunkel, peaked at number 5 on the charts, featuring his only US Top 10 hit, Jimmy Webb’s “All I Know” (#9), alongside Top 40 hits “Traveling Boy” (#38 Adult Contemporary) and “I Shall Sing” (#38 Hot 100, #4 Adult Contemporary). Named after a character from Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles, the album showcases Garfunkel’s breathy tenor in stately, orchestral ballads, with a standout spirited cover of Van Morrison’s “I Shall Sing” echoing Simon & Garfunkel’s “Cecilia.” Featuring guitarists Jerry Garcia and J.J. Cale, the record balances lush arrangements akin to “Bridge Over Troubled Water” with a sophisticated, Johnny Mathis-like sensibility, meeting high expectations for Garfunkel’s post-Simon & Garfunkel career.

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SACD

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – Caravan (1963) [Reissue 2004] [SACD / Riverside Records – RISA-9438-6]

adminMay 28, 2025 160 Views

Title: Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – Caravan (1963) [Reissue 2004]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Art Blakey’s Caravan, the first of his Riverside albums recorded in 1962, showcases one of the strongest Jazz Messengers lineups, featuring Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Cedar Walton (piano), and Reggie Workman (bass), delivering unmatched musicianship and swinging force. Blakey, the group’s spiritual leader for nearly 15 years, drives the quintet with his signature blend of precision and power, most notably in his explosive solo on the fiery title track, a reimagined Duke Ellington piece. Hubbard and Shorter contribute memorable originals like the cohesive “Sweet ‘n’ Sour” and angular “Thermo,” while their soloing, alongside Fuller and Walton, ranks among the 1960s’ finest. The album’s synergy shines in both the sophisticated standards “Skylark” and “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” and the dynamic originals “This Is for Albert” and “Sweet ‘n’ Sour.” Remastered in 2001 with two bonus tracks (alternate takes of “Sweet ‘n’ Sour” and “Thermo”), this SACD release captures the definitive Blakey and Jazz Messengers sound with vibrant clarity, making it a cornerstone of hard bop.

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