Campoli/Argenta Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, 1956 Decca Recording

[@robertmorgan9205]

Very enjoyable and informative, hopefully we’ll be getting many more throughout the year.

[@analogueanorak1904]

Thanks for the lovely comments Robert. I’m actually about to release this week a deep dive about another quite unique Kingsway Decca session from 1958. This one looks at how Kenneth Wilkinson took on the task of recording live big band jazz. Hope you enjoy that one too!

[@robertmorgan9205]

@@analogueanorak1904 I’m sure I shall and look forward to that.

[@analogueanorak1904]

@@robertmorgan9205 thanks, one big plus about some of the music I’m chatting about is available from another KZbin channel in high quality digital format from a rare US reel to reel version and sounds great so I’ve been able to link these up when my video ends.

[@TrueStereo-]

I really enjoy your videos and knowledge. Thanks

[@analogueanorak1904]

Thanks for the lovely feedback and sharing a glorious collection of vintage reel to reel recordings. I’m going to listen to some via my av system as I suspect my iPad doesn’t do them justice!

[@Roamany-Jones]

I am lucky enough to have picked up the Original Stereo ED1 about 10 years ago in a charity shop for 20p ! The Stereo sounds stunningly good. However I also picked up Decca SXL 2197 (Ruggiero Ricci) the same week for £2 again in a charity shop. It is the ED1 and that to my ears is probably the best recording of any record I have ever come across both new or old. I have the original mono version of this as well but to me the Stereo is better I pretty much every way.

[@analogueanorak1904]

Wow great score. It’s really useful to hear first hand confirmation when an original early SXL is a stunner. I think I mentioned in the video that I reckon it really helped the limitations of the early cutter that they didn’t add a filler track. I am fond of my 2 vintage LXT copies and over time my go to is becoming the SPA copy but it does sound like you have the absolute, add to the dream list, winner.

[@TrueStereo-]

I would be very interested in your opinion of the R2R recordings I have posted in comparison to LP or CD versions. Good and bad.

[@analogueanorak1904]

I haven’t found any I have a copy but I have a lot of Bonynge recordings from the same period so I was going to listen to the London reel to reel one first anyway so will let you know my thoughts.

[@analogueanorak1904]

I had another look at your channel and I do have good vinyl copies of Beecham Scheherazade, Oistrach Bach double violin and BB Reach out so will give you some feedback on each video’s comments as I go through them over the next few weeks. I’ve had a great time listening to one half of the Adam and will put in some comments after I have tracked down and listened to a recording I have on vinyl made by the same Decca team a few months earlier.

[@TrueStereo-]

Looking forward to your comments.

[@danijelsan81]

How do you find Ace of Diamonds pressing to be generally speaking? Are they typically noisy pressings, or fairly quiet? Would love to see a video on those if possible.

[@analogueanorak1904]

Hi, the noisy sound floor potential applies to most Decca pressings across the board including AOD upto around 1976ish when they stopped using the polythene inner sleeves. I do a lot of thrift store searching rather than on line buying so my rules with the older polythene liners are if you are struggling to get record out of liner just give up its toast. If it comes out but there is prominent zebra skin pattern appearance throughout noise floor will be an issue but music quality will often be good so if it’s a really good record worth a gamble. If there is extremely light zebra or no zebra the sound floor issue will be tolerable to not present. I’ve been lucky with certain grooved early and non grooved AOD’s. But the sonic block busters tend to be non grooved mid to late period ones often G or W at 6 o clock and either JT tax code (1968-73) at 12 o clock or blank 1974 onwards. The main alternative to consider are the Jubilee pressings especially the earlier English pressings pre 1980 as cheap, often really good and no flipping polythene to worry about! I have been thinking of doing a video on certain SPA pressings but will give an AOD video some thought too.

[@danijelsan81]

@@analogueanorak1904 Really appreciate your thoughts and experience on this. I have only 2 AOD pressings I believe, and one of them (The 'trout' quintet with Curzon) has horrific issues with noise floor. The other not at all. I just ordered Peer Gynt SDD 111 as there's no access to these where I live and am curious to see what it'll sound like. It was very cheap and in NM condition (supposedly). A video on certain SPA pressings would wonderful as well. Thank you again.

[@analogueanorak1904]

@@danijelsan81 Thanks, I have a non grooved AOD pressings of Trout/Curzon which sounds lovely with no sound floor issues. At the end of the day you never know until you clean them up,and shove them on the turntable. Good luck with Peer Gynt, if you get lucky it’s a superb Kingsway recording from the golden era wonderful in stereo and mono.

[@melfaraj4633]

I would have appreciated some of the recording played. Let the music speak for itself!!

[@analogueanorak1904]

Thanks for the feedback. If you go onto my playlist section there is a complete version of Campoli playing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto as well as some other Campoli goodies!

[@grayhalf1854]

There's too much fetishism around the early stereo issues I think (ASD, SXL, SAX). The collector in me is very much guilty of it but I can't let it squeeze out other 'less desirable' pressings...

[@analogueanorak1904]

I think you are taking a wise approach to collecting classical, it’s definitely fun to splash out every now and then on higher status early pressings. Also you can still come across something old, in great condition and affordable in the wild. But the huge drop in price of everything else that’s vinyl and classical opens wonderful opportunities for digging up those hidden gems plus when you discover you’ve bought a lemon it doesn’t ruin your day! A great channel on the sheer joy of off piste classical collecting is Vinyl Bliss, worth a try if you haven’t come across it already.