BAASnotes.com – Bay Area Audiophile Society

Marion’s Desert Island Disks

All Vinyl…..

1.         Joni Mitchell, Court and Spark, D.C.C. Compact Classics (LPZ-2044), Mastered by Steve Hoffman

• Great album, great mastering and sound, great performance, etc.  I was that free man….. not in Paris in London.

2.         Alison Krauss & Union Station, So Long So Wrong, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL-2-276)

• The album that made me a fan of Union Station, Blue Grass Music, and Alison Kraus

3.         Dog Train, Shari Boynton of greeting card fame.  Formerly sold by Kohl’s Department Store and may be available through Amazon.

• This album is the proverbial “hoot”.  Alleged children’s songs with a “mature spin” to them done by the likes of the Spin Doctors, Blues Traveler, Alison Kraus, Bill Joe Kramer, and a few unknowns.  How can you not like a song called “(Don’t Give Me No) Broccoli” sung by Corporal JohnBot Version 2.1?

4.         The Allman Brothers, At Fillmore East, Nautilus Recordings (NR-30).

• A fitting performance by this southern blues/rock group featuring a tight, disciplined band with the near telepathic performances of the twin leads – Duane Allman and Dicky Betz.

5.         The Allman Brothers, Eat a Peach, Polydor (35-MM-0103 and 0104).

• The live sides include Mountain Jam from the Fillmore East concert.  The studio sides feature “Little Martha” with the twin acoustic leads of Duane Allman and Dicky Betz.

6.         The Beatles, Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone (PMC-7027 Mono)

• Black and yellow label “Parlophone”.  British pressing by E.M.I. Records, Ltd.  Better than the stereo version in terms of the front to back depth and the seamless mix and integration of the performance.

7.         Bob Dylan, Bringing It All Back Home, CBS (32344)

• One of my two favorite Dylan albums; the second one follows.  British pressing by Ernest J. Day & Co., Ltd.  Warmer mastering although Dylan’s voice may have a more pronounced nasal twang to it.

8.         Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited, CBS (S-62572)

• My other Dylan favorite.  British pressing by Ernest J. Day & Co., Ltd.  Warm mastering.  Great performance.

9.         Bryan Ferry, Another Time Another Place, Island Records (ILPS-9284)

• The one to have – the British pressing by Island Records, Ltd.  Dynamic, rocks.

10.        Cowboy Junkies, Trinity Sessions, Classic Records (RTH-8568)

• A haunting, ethereal performance.

11.        David + David, Boomtown, A & M Records (SP-6-5134)

• Their combined debut/farewell record.  Great performance.  Too bad there was never a follow up.

12.        Deadicated, Various Artists, Arista Records [304-179 (304-177 and 304-178)]

• Normally, I don’t care too much for tribute albums but this one plus one for Richard Thomas is worth having.  Very good to great performances by Bruce Hornsby & The Range, Burning Spear, Cowboy Junkies, David Lindley, Dr. John, Dwight Yoakam, Elvis Costello, Indigo Girls, Jane’s Addiction, Los Lobos, Lyle Lovett, Midnight Oil, Suzanne Vega, The Harshed Mellows, and Warren Zevon.

13.        The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Axis:  Bold As Love, Classic Records (612-003)

• The “bridge” between “Are You Experienced” and “Electric Ladyland”, where Hendrix and Eddy Kramer flexed their collective playing, recording, and mastering skills.  This is the mono reissue.  I understand that the Track Records issue is better and is the one to have provided that you can find it, and more importantly, afford it.

14.        King Crimson, In the Court of the Crimson King, Island Records (ILPS-9111)

• King Crimson at its best.  Listen to the interplay between Robert Fripp and Ian Giles.  My copy is the “island/palm tree/sunray” label with pink border that, so I’m told, is the same mastering as that of the much coveted pink label pressing.

15.        King Crimson, In The Wake Of Poseidon, Island Records (ILPS-9127)

• King Crimson at its second best.  Pink label pressing.  After this, the band imploded.

16.        Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Island Records (ILPS-9132)

• Worth it for the performance of “Take A Pebble”.  Yes the lyrics are incredibly pretentious, but this three-part song has great performances by the band singly and collectively sounding almost jazz like at times.  There’s a lot going on in the mix that the British pressing captures wonderfully.

17.        Roxy Music, Avalon, Polydor Records (28-MM-0172)

• Time to fess up here.  Back in my College days, this was the best make-out record to have; in fact, it still is.  If by the end of Side 2, the both of you are still clothed than the encounter was never meant to be.  Aside from that, this is Roxy Music’s swan song but what a great swan song it was.  Excellent performances and a recorded committed to tape using an Ampex MM-1200 by Rhett Davies and Robert Clearmountain.

18.        Simon & Garfunkel, Bookends, Columbia Records (KCS-9529)

• A great system makes brings out this wonderful recording and performances.  Paul Simon the lyricist at his best – poignant without going over the edge into mindless sentimentality.  Early Columbia pressings have great dynamics – the synthesizer intro from “Bookends” to “Save The Life Of My Children” can rattle the walls.

19.        Thomas Dolby, The Golden Age Of Wireless (Spring Issue), Capitol Records (ST-512271)

20.        Jefferson Airplane, Crown of Creation, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL-1-148)

• Their best.  Period.

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