Copper
It Started With a 45
I got my first transistor radio in 1961. It was cheap, made in Japan, and the brand was Lloyd’s — anybody remember that one? I couldn’t wait to listen to...
High-Quality Audio In Clubland
When was the last time you went to a really trendy dance club? How about one that caters to an in-the-know young crowd? What about one of New York City’s...
Building My First System
In the 1950s, TV sets had lousy pictures – but some of them had rather good sound. Our 16-inch RCA TV (“that big screen in a 12 x 12-foot room?”...
The Joys of FM
Although it’s common for more than person to discover or invent something, these names come from my own history, so they hold special importance for me, and are as correct...
Once in a Lifetime?
How often do you get the chance to listen to stratospherically priced audio equipment in your own home for an extended period without shelling out a penny or inconveniencing a...
When Jerry and The Big Man Almost Busted This C...
This past March Round Records released GarciaLive Volume 13. The Grateful Dead’s output over the prior twelve months had already been prolific so it was surprising to see another Jerry Garcia-related...
Tale of the Tapes
When I arrived on campus my freshman year at Marist College I brought with me a wooden box filled with cassette tapes. I still have that wood box and now...
I'm (Not) With the Band
When I was in fourth grade, I enrolled in Manhattan Music School. Not to be confused with The Manhattan School of Music, a private conservatory near Columbia University. The school...
It Started with a 45
I got my first transistor radio in 1961. It was cheap, made in Japan, and the brand was Lloyd’s — anybody remember that one? I couldn’t wait to listen to...
He is Lemmy, and He Played Rock and Roll
I met my friend Ned, a long-haired fry-cook at a British pub in Manhattan’s South Street Seaport. He was between college and his next step in life – a toss-up...
Eight-Tracks: Taking the Plunge
Eight years ago, The Village Voice ran an article on the opening of The Eight-Track Museum in Dallas – a destination open to the public and a celebration of everything associated with this...
Let the Good Sounds Roll
When I was growing up having a real car stereo was almost as important as owning a solid home system, maybe more. The radios that came standard with most cars...
A Stereo Journey
I was a kid about seven when I refused to speak. A neighbor was the sales manager for RCA in Philly and as such, would get some of the earliest...
One Man’s McIntosh Mission
My first stereo wasn’t as impressive as the effort it took to sell my parents on why buying it was such a good idea. I had received enough money in...
Jersey Boys Find Hi-Fi
My passion for audio was ignited in the 1960s (are we really that old?). Like most of my peers I listened to a lot of music. My two older brothers...