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When Dire Straits Made a Springsteen Record
There has been a lot said about the importance of Bruce Springsteen’s 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town. It was a transitional album for Bruce, taking him from beachside...
Often Snubbed, Punk Rock is Alive and Well!
In the spring of 2018, an historic event took place in Newark, New Jersey: the Misfits, a local and legendary punk band that disbanded in 1983, reunited for a single area show...
Unusual Musical Collaborations and Cameos (Part...
It often comes as a surprise to music fans when they hear that their favorite artists, in any category, are themselves fans of other musical genres. Even more surprising is...
Busking: All the World’s a Stage
Did you hear the one about violinist Joshua Bell? During part of an experiment conducted by The Washington Post in 2007, the Grammy nominee and best-selling recording artist played his Stradivarius violin...
Ten Great Guitar Solos
Full disclosure: I am not a musician – I play no instrument (I can whistle pretty well, though). I did play the drums (in high school and college), and I’ve...
Audio Shows 101: What to Expect As A First-Timer
A guide for newbies to make the most of the audio show experience. Since audio shows have been sidelined for the year, I felt it might be a good time...
The Earth's Heartbeat: Native American Music
All plants are our brothers and sisters,they talk to us and if we listen, we can hear them.If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come. – Arapaho nation literature[1]...
Songs of Praise from Unlikely Artists, Part Three
In Part One and Part Two of this series (Issues 112 and 113), I noted that throughout the history of American music, the influence of the Christian church has been...
Women Composers of Early Music
If you ask people to name a famous classical music composer they’ll probably say Bach, Beethoven, Brahms or Mozart – all men. If you ask people to name a famous...
Italian Progressive Rock, Part Four
In this final installment, I’ll introduce you to three more bands. Part one in this series focused on Premiata Forneria Marconi (“Award-Winning Marconi Bakery”), or PFM, the most well-known of the Italian rock...
Songs of Praise from Unlikely Artists, Part Two
In Part One of this series (Issue 112), I noted that throughout the history of American music, the influence of the Christian church has been well documented and apparent. While...
Songs of Praise From Unlikely Artists, Part One
Sex, drugs and rock and roll – the phrase is a catchall euphemism for the debauchery and revelry associated with the music industry. Tales of Dionysian excess, wild drunkenness, partying,...
Tales of an Audio Forum Administrator, Part Three
My last installment gave an in-depth look at what many forum moderators experience on a day-to-day basis. It isn’t the most glamorous job, but it’s ultimately rewarding enough that they...
White-Knuckling It: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Ban...
The 1970s dawned with a blistering hangover as the 1960s bled right into the new decade. On September 13, 1969, just before Abbey Road began dominating end-of-’60s radio, John Lennon sang at...
Being an Audio Forum Moderator, Part Two
This is the second in our series of articles giving a behind-the-scenes look at how a forum operates. I will start this installment out by being perfectly honest: A forum...
Italian Progressive Rock, Part Two: Le Orme
Le Orme (“The Footprints”) is one of the most successful and prolific of the Italian progressive rock bands. From their inception in 1966 through the last decade, they have continued to...
Camaraderie
We called him Brother Crawford because that was the protocol in the evangelical church in which I was raised. He was well into his eighties and moved very slowly, so...
Elitism in Audio and Its Implications
Audio and music are passions. They can be a hobby, a vocation, a lifestyle, a love, a way to live or all of these. They are very personal pursuits and...
Ryuichi Sakamoto: A Musical Career Overview, Pa...
Part One focused on Ryuichi Sakamoto’s work in the groundbreaking Yellow Magic Orchestra. In Part Two I look at his solo work, film scores, collaborations into different types of ethnic...
Italian Progressive Rock, Part One: PFM
The major British progressive rock bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s found receptive audiences throughout Europe, with perhaps none more enthusiastic than the Italians. Italy’s symphonic and operatic...
Terry Kath: Chicago's Guitarist Extraordinaire
In 1970 a dear friend, Hank Rau, introduced me to a new band, Chicago Transit Authority. I want to dedicate this column to Hank, who I’ve known since the first...
Ryuichi Sakamoto - A Musical Career Overview, P...
Meeting one’s musical heroes can often take place in unexpected circumstances. Back in the late 1980s, a particular music hero of mine had played a rare concert at the Beacon...
NAMM: An Audiophile’s Perspective
The National Association of Music Merchants has been around in one form or another since 1901. It started as an organization for piano merchants, but soon expanded to include other...
Lou Reed’s Berlin – Its Music from a Fresh Pers...
With the exception of Foley artists or people who collect sound effects, I think it’s safe to assume that the vast majority of audiophiles are also music aficionados. As such,...
Mythical Stature: Gentle Giant, Part Two
In the first installment of this two-parter, the three Shulman Brothers, along with Gary Green, Kerry Minnear, and John Weathers had completed recording their fourth album, Octopus, in 1972. They began...
BandLab: Reviving Iconic Brands for Musicians
When Gibson Guitars was descending into its eventual Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of October, 2017, one of the most demoralizing warning shots was the announcement months earlier that technical support...
Missing the Pazz and Jop Critics Poll
What’s Happening to Best Album of the Year Lists For many pop music critics, December was once the most joyous month, and it had nothing to do with holidays. Immediately...
Queen of the Salons
A Paris Salon, drawing by Adrien Moreau (1843-1906) She was considered to be the Queen of the Salons; a great beauty and the “unchallenged sovereign of sophisticated Paris…the most distinguished...
Mythical Stature: Gentle Giant, Part One
Gentle Giant, possibly the most musically and instrumentally diverse group in all of progressive rock, actually had its roots in rhythm and blues. Like so many UK youth in the...
Thoughts on Hi-Res Music and Audio – An Insider...
Let me start by saying I have deep respect for all music and audio lovers and their various points of view. There is nothing in my experience more personal or...
Celebrating Cartoon Bob
Our Bob D’Amico aka Cartoon Bob has been with Copper since the first issue was minted. He was profiled in Issue 27 and in addition to being a wonderful artist is, like most of...
New York Audio Show 2019 Report: Part Two
Part One of this report appeared in Issue 99. As noted in that installment: I don’t make definitive sonic judgments at shows; there are too many variables, the room being the...
New York Audio Show 2019 Report: Part 1
New York has been host to audio shows for a very long time – since the 1950s. The 1954 New York Audio Show marked the introduction of Henry Kloss’ landmark...
Pretentious! (No, Progressive)
(An Introduction to Progressive Rock – the Most Critically Maligned Genre of Pop Music This Side of Disco) In the late ‘60s, rock music experienced a period of experimentation unprecedented...
Capital Audiofest 2019 Show Report
I’ve known about Capital Audiofest but hadn’t gone until this year. I’d heard it was a small but fun show – not enough to compel me. I didn’t have the...
AES NYC 2019
For over 70 years, the Audio Engineering Society has been at the forefront making the latest technical information for sound recording, reinforcement, processing, and enhancement available to audio engineers and...
Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2019
Things change. That’s inevitable, and occasionally, it is for the better. This year the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest moved from its familiar setting in the Denver Marriott Tech Center to the massive Gaylord...
A Visit to a Linkwitz Open House
As the second day of the 2019 California Audio Show was taking place, a smaller, more intimate demonstration of the reproduction of recorded music was unfolding across the Bay in...
The California Audio Show Part 2
Part 1 of my report on the California Audio Show appeared in Copper #91. That article gave an overview of the show, and described the exhibit rooms on the first floor. This concluding piece will...
The California Audio Show Part 1
The Ninth California Audio Show took place July 26-28 at the Hilton Oakland Airport, which has been the hosting venue for the last few years. Our reports on the 2017 CAS can...
What Is It To You?
Rock and roll music – the music of freedom frightens people and unleashes all manner of conservative defense mechanisms. – Salman Rushdie I’d rather play jazz, I hate rock and...
Munich, Part 4
[Previous installments of our Munich coverage have appeared in Copper issues #85, 86, and 87—Ed.] We’ve talked about “the Munich Show”, meaning the High End, as the big show is properly known, and we’ve talked...
THE Show 2019, Part 2
Part 1 of Jan Montana's report appeared in Copper #87---Ed.> I don't know anything about modern analog equipment, but I'd rather spend money on a TriangleArt turntable than most of...
THE Show 2019, Part 1
It was difficult to convince members of the San Diego Music and Audio Guild to attend the THE Show this year. [THE Show is a sorta-acronym, for “The Home Entertainment Show”. The...
Munich, Part 2
For all its admirable efficiency, there are some peculiar oversights in the presentation of High End, as the Munich show is called. If you look at the show website, you’ll find...
Fretting and Harping About Guitars
When I was a teenager in New York during the 1960s, hundreds of people would gather around the fountain in Greenwich Village’s Washington Square Park to play their guitars and...
Munich, Part 3
Ready for another day at the Munich High End, looking rather worse for wear. In past years we’ve seen a variety of Porsches and Bugattis at the show, put on...
Munich, Part 1
After last year’s High End show in Munich, I filed a fairly brief report. This year’s show left me with more questions, and a lot more pictures. We’ll see how this...
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2019: A Fan’s Minutes
Some of my biggest regrets come from agreeing to social engagements – especially those taking place during my bedtime, but that’s what I did back in February when a text...