Copper

Welcome to Copper #69!

The aspens are starting to turn yellow here in Colorado, and  Rocky Mountain Audio Fest takes place October 5-7. Depending upon the machinations of publishing, it will either be forthcoming, in progress, or have already occurred. At any rate, I'm sure it will be/is/was a great show, once again!

Getting into this issue, Larry Schenbeck asks the musical question, "Why Do You Think They Call it Classical?";  Dan Schwartz is still recovering, so we’ll revisit his memorial of Paul Kantner; Richard Murison remembers friends lost along the way; Jay Jay French remembers the birth of the Beatles phenomenon ;  Roy Hall remembers his school days; Anne E. Johnson brings us obscure cuts from all the incarnations of Fleetwood Mac; Christian James Hand  deconstructs the anthemic MTV hit, "In A Big Country"; and  I write about the difference between humility and hubris.

Industry News looks at the latest drama from Sears; and our friend Rich Maez brings us the first part of a feature on the glories of the Monterey Auto Week.

Copper #69 concludes with Charles Rodrigues giving new meaning to the term GUI, and a Parting Shot that continues our automotive theme.

Woody Woodward is still on sabbatical, and we're looking forward to his return. We wish Dan Schwartz a rapid recovery.

Copper #70 will continue our Vintage Whine series on phono playback with part 5, we'll continue Rich's piece on Monterey, and we'll have a feature on RMAF.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you at the show! ...or, I'm glad to see you/it was good to see you, as the case may be!

Cheers, Leebs.

Welcome to Copper #68!

By the time you read this, the first day of Fall will have passed---and we're approaching Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, closely followed by (yikes!) the Toronto Audio Fest, the Capital Audio Fest, the New York Audio Show, the Audio Video Show in Warsaw, the Tokyo International Show---and maybe a few others I've forgotten! Maybe some day I'll explain how the crowded Fall show scene almost got even more crowded....

Getting into this issue, Larry Schenbeck tells us about not Jobs, this time, but snobs and slobs;  Dan Schwartz recently underwent surgery,  so we’ll revisit his memoir of the Tuesday Night Music Club; Richard Murison brings us John Corigliano's striking Symphony No. 1; Jay Jay French’s tells us about his guitars---LOTS of guitars;  Roy Hall fulfills a childhood wish and visits Cairns; Anne E. Johnson brings us lesser-known songs from R.E.M; Christian James Hand  deconstructs Thin Lizzy's major hit, "The Boys Are Back in Town".  I scrutinize the times when sharing isn't caring, and present part 4 of our series on phono playback.

Anne is back with Something Old/Something New, featuring new recordings of Schubert Symphonies; Industry News looks at developments at Krell;  and our friend B. Jan Montana shows us around the CEDIA Expo.

Copper #68 concludes with Charles Rodrigues telling us how a laser turntable SHOULD be made, and a Parting Shot view of the beautiful coast of Sardinia.

Woody Woodward is still on sabbatical, and will return in a few issues---he promises!

Thanks for reading. See you soon!

Cheers, Leebs.

Welcome to Copper #67!

It may be my Irish heritage and genetic memories of last call, but the melancholy song "Closing Time" has always resonated with me. For those who have somehow avoided this late-'90s classic, a key line is "every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

Okay: it's not exactly Schopenhauer, and may be a tad sophist, but there is a fair amount of wisdom contained within that line. And so, as we move the PS Audio factory from our home of many years to a big new building (all the way across the street), there is wistfulness mixed with the excitement. Some clean-up remains, but the basic move is over, the toasts have been made---and so we begin, again.

Getting into #67, Larry Schenbeck tells us about a new opera, whose subject is---Steve Jobs?? Dan Schwartz is under the weather, so we'll revisit his piece on the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound; Richard Murison writes about teamwork, and not in an eye-rolling way; Jay Jay French's piece is entitled "The Needle and the Damage Done"---and I'll let you determine what it's about;  Roy Hall has still more (!!) love stories; Anne E. Johnson examines some lesser-known cuts from Peter Gabriel; Christian James Hand deconstructs the '70s chestnut that is "Free Bird"---and I think you'll be astonished at the level of musicianship that was involved. I ask, have you heard that stuff?— and continue looking at the technology of playing records.

Industry News looks at the never-ending drama of Gibson Brands; and our friend Tom Methans brings us a feature on some unusual wines.

Copper #67 concludes with Charles Rodrigues looking at an issue with phase, and a Parting Shot from a recent day-trip to Colorado's Lookout Mountain.

Woody Woodward is still on sabbatical, and will return in a few issues.

Thanks for reading. See you soon!

Cheers, Leebs.

Welcome to Copper #66!

Summer ends, fall begins, change abounds. We at PS Audio are boxing up and beginning the move to our much larger new building---which, fortunately, is right across the street. You won't see any effect on Copper---I don't expect to be down for more than a day. Maybe not even that.

Knock on wood. If you can find any in the increasingly-empty factory.

My feature on the California Audio Show  concludes in this issue. In the next issue or two, I'll tell you about the side-trips I took after the show. I think you'll enjoy the telling.

Larry Schenbeck  starts the issue with an intriguing piece on Mieczysław Weinberg---and in my head I'm pronouncing that first name "Mike"; Dan Schwartz tells us why Aretha Franklin was so important to him; Richard Murison visits surround-sound researcher/rocket scientist Edgar Choueiri at his Princeton lab---and fun and danger ensue; Jay Jay French brings us a very personal tale about his recent run-in with prostate cancer;  Roy Hall  tells another twisted tale of almost-romance; Anne E. Johnson runs through some obscure cuts from Imogen Heap; Christian James Hand deconstructs "Tom Sawyer" from Rush, and I ask, is there nothing new under the sun?--- and continue looking at the technology of playing records.

Anne E. Johnson returns with a Something Old/Something New look at recent recordings of the works of Giovanni Battista Sammartini, best-known for having coined the term "symphony". Sorta. Anyway, there's some lovely music here.

Industry News looks at the latest developments with Bang & Olufsen, as well as a few companies that are not doing as well.

Copper #66 concludes with Charles Rodrigues looking at the countdown to adulthood, and a Parting Shot from my recent swing through San Francisco.

Woody Woodward is still on sabbatical, and will return in a few issues.

Thanks for reading. See you soon!

Cheers, Leebs.