Copper

Welcome to Copper #51!

We've passed New Year's, we've passed CES, and the whole world seems to be recovering from the flu. We hope you're either well, or on the mend.

Our Area 51 is more of a known quantity than that one out in the desert, and we can talk about it without fear of retribution (we hope). Having concluded the three-part series Time is of the Essence,  Belden engineer Galen Gareis moves on to RCA interconnects. Part 3 concludes  John Seetoo’s interview with Tom Fine, son of Robert Fine and Wilma Cozart Fine, and a  skilled recording/mastering/archival engineer himself.

This issue has a nice mix of good music, tech, and the just plain weird (well, how else to describe the combination of CES and Roy Hall's Abenteuer in Deutschland?).  Larry Schenbeck goes from the small scale to the BIG; Dan Schwartz moves from basses to bassists with a look at the amazing Danny Thompson; Richard Murison examines the familiar Fletcher-Munson curves in an unfamiliar way; Jay Jay French moves from software to hardware---namely, his stereo equipment over 40 years, starting with turntables ; Duncan Taylor discovers again the perils of live recording, especially in a haunted church; Roy Hall takes on the Third Reich---and wins, this time; Anne E. Johnson brings us the shape-shifting indie artist, David Myles ; Woody Woodward remembers the magic voice and too-short career of Nat King Cole;  and I ponder my trip to the Magic Kingdom of Las Vegas for  CES, and consider what it means to be an Editor for over 35 years, while leafing through a big batch of old Stereophile magazines.

Following  Industry News on two companies we've discussed before and a photo feature on CES, Copper #51 wraps up with another classic audio cartoon from Charles Rodrigues, and a striking Parting Shot from Paul McGowan. Something Old/Something New will return in Copper #52, with a survey review from Anne.

After our 50th issue went live, and the importance of that milestone sank in...it occurred to Ye Older Every Day Editor that the magazine has never properly acknowledged our contributors with a masthead. Let's correct that here and now in Area 51, with a listing of our regulars, as well as all those who have contributed in the past. Some appeared once; others, several times. Below, once and for all, is Copper's masthead.

Enjoy, and see you next issue!

Cheers, Leebs.

Copper: The Magazine of Music, Audio, & the Good Stuff

Publisher: Paul McGowan

Editor: Bill Leebens

Assistant Editor: Gautam Raja

Regular Contributors: Jay Jay French, Roy Hall, Anne E. Johnson, Richard Murison, Charles Rodrigues (1926-2004), Lawrence Schenbeck, Dan Schwartz, Duncan Taylor, WL Woodward

The Sterling Drive Irregulars: Rafe Arnott, Juan Ayllon, Andrew Benjamin, Aaron Berger, Anthony Bigler, Haden Boardman, Kirsten Brodbeck-Kenney, Wing Cheung, Steve Folberg, Pimm Fox, Galen Gareis, Roger Gibboni, Seth Godin, Robert Guerin, Mark Harms, AJ Hernandez, Ken Kantor, Malachi Kenney, Ken Kessler, Peter Ledermann, Jim Langley, Dan McCauley, Scott McGowan, Ken Micallef, B. Jan Montana, Chris Moon, Darren Myers, Elizabeth Newton, Chloe Olewitz, Rudy Radelic, Flemming Rasmussen, Fred Schwartz,  John Seetoo, Jason Victor Serinus, Eric Franklin Shook, Jim Smith, Sam Willett, Ethan Winer, Gary Yacoubian

The Copper Canines: Buster, Grayson, Trixie

Welcome to Copper #50! It's hard to believe we've reached our 50th issue---and thanks to all of you for supporting us, and helping us to reach this milestone. Even more unbelievable is the fact that issue #53 will mark two years for the mag! Tempus fugit, indeed!

The first installment in our series on cables by Galen Gareis with Gautam Raja concludes with part 3 of Time is of the Essence; and we have the second part of  John Seetoo's interview  with Tom Fine, son of Robert Fine and Wilma Cozart Fine, and a  recording/mastering/archival engineer in his own right.

The gang's all here: Larry Schenbeck looks at and listens to voices; Dan Schwartz looks at electronic guitars; Richard Murison examines the peculiar case of "The Japanese Beethoven"; Jay Jay French concludes the ‘67 Psychedelic Shootout with a winner; Duncan Taylor records guitar phenom Grayson Erhard (and you really need to see and hear this kid play!); Roy Hall remembers great jazz artists heard in his NYC neighborhood; Anne E. Johnson brings us the intriguing Kenyan group, Yellow Light Machine ; Woody Woodward looks at the amazing legacy of Muscle Shoals producer Rick Hall;  and I take a maybe-last trip to CES, and look at a big batch of old Stereophile magazines.

Anne also contributes Something Old/Something New, with a survey of  recent recordings of Mozart Chamber Music; and Industry News welcomes Qobuz to the US, and regards the return of Circuit City with a head well-shaken, not stirred..

Copper #50 concludes with another classic audio cartoon from Charles Rodrigues, and a striking Parting Shot from Paul McGowan. 

We hope you're still keeping your New Year's resolutions---especially if one of them is to read every issue of Copper. See you next issue!

Cheers, Leebs.

Welcome to Copper #75, and welcome to 2019! It truly is difficult to believe that the year is gone, but here we are. Let's get to it!

From our usual gang of geniuses---and thanks to all for another terrific year!: our storyteller Larry Schenbeck tells us about musical storytellers; Dan Schwartz looks at The White Album; Richard Murison brings us math you can sink your teeth into; Jay Jay French brings us the first of two stories about meeting John & Yoko; Roy Hall visits Berlin without causing an international incident; Anne E. Johnson brings us some obscure material from Joni Mitchell's incredible career; and I look back at 2018, and examine the amazing business empire of Sherman Fairchild---which just happened to have included audio.

Industry News continues the never-ending story of---well, guess who.

Our friend Dan McCauley is back with his 50 best albums of 2018---some of which I've actually heard! B. Jan Montana discusses what it means to be Top Dog in the world of high-end audio. Industry veteran Jeff Haagenstad makes his first appearance in Copper with some thoughts on the state of our biz, and what's needed to make it grow.

Copper #75 wraps up with a cartoon that may be a little too soon, from Charles Rodrigues (if so, blame the Editor), and a first-time Parting Shot from Rich Isaacs that made me think of Hieronymus Bosch. Take a look---and see what YOU see.

Enjoy, and we’ll see you soon. Our pals Woody Woodward and Christian James Hand will be back after the New Year---so, Happy New Year! Drive safely!

Cheers, Leebs.

Welcome to Copper #46!

For music lovers, it is the best of times and the worst of times. I'd wager that we have greater access to a larger library of recorded music than at any time since---well, since recorded music became available. The bad part? A lot of the current output is unlistenable, both musically and sonically.

In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday as observed and celebrated in in the US, I'll focus on the "best of times" part. I'm thankful for the good stuff; thankful for the growth of Copper and of our faithful readership; thankful for the opportunities I have to work with talented and interesting people.

And I'm thankful that one of those talented people is about to return to our pages. Professor Larry Schenbeck's Too Much Tchaikovsky column will return, beginning next issue.

Dan Schwartz leads off #46 with the story of how the megahit song, "All I Wanna Do" was created by the Tuesday Night Music Club; Richard Murison has fallen in love a little bit with Jenna Mammina, as many of us have---and thanks to Cookie Marenco, Copper readers have a special deal on Jenna's latest album and other titles from Blue Coast Records; Jay Jay French reviews the first batch of albums, as the '67 Psychedelic Shootout continues; Duncan Taylor looks at the special problems of recording drums; Roy Hall tells an incredible tale of Botticelli, Nazis, and heartbreak; Anne E. Johnson has a twofer this issue, with a look at indie artists Hurray for the Riff Raff, and a survey of the recorded catalog of the beautiful music of 16th-century composer Heinrich Isaac; Woody Woodward looks at the beginnings of  The Band in The Hawks; and I obsess yet again over the rights of musicians and what sampling means,  and wonder if, when it comes to audio gear, is older always better?

John Seetoo concludes his in-depth interview with recording engineer/producer Kavi Alexander; A.J. Hernandez continues his survey of southern Italian wines; and new contributor Aaron Berger examines which is better for active listening---singles? Or LPs?

Copper #46 concludes with another classic audio cartoon from Charles Rodrigues, and a Parting Shot from Albuquerque. 

To all who celebrate Thanksgiving, we wish you a happy holiday; and to those who do not---thanksgiving as a practice isn't a bad idea.

Until next issue---enjoy!

Cheers, Leebs.