Vinylla Fudge.

Brahms: Symphony No. 4 Bruno Walter conducting the Columbia Symphony Orchestra (Classic/Columbia MS-6113-200)

I don't think my extremely positive opinion of how Bruno Walter conducted this symphony matters much. This is because since it's official release in 1960 on Columbia opinions have been tossed about by the masses, and whether you fall into the camp that his tempos are perfect, or too slow, too fast, too flexible, too rigid; his conducting style perfect, or too emotional, too cold, too unyielding, too lax, etc. etc. you get what I mean. Yet I guess pretty much everyone can agree that Sony's relatively recent issue of this symphony on SACD and this vinyl issue show that the recording quality of this early stereo gem is quite good. I can't help but compare it to RCAs other recordings of the same vintage, and then it falls a little short, probably in large part due to the fact that the Columbia Symphony Orchestra is not the Chicago Symphony Orchestra or the Boston Symphony Orchestra. But even when comparing them to the other orchestras RCA recorded back then you can hear some minor tuning and unity problems that the others don't have. Still, I think it is a great version of this symphony, painstakingly produced on heavy vinyl. Not that my opinion matters very much.

Can: In Want More + 3 (Spoon 12spoon047)

It's nice to have Can's almost-hit along with it's companion cut ... And More on 12" 45-rpm orange vinyl, but it sounds like to me that they were rather carelessly taken from the digital masters and thrown on this limited-edition disc just for the convenience of DJs, collectors, and Can devotees. But since I haven't seen this one on compact disc for sale (yet), I'll just assume this is the only way we're going to be able to get this one for a while, so we might as well enjoy it. The two remixes, Smoke, by their bassist and recordist Holger Czukay, and Half Past One. by keyboardist Irmin Schmidt are fairly pointless, but I still would have purchased this disc knowing this. I Want More is late-period Can, but is still recognizable as coming from these brilliant Germans.

Jimi Hendrix: Live at Woodstock (Experience Hendrix/Classic Records RTH-2014-200) 4 LP + 7" 45

I guess the release of this album on audiophile vinyl was bound to happen. Classic Records has been releasing every Hendrix record they can get their hands on, and doing a mighty fine job at that if you ask me. This set is a perfect example of how they can go overboard with the deluxe packaging, and yet one would not expect anything less. Each box set includes thick vinyl with unique photo labels on each side; thick cardboard covers with color photos for each LP, a full-color LP-sized booklet, and super-quiet pressings with spectacular sound quality. As a bonus, a 7" EP of two songs the lineup recorded very close in time to the show is included. And the music contained herein? If you have to ask, you shouldn't be spending this kind of money on records. I bought my copy as soon as it was available, and I'm very happy I did.

Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Chile (Experience Hendrix/Classic Records RTH-2016-200) 4 LPs

On my shelves are more than two feet of Hendrix CDs, the space taken up by LPs on my record shelves is even greater. This is from a guy who had five official album releases in his lifetime. I'm not complaining, and Jimi couldn't either, really--practically every day from the time he landed in the UK in 1967 to nearly the day he died about three years later he was either in a recording studio or playing a concert.

This release is sort of a greatest hits package combined with some rare studio material from the box set, plus some previously released live material combined with some harder-to-find tracks, including an incredible "Red House" from Randall's Island, NY, in July of 1970. This selection practically makes the entire package worth the price. I said practically; it is awfully expensive, but when you consider the deluxe presentation--four 200-gram LPs meticulously packaged with a 12" x 12" color booklet, each thick slab of vinyl in its own color sleeve, and the amazing analog mastering, it's hard to beat. The analog mastering is what sets this box set apart--it's great to have all this studio material as well as the live stuff sounding so great. Finally I get to hear some stereo cuts from his official studio albums with the fidelity they deserve.