Best album/Group of the 60's and 70's era

[detox]

Douggie,
The most well respected amp maker McIntosh uses tone controls on most every pre amp/ integrated amp they make. That should tell you something. Most all recordings need some type of equallization to sound perfect.

http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/

.........................

[Flying Scotsman]

[QUOTE=detox;78239]

BS... I have been down that expensive HI FI road. I have also taken that no tone control route, but my ears like the simple and much overlooked and more affordable Denon stuff.

Denon stuff is OK but not great. What you hear and what I hear are two different stories. Believe me most peoples audio systems have excessive tone control problems and can not listen to their system for more than 15 minutes without audio fatigue.

Douggie

[domwilson]

Gentlemen. I detect a Bose argument on the horizon. Audio is subjective. I own alot of equipment myself. And have been spending much time as of late repairing some. Tone controls are designed to compensate for listening room shortcomings, as well as personal preference. Unfortunately, with all the marketing hype, the change in FTC rules for amplifier ratings, bad recording engineering, and MP3's, most people don't really know what Hi-Fi is. As long as it has lot's of bass and too much treble they are content. I have speakers from ESS, Magnepan, Advent, Kenwood, Radio Shack, SRS Labs, Wharfedale, Boston Acoustics, etc. My favorites are a pair I designed and built (Transmission line MTM's)to my musical taste powered by an old pioneer SX-450 receiver. Bottom line is, what ever makes you happy and doesn't hurt anyone else (hearing).

[egneg]

Notice any resemblance?

[Flying Scotsman]

Dom, you are on the button. The maggies are a great speaker, their bass voice was not great. I owned a pair.

Douggie

[egneg]

Gentlemen. I detect a Bose argument on the horizon. Audio is subjective. I own alot of equipment myself. And have been spending much time as of late repairing some. Tone controls are designed to compensate for listening room shortcomings, as well as personal preference. Unfortunately, with all the marketing hype, the change in FTC rules for amplifier ratings, bad recording engineering, and MP3's, most people don't really know what Hi-Fi is. As long as it has lot's of bass and too much treble they are content. I have speakers from ESS, Magnepan, Advent, Kenwood, Radio Shack, SRS Labs, Wharfedale, Boston Acoustics, etc. My favorites are a pair I designed and built (Transmission line MTM's)to my musical taste powered by an old pioneer SX-450 receiver. Bottom line is, what ever makes you happy and doesn't hurt anyone else (hearing).

Back in the 60's my parents had an RCA Victor stereo with a tube amp that was a huge piece of furnature. I wish it still was around as the sound was better than anything around now.

[Flying Scotsman]

Tubes/Valves...awesome sound.. just ask some musicians

Douggie

[egneg]

That's because the old vacuum tubes could handle a lot more power than transistors.

[domwilson]

Actually, Vacuum tubes are generally lower powered. But they do offer what is called "soft clipping". I used to have a bogen and a H.H. Scott tube amps. The sound was warm and smooth. As I recall, the instruments sounded more detailed compared to my higher powered transistor amp at that time. Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" and Ramsey Lewis's "Sun Goddess" albums sounded frightenly realistic. Scarey if you're not expecting the vocals.

[domwilson]

Dom, you are on the button. The maggies are a great speaker, their bass voice was not great. I owned a pair.

Douggie

True. Tried a few different speaker placements, crossover filters and subs with them. Ended up with a Realistic sub with a woofer replacement. Fits the need.

[Red65]

Disco was alive and well in 1977 due to the movie "Saturday Night Fever", with John Travolta.

I agree

A Survey: The First DISCO Song / Record!

The FIRST DISCO SONG...

The term "DISCO" was loved by many in the seventies, it was a reference to a style of music that was played in the Night Clubs. They, in turn became known affectionately as "DISCOS", as in "I'm going to the DISCO" It was there that we heard "DISCO Music". Soon those who didn't know how to dance started an anti-DISCO movement, as in DISCO SUCKS! That is another story all together. The Term "DISCO" is today like a sexually transmitted disease, no-one wants anything to do with it.


But when did DISCO actually start? What was the FIRST DISCO record? Who was the first DISCO GROUP? Well, I hope to shed some light on this. While there have been "DISCOTEHQUES" in Europe since before World War II, in Paris , today's "DISCOS" started being called that in the early seventies. DISCO music was what changed them from Night Clubs . The music itself caused the TERM to be applied to the locations as well. BUT....

Is there ONE song that changed everything? ONE song that started "DISCO"? Probably not just ONE song, but for arguments sake, I tried to find it. The FIRST song that was termed DISCO. Before it, the music played was called SOUL or R&B. After this one song, DISCO MUSIC or DISCO became the term to which the dance music was being referred to. There isn't just ONE song, no. But I asked 1,200 deejays from that DISCO era to give me their earliest recollections, and I took them down, made a list of their responses. Soon I had a list of over one-hundred and sixty-five songs!! The ones that were mentioned most often, credited for the beginning of DISCO, are now listed below.

Some deejays put titles like "Dancin in the streets" by Martha Reeves and The Vandellas from 1964 as the first. WRONG! That was SOUL / R & B / MOTOWN, not DISCO. That wasn't the song that gave us the TERM! Others credited SANTANA and "Black Magic Woman/Evil Ways". WRONG again. That was "Dance-able Rock", it too, didn't start the DISCO movement. A lot of Stevie Wonder's work was mentioned, but alas, that too was MOTOWN, and did not start the DISCO explosion.

It was close, the top three songs listed were all mentioned by over 75 percent of those who responded to my survey. There are some BIG surprises on the list. Even bigger surprises as to who is NOT on the list. No Bee Gees, or DISCO INFERNO. Is this "fool proof", no, but it does give us a very good idea of the music that started the DISCO movement.

Here you have them, the TWENTY-FIVE FIRST SONGS OF DISCO! (In reverse order)

#25- "FRANKENSTEIN" by The EDGAR WINTER GROUP- 25 percent
#24- "Mr. BIG STUFF" by JEAN KNIGHT-27 percent
#23- "LET'S GET IT TOGETHER" by EL COCO-30 percent
#22- "JUNGLE BOOGIE/HOLLYWOOD SWINGIN" by KOOL AND THE GANG-33 percent
#21- "BALL OF CONFUSION" by THE TEMPTATIONS-35 percent
#20- "ROCK THE BOAT" by THE HUES CORPORATION-45 percent
#19- "VENUS" by The SHOCKING BLUE-45 percent
#18- "PILLOW TALK" by SYLVIA-45 percent
#17- "LOOK ME UP" by BLUE MAGIC-45 percent
#16- "LOVE'S THEME" by The LOVE UNLIMITED ORCHESTRA-46 percent
#15- "DANCE TO THE MUSIC" by SLY STONE-47 percent
#14- "I'M GONNA LOVE YOU JUST A LITTLE MORE" by BARRY WHITE-48 percent
#13- "THE LOVE I LOST/BAD LUCK" by HAROLD MELVIN and THE BLUE NOTES-50 percent
#12- "KEEP ON TRUCKIN' / BOOGIE DOWN / DATE WITH THE RAIN" by EDDIE KENDRICKS-50 percent
#11- "SPANISH HARLEM" by ARETHA FRANKLIN-52 percent
#10- "ARMED AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS / NEWSY NEIGHBORS" by The FIRST CHOICE-53 percent
#9- "IN THE SUMMERTIME" by MUNGO JERRY-54 percent
#8- "THEME FROM SHAFT" by ISSAC HAYES-59 percent
#7- " LOVE TRAIN" by The O'JAYS-60 percent
#6- " LET'S GET IT ON" by MARVIN GAYE-60 percent
#5- "WANT ADS" by HONEY CONE-60 percent
#4- "JUNGLE FEVER" by The CHAKACHAS-70 percent
#3- "FREDDIE'S DEAD / SUPERFLY" by CURTIS MAYFIELD-75 percent
#2- "CISCO KID / ME AND BABY BROTHER / SPILL THE WINE" by WAR-80 percent
#1- "ZING WENT THE STRINGS OF MY HEART" by THE TRAMMPS-90 percent

There it is, the best that I could do. Gives us a lot to talk about doesn't it!

http://www.discomusic.com/101-more/12972_0_7_0_C65/

[detox]

Notice any resemblance?

Of course. That is why I mention him...Neal Young.

TUBES...Some New Old Stock Mullard tubes sound nice. These current made Chinese tube amps can sound too bright. Especially my ASL integrated with new chinese tubes...which I recently sold. The old SCOTT integrated amps (early 1960's era) with Tone Controlls were some of the best sounding amps (they used Mullards).

I know what listening Fatique is...been there done that. Which is why I currently own an a B&K and Denon amp.


..................

[domwilson]

Man, I feel old. I remember all these songs. From what I remember, 1969-1974 Good music but everyone was too stoned to dance or couldn't. Then a new dance came out called "The Bump" that anyone with a hip could do. At that same time, 3 songs came out which got people up on the dance floor. The Hue Corporation -Rock the Boat, Kool & the Gang - Jungle Boogie, and The Ohio Players - Skin Tight which was followed up with Fire. Then everything got a little strange when The Hustle came out. Then the flamboyancy and the "Disco Danny's" made alot of people not want to dance.

[domwilson]

Of course. That is why I mention him...Neal Young.

TUBES...Some New Old Stock Mullard tubes sound nice. These current made Chinese tube amps can sound too bright. Especially my ASL integrated with new chinese tubes...which I recently sold. The old SCOTT integrated amps (early 1960's era) with Tone Controlls were some of the best sounding amps...they say.

I know what listening Fatique is...been there done that. Which is why I currently own B&K and Denon amps.


..................

For those who don't know what listener fatigue is. Listen to music from an A.M. radio for awhile. When it starts to drive you nuts, report back here and let us know your experience.

[domwilson]

Oh yeah. Another good album...
Steely Dan - Aja.