Howabout some more suggestions?

[mstcraig]

Hi all. Been a long time since I visited this board- Having a 2 year old will do that for ya! I kind of put the whole TP enchillada on hold since I do not, as of yet, have either a subscription or proper machine to play them on. I'm trying to pay down my many bills first, then I can go "tape crazy" afterwards! But, that does not stop me from saying hello to all, and to suggest a title or two. I had a birthday recently, and treated myself to a trip to the local record store (as in LP's). This place is called The Bop Shop, and they are just brimming with said black vinyl. I was lucky enough to acquire a mint, original copy of Blood, Sweat and Tears second album (Columbia CS-9720) for $8.00! Now, like many of you I'm sure, I cannot possibly pick just one record out from the thousands I've heard and call it "the best ever". Maybe you can, but I believe most people cannot. That said, this record would absolutely be in the top three for me. Everything came together just right on this session, musically and sonically, and it shows. It's got its share of top 40 hits to be sure, but it also has an overall timeless quality, just right for the Tape Project. To be able to hear "Blues, Part II" on tape would be an all-time treat. My other two suggestions are also from the Columbia catalog. Chicago Transit Authority (Columbia GP-8) is great anyway it is sliced. Lastly, any album by The New Christy Minstrels would be most welcome. My picks are "Tell Tall Tales" and "Land of Giants". The sonics have alot to do with these two choices, since they are both early 1960's Columbia Stereo 360 recorded in Southern California. Their singing is great, the playing is great, and you feel happy when listening to them. What more can you ask? After all, isn't that what this hobby is all about?

[ironbut]

Well hello there Craig. I bet your life has changed a lot! As I look around the room I'm in right now and try to see through a toddler keepers eyes, all I can see are razor knives, endless tangles of audio/electrical cabling, stacks of tapes, boxes of tubes,.. yikes! I hope you're adjusting well and I'm sure all the members here would be glad to hear from you from time to time as you come up for air.
Regarding your last comment, and tying it in with your first, when I was a little kid, my parents bought me kid's books (like most I think) but also kid's records. The books kinda came and went, but the records didn't really have a target age group and they stayed with me for years and years (particularly a set of old folk tunes). I still have a couple of them today and when I catch a glance of them I can still feel a deep link to those. Now, I'd be the last one to tell someone else how to raise their kids, but I haven't heard those records for 40+ years but I can still hear those songs sung by those singers. In fact, sitting on the floor and listening to them is my earliest memory of being by myself and liking it that way.  So, it's never too young to start sharing music with the young'ins.

[mstcraig]

Actually Steve, my earliest memories of listening to music involve my parents' many 8-track tapes. A bit later on, I remember my crazy oldest brother visiting the house with his Pioneer PL-12 turntable and Lafayette tube preamp in tow (I still have both pieces), hooking it into my parents GE console stereo, and listening to Walter Carlos' A Clockwork Orange during a midnight electrical storm! Unforgettable. Most of my lasting musical influences came originally from both my eldest brother and sister, and to a lesser extent, my parents. I never pass up an opportunity to share my love of music with my son, Wyatt. When I play my jazz tapes on my ReVox, he loves watching the reels going 'round at 15 ips. Smart kid. I have many LP's on the floor by the turntable, and for the most part, he leaves them alone because they are daddy's. I made plexiglass covers for my system shelves, so fingers cannot touch what they shouldn't. In the car, he loves listening to the jazz music I have recorded locally, rocking in time with it. It will take a while before all this sets in for him, so all I can do is show him my influences and hope he catches on. My wife found some of those kids records you mentioned, but I don't know if they are playable at all-They look trashed! Maybe eBay can be of some help. Perhaps this all has something to do with why I'm on such a New Christy Minstrels kick. Their music harkens me back to a simpler time, and has such purity to it that I find very appealing. As far as vocal groups go, TNCM, The Beach Boys, and The Cowsills are all the tops in my book. Any of these would make a stellar addition to the Tape Project canon.