Ten Lob/ Listening Reports - …...William P. Johnson Circulation Service Manager Leonard Levine...

$1.50 January 1980IN BACKBEAT: Nine Pop Critics Tbost/Roast the Year's Records

NEW!Ten Lob/ListeningReports Carver's amazingholographic preamp KLFI's computer -controlled speaker Pioneer's top cassettedeck, and seven more!

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A Great New Sound From Stanton-The Choice of The Professionals

Now the great performance enjoyed by recording professionalsworldwide in the Stanton 881S cartridge is also available in a brandnew, lightweight headphone...the Stanton Dynaphase 55.Professional quality sound is the result of superior Stanton driverdesign that includes 11/2" dynamic high velocity elements with aspecially formulated synthetic film diaphragm and samariumcobalt magnets...allowing for low distortion and exceptionallywide frequency bandwidth.

The tuning of the air cavity behind the diaphragm is a un quedesign of Dynaphase 55. It keeps the air in phase deliveringflattest response and finest acoustical behavior of the drivingelement. Includes adapter plug. Suggested retail *$60

Pictured to the right, is the Stanton Dynaphase 35, a headphoneoffering top performance at its price. With an adapter plug. *$45

The top -of -the -line Stereo Wafer Model XXI is as fine as theycome and featherlight for comfort. *$70

For further information, contact Stanton Magnetics, 200 TerminalDrive, Plainview, N.Y. 11803.

t, 1979 STANTON MAGNETICS

Circle 41 on Page 77

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JANUARY 1980 VOLUME 30 NUMBER 1

HIGH FIDELITYLeonard MarcusEditor

Shirley FlemingEditor, Musical America

James R. OestreichClassical Music Editor

Susan ElliottEditor, Backbeat

Robert LongAudio -Video Editor

Peter DobbinAssistantAudio -Video Editor

Rebecca AbbottAssociate Editor

Lynda CarlottaCynthia PeaseAssistant Editors

Isabel ParkerEditorial Assistant

Edward J. FosterConsulting Audio Editor

Edward GreenfieldEuropean Editor

Robert S. ClarkEditorial Director

Abram ChipmanJohn CulshawR. D. DarrellHarris GoldsmithDavid HamiltonDale HarrisPaul Henry LangIrving LowensRobert C. MarshFred MillerAndrew PorterSusan Thiemann SommerContributing Editors

Sarin BrombergArt Director

Wayne ArmentroutProduction Director

David LeeCirculation Director

John D. KallmannCirculation Manager

William P. JohnsonCirculation Service Manager

Leonard LevineAssociate Publisher

Warren B. SyerPublisher

HIGH FIDELITY is published monthly at ThePublishing House, Great Barrington, Mass. 01230by ABC Leisure Magazines, Inc., a subsidiary ofAmerican Broadcasting Companies, Inc. Copy-right by 1979 ABC Leisure Magazines, Inc. Thedesign and contents are fully protected by copy-right and must not be reproduced in any manner.Second-class postage paid at New York, NewYork, and at additional mailing offices. Authorizedas second-class mail by the Post Office Depart-ment, Ottawa, and for payment of postage incash Yearly subscription in U.S.A. and PossessionsS 11.95; elsewhere S 15.95. Single copies S I.50.

Subscribers: Send subscriptions, inquiries, and ad-dress changes to High Fidelity, I Sound Ave., Mar-ion, Ohio 43302. Change of address: Give old andnew addresses, including ZIP Code. Enclose ad-dress label from last issue and allow five weeks forchange to become effective Postmaster: SendForm 3579 to High Fidelity, I Sound Ave.Marion, Ohio 43302. Postal IdentificationNumber 243820.

Audio/Video Backbeat6 High Fidelity News

11 entries in the audio market

14 CrossTalk

19 Equipment ReportsCarver C-4000 preamplifierKLH Model 3 speakerOrtofon Concorde 30 phono

pickupSAE Two Model R-6 receiverJensen System B speakerPhase Linear 5100 Series II tunerPioneer CT -F1250 cassette deckDual CS -7310 turntableSpatial Coherence preamplifier

Model TVA -1JVC Zero -5 speaker

93 The 2nd Annual Critics' Poll

98 Input OutputTeac's new portablecassette studioby Fred Miller

99 The Three Faces ofFleetwood Macby Sam Graham

99 Backbeat RecordsLeonard CohenElton JohnBennie Wallace

102 Time/Life's Giants of Jazzby Don Heckman

Music/Musicians Et Cetera53 How Much Are Your Old

Records Worth?16 HiFi-Crostic

by William PetersenPart I: Classical Recordsby Michael Biel 50 LettersPart II: Popular Recordsby Tim Brooks 77 Reader -Service Cards

60 Behind the Scenes 110 Advertising Index

63 Horowitz and ArrauReissues and new releasesreinforce the legends of twoof the century's great pianistsby Harris Goldsmith

65 The Play of DanielMark Brown's new recordingis a worthy successor toNoah Greenberg'sby Susan Thiemann Sommer

68 Classical RecordsBernstein's Missa SolemnisKubelik's touchstone SchumannShostakovich quartets completed

71 Critics' Choice

91 The Tape Deckby R. D. Darrell

4 HIGH FIDELITY

The LegendContinues.

Dynaco helped createstereo hi-fi 25 years ago.We built a reputation basedon rigorous yet simple de-signs that produced moresound than the industryhad ever seen.

Now we've come backto do it again. With twonew speakers that are farand away the best we'veever built. Each of thesesystems continues theDynaco legend of simplic-ity and performance at a

modest cost. Each in itsown way will make youpart of a listening experi-ence that for 25 years hasmeant only Dynaco.

To sample that ex-perience, take your favor-ite record album to yourDynaco dealer. Lean backand listen. You'll hear thatDynaco sounds better thanever. And the legend willcontinue. We have manynew and exciting productscoining your way.

dUn1 a C13We build them like we used to.

ART CREDITS

Cover photo by Bob Brody, with Barney the cat, EleanorGreenberg, trainer

55-57 Michael Biel59 Jerry Osborne60 Flip album photo from Jerry Osborne;

all other photos from Michael Biel61 Michael Biel63 Arrau photo courtesy of National

Concert and Artists Management;Horowitz photo by Bender

64 Horowitz photo by Bill Ray; Arrauphoto courtesy of ICM Artists Ltd.

65-66 Bob Long95 Bob Brody

SOLUTION TO HIFI-CROSTIC NO.49

[Rossell Hope) Robbins:Early English [Christmas] Carols

The true carol is to be distinguished from a hymnor a religious song. It always had set stanzas alternatingwith a "burden:" two lines sung at the beginning and re-peated after each stanza-as precise as the art patterns ofballade. triolet, or rondeau.

ADVERTISING

Main Office: Robert J. Ur Sr., Director of Adver-tising Sales. The Publishing House, Great Barrington, Mass.01230. Telephone 413-528-1300.

New York: ABC Leisure Magazines, Inc., 825 7thAvenue, 6th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10019. Telephone: 212-265-8360. Seymour Resnick, National Advertising Man-ager; George Dickey, Record Advertising Manager; RuthElliott, Eastern Advertising Manager; Janet Cermak, Ad-ministrative Assistant; Yetta Peltzman, Classified Advertis-ing Department.

Midwest: ABC Leisure Magazines, Inc., 190 N.State St., Room 632, Chicago, Ill. 60601. Telephone: 312-782-1173. William P. Gordon, Midwest Advertising Man-ager; Osbert Bruno, Advertising Representative.

Los Angeles: ABC Leisure Magazines, Inc., 2020Avenue of the Stars, Suite 245, Century City, Calif. 90067.Telephone: 213-553-2000. Andrew Spanberger, WesternAdvertising Manager; Janet Endrijonas, Associate WesternAdvertising Manager.

Tokyo: Japan Advertising Communications, Inc.,New Ginza Bldg., 7-3-13 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104, Ja-pan. Telephone: )03) 571-8748, Shigeru Kobayashi, Presi-dent.

HIGH FIDELITY and HIGH 190111./TY/MUSICALAMERICA are published monthly by ABC Leisure Maga-zines, Inc., a subsidiary of American Broadcasting Com-panies, Inc. Warren B. Syer, President; Herbert Keppler, Sen-ior Vice President, Photographic Publishing Division;Leonard Levine, Vice President, Advertising; WarrenTuohy, Vice President, Finance; David Lee, Circulation Di-rector; Cathleen Aloisi, Personnel Director; Wayne Armen -trout, Director of Manufacturing. Member Audit Bureau ofCirculation. Indexed in Reader's Guide to Periodical Liter-ature. Current and back copies of High Fidelity and High Fi-delity/Musical America are available on microfilm from Uni-versity Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48106. Microfichecopies of these magazines (1973 forward) are availablethrough Bell& Howell Micro Photo Division, Old MansfieldRoad, Wooster, O. 4469 I .

Editorial correspondence should be ad-dressed to The Editor. High Fidelity, Great Barrington,Mass. 01230. Editorial contributions will be welcomed, andpayment for articles accepted will be arranged prior topublication. Unsolicited manuscripts should be accom-panied by return postage.

110 Shawmut Road Canton, Mass. 02021 (617) 828-7858


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You expect to be reallyimpressed .by a new cartridge.Otherwise you wouldn't evenconsider it. What you don'texpect is to get the sameimpressive performancethousands of plays later. Butconsider this: after 1000playing hours the new ADCImproved Series cartridgesshow no audible change inperformance! Amazing? You'reright. But what's even more

S-9 SUSPENSIONBLOCK

MICRO -MACHINEDARMATURE

amazing is the new Omni -PivotSystem - that did it.

It's a major advance in

micro technology. There areno unpredictable armaturegovernors, wires or adhesives.Instead each armature is micro -machined to perfectly lock intoour exclusive new S-9 highdefinition suspension block. Wethink it's a real breakthrough.But you should be the judge.

Look at both the frequencyresponse and stereo separationof a new ADC ZLM Improvedcartridge. They're incredible.The new ADC ZLM accuratelyreproduces even the mostcomplex musical passages withabsolute neutrality.

Now compare the samecartridge after 1000 playinghours. See any difference? TheADC ZLM Improved cartridgeshows less than a 1dB changein performance. That meansyou won't hear any difference.

Now the good news getseven better. The Omni -Pivot

System comes in a wide rangeof new ADC Improved Seriescartridges. The ZLM, XLMMKIII and MKII, and QLM-36MKIII. All featuring new snap -down stylus protectors.

If you already own a fineADC cartridge, the Omni -PivotSystem is yours for just theprice of a replacement stylus.

Listen to any new ADCImproved cartridge. Afteryou've heard us, we'd like tohear from you. Write AudioDynamics Corporation, PickettDistrict Rd., New Milford, Ct.,06776, or call our toll -freenumber (800) 243-9544.

BEFORE YOU BUPA NEW CARTRIDGETAKE A LOOK AT A GOOD USED ONE.

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Digital tuning in Sears receiverThe top of the LXI receiver series is a 75 -watt (183/4-dBW) unit with

quartz -locked, frequency -synthesized tuning. Digital LEDs display stationfrequencies, and a memory function allows presetting of up to five FM and five AMstations. Other features include a five -band graphic equalizer, tape dubbing, high/low filters, and LED signal -strength and center -of -channel meters. Price of Sears'75 -watt receiver is 5399.95.


27 -band passive equalizerWhite Instruments' Model 4320 single -channel passive equalizer

features twenty-seven one-third octave filters ranging from 40 Hz to 16 kHz, eachof which allows up to 10 dB of cut only. Also provided are an EQ in/out switch onthe front panel and two accessory octal sockets on the rear for hookup to biamp ortriamp crossovers and for bandpass networks. The equalizer is said to have noinsertion loss and is designed to work into low impedances-about 100 ohms orless. The 4320 costs 5550 and comes with a security cover.


Balanced on ashelfLike all of Allison Acoustics' speak-

ers, the Allison Five two-way system hasbeen engineered for balanced tonal out-put in a specific room location-in thiscase, mounted on a shelf, table, or othersurface backed by a wall. An 8 -inchlong -excursion woofer and a 1 -inch

tweeter make up the driver complementof this compact acoustic -suspensionspeaker. Minimum recommended poweris 15 watts (113/4 dBW) for a claimed 97 -dB sound pressure level. The AllisonFive, rated at an impedance of 4 ohms,sells for S160.


Humbug!A tracking transversal filter from

Analog/Digital Associates is designed toeliminate AC hum from audio signals.The Humbug noise filter/line driver usesphase -locked analog delay line tech-niques to analyze and remove funda-mental and harmonics of power -line fre-quencies (both 50 and 60 Hz) and isinserted into the signal path before theinput of an instrument amp or in thesend/receive loop of a mixing board.The Humbug, which can be used as alow -impedance line driver, costs S150.


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From the grandest opera to :he Grand Ole Opry. A lotof FM stations playa lot of different music yet still haveone thing in common: The need for uncommonly accurateturntables. That's why so many FM stations use Technicsdirect drive turntables.

That professionals use Technics direct drive turntablesis really not surprising. What is, is that row you can getprofessional performance in Technics quartz -synthesizerMK2 Series: The SL -180C manual, the SL -1700 semi-automatic and the SL -1603 fully automatic.

Wow & Flutter Rumble SpeedAccuracy

Stitt Jp Tune

0.025% WRMS -78 DIN B ' 0 002% -/4 rot -also

As you can see, they all have impressive performance.But with Technics MK2 Series, you also get mpressiveadvances in electronics. Like a quartz -synthesizer pithcontrol. As you vary the pitch it's instantaneously disp ayedby 13 LED's in exact I% increments. That makes life easy.

So does the SL -1600 MK2's infrared disc -size sensor.Just place a disc on the platter, press the start button andimmediately an infrared ray activates the micro -computer.Then the Technics precision gimtal-suspension tonearmautomatically sets down in the lead-in groove.

And for double protection against acous:ic feedback,Technics precision aluminum diecast base has a double:isolated suspension system. One damps out vibrationfrom the base, the other from the tonearm and platter

The MK2 Series. You dcn't have tc be a -adio stat onto afford performance good enot gh for a radic statior. .

Technics

Your next turntable should be as accurateas the ones many radio stations use.

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MEMOREX HIGH BIAS TEST NO .2.

WHICH HIGH BIAS TAPEWINS WITH "LUCILLE"?

The legendary "Lucille" is a GibsonES 355 made specially for B. B. King.

For unbeatable performarce in anormal bias tape, look fc- Memorexwith MRX3 Oxide in theblack package.

Se ect any blues solo where B.B. Kingreally lets "Lucille" sing, and record it cnyour favorite high bias tape.Nov record the same solo on MEMOREXHIGH BIAS tape, and listen to the twotaws back to back.Were convinced you'll have a new favcritefcr two important reasons:1. At standard record levels, no high bias

tape has a flatter response across theertire frequency range.

2. -he signal/noise ratio pf MEMOREXHIGH BIAS is unsurpassed by any otherhigh bias tape at the critical high end.

In short, you can't find a high bias cassettethat gives you truer reproduction. And,after all, isn't that what you buy a highbias tape for?

Is ii live, or is it

MEMOREX

MEMOREX 90

HIGH BIASMertxx '

c 1980. Memorex Corporation. Santa Clara. California 95202. U

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Cassette deck with echoYamaha's TC-720 is a three -head cassette deck with built-in variable

echo control-the first, to our knowledge, so equipped Other properties of thisdeck for the creative home recordist are two independent mike preamps, mike/linemixing, and double Dolby circuits. A pink -noise generator and bias control allowtape matching over a ± 15% bias -current range. Dolby tracking can also be finetuned via two front -panel screwdriver controls. The TC-720, housed in an ebony-veneer wood cabinet, costs 5450.


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IECl/reverb in one packageDesigned for studio and stage applications, Intersound's PRV-1

combines single -channel reverberation with two bands of parametric equalization.Features include independent level and routing controls for reverb and line signals,variable low-cut filter for feedback control, and LED level display. There is provision foran external footswitch with a front -panel status indicator. The PRV-1 comes in a steelrack -mount chassis and costs 5455.


Burhoe adds tospeaker lineThe Royal Blue is a three-way

speaker system with a top -firing tweeterfor improved dispersion and three baffle -mounted drivers: a 1 -inch biradialtweeter, a 2 -inch inverted -dome mid-range, and a 10 -inch woofer. Recom-mended amplifier range is 20 to 150watts (13 to 213/4 dBW). The BurhoeRoyal Blue speaker comes in a walnut -veneer cabinet and costs 5800 per pair.


IntintoSh"A TechnologicalMasterpiece..."

McIntosh C 32

"More Than a Preamplifier"

McIntosh has received peerless ac-claim from prominent producttesting laboratories and outstand-ing international recognition! Youcan learn why the "more than apreamplifier" C 32 has been

selected for these unique honors.

Send us your name and addressand we'll send you the completeproduct reviews and data on al'

McIntosh products, copies of theinternational awards, and a NorthAmerican FM directory. You willunderstand why McIntosh productresearch and development alwayshas the appearance and tech-

nological look to the future.

Keep up to date.Send now - - -

McIntosh Laboratory Inc.Box 96 East Side StationBinghamton, NY 13904

Name

Address

City State Zip

If you are in a hurry for your catalog pleasesend the coupon to McIntosh. For non -rushservice send the Reader Service Card to themagazine.

4 Circle 49 on Page 77 Circle 26 on Page 77

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Audio Technica10 HIGH FIDELITY

LIFESAVERfor the life of your records!SPRAY AND BUFF EACH RECORD JUSTONCE AND ENJOY... No static for 50 plays or more No ihcrease in surface noise or distortion

even after 100 plays More efficient record cleaning with any

system, wet or dry Protection against environmental attack,

loss of vinyl plasticizers Improved sound from all records, any

age, any speed Elimination of many "skips" or "repeats"

with worn or damaged records

You can't buy better protection for \ ourrecords than LIFESAVER with Di \ c.Protectuformula. Its unique combination of ionicand non-ionic chemistry creates a microscopiclayer of protection, molecularly bondedto last for years.

The ideal antistat and record lubricLIFESAVER preserves and improvesevery record you own. It's everything youwould expect from the leader in advanced -technology phono cartridges andstate-of-the-art recordings. Availableat all Audio-Technica dealers today.

audio technics®INNOVATICN o .RECISION o IN1EG;ITY

AUDIO-TECHNICA U.S., INC., Dept. 10H, 33 Shiawassee Avenue, Fairlawn Ohio 44313

CONSTANTLYBETTER

Pioneer PL600Quartzlockeo $249Direct Drive

TOLL FREE 800-356-9514Over 100 Brands like:

Technics Maxell Sony Cerwin NikonPioneer Empire Teac Vega CanonMarantz Altec Akai JBL MinoltaKenwood Sharp Dual Audio PentaxSansui Phillips Koss Technica VivitarJensen Shure TDK Clarion Yashica

Weekdays 9-9Saturdays 9-5

WISCONSIN DISCOUNT STEREO

2517 whalen In. madison. on. 53713

Programmablechanger fromBSR

Now being shipped from BSR isthe Accuglide XR-50, a computerized,belt -driven, multiple -play turntable thatlowers and raises records in accordancewith user -programmed instructions. Upto twenty-seven commands can bestored in its microprocessor memory. Aninfrared remote transmitter allows con-trol of all functions, including volume,from a distance of 40 feet. Price of theXR-50 is S199.95.


Multlspeedopen reelThe B-77 open -reel deck from Re -

Vox comes in four speed configurationsand in both half-track and quarter -trackformats. The machine's features lendthemselves to audio-visual and broad-cast applications, in either stereo ormono. Synced voice-overs, sound -on -sound, multiple input switching, multi -mode monitoring, and built-in tape cut-ter are provided. The decks with 1 7/13 and

33/4 ips, 33/4 and 71/2 ips, or 71/2 and 15 ipscost $1,499; the 15/16 and 17/8 ipsmodel costs S1,649.


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The standardbearers.

The high bias standard.In the past few years, these fine deckmanufacturers have helped to pushthe cassette medium ever closer tothe ultimate boundaries of highfidelity. lbday, their best deckscan produce results that arevirtually indistinguishablefrom those of the best reel-to-reel machines.

Through all of their tech-nical breakthroughs,they'vehad one thing in common.They all use TDK SA astheir reference tape for thehigh bias position. Thesemanufacturers wanted atape that could extractevery last drop of per-formance from their decksand they chose SA.

And to make sure thatkind of performanceis duplicated by eachand every deck thatcomes off the assemblyline. these marufac-turers use SA b aligntheir decks before theyleave the factory.

1979 TDK Electronics Corp.

Which makes SA the logical choicefor home use; the best way to be sureyou get all the sound you've paid for.

But sound isn't the only reasonSA is the high bias standard. Itssuper -precision mechanism is themost advanced and reliable TDK hasever made-and we've been backingour cassettes with a full lifetimewarranty* longer than anyone elsein hi fi -more than 10 years.

So if you would like to raise yourown recording standards, simply switchto the tape that's become a recordinglegend-TDK SA. TDK ElectronicsCorp., Garden City, NY 11530.

The machine for your machine. in the unlikely event that any Tot. cassette ever tails to perform due to a defect in m0terials

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Metal tapeupdateIf Fuji holds to its announced in-

tention to have its own brand of metal -particle cassettes on dealers' shelves byearly this year, the shortage of the newtape formulation may well ease consid-erably. Both Maxell and BASF have indi-cated that they plan to enter the metal -tape market this year, but Fuji has pre-ceded them in publishing prices andlengths.

Claimed performance characteris-tics of the Fuji formulation do not differmarkedly from the claims made for themetal tapes already available from 3Mand TDK, namely an increase of 7 to 12dB in dynamic range over premium ferricformulations and better signal-to-noiseratios. The cassettes will be sold in threelengths: C-46 at $8.30, C-60 at $9.10,and C-90 at S12.

TDK, whose MA -R metal -particlecassette in an aluminum housing hasbeen on the market for several months,

is now shipping C -60s in plastic shellsand plans to have a similarly housed C-90 length available soon. They will becalled MA; the -R suffix specifies the"reference" metal shell. And 3M, thecompany that started the whole thingwith its introduction last January ofMetafine metal tape, is shipping C -90sfor 58.95, the lowest price yet suggestedfor this length.

Computer -designedKenwoodspeaker

The LS -1900 ported three-wayspeaker system is said to have been de-signed with the aid of computer analysisand laser holography. The midrangedriver and tweeter employ special sus-

pension designs and are isolated by theenclosure to prevent interference fromwoofer vibrations. Coils in the crossovernetwork are also isolated to inhibit in-ductive interaction. Rated frequency re-sponse of the Kenwood LS -1900 is 30Hz to 21 kHz, and its price is S1,165.

Tune up withMorleyThe DT -4400 from Morley is a

digital frequency counter designed forguitar, bass, and keyboard tuning. It dis-plays frequencies from 1 to 9,999 Hzand activates automatically when an in-strument cable is plugged into its front -panel jack. A two -position stand forfloor or table is provided, along with in-structions and an illustrated chart show-ing correct frequencies for various in-struments. Concert pitch readings forguitar and bass are printed on the caseof the DT -4400, which costs $99.95.


The Dashboard Wizard. Before, there was only car stereo.Put aside everything you've been told about

car stereo. The Dashboard Wizard is with us!He's the latest in -dash audio marvel from

Fujitsu Ten. A preamp combination system thatwill transform your car. The precisedigital electronic tuner memorizes yourfavorite 7 AM and 7 FM stations, withsearch up, search down and scantuning, FM muting and local/distanceswitch. There's even a quartz clock.

Hit the equalization switch and,presto, the auto -reverse cassette deck 'accommodates chrome and metal tapes.

*Dolby is the trademark of

With a Life Time Metal (LTM) playback headthat's built to last well into the future. His five -bandgraphic equalizer lets you match the music

to your car.Performance? Miraculous, of course.

Wow and flutter is .09% nominal-oneof the best specs in car stereo. Andwith Dolby* on both FM and tape,

hiss is a thing of the past.Hear the Dashboard Wizard at

your Fujitsu Ten dealer. Any re-semblance to ordinary car stereo is a

figment of your imagination.

Fujitsu Ten: The best sound on wheels.

Al FUJITSU TEN CORP. OF AMERICA19281 Pacific Gateway Drive, Torrance, CA 90502

Dolby Laboratories, Inc. In Canada: Noresco Canada Inc., Ontario


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No obligation to buyany future offerings.

This remarkable $2.98 offer is brought to you by TheInternational Preview Society -a highly selective musicprogram that does not oblige you to buy at any time. Thesemulti-record/cassette selections - and many, many moresuperb choices will continue to be offered in an exclusivePreview magazine approximately every eight weeks. Eachissue highlights a Featured Selection . .. plus an impressivevariety of alternate selections (many available on cassettes).And all are well below suggested retail!

You'll save even more through the Society's Half -PriceBonus Plan. For every regular member purchase you make,you may choose a Bonus-album or multi -record set-foronly half of the members' already low club price. Thatamounts to a savings of more than 55% off the suggestedretail price!

If you'd like to preview the Featured Selection, you needdo nothing. We'll send it automatically. But if you'd prefer analternate selection or none at all, just mail back the PreviewNotification card - enclosed with the magazine-by thespecified date. You'll have plenty of advance notice.Audition Any Selection At Home For Ten Days... Free.

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Also AvailableOn Cassette

BEE TF KOMI I, t t-,01 rantI CetICI.

CLAUDIOMIAMI

83. BEETHOVEN ThePiano Concertos (4 LPs)Claudio Arrau, BernardHaitink: ConcertgebouwOrchestra, Amsterdam

82. BRAHMS Four Symphonies (4 LPs)Claudio Abbado: Vienna Philharmonic,Berlin Philharmonic, Dresden State andLondon Symphony Orchestras

TCI LUKOVSKY

84. TCHAIKOVSKYSymphonies 4, 5 and 6 (4LPs) Yevgeny Mravinsky:Leningrad PhilharmonicSleeping Beauty & SwanLake. Herbert vonKarajan: BerlinPhilharmonic

GIOVANNI

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85. MOZART DonGiovanni (4 LPs)Fischer-Dieskau, Flagello,Nilsson, Schreier, Arroyo,Talvela, Grist, Mariotti,Karl Bohm: PragueNational Theatre Orchestra

Free Home Audition RequestThe International Preview Society175 Community Drive, Great Neck, N.Y. 11025

YES! Please send me, for my free audition, themulti -record or cassette set I have indicated by thenumber below. I may return it after ten days and owenothing ...or keep it and pay only $2.98 plus a smallpostage/handling charge (sales tax added for NewYork residents). This is up to $36.94 off the suggestedretail price. I will also receive, approximately everyeight weeks, free preview privileges of the finest clas-sical recordings. I may cancel at any time.

Print album number you have selected here:Please send all Selections on: 0 LP's 0 Cassettes

FREE BONUSReturn coupon within 10days for valuable freegift - TCHAIKOV-SKY's 1812 Overture,Bernard Haitink: Con-certgebouw Orchestra,Amsterdam.

Name

Address Apt. No.

City State ZipOffer limited to the connecting 48 states. Limit one membership per household.Only new members eligible. NOTE: All applications are subject to review, and wereserve the right to reject any application. 29005

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14 HIGH FIDELITY

CrossTalkThe audio industry is shockingly

misleading in its specificationsand advertisements. Most specs trans-late into little more than sales hype andare relatively meaningless (though thedBW is a step in the right direction).

For one thing, why can't manu-facturers state frequency response fig-ures consistently? One cassette deckmaker claims a response of 30-16,000Hz ±3 dB, while another claims 30-19,000 Hz with no dB reference what-ever. This is a useless spec, especiallyconsidering that the former deck is a fineone costing about 5850, with threeheads and three motors, while the lat-ter, which claims better response, retailsfor about $400 lessl Also, why can'tspeaker manufacturers include the 0factor in their specifications? This wouldhelp greatly in making buying decisions.

There are a few good companiesstill around-Fried, Allison, Harman Kar-don, Thorens, etc.-but most seem moreinterested in the sexy appearance oftheir products than in providing true,uncolored sound. Look at all thosepretty white woofers, huge S-shapedtonearms, chrome speaker grilles withrings around them, and massive mid-range and tweeter controls that adddistortion and drain power.

Well, I have stepped on your toesby putting down your big advertisers,and you surely won't print this letter. It'sa shame, because it's meant as a sincerechallenge to improve the stereo indus-try.-Jeffrey S. Albaugh, Baltimore, Md.

This letter evidently was writtenwith more than a little passion,

yet it is neither unreasonable nor un-merited, in our view. We would remindMr. Albaugh, however, that audio con-sumers are a diverse lot whose personaldesiderata encompass not only the ster-ling virtues he extols, but some of thethings he decries. If we assume, for ex-ample, that he thinks of Pioneer as oneof those "big advertisers" and woulddismiss as merely "sexy" the Fluroscanmetering and memory/repeat featuresof the Pioneer cassette deck reviewed inthis issue, he can simply buy an alterna-tive and leave these features for themany buyers who will find them gen-uinely useful. We believe there should

be no question of product censorship inthe interests of what any buying minor-ity considers of ultimate high fidelity im-portance. (Mr. Albaugh might find thathis preference is not the prevailing one.)

Inconsistent specs cannot be dis-missed as a matter of diversity of taste,of course. We would plead that eventhe $850 cassette deck is inadequatelyspecified, if the quotation is correct, be-cause no reference level, howevervague, is given. Rigorous, independenttest reports help mitigate the problem,because the more lax the spec, thegreater its departure will be from thebench measurements. And the stand-ards committees of the Institute of HighFidelity are in the process of writing anew rule book to address this matter.Utter unanimity of approach-eitheramong the manufacturers who publishspecs or among critics who believe thespecs could be better stated-is morethan we can expect, however.

Your September issue was depressing. Alas, the new open -reel

decks don't have the 17/8-ips speed, andthe new Integrex Dolby unit will only de-code, not encode. We stubborn old folkswho want to upgrade our systems havenothing availablel-Leslie Reggel, Pitts-burgh, Pa.

The obvious answer is that youcan buy an open -reel deck with

the Dolby circuitry built in and/or a cas-sette deck, which does much better withthe 17/8-ips speed than any open -reelmodel (including the Tandbergs that, tra-ditionally, have worked wonders with it)we know of. Open -reel tapes are specifi-cally formulated for higher speeds, cas-sette tapes for 17/8; thus the latter have abig edge. But we can sympathize withthe bind that tape collectors experiencebecause of advancing technology. Oneof our editors, for example, has now-unplayable tapes of the entire Shake-speare War of the Roses cycle-a totalof eight plays, or twenty -odd hours ofdrama. His solution was to dub them toanother format when he saw that thedemise of 17/8 on open -reel decks was im-minent and before his model went intoterminal decline.

0,My Fisher quadriphonic receiverhas developed interference be-

tween a local radio station and the leftchannel of the phono mode. It remainseven when the turntable is discon-nected. I took the receiver to Sears forrepair, and it returned it to me withouteliminating the problem. Could shieldedcable between the receiver and thespeakers help?-B. Torres, San Juan, P.R.

A. No. Since the interference existsonly in the phono mode, it must

be within the receiver's preamp, wherewe would suspect there's a cold solderjoint or similar problem. Possibly the sta-tion couldn't be picked up on the Searsrepair bench, preventing a positive de-termination of what was wrong-a dis-couragingly common difficulty in trou-bleshooting both interference problemsand intermittent ones.

My system-consisting of Bose 301 speakers, Advent 300 re-

ceiver, Garrard 990-B turntable, andShure M-91 ED cartridge-has developedwhat may be warp -tracking problems.When playing records with even theslightest warp, I can hear faintly (espe-cially from the right speaker) a low, rhyth-mic bumping sound. It is diminished con-siderably when the records are played inthe mono mode, but this seems a giantstep backward. Do you have any sugges-tions as how I can eliminate this annoy-ance?-David A. Lindsey, Snohomish,Wash.

A. The reduction in bumping whenin the mono mode suggests vi-

bration in the vertical plane as the sourceof the trouble. This could be traceable toa warped or worn idler. First, we'd checkthe condition of the drive puck in theGarrard. Also, the fact that the noise islouder in the right channel may indicateinsufficient antiskating force.

We regret that, due to the volumeof reader mail we get, we cannotgive individual answers to allquestions.


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Our pressurepad is locked intoa special four-sidedretainer to maintainperfect tape -to -headcontact.

Our slip sheet ismade of a substancethat's so slippery, evenglue can't stick to it.

Our leadernot only keepsyou from makingrecording errors,it also keeps yourtape heads clean.

Our cassette is heldtogether by steelscrews to assure precisealignment and evendistribution of pressureon all sides of thecassette.

Our special guidero lers make sure ourtape stays perfectlyaligned witt your tapeheads.

Ou - standard cassette shellis finished to higher tolerancesthan i idustry standards.

Our recording tapeis considered by mostand ophiles to be the

world's finest tape.

Our tape windows welded in to keep

dust out.

ar tape is anchoredto our hub by a specialclamping pin that makesslippage impossible.

There's more tothe world's best tape than

the world's best tape.Our reputation for making the and more work into our cassettes

world's best tape is due in part to than most manufacturers put intomaking the world's best cassettes. their tape.

In fact, we put more thought We do all this, because at Maxell

we believe in a simple philosophy.To get great sound out of a

cassette takes a lot more than justputting great tape into it.

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16 HIFI-CROSTIC No. 50 by William Petersen

DIRECTIONSTo solve these puzzles-and they aren't

as tough as they first seem-supply as many ofthe Output words as you can in the numbereddashes following the Input. Unless otherwisespecified in the Input, the Output consists of oneEnglish word. "Comp." means compound, or hy-phenated, word.

Transfer each letter to the square in thediagram that bears the corresponding number.After only a few correct guesses you should be-gin to see words and phrases emerging in thediagram, which when filled in will contain a quo-tation related to music, recordings, or audio.

The words in the quotation are separatedby darkened squares and do not necessarily endat the end of a row.

Try to guess at these words and transfereach newly decoded letter back to its appro-priate dash in the Output. This will supply youwith further clues.

A final clue: The source of the quota-tion-the author and his work-will be spelledout by the first letters in Output, reading down.

The answer to HiFi-Crostic No. 50 willappear in next month's issue of HIGH FIDELITY.

T 1 E 2 P 3 0 4 J 5 V 6 0 7 M 8 B 9 A 10 D 11 V 12

M 13 K 14 J 15 C 16 H 17 0 18 F 19 V 20 N 21 V 22 B 23 A 24 R 25 G 26

K 27 T 28 D 29 N 30 H 31 V 32 M 33 J 34 G 35 I 36 A 37 N 38

L 39 H 40 5 41 V 42 N 43 0 44 T 45 V 46 J 47 U 48 K 49 E 50 L 51

D 52 C 53 J 54 0 55 V 56 M 57 0 58 R 59 S 60 D 61 T 62 H 63

J 64 K 65 V 66 N 67 U 68 C 69 E 70 0 71 D 72 T 73 N 74 V 75 A 76

J 77 F 78 L 79 K 80 0 81 H 82 V 83 G 84 M 85 I 86 N 87 C 88

P 89 R 90 L 91 V 92 K 93 T 94 J 95 V 96 0 97 U 98 N 99 R100

0 101 H102 N103 K104 VI05 D106 A107 V108 J109 1110 KIll N112 F113

0114 V115 0116 1117 0118 K11t A120 N121 V122 F123 G124 E125 U126

R127 V128 13129 P130 L131 V13: K133 E134 0135 M 136 N137 7138 0 139 V140

0141 C142 N143 0144 A145 T146 0147 E148 V149 P150 N151 0152 M 153

K154 N155 H156 D157 VISEI C159 D160 0161 B162 L163 V164 P165 U166

D167 C168 N169 G170 A171 V172 K173 M174 D175 C176 F177 1178

V 179 R 180 N 181 K 182 S 183

i

E184 V 185 M186 0 187 C 188 P 189 A 190

1191 F 192 G193 K 194 0 195 0 196 V 197 D198 V 199 0 200 J 201 N 202 E 203 C 204

T205 D206 M207 0 208 U209 H210 S 211 R 212 0213

INPUT OUTPUT Solution to last month's HIFI-Crostic appears on page 4.

A. Jazz pianist Morton (1 885-194 II (2 wds.) 190 107 171 24 76 145 37 120 10

B. Anita , pop vocalist, recorded live at 1970 23 129 9 162Berlin Jazz Festival

C. Welsh contralto: Bach cantatas on London (full name) 53 69 204 16 176 88 188 159 A42 168

D. Gotham orchestra (3 wds 206 81 52 61 29 106 114 72 195 175 11 187 144 101 167 160 157 198 135

E. Rotation; revolution 203 2 50 125 148 70 184 134

F. Verdi opera 78 177 123 113 192 19

G. American composer lb 19261 Sextet °nail 26 139 193 152 35 124 84 170

H. "Drill, ye _ _ drill" 40 102 210 63 156 31 82 17

I. Marry (slang) 86 191 36 117 178

J. English musicologist I 1844-1923): wrote referenceon complete works of Brahms (full name)

64 109 77 34 15 201 47 95

K. Bohemian composer 11824-84): "My Country(full name)

154 104 14 119 133 49 93 173 102 80 194 27 III 65

L. "The Poem of - ," Scriabin symphonic work 110 163 39 91 131 79 51

M. American pianist/composer 11829-69): "La Nuitdes tropiques"

207 136 186 174 8 85 57 13 33 153

N. English operetta team 13 wds.) 103 202 74 43 121 181 99 151 30 21 38 67 155 112 169 143 87

0. Anticipates 118 97 196 7 55 71

P. Percussion instrument 89 165 189 150 3 130

O. Swedish tenor (1904-64) "Rheingold" on London(full name)

18 147 213 116 200 58 141 208 4 44 161

R. Opera by Siegfried Matthus, premiered at Weimar in 212 127 59 100 180 25 901976

S. Also 60 211 41 183

T. Carmen's friend 45 138 62 94 205 146 28 73

U. Gradually slackening in speed (It abbr 166 98 126 209 68 48

V. British orchestra 17 wds.) 140 92 56 158 6 42 128 172 22 83 197 12 46 132 122 105 199 96

20 66 164 179 185 32 115 75 108 149

5 S4

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Ifyou don't clean andpreserve your records withSound Guard ,you're only

scratching the surface.Have you ever considered what itwould cost to replace your rec-ord collection at today's prices?With that kind of investment atstake, it's no wonder that manymusic lovers have become moreaware of record care. Regular clean-ing of your records is important andnecessary, but cleaning alone won'tprevent them from wearing out.To protect your investment you needmore than cleaning. You need bothSound Guard Cleaner and SoundGuard Preservative.

Sound Guard Record Preser-vative is a revolutionary dry lu-bricant which virtually eliminates Sound

record wear without affecting t-iefidelity of the record. And whenyou drag the hardest

substance found in nature-diamond-through the soft, intricate vinyl can-yons of a phonograph record atphenomenal rates of acceleration, itdoesn't matter how light you're track-ing. Something's got to give, andthat's the vinyl. But with a SoundGuard -treated record, even after 100plays, there is no audible degradationof performance.*

Before and after you preserveyour records, be sure to use oursuperior cleaner to remove the dustand oily films that can further mar

performance. (The cleaner will notremove the preservative's protectivecoating.)

Sound Guard offers the onlycomplete program of record preser-vation and maintenance. It requires alittle more time and effort than justcleaning. But how much did you say itwould cost you to replace your recordcollection?

Sound Guard. Every-thing else is a lot of noise

Sound Guard"Sound Guard preservative -Sound Guard" cleaner.Sound Guard Total Record Care System.

Guard is Ball Corporation's registered trademark.Copyright 0 Ball Corporation, 1979, Muncie, IN 47302.

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Direct -to -Disc and digital recordinghave added a fantastic new dimensionto the listening experience. Greater dy-namic range, detail, stereo imaging,lower distortion and increased signal-to-noise ratio are just a few of thephrases used to describe the advantagesof these new technologies.

In order to capture all the benefitsof these recordings, you should have aphono cartridge specifically designed toreproduce every bit of information withutmost precision and clarity and theleast amount of record wear.

The Empire EDR.9 is that cartridge.Although just recently introduced, it isalready being hailed as a breakthroughby audiophiles, not only in the U.S., butin such foreign markets as Japan, Ger-many. England, France. Switzerland andSweden.

What makes the EDR.9 different?1.

Within the cantilever tube, we addeda mechanical equalizer. It serves twopurposes: (1) to cancel the natural reso-nance of the cantilever tube, and 121 to

improve the overall transient responseof the cartridge. The end result is astylus assembly that has a mechanicallyflat frequency response. The frequencyresponse extends from the 20Hz to 35Hzwith a deviation of no more than ± 1.75dB. No other magnetic cartridge hasthat kind of performance. We call thisstylus assembly an "Inertially DampedTuned Stylus': the refinement of whichtook over 6 years.

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smaller dimension from front -to -back,and a very large, low pressure degreeof contact between stylus and groovetop -to -bottom. The net result of thislarge contact area, which engineers calla "footprint' is that the stylus of theEDR.9 can track musical signals to thelimits of audibility and beyond, yet hasthe lowest record wear of any cartridgepresently available. The stylus shape ofthe EDR.9 is called L.A.C. for "LargeArea of Contact:

3.

Conventional cartridges exhibit radi-cal changes in their frequency responsewhen connected to different preampli-fiers. This is because the load condi-tions-the amounts of capacitance andresistance provided by the preamp-vary tremendously from one preampto another, and from turntable to turn-table. Consequently, most phono car-tridges, even expensive ones, have theirfrequency response determined essen-tially by chance, depending on the sys-tem they are connected to.

But the electrical elements of theEDR.9 have been designed to remainunaffected by any normal variations inload capacitance or resistance. Thus,the EDR.9 maintains its smooth fre-quency response and accurate transient -reproduction ability in any music system,irrespective of loading conditions.

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JANUARY 1980 19

M,cam EquipmentPreparation supervised by RobertLong, Peter Dobbin, and Edward J.Foster. Laboratory data (unlessotherwise noted) supplied by CBSTechnology Center or DiversifiedScience Laboratories.

World's First"Holographic"Preamp

New Measurement Standards: In making comparisonsbetween current reports and those published in the past,readers are cautioned to pay particular attention to the ref-erence levels and similar test criteria cited. S/N ratios forelectronics, in particular, are measured very differently nowthat we have adopted salient features of the new IHF am-plifier -measurement standard. While we believe that thenew technique (which also implies a saner approach toloading of all inputs and outputs) will result in measure-ments that more perfectly reflect audible, in -use effects,they cannot be compared directly to the numbers resultingfrom the former, more conventional lab measurements.

Reports

Sum .,01.,._

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Carver Model C-4000 Sonic Holography/Autocorrelationcontrol preamplifier, in metal case. Dimensions: 19 by 6% inches (frontpanel), 81/4 inches deep plus clearance for handles and connections. ACconvenience outlets: three switched, three unswitched (1,200 watts max.total). Price: 5867. Warranty: "limited," three years parts and labor.Manufacturer: Carver Corp., P.O. Box 664, Woodinville, Wash. 98072.

It was with a great deal of anticipation that we awaited the firstproduction samples of Carver's original approach to more believable soundreproduction, the C-4000 preamp. We had heard prototypes as far back as the fallof 1978 and had been very much impressed. But how would the manufacturedproduct, the one the public_could buy, behave?

The Carver preamp is the sum of more parts than any model withinmemory. It has all the usual control and preamplification functions (though with afew twists). It includes autocorrelator and peak-unlimiter circuitry similar to that inthe Phase Linear Model 2000 preamp (a product of Bob Carver's tenure there,before he founded Carver Corp.) and later offered separately in its Model 1000 (see"The Many Paths to Noise Reduction," HF, March 1976). And there is an ambiencesimulation system that includes both line outputs for the delayed signals Ito beamplified and reproduced on a back speaker pair) and three sets of speaker terminalsfrom a built-in low -power (111/2 dBW, or 14 watts, per channel at clipping) backamplifier: the normal left and right pair plus a CENTER set that combines both signalsand cal be used to redirect the ambience toward the front if, for example, you don'twant to use back speakers. But the element that has created all the stir is, of course,what Carver calls the sonic hologram generator.

While he isn't saying exactly what the holographic circuitry does orhow it works, it's clear that the fundamental intent is to create acoustic wave frontsat the listener that-at least in some key respects-simulate those that would bepresent had the recording been made binaurally (not in stereo) and reproduced onheadphones (not speakers). In our review of the Sennheiser dummy -head binaural

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OUTPUT AT CLIPPING 6.4 volts

HARMONIC DISTORTION (THD; 20 Hz to 20 kHz)phono input .0.031%aux input .0.047%

FREQUENCY RESPONSE

+0, -1/4 dB, 13 Hz to 22 kHz

RIAA EQUALIZATIONphono I ± V. dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHzphono 2 ± <A dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHzboth -11 dB at 5 Hz

INPUT CHARACTERISTICS (IHF loading; A -weighting)sensitivity S/N ratio

phono 1 1.15 mV 70 dBphono 2 I.ISmV 711/4cIB

aux 64 mV 831/2 dB

PHONO OVERLOAD(clipping at I kHz)

PHONO IMPEDANCEphonophono 2

1 35 mV

48k ohms; 40/200/390 pF48k ohms; <20 pF

INFRASONIC FILTER -3 dB at 16 Hz; ca. 18 dB/oct.

recording setup (January 1975) we exclaimed over the spatial verisimilitude itcreated: Recorded sounds seemed to come from specific spots within the listeningroom-or, rather, the simulated aural environment around the headphonedlistener-with such palpability that even good stereo imaging seemed blurred anddiffuse by comparison. A detailed comparison of stereo and binaural recordings of agiven source would turn up not only differences in absolute response, but extremelycomplex differences in interchannel phase and amplitude relationships. Subjectively,the basic difference is that, with headphone reproduction of the binaural recording,the listener has the feeling of being transported to a specific spot in the recordingvenue, while the stereo/loudspeaker version transports the recording venue, withless exactitude, into the listening room. The holographic generator is so called as ametaphor based on two similarities to visible holograms: It works with degrees ofcancellation and reinforcement due to phase and amplitude differences in tworelated and "interfering" information channels to create its effect, and it produces akind of three-dimensional illusion unavailable with more conventional reproductiontechniques.

Carver says that at least six hours of tuning the system (including theroom) are required for really good holographic imaging. Among basic considerationsthat may influence the process are the type and placement of the loudspeakers, thesize and acoustics of the listening room, and the setting of the preamp controls. Thelatter include the holographic generator's on/off switch in the separate group of sixpushbuttons, the THEORETICAL/NORMAL (essentially, two-mike/multimike-plus-mixdown) switch just below the main selector, a NORMAL/NARROW switch (whoselatter position compensates electrically for restricted interspeaker spacing) on theback panel, and compensation for a room -dependent apparent increase in bass thatmay occur when the holographic generator is turned on. In general, it appears, thesmaller the room-and, in particular, the lower its ceiling-the greater the requiredbass cut. Here three options are available in the left-hand row of pushbuttons. The-2 oB TRIM button introduces a bass shelf that drops (actually by about 4 dB) asfrequency descends between 4 kHz and 300 Hz. The bass control itself has twomodes seemingly named after their boosting action: The 40 -Hz position reaches itsmaximum boost (up to about 15 dB) only at and below that frequency; LOUDNESSmoves the hinge frequency upward by approximately one octave and does, indeed,produce better subjective loudness compensation than the 40 -Hz mode. But as thebass controls are rotated counterclockwise past their "flat" positions, their characterchanges abruptly to shelving controls with higher turnover frequencies and morelimited (6 dB maximum) range.

We began with a setup that already met several of Carver's desiderata:a fairly large room with a moderately high ceiling in which the floor -standingspeakers are at least four feet from the side walls and from that behind them andare angled inward toward the listeners' seating. We were aided as well by previousexperience of the holographic effect. When we followed the manual's explicitinstructions for initial setup, we found that the room acoustics already wereacceptable for the purpose, without applying the sound -treatment measures itsuggests if nasty reflections-which, it says, can hamper holographic imaging-should show up at this stage. Thus, in well under Carver's six -hour time span, wecame up with sonic holography that closely approximated what we had heard in hisdemonstrations and that was little improved by further tweaking.

The ambience system also involves choices and, in a sense, fine tuning.Next to the TIME DELAY on/off is a button that sets the basic delay time: 50 or 80milliseconds. In the group of four knobs to the left of these pushbuttons are controlsfor the level of the time -delay output (either to its line -level jacks or to the amplifiedspeaker terminals) and for echo density, or what is termed "regeneration" on someambience units. As with any ambience device we've worked with, the success of theeffect depends in large part on your ability to tune it to the ambience alreadypresent in the signal you are seeking to enhance and on keeping the magnitude ofthe enhancement to no more than bare perceptibility. Turning everything all theway up is patently foolish with any such device and delivers an offensive, springlikereverb sound with the Carver circuit. While it evidently is intended as a furtherenhancement of the holographic circuitry, it can be used with normal stereo; whenwe did so, we considered its effect madly pleasant after careful adjustment.

The peak unlimiter and autocorrelator can be switched in individually.


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Ahh. Decisions, decisions.Metal, three heads, microcomputer.

Auto reverse, detachable remote, logic.We don't want to complicate yourspecs life but Sony gives you in-spiring cassette decks. There's oneexactly right for you.

Consider our new, three -head,two motor TC-K75 that gives youthe higher-fi of metal tape compati-bility. That's in additionto regular-fi, chromeand FeCr settings.And BiasCalibration andRecord LevelCalibrationsystems let youoptimize theperformanceof the specifictape you use.

The profes-sional three -head systemmonitors the recordedsignal an instant afterit's recorded. Andindividual headsfor each function,record, playbackand erase, signifi-cantly improveperformance.

Sony's newmicrocomputer inthe heart of theTC-K75 adds conve-nience and dramatically increasesreliability.

Digital logic control lets you speedthrough any sequence of operationsby merely pressing the appropriatefeather -touch bar.

The Ferrite -and -Ferrite heads lastvirtually forever.Compared to aconventionalpermalloy head,Sony's F&F headlasts 200 timeslonger. Micro -

polished, ultra -hard ferrite both inthe magnetic core and guard portionsdelivers excellent frequency responseand a high signal-to-noise ratio.

Another decision: Sony's TC-K96Rcassette deck offers the double covenience of auto -reverseruled by a micro-computer as well

SONYPOMP

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precise with two newly developedBSL (Brushless & Slotless) motors.Simplified tape transport assuresconstant tape speed for faithfulreproduction.

The control unit snaps off tobecome a remote control unit forconvenientoperation atdistances up tofive meters.

There's more. A Record Mute,large VU meters with LED peaklevel indicators, Memory, Timerswitch, MIC and LINE input controlsand Headphone level control worktogether to give you impressive value.

The Sony TC-K75 and the SonyTC-K96R. Your decision?

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SELECTOR IPHONO 1/PHONO 2/TUNER/AUX 1/AUX 2)HOLOGRAPHIC INJECTION RATIO (NORMAL/THEORETICAL)-R CH. TONE (TREBLE, BASS)L CH. TONE (TREBLE, BASSI-

TONE CONTROLS (IN/OUT)TREBLE (8 KHZ/2 KHZIBASS (40 HZ/LOUDNESS)-2 DB TRIM (OFF/< 400 HZ)MODE (STEREO/MONO)OUTPUT 10 DB/-20 DB)SPEAKERS ION/OFF)

Report Policy: Equipment reports are based on labora-tory measurements and controlled listening tests. Unlessotherwise noted, test data and measurements are ob-tained by CBS Technology Center, a division of ColumbiaBroadcasting System, Inc., and Diversified Science Labora-tories. The choice of equipment to be tested rests with theeditors of HIGH FIDELITY. Samples normally are supplied on

loan from the manufacturer. Manufacturers are not permit-ted to read reports in advance of publication, and no re-port, or portion thereof, may be reproduced for any pur-pose or in any form without written permission of thepublisher. All reports should be construed as applying tothe specific samples tested; HIGH FIDELITY, CBS TechnologyCenter, and Diversified Science Laboratories assume no re-sponsibility for product performance or quality.


TIME -DELAY OUTPUT ADJUST,TIME -DELAY ECHO -DENSITY ADJUST,PEAK-UNLIMIT THRESHOLD ADJUST.,AUTOCORRELATOR THRESHOLD ADJUST.

MONITOR (SOURCE/TAPE 1MONITOR (SOURCE/TAPE 2)TAPE DUB IOFF/2 I)TAPE DUB )OFF/I2)EXTERNAL PROCESSOR (IN/OUT)INFRASONIC FILTER (IN/OUT(CORRELATION THRESHOLD (AUTO/MANUAL)

VOLUME

BALANCE

HEADPHONES

LHOLOGRAM GENERATOR (ON/OFF),PEAK UNLIMITER ION/OFF),AUTOCORRELATOR ION/OFF),TIME DELAY ION/OFF),TIME DELAY 150/80 MS),AC POWER

LOW -FREQUENCY CALIB

The unlimiter (which, in essence, provides some upward expansion of signal levelsabove a manually set threshold) is like Phase Linear's: capable of providing a littlemore "punch" if judiciously used but also of intrusively arbitrary expansiondepending on the nature of the incoming signal and the threshold setting. Theautocorrelator is said to be more complex and "gentler"-that is, subtler in its action,with less maximum noise filtering and less chance of unwanted side effects-than itsalready gentle forebear, and direct comparison confirms this. Hiss and rumble fadenoticeably when it is turned on and have less tendency to reappear in time to themusic and, therefore, to sound like extramusical noises such as overblowing in fluteor pedal action in piano. We sometimes preferred our manual settings to theautomatic -threshold mode, which is new in this incarnation.

Both on the Diversified Science Laboratories test bench and in ourlistening room, the basic functions of the preamp are impressive. The design of thetwo phono preamps (note that each has full circuitry, though they cannot be usedsimultaneously to dub one record while you listen to another) is not identical, evenignoring the back -panel switch for capacitive loading on PHONO 1. PHONO 2 proveda hair quieter (by up to 2 dB, depending on which functions were switched induring the test) and a split -hair more accurate (within 1/10, rather than 1/4 dB) inRIAA compensation, but some capacitance -sensitive pickups may give PHONO 1 theedge in sound quality. Distortion, while not super -low, was below our threshold ofaudibility and could not be distinguished even in A/B tests with a model measuringconsiderably "better."

But the overriding question raised by the unit is how its holographicgenerator sounds, since this is its unique claim to fame. Our answer: Terrific. Withthe system set up right and the listener ensconced in the preferred position, thestereo image-even with recordings that, because they are multimiked, depart fromCarver's theoretical ideal-generally is crystalline in a way that almost beggarsnormal stereo reproduction. If that norm can be likened to a curtain of soundextending between the two speakers, the holographic generator seems to open thecurtain and reveal a deployment of musical forces extending behind, between, andbeyond the speakers, which then appear to be somewhere within the fiddles (left)and cellos (right) of the standard symphonic setup. If the time delay is also turnedon, some of the auditorium walls as well as the stage of the presumed concert hallseem to be carried into the listening room, though we find this illusion far lessconvincing or desirable than that provided by the Carver holography. And, to carrythe simile one step further, turning on the autocorrelator is like lifting a thin residualscrim of noise from between the auditor and the stage.

Even peripatetic listeners (like most of us at HO will find that sonicholography offers imaging advantages; though the effect is admittedly best in axiallistening-where, among other things, bass anomalies due to standing waves areminimized in the setup-much of its quality holds up as you move about the room.Those who consider the use of stereo equipment to be essentially a spectator sportmay, however, be less inclined to enthusiasm. Not only does sonic holography (at

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KLH-3 loudspeaker system

ANECHOIC RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS (0-dBW input)

HZ 20 50 100 200 500 IK 2K

boundary -dependent regionaverage omnidirectional responseaverage front hemispheric response

- on -axis response

AVERAGE OMNIDIRECTIONAL OUTPUT(250 Hz to 6 kHz)

80 dB SPL for 0 dBW (I watt) input

5K 10K 20K

CONTINUOUS ON -AXIS OUTPUT (at 300 Hz)1023/4 dB SPL for 173/4 dBW (591/2 watts) input

PULSED OUTPUT (at 300 Hz)1141 dB SPL for 291/2 dBW (893 watts) peak

"NOMINAL" IMPEDANCE 6.3 ohms

least in its initial form) require an activist approach if you are to get it right, but sodo the time -delay, autocorrelator, and peak-unlimiter elements of the design. Andthe formidably complex front panel does not encourage use by the uninvolved.Simpler formats may follow; for the time being, sonic holography is a glorioushobbyists' toy with a promising future, and the C-4000 is the most fascinatinghands-on preamp we know of.


KLH Model 3 loudspeaker system, in wood veneer cabinet;sold in pairs with Analog Bass Computer unit. Dimensions: 8% by 1216inches (front), 6 inches deep; computer, 21/2 by 101/2 inches (front), 6 inchesdeep plus clearance for connections. Price: $450. Warranty: "limited," fiveyears parts and labor. Manufacturer: KLH Research and DevelopmentCorp., 145 University Ave., Westwood, Mass. 02090.

A true bookshelf -sized loudspeaker, barely larger than the familiar miniformat, the Model 3 is the smallest in KLH's computer -controlled line. A vented,two-way design, it incorporates a 6 -inch combination woofer/midrange and a 1 -inch soft -dome tweeter surrounded by acoustically absorbent foam to reduce high -frequency diffraction effects. The real story with this speaker, however, lies in theseparate Analog Bass Computer that comes with each pair. Although speakersystems equipped with equalizer modules are not new (Electro-Voice and Bose haveoffered them for years), KLH's approach takes that concept a step further. Asidefrom its equalization function (completing the speakers' bass alignment, so to speak),the KLH "computer" acts as a sort of electronic motional feedback device,preventing high-level bass signals from driving the woofer's diaphragm beyond itsexcursion limits, thereby keeping distortion low.

The computer module is inserted either in the tape monitor loop or atthe pre-out/main-in connections. (Tape monitor jacks are duplicated on the back ofthe module, and a TAPE button on the front panel restores monitor switching.) Wiresmarked LOUDSPEAKER MONITOR on the back must be connected in parallel with theloudspeaker outputs of the receiver or power amp. AC power for the computer isderived via a small transformer that plugs into a jack on the module's back panel. AnIN/OUT button on the front panel bypasses the circuitry when speakers other thanModel 3s are to be used. (KLH strongly advises against use of the computer with"standard" speakers, warning of possible damage to them. Therefore, running Model3s simultaneously with a dissimilar pair of rear or remote speakers is ruled out.) Thereare no controls on the speakers themselves, and connection to the amplifier isaccomplished with screw posts.

In operation, the computer accomplishes several things. First, it providesan equalized signal to the amplifier in accordance with the speaker's ownperformance characteristics. Second, it acts as a sharp high-pass filter, effectivelycutting response below 30 Hz. Third, it provides low -frequency compensation forplacement either against a wall or free standing. And, fourth, it suppresses signalelements that would represent woofer overdrive. When too great a low-freqUencysignal is present, the pre-programmed analog circuitry automatically modifies theresponse of the equalizer so that maximum displacement of the woofer is notexceeded, whatever the unequalized (preamp-out) signal. Awakening of theprocessor logic can be monitored visually on the module's front panel via two lightsabove the IN/OUT button.

A primary objective of this scheme is, of course, to wring as much bassas possible from a small enclosure. Judging from the measurements made in the CBSTechnology Center anechoic chamber, the Model 3 proves that it has muscle as wellas brains. With the POSITION control set for free-standing placement (away from bass -reinforcing walls), low -frequency output is strong and response quite flat andsmooth above the characteristic bass hump. The alternate placement setting reducesbass output by around 5 dB below 60 Hz and progressively less as frequencyincreases. This reasonably efficient speaker handles power to hefty sound pressurelevels (above 102 dB on continuous tones and 114 dB on tone bursts) beforedistortion becomes excessive. While these levels show that the Model 3 can be"played loud," the actual dynamic range does not extend to the superloud peakcapability of many contemporary speakers. Second and third harmonic distortion

0

/ss-'44

-

High fidelity is the sum total of audio experience. It means notonly superb styling but ease of operation. It also means the joy oflistening, even in the midst of a frenetic work schedule. Just turnon the system, relax and forget your problems ard experience anaudio happening.

The total audio experience can': be gleaned from specifica-tions. It must be heard...felt. Because many Lux originaltechnical developments enhance the experience, they are noteasily specified.

The Lux L-11 Integrated Amplifier uses Realtime Processed DCAmplification. In a conventional amplifier, a capacitor is used inthe negative feedback loop to eliminate wave form distortion, butit in turn triggers time lag causing phase distortion in the lowerfrequency and transient distortion in the higher frequency. Lux'sapproach to this problem as seen in the Model L11 was to dr:pthe capacitor from the negative feedback loop; taus erasing thetime lag causing phase and transient distortion. DC drift wassolved by the use of Lux's exclusive DML-IC ;dual monolithiclinear integrated circuit).

Lux 5K50 Cassette Deck uses cur BRBS Eys:em. Building asuperb cassette deck needs more technology than standarddecks. To make the most of the unit's 3 -head design, the BRBSvariable bias system is provided. This Bridge Recording byBias Current and Signal Current avoids transient andphase shift distortion.

Lux R -1120A Tuner/Amplifier and our T-12 Tuner both 'use theClosed Lock Loop liuning System. Since it's mpossible to enjoymistuned FM, or to teat( when you have to jump up and retitle,Lux has perfected frequency control.

While most quartz ock systems operate an the front end only,Lux goes further. w th Closed Lock Loop cortrolling the front end,the IF and detector circuits, with strong. instantaneous correctivefeedback to the exact center of the desired frequency range.Another locking circuit Accu-lock!ophysica ly locks the tuningknob at the desired point. Not only does Lux's system deliverperfect tuning it retains the last tuned frequency even when thepower is turned off anc on.

Lux PD -277 offers quality and convenience. Using a Luxdesigned, servo-contrclled brushless, slotless motor, wcw andflutter is extraordinarily low at while signal-to-noise ratiois 60dB.

Other outstanding features are a straight low mass tonearmand vertical pivot construction for minimizing resonance andinstability.

Quality and convenience are evidenced by electronic controlsfor all major fienctiors and a separate motor for the tonearneliminates no sy, friction -producing linkage.

These and other innovations are typical cf Lux's outlooK. Butnone of this slows upon spec sheets. Only listening will prove

that all of Lux's for your pleasure.See your nearest Lux dealer for a unique listening experience.

LUX AUDIO OF AMERICA, LTD.160 Dupont Street, P ainview, NY 11803 (516) 349-7070

11200 Chandler Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91603 (213) 985-4500In Canada: Lux Audio of Canada, Ltd., Ontario

Due to the tremendous response from consumers, Lux has decided to extend theGreat Rebate Program from December 31, 1979 to January 31,1980.

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FREQUENCY RESPONSE 8 CHANNEL SEPARATION(test records: STR- 100 to 40 Hz; STR- 170 above)

'VW

HZ 20 50 100 200 500 IK 2K 5K 10K

Frequency responseL ch: +3%, -11/2 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHzR ch: +14A, -11/2 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

Channel separation 20 dB, 130 Hz to 20 kHz15 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

20K

SENSITIVITY (at I kHz) 1.12 mV/cm/sec

CHANNEL BALANCE (at I kHz) ± dB

VERTICAL TRACKING ANGLE 251/20

LOW -FREQUENCY RESONANCElin SME 3009 arm)

vertical 10.5 Hz; 61/4 -dB rise

lateral 10 Hz; 744 -dB rise

MAXIMUM TRACKING LEVEL Ire RIAA 0 VU; 1.2 grams)at 300 Hz +18dBat I kHz +12 dB

WEIGHT (includes "shell") 6.3 grams

figures are low over most of the audible spectrum, averaging out to 1/2% from 100Hz to 10 kHz at moderate listening levels (0 dBW). At high listening levels (100 dB),third harmonic distortion remains around the 1/2% figure, and the "softer" secondharmonic rises a bit, to an average of some 2%.

In at-home use, the Model 3 acquitted itself nicely indeed. The sound isremarkably uncolored for such a small speaker. A polypropylene formulation(developed by the BBC) was used in the fabrication of the driver cones, and thesound in the critical midrange reflects KLH's claims that the material has superioranticoloration qualities. Bass is also remarkably extended in these small speakers,and, try as we might, we could not hear the "attack" of the computer as it limitedthe low -frequency input. If anything, we found the quantity of bass difficult tobalance against the upper range. KLH makes much of the necessity of good roomplacement to extract the best possible sound from the system, but shelf mountingseems mandated by the format. Even with the POSITION button pressed in (for back -to -the -wall placement), we encountered bass -heavy reproduction until we touchedup the balance by trimming down the bass at our preamp.

Overall, the Model 3s are impressive performers. Stereo imaging is welldefined and stable. The unboxy sound combined with some midrange warmthmakes them easy to live with. If you are short of space and seeking a superior smallspeaker, the KLH certainly should be on your audition list.


Ortofon Concorde 30 fixed -coil phono pickup in universalheadshell, with multiradial diamond stylus. Price: $165; CL -30replacement stylus, S90. Warranty: "limited," one year parts and labor.Manufacturer: Ortofon, Denmark; U.S. distributor: Tannoy-Ortofon, Inc.,122 Dupont St., Plainview, N.Y. 11803.

The integrated pickup headshell, based on the so-called universalheadshell-tonearm coupling that recently has grown so rapidly in popularity, is oneof those good, practical ideas whose time has finally arrived. An obviousconvenience and time-saver (losing tiny mounting screws can be a giant headache),the format also enables manufacturers to engineer a single, low -mass ensemble forarm designs that otherwise tend to be rather massive for today's pickups. Ortofon'sConcorde 30-so named because of its resemblance to the supersonic airliner withthe down -turned nose-manages to pare total mass to just 6.3 grams, about that ofmany pickups alone. Also important in the Concorde's design is the use of a fine -line,nude -mounted diamond tip whose multiradial geometry and direct mountingwithout a "setting" contribute to what Ortofon claims is the lowest effective stylustip mass available.

As expected from such a cartridge, tracking ability is exceptional. CBSfound it capable of navigating the "torture" test with just 3/4 gram of vertical trackingforce. A VTF of 1.2 grams (the minimum value recommended by Ortofon) was usedfor the balance of the testing, with the recommended load of 47,000 ohms shuntedby 400 picofarads. Channel separation proved very good; frequency response withthis load is in line with that of other top-notch pickups. There is a slight dip followedby a moderate peak as the test frequency approaches 20 kHz with the STR-170, butlistening tests could not fault the Concorde's high -frequency behavior on music. Theoutput level is ample for typical phono stages, though the channel balance (at 1

kHz) in the bench -test sample was a hair less exact than average among current topmodels. And both harmonic and intermodulation distortion are acceptably low.

Examining the results of the Concorde's behavior in the low -frequencyresonance test discloses the chief virtue of a low -mass design. With the cartridgemounted in our "standard" SME arm, the vertical and lateral resonance are firmly in"ideal" territory-as far removed as practical from the region where warpinformation may be transmitted to the amplifier circuitry. Since so light a pickup maybe beyond the balance adjustment range of some arms, each Concorde comes witha low -mass counterweight with a center -hole diameter of 15 millimeters. Ortofonoffers to exchange this one for alternatives with 12- or 18 -millimeter openings,should the lighter weight prove necessary and the dimensions of the versionprovided be inappropriate for your arm. (To save yourself the bother of writingdirectly to Ortofon, you might check the dimensions with your dealer in advance of


15

Crystal -dear reasonsfor receiver-size separates.

If you're trying to choose betweena receiver and separate components,we have a suggestion: Settle for both.

Now you can have the compactsize of a receiver with the quality ofseparates.

Sony's new ST -J60 tuner andTA -F40 amplifier are a slim, dynamicduo no larger than a medium -sizereceiver but with crystalline,powerful separate -componentqualities.

The tuner isquartz -crystallocked with adigital synthesizerfor drift -freestability andspeedy touchtuning. Distortionis virtually non-existent andour slim -linemusic lover isan FM specialist.

Convenientauto tuning letsyou preset eightstations. Simplypress the appropriatebutton and an LEDlight blinks as the tunersearches for the"memorized" station.

Two other buttonslet you manually scanthe broadcast scale ineither direction. Anda Calibrated Tone

feature assists you whenrecording with a tape deck.

Our new thin -line TA -F40 inte-grated amplifier snuggles up to itstuner partner for extremely clean,noise -free sound in a beautifullysized package.

Output vs. Harmonic Distortion

TUNER - SP OUT . . :

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Total harmonic distortion (THD) isone of the lowest in this class ofamplifiers. Fifty watts per channelsurge through a newly developedPulse Power Supply (PPS). AndSony's exclusive Heat Sink withHeat Pipe ingeniously drains awayheat to reduce distortion.

LED peak power indicatorspinpoint output in six steps for each

channel. Light -touch functionswitches give you

smooth control

for any stereo mission. And theTA -F40 is so quiet you can even usea high-performance MC cartridgewith your turntable.

Sony's new, compact, perform-ance -engineered ST -J60 tuner andTA -F40 amplifier. Two crystal-clear

reasons to settle foreverything.

SONY

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How Audio Historyis made.

Mantaray Horn

Has American ingenuitytaken a back seat to cheaperforeign labor? Not at AltecLansing, where we've beeninventing and building high -quality speakers for well over42 years. Like the Model 14.It's so unique, that before wecould create it, we first had toinvent a whole new family ofcomponents.

Conventional beaming Mantaray expandsnarrows listening area. listening sweet spot.

We began with a new typeof horn. The Mantaray.' It'sthe first "constant directivity"horn ever created. Conven-tional horns, cones and domes(including so-called omnidirec-tional and reflective speakers)tend to "beam," that is, narrowtheir angle of sound radiationat higher frequencies. Thiseffect causes the stereo imageto lose strength off the centeraxis and to actually wander.

Mantaray, on the otherhand, delivers a clearly -definedsound wedge that keeps itsstrength regardless of themusic's changing frequencies.

You get the full spectrum ofsound and the most solid three-dimensional stereo imageyou've ever heard. And sincethe sound doesn't diminish offcenter axis, the Model 14enlarges your listening area,your "stereo sweet spot."

As an extra benefit, Man-taray's precise sound focusingmeans your music goes in yourears -not in your drapes,

walls, and ceil-ings. Conse-quently, it'smore likely thanother speakers tosound the samein your home asit does in yourdealer's showroom.

Then to giveyou even higherhighs, we devel-oped the firstradial phase plug,the Tangerine!**In contrast to

conventional phase plugs withtwo equidistant circular slotsthat block some frequencies,the Tangerine's tapered slotspermit a free flow of high fre-quencies to beyond 20 KHz.

Equally important to allthis is our new Auto-

matic Power Con-trol System.Unlike fuse -typedevices or cir-cuit breakers,

the system keepstrack of the power

Tangerine pumped into thespeaker, lets you know with ablinking light when powerexceeds safe limits, and thenreduces overloads automati-cally, but without shutting thespeaker off. It's quite a system.

OvERIDAZPuSk

db.TO *Es'

ALTECLANSING

Power Control

In addition, the Model 14offers you super -efficiency,highpower handling capacityand exceptional dynamicrange, plus a new ventedenclosure with a 12 -inch bassdriver for a tighter, crisper lowend. So that's how audio his-tory is made. And it's all yoursat a price that means the bestsound value available for yourhome today.

So the next time someonetries to tell you that Americanworkmanship is taking a backseat, play your Altec Lansingspeakers for them and provehow wrong they are.

For a free brochure andthe name of your local dealer,write:Altec Lansing International,1515 South Manchester Avenue,Anaheim, CA92803. ALTEC

L_AINSI NG°The Choice of Professionals

U.S and foreign patents pending"U.S. Patent No. 405054] ,Altec Corp.

---.)

MODEL 14

-

JANUARY 1980 29

DB

0

-5

TIP DIMENSIONS

tip radiiscanning radii

SQUARE -WAVERESPONSE

10.6 by 16.4 micrometers8.8 micrometers

SAE Two IsNo "Me Too"

SAE Two Model R-6 tuner section

MONO FM FREQUENCY RESPONSE

HZ 20

DB

0

5

10

15

-20

-25

30

35

50 100 200 500 IK 2K 5K 10K 20K

+3, -11/2 dB, 20 Hz to 15 kHz

STEREO FM RESPONSE 8 CHANNEL SEPARATION

'N. in

HZ 20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

Frequency responsech: +31/2, -11/2 dB, 20 Hz to 15 kHzch: +31/2, -16 dB, 20 Hz to 15 kHz

Channel separation >35 dB, 250 Hz to 3.5 kHz.?_25 dB, 23 Hz to 15 kHz

purchase. Ortofon informs us that its dealers should have a varied supply ofcounterweights in stock.)

In use, the Concorde acquitted itself with good marks all around. Itmanaged to track some of the worst warps we have, and its distinctive down -turned nose actually contributes to this by raising the cartridge body over some ofthe steepest warps, while the narrowness of the nose minimizes the chance ofhangup on the edge bead of severely warped discs. We are at a loss to describe itstone since it introduces no characteristic color of its own to the music we heard.Detailing on even the most complex passages emerges with clarity and definition.This, combined with its installation convenience and its sleek physical beauty, makeit among the most attractive pickups around.


TUNINGTUNING DISPLAY

SIGNAL/POWER DISPLAY

SELECTOR IPHONO/AUX/FWAMLHIGH BLEND ION/OFF),FM MUTE ION/OFF)

BASS

MIDRANGETREBLETONE CONTROLS (IN/OUT)MONITOR (TAPE I/SOURCE/TAPE 2)TAPE DUBBING (III.2/OFF/211.11

LOW FILTER ION/OFF1,LOUDNESS ION/OFF1,MUTING 101-20 DB)

VOLUME

AC POWER

BALANCE

HEADPHONESSPEAKER SELECT. (OFF/A/B/A+13)DISPLAY MODE IRF/POwEB/TApE)MODE (STEREO/REV/MONO)EXTERNAL PROCESSOR (TAPE/OFF/LINE)

SAE Two Model R-6 stereo FM/AM receiver, in metal case withwood ends. Dimensions: 181/4 by 5% inches (front panel), 151/4 inches deepplus clearance for controls and connections. AC convenience outlets: twoswitched (600 watts max.), two unswitched (100 watts max.). Price: $650.Warranty: "limited," three years parts and labor. Manufacturer: made inJapan for Scientific Audio Electronics, :'nc., 701 E. Macy St., Los Angeles,Calif. 90012.

You can count the number of domestically produced stereo receivers onthe fingers of one hand and have digits left over. High -quality separates-includingthose on which SAE's reputation is based-are another matter, of course. But whena company like SAE wants to add receivers (or tape decks) to its line, competitivepricing virtually dictates Oriental manufacture. When SAE decided to build a line inJapan, it distinguished between its separates and the imports by calling the latterthe SAE Two series.

The R-6 is the least expensive receiver in that line, but it offers such aslew of novelties and genuinely useful features that it sparks enthusiasm even in thestodgiest reviewers. In addition to familiar niceties like quartz -locked tuning anddigital frequency readout, we have such features as switching for an externalprocessor (equalizer, noise -reduction system, or the like) that not only leaves tape -monitor loops unencumbered, but can be switched into the circuit either ahead ofthe tape -output jacks or into the listening signal path. Thus the processor can beused either to "fix" a signal you are recording or for one you are playing back. Thetape recordist used to replugging cables in order to achieve this flexibility will reallyappreciate the convenience. His needs have been anticipated further by two-waytape -dubbing independent of the main program selector and by a separate three-way monitor switch so that the playback from either deck can be checked in a wink.When you are dubbing between decks with EXT PROC in the TAPE position, theprocessor is switched into the line between the source deck and the slave. We can'tremember a receiver whose tape switching logic is more complete or foolproof.

Frosting the tape recordist's cake are the signal displays; in one modethey function as eleven -segment fluorescent "bar graphs" to supplement the deck'sown recording -level meters. In addition, the displays monitor output to the speakers(in 3 -dB steps from 0.06 to 60 watts) and act as tuning "aids." In the power mode,Diversified Science Laboratories found all the display elements accurate within 1/4 dB,with essentially flat response across the audio band. Although the 3 -dB steps are a

Circle 3 on Page 77

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.11

4M1 ,Elf''

30 HIGH FIDELITY

DB

10

20

30

-40

-50

-60

FM SENSITIVITY 8 QUIETING

\I

%

It

iI1\

%.

DBF 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

stereo quieting (noise)mono quieting (noise)

Stereo sensitivity (for 50 -dB noise suppression)41 dBf at 98 MHz, with 0.36% THD+N(41 Y2 dBf at both 90 and 106 MHz)

Mono sensitivity (for 50 -dB noise suppression)1644 dBf at 98 MHz

Muting thresholdStereo thresholdStereo S/N ratio (at 65 dBf) 6644

Mono S/N ratio fat 65 dBf)

13 dBf

16 dBf

dB

711/2 dB

CAPTURE RATIO 114 dB

ALTERNATE -CHANNEL SELECTIVITY 561/2 dB

HARMONIC DISTORTION (THD+N)stereo

at 100 Hz 0.21%at 1 kHz 0.065%at 6 kHz 0.14%

STEREO PILOT INTERMODULATION

IM DISTORTION (mono)

AM SUPPRESSION

PILOT (19 kHz) SUPPRESSION

SUBCARRIER (38 kHz) SUPPRESSION

mono0.16%0.046%0.072%

0.074%

0.055%

653/4 dB

711/2 dB

>84 dB

SAE Two Model R-6 amplifier section

RATED POWER 17% dBW (60 watts)/ch.

90

OUTPUT AT CLIPPING (both channels driven)8 -ohm load 19 dBW (80 watts)/ch.4 -ohm load 201/2 dBW (115 watts)/ch.16 -ohm load 161/2 dBW (45 watts)/ch.

DYNAMIC HEADROOM (8 ohms) 21/2 dB

HARMONIC DISTORTION (THD; 20 Hz to 20 kHz)at 17% dBW (60 watts) <0.01%at 0 (1 watt) <0.01%

100

FREQUENCY RESPONSE

+0,-Y. dB, <10 Hz to 150 kHz,-3 dB at 270 kHz

RIAA EQUALIZATION +1/2, -0 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz;-544 dB at 5 Hz

INPUT CHARACTERISTICS (re 0 dBW; A -weighting)sensitivity S/N ratio

phono 0.34 mV 751/2 dB

aux 20 mV 761/4 dB

PHONO OVERLOAD (1 -kHz clipping) 220 mV

PHONO IMPEDANCE 35k ohms at 1 kHz (complex)

DAMPING FACTOR (at 50 Hz) 115

LOW FILTER -3 dB at 30 Hz; 6 dB/octave

bit crude for setting recording levels, the 30 -dB range exceeds that of manyrecording indicators, and response time is faster than that of the meters in manydecks. (Essentially, they respond accurately to any pulse lasting at least 20milliseconds.)

In its AM/FM mode, the display's upper bar graph indicates signalstrength; the lower one serves as an FM-multipath indicator. When you're tuningand orienting your antenna, you should maximize the top reading and minimize thelower bar. In practice, the system works quite well: When we adjust the antenna fora maximum differential between the two bars, the sound is noticeably cleaner thanwith other readings. As a signal -strength indicator, the upper display distinguishesFM signal levels from 231/4 to 541/2 dBf (the most important range) in such detail thatwe find it among the most useful bar graphs we have encountered.

The R-6 requires a little more signal level than average to achieve themagic 50 -dB quieting, but its ultimate quieting (with a 65 -dB input) is up to snuff,and the audio distortion is low. Sensitivity is essentially constant across the band,and, as is to be expected, the digital display accurately indicates the tunedfrequency. All of this is readily apparent when using the R-6. Reception of strongstations in our area is all that we could ask for, though weaker ones are a triflenoisier than usual. The high -blend option is reasonably effective in reducing hiss onstereo signals of marginal strength and actually flattens top -end response bycomparison to the curve measured (with the BLEND off) by DSL and shown in ourgraph. Separation is better than 30 dB across the most important part of the bandwith the BLEND off and still an adequate 20 dB to about 2 kHz with it on. AMsuppression is good and selectivity adequate for most situations.

The R-6 has no channel -center tuning meter, but its presence is notoften missed: A TUNE LED lights when you are on your station's target. Releasing theknob at this point activates the station lock, indicated by a separate legend. In orderfor either indicator to come on, you must tune quite accurately, which takes somecare in manipulating the very light tuning mechanism. In some instances-apparently associated with very weak signals or with high multipath-the tuningindicator does not illuminate, and the receiver does not go into lock. Once in lock,however, the R-6 usually maintains a tenacious grip on the signal, even duringfading.

The receiver is conservatively rated at 60 watts (173/4 dBW) per channel.DSL found that it actually pumps out 80 watts per channel continuously into 8 -ohmloads before clipping. Dynamically, it delivers the equivalent of 100 watts, for anexceptionally generous headroom of 21/4 dB. THD remains below 0.01% throughoutthe audio band at either the 1 -watt or the rated -power level. The high dampingfactor testifies to the liberal use of feedback. With the tone controls bypassed, basicfrequency response is virtually ruler flat to 150 kHz; with the tone controls in thecircuit but at the nominal center points, the response is down about Y2 dB at 20 Hzand 20 kHz. The infrasonic filter slope is mild.

Separate controls are provided for bass, midrange, and treble. Themidrange is centered on 1.2 kHz but is effective over much of the band-betweenabout 180 Hz and 7 kHz-and affords a maximum control range of +10 to -11 dB.The shelving bass and treble controls overlap the midrange slightly; the bass picksup at 280 Hz, with +15 to -17 dB maximum (below 40 Hz), and the treble at 2.5kHz, with +10 to -12 dB above 10 kHz. The loudness contour boosts both ends ofthe spectrum substantially: by 11 dB or more below 50 Hz and by more than 7 dBabove 10 kHz-making the sound somewhat brighter than we like in a loudnesscontour.

The phono preamp is equalized accurately and has more than sufficientheadroom. While its 1 -kHz impedance is close to the nominal 47,000 ohms, DSL didnot find a suitable value of resistance and capacitance that would model thecomplex load presented to the cartridge. Perhaps due to the "nonclassic" loading,the disc -reproduction sound of the R-6 struck us as a bit brighter or edgier thanaverage.

Whether from disc or from FM, this is a bright, clean -sounding receiver.Its power reserves belie its modest ratings; indeed, the receiver acts and sounds bothmore powerful than its 60 -watt rating would suggest and more sophisticated thanits price tag would imply. The logical switching options almost put the R-6 in a classby itself and are sufficient reason to cast a careful eye on this SAE import.


(more)

1

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reoNumi

YOUR TURNTABLE PROBABLYDESERVES BANG & OWFSEN.If you've spent a fair amount of time and money on youraudio system, it's likely your turntable is ready for the newMMC 20CL cartridge. You do need a tonearm which cantrack successfully at one gram, one that has its ownresonance well damped, and one which features minimalhorizontal and vertical friction. Many of today's higherquality units meet these criteria; more likely than not so doesthe one you own.

THE MMC 20 CL, A REFRESHINGPERSPECTIVE IN CARTRIDGE DESIGN.Critical acclaim has identified the MMC 20CL as anexceptional cartridge. It is. It will not only give you moremusic from your records, but will insure thoserecords last significantly longer. However, it isnot one of those 'astoundingbreakthroughs' that always seem to behovering around cartridge design and itspromotion. No, while the 20CL doesincorporate new thinking, new materials,and new manufacturing methods, it should be reasonably viewed justas it is: simply one step closer to the theoretical ideal. When weintroduced the first stereo cartridge to Europe over 20 years ago, weknew that someday we would have the 20CL. Our approach tocartridge engineering tells us that 20 years from now we will havesomething significantly better.

SINGLE CRYSTAL SAPPHIRE,BECAUSE THE CANTILEVER IS CRITICAL.Unlike aluminum and beryllium, single crystal sapphiretransfers the motion of the stylus tip without addingany measurable vibration, and hence distortion, of itsown. The absence of this vibration and flexure in thecantilever means the undulations in the recordgroove are transferred exactly and generate anexceptionally accurate electrical signal.Music is no longer lost between the stylustip and the armature. Your records openup and music unfolds with new clarity,definition, and spaciousness.

Give your turntable what it deserves.The MMC 20CL with our new universalconnector can be mounted directly onmost high quality tonearms.

REDUCING EFFECTIVE TIP MASS,BANG & OLUFSEN'SENGINEERING TRADITION.As early as 1958, our research demonstrated thateffective tip mass (ETM) was the single mostdetermining factor behind record wear and theloss of high frequency sound information. Whilesome manufacturers are now beginning to realizethe importance of this specification, only Bang &Olufsen can look back upon a continuous chainof improvements in this critical area. Today, theMMC 20CL with its Contact Line, nudediamond, ultra -rigid sapphire cantilever, andthe patented Moving Micro Cross armaturefeatures an ETM value of only 0.3mg.

LOW INDUCTANCE,OUTPUT REMAINS CONSTANTREGARDLESS OF LOAD.As you know, low inductance in a cartridge isrelated directly to the strength and constancyof the electrical signal fed to yourpreamplifier input. What you may not knowis that the MMC 20CLhas an inductanceamong the lowest ofall high qualitycartridges availabletoday. This is due toa design which incorporates anexceptionally powerful permanent magnetand coil cores of very low permeability.This design results in very low cartridgeinduced noise. Subsequently you receivean excellent signal-to-noise ratio withoutbeing required to use auxiliary equipment.

INDIVIDUALLYCALIBRATED.When you manufacture very high qualitycartridges, each unit must be tested-notone out of two, or ten, or twenty, but eachone. This is why when you purchase theMMC 20CL, you will receive the testresults for your individual cartridge. Theseresults include: output voltage, channelbalance, channel separation, trackingability, and a frequency response graphfor each channel.

THIS TIMEMAKE THERIGHTCONNECTION

Bang&OlufsenFor Information Write To: Harold Flemming

Bang & Olufsen of America, Inc., 515 Busse Road, Elk Grove Village, Illinois 60007

Circle 7 on Page 77

1'. -->

'4"

a.., twain) 4

-

32 HIGH FIDELITY

DBSPL

90

85

80

Jensen System B loudspeaker

ANECHOIC RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS 10-dBW input

-. ts-

HZ 20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

boundary -dependent regionaverage omnidirectional responseaverage front hemispheric response

- on -axis response

AVERAGE OMNIDIRECTIONAL OUTPUT(250 Hz to 6 kHz)

85 dB SPL for 0 dBW (1 watt) input

CONTINUOUS ON -AXIS OUTPUT (at 300 Hz)110 dB SPL for 20 dBW POO watts) input

PULSED OUTPUT (at 300 Hz)I231/2 dB SPL for 331/2 dBW 12.280 watts) peak


APPROX. TWEETER CONTROL RANGE Ire "flat"(+11/2, -10 dB, above 9 kHz'

APPROX. MIDRANGE CONTROL RANGE Ire "flat")+1, -6 dB, 1.5 to 6 kHz'

see text

Tradition Improved:Jensen's Best Yet

Jensen System B floor -standing loudspeaker system in woodenclosure with variable -tilt base. Dimensions (including base): 161/2 by33% inches (front), 11% inches deep. Price: $490. Warranty: "full," fiveyears parts and labor. Manufacturer: Jensen Sound Laboratories, 4136 N.United Parkway, Schiller Park, 111.60176.

Jensen's System B combines two elements not always found togetherin loudspeakers: good sound and attractive styling. Finished in a neutral brown, theenclosure sits in a natural -finish oak -veneer cradle that raises the speaker slightly offthe floor and affords the user the option of tilting it slightly upward, should thathelp dispersion in his listening setup. Thus Jensen has gracefully avoided twoextremes: the conventional "big box on end" look and the often outré radicalalternatives.

Removal of the grille reveals four drivers mounted flush on the baffle,along with a vertically aligned vent and continuous -acting controls for midrangeand treble. Mounted on the back of the speaker is still another driver, a 2 -inchtweeter recessed into the cabinet and angled slightly upward, for improved high -frequency dispersion. The baffle -mounted drivers-a 1 -inch soft -dome tweeter, a11/4 -inch soft -dome upper midrange, 6 -inch lower -midrange driver, and 12 -inch

woofer-are precisely aligned on a vertical axis to lessen the propagation ofinterference patterns. The baffle board itself is built out from the cabinet, and thegrille molding is recessed behind the front of the baffle to minimize reflection.

The "nominal" impedance rating, as determined by CBS TechnologyCenter, is high enough to preclude problems with any modern amplifier, andimpedance remains unusually consistent over most of the speaker's range. Thesystem's high efficiency allows for the use of very low -powered amplifiers, yet ithandled both the continuous -tone and tone -burst tests without the least sign ofdistress. Distortion at both moderate (0 dBW of input) and loud (100 dB of output)levels is very well controlled-quite low, in fact, for a system of this complexity. At100 dB, the harsh -sounding third harmonic averages less than Yi% over much of theband and second harmonic is just a touch higher. With the 0-dBW input (for anoutput of approximately 85 dB), both second and third harmonic distortion averageout to little more than 1/4%. The 300 -Hz pulses are excellently reproduced, andthough the 3 -kHz pulse trace shows some evidence of low-level reflections, theeffect is not severe enough to warrant concern.

Frequency response was measured in CBS's anechoic chamber with thetone controls set at "0", their flat positions. All three curves are quite flat andunusually smooth. The adjustments-both of which are calibrated at nominalsettings of +2, 0, -6, -12, -16, and "low"-do little to improve the sound, in ouropinion, and are rather inconsistent in their behavior; if both are set to "low," theresults are very poor indeed. But at the "flat" settings, we were pleased by the rich,warm tonal balance of the System B and struck by its deep stereo imaging. Soundsappear to emanate from around and in front of the speakers, rather than from insidethe enclosure. As we varied our position in relation to the stereo pair, the imageheld up well. The dynamic range is equally satisfying and quite exciting; sharppercussive sounds emerge with clarity and strength. The bass is especiallynoteworthy; the muddy thumping sound of so many vented speakers is here wellcontrolled for crisp articulation.

Considered as a product of a company that for five decades has beenturning out speakers, particularly bass reflex systems, the System B represents both acontinuation and culmination. It is the top of Jensen's current line and, to our ears,the best speaker the company has ever made. At the same time (and despite manychanges in both personnel and location), it is recognizably a Jensen in its warmthand solidity of sound: a tradition brought up to date, if you will.


(more)


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The tonearm that isn't.

The traditional tone arm has beenLinatrack. A revolutionary tracking system devel-oped by Revox.

This sophisticated and highly refined electronic servo-system ensures that your records are played just theway they were cut, with perfect tangential tracking.

We've eliminated the causes of distortion inherent inconventional tone arm design. There's no need for ananti -skating device because there is no skating force.Our unique LED/photo diode array monitors the stylusangle and makes instant corrections to keep the tip ab-solutely perpendicular.

Pivot friction has also been dramatically reduced by ourunique single -point jewelled pivot/magnetic supportand suspension system.

With Linatrack, tracking error is reduced to a phenom-enal 0.5' or less, virtually eliminating distortion andprotecting your records from excessive wear.

The high torque direct drive motor of the Revox B790uses Hall -Effect magnetic sensors tied to a quartz crys-tal to constantly read and instantly correct rotationalspeed. This eliminates the moment -to -moment deviations

I. LED2. Photo Diode

Arm Drive Motor4. Jewel Pivot5. Magnetic Support

found on even the most expensive conventional directdrive motors. You can verify speed accuracy with thefast responding LED digital readouts. The readouts alsoprovide an accurate log of manual speed adjustments.

Even with its advanced features, the Revox B790 is apleasure to operate with safe and convenient automa-tion. It works with virtually every cartridge and is rug-gedly built to stand up to years of daily operation.

For more good reasons to play your records without atone arm, experience the B790 at your Revox dealer.

=JEER REVOX America, Inc.1819 Broadway, Nashville, TN. 37203 (615) 329-9576Offices: Los Angeles (213) 780-4234 / New York (212) 255-4462In Canada: Studer Revox Canada, Ltd.

R EVOX

L.Iro',AU MAI-ArmSgo..1.n. 4.9 -.1111.,,..1!40 S. -4 ...TT Ns_r.l..1 In a- 1" it., . -

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DB

0

-5

A Supertunerfor aMedium Price

Phase Linear Model 5100 Series II tuner

MONO FM FREQUENCY RESPONSE

5.00.m001

HZ 20

DB

0

-5

50 100 200 500 IK 2K 5K 10K

+1/4, -11/4 dB, 20 Hz to 15 kHz

STEREO FM FREQUENCY RESPONSE

20K

51W5ene,1111

HZ 20

DB

10

20

-30

-40

50

-60

50 100 200 500 IK 2K 5K 10K

+44, -11/4 dB, 20 Hz to 15 kHz

CHANNEL SEPARATIONdB, 60 Hz to 9.5 kHz

>40 dB, 20 Hz to 15 kHz

FM SENSITIVITY & QUIETING

20K

%

I%

%

i

5100 131

DBF 0 10 20 30 40 50 60

stereo noise (quieting)----- mono noise (quieting)Stereo sensitivity (for 50 -dB noise suppression)

36 dBf at 98 MHz, with 0.34% THD+N1371/4 dBf at 90 MHz; 361/4 dBf at 106 MHz)

Mono sensitivity (for 50 -dB noise suppression)121/4 dBf at 98 MHz

Muting threshold 27 dBfStereo threshold 27 dBfStereo S/N ratio fat 65 dBf) 69% dBMono S/N ratio fat 65 dElf) 7444 dB

70 80 90

CAPTURE RATIO I dB

ALTERNATE -CHANNEL SELECTIVITY 481/4 dB

100

41111111111111111111M

AC POWER

REC. LEVEL CHECK ION/OFF)FM MUTING ION/OFF) & MODE (AUTO/MONO)FUNCTION (FM/AM)TUNING MODE (AUTO/MANUAL)

MEMORY SELECTORSMEMORYTUNE UPTUNE DOWN

Phase Linear Model 5100 Series II stereo FM/AM tuner, inmetal case. Dimensions: 19 by 31/2 inches (front panel), 12 inches deepplus clearance for "handles" and connections. Price: $449.95; optionalSPO (oak) or SPW (walnut) side panels, $49.95. Warranty: "limited," threeyears parts and labor. Manufacturer: made in Japan for Phase LinearCorp., 20121 48th Ave. W., Lynnwood, Wash. 98036.

Precision is the raison d'etre of digitally synthesized tuning. Althoughsuch designs made an appearance some years ago, early models had the goldentouch: They were more suited to Midas' pocketbook than Everyman's. With theadvent of large-scale integrated circuits, this tuning precision has become availableto somewhat less affluent audiophiles. One tuner that has taken advantage of theseeconomies is Phase Linear's 5100 Series II, which leapfrogs its forebears by affordingdigitally synthesized AM as well as FM and a more convenient means of providingstation presets.

In the 5100, the allowable FM reception frequencies lie at 100 -kHzintervals. Since current U.S. practice requires FM stations to be precisely 200 kHzapart, all possibilities are covered. In the AM band, stations are 10 kHz apart, andthe tuner aligns in like manner. There is discussion within the FCC of crowding moreAM stations onto the band by tightening the spacing to 9 kHz; should this happen,the 5100 will accommodate the change via a back -panel switch. (Another back -panel switch chooses between standard 75 -microsecond FM de -emphasis and the25 -microsecond standard for Dolby broadcasts.) The FCC also has discussedtightening the FM spacing to 150 kHz. This change (which HF strongly opposes,and which seems less likely to come about at this writing) could not beaccommodated by this or most other digitally synthesized tuners on the market. So,while the synthesis approach implies virtually perfect tuning, it also entails somegamble that its discrete frequencies will remain those of the broadcast channels.

The 5100 will scan the band automatically, stopping at each relativelystrong station-above 40 dBf or so. To get it to move on, you merely press one ofthe tuning switches (uP or DOWN). At the end of the band, the scan directionreverses automatically. If you put the tuning -mode switch in MANUAL and touch oneof these tuning switches, the tuner shifts one increment (100 kHz) for each touch; ifyou hold the switch down, it steps increment by increment in the appropriatedirection. The received frequency appears on the digital readout, which, beingunambiguous, requires no channel -center indicator. A five -light signal -strengthindicator replaces the traditional meter and covers a range from 19 dBf (first light) to59 dBf (the threshold of the fifth). Six favorite stations (in both AM and FM) can bepreset with a technique that seems to us simpler, more logical, and more foolproofthan average for such a feature: You tune the station, press MEMORY, and (withinthree seconds) press one of the six station -selector buttons. Only during the three -second period can an old memorization be destroyed or replaced; even a powerfailure will leave the presets intact. And, as with a conventional tuner or receiver,the 5100 comes on at the frequency to which it was tuned when it was switchedoff.

Diversified Science Laboratories' data show the 5100 to be among themost sensitive tuners to have ever crossed its bench: A mere 123/4 dBf of input inmono or 36 dBf in stereo produces 50 dB of noise suppression at midband, and thesensitivity is reasonably uniform throughout the band. The muting and stereothresholds are identical, typical of tuners that combine the muting and mono in oneswitch, as this one does. (The mute is defeated in mono and always active in theauto stereo/mono mode.) A reasonable amount of hysteresis has been built into thethreshold to minimize annoying switchovers during fading, and the threshold is

A45

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Scott's unique gold war-ar

ID SCOTTWarranty Identiicatbn Card

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Seri, Nurotao 77558 3,

fully transferable,'iV e- year ,H

bor d warraii:y is yor r rance3f lasting peat -11-e.

A Scott exclusive. 3y carefullycontrolling the variation of

impedance over the ent7e listeningrange, Scott aaeakers give you

maximum amplifier power outputand minimum speaker d atoll ion.

196W

176B

SCOTT

CONTROLLED'IMPEDANCE

Because Scott puts more in.Deeper, richer lows. Crisper, clearer highs. And an accuracy acrossthe entire tonal spectrum that's second to none. That's what you getwith Scott Controlled Impedance speakers.

No matter what your listening preference, Scott speakers willmake your whole sound system sound better.

At Scott, there's no such thing as an "off -the -shelf" component.Unlike many other makers, Scott custom designs and acousticallytailors every speaker component to give you accurate frequencyresponse, high efficiency, and extra power handling capacity. Afterall, the sound you get out depends on what we put in.

But listen for yourself. And you'll hear just how much Scottspeakers really put out.

For more information on Scott speakers, or onour entire audio line, see your nearest Scottdealer or write H.H. Scott, Inc., CorporateHeadquarters, 20 Commerce Way, Dept. I S,Woburn, Massachusetts 01801. In Canada:Paco Electronics, Ltd., Quebec, Canada.

fs SCOTTThe Name to listen to.Makers of high quality high fidelity equipment since 1947.

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36 HIGH FIDELITY

HARMONIC DISTORTION ITHD+NIstereo mono

at 100 Hz 0.22% 0.19%at I kHz 0.097% 0.13%at 6 kHz 0.13% 0.27%

STEREO PILOT INTERMODULATION 0.13%

IM DISTORTION (mono) 0.061%

AM SUPPRESSION 60'/.dB

PILOT (19 kHz) SUPPRESSION 80 dB

SUBCARRIER (38 kHz) SUPPRESSION 83 dB

Pioneer'sTop Deck

Pioneer CT -F1250 cassette deck

PLAYBACK RESPONSE (TDK test tape; -20 dB DIN)DB

0

50,1250111

HZ 20 50 100 200 500 IK 2K 5K

L ch: +1, -31/4 dB, 40 Hz to 12.5 kHzR ch: +1 V2, -3 dB. 40 Hz to 12.5 kHz

10K 20K

RECORD/PLAY RESPONSE, "CHROME' TAPE (-20 dB)

DB

0

5

HZ 20 50 100 200 500 IK

1F 1/"N22K 5K

- L ch: +0, -3 dB, 32 Hz to 14 kHzR ch: +0, -3 dB, 32 Hz to 16 kHz

With Dolby noise reduction- L ch: +0, -3 dB, 32 Hz to 10.5 kHz

R ch: +V., -3 dB, 32 Hz to 14 kHz

10K 20K

relatively high-equivalent to about 65 dB of quieting in mono, 42 dB in stereo.The ultimate signal-to-noise ratios are very good in both modes, as are

the figures for distortion (especially in stereo), pilot cancellation, AM suppression,and capture ratio (suggesting good ability to handle multipath-contaminatedsignals). Frequency response is exceptionally uniform, even beyond the 15 -kHzmaximum of broadcast audio, and the stereo separation is essentially total. A RECLEVEL CHECK replaces the audio with a 370 -Hz tone that corresponds toapproximately 55% modulation, close to the 50% Dolby -calibration level.

There is one weak point among the superlatives. Especially in view ofthe 5100's exceptional sensitivity, which tempts us to receive distant weak stationsat frequencies close to those of strong local ones, the alternate -channel selectivityseems less than optimum. Under such conditions, the stronger (alternate -channel)station can break through when it is modulated heavily. Of less importance is thefact that the 5100's auto -scan mode occasionally will stop at the sidebands 100 kHzabove or below a very strong station. (One tap on the appropriate tuning switchsets the matter right.) And we consider the panel markings very difficult to read.

But this Phase Linear is a pleasure to use. It is extraordinarily sensitiveand produces wonderfully clean sound on the majority of stations, perhaps becauseof its multipath-rejection ability. There's no need to worry about how well it istuned: You can't make a mistake. The foolproof convenience of the presets extendsto the AM band as well as the FM-an exceptional feature in a high-performancetuner. And (perhaps best of all in today's economy) it costs about half the price ofthe supertuners in which digital synthesis first claimed audiophiles' attention.


LEVEL INDICATORSTAPE COUNTER"METER" -MODE (PEAK/PEAK-HOLD/AVERAGE)8 AUTO -FUNCTIONSELECTORS

TAPE SPEED LOCKPILOTPLAYBACK SPEEDADJUST.

AC POWER

REWINDFAST WINDSTOPPLAY/RECORDRECORDING INTERLOCKPAUSERECORDING MUTE

FUNCTION INDICATORSTAPE -ADJUST. INDICATORS

MIKE LEVEL IL, RI

LINE LEVEL IL,

PLAYBACK LEVEL IL, RI- MONITOR ITAPE/SOURCE)

CC -ccL

MIKESHEADPHONES

DOLBY N/R (OFF/ON/WITH FILTER)RECORDING -Ea ADJUST.RECORDING -LEVEL (DOLBY) ADJUST.BIAS ADJUST.ADJUST. MODE (OFF/BIAS/LEVEL/EC.)TAPE SELECT. (METAL/FERRIC/CHROME/FE-CR)

Pioneer Model CT -Fl 250 cassette deck, in metal case.Dimensions: 161/2 by 71/2 Inches (frond, 131/2 inches deep plus clearance fortransport superstructure and connections. Price: $695. Warranty:"limited," one year parts and labor. Manufacturer: Pioneer ElectronicCorp., Japan; U.S. distributor: U.S. Pioneer Electronics Corp., 85 OxfordDr., Moonachie, N.J. 07074.

Though metal -particle tape is still in short supply, the same cannot besaid of metal -ready decks. Many manufacturers have rushed to market with deckscapable of handling the metal formulation, yet close examination reveals that only aminimum amount of alteration separates these decks from their nonmetalprogenitors. Not so the CT -F1250, Pioneer's top -of -the -line model. So much newengineering has gone into it that, aside from a filial resemblance to the CT -F1000(the company's previous top deck), it must be considered as a separate limb on thefamily tree.

The two -in -one head (with separate gaps for recording and playback)has been retained, and the monitoring function this affords has been put to use inan extremely accurate bias, equalization, and Dolby -level tuning system. In thissetup, three test tones derived from a built-in oscillator are recorded, and the tapeoutput is continuously compared with preset reference levels. Whereas in some

-----

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ADC has four Sound Shaper'frequency equalizers that will improveyour sound system. No matter howgood it is. And at a cost that's lotsless than trading in your components.

ADC Sound Shapers willimprove your speakers. By extendingthe true bass response, includingthe critical mid bass.

ADC Sound Shapers willimprove the relationship between yourcartridge and speakers. From one ofpartial incompatibility to totalcompatibility.

They'll also eliminate rumble(low frequency overload), tape hissand record scratches.

And that only scratches thesurface of what ADC Sound Shaperscan do. For instance, the walls,carpeting and furniture of yourlistening room physically bouncesound around so that some spotshave less sound than other spots.

Lots less. ADC Sound Shapers willbring these "dead" spots to life.

Perhaps best of all, though, isa Sound Shaper's ability to letyou re -equalize what a recordingengineer mixed. If a horn section isoverwhelming a piccolo for example,you just slide the appropriate frequencylever. Presto, more piccolo. Ycu canalso vanquish a voice. Or boost a tuba.

Sound Shapers segment theentire spectrum of sound. To letyou re -shape a sound track to yourpersonal musical preferences. Its allthe control you've ever dreamed of butnever dreamed possible.

To get into equalizers, startwith our Sound Shaper One whichoperates in five frequency ranges. Orour Sound Shaper One Ten whichgives you greater control by operatingin ten frequency ranges.

For more professionalequalizers, there's our Sound Shaper

Two Mk II which functions in twelvefrequency ranges with a two -channelLED meter. And there's our newSound Shaper Three Paragraphic"Equalizer.

It combines all the advan-tages of a graphic equalizer with allthe advantages of a parametricequalizer. Twelve primary frequencycontrols per channel. Plus twenty-four ancillary control positions perchannel. The Sound Shaper Threeis the ultimate in controlling andcreating with your stereo system.

Take the ultimate step up insound, without trading in a thing.

ADC Professional Products,a division of BSR ConsumerProducts Group, Route 303,Blauvelt, NY 10913. Distributed inCanada by BSR (Canada) Ltd.,Ontario. ®Sound Shaper is aregistered trademark of AudioDynamics Corporation.

HOW TO TRADE UP YOUR RECEIVER,

TUNER, AMP TURNTABLE, CARTRIDGE AND SPEAKERS

WITHOUT TRADING IN A THING.

A DA BSR COMPANY

FREQUENCY EQUALIZERS

Circle 2 on Page 77

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Tape calibration proceeds from left to right (with Dolby off) via TAPE selector and four calibration controls (MODE,BIAS, LEVEL, and E0). Automatic end -of -tape rewind and playback is available via REPEAT/END or COUNTER REPEAT. Deck canalso be programmed to rewind to a specific spot and either stop there or proceed to playback via MEMORY -STOP or -PLAY.

RECORD/PLAY RESPONSE, METAL TAPE 1-20 OBI

).50 131

HZ 20

DB

0

HZ 20

50 100 200 500 IK 2K

- L ch: +Y., -3 dB, 31 Hz to 15 kHz.R ch: +0, -3 dB, 32 Hz to 19 kHz

5K

RECORD/PLAY RESPONSE. FERRIC TAPE (-20 dB)

10K 20K

141

50 100 200 500 IK 2K

- L ch: +0, -3 dB, 31 Hz to 14.5 kHzR ch: +0, -3 dB, 32 Hz to 16.5 kHz

S/N RATIO Ire DIN 0 dB; A -weighted)"chrome" metal

playback (without noise reduction)5944 dB 593/4 dB

Dolby playback671/2 dB 68 dB

record/play (without noise reduction)56 dB 57 dB

Dolby record/play641/2 dB 6544 dB

5K

ferric

57 dB

6544 dB

54 dB

6216 dB

METER READING FOR DIN 0 dB +5 dB

10K 20K

METER READING FOR 3% DISTRIBUTION lat 333 Hz)"chrome tape > +8 dBmetal tape +5 dBferric tape +5 dB

other decks the whole procedure is automated via microprocessor circuitry, here theuser must determine optimum levels by rotating the fine-tuning knobs in sequenceuntil two LEDs (representing high and low values) for each parameter lightsimultaneously. The tuning procedure is logical and progresses quite quickly. Tests atDiversified Science Laboratories attest to its accuracy: to within 1/2 dB of preset levelsfor each setting. Considering how narrow these control "windows" are, usersshould not be disconcerted by a later double-check, in which failure to confirm thesettings can be due to inconsequential tape inconsistencies.

The 1250's recording flexibility is hard to top. Mike/line mixing ispermitted by the level controls, each of which has separate channel balanceelements. A recording mute on the solenoid -controlled transport panel can be used(either in connection with PAUSE or alone) to kill radio announcements without thetelltale click that PAUSE causes. It also introduces a perceptible haitus even whenMUTE is not used, preventing seamless "splices" during copying. Dolby noisereduction ("double Dolby" here, to allow for the monitoring function) can beswitched in with or without the multiplex filter. Playback pitch control is retainedfrom the 1000, but the recording speed (which cannot be varied) is quartz locked.Tests at DSL indicate pitch variation ranges from almost a whole tone sharp to morethan a half tone flat of normal.

The twenty -four -segment Fluroscan "bar -graph" display has threemodes-peak, peak -hold, and average-and is calibrated over a wide and usefulrange of from -35 to +8 dB with 1 -dB divisions throughout the important regionabove -10 dB. In bench tests, the peak metering proves extremely fast, showing noovershoot and responding to pulses of just 0.1 millisecond (100 microseconds),whereas the intentionally damped. AVERAGE mode requires pulses of at least 65milliseconds to come within 3 dB of the mark. In the PEAK mode, the bright bluedisplay shows the peak value for approximately 21/2 seconds; in PEAK HOLD, the labstopped counting at 20 minutes. If ambient conditions necessitate it, the meter'sillumination can be dimmed.

As with the 1000, Pioneer does not recommend specific tapes by brandin the owner's manual. In theory, the 1250 can be optimized for any tape youchoose to throw at it, making this brand information relatively unimportant unlessyou want to use the detented "normal" positions on the adjustment knobs. For thatuse, Pioneer pointed us in the direction of Sony HF as the standard ferric, TDK SA asthe chrome equivalent, and TDK MA -R as a metal -particle tape. Pioneer does


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The speaker on the left isthe best selling, most popularcar stereo speaker ever. TheJensen Triaxial® 3 -way speakersystem.

The speaker on the rightis the one that's replacing it.The new Jensen Series I TriaxThe one with even higher effi-ciency. More power. More guts.

Sure, they look alike.But the similarity endsthere.

Higher powerhandling.

Believe it. Thenew 6" x 9" Series ITriax is rated at 50watts continuousaverage power, com-pared to 30 watts for theold Triaxial. Whichmeans it'll take morepower-more heat -andmore abuse from high powercar stereo units, without sac-rificing musical accuracy at theexpense of high volume levels.

Why can it take morepower? Because of its new,larger oven -cured one inch voicecoil. It offers 66% greaterpower handling for superiordurability. And because thespecial piezoelectric solid statetweeter is virtually indestruc-tible, yet sensitive to everymusical nuance.

The efficiency expert.Like all of the new Jensen

Series I speakers, the Triax ismore efficient than ever, thanksto our special high compliancecones with Flexae rim suspen-sion, 4 Ohm impedance andnew, more efficient motorstructures. Which translates tovery high efficiency that lets

Flexairx rimsuspension.

Piezoelectric solidstate tweeter

66% greater powerhandling capability

Yfirou4,tfr-,

20 -ounce one-piececeramic magnet

Oven -cured one inchvice

Jensen Series I speakers playlouder with less power forsmoother, distortion -free musicin your car.

JENSENThe thrill of being there.

4136 N. United ParkwaySchiller Park, Illinois 60176

"Triaxial" and "Triax" are the registered trademarksidentifying the patented 3 -way speaker systems ofJensen Sound Laboratories. (U.S Patent No.4,122,315)

More improvements.The Series I Triax fea-

tures an improved, 20 -ounceceramic magnet structure fordeep, well-defined bass. Alsoa new, rugged gasket for a tightacoustic seal. Black zincchromate plating insures cor-rosion resistance.

We also designed it to beeasier to install than the old

Triaxial with the stud -mounted grille.

Some things don'tchange.

There are somethings we just couldn'timprove. Like the idea

of an individual woofer,tweeter and midrangebalanced for accurate

sound reproduction.We also haven't

changed our commitmentto quality. And to back it up,we steadfastly support our fullline of Jensen Series I speak-ers with an excellent one yearlimited warranty.

"But they still lookthe same..."

You say you still can't seeany difference between the oldTriaxial on the left and the newSeries I Triaxial on the right.Maybe not. But you sure willbe able to hear the difference.And after all, that's the guts ofthe matter.

Same to

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13

40 HIGH FIDELITY

DISTORTION (third harmonic; at -10 dB DIN)

HD3

0.5

0.2

0.1

HZ 20 50 100 200 500 11( 2K 5K 10K

"chrome" tape 20.85%, 50 Hz to 5 kHzmetal tape ._0.48%, 50 Hz to 5 kHzferric tape :2.0.59%, 50 Hz to 5 kHz

ERASURE (333 Hz; re DIN 0 dB)"chrome" tapemetal tape

74 dB70 dB

CHANNEL SEPARATION (at 333 Hz) 45 dB

SPEED ACCURACY 0.45% fast at 105, 120,127 VAC

SPEED ADJUSTMENT RANGE +10.1, -8.2%

WOW 8 FLUTTER (ANSI/IEEE weighted peak)

playbackrecord/play

average± 0.07%

0.09%

SENSITIVITY Ire DIN 0 dB; 333 Hz)

line inputmike input

maximum± 0.09%±0.12%

98 mV0.36 mV

MIKE INPUT OVERLOAD (clipping) 48 mV

OUTPUT (from DIN 0 dB)playback level at normal Idetentlplayback level at maximum

*see text

630 mV850 mV

Dual RedesignsA "Classic"

20K

encourage use of the adjustments (so do we), and the lab tuned for each tapebefore making its measurements, though it did use the suggested formulations.

Response proved excellent over much of the frequncy range for eachtape, yet the deck did not get as much from the TDK metal -particle tape as otherdecks we have tested with the Scotch metal tape. Midrange headroom with MA -Ris approximately equal to that offered by the Sony ferric, and SA comes out betterthan both. As expected, MA -R is capable of considerably more headroom than SA,yet at lower frequencies it proves slightly less forgiving than SA. You'll note in thegraphs of frequency response that we have cut off left -channel response near 15kHz for the HF and MA -R tapes. The "missing" portions of the curves actually turnupward again in the lab data-not because response is miraculously restored athigher frequencies, but because of high-level intermodulation "birdies" thatdisappear as soon as the multiplex filter is switched in. While we could find no auralevidence of these products in the recordings we made without the filter, its use toprevent them might be desirable when there are lots of ultrahighs in the signal youare recording. The distortion curves generally are good, though (again) they don'tshow the advantage of metal tape that we're used to seeing. Channel output isfairly well balanced. Noise and flutter are very well controlled. The quartz -lockedspeed, which is unaffected by line voltage, runs a little fast but not seriously so.

Working with the deck, we found the switch markings more helpfulthan the cumbersome explanations in the owner's manual in sorting out thecomplexities of the microprocessor counter and memory controls. The OUTPUT levelcontrol might better have been called PLAYBACK since it does not alter the source -monitor level. It does influence playback metering, however. A detent at the centerposition matches playback levels and metering to those of the source input; there isno means of adjusting source feed level to that of the receiver. This quirk aside, wegenerally admire the control system, which impresses us as well organized for socomplex a design. We also give high marks to the tape adjustment system, whichdelivered sonically admirable results with every tape we tried, and to the meteringsystem. The convenience features (time.- operation, auto repeat, and so on) workwell and, in a sense, epitomize the 1250 as a sophisticated, multifaceted designaddressed unequivocally to the home user wno enjoys "bothering" with thecomplexities that today's technology makes possible.


SPEED SELECT 133/451

45 -RPM SPEED ADJUST.

SPEED ADJUST. ON/OFF33 -RPM SPEED ADJUSTSPEED DISPLAY START

STOPLIFT

BALANCE,ANTIRESONANCEADJUST.VTF ADJUST.

CUE -DESCENTSPEED ADJUST.

ANTISKATINGADJUST.SINGLE -PLAY/REPEAT

CUEING

Dual CS -7310 automatic single -play, direct -drive turntable,with integral base and dust cover. Dimensions: 161/2 by 141/2 inches; 5inches high with cover closed, 10 inches additional height and 1 Inch atback required to open cover. Price: $559; with optional Ortofon ULM-60Epickup, $699.95. Warranty: "limited," two years parts and labor; ninetydays for cartridge body. Manufacturer: Dual, West Germany; U.S.distributor: United Audio, 120 S. Columbus Ave., Mount Vernon, N.Y.10553.

The CS -7310 is the latest incarnation of what has come to be a classicDual: the Model 701 (HF test reports, March and September 1974), its firstnonchanger in this country and the first to incorporate a mechanical antiresonancefilter in the counterweight assembly. The 731's fully automatic, single -play

&

.11 -

018,

If you don't have at least $1,000 to spendon an Audiovox Hi -Comp autosound system,read no further.By Robert Harris, Technical Director

There are few things in this worldthat can take a driver out of thetraffic jam or away from a gas

line, better than great music, wellreproduced.

Audiovox understands this. That'swhy they engineered the Hi -Comprange of high fidelity stereocomponents designed to produceexemplary sound in automobiles.

A total range of exoticamplifiers/receivers.

Each model builds on the one before ituntil you reach the HCM-0010 - the"master system."

HCE-750 HiComp Semi -parametric graphic equalizer

It's an electronically -tuned AM/FMmultiplex receiver with a built-in auto -reverse cassette deck. The HCM-0010has 12 -station memory, LED display,

Low distortion audiopre -amp circuits

Phase -Lock LoopFM quadraturedetector

Dual -gate MOS/FETFM Front end

Patented design panelcontrols 39 functions

Motor DrivenFader control

3" mid -range withhigh flux densityferrite magnet

6" x 9" woofer.butyl rubbersuspension

1,'2" high temp.aluminumSV wire voice coil

3/4" precisionmolded gasket

11/2." high efficiencyhorn loaded tweeterwith strontium magnet

20 oz. strontium magnetwith thick 8 mm plates

HCS-362 HiComp 6" x 3 -way speaker system.

built-in quartz clock and an automaticstation seek. It also features a Cr02switch, Dolby", FM muting, 4 -waystereo balance controls, separate bassand treble controls and a HardPermalloy tape head. Its looks arestraight out of a stereo buff's musicroom.

Micro -processor controlledelectronic synthesizer

Computer -grade tunerfunction switches

Hard PermalloyTape Head

Dolby NoiseReduction circuits

Electronically governedtape speed control

Auto -reversecassette mechanism

LED display offrequency or time

witchable 120/70 meet.tape equalization

The Audiovox HCM-0010, developed by the audio research laboratoriesof the Shintom Company, Ltd., Yokohama, Japan.

4 power -matched speaker systems.

The ultimate is the Hi -Comp 362system: 6" x 9" three way speakers with11/2" Strontium horn tweeters, 3" mid-ranges, 20 -ounce Strontium magnetwoofers, 11/2" heat proof aluminumvoice coils, and a 70 to 18,000 Hzresponse range with crossovers at 2,900and 9,000 Hz, and a power capacity of70 watts. Hook these up to theHCM-0010 with the Hi -Comp poweramplifier, HCB-830, 120 watts RMS atless than 0.3% distortion, and you'vegot enough sound to pop a moon roof.

HCB-830 HiComp 120 watt 4 -channel power amplifier

Now for the equalizer.Apart from a heavy-duty fader controlor a dual slide -bar pre -amp, the onlyother Audiovox Hi -Comp componentyou might buy is the HCE-750semi -parametric graphic equalizerwith 5 slide -bar response controls andbi-amp capability.

You spend $1,000and what do you get?

Probably the finest sound you'veheard, anywhere. It takes money to getit. But it also takes a lot of specializeddedication. Audiovox only knows howto do just one thing: How to engineerthe finest automobile sound systemsyou've ever heard.

For further information, write to: RobertHarris, Technical Director, Dept. HF ,Audiovox, 150 Marcus Blvd. Hauppauge,New York 11787.

Dolby' is a registered trademark of DolbyLaboratories, Inc.

C) 1979 Audiovox Corporation

Circle 6 on Page 77

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42 HIGH FIDELITY

Dual CS -7310 turntable

SPEED ACCURACY (at 33 or 45 rpm)no measurable error at 105, 120, or 127 VAC

SPEED ADJUSTMENT RANGEat 33at 45

-6.6 to +6.0%- 6.8 to +5.9%

WOW & FLUTTER (ANSI/IEEE weighted peak)± 0.04% average; ± 0.07% max. instantaneous

TOTAL AUDIBLE RUMBLE (ARLO -63 dB

TONEARM RESONANCE 8 DAMPING (set at 8.5 see text)with Shure V-15 Type III pickup

vertical 8.4 Hz; 2 -dB riselateral 5.2 Hz; 4 -dB rise

with Ortofon ULM-60E pickupvertical 9.3 Hz; 5.4 -dB rise

lateral 8.3 Hz; 6)6 -dB rise

ARM FRICTION negligible

MIN. STYLUS FORCE FOR AUTO TRIP 210 mg

TOTAL LEAD CAPACITANCE 208.5 pF

CorrectionOn page 26 of our November issue

the Dimension 5 by Sonic Research is incor-rectly described as a moving -coil pickup. It is,in fact, a moving-iron/fixed-coil design.

mechanism is virtually foolproof, and the ULM (ultralow mass) tonearm inconjunction with a specially designed Ortofon low -mass pickup is a study in careful,synergistic engineering. Each of the nine turntables, including the changers, in theDual line incorporates the ULM tonearm and can be ordered with a ULM pickup(2.5 grams). When so mated, the total effective mass of the arm and cartridge is afeatherweight 8 grams.

To effect such a dramatic Dowering of mass, Dual re -engineered itsfamiliar straight tubular arm, shaving down its diameter, reducing the size and massof the offset headshell (or, more properly, clip -in mounting platform), and lighteningthe counterweight. Balancing the arm with cartridges weighing up to 4 gramsshould be no problem; extra weights are provided for heavier pickups. The companyretained the gimbal -suspension principle, but in a strikingly attractive redesign. Andit refined the resonance damping of the counterweight so that you can adjustantiresonance behavior to the pickup in use. The "gauge" is marked in incrementsfrom 5.5 to 10; you set the filter index after consulting a graph in the owner'smanual, showing correct values according to the weight and compliance of apickup, where known. Data for severs' popular pickups are included, and suchfigures for most other cartridges are available from their manufacturers.

Power is provided by a direct -drive motor whose speed is monitoredand corrected via a quartz -crystal phase -locked loop circuit. A knurled knob at theleft of the platter selects either 33 or 45 rpm, and the speed adjustments (actuallyfor deliberate misadjustments) can be defeated by a switch between the twoverniers. There are two speed indicators; strobe markings cast into the platter allowfor constant monitoring, and departures from dead -on speed read out on anilluminated front -panel display as positive or negative percentages vs. the quartzreference-up to 51/2% fast or slow.

The automatic mechanism seems as jam -proof as any we'veencountered. A knob to the right of the platter can be set for single play or forconstant replay. The cueing lever on the top deck is duplicated by the LIFT button onthe front panel. Both cueing speed and tonearm cueing height are easily adjustable-the latter at a screw next to the platter, behind the "headshell" in our picture. Forautomatic play, a touch of the START button is enough to set things in gear; forsemiautomatic operation, moving the tonearm away from its rest automaticallystarts the platter rotation, while pressing STOP or returning the arm to its rest willstop the play cycle.

Data from CBS Technology Center show the CS -7310 to be deservingof its flagship status in the Dual line. Air its measurements put it firmly in theexcellent category. Accuracy for both rotation speeds remains exact and unvaryingat each of our line voltages. Speed adjustment range, even greater than the 11%claimed by Dual, allows for a full half -tone pitch change in either direction fromnormal. Both average and instantaneous flutter values are impressively low, andtotal audible rumble is in line with that of other top-quality turntables. Nomeasurable error could be found in the settings for vertical tracking force, which iscalibrated to 2 grams with 0.1 -gram resolution. Antiskating bias, dialed in on a triplescale (for spherical, elliptical, and CD -4 styli), is applied quite linearly and falls withintheoretically desirable values. The force needed to trip tonearm return at theleadout groove is well below the normal vertical tracking force range.

The lab measurements for tonearm resonance, including theeffectiveness of the tunable antiresonance filter, encompassed both the valuesobtained with our "standard" Shure V-15 Type III pickup and those for thepremounted Ortofon ULM-60E. With the Ortofon pickup and the filter set at itslocked (presumably inoperative) position, tonearm resonance falls just a hair short ofthe "ideal" 10 Hz. Setting the filter to the cartridge's recommended 7.8 index pointresults in a small (about 1/4 dB) diminution of the vertical resonance amplitude plus a1 -dB improvement in the lateral plane-not a very dramatic effect, but since theresonance already occurs in the preferred frequency range, there's no cause forcomplaint. The more massive Shure's resonance falls, predictably, a little closer to thearea where warp information might be transmitted to the amplifier: above 8 Hz inthe important vertical plane, but around 5 Hz horizontally. Strangely enough, thelab found that the excellent (2 -dB) amplitude of the vertical resonance actuallyincreased to 41/4 dB when the filter was moved from the locked position to theShure's recommended index point (7.0). The best results with both pickups were

Why Yamaha speakerssound better than all the others.

Even before you hear them.To make a speaker that produces accurate

sound is not simple. It requires painstaking attentionto detail, precise craftsmanship, and advancedtechnology.

And that's where Yamaha comes in. We build allour speakers with the utmost precision in every detail.

As the premier examples of Yamaha loudspeakercraftsmanship, read what goes into the two speakersshown, the NS-690II and the NS -1000M. Then you'llunderstand why Yamaha loudspeakers sound better.Even before you hear them.

Precision Yamaha crafted cabinetry - (1) Thewalls on these, and all Yamaha speaker cabinets,are sturdily braced and crossbraced at everypossible stress point. (2) The corner seamcraftsmanship is so fine that it looks like the cabinet ismade from one continuous piece of wood.

The back panels on these speakers areflush -mounted for maximum air volume within thecabinet. (3) Inside, a 3/4" felt lining "decouples" thecabinet from the drivers to achieve acoustic isolationof the woofer from the cabinet. (4) Thick glass -woolalso aids in damping the woofer for maximumperformance.

Lift one of these Yamaha speakers. It'suncommonly heavy and sturdy. (5) We even glue andscrew the woofer cutout from the baffle to the insiderear panel for greater cabinet rigidity.

Now knock on the cabinet. It will sound as solidand substantial as it is.

Precision Yamaha Drivers - (6) The drivers aremounted on computer -cut baffle boards withexacting, critical tolerances to insure precision fit. AllYamaha speakers are acoustic suspension design,and this precise fit is critical for an airtight seal andoptimum woofer recovery.

The drivers on these, and all Ycmaha speakers,are flush -mounted on the baffleboard to avoid un-wanted diffrac-tion of the soundwaves. (7) This isespecially im-portant becauseall our tweetersand mid -highrange driversare the maximum -

dispersion dome type for the most naturalreproduction of voice and instruments.

(8) We use chrome -plated machine screws(rather than wood screws) with two washers (regularand lock) to insure an unyielding mounting.

(9) The speaker frames shown are die cast ratherthan stamped. That's so they won't twist and alter thevoice coil alignment during assembly and use.

Other Precision extras - All terminals are quickconnect, screw -mounted assemblies.

(10) The wire leads are carefully soldered, notclipped.

All our speakers use full LRC crossover networks.These crossover networks are among the mostadvanced available.

Precision that stands alone - There's more.Much more. But, there is another fact of Yamaha loud-speaker construction that simply stands alone in theindustry. Each component used in the two Yamahaspeakers shown is manufactured by Yamaha. Fromthe hefty die-cast speaker frames to the unique, ultra -low mass aeryllium dome diaphragm.That's a statement no other manufacturer can make.

And therein lies Yamaha's story. If we put thismuch care and craftsmanship into the making of ourcomponents and cabinet structures, then imagine thecare, precision and craftsmanship that go into thequality of the final sound. A sound built uponYamaha's unique 98 -year heritage as the world'slargest and most meticulous manufacturer of musicalinstruments. From our most economical loudspeakerto our top -of -the -line models shown here, Yamaharetains the same attention to detail and craftsmanship.

Look before you listen. You'll be convinced thatYamaha loudspeakers sound better than the rest.Even before you turn them on. Then ask for a personal

demonstration of these andother Yamahaloudspeakers atyour YamahaAudio SpecialtyDealer, listed inthe Yellow Pages.Or write us:Yamaha, AudioDiv., P.O. Box 6600,Buena Park,CA 90622.

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44 HIGH FIDELITY

The SpatialPreamp:How Special?

Spatial TVA -1 preamplifier

OUTPUT AT CLIPPING 9.3 volts

HARMONIC DISTORTION ITHD; 20 Hz to 20 kHz)aux input 0.039%phono input 0.043%

FREQUENCY RESPONSE

+0, -''/ dB, <10 Hz to 16.7 kHz;-V, dB at 40 kHz; -3 dB at 130 kHz

RIAA EQUALIZATION +0, -1/2 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

INPUT CHARACTERISTICS IIHF loading; A -weighting)Sensitivity S/N ratio

aux input 60 mV 8714 dB

phono input 0.65 mV 78 dB

PHONO OVERLOAD II -kHz clipping) 130 mV

PHONO IMPEDANCE 49k ohms (complex)

LOW FILTERS -3 dB at 19, 40, 80, 180 Hz;all 6 dB per octave

found with the filter moved to about 8.5 and are shown in the data; the filteraffects the resonance amplitudes, not their frequencies.

In use, and navigating the worst warps we could find, the Dual/Ortofon combination proved very agile indeed, with nary a mistrack. Even when weinvestigated the ability of the suspension system to isolate the pickup from shocks tothe base and the surface on which it stands-a test in which we judged the resultsno better than average-the pickup refused to leave the groove. So, while the labmeasurements on the antiresonance filter fail to document much advantage in whatstrikes us as an excellent idea, the actual behavior of the arm with its "matched"cartridge is exemplary. So is that of the automatic cueing and repeat features, whichwe consider a joy to use.


INPUT(PHONO 1/PHONO 2/TUNER/AUX I/AUX2)

TAPE DUB/MONITOR112/TAPE I/SOURCE/TAPE 2/2 I)MODE IL/R/STEREO/REV/L+R)FILTER (OUT/20 HZ/40 HZ/80 HZ/160 HZ)BASS )0/+3/+6/+9/+12 DB)

VOLUMEBALANCETREBLE

- 8/- 4/0/+ 4/+ 8 DB)

Spatial Coherence Preamplifier Model TVA -1, in rack -mountable metal case. Dimensions: 19 by 31/2 inches (front panel), 121/4inches deep plus clearance for controls and connections. AC convenienceoutlets: two unswitched (100 watts max. total). Price: $1,395. Warranty:"limited," three years parts and labor. Manufacturer: Spatial, Inc., 3633Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach, Calif. 90807.

This report must perforce begin with some definitions. The term "spatialcoherence" refers to the unique signal integrity, delivering both ultraclear stereo andultraclean signals, that the company claims for its initial product. To achieve this,Spatial has replaced the usual bipolar transistors, field effect transistors, or tubes-allof which it considers inherently nonlinear-with what it terms Translinear FieldEffect Transconductance-Valves. The importance of this move is said to lie in whatSpatial calls "noise intermodulation": noise -correlated distortion products that tendto smear discrete signal components in both frequency and time-and hence, viaphase relationships, in space.

As we suggested ("News and Views," August 1978) on our firstencounter with Spatial and its preamp, all this can easily inspire skepticism,particularly when you consider that this is the only company we know of to havediscovered noise intermodulation as a fidelity deterrent and that it freely admits thedifficulty or even impossibility of isolating the distortion products in either thelistening room or the lab because noise intermodulation is so intimately linked to thesignal elements that cause it. Adding to the skepticism are some other caveats. 1)The special properties of the preamp do not emerge immediately when it is turnedon but, according to the company, require that it be left on for at least one day andpreferably one week so that all circuit elements can settle down to their ultimatesymbiosis. (Note that there is no on/off switch and therefore no switching forconvenience AC outlets.) 2) The listener, too, requires time to glean the fulladvantages of TFET-Valve circuitry since a major by-product of noiseintermodulation is said to be listener fatigue, whose presence or absence cannot beascertained in short-term listening.

We realized before we opened the carton that this would not be aneasy product to test. When we set up the TVA -1, we noticed some maverickelements in the controls. The treble is calibrated from -8 to +8 dB, an unusuallyrestricted range. And, as it turned out on the bench at Diversified ScienceLaboratories, the actual boost or cut is less than the calibration implies, dependingon the knob setting, and refers to a center frequency of about 3.5 kHz with someeffect extending down as far as 200 Hz-an atypical characteristic indeed. The morewe worked with it, however, the more we liked it. It gently raises or lowers the

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2..7 7.-

IBIS NEW L150:ITS BOTTOM PUTS IT ON TOR

JBL's new L150 takes youdeeper into the low frequenciesof music without taking youdeeper into your budget.

This short -tower, floor -standing loudspeaker sys:emproduces bass with depth.power and transparency thatcomes incredibly close to alive performance.

A com-pletely new 12"driver was createdfor the L150. It hasan innovative

magnetic assemblythe result (I yeas ciresearch at JBL. It

uses a stiff, heavy conethat's been coatec with anexclusive damping formL-lation for optimum massand density.

And it has anunusually large 3"voice coil, which aidsthe L150's efficiencyand its ability torespond to transients

(peaks, climaxesand suddenspurts) in music.

There's evenmoreto :he L15C'sbottom-a 12"passive radiatorlooks like a driverbut it's not. We iseit to replace a large

volume of air andcontribute to the produc-

tion of true, deep bass. Basswithout boom.

If you're impressed with theL150's lows, you'll be equallyimpressed with its highs and mids.Its powerful 1" high -frequency

done radiator provides wide disper-sion throughout its range. And a 5"midrange transducer handles highvolume levels without distorting.The maximum power recom-mendee is 300 watts per channel.

The L150's other attributesinclude typical JBL accuracy -thekind that recording professionalsrely on. Maximum power/flatfrequercy response. High effi-ciency. And extraordinary time/phase accuracy.

Before you believe that youcan't afford a floor system, listen toan L150. While its bottom is tops,its price isn't.

James B. Lansing Sound,Inc., 8500 Balboa Boulevard,

Northridge,CA 91329.


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AD -L40

Put metal tape where it willdo the most good.

Again AIWA leads the way toward the ultimate in cassettetechnology-with three of the most sophisticated metal -capacity decks you can buy: the AIWA AD-6900MK II,AD -6700 and AD -L40.

Performance is simply unparalleled.At -20 dB recording, AIWA's state-of-the-art AD-

6900MK II boasts a frequency response of 20 -,20,000Hz with metal tape. Even at 0 dB, frequency response isan exceptionally broad 25-12,500 Hz dB.

This superb performance is maximized by AIWA's ex-tremely durable Ferrite Combination V -Cut (CVC) play-back/record head. With the best possiblegap widths of 5 microns for recording and1 micron for playback.

The AD-6900MK ll's unique 3 -head de-sign not only lets you compare source withtape during recording-it also permits themost precise bias adjustment availabletoday for FeCr, Cr07 and all ether LH/Noi-mal tapes: AIWA's exclusive FLAT RE-SPONSE TUNING SYSTEM.

And only AIWAs AD-6900MK II and AD -6700 offer advanced feather -touch logiccontrols including Cue & Review-plus ex-clusive full -function wireless remote ccn-

trol from across the room, Both decks also feature AIWAsexclusive Double Needle Meters for simultaneous moni-toring of Peak and VU.

AIWAs newest AD -6700 and AD -L40 are just assophistizated.

The AD -5700 offers 2 -head design, convenient Auto/Repeat with Memory Switch, full -function wireless remotecontrol and an amazingly accurate 9 -point LED peakpower display in three dramatic colors.

AIWA's ult a -modern AD -L40 offers the only 20 -pointLED horizontal peak power bar graph you can buy-for

instant three -color warning of distortion.All three decks were designed with a spe-

cial Ferrite double -gap erase head andhigh -power erase circuitry.

So if you're ready for metal tape, put itwhere it will do the most good. InsideAIWAs incredibly advanced AD-6900MKII, AD -6700 or AD -L40.

Upgrade toAllDistributed in the U.S. by: AIWA AMERICA INC.,

35 Oxford Drive, Moonachie, New Jersey 07074.Distributed in Canada by. SHRIRO (CANADA) LTD.

AD -6700

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JANUARY 1980 47

JVC Updates theRibbon Tweeter

entire brightness range, so to speak, with little exaggeration or dulling of tinkly orhissy sounds at the extreme high end, and thus is uncommonly effective inaddressing overall bass/treble balance. It is relatively ineffective in correcting seriousshortcomings that would be better left to a specialized equalizer in any event; it is,for example, utterly useless as a hiss filter.

The bass controls are even more unusual. The main control has boostpositions only, calibrated (with fair accuracy) in terms of 20 -Hz response, abovewhich frequency the curves slope off gently toward near -flat response above I kHz,for considerable overlap with the treble control. The bass -cut function actually issupplied by the independent FILTER, which delivers gentle slopes at all its settingsand varies only the turnover frequency; the position markings very accurately reflectthe frequency at which each curve is 3 dB down. Since the filter's effect does notextend as high as that of the bass -boost control, both can be used simultaneously toincrease midbass response while leaving the deep bass relatively untouched or evencutting it back. And when their many possible combinations are added to the trebleoptions, the tone -control ensemble proves extraordinarily subtle and flexible,though it does require practice to make the most of its potential.

At first, we were unimpressed by the tape control because monitoringand dubbing are combined on a single knob and monitoring options therefore areremoved while you are dubbing. Since all the monitoring decks we can think of havea SOURCE/TAPE switch and all the nonmonitoring ones automatically feed the sourcestraight through during recording, an appropriate signal can be monitored via thepreamp (which "listens to" the deck on which the copy is being made) with anydubbing scheme we could devise. (Of course, you can't listen to another sourcewhile the dubbing is in progress, but we would expect serious audiophiles tomonitor most of their dubs carefully anyway.)

DSL's measurements show the TVA -1 to be a fine performer in allconventional respects: Response is very flat, distortion and noise very low. The turn -on transients, however, last more than the few seconds normally allowed by themuting in most amps' protective circuitry. Since the preamp is designed for always -on use Ian unusual, though not unique idea), the only material result of this findingwould seem to be that, should you suffer a power failure while you're listening, itwould be a good idea to shut off your amp until the power is restored and thepreamp has had a few minutes to settle down again. Though Spatial insists on atleast twenty-four hours' warmup, you can use the unit before that without ill effectand, probably, without being able to hear that it hasn't attained its top form.

We must say "probably" because our efforts to document the presenceor absence of the special sonic quality claimed for the preamp proved essentiallyfutile. In A/B comparisons with a preamp of conventional circuitry and almost asgood conventional measurements, we simply could not distinguish between thehigh-level circuitry of the two. The phono stages would not have made anadequate comparison because the Spatial does not present a classic load to thepickup, and capacitance therefore could not be "equalized" to make the cartridgebehave the same with both. And, of course, different pickups might well producedifferent results for the same reason, invalidating the test even if the two preampscould be made to sound the same under a given set of conditions.

We can say that, in every use to which we have put it, the TVA -1sounds very fine, indeed. In long-term listening, we continued to enjoy it andadmired the stereo imaging we were able to achieve with it. The TFET-Valvecircuitry may well offer, however subtly, a higher order of listening pleasure andrealism, but we could not document it. We suspect that audiophiles will be arguingover this subject-and product-for some time to come.


JVC Zero -5 loudspeaker system in wood -veneer cabinet.Dimensions: 141/2 by 26 inches (front), 13'/2 inches deep. Price: $400.Warranty: "limited," five years parts and labor. Manufacturer: Victor Co.,Japan; U.S. distributor: JVC America, Inc. 58-75 Queens MidtownExpressway, Maspeth, N.Y. 11378.

A body at rest is a formidable obstacle: The heavier it is (the greater itsmass), the greater the force needed to overcome its inertia. For that reason, the fight

Circle SI on Page 77I

HIGH FIDELITY

JVC Zero -5 loudspeaker

ANECHOIC RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS I0-dBW input)

DBSPL

90

85

80

HZ 20 50 100100 200 500 IK 2K

boundary -dependent regionaverage omnidirectional responseaverage front hemispheric responseon -axis response

5K

AVERAGE OMNIDIRECTIONAL OUTPUT1250 Hz to 6 kHz)

861/4 dB SPL for 0 dBW 11 watt) input

CONTINUOUS ON -AXIS OUTPUT (at 300 Hz)113 SPL for 20 dBW 1100 watts) input

10K

PULSED OUTPUT lat 300 Hz)1261/4 dB SPL for 331/4 dBW 12,120 watts) peak


APPROX. TWEETER CONTROL RANGE Ire "flat")-6 dB above 8 kHz

APPROX. MIDRANGE CONTROL RANGE Ire -flat")-6 d8, 800 Hz to 5.5 kHz

20K

to trim moving mass in loudspeaker drivers (as well as other physical transducers)has preoccupied audio designers for decades. Part of the appeal of ribbon tweetershas been their inherently low mass, and JVC's contribution is a refinement of thattheme.

The classical ribbon tweeter is simply a thin conductor suspended in astrong magnetic field, demanding a transformer to keep the effective tweeterimpedance high enough to load audio amplifiers properly. JVC came up with ahybrid in which an 8 -ohm "voice coil" is photo -etched on the low -mass (48 -milligram) diaphragm, raising the impedance and eliminating the matchingtransformer. Samarium cobalt magnets generate the required magnetic field. Analuminum horn/phase-equalizer helps improve the directivity of the resultingvibrations. JVC claims improved transient response characteristics, output up to 50kHz, and high power -handling capability due to effective heat dissipation.

The Zero -5 is a three-way bass -reflex loudspeaker, with a 12 -inchwoofer and a 4 -inch metal -dome midrange driver. Its construction mirrors the carelavished on speaker systems by Japanese manufacturers: A die-cast aluminumframe surrounds the woofer, a perforated aluminum cap protects the midrangedriver, and the finish of the enclosure is truly luxurious. Screw posts on the back ofthe speaker connect it to the amplifier, and continuous -acting level controls for themidrange and tweeter are mounted on the baffle board.

In the tests at CBS Technology Center, the Zero -5 comes off very well inmost important respects. The impedance curve, though a little quirky, is relativelywell controlled, with the "nominal" rating of 5.3 ohms quite close to JVC's 6 -ohmfigure. Efficiency is fairly high, even for a vented system, but the speaker still tookthe full 20 dBW (100 watts) in the continuous -tone test with nary a sign of strainand didn't exceed distortion limits in the pulse test until peak input power hadreached more than 33 dBW (2 kilowatts) and the sound pressure level was an ear -threatening 1261/4 dB. The distortion measurements are, in fact, extremely low. In themoderate -power test (at 0 dBW, or 1 watt), both the second and the thirdharmonic remained below 1%-generally well below it-froni at least 60 Hz up. AtOle higher level (100 dB SPL), the second harmonic increased somewhat but stillwithout exceeding 1% over the same range, while the increase in the thirdharmonic was minuscule. Few loudspeakers we have measured have done as well.

The scope photos of the pulse tests, however, suggest some possibleareas of complaint. At 300 Hz, the woofer is notably sluggish in responding to thehead end of the pulse, with a slight overhang at the trailing end. At 3 kHz there isevidence of multiple, though very low-level reflections. The response data, too,present curiosities. The midrange and tweeter controls respond with unusualaccuracy (vis-a-vis their marked calibration points from 0 to -6 dB with respect to"flat") and consistency, which bespeaks careful crossover design; but a response holeat the upper (5 -kHz) crossover in the third -octave measurements shown in thegraph disappears in swept -tone measurements, while another in the midrange(between 2 and 3 kHz) that appears with sweeps disappears in the third -octavetests. Since there often are significant differences between these measurements, wedidn't pay much attention to them until we had conducted our listening tests, inwhich midrange coloration-a certain roughness and even honkiness, with apinched sound on brasses and strings-was our panel's least laudatory but mostconsistent finding. We also found that stereo imaging was below average in stabilityand openness. This mediocre imaging, the measurement anomalies, and theperceived midrange roughness are related, we believe. Of less importance, in ouropinion, is the response at both frequency extremes, where rolloff can be notedboth in the graph and in the listening.

Among the most attractive properties our listeners perceived wereunusually clean bass and treble (the respective rolloffs notwithstanding) and theexcellent power -handling characteristics, and thus dynamic range, that the lab testsdocument. They also commented on a certain forwardness to the sound, which canbe attractive in pop music particularly. But the Zero -5, attractive as it is in somerespects, does not realize the full potential of the ribbon tweeter. Though wecannot confirm that the tweeter is capable of uncommonly flat response extendinginto the ultrasonic region, we liked what we heard from it and consider themidrange driver-or the integration of midrange with treble-to be the system'slimiting factor. We expect good results from ribbon designs to come.


48

,-k

AKAI'SSUPE

EXCLUSIVEGX HEADS.

Improves specs for all types of tape -including metal.

In 1969, AKAI introduced one of the most impor-tant technological advances in tape recordinghistory - the exclusive Glass and Crystal FerriteGX Head. The head guaranteed* for over 150,000hours - the equivalent of over 17 years of con-tinuous, superb play.

But now AKAI makes a great thing evenbetter with two new Super GX Heads. Therevolutionary heads designed to improve fre-quency response by 2,000 Hz, improve S/Nratio 4-6 dB, improve the dynamic range on alltapes and deliver optimum performance withmetal tape.

The Super GX Twin Field Head gives youthe record/play performance of a three -head deckat two -head prices. With two gaps mounted ina single configuration - an optimum wide gapfor recording and an optimum narrow gap forplayback -AKAI has eliminated the need fora compromise gap found in traditional record/playback heads.

More impressive is the new Super GX ComboHead, which is actually a separate record andplayback head mounted in a single housing. Com-bined with an erase head, this configurationgives you a three -head deck, with all the sameadvantages as the Super GX Twin Field Head,plus tape monitoring capabilities.

Both new Super GX Heads offer AKAI's150,000 hour guarantee, and the kind of state -of-the-art specs you've come to expect from AKAI.

AKAI Super GX Heads. Making a great thingeven better.

For more information, write: AKAI, P O. Box6010, Compton, CA 90224; in Canada: AKAIAUDIO VIDEO CANADA, Vancouver B.C.,Canada.

*limited warranty

AKAIYou never heard it so good.

-

4111111211wo

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111,1111011111111111111111111111111P11.1k

= It sounds2 like music..cw Interface:C Series II0 is the fulfillment of

our six -year asso-ciation with optimallyvented speakers basedon the theories of

0 A.N.Thiele- speakerdesigns first introducedby Electro-Voice in 1973.The Interface:C offersyou a unique combination0 of high efficiency andhigh power capacity- theonly way to accuratelyreproduce the 120+ dBpeak sound pressurelevels found in sometypes of live music.

The SuperDomeTMtweeter, an E -V exclusive,and the VMRTM ventedmidrange driver, the firstto apply optimally venteddesign to mid frequen-cies, ensure your musicis reproduced withoutthe coloration normallyfound in other high -efficiency drivers. Anhonest 30 Hz low endtotally eliminates theneed for expensive sub -woofer assemblies.

When you spend $1,000for a speaker system,

Cget your money's worth.Audition the Interface:CSeries II at your nearestInterface dealer. If youwant a speaker thatsounds like music, theInterface:C Series II isthe one you'll buy.

I

ElectroVoiceLEX] a ?ikon company

600 Cecil Street, Buchanan, Michigan 49107

50

LettersImported TalentJoseph Horowitz' articleabout pianist Bella Davido-vich [October 1979] appearsto be just an indirect way of

writing about Soviet artistic circles andbeing negative. One might ask why Melo-diya issues works by composers whom it isallegedly a crime to perform in the U.S.S.R.

There is no doubt that many musicalartists leave Russia for genuine artistic rea-sons. However, it is also possible that manysimply emigrate for the money, a certainlynonartistic motive (presuming they aren'tstarving); the musical standards in Russiaare very high.

Perhaps HF's bias against theU.S.S.R. is political; perhaps it is just a mat-ter of jealousy. A comparison of the musi-cal education systems in the U.S. and theU.S.S.R. and the number of talented indi-viduals produced by each would be veryenlightening. That the U.S. imports most ofits talent is well known.

Arthur WallingHamilton, Ont.

If most of the musical talent in the U.S.-at least of international superstars-is im-

ported, the reason would appear to havelittle to do with the quality of music educa-tion here. Not only most of our importedtalent, but a large percentage of the majormusicians throughout the world (at leastthose under sixty years of age) came herefor a critical portion of their education. IfMr. Walling is referring to the solid musi-cians whose names are not householdwords but who make up our orchestras andother performing groups, the vast majorityare both U.S.-born and U.S.-trained-Ed.

Another Composers' HavenAllan Kozinn's article on Composers

Recordings, Inc. [September], brought de-served recognition for the significant ac-complishments of this pioneering organiza-tion. However, I must point out that CRIhas not been the only recording alternativeto the major labels that has been availableto composers. For more than fifteen years,Owl Recording, Inc., has released recordsof new music, albeit on a much smallerscale, and has fully funded several of them.

We continue to welcome scores andtapes from composers and performers-anyone with a potential recording of "highartistic, bducational, or historical value."

HIGH FIDELITY

Like CRI, Owl finds that the financial pic-ture must be examined at the outset.

One final note: The grant of tax-exempt status to CRI in 1977 followed theprecedent established in 1976, when Owlbecame the first record company in the U.S.to acquire such status.

Thomas SteenlandProgram CoordinatorOwl Recording, Inc.P.O. Box 4536Boulder, Colo. 80306

DBX for PopI welcome the information in Leon-

ard Marcus' editorial [September] that DBXpromises to release encoded pop record-ings. I own a DBX Model 122 and havefound the advantages of increased head-room for tape recording and increased dy-namic range in both tapes and discs to betremendous.

Jimmy Gene VandegriffRandolph Air Force Base, Tex.

Labor of LoveI agree with some of David Ham-

ilton's criticism of the new Fritz Reiner dis-cography compiled by Arthur J. Helm-brecht Jr. ["Conductors' Discographies,"September]. However, as a member of theFritz Reiner Society and as one who wasin on this "labor of love" from the start, Imust take exception to the fact that Mr.Hamilton chose only to criticize. It shouldbe said that, even though this discographymight be "incomplete" and "infuriating"because of its manner of organization, itsauthor deserves words of praise for his ef-fort. After all, this is the most complete list-ing thus far and should serve to lightenenormously the workload of the next per-son who chooses to undertake this monu-mental task.

Mohammed ZanjaniArdsley, N.Y.

Another View of Ma VlastI have to comment on reader Larry

Garrison's concern ["Letters," October]over R. D. Darrell's omission of Karel An-Eerl's recording of Ma Vlast in his discus-sion of the reissue of Vaclav Talich's per-formance. Having heard both Talich on theoriginal Parliament recording and Anterlon the old Crossroads, I must say that thelatter is not in the same league. Anted hasthe Czech idiom in hand, but his perform-ance does not flow or breathe. For thequickest comparison, listen to the two ver-sions of Sarka.

John P. DahlquistOakland, Calif.

Circle 33 on Page 77 PCircle 13 on Page 77

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Are Your Old Records Worth $$$?How to find out and what to do about it if they are.Part I: Classical Recordsby Michael Biel

Opposite page, top row: Sto-kowski speaks! Since the single -sided"outline of themes with piano" is oftenmissing from sets of Stokowski's earlyelectrical recording of Beethoven's Sym-phony No. 7 on Victrola, collectors areconstantly looking for it. Columbia'sfive -disc acoustical set of FelixWeingartner conducting the BrahmsFirst Symphony was short-lived-andthus is rare-because it was issued justbefore the electrical era and priced highfor the mid -1920s: $8.75 for the set.

Middle row: Ravel's two -discrecording of his Bolero on Brunswick,dating from the early 1930s, is not asvaluable as the original European Poly-dor pressings. Cellist Pablo Casals' Co-lumbia record of Bach's Air for G Stringcame out of the 1915 recording sessiondocumented in the log card displayed onpage 64 of last month's issue. On the V -Disc, Mischa speaks! V -Discs wererecordings sent to armed forces basesduring World War II. The rare ones thatturn up in top condition command pre-mium prices, especially when, as in theMischa Elman disc shown here, they arenot dubs of commercial recordings.

Bottom row: Don Gabor's budgetlabel, Remington, produced many nowsought-after items like this AlbertSpalding recording. The two Camdenreissues from 78s are each nowworth considerably more than the origi-nals, although none of the artists isnamed. "The Heart of the Opera," a six -LP set, first appeared on the mail-orderWorld's Greatest Operas label in 1940.Among the anonymous artists are sing-ers Eleanor Steber, Leonard Warren,Norman Cordon, and Vivian DellaChiesa and conductors William Stein-berg and Wilfred Pelletier. The poorlydubbed Nutcracker Suite/Carnival of theAnimals has value because the "War-wick Symphony Orchestra" was thePhiladelphia Orchestra led by Stokowski.

The leading attribute of classical mu-sic is supposed to be its staying

power. It does not become dated, as popmusic does. Furthermore, the majorcharacteristic of the phonograph is itsability to preserve sounds permanently.Yet, many owners of classical recordingsperiodically find it necessary to discardtheir collections and replace them withnew ones. Why? Certainly not becauseof the subtle changes in performingstyles. Rather, the main reason has beenrevolutions in technology, as when elec-trical recording began in the mid -1920s,when high fidelity microgrooves re-placed electrical shellac 78s in the 1940s,and ten years later when the stereo discwas introduced. Today's noise reduc-tion, direct -to -disc recording, digital tap-ing have thus far been only means backto our familiar stereo LP format. But withthe totally incompatible digital disclooming on the horizon, once again it istime to ponder that agonizing question:To save or not to save?

Reviewer Robert C. Marshshocked many collectors when he as-serted in these pages in July 1973: "I aminclined to regard any recording morethan five years old as obsolete techni-cally. This doesn't mean that it is not tobe played or admired, but it ceases to becompetitive with contemporary work.The listener should be told you are talk-ing about the sonic counterpart of a 1968car." Marsh assumes that all record com-panies were at the same plateaus in both1968 and 1973 and that all 1973 record-ings were automatically sonically supe-rior to all those from 1968. At the otherextreme, some listeners still are inclinedtoward the Mercury Living Presence

Michael Biel, who has conducted re-search and archival projects in the fields ofearly recording and radio, is assistant profes-sor in radio -television at Morehead (Ken-tucky) State University.

single -microphone discs made a quar-ter -century ago, and some very rare col-lectors (mostly British) still preferacoustical recording and reproduction.

Whatever the reason, some of youmusic lovers are looking for a remunera-tive way of disposing of your old classi-cal recordings-and perhaps there arecollectors frantically seeking just theones you have. The hard part is findingthe person who wants what you haveand determining its worth. First, let's di-vide the collection into four categories:orchestral; solo instrumental, chambermusic, and concertos; solo vocal and op-eratic arias; and complete operas.

The acoustical recording systemresponded less well to orchestras and thefemale voice than it did to solo instru-ments, small instrumental groups, andthe male voice. The most famous namefrom this period is Enrico Caruso, but hisdiscs sold so well-and have been trea-sured and saved by so many-that few ofthem are scarce. So those Caruso recordsyou found in your grandmother's atticare probably not valuable (unless theyare Zonophones with pale blue labels,center -start Patties, AICC cylinders, orGramophone and Typewriter labels).The prize acoustical recordings are thosethat date from before 1910. Scarcity is alarge factor here, but the historical im-portance of early or only recordings bycertain artists is not to be overlooked.Almost any pre -1906 disc in mint condi-tion by a name artist is likely to bring in$10-$15, and, if you have any of the oldColumbias featuring basso Edouard deReszke, you might get $375 or more. Fordiscs in only average condition, divideprices in half.

When electrical recording madereproduction of orchestral music morefeasible, there was a great effort to builda recorded orchestral repertoire. Someof the early examples are sought afterbecause they are rare, but most of the 78-

54 HIGH FIDELITY

rpm sets of standard fare are very com-mon. Besides, collectors of early record-ings place great stock in the individualityof performances. Orchestral recordingsrank very low in this area because theconductor, the predominant force, has toroute his interpretation through a hun-dred other musicians. One recording of aparticular symphony is pretty much likethe others. Though there can be signifi-cant differences in interpretation, youare sure to find one you like from anydecade since the microphone, and sincethe sonic experience is a major ingredi-ent in the enjoyment of orchestral music,this genre is the most likely to sufferfrom a technically inadequate recording.Thus, there is little call for old orchestralrecordings, especially those made before1950, unless they are interpretively orhistorically important. Remember, thenas now, plenty of duds were recorded.

Complete operas are not much indemand either, despite the individualityof any vocal performance. Again, a con-ductor guides the proceedings, and,while a lead might be sung by a vocalistof note, the rest of the cast probably isnot first-rate. During the era of the 41/2 -minute 78 -rpm side, opera sets oftencomprised twenty discs, and when anopera is interrupted thirty-nine times,you start to wish that Colline wouldsmother the coughing hag with his over-coat or root for the high priests to hurryup and seal the tomb on Aida and Ra-dames. For these and other reasons,recordings of whole operas were not nu-merous before the LP, and the notableones have generally been reissued on LP.Most opera lovers were content to pur-chase their favorite arias sung by theirfavorite artists.

Solo instrumental and concertorecordings are in as much demand assolo vocal discs-the skills and inter-pretive values of the performer are aspersonal as a fingerprint. Sparked by theinterest engendered by the InternationalPiano Archives, there is a worldwidesearch being undertaken by many col-lectors for all types of piano recordings.Practically no pianist is overlooked nomatter how obscdre. Violin discs are alittle more abundant, and as yet there isno demand for representation by every

The S.unds and Musicof the

12CA Efeetnniic JT j. . Syntliesiz,q

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$75The 1955 issue on RCA Victor LM

1922 of "The Sounds and Music of the -

RCA Electronic Music Synthesizer"may not have been a big hit at the time,but collectors now treasure it as theworld's first recording featuring a musicsynthesizer. Composers featured rangefrom Bach to Irving Berlin; the linernotes had to start on the front cover inorder to fit.

fiddle player. Sarasate, early Kreisler,and Spalding, yes; Heifetz, later Kreisler,and Zimbalist, generally no. (A completeset of the handful of recordings made byPablo Sarasate was recently announcedat $2,000.) Pablo Casals' discs are fairlyplentiful and not too expensive, butthose by other cellists are becomingcostly. Other instruments have not at-tracted such cult attention, so prices havenot been driven up. But their scarcity atleast preserves their value. This is espe-cially true for most pre -LP chamber mu-sic recordings.

Most dealers agree that it is almostimpossible to sell many of the 78 orches-tral sets, particularly from the 1940s.Conductors like Serge Koussevitzky andLeopold Stokowski who have an avidfollowing sell very well; Arturo Tosca-nini recordings don't move very fastonly because they are so common. Awell -produced reissue can kill the valueof the original recording, particularly ifthe original was itself an LP. Occasion-ally the reissue has greater worth than the

original. Some early Camden LPs ofanonymous conductors leading suchpseudonymous ensembles as the War-wick Symphony, the Centennial Sym-phony, the Festival Concert, and theStratford Symphony Orchestras arefetching $25 even though they are poorlydubbed, because the first is really thePhiladelphia under Stokowski, the sec-ond the Boston under Koussevitzky, thethird the Boston Pops under Arthur Fied-ler, and the last the London PhilharmonicOrchestra under Koussevitzky and oth-ers. And the interest in performers in-creases dramatically following theirdeath, as happened with Fritz Reiner andGeorge Szell and may be about to hap-pen with Fiedler.

Early LPs can be valuable if theperformance was exceptional and neverissued in any other form. Sometimes themost unlikely candidates for immortal-ity garner high prices. A record on theold budget label Plymouth (P 12125)went for $250 not long ago: Chopinwaltzes played by Etelka Freund, a pupilof Brahms's and an intimate of Bart6k's.Carl Friedberg's Brahms and Schumannpiano works on Zodiac 1001 has sold for$60, and premium prices may be had forearly LPs by Mischa Elman, William Ka-pell, Albert Spalding (on Remington!),Marguerite Long, and Willem Men-gelberg with the Berlin Philharmonicand Concertgebouw Orchestras. Thefirst synthesizer recording, RCA Victor's1955 "The Sounds and Music of theRCA Electronic Music Synthesizer," haschanged hands for $75.

In some cases the labels them-selves are the attraction. There is onevaliant collector who is determined toget every RCA Victor LM and LSCrecord ever released. The early LP periodwas rich in major labels that dedicatedthemselves to serious music and thendeleted entire series containing hun-dreds of albums-Capitol, MGM, andDecca come to mind. For the same rea-son, old 10-inchers are usually sure betsto be collectible. The August 1956 issueof SCHWANN is ample evidence of howsuddenly the small record was elimi-nated from the marketplace. On almostevery page there's at least one black dia-mond for RCA's 10 -inch records alone. It

116411.-- -

JANUARY 1980 55

should be remembered, however, thatthe demand for a mono LP diminishes ifit has been reissued and is almost nil if itwas released originally in real stereo aswell as mono.

Up to now, we have studiouslyavoided mention of anything other thancommercially released discs. Test press-ings of unissued recordings or alternatetakes can be valuable if the artist is sig-nificant. One Japanese collector recentlypaid $500 for five Toscanini test press-ings made by the Arturo ToscaniniSociety, which was banned from issuingthe recordings. Air checks, bootleg con-cert recordings, instantaneous discs, andtapes are difficult to evaluate. In some in-stances, the Internal Revenue Service hasfixed value of amateur home -recordedtapes and lacquer discs at the cost of theraw, unrecorded item. There is no intrin-sic value of a first -generation air checkwhen dubs can be made virtually indis-tinguishable from the original. Marketvalue can be placed on an item onlywhen it or an identical edition changeshands.

The condition of the discs is vital.Excessive surface noise and scratcheswill blot out pianissimos, and the firstevidence of wear is a fuzzy fortissimo.Most collectors are not looking for anoriginal issue just for the thrill of beingthe proud possessor of the "first edi-tion." They are looking for the best -sounding pressing. Sometimes the firstpressing is the best -sounding, but ifpostwar shellac will yield less surfacenoise than the "regrind" garbage usedduring the war, then the later pressingwill be more desirable. Generally, discsof serious music have been treated withgreater care and played on better equip-ment than those containing other kindsof music. And many companies used abetter grade of shellac or vinyl for suchpressings and exercised stricter qualitycontrol. But certain grades of shellac aremore prone than others to developcrackle from damp storage conditions.English HMV shellacs are notorious forthis problem, although they were highlyprized when they were new. Owners ofshellac discs are urged to read JohnStratton's devastating article "Crackle"in the July 1970 issue of Recorded Sound,

C,EM.s \ IN, 41

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AU 4357

$25This Columbia LP (ML 4357) of

Jennie Tourel singing songs of Rach-maninoff, Villa -Lobos, and Chopindates from 1950, just two years after thecompany introduced the long-playingformat to the world of music lovers. Theartwork is typical of that provided byColumbia during the early LP era.

No. 39, published by the British Instituteof Recorded Sound-and to buy adehumidifier.

Just as the market for new classicalrecordings is only about 5% of all recordpurchases, the market for older ones iscomparably small. If you have a modestcollection that you would like to sell,you are not likely to easily dispose of it,much less make a profit. Remember, anold record is a used record. You are deal-ing with a consumable item that de-preciates with age and wear. You mightnot be able to sell most of your classical78s for more than 254 to 50c, although itwill cost you $2.00 to $3.00 apiece to buythe same discs from a specialized dealer.You might have a few $10 or $25 items inthe batch, but the majority would be un-salable or hardly worth listing in a cata-log. A small number of collectors look-ing for the same disc may drive the priceup-until everyone finds a copy.

If you have a large collection andare dismayed at the prospect of lettingall your "gems" go for a quarter each,you might sell them yourself and let a

dealer take the leftovers. Just don't besurprised if he doesn't want them-yourleftovers will probably become his left-overs, and he knows it. The question is,do you need the money and /or the spacenow?

Or are you willing to take the timeto advertise and investigate? An ad in ametropolitan newspaper may turn upenough buyers to clean you out with rel-atively little bother. More likely, youwill need to proceed to other journalswith national circulation, includingthose specifically published for the pur-pose. [See box on next page.] Puttingads in newspapers of colleges-espe-cially those that have a good music cur-riculum-might be productive. If theyoung are sometimes scornful of thepast, they are often the most apprecia-tive purchasers of older recordings. Thebeginning collector is not apt to have alot of money to spend, but this is a readymarket for even the commonplace items.

If you don't mind settling for thejoy of giving-or a tax deduction-in-stead of cash, there are many librariesand music schools that might be goodtargets for your collection. (Be preparedto demonstrate to the IRS that an old 78is worth more than a half -dollar.) If theyhave an archival collection, like Yale,Stanford, and Lincoln Center, they prob-ably already have copies of most of yourrecordings. Many archives have multiplecopies that are circulated among other li-braries or are used for fund-raising. Oryou might donate your discs to a charitybazaar or thrift shop. There are plenty ofcollectors who still frequent thriftshops-and many can relate stories ofextraordinary finds for a dime or a quar-ter. Incidentally, for the sake of collec-tors, if you choose one of these places,check to see how the discs already instock are handled. If they are thrust intobins that will destroy them, donate yourrecords elsewhere.

After all your research and ap-praisal, the potential worth of a specificdisc may not mean a thing. Ultimately, itis worth only what someone is willing topay for it. And while the potential valueof some items might be hundreds of dol-lars, people who will pay the price areoften rarer than the records themselves.

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56 HIGH FIDELITY

Aids in SellingWhere to SellYou can find names of dealers in

jazz and blues recordings in Vintage JazzMart (4 Hillcrest Gardens, Dollis Hill,London NW 2 6HZ, England). Thoughpublished abroad, this thick magazine ispacked with ads for U.S. dealers. Andyou can find ads for 78s-or advertisesome yourself-in U.S. publicationssuch as Antique Trader (P.O. Box 1050,Dubuque, Iowa 52001), Collector's News(P.O. Box 156, Grundy Center, Iowa50638), and Hobbies (1006 S. MichiganAve., Chicago, Ill. 60605); for 45s andLPs, Goldmine (P.O. Box 187, Fraser,Mich. 48026), Kastlemusick Monthly Bul-letin (901 Washington St., Wilmington,Del. 19801), and Record Exchanger (P.O.Box 6144, Orange, Calif. 92667). Deal-ers' names can also often be found in theclassified ads in this and other recordjournals.

A selection of those who deal inout -of -print classical records follows:

Figaro's, 1287 Cambridge St.,Cambridge, Mass. 02139. LPs only.

Lawrence F. Holdridge, 54 E. LakeDr., Amityville, L.I., N.Y. 11701. Auc-tion lists of the highest -quality, mostrare vocal and instrumental 78s, All bid-ders, successful or not, receive a listingof prices realized on auctioned records.

Immortal Performances, Jim Cart-wright, P.O. Box 8316, Austin, Tex.78712. Occasional auction and set -pricelists covering all types of serious music,78s, and LPs, plus detailed discog-raphies of selected artists.

Arthur E. Knight Collection (for-merly DomArt Collection), 128 Fifth St.,Providence, R.I. 02906. Monthly lists ofvocals on 78, 45, and LP.

S. A. Langkammerer, 3238 Stod-dard Ave., San Bernardino, Calif. 92405.

Nipper, P.O. Box 4, Woodstock,

N.Y. 12498. Will remove you from mail-ing list if they don't hear from you everyfour months.

Parnassus Records, Les Gerber,2188 Stoll Rd., Saugerties, N.Y. 12477.Price lists and search service for micro-groove issues only.

Polyphony, 120 N. Oak Park Ave.,Oak Park, Ill. 60301. Free lists of newand used LPs.

The Record Undertaker, SteveSmolian, R.D. 1 Box 152C, Catskill,N.Y. 12414.

Ross Robinson, 40 E. Ninth St.,New York, N.Y. 10003. No 78s, and onlyLPs in top condition.

Spicer, 3283 Lonefeather Crescent,Mississauga, Ont. L4Y 3G6, Canada.Lists of 78s and LPs.

Frederick P. Williams, 8313Shawnee St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19119.Will compile lists on request.

T.B. and M.B.

Price GuidesTo help you estimate the value of

individual records, there are several rea-sonably accurate price guides available.Jerry Osborne and Bruce Hamilton havea series of "Official Prices Guides" cov-ering rock, country and western, and al-bums, as well as A Guide to Record Col-lecting, basically selected excerpts fromthe others. They can be found in book-stores or ordered from Jellyroll Produc-tions, Inc., P.O. Box 3017, Scottsdale,Ariz. 85257. Another recent publicationis The Official Price Guide to CollectibleRock Records by Randal C. Hill (Houseof Collectibles, Inc., 773 Kirkman Rd.# 120, Orlando, Fla. 32811). The tworock guides are similar in pricing and cov-erage, though where valuations differ Os-borne -Hamilton is usually higher. It alsogives more information on the differ-ences in label types and pressings andprovides the release date of each record;Hill includes short artist biographies.

For classics, the sole publishedprice guide is limited to U.S. releases of

acoustic 78s recorded by "celebrity" art-ists: Julian Morton Moses' Price Guide toCollectors' Records, $9.95 for thirty-twopages. Originally published in 1952, its"third edition" in 1976 merely included achart with which to convert old prices tonew (American Record Collectors' Ex-change, P.O. Box 2295, New York, N.Y.10017).

There is even a price guide for thecolor picture jackets in which some 45soriginally came-not the records, just thejackets. It is The Collector's Price Guideto 45 RPM Picture Sleeves by Lloyd, Ron,and Marvin Davis (Winema Publica-tions, P.O. Box 172, Medford, Ore.97501). Unfortunately, no one has yetcompiled an even marginally reliable list-ing for pop 78s. (There is one called 78RPM Records and Prices, but it is dread-ful.)

Values often are overstated in suchpublications, presumbly because that iswhat their readers want to see. Osborne -Hamilton, for example, lists nothing atunder $1.00, and Moses' minimum priceis $2.00, although in any box of oldies

there will be many that you can't giveaway. But the guides may help you tospot the occasional rarity.

This tendency to overvaluationmakes price guides quite controversialamong collectors, mainly because theyleave sellers with unreasonable expecta-tions and thus inhibit transactions. NormCohen, writing in the John Edwards Me-morial Foundation Quarterly at theUCLA Folklore Center, tells the story ofa well-known price guide writer of the1940s, Will Roy Hearne, who was also amail-order dealer in old records. His list-ings were generally regarded as high, per-haps being designed to enhance the valueof his own stock. On one of his shoppingexpeditions in the South, Hearne cameupon a warehouse full of mint 78s. Whenhe asked the price for the entire lot, theowner whipped out a copy of Hearne'sown guide and began quoting $5-$10prices for every disc. "Hell, I know thefellow who wrote that book," Hearne in-terjected, "and every bit of it is non-sense." But he didn't get the rec-ords. T.B. and M.B.

JANUARY 1980 57

Part II:Popular Records

In December 1898, a magazine calledThe Phonoscope reported to its readers,

"Old records are now in great demandby enthusiasts who aim to possess valu-able collections." Since commercialrecording was less than ten years old atthe time, "old" obviously did not meanwhat it does now. Today there is a largenetwork of collectors specializing ineverything from original, individuallymade wax cylinders of the 1890s to Les-ley Gore 45s of the 1960s. The most ac-tivity probably centers around rock andrhythm and blues of the past thirty years,followed by classic jazz and blues discsof the 1920s and '30s. Smaller constitu-encies pursue old country/folk records,big bands, pre -1925 acoustic recordings(disc and cylinder), and early Broadwaycast and movie soundtrack LPs.

Collecting old records is not an ex-pensive hobby, which is what makes itattractive to many. Though occasionallyprices paid are high, they are in no waycomparable to those charged for rarestamps, coins, or books. But that may bechanging.

Just a few years ago a 78 -rpm discthat once sold for 75e brought a cool$4,000-the highest price ever paid for asingle record. If you happen to have anoriginal copy of "Zulus Ball" by KingOliver and His Creole Jazz Band on Gen-nett 5275 (recorded in 1923), you toocould be rich. If not, perhaps you couldturn up a nice original pressing of"Stormy Weather" by the Five Sharpson Jubilee 5104 (also a 78, from 1952).Only one unbroken copy is known to ex-ist, and that one sold for $3,866 at auc-tion in 1977.

The current hot item that every-one is looking for is a 1956 radio inter-view disc, "TV Guide Presents ElvisPresley" (RCA Victor EP G8 MW 8705).It is a one-sided 45 containing the

Tim Brooks is a vice president of theAssociation for Recorded Sound Collections.He coauthored The Complete Directory toPrime Time Network TV Shows,1946 -Present, recently published by Ballan-tine Books.

$1,400Guidebook author Jerry Osborne

has estimated a more than tenfold in-crease in price for a mint copy of thisPresley soundtrack LP since the singer'sdeath. It is only the mono version, LPM(not LSP) 3989, of the twelve -year -old"Speedway" that is so expensive becauseit was Elvis' last album to be issued si-multaneously in both mono and stereoand at the time RCA was pressing fewdiscs in the waning format. Only threecopies are known to collectors, althoughmany more are undoubtedly collectingdust on shelves around the world.

singer's answers to four questions,which are supplied on a "continuitysheet" (so the local disc jockey couldread them on the air), along with anotherinsert that tells the story behind the in-terview. It is worth perhaps $3,000 com-plete. But be careful, there are counter-feit copies around.

Despite the sought-after rarities,and the visions they conjure up of easymoney for what you may find in thecloset, most old records are not worththe vinyl or shellac they are pressed on.You can get a quarter apiece for them ifyou're lucky. But how do you tell what'svaluable and what's not, and how do yougo about selling those you wish to con-vert to cash?

Let's take a look at the box of olddiscs you've found. As with any special-ized field, it's impossible to become anexpert in one easy lesson, but a fewguideposts may help. There are three

by Tim Brooks

factors that may tell which might beworth some money:

1. Condition. A pop record that iscracked, gouged, or so scratchy that thenoise drowns out the music is not goingto sell to anybody. Unlike ancient Greekpottery, it isn't worthwhile to piece bro-ken records together.

2. Type of music. As a rule, jazz,rhythm and blues, Broadway castrecordings, and the like bring moremoney than other kinds of pop music.This is true for 45s, 78s, and LPs. If youhave a stack of old blues shouters, jazzbands, or 1950s r&b groups, you may bein luck. If all you have is Margaret Whit-ing-sorry.

3. Familiarity. Do you seem to re-member that most of the discs you'relooking at were big hits way back when?Presley's "Hound Dog," Glenn Miller's"In the Mood," or Gene Austin's "MyBlue Heaven" may make good listening(depending on your vintage), but theyoriginally sold so many copies that theyprobably won't bring much today. I onceasked a knowledgeable collector friendwhether Paul Whiteman's 1920 Victorrecording of "Whispering" had reallysold a million copies. He replied, "Ithink I've been offered that manymyself."

Of course if you don't recognizethe titles and artists as you flip throughyour collection, that doesn't necessarilymean they're valuable. But familiarity isa bad sign. An exception to the rule is theoccasional combination of the familiarand the obscure, such as the rare earlyrelease by an artist who later became fa-mous. Don't bring me your standardRCA pressing of "Heartbreak Hotel,"but if you have one of the early Sunrecordings by Elvis, come right in! Origi-nal copies of these legendary Sun 45sand 78s are selling in the $100-$300range, some even higher. But find an ex-pert to tell the difference between thereal thing and a bootleg reproduction.

Which pressing you have of a hitrecord can, in a few cases, be important.One recent price guide lists ten differentversions of the Beatles' "Please Please

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Me," ranging in value from $1.25 to$250.

A few widespread misconceptionsshould be eliminated right now. For one,age is not a factor. Those 12 -inch VictorMilitary Band 78s from before WorldWar I (usually labeled "For Dancing")can't be given away, while some unusualBeach Boys 45s from the 1960s mightbring $100. On the other hand, an LP ofJohn F. Kennedy speeches from the Six-ties may be worthless, while a 1912 Edi-son cylinder recording of Teddy Roose-velt could produce $40 or $50.

One-sided records are oftenthought to be very old and thereforevaluable. The fact is that single -sidedrecords were made and widely sold until1918 (by Sears, Roebuck, under its Ox-ford and Silvertone labels). Victor'sprestigious Red Seal classical discs,which remained one-sided until 1923,bring no special premium.

Some people are convinced thatthe physical appearance of a 78 is a deadgiveaway to its rarity and thus its value.Not usually. The thick Edison discs, forexample, have no special worth. Old ManEdison ran his record company as a kindof personal indulgence, with little senseof what was popular or even interestingin music. He turned out hundreds of se-date instrumental solos and duets, non-descript tenors singing "I'll Take YouHome Again, Kathleen," and at least adozen versions of "Nearer My God toThee"-not likely to excite today's col-lector. A few jazz bands in the late 52000series might be worth something, butthat is because of their content.

Another odd form frequentlyfound is the cardboard Hit of the Weekdiscs produced from 1930 to '32. Theywere originally sold on newsstands for15c apiece, a new title being distributedevery week in a novel attempt to revivethe Depression -ravaged record industry.It worked for awhile but eventually col-lapsed-even 15¢ was too much to spendon records in 1932. Little jazz was re-corded, and no blues. Instead, the em-phasis was on dance versions of currenthits. There are a lot of them still around.

One format that is prized is thepicture disc, which has been producedsporadically for many years. There hasbeen a good deal of collector interest in

Jazz critic Rudi Blesh once calledJimmy Durante the greatest white rag-time piano player before he became a co-median; the 1924 Gennett recording ofJimmy Durante's Jazz Band is perhapsthe only example of the Schnozzola'smusical career during the early 1920s.(He did make later piano recordings-in-cluding one for RCA Victor Red Sealwith Wagnerian soprano Helen Trau-bel!) Don't overlook 45s or children'srecords either, as the country music"Split Personality" and Superman discsdemonstrate. The latter are actuallylaminated paper 78s that came with atwelve -page illustrated script. The"original radio cast" included BudCollyer and Jackson Beck. You couldprobably get considerably more for this1947 package from the large market ofcomic -book collectors, especially if thebooklet and jacket are in goodcondition.

The 10 -inch Capitol LP at the topof the next page is possibly Jackie Glea-son's least -known record. On it he singssongs as six of the comedy characters heportrayed in his early -'50s TV series. Atthe time "The Dick Powell Song Book"was released in the late '50s, Powell wasknown in the country mainly as a TVprivate eye. The LP is still the onlyreissue of the best of his Decca 78s fromthe '30s. The final item here is-that'sright-Yul's sister. Collectors seek it as acompanion to her brother's Vanguardalbum of Gypsy songs.

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these lately (quite apart from the indus-try's recent abortive attempt to rejuve-nate them). Probably most famous arethe Vogue Picture Records of 1946-47,which have a full color drawing underthe surface on each side-rather garish,1940s "coal company calendar art," onepublication called it. Virtually unbreak-able and very well recorded for the pe-riod, they are going for $5-$10 each.Even more valuable are editions madeby Victor in the early 1930s, especially"Cowboy's LastRide"byjimmieRodg-ers (18 6000), with a big picture of the fa-ther of country music on one side. Abouta dozen copies are known to exist. Ru-mor has it that a bid of $400 failed to winone offered in a recent auction.

"Little" 78s, usually 7 inches indiameter (same as a 45, but without thelarge center hole), also tend to earn apremium. Most were made in the earlydays-in fact, the very first discs sold inthe U.S., in 1894, were 7-inchers (andsingle -sided). Generally these "E. Ber-liner's Gramophone" records sounddreadful, even by 78 -rpm standards, butthey will garner $10 apiece anyway.There are other sizes as well, from 5inches up, and you can usually sell themfor somewhat more than ordinary 10- or12 -inch 78s; those 14 inches or larger, arevaluable also but seldom found.

Cylinders sell for at least a dollaror two, and often more, no matter whatthe content. The later (post -1912) bluecelluloid Edison cylinders are virtuallyindestructible, but the earlier wax onesare fragile: If they don't break, they growmold. Don't forget those circular con-tainers, with the nice picture of Edisonon the side. Even if the cylinder has dis-appeared, they make dandy pencilholders.

If you think you have somethingof value, there are several routes you canfollow. The best is to sell to, or through,an established dealer. If you are con-vinced that yours are "money" records,ask for a consignment sale via auction, inwhich you get an agreed percentage ofthe selling price. Most dealers will dothis only with genuinely valuable rec-ords, but it can work very much to youradvantage, because you may collect 70%or more of the price. Some dealers use asliding scale, taking a larger percentage

of the winnings for low-priced discs anda smaller bite from higher -priced ones.Formulas vary widely, so shop around.Or you could sell the collection to himoutright. You won't get top dollar perdisc, but the total should be respectable.Again, approach more than one dealer.Competition can do wonders, and theexperience could give you a better ideaof what your records are really worth.

You can sell them yourself, ofcourse, but you should try it only if youhave a knowledge of the field-or if youcrave adventure. For a onetime sale thetime and aggravation will probably notbe worth the cash realized, if any. As-suming you're going to sell by mail andthrough competitive bidding, there areseveral things you have to do.

First, prepare a detailed list of therecords you want to dispose of, includ-ing title, artist, label, and manufacturer'snumber for each. Don't go into lengthydescriptions of how dear to your heartthey are.

Next, since the prospective buyercan't see what he is getting, each disc'scondition must be fairly and objectivelyevaluated. Collectors use a detailedgrading system, which is outlined insuch publications as Vintage Jazz Martand Goldmine. It is to your advantage notto overrate your records. If the buyerdisagrees with your judgment, you may have to return his money and start allover again.

Advertising is expensive and isuseless unless you know where to placethe ads. Try a magazine that attractsrecord collectors, like this one or, witheven sharper aim-and cheaper-one ofthe collectors' publications listed here.

Once you have a buyer, you facethe chore of packing and mailing. Thereis a science to preparing records for ship-ment, and it's especially important whenhandling fragile 78s. Records cannot beinsured against breakage, and you arethe one who will take the loss. The bestway to learn about packing is to buy afew discs from established dealers andsee how they do it.

Before you go through all this,give those oldies another listen. Maybeyou'll decide to keep them. After all,Margaret Whiting did have a nice voice.

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HIGH FIDELITY

Behind the ScenesMore Maazel Puccini. Lorin Maazel,

who recently added the Vienna State Operato his list of music directorships, has addedLe Villi to his list of recordings of Puccinioperas for Columbia. Masterworks' inter-national a&r director Paul Myers wentabroad in October to supervise the finalmix of the tapes. In the composer's first op-era, Placido Domingo sings Robert and Re-nata Scotto his betrothed, Anna. Also fea-tured is Tito Gobbi. The album is slated forrelease this spring.

Is Maazel on the way to conductingall the Puccini operas for Columbia? It hasbeen discussed, although there is nothingofficial. We certainly wouldn't be at all sur-prised.

Meanwhile, Maazel has recordedVerdi's Luisa Miller for DG, in conjunctionwith a Covent Garden revival of the opera.The cast includes Domingo, Katia Riccia-relli, Renato Bruson, Gwynne Howell, andWladimiro Ganzarolli.

RCA in England and Ireland. Al-though, as reported last month, RCA can-celed its projected recording in London ofPonchielli's La Gioconda, it went ahead withLeontyne Price's latest recital disc. WithHenry Lewis and the Philharmonia Orches-tra she recorded a varied collection of arias,from Bellini ("Casta diva" from Norma) andBritten (Queen Elizabeth's monolog fromGloriana) to Weber ("Ozean, du Ungeheuer"from Oberon) and Wagner (the Liebestodfrom Tristan and Isolde).

Meanwhile, over in County Kildare,at St. Patrick's Seminary in Maynooth,James Galway, the flutist from NorthernIreland, teamed with the Irish Chamber Or-chestra to record for RCA a collection ofStamitz concertos. He also joined violinistKyung-Wha Chung in recordings of Bach'strio sonatas for the same company, the con-tinuo being handled by harpsichordistPhilip Moll and cellist Moray Welsh. Gal-way's planned concert for Pope John Paul IIhad to be canceled when the pontiff's visitto Ireland ran behind schedule.

New doings at Moss. While carryingon the Vox tradition of solid performancesof a broad repertoire in inexpensive edi-tions, the Moss Music Group is also rapidlydeveloping its own line. The deluxe editionof Thea Musgrave's opera Mary, Queen ofScots, reviewed in this issue, signals one newdirection. Soon to come is another deluxefour -disc package containing the six Schu-

bert Masses in performances directed byMartin Behrmann. MMG is also enteringthe audiophile market with digitally re-corded performances of the nine completedMahler symphonies by Harold Farbermanand the London Symphony Orchestra. TheFirst and Fourth Symphonies were re-corded in November, the Eighth will be re-corded in May, and the others will followapace. George Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, theman who created Vox and Turnabout, hasfunctioned as an a&r consultant since thesale of the labels to Ira Moss, et al.

Leonard Bernstein issuing the owner of a juke-box in a Jackson Heightsbar. Frederick Loewe issuing the owner of onein a Santa Monicarestaurant.

Pay the $8.00 already. Leonard Bern-stein is suing the owner of a jukebox lo-cated in a bar in Jackson Heights. FrederickLoewe is suing the owner of one in a restau-rant in Santa Monica. Rod Stewart is suinga fellow who has a jukebox in a pizza parlorin Litchfield, Illinois. And Bruce Spring-steen is suing somebody who has one lo-cated in a waffle house in Charlotte, NorthCarolina. What's this all about? Actually,these court actions are among some threedozen lawsuits filed in the names of notedplaintiffs by the American Society of Com-posers, Authors, and Publishers againstjukebox operators who have allegedly notpaid the $8.00 compulsory license fee spec-ified in the new copyright law. ASCAP be-lieves its members are losing perhaps asmuch as $3 million a year from unlicensedjukes and has started a crackdown cam-paign.

Who's afraid of Thomas Wolfe?Apparently intent on disproving ThomasWolfe's dictum, Peter Munves is going"home" again. One of Simon Schmidt'sfirst steps as the new head of CBS Master-works was to bring Munves back into the

CBS fold as a special marketing consultant.Munves' reputation as a marketing wizardgot its start at Columbia, where he appliedthe "greatest hits" format to the marketingof classical recordings. His subsequent in-novations at RCA and Pickwick (Quintes-sence) were equally adventuresome.Though it is still too early to foresee all theramifications of the recent reorganization atCBS, one thing is certain: Peter Munves willagain leave his mark. When he promises a"new look" in Masterworks marketing,that is no idle chatter.

PBS Faust. On January 2 PBS willbroadcast a Chicago Lyric Opera produc-tion of Gounod's Faust in celebration of thecompany's twenty-fifth anniversary season.The performance, taped last September,features Mirella Freni, Nicolai Ghiaurov,and Alfredo Kraus, with Georges Pretreconducting.

Allelujah II! From both RCA andColumbia comes heartening news for thecontemporary -music fancier. RCA isreissuing a recording (ARL 1-1674) of in-strumental works of Luciano Berio: theConcerto for Two Pianos, Nones, and Allelu-jah 11. Its first incarnation was all too brief-it appeared in SCHWANN in January 1977and disappeared in April 1978-but spec-tacular. As HIGH FIDELITY readers may re-call, the concerto won the 1977Koussevitzky International RecordingAward, announced in December of thatyear. The reappearance of the recordingnow can only be seen as a victory for intrin-sic worth over more conventional commer-cial considerations. For its part, Columbia isissuing the complete piano music of AaronCopland in performances by Leo Smit. Thisis not the sort of project, any more than theBerio, that makes record companies rich; a$3,000 grant from the Ford Foundationhelped make this one possible.

Paul Robeson. Following the nation-wide videocast of James Earl Jones's portra-yal of the legendary American basso PaulRobeson, we received information fromour longtime Berlin correspondent PaulMoor about a Paul Robeson Archive. It'snot, we regret to say, in his native country,nor at London or Stratford -on -Avon, wherehe scored his greatest successes as singerand actor, but rather forms part of theAcademy of the Arts in East Germany.111,


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JANUARY 1980 63

Viii

Arrau and Horowitz, then . . .

Horowitz andand Arrau Old and NewHistoric reissues and recent recordings combine to replenishthe legends of two of the century's great pianists.

by Harris Goldsmith

Claudio Arrau celebrated his seventy-fifth birthday two seasons ago; Vladi-

mir Horowitz marked his last year. Both ofthese unique artists continue to performunimpaired. Some sort of retrospective issurely appropriate, and indeed, the juxta-position of new recordings with valuedreissues of earlier performances can onlyprove beneficial in giving a more balancedand comprehensive impression of whatmakes each-though admittedly controver-sial-indisputably great.

RCA has two Horowitz projects-one devoted to reissues of mono and earlystereo recordings made before the pianist'stwelve-year defection to Columbia, theother culled from concerts given since hisreturn to the fold. The newest item, "TheHorowitz Concerts 1978-79," finds the art-ist in rare form. All the familiar Horowitzcharacteristics are here in abundance, andthe playing has debonair ease and suavityand all the color and spontaneity that weresadly missing from his Liszt sonata andRachmaninoff Third Concerto released lastyear.

This is not to say that everyone willapprove of all the harmonic changes andeditorial emendations (some of them Bus-oni's, others of Horowitz' own devising) inLiszt's Mephisto. And since there is less "tra-dition" for tampering with phrases andchanging notes in Schumann than in Liszt(actually Schumannesque alterations arejust as frequent though less advertised),some purists will undoubtedly express out-rage at Horowitz' redistribution of lines,near contortion of phrases, and spurts offebrile energy in the Humoreske. And yet,the performances have such poetry andcommunicative style, such magnificentcolor, and-for all the manipulative rubatoand reverse accents-such continuity thatthose unable to meet Horowitz on his ownterms will be missing a great deal. I was ut-terly disarmed by his playing here.

Although the Schumann and theMephisto are the disc's most substantial of-ferings, there is as much wizardry in thethrice familiar Consolation, here paced withdelectable arching line. As for the twoRachmaninoff morceaux, even that great

composer/pianist didn't surpass Horowitz'limpid repose in the barcarolle and diabol-ically nimble passagework in theHumoresque.

The sound quality, too, has muchmore color and depth than in last year'sLiszt and Rachmaninoff-I suspect that themicrophones were judiciously moved far-ther back. Only occasionally do the fortis-simos verge on tinniness. (Applause hasbeen removed except for the ovation fol-lowing the final piece on the agenda: a wisesolution.)

In every way, then, this collection-which, incidentally, represents Horowitz'first recordings of all five works-will takeits place with his finest performances onrecords.

The reissue is more problematic.Ironically, the Carnegie Hall recital fromwhich this 1951 version of the Haydn so-nata was taken also contained a perform-ance of Pictures at an Exhibition that was latermade into a commercial record (RCA LM2357). The present Pictures is a studiorecording, made four years earlier. RCAhas done an admirable job of transferringthe original 78s, and the 1947 sound as re-produced here almost rivals the later tapingfor solidity and impact, though not forsheer voltage. (A similar situation held truefor Sviatoslav Richter's studio and concertperformances of Mussorgsky's originalversion.)

Which brings me to the heart of thematter: I become infuriated anew by the

Feature

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64 HIGH FIDELITY

late Olin Downes's deliberate misrepresen-tation of what Horowitz has done to Mus-sorgsky's competently-in fact, ingeni-ously-devised piano writing. With allthose changed harmonies, garishly rear-ranged figurations, and the like, it is almostcriminal to blithely contend that this ar-rangement "is a return to the original text

VLADIMIR HOROWITZ: TheHorowitz Concerts 1978-79.

Vladimir Horowitz, piano. [JohnPfeiffer, prod.] RCA RED SEAL ARL 1-3433,$8.98. Tape: ARK 1-3433, $8.98 (cassette).

SCHUMANN: Humoreske, Op. 20.RACHMANINOFF: Barcarolle, Op. 10, No.3; Humoresque, Op. 10, No. 5. LISZT: Con-solation No. 3; Mephisto Waltz No. 1.

HAYDN: Sonata for Piano, No. 52,in E flat*. MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at anExhibition.R Vladimir Horowitz, piano. RCA RED

SEAL ARM 1-3263, $8.98 (mono). Tape:ARK 1-3263, $8.98 (cassette) [recorded in1947 and 1951*].

COMPARISON-Mussorgsky:Richter Odys. Y 32223

CLAUDIO ARRAU: The HistoricRecordings.RH Claudio Arrau, piano. DESMAR GHP4001/2, $17.96 (mono, two discs) [fromvarious originals, 1927-57].

BALAKIREV: Islamey. BUSONI:Elegie No. 5 (Die Vachtlichen).STRAVINSKY: Petrushka: Danse russe.LISZT: Rhapsodie espagnole. Transcen-dental Etudes After Paganini: No. 1, in Gminor; No. 2, in E flat; No. 5, in E (LaChasse); No. 6, in A minor. Concert EtudeNo. 2, in F minor (La Leggierezza). Annees depelerinage, First Year: Au bord d'unesource; Third Year: Les Jeux d'eaux a laVilla d'Este. CHOPIN: Waltz in F, Op. 34,No. 3. Etudes: in C sharp minor, Op. 10, No.4; in A flat, Op. 25, No. 1; in F minor, Op.25, No. 2. Prelude in F, Op. 28, No. 23. Ta-rantella in A flat, Op. 43. CHOPIN-LISZT:Chant polonais, Op. 74, No. 12: My Joys.DEBUSSY: Preludes, Book II: La Puerta delvino, No. 3. SCHUBERT: Fantasy in C, D.760 (Wanderer). SCHUBERT-LISZT: Hark,Hark, the Lark.

ALBENIZ: Iberia, Books I -II.BR Claudio Arrau, piano. ODYSSEY Y35229, $4.98 (mono) [from COLUMBIA ML4194, c. 1949].

CHOPIN: Nocturnes (21).Claudio Arrau, piano. PHILIPS 6747

485, $19.96 (two discs, manual sequence).Tape: 7699 088, $19.96 (two cassettes).

. . . and now

of the piano pieces as they are published inthe Lamm edition ... following faithfullythe original manuscripts" and then, with anevasive admission that "Mr. Horowitz has[after all] done a little 'piano orches-tration,' " to categorize such intervention asan "effort ... solely to realize the intentionof the composer and to refrain from gratui-tous ornamentation or officious 'correction'of any detail of his text as it stands."

If Horowitz wants to add graffiti toPictures, so be it. But Richter's astoundingSofia concert performance (currently avail-able on Odyssey, with George Szell's ac-count of the Ravel orchestration) is at leastas exciting and much more exalted; evenHorowitz' superior concert reading fallsshort of it. Somehow, what fits the characterof Liszt's Mephisto seems more anachronis-tic in Mussorgsky.

The great Haydn sonata, played withwonderfully bracing élan and piston -strokefingerwork, is reason enough to acquire

this disc. The performance is fully theequal of the early Horowitz studio record-ing, and the still admirable reproductionlets one hear much more of the color andarticulation than could be discerned fromthe 1934-35 account (Seraphim 60063).

Horowitz has somehow managed toretain his erstwhile reputation as a key-board fire-eater, while broadening his im-age by delving into new repertoire; Arrau,on the other hand, has narrowed his oncediversified repertoire but broadened his so-nority and interpretive style. Today wethink of Arrau as the scholar personified, asovereign master who favors breadth of vi-sion, leisurely tempos, and a generoushelping of rhetorical expansiveness-occa-sionally carrying elasticity to the point ofwillful mannerism. The new Philipsrecording fits this description of him in hislatter -most phase, but the reissues shedmore valuable light on this still sadly mis-understood artist.

Arrau, admittedly an in-depth inter-preter of Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann,and the other German classic/Romanticfigures, once had the most catholic of reper-toires; the Chilean -born, German -trainedvirtuoso has probably played and recordeda wider range of music than any other pian-ist, with the possible exception of Richter.How many interpreters can do such justiceto late Beethoven, Albeniz' Iberia, andBach's Well -Tempered Clavier? And Arrau'spresent broad -toned, meditative mannermakes one forget his earlier tendencytoward fast tempos, utmost delicacy, and atonal flexibility that favored lean trans-parency almost to the point of brittleness.

Truly imposing artists have it inthem to surprise us, and Arrau has kept thatvaluable characteristic. His unexpected im-petuosity in the recent recording of Cho -pin's F minor Fantasy, Op. 49 (Philips 9500393, September 1978), is also in evidence inhis 1932 account of Chopin's tarantella, re-corded by Parlophone and included in theDesmar antho:ogy. But then, the Desmarcollection (beautifully dubbed and im-peccably pressed by Teldec in Germany) isfull of revelations.

Balakirev's Islamey is magnificentlycontrolled rhythmically, the avalanche ofnotes and rapid chords executed withbristling precision. In some ways, Arrau'sreading is even more impressive than Si-mon Barere's equally virtuosic, somewhatwilder, but less precise performance(recently revived on Varese Sarabande VC81045, February 1979). The Liszt perform-ances are, without exception, dazzling-al-though it must be noted that the Spanish

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JANUARY 1980 65

Rhapsody, from a 1936 Telefunken original,is judiciously pruned due to the exigenciesof 78 recording.

I was particularly intrigued with theChopin. Arrau generally has not impressedme as being the most natural exponent ofthis music, but most of these 1930s readingsproject a longer line that spins through hispauses and rhetorical rubatos. This, I sus-pect, is accomplished by way of a morespontaneous address: Arrau appears to behaving fun, not taking himself (or the mu-sic) quite so seriously as he does today. TheDebussy prelude is played with a torrid, in-sistent rhythm and magnificently solid so-nority. In the Schubert fantasy, however,the rhythm is too solid, although the soundof that 1957 EMI recording-and the gor-geous instrument used-could still be con-sidered demonstration class.

The Odyssey reissue of the first twobooks of Iberia makes one regret that Arraunever recorded the other half of Albeniz'tour de force. These performances, with ev-ery note in place, nevertheless convey won-derful elan, a natural feel for rhythm andtexture, and a peculiarly idiomatic sonority.In every respect, this is breathtaking pian-ism, different from, but certainly the equalof, Alicia de Larrocha's near definitive com-plete recordings (Turnabout 34750/1 orMusical Heritage Society MHS 1307/8 andLondon CSA 2235). The Odyssey disc, in agood pressing, presents sound that hasdated honorably: The piano still has a mod-icum of atmosphere and color but becomesa bit constricted in loud passages.

Arrau's traversal of Chopin's noc-turnes happily includes the two pieces notordinarily part of the canonized nineteen.The playing is cognizant of every textualnicety (which the pianist's 1957 WandererFantasy isn't, incidentally-he surprisinglykeeps the D sharp there throughout the fi-nal measure of the second section insteadof changing it to D natural). Some sparkleand flow are inevitably missing from thesegrandly solid renditions, but Arrau man-ages to convey much of the febrile atmos-phere that pervades this music, and Philips'piano reproduction is exceptionally rich.Rubinstein's RCA version of a decade agohad a similarly attractive, bronzen tonebut was far more benign and mild-man-nered. My favorite accounts remain thoseof Minas Vasary (DG 136 486/7) and IvanMoravec (Connoisseur Society S 1065,1165).

Personal preference aside, all ofthese releases form a major part of the leg-acy of two of this century's bona fide key-board stylists.

Bearding the Lions AnewThough Noah Greenberg's epochal first recording of themedieval Play of Daniel was a tough act to follow, MarkBrown's version proves a worthy successor.

by Susan Thiemann Sommer

Processions of singers and instrumentalists are an important element of Daniel(here with countertenor Russell Oberlin as the central figure, during a 1960 performanceby the New York Pro Musica in Wells Cathedral, Somerset, during a British tour).

wenty years ago, I was a graduate stu-dent sitting in the balcony of New

York's Riverside Church, looking down atthe spectacular procession that opened theNew York Pro Musica Antigua's produc-tion of the medieval Play of Daniel. Perform-ances of early music were infrequent inthose days, usually pretty staid affairs at-tended by a rather specialized audience.Noah Greenberg's exuberant ensemble waseasily the most exciting and interesting onearound, and rumor had it that this play, orpageant, or whatever it was, should defi-nitely not be missed. Of course, Daniel hadbeen premiered the previous year at theCloisters, but no one I knew had been a partof that small, elite audience. I entered theneo-Gothic church with considerable skep-ticism and left enthralled, overwhelmed,and convinced that, for the first time, I hadhad a real taste of life in the Middle Ages.

In the years that followed, I workedas a factotum for Greenberg and had achance to see at close range what had goneinto that memorable event. First, there wasthe brilliant musical transcription of the

Rev. Rembert Weakland, a graduate musi-cologist at Columbia University who wenton to hold high administrative office in theBenedictine order. Although Father Weak -land believed that the ternary patterns ofthe medieval modes would have governedthe rhythm throughout most of the play, hetook a daring step-for those times-andapplied duple meter to some of the strongerprocessions, notably to the first entrancesof the kings' retinues and to the strangescene where Daniel interprets the hand-writing on the wall.

Then there was the makeup of thePro Musica itself, which determined thecasting and, to some extent, the voice parts.An additional role, Belshazzar's Prince,who sang alternate verses in the proces-

THE PLAY OF DANIEL.Pro Cantione Antigua, Landini Con-

sort, Mark Brown, dir. [Chris Hazell, prod.]ARGO ZRG 900, $9.98. Tape: KZRC 900,$9.98 (cassette).

1

66 HIGH FIDELITY

The prophetic handwriting on the wall, heralded by bells in both Brown andGreenberg versions, is discovered by King Belshazzar, his prince, and a courtier (BraytonLewis, Oberlin, Marvin Hayes of Pro Musica). Note bells on rack at far right, portativeorgan next to it.

sions, was created for the exceptional coun-tertenor of Russell Oberlin, and the part ofthe Queen was allotted to a (female!) so-prano, Betty Wilson, who contributed atouch of barbaric splendor with her richvoice and elegant finger cymbals. A narra-tion in verse-by W. H. Auden, no less-was added so that spectators would havesome idea of what was going on during theperformance. And there were the colorfulcostumes, the specially made instruments,the dramatic lighting, the extra musicians,the pomp, drama, and pageantry, all underthe immediate, energetic supervision ofGreenberg, whose vision, enthusiasm, anddetermination to see his dream realizedbrought the Play of Daniel to life again afterseven dormant centuries.

Daniel has had a triumphant careersince its revival. The Pro Musica's originalDecca recording (still available as MCA2504) popularized the music, and a per-forming edition has led to productions inschools and churches throughout the coun-try. But twenty years is a long time. NeitherGreenberg nor the Pro Musica is with us to-day; in their place we have a number offlourishing professional ensembles, manyof them in England, which seems to havebecome the early -music center of theworld. (A subsequent recording of Danielappeared on England's Calliope label buthas not had wide distribution here.) Fash-ions in scholarship change as well; all man-ner of rhythmic interpretations are ad-vanced for the performance of chant thesedays, and the school which holds that in-struments played no part in the medievalchurch is particularly strong.

So when I learned that a new versionof Daniel had been recorded by Britain'sprestigious Pro Cantione Antigua, I againapproached the work with some trepida-tion. Would my old friend be totally trans-formed? Would I have to readjust my musi-cal expectations completely? I wasreassured to find that this is not a revisionistproduction. The music is quite recogniz-able, and the instruments still add colorfultouches to the drama. There are differencesof course-some wonderful additions andsome disappointments-but the basicsound and shape are much as Greenbergimagined them.

First one notices the rhythmicchanges. The Pro Cantione Antigua uses alot more duple meter and, on occasion,even a mixture of duple and triple. DirectorMark Brown says in his notes that "thepiece has been rhythmicized according tosimple 'proportionalist' principles. That isto say that the more notes there are in a par-ticular neum grouping, the faster, in pro-portion, they should be sung." While thislends an element of flexibility to his realiza-tions, at the same time much of the vigorand assurance of the earlier version is lost.Moreover, this comparatively free attitudetoward chant rhythm doesn't square histor-ically with the use of rhythmically con-trolled polyphony, another notable differ-ence between the two performances.

Brown's polyphonic interpolationsand additions are very striking and effec-tive. The play is introduced by a beautifullysung motet, Congaudeant catholici, whichprovides a brilliant opening, and for thesecond miracle-when Daniel has been cast

into the lions' den and an angel suddenlyenters to hold off the beasts-everything issuspended and we hear a ravishing andquite celestial performance of the three -voice E semine rosa, attributed to Perotin.

Processions abound in Daniel, andwhile Greenberg's approach was to alter-nate contrasting sections, Brown prefers acumulative effect, with the chorus oftenbreaking into two-part organum for theconclusion. This is a sensible decision for apurely recorded performance, where theprocessions can't be seen to arrive at aphysical destination.

The characterizations are for themost part well realized. If one misses theflamboyance of Oberlin's Angel, it could beargued that Kevin Smith's subdued one de-tracts less from the story line. James Grif-fett's portrayal of the reluctant prophet isremarkably close to Charles Bressler's; eventhe plangent timbre of their voices is alike.David Thomas (Belshazzar) and Ian Par-tridge (Darius) are appropriately regal, but Iwas disappointed in Smith's lacklusterQueen. (I forgave Smith everything, how-ever, when I heard his exquisite solo per-formance of Perotin's beautiful Beata vis-cera, an interpolated motet, which dividesthe two Daniel stories and begins therecord's second side.) The slimy evil coun-selors are a stodgy lot. I could imagine themstraightening their ties before being castinto the pit. But the quasi -comic Habbak-kuk, who has to give up his dinner to re-fresh Daniel in the lions' den, comes offvery well as a deep bass (Michael George).

Various instruments are used spar-ingly but imaginatively to accompanyprocessions, to divide sections by instru-mental interludes, and to provide back-ground color for certain dramatic events(for example, the unearthly bells that soundas the ghostly handwriting appears on thewall). The Landini Consort members playnimbly on the recorders, shawms, rebecs,fiddle, psaltery, and harp, but Brown em-ploys less percussion than Greenberg, inline with his de -emphasis on rhythmicregularity.

The performance was recorded inthe Church of St. Jude -on -the -Hill, and thesound is spacious and reasonably effective.Processions come and go audibly, and theecho is ecclesiastically resonant but suit-ably dry. Occasionally a chorus-"Rer in

aeternum vice," for instance-blasts us out ofour seats; otherwise everyone maintains anappropriate decorum. All in all, it's a pleas-ure to welcome this Daniel, dressed in newclothes, to be sure, but still looking veryfamiliar. HF

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assicareviewed byScott CantrellAbram ChipmanR. D. DarrellPeter G. DavisRobert Fiedel

Kenneth FurieHarris GoldsmithDavid HamiltonDale S. HarrisPhilip Hart

Allan KozinnPaul Henry LangIrving Lowens

Robert C. MarshKaren MonsonRobert P. MorganConrad L. OsborneAndrew Porter

Patrick J. SmithPaul A. SnookSusan Thiemann Sommer

ALBNIZ: Iberia, Books I -II. For afeature review, see page 63.

BACH: Christmas Oratorio, S. 248.Hubertus Baumann and Frank

Sahesch-Pur, boy sopranos; Michael Hoff-mann, boy alto; Heiner Hopfner, tenor; Ni-kolaus Hillebrand, bass; Regensburg Ca-thedral Choir, St. Emmeram Collegium,Hanns-Martin Schneidt, cond. [AndreasHolschneider, prod.] ARCHIV 2710 024,$29.94 (three discs, manual sequence).Tape: 3376 012, $29.94 (three cassettes).

COMPARISONS:

Harnoncourt/ Vienna Con. MusicusTel. 36.35022

Ledger/St. Martin's Acad.Ang. SC 3840

Bach's Christmas Oratorio is a ratherspecial case in the genre, not so much onelarge-scale dramatic piece as a grouping ofsix self-contained cantatas for the differentdays of the holiday season. It's as heavily"in debt" as anything the Leipzig masterwrote, most of its major set numbers havingbeen transplanted from others of his works.But such was the genius of J. S. Bach that itflows for nearly three hours as cohesively asif written in one uninterrupted surge of in-spiration. Contrast there is-of keys, of in-strumentation, and of mood, ranging frompageantry to pastoral sweetness. But wewho learned it from records rather than re-ligious services could hardly experience itas a pragmatically woven chain of episodes.

Archiv's third recording of the ora-

RHB Budget

HistoricalReissueAudiophile(digital, direct -to -disc, etc.)

Revietorio shares with the Harnoncourt/Tele-funken set an all-out approach to baroqueauthenticity: use of replica period instru-ments that play half a tone lower than theirmodern counterparts; an all -male vocalcontingent; scaled -down vocal and instru-mental forces; proper treatment of trills, or-naments, and notes inigales. But baroquescholarship is not always a monolithic"party line" affair. There's much to choosebetween these two versions- some of thedifferences by design, others by the breaksof the game.

Schneidt, who conducts from thepodium, maintains a steady, not to say rig-orous, beat. Harnoncourt, presumablyleading from a position in the ensemble(cello), occasionally lets tempos race aheadin long stretches of animated arias. Thenew recording will appeal to those whofind Harnoncourt's deliberate focusing onrhythmic and dynamic variation too jerky.The Telefunken will remain the preferenceof those who find Schneidt bland, with hisrelative inflexibility about agogic accentsand homogenization of note values. Amongthe points in Harnoncourt's favor are thedrama and thrust of the opening chorusand the elucidation of the rocking motionof the Sinfonia that opens Part II. In Part IV,the two conductors choose widely varianttempos, Schneidt pushing the openingchorus more forwardly and Harnoncourtadopting his most propulsive speed in thegreat tenor aria. Thus the locus of tensionfalls differently within the larger span.

In the soprano and bass collabora-tions of Part IV, the Archiv recording usesseveral boy sopranos against a solo bass,while Telefunken employs its (unnamed)treble soloist from the Vienna Choir Boys. Ican't help thinking that this choice was dic-tated less by historical or stylistic consider-ations than by the relative ability of theyoungsters available. The uncredited lad inthe earlier recording handles his role (in-cluding aria material) with impressiveaplomb; in the newer release the boys fromRegensburg are insecure and faltering, withpitch and breath literally all over the place.Likewise, Archiv's boy alto, Michael Hoff-mann, is no match for the mature counter-tenor Paul Esswood, who has graced somuch of Telefunken's Bach series, and Iturn to Harnoncourt's bass, SigmundNimsgern, for the richness and authority

lacking in the lighter -weight voice of Ni-kolaus Hillebrand. Only the tenor amongthe soloists in the new set gets my vote,Heinz Hopfner managing the Evangelistand aria assignments with grace, style, anda fresh, ringing sound that eludes the moretired Kurt Equiluz.

It's nip and tuck between the boychoruses, Regensburg's possibly warmersound likely being a function of morechurchly acoustics. For that matter, stereospace is a trifle more imaginatively de-ployed in the set under review (e.g., in thePart IV "echo" soprano aria). And the in-strumentalists here are by and large a moreimpressive lot. Those natural horns don'tburble the way they do in the ConcentusMusicus, and the trumpet virtuosity of Ed-ward Tarr in the final chorus of Part VIwould have been just unbelievable in theearlier days of the antique instrumentresurrection.

Whichever of the "super -scholar-ship" sets you choose, you should own atleast one of the conventional (meaningmodern instruments and mixed chorus andsoloists) albums. I have admired several ofthese, including Karl Miinchinger's (Lon-don OSA 1386) and the mid -Fifties Archiv(now deleted) begun under Fritz Lehmannand completed after his untimely death byGunther Arndt. But the recent Angelrecording under Philip Ledger, which Ithink rather better of than does KennethFurie (January 1978), is in many respectsthe most fascinating of all: a provocativemix of baroque conventions (in terms of ex-ecution and scaled -down forces) and nine-teenth-century expressive mannerisms-in-tolerable from Robert Tear, at leastacceptable from Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau,and with beautifully eloquent work fromElly Ameling and Janet Baker. Modern con-cert pitch, interestingly enough, doesn'tmake the work more "brilliant," and I findlinear clarity less absolute with contempo-rary instruments than with the period oneson either of the other versions. A.C.

BARToK: Sonatas for Violin and Pi-ano, Nos. 1-2.

Gidon Kremer, violin; Yuri Smirnov,piano. [Zenei Rendezo, prod.] HUNGAROTONSLPX 11655, $8.98.

Sandor Vegh, violin; Peter Pettinger,piano. TELEFUNKEN 6.42417, $9.98.


68

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COMPARISON -NO. 2:

Szigeti /Bartok Van. SRV 304/5

Bartok's mature violin -piano sonataswere composed in 1921 and 1922, and bothare dedicated to Jelly d'Aranyi, the grand-niece of the great Joseph Joachim. The earlyTwenties were a seminal time for violintechnique, since Ravel's Tzigane (also dedi-cated to D'Aranyi, incidentally) appearedbut two years after the second Bartok so-nata. No less than Ravel's fiendishly de-manding exercise, BartOk's writing herethrows every difficulty known (and a fewunimagined ones) at the violinist; unlike theTzigane (where the orchestra, or pianist, re-mains silent through most of the work),murderous demands are made on the pian-ist as well. I have always found the First So-nata completely fulfilling and the Secondslightly arid emotionally -but this is purelysubjective and could easily be reversed. Inany event, both compositions represent amajor interpretive and technical challengeto performers.

Posterity received a magnificent giftsome fifteen years ago when Vanguardunearthed a Library of Congress recital byJoseph Szigeti and Bartok himself and re-leased it on VRS 1130/1 (since reissued inrechanneled stereo). Included was a revela-tory reading of the Second Sonata. Overthe years, other specialists, such as YehudiMenuhin and Andre Gertler, have re-corded one or both of the sonatas, some-times with excellent results. The most serv-iceable of these recordings, that of IsaacStern (Columbia M 30944), must now cedehonors to both of these newcomers, partlybecause Alexander Zakin, Stern's pianist,assumes too much of a subsidiary role andpartly because Kremer and Vegh are moreperceptive interpreters than Stern was.

Kremer and Vegh are far removedfrom one another -and from Szigeti in No.2 -but each sounds completely idiomaticand persuasive in his own way. As againstthe striking, ruminative grandeur of theSzigeti-Bartok performance, Kremer andhis excellent Soviet pianist, Yuri Smirnov,revel in a lighter, more whimsical kind offinespun lyricism. This makes the musicmore immediately accessible without in theleast diminishing its primitive energy. Al-though Kremer eschews conventional, lushviolin tone, he is a supreme virtuoso with ahaunting coloristic palette at his disposal.

Vegh, whose own fiddling is muchmore formidable than one might expectfrom a confirmed chamber musician,presents the sonatas in taut classical con-text: His pianissimo playing is marvelously

apt and controlled, and, although he doesnot attempt to make the music more pala-table to the uninitiated, his beautifully inte-grated readings glisten with purity of inten-tion (and realization). The English pianistPeter Pettinger offers stylish, slightly sobersupport in another true collaboration.

The Telefunken disc gets the edgefor its superlative processing. The Hun-garoton, though perfectly adequate, hasslightly flawed surfaces and somewhat tub-bier sonority. H.G.

BEETHOVEN: Missa Solemnis, Op.123.

Edda Moser, soprano; HannaSchwarz, alto; Rene Kollo, tenor; KurtMoll, bass; Hilversum Radio Chorus, Con-certgebouw Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein,cond. [Gunther Breest, prod.] DEUTSCHEGRAMMOPHON 2707 110, $19.96 (two discs,manual sequence). Tape: 3370 029, $19.96(two cassettes) [recorded in concert, Febru-ary and March 1978].

Bernstein's early Columbia record-ing of the Missa Solemnis (M2S 619) had itsgood points; this sequel nearly twenty yearslater preserves those assets -fervor, emo-tional warmth, moments of suitable theatri-cal excitement -and integrates them into amuch more meaningful and cumulativeprogression. In fact, this may be the finestmodern recording of Beethoven's toweringmasterwork, despite the many imposing as-pects of the Klemperer (Angel SB 3679),Giulini (Angel SB 3836), Davis (Philips6747 484), Solti (London OSA 12111),Bohm (DG 2707 080), and Jochum per-formances. Bernstein's craftsmanship isless formidable than Klemperer's in termsof sheer planning and precision. And, ofcourse, no conductor could be expected toequal the clarity and rhythmic mastery ofToscanini's achievement with this challeng-ing music. But it is quite remarkable howclose Bernstein, with his less ironclad con-trol and more genial conception, has cometo the Maestro's incomparable 1940 broad-cast performance.

He seems utterly caught up in thework and conducts with a combination oftransfixed humanity and muscular simplic-ity that always directs attention to the mu-sic, never to its interpreter. The Kyrie isbroadly paced, succinct, and flowing; theGloria, which follows with very littlebreak -a good idea, in this context, is bothexultant and concise (the meno Allegro istreated as an integral part of what precedesand follows, not as an inorganic intrusion

Continued on page 73

Critics'hoice

The most noteworthyreleases reviewed recently

BACH: Brandenburg Concertos, S. 1046-51.Aston Magna, Fuller. SMITHSONIAN RECORDINGS

3016 (2), Dec.BACH: Suites for Orchestra, S. 1066-68, et al.English Concert, Pinnock. ARCHIV 2533410/(Z), Nov.BEETHOVEN: Works for Cello and Piano.Starker. TELEFUNKEN 36.35450 (3), Oct.

BERLIOZ: Harold in Italy. Suk, Fischer-Dleskau. QUINTESSENCE PMC 7103, Nov.BOULEZ: Sonata for Piano. WEBERN: Vari-ations for Piano. Pollini. DG 2530 803, Oct.BRAHMS: Choral Corboz. RCA REDSEAL ARL 1-3350, Nov.BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No. 2. Tirimo,Levi. MUSICAL HERITAGE SOCIETY MHS 4001,

Dec.DONIZETTI: Lucrezia Borgia. Sutherland,Home, Bonynge. LONDON OSA 13129 (3), Oct.FAURi: Requiem; Pavane. Popp, Nimsgern,A. Davis. COLUMBIA M 35153, Oct.GERSHWIN: Orchestral Works. Fiedler.LONDON PHASE -4 SPC 21185, Dec.

HAYDN: Lo Speziale. Kalmar, Fatty, Lehel.HUNGAROTON SLPX 11926/7 (2), Nov.

LALO: Trio No. 1. SAINT-SFUNS: Trio No.1. Caecilian Trio. TURNABOUT TVC 37002,Nov.MENDELSSOHN: Psalms 42, 95. Corboz.ERATO STU 71101, Nov.MOZART: Violin Concertos, K. 211, 219.Spivakov. ANGEL SZ 37511, Nov.SCHUBERT: Quartets Nos. 12,15. GabrieliQt. LONDON TREASURY STS 15418, Nov.

STRAUSS, J. II: Waltz Transcriptions. BostonSymphony Chamber Players. DG 2530 977,Dec.STRAUSS: Die schweigsame Frau. Scovotti,Adam, Janowski. ANGEL SZCX 3867 (3), Oct.VIVALDI: Motets. Ameling, Negri. PHILIPS9500 556, Oct.CLEVELAND SYMPHONIC WINDS:Macho Marches. Fennell. TELARC DG 10043,Nov.RIVERS OF DELIGHT: American FolkHymns. Word of Mouth Chorus. NONESUCH71360, Nov.STRAUSS FAMILY GALA. Georgiadis. DBXGS 2006, Nov.THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES. Filmscore by Friedhofer. ENTR'ACTE EDP 8101,Nov.

4 Circle 55 on Page 77

72 HIGH FIDELITY

Dvoiales "Other" Cello Concerto,Smetana's "Other" Quartetby Abram Chipman

quartetknows the Smetana string

quartet and the Dvoilk cello concerto.Right? And everyone knows that Dvotakwrote four symphonic poems in the lastyears of his life. Right? Well, everyone isthrice wrong, and Czechoslovakia's officialrecord company sets things straight in twoinstances while perpetuating misinforma-tion in the third.

Supraphon reminds us-not for thefirst time-that Smetana's justly renownedE minor Quartet was followed some sixyears later by a D minor work that contin-ues its autobiographical anguish. But theSecond Quartet differs from the First inmany ways, mainly in the lack of a slowmovement-even a slow epilogue such asthe ending of From My Life. Instead, it givesus an angry fugue as its third movementand a frenzied and very brief Presto for afinale. Also, ideas are less logically devel-oped in the later work; the composer'sdeafness was proceeding apace.

I suppose it takes players called theSmetana Quartet to persistently championtheir namesake's Cinderella of a work, andthey are the only quartet to have made LPrecordings of it. Supraphon's stereo cataloglists a previous coupling of these piecesfrom the same personnel as SUAST 50448;it appeared here briefly in the late Sixtieson Crossroads. The remake is better in ev-ery way. The sound is darker and richer,and the playing much more in tune. Theperformance has the extra tensile strengthand cohesion required to "sell" the listeneron the flawed but fascinating D minor. Thefamiliar warmth and inflection of the Sme-tana's reading of From My Life is even morein evidence here. And the older record be-gan the Second Quartet after the First's fi-nale, on Side 2, whereas the current issueconveniently keeps each work intact on aseparate side. A basic chamber music li-brary item.

Dvoilk's deservedly immortal B mi-nor Cello Concerto of 1895 was actuallypreceded by one composed thirty years ear-lier..That has been largely unknown, be-cause the composer never got it publishedand Seems not to have orchestrated it. Aposthumously edited score appeared in1929, but the arrangers of the text per-formed in this world -premiere recordingregard it as untrue to his manuscript. Asheard here, the cello part was revised byMilog Sadlo, who also plays it, and the or-

chestral part by Jarmil Burghauser, who isto Dvoi-ak what Kochel and Pincherle wereto Mozart and Vivaldi.

The A major Concerto certainlyshows signs of a developing rather thanfully !natured creative process. The open-ing and slow movements merge into oneanother in the rhapsodic style of concertosby Bruch or Delius. Memorable tunes arelimited, though many ideas seem to be an-ticipations of ones that later flourished inDvofak's canonical masterpieces. For ex-ample, the cellist repeatedly engages indownward chromatic runs that are quitelike those in the B minor Concerto's first -movement coda, and the work opens with atune not unlike the trio section of the G ma-jor Symphony. Redundant listeningmaybe, but also fresh, vital, and sweeping.The finale is dominated by a swaggeringtriple meter figure that anticipates Dvoilk'slater fascination with the musical doings ofthe American Indian. The First Concertomay or may not belong in the forefront ofthe repertory, but it's certainly deserving ofoccasional hearings, for reasons of pleasureas well as historical curiosity.

It's hard to find fault with Sadloand Neumann's strong, idiomatic, andtechnically secure performances. Somefolks might question such a novel debutbeing mated to a two -disc set of the com-plete cello works. After all, you may notwant yet another copy of the B minor Con-certo. Rest assured. Sadlo, who evidentlyhasn't recorded the piece before, knows itthoroughly and loves it passionately. Hismusing and dusky baritone contrasts withthe lyric soprano of Lynn Harrell (RCAARL 1-1155), the urgent Heldentenor ofPablo Casals (Seraphim 60240), and the ef-fusive and resonant bass -baritone of Mstis-lav Rostropovich's repeatedly documented -interpretation. There are too many finerecordings of the concerto to pick any oneas the all-time best, but Sadlo surely be-longs in this exalted company. And hefinds a sympathetic collaborator in Neu-mann, who sounds less square and pom-pous than he did in Jan Chuchro's version,reviewed by Harris Goldsmith in February1979 (Supraphon 4 10 2075).

The fillers include a slight but attrac-tive polonaise with piano, otherwise un-known to me, and the orchestrally accom-panied versions of the little pieces oftenappended to the B minor Concerto. Silent

Woods has never sounded so heartfelt andsimple nor the G minor Rondo so bouncyand earthy as they do in these renditions.

The latest purported integral editionof Dvofak's symphonic poems once againis limited to the four programmatic onesbased on the horrendous folk legends ofErben and excludes the immediately en-suing Hero's Song, a more abstract but en-gaging work that has yet to be recordedcommercially in stereo. As it happens, Neu-mann's performances are no more lively orsonically vivid than Zdenek Chalabala'sserviceable cycle, also with the Czech Phil-harmonic, of the Sixties, which has beenreissued by the British Rediffusion/Legendseries in a four -disc anthology that includesvariously conducted Supraphon recordingsof other Dvorak orchestral fare plus aPrague Radio mono tape under Alois Klimaof Hero's Song. (That's enterprise and dedi-cation for you.) Neumann himself recordeda livelier Wood Dove for Telefunken(36.35075).

If you want just a two -disc packageof the Erben poems, Rafael Kubelik's isquite exciting, even if the Bavarian RadioOrchestra is no Czech Philharmonic. DG'sinclusion of the Symphonic Variations is amore generous bonus than the HusitskiiOverture given on Supraphon.

DVORAK: Cello Works.Milos Sadlo, cello; Alfred Hole'dek,

piano"; Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, VA -clay Neumann, cond.*. [Pavel Kuhn, prod.]SUPRAPHON 1 10 2081/2, $17.96 (two discs,manual sequence).

*Concertos: in A (ed. Burghauserand Sadlo); in B minor, Op. 104. *SilentWoods, Op. 68, No. 5. *Rondo in G minor,Op. 94. 'Polonaise in A.

DVORAK: Orchestral Works.Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Va-

clay Neumann, cond. [Milan Slavicky,prod.] SUPRAPHON 4 10 2591/2, $17.96 (twoSQ-encoded discs).

Symphonic poems: The WaterSprite, Op. 107; The Noonday Witch, Op.108; The Golden Spinning Wheel, Op. 109;The Wood Dove, Op. 110. Husitska Over-ture, Op. 67.

COMPARISONS-Symphonic poems:

Chalabala/Czech Phil.Legend LGDD 101

DG 2530 712/3 Kubelik/Bay. Radio Sym.SMETANA: Quartets for Strings:

No. 1, in E minor (From My Life); No. 2, inD minor.

Smetana Quartet. [Eduard Herzog,prod.] SUPRAPHON 4 11 2130, $8.98 (SQ-en-coded disc).

HIF

-

JANUARY 1980

that dispels continuity). The Credo is slowbut never cumbersome or draggy as in mostsimilarly paced readings; the "Et resurrexit,"however, lacks the galvanizing impact ithad in Toscanini's 1953 version. Bernsteinavoids the temptation to milk the "Bene-dictus" violin solo in a mawkish manner: Helets the music flow without "interpreting,"and the musicians are at one with him (andthe music). The Agnus Dei is heartrend-ingly beautiful, and although the warlikehints lurking behind the pleas for everlast-ing peace are less sinister than in Tosca-nini's hands, the basic conflict comesthrough handsomely.

My only quibbles are the occasionalrhetorical broadenings, such as the one inthe last bars of the "Dona nobis pacem," thestill rarer wobble in some of the soprano'sotherwise rich -toned solos, and one or twodetails that don't emerge quite com-pellingly enough in this generally well-bal-anced live concert recording. One textualitem: Bernstein has his soloists insert ap-poggiaturas on their Agnus Dei phrases, asToscanini did in 1953 (but not in 1940).

In totality, this might well be Bern -stein's finest contribution to thephonograph. H.G.

BEETHOVEN: Sonatas for Piano:No. 14, in C sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2(Moonlight); No. 18, in E flat, Op. 31, No. 3.Bagatelle "fur Elise."

Bella Davidovich, piano. PHILIPS9500 665, $9.98. Tape: 7300 763, $9.98(cassette).

CHOPIN: Preludes (24), Op. 28.Bella Davidovich, piano. PHILIPS

9500 666, $9.98. Tape: 7300 764, $9.98(cassette).

Bella Davidovich is the latest in agrowing list of émigré musicians from theSoviet Union, and her first Western record-ings were released to coincide with a Car-negie Hall recital. Of her ability to play thepiano, there can be no doubt; her music -making has a basic solidity, an honorabledependability, and at times even somecommunicativeness. Yet on the whole, herplaying here-and at the aforementionedconcert-seems to me rather plodding andunstylish, with a well -regulated routine of-ten taking the place of stimulating sensi-tivity and genuine insight. At first, I sus-pected that perhaps Beethoven was notDavidovich's forte and that her true tem-perament would shine through in the Cho-pin preludes, but her Chopin interpretationdisappoints as well and for the samereasons.

73

One notices as early as in the A mi-nor Prelude (No. 2) a certain bearish delib-eration, and in the G major that follows, thepurling left-hand ostinato loses the requi-site scintillation because Davidovich pro-duces one basic type of sonority-a toneemanating from shoulder and arm weightrather than from finger articulation. Arrau,very much an arm -and -shoulder playerhimself, shows in his Philips recording ofthe preludes (6500 622), how much morepower and color can emerge when theplush basic sound is occasionally spicedwith cutting brightness and other types ofdefinition.

In some of the quicker pieces, David-ovich plays the patterns faster than the earcan decipher them, producing a slightlysmudged sound. Certainly her account ofthe F sharp minor Prelude (No. 8) lacks theastute linear separation heard in the per-formances of Arrau, Ashkenazy (LondonCS 7101), Pollini (DG 2530 550), and Pe-rahia (Columbia M 33507), and at no timedoes her generalized lyric approach com-municate as do those performers and, forall her careless moments, Martha Argerich(DG 2530 721).

In the main, Davidovich is at hermost convincing in quiet, lyric preludes,such as the so-called Raindrop (No. 15 in Dflat) or the massive C minor (No. 20). Oth-ers, such as No. 17, that require a moresubtle, tensile delicacy verge on squarenessand overdeliberation; the perfervid B flatminor (No. 16), the anguished D minor (No.24), the tumultuous G minor (No. 22), andthe suicidal F minor (No. 18) lack theneeded degree of vehemence and clarity.Davidovich rightly plays the E flat in thethird bar of No. 20, and most of her othertextual options show her to be using a re-liable edition. This makes her curious-andapparently wholly unauthorized-G sharpnear the end of the A major Prelude (No. 7)all the more baffling. (It is also musicallyunsatisfactory, since it destroys the three -note pattern that recurs throughout theshortest of the preludes.)

Neither is the Beethoven recordwhat one might expect from a pianistwhose outlook and training point to theRomantic tradition; the playing isn't Ro-mantic at all, but in fact, rather bland, care-ful, and rounded off. To be sure, it is pleas-ingly direct and unaffected, but with somany more insightful readings of these so-natas available, Davidovich's prosaicMoonlight and only (to borrow Sullivan'simmortal phrase) moderately rapturousOp. 31, No. 3, seem superfluous-a sort ofdietetic Rubinstein. Like Ashkenazy in his

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recent recording and Backhaus in his oldone, she modifies Beethoven's figurationsin the second movement of the latter workto exploit the extended range of our mod-ern keyboard. It is a defendable option, butnot one I favor.

Both recordings are up to Philips'usual high standards of sound andprocessing. H.G.

BERLIOZ: Requiem, Op. 5.Kenneth Riegel, tenor; Cleveland

Orchestra and Chorus, Lorin Maazel, cond.[James Mallinson, prod.] LONDON OSA12115, $17.96 (two discs, automatic se-quence). Tape: OSA5 12115, $17.96 (twocassettes).

COMPARISON:

Davis/London Sym. Phi. 6700 019The way Maazel and his forces sus-

tain and control the quieter passages of Ber-lioz' Requiem is impressive-as, too, is thesmoothness and power of the recordedsound. Kenneth Riegel sings the difficultsolo in the Sanctus with sweet and securetone; not since Leopold Simoneau (in theMunch/Boston recording) has anyonesounded quite as comfortable in this altitu-dinous writing.

But Maazel's control admits of noexuberance; the biggest moments arestodgy and unexciting, though ample insound. As before, the villain is rhythmicblandness. Maazel, like Ozawa and Bar-enboim, is one of the modern conductorswho cannot make Berlioz' syncopations,cross -accents, and irregularities of phrasecome bounding to life as once did Harty,Beecham, Toscanini, Kletzki, and even-despite some compensatory bad habits-Munch. Those big string chords on the off -beats in the "Lacrymosa" don't sound likesyncopations. The grandly expansive he-miola at the climax of that movement sagsbadly, and the gross ritard just before its fi-nal chord is simply clumsy.

The "Rex tremendae" begins too fastfor Berlioz' Andante maestoso; only at thereturn to Tempo I (at "Qui saloandos salvas

gratis") do we get what should have been theinitial tempo. In the first quiet section of the"Lacrymosa," the bassoons and string bassesdon't seem to be quite together. In the"Quaerens me" and the Offertorium, Maazelprefers the longer text of the first editionover Berlioz' revised second -edition score;as far as I can tell from my notes, Abra-vanel's is the only other current recordingto make this choice, which the historicalevidence certainly disrecommends.

As I've already suggested, the soundis good, a successful blend of clarity and

resonance. The quiet cymbal -and -bass -drum strokes in the Sanctus are registeredas events of quiet power, not major detona-tions. Alas, an undervibrant Requiem is asunsatisfactory as a hyperactive one; the Co-lin Davis version still makes the most ofboth of the work's extremes. D.H.

CHOPIN: Nocturnes (21). For a fea-ture review, see page 63.

CHOPIN: Preludes (24), Op. 28-See Beethoven: Sonatas for Piano.

CIMAROSA: II Maestro di cappella.II Matrimonio segreto: Overture and Aria.II Fanatico per gli antichi romani:Sinfonia.

Philippe Huttenlocher, baritone;Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Armin Jor-dan, cond. MUSICAL HERITAGE SOCIETY MHS4040, $5.20 ($3.95 to members) plus $1.25shipping (Musical Heritage Society, 14Park Rd., Tinton Falls, N.J. 07724).

II Maestro di cappella is a capitalfarce-not a full-fledged opera buffa, but atwenty -minute intermezzo in the form of along accompanied recitative that uses theidiom and technique of the purest classicalbuffa. The theme is familiar and indestruct-ible: Everyone, whether fiddler or timpan-ist, wants to be a conductor.

In this case the aspirant is a singer,boasting to the orchestra that he is no tyrobut a disciple of the famous Cavaliere Scar-latti (which the inept translation gives as"Sir Scarlatti"!), and he promises a bonus inthe form of a fine aria. The would-be mae-stro immediately runs into trouble. "Whatare you doing, my dear oboe? ... Let's startagain from the beginning. ... Damneddouble basses, what the devil is going on?... Pay attention to the beat!" Then there isapparently a turn for the better: "I amhappy. ... Oh, what a blessed orchestra."Obviously, the orchestra is engaging in theage-old game of testing whether they canthrow a new conductor; the basses aregrumbling, the horns blasting, the flutemisses its cue, and so forth, but when theysee that the man knows his business, theycome around. There is an excellent littleoverture, the vocal part could not be moreskillfully written, and the bubbling orches-tra is full of witty tricks but also of bits ofnice melodies. Rossini-and even Mozart-did not miss any of these things.

I could have sworn that the fine bari-tone who is the entire cast hailed from thefoothills of Mount Vesuvius. He has awarm Italian voice, has the style in his

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JANUARY 1980 79

bones, and displays a hundred hues andnuances that in this genre one expects onlyfrom a Baccaloni or Corena (who, inciden-tally, recorded it twice for London, mostrecently twenty years ago on a delightfuland still available set). But his name, Phil-ippe Huttenlocher, points perhaps to an Al-satian. Whatever the case, he is a real find.The Lausanne orchestra under Armin Jor-dan functions well, though at times itsounds a little too energetic, which maywell be the fault of the sound engineers.

On the other side of the record arethe overture and an aria from 11 Matrimoniosegreto and a so-so overture to another op-era. Funny how these people operate. Theydiscover and record a gem, then instead ofmaking a memorable recording by diggingfor something else unknown and attractive(the libraries are full of them) they fall backon whatever is safe and available.

The text of II Maestro di cappella mustbe fully understood for one to appreciatethe amusing goings-on. Musical Heritagefurnishes a scurvy page with a hard -to -readtext and its translation, as well as some oft -repeated musicology on the sleeve. P.H.L.

DVOliAK: Cello Works; OrchestralWorks. For a featurette, see page 72.

GOUNOD: Faust.CAST:

MargueriteSiebelMartheFaustValentinWagnerMephistopheles

Mirella Freni (s)Michele Command (s)Jocelyne Taillon (ms)Placido Domingo (t)Thomas Allen (b)Marc Vento (b)Nicolai Ghiaurov (bs)

Paris Opera Chorus and Orchestra,Georges Pretre, cond. [Christopher Bishopand Greco Casadesus, prod.] ANGEL SZDX3868, $36.98 (four discs, automaticsequence).

COMPARISONS:

Bonynge/London Sym. Lon. OSA 1433Lombard/Strasbourg Phil.

RCA FRL 4-2493Cluytens/Paris Opera Ang. SDL 3622Cleva/Met. Opera Odys. Y3 32103

This is a better Faust than we haveany right to expect, given the present stateof the art, and it can be recommended withsome confidence over the modern competi-tion, which says as much about the compe-tition as it does about the new version.

Let's get the textual stuff out of theway first. What we have here is the com-plete published score, which means that

only the London recording contains musicnot heard here-a few lines here and there,nothing of substance. As in the London andErato/RCA recordings, the two familiarscenes of Act IV (church and Valentin'sdeath) are preceded by the scene in Mar-guerite's room that includes her aria "11 nerevient pas"; the Erato, however, omits Sie-bel's answering song, "Si le bonheur."

The Walpurgis Night is complete,and that's an important first: At the point inthe second tableau where the ballet (whichmay or may not be by Gounod) was in-serted, we hear instead the original recita-tive and drinking song for Faust ("Vain re-mords! . . . Dour nectar dans ton ivresse"). Thisepisode appears in current vocal scores butnot in any orchestral score I've seen, andI've never heard it performed before. As Isuspected, it is an effective number-therecitative in particular gives the tenor somerousing opportunities-and keeps the scenemore manageably proportioned than theballet (which is performed as an appendixon Side 8).

In theory, then, the new Angel per-forming edition seems to me the best avail-able to us, but that theoretical advantage isnot fully realized in the performance. PlacidoDomingo makes a good thing of the "new"number-indeed, the Nuit de Walpurgis as awhole goes very nicely-but neither MirellaFreni nor Michele Command does much toshow why the Act IV restorations are a goodidea. The competition provides no help inthis regard either. At least for "Si le bonheur"there's a lovely 1929 Branzell recording(available on Preiser LV 47, which also in-cludes Branzell's "Faites-lui mes aveux"); for"11 ne revient pas" one must still exerciseimagination.

Not that Freni is painful to listen to.Marguerite doesn't force her to puff up thetone as do the heavier roles she has re-corded in recent years; all the same, thevoice shows the same imbalance Conrad L.Osborne described in connection with herBoccanegra Amelia (DG 2709 071, February1978). The sound curdles under pressure,and the middle octave tends to be breathyand unfocused; the lower -middle area isoccasionally reinforced by that same eerie"baby chest"-the A flats of "Park, parte en-core" in the love duet sound like a Callasimpression.

Elsewhere the somewhat blowsyquality may sound like a Caballe impres-sion, until you check out the real thing inthe Erato set. Like Caballe, Sutherland(London) is adroop in cloudland, and theCluytens/Angel version preserves one of

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De los Angeles' more sluggish perform-ances. Does that make Freni the cream ofthe stereo crop? Maybe so, but if you expecta Marguerite to give us some reason whywe should care about her, you'll have to goback to Steber on the old Met recording(now on Odyssey).

Controlled lyric singing is not Do-mingo's strong suit either, though I'm notabout to complain about the sounds he doesmake. This is a vocally well -managed per-formance, and it has all the external mark-ings of a "sensitive" one. So why does it

leave me cold? It's true that the voice lacksflexibility around and above the break, butthis is even more true of Corelli's (Lon-don)-a significantly larger -scaled instru-ment, of course. And yet Corelli almost al-ways seems to me to be trying to createFaust from the inside, whereas Domingosettles for grafted -on gestures.

The happy surprise of the new set isNicolai Ghiaurov's Mephisto, a dramaticimprovement over his contribution to theLondon recording, made when the voicewas in its gorgeous prime. In those days

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Ghiaurov was capable of flaunting his voiceobnoxiously, and the earlier Mephisto wascharacterized by an overweighted, gloppy,bully -boy legato. In recent years, as the up-per part of the voice has fallen apart, he hasshown little inclination to adjust to his di-minished capacities, to reassert control overwhat could still be a significant instrument.

Suddenly we have a new Ghiaurov.He can still manage a firm, rich sound in thelower area-say, from C to G (the voicenever had much real bottom); now he'slightening his handling of the upper part ofthe voice, producing a sound that may lackthe former power and brilliance but doescomplete the voice plausibly, is agreeableto the ear, and is under the singer's control.And that control is exercised to excellenteffect-mature, dignified, unhysterical. Oh,there's some heavy going (e.g., "Reines debeaute" in the Nuit de Walpurgis), but alsomuch singing that is quite lovely to listento.

Another pleasant surprise is the Va-lentin of Thomas Allen. He fills out this dif-ficult role with continuously bright and at-tractive sound, coupled with some realcontrol of tone color, volume, and attack.What's more, his French is not merely cor-rect, but expressive. For sheer vocal oomphAllen won't be mistaken for Lisitsian (in theold Melodiya recording) or Blanc (in theCluytens/ Angel set), but I had no idea wecould muster a Valentin of this quality.

As suggested earlier, Command is aweak Siebel (but again, the competition

). Jocelyne Taillon is an above -averageMarthe, as she was in the Erato set, al-though here the competition includes theredoubtable Rita Gorr (Cluytens/Angel).Marc Vento is a fine Wagner.

Georges Pretre is the only major con-ductor I know of who really believes inFaust, and this shows in his refusal to rushthings. His tempos are generally on thebroad side (although, as I've pointed outbefore, Gounod's metronome markings areextremely slow); unlike Erato's Alain Lom-bard, he doesn't let the bottom fall out ofthe music. I also like the presence of thelower instruments in rich orchestral bal-ance. Pretre has lots of ideas about thescore, but he hasn't entirely succeeded intranslating them from conception to per-formance. More rehearsal might havehelped; this is, after all, quite different fromthe Faust the Parisians are used to perform-ing. Part of the problem may be that theOpera forces, in the process of acquiring amodicum of discipline, seem to have lostsome of their native flavor. The choral andorchestral work is reasonably efficient butnot especially virtuosic or idiomatic.

Okay, so this isn't the Faust to con-found naysayers. It's better than what wehad and quite adequately recorded. K.F.


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82

HAYDN: Sonata for Piano, No. 52,in E flat. For a feature review, see page 63.

MOZART: Le Nozze di Figaro.CAST:

Countess AlmavivaAnna Tomova-Sintov (s)Ileana Cotrubas (s)Jane Berbie (s)Christiane Barbaux (s)

SusannaMarcellinaBarbarinaCherubino

Don BasilioDon CurzioFigaroCount Almaviva

Tom Krause (b)Antonio Zoltan Kelemen (b)Bartolo Jules Bastin (bs)

Konrad Leitner, continuo; ViennaState Opera Chorus, Vienna PhilharmonicOrchestra, Herbert von Karajan, cond.[Christopher Raeburn, prod.] LONDON OSA1443, $35.92 (four discs, automaticsequence).

Herbert von Karajan's prodigioustechnique is hardly news any longer, but tothose still unaware of the sheer mastery ofhis conducting, this recording will come asa revelation. The smooth blend of instru-mental textures, the range of colors at hiscommand, even the varieties of attack heelicits from the Vienna Philharmonic reveala level of virtuosity (not to mention a de-gree of willpower) that is almost astonish-ing. Were technical brilliance the sole crite-rion of artistic achievement, this Figaro

would be something to treasure. As it is, itis little more than a curiosity. To see soenormous a talent applied to such dubiousartistic aims is cause for wonderment.

In his vocal recordings of the lastdecade or so, Karajan has created a highlydistinctive style, in which spontaneity hasbeen replaced by smoothness, dramatictension by reflectiveness, the play of char-acter by the exercise of rigid authority. Toachieve these ends he will sacrifice the indi-viduality of the singer for a homogeneity ofsound that is essentially orchestral in char-acter. The result in recording after record-ing is a devitalized, dreamlike atmosphere,in which the auditor is made to feel like thewitness, not of a drama in progress, but ofthe conductor's recollections of, and reflec-tions on, that drama.

So it proves once again. In Karajan'shands, what is arguably the most richly hu-man of Mozart's operas becomes frigid, re-mote, and unengaging. Though matters im-prove somewhat later on, Act I in particularseems to take place in a world of shadowsand ghosts, where characters murmur toone another abstractedly, or breathe theirthoughts aloud to themselves in a manner

Frederica von Stade (ms)Heinz Zednik (t)Kurt Equiluz (t)Jose van Dam (b)

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suggesting moonstruck bemusement. Thesecco recitative preceding "Se vuol ballare,"which, according to the score, is meant tobe delivered while Figaro is pacing fu-riously around the room, is whispered inone's ear almost confidentially; Figarosounds less defiant of the Count thanfrightened of him-a situation only aggra-vated by the aria's lack of all élan and there-fore insolence. Cherubino's "Non so piii" isaprotracted murmur, during which the pageseems to be swooning away with incom-municable ecstasy.

Susanna and Marcellina try to bestone another at a speed so fast and a rhythmso unyielding that all sense of conflict-andtherefore of comedy-is put to flight. Muchthe same is true of the scene in whichCherubino is discovered hiding in Su-sanna's chair. In Act III, Marcellina's all-im-portant explanation to Susanna of theformer's maternal relationship to Figaro issubmerged in orchestral sound. In Act IV,the comic misunderstandings that precedethe denouement are taken at so fast a clipand treated so airily that the final reconcil-iation, which seems insufficiently moti-vated, is robbed of half its effectiveness. Inone or two places, Karajan shows himselfaware of the powerful forces that confrontone another in this opera: in parts of thesecond -act finale, for example, or in theCount's aria, which has just the right kindof authoritarian weightiness. But on thewhole the performance lacks any real senseof dramatic engagement.

Of the singers, only Jose van Dam,an artist of uncommon intelligence andmusicianship, manages both to sing welland to create a sense of autonomous char-acterization. The others are seriously hob-bled by the intransigence of Karajan's lead-ership, Cotrubas' Susanna soundingvocally undernourished and dramaticallywan, and the Count and Countess of TomKrause and Anna Tomova-Sintov inelegantand monochromatic. Frederica von Stade'sCherubino is livelier but white of tone andaffected in the extreme; it would be good tohear from this talented mezzo some ex-tended singing that was both fully sus-tained and squarely on pitch. Jane Berbieand Jules Bastin are engaging enough butrather too modestly endowed for the delmands of Marcellina's and Bartolo's arias.The latter is also true of the less well char-acterized Basilio of Heinz Zednik. Like themore enjoyable Zoltan Kelemen (Antonio),Zednik needs better Italian coaching. Thechorus is good.

The recitatives are closely miked, therest is recorded more spaciously. I find thedouble focus, like so much in this record-ing, disconcerting. In any case, the over -resonant sound favored by Karajan is hardto get used to. My copy of London's press-


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83ings was uncharacteristically noisy. Li-bretto and translation are furnished. ForMozart lovers the best Figares currentlyavailable are, I believe, Colin Davis' (Phil-ips 6707 014) and, though the sound issomewhat dated, Erich Kleiber's (LondonOSA 1402). D.S.H.

MUSGRAVE: Mary, Queen ofScots.

CAST:

MaryMary SetonMary BeatonMary LivingstoneMary FlemingHenry, Lord DarnleyJames Hepburn, Earl

Earl of RuthvenJames Stuart, Earl of

Cardinal BeatonEarl of Morton

Ashley Putnam (s)Gloria Capone (s)Nancy Boling (s)Ann Scholten (ms)Pamela Scott (ms)Jon Garrison (t)

of BothwellBarry Busse (t)Pietro Pozzo (t)

MorayJake Gardner (b)Carlos Serrano (b)Robert

Randolph (b)Kenneth Bell (bs-b)Francesco

Sorianello (bs)Virginia Opera Association Orches-

tra and Chorus, Peter Mark, cond. [AllenHouse, prod.] Moss Music GROUP MMG301, $24.95 (three discs, manual sequence).

Very few operas written in the pastfifteen or twenty years have received thekind of attention that Thea Musgrave'sMary, Queen of Scots received at its worldpremiere at the Edinburgh Festival in Sep-tember 1977 and its first American per-formances in Norfolk, Virginia, in April1978. But then, very few contemporary op-eras have the kind of immediate appeal thatthis one has. Its success goes to show that,even in an age when ascetic psychodramashave made inroads on our musical stages,opera is still a powerful vehicle for good oldintrigue, sex, and blood-and if the charac-ters happen to be queens, lords, courtiers,and soldiers, so much the better.

Musgrave's third full-length operadeals with seven years in the life of the ill-fated Queen of Scots, from the time of herreturn to Scotland after the death of herhusband, Francis II of France (in 1561,when she was eighteen), until she retreatedto England, deprived of her honor and hercrown. Within that period, Mary wed hercousin Darnley, her half-brother Jamesstaged the "Chaseabout Raid," Riccio wasmurdered, the future James I of Englandwas born, Darnley was killed, and plotsmerged with counterplots. There's ob-viously plenty of material here for an opera.Or two or three.

Like her predecessor Donizetti,Musgrave chose to take certain liberties

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84

with history (though while he entered theworld of fantasy by staging the meeting ofQueens Mary and Elizabeth a la Schiller,she has made her alterations in the name ofdramatic and theatrical coherence). Shefashioned her own libretto from an unpub-lished play by Amalia Elguera, who wrotethe libretto for Musgrave's The Voice ofAriadne, staged by the New York City Op-era in 1977. The grace with which the textand the music dance together demonstratesthat the composer made the final decisionsabout the two simultaneously. Perhaps themost stunning aspect of this opera is its the-atricality; Musgrave's sense of timingseems to be all but infallible.

This is particularly important forAmericans, who are unlikely to know allthe ramifications of English and Scottishhistory and, thus, may miss the almostmythic implications that the story of Maryholds for British subjects. Even now, it hastimely lessons for the Empire. Fortunately,this is not a crucial part of Musgrave's op-era; indeed, if there is a lesson to be learnedfrom Mary, it seems to me to have to dowith the relations of men and women andpower, a topic about which the composerapparently felt strongly, even to makingthe Earl of Bothwell a rapist, ignoring thefact that he would become the queen'sthird husband.

The scope of the subject matter, andthe fact that the three acts revolve aroundscenes in the ballroom, at court, and attable, might suggest that Mary, Queen ofScots is grandiose, not just grand. In fact, thework is easily managed, both by companiesof modest size and by first-time listeners.The forty -odd -piece orchestra is used morefor its variety of colors than for its con-certed impact; Musgrave's scoring is morenotable for its delicacy (especially at suchmoments as when the crown's jewels glittersonically) than for its force. The instru-ments' roles vacillate: Sometimes theyannounce dramatic events, and sometimesthey comment, after the fact. It's hard to saywhether or not the orchestra was meant toserve this double purpose, but it comesacross to excellent effect in performance,not as a liability.

The score is at its best in the passagesof relative relaxation, such as the arias andensembles (yes, old-fashioned arias and en-sembles) where the mood is reflective.These include some gorgeous sections us-ing old tunes and dance forms that not onlyfit into the historical context and give thework an ingenious kind of stability, butmeld well with the composer's own clean,lucid style, which avoids trendiness at ev-ery point.

The ways in which Musgrave haswoven the vocal lines above and aroundthese sixteenth -century melodies are both

HIGH FIDELITY

revealing and refreshing -revealing of herown musical inclinations, and refreshing intheir purity and imaginativeness. The op-era is a vehicle for a virtuoso soprano whocan handle a high tessitura and take com-mand of the stage while evoking the wit-ness' empathy. Fortunately, the VirginiaOpera Association, guided by Musgrave'shusband, Peter 'Mark, has just such a so-prano in the young Ashley Putnam. JakeGardner's portrayal of James is very fine,and Jon Garrison (Darnley), Barry Busse(Bothwell), and Kenneth Bell (Riccio) are allmore than adequate, but it is definitely Put-nam's show. The soprano's performance isfirst-rate in every respect; anyone whomight have doubted that she is on her wayto stardom has only to hear this to have alldoubts dispelled.

There are certain aspects of thisrecording about which one has to have res-ervations. As good as it is that the MossMusic Group has seen fit to release Mary,Queen of Scots, the advisability of using atape of a live performance is questionable -and if we did have to have a "live from thetheater in Norfolk" ambience, did it reallyhave to include the applause? For the pur-poses of recording, it would have been bet-ter to retape some of the ensembles andmost of the choruses. The chorus is the per-formance's weakest link, and there aretimes when the chain seems to fall apartcompletely.

Still, the opera's appearance on rec-ords is a welcome event. This is a very im-portant work; witness not only the per-formances that have already taken place,but those that are contemplated by com-panies such as the New York City Opera.There are many pleasures to be derivedhere -not least the pleasure of knowing thatthis kind of work can still becreated. K.M.

MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Ex-hibition. For a feature review, see page 63.

PAER: Leonora.CAST:

LeonoraMarcellinaFlorestanoPizzarroFernandoGiacchinoRocco

Ursula Koszut (s)Edita Gruberova (s)Siegfried Jerusalem (t)Norberth Orth (t)John van Kesteren (t)Wolfgang Brendel (b)Giorgio Tadeo (bs)

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orches-tra, Peter Maag, cond. [Ray Minshull,prod.] LONDON OSA 13133, $23.94 (threediscs, automatic sequence).

For long, Ferdinando Paer (1771-1839) has been known to record collec-tors -if at all -as the composer of a delight-ful aria, from his 1821 opera-comique Le


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86

Maitre de chapelle, in which the eponymoushero describes an opera he is writing aboutCleopatra; complete with instrumental imi-tations (in the style later and further devel-oped by Peter Ustinov), this was recordedin the late 1920s by the famous Frenchbasso Lucien Fugere, then a vivaciouseighty years of age. More recently, a "com-plete" recording (without the spoken dia-logue) was issued by Barclay/ Inedits ORTF(995.004). This amiable curtain -raiserapparently remained in the active Paris rep-ertory until the Second World War. Intruth, Paer's contribution to the pleasure itengendered rested mainly on his thoroughknowledge of the period's operatic clichésand a vivid sense of how to send them up[see also PHL's review of Cimarosa's II

Maestro di cappella, page 741.Though he occupied several impor-

tant positions and wrote quite a number ofoperas, Paer's place in the history boOks isnot large. From his native Parma, he movedto Vienna in 1798, as Kapellmeister at theKarntnerthor Theater, and then to Dres-den's Hoftheater (in 1802, 3, or 4, depend-ing on which source you consult); whenNapoleon marched through, he added Paer

to his retinue and took him off to Paris torun the Opera-Comique and teach music tothe imperial family. In 1812, Paer suc-ceeded Spontini as music director of theTheatre des Italiens, a post he held until1827. (I'm telling you all this becauseDecca/London's booklet contains not a jotof biographical information, as if the com-poser were as familiar as Beethoven orVerdi!)

Most of Paer's posthumous celebrityis based on the historical happenstancehere given recorded actuality: At Dresdenin October 1804 he presented his setting ofthe same operatic subject that Beethovenused for Fidelio, first performed in Vienna inNovember 1805. Both Paer's anonymouslibrettist (presumed to have been one Gia-como Cinti, a singer) and Joseph Sonnleith-ner, who prepared the text of the first ver-sion of Fidelio, were translating (into Italianand German, respectively) and adaptingthe same source material: a French librettoby Bouilly, Lionore, ou l'amour conjugal, origi-

nally set to music by Pierre Gaveaux andperformed in Paris in 1798. The consider-able similarities between Cinti's recitativesand Sonnleithner's dialogue ought not tobe surprising, nor the close correspondencein the sequence of musical numbers.

Beyond that, however, scholars havenoted certain common divergences fromthe Bouilly libretto shared by Leonora andFidelio, suggesting that Beethoven mighthave known Paer's work. Furthermore, thecatalog of the posthumous auction ofBeethoven's effects indicates that he owned

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JANUARY 1980 87a manuscript score of Paer's opera-thoughwe have no idea of when he acquired it (andthere is some suspicion, too, that the dealerof that auction sneaked in some thingsnever owned by Beethoven, in the hope ofgetting higher prices on the basis of associ-ation value).

These ears heard nothing of resem-blance between the two works to argue anyconnection beyond the common sourceand their chronological and geographicalpropinquity, and I suspect their commondivergences from Bouilly are most simplyexplained by the hypothesis thatSonnleithner had access to Cinti's librettosoon after October 1804. As for Beetho-ven's copy of the score, that probably cameinto his hands later, when Leonora was pri-vately performed in 1806 at the LobkowitzPalace or when he heard it in a public per-formance in 1809 (in German).

Paer uses the lingua franca of post-Mozartean Italian -opera -in -Central -Europevery proficiently. In his overture, he sum-mons up a melody in the noble vein ofCherubini and Beethoven, and later bringsit back in Leonora's big scena (the equiva-lent of "Abscheulicher- I, but he is evidentlyunable to develop it into a structure of Bee-thovenian substance. Throughout, Pair'saspirations toward nobility of style founder

on his inability to transform his fluent dis-cursiveness into genuine musical -dramaticargument.

The emphasis of this libretto is per-sonal rather than ethical, a trait it shareswith Beethoven's first version and not withthe more monumental final revision of Fi-delio that we know best. Marcellina and hertiresome subplot are even more pervasive;she makes a quite disastrous appearance inthe dungeon scene, after Pizzarro andRocco have gone off to investigate thetrumpet call, simperingly extracting apromise of love from the supposed "Fe-dele" in return for taking a message to DonFernando. This tasteless episode trivializesthe opera's climax beyond redemption.

Unquestionably, a recording ofPaer's opera fills a historical gap; we haveprecious few recordings of operas writtenbetween Mozart's death and Rossini's rise,and it gives us some idea of the kind ofthing people were listening to. But its rela-tionship to Beethoven-and to great mu-sic-is purely coincidental; whateverBeethoven might possibly have learnedfrom Leonora, it was certainly not any of thethings that make him Beethoven, that makeFidelio a transcendent, galvanizing work-his genius for inventing music of dramaticstructural density and unprecedented ex-

pressive gravity, for deriving from har-monic and rhythmic processes a tensionthat could ignite and illuminate theatricalactions and characters. Paer's amiablenote -spinning knows nothing of suchpossibilities.

In the absence of a score, I am reluc-tant to vouch for the probity of this record-ing. Peter Maag's note includes the curiousstatement that his "task as arranger was ...limited to completing the viola part, whichin many places was merely sketched in, tosetting the secco recitatives, and to makingcuts as carefully and as reverently as pos-sible (i.e. by shortening over -long cadenzaswhile keeping faith with the idiom of theepoch). The only real liberty I took was inchanging some secco recitatives into accom-meant/ particularly at points of highdrama. All the rest is authentic." It isn'tclear whether some of these editorial intru-sions were made necessary by the imperfectcondition of the source materials or re-sulted merely from the conductor's whim.Where the latter was the case (as in chang-ing secco into accompagnato) it is hard to avoidthe feeling that a recording of such a work,of interest primarily to historians and stu-dents, ought insofar as possible to reflectthe historical facts, avoiding anachronismsand falsifications. At any rate, we certainly

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88

ought to be given a much more precise ac-count of any such and of the reasons forcommitting them.

By the same token, London's bookletought to have provided much more histor-ical information than it does, placing Paerand his work in a broad context rather thaneffusing at length about the "fascinating"(in reality, obvious and mostly inevitable)"parallels between the two works." (Forthat matter, there is no biographical infor-mation about the mostly unfamiliar sing-ers, either.)

Since reviving Leonora in Parma in1974, Maag has conducted it several times,and he knows how to make it move alongfluently. What he cannot do anythingabout is the lack of singers with the flex-ibility that this music demands. UrsulaKoszut, a soprano whose basic timbreshows some of the vibrant edginess we as-sociate with Regine Crespin, is also fre-quently erratic of intonation, while her pro-vincial Italian diction (from the province ofBaviera, that is) results in a less than con-vincingly fervent delivery of Leonora'slines. Edita Gruberova (Marcellina) makesa better showing with both words andnotes, and Giorgio Tadeo (Rocco), thoughrough of voice, is at least vividly at home inboth the verbal and musical languages. Ifound Siegfried Jerusalem (Florestano) sur-prisingly Italianate in sound and diction; itcannot be said, however, that he moves hisimpressive and attractive sound about theflorid lines with great facility.

In this version, both Pizzarro andFernando are tenors; both would benefitfrom more substantial voices than here pro-vided, and Norberth Orth's Italian is exe-crable. Conversely, Jaquino is a baritone,acceptably sung by Wolfgang Brendel.There is no chorus. The Bavarian Sym-phony Orchestra plays well, and the re-corded sound is clean and naturally placed.The usual libretto and translation areprovided. D.H.

SCHUMANN: Orchestral Works.Bavarian Radio Symphony Orches-

tra, Rafael Kubelik, cond. COLUMBIA M335199, $26.98 (three discs, manual se-quence).

Symphonies: No. 1, in B flat, Op.38 (Spring); No. 2, in C, Op. 61; No. 3, in Eflat, Op. 97 (Rhenish); No. 4, in D minor, Op.120. Manfred Overture, Op. 115.

COMPARISONS -Symphonies:

Barenboim/Chicago Sym.DG 2709 075

Szell/Cleveland 0. Odys. Y3 30844Karajan /Berlin Phil. DG 2709 036

There are three fundamental prob-lems in performing the Schumann sym-

HIGH FIDELITY

phonies: achieving the right sound, an un-broken line, and a unifying pulse. Theproblem of sound is rooted in Schumann'sdifficulties in finding the instrumentationthat precisely represented his ideas. His re-visions of his scores, like Mahler's, reflect asearch for greater precision and clarity inregistration, making explicit the colors andtextures he had in mind. He was never com-pletely successful, but never so unsuccess-ful that a conductor with a good ear andstylistic insight cannot secure a strong ef-fect with either textual editing or careful re-hearsal -or with (most commonly) a mix-ture of the two. Szell's clarifications of theorchestration (based on those of Weingart-ner) made his edition a landmark in theearly 1960s.

In these symphonies the rhythm isfrequently supported by the harmony, andboth are employed to enhance a flowingmelodic line that moves with enormousflexibility. The conductor's task is to keepthe music moving -even in the slowestphrases there must be a sense of thrust -andto link the many transitions in pulse andthematic material into a seamless fabric ofsound. Here Barenboim fails; the line is notalways sustained, and many of the transi-tions are abrupt. Karajan, whose perform-ances are somewhat more militant and as-sertive than Szell's or Kubelik's, managesthese matters well. For those who preferpower to poetry, his set remains the one toacquire.

Kubelik has been playing this musicthroughout his career, and an earlierrecording of the four symphonies (with theBerlin Philharmonic) is available on DGPrivilege single discs (2535 116/8). I preferthe newer set: The engineering has im-proved; Kubelik has matured and mel-lowed; and he is heard with his own orches-tra, a group of musicians who in years ofclose association have learned how best torealize his ideas.

His underlying approach is based onthe assumption that Schumann is an una-bashed Romantic -that his music is sup-posed to evoke our feelings and awake ourimagination and that this is to be achievedby shaping a melodic phrase with the mostintense regard for every detail. This wasSzell's approach, and he was so successfulthat the Odyssey discs remain of prime his-torical importance. Unfortunately they arenot all of the same technical quality, buttheir faults (a tendency to boomy bass, forexample) can be remedied with a largeequalizer. Kubelik has extremely good,modern recording that exploits the reso-nance of a fine hall, and although there issignificant variation in detail between hisperformances and Szell's (especially inmatters of tempo), one can argue that thisalbum will take the place in the catalog that


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JANUARY 1980 89the Szell set held for many years.

Kubelik's First Symphony gets off toa wonderful start, with the brass heraldingthe coming of spring and the introductoryphrases leading us into the energetic pri-mary theme of the first movement withoutany loss of poetic eloquence or musical vi-tality. Not surprisingly, the entire perform-ance proves to be solidly grounded in thefinest elements of the German Romantictradition.

The Second Symphony must movesuccessfully from a very assertive openingmovement to a tricky scherzo. The awk-ward stops and starts heard in many read-ings are missing here. The Adagio espres-sivo is surely Schumann's finest slowmovement for orchestra. Most conductorsmanage the espressivo better than theadagio: They get worried about letting theline go slack and quicken the pace. Kubeliksticks to Schumann's markings with im-pressive results and then follows with ahighly energetic account of the robustfinale.

The Rhenish is an exceptionally dra-matic, extroverted symphony, and theproblem is to keep it Schumannesquerather than make it sound like bastardizedBrahms. This is accomplished in part byrecognizing the distinctive features of theinstrumentation, as Kubelik does here. I

confess, I would be happier if the middlesection of the third movement (Nicht schnell)were a trifle quicker, but it works well at hisslower tempo. And he succeeds in makingthe fifth movement a convincing resolu-tion, not the anticlimax it frequentlybecomes.

The Fourth Symphony is bound to-gether by the cyclical return of thematicmaterial, and here it is important that theform of the work be made explicit. AgainKubelik meets all requirements, and I espe-cially admire the way he keeps the rhythmfirm, without exaggerated ostinatolike ef-fects. The result is a very refined statementof a work that is frequently played rathercrudely.

This album, which also includes afine, Byronic account of the Manfred Over-ture, is a touchstone. We will be using it as astandard for many years. R.C.M.

SHOSTAKOVICH: Quartets forStrings: No. 1, in C, Op. 49; No. 2, in A,Op. 68.

Fitzwilliam Quartet. [Peter Wadlandand Raymond Ware, prod.] OISEAU-LYREDSLO 31, $9.98.

COMPARISON:

Borodin Qt. Sera. 5 6034

And so the Fitzwilliam Quartet com-pletes its traversal of the Shostakovich Fif-teen. It's a remarkable achievement: re-

markable because the quartet is young, andfew such groups are willing to begin theirrecording careers with a huge and demand-ing body of contemporary classics; remark-able because it's a financially risky venturefor any Western record company, when noteven all of Shostakovich's fifteen sym-phonies can be found in SCHWANN (No. 3 ismissing); remarkable because the Fitz-william's general level of technical prowessand musical comprehension matches thatof the composer's countrymen, as heard on

various Soviet recordings.The contrast apparent throughout

the series between the Fitzwilliam versionsand the most widely available rival-theBorodin Quartet's boxed sets-remains inthis earliest pair of quartets. The Fitz-william's balancing of voices is quite even-handed. The First Quartet, for example,avoids both the overprominent cello glis-sandos found in the first movement of theGabrieli Quartet version (London TreasurySTS 15396) and the viola -dominated tex-

Next time you plan a tripto Europe, make sure youvisit the unique country.Where can you find: Europe's blondest blondes?

Europe's highest geysers?Europe's greatest glaciers?Europe's largest waterfalls?

And where can you find moonlike craters where the astronauts trained?More volcanos than anywhere else on earth? Historic landmarks of theworld's oldest continuous parliament? Celebrations marking Europe'syoungest republic?

The answer to all of these questions is-ICELAND. Next time you plana trip to Europe, make sure you visit Iceland.

The only thing it may cost you is time well spent. Because you'll saveenough money on Icelandic's lowest jet fares to Luxembourg to pay for yourstopover in Iceland. Or, you can hop over from New York or Chicago for longertours. See an erupting volcano. Take a cross-country pony trek.

Next time you plan a trip to Europe, ask your travel agent aboutIcelandic Airlines. Or phone Icelandic Airlines, for folders about Icelandand lowest jet fares to Europe. In New York State, phone (212) 757-8585.Elsewhere in U.S., phone (800) 555-1212 for local toll free number.


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ture of the Borodin's second movement.The Fitzwilliam's intonation remains rathermore secure than the Borodin's through thesavage outbursts of the Second Quartet. Inthat work's giant Passacaglia finale, the newperformance may be less breathlessly excit-ing in the rapid variations, but it more ef-fectively points the climax of the movementtoward the final, slow restatement of thetheme. On the other hand, the Borodin digsmore wickedly into the clucking sarcasm ofthe First Quartet's opening movement, thespectral atmosphere of its scherzo, and theutter vivacity of its finale. In these move-ments the Fitzwilliam is relativelyearthbound, and in parts of the SecondQuartet it is less rapt and intense than theBorodin.

To take the cycle as a whole, the Fitz-william stresses formal coherence, classicalreserve, and technical finesse, in contrast tothe earthiness and color of the Borodin set.Oiseau-Lyre's sonics are considerablycleaner than Melodiya's in the Seraphimpressing, but Seraphim compensates withan attractive price and more extensivenotes. Of course, the Borodin had doneonly the first eleven quartets at the time ofits two -volume American release; Nos. 12and 13 had been added by the time of theBritish issue in a single box (SLS 879), worthseeking out from import sources. But you'llstill have to supplement the Soviet record-ings with another coupling of Nos. 14 and15-either the Taneyev Quartet's (Colum-bia/Melodiya M 34527) or an import that isin some respects even better, the BeethovenQuartet's (EMI HQS 1362).

Whether you choose a compositeSoviet series or the Fitzwilliam set, youshould have at least one version of this im-portant body of literature. A.C.

SMETANA: Quartets for Strings.For a featurette, see page 72.

Recitalsand Miscellany

LUCIANO PAVAROTTI: 0 solemio: Favorite Neapolitan Songs.

Luciano Pavarotti, tenor; BolognaTeatro Comunale Orchestra, Anton Gua-dagno, cond.; National Philharmonic Or-chestra, Gian Carlo Chiaramello, cond.*[Ray Minshull and James Mallinson, prod.]LONDON OS 26560, $8.98. Tape: 0S5 26560,$8.98 (cassette).

DI CAPUA: 0 sole mio*; Maria,Mari'. TOSTI: 'A vucchella*; Marechiare*.CANNIO: '0 surdato 'nnammurato. GAM-BARDELLA: '0 marenariello. DE CURTIS:Torna a Surriento*; Tu, ca nun chiagne!

HIGH FIDELITY

PENNINO: Pecche? D'ANNIBALE: '0paese d'o sole. TAGLIAFERRI: Piscatorepusilleco. DENZA: Funiculi, funicula.ANON.: Fenesta vascia.

Luciano Pavarotti's immense popu-larity derives, there can be little doubt,from the irresistible combination of un-usual vocal talent and great personalcharm. The former was originally mani-fested by an individual timbre, a forwardplacement of tone, a solidly warm middleregister, and a remarkable upward exten-sion to at least C sharp. The charm, I amconvinced, has its origins in the visualrather than the vocal and has much to dowith the kind of vulnerability evinced bycertain men of Falstaffian girth, like JackieGleason or Fatty Arbuckle. Therefore theeffectiveness of Pavarotti's charm is prettywell limited to his personal appearances-whether live or televised-and, except byhis most fervent fans, is not easily discern-ible in his records, where his vocal talentsmust fend for themselves.

Sad to say, the steady overexploita-tion of Pavarotti's voice during the past fewyears-his assumption of such heavy rolesas Manrico, Cavaradossi, and Fiesco de-serves no other judgment-has impaired itsonce considerable attractiveness and theease with which he used to produce hisbrilliant high notes. The present disc, re-corded between 1977 and 1979, only con-firms the vocal decline one hears these daysin the opera house and in such recordingsas his Tosca with Mirella Freni.

There is no getting around the factthat in these Neapolitan songs, where a re-laxed and ingratiating manner is every-thing, Pavarotti sounds strained, anxious,and unbeguiling. The long -held, loud highC in " '0 surdato 'nnammurato," for example,is neither easily produced nor pure in tone.But high notes are by no means his onlyproblem. The mezza voce he uses in " vuc-

chella" is little more than a hoarse croon,and in places (such as in the second verse of-Fenesta vascia-) the tone simply flakes.

Perhaps it is because Pavarotti's de-livery is so much more strenuous than itused to be that he feels a need to aggrandizethese songs, to drag out the middle sectionof "Marechiare," for instance, or the open-ing of " 'A vucchella.- The effect, in any case,is hardly winning. To compare these per-formances with the records of Schipa,Gigli, or Di Stefano is to see very clearlythat Pavarotti is out of his element as well asout of voice.

London's recording is close andresonant. There are notes and texts withtranslations, as well as an enthusiasticchorus, uncredited on the recordliner. D.S.H.


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JANUARY 1980 91

The Tape )e-ckby R. D. Darrell

A digitally recorded reel!Not to be outdone-at least for long-bymusicassettes, open -reel revital-

izations now feature their first digitally re-corded program (Unicorn/Barclay-CrockerM 0500, two reels, $16.95). It's a musicalblockbuster, too: that behemoth of sym-phonies, Gliere's Third, in B minor, Op. 42,the sprawling but often spellbinding IlyaMurometz. Harold Farberman's tautly con-trolled yet grandly expansive Royal Phil-harmonic performance may not boast thesumptuousness of Eugene Ormandy's 1973abbreviated version for RCA, but it is trulycomplete (unlike Nathan Rakhlin's falselyclaimed 1976 disc set for Columbia /Melo-diya). It has the seeming spontaneity anddramatic grip of a reading in which each ofthe first three movements has been re-corded in a single take, while the sonicsthrillingly demonstrate the incomparablelucidity and extended dynamic and fre-quency ranges of digital technology. More-over, this is the only taping of this extraor-dinary work, which-whatever its aestheticweaknesses-is a unique example of kalei-doscopic scoring and exhaustive (if not ex-hausting) development of thematic ideas.

Admirers of the Kurt Masur/LeipzigGewandhaus Mendelssohn symphonies onreel ("Tape Deck," February 1979) won'twant to miss their Bruckner Fourth andFifth (Vanguard /B -C E 71238, $8.95, and L71239, double play, $15.95). Perhaps it'sbecause the dramatic Bernard Haitink/Philips Fourth (no longer available in a reeledition) still dominates my memory, but Ifind Masur's more restrained version of thiswell -named Romantic Symphony less satis-factory than his also restrained but far moresuccessful solutions to the problems of theenigmatic, mosaic -patterned Fifth.

Among the older programs releasedfor the first time in the open -reel format,three from Barclay -Crocker (11 Broadway,New York, N.Y. 10004) can be especiallyrecommended: the 1978 Mozart flute quar-tets by Paula Robison and Tokyo Quartetmembers (Vanguard /B -C D 71228, $7.95);the teenage Mendelssohn's A minor Con-certo for Piano and Strings and Two -PianoConcerto in E recorded in 1970, by JohnOgdon, Brenda Lucas, and Neville Marri-ner's Academy of St. Martin -in -the -Fields(Argo/B-C E 605, $8.95); and WilhelmKrumbach's 1969 historically invaluabledocumentations (OP on discs) of the organ

music of members of the Bach family: Jo-hann Christoph, Johann Michael, JohannBernard, Johann Lorenz, and Johann Ernst,as well as J.S. himself (Telefunken/B-C E6.41113, $8.95).

Turnabout: More than fair playMoss Music Group musicassettes in-

clude not only stepped -up production ofVox -label programs, but the debut of apromising Turnabout Chamber MusicSeries also bargain -priced at $4.98 each.The performances, by younger as well asestablished artists, are generally first-rate;the sonic qualities are outstanding, espe-cially on the programs recorded in thiscountry, presumably by Marc Aubort andJohanna Nickrenz. Characteristic is theHaydn Quinten and Emperor string -quartetcoupling (CT 7003). The zest and affectionof the young Concord Quartet's readingsare a delight in themselves, but even moreso are the superbly vibrant, near -ideallybalanced and blended sonics captured in awholly natural ambience. Just about asgood are the Brahms clarinet quintet byGeorge Sillies and four St. Louis Sym-phony colleagues (CT 7000); the rarelyheard but charming Lalo and Saint-Saensfirst piano trios by the Caecilian Trio (CT7002); Beethoven's Op. 16 Quintet, starringpianist Abbey Simon, and Op. 25 Sere-nade, starring flutist Jacob Berg (CT 7004).

The Melos Quartet is more convinc-ing in Wolf's vibrant Italian Serenade thanin the longueurs of Bruckner's string quin-tet, with Enrique Santiago as second violist(CT 7005). I don't like either the manneredreadings or overresonant recording of theNew Hungarian Quartet's Debussy and Ra-vel string -quartet coupling (CT 7001). Andalthough Ruggiero Ricci fiddles deftly in abatch of Paganini sonatas, cantabiles, and aromanze (CT 7006), guitarist Ernesto .Bi-

tetti's accompaniments are unduly sub-servient, or are made to seem so by the 1977Hispavox recording. To hear how muchbetter the major work here, the Sonata con-certante in A, can sound, listen to the GyorgyTerebesi /Sonja Prunnbauer version inTelefunken 4.41300 (February 1978) or-better still-in the current Barclay -Crockerreel edition (E 6.41300, 58.95).

Masked Opera -BallThe most ambitious Vienna Light

Music Society release to date is Richard

Heuberger's Opernball in a performanceclaimed to be complete, and including ex-tensive spoken dialogue, with unnamedsoloists and the Biedermeyer Concert Or-chestra under Otto Schulz (BDRS 220 and221, $18 postpaid from VLMS agents, K. C.Co., P.O. Box 793, Augusta, Maine 04330).It demands duple reviews.

One, for German-speaking listeners,is a lively commendation. This popular1898 operetta is a Lucullan feast of Vien-nese Torten mit Schlagsahne, sung and actedwith authentic grace, sentiment, and vivac-ity and gleamingly recorded in appropri-ately lightweight sonics. The other reviewmust include a warning to most Americansthat they will be exasperated by the ab-sence not only of printed texts and castidentifications, but even of any song titles,and by the presence of (to them) mysteriousdialogue. Nevertheless, the bewitching mu-sic just may overcome these handicaps. Ihope that VLMS will give it a better chancesometime, in a single cassette of musicminus talk.

Grab-bag goodiesAnthologies of reissued recordings

usually are too tantalizingly fragmentary tobe really satisfactory, but the "InternationalBallet Box" includes a remarkable varietyof music in mostly complete or extended -excerpts form (RCA Red Seal CRK 2-3385,double -play cassette, $9.98). The compos-ers represented are Britten, Debussy, Falla,Ginastera, Khachaturian, Milhaud, Ravel,and Weber -Berlioz; the conductors includeFiedler, Munch, Ormandy, Ozawa, andReiner.

If most of the David Munrow/EarlyMusic Consort medieval/renaissance col-lections seem too costly to risk investi-gating, there's a representative single musi-cassette sampler, "Pleasures of the RoyalCourts" (Nonesuch N5 1326, $4.96), that'sdelectable and richly nourishing.

Gershwin's own four -hand (one ortwo pianos) versions of his Rhapsody in Blue,Second Rhapsody, I Got Rhythm Variations,and Cuban Overture-plus the three prel-udes, eighteen songbook arrangements,and other solos-are admirably played andrecorded by Frances Veri and Michael Ja-manis, together and separately, in two de-luxe super -chrome musicassettes (Con-noisseur Society/In Sync Laboratory C4015/6, $10.98 each). HP

a

They say it's the mostsincere fcrrr of flattery.And frankly, we'reflattered.

The Dahlquist DQ-10 hasbecome the most imitated speakersystem in high fidelity. There's beena cascade of obvious imitations, withprices going up and down the scale.

But the Dahlquist approach islocked into patents embodying thesolution to the critical problems oftime delay and diffraction delaydistortion, Thus, the impersonatorscan offer only the words, not themusic of the original.

The Dahlquist Phased Array andOpen Air Mounting patents give the

DQ-10 its extraordinaryqualities: the abiity to

reproduce music w thunpreceden:ed clarity and

spaciousness. It just doesn't makesense to spend hard-earned money foran imitation (at any price), when youcan have a pair of the original atsurprisingly low cost.

Write to us and we'll send completeinformation on why the DQ-10 soundsthe way it does. Or better still. Askyour dealer for a demonstration. Youmay find that you don't care why itsounds so great. Only that it does.

ED Ark IHI ILQ ti601 Old Willets Path, Hauppauge, New York 11787

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JANUARY 1980 936018000001.9060600enSeteeteate@GOIDOIDOIDeit

The 2ndAnnualBackbeatCritics' Poll

Critics' picks: Neil Young,Talking Heads, Pat Metheny,Willie Nelson and Leon Russell

ALBUMS

Album of the Year

1st place

2nd place

3rd place

Talking Heads: Fear ofMusic (Sire)Elvis Costello & theAttractions: ArmedForces (Columbia)Fleetwood Mac: Tusk(Warner Bros.)Graham Parker & theRumour: SqueezingOut Sparks (Arista)

BACKBEAT

Best Pop Album

1st Doobie Bros.: Minute byMinute (Warner Bros.)

2nd Ian Gomm: Gomm with theWind (Stiff Epic)

Best Jazz Album

1st Helen Humes: Sneakin'Around (Classic Jazz)

2nd Jackie McLean with theGreat Jazz Trio:New Wine in Old Bottles(Inner City)

Best Rock & Roll Album

1st Graham Parker & theRumour: Squeezing OutSparks (Arista)

2nd Neil Young & Crazy Horse:Rust Never Sleeps (WarnerBros.)

Best Country Album

1st Willie Nelson & Leon Russell:One for the Road (Columbia)

2nd Johnny Cash: Silver(Columbia)

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Maggie, Suzzy, and TerreRoche; Van Morrison; Joe Jackson;DuRocs Scott Mathews and RonNagle

Best R&B Album

1st Michael Jackson: Off theWall (Epic)

2nd The Isley Brothers: WinnerTakes All (T -Neck)

Best Fusion Jazz Album

1st Pat Metheny: NewChautauqua (Warner Bros.)

2nd Weather Report: 8:30(Columbia)

Best Serious Contemporary Jazz

1st Bennie Wallace: TheFourteen -Bar Blues(Inner City)

2nd Art Ensemble of Chicago:Nice Guys (ECM)

Best Classic Jazz Album

1st Widespread DepressionOrchestra: DowntownUproar (Stash)

2nd The Marty Grosz -DickWellstood Quintet: Take Meto the Land of Jazz (Aviva)

Best Soundtrack or Original-Cak Recording1st Stephen Sondheim:

Sweeney Todd (Columbia)2nd The Who: Quadrophenia

(Polydor)

Sleeper of the Year, Pop

1st Leonard Cohen: RecentSongs (Columbia)

2nd DuRocs: DuRocs (Capitol)

Sleeper of the Year, Jazz

1st

2nd

Ornette Coleman: The GreatLondon Concert (Arista/Freedom)Helen Humes: Sneakin'Around (Classic Jazz)

Best Off the Beaten Path Album

Brian Eno: Music for Airports (PVC)

Best LP on an Independent Label

Tiny Moore & Jethro Burns:Back to Back (Kaleidoscope)The Persuasions: Comin' at Ya(Flying Fish)The Members at the ChelseaNightclub (Virgin International)

Widespread Depression Orchestra:Downtown Uproar (Stash)Various Artists: Living ChicagoBlues, Vols. I -III (Alligator)Marlene VerPlanck Loves JohnnyMercer (Audiophile)Tete Montoliu: Catalonian FolkSongs (Timeless ' Muse)

Best Sonic Quality

Ry Cooder: Bop 'till You Drop(Warner Bros.) Lee Herschberg,engineer

Most Promising New Pop MaleVocalist/Instrumentalist1st

2nd

3rd

Joe Jackson for "Look Sharp"(A&M)

Ian Gomm for "Gomm with theWind" (Stiff/ Epic)Bram Tchaikovsky for"Strange Man, Changed Man"(Polydor)

Most Promising New JazzInstrumentalistBennie Wallace for "The Fourteen -BarBlues" (Inner City)

Most Promising New Pop FemaleVocalist

1st Rickie Lee Jones for "RickieLee Jones" (Warner Bros.)

2nd Lene Lovich for "Stateless"(Stiff Epic)/

Most Promising New Pop Group1st The Roches for "The Roches"

(Warner Bros.)2nd The Yachts for "S.O.S."

(Polydor/ Radar)

Most Promising New Jazz Group1st Widespread Depression

Orchestra for "DowntownUproar" (Stash)

2nd Solar Plexus for "Solar Plexus"(Inner City)

Most Inspiring Pop Veteranfor an artist who has consistentlyreleased quality albums overthe past ten years

1st

2nd

Neil Young for "Rust NeverSleeps" (Warner Bros.)First solo album, "Neil Young,"released in 1968Van Morrison for "Into theMusic" (Warner Bros.)First solo album, "Blowin' YourMind," released in 1967

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JANUARY 1980 950011600000000enSgAntSet0060006000001S01Best Pop Producer1st Nick Lowe' for Elvis Costello's

"Armed Forces" (Columbia)2nd Brian Eno for Talking Heads'

"Fear of Music" (Sire)

Best Jazz Producer1st Manfred Eicher for the entire

ECM series2nd Jerry Valburn for the Marty

Grosz -Dick Wellstood Quintet's"Take Me to the Land of Jazz"

Best Songwriter1st Neil Young for "Rust Never

Sleeps"2nd Elvis Costello for "Armed

Forces" and for Girls Talk(recorded by Dave Edmunds)

Best Live Performance1st Graham Parker & the

Rumour at the Santa MonicaCivic Auditorium (L.A., June)

Honorable Mention:Jerry Lee Lewis at the ClubLoreli (New York, August)Eartha Kitt at Les Mouches(New York, March)Rickie Lee Jones at the VillageGate (New York, May)Joe Jackson at the Bottom Line(New York, April)Pattie LaBelle at the BeaconTheater (New York, June)Mingus Dynasty BandatCarnegie Hall (New York, June)

IN MEMORIAMSonny Criss, Don Ellis, Lowell George,Donny Hathaway, Stan Kenton, VanMcCoy, Charles Mingus, Minnie Riperton,Sid Vicious.Crawdaddy/ Feature, Waxpaper,Capricorn Records.Doobie Bros., Gruppo Sportivo, LittleFeat, Rezillos, Tom Robinson Band,Television.

The distinguished panel of judges forthe 1979 poll: Crispin Cioe, Susan Elliott,Toby Goldstein, Don Heckman, StephenHolden, Christopher Petkanas, Steven X.Rea, Sam Sutherland, John S. Wilson .

' Second -time winner in this category

(1) The Purple Heart Award; (2) The New, Improved, Previously Unre-issued Alternate and Outtakes Award; (3) The TS Garp Award for Fear andProcrastination; (4) The Emperor's New Spacesuit Award; (5) The Emperor'sNew Clothes Award; (6) The Recommended for Instant Cut -Out Bin Awards;(7) The Matching Luggage Awards; (8) The P.T. Barnum Awards; (9) The OldWine in New Bottles Award

SPECIAL AWARDS

The Emperor's New ClothesAward for the Most Ephemeral PopTrend of 1979

1st prize

2nd prize

Disco and some of its ac-couterments, specificallyblatantly sexist albumcovers, Syndrums, andthe Village PeopleSinging like ElvisCostello

The Emperor's New SpacesuitAward for the Most Ephemeral PopTrend in Prospect for 1980

1st Power Pop, New Rock, orNew Wave, or any band with aone -syllable name, such as theKnack, the Beat, the A's, the Pop,the Shirts, the Sports, the Now

2nd Rollerskatesand roller disco3rd Skinny ties

Honorable Mention:Japanese girls singing Eng-lish disco songs

The Purple Heart Awardfor the Record Company ThatTook the Most Chances,With or Without Success

1st 'Warner Bros. for distributingECM and for signing and sup-porting Rickie Lee Jones, the B -52s, and the Roches

2nd All independent jazz labels;Chrysalis for staying independ-ent; Tomato Records for re-leasing-among other high -browitems-Einstein on the Beach

3rd CBS for distributing and sup-porting Stiff Records, and for in-vesting an alleged $13 million inPaul McCartney

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601800000001801SettSenSetegNSOIDatOateateenSettiThe Matching Luggage Awardfor the Record Company ThatTook the Least Chances

1st

2nd

Capitol for releasing safe power -

pop Knackalikes like the Shirtsand the MotelsButterfly /MCA for issuingnothing but camp disco, to wit:The J.T. Connection, Hot City,Dennis McCann, Destination,Tuxedo Junction, Fire & Ice

The P. T. Barnum Awardfor the Hype of the Year

1st2nd

3rd

The KnackThe Record Industry'sFinancial CrisisThe Record Industry'sRecovery from the FinancialCrisis (this prize goes to thetrade press)

The Recommended for InstantCut -Out Bin AwardIn no particular order:

John Denver and the Muppets:"A Christmas Together" (RCA)"Pope John Paul II Sings atthe Festival of Sacrosong"(Infinity)

Barbra Streisand: "The Main Event"(CBS)Cher: "Take Me Home" (Casablanca)Martha Reeves: Skating in the Streets, asingle (Fantasy)Genya Ravan: "And I Mean It!" (20thCentury/RCA)

The TS Garp Award forFear and Procrastination1st The Eagles

"The Long Run" finally showedup in October of 1979. It was dueout in June of '77.

2nd .MeatloafHis debut, "Bat Out of Hell," wasreleased in July of 1978. We'vebeen waiting for the followupsince January of '79. The latestword from Epic is "early in theEighties." Seeing is believing.

3rd Fleetwood Mac"Rumours" was on the boardsfor two years, so when theystarted telling us that "Tusk" was"almost ready" in December of'78, we didn't hold our breath.This one even leaked onto theairwaves before its official re lease.

Enroute to the cut-out bin:Barbra and Cher

4th Stevie WonderWe finally heard a tape of "Jour-ney Through the Secret Life ofPlants" at the Bronx BotanicalGardens in October. But"Plants" has been on Mot own'srelease list since summer '78.

Honorable Mention:The BeatlesAlbum due since 1971, latest pro-jected release date TBA.

The Old Wine in New BottlesAward for the Year's Best Repackageor Reissue

JazzGiants of Jazz (Time/Life Records)Commodore Reissue Series(CBS Special Products)Charlie Parker:"The Savoy Studio Sessions" (Arista)Anita O'Day: "The Big Band Sessions"(Verve)

PopVarious Artists: "Honkers andScreamers/Roots of Rock & Roll"Vol: VI (Arista)

Waylon Jennings: "Greatest Hits"(RCA)"Shades of Ian Hunter" (CBS)The Who: "Quadrophenia" (Polydor)

The New, Improved, PreviouslyUnreissued Alternate andOuttakes Award for the Least Neces-sary Repackage or Reissue of the Year

1st Various Artists: "A Night atStudio 54" (Casablanca)

2nd "Barry Manilow's GreatestHits," (Arista)

Honorable Mention:Elvis Presley: "Our Memoriesof Elvis, Vol. II" (RCA)

The Backbeat Open

To Mike Curb goes the Conflict of In-terest Award for being the LieutenantGovernor of California and the Presidentof Mike Curb Records.To Joni Mitchell goes the Gee, Isn'tthe Streetlife Fascinating Award for"Mingus."To Bob Dylan goes the Cancel MyTickets for the Resurrection Awardfor "Slow Train Coming."To Capitol Records goes the Invasionof the Body Snatchers Award for com-ing up with yet another Beatles clone, theKnack (preceded, by, of course, the Rasp-berries and the original Knack, c. 1968).To ex-Brinsley Schwarzites Nick Lowe,Ian Gomm, Bob Andrews, and BrinsleySchwarz goes the We'll Show ThemOne Day Award for finally making it.To Stephen Holden goes the BestNonmusical Pop Award for his uprightopus, Triple Platinum.


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FIRST WITH THE PROS. 1111

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Input OutputInstruments andAccessories

Teac's MultitrackCassette Studioby Fred Miller

The new Portastudio Model144 from Teac is, in a word, sensa-

tional. This 20 -pound, $1,100 machinecombines a four -input, four -channel mixerwith a four -channel cassette deck and cando almost everything that a four -trackopen -reel deck and an outboard mixercan do. The concept is brilliant but simple:In applying an idea at least twenty yearsold (overdubbing) to today's cassettetechnology, Teac has made an importantstep in bringing amateur songwriters andengineers closer to the professional mar-ketplace. Now they can make high -qualityhome demonstration tapes easily and withminimal expense.

One thing should be mentioned atthe outset: The 144's cassette deck runsat 334 ips-double the speed of a normalcassette-and has a four -channel record/play configuration. Although it can recorda maximum of two tracks at once, it canrecord a cumulative total of four tracks, allwith the tape running in the same direc-tion. (Therefore you can't turn the cas-sette over and use the other side.) Thismeans the recordings you make on it can-not be played back on standard machinesand vice versa. But that's okay, becauseyou should mix the multitrack cassettedown to a stereo master anyway. (Becauseof its nonstandard nature, the Porta-

studio is part of Teac's Tascam profes-sional line.)

The basic features are explainedfully in the well -written thirty -page owner'sreference manual. Each of the four inputmodules accepts a microphone or linelevel through a back -panel phone jack andis controllable via a MIC/ LINE -TAPE push-button on the front panel. TRIM, a rotarypot below MIC/ LINE, varies the level of thesignal presented to the main fader. Thismaximizes the potential of the gain struc-ture in matching the input signal to all thevarious level controls in the Portastudio.Below TRIM is AUX SEND, which splits the in-coming signal and routes part of it to theAUX circuits used for external signal proc-essing. That is to say, a "dry" signal mayappear at its input fader while simulta-neously being altered by echo, phasing,compression, etc., and routed back to themix via the master AUX RCV pot. (Ofcourse, those special effects must be ob-tained via outboard devices connected tothe Portastudio's AUX circuit.)

Beneath AUX SEND is the equalizersection, which incorporates two bandswith the potentials for 10 dB of boost orcut at frequencies of 100 Hz and 10 kHz.Just above the fader is the pan pot, forplacing the image somewhere.in the 180 -degree stereo perspective during a mix

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and for buss (channel) assignments dur-ing recording. The linear fader is the laststop before the signal proceeds to thegrand master fader.

To the right of the input modulesare a BUSS MONITOR, which controls thelevel for monitoring in stereo, and, belowit, two pushbuttons marked CUE and RE -

MIX, which determine the point in the cir-cuit at which you are auditioning the pro-gram. The cue circuit is conveniently inmono, and the four inputs to it have sepa-rate pots in a section marked TAPE CUE.

The RECORD SELECT module has an on/offpushbutton for each of the four tracks,that, when depressed, readies the trackto record and illuminates its correspond-ing VU meter. Finally, AUX RCV lies justabove the master fader.

The 33/4 ips cassette deck sits to theright of the mixer controls. Besides theusual play, record, and fast forward func-tions, MEMORY STOP enables you to rewindthe tape to a point set by the counter,which is very useful for punching in. Also,depressing RECORD activates a flashinglight that becomes constant duringrecording. DOOR, which replaces the usualeject button, raises the protective coverabove the cassette. One other tre-mendous asset is the pitch control,which, by means of a variable speed os-cillator, allows you to slow down or speedup the tape by about 15%. This is very use-ful for special effects, dialogue, or gettingthe high notes that you can't normallymake. A power switch completes the frontpanel. Teac recommends using only highbias ("chrome" position) tapes andscrupulously warns against the use of C -120s.

Adjacent to the four input jacks onthe back panel are an 8 -ohm headphonejack, pin jacks for AUX SEND, and TAPE CUE

outputs (mono) and for AUX IN, LINE OUT,

and AUX OUT (stereo).Don't forget that the Portastudio's

deck cannot play back cassettes that arenot recorded on it. It is not designed to bean audiophile's dream machine. It in-cludes two Dolby B encoders (for the twobusses) and four Dolby B decoders formixing to "normal" tape. I'd recommendmixing to an open reel for editing, or mix-ing to another cassette deck with Dolbyfor a quiet master playable on standardmachines.

Having done professional multi -Continued on page 110

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The Three Faces of Fleetwood Macby Sam Graham

Lindsey Buckingham

Fleetwood Mac: TuskFleetwood Mac (special thanksto Lindsey Buckingham) with RichardDashut and Ken Caillat, producersWarner Bros. 2HS 3350

Fleetwood Mac has been many thingsin the course of its twelve-year career.

After all, a dozen albums of original mate-rial and as many personnel alterations asthe average pro team in training campwould have to have wrought a fewchanges. One thing it has only rarely been,however, is surprising. This is a solid, re-liable band, epitomized by its redoubtableMick Fleetwood -John McVie rhythm sec-tion, the one constant throughout its exist-ence.

Coming nearly three years after the10 -million -selling "Rumours," "Tusk" isone album that deserves to be calledlong-awaited. And, at perhaps the leastlikely time, the group has shown itself ca-pable of surprises. Only some of the LP'sfour sides and twenty songs is the well-oiled, perfect pop of "Rumours"; much ofit takes chances and steps outside of the

Sam Graham is the author of FleetwoodMac: The Authorized History, publishedby Warner Books.

Christine McVie

expected. Not that "Tusk" lacks attractivesongs with heavy hit potential-far from it.But every track on "Rumours" soundedlike a single. "Tusk" is less obvious, start-ing with the first song on Side 1, a languidballad called Oyer & Over.

More and more, the band has takenon three separate faces, one each for song-writers / singers Lindsey Buckingham,Stevie Nicks, and Christine McVie. Thereare no shared bylines, no shared lead vo-cals; each takes a turn strutting his or herstuff. Still, there are threads that windthrough all the sides: that rhythm section,Buckingham's exceptionally versatile gui-tar playing, Christine's textural keyboards,and the rich, layered backing vocals. Forthe most part, "Tusk" does sound like thework of a band.

It is when Buckingham steps outfront (and with nine songs, that's often)that the album is unusual. Tunes like TheLedge, What Makes You Think You're theOne, Not That Funny, and That's Enoughfor Me are typical of his new style, whererowdy vocals compete with very promi-nent Fleetwood drums (loud and right onthe beat) and flatulent electric guitars. Al-most radical, that, but not exactly punkFleetwood Mac. Lyrical melodies andsofter acoustic guitars balance the raw

Stevie Nicks

with the refined, putting Lindsey's mate-rial in a very different league.

That style doesn't characterize twoother stunning Buckingham offerings,That's All for Everyone and Walk a ThinLine. The lush, echoing vocals and plod-ding tempos of these two suggest nothingso much as the Beach Boys at their artybest, somewhere between "Pet Sounds"and "Surf's Up." Brian Wilson should beproud, as Lindsey is emerging as abrilliant producer, and he was clearly theprime mover behind the entire double al-bum. If "Tusk" has an overall mood-sometimes sandy and subtle, sometimesraunchy and humorous-he is largely re-sponsible for it.

Christine McVie's songs are less ad-venturous, but no less successful andsometimes even more so. She has a con-sistent, universal style, dispensing winningballads and easy rockers with deceptiveease. And while her six tunes here aren'tsubstantially different from her previousoutput, the arrangements are on thewhole better (particularly the almost -jazzyBrown Eyes and the acoustic Honey Hi).

What's more, McVie's vocals aresimply lovely. Never Make Me Cry may bethe best she has ever sung: supple, emo-tional, but utterly without affectation. That

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100 BACKBEAT000000000000000000000000000000000and other songs (Over & Over amongthem) will no doubt be of cheer to tobac-conists everywhere, for here is one steadysmoker whose singing has in fact gottenbetter.

It's no small irony that Stevie Nicks,Fleetwood Mac's star performance attrac-tion, is also the weakest musical link. Alltoo often, her songs are musically repeti-tive and lyrically self-conscious or soph-omoric. Repetition building in intensitywas vital to past triumphs like Dreams andRhiannon, but there is nothing here tomatch those two-certainly not Sisters ofthe Moon (a good candidate for Rhiannon'79), Angel, or Sara.

Nicks's two other contributions aremuch stronger. Beautiful Child is a gen-uinely pretty song, while Storms is hermost successful on all fronts: words("Never have I been a blue calm sea /Ihave always been a storm .. ."), music,and performance. (Her voice is oddlyconstricted here, which fits the songnicely.) Both confirm, as if confirmationwas really needed, that Stevie is not with-out talent. But to these ears, at least, she isneither as consistent as McVie nor as in-ventive as Buckingham.

"Tusk" is probably not the recordthat will change the face of popular music.Nor will it necessarily resurrect the sag-ging record industry; $15.98 is a lot for vi-nyl these days, even if the packaging isfirst-rate and the actual price will be morelike nine or ten bucks. But there's a lot ofinteresting, thoroughly musical activity go-ing on here, and it gets better each timeyou hear it. "Tusk" is Fleetwood Mac'smost ambitious work since original guitar-ist Peter Green led it from the blues to Al-batross and Oh Well. It also sounds ter-rific.

Leonard Cohen: Recent Songs.Leonard Cohen & Henry Lewy,producers. Columbia JC 36264by Sam Sutherland

With his ambitious but deeplyflawed collaborative album with Phil Spec-tor, Leonard Cohen seemed destined foroblivion: His brooding, starkly metaphori-cal songs and subdued vocal mien were al-ready out of step with the prevailing popand rock modes of the day, and Spector'sstentorian perspective only emphasizedCohen's gloom, rather than providing anynew definition or vantage point. Though acult artist, the Canadian poet, novelist,and occasional songwriter seemed to

Cohen-his best in years

have chased away even his few admirers.His return to Columbia and the

subsequent release of this new collectionthus comes as a twin surprise: That it ex-ists at all contradicts the record industry'susual commercial dictates, but, more im-portant, "Recent Songs" is Cohen's mosthaunting, coherent work in years. Thespiritual malaise so central to his work re-mains, but it is illuminated by the elegantmusical sense largely missing since hisclassic albums from the late '60s.

One obvious key to the newrecord's strengths is coproducer HenryLewy. He has faced a similarly self-ab-sorbed artist in Joni Mitchell and, as withMitchell, proves particularly astute intranslating the songwriter's dark visionsinto musical settings that are as distinctiveas they are cleanly rendered. Cohen andLewy use an Eastern tinge-provided byviolinist Raffi Hakopian and oud playerJohn Bilezikjian-to mirror the poeticsources for The Guests, The Window. TheTraitor, and The Gypsy's Wife. The addi-tion of that Persian filigree yields a lean,piquant flavor to those songs that is trulytimeless. Elsewhere, a mariachi ensembleprovides contrasting colors, and even themore conventional instrumentation of theremaining material avoids any overt poptrends that might create a commercialedge at the expense of the music.

Cohen moves from tongue-in-cheek blues (Humbled in Love) to deepwells of mysticism (The Window)withequally provocative results. And, while"Recent Songs" may numb many pop lis-teners with its prevailing mood of intro-

John-nothing personal

spection, for those once charmed by Co -hen's eclecticism and gripped by his ex-traordinary poetry, it commands renewedattention.

Elton John: The Thom Bell SessionsThom Bell. producer MCA 13921Victim of LovePete Bellotte, producer MCA 5104by Crispin Cioe

Since the Beatles, nobody has com-manded as much popular acclaim as El-ton John did in his prime. His uncannyability to borrow from rock, soul, andcabaret to fashion a purely pop hybridpropelled him through most of the '70slike a shiny pool of mercury-always fasci-nating in and of itself, never assuming anydefinite form. After years on the brutalrecord -tour -record treadmill so necessaryto maintain such stature, John stoppedwriting with lyricist Bernie Taupin andeased up his pace. The albums since thenhave varied drastically. and while his last,"A Single Man," may have been too artyfor all of his fans to swallow, it stillsounded like Elton at work.

"The Thom Bell Sessions" and"Victim of Love" are, at best, testamentstoJohn's versatility. Both lack a sense ofpersonal involvement, and the seamlessbut slightly quirky synthetic style that hasoften made his music unique is notablyabsent. But the Bell sessions-three longsongs recorded in 1977 with producerThom Bell-are superb Philadelphia soul,featuring the Spinners on backups andwarmly transcendent production and ar-


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Ortofon dealers are now ready to demonstrate theConcorde. it's worth a visit just to see and hear thisremarkable cartridge that stands at the very fron-tier of music reproduction technology. For com-plete in'ormation write: Ortofon, 122 Dupont Street,PfatnviEw, New York 11803.

orrofonCircle $5 on Page 77

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102 BACKBEAT006000000(0SettSOISettSgitSettagt00000000000Time/Life'sGiantsby Don Heckman

Benny Goodman at age 26

Duke Ellington

Giants of Jazz: Louis Armstrong,Time/ Life Records STL J01Duke Ellington, STL J02Billie Holiday, STL J03Bix Beiderbecke, STL J04Benny Goodman, STL J05Coleman Hawkins, STL J06Michael Brooks, producer

There was a time, not very long ago,when jazz fans could be happy about

almost any reissue package. The prevail-ing mentality at most major record com-panies was so youth -focused, so dollar -de-termined, that the task of putting togethera respectably packaged and mastered col-lection from vault material for old -jazzfreaks was just too much bother. Timeshave changed, and many record businessaccountants have come to the belatedconclusion that, if they don't have goldburied in their archives, they at least mayhave something that can give them a slightedge against the hazards of inflation.

Unfortunately, many of the reissueprograms have been more concernedwith dollar value than with quality mer-chandising. Even the better collections-Fantasy's Prestige collection, Arista andWarner Bros.' Charlie Parker sets,Polydor's Verve reissues, and Columbia'sContemporary Masters, to name a few-have sometimes been hampered by pro-gram notes (especially important onreissues) that tell us more about thewriters than the artists. Historical data,such as matrix numbers, recording dates,personnel, etc., has ranged from excellentto barely adequate.

The Giants of Jazz program fromTime /Life makes a heroic effort to over-come most of these shortcomings. Beau-tifully packaged in sturdy, hardboardboxes, each set includes informative, no -

punches -pulled biographical programnotes, and the full panoply of modernrecording technology has been applied tothe old 78 rpm masters in an effort to digout every whisper of recorded sound.Equally important, Time/Life-unlikemost commercial record companies-hasnot had to limit its selection to what is in itsown vaults. Each set draws from a varietyof labels.

There does, however, seem to bean arbitrary cut-off point. The BennyGoodman collection, for example, closeswith a 1946 selection, thereby excludingthe remarkable bebop band he organized

the following year. The Louis Armstrongset closes in 1950, the Coleman Hawkinsin 1957, the Duke Ellington in 1956, andthe Billie Holiday in 1946. Obviously, eachartist produced significant recordings insubsequent years. Does their omissionmean they will be documented in futureTime /Life collections? One can only hopeso. The Ellington catalog-in the '50s and'60s, in particular-is rich and varied, andHoliday's work for Verve in the early andmid -'50s is vintage stuff, as is Armstrong'swork with his All -Stars in the same period.

What is here, however, will be morethan enough to keep jazz aficionados busyfor many, many evenings. Among thehighlights on the Goodman album areWaitin' for Katie, recorded in 1927, whenhe was the burgeoning eighteen -year -oldclarinet star of the Ben Pollack Orchestra;Farewell Blues, a 1931 collaboration withEddie Lang and Joe Venuti; King PorterStomp and Stompin' at the Savoy fromhis early big bands; Sing, Sing, Sing,Down South Camp Meetin', Bugle CallRag, and Roll 'Em from the classic 1937-8band; and Flyin' Home and I'm Confessin'for the sextet that included the guitar ofCharlie Christian.

The Beiderbecke catalog is morelimited, and with reason. His recording ca-reer spanned less than seven years be-tween 1924 and his death in August, 1931at the age of twenty-eight. He made ap-proximately 250 records, but on morethan two thirds of them he was only a side-man, nearly buried beneath the turgid or-chestrations of the Paul Whiteman andthe Jean Goldkette orchestras. Perhapsthe best testimony to his genius is the factthat his brief solos, sometimes only 16bars long, shimmered out of those en-sembles with sufficient magnitude to buildan audience of eager fans. Time/Life hasincluded most of the Beiderbecke classicsfrom his Wolverine recordings in 1924,the Trumbauer collaborations (especiallyBix's astonishing solo on the 1927 Singin'the Blues), his warm emotional soloing onCryin' All Day, I'm Coming, Virginia, BlueRiver, and Jazz Me Blues, as well as hissmall gems from the many Whitemanrecordings.

Most fans of the jazz saxophonefeel that Coleman Hawkins virtually in-vented the style in the remarkable stringof recordings he made between his earlywork with Fletcher Henderson (Dicty Blues)in 1923 and his classic performance of

A

JANUARY 1980 103enN16600661206066645660060Body and Soul in 1939. Actually, the discsfrom that period are not as well known asthey should be, perhaps because he spentmuch of his time living and traveling in Eu-rope. Time/Life provides a good surveyof Hawkins' astonishingly fertile work atthat time, including two ballad predeces-sors to Body: If I Could Be with YouOne Hour (1929) and Someday, Sweet-heart (1933). I was also fascinated by a

previously unreleased version of Hen-derson's Clarinet Marmalade (1926)as well as a number of relatively rarerecordings made for British release in theearly '30s. But, alas, we hear too little ofthe more modern Hawkins, with only onetrack (Stuffy) documenting his early flirta-tion with the beboppers in 1945. Too badhis brilliant unaccompanied tenor solo ti-tled Picasso, from roughly the same pe-riod, wasn't included. Maybe next time.

If Hawkins invented the jazz saxo-phone, Louis Armstrong just as surely in-vented the jazz trumpet. His early playing,from the '20s and '30s, can probably bematched for long-term influence only bythe work of Charlie Parker. Time/Life hasstressed those early years-wisely, Ithink-in this collection. Included are Dip-per Mouth Blues, recorded when Arm-strong was playing cornet duets with JoeOliver; a fascinating cornet paraphrasewith blues singer Bessie Smith on Cold inHand Blues; Heebie Jeebies, CornetChop Suey, and Gut Bucket Blues fromArmstrong's Hot Five; Potato Head Blues(with Armstrong's amazing stop -time solo)and two other tracks from the Hot Seven;the brilliant 1928 West End Blues; an-other influential solo on Muggles; and,from the early '30s, Armstrong's ex-tremely personal method of dealing withpop tunes such as Sleepy Time DownSouth, Star Dust, and Sunny Side of theStreet.

Those who are only familiar withthe world-weary voice of the mature LadyDay will be fascinated by Billie Holiday'spure, youthful energy on I Wished on theMoon, What a Little Moonlight Can Do,and Miss Brown to You, all recorded in1935 with Teddy Wilson's group. Incred-ibly, her voice darkened and her inflectionbecame more complex in barely a year.For by 1936, she was recording torcherslike No Regrets and show tunes like Sum-mertime, A Fine Romance, and The WayYou Look Tonight. Also provided here isample documentation of the epic sessions

between Billie and various members ofthe Count Basie Band, notably tenorsaxophonist Lester Young, on This Year'sKisses, Why Was I Born?, I Must HaveThat Man!, Mean to Me, Easy Living, andmore. Finally, there is the sombre StrangeFruit, a song few pop artists would toucheven today, recorded by Billie in 1939.

The Ellington collection was, by allodds, the most difficult to put together. Itcovers the period from the Bubber Miley -influenced East St. Louis Toodle-Oo(1926) to an Ellington band appearanceat the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival. Thirtyyears of Ellingtonia is a lot of ground tocover on three discs and there are under-standable omissions, most notably theDuke's extended works. What is included,however, is hard to argue with: CreoleLove Call and Black and Tan Fantasie,(still under the spell of the enigmatic cor-netist Miley), as well as another Black andTan Fantasy, recorded shortly after Mileyleft the band in late 1927; early Ellingtonclassics like The Mooche, Mood Indigo,Rockin' in Rhythm, and It Don't Mean aThing (If It Ain't Got That Swing); ninetracks-including Sophisticated Lady,Jack the Bear (with the miraculous basswork of Jimmy Blanton), Ko-Ko, Concertofor Cootie, Cotton Tail, Harlem Air Shaft,etc.-from the great 1940 band; Ivie An-derson's stunning vocal on I Got It Badand That Ain't Good, as well as Juan Ti-zol's timeless Caravan.

All in all, there is little to carp aboutin any of these sets. They will, I suspect, beas pleasing to the jazz scholar and collec-tor as they will be to the jazz listener. Agood deal of credit for the sheer listen -ability of the collection must go to engi-neers Frank Abbey and John Guerriereand the CBS Studios. Many of thesetracks undoubtedly sound better in thesenewly engineered (but not artificiallyhyped -up) versions than they did in theiroriginal form. Waiting in the wings are col-lections of Jelly Roll Morton and Jack Tea-garden, and expected in the next twoyears are sets from Sidney Bechet, BennyCarter, Lester Young, Guitarists(Reinhardt, Lang, Christian, and others),Red Norvo, Art Tatum, and many, manymore. 0Time/ Life Records, 541 North FairbanksCourt, Chicago, III. 60611. Price per set is$19.95, not including postage, but Time/Life requests that you do not send money.They will bill you.

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Continued from page 100rangements. It's fairly safe to say that Bellis the producer of this decade, in thesense that his work has consistently beencinematic in scope, so evocative that it vir-tually defines an era. (The '60s parallelwould be the Motown sound.) Eventhough John sings with real feeling on, forinstance. Are You Ready for Love, Bell'ssongwriting and production are whatstand out. Ringing brass, fat and precisesnare drum hits, and the Spinners pump-ing along behind the chorus make it asolid Philly soul sender by any measure.

"Victim of Love" is another story.Producer Pete Bellotte is renowned forhis arrangements of Donna Summer'smusical odysseys, and he has not onlyproduced Elton here, but has also writtenall the songs save Chuck Berry's JohnnyB. Goode. The entire album is Munichdisco to the hilt (although the youngAmerican bassist Marcus Miller addssome distinctive funk to the tracks), butthe Chuck Berry opus is gunned along bysome rocking guitar fills and a scorchingLenny Pickett sax solo. Again, John's sing-ing is never less than right on the money,and, for what it's worth, I'm sure he canhave a career as a disco singer if he wantsit. Yet these aren't particularly inspireddance tracks, and since Elton contributesno songs to the disc, there's very little herein the way of musical signature. EltonJohn doing Donna Summer will never beas exciting as Elton doing himself, andwhen he does settle on a direction, I'msure radios around the world will light uplike a million pinball machines, becausehe's still a wizard on his own turf.

The Police: Reggatta de BlancThe Police & Nigel Gray, producersA&M SP 4792by Steven X. Rea

The Police snap their rock and reg-gae regiments back and forth like rubberbands. The Anglo-American trio, whoseRoxanne single marked one of new wave'sfirst forays into the pop strata of Top 40radio, are variably taut and precise, looseand limber. The lean, supple bass -drums -

guitar sound of "Reggatta de Blanc" isequal parts crisp, crashing rock and"backward" stutter -step reggae pulses. In-deed, the Police are one of the few whitegroups around that appear at homeamidst reggae's fluid, mesmerizingly sen-sual rhythms.

On Walking on the Moon, lead vo-calist/bassist Sting sings in his high, nasal,

quirky voice: "Giant steps are what youtake walking on the moon." That maybe.but the Police take no giant steps on thefollow-up to their debut, "Outlandosd'Amour." But while there are no drasticdeviations, there are some minor altera-tions. Sting still delivers most of the leadvocals, but drummer Stewart Copeland'smordantly deadpan singing style is fea-tured on several songs, including his ownvision of middle-class suburban despair,On Any Other Day. Unlike the first album,which was written almost exclusively bySting. Copeland and guitarist Andy Sum-mers share songwriting credit on much of"Reggatta de Blanc." Copeland's Con-tact, rampant with puns, and his flip DoesEveryone Stare ("I never noticed the sizeof my feet until I kicked you in the shins")both stand out, as does the Who-ish col-laborative effort, It's Alright for You.

But Sting's Message in a Bottle,Bring on the Night, and Walking on theMoon are the high points. A huge hit inBritain, Message should ape that successStateside. It's an understated, economicsong with an infectious "against all odds Ishall survive" kind of chorus, the singerhurling his bottle -encased SOS into thesea, fully aware of the futility of his action.Bring on the Night is the album's mostovertly reggae track. Walking on the Moonsports an echoic array of spacy guitar ef-fects free -falling across a dreamy sound-scape of bass and drums.

Occasionally, the Police are merelyflaccid: The title track is not much morethan an aimless instrumental exercise withsome "dub" phasing and tribal yelpsthrown in. But more often their carefree,self-effacing style is a sign of their good-natured approach. On Deathwish, Cope-land proffers a bass run, frolicsome andfurious, that's straight out of Not FadeAway, and on No Time This Time the triobrashly bastardize The Batman Theme.They can play relaxed, romping music;they can play angry, passionate rock & rollthat is tense and electric. But mostly theyburrow themselves in a good pop/rockgroove and then run around in it withMarx Brothers abandon, all to a loopy, up -

tempo rock & reggae beat.

Sly & the Family Stone:Back on the Right TrackMark Davis, producer.Warner Bros. BSK 3303Sly Stone: Ten Years Too SoonSylvester Stewart (Sly Stone), originalproducer; John Luongo, disco remixer

and editor. Epic JE 35974by Sam Sutherland

Parliament's George Clinton onceremarked that most of the soul recordscut since the '60s should have paid royal-ties to Sly Stone. Clinton should know.His own funk visions continue to tap thesame mix of gospel, rock, and pop ele-ments, from chanted vocals and briskhorn choruses to sexy bass lines and hard -

edged guitar. With a new rank of similarlyinclined and influenced funksters now car-rying that approach forward, the provoca-tive Sly has been ubiquitous in his impacton contemporary r&b even as his ownpresence has receded.

Given the attrition in exposure forthe earliest and most ebullient Sly and theFamily Stone records, and the nearly half -decade of silence since the last newrecording under that aegis, it would beheartening to report that "Back on theRight Track" lives up to its title. But whilethat same sleepy, swooning voice holdscenter stage on the opening track (Re-

member Who You Are), offering a famil-iar blend of playfulness and philos-ophizing in its rapping message, Sly's newmusic derails a few minutes into the sec-ond side and never really regains itsbearings.

Although producer Mark Davisshould be commended for avoiding discocheap shots or updated rock filigree, nei-ther he nor Sly ever achieves the exuber-ance that the best songs here are clearlytrying for. The call -and -response of Sly'svocals with his new backing chorus aredeflated by the comparative weakness ofthe latter, while the rhythmic horn ar-rangements only intermittently attain theforce that drove his earlier records withsatisfying consistency. Still, the albummight've compared handsomely to its cur-rent competition had Sly managed to sus-tain the respectable level of compositionpromised by three of Side l's four songs.Unfortunately Side 2 slides into numbing,unstructured grooves with its first song,the aptly titled Shine It On, in which Slydoes just-and only-that.

Making the new album's problemseven more disturbing is the simultaneousarrival of "Ten Years Too Soon," a discoremix of mostly vintage material, which, initself, should be punishable by law. Remixmaster John Luongo has taken the origi-nal masters and spliced their tight ar-rangements with extended rhythm loopsand extraneous ensemble passages. Hehas replaced Larry Graham's visceral

105csociogioso0000

bass -line syncopations with relentless,unimaginative 4/4 accents, obscured theoriginal band's romping horn charts with aconstant mutter of overdubbed percus-sion, and even added cornball Syndrumsthat boing away on top of Sly's singing.

Although the liner note pleads thatthis is an act of reverence, committedlovingly by session musicians that worshipthe original performances, the grooves argue eloquently to the contrary: This is abald attempt to wring a few more bucksfrom Sly's old Epic catalog. In modern-izing some truly timeless dance music,Luongo and his confederates evince thesort of aesthetic empathy that might resultin tail fins on the classic prewar Bugatti au-tomobile or ice cubes in a glass of Lafite-Rothschild.

It's sad that Sly's first album forWarner Bros. offers so feeble a defenseagainst this sort of cannibalism, but atleast he hasn't pandered outright to ob-vious least common denominators.Luongo and Epic take care of that, offer-ing fans small but reassuring comfort ofthe knowledge that these vampires havefaked themselves out: With disco's fallfrom commercial grace, what might ac-tually have sold a few copies will now suf-fer the oblivion this turkey so completelydeserves.

Barbra Streisand: WetGary Klein, producerColumbia FC 36258by Ira Mayer

"Wet" is Barbra Streisand's firstmemorable album in some years -memo-rable not always for the right reasons, per-haps, but certainly for verifying her statureas a song stylist and interpreter. Whileboth "Superman" and "Songbird" provided perfect background music for thepassive fan, "Wet" gives pause even be-fore it hits the turntable. It's not so muchthe cover (Olivia Newton -John affects thewet look far better), but really now, a con-cept album about water?

No. In fact, the title song is what re-establishes Streisand's credentials imme-diately. Hers is a belter's voice, but oneover which she exercises exceptional con-trol. As with the other ballads on the LP,Wet is show -music pop. That idiom inwhich she excels is here represented byAlan and Marilyn Bergman and MarvinHamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager. Inter-estingly, the one old standard included-Johnny Mercer's and Harold Arlen's

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Come Rain or Come Shine-gets a pecu-liar arrangement that starts out tradition-ally but escalates to a light bossa-novabeat and then gets a layer of discolikesynthesizer.

Another bizarre treatment thatdoesn't work as well is that of BobbyDarin's Splish Splash. The fusion of rockand disco obliterates the crisp, synco-pated fun of the original, and the attemptto be frivolous (splashing noises courtesyof Steve Lukather's guitar) sounds forced.

On the more straightforward discofront, the second side duet with DonnaSummer, No More Tears (Enough IsEnough), is no doubt a huge hit by now. Itis uninspired instrumentally, with drumsand bass too much in the foreground foranything but dancing, and with the orches-tra all but lost in the mix. The two singers'voices are more complementary than onemight have anticipated, though, and Strei-sand reaches for and sustains notes shehasn't attempted in years. In fact, if noth-ing more, these disco forays (add I Ain'tGonna Cry Tonight) appear to haveposed a challenge for the singer. Thoughthey don't require the technique or theemotional input that the ballads do, theydo bring an openness to her singing thathas been absent for too long.

The Bergmans' On Rainy After-noons and After the Rain (cowritten withLalo Schifrin and Michel Legrand, respec-tively) and the closing Kiss Me in the Rainare of a piece stylistically and in the rich-ness of Streisand's interpretations. Theystand well beside her better work of thepast and are the three strongest reasonsfor this disc's memorability.

IEEE JAZZAir: Air LoreMichael Cuscuna, producerArista Novus AN 3014by Don Heckman

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The premise behind Air's new al-bum has to go down as one of the-let'sbe kind-more unusual of recent memory.Very simply, the three-man group has de-voted most of "Air Lore" to an explor-ation of four rag and stomp pieces: JellyRoll Morton's Buddy Bolden's Blues andKing Porter Stomp and Scott Joplin'sWeeping Willow Rag and The RagtimeDance.

The first question that comes tomind is "why?," but I'm afraid I can't an-swer it. The second is "does it work?," andthat is related to how close those far -away -in -time pieces come to Air's obviouslycontemporary point of view. Buddy Bol-den's Blues (not really a blues), Morton'soften -humorous paean to the legendaryjazz cornetist, is treated with soulful sen-suality. That's not exactly appropriate tothe composer's whimsical intention, but itis effective as jazz nonetheless. The Rag-time Dance, on the other hand, is pecu-liarly stilted, with unexplained use of ter-race dynamics (loud eight bars contrastedwith soft eight bars) and uncertain rhyth-mic switches. It doesn't shift into high gearuntil the thematic statement is disposed ofand saxophonist Henry Threadgill getsdown to some serious "out" improvisa-tion. King Porter is much more inter-esting, perhaps because Air stays closer tothe original than to the more familiar Flet-cher Henderson reworking. Again, how-ever, the theme statement sounds uncom-fortable and real action begins with theimprovisation.

Weeping Willow Rag opens with asensational drum solo by Steve McCallthat leads, very uncomfortably, intoThreadgill's alto statement of the theme.That business out of the way, Threadgillplays very well, as does bassist Fred Hop-kins in his lengthy solo spot. But thetheme itself seems irrelevant to the rest ofthe proceedings. The real problem, Ithink, lies in the fact that Air has not reallyfound a way to translate these thoroughlypianistic works-with significant parts forboth left and right hands-into effectivearrangements for the trio instrumentation.

The remaining piece, Threadgill'sPaille Street, is a moody dialogue be-tween Threadgill's flute and Hopkins'bowed bass, with brushed interjectionsfrom McCall's drums. The only original, itis totally out of context with the rest of thealbum.

Michael Gregory Jackson:Heart & CenterMichael Gregory Jackson, producerArista Novus AN 3015by Crispin Cioe

This is ambitious music. Withoutbeing too obvious or forced MichaelGregoryJackson attempts to forge his fa-miliarity with and love of the avant-garde

with his underlying feel for and closenessto popular rhythms and song forms. Hehas a real gift in this direction and the po-tential to stand in the line of successionthat starts (and, so far, ends) with DukeEllington.

The guitarist's debut LP, "Gifts,"delicately laid out his near -acoustic ap-proach to fusion music. With very sensitiveplaying from his exceptional band, hissongs gracefully and constantly merge ex-tended vamp excursions (sometimesreminiscent of Pharoah Saunders' late -'60s work) with a shifting overlay of me-lodic/harmonic dissonances that conjureup everything from Stravinsky to Mingus.Color is the element that Jackson seeks tomaster; my favorite tune on that first al-bum is aptly titled Vivid Violet.

On "Heart & Center" he stayswith his basic unit (Pheeroan ak Laff ondrums, Jerome Harris on electric bass,Marty Ehrlich on reeds and flute) but addsBarry Harwood on keyboards and thewonderful Baikida Carroll on trumpet.These two enrich his palette enormously,and at times the music takes on loose -knitbig -band proportions (an arranging skillthat Mingus always had). Jackson is sing-ing more, too, often doubling his guitarlines an octave higher. He shares withGeorge Benson the Stevie Wonder vocalinfluence to a degree, but there are alsoechoes of Brazilian singer Milton Nasci-mento, especially Milton's seminal colla-boration with Wayne Shorter, "NativeDancer." His lyrics are vaguely spiritual,but in a very friendly and accessible man-ner, and they perfectly match the tem-pered optimism of his music.

On guitar, he has an unerring senseof rhythmic displacement and just plainspace, whether he's racing off into Hen-drix -style permutations or comping airychords behind Ehrlich's lyrical and beau-tifully open sax playing. The Laff-Harrisrhythm section is dependable and pop-ping, the perfect foil to Jackson's unpre-dictable compositional turns. And thecompositions are what "Heart and Cen-ter" are all about. The themes are freshwithout being disorientingly angular, andhe never quite takes the melodic directionone would expect. This also makes forless predictable solos. On Falling Rock,for example, Carroll's trumpet comestumbling in after the theme like a bouldergathering steam. Another tune, Of a


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TOP -RATED CARTRIDGES UP TO 70% OFFII We featureAcutex, ADC, Grado, Nagatron, Ortofon, Sonus, Stanton,et al. Unbelievable priced Call 212-254-3125 for prices, orwrite to DIRECT DISCOUNTS LTD., P.O. Box 841, N.Y., N.Y.

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ABSOLUTE LOWEST PRICES on all brands of car and homestereo equipment and musical instruments. Call (7071963-9653, or write: WFI Distributors, 1148 Main Street, St. Hel-ena, CA 94574.

QUALITY AUDIO DISCOUNTED! Car/Home. SASE forquotes. Denco Audio, P.O. Box 6104-H, El Monte, CA91734.12131 444-9978 evenings, weekends.

LOWEST PRICESII IN MAIL ORDER STEREO, Esoteric, Auto,Disco. Over 150 brands-BGW, Bose, Cerwin Vega, Infinity,NC. LUX, Marantz, Onkyo, Phase Linear, Pioneer,Tandberg, Technics, Thorens and many others. All factoryfresh -shipped fast! Call or write for catalog and prices(9141258-4342. 9am-9pm, Sound Shed, Box 6 IA. MerrittsIsland Road, Pine Island, New York 10969.

TAPES & RECORDS

RARE OPERA, SYMPHONIC MUSIC ON OPEN REEL TAPE.Historic performances. EUROPEAN, DOMESTIC. Free Cata-logue. Underhill, Box "U," Bellport, NY I 1 713.

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Classified Dept., HIGH FIDELITY,825 7th Ave., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10019Telephone: 212-265-8360

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NOTICE:Record Listeners

Wanted(No experience required) Each month youwill receive nationally released albums torate. There Is no extra charge for the LP'syou receive - all you pay is a smallmembership fee which covers all costs ofthe LP's including postage and handling. Inreturn for your opinion you will build asubstantial album collection - "first comebasis." For application write:

EARS SYSTEMSBox 10245 Dept. HF

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SCHUBERT/DYER-BENNET. The splendidTully Hall performance of the Dyer -Ben-net translation of "Schone Mullerin"(Characterized by Andrew Porter as "A'Schone Mullerin' which came to life")now available in a meticulously pro-duced studio recording (stereo -twodiscs) directly from Dyer -Bennet records,Monterey Stage, Great Barrington, MA01230. S 17.50 postpaid.

FREE CATALOG LP'S. FACTORY SEALED $2.50 to 54.00

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ON OPEN REEL from master tapes. Argo, Telefunken, Van-guard, Unicorn, MHS. Catalogue $1.00. Barclay -Crocker,Room 1470-H, 11 Broadway, NYC 10004.

SEARCHING? WRITE DISContinued RECORDS, 444 South

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SHOW ALBUMS -Rare, out -of -print Ips, 64 -page list $1.00.

Bakers Wife or Nefertiti -original cast LP 59.95. Broadway -Hollywood Recordings, Georgetown, CT. 06829.

1930-1962 RADIO PROGRAMS, 00 HOURI Professional200 page catalog, S1.25. AM Treasures, Box 192HF, Baby-lon, N.Y. 11702.

VIENNESE LIGHT MUSIC SOCIETY -Strauss, Lanner, etc on

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BASF TAPE: Largest discounts, fastest service. All tapesguaranteed! INTERGALACTIC ENTERPRISES, 1789 Carr,

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OPEN REEL TAPES. Top Quality. 100% money -back guar-antee. Major labels. Classical, pop, rock, quad -direct disk &video. Bank cards accepted. Catalog/order information, S I .

No other fees, obligations. THE REEL SOCIETY, P.O. Box55099-H, Valencia, CA 91355.

LIVE OPERA ON REEL/CASSETTE. THOUSANDS OF PER-FORMANCES, WORLDWIDE SINCE 1930's. The ONLYservice that provides the personal attention demanded bythe Vocal Art. Free Gifts, Magnificent Free Catalogue. LIVEOPERA. Box 3141, Steinway Station, L.I.C., N.Y. 11103.

RECORD HOUND, Box 88H, Eagleville, PA 19408. Fillswant lists? Doggone right III 331/4 specialist. Fast, friendly

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GOLDEN AGE RADIO -your best source for radio tapes.Free catalog. Box 25215-J, Portland, Oregon 97225.

SOUNDTRACKS -New and out -of -print film music record-ings. Free listings and info. CINE MONDE RECORDS, 1488Vallejo St, San Francisco, CA 94109.

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Continued from page 106Highly Questionable Nature, is dedicatedtoJimi Hendrix and Albert Ayler. It's afunky meeting of two great deceased mu-sical forces, and the amazing thing is thatsuch influences can live and breathe sideby side in Jackson's songs. If he keeps itup, he could very well unify even more mu-sical threads that have traditionally re-mained separate. And that's what playingwith colors is all about.

Bob James and Earl Klugh:One on OneBob James, producerColumbia Tappan Zee FC 36241by J.B. Moore

Since he left CTI and formed hisown label under Columbia's aegis, com-poser/keyboardist Bob James has pro-duced each new LP like a chef working mi-nor variations on a successful, if some-what unimaginative, restaurant's cui-sine. With "One on One" he has added anew entrée in guitarist Earl Klugh, creat-ing a substantial -and welcome -change

in fare.

The ever-present trumpets, trom-bones, and flugelhorn of previous outingshave been replaced by a five -man wood-wind section with French horn. Missingtoo are regular drummers Steve Gaddand Andy Newmark, supplanted here bythe lower -key, more progressive HarveyMason. This is not to say that James hasradicalized his framework. The remainderof the rhythm section is familiar, and engi-neer Joe Jorgensen, an important ele-ment in the Tappan Zee sound, is also stillon hand.

The result is quite listenable. Thestrings and woodwinds complementKlugh's subtle, acoustic approach, andJames arranges them like the tastefulmaster of "with strings" jazz, Claus Oger-man. Bassist Ron Carter's appearanceson Mallorca and Winding River add to therichness of the proceedings, particularlyhis solo on the latter.

If There is a weakness, it is the mate-rial. James's three tunes sound like jazz -

flavored movie themes (good ones, butmovie themes nonetheless), and the bal-

ance -an equal number by Klugh-have asimilar "pop -classics" leaning. Still, "Oneon One" is superior to either's currentsolo album ("Earl Klugh with Strings" and"Lucky Seven") not to mention a legion ofother LPs in this genre. With a song or twofrom outside sources, a second helping ofKlugh-James just might make a trulyhearty meal.

Sonny Rollins: Don't AskOrrin Keepnews, producerMilestone M 9090

It's a good thing composer/ saxo-phonist Sonny Rollins' status as one ofthe founding fathers of modern jazz waswell established more than a few yearsago. With what he has been doing latelyfor Milestone -and "Don't Ask" is a prettytypical example -recently initiated jazz lis-teners might be wondering what all thefuss is about. Fortunately, his creativity isstill very much intact, and even on suchsilly things as a piece called Disco Monk (!)he can startle us with inspired bits andfragments of improvisations.

CAN'T GET ORION RECORDS? Orion's alive and well andeasy to get! Send check -order shipped same day. 36/record, includes postage. SI1 for 2-55 each for 3 or more.Orion Master Recordings, Box 4087, Malibu, CA 90265.

RARE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ALBUMS SEND 25 CENTSFOR LIST. SHOW MUSIC, BOX 12, WOOD RIVER, ILLINOIS62095.

VIENNESE OPERETTA RECORDS, INC. Extensive range, su-

perb vocal performances, on currently available LP's. Freelist. P.O. Box 50-B, Dover, Mass. 02030.

HEAR FAVORITE RECORDS 8, tapes with startling newclarity. 8800 noise reduction revives noisy sources. WriteLOGICAL SYSTEMS 33 I 4a 'H' St. Vancouver WA 98663.

AUDIOPHILE RECORDS: Save 20% to 40% (or more). Fast,personal service. Free catalog. SUPER SOUND RECORDSERVICE: P.O. Box 411237: Chicago, ILL 60641.

ARTHUR FIEDLER. THE KINGSTON TRIO AND Buddy Rich!

Invite them all into your living room. Send S I for catalog of-fering these and over 250 different artists on Direct -to -disc. Digital and other specially -cut recordings. Immediateservice! Send today. Sound Concepts, PO Box 7063, Eu-gene, OR 97401.

Live Performances tapes -opera, conductors, instrumental-ists. Superior Sound. Open Reel Only. Catalogues. GoodSound Associates, P08 263 Planetarium Station, New York,NY 10024.

DISCONTINUED RECORDS, Classical, Popular. All Speeds,Free Lists. Fred Steinmetz, One Seaview Avenue, Massa-pequa, NY 11758.

25,000 LP ALBUMS 8 1700 78 RPM SETS FOR SALE. Sendwants lists. Bernstein, Pine Valley Road, Oyster Bay, N.Y.11771.

FREE CATALOG... CLASSICAL CASSETTES... PURENATURAL. SOUND FOREIGN DEALERS INVITED...EKR CLASSICS. GPO BOX 1977HX, NYC 10001.

MAGIC OF MOZART -14 SELECTIONS LP ONLY 51.98CASSETTE 52.49. FREE JAZZ/CLASSICAL CATALOG MU-SICAL CONCEPTS. BOX 53HF, CEDARHURST, N.Y. 11516.

FIRST METAL TAPE recordings: Demo SI 9.95, brochure 52

Direct -to -cassette from original master. Audio Art, Box9252, Rochester, N.Y. 14625.

UNUSUAL CLASSICAL VOCAL AUCTION. Shellac 78's.Most AGSA/AGSB, VA/VB special issues pressed frommasters; many DA/DB's, etc. Also early HMV LP vocal reci-tals, complete operas, all in excellent condition. List fromAddison Foster, c/o Smolian, Box 437, Catskill, N.Y. 12414.

Free 4.00 T -ShirtTOO: SA C90 .. 3.05 Ampex Grandmaster l-90__....._.2.69IDA. AD.CSO .. 2.45 Ampex. Grandmaster 11-90..... 3.99IDA D C90 . 1.59 Scotch: 212.70-1800 . 3.91

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SEARCHING? SEND WANT LIST FOR 78's 8 LP's 5H March;Discontinued Records, PO Box 253, Gwynedd Valley, PA19437

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MECHANICALLY INCLINED INDIVIDUALS: Assembleelectronic devices in your home. Investment, knowledge, orexperience not necessary. Start in spare time. Above aver-age profits: 5300-5600/wk possible. Sales handled by oth-ers. Write for free details. Electronic Development Lab,Drawer 156011F, Pinellas Park, Fla. 33565.

BUMPER STICKER PRINTING DEVICE. Cheap, Simple, Port-able Free Details. Bumper. POB 22791 (FDI. Tampa. FL33622.

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THE BLIND AND OTHER PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED canknow the joy of reading memorable selections chosen from

over 50 outstanding periodicals, completely free of charge.Write CHOICE MAGAZINE LISTENING, Dept. HFC, Box 10,Part Washington, NY 11050 or call 516-883-8280.

SINGERS -CONVERT YOUR STEREO TO VOCAL ELIMI-NATORI No skill or cost. Takes two minutes! EASY) Report510. Robert Co., 5578 Burnside Box 6, Rockville, Md. 20853.

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COLLEGE STUDENTS! Improve your grades. Send 51.00 for356 -page, collegiate research papers catalog. 10.250 avail-able. RESEARCH ASSISTANCE. Box 25916R, Los Angeles,California 90025.12131477-8226.

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ELECTRONIC BARGAINS, CLOSEOUTS, SURPLUS! Parts,equipment, stereo, industrial, educational. Amazing values)Fascinating items unavailable in stores or catalogs any-where! Unusual FREE catalog. ETC0-017, Box 762,Nattsburgh, N.Y. 12901.

EMPLOYMENT

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL of Music an-nounces an opening for soprano on its voice faculty. Appli-i ants should have substantial teaching experience and beurrently active in professional performances of oratorio,

opera and concert repertoire. Appointment begins Sep -'ember, 1980. Rank and salary negotiable. Inquiries shouldbe directed to: Leslie Guinn, Chairman, Search Committee,

The University of Michigan, School of Music, Room 2273Moore, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109. A non-discriminatory,affirmative action employer.

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For free product literature, use the readerservice card on page 77.

Key No. Page No.

1 ADC Professional Products, a div. ofBSR Consumer Products Group

2 ADC Professional Products, a div. ofBSR Consumer Products Group

51 AIWAAkai America Ltd.

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Audio Technica U.S. Inc.6 Audiovox Corp.

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9 Caedmon RecordsClassified Ads

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Speakerlab, Inc.41 Stanton Magnetics42 Stereo Corp.

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Guitarist Larry Coryell has beenadded to the Rollins group for this outing,but the combination doesn't work as wellas it should. Coryell clearly has put the lidon some of his more outrageous rock/jazz licks, but even so, he never seems toget into sync with Rollins' upbeat phras-ing. The File (by Coryell) and My Ideal (anold standard) feature the two in duets thatemphasize the peculiar incompatibility oftheir styles. The File is a pure contempo-rary vamp tune, totally lacking the com-plex harmonic framework that Rollinsneeds to play his best. He fumblesthrough it in, for him, startlingly tentativefashion. My Ideal is clearly better for him,but Coryell doesn't seem to know what todo with the tune.

The other pieces-played with quin-tet backing-pass with little to distinguishthem. Tai -Chi is interesting primarily as anoddity; Rollins plays lyricon, using it toproduce a floating shakuhachi sound.Don't Ask is a good, Rollins -composedline that seems about to spring him loose,but the expected excitement never quitehappens. The same is true of Disco Monk:Just as the rhythm section's inept effort toproduce a disco beat becomes annoying,the tempo lays back behind some vintage,upfront preaching from Rollins' tenorsaxophone. One can only wish that "Don'tAsk" had a few more such moments. D.H.

Bennie Wallace:The Fourteen Bar BluesBennie Wallace & David Baker. producersInner City IC 3025by John S. Wilson

Bennie Wallace's album debut as aleader has been a long time coming. Hehas been one of the most interesting saxo-phonists in New York since the mid -'70s,and until recently he has been heard pri-marily in loft situations. His trio, with bas-sist Eddie Gomez and drummer EddieMoore, had been working together for thebetter part of a year before they made"The Fourteen Bar Blues" last January.

Wallace is a fascinating amalgama-tion of the entire spectrum of the jazzsaxophone. Although he mentionsParker, Rollins, and Coltrane as early in-fluences and says his current favorite isJohnny Hodges, critics have heard in hisplaying an impressively wide swath ofsources from Webster, Byas, and Hawkinsto Sam Rivers, Archie Shepp, Albert Ay-ler, and Eric Dolphy. On this disc, he fre-

quently brings several of those sources tomind, but he has absorbed them to suchan extent that they have become part ofhis own style. Rollins is the most apparent,delightfully present even in Wallace's com-positions-in the jaunty swing of Broad-side, in the slightly calypso-ish Green &Yellow, and in Yard 'n Newk, in which aRollins line is played by Gomez and joinedto a Parker line from Wallace. Rollins'popping phrases also come through inChelsea Bridge. though Wallace's heavilybreathy treatment is an interesting deriva-tion of Webster's playing. And on TrinkleTinkle, Bennie shows himself to be closerto Thelonious Monk's piano than wasMonk's own saxist of many years, CharlieRouse.

Gomez' harmonic, tonal, and rhyth-mic strengths match Wallace's inventivequalities. This is true not only for hissolos-a brilliantly articulated bit on Vi-cissitudes and a marvelously melodic ex-ploration of Flamingo-but for the powerof his presence as a virtual second hornworking with and around Wallace'ssaxophone.

Continued from page 98

track recording for about ten years now. Ifelt right at home with the procedures out-lined in the owner's manual and was trulyamazed at how closely the Teac overduband remix techniques correspond to pro-fessional practices. Of course, it is only atwo -buss board, and track assignmentsare made with the help of the pan pots,but the basic configuration is virtuallyidentical to established procedures. Inhalf an hour, I completed three differenttests of all the record, overdub, and mixfunctions. That's pretty fast-an indicationof the 144's ease of operation. To mix to astandard cassette, for instance, simplypush the MIC/ LINE -TAPE buttons to TAPE,

and the four tracks come up in order onthe four faders. Set the balance, use theequalizers (if necessary), process the sig-nals through the AUX circuit, hook up theoutputs, and away you go. It couldn't besimpler, In fact, the 144 performed with-out even a hint of difficulty throughout allof my experiments.

I had a hunch something was upwhen Teac introduced the two -trackSyncaset last spring ("Input Output," Au-gust 1979). If that was a step forward, thePortastudio is a giant leap in meeting theneeds of the consumer recordist.


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550 ReIntroducingceihever.Bose

The new, moderately priced Bose° Model 550AM/FM Stereo Receiver brings ycu 3ose'technology and research wrapped up in anaffordable, innovative package. It includes adirect -coupled amplifier that deLvers a solid 40watts of RMS power per channel-enough todrive almost any loudspeaker. It ha< an excel-lent AM/FM tuner section for clear, dean recep-tion. And exclusive Bose' Source and RoomCompensation Controls let you adjust forrecording characteristics and for room acous-tics. These controls make it easy for you toremove mid -range boominess without losingyour deep bass. Try that with a conventionalreceiver!

The Bose" 550 Receiver is designed to driveany speakers that suit your taste and budget.And it contains a unique feature you'll really

appreciate when you upgrade your system.More and more customers tell us their firstloudspeakers are in:erim units and that one daythey hope to invest in a Bose" 901' Series IVDirect/Reflecting Loudspeaker System.Ownership of tie 550 Reiver brings that daymuch closer, because the receiver has a built-in901' Active Equalizer thatgives you a significantsavings when you purchase 901' speakers.

With or without Bose' speakers, we believeyou won't find a receiver that gives you betterengineering, better design and better sound forthe coney. For more information about thisfine new Bose Model 550 AM/FM StereoReceiver, see your nearest authorized Bosedealer. Or write- Bose Corperation, Dept. HF,100 The Mountain Road, Framingham,MA 01701.

Covered by patent rights issued end/or pendirg°Copyright 1979 by Bose Corporation

ROSEBetter sound through research.

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The results were impressive, if not surprising.The Kenwood receiver outperformed comparable

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Ten Lob/ Listening Reports - …...William P. Johnson Circulation Service Manager Leonard Levine...

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Transcript of Ten Lob/ Listening Reports - …...William P. Johnson Circulation Service Manager Leonard Levine...