A bittersweet album for me.



This is my Dad's original album from 1958. I found a box of his old albums in my basement a few weeks ago and thankfully, this was in that box. I believe this was the very first piece of music I ever heard while still in the womb. From this exact piece of vinyl too! Dad used to blast this on his Philco stereo system with 15" woofers, electrostatic tweeters, and tube amps. Mom would always ask him why he had to play it so loud. "I need to test the system!" was usually his reply. She told me that the windows in the house would rattle.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree I guess.

I cleaned it very thoroughly this morning before playing it. Unfortunately, 65 years of non-optimal storage and lack of proper record care have taken their toll on it. It has several audible scratches that are not repairable. I will be on the hunt for a better condition copy of this exact pressing. This one will never be discarded as it holds too much sentimental value for me.

Those cannons! Wow! Fortunately most of the album still sounds very good including the cannon sections.

I'm even playing it on a tube amp as he did so many years ago.

Way cool!

I'm pretty sure that's the same version my parents had and that they played on their Grundig Majestic unit. Long gone (the album and the console), but I remember the music well. Some of the first classical music I ever heard.

Those Mercury Presence albums were great. Some of them were reissued on CD back in the late 80s/early 90s.

Oh, and your turntable and amp look like a mighty fancy setup....

we're going to go down to Rockford into the basement of Toad Hall records where they keep all the classical stuff and go hunting.

The Turntable is new to me as of Sunday. Got a steal of a deal on it and the guy who sold it to me is letting me evaluate the tube amp for a possible purchase. It's a great amp hand made in Peoria, IL by a company called Decware. They have a two year waiting list for a new amp.

I saw this article yesterday and thought of you.

https://www.dailyherald.com/su...-3-in-mount-prospect

I wonder if "Bob, Bob, and Fred" are anything like "Larry, Darryl, and Darryl" from the Newhart show.

Very cool’.