Buddy Holly + Norman Petty = Genius

My ongoing tube saga continues; I now have an all tube front end - Dynaco PAS 3X preamp joined my MK IV 40 watt amps this week. Bass notes aren't stop and start like when the transistors are at work, reverb/echo is more distinct and less of a blur. Right now Buddy Holly - From the Original Master Tapes is playing LOUD and it's amazing. Norman Petty was a GREAT sound man. I can't get over how Buddy sounds like he's right there with me - most of the disc is mono, but the room is filled with sound. Guitars are chiming out on Lookin' for Someone to Love - I'm upstairs around the corner typing and it still sounds great. Peggy Sue now - man, those drums are killer-diller - I'm not gonna get a damn thing done today except play tunes - what should I play next???

 

Uh oh, I'm answering myself! Ramonesmania is up now - Ed Stasium and Greg Calbi at the controls - better sound than the latest Rhino hits set - course, since Mr. Ed produced a lot of their stuff I guess he'd know how they should sound... Rock and Roll Radio is roaring right now - not one of my faves by the Bowery Boys, but that sax sounds gooooood!

 

Well Mike sounds like you're havin' fun today!

How about some CCR ala SH? Or some Wish You Were Here (Mastersound) or Mofi Alan Parsons?

 

CCR it is - hmmm, Green River, Willie, or Cosmo's Factory???

 

Green River, of course!

 

Straight to the sonic champ in the CCR camp, eh? I've played hunks of Green River, Willie (Fortunate Son, natch), Lenny Kravitz's Are You Gonna Go My Way, a disco comp called Disco Divas form Polygram UK (gotta get some luscious ladies in here, and Hot Stuff's guitar solo smokes!), some Sun RAB on Bear- Ray Harris' Come On Little Mama is insane, and the Commitments soundtrack is blaring now as I type. Gotta shut down and get stuff ready for a Nashville getaway after this cee-dee is done...

 

I ended the tube pig-out with the Cramps; boy, The Way I Walk and Domino just throbbbbed like I knew they would - Alex Chilton nailed the sound there. Maybe it's Memphis, but folks who cut stuff there seem to get into a mystical Mempolis vibe and do great work...