(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 14: Digital Analog (70s Edition)

I used to maintain a playlist called Digital Analog which was essentially a playlist of all my vinyl and cassettes. It had a nice ring and was useful for tracking what I owned as I started V2 of my vinyl journey. That playlist is long gone, but I’ve been thinking a lot about it as I start to re-think my purchasing habits – there’s just not enough room in this house for what has built to just over 1,400 records in about six years. Especially with the new releases – most of these were recorded digitally, so ANY vinyl master is going to come from a digital source in most of those cases (I know, a few bands and starts still record analog, but that’s increasingly a rarity). So is there still a benefit? Maybe if there’s a specific vinyl master, but who knows who’s doing that?

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(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 5: Big Bands, Deep Cuts

It started with watching Pete Pardo talk about Van Halen on his inaugural entry for Sea of Tranquility’s Favorite Albums to Listen to in Summertime. I’m already planning a “Summer Playlist” in two weeks when I leave for a lengthy (for me) vacation, but Van Halen lingered, and it was a simple matter to put together some kind of “deep cuts” playlist filled with what are – to me – some of the biggest bands I happen to love. So that’s where we’re going this week. Warning: some of these might not be traditionally “deep cuts” – they’re not all buried in the sequencing. Some are favorites from reviled or unpopular albums, at least one was a big hit for another band. And of course one is a Zappa cut. Enjoy the weekend and let’s dig in.

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