Audiophile Vinyl

Helen Humes
Songs I Like To Sing!
Craft/Contemporary CR00714 (180g vinyl)

Every genre is dominated by a mere handful of its practitioners – in the oft-overlooked Humes’ case her colleagues would have been Fitzgerald, Washington, Holiday, Lee, and Vaughan. But wow! She could match them in tone, phrasing and delivery, her readings of the standards enjoying added depth with her blues, R&B and gospel sensibilities, yet with a clarity to rival Ella’s. Backed by Contemporary’s stable of jazz geniuses, including Barney Kessel, Leroy Vinnegar, Shelly Manne, Ben Webster, and André Previn, she delivered this 1961 masterpiece, cut by Bernie Grundman from the original masters. Just wait until you hear ‘Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone’. Delicious. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Eden’s Children
Eden’s Children
Sundazed LP5688 (green vinyl)

For collectors of rare psychedelia, with a special interest in the ‘Bosstown Sound’ of Boston, Massachusetts, Eden’s Children were a short-lived outfit – 1968-9 – that was the city’s entry in the global ‘power trio’ stakes. They only released two LPs, of which this was the first, and it’s a far cry from the lighter fare of their geographical fellow travellers. This is fuzz-laden, more Hendrix or Blue Cheer than Cream, and the original compositions, though predominantly primal heavy metal, also exhibited funky touches. This fine-sounding, coloured vinyl reissue is blessed relief for me as I foolishly parted with a mint original pressing I had – cut by Rudy Van Gelder! KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Talk Talk
The Very Best Of Talk Talk
Parlophone 5021732514691 (two LPs)

When a band is represented by more compilations than actual studio LPs – Talk Talk issued a mere five during their decade together – the fans deserve something special. Freshly remastered this year, the sound remains worthy of the worship the band enjoys to this day among audiophiles. As a boon to future rock scholars, the track listing is chronological, from the eponymous ‘Talk Talk’ of 1982 to ‘New Grass’ from their final album, 1991’s Laughing Stock. What also adds interest are four versions of songs taken from singles to contrast with the album takes. A classy souvenir of a band redolent of the era, with enough synths to fry your tweeters. KK

Sound Quality: 85%

Yes
Fragile
Rhino/Atlantic RCV1 727097 (green vinyl)

As the current Yes-fest continues, here’s good news for those Yes-men (and women) who need to replace a copy of this 1971 release – one of their most successful albums. Following the costly ‘super deluxe’ six-disc set from 2024 and the Mobile Fidelity One-Step, this more affordable reissue from Rhino provides just the LP with the 2015 Steven Wilson mixes. As it kicks off with ‘Roundabout’, a staggering display of musicianship, it’s long been a hi-fi show demo fave. Critically acclaimed, and far more digestible than most prog rock – it actually contains nine tracks – this new pressing of Fragile also features the alternate Roger Dean cover art. KK

Sound Quality: 90%