Audiophile Vinyl

Johnny Cash
Hot And Blue Guitar!
Intervention LP1220 (180g vinyl; 45rpm mono LP)

It’s a mono month – see The Butterfield Blues Band below – because this 1957 release sounds nothing short of spectacular. A luxurious reissue of Cash’s debut album, with superb liner notes by Sun expert Colin Escott, it contains no fewer than three songs which would become signature tunes throughout his career: ‘I Walk The Line’, ‘Cry! Cry! Cry!’ and ‘Folsom Prison Blues’. Companion to Intervention’s equally sensational release from Carl Perkins [HFN May ’26], this collects four songs from two singles and eight freshly recorded for the album, all testimonies of Sam Phillips’ skills at Sun Records. As far as country, rockabilly and rock ’n’ roll are concerned, this is as vital as Elvis’ debut – it’s a bedrock LP. KK

Sound Quality: 95%

The Butterfield Blues Band
East-West
Mobile Fidelity MFSL 1-611 (180g vinyl; mono)

Following a dazzling eponymous debut as The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the name was shortened for this 1966 release, and a jazz element emerged. While still satisfying those who loved the first LP for its blues purism, and the bulk of the nine tracks still adhering to Chicago-style blues, the improvisation increased. Two extended jams – a cool take on the Adderley/Brown classic, ‘The Work Song’, and the 13-minute title track – presaged Santana, Blood, Sweat & Tears and others of that ilk. This was the last appearance of Mike Bloomfield with the group. Also out on SACD [UDSACD 2308], and sounding nearly identical, the mono offers more punch than the stereo mix. KK

Sound Quality: 85%

Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Mobile Fidelity MFSL 1-576 (180g vinyl)

From late 1970, the album that introduced the (arguably) pompous Emerson, Lake & Palmer on the rock world. Don’t take my word for it – an online search asking ‘Which band is regarded as the most pretentious of the prog-rock groups of the 1960s and 1970s?’ instantly spat out ELP over Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, et al. That said, the skilful performances are, depending on your feelings toward this unlikely offspring of classical and rock, either breathtakingly majestic or merely grandiose. Despite this, the album yielded the superb single release ‘Lucky Man’, for which the rest can be forgiven, while the sound is simply huge. Or maybe overwhelming? KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Vince Guaraldi and Bola Sete
From All Sides
Craft/Fantasy CR00962 (180g vinyl)

Released in February 1965, this was jazz pianist Guaraldi’s second collaboration with Brazilian virtuoso guitarist Bola Sete. It’s a gorgeous reminder that the sorely missed Guaraldi was far more than the creator of theme music for Peanuts/Charlie Brown specials, much-loved though they are. Here the blend of American jazz and Brazilian guitar forms a lush, inviting experience which mixes Guaraldi’s and Sete’s original compositions with a couple of standards that truly show how such a hybrid can succeed: ‘A Taste Of Honey’ and – the most obvious example of the genre – ‘The Girl From Ipanema’. And the sound? Utterly vivid, especially Sete’s acoustic guitar. KK

Sound Quality: 90%