Strang Days Indeed

I always love to complete a set of something, whether it's a Coke bottle from every country in the world or a coin from every year minted. And that same life philosophy applies to Christmas music. So I was very excited when I was able to find another Christmas record from an artist who I'd previously shared here at the blog. (I see I actually mention I saw another release by this artist that I needed to find, and I did!) Problem was, not only did I have a hard time tracking down the record, I also had a hard time recording it once I got my grubby paws on it. There was a scratch on side one and I just couldn't get it to play through without skipping. I recorded it a dozen times trying different methods to avoid that scratch. I tried changing the weight of the tonearm, I played it backwards, I tried playing at different speeds. I think the trick that finally worked was going back to my old conical stylus instead of my current elliptical one (both of which are sorely in need of replacement). I think those conical needles are more resistant to jumping out of the groove, which also means they aren't as sensitive to movement caused by the finer striations on the record. I can see a difference in the waveform, but my hearing is not good enough to hear a difference. Maybe you can tell, and since I'm using FLAC for the shares this year, you might be able to tell after the music is encoded. So if you can tell a difference in the sound on one side versus the other, lemme know. Anyhow, that's a long story that really has little or nothing to do with this share. I know Christmas is over and done with, but maybe you can save these stories for next year. This is Mary Strang-Fairy Tales For A Winter's Night (CMS Records CMS 534, Stereo, 1968).

1. The Elves And The Shoemaker  
2. The Little Match Girl  
3. 'Twas The Night Before Christmas  
4. The Fir Tree

MEGA