Otis Spann - Portraits In Blues Volume 3 - 180g LP

Product no.: PPANSLP157

In stock

Otis Spann - Portraits In Blues Volume 3 - 180g LP
£29.99
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Pure Pleasure / Storyville   PPAN SLP157  - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl -

AAA 100% Analogue - Limited Edition - Pure Analogue Audiophile Mastering - 

Mastered by Sean Magee at Abbey Road  - Pressed  at Pallas Germany

In October 1963, Spann toured Europe as part of that year's American Folk Blues Festival and recorded some superb solo, contemplative blues in a broken, husky voice for Storyville Records in Copenhagen.

This audiophile release was re-mastered by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios and features Spann playing piano and singing along with Lonnie Johnson playing guitar on “Trouble in Mind.”  During the time of his touring in 1963 through Europe, Otis participated in an American Folk Blues Festival and recorded this disc for Storyville Records in Copenhagen.  The back of the LP details his biography including what might have been his big break—playing with Muddy Waters in 1958 at the Leeds Festival.

Unlike some of his accompaniment (which can be a bit pronounced), this record is mellower and more intimate.  After all, just about every song is just the soloist.  All the tracks except two are written by the artist and the passion he puts into every song is palpable.  Some of the songs will make you jump up and dance, but most are constructed in an entirely different fashion—much slower and more tradition old-school blues.  Jelly Roll Baker is a funny tune that even manages to elicit a chuckle from the artist at its conclusion.  Spann’s voice is powerful and unique in its way while his piano playing is excellent.  There are sure to be more than a few favorites on this disc for the blues enthusiast.  For those unfamiliar with the artist, what better introduction than this beautiful sounding record?

The disc is very low in noise and the recording is quite minimal.  The piano is placed off to one side while the vocals are on the other (but not hard-panned to each channel).  Sound is considerably better than you’d expect from a record of this period.  Recording quality: A-.  Music: A.

Musicians:
Otis Spann, piano, vocals
Lonnie Johnson, guitar
Little Willie Smith, drums 
 
:
Side  1:
1. Good Morning, Mr. Blues
2. Love, Love, Love
3. Riverside Blues
4. Must Have Been the Devil
5. Jelly Roll Baker
6. Trouble in Mind 
Side  2:
1. Worried Life Blues
2. T. B. Blues
3. Spann's Boogie
4. Don't You Know
5. Goin' Down Slow
 
Otis Spann - Portraits In Blues Volume 3 - 180g LP
 
 
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Pure Pleasure Records
The Restoration of the Art of Sound
180g Vinyl Mastered From The Best Available Sources

At the beginning of the 90s, in the early days of audiophile vinyl re-releases, the situation was fairly straightforward. Companies such as DCC, Mobile Fidelity, Classic Records and, of course, Pure Pleasure all maintained a mutual, unwritten ethical code: we would only use analogue tapes to manufacture records. During the course of the present vinyl hype, many others have jumped on the bandwagon in the hope of securing a corner of the market. Very often they are not so ethical and use every imaginable source to master from: CDs, LPs, digital files, MP3s – or employed existent tools from the 80s and 90s for manufacturing.

A digital delay is gladly used when cutting a lacquer disc because tape machines with an analogue delay have become quite rare and are therefore expensive. When cutting the lacquer, the audio signal is delayed by one LP revolution against the signal, which controls the cutter head, and for this a digital delay is very often employed. Of course, the resultant sound signal is completely digital and thus only as good as this delay.

We should like to emphasize that Pure Pleasure Records on principle only uses the original master tape as the basis for the entirely analogue cutting of lacquer discs. In addition, the pressing tool is newly manufactured as a matter of principle. We only employ existing tools for manufacturing if an improved result is not forthcoming, e.g. the title Elvis Is Back, which was mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray, or several titles from our Philips Classics series, which in any case Willem Makkee cut from the original masters at the Emil Berliner Studios in the 90s. It goes without saying that we only used the mother and that new tools were made for our production. To put it in a nutshell: we can ensure you that our releases are free from any kind of digital effects and that the lacquer discs are newly cut.

There really is nothing quite like it.  It’s the touch, the feel, you have to stop and stare, the cover,  the real thing, even the smell.

Its tangible, you can feel it, see it, study it,   muse/dream over it, it’s real, someone  has spent hours and hours over its construction and presentation. Pure Pleasure Records is just that, Pure Pleasure and that is what it has set out to be.  

The music and the physical record.  Something to keep, treasure, admire and above all enjoy.Of course with vinyl it’s not just a record, it’s the cover,  the sleeve notes, you are  holding a unique package, produced by craftsmen.

Pure Pleasure  Records bring you vinyl albums of quality Jazz - Blues - R+B - Soul - Funk, remastered by some of the best engineers in the world and pressed on 180 gram audiophile vinyl at what is probably the best pressing plant in Europe 

Pure Analogue Audiophile Mastering
 
Plated and Pressed at Pallas in Germany on 180 Gram Virgin Vnyl
 
Released in Limited Quantities

PALLAS
Audiophile Vinyl - Made in Germany  For over 60 years the family business in the third generation of the special personal service and quality "Made by Pallas" is known worldwide. Our custom PVC formulation produces consistently high pressing quality with the lowest surface noise in the industry. Our PVC complies with 2015 European environmental standards and does not contain toxic materials such as Lead, Cadmium or Toluene. Our vinyl is both audiophile and eco-grade!  
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