Rare Music Collection

This part of my webpage is included because I didn't want to have to set up another whole page and I've been meaning to do this for awhile. Besides, I always listen to music while I paint so I can justify it being on my art website.

This is my last vice. I have always had a passion for music and it influences my painting directly and indirectly. I collect a lot of different music such as 1950 through 1970 jazz vinyl as well as other rare vinyl of different sorts. However my main passion in the last couple of years, music wise, has been rare recordings on CDR and CD. I also have a large rare tape collection but because of generation loss I don't deal with those anymore and have transferred a lot of the really cool stuff to CDR anyway. The recordings I try to zero in on are of exceptional quality. With modern technology there are things out there and on these lists that are extraordinary. Therefore, the search is half of the fun and the listening completes it.

I also have been buying, studying, collecting and archiving the music of the great Jeff Beck for about 20 years. My son and I got to spend about 45 minutes with Jeff, Jennifer Batten and the band last year after their show at Tinley Park. It was a blast and the second time I have met him. I have tried to put together one of the best quality Jeff Beck collections in existence. If I so wished, within a month or two I could easily add between fifty and a hundred additional selections. There are a lot out there and beware because some of these cost a lot of money are are guaranteed to disappoint because of the lack of quality. However, I am not interested in having every show. They would sit unlistened to. Music is supposed to be listened to and so I focus on the best of the best or the very rare. I trade with the biggest collectors in Japan, Sweden, Spain, France, Italy, Denmark and all over USA. I search the four corners to find rare excellent quality recordings and unknown recordings. If they are of incredible importance, I sometimes even go to the trouble of hiring a professional studio to enhance them and clean them up. There is little doubt among most knowledgeable music experts that Jeff Beck is the greatest guitarist that ever lived. However, he has no interest in his past accomplishments, only what he is working on at the moment. Therefore, I am trying to help preserve his legacy.

I have a Philips double burner and use Mitsui (the best audio-only CDR money can buy). When trading I prefer Mitsui, TDK, or Maxell although I am not anal about it. I have had problems with Memorex brands and prefer not to trade for those.

My Ratings go from A+(perfect) to B. I don't even list anything lower than that. The CDR's that are red highlighted are the best of the best. That doesn't mean that ones not highlighted might not be incredible. Usually the ratings that range from A+ to A- are very enjoyable. However there are different levels of audiophile pickiness. One mans A- is another mans B+. A- is one of the hardest ratings because I almost feel that there should be a rating within the A- ratings. However the highlighted ones are guaranteed excellent. No doubt about it. The green highlighted ones on the Beck section are the best in a certain period, if that period doesn't have a red one or they are other really great ones from that certain period. Either way they come recommended.

I have really divided my recordings up as being from one of two audio sources. SB stands for Soundboard and can be a radio broadcast, a TV broadcast, the soundboard of the mixing station, from a studio tape or from the Hearing Impaired Frequency. AUD stands for Audience and is made by a member of the audience on some kind of recording device.

I love to trade but am very picky about quality and try to only fill holes in my collection that need filled. I have three beautiful kids, a great wife, a full-time job and a full-time art career. I have definitely slowed down collecting and am getting pickier and pickier. However, feel free to send your lists.

Thanks for putting up with such a long introduction and now to the Rare Recording lists.....