I want to share my recent discovery of
what seems to be my first
effective clicks and pops removal agent for Lps.
I looked for something on the MG Chemicals shelves in
an electronic
supply store. Finally I rang MG technical support and was advised to
try their
"LCD cleaning wipes".
I have been using detergent soap, distilled water and
isopropyl alcohol
mixture. Results - very indifferent. In the past I had a few goes with
the lp cleaning
machines. No better. I decided that some records had these noises built
in
in the pressing stage.
Well, these wipes work better than anything I
tried in decades.
Not 100% but enough to make listening enjoyable.
Disclosu I asked MG. to send me a few samples
for research but
they declined. So I have no axe to grind other than my love of the lp.
community.
While I'm at it a few recent, great LPs finds in
second hand stores:
Glenn Gould's Bach's Concertos for keyboard and
strings on
Columbia. Same combo "Inventions" These lps are older then the later CD
versions
that is labelled "From previously issued material". I assume it means
they came from
the same master. To my ears lps sound infinitely more like real-life
virtuso piano
playing than the later cd version. Not a "subtle" difference! Just no
comparison.
Please, don't ask me why. I heard all the
arguments why cd version
should be superior and I have no answer. Also I don't care if it is
"accurate" to the master. I want it to be the closest to my actual
performance experience not to the engineers' idea of what I should
like.
I'm not taking any dogmatic, partisan side, I
heard one cd version
from an old master that sounded better than the corresponding lp.
I just report what I heard. I use VPI TNT
turntable with SME IV arm
and Grado Symphony cartridge through a custom phono preamp.

My cdplayer is a reworked and upgraded Pioneer with a custom
line preamp.
I' d be most interested to hear if any had
different experience
listening to these particular records.
Other LP. finds: Alicia Delarrhocha playing
Bach's piano on London.
Pablo Casals conducting Mozart Symph.
34 & 40 on Columbia
( the first version of Mozart's symphs on record that sounded to me
close to a live performance)
I. Pearlman playing Mendelssohn's &
Bruch's violin concvs.
Ansermet conducting Rimski- Korsakoff's
Scheherezade
on London
Faure "Requiem" on Seraphim.
R. Muti conducting Chabrier's Espana.
There's more but that's enough
typing for today.
Except for this story. A friend of a
friend, a member of Vancouver Symphony Orch. was entertaing Alicia
Delarrocha after her concert. She was asked to play and answered,: "It
is always -please play Albeniz or Granados or De Falla-. Just
because I'm Spanish. But I'm a Spanish Bach specialist and that's what
I'll play"
Ludovic Mirabel