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Emmylou Harris In Emmylou Harris's "The Ballad of Sally Rose," country music has its first "Sgt. Pepper." Thanks for Alanna Nash's great article [May] about a great artist. DICK LOFTIN Tulsa, OK The May article on Emmylou Harris prompted me to purchase the Compact Disc of "The Ballad of Sally Rose," among other things because the article said it had been recorded digitally. I bought the disc even though the usual Warner Bros. analog disclaimer appears on the box, which would lead me to believe that the recording was in fact of analog origin. To my ears this new and excellent disc does sound digital since there's no extraneous noise. Who is right and who is wrong in this case? In addition, Warner Bros. lists twelve tracks on the CD label though there are thirteen on the disc, which could make cueing to a desired track somewhat confusing. EDWARD R. WHITE Vancouver, B.C. Despite Warner Bros.' labeling, the recording was made digitally, and the CD has the same thirteen tracks as the LP. Who Needs Car Stereo? In the May issue you write of evaluating "stereo equipment in a car." Surely it must be rare for a car to be so equipped, since driving is an activity one would not care to combine with listening to music. Anyway, only the very unfortunate (traveling salesmen, cab drivers, et al.) are ever inside an auto mobile for over fifteen minutes at a time, which is not long enough to hear a complete composition of any consequence. Therefore, music lovers will generally put "all they can afford, and then some" in home equipment exclusively. HARLAN SPORE, No. Little Rock, AR Audio Q & A Magazines like STEREO REVIEW serve as a medium for audiophiles to express their concerns and doubts about sound reproduction and to receive advice from experts. Departments like Larry Klein's "Audio Q. & A." are indispensable. It was hard to believe that not one page was devoted to it in the April issue. As one who owns such high-end units as a three-head cassette deck and a CD player and has yet to experience consistently trouble-free performance, I would definitely like to read and contribute questions to "Audio Q. & A." God for bid that it disappear; otherwise I just might have to do more listening and less reading. S. SERRALHEIRO; Montreal, Quebec Bent Out of Shape I was shocked and disgusted by the language used in Steve Simels's "Rock Gender Benders." I would hope that your editing staff has enough command over the English language to catch and change such vulgar words as f-- and b---- even if your contributing editors do not. I would greatly appreciate your efforts to uphold the high standards shown in the rest of the magazine. GARY D. LINDBERG; Simi Valley, CA I was extremely pleased to see the article "Rock Gender Benders' in April. Rarely do I read articles in STEREO REVIEW that aren't audio oriented. This was an excellent exception. My applause to author Steve Simels as well as to the editors for printing it. JEFF DIMOCK; Winston-Salem, NC The Over the Hill Gang I am fed up with these young snots who make obnoxious remarks about the older generation. Matthew Hagny, in May "Letters," accuses your music critics of being too "ancient" to express an opinion on rock "music." Apparently, in his eyes, anyone over thirty-five is old and senile and incapable of making a valid statement on rock. Hogwash! We "old" folks have been exposed to more real music in our lifetimes than these young squirts will ever be privileged to hear. Rock, in my opinion, is a product of the electronic age. Rock musicians are inventions of audio engineers. Modern recordings bear little re semblance to original performance, if there was an original performance. I spent several painful long years of "listening ' to rock music through the ceiling while my kids were at home. Well, the kids have gone their separate ways, and they are missed, but I do not miss the god-awful racket that used to rattle every window in the house. Now, at last, I can play my theater-organ records and rattle the windows to my own satisfaction. FRANK BUZZELL; Spring Lake, MI The statement in May "Letters" that STEREO Review’s popular-music critics are "hypercritical and prejudiced against modern music, especially heavy-metal rock-and-roll" couldn't be further from the truth. Though I enjoy much of today's new music, a large majority of it is performed by ersatz musicians playing ersatz music to make a quick buck, and your reviewers, such as Steve Simels, realize this. Case in point: Duran Duran (and I admit to being a closet fan of theirs). I'm only twenty-three, so I don't consider myself over the hill or ancient for at least two more years. Keep up the good work. Here's one fan of modern music who appreciates a good, cranky review. DAVID CLAGHORN; Vero Beach, FL Antennas Julian Hirsch's article on antennas in the May issue was well written and informative, but he overlooked one of the most important parts of an antenna system: the lead-in cable. An antenna can be rendered useless by an improper lead-in cable. particularly 300-ohm flat ribbon cable Very often people treat such cable as if it were a coaxial cable, taping it to the antenna mast and routing it without the stand-off insulation, etc., required to keep the signal flowing to the receiver. The casual installer is probably better off using coaxial cable and avoiding such problems. WALTER W. BRUEHL; Parachute, CO Julian Hirsch replies: You are quite right. but I was referring throughout the article to a correct antenna installation. It is possible to botch up anything by careless or incorrect procedures. |
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