Audio Above Everything

My Sound & Vision finally arrived— I sure missed your magazine! It’s one of the few I subscribe to, extending way back to the days of Stereo Review. (When Cindy and I got married, she wanted to get me a subscription to Playboy, but I told her I’d rather have Stereo Review!) As Al Griffin discussed in his September issue Track One column, Covid-19 has given me more time to do things that I previously never took time out to do. Lots of social distancing with the Harley, and I actually started buying vinyl again. I didn’t have one LP in the house before this summer, but I dusted off the turntable and started re-collecting albums I had cherished the most, ranging from Isaac Hayes to the early Beatles. The first time I got into high-end stereo equipment was when I was stationed at Aviano AB, Italy from 1971 to 1973. After visiting the base’s Audio Hobby Shop, I heard Every Picture Tells a Story by Rod Stewart and was hooked! It was the first album I purchased, and it still has the best sound—an excellent demo! I’m also now getting back into reel-to-reel recording, rebuilding and cleaning Sony and Akai units that I’ve bought on Ebay. I still have a home theater setup in the bonus room, and have dug into that disc archives, too. I’m just rambling on now, but wanted to share how you have brought lots of joy to my mailbox over the years. Keep up the excellent work!

Jimmy Carter

Al Griffin responds: Thanks for writing to share what you’ve been up to. Very busy, it sounds! I’m impressed to hear about someone getting back into reel-to-reel recording and also re-buying old, beloved albums on vinyl. As for myself, I’ve never let go of a single record, and yes, my collection includes which I agree is one of the best-sounding examples of classic rock on vinyl.

Tells a Story, / via email Every Picture