New adventures in hi-fi

A visit to my stepdaughter's townhouse greeted me with the surprise that she and her boyfriend had "inherited" a circa 1960 Voice of Music hi-fi record player, manufactured back in the days when people didn't consume their music on the go, unless it was on the car radio.
Some of its functionality has diminished. The other speaker isn't working. And I've either forgotten how to activate the platter drop, or it's not working either.
The young people -- who smartly knew to use a nickel as an anti-skip device -- were impressed how much I was able to improve the sound simply by tweaking the speaker balance, bass and treble. They were also wowed that it was possible to stack 10 records, or more, on the spindle for hours of hands-free party DJ entertainment (which sadly, I was unable to successfully demonstrate). I think the smell the vacuum tubes make when they heat up makes them nervous.
"They're not used to having to do that," my wife explained, reminding me how children of the '90s interface with their music.
Selections we listened to included some latter day vinyl by Phantogram and the first interesting (but not quite classic) album that Pink Floyd ever made, 1971's "Meddle."

I got my stepdaughter's record collection started at Christmas 2013, thanks to The Vinyl Closet: K-Tel's 1982 compilation "Hit Express," The Beatles' odds and ends "Hey Jude," Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant," "Frampton Comes Alive," "Crosby, Stills and Nash," The Who's "Who's Next" and Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon," still with the posters.

And you're welcome for the Pandora's Box of rabbit hole links.  

Welcome to The Machine

A wave of Pink Floyd nostalgia is cresting thanks to the 30-year anniversary of "The Wall."
Floyd charter member Roger Waters has concert dates to perform the harrowing rock opera in Philadelphia Nov. 8-9 and 11. The last date was added because the other two sold out. The iconoclastic Waters has a fascinating link to Philly. During a 1977 visit to the Spectrum with Pink Floyd, he became ill before the show. When his medication wore off, he was unable to complete the performance. He left the Spectrum before the encore ("Us and Them") to go to the hospital. Back-up guitarist Snowy White filled in for Waters. Based on his experience that night of trying to perform during his illness he created one of the band’s most popular songs, "Comfortably Numb."
Unencumbered by the clash of the titanic egos of Waters and David Gilmour, the band Beyond the Wall is out to recapture that theatrical sensory stimulation of a Pink Floyd concert Friday night June 4 at Sellersville Theater 1894. Tickets are $21.50 and $26.50. Call (215) 257-5808 or visit www.st94.com.
Named for the fabulously depressing track on "Wish You were Here," The Machine, a Nyack, N.Y.-based Pink Floyd show, has been performing the Floyd catalogue for 21 years.
The Machine returns June 18 to one of their favorite places to play, the Keswick Theatre in Glenside. They've even released "Two Nights at the Keswick," a CD and DVD release culled from performances in 2003.
"They're only one of two Pink Floyd tribute bands in the world that travel with a full light show," Machine publicist Michelle Roche tells me.
One time, The Machine performed the "Dark Side of the Moon" album with the video accompaniment of "The Wizard of Oz." In case you didn't know, when the CD of the Floyd album is started at the MGM lion's third roar, there are some coincidental oddball moments when the music and the movie sync up.
No telling what they'll be up to Friday the18th.
Tickets are $27 and $32. Call (215) 572-7650 or go to http://www.keswicktheratre.com/.