Robert Baird

Stereophile contributing editor John Swenson and I had the good fortune to stumble upon an LP collection the store had purchased and put out in the “new arrivals” section.

Why didn’t sets like this appear when CD as a format still had a vital future?

For many years the centerpiece around which much of New Orleans music revolved, he was the last in a long line of New Orleans piano professors.

It was with great pleasure that I slapped on my recently arrived LP copy of Dave and Phil Alvin’s Lost Time, which was released on September 18. Not surprisingly, given the brothers’ roots rock leanings, the sound here also has a healthy respect for the past. Dave Alvin’s guitar is drenched in reverb throughout, the mix is balanced (which is a minor miracle given lead singer Phil Alvin’s forceful voice and presence) and all the instruments—even the piano!—have great presence in the mix.

They live to seek the little black holy grail…with the big hole in the middle.

Say what you want about eBay and their fees, which are no doubt passed on to the customers, but photos do not lie.

A lesser known but no less active music town is Northampton, Massachusetts.