Oh, 2011! Can it be it’s only been a year since I knew ye? This was a year of firsts: The first time I had a kitten who liked to lick new, clean plastic with an almost fetishistic zeal; the first year I lived in Los Angeles without working the floor at my beloved Amoeba Music Hollywood (I miss you, desperate holiday shoppers!); the first year I grew more than one grey hair at the same time (I blame you, traffic on Fairfax!)

It was also the year I suddenly, and without any obvious explanation, decided I loved and wanted to see any and all films of the horror genre. This came as a surprise to me. My boyfriend accuses me often of only liking films where nothing ever happens – preferably with a lone clock ticking in the corner of an otherwise quiet room. It annoys me when he claims this, mostly because I cannot defend myself.

The horror section in Amoeba Music’s DVD section provided me with many hours of happy judging-a-book-by-its-cover moments. Some gems I was hypnotized by were…

Amoeba has purchased a large Classical collection from a well-known collector. This unique collection has many thousands of rare Classical CDs and LPs along with many collectable soundtracks. This is without doubt the finest collection of Classical Music that Amoeba Hollywood has ever acquired. Collection will be highlighted in our classical music department through 12/31!

• Thousands of titles 
• Rare Classical labels, including Hyperion, Chandos, Lyrita, Naxos, Marco Polo, Dutton and many others.
• Enormous range of composers particularly those that are hard to find. Special emphasis on Romantic and 20th century mainstream composers along with an array of film composers.
• Collection is in pristine mint to near mint condition
• Significant amount of CDs are currently not in print
• Many rare soundtracks from private labels
• Competitively priced

Any questions regarding the collection should be sent to classical@amoeba-music.com.

Here is a sampling of the items available for sale in this Classical collection. See more titles available from this collection in our Classical Buy Stuff section on Amoeba.com.

Stokowski/Houston Symphony Gliere: Symphony No. 3/Loeffler: A Pagan Poem (CD) EMI Classics Continue reading...

     On June 21st, 1948, CBS engineer Dr. Peter Goldmark introduced the new Columbia long playing record at a press conference. In the previous 15 years, there had been attempts to make a commercially viable long play album with no success. As with the concurrent development of television, the post-war boom made the project commercially viable. 33 1/3 rpm was considered the optimum speed to play the 12 inch long play microgrove records. And being made of a new plastic called vinylite they were virtually unbreakable. For shorter pieces and recitals, there were 10 inch records, but these only survived till the 1950s.
 
The new LP was considered a huge leap forward for listening to pre-recorded Classical music. A pop song took, on average, two or three minutes to play, which was just perfect for a 10 or 12 inch 78 rpm record. A symphony required up to 5 or 6 records on 78 rpm and had to be changed 10 to 12 times with the music often interrupted in the middle of a musical phrase. There were automatic 78 rpm record changers, but they were clunky and could damage your records. You also had to account for the amount of storage space needed for the brittle, breakable shellac 78s. The most dramatic part of Goldmark’s demonstration was when he was photographed holding a few dozen LPs while the equivalent in 78s were stacked six feet high next to him.
 
The introduction of the LP was not without controversy. Columbia’s great rival RCA Victor was developing its own system of 7” short playing vinyl records that played at 45 rpm. RCA engineers insisted that quality control problems with LPs would doom it. This started what was to be known as “The War of the Speeds” in which both companies spent a ton of money on print ads to woo the public before RCA conceded and converted to LP. When it was settled, it set up the paradigm that lasted for nearly 40 years: LP for albums, 45s for pop singles.

Strange packages from persons unknown should always be regarded with suspicion, but as I am a curious person by nature (my great-great-grandfather was a cat) I couldn’t help but open it, which proved to be a long and arduous task as I opted to use only my tongue, rather than the more versatile and saliva-free hands I keep at the end of my arms.

Inside the package was a cassette tape, painted a variety of colors, but without any linguistic explanation as to its purpose or content. I assumed it was a gift from one of my fans, but then I remembered they were without capacity for thought, incapable of free will and basically only good for circulating air. No, this cassette tape was almost certainly from a human, probably a living one, and almost certainly residing somewhere on this planet!

Shop Amoeba Music for All of Your Classical Musical Needs!

Amoeba Music carries a wide selection of Classical Music from Early Music to Baroque, virtuoso, classical romantic Avant-garde and everything in between. Stop by any of our three stores and pick up classical titles on CD, LP, DVD and Blu-Ray! Below is information on what’s happening now at Amoeba Hollywood and Amoeba San Francisco! More...

AMOEBA HOLLYWOOD

20% Off Classical Sale - Friday, October 22 - Sunday, October 24!