Lyrita SRCS 109 Arnold Super Disc

[Joe Fedenecz]

Hello all, hope you are well. Does anyone own this disc? I have many Lyritas but was never able to find the Scottish Cornish Dances at an acceptable price. Is the high price justified? It's been at the top of the TAS list forever. Also I have wondered why the catalog was never reissued. Perhaps I can be enlightened, thanks. Joe

 

[astrotoy]

Ever since HP put 109 on his Super Disc list, the price has skyrocketed. The pressing to get is the first, Decca pressing, which has the typical Decca marks in the deadwax. Back in the day when I got a copy (maybe 30 years ago) it was still around $100US. Cheaper was the repress (done by Nimbus, with the letters NIMBUS in the deadwax. This occurred after Decca was sold to Polygram in late 1979 and they closed the famed New Malden pressing plant and move the pressing to Holland. Lyrita didn't like the results and switched to Nimbus for the repressings of the Lyrita catalog as well as the first pressings for the last of the catalogue that were released in the early '80s. The Nimbus pressings are still quite fine and are generally cheaper than the Decca. Finally, there is a late pressing done which has the letters LYRITA in the deadwax, which is a step down in sound quality from the other two pressings.

I interviewed John Dunkerley, the Decca engineer who did 109, for my Decca book I wrote, published a decade ago by Winston Ma's company First Impression Music. Lyrita had hired Decca to do the engineering for all of the stereo releases they did in vinyl. Kenneth "Wilkie" Wilkinson did many of the Lyrita recordings, but other engineers, including John also did recordings, both as Wilkie's assistant and then solo. John told me that the composer Malcolm Arnold, who conducted the recordings, swore like a sailor.

Lyrita did issue the recording on CD SRCD201 which also includes the Cornish Dances.

Larry

 

[puroagave]

Larry's is the most informed reply you'll get for this record. The music is ethereal and soars throughout the entire piece, I find it uplifting when I want a pick me up. I have the Decca, Nimbus and an obscure, DMM mastered German pressing sold through a Chinese label (Taiwanese?). I play the later the least. The Decca or Nimbus press are worth a c-note, but most would find I'm irrational when it comes to opening my wallet wide for spendy records.

 

[oldvinyl]

I have the Nimbus pressing. Found a reasonably priced copy at a record show.

It is a great recording, but not my favorite music. Just not my cup of tea.

Suggest listening to it on cd or streaming before spending $$$ on a copy.

 

[Joe Fedenecz]

Thanks for the thorough replies, I guess I'll pass on making the investment. I've got many, many other lps to listen to I guess.

 

[adrianywu]

I bought two copies when Lyrita closed down for the first time. They later resurrected and reissued their recordings on CD. They advertised the closing sale on Hi Fi News and Record Review and I bought pretty much all the titles that they had in stock. The Arnold LP is by no means the best Lyrita LP ever produced, but the music is more accessible and better known. Musically, it is still a bit lightweight if you ask me. Sonically, I would say second rank as far as Decca recordings go. Wilkie has made better recordings. The most interesting recording of the whole batch was the Finzi cello concerto, performed by a pimply teenager called Yo Yo Ma.