The seasons come, the seasons go
I’m not in perfect agreement with my colleagues and friends who believe that RCA’s Living Stereo LPs from the late 1950s and ’60s are the best-sounding commercial classical recordings ever made. To me, the Decca SXL catalog outshines them sonically, in addition to showcasing the talents of an even greater roster of artists. But that’s not to say I’m immune to their charms: The RCA catalog contains some real gems.
Like some of you, my interest in RCA classical LPs was spurred by the writings of the late Harry Pearson,. But by the time I began my own search, the titles Pearson pushed—Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s recordings of Rimsky-Korsakoff’s (LSC-2446), Strauss’s (LSC-1806), and Prokofiev’s (LSC-2150), to name just three—were difficult if not impossible to find. There were however lots of other great RCAs out there, many in shockingly good condition, and while at first I longed for the validation that comes with assembling a library of critically recommended titles, I soon learned the far greater pleasure of developing my own critical judgment.
