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The Dollar Bin Audiophile - Duit on Mon Dei - Nilsson

Originally published May 29, 2020

Today’s pick for “The Dollar Bin Audiophile” is “Duit On Mon Dei” (APL1-0817) by Nilsson. Harry Nilsson has been a favorite for many. His more popular album, “Nilsson Schmilsson” is on the shelves of many collectors. Nilsson’s album “Duit on Mon Dei” is a recent dollar bin find and has made the list of audiophile pressings.

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Pressed on the Orange RCA label

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Side A Matrix: APL1-0817 A 205 (Etched) TML-M (Stamped)

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Side B Matrix: APL1-0817 B 25 (Etched) TML-M (Stamped)

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What is glaringly not present on this pressing is that there is virtually no surface noise. After our ultrasonic cleaning and ultrasonic rinse process, there was hardly any other distinguishable audible noise. Lack of noise isn’t the only feature that tells us that this is a high-quality pressing. The pressing quality and the recording needs to be ‘up to snuff’ and ‘up to snuff’ it is!

The imaging on this record is impressive. The bass is punchy and present, however never did it sound fake, boomy, or overbearing. It felt as if I were sitting in front of the band. The bass drum and the bass guitar amp sounded as if they were in the room, and felt raw and recorded with minimal amounts of processing. The sound is pure and defined.

Prevalent in this record is the use of steel drums performed by Robert Greenidge on the tracks “It’s A Jungle Out There”, “Down By The Sea”, “Kojak Columbo”, “Turn Out The Light”, “Salmon Falls”, “Puget Sound”, “Home”, and “Good For God.” Rich Schmitt, the Engineer for “Duit On Mon Dei,” pulled off the impossible; enjoyable steel drums on a record. The steel drums rested in the mix well and were sweet to the ears. An odd pairing of what are generally classified as harsh instruments was a banjo in the track “Kojak Columbo” and yet again, rested beautifully on my picky ears.

Although this article is about sound quality, the music is outstanding, expecting nothing less from a songwriter like Harry Nilsson. “Duit on Mon Dei” is well worth listening to, and suggest that you experience this album for yourself if you haven’t had a listen already. The music is excellent, the sound quality is even better, and the best part is that clean copies are available for under $10! I found mine in a $1 bin at a thrift store.

Keep on spinning the dollar bin treasures and remember, there is nothing wrong with being a dollar bin audiophile!

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