By Subdeacon Stratos J Mandalakis
It was August 2, 1979…. in the Macy’s Audio Dept. – I will always remember the date because while there, we heard the sad news that Thurman Munson had died in a plane crash. You see, we were there to make a purchase that would change my brother, Ted’s, and my life…
It was a Marantz receiver with speakers, that we had mustered up enough money to purchase with our respective summer jobs. Mom & Dad threw in the last few bucks and we were finally going to have a real “stereo”, a “component system” in our room. Our purchase, coupled with a Sony Turntable & Pioneer cassette deck we acquired from an Uncle who dabbled in audiophile equipment, brought high end stereo sound to our lives!
Of course, it is here where Ted and I diverged… in the output of sound….
Like most generation X’ers, POP and ROCK sounds were no strangers to us and Ted was happy to blast his share of Boston, Billy Joel, The Eagles, Pink Floyd, and the like.
I, on the other hand would begin exploring more eclectic sounds. The sounds of Orthodoxy.
The ability to play high quality LP’s and Cassettes opened to me not only a world of Classical Music which was also a passion, but also allowed me to explore the sounds of my ancestors’s past. The other-worldliness of some famous Greek Orthodox Chanters like Theodore Vassilikos, whose expertise and artistry had begun to make him a celebrity in the worldwide Greek Orthodox Church, was accessible via a cassette that could be found Continue reading “Salvation is Created – by a Marantz Stereo Receiver”
