I think a very good argument can be made that 1967 produced the greatest music in the history of popular music up to this point (early 2009.) These seven albums I would use as my evidence if I was presenting such an argument. Perhaps that’s exactly the argument I am presenting? Amazingly four of the seven albums I’m including in my list are debut albums by some of the most legendary bands in history of rock music. I think that’s a good indication of just what a breakthrough year 1967 really was. Who are those four bands? Pink Floyd (who were known as The Pink Floyd at the time), The Velvet Underground, The Doors, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Pretty amazing, isn’t it? These great albums are listed by their title alphabetically. It was hard enough to choose just seven “must hear” albums from 1967 (as there are surely more than that) so I wasn’t about to try and order them in any way other than by the alphabet! Absolutely Free by The Mothers of Invention (Frank Zappa) – This album could be looked at as merely a “joke” (and sadly many people do dismiss Zappa’s music as just that) but the music is just too good to be dismissed in that sort of way. This is a great album for anyone who thinks that 1967 was only about “flower power.” Zappa brought the weird with force, but he also brought sophistication and complexity. The music on Absolutely Free often referenced Stravinsky and other classical music. Are You Experienced? by The Jimi Hendrix Experience – This was Hendrix’s debut album and what a way to start a career. It included the classic Hendrix tracks “Foxy Lady,” “Manic Depression,” & “Red House” (these are actually the first three songs on the album) along with “Fire” and of course the title track. While I don’t think it’s his best album, it’s definitely a great album. Certainly one of the seven “must hear” albums of 1967. The Doors by The Doors – This is the band’s debut. It was recorded in 1966 and released in January of ‘67. It includes some of the band’s most well known like “Break On Through (To the Other Side)”, “The Crystal Ship,” “Light My Fire,” & “The End.” Many fans & critics consider it to be The Doors best album. Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles – Certainly not the masterpiece that Sgt. Pepper is, hell it wasn’t even really an album but an EP. But so what? It still contains a whole lot of incredible songs like “I Am The Walrus” & “The Fool on the Hill,” & “Baby You’re a Rich Man.” Piper at the Gates of Dawn by The Pink Floyd – This was Pink Floyd before they got rid of Syd Barrett (due to his mental issues and erratic behavior) and the The at the beginning of their name. In some ways they were a completely different band than the one that would become hugely popular in the 1970s with Dark Side of the Moon. But while they do sound very different, the seeds for the ’70s Pink Floyd can be heard in this album which is brilliant in it’s own right. If you are a fan of psychedelic music then this album absolutely essential. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles – Sometimes people say Sgt. Pepper is “overrated.” I say nonsense! Any album that contains songs as great as “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “With a Little Help From My Friends,” & “A Day in the Life” cannot be overrated. It was a big step forward for The Beatles, not so much in that the songs were better or even more complex (listen to Revolver after all) but because the songs all fit together in a new way. Sgt. Pepper was the arrival of the album as “art” and not just a collection of songs. To me it still stands up as an incredible work of art today. The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground wasn’t a huge commercial success but it is arguably the most influential album on this list. It includes “Sunday Morning,” “I’m Waiting for the Man,” & “Heroin” among its 11 tracks.

Are you ready to buy your very first LCD flat screen TV? LCD flat screen TVs are becoming more and more popular and they have recently had dramatic price drops. If you are in the market for a new flat screen TV, then you have many choices before you.

The plasma screen was one of the most exciting consumer electronics products to hit the market in the last 10 years. Now however, the LCD flat screen TV’s are catching on for many reasons. Plasma screens tend to use more electricity, and are heavier which makes wall mounting more difficult. Another drawback with plasma is that the screens are a bit ’softer’ and are more easily scratched. When Plasma flat screen TV’s were first produced, their life expectancy was around 20,000 hours but now with the newer generations of plasma screens, their life span is closer to 50-60,000 hours.

Advantages of a LCD flat screen TV is that it is not susceptible to burn-in and usually is less expensive than plasma televisions. Because of the nature of LCD technology, there is no radiation emitted from the screen itself. It is also lighter weight than the plasma counterpart and thus easier to hang.

Plasma screens, in general, handle faster moving images better than LCD’s. Plasma and LCD screens may look similar, but that is really where their similarities end. Some LCD do not have the level of color accuracy as plasma displays. Historically plasma screens had better viewing angles than LCD. You would tend to see color variations with side viewing of the LCD’s, while the Plasma screen colors remained more solid.

Prices vary from company to company, so it is smart to shop around. There are many makes, models, sizes and prices associated with the LCD flat display. The prices of the TVs will vary, depending on the size, manufacturer, model and merchant. The name brands are going to be substantially more expensive than the non name brands.

Once you get that LCD flat screen TV up on your wall, you will surely have no buyer’s remorse. They are totally cool and in no time your entire family will be enjoying movies and games in crisp, vivid, full HD splendor on your LCD flat screen TV and have forgotten they ever had another kind.

LCD technology can be seen almost anywhere.  From the digital clock that startles you in the morning to the microwave that served up your last plate of food, you have been using LCD technology for  quite a while, probably without even knowing it.  The digital watch on your wrist, the laptop at your office, even the MP3 player in your gym bag makes use of LCD innovations.

These are only  a couple of examples of everyday electronics that incorporate LCD technology.  The most well-known use of LCD technology in the present time is the ever popular LCD television.

Liquid Crystal Displays or LCD TVs are those that use flat, thin displays made up of a series of monochrome pixels that are in turn displayed in front of a reflector or other source of light.  That is where the image display comes from.  Most of the time, the technology used is that of the Thin Film Transistor or TFT that is a specific type of field effect transistor made by layering thin films planned for metal contacts along with dielectric and semiconductor layers.  As such, the LCD television is much different than other image producing technologies such as a plasma display or older cathode ray tubes.

Before these TVs where popular, the general consensus was that LCD technology was only suitable when used on televisions of smaller size and that it could not be as good as plasma technology when it came to the big screen sizes.  With the advent of seventh generation panels by such giants as Samsung, Sony, Westinghouse Digital, Sharp and LG Philips, those beliefs have proven to be out-dated information.

In October of 2004, LCD pictures where as large as 45 inches and were readily distributed by several companies and the Sharp Corporation took center lead with the introduction of the first 65 inch panel television in history.  By 2006, LG Philips had introduced the grandest picture yet with their 100 inch LCD television. 

Today’s LCD television sets are universal, in that they include a multi system tuner that displays NTSC, SECAM and PAL standards. They also offer electronic transformers that automatically use 110/250 voltage without a problem, as well as universal grounded adapter plugs.  Also, LCD TVs are not going to be limited to the family room and now serve as computer monitors all over the world.

According to respected professionals, manufacturers continue with plans to invest tons of money on the production and development of LCD television technology over the next several years.  It is highly un-likely that LCD technology is going anywhere, in fact, if recent trends hold true for LCD TVs, then the greatest is yet to come!

It’s not very often that a borrower takes into heavy consideration what his loan to value is when shopping for a loan.  In fact, if the subject is brought up by the customer, it’s mostly in relation to avoiding paying monthly mortgage insurance.  But sometimes, a loan to value can affect even more aspects of your loan – like pricing and approval!

What is loan to value?  Well, it’s exactly what it says.  The loan amount compared to the value of the home you are buying or refinancing.  For example, if you are buying a $100,000 home, and your loan amount is only $50,000, your loan to value or “LTV” is 50%.  It’s also very common to refinance a home to obtain a lower LTV and drop mortgage insurance that was before required.

Different types of loans have different minimum requirements for LTV’s.   With primary residence purchases, for instance, an FHA loan can have as high as a 97.75% LTV (soon to change to 96.5% in 2009).  A conventional loan can have as high as a 97% LTV (but more common is 95% LTV).  VA and Rural Housing loans can have 100% LTV’s.  People who have cash to put down on the property they are buying and financing with a conventional loan oftentimes try to amass 20% of the purchase price in order to avoid mortgage insurance.  Mortgage insurance is required when your LTV for a primary residence is above 80% and is issued by independent mortgage insuring companies like Genworth Financial or PMI.  Fannie and Freddie, the big purchasers of conventional loans, will require one of these or other approved companies issue mortgage insurance unless the loan has an 80% LTV.  And if you’re refinancing the home you live in?  The whole grid of acceptable LTV’s changes for the most part, with a few exceptions.  And furthermore, if you’re talking about investment properties, it’s another can of worms.

But when else does LTV mean something?  Consider when a loan specialist prices your loan.  Oftentimes there are pricing differentials based upon the loan to value.  For instance, if you carry mortgage insurance and your LTV is 85.01% or higher, you might actually get a better interest rate than if you had an 85% LTV (but don’t get too excited because your monthly mortgage insurance will be higher).  Or if your LTV is 60% or lower, you might also get a better interest rate.  If you are close to tipping the scales on one of these ratios, it may be to your benefit to ask your loan specialist how close you are to a pricing break one way or another.  You’d be surprised to find out it might change your mind as to how much money you decide to put down on your loan. 

And guess what else?  A low loan to value may be the difference between loan approval and loan denial.  Why is that?  Because if you are investing enough of your own money into the equity of a property, chances are you won’t default on the loan.  And if you do, it’s probably a last recourse.  Not to mention, the lender who holds the note won’t lose money because there is enough equity in the property to cover foreclosure costs, re-sale costs and any value loss from an upside down market.  The lender is covered.  So, the lender will consider the loan less risky and a higher debt to income ratio is tolerated when reviewed with a high credit score. 

As soon as a person buys a flat screen LCD television, he starts considering the various factors for the installation of the television to the wall. For this, there are available LCD brackets that help in the proper installation of the television to the wall. A properly installed television will not only provide a convenient viewing but also add up to the décor of the room where the television is installed.

The following things are to be considered while mounting LCD brackets to the walls of your home:

• Firstly, you have to consider the size of the television that you are buying. The Sony brackets wall mounting provides various types of LCD brackets that can be used in accordance with the size and the weight of the television that you are buying. You may mount a whole hardware system for installing the television set. The system may comprise of connectivity to multiple studs instead of a single one. This type of features are also found in the Sony brackets wall and are capable of providing support to bigger television.

• Flat plasma television can be mounted on various types of walls. The installation of the LCD brackets is favorable in the walls with wood studding. However, in most of the cases there is a non-availability of the appropriate wall settings. It means that all the homes do not necessary contains the Sony brackets wall. In such a case, the television is installed on the concrete anchors or on the cinder block wall.

• The third thing that is to be considered is the type of the LCD brackets. There are many types of wall mounts that you can choose from. The choice depends on the type of Sony brackets wall. The LCD brackets include the fixed wall mount, the arm mount, the motorized wall mount and the tilting mount. All these LCD brackets have special characteristics of their own and are unique in their own ways.

• The cable management is another thing that is to be considered while mounting the LCD brackets. There are some people who want to install the moldings such that the wires are hidden inside the walls while there are some people who want to use casings that are the wall plates that hide the cluttered wires from public viewing. However, some companies provide cable management options along with the LCD brackets for Sony brackets wall installation.

• The final consideration is where to install the television with the LCD brackets. The location of the room and also the environment of the room help in determining the position of the LCD brackets. There are good and durable brackets from the various renowned companies like in the case of Sony brackets wall installation that is the most convenient to use while you are considering the installation of the LCD brackets.

Remember the basic points of mounting the LCD brackets to the Sony brackets wall like the television should be mounted onto the wall at a certain height above the eye level for a more convenient viewing. A clean and perfect installation of the LCD brackets makes your television viewing an excellent experience.

Poorly setup guitars really make playing the guitar a bigger challenge. As if it is not an endless challenge itself. But why make it more difficult? As you probably know by know, the faster you learn to play brings you more personal gratification and desire.

What is ‘guitar setup’? Basically it means to have the specifications adjusted to the actual factory standards or your personal specs. Simply put, a set-up includes:

#1. adjusting the height of the strings over the neck

#2. making sure your frets are level or the same height all the way up the neck

#3. intonation

#4. adjust and lubricated all remaining components, in general.

The purpose here is to help you to have a guitar you can play to it’s max potential. Hopefully without confusing anyone or using unusual terms that don’t really mean anything to you. As a matter of interest, I have rarely handled a new guitar, especially Gibson Guitars, that are really poorly set-up from the factory. Realistically speaking, it it a real mystery as to why more time is not spent setting up the guitars at the factory.

The Fender and Squier line of guitars seem to be the best set-up guitars from the factory, especially the Artist Series and Custom Shop series, and sometimes they leave a lot to be desired. I don’t really want to beat down any brand of guitar, it is not personal.

That being said leads me into the fact that every guitar a guitar store unpacks should be set-up before it is shipped or sold. Due to many conditions, it is not realistic for guitar retailers of any type to set-up every guitar. With the low profit levels guitar dealers are saddled with, it is not economically possible.

Regardless of whether it is new or used, once your guitar is properly set-up and adjusted, you may not recognize it in terms of how well it plays and just as important, how excellent it now sounds. It does not matter what your feelings were in term of playability and tone, your mind will be changed and blown.

I got lucky, my teacher of many moons is not just a brilliant teacher, he is a bona-fide Guitar Hero. He has 51 years of playing, including a music education at Berklee School of Music. FYI, that is one of the top two leading music schools in the world. Period. Richard Mac plays at a level only achieved by guitarists like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson and other players in that class, although he clearly has his own vibe.

Back to the subject, my score from Richard, other than teaching me to be a pretty good player (always getting better) is all about guitar set-up. He is sick about having every one of his many guitars set-up before he even plays it. Since I am his disciple, I now set-up every guitar I own immediately upon arrival. Believe this, I bought an Eric Clapton Custom Shop guitar a few years ago and set it up immediately. Actually it was well set-up from the Fender Custom Shop, but It had to checked and set-up perfectly.

The point is that if you buy a Mexican Standard Stratocaster and set it up properly, you have a guitar that plays as good as an American Standard Strat at four to six hundred dollars less. Same thing with an Epiphone guitar. Why buy a poorly set-up Gibson Les Paul for a few thousand bucks when you can buy an Epiphone guitar for less than half that price and have a better playing and sounding guitar?

Lets get down to brass tacks. A good guitar set-up is less than a hundred bucks. Believe me, that is a steal. A lot of precision work along with some expensive tools go into a set-up. Not to mention the ‘love’ built in by the luthier or guitar maker. I spent a lot of my life rebuilding automotive transmissions, and anyone in the know, knows they are precise and delicate. Guitars take the same delicate precision and time to make right. Don’t take my word for it, cough up the bucks and at least try it.

Not mentioning the many upgrades possible would be a disservice to you. If you had designs on upgrading your pickups or adding a TBX active tone control, locking tuners or whatever you can imagine, this is a great time to do it. Like I said, you can change the entire vibe of your guitar by locating a well trusted guitar maker/luthier.

For more information and ways to get a good set-up, and other cool guitar upgrades or modifications contact Guitar Players Center for a competent luthier who has the experience. Point of importance, don’t just shop by price, not every guitar maker/luthier is the same. Get a reference first, it’s the ‘love’ that counts most, not the cost.