Be Honest! What are the last 5 pieces of music you listened to? And Why?

1. Gomez – Bring It On. Hasn’t had a playing in a while so slapped this on while I was in the kitchen making some Soda Bread.

2. Leftfield – Leftism. Good stuff – love Afro-Left.

3. The Chillout Session – Ministry of Sound. Disk 2 is my fav.

4. Californication – Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Again, hasn’t been played much, but had bodily parts tapping and grooving away.

5. Exciter – Depeche Mode. The Basildon boys most complete and best album since Violator. If you want to see them live in the UK this October, you can’t. They’re sold out. Bugger!

Steve

2) Natalie Merchant - Tigerlily

3) Kate Bush - Hounds of Love

4) Joni Mitchell - Blue

5) Talking Heads - Remain In Light

Its ALL good!

-John

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I listen about 8 hours a day (at least) at work and about 3 at home.

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Alex, how do you "listen" while you work? If you're working, are you truly listening?

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Alex, how do you "listen" while you work? If you're working, are you truly listening?

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I would rephrase your question thus:

"Alex, how do you "work" while you listen? If you're listening, are you truly working?".

Earlier in the day, Peter Gabriel Plays Live, because I'd been reading about PG's recent performance at WOMAD in the US, and I was in a Genesis and related sort of mood, as started by And Then There Were Three, which I'd put on for "Scenes From a Night's Dream", 'cause I had some truly strange dreams Saturday night...

Pete.

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I note you have some AoAM/Hogwood on your list, but do not choose their version of the 4 seasons.

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Despite the over-exposure it's still a spectacular piece of music. I enjoyed it so much I played it again last night.

Allan

Tool 'Lateralus' (CD) - bought a while back, and still trying to decide if I like it. I certainly like bits of it!

Eve Records 'Eve 1' - the run out groove of which is playing as we speak, even though I am currently at work. I am trying to speed up the bed in process of my new cartridge a bit, its currently only about 26 hours playing time old.

Mingus 'Ah-Um' (vinyl) - just a fabulous album, and this is the Classic Records cut which is stunning.

The other stuff that I have been playing is a tub of dance and D&B 12"s that I landed mainly from Music Video Exchange in Shepherds Bush a few years ago for 20p a pop. This is in my second system / studio. The Revolver / Nait / Point Fives are sounding really rather good. This tub of 12"s contains stuff on Metalheads, West One, Tripoli Trax, Positiva, Platipus etc.

Tony.

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I would rephrase your question thus:

"Alex, how do you "work" while you listen? If you're listening, are you truly working?".

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Well, as long as you're listening, that's what's important. Whether you're working or not is a private matter between you and your employer.

Of course I AM relistening to my records at the moment:-)

Regards

Stephen

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Nittin Sawhney 'Prophecy' (CD) - pretty much lives in my CD player at the moment

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Tony, Your comments are interesting. Do you like the album? Do you think it's better than 'Beyond Skin' or 'Displacing the priest' or 'Migration'.

Personally, I sort of struggle with his music because it is rather discontinuous - there are too many diffenrent elements and styles and it doesn't work for me as a whole. Some tracks are brilliant, but some others are very so so. Track one on Prophesy is great. For more harder edge political British-Asian music I normally go for Fun-da-mental or Asian Dub Foundation. But none of this stuff is new, just check out some Ananda Shankar from the early seventies or more recently State of Bengal, much more cutting edge. Unfortunaly, I hear nothing original or innovative in Nitin's or Talvin Singh's music.

My views are completely at variance with my girlfiend as Nitin is a very close friend of hers, but when I meet him next I will ask him more about his influences and pass on what I think.

Dev

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Whether you're working or not is a private matter between you and your employer.

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Luckily I am my employer. Sometimes I wonder why the business is doing less well than anticipated.

Hi Tony,

I heard Tool first about 5 years ago. It took me a year to like them. It's worth it, keep trying!

Greetz, Bas

Post 200 and it's about Tool. That's great!

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Tony, Your comments are interesting. Do you like the album? Do you think it's better than 'Beyond Skin' or 'Displacing the priest' or 'Migration'.

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The only other one I have is Beyond Skin, and I rate Prophecy as being more consistent, but perhaps not having the stand out tracks of the former. It seems to be a good album to just stick on, rather than intensely concentrate on. What are the other two you mention like? I do like pretty much all of what I have heard of Nittin Sawhney's stuff, though have little / no knowledge about similar Asian crossover music. Anything else worth checking out?

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Track one on Prophesy is great.

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I think its about track 3 or 4 that really does it for me, the one that starts with a very low synth bass and a little percussion then gets into a really dub / reggae sort of empty groove.

Tony.

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tony is the new cart up to much yet?

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Yeah, its starting to really come on form. Really sounded pretty horrible running in, but its up to about 50 hours now and is really starting to sing. I will comment more when I feel it has stopped improving, though I must admit I now know where both Vuk and Frank have been coming from with their comments about the Ortofons, god they take some running in, and I can really understand people who hate them when new. My MC10 Supreme was second hand, so nicely run in.

I've also just got hold of the Express Machining Heavy Weight for my RB900, and that also shall we say does stuff. Again I will report more when the Ort is fully bedded in (its hard to assess a moving target!).

Tony.

2, turin breaks - the optimist lp. bought this on recommendation from my girlfriend, and having heard the single "mind over money" on the radio. lovely songs in a travis / coldplay / radiohead stylee, but in a slightly different vein. lovely song structures, haunting melodies and catchy choruses. nice album.

3, tori amos - from the choirgirl hotel. i've got all her cd's, but haven't listened any of them for quite a while. this is a blinder. she may well sound a bit like kate bush (pete!) but throughout her 5 albums she's demonstrated that she is an incredibly talented songwriter, singer and pianist, and wrings more emotion out of her songs than anyone else i can think of.

4, the tallis scholars - Morales-Missa Si bona suscepimus. absolutely sublime. if there is a heaven, i'm sure this is what they'll be playing there....

5, fetish - too many prophets. an interesting CD i picked up from a south arfican friend a few years ago. almost trip-hoppy, but with some great guitar sounds and interesting rythmns. the lead singer has a lovely (if slightly understated) voice, and all in all it makes for an intersting listen.

i plan to go to heaven when i die, or before. can u please provide further details in case i am asked to sing this as condition of entry??

enjoy

ken

if you can find any CD's by the tallis scholars you can't really go far wrong. they are one of (if not the) best sacred music choral groups out there, and their CD's are also of the highest quality.

they don't soley sing tallis pieces, but alsorts of renaissance music, including byrd, josquin, victoria, white and desprez.

they do actually have a "best of" CD which was released on their 25th anniversary. this contains old favourites such as tallis's "spem in alium" for 42 (that's not a typo) separate parts, and a wide range of music from other composers.

as i said though you really can't go wrong with any of their CD's. one of their most recent "lamenta" is gorgeous, with music by white, tallis, palestina, brumel and ferabosco.

you can find a fairly comprehensive list of their work at amazon.co.uk.

let me know how you get on...

all the best

matt

For a short time you really do think you are in heaven.

Peter (with wings folded!)

and errr The Amazing Bud Powell Vol1 again

I got some great sounding Japanese LP versions of these classics and the emotion, the turmoil and scary beauty of Powells playing really astounds. Glass Enclosure is the most disturbing schizophrenic song Ive heard. Masterful. A genius.

John

enjoy

ken

Apart from Jazz, and Drum and Bass my other first love is Indian Classical music. As a consequence, sarod pieces by Ali Akbar Khan (with tabla accompaniment) just press my buttons all over.

Try out 'Maikar' and 'Indian Architexture' both on WaterLily Acoustics, they are both fantastic.

I also really like hippie Indian Music and love Ananda Shankar. I have a 1976 copy of 'Ananda Shankar' and his music which is just marvellous, you hear many of the influences current asian x-over people nowadays use.

Also Jan Garbarek has experimented with Indian Classical Music in an interesting way, try 'Ragas and Sagas' and the other album (whos name currently escapes me) with Anouar Brahem and Shaukat Hussain (both on ECM).

Also Rabih Abou Khalil brought us something interesting in my view, using the oud quite powerfully in 'Blue Camel' and 'Arabian Waltz' and 'Roots and Sprouts' - the latteris very middle eastern but huge fun.

For more purer forms, Imrat Khan did an album called 'Raga Marwa' with his son on tabla (on the Nimbus label) and that is really spritual, powerful and atmospheric.

Don't think these albums are slow or unrhythmical. Rhythmical integrity is at the heart of most Indian Classical Music and Naim systems just show off this qulaity to the full.

Dev (out of retirement)

"natural mystic" is the track on this album that got me convinced i needed to buy my first naim system - 32/snaps/250/isobarik. the memory of that demo still lingers on...

Another Side of Bob Dylan – One doesn’t need a reason to listen to Bob.

oh, man...

enjoy

ken

Sketches for my Sweetheart - Jeff Buckley

Mothership Connection - Parliament

Hotter than July - Stevie Wonder

Inspiration Information - Shuggy Otis

Mainly because I fancied hearing them.

The Shuggy Otis is fabulous if you don't have it btw.

Cheese - may all beings be happy