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

Posted by: Alex S. on 03 August 2001

Mine are:

Dutilleux: Ainsi La Nuit String Quartet. (Vinyl)
Led Z: Stairway to Heaven (only). (Vinyl)
Supertramp: Breakfast in America. (CD)
Ozric Tentacles: Hidden Step. (CD)
Steve Stevens: Flamenco a go go. (CD)

This seemed like an odd set which is why I'm asking - do we all jump from one thing to another or do most of us do a session of jazz, classical, trance, whatever.

[This message was edited by Alex S on SATURDAY 04 August 2001 at 10:41.]

Posted on: 14 November 2001 by Jez Quigley

My chance to return a favour. Get yourself 'The Gramophone Classical Good CD Guide', more classical recordings detailed in there than you could ever hope to own, and opinions on the best recordings. You can probably pick up last year's edition for a fiver from the book remainder shops, what a bargain. I also happen to like Gramophone magazine, lots of classical cd reviews, and a 'free' best tracks of the month sampler.

The audio section is usually naff unless you are looking to upgrade your leak/garrard/quad/wharfedale/BBC LS3's

Posted on: 14 November 2001 by Jez Quigley

The last track I listened to was Pink Floyd's 'Comfortably numb', why was it the last? because I had the briks running at concert levels and the 250 tripped out. First time I've ever had that happen to me. I'm killing time on here until the 250 stops sulking, anyone would think it didn't like Dave Gilmour.

Posted on: 15 November 2001 by Todd A

Last night's selections were quite interesting:

Elliot Carter - Variations for Orchestra

John Cage - Atlas eclipticalis

Schoenberg - Piano Concerto (Brendel / Gielen on Philips)

Dutilleux - Metaboles

Sheryl Crow - a few cuts off her self-titled album (I needed something to relax my brain after the other titles)

Posted on: 16 November 2001 by Todd A

What's wrong with a little complex, modern music? The Carter and Schoenberg are tremendous, the other two a little less so. And as for Sheryl Crow, well a little folk/pop/rock/country music helps me relax. No complex harmonies to worry about here!

I'll still take the valium, though.

Posted on: 17 November 2001 by ian123running

Listened to these last night while my wife was out playing her trombone. All on vinyl:

Madonna. Ray of Light
Evergreen.

Radiohead. I Might Be Wrong
Live album, with oddly only 8 tracks. For me a memento of the great gig in Oxford in the summer.

Garbage. Beautifulgarbage
Got this because I like Version 2.0. I like this too.

Bob Dylan. Love and Theft
On first listening this sounds very very weird but once we've got used to Dylan doing swing I'm sure it'll grow.

The Fall. A Past Gone Mad - The Best of The Fall 1990-2000
This has been one of my favourite buys of the last couple of years. For a 'best of' set it all hangs together really well. Great playing, great sound (absoultely stonking, on the whole) and excellent sleeve notes for Fall beginners like me.

Cheers,

Ian

Posted on: 21 November 2001 by Todd A

Before I set off into a blissful holiday of gluttonous laziness and copious CD consumption, too, I decided to whet my appetite a little:

Beethoven – Diabelli Variations (Anderszewski)

Dvorak – Symphony No 7 (Kubelik)

Schumann – Davidsbundlertanze & Concert sans Orchetre (Pollini – OK I know it’s two works, but I don’t care)

Szymanowski – Piano Sonata No 2 (Roscoe)

Chopin – Piano Sonata No 2 (Ashkenazy)

Posted on: 22 November 2001 by Jez Quigley

quote:
wife was out playing her trombone

Well I've heard some euphoniums for it in my time, but I never heard it called that.

Posted on: 22 November 2001 by Hammerhead

1. Big Brother and the Holding Company: Cheap Thrills

2. Finley Quaye: Maverick a Strike

3. Beck!: Odelay

4. Best of Howlin' Wolf: Howlin' Wolf

5. Just looking for one now..

Steve

Posted on: 26 November 2001 by von zipper

Having just listened to Paul Jones's Radio 2 Blues show from Thursday, I raided the Blues rack...What else can you do on a wet Sunday afternoon?!(Especially when you've a 4 month old baby)

Buddy Guy - Sweet Tea (Silvertone CD)

Lightnin' Hopkins - The Blues Masters (Rhino CD)

Missippissi John Hurt - Today! (Vanguard LP)

Taj Mahal - The Natch'l Blues (Columbia LP)

Junior Wells - Comin' at You (Vanguard LP)

Posted on: 27 November 2001 by von zipper

due to the lack of input here.Why don't people want to share what music they are currently listening to?:(
Heard a Kenny Burrell track last night on the radio which was enough to inspire this 5

Kenny Burrell - Guitar Forms (Verve CD).-I love the sound on this - Great production and a lovely variation of styles

Hank Mobley - Another Workout (Blue Note LP) - unreleased for 25-odd years.At least we get to hear it now.

Charles Mingus - Mingus,Mingus,Mingus (Impulse CD)

Blue Pacific Funk - (Blue Note CD) Great compilation of uptempo West Coast sounds

John Martyn & Danny Thompson - I'd rather be the Devil - Live track taken from this months Uncut mag freebie.

Posted on: 27 November 2001 by Hammerhead

St Germain: Tourist (Ltd Edition CD). Only just bought this after missing everyone raving on about it earlier in the year. Extra disk isn't worth getting as it has some annoying Garaged up versions of Rose Rouge & Sure Thing.

Tracy Chapman - Collection. Can't really beat Fast Car can you?

Groove Armada - Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub). Some mega bass on this baby - wicked!

Back to the Old Skool (Ministry of Sound). All your favourite acid tunes from the late 80's through to now. Bound to be a volume 2 in the new year (wot no KLF/LFO etc).

Steve

Posted on: 27 November 2001 by Steve Catterall

there seem to be a glut of these out at the moment - volume 2 came out this week I think.

I thought this offering was particularly poor - not really mixed at all, just spliced very badly together, and they didn't seem to have chosen the tunes that well either.

The Altern 8 mixed 'Old Skool Euphoria' was much better - but best of all was 'Hardcore U know the Score'

Posted on: 27 November 2001 by Todd A

So much time to devote to listening to good music. In keeping with the express intent of this thread, here are the last five works I listened to:

Bach - Keyboard Concerto No 1 (Perahia)

Haydn - Piano Concerto No 4 (Andsnes)

Ives - The Unanswered Question (Bernstein)

Schumann - Symphonic Etudes (Hamelin)

Korngold - Piano Concerto for the left hand (Hamelin)

Over the course of the long (US) holiday weekend (five days for me!), I listened to so much more. It was all there: Mozart's Horn Concertos (with Dennis Brain, of course!), Mahler's 4th (Bernstein and the NYPO), Schoenberg's Piano Concerto (Brendel, again), Beethoven's Op 31 Sonatas (Kovacevich), Bruckner's 7th and the Te Deum (Celibidache - buy the EMI recording with the Munich PO immediately if you do not own it), and five of the seven discs of Schubert's piano sonatas played by Wilhelm Kempff. And these are just the titles I can remember off the top of my head! I anxiously await my Christmas break.

[This message was edited by Todd Arola on TUESDAY 27 November 2001 at 19:56.]

Posted on: 27 November 2001 by matthewr

Kings of Convenience - "Quiet is the New Loud" : Much discussed here already.

Half Man Half Buscuit - "Editor's Recommendation" : You need know no more than the fact that it contains a song about a man "trying to be Mansfield's answer to Steve Malkmus" that ends with the refrain "Trying to be like Lou Barlow, But I'm more like Ken Barlow". If that makes no sense then stay well clear.

Delphine - "We're Sleeping Better Now" : Debut EP/Mini Album from US indie types. Basically sensitive indie singer/songwriter stuff done with a band rather than solo with occasional indie rock workout. AMG cites Red House Painters (misleading IMHO) and Pedro the Lion (not disimilar to thier more upbeat moments at times I suppose).

Departure Lounge - "Out of There" : Grandiose, lush, synthy alt pop with a various 60s influences. Fronted by Tim Keegan formerly with Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians -- this stuff is much closer to "Globe of Frogs" era Hitchcock than the Soft Boys.

Robyn Hitchcok & The Egyptians - "Gotta Let this Hen Out" : Reminded me how much I prefer the Soft Boys to Hitchcock's later "Globe of Frogs" stuff. Some absolute classic songs ("Sometimes I Wish I Was a Pretty Girl", "Kingdom of Love", "Leppo & The Jooves", "The Face of Death", etc.) and is possibly my favourite live album of all time.

Matthew

Posted on: 27 November 2001 by Todd A

Yes, I laid off the intense avant-garde / modern / painful music over the holidays. But more will come. I still haven't finished my complete Webern set yet! And I haven't listened to Carter's Symphonia in at least two months, and . . .

The Ives is actually quite mellow compared to, say, Hallowe'en on the same disc. In fact, if you own little or no Ives I give my highest recommendation to the final Bernstein recording of the Second Symphony and the quirky little works.

As for Kempff's Schubert, well, mere words are utterly insufficient to describe the wondrous music contained in that magical box-set. I've written it before and I'll write it again: Kempff's cycle of Schubert's sonatas is one of the greatest artistic achievements in recording history.

Posted on: 27 November 2001 by Mick P

Chaps

Last one was.......Inspector Morse No 1

before that........Hits of Paul Simon

before that........Mahler symphony No 3

before that........Theme music from Braveheart

before that........Jacque Loussier..playing Bach

Regards

Mick

Posted on: 28 November 2001 by David Hobbs-Mallyon

Here's my last 5:

1) Bach Brandenburg Concertos 1-3 - Pinnock - good music for a hangover
2) Rachmaninoff - Symphonic Dances - heard a bit of this on the radio the other day with Osmo (?) Vanska conducting. Found that I had a recording conducted by Andrew Litton. I'm not a great fan of Rachmaninoff, but this is well worth hearing. I thought the Vanska performance was better, so if anyone has any recommendations on this I'd be interested.
3)Beatles - Yellow Submarine (x3).....because my two children hassle me to play this all the time.
4) Stockhausen - Gruppen - Abbado/Berlin Philharmonic - got rid of the children. Has to be the recording that justifies the advent of surround sound. Suprisingly listenable compared to some of his later works, and pretty good at testing how your system handles dynamics. Not one for the QS Reference guys.
5) Bruckner - Symphony No 8 cond. Barbirolli - another excellent release by the BBC. Just found out that there is a new release of Bruckner 8 with Gunter Wand and the BPO. You can't have enough Bruckner 8s.

David

Posted on: 28 November 2001 by Dev B

Gotan Project - "Gotan Project" - Nice Brazilian, jazzy house, good vibe, happy uplifting music.

Truby Trio - "DJ Kicks" - They call it Acid Jazz, with some house and banging Techno. I call it sweet, funky, moody and nice

DJ Marky - "The Brazilian Job" - You like Jungle/Drum and Bass, check out the latest mix from the chief Brazilian Junglist, not as dark as Grooverider or as light as LTJ Bukem but pretty banging stuff.

Strata Institute - "Transmigration" - Weird free jazz compilation, moody, dark, rhythmical. Sort of like Bill Laswell on steriods.

Goldie - "Goldie.co.uk" - Excellent compliation, dark, fast 180 bpm stuff. Quality.

trying to do a last five is a virtually impossible task, but you lot did ask.

Dev

Posted on: 28 November 2001 by Martin C

The last 5 CD I played were

Tourist - St Germain

Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub) - Groove Armada

Production - Mirwais

The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths

Essential - Pavarotti

Happy Listening!

Cheers
Martin

Posted on: 29 November 2001 by von zipper

Either that or the Staropramen(make the headache stop pleeease)at lunchtime had taken full effect 'cos everything sounded great last night.

Love - Forever changes Re-mastered CD - Wasn't too keen when I first heard it,It sounded a little artificial - now it sounds wonderful.

Tim Buckley - Happy Sad LP - Always brings back fond memories of happy days wasted on the West Coast..sigh

Gene Clark - White Light LP - contains 'Spanish Guitar', the song Bob Dylan wishes he'd wrote

The Teardrop Explodes - Kilamanjaro CD - Ahh,Julian, you marvellous maniac

The Who - Tommy Remastered CD - Finally gives it the sound it was meant to have.See Me...

Posted on: 30 November 2001 by Todd A

Beethoven - Missa Solemnis (Klemperer)

Schubert - Piano Sonata D959 (Kempff)

Schumann - Fantasie in C Major (Hamelin)

Hindemith - Die Harmonie Der Weld (Blomstedt)

Ravel - Miroirs (Casadesus)

Posted on: 01 December 2001 by Gunnar Jansson

Joni Mitchell: dog eat dog ,at my naim dealer here in Stockholm through a cdx , 82, 180 and a pair of Totem speakers. Too much hifi in those speakers for me I want more rockn roll.....
At home:
Smashing Pumpkins mellon collie and the infinite sadness
And from the sad news yesterday:
The whole Fab fours albums.
Taxman, While my guitar gently weeps, long long, here comes the sun, something .............

A great musician has left us.

Gunnar

Posted on: 17 December 2001 by Todd A

To celebrate old Ludwig van's birthday yesterday I had a veritable Beethoven festival:

Symphony No 6 - Furtwangler

Piano Sonata Op 57 - Annie Fischer

Piano Sonata Op 31, No 2 - Kovacevich

String Quartet Op 127 - Cleveland Quartet

Violin Sonata Op 96 - Kempff / Schneiderhan

Posted on: 18 December 2001 by Pete

quote:
Originally posted by Ferror:
Beethoven is the worlds greatest music maker ever.

on whether you've got objective goals for musical greatness, and objective means of measurement. I'd wager you have neither. Though I'm very glad he wrote what he did!

On to a last 5...

Visiting a pal last night, he put on Tallis' Spem in Alium (very wonderful), following on from the Proclaimers album that was on when I got there (not very wonderful).
Before that, at my house, there was Different Trains/Electric Counterpoint by Steve Reich (as performed by the Kronos Quartet and Pat Metheny respectively), a baroque collection from Klemperer/BPO featuring Albinoni's Adagio, Bach's Air and Pachelbel's Canon and Gigue, and Capercaillie's Crosswinds album.

Shame about the Proclaimers one (I find their harmonising a bit painful), but you can't win them all...

Pete.

Posted on: 20 December 2001 by herm

so lemme check...

- Schumann Kreisleriana (Horowitz)

- 2nd & 3rd Act Figaro (Vienna Abbado) all day long (as in college, needed something to keep going while doing a magazine piece)

- Bill Evans Alice in Wonderland - no good

- back to Figaro (till done)

- Schubert Schwanengesang (Thomas Quasthoff)

- Beethoven 130 (Alban Berg, switched to LaSalle)