What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol. X)

Great album Paul. Regards to your lovely wife. Did you ever manage to get your driveway done?

Ewen

Owned it on vinyl many many years ago and listened to it often.  After I subscribed to Spotify, one of the most enjoyable pleasures has been finding these old albums again.

good listenin'

Jeff A

Ellis Paul

"American Jukebox Fables"

Spotify

Folk royalty. I tried to post a description but the forum moderation bot picked up on something and flagged my post for approval...

Coldplay

"Ghost Stories"

iTunes download

CD version.

First spin, on white 180gm vinyl, Record Store Day Release.

Sound is a bit laid back and maybe not as crisp as I would have liked, the edges are soft and the base almost non-existant.  Hopefully it will get better the further into the set one gets.

Slowly improving (or my ears adjusting), needs to be played LOUD.

Martin Barre

"Away With Words"

Spotify

This CD was originally a bootleg containing some rare demos and good live recordings. The Buttholes thought it was far superior to the average bootleg and gave Trance Syndicate permission to release it making it available at a fair price for the first time.

BUTTHOLE SURFERS  " The Whole Truth...And Nothing Butt  -  includes WNYU radio interview "Oliver North is a screaming fag queer and his wife's a putty head....Oliver North says the marines have a way of looking after one another. He means that when you ass f### another marine you owe him the common courtesy of a reach around"  -  Gibby Haynes (lead vocals).  "Moving To Florida" is the most mental song I've ever heard.

Beck - Morning Phase

First listen

[cd]

And what do you think? I've had this for a while now and it's rapidly risen up the list of most frequently played discs on nServe.

I used to have that recording - firstly on HMV LPs and later on CDs.

The history of how the Italian Radio was persuaded by HMV to allow for a commercial release is fascinating, though HMV played a very cool hand and it almost never happened even after about two decades. It was only when Philips started to show some interest that HMV pulled their fingers out and clinched the deal. The original HMV LP set was mastered from acetates, but the original tapes were used for the last LP issue and the CDs

ATB from George

Thanks for the history, George. It's a surprisingly clean recording for its age with a very good cast of singers. Although I think Furtwangler plays with the tempo a bit too freely. But it's an enjoyable set. 

Dear Clive,

The rather flexible tempi are my biggest disagreement with this set. but it is amazingly fine for a more or less live production in front of a real [invited] audience and only any editing made from recordings done at the dress rehearsals. One Act per evening recordings of non-staged performances mean that the singers were more fresh than they could possibly be if the Operas had been done complete in the course of an evening. The Italian Radio organised the project to last over weeks to get an optimal [within the bounds of possibility] archive recording or the best Soloists with possibly the most famous Wagner conductor of the day. Furtwangler was enthusiastic to perform Wagner's Operas as Oratorios without stage action at the end of his life.

EMI/HMV were embarked on a studio recording of the complete Ring in Vienna with Furtwangler, but his early death put paid to that project, and so negotiations with the Italian Radio began very soon after Furtwangler's demise.

ATB from George

Dear Clive,

You may be interested in this book available from Amazon. This is exhaustive researched, but is somewhat uncritical of Furtwangler's sometimes controversial actions. Never the less it does shine a fascinating light on the music making of the era, and some of the difficult decisions that were necessary to be made in a totalitarian state, and how this affected Furtwangler's career between 1945 and 1954.

It does usefully point out that Furtwangler had resigned the chief conductorship of the Berlin Phil in the 1930s, and was only re-appointed chief in 1952, more or less to block the likely candidate, Herbert von Karajan at the time. Karajan did have time on his side and only three years to wait in any case.

ATB from George

The National - Boxer

Working my way backwards through their catalog.  First listen. 

[cd]

Bit of a change of pace.  Powerful piano playing, however the pressing is not the quietest and sometimes distracting.

Starting my listening late tonight with ...

Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused to Sing (and other stories) 24/96 FLAC. Atmospheric and very well played. One of the first albums I got due to recommendations on this forum 

Omar Suitner/Staatskapelle Dresden Mahler 1

Fresh and lively with a good pacing.

Well structured and easy to follow. A slow build to the finale and has sufficient weight and drama but perhaps not as urgent as Tennstedbt which keeps building and pinning the underlying tension all through the movements.

Remarkably good for an old mono recording.  On vinyl.

Tales Of Hoffmann is lovely to play [in the orchestra] as well as listen to in the audience. Not a real technical challenge to play, but some great music!

ATB from George

Genesis - Foxtrot, CD rip. Probably my least favourite Genesis album but I just had an urge to play it. I always felt a little guilty for not liking it very much 

Hi George,

This version is interesting I that it is sung in English.  Do you know of other good recordings?  I find that this can be a difficult one to track down.  The music is very good, particularly the interweaving female vocals in Act III.

Cheers,

Rob