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

This was a part of Oistrakh US tour recorded in Christmas Eve '55. Decent sounding original 6 Eye Columbia.

The balance of this recording is totally focused on the soloist as if Ormandy's band is a lucky strike extra. 

Oistrakh gives so much more solidity than waif like Menuhin. There are no ambiguity or blurred notes. Rock solid through and through. 

Textural interests and tremendous precision but still remaining reasonably human. The mellower passages are sweet and delicate but not overly so.

Talk of Sandy on another thread inspired to play this beautiful album - reissued vinyl

sonic youth   the destroyed room  b-sides and rarities    on cd.

Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band  -  Unconditionally Guaranteed -   on cd.

Frank Zappa and The Mothers  - Just Another Band From L.A.  -  on cd.

Streaming | FLAC rip

Mono Beatles..

Streaming | FLAC download

Just discovered Hungry Lucy courtesy of the forum and have enjoyed everything from them that I have downloaded.

On CD:-

My favourite Wishbone Ash album. On CD. 

Nice and relaxed from a perfect label ...

Porcupine Tree  -  Lightbulb Sun  -  2cd. 

Drive-by Truckers-English Oceans

I always appreciate Chung's expressive sassy style.

Slow movement in particular, she's got the right vulnerable sweet disposition and the finale is so full of joy makes me smile.

Sorry Kuma. Rancid seems a tad indelicate after your latest listen, but I am just rocking out after a long day.

No problem matt.

I had to put some disco on to shake things up a bit. Taking a little break from Mendelssohn stuff.

Pyramid 

Alan Parsons Project | Format: Audio CD

What goes up.... Must come down... Even Pyramids

I too took a while to get "Calling Elvis" but I love this song now.

I have Vol 1 and Vol 3 and they are both fantastic. Roy Orbison has one smooth voice..

Franz Liszt:  Jorge Bolet

Disc #9:

Réminiscences de Norma 1843 (Bellini)

It is never difficult for me to listen to one piece of music for days as in this week and Liszt's Réminiscences de Norma.  I haven't stopped for four days in a row already.  Based on the operas of Bellini, Liszt selects seven different themes and combines them in different ways to form this masterpiece.  I said before how my love of and connection to opera usually starts with or from the many transcriptions that Liszt gave us of various operas (2nd only to the Schubert Lieder (for me anyway)).

My interest in this work is mainly from the beginning to the climax which ends at just before the last variation where Liszt combines three of the themes at once.   Opera is about tragedy.  Part one of the video is marvellous but if I could pick just one section as my all time favourite highlight it might be part one and then especially from the start of part two of the youtube video below to just after the 6'-30" mark.  The section contained in from around 5'-30" to 6'-30" is just this pianists dream desert island music and it does not get better than this.  The story at this point is simply tragic.  Bolet builds it up so perfectly layer by layer and where do you hear such grand old style playing like this anymore?  I am actually astounded (and sickened) when I hear others rush through a piece like this without one ounce of gravity or sensibility.  Just fingers but no understanding of meaning or beauty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8PAApgb29Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-6ewTjeZE0