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

Very good guitarest.Demon Records UK.

Kuma,

Interesting thoughts above regarding your XRCD. I listened to my first XRCD today, Steve Miller's 'The Joker'. At $15 new, not obscene. My initial thoughts are that is has excellent clarity with a black background and a fast sound. Seems unEQ'd or compressed. I like that. On the other hand, I thought it lacked a bit of warmth, but I need to listen again. Alan Yoshida mastered The Joker. It's interesting that he masters so many XRCDs across so many musical genres.

Time to jazz it up

YES  - FRAGILE -  remastered c.d.

doesn't have any tracks added on to the end, which I prefer as it spoils the nostalgic 'ambience' for me, on an album such as this one.

Only could have it on i-pod for the last years. Now that boxes are in proper room and position music from this record flow so gooooood....... !

Radio Three. CD Choice. Schubert "Unfinished Symphony."

It is many years since I last listened to this programme, and I cannot believe the negativity of the reviewing style. By now it is obvious to me that we really do not know what Schubert quite had in mind! 

ATB from George

  A nice start to Saturday morning

Cheers,

Chris

One of those discs where all details fit: the music, performance, recording quality, cover photo, accompanying text and packaging. I have the hires editions as well as the discs, and with standard redbook already excellent, the difference in sound quality is minor. 

EJ

Doyle Bramhall II & Smokestack - Welcome (2001)

Streaming: CD FLAC rip

Texas blues

Those young "music critics" on Radio Three would do well to have a good Kronenburg, and a chill pill before they write off virtually every lovely performance of this or that ...

How very hateful these non-musicians are with their beautifully formulated value judgements and superbly crafted one liner dismissals of splendid music making. One does not have to like every detail of a performance to see the good in it!

I began to tire of Radio Three's all-knowing style a good ten years ago, not long after I gave up on all television! 

I remember a time when presenters stuck to introducing music without judgement, and perhaps the occasional enthusiastic comment at the end ... A musical critical view was left to an occasional interview with a real expert on the music in question. 

In other words Radio Three would do well to play the music without any presenters at all now - apart from the continuity bods, IMHO.

ATB from George

Radio Three has become as poor as the hifi magazines! A view on everything without the requisite authority or wisdom. 

I would scrap Radio three tomorrow if I was in charge. There is no shortage of classical music to stream without this constant drip-drip negativity ...

ATB from George

A little bit of Blue Note courtesy of Music Matters 

Downloaded from Qobuz this morning. CD Quality ALAC £2.99 (was £3.99). A bargain.

Dave

A little bit of the Boys always reminds me of Christmas past. Particularly this one

From the excellent 2014 Vinyl  Mono Box Set.

On CD, new arrival:-

The Breeze - Eric C and friends tribute to the late a very great JJ Cale. Sounds good to me too.

Certainly not adding anything to JJC's versions , by same token not ruining them either. A nice collection.

Might be a better idea to play some of the man's own music.

I agree - I wonder if that's because you remember watching the film which was often shown at Christmas time. A fun film. 

Essential Gould, two hours of playing with great insight and no Bach in sight.

The writer Nicholas Spice's words illuminate well the spirit of Gould's performances: "It's possible to think of Gould as someone who was out to shock people, out to make intellectual points, to 'eparter les bourgeois'. But he wasn't; he was essentially, profoundly, deeply in love with what he was playing. […] What Gould stood for was thinking for yourself, bringing your own thought process and your own historical position to bear upon the interpretation of the classics so that they can live afresh"

Hellige Natt

Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz

A Christmas album made by the Norwegian Radio. 

This comes out once a year, because of the Season.

Lovely and I would guess, just a bit rare!

ATB from George

Dear Haim,

When I was young I was transfixed by Glenn Gould! Amazing pianist. Nowadays I am transfixed by Bach!

Your observation is spot on, in my humble opinion!

May the Season go well with you!

Best wishes from George

I can vouch for the first third, the piano concertos of Tchaikovsky and Medtner.

EJ, another very good performance of Sudbin with the Minnesota Orchestra is Beethoven's fourth and fifth piano concertos:

My favorite solo disc of his is the Scriabin, also on BIS.

Haim

HAWKWIND  -Space Bandits -   cd. (1999) originally released in 1990.

familiar Hawkwind territory, elongated space jams and plenty of synths and electronics, has Simon House on violin. 

On CD:-

Just ripped one of my Christmas presents.