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

Joe, I'll join you, had to have some "Funk 49"

Pixies-Surfer Rosa on vinyl.

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

Foxboro Hot Tubs. Stop Drop And Roll !!! On CD from 2008. A fun fusion of rock, metal and punk with a garage sound that begs to be played loud. Some may know these guys by a different name.

Very well suited for breakfast.....

Tchaikovsky's Symphony 2. 'Little Russian'. 

Very early Columbia Long Playing record with Dimitri Mitropoulos and Minneapolis Symphony. ( this is even before he became a musical director for NYP )

This is one busy piece with a strong military flavour and a lot going on but somehow it does not hang together well as they should.

Giulini's Symphony 2 is more expressive and he adds a sense of flare to this rather awkward scores but the tunes remain too flamboyant and void of much substance.

Perhaps I just don't get on with Tchaikovsky pieces WITHOUT self pity which the composer does so well. :/

The opus 20 quartets are of the same family as the Op. 17 quartets, and have become known as Haydn's first mature string quartets and the first masterworks in the genre. And although Op. 33 that followed cemented that reputation, for me, the op. 20 quartets are that much more engaging when performed well, as here. 

In fact, I believe these performances are stunning, and they cleared the field among the several recordings of these works that I have heard. After a good if driven performance of the Schumann quartets, the Doric String Quartet (with a new crew member on viola) seem to have found the real key to these works: they remain stylish, but look for the dramatic boundaries within the idiom, and manage colour and the balance between the instruments to perfection (e.g. sample the opening of the second movement of op. 20/2; then compare with, say, the Angeles or the Quatuor Mosaiques and you'll find what the Dorics are doing better than most).

Cheers,

EJ

On CD:-

I saw him on Sunday night and he was great, so I'm listening to this:

Like it as well - no option to see him live....

Great album, terrible cover. Instrumentals from The Dame, on CD:

CD rip. Contains a great reggae version of Peter Green's Black Magic Woman.

Streaming | Spotify Premium

Pink Floyd ~ Ummagumma (1969)

The 2011 (Discovery Edition) remaster.

Freshly cleaned original vinyl:-

Billy Joel - Piano Man

Ralph Towner

"Solo Concert"   (1980)   MP3

Earlier:

Arcade Fire  - Neon Bible

(2007)  AIFF

Now: 

The Black Keys - Brothers

(2010)  AIFF

On 180gm 2 disc vinyl:-

Pink Floyd - Division Bell

Sheryl Crow

"Detours"   (2007)   MP3

Nice one Pat. On next...

HI Tony,

Really enjoyed revisiting that album today. 

Now: 

Government Mule - The Deep End volume 1

(2001)  AIFF

Different bass players for track, including John Entwistle and Flea.  Other guest musicians as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Deep_End,_Volume_1

Steely Dan

"A Decade Of ........"   (1985)   SP

On CD:-

CD rip. Still chillin' with some reggae whilst home sick with the latest tummy bug going around. This album is very good and has surprisingly good SQ compared with some reggae recordings.

Boz Scaggs

"Silk Degrees"    (1976)   SP