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

Modest Mouse "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank"

featuring Johnny Marr on guitar

The Cribs "Ignore The Ignorant"

featuring Johnny Marr on guitar

Rolling Stones "Let It Bleed"

Ruggiero Ricci/Anthony Collins/London Symphony : Paganini Violin Concerto No.1 & 2  1955 recording

Trying out new unknown ( to me ) fiddle player.

Grateful Dead. Shakedown Street (1978). On original CD from 1984. I'm a Dead novice but finding this a very enjoyable album.

joerand posted:

Grateful Dead. Shakedown Street (1978). On original CD from 1984. I'm a Dead novice but finding this a very enjoyable album.

Hi joerand,

I am a long time fan of the Grateful Dead, anything but a novice. If you ever want any recommendations... just saying.  :  

I had a long, wonderful day at home by myself today and listened to a lot of music at "I'm home alone volume levels.. and one thing was a recent release of some live Grateful Dead. Wow, did it boogie on my system in my house. Their live stuff is always better than their studio albums. Of course I have all of their albums as well.

Off the album you mention above, the song "Shakedown Street" could turn into a long, super funky, powerful tribal stomp in concert.

Gary

Gary,

Thanks for the reply. Funny thing is this is my wife's that had sat un-listened to for decades until a few months ago while I was in the process of culling superfluous CDs from my rack. Our only Dead album, yet the sound is very familiar. My fear is that if I go seeking more Dead I'll be opening up a never-ending can of worms. I could become a real junkie or, god forbid, a Deadhead

joerand,

Yes, it can be a slippery slope indeed. One minute a regular guy, normal to all who saw him. Then the next minute he becomes a Deadhead and now his clothing changes, his speech changes and he seems to listen to nothing but the Grateful Dead. Careful young Skywalker - the road can be dangerous...

For my part lots of my time has been spent listening to the incredible boogie factor of good Grateful Dead music and the unmistakable beauty and depth of Jerry Garcia's guitar playing. And as our mutual friend Charlie will tell you he likes him some Phil Lesh bass playing.

Gary - (far enough gone along the Grateful Dead journey that he can not let a reference to the band go by without commenting on it...)

The Beatles. Let It Be... Naked. On 2CD from 2003. Less Phil, more Paul. Preferable to my ears. I'd imagine Ringo just happily signed-off on the deal and flashed a couple of peace signs.

"Less Phil, more Paul." Nice line. 

In my long listening session today I thought of you in some "classic rock" I played. Spun Pink Floyd's "Animals" on vinyl. Quite nice.

Gary,

No doubt I'm finding the boogie factor. Perhaps this is an appropriate time for me to publically announce that I once owned a dashiki in the early 1980's .

As a disclaimer - that single dashiki was a fleeting phase, bought during spring break at Daytona Beach. It's long gone and I've never had a pony tail. Although, the gray hairs are starting to creep in

All this talk of the Dead has prompted me to play this, on CD:

Listened this morning to Rush R40 - not great but still enjoyable to listen to a Rush concert and most probably there last album..

More live Dead on CD:

Streaming | WAV

(1971)

One of my favourite 'Floyds, playing because the wind sounds on the opening track are rather like what is happening outside the house at the moment...

Streaming | WAV

(1968)

Still accessible and enjoyable in a way that captures and reminds us of the psychedelic sounds of the late sixties that were becoming ever more popular. A Saucerful marked the end for Syd and a start for Gilmour.

Just listening to this on Bandcamp - difficult to describe as it is music from different side. Jazz, progressive rock....and others - it's for sure good music...

Bert Schurink posted:

Just listening to this on Bandcamp - difficult to describe as it is music from different side. Jazz, progressive rock....and others - it's for sure good music...

 

Added the review from Dutch Progressive Rock Page.....

Hailing from Brooklyn, the East West Quintet are an instrumental ensemble that resist any easy pigeon-holing. For instance, this is a quintet with six members, who play a mash up of prog, jazz-rock, hard rock, delicate be-bop and hip-hop that is steadfastly and brilliantly melodic.

The East West Quintet formed in 2003 and Anthem is the follow up to their 2009 release, Vast. Anthem is a smartly produced and arranged work where every track has something new and interesting to say. There are phrases in the melodic lines and arrangements that call to mind other artists, such as Miles Davis, (hey, they have a trumpet player) or Wayne Shorter (hey, they have a sax player) or the dynamism of Pastorius-era Weather Report and so on, but this band are really, on the evidence of this release, one of a kind.

But don't let the jazz elements that I have mentioned so far put you off listening to this recording. There is so much more going on. The opener, Draft, begins with Phillip Glass like ominous piano chords that anchors the piece before the band comes in to mutate the theme in a very prog way. They throw in distorted electric guitar with light syncopated drumming. It has a brilliantly controlled dynamism.

Interstellar is an introspective ballad with a tune to die for. It builds from an electric piano and bass opening to a magnificent, emotionally charged trumpet solo that takes it out of this world. Interstellar is shaping up to be my favourite track released in 2015. It is exquisite.

Then there is the prog-blues of Collider that uses chiming acoustic guitar and electric piano to evoke a warm autumn evening in the song's first half, before sunny horn phrases give it body and the sax has a solo of quiet beauty.

The East West Quintet push the innovations further with Action Figure. A heavy rock riff spread across distorted electric guitar, and bass produces menacing melodic shards. This is interrupted by, and commented on, by the unison horns. A fierce guitar solo is the icing on this particular cake. Heavy-rock-jazz-prog, anyone? Fabulous!

There is a loping, reverb drenched, hip-hop groove to Experiment No. 3. It has delicate cymbal work and upright bass giving foundation to a bluesy sax solo that is the very definition of soulful. The closing track, White Lodge, is a hypnotic, Radiohead-like wonky-waltz. It manages to have an atmospheric ambience about it whilst still being loud and forceful.

So Anthem, for my money, is a triumph. It contains musicianship of the highest order that is aimed at embellishing the formidable, emotional content of the music. None of the musicians in this ensemble: Dylan Heaney (alto and tenor saxophones), Phil Rodriguez (trumpet), Simon Kafka (electric and acoustic guitars), Mike Cassedy (piano, keyboards), Benjamin Campbell (electric and upright bass) and Jordan Perlson (drums) play in any flashy or showboating way, they let the melodies breathe. All their obvious prowess is used in the service of the music.

I worry that, being innovative, intriguing and unique, that this album may fall between the cracks. Jazz purists may dislike its rock and prog elements. The rock purist may, similarly, dislike the jazzy improvisations. So it may be up to prog fans to embrace this joyous and adventurous release. If you love the off the wall prog in Frank Zappa's Hot Rats, then please give this a go, it's just as brilliant in its own way.

Arrived today. Ripped and nearly through disc one. Very good so far.

Steve J posted:

Arrived today. Ripped and nearly through disc one. Very good so far.

Steve,

For some reason I was not aware of this album.

Trying to track it down on vinyl but no luck so far :-(

Richard

Original vinyl. Not the best of live recordings but captures the flavour of the atmosphere I experienced when I saw them on this tour.

FangfossFlyer posted:

Steve J posted:

Arrived today. Ripped and nearly through disc one. Very good so far.

Steve,

For some reason I was not aware of this album.

Trying to track it down on vinyl but no luck so far :-(

Richard

Only released on CD Richard. We'll have to get you set up with a MM/Hugo soon. There's lots of good music not available on vinyl, although vinyl still has the edge SQ wise IME.

G

More aural bliss...WAV stream.

G