What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol. XII)
Posted by: Richard Dane on 01 January 2016
2016 has arrived today, so time to start this thread afresh.
Last year's thread (and links to previous years) can be found here;
1st run...
UK first press vinyl. 1980s electropop at its very best:
For good measure ; Pink Floyd - Wish you were here. CD rip. SQ seems better on this album compared to the "Animals" CD I have just played, which sounds a little muddied (1992 remaster).
Borders Nick posted:For good measure ; Pink Floyd - Wish you were here. CD rip. SQ seems better on this album compared to the "Animals" CD I have just played, which sounds a little muddied (1992 remaster).
Try the Harvest black label CD of WYWH. One of the best sounding in my collection.
G
Kevin-W posted:UK first press vinyl. 1980s electropop at its very best:
Oh go on then Kevin - you've tempted me to delve into Tidal for this one. 
Borders Nick posted:Oh go on then Kevin - you've tempted me to delve into Tidal for this one.
Nick, you've got me reaching for the vinyl :-)
C.
Seem to be in a Clapton mood over the last few days...A bit unchallenging and 'clean' but enjoyable none the less.
G
The 40th anniversary deluxe edition of one of the greatest, and most influential albums of the 20th century - a joyous celebration of speedball numbskull pop. Some of the best tunes and riffs you'll ever hear, and nothing ever outstays its welcome. Here I'm listening to the vinyl LP of this package - a special mono mix of that epochal album. Not exactly a "hi-fi experience" of course, but who cares?
Great...
Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil. CD rip. Classic.
Live in Pomona (2016) by Markus Reuter
Bandcamp FLAC & MP3 320
A free download if you prefer not to pay.
Three slabs of blue vinyl from the Dame'as last tour. Bought it last month and havew only just got round to listening to it.
Ragna Schirmer playing Haydn's works for piano (2CDs):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDzZlWxVQeA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d98hdH-u0-g
Frederic Chopin: Seong-jin Cho (piano)
Winner of the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition Warsaw 2015
I have been in one of my Chopin Prelude phases lately and so any recording I hear of them I find absolutely stunning. As usual, I attribute this to the music itself. In a heightened state I am only listening to what is behind the music - the fascinating details I don't normally hear when you listen without a specific purpose. So it is not putting someone against another and rating this one above another and so on. This doesn't interest me but I only will say that this week I have been especially intrigued by Seong-Jin Cho. For me, there is something very special about his playing and interpretations that strike a very deep chord within me. Of course, his extraordinary technique allows this. No one can really reach behind the music until you have the ability to technically achieve whatever is required.
What is special is his musical sensibility. It is that perplexing ability to have an outcome that sounds just the way it should be but the realization that what he is doing is just a shear miricle which cannot be duplicated. It is like finding the secret recipe for some marvelous meal but then finding that simply following the recipe gives an entirely different outcome. Why does my outcome differ? I want mine to taste (sound) like that and I am so determined and trying so hard to "copy" what I feel it should sound like but it isn't even close. Seong-Jin Cho is remarkable in this in that you may actually miss the true talent here if you are looking for fireworks or sugary coatings that only please initially. He finds meaning in the music without over or under cooking anything.
His voicing and the way he builds the architecture is, for me, quite wonderful and teaches me a great deal about how natural this music can sound and affect you when it is played in such a musical fashion. In my opinion, out of the last four winners of the Chopin Competition (Yundi Li | Rafal Blechacz | Yulianna Avdeeva | Seong-Jin Cho) I would say that Seong-Jin Cho comes close to being my ideal player and of course Yulianna Avdeeva comes next. The former two are also great players but are less intriguing for me as I find them colder and indifferent for the most part.
If you have a couple of hours to kill I would highly recommend the following:
Chopin: Op. 28 Preludes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da0PZGnB4ko
Schubert: This is very good !!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW_YRji_noM
...and if you want an absolute treat not specific to this pianist? One day, I want to be able to attend many of these famous competitions like the Chopin International...
Do You Speak Chopin?
Bandcamp FLAC & MP3 320
Light 'n breezy and nicely engineered.
G
ragman posted:spurrier sucks posted:Raider posted:
On CD
Excellent.
Spinning it now. Loud. It is excellent so far!
Have listen the first 5-6 tracks. Was very possitiv impressed, didn't expeect anything from them in advanced.
Track 12 is brutal! Love it.
One of these albums without any fill whatsoever.
G
Kevin-W posted:The 40th anniversary deluxe edition of one of the greatest, and most influential albums of the 20th century - a joyous celebration of speedball numbskull pop. Some of the best tunes and riffs you'll ever hear, and nothing ever outstays its welcome. Here I'm listening to the vinyl LP of this package - a special mono mix of that epochal album. Not exactly a "hi-fi experience" of course, but who cares?
I was at their very first UK gig. The sound engineer was having a bad evening as they were berating him from the stage as their monitors weren't working properly.
Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix
My favourite of theirs; not a duff one on this
Super-slick super-sound (super-ficial?).
G
GraemeH posted:
One of these albums without any fill whatsoever.
G
Agreed, Graeme. A lovely album.
Mike
This, on vinyl. Bought today. The sound might be an upgrade on the original 1977 LP (I've got it, but haven't listened to it in years), but the cover most certainly isn't - an abomination that more closely resembles an advert than a record sleeve.
spurrier sucks posted:ragman posted:spurrier sucks posted:Raider posted:
On CD
Excellent.
Spinning it now. Loud. It is excellent so far!
Have listen the first 5-6 tracks. Was very possitiv impressed, didn't expeect anything from them in advanced.
Track 12 is brutal! Love it.
And 6