What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol. XIV)
Posted by: Richard Dane on 31 December 2017
On the eve of a new year, it's time for a new thread.
Last year's thread can be found here:
(1994)
The Hoax - Sound Like This
British blues and rock band who really know how to rock the blues a big thanks to Ewemon for the great recommendation, just loving their stuff - these boys can really play... 
Very many years since I last listened to this. I got this album as part of a box-set of Rick Wakeman albums which I bought because I thought it was about time I re-discovered his music.
MDS posted:
Very many years since I last listened to this. I got this album as part of a box-set of Rick Wakeman albums which I bought because I thought it was about time I re-discovered his music.
Good stuff Mike, this was a real prog favourite of mine back in the day.
The Bad Plus Joshua Redman
The Bad Plus and Joshua Redman play very well together! Recommended if you'r into jazz.
Allmusic.com:
A superstar jazz matchup, The Bad Plus Joshua Redman features maverick trio the Bad Plus joined by acclaimed jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman. Recorded after the group's weeklong stint at New York's Blue Note jazz club in 2012, the album is an organic collaboration between Redman and Bad Plus members pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer Dave King. Largely known for their genre-bending compositional take on jazz, here the Bad Plus take a more improvisational, open-ended approach to group interplay. Conversely, Redman, an adroit, long-form improviser, finds new avenues of jazz expression within the context of this new group sound. This conversational approach is perhaps best represented on the ensemble's reworking of the Bad Plus songs "Dirty Blonde" and "Silence Is the Question." While both songs retain the core vibe of the original recordings (bombastic in the case of the first and poignant in the second), here Redman brings a vibrant electricity to the compositions, widening their scope with his woody, vocal-like saxophone tone. While hearing these Bad Plus songs re-envisioned is intriguing, the core appeal of the album rests largely in Redmanand the trio's newly composed pieces, like the languidly atonal "Beauty Has It Hard" and the frenetically rambling "County Seat." These tracks, as well as the gorgeously fractured Thelonious Monk-influenced "The Mending" and the dizzy, circular, Dave Brubeck-sounding "Friend or Foe," are compelling recordings that sound as modern and immediate as they do steeped in the acoustic jazz tradition. Ultimately, The Bad Plus Joshua Redman sounds less like a collaboration between two separate entities and more like the assured work of a unified band.
Oh yeah!
G
Elton John - Honky Chateau
Something about this old vinyl 
(1983)
I just had to listen to Stevie Ray Vaughan after listening to The Hoax's debut album earlier... so on with one of SRV's finest.
GraemeH posted:
Oh yeah!
G
One of the great live albums, they really rocked on this one.
The George Benson Quartet - The George Benson cookbook
Allaboutjazz.com:
While the phenomenal success of George Benson’s Breezin’ (1976) album may have fattened his wallet; it led the guitarist down a path that dismayed jazz critics worldwide. Indeed, the bulk of Benson’s albums over the past 20 years have featured considerably less jazz and, unfortunately, more pop. Not so with The George Benson Cookbook (1966). This sizzling CD features the then young, hotshot string-picker on 14 swingin’ bebop/soul-jazz tracks. Benson kicks things off in rapid fashion with the aptly titled, "The Cooker." Not only does this track feature blazing licks from Benson, but baritone saxophonist Ronnie Cuber and organist Lonnie Smith also weigh in with tasty solos. The rest of the material presented here is a mix of greasy blues, straight-ahead swing and R&B grooves. A hint of Benson's later crossover success can be found on this reissue’s two vocal tracks, "All of Me" and the previously unreleased, "Let Then Talk." A good place to start with Benson as he used to be.
Personnel: George Benson, guitar; Ronnie Cuber, bari sax; Bennie Green, trombone; Lonnie Smith, organ; Jimmy Lovelace/Marion Booker, drums.
CD Maurice Ravel - Ravel Sonates & Trio - Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, Frank Braley
Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti Disc 1,WAV Rip from the SMH Japanese box set that arrived today.
1st thoughts when it started, damn that SQ is fantastic, I really don’t understand how a different pressing of the same remaster sounds different after being EAC ripped, but that’s amazing. Next thought 15 minutes later after being sucked into the music, is Physical Graffiti record 1 my favourite Zep album? Yes, II and IV are ridiculously good, and I could argue for most of them, but what can beat an album with this version of In My Time of Dying and Kashmir? Bit later, was there ever a better rhythm section than JPJ and Bonzo? Next thought, damn I love Kashmir! This is an amazing pressing, it did its one job brilliantly, I was hooked on the music from start to finish, I didn’t hear things I hadn’t heard before, but I’ve just blissed out to one of the great rock albums .
Eoink posted:
Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti Disc 1,WAV Rip from the SMH Japanese box set that arrived today.
1st thoughts when it started, damn that SQ is fantastic, I really don’t understand how a different pressing of the same remaster sounds different after being EAC ripped, but that’s amazing. Next thought 15 minutes later after being sucked into the music, is Physical Graffiti record 1 my favourite Zep album? Yes, II and IV are ridiculously good, and I could argue for most of them, but what can beat an album with this version of In My Time of Dying and Kashmir? Bit later, was there ever a better rhythm section than JPJ and Bonzo? Next thought, damn I love Kashmir! This is an amazing pressing, it did its one job brilliantly, I was hooked on the music from start to finish, I didn’t hear things I hadn’t heard before, but I’ve just blissed out to one of the great rock albums .
Great to see someone actually writing about their own experiences instead of copying and pasting stuff from Allmusic. ✌️????
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Simone Dinnerstein (piano) | Havana Lyceum Orchestra
Mozart in Havana
Shakura S'Aida - Time
Belter alert!!!
This is one sassy lady and she can certainly belt 'em out, and no mistake!
(2011)
Puscifer - Conditions Of My Parole
Maynard James Keenan famously Tool and A Perfect Circle frontman had yet a another project with Puscifer. I think all his work is fabulous and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that rumours of long overdue new albums from both Tool and A Perfect Circle are true and will actually materialise this time.
Haim Ronen posted:
That is a joyous album, Slava was in perfect form, and Richter was a masterful partner, Tonight is a rock night, but that’ll get a play soon, thanks for the reminder.
A Enchanting piece of Bach for Flute - Oboe and Strings:format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-2720311-1298022124.jpeg.jpg)
Led Zeppelin IV, WAV Rip from SHM CD.
OK, another possibility for my greatest Zep album, some great songs, unbelievable musicianship, and as a bonus, Sandy duetting with Percy on Battle,of Evermore. (I’m just playing Battle again before my next album, because it’s so joyous.)
I love Zep for many reasons, the most obvious and important being that the music has given me joy for 40+ years, but one thing that has amazed and delighted me since I first noticed is that sometimes Page and Jones join forces as the two rhythm lines to allow Bonzo to play freely, the drummer playing behind the beat like Sinatra singing, it sounds great and shows the trust they had in each other and the sophistication of their style when they wanted. I’m sure many other bands have done it, but I notice it with Zep.
Eoink posted:
Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti Disc 1,WAV Rip from the SMH Japanese box set that arrived today.
1st thoughts when it started, damn that SQ is fantastic, I really don’t understand how a different pressing of the same remaster sounds different after being EAC ripped, but that’s amazing. Next thought 15 minutes later after being sucked into the music, is Physical Graffiti record 1 my favourite Zep album? Yes, II and IV are ridiculously good, and I could argue for most of them, but what can beat an album with this version of In My Time of Dying and Kashmir? Bit later, was there ever a better rhythm section than JPJ and Bonzo? Next thought, damn I love Kashmir! This is an amazing pressing, it did its one job brilliantly, I was hooked on the music from start to finish, I didn’t hear things I hadn’t heard before, but I’ve just blissed out to one of the great rock albums .
A mighty fine Zep album, Eoink, and I certainly agree about the fabulous songs In My Time Of Dying and Kashmir. For me it's still their first two albums that stand above the rest but then we're talking about shades of grey among masterpieces
Fancied a bit of Tull after dinner and selected this classic. I've had a few disappointing CD versions of Aqualung but this 40th Anniversary Edition is one that I can recommend.
