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:
Jeff Waynes musical version - War of the Worlds
A good way to spend a January afternoon.
Time to kick butt with some big swelling organ. On vinyl:
I've just listened / watched Darren's review of this on YouTube. I got to the point where he said he didn't like 'I've Seen All Good People'. That's when I realised he didn't know what he was talking about. Whilst never as good as the studio albums, any Yes is better than no Yes, so it's nice to have this live set from 1972.
1970 - UK first pressing...
J.S Bach (1685-1750): Rosalyn Tureck (piano)
Goldberg Variationen BWV 988
Not for the faint of heart. For me though, this is the perfect way to start a new year. Bare bones, back to the essentials, this is like swearing off the sugars and junk food. Pure to the core and full of heartfelt sincerity, Tureck is so engaging; that is, if you are in the right frame of mind for this kind of intellectual and emotional testing. Coming here with a closed mind you might be repulsed as you might not be able to get around the deliberately slow tempos and a host of other differences that may leave you in want (if you compare to every other 'normal' performance).
The beauty though is in the meditative qualities and approaching this as a mountaintop experience. Every note is carefully judged, voiced perfectly in what came before and what is to come after. Playing slowly and deliberately like this really is what reinforces the love of any profound piece of music as this tends to promote a more spiritual outcome and relationship with it.
Very enjoyable
Tony2011 posted:
1970 - UK first pressing...
A classic. And my favourite KC album. Nice one, Tony. I might dig out my CD this evening.
Mike
After Progeny, the original and best version of Close to the Edge.
sjust posted:Yury Martynov - Beethovens symphonies in Liszt‘s transcription the piano.
definitely not going through all Nine, tonight, but tried #5 and it is an interesting experience. The reviewer in the radio that pointed me to this release mentioned Yury must have 20 fingers. At least ! But it is the silent moments that make this release precious, not the bombastic ones. Great find. And hurrah to the alpha label again that rowed the boat against mainstream, allowing usage of contemporary instruments, which create an athmosphere of „yes, could have sounded like that when Liszt did the transcript...“
Stefan, you have convinced me to live a little now as I was holding off on this set simply due to the use of the 'contemporary' pianos. In this repertoire though there is not a lot of choice out there so I will finally add this as an alternative recording. My usual test piece for this is the thunder storm movement in the Pastorale (no. 6). We'll see if these old pianos can raise the hair on the back of my neck...
Prompted by Clive's post above. Personally, I find Yes after the first four albums completely unlistenable, but this, their third LP, is a total prog banger, as they say.
I bought this in about 2000, when it was reissued by Atlantic/Rhino on 180g vinyl. It sounds fantastic.
Kevin-W posted:Prompted by Clive's post above. Personally, I find Yes after the first four albums completely unlistenable, but this, their third LP, is a total prog banger, as they say.
I bought this in about 2000, when it was reissued by Atlantic/Rhino on 180g vinyl. It sounds fantastic.
It's worth persevering , Kevin. Honest!
I played CTTE a bit loud. Trying to ease up again gently with JC.
Fred Hersch trio - Bimhuis, Amsterdam
(1972)
A wonderful album sounding great ripped from an original Mercury label CD.
1973 - UK first pressing...
Kevin-W posted:Prompted by Clive's post above. Personally, I find Yes after the first four albums completely unlistenable, but this, their third LP, is a total prog banger, as they say.
I bought this in about 2000, when it was reissued by Atlantic/Rhino on 180g vinyl. It sounds fantastic.
My first Yes purchase and probably still my favourite of theirs.
Billy Joel via Tidal
A BIG favourite of SWMBO.
Now Playing.......
Fink - Perfect Darkness
Streaming on NAS........ A perfect album after a long sleep & sleep-in on a Saturday Morning! Life is grand!
(1971)
Some more Tulsa Sound needed so going back to the great man's first album.
Rag 'n 'Bone Man - Human.
Am I allowed to be listening to the same album on consecutive days?
Don't care, it's a belter ................. IMHO. 
(2015)
Stevee_S posted:Kevin-W posted:Prompted by Clive's post above. Personally, I find Yes after the first four albums completely unlistenable, but this, their third LP, is a total prog banger, as they say.
I bought this in about 2000, when it was reissued by Atlantic/Rhino on 180g vinyl. It sounds fantastic.
My first Yes purchase and probably still my favourite of theirs.
It was my second. I'd bought the first and really liked it, heard the second at a friend's and thought "meh".
But this is a stunner. Hard now to imagine they were on their last chance with Atlantic. I got the MFSL CD a few years back and it's an absolute stunner sonically - perhaps the best CD I've ever heard.