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:
Basia - London Warsaw New York.
ewemon posted:
That's a great shout, I haven't listened to any Chicken shack for years!
Fancied some prog and haven't played this favourite Steve Hackett album from 1979 for ages.Playing on Vinyl on Charisma Records.I saw him at Brighton Dome on that tour and my friends and I had front row balcony seats.Steve came on with Land of a thousand Autumns and had this green light projected behind him so there was all these green rays of light going into the hall.After a couple of mins the band went into Please Don't Touch.The Sound was superb.And a great band with a superb drummer called John Sherear.
Tabby cat posted:Fancied some prog and haven't played this favourite Steve Hackett album from 1979 for ages.Playing on Vinyl on Charisma Records.I saw him at Brighton Dome on that tour and my friends and I had front row balcony seats.Steve came on with Land of a thousand Autumns and had this green light projected behind him so there was all these green rays of light going into the hall.After a couple of mins the band went into Please Don't Touch.The Sound was superb.And a great band with a superb drummer called John Sherear.
Have just picked up a box set of Hackett's album which includes this one. Five albums for £10 so a bargain, and I thought I haven't explored any of his solo work to date. Will be unwrapping them soon.
Thought I'd start this evening's listening session with some lovely Alison Krauss.
Franz Liszt (1811-1886): Beatrice Berrut, piano
Metanoia:
Après une lecture de Dante : Fantasia quasi sonata, S.161/7
Ballade no. 1 in D flat major, S.170
Ballade no. 2 in B minor, S.171
Vallée d'Obermann, S.160/6
Consolations, S.172
Unless you are as stupid as a Fish called Whandah, you might be forgiven for thinking Metanoia has some connection to heavy metal. Actually, the last two Beatrice Berrut albums have turned out to be rather difficult in finding them on a rain forest website. Both Metanoia and Athanor tend to pull you to what appears to be heave metal type of bands.
I like concept albums and I like discovering the thinking behind an artists interpretation. While Metanoia and Athanor sound quite suitable for some black metal groups, I think Beatrice Berrut's use of these terms in connection with Franz Liszt are much more valid and closer to the truth.
For instance, on this present album, Metanoia is defined as by the artist as follows:
a mental transformation, a reorientation of one's way of life; also, in a religious sense, penitence, repentance, a spiritual conversion.
In Carl Jung's psychology, metanoia indicates a spontaneous attempt of the psyche to heal itself of unbearable conflict by melting down and then being reborn in a more adaptive form.
More recently, in 1991, the mountaineer Jeff Lowe famously climbed the north face of the Eiger via a new and extremely difficult route (since unrepeated), which he named Metanoia after the life-changing spiritual experience he had there.
If you are truly aware of what the music of Franz Liszt conveys you cannot deny that there is absolutely a metanoia to it. It is passionate, questioning, and fearless in taking on evil and eventually triumphing. If you look at the Searle (S) numbers for each work you can see that this group of music came out at roughly the same period in Liszt's life.
The Après une lecture de Dante and Vallée d'Obermann come from "Première année: Suisse" and "Deuxième année: Italie" respectively. Of course, these are part of the suites found in Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage). The title itself gives the best clue as to what Liszt's middle period was all about. His humble search for answers to questions about life through a spiritual journey or quest and then a conversion from what you were. Something entirely lost or foreign with many of today's self absorbed cretins.
(2014)
Madman
Because Mrs. Stevee nudged me into playing a bit of Sean Rowe, she's a sucker for baritone vocals.
Eric Clapton.
UB40 - Homegrown.
This opens with a hint of Bhangra Beat, then continues with the boys getting back to form after several "so, so" albums. 
Hector Zazou - Songs from the Cold Seas, WAV CD rip
Mercky was playing this a couple of weeks ago, and his description was enough to get me to pick up a second hand copy. My first play of the rip, brilliant stuff, evocative soundscapes, not quite ambient, but painting textures with sound, really lovely, thanks Mercky.
Christopher_M posted:Graham Nash - Over The Years
A double album from Sainsbury's that someone mentioned, maybe the week before last. CD 1 is The Songs. CD 2 is The Demos. I've only played it a couple of times but so far I prefer the elemental, raw nature of the demos.
I love both CDs, the studio recordings as a nice compilation of his finest songs (all of which I have on other discs). I agree the gem is the demos, fascinating insight and great to listen to. I pre-ordered this and paid about 3 times as everyone else here, but I’m not sulking at all.
Eoink posted:
Hector Zazou - Songs from the Cold Seas, WAV CD rip
Mercky was playing this a couple of weeks ago, and his description was enough to get me to pick up a second hand copy. My first play of the rip, brilliant stuff, evocative soundscapes, not quite ambient, but painting textures with sound, really lovely, thanks Mercky.
You were lucky to find a copy as it’s a bit of an odd ball album, glad you like it, I hadent listened to it in ages as I had no CD player but now that’s it’s ripped I’m catching up, sounds lovely on the Nova and definitely one of my top 3 albums ever!
Steve Hackett - Voyage of the Acolyte, WAV CD rip
Tabby Cat’s earlier listen made me fancy some Hackett, excellent prog rock, fine songs, great guitar work.
nigelb posted:dave marshall posted:
Bentley Caldwell - The Place That I Call Home.
Playing this in celebration of the fact that Bentley has just topped the polls in three NIMA, (Nashville Industry Music Awards), in the
following categories :
BEST R&B/SOUL ARTIST MALE,
BEST LIVE R&B/SOUL PERFORMER,
BEST URBAN ALBUM
Fans were invited to vote for him a few weeks ago, and it seems that sufficient numbers of us did so, resulting in his winning all three
categories .............. result, and just reward for a most excellent album, which has become a firm forum favourite.
Just knew Bentley would go far the minute I heard this wonderful album.
very true....it was interesting the way that Bentley & this album spread like wildfire across this forum! This is a great example of how new discoveries are posted & picked up.
I found this today in Fopp for a fiver. Within the first two minutes it's obvious why it's so highly regarded. Not just Jackson and Coltrane, but the whole band is on fire with some superb piano from Hank Jones and bass from Paul Chambers all underpinned by Connie Kay on drums and working so well together. This was a good discovery for me.
TAPP - Time. Most definitely more laid back and chilled than the Floyds Time.
Otis Taylor - Fantasizing About Being Black. Otis Taylor - Hey Joe Opus Red Meat.
Settling into some Otis Taylor.
Modern trance blues at it's finest, with more than a hint of John Lee Hooker's influence in evidence ................ highly recommended.
Shakti - Shakti with John McLaughlin, WAV CD rip.
Indian music with jazz styling, some incredibly beautiful music, two hard driving numbers separated by a short tender piece, two superb percussionists, a master violinist and a master guitarist. Possibly the first world music album, but no museum piece, compellingly lovely music played perfectly.
Boo Boo Davis One Chord Blues.