What are you listening to right now? (VOL I)

quote:

I've now shot back three decades and am listening to The Yes Album. Chris Squire's impossibly fat bass guitar has just launched Starship Trooper.Was there ever a better bass player? G

Graham55 - Would say Captain Sensible was a better bass player than Chris Squires - but that would ignore Chris's contibution to 14 Hour Technicolour Dream when he was in the Syn.

Tonight I'm listening to Sallys Fforth by Rainbow Ffolly - and it's wonderful.

Rotf.

Showing your age now Graham
Thanks for the CD tip, will buy soon

And one thing in reply to Jon's post about not really liking the music, what I have found since buying my naim equipment several years back is that it has caused me to diversify my music tastes even further, I have always loved all types of music but find myself listening to stuff now that I wouldn't of dreamed about 10 years ago, I think thats the thing about hi-end Hifi is that it makes you appreciate music for what it is...just that

John

quote:

Originally posted by graham55:
Sorry to go on, but.........

Am just listening to Hendrix opening his Woodstock performance with supreme guitar playing in Message To The Universe.

No one has even come close in the last 35 years.

G

Fugazi-13 Songs

I will go with the good Captain on bass. The Damned were one hell of a fun band.

Regards
Matt

Oil On Canvas - Just married: I'm 100 % sure, nobody will know this German group making music in the 90s. A flash of nostalgia...

cheers
Stefan

Candy Dulfer: Right in my Soul

She is quite a soulfull jazz sax player. Good dynamics on this one and some good vocals aswell.

Oliver Koletzki - Der Muckenschwarm

Bonkers mix up of guitar, drone, techno bass, samples, but it works very well!

DS

"Master & Commander" free audiobook download from the times.

"War of the Worlds" - Jeff Wayne. Haven't heard it since childhood years and it's so much better now.

Deanne - I have just bought the new remastered release of War of the Worlds and yes it is good.

Currently spinning Beethoven Fidelio - Simon Rattle with an excellent bottle of Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon.

Is the Rattle Fidelio any good? I've read some terrible reviews of it?

quote:

Originally posted by Tam:
Is the Rattle Fidelio any good? I've read some terrible reviews of it?

I picked it up in the shop not knowing if it was good or bad. Before unnwrapping I checked it out on the web and found several very good reviews - here is one below.

I am no expert but I thought the sound was superb and it was a very enjoyable two hours. My Dad, who is a huge Beethoven fan thought it was good as well.


BEETHOVEN: Fidelio – Angela Denoke (Leonore), Jon Villars (Florestan), Alan Held (Don Pizarro), Laszó Polghár (Rocco), Juliane Banse (Marzelline), Rainer Trost (Jaquino), with the Arnold Schoenberg Chorus and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle – EMI 5-57555-2 (2 CDs, 110 mins.):

A tremendous new Fidelio from Rattle, whose set of the Beethoven symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic I reviewed favorably earlier this year. As with the symphonies, Rattle liberates his band by focusing on his own curiosity about how Beethoven put the notes together, following the latest research in terms of what the composer had in mind (he helped prepare the performing edition); the differences are less noticeable in the opera, mostly confined to dynamic and rhythmic gradations. One thing is the same: It is the orchestra, in this case a stupendous Berlin Philharmonic, that is the star.

That is not to say that the cast is weak in any way. The young German soprano Angela Denoke, for example, voted Singer of the Year by Opernwelt in 1999, is magnificently commanding, passionate, unafraid of the terrible physical demands puts on her, perfectly symbolizing the heroism and idealism that Beethoven invested in her. Only Jon Villars’ Florestan lets the side down a bit.

But it is the Berlin Philharmonic, singing sweetly in the upper strings, woodwinds and French horns, and growling and snarling with its deep strings and brass, that conjure up sounds so glorious that they suggest this is what the orchestra may have sounded like under the great Wilhelm Furtwängler. And with Rattle leading it on a merry chase, at unpredictable speeds and idiosyncratic phrasing, but never losing the dramatic flow, and finding great depths in quiet corners that are usually brushed past by less caring conductors, it becomes the dominant player. It’s reminiscent of another great recording, Lorin Maazel’s self-consciously audiophile 1964 Decca set with Birgit Nilsson and the Vienna Philharmonic. Taken together, these two sets may not add up to the traditional power of a Furtwängler, but they are an amazing pair.

The recording, taken from concert performances at the Berlin Philharmonie, following staged performances at the Salzburg Easter Festival 2003, is rich and clean and tawny warm, with astonishing detail and on a very big soundstage. Richard Wigmore’s elegant notes serve the expert as well as the newcomer. Purchase here

- Laurence Vittes

8. Anjo De Mim from Oceano by Sergio Mendes
via the Squeezbox 2.

Elgar I, BBC SO, Boult live in 1976 at the RAH: Simply the best performance of, nearly rivalled by the 1948/9 stidio efort with the LPO, which is even fineer than the 1930 performance done by the composer with the LSO. BUT wwe just ditched the Elgar for Dire Straits SO Far Away, on account ont of a couple of fine pints of Bathams in the Bell at Tillington! Fredrik

Some Bloody good early Sunday moaning 'Silence' actually after finally getting that loud Johnnie with his daft speakers and stuff with me blunderbus at long last, pain in the fucking arse he was², and I'm sure hizz mates will respect my guideance too, innit.

I'm glad you only think I'm joking chaps
He was mobile by the bye:

Clannad "Fuaim" on CD. (COOKCD 035) A recent secondhand purchase.

Not nearly as "nice" as my vinyl original which I played to death.

The CD is simply too "loud"! There's no magical tingle! No edge-of-seat hanging on every living breath. The perfect sweetness of voice of the performers in the room is strangely absent.

I've turned it down twice! Not so much a curtain as a thick wall between myself and the performance. Quiet backgound music only I'm afraid.

quote:

Originally posted by Expat in Oz:
Deanne - I have just bought the new remastered release of War of the Worlds and yes it is good.

I was listening to the original vinyl release - I just meant it sounds better on the real hifi system I have now rather that the little recordplayer-in-a-briefcase (Philips?) with detachable speakers that I used when I was younger.

Expat,

Thanks for the review. Interesting to read different opinions. However, given I had a very negative reaction to the Rattle/Beethoven symphonies the reviewer mentioned, I think I may give it a miss.

In a broader sense I feel Rattle isn't truly at home with Beethoven (or much of the classical repertoire), but that's probably a topic for another thread

To get back to the subject at hand, currently listening to a some classic I'm Sorry I haven't a Clue.


regards,

Tam

the wall:- live via cd drive on me 'pooter.

Just picked up the OST from 'The Anchorman'
Got some quality classic tracks from the 70's on it - in particular 'the friends of distinction - grasing in the grass ' and 'Neil Diamonds Cherry cherry ' and many other cool tracks.
Also has Will Ferrell making some amusing comments in between tracks

The Blasters- The Complete Slash Recordings

On the PC at work.

matt

"Chronicles" Fairport Convention Disc 1. What a wonderful voice Sandy Denny possessed.

Stimela from Hope by Hugh Masekela.

Heard it through CDS3/552/500/DBL's at last week's Audio Excellence dem. in Bristol.

I know I should have rushed out and ordered a 552 but I'll start with the disc and work upwards!

Having a quiet moment - QOTSA & Foo Fighters!

stephen jones 1985-2001 - beautiful ethereal mood stuff in a lovely dinky package bought of amazon for three quid.

Building the Perfect Beast - Don Henley then
The Long Run - Eagles both vinyl.