What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol. XIII)
Posted by: Richard Dane on 01 January 2017
2017 has arrived today, so time to start this thread afresh.
Last year's thread can be found here;
A + 3 | WAV
(2010)
"That haunting voice is still wonderful - a little huskier and more breathy perhaps which only adds to the atmosphere of the recording. The principal instrument is her acoustic guitar, played beautifully and often solo but augmented by delicate additions of things like organ and electric lead where appropriate. It takes really good material to shine with such minimal production, and these complex, often quirky songs show what very fine music and lyrics Vega has produced. The whole thing sounds intimate and personal (as was the intention), made more so by being quite close-miked and beautifully recorded. The four volumes are simply excellent throughout with great hits sounding original and fresh (there is a simply stunning version of Luka in this volume, for example), and less well-known songs making you wonder why they are less well-known." - Sid Nuncious / Amazon commenting on the Close-UP Series.
more from the excellent Petrenko/Royal Liverpool complete set...
The Cure. Faith.
U2. War.
both albums contain a song titled " The Drowning Man'
Not the same song, and with The Cure version some couple of years preceding the Two's. But not made up which one is better !
The Cure one is probably one of their finest, with literary aspirations in content and nailed down that vibe of lost loneliness and thwarted doom.
The U2 one is also them at their finest, with a real deep ingrained Irish vibe and Bono running up and down the full extent of his vocal ability to put together a romantic vision of hope.
Still, I'm not sure which one is better.
Otis Taylor - Fantasizing About Being Black.
The modern day king of trance blues just gets better and better with each new album.
On CD:-
Big Big Train - Grimspound
Ripped from cd
The voice of the Holy Ghost?
According to German theological tradition, which Bach knew very well, the alto voice was the very symbol of that of the Holy Ghost. These three solo cantatas do not contradict the rule, although we do not always know for whom Bach wrote them: it was neither a woman nor a castrato, so it could only be a falsetto or an extremely accomplished boy. These works demand enormous vocal virtuosity. Their extraordinary musical variety embraces sublime consolatory lullabies, a faithful echo of an organ concerto (BWV 170), and the dramatic qualities of an oratorio.
Haim Ronen posted:
Haim, the question remains. What do you listen to during the thunderstorms?
Still sounds fresh as a paisley daisy
Otis Taylor - White African.
One can never have too much of Otis Taylor .............. a devotee of John Lee Hooker, and it certainly shows ....... highly recommended modern trance blues.
Leonard Elschenbroich (cello) | Alexei Grynyuk (piano) | Petr Limonov (piano) | Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest | Andrew Litton
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Cello Sonata in C OP. 119 | Waltz | March | Adagio
Dmitry Kabelevsky (1904-1987): Cello Concerto no. 2 in C op. 77 | Novelette op. 27 no. 25
Several decades ago on an international flight to Norway via London I was reading in a magazine how companies (ie. maybe Nestle, Cadbury etc. ??) have 3 or 4 different recipes for different areas of the world to cater more to differences among us nationally. For instance, Kit Kat is quite a bit sweeter in North America than a Kit Kat in Europe and so on. This ruffled my feathers since as usual some marketers somewhere must have determined this that more sugar is required here and bread has to be white and squeeshy with no food value left in it etc. Who asked me for my opinion, I thought? Well, nobody, obviously. Who were the numbskulls that they asked to determine that North America must have the highest sugar levels imaginable so that everything is nauseatingly over sugared? And so it seems it becomes more and more evident that I do not belong here culturally.
A similar event has occurred in recordings and in concert halls around the globe. Someone once thought that people may get board and not buy recordings or go to concerts unless there is some "form of entertainment" subtly delivered. Besides the lie of perfection, louder / faster takes on new meaning and fireworks, sexy cover photos and snake oil is peddled non-stop has become the norm.
As I always say, there is an appropriate tempo and within this is a range up or down that free people can choose. There is no right or wrong really. This is reasonable as you would expect most in the middle, some slower and some faster. Incredibly, in reality we have the majority on the super fast/loud side and anything else is considered on outlier. Much the same way that the left croons on about 1st amendment rights and free speech but shuts you down if you stray off the party line. You can't say that !!! It is hate speech unless we agree with you....
I wish my music library would be representative of equality. That is, some interpreted on the faster side, some on the slower side and some anywhere in the middle. Then I could listen as my mood dictates or at least find what I prefer. Comparing 100 fast recordings doesn't lead you anywhere except down a path of conformance.
As for the Prokofiev Cello Sonata in C, this is the recording I have been waiting for for some time. In exchange for speed, percussiveness and non-stop loud or over energized direction you get a more reflective reading here where you really can hear what a beautiful cello playing and a cello sound that is out of this world sounds like. Piano and cello both sound gorgeous. What a nice recording. (of no interest though if you prefer the faster versions of which there is no shortage of). If you want to hear musicians who believe sound and music are interrelated then this would be of interest to you.
The main course here is the Prokofiev Cello Sonata but I am also super glad for the dessert which are some smaller piano / cello rarely heard works from Kabelevsky and Prokofiev. The absolute gem for me is Kabelevsky's Novelette op. 27 no. 25. I am familiar with this on solo piano and was not aware that a version exists for cello and piano. It is very special indeed and one of my favourite pieces of music.
Feist - Pleasure .....and it is...
Norah Jones - Day Break (2016)
Post C86 Seefeel Quique
What a great way to follow up the indie popsters with something like this..
Frankie Miller - Frankie Miller's Double Take.
Unfortunately no longer able to perform, this album contains much of his unreleased material, subsequently collaborated on by many of his legion of admirers.
A real treat, and a sad reminder of what a loss to British soul and blues singing he is.
Lambchop - "FLOTUS" (2016)
John Hiatt - "Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns" (2011)