What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol. XIII)

Currently playing John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana 'A Love Supreme', an album I adore and have on both vinyl and cd (which I've ripped to the NS01 and which is the chosen format for now). Playing this in anticipation of delivery of a copy of Caravanserai tomorrow. 

Not a classic but I get drawn to play it now and again.

G

I have two recordings of Rosenkavalier; this one (Karajan's 2nd) and Thielemann, with Fleming. Neither is ideal - I prefer Karajan over Thielemann mostly because the doctored live sound quality of the latter is so congested and noise redacted, it detracts from the performance. 

Had Sinopoli lived longer, he may have given us the ultimate recording of this work. 

Cheers

EJ

1969 - vinyl - U.K. First pressing...

UP - Fancied a bit of PG but not the usual 'go to' Gabriel albums.

G

From 1996 with the first coffee of the day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgkGlqAmSUo

Time for some Ummagumma...

G

Fresh and vital playing from Tharaud and with excellent support from Les Violons du Roy. He adds a lot of ornamentation and, as has become characteristic for his playing, occasionally lacks polish, but it never grates, not even on repeated listening. When Bach allows it, Tharaud's history with Chopin shines through with an almost vocal approach to the line. The resulting plangent quality of slower passages is quite unique, and makes this a standout performance of the Bach concertos, and one of Tharaud's best discs.

Cheers,

EJ

on CD. Fancied some U2 and this caught my eye. Never understood the criticism this album has got over the years. An oustanding album and prefer it to, say, Bomb; "Gone" in my top 5 U2 tracks.

Now Playing......

Carlos Santana & Mahavishnu John McLaughlin - Love Devotion Surrender

Thanks to the mention by CLIVE B above, this looked like a perfect album to start the day!

Enjoying the opening track 'A Love Supreme'.......

seakayaker posted:

Now Playing......

Carlos Santana & Mahavishnu John McLaughlin - Love Devotion Surrender

Thanks to the mention by CLIVE B above, this looked like a perfect album to start the day!

Enjoying the opening track 'A Love Supreme'.......

A great choice, if I might say so! Although it can sound at times as if they're battling each other to take the lead, it's never just boring noodling and flashy techniques. 

simon, but not simple posted:

When I see that cover I always think of this..

On deck, in the queue......

Emily-Barker - Sweet Kind of Blue

I have not listened to Emily before and a thanks to ONLYONEARROW for the mention above, and read her bio on tidal and she looks very interesting.

Looking forward to 'Sweet Kind of Blue!'

Such a great 'whole' album.

G

Hearing this so much in the wild, great to hear it on home turf.

To The Bone is not Raven nor Grace, but it should be celebrated similarly. Steven Wilson is a progressive musician advancing his craft, and “progressive” has become yet another genre (or sub-genre, whatever) that refuses to let artists branch out when evolving is the spirit of the whole thing. Yes this it is more poppy than some past releases, but there is no other pop music that sounds like it does when Wilson decides to play it.

Solo piano for solo work (cleaning the house):

Five stars rating on AllMusic:

If you don't already know these eight discs by Argentinean pianist Martha Argerich, you owe it to yourself to stop whatever you're doing and hear them because by common consent they represent a peak of postwar pianism. Argerich's technique knows no limits, and her personality as captured here knows no restraint. Thankfully these qualities are matched by Argerich's excellent taste, which prohibits her from lapsing into bathos or bombast. True, her Bach is extremely expressive, her Schumann wildly passionate, and her Liszt nearly explosive, but those qualities never topple from the razor's edge of balance or give in to self-aggrandizement. Whatever she brings out of the scores is intrinsic to the music, and there's nothing in her performances, no matter how extravagant or flamboyant, which cannot be justified. If you don't already know these recordings, try her 1960 reading of Prokofiev's Toccata and her 1975 account of Chopin's C sharp minor Prélude, Op. 45: the former's relentless drive and demonic energy are as overwhelmingly exciting as the latter's sustained phrasing and lyrical melancholy achieve an emotional summit. From 1960 to 1984 and from stereo to digital, Deutsche Grammophon's sound is as good as recorded sound gets: clear, clean, quiet, and immediate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT68hCACDQc

1973 - vinyl - U.K. first pressing...

Classic R @ S release from back in the day 

On Blue Vinyl. A strong start and finish but a mighty slump in the middle. Their worst album thus far IMO.

Now Playing......

David Gray - A Century Ends

Something from days gone by......

Streaming | WAV

(1984)

Mention today on another thread of this live album prompted me to give this a spin. From an original 1984 Vertigo label CD.