What are you listening to? February 2022

[Unsomnambulist]

Pedro the Lion ~ Winners Never Quit (2000)



I have had this on CD-R for at least 15 years. I think I have it on vinyl, too.

You'd think in all that time I would've rated it by now.

P. S. Whomever said "winners never quit" never met me. /s

It's the evil that never seem to quit.

 

[axolotl]

It's the evil that never seem to quit.

I would say that it is the point behind this album's title.

[David Bazan agrees with you... or vice versa.]

P. S. I will post some lyrics in the appropriate thread.

 

[axolotl]

William Basinski ~ The Disintegration Loops III (2003)



Tape Music, Ambient, Minimalism, Drone

From the top RYM review, in pertinent part:

Spoiler

Anyone that knows me well knows that the more avant-garde, experimental or inaccessible a record is, the higher chance there is I'll end up loving it. I couldn't think of anything more so than The Disintegration Loops III. Consisting of only 2 tracks, one of which is 20 minutes, the other which is an astounding 52 minutes, the album is, in my opinion, one of the finest ambient/drone albums ever made.

Everyone that knows William Basinski would know the story behind The Disintegration Loops. William Basinski had created ambient loops about 20 years previous using reel-to-reel tape recording. He stored the tapes away and they weren't kept in the best order over the next 20 years. When Basinski decided to transfer the recording of the tapes to CD, the state that the tapes had been left in meant that, over time, the loops had disintegrated and whilst it was being recorded, magnetic oxide strips from the tapes began falling off, meaning the record was literally falling apart as it was being made.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Georg Friedrich Handel - Coronation Anthems (Academy of Ancient Music/Choir of King’s College/Steven Cleobury)

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Robert Schumann - Carnaval; Kreisleriana (Mitsuko Uchida)

 

[Ojai Sam]

Robert Schumann - Carnaval; Kreisleriana (Mitsuko Uchida)

View attachment 7335

I saw her at the Ojai Music Festival a few years ago with Pierre Boulez. What amazing talents.

You can't go wrong with anything in the DG/Philips "Originals" series, which runs to some 204 releases.

Vera Lynn - Singles Collection (rec. 1936-62, Acrobat comp. 2020)



This 6 disc set is the answer to a collector's prayer. It includes material from Crown, Decca, London, MGM and HMV. Even at this size, the compilers could only cover "at least one side of a significant proportion of her releases during this era." Like Bing Crosby here, the sheer vastness of her catalog testifies to the central role Dame Vera held in British culture.

On the Sam-O-Meter.

At less than $5 per disc on Amazon, it's a real bargain!

 

[Ojai Sam]

Henry Cow - Hamburg (1976)

 

[Nickyboy]

I saw her at the Ojai Music Festival a few years ago with Pierre Boulez. What amazing talents.

You can't go wrong with anything in the DG/Philips "Originals" series, which runs to some 204 releases.

Vera Lynn - Singles Collection (rec. 1936-62, Acrobat comp. 2020)

View attachment 7338

This 6 disc set is the answer to a collector's prayer. It includes material from Crown, Decca, London, MGM and HMV. Even at this size, the compilers could only cover "at least one side of a significant proportion of her releases during this era." Like Bing Crosby here, the sheer vastness of her catalog testifies to the central role Dame Vera held in British culture.

On the Sam-O-Meter.

At less than $5 per disc on Amazon, it's a real bargain!

But does it include "We'll Meet Again"?

 

[Ojai Sam]

But does it include "We'll Meet Again"?

For sure! Two versions, along with these favorites in the same vein:

Till The Lights Of London Shine Again
It's A Lovely Day Tomorrow
There'll Come Another Day
I'll Walk Beside You
I'll Think Of You
When They Sound The Last "All Clear"
You're In My Dreams
(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover
I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time
When The Lights Go On Again (All Over The World)
Do You Ever Dream Of Tomorrow?
Again
I'll Keep The Love Light Burning In My Heart
The Homing Waltz
Forget-Me-Not
When Swallows Say Goodbye
When You Hear Big Ben (You're Home Again)
I'll Wait For You
The Homecoming Waltz
Travellin' Home
Home For The Holidays (There's No Place Like)

And for variety's sake, we can also enjoy "(When You're Up To Your Neck In Hot Water) Be Like The Kettle And Sing"

 

[Ojai Sam]

Concertgebouw Orchestra (Antal Dorati, cond.) - Der Nussknacker (Gesamtaufnahme) (1976)

Vinyl Rip Of The Day.

Got your attention with the German title, didn't I? Tchaikovsky's ballet may be very familiar but it is nevertheless a stunning work in its entirety. Hearing the overture, transitional music and finale juxtaposed with the catchy melodies all of us could hum reveals just how skillfully the composer wove together many moods and tones to create a powerful score that supports the fantastic narrative told through the mute tableaux of dance.

Surprisingly, there are many recordings available today containing extracts but few with the complete work. Dorati's 1962 version on Mercury Living Presence with the London Symphony can still be had on CD. But despite its sonic beauty, for my money this one on Philips from the following decade shows a lot more nuance and insight. It was never released digitally except as part of an OOP 50 CD box. Even this old double LP package was hard to find but well worth the effort.

on the Sam-O-Meter.

 

[axolotl]

Nojima Plays Liszt ~ Mephisto Waltz #1, La Campanella, Harmonies du soir, Feux Follets, Sonata in B Minor (1987)



Minoru Nojima tickles the Romantic ivories

 

[Ojai Sam]

John Coltrane - 17 Novembre 1962: Live In Paris (Fremeaux et Associes 2020)

The steady flow of new Coltrane material continues....

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Voivod - Synchro Anarchy (2022)



This is like pop metal. No screamo or growl. Even easier to listen to than Metallica.

 

[axolotl]

Voivod - Synchro Anarchy (2022)

This is like pop metal. No screamo or growl. Even easier to listen to than Metallica.

Okay. So, do you love it, hate it, or something in-between?

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Okay. So, do you love it, hate it, or something in-between?

I like it a lot. I would like it a lot more if it was less commercial sounding.

 

[Ojai Sam]

Peter Ustinov, London Symphony Orchestra (Istvan Kertesz, cond.) - Kodaly: Hary Janos (1969)

I've never seen this singspiel (or any singspiel for that matter), but judging by the cover art it must be a lot of fun. The music sure is. Peter Ustinov turns in a bravura performance.

 

[axolotl]

Jake Xerxes Fussell ~ What in the Natural World (2017)



Americana, Contemporary Folk, Piedmont Blues, Country Blues

"Holy shades of early Ry Cooder, Batman!"

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)



The track "Finer Feelings" sounds incredible as rendered by my Bifrost 2 DAC.

 

[Ojai Sam]

London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus (Istvan Kertesz, cond.) - Kodaly: Psalmus Hungaricus • The Peacock Variations (1971)

 

[Ojai Sam]

Ton Koopman & The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra - J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suites No. 1-4 (1997)

As Little Milton would no doubt have said, if Ton Koopman doesn't look like a classical harpsichordist, then grits ain't groceries, eggs ain't poultry and Mona Lisa was a man.