2012 Additions to Your Music Collection


The year is coming to an end and I just want to comment about some of the music I purchased. Every recording mentioned is highly recommended.

Feel free to talk about what you came across in 2012.

Bob Dylan -- Love And Theft, Original Mono Box Set, Time Out Of Mind. Can't say enough good things about Mr. Dylan. He's been so good for so long.

Boz Scaggs -- Dig. Boz can be hit or miss, but this is definitely a hit. Bass to die for.

Buddy & Julie Miller -- Written In Chalk

Cassandra Wilson -- Silver Pony. She's a national treasure.

Cocteau Twins -- Stars & Topsoil. A nice compilation.

Curtis Mayfield -- Superfly. I've never owned this record and after finally getting I realize for forty years I've denied myself a truly great record.

Dave Alvin -- Live From Austin TX. Kind of a greatest hits by one of the greatest living singer/songwriter.

Dream Academy -- Remembrance Day. I got a serious soft spot for their sound.

Esperanza Spalding -- Chamber & Radio Music Society. She's seriously talented and very entertaining.

Abercrombie/DeJohnette/Holland -- Homecoming, In the Moment. The sound even better 35 years after their first recordings.

Gretchen Parlato -- In A Dream, The Lost And Found. Sometime collaborator with Esperanza Spalding. There are some nice YouTube videos of them performing.

Hubert Sumlin -- Heart & Soul. If he had never played with Howlin' Wolf he would still be considered a top tier bluesman. He's an artist I will really miss.

Jack Wilkins -- Merge, Trioart. If you like jazz guitar he's a must hear.

James Blood Ulmer -- No Escape From the Blues.

Les Nubians -- Nu Revolution. A little like Sade, but more upbeat and a younger sound.

Macy Gray -- Covered.

Marshall Crenshaw -- Jaggedland. Another great record by Crenshaw.

Miles Davis Quintet -- Live In Europe 1967. Transitional period Miles.

Ojos De Brujo -- Aocana, Techari Live. Can't really describe it, but they are amazing. Techari also has a concert DVD. I don't see were they have ever played in the US.

Otis Rush -- All Your Love I Miss Loving.

Pete Anderson -- Daredevil, Even Things Up. Classy guitar roots rocking.

Red Hot Chili Peppers -- Mother's Milk. I've finally gotten into the RHCP.

Robbie Robertson -- How To Become Clairvoyant. Not great, but very, very good.

Roxy Music -- Complete Studio Recordings. A must have if you're a fan. A nice thing, they didn't remaster to make it loud.

Shelby Lynne -- Tears, Lies And Alibis. This is real country music.

Steve Cropper -- Dedicated - A Salute To the 5 Royales. Thank you Mr. Cropper for introducing me to their great music.

Swing Out Sister -- Beautiful Mess.

Tears For Fears -- Secret World.

Atlantic R&B 1947-1974. A definitive box set.
128x128onhwy61
Rok2id, I caught that; maybe it's one of those versions I might like. I have "Songs for Distinque Lovers".

Enjoy the music.
Received this month: All good, a few special. All have very good sound.

1. A Perfect Match -- Ella and Basie
A perfect voice under complete control! We will never see the likes of Ella again. Perfect!
WARNING: contains Sweet Georgia Brown :)

2. Songs for Distinque Lovers -- Billie Holiday
laid back performance, Romantic ballards. Ben Webster and 'Sweets" Edison on board.

3. The Nutcracker -- The Royal Ballet w/Miyako Yoshida
My favorite nutcracker. Reminder: The Battle of the Nutcrackers on Ovation next week.

4. The Beethoven Journey piano concertos Nos. 1 & 3 -- Leif Ove Andsnes/piano

5. Mozart Piano Concertos Nos. 9 & 21 -- Mitsuko Uchida

6. A Carnege Hall Christmas Concert -- Battle, von Stade, Marsalis, Previn
Sooooo Good. A Christmas CD that can be listened to all year. Great LIVE ambience. It's a pity all this country's great art is performed before the same crowd in NYC. They could have done this in Texas!!

7. Vivaldi Sonate da camera a tre, opus 1 -- L'Estravagante
wanted to have something other than the Four Seasons. I like it.

Cheers
Ben Howard

Angus Stone

Lord Huron

Tift Merrett

Latest from each is outstanding. if you have not heard Lord Huron you are in for a treat.

Neal
One item I would draw your attention to,that I just bought:

The Decca Sound

A box of 50 of the top SXL recordings from the great era of Decca recordings. On the UK Amazon site, it costs £95, that's about £2 a CD. This is really great stuff and wonderful CD mastering. It's a limited issue, that will shoot up in price, once it is sold out.
Pat Metheney & Anna Maria Jopek, "Upojenie", is one of the most incredible CD's I've ever heard; from a sonic standpoint as well as musically.
Not new but new to me
Tindersticks Curtains if you like Nick Cave or Leonard Cohen.
Only I find Stuart Staples to be much more musical.
Not new, but new to me:

'A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert'

Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Wynton Marsalis, Andre Previn. The Marsalis Septet.
Very good singing and arrangements. A different sort of Christmas CD. 5 Star for sure!!

'Mozart Piano Concertos No.9 K271 & No.21 K467'

Mitsuko Uchida - piano / The Cleveland Orch.
Uchida conducts and plays. Great sound and performance.

Cheers.
I would also add Bryan Ferry's Olympia to the list. Similar to Donald Fagen's Sunken Condos in that each album has the artist mining familiar ground. It's just that they do it so well.
Dgarretson-The Classic of Dirt Floor is out of print, but can be gotten from
Messenger Records, the label, in NYC. You can call the owner of the label
or order online. It is 100 dollars, but most of the Classic Records are pricier
now that they are OOP.
It is a 45 rpm album, though. The entire record is just him and his guitar in
a studio. The title track is haunting.
Albert- quite welcome.
Thanks, I was unaware of any Chris Whitley vinyl. What the world needs now is vinyl issues or at least good CD-remasters of his entire catalog. What an important box set that would be! Unfortunately he was not well enough known to find the profit in it.
Whart,

Regarding, "I'd rather go Blind." That single paid for itself the first few seconds with Brian Blade's smoking drum beats. Trixie's voice is a bonus, making this the bargain singles purchase of 2012.

Thanks for mentioning this Belgium pressing, I play it often. Everyone loves it.
Nice list, '61. Curtis Mayfield was a genius. Gotta find a copy of that Atlantic R&B compilation on vinyl.
I'll add, for vinyl lovers, the Cassandra Wilson Blue Light at Dawn, recently and very decently released on Pure Pleasure.
And, thanks to Albert Porter for turning me on to Black Dub on vinyl. Which in turn led me to Trixie Whitley's Belgian vinyl of the 45 EP of "I'd Rather go Blind" which in turn led me to her late father Chris Whitley's record, on Classic Records of the album, 'Dirt Floor.'
Mothers Milk- is the record that got me into the RHCP as well
Harmonious Wail ,Gypsy Swing-one of my favorites,
Loch Lomond,Little me will Start a Storm
Natalie Merchant ,Leave Your Sleep
Blaze Foley

This past year I have really started to enjoy Classical on a higher level than ever.
From your list - the Roxy box and the mono Dylan box are really excellent.

"Dig" is from quite a few years ago (gee, 10 years - how time flies), but I remember Peter McGrath using a track off this CD to demonstrate the deep bass from Wilson speakers, with Luke Manley's amps, at the Stereophile show in San Francisco.

Regards,