Artists of the Decade

First I have to say that vinyl is the only medium I will audition anything seriously with. CD sound floor is still too high and the sound is compressed.

For those who don't know about good analog,they are missing out.
Also, I rarely get to audition new gear in a parlor.I do go to many homes for listening sessions for fun and to help out.

that said,if I am going into a parlour I try to tailor the music with the idea of testing the component I am interested in,not the whole system. I try not to push the system into playing something that will sound good, but what will reveal possible problems and possible excitement.
I like to listen to choral music so that is what I use.
King's College, Elgar's "Coronation Ode." EMI
King's College, "Vaughn Williams/Howells" Argo
Corydon Singers,"Vaughn Williams/Howells" Hyperion
King's College, Palastrina, "Stabat Mater"

Some times these are quite tough to reproduce well,but are good tests. There are fairly sever high transients and very low and powerful organ pedal notes,and loads of texture and mid range sound stage.
Then I try some pop LPs for electronic speed and dynamics.
lately I have been listening to Chris Isaak's "Heart Shaped World",and Christy Moore's "Voyage". These are both great albums for auditioning.(and just for fun)
Also,jazz: Sphere's "Flight Path" and "Live"
these LPs have the lowest sound floor of almost ANY record I own. amazing music too.

I have heard many "high end" CD players and Dacs and they never get it all.There is always something missing. Once you have heard what a great vinyl rig can do,you are done.

btw I don't buy reissues. I am old enough to own many LPs from the golden age of vinyl, and Ebay and my local used record store provide ample opportunity to get more for dirt cheap. Also let me add,that reissues never sound as good as good originals.I own several MoFi half speeds and most of them suck.At best they equal the original.I have also heard some of the expensive 180-200grm reissues and they were so compressed and lifeless I would be embarrassed to play them.

happy Christmas

e

webmaster please delete the last post.I mistakenly typed on the wrong string.

Artist of the decade.?????

I love Bruce, but not his later stuff.
I am really having a hard time with this one.No one is outstanding.there will never be another Beatles.

I would say that the winner is:

the producers of idiot shows like "American Idol".
and the promoters of kiddy sex idols like Brittany Spears
pedophilia rock dance crap.

btw why do we care what people look like if all we are doing is listening to their music? I don't watch MTV.

I have to say I don't see rap as music at all.Certainly nothing I am interested in.

I agree that it was a waste of a decade,musically. It is hard to understand that the decade of George II;one of the most devisive and destructive regimes, starting with the war(s) and ending with the biggest bank collapse and subsequent recession in history.
And no one wrote ANYTHING! Where was Neal Young?
I admit that there might have been some rap or hip hop that addressed these times,but to me that medium is unapproachable. Too old you might say, but I can say the same thing about most rock and roll because there is a lot of bad music in rock too.But at least it is music.
They say that art is a reflection of culture.If that is true of this generation,we have problems.
I don't see Rap as to the new century the way Rock was to the 50's or what it later evolved to in the 60's and 70's.
Yes they are both generational,but one is a message and the other is a message with art.Frequently bad art but art never the less. I could never hold Elvis or CSNY or Springsteen to the level of Mozart or Shostakovitch.

I have to give Sting credit for attempting his "Songs from the Labyrinth" John Dowland project.A current rock star singing and playing 16th century equivalent of rock music.
I am sure it didn't sell well.

there are many artists that I could name that were great,but they are obscure and not in the pop scene at all.

for me personally,,,Andreas Scholl(countertenor).
he has taken a little known art form to a place it has never known. His voice has so much power.This is unusual with countertenors.He is a Handel specialist having sung many of Handel's operas,not to mention his 10 Harmonia Mundi recordings.
too bad they are all on CD.

happy Christmas

e

Emorris...thanks for setting us all straight.

Chas: "good" "melodic" and "Motown vocals" pretty much somes up Beyonce. That is why I assumed you had an epic collection. Bongoman

definitly not a waist of music this decade. i am 53 soon to turn 54. i was like many my age group stuck in the 60's and 70's. infact i remember people saying that the 70's are a waist of music. wrong there as well. there are a lot of new band that are really great. they may not be the beatles or springsteen or the stones or bob dylan, but great all the same. there are to many to name, all though i started a thread in the analog section "New favorite vinyl album" where many have been listed. reissuse are rarely as good as original and that goes for new music as well. you need to widen your horizons and list more then once. Springsteens early stuff(first 4 or 5 albums) no qusetion are his greatest or maybe even the greatest of all time. having said that the "the rising" and "magic" are great albums. "working on a dream" has it's moments. mix that in with all that he has done and been in volved in this last decade and there is just no doubt, ARTIST OF THE DECADE!

Dusty Springfield

Bongofury

"Name a better band that so effortlessly put out work as diverse as Kid A and In Rainbows."

Nickel Creek quickly comes to mind for this decade - or their mandolinist Chris Thile's solo work, for that matter.

The decade isn't over yet, is it?

Chashmal......
Could you please explain to me what makes listening to a cutting edge music genre that is full of wit, talent, superb production skills along with all the other elements (turntablism, breakdancing etc), not to mention the incredible accompanying music vids more repulsive than tuning into The Soprano's, a gangster movie or even an old Clint Eastwood flick? Crime tends to happen and gets documented (and glorified) whether in film, music or any other art form. It seems to me that some people must have John Tesh on constant rotation at home, when they aren't watching their archived collection of The Waltons, that is.

For me it has been Sufjan Stevens. I have been buying/listening to music obsessively since I was 11 years old, I am 48 now. It would be extremely difficult to find any artist that had released 3 consecutive records with the beauty and creativity of Stevens, "Michigan", "Seven Swans" and "Illinios". He has been compared to Dylan and Zappa in the same article, a hard feat! His vision, depth and soul has moved me like few artists. Introspective, spiritual, passionate, brave, avant guard....brilliant. Illinios may sound like a 10th grade marching band at first listen but once you "get it" there have been few records with the soul that lives in those songs. Please give us a decade more Sufjan!

Nice nod to Chris Whitley. I remember when he was Daniel Lanios's roadie and put together his first album. He was amazing live and one of the few guitar players that really channeled Jimmy when he rocked. Also the loudest show I have ever been too and that includes all my metal days! A very sad story for a talented dude.

sufjan stevens
decemberists
modest mouse