Thanks Rush...Ill be looking for the Waterlily as well. Well... Joe..what else tonight but the aforementioned "Songs my Mother Taught Me"..and Acoustic Alchemy's "Natural Elements" on the MCA 42125. Webb and Carmicheal let loose with a mix of upbeat and somber melodies on this digital recording.
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If you enjoy Delmoni's playing, you may also enjoy his recording on Waterlily 05 performing works of Bach, Ysaye and Kreisler (wonderful sonics, too); his recording of the Franck and Faure Sonatas Violin and Piano on Northstar DS0015; and his collaboration with Nathaniel Rosen on "Glass Bead Game" (John Marks 15, CD only unfortunately). And, if you like Delmoni's playing style, you may also enjoy the cello playing of Nathaniel Rosen (who partners with Delmoni on Glass Bead Game). A recording of Rosen's that is well worth looking for is "Oriental - Various Short Works for Cello" (NorthStar NS 0027). . |
SlipknotI -- I really like "Songs my Mother Taught me" by Arturo Delmoni(1986). When I first found this copy used a few years back..I chuckeled to myself and thought...Okay, what the heck! $2.00 is no big loss.... I didn't know Id be playing it so often and how wondeful this guy plays. He was a child prodigy born in NYC and entered Julliard as a Naumberg Scholar as you probably know. What a delightful recording and Violin playing genius exhibited here, with this recording dedicated to his Mother and father. |
Tonite it looks like Return to Forever "Romantic Warrior" Japan 25AP 55, followed by Chicagos Greatest Hits (Columbia USA) then Toto Farenheit, and if theres still time left I just found a copy of Glenn Frey The Allnighter QuiexII Promo. That should do it! Maynard Ferguson "Storm" Nautilus CD in the transport right now. |
Arturo Delmoni "Songs My Mother Taught Me" (North Star DS0004) Arturo Delmoni, violin and Meg Bachman Vas, piano. A collection of short works by the likes of Kreisler, Smetana, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, etc. Simply recorded with two microphones at Holy Trinity Church in NYC. F.J. Haydn "Harmoniemesse" Mass in B flat. Academy of St.Martin-in-the-Fields/Choir of St. John's College Cambridge (Argo ZRG 515) This is another one of those recordings you come across that are surprising. I have come to discover that recordings from the Argo lable have a lot to offer. The two I have been listening to; this one and the Holst "Savitri" are both works for voice and both feature great artists and wonderful performances that capture the acoustic space in which they were performed. Arthur Salvatore has several Argo works on his list, and while I find myself in disagreement with his choices in equipment, more times than not I find that a lot of his music recommendations are in my collection, and I find myself searching out those I don't have. |
"Gershwin- An American in Paris..Leonard Slatkin" Marvelous recording! Another great example of the exceptional work done by the Aubort/Nickrenz team for Vanguard and Nonesuch. These Vanguard recordings that were reissued by Reference Recordings are well worth seeking out. Agree with Ken completely. . |
RR recording(Rm-1005) of Gershwin- An American in Paris..Leonard Slatkin & St.Louis Symp....light and easy with exceptional soundstaging and wonderful full bass. Next up is Classical Records(LSC 2298) Borodin..Symphony No.2 Rimsky-Korsakoff...Capriccio Espagnole March from "Tsar Saltan" LSO. Very nicely done. Phoebe Snow(self titled) Shelter records SR2109. Love that Harpo's Blues and Poetry Man. Ending with: Allison Krauss + Union Station Rounder/Diverse 2001...Great stuff indeed! I just upgraded all my IC's to RSA Poiema! what a sweet, dynamic IC with the best bass Ive yet heard from the Aries2/JMW10/ ZYX FS |
Actually, KOB, Sketches, and Bag's Groove aren't much like each other either, and that's a defining aspect of Miles' body of work overall. Neither would I consider BOTC to be particularly similar to any of the above for that matter. I'm not much of one for the electric material from In A Silent Way going forward, but briefly would recommend the titles Miles Ahead, Cookin', and E.S.P. if you don't have any of them already. Each one of those also represents a different period and group, with Miles Ahead being more like Sketches, Cookin' more like Bag's Groove, and E.S.P. representing the post-KOB, pre-Bitches Brew acoustic Miles. Check out Sdcampbell's posts on this general subject for a detailed examination. |
Joe, Birth of the Cool is a good title similar in many ways to the ones you've mentioned. However because it's not at all like them, you've also got to check out Bitches Brew. It's the jazz equivalent of Dylan going electric in '66. A chaotic, mesmerizing tornado of sound with many of the later era electric jazz icons: Corea, McLaughlin, Shorter, Lenny White, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette. It ain't no easy listen, but it's something to behold. With the volume way up! Cheers, Spencer |
Miles Davis "Kind Of Blue" (Columbia CS 8163) Listened to two different Classic Records reissues tonight. first the 200 gram, then the 45 rpm reissue. I never tire of listening to this masterpiece. The line up of performers and the selection of music for this album are first rate and perfect for lower volume late night listening. This recording introduced me to Miles Davis, and I have added to my collection "Sketches of Spain", "Bag's Groove" and a few others. I would ask the more enlightened and experienced posters here to please recommend other Miles Davis recordings similar in style to the above. I also have the better known Coltrane releases as well as almost all of Bill Evans' work as well, but would like to explore Davis a little more. Thanks. |
Getting an early start on a rainy Saturday in the East: Roger Waters "Radio KAOS" (Columbia 40795) Interesting work. A bit of a spill over from some of "The Wall" in that Waters continues to explore the numbing effects of the media, in particular radio and television. Shades of what is to come in the now legendary (for sonics) "Amused To Death" Side 2 opens with a large dog barking off to the left as a transistor radio DJ voice begins in the right speaker and moves to the center. Some will argue that Water's solo works are over-indulgent drivel, but his production values are second to none. No excuse if the music is lousy, but sometimes sonics are fun in and of themselves. Pink Floyd "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" (Columbia 40599) Too many have dismissed the post-Waters Pink Floyd efforts. I would invite you to give a listen this LP. "Learning To Fly" and "Sorrow" show some of the spark of the DSOTM and WYWH years. Supertramp "Paris" (A&M SP-6702) Great live LP, with quiet surfaces and good dynamics. Supposedly the one to get your hands on of this LP is a Canadian pressing. They are alleged to best the excellent Japanese pressings. Next up: A Polycarbinate: Pink Floyd "Division Bell" Only because I don't have the LP. The most underated and oft-dismissed of the post-Waters era. I enjoy it's rather cynical look at human relationships. A nice break from the Big Brother, government, media, nihlism Waters is so famous for. |
•Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - Dap Dippin' etc.: Brooklyn based funk outfit with FAT bass lines and great horn-based groove. Clearly inspired by JB but they also have their own greasy, funky thing going on. Sharon is a hurricane of a front woman. The louder the better. •Audioslave - Bought this on my son's recommendation and like it better than I thought I would based on what I heard on his system and the radio. Absolutely murders the CD, which has not been the case with Rage Against the Machine's LPs. The mating of Chris Cornell with the RATM rhythm kings doesn't always work, but creates a fatter, deeper groove than RATM when it does. Show Me How to Live is a good example. •Joy of Cooking - A San Francisco hippy group from the early 70s that played a gently cooking bluesy-jazz-rock hybrid. Songs are quite good but the reason to listen to this one is the awesome Terry Garthwaite. Had vocal qualities that were reminiscent of Janis Joplin but without that center-of-the-earth power. Because of that she used a more nuanced approach. Brownsville Mockingbird is a great tune. |
All this talk of Roland Kirk has me playing The Jaki Byard Experience (Prestige), with Kirk on reeds. It's a terrific LP (also now on CD). It also features Richard Davis on bass. I was lucky enough to catch Kirk at the Village Vanguard back in 1973 when I was right out of college. It was around the time he released "Bright Moments," and he used a lot of those songs to really stretch out. Incrediable musician. I had to catch a train so couldn't stay for the end of the second set, to my lasting regret. |
Zaikes, Roland Kirk's The Inflated Tear came out in 1967, selling 10k copies in the first year(pretty big for a jazz LP then). It was his first LP for Atlantic. Check this link for a nice synopsis on his discography: http://www.mp3.com/albums/55944/summary.html Their summary of The inflated Tear - "This is Roland Kirk at his most poised and visionary; his reading of azz harmony and fickle sonances are nearly without peer. And only Mingus understood Ellington in the way Kirk did. That evidence is here also. If you are looking for a place to start with Kirk, this is it." I also own "Natural Black Inventions: Root Strata", but wouldn't recommend it nearly as much. The Domino re-issue is near the top of my shopping list. If you haven't already, I strongly suggest digging into Charles Mingus, an obvious influence on Kirk, and a genius in his own right. Regards, Spencer |
Rushton: You're welcome, and likewise on your own posts, even though classical obviously isn't (and I'm afraid never will be) my main bag. I never did see much point in simply enumerating disks listened-to without also commenting on them to some degree if possible. Spencer: Have you heard the other Kirk titles I listed? For whichever you have, what is your opinion on those? And when was "The Inflated Tear" recorded and for what label? |
Roland Kirk - Domino [Verve Master Edition expanded CD reissue 2000, orig. Mercury stereo LP 1962] Considering how tough it would probably be to find a copy of the original record, unless you're very knowledgable or very fortunate, this could be one of the best classic jazz albums you've never heard. That's certainly how it struck me when I discovered this recently - I already owned a two-LP compilation of some of his later stuff on I believe Atlantic that never grabbed me all that much, but this set is a different story altogether. Kirk is perhaps best remembered for his astonishing ability to simultaneously play three horns at once, a tenor and two unorthodox instruments I gather he basically made up out of modified old saxophones, which he called a "manzello" and a "stritch". Ian Anderson fanatics also take note, Kirk was apparently the first to gain notice playing flute mixed with voice; a nose flute and siren whistle round out his stable of noisemakers here. Kirk, fresh off a stint with Mingus, is accompanied by a band including pianists Andrew Hill, Wynton Kelly, and Herbie Hancock from different recording dates, plus drummer Roy Haynes and others. Kirk alone handles all the wind instruments, changing over within songs at a flash, and playing unison lines himself on two or three together. Sometimes dismissed as a 'gimmick' player for his multi-horn and circular-breathing techniques, this record offers powerful evidence to the contrary; it's melodic, swinging, energetic, succinct, distinctive yet varied (from modal to funky to sweetly reflective, with the occasional brief embellishment of raucous free form), and above all greatly enjoyable music made by an artist with a clear, purposeful vision. Highly recommended to fans of post-bop small-band jazz, the remaster sounds great, and several of the bonus cuts are worthy additions to the ten originally included. This was Kirk's second record as leader (first with his regular band), and I fully intend to check out his debut ("We Free Kings") and subsequent releases ("Reeds And Deeds", "Rip, Rig, And Panic"), as listed in the updated liner notes. |
I've been on a tear with lots of newly acquired, both new & used. The theme is Ray Brown is worth big $$$. Ray Brown - Soular Energy(blue extra over-priced version) Ray Brown/Shelley Manne/Bud Shank - Shades of Dring Ray Brown & Laurindo Almeida - Audiophile Legends Bright Eyes Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground Dvorak, Antonin Istvan Kertesz / London Sym Sym no.5 in E minor Op.95 "From the New World"(SpeakersCorner) Coltrane, Alice Transfiguration (Live) Genesis Seconds Out Rollins, Sonny Way Out West OJC Prokofiev, Ravel, deFalla -Love For 3 Oranges Suite, La Valse; Dance from La Vide Breve Susskind conducts LSO; Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield & Al Kooper Schubert, Franz Quintet in A Major Op. 114 "Trout" Music-wise, I'm all over the map these days...Cheers, Spencer |
Recapitulating some recent spins... Gloria Jones - Come Go With Me [Uptown mono LP, 1965] Pop-soul singer best known for the original version of "Tainted Love" (an international smash for synth-wave duo Soft Cell in the early 80's), here in her album debut, produced and written-for by the versatile Ed Cobb, who's known more for his work with garage rockers The Standells and The Chocolate Watch Band (and had once been a member of the easy listening vocal group The Four Preps!). Jones later married glam-rocker Marc Bolan of T. Rex. The Isley Brothers - Soul On The Rocks [Tamla stereo LP, 1967] They were only associated with Motown for several singles and two LPs, the other being the hit-single-entitled "This Old Heart Of Mine". This one features "Got To Have You Back", covered in the early 80's by Ireland's The Undertones. Esther Phillips - Set Me Free [Atlantic 2LP compilation, 1986] Collection spanning 1964-1970, presented in original mono and stereo with unreleased bonus tracks. Tyrone Davis - Can I Change My Mind [Dakar stereo LP, 1969] His debut preceded big hit "Turn Back The Hands Of Time". The Manhattans - Dedicated To You [Carnival mono LP, 1965] Long-running soul stalwarts' debut. Any record featuring "The Boston Monkey", "Manhattan Stomp", and "Teach Me (The Philly Dog)" is A-OK by me. Little Junior Parker - Driving Wheel [MCA reissue LP, orig. Duke label LP 1962] Outstanding rhythm & blues from the "Mystery Train" man, with fantastic sound to boot, was re-ished more than once, snag on sight. Andre Benichou - Jazz Guitar Bach [Nonesuch mono LP, mid-60's] More like 'Surf Guitar Bach' with all that reverb and twang, plus groovy supporting group The Well-Tempered Three. Hey, if it was good enough for Edward Tatnall Canby to write the liners, who can turn up a snooty nose? Love the transcriptions and this record. Memphis Slim - Rockin' The Blues [Charly import CD, 1992] Collected late 50's Vee-Jay sides of the pianist/singer featuring the smokin' guitar of Matt Murphy, who you might recall from the Blues Brothers movie. Wayne Shorter - The All Seeing Eye [Blue Note reissue CD 1994, orig. 1965] With Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, and Ron Carter among others. Nat Hentoff's liners state that the title refers to God looking over the universe before His act of Creation (but isn't that a logical contradiction?). By turns thematic and free-form, more cacophonous and less obviously song-oriented and swinging than most of Shorter's contemporaneous work, can be challenging or even irrating but has its rewards for the patient and adventuresome. Milt Jackson - Statements [Impulse! expanded reissue CD 1993, orig. 1962] With Hank Jones, Paul Chambers, and Connie Kay from one session; Jimmy Heath, Tommy Flanagan, and Richard Davis plus Kay from another. This is certainly a nice record, but overall I think I prefer his Atlantic sides. Dinah Washington - What A Diff'rence A Day Makes [Mercury CD reissue 1984, orig. 1959] Those who hold that CDs made so early in the game will invariably sound unlistenable should avoid this one, which although it doesn't sound like an LP, does sound like it probably offers a pretty good view of the mastertape. Get With The Beat - The Mar-Vel' Masters/A Lost Decade Of American Rock And Roll [Rykodisc CD, 1989] Amazing collection of hillbilly obscurities from the 50's and 60's recorded by producer/honcho Harry Glenn for his Indiana-based Mar-Vel' ("Hits Of Tomorrow, Recorded Today") and associated labels, and originally compiled on the Cowboy Carl label in the mid-70's. Highly recommended for all fans of raw'n'rural rockabilly and honky tonk, with great, honest small-studio high fidelity sound in the manner of Buddy Holly's New Mexico sides. Wynder K. Frog - Out Of The Frying Pan [Edsel/Island reissue CD, 1995, orig. 1968] Brit session organist Mick Weaver's public alter ego - funky, jazzy instro covers and originals, produced by Gus Dudgeon and Jimmy Miller. Good fun. The Rolling Stones - Metamorphosis [Abkco reissue CD, 2002] The first of the DSD remasters that I've tried, so of course I decided to start with the oddest duck in the catalog. I don't have an SACD player, and I haven't yet had a chance to compare this to the LP. Jason Falkner - Author Unknown [Elektra CD, 1996] I was never a big Jellyfish fan, but I do dig about a good half of what's here (mostly the first half). One-man-band post-everthing power-pop of some considerable musical ingenuity and accomplishment, if not necessarily emotional impact. Outkast - Stankonia [LaFace/Arista CD, 2000] This is about as 'down' as I get with rap today. Ralph Vaugh Williams - Film Music/RTE Concert Orchestra (Dublin)/Andrew Penny [Marco Polo CD, 1995] Themes and cues from the presumably British movies "49th Parallel", "Story Of A Flemish Farm", "Coastal Command", and "Three Portraits From The England Of Elizabeth". Never seen any of 'em, though apparently the composer scored music for 11 films in all, and I haven't seen or heard any of the others either. Hey, if it's not on Turner Classic Movies...but I have a feeling that this is the better way to enjoy the music. |
Nothing on the turntable, resorted to the Philadelphia Orchestra, with Christoph Eschenbach conducting, live at the Kimmel Center: Smetana: Dances from the Bartered Bride Grieg: Five Orchestral Songs (with Barbara Bonney, soprano) Dvorak: Symphony No. 7 Well played tonight! Some of the best music making we've yet heard Eschenbach and the Orchestra make together since his arrival as music director. (OK, the Mahler 9th a few weeks ago was pretty good, too.) Barbara Bonney was in great voice on the Grieg songs. One of those concerts you just don't want to end... And the Curtis Institute of Music students return from spring break next week with a full slate of free evening recitals - oh, that music lovers can be so lucky! . |
Tonight finishes with 2 Windham Hill recordings and Holly Cole: --An Evening with Windham Hill Live/ 1983 -WH 1026 --William Ackerman-Conferring with the Moon/ 1986 -WH-1050 and: Holly Cole- Temptation. Blue Note 200G. quite a recording! Its late and Im off to put on the Grado 325's with some Knopfler guitar! :) |
Started this afternoon with...Mendelssohn/Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos. Issac Stern Ormandy Philidelphia Orch. Mendelssohn: Concerto in E Minor for Violin and orch. OP64 Tchaikovsky: Concerto in D major for Violin and Orch. OP35 CBS MS 6062 ...1959 Glorious Violin! Next up ...Itzhak Perlman..Paganini: The 24 Caprices, OP1 Angel Stereo S-36880 |
i just recieved a Music Direct record cleaning brush,,100%better than the brush that came with my VPI RCM,,it looks like a copy of the Disk Doctor brush,, records have less surface noise now!tonight i played,Heart "Dreamboat Annie",Al DeMeola"Land of the Midnight Sun",The Doobie Brothers"Toulouse Street" |
Too little credit was given to the Chesky LP reissues, imo. I've always found many of them to be excellent. The "Lieutenant Kije/Song of the Nightingale" reissue you mention is a good example of a really nice remastering job that captures a lot of excellent instrumental delicacy and timbre. The Classic Records reissue of this LP is very good, capturing other characteristics of the recording in a good way. I keep both in my collection for their respective virtues. One of the GREAT LP reissues, and one of the GREAT ORCHESTRAL recordings ever is a Chesky reissue from the Readers Digest series. That LP is Stravinsky's "Petroushka" performed by Danon and the Royal Philharmonic, Chesky CR42, in a marvelous 1962 recording by the great Kenneth Wilkinson of Decca fame. Arthur Salvatore has been the only reviewer to include this on any recommended LP list I've seen, and he recognizes it as "The Finest Full Orchestra LP" on his list. As so often is the case, I agree with Arthur and think he has this very much right. . |
Tonnesen, Christopher Hogwood's performance with Monica Huggett and the Academy of Ancient Music is a very nice performance and very well recorded. Huggett is superb as the violin soloist. As originally issued on L'Oiseau Lyre in a 3 LP set, the LP version has exceptionally good sound quality. I've not heard the CD reissue that I've linked above. . |
I've been listening to a 1980 Deutsche Grammophon LP of Vivaldi's L'Estro Armonico, it's a 3 LP boxed set and an excellent recording with very nice imaging of the violins. I know there are many different recordings of these concertos - I'd be very interested to know if anyone has recommendations for other LP, CD or SACD releases. |
It's a rainy day here in CA so the stereo is going to get a workout. On right now is Messian's amazing maxi-opera St. Francis conduced by Kent Nagano, which will take the next 4 hours. My wide and I saw it performed in San Francisco last year and, frankly, something this long is easier to enjoy on disk than having to sit still in a coat and tie for all that time! Then, if the mailman brings it today, Tom Russell's new CD, Hotwalker. Neither are on vinyl or likely ever to be, but don't let that stop anyone. |
Bach/Vivaldi "Sonatos & Concertos" Helicon Ensemble (Reference Recordings RR-23) Ray Brown/Laurindo Almeida "Moonlight Serenade" (Jeton JET 33 004) A direct to disc recording featuring bassist Ray Brown and guitarist Laurindo Almeida. Superbly recorded with outstanding sonics, and, a medly version of Almeida playing Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" with Ray Brown weaving in and out playing the jazz standard "Round Midnight" on the bass. William Ackerman "Passage" (Windham Hill WH 1014) Pieces for acoustic guitar with some duet work featuring other artists from the Windham Hill lable. A fairly early digitally recorded LP, but what makes this one interesting is that it was mastered by Stan Ricker at MFSL, pressed at RTI, and done on Quiex heavy vinyl. Windham Hill had the right idea for QC in 1981, and it shows. The surface is quiet, the master is not bad for an early digital to LP effort. |
Time for a kickstart... The Dave Myers Effect - Greatest Racing Themes [Carole/GNP Crescendo stereo LP, mid-60's] Organ and fuzz guitar-driven hot rod instro's replete with overdubbed squealing tires and revving engines, as was the brief trend at the time. Several killer tunes, including an unlikely cover of jazz pianist Ray Bryant's "Shake-A-Lady". The Rock-A-Teens - Woo-Hoo [Roulette mono LP, 1960] There's been a TV commercial running recently that uses The 5,6,7,8's cover version of the title tune (a wordless falsetto 'woo-hoo, woo-hoo-hoo' repeated over boppin'th'blues changes), and it does have a crazy way of sticking in your head (not that I can recall who it's advertising). This Virginia group seems something of an oddity, in that: they debuted playing what is for the most part quite countrified rockabilly music at the time when that genre's historic practitioners were moving on stylistically; rockabilly wasn't generally a music that had been associated with groups per se (unlike, say, doowop); they actually got to record a nationally-distributed album as minor one-hit-wonders who were of course promptly never heard from again. It's a good'un though, and I believe Norton reissued it. John Lewis Presents Contemporary Music - Jazz Abstractions: Compositions By Gunther Schuller & Jim Hall [Atlantic mono LP, about 1960] With Ornette Coleman, Scott LaFaro, Eric Dolphy, Eddie Costa, Bill Evans, George Duvivier, Jim Hall and others including The Contemporary String Quartet. The highlight is Schuller's side-long "Variants On A Theme Of Thelonius Monk (Criss-Cross)". The album bears a dedication to LaFaro, who was killed shortly before its release. This type of 'third stream' modern jazz/modern classical fusion music hasn't always aged so well, and some of what's here is pretty pretentious, but in limited doses I like this stuff when it works. Daughters Of Albion - (self-titled) [Fontana LP, about 1968] Leon Russell-produced, guy-svengali/girl-singer duo consisting of songwriter/guitarist Greg Dempsey with Kathy Yesse. The jacket (a dreaded UniPak gatefold) makes you think you're in for some lame hippy-dippy self-indulgence, replete as it is with a set of 3 colorful 'big-eye' cartoon mini-posters depicting the happy, hairy couple demurely naked while engaging in such Aquarian Age psychedelic pastimes as holding flowers and flying upon a cloud-dragon (that is, once you get past the strange, out-of-focus black and white cover shot). But surprise surprise, the album is actually a succinct, highly enjoyable and accomplished pop-rock delight, featuring Russell's typically astute baroque orchestrations, concise tune running-lengths, fine singing, snappy guitar work, smart lyrics, and musical hooks galore. Recommend fans of West Coast 60's pop snatch this obscurity up if you ever stumble across it (to the best of my knowledge it's never been reissued but ought to be, though the curious can probably download it). Yesse went on to record under the name Kathy Dalton in the 70's. The Five Americans - Progressions [Abnak LP, 1967] The "Western Union" guys return, good as ever. Very talented group that straddled the line between garage-rock and bubble-gum pop, in the vein of Paul Revere & The Raiders, Every Mother's Son, and The Ohio Express (musically that is, not in sales). The Monkees - Head [Canadian RCA/Colgems LP, 1968] Not the more common "Headquarters" LP, but the soundtrack to the band's ill-fated trip-flick collaboration with Jack Nicholson. The music's not gonna make anybody forget their earlier mega-records with Don Kirshner in charge, but neither is it anywhere near as questionable as the movie was - in fact, it's mostly not bad at all. The Clovers - Five Cool Cats [Edsel, British compilation LP, 1984] Collects much of the cream from this seminal rhythm & blues vocal group's 50's Atlantic sides, including "One Mint Julep" and "Your Cash Ain't Nothing But Trash" (before they switched to United Artists under the auspices of Lieber and Stoller and hit big with the original "Love Potion No.9"). Miles Davis - E.S.P. [Columbia LP, 70's reissue, orig. 1965] Picking up the "Sorcerer" expanded reissue CD I listed above has sent me back to some of the other Shorter/Carter/Hancock/Williams group recordings - the last period of Miles' evolution I'm into. The Stillroven - Cast Thy Burden Upon... [Sundazed compilation LP, 1996, orig. rec. 1966-68] Good Minneapolis-based garage punk/psych group that never broke out of the Midwest with their handful of small-label singles. A quick visit to the discard pile... The Young Fresh Fellows - Totally Lost [Frontier LP, 1988] Faces - First Step [Warner LP, 1969] Chuck Berry - The London Sessions [Chess reissue LP, orig. 1972] Jefferson Airplane - Takes Off [RCA reissue LP, orig. 1966] My 'discard pile' is historically actually a place where records go to be ignored for years and then exhumed to see if my mind's changed again. But despite the Faces LP being an original gatefold issue (temporarily still bearing the by-then-obsolete group name "Small Faces"), I don't think anything could alter my dim view of this supremely boring bump in the road. It's just hard to fathom how the same core group of musicians who were concurrently busy making Rod Stewart's landmark early solo records, and who would soon make some very good ones under their group moniker, could put out such an energy-deficient dud as this 'debut'. The closest thing to a decent song here is Stewart's "Three Button Hand Me Down", which is merely a highly inferior retread of his own contemporaneous "An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down". The cover photo is great, the music and performances a tedious waste of time. The Young Fresh Fellows record I want to like more than I do, and suspect it will always remain thus. With Jefferson Airplane, I've decided that all I really require (though maybe that's too strong a way to put it) are "Surrealistic Pillow" and "Crown Of Creation", complemented by the "2400 Fulton Street" early anthology (I have a very low tolerance for the San Francisco sound and most hippy music in general). I happened to catch the Airplane/Starship performing for free on the beach in Santa Cruz in front of a hometown crowd the summer before last, and must say that unquestioned geezerdom doesn't excuse them from being as predictably yawn-inducing as they were IMO. Supposedly "The London Sessions" is Chuck's best-selling LP ever. Well, I guess that certainly isn't his fault. I love the guy to death, but I don't need to keep cobbled-together toss-offs made even by the likes of him. I got this rereleased version to see if the remastering job could raise my interest since I never listen to my original copy, but now it's time to quit while I'm behind. The lesser-name Brit backing units are criminally unswinging (sorry to pick on Mr. Kenny Jones twice in one post), and Chuck didn't exactly write any new standards for the occasion. Long live rock and roll, of which "My Ding-A-Ling" ain't never gonna be a great example. If you want a Chess "London Sessions", stick with the quite good Howlin' Wolf or Muddy Waters, though none are necessaries next to the peerless originals. |