What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Hard to believe it's been 40 years.......

Experience Hendrix: The best of Jimi Hendrix -- CD

Jimi Hendrix

1998 Experience Hendrix
Amazon.com

Experience Hendrix brings together the major singles with a stack of majestic album tracks and the career-defining live Woodstock version of "The Star Spangled Banner" on a fat 20-tracker. While best used as a sampler to direct new listeners to the immortal Are You Experienced, Electric Ladyland, and so on, the CD (which supplants the short-lived Ultimate Experience collection) does hang together as a listen. Its blend of Hendrix the rocker and Hendrix the underrated soul man is suggestive, painting a picture of a multifaceted genius and transcending its plainly mercenary origins. In the end, its effect--like that of all Hendrix's best records--is to remind us of a Jimi very, very much alive. --Rickey Wright

All songs were written by Jimi Hendrix, except where noted.

1. "Purple Haze" – 2:52
2. "Fire" – 2:43
3. "The Wind Cries Mary" – 3:20
4. "Hey Joe" (Billy Roberts) – 3:30
5. "All Along the Watchtower" (Bob Dylan) – 3:59
6. "Stone Free" – 3:36
7. "Crosstown Traffic" – 2:19
8. "Manic Depression" – 3:42
9. "Little Wing" – 2:25
10. "If 6 Was 9" – 5:34
11. "Foxy Lady" – 3:19
12. "Bold as Love" – 4:11
13. "Castles Made of Sand" – 2:47
14. "Red House" – 3:50
15. "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" – 5:12
16. "Freedom" – 3:25
17. "Night Bird Flying" – 3:50
18. "Angel" – 4:22
19. "Dolly Dagger" – 4:45
20. "The Star Spangled Banner" (Key, Smith) – 3:46 [Recorded live at Woodstock]

 

[PaulyT]

Cool! Ordered. Do you have a rec for a full recording of the original musical/opera? Seems like half of 20th c. jazz is based on this music, I'd like to hear the original, but a quick search on amazon shows countless versions...

Afraid I don't. I have a couple other versions of the highlights, and this one is the best. The recording quality if pretty good, although it's a bit hissy and sibilant in places; a common problem in earlier recordings which were originally recorded with vinyl release in mind, not CD. In addition to singing, Louis Armstrong of course plays trumpet on this recording which is a big plus.

Well, I've ordered this one based on amazon reviews... I'll let you know.

 

[Dennie]

Rickie Lee Jones -- CD :handgestures-thumbup:

Rickie Lee Jones

1979/1990 Reprise Records
Amazon.com

The breezy melodies and jazz stylings of Rickie Lee Jones's debut album are usually found in the works of more mature pop artists. It's only the exuberance of Jones's often cackling voice that reminds you that a 23-year-old is at the controls. And Jones's "little girl lost" perspective, while hanging out in mid-1970s Los Angeles with neo-Beat songwriters-barroom troubadours Tom Waits and Chuck E. Weiss, makes for colorful storytelling. In fact, her tale about Weiss, "Chuck E.'s in Love," hit the Top 10. But there's a lot more elegant stuff here: "Last Chance Texaco" is a soaring ballad about automobiles and broken hearts, and the Sinatra-esque "After Hours" features a lonely Jones singing to a lamppost. --Bill Crandall

Songs written by Rickie Lee Jones, except where noted.

1. "Chuck E.'s In Love" 3:28
2. "On Saturday Afternoons In 1963" – 2:31
3. "Night Train" – 3:14
4. "Young Blood" – 4:04
5. "Easy Money" – 3:16
6. "The Last Chance Texaco" – 4:05
7. "Danny's All-Star Joint" – 4:01
8. "Coolsville" – 3:49
9. "Weasel And The White Boys Cool" (Rickie Lee Jones, Alfred Johnson) – 6:00
10. "Company" (Rickie Lee Jones, Alfred Johnson) – 4:40
11. "After Hours (Twelve Bars Past Midnight)" – 2:13

 

[Dennie]

Heart Attack & Vine -- CD :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup:

Tom Waits

1980/1990 Asylum/Elektra Records
Amazon.com essential recording

Tom Waits's hipster persona began to evaporate at the beginning of the '80s, but not before he released the transitional but eminently worthwhile Heartattack and Vine, which contained "On the Nickel," a Dickensian tale of street life, and "Jersey Girl," a song Bruce Springsteen gave a far wider airing to on his Live 1975-1985 box set. You can hear hints of Waits's style growing more trenchant on songs like "Downtown" and the stark, bluesy title track, which contains the immortal line "Don't you know there ain't no devil / That's just God when he's drunk." Indeed. --Daniel Durchholz
All songs written by Tom Waits.

Side One
No. Title Length
1. "Heartattack and Vine" 4:50
2. "In Shades" (Instrumental) 4:25
3. "Saving all My Love for You" 3:41
4. "Downtown" 4:45
5. "Jersey Girl" 5:11

Side Two
No. Title Length
1. "'Til the Money Runs Out" 4:25
2. "On the Nickel" 6:19
3. "Mr. Siegal" 5:14
4. "Ruby's Arms" 5:34

 

[GreatDane]

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<------the evil monkey wanted to play this...

:shock:

 

[Dennie]

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<------the evil monkey wanted to play this...

:shock:

Sometimes, you've just got to feed the monkey!! bscene-drinkingcheers:
:text-+1:

Dennie :ugeek:

 

[Dennie]

Hey Pauly, check this one out............ :dance:

Short Trip Home -- CD :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup: :eusa-clap:

Joshua Bell & Edger Meyer with Sam Bush & Mike Marshall

1999 Sony Classical



This is a great review....

The first legitimate crossover CD ever, October 12, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Short Trip Home (Audio CD)

You heard it here, folks. I am a classical fan who, like most other classical fans, shrinks away from the mention of the word "crossover" like it's got the plague. Being classically trained in violin, and taking great joy in blasting the fans of Vanessa-Mae, the announcement of Joshua Bell, Edgar Meyer, Sam Bush, and Mike Marshall collaborating on a folk/classical/bluegrass fusion CD was quite a shock to me, initially. Heck, I didn't even know who Sam Bush And Mike Marshall were. Bluegrass? That conjures up in my mind an image of a banjo-pickin', overall-wearin' geezer with bad dental hygeine, sitting on his wood porch somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Or at least, that's what I used to be like until I heard this CD. This CD is simply amazing. Meyer's compositions are a joy to listen to- they do justice to all the genres they touch upon and exude a joy and warmth in a way that only folk music can. And something happened to me. I started tapping my foot along to "Hang Hang" and suddenly realized that I could get to like this kind of stuff. I rushed out to buy tickets to their concert. I had a blast. Nowdays, a few bars of "Short Trip Home" and "If I Knew" slip their way into my practice time, in between the Mozart and Mendelssohn music. The melodies are absolutely unforgettable and instantly addictive. Now, I am seriously considering taking up folk fiddling. All this, from a girl who used to say that hell would freeze over before she ever played "fiddle". And all because of this CD. This CD has done what crossover CD's are supposed to do: expand the horizons of the listeners with innovative and beautiful music. Hey, if I got converted, anyone can. Buy this CD. I mean it. BTW: my apologies to all bluegrass performers and fans everywhere: I will never, never, EVER make fun of you folk or your genre again.

 

[PaulyT]

I'm definitely up for that one! Ordered. And in fact, just a couple days ago I ordered this one:

 

[GreatDane]

:handgestures-thumbup:

 

[Dennie]

 

[Botch]

Rickie Lee Jones --

But there's a lot more elegant stuff here: "Last Chance Texaco" is a soaring ballad about automobiles and broken hearts,

One of my favorite albums! :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup: The reviewer pointed out the soaring beauty of "Last Chance Texaco", but didn't mention that song is so full of car puns you almost laugh out loud!

Well he tried to be Standard, he tried to be Mobil
He tried living in the World, and in a Shell

And she threw all the rods that he gave her...

:laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

Dennie, do you have her sophomore album, Pirates? I think that one is her masterpiece, and I just got a copy from MoFi on SACD, stunning sound.

 

[Botch]

A lot of great albums mentioned lately, and cool that I'm not the only Ozric Tentacles fan here! Dane, OT also has a concert DVD out, it wouldn't play on my DVD player but did on my Oppo, pretty fascinating to watch. Their flautist reminds me of Stevie Nicks, kinda icky... :?

Appalachia Waltz is another favorite of mine.

Bob, is that your first King Crimson album? That's one I don't have, but do own most of their other stuff, it's definitely "math rock" but I'm a huge fan of the Crim...

 

[Bob R]

Bob, is that your first King Crimson album? That's one I don't have, but do own most of their other stuff, it's definitely "math rock" but I'm a huge fan of the Crim...

You called it. This is my first CK release.

The only saving grace is a fair version of Court ...

The rest of it is "let's play around in the studio"

I'm trying to see if the new multichannel release of ??? is worth the $$??

 

[Botch]

I'm trying to see if the new multichannel release of ??? is worth the $$??

"Red"? It is for me! :handgestures-thumbup:

KC can sound very different, from album to album. My favorite is "Discipline", the first album with the third lineup (Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford).

 

[Dennie]

Dennie, do you have her sophomore album, Pirates? I think that one is her masterpiece, and I just got a copy from MoFi on SACD, stunning sound.

Yes I do have a vinyl copy, it is a great album. I don't have it on Mofi SACD......Yet! Thanks for the nudge, I may just order it next! :handgestures-thumbup:


Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Temptation -- CD

Shelby Lynne

1995 Morgan Creek Records
Amazon.com

Only after leaving Nashville did Shelby Lynne reinvent herself as a soulful R&B singer. During her Music City days of the early '90s, she gained critical raves that didn't translate into wider success. One reason was this fetching 1993 Nashville-produced album of big-band Western swing, produced by Brent Maher, which appeared long before the words swing revival crossed anyone's lips. It revealed Lynne's assets in a stronger showcase than her earlier Epic recordings. She's radiant and sensual on the torchy "Little Unlucky at Love," but the uninhibited swing tunes, including her explosive performance of the title number, defined the album. She maintained that finger-popping momentum with "Some of That True Love" and "The Rain Might Wash Your Love Away." Lynne turned seductress on "Tell Me I'm Crazy" and honky-tonker on "I Need a Heart to Come Home To," the album's most overtly country number. Now that Lynne's gained wider exposure, it's worth remembering that pushing the envelope is nothing new for her. --Rich Kienzle

1. "Temptation" (Shelby Lynne, Brent Maher, Jamie O'Hara) – 3:04
2. "Feelin' Kind of Lonely Tonight" (Maher, O'Hara) – 3:00
3. "Tell Me I'm Crazy" (Rory Michael Bourke, Mike Reid) – 3:44
4. "Little Unlucky at Love" (Maher, O'Hara) – 3:01
5. "Some of That True Love" (Lynne, Maher, O'Hara) – 2:47
6. "The Rain Might Wash Your Love Away" (Maher, Don Potter, Don Schlitz) – 4:34
7. "Don't Cry for Me" (Maher) – 2:43
8. "I Need a Heart to Come Home To" (John Jarvis, Russell Smith) – 4:20
9. "Come a Little Closer" (Maher, O'Hara) – 3:15
10. "Where Do We Go from Here" (Maher, Potter, Reid) – 3:38

 

[Dennie]

Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman -- CD

Various Artists

2006 Sugar Hill Records

Hailed by critics, loved and revered by songwriters and musicians, Randy Newman still polarizes the public. Maybe it's the voice, maybe it's the heavy irony (maybe it's "Short People"), but folks seem to either love him or hate him. Perhaps ... Full Descriptionthat's why Sugar Hill Records felt the need to dip into its pool of top-notch roots artists and put together Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman -- a compilation of not-so-goat-eyed interpretations of Newman's work. For those out there whose main beef with Newman is his voice, this collection just might provide enough talk-singing relief to get to the heart of what really makes the man such an important American songwriter -- his lyrics, and the simultaneously comfortable and daring nature of his compositions. Tim O'Brien's thoughtful take on "Sail Away," the Del McCoury Band's utterly correct version of "Birmingham," and Steve Earle's fantastic reading of the wryly empowering "Rednecks" are highlights. ~ J. Scott McClintock

Track listing

1. Sail Away - Tim O'Brien
2. Louisiana - Sonny Landreth
3. Birmingham - The Del McCoury Band
4. Rider in the Rain - Joe Ely/Reckless Kelly
5. Marie - Allison Moorer
6. Rednecks - Steve Earle
7. Burn On - Béla Fleck
8. Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man) - Sam Bush
9. Memo to My Son - Guster
10. Political Science - The Duhks
11. You Can Leave Your Hat On - Marc Broussard
12. Texas Girl at the Funeral of Her Father - Kim Richey

 

[Dennie]

I Never Loved A Man The Way I Do You -- Reissue CD

Aretha Franklin

1967/1994 Atlantic Records

After the end of Aretha Franklin's five year stint on Columbia Records (who tried marketing her as a jazz vocalist), she signed on with Atlantic Records. Produced by music biz veteran Jerry Wexler, Franklin's Atlantic debut found her flexing ... Full Descriptioncreative muscle and making music that forever altered the course of pop and soul. Accompanying herself on piano throughout, Franklin's powerful and passionate vocals garnered comparisons to Ray Charles, while her blend of R&B, gospel and jazz rightfully earned her the moniker "Queen Of Soul."

Full Title - I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You. Aretha got instant ''Respect'' for her 1967 Atlantic debut album, now an immortal soul landmark & the best soul album ever released, according to The Rolling Stone Record Guide. This masterpiece is newly restored to its original mono splendor, and features extensive liner notes plus 3 bonus tracks, 'Respect' (Stereo Version), 'I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)' & 'Do Right Woman - Do Right Man'. 14 tracks. Rhino. 1995.

1 Respect 2:27
2 Drown in My Own Tears 4:07
3 I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) 2:51
4 Soul Serenade 2:39
5 Don't Let Me Lose This Dream 2:23
6 Baby, Baby, Baby 2:54
7 Dr. Feelgood (Love Is a Serious Business) 3:23
8 Good Times 2:10
9 Do Right Woman, Do Right Man 3:16
10 Save Me 2:21
11 A Change Is Gonna Come 4:20


BONUS TRACKS In Stereo

12 Respect Bonus Track / Stereo Version 2:28
13 I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) Bonus Track / Stereo Version 2:46
14 Do Right Woman, Do Right Man Bonus Track / Stereo Version 3:14

 

[Dennie]

Gaucho -- DVD-A :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup:

Steely Dan

2004 MCA Records
Amazon.com

The multiplatinum success of Aja made Steely Dan, the musical conceit of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, a household name. But that prosperity came bundled with a fateful triple-whammy for rock's dyspeptic duo: unrealistic commercial expectations, a critical backlash spawned by punk's nascent mewling, and the long-simmering meltdown of their artistic partnership. But the cool, perfect sheen of 1980's Gaucho tipped its hand to none of it. Ironically, those fashion victims who sniffed up their sleeves at Don and Walt's decadence-tinged Me Decade manifesto couldn't have had a clue that just maybe Gaucho's typically oblique protagonists had uncomfortably blurred from the third-person to the first this time 'round. At least that's what Becker and Fagen hint at in their smart-assed notes to this digitally remastered, definitive edition (all original artwork and printed lyrics restored) of the final album before their 20-year hiatus. Pristine and sonically polished (three years and seven studios worth), time has served Gaucho well. Even its sense of laconic detachment now seems but a logical bridge to the two-decade removed Dan of Two Against Nature. To their credit, Becker and Fagen didn't trash the first half of Steely Dan's legacy on Gaucho, they simply burnished it to oblivion. -Jerry McCulley
Side one

1. "Babylon Sisters" – 5:49
2. "Hey Nineteen" – 5:06
3. "Glamour Profession" – 7:28

Side two

1. "Gaucho" (Becker, Fagen, Keith Jarrett) – 5:30
2. "Time Out of Mind" – 4:11
3. "My Rival" – 4:30
4. "Third World Man" – 5:18

 

[Dennie]

MTV Unplugged -- CD

Alanis Morissette

1999 Maverick Records

Though Morissette is known for songs driven by big, hard-hitting production, her larger-than-life sound translates surprisingly well to a stripped-down, acoustic-based approach. Backed by acoustic guitar, piano, and strings (and a tasteful rhythm section), Alanis scales down the grand scale of her arrangements for a more intimate, directly communicative effect. Listening to the almost gentle version of the formerly piledriving "You Oughta Know" will provide something of a revelation for Morissette's fans. The scathing lyrics achieve an even more cathartic effect with the contrasting feel of the music, and the singer/songwriter is revealed as a folk-rocker at heart.

Her previously noted preference for the confessional mode is further underlined here by an earnest version of the Police's soul-searching plaint "King of Pain." Thankfully, Morissette has enough common sense to avoid changing it to "Queen of Pain." The unfettered swoops and glides of her vocal style have more room to flow here as well, and Morissette sounds a bird in full flight throughout.

1. "You Learn" (Glen Ballard, Alanis Morissette) – 4:21
2. "Joining You" (Ballard, Morissette) – 5:09
3. "No Pressure over Cappuccino" (Nick Lashley, Morissette) –4:41
4. "That I Would Be Good" (Ballard, Morissette) – 4:14
5. "Head over Feet" (Ballard, Morissette) – 4:22
6. "Princes Familiar" (Ballard, Morissette) – 4:37
7. "I Was Hoping" (Ballard, Morissette) – 4:53
8. "Ironic" (Ballard, Morissette) – 4:13
9. "These R the Thoughts" (Ballard, Morissette) – 3:25
10. "King of Pain" (The Police) – 4:05
11. "You Oughta Know" (Ballard, Morissette) – 5:01
12. "Uninvited" (Morissette) – 4:37