What Are You Listening To?
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Dennie
Well-Known Member
Into The Blues -- CD
Joan Armatrading
2007 429 Records
Amazon.com
On the surface, yes, this is a blues album; mostly, though, it's a Joan Armatrading album--which means she'll follow blues forms and conceits wherever she *** well pleases. On "Liza," she takes the "Mannish Boy" groove across the tracks for a pick-up on the wrong side of town; on "There Ain't a Girl Alive (Who Likes to Look in the Mirror Like You Do)," she dresses down a rival; on "Play the Blues," she simply undresses herself to a juicy, contemporary soul groove; and on "Mama Papa," the album's finest and funkiest moment, she recalls her youth on the island of St. Kitts in lines that flash with truth: "Seven people in one room/No heat/One wage/And bills to pay." It's also a guitar album: her blues chops, especially on the sprawling closer "Something's Gotta Blow," would give Robert Cray a serious run. Fiery as her playing can be, her blues riffs are mostly economical, concise, with evocative spaces between the notes. The same can't be said for the overall production values. Armatrading is still enamored with slick gimmicks: doubling and tripling her vocals and adding layers of echo on top of that, and synth pads and distortion that feel more bombastic than bright. Into the Blues is far from a return to form, but it still sends a tough, funky message. --Roy Kasten
01. A Woman in Love
02. Play the Blues
03. Into the Blues
04. Liza
05. Secular Songs
06. My Baby's Gone
07. D.N.A.
08. Baby Blue Eyes
09. Deep Down
10. There Ain't a Girl Alive
11. Empty Highway
12. Mama Papa
13. Something's Gotta Blow
This is interesting to listen to, especially right after listening to Sarah Vaughan. I just got this one (yes I'm still occasionally buying some classical
), hadn't heard Ferrier before, but she's really good with this fairly intense Mahler stuff. A low and powerful voice!
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Le Noise -- CD
Neil Young
Yesterday Reprise Records
Review
"What's striking about 'Le Noise' is the way it both summarizes and distills Young's singular approach to music, predominantly just Neil and a guitar: his big, white hollow-body Gretsch electric slashing and burning for most of the tracks, a couple built around picked and strummed acoustic instruments. Both are recorded and amplified - literally and metaphorically - by Lanois' signature soundscapes that loop vocals, and enhance the guitars' bass notes through distortion boxes, synthesizers and other electronics." --Los Angeles Times
Product Description
This eight-song album is a collaboration between the acclaimed rock icon and musician, songwriter, and producer Daniel Lanois, known for his work with U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, The Neville Brothers and many others. As producer or co-producer Lanois won Grammy Awards in 1987, 1992, 1997, 2000, and 2001.
Young and Lanois have crossed paths musically over the course of many years, including Lanois' performances at Young's Bridge School Benefit Concert and Young's performance at Farm Aid when Lanois was Willie Nelson's music director, but this is the first time the two have recorded together. Recorded in Lanois' home in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles, ‘Le Noise’ features Young on acoustic and electric guitars with Lanois adding his trademark sonic textures, creating one of the most sonically arresting albums Young has ever recorded. No band, no overdubs, just ‘a man on a stool and me doing a nice job on the recording,’ as Lanois puts it.
‘Neil was so appreciative of the sonics that we presented to him,’ Lanois says. ‘He walked in the door and I put an acoustic guitar into his hands - one that I had been working on to build a new sound. That's the multi-layered acoustic sound that you hear on the songs 'Love and War' and 'Peaceful Valley Boulevard.' I wanted him to understand that I've spent years dedicated to the sonics in my home and that I wanted to give him something he'd never heard before. He picked up that instrument, which had everything - an acoustic sound, electronica, bass sounds - and he knew as soon as he played it that we had taken the acoustic guitar to a new level. It's hard to come up with a new sound at the back end of 50 years of rock and roll, but I think we did it.’
Walk With Me
Sign of Love
Rescue Me
Love And War
Angry World
Hitchhiker
Peaceful Valley Blvd.
Rumblin’
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Clapton -- CD
Eric Clapton
Yesterday Reprise Records
Product Description
Co-produced by guitarist and long-time collaborator Doyle Bramhall II, ‘Clapton’ features an all star cast of musical collaborations started with the legendary JJ Cale, drummer Jim Keltner, bassist Willie Weeks, and keyboardist Walt Richmond - and the sessions later added guests including Steve Winwood, Wynton Marsalis, Sheryl Crow, Allen Toussaint, and Derek Trucks. Clapton created a collection that touches on everything from century-old traditional brass bands to little-known country blues to brand-new originals. The result is both relaxed and revelatory, and unlike anything the guitarist has done in his legendary career.
‘This album wasn't what it was intended to be at all,’ says Eric Clapton. ‘It's actually better than it was meant to be because, in a way, I just let it happen. It's an eclectic collection of songs that weren't really on the map - and I like it so much because if it's a surprise to the fans, that's only because it's a surprise to me, as well.
Track list:
01. Traveling Alone
02. Rocking Chair
03. River Runs Deep
04. Judgment Day
05. How Deep Is The Ocean
06. Milkman
07. Crazy About You Baby
08. That’s No Way To Get Along
09. Everything Will Be Alright
10. Diamonds Made From Rains starts at 1:40
11. When Somebody Thinks You’re Wonderful
12. Hard Times
13. Rolling And Tumbling
14. Autumn Leaves
It is hard to believe he is now 65 years old!
Dennie
Well-Known Member
I read a lot of "mixed" reviews, but I really enjoyed it.Botch said:I've heard very, very good things about this album on my musicians' forums, including from folks who don't necessarily care for NY.Dennie said:
Le Noise -- CD
Neil Young
There are some "effects" like "loop" and "reverb/echo" and probably a few others, but that didn't bother me at all.
Neil is very big on "sound quality" and the "SQ" is great!
Dennie
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Great Gonzos CD
Jerry Jeff Walker
1991 MCA Records
Amazon.com essential recording
It's ironic that the man who made his reputation by writing "Mr. Bojangles," one of the most enduring and oft-covered tunes of the late 20th century, succeeded in his career as a performer by singing the works of others, but that's the case. Walker has always been a fine judge of material, and over the years, picked up on some great stuff, such as Billy Joe Shaver's "Old Five and Dimers Like Me," Guy Clark's "Desperados Waiting for the Train" and "L.A. Freeway," Gary Nunn's "London Homesick Blues," Ray Wiley Hubbard's "Up Against the Wall Redneck," and Rusty Weir's "Don't It Make You Wanna Dance." This set gathers those remarkable cuts together with some of Walker's own songs, such as the party anthem "Sangria Wine," "Railroad Lady" (written with Jimmy Buffett), and, of course, "Bojangles." Great Gonzos gives you the flavor and the laid-back aesthetic of Jerry Jeff's seminal work of the '70s. There's more to the story, but this is where it all began. --Daniel Durchholz
Track listing
1. Gettin' By
2. Sangria Wine
3. Mr. Bojangles
4. Desperados Waiting for a Train
5. Pick Up the Tempo
6. Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother
7. London Homesick Blues
8. Takin' It as It Comes
9. Backslider's Wine
10. Old Five and Dimers Like Me
11. Charlie Dunn
12. Railroad Lady
13. L.A. Freeway
14. Don't It Make You Wanna Dance?
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions -- CD
Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris
1999 Asylum Records
Amazon.com
Emmylou Harris once said of her four-shows-a-night salad days that she refused to sing anything on the hit parade, opting only for "bizarre, left-field songs" that "made it hard to make a living." Decades later, Harris still spends a lot of time in left field, and it's those offbeat, haunting gems--more than the classics here from Leonard Cohen or Jackson Browne--that make Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions, her duet album with Linda Ronstadt, so memorable. That, and her exquisitely pained soprano--reminiscent of "cracked crystal," as Linda puts it--nestled up against Ronstadt's thicker, corduroy harmonies. With arrangements that meet somewhere between Harris's Wrecking Ball and Ronstadt's Hasten Down the Wind, the two explore a mood of morose dreaminess, but profound beauty. Ghosts gather here, to the sounds of rattling bones--in songs of abandoned love, of musical giants now gone silent, and of World War I soldiers, who parade from the arms of prostitutes to the arms of death. Left field, dotted with the wreckage of heartache and regret, never sounded better. --Alanna Nash
1. "Loving the Highway Man" (Andy Prieboy) 3:30
2. "Raise the Dead" (Emmylou Harris) 3:18
3. "For a Dancer" (Jackson Browne) 4:43
4. "Western Wall" (Rosanne Cash) 4:43
5. "1917" (David Olney) 5:24
6. "He Was Mine" (Paul Kennerley) 3:19
7. "Sweet Spot" (Emmylou Harris/Jill Cunniff) 3:34
8. "Sisters of Mercy" (Leonard Cohen) 3:58
9. "Falling Down" (Patty Griffin) 3:15
10. "Valerie" (Patti Scialfa) 4:04
11. "This Is to Mother You" (Sinéad O'Connor) 3:16
12. "All I Left Behind" (Emmylou Harris/Kate McGarrigle/Anna McGarrigle) 3:23
13. "Across the Border" (Bruce Springsteen) 6:20
Dennie said:
Verve Jazz Masters 17 -- CD :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup:
Nina Simone
1994 Verve Records
Woo-hoo! Another jazz(ish) artist that got started in classical! :eusa-clap:
Listening to this one now. So far so good... First track was awesome! (Black is the color...)
Got this one and KEM "Album III" from Amazon today. The above disk I got in DVD-A, 5.1 Surround Sound. It may have just become my new "Show Off" disk, incredible sound. The Fender Rhodes electric piano sounds like its right there in the living room with me! Thanks to whoever it was who recommended these disks! :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup:
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Platinum Collection, Vol. 3 CD
The Hollies
1997 Platinum Disc Corp.
01. Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)
02. Jennifer Eccles
03. Magic Woman Touch
04. Another Night
05. I'm Down
06. The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)
07. Long Dark Road
08. You Need Love
09. Have You Ever Loved Somebody
10. Gasoline Alley Bred
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Europe '72 -- 2 CD Box Set
Grateful Dead
1972/1990 Warner Bros. Records
Amazon.com essential recording
This sprawling three-records-on-two-CDs set offers a healthy cross-section of material and finds the band honing even further its blend of musical languages. There are country-inflected boogies, blues rave-ups, passionate ballads, and, of course, the extended, adventurous jams that made them famous. Many of the Dead's best-loved tunes made their initial vinyl appearances here, including "He's Gone," "Jack Straw," "Brown-Eyed Women," "Ramble on Rose," and "Tennessee Jed"--most of which reveal a heavy country influence, especially in Robert Hunter's lyrics. In addition to introducing these new songs, Europe '72 also showcases brilliantly fine-tuned versions of "Truckin'" (complete with a lengthy "Epilogue") and "China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider," which became the first of the band's many magical song combinations. --Marc Greilsamer
Bonus picture from the booklet......
Dennie
Well-Known Member
PaulyT said:Dennie said:
Verve Jazz Masters 17 -- CD :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup:
Nina Simone
1994 Verve Records
Woo-hoo! Another jazz(ish) artist that got started in classical! :eusa-clap:
Listening to this one now. So far so good... First track was awesome! (Black is the color...)
That's a great collection! When Nina Sings "I put a spell on you", I get nervous! :scared-yipes:
Dennie
Dennie
Well-Known Member
This one arrived today, it is one of my "Deserted Island" picks! :text-bravo:
Famous Blue Raincoat -- 20th Anniversary 24k Gold CD
Jennifer Warnes - The Songs of Leonard Cohen
2007 Porch Light/Impex Records
Still the Greatest Cohen Album Ever, December 21, 2009
By QIOMD (Princeton, NJ)
This review is from: Famous Blue Raincoat: 20th Anniversary 24K Gold Edition (Audio CD)
Sure, it's overly familiar to audiophiles as the at elusive 'perfect' demo disc, but a clean FBR with details etc is to be welcomed.
Not for everyone - a bit too 'poppy' for many of my friends - it still has its place as the best Cohen album not by Lenoard Cohen.
1. First We Take Manhattan
2. Bird On A Wire
3. Famous Blue Raincoat
4. Joan Of Arc
5. Ain't No Cure For Love
6. Coming Back To You
7. Song Of Bernadette
8. A Singer Must Die
9. Came So Far For Beauty
Bonus Tracks:
10. Night Comes On
11. Ballad Of The Runaway Horse
12. If It Be Your Will
13. Joan Of Arc (Live)
Famous Blue Raincoat -- 20th Anniversary 24k Gold CD
Jennifer Warnes - The Songs of Leonard Cohen
2007 Porch Light/Impex Records
Still the Greatest Cohen Album Ever, December 21, 2009
By QIOMD (Princeton, NJ)
This review is from: Famous Blue Raincoat: 20th Anniversary 24K Gold Edition (Audio CD)
Sure, it's overly familiar to audiophiles as the at elusive 'perfect' demo disc, but a clean FBR with details etc is to be welcomed.
Not for everyone - a bit too 'poppy' for many of my friends - it still has its place as the best Cohen album not by Lenoard Cohen.
1. First We Take Manhattan
2. Bird On A Wire
3. Famous Blue Raincoat
4. Joan Of Arc
5. Ain't No Cure For Love
6. Coming Back To You
7. Song Of Bernadette
8. A Singer Must Die
9. Came So Far For Beauty
Bonus Tracks:
10. Night Comes On
11. Ballad Of The Runaway Horse
12. If It Be Your Will
13. Joan Of Arc (Live)
Dennie
Well-Known Member
The Essential Neil Diamond -- 2 CD Set
Neil Diamond
2001 Columbia Records
Amazon.com
Neil Diamond is one of a rare breed. As a songwriter, his music has been covered successfully by artists as diverse as the Monkees, Deep Purple, UB40, and Smash Mouth. But Diamond used that three-chord alchemy to build an unparalleled career as a performer as well. The 38 tracks on these two discs address those interlocking legacies in the most comprehensive manner yet, gathering his material from Bang! Records (including such pop staples as "Solitary Man," "Cherry, Cherry," "Kentucky Woman," "Red, Red Wine," and "I'm a Believer"), Universal (highlighted by "Sweet Caroline," Song Sung Blue," "Holly Holy," and "I Am ... I Said"), and Columbia for the first time. And if Diamond has veered toward the middle of the road on those latter recordings (such as "September Morn," "Heartlight," and the Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers"), there remains a remarkable consistency throughout his work. As if to underscore the point, a number of mid-period hits (including "Shiloh," "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show," and "Soolaimon") are featured as live recordings from fall 2001. These performances show that the sweet roughness of his voice has only grown in power and drama; it's small wonder that Diamond remains one of the top live draws in the business. Even if it overlooks Diamond's unlikely late-'90s hit country album (Tennessee Moon), this set manages to be both concise and thorough, the best introduction yet to an American music legend. --Jerry McCulley
Track listing
DISC 1:
1. Solitary Man - (mono)
2. Cherry, Cherry - (mono)
3. I Got the Feelin' (Oh No, No) - (mono)
4. Kentucky Woman - (mono)
5. Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon - (mono)
6. You Got to Me - (mono)
7. Red, Red Wine - (mono)
8. Thank the Lord for the Night Time - (mono)
9. I'm a Believer - (mono)
10. Sweet Caroline
11. Song Sung Blue
12. Holly Holy
13. I Am...I Said
14. Cracklin' Rosie
15. Play Me
16. Morningside
17. Crunchy Granola Suite
18. Brooklyn Roads
19. Soolaimon - (previously unreleased)
DISC 2:
1. America
2. Hello Again
3. Love on the Rocks
4. Captain Sunshine - (previously unreleased)
5. He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother - (previously unreleased)
6. Medley: Yes I Will/Lady Magdalene: Yes I Will / Lady Magdelene - (previously unreleased)
7. Shilo - (previously unreleased)
8. Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show - (previously unreleased)
9. If You Know What I Mean
10. Beautiful Noise
11. You Don't Bring Me Flowers
12. Desirée
13. Forever in Blue Jeans
14. September Morn
15. I've Been This Way Before
16. Yesterday's Songs
17. Heartlight
18. Headed for the Future
19. You Are the Best Part of Me