What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Discovered Again! -- Lp

Dave Grusin

1976 Sheffield Lab

An audiophile classic, March 9, 2008
By J. C. Ryan "Kit Ryan" (Arlington VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Dave Grusin - Discovered Again! (Vinyl)

I have two copies of this LP and take them out on special occasions so they will last the rest of my life. (I play the CD of it in the meantime). This is perhaps THE LP that started the move to top quality sound and sound systems- at least it was for me. The Direct-to-Disc recording process used here eliminated most of the hiss, distortion, and general decay associated with the multi-step analogue processes for making LPs in use at the time. Straight from the microphones to the master cutting machine! No remix - each side of the album was recorded straight through with no time outs.

Beyond that, though, the life-like quality of the piano, percussion (especially the triangle on Sun Song), the vibrato of the vibraphone, makes you feel like you're getting a private performance in your living room. If you have the right equipment, there is nothing that equals this (and I mean including the fanciest digital stuff).

Grusin wrote most of the pieces here and they highlight his style - thoughtful jazz, glistening notes (he also wrote the theme music for On Golden Pond), leaning toward the minimalist rather than showing off. He lets the rest of the group have their turn, too. His group is also tops - Lee Ritenour, Harvey Mason, Ron Carter and Larry Bunker. Hard to beat.

If you like the later Grusin stuff (I have all his records), you'll love experiencing his roots in this album. And with the quality of recording approaching perfection, this record will be the gold standard forever (or close to it).

TRACKS

Side One:

A CHILD IS BORN (3:44)
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE SPARROW (4:16)
SUN SONG (4:38)
CAPTAIN BACARDI (2 :32)

Side Two:

THREE COWBOY SONGS:
GIT ALONG LITTLE DOGIES (4:28)
THE COLORADO TRAIL (4:46)
CRIPPLE CREEK BREAKDOWN (4:40)
ADEUS A PAPAI (2:16)

 

[PaulyT]

:handgestures-thumbup:

 

[Dennie]

Today's 24 degree work truck music..... :doh:

Lennon Legend - The Very Best of John Lennon -- CD

John Lennon

1998 Capitol Records

Amazon.com

John Lennon's solo work has been anthologized so many times that it's hard to believe there wasn't a definitive compilation before this one. And, depending on your particular take, you might not find Lennon Legend quite hitting the mark. However, since it does contain the brilliantly scathing "Working Class Hero," doesn't ignore the woefully underrated Rock 'n' Roll album, and catches the hopeful renewal that came toward the end of his foreshortened life, it's probably about as close as anyone's going to come. His great songs shine, meditations like "Imagine" and his rockers had form and content, as in "Whatever Gets You Through the Night." He was an icon, and this does him justice. --Chris Nickson

All songs written and composed by John Lennon, except where noted.

"Imagine" – 3:02
"Instant Karma!" – 3:20
"Mother"1 – 3:53
"Jealous Guy" – 4:14
"Power to the People" – 3:17
"Cold Turkey" – 5:01
"Love" – 3:23
"Mind Games" – 4:11
"Whatever Gets You Thru the Night" – 3:19
"#9 Dream" – 4:46
"Stand By Me" (Ben E. King/Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller) – 3:27
"(Just Like) Starting Over" – 3:55
"Woman" – 3:26
"Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" – 4:00
"Watching the Wheels" – 3:31
"Nobody Told Me" – 3:33
"Borrowed Time" – 4:30
"Working Class Hero" – 3:49
"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" (John Lennon/Yoko Ono) – 3:33
"Give Peace a Chance"2 – 4:52

1. U.S. single version, issued in December 1970, for the first time released on CD.
2. Originally credited to Lennon/McCartney, the credit was revised in the 1990s to cite only Lennon as its composer.

 

[heeman]

1. "If I'm Any Closer" Seal, Gus Isidore 3:29
2. "Weight of My Mistakes" Seal, Isidore, Marcus Brown, Mark Summerlin, Michael Thompson 4:20
3. "Silence" Seal, Isidore 4:11
4. "Best of Me" Seal, Isidore 4:23
5. "All for Love" Seal 4:03
6. "I Know What You Did" Seal, David Foster, Summerlin 3:37
7. "The Way I Lie" Seal, Peter-John Vettese, Isidore, Brown 4:34
8. "Secret" Seal 3:21
9. "You Get Me" Teitur Lassen, Pam Sheyne 4:27
10. "Letting Go" Seal, Isidore, Summerlin 3:58
11. "Big Time" Seal, Isidore 4:04

 

[Botch]

:handgestures-thumbup:

Pauly, did you get the recent 5.1 remix? Some real magic on that one.

 

[Dennie]

Genius of Modern Music Volume 1 -- CD

Thelonious Monk

1989 Blue Note Records

ESSENTIAL, September 16, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Genius of Modern Music 1 (Audio CD)

These were not the first times Thelonious was recorded but this is a perfect place to begin an appriciation him. Monk would go on to record for Prestige, Riverside (possibly his best work), and Columbia but these are his first important recordings (from '47) and this set contains many classics. There is also an equally valuable second volume (from '52) and both are included in the Blue Note box. This is, however, the best way to cheaply acquaint yourself with Monk. Some of the highlights include the beautiful "Ruby My Dear," Well, You Needn't," and Thelonious' first recording of his bop standard "'Round Midnight," the quintessential "late night" theme. Monk bypasses the usual nostalgic, melancholy interpretation of his song and reveals a more sinister, down-and-out desperation at its' core and the "late night" experience in general.

Track listing
1. Humph 2:50
2. Evonce (Alternate Take) 3:00
3. Evonce 3:01
4. Suburban Eyes 2:58
5. Suburban Eyes (Alternate Take) 2:55
6. Thelonious 2:58
7. Nice Work If You Can Get It (Alternate Take) 3:01
8. Nice Work If You Can Get It 3:00
9. Ruby My Dear (Alternate Take) 3:03
10. Ruby My Dear 3:05
11. Well You Need'nt 2:55
12. Well You Need'nt (Alternate Take) 2:52
13. April In Paris (Alternate Take) 2:39
14. April In Paris 3:17
15. Off Minor 2:58
16. Introspection 3:10
17. In Walked Bud 2:54
18. Monk's Mood 3:09
19. Who Knows 2:40
20. 'Round Midnight 3:09
21. Who Knows (Alternate Take) 2:39

 

[PaulyT]

Pauly, did you get the recent 5.1 remix? Some real magic on that one.

No, just a cd (well really an hdcd but I don't have a player for the hd part). Trying to decide if I like enough to go for the 5.1... haven't really listened to it enough times to say for sure yet.

 

[Dennie]

It just dosen't get much better than this..... :bow-blue:

Somethin' Else -- Remastered CD

Cannonball Adderley

1958/1999 Blue Note Records

Simply one of the all time greats..., November 26, 2000
By "jazzfanmn" (St Cloud, MN United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Somethin' Else (Audio CD)

Cut in 1958 for the Blue Note Lable, Somethin' Else is one of the all time great jazz albums. The personnel features Cannonball on alto, Miles Davis on Trumpet, Hank Jones on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and the great Art Blakey on drums. It may say Cannonball Adderly on the album cover, and have Miles Davis listed as a sideman, but this has the feel of a Miles Davis album all the way. The selection of material and the musician's laid back approach, tempered by the contrast of Mile's simmering mute with an expressive firey second horn, here the exuberant Adderley, are trademarks from this era of Davis' career. Regardless of who led the session, it is one any fan of jazz simply must have. It is one of those rare albums that is immediately accessable, and you can tell you will be listening to repeatedly from the first note. Every track's performance is a highlight, but Cannonball's playing is particularly inspired, especially his soulful blues soaked soloing on Dancing in the dark, and boppish flight on One For Daddy-O. Miles is dramatic, soulful, vulnerable, and sultry all at once. His muted playing on the first two tracks is simply sumptuous, with his open horn solo on One For Daddy-O and his "call and response" exchange with Adderley at the end of the title track being truly inspired. Hank Jones contributes a flawless hard swinging piano. Taking every note he is given and making it count, Hank makes his accompaniment as well as his solos sound as if he is playing them the only way they possibly could be. Art Blakey and the underrated Sam Jones are water tight in support, with Blakey unusually restrained throughout the album, his only solo space on the album's final track. At the end of One For Daddy-O we hear a puckish Miles ask producer Alfred Lion, "Is that what you wanted, Alfred?", and then some I'll wager. This is an album that will appeal to the jazz novice and the aficionado alike, if you do not have it, buy it, you won't be disappointed.

"Autumn Leaves" (Joseph Kosma) – 11:01
"Love for Sale" (Cole Porter) – 7:06
"Somethin' Else" (Miles Davis) – 8:15
"One for Daddy-O" (Nat Adderley, Sam Jones) – 8:26
"Dancing in the Dark" (Arthur Schwartz) – 4:07
"Bangoon"(initially released as "Alison's Uncle" and also noted as "Bangoon" on the RVG edition CD) (Hank Jones) – 5:05 not on original LP

--------

Cannonball Adderley - alto saxophone, leader
Miles Davis - trumpet
Hank Jones - piano
Sam Jones - bass
Art Blakey - drums

 

[Dennie]

Dave Grusin and the NY-LA Dream Band -- CD

1990 GRP Records

A Jazz Classic, July 4, 2002
By Kenneth G. Hamilton (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Dave Grusin & The NY-LA Dream Band (Audio CD)

This is a "must have" item for the complete jazz collector. I have seen the video version, but do not have a copy. Thus, my question is: when are we going to see a DVD version of this memorable Tokyo concert? Even though I have the audio CD, I would definitely buy a video edition on DVD. GRP, get on it!

Track Listing
1. Shuffle City
2. Count Down
3. Serengeti Walk (Slippin' Out the Back Door)
4. What Matters Most
5. Number 8
6. Three Days of the Condor
7. Summer Sketches '82

-----
Personnel includes: Dave Grusin (acoustic & Fender Rhodes pianos, synthesizer); George Young (soprano, alto & tenor saxophones, piccolo, flute); Tiger Okoshi (trumpet, flugelhorn); Don Gruisin (electric & Fender Rhodes pianos, Clavinet, synthesizer); Lee Ritenhour (acoustic & electric guitars; Eric Gale (electric guitar); Anthony Jackson (contrabass guitar, electric bass); Steve Gadd (drums); Rubens Bassini (percussion); The Dream Orchestra, THe NHK Strings, The Tokyo Brass Ensemble.
Recorded live at the Budokan, Tokyo, Japan.

 

[Dennie]

Migration -- CD

Dave Grusin

1989 GRP Records

The album cover reflects music on this album, January 31, 2003
By scotthew "bigmbooks" (Columbia, MD United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Migration (Audio CD)

This album provides a serene escape with its melodic poetry. I have owned this album for 10 years, and return to it frequently to be put in a trance. The album is worth owning solely for the Milagro Beanfield suite.

Punta Del Soul
Southwest Passage
First-Time Love
Western Women
Dancing in the Township
Old Bones
In The Middle Of The Night
T.K.O
Polina
- 14. Suite From The Milagro Beanfield War

Audio Quality

The one thing that really hits you with this CD (other than the fantastic musicianship), is the outstanding recording quality. In fact, I would say this CD remains one of the best bass and drum/percussion recordings I've ever heard. A couple of tracks consistently "bottom out" my speakers if played at excessive volume: the deep bass of First Time Love or the drums on Old Bones . Granted, that's not a good thing, but typically this is something I've only experienced with heavy 5.1 channel movie sources (like The Incredibles ). This CD will definitely give your amplifier/speaker combination a workout. Equally impressive were the outstanding performances by some of the best bass players and drummers in the business: Harvey Mason and Omar Hakim (drums), and Marcus Miller and Abraham Laboriel (bass). All are long-time first call session players dating back to the 1970's (with the only exception being Omar Hakim-who will blow your mind if you've ever been lucky enough to see him play live). In addition, Marcus Miller wrote T.K.O. , which features screaming solo performances from himself as well as Omar Hakim and Brandford Marsalis (tenor sax). Finally, I usually hit "stop" when it gets to track #10 and pretend that the CD ends there.

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music......

Flaming Pie -- CD

Paul McCartney

1997 Capitol Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Just when everyone has given up on Sir Paul's ever releasing another decent pop song, he turns around and surprises us all with his best album since the mid-'70s. After working on the Beatles' Anthology series, he was reminded of the standards of music he'd long forgotten and was pressed to meet them. Even Jeff Lynne, who helped on much of it, kept himself very much in the background, and let Mac do the right thing, playing and singing most everything, with some help from Ringo and guitarist Steve Miller, whose presence was a mixed blessing. Even if the songs don't scale the heights of the Glory Years, they remind us of the true talent that was McCartney once again. A pleasure to the ears. --Chris Nickson

All songs written by Paul McCartney, except where noted.

"The Song We Were Singing" – 3:55
"The World Tonight" – 4:06
"If You Wanna" – 4:38
"Somedays" – 4:15
"Young Boy" – 3:54
"Calico Skies" – 2:32
"Flaming Pie" – 2:30
"Heaven on a Sunday" – 4:27
"Used to Be Bad" (Duet with Steve Miller) (McCartney, Steve Miller) – 4:12
"Souvenir" – 3:41
"Little Willow" – 2:58
"Really Love You" (McCartney, Richard Starkey) – 5:18
"Beautiful Night" – 5:09
"Great Day" – 2:09

 

[heeman]

:bow-blue: :bow-blue:

 

[Botch]

Bon Iver.

Very unusual, I've not heard music quite like this before (bet it'll sound great on headphones). Thanks, Bats! :handgestures-thumbup:

 

[Botch]

 

[heeman]

Brings back great memories!! :music-rockout: :music-rockout: :music-rockout:

 

[Dennie]

Brings back great memories!! :music-rockout: :music-rockout: :music-rockout:

Yeah Buddy, that is a great album and I have played the heck out of it over the years!

Great Choice Heeman! :handgestures-thumbup:



Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Just Let Go -- CD

Coco Montoya

1997 Blind Pig Records

Representative Of Coco Montoya's Many Electrifying Styles, September 15, 2001
By Casey Stewart "kcfoxy: accept no substitute" (San Joaquin Delta) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Just Let Go (Audio CD)

White hot electric Blues phenom, Coco Montoya pays high tribute to his mentor, and second Dad, Albert Collins, on this, his third release for Blind Pig Records. There is much of the late, great Texas Bluesman's style, especially on the slower cuts, Never Heard You Cry Before, and Collins' own, Do What You Want To Do, and native Californian, Montoya is the first to acknowledge that.

Montoya's upside down Fender Stat antics aside, this CD is full of strong and impassioned vocals, My Side of The Fence, Just Let Go, Hard Love, Beginner At The Blues, some Blues-Rock riffs and a smidgen of rollicking R&B. This last comes courtesy of stellar guesting from the likes of The Cate Brothers and Shaun Murphy, (late of Little Feat).

I give the edge to Delbert McClinton on Sending Me Angels, otherwise Montoya has come into his best voice yet on vocals, and manages to provide lead and rhythm (on the excellent instrumental, Mother and Daughter), that dazzles and rings clear as a bell, with admirable sustain.

Fans of Walter Trout, Stevie Ray and Jimmy Vaugh, The Cate Brothers, Arc Angels and Storyville, will want to add this fine CD to their contemporary Blues collection. Also highly recommended: The Cate Brothers' Radioland, Walter Trout's self-titled release and Coco's own sophomore effort, Ya Think I'd Know Better, with same great backup bands and strong production values courtesy of Jim Gaines.

Track Listing
1. Fear No Evil
2. What's Done Is Done
3. Just Let Go
4. My Side of the Fence
5. Cool Like Dat
6. Do What You Want to Do
7. Give It to a Good Man
8. Hard Love
9. Beginner at the Blues
10. Mother and Daughter
11. Nothing's Too Good for My Baby
12. Never Seen You Cry This Way Before
13. Sending Me Angels

 

[Dennie]

Two Against Nature -- CD

Steely Dan

2000 Giant Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Never so much a band as the slyly crafted specter of one, Steely Dan's mid-1990s "return" to live performance was as surprising as it was perverse. They'd previously toured only once, round about the era of Watergate, pet rocks, and Shaft. A half-decade after their concert comeback and a mere 19 years after Gaucho seemingly closed out their recording career, the jazz-pop conceit of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen deliberately dropped back into a recording landscape where they weren't so much seasoned vets as alien ambassadors. Two Against Nature, indeed. The tack is instantly familiar: a musical/lyrical reconciliation of Monk and Newman, with familiar harmonic flourishes, nimble studio chops, and an icy, world-class cool, as willfully insulated from hip-hop and techno as it was from disco and Top 40. Less concerned with melodic hooks than a canny sophistication of mood and manner, Becker and Fagen never let a trite melody get in the way of a good story, whether their protagonists are plotting some nefarious obliquity ("Gaslighting Abby"), Southern-fried incest (the deliciously funky "Cousin DuPree"), or bleakly confronting dashed expectations ("What a Shame About Me"). A little more musically languorous perhaps, its trademark cynicism now undercut by hints of sadness and regret, this is nonetheless a Steely Dan album worthy of the name, and like the best of them, one whose subtle charms reveal themselves in surprising ways. -Jerry McCulley

All songs written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.

"Gaslighting Abbie" – 5:53
"What a Shame About Me" – 5:17
"Two Against Nature" – 6:17
"Janie Runaway" – 4:09
"Almost Gothic" – 4:09
"Jack of Speed" – 6:17
"Cousin Dupree" – 5:28
"Negative Girl" – 5:34
"West of Hollywood" – 8:21

 

[Dennie]

CSN -- CD

Crosby, Stills & Nash

1977/1990 Atlantic Records

Adult music, March 21, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: CSN (Audio CD)

Some people prefer the youthful flash of this trio's first album, some the rocknroll flash of the first one where "Y" was part of the mix, but I've always found CSN to be the most satisfying of Crosby, Stills and Nash' efforts in that particular formation. The main reason is that it sounds like three ADULTS really giving their all together; in the songwriting, in the harmonies, in every respect. Particular high points are Still's "See The Changes," a sort-of cousin musically to his earlier "Helplessly Hoping," but whose world-weary lyrics are some of the most penetrating the man ever wrote; Nash's "Cold Rain," about returning to where you originally came from and remembering why you left in the first place, with some wonderful close harmonies; Nash again with "Cathedral," a dramatic high point in the group's arrangements; and Crosby's "Shadow Captain," as potently evocative of sailing on the open seas as a song can get. This album doesn't have the "gosh-wow" factor of CSN's 1969 debut, but it's just as rewarding an album---maybe more.

Side One

"Shadow Captain" (Crosby, Craig Doerge) – 4:32
"See the Changes" (Stills) – 2:56
"Carried Away" (Nash) – 2:29
"Fair Game" (Stills) – 3:30
"Anything at All" (Crosby) – 3:01
"Cathedral" (Nash) – 5:15

Side Two

"Dark Star" (Stills) – 4:43
"Just a Song Before I Go" (Nash) – 2:12
"Run from Tears" (Stills) – 4:09
"Cold Rain" (Nash) – 2:32
"In My Dreams" (Crosby) – 5:10
"I Give You Give Blind" (Stills) – 3:21

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening....

Screenplaying -- CD

Mark Knopfler

1993 Warner Bros. Records

Mark is the best!!, December 21, 2001
By J. E. Harris (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Screenplaying (Audio CD)

I'll never forget the day, in 1977, when I first heard "sultans of swing" from Dire Straits. I was totally fascinated with the guitar licks. In my opinion, Mark is the best in the business.

I've watched him grow over the years, and he's only gotten better. Anyone who loves this work must own "Golden Heart". You may no longer hear Mark's music on "Popular stations". That's because these days, it's about the MTV thing. Look is more important than talent. But hey, Mark was the first to tell you that with "Money for Nothing". Enrich your life. Purchase this CD, or the individual CDs. Either way, you're going to love it.

All songs written & performed by Mark Knopfler, except noted.

From the film Cal

Irish Boy
Irish Love
Father and Son
Potato Picking
The Long Road

From the film Last Exit to Brooklyn (Performed by Guy Fletcher)

A Love Idea
Victims
Finale - Last Exit to Brooklyn

From the film The Princess Bride (Performed by Mark Knopfler & Guy Fletcher)

Once upon a Time...Storybook Love
Morning Ride
The Friends' Song
Guide My Sword
A Happy Ending

From the film Local Hero

Wild Theme
Boomtown
The Mist Covered Mountains
Smooching
Going Home