What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

REPTILE -- 24-bit HDCD Import

Eric Clapton

2001 East Record & Tape Company (Virgin Japan - I think :confusion-scratchheadyellow: )

"Reptile" - as in "Lizard Lounge" and it's Great!, April 5, 2001
By Martin A Hogan "Marty From SF" (San Francisco, CA. (Hercules)) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Reptile (Audio CD)

For those expecting the rock of "Layla", the variety of "Pilgrim" or the funkiness of "461 Ocean Boulevard", you might be disappointed, but "Reptile" is a masterpiece. All fourteen songs are what you might expect from a personal concert in a small cafe from Eric Clapton. Rythym and Blues are the mainstay here and it shows with classic covers of Ray Charles', "Come Back Baby", James Taylors' "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" and Stevie Wonders', "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It". This collection stands out for consistency and pure love of 'feel good' club music. Granted, Clapton does push more energy on "Superman Inside", almost 'out-blues' himself on "Got You On My Mind" and pulls at your heartstrings with the lovely instrumental, "Son & Sylvia". Each of Clapton's albums vary from time to time and usually for the better. This is a 'low key evening by the fire' collection. It's just one of the things Clapton does the best.

"Reptile" (Eric Clapton) – 3:26
"Got You on My Mind" (Joe Thomas, Howard Briggs) – 4:30
"Travelin' Light" (J. J. Cale) – 4:17
"Believe in Life" (Clapton) – 5:05
"Come Back Baby" (Ray Charles) – 3:55
"Broken Down" (Simon Climie, Dennis Morgan) – 5:25
"Find Myself" (Clapton) – 5:15
"I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" (Stevie Wonder) – 4:49
"I Want a Little Girl" (Murray Mencher, Billy Moll) – 2:58
"Second Nature" (Clapton, Climie, Morgan) – 4:48
"Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" (James Taylor) – 4:47
"Modern Girl" (Clapton) – 4:49
"Superman Inside" (Clapton, Doyle Bramhall II, Susannah Melvoin) – 5:07
"Son & Sylvia" (Clapton) – 4:43
"Losing Hand" [Bonus track from Japanese release] (Jesse Stone) – 4:18

 

[Dennie]

I really liked this the first time, so I'm giving it another spin..... :eusa-clap:

Vertical Vision -- CD

Christian McBride Band

2003 Warner Bros. Records

The celebrated jazz educator, master bassist, composer, and arranger, Christian McBride provides a new recording, told in a language of blazing originality. Vertical Vision is a multi-layered musical story that features beautiful solos, great grooves, funky riffs, and virtuosic performances by each bandmember. The recording also reveals McBride's passion for strong writing, brilliant accompaniment, and eclectic melodic voicings that stay with listeners long after the record ends. On this, his debut for Warner Brothers Jazz, McBride creates a dazzling weave of passionate rhythms, musical forms, and bass voicings with his longtime bandmate Ron Blake on saxophones and flute. Geoff Keezer on piano and keyboards, Terreon Gully on drums, David Gilmore on both acoustic and electric guitars, and Danny Sadownick on percussion add their flavorful interpretations, which elevate their performances to another level at each subsequent listen. The songs were inspired by and reflect a variety of subjects including the beautiful original "Song for Maya," which is played superbly by the ensemble and features the splendid flute work of Ron Blake. It is the most beautiful of all and the one that makes its way, like the family it has come to represent, into your heart. "Lejos de Usted" -- which is filled with beautiful horn voices and the vertical visions of McBride on acoustic bass -- is overflowing with Latin nuance and it is there, melding the borders between jazz and Latin rhythms. Top picks: "Technicolor Nightmare,""Tahitian Pearl," "Song for Maya," and "Boogie Woogie Waltz." Overall, Vertical Vision is a masterpiece that is beautiful, spirited, brimming with energy, and meets the same high standards set and achieved on Sci-Fi. ~ Paula Edelstein

Track Listing

1. Circa 1990
2. Technicolor Nightmare
3. Tahitian Pearl
4. Wizard of Montara, The
5. Ballad of Little Girl Dancer, The
6. Lejos de Usted - (Spanish)
7. Precious One
8. Song Foy Maya
9. Boogie Woogie Waltz

 

[PaulyT]

^--- just got that one in the mail yesterday, looking forward to hearing it!

 

[Dennie]

Famous Blue Raincoat -- 20th Anniversary 24k Gold Edition CD
The Songs of Leonard Cohen

Jennifer Warnes

2010 Impx Records

Downright classic coveralbum, superb soundquality even bettered, February 10, 2011
By pierke666 (Flanders, Belgium) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Famous Blue Raincoat (24 Karat Gold CD) (Audio CD)

This is one of my all time fave 's : as so many "HiFi-freaks" I first heard this one on a show years ago. By now it has been demo 'ed to death, but people still bring this album along to compare equipment ! True, there 's nothing "natural" 'bout the sound : every single detail you hear has been very carefully added in the mix. No "one-take live" sensation here, with "warts 'n all" portrayal : instead a seemingly endlessly detailed and heavily polished sound. (This 24 Kt gold version especially : As good as zero backgroundhiss, very wide freq.range and wonderful lowlevel micro-dynamics.) Production is thus very "US-style" : rather smooth/sweet and errs on the side of bombastic. This brings me finally to the music (To me still the most important thing, but not to every "High-Ender" out there, it seems) which is nothing short of fantastic! Some coverversions here even trump the original (L.Cohen-)versions, nearly making them seem bleek. No bald statement of me alone : even Mr. Cohen himself who collaborated in the making of this album admitted this in an interview! I can only think of a handful of coverversions doing this, and none of them are by the same artist, let alone on one album... And even if the emotional approach is sometimes "opera-like" larger-than-life JW gets away with it, being the incredible singer she is.
Somehow a shame to state this -JW being a singer/songwriter- but if you 're thinking of buying just one of her albums, let this be the one (especially this edition containing extra tracks): you won't be dissapointed !

All songs written by Leonard Cohen except where noted.

"First We Take Manhattan" – 3:47
"Bird on a Wire" – 4:42
"Famous Blue Raincoat" – 5:33
"Joan of Arc" – 7:57
"Ain't No Cure for Love" – 3:21
"Coming Back to You" – 3:43
"Song of Bernadette" – 3:55 (Jennifer Warnes, Bill Elliott, Cohen)
"A Singer Must Die" – 4:52
"Came So Far for Beauty" – 3:37 (Cohen, John Lissauer)

Additional tracks on 20th anniversary reissue

"Night Comes On"
"Ballad of the Runaway Horse"
"If It Be Your Will"
"Joan of Arc" (Live in Antwerp, Belgium, 1992)

 

[Dennie]

Time and Time Again -- CD

Paul Motian - Bill Frisell - Joe Lovano

2007 ECM Records

By NENAD GEORGIEVSKI, 2008

There's always magic in the air whenever Paul Motian , Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano get together and this album is no exception. A sequel to the brilliant I Have the Room Above Her (ECM, 2005), this is another master painting by these fine artists. Jazz has always favored individual voices and expressionism, and these players have proven themselves undisputed masters on their instruments. But jazz also favors teamwork, something that is definitely evident on Time and Time Again. Several decades on, the musical partnership between drummer Motian, saxophonist Lovano and guitarist Frisell is stronger than ever.

Since no bass or piano is used here, whatever the band tries to express is done in a reflective and calm manner. Contemplation is the key word. The musicians create an alluring aural palette that mesmerizes, mystifies and beguiles. They breathe throughout as one organism, building subtle layers on tracks such as the meditative "Cambodia" and "Light Blue," shifting harmonic constructions seamlessly on the raucous "OneTwo" and wandering lonely towards the spontaneous improvisation "In Remembrance of Things Past." "Wednesday" has some beautiful whirling sax melodies, with Motian's elegant brushes sounding like birds' wings. The overall setting is perfect for Frisell's relaxed, lyric style, his guitar providing beautiful tapestries. All of the compositions have an ethereal and fluid quality, thus giving an impression of almost effortless improvisational mastery.

From the opening of "Cambodia" until the closing title track, the compositions have a strange and creative dreaminess about them. One moment things are sneakily avant-garde, the next, conservatively lyrical. As a collective experiment in spontaneous collaboration, Time and Time Again is a great success.

Track listing

1. Cambodia
2. Wednesday
3. Onetwo
4. Whirlpool
5. In Remembrance of Things Past
6. K.T.
7. This Nearly Was Mine
8. Party Line
9. Light Blue
10. Time and Time Again

 

[Dennie]

She Was Too Good To Me -- Remastered CD

Chet Baker

1974 CTI/CBS Records

One Of Chet Baker's Finest Recordings! August 25, 2001
By Victor L. Sacino
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I believe this is one of Chet's finest recordings.All tunes are beautiful.Don Sebesky's arrangements are beautiful. The band consists of all first rate players such as Ron Carter, Bob James, Steve Gadd, Jack DeJohnette,Hubert Laws, Paul Desmond and other fine players as well as a String section.Chet sings on "She Was Too Good to Me", "With A Song In My Heart","What'll I Do" and "My Future Just Passed".His voice, in my opinion is good here.I have to mention that on "She Was Too Good To Me", there is a quote from "The Man In My Little Girl's Life" , a very nice touch to such a gorgeous tune.Chet is at his very best here.Bob James, Paul Desmond and Hubert Laws(Funk In Deep Freeze) are at top form here.This is another of my all time favorites and I cannot recommend it too highly.(VLS)

Track Listing
1. Autumn Leaves
2. She Was Good to Me
3. Funk in Deep Freeze
4. Tangerine
5. With a Song in My Heart
6. What'll I Do
7. It's You or No One
8. My Future Just Passed - (previously unreleased)

 

[Dennie]

Guitar Rock The Late 70's -- CD

Various Artists

1995 Time Life Music

Track Listing
-------------
[01]. Eddie Money - Two Tickets To Paradise
[02]. Foreigner - Dirty White Boy
[03]. Foghat - Stone Blue
[04]. Blackfoot - Train, Train
[05]. Lynyrd Skynyrd - You Got That Right
[06]. Trooper - Raise A Little Hell
[07]. Boston - A Man I'll Never Be
[08]. Santana - She's Not There
[09]. Kansas - Dust In The Wind
[10]. Kiss - Calling Dr. Love
[11]. Cheap Trick - Dream Police
[12]. Knack - Good Girls Don't
[13]. Nick Lowe - Cruel to Be Kind
[14]. Fleetwood Mac - Don't Stop
[15]. Molly Hatchet - Whiskey Man
[16]. Ted Nugent - Free-For-All
[17]. Blue Oyster Cult - R.U. Ready 2 Rock
[18]. REO Speedwagon - Roll with the Changes

 

[Dennie]

Pretzel Logic -- Remastered CD

Steely Dan

1974/1999 ABC/MCA Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Pretzel Logic marked a transition for Steely Dan from a studio-bound rock band producing hits such as "Reeling in the Years" and "Do It Again" to a looser constellation of studio musicians under the direction of songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. That later version of Steely Dan would paint its masterpiece with Aja. Pretzel Logic is much more playful than that, and also jazzier than the albums that came before. The jazz intentions are made perfectly clear on "Parker's Band," a swinging tribute to bebop titan Charlie Parker, and a crafty cover of Duke Ellington's "East St. Louis Toodle-oo." The lyrics displayed their own twisted logic, presenting a tumble of images in search of a unifying principle that most often remained elusive. Steely Dan was that rare act that could work such purposeful obscurity to its advantage: "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" was a top-five hit even though nobody had a clue as to what it was about. Or, perhaps, everybody had a clue, but nobody could agree. --John Milward

Side 1

"Rikki Don't Lose That Number" – 4:30
"Night by Night" – 3:36
"Any Major Dude Will Tell You" – 3:05
"Barrytown" – 3:17
"East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" (Duke Ellington, Bubber Miley) – 2:45

Side 2

"Parker's Band" – 2:36
"Through with Buzz" – 1:30
"Pretzel Logic" – 4:28
"With a Gun" – 2:15
"Charlie Freak" – 2:41
"Monkey in Your Soul" – 2:31

 

[Dennie]

Fire Wire -- CD

Larry Carlton

2006 RCA Victor Records

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Fusion of Rock, Jazz, Blues, December 6, 2006
By William Cook (Dripping Springs, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Fire Wire (Audio CD)

If you want smooth jazz don't buy this CD. If you want to get down 'n dirty then buy this CD and crank up the volume! I was not expecting such a straight-ahead hard driving set of tunes from Larry Carlton and I too relish Sapphire Blue, however as a rocker from the 60's and 70's I am so thoroughly enjoying this CD with it's mix of rock, jazz and blues that I'm buying copies for many of my friends on my Christmas list. Get Down - Get Funky - Get Fire Wired!!!!

Track Listing

1. Inkblott 11
2. Double Cross
3. Naked Truth
4. Surrender
5. Big Trouble
6. Goodbye
7. Dirty Donna's House Party
8. Prince, The
9. Sunrise
10. Mean Street

 

[Dennie]

Back At The Chicken Shack -- CD

The Incredible Jimmy Smith

1960/1997 Blue Note Records

Awesome!, February 20, 2005
By Claude Lapointe "maaaars" (Quebec, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Back at the Chicken Shack (Audio CD)

I agree 100% with Guy from New Haven. And even though I don't possess all of Jimmy's albums, this has to be his best... Maybe the the best jazz album ever!!! Never heard anything so groovy; it's B3 organ, Tenor Sax and good rhythm galore!!!

I don't know which track is best because they're all stunning but to name a few, maybe "Minor Chant" by Stanley Turrentine (who brilliantly plays the sax throughout the album), stands out a little... not by much though. "When I grow too old to dream": what a sweet melody!... Messy Bessie (by Jimmy) is so good, I would have appreciated a finale instead of the fade-out we got (but that's okay). And technically, the 1960's Blue Note pure, clear, and no-fuss analog recording sounds flawless.

If you're jaded with the traditional organ-drums-guitar formation, check this out because tenor saxophone truly adds a uniquely elegant and amazingly powerful dimension to Jimmy's already great sound! This will put a smile on your face and make your head bounce!

"Back at the Chicken Shack" (Jimmy Smith) — 8:01
"When I Grow Too Old to Dream" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg) — 9:54
"Minor Chant" (Stanley Turrentine) — 7:30
"Messy Bessie" (Smith) — 12:25
"On the Sunny Side of the Street" (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh) — 5:45 (Appeared as a CD-only bonus track, not part of the original LP configuration).

-----

Jimmy Smith - organ
Kenny Burrell - guitar
Stanley Turrentine - tenor saxophone
Donald Bailey - drums

 

[Dennie]

Home Cookin' -- Remastered CD

Jimmy Smith

1960/2004 Blue Note Records

Soul Food, Chicken Grease, and Hammond B-3 soul, April 20, 2000
By Sean K Hur (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Home Cookin (Audio CD)

Wow, now here's a good work for you hammond b-3 fans. The small 3 personal group that basically epitomizes the Jimmy Smith sound in his blue-note years are here. With the added tenor saxophone work of Percy France, you got a great combination of soul food for you ears! Like the title of the album, there is a great deal of blues entwined inside every track. Highlights on the album were immediately the really driving "I Got a Woman," a great Ray Charles standard that Kenny Burrell, another fine jazz guitarist really shines. There are points when it seems that this is more a blues-jazz group, there isn't much in terms of be-bop flashiness, which may turn off some arrogant jazz types. It seems that Jimmy Smith's greatest work isn't in the spitty organ leads he pumps, its the subtle organ bass lines that sound incredible. THERE IS NO BASS PLAYER IN HIS GROUP! Every track reveals a good blues sensibility that the hammond b-3 organ seems to lend itself too. Jimmy Smith's album here helps to bridge a great gap between the intellectual and heady jazz of the era with the low-down chicken house organ sounds... Incredible, and this album is one of his best!

All compositions by Jimmy Smith except as indicated

"See See Rider" (Ma Rainey) - 6:35
"Sugar Hill" (Kenny Burrell) - 5:19
"I Got a Woman" (Ray Charles, Renald Richard) - 3:55
"Messin' Around" - 5:55
"Gracie" - 5:54
"Come on Baby" (Burrell) - 6:50
"Motorin' Along" (Jimmy McGriff) - 5:09

Bonus tracks on CD reissue:

"Since I Fell for You" (Buddy Johnson) - 4:19
"Apostrophe" (Percy France) - 6:35
"Groanin'" (Jack McDuff) - 8:10
"Motorin' Along" [alternate take] (McGriff) - 5:02
"Since I Fell for You" [alternate take] (Johnson) - 6:27

Recorded on July 15, 1958 (tracks 7, 8, 11, 12), May 24, 1959 (tracks 3, 10) and June 16, 1959 (tracks 1, 2, 4-6 & 9).

 

[Dennie]

R.I.P. Robin Gibb! :angelic-green:

Your music has touched my Soul! Thank You!

Photo taken in 2008

A Sad Day indeed!

Dennie

 

[Dennie]

It's starting to look a little strange outside as we in California experience an Annular (not total) Eclipse of the Sun...

So, some Eclipse music is called for...... :music-rockout:

Dark Side of The Moon -- 24k Gold CD

Pink Floyd

1973/1990 Mobile Fidelity Ultradisc II (UDCD 517)

The Dark Side of the Moon - MFSL Gold Version,
April 4, 2007
By Bret A. Dagostino "BD"
This review is from: Dark Side of the Moon (Audio CD)

This recording speaks for itself in terms of production quality; this is a long-standing reference recording. The MFSL Gold CD version of this CD is EXCELLENT. I have been a part of the ultra high-end audio industry for over 30 years and only listen to reference quality systems; this transfer is incredibly well done. There are no gain (volume issues) or any lack of resolution in any area. I don't think the performance advantages over the standard and SACD versions are subtle. This is well worth the investment, and becoming rare. Buy it while its available ~

Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Lead vocals Length
1. "Speak to Me" Mason Instrumental 1:30
2. "Breathe" Waters, Gilmour, Wright Gilmour 2:43
3. "On the Run" Gilmour, Waters Instrumental 3:36
4. "Time" (containing "Breathe (Reprise)") Mason, Waters, Wright, Gilmour Gilmour, Wright 7:01
5. "The Great Gig in the Sky" Wright, Clare Torry[nb 12] Clare Torry 4:36
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Lead vocals Length
1. "Money" Waters Gilmour 6:22
2. "Us and Them" Waters, Wright Gilmour, Wright 7:46
3. "Any Colour You Like" Gilmour, Mason, Wright Instrumental 3:25
4. "Brain Damage" Waters Waters 3:48
5. "Eclipse" Waters Waters 2:03

 

[Kazaam]

Been listening to some new John Mayer and also some classic Beastie Boys a lot this weekend. Probably the most I've used my home system in months.

Born & Raised

and

The Sounds of Science. My first CD from the Beasties, though I've had the Anthology DVD for years.

 

[Botch]

Kazaam, what do you think of the Mayer release? I'm tempted...

 

[Kazaam]

Kazaam, what do you think of the Mayer release? I'm tempted...

I like it. It's pleasant enough. And it's not nearly as country or southern sounding as the cover art would suggest. This still sounds very much like John Mayer, just with yet another slightly expanded musical palette.

 

[topper]

my 'Monday morning blues' music . . . .

 

[Dennie]

Their Greatest Hits - The Record -- Remastered 2 CD Set

Bee Gees

2001 Polydor Ltd.

Digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig (Gateway Mastering Studios, Portnad, Maine).

As any '60s pop aficionado worth his/her salt can tell you, the oft-overlooked Bee Gees were musical visionaries on a par with the Beatles, but until the 2001 arrival of this two-disc anthology, their legacy has been ill-treated. Short of buying the box set, previous hits collections made you choose between the brothers Gibb's early pop-rock period and their subsequent reincarnation as R&B/disco gods. THE RECORD, which devotes a generously proportioned disc to each of these eras, shows that the Bee Gees' work in both was equally impressive.

From the quirky, death-obsessed, but endlessly melodic invention of such '60s gems as "New York Mining Disaster 1941," "I've Gotta Get a Message to You," and "I Started a Joke," to the delicious falsetto-enlivened faux Philly Soul of "Too Much Heaven" and "Fanny," to infectious dance classics "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever," the band stands tall. Their limitless melodic imagination, distinctive three-part harmonies, and consistency of vision mark them as one of the greatest pop outfits of the 20th century, and THEIR GREATEST HITS is far and away the definitive Bee Gees collection.

Recorded between 1966 & 2000.


Their Greatest Hits: The Record CD DISC 1:


1. New York Mining Disaster 1941
2. To Love Somebody
3. Holiday
4. Massachusetts
5. World
6. Words
7. I've Gotta Get a Message to You
8. I Started a Joke
9. First of May
10. Saved by the Bell
11. Don't Forget to Remember
12. Lonely Days
13. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
14. Run to Me
15. Jive Talkin'
16. Nights on Broadway
17. Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)
18. Love So Right
19. If I Can't Have You
20. Love Me
21. You Should Be Dancin'

Their Greatest Hits: The Record Songs DISC 2:

1. Stayin' Alive
2. How Deep Is Your Love
3. Night Fever
4. More Than a Woman
5. Emotion
6. Too Much Heaven
7. Tragedy
8. Love You Inside Out
9. Guilty - (with Barbra Streisand/Barry Gibb)
10. Heartbreaker
11. Islands in the Stream
12. You Win Again
13. One
14. Secret Love
15. For Whom the Bell Tolls
16. Alone
17. Immortality
18. This Is Where I Came In
19. Spicks and Specks

 

[Dennie]

Greatest Hits -- CD

ELO

1979/1990 Sony Music

Amazon.com

You can't make a meal of bubblegum, but it sure can be a delicious distraction. ELO's Greatest Hits is filled with gooey, chewy delights--sonic kitsch like "I Can't Get It Out of My Head" (Lennon on Lithium), "Telephone Line" (Kool & The Gang with violins), and the irresistible "Turn to Stone" (Wagner in spandex)--cultural guideposts, whether you want to admit it or not. ELO combined classical elements with electronic rock and their influence can still be heard in new Turk bands playing with Moogs--for all their Beatles-in-space trappings, the group was also pretty *** catchy. Early ELO was spotty, with flavorful items like "Strange Magic" popping out of the lab nevertheless. By the late '70s, producer-songwriter-singer Jeff Lynne had his electronic pop chamber-group machine oiled to perfection, and this package contains a heavy dose of those longer-lasting-flavor years, with well-chosen dabs of essential chewing pleasure. --Don Harrison
All tracks written by Jeff Lynne.

1. "Evil Woman"[1] – 4:10
2. "Livin' Thing"[2] – 3:31
3. "Can't Get It Out of My Head"[3] – 4:22
4. "Showdown"[4] – 3:51
5. "Turn to Stone"[5] – 3:48
6. "Rockaria!"[2] – 3:12
7. "Sweet Talkin' Woman"[5] – 3:47
8. "Telephone Line" [2] – 4:37
9. "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle"[4] – 3:35
10. "Strange Magic"[1] – 4:07
11. "Mr. Blue Sky"[5] – 5:05

 

[No-L]