What Are You Listening To?

[heeman]

Today's work truck music....

BeBe Le Strange -- CD

Heart

1980/1990 Epic Records

Raised on Heart, January 2, 2003
By "littlequeen23" (Hawaii) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Bebe Le Strange (Audio CD)

Bebe Le Strange is one of the albums that made me a more serious musician. Listening to Nancy Wilson on the song "Raised on you" raised a few questions in my mind. Who is really the masterminds behind the heart sound? Ann and Nancy truly deliver what I want to hear on a record. "Silver Wheels" captivated me the minute I heard it and now that's one of my favorites to play on the guitar. Probably my favorite song off of this record is "Strange Night" which is great to listen to on a road trip. "Sweet Darlin" is Ann Wilson's voice to the max it's really gorgeous. Please if you are into good music..get this CD.

"Bebe le Strange" (Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Sue Ennis, Roger Fisher) – 3:40
"Down on Me" (A. Wilson, N. Wilson, Ennis) – 4:45
"Silver Wheels" (N. Wilson) – 1:24
"Break" (A. Wilson, N. Wilson, Ennis) – 2:32
"Rockin Heaven Down" (A. Wilson, N. Wilson, Ennis) – 5:54
"Even It Up" (A. Wilson, N. Wilson, Ennis) – 5:10
"Strange Night" (A. Wilson, N. Wilson, Ennis) – 4:18
"Raised on You" (N. Wilson) – 3:21
"Pilot" (A. Wilson, N. Wilson, Ennis) – 3:18
"Sweet Darlin'" (A. Wilson) – 3:17

Great Album!! :music-rockout: :music-rockout:

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music....

BeBe Le Strange -- CD

Heart

1980/1990 Epic Records

Raised on Heart, January 2, 2003
By "littlequeen23" (Hawaii) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Bebe Le Strange (Audio CD)

Bebe Le Strange is one of the albums that made me a more serious musician. Listening to Nancy Wilson on the song "Raised on you" raised a few questions in my mind. Who is really the masterminds behind the heart sound? Ann and Nancy truly deliver what I want to hear on a record. "Silver Wheels" captivated me the minute I heard it and now that's one of my favorites to play on the guitar. Probably my favorite song off of this record is "Strange Night" which is great to listen to on a road trip. "Sweet Darlin" is Ann Wilson's voice to the max it's really gorgeous. Please if you are into good music..get this CD.

"Bebe le Strange" (Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Sue Ennis, Roger Fisher) – 3:40
"Down on Me" (A. Wilson, N. Wilson, Ennis) – 4:45
"Silver Wheels" (N. Wilson) – 1:24
"Break" (A. Wilson, N. Wilson, Ennis) – 2:32
"Rockin Heaven Down" (A. Wilson, N. Wilson, Ennis) – 5:54
"Even It Up" (A. Wilson, N. Wilson, Ennis) – 5:10
"Strange Night" (A. Wilson, N. Wilson, Ennis) – 4:18
"Raised on You" (N. Wilson) – 3:21
"Pilot" (A. Wilson, N. Wilson, Ennis) – 3:18
"Sweet Darlin'" (A. Wilson) – 3:17

Great Album!! :music-rockout: :music-rockout:

Damn Straight!!! :music-rockout:



Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Black Diamond -- CD

The Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman

1997 Windham Hill/Peak Records

The Best Rippingtons Album Yet November 16, 1998
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD

Jazz nowadays is a broad term encompassing anything from dissonant be-bop to easy listening background music. Like it or not, the Rippingtons play a form of jazz--and people enjoy it as such.

Critics may look down thier noses at this type of music and I don't know why. Perhaps it lacks the unstructured feel and spontaneity attributed to "traditional" jazz (whatever that may be) which they feel compelled to compare this to. This is quite unfair.

Notice that all Ripppingtons albums read "The Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman." Russ Freeman, the leader and guitarist of the group, writes the songs and enlists the help of an outstanding group of musicians to play these songs. That's why the "official reviewer's" potshot that only one other original member remains on this album doesn't hold any weight. The Rippingtons were never so much about a band as they were about Russ Freeman and his song writing.

As such, let's judge this album on the merits of it's songs. Coherent structure, catchy hooks, nice phrasing, great instrumental licks, nicely produced... a fine product. Hey, up-tempo, hard jazz it's not, but then again it's not claiming to be.

This is a great, great Rippingtons album to kick back and relax to. Don't let anyone (ESPECIALLY snooty critics) dissuade you from enjoying this type of music, and specifically, BLACK DIAMOND!

"Black Diamond" - 4:46
"Deep Powder" - 6:16
"Seven Nights in Rome" - 5:05
"Soul Seeker" - 4:40
"In Another Life" - 5:41
"Big Sky" - 4:23
"If I Owned the World" - 3:39
"North Peak" - 4:12
"Angelfire" - 4:13
"Jewel Thieves" - 5:05
"Black Diamond (Acoustic Version)" - 4:09

 

[Dennie]

I'm not listening to this, but I think it is a great album cover.

So, I'm posting it..... :mrgreen:

Dennie :handgestures-thumbup:

 

[Dennie]

am I not your girl? -- CD

Sinead O'Connor

1992 Ensign Records

Swing Sister Swing, December 30, 2005
By Leafsfan2028 (magnolia, tx, usa) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Am I Not Your Girl (Audio CD)

I had no idea what I was getting into when I purchased this CD. I was expecting more of the bitter, raw, politically driven music I have come to love. Boy was this a curve ball! But, behold, it is brilliant.

Sinead, in her oh so beautiful voice, provides a journey back to the swing era. Picture this fair lass in a smoky night club surrounded by a large band, playing music that congers up pictures of couples slow dancing, sipping scotch and wearing their Sunday best.

Ths CD offers a mix of slow and outright hopping tracks. I am thrilled I found this diamond in the rough.


1. Why Don't You Do Right
2. Bewitched Bothered And Bewildered
3. Secret Love
4. Black Coffee
5. Success Has Made A Failure Of Our Home
6. Don't Cry For Me Argentina
7. I Wanna Be Loved By You
8. Gloomy Sunday
9. Love Letters
10. How Insensitive
11. Don't Cry For Me Argentina (Insturmental)

 

[Dennie]

Love Is My Religion -- CD

Ziggy Marley

2006 Tuff Gong Records

Great Music December 10, 2011
By Paul S. MacGregor
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

There's not a weak link on this album. It's the kind of standard you'd expect from the Marleys brand. You'll notice that while distinctly Bob-Marley-like, Ziggy has established his own identity. He explores new areas without losing the reggae authenticity expected from any son of Bob Marley. It has a more ska and acoustic feel to it than a lot of Bob's best known music. It's refreshing to find a Reggae cd that scratches the intended itch, you had in mind when you thought to put a Marley Reggae cd on to begin with, yet it doesn't get lost in the shuffle because it Ziggy separates himself from both his father's music as well as the plethera of cookie cutter reggae musicians out there. If you want something reggae, kind of like Bob Marley but not so cliche as just putting on Bob's Greatest Hits and not as vanilla as picking another random reggae band just to hear steel drums, then you should give this a try.

"Into the Groove"
"Love Is My Religion"
"Make Some Music"
"Friend"
"Black Cat"
"Beach in Hawaii"
"A Lifetime"
"Be Free"
"Keep on Dreaming"
"Still the Storm"
"Love Is My Religion" (acoustic)
"Be Free" (Dub)

 

[Dennie]

Motorcycle Cowboy - Live at Billy Bob's Texas -- CD

Merle Haggard

2000 Smith Music Group

As Advertised: "The Ultimate 'Hag' Album", March 4, 2005
By Brent A. Anthonisen "Johnny Sideburns" (Alpharetta, GA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Live at Billy Bob's Texas (Audio CD)

Considering how long Merle Haggard has been not only a recording artist but an absolute GIANT in the industry it's really surprising that there aren't a lot more live compilations of his work out there.

This one's been around for a few years and as a career retrospective/greatest hits/REALLY WELL-RECORDED live set it is awfully hard to beat, especially on a single disc. I'd have to short-list this as one of the concerts throughout the history of music I would have really loved to have attended.

Whether you enjoy crying in your beer or just drinkin' it, Merle has got you covered in "The World's Largest Honky-Tonk", Billy Bob's of Texas. The crowd is obviously into it, the band is absolutely sharp as a tack, and Merle's sixty-something year-old whiskey-aged voice has never sounded better. The overall sound mix is terrific; all instruments are heard clearly and the lead/back-up vocal arrangements are superb. This has to have been one of the best concerts the man has ever played.

The songs themselves are a primer to country music history, and certainly offer as good an introduction to Hag's work as anyone could hope for. Possibly the only standard missing in this set is "The Fightin' Side Of Me", but with "I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink", "Workin' Man Blues", "Silver Wings", "Swinging Doors", "The Bottle Let Me Down", "Misery & Gin" (notice a pattern here?), "The Emptiest Arms In The World", "Mama Tried", "Today I Started Loving You Again", "Okie From Muskogee" (of course), "Big City", and "If We Make It Through December" (the song most responsible for getting me through my own layoff in 2003), you get a reall phenomenal collection of music played with a vibrancy that frankly studio recordings (even Hag's) just don't seem to pull off.

Just an incredible set...see this guy live if you get half a chance; if you can't see him, but this CD. Any country music or Southern Rock fan needs to own this. Anyone who was ever remotely curious as to why Merle Haggard is as well-regarded as he is needs only to listen to this CD once to understand completely.

Misery & Gin
I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink
Workin' Man Blues
Silver Wings
Swinging Doors
That's The Way Love Goes
The Bottle Let Me Down
Ramblin' Fever
The Emptiest Arms In The World
Mama Tried
Hungry Eyes
Medley: Motorcycle Cowboy / Blue Yodel #13
If We Make It Through December
Are the Good Times Really Over
Okie From Muskogee
Big City
Ida Red
Today I Started Loving You Again

 

[PaulyT]

Just popped this in for the first time. So far so good!

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music....

In The Dark -- CD

Grateful Dead

1987 Arista Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Hardcore Deadheads always equate this 1987 comeback record with commercial acceptance and a watered-down fan base, but while those assertions are indeed accurate, step back and you'll hear an album full of strong material and equally solid, live-in-the-studio performances. It's more than coincidence that songs such as "Touch of Grey" (the band's only top 10 hit), "Hell in a Bucket," "West L.A. Fadeaway," and "Throwing Stones" all became staples of the Dead's last decade of touring. While longtime fans will probably have no use (or desire) for this release (especially since the CD version omits the brilliant "Brother Esau"), it remains one of the band's most successful studio forays and the quintessential icebreaker for newcomers. --Marc Greilsamer

Side one

"Touch of Grey" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:47
"Hell in a Bucket" (Barlow, Weir) – 5:35
"When Push Comes to Shove" (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:05
"West L.A. Fadeaway" (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:39

Side two

"Tons of Steel" (Mydland) – 5:15
"Throwing Stones" (Barlow, Weir) – 7:18
"Black Muddy River" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:58
"My Brother Esau" (Barlow, Weir) - 4:20

"My Brother Esau" was omitted from the LP and CD releases of In the Dark, but was included on the cassette and on international releases.

 

[No-L]

 

[Dennie]

Another Hand -- CD

David Sanborn

1991 Elektra Records

When David Sanborn debuted on Elektra with Another Hand after a 13-year stay at Warner Bros., the altoist swore off formulaic, radio-oriented muzak and vowed to make artistic considerations his main priority. There's nothing shallow or contrived about the album, an exploratory, heartfelt effort generally defined by his introspective, soulsearching improvisations. Sanborn tends to be reflective rather than extroverted -- an exception being the soul-jazz gem "Hobbies." Instead of avoiding complexity as some of his more commercial recordings did, Another Hand often thrives on it. The album's main flaw lies in the fact that too often, the sidemen tend to serve as a backdrop for Sanborn instead of being active soloists. But given the depth and overall excellence of Sanborn's playing, one tends to overlook that shortcoming. ~ Alex Henderson

Track Listing
1. First Song
2. Monica Jane
3. Come to Me, Nina
4. Hobbies
5. Another Hand
6. Jesus
7. Weird From One Step Beyond
8. C. E. E.
9. Prayers For Charlie From The Devil At Four O'Clock / The Lonely From The Twilight Zone
10. Dukes & Counts

Personnel: David Sanborn (saxophones); Syd Straw (vocals); Lenny Pickett (tenor saxophone); Art Baron (trombone); Terry Adams, Mulgrew Miller (piano); Dave Tronzo (acoustic guitar); Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot, Al Anderson (guitars); Greg Cohen, Marcus Miller, Charlie Haden (bass); Joey Baron, Jack DeJohnette (drums); Don Alias (percussion).

 

[Dennie]

B.G. in Hi-Fi -- Remastered CD

Benny Goodman

1954/1989 Capitol Jazz

Recorded on November 8, 9, 16 & 17, 1954. Includes liner notes by Dan Morgenstern.On this all-around excellent CD, Benny Goodman performs a dozen selections (mostly Fletcher Henderson arrangements) with a big band filled with sympathetic players in 1954 and eight other numbers with a pair of smaller units that also feature pianist Mel Powell and either Charlie Shavers or Ruby Braff on trumpets. Although the big-band era had been gone for almost a decade, Benny Goodman (then 46) plays these swing classics with enthusiasm and creativity and shows that there was never any reason for anyone to write him off as "behind the times." ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
1. Let's Dance
2. Airmail Special
3. Ain't Misbehavin' - (previously unreleased, CD only)
4. Get Happy
5. Slipped Disc - (previously unreleased, CD only)
6. Jersey Bounce
7. When I Grow Too Old to Dream
8. You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me
9. Blue Lou
10. Jumpin' at the Woodside
11. Stompin' at the Savoy
12. Sent For You Yesterday and Here You Come Today
13. Rose Room - (previously unreleased, CD only)
14. What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry
15. Rock Rimmon
16. You're a Sweetheart
17. Somebody Stole My Gal
18. Anything For You, (I Would Do) - (previously unreleased, CD only)
19. Big John's Special
20. Let's Dance

Personnel: Benny Goodman (clarinet); Hyme Schertzer, Paul Ricci (alto saxophone); Boomie Richman, Al Klink (tenor saxophone); Sol Schlinger (baritone saxophone); Charlie Shavers, Chris Griffin, Ruby Braff, Bernie Privin, Carl Poole (trumpet); Will Bradley, Cutty Cutshall, Vernon Brown (trombone); Mel Powell (piano); Steve Jordan (guitar); George Duvivier (bass); Bobby Donaldson, Jo Jones (drums).

 

[Dennie]

Nirvana -- CD

Bucky and John Pizzarelli

2003 LRC Records

Bucky - Truly "A Jazz Legend", June 3, 2001
By William Alan Hafey - See all my reviews
This review is from: Nirvana (Audio CD)

I've neen a Bucky fan for 30 years and never heard him play better. There is a handful of superb jazz guitarists still working today whose roots are in either the great ones from the '30s and early '40s or the swing era. (George Van Eps, Dick McDonough, Carl Kress, George Barnes, Django . . . of course . . . and Charlie Christian, together with many others, come to mind.) Bucky encompasses all of them, with an obvious Benny Goodman influence in the mix. But it may have been Van Eps who, as far as I know, invented the 7-string guitar . . . a traditional guitar with an added .80 mm A string tuned an octave lower, making it possible for Bucky to play chords and bass accents that only a very few (Howard Alden, John Pizzarelli Jr., etc.) CAN play, thus making him unique today among the guitar greats. Recently I attended a concert ("Legends Of Guitar")in Hartford CT where Bucky appeared with Gene Bertoncini, Howard Alden, and Frank Vignola . . . all deserving of the title billing. Bucky, at age 75, was never playing better. It was very obvious that the other guitarists agreed. Buy this recording, which was made about 15 years ago, and kick yourself for perhaps not knowing earlier what a genius this man has been. Plus . . . for it matters . . . he is also one of the gentlest, nicest, most unassuming persons you will ever meet. I am priviledged, after all these years, to call him a friend.

Bill Hafey

Recording Date : Feb 21, 1995

1 Azurte (Davison) 3:27
2 Sing Sing Sing (Prima) 6:39
3 A Little World Called Home (Dominick, Hire) 7:13
4 Pick Yourself Up (Fields, Kern) 2:48
5 Nuages (Reinhardt) 5:53
6 Honeysuckle Rose (Razaf, Waller) 7:37
7 Willow Weep for Me (Runnell) 3:51
8 Medley: It's Been a Long Time/Don't Take Your Love from Me (Cahn) 4:24
9 Tangerine (Mercer) 6:51
10 Two Funky People (Cohn) 3:04
11 Come Rain or Come Shine (Arlen, Mercer) 5:57
12 Stompin' at the Savoy (Goodman, Sampson, Webb) 4:44

Bucky Pizzarelli (Guitar)
John Pizzarelli (Guitar)
Lynn Seaton (Bass)
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie (Drums)

 

[mzpro5]

 

[mzpro5]

I have started a random mix of the 8962 songs I have on my Squeezebox server. Gonna just keep it going for a while see how many days I can keep it going.

 

[TKoP]

Had my iphone on random in my car, and a song I haven't played in a REALLY long time came on - Ambugaton by Sleepytime Gorilla Museum.
It's not going to be for everyone... in fact, I would say only a small minority would like them. However, these guys can really really play well.

If you're looking to take a sharp left turn in your listening, these guys are pretty good.

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music....

Sunshine On Leith -- CD

The Proclaimers

1988 Chrysalis Records

Sunshine on Leith is The Proclaimers' second and best known album, released in August 1988. The album had three singles, including the title track, "I'm On My Way," and "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," which also became a hit following its inclusion on the soundtrack to Benny & Joon five years later in 1993. It is about their birthplace, Leith, and the title track Sunshine on Leith is played by Hibernian F.C. at the beginning of matches.

All Songs Written By Craig & Charlie Reid, except where noted.

"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" – 3:33
"Cap in Hand" – 3:24
"Then I Met You" – 3:50
"My Old Friend the Blues" – 3:06 (Steve Earle)
"Sean" – 3:23
"Sunshine on Leith" – 5:16
"Come on Nature" – 3:34
"I'm on My Way" – 3:45
"What Do You Do?" – 3:38
"It's Saturday Night" – 3:24
"Teardrops" – 2:32
"Oh Jean" – 5:55

 

[Kazaam]

From Lunchtime Doodles... found a cartoon of my favorite hip-hop album.

 

[No-L]

A great collection of songs.

 

[No-L]