What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Oscar Peterson Trio + One Clark Terry -- Remastered CD

1964/2007 Mercury/Verve Records

This is part of Verve's Master Edition series.Some guest soloists get overshadowed by Oscar Peterson's technical prowess, while others meet him halfway with fireworks of their own; trumpeter Clark Terry lands in the latter camp on this fine 1964 session. With drummer Ed Thigpen and bassist Ray Brown providing solid support, the two soloists come off as intimate friends over the course of the album's ten ballad and blues numbers. And while Peterson shows myriad moods, from Ellington's impressionism on slow cuts like "They Didn't Believe Me" to fleet, single-line madness on his own "Squeaky's Blues," Terry goes in for blues and the blowzy on originals like "Mumbles" and "Incoherent Blues"; the trumpeter even airs out some of his singularly rambling and wonderful scat singing in the process. Other highlights include the rarely covered ballad "Jim" and the even more obscure "Brotherhood of Man" from the Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. A very engaging and enjoyable disc. ~ Stephen Cook

"Brotherhood of Man" (Frank Loesser) – 3:32
"Jim" (Caesar Petrillo, Milton Samuels, Nelson Shawn) – 3:01
"Blues for Smedley" (Oscar Peterson) – 6:56
"Roundalay" (Peterson) – 3:55
"Mumbles" (Clark Terry) – 2:01
"Mack the Knife" (Marc Blitzstein, Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill) – 5:16
"They Didn't Believe Me" (Jerome Kern, Herbert Reynolds) – 4:21
"Squeaky's Blues" (Peterson) – 3:28
"I Want a Little Girl" (Murray Mencher, Billy Moll) – 5:10
"Incoherent Blues" (Clark Terry) – 2:42

 

[Dennie]

Montreux '77 -- CD

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Jimmie Smith

1977/1989 Pablo/Fantasy Records

Jaws with Oscar and Ray: Earth-shaking chemistry, March 31, 2007
By Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States)
(TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)


Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Montreux 77 (Audio CD)

I'm not sure why Norman Granz released so many albums with the title Montreux '77, thereby encouraging listeners to lump them all together and simply ignore them. In any case, this one is certainly a stand-out: Oscar is in full stride and moreover reunited with Ray Brown. Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, moreover, is arguably the Oscar Peterson of the tenor saxophone, simply a fearless, accomplished, inimitable, untouchable player, whose unique rhythmic drive makes him ideally suited to Oscar while his rougher-hewn tones make him a complementary contrast to the pianist's polished style.

It's a wonder Jaws doesn't betray more nervousness, performing all alone with Oscar's trio, especially since the pianist shows absolutely no mercy, counting off the opener at a tempo that would have most players looking for a handy exit. The ensuing numbers are no less busy. Even on the "down tempo" of "The Breeze and I" Oscar double-times his solo, almost threatening to bury the featured soloist in a shower of flying notes. But Jaws was never one to shirk from a challenge, which is exactly what he gets on this occasion. By the time the group gets to a blues, "Telegraph," he's in full control, making his message so loud and clear that it's Oscar who's breathing hard. Jaws goes on to top himself on 'Land of Dreams," using that patented altimissimo register of his as much to spearhead the rhythm section as to create melodic excitement. Now Oscar really has to go after him--which he does, ingeniously employing repeated quarter notes and rhythms in the manner of Lockjaw himself. Predictably, the program ends as it began--with another burner, "Blue Lou" (Is it possible to play any faster?). Jimmie Smith's drums are in there somewhere, but quite frankly the other three musicians are in such a zone that I wonder how any drummer's hi-hat could synch with the blurred off-beats.

Simply put, there's no group of players alive who, even if they put their minds to it, could produce music such as this in the present millennium.

1 - This Can't Be Love
2 - I Wished on the Moon
3 - The Breeze and I
4 - Angel Eyes
5 - Telegraph
6 - Land of Dreams
7 - Blue Lou

 

[Dennie]

Night Train -- Remastered CD

The Oscar Peterson Trio

1963/1997 Verve Master Edition

Outstanding and essential jazz piano, July 12, 2002
By
Jon Warshawsky "Sinatra Guru"
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Night Train (Audio CD)

Night Train is one of the best jazz piano albums I have yet to hear. Oscar Peterson is spellbinding -- both at breakneck and leisurely speeds -- and the ensemble is tight. Favorites here include Ellington's C-Jam Blues (only two notes!), The Honeydripper, Moten Swing, a definitive Band Call and of course a memorable rendition of the title track. I am a huge fan of Dave Brubeck, but one ride on the Night Train and it's obvious Peterson was something special. If you like exciting jazz piano -- this isn't background music -- Night Train is essential.
The bonus tracks? I don't like to complain about getting something for nothing, but it would not be hard to argue that the original album is a classic that needed no embellishment. Even with lesser songs, Peterson turns in a convincing performance and these pass muster. 'Now's the Time' is an amazing bit of keyboard athleticism -- a performance more worthy than the tune. 'This Could Be the Start of Something' is similarly a superior performance of a not-so-superior number.
The jury is still out on Verve's cardboard CD jackets. It looks nice but is destined to fall apart long before the CD fails. Perhaps Verve thought they were doing us a favor. Still a five-star album, but packaging is (a small) part of the equation.

Track Listing
1. Night Train
2. C-Jam Blues
3. Georgia on My Mind
4. Bags' Groove
5. Moten Swing
6. Easy Does It
7. The Honeydripper
8. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
9. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
10. Band Call
11. Hymn to Freedom
12. Night Train - (previously unreleased)
13. Volare - (previously unreleased)
14. My Heart Belongs to Daddy - (previously unreleased)
15. Moten Swing - (previously unreleased rehearsal take)
16. Now's the Time - (previously unreleased)
17. This Could Be the Start of Something - (previously unreleased)


Oscar Peterson Trio: Oscar Peterson (piano); Ray Brown (bass); Ed Thigpen (drums).Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California on December 16, 1962.

 

[Dennie]

Zoot Sims and the Gershwin Brothers -- SACD

1990/2003 Pablo/Concord Records

Along with his album with Count Basie (Basie and Zoot) during the same period, this is one of Sims' most exciting recordings of his career. Greatly assisted by pianist Oscar Peterson, guitarist Joe Pass, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Grady Tate, he explores ten songs written by George and Ira Gershwin. Somehow the magic was definitely present and, whether it be stomps such as "The Man I Love," "Lady Be Good," and "I Got Rhythm" or warm ballads (including "I've Got a Crush on You" and "Embraceable You"), Zoot Sims is heard at the peak of his powers. A true gem. ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
1. The Man I Love
2. How Long Has This Been Going On?
3. Lady Be Good Oh
4. I've Got a Crush on You
5. I Got Rhythm
6. Embraceable You
7. 'S Wonderful
8. Someone to Watch over Me
9. Isn't It a Pity?
10. Summertime
11. They Can't Take That Away from Me

Personnel: Zoot Sims (tenor saxophone); Oscar Peterson (piano); Joe Pass (guitar); George Mraz (acoustic bass); Grady Tate (drums).Originally released on Pablo (2310-744).

 

[Dennie]

The More I See You -- 20 Bit CD

Oscar Peterson - Ray Brown - Benny Carter - Clark Terry

1995 Telarc Jazz

A Successful Return For Oscar Peterson.......... April 25, 2008
By Robert J. Ament
Format:Audio CD

after a devastating stroke suffered two years earlier. On the opening track "In A Mellow Tone" it becomes evident that the listener is in for a happy and joyous treat. I read somewhere that Oscar never recovered full strength in his left hand. I can state there's no hint of any impairment here....and that can be said for his virtuosity and imagination as well. The musicians perform with the apparent ease of a hand crafted close tolerance piece of high performance machinery.

By the time you listen to "On The Trail", you can really appreciate the experience of these gentlemen, Clark Terry (age 74) playing a duet with muted trumpet in one hand and open fluglehorn in the other......Benny Carter (87) blowing some magnificent changes.....Ray Brown's (68) always excellent bass work....and of course Oscar (69). I also read that Oscar was criticized at one time for playing too many notes. To me they always seem to fit! The younger players, Lorne Lofsky on guitar and drummer Lewis Nash round out a superb rhythm section.

This set is composed of 7 standards and 2 blues and should appeal to anyone who enjoys great straight ahead jazz, a small group including two great horn men, or any of these musicians individually or collectively.

Track Listing
1. In a Mellow Tone
2. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You
3. On the Trail
4. When My Dream Boat Comes Home
5. Ron's Blues
6. For All We Know
7. Blues For Lisa
8. Squatty Roo
9. More I See You, The

 

[Dennie]

I'll end my "Oscar Peterson" run with one of my all time favorites...

Ella and Louis -- 32-bit UltraHD CD

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

1956/2005 Verve/First Impression Music

The very fact that America's biggest jazz label called one of their albums quite simply Ella and Louis indicates that we are talking about something very special here. And surely enough has been said--"Satchmo" and the grand dame of jazz certainly need no further introduction. In the 1950's just the mere mention of their forenames was enough to light up the eyes of jazz fans. A glance at the track list reveals that tranquility rules the day; wild stomps and improvised scats will neither be sought nor missed. Of prime importance to the jazz ballad is a feeling of "letting oneself drift" in the inspiration which gushes forth from the minds of genial American songwriters.

Ultra High Definition 32-Bit Mastering!
Ultra High Definition 32-Bit Mastering is a proprietary ultra-high-quality mastering system. This leading-edge system has achieved unprecedented sonority and musicality, reproducing as closely as possible the sound of the original master tape! This format employs what is currently the highest attainable resolution bit depth (word length) in the professional audio field, i.e. 32-bit. 32-bit resolution makes possible maximized, undistorted dynamics, and the lowest noise floor, allowing even the quietest musical information to be heard more clearly. This breakthrough results from the development, through years of experience and application of advanced digital technology, of a sophisticated A/D and D/A processing system.

Ultra HD 32-Bit Mastering does not specify a sampling rate; this allows flexibility in meticulously choosing the appropriate bandwidth for a particular recording. The higher the sampling rate -- for example, 192 kHz -- the greater the bandwidth. However, merely employing the greatest bandwidth may not guarantee the ultimate sound. With some recordings, a lower sampling rate -- 96 or 176 kHz -- may offer better musicality and more homogeneous harmonics. This determination requires careful and discerning auditioning and professional judgment. In the end, the human being’s hearing and emotions should be the final arbiter, rather than the print-out of testing equipment or technical measurements.

Recognizing these variables, FIM nevertheless tries to use 32-bit depth and 192 kHz bandwidth whenever the original analog master is at hand. Alternatively, if the original recording is on 24/96, the 32/96 may eventually be used to maintain the integrity of the sonority particular to that recording. With this flexibility, First Impression Music believes that preeminent sound is only achievable when the chemistry of the recording, mastering, glass-stamper making, replication, and quality control is right. As always, listening is believing.

This recording has been mastered by the new Ultra High Definition 32-Bit Mastering process, which creates an unbelievable sound surpassing other formats!

The benefits of Ultra HD 32-Bit Mastering:
• Ambience of Analogue Sound
• Higher Resolution
• Undistorted Dynamics
• The Lowest Noise Floor, allowing even the quietest musical information to be heard more clearly!
• Richer Sound Field
• Master-Tape Quality Sound!!!
• Delivers what musicians originally intended!

Features:
• Special Silver Logo First Pressing!
• Limited Run of Only 2,000 First Edition Pressings Available!
• Ultra HD Mastering
• Beautifully packaged
• Playable on ALL CD Players!

Musicians:
Louis Armstrong, vocals, trumpet
Ella Fitzgerald, vocals
Ray Brown, bass
Herb Ellis, guitar
Oscar Peterson, piano
Buddy Rich, drums

Selections:
1. Can't We Be Friends?
2. Moonlight In Vermont
3. Cheek To Cheek
4. Tenderly
5. The Nearness Of You
6. Stars Fell On Alabama
7. April In Paris
8. Isn't This A Lovely Day?
9. A Foggy Day
10. Under A Blanket Of Blue
11. They Can't Take That Away From Me

 

[Dennie]

Happy Monday everyone... :shock:

Moondance -- CD

Van Morrison

1970/1990 Warner Bros. Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Van Morrison went a long way towards defining his wild Irish heart with his first two classic albums: the brooding, introspective Astral Weeks (1968), and the expansive, swinging Moondance. If the first was the work of a poet, its sequel was the statement of a musician and bandleader. Moondance is that rare rock album where the band has buffed the arrangements to perfection, and where the sax solos instead of the guitar. The band puts out a jazzy shuffle on "Moondance" and plays it soulful on "These Dreams of You." The album includes both Morrison's most romantic ballad ("Crazy Love") and his most haunting ("Into the Mystic"). "And It Stoned Me" rolled off Morrison's tongue like a favorite fable, while "Caravan" told a tale full of emotional intrigue. Moondance stood out in the rock world of 1970 like a grownup in a kiddie matinee. --John Milward

Side one

1. "And It Stoned Me" – 4:30
2. "Moondance" – 4:35
3. "Crazy Love" – 2:34
4. "Caravan" – 4:57
5. "Into the Mystic" – 3:25

Side two

1. "Come Running" – 2:30
2. "These Dreams of You" – 3:50
3. "Brand New Day" – 5:09
4. "Everyone" – 3:31
5. "Glad Tidings" – 3:13

 

[Dennie]

Aja -- Remastered CD

Steely Dan

1977/1999 MCA Records

Amazon.com

History gives Steely Dan's Walter Becker and Donald Fagen the last, hearty laugh on this, the crown jewel in their remarkable canon of '70s Mensa pop. Sneaking onto the charts a half-decade earlier with sinuous, jazz-inflected "rock," the dysfunctional duo's acerbic, anti-heroic visions had been critically lauded for their band identity and killer guitar riffs, then promptly challenged when the two songwriters retired from the road, dissolved any formal band lineup, and used the studio as laboratory. Aja carried the added indignity of its increased focus on sophisticated jazz models and musicianship, which carried the Dan's ambitions even further in terms of suave harmonies, intricate song structures, and brilliant playing. Time has proven them wiser than their rock crit detractors: These seven songs abound in knotty plots, sneaky imagery, and drop-dead brilliant performances from a blue chip studio repertory studded with first-call jazz players epitomized by Wayne Shorter's towering solo on the title song. From the hard-boiled jazz romance of "Deacon Blues" to the twisted Homeric vamp of "Home at Last," the veiled but ominous swing of "Peg" to the sci-fi eroticism of "Josie," Aja is a modern pop classic and the coolest fusion record no one ever thought to lump in that category. --Sam Sutherland

All songs written by Becker and Fagen.
Side one

1. "Black Cow" – 5:10
2. "Aja" – 7:57
3. "Deacon Blues" – 7:37

Side two

1. "Peg" – 3:57
2. "Home at Last" – 5:34
3. "I Got the News" – 5:06
4. "Josie" – 4:33

 

[Dennie]

Live Rust -- CD

Neil Young & Carzy Horse

1979/1990 Reprise Records

Amazon.com

Mere months passed between the release of Neil Young's mid-career milestone Rust Never Sleeps and this 1979 tour recording, which documents a late-'78 San Francisco performance. Indeed, Live Rust boasts four songs from the album that gave it its name. It's also sequenced in the same spirit as its studio sibling. As with Rust Never Sleeps, Live Rust opens with steady-flowing acoustic numbers before swirling into an electric vortex. What was side 4 off the original two-record version--"Like a Hurricane," "Hey, Hey, My, My," and "Tonight's the Night"--is arguably Young and Crazy Horse at their peak as a live unit, with all due respect to 1991's estimable Weld and 1997's desultory Year of the Horse. Few rock bands rank with Young and his stalwart electric trio, and Live Rust presents them in all their raging glory. --Steven Stolder

Side one

1. "Sugar Mountain" * – 5:02
2. "I Am a Child" * – 3:01
3. "Comes a Time" * – 3:15
4. "After the Gold Rush" * – 3:49
5. "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)" * – 4:12

Side two

1. "When You Dance I Can Really Love" – 3:42
2. "The Loner" – 4:53
3. "The Needle and the Damage Done" * – 3:06
4. "Lotta Love" – 2:51
5. "Sedan Delivery" – 4:50

Side three

1. "Powderfinger" – 5:43
2. "Cortez the Killer" – 6:19
3. "Cinnamon Girl" – 3:22

Side four

1. "Like a Hurricane" – 8:03
2. "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" (Young, Jeff Blackburn) – 4:37
3. "Tonight's the Night" – 7:12

 

[Dennie]

Live at The Grand Opera House Belfast -- Remastered CD

Van Morrison

1984 Caledonia/Polydor Records

LIVE AT THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE BELFAST showcases Van Morrison's best material from the late 1970s and early 1980s. During this period, Morrison rarely performed the early 1970s songs ("Moondance," "Domino," etc.) for which he is best known. Instead, his sets favored newer, more spiritual numbers from albums like INTO THE MUSIC and BEAUTIFUL VISION. In fact, six of the eleven songs on LIVE AT THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE BELFAST first appeared on BEAUTIFUL VISION.These live recordings--vital, inspired, and punchy--represent a marked improvement over the more subdued studio versions of these songs. Best of all are a revved up "Cleaning Windows," a Zen tribute to manual labor; "She Gives Me Religion;" and "Full Force Gale," a foot-stomping homage to unadulterated faith in God. Longtime James Brown sideman Pee Wee Ellis appears on saxophone and flute, and Van takes a stab at a sax solo himself, much to the audience's delight. Those looking for live versions of Van's early hits should check out IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW, a concert album recorded in 1974.

Track Listing

1. Introduction: Into the Mystic/Inarticulate Speech of the Heart
2. Dweller on the Threshold
3. It's All In The Game / You Know What They're Writing About
4. She Gives Me Religion
5. Haunts of Ancient Peace
6. Full Force Gale
7. Beautiful Vision
8. Vanlose Stairway
9. Rave On John Donne / Rave On Part Two
9. Pt. 2 Rave on John Donne/Rave On
10. Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
11. Cleaning Windows

Personnel: Van Morrison (vocals, guitar, saxophone, piano); Chris Michie (guitar); Pee Wee Ellis (flute, saxophone, background vocals); Mark Isham (trumpet, synthesizer); John Allair (piano, organ); David Hayes (bass); Peter Van Hooke, Tom Donlinger (drums); Katie Kissoon, Bianca Thornton, Carol Kenyon (background vocals).Recorded live at the Grand Opera House, Belfast, Northern Ireland on March 11th & 12th, 1983.All tracks have been digitally remastered from the original master tapes.

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music....

Abbey Road -- Remastered CD

The Beatles

1969/2009 EMI Records

Amazon.com essential recording

The Beatles' last days as a band were as productive as any major pop phenomenon that was about to split. After recording the ragged-but-right Let It Be, the group held on for this ambitious effort, an album that was to become their best-selling. Though all four contribute to the first side's writing, John Lennon's hard-rocking, "Come Together" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" make the strongest impression. A series of song fragments edited together in suite form dominates side two; its portentous, touching, official close ("Golden Slumbers"/"Carry That Weight"/"The End") is nicely undercut, in typical Beatles fashion, by Paul McCartney's cheeky "Her Majesty," which follows. --Rickey Wright

1. Come Together
2. Something
3. Maxwell's Silver Hammer
4. Oh! Darling
5. Octopus's Garden
6. I Want You (She's So Heavy)
7. Here Comes The Sun
8. Because
9. You Never Give Me Your Money
10. Sun King
11. Mean Mr. Mustard
12. Polythene Pam
13. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
14. Golden Slumbers
15. Carry That Weight
16. The End
17. Her Majesty
18. Abbey Road Documentary

 

[Babs]

In the kitchen baking while listening to this...

 

[Babs]

Maybe I nailed the third????

 

[Dennie]

My Favorite Things: Coltrane At Newport --CD

John Coltrane

2007 Impulse! Records

By his 1963 appearance at Newport, John Coltrane had already embraced the sinuous, exploratory modal form that marked his most striking recordings. MY FAVORITE THINGS: COLTRANE AT NEWPORT brings together performances from two of the legendary saxophonist's appearances at the Newport Jazz Festival: one from 1963 and the other from 1965. The set lists contain only a few extended pieces, the longer of which stretch upwards of 20 minutes.Coltrane performs here with his classic quintet--bassist Jimmy Garrison, pianist McCoy Tyner, and drummer Elvin Jones. On the '63 date, Roy Haynes sits in for Jones, and Haynes's effect on the music (he has a lighter touch and is more of a colorist) will strike the ear of those who know this period of Coltrane well. Another stand-out quality of the disc is the extended jam on "Impressions," released here for the first time in its entirety. The playing is transcendent throughout, making the disc a winning purchase for any Coltrane fan, not just collectors.

Track Listing
1. Spoken Introduction - (previously unreleased)
2. I Want to Talk About You - (previously unreleased)
3. My Favorite Things - (previously unreleased)
4. Impressions - (previously unreleased)
5. Introduction by Father Norman O'Connor
6. One Down, One Up
7. My Favorite Things

 

[Zing]

Maybe I nailed the third????

Maybe.

Maybe not.

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music...

That's The Way Of The World -- CD

Earth, Wind & Fire

1975/1990 Columbia Records

The Right Way,
January 29, 2001
By Thomas Magnum
This review is from: That's the Way of the World (Audio CD)

That's The Way Of The World was the soundtrack to film that featured a young Harvey Keitel as a record producer and Earth, Wind & Fire as a band with big potential. The band is dropped in favor of what record company executives feel was more commercial group and they gone on to major success. The film mirrored EWF themselves as the album propelled them to the top of the charts. After several years of moderate success despite making excellent records, this soundtrack album showed all the band's talents and mixing of jazz, soul, funk and positive themes. "Shining Star" opens the album with a pumping beat that set it up to the number one position of the charts. The title track starts off with a slow, smooth beat and then erupts into a harmony-fueled explosion. "All about Love" has some jazzy elements while "Africano" explores some world rhythms. "Yearnin', Learnin'" is an underrated song in their catalog and "Reasons" is a powerful ballad. That's The Way Of The World tanked at the box office and was quickly forgotten, but the album hit number on the charts and made EWF superstars.

Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Shining Star" Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Maurice White 2:50
2. "That's the Way of the World" Charles Stepney, Maurice White, Verdine White 5:45
3. "Happy Feelin'" Verdine White, Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Maurice White, Al McKay 3:35
4. "All About Love" Larry Dunn, Maurice White 6:35
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
5. "Yearnin' Learnin'" Philip Bailey, Charles Stepney, Maurice White 3:39
6. "Reasons" Philip Bailey, Charles Stepney, Maurice White 4:59
7. "Africano" Larry Dunn, Maurice White 5:09
8. "See the Light" Louise Anglin, Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn 6:18

 

[Dennie]

City To City-- CD

Gerry Rafferty

1978/1990 United Artist/Capitol Records

Often mistaken with Night Owl, as they both had similar subject matter and beautiful Patrick Byrne covers, the main difference is that this is the one with 'Baker Street', probably the most flogged song of the past two decades, and one that now does his credibility no good. Missing out in the memory bank is the powerful 'The Ark', and the often ignored, radio-friendly title track. It also includes two of his finest open love songs - 'Right Down The Line' and the innocently profound 'Whatever's Written In Your Heart' (is all that matters), with the line 'so we agree to disagree, at least we got our memories.

All songs written by Gerry Rafferty.

"The Ark" – 5:36
"Baker Street" – 6:01
"Right Down the Line" – 4:20
"City to City" – 4:51
"Stealin' Time" – 5:39
"Mattie's Rag" – 3:28
"Whatever's Written in Your Heart" – 6:30
"Home and Dry" – 4:52
"Island" – 5:04
"Waiting for the Day" – 5:26

 

[Dennie]

The Fillmore Concerts -- 2 CD Box Set

The Allman Brothers Band

1971/1992 Polygram Records

For those who want MORE Fillmore, May 22, 2002
By Muddy Moe (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Fillmore Concerts (Audio CD)
Let me try to address some stuff not emphasized in other reviews:

1) Yeah, it lives up to the hype. Unless you don't like jam songs or blues at all, you should love it. 90% of blues rock bores me silly and I still love this. It's exceptional music and is rightfully placed in Amazon's "Essential" camp.

2) Do you need the Fillmore Concerts over the shorter/cheaper Fillmore East? Maybe. It's chief advantage is it's longer. Also, the mix is more balanced, which bothers some because the guitars are less prominent. I prefer it. The rhythm section, especially Berry Oakley, is too often overlooked in reviews of this album and they are just as important as the guitar players to the music. More casual fans may prefer the shorter/cheaper "Fillmore East" album, which contains the choicest cuts.

3) Two tracks, "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "You Don't Love Me" are pieced together digitally from multiple takes. The result is very pleasing music indeed, but some may be bothered by this digital manipulation of a so called "live" song. It's still "live," in a certain sense, but manipulated to include the producer's best picks from both takes. I should point out MOST (literally) live albums contain some studio manipulation. The original Fillmore East contained whole tracks; not digitally pieced together. I'll let you decide if this bothers you or not. I cannot hear any splicing. They did a good job blending the takes but I would have preferred whole takes.

4) If you don't have any Allman Brother's Band (ABB) albums, start with this or Fillmore East (the shorter/cheaper version). If you don't like this, you won't like ABB at all. But, don't worry . . . you will like it.

The Fillmore Concerts

Disc 1
1. Statesboro Blues (McTell) - 4:15
2. Trouble No More (Waters) - 3:46
3. Don't Keep Me Wonderin' (Allman) - 3:20
4. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (Betts) - 12:59
5. One Way Out (James / Schorn / Williamson) - 4:55
6. Done Somebody Wrong (James / Levy / Lewis) - 4:11
7. Stormy Monday (Walker) - 10:19
8. You Don't Love Me (Cobbs) - 19:24

Disc 2
1. Hot 'Lanta (Allman / Allman / Betts / Johanson / Oakley / Trucks) - 5:11
2. Whipping Post (Allman) - 22:37
3. Mountain Jam (Duane Allman / Gregg Allman /
Betts / Donovan / Johanson / Oakley / Trucks) - 33:47
4. Drunken Hearted Boy (Bishop) - 7:33

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music....

Four -- CD

Blues Traveler

1994 A&M Records

Four for Four October 3, 2006
By My Uncle Stu VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD

Four stars for an above-average studio album from an excellent live band. I tend not to listen much to the studio albums of bands that are known for their live shows, but recently rediscovered this one in my archives and enjoyed it. Not too many Blues Traveler songs are catchy, but certainly "Run Around" is and to some extent "Hook." When "Hook" first started getting radio time in the mid-nineties, I noticed it sounded very familiar but was not sure why. Then it came to: It is Pachelbel's Canon in D. It is. Same exact chords, slightly different melody. I made this observation once at work, when it first struck me, back in my file clerking days (KBCO on softly in the background), and- I swear- my boss said: "Well they better watch out, Pachelbel is going to sue them." She wasn't trying to make a joke. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep it together.

But anyway.

This is a good album. Popper is a tremendous harp player so, for those of you that don't get the extended jamming thing, their studio albums may be the most palatable way to experience it. Thumbs up.


"Run-Around" (Popper) – 4:40
"Stand" (Popper) – 5:19
"Look Around" (Popper) – 5:42
"Fallible" (Kinchla/Popper) – 4:47
"The Mountains Win Again" (Sheehan) – 5:06
"Freedom" (Popper) – 4:01
"Crash & Burn" (Kinchla/Popper) – 2:59
"Price to Pay" (Kinchla/Popper) – 5:17
"Hook" (Popper) – 4:49
"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (Blues Traveler/Kinchla) – 1:55
"Just Wait" (Popper) – 5:34
"Brother John" (Kinchla/Popper/Sheehan) – 6:38

 

[heeman]

^ Love this song!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8fWLZX_bn4[/youtube]

:banana-dance: :music-rockout: :banana-rock: