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What Are You Listening To?

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Steven Wilson: Hand. Cannot. Erase.

:music-listening: :music-listening: :music-listening:
 
Botch - I have been eying this one for a while now............

PLEASE TELL ME HOW IT IS?????

and do you have The Raven by any chance?
 
No work today, badly needed rain instead.... :banana-dance:


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Just One Night -- 2 CD Set

Eric Clapton

1980/1996 RSO/Polydor Records

Night Moves, July 27, 2001
By Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE)
This review is from: Just One Night (Audio CD)

Eric Clapton periodically releases live albums and they show the reason why there are few guitarists that walk with him. Sometimes on his studio albums, one loses sight of his extraordinary skills, but he continues to amaze in concert. The passages he reels off in songs like "After Midnight", "Cocaine", "Double Trouble", "Setting Me Up", "Blues Power" and "Rambling On My Mind" are thick, meaty and full of passion and power. Mr. Clapton scored a minor hit with the rollicking live version of Tulsa Time and the album peaked at number two for six weeks.

Disc one

"Tulsa Time" (Danny Flowers) – 4:00
"Early in the Morning" (Traditional) – 7:11
"Lay Down Sally" (Clapton, Marcy Levy, George Terry) – 5:35
"Wonderful Tonight" (Clapton) – 4:42
"If I Don't Be There By Morning" (Bob Dylan, Helena Springs) – 4:26
"Worried Life Blues" (Big Maceo Merriweather) – 8:28
"All Our Past Times" (Clapton, Rick Danko) – 5:00
"After Midnight" (J.J. Cale) – 5:38

Disc two

"Double Trouble" (Otis Rush) – 8:17
"Setting Me Up" (Mark Knopfler) – 4:35
"Blues Power" (Clapton, Leon Russell) – 7:23
"Rambling On My Mind" (Robert Johnson/Traditional) – 8:48
"Cocaine" (J.J. Cale) – 7:39
"Further on Up the Road" (Joe Medwick, Don Robey) – 7:17
 
heeman said:
Botch - I have been eying this one for a while now............

PLEASE TELL ME HOW IT IS?????

and do you have The Raven by any chance?
I do. They're the same style, and I really like them both. :handgestures-thumbup:
 
Botch said:
heeman said:
Botch - I have been eying this one for a while now............

PLEASE TELL ME HOW IT IS?????

and do you have The Raven by any chance?
I do. They're the same style, and I really like them both. :handgestures-thumbup:


There is so much detail in your response...................... I just can't make my decission to buy them??? :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:
 
Get Hand first (prolly cuz I'm listening to it right now; Raven has some dark animated video to go with the songs, if you're into that kind of thing). Best way I could describe them is a mix of Pink Floyd and Dream Theater. It's the kind of music that you can listen to over and over, and always pick up something new that's going on. Call them up on Amazon and listen to a few blurbs, that's been a good reference for me.
Money, in my book! :music-rockout:
 
Today's work truck music.....



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God & The FBI -- CD

Janis Ian

2000 Windham Hill Records

Janis Ian: Touching, lyrical and upbeat in God and the FBI March 27, 2000
By Anna McCabe
Format:Audio CD

This new release from Janis Ian is a terrific album which is definitely worth a listen for anyone who has ever liked Ian's music, as well as newcomers to her work. The lyrical touching element of Ian's work is well represented in a wonderful song about death: On the Other Side (which includes some beautiful harmonies on the "requiem" at the end of the track). Also in the typical Janis Ian tradition are: She Must be Beautiful (a live version that benefits from the simplicity of the piano accompaniment) and Days Like These. The upbeat numbers include the title track, Murdering Stravinsky and The Last Comeback. However, the best upbeat tracks have a slightly country feel that suits the singer, and include Jolene, Play like a Girl and Boots like Emmy Lou's. One of the finest jewels of the album, in my opinion, is the ballad Memphis which is a duet with Willie Nelson. This is a truly thought provoking and different album from an artist who never ceases to develop her talent and songwriting craft. An inspiration to us all!


Track Listing
1. God & The FBI
2. On the Other Side
3. Memphis
4. Jolene
5. When You Love Someone
6. Play Like a Girl
7. Days Like These
8. Boots Like Emmy Lou's
9. She Must Be Beautiful
10. Last Comeback, The
11. Murdering Stravinsky
 
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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
 
Today's work truck music.....



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Can't Buy A Thrill -- CD

Steely Dan

1972/1990 MCA Records

Amazon.com

Songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen launched Steely Dan with a seductive, poker-faced 1972 debut as smoothly accessible in its music as it was elusive in its thematic concerns. The opening "Do It Again" snagged swift commercial success as one of the most mysterious pop hits in history, a sultry rock cha-cha that chronicled a series of harrowing catastrophes far removed from the reheated love songs and pro forma countercultural rebellion of the day. Though the core band boasted two formidable guitarists, Jeff Baxter and Denny Dias, it was the bloom of Fagen's keyboards and his reedy, smart-ass vocals that carried Thrill light years beyond modal, blues-based rock. That said, an enduring highlight remains the furious six-string fantasia of "Reelin' in the Years," spiked by Elliot Randall's downright historic solos, at once dour and giddy in its indictment of a poser, while "Dirty Work" (featuring short-lived, nominal lead singer David Palmer) offers a decidedly adult vignette of adultery. There isn't a weak track here, astonishing, considering how much growth future Dan albums would display. --Sam Sutherland

Side one

"Do It Again" – 5:56
Solos by Denny Dias and Donald Fagen
Vocal by Donald Fagen
"Dirty Work" – 3:08
Sax solo by Jerome Richardson
Vocal by David Palmer
"Kings" – 3:45
Solo by Elliot Randall
Vocal by Donald Fagen
"Midnite Cruiser" – 4:08
Solo by Jeff Baxter
Vocal by Jim Hodder
"Only a Fool Would Say That" – 2:57
Solo by Jeff Baxter
Vocal by Donald Fagen and David Palmer

Side two

"Reelin' in the Years" – 4:37
Lead guitar by Elliot Randall
Vocal by Donald Fagen
"Fire in the Hole" – 3:28
Steel guitar by Jeff Baxter
Vocal by Donald Fagen
"Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)" – 4:21
Steel guitar by Jeff Baxter
Vocal by David Palmer
"Change of the Guard" – 3:39
Solo by Jeff Baxter
Vocals by Donald Fagen and David Palmer
"Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" – 4:58
Vocal by Donald Fagen, Walter Becker and David Palmer
 
Today's work truck music...



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Come On Home -- CD

Boz Scaggs

1997 Virgin U.S. Records

Bobby Bland, Jimmy Reed, T-Bone Walker . . . Boz Scaggs!, November 4, 2001
By stranger2himself (Down Here) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Come on Home (Audio CD)

I grew up on Ray Charles, James Brown, soul, blues, country & gospel. I've been listening to and collecting music for 40 years, and have approx. 3,000 recordings. Simply put, this is one of the best, most soulful, powerful, bodaciously BAD records I've ever heard! There is not a weak cut here. Boz sounds like he's been holding this in for 30 years! The production & playing are flawless, but not too slick. The "live-in-the-studio" sound is preserved. There are no "highlights", every cut is astounding. With that in mind, "Love Letters" brings tears to my eyes, and, like the previous reviewer, I fall to my knees when Boz testifies "I've Got Your Love". His vocal chords should be enshrined; his heart and soul could provide electrical power to most of North America. If you like ANY kind of blues or R&B, you will surely dig this!

"It All Went Down the Drain"
"Ask Me 'Bout Nothin' (But the Blues)"
"Don't Cry No More"
"Found Love"
"Come On Home"
"Picture of a Broken Heart"
"Love Letters"
"I've Got Your Love"
"Early in the Morning"
"Your Good Thing (Is About to End)"
"T-Bone Shuffle"
"Sick and Tired"
"After Hours"
"Goodnight Louise"
 
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Standards -- Remastered 20-bit SBM CD

Jimmy Smith

1957-59/1998 Blue Note Records

The ultimate late-night smoky nightclub music, this collection of standards by Hammond-organ master Jimmy Smith is as swirling and atmospheric as the lounge it evokes, a vision made complete by a loosened black tie and a couple scotches on the rocks. Smith's sidemen, Kenny Burrell and Donald Bailey, on guitar and drums respectively, provide subdued, elegant support: Burrell with measured comping, Bailey delicately brushing the snare throughout. When Burrell takes the lead, which he does quite often on this disc, his solos are skillful, intricate and lovely.Smith's Hammond organ sound, fat as a sandwich and smooth as an ice cube, works wonders on favorites like "Little Girl Blue," "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "Mood Indigo." Smith's playing, when he is doing chordal blocking or skittering over the higher register with skillful fingers, exhibits a style that is both graceful and groovy. Taken from sessions in '57, '58 and '59, STANDARDS is at once retro and modern, since Smith augments the nostalgic nightclub feel with the help of chorus settings, volume shifts and other effects. All in all, however, the effect is unified one: a relaxed sound that simply drips with cool.

Track Listing
1. Little Girl Blue
2. Bye Bye Blackbird
3. I'm Just a Lucky So and So
4. Ruby
5. September Song
6. I Didn't Know What Time It Was - (previously unreleased)
7. Memories of You - (previously unreleased)
8. But Beautiful - (previously unreleased)
9. Mood Indigo - (previously unreleased)
10. While We're Young - (previously unreleased)
11. It Might as Well Be Spring - (previously unreleased)
12. Last Dance - (previously unreleased)

STANDARDS contains seven tracks that are previously unissued.Personnel: Jimmy Smith (organ); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Donald Bailey (drums).Producer: Alfred Lion.Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on August 25, 1957, July 15, 1958 & May 24, 1959. Tracks 1-5 originally released as ON THE SUNNY SIDE on Blue Note (1092). Includes liner notes by Ben Sidran.Digitaly remastered using 20-bit technology by Ron McMaster.
 
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All Day Long -- Remastered CD

Donald Byrd/Kenny Burrell

1957/1990 Prestige/OJC Records

Records like ALL DAY LONG once seemed like the reason long-playing vinyl was invented--to give ordinary mortals the sense of eavesdropping on a clique of talented improvisers stretching out after hours, away from the time confines of the three-minute 78, or the commercial demands of the nightclub and radio world. Later, critics derided the "blowing session" as a rip-off in which fans spent good money on a release only to get--well, a clique of talented improvisers stretching out away from the limitations of the 78, nightclub or radio broadcast. In fact, harnessing looseness and creativity into a satisfying album takes a certain amount of thought and craft, two things that clearly went into this co-led Kenny Burrell/Donald Byrd date.The title cut builds from a simple, down-home blues guitar riff into a breathily-voiced horn harmonization, before opening up for a series of relaxed, statesmanlike blues solos with various background figures. "Slim Jim," based on "I Got Rhythm," features a daredevil tenor/trumpet theme; "Say Listen," "A.T." (more blues, this time from a Charlie Parker perspective), and the bonus track "C.P.W" offer relaxed, mid-tempo bebop.

Track Listing
1. All Day Long
2. Slim Jim
3. Say Listen
4. A. T.
5. C. P. W. - (bonus track)

Personnel: Kenny Burrell (guitar); Donald Byrd (trumpet); Frank Foster (tenor saxophone); Tommy Flanagan (piano); Doug Watkins (bass); Arthur Taylor (drums).Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on January 4, 1957. Orginally released on Prestige (7081). Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler.Digitally remastered by Phil De Lancie (1990, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California).
 
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All Night Long -- Remastered CD

Donald Byrd/Kenny Burrell

1956/1990 Prestige/OJC Records

Two of guitarist Kenny Burrell's best sessions from the 1950s were this release and its companion, All Day Long. Burrell is teamed with an impressive group of young all-stars, including trumpeter Donald Byrd, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, Jerome Richardson on flute and tenor, pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Art Taylor. In addition to the lengthy "All Night Long" and three group originals (two by Mobley and one from Waldron), the original LP program has been augmented by a medley of "Body and Soul" and "Tune Up" from the same session. Jam sessions such as this one are only as good as the solos; fortunately, all of the musicians sound quite inspired, making this an easily recommended set. ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
1. All Night Long
2. Boo-Lu
3. Flickers
4. Li'l Hankie
5. Body and Soul - (bonus track)
6. Tune Up - (bonus track)

Personnel: Donald Byrd (trumpet); Jerome Richardson (tenor saxophone, flute); Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone); Mal Waldron (piano); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Doug Watkins (bass); Arthur Taylor (drums).Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on December 28, 1956. Orginally released on Prestige (7073). Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler.Digitally remastered by Phil De Lancie (1990, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California)
 
Happy Sunday everyone... :banana-dance:


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Duke's Big 4 -- CD

Duke Ellington Quartet

1974/1988 Pablo/Fantasy Records

One day (night? week?) in 1973, Duke Ellington and producer Norman Granz organized one of the Duke's rare small-group sessions, with, coincidentally, some of the finest players in jazz. The results, need one elaborate, are exquisite! No new tunes or long-form works, just four hep cats doing some relaxed jamming on some familiar tunes: Ellington standards, except for Louis Bellson's tribute to Coleman Hawkins, "The Hawk Talks." Apart from his usual big band context, one gets to hear the Duke stretch out on piano--and realize what a fine, undervalued pianist he was. He could say more in one or two well-placed notes than most pianists could say in a whole chorus. The late Pass' playing is luminous, out of the classic Charlie Christian/Tal Farlow school of jazz guitar. Brown's playing is warm as the summer sun, and Bellson is one of the consummate jazz drummers. Three thumbs up!

Track Listing
1. Cotton Tail
2. The Blues
3. The Hawk Talks
4. Prelude to a Kiss
5. Love You Madly
6. Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)
7. Everything But You

Duke Ellington Quartet: Duke Ellington (piano); Joe Pass (guitar); Ray Brown (bass); Louis Bellson (drums).Recorded in Los Angeles, California on January 8, 1973. Includes original liner notes by Benny Green.
 
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Big Band Soul -- Remastered CD - (2-fer)

Gene Harris Superband

1989/1991-2001 Concord Records

The vast majority of Gene Harris' Concord albums of the '80s and '90s were small-group efforts, which is probably just as well because the acoustic pianist had more room to stretch out and improvise when he was leading a trio, quartet, or quintet. But Harris did have a chance to oversee a big band when he led the Philip Morris Superband in the late '80s and early '90s. In 2002, Concord reissued Harris' two albums with the Superband -- Live at Town Hall, N.Y.C. and World Tour 1990 -- as the double-CD Big Band Soul. While Live at Town Hall, N.Y.C. was recorded at a New York concert in 1989, World Tour 1990 was recorded in a Sydney, Australia, studio the following year. Despite the fact that one is a live album and the other is a studio date, the albums are quite similar. Both favor arrangements that are very mindful of Count Basie, and both are enjoyable even if they are rather staid and fall short of essential. Nonetheless, there are some noteworthy soloists on this two-CD set, including tenor man James Moody on "Old Man River," trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison on "When It's Sleepy Time Down South," and alto saxophonist Jerry Dodgion on Duke Ellington's "Warm Valley" (which finds the saxman paying tribute to longtime Ellington altoist Johnny Hodges). Vocalists, thankfully, are not excluded; Ernie Andrews has some pleasing spots on "Our Love Is Here to Stay" and "I'm Just a Lucky So and So," while Ernestine Anderson is featured on "There Is No Greater Love" and "You're My Everything." Big Band Soul isn't recommended to casual listeners, but serious collectors will want to hear this double-CD (assuming they haven't already purchased the two albums separately). ~ Alex Henderson

Track Listing
DISC 1: LIVE AT TOWN HALL, N.Y.C.:
1. Surrey With the Fringe on Top, The
2. Creme de Menthe
3. When It's Sleepy Time Down South
4. Love Is Here to Stay
5. I'm Just a Lucky So and So
6. Serious Grease
7. Like a Lover
8. Ol' Man River
9. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?
10. Porgy and Bess Medley: Strawberry Woman / I Loves You Porgy / It Ain't Necessarily So
11. You're My Everything
12. There Is No Greater Love
13. Things Ain't What They Used to Be

DISC 2: WORLD TOUR 1990:
1. Air Mail Special
2. Lonely Bottles
3. Child Is Born, A
4. Buhaina Buhaina
5. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
6. Lover
7. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
8. Tricotism
9. Centerpiece
10. Dear Blues
11. Nica's Dream
12. Girl Talk
13. Battle Royal
14. Warm Valley
 
These came in the mail yesterday. Havent got to listen yet, but I will give Roman Angelo a try first.

The Black Sabbath is one of my favorites from 1978. Most people don't care for it, but I had it on vinyl as a kid and it has always been high on my list.

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and

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I also got some super badass Motorhead and Iron Maiden guitar picks for display.
 
Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Iron Maiden and Roman Angelo. That's a little like eating habanero peppers, cayenne peppers, serrano peppers and marshmallow fluff. :teasing-tease:
 
Randy said:
I will give Roman Angelo a try first.

Iron Maiden guitar picks for display.

Iron Maiden was the first concert I went to, no lie! Crazy!!

Nice, on the Roman Angelo purchase. :handgestures-thumbup: I kinda have a secret crush on him. ;)

Babs is currently listening to...

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