[meilankev]

Once I save up some money for my next "big" music purchase, I plan to get the following:

200g Louis Armstrong "Plays King Oliver"
180g John Coltrane "Ballads"
180g Gene Harris Trio "Plus One"
180g Janis Ian "Breaking Silence"
180g Van Morrison "Complete NY Sessions"
 LP Sarah McLachlan "Remixed"

DVD-A Big Bill Broonzy "1955 London Sessions"
 CD Leonard Cohen "The Essential"
 CD Jose Feliciano "Greatest Hits"
 CD Earl Klugh "Best of"
 CD Guess Who "Greatest Hits - Remastered"
 CD Bill Withers "Lean on Me - Greatest Hits"

Any opinions or insights?

Kevin

[Marbles]

Don't forget Beatles- Let it Be - Nude

It will be out on both CD..maybe it already is out on CD, and LP.

It is Let it Be before Phil Specter did his thing to it.

I heard Hey Jude 2 nights ago off it and it sounded great..and that was from the radio.

[jqp]

Be sure to get Famous Blue Raincoat : The Songs of Leonard Cohen . Sonically excellent.

The Guess Who was great...let us know how the rematering is.

[meilankev]

Marbles,

If I only had the cash, a big chunk of The Beatles collection is being released on vinyl.  However, since the cost is almost $700 for these 19 albums, I'm going to have to pass.  

All of my original Beatles vinyl are darn near unlistenable due to wear and tear.  If I was goingto begin replacing them, I doubt "Let it Be" would be high on the list (although I am intrigued by the new "Spector-less" arrangements).

+++++++++++++++++++++++

JQP,

The Leonard Cohen I was considering is a 2-disc CD with 31 songs, including half of the 10 songs from "Famous Blue Raincoat".  I am completely unknowledgeable on his wonderful career, so I thought I would go for "quantity", assuming I would get my share of nuggets.  The title is embelished with "Limited Edition - Original Recording Remastered".  It sounds impressive - probably meaningless.

If you feel the five songs I would be missing from "Famous Blue Raincoat" are too good to pass up, let me know.  He also has a "live" album listed - I wonder if it is any good?

Kevin

[jqp]

The FBR album is by Jennifer Warnes. She owns that material. Her versions of the songs are done DDD. Cohen worked on the project with her and sings on one song. So they would probably be different than his versions from his albums.

To me Cohen is kind oif a dark, cult poet-type. Warnes versions are more of a tight, produced,studio version, with her incredible voice, like a Steeley Dan approach. It is a different experience than the Leonard Cohen albums. I think it is a good one for a "critical listening" CD. Great recording and great female vocals.

[lonewolfny42]

Once I save up some money for my next "big" music purchase, I plan to get the following:

200g Louis Armstrong "Plays King Oliver"
 CD Bill Withers "Lean on Me - Greatest Hits"

Any opinions or insights?

Kevin

My comment on these two - Great selections !! Armstrong Lp is very good for checking out your system - most of the audio shows use it for just that reason ( Saint James Infirmery ), plus the tunes are excellent (very good pressing) !!  Bill Withers cd - what a Great cd ! !  So many good tunes ( Lean on Me, Use Me, Ain't No Sunshine, Just the Two of Us ) , excellent detail and production. In fact I've been playing it almost every day for about two months - yes, it's that good !!!!  Enjoy !

[Tonto Yoder]

To me Cohen is kind of a dark, cult poet-type. " .

Actually, Cohen IS/ WAS a poet as well as a singer/songwriter. He published several books of poetry.  Wasn't too big of a leap for him to move from speaking his poems aloud to "singing".  As you say, his songs are often dark and have been described as "music to slits your wrists by."

Musically, you might check out Judy Collins since she covered several Cohen songs, including "Famous Blue Raincoat" and others from Warnes' album.