[pjchappy]

Crowded House--greatest hits
Men at Work--greatest hits
Jay Farrar--Terroir Blues
White Stripes--Elephant
Pink Floyd--Division Bell (a replacement for a really scratched CD)

p

[Tyson]

Beethoven - Complete Piano Concerto's - 3 cd's
Performed my Murray Perahia
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Bernard Haitink conducting

Picked this up due to a pretty rave review in Gramophon magazine, and I have to say it is not too bad.  Given the pianist and conductor I was expecting a pretty soft and gooey performance, and while they are definitely more on the legato side than many, they play with suprising strength and thrust.  I don't think they will displace Kempff/Leitner as my favorite, but still I'm impressed with how good it actually is.  The best thing I can say is that when I listen to this set they convince me this is the way to play the concerto's, I'm not thinking of other interpretations while I'm actually listening to the music.  Pretty good recording too.

Liszt - Piano Concerto #1 and #2
Performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Charles Dutoit conducting

Hmm, 2 french guys and a canadian orchestra playing virtuoso hungarian music - how good can this be, really?  Not the best of course, but if you accept their particular slant on liszt, it's pretty good.  The keyword here is control.  Playing and emotions are always controled.  This works beautifully in the slower stretches of music, which really do come off well, but the faster and louder parts should have been more wild and irredescent.  Had that been the case, this set could have joined the Richter and Argerich renditions (although Aregerich didn't record both).  It's too bad really, as the recording is very good for sound quality.

Liszt - Piano Concerto #1 and #2
Performed by Kristian Zimerman
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa conducting

Now we are talking.  These are excellent renditions of the Liszt piano Concerto's, for my money I prefer them to Richter's famous recordings.  The virtuoso parts are played with sheer abandon and the slow parts have real sensitivity of touch.  The caveat is the recording - it's got some points of tape saturation and not the greatest dynamics around - they recorded the level "hot" and sometimes the sound clips audibly.  You gotta wonder what the hell the recording engineers were thinking when they listened to this on playback.  Ah well.  Oh yes, and the "professional" review said it was an excellent recording!  Yeah, maybe if you are suffering from hearing loss it might pass for excellent.

[Gordy]

Fotheringay - Fotheringay (Finally!)
Neil Young - On The Beach
Roxy Music - Live,
Roger Waters - In The Flesh
Fairfield Four - Standing In The Safety Zone
Bruckner - Sym # 4, Kertesz, LSO

[cjr888]

Haven't posted in awhile so there's a chance I've already mentioned some of these...

John Coltrane - Settin' The Pace - XRCD2
Good stuff, and the first XRCD or XRCD2 I've purchased.  I now know why people will pay the price for these.  Excellent sonics, and have no idea how it rates compared to other XRCDs.  If this is the bottom or middle of the road for XRCD -- I'd love to hear what's rated their best.

Jane's Addiction - Strays
Not as good as the earlier material, but didn't expect it to be.  Still good stuff.

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - Little Worlds (3 CDs)
Awesome stuff.  Really excellent recording to boot.

Masked and Anonymous - Music from the Motion Picture
Really bought for the handful of Garcia, Dead, and Dylan tunes on it.  A few tracks I could care less about, but still worth the purchase.

Bob Dylan - Live 1975 - The Bootleg Series Vol.5 - The Rolling Thunder Revue
Really enjoy it when in a Dylan mood.  Always prefer live recordings with Dylan if possible.

Lake Trout - Another One Lost
Have only given it one listen so far.  Like it, but need a few more to see if it grows on me further.

Lighting Hopkins - Blues Kingpins / The Blues Foundation

Elmore James - The Blues Kingpins / The Blues Foundation

Widespread Panic - Panic in the Streets / Album Release Party, Downtown Athens, GA - April 18th, 1998 & Live from the Georgia Theatre 1991
Been itching to see this guys live for too long -- had to pick it up.


Today.....

Concrete Blonde - Live in Brazil
Had to pick this up after hearing the live version of Tomorrow Wendy on the radio.

The Dining Rooms - Tre
Stumbled onto this was browsing Amazon, liked the samples, need to give a listen.

Radiohead - Go to Sleep.
Three songs, two previously unreleased.  Had to have it.

Sinead O'Connor (2 CDs) - She Who Dwells
5 new recordings, 19 rare and previously unreleased studio tracks, plus a complete live concert.  

Martin Scorsese Presents The Best of the Blues
21 song overview to the PBS Series

Josh Rouse - 1972
Liked the previous stuff, figured I'd give it shot.

John Hammond - Wicked Grin
A special selection of Tom Waits songs, performed by John Hammond, produced by Tom Waits.

BB King - Greatest Kits Live - King Biscuit Flower Hour Archive Series - NYC / 1978

Beethoven - NBC Symphony Orchestra / Conductor: Tuscanini / Piano: Rubinstein - Piano Concerto No.3 / Sonatas Op.31 No.3 / Op.57RCA Red Seal / BMG Classics / Recorded 1944/45/46 - Remastered using UV22 Super Encoding / 20-bit

Soundtrack: Punch Drunk Love
Finally saw the movie after too many recommendations.  Had to have the soundtrack.

Kaki King - Everybody Loves You
Kept almost ordering it online, but holding back knowing that if I placed an order I'd end up buying 50 other things.  Check in B&M repeatedly and never saw it.  Walked past the used CD section and found it!

[Tyson]

Scarlet's Walk
Tori Amos

Wow, pretty dang good.  My wife is a big Tori fan, I've not really been into her music since Little Earthquakes.  Scarlet's Walk is a bit of a return to the Little Earthquakes type of sound and I really am enjoying this album.  Really nice recording too.

Meet Me in Margaritaville
Jimmy Buffet

A new double CD set of the best of Buffet.  If you already have an extensive collection of Buffet CD's, not much new here for you (although disc 2 does have some nice alternative recordings of old songs).  If you haven't caught the Buffet wave, this is an excellent place to start.


Beethoven - Symphony #1 and #6
Cleveland Symphony Orchestra
George Szell

Just rounding out the Szell cycle of Beethoven Symphonies.  Merely average recording quality, but it doesn't matter, Szell is the best Beethoven conductor of the recorded era, with the possible exception of John Elliot Gardiner.

Brahms - Piano Concerto #1 and #2 - 2 CD's
Performed by Leon Fleisher
Cleveland Symphone Orchestra
Conducted by George Szell

Recently remastered for the Masterworks Heritage release (nice remasting too), it still sounds like an older recording (ie, tape hiss and the sound is still a bit compressed), but again, it doesn't really matter.  Only Gilel/Jochum can match the music making on display here, but Gilels flubs more notes than Fleisher, he gets a better recording quality.  I'm glad I have both sets, deciding which one to listen to at any given time is going to be difficult

[bob82274]

If you haven't caught the Buffet wave, this is an excellent place to start.

This is such a funny sentence to me... I practally grew up on Buffet.  Am I missing something in terms of him being more popular?   If so its about time that he gets the recognition that he deserves.  His last album (Far side of the world) was a great one.

[SWG255]

I just saw B.B. King at Wolftrap last week. I am going to have to pick up the title you mentioned above, because although he was still very entertaining, his 77-years and diabetes are beginning to take their toll on him. He sat for the whole set, didn't come out for the first two numbers performed by his excellent backing band, and didn't come out for an encore. His voice doesn't have that rich (some have called it buttery) quality of earlier days, but that's OK for a blues performer. I don't want to sound like I was disappointed, I wasn't. I'm very glad i caught him because he might not be around again. BTW, my current favorite recording of his is "Live at the Regal".

OK, now for some new music I've picked up:
RobertJospe Inner Rhythm "Blue Blaze" and "Time to Play" Robert is an excellent drummer, and his backing musicians are great too. His music seems to me to be best described as "straight-ahead with Afro-Cuban sensibility. The recordings aren't anything special, but I really like the music. I caught hime at the Herndon Jazz festival and had to buy his CDs.

[Tbadder1]

Lets see, I picked up a Chess reissue of a Muddy Waters anthology.  Man, who ever did the rematering is an air freak.  I find it kinda haunting ,but I can see where others might say it turns the Mud Man into a pretentious folk artist.

Blood Sweat and Tears "Child Is Father..." is damn good.  Never remember being too impressed with this sucker, but the reissue is tight, and really allows the different mixes of jazz, classical, brass-funk, rock, folk to shine.  Al Kooper is so underrated I swear.

White Stripes "Elephant"...They aren't my favorite band (currently My Morning Jacket is) but they might be the best.  They just rock the house and they understand history to boot.  Damn they're good, like X when they were into Americana.

About 10 new classical CDs, mostly Mahler, that I haven't got to yet.

[Tonto Yoder]

Haven't posted in awhile so there's a chance I've already mentioned some of these...

I'd be interested in your thoughts about the John Hammond.  I bought it some time ago based on the Stereophile (or TAS) rave review,

[jqp]

Last week's Beatles and Jackson Browne came from Repo Records in Charlotte.

After another trip on the way home I got another batch of used CDs. Take that RIAA...I love it!

Missisippi John Hurt  - Missisippi John Hurt Revisited
With a name like that you know he is a 'famous' blues player. 20 songs noise reduction and remastered. I have heard several covers of his songs over the years, and even play one or two of them -  so now I will get to hear ther original...$8

Joni Mitchel - Blue
I have ben learning some of her songs on guitar. I love her guitar style. $8

Michael Martin Murphy - Blue Sky and Night Thunder
Want to play "Carolina In The Pines" and couldn't find tab or chords anywhere online. $7

Fleetwood Mac - The Dance
A greatest hits with lots of the great guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. $8

Eric Clapton - CrossRoads Box Set Disc 4
Sometimes you get something unusual in a used Record place - they sell single discs from box sets - it supposedly had a skip somewhere so it was $3. "Lay Down Sally" is one I am working on    

[jqp]

Blood Sweat and Tears "Child Is Father..." is damn good.  Never remember being too impressed with this sucker, but the reissue is tight, and really allows the different mixes of jazz, classical, brass-funk, rock, folk to shine.  Al Kooper is so underrated I swear.

White  ...

I have been contemplating getting a good brassy BS&T to give the 9.0s a good workout. What do you recommend?

[Tbadder1]

White  ...[/quote]

I have been contemplating getting a good brassy BS&T to give the 9.0s a good workout. What do you recommend?[/quote]

I still think you've got to go with the classic BS&T self-titled.  The first one with David Clayton Thomas.  He's such a belter, and the reissue is quite good (Columbia/Legacy).  Over the top emotionally, it's a real workout.  If you want another after this one go with Child Is Father To The Man.  Totally different in flavor, but not in methodology, just trying to meld all those different sounds.

[jqp]

I still think you've got to go with the classic BS&T self-titled.  The first one with David Clayton Thomas. .

thanks - will do!

[Tonto Yoder]

I have been contemplating getting a good brassy BS&T to give the 9.0s a good workout. What do you recommend?

Something totally different musically, but a definite sonic workout is The World Saxophone Quartet. It's jazz, but often pushed to its extremes, crossing over at times into the discordant but always interesting just from
a sonic point of view.

[JoshK]

I recently made a huge purchase of a bunch of CDs.  Mostly a lot of compilations and GH's albums of bands that I never was THAT into but kinda liked a bit.  Also, a lot were for the misses.  

Stuff I was listening to last night from this haul:

Iron Maiden - The Best of the Beast
Ozzy - Ozzman Cometh
Guns n Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Queensryche - Empire

so shoot me, I was on an 80's metal kick last night.  

[Whitese]

Brian Bromberg and Akira Jimbo (japanese drummer) have an awesome CD called JB Brombo project...featuring Otmaro Ruiz on keys....most excellent!!

Bromberg's latest CD is called WOOD, in which he plays an 18th century uprgight bass...great for testing bass, harmonics, etc.

[cjr888]

Missisippi John Hurt  - Missisippi John Hurt Revisited
With a name like that you know he is a 'famous' blues player. 20 songs noise reduction and remastered. I have heard several covers of his songs over the years, and even play one or two of them -  so now I will get to hear ther original...$8
 ...

JQP,

If you like what you hear, even a little bit, go out and buy every Mississippi John Hurt album that's out there, you won't be disappointed.  There are two releases that I constantly mix up -- one being a recording session and one being a 'live' album -- but one of them has sonics that are much better than the rest..  I'll try and check which is which sometime this week...  MJH is one of my favorites, period.

[JoshK]

Picked up the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's new one late last week and had a chance to listen to it over the weekend. Big thumbs up.  Gets a little slow in the middle but as a whole it is a great album.

[Tonto Yoder]

JQP,

If you like what you hear, even a little bit, go out and buy every Mississippi John Hurt album that's out there, you won't be disappointed.  There are two releases that I constantly mix up -- one being a recording session and one being a 'live' album -- but one of them has sonics that are much better than the rest..  I'll try and check which is which sometime this week...  MJH is one of my favorites, period.

Not to suggest this as a replacement for original Hurt, but the "Avalon Blues" CD might interest: covers of Hurt's songs by modern artists. While many tribute albums don't work for me, this one does (perhaps because I was not that familiar with the orignial stuff).

http://www.vanguardrecords.com/Avalon/home.html

[cjr888]

There's a couple real good ones on that.

Bill Morrissey also did an entire album of John Hurt songs, appropriately titled Songs of Mississippi John Hurt...

Its done well, and sung more so as if they are Morrissey's songs and stories...but pretty straight up vs. going for interpretive style..  He does a really good version of "I'm Satisfied" on the album though...