What are you listening to? Part III

[RootBeerMan]

Listening to some Montgomery Gentry today. Troy Gentry was killed in a helicopter crash yesterday on his way to a concert in NJ. Don Williams, a country legend, also died yesterday. The genre took some serious hits yesterday.

 

[AngerDanger]

Giselle Minns's rendition of "O Quante Volte"

Sounds a little like something you'd encounter while playing a Portal game. Ellen McLain, who voiced GlaDOS, is a trained opera singer as well.

 

[LizKat]

Giselle Minns's rendition of "O Quante Volte"

Sounds a little like something you'd encounter while playing a Portal game. Ellen McLain, who voiced GlaDOS, is a trained opera singer as well.

Interestingly, although Minns's work can no longer be found on iTunes and much of it cannot be played on their personal site, the audio files are still in a public folder. So, with a little digging around and using waybackmachine.org, I was able to find a live link to the piece.

Wow... lighting up the memory banks with that one! The first time I ever heard that Bellini sung was live in Boston in the 70s sometime... Beverly Sills was singing then and her voice was wonderful at that point, although she over-embellished O Quante Volte for my taste. I am pretty fond of another one though, the Kathleen Battle one can find on You Tube. The French horn opportunity there reminds me of having held my breath during any live performance over the risks a French horn player must face when the score offers an opening solo. I also really like the Montserrat Caballe one where she sings accompanied only by piano. Of course I had to go look those up and have a listen... thanks for prolonging my coffee break lol.

 

[IronWaffle]

In a mood for The Beatles this evening: Rubber Soul, Revolver, and - perhaps - some of their later work as well.

If you've never done it, try listening to the U.S. track list for this album. The Beatles rightly disliked the various manipulations of their music in America -- changed album names, artwork, tracklisting, echo-drenched duophonic mixes that might appeal more to American audiences. In Beatles spheres, the alternate Rubber Soul running order, however, is held in pretty high esteem since it actually unifies pretty well. I'm not sure at this point if the CD releases of the U.S. versions from a few years ago include the most interesting mix differences (see Wiki-quote at the end of this post) since those releases mostly used the canonized mixes (same as 2009 full catalogue release). I know that some discs have some unique mixes (like the title track from Help! which affixes a brief "007"-like guitar intro). Long as I'm Beatling here, another reason to pick up some of those releases is that each disc contains the full albums in both stereo and mono, so one can get some of those punchier and more band-endorsed original mono mixes without shelling out for the full box set. The only one I've bought, though, is Yesterday & Today since the CD package mimics the notorious recalled Beatle butcher cover.

Anyhow, here's the U.S. running order if you want to make a playlist. In various interviews, Brian Wilson (the musical savant behind The Beach Boys) has sometimes said it was the U.S. version of the album that inspired Pet Sounds, though other times implied it was the U.K version. "God only knows." My only major quibble with this track order is its inclusion of (and conclusion with) "Run for Your Life" because, even if its lyric is somewhat homage to an Elvis tune (I forgot which), I find its lyric unintentionally unnerving. For decades, Canadian radio was barred from playing it, apparently.

1. I've Just Seen A Face
2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
3. You Won't See Me
4. Think For Yourself
5. The Word
6. Michelle
7. It's Only Love
8. Girl
9. I'm Looking Through You
10. In My Life
11. Wait
12. Run For Your Life

Per AllMusic:

In a stroke of marketing whimsy, Capitol Records removed four songs from the U.K. edition of Rubber Soul, and added two songs from the U.K. Help! in an attempt to offer a more "American" release. Surprisingly enough, the reworked U.S. edition holds together better than its British counterpart. Obviously inspired by the folk-rock sound blossoming in the States, the songs on the U.S. Rubber Soul show the influence that the sound of the Byrds and the songwriting of Bob Dylan were having on the Beatles. The songs added from Help! (the pleading acoustic "It's Only Love" and the rollicking opener "I've Just Seen a Face") change the entire feel of the album, making it more earthy and textural. By dropping the piano-driven "Drive My Car" and the stark "Nowhere Man," the U.S. edition stands as a much more organic and warm musical whole, enduring as by far the most intimate Beatles album until Let It Be was released in 1970. [Some pressings of the U.S. edition were released with an odd "false start" at the beginning of "I'm Looking Through You," a fact that is sure to prick up the ears of die-hard Beatles fans upon first listen.]

Per Wikipedia:

In the United States, Capitol Records removed four tracks from the British LP's running order and set them aside for the Beatles' next North American album, Yesterday and Today. The four songs – "Drive My Car", "Nowhere Man", "What Goes On" and "If I Needed Someone" – were replaced with two tracks that had appeared on the UK Help! album, but not its US counterpart: "I've Just Seen a Face" and "It's Only Love".[38] The total time was 28:55, nearly seven minutes shorter than the British version.

Through the mix of predominantly acoustic-based songs from the two releases, according to author Kenneth Womack, Capitol's Rubber Soul "takes on a decidedly folk-ish orientation".[39] Capitol sequenced "I've Just Seen a Face" as the opening track, an act that Ian MacDonald cites as the record company "conspiring" to present Rubber Soul as a folk-rock album.[40][nb 3] Author Jonathan Gould writes that the omission of songs such as "Drive My Car" provided a "misleading idea" of the Beatles' musical direction and "turned the album title into an even more obscure joke", since the result was the band's least soul- or R&B-influenced album up to this point.[42] The stereo mixes used by Capitol contained two false starts at the beginning of "I'm Looking Through You",[39] while "The Word" also differed from the UK version due to the addition of an extra falsetto harmony and the panning treatment given to one of the percussion parts over the song's instrumental break.[nb 4]

Eh, while I'm at it here's the unfutzed photo used for the album cover. Or maybe it's been de-futzed digitally:

 

[JamesMike]

Listening to some Montgomery Gentry today. Troy Gentry was killed in a helicopter crash yesterday on his way to a concert in NJ. Don Williams, a country legend, also died yesterday. The genre took some serious hits yesterday.

I'm a Don Williams fans, RIP.

 

[pachyderm]

If you've never done it, try listening to the U.S. track list for this album. The Beatles rightly disliked the various manipulations of their music in America -- changed album names, artwork, tracklisting, echo-drenched duophonic mixes that might appeal more to American audiences. In Beatles spheres, the alternate Rubber Soul running order, however, is held in pretty high esteem since it actually unifies pretty well. I'm not sure at this point if the CD releases of the U.S. versions from a few years ago include the most interesting mix differences (see Wiki-quote at the end of this post) since those releases mostly used the canonized mixes (same as 2009 full catalogue release). I know that some discs have some unique mixes (like the title track from Help! which affixes a brief "007"-like guitar intro). Long as I'm Beatling here, another reason to pick up some of those releases is that each disc contains the full albums in both stereo and mono, so one can get some of those punchier and more band-endorsed original mono mixes without shelling out for the full box set. The only one I've bought, though, is Yesterday & Today since the CD package mimics the notorious recalled Beatle butcher cover.

Anyhow, here's the U.S. running order if you want to make a playlist. In various interviews, Brian Wilson (the musical savant behind The Beach Boys) has sometimes said it was the U.S. version of the album that inspired Pet Sounds, though other times implied it was the U.K version. "God only knows." My only major quibble with this track order is its inclusion of (and conclusion with) "Run for Your Life" because, even if its lyric is somewhat homage to an Elvis tune (I forgot which), I find its lyric unintentionally unnerving. For decades, Canadian radio was barred from playing it, apparently.

1. I've Just Seen A Face
2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
3. You Won't See Me
4. Think For Yourself
5. The Word
6. Michelle
7. It's Only Love
8. Girl
9. I'm Looking Through You
10. In My Life
11. Wait
12. Run For Your Life

Per AllMusic:


Per Wikipedia:


Eh, while I'm at it here's the unfutzed photo used for the album cover. Or maybe it's been de-futzed digitally:

i like John's jacket.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Thank you for that, I scarfed that album up from Apple Music this morning. It's wonderful.

Listening, one can easily be transported to a scene from Elizabeth (1998)... Cate Blanchett clapping her hands and commanding her court musicians: "Play a volta!" and scandalizing elders and ladies in waiting alike by proceeding to dance its intricate and sensual steps with the Earl of Leicester. Unfortunately it would seem the dance scene there was historically somewhat incorrect as to the actual steps of la volta, if correct as to the music... but no matter, the "Play a volta!" seems to stick in everyone's mind, and no wonder that, below is the clip. I hasten to say the soundtrack of that one scene hardly does justice to the music of that era or to the album you brought to my attention.

Delighted you liked it - an Oxford boy then in my life gave me a gift of the LP when he visited me (having asked in advance what I would like - this sort of music was what I liked - and still like).

If you like Morley, I'd recommend that you take a look at - or, rather, listen to - Susato's Danseyre (my original LP came from the same source in the mid 80s...on the same visit).

i like John's jacket.

As do I; suede is always classy.

 

[notmach67]

Yard work today so been listening to this -
Uncle Acid - “Melody Lane”
SAF!!
They’re sound has been likened to The Beatles singing over Black Sabbath type riffage.
And they have some cool ass videos too!
Can’t get enough...
Shout out to The U.K. cuz’ these guys are putting it down!

 

[mobilehaathi]

 

[IronWaffle]

File Under: Wall of Text

I haven't listened to Regina Spektor in quite some time but yesterday a friend introduced me to one of her songs I'd never heard before:

She asked what I thought. Part of my response is that it remiQnded me of some Joni Mitchell (for her melodic vocal play) and Bjork (for some of her theatricality). To my surprise, she had never listened to either. Rather than mutter, "millennials," I recommended the first songs that came to mind. Admittedly, I don't know that much of Bjork's catalogue.

While checking out Spektor's album Far via my local library's online digital service (gotta love livin' in the future) I discovered that she performed a song for the film Kubo and the Two Strings. Of course, since all roads lead back to the Beatles here's that song:

I have yet to see the movie itself. For those interested, it's gotten good reviews and is on Netflix.

The arrangement they used seems to echo what the late George Martin did when briefly coming out of retirement to score George Harrison's demo with strings for use in the Cirque du Soleil production (and companion Beatles mash-up album) LOVE. A neat aspect of this demo is that it includes a verse not used in the original album version or in any of Harrison's live performances. A year or two ago The Beatles authorized a video for that embellished demo. It goes well with Spektor's.

Buried in the notes for that video is a short documentary on the scoring of this version and the eventual inception of the above video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDLBBn9n6yw&feature=youtu.be​

 

[balamw]

Stuck on a plane with no audio for the in flight movies and a low battery I ended up listening to random stuff from my iPhone. I had most of this album already downloaded from iTunes Match but have since completed it.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyMfILAWKz-38BlzCz4dyFJMl9uSdI_aO

Matt Bianco - Whose Side Are You On?

I find it hard to understand why such a gem is out of print?!? While it's not an album I must listen to in one breath, I often do because it's all good and makes me happy.

I like happy.

B

 

[JamesMike]

The Rolling Stones 'Sticky Fingers'.

 

[balamw]

I discovered that she performed a song for the film Kubo and the Two Strings. Of course, since all roads lead back to the Beatles here's that song:

I have yet to see the movie itself. For those interested, it's gotten good reviews and is on Netflix.

I really liked that movie, and that version of the song worked well in it. Thanks for bringing it back to my attention .

B

 

[RootBeerMan]

Went with some Semisonic today. Nice tune from the 90's.

 

[AngerDanger]

"With Whom to Dance" – The Magnetic Fields

The closest I've come to thinking a ukulele sounds beautiful.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Stuck on a plane with no audio for the in flight movies and a low battery I ended up listening to random stuff from my iPhone. I had most of this album already downloaded from iTunes Match but have since completed it.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyMfILAWKz-38BlzCz4dyFJMl9uSdI_aO

Matt Bianco - Whose Side Are You On?

I find it hard to understand why such a gem is out of print?!? While it's not an album I must listen to in one breath, I often do because it's all good and makes me happy.

I like happy.

B

Why no plane audio?

 

[balamw]

Why no plane audio?

Mechanical problem. Seems like someone's headphone plug broke off in the jack.

B

 

[Suture]

We saw Apocalyptica a few nights ago in DC. They were celebrating the 20th anniversary of Plays Metallica by Four Cellos, and played the album and then some additional songs. I knew I'd enjoy it since I've been a fan, but live it sounded so crisp and clean. They have a good stage presence, engaging the crowd, keeping everyone involved and excited. Definitely recommend.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The fantastic, gripping, and utterly compelling (final) piece of music to the soundtrack of The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, (which is by Michael Nyman - the Michael Nyman Band).

Thank you, @arkitect for the reminder to reacquaint myself with a piece of music that left me speechless with awe the first time I heard it.

 

[mobilehaathi]

The fantastic, gripping, and utterly compelling (final) piece of music to the soundtrack of The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, (which is by Michael Nyman - the Michael Nyman Band).

Thank you, @arkitect for the reminder to reacquaint myself with a pice of music that left me speechless the first time I heard it.

Making a note of this; I suspect I'll enjoy it.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Making a note of this; I suspect I'll enjoy it.

If you like Philip Glass, you will.

Actually, the whole soundtrack (I listened to it again this evening) is superb, but that twelve minute finale (and you should just see the scene it informs in the movie - I was slack-jawed with awe watching it) is - utterly irresistible and terribly compelling.

Actually, it is brilliant. And the transformation of Helen Mirren's character (the eponymous 'Wife' of the title) from browbeaten and humiliated victim, to, something that is, well, shall I say, most emphatically 'not-a-victim' - is - fantastic. And inspirational.

 

[arkitect]

The fantastic, gripping, and utterly compelling (final) piece of music to the soundtrack of The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, (which is by Michael Nyman - the Michael Nyman Band).

Thank you, @arkitect for the reminder to reacquaint myself with a piece of music that left me speechless with awe the first time I heard it.

Memorial is spectacular.
It's place in the film is so perfect.
I was fortunate enough to hear and see Michael Nyman and the MN Band perform live in Hong Kong — mid 90s… and they performed Memorial with Sarah Leonardt. To sing that taxing piece live requires quite a bit of stamina. A bit like Queen of the Night's Hölle Rache on steroids!

[doublepost=1505146810][/doublepost]

And the transformation of Helen Mirren's character (the eponymous 'Wife' of the title) from browbeaten and humiliated victim, to, something that is, well, shall I say, most emphatically 'not-a-victim' - is - fantastic. And inspirational.

She has the best last word *ever*.
[doublepost=1505146895][/doublepost]

Making a note of this; I suspect I'll enjoy it.

Try it. It is superb.

Another one to try as film and soundtrack is Greenaway's Prospero's Books.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

"With Whom to Dance" – The Magnetic Fields

The closest I've come to thinking a ukulele sounds beautiful.

Lovely video (and song). Hadn't come across that before - great choice.

However, this isn't the only time I have heard a ukulele sound beautiful (and - yes - heart-breaking); try listening to the extraordinarily gifted Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's bitter-sweet song - "Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World" and tell me that it is not both beautiful and heart-breaking.

Another of his songs - which hits that same agonising, authentically heart-breaking and exquisitely bitter-sweet note - with a ukulele - is the powerful "Hawai'i 78".

 

[Scepticalscribe]

An hour (or more) of Israel Kamakawio'ole; seriously, this is beautiful, brilliant, exquisite, flawless, - and, yes - sublimely heart-breaking stuff; listen to the lyrics, and feel your skin tingle to the melodies.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I'm in an odd mood this evening.

James Brown - "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" - seemed to be - for some inexplicably bitter sweet reason exactly what I wanted to listen to after (some hours of) Israel Kamakawio'ole.