Norm

I picked up one of their studio albums (Hey, Eugene) which I thought was meh, however, tonight I'm watching a DVD which features them live in concert and they look to be very entertaining live (and much more interesting than the studio album would suggest).

I just received the Moanin' AP hybrid/SACD yesterday. And, boy, is it fantastic. Clear as a bell without any harshness at all. I also ordered the XRCD of Soul Station, but this has not been officially released and won't be mailed for a few more days. Once I listened to Moanin' I looked over the other AP hybrid/SACD titles available and in the works. With this kind of sound, I'm going to have to pick up Blue Train, Midnight Blue, Idle Moments, Somethin Else, Green Street and possibly Lee-way. Mind you I don't even own a SACD player, so I'm just listening to the redbook layer, but the difference is astounding and the music is just all the more inviting.

Did anybody attend or hear anything about this? http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/arts/music/11jazzfest.html?hp

Thanks for the link, David. I only recognized your voice because I had listened (just days before) to the Guaraldi show via download, so it was kind of a surreal (totally unexpected) moment to hear you coming across the radio, especially because I was 2500 miles away from home and out on Xmas day and listening to the radio for only a short period on Christmas afternoon on my way to an old friend's Christmas gathering in Surrey county. The stars were lined up, I guess. Anyway, I kept the car radio on during the entire ferry ride. And yes, now that I think about it, it was indeed WHRV. Thanks again for providing the link...I'm going to listen to it again now.

Ghost...I meant to write about the following matter a while back but was lacking a high-speed internet connection over the holidays while visiting family in Virginia. Anyway, I was very happy to tune into local NPR station broadcasting out of (either Richmond or Norfolk) Virginia on Christmas Day while boarding a ferry that crosses the James River and to stumble upon not the Vince Guaraldi show but actually a different Christmas show of yours called "Afterglow," I believe. There were a few choice selections from Vince Guaraldi but if I'm not mistaken you began by disecting the history of the song "White Christmas" as it appeared in film, and then played among other holiday favorites the song from "The Grinch who Stole Christmas" which I hadn't heard in several years but enjoyed in a whole different way (from the time when I was a kid). I don't suppose this show was archived anywhere? If so, I would be interested in listening to it again, even though its after the new year. Thoroughly enjoyed it, Norm

I just pulled the trigger on the Soul Station XRCD and the Moanin hybrid SACD, as I don't have any Japanese issues of either of these. I bought them (pre-ordered in the case of SS) from CD Pacific, so the total came to 44 even, with shipping included. I usually spend anywhere between 5 and 9 for new CDs, but I consider these two to be masterpieces so I think it will be worth it (the only versions I've heard are the 1999 U.S. RVGs). Looking forward to getting them. I thought I saw somewhere that Workout will eventually be released in either of these formats (can't recall which one) at some point in 2010. If these two sound as good as the above comments indicate, then I will probably go for that one as well.

TTK, thanks for the recommendation. I have never listened to June Christy and am not familiar with her sound, but I saw this album mentioned in a thread related to Christmas music from a few years ago. How would you describe her sound/genre? And I'm quite curious about the theme of the album as you described it in one of the posts above -- does she reconcile these two things with more of a melancholy, hopeful or some other feeling/sound?

Jon, you might be interested in particular two of the Deluxe 2-CD sets: Burnin and Catch A Fire, the two earliest Tuff Gongs (Island), as the former has a live set from 1973 with GREAT sound quality and the latter contains original/stripped down versions (before the dubs) of the songs that appeared on the album Catch a Fire that was released in 1972. But yes, like you I'm interested in pushing back even farther in time and I think the Soul Rebels and African Herbsman re-issues might satisfy my soul, especially during this spate of "wintry" and rainy weather we're having in SoCal.

Going through a major (re)phase of Bob Marley these days, and I found this thread particularly insightful. Over the last couple of weeks I've picked up the the Deluxe editions of Burnin', Exodus, and Catch a Fire (on the way) as well as remastered versions of Babylon By Bus and Live (at Lyceum, London 1975), and the DVD Live at the Rainbow. Several years ago I picked up the four-CD set, Songs of Freedom. Based on my love for the first CD in this chronological sampling of Marley's work, I think I'd like to explore more of his earlier (pre-Island) stuff. It looks like the remastered/reissued editions of Soul Rebels (2002) and African Herbsman (2002) might fit the bill. From a few posts above, I might also try the Talkin Blues live radio performance CD. Anyone else getting warm to Marley in the thick of winter?

My first viewing of that filmis what turned me on to Lennon and, in turn, the Beatles. I had heard the Beatles before I saw Imagine, but I had never truly listened to what Lennon and company were saying until after I saw that one. Incredible man.

Well, Red Garland is his own best advertiser. I'm still digesting the material from Side Steps (what a rich treasure trove), as virtually all of it is new to me and Red's contributions just shine. In particular on Disc 4, his playing on All Mornin' Long, Billy's Bounce and Lazy Mae really drew my attention to the piano (not that Mr. Coltrane's playing isn't excellent). Well, its clear that my Red Garland Piano, Groovy, Revisited and Soul Junction CDs is an utterly insufficient body of Red's work in my collection. Therefore I just placed an order at Concord Music for the following titles: Rediscovered Masters, v.2 Mr P.C. Blues Red's Good Groove A Garland of Red I also threw in Blue Mitchell's Blue Moods to reach the $40 limit for free shipping.

Pardon my ignorance, but does Red have an album with Christmas tunes or are you just saying you like to listen to his stuff this time of year?

Don't forget to spin your copy (everyone should own one by law) of Kenny Burrell's Have Yourself a Soulful Little Christmas these days. I've been playing it about once a day since Thanksgiving and never get sick of it. But, quite honestly, I can listen to this one in May and love it just the same.

You haven't heard Neko Case then. I too like Neko Case. Cat Power is another favorite contemporary female vocalist (singer/songwriter) of mine. The latter's album, The Greatest, is rock solid from beginning to end.

Not to the best of my knowledge, but then again I don't attend too many shows so maybe it still happens at some. I'm very envious of you for seeing Pink Floyd on this tour -- if I could go back in time and choose any tour to see Pink Floyd it would be this one (though I was only 4 years old at the time). I started listening to them when I was in college (1993 or so), and the following year they happened to come out with a new album (The Division Bell) after the second long hiatus that followed the release of The Final Cut, so I leaped at the opportunity to see them in May 1994 on The Division Bell tour in Raleigh, NC. I still look back on it as the finest concert I've ever attended. In addition to the musicianship (they did the entire DSOTM album, I loved seeing the two huge pigs with laser-beam eyes rocking back and forth during "One of These Days." I heard that they started doing the pig thing with the Animal tour. Do you remember seeing them at the MSG show? Tangent: There was some up-thread discussion about Animals in which some expressed that this marked the beginning of the downfall of Pink Floyd, with Roger becoming somewhat dictatorial. While I won't dispute the shift in Roger's role and the effect it may have had on band cohesion, I just wanted to state that I still consider Animals to be one of their most brilliant works. In no way, shape, or form do I think it represented a decline of the application of their talents. In fact, I find it to be one of their strongest efforts. As far as I'm concerned, it has nothing to do with teenage angst (some have lumped it in with the Wall in this regard)...but offers a broad social critique of some of the most basic contradictions in contemporary society....organized religion, capitalism, politics. It is a 'concept album' in the truest sense of the term, I believe. Now, I would certainly concede that it might not be as listenable / pleasing as some of their other albums...I don't reach for it as often as say DSOTM, WYWH or Meddle, but I still consider it to be an album with a substance and grit to it that stands the test of time. The issues addressed in this album seem just as relevant (and thought provoking) today as they did in 1977. Just my .02. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'll search for this title and see if I can locate a copy.

I've been on a major PF kick the last couple of days, getting my hands on all kinds of alternate takes and live boots from the late 60s through '77 or so. I notice that on the Animals tour (and maybe earlier) fans are setting firecrackers -- seem to be as powerful as m-80s -- at the show. This sounds crazy. By the time I started I attending concerts (late 80s) this "trend" had apparently passed (thank god!). I'm still scratching my head, though -- was this a common thing back in the 70s? What were people thinking? On the last show of the Animals tour (July 77 in Montreal) Roger actually stops the show and gives those who are lighting these things a dressing down (which they deserve). No wonder he was getting pissed off with the audiences by this period.

My meagre attempt to keep abreast of whats going on in the here-and-now world of music has resulted in interest in the following two groups who have releases this year, probably my favorite records that I've heard by up-and-coming artists in 2009: Animal Collective - Merriweather Postpavilion Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest But these acts seem almost post-modern or alt-modern, if such a term existed. The release by Animal Collective, for example, (the first I've heard of their's, though I know they have a dedicated following) has shades of Pet Sounds, psychedelic electonica, world dance beats, jungle rhythms and trance-like harmonies. I'm guessing they would be a lot of fun to see live. In particular, "My Girls," "Summertime Clothes," and "Brother Sport" send me to a far-out mental zone. I'm not a raver -- neither in the Floydian sense nor in the late '80s Manchester-Stone Roses-Happy Mondays sense -- and not into rave music but these guys bring something unique and captivating to the table.

Sorry to hear the Shins and Spoon didn't do it for you. Its primarily more recent Spoon which I think highly of (Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and Gimme Fiction), but yes the lyrics and vocals even in the recent releases are not their strong suits, so you might not like these any more than the ones you've tried. Yeah, I'm wondering which Wilco you listened to (I've never drawn a connection to Pink Floyd). Their first two albums, A.M(1995) and Being There (1999), still retain some of the Uncle Tupelo alt-country thing, but Being There (a double album) moves away from that. It is the album on which Wilco really begins to find its voice, I think. Anyway, Being There is far more sophisticated than A.M., IMO. Wilco released A.M. at roughly the same time Son Volt released Traces (see below) and even the ex-Tupelo members of Wilco (i.e. Jeff Tweedy and John Sirratt, the bassist) knew that Fararr had outdone them and there grew from this a kind of a competition between the groups). My two favorite Wilco albums are Summerteeth (1999) and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002). Summerteeth is more straightforward and thus may be more to your liking (based on what you said in your original post) but most would say that Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is their magnum opus to date. A little caveat about Wilco: it took me several years and numerous listenings to really get into what they do -- I've never had such a long courtship with a band that I grew to love. I liked them alright when I first got some of their albums in 2002, but my appreciation for their songcraft has increased dramatically over time. Its an "investment" that has paid off with rich rewards. I do like Son Volt, well at least Traces...that's their first album and the only one of their's I own. Some still consider it their peak work, although their latest release has generated some positive buzz. P.S. The family of Woodie Guthrie had some songs he had written but not performed apparently, and contacted Billy Bragg to make something of them. Bragg, in turn, contacted, Wilco about playing the music. They put out two albums together: Mermaid Avenue Vol. I and II. I find the former to be particularly good, but it would depend on whether one likes (or can tolerate) Bragg's vocals/voice.

Just made my second purchase from Deep Discount (they're currently running a 30% off all CDs sale), plus they gave me a $5.00 coupon after I made my first purchase (HM Another Workout) to apply to this order. If you're not familiar with DD, they offer free shipping (and not tax!) on each individual item...that is, there is no minimum for free shipping. So here's what I picked up today, pretty conventional stuff: Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks SACD 6.99 Hank Mobley - No Room for Squares RVG 6.26 Grant Green - Feelin' the Spirit RVG 6.26 Wayne Shorter - Adam's Apple RVG 6.26 $5 coupon -5.00 Grand Total: $20.77 I think the sale runs through Nov. 29 so check it out, esp. if you are looking for Bluenote RVG remasters. deepdiscount.com

Not to threadjack, but any recommendations on these? I've heard lots about these bands but haven't checked either of them out. Lately (the past 3 months), I've been full bore into 60s/70s rock -- CCR, Floyd, Hendrix, Dylan, Marley, The Police, The Clash and of course the Beatles with the new releases. Heck, I even started listening to some older Stones...Exile on Main Street, Beggars Banquet, Let it Bleed...and the latter in particular is a band that I had previously written off. Part of the problem is that I came of age musically in the 1980s, and lets just say that most 70s rock artists who were not killed or did not die of an overdose and survived into the 80s did not fare well in that decade. So, it took me about an extra 15 years to disassociate their 80s production from their earlier stuff. But I digress...

Which ones by Spoon? I think I've got everything they've done, but my favorites are their two most recent ones: Ga ga ga ga ga (2007) and Gimme Fiction (2006). "I summon you" on the latter is incredible. As I mentioned, I saw them and another Indie band called MGMT open for Beck at the Hollywood Bowl in Sept. 2008. Though Spoon was my main motivation in going to the show, Beck blew both groups away. I'm not a huge Beck fan but he's something to see live (especially with a backing orchestra) As for The Shins, I have Chutes Too Narrow, Wincing the Night Away and Oh, Inverted World, and like them equally. Supremely melodic stuff. Same question. Which ones did you decide on for each?

Wilco http://www.wilcoworld.net/ Click on the Roadcase link and you can sample some stuff archived from their recent concerts. They're based in Chicago, and have been around for 15 years, but couldn't write a commercial hit if they tried (not sure if they do). But I consider their lead man, Jeff Tweedy, to be the Bob Dylan-Neil Young singer-songwriter of this generation. They draw on an electic mix of 70s rock and country rock, and helped introduce the term alt-country to the lexicon of modern music in the 1990s, though they have been trying to elude this label ever since. But most important they have their own unique sound. And they rock, and rock particularly well in concert. (As an aside, Peter Buck from R.E.M. was particularly fond of the sound of Wilco's previous incarnation, Uncle Tupelo,, and produced an album of Uncle Tupelo's in March 1992 at Buck's beachside condo in S.C., I believe...U.T. split up in 1995, splintering into Wilco under Tweedy and the group Son Volt under Jay Farrar). Another favorite of mine happens to be based in your newly adopted city: Spoon. They too have been around since the 1990s but they matured much with their recent albums. I saw them open for Beck last year. Finally, The Shins. These are really the only three bands making music these days that I really keep up with, with anticipation. Finally, as you probably already know, I think Austin (or a nearby city) is host to the South-by-Southwest music festival every year. I think it usually takes place in January or February so maybe you can attend some of that.

Not to confuse matters, but with regard to the new (completely different) series of XRCDs, I found a list of things to come over the next 8 months at Elusive disc. I have been wanting to pick up Soul Station for about 6 weeks now but its release (with Sonny Clark's Cool Struttin' and Tina Brook's True Blue to be among the first ones to be issued) was delayed once again from October to December (at least thats what it shows now). Here's a link to the (updated) schedule of releases for these XRCDs. I see that Lee Morgan's Tomcat is included...had been toying with buying the RVG but may have to wait for this one to come out in February...hopefully. http://www.elusivedisc.com/products.asp?dept=1416

Along with many people here, I'm sure, I love the 2-disc Legacy sets of 'Round About Midnight (2005) and Kind of Blue (2009). I also saw that Sketches of Spain got the 'deluxe treatment' earlier this year (thought I haven't heard it yet). I'm wondering if anybody has heard anything about the possibility of Milestones and/or Someday My Prince Will Come being re-released in two-disc deluxe edition format. Probably just wishful thinking on my part, but I love each so much I thought I'd ask if anybody had heard anything...

After seeing this thread, but never having seen the show before, I decided to begin checking it out from season 1 chronologically (checking out DVDs from the library.) I thought it would be best to start from the beginning. So far I'm about halfway thought season 1 and liking it quite a bit. In the episode I just watched, Don just hung out with his Bohemian mistress and her posse of likeminded fellows, experimenting with drugs in what may be the Village(?). I thought it was cool that they played a little clip of Sketches of Spain and referenced Miles verbally. But the whole scene made me a little uncomfortable; I could just feel the tension leading to a conflict between two very righteous personalities at completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Interesting, though...can't wait to see what goes on in Season 2! And if people really drank and smoked like that back in the 1950s, its a wonder lung cancer and liver disease haven't claimed more lives!