Teasing the Korean

I can't understand a single word of "Long Cool Woman" beyond like the first line. Is it the reverb or bad enunciation? Is that still Allan Clarke or was that during the period when he split?

Many years ago, after college and in need of an adventure, I moved to a strange city where I knew virtually no one and brought very few belongings. I had left most of my albums at my Dad's place. The only jazz album I had with me - accidentally - was a 70s twofer of two early RW albums, "Trio and Solo" and "With These Hands." I unexpectedly found myself playing it nonstop. Many years later, I was living in Beantown, and went to a performance/lecture RW presented for a class at Harvard. Just him at a piano in a classroom of about 40 students. I got the impression that many of them had no idea who he was. His solo playing was riveting. Over the years, I've accumulated a decent number of his albums from between the 50s and 70s. I had one of his more recent albums (i.e. last ten years) on CD, can't remember the title, but found it less interesting than the earlier stuff. It seemed much more straight-ahead and lacked the edge of his earlier stuff. Maybe there are other recent albums by him that are better.

These are good points, Bev. The notion of why we like anything is very complex. I understand your point about nostalgia, but I still believe that in its purest form, nostalgia involves longing for one's own past, rather than longing for an abstraction of a general period.

I can't speak for Chuck, but when I said that "I've moved on," I was stating it as simply a fact, and added that "I'm not knocking the Beatles." Different music has spoken to me at different times in my life. I simply don't feel an obligation to continue to listening to something that no longer speaks to me. That's all.

For what it's worth, I find this easily the most dispensable LP in their catalog.

There is a HUGE difference between liking something from the past for inherently artistic reasons rather than for feelings of nostalgia it evokes. A lot of the music that I love was created before I was born, but I did not hear it until I may have been in my 20s or 30s. I may not have heard until last week. So there is no nostalgia factor there. If I listen to music from my childhood, there is at least some nostalgia - it varies from title to title. When I listen to older "classical" music or older jazz, there's virtually no nostalgia, unless they are records that my Dad owned.

Agree, but Chuck brings up a good point. I'm not knocking the Beatles, but they have become little more than nostalgia for me. I have moved on to other things also. Some people may want to buy this stuff for purely musical reasons, but there is definitely a shred or two of nostalgia involved for many buyers. If I were buying any of these reissues - and I'm not - it would be out ofnostalgia.

One of the interesting things about Bill Evans is that while you can certainly categorize his playing as "conservative" in some respects, his harmonic approach really set the stage for the next generation of piano players such as Herbie Hancock.

Thanks all for the replies. They certainly went in different directions, no argument there. Still, it would have been interesting to hear where they may have headed if they had done more.

Has there been any substantiation or speculation as to why Miles didn't work with Bill Evans after "Kind of Blue?" Bill Evans's playing really creates the mood of that record, arguably to a greater degree than any other single participant. IMHO.

I've come across vinyl reissues on this label from the 70s and/or 80s. I think everything I've seen is stuff from Warner/Reprise releases. Did they reissue stuff from other labels? Are the pressings good or at least acceptable? The cover art seems like faded repros of the originals with Discovery's 70s-looking logo slapped on in a very intrusive sort of way.

Anyone know what has become of the masters for this label? Have things been reissued on CD? I have the Collectibles CD of Mundell Lowe's "Satan in High Heels" and it sounds like a needle drop. I don't think I have any other CDs of stuff from CP, though I have lots on vinyl. Just curious.

I have not heard the two UA Sauter-Finegan albums in stereo, so I can't comment on the separation or stereo gimmickry. I have both in mono and think they sound great, sonically better than the RCA titles I've heard.

Allen, I always interpreted that song as Lennon poking fun at the very thing you're describing, kind of like Tom Wolfe did in "Radical Chic," e.g. I'll support your cause, so long as I don't spill any of my scotch or crease my dinner jacket.

Ironic that they released two different recordings of it, considering.

Supposedly the Beatles really hated the Hollies.

It was a different era. What is compelling for me is how much has and has not changed. That and the great clothes and the kodachrome saturation in the office scenes.

Do you think they did it Ducky style?

No, that's a Rutles tune.

I always loved "Celia" and "So Sorry Please." Transcribed both. In a way, it's so weird that he'd only be 85 - I thought he would be like 200 or something.

Never liked her voice but her choice of material over the decades has been even worse. Nice that she's singing standards, I suppose, but I'll pass.

That may never have been the plan to begin with...

This twofer is representative of this period, but the mastering is apparently questionable: http://www.amazon.com/Soundproof-Soundblas...9808&sr=1-1

From the Times: "...their early records, from the 1950’s, explored the outer limits of sonic special effects. Preparing their pianos with rubber mutes, sandpaper, strips of metal, cotton balls and cardboard, and occasionally pounding or plucking the strings, Mr. Ferrante and Mr. Teicher elicited all sorts of odd sound effects in the albums “Hi-Fireworks” (1953), “Soundproof” (1956) and “Blast Off” (1959)." This is their great period, IMHO.

Just as good, if not better, but different. PM me and I'll set you up.