What album are you listening to?

Lazenby. wrote:

Wish I could fit my turntable into my pocket, but that aside I'm a vinyl man all the way and utterly despise what the internet has done to the music industry as well as the i-tunes culture it has spawned, which seems to encourage people to just listen to random tracks as opposed to embracing the album for the beautiful art form it is.

Here here. I've always bought complete albums, in both LP and cd format. In fact if I like a single track enough, that's always spurred me to buy the whole album. I am a bit of a music collector, but that aside, one or two good tracks, and I basically want the whole context. And once I latch on to an artist, I tend to keep faithfully buying their new releases, until they deliver a stinker.

What I don't like is that cd albums are trying too hard to create value thru quantity. 12 tracks plus bonus tracks is usually too much. The old LPs were shorter, but that had a lot to with the format. 14 tracks or the 55-60 minute album is becoming normal. Exception being artists like Alice Cooper. No filler on his cds, but he also doesn't make them too long.

One thing I do like about digital music though, aside from the portability, is that I can rip my own greatest hits collections, for the artists that I faithfully buy, and put the songs in the order I want, which is usually in order of release date.

tiffanywint wrote:

What I don't like is that cd albums are trying too hard to create value thru quantity. 12 tracks plus bonus tracks is usually too much. The old LPs were shorter, but that had a lot to with the format. 14 tracks or the 55-60 minute album is becoming normal. Exception being artists like Alice Cooper. No filler on his cds, but he also doesn't make them too long.

On that note, I once wondered if taking a longer album (say a 55 minutes or more) and tried to make it fit on one LP (45-50 Minutes) would actually improve it by taking a lot of filler transition songs out of it.

Obviously this would not be true for every album, but it would be an interesting exercise at the very least.

"I'm With You" -- Red Hot Chili Peppers

I like it but I don't love it. It doesn't differentiate itself much from RHCP's other albums, and at times, I feel like I'm listening to a slight variation of "Stadium Arcadium."

Jack Wade wrote:

"I'm With You" -- Red Hot Chili Peppers

I like it but I don't love it. It doesn't differentiate itself much from RHCP's other albums, and at times, I feel like I'm listening to a slight variation of "Stadium Arcadium."

Yep, it's solid but not great. It's the sound of a band surviving after losing a very key member, so I'm satisfied enough for now. It could have been crap, but thankfully it isn't. At it's worst, it's just a bit routine on a few of the uptempo tracks. At it's best, it's the sound of a band who probably still have a future. Tracks like Even You, Brutus? and Did I Let You Know suggest that Josh Klinghoffer can bring something different to the table as I like his backing vocals, while the afro-pop influence on DILYK and the use of piano on a few tracks are welcome touches. I think they were holding back here with Josh to avoid him being exposed too much and potentially being burnt under the spotlight of Frusciante's departure but, said departure now done and dusted, I think they'll push Josh further with the next album and it will be better. I can see this unit settling a lot more than I could ever see the Dave Navarro/RHCP unit settling. Josh isn't too big for the band, he'll appreciate the experience of those around him and learn and flourish from it.

This new Stones release is archive gold. Never before commercially released, a live concert from the Euro 73 tour. The Stones recorded their 17Oct73 show at Forest National in Brussels Belgium.



http://www.stonesarchivestore.com/Product.aspx?cp=53655_53698&pc=BGDDRS67&src=NEWS115403

The Stones have released the show as an MP3 download, titled the Brussels Affair. The preview clips sound phenomenal. The guitars are front and centre in the mix, just as Keith likes it. Some great solo work from both Mick T and Keith can be heard in the preview clips, as well as trademark Stones riff chugging. I haven't bought it yet, but it sure sounds great, especially the brand new Goats Head Soup material, including live versions of Dancing With Mr. D and the infamous Star Star (Starfucker).

I think the Stones are working on their legacy. A live Some Girls show from Fort Worth Texas, 1978, is out on blu-ray/cd combo packs this month as well. Nothing from the 78 USA Some Girls tour has ever been released either, but for one live track ( When the Whip Comes Down) which turned up on the Sucking in the 70's album, released in 1981.

That's one great tour poster, Tiff. :)

Reminds me of René Magritte .



Had that on MI6 Community for a while before they took it off.

x

Liverpool by Frankie goes to Hollywood.

The second album of the boys that was sadly not as good as the first one, but still a blast.

My idol.

Erica Ambler wrote:

That's one great tour poster, Tiff. :)

Well the Stones were at their lewd and loudest in the 1970's

Actualy nothing much ever changes. Licks Tour 2002-2003 :geek:

x

Erica Ambler wrote:

Not forgetting sticky fingers, the greatest record cover of them all.

my original LP cover still has a functional zipper.

I suspect I'm the only real musical theater buff here, but I've been listening to the brand new recording of Stephen Sondheim's FOLLIES, one of my favorite Sondheim shows (for those who aren't familiar with it, it's a bit like WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? meets SINGING IN THE RAIN). There have been a number of great recordings of the show over the years, but this one feels the most complete, largely due to the creative decision to include excerpts of William Goldman's dialogue that help contextualize the songs (by themselves, the songs don't quite communicate the narrative progression of the show).

Bernadette Peters' Sally is the winner here, giving an interpretation of the character that rivals Dorothy Collins' original, and her heartbreaking performance is the emotional core of the album. The rest of the cast is fine, but don't compare to the best interpreters of the roles (Ron Raines is no George Hearn, Danny Burstein is no Mandy Patinkin, and Jan Maxwell is no Diana Rigg).

Harmsway wrote:

I suspect I'm the only real musical theater buff here,

Depends on the kind of musical theatre you're into. I'm a classically trained soprano, and I have a nodding acquaintance with most musicals. Even if I think Miss Saigon is nothing but a cheap - and second rate - version of Madama Butterfly.

And I can't stand The Glums.

x

Great track, though the seizure inducing video works against it.

x

Haven't seen the film, but I'm really enjoying this remix album of Daft Punk's soundtrack. More so than the original.

Just returning to The Walker Brothers' NITE FLIGHTS. If it maintained the quality of the Scott Walker penned numbers (first four tracks on side 1) this would easily be one of my desert island discs. Dark, disturbing, and soulful. Plus there's Hipgnosis's killer artwork, Dave MacRae's fabulous orchestrations and Big Jim Sullivan's pounding guitar. "The Electrician" works brilliantly in the opening of BRONSON.









A great what-could-have-been.

Sharky wrote:

"The Electrician" works brilliantly in the opening of BRONSON.

Yeah, it's for sure the best moment in that film. Like MELANCHOLIA, BRONSON opens with a kind of music video that so effectively captures everything the film is striving for that everything that comes after it seems redundant.

I love "Shut Out."

Harmsway wrote:

Sharky wrote:

"The Electrician" works brilliantly in the opening of BRONSON.

Yeah, it's for sure the best moment in that film. Like MELANCHOLIA, BRONSON opens with a kind of music video that so effectively captures everything the film is striving for that everything that comes after it seems redundant.

I'd probably agree, though I re-watched BRONSON a couple of days ago, and it improved in my mind. Tom Hardy still steals the show utterly, but I also noticed the quality of the screenplay, particularly its humour. The supporting players, namely Matt King (known to most Brits as crackhead Super Hans in PEEP SHOW) shines too..Refn's choice of music is spot on (for the most part), but the direction's the main problem. It's too showy and often looks he's trying way too hard to ape Kubrick (CLOCKWORK ORANGE).

Harmsway wrote:

I love "Shut Out."

All of those four are pretty damn great, but "Fat Mama Kick" takes a while to grow on you. It's a very different mood.

ABBEY ROAD. I'm not a particularly big fan of The Beatles, but this album just blows me away, and its concluding medley is the best thing they ever did - sixteen minutes of pure genius. All the way through, though, this album boasts flawless musicianship (the Macca/Ringo rhythm section never sounded better, and Harrison's guitar playing is likewise terrific), brilliant production and, of course, fantastic songs. The Beatles' - and George Martin's - masterpiece.

I love ABBEY ROAD. It's my third favourite Beatles album, right after RUBBER SOUL and "THE WHITE ALBUM."

Just rockin' out to some trock.