The Now Spinning/Recent Purchases Thread

[Rudy]

I'm back from AXPONA, and Hatari! is in the house! The 45 RPM cut is superb. This is how good vinyl sounds! It even bests the SACD (also by Analogue Productions). Here it one of the cuts from the album on its second play through my system:



Beyond that, I finally caved and bought the Analogue Productions 45 RPM set of Brubeck's Time Out. The realism is fantastic.

Morrow Audio is a cable manufacturer, but they have also opened their own used record store in their hometown. They brought a portion of a major haul of records that I believe came from a large university library. I found two classical titles (a Bartok "Symphony for Orchestra" on RCA, and a Stravinsky "Le Sacre du Printemps" on the DG label) in nice condition. I also picked up Count Basie Orchestra's Li'l Ol' Groovemaker...Basie! on Verve (which was arranged and conducted by Quincy Jones), and the Pete Fountain A Taste of Honey LP, on the Coral label. I will need to needle drop that title track from Pete Fountain's record--it directly "borrows" the TJB arrangement. The rest of the album is sometimes a bit hokey (typical 60s MOR record in a way) but I haven't heard it in 40 years. It's nice having a scratch-free copy to play now.

I also discovered a lot of new music in the numerous listening rooms at the show. Analogue Productions had released a 12" 45 RPM single with two old Louis Armstrong tracks on it--not my cup of tea by a longshot, but it was popular. Three titles I did like, however, stood out. There was a 2007 record Orbit by Neil Larsen, which features Robben Ford on guitar--a fusion-ey, funky gig that sounds excellent. (The 180g vinyl is unobtainium now, sadly, and the CD long out of print.) Kenny Rankin's album Because Of You was also a stand out (at least the couple of tracks we heard from it). In the Von Schweikert/VAC Amplifiers room, I walked in to a recording of the Poulenc Organ Concerto in G Minor that was stunning.

 

[Bobberman]

I'm back from AXPONA, and Hatari! is in the house! The 45 RPM cut is superb. This is how good vinyl sounds! It even bests the SACD (also by Analogue Productions). Here it one of the cuts from the album on its second play through my system:



Beyond that, I finally caved and bought the Analogue Productions 45 RPM set of Brubeck's Time Out. The realism is fantastic.

Morrow Audio is a cable manufacturer, but they have also opened their own used record store in their hometown. They brought a portion of a major haul of records that I believe came from a large university library. I found two classical titles (a Bartok "Symphony for Orchestra" on RCA, and a Stravinsky "Le Sacre du Printemps" on the DG label) in nice condition. I also picked up Count Basie Orchestra's Li'l Ol' Groovemaker...Basie! on Verve (which was arranged and conducted by Quincy Jones), and the Pete Fountain A Taste of Honey LP, on the Coral label. I will need to needle drop that title track from Pete Fountain's record--it directly "borrows" the TJB arrangement. The rest of the album is sometimes a bit hokey (typical 60s MOR record in a way) but I haven't heard it in 40 years. It's nice having a scratch-free copy to play now.

I also discovered a lot of new music in the numerous listening rooms at the show. Analogue Productions had released a 12" 45 RPM single with two old Louis Armstrong tracks on it--not my cup of tea by a longshot, but it was popular. Three titles I did like, however, stood out. There was a 2007 record Orbit by Neil Larsen, which features Robben Ford on guitar--a fusion-ey, funky gig that sounds excellent. (The 180g vinyl is unobtainium now, sadly, and the CD long out of print.) Kenny Rankin's album Because Of You was also a stand out (at least the couple of tracks we heard from it). In the Von Schweikert/VAC Amplifiers room, I walked in to a recording of the Poulenc Organ Concerto in G Minor that was stunning.

Wow That Hatari track sounds Killer good I feel the percussion and drums Really come alive Great Stuff Rudy.

 

[DeeInKY]

Been listening to some stuff by the latest incarnation of the Squirrel Nut Zippers. I wasn't a fan back in the 90s, but I'm really enjoying their sound now. Go figure.
Maybe it's the lure of the musical saw.

 

[Bobberman]

Been listening to some stuff by the latest incarnation of the Squirrel Nut Zippers. I wasn't a fan back in the 90s, but I'm really enjoying their sound now. Go figure.
Maybe it's the lure of the musical saw.

I liked the original Squirell but Zippers during my first year in radio in 96 their CD "Hot" was a huge Hit and we played many of the songs to death but We got a platinum record frame for it and it's still displayed in our studio lobby my favorite tracks from it are the cautionary song " Hell" and "Put A Lid On It" they did have an almost Retrolike sound about them that drew my younger ears to them

 

[AM Matt]

The Squirrel Nut Zippers "Hot" (1996) was the CD that was playing when The Ides Of March of "Vehicle" fame (featuring Jim Peterik) came on in to perform back in August of 2006 in New Buffalo, Michigan (near the Indiana border)!! Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[Rudy]

I played this version of the four Rachmaninov piano concertos this morning, ripped from SACD:



They sound good (especially since they are live recordings), but the renditions are a bit rushed. I never understood why some performers feel they have to play some of these as fast as they can. Piano Concerto No. 3 is a tough one to play as it is!

This set also includes "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini." I can't say I have ever cared for this one much (no matter who performs it).

 

[Harry]

I never understood why some performers feel they have to play some of these as fast as they can. Piano Concerto No. 3 is a tough one to play as it is!

Familiarity plus performance anxiety has a tendency to cause artists to rush through a piece. I've mentioned this phenomenon before in some Carpenters threads here, but it applies to just about every artist. Our local chorus even does it - after months of rehearsal, when it gets to concert time, we tend to rush through the pieces we know well.

Every time I've heard Herb Alpert do a live rendition of one of his records, it ALWAYS sounds too rushed to me, and it applies to Sergio, Carpenters, and even Burt Bacharach, though he tends to rein in his musicians sometimes.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I have always wondered why artists change the tempo on their songs. I never thought about "familiarity" being a reason but it definitely sounds plausible.

I did see Bacharach a long time ago and his sound was just amazing - didn't feel rushed at all. (Out of all the classic A&M artists, he's the only one I've seen in the flesh.... unless you count Styx, who I've seen twice.)

 

[Rudy]

I kind of chalked it up to adrenalin. Or drugs.

 

[Harry]

I kind of chalked it up to adrenalin.

Well, yeah. That's where the "anxiety" part kicks in - gets the adrenaline flowing.

 

[DeeInKY]

I played this version of the four Rachmaninov piano concertos this morning, ripped from SACD:
They sound good (especially since they are live recordings), but the renditions are a bit rushed. I never understood why some performers feel they have to play some of these as fast as they can. Piano Concerto No. 3 is a tough one to play as it is!

And now Flight of the Bumblebee has popped into my head. That usually sounds like the orchestra is on speed anyway.

 

[Rudy]

 

[Rudy]

Music from the past couple of days.

I always like Lyle Mays' piano, but Jack DeJohnette is also a feature on this album:

I've played the heck out of Holon (still am, actually), so I'm starting to crack into Llyria as well:

I have also had other Ralph Towner recordings playing as well, as he has had many on the ECM Records label, which is the focus of a lot of what I am listening to these days.

Dinner hours are usually taken up by either of my Pandora stations Salsa/Mambo Radio or 70's Soul. And late evening hours (after the NHL Playoff games) are handled by my ECM Radio station.

 

[Harry]

I'm still enjoying the heck out of my needledrops of some of Rupert Holmes' albums. In his later albums from around 1979-1981, he got into a lot of overdubbed harmonies. Listen to the chorus of "Morning Man" starting around 1:20.

 

[DeeInKY]

Listening to “Aretha’s Best”. Really nice compilation. R-E-S-P-E-C-T

 

[AM Matt]

Listening to AC/DC 1988 CD "Blow Up Your Video" (with the song "Heatseeker") but no one wasn't paying attention back then!! Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[Harry]

I felt like some Brazilian tunes on an uncharacteristically rainy Sunday morning, so I've been spinning CANTIGA DE LONGE by Edú Lobo.

 

[Rudy]

As I've been too busy working outdoors and such, my listening has primarily been Pandora through either the garage system or the Bluetooth speaker. Been mainly playing my 70s Soul station. Later at night when I'm back to working, it's been my ECM Radio station (focused on ECM Records artists).

I've been giving this a listen, a 1989 recording featuring Pat with Dave Holland (bass) and Roy Haynes (drums). Nice!

And the Charlie Hayden & Pat Metheny Beyond The Missouri Sky.

Interesting how my taste has changed over the years. Both of these recordings have some subdued moments, especially the Haden/Metheny, and I am finding that I am more into these as times goes on.

Oh, and during bachelor week here, I gave a spin to a lot of vinyl. This one, Led Zep IV, just hit the spot!

I figured it'd been a long time since I rock and rolled....

 

[Rudy]

I discovered Imagine Dragons during the opening to Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. As they are a Vegas-based band, they asked to play prior to the game (Vegas Golden Knights vs. the Washington Capitals). Their current hit "Whatever It Takes" seems tailor-made to kick off the game. Here is the live version they performed, and this includes about three minutes of Vegas's theatrical (of course!) prelude to the game.



They are an alternative pop band that has been having a good run on the charts with this being the third hit from their album Evolve.

 

[Rudy]

I digitized and cleaned up the Pete Fountain A Taste of Honey LP from AXPONA. The track listing is exactly how it appears on the album cover. A few notes. First, Pete Fountain played in New Orleans, and recorded this album in Nashville, but it is very much an MOR project given that the style of neither town shows through (except for some of the style in the backing instruments, like the bass played with a pick). The arrangement of the title track will seem somewhat familiar. Also, the lone original on the album is "Lucky Pierre," and I hear a lot of similarities to the title track as well, including the start/stop arrangement, part of the bass line, the modulation to a higher key at the end...it's almost like a cousin of "A Taste of Honey."

 

[Rudy]

The GAP Band used to have some of the best funk jams on the radio, but this one is kind of a nice "quiet storm" tune from their Gap Band III record:



Been meaning to make up a playlist of similar tunes.

 

[Rudy]

If you've never heard this rare Sergio Mendes album, I've finally digitized my copy of it.



Released in 1968, but recorded in 1963 (or some other dates, depending on source).

 

[AM Matt]

Just got The Raspberries "Refreshed" (6 song EP from 2000) minus singer Eric Carmen & drummer Jim Bonfanti!! The CD only runs 17:09 in total length. The only 2 things that I don't have in my Raspberries & Eric Carmen collection are "Overnight Sensation: The Story Of The Raspberries" & Eric Carmen: Marathon Man (both books written by Ken Sharp). I do have The Raspberries "Tonight!" book though. Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[Rudy]

Another needle drop I did. This was on CD for approximately 15 minutes many years ago, and has vanished since. This was a sealed LP I picked up a couple of years ago.

 

[Bobberman]

Today ive been revisiting some of my unique download only music and I been listening to the Network Music Ensemble ( the name killer tracks the current owner calls it) which is the original Network production music library from the 70s and 80s the music takes me back to the times in the 80s when it was being used on radio and tv commercials and background music for everything from Home shopping channels to telethon surprisingly the EP downloads are still available after almost 8 years since they were first made available to the public not bad for a company that began in San Diego and it's then thriving music scene after all 2 members of the smooth jazz Group Checkfield came from there and also contributed to Network Music Namely John Archer and Ron Satterfielf and yes I have their Albums from the 80s too