What are you listening to right now?

[Who Shot Sam?]

A recording of Handel's opera Rinaldo, with David Daniels and Cecilia Bartoli. Incredible. I heard David Daniels sing in Handel's Xerxes about 6 years ago at the New York City Opera and was blown away. He's a big, burly guy with a beard who sings in the most beautiful countertenor voice you'll ever hear. For anyone only familiar with Handel's Water Music, his operas are incredibly exciting and well worth exploring, packed full of drama and tension. Bartoli is also outstanding.

[Otis Westinghouse]

Loving this. Great early acoustic recording. Loads of classics, inc. See The Sky About to Rain several years before its release. Do I need to get the Fillmore one too? I don't have Live Rust, and have read descriptions of it as 'the best live LP ever, etc. Tempted to go n a smash and grab raid of Fopp and their £5 young binge right now.


Didn't really know Your Mother Should Know until the Bootleg Beatles played it last week, so checked this out. Lovely song. Also been playing 'One'. They wrote so many ridiculously good songs. I can't bear the Beatles revisionism you hear from lots of people: 'They were overrated' etc. It's like dissing Shakespeare. The earliest music I can remember is Beatles, e.g. Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da.

[BlueChair]

Live Rust is very good. The best live album ever? Hardly. I'd say Live At Massey Hall is a good deal better, actually. And not just because it was recorded at a venue where I've seen nearly a dozen shows (Elvis & Steve included). Haven't heard Fillmore, but that one is supposed to be quite good.

[Mr. Average]

"Quero" - Beck

[mood swung]

I don't know them at all, but this sounds like the better parts of Lynyrd and the Allmans.

I'd love to be a hippie, way up in them hills
down in Mississippi, taking all them hippie pills...

[StrictTime]

John Welsey Harding, Awake. Damn good, surprised me in a good way. But right now, right this minute, Rufus Wainwright's Want One. Also damn good.

[mood swung]

I had this on in the car coming to work - wow, the first 7 songs just knock me out, and I find that surprising. In fact, I think (and I invite argument) that this is probably one of those decade-defining albums. Yes, I do.


But I've been hankering to hear Low Rider, so -

[verbal gymnastics]

From Here To Eternity - The Clash

(and specifically I Fought The Law).

[mood swung]

[invisible Pole]

This time the hype is much deserved. (imho)
Great fun album.

[Otis Westinghouse]

The prospect of seeing Edwyn next month made me return to this. If the house was burning down and I could only retrieve one CD, this could well be it. Hard to think of any music that makes me feel as happy as this. It's just a wonderful compilation.

[Mr. Average]

Oh my goodness, Herbie is definitely a force to be reckoned with....

His Miles Davis connections show as he ages.

This record, and the brilliant "Gershwins World" prove him to be one of the most significant forces in jazz today. Thank God that someone is carrying the torch. All gone: Miles, Coltrane, Parker, Gordon, Zawinul, Mingus, and others. Shorter's sax is nothing short of moving, on scale with Coltranes interp of the six incredible songs on Coltrane/Hartman.

A balanced and beautiful interpretation of the works of Joni Mitchell. With two standards perfectly placed to augment balance and flow.

[Who Shot Sam?]

Sounding superb on my new Marantz CD player (the old Sony kicked the bucket - this one is so much better)...

[Otis Westinghouse]

You've gone very classical of late. Does it have the Montagues and Capulets on it as a little non-symphony bonus? Sounds great on a good system.

[Who Shot Sam?]

You've gone very classical of late. Does it have the Montagues and Capulets on it as a little non-symphony bonus? Sounds great on a good system.

No, just the Symphonies, but they sound superb. I have an older recording of Romeo & Juliet with Ozawa conducting that I love.

I just got all of my old classical stuff out of boxes when we finished our renovation, so I'm digging into it again. I'm also a bit bored with a lot of pop stuff I've heard recently. Maybe it's just the winter blahs.

[Otis Westinghouse]

I had a similar thing at Christmas with classical piano. It's nice to rediscover or explore new areas.

[Who Shot Sam?]

[migdd]

Great album! T-Bone Burnette always seems to bring out the best in the people he works with. Who would have though Robert Plant could harmonize! Gotta give Plant some credit for turning down a very lucrative Led Zep reunion in order to tour with Krause in support of this album.

[Who Shot Sam?]

Yep. "Killing the Blues" probably my favorite track, but the entire album was a really unexpected surprise for me. I wasn't planning on picking this up, as I'd never really been a fan of Plant's singing, but I read enough glowing reviews to convince me to take the plunge. T-Bone got him to tone it down beautifully.

Moved on to this now...

[PlaythingOrPet]

Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus it is not, but enjoyable nevertheless.

I'm finding the 'tache strangely attractive: http://www.nickcaveandthebadseeds.com/d ... index.html

[migdd]

It's hard to believe this one came out over a year agao but I've been playing it a lot again recently. . .

Don't Tell Columbus.jpg (4.81 KiB) Viewed 13614 times

[Otis Westinghouse]

Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus it is not, but enjoyable nevertheless.

I'm finding the 'tache strangely attractive:

Definitely not for me. Much as I want to love him like others do, I didn't get past about two playings of the list set. I admired it, but I didn't find it exciting. He looks comically seedy with the 'tache.

[johnfoyle]

Portishead - The Third

Due at the end of April , this leaked copy sounds great. Lots of timid vocals over dissonant sounds , blippy bits , cellos , crunchy guitar riffs etc. Has it really been 11 years since the last album?!?!

[Who Shot Sam?]

A hair-raising recording from a few years ago of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. A corrective for anyone who thinks classical music is "boring"...

[mood swung]

The noses on your records lately, Sam!

Something uplifting and edifying -