Sade. Damn near anything she did. It didn't matter to her whether or not she hit the exact note, she came close enough. And her band, Sweetback, even with others singing, are good, but simply not the same. Plus, I discovered some tasteful nudes of Helen Sade Adu, that are simply breath taking in their beauty, especially the sepia toned ones. Shit, I gotta go take a cold shower now.
Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor played on a really good 4 board pipe organ.
Or the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
Ah, hell, most of Bach's works played on a decent organ.
Good versions of Beethoven's 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th Symphonies.
Some of Wagner's crap
'Battle Hymn of the Republic,' sung properly, and same with 'Dixie'.
'Star Spangled Banner' also played and sung properly. It is not a dirge, nor is it a jazz piece and one does not hang onto the last notes like a dying soprano showing off. Fuck, people, it's the NATIONAL ANTHEM, show it some respect!
'Ave Maria' in either the organ solo or sung by a really good virtuoso. That, right there, gives me some serious skin chills.
And a lot of Souza's stuff.
I know, I'm a freak, I'm a weirdo. I don't know what I'm doing here...
Basil Poledouris' original score for the original 1982 Conan the Barbarian.
The score for Space Battleship Yamato (Uchuu Senkan Yamato), originally broadcast in Japan in 1974, dubbed and syndicated in the US as Star Blazers, and remade in a Gritty Reboot starting in 2012 and continuing presently.
"Faded Love" as rendered by a true Western Swing band; Rod Stewart "Have I told you lately that I love you?";"Amarillo by Morning" George Strait: "The Yellow Rose of Texas", and "Dixie" (forget HELL);..and THE AGGIE WAR HYMN".....
The whacking whump of the .50. The trill of the lady's purr. That kah' pup of the cap popping off of the bottle at 5:35 p.m., on a hooootttt day, after getting the yard and garden squared away for econf half of the season. The kerplop when your ol' dog comes up and plops down at your feet, as you sit in your wicker chair, or Adirondack, drinking that beer on the porch watching the sun set low.
I forgot, the band I played in, called Tradewinds did an acapella version of the Peter and Gordon song, I Go to Pieces. I think I have it on cassette tape somewhere. If so, I need to try and put it here for you. It was truly something to hear. But some of the ones that these others posted were pretty damn good as well. Except for Wagner. I never quite got him. His stuff was to big for me.
Pigpen 51. To listen to Wagner, you really do need to step away from this world. Read the synopsis of the story. Set up a quiet, darkened room, with a very comfortable armchair (the type that hugs you but you don't really feel it,) and, of course, a really good sound system. Not played "thumpa, thumpa" loud, treble and bass balanced. loud enough to wrap you in total sound, not loud enough to crush you.
Enter the room, lock the world away from you. Sit in the chair, get comfortable. Close your eyes. Relax. Imagine yourself in northern Europe. Feel the cool mist of the north German woods seep into the room, into your body, into your soul.
Now, hit 'play.'
Feel the inner Teuton come out.
'Parsifal', 'Tristan in Isolde', the whole 'Ring' cycle, 'The Flying Dutchman.'
Ahhhhhhhhhh.
Unfortunately, to paraphrase the movie "Pretty Woman," if you don't immediately get Wagner, you may learn to appreciate Wagner. But, reintroducing him to you properly (not in a place with background noises, and you have to be in the mood,) might cause that 'Get' to hit you musically. He isn't for everyone, but, boy, did that twisted dwarf know how to compose. Whoooooweeeeeee.
Hymn & Fuguing # 5 by Henry Cowell - anything by the great, unheralded American composer, Henry Cowell.
Also Villa-Lobos Ciranda Das Sete Notas for Bassoon and String Orchestra (Frank Morelli)- the first half is modernistic - even avant garde but stay with it till the end - you will be rewarded by the most beautiful chromatic cascading music ever written - let the tears flow....
Casting Crowns "The Wedding"; the line "When Hands that bear the only scars in Heaven touch her face"
There was a recording, in my childhood, of "Angels we have heard on high" where instead of the usual arrangement - where the 'echoes' are softer and lighter - the choir takes the phrase "and the MOUNTAINS in reply" seriously, and has the mountains voices done by the bass voices, coming in UNDER the rest of the choir. WOW!
It's possible that my opinion of Wagner was tainted by the story of his life I was forced to read and report on in my Eng.101 class first thing in college, which,by the way, I didn't take but about a year, all totaled up. From what I remember, he felt like he was so talented that the world owed him a living, a place to live, women to have sex with,etc. The problem was, that so many agreed with him at the time, that he pretty much was a rampant mooch and all around bad guy. But I think the piece called Ride of the Valkyries is about the only one that I remember, from playing it in high school band.
It was a huge piece, and challenging for a school with only about 350 students in the high school. But we had a woman for a band director, who actually happened to be gay, but it was known and never bothered a single person in our small town. She and the female gym teacher lived together, and not a soul in our town cared. And this was in the late 60's and on. She told me that she could have gone to a big school, but that she was able to play the kind of music that she wanted to, right there in our little village, and not have the hassles of a larger city. If a kid messed up a part in rehearsal, and she knew it was because they didn't practice, she would throw an eraser or her baton right at them. And not just toss it, but throw it hard. And do you know what? We always got 1's when we competed in any place against much, much larger schools. And every single student loved her to death. You can tell when a teacher loves their students, and it makes the students work that much harder for them. I don't blame teachers for any of the problems rampant in public education today, except for the things that they have direct control over, like being involved with their students lives. For some of these students, that very well could be the only positive contact they have with an adult until they graduate. And when teachers fail at that, it is then that I get mad. I know that teachers are just people, and we should not expect so much from them. But they are the ones who chose to take the job. They therefore owe it to the kids to be the absolute best that they can be, every single day.
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, J S Bach; (E Power Biggs) Hank Williams Jr "Family Tradition" Beethoven's Fifth and Ninth Symphonies (Berlin Philharmonic); "Snowblind" and "Come sail Away" by Styx; "Harold in Italy" by Hector Berlioz (Cleveland Symphony, George Szell); "House of Orange," "Witch of the Westmoreland,"The Mary Ellen Carter", and "Northwest Passage" among many many others by Stan Rogers; "You belong to me" (Duprees cover) "Rhapsody in Blue"- Bernstein (various artists, not sure which is the best) Baby James' "Carolina on my Mind" "southern Style" Darius Rucker Zac Brown, "Sweet Annie" and "Colder Weather" Three Dog Night, "Black and White", "Family of Man" and "One" among others;
The song of a lovely lady washing up in a clear cold stream... nekkid.
ReplyDeleteThe steel guitar on Pink Floyd's Sorrow. Every. Time.
ReplyDeleteWild mountain thyme- Buddy Emmons. RIP Buddy.
ReplyDeleteSade. Damn near anything she did. It didn't matter to her whether or not she hit the exact note, she came close enough. And her band, Sweetback, even with others singing, are good, but simply not the same. Plus, I discovered some tasteful nudes of Helen Sade Adu, that are simply breath taking in their beauty, especially the sepia toned ones. Shit, I gotta go take a cold shower now.
ReplyDeleteA capella 4-part harmony old time gospel, and a very good bagpipe player's rendition of Amazing Grace.
ReplyDeleteBach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor played on a really good 4 board pipe organ.
ReplyDeleteOr the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
Ah, hell, most of Bach's works played on a decent organ.
Good versions of Beethoven's 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th Symphonies.
Some of Wagner's crap
'Battle Hymn of the Republic,' sung properly, and same with 'Dixie'.
'Star Spangled Banner' also played and sung properly. It is not a dirge, nor is it a jazz piece and one does not hang onto the last notes like a dying soprano showing off. Fuck, people, it's the NATIONAL ANTHEM, show it some respect!
'Ave Maria' in either the organ solo or sung by a really good virtuoso. That, right there, gives me some serious skin chills.
And a lot of Souza's stuff.
I know, I'm a freak, I'm a weirdo. I don't know what I'm doing here...
And 'Creep.'
I do like me some minor key/minor chord pieces.
Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber.
ReplyDeleteBasil Poledouris' original score for the original 1982 Conan the Barbarian.
ReplyDeleteThe score for Space Battleship Yamato (Uchuu Senkan Yamato), originally broadcast in Japan in 1974, dubbed and syndicated in the US as Star Blazers, and remade in a Gritty Reboot starting in 2012 and continuing presently.
"Faded Love" as rendered by a true Western Swing band; Rod Stewart "Have I told you lately that I love you?";"Amarillo by Morning" George Strait: "The Yellow Rose of Texas", and "Dixie" (forget HELL);..and THE AGGIE WAR HYMN".....
ReplyDeletevaquero viejo
The whacking whump of the .50. The trill of the lady's purr. That kah' pup of the cap popping off of the bottle at 5:35 p.m., on a hooootttt day, after getting the yard and garden squared away for econf half of the season. The kerplop when your ol' dog comes up and plops down at your feet, as you sit in your wicker chair, or Adirondack, drinking that beer on the porch watching the sun set low.
ReplyDeleteMany kinds of music to my ears, friends.
And Samuel Barber, man oh man, that does it to me every time, especially when I recall this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4PWdOoOQjI
ReplyDeleteI'll second Phil on Sorrow and add comfortably numb. The live version on pulse
ReplyDeleteMiracles, by Starship, Go all the way, by the Raspberries , Baby Blue, By Badfinger
ReplyDeleteThe sound of her breathing next to me.
ReplyDeleteI forgot, the band I played in, called Tradewinds did an acapella version of the Peter and Gordon song, I Go to Pieces. I think I have it on cassette tape somewhere. If so, I need to try and put it here for you. It was truly something to hear. But some of the ones that these others posted were pretty damn good as well. Except for Wagner. I never quite got him. His stuff was to big for me.
ReplyDeletePigpen 51. To listen to Wagner, you really do need to step away from this world. Read the synopsis of the story. Set up a quiet, darkened room, with a very comfortable armchair (the type that hugs you but you don't really feel it,) and, of course, a really good sound system. Not played "thumpa, thumpa" loud, treble and bass balanced. loud enough to wrap you in total sound, not loud enough to crush you.
ReplyDeleteEnter the room, lock the world away from you. Sit in the chair, get comfortable. Close your eyes. Relax. Imagine yourself in northern Europe. Feel the cool mist of the north German woods seep into the room, into your body, into your soul.
Now, hit 'play.'
Feel the inner Teuton come out.
'Parsifal', 'Tristan in Isolde', the whole 'Ring' cycle, 'The Flying Dutchman.'
Ahhhhhhhhhh.
Unfortunately, to paraphrase the movie "Pretty Woman," if you don't immediately get Wagner, you may learn to appreciate Wagner. But, reintroducing him to you properly (not in a place with background noises, and you have to be in the mood,) might cause that 'Get' to hit you musically. He isn't for everyone, but, boy, did that twisted dwarf know how to compose. Whoooooweeeeeee.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHymn & Fuguing # 5 by Henry Cowell - anything by the great, unheralded American composer, Henry Cowell.
ReplyDeleteAlso Villa-Lobos Ciranda Das Sete Notas for Bassoon and String Orchestra (Frank Morelli)- the first half is modernistic - even avant garde but stay with it till the end - you will be rewarded by the most beautiful chromatic cascading music ever written - let the tears flow....
So am I in the naughty corner? My comment was up for about 20 minutes yesterday and then disappeared.
ReplyDeleteExile1981
I have no idea what happened to it. I'm looking for it to see if it slipped into the spam folder.
DeleteI picked experiment IV.
DeleteExile1981
Beethoven's Ninth.
ReplyDeleteCasting Crowns "The Wedding"; the line "When Hands that bear the only scars in Heaven touch her face"
There was a recording, in my childhood, of "Angels we have heard on high" where instead of the usual arrangement - where the 'echoes' are softer and lighter - the choir takes the phrase "and the MOUNTAINS in reply" seriously, and has the mountains voices done by the bass voices, coming in UNDER the rest of the choir. WOW!
"Roundabout" by Yes, the bass line.
And nobody mentioned Hank III...
ReplyDeleteWell, Wirecutter, you just did.
ReplyDeleteHank is good, just not hair raising for me.
Like old time Christmas Carols sung in church, where you can really feel some 'power of the Lord' mojo zapping the room.
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteIt's possible that my opinion of Wagner was tainted by the story of his life I was forced to read and report on in my Eng.101 class first thing in college, which,by the way, I didn't take but about a year, all totaled up. From what I remember, he felt like he was so talented that the world owed him a living, a place to live, women to have sex with,etc. The problem was, that so many agreed with him at the time, that he pretty much was a rampant mooch and all around bad guy. But I think the piece called Ride of the Valkyries is about the only one that I remember, from playing it in high school band.
It was a huge piece, and challenging for a school with only about 350 students in the high school. But we had a woman for a band director, who actually happened to be gay, but it was known and never bothered a single person in our small town. She and the female gym teacher lived together, and not a soul in our town cared. And this was in the late 60's and on. She told me that she could have gone to a big school, but that she was able to play the kind of music that she wanted to, right there in our little village, and not have the hassles of a larger city. If a kid messed up a part in rehearsal, and she knew it was because they didn't practice, she would throw an eraser or her baton right at them. And not just toss it, but throw it hard. And do you know what? We always got 1's when we competed in any place against much, much larger schools. And every single student loved her to death. You can tell when a teacher loves their students, and it makes the students work that much harder for them. I don't blame teachers for any of the problems rampant in public education today, except for the things that they have direct control over, like being involved with their students lives. For some of these students, that very well could be the only positive contact they have with an adult until they graduate. And when teachers fail at that, it is then that I get mad. I know that teachers are just people, and we should not expect so much from them. But they are the ones who chose to take the job. They therefore owe it to the kids to be the absolute best that they can be, every single day.
Liz Story - Solid Colors. The whole album
ReplyDeleteTim Story (Martha Reikow on cello) By the Father's Love Begotten
ignore amos
Oh yeah, John Gorka - Christmas Bells
ReplyDeleteignore amos
Pink Floyd shine on you crazy diamond
ReplyDeleteGail Garnett - We'll Sing in the Sunshine.
ReplyDeleteOh Shanandoah
ReplyDeleteToccata and Fugue in D minor, J S Bach; (E Power Biggs)
ReplyDeleteHank Williams Jr "Family Tradition"
Beethoven's Fifth and Ninth Symphonies (Berlin Philharmonic);
"Snowblind" and "Come sail Away" by Styx;
"Harold in Italy" by Hector Berlioz (Cleveland Symphony, George Szell);
"House of Orange," "Witch of the Westmoreland,"The Mary Ellen Carter", and "Northwest Passage" among many many others by Stan Rogers;
"You belong to me" (Duprees cover)
"Rhapsody in Blue"- Bernstein (various artists, not sure which is the best)
Baby James' "Carolina on my Mind"
"southern Style" Darius Rucker
Zac Brown, "Sweet Annie" and "Colder Weather"
Three Dog Night, "Black and White", "Family of Man" and "One" among others;
That's a start-
Historian
Willie and Merle, with Townes in animation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbZ3VdYb90o
ReplyDelete.
Allison Krauss "When you say nothing at all"
ReplyDeleteJoe Bonamassa working out in his version of "Blue Deluxe". Incredible reverb and sustain............
ReplyDeleteLed Zeppelin: going to california. every. time.
ReplyDeleteHere are a couple-three from Eugene Oregon.
ReplyDeleteBrahms 118-2 by Radu Lupu (headphones required).
The closing scenes from the James Caan / Michael Mann masterpiece THIEF, scored by Tangerine Dream.
David 'Hawaiian Elvis' Lomand performing HOW GREAT THOU ART... some verses in English and some in Hawaiian.