Brian Eno -Apollo- Atmospheres and Soundtracks

Apollo- Atmospheres and Soundtracks

If you've ever wanted to experience weightlesness, buy this recording. It is truly atmospheric, elegant, and downright beautiful. There are also some rather frightening moments (I think)contined in "Matta" which is worthy of the best sci-fi soundtracks.

The ultimate piece on this CD is "An Ending (Ascent)". It is simply one of the most breathtakingly beautiful "songs" I have ever heard. The first time I heard it, I knew I wanted to become a musician. It's simplicity and aching beauty is something I've tried to recreate in my music, but haven't quite topped this. I've listened to this piece I would estimate in the thousands of times, and it still takes my breath away.

Also interesting are the "Soundtracks" Silver Morning and "Deep Blue Day" which, if played at 45 RPM (back in the olden days) show that these are essentially slowed down "country-western" songs. A brilliant use of the studio, synths and treatments.

He has many more great recordings (Ambient 1, Neroli, Ambient 2:Plateux of Mirror (w/ Harold Budd),the list is endless. This is a must have!
very Trippy!

King Crimson-In the court of the krimson king

In the court of the crimson king

The music is this album is breathtaking-- the sound is in some ways very 1969-- mellotrons abound, lead playing splits between reeds and guitars, and a unique, high tuned drum sound, but there's a certain timeless quality to some of the tracks that make it stand out, even when seeped in the technology of the time. The album's opener, "21st Century Schizoid Man", is the closest thing to a hit the band had-- a group composition, the song opens with a whisper, mellotron effects, before exploding into power chord guitar and wailing sax-- Lake's voice, neveer a favorite of mine, takes a powerful and harsh edge and runs through two verses before the song breaks into a syncopated rhythm over which McDonald (on sax) and Fripp both take brilliant solos before coming back around to the verse again. By the time this ended for the first time, I was hooked. The level of playing on here, in particular hearing the four musicians playing complex lines in unison, will grab hold of anyone. Combine that with a great metal hook, and you've got something in many ways overwhelming.

The following track, "I Talk to the Wind", is quite the opposite-- delicate, with quiet guitars, reeds, a brilliant flute solo, and soft harmonies, makes you realize this band is not a one trick pony. This may be the finest lead vocal Lake has ever sung-- he sounds relaxed, confident, and without that air of pretension that so often dominates his singing. Again, simply breathtaking, but in its own way. Skipping ahead a bit to "Moonchild", the first two minutes are similar-- quiet musical performance and a great lead vocal from Lake before meandering into an extended guitar, vibes and drums improv. While the trio improv is a bit overlong, it does (at least on this edition, not nearly as well on previous ones), work without having a feeling of draggin.

The other two tracks on the album are really the only ones that lack a timeless quality, largely in part because they're dominated by the lush mellotron strings that clearly point to their era. "Epitaph" is probably my least favorite track on the album, dark, building, boiling, with some great guitar work from Fripp, I find it (and to a lesser extent the album closer) marred by Lake's overblown vocal delivery. The album closer, again dominated by the string sounds and Lake's vocal, is also washed in vocal harmonies, features a really incredible reed bridge, and some great distorted guitar interplaying with the mellotron-- while it feels dated, its one of those period pieces whose performance is so brilliant and whose composition is so strong, it gets past its sound.

The album was one of a kind-- while Crimson would continue and produce many stunning albums, McDonald and Giles abdicated leaving Fripp to continue. This is an effort that would never be repeated-- it also, unfortunately, established King Crimson as a progressive rock band, a sound that, by the mid-70s, they largely abandoned, and by the 80s, they totally turned their back on. Nonetheless, its a great record, and definitely should be heard.





Brian Eno-Thursday Afternoon

Thursday Afternoon

i can think of no other title (except possibly "on land") that has consistently provided a transcendental listening experience with every single play.spanning 61 minutes, thursday afternoon is a somewhat commited listening experience, which reveals numerous subtle shifts in tone and melody that is uniquely eno-managing to evoke emotion and feeling in a context (ambient music) that is difficult to bring those things into alot of the time.many passive listeners will find this to be aural wallpaper, but for an active listener seeking to escape into a beautiful mesh of sound, this disc is a sure winner.12 years after purchasing this cd, i still find it to be one of the most appealing things to listen to when scanning my cd collection for things to chill out to.eno followed this cd up with "neroli"- a sort of companion piece to thursday afternoon, as far as its 1-track format is concerned, but thursday afternoon is the superior disc, manging to blend the atmospheres of on land, apollo, and the pearl into one glorious 61 minute excursion.take a chance with this one-highly recommended. 

Frank Zappa- Thing Fish

Thing Fish

Well, like pretty much anything by the inimitable FZ, this is certainly not for everyone. Rare indeed is a person who can truly enjoy every one of the numerous directions Frank aimed his talents. Generally, the more open-minded and eclectic you are, the more you can appreciate his vast array of creativity, including this effort. And if you tend to be more single-minded and myopic. . . well, nuff sed.

So like just about everything else regarding music in general, it really boils down to personal taste. I can understand why someone would find this album hard to take; it took me a few listens to start to appreciate it for what it is. Is it my favorite Zappa album? No. But then, which is? Depends on the time of day/week/month/year/decade, and what's been happening in my life, lately. I suspect that's pretty much the same for most Zappatistas. . . .

The thing that gets to me, though, is reading the one-or-two-star raters who claim to love "everything else" by Zappa, but to completely hate this particular album. Really? You have no problems with Lumpy Gravy, 200 Motels, Uncle Meat, Absolutely Free, Joe's Garage, etc etc etc, but you find this one album to be "unlistenable", "indulgent" and "pointless"?

Well, what a bunch of whiney, over-opinionated little wimps! It was intended to be a satire of Broadway productions, and then-current social mores, you twits-- NOT as just another of your let's-get-stoned-and-party albums. If you can't appreciate it for what it is, then just clam up and go listen to whatever your fuzzy little brains can tolerate, already. Harry and Rhonda would be so proud of you. . . .



Grateful Dead-Anthem of the sun

Anthem of the sun

 

 

LISTEN TO THIS WITH IPOD HEADPHONES

 

"Anthem Of The Sun" is The Grateful Dead's second album originally released in 1968. Even at this stage, the band was already turning new corners and had reinvented itself both in the studio and onstage. The original five-piece Dead line-up had expanded with the addition of second drummer/percussionist Mickey Hart and additional keyboardist Tom Constanten giving a fuller muscular sound to the entire band.
"Anthem Of The Sun" captures the psychedelic Dead in its prime and is a mindblower to listen to with headphones. The album itself is a carefully constructed mix of studio and live recordings along with a tedious but rewarding editing and mixing job and wild studio effects.
Tracks such as "The Other One", "Aligator" and "Caution" have since become Grateful Dead classics and are among many a Deadheads favorites.
The bonus material on the Rhino remaster is a complete unedited live recording of "Alligator", "Caution" and "Feedback" captured at the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles in August 1968. This is worth the price of the reissue alone as it features the band fully jamming with the ignition turned up to full - a prime example of when the band members were all on the same wavelength, they truly gave it their all.
As a hidden bonus track, an alternate mix of "Born Cross-Eyed" is featured which includes an additional 30-seconds of feedback sound collage in its fadeout.
As mentioned above, The Grateful Dead had already turned a corner with "Anthem Of The Sun" and this was ONLY their second album. It all depends on which Deadhead you talk to when asking what the bands greatest album is. However, in my opinion, "Anthem" ranks up there with "Live/Dead" as the Dead's all-time greatest album. The Beatles have "Sgt. Pepper". The Beach Boys have "Pet Sounds". Pink Floyd has "The Dark Side Of The Moon". The Grateful Dead has "Anthem Of The Sun".



Alan Parsons- Tales of mystery and imagination

Tales of Mystery and Imagination

Parsons decided to take the works of Edgar Allen Poe and put them to music, and I don't think it could have been done better. Poe has always been one of my favorite writers, allowing me to sift through a human mind on its decline through the many layers of madness. Heavy use of synthesizers creates a fantasy world full of the moods and emotions Poe used in his writing. Dream Within A Dream is an instrumental, nearly classical piece, with an introductory reading by Orson Wells, a slow heavy beat of drums and bass joined by keyboards reminiscent of a harpsichord and choir type vocal accompaniment. The synthesized riffs are vaguely similar to the Priest's theme from The Exorcist, an apt association of dread for this moody piece. Dream Within A Dream blends smoothly into The Raven, probably the most popular piece on this album. It is masterpiece of Poe's famous poem set to music, with the vocals eerily sang using a vocoder, and the choir accompaniment in the background. The synthesizer brings out more horn sounds, and the music, while still eerie, has a more triumphant and powerful sound to it than Dream. The Tell Tale Heart starts out with a scream of derangement, and brings the album into its rock genre with a faster, pounding beat and more guitar than keyboard. The vocals are purposefully stressed into a pitch that expertly portrays the lunacy of the murderer's descent into madness as the old man's beating heart refuses to stop its tormenting clamor, and incorporates some of the actual lines from Poe's unforgettable tale of unleashed insanity. The bass line in this song does indeed sound like a rapidly pulsing heart, louder and louder as sanity is cast aside. The Cask of Amontillado slows the pace back down, in a gentle melody reminiscent of The Beatles "She's Leaving Home", with similar tune and pitch, but more powerful in its chorale moments. I really felt that Parsons did a tremendous job on this tune not only with the music but with the lyrics, telling (as close as three verses possibly can) the summation of this tale of murder. Of particular note are the echoes of the voice of Fortunato behind Montresor's in the chorus, overlapping each other as the exchange of words between the two within that dank cellar would have, yet eerily gentle rather than desperately pleading.



Devo-Hardcore Vol 1

Devo Hardcore Vol 1

This is amazing music, but very strange. It's such a tragedy that Devo have been marginalized as a new wave-era novelty act, and that the band has played so willingly into that perception of them. These early, home-recorded tapes show them as an edgy, witty, confrontational performance art outfit that manage to pack a lot of provocative ideas into concise, terse pop songs. Weapons in their arsenal include primitive analog synth, gnarly ring-modulated guitar, and Gerald Casale's awesome, fluid bass playing. And lots of furious thought. If a new band made music like this, they'd be the toast of Pitchfork: This stuff still sounds edgy, smart, and alarmingly contemporary.

These recordings have been in and out of print via Fan Club (LP) and Rykodisc (CD)...



Tangerine Dream - Ambient Monkeys

Ambient Monkeys

 

"Ambient Monkeys" is indeed a bizarre release. In spring of 1997, the Froeses visited England and Poland, touring to promote their newest studio album, "Goblins Club". Every gig was preceded by a prerecorded tape with ambient "environmental" sound wallpaper, into which a tune or two was interlaced. Sure, when you await a concert, standing in a crowd, often in a cold air, you might just as well listen to some muzak than to nothing at all. Such is "Ambient Monkeys" - a mere mixed collection of these tapes. The quality of sound is abysmal, and I think on purpose, since everything is muted away, giving priority to screams of monkeys, synthesized trains, and other voices of nature. Well, sampling is interesting if there's an actual message the composer wants to convey. Here, this is a background music. At least the band had the minimum minimorum of decency to admit that on the album cover, so that you know what you're buying. Yes, I was tempted, since I saw a few classical numbers in the tracklist. What I got was 20 seconds of Bach, 15 seconds of Mozart, and so on - all to the accompaniment of samples of screaming monkeys. I wonder, have I woken up in an asylum, or what? Hello?????????? Is there anybody out there????????? 

Aphex Twin- Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Could Richard D. James ever predicted, way back in 1985, what people would be cherishing these years later? It's 2013, but this album sounds like it could come from the year 2020 and still sound good. Ambient music may be one of the most calm music out there, with a lot of soul that fans always wonder why so many people give such a fuss about disney music. It's hard to believe music like this comes from electronics.

Okay, it may be a bit cliched, but for those of you who were introduced and know Aphex Twin by the Come To Daddy song (which was an accidental hit according to Richard, he didn't really like it), prepare to be surprised. Indeed, there's no hint of creepiness or fear in this album, it's light and fear free. It's still an ambient album at heart, but it's got one of a kind melodies and some cool rhythms. Aphex Twin was making his own kind of music sense the beggining. And thankfully, there's some great music on here!

There truly isn't a bad song on this album, although it's a bit long and demands you to be in the right mood to be able to sit through it. There's not much else to say to any electronic music fans out there. Get Selected Ambient Works, or at least check it out. You won't be dissapointed. If you don't like, at least you say you tried. You can't be an electronic fan and ignore music like this.

Genesis- Foxtrot

Foxtrot

Foxtrot, the first fully cohesive album by the band. This is really the best place to start if you want to get into the artistic side of this band. Everyone is firing on four cylinders. Steve Hackett is playing some of the best guitar in his life, Tony Banks is absolutely mesmerizing on piano, guitar, and mellotron. Mike Rutherford is showing off all of his skills on bass and 12 string guitar, and Peter Gabriel....what else needs to be said?

The album begins with one of the most majestic and bombastic openers of all time, Watcher Of The Skies. If there ever was a song to describe what 70's Genesis was like, this is it. Powerful keyboards, a tricky time signature, frantic performing, and of course, the awesome vocal range and theatrics of Peter Gabriel. At this point, Peter really shines out as the insane energetic frontman to this weird band. One of the most powerful songs in the band's career.

The band also starts to show that they can write shorter songs as well. Time Table ends up being a catchy powerful ditty with some very soulful singing, and the epic Can Utility and the Coastliners also proves that a lot can be said in 5 minutes.

Get Em Out By Friday is a strange one. A song about the greed of slumlords and a strange future where people can't be over 4 feet tall, it is a frantic evolving number with some incredible social commentary. People still get screwed over when it comes to rent. Looks like you can still resonate with this one today.

And of course, what hasn't already been said about Supper's Ready? The magnum opus of Genesis, this song is Shakespeare and Mozart set to rock music. A driving 25-minute piece about the apocalypse, this ever changing piece never gets old. Everything is there for a reason. The beautiful acoustic guitars, the rush of keyboards and clashing electric guitar, the insanity of Willow's Farm, and of course, the majesty of the finale. It's a grand piece that needs to be heard.

Genesis' mastery begins with this album. Buy it today.