This week’s listens:
Dire Straits ‘Live at the Rainbow 1979’ - highlight of their new ‘Live 1978-1992’ box, featuring the original lineup on the eve of megastardom. There’s true energy here that got lost in their later years;
The Beatles ‘Now and Then’ - I’m indebted to Flash for pointing out that the slide guitar on this track was played by Paul, not George as I’d thought. I’ve now watched the mini-doc about the song and that, along with repeated hearings, has made me reassess it. Whilst I still don’t consider it a bona fide Beatles song (ditto ‘Free As A Bird’ and ‘Real Love’ for that matter), I am coming round to it as a very decent effort in its own right, and I’m glad all concerned have worked so hard on it. Lovely vid too: made me quite emotional!
The Beatles ‘1962-1966’ - well, I got suckered into buying this with the promised new mixes of most of the tracks, all of which I already own umpteen times over, but… I’m glad I did. Most sound better than ever, except for ‘She Loves You’ which seems a little muddy to my old lugs. Great, expanded track selection though;
Mike Oldfield ‘Hergest Ridge’ - I was interested to read Keith A’s take on this, which encouraged me to dig it out too - with great enjoyment. I’ve loved HR for years: it’s eerie beauty places it slightly ahead of ‘Tubular Bells’ (no Piltdown Man nonsense here) and even ‘Ommadawn’ in my affections. I prefer the ‘Boxed’ mixes of all three by the way, especially where HR is concerned. Do give HR another try, Keith: I think it may grow on you;
The Damned ‘Music for Pleasure’ - much maligned sophomore album that I’ve always preferred to their debut. It’s a shame that the two-guitar lineup didn’t last;
Van Morrison ‘Accentuate the Positive’ - OK, I’ll try. This features uptempo R&B classics performed with appropriate verve and style. That the vocalist’s high notes sound a little, er, random at times is of no real consequence. Best played six or seven tracks at a time to avoid musical indigestion. Will that do?
Budgie ‘Bandolier’ - the best UK power trio of the Seventies still sound great to my aging ears. Rifferama, as my favourite band of that decade may describe it;
Simple Minds ‘Themes Vol.1: March 79 - April 82’ - ace comp of extended and alternative mixes from Simple Minds’ most inventive period;
Lefty Frizzell ‘Life’s Like Poetry’ (Disc 1) - Lefty’s earliest records bear a charm that bely their 70-odd years. And I know few sides as foot-tappin’ as these;
Charley Pride ‘Music in my Heart’ - a rewarding return to form for Pride's 2017 recorded swan song. RIP;
Marc Johnson ‘Shades of Jade’ - dreamy jazz vibes perfect to watch the waves by… or at least, that’s what I did;
Dave Brubeck Quartet ‘Jazz Impressions of Japan’ - groovy, dreamy, and joyous;
Stephan Micus ‘To The Evening Child’ - Micus furrowed his own improvised take on “world music” long before that awful term was invented. This is typical of his vast back catalogue: slow, meditative vibes ripe in ethereal beauty;
Just Music S/T - those who think of a generic ECM sound would be surprised to hear the label’s second ever release: two side-long slabs of avant garderie veering between uneasy solemnity and apeshit chaos. Easy listening this is not, but… it’s got an indefinable something about it;
Beethoven: Piano Sonata no.14 ‘Moonlight’ (Wilhelm Kempff) - Kempff’s 1960 recording, falling between his complete mono and stereo cycles, has tremendous impact in the final movement, balancing the shimmering calm of the first. This is truly stellar Beethoven playing;
Beethoven: Piano Sonata no.8 ‘Pathetique’ (Arthur Rubinstein) - great as Rubinstein was, Beethoven was not his forte, at least as far as this heavy handed 1947 recording indicates. His Chopin, however…
Mozart: Violin Sonatas K 377, K 454 & K 526 (Friederike Starkloff & Jose Gallardo) - a CD that offers pure pleasure, both musically and interpretively;
Beethoven: String Quartet no.13, Op.130 (Chiaroscuro Quartet) - the third release in the Chiaroscuro’s ongoing Beethoven Quartet cycle sees their customary attention to detail matched by a genuine feel for the spirit of this wonderful music. They really are a fabulous young combo;
Beethoven: Piano Concertos 1 & 2 (Garrick Ohlssohn/Grand Teton Orch/Sir Donald Runnicles) - two strong, powerful performances, unashamedly old school in approach;
George Lloyd: Symphony no.6 (BBC Northern SO/Edward Downes) - Lloyd specialised in immediate and approachable music in an age of atonality, and was underrated as a result: a great shame. This 1980 premiere performance presents a short and appealing work that stays in the mind long after hearing;
Bruckner: Symphony no.7 (Czech PO/Lovro von Matacic) - magisterial vision of an epic symphony;
Mozart: Divertimento in B flat, K 287/Sibelius: Tapiola/Brahms: Symphony no.4 (all BPO/Herbert von Karajan) - most of Karajan’s late digital remakes received tepid critical reaction on their release, unfairly I think. I was pleased to see this Tapiola as the recommended library version in the latest ‘Gramophone’, so maybe the tide has changed. The Mozart, by the way, is irresistible;
Bach: Motets (Gaechinger Kantorei/Bach Collegium Stuttgart/Helmut Rilling) - uplifting choral music from another age;
Debussy: Etudes (Steven Osborne) - more from Osborne’s new album of Debussy piano music, impeccably played and recorded.
And that’s my lot. Enjoy your week, all
Dave x
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