What are you listening to right now?

This is for all non-EC or peripheral-EC topics. We all know how much we love talking about 'The Man' but sometimes we have other interests.
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Christmas in the heart - Bob Dylan

I just fancied listening to it.
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Jack of All Parades »

That is mighty 'Christian' of you- as that album requires some real dedication in order to finish a listening session. :wink:
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by ice nine »

912 Greens Ramblin' Jack Elliot - A song much like Alice's Restaurant .
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by nord »

The Next Day - David Bowie. His best since since Heathen. Or since Scary Monsters. Like Dylan his latest albums are the best he has made the last 30 years.
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Jack of All Parades »

nord wrote:The Next Day - David Bowie. His best since since Heathen. Or since Scary Monsters. Like Dylan his latest albums are the best he has made the last 30 years.
This weeks New Yorker would agree with you:

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/m ... frerejones
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Last time I order a major new release for online delivery. It had better come tomorrow or my weekend is ruined...
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Who Shot Sam? »

Waiting for the double vinyl LP with extra tracks!
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Are they the same three as on the CD? Mine came, getting to know it over the weekend. On first acquaintance it seems to be probably better than Reality, probably no better than (the excellent) Heathen, and definitely nowhere near as good as Scary Monsters. I haven't fallen in love with anything other than the superb Where Are We Now? yet, but it's early days. Sound is great, vocals impress, excellent playing, all as you'd expect. It's great to have him back. the packaging is thrillingly bonkers.
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by noiseradio »

I was wondering how you felt about The Next Day, Otis. I have been rather obsessively listening to Bowie for the last month and a half in anticipation of the release. I decided I would listen to every non-live, non-compilation studio release in order, timed so that I would finish Reality right before The Next Day arrived. It was mostly thrilling and very revealing. For one thing, it marked the first time I ever listened to Never Let Me Down all the way through (oof) as well as Tin Machine II (better than I expected, perhaps even underrated) and Buddha of Suburbia (really excellent).

Since the Next Day arrived, I have listened to it a half dozen times, really trying to soak it in. I think it's terrific. I'm not sure where it belongs in the rankings, yet, but it's top shelf Bowie. I like it at least as well as Heathen (which I adore) and perhaps as much as Lodger. It's even better than Let's Dance!

I really like the packaging. The whole concept appeals to me. It also led my to try something, which I started this morning, and which i recommend: Listened to 'Heroes' and then immediately follow with The Next Day. It's very interesting.
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Well hello there! Nice to see an old timer fellow Bowie fan make a very rare appearance!

I found I was really, really enjoying it walking on headphones more than playing the CD through speakers, though probably because it's a work of depth that requires several plays, and also because my wife always complains when I crank up the hifi!

I love the fact that the songs are all pretty short. 3'30 is about the limit, who needs more? I love the fact that it has its own unique character and feel as an album and yet almost every track contains echoes of something from his earlier years. That combination of self-reference but original, valid, and not with its head up its arse is one I love. For example the song that ends with the Five Years drum pattern. Nice mix too of more obviously tuneful numbers like Valentine's Day and less obviously immediate stuff like Dirty Boys. I love that baritone sax is judiciously used. The Visconti touch gives it a trio sense with Heathen and Reality in a more obvious way than the Eno trio even, especially as Lodger was so different to the other two. Someone said it reminded them a lot of Lodger and I can see why.

I think it's a really impressive thing to have come out with and love the way the old dog spent years in silence to then spring this on us. Good on him. Apparently the Bowie exhibition at the V&A with various original outfits, lyric sheets, etc. is their fastest ever selling exhibition. Hope I can get tickets! he's been everywhere this year, but generally about his style in the 70s, etc., not him now as he's shunned publicity. Simon Goddard, the author of the wonderful Mozipedia now has Ziggyology on the way. I can't wait.

I haven't really got into the lyrics too deeply yet, other than Where Are We Now?, which is just sublime.

Looking forward to listening lots more and growing to love it all more.
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Jack of All Parades »

Curious little piece on Mr. Bowie from the Guardian a day back:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksbl ... NTCMP=SRCH
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Tooth & Nail - Billy Bragg

As well as watching and listening to his numerous BBC appearances.
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Any good? Saw a review saying it reflected a somewhat more downbeat Bragg.

I find that Bowie article ludicrous. Just because both cite cacti, she's trying to make a claim that Bowie was unconsciously influenced by Eliot, even though he'd never read him? There's no connection between how the cacti are used in each case. As a kid I was mesmerised and intrigued by Eight Line Poem, as I was by the whole album (still am, contains some remarkable lyrics). it conveyed a totally alien and exciting world of references that I had no grasp of. But not as much as The Bewlay Brothers, which I remember playing with my mum in the room aged 10 or so, and asking her what 'We were so spaced out in the mindwarp pavilion' meant and getting a long lecture on the dangers of LSD!
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Poor Deportee »

Y'know, I was never drawn to Bowie. The Ziggy Stardust thing always left me more irritated than excited, and I was always suspicious that the 'concept' took precedence over the music. So, having completely burned what thin reeds of credibility I possess, I'll say that I bought his new album from sheer curiosity (and also because I always do these things backward; it was Oh mercy that got me into Dylan, not the classic 60s records, and it was Spike that converted me to EC, not his Attractions stuff); and listening without (as someone said) prejudice, nor with any particular interest in how it may or may not be in dialogue with his earlier work, I can say it's a damn strong record. His lyrical voice is really quite distinctive and his aging vocals have a nicely faint hint of 'older guy' about them. The musical ideas are interesting, the sound a bit relentlessly in your face - a subtler production touch might help, but then again you can argue that that's a valid approach on its own terms. What he lacks, arguably, is a reliably strong gift for truly memorable and compelling melodies. And I realize now that this may be why I declined to get into his work years ago when I was snooping around.

OK, interruption over. Carry on.
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Jack of All Parades »

Otis- with you on the Guardian piece-most curious. Even if he had taken an image or phrase- that is creation. He made something entirely different. Hell, Elliot's poems are filled with direct and indirect quotes. Pop music is littered with this technique. The most famous for me that immediately pops into mind is Lennon's cribbing from the circus poster.
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by noiseradio »

The guardian piece is laughably funny. I wouldn't care if he HAD lifted something from T.S. Eliot or The Dave Clark Five for that matter. But the "link" suggested by the piece just doesn't exist.

Now for actual lyrical connections, listen to 'Heroes' and then The Next Day. Track one of both records makes reference to a priest, and with a similar mood/feel. Track 3 of both records is the obvious single, the first suggesting that We Could Be Heroes, and the latest suggesting we are less concerned with heroics and more with being Stars. I think that might be on purpose. Also, the final track on Heroes is The Secret Life of Arabia. The final track of The Next Day is Heat.

There are musical quotes all over the place. Love this record.
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

And of course the opening track of Ziggy also featured a priest (in fact, is there an opening track on a Bowie album that doesn't feature a priest?) and as touched on above, You Feel So Lonely You Could Die closes with the drum motif from the same song.

More on the refs and echoes here:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 17822.html

Nice to see Dave back on top of the UK album charts for the first time in 20 years, even if it was only for a week.

And how about this?:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/ma ... hints-tour
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Otis - I'm really enjoying the musically softer and reflective Billy Bragg album.

There is a beautiful ballad called Goodbye Goodbye which I love. My 2 year old also adores it and keeps asking me to play it.

I'm not sure she's his youngest fan but it's a good start!
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Jack of All Parades »

You 'union' guys-solidarity forever!!!! :wink: I have NRBQ "Wild Weekend" on in the cube this morning. Most infectious and just good humored fun music.
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by noiseradio »

Otis, did you ever hear the Bowie at the Beeb set? And if so, is it worth me picking up?
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Oh absolutely! It's a brilliant document of his progress from struggling nobody to Ziggy. There are great versions of many of the songs, particularly from the Ziggy era (e.g. with two versions of the song itself where you can hear its evolution as they worked on it with time) and it's got really good notes and all. A must for Bowie fans. Better still if the 3 CD version is available with his live in 2000 set, though this will cost you a bit more.
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Jack of All Parades »

A switch up for Friday's in the Cube- today the early cd by Hank Mobley "Quintet" from March of 1957. Great company this morning. It is not an outstanding effort nor is it a weak one. It is workmanlike with better than competent playing thoughout as Hank is ably assisted by Art Farmer on trumpet, Horace Silver on piano, Doug Watkins on bass and Art Blakey on drums. With that supporting cast you cannot go wrong. The music flows nicely from the spirited bop of "Funk in Deep Freeze" to the soulful blues of "Fin de L'Affaire". My favorite may well be "Wham and They're Off" where Hank lets loose on the tenor moving away from his usual restrained playing. He does not always get his due. This record makes him shine and also shows him as a solid writer-all the tunes are his. The songs already mentioned deserve better than they got- they should be more often aired in the standard repoitoire of songs that make up jazz set lists. Combining this with a revisit of Lee Morgan's "The Rumproller" as Lee often made usage of Hank in his recording dates.
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

noiseradio wrote:Otis, did you ever hear the Bowie at the Beeb set? And if so, is it worth me picking up?
Bit more on this to say that as I hadn't played it in a while, I was revisiting CD2 and it is fabulous. It's a halfway house between a live recording and the albums, so you can really hear how the band sounded together but with the clarity of a studio recording. I don't think you'd argue that any of the versions surpass the sublime originals, but each and every one is interesting and enjoyable.

Don't if I've mentioned it myself but one of the reasons the great man is so much on the radar this year is that the glorious victoria and Albert museum is staging the David Bowie is exhibition, involving loads of original costumes, lyrics, Eno oblique strategy cards, etc. It's sold at over twice the pace of any exhibition they've ever put on, which is a remarkable tribute to his legacy. I left it far too late to book, thinking if it runs till August, what's the problem, so when I looked last weekend and found the only tickets left were Sunday evenings after 7.30pm, I got in there and booked July 28th! I would have hung my head in shame to miss this.

For those who can't go, the book looks great. I saw it in a shop the other day, and it's beautifully produced with big, clear photos of all the artefacts and more besides and lots of text. Orderable on Amazon for $30:
http://www.amazon.com/David-Bowie-Victo ... d+bowie+is

I have a feeling that 'David Bowie artefacts' make for perfectly acceptable 21st wedding anniversary gifts...

Elsewhere, the immortal 1975 BBC Alan Yentob documentary Cracked Actor was also on this week. I've seen it many times and have it on a DVD, but it was fun to revisit. It's always shocking to see close up how emaciated he'd become on that tour. Good quote from Bowie here about his condition at the time:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracked_Actor

There's quite a bit of great footage of him live from the Universal Amphitheatre, LA in it. I've been dying to see the full concert recording, though it's never surfaced, but this encouraging comment from YouTube hints that we might get to see it:

"According to reports, BBC film director Alan Yentob revealed at the Institute of Contemporary Arts on Sunday (2nd Sept) that the Cracked Actor documentary could see a DVD release, together with extras. Quite what these will be is still unclear, but he did confirm that his film crew shot the entire show on 5th September '74 and he seemed interested in sourcing the original reels. He also said that he'd been in recent discussion with David Bowie."

Please!
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Poor Deportee »

From the sublime to the ridiculous, here is an album that amounts to a bizarre commentary on the collapsing attention spans of contemporary culture:

http://buck65.com/buck/news/sass/

Free to download...for obvious reasons.
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Re: What are you listening to right now?

Post by Jack of All Parades »

Poor Deportee wrote:From the sublime to the ridiculous, here is an album that amounts to a bizarre commentary on the collapsing attention spans of contemporary culture:

http://buck65.com/buck/news/sass/

Free to download...for obvious reasons.
I am of two camps- hoping that this a spoof, its satire slightly adolescent; or a self-indulgent, late in the evening stimulant aided and addled piece of crap. I hope it is the latter; I fear it is the former. You kindly turned me on to this performer. I expect better from him based upon past efforts. This return to a 'stars on 45' approach to writing and recording will not bring me back.
"....there's a merry song that starts in 'I' and ends in 'You', as many famous pop songs do....'
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