MUSIC - What are ASF members listening to?

[Stan 101]

Dude, if you ever come over here, I could teach you to like country music. Sure, it's simple, but it really gets to your heart.

Besides we don't sing about cows. It's all about crying, loving, cheating, trains, pickup trucks, drinking, and getting out of prison...

One thing I never understood about life
was how whenever I tried to do right
things would go wrong
and people would end up dying

like the time I told my girl she looked nice
she thought I was pickin' a fight
she broke a beer bottle
stabbed me in the arm and started crying

I said "hush little darling, don't you cry
I'm sorry that I made you get glass in your eye"
And I'll make it up to you
if you just give me a chance

But right about then my bleedin' got serious
my head was spinning and I was delirious
I forgot my own name
passed out and wet my pants.

By the time I came to my girlfriend had gone
she'd taken the dog and left me alone
with a note on the table saying
"baby i hope this makes you cry"

it said" I'm tired of your drinking
and I'm tired of your friends
and I'm tired of your drinking, stinking friends
and it's time for you to kiss my ass goodbye."

Well I heard the other day she moved to tennessee
lived there for 3 months and died of TB
and I can't help but feel at least a little bit to blame

Now the dog will have issues about who his family is
and I'll have issues about where he takes a whizz
just drinkin and thinkin about how I ruined the day

Well I tried to be just a little bit nice
and when i think about it once or twice
I'm a sour old bastard and danmit that's how I'll stay.





Now that's a country song he he!

 

[ghotib]

I'm just back from a singing summer school, so I'm listening to recordings from that. Not necessarily for enjoyment

I took away with me:

Autoharp Legacy (does anyone here know anything about the autoharp?)

Van Cliburn playing piano encore pieces, mostly romantics

Kathleen Battle and Jessie Norman singing spirituals

Joan Sutherland "Art of the Prima Donna" (Joan in her prime: goes directly to Heaven, do not pass Go...)

Fiddler on the Roof

Barbara Bonney singing Mozart

Barbara Bonney and Angelika Kirchschlager "First Encounter" (duets from Schumann, Dvorak, he and she Mendelssohns, Brahms)


I listened to Joan in the car, and nothing much during the school - worked much too hard and when there was a chance to relax only wanted quiet. It was a great week.

Ghoti

 

[websman]

One thing I never understood about life
was how whenever I tried to do right
things would go wrong
and people would end up...

Now that's a country song he he!

You should move to Nashville.

 

[Julia]

I'm just back from a singing summer school, so I'm listening to recordings from that. Not necessarily for enjoyment

I took away with me:

Autoharp Legacy (does anyone here know anything about the autoharp?)

Van Cliburn playing piano encore pieces, mostly romantics

Kathleen Battle and Jessie Norman singing spirituals

Joan Sutherland "Art of the Prima Donna" (Joan in her prime: goes directly to Heaven, do not pass Go...)

Fiddler on the Roof

Barbara Bonney singing Mozart

Barbara Bonney and Angelika Kirchschlager "First Encounter" (duets from Schumann, Dvorak, he and she Mendelssohns, Brahms)


I listened to Joan in the car, and nothing much during the school - worked much too hard and when there was a chance to relax only wanted quiet. It was a great week.

Ghoti

Hi Ghoti,

The above sound wonderful, except I don't go for "Fiddler on the Roof".

Can you explain what the autoharp is?

I left one treasure off my list - the duet from "The Pearl Fishers" by Bizet.
Heard this again yesterday and it sends chills down my spine.

Julia

 

[ghotib]

Hi Julia,

Can you put your finger on why you don't go for Fiddler on the Roof? I have some reservations about it, and I'd be interested to know if they match yours.

I thought some of the country music fans might know the autoharp; country and folk are where it's most often found - Dolly Parton plays one sometimes.

http://www.mikestrickland.net/autoharp/ Scroll down to Dolly

It's sometimes described as a chorded zither. Does that help? No?? It didn't help me either because now all I know about zithers is that they're something like autoharps. Ummmm...

The autoharp is a stringed instrument that can be strummed or plucked, like a guitar can. It has about 36 strings (which is a heck of a lot to tune). The automatic part is that it comes with a set of bars that have felts, like piano felts, which damp some of the strings to form chords. So to play in a particular chord, you just press a button and the bar goes down a silences the strings that don't belong. I got one because I wanted something portable and I thought it would be easy to learn. I like the sound of it very much on its own, and it's a lovely accompanying instrument for the voice.

Completely agree about the Pearl Fishers duet. It's right up there; almost enough to make me wish I could sing tenor

Cheers,

Ghoti

 

[sandik17]

Ditto Smurf1976!!

Very similar tastes. Obvious mid 80's influence. Era of the big hair stadium rock band! Poison, Guns n roses, Bon Jovi, Kiss. Great period for girl pop -Transvision Vamp was a nice reminder. Wendy James - how nice was she?


There is still good music out there - you just need to search through the crap! Gone are the days when you could sit and watch rage and actually see real bands playing their instruments in 9 out of 10 clips.
.

Duckman#72....you made my day mentioning Wendy James, and Transvision Vamp. There was obviously someone special influencing your taste in music in those times...yes, I agree completely Wendy was nice. I think I even had a poster or 2.

I too remember sitting through watching Rage, hearing some great music...and just feeling like I'd found a heap of information about the current music scene!...you know 'heard it on Rage'.

 

[Julia]

Hi Julia,

Can you put your finger on why you don't go for Fiddler on the Roof? I have some reservations about it, and I'd be interested to know if they match yours.

I thought some of the country music fans might know the autoharp; country and folk are where it's most often found - Dolly Parton plays one sometimes.

http://www.mikestrickland.net/autoharp/ Scroll down to Dolly

It's sometimes described as a chorded zither. Does that help? No?? It didn't help me either because now all I know about zithers is that they're something like autoharps. Ummmm...

The autoharp is a stringed instrument that can be strummed or plucked, like a guitar can. It has about 36 strings (which is a heck of a lot to tune). The automatic part is that it comes with a set of bars that have felts, like piano felts, which damp some of the strings to form chords. So to play in a particular chord, you just press a button and the bar goes down a silences the strings that don't belong. I got one because I wanted something portable and I thought it would be easy to learn. I like the sound of it very much on its own, and it's a lovely accompanying instrument for the voice.

Completely agree about the Pearl Fishers duet. It's right up there; almost enough to make me wish I could sing tenor

Cheers,

Ghoti

Hi Ghoti

Thanks for description of the autoharp. Hope you're enjoying it.

Re my dislike of "Fiddler on the Roof": I think it's partly because I simply loathe the most well known song - "If I were a Rich Man" which has been played to death and often sung badly, and also that I find the whole thing just a bit too exaggeratedly Jewish and over the top. I don't even know who wrote the music or the lyrics.

Cheers
Julia

 

[Duckman#72]

Duckman#72....you made my day mentioning Wendy James, and Transvision Vamp. There was obviously someone special influencing your taste in music in those times...yes, I agree completely Wendy was nice. I think I even had a poster or 2.

Hi Sandik
Yes I believe it was Duckman's looney sister - known affectionately as "Ozzie Hyperdense Chonga". A very staunch Richmond supporter who was also a strong advocate of private schooling. Thankyou for helping me remember.

I remember my mother going down to the op shop and purchasing a pink dress(somewhat similar to the one Wendy James was wearing in the video "I want you Love") to send away to the magazine Smash Hits. The prize was a vinyl picture disk of Transvision Vamp's album "Pop Art". The crowd at Smash Hits must have thought she was looney to because they gave the prize to her!

Duckman

 

[Smurf1976]

Hi Sandik
The prize was a vinyl picture disk of Transvision Vamp's album "Pop Art". The crowd at Smash Hits must have thought she was looney to because they gave the prize to her!

Duckman

An I just had to buy the album...

 

[sandik17]

Hi Sandik
The prize was a vinyl picture disk of Transvision Vamp's album "Pop Art".
Duckman

You should be good to her....that may be worth something! Just think yourself lucky you had someone like her influencing her...speaking of undervalued on this sight....sisters....very undervalued!

 

[phoenixrising]

After a diet of 70's rock ( Floyd, Zepplin, Stones, etc) I broadened my outlook

The most significant influence was discovering the Basement at Circular Quay.
Man, that place had talent there, especialy Basement's first incarnation.
Tommy and Phil Emanuel together, James Morrison, Vince Jones, Galapagos Duck, Crossfire and later band Supermarket, even Dizzy Gillespie. They are all in my CD collection. Just to name a few.

For harp lovers (not auto) Andreas wollenweider I like, saw at town hall late 80's or early 90's.

 

[johnno261]

After a diet of 70's rock ( Floyd, Zepplin, Stones, etc) I broadened my outlook

The most significant influence was discovering the Basement at Circular Quay.
Man, that place had talent there, especialy Basement's first incarnation.
Tommy and Phil Emanuel together, James Morrison, Vince Jones, Galapagos Duck, Crossfire and later band Supermarket, even Dizzy Gillespie. They are all in my CD collection. Just to name a few.

For harp lovers (not auto) Andreas wollenweider I like, saw at town hall late 80's or early 90's.

I too have all the above cd's amongst my collection. Pyramid were a great band too!!! David Jones(KIT),David Hirshfielder(KEYS) etc.
In Melbourne we had The Grainstore which was a must hang out place to see the best of the best!!! Loose Change(Virgil Donati,Joe Chindamo,Mark Domoney,Steve Hadley), Gnomes of Zurich(Virgil Donati,Jack Jones,Chris Bekker,James Roche)
Phoenix,who were SUPERMARKET?

 

[ghotib]

Hi Ghoti...

Re my dislike of "Fiddler on the Roof": I think it's partly because I simply loathe the most well known song - "If I were a Rich Man" which has been played to death and often sung badly, and also that I find the whole thing just a bit too exaggeratedly Jewish and over the top. I don't even know who wrote the music or the lyrics.

Cheers
Julia

Hmmmm.. And if I were to say "Sunrise, Sunset"?

My problem is that the singing is hardly ever as good as the songs. There's one achingly lovely little number, sung by a daughter who's about to leave the village and all her family to join her fiance in a labor camp in Siberia. She's young - it can't sound heavy. But she's making this immense journey and in the song she's trying to make her adored and adoring father understand why she's going. She does need to sound strong, and miking up a thin little voice so it can be heard over an orchestra doesn't cut it IMO.

Same applies to most current productions of musicals written up to... say late 60s - before microphones got mobile enough to work with lots of movement (I vividly remember Jesus and Judas tossing mikes - complete with cables - to each other in Jesus Christ Superstar) and then to be unobtrusive. They were written for performers who knew how to sing over an orchestra.

End Old Fogy rant.

Ghoti

 

[johnno261]

Just pre Christmas, I purchased Stevie wonders new release "A Time 2 Love".
This man cant see himself, but he's fantastic!!! Ha ha ha
Seriously a great CD. Vocally as you'd expect, fantastic!!!! Highlights in my opinion are tracks 7(My Love Is On Fire) and track 11(Shelter In The Rain).
If you are a Stevie fan a definate must have album.A diverse selection of music on the entire album!!

 

[Julia]

Hmmmm.. And if I were to say "Sunrise, Sunset"?

My problem is that the singing is hardly ever as good as the songs. There's one achingly lovely little number, sung by a daughter who's about to leave the village and all her family to join her fiance in a labor camp in Siberia. She's young - it can't sound heavy. But she's making this immense journey and in the song she's trying to make her adored and adoring father understand why she's going. She does need to sound strong, and miking up a thin little voice so it can be heard over an orchestra doesn't cut it IMO.

Same applies to most current productions of musicals written up to... say late 60s - before microphones got mobile enough to work with lots of movement (I vividly remember Jesus and Judas tossing mikes - complete with cables - to each other in Jesus Christ Superstar) and then to be unobtrusive. They were written for performers who knew how to sing over an orchestra.

End Old Fogy rant.

Ghoti

Well, Old Fogy, I'm happy to join you.
I just loved JC Superstar, especially "Herrod's Song" with its mocking of Jesus. I can still see that little car running across the stage. Jon English was fantastic in that show. Also have very fond memories of the original production of "Hair" - considered quite daring at the time, but with some really memorable music.

I'd forgotten "Sunrise, Sunset" but can't say I liked that either.

All the best for your music career in 2006.

Julia

 

[wayneL]

I left one treasure off my list - the duet from "The Pearl Fishers" by Bizet.
Heard this again yesterday and it sends chills down my spine.

Julia

Just been listening to Amici Forever's version of this myself.

A nice album. Includes "Song to the Moon" from Dvorak's Rusalka which always leaves me gah gah.

 

[Duckman#72]

I left one treasure off my list - the duet from "The Pearl Fishers" by Bizet.
Heard this again yesterday and it sends chills down my spine.

Julia

You want chills down your spine?

Go to your bedroom late at night, turn the lights off, and play Metallica's "The Unforgiven".

Shut your eyes and listen to James Hetfield growl "the old man then prepares - to die regretfully,
that old man there is me". That's powerful.

Come on lovers of rock - can't let Julia and Wayne have all the fun.

 

[Julia]

Just been listening to Amici Forever's version of this myself.

A nice album. Includes "Song to the Moon" from Dvorak's Rusalka which always leaves me gah gah.

Wayne:

What's the name of the album? Is it Amici Forever? Who are the tenor and the baritone who do the duet?

Thanks

Julia

 

[crackasmile]

For any of you guys looking for some other music try Skid Row they were pretty awesome back in the day still are to me, but for all those poison fans i bought probably their newest album in a while, its called "crack a smile and more" I bought it about 3 years ago it is unbelievably good.

 

[Julia]

You want chills down your spine?

Go to your bedroom late at night, turn the lights off, and play Metallica's "The Unforgiven".

Shut your eyes and listen to James Hetfield growl "the old man then prepares - to die regretfully,
that old man there is me". That's powerful.

Come on lovers of rock - can't let Julia and Wayne have all the fun.

Hi Duckman,

Thanks for the suggestion. Maybe I need to broaden my listening base?
I'm always open to change but just seem to keep coming back to the favourites.

Cheers

Julia