January 9, 2010

Playlist 1-9-10

* Buxtehude: Six Sonatas (Holloway, et al.) (Naxos CD)
* Geminiani: Cello Sonatas, Op.5 (ter Linden/Mortensen) (Brilliant Classics CD)
* Vivaldi: Cello Sonatas (ter Linden/Mortensen) Brilliant Classics 2CD)
* Vivaldi: Late Violin Concertos (VBO/Marcon/Carmignola) (Sony CD)
* Vivaldi: Violin Concertos, RV 331, etc. (VBO/Marcon/Carmignola) (Archiv Produktion CD)
* Handel: Trio Sonatas, Op.2 & Op.5 (AAM/Egarr) (Harmonia Mundi 2CD)
* Sun Ra: Queen Elizabeth Hall, London 11-9-70 (AUD 2CDR)
* Sun Ra: J.P. Widney Jr. High School, Los Angeles 6-12-71 (AUD 2CDR)
* Sun Ra: Sound of Joy (Delmark CD)
* John Coltrane: Interplay (d.1-3) (Prestige 5CD)
* Bobby Hutcherson: “Mellow Vibes” (selections) (Blue Note mix CDR)
* Andrew Hill: The Complete Blue Note Sessions (1963-1966) (d.1-4) (Mosaic 10LP)
* Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble: Toward the Margins (ECM CD)
* David Torn: Prezens (ECM CD)
* Earl Klugh: Finger Paintings (Blue Note/MFSL LP)
* The Beatles: Anthology 2 (Apple/EMI 2CD)
* The Beatles: “Revolution 1” (take 20) (fan/boot CDR)
* The Songs the Beatles Gave Away (fan/boot CDR)
* Led Zeppelin: In Through the Out Door (Swan Song LP)
* King Crimson: Epitaph (live 1969) (DGM 4CD)
* Grateful Dead: The Spectrum, Philadelphia 11-5-79 (set 2) (SBD 2CDR)
* Grateful Dead: The Spectrum, Philadelphia 11-6-79 (SBD 2CDR)
* Big Star: Keep An Eye On the Sky (d.2) (Ardent/Rhino 4CD)
* Palace Songs: Hope (Drag City 12”EP)
* Yo La Tengo: Popular Songs (Matador CD)
* The Flaming Lips: Embryonic (Warner Bros. DVD-A)
* Sigur Rós: Ágætis Byrjun (PIAS CD)

Commentary:

Snow, ice and bitterly cold temperatures has made for a harsh first full week of the New Year, making me want to go into hibernation until spring. I mean, geez, I moved south to escape this kind of weather! Oh well, at least I can sometimes sit by the fire and listen to records -- and read a good book:

With all the excitement of the The Beatles boxes, I checked out a book from the library I have been meaning to read for a long time. Having almost finished it, I have to agree that Ian MacDonald’s Revolution in the Head: The Beatles’ Records and the Sixties (Henry Holt & Co., 1994) deserves its reputation as one of the best books about the Beatles ever written. Combining socio-political commentary with precise musicological observation, MacDonald attempts to explain The Beatles’ historical significance through a song-by-song analysis of the recordings. It is refreshing that he is not overawed by his subject and sometimes offers withering criticism of what he considers sloppy and careless efforts, while providing genuine insight into what makes their greatest songs work and why they had the impact they had on the culture at large. I may not agree with all of his opinions (I think he gets “Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds” totally wrong and his utter disdain for what he terms “rock” causes him to miss the importance of proto-punk songs like “Helter Skelter”), but he makes eloquent arguments backed up by firm grasp of music theory and relevant studio technology. Perhaps not the last word on Beatles scholarship, MacDonald’s book is a step above the usual journalistic or otherwise purely sociological writings that inevitably fail to address the music itself which result in an unconvincing special pleading for the Beatles’ inviolable canonical status. As such, Revolution in the Head is an excellent companion to the newly remastered catalog and one of the better books about music I have ever read.

4 comments:

Sam said...

Totally with you on Revolution in the Head--I read it years ago and I should pick it up again. You can find a detailed analysis of it here:
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/tools/print/115775 Pop Matters did a nice job with their whole Beatles overview feature "Re-Meet the Beatles," definitely worth checking out.

Along the same lines, but focusing primarily on the mechanics of the music itself, without any sociopolitical commentary, are the two excellent books by Walter Everett, The Beatles As Musicians: The Quarry Men Through Rubber Soul and The Beatles As Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology. Highly recommended!

And while I'm at it, perhaps the best overview of the Beatles and their importance is Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America, by Jonathan Gould. I can't say enough good things about this one.

Sam said...

Here's my playlist for the past week. For the hell of it, I also decided to record what played on my iPod. I'll stick that in a separate comment in the interest of space.

Playlist 2010-01-11

*Luigi Nono: Retrospective, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London 2005-04 (BBC), disc 1 (CDR)
*Ravel: The Piano Concertos (Pascal Roge/Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal)
*Schoenberg: Das Klavierwerk (Peter Serkin)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: The Alternate Express
*Albert Ayler: Holy Ghost, disc 1
*Anthony Braxton Quartet: 1975-??-?? Bremen (CDR)
*Anthony Braxton Diamond Curtain Wall Quartet: 2008-06-17 Besancon (CDR)
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (Moscow) 2008
*Rodger Coleman & Sam Byrd: 2008-03-24
*Miles Davis: Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings Of Miles Davis 1963-1964, disc 3
*Billie Holiday: The Complete Original American Decca Recordings, disc 2
*Charles Mingus: New York Sketchbook [East Coasting]
*Roscoe Mitchell: Nine to Get Ready
*Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble: The Eleventh Hour
*Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble: Memory/Vision
*Paul Smoker Trio: QB
*Sun Ra: 1970-11-09 Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, disc 2 (aud CDR)
*Sun Ra: Cosmos
*Sun Ra: Detroit Jazz Center, disc 6 (1980-12-27) (CDR)
*Cecil Taylor: 1971-07-24 Town Hall, NYC (solo) (CDR)
*Cecil Taylor Unit: 1976-04-15 Ann Arbor (CDR)
*Cecil Taylor Unit: 1983-09-04 Saalfelden, Austria (CDR)
*Cecil Taylor: 1989-10-22 Skopje, Macedonia (solo) (CDR)
*That's What I Call Sweet Music: American Dance orchestras of the 1920s (from R. Crumb's 78rpm record collection)
*Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion
*Beatles: The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl Deluxe (Purple Chick) disc 2 (The Mixes)
*Beatles: The Beatles (2009 stereo remaster) side 2
*Fela: The '69 Los Angeles Sessions
*Golden Palominos: This Is How it Feels
*Grateful Dead: 1977-05-28 Civic Center, Hartford, CT (CDR)
*Grateful Dead: 1977-06-07 Winterland (CDR)
*George Harrison: All Things Must Pass (remastered ed.), disc 2
*Praxis: Transmutation Live
*Sonic Youth: A Thousand Leaves
*Stooges: Fun House
*Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton: Porter and Dolly (The Essential ...)

Reading log 2010-01-11

*A New Literary History of America (ed. Greil Marcus & Werner Sollors) (started)
*Deadhead's Taping Compendium, vol. 1 (in progress)
*Larson, Gary. The Complete Far Side (in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet (Arden ed., 2nd series, ed. Brian Gibbons) (in progress)
*Musil, Robert. Man Without Qualities (in progress)
*Theroux, Alexander. Darconville's Cat (finished)

Sam said...

I thought I'd list out what played on my iPod for a good part of the week. This is what showed up on shuffle, out of about 16,000 songs. I don't think I'll do this again--too much typing--but it's interesting. "Shuffle" seems to ride on particular artists or albums. So, this was my soundtrack for most of last week's driving back and forth to work and doing the dishes:

iPod shuffle week of 2010-01-03/07 part 1 (I had to break this up into two comments because of length quota, sorry!):

You got to get out of here --Memphis Minnie
Halloween in Harlem --Sun Ra
Calling planet Earth --Sun Ra
Love in swingtime --Duke Ellington
Jubilesta --Cootie Williams (Duke E. small group)
Senior service --Elvis Costello
Lowe groovin' --Joe Morris
Crown of creation --Jefferson Airplane
The piccolino --Fred Astaire
Never my love --Booker T. & the MGs
Higher --Sly & the Family Stone
Do you like worms? --Beach Boys
More than you know --Billie Holiday
Everybilly --Tad Thaddock
Milkcow blues boogie --Elvis Presley
Blues by five --Miles Davis
Morse code of love --The Capris
Complaints Dept. --Stock, Hausen, & Walkman
Star dust --Duke Ellington (live Fargo)
What you're doing --Beatles (mono)
I got the feelin' --James Brown
Wham --Duke Ellington
Stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again --Bob Dylan
A sailboat in the moonlight --Johnny Hodges (Duke E. small group)
Bluebird --Charlie Parker
In a jam --Duke Ellington
Only the strong survive --Jerry Butler
This boy --Beatles (live)
A place nobody can find --Sam & Dave
The lucky old sun --Willie Nelson
Wheel of fortune --The Cardinals
Like a rolling stone --Bob Dylan
Savoy blues --Louis Armstrong
Ina silent way/It's about that time --Miles Davis
By your side --Tower of Power
Somewhere out --Sun Ra
I could have danced all night --Sun Ra
Wayo --Fela
Please be my baby --The Shirelles
Licking stick, licking stick --James Brown (live)
bit from Cryptic Jr. (anthology of early home recordings of me and my brother)
Still raining, still dreaming --Jimi Hendrix
You couldn't be cuter --Al Bowlly
Twist and shout --Isley Brothers
Midriff --Duke Ellington
Beg me --Chuck Jackson
Let me tell the world --The Impressions
Klaunstance --Charlie Parker
Judy --Al Green
Space cadet 2 --Kid Koala
Taxman --Beatles (mono)
Heroes and villains (45 version)--Beach Boys
I'm only sleeping (rehearsal) --Beatles
Stay out of the kitchen --Mable John

Sam said...

iPod shuffle week of 2010-01-03/07, part 2:

When it rains it really pours --Elvis Presley
Pygmy brats pt. 1 & 2 --Tad Thaddock
How long --Frank Stokes
What's to say --Art Ensemble of Chicago
Body movin' (Fatboy Slim remix) --Beastie Boys
?? --Anthony Braxton Quartet (Knitting Factory '93)
You're no good --Betty Everett
Golden teardrops --the Flamingos
Studio dialog --James Brown
Every little thing --Beatles (mono)
Lonesome day blues --Bob Dylan
You're gonna make me cry --O.V. Wright
Danger zone --Wilson Pickett
I got a woman --Beatles (BBC)
You can't do that --Beatles (live)
These arms of mine --Otis Redding (live)
bit from Cryptic Snippets (anthology of early home recordings of me and my brother)
Parker's mood --Charlie Parker
Cottontop --Stan Hasselgard
I saw her standing there --Beatles (BBC)
I am the alter-destiny --Sun Ra
You go to my head --Anthony Braxton
Flying --the Residents
Adventures in space --Sun Ra
Believe in me --Jerry Butler
Let him go --Bob Marley & the Wailers
Stupidity --the Van Dykes
Where's my sweetie hiding --Arcadia Peacock Orchestra
It's too late --Charlie Rich
Chi chi cha --Beatles (Let it be sessions)
Tender years --George Jones
Home in your heart --Solomon Burke
Along came Ra --Sun Ra
East St. Louis Toodle-oo --Steely Dan
Good morning good morning (sound effects) --Beatles
Never get enough --Bobby Byrd
No strings --Fred Astaire
I would die 4 U --Prince
Lemon song --Led Zeppelin
Honest with me --Bob Dylan
Gnik nus --Beatles (Love)
Georgia on my mind --Delta Rhythm Boys
Future --Sun Ra (acetate)
If you really love me --Stevie Wonder
bit from Cryptic Jr.
Double cross --Spring Heel Jack
The last thing on my mind --Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton
bit from Cryptic Snippets
Wild man blues --Louis Armstrong
Anything you wanna know --Joe Tex
Ain't it a shame --Joe Tex
Improvisation for the march of time --Wild Bill Davison
Voodoo child (slight return) --Band of Gypsies (live)
Pathways to unknown worlds --Sun Ra
Thoughts under a dark blue light --Sun Ra
Black comedy (alt take) --Miles Davis
New Orleans joys --Jelly Roll Morton
Terms of psychic warfare --Husker Du
Sweetie dear --Sidney Bechet/Tommy Ladnier
Sweet mama --Duke Ellington
Mad love --Muddy Waters
Tonky boogie --Forrest Sykes
Rainbow people --Fraternal Order of the All
Comp. 25 --Anthony Braxton
Maybe the last time --James Brown (live)
Underneath the Harlem moon --Fletcher Henderson
Penina --Beatles (Let it be sessions)
Nobody knows you --Otis Redding
Bold soul sister --Ike & Tina Turner
bit from Cryptic Snippets
It's the beat --Major Lance
Mobile blues --Wade's Moulin Rouge Orchestra
Untitled in CoF minor/A valentine to Sherwood Anderson --Mikhail/Gertrude Stein (DJ Spooky remix)
Born to be together --the Ronettes
No head no backstage pass --Funkadelic
Vertical responsibility paradigm > Closed doors E (Get serious) --UYA (live Johnny D's)