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.