What Are You Listening To?

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On 4/6/2020 at 2:42 PM, Allhallowsday said:

Jesus Christ Superstar 

,u my mom had the album when I was a kid

[Allhallowsday]

GODSPELL Original Cast 

 

[Allhallowsday]

1 hour ago, spence said:

,u my mom had the album when I was a kid

My cousin had it from a record club... months later our Catholic grammar school put on a selection of Broadway from each grade and JCS was a show represented with at least 1 number.... about 50 years ago.  It was controversial then. 

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15 minutes ago, Allhallowsday said:

My cousin had it from a record club... months later our Catholic grammar school put on a selection of Broadway from each grade and JCS was a show represented with at least 1 number.... about 50 years ago.  It was controversial then. 

Not a huge musical fan but the film version is pretty good too huh

[Allhallowsday]

^ I'm not a big musical fan either; I don't care for the movie. 

 

I'm listening to this: TIM BUCKLEY Lorca

 

[Allhallowsday]

I couldn't take that Lorca... so now THOMAS DOLBY The Golden Age of Wireless

[Sukhov]

RIP John Prine

 

[Sukhov]

 

[Allhallowsday]

Instrumental Gold 

[Sukhov]

 

[Allhallowsday]

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO 

CAROLE KING Tapestry 

[Allhallowsday]

CAROLE KING Music

 

 

CAROLE KING Really Rosie

[Allhallowsday]

MARVIN GAYE What's Going On 

[Det Jim McLeod]

1) Wednesday Morning 3AM by Simon And Garfunkel -Oct 1964

I thought I would listen to Simon & Garfunkel's albums in order from the beginning. I will do the next tomorrow.

This is a good 1960s folk album. It has the original version of "The Sounds Of Silence" without the electric accompaniment on the hit single version. It is the best song on the album, I think the spare instrumentation give it a more eerie feel to the lyrics about street lamps, cobblestones and cold and dampness. 'He Was My Brother" is another Simon original (but under a pseudonym Paul Kane) which is is a touching story of a Freedom Rider who was killed in the South. They do a joyous rendition of the African American spiritual "Go Tell It On The Mountain" in folk style. They cover Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin" but can't match the original's stark anger. The title song is an interesting tale of a young man getting ready to leave his sleeping girl friend since the police will be after him for a robbery. This was reworked into a different version called "Somewhere They Can't Find Me" on their next album.   

[jamesjazzguitar]

 

[Det Jim McLeod]

2) Sounds Of Silence-Jan 1966

 

 

Their sophomore album and a good one. It begins with electric hit version of the classic "Sounds Of Silence".  "Blessed" is one of the weaker tracks, with lyrics from the Sermon On The Mount and some out of tune backing. "Somewhere They Can't Find Me" is a rewrite of "Wednesday Morning 3AM" song from the last album. This one is better, more dramatic and forceful. Side 2 is very good starting with two songs about suicide. The first is "Richard Cory", about a rich man who seems to have everything he could want but blows his brains out at the end, it is based on the classic EA Robinson poem. The second is "A Most Peculiar Man"  a poignant tale of a lonely old man in a tenement who put his head in a gas oven. Garfunkel gets a solo spot for his beautiful tenor voice with the haunting "April Come She Will". "We Got  A Groovey Thing Goin' is a catchy pop song. The best is the final "I Am A Rock" a hit single about isolation. 

[Det Jim McLeod]

3) Parsley, Sage. Rosemary And Thyme -Oct 1966

Simon & Garfunkel's third I and think their greatest album, one of my top ten favorites of all time. It begins with the reworking of an old English ballad, "Scarborough Fair/Canticle". There is a harpsichord and the duo have interweaving vocals, plus a hauntingly beautiful melody. "Patterns" is an eerie sounding track with bongos and lyrics about where life is leading. "Homeward Bound" is a great hit single about a musician's life on the road. "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin Groovy)" is a happy little trip in 1960s joy. "The Dangling Conversation" tells of the lack of communication between people. A hilarious satirical song "A Simple Desultory Philippic" takes some jabs at Rolling Stones and Beatles and Simon doing a dead on Bob Dylan imitation.  Garfunkel's solo spot "For Emily Whenever I May Find Her" is a poetic love song with his usual angelic vocals. "A Poem On The Underground Wall" is dark tale of a disturbed man compelled to write four letter graffiti. The final track is the  thoughtful and effective "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night", which has S&G singing the hymn on one channel and a newsman reading headlines of the day on the other. They include Lenny Bruce's death, mass murder Richard Speck in front of a grand jury and former VP Richard Nixon talking about anti Vietnam protesters. 
 

[Allhallowsday]

FLAMIN' GROOVIES Shake Some Action 

[Allhallowsday]

FRANK SINATRA Only The Lonely

[Det Jim McLeod]

4) Bookends-Apr 1968

Another great one from Simon & Garfunkel. It begins with a nice instrumental version of "Bookends Theme". It suddenly explodes (with a synthesizer) into the next track "Save The Life Of My Child", about trying to save a teenage boy from suicide. "America" is an interesting tale of a couple wandering aimlessly across the country.  The mood turns even more somber with the next tracks about old age, very unusual for young 1960s pop stars to be getting into. 'Voices Of Old People" is just that, quick interviews of old people in nursing homes. The melancholy "Old Friends" is about the sad lonely lives of old people on park benches. The last track on Side 1 is a reprise of "Bookends Theme" with lyrics about preserving your memories.  Side 2 has more upbeat tunes. "Fakin' It" is about getting through life but not really making it, just faking it. My favorite song is the big hit "Mrs Robinson", which was used in the film "The Graduate". The character in the song is much different from the one in the movie. Here she is a typical suburban mom who seems to talking to someone about files and strolling around the grounds somewhere. "A Hazy Shade Of Winter" and "At The Zoo" are catchy songs that also became hit singles.

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2 hours ago, Allhallowsday said:

FRANK SINATRA Only The Lonely

YES!   My ma got this as a gift for me just after he died on May 14th, l998  His son always dubbed this a suicide album, though thought it brilliant, just incredibally depressing FRANK'S post Ava years

Personally I rank it his greatest album

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On 4/11/2020 at 1:12 PM, jamesjazzguitar said:

 

A BIG 4 STARS!   My A #1 of all his 6 decades of music though is IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR (l965)

and bing.com recently voted IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS OF THE MORNING his greatest number

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5 minutes ago, spence said:

YES!   My ma got this as a gift for me just after he died on May 14th, l998  His son always dubbed this a suicide album, though thought it brilliant, just incredibally depressing FRANK'S post Ava years

Personally I rank it his greatest album

ANY LINK TO THIS THOUGH?

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Obviously SCORSESE'S all-time song is THE ROLLING STONES  GIMME' SHELTER, even said so & used it tremendously in 3 of his movies GOODFELLAS, CASINO & THE DEPARTED

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FRANK never came right out & said what his own fav. number was, just guessing I would have to say NEW YORK, NEW YORK

His favs & even his own idol was BOGART & in music it was TONY BENNETT & NAT "KING" COLE