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Post by Kapitan on Feb 6, 2020 17:06:36 GMT
Like many of my generation, in the early '00s I was really enamored with Sufjan Stevens. His ambitiously arranged, melodic music was really a welcome sound after the era of nu-metal and other assorted muck. But by the mid-to-late '00s, he wasn't putting out much. With the exception of his pretty, folky Carrie & Lowell in 2015, much of what he has released has been "experimental" (Read: not especially pleasant to listen to.) and he had been quoted as having lost interest in the song-and-album format.
Great.
I like songs.
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Post by B.E. on Feb 6, 2020 18:01:25 GMT
James Taylor is going the standards route. While I'm a fan of his, I'm not particularly interested in this release. That said, this is a very well-done advert for the album. Check out the snippets and hear James talk about it. Also, I'm going to include the full track listing in this post, because there are two Beach Boys connections.
James Taylor - American Standard
1. My Blue Heaven (Walter Donaldson-George A. Whiting) 2. Moon River (Henry Mancini-Johnny Mercer) 3. Teach Me Tonight (Gene De Paul-Sammy Cahn) 4. As Easy As Rolling Off A Log (M.K. Jerome-Jack Scholl) 5. Almost Like Being In Love (Frederick Loewe-Alan Jay Lerner) 6. Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ The Boat (Frank Loesser) 7. The Nearness Of You (Hoagy Carmichael-Ned Washington) 8. You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught (Richard Rodgers-Oscar Hammerstein II) 9. God Bless The Child (Billie Holiday-Arthur Herzog Jr.) 10. Pennies From Heaven (Arthur Johnston-Johnny Burke) 11. My Heart Stood Still (Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart) 12. Ol’ Man River (Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II) 13. It’s Only A Paper Moon (Harold Arlen-Yip Hardburg-Billy Rose) 14. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top (Richard Rodgers-Oscar Hammerstein II)
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 6, 2020 21:46:45 GMT
Like many of my generation, in the early '00s I was really enamored with Sufjan Stevens. His ambitiously arranged, melodic music was really a welcome sound after the era of nu-metal and other assorted muck. But by the mid-to-late '00s, he wasn't putting out much. With the exception of his pretty, folky Carrie & Lowell in 2015, much of what he has released has been "experimental" (Read: not especially pleasant to listen to.) and he had been quoted as having lost interest in the song-and-album format.
Great.
I like songs.
OK, I think our digital overlords are mocking me now. Since posting this, I've listened to maybe 2-3 hours' worth of music on shuffle. In that time, I've had FOUR Sufjan songs from his not especially listenable Age of Adz pop up. That's four songs off one album among 9,163 songs in my iTunes catalog.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 21, 2020 19:18:49 GMT
A new album is forthcoming this spring from 86-year-old Willie Nelson. New Rose of Spring will be released April 24. The title track is linked within the story I've linked to below.
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Post by kds on Feb 21, 2020 20:02:48 GMT
Ozzy Osbourne's Ordinary Man was released today.
I have to say that streaming services have made street dates far less exciting.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 21, 2020 20:09:02 GMT
I have to say that streaming services have made street dates far less exciting. I don't know. Having more or less stopped buying physical releases except for special packages like box sets, I kind of like the ability to buy my new albums first thing Friday mornings. I usually scan the new releases, sample the ones that seem potentially interesting, and by 9 a.m. or so I might have a few new albums to listen to while I work.
Not that I don't miss trips to the record stores, to some degree. A time consuming hassle, but enjoyable in their way.
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Post by kds on Feb 21, 2020 20:17:33 GMT
I have to say that streaming services have made street dates far less exciting. I don't know. Having more or less stopped buying physical releases except for special packages like box sets, I kind of like the ability to buy my new albums first thing Friday mornings. I usually scan the new releases, sample the ones that seem potentially interesting, and by 9 a.m. or so I might have a few new albums to listen to while I work.
Not that I don't miss trips to the record stores, to some degree. A time consuming hassle, but enjoyable in their way.
I'm still a big proponent of physical product. To me, even getting an Amazon package is more exciting than getting a notification from Spotify that I can listen to the new Ozzy.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 21, 2020 20:20:29 GMT
I do enjoy that special excitement of a physical product. But I really have to be honest, I don't even grab the CDs that I have in the living room very often, which number maybe 350 of my favorite albums, much less the thousands of them in the basement. And the space they all take up, the hassle they are if I rearrange or (god forbid) move, is a serious negative.
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Post by kds on Feb 21, 2020 20:28:32 GMT
I do enjoy that special excitement of a physical product. But I really have to be honest, I don't even grab the CDs that I have in the living room very often, which number maybe 350 of my favorite albums, much less the thousands of them in the basement. And the space they all take up, the hassle they are if I rearrange or (god forbid) move, is a serious negative. Unfortunately, since I've moved in 2017, it's not easy for me to access my CDs either. It's a real pain in the neck. But, even so, when I add music to my collection, it's via CD, and I'd prefer my first listen to be on that CD. Then, it goes into the stack of CD's that I've acquired over the last two years that are in no order.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Feb 21, 2020 20:32:14 GMT
I do enjoy that special excitement of a physical product. But I really have to be honest, I don't even grab the CDs that I have in the living room very often, which number maybe 350 of my favorite albums, much less the thousands of them in the basement. And the space they all take up, the hassle they are if I rearrange or (god forbid) move, is a serious negative. I am having a similar predicament with my albums (vinyl). I thought I would play select ones through the years but I never do. They are stored away in boxes, not really taking up valuable space, but I'm starting to wonder why I even keep them anymore. Some day, maybe even soon, I'm going to address what to do with them. Even the sentimental value that comes with some of them has faded. Now, CDs, I don't anticipate getting rid of them for awhile, if ever. Well, maybe some of them.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Feb 21, 2020 21:06:10 GMT
I do enjoy that special excitement of a physical product. But I really have to be honest, I don't even grab the CDs that I have in the living room very often, which number maybe 350 of my favorite albums, much less the thousands of them in the basement. And the space they all take up, the hassle they are if I rearrange or (god forbid) move, is a serious negative. I am having a similar predicament with my albums (vinyl). I thought I would play select ones through the years but I never do. They are stored away in boxes, not really taking up valuable space, but I'm starting to wonder why I even keep them anymore. Some day, maybe even soon, I'm going to address what to do with them. Even the sentimental value that comes with some of them has faded. Now, CDs, I don't anticipate getting rid of them for awhile, if ever. Well, maybe some of them. Getting rid of vinyl is a concept that I can’t get my head around, since I’m in an acquiring phase. Anyone who says they want to get rid of them, I want to chain myself to their shelves and tell them they mustn’t! Obviously there are some very good rational reasons for it - especially if they’re taking up valuable space or if they aren’t being played. I guess as a relatively new collector the idea that anyone would want to get rid of their vinyl fills me with a pre-emptive sense of loss on their behalf - even if they aren’t particularly bothered by it. When my Mom got rid of her records in the early 90s, she think they’d ever be worth anything to anyone. Her turntable was busted, and she wasn’t replacing it. Original pressings by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elton John… sigh, all gone for a $20 to the pawn shop. She says she regrets it now. On the other hand, it’s nice to think that those albums did make their way to someone who coveted them. A nice chunk of my collection was gifted to me in one fell swoop by my uncle who has been feeling the same way you are. He still has a bunch that he keeps threatening to cart off to the local thrift store unless I come and get them. I haven’t exactly chained myself to his shelves but I feel like I want to! I want him to keep them - or at least get more than a $20 for them. But he’s not interested in listing them on ebay or discogs any other such marketplace. I have never quite got around to discogging my whole collection, but I did a small selection of them (my Bowies and my Beach Boys) and getting a sense for even just the low end of their estimated market value has increased their value to me beyond the sentimental.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 21, 2020 21:10:39 GMT
I don't have much vinyl so that isn't an issue on my end. The handful of records I have are definitely more for showing than anything (especially as I have no record player!). For me it's the CDs that are the product, and they're not so likely to be of any monetary value anyway (in the way vinyl has become). Nor do I bemoan my hundreds of cassettes I sold, gave, or threw away back in the '90s!
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Feb 21, 2020 21:50:32 GMT
I have a large album collection, and many of them are in clear, plastic sleeves to protect the album covers, and then stored in boxes, alphabetized of course. Like I said above, I still have a functioning turntable and thought I'd play some select albums through the years. Unfortunately - or fortunately - I was able to acquire (just about?) every song that was on those albums that I wanted via CD purchases. And that basically sealed the fate of the albums. Call it laziness, but why would I want to dig an album out and put it on the turntable and...well, you know the routine. CDs are so much more convenient and durable, and mp3's even more so. The sentimental value of my album collection decreases each year, and bellbottoms, I think I have a few years on you so we're in different stages of listening and collecting. Oh, there was a time when I could never even imagine selling my records, but I think I'm there. They're just collecting dust, and I'm not getting any younger.
I specifically have a large Beach Boys' singles and album collection. THAT would be harder to part with. Some of those old picture sleeves dating back to "Surfin' Safari"/"409" are so cool and I spent a lot of pre-internet days tracking them down. My prized possession would be the original "Barbie"/"What Is A Young Girl Made Of" single by Kenny & The Cadets on Randy Records. Anyway, HOW to sell them is the dilemma. I've been looking for a knowledgeable record fan for years who would be willing to take on the task (for a fee) of selling them on ebay. We'll see.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 25, 2020 18:11:12 GMT
Magnetic Fields, (rightly) best known for the massive 1999 album 69 Love Songs, announced a new album. Ever dedicated to gimmicks, this time around Stephin Merritt has an album of exclusively short songs. Quickies is out in May.
I have to say, some of the song titles are glorious.
01 Castles of America 02 The Biggest Tits in History 03 The Day the Politicians Died 04 Castle Down a Dirt Road 05 Bathroom Quickie 06 My Stupid Boyfriend 07 Love Gone Wrong 08 Favorite Bar 09 Kill a Man a Week 10 Kraftwerk in a Blackout 11 When She Plays the Toy Piano 12 Death Pact (Let’s Make A) 13 I’ve Got a Date with Jesus 14 Come, Life, Shaker Life! 15 (I Want to Join A) Biker Gang 16 Rock ‘n’ Roll Guy 17 You’ve Got a Friend in Beelzebub 18 Let’s Get Drunk Again (And Get Divorced) 19 The Best Cup of Coffee in Tennessee 20 When the Brat Upstairs Got a Drum Kit 21 The Price You Pay 22 The Boy in the Corner 23 Song of the Ant 24 I Wish I Had Fangs and a Tail 25 Evil Rhythm 26 She Says Hello 27 The Little Robot Girl 28 I Wish I Were a Prostitute Again
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Post by kds on Feb 27, 2020 14:10:12 GMT
Deep Purples's next album has a release date - June 12. ultimateclassicrock.com/deep-purple-whoosh/They'll never quite be the same band without Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord, but the last two or three albums have been solid. The last two, and this one, have Bob Ezrin twiddling the nobs.
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