Looking for new music

[PRC]

I recently got my two-channel system dialed in. A fellow Polkie told me when I got my system right, it would change the way I listen to music. It did. I find myself looking for the “perfect sound “. So far, “The Wall” is hard to beat. I was all fired up about my 80’s stuff, but in general it doesn’t seem to sound “great”. I’m learning poor recordings sound poor (something I did not know).

So, I’m looking for some new sounds that compliment my Jolida and Rti10’s. I would like to expand my music base from rock to some more contemporary jazz and blues. Maybe even some cool piano or instrument stuff (classical??). Man, I never though I’d hear myself say classical. Someone said Nickel Creek was cool.

All input is welcome. I dig music.

I also found a good used CD web site www.secondspin.com.

Thanks
Patrick

[Micah Cohen]

Here's a guy looking for serious recommendations, and no one is helping out. Then, what'll happen is that I'll help out and everyone will get pissed off at me...

PRC, how old are you? (That will help me make recommendations, I think.)

MC

[John K.]

Patrick, you're making some musical progress now that you're at least able to say "classical"(although with "??"). You'll find that there's a whole world of great music waiting for you out there if you'll give a listen. I'll suggest some relatively inexpensive items that are colorful and should be enjoyable to newcomers to the genre: my first recommendation is the excellent Planets conducted by Mehta; second, the Dvorak Slavonic Dances ; next this fine Gershwin collection; then Respighi's Roman Festival's, etc.; Tchaikovsky's great music for Swan Lake should be one of the first items in a collection.

[PRC]

Originally posted by John K.
Patrick, you're making some musical progress now that you're at least able to say "classical"(although with "??"). You'll find that there's a whole world of great music waiting for you out there if you'll give a listen. I'll suggest some relatively inexpensive items that are colorful and should be enjoyable to newcomers to the genre: my first recommendation is the excellent Planets conducted by Mehta; second, the Dvorak Slavonic Dances ; next this fine Gershwin collection; then Respighi's Roman Festival's, etc.; Tchaikovsky's great music for Swan Lake should be one of the first items in a collection.

Thanks a lot. This information is great and what Im looking for. I appreciate the input. I typically trust opinions on the site.

Patrick

[Micah Cohen]

Ah, excellent. Thank you, John.

PRC, if you're in the classical music section and you're overwhelmed and confused, you could look for various labels that pretty much always have good stuff on them. Telarc, Deutche Grammophon, Philips and Sony Classical (often highly discounted) are good labels for quality classical.

One of my favorites is the budget label NAXOS, which seems to hit constant home runs with top-notch production values and superb performances, while staying well below $10 a pop.

MC

[PRC]

Originally posted by Micah Cohen
Here's a guy looking for serious recommendations, and no one is helping out. Then, what'll happen is that I'll help out and everyone will get pissed off at me...

PRC, how old are you? (That will help me make recommendations, I think.)

MC

Thanks. I am 34. I typically listen to a mix of rock and other stuff. Not to much rap. Examples would be: Pink Floyd, Joan Osborne, Peter Gabrial, Van Halen (Hagar), Nora Jones, Tragically Hip. I just bought some older stuff: Derick and the Dominos, Blind Faith, Dusty Springfeild.

I pretty open.

Hope this helps. Thanks for your time

Patrick

[ND13]

Get some Steely Dan, their recordings, for the most part, are superb. They will definitely show off the strongpoints of your system, and the weak as well.

Get some Andre Segovia, he's a classical guitarist. Simply beautiful music.

Try out some Mahavishnu Orchestra, they're fusion jazz.

Try out some Bob Marley if you don't already own some.

There are so many more, I'll edit more in later.

[aaharvel]

http://www.nickelcreek.com/

http://www.garbage.com/home.php

http://www.davekoz.com/

http://www.sonymusic.com/sacd/associated/

anything trance/techno- if you have i-tunes click on "Radio", "Electronica", "Di FM Vocal Trance: A fusion of trance, dance, and chilling vocals."

[DAGLJAM6]

Well....

I'm into the instrumental jazz stuff myself and can recommend:

Larry Carlton- "Sapphire Blue" excellent SQ plus a bluesy touch.
Return to Forever- "Romantic Warrior" get the newer remaster
great for stretching the systems legs.
Steve Howe- "Spectrum" new on the shelf now (kinda jazzy
depending on your definition.
Kenny Burrell- "Midnight Blue" still excellent after all this time
Joe Sample- "Carmel" piano driven jazz and one of the best.

as far as classical:
Find "the Alpine symphony" -Strauss just find a top flight
conductor
Holst- "The Planets" Karajan conducting (1962?) recently released
on cd very good too.

[PRC]

This is great. Thanks for the opinions and web sites. I really excited to hear some new music on my system.

Patrick

[marker]

Originally posted by PRC
..., Van Halen (Hagar), ...

Uh oh Micah, how did you miss that?

PRC, have you got Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon and Animals?

BTW, what tubes are you running in your Jolida hybrid?

[Danny Tse]

If you like Norah Jones, I highly recommend the album she worked on right before she hit it big...."New York City" by The Peter Malick Group featuring Norah Jones. It's almost like nothing on her solo albums....more blues rock oriented. F1nut and I were talking about it (the SACD version) on this thread (scroll towards the middle of the page). Highly recommended!

[dragon1952]

I'll second the Steely Dan (and Donald Fagen). Also the Larry Carlton 'Sapphire Blue'. A new one I just got that's excellent is Larry Carlton and Lee Ritenour 'Larry and Lee'.

[Danny Tse]

Anyone has the Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather "Live" CD? I believe it was a Grammy winner a couple of years back.

[PRC]

Originally posted by marker
Uh oh Micah, how did you miss that?

PRC, have you got Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon and Animals?

BTW, what tubes are you running in your Jolida hybrid?

Yes, I have Dark Side of the Moon, but not Animals. I will check out Animals. I also just bought Delicate Sounds of Thunder". Its live and sounds pretty good, but not as good as the Wall.

I switched the tubes to Sovtek 12AX7LPS. They are a little less bright and smoother than the stock tubes. I thougt the stock tubes sounded really good but I switched them because of the RTi's, which seem to be naturally bright.

[marker]

DSoT is a very good live album. They also had another called Eclipse I believe it was that is just as good too.

I might have to give those Sovtek a try sometime in mine.

[Micah Cohen]

Micah, how did you miss that?

I didn't. It's just not worth arguing in this thread, it's beside the point. I mean, the Van Hagar stuff is well produced and probably sounds great on a good system. Is it great rock and roll, or, I mean, is it great or real Van Halen? No. But, it's gonna sound good.

And one day PRC will discover the newly remastered (by Warner) early Van Halen albums, which sound spectacular ("...I'm in your HEAD!"), and he'll realize that while Sammy Hagar has his own style, he's not really Van Halen.

An arguement for another thread, you know?

MC

[marker]

Plus the remasters are also HDCD if he has one of those players.

They sound killer!

[sda2mike]

try these:

jeff beck---blow by blow AND wired, great jazz fusion from a guitar legend.

rachmoninov---classical stuff, very accesible music

zappa---overnite sensation, great jazzy rock, with some sick hilarity!

pink floyd---animals, just 1 more recommendation 4 u & division bell, killer production

ac/dc----back in black, for air guitar purists...rhytm guitar sounds right in your face

willie nelson---red haired stranger

bb king---live at the regal, great recording from 1964

miles davis---forget the name (some kind of blue?), one of the best jazz recordings, period...you can almost smell the tubes in the studio....from 1959

yes there's more...much more

ALSO!! try michael hedges.....aerial boudaries, a sit back & relax album...hardly any overdubs, but sounds like 3 guitars! early digital recording except bass & drums;)

[BrentMcGhee]

I would really check out mapleshades web site. Mapleshade is a very small recording studio in maryland with the highest of standards for recording that i have ever heard. They are a 100% analog studio with all there equipment being highly modified tube equipment. No wire in the entire studio is longer than 25ft, and they emply minimal mic'ing on all fo the recordings. You should check out there website, it gives alot greater detail on all of the recording practices as well as some history of the studio.

All of the cd's they sell come with samples you can download so you can see if you like the music first (i have found to really enjoy most of it) They mainly record like bluegrass, folk and jazz type stuff. They have some really cool instrumental peices as well. Plus on there compilation cd's they have alot of well known songs redone with other artists but completley from scratch using there studio.

I would check them out i highly recomend them. You will not find a better sounding cd recording anywhere. When i am listning to there stuff i have to keep reminding myself that it is a standard redbook cd and not a sacd or vinyl.

[Pablo]

Try some Al Dimeola. Land of the Midnight Sun & Friday Night in San Fransico (live) are my favorites. He's a jazz guy with some rock infulence. But man he is as fast as hell.

Once you hear the acoustic tune 'Medeteranian Sundance' on the live album (it's with John McGlocklin [spl] & Paco de Lucia), you will be out getting more.

Also, get Pink Floyd's Animals. Personnally I think it's their best. And the sound quality if fantastic (I remember when I got a new system 20 years ago, this album stood out over everything else I had).

[marker]

There you have it PRC! That is like the 3rd or 4th rec. for Animals. You've GOT to get it!

[ND13]

Originally posted by marker
There you have it PRC! That is like the 3rd or 4th rec. for Animals. You've GOT to get it!

HA HA Charade You are