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Boring bits:-

Music is very overdone on the Internet and there is not much remaining here for me to say which hasn't been said on sites across the world. However that has never stopped me before and will certainly not stop me now. Although the graphical link to this page and it's background both reflect what is called, by some, "serious" music I am hopeful that this site can appeal to everyone. I am not an expert on anything and am only aware of two types of music, that which I like and other stuff. I thought that it might be fun to put up a few reviews of music I like and you can see how your views compare with mine. Mine are broad and probably fairly strange but are certainly becoming more boring and conservative as I get older. In the past I would manage to see, on average, about five live bands per week. Now, what with work and the like, I am lucky to see five in a year. You should bear this in mind and not be too hard on me, you can always e-mail me if you have any strong views about what I say but I am unlikely to listen to you. If you have come to this page as a fan of one type of music or another then can I suggest that you broaden your views a bit and try to take in a wide range of musical styles, it will do you the world of good.

I am just going to grab the occasional album from what I have lying about and put it up here, there will be no order or reason to the list so check it out now and again.

Good bits:-

This is a link to my second music page. More exciting stuff here.

Mac-talla: ...mairidh gaol is ceol.

Oh no, not a traditional world music album. You are correct, that's not what this is, at least not in the worst sense of that term. It's a great album by some of Scotland's best traditional musicians. Sure, it's recognisable in parts as traditional music but in this case that is no bad thing. As any student of trends will have noticed the past 5 or 10 years have seen the arrival of many albums of traditional music. Most of them have appeared under the guise of "World Music" for which we might read "stuff that no one would listen to in the country from which the artist comes." Many of the songs on this album are traditional in the sense that they have been passed down through time and generations, usually by listening rather than in written form. The arrangements, however, are fresh and fit for modern consumption with the mouth music tunes sounding especially appealing and giving the feeling that what the listener is getting is rap with good tunes and not a sample in sight. The quality of the tunes is the peg upon which this whole album hangs, with the quality of performance not very far behind. It is well worth taking the trouble to find a copy.

Little Milton: If Walls Could Talk.

Rock 'n' Roll. Despite being recorded in 1969 this album has the feel of real, low down, no good blues and Little Milton has the voice to carry it off. Little Milton was born in 1934 and first recorded for Sun, his first hit came in 1961 and this album was recorded in 1969. It sticks more closely to the Blues than many of the artists of the time who tended to head towards more of a soul sound, yes there is a soul vibe here and it's certainly no "my baby done gone and left me" Blues but it lurks somewhere in between and isn't any the worse off for that. If Walls Could Talk certainly isn't an album you must hear before you die, but it's close and well worth a serious listen.

The Rolling Stones: Stripped.

What a sound this album has. It's loud, I mean really loud. Play almost any other CD and then, without making any volume changes, slot Stripped in the player and you will see what I mean. It has a real vinyl sound with loads of mid punch and I suspect that this feel didn't come cheap. This is the Rolling Stones unplugged, or as near as makes no difference, and it's an album well worth adding to the collection. Even if you are not a big Stones fan, or if you just want a "best of" album, then this is an album to pick up. Many people will find their favourite songs on there and while, with a band spanning so many years and albums, there are bound to be a few you would like to see not appearing on the track listing but that shouldn't put you off. Great sound and a great album.

Dr. John: In a Sentimental Mood.

I though, in view of the live Dr. John review at the top of this page, that it might be worthwhile to review an album by the good doctor and this is the one which fell to hand. It has a more big band feel than his latest album which heads slightly towards his Voodoo roots. In a Sentimental Mood pays little attention to New Orelans and the culture surrounding that area but provides us with a real slick big band jazz feel. The band, and arrangements, are rock solid with the late Jeff Porcaro on drums and Marty Paich working out the string and horn arrangements even Rickie Lee Jones pops up to duet with Dr. John on "Makin' Whoopee!" This album might be too smooth for some but I think you will find it great late night music.

Patricia Kaas: je te dis vous.

The majority of tracks on this album are in French and I suspect that this is the only reason why Patricia Kaas has not been as big a hit in the UK as she is in France. The album does tend to follow a fairly soft rock/AOR/pop line and doesn't contain anything startling or new. It is, however, a good album and if the fact that it is in French worries you then buy it for the English cover versions of "Out of the Rain" and "It's a Man's World" both cut the mustard. Like the Dr. John album above this is one real slick album with no sharp edges for you to catch an ear on and this isn't always a good thing. Perhaps some tracks could do with just being slightly more rough around the edges and Patricia certainly sound as if she has the voice to carry that off. Take a big step and buy an album in a foreign language.

Donald Rubinstein: time again.

My friend Emily lent me this CD and encouraged me to review it on this web page, so that's what I am doing and the CD has been a pleasant surprise. I could mention names like Lou Reed, Andy White, Bob Dylan maybe and even Leonard Cohen to give you an idea of where this is coming from and certainly if you like their music then be sure to give this a listen. Now it isn't a big production with just vocal and piano or, more often, guitar. The guitar is played by Bill Frisell and as you might expect he makes a good job of it. Rubinstein could probably be described as a jazz poet and in view of the simple arrangements the words do play an important part, though they can perhaps be a little self indulgent. For those who like their music in neat little boxes then parts of this album could easily be described as "Blues" and, with the steady but far from predictable hand of Frisell on the guitar helm, this is very good Blues indeed. Quite where you might get a copy I don't know but, if it helps, it claims to be published by Desert Link Music. Worth looking around for.

Elizabeth Laich & Marcel Bergmann: Piano-Duo.

This is another CD lent to me by Emily, she didn't pass any comment but now I know why. It's awful. I'm not at all keen on the recording of the pianos. The sleeve notes make great mileage from discussions of jazz but the performance has no jazz feel to it at all, it's flat and dead if only it had the wit to stiffen. The programme: Gershwin, Burian, Milhaud, Copland and Bernstein should be wonderful but falls flat on it's face. No thanks.

John Lennon: Rock 'n' Roll.

Is this a great album or a heap of rubbish? Now there's a question. I once saw this album described as "human" and that is a description which has stuck with me. This isn't a quality recording, the band are not as tight as might be possible (or normal) and it doesn't really have that Rock 'n' Roll feel which makes people want to get up and dance. On the other hand it is indeed human and when you listen hard you can nearly hear Lennon tapping his foot along and enjoying the session. On reflection that's what it sounds like: a lot of folks having a good afternoon of music making. This isn't a record you need to hear before you die but once you do hear it you somehow feel better off for the experience. My advice it not to buy this album, borrow it on vinyl from an old friend, take it home, sing along and feel a bit sad when Lennon sings "Just Because."

Eleanor Shanley: Desert Heart.

Good voice and a good singer. Eleanor comes along as one of a batch of female Irish singers who have made it fairly big in recent years. It is traditional for Irish singers to sing about going away but this album has a very strange feel about it, it's written by someone who has already gone away to London. London is not so very far and so it avoids that sentimental " I'm going away from me mammy and will never see her again" stuff. I think that helps make this into a cohesive collection of songs, despite the fact that they don't all quite fit into that "away from home" feel. "Sunday Morning, Holloway Road" is a truly great song and a wonderful performance. Anyone from Ireland who has been in London will understand this song but it will also fire little neurons in nearly anyone who has left a club or disco to make their way home on a winter evening. For anyone who likes Irish female singers, or is looking for some smooth late night listening you could do a lot worse than give this record a spin. My copy was bought for me by a friend, Edel, and usually it is difficult to buy music for me. However this one hit the target.

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2: A. Rubinstein/Reiner/Chicago Symphony.

This is quite an old CD in the sense that I bought it quite some time ago and have no idea if this recording is still available. It is also a very old recording dating, as it does, to 1956. It is a stereo recording and in my view, considering it's vintage, it is a very good job indeed. I might even argue that the age of this recording improves it's character as it is a very romantic performance and the warm string sound helps this general effect. The balance is not at all bad for this vintage with all the woodwind solos ringing out clearly, perhaps a little too clearly in fact being somewhat closer and louder than might be expected. Apart from that and the almost total lack of percussion, timps and bass drum, in the balance it is hard to complain. I've heard it said of Rubinstein that he didn't always play the exact notes written by the composer but that the people preferred the ones he did play. Most of the notes he plays here seem to be pretty OK to me and it looks like Rach. wrote the vast majority of them so Rubinstein is doing well on all counts. This recording will certainly not appeal to those more inclined to Prokofiev or the Five Year Plans of Shostakovich but if you are looking for a romantic Rachmaninoff then it will be hard to beat.

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2: S. Kovacevich/Sawallisch/London Phil.

This is one big piano concerto and could, perhaps, be considered as THE piano concerto of the 19th Century. Like the Rachmaninoff reviewed above you could consider this to be quite a romantic work and there is a constant dialogue between piano and orchestra, it could almost be viewed as a duet. For this reason the Brahms doesn't feel so much like a titanic struggle as is the case with the Rachmaninoff where the balance between the forces always feels to be on a knife edge. So, perhaps by it's nature the Brahms doesn't have the excitement of the Rach. but this makes it no less of a concerto and balancing the forces of orchestra and piano is certainly no less of a task. The recording is of excellent quality with all the solos ringing out well and this is only to be expected of a preformance recorded in Abbey Road No. 1, the piano is a Steinway. Most of all though this concerto has great tunes and a wonderful variation in tempo and will, as a result, keep the interest of even those who have their doubts about listening to 50 minutes of piano concerto. If you have any doubts about this serious music lark then buy this CD and give it a listen. There is enough excitement in here for anyone.

Link to the Second music page.

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