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November 11, 2015 - 1:44pm
#1
Rave: TOP 5 SONGS THAT MAKE YOU GO WOOOW
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My five wow recordings in no particular order -
1. Roger Water - Amused to Death. The total album is great but a particular track would be Three Wishes. Brilliant song. Love the lyrics and the conversation with Djinni can be chilling. I have it on CD
2. Genesis - ABACAB. Again, total album is brilliant but the wow track is No Reply at All. I have it on 180g vinyl from the recent release box set.
3. Duran Duran - Greatest Hits. A View to a Kill is an extraordinary song from the Bond soundtrack. One of the coolest basslines i have have ever heard. I have on CD
4. Duke Ellington & John Coltrane - Track one is In a Sentimental Mood. Ellington's piano work isn't good, it is great. There is a sparkle on the 180g vinyl that is freakin' amazing. I love this whole record.
5. Peter Gabriel - So. Again, an amazing record. Particular track for me is That Voice Again. I have it on CD.
All of these tracks have huge soundstages. There is something unique about every one of them that only comes through on an audiophile system.
I can think of many, many others but the tracks that I go back to over and over again.
Fun idea-
1. Day Tripper- The Beatles. This song still sounds fresh in 2015, those lads were so ahead of their time on
this track (CD)
2. Under my Thumb- The Rolling Stones. I spent the entire Summer of 1986 w/ "Hot Rocks". What a revelation!(CD)
3. God only Knows- The Beach Boys. From 1 of 3 greatest concept albums of the Rock era. (CD)
4. Nights in white Satin - The Moody Blues. From 2 of 3 greatest concept albums of the Rock era. (SACD)
4. SGT Pepper - The Beatles. The whole album and 3 of 3 greatest concept albums of the Rock era. (CD)
5. Frontin' -Jamie Cullum. A wonderful cover of the Pharrell tune. The album is "Twentysomething" and
is my reference CD/SACD from Verve 2004. The entire recording is all analog with this-
the last track - recorded live at the BBC studio. Perfection!
1. Someday Baby from Dylan's unbelievable album from 7 years ago, Modern Times
2. Adele's Rolling in the Deep
3. Radiohead's Creep off their first album, Pablo Honey
4. Beck's live version of Loser, see YouTube
5. Stones' Let me Down Slow off A Bigger Bang
Geoff Kait
Machina Dynamica
Keep'em coming!
Already ordered 2 new albums after goin' through your picks.
Recently I read a record engineer's Top 10 tracks and discovered this amazing canadian artist: Rose Cousins
Off her latest album (vinyl) "We have made a spark" there are 2 tracks that are recorded raw on piano..."One way" and "Go first" tracks sound just jaw-dropping, piano is out of this world...even on freakin youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4IIqT-Np7o
Rolling Stones album"More Hot Rocks-Big Hits and Fazed Cookies" It has at least 10 really great tunes like"It's all over Now"and "The Last Time"
Robert Plant "Principal of Moments"
"Magical Mystery Tour" album the Beatles. The songs are fantastic.
Blondie "Autoamerican" album
Randy Newman "Land of Dreams"
Since it is the Christmas season I will list my favorite Holiday recordings
1) Josh Groban - "O' Holy Night". One of the most stunning and moving vocals I have ever heard.
2) The Ronnettes - "Sleigh Ride". Even though they skip a verse in the middle section, who can resist the raw energy and the great Phil Spector "Wall of Sound"
3) Bod Seger - "The Little Drummer Boy". Proof once again that Seger sounds great on anything, and a little strategically applied slide guitar can do wonders.
4) Andy Williams - "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year". Many have tried, before and after Andy, but like "O' Holy Night" with Josh Groban, nothing else comes close.
5) Anne Murray - "Silver Bells". Many have done the well, from Bing to Martina McBride, and I really like Elvis' version, but Ms.Murray's sweet tone brings it home.
5 Rock/Pop Faves: (In no particular order, since whichever I heard last is my new fave.)
Frank Sinatra - "I've Got You Under My Skin". Everything I love about Frank-the vibrato, the New York attitude, the great horn break.
Meat Loaf - "Paradise by the Dashboard Light". Every time I hear this I can't believe I would ever like anything else more, until the next song...
Meat Loaf - "For Crying Out Loud". The feeling, the passion, the pure vocal power. An unforgettable end to an awesome album.
Bruce Springsteen - "Badlands". I'm torn when it comes to Springsteen as there are so many that are so great. But "Badlands" always gets me going.
UFO - "Lights Out". As one of the worlds greatest Michael Schenker fans, thesis still the ultimate. Full throttle from start to finish with 2 great patented Schenker solos.
5 favorite Classical Moments:
1) George Solti and CSO - Mahler's Second,"The Resurrection". Truly an awesome experience. Powerful, moving, even frightening at times. The end always brings me to tears.
2) Fritz Reiner and CSO - Beethoven's Fifth. I had this on CD for years. Then my wife picked up the original vinyl at an estate sale. Makes the CD sound lifeless.
3) Herbert Von Karajan and Berlin Philharmonic - Gustav Holst "The Planets". This was actually my first Classical CD, and still one of my favorites.
4) Ricard Strauss - "The Blue Danube". I have so many different versions of this, from the "2001-A Space Odyssey" soundtrack to an Andre Rieu DVD, and they are all great. Given the context in the movie, I'll go with the soundtrack.
5) Puccini - "Nessun Dorma" (did I spell that right?). Again I have several versions of this, but my favorite is not really classical, but rather a modern interpretation by Uli Jon Roth off, as the title track of his "Sky of Avalon" album. I don't know who the vocalist was, but he rips off one of my favorite vocals of all time, backed by the incredible guitar work of Roth. Jeff Beck also does a fine version on "Emotion and Commotion". But frankly I have not heard any actual opera singers sell it better that on "Sky of Avalon"
I know I am going over my allotted five but just had a huge wow moment listening the RhinoVinyl release of Black Sabbath's Master of Reality. Listening to Embryo/Children of the Grave I feel like my soundstage hit a new level. Something about the combination of the over dubbed drums mixed with the guitar just hit me as amazing.
I stumbled upon this Grammy nominated artist I've never heard b4....Gregory Porter. the track is "Liquid spirit"....excellent recording! If you can play this through your system it sounds crazy even on ytb!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07rb7QQYk7E
The album is on Blue Note vinyl !
Cheers.
Don’t you think the bass line in A View To A Kill is rather pedestrian compared to the one in Rio?