“If you are one of those people like me who like ‘good sound,’ you need good speakers, a good stereo, and (as an artist) your price of recording goes up, because you need a good mic, good cables…If you don’t like good sound, go with MP3.” Lou Reed from his his keynote interview at SXSW 2008
Kronos Quartet
Winter Was Hard
Ask and yee shall receive, sort of. A recent trip to PREX yielded among other dollarish delectables one of my favorite Kronos LPs Winter Was Hard (it sure was). Released in 1988 on Nonesuch records, this is a mixed bag compilation – Aulis Sallinen, Terry Riley, Arvo Pärt, Anton Webern, John Zorn, John Lurie, Ástor Piazzolla, Alfred Schnittke, and Samuel Barber. The thing I asked for and received (sort of) is related to my recent frustration over the shitty-ass Compact Disc and its plastic fortress, a monument to wrong-headed über-design – Winter Was Hard contains “Half-Wolf Dances Mad In Moonlight” which is one of the movements from Terry Riley’s masterpiece Salome Dances for Peace and here, on vinyl, it sounds so much less digital* (even though this is a digital recording).
*A quick note on the whole CD v LP tired old jag – when someone can say with a straight face – Wow that record sounds great! It sounds so digital! we won’t have to argue any more.
But I enjoy each track equally – Aulis Sallinen’s title track with voices of angels (San Francisco Girls Chorus and Earl Miller reed organ), John Zorn’s “Forbidden Fruit” is a wild mad-cap cut-up with shiver-inducing vocals by Ohta Hiromi and turntableing by Christian Marclay, Arvo Pärt’s exquisite “Fratres” sounds convincingly heavy and spirit-filled, and Anton Webern’s “Six Bagatelles Op. 9″ fits neatly in between. John Lurie’s “Bella By Barlight” which opens side 2 is all downtown amber-hued slippery funk, Astor Piazzolla dares us to dance, watch your step!, with “Four, For Tango”, Alfred Schnittke’s sly and lovely “Quartet No. 3″ sounds like more, Samuel Barber’s “Adagio” is, well, moving, and the 37 second closer “A Door Is Ajar” wraps things up nicely with a slam! just in case you missed the attitude.
A $2.99 movable feast from David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola) and Joan Jeanrenaud (cello).
Fra Angelico
from The Life of the Audiophile
San Marco, Florence, 1436–1445
Hype Williams
One Nation
March 13, 2011 release from Hype Williams who may or may not be…Present perfect, a mystery train of groovy sound. From Hippos in Tanks limited to 1,000 copies on white vinyl (there’s already a re-press of another 1,000).
SIDE A:
ital
untitled
william, shotgun sprayer
businessline
warlord
dragon stout
homegrown
SIDE B:
your girl smells chung when she wears dior
unfaithful
MITSUBISHI
jah
break4love
untitled (and your batty’s so round)
Yeah, “Sardines, HEY, and pork and beans”. Junkyard Band, 1986, on Def Jam, produced by Rick Rubin. Rubin started Def Jam in his dorm room, at NYU, in 1983. He was the vocalist (“screech”) for the Hose ep, the first Def Jam release. This would be before he produced Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond. Just sayin’, for the old heads….
On the back of the jacket, Rubin thanks Ed Bahlman, Gina and 99 records, who released the “ESG” 12″ with “You’re No Good” and “Moody” in 1981. ESG were produced by Martin Hannett.
Google the name. Hannett is linked to “Royal Family and the Poor”, and “Section 25″, and a band called “Joy Division”, among others. 99 records also put out those seminal “Liquid Liquid” ep’s and one of On-U Sound’s “Singers and Players” records.
Whoops! Where were we? Oh, Audiophiles. Shit. Sorry. Forgot where I came from.
My name is Milo, I’m an addict, I’d like to share.
I started with a pair of Large Advents, a Pioneer receiver, and a BIC 960 turntable. I got hooked on harder stuff: a Rappaport preamp, an Audionics amp. Tubes. Compression drivers. Thorens idlers……
Sound familiar? Maybe you’d like to share. I did.
I was without hope. I sought help. I admitted that I was powerless, that my life had become unmanageable. I came to believe…. With help from my friends in recovery, I’ve been clean for many years. Today, I’m focused on Philip Cohran, John Martyn, Holger Czukay, Al Green, Julie Tippetts, Kip Hanrahan, Ed Bahlman and Martin Hannett. My system, now world-class, plays the Stooges like it should. I try not to torment myself with the differences between Sylvania and EML 2A3 tubes. Either one hits me with Richard and Linda Thompson, like a needle in the neck.
I still have to walk away, fast, from guys on the street who whisper “cryo’ed cable elevators”. Ya dig?
I’m glad you got some help, Michael. Talk to your sponsor. Just because you’re clean, it doesn’t mean you’re not still an addict. If you’re in DC, and you need a meeting, give me a call. I just copped a really nice Jimmy Giuffre “3″.
Hugs,
Milo
Breyer-P-Orridge
Blood Sacrifice, 2011
Single-channel high-definition video
Duration: 1’30″
Edition of 3
Each Sacrifice comes in a box containing a portfolio of blood prints, plus a vial of Chanel No. 5 mixed with blood.
Breyer-P-Orridge
Pandrogyne Cube, 2010
Edition of 300
Materials: shifting photo sculpture
4 x 4 inches
Price: $123
Breyer-P-Orridge
Boaz, 2010
Edition of 3
Three C-prints mounted on Plexi
72 x 36 inches
Breyer-P-Orridge
Vitruvian Pan, 2007
C-print
36 x 36 inches
Edition of 3
Available from Invisible-Exports.
Oren Ambarchi
In the Pendulum’s Embrace
Oren Ambarchi: Electric and acoustic guitars, piano, bells, glass harmonica, drums, voice
Veren Grigorov: strings
Anthony Pateras: Prepared piano
A double LPs-worth of an introspective and speculative nature slowly unfolding over time, folding back over and onto itself spilling over into pure sound pure color and pure light.
Sounds oscillate between played, performed and formed like wandering through a thick dark forest inhabited by deserted skyscrapers stepping on sticks, stones, metal shards and broken glass amid the tall grass. The sounds a guitar makes are given equal weight to the notes it plays playing tricks with time and expectation. All in all a richly rewarded physical and emotional journey of a record that I look forward to taking in again and again.
From 2008 released on Southern Lord.
Do we have one? A shelf life? What I mean to say is does the definition of an audiophile involve some recent action other than just enjoying listening to music on your hi-fi? The reason I ask is I haven’t changed my hi-fi in over four years and I don’t have any intention of doing so. I have no desire to ‘upgrade’ anything. I’m perfectly happy with my hi-fi. Does that make me anti-audiophile? An ex-audiophile? Reformed? Cured?
I do read about hi-fi – Stereophile the magazine and website but that’s about it. I occasionally look at Audio Asylum just to remind myself why occasional is even too often and I’m not a member of nor do I frequent any other hi-fi forums and I rarely if ever go to Audiogon since I’m not looking for anything (at least not anything they have to offer). Am I a latent or lapsed audiophile?
Forgive me father for I have sinned. It’s been 4 years since my last audiophiling.
Robert Pete Williams
Louisiana Blues
Originally recorded and released in 1966 on John Fahey’s Takoma Records, 4 Men With Beards does their usual high quality reissue job on this Robert Pete Williams classic. I’m a fan of Williams unique style and while you can find an original Takoma LP for a hundred bucks or so, this reissue at $17 looks like a no brainer. Includes a 10-page booklet and these songs – Somebody Help Poor Me, Freight Train Blues, It’s Hard to Tell, I’m Going Down Slow, Motherless Children Have a Hard Time, Ugly, So Long Boogie, This Is a Mean Old World To Me, High As I Want To Be, It’s a Long Old Road. Here one here.
Jimmy Scott
Falling In Love Is Wonderful
Another 4 Men With Beards reissue of another classic (think masterpiece) – Little Jimmy Scott‘s record for Ray Charles’ Tangerine label from 1962 that barely saw the light of day due to a contract dispute with a former manager. Jimmy Scott on vinyl is wonderful. See and hear part of the story here.
Tape
Revelationes
Brandy new release from Sweden’s trio Tape (brothers Andreas and Johan Berthling with Tomas Hallonsten). Slow, minimal, quiet and gentle ambient breezes of songs perfect for a warm Spring evening (if we ever get one). Limited to 1,000 copies. Hear it here.
Mater Suspiria Vision
Crack Witch
I’m diggin’ this Witch House, grave rave, spooky shit music and Mater Suspiria Vision sounds out some real throbbing gristle. Perfect for a dark stormy Spring night (I’m sure we’ll get plenty). Limited to 300 copies.
V/A
Folk and Pop Sounds of Sumatra Vol 1
Another wild (really wild) and wonderful (really wonderful) worldly ride from Sublime Frequencies this time digging up 2 LPs-worth of rarefied gems courtesy of some cassettes Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls) collected while traveling in Sumatra:
The style selections on this LP include forms of droning beat pop, early Orkes Melayu songs, Batak Tapanuli, traditional Minang music, and folk drama soundtracks heard by only a handful of outsiders. The recordings are from old cassette tapes; decaying documents of various sound qualities containing some of the most eccentric artifacts ever uncovered from this fascinating island. Limited edition full-color gatefold LP version of the first Sublime Frequencies CD release from 2003.
Listen here.
Fra Angelico
from The Life of the Audiophile
San Marco, Florence, 1436–1445
3.20.2011 – Tom Waits is inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall O Fame. Neil Young does the honors.
“Songs are really just very interesting things to be doing with the air.”
“I guess, you know, we all love music but we really want music to love us.”
“They say that I have no hits and I’m difficult to work with. And they say that like its a bad thing.”
~ Tom Waits
8. An audiophile walks into a bar. The place is packed with nothing but women – laughing, dancing and drinking. As he makes his way through the gyrating, sweaty throngs and thongs he notices that the DJ is using a cheap direct drive turntable so he leaves.
Sunny Murray
Hommage to Africa
There must have been some great times in some great bars in Paris in 1969.
Hommage to Africa was recorded on August 15, 1969 in Paris and features the usual BYG Actuel cast of amazing characters: Archie Shepp, Grachan Moncur III, Clifford Thorton, Lester Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell, Kenneth Terroade, Dave Burrell, Alan Silva, Malachi Favors, Earl Freeman, Arthur Jones, and Jeanne Lee. Side One includes everyone above and its all “Suns of Africa (Part 1 and 2)”, a loose jammy rambler hovering around a simple repeated three note uplifting refrain. Side two pares the group down to a septet for “R.I.P.” and “Unity” where we hunker down for more structured challenging play.
Maybe not an essential record, as compared to other records like Murray’s own Sunshine recorded on this same day, Hommage to Africa is none-the-less another lovely two-sides worth of musical magic that was Paris in ’69 and a listen-in on a free jazz master drummer who built his unique time-shattering vocabulary playing with Cecil Taylor and Albert Ayler.
Here’s Sunny from an interview in Paris Transatlantic:
It was just to be creative first, to take myself to where pure improvisation becomes music, where a beat becomes music. I’d gotten to the point where, as my music changed, I didn’t want to play a lot of beats – I wanted to get more from the beat than just the beat… For me that was like the beginning of a system that I could use to really find my way in what I wanted to play. Daniel Humair said about one of my records “Sounds like Sunny Murray’s hanging a painting on the wall…” (Laughs) It did, in a way, because what I was creating was acoustically correct… I started to write acoustical charts, graphic scores, like Cage and those guys.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|