music you cant live without


Maybe a bit of an over statment but we are all infatuated with music(or we would not be on this site) and I am sure we all have music that we listen to all of the time, so what's your favorite/s?
tireguy
Whenever I take a business trip, I take along a CD & tape of the music of Taj Mahal. Pop it in the slot, drive off, I'm at home, even though the city is somewhere else. For extended stays I'll also take the Beatles ( I know they're ubiquitous, but still, they never grow old), John Hiatt (Bring the Family & Slow Turning), & FZ.
At home, these keep turning up as the music recycles.
Santana - Caravansari
Charlie Haden - various
James Taylor - Hourglass
Aaron Neville / Nev Bros - Yellow Moon, Warm Your Heart
The re-mastered "Deja Vu" CD really is great! And Bebel Gilberto "tantotempo" likewise. Brasilian Portugese has to be the sexiest language on the planet. She could be ordering take out for all I know and it still gives me a semi.
Paul Simon "Graceland"
Sting "Nothing Like the Sun"
Stan Getz/ Joao Gilbert...first album
Louis Armstrong, Wonderful World
Crosby Stills and Nash "Deja Vu"
Miles Davis "Kind of Blue"
These are some....
Ramstl: Which Dead Albums can you recommend on CD? I grew up listening to American Beauty and Wake of the Flood on LP, would be bummed to get a CD that didn't sound good. Good remasters of old stuff? Good "current" releases?

- Eric
Lyle Lovett. Moody Blues. Mozart. The rest is icing on the cake, (and I do like icing so give me the corner slice, if you please.)
Kitch29, I've got the original Merc with Janis playing the 3rd, it is excellent, also very good on the CD transfer. I have always liked Gilels, I'm hoping that Classic reissues his Brahms 2, which was a Mohr/Layton production released by RCA as a Victrola. My favorite performance of that piece.
I knew johanssen didn't sound right, just got back from amazon, it's Byron Janis playing concertos 2&3 on mercury 32759
Rcprince-I had Grant Johanssen playing the Rachmaninoff with a lot of fire in my late, lamented vinyl days but haven't found the CD; best keypounder I do have is Emil Gilels playing all 5 Beethoven with the Cleveland, Szell, fabulous performances, Gilels never let technique get in the way of emotion and the 70's Cleveland was easily the "best band in the land" as the New York Times put it. That has to be the classical I couldn't live without.
Shubertmaniac makes a good point. I've always liked Murray Perihia's CBS recording of the Schubert Impromptus, not for sonic reasons or necessarily for performance reasons, but because it is well-played and the first recording I ever heard of the piece, and I liked the music and kept listening to it. When I think of it, many of the performances of classical pieces I like best are the first ones I heard of them (for example, the Richter Rachmaninoff 2nd Piano Concerto, which is quite different than any other I've heard, and Rubenstein's performance of the Rhapsodies on a Theme of Paganini). Hasn't stopped me from listening to or enjoying other interpretations, fortunately, but the first ones are the ones I wind up comparing all others to.
Frap:Don't forget D958, the first sonata in his trio of piano sonatas. Alfred Brendl. The reason being in my distant
past I was a very poor undergrad. I could only afford the el
cheapo vinyl like the Vox label. I got hooked on Schubert
very early and the only thing I could afford was Brendl's
versions of Schubert's piano music. So I played that stuff
over and over and really got so atuned to his playing that
listening to other artists recordings did not seem quite
right, even though other artists interpretation might prove
to be correct or to other listeners more moving. Oh well.
Hey Shubertmaniac!! Who is your favorite keyboard person on the D959 and D960?
Yo Yo Ma outstanding but he's not quite Janos Starker on the inner emotion side
Re Argerich. Most of her recordings are for DG and their 'Tonemeisters' usually roll off the lower registers in their recordings.
Tubegroover, I'm going to have to check out the Pratt Rachmaninoff, thanks. My favorite interpretation of that piece has been the unusual Richter one on DG from the 60s, but the sonics are such that you have a gigantic piano stretching across the soundstage, little bass and wiry strings--typical DG. The one thing that I cannot yet find in any of the recordings of Rachmaninoff 2 and 3, and I've heard a lot of them, is the incredible power of the pianist that you hear in concert (last year I heard the 3rd played by Toradze with the NJSO, and I'll swear he almost moved that piano off the stage at times!). Argerich has the fire in her live recording, but not quite that power in the lower registers on the recording which I know she has live. Let me know if you've found one that has it--maybe it's just one of those things that cannot be conveyed, even by a good system and recording.
Mozart's last 10 piano concerto's; the last 6 symphonies especially the last 3 and many of his chamber works; Beethoven's 5,6,7 and 9th symphonies and Emperor Concerto and many of his sonatas; Borodin's string quartets; Brahms 4th Symphony; Most of Schubert's String Quartets; Rachmaninov's 2nd & 3rd Concertos (Reprince I probably have 6 different recordings of the 2nd on cd and vinyl there is one with Jorge Pratt and Mexican Philharmonic that is stunning if you haven't heard it, dynamics of this recording will lift you out of your seat on the opening and ending of the last movement). Much of Bach's music for the polyphony of harmony especially many of his choral pieces as noted by Reprince. Modern music? Stravinsky, Rite of Spring; Prokofiev Classic Symphony, 5th piano concerto, I like almost all his music, so diverse. And for American how about a Gershwin tune or two or more? There are too many more.
Alfred Brendel does justice to Shubert's Impromptus,too.
Emerson String Quartet is at the moment my favorite string
quartet;very powerful and forceful particularly on Schubert's quartets and Webern's chamber pieces. What do you think of YoYo Ma's work these days?????
I'll try to add to the minority. Anything by J.S. Bach, particularly his choral pieces, and Brahms, Shostakovich's 1st and 5th symphonies, Prokofiev's 2nd and 3rd piano concerti and first symphony, Rachmaninoff's 2nd and 3rd piano concerti and solo piano works, particularly the Corelli Variations, Copland's Symphony No. 3, Mahler's 1st, 2nd, 4th and 9th symphonies, Vaughn-Williams symphonies and Tallis Fantasia, Dvorak (anything by him)-- too many to mention, when you think of it. Check out the Most Aching-Beautiful Music thread for more.
Guess we're in the minority here. Here are a couple more:

Berlioz's Fantastique; Harald en Italie
Bruckner (still haven't reached my saturation point)
Mozart's Requiem; last triptych of his symphonies; Piano Concerti 18 and 21. Alfred Brendel.....you know.
Sibelius (virtually anything he wrote)
Schubert's "Great C Major" (Don't you love the redundancy?)
Oh yeah, Beethoven ain't bad either.
I guess there are not too many classical music lovers.
But here goes: Schubert's last three string quartets, his
violin sonatas, piano trios, string trios, string quintet.
Brahms viola sonatas, piano quartets and piano concertos. Beethoven string quartets, and his piano trios. All of Webern's instrumental works. Dvorak's string quartets. Mozart's 40th symphony and his piano concertos. Those are the ones that I can listen to over and over. Tons of others
from Schumann/Mendelsohnn/Berg. I loved Bruckner in my
youth but I oded on him.
I should think a little first. The names I just mentioned have been my favorites for almost 30 years (except for Allison Krauss - 13 years or so), so I havent lived without them all this time and cant imagine doing so. Now that I have heard Eva Cassidy in the last few months, Id have to add her to the list.
Barbara Keith, Tracy Nelson, Irma Thomas, Allison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Los Lobos, Merle Haggard
No collection is complete without nrbq, Jerry Jeff Walker, old Kinks,Billie Holiday, Count Basie
I definately cannot live without the music of:
Sarah McLachlan,
Led Zeppelin,
Dido,
Metallica,
Rebecca Pidgeon,
Queen
John_1- Can you direct me to a good remaster of 4 way street. The original LP mix was, at least with the equipment I had then (AR TT, Pioneer SX 1000, large advents), atrocious. Have always wanted to see what it really sounds like.
Garfish,
I can assist you with a defibrillator [no problem]. When they arrive, call me: I want 2 front row seats (one for me and one for my wife). My pleasure, no charge ;>}
Lak.........perhaps something in the way of a high end defibrillator if you're actually going to rent the Junkies for me. That's really a generous thought-- thanks, Craig:>)
Kick @ Thread ! I'm gonna print this one out!

Hey cornfed, can you tell me who produces 'badlands'?

My list is:

1. Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen

2. Bring the Family by John Hiatt

3. The Trinity Session by the Cowboy Junkies

4. Metallica's Black Album

5. The Lady in Satin by Billie Holiday

6. The Koln Concert by Keith Jarret.

7. Hell among the Yearlings by Gillian Welch.

8. 4 way street by CSNY.

9. Starker Encore Album.

10. Alone and Acoustic by Buddy Guy and Junior Wells.
I could live without the following, but it would not be as much fun. Allman Bros(the original), Jennifer Warnes, Buddy Guy, SRV, Little Feat, Hendrix, janis Joplin, BB King, Van Morrison, Clapton, Mayall, Jimmy Smith, Merl Saunders, Coco Montoya, all the good harp players.
Talking Heads (most of their cd's, especially entire concert version of Stop Making Sense), Roxy Music?Avalon, Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin In The Fields?The Mozart Experience (Philips Label), and Vivaldi Le quattro stagioni (Decca Label, Legendary Performances), The Complete Louie Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, Louie Armstromg & Duke Ellington?The Great Summit, Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster, Narada World?A Global Vision, Various tracks from Patricia Barber, Jennifer Warnes?Famous Blue Raincoat and about half the tracks on The Hunter, Pink Martini?Sympathique (world beat lounge music), Bob Marley (most, but for the sake of this thread)?Legends, Zap Mama?A Ma Zone, The Allman Brothers?Live at the Filmore East, Jimi Hendrix?Blues, Eric Clapton?Layla, Unplugged, and From The Cradle, The Rolling Stones?Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers, The Beatles?from Revolver to Abbey Road, Joe Jackson?Big World, Pink Floyd?Dark Side of the Moon, Miles Davis?Kind of Blue, Barefoot?both cd's, and about a hundred others.
Don't understand what happen to the dashes in the above response, but where you see a question mark there should be a dash to connect the artist with the cd title. Sorry
Talking Heads (most of their cd's, especially entire concert version of Stop Making Sense), Roxy Music?Avalon, Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin In The Fields?The Mozart Experience (Philips Label), and Vivaldi Le quattro stagioni (Decca Label, Legendary Performances), The Complete Louie Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, Louie Armstromg & Duke Ellington?The Great Summit, Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster, Narada World?A Global Vision, Various tracks from Patricia Barber, Jennifer Warnes?Famous Blue Raincoat and about half the tracks on The Hunter, Pink Martini?Sympathique (world beat lounge music), Bob Marley (most, but for the sake of this thread)?Legends, Zap Mama?A Ma Zone, The Allman Brothers?Live at the Filmore East, Jimi Hendrix?Blues, Eric Clapton?Layla, Unplugged, and From The Cradle, The Rolling Stones?Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers, The Beatles?from Revolver to Abbey Road, Joe Jackson?Big World, Pink Floyd?Dark Side of the Moon, Miles Davis?Kind of Blue, Barefoot?both cd's, and about a hundred others.
Just the artists. Too many choices!

1.Dylan
2.Dan Bern- The songs, "Jarusalem", "Maryln
Monroe Didn't Marry Henry Miller" and
"Wasteland"
3.Talking Heads
4.Van Morrison
5.Bonnie Raitt
i have too many favorites to list, so i'll include a few compilations that i turn to often:
(1) etown, live-vols.1&2
(2) live from mountain stage-vols 1-8
(3) dead man walking- music inspired by the motion picture
(4) badlands-covers of bruce's nebraska
(5) the folkscene collection-vols.1&2
(6) live from studio c (kbco radio, boulder)- vols 1-12.

good lisrening. -kelly
Janis Ian "Breaking Silence", Belafonte "Belafonte Sings the Blues", Charles Lloyd "Water is Wide", Patricia Barber "Companion", and Stravinsky "Firebird Suite" on Sheffield. There are many more--but these seem to keep coming back into "heavy rotation".
Classical: "Ports of Call", "Mephisto and Company", "Bolero!" all on Reference recordings. If Tam o'Shanter from "Mephisto" doesn't shake your entire room, you need better woofers. Jazz: (Duke Ellington) "This One's for Blanton". Male vocal: "The Kenny Rankin Album". This guy's voice is guaranteed to absolutely melt any member of the female persuasion who may come within listening range. Female vocal has been well covered by recent threads. Thanks to all of you who turned me on to "Cowboy Junkies" and "Diana Krall".
Hi Tireguy, interesting thread that I have seen over the period of a year or so (titled differently) on Audiogon, however I have never posted to it. Garfish does have a BAD case of the “Junkies” I think we need to take up a collection for him and see if we can rent the Cowboy Junkies for a week and send them to his den. Actually I want to thank Garfish and a few others that have posted before about the Cowboy Junkies, I had never heard of them before however now I own and enjoy (not to the advanced level of Garfish) Studio, Trinity Session, Waltz Across America, Black Eyed Man, 200 More Miles, and The Caution Horses. Last night my wife and I were watching “Dantes Peak”, there was a bar scene and what do you think my ears picked up faintly in the background, Cowboy Junkies music!
I also enjoy various songs off of all of Patricia Barbers’ CD’s, Jennifer Warnes- The Hunter, Tracy Chapman- New Beginnings, Buddy Rich Big Band- Keep The Customers Satisfied, The Phil Collins Big Band- A Hot Night In Paris, Sonny Rollins- This Is What I Do, David Benoit- Here’s To You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years, Most of the Count Basie and Duke Ellington music, (I own to many of them to select a specific favorite). I hope people respond I always pick up some ideas for a few more CD’s to pick up.
Hi Tireguy; without a doubt it's virtually any Cowboy Junkies CD, but especially "The Caution Horses", "The Trinity Session", and lately "Waltz Across America". If I had Bill Gates' money, I would buy the "Junkies" and have them play in my den-- forever. Margo Timmins voice (and appearance) makes me drool uncontrollably, and the "Junkies" band work, besides being unusual, is great. I have not been able to "classify" the Junkies music-- trying to control myself-- gotta stop--g[oqkrgfev';fbwqr[pp oprjkr-- shaking, sweating, fever, lost it for awhile-- sorry. Craig.