I recently listened to Procul Harum's Shine On Brightly. A 1968 A&M pressing. Truly a landmark progressive rock recording! Now, alas, largely forgotten! Check out side two's suite - In Held 'Twas In I. Robin Trower's masterful axe-playing is a particular highlight throughout both sides! Add Gary Brooker's singing and B.J.Wilson's drumming and you have an LP both musically and sonically satisfying!
Wow an old album that rocked your world
I know this is a Hifi forum but isn’t it about the music as well. Has anyone recently played a
Vinyl, disc or whatever you are into. One that you forgot was so good and totally was blown away by the music and the recording? If so share it with us. Mine was Mahavishnu orchestra Birds of Fire. Have not listened to that for some time. Wow. FORGOT HOW GOOD THAT WAS.
This is what Hifi is all about IMO.
Vinyl, disc or whatever you are into. One that you forgot was so good and totally was blown away by the music and the recording? If so share it with us. Mine was Mahavishnu orchestra Birds of Fire. Have not listened to that for some time. Wow. FORGOT HOW GOOD THAT WAS.
This is what Hifi is all about IMO.
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great idea for a thread I just cleaned and played this, sadly it had scratches, but soooo good I found and ordered a replacement https://www.discogs.com/Sarah-Vaughan-How-Long-Has-This-Been-Going-On/release/2320704 |
@roberjerman, two fantastic Procol Harum albums! I saw them live in 1971 at the original Fillmore (on the Home album tour), and by that time the group's line-up had changed from that on those two albums. Gone was Matthew Fisher on organ (he created that incredible signature part in "A Whiter Shade Of Pale", "borrowing" heavily from J.S. Bach), the more pedestrian Chris Copping taking his place. Also gone was bassist David Knights, Copping playing the bass parts on his Hammond B3 pedals. The were still good, but the playing of guitarist Robin Trower had come to the fore, and I found his Blues-based style to be not to my liking. The Home album suffered for it, as did the absence of Matthew Fisher. By the way, Fisher's first two solo albums are mighty fine. |
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The Pretenders first record. Still holds up. Serious attitude. Deserves its place on best debut album lists. The tragic death of James Honeyman Scott seems forgotten in discussions of dead rock stars. He shines on Live at Santa Monica, which was an FM broadcast that I recorded on cassette tape and still have. It’s available on Disc 2 of the deluxe version of Pretenders 2. The 2006 remasters on CD & SACD are pretty good. |
The eponymous "It's a Beautiful Day" (first pressing by Columbia Records; not the "San Francisco Sounds" reissue). I attended two of the original group's concerts (one with Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band at The Fox West Coast Theater (an abandoned movie venue) in the LA area circa 1973): that was the most memorable concert I witnessed in that era. The first time I heard that album...well, no details need be publicly recounted. |
imnop, Great choice. The first Pretenders album is unmatched! From the moment I heard "Precious" for the first time, my heart almost stopped. I saw them during that period at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia, and it was just an exiting experience. I still listen to it on a regular basis. James Honeyman Scott was a great loss, as was Pete Farndon... both heroin tragedies. |
tvad9 Trick of the Tail is just about the top of my list also. I remember the night, after getting home at midnight from 2’nd shift in our local factory, that I first took that album of of the sleeve and put it on my Marantz turntable. I had never heard Genesis before. Someone at work had recently went to their concert ( I was ask to go and didn’t) and I picked up an album "just because". I couldn’t turn it up because of neighbors ,, so I put my headphones on. What I heard was SO DIFFERENT. At the time, so unusual. Kind of dark and misty but so so addictive. Their next one Wind and Weathering is stellar also, but Trick of the Tail takes the prize For you Pretenders guys, and if you have a multi channel system, pick up Pretenders Live in LA. You will Love it. It's mixed really well and is a killer concert. |
@nitrorob, I went to see Genesis ToT tour and it was my first real, major league concert. It was (trite to say) life altering. Ok, musically. Was listening to Yes etc on LP back then but that sealed the deal as a life time prog rock guy. Thanks for that blast. Anyway, for LP, side one of Van Morrison's Common One comes to mind. Bass is mixed more up front than most his stuff and horns in Satisfied will impress, SQ-wise. Good thread. |
Moby Grape: Moby Grape '69 and 20 Granite Creek. While not up to the very high standard their debut established, still very good albums. Crazy Horse: Crazy Horse. Known as The Rockets prior to being hired by Neil Young to be his band (and with one album released under that name), this is their first album after working with Neil. Danny Whitten was still alive, and the four members were joined by Jack Nitzsche on keys. Nitzsche had been a studio guy, doing orchestration for Phil Spector. If you've heard the instrumental song "The Lonely Surfer", that was Jack. After his time in Crazy Horse, he went on to record an incredible semi-Classical album entitled St. Giles Cripplegate (Reprise Records, 1974). Kinda rare, if you see one buy it! He then moved on to soundtrack work, including the score to Chinatown. |
Kraftwerk: several albums/tracks. Their remastered versions are sonically perfect. Tommy James and the Shondells: Crystal Blue Persuasion Hammond, harmonies, acoustic guitar, echo. Ahead of it’s time? Peter Gabriel: "So" may not qualify as being old enough but the sonics are tops. And the songs are great as well. There are so many I better stop here. I think I love music. |
