Gary's Eclectic Taste in Music

When I was a kid, I loved the Pink Panther cartoons - and often imitated his strange gait and hummed the signature theme under my breath. Hence, the theme song by Henry Mancini was a tune that has stuck in my head for as long as I can remember.

When Record Store Day 2014 rolled around on April 16th it was also Henry Mancini's 90th birthday, and also the 50th Anniversary of the Pink Panther OST. I had to get a copy and queued up for it. Pressed on pink vinyl, it sounds fabulous - quiet backgrounds and very dynamic. Whomever did the mastering did a great job.

You can get clean, original 1st press Shaded Dogs for less than $10 - but hey, I needed the one on pink vinyl. I am so glad I did because the pink vinyl sounded far better than the original pressings. It is a rare re-issue for me.

After RSD, because the one I queued up for sounded so good, I tried to get a back-up copy just in case someone walks away with my copy (#134) at a show. Unfortunately, the un-numbered versions sounded far worse than the numbered version. I got a copy in the 2,000's and that was also pretty ordinary. So, I am still on the look-out for low-numbered copies.

Hopefully, this doesn't get too many people competing with me for them.

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The trick is to find the ones with the gold number on the back, and the Record Store Day sticker. The ones with the 50th Anniversary Edition without "Record Store Day" are the ordinary run-of-the-mill pressings (but they are still on pink vinyl).

One guy out there has a new copy of The Bright Mississippi and he has it posted on every site out there for $1300, not in my life, I will settle for the CD. Looks like he has been listing it for a year now.

I did however get a RCD sealed copy of The Pink Panther #1426 for $20. The guy at Glass House Records raved on about it.

Black Light is the Shiz to the Nit!
 
This is a fabulous new album that was introduced to me in Bangkok by Touraj Moghaddam of Vertere Acoustics when he played a track - Caravan - during a demo. I thought then that the dynamics were fantastic. Now that I have my own copies, and having played the whole album through multiple times, the music is fabulous too.

When first cued-up, it sounded too quiet to be true. The track starts off quietly, and stays quiet. So, I lifted, turned up the volume and then re-started.

It seems to have been cut by a producer who cares, because being recorded at a very low level, it accommodates the huge dynamics of the drumming - even on the last track on Side A - Caravan.

The album was first released on black vinyl for RSD 2015, and then re-released as a limited edition red vinyl version. Get the red vinyl if you can. It is quieter, more dynamic and sounds more detailed than the standard black vinyl version.Grab it quick before they sell out.

Whiplash Red.jpg
 
It was a great movie but I had not thought about getting the soundtrack. Any idea on fidelity of the digital version?
 
TThe album was first released on black vinyl for RSD 2015, and then re-released as a limited edition red vinyl version. Get the red vinyl if you can. It is quieter, more dynamic and sounds more detailed than the standard black vinyl version.Grab it quick before they sell out.

Gary, how do you id the color of vinyl from the LP jacket?
 
Got it. Thanks, Gary.

Just bought three red LPs (one for each turntables so that they won't fight) and three clear LPs thought it would be interesting to compare.
 
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Where did you find the red version?
 
I've ordered a few copies to keep in the store :) But my distributors don't have the red version...
 
I ordered red vinyl copies from CCvinyl.
 
I know many music lovers who tell me that they hate the Eagles whenever I play their music at shows. It's one of my favourite Eagles songs, but other people have told me that Hotel California must be one of the most boring rock songs ever - all 6 minutes of it, with no harmonic or textural changes. But it is also one of the most recognizable. However, every music lover in the world must at least recognize the lyrics......

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway;

We'll miss them more when they're gone - the band that started out as Linda Ronstadt's backing harmony band and broke up in acrimony.

Today, though, I am mourning the passing of guitarist-songwriter Glenn Frey by playing their 'live' albums LOUD. The first album is their reunion gig - when the band broke up, drummer Don Henley said that they would get together again when "Hell Freezes Over".

The second album is a recording of the concert after which Henley and Frey almost came to blows. But as they owed their recording label a live album, they had to deliver. As a result, Eagles Live was mixed by Frey and Henley in two separate studios......... on the opposite coasts of the USA. More trivia - the applause never stops on this album as it is recorded in the run-out locked groove on Side 4 :)

Eagles Live.jpg
 
Since I met Bob Attiyeh of Yarlung Artists, I've been exploring a new genre of modern classics. It really got under my skin when I attended a LIVE recording session of James Matheson's String Quartet. Meeting the composer was a milestone experience in my appreciation of music.

This performance is amazing, and deserves sharing - Gyorgy Ligeti's Mysteries of the Macabre sung by Barbara Hannigan; London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.

 
Even if no one else watches this, I'm glad that you both like this. Great music and performance. Barbara Hannigan is something else! Her voice control is extraordinary.
I did watch it. Barely tolerable. She has control, but It was extraordinarily Unenjoyable.
IMHO, of course. Sorry Gary not for me.
 
I did watch it. Barely tolerable. She has control, but It was extraordinarily Unenjoyable.
IMHO, of course. Sorry Gary not for me.

Hahaha. Neither Amir nor Steve said that they enjoyed the music. It's certainly strange, and for me it opens up other avenues.

Even if you couldn't tolerate it, I'm glad you did try to watch it.
 
Continuing on a theme....

Lou Reed wrote a song-suite about Love's dark sisters; Jealousy, Rage and Loss. Originally released in 1973, it was an abject failure - both commercially as well as critically.

In 2006, when it was finally performed, one of the most depressing albums ever made became elevating, beautiful and epic. The story of Caroline and her lovers in Berlin. With this album, you need to find the time to devote to listening all four sides in one sitting.

Lou Reed Berlin.jpg
 

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