What are you listening to right now?

[NancyJohnson]

Just to set the mood (and bear in mind this was 1997):

Quite a few years back, me and my wife were on a three week 4,000 mile USA roadtrip, zig-zagging around the lower southwestern states.  On the last day (after a very heavy night in Phoenix with some friends), we packed up, heading west, overnighting in Palm Springs, then onto LAX for the flight home.  If you're reading this and have done the drive, you'll know it's mainly desert/mountains until the highway briefly passes through Blythe (petrol/lunch), then onto Palm Springs.

We always listened to the radio on these trips; played the Sweet Emotion game, flipping through the frequencies.  We're in the desert, not picking up anything really.  Found a rock station and they're playing Overkill by some indie band, then Colin Hay comes in for the last verse or two.  It's goosepimply good.  I ask my wife to stop yabbing.  The lady hosting the show says, 'Lazlo Bane from their album 11 Transistor.'  I am smitten.  My wife writes it down.

I hit up a couple of CD shops in Palm Springs.  Nothing.  I wonder whether I got the name right.  I'm not certain whether Lazlo Bane is a guy's name, or the band name.  I get desparate. 

Beyond Palm Springs, we park up at a prearranged shopping mall in Montclair (which I later find out is where most of the LA based porn industry does its films); I buy first editions of the new Stephen King book, the new Kurt Vonnegut book, some banana coffee (yum) and happen across a small music store.  They have a copy of 11 Transistor. Cue angels singing.

I listen to this album about once every couple of weeks.  It's deeply embedded in my psyche.  It's not (for some reason) on Spotify/iTunes, but the rest of the catalogue that followed seems to be.  So anyhoo, today it's Lazlo Bane.

[Woodinblack]

29 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

We always listened to the radio on these trips; played the Sweet Emotion game, flipping through the frequencies.  We're in the desert, not picking up anything really.  Found a rock station and they're playing Overkill by some indie band, then Colin Hay comes in for the last verse or two.  It's goosepimply good.  I ask my wife to stop yabbing.  The lady hosting the show says, 'Lazlo Bane from their album 11 Transistor.'  I am smitten.  My wife writes it down.

Amazing you could get that.

We did a trip (when I lived in SF) from San Francisco to death valley when I friend visited,  it was the first trip out of SF when I lived there - this was '96, couldn't drive yet. Coming out of San Francisco, the radio was all 'Alice music' (Alice radio 97.3 - lisa loeb, Alanis Morissette, Meridith brooks etc), then once you are past Livermore your choice was religious programs or a station that appeared to just play Led Zeppelin II (not going crazy and playing the others). We flipped between them, it was a good contrast.

I didn't feel the need to buy Led Zeppelin II!

On the other hand, my first road trip when I could drive in 1998, like the week after I passed my test. I drove from Montreal to toronto down the 401. They had a clever thing where you had FM repeaters all the way down the route, so there was never a moment that you couldn't turn the radio on and hear 'That don't impress me much'. I didn't buy that either!

[NancyJohnson]

14 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Amazing you could get that.

We did a trip (when I lived in SF) from San Francisco to death valley when I friend visited,  it was the first trip out of SF when I lived there - this was '96, couldn't drive yet. Coming out of San Francisco, the radio was all 'Alice music' (Alice radio 97.3 - lisa loeb, Alanis Morissette, Meridith brooks etc), then once you are past Livermore your choice was religious programs or a station that appeared to just play Led Zeppelin II (not going crazy and playing the others). We flipped between them, it was a good contrast.

I didn't feel the need to buy Led Zeppelin II!

On the other hand, my first road trip when I could drive in 1998, like the week after I passed my test. I drove from Montreal to toronto down the 401. They had a clever thing where you had FM repeaters all the way down the route, so there was never a moment that you couldn't turn the radio on and hear 'That don't impress me much'. I didn't buy that either!

Unless anyone has done these trips, they find it hard to comprehend the white-noise/radio static in the US.  There's a lot of empty.  We'd put the radio on and scan frequencies, stations would be there and gone a few minutes later.  Small bubbles of activity.

The Sweet Emotion game is a must, though.  God knows how much revenue Aerosmith make from that song some 45 years after it was released.  Pick up your hire car, find a random station and boom.  I think one time we picked up a car in Boston and it was on the radio before we'd even left the Alamo parking lot.

[alyctes]

Tres Chicas, 'Bloom, Red and the Ordinary Girl'.

Pleasant enough if you like that sort of thing, but one of them is Tonya Lamm ex Hazeldine, so I was hoping for something more.

[Stub Mandrel]

17 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

The Sweet Emotion game is a must, though.  God knows how much revenue Aerosmith make from that song some 45 years after it was released.  Pick up your hire car, find a random station and boom.  I think one time we picked up a car in Boston and it was on the radio before we'd even left the Alamo parking lot.

So it's the American equivalent of 'Red Fiesta' or 'Eddie Stobart' 🙂

Edited May 18, 2020 by Stub Mandrel

[Woodinblack]

28 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

Unless anyone has done these trips, they find it hard to comprehend the white-noise/radio static in the US.  There's a lot of empty.  We'd put the radio on and scan frequencies, stations would be there and gone a few minutes later.  Small bubbles of activity.

Its obviously a more noticeable on the west coast than the east. In fact, if you haven't done these trips, and lived in the UK all your life, just the amount of time in the middle and the west that there is absolutely nothing. My friends in SF said 'what do you want to go down to death valley for, there is nothing there', and were surprised at the answer, yes, there is nothing, I have never known that. Even our desolate areas aren't desolate for long.

It has changed from the last few road trips we have done. with satelite radio, you put on some station and you get it all the way on your trip. It is handy but in some way it is a bit sad that those areas where this is nothing is dissapearing.*

Now you mention it though,  Sweet emotion is on the radio a lot!

 

* last roadtrip in 2015, driving through nevada, hundreds of miles from the nearest ghost town or isolated RV, pick up the phone 'oh, 5 bars of 4g'.

Edited May 18, 2020 by Woodinblack

[ClassicVibes]

Soundgarden - Superunknown (album)

[steantval]

Crickey, these ladies are good.

 

[mikebass456]

The brilliant Tony Levin.......Gabriel's let himself go a bit though........

[Mykesbass]

18 hours ago, steantval said:

Crickey, these ladies are good.

 

Guitarist is the lovely Eliana Cargnelutti. Toured with her last year and did a couple of gigs with her at the start of this year. Her blues band is great - absolutely top bass player and drummer. 

[Stub Mandrel]

Didn't realise the insane drummer is Carmine Appice!

Edited May 20, 2020 by Stub Mandrel

[lemonstar]

More monologue than music but the man has talent.

 

[TheMaartian]

6 hours ago, lemonstar said:

More monologue than music but the man has talent.

 

This is the CD that I currently have on in my Forester!

Somebody ought to chain up the bass player.

Love that line!

[lemonstar]

I'm also listening to everything I've got by Tommy Stinson, Bash & Pop etc

 

[musicbassman]

Just for smiles.

Genevieve Artadi (Knower) messing about in her kitchen with Aya to reproduce a Disney-esque version of a Snow White tune. She has a real problem keeping a straight face!

Look out for the outtakes at the end.   🙂

 

 

[Richard R]

On 15/05/2020 at 20:58, TheMaartian said:

David Gilmour just posted the full Live At Pompeii show as a fundraiser for COVID-19 (link on YouTube page).

 

Finally sitting down to watch this. Adds not too intrusive,  and great playing. 

[Stub Mandrel]

My own soundcloud account.

Sad eh?

[Leonard Smalls]

Love that GoGo beat!

 

 

[Bobthedog]

Some of you may know that when I am not playing bass I am an opera nut. Currently listening to these stunning duets. Give them a listen. Stunning simply stunning voices:

 

[dmccombe7]

I just can't get into Opera singing at all. It always sounds false to me. Its as if they are putting an accent on to sing.

I enjoy some classical music but gonna have to draw the line at opera singing.

I've heard opera singers do other styles and they have exceptional voices too.

Dave

[TheMaartian]

1 hour ago, Bobthedog said:

Some of you may know that when I am not playing bass I am an opera nut. Currently listening to these stunning duets. Give them a listen. Stunning simply stunning voices:

 

Nice to meet another opera fan! I had 2 seats in Box 13 at the Chicago Lyric Opera for years! Have you seen Der Ring des Nibelungen live? It was a bit tough to sit through those 6+ hour performances. And our Brünnhilde was the largest woman I've ever seen on an opera stage...and I've seen a few. Even the 80 year old dowagers I shared the box with got a laugh.

[TheMaartian]

18 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I just can't get into Opera singing at all. It always sounds false to me. Its as if they are putting an accent on to sing.

I enjoy some classical music but gonna have to draw the line at opera singing.

I've heard opera singers do other styles and they have exceptional voices too.

Dave

Opera is best live. Except for the stand-and-sing operas. Those can be dreadfully boring.

Until you've seen a Peter Sellars production, you haven't lived. His production of The Mikado was beyond spectacular. Absolutely faithful to the music, but with lots of theatrical twists. Like opening in a corporate board room instead of 16th century Japan. Or like having an Elvis poster and ghetto blaster in Yum-Yum's  bedroom in the second act (now back in 16th century Japan). It was a wonderful experience!

[Bobthedog]

1 minute ago, TheMaartian said:

Nice to meet another opera fan! I had 2 seats in Box 13 at the Chicago Lyric Opera for years! Have you seen Der Ring des Nibelungen live? It was a bit tough to sit through those 6+ hour performances. And our Brünnhilde was the largest woman I've ever seen on an opera stage...and I've seen a few. Even the 80 year old dowagers I shared the box with got a laugh.

Wagner is not really my thing, so not, however, I was invited to the whole Ring cycle a couple of years ago at Longborough (an English country opera house). Anything Italian and I am there. Plus most other stuff.

I spend a lot of my summers at The Royal Opera House in London and Garsington and Glyndbourne (both other English country opera houses). Sadly all off due to the lockdown this season. I was supposed to see Tosca with Anna Netrebko a couple of weeks ago, but that was cancelled but also Mitridate re di Ponto (one of Mozart's first operas) at Garsington in a couple of weeks, also cancelled. 

I am a Friend (member) of the Royal Opera House and have been for years but not with seats. Have done some European opera houses too in the lasts few years and also the Met in NY (last time was Marriage of Figaro)

[Bobthedog]

29 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I just can't get into Opera singing at all. It always sounds false to me. Its as if they are putting an accent on to sing.

I enjoy some classical music but gonna have to draw the line at opera singing.

I've heard opera singers do other styles and they have exceptional voices too.

Dave

That is the beauty of music, something for everyone somewhere.

[TheMaartian]

2 minutes ago, Bobthedog said:

Wagner is not really my thing, so not, however, I was invited to the whole Ring cycle a couple of years ago at Longborough (an English country opera house). Anything Italian and I am there. Plus most other stuff.

I spend a lot of my summers at The Royal Opera House in London and Garsington and Glyndbourne (both other English country opera houses). Sadly all off due to the lockdown this season. I was supposed to see Tosca with Anna Netrebko a couple of weeks ago, but that was cancelled but also Mitridate re di Ponto (one of Mozart's first operas) at Garsington in a couple of weeks, also cancelled. 

I am a Friend (member) of the Royal Opera House and have been for years but not with seats. Have done some European opera houses too in the lasts few years and also the Met in NY (last time was Marriage of Figaro)

The voice that came out of Anna Netrebko in the video was: a) a complete surprise, and b) just simply stunning. Love her voice!