Yesterday, a massively eclectic list of every album I’ve bought and accrued over the last decade-and-a-half.
Today, as to give you a better idea of ‘where I am’ in the vast expanse of the percussive, chordal and tonal universe, I’ll give you a brief run-down of what I’m currently listening to on a daily basis. In fact, I’m going to listen to all three of these albums as I write this entry so that you get a nice dose of my raw, unfiltered emotions.
Prince – Purple Rain
This, apart from a secret love for Spandau Ballet (all my mother’s fault), is the only album from the 80s that I’ve ever listened to more than once. I’m serious. I hate the 80s. Abi, my 52 Weeks partner in crime, made me listen to it a few months ago. I’ve been listening to it almost day since. Purple Rain is a monumentally awesome album. Sure, it has some synths but it’s OK — they’re actual, honest-to-God good synths. Prince apparently crafted this album with the single intention of catapulting himself — his vast, world-encompassing ego — to stardom. And it worked. There’s something so incredibly sensual about his songs; I think he puts so much of himself into the writing process that it shows
I’ve listened through his entire discography now — and it’s hard work, let me tell you… there’s some real shit in there! — but the first 5 or 10 years of his career were truly awesome. It’s well worth listening to For You, Prince, Dirty Mind, Controversy, 1999 and Purple Rain — his first 5 albums. If you can make it all the way to Sign of the Times, you’ll be duly rewarded too.
Maria Schneider Orchestra – Sky Blue
Ah, now this one’s meaty. Something to stick your teeth in to. Contemporary ‘avant garde’ jazz is a very, very small genre — in fact, Maria Schneider is really the only active and successful ‘modern classical’ music arranger. Funny, considering jazz used to rule the clubs and airwaves for some 30 or 40 years, but I guess we have the pop industry to thank for that. Maria Schneider is widely considered the protégé and spiritual successor of Gil Evans (she studied under him for a few years) and her music is really the ‘end of the line’ for the entire chain of jazz orchestrations since their humble beginnings as ragtime and radio big bands. As such, some people might not appreciate Schneider’s ‘impure’ arrangements; they’re really a lot closer to classical than the jazz you might know and love from your childhood. We’re talking really damn epic pieces here — some are 25-minutes long! — but they are nowhere near as eclectic or random or jarring as ‘proper’ jazz, which will suit some people (such as myselF).
Her music is incredibly complicated, but magical and rewarding and uplifting if you stick with it. Her tunes are grandiose and wildly-sweeping, delving you into the shadowy pit of her childhood despair and then later propelling you up high with wings of cerulean clarity (I’m not just word-wanking, honest. One of her songs is called Cerulean Skies…!)
After cutting my teeth on Gil Evans, Mel Lewis and Miles Davis earlier in the year, Schneider’s compositions hit just the right spot when I’m in desperate need of something complicated and sticky.
Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim – West Side Story
Where to begin…? Should I start with its stand-out and steadfast brilliance as one of the greatest film — and musical theatre — scores of all time? Or perhaps I should celebrate it as the musical that launched Sondheim’s stellar and unmatched career as a composer, arranger and lyricist? (And a Jew!!) What about the fact that it’s based on the greatest love story of all time?
West Side Story is a modern day remake of Romeo and Juliet, just as Kiss Me, Kate retold The Taming of the Shrew and My Fair Lady was a musical rendition of Shaw’s Pygmalion. They’re all as good as each other — all as fantastic as each other at introducing new audiences to classic stories that might otherwise have gone unnoticed by younger generations. Only what you have here isn’t merely an adaptation of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy — no, West Side Story is a towering masterpiece of stupendous, dazzlingly protean music and lyrics. And don’t forget the choreography: when you watch it you have to remember that it was produced in 1957! This thing basically invented and popularised the Latin and Jazz dance-and-music sequences that you see on stage and film today.
It also happens to feature my favourite ‘musical triplet’ of all time: Something’s Coming/Maria/Tonight. ’Musical triplet’ is a phrase I coined, so don’t go Googling it — I did warn you I was a music nerd… (most good musicals have stand-out triplets… go find some!)
I wish I could give you links to the albums in MP3-format without getting into trouble, damnit. Just buy it, it’s easier. And buy Purple Rain too, if you don’t already own it — but I imagine most people are a lot more into the 80s than I… and you probably already own it. I’m such a late bloomer. Soon I’ll be listening to Duran Duran and Mötley Crüe… God help me.
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Tomorrow… some kind of photogasm. More of the kid that featured in yesterday’s 8 of 52.
Abi
Oct 20, 2009
Motley you say?.. That sounds like a challenge to me :D.
I smiled reading this.
Sakura
Oct 20, 2009
Only a true partner with your absolute best interests at heart would make you listen to Purple Rain
I am glad….not everyone is so lucky! Ace isn’t it (^_^)
Ed Adams
Oct 20, 2009
Dude, you seriously have a lot of show tunes.
That puts the naked birthday party wrestling is new perspective as well.
sebastian
Oct 20, 2009
You’re not insinuating that I’m GAY are you… Ed…?
I draw the line at ‘camp’. We absolutely, 100% did NOT bounce naked to the tune of ‘Do you hear the people sing…’ — honest.
Yes Sakki, she’s great. Forcing 80s music upon me. You should see some of the other crap she listens to…
We can work on the Motley Crue… a bit at a time.
Hannah-Lane
Oct 20, 2009
hm I’m not a big Prince fan…but I do have Purple Rain.
I’m also not a jazz fan in general…mostly because I detested having to play Jazz when I was playing the flute…the flute is NOT a jazz instrument…well I guess it can be but it’s not fun for the person playing it at all..absolutely hated it with ever fiber in my being. completely ruined jazz for me. (much like being forced to do anything can do…)
West Side Story is delightful. It makes me smile
sebastian
Oct 20, 2009
I thought the rest of his albums were pretty hit-and-miss. 1 or 2 stand-out songs that were rightfully lifted onto Greatest Hits albums. But Purple Rain (and Sign of the Times) are both great albums in their entirety. Great flow, progression and CONCLUSION!
I wasn’t into Jazz until a few months ago. I’m still not a big fan of the ‘crazy’ stuff. I need some kind of rhythm/tune to follow. I don’t like free-form stuff really. Schneider’s music is definitely more neo-classical than old-school jazz, which is why I like it.
carissajaded
Oct 20, 2009
I am not a fan of prince.. but I do have Purple rain t-shirt that i love to death. West side Story needs to be a musical quartet and include Officer Krupke. I’ll admit it’s not musically amazing.. but isn’t it every persons goal to learn all the lyrics?
Jaime
Oct 20, 2009
I love West Side Story. LOVE it. It was the first musical my aunt took me to see some years back, and it’s been one of my favorites ever since.
I want to raid your music collection.
MinD
Oct 20, 2009
Before we got to West Side Story, I thought you were on a color theme.
sebastian
Oct 20, 2009
I didn’t even notice that until now… damn. I should’ve gone with Paint Your Wagon or The Woman In Black…
If you come to the UK Jaime, I’ll burn you a few DVDs of music…!
Never was so sure about Office Krupke. Feels like it’s thrown in to bring the pace up a little or something. Or… not sure. I agree that the lyrics are pretty wild though
floreta
Oct 21, 2009
visually it still looks like a color theme because of purple, blue and red.
i really like purple rain!! my darling nikki is a good song.