Robin Trower

Nothing spells love like Robin Trower. Oddly enough, this album from a 1975 performance in Stockholm's Konserthus is not on Spotify or in MP3 format on Amazon right now. (A number of the things here aren't, now that I think of it.) So...

Download here (no password):

http://www.mediafire.com/?6266fb70tu3a4td

My absolute favorites here are "Daydream" and "I Can't Wait Much Longer," (also on his first album*) with bassist James Dewar's stellar voice in full force. The tunes have a moodiness that I greatly identify with. Dewar died in 2002, but Trower is still strong - never lost his chops as a guitarist.

From here you can explore a number of albums both on Spotify and Amazon. A few to start with: Twice Removed from Yesterday*, At The BBC 1973-1975, B.L.T. (with Jack Bruce... and a picture of a sandwich on the front cover), and Living Out of Time (Live). He's got great live energy. I have to catch up on more of his studio albums, especially the most recent ones.

Almost forgot to mention Bridge of Sighs. That's a good one too, especially that killer intro on the title track.

Cheers,
Angus

P.S.: A lot of the early Procol Harum is fun stuff. The tune "A Salty Dog" is a gem.

P.P.S.: Passed the 100,000 mark with the page views on this blog. For comparison I have another Blogger blog for almost as long, that I seldom maintain, and that one has like 600 views. Music is always a more fun topic.

I've been digging Tumblr too - I share daily picks over there. It's much easier: nothing to post, as the albums are already online. But there are endless amounts of cool photos and art to check out as well. There are a lot of people in the world, many of them on Tumblr, just tumbling away :-)

Thoughts Before The Superbowl

First, I went and got a six pack of Geary's Pale Ale. Home run. All right, wrong word. Touchdown! This Portland, Maine brew embodies everything I love about ale. Just smelling it lets you know this is English style. The yeast and hops help give it that unmatchable aroma and flavor, albeit a little more dry and herbal than some of the pale ales from across the way. Another American great of similar kind is Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55. Try these if you like the flavor. I can't recommend them enough.

Next, the photo above. The Boss. Bruce Springsteen himself. I am listening to Live in Dublin right now. This is an unbelievable concert. He performs with The Sessions Band doing Pete Seeger tunes together with his own stuff, here with banjo, fiddle, accordion, brass, and plenty of acoustic energy. You can find this on Spotify too. It's even better than the beer.

Now none of this has anything to do with football. I have not been following all season, so I'll have some catching up to do watching the game. I didn't even have any idea who is performing in the half time show till I just looked it up. Beyoncé it is. Usually the half time show is just glimmering lights and a fashion show, but I really dug what Bruce did a few years back. That rocked.

Anyway, I'm still looking through the archives to see what I can share next. For now, enjoy the game if you're watching, and if not, go enjoy something else. Happy February.

Cheers,
Angus

What They Have In Common

Twelve songs here, performed by Aengus Finnan, Antje Duvekot, Jenee Halstead, Rob Lytle, James O’Malley, Stuart Markus, Small Potatoes, Joe Iadanza, Spuyten Duyvil, The McDades, Peter Rowan, and Gathering Time respectively.

Each of these artists has performed at the Folk Music Society of Huntington. I have seen them all live, the ones who live more locally (Stuart Markus, Joe Iadanza, Gathering Time) quite a few times. These are some of my favs. Check them out!

Cheers,
Angus

Kathleen Ferrier

The voice of Kathleen Ferrier was a force of nature. She died in 1953 of breast cancer. One of her last recordings in 1952 with Sir Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic Orchestra included a performance of the air "Father of Heaven" from Handel's Judas Maccabeus. This is one of the greatest contralto performances in the history of recorded music. I won't footnote that statement, but if you like go listen for yourself.

I wanted to include an MP3 in this post, but this time around I will leave it to you to find a copy. There are several copies on Spotify and Amazon. Click here for an Amazon link. 

Just thinking about this performance makes me cry, without fail. It is so uncommonly beautiful. She was sick but kept strong long enough to leave us with her incomparable gift.

Cheers,

Angus

P.S.: Two other gems in the mezzo-soprano and soprano departments respectively...

1. Janet Baker singing the “Urlicht” song from Mahler’s 2nd in the Simon Rattle recording.

2. Gundula Janowitz singing “Mit Staunen sieht das Wunderwerk" from Haydn’s Creation with Karajan conducting.

By the way, if you have any favorites you'd like to share, add a comment and I'll give it a listen!