So What Are You Listening To?

[navelgazer]

I spun Mamas/Papas two-disc greatest hits this afternoon on my extended 40-mile loops around Gresham/Sandy/Estacada Oregon.  Since I can't smoke in the car anymore -- thank you, Chantix -- I need to boost my basic sound system that currently limits me to 38 on the volume meter.  

12:30 and Creeque Alley are my absolute faves.  

Edited March 27, 2017 by navelgazer

[MyAimIsTrue]

6 hours ago, navelgazer said:

12:30 and Creeque Alley are my absolute faves.  

'Creeque Alley' is one of my all time favorite songs.  And everyone's getting fat except Mama Cass...

[proserpina65]

Just got a new-ish cd player put in my car (after months of not having a working one) and am currently listening to The Essential Van Morrison.  I literally listened to Into the Mystic 3 times on my way to work this morning.

[AgentRXS]

Been feeling a bit melancholy lately so been listening to Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album . I don't think I fully appreciated what a masterpiece it is when listening to it as a kid. "Silver Springs"  (an outtake from the album) has been my go-to song lately.

[aradia22]

I've been in a weird mood lately but I've definitely been on a Spotify kick. Sometimes I just let my playlists run on shuffle but I've been in an album mood (a residual state from my iTunes days where I listen to an album and then sort songs into the playlists... that I then play on shuffle... and repeat). I listened to a lot of Shirley Bassey who I feel like I should not love... her voice isn't actually very expressive on many songs and she just sort of blares them out... but damn she's good at it. Now I'm on Barbra Streisand who is a legend for a reason. Now there's someone who knows how to perform a song. I took a detour to listen to Como Ama Una Mujer and Sigo Siendo Yo because I really love No Me Ames, the Jennifer Lopez/Marc Anthony duet from On the 6. By the way, I don't understand a word of Spanish besides the ones that are English or French cognates. She really does sound better in Spanish though it couldn't totally disguise the weaknesses in her vocals. His album (I chose the one recorded around the same time as the duet) was more mixed. I think some of the songs were hampered by the production but it was still enjoyable... just muddled. It wasn't one artistic statement. Like, this is an album of pop music or this is an album of standards. It was a bit of this and that. I'm also almost through Golden Moments from Jill Scott which is almost like poetry and isn't the height of vocal ability but I still love it. It's just very cool and thoughtful and sexy. 

[proserpina65]

3 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Been feeling a bit melancholy lately so been listening to Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album . I don't think I fully appreciated what a masterpiece it is when listening to it as a kid. "Silver Springs"  (an outtake from the album) has been my go-to song lately.

This is the cassette (yes, you read that right) I've been using to test the cassette deck that came with my new-ish car cd player.  Man, I really missed having a cassette deck in the car.

[navelgazer]

My 2nd favorite album of all time Pink Floyd Animals.  All-time fave will probably be next, Marillion Misplaced Childhood, a better concept album than The Wall IMHO.  

[MyAimIsTrue]

On ‎4‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 11:20 AM, AgentRXS said:

Been feeling a bit melancholy lately so been listening to Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album . I don't think I fully appreciated what a masterpiece it is when listening to it as a kid. "Silver Springs"  (an outtake from the album) has been my go-to song lately.

"Rumours" was the first album I bought with my own money (hard earned from babysitting).  I was in the seventh grade and I wore out its grooves.

[SirOsisOfLiver]

Semi-related story. Years ago I was in the military and lived in barracks. One night I'm trying to sleep and "Rumours" is playing in the next barracks block, loud enough to keep me awake. I listen to the entire album, then it starts again. People start yelling across the lawn to SHUT UP! No response. It's starts for a third time, so I get out of bed, get dressed and walk across the lawn to the next building. Go inside, knock on the door, no reply. Check the door and it's unlocked. Enter the room to find a bunch of air cadets were here for the weekend and left the 8-track tape running, but nobody is in the room. I'm sorry to say, I pulled the 8-track from the machine and stomped the tape to death.

To this day, I despise that album. Utterly loathe it.

8-track tapes. Yep, I'm old.

[Irish Lass]

Edited April 17, 2017 by Irish Lass

[Mazz]

Penny Lane~ Beatles

[Lugal]

Found out Tinariwen put out a new album this year.  Tuareg music with a strong blues-rock influence.

[ebk57]

Happy 100th Birthday Ella!!!

[Scout Finch]

For a little over a month, I have quite literally (by the true definition) listened to nothing other than The Brian Jonestown Massacre. While I was aware of them all these years--initially through watching Dig! because I liked the Dandy Warhols--some sort of musical lightning bolt hit me this year and I fully succumbed to their--well, Anton Newcombe's--incredible music. I think that BJM is one of the best and most underrated bands of the past 20+ years and that Anton is an absolute musical genius. He'll never be in the running for Mr. Congeniality but he's gotten a lot better than when he was in the worst stage of heroin addiction during Dig! He's clean, sober and nearing 50 but still consistently turning out incredible psychedelia, '60s garage pop, early Stones'-style blues and pure techno. I lost three loved ones last year and then because of the election things have just gotten so much bleaker. There have been a few times when I discover a band that is pretty much about the only thing bringing me happiness at that point. It happened with The Black Angels in 2006 and a local band four years ago, and now I feel like I've been gifted with a musical lifeline once again.

Edited April 26, 2017 by Scout Finch

[aradia22]

I've been listening to a lot of Chairlift lately in anticipation of and after seeing their final concert (the band broke up) in Brooklyn. Their second album, Something, is my favorite but if you haven't listened to them since "Bruises" I recommend all three albums.

[piequinn35]

Backstreet Boys and Westlife, I love their songs unlike the boybands today lol

[MyAimIsTrue]

This morning I made the mistake of listening to Pink Floyd's "Great Gig in the Sky."  Don't get me wrong, it's a stunningly beautiful piece of music but the song always makes me sad and I haven't been able to shake that feeling all day.

[shoregirl]

Im watching the live stream of the Zak Brown band concert on Twitter. It sounds and looks incredible from a technical aspect . It's amazing how far live streaming has come in the couple years.  It's a good concert musically too. I like Zak Brown and his band is full of very talented musicians. 

[roseslg]

My head is filled with all toddler related music.   Someone, shoot me in the face.  Even when it's not playing the songs are still going around in my head.  I find myself singing Disney tunes for no reason.

[WendyCR72]

Seether has just released a new album, "Poison The Parish". (Where do bands come up with these titles?!) Anyway, I'm kind of liking the song, "Misunderstood", off of said album. (This song is on the extended Deluxe Edition, BTW!)

[MyAimIsTrue]

This song popped up in my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify and it's a song I loved in the ninth grade, and surprisingly it sounds better than I remember.

Fun fact:  Steve Forbert played Cyndi Lauper's boyfriend at the end of the "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" video.

[WendyCR72]

I remember that song! But I was just a kid. Didn't recall this guy in the "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" video, but Captain Lou Albano stuck out for me.

[MyAimIsTrue]

He appears toward the end with flowers for Cyndi.  This is when all of her friends are dancing in her room and they kiss just as Captain Lou looks through the keyhole in the door.

[WendyCR72]

19 hours ago, MyAimIsTrue said:

He appears toward the end with flowers for Cyndi.  This is when all of her friends are dancing in her room and they kiss just as Captain Lou looks through the keyhole in the door.

Thanks for the point of reference!  :-)

[WendyCR72]

Been listening to Chris Cornell for the obvious sad reason. And as a Beatles/John Lennon fan, he did a great cover of "Imagine" from his Songbook CD:

 

Also, from that same CD, he did a great cover of "Thank You" (originally done by Led Zeppelin):

[Yokosmom]

Quote

Found out Tinariwen put out a new album this year.  Tuareg music with a strong blues-rock influence.

Never heard of Tinariwen.  Thanks for posting the video of his music!  Immediately bought the latest album.

[Silver Raven]

Ed Sheeran's "Castle on The Hill".  It's so good.

[SunnyBeBe]

On 3/31/2017 at 3:57 PM, proserpina65 said:

Just got a new-ish cd player put in my car (after months of not having a working one) and am currently listening to The Essential Van Morrison.  I literally listened to Into the Mystic 3 times on my way to work this morning.

On a good night and some nice wine, I can get into Into the Mystic dozens of times!  LOVE that guy. OTHER great songs on that CD are:

Moondance

Crazy Love

And it Stoned Me

Tupelo Honey

His music is timeless, imo. 

[WendyCR72]

Listening to the Deluxe Edition (2-CD version, versus the mucho expensive Super Deluxe 4-CD version!) of U2's The Joshua Tree. Still a classic. And the '87 concert at Madison Square Garden is a nice bonus!

[MyAimIsTrue]

I've recently discovered Tears For Fears' 2004 album "Everybody Loves A Happy Ending" and it's a wonderful combination of Beatles frothiness with Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd.  I don't know why I'd not heard of this album previously.

[cpcathy]

Year of the Cat by Al Stewart. Piano intro is so cool it makes me want to drive along the coast.

[Zola]

Canadian rock band, Rush, and their "Exit: Stage Left" album from 1981. This is my dad's vinyl record, and sounds so much "warmer" than my CD rip.

[MyAimIsTrue]

On ‎7‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 11:10 AM, Only Zola said:

Canadian rock band, Rush,

Best Canadian export since ice hockey.

[Zola]

Another one of my dad's old favourite CDs that I have managed to secretly "borrow" for a day or two....

"Minute by Minute" by The Doobie Brothers.

I am not generally "into" R&B & Soul, etc. But I have to say I am totally ensorcelled by the wonderful tenor voice of Michael McDonald. 

Very easy listening on the open road too!

[GaT]

3 hours ago, Only Zola said:

I am not generally "into" R&B & Soul, etc. But I have to say I am totally ensorcelled by the wonderful tenor voice of Michael McDonald. 

I have always thought Michael McDonald had one of the best voices in any kind of popular music.

[Silver Raven]

23 minutes ago, GaT said:

I have always thought Michael McDonald had one of the best voices in any kind of popular music.

His "On My Own" duet with Patti Labelle is absolutely beautiful.

 

[SunnyBeBe]

When I envision driving along the west coast in CA, I always think of this song.  It just makes me smile when I hear it.  Ventura Highway by America.

Edited July 5, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[Zola]

Carbon Based Lifeforms, and their debut album from way back in 1998 - "The Path"

The two guys in this group are both Swedish, and I only got to know them through word-of-mouth. They're primarily in the genre of ambient fusion/chillout. 

Very easy on the mind after a stressful day; or background sounds when you're trying to concentrate on something. 

Not everyone's cup of tea perhaps, but they certainly help my mind drift to a better place for an hour or so.

[aradia22]

I've been continuing my deep dive into Barbra Streisand. Bit by bit I'm getting through each of her albums from start to finish. They're easy listening... in a good way. Like yesterday I listened to 4 in a row. I prefer her early Broadway/cabaret stuff. Some of it is very dated, which doesn't make it bad but it's hard to sort into playlists or think about when I'd actually want to re-listen to it. Some of it like her album Butterfly is... problematic. The cultural appropriation is so cringey. And also the soulfulness she's going for doesn't suit her high soprano and it kind of sounds too much like wailing. 

[Zola]

Kate Bush and her "Hounds of Love" (1985) and "The Red Shoes" (1993)

Couldn't get into her earlier stuff - her voice was a bit too pitched for my sensitive ears, but "Hounds of Love" is truly wonderful, and The Red Shoes, is also a return to form, especially "And So is Love" with Eric Clapton

[rmcrae]

On ‎7‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 8:53 AM, Only Zola said:

Another one of my dad's old favourite CDs that I have managed to secretly "borrow" for a day or two....

"Minute by Minute" by The Doobie Brothers.

I am not generally "into" R&B & Soul, etc. But I have to say I am totally ensorcelled by the wonderful tenor voice of Michael McDonald. 

Very easy listening on the open road too!

Just curious. Have you not really explored it or have you and what you heard just wasn't your cup of tea?

[MyAimIsTrue]

My earworm of late has been the Moody Blues' "Gemini Dream" so I've been listening to the song a lot (and also watching a video clip as Justin Hayward was hot) as it brings back great memories from the summer of 1981.

[unicorn23]

On 4/3/2017 at 11:20 AM, AgentRXS said:

Been feeling a bit melancholy lately so been listening to Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album . I don't think I fully appreciated what a masterpiece it is when listening to it as a kid. "Silver Springs"  (an outtake from the album) has been my go-to song lately.

Their performance of Silver Springs that's on The Dance album cemented it as one of my favorite songs EVER. You can feel the emotion going through Stevie and Lindsey while performing this and it gives me chills every time especially during the 4:25 mark in this video.

Maren Morris' Hero album which was released mid-last year continues to be one of my favorite albums this year and is fast becoming one of my favorite albums ever. Can't wait what to see what she has in store for album number two.

[Zola]

German-Romanian band "Enigma" and their  best album (IMHO) "The Screen Behind the Mirror"

Mostly ambient, New Age tracks that make for easy listening and help concentrate the mind when working on long-winded and/or complicated IT projects. 

[amaranta]

Looked at my most Summer 2017 playlist.  Bands with the most songs:

Milky Chance
Cage the Elephant
Cold War Kids

On 5/31/2017 at 4:01 PM, Silver Raven said:

Ed Sheeran's "Castle on The Hill".  It's so good.

I love this song - it's the first Sheeran I've really liked.

Quote

Kate Bush and her "Hounds of Love" (1985) and "The Red Shoes" (1993)

I love Kate Bush but I also like her earlier stuff; I think The Kick Inside is one of her best albums.  But she definitely does do some weird stuff with her voice.

[Annber03]

41 minutes ago, amaranta said:

Cage the Elephant

I've been checking out a bit more of these guys' work recently. I liked "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" when that came out, and I've been playing the crap out of their song "Cold, Cold, Cold" recently, so that finally got me thinking, "Hm, I wonder what their other stuff sounds like." I've liked what I've heard so far. 

[amaranta]

1 minute ago, Annber03 said:

I've been playing the crap out of their song "Cold, Cold, Cold"

That's my favorite right now as well.

 

2 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

"Ain't No Rest for the Wicked"

I actually don't have that, or Stolen Dance, on my current playlist. They used to be but I found I liked that other album cuts better.

I also have a fair number of songs by a band called Dawes that I'm listening to, and I also put several Stone Temple Pilots on there.  I had never listened to their titular 2010 album and no, it doesn't sound like the early stuff.  But I like it, especially First Kiss on Mars.  That has an almost Bowie-esque feel to it, enough so I might even call it an homage.

[ebk57]

Randy Newman's new album Dark Matter.  It's streaming on NPR First Listen this week.  We're going to see him in mid-September.  

http://www.npr.org/2017/07/27/537309087/first-listen-randy-newman-dark-matter

 

As always with Mr. Newman, I have to listen a few times because words are important!  And it's hard to pay close attention at work sometimes.  They actually expect me to work for some reason...

[TrininisaScorp]

I've been in a neoR&B mood lately and I've come across Yuna, Jorja Smith, and Luke James.  All three are lovely with excellent voices and really nice POVs.  In particular, I really think the Brit Soul from Jorja is amazing.  Check out both Blue Lights and Teenage Fantasy.

Quote

 

[Cherry Bomb]

Listening to Rihanna "Cheers"