What are you listening to right now?

[luvdids]

The voices in my head, asking me why I'm back here!

[Pies4shaw]

Suite No. 1 from The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp: King Crimson trying to break out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W3wX2aX7_s

I suppose I should have said, when I posted this yesterday, that the recording is very, very special because it contains (from about 3 m 12 s) the only known recorded duet by Nicky Hopkins - on harpsichord - and Robert Fripp. We're very lucky the recording was made - looking back, it is scarcely credible that Deram booked Nicky to do this recording in 1968, given that he was reasonably busy with some bigger projects (amongst his many magnificent performances during his 1968, we have him recording with The Kinks, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimmy Page and the New Yardbirds, Eric Clapton, The Move, Jeff Beck, The Easybeats, Dusty Springfield, The Hollies and Herman's Hermits - just to list some of the better-known names). Meanwhile, according to Robert Fripp's royalty statement, the first release recording of Giles, Giles and Fripp sold 500 copies.

So, there you have it - along with, eg, "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Sympathy for the Devil", "Street Fighting Man", "No Expectations", "Revolution" and "Days" we have the Greatest English Rock Pianist of the 20th Century turning up during 1968 to help Everyone's Favourite English Guitarist out of his late adolescence.

[Pies4shaw]

And on the subject of great British pianists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaCg_nC2W5s

If hearing Myra's transcription of Bach's beautiful chorale played so perfectly by her doesn't make you feel slightly disappointed that heaven doesn't exist, listen to Dinu play it, from more or less that same imaginary location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7PNFDrcqmY

[Pies4shaw]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQc5qnbJ5WE

All my "if" CDs arrived in the mail. Here's a song from if 2 with something for most people to appreciate - great vocals from J W Hodgkinson, Terry Smith's flamenco-tinged guitar (breaking eventually into proper psychedelic wah-wah), Dick Morrissey's flute, Dave Quincy's sax and Jim Richardson's very tasteful bass.

And for those of you who loved Foreigner in the 70s, there's magical drumming from the prodigious and precocious (he was about 19 when this album was made) talents of Dennis Elliott before he decided to hide his skill in search of fame and fortune (which, of course, he achieved).

Whilst on the subject of great British musicians who decided to give up experimenting with music so they could make money with Foreigner (hear, eg, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raNGeq3_DtM and also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC99JhQq-3w and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHDy_b33cCQ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxKCPjcvbys), Ian McDonald comes to mind. Of course, on his way from musical immortality with the first, ground-breaking incarnation of King Crimson to fame and fortune with Dennis in Foreigner, he did a little session work - here he is with Flo and Eddie, them both then on day-release from the Turtles and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, on an obscure little rocker from Marc Bolan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a538i3mwvSIm in the days when young Ian was still allowed to play sax in public.

[think positive]

Their day job was a great band, so many good songs with actual stories.

What is "if"?

[Pies4shaw]

^ According to Wikipedia, "if" was "one of the most highly acclaimed groups of the Seventies to never quite make the big time, despite good record sales and full venues". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_(band)

According to Allmusic, "The original incarnation of If produced five excellent albums between 1970 and 1972, but these albums failed to find an audience." https://www.allmusic.com/artist/if-mn00 ... /biography

As a little tacker, I was part of the audience "if" failed to find. Back in those days, most of their albums were never actually available in Australia. I had the first two (the first I could only get in a poor-quality "fuel crisis" US pressing and the second I could only buy second-hand) and the rest were lost in myth, as far as I was concerned. Enter the wonders of eBay and the great job done by repertoire records to make these recordings available and now I have them all (along with a new album made by two of the founding members two years ago). That's progress for you.

If you want to hear more of Foreigner, there's stuff on youtube. Their recordings may also be for sale. Personally, I never got over having to play and sing "I want to Know What Love Is" and "Cold As Ice" for a living in piano bars in the 80s.

[think positive]

Haha, cheers 2 of my favourites!

[stui magpie]

The voices in my head, asking me why I'm back here!

These voices?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mGBaXPlri8

[David]

[stui magpie]

^

I lasted 50 seconds. That was shite.

If that won JJJ's hottest 100, they have no fkn idea or relevance.

[Wokko]

I hated every song in the top 10, and think I liked one in the top 20. I used to love the Hottest 100, bought the CD every year, well after I was out of the 'youth' demographic.

It's not contemporary music that's shit, just JJJ hipster wanker music.

[David]

[stui magpie]

[Pies4shaw]

It's (nearly) enough to make you long for music performed by a master talent like Nervous Norvos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jojuPQXMm44

Seriously, there must be a lot of people out in download land who've never tried to pick up an instrument or sing. It isn't that hard - and it's reasonable to expect that a guy who has a "top" song has got enough apparent talent that if he offered to play in your band you wouldn't tell him to go home and practice a bit (or maybe take up footy, instead). Ultimately, the song is spoiled by an absence of executive ability. Fashion, of course, in such matters is everything. Let's see (well, no, some of you who won't be dead by then can see) if there's any effort to bring out a 50th anniversary remaster of that in 2067.

[David]

To be fair, taste is always going to be subjective. I imagine this band (which I love) would not necessarily appeal to everyone here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2FOnrFlEJY

When it comes to so-called Dance music, I prefer Cascada.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G6QDNC4jPs

Put that on and see if your little bloke has moves.

Oh man, that one brings back memories! Got a run at every Canberra house party back in 2006, along with the 'Listen to Your Heart' remix and 'Love Generation' by Bob Sinclar.