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Recently I have been going back and listening to a single artist's entire output, from earliest to latest. It is interesting to listen to how an artist either grows or degenerates, depending on the situation. The artists I have listened to lately are:Camel
Genesis
Thelonius Monk's Prestige Series
MFSL Rolling Stones Box Set
Yes
China CrisisUp next is Huey Lewis and the News and the Miles Davis Prestige Series. Does anyone else do this?
Follow Ups:
Too many Cd's to mention, but I'm probably on my third go 'round.
I can sit down and spend a day with Dianna Krall.
Yes, I am agree. Definitely
-- Diana KrallFor my part I can add
-- Streisand
(although she has been doing some pretty naff stuff recently, far too schmalzy. Not very impressed)
-- Genesis
(yes, the thread-originator brought that up already)
-- Glenn Gould
-- Crowded House
-- Al Jarreau
-- Bob James
-- ... er...
Being a fan of Counting Crows, I have every album they put out. It is a small collection, only 5 cd's. I did notice that the lyrics get more sullen and depressing as they progressed. I thought the song "Colourblind" was about as sad as it gets, until I heard "Holiday in Spain", which sounded sadder yet.
Listen from 1st to last? Gentle Gaint & Happy the Man, but Gentle Giant has about 10 (I need to look it up) & Happy the Man "Had" only 2. Lately Gentle Gaint has come out with some "Live" versions & Happy the Man came out with a "Live" & a perious recording. Therefore do these count? I also love Keith Jarret & Miles Davis but I am always finding some recordings I don't have. Specially Keith Jarret, how many recordings does he have? I also collect Camel but I believe I am missing either their 2nd or 3rd recording; the one before Moon Madness. Others I have have a lot of their recordings but I can't listen in one session because they start sounding the same: Yellow Jackets & Syro Griro hit this catagory.
I think Camel releases were as follows:Camel (Self-titled)
Mirage
The Snow Goose
Moonmadness
Rain Dances
Breathless
I Can See Your House from Here
Nude
Stationary Traveller
Good to see another person mention China Crisis - that sure is a nostalgic conjurer for me. I was studying in a boarding school in Bath, England in the 80's when China Crisis was quite popular. I have every single album of theirs on vinyl and CD, and actually did listen to their entire output a few months ago. You are right, their recordings were mostly quite good, the vinyl stuff sounds excellent. Walter Becker did produce their best-sellint album Flaunt The Imperfections, which also had their big hit, Black Man Ray. Whenever I take a long drive through the countryside, I always have China Crisis with me.Another group and person whose creative work I recently went through was Love and Money/James Grant from Scotland. Grant's latest work takes a bit of getting used to, but I will buy anything with his name on it, even if it means I have to listen to Capercaillie.
Lots of them - Coltrane, Miles, Monk, Mingus, John Zorn (that's a HUGE challenge), Ornette, Beatles, and many others.Besides the overall growth, you can follow the evolution of a single piece of music. Case in point, Trane's "My Favorite Things". At the end of his life, the melody was barely recognizable as he had spent years playing it and dissecting it until it became simply a springboard for exhaustive soprano playing.
Sitting through Trane's entire output would take a while (I have about 80 different Trane LPs and CDs, with many I don't have) but a listening session involving the evolution of style through the presentation of a single piece can reveal a lot. Lucky for us who are interested that he chose to re-do various pieces, as if he was challenging us to understand the changes he and his music were going through.
Curious - what kind of insights are you picking up that maybe you didn't before (when you just took a particular artist in doses)?
I think it is easier to see how an artist evolved by listening to the artist's entire works. Like Yes, for instance, which changed from a more pop-oriented, melodic group to a more avant-garde, experimental, virtuosic group which seemed to be trying to set a mood or theme throughout their records. Then they changed back to a pop group again whose records were more of a collection of pop hits than one with a common theme.China Crisis was a band little-known outside of the UK in the 80's and early 90's. I first heard them on an alternative rock station in 1985--I remember this clearly because I was writing my Master's thesis at the time. Their later records were produced by Walter Becker of Steely Dan, who apparently was a taskmaster and settled for nothing short of perfection. I would put CC in the easy-listening, progressive pop category whose musicianship and productions were stellar. Their recordings are also very good, especially for pop recordings.
Just kidding guys. I don't think it could be done. His output is in the neighborhood of 800 works, including the fragments and arrangments. I would like to try and get through the piano concertos in order some time. I think that would be a decent example of his evolution. I figure it would take about 24 hours. I think I'd need two days.Steve
Frank and SRI would very strongly counsel that if you really want to get a handle on Mozart you must get to know 'more than a few' of the works outside of the neat categories - symphonies, concertos, solo piano works, operas, string quartets, trios, sonatas etc.
Do try to get to know his chamber works for differing ensembles especially those including winds like the 'Lodron' pieces, the Gran Partita, and all the other pieces for a 'harmonie' wind group. do not be put off by the terms serenade or divertimento, it does not mean a lesser work.
By then you'd know how critical his wind writing was, then look at the scores for the symphonic works and the piano concertos. Notice the wind writing is strikingly like hsi wind writing for chamber pieces, except that the winds now act as an excahngers and commentator, in the scores. Often in the middle of what were intended to be 'antiphonal' exchanges between the 1st and 2nd strings, ie in space.
Then listen to conventional orchestra and conductor's recordings and notice how many of these almost bury his wind writing and the antiphonal exchanges, because of the; 2nds behind 1sts layout, and way too many strings. Not to mention vibrato, relatively homogenous wind sound, etc.
Some of the greats from the 'Golden age' so beloved here did try - some correctly placing first and second violins on opposite sides of the stage, and in cutting back on the numbers of strings.
But too many didn't even do these basic things and this is a pity because it reduces Mozart's acheivement, and tends to diminish the very great differences between these and the mass of later works in the orchestral canon.
Just my opinion.
timbo
Hence.. for Mozart, go HIP!straying a bit, the Mozart Symphony No. 40 I heard played by Concerto Koln really made me rush out to get the score to verify all the little things i hear that I have never heard before. Apparently they are supposed to be there! Shame on the big 'golden age' orchestras :)
Less strings and more winds in proportion for Mozart - It just sounds 'right'.
Sigh..still can't find a version of the Mozart Requiem I like..
Steve,I've recently been working thru' a little of Mozart in a modest way and it's really rewarding.
Started with his violin concertoes, I believe, there being only five in number. The way the concertoes evolved over five pieces is remarkable on whatever level you want to access them.
Then moved on to his 27 piano concertoes (took me a relaxed month...) and again the they were really intriguing, especially as their composition effectively covered his lifespan.
I'm working up the courage to listen to his operas (I struggle with operas) - oh well, maybe next year!
Get into Mozart! (I can think of worse vices).
Thanks for the reply, I've been activly into Mozart for awhile now. I was working on completing his works on LP, but gave up after getting to about the 450 mark. It's just too difficult to find the more obscure ones on LP still. I am nearing completion of a new CD set by Dutch company Brilliant Classics. It's a new 24 volume Complete Mozart Edition for vicinity of $500. I've got 1-15 and have ordered 16-20. If you're interested in the set go to www.joanrecords.com. Click on classical, then click on Mozart edition. Clicking on the box pics will show whats in each volume.Don't let the operas scare you off, they were his favorite genre and what he did the best. Mozart operas are very approachable, loaded with great melody and comedy. Magic Flute, Marriage of Figaro, and Don Giovanni is a good order to attack them. There are also 15 more after these "big" three. I think one reason people have difficulty with grasping opera is by starting with the wrong ones, think comedy not tragedy, and avoid Wagner. It also helps to see opera. They are stage presentations with sets and costumes and babes (not just fat divas in horns). You don't have to buy $150 tickets either, try college productions or DVD's. At www.dvdplanet.com there are scads of operas DVD's for under $25. The Met productions are always very good as are the Theatro Alla Scalla.
Regards
Awwwwwww Steve, you know loads about Mozart - and here's me trying to encourage you!Many thanks for your comments which were really helpful, I had not considered 'easing into a Mozart opera' by seeing it first on video - will do!
g
Yes, it's something that I enjoy doing. An overview of an artist's evolution is possible. It takes a marathon session to get through some artist's catalogues - perfectly suited, I think, to long drives in the car. A recent drive up to Montreal and back took me all the way through Branford Marsalis' output... and Branford's output took me all th eway to Montreal and back! About 13 hours.
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