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Musical Overview
by Benjamin (a.k.a. 'Ben')
Revised 8 July 2006
This page provides an overview of (most of) the music I like. I hope that it helps some readers to explore new music without wasting too much money. If you want to read more, you can click the link above, which contains a CD review and other items.
Note: The music clips are about 700KB in size.
Classical Music Bach Organ Works by Helmut Walcha (DGG)
Probably the best Bach organist ever recorded. Soulful and deep, with a wonderful tonal palette, a masterful, energetic yet solid touch (never hectic), and a flawless technique, this
blind organist
was far better than brilliant ... he penetrated to the inner essence of Bach's music. Played on the
Schnitger Organ
in the St. Laurenskerk, Alkmaar, Netherlands and the
Silbermann Organ
in the Church of the St.-Pierre-le-Jeune, Strasburg. These 17th and 18th century organs are powerful and thunderous yet clear and crisp - much better than the thick, sludgy sound of many 19th century organs - and are embellished with many exquisite and haunting sounds for the quieter pieces. Recorded in the 1970's and earlier, the louder pieces, such as the Toccatas, can sound harsh. My favorite is the
Prelude
and
Fugue
in D major (BWV 532), with a rich and sonorous prelude followed by pristine, resonating, playful flute sounds in the fugue. If you think you hate fugues, listen to this. I often find Bach to be a bit tedious, but this piece as played by Walcha has enchanted me since childhood. Similar pieces are Prelude and Fugues such as BWV 543, 545, 536, 531, 533, 550, 539, 551, 535, 578, 590, 588, 589, as well as any of the other softer pieces such as Chorales, Triosonatas, Orgelbuchlein, etc. The great Toccata and Fugues present a problem. When the sound is rich and sonorous, they are most impressive, but often the sound is harsh and disagreeable, at least to my ears. This seems true of many organists, and I have spent a fortune trying to find interpretations of the 'loud' Bach organ pieces that are truly satisfying, with only sparse success.
(E. Power Biggs
was one success, my second favorite Bach organist.) I simply don't like the harshness, however slight, that I often hear in the loud works. But when the tone is loud but smooth and rich - while remaining clear - it can sound like creation itself. Also, it seems I prefer the earlier Bach works (the ones mentioned above); he seemed to have had more imagination in his youth, while his later organ works often sound a bit stodgy. Walcha plays these early ones with his most
exotic tone-colors,
which I love (also
this).
However, not to be missed is Walcha's version (the later 1970 version) of the last fugue in the
Art of the Fugue,
left unfinished on Bach's deathbed and completed by Walcha. Here he combines reed stops like burnished copper with other powerful organ colors to create a rich and magnificent sound. Here's a final clip, from the introduction to the
Toccata in F Major,
where some playful pastorale-like flute sounds are followed by magnificent pedals in octaves. However, the crashing chords at the end of the clip are an example of the harsh sound that I don't like and that I hear so frequently in organ playing. It is not volume that annoys me but rather the abrasive quality, at least to my ears. This may partly have to do with the now antiquated recording technology. Anyhow, if you really love the organ, then you should purchase the complete works. It is well worth it, despite some caveats that may be peculiar to me and my overly-delicate ears. Here is some
useful information.
Beethoven Piano Concertos
Favorite: Wilhelm Kempff & Ferdinand Leitner (DGG 1960s); Close second: Rudolf Serkin & Seiji Ozawa (Telarc 1980s) Kempff has the finest touch, but Serkin is nearly as good and is better recorded due to later technology. I could not do without the first, a true classic, even though the orchestra may sometimes sound a bit thin by modern standards. Unlike the Beethoven sonatas, Kempff never sounds dry or staccato in the concertos. Ozawa has a nice rich sounding orchestra, but Leitner's conducting is a bit more inspired. The Beethoven piano concertos are perhaps my favorite Beethoven (and I am an overall Beethoven fanatic). The combination of orchestra and piano makes an endlessly satisfying and poetic contrast of sound, whereas sometimes one needs the stomach for a boisterous Beethoven symphony. All the concertos are wonderful. The 4th is an
introverted and intimate masterpiece;
the 5th (Emperor) is
splendid perfection.
But the first three are nearly as good. Early Beethoven is underrated. He may not have been as deep then as in his later works composed after he became deaf, but the combination of 18th century charm and 19th century passion produces a
sweeter, more captivating feeling
than the empty bombast often found in later Romantic works. Beethoven's
utter sincerity and truth
make 'genius' sound like a trite word, yet his mastery of composition seems unsurpassable. As with all great music, one must lose oneself in it and let it sink deep into one's heart (and subconscious), listening again and again, as I did when very young, before I became addicted to rock music as an adolescent. I often feel that if I had gotten rock into my blood at an earlier age, I would never have been able to understand how moving and beautiful Beethoven is. Classical music tends to sound flat and dull if you just listen to it inattentively on the radio (and much of it is mediocre anyway). It is also essential to have good recordings and a good music system. The quality of the tone must be as rich, clear, resonant, and beautiful as possible. Many recordings have the artistic technique and advanced technology but still sound flat. The best recordings are by no means necessarily the most recent. Many classical music companies make the mistake of putting a mere Ph.D. in charge of the recording (see a note on equalization.) Often the artists also sound like they are mere students going through the drills. True emotion is much more than this. It must arise spontaneously, as the natural expression of one's life and soul, and this quality is surprisingly rare. So don't give up on classical music just because you don't like this or that recording, as I'm sure many people do.
Other Recordings
There is of course a huge number of classical music recordings. For Beethoven's symphonies, Karajan's masterful cycle from the 1980's has plenty of power, control and feeling. Some say his earlier versions are better, but I am sure the sound quality is inadequate. For Beethoven's sonatas, Kempf remains my favorite pianist, although he can sound dry and staccato on the louder parts, and the quality of the recording is a bit thin. Neverthless, his quieter passages have great delicacy, poetry, insight and finesse. There are earlier legendary interpretations such as by Artur Schnabel, but the sound quality is intolerable. I have a number of recordings from the 1970s-1980s, but none sound better than Kempf to my ears (e.g. Alfred Brendel sounds a bit thick though he is more expressive than most), and so I assume (perhaps falsely) that nobody today is any better either (since the world is decaying all the time). A legendary pianist for Chopin and other romantic composers is Martha Argerich. Since childhood, I have considered her interpretation of the Polonaise-Fantaisie to be ethereal perfection. There are other legendary names such as Horowitz or Rubinstein, but I have blind faith that none are better than Argerich. For the Mozart piano concertos I recommend Mitsuko Uchida, whose smooth pearly sound seems perfect for this music. For the Schumann piano concerto, I particularly like the 1987 Chandos recording by Israela Margalit, which is coupled with a very enjoyable piano concerto by Saint-Saens and is well recorded. As for later romantic music, I love some symphonies by Dvorak, which are full of sunshine and air and lyricism, but overated Teutonic composers such as Mahler and Bruckner and even Wagner sound tedious and blatherous to me. (Well, Mahler's first symphony is charming, and Wagner did have some quite hummable melodies full of pathos.) However, the French composers such as Saint-Saens, Debussy or Ravel are often excellent with a light but sensuous touch and imaginative coloration. (Pascal Roge is one good pianist who comes to mind for the Ravel concertos.)
Meditation Music Not all of this music can be described as 'meditative', but I don't like the label 'New Age', and I can't think of anything else. I can detect a certain common feeling in all this music, a tendency towards the 'trance' that is characteristic of Asian spirituality. This is in contrast to the emotional pathos of classical European music. It is interesting to wonder which type of music is 'better', especially from the point of view of an 'enlightened' person. Beethoven's deep emotion was produced by suffering, but I imagine the enlightened consciousness to be on a more serene and ethereal plane above suffering. Do we lose something by rising above suffering? Or is Beethoven's deep feeling too 'thick' for the angels, notwithstanding its rich beauty? What state of consciousness are you in right now, Ludwig, and which do you prefer? I'll admit I have gotten a bit tired of pathos, even that of the highest order, and now tend to prefer a trancelike peace of mind, where subtle intuitions predominate over deep turbulent emotion. Perhaps there is a yet higher state of consciousness which combines all forms of beauty in a perfect synthesis. Unfortunately, the music listed in this section does not have the sheer compositional intelligence of the best classical music; I don't think it has yet reached its full potential.
B-Tribe
A loose group of musicians under a reclusive mastermind named 'The Brave', who has given us the albums Sensual, Sensual, Spiritual Spiritual, Suave, Suave, Fiesta Fatal!, as well as Sacred Spirit and Moroccan Spirit. Well, this music DOES have pathos! 'Sensual, Sensual' is especially cool, combining
soul-stirring Flamenco guitar
with
spacy synthesizer sounds
and reverberating Flamenco vocals. The guitar playing does not have the flash of a Paco de Lucia but is exactly appropriate for this music. Slow and emotional, often powerful, sometimes funky (whatever that means). The first 4 are in the Flamenco vein, 'Sacred Spirit' uses Native American vocals, and 'Moroccan Spirit' uses real Moroccan music samples, in an exotic sounding musical landscape that combines 'traditional' or 'ethnic' music with spacy synthesizers and the frequent appearance of Brave's trademark cello. (Another dark, atmospheric and beautiful group, somewhat similar to B-Tribe, is Enigma. Start with their greatest hits album called Love, Sensuality and Devotion.)
Stephan Kaske Albums: A sequence based on the four seasons: Mystic Spring, Emerald Summer, Golden Autumn, Winter Sun. Now this music IS meditative. Kaske is a German synthesizer player who gives us sweeping, spacious electronic soundscapes that are slow and simple, yet somehow complex at the same time. The textures are thick yet clear as crystal, sometimes emulating the human voice or the sound of birds and bells. Often, electronic music sounds artificial and superficial, but not these swirling and exhilarating symphonic-like pieces. Kaske uses traditional scales and harmonies, thus avoiding the fatally tedious dissonance of much modern 'classical' music. Many Asian elements in the sound. The melodies may at first sound happy in a slightly silly way, but they grow on you, so that soon you feel like you are
floating.
(As a lover of Bach organ music, I have paid my dues as far as 'serious' music is concerned!) I often listen to all 4 recordings in a row as one long symphony. The first one is the best. These CDs are hard to find in America; I got them through
Nataraj Books,
an Indian bookstore in Virginia. There is much other similarly exhilirating electronic music, e.g. Les Chants Magnetiques by Jean-Michel Jarre (but Kaske is 'deeper').
Robert Rich Album: Trances & Drones An electronic masterpiece of
austere cosmic sound
almost devoid of harmony or melody. (I thus contradict what I just said about tedious, dissonant 20th century classical music. Other dissonant music that I like includes the soundtrack from '2001 A Space Odyssey'.) Perfect for meditation or simply losing oneself in a bleak otherwordly realm. There is something 'pure' about this early work that is allegedly missing in his later work, which I have not yet heard.
Electronic Music The Robert Rich recordings prompted me to explore electronic music on the net. I discovered that it is now a vast genre and has come a long way since the blips and clicks of Morton Subotnick's 1967 classic Silver Apples of the Moon, which I found somewhat interesting at the time but which never really moved me as music is supposed to do. Now there is plenty of 'ambience' in electronic music, of both the light and dark kind. Much of it has a science fiction atmosphere, and some of it could even be called 'romantic'. I have only scratched the surface, but classics from the 1990's clearly include Pete Namlook and Tetsu Inoue's Shades of Orion and 2350 Broadway, as well as The Dark Side of the Moog, by Namlook and Klaus Schulze, all in multiple volumes. (One masterpiece is Art of Dream, which never fails to induce a dreamlike state in me.) These were put out under the homegrown FAX label, famous for issuing vast numbers of recordings in limited editions. For example, Namlook is supposed to have recorded hundreds of CDs, and obviously they cannot all be of high quality. (Not even Mozart could do that.) A good site on FAX recordings is 2350.org. And there are many, many other composers working in this genre, partly because it can be done as a solo effort in one's personal studio and partly because one does not need to be a virtuoso at an instrument. Hence the dubious nature of much of this work. The early FAX recordings have become overpriced collector's items, but many of the better ones are now available in Apple's iTunes music store, where they can be sampled online. A good web radio site to listen to this kind of music is Soma FM, especially the Drone Zone station (also in iTunes). I must say that I have not been listening to this music for long, and in a few months or years I may decide that it is too superficial and does not stand the test of time. Much of it is indeed rather monotonous, but that can sometimes be quite effective at inducing a meditative mood.
Al Gromer Khan Albums: Space Hotel, Mahogany Nights, The God Perfume II, Kamasutra Experience Another trance master whom I have only recently discovered. So far, I am particularly impressed by the austere yet expressive
Silent Voice
on Kamasutra Experience, which is how 'minimalism' should sound, unlike its frequent trite manifestation. (And I am relieved that there are musicians alive who can stray so far from popular music's addiction to rhythm.) Gromer is a sitar player and Sufi mystic from Austria, who seems always to play simply and slowly, trying to achieve a meditative state that has no use for virtuosity. He combines the sitar with synthesizer sounds chosen with perfect taste, so that the resulting mood can be uncannily effective. For example, Opal Moon on God Perfume II has a slightly smoky sound that does somehow evoke an opal moon. This music is great background music for working or studying; it creates a mood without ever distracting. Yes, some might find it boring...
Deep Forest Album: Deep Forest This debut album from 1992 was a huge hit and launched a new musical genre combining dance beats, ethnic chanting (pygmies in this case) and atmospheric or 'ambient' electronic flourishes (like Chorus of Tribes below). Here the voices are charming and almost
fairy-like.
Another album called Boheme is based on Eastern European folk songs and is also good, though I don't like its mournful and somewhat heavy mood as much as the intoxicating ebulience of Deep Forest.
Chorus of Tribes Album: Into Morroco A happy, bouncy, childlike album full of African musical elements and African voices. Tuneful, enhanced with
warm, atmospheric synthesizers,
it has some of the same spirit as the music from the movie Born Free or The Lion King. Also some exciting Hendrix-like moments. Will put you in a good mood.
Govinda Album: Entwined and Entranced Flamenco and Middle-Eastern melodies and Flamenco guitar combined with violin, percussion,
hynotic vocals
and electronic effects. A lot of exotic trancelike moments. A bit of science fiction too. A fun album.
Amethystium Album: Odonata An instrumental album based on etheral voices and 'purple' sounding synthesizers (at least they sound purple to me). Some beautiful haunting moments, but at first I thought it sounded too superficial and 'muzacky' as much of this kind of 'new age' music does. Then it grew on me, and I now like to listen to it, at least as background music. Another drawback with this and similar albums is the use of idiotic drum machines with their repetitive rhythms. Drums are an integral part of the artistic process. Just ask Mitch Mitchell or Ginger Baker.
Spanish Guitar & Flamenco Julian Bream
Favorite albums: The Guitar in Spain, La Guitarra Romantica, Granados & Albeniz I love these albums for the beautiful guitar tone as much as for Bream's musical mastery. I have many classical guitar albums, and none have such a
beautiful sound.
Allegedly recorded in a church, though the famous
Romanillos guitar
undoubtedly contributes as well. The first album is the best. Unabashedly romantic when playing the Spanish greats, Bream is also a masterful player of Bach and of Baroque lute music. Bream is the
grand old man
of classical guitar - the rightful successor to Segovia (who unfortunately was not so well recorded). It's good to know bald can be so sexy! (Narciso Yepes is another great and distinctive Spanish guitar player. Two good albums are Romance d'Amour and Tarrega.)
Ricardo Mino Album: Flamenco de Concierto This little known and hard to find album is my favorite flamenco recording. Lately
Ricardo Mino
seems to be enjoying a bit of a comeback. Whereas much flamenco is routine and shallow, this album has true
poetry
and
lyricism.
It is a kind of cross between traditional flamenco and classical Spanish guitar, where the fast runs are all meaningful and appropriate. No jazz influences, thankfully. Exciting yet delicate, recorded in the 1970s, the sound is curiously raw and slightly muffled (as though recorded in a simple room with simple equipment) yet resonant and subtle, a highly effective combination which sounds intimate and immediate. Deserves to be recognized as one of the finest Spanish guitar recordings. Paco de Lucia has been brilliant, even exquisite, but most of his music is much less interesting to me than this. (No hate mail, please! It's just my humble opinion. I only make the comparison, because so many people are crazy about Paco and are convinced he is the best ever.)
Paco Pena Album: Azahara Now
Paco Pena,
unlike Ricardo Mino, did become a flamenco superstar, and this is his best recording. The first three songs are especially
brilliant;
the fourth is lyrical; some of the later ones flag in energy and imagination. Paco Pena does not have the fire of Paco de Lucia, but many find him more intimate and expressive. A pure, traditional player, who has avoided jazz frills. Yet the recorded sound is much better than you will ever find with any of the truly traditional players, who lived long ago. For totally traditional Flamenco, listen to his well-recorded album called 'Ramon Montoya and Nino Ricardo'. I like Azahara better; the spirit is more intense.
Pedro Ibanez Album: Guitarras en Sevilla Another album that is hard to find in the United States. At first I thought this was flamenco 'easy listening', but it has become one of my favorites, with its beautiful traditional melodies and
sweet, resonant sound.
Again, not the flash of Paco de Lucia and other 'hardcore' flamenco players, but I much prefer this
reflective kind of flamenco.
Heavily influenced by classical Spanish guitar, like Ricardo Mino. The combination of flamenco fire with traditional Spanish guitar lyricism produces some of the best music but is unfortunately rare. Most flamenco today seems to have gone in the direction of jazzy unsoulfullness and empty displays of digital dexterity.
Paco de Lucia Album: Interpreta a Manuel de Falla I've complained several times about flamenco legend Paco de Lucia's tendency towards uninteresting flash, but this album is
sincere and natural,
with no extraneous notes. Perhaps that is because he is playing the music of a 'classical' Spanish guitar composer. He captures the feeling of the pieces perfectly, with lightness and delicacy. His interpretation of the Concierto de Aranjuez was praised by the composer Rodrigo. Another classic album is Passion, Grace and Fire, where he appears with Jazz guitar masters John McLaughlin and Al diMeola in a memorable Flamenco/Jazz
virtuoso improvisation,
nobody ever missing a note. A similar album is Friday Night in San Francisco, which has received countless glowing reviews on the Amazon website. Still, I wonder, are there not too many notes in these live performances? Speaking of Flamenco, Al DiMeola gave us a virtuoso masterpiece in Mediterranean Sundance on his Elegant Gypsy album, but the rest of that album is in a jazz fusion style that I don't particularly like.
Indian Music Gayatri Mantra: Hymn to the Spirit Within the Fire by Rattan Mohan Sharma This album has appeared under different labels, such as Times Music and Oreade. (My version does not have the words 'Hymn to the Spirit Within the Fire'.) Expert Sanskrit chanting of the famous
Gayatri Mantra
from the Vedas, backed by drone and other Indian sounds. It has an
austere and authentic
'Vedic' atmosphere - insofar as I know what that is! Another word that comes to mind is 'primordial', not to mention 'transcendental'. Due to excellent modern studio production, as well as top artists, it sounds better than most recordings of chanting, and it was a big hit in India. The long piece where the Gayatri is chanted the customary 108 times may be a bit much for some people, or it may be perfect for meditation.
Sacred Chants of Shiva by the Art of Living Singers Another recording of Vedic chanting in Sanskrit, sponsored by the eminent guru
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
The sound is more reverberating than the previous recording of the Gayatri, and the voices are female, to produce a truly
beautiful, spacious and cosmic effect
(though the more austere sound of the Gayatri album is equally stirring in its own way). Again, the characteristic Indian background drones and tinkly sounds make for a hypnotic effect. Also a big hit in India. As with the Gayatri, it comes under a variety of labels. My only complaint is that the last long number sounds a bit heavier and less inspired that the previous ones, though many have called it majestic.
Attunements: For Dawn and Dusk by Harish Johari. A long instrumental compilation with hypnotic and soporific drone, flute and dulcimer, with occasional bird chirps. Perhaps the best of the music here for sustained meditation. Note: This recording and many others in this section are often difficult to find in the USA; they can be obtained through Nataraj Books (www.natarajbooks.com).
Shradda: Divine Tunes to Invoke Inner Peace A beautiful, spiritual, deeply felt flute-based album, backed by other Indian instruments such as dulcimer, sitar, a reedy sounding wind instrument, tabla drums and some voices at the end. My swami tells me that the
first soulful tune
was Gandhi's favorite.
Saraswati: The Perennial Source of Wisdom I hate to use the word 'adorable', but that
exactly describes
this album of Hindu devotional singing by child soloists accompanied by a children's choir. Excellent classical Indian melodies. Directed by the eminent Pandit Jasraj and published by Times Music. One of my favorites.
Mahalakshmi Another highly recommended Times Music / Pandit Jasraj production. A very pure sounding child soloist sometimes accompanied by a small adult choir. Many beautiful melodies, including the famous
Aarti
often sung in Hindu temples.
Yoga: On Sacred Ground by Chinmaya Dunster A
tuneful and colorful
album with many Indian instruments and some effective voice. Cheerful yet deep. Innocent yet skillfully composed with many interesting details. The songs are supposed to move through the chakras, but I don't know about that. Perhaps better for listening than for yoga. Highly recommended.
Call of the Valley A Kashmiri music concert, with dulcimer (santoor), flute, a sitar-like instrument (or an acoustic guitar?) and tabla drums. No modern studio enhancements, for a sincere, contemplative and
authentic traditional music
experience. Features Shivkumar Sharma on santoor and the famous Hari Prasad Chaurasia on bamboo flute. Released in 1968, it is one of the best selling Indian music albums ever.
Electric Guitar Jimi Hendrix Album: Electric Ladyland The best and most imaginative electric guitar album ever. A kaleidoscope of emotions ranging from the
steamy and erotic
to the
ethereal and exotic. :-)
Not to mention some
exquisite guitar playing.
I'll tell you more about it later.
Kazumi Watanabe Albums:
Mobo I & II Most Jazz Fusion sounds a bit hectic and dissonant to my ears, but I love this bluesy sounding album that was well recorded with nice studio reverberation and other spacy effects. Kazumi starts out with a funky rendition of the surfing music classic
Walk Don't Run
and I like following this by the cool-sounding
American Short Hair.
There are a lot of interesting electronic sounds on this album, like Electric Ladyland, and the two CDs taken together have a similar 'epic' quality to them.
John McLaughin Albums:
Mahavishnu and Music Spoken Here Another Jazz Fusion guitarist who sounds too hectic and noisy on many of his recordings, especially the earlier ones such as Birds of Fire. But I love these two
subdued and reflective
albums that are
not lacking in excitement.
McLaughin is another expert at using all kinds of exotic electronic sounds, and his technique is brilliant and impeccable - though he can't play the blues!
Al DiMeola Albums:
Soaring Through a Dream and Cielo e Terra Lovely and melodic with a strong latin influence. Like John McLaughlin, virtuoso jazz guitarist Al DiMeola has often been too raunchy for my tastes, but here he gets smooth and beautiful sounds from his synthesized guitar, just as McLaughlin does on the albums mentioned above. A lot of relaxing and contemplative acoustic guitar, as well as piano and airy vocals.
Terje Rypdal Album:
Rypdal/Vitous/DeJohnette A moody acoustic-electric soundscape by Norwegian
Terje Rypdal which evokes the
bleak Scandinavian vistas
much as Sibelius does in classical music. With cello, spacy cello-like electric guitar and feather-light jazz percussion, the whole album plays like one long symphony, to put you in an inward and possibly melancholic mood. A similar album, in the sense of being a quiet, reflective, acoustic-electric mood-symphony, is Sargasso Sea by
Ralph Towner
and
John Abercrombie.
Lighter and
more whimsical
than the previous album, it somehow does evoke a calm and isolated Sargasso Sea. These artists have many good albums.
Pat Metheny Albums:
Bright Size Life, Imaginary Day, The First Circle... Another talented and mellow Jazz guitar player who avoids the tedium of much that passes for 'Smooth Jazz'. One really gets the impression that he is sharing vignettes of his Midwestern life with you. Poetry is happening out there too!
Jeff Beck Album:
Wired This instrumental album is brilliant, exciting and beautiful, but I am not so crazy about his other albums. Jeff has rock roots, so that his brand of Jazz-Rock fusion is pretty vigorous, but this album has much excellent and sophisticated guitar playing with imaginative, colorful electric guitar sounds. The best song is Blue Wind, a really cool virtuoso piece with Jeff's guitar and Jan Hammer's synthesizer talking to each other.
Rock Guitar I'll admit that I have been thrilled by a lot of blues-based electric-guitar-oriented hard rock in my life: Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Blue Oyster Cult, Ritchie Blackmore's various groups, and much else. I can still get a kick out of this music, but I now have an ambivalent feeling about it: much of it seems lacking in spirituality and maturity ... or maybe I am just getting old. (Hendrix is in a special category, as the best of his music is brilliant and spiritual and will last forever.) Nevertheless, there are some gems I would like to mention. Ritchie Blackmore's instrumental Still I'm Sad (studio version) with the group Rainbow is as beautiful and thrilling in its own way as Hendrix's All Along the Watchtower mentioned above. It is well worth the price of the album, but the other songs sound much more adolescent. Another soulful Ritchie Blackmore instrumental is the early And The Address from Deep Purple's psychedelic era, which had many good songs. Their later hard rock period is often too aggressive, but Machine Head is a good album, and I've always loved the quicksilver solo from Strange Kind of Woman on the live Made in Japan album. Cream's Disraeli Gears is a classic of the psychedelic era, with the iconic heavy-riffed Sunshine of Your Love and Tales of Brave Ulysses, and some tuneful songs inspired by English folk music. The first four Led Zeppelin albums are quite impressive but will probably not appeal to a sophisticated listener. I was addicted to them as a teenager (and later), especially thunderous classics such as Heartbreaker (the sound that kills), Immigrant Song (Vikings in mist), Out on the Tiles (ultra-boogie) and Black Dog (tectonic riff), and the exquisite blues playing of Since I've Been Loving You. Led Zeppelin III might be the best album for a classical music lover, with its lovely folksy second side. Later Zeppelin lost it, in my opinion, though the side from Physical Graffiti with In the Light is a symphonic-like masterpiece. The first Blue Oyster Cult album, named after the group, has a great psychedelic/science fiction feeling, with much talented detail, and the albums Agents of Fortune and Spectres are also good (especially the apocalyptic Godzilla!), but some other albums by this group are crude with occasional ominous fascist overtones. Black Sabbath is an infamous hard rock 'gothic' style group, which spawned a whole succession of even worse groups, but I'll go out on a limb and admit that I like the album Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, notwithstanding its disturbing name. I'd like to echo the popular opinion that Pink Floyd is a masterful and imaginative rock group which might appeal to a classical music audience, but many of their lyrics involve too much adolescent immaturity and their overall sound can be quite heavy and depressing. This is a group that I hate to love, but if you do buy just one of their albums, then it should be the epochal Dark Side of the Moon. There are many other classic rock groups worth mentioning, including the standard FM radio ones, which I also love: oldies like the Beatles, Motown (Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops, etc.), the Byrds, Mamas & Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, Franki Valli and the Four Seasons (love that falsetto!), and 70s groups like the Eagles, Supertramp, the Who, and so on, not to mention Surf Music (Ventures, Shadows, ...), the original blues masters like Willie Dixon and various Kings, and let's throw Bob Dylan in there even though he has a disagreeable disposition. Even Kiss had a couple of good songs, and let's not forget fun but silly groups (with good songs) like Slade! But then, in the 1980s, rock died, as far as I am concerned. Even the Police and U2 bored me, and today nobody knows how to write a song, unfortunately.
A note on equalization. |
