Music to Lift Your Soul: 4 Genres & Honorable Mention

[pinball1970]

Mum had an album called "Good morning America," this track was on it. She died with little fanfare in January so I did an RIP. Beautiful girl and passionate music, there is a nice live version on YT. I was actually disappointed hearing the stones version with her version in mind.

Anyway... Melanie, Ruby Tuesday

 

[strangerep]

I was actually disappointed hearing the stones version with her version in mind.
Anyway... Melanie, Ruby Tuesday

Much as I like Melanie, I prefer the Stone's version. I find Melanie's version a bit too tortured...

It's strange how sad songs can "lift one's soul", at least for me. Maybe my brain is just wired wrong.

Speaking of sad songs which nevertheless make me feel better,... in the studio version of Joan Baez's

what instrument is being used for those ultrafast trills near the start (around 0:18). They sound too fast for a normal keyboard. Maybe a Glockenspiel?

 

[strangerep]

Just curious... how do people here feel about "Emerald Princess" by Two Steps from Hell, which (I gather) can be a bit polarizing? I came across it recently by accident in the following video, which is a montage from LotR even though "Emerald Princess" is not part of the LotR soundtrack. Despite this incongruence, I kinda like it.

 

[Astronuc]

Mike Oldfield, Tubular Bells, May 1973




Still a great album. One can skip 37-42 minutes, which is some weird caveman type growling, and after 47:12, it's kind of a funky ending to a fairly mellow piece between 42 and 47 minutes.

 

[strangerep]

[Tubular Bells]... Still a great album.

I never get tired of it. It's fascinating to watch young youtubers reacting to it, initially not knowing quite what to make of it, and then you see the magic gradually penetrating their soul...

Btw, I mentioned this remastered+improved version recently:

Much higher quality, plus extra little fairydust sprinklings in random places...

My only complaint about TB Pt1 is that the final all-in exultation should be repeated for a few more rounds. It ends too quickly and that makes me sad again.

How do you feel about Incantations? I love the "Diana, Luna, Lucina" segment:

but I'm not so keen on his Hiawatha stuff, except maybe near the end.

 

[pinball1970]

what instrument is being used for those ultrafast trills near the start (around 0:18). They sound to fast for a normal keyboard. Maybe a Glockenspiel

Its an organ/key board. Not sure what setting.

 

[morrobay]

 

[difalcojr]

Much as I like Melanie, I prefer the Stone's version. I find Melanie's version a bit too tortured...

It's strange how sad songs can "lift one's soul", at least for me. Maybe my brain is just wired wrong.

Speaking of sad songs which nevertheless make me feel better,... in the studio version of Joan Baez's

It almost seemed like Melanie actually knew "Ruby Tuesday" (model Linda Keith), and it was a sad eulogy of a sort for a friend, she sang it with such energy.

Don't think it makes any difference of happy vs. sad songs. Sad songs can be inspirational for me too. Joni Mitchell's sad song "For Free" makes my eyes well up, involuntarily, every time I hear it, and has done this over many years. Something about the sound of her voice just triggers strong emotion, and it's just that one song of hers that does it. "Pilgrim's Chorus" from Wagner does it too, among others.

 

[strangerep]

[Diamonds & Rust...] Its an organ/key board. Not sure what setting.

Thanks.

I have another instrument question: Near the start of

at 0:19 there's a brief sound like a rocket launching, just before the thumping bass line drops. What's the instrument producing the rocket-launch sound? Synth? Electric Guitar?

 

[pinball1970]

What's the instrument producing the rocket-launch sound? Synth? Electric Guitar

Synth, a couple of sounds in there. A stack of names for those sounds. I would need my mates key board to see which is closest. If it's Ga ga a decent/expensive one!

 

[difalcojr]

Favorite song of favorite Brit invasion band. Great lyrics, still relevant. Still gives me goose bumps.
Good song, bad English.

 

[difalcojr]

 

[Nazon]

Cyclone

 

[morrobay]

Where have they been ?

 

[pinball1970]

Favorite song of favorite Brit invasion band. Great lyrics, still relevant. Still gives me goose bumps.
Good song, bad English.

I did not know this one and I'm a big 60s fan and a Brit! Embarrassing!
"For your Love" was played on the radio a lot so I knew that one.
Also "Shape of things," but not as much. That is my favourite now, great bass. He is only doing one note per beat but it moves the song.
I think it's a mixture of walk and arpeggio. I'll check and post.

 

[pinball1970]

Yard Birds.

 

[pinball1970]

It almost seemed like Melanie actually knew "Ruby Tuesday" (model Linda Keith), and it was a sad eulogy of a sort for a friend, she sang it with such energy.

Don't think it makes any difference of happy vs. sad songs. Sad songs can be inspirational for me too.

Totally agree. My favourite songs and classical pieces uplift me by breaking my heart a little.

Waterloo Sunset. Kinks
God only knows. Beach boys
The only living boy in New York. S&G
Carry on. CSN.
Strawberry Fields. Beatles.
Man with child in his eyes. Kate Bush.
If I can dream. Elvis Presley.
The Eagle. ABBA.
All along the Watch tower. James Marshall Hendrix

There is a sadness in all of them and could pick 20 more easily.

I hope I have posted a few of these. I'll check, it is bank holiday for us (England) tomo!

 

[Hornbein]

Thanks.

I have another instrument question: Near the start of

at 0:19 there's a brief sound like a rocket launching, just before the thumping bass line drops. What's the instrument producing the rocket-launch sound? Synth? Electric Guitar?

It sounds like a sine wave through a ring modulator. They are either turning a knob or using portmanteau, that classic feature where the synth glissandos from one designated pitch to the next. (Think ELP's Lucky Man.) It would be tricky to do that live so I bet it's recorded. Lots of bands play along with recordings these days. I don't know how they keep in sync with those recordings. Someone like Gaga might play purely with recordings in place of a band.

Chick Corea rest his soul used to play through a ring modulator a lot. You may hear this on Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy. I don't recall which tunes. Jan Hammer used too, though IMO badly. This technique has disappeared completely.

 

[Hornbein]

Yard Birds.

I like this one from the same album with Eric Clapton on guitar. This is the invention of hard rock guitar solos. Jeff is on the A side of the album, Eric on the B side that has the raveups. Eric quit before the record came out because the Yards were going too pop for him. In Bali I met Paul Whitehead, an artist who had moved in the same London circles. He told me he asked Eric why he joined John Mayall (next after Yardbirds). Eric replied, "I wanted to play the real folk blues." Too bad Mayall's technique back then was so poor. I can't listen to him.



Eric later raved up bigtime with Cream on Wheels of Fire. Third album I ever bought. I listened to it many times and have it pretty much memorized. My vote for the most avant garde gold record ever made. Did you know the wheels of fire are the chakras of rajah yoga renown?

 

[Hornbein]

Totally agree. My favourite songs and classical pieces uplift me by breaking my heart a little.

Waterloo Sunset. Kinks
God only knows. Beach boys
The only living boy in New York. S&G
Carry on. CSN.
Strawberry Fields. Beatles.
Man with child in his eyes. Kate Bush.
If I can dream. Elvis Presley.
The Eagle. ABBA.
All along the Watch tower. James Marshall Hendrix

There is a sadness in all of them and could pick 20 more easily.

I hope I have posted a few of these. I'll check, it is bank holiday for us (England) tomo!

This gave me an idea. Heh heh heh.



I usually don't post my rough drafts but what the heck.

 

[pinball1970]

This gave me an idea. Heh heh heh.



I usually don't post my rough drafts but what the heck.

Your mash ups give me ear worms I cannot extract for months!

 

[Astronuc]

I heard some tracks from this 1981 album over the weekend. The playlist on the regional Public Radio indicated they played side 2 of the album (Tracks 5-9). The tracks run into each other, and there seems to be a sustained background theme, with new stuff added each track. Track 7 is fairly jazzy (guitar like) and that carries through Tracks 8 & 9.

Composer/performer Manuel Göttsching,
Album E2-E4 (1981) 58:38 duration
Track 5 Damen-Eleganza

Whole album (unfortunately with obnoxious adds)


Track listing (English/German titles)
0:00 Quiet nervousness / Ruhige Nervosität
13:00 Moderate start / Gemäßigter Aufbruch
23:00 ...And central game / ...Und Mittelspiel - electric organ sound on top of synthesizer
30:00 Promise / Ansatz - has kind of a horn sound intorduced
31:00 Queen a pawn / Damen-Eleganza - has guitar sound introduced around 31:30
36:00 Glorious fight / Ehrenvoller Kampf
39:00 H.R.H. Retreats (Not without swing...) / Hoheit Weicht (Nicht Ohne Schwung...) sounds like acoustic guitar is added at the beginning
48:00 ...And sovereignty / ...Und Souveränität
51:00 Drawn / Remis
Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E2-E4

Göttsching reminds me of Wolfram Spyra's (Der Spyra) work. I heard Homelistening Is Killing Clubs (1995), probably in early 2000s and was blown away.


Iceland from Homelistening Is Killing Clubs (1995) somewhat light and mellow.

 

[pinball1970]

Paul has broken a tooth, Ringo seems to be in "these guys are writing stuff for fun" mode. Not realising HE was part of that.
That opening harmony? Does it lift your soul!

I heard some tracks from this 1981 album over the weekend. The playlist on the regional Public Radio indicated they played side 2 of the album (Tracks 5-9). The tracks run into each other, and there seems to be a sustained background theme, with new stuff added each track. Track 7 is fairly jazzy (guitar like) and that carries through Tracks 8 & 9.

Composer/performer Manuel Göttsching,
Album E2-E4 (1981) 58:38 duration
Track 5 Damen-Eleganza

Whole album (unfortunately with obnoxious adds)


Track listing (English/German titles)
0:00 Quiet nervousness / Ruhige Nervosität
13:00 Moderate start / Gemäßigter Aufbruch
23:00 ...And central game / ...Und Mittelspiel - electric organ sound on top of synthesizer
30:00 Promise / Ansatz - has kind of a horn sound intorduced
31:00 Queen a pawn / Damen-Eleganza - has guitar sound introduced around 31:30
36:00 Glorious fight / Ehrenvoller Kampf
39:00 H.R.H. Retreats (Not without swing...) / Hoheit Weicht (Nicht Ohne Schwung...) sounds like acoustic guitar is added at the beginning
48:00 ...And sovereignty / ...Und Souveränität
51:00 Drawn / Remis
Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E2-E4

Göttsching reminds me of Wolfram Spyra's (Der Spyra) work. I heard Homelistening Is Killing Clubs (1995), probably in early 2000s and was blown away.


Iceland from Homelistening Is Killing Clubs (1995) somewhat light and mellow.

 

[Hornbein]

Reviving this moribund thread on "best music in several genres." I didn't choose a rock "best" because so much competition. But this changed me mind. Play a song for 50 years and maybe you'll get this good at it.



If you play the same song over and over either it improves or you get bored and it goes downhill. It's a challenge that artists with popularity have to face. I don't feel sorry for them. Heck, theater actors have to breath life into exactly the same lines every night. I'm annoyed by jazz artists who are too cool to play the head[theme] straight and embroider like mad right off the bat. Rise to the challenge, sucker.

Another group that has embraced lifelong improvement is Eagles. I happened to see them at the very start as an opening act for the Mahavishnu Orchestra. They were OK. Now listen to them many years later. To remain unmoved by this you'd have to have a heart made of stone. It helps that they knew the reality of this. Most bigtime popular artists live long enough to feel the fading of the flame.



By the way Eagles made a big change in concerts. It used to be that a recording was considered a cheap pale imitation, an inducement to the live concert that was the Real Thing.* Eagles changed all that. I heard raves that "it was exactly like the record!" Thought I, shouldn't it evolve to be better than the record? And indeed that's what Eagles has done, but in a subtle way. Play exactly the same notes with the same tone but put more feeling into it as you go along the way. Unfortunately this trend has decayed into performers miming to recordings. What can you do....

Somehow I neglected to include the ultimate in swing jazz. I used to frequent a Usenet group of jazz guitarists. They were extremely critical and not shy about expressing disdain. I put this up as the ultimate in swing. Nobody said a word.



By the way, Count Basie wasn't the conductor. It was guitarist Freddie Green, even though you can barely hear him. Those archtop acoustics (f-holes like a violin instead of round sound hole) with heavy flatwound strings have a solid and penetrating sound that can cut through a wall of winds, so they would key off of his strumming. A single note guitar solo wasn't feasible back then. It would have been inaudible. Electric guitars took over. But not for the Basie band. They liked things just the way they were. Why mess with ultimate success?

How about the ultimate in bebop drumming?

Can't beat Max Roach. How frantic can you get? Max takes the last solo. If you are in a hurry it's at 2:07. They don't make 'em like they used to.



This recording does though suffer from crude recording technology. So how about this?



I also put this up to the jazz guitarists. Nothing about it was good enough for them. Sheesh. What a tough crowd. Except the drummer. For Senri Kawaguchi, praise was all they had to offer.

Note the influence of the James Brown "fatback" beat on the drummer. Speeded up. I dunno that she got it from James though. May have been born with this ricocheting about in her soul. It got to come out.

----------------------

* The live concert was considered the Real Thing. But concert tickets were cheap, sometimes even free. The idea was to get you to buy the record as a memento of said Real Thing. Zero cost Internet downloads put paid to all that. Enter the one thousand dollar concert ticket.

 

[Hornbein]

I'm very impressed with the high quality of AI music. Why can't they instruct the machine to "give me Charlie Parker's Koko, exactly the same but with modern recording technology"? Maybe I'd love it. Jazz musicians though tend to be very tradition oriented so I bet they would despise such.

Just about all pop music recorded before Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is distorted and tinny, sometime to an irritatingly high degree. (Maybe Elvis could afford better tech.) I wish They would do something about this.

By the way, this is one of the main reasons Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was revolutionary in its effect. The raw sound quality was SO much better. The Studer 16 track tape recorder followed five years later, to be used to record Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon. Much to my amazement, Studer still makes them! A mere fifteen thousand Swiss francs plus shipping and this baby is all yours. "10 used tapes are also included." What?!? I thought nobody uses pre-used tape on a machine of such high fidelity. It appears that nobody makes two-inch magnetic recording tape any more, so it seems that it's used or nothing at all.

 

[symbolipoint]

Hornbein
About your commenting on technology, (#325) and your ref. to R.S. "Off of My Cloud", the use of more traditional(?) old-style instruments with LESS use of technology give more pointed and less irritating sounds, and easier for the listener to find a feel for what the artists probably hope the listeners would find.