Puttering in the Study

1990 ETSU Trombone Choir Reunion - program

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First Man soundtrack - Justin Hurwitz

After watching First Man the second time, I realized that I really enjoyed the soundtrack and picked it up.  It’s somewhat non traditional, with theramin and Moog synthesizers to evoke a midecentury feel, and even the symphonic music is re-recorded to break it down a bit.  But the themes are great, and I am really enjoying it.

My favorites cuts are Houston, the launch sequence and the landing, but the end credits are getting to be a favorite as well.

Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds - The New Generation

I have been a fan to WOTW ever since I first heard it Halloween night of 8th grade in 1977.  I saw the other day that they have issued a new version of the album with Liam Neeson replacing Richard Burton, and new vocals and instrumentation and arrangements, all of which I think relfect how the show is currently being performed.

I downloaded it and listened to it the other day, and generally like it.  The underlying orchestra, lead instrumentation and sound effects stay pretty much the same throughout, but the narration is slightly lengthened, and the drums, bass, and rhythm guitar (to name the more pominent parts) are new tracks.  Generally they do replace the '70's sound of the original without departing too far from it, and the dance club beat is not unwelcome.  I can't say I prefer it or don't - parts I like, and I am enjoying the second listen.  But it's not a remake of the original - appears to be just a studio recording of the updated live show.

The booklet insert is really, really  weak - it takes the original booklet and badly Photoshops the images to make them newer and more detailed.  Stylistically it's good, but the quality of the images is so uneven - photos beside artwork - that it doesn't provide images for the music, like the original did.

But at $14.99, it's worth a buy if you like the original. 

Symphonicities - Sting (updated post)

This album is Sting's songs with symphony orchestra accompaniment, and I have really been looking forward to it.  The arrangements are original and the execution good, but it just didn't do a lot for me.  But it is really well done, and arrangements are unusual - not what you'd expect.  I found myself listening to it again on the way back today, so I might end up liking it more.  One thing I did notice is that songs I didn't like before sound better here (I Hung My Head, Roxanne) and ones I really liked I don't like quite as much.  But I'm getting used to them...

Update: I couldn't stop listening to this album on our trip, and really started appreciating the outstanding arrangements.  It's now within my my top, say three Sting albums, which is high praise.  I skimmed the extensive liner notes, and they helped explain the thought process that went into the arrangements, as well as the composer's pride that the orchestra "kicked Sting's butt" on the first cut, Next to You.  I went back and played the cut again and darned if he's not right - the arrangement had so much kick to it that Sting had to work hard not to let the orchestra overwhelm him.  That got me to listening to the arrangements again, and I realized how rich they were.  And once I got a little familiarity with them I couldn't stop listenting to them!

Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan soundtrack (complete) - James Horner

The original soundtracks to the second and third Star Trek movies have recently been rereleased in their entirety with extensive liner notes. I ordered both and listened to ST II: TWOK last week all in one sitting in the study and thoroughly enjoyed it. The music itself is awfully good standing alone - you hear a lot of things you just don't get in the movie. Well, actually that's not necessarily good because you hear a lot of things going on that at least initially sound like they're gumming things up, but that's just because I had not heard them before. Horner's music is noticeably dense and wild here, which is a little jarring because years of hearing the movie in VHS made me think the score was a lot simpler than it actually was.

What really makes these CDs, though, is the extensive and gloriously well-written liner notes that give you something to read during each track, with adjectival descriptions of the tone and instrumentation used, as well as explanations of where things came from, i.e. whether it was Horner, the producer, or what. I can't wait to listen to III - just have not had time this week with all the work going on at the Hub.

Orchestrion - Pat Metheny

This is the first album I've purchased online for download - I've gotten a couple of songs before, but this was the first where I decided to buy it online instead or getting the CD.  The minor flirtation with SACDs aside, that's the first buying change for me music-wise since 1987, when I started buying CDs instead of albums.  (Hope weird is that - that I can date precisely when I started buying CDs?)

I've listened to the album not quite twice now (granted, both times with three boys in the back playing SpongeBob on DS, so not an ideal sound environment), and while the title track is interesting, there's nothing here that stands out - certainly nothing like Follow Me from Imaginary Day.  What I'm always listening for is the next The First Circle, and I haven't heard anything comparable since Still Life Talking.  I have not yet finished studying the concept behind the album - that of the "orchestrion", which Metheny explains here.  But I'm sure I'll be listening to it some more on my upcoming trip on the headphones, so we'll see if it grows on me.  I know I have a pronounced tendency not to like anything by an artist I know the first time I hear it, so I need to listen a few more times to figure out whether my opinion is simply because this isn't the same as the last album, or because I really just don't care for it.  At this point, it's too early to say either way for sure.  I just know that at this stage I was head over heels for Follow Me (although ti suffered from the problem of not having an ending, which is a different issues).  For me that means me blasting it on the stereo in the study at home, walking in circles around the sofa as I listen.  I only do that rarely these days, so it's unusual when it happens.  Doubt I'll do that here (and I can't play the thing through the stereo yet anyway).

Fresh Aire V - Mannheim Steamroller

I had some time over the holidays to actually listen to a little music while puttering in the study (ah, that phrase!) and this was one old album I pulled out from my ET days.  I particularly liked at the time the idea of basing an album on a fictional dream by Kepler of traveling to the Moon because I had always liked the experience of reading Wells' The First Men in the Moon. 

I'd like to say that I really enjoyed the album on listening again, but unfortunately I really didn't.  There were still definite parts that I liked but overall the thing is just too bouncy and synthesizer-heavy to wear well after - oh my God, 27 years!  I should probably listen to it again soon - I usually like music better the more I beat it into my head.

Rain - The Beatles Experience

I realized the other day that I never posted on Rain - The Beatles Experience, which Jamie and I went to see at Fair Park in Dallas, where it was playing as part of the Dallas Summer Musicals.  Once the show started, I realized that I'd seen the group in October 2000 in Seattle, and had been really impressed.  They were very good in Dallas as well, working their way through the Beatles entire ouevre.  I enjoyed the music, and it was a really good experience getting to see the music being made live - I'm so used to the albums that I never stop to think which instrument or singer is making which sound. 
Very good show - I highly recommend it to anyone who has even a passing interest in the Beatles.

Metropolitan Museum of Art: Music of Byzantium - Cappella Romana

The MMOA released this compilation of Byzantine chant four years ago as part of a display of Byzantine art, and I thought it'd be a good introduction to the world of Greek Orthodox chant.  It was okay - it's nice to listen to, and there's something undefinable that separates it from Western Gregorian-style chant, but I can't really say that I "enjoyed" it.  But it may grow on me - at least I am currently keeping it in the CD player in the study.

Little Voice - Sara Bareilles

I tracked this album down after hearing Love Song on Lipstick Jungle and have been just blown away by it.  My favorite track is now (surprisingly) not the lead-off Love Song, but Morningside, with Come Round Soon and Between the Lines as close seconds.  (The rest of the album is pretty good too!)  Terrific singing, very good songs, and overall just a great album.  I look forward to hearing more.