A soccer game: River - Newells Old Boys, Newells Old Boys wins 1 - 0, 44 minutes on LA RED AM 710 via satellite in a local FM radiostation (107.1 Mhz).

By the way... I received Rush - Power Windows a few days ago. I could not believe my ears. I have never ever been as excited about an album as this one - it's simple *awesome*, every single second of it is worth listening to.

The production is so unbelieveably good, pretty much any other 80s album I have sounds like crap to me after listening to this. They use loads of synthesizers and sound effects on this album, and their sound is... breathtaking, the arrangements are absolutely fantastic. Not like cheap 80s at all.

What's surprising is the complexity of the melodies... usually, I'm able to sing or hum along with most songs of an album after listening to it as much as I have to Power Windows, but it's not at all easy with this album. Some of the choruses on the other hand have been fixed in my memory right after the first listen (especially that of "Marathon" - absolutely phenomenal).

Also, this is one of the very few albums that actually made my try to understand the lyrics (I'm [EDIT] NOT [/EDIT] doing very well ).

The only thing that bugs me is (surprise, surprise) that this remastered edition has had all dynamics squashed out, and you can really feel it in some parts (i.e., when there's what should be a loud blast, you can hear that there was a limiter, err, limiting it), courtesy of Bob Ludwig . Album gain is -7.63 dB (would be about -8 dB if calculated by any program other than MPC replaygain), track gains range from -8.60 dB to -6.83 dB.

Apart from that though, it's one of the best if not the best album I've ever listened to. Definitely highly recommended, especially if you can get it to the equivalent of 6.66 EUR as I did.

I'll definitely explore more Rush material in the future, but the fact that they're actually a hard rock band (absolutely no signs of that on Power Windows, but Vapor Trails is *very* hard rock, and I can't at all say I like it) makes me a little reluctant to buy their albums without being able to preview them, something tells me I had a lucky draw with Power Windows.



Listening to: "Reason To Believe (Live)" by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, from "Live 1975-85 (CD2)" (1986) on foobar2000 v0.667

These tracks which originally appeared on Nebraska sound a lot better on the live album, in fact they sound great. As I said, this box set is cool anyway.

(Man, I'm enjoying this thread )


Edit: Hmm, I had forgotten a vital word there.

You might consider picking up a used copy of their original "Retrospective" (2 disc set), which I'd wager can be found for very little money indeed now that the remastered and lengthened versions (2 separate discs) are availible.



To continue the thread, right now I'm listening to Ibrahim Ferrer sing "Marieta" on his self-titled album, LAME a-p-s.

Nice! I'm going out to buy it today. I hope I can find it in town...if not there's always the internet, but I hate waiting for shipping. It's nice to hear the mastering wasn't butchered too much, and -8dB or so isn't that bad for a gain adjustment...I've had some -10s and -11s. The last two times I've been in music stores, I picked up Vapor Trails both times, and put it back on the shelf both times. Mainly because of the stories I've heard here about especially poor mastering and not-so-great content.


I second that recommendation, but mostly for anyone who doesn't already have the bulk of the Rush collection. When all I owned was Moving Pictures, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves and Test for Echo, I bought Retrospective I and II and it really opened me up to "the rest" of the music from Rush. It didn't replace buying the other albums for me as some compilations do, but is a great "taste" of most of the other albums by them.

---------

And since I've gotta have some Rush right now, Quintessential Player 4 is playing...

01 Cygnus X-1 Book II - Hemispheres, a ) Prelude, b ) Apollo, c ) Dionysus, d ) Armageddon, e ) Cygnus, f ) The Sphere.flac ~ Rush ~ Hemispheres (1978)

Sounds good. But what kind of music is it? Does it really deserve being called "hard rock" like Vapor Trails (in which case I'd probably better stay away from it), or is it softer than that, comparable to Power Windows?

From what I've heard of it, Vapor Trails is very hard for a Rush album. Keep in mind Rush has always been a hard rock band, even during the synth-heavy mid-late 80's output.

If you really liked Power Windows you'll probably be happy with a lot if not most of their 80's output: Hold Your Fire (next album chronologically) is the most obvious, and Grace Under Pressure (previous) comes to mind, as does Signals and Presto.

IMO, the 1980-81 albums (Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures) are the best all-around though the later thematic prog-albums (Farewell To Kings, Hemispheres) come close.
The original Retrospective two-disc is a good sampler, but I recommended it primarily because it should be quite easy to find used.

edit: As for thread relevance I'm currently listening to "Cold Heart of Stone" From Frank Black & The Catholics' Black Letter Days album (LAME a-p-s).

Hope they come up with a Music Discussion forum. There's a lot of stuff here that deserves to be in something like that. Good reading people.

Listening to: 'Tunnel' from 'Tre' by 'The Dining Rooms'

I'm really liking this track for whatever reason. It isn't my 'normal' listening style, music wise anyway.

Sorry. Obviously an old encode from a CD I can no longer locate.

Lou Reed - Metal Machine Music - IV MPC on FB v0.7

Hmm hmm.

Listening to: 'Intro - Sweet Jane' from 'Rock N Roll Animal' by 'Lou Reed' on Media Center 9.1

PJ Harvey - down by the water

Once that song used to be one of my favourites.

OMG my taste has changed!

Los De Abajo - Que Mala Suerte

Listening to: 'Texas, Pt. 1-2' from 'Ode To Io' by 'Lowrider'

Listening to "Kid Gloves" from Grace Under Pressure by Rush
a-p-s LAME3.91

I agree with everything Audible! has said about Rush Retrospective I and II. These albums generally represent a good cross-section of their music from the years covered by the duration of the compilations (1974 to 1987). IMO, although Rush has always been "hard rock", they got "harder" beginning with the release of Test for Echo in 1996. It's even more guitar-heavy than the previous albums from them that I've heard. I haven't heard Vapor Trails, but from the descriptions other people have given, it continues this trend of harder/louder for Rush.

Specifically, Retrospective I (1974-1980) has a good sampling of their older stuff, though, so if you've heard any of Rush's Fly by Night / 2112 / Hemispheres era of the mid-late 70s and you like that style, at least try Retrospective I. I also agree with Audible!, though, that Permanent Waves (1980) and Moving Pictures (1981) represented their pinnacle of creativity. (I'm proud to say I have a copy of the original master in 24k gold plating of Moving Pictures. ) And of course, for something closer to Power Windows, Retrospective II (1981-1987) will cover a more similar style.

Here's an excerpt of a description by Stephen Erlewine from All Music Guide...
"Retrospective, Vol. 1 (1974-80) was designed to replace the double-disc set Chronicles, and it is, in fact, a better compilation than its predecessor. By concentrating on Rush's earliest albums — from 1974's Rush to 1980's Permanent Waves — the album draws an excellent portrait of the group's artiest work, leaving their hard-rock radio-rock hits for Retrospective, Vol. 2 Meanwhile, Vol. 1 contains nearly all of the highlights from their '70s albums, including Closer to the Heart and Fly By Night, making it a nearly flawless encapsulation of their early career." — Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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As I write this, Winamp 2.91 is playing... Seven ~ The Connells ~ Darker Days (1985) Ogg Vorbis (Post 1.0 CVS) -q 4.25

------------------------------------------
Edit: Clarifications...

Thelonious Monk, "The Complete Riverside Recordings" ...

Die, thread... DIE! DIE!

OK, I give up... I've been assimilated. I'm listening to 5 or 6 fans... a window fan, my PC's side fan, CPU fan, PSU fan and rear fan, and my video card's fan. Help! I'm surrounded by white noise! The NAACP should be notified immediately!

LOL I'm listening to 9 fans!! So I know your pain man. My CPU fan is 7500rpm and I'm not nearly so happy with my 1337 c0m|>|_|7r0n sounding like a vacuum as I used to be. I think water-cooling will be my next big priority when it comes to the comp.

Now Playing: Alan Parsons Project "I Robot" album
lame ape on a fanless system

Cradle of Filth - Lovecraft and Witchhearts Disc 1 - 01 - Creatures That Kissed In Cold Mirrors.ogg

It's funny... I tend to enjoy CoF like a classical music fan would enjoy a fine symphony... and CoF is black metal for crying out loud!!

The Rolling Stones - "On With The Show" - Their Satanic Majesties Request (2002 DSD remaster) LAME 3.90.3 a-p-s

All this Rush talk was having an effect on me, so Sunday I went out and expanded my Rush collection by three albums (but they didn't have Power Windows unfortunately). So now I've got: 2112*, A Farewell to Kings*, Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves, Presto*, Test for Echo, Retrospective I (1974-1980) and Retrospective II (1981-1987). (* = new additions.)

Right now, Winamp 2.91 is playing:

Cinderella Man ~ Rush ~ A Farewell to Kings (1977)

Ogg Vorbis (Post 1.0 CVS) -q 4.25

Wynton Kelly Trio & Sextet - "Kelly Blue"(1959).

Kenji Yamamoto - Metroid Prime OST

The Upper Crust - Vulgar Tongue



http://www.theuppercrust.org/


mobius

DJ Ton T.B - In Trance We Trust 008

http://www.djtontb.com

Old Age (Live Through This Outtake) ~ Hole ~ My Body, The Hand Grenade (1997)

...via Winamp 5.0prealpha encoded in Vorbis (Post1.0CVS) -q 4.25.

----------
Edit: I don't often buy an album just for the cover, but today I did.



...The music's so-so (not as good as her previous stuff), and the lyrics are as dirty as the album cover implies...

3542. X-Dream - [The Frog #01] The Frog [8:05]

Through fb2k. Kind of neat to see what track# is with tabbed playlists.

The Band - Get Up Jake (outtake) - from self-titled 1969 release, a-p-s 3.91

Somebody OWNING that piece *faints*


EDIT: while fainting I totally forgot:
NP: Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile (right CD)

Simple Minds - The Best Of CD 2 (mp3 --alt-preset standard LAME 3.90.3) on foobar 0.667

Modest Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition - Promenade - MPC

02- Luomo - Talk In Danger [The Present Lover]

Miles Davis - S'il Vous Plait (live) - The Complete Birth of the Cool (LAME 192 Mono)

Vinicius de Moraes, Ornella Vanoni and Toquinho, 1976.

"A Child's Garden of Grass" on vinyl.

Soilwork - [Figure Number Five #10] Distortion Sleep

with newest foobar

The Beaux Hunks Playing the Little Rascals

Us And Them - from Classic Albums DVD: Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon

10. va - Skam Records - [0161 #03] Gescom - Two Of [5:47]

Listening to: 'Mechanical Frenzy' from 'Split Decision' by 'Steve Morse Band' on Media Center 9.1

Loco, you should upgrade to 0.7
Specially if listening to MP3, foobar2000 plays them gaplessly

I am listening to Queens of the Stone Age - In the fade.mp3 (from the Rated R album)

Nirvana - Milk It

Toto Cutugno - Insieme: 1992

One of the advantages of living in Norway is that rare Norwegian music is a bit easier to find in second-hand shops... I was on a lucky streak that day though, also picked up a copy of The KLF - America: What time is love? in the same shop...

Right now I'm listening to The Last Emperor: Music, Magic, Myth... Highly recommended, perhaps the cleverest hip-hop lyricist out there right now, finally out with an album after being bounced around from label to label for a year or two now.

Pat Metheny - The Awakening - MP3
From the "Imaginary Day" album.

Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison
LAME 3.90.3 a-p-s
"Well I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die..."

O Stella :: P.J. Harvey :: /Dry/

Boris Dlugosch and Milk & Sugar on Sputnik Intensivstation live stream

willie bobo - fried neckbones and some home fries on verve remixed 2

Thompson Twins - Greatests Hits (Audio CD) on my standalone DVD Player
To AtaqueEG: I just update to the newest foobar2k, when I was post the new release of foobar2k was in the alpha stage.