Hi everyone, here are our five musical recommendations of the week!
(Click on the CD/DVD or book cover to request the item)
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) by The Beatles (Format: CD):
With Revolver, the Beatles made the Great Leap Forward, reaching a previously unheard-of level of sophistication and fearless experimentation. Sgt. Pepper, in many ways, refines that breakthrough, as the Beatles consciously synthesized such disparate influences as psychedelia, art-song, classical music, rock & roll, and music hall, often in the course of one song. Not once does the diversity seem forced — the genius of the record is how the vaudevillian “When I’m 64” seems like a logical extension of “Within You Without You” and how it provides a gateway to the chiming guitars of “Lovely Rita.” There’s no discounting the individual contributions of each member or their producer, George Martin, but the preponderance of whimsy and self-conscious art gives the impression that Paul McCartney is the leader of the Lonely Hearts Club Band. He dominates the album in terms of compositions, setting the tone for the album with his unabashed melodicism and deviously clever arrangements. In comparison, Lennon’s contributions seem fewer, and a couple of them are a little slight but his major statements are stunning. “With a Little Help From My Friends” is the ideal Ringo tune, a rolling, friendly pop song that hides genuine Lennon anguish, à la “Help!”; “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” remains one of the touchstones of British psychedelia; and he’s the mastermind behind the bulk of “A Day in the Life,” a haunting number that skillfully blends Lennon’s verse and chorus with McCartney’s bridge. It’s possible to argue that there are better Beatles albums, yet no album is as historically important as this. After Sgt. Pepper, there were no rules to follow — rock and pop bands could try anything, for better or worse. Ironically, few tried to achieve the sweeping, all-encompassing embrace of music as the Beatles did here. Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review
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Our American Journey by Chanticleer (Format: CD)
This collection represents not only a variety of American a cappella singing styles, but also the celebration of Chanticleer’s 25-year history. The group’s translucent harmonies, perfect intonation, and precise ensemble work are there in each and every track. The music ranges from pieces by the earliest Spanish-American composers to shape-note song to modern works that reflect on older singing styles and text. Also mixed in are arrangements of Stephen Foster and George Gershwin, a bluegrass song, and traditional spirituals, which all take advantage of the group’s skills and show off their particular sensitivity to each one. Voices of Autumn, by Jackson Hill, makes extremely effective use of devices of Japanese Buddhist chant, while The Un-Covered Wagon, by Brent Michael Davids, not only employs Native American text, but also requires the men to vocally imitate ceremonial instruments, both in juxtaposition with a quotation of Faith of Our Fathers. Also notable are William Billings’ David’s Lamentation and the arrangement of Wayfarin’ Stranger. The men of Chanticleer perform each piece, as well as the others on the disc, earnestly, but are also aware of the enjoyment of making the music come to life. Overall, a fine compilation that successfully represents both Chanticleer and American vocal music traditions. Patsy Morita, AllMusic Review
Song List:
1. Trad / Arr Jennings : “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”
2. Lienas : “Credidi propter quod locutus sum”
3. Padilla : “Versa est in luctum”
4. Trad / Arr Jennings : Jefferson – “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken”
5. Billings / Arr Jennings : David’s Lamentation
6. Cagle / Arr Jennings : Soar Away
7. Stucky : Whispers
8. Voices of Autumn
9. Davids : The Un-Covered Wagon
10. Hawley : 3 Rime di Tasso : “Fuggi, fuggi, dolor”
11. Hawley : “Labbra vermiglie e belle”
12. Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair
13. Camptown Races
14. Love Walked In
15. Ronell / Jennings : “Willow Weep for Me”
16. Lawson, Waller, Yates / Arr Jennings : Calling My Children Home
17. Trad / Arr Jennings : Wayfarin’ Stranger
18. Trad / Arr Jennings : “I’m a Pilgrim”
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Groove Interrupted: Loss, Renewal And The Music of New Orleans by Keith Spera (Format: Print Book):
The recent history of New Orleans is fraught with tragedy and triumph. Both are reflected in the city’s vibrant, idiosyncratic music community. In Keith Spera’s intimately reported Groove Interrupted, Aaron Neville returns to New Orleans for the first time after Hurricane Katrina to bury his wife. Fats Domino improbably rambles around Manhattan to promote a post-Katrina tribute CD. Alex Chilton lives anonymously in a battered cottage in the Treme neighborhood. Platinum-selling rapper Mystikal rekindles his career after six years in prison. Jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard struggles to translate Katrina into music. The spotlight also shines on Allen Toussaint, Pete Fountain, Gatemouth Brown, the Rebirth Brass Band, Phil Anselmo, Juvenile, Jeremy Davenport and the 2006 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. With heartache, hope, humor and resolve, each of these contemporary narratives stands on its own. Together, they convey that the funky, syncopated spirit of New Orleans music is unbreakable, in spite of Katrina’s interruption.
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It’s Not Only Rock ‘N’ Roll: Iconic Musicians Reveal the Source of Their Creativity by Dr. Jenny Boyd (Format: eBook):
How do the world’s most popular musicians create hit songs? Is it natural talent, or do external influences affect their writing process? Dr. Jenny Boyd, ex-wife of Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood and sister-in-law of George Harrison, spent four years interviewing 75 world-famous musicians on that subject and has now published her findings in It’s Not Only Rock ‘n Roll: Iconic Musicians Reveal the Source of Their Creativity. The book explores the drive to create, the importance of nurturing creativity and the role of unconscious influences in conversations with Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Joni Mitchell and more.
Click on the following link to read an excerpt from the book:
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Retrospective The Supertramp Anthology (2005) by Supertramp (Format: CD):
Considering their career spanned close to 30 years, it’s amazing how condensed most people’s vision of Supertramp has become. Or maybe not. Few listeners, after all, would disagree that their prime period encompassed the mere six or so years that divided Crime of the Century (their third album) from Breakfast in America (their sixth), and that the pile of vinyl on either side of that is more or less padding. Certainly Retrospectacle has no problem with that scenario. A completist’s eye for affairs does permit the first two albums to enjoy a quick look-in, with one song apiece; and similar treatment is meted out to the seven albums that took the band through the ’80s and beyond. The meat of the moment, however, arrives with “Land Ho,” the first vinyl manifestation of the so-called “classic” ‘tramp lineup, and a lost 45 from early 1974. And, from thereon in, it’s all plain sailing — five songs from Crime of the Century, four apiece from Crisis? What Crisis and Even in the Quietest Moments. . ., and a whopping six from Breakfast in America, all selected to depict the band at the peak of its creative and musical powers — the haunted harp that opens “School,” the staccato percussion that powers “Lady,” the lurid harmonies of “From Now On,” and on to the sheer illogical madness of “The Logical Song” — in fact, the only weakness here is the substitution of a live “You Started Laughing” for the vastly superior studio B-side. That aside, though, Retrospectacle tells its story with as much panache as the best of Supertramp could ever demand. – Dave Thompson, AllMusic Review
Song List:
Disc 1
1. Surely
2. Your Poppa Don’t Mind
3. Land Ho
4. Summer Romance
5. School
6. Bloody Well Right
7. Dreamer
8. Rudy
9. Crime of the Century
10. Sister Moonshine
11. Ain’t Nobody But Me
12. Lady
13. Two of Us
14. Give a Little Bit
15. Downstream
16. Even in the Quietest Moments
17. From Now On
Disc 2
1. Gone Hollywood
2. The Logical Song
3. Goodbye Stranger
4. Breakfast in America
5. Oh Darling
6. Take the Long Way Home
7. You Started Laughing
8. It’s Raining Again
9. My Kind of Lady
10. Don’t Leave Me Now
11. Cannonball
12. Free as a Bird
13. You Win, I Lose
14. Another Man’s Woman
15. Over You
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Tanglewood 75th Anniversary Celebration by Various Artists (Format DVD):
Tanglewood 75th Anniversary Celebration features the BSO, the Boston Pops Orchestra and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, under the direction of conductors Keith Lockhart, Andris Nelsons, John Williams, and David Zinman.
Performers include pianists Emanuel Ax and Peter Serkin, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and vocalist James Taylor, as well as the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor. The wide-ranging program, taped on July 14, 2012, and includes Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”; Leonard Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from On the Town; selections from the Great American Songbook (“Over the Rainbow,” “Shall We Dance,” and “Old Man River”); Franz Joseph Haydn’s Piano Concerto in D, 2nd and 3rd movements; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Andante cantabile for cello and strings; Pablo de Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy, for violin and orchestra; Maurice Ravel’s “La Valse”; and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. – PBS
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Videos:
All You Need Is Love by the Beatles
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A Day In The Life by The Beatles
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Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds by The Beatles
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Camptown Races by Chanticleer
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Love Walked In by Chanticleer
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Voices of Autumn by Chanticleer
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Tell It Like It Is by Aaron Neville
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Ain’t That A Shame by Fats Domino
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Rock Pneumonia & Boogie Woogie Flu by Huey Piano Smith
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Southern Nights by Allen Toussaint
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Interview with Jenny Boyd Focusing On Her Book It’s Not Only Rock N’ Roll
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Seven Year Ache by Rosanne Cash
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Old Love by Eric Clapton
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Damn Right, I’ve Got The Blues by Buddy Guy
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Hoo Doo Man Blues by Buddy Guy & Junior Wells
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I Can’t Quit The Blues by Buddy Guy
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The Thrill Is Gone by B. B. King
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World Turning by Fleetwood Mac
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Big Yellow Taxi & Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell
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The Stumble by John Mayall & The Blues Breakers featuring Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood & John McVie
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Leftover Blues by Clarence Gatemouth Brown
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Goodbye Stranger by Supertramp
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The Logical Song by Supertramp
Have a great weekend!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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REFERENCES:
Print References
The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn
Online References
AllMusic: https://www.allmusic.com/
Book Excerpt: It’s Not Only Rock ‘N’ Roll: Iconic Musicians Reveal the Source of Their Creativity Written By Jenny Boyd // May 14, 2014. American Songwriter: The Craft of Music. Online. Accessed October 9, 2019. https://americansongwriter.com/2014/05/book-excerpt-rock-n-roll-iconic-musicians-reveal-source-creativity/
Great Performances: Tanglewood 75th Anniversary Celebration. WSKG/PBS. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/tanglewood-75th-anniversary-celebration-about-the-concert/1327/
Online Catalog Links:
StarCat
The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD, etc.
The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)
The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.
ABOUT LIBRARY APPS: Libby & RBDigital:
You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the Libby and/or the RBDigital app, to check out eBooks, downloadable audiobooks and on-demand magazines, from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at 607-936-3713 and one of our tech coaches will be happy to assist you.
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