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Billie Holiday - Complete Masters
European 15-disc release; I had been wanting some kind of cross-label compilation of significant sides, but more than a single-disc compilation --- something along the lines of a Proper or JSP release. This was a little more than what I was looking for, but on the other hand this is all I may ever need or want. I'm not a completist in the sense that I like hearing alternate takes, masters are enough for me.
Count Basie - Basically Basie
JSP 4-disc release. One of the significant figures that I have never listened to in-depth; I knew some of the time-honored "hits" just as with Billie Holiday. I have purchased 10-20 Proper or JSP sets over time and am happy with them for providing a more economical cross-label survey of early-20th century jazz artists.
Pet Shop Boys - Please, Actually, and Disco
So when I was 7 and first started watching MTV, Pet Shop Boys were among the first things that jumped out and stuck with me (particularly "It's A Sin". I didn't have the ability to buy their music, and never got around to it until now (although I know many of these songs individually).
Revolting Cocks - Beers, Steers, and Queers (remaster)
I had this in my early teens before someone stole it. I've been on a kick lately of going back to things I liked when I was young but haven't listened to since then, the aural equivalent of revisiting an old neighborhood. In this case I bought a remaster that Al Jourgenson had put out a few years ago --- the track order has been tooled with, as well as adding unreleased period tracks and remixes. The title track has some interesting aspects, mostly has aged horribly --- a Texas-themed attempt at rap --- but I can dig the bulk of the album as period-piece underground industrial "trax," even if more amateur-sounding than Ministry. "Let's Get Physical" is another novelty, but works ("I think you know how far I'll go!").
Enemy Mine (sdtk) - Maurice Jarre
I watched this movie when I was a kid as well --- can still enjoy it on SOME level but I cringe a little, too --- paternalistic relationship b/t white man and "alien" --- but I always remember this scene at the end where Davidge accompanies young Zambis (sp?) to his home world and recites his lineage. That electronic music that sounds like Dracs singing in their gutteral tongue = pretty much the reason I bought this, but I can enjoy the rest as well and found myself enjoying the orchestral/electronic score as a whole.
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Thousand Knives, B-12 Unit
I love them early YMO albums and never heard this solo stuff, so got 'em both. Not much to say except I like that these can be a little more loose or "experimental". Contemporary artists that throwback to 80s keyboard or synth albums lean way too hard on the pop and not enough on the parts of Vangelis, Sakamoto, etc. that were not afraid to stretch out and just play with sounds. THen again, contemporary artists aren't always as funky with the synths as I'd like, either (a la "Firecracker" or "Riot in Lagos"), so maybe they aren't looking to this, anyways, as much as new wave or italo, and I err in wanting something that was never there. -------
http://soundcloud.com/ajiav
http://www.last.fm/user/ajiav
Games without front ears / born without ears
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