Great choice! I bought the vinyl version in the early 80’s and it sounds terrific, even though it was recorded at the beginning of the Digital era. I’ll listen more closely to Op. 135 as you suggest.
Claude
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A lovely, touching choice Eoink. Thanks for sharing.
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Here is another of my lifetime albums: Joni Mitchell - Ladies of the Canyon, 1970
I first heard this record about 10 years ago. I had heard the song “Woodstock” on a concert film about Joni Mitchell playing the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival (side note: I was born on the Isle of Wight in June 1970). I was very struck by the song - I liked the soulful piano playing and the words seemed to indicate the massive changes in the world at about that time. But I didn’t buy the record then - a few years later I decided to go a bit exploring music wise, so I looked up one of those “500 best records ever” lists (Rolling Stone I think it was) and bought every CD that took my fancy. Those were the days when I had a bit of money and in most cases each CD wasn’t expensive because they were old records by then - I reckon I spent about £250. Anyway, Ladies of the Canyon was on the list and I saw it had Woodstock on it and it was about £3 or something from Amazon so it was a no brainer.
I think the album itself is a masterpiece - a wide variety of songs, some sweet, some melancholy and others cryptic - all with masterful playing. The song Woodstock still stops me in my tracks and I have to listen to it whatever I am doing. I remember a thread about the song on the old Naim forum and the consensus was that CSNY’s version was much better than Joni’s. Well I beg to differ - I think Joni’s version is exquisite.
I think the album is very well recorded. It’s simple but you can sort of feel Joni’s attitude in the vocals and the guitars and pianos sound lively, crisp and natural. I have got a 24/192 version download now and this is a bit better than the old CD rip.
I have said this before but well recorded albums like this, reproduced on good gear, is like having a time machine - you are transported back to the time and place where it was recorded (in this case, LA 50 years ago), and it is nice to think that this will remain constant and unaffected by the passing of time.
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I can’t put it better than PaulM, so I echo those sentiments but I must say independently: thank you for this post.
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Very well put, I couldn’t agree more. I got into JM by hearing The Only Joy in Town from the Night Ride Home album on the radio. I got that album immediately but it took me a while to extend the collection. Ladies of the Canyon didn’t immediately grab me in the same way but over the years it’s become a firm favourite along with Night Ride (my introduction album), Blue and Court and Spark.
In fact I’m going to put it on now. 
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You know it makes sense!!
One thing I forgot to add is that there is a very good thread on Hoffman forums about Ladies of the Canyon - even has links to interviews with the actual Ladies themselves.
Massive Attack- Blue Lines
The soundtrack of my youth.
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This is a really tricky question and I have no ready answer:
Virtually anything by Kate Bush. Apart from that avoding obvious popular choices these two stand out from my teenage years as for whatever reason they resonated with me.
Toyah - Anthem
Soft Cell - Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
If I thought about it tomorrow I’d probably choose something else, I just happen to think that to me these albums are as interesting now as they were on release - I can’t say that about many albums tonight.
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Probably my favourite Joni album, and one that I have continually returned to down the decades. It’s a great winter album.
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Miles Davis’ Tutu is one of those. Sometimes makes me cry. Sometimes gets me a smile. Sometimes the roof goes off.
I’ll be back as things develop…
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This was one of the first albums that I really got in to having borrowed it from a friend at school and was quickly followed by buying my own copy, which I still have and then several other albums of his from this era.
The album was framed on the wall in Mork and Mindy, which I thought was a good idea, all those years ago.
It contains great tracks on their own and together tell a story of life on the road.
Never tire of listening to it to this day, with Stay being our wedding song.
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Great read, thanks for your memories. Never got to see the man himself live, but have most of his albums
Thank you Martin, I continue to buy his albums and artwork, and go to selected gigs I always find it fascinating that so many young people are there he seems to bridge the generations and confound and confuse as he always has done!
Chris
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OK Here is another: Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden, 1988
I first heard this record last year! I tried it based on discussion on this forum. I had Its My Life on CD that I bought in the 80s - that was OK but nothing special - but Spirit of Eden was completely different and on the first listen I thought that it was something special. From the start it caught my attention with its hooks as well as it being very atmospheric - it feels like the musicians are in a giant room and far away. It is spare and stripped back but has great effect. I don’t play it frequently but when I do the effect is strong.
The version I have is flac 24/96 from Highresaudio, which i bought in Feb 2019. It has an extra song at the end called John Cope that was not on the original record. I didn’t know this when I got the record, so I assumed that it was all as originally intended. Since finding out about the last song, the effect is completely different if I stop playing after the end of the original final song (Wealth) - here, the record simply fades out. Now the John Cope song feels tacked on, and even though I like it, it doesn’t feel appropriate - I much prefer the record sinking into a black hole.
Overall I think this record is a huge achievement - it is very obviously the work of a signature artist in total control of all aspects of its conception and execution. I can’t remember an LP ever sounding like that, before or since. I think this record is a true original work, which is very rare indeed, and this is probably the reason I think it will last with me.
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If you like Spirit of Eden, check out the follow-up (Laughing Stock) and Mark Hollis’s eponymous solo album. Both these albums build on and extend the musical ideas in Spirit of Eden. You might also like The Colour of Spring, which marks the transition away from the (albeit very good) pop tunes of the first two Talk Talk albums to the more atmospheric feel of Spirit of Eden.
As an aside: Spirit of Eden is one of the albums in had in mind in my appreciation of Malcolm Steward for introducing me to some of my favourite music.
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Thanks for the suggestion on The Sessions. I am now exploring my way through these and enjoying them. Last night watched the Oya Festival one and the light show was great as well, must have been great to see live.
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I’d agree that Colour Of Spring is the transitional album but I think the signs were there on It’s My Life (Tomorrow Started, Renee) that something a bit more impressionistic was waiting to emerge from the synth pop.
Very pleased you like the sessions. My faves are 1, 3 and 4. I have seen a couple of recent concerts on youtube and I agree - I think the new TD is worth going to see. New record out next week - their versions of old TD songs.
Interesting thread. So let me also contribute. This album is an album from when I was young and started to get interested by easy jazz…, it started with thinks like John’s “My favorite things” which was easy to appreciated, and which I still like…, however then I got into this album and it took me multiple times of deep listening into as it was more hardcore then this easy jazz. Later on I even pushed myself in hardcore free jazz from Han Bennink and others which I saw at a local jazz festival and who impressed me. While it’s never on the shortlist of key jazz albums, for me it is. Every now and then I again put it in, but I am not so in love anymore with it than in my young years…, while I only had a couple of albums…
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So a second one for today… while now I would more listen to Made in Japan, this album was the one I had available on cassette tape. And I really run it so often that it finally broke. Lying on the bed and having it on while swinging my head from left to right. Still as off today I find songs like Child in Time and Soace Trucking heavingly…, the long songs, the excellent playing… at the same time I have never been a huge fan of Smoke in the Water like others. And as I played the drums the mule was for me also one of these songs which I played over and over again in awe of the skill of Ian Paice …
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