XTC, along with Vega, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, Talking Heads and a handful of other “rock” musicians were the highlights of the 1980s. By the 1980s I was deep into jazz and the other musical genres were in the back seat.
As with the rest of the world it has been a challenge for the last couple of years.
I couldn’t make a participating record store on the day as I was up in wine country for the weekend, but I was broadly aware of what was on offer due to mailing lists I’m on. Not much has really grabbed my attention this time round though.
Two examples why one should always audition stream a contemplated LP purchase.
Chet Baker can’t sing. He couldn’t carry a tune when he was younger and he sure can’t do it with 58 year old pipes. Side One, where there’s no vocals, is ok albeit half-hearted. Side Two is completely ruined by Baker’s semi-comatose attempts at crooning. What a waste of clear vinyl; probably never bother to cue it up again. F*ck.
Man, I hate Live albums. It’s either extended clapping sessions after every bit, catcalls from the crowd, or (in this case) “tuberculosis old men at the nelson wheeze and cough” who seem to inevitably sit next to one of the mics. Oddly, it isn’t as obnoxious on Qobuz as it is on vinyl, where it’s like having someone with a terminal lung disease sitting on one’s couch. Too bad, because otherwise the sonics are top shelf. F*ck.
On a lighter note, I only have the CD of this wonderful recording so while I can hear that rude SOB coughing, I cannot identify exactly where he was sitting. Now if I had a full analog vinyl version of the recording then I would be able to tell exactly where the cougher was sitting with respect to the stage and the microphones.
Dare I look for it using Roon’s “search” function? In quotes because a real search function would actually work.
Well I did try using Roon’s “search” function and of course it didn’t work because it almost never works!!! I mean “Small Change” is not only the name of the Tom Waits album, it is also the name of the track on the album. The album is in my library and Roon failed to find it. The Roon search function is not just badly broken but it’s an embarrassment. Shameful.
Weird. My Roon search found the album, which is in my library, and the track. It also found the track on a compilation album which isn’t in my library, but is on Qobuz.
That’s the real problem with Roon Search, in that it’s unpredictable.
Remember when there was lots information about the recording and it was actually large enough to read and you didn’t need a computer to read it, you just held it in your hand?