Recently in Music Category

If you're a music fan but haven't been up to the second floor of the library in a while, you may want to stop by next time you're here. Our compact disc collection offers something for everyone. Below are a few titles that we find especially interesting but there is much much more where these came from.

A&M Records 50: the Anniversary Collection, by Various Artists
 
A three-disc, 60-song set that takes the listener through the hits that turned a tiny artist-driven imprint into one of the most important, era-defining names in popular music. This collection features something for everyone, from Burt Bacharach to Barry White to Soundgarden. 

Parklive: Live in Hyde Park 12th August, 2012, by Blur
 
This live double cd set commemorates Blur's reunion show that marked the closing of the London summer Olympics. By most accounts, this show was a huge success that has cemented Blur as a critical and culturally essential part of England's musical history. And to some, this was the best part of the Olympics. Here's a link to the album trailer if you want a quick taste.

Live at the Bowl '68, by The Doors
 
wo years after the Beatles rolled out the hits for the final time further up the West Coast at Candlestick Park -- and over a year into a Rolling Stones touring hiatus -- the Doors played a set at the Hollywood Bowl that is widely regarded to be their finest ever captured. it's clear from this recording that they were keen to impress the 18,000 people who filled the Bowl on July 5, 1968. It's a tight, musically impressive, well-paced set that falls at that sweet spot in the Doors' career, between the laid-back hesitancy of early club performances and the often overblown, strident, and bluesy improvisation of later gigs. It is also a bit of a technical marvel. This restoration makes dramatic improvement audio quality,and has made previously unreleased songs from the performance available for the first time. Technical glitches had prevented three songs from being included in previous versions, but thanks to the restoration process, the concert can now be seen in its entirety, complete with the previously missing performances of "Hello, I Love You," "Caravan" and "The WASP (Texas Radio And The Big Beat). 

Trouble Man, by Marvin Gaye
 
A funky blacksploitation soundtrack from 1972, conceived and composed by Marvin himself and served up with some occasional vocals that work beautifully with the album's cool instrumental grooves. It's Gaye's only soundtrack and film score and shouldn't be missed. 

Bop! Bang! Boom!, by Grant Geissman
 
Grant Geissman's lengthy career as a guitarist and composer started in the early '70s. His résumé includes the guitar solo on flugelhornist Chuck Mangione's 1978 hit single "Feels So Good," a discography of around 15 albums as leader and compositions for TV such as the theme for the CBS comedy Two And A Half Men. Bop! Bang! Boom! is the final installment of a trilogy. It features a strong core band plus guest appearances from Geismann's friends and colleagues including saxophonist Tom Scott, guitarists Larry Carlton and Albert Lee, and Brian Wilson collaborator Van Dyke Parks, on accordion and runs the stylistic gamut from Latin and bebop to blues. 

Palindrome Hunches, by Neil Halstead
 
This is the perfect dreary weather album. These songs are so quiet and beautiful that it makes me want to put on a big rumpled sweater and give everyone a hug.This record was was recorded live in a weekend at a music room in a UK primary school and it has that cozy feeling. With more than just a nod to the legendary Nick Drake, former Mojave 3 and Slowdive leader Halstead has made a record that is just the most recent in a long line of  brilliant traditional British folk music. 

The Gift, Deluxe edition, by The Jam
 
It's true that the band weren't quite up to the top of their game by the time this, their final record, came around but it's also true that even a less than perfect record by The Jam was still better than %90 of most other records. Originally released in March of 1982, it found the band moving further towards the R&B sound that they had been dabbling in since their early records. This 30th anniversary 2cd edition features the original album plus rounds up non-album tracks of the period, including the 12-inch version of Precious and the swansong Beat Surrender EP. It also includes some demo recordings of several songs from the album. And, if that isn't enough for you, there is also a "super deluxe" edition, which features 3 cd's, 1 DVD and a few other things. 

The Complete Studio Recordings, by Roxy Music
 
Whether you are new to Roxy Music or just want to re-visit their work, this 10 cd is a good place to visit. Includes each of the eight Roxy Music studio albums released in the ten year period of 1972-1982, on CD plus two discs of bonus tracks containing tracks previously unavailable on CD. Each album has been taken back to its original form. They are housed in a swanky black box that will probably look awesome in your apartment.

The Essential, by Mindy Smith
 
Best of collection from the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Mindy Smith featuring songs from three of her Vanguard Records studio albums.

Listening to the music of Mindy Smith, you get the sense that this is a woman who has been well prepared for adversity or at least has found a way to deal with it when it arises. As the thirteen songs on this collection reveal, ever since the release of her auspicious 2004 debut album, One Moment More, Smith has fearlessly put herself on the line in her writing, confronting her questions and troubles with songs that are impeccably crafted and indelibly intimate. From the liner notes by Alan Light 

Bish Bosch, by Scott Walker
 
This is not for the meek of heart. A troubling, disturbing but brilliant album that could only come from the mind of Scott Walker. It features drums and guitars and other passing references to rock music, but its deepest roots are in the dissonant, turn-of-the century compositions by Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Webern, and Berg, with a dash of Kurt Weill thrown in for good measure. Don't try this at home, kids.

From backstage tell-alls to touching memoirs, this new batch of music books surely has something for all music fans. Plus, there's much more in our new book section.

Abbey Road : the Best Studio in the World, by Alistair Lawrence, forward by Sir George Martin
 
An oversized photographic celebration and cultural history of the celebrated recording studio. The book provides a full history and timeline, a discography of famous album covers and previously unseen images from the studio's archives that document recordings by such artists as The Beatles, Pink Floyd and John Williams. 

Cyndi Lauper : a Memoir, byCyndi Lauper with Jancee Dunn
 
Iconic singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper offers a poignant account of the journey that led her to become an international superstar--from her years growing up in Queens, New York, to the making of enduring hits like "Time After Time," "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," and "True Colors," to becoming an actress, a mother, an outspoken activist, and maintaining a music career that has lasted more than thirty years. 

Do You Dream in Color? Insights from a Girl without Sight, by Laurie Rubin
 
The internationally acclaimed blind mezzo-soprano traces the story of her childhood in Southern California through the rise of her career as an opera singer, describing how she has overcome everyday and more challenging obstacles while remembering the experiences that inspired her achievements. Ms. Rubin performed at the Greenwich Library as part of the first Greenwich Reads Together Program in 2011.

The Gershwins and Me : a Personal History in Twelve Songs, by Michael Feinstein with Ian Jackman
 
A five-time Grammy nominee presents an illustrated tribute to the lives and legacies of the Gershwins that is presented through the stories of 12 of their most enduring songs including "Strike Up the Band" and "Love Is Here to Stay," in a volume that is complemented by a CD of original recordings.

I'm Your Man : the Life of Leonard Cohen, by Sylvie Simmons
 
Exploring the many facets of Cohen's life, this intimate portrait of one of the most important and influential songwriters of our time draws upon his private archives and a wealth of interviews with many of his closest associates, colleagues and other artists whose work he has inspired.

The John Lennon Letters,edited by and with an introduction by Hunter Davies
 
Published together for the first time, this collection of letters to family, friends, lovers and complete strangers from the beloved Beatle offers an intimate look into the true personality and mind of one of popular music's most prolific and revered artists.

Led Zeppelin : the Oral History of the World's Greatest Rock Band, by Barney Hoskyns
 
Think you know everything there is to know about Led Zeppelin? Think again. This new book, based on more than 200 interviews with everyone from Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones to others central to the Zeppelin story, chronicles the group's dramatic rise, fall and legacy. It takes a fresh look at the band's music, cultural significance, and legend, as well as the highs and lows of the sex, drugs, and rock and roll lifestyle on the road. It also discusses, in depth, the way the band wrote, arranged, and recorded, from how they created the stupendous sound and dynamics on "Dazed and Confused" and "Whole Lotta Love" to the group's folk-suffused acoustic side embodied in songs like "Friends" and "That's the Way." This is a nice accompaniment to the classic Zeppelin tell-all, "Hammer of the Gods: the Led Zeppelin Saga."

Light & Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page , by Bard Tolinski
 
If you still crave more Zeppelin this book, based on extensive interviews conducted with the guitarist/producer over the past 20 years, encompasses Page's entire career, beginning with his early years as England's top session guitarist when he worked with artists ranging from Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, and Burt Bacharach to the Kinks, The Who, and Eric Clapton. Page speaks frankly about his decadent yet immensely creative years in Led Zeppelin, his synergistic relationships with band members Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones, and his notable post-Zeppelin pursuits. While examining every major track recorded by Zeppelin, including "Stairway to Heaven," "Whole Lotta Love," and "Kashmir," Page reflects on the band's sensational tours, the filming of the concert movie The Song Remains the Same, his fascination with the occult, meeting Elvis Presley, and the making of the rock masterpiece Led Zeppelin IV, about which he offers a complete behind-the-scenes account.

Rolling Stones 50 x 20 , edited by Chris Murray
 
Celebrates the remarkable fifty-year career of the Stones with images captured by twenty of the world's greatest music photographers. Featured are more than eighty exceptional photographs that document the longevity of one of the most influential, enduring, and controversial bands in rock history.

We get hundreds of new compact discs each month. Here's a few that you may have missed.

Centipede HZ, by Animal Collective
 
On this, their 10th record, the band has strayed away from the softer side of things and things have gotten a bit harder edged and strange. But this is totally accessible at the same time and is sure to solidify the band's stature as indie darlings. You may want to get the headphones out for this.

The Singer, by Art Garfunkel
 
A 34-song collection of songs hand-picked by the artist himself. Spanning a life's body of work from the first Simon & Garfunkel album of 1964  through 2007's Great American Songbook album and continuing with two newly recorded performances for this release. The Singer includes every #1 U.S. and UK solo hit. In addition to curating The Singer, Garfunkel provides his own personal track-by-track annotations, which appear in the booklet in his handwritten form. 

Yellow & Green, by Baroness
 
The giants of the metal underground re-emerge with their first record in more than three years.The word is that they have mixed things up a bit here with a more fully developed sound but, at the same time, keeping things heavy.

Across the Imaginary Divide, by Bela Fleck and the Marcus Roberts Trio
 
2012 collaboration between banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck and Jazz pianist Marcus Roberts and his trio. The songs here will appeal to both fans of Fleck's distinct banjo playing and traditional jazz fans.

Spirit Fiction, by Ravi Coltrane
 
Ravi Coltrane has some rather large shoes to fill. Being the son of a jazz legend can be stressful but he comports himself quite well here. On his debut record for the Blue Note record label Coltrane (along with two separate backing bands) work through 11 songs that bring to mind the sound of Miles Davis in his late '60's phase. For more information check out a recent feature on Ravi in the New York Times.

Faithful Man, by Lee Fields
 
Southern tinged deep soul that sounds like it was recorded in 1971 but is actually brand new. Fields, who's career spans over 40 years, with a band of young hot shots, has made quite a statement with this record. For fans of Otis Redding and James Brown.

The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal: 1969-1973, by Taj Mahal
 
Composer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Taj Mahal is one of the most prominent and influential figures in late 20th century blues and roots music. This collection features two CDs comprised entirely of unreleased finished material. The first disc debuts studio recordings from 1969-1973, while the second disc premieres a full-length live concert, recorded April 18, 1970 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. 

Harakiri, by Serj Tankian
 
The third solo record by System of a Down front man seems to have a polarizing effect on his fan base. It's a love/hate thing. Some claim it to be a brave example of an artist taking his music in a new direction while others call it a pretentious mistake. Take it home today and see for yourself.