Last time, I showed you what happens when classical music gets tangled up in rock 'n' roll. This time, the classics have a tryst with the "Now" sound.
The front cover's pretty much the same, minus the track listing.
What we have here, according to the liners, is music "utilizing modern instrumentation, tone colors, and the kind of rhythmic support to which our ears have become widely accustomed." Basically, it's classical rearranged for the modern ear. It's noted that "only rigid purists are likely to find anything but enjoyment, and a measure of discovery, in listening" to these pieces.
Speaking of discovery, the liners also reveal that many classical composers did the same thing Walter Raim did here: they rearranged and rewrote their own pieces according to purpose and the availability of musicians. In this case, Raim rewrote these pieces for the 65-piece 21st Century Orchestra commissioned for this album.
Divshare's been down for a few days, but when it comes back up, I'll have a couple tracks for you. I think you'll like them.
You might not be 36 Today, you might not remember 1969, and you might not even be an Aquarius. But since I am (and we're almost on the cusp of Pisces), I thought I'd post a little about this astrological album.
Really, there's not a lot going on here but easy-listening covers, so the music's actually not real important this time. What steals the show is the concept: a famous astrologer explains each sign of the zodiac with music in a 12-volume series. And even then, it'd already been half-done: Moog maven Mort Garson did something similar for A&M about the same time, sans the astrologer. And the music was much more interesting.
Carroll Righter, astrologer to the "stars," literally and figuratively, was sort of the Jean Dixon of his day (yes, like Carroll O'Connor and Carroll Shelby, Righter was a man). One claim to fame was warning Marlene Dietrich of impending trouble on a movie set. She ignored him...and broke her ankle. Since then, he'd consulted with practically every star in Hollywood...and he still had time for this series...and possibly a second cup of coffee. (He never had time for a second cup of my coffee...)
Inside each album (I have 4 of them) was a book by Righter, telling you more than you ever knew about yourself. Gotta tell you, he was pretty spot on with my description. Among the revelations (yuk yuk ): "This man has a genuine flare [sic] for a deep and lasting friendship, but finding one is a rare occurrence because he is so seldom understood."
"Aquarius is an emotionally wracked sign and the native Aquarian is not allowed the daily life of happiness in common things. His sight is aimed on the high and the flawless and his energies are geared to their attainment."
In other words, we're neurotic loners.
There's more surprisingly accurate babble like this in the notes to each of the songs on this record. I'll spare you that, but I'm obligated to present the most obvious songs.
First...yeah. I know. But why not?
And second...but this time you get to hear the whole song on its own! Minus the words, of course.
Or perhaps a little younger or older? Is it even your birthday? Well, I just had a birthday (not my 36th), and if I got this album for a present I'm not sure how I'd react.
36? She doesn't look a day over 29.
This is a collection of 36 great songs...that somehow turned maybe a little less great through a Columbia Records house band, trying to get "The 'Now' Sound Of Young Music" to appeal simultaneously to the "now" set and people with "then" musical sensibilities. As you'll hear, their efforts met with varying success.
On the other hand, maybe the band should've stopped at 29.
It's likely that the group you hear here is called The Copycats. I discovered an album of theirs recently, also on Columbia. Ray Conniff and Percy Faith did enough of this type of work that The Copycats weren't really necessary, but here you go.
And in answer to Jimmy Ruffin's question, this is what becomes of the brokenhearted:
As for The Yardbirds...I wonder whatever became of them:
What kind of song is this? Columbia always got little digs in at their own acts on these records. Respectable? Not really:
