MARCEL LANDOWSKI MEGAPOST

MARCEL LANDOWSKI
EDITION (2008)
320 KBPS

One of the great post-war figures in French musical life, Landowski was not only a very fine composer, but an administrator non-pareil, restructuring musical institutions, reforming French opera and founding many musical groups, including the Orchestre de Paris. His music eschews the more outré developments of the Twentieth Century, instead relying on traditional forms, key centres and an individual lyricism spiced with recognisably modern flavours such as the use of magnetic tape, the Ondes martenot and various electro-acoustic instruments. This selection of symphonies, concertos, opera, dramatic, choral and chamber works presents a superb guide to this brilliantly imaginative and immediately accessible composer's fascinating output. Currently somewhat neglected on CD, this collection brings together the complete Landowski recordings on the Erato label. Enjoy!

Piano Concerto No.2
1. I Moderato
2. II Calme
3. III Allegro vivace
Concerto for Ondes Martenot, Strings and Percussion
4. I Andante - Allegro moderato
5. II Adagio - Allegro
Concerto for trumpet and electro-acoustic instruments
6. I Cantiques d'un soir [Andantino]
7. II Chant pour une feuille morte [Allegro moderaro]
8. III Cortège [Andante]

Symphonie n° 1 "Jean de la Peur"
1. Allegro moderato "Car elle naquit des mystères du monde..."
2. GAllegretto scherzando "Et Jean pensa détruire la Peur en tuant les mystères"
3. Adagio "Mais lentement une autre Peur se leva et cette Peur-là le regardait du dedans"
Symphonie n° 3 "Des Espaces"
4. Grave
5. Allegro deciso
Symphonie n°4
6. Andante - Allegro moderato
7. Allegro vivace
8. Calme
9. Allegretto
10. Allegro moderato - Allegro vivace

Symphonie n°2
1. Allegro moderato
2. Adagio
3. Allegro vivace

Le Fantome de l'Opéra
1. L'Opéra aux premières heures du matin
2. Madame Carlotta danse à décrocher le lustre ce soir
3. La jeune fille traverse le miroir
4. Le fantome conduit le bal
5. Un premier baiser , Horreur... c'est un monstre
6. Les rats
7. La messe de mariage ou la danse des morts

Un enfant appelle
1. Un enfant appelle, loin, très loin
2. Je crois très bas
3. La nuit même où il fut livré
La Prison
4. I - L'attente "un meuble a craqué"
5. II - L'interrogatoire "ce n'était qu'une chanson"
6. III - La prison "il n'y a plus de temps"... "il n'y a plus d'âge"

La vielle maison
Premier Acte
1. Ouverture
2. Premier Tableau
3. Deuxième Tableau
4. Troisième Tableau
5. Quatrième Tableau
6. Cinquième Tableau
7. Sixième Tableau
Deuxième Acte
8. Septième Tableau
9. Huitième Tableau
10. Neuvième Tableau
11. Dixième Tableau
12. Onzième Tableau

Messe de l'Aurore
1. Introit
2. Kyrie
3. Gloria
4. Credo
5. Sanctus
6. Agnus Dei
7. Amen
4 Pieces for trumpet and organ "Cahier pour quatre jours"
8. I Jour du secret intérieur
9. II Jour de quête de soi
10. III Jour des regrets et des pardons
11. IV Jour de joie

Le Fou (Part I)
1. Ouverture et premier tableau "La vision de Peter Bel"
2. Deuxième Tableau "Le Cabinet du Prince"
3. Troisième Tableau "La Ville"

Le Fou (Part II)
1. Quatrième Tableau "Le laboratoire de Pierre Bel"
2. Cinquième Tableau "La Prison"

GIACINTO SCELSI

GIACINTO SCELSI

Giacinto Scelsi, Count of Ayala Valva (La Spezia, January 8, 1905 – Rome, August 9, 1988) was an Italian composer who also wrote surrealist poetry in French.
He is best known for writing music based around only one pitch, altered in all manners through microtonal oscillations, harmonic allusions, and changes in timbre and dynamics, as paradigmatically exemplified in his revolutionary Quattro Pezzi su una nota sola ["Four Pieces on a single note"] (1959). His musical output, which encompassed all Western classical genres except scenic music, remained largely undiscovered even within contemporary musical circles during most of his life, until a series of concerts in the mid to late 1980s finally premièred many of his pieces to great acclaim, notably his orchestral masterpieces in October 1987 in Cologne, about a quarter of a century after those works had been composed and less than a year before the composer's death (he was able to attend the premières and personally supervised the rehearsals). The impact caused by the late discovery of his works was described by Belgian musicologist Harry Halbreich saying:
“ A whole chapter of recent musical history must be rewritten: the second half of this century is now unthinkable without Scelsi ... He has inaugurated a completely new way of making music, hitherto unknown in the West. In the early fifties, there were few alternatives to serialism's strait jacket that did not lead back to the past. Then, toward 1960–61, came the shock of the discovery of Ligeti's Apparitions and Atmosphères. There were few people at the time who knew that Friedrich Cerha, in his orchestral cycle Spiegel, had already reached rather similar results, and nobody knew that there was a composer who had followed the same path even years before, and in a far more radical way: Giacinto Scelsi himself.”
Dutch musicologist Henk de Velde, alluding to Adorno speaking of Alban Berg, called Scelsi “the Master of the yet smaller transition,” to which Harry Halbreich added that “in fact, his music is only transition.”
Here are the works for Choir and Orchestra as performed by Jürg Wyttenbach, the Radio/Television Polish Orchestra and the Choix of Krakow's Philarmonic Orchestra, ENJOY!

WORKS FOR CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA
DIRECTION JÜRG WYTTENBACH (2003)
320 KBPS
Disc One
Aion (1961)
1. I
2. II
3. III
4. IV
Pfhat (1974)
5. I
6. II
7. III
8. IV
Konx-Om-Pax (1969)
9. I
10. II
11. III

Disc Two
Quattro Pezzi Per Orchestra
(Ciascuno su una sola)
1. I
2. II
3. III
4. IV
5. Anahit (Lyrical poem dedicated to Venus)
Uaxuctum
6. I
7. II
8. III
9. IV
10. V

Disc Three
Hurqualia (1960)
1. I
2. II
3. III
4. IV
5. Hymnos (1963)
Chukrum (1963)
6. I
7. II
8. III
9. IV

PROCOL HARUM

PROCOL HARUM
PROCOL HARUM
(A.K.A.) A WHITER SHADE OF PALE (1967)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Procol Harum's self-titled, debut album bombed in England, appearing six months after "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and "Homburg" with neither hit song on it. The LP was successful in America, where albums sold more easily, but especially since it did include "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and was reissued with a sticker emphasizing the presence of the original "Conquistador," a re-recording which became a hit in 1972. The music is an engaging meld of psychedelic rock, blues, and classical influences, filled with phantasmagorical lyrics, bold (but not flashy) organ by Matthew Fisher, and Robin Trower's most tasteful and restrained guitar. "Conquistador," "Kaleidoscope," "A Christmas Camel," and the Bach-influenced "Repent Walpurgis" are superb tracks, and "Good Captain Clack" is great, almost Kinks-like fun. Not everything here works, but it holds up better than most psychedelic or progressive rock.

1. Whiter Shade of Pale
2. Conquistador
3. She Wandered Through the Garden Fence
4. Something Following Me
5. Mabel
6. Cerdes (Outside the Gates Of)
7. Christmas Camel
8. Kaleidoscope
9. Salad Days (Are Here Again)
10. Good Captain Clack
11. Repent Walpurgis
Bonus tracks
12. Lime Street Blues [Single B'Side]
13. Homburg [Singke A'Side]
14. Monsieur Armand [from the "Rock Roots" Compilation]
15. Seem to Have the Blues (Mostly All the Time) [from the "Rock Roots" Compilation]

THE CLASH

THE CLASH
COMBAT ROCK (1982)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Final album by the Clash's original Strummer/Jones incarnation, Combat Rock might also be considered as their most inconsistent. There were musical and ideological rifts developing within the band, and it shows: the experimentation is almost as wild as Sandanista!'s (and the biggest experiment is heading away from their punk shiftiness and into a commercial rock sound), but they seem to be enjoying it less. The band's stabs at funk and poetry aren't terribly successful, but it all came together for two massive hits: "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" has the biggest, stupidest, most perfect riff this side of "Louie Louie," and "Rock the Casbah" pulls the band's politics, fine-honed sarcasm, and saw-toothed guitar sound into the service of a dance-floor beat.

1. Know Your Rights
2. Car Jamming
3. Should I Stay Or Should I Go
4. Rock The Casbah
5. Red Angel Dragnet
6. Straight To Hell
7. Overpowered By Funk
8. Atom Tan
9. Sean Flynn
10. Ghetto Defendant
11. Inoculated City
12. Death Is A Star

TRIUMPH

TRIUMPH
THUNDER SEVEN (1984)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

In my opinion, "Thunder Seven" was Triumph's last classic studio album. It capped a three album run with the band easily at the peak of their success. Three years prior showed the band firing on all cylinders with "Allied Forces" (1981); and a strong follow-up in '83 with "Never Surrender". "Thunder Seven" was followed by "The Sport Of Kings" (1986) and "Surveillance" (1987) - both simply under par albums in the eyes of fans and critics alike (not to mention the band not writing all their own material). "Thunder Seven" gave us two singles ("Spellbound" and "Follow Your Heart") - both surprisingly sung by drummer Gil Moore. The real gems are the deep album cuts that never made it to the FM radio waves - "Rock Out, Roll On" is a solid Rik Emmett rocker; "Time Goes By" hits you in the same vein as Allied Force's "Fight The Good Fight"; "Cool Down" sounds like it could have been written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant; "Time Canon" is a minute-and-a-half vocal (only) piece leading into the beautiful "Killing Time"; and two instrumentals - "Midsummer's Daydream" (receiving numerous guitar composition awards) and the stunning and uncharacteristic bluesy album closer "Little Boy Blues". For me, Triumph is/was always a guitar band first. Drums, bass and vocals were always great, but Rik Emmett's guitar was the show-piece here. Triumph seemed to be labeled Canada's 2nd best power trio (behind Rush), but I always thought they deserved more credit. Staying power with fans - "Thunder Seven" was certified gold in 2003, almost 20 years after its release.

1. Spellbound
2. Rock out, Rock On
3. Cool Down
4. Follow Your Heart
5. Time Goes By
6. Midsummer's Daydream [Instrumental]
7. Time Canon
8. Killing Time
9. Stranger in a Strange Land
10. Little Boy Blues [Instrumental]

BRIGHT EYES

BRIGHT EYES
CASSADAGA (2007)
320 KBPS

On their sixth and most straightforwardly clean album, Nebraska's Bright Eyes once again integrate a revolving cast of players to the mix, including Portland tunesmith M. Ward and alt-country queen Gillian Welch. But the band remains at the helm of forever-wunderkind Conor Oberst, and the fruitful songwriter has one-upped 2005's I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning with a proficient and accessible ensemble of expansive pop orchestrations and ornate folk songs that chronicle his traverses across the American panorama. Oberst's voice quakes and wanders through South Dakota lore and Sunshine State chicanery, always the perfect vehicle for his threadbare lyrics. "Take the fruit from the tree/Break the skin with your teeth/Is it bitter or sweet/All depends on your timing," he forewarns in "Cleanse Song," a psychedelic merry-go-round of a soundtrack that joins the Scottish-tinged "Soul Singer in a Session Band" and singalong single "Four Winds" as Cassadaga's finest. The 13-song-record is certain to open more doors for a band whose recognition has soared with every release since Oberst was just 14.

1. Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed)
2. Four Winds
3. If the Brakeman Turns My Way
4. Hot Knives
5. Make a Plan to Love Me
6. Soul Singer in a Session Band
7. Classic Cars
8. Middleman
9. Cleanse Song
10. No One Would Riot for Less
11. Coat Check Dream Song
12. I Must Belong Somewhere
13. Lime Tree

ARTAUD

ARTAUD
ARTAUD (2004)
320 KBPS

Listening to Artaud's debut album is a bit like listening to Steve Reich or Philip Glass for the first time, not an easy thing to do. It's complex and incredibly compact. But, if you push the experience a little bit further, it reveals itself in all its beauty and grandeur.
Originally a jazz bassist, Vincent Artaud grew up between two worlds, those of jazz and classical music. Using the full range of his skills and roots, he has built a fascinating mix consisting of minimalism and jazz to which he added his love of the most arty soundtracks (i.e. not those of Hollywood).
There are not enough composers like Artaud, his is a rare breed. His music will please those who like Zorn's Filmworks and Ornette Coleman's explorations. Yes, it's that good!
Don't miss the opportunity get Artaud's debut!
(his second album has already been posted on Moodswings and it delivers more of the same magic. Use the search engine to find it)

1. Element 12
2. Downtown
3. Agarta
4. Evola
5. Dasverbrechen
6. Isaac Resonnant
7. Element 1
8. St Barthelemy
9. Primo
10. Bereshit

IRON MAIDEN

IRON MAIDEN
LIVE AFTER DEATH (1985)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Live After Death," for any lover of heavy metal, is a necessity, along with live recordings such as Ozzy's "Tribute" and Zeppelin's BBC recordings. This is where the spandex 80s metal reached its high-point for British rock/metal. The album is wonderfully mixed and recorded. The remastered version is a step up from the original as well, and the songs are even spliced in different places for the remaster (the older cut did not include Bruce Dickinson's chatter before each song but rather at the back end of the previous song; also, on the older version, Churchill's speech was lumped in with "Aces High" but now it's a separate track). On the older versions, one only received the tracks up until "Running Free," but the double-CD remaster is faithful to the old vinyl and cassette versions of the album which include the final tracks recorded in the UK. A must have.

Disc 1
1. Intro : Churchill'S Speech
2. Aces High
3. Minutes To Midnight
4. The Trooper
5. Revelations
6. Flight Of Icarus
7. Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
8. Powerslave
9. The Number Of The Beast
10. Hallowed Be Thy Name
Disc 2
1. Wrathchild
2. 22 Acacia Avenue
3. Children Of The Damned
4. Die With Your Boots On
5. Phantom Of The Opera

THE DARKNESS

THE DARKNESS
ONE WAY TICKET TO HELL...AND BACK (2005)
320 KBPS

More than 3.5 million debut records sold are enough to stuff any band from Lowestoft, UK, with a follow up full of bohemian rhapsody, and with one-time Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker in tow, the Darkness has managed to parcel its sophomore effort with notoriously ogress riffs and (Freddie) Mercurial bravado. Led by audacious (and high-octave) singer Justin Hawkins, the foursome channels the pompous arena rock of the late-seventies with flaunting glam bands like Slade and T-Rex, parading mellotrons, flugelhorns, sitars and saxophones into a bawdy mix already conquered by double-barrel Gibsons and layered vocals. While the assemblage of power ballads ("Dinner Lady Arms," "Hazel Eyes") hearkens back to mid-eighties MTv, the Darkness brightens the play list with hook-heavy rockers like "Is It Just Me," "Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time" and "Girlfriend." And with a sarcastic spirit and stretch-limo approach, there's no telling whom the band might round up to produce its third record (if there ever is one). Is George Martin available?

1. One Way Ticket
2. Knockers
3. Is It Just Me?
4. Dinner Lady Arms
5. Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
6. Hazel Eyes
7. Bald
8. Girlfriend
9. English Country Garden
10. Blind Man

RUSH

RUSH
EXIT...STAGE LEFT (1981)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Throughout their existence, the Canadian power-prog trio has steadfastly released a lengthy live collection every fifth album. Released in 1981, Exit is Rush's second (and best) such release, and it captures the band at the very top of its artistic (and commercial) curve--before keyboard and synthesizer work became central to its sound as opposed to providing mere accents. When they embarked on this tour, Rush had just released Moving Pictures, which continued their move away from longer suites and featured more streamlined song craft. Exit, however, offers a perfect blend of winding, fusion-leaning, virtuoso instrumentals ("YYZ," "La Villa Strangiato"), extended sci-fi epics ("Jacob's Ladder," "Xanadu"), sentimental ballads ("Closer to the Heart" in unison with the whole crowd, "The Trees"), and tauter songs ("Free Will," "Tom Sawyer," "Spirit of Radio") that represent the best of all worlds. Musically, they generated a huge amount of sound for three men (especially Geddy Lee's mammoth bass lines and Neil Peart's octopus-like percussion); lyrically, Peart's fantasia may be pseudo-poetry, but it is poetic, and it may be adolescent wisdom, but it is wise.

1. The Spirit Of Radio
2. Red Barchetta
3. YYZ
4. A Passage To Bangkok
5. Closer To The Heart
6. Beneath, Between & Behind
7. Jacob's Ladder
8. Broon's Bane
9. The Trees
10. Xanadu
11. Freewill
12. Tom Sawyer
13. La Villa Strangiato