Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Classics on the Cheap
Had a doctor's appointment after work which meant a stop at Goodwill. And you know that means I left with something! Here's what $1.50 gets you:
The deluxe facsimile paperback of To Kill a Mockingbird and "Lady In Satin" by Billie Holiday. Yeah, it's a cassette. Remember those? Still have a tape deck in my car, so that's where I'll listen to it. Here's the synopsis from Amazon:
A harrowing classic, Billie Holiday's personal favorite among her '50s albums captures the singer 17 months before her death, her once honeyed voice, scarred and weakened from punishing life, its ravages highlighted by the 1958 session's crisp sonics and the contrasting "satin" of Ray Ellis' sleek string arrangements. Yet it is that very contrast that explains the power of these performances: In revisiting its torchy standards, Holiday reduces them to their core of pain and longing, transforming "I'm a Fool to Want You," "You Don't Know What Love Is," and "You've Changed" into naked declarations as mesmerizing and unsettling as a horrific accident.
Yeah, this isn't the easy listening jazz CD you should choose as background music for your next dinner party. The performance on this release will haunt you. I can't recommend this release enough. Find it online. Listen to the entire thing here: http://www.last.fm/music/Billie+Holiday/Lady+in+Satin
Here's what Ray Ellis, the orchestra leader on the recordings, later said about it:
I would say that the most emotional moment was her listening to the playback of "I'm a Fool to Want You". There were tears in her eyes... After we finished the album I went into the control room and listened to all the takes. I must admit I was unhappy with her performance, but I was just listening musically instead of emotionally. It wasn't until I heard the final mix a few weeks later that I realized how great her performance really was.
Listen to it. Do it.
The deluxe facsimile paperback of To Kill a Mockingbird and "Lady In Satin" by Billie Holiday. Yeah, it's a cassette. Remember those? Still have a tape deck in my car, so that's where I'll listen to it. Here's the synopsis from Amazon:A harrowing classic, Billie Holiday's personal favorite among her '50s albums captures the singer 17 months before her death, her once honeyed voice, scarred and weakened from punishing life, its ravages highlighted by the 1958 session's crisp sonics and the contrasting "satin" of Ray Ellis' sleek string arrangements. Yet it is that very contrast that explains the power of these performances: In revisiting its torchy standards, Holiday reduces them to their core of pain and longing, transforming "I'm a Fool to Want You," "You Don't Know What Love Is," and "You've Changed" into naked declarations as mesmerizing and unsettling as a horrific accident.
Yeah, this isn't the easy listening jazz CD you should choose as background music for your next dinner party. The performance on this release will haunt you. I can't recommend this release enough. Find it online. Listen to the entire thing here: http://www.last.fm/music/Billie+Holiday/Lady+in+Satin
Here's what Ray Ellis, the orchestra leader on the recordings, later said about it:
I would say that the most emotional moment was her listening to the playback of "I'm a Fool to Want You". There were tears in her eyes... After we finished the album I went into the control room and listened to all the takes. I must admit I was unhappy with her performance, but I was just listening musically instead of emotionally. It wasn't until I heard the final mix a few weeks later that I realized how great her performance really was.
Listen to it. Do it.
# posted by smacky @ 7:48 AM 
