Great musicians of the 20th century

I know that mine would be a minority opinion but I consider Phil Ochs to be the heavyweight champion among popular male singers of the 20th century. I wouldn't even consider putting any other singer in the ring against him.

I was looking for an anthology of songs by a lady singer which could fight in the same league as Ochs. I found none. But some lady singers come close. I like listening to Mahalia Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Karen Carpenter, Sally Oldfield and Joan Baez. But finally there are three major contenders for the hotspot. Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin and Marianne Faithfull. They have tremendous vocal abilities and a huge anthology of songs which go far beyond the harmless love ditties sung by most of the popular female singers.

A song which still packs a super sized wallop 35 years after its release:

marianne faithful-broken english - YouTube
 
I know that mine would be a minority opinion but I consider Phil Ochs to be the heavyweight champion among popular male singers of the 20th century.

at times i tend to have the same opinion about Mose Allison. and he plays a Monkish piano too. do check out his Gimcracks and Gewgaws, The Way of The World (the latter done when he was in his eighties).
or better still the anthology Allison Wonderland.
 
moktan

I know that mine would be a minority opinion but I consider Phil Ochs to be the heavyweight champion among popular male singers of the 20th century. I wouldn't even consider putting any other singer in the ring against him.

The best songs of Phil Ochs have an imperious, majestic and anthemic feel. They have the power to enter one's blood stream and make a permanent home there. They sweep away and demolish most other music one has ever heard. They make the work of almost all his contemporaries (all those famous solo acts and bands from the 60's and 70's) seem like nursery rhymes in comparison.

Phil Ochs - Power and Glory (lyrics) - YouTube

Phil Ochs - Too Many Martyrs - YouTube

The Scorpion Departs But Never Returns - Phil Ochs - YouTube

Listening to Mose Alison on you tube. Nice piano playing with a touch of Monk.
 
Recently I bought a used copy of A Perfect Stranger: The Island Anthology [Box Set, Double CD] by Marianne Faithfull from Amazon U.K. Since the day we got this 2 cd set it has virtually taken over my cd player. A superb collection of songs with great vocals, music and sensitive, intelligent, grown up lyrics. I have now placed an order for another 2 CD anthology by her called The Collection. Happily there is hardly any duplication of songs among the cd's I have bought.

The Island Anthology would get my vote for the best ever collection of rock music after Farewell's and Fantasies by Phil Ochs. The first cd seems to cover the fiery, acidic, and angry songs of her youth. The second cd has songs which seem to be soaked in a subtle concoction of smoke, alcohol and a life fully, passionately, lived and experienced. Marianne is iconoclastic, rebellious, tempestuous, intellectual, talented and brave. A model which went out of production in the early seventies. Marianne is one of those rare singers whose songs reflect her age and experience. You won't catch her singing teeny bopper nonsense at the age of 40+ like most of the big bad boys of rock music do!

All the tracks are really good but a few which stand out:

Broken English, Witches song, Guilt, The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, Working Class Hero. Why ya do it, Sister Morphine, So Sad, Blue Millionaire, Falling From Grace, Ballad of the Soldiers Wife, Strange Weather, Gloomy Sunday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

Marianne Faithfull - Broken English 12" (Long Version) - YouTube

Marianne Faithfull - So sad - YouTube
 
Listening to Phil Ochs has rejuvenated my interest in rock music. It has made me wonder what the music of the 60's might have been and what it actually became. It might have been a raw, visceral force which rallied the energy and idealism of young men and women. What it did become is a tool which served the vested interests and hypocrisy of old men and women. While the rockers sang even louder about injustice and alienation they became insanely rich and gradually merged into the benign and benevolent embrace of the establishment. Their protestations became empty, hollow and meaningless. The aging wolf still snarled, but it had lost its bite. It had become a sheep in wolf's clothing. It sang for the herd of sheep passively grazing in the meadows.

In stock market terminology "herd instinct" is defined as "a mentality characterized by a lack of individual decision-making or thoughtfulness, causing people to think and act in the same way as the majority of those around them". Understanding and manipulating herd behavior can be profitable not only for hedge funds and bankers but also for the recording industry. The music industry thrives on periodically creating and bosting a new kid on the block who becomes the idol for a herd of frenzied teenagers. A couple of years later everybody has moved on and discovered another kid on the block. All these idols enjoying their 15 minutes of fame create abysmally juvenile and plebeian music. Music which addresses the lowest common denominator of the listening population.

On a slightly raised level you have bands which become iconic for several generations of listeners. Their music is endlessly remastered and recycled for new generations of fans, until the boredom factor sets in and this 'trending' band is no longer trendy or fashionable. In the late 60's and 70's 'alienation' and 'angst' were trendy and fashionable words adopted by a herd of adolescents in the west. This trend gave birth to literally hundreds of bands hollering, screaming, shrieking and moaning about alienation and the empty soulless system which devoured the individual. Among the most iconic bands of these times was Pink Floyd. They released mega selling albums like Dark Side of The Moon, The Wall and Wish You Were Here. As a teenager I too was caught in the frenzy of DSOM and The Wall. But after a couple of years I got bored with the music. It began to sound juvenile and monotonous. I attempted to go beyond the hype generated by the media and analyzed the music on my own terms. I came to the conclusion that the music was soporofic and soothing. It was like a warm water soak after the grind of a hot and dusty day. It was like warming your hands in front of a cozy fireplace in the comfort of our homes. But the fire simmered gently. It didn't hiss and crackle and let of sparks in the way that the music of singers like Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley and James Brown did.

And the words don't seem to mean anything. They seem to sound 'poetic' to a vast multitude of listeners around the world, but to me they sound like excruciatingly bad poetry. Merely bricks piled helter-skelter into another wall of mediocrity and conformity.

"Us and them
And after all we're only ordinary men
Me, and you
God only knows it's not what we would choose to do
....Black and blue
And who knows which is which and who is who
Up and Down
And in the end it's only round and round and round
"

"Mother loves her baby, and daddy loves you too.
And the sea may look warm
And the sky may look blue
Ooooh babe
Ooooh baby blue"...
If you should go skating
On the thin ice of modern life
Dragging behind you the silent reproach
Of a million tear-stained eyes
Don't be surprised when a crack in the ice
Appears under your feet.
You slip out of your depth and out of your mind
With your fear flowing out behind you


Am I missing something here :)
 
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christian paul

TVZ sounds great! I have never heard his music before but I enjoyed listening to the links you posted.

Marianne Faithfull got me into the mood for buying more rock music, so I ordered an anthology of songs by another lady whose music I used to listen to in the 80's.

Amazon.co.uk: Buying Choices: The Very Best Of Joan Armatrading

Used copies for 0.01 pounds! But with standard shipping it works out to around 3.5 pounds :)

Joan Armatrading ~ Love & Affection - YouTube

Joan Armatrading - Back On The Road(Jools Holland 1995) - YouTube
 
Ajay124
I got hooked onto Joan Armtradings music while watching the movie The Wild Geese, where her Flight of the Wild Geese was the main vocal score. Ive Joan Armatradings Love & Affection-1997 box-set (double CD) that I bought more than a decade back on sale for Rs.220/- (tag price then was more than 1K).

I too have Mariannes Island Anthology a great collection of her songs with Island label (recorded between late 70s to mid 90s). If one had listened to her 60s recording of As Tears Go By and the version that was included in the Island collection, there was a remarkable ageing in her voice (people attribute this to her past drug abuse) - however, nowadays the voice suits her amazingly.

Here is a link to a song that she contributed to The Chieftains Long Black Veil album.

Marianne Faithfull - Love Is Teasin' (live feat. the Chieftains) - YouTube
 
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Hi Ajay
I know you'd appreciate this so I thought I would mention it. I finally received my set of Beethoven sonatas played by Annie Fischer! It was soo hard to get, being an out of print set by Hungaraton. Arrived without having to pay duty...whew! This is to compliment my set of Gulda that I managed to get last year which I have been enjoying.
I have the standard sets by Gilels, Goode, Backhaus, Kempff and a selection by Solomon and Richter, Samson Francois, Uchida, Pollini. I am sure I've missed out many others. Don't much care for the Brendel and Lewis sets.....
Anyway, can't wait to hear the Fischer!
 
jls001

I will make the endorsement even stronger. I feel that Marianne Faithfull's ouvre of music across three decades is more remarkable and electrifying than anything created by superstars like the Beatles, Stones, Led Zep or Dylan. Her voice is raw, visceral, brimming with knowledge and experience. She chooses her material carefully and what she sings actually mean something. The music which accompanies her songs is sensational.

Since sidvee graciously 'gifted' :) me the Dynaudio's a few months ago, I have begun a new innings with popular western music. But this time around I am no longer interested in the tame, bland megasellers from the 60's and 70' which I used to listen to earlier. The lyrics are all important. If the words are silly and innocuous, then I am not interested. If the vocalist is not singing her/his heart out, then I'm not interested. If the music dosen't venture into new territories, then I am not interested.

Marianne Faithfull's Island anthology is very,very special. Every song on the 2 CD set is superb. And there are several which are absolute winners. Listen to them for a few days. And then try going back to Hotel California, Rumours or Money For Nothing afterwards :)

Marianne Faithfull - YouTube
 
Hi Ajay
I know you'd appreciate this so I thought I would mention it. I finally received my set of Beethoven sonatas played by Annie Fischer! It was soo hard to get, being an out of print set by Hungaraton. Arrived without having to pay duty...whew! This is to compliment my set of Gulda that I managed to get last year which I have been enjoying.
I have the standard sets by Gilels, Goode, Backhaus, Kempff and a selection by Solomon and Richter, Samson Francois, Uchida, Pollini. I am sure I've missed out many others. Don't much care for the Brendel and Lewis sets.....
Anyway, can't wait to hear the Fischer!

Staxx,

It is quite likely that you might have the biggest collection of Beethoven's piano sonatas in India :)

Recordings currently available on Amazon:

Amazon.co.uk: beethoven piano sonatas: Music

I am not very fond of Alfred Brendel, Daniel Barenboim, Claudio Arrau or Vladmir Ashkenazy. But I like Arthur Rubinstein's Chopin, Mitsuko Uchida's and Gulda's Mozart and Maurizio Pollini's Bach and Beethoven. I haven't heard Annie Fischer. My favorite recordings of Beethoven's piano sonatas are by Stephen Kovacevich, Sviatoslav Richter and Emil Gilels. Emil Gilels' recordings of these sonatas are extraordinary. I thought of buying the complete box set but finally settled for single CD's of the best known 7-8 sonatas. His rendering of Pathetique sonata is truly awe inspiring.

Emil GILELS plays BEETHOVEN Grave 1968 live /SU record - YouTube
 
Staxx,

It is quite likely that you might have the biggest collection of Beethoven's piano sonatas in India :)

Recordings currently available on Amazon:

Amazon.co.uk: beethoven piano sonatas: Music

I am not very fond of Alfred Brendel, Daniel Barenboim, Claudio Arrau or Vladmir Ashkenazy. But I like Arthur Rubinstein's Chopin, Mitsuko Uchida's and Gulda's Mozart and Maurizio Pollini's Bach and Beethoven. I haven't heard Annie Fischer. My favorite recordings of Beethoven's piano sonatas are by Stephen Kovacevich, Sviatoslav Richter and Emil Gilels. Emil Gilels' recordings of these sonatas are extraordinary. I thought of buying the complete box set but finally settled for single CD's of the best known 7-8 sonatas. His rendering of Pathetique sonata is truly awe inspiring.

Emil GILELS plays BEETHOVEN Grave 1968 live /SU record - YouTube

Thanks. I can send you the missing Gilels sonatas if you would like them, no problem. I actually heard a few concerts of Kovacevich playing the sonatas when he was recording them. But like you I could easily live with Richter and Gilels. Will let you know my thoughts on Annie Fischer as I eventually get to listen to them. They are well regarded by many on the net, but really hard to get.

I am still in the process of ripping my CDs and one of the major problems I have is how to file them. There seems to be no really easy way to access the music regardless of whether I do them by composer (which is what I have decided to do) or by album (which is easier but harder to get at certain pieces with multiple composers). In addition, I have to split the names between three 2 TB hard drives.....I am hoping this is all not going to end up being digital spaghetti!
 
Staxx

"I am still in the process of ripping my CDs and one of the major problems I have is how to file them. "

I prefer the simplicity of a cd player and don't have much experience of ripping. But I found Media Monkey to be far more versatile and consumer friendly than iTunes or Windows Media Player.

It may seem like blasphemy to some, but currently I prefer lady pianists to gentleman pianists! Women have a lighter and more delicate touch which I prefer at the moment :) Martha Argerich and Angela Hewitt are my favorites. I have recently begun listening to Hewitt's Bach. It is classical and modern at the same time. My wife listens to a lot of Bach (although recently she too has become a huge fan of Marianne Faithfull) and she really likes the recordings of Angela Hewitt. I am looking forward to listening to her recent recordings of Beethoven's piano sonatas. I have completely stopped listening to jazz, because after hearing classical pianists like Gilels, Richter, Gulda, Argerich and Hewitt, I no longer enjoy listening to Ellington, Monk, Peterson or Tatum.

Angela Hewitts Beethoven Sonatas Vol. 3 for Hyperion Records - YouTube

*I am looking for recordings of Mahler's symphony no. 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9 conducted by Pierre Boulez. Do you have any of those?
 
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Couple of years back I bought Marianne Faithfulls 20th Century Blues-1997 that was recorded live at Paris along with Pianist Paul Trueblood. The contents of the album were MFs interpretation of many of the works of Kurt Weill, and some of the highlights were Pirate Jenny, Alabama song & Solomon Song.

Pirate Jenny brought back the memories of Judy Collins' album In my Life-1966, where she had done an excellent version. Ive a LP version of In my Life that was the pathbreaking album for both JC and Leonard Cohan - Suzanne was recorded for the first time by JC. Interestingly, David Bowie & the Doors too had done covers of Moon of Alabama (Alabama Song) in the past.

Pirate Jenny tribute - YouTube
Pirate Jenny-Judy Collins

JUDY COLLINS & LEONARD COHEN - "Suzanne" 1976 - YouTube
JC&LC- Suzanne

MARIANNE FAITHFULL - ALABAMA SONG - YouTube
Moon of Alabama-Marianne Faithfull
 
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christian paul

I was thinking of songs like Pirate Jenny, Alabama Song and Mac The Knife when I wrote the last post. People like Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht belong to another planet. A planet which does not exist anymore.Popular music, cinema and fiction has been dumbed down to a point of no return. Most of the popular art being created in the present times is about as exciting and innovative as a plate of instant noodles.

Nina Simone sang probably the best version of Pirate Jenny in a live concert in 1964. I don't feel that songwriting and singing of this level will ever be possible again.

Nina Simone - Pirate Jenny Live 1964 - YouTube

And Lotte Lenya...

Lotte Lenya - Pirate Jenny - YouTube
 
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Ajay,

If market is falling or rising rapidly would that be a herd instinct?

If yes. then what is the way out, go against the market by going short/long or something else?

V.

In stock market terminology "herd instinct" is defined as "a mentality characterized by a lack of individual decision-making or thoughtfulness, causing people to think and act in the same way as the majority of those around them". Understanding and manipulating herd behavior can be profitable not only for hedge funds.
 
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