Tag Archives: pop music

Arachnophonia : Maroon 5 “Live: Friday The 13th”

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about items in the Parsons Music Library‘s collection. All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by Music Library student worker, Mary (class of 2018) and features a 2005 CD/DVD release by the band Maroon 5. Thanks, Mary!

Maroon 5
“Live: Friday the 13th”

Maroon 5 Live Friday the 13th

This is a live DVD and CD release by Maroon 5, and it was recorded on May 13, 2005 in Santa Barbara, California at the Santa Barbara Bowl. The live concert is a performance of all their songs and the CD contains the same tracks. I chose this one because Maroon 5 is one of my favorite artists and this CD contains one of my favorite tracks called “Sunday Morning.” “Sunday Morning” is often described as blue-eyed soul or jazz-fusion. This is one of my go-to songs when I’m driving in a nice weather. When the weather gets warm and the sky looks nice outside, I just want to drive and listen to this song. This is the kind of a song that you want to listen to when you had a lazy day, slept in on a weekend and are going to a nice brunch place on a warm nice day in April or May. The lyrics are very sweet as well as it describes someone who is all the songwriter sees when life gets hard to do. I highly recommend this song to those of you who haven’t heard it yet as the weather is warming up now!

Maroon 5

Arachnophonia: Amy Winehouse “Back to Black”

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about items in the Parsons Music Library‘s collection. All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by Music Library student worker, Eve (class of 2020) and features English singer songwriter Amy Winehouse’s second and final studio album Back to Black. Thanks, Eve!

Amy Winehouse

Back to Black

Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

Amy Winehouse is famed for her distinctive voice and mastery of jazz, rhythm and blues, and soul, and the English singer-songwriter’s second album Back to Black reflects the impressive vocals and originality that brought her to fame. The album was released in 2006 and earned Winehouse five Grammy Awards, the 2007 Best British Female Artist Brit Award, and world-wide recognition.

Amy Winehouse - Rolling Stone Cover 2007

Winehouse on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, June 2007

Yet in many ways, Back to Black reflects the unhappy circumstances that surrounded Winehouse’s life and led to her untimely death at the age of 27. For example, songs such as “Back to Black” and “Rehab” reveal themes of depression and substance addiction struggles, while “Love is a Losing Game” speaks to the toxic nature of Winehouse’s romantic relationships. Still, darker elements of the album are balanced by upbeat tracks, and song such as “Tears Dry On Their Own” provide a refreshing message of self-confidence and perspective. If viewed through the lens of Amy Winehouse’s life, the honesty and rawness of Back to Black is moving, yet tracks also stand on their own for listener interpretation. In this way, Back to Black can be heard as a musical feat, tribute to Winehouse and medium for artistic contemplation.

Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

Arachnophonia: Simon & Garfunkel “Bookends”

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about items in the Parsons Music Library‘s collection. All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by Music Library student worker, Aly (class of 2018) and features Simon & Garfunkel’s fourth studio album released in 1968, Bookends. Thanks, Aly!

Simon & Garfunkel

Bookends

Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends

I was re-shelving CDs recently while working a slow evening shift at the music library when I came across a Simon and Garfunkel CD. It immediately brought me back to a few years ago, when I went through a “phase” of folk rock, listening to the iconic duo, as well as a few other legends such as Cat Stevens. I then browsed our collection of Simon and Garfunkel selections, and soon discovered that the library offers almost their entire discography.

My all-time favorite album of theirs is Bookends. In my opinion, the 1968 album was released right in the “sweet spot” of Simon and Garfunkel’s musical career. It featured the quirky, iconic single we all know love, “Mrs. Robinson“, from the 1967 movie The Graduate. Some more of the duo’s greatest hits would come later, such as “Bridge Over Troubled Water“, arguably their best-known song. (Fun fact: “The Boxer” would also come in their following album, and Mumford and Sons has a great modern cover of this piece.)

The Graduate soundtrack

My personal favorite off the album is “Old Friends“, which sounds the best when listened to immediately before the closing theme of the album, “Bookends“, since the two songs seamlessly flow into each other. Appropriately, the album starts and ends with this theme, featuring simple harmonies and rich major-7 acoustic runs that could lull you into a peaceful relaxation.

New CDs added in October!

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New CDs for October 2017

Orchestral Music

Dimitri Shostakovich – Under Stalin’s Shadow : Symphonies Nos. 5, 8, 9
Dimitri Shostakovich – Under Stalin’s Shadow : Symphonie No. 10

Shostakovich - Under Stalin's Shadow

Concertos and Chamber Music

J.S. Bach – The Cello Suites According to Anna Magdalena
J.S. Bach – Solo Works for Marimba — Kuniko
Ferio Saxophone Quartet – Flux : Original Works for Saxophone Quartet
Joseph Haydn – Flute Sonatas

Haydn - Flute Sonatas

Eunmi Ko – She Rose, and Let Me In
Isang Yun – Chamber Music
Isang Yun – Chamber Music : World Premier Recordings

Isang Yun - Chamber Music

Electronic Music

Various artists – Space, Energy & Light: Experimental Electronic and Acoustic Soundscapes 1961-88

Space Energy & Light

Jazz

Bill Evans – Another Time : The Hilversum Concert
Gary Smulyan Quartet – Royalty at Le Duc: Live at Le Duc des Lombards
Harry Allen’s All Star New York Saxophone Band – The Candy Men
Fred Hersch – Open Book
Junior Mance – The Complete Albums Collection, 1959-1962

Junior Mance Collection

Jeremy Rose – Within & Without
San Francisco String Trio – May I Introduce To You
Triocity – I Believe In You
Chris Washburne – Rags and Roots

San Francisco String Trio Cover

Opera, Opera Excerpts and Art Songs

Jamie Barton – All Who Wander
George Frideric Handel – Rinaldo

Dimitri Hvorostovsky – Dimitri Hvorostovsky sings of war, peace, love and sorrow
Louis Karchin – Romulus

Louis Karchin - To The Sun and Stars

Louis Karchin – To The Sun And Stars
Franz Schubert – Schubert Songs — Thomas Meglioranza & Reiko Uchida
Franz Schubert – Winterreise — Thomas Meglioranza & Reiko Uchida
Pretty Yende – A Journey

Pretty Yende - A Journey

Choral Music

Henricus Isaac – Nell tempo di Lorenzo de’Medici & Maximilian I, 1450-1519
ORA – Many Are The Wonders: Renaissance Gems and Their Reflections

Henricus Isaac

World Music

Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet – Ladilikan
Various Artists – Sweet As Broken Dates: Lost Somali Tapes from the Horn of Africa

Sweet As Broken Dates

Musicals

Brenda Russell – The Color Purple : New Broadway Cast Recording

The Color Purple

Ameriana, Bluegrass, and Country Music

Arthur Alexander – Arthur Alexander
Rhiannon Giddens – Factory Girl

Rhiannon Giddens - Freedom Highway

Rhiannon Giddens – Freedom Highway
John Reischman and the Jaybirds – On That Other Green Shore
The Sweetback Sisters – King of Killing Time

John Reischman - On That Other Green Shore

Pop and Rock Music

Raspberries – Pop Art Live

Raspberries - Pop Art Live

Arachnophonia: Simon & Garfunkel “The Columbia Studio Recordings, 1964-1970”

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about items in the Parsons Music Library‘s collection. All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by Music Library student library worker Emma (class of 2021). Her selection is part of a multi-disc CD set of works by American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Thanks, Emma!

Simon and Garfunkel

The Columbia Studio Recordings, 1964-1970

My CD of choice (from this set): Simon and Garfunkel – Sounds of Silence

I love modern music and radio pop just as much as the next person, but sometimes its nice to listen to things that don’t have auto tuning or heavy bass constantly blaring in the background. Simon and Garfunkel have special place in my heart because I can remember as a little girl hearing my dad play their songs in the car, and my sister singing along. Of course, I wanted to be “cool” like my older sister, so I would dance and act as if I knew exactly what the lyrics were saying. However, as I grew up and develop a better appreciation for good music, I realized just how good these songs are.

Some of my favorite songs off the set are “Cecilia” (I’m a little biased considering Cecilia is my middle name), “Mrs. Robinson,” and “The Boxer.” They are each so different, but so powerful. Their music has a way of making you want to dance around your room and sing like no one is listening, but a lot of songs also evoke a certain poetry and emotion that show just how talented these men were/are at writing and producing music. Although some of the songs deal with serious topics, the way they are written is beautiful, but they’re easy to listen to and they’re very catchy.

I don’t think I’ll ever stop listening to this album, because it’s timeless. Songs on the radio today come and go, but the music of past generations will never get old.

New CDs added in February!

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New CDs for February 2017

Classical

Francis Poulenc – Gloria for soprano solo, chorus and orchestra

Poulenc -- Gloria

Charles Rosen – The Complete Columbia and Epic Album Collection

Charles Rosen Collection

Pop/Rock/R&B

The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
The Avett Brothers – True Sadness

Avett Brothers - True Sadness

De La Soul – And The Anonymous Nobody
Prince – HITnRUN Phase One

De La Soul - Anonymous Nobody

Prince – HITnRUN Phase Two
Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

Jill Scott – Woman
A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It From Here Thank You 4 Your Service
Twenty One Pilots – Blurryface

Twenty One Pilots - Blurryface

Musical Theatre

Jay Kuo – Allegiance: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Allegiance - Cast Recording

Spider Sounds: The Carpenters “Now and Then”

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Editor’s Note: “Spider Sounds” invites members of the University of Richmond community to share their thoughts about CDs (or other items in the Parsons Music Library’s collection). The links included will take you to the library catalog record for the item in question, or to additional relevant information. Today’s installment of “Spider Sounds” is by Xixi, one of our student workers, and features the mellow 1970s pop stylings of The Carpenters. Thanks, Xixi!

The Carpenters

Now And Then

The Carpenters - Then And Now

In the Carpenters’ 1973 album Now and Then, we got to hear some of the world’s best known songs like “Jambalaya” and “Yesterday Once More.” With Karen Carpenter’s deep melodic voice and Richard Carpenter’s skilled and classical use of string instruments, we hear a smooth harmonious mixture of country, folk, and bluegrass music. The Carpenters were a big hit in the UK, US, and Japan during the 1970s. Many of their songs have been revisited and covered by other artists.

When you feel stressed, frustrated, or lost, listen to the Carpenters’ Now and Then. Every single song aims to tell a story of happiness and sorrow, memories of past and present. You are welcomed not just as an audience, but also a listener, a participant, and a close friend, thinking of “those were such happy times and not so long ago, how I wondered where they’d gone.”

To me, listening to Carpenters’ music is beyond the expression of words, and I always have different thoughts about it at different time periods. I guess that’s the charm of this album and
the Carpenters’ music, that no matter when or where you hear them, you can always be renewed and enriched by the lyrics and rhythm of their songs.

Come visit the Parsons Music Library and discover what we have available!

“There Are Places I’ll Remember …” – The Beatles’ Rubber Soul turns 50

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The Beatles - Rubber Soul

Rubber Soul is the sixth album released by the Beatles. It was issued in the UK on December 3rd, 1965, fifty years ago. (And was released in an altered form in the US on December 6th, 1965.) The album was the first album the Beatles recorded during a continuous period (between October 12th and November 15th, 1965) instead of being recorded piecemeal between tour gigs. This gave the band an opportunity to craft an album that was a more cohesive and introspective unit. Rubber Soul‘s 14 songs (11 composed by John Lennon & Paul McCartney, 2 composed by George Harrison and 1 written by Lennon, McCartney and Ringo Starr) are stylistically diverse, incorporating elements of R&B, folk rock, pop, soul and psychedelia. It is also the first Beatles album to NOT include any cover songs (i.e., songs orignally written and recorded by other artists).

Rubber Soul was unique for many reasons. The Beatles were beginning to experiment with lyrics that were not necessarily about boy-girl romance and are more lyrically sophisticated than songs like “She Loves You“. “Nowhere Man” isn’t about romance at all — a first on a Beatles album.

The group also experiments with incorporating unusual instruments (for the time) and sounds onto the album. George Harrison’s use of the sitar on Lennon’s “Norwegian Wood” helped to spark a musical craze for Indian instruments in pop music. Other “world music” influences are evident in the jazzy French style of McCartney’s “Michelle” and a Greek flavored accompaniment on Lennon’s “Girl” (with acoustic guitars standing in for bouzoukis). “In My Life” features an instrumental bridge with a Bach-like passage played on piano, but sped up to sound like a harpsichord.

The Beatles’ willingness to experiment in the studio was a feature of their work that would continue to develop by leaps and bounds over their next couple of albums. The spirit of experimentation even extended to the album cover itself, which featured a distorted image of the Fab 4 and, unlike most pop albums of the time, did NOT feature the name of the band on the front cover.

Rubber Soul remains a fulfilling album to listen to and to quote music critic Walter Everett, “was made more to be thought about than danced to, and this began a far-reaching trend.”