Musical Tastes

Devo

Anyone who has followed this blog for more than a few months, or who knows me at all, knows that music is an important part of my life. It has been so my entire life and I don't see that changing any time soon.  If you'd care to catch up on previous postings related to music, please find below a listing of them and the date I posted them.

• My Non-Choral Classical Top 40 Songs - - September 18, 2011
• Roll Down the Windows (Heavy Metal Top 40) -- October 10, 2011
• Singing Praises -- February 12, 2013
• Only the Black Notes (Amazing Grace) -- April 2, 2013
• I Know My Father Lives -- November 5, 2013
• Beatles Top 40 -- January 13, 2014
• Where Were You? (Top 10 Beatle Covers) -- February 6, 2014

Since music is such an important part of me, and since part of the reason why I blog is so that there is some record of my feelings and thoughts for my posterity, I thought it would be worthwhile to list some of the artists and/or the genre of music that I listen to.  The list that follows is not an exhaustive list of all of the music recordings that I own, but it covers most of my collection.  Some recordings are compilations of various artists of a parrticular genre, and that will be noted.  The classical list will consist of composers and performers.

I've decided to list them in rough categorical genres.  It might be interesting for my readers to see how many you recognize.  Based upon those tastes, if any reader has suggestions as to possible artists that I might enjoy, don't be bashful to let me know!  I'm always open to new artists, groups, or composers.

POP, ROCK, FUNK
Beatles, Beach Boys, Jon Bon Jovi, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bread, Chicago, Devo, Earth, Wind & Fire, Elton John, Gary Numan, Edgar Winter Group, George Thorogood & the Destroyers, INXS, Luscious Jackson, The Moody Blues, The Police, Presidents of the United States of America, Queen, Robert Palmer, Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, Soundgarden, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Sting, Stevie Wonder, U2, The Who, Neil Young, ZZ Top

Duke Ellington

JAZZ
Chuck Mangione, Duke Ellington, Diana Krall, Isaac Hayes, Ella FItzgerald & Louis Armstrong, The Ink Spots, The Mills Brothers, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Playboy After Dark Compilation (excellent!)

HEAVY METAL
Rush, Van Halen, Billy Squier, Metallica, Nirvana, Queens of the Stone Age, Stone Temple Pilots, Ozzy Osbourne, Led Zeppelin

Van Halen

NEW AGE
The New Romantics Compilation, David Lanz, Mannheim Steamroller, Kitaro

PATRIOTIC
Various Compliations

Linda Ronstadt

LATINO/SALSA
Linda Ronstadt, Susie Hansen

OPERA
Greatest Hits of Opera

FOLK, EASY LISTENING
James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, Judy Collins

James Taylor

SOUNDTRACKS
The Straight Story, Bossa Nova, A Clockwork Orange

CLASSICAL-Composers
Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Copland, Debussy, Dvorak, Durufle, Faure, Gershwin, Holst, Lauridsen, Mozart, Part, Puccini, Ravel, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov, Rossini, Saint-Seans, Tchaikovsky, Verdi

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

CLASSICAL-Performers
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Estonian Philharmonic, LA Master Chorale, London Classical Players, New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, BYU Choruses & Philharmonic Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti, King's Singers (not just classical), Robert Shaw Chorale, Thijs Van Leer, Vienna Philharmonic, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Chant

GENRE CROSSERS & MISCELLANEOUS
Nat King Cole - Jazz, Pop, Leo Kottke - Guitar, Barbershop Quartet Compilation, John Jarvis - Piano, Willie Nelson - American Songbook

Willie Nelson

Neil DIamond, Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Me

 

There is a store in Hollywood which some of my children have raved about in the past.  It's called Amoeba Music, and my son BJ/Robert in particular could never say enough good about their extensive collection of regular and hard-to-find LPs and CDs, both new and used.

I happened to be delivering a Christmas gift to an A&A customer in the area and decided to check it out.  It was incredible!  It's all true!  I walked out with five used CDs, one of which was a recording of an LP I had purchased while a missionary in Argentina: the soundtrack of the movie Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

The original music was created by the patron saint of the Davis home, Neil Diamond.  Aunt Silvia Diamond's nephew, a frequent guest in the home in which we now live, conceived of this theme-driven recording in an era (1973) when other pop music artists such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Moody Blues, were also making so-called "concept albums."

I anxiously opened it and stuck it in the CD player of my Prius.  I was quickly transported back to 1974.  It felt like one of those reunions with a long lost friend you haven't seen for ages.  And similarly, like a comfortable old friend, the music and the words of the songs came easily to memory, as if we had never been apart.  I easily recognized the flow and the nuances of each song, even after so many years.  I found myself singing along, attempting to imitate the man's voice whose picture hangs in the room on Plainview Avenue in Tujunga where he would sometimes sleep when he came to So Cal from Brooklyn to launch his singing career.

One of the main songs is titled "Be" (an appropriate song title for my life) in which Neil sings about "a painted sky where the clouds are hung for the poet's eye."  He also sings about a "glory looking day" and how you can "behold it if you may."  As I drove, listening to the songs and these words, the brilliant sun was playing hide-and-seek with beautiful banks of puffy white clouds.  I felt one with the entire experience.  I became caught up in the beauty right then of what I was hearing and observing.  I see and hear everything even now, pleasantly, in my mind's eye and ears.

It truly was one of the special moments that grace our lives far too rarely.  Feeling healthy and so greatly blessed, I couldn't and can't help but contentedly smile at my good fortune!

My Favorite Non-Choral Classical Music List

If you've read the bio on this blog, if you know me personally, or if you are one of my children, you will surely know of my great love of music.  All kinds of music.  I must admit that I did not have much exposure to classical music until I married Ann.  To those who know little or nothing about classical music, it may appear like I have become an expert.  But anyone who knows a great deal about classical music will quickly figure out that this list is composed (no pun intended) of standards, although I have included pieces not normally found on such a list.

What genre of music I listen to depends upon my mood.  I can listen to classical, jazz, country western, rock, heavy rock, and occasionally some way out stuff like punk, trance, or drum and bass.  Whatever the genre, I like most of my music loud--except for classical.  But just let music accompany my life.  That will make me very happy.  But then, in the spirit of transitioning of this blog, who is to say what new genres, new film scores, new undiscovered classical pieces I may discover? 

40.  Rossini  "The Thieving Magpie"  Wonderful, whimsical music I came to love while living in Argentina. 

39.  Handel  “Music for Fireworks”  My favorite of Papa Handel, one of the major influences on Mozart.

38.  Barry  “John Dunbar Theme from Dances With Wolves”   Great new music being composed for movies.

37.  Faure  “Pavane”  Longingly, elegant, impressionistic music.

36.   J.S. Bach  “Suite #3 Air”  A very famous, lovely, sweetly melodic piece.

35.   Saint-Saens  “Symphony No. 3 in C minor-Organ Symphony”  This piece was made famous from the movie "Babe."

34.  Rachmanioff  “Prelude in C Sharp Minor”  A haunting, left-hand heavy, romantic piece, meant to be performed. 

33.  Grieg  “Peer Gynt”  Fun music from my childhood.

32.  Rimsky Korsakov  “Scheherezade”  Exotic and mysterious.  I can see a beautiful woman dancing in a tent... 

31.  Badalamenti  “The Straight Story”  The whole soundtrack from this movie is haunting, enchanting, entertaining.

30.  Elgar  “Pomp and Circumstance”  The uber famous graduation music.  Came to love this while living in Argentina.

29.  Strauss  “On the Beautiful Blue Danube”  This for me is the best waltz ever.

28.  Bizet  “Suite from Carmen”  The King's Singers do a marvelous acapella take-off of this.

27.  Tchaikovsky  “The Nutcracker Suite”  The old Christmas standby.

26.  Debussy  “Claire de Lune”  This is probably on many people's favorite.

25.  Satie  “Gimnopedies #1”  I first heard a cover of this from the jazz-rock group Blood, Sweat and Tears. 

24.  Mozart  “Overture to the Marriage of Figaro”  Famous piece that sounds like Mozart.

23.  Tchaikovsky  “Swan Lake”   A famous, beautiful piece of classical fair.

22.  Mozart “Ave Verum”  This number will appear on my choral favorites list I will do as well.

21.  Mozart “Piano Concerto #21”   Quintessential, perfect Mozart.

20.  Gershwin  “Rhapsody In Blue”  My favorite of Gershwin compositions.

19.  J.S. Bach  “Brandenburg Concerto #3  My favorite of all of the Brandenburg Concerti.

18.  Tarrega  “Recuerdos de la Alhambra”  Beautiful, emotional guitar music.

17.  Debussy  “Golliwog’s Cakewalk   A whimsical, fun piece.

16.  Copeland  “Fanfare for the Common Man”  Surely this will be played in the heavens.         

15.  Mozart  “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik”  This is a Mozart standard.  The "Lacrimosa" from Mozart's Requiem will be very high on my list of Choral music that I will make at a future date.

14.  Vaughn Williams  “Fantasia on Greensleeves”  Beautiful, lovely music.

13.  Rachmaninoff “Piano Concerto #2”  One of my favorites of all the romantic pieces.

12.  Sibelius  “Finlandia”  One of the movements of this great work was one of my first childhood exposures to music.

11.  Rodrigo  “Concierto de Aranjuez”  A majestic, emotion-evoking piece of guitar music.

10.  Copeland  “Rodeo”  I love Copeland's American sound and this work typifies it completely.

9.  Beethoven  “Moonlight Sonata”  A brooding, haunting, maasterpiece.

8.   Holst  “The Planets”  Different music for each of the planets.  I like Jupiter the best.

7.  Beethoven “Symphony #9”  This will also appear on my choral list for the last movement "Ode to Joy." 

6.  Debussy  “Reverie”  I've always loved this thoughtful work.  It is my favorite of all Debussy's music.

5.  Dvorak “New World Symphony”  The song "Goin' Home," sung at my grandfather's funeral, is based on the 2nd Movement of the NWS.

4.  Vivaldi “The Four Seasons”  I love all four pieces, especially when I am driving in nature.

3.  Rossini “William Tell Overture”   Hi-ho-Silver.  This fun music has been in numerous Bugs Bunny cartoons.

2.  Copeland “Appalachian Spring”  Hard to pick this my #2.  I'd like this played at my funeral.

1.  Barber “Adagio for Strings”   I cannot listen to this without feeling great emotion.

My next list will be of my favorite rock and hard rock pieces.  I have wondered if Mozart had been born in my generation, what genre of music would he have embraced?  Makes me think of "Bill and Ted's Great Adventure...."