July 15, 2019

The overwhelming advice by almost any "reviewer" when selecting "test music", is to go with what you know well. To that end, I do tend to use that which I have listened to over and over, on many types and combinations of systems. You may see some you like, some you despise, or some you may never have heard of. I try to mix it up, but of course, my list is just that: my list. It is personalized to me, just as your list should be personalized to you. If we agree on a song, great! If we don't, well, that's just the way it is. Hopefully, we'll all discover something new and exciting.

Also note that I tend to be a 'whole album' type of person. I'll listen to the whole album, for the most part.

Here goes (and this is by no means a complete list, I will update as I find time) in no particular order:

Styx - Suite Madam Blue I like a lot of Styx, but this really stands out for testing purposes.

CSN - Crosby, Stills, Nash - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes Yeah. Just yeah.

Yes - America One of many from a huge favorite.

Dan Fogelberg - Wysteria A young Dan, the album Home Free was his first. May you rest in peace, friend.

Vince Guaraldi Trio - Linus And Lucy Okay, okay. Peanuts was my favorite cartoon and the TV specials didn't hurt at all. 😊

Dave Brubeck - Take Five What can I say? The man knew his time signatures!

River Of Crystals (Kimiko Itoh) Came across this when my kids were going through the Anime phase (have they ever left it?). Love this one.

Yes - Awaken Saw this for the first time live at the Union tour, in the round, with ALL (band version) members on stage. The Spectrum in Philly went silent. This was definitely a "religious" moment. Still is.

Happy Rhodes - Warpaint This album is a gem, at least in my sparkly eyes.

Patrick O'Hearn - Indigo Many a late night listening to this and others like it.

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here While dark Side of the Moon was to be the first CD I bought, it wasn't to be. The store was sold out. So I bought The Best Of The Guess Who instead. What does that have to do with this album? Nothing really, except that I feel, as I've grown older, that Wish You Were Here has just a bit more than Dark Side. Animals is a close contender too.

Roland Orzabal - Tomcats Screaming Outside  Roland is better known for the other big 80's group he was co-founder of: Tears For Fears. This album has the dubious, some say horrible misfortune, of having the US release date of 9/11/01. Yep, that's why you've never heard of it. We had been listening to it for a year already when that happened (what an inside track that was!)

Dada - Puzzle Another full album listen without a regret.

Enough for now.

July 16, 2019

Yoko Kanno & Origa - Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex (Inner Universe) This one usually follows River of Crystals in my mix. It can really stand out if everything is right.

Yoko Kanno & The Seatbelts - Cowboy Bebop OST - Tank! - If the system makes me feel it, then its working.

Triumvirat - Spartacus One of my top Prog favorites, it just lets me hear things all around while taking me on a journey every time.

July 27, 2019

I was reminded of another album that has quite a bit of range that I've listened to in many formats, volume levels, and systems from full room all the way down to extreme nearfield and headphones:

Kansas Leftoverture  A great Prog album with surprising dynamic range and clarity. One of my guilty pleasures. It was the track Magnum Opus I heard today that took me right back in time...

August 11, 2019

Cathie Ryan has such a beautiful voice. She was at the Celtic Festival in Bethlehem PA a number of years back. We were working our way from West to East when, as we we're passing one of the "Concert tent"(s), I heard this voice and it stopped me dead in my tracks. I wandered in and stood for the rest of her set. I do believe I was first in line to buy her CD, which she graciously signed. If she ever comes around, I highly recommend seeing her in person.

December 19, 2019

Donald Fagan  The Nightfly. One half of the one and only Steely Dan, if you've never experienced this album, where have you been? Under a rock that doesn't roll? This album is as Sammy Davis Jr. used to say: "Swinging, Baby!" The production is top notch and the quality is pretty GD high.

And of course, just about anything from Steely Dan is of the utmost quality as well.