What are you listening to?

[Josephus]

Dire Straits...Dire Straits (lp)

Not heard that in years.

Me either...but it still sounds great.

[Admiral Yi]

Have you guys ever listened to the Dire Straits live album?  Hit or miss, but the version of Sultans of Swing is gangbusters.

[mongers]

Have you guys ever listened to the Dire Straits live album?  Hit or miss, but the version of Sultans of Swing is gangbusters.

Yeah Alchemy is pretty good in places. By coincidence I'm waiting for the last live album they did, to arrive in the next couple days. 

[Josephus]

Yeah, Alchemy is a classic. Actually was the first Dire Straits album I'd ever heard.

[garbon]

On day 4 of steel pans playing outside my office, this is probably the most Christmas music I've ever heard in December.

[mongers]

Yeah, Alchemy is a classic. Actually was the first Dire Straits album I'd ever heard.

Indeed. My first experience of them was 'Lover over Gold', came out the month I went to University and I remember seeing 'private investigations' a lot on MTV/video jukeboxes. 

[Savonarola]

David Bowie - Tonight

Continues on in the vein of "Let's Dance," but with far weaker songs and arrangements.  Blue Jean is a good song and Loving the Alien is decent; the other ones have issues.  The covers are all bad ideas and the rest of the songs are fill.

[Savonarola]

The Contours - The Stretch

In 1960 Chubby Checker had a hit with his cover of The Twist.  (The original is by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters.)  Berry Gordy, being Berry Gordy, thought he'd try to start his own dance sensation, the stretch.  Obviously it never caught on, but the song is good.  It's what The Contours do best; a raucous R&B number.

The B-Side, Funny, is not what The Contours do well; a slow doo-wop ballad.  This isn't very good at all, it sounds like they got it on the first take and without rehearsing.

[mongers]

The Contours - The Stretch

In 1960 Chubby Checker had a hit with his cover of The Twist.  (The original is by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters.)  Berry Gordy, being Berry Gordy, thought he'd try to start his own dance sensation, the stretch.  Obviously it never caught on, but the song is good.  It's what The Contours do best; a raucous R&B number.

The B-Side, Funny, is not what The Contours do well; a slow doo-wop ballad.  This isn't very good at all, it sounds like they got it on the first take and without rehearsing.

Interesting.

Wasn't studio time back then rather precious?

[Savonarola]

The Contours - The Stretch

In 1960 Chubby Checker had a hit with his cover of The Twist.  (The original is by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters.)  Berry Gordy, being Berry Gordy, thought he'd try to start his own dance sensation, the stretch.  Obviously it never caught on, but the song is good.  It's what The Contours do best; a raucous R&B number.

The B-Side, Funny, is not what The Contours do well; a slow doo-wop ballad.  This isn't very good at all, it sounds like they got it on the first take and without rehearsing.

Interesting.

Wasn't studio time back then rather precious?

Even in those days Motown had its own studio.  My guess is that they were probably just trying to rush this single release; and there were some quality control issues back in the early days.  Even if this had been more polished, I don't think it would have been a good song; slow ballads were not The Contours things.

[Liep]

Soak, live. It's.. less good than the studio refined album sound.

[Liep]

Soak, live. It's.. less good than the studio refined album sound.

But goddamnit it's still good.

[Liep]

Velvet Volume.

[garbon]

Jess Glynne - Take Me Home

[mongers]

Yes - Ultimate Yes 35th anniversary collection.

New to me, a well put together compilation, lots of good music for very little.