Something rare, I am sitting down, well lounging really, with my partner listening to music on a wet, grey and quite miserable Bank Holiday Sunday evening after a good dinner. In the space of say 45 minutes we are on our 4th CD. Wanting to introduce virgin ears to the talented Mike Oldfield I put on Hergest Ridge, we get though about 20 mins and then I put on Incantations, possibly my favourite.
This one didn't even last the 20 mins and that's with track skipping.
So, why I cry when these are the musical soundtracks of my younger life, listened to so much that I know all these long pieces off by heart even if I don't listen to them as often? Because the CD versions of these early 70's masterpieces are absolutely awful and I am listening to them through a very good, very expensive sound system. The thinness of the orchestral sound makes them really flat and the rousing, chord changing moments you wait for disappear into the background. The digitisation of these works don't just take away the richness but also make some instruments sound different and wrong. The whole texture is spoilt. I couldn't bear to hear these unique musical masterpieces sound so substandard. Do the artists actually have a say in the release of these CD's I ask?
Thank god I still have them on vinyl. I have decided to try and get a small turntable to hook up to my sound system and listen to them in their original, multi-layered rich format.
We then moved onto Miles Davis and Nefertiti, if you are somewhat shattered then this is not going to be the music choice of the moment so passing the choice to partner we are now listening to the current Annie Lennox album Songs of Mass Destruction which, even though this is my 6th or 7th try at it, does not improve with hearing especially in comparison with all her previous albums. The voice is still good but the majority of songs are kinda, well .. unimpressive. Sorry Annie.
Except for Ghost In My Machine which has revived the spirit somewhat.
