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Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise: Audio

Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise: Audio.

The Rest Is Noise Audio Guide
Articles, a blog, and a book by the music critic of The New Yorker

Here you can listen to brief excerpts of some of the works discussed in The Rest Is Noise. There are also embedded videos, images, and links to archives, stories, and sound files elsewhere on the Internet. Many of the sound samples on these pages are permitted under an ASCAP Internet broadcast license. Special thanks to various publishers and record labels who gave me permission to use their material. Go here for a sound-enhanced glossary and here for a 20th-century iTunes playlist.

NPR: Pink Floyd's Richard Wright: 1943-2008

NPR: Pink Floyd's Richard Wright: 1943-2008.

Pink Floyd's Richard Wright: 1943-2008
by Robin Hilton

Pink Floyd fans have long argued over which band member was the most important. Some say it was Syd Barrett, the founding member who gave the group its name and guided the then-unknown band in maniacally imaginative directions. Others argue that it's Roger Waters, the bassist who took over as lead songwriter after Barrett left the band in 1968; Waters led Pink Floyd through its most successful period. Then there are the David Gilmour fans, who say that the lead guitarist was most responsible for Pink Floyd's widely influential and groundbreaking sound. But for me, the heart and soul of Pink Floyd was always keyboardist Richard Wright, who died today at age 65.

I first heard the music of Pink Floyd, thanks to an older brother, when I was in elementary school in the 1970s. The album was Dark Side of the Moon. All these years later, I can still vividly remember listening to the record on headphones, with my eyes popping at the mindblowing sound I heard. Dark Side showed me that music could be so much more than the standard three-chord pop dreck on the radio. It could be transporting.

Of all the incredible sounds on Dark Side of the Moon -- and there are many -- it was Richard Wright's simple and beautifully elegant piano and organ that struck me the most. One of the songs he wrote for that album was the hypnotic and poignant "Us and Them."

BBC NEWS | Technology | How the CD was developed

BBC NEWS | Technology | How the CD was developed.

Last Updated: Friday, 17 August 2007, 10:30 GMT 11:30 UK
How the CD was developed

The first compact disc was produced exactly 25 years ago in a factory in Germany after years of development by Philips and Sony. We take a look at the humble disc's history and how it shaped the music landscape.

# The compact disc project was launched following Philips' failure with its video disc technology in 1978.
# The video disc was one of the first commercial products to take advantage of laser technology that could read information from a disc without any physical contact.

I didn't realize this 25th anniversary was coming up.. seems like yesterday, of course.. there's two good videos on the article site as well, one about the history of the CD, and an old video news report on the introduction of the CD...

American RadioWorks - Hearing America: A Century of Music on the Radio

American RadioWorks - Hearing America: A Century of Music on the Radio.

American Radioworks: Hearing America: A Century of Music on the Radio

A century ago, the first radio broadcasts sent music out into the air. Since then, music has dominated America’s airwaves and it’s been a cultural battleground.

Listen to the radio hour or read the transcript.
Download this program as an mp3.

A great listen and wonderful historical look at radio in America.. includes parts on "An American revolution on the radio," a map of AM and FM stations from 1922 through 2006, forefather of modern shock jock, clashes with country music, and "sex, race, and rock & roll" .. here's a link to the stories resources...

Gian Carlo Menotti, Opera Composer, Dies at 95 - New York Times

Gian Carlo Menotti, Opera Composer, Dies at 95 - New York Times.

Gian Carlo Menotti, Opera Composer, Dies at 95
By BERNARD HOLLAND, Published: February 2, 2007

Gian Carlo Menotti, who wrote his first opera before he was 11 and went on to become perhaps the most popular and prolific opera composer of his time, winning two Pulitzer Prizes, died Thursday in Monaco, where he had a home. He was 95.

His death, at Princess Grace Hospital, was announced by his son, Francis, whom Mr. Menotti adopted in the 1970s.

Though critics often dismissed Mr. Menotti’s music as maudlin and unadventurous, many of them still celebrated his impressive lyric gifts, his deft touch with orchestral sound and his talent for making opera comprehensible and enjoyable for people who had previously shunned it. Of critics he once said, “They often spoil my breakfast but never my lunch.”
...
In 1977, he helped establish an American offshoot, Spoleto Festival U.S.A., in Charleston, S.C. Among other things, the festival has given American musicians, composers and choreographers an important forum. He withdrew from the Charleston festival in 1993 after years of wrangling with its administrators and city officials.

Sad passing.. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Menotti in Charleston, SC several times, when I was working for the Spoleto Festival, doing public relations work.. he was an original...

Bob Seger - Music - Review - New York Times

Bob Seger - Music - Review - New York Times.

Music Review | Bob Seger
A Rocker Who’s Come to Terms With Time
By JON PARELES, Published: January 27, 2007

[Photo caption] Chang W. Lee/The New York Times Bob Seger performing at Madison Square Garden.]

Bob Seger is 61, with gray hair and glasses. But he still goes to work in a T-shirt and bluejeans.

On Thursday night he was working at Madison Square Garden. He was headlining his first tour in a decade, following through on last year’s release of “Face the Promise” (Capitol), his first new album since 1995. Fans happily sang along with songs from his hit-making heyday, 30 years ago; a few even held up cigarette lighters, not illuminated cellphones, during ballads. They were delighted to hear that, grizzled or not, Mr. Seger has hardly changed. He didn’t sing his hit “Still the Same”; he didn’t have to.

Independent Weekly: Music: Rock & Roll Quarterly: The infinite shag

Independent Weekly: Music: Rock & Roll Quarterly: The infinite shag.

Home » Music » Rock & Roll Quarterly
The infinite shag
Landlocked and in penny loafers, shag enthusiasts keep the beat moving
JULY 26, 2006, BY CHRIS TOENES

She smiles wide, bobbing her head to the beat and holding a tray of takeout, standing outside of Shorty's, a sports bar and hangout next door to Chapel Hill music haven Local 506, peering through a window. The band wears Hawaiian shirts and dress shoes, and headset microphones that look showy, relative to the typical West Franklin Street bar band. All around, TVs flicker with sports, fighting for space between neon signs. This could be any bar.

But the woman's look says it all: Are the people inside really twirling each other around and shuffling their feet to an old Temptations cover? In a sports bar? In Chapel Hill?

She doesn't realize that, inside, there's a beach music show under way in the Southern Part of Heaven known more for an arms-crossed, hipster non-dance crowd than a full-fledged jitterbug offshoot. She's peeking into the world of Carolina Shag, an unofficial collective of 50 shag clubs statewide. The music and dance tradition is especially vital here in the Piedmont, and several of its most loyal proponents are here, dancing away on a Tuesday night. They're not only moving their feet and grinning wide, but they're also helping to keep this uniquely Carolina tradition alive.

Great long article on the history of one cool dance, the shag.. the article includes a timeline and great links to hear and find out more.. ah, the shuffle in the sand on concrete at Ocean Drive (OD) beach...

Denny Doherty (Mamas and the Papas) Dies - Music - New York Times

Denny Doherty (Mamas and the Papas) Dies - Music - New York Times.

Denny Doherty, 66, Mamas and Papas Singer, Dies
By BEN SISARIO, Published: January 20, 2007

Denny Doherty, a founding member of the 1960s folk-pop band the Mamas and the Papas, died yesterday at his home in Mississauga, Ontario. He was 66.

The cause was not immediately known, his daughter Emberly said. But she said her father had recently suffered kidney failure after surgery for a stomach aneurysm.

With chiming guitars and rich, meticulous harmonies that could be tinged with darkness, the Mamas and the Papas became one of the most popular and influential American bands of the era between the Beatles’ arrival and Woodstock. Their enduring hits, like “California Dreamin’,” “Monday, Monday” and “Dedicated to the One I Love,” mixed the gentle jangle of folk with a rock backbeat and sweet, layered pop vocals.
...
Multimedia

California Dreamin by The Mamas and the Papas (mp3)
Monday, Monday by The Mamas and the Papas (mp3)
Go Where You Wanna Go by The Mamas and the Papas (mp3)

New Orleans ready to rock at Jazz Festival - Music - MSNBC.com

New Orleans ready to rock at Jazz Festival - Music - MSNBC.com.

New Orleans ready to rock at Jazz Festival
Dr. John, Dylan headline opening night of first big post-Katrina music event
Associated Press, Updated: 11:07 p.m. ET April 28, 2006

NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans’ music scene, languishing along with the city after Hurricane Katrina, was rejuvenated Friday as the city’s annual Jazz & Heritage Festival provided electric moments from both its homegrown musical heroes and superstar acts.

The festival, the biggest music event in the city since the devastating hurricane, began its two weekend-long extravaganza with a host of musical performances from blues to rock to gospel. Thousands of fans packed the outdoors venue where the event was held, hop-scotching between several different performing stages that demonstrated the breadth of the city’s diverse musical heritage.

Rolling Stone : Singer Lou Rawls Dies

Rolling Stone : Singer Lou Rawls Dies.

Singer Lou Rawls Dies
Grammy-winning soul legend loses battle with cancer
DAVID SPRAGUE, Posted Jan 06, 2006 12:00 AM

Soul singer Lou Rawls, who went public with his yearlong battle against brain and lung cancer just last month, died in Los Angeles Friday morning of complications from the disease. He was seventy-two years old.

Rawls' last months were fraught with problems that extended beyond his health issues. He was dealing with an ongoing dispute with his estranged wife Nina -- who also acted as his manager in his later years -- over cash that he insisted she "absconded with." In a marriage annulment hearing initiated by the singer, Nina Rawls insisted she was merely trying to keep Rawls' daughters from taking control of his estate. The legal tussle had not been resolved at the time of Rawls' death.

The Chicago native, who won three Grammy Awards over the course of a career that spanned more than a half-century, got his start in the gospel realm, replacing high school classmate Sam Cooke in a group called the Highway QC's in 1951. After a stint in the Army, in which he rose to the rank of sergeant, Rawls rekindled his working relationship with Cooke, whom he backed on tour throughout the late Fifties.
...
Soulin' would also cement Rawls' reputation as one of the era's most elegant singers, earning kudos from no less than Frank Sinatra, who singled him out as having "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game."

The pure definition of soul.. he will be missed, but we still have his music, and that soulful voice, to remember and enjoy...

ALA | Music: A survey of some quality resources

ALA | Music: A survey of some quality resources.

INTERNET RESOURCES
Music: A survey of some quality resources
C&RL News, December 2005 Vol. 66, No. 11
by Valery King

Music has often been called the universal language; it is common to every culture on earth and has an obvious universal appeal. No wonder, then, that there seem to be more Web sites devoted to music than to any other subject. Very casual and unscientific research (i.e., a Google search in late October) revealed more than 1 billion results when searching for “music” on the Internet. As a comparison, “war” elicited 494 million hits; “movies,” 414 million; and “sex,” a mere 237 million. Music is a vast subject, indeed, to cover in a short article. In establishing what criteria to apply, decisions became more a matter of what to leave out than what to include. Of necessity, this is a mere skimming of the surface of the available quality music resources online.

Although many of the following Web sites contain sound files, none of them are specifically designed as download sites for your MP3 or iTunes device (with one notable exception). All of the sites are free (or mostly, or almost, free). I’ve also endeavored to choose stable Web sites that are likely to be available for some time to come.

Of course, there are many worthy sites I was unable to include. For areas of music not covered here it is often productive to go to one of the university library gateways or general sites noted in the first section, “Meta-sites and gateways.”

Stones stage classic show | The San Diego Union-Tribune

Stones stage classic show | The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Stones stage classic show
Rockers bring new energy to old songs, creating magical night
By George Varga, STAFF WRITER, November 12, 2005
Related story:
Petco hits home run as a concert venue, say rock 'n' rollers

The skies stayed clear and dry, but that didn't stop the Rolling Stones from stirring up a heady, music-fueled storm at Petco Park last night. [See the screen capture from the story on the left; select for larger image.]

Appearing before a near-capacity audience of 43,000 under a moonlit sky, the English superstars delivered a thundering, two-hour performance. They began with "Start Me Up" and concluded with encores of the gospel-tinged "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and a stadium-shaking "Satisfaction," with a generous array of other old favorites and some winning new songs in between.

Sounds like an awesome, one-for-the-ages show at PETCO Park.. don't miss the slideshow...

Sir Paul's career still has wings | The San Diego Union-Tribune

Sir Paul's career still has wings | The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Sir Paul's career still has wings
Recent success includes tour, book and album
By George Varga, POP MUSIC CRITIC, November 11, 2005

Paul McCartney could be forgiven for growing complacent or sounding smug.

His provocative new solo album, "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard," has earned rave reviews as one of his most subtle and contemplative ever. The producer of "Chaos," Radiohead and Beck veteran Nigel Goodrich, insisted that the album push well beyond the comfort level of its iconic creator. He also was adamant that McCartney record most of the finely layered album entirely on his own, an approach he hadn't pursued so fully since his self-titled solo debut in 1970.

His sold-out North American concert tour, which stops at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim tonight and tomorrow, is already one of the highest-grossing concert treks of the year. It is rivaled only by the tours of U2 and the Rolling Stones (who perform tonight in San Diego, rain or shine, at Petco Park).

One fine musical weekend in the San Diego region.. Sir Paul at Anaheim, and the Rolling Stones at PETCO Park here...

Paul McCartney Site: McCARTNEY IN LIVE IN SPACE

Paul McCartney Site: McCARTNEY IN LIVE IN SPACE.

McCARTNEY IN LIVE IN SPACE - 10.11.2005

PAUL McCARTNEY TO BECOME FIRST-EVER TO BROADCAST LIVE MUSIC INTO SPACE LIVE PERFORMANCE FROM ‘US’ TOUR CONCERT IN ANAHEIM SET TO WAKE UP CREW WITH A SPOT OF “ENGLISH TEA” AND WISHES FOR A “GOOD DAY SUNSHINE”

The international space station crew, 220 miles above Earth, will take a special live musical wakeup call from Paul McCartney November 12th in a first-ever concert linkup. The broadcast is slated to include “English Tea,” from his latest critically hailed album Chaos And Creation In The Backyard, as well as the Beatles classic “Good Day Sunshine.”

NBCSandiego.com - News - Lost Beethoven Manuscript Discovered

NBCSandiego.com - News - Lost Beethoven Manuscript Discovered.

Lost Beethoven Manuscript Discovered
POSTED: 3:30 pm PDT October 13, 2005
UPDATED: 7:41 am PDT October 14, 2005

WYNNEWOOD, Pa. -- A working manuscript of one of Beethoven's final compositions has been rediscovered at a Pennsylvania seminary.

Experts said it could be sold for more than $2 million at auction in December.

The 80-page manuscript of "Gross Fuge" for piano duet was written a few months before Beethoven's death in 1827 and is full of his handwritten notations and changes. Scholars had never seen it before.

Librarian Heather Carbo was cleaning out old archives at the Palmer Theological Seminary in July and found it on the bottom shelf of an old cabinet.

Update.. read the comment from David about the interview with Heather.. way to go Librarians!