[markl]

In the spirit of the recent spate of SACD threads here, I thought I'd post about four that I picked up recently.

1. Cowboy Junkies- Open SACD. Not the Junkies best effort (it's their most recent), but c'mon it's Margo Timmins in SACD! GRRRRR----baby, yeah!

Sound is great, very atmospheric stuff.

2. Simple Minds Best of 2 SACD set. This is not avail in the U.S. but I ordered it through this European site : http://www.superaudio-cd.com. The good news: it cost me $28 or so with shipping (not bad for a 2-disc set) and service was fine. The bad news: disc 2 consists of material from the 90s when the band was well past its prime. CD2 is therefore not that essential. Disc 1 though sounds great and has some great songs. Not a huge Simple Minds fan, but I like them well enough to make this purchase worthwhile to me.

3. Laura Nyro- Angel in the Dark SACD. Laura's final recordings before she passed from cancer. She is in fine voice and still playing the piano in her own style, and the songs are mostly mellow jazzy numbers with a bunch of covers of 60's soul classics that she loved in her youth thrown in for good measure. If you love female vocals, this one is definitely worth while. Musicologically speaking, Nyro begat Joni Mitchell who begat Kate Bush who begat Tori Amos. If you like those other artists you'll find echoes of their work in Nyro. (Also, two of her more influential early works from the late 60s have been re-mastered on CD, Eli and the 13th Confession along with New York Tendaberry. These are more experimental and adventurous than Angel in the Dark.)

4. Grant Lee Phillips-- Mobilize SACD. Phillips was the lead singer/songwriter with Grant Lee Buffalo if that means anything to you. He has a haunting voice and writes some great songs. This disc is much more electronic and modern than the rootsy Buffalo stuff. Of the the 4 SACDs, this one is my favorite.

markl

 

[Billfort]

Thanks for the reviews Mark. I'm a big Junkies fan (Trinity Sessions, my favorite) and have ordered this SACD - still waiting. Not familiar with Laura Nyro but after reading your review, I think I'll have to get this one too.

Billf

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I have both the Simple Minds and the Cowboy Junkies. Two comments:

1. I thought the Simple Minds was coming out domestically?
2. I actually really liked the Cowboy Junkies, Open. It actually got me back into the Junkies; I had found their Trinity Sessions tear-jerkingly boring.

 

[markl]

Billf,
If you buy any of Nyro's earlier material, I'd reco New York Tendaberry, it's her magnum opus. She spent over a year recording it. If you want a compilation, I'd reco, Stoned Soul Picnic from 97. This is a 2Cd set that covers her entire career.

Dusty,
I've seen the Simple Minds in CD format, but I haven't seen it anywhere domestic on SACD. I wasn't aware of it at all until I saw it on the site I linked to above.

As for the Junkies, I'd check out Miles From Our Home (John Leckie produces), it's a much more rock-oriented record.

markl