Off Topic Saints Not606 Music Thread

Was just about to post this one

 

Ok, three hours left and nobody wants to post an Elvis track on the 40th anniversary of his passing...

 

Beat you !!!

 

One of my favourites from my youth. Where did that go?

 

I'll let you know when I've grown up

 

Although this isn't a song , it is about Elvis .

Hope nobody minds me posting it .

 

Happy Birthday to XTC bassist, co songwriter and co vocalist, Colin Moulding who is 62 today....

 

And Happy Birthday to Belinda Carlisle, lead singer for one of my favourite Girl Groups, The Go-Go's who is 59 today....

 

I am staggered to see John Adam's name crop up in this thread. I got in to Classical music through listening to jazz but that, of course, meant that the composers I started to check out were all from the 20th Century beginning with Oliver Messaien which probably isn't the most obvious point of entry. At some point in the late 80's I started subscribing the magazine "The Wire" and I ended up listening to all sorts of music. There was a programme on Channel 4 which investigated the seminal music of the period after WWII and this was where I first encountered Adams' music. For me, the initial discovery was "The Chairman dances" and it was difficult not to be enthused by the energy f his composition.

I would have to admit that a lot of Post-war stuff leaves me cold. I still love Messaien's music and there have been moments when I felt that some contemporary composers were writing the kind of music that I wanted to hear. It is really difficult not to be compelled to listen to these Minimalist composers as there is no much drive and energy in their music. I think Adams writes in a really conservative harmonic palette and I am no sure how his music will endure as a lot of Classical music from the 1980's has not lasted. Gorecki seems to have been quickly forgotten and even Schnittke who was very much lauded at the time has become less popular since his death. Despite this, the minimalists always seem to get name-checked as influences and the likes of Adams. Glass and Reich never seem to have lost their appeal.

Recently I have been listening to Steve Reich's "Music for 18 musicians" which is something of a seminal work. It still sounds original and fresh 40 years after it was composed.

 

Seems appropriate recently.

 

Self-indulgence time, it's a Happy birthday today to Tracy Tracy. One of my big 80's crushes.