Every time I get in the car unless there is something I actively, seriously, want to listen to on the radio, I'm listening. I have an old iPod which I leave in there hooked up to the sound system with 1500 or so songs on it, everything from Julie London to Nick Cave, which I leave permanently on shuffle. Took me an age to load it up from the Mac because I was very fussy about what went on, but it's a great investment. We have a few sonos speakers around the house but my daughter monopolises those. I delight in telling her who the bands she likes who I have never heard of have copied. If I could remember their names I would be quite well informed on certain genres of contemporary music. Want some port to go with that cheese Wubba?
Some lovely choices already, and as a huge Radiohead fan I might have picked In Rainbows, OK Computer, The Bends or Hail To The Thief. However, as a permanent "go-to" when I want to be 17 again, I have to select a live album showcasing material from the three most imaginative albums by a five-piece band playing at the height of its ability. Poorly-recorded (oversaturated tape) but totally enthralling. Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you... Yessongs (and yes, of course I was at Loftus Road in 1975) Merry Xmas Everyone!
Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables........Every track full of raw energy. sb - My mate keeps raving about the sonus system he has just purchased. Is it worth the investment ?
That brought back some memories Dipper. I loved Yes until 1975/76 when I discovered first the Feelgoods and then punk. Saw them a couple of times at Wembley with 2 great mates from school, who I met up with last week for the first time for years. We used to sit droning out the songs in geography to the bafflement of our classmates and Mr Websdale. None of us can listen to them at all now. I try sometimes but rarely get past 30 seconds or so (Roundabout, a proper pop/rock song may be the exception), it's all too complicated. Chris Squire, RIP, remains a great showman and stunning bassist though. Not a criticism of them, just an observation on changing tastes.
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco - a proper album that has to be listened to all in one hit... Try as I might to find new music and albums this is the one that always drags me back.
Out of Time and/or Green...from the epic REM era. Levelling the Land...The Levellers International Superhits....Green Day Underdog Worldstrike....Gogol Bordello From the distant past Sheet Music...10cc And the album that is on constant repeat in my car TODAY Pandemonium....Bellowhead
Absolutely mate. Especially if you have a lot of music stored digitally and have decent wifi and don't like wires everywhere. The small ones aren't too pricey (about £160) and are pretty good. The bigger ones are very good indeed, though I don't have an especially sensitive ear for sound quality. I think purists would argue that beaming the signal from your phone or PC to a speaker is not going to give great sound. But with the Dead Kennedy's played loud, not an issue! You can also beam the radio, Spotify etc to them. I would recommend going to a decent showroom to listen before buying though.
I'll try again, I 2nd violator, soundtrack to moody teenage years and memory tapes first album is brilliant
For what it's worth, I've got a Bowers & Wilkins A5. This is similar to the Sonos unit at the same price point - but with better sound to my ears - using Apple Airplay over your wifi instead of a dedicated-to-Sonos wifi or Bluetooth (depending on...). Firstly, my experience is that the B&W Airplay software is flaky and your signal gets dropped a lot. Plugging the A5 into my home ethernet cured that, but I still feel disappointed that I can see the cable in the room. Don't worry too much about the transmission of the data from your playback device to the Sonos. It's just a stream of bits. As long as they get there, the Sonos will do the Digital-to-Analogue conversion and then amplify the music. When trying to debug my B&W issues, I also used an audio cable from my phone to the A5. That meant the phone was doing the DA conversion instead of the A5. The drop in sound quality and musicality was huge. Have fun listening!
Depends on my mood but a few up there would be DJ Shadow - Entroducing Cypress Hill - Live at the Filmore Charlatans - Melting Pot Bluetones - Return to the last chance saloon Portishead - Dummy De La Soul - 3 Feet high and rising Massive attack - Mezzanine (going to see them in just over a month got serious wood about that) Stone Roses - Stone Roses Morcheeba - Who can you trust or big calm Leftfield - rhythm and stealth just a couple off the top of my head, went to see Space last week, good laugh that!
Albums that I just HAVE to listen to every now and then... The Clash / London Calling - The Clash Setting Sons / All Mod Cons - The Jam Quadrophenia - The Who Revolver - The Beatles Warehouse (songs and stories) - Husker Du Grand Prix - Teenage Fanclub Workbook - Bob Mould Copper Blue / Beaster - Sugar Pretzel Logic / Can't buy a thrill - Steely Dan All Elvis Costello and the Attractions up to 1994
Bob Marley and The Wailers - Exodus. Side two is probably the best single side LP ever: "Jamming" "Waiting in Vain" "Turn Your Lights Down Low" "Three Little Birds" "One Love/People Get Ready"
Yes, great punk album that. I recently dug it out of the loft and my 19 year old thought it was so cool he now has the collage/poster that was included in that abbum up on his wall!
Rumours-Fleetwood Mac The Harder They Come-Jimmy Cliff Bat Out Of Hell-Meatloaf Wish You Were Here-Floyd Bridge Over Troubled Water-Simon and Garfunkel Sgt Pepper-Beatles Oxygene-Jean Michel Jarre The Fat Of The Land-Prodigy
In the UK I have a Apple TV one linked up via a Panasonic TV to a set of Mordaunt Short M10s does me and all for F all really: iPhone (on a contract) Apple TV (£40) and the speakers from a boot sale Nice sound as not impressed with mates Sonos France different story as the Sonos based on my mates mansion in Essex can't cope with the big rooms. I think i will be going retro over there with some old classic kit with wires and valves for a bigger and deeper sound. Plus walls in place are 1.2m thick so when you try and do wifi etc the date and dimensions sometimes change. You start listening to a track and by the time everything connects bouncing around with those waves, the artist has brought out a new album … plus with all those trapped waves pinging around it drives me mad. Took some sausages out the fridge listening to Aphex Twin buggers cooked before my eyes
