As a Minneapolitan, I have to say I’m thrilled with this commentary. The Minneapolis music scene was so vital in the late ‘70’s and into the ‘80’s and I’m sheepish to say I missed all of it through a devotion to national / international acts at the time (U2 was / is worth it, although many would disagree). I will say that the Mississippi River doesn’t flow by Paisley Park although the Minnesota comes pretty close. Thank you, Colin, for such a great read. And, as I always do when the word “orchestra” pops up, I can strongly recommend the Minnesota Orchestra as an accompanying ensemble for the Decemberists. They’ve done well for Ben Folds and Dessa on numerous occasions. Cloud Cult as well. The world is awash in unsolicited recommendations. I just added one more. Sorry about that.
Truly a classic. If you have the setup and are so inclined, check out the Atmos mix. I’ve listened to this album literally hundreds of times over the years, and the soundstage is so wide in the new mix that I heard things I’ve never heard before. Middle of the room. Eyes closed. Surrounded by genius.
That brings me back. Christmas 1984. Our (my sister and my) parents went for it and bought a CD player for us and one CD each. My sister got Purple Rain. Irrelevant, but I got Genesis - And Then There Were Three.
It was many years before I came to appreciate Prince's talent, and even more recently that I learned that he could absolutely shred on guitar. How did I not know that for so long?
Hüsker Dü and The Replacements mean so much more to me than the Purple One for sure. Purple Rain was a huge hit back in the day. I was a 20 and a sophomore at David Lipscomb College. It truly is/was a very good LP.
I'd Never listened to it before even though It had been recommended to me several times. It's Brilliant. What a shame I've deprived myself of it my whole life. The story behind the recording is just as remarkable.
Surfer Rosa was my second one this morning. Here is my review:
If you've ever wondered what the difference between punk rock, and indy rock is, it's this: Alt Rock. And this LP, Surfer Rosa by the Pixies is a prime example. A banger of a debut LP, "Doolittle" would follow a year later, it's an influential debut album. It combines raw, abrasive noise with unexpected moments of pop melody and quirky, surreal lyrics. It's unique in that it combines , spacious production and the dynamic interplay between Black Francis's intense vocals, avant-garde guitar work, and melodic bass, it has inspired generations of musicians. 4/5 for me.
I love that you've come around to some Prince. I enjoyed his pop hits in the '80s but it wasn't until our friend Koun (née Garrett) Franz introduced me to some deep dives (which I believed he, in turn, had picked up from his very cool older brother) that I swiftly slid down the road to superfan. Purple Rain is barely in my top 10 of his albums, I think because I'm still suffering from overexposure to the title track as a closing slow dance at every. single. high school. dance. But I am thoroughly enjoying the Blu-Ray with Atmos mix that came out this year. 💜
Last spring I finally had the opportunity to tour Paisley Park, my personal version of Graceland, and it was every bit as wondrous as I'd always hoped. Ƭ̵̬̊
I actually have a very strong MPLS connection to you, Colin. In April 2005, it was the first time I saw The Decemberists perform, at Fine Line. It was the first time I'd seen you perform (or at all) since the Happy Cactus rehearsals and shows in Montana in 1994 (when I wasn't babysitting David & Deidre's firstborn to free them up to play). I was in MPLS running a conference and would miss your Chicago show but by skipping our all-conference reception I was able to catch the gig in MPLS. It was magnificent and getting a chance to say hello to you after the show, so far from our original frame of reference, was a treat.
As a Minneapolitan, I have to say I’m thrilled with this commentary. The Minneapolis music scene was so vital in the late ‘70’s and into the ‘80’s and I’m sheepish to say I missed all of it through a devotion to national / international acts at the time (U2 was / is worth it, although many would disagree). I will say that the Mississippi River doesn’t flow by Paisley Park although the Minnesota comes pretty close. Thank you, Colin, for such a great read. And, as I always do when the word “orchestra” pops up, I can strongly recommend the Minnesota Orchestra as an accompanying ensemble for the Decemberists. They’ve done well for Ben Folds and Dessa on numerous occasions. Cloud Cult as well. The world is awash in unsolicited recommendations. I just added one more. Sorry about that.
Truly a classic. If you have the setup and are so inclined, check out the Atmos mix. I’ve listened to this album literally hundreds of times over the years, and the soundstage is so wide in the new mix that I heard things I’ve never heard before. Middle of the room. Eyes closed. Surrounded by genius.
That brings me back. Christmas 1984. Our (my sister and my) parents went for it and bought a CD player for us and one CD each. My sister got Purple Rain. Irrelevant, but I got Genesis - And Then There Were Three.
It was many years before I came to appreciate Prince's talent, and even more recently that I learned that he could absolutely shred on guitar. How did I not know that for so long?
Sex alien bahahahahah
Hüsker Dü and The Replacements mean so much more to me than the Purple One for sure. Purple Rain was a huge hit back in the day. I was a 20 and a sophomore at David Lipscomb College. It truly is/was a very good LP.
My first LP to listen to was The Köln Concert by Keith Jarrett. I've included a wiki link of the LP itself and a youtube link: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=c77djHcrmVE&list=OLAK5uy_nCadsSovaCieKT8xqxSZlxJgK1pg7Uw_c https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_K%C3%B6ln_Concert
I'd Never listened to it before even though It had been recommended to me several times. It's Brilliant. What a shame I've deprived myself of it my whole life. The story behind the recording is just as remarkable.
Surfer Rosa was my second one this morning. Here is my review:
If you've ever wondered what the difference between punk rock, and indy rock is, it's this: Alt Rock. And this LP, Surfer Rosa by the Pixies is a prime example. A banger of a debut LP, "Doolittle" would follow a year later, it's an influential debut album. It combines raw, abrasive noise with unexpected moments of pop melody and quirky, surreal lyrics. It's unique in that it combines , spacious production and the dynamic interplay between Black Francis's intense vocals, avant-garde guitar work, and melodic bass, it has inspired generations of musicians. 4/5 for me.
I love that you've come around to some Prince. I enjoyed his pop hits in the '80s but it wasn't until our friend Koun (née Garrett) Franz introduced me to some deep dives (which I believed he, in turn, had picked up from his very cool older brother) that I swiftly slid down the road to superfan. Purple Rain is barely in my top 10 of his albums, I think because I'm still suffering from overexposure to the title track as a closing slow dance at every. single. high school. dance. But I am thoroughly enjoying the Blu-Ray with Atmos mix that came out this year. 💜
Last spring I finally had the opportunity to tour Paisley Park, my personal version of Graceland, and it was every bit as wondrous as I'd always hoped. Ƭ̵̬̊
I actually have a very strong MPLS connection to you, Colin. In April 2005, it was the first time I saw The Decemberists perform, at Fine Line. It was the first time I'd seen you perform (or at all) since the Happy Cactus rehearsals and shows in Montana in 1994 (when I wasn't babysitting David & Deidre's firstborn to free them up to play). I was in MPLS running a conference and would miss your Chicago show but by skipping our all-conference reception I was able to catch the gig in MPLS. It was magnificent and getting a chance to say hello to you after the show, so far from our original frame of reference, was a treat.
Surfer Rosa by the Pixies is next...