Non-Classical Music Listening Thread!

[drogulus]

    Yahhh Baybee!!!

[drogulus]

I saw them in 1971 in the dining hall of Sheffield University Students Union, from which all tables and chairs had been removed so the audience sat on the floor while the band played on a makeshift platform against the end wall.  I would have been about 4 or 5 rows back - in about the same place where I also saw The Who perform on their "Live At Leeds" tour.  Couldn't say which was louder - beyond a certain point comparisons become meaningless - but loud it certainly was.

    Trust me, there's nothing as loud as 3 Hiwatt Custom 100s with the volume at noon like Townshend played them. I had one (a DR103) with a custom cab with 6 Greenbacks. I only turned it up a couple of times and I thought I was gonna die!

[steve ridgway]

Yahhh Baybee!!!

A superb performance for musicians of any age! I was only listening to the tune yesterday afternoon .

[AnotherSpin]

I heard The Who were pushing the limits when it came to volume.

But of course, it wasn't just about being loud — sound quality mattered too. In the early '70s, the Grateful Dead changed the game with their Wall of Sound setup: 500+ JBL speakers, 50+ Electrovoice tweeters, and McIntosh amps. The whole thing stood 10 meters tall, weighed around 70 tons, and used some pretty wild tech — like phase-separated mics placed 180 degrees apart to kill feedback, and active crossovers that split the signal into four frequency bands before amplification. That helped cut down distortion.

Phil Lesh's bass guitar was on another level — each string had its own mic, amp path, and even its own set of speakers. Seriously. It was nuts. The sound was amazing, but the whole thing was a nightmare to manage: took 48 hours to set up, speakers kept blowing out, and it was just too much to maintain. They dropped it by '75. Still, the ideas behind it — multichannel setups, clean sound separation — basically laid the groundwork for the modern stadium systems we have today.

[drogulus]

     The Wall of Sound was a giant hifi system that served for both instrument amplification and PA. They also used dual out of phase microphones for noise cancelling.

[AnotherSpin]

The Wall of Sound was a giant hifi system that served for both instrument amplification and PA. They also used dual out of phase microphones for noise cancelling.

Beautiful shot of Jerry Garcia from 1973.

[T. D.]

[T. D.]

[Karl Henning]

Haven't listened to this in an age:
Peter Gabriel's So album

[San Antone]

Sondheim : Follies
NYPO



When the original cast album of Follies was recorded, I think the show had closed, or was about to the same week. The producers wanted to make a cast recording, but chose to do it on the cheap. Consequently several cuts were made, and the album presented an abridged version of the work. 

In 1985 the NYPO with an all-star cast mounted a concert stage, with the complete score. Which is a blessing since I, and others, consider Follies to be among Sondheim's important achievements.

[Number Six]

Nektar: A Tab in the Ocean (1972)

[Number Six]

Sondheim : Follies
NYPO

Doesn't this one have "I'm Still Here"?

I love La Streisand's version on The Concert (1994). I love that whole live album, to be fair.

[Number Six]

REO Speedwagon: Hi Infidelity (1980)

[San Antone]

Doesn't this one have "I'm Still Here"?

I love La Streisand's version on The Concert (1994). I love that whole live album, to be fair.

Yes; sung by Carol Burnett.

[AnotherSpin]

Nektar: A Tab in the Ocean (1972)

Nektar was one of my favorite bands during my teenage years. They had a unique ability to blend fairly complex and extended prog structures with an accessibility and clarity that even a less experienced listener could appreciate. Here's a great album from 1973.

[Number Six]

Nektar was one of my favorite bands during my teenage years. They had a unique ability to blend fairly complex and extended prog structures with an accessibility and clarity that even a less experienced listener could appreciate. Here's a great album from 1973.

Excellent! Album added for streaming soon. 

[foxandpeng]

Bit of post-metal this evening...

40 Watt Sun - The Inside Room
A Swarm of the Sun - The Rifts
Crippled Black Phoenix - The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature

[Number Six]

Nektar: Remember the Future (1973)

Prog Disco? The last few minutes of side B have killer bass, funky guitar, and me getting down as I listen.

[Number Six]

Julien Baker & Torres: Send a Prayer My Way (2025)

Been waiting a while for this one.

[AnotherSpin]

Nektar: Remember the Future (1973)

Prog Disco? The last few minutes of side B have killer bass, funky guitar, and me getting down as I listen.

Disco influence might not be the first thing that comes to mind when listening to Nektar's recordings, but it was definitely present in the '70s. Just think of how The Stones brought a danceable rhythm and a prominent bass line, both classic disco elements, into their Miss You.