Sinéad O’Connor – I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990)

I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got is the second album by Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor, released in March 1990 on Ensign/Chrysalis Records. It contains O’Connor’s version of the Prince song “Nothing Compares 2 U”, which was released as a single and reached number one in multiple countries. The album was nominated for four Grammy Awards in 1991, including Record of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Music Video, Short Form for “Nothing Compares 2 U”, winning the award for Best Alternative Music Performance. However, O’Connor refused to accept the nominations and award.

The critically acclaimed album contains O’Connor’s most famous single, “Nothing Compares 2 U”, which was one of the best selling singles in the world in 1990, topping the charts in many countries including the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. This rendition of the Prince song reflected on O’Connor’s mother who lost her life in an auto accident five years earlier.[5][6] The single “Emperor’s New Clothes” found more moderate success, although it did top the Modern Rock Tracks chart in the US.

The album includes O’Connor’s rendition of “I Am Stretched on Your Grave”, an anonymous 17th century poem, originally written in Irish and translated into English by Frank O’Connor and composed by musician Philip King in 1979.[7][8] The first song on the album, “Feel So Different”, starts with The Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr.

The inner sleeve notes acknowledge Kabbalah teacher, Warren Kenton: “Special thanks to Selina Marshall + Warren Kenton for showing me that all I’d need was inside me.”

I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got received critical acclaim. In 2003, the album was ranked number 406 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.(by wikipedia)

I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got became Sinéad O’Connor’s popular breakthrough on the strength of the stunning Prince cover “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which topped the pop charts for a month. But even its remarkable intimacy wasn’t adequate preparation for the harrowing confessionals that composed the majority of the album. Informed by her stormy relationship with drummer John Reynolds, who fathered O’Connor’s first child before the couple broke up, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got lays the singer’s psyche startlingly and sometimes uncomfortably bare.

The songs mostly address relationships with parents, children, and (especially) lovers, through which O’Connor weaves a stubborn refusal to be defined by anyone but herself. In fact, the album is almost too personal and cathartic to draw the listener in close, since O’Connor projects such turmoil and offers such specific detail. Her confrontational openness makes it easy to overlook O’Connor’s musical versatility. Granted, not all of the music is as brilliantly audacious as “I Am Stretched on Your Grave,” which marries a Frank O’Connor poem to eerie Celtic melodies and a James Brown “Funky Drummer” sample. But the album plays like a tour de force in its demonstration of everything O’Connor can do: dramatic orchestral ballads, intimate confessionals, catchy pop/rock, driving guitar rock, and protest folk, not to mention the nearly six-minute a cappella title track. What’s consistent throughout is the frighteningly strong emotion O’Connor brings to bear on the material, while remaining sensitive to each piece’s individual demands. Aside from being a brilliant album in its own right, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got foreshadowed the rise of deeply introspective female singer/songwriters like Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan, who were more traditionally feminine and connected with a wider audience. Which takes nothing away from anyone; if anything, it’s evidence that, when on top of her game, O’Connor was a singular talent. (by Steve Huey)

Personnel:
David Munday (guitar, piano)
Philip King (background vocals)
Sinéad O’Connor (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion, programming)
Marco Pirroni (guitar)
John Reynolds (drums)
Andy Rourke (guitar, bass)
Steve Wickham (fiddle)
Jah Wobble (bass)
+
unknown orchestra conducted by Nick Ingman

Tracklist:
01. Feel So Different (O’Connor) 6.48
02. I Am Stretched On Your Grave (Anonymous/King) 5.33
03. Three Babies (O’Connor) 4.47
04. The Emperor’s New Clothes (O’Connor) 5.16
05. Black Boys On Mopeds (O’Connor) 3.53
06. Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince) 5.11
07. Jump In The River (O’Connor/Pirroni) 4.13
08. You Cause As Much Sorrow (O’Connor) 5.05
09. The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance (O’Connor) 4.40
10. I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (O’Connor) 5.47

*
**

Randy Newman (feat. Mark Knopfler) – In Sessions At The BBC Concert Hall (1988)

Land of Dreams is a 1988 album by Randy Newman featuring vignettes of his childhood in New Orleans. The best-known song on the album is “It’s Money That Matters”, which rose to the top of the Mainstream Rock chart for two weeks (and peaked at #60 on the Hot 100), to become Newman’s only number one hit on any U.S. chart; it features Mark Knopfler on guitar (by wikipedia)

In November 1988, Randy Newman recorded his album Land of dreams on which Mark Knopfler played on several tracks. As a promotion for the album, Randy and Mark appeared in various shows and played some tracks. Some rare recordings and rarely performed songs. Very interesting interview, mainly with Randy Newman but also with Mark Knopfler.

And here is this very intimate session.

What a great treat – Randy Newman and Knopfler !

Personnel:
Mark Knopfler (guitar)
Randy Newman(piano, vocals)

Tracklist:
01. Dixie Flyer 3.44
02, Inteview with Randy and Mark 4.50
03. Roll With The Punches 3.37
04. Interview with Randy and Mark 3.21
05. You’ve Gotta Move On 3.49
06. Interview with Randy and Mark 3.48
07. Blue Monday 1.28
08. Interview with Randy and Mark 1.31
09. Bad News From Home 2.55
10. Interview with Randy and Mark 2.48

All songs written by Randy Newman

*
**

Sade – Stronger Than Life (1988)

Stronger Than Pride is the third studio album by English band Sade (Adu). It was released by Epic Records in the United States on 5 April 1988 and in the United Kingdom on 3 May 1988. In September 2018, Pitchfork placed the album at number 37 on its list of The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s. (by wikipedia)

After two LPs with little or no energy, Sade demonstrated some intensity and fire on her third release. Whether that was just an attempt to change the pace a bit or a genuine new direction, she had more animation in her delivery on such songs as “Haunt Me,” “Give It Up,” and the hit “Paradise.” Not that she was suddenly singing in a soulful or bluesy manner; rather, Sade’s dry and introspective tone now had a little more edge, and the lyrics were ironic as well as reflective. This was her third consecutive multi-platinum album, and it matched the two-million-plus sales level of her debut. (by Ron Wynn)

Like Wally Pipp, who took a day off from the Yankee lineup and was permanently replaced by Lou Gehrig, Sade has risked usurpation by more talented players during her long weekend away from recording. In that three-year break, the soft-female-soul market, which the remarkable success of her 1984 debut stimulated, has been filled by a rush of other artists, some far superior (Anita Baker, Regina Belle), some nearly inept (Swing Out Sister). But Sade needn’t worry about being eclipsed by more talented singers – the key to her appeal is not the pure prowess of her voice but its poise and presence. In lieu of Baker’s gospel-based emotions, Sade offers cool composure. She has designed a distinctive sound and established herself as a diva simply by assuming the image of one.

If it’s possible, Stronger Than Pride is even wispier than Sade’s two previous albums; it’s so thin and understated that it leaves a mist hanging over the turntable (or, more likely, the CD player). Her lyrics are mostly brief pillow notes, with their hooks chanted over and over.

Serving as producer for the first time, Sade curbs Stuart Matthewman’s dramatic sax lines, the crucial ingredient of “Smooth Operator,” in favor of an ensemble grace centered on the deft bump of Paul Denman’s bass. Brisk urban tracks like the hit “Paradise” alternate with acoustic material inspired by Brazilian bossa nova, but the sensual ambiance is soon spoiled by the dearth of melodies; the album is so tasteful and restrained it’s dull. (by Rob Tannenbaum – Rolling Stone Nr. 532)

Personnel:
Sade Adu (vocals)
Paul S. Denman (bass)
Andrew Hale (keyboards)
Stuart Matthewman (guitar, saxophone)
+
Martin Ditcham (drums, percussion)
Gordon Hunte (guitar on 02. + 08.)
Jake Jacas (trombone)
James McMillan (trumpet)
Leroy Osbourne (vocals)
Gavyn Wright (violin on 04.)

Tracklist:
01. Love Is Stronger Than Pride (Adu/Hale/Matthewman) 4.20
02. Paradise (Adu/Hale/Matthewman/Denman) 4.05
03. Nothing Can Come Between Us (Adu/Matthewman/Hale) 4.25
04. Haunt Me (Adu/Matthewman) 5.53
05. Turn My Back On You (Adu/Hale/Matthewman) 6.09
06. Keep Looking (Adu/Hale) 5.24
07. Clean Heart (Adu/Matthewman/Hale) 4.04
08. Give It Up (Adu/Matthewman/Hale) 3.53
09. I Never Thought I’d See The Day (Adu/Osbourne) 4.16
10. Siempre Hay Esperanza (Matthewman/Adu/Osbourne) 5.16

*
**

Tanita Tikaram – Ancient Heart (1988)

Ancient Heart is the debut studio album by Tanita Tikaram. The record was initially released by Warner Music Group on 13 September 1988. The album had huge success and was a hit globally, launching Tanita’s mainstream career. Guest musicians included Rod Argent, Mark Isham, Peter Van Hooke, Dave “Clem” Clempson,Paul Brady, and Brendan Croker. Argent and Van Hooke produced the album. The record includes four singles.

It was the best selling album of 1989 in Germany (by wikipedia)

Singer/songwriter Tanita Tikaram’s debut album, Ancient Heart, stands as one of the most underappreciated albums of the 1980s, and she, along with Tracy Chapman, preceded the 1990s’ onslaught of female singer/songwriters by almost a decade. Tikaram, who was only 19 when this album was released, created a melancholy and wistful work, mature beyond her years, of startling originality and honesty. While this album may be considered folkish and artsy, it never stoops to the clichés that dominated those styles of music in the later Lilith Fair years. Her near perfect signature song “Twist in My Sobriety” is a stark, sinuous, desperate torch song that managed to garner a bit of radio and video airplay in its day and sounded like nothing else then or since.

Other highlights include the lovely and more upbeat “Cathedral Song,” “World Outside Your Window,” and “Good Tradition”,” as well as the jazzy “For All the Years” and the haunting “I Love You” and “Valentine Heart” — the latter being one of the album’s true highlights. Ancient Heart is a smoky, world-weary album, that, years after its initial release, does not sound one bit dated and has effortlessly stood the test of time. The definite highlight of Tanita Tikaram’s career. (by Jose F. Promis)

Personnel:
Rod Argent (keyboards)
Pete Beachill (trombone)
Paul Brady (mandolin)
Clem Clempson (guitar)
Mark Creswell (guitar)
Brendan Croker (guitar)
Mitch Dalton (guitar)
Martin Ditcham (percussion)
John Georgiadis (violin)
Keith Harvey (cello)
Peter van Hooke (drums)
Mark Isham (trumpet, flugelhorn)
Ian Jewell (viola)
Noel Langley (trumpet)
David Lindley (violin)
Rory McFarlane (bass)
Malcolm Messiter (oboe)
Helen O’Hara (violin)
Brendon O’Reilly (violin)
Marc Ribot (guitar)
Tanita Tikaram (vocals, guitar)
Philip Todd (saxophone)

Tracklist:
01. Good Tradition 2.52
02. Cathedral Song 2.54
03. Sighing Innocents 3.34
04. I Love You 2.45
05. World Outside Your Window 4.54
06. For All These Years 5.16
07. Twist In My Sobriety 4.52
08. Poor Cow 1.58
09. He Likes The Sun 5.29
10. Valentine Heart 4.06
11. Preyed Upon 5.05

All songs written by Tanita Tikaram

*
**

Leonard Bernstein – Requiem (Mozart KV 626) (1989)

Yesterday my mother-in-law passed away at the age of 93 … So this is the right music for the moment:

The Requiem in D minor, K. 626, is a requiem mass by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791). Mozart composed part of the Requiem in Vienna in late 1791, but it was unfinished at his death on 5 December the same year. A completed version dated 1792 by Franz Xaver Süssmayr was delivered to Count Franz von Walsegg, who commissioned the piece for a Requiem service to commemorate the anniversary of his wife’s death on 14 February.

The autograph manuscript shows the finished and orchestrated Introit in Mozart’s hand, and detailed drafts of the Kyrie and the sequence Dies irae as far as the first eight bars of the Lacrimosa movement, and the Offertory. It cannot be shown to what extent Süssmayr may have depended on now lost “scraps of paper” for the remainder; he later claimed the Sanctus and Agnus Dei as his own.

Walsegg probably intended to pass the Requiem off as his own composition, as he is known to have done with other works. This plan was frustrated by a public benefit performance for Mozart’s widow Constanze. She was responsible for a number of stories surrounding the composition of the work, including the claims that Mozart received the commission from a mysterious messenger who did not reveal the commissioner’s identity, and that Mozart came to believe that he was writing the requiem for his own funeral. (by wikipedia)

Leonard Bernstein dedicated this performance to the memory of his late wife, the actress Felicia Montealegre. It was recorded during two concerts in July 1988 in the beautiful St. Mary’s Cathedral in Diessen at the Ammersee and has been available as a CD since 1989. Bernstein uses the Franz Beyer “completion” of Mozart’s unfinished mass. His tempi are predominantly slow, accents are sharp, and the excellent Bavarians, both orchestral and chorus musicians, achieve a high level of transparency despite the reverberant church acoustics. Bernstein’s reading of the score is neither “romantic” nor “authentic”: it is unique in its uncompromising, searing intensity. The four soloists are outstanding. All in all, this may not be your one and only performance of the Requiem, but it is immensely moving and it will stay with you. Get it while you can. (Gerhard P. Knapp)

Personnel:
Choir and Symphony-Orchestra of the Bayerischen Rundfunks conducted by Leonard Bernstein
+
Maria Ewing (Sopran)
Jerry Hadley (Tenor)
Cornelius Hauptmann (Bass)
Marie McLaughlin (Sopran)
+
Friedemann Winklhofer (organ)

Tracklist:

Introitus:
01. Requiem 6.39

Kyrie:
02 Kyrie 2.45

Sequentia:
03. Dies Irae 1.43
04. Tuba Mirum 4.28
05. Rex Tremendae 2.42
06. Recordare 5.42
07. Confutatis 2.21
08. Lacrimosa 5.36

Offertorium:
09. Domine Jesu 3.28
10. Hostias 3.59

Sanctus:
11. Sanctus 1.48

Benedictus:
12. Benedictus 5.14

Agnus Dei:
13. Agnus Dei 4.53

Communio:
14. Lux Aeterna 6.44

Music composed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with additions from Joseph Eybler und Franz Xaver Süßmayr

 

*
**

Erich Kunzel – The Big Band Hit Parade (1988)

Kunzel is best known as the director of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, a group he first conducted in 1965. He made more than 85 albums with the orchestra, more than 55 of which landed in the Top 10 of Billboard’s classical charts. According to Kunzel’s Web site, he’s sold at least 10 million recordings.

Although Kunzel excelled in the pops repertoire — “light classics” such as Strauss waltzes, Sousa marches and movie music — he also led major orchestras around the world in music by composers such as Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Grieg and Copland. He conducted the Chicago Symphony more than 100 times and led opera productions in Cincinnati, San Francisco and Santa Fe, where he made his professional conducting debut in 1957. Kunzel studied at Dartmouth, Harvard and Brown, and with the revered French conductor Pierre Monteux.

Kunzel continued in the tradition of the iconic pops conductor Arthur Fiedler, who invited him to lead his own Boston Pops Orchestra in 1970. Kunzel later led the orchestra on tours of the U.S. and Europe, and he was the first to lead a pops concert in China, in 1998. He brought the Cincinnati Pops there in 2005, the first such orchestra to appear in China.

Although he was widely traveled, Kunzel remained loyal to Cincinnati.

“We have the fifth oldest orchestra, the oldest festival in the Americas — with the May Festival. We have the second oldest opera company,” Kunzel said in an interview with Cincinnati’s classical station WGUC. “I really feel that Cincinnati should be the cultural arts center of our country. We have the Classical Music Hall of Fame and a great conservatory. Even if you are an adopted person into this city, you know you’re steeped in culture in this town.”

Kunzel was also the chairman of the Greater Cincinnati Arts and Education Center. He was awarded the National Medal of the Arts by President George W. Bush in 2006, and inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame earlier this year. (by Tom Huizenga)

And here´s a very special project by ‘Erich Kunzel: He celebrates together with many stars from the Jazz scene the great sound of the Big Band Era …

This CD is a bit of an oddity but largely a success. A group of all-star jazzmen (trumpeter Doc Severinsen, trombonist Buddy Morrow, clarinetist Eddie Daniels, baritonist Gerry Mulligan, pianist Dave Brubeck, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Shaughnessy) along with the great singer Cab Calloway team up with Erich Kunzel’s Cincinnati Pops Big Band Orchestra to perform hits of the swing era; never mind that only Calloway was from that period. The arrangements (mostly by Jeff Tyzik and Tommy Newsom) for the string orchestra are fortunately not recreations of the past but fresh and sometimes surprising reworkings of such songs as “One O’Clock Jump,” “You Made Me Love You,” “In the Mood” and “Artistry in Rhythm.” Calloway gets to revisit “St. James Infirmary” and the episodic almost suite-like version of “When the Saints Go Marching In” is a near-classic. ()

This is a nearly perfect chance to discover this great music from long forgotten decades !

Personnel:
Ray Brown (bass)
Dave Brubeck (piano)
Cab Calloway (vocals)
Eddie Daniels (clarinet, saxophone)
Vincent DiMartino (trumpet)
Buddy Morrow (trombone)
Gerry Mulligan (saxophone)
Ed Shaughnessy (drums)
Stephen Schmidt (piano)
Doc Severinsen (trumpet)
+
Cincinnati Pops Big Band Orchestra conducted by Erich Kunzel

Tracklist:
01. Take the “A” Train (Strayhorn) 4:27
02. Begin the Beguine (Porter) 4.32
03. Sentimental Journey (Brown/Green/Homer) 3.00
04.  One O’Clock Jump (Basie) 3.23
05. Caravan (Ellington/Tizol) 4.20
06. Let’s Dance (Baldridge/Bonine/Stone) 4.22
07. You Made Me Love You (v.Monaco) 2.42
08. Woodchopper’s Ball (Bishop/Herman) 4.39
09. In the Mood (Garland) 5.13
10. Sing, Sing, Sing (Prima) 6.52
11. I’m Getting Sentimental Over You (Bassman) 3.10
12. Well, Git It! (Oliver) 2.52
13. Artistry In Rhythm (Rugolo) 3.07
14. Moonlight Serenade (Miller) 2.58
15.  St. James Infirmary (Mills/Primrose/Traditional) 3.06
16. When the Saints Go Marchin’ In (Traditional/Kunzel) 9.33

*
**

Patti Smith – Dream Of Life (1988)

Dream of Life is the fifth studio album by Patti Smith, released in June 1988 on Arista Records. It was her first album after the dissolution of The Patti Smith Group. Lead single “People Have the Power” received some album-oriented rock airplay at the time, and later was revived by Bruce Springsteen as a theme song for the 2004 Vote for Change concerts. Songs from this album were performed live for the first time in a show on December 29, 2006 in New York City’s Bowery Ballroom. “Paths That Cross” is dedicated to the memory of Samuel J. Wagstaff. The cover photograph is by Robert Mapplethorpe.

The album was ranked number 49 on Sounds magazine list of the best albums of the year.

The big difference between Patti Smith’s four 1970s albums and this return to action after nine years lies in the choice of collaborator. Where Smith’s main associate earlier had been Lenny Kaye, a deliberately simple guitarist, here her co-writer and co-producer (with Jimmy Iovine) was her husband, Fred “Sonic” Smith, formerly of the MC5, who played guitar with a conventional rock competence and who lent his talents to each of the tracks, giving them a mainstream flavor. In a sense, however, these polished love songs, lullabies, and political statements are not to be compared to the poetic ramblings of Smith’s first decade of music-making — she’s so much…calmer this time out.

But you can’t help it. Where the Patti Smith of Horses inspired a generation of female rockers, the Patti Smith of Dream of Life sounds like she’s been listening to later Pretenders albums and taking tips from Chrissie Hynde, one of her spiritual daughters. Dream of Life is the record of someone who is simply showing the flag, trying to keep her hand in, rather than announcing her comeback. Not surprisingly, having made it, Smith retreated from the public eye again until the ’90s. (by William Ruhlmann)

Personnel:
Jay Dee Daugherty (drums, keyboards)
Fred “Sonic” Smith – guitar)
Patti Smith (vocals)
Richard Sohl (keyboards)
+
Errol “Crusher” Bennett (percussion on 07.)
Hearn Gadbois (percussion)
Bob Glaub (bass on 06.)
Jesse Levy (cello on 08.)
Robin Nash (background vocals on 06.)
Andi Ostrowe (background vocals)
Gary Rasmussen (bass)
Margaret Ross (harp on 08.)
Kasim Sulton (bass)
Malcolm West (bass on 08.)

Tracklist:
01. People Have The Power 5.10
02. Up There Down There 4.47
03. Paths That Cross 4.20
04. Dream Of Life 4.37
05. Where Duty Calls 7.45
06. Going Under 5.57
07. Looking For You (I Was) 4.04
08. The Jackson Song 5.23
09. As the Night Goes By (bonus track) – 5:04

All songs were written by Patti Smith and Fred “Sonic” Smith

*
**