Two successful record shopping experiences this Sunday, paired with two equally pleasurable parking events! I don't look for much more out of life than that.
After my morning church job (1), I headed down to Amoeba (2) with a fairly specific shopping list - more Ligeti, a copy of Eugene Onegin, some Lawrence Tibbett collections - and committed myself to staying within the confines of the classical/new music section in the back corner.
The success ratio was pretty good Sunday; I came out with used copies of the Hvorostovsky's Onegin, Ligeti's Aventures/SQ #2, two Tibbett compilations, and a new Matt Haimovitz compilation.
What a charming piece that Aventures is -- I'd love to find some occasion to work on that one day. SQ #2 is pretty dandy too. The Haimovitz I picked up just because I haven't heard him yet, believe it or not. And they included a Toby Twining piece on the compilation, so that was an incentive.
As for the Tibbetts, if you ever find yourself in the unlikely position of having to choose between the RCA Victor Vocal Series album and the Nimbus Prima Voce "Tibbett in Opera", go with the RCA. There's about 85% overlap -- not just repertoire, actually the same recordings -- and the RCA remastering (produced by John Pfeiffer) is just better. (UPDATE: Visit the Iron Tongue for more details.) And the things I really wanted to hear on the Nimbus that weren't on the RCA (the Otello Credo and Abendstern from Tannhaeuser) are from the late '30s anyway, right at the end of his prime time.
And then on my way to the register I walked past the New Arrivals bin in the used electronica section and somehow found myself holding two DJ Spooky albums and a live recording by Wobbly, with the cutest cover in recent memory.
But the one thing I've been trying to find for a couple weeks, Nathan Gunn's recording of John Adams's The Wound-Dresser, still was nowhere to be seen. So grudgingly I headed over to the funny-smelling Tower Records on Market Street near the Castro, where I fully expected to be circling for 20 minutes looking for a parking space. (You know how much the gays like to have their Sunday brunch.) But there too I found a spot on the first go-around, not a block away! A quick in-and-out it was; grabbed the CD, paid an extortionate $8.50 (it's a Naxos record, for chrissakes), and went on my way.
I should be satisfied with these recent acquisitions, but today I just heard about a new Soft Pink Truth album, Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Soft Pink Truth? (There's a performance next Monday, too. Watch this video for a sense of what The Soft Pink Truth's all about.) I sense another Amoeba run coming on.
Still to come, a recap of this past weekend's activities, including: Tosca, starring Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher! Also, World Music Concerts: Who Knew There Are So Many Blond Guys with Dreads?
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(1) One of the main reasons I stay at that hateful place is because they have a parking lot. Never any worries about having to leave time to park. I can't stress enough what a luxury this is in SF.
(2) The validated lot was blocked off again for another damned Special Event. But within seconds I found a spot directly across the street from the Amoeba entrance. I guess God heard my prayer. Maybe my high school football team will win its next game too.
I keep hoping there are extant b'casts of Tibbett stuff like The King's Henchman...or rather that some bitter old opera queen that's sitting on them will give them to a record company, you know?
p.s. $8.50 for Naxos is criminal
Posted by: Grisha | Nov 21, 2004 at 06:34 AM