{"id":11790,"date":"2016-11-22T05:30:02","date_gmt":"2016-11-22T10:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=11790"},"modified":"2016-11-21T16:02:45","modified_gmt":"2016-11-21T21:02:45","slug":"11790","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2016\/11\/22\/11790\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundred-word Reviews for Nov.\/Dec. 2016, Part 2 of 10"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11803\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/rolf_trostel_inselmusik.jpg\" alt=\"rolf_trostel_inselmusik\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/rolf_trostel_inselmusik.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/rolf_trostel_inselmusik-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width:120px;height:240px;\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&#038;OneJS=1&#038;Operation=GetAdHtml&#038;MarketPlace=US&#038;source=ss&#038;ref=as_ss_li_til&#038;ad_type=product_link&#038;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&#038;marketplace=amazon&#038;region=US&#038;placement=B01F4IV416&#038;asins=B01F4IV416&#038;linkId=856e372f1f6ac44f1b58fe738a85d2f2&#038;show_border=true&#038;link_opens_in_new_window=true\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Rolf Trostel \u2013 <\/b><i><b>Inselmusik<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nWhen we think back to synthesizer-based innovators circa 1980, names like <b>Gary Numan<\/b> pop right up. But German musicians had been exploring the possibilities of synths \u2013 and more specifically, synth-based (as opposed to synth-accented) music \u2013 for quite awhile by then. Rolf Trossel&#8217;s instrumental explorations \u2013 using the then-revolutionary PPG Wave, a computer sequencer and Roland CompuRhythm drum machines \u2013 created some nicely textured, evocative pieces that pick up where <b>Tangerine Dream<\/b> began. This is hypnotic stuff that sometimes suggests directions artists like <b>Isao Tomita<\/b> would pursue, but in a very krautrocky, minimalist \u2013 yet surprisingly melodic \u2013 fashion.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11794\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/rolf_trostel_prophet.jpg\" alt=\"rolf_trostel_prophet\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/rolf_trostel_prophet.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/rolf_trostel_prophet-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width:120px;height:240px;\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&#038;OneJS=1&#038;Operation=GetAdHtml&#038;MarketPlace=US&#038;source=ss&#038;ref=as_ss_li_til&#038;ad_type=product_link&#038;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&#038;marketplace=amazon&#038;region=US&#038;placement=B01F4IV3Z8&#038;asins=B01F4IV3Z8&#038;linkId=68aeaa204a469dd370d88e4e8f4b9a65&#038;show_border=true&#038;link_opens_in_new_window=true\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Rolf Trostel \u2013 <\/b><i><b>Der Prophet<br \/>\n<\/b><\/i>Recorded and released about two years after <i>Inselmusik<\/i> (see above), this release showcases the leaps forward that Trostel had made in those intervening months. Even more hypnotic and mesmerizing than its predecessor, <i>Der Prophet<\/i> is deeply evocative stuff. The minimalist approach to composition remains, but the songs create moods and run with them. Listening to the title track (and five others) some 30-plus years later, it&#8217;s hard to imagine just how innovative this must have been back then; Rolf Trostel did it the old- fashioned way. Appreciated in the right context, it remains a very worthwhile trip back in time.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11802\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/josh_white.jpg\" alt=\"josh_white\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/josh_white.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/josh_white-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width:120px;height:240px;\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&#038;OneJS=1&#038;Operation=GetAdHtml&#038;MarketPlace=US&#038;source=ss&#038;ref=as_ss_li_til&#038;ad_type=product_link&#038;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&#038;marketplace=amazon&#038;region=US&#038;placement=B00122DAH0&#038;asins=B00122DAH0&#038;linkId=cb439392873a50870a4eb2f5c0d2c17f&#038;show_border=true&#038;link_opens_in_new_window=true\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Josh White \u2013 <\/b><i><b>Josh at Midnight<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nIt&#8217;s one of my few regrets of 2016 that I was unsuccessful in finding a home for more in-depth coverage of this album, originally released on Elektra in 1956. White was a jazz-leaning kind of folksinger, one who was good friends with <b>FDR<\/b>. This wonderfully intimate recording features White on vocal and guitar, with exceedingly minimal accompaniment (occasional vocal chorus, as on \u201cRaise a Rukus\u201d) and upright bass. White&#8217;s story is too complicated to recount here, but suffice to say that if names like <b>Lead Belly<\/b> and <b>Paul Robeson<\/b> get your attention, you need to seek out this vinyl-only reissue.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11801\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/john_lee_hooker.jpg\" alt=\"john_lee_hooker\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/john_lee_hooker.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/john_lee_hooker-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width:120px;height:240px;\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&#038;OneJS=1&#038;Operation=GetAdHtml&#038;MarketPlace=US&#038;source=ss&#038;ref=as_ss_li_til&#038;ad_type=product_link&#038;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&#038;marketplace=amazon&#038;region=US&#038;placement=B01I41OL4C&#038;asins=B01I41OL4C&#038;linkId=4e748df90ec9c08fba758527e486c27f&#038;show_border=true&#038;link_opens_in_new_window=true\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>John Lee Hooker \u2013 <\/b><i><b>The Modern, Chess &amp; Veejay Singles Collection 1949-62<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nI&#8217;ve written often about the vagaries of music licensing that allow overseas labels to put together thoughtful and comprehensive compilations in a way that US-based labels simply cannot afford to do. Well, here&#8217;s a great example. Four discs and over 100 tracks of prime-era bluesman <b>John Lee Hooker<\/b> brings together both the a- and b-sides of his singles. The music&#8217;s great, of course, and the fidelity&#8217;s fine. But a bonus is the discographical information (who played what). I had no idea that <strong>\u201cPops\u201d Staples<\/strong> was a Hooker sideman. With a bigger budget, this could have been a lavish box set.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11798\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/greg_lake_2cd.jpg\" alt=\"greg_lake_2cd\" width=\"300\" height=\"297\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/greg_lake_2cd.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/greg_lake_2cd-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width:120px;height:240px;\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&#038;OneJS=1&#038;Operation=GetAdHtml&#038;MarketPlace=US&#038;source=ss&#038;ref=as_ss_li_til&#038;ad_type=product_link&#038;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&#038;marketplace=amazon&#038;region=US&#038;placement=B015S222SM&#038;asins=B015S222SM&#038;linkId=8cb5909f5d998ae74c876214578a7062&#038;show_border=true&#038;link_opens_in_new_window=true\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Greg Lake \u2013 <\/b><i><b>Greg Lake \/ Manoeuvres<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nThe late 1970s were a tough time for many of rock&#8217;s giants. Musical bombast and excess fell (briefly, as it turned out) out of favor with a fickle listening public, who now wanted something a bit more grounded. Groups like <b>ELP<\/b> split, and individual members had to find their own way, like newly-divorced adults after decades of marriage. The material on <i>Greg Lake<\/i> suggests what <b>Asia<\/b> might have sounded like with <b>Gary Moore<\/b> on guitar instead of <b>Steve Howe<\/b>. The liner notes all but apologize for <i>Manoeuvres<\/i>; it&#8217;s somewhat faceless, but not as bad as Lake&#8217;s current-day hindsight would suggest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rolf Trostel \u2013 Inselmusik When we think back to synthesizer-based innovators circa 1980, names like Gary Numan pop right up. But German musicians had been exploring the possibilities of synths [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11801,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,26,30,62,64,65],"tags":[945,1182,2894,2893],"class_list":["post-11790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blues","category-electronica","category-folk","category-rawk","category-reissue","category-review","tag-greg-lake","tag-john-lee-hooker","tag-josh-white","tag-rolf-trostel","cat-9-id","cat-26-id","cat-30-id","cat-62-id","cat-64-id","cat-65-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11790"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11806,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11790\/revisions\/11806"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}