Ravel Orchestral Music

Ravel's orchestral music has always had  place in my life from Bolero to the Mother Goose suite and when cds first came out I bought a single cd in Dg's Galleria series from 1987 that had the recordings of Seiji Osawa's set with the Boston Symphony Orchestra  that included Un Bal and Bolero but it didn't sound so good.

I really loved that three lp set from 1974 and recently I bought this newly remastered two cd set that holds all the lp set did on two discs that fit as many now do in a single cd size case.

While the notes are a little basic in this set, the sound is now most vivid allowing the beauty of this set I loved to be heard in a digital form.

Bob Dylan in Mono

Another year another box set comes out screaming 'must buy' I guess but thankfully this one wasn't as expensive as last years Beatles in Mono box!

Bob Dylan's first eight ground breaking albums re-released in the original mono mixes long unavailable outside of very expensive speciality releases on vinyl housed in box with slide in carrier<.

The albums made in the EU - wherever that is - come in the mini lp form which I just adore as you have the same sort of tactile feel handling them as the lp issues I and a few others had back in the day.

In my case I still had tapes or lps in various conditions of some not getting around to buying more than a couple on cd in over 25 odd years so I was looking for a nice complete set.

Why mono? Simply the stereo separation is very distracting when listening to these performances and the vocals come over more clearly which as the cornerstone of Bob Dylan's appeal lies in his words. Stereo isn't needed for this stuff.

The mastering is very good even the most ardent critics acknowledge outside of the original mono lps that can hard to find at affordable prices without being beat up, these are the best yet and for around GBP 7.99 per disc in the set very good value for money.

If that was cool enough mine had a bonus cd of the Brandeis University, M.A. folk concert from 1963 included plus a free complete Mp3 download offer of all these albums to save me ripping them to play on the portable music player!

Signs

Everything has a beginning and in that age old nurture vs nature debate while exposure to stimulation beings traits out for me it's nature ultimately because it only brings out what was within you in the first instance.

Most accounts presume an awful lot but people are more complex like for instance I am autistic which has a major impact on how I see things and read social signals of which those around gender codes when you are growing up do take on a big role.

I don't see the pink or blue traffic light signs when you look at play and the toys that may feature in it even if some advertisers may of turned the colour settings way up high.

There isn't a "for me" setting.

 

Autistic boys and girls like me don't relate to others the same and find it hard to really get started on playing because we struggle with the social rules so the fact I may be wanting to play with dolls may not of been picked up and that some child most likely a girl would have to teach me how to play with them and with other children playing with theirs in a game or adventure.

This kind of scene was not untypical back then with all the humiliation some of us faced for just being different. 

I loved rope jump back then skipping loads.

It wasn't that I didn't play with boys nor that I didn't see myself as in hindsight more girlish but it was I wanted to play with games that back the only the girls did too as that was a part of me.

The femming of Tammy

The above is my new HK flight bag that happens to be ideal for butting my purse and sandwiches in for work.

And this is the new Tote bag ideal for putting magazines and that in while I'm in town.

Feeling braver than usual I brought this white rah-rah skirt with pockets which at a length of thirteen inches is just about the shortest skirt I've ever worn so you do need to keep brain in gear when it comes to sitting down.

It feels so different.

I am a sissy gurl being enouraged to explore their feelings and presentation in all directions to find the real me.

Here I teamed it up with neon fishnet hold up stockings and three inch heels looking like the sissy gurl I am on the inside.

Soul re-issue update

Dee Dee Sharp: Happy 'Bout The Whole Thing/What Colour Is Love/Dee Dee
Edsel 3 on 2 beermat set of the P.I.R. albums. Nice re-mastering job on this issue if Dee Dee of "I'm not in love" fame appeals.

Raydio S/T c/w Rock On 2010 Edsel beermat.
Lovely sounding and if you like the material well early Ray Parker Jr.it's recommended at half the price and the masterings darn good to boot.

Ojays Family Reunion 2010 Edsel beermat
I shouldn't have to say how what the heck how brilliant this album really is to any of you BUT this recent re-master is so good we could add the word 'Audiophile' in the same sentence as is that good PLUS it has the 1977 9.42 I Love Music as remixed by Tom Moulton as the bonus track. Possibly bargain of the year.
Catalogue no. Edsel EDSM0001

Smokey Robinson Smokey c/w Pure Smokey (aka Smokey Robinson Solo albums vol:1)
Hip-o select 2010 beermat
Decent mastering and these two albums are self recommending with Just My Soul Responding's thoughtful mediation and I Am, I Am the precursor to Quiet Storm.

Quiet Storm & Smokey's Family Robinson (aka Smokey Robinson Solo Vol:2)
Defined the whole 'Quiet Storm' soul genre.

Jones Girls S/T c/w At Peace with Woman Edsel 2005
Reissue of the first two albums for Philadelphia International originally issued in 1979 and 80 respectively.

Patti LaBelle: The Spirit In It, I'm In Love Again & Patti Edsel 3 on 2 beermat 2004
The issued studio recordings of her brief time at Philadelphia International, The first album in this collection is rootsy Gospel infused soul from '81 that got lost in those 'Good Times' on the R&B chart where it seemed everything was funkified disco, the second was cash in after her leaving for MCA in '83 but did include such gems as If Only You Knew and remains a strong set and don't even start me on the third when 'da kids' from Sugarhill tried adding electro beats to straight 'in the can' soul to compete against her MCA stuff out like New Attitude. We all saw Beverly Hills Cop back then, right?
Trouble is that sound is just so dated and when it goes into a breakbeat it's positively cringe-worthy atop of what were fine vocal performances. Thankfully Where I Wanna Be and all four tracks from what was side two escape most of this *%^& an can be appreciated as a bonus to the two 'real' albums.
The masterings extremely good btw.