More Liszt

Sometimes you may have two versions of title and you may of spotted my previous post around the Georges Cziffra Liszt box and wondered what this is about?

The first recording of the Hungarian Rhapsodies I encountered was this in its three lp box set form from 1973.

While I love the one in the box set, it is the case that set of recordings from 1957 and 1958 are in monophonic sound so you don't get the sense of the piano sounding quite as if it is the room with the ambience in stereo.

This was for a long time a leading recommendation and had been remastered from the analogue tapes in the 1990's to great effect now compiled over two generously filled cds.

Moreover this has all nineteen works rather than the fifteen Cziffra recorded back then so it is more complete.

Going for the one

When it comes to specialty mastered cds there are two names that are heads above most others, Mobile Fidelity Labs  and Audio Fidelity, the company formed from the ashes of the former DCC label.  

Recently Audio Fidelity issued the second disc in a re-issue program by the Prog Rock group Yes following an agreement with the bands management and Wea who hold the rights to much of their catalogue.

This was one album I have strong memories of 1977 coinciding with the period I learned a lot about rock music from being in my early teens from shows such as Alan Freeman's Saturday afternoon show when he'd play an incredibly wide range of music including new releases which this album was one of.

Originally it was released on lp, cassette and 8 track cartridge which is one of the versions I had at the time and has had three previous cd issues of which the last one I bought was the 1994 remaster by Ted Jensen.

Musically it has 4 shorter tracks of which one, Wonderous Stories, was a 45 and a good showcase of Jon Anderson's voice and the much long piece Awaken that features Rick Wakeman's organ playing which was recorded separately in Switzerland.

The original recording and mix  is one dimensional and a bit shrill in high level high notes something that even the UK original lp didn't cure.

This re-master by Steve Hoffman is surprisingly effective for he managed to find the deep bass previously hidden to bring out the organ and to carefully reduce the shrillness without it sounding as if he'd removed all the high notes losing detail.

We are given to believe Yes band members are impressed with how this turned out.

As with most recordings he remasters, it has a wide dynamic range as unlike a number of remasters on mainstream labels he doesn't severely reduce it in the mistaken belief it brings out more in the mix by bring it forward.

I also acquired the earlier Close To The Edge issue Audio Fidelity put out which is a significant improvement on the 1994 and 2003 reissues.

Technically, it is a super audio cd giving higher resolution on sacd comfortable players such as many blu ray players or sacd audio players but also has a layer that plays on regular  players.

Gender reveal and the final school years

I had written a bit around school life before on this blog around the age I was in junior school but over time as I transitioned to high school at eleven and a half the certainties and accommodations slotting in a gender divided world kicked in.

For one thing the social world of play where I could navigate between playing with boys and girls went as they moved away from playing and into adolescent matters even though mentally I still felt a young child.

And for another where I was comfortable of sorts wearing short trousers although I had showed a like for wearing skirts, boys pressured you even more than the grown ups into waring long trousers and being more like a man, something I did not feel anything like.

Thus this period for me was one of hidden exploration of gurlishness as I wore from choice skirts, blouses, tights and knickers from wherever I could find them and even where of I was lucky, girls were prepared to make me up as one.

Given the changes within me and also within the girls I associated with against the odds and queer bashing that went on, I also started to explore the more sensual, sexual side of sissiness too wearing camisole tops with matching french knickers and stockings as a gurl in the same way girls explored it.

Like them I found I wanted what boys could give me.

This said I kept parts of the younger me such as my love of teddies and plushies as did many of my female friends and unlike most of them I still had and loved to act in my more junior side playing and otherwise being a young child just more able to be hur.

It was my GENDER REVEAL as a sissy gurl.

At Ten

Do not adjust your computer peoples for what we have here is almost a deadringer for me at ten with the right shaped face, hair and so on as I ought to remember 10 as by this point we'd moved to a school that was very much 20th century, with more land so we did stuff.

The uniform needless to say is wrong needing a red sweater and the socks were meant to be white  but it's so close my head has gone back in that year!  

Stuff we did include basic gardening and plant growing which was nice considering we were in the countryside, we had some science kit and even a proper school library now.

Naturally we played Rounders still.

Oh goody gumdrops, there's a book we read with a very important moral  plus a good heart and isn't Mary looking so pretty in that dress? It was always a favourite of mine by the Authoress Frances H. Burnett, who was born in England but moved to the United States of America at 16 years of age and recently I re-read it. 

I vividly recall at 10 our class reading Emil and the Detectives as our teacher would read it aloud enjoying its engaging themes and we'd follow him.

Of course in this era, there was another kind of reading we did and I had and read this annual back in the day as a number of you probably did as well.

Great things about ten included being able to watch and understand more complex movies, having a bit more personal freedom as well could playout by ourselves so long as we we back on time for supper, being able to play more board games (no Playstation or X box then) and the music of which I listened to included stuff by Queen, Mud, lots of Motown and Phillysoul, Slade and the Tartan Terrors (aka The Rollers) that we talked about at recess.

Tammy steps out!

 

This wet look crocodile leather look one is from Asos and originally retailed for £30 but I was able to get it for £11. It's not that I'm cheap just I don't believe in paying top dollar for everything! Do you?

Anyways this is a closer look at the skirt, showing more of the pattern and pleats (gets all excited at the  word "Pleats").

The back zips up although again like the others the is a full waist band which I much prefer, and can be worn with a sweater and either socks or tights. It's also relatively thin that helps with the cool airy feel I like.

This was another I bought at the same time that fits me like a treat.

Gordon the Gopher

The other week I was tidying one of my shelves and a white pile of dust landed on my head and with it was this:

He used to appear on Going Live and Children's BBC with Philip Schofield and his significance to me was I bought him as a hand puppet in Elvaston Country Park, Derbyshire in the English East Midlands together with some other outfits.

I was with with my family and I came skipping across the fields  jumping up and down with Gordon all excited in this public place with lots and lots of grown ups! 

Can you believe it!!! I even carried him back all the way on the bus cos I couldn't bear to be removed from him and oddly enough nobody said anything.

I think this would of been the first  time I'd acted as an adult little boy publicly although at the time I don't know it!

Love Live!

 

I'm watching Love Live! on Crunchyroll, the anime streaming site presently.

Each title in the Love Live! franchise focuses on groups of teenage schoolgirls who become "school idols" as an extracurricular activity, and their main activities involve singing and choreographed dancing to self-written songs they perform at concerts or other music events. 

Other activities include designing their own costumes, as well as filming promotional videos and music videos. Top-class groups are very popular among fans of school idols, aided in part by exposure in magazines and other media, in addition to merchandise of school idols sold in shops catering to otaku-related items.

The ultimate school idol competition featuring the best groups in Japan is called Love Live, and entry into the competition is determined by the popularity of each group. 

The size of these groups can range anywhere from solo idols to groups with nine or more members. Due to the highly competitive nature of the Love Live competition, some school idols opt not to attempt entry and simply take part in performing at other events. 

It's hugely enjoyable to watch.

However, participation in the event is very prestigious, and any group that wins the competition is afforded legendary status.