Carl Smith "I Want To Live and Love"

[electra225]

This album, on Columbia, may arguably represent the closest Carl Smith ever got to the Nashville sound during his long career. This particular album is one I have been playing on my old Imperial, at higher than necessary volume, like good country two-step music should be played. With the double-beat bass and "crying" steel guitar so typical of Carl Smith material, Don Law slowed it down, toned it down, added more guitar and gave it the smooth Nashville sound. "Oh How I Miss You" is my favorite song on the album, but, also typical of Carl Smith material, there is nary a dud note on the whole album. His career peaked in the late 1950's but he remained popular for many years thereafter. His first wife was June Carter, later June Carter Cash. Carl Smith was dad's favorite country artist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o39f1zlV1BA

[William]

I miss playing records on my Imperial and if I would just kick myself in the butt and address the changer problem I could enjoy listening to it again. The Symphony has the same changer problem so maybe I can do a twofer.

Bill

[electra225]

I have played "Oh How I Miss You" probably a dozen times this afternoon. The piano riff in the song performed by an unknown piano player is kinda uncommon in a Carl Smith song. This song must have been custom-made for a Magnavox IMperial stereo. I'll loan you my Carl Smith record, Bill......

This forum has a tough audience for recorded music. That is kinda too bad. We specialize in discussions about record players. Record players play records. Records have music on them. The fact that topics about music pretty much lay an egg never ceases to amaze me.....

[TC Chris]

This forum has a tough audience for recorded music. That is kinda too bad. We specialize in discussions about record players. Record players play records. Records have music on them. The fact that topics about music pretty much lay an egg never ceases to amaze me.....

It may be that there is often less to contribute, even when we enjoy the music, so there are fewer replies.

Pop music vs classical is an interesting thing. In pop music, we tend to listen to the performance. A good performer can make even shoddy music interesting. There's a lot of insubstantial pop music that can be glorified by a talented performer. (This a.m. on the public radio request show, they played Johnny Mathis singing Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine." Please, NO! He proved that a bad performance of good pop music can diminish it....) In classical, I'm listening to the music. I was at a performance of Bach's

The well-Tempered Clavier

this fall. Partway through the 24 preludes &fugue, the young pianist slammed the lid down on the piano and stomped off the stage, yelling that he could not continue on such a faulty piano. I had not heard any problem--I was listening to the music, not the performer.

Right now I'm waiting for a DVD of Andras Schiff performing Book Two of the Bach pieces, another 24 preludes & fugues, live in Royal Albert Hall. I've got the DVD of Book One. The hall is huge and full and there is almost no audience noise because they are all so absorbed in the performance. Schiff plays for an hour and a half, all from memory. It's miraculous.

Chris Campbell

[William]

I wonder if that pianist was ever asked to play with that orchestra again, or any orchestra for that matter. That was inexcusable.

Bill

[electra225]

People who take it that seriously aren't into the music. They are into the performance. Music is about feelings, emotion, connection.

[TC Chris]

I wonder if that pianist was ever asked to play with that orchestra again, or any orchestra for that matter. That was inexcusable.

It was solo. But he was supposed to perform Book Two the next night, and that was cancelled. If nothing else, it was a learning experience for the students at Interlochen, whom he was there to teach. The lesson? "Don't behave this way, ever."

The piano had just been re-tuned because he wanted a lower historical temperament tuning. The tech was still tuning it when I entered the auditorium. I did not hear any obvious defect during the performance, but let's assume there was one. A professional would have stopped and said, "There is a bit of a problem with the piano. Let's pause here and let the technician fix it before we go on."

Chris Campbell