Notes on a music collection, part 5
Mar. 23rd, 2026 11:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pedantherAlma, Tom Lehrer. An account of the life of Alma Mahler. The spoken-word introduction includes the famous quip about failing to measure up to Mozart's accomplishments.
Almost There, Andy Williams. I have no strong feelings about this.
Alone, Ennio Morricone. An instrumental from the soundtrack of The Mission. Not the famous one. Not very melodic. Probably effective in context, but I don't know the context.
Along the Road to Gundagai, Peter Dawson. I remember being taught this song in school, though we only learned the refrain and, like many songs of similar vintage, it turns out to have a bunch of unfamiliar and less catchy verses.
Always Breaking My Heart, Belinda Carlisle. There are several kinds of song you could get with a title like that; this is the kind where the lady explains energetically that she's leaving and that if he misses her he's only got himself to blame.
Amazing Grace, The Choir of Hard Knocks. I'm mildly surprised that I appear to have only one version of this. I thought I at least had a brass band version. This version's okay.
America, Simon and Garfunkel. I've always enjoyed some of the imagery in this one.
American Pie, Don McLean. I have two copies of this song, because I somehow ended up owning two separate Don McLean best-of albums with overlapping but not identical contents. It's entirely possible that it was because I wanted to be sure of having at least one copy of this song.
American Remains, The Highwaymen. I don't mind it, though it's very obvious that it exists because somebody pointed at "Highwayman" and said "another one like that, please". I'm amused (if that's the right word) that the list of "heroes of the homeland" includes, along with the frontiersman, honest farmer, and noble Indian, a man who makes a living cheating at cards; his self-description -- "my clothes are smooth and honest, my heart is cold and hard" -- is one of my favourite lines of the song.
And I Love Her, The Beatles. It's been a while since I last listened to this; there's a bit more going on in the percussion section than I remembered.
And I Love You So, Don McLean. I have two copies of this as well. It's nice.
And So It Goes, Combo Fiasco. If memory serves, this was my introduction to the trio: an a capella rendition with some really nice harmonies. (I don't appear to have any original Billy Joel in this collection: all my Billy Joel was on cassette tape and I never got around to reacquiring it in a more modern format.)
And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda, Eric Bogle. An Australian classic. Another song I learned in school, with the result that it always sounds slightly odd to me when I hear Bogle sing it even though it's his song.
And the Beat Goes On, The Whispers. A song I don't particularly care for from an album I got for one of the other tracks.
And Your Bird Can Sing, The Beatles. A song I don't particularly care for from an album I got for one of the other tracks.
Andante (Concerto in D), Gheorghe Zhamfir. Again, it's not clear which concerto in D by whom.
Andante from The Concerto for Piano & Orchestra No. 21 in C Minor, James Last. That's a much more specific title, and easier to identify; the original is by Mozart.
Almost There, Andy Williams. I have no strong feelings about this.
Alone, Ennio Morricone. An instrumental from the soundtrack of The Mission. Not the famous one. Not very melodic. Probably effective in context, but I don't know the context.
Along the Road to Gundagai, Peter Dawson. I remember being taught this song in school, though we only learned the refrain and, like many songs of similar vintage, it turns out to have a bunch of unfamiliar and less catchy verses.
Always Breaking My Heart, Belinda Carlisle. There are several kinds of song you could get with a title like that; this is the kind where the lady explains energetically that she's leaving and that if he misses her he's only got himself to blame.
Amazing Grace, The Choir of Hard Knocks. I'm mildly surprised that I appear to have only one version of this. I thought I at least had a brass band version. This version's okay.
America, Simon and Garfunkel. I've always enjoyed some of the imagery in this one.
American Pie, Don McLean. I have two copies of this song, because I somehow ended up owning two separate Don McLean best-of albums with overlapping but not identical contents. It's entirely possible that it was because I wanted to be sure of having at least one copy of this song.
American Remains, The Highwaymen. I don't mind it, though it's very obvious that it exists because somebody pointed at "Highwayman" and said "another one like that, please". I'm amused (if that's the right word) that the list of "heroes of the homeland" includes, along with the frontiersman, honest farmer, and noble Indian, a man who makes a living cheating at cards; his self-description -- "my clothes are smooth and honest, my heart is cold and hard" -- is one of my favourite lines of the song.
And I Love Her, The Beatles. It's been a while since I last listened to this; there's a bit more going on in the percussion section than I remembered.
And I Love You So, Don McLean. I have two copies of this as well. It's nice.
And So It Goes, Combo Fiasco. If memory serves, this was my introduction to the trio: an a capella rendition with some really nice harmonies. (I don't appear to have any original Billy Joel in this collection: all my Billy Joel was on cassette tape and I never got around to reacquiring it in a more modern format.)
And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda, Eric Bogle. An Australian classic. Another song I learned in school, with the result that it always sounds slightly odd to me when I hear Bogle sing it even though it's his song.
And the Beat Goes On, The Whispers. A song I don't particularly care for from an album I got for one of the other tracks.
And Your Bird Can Sing, The Beatles. A song I don't particularly care for from an album I got for one of the other tracks.
Andante (Concerto in D), Gheorghe Zhamfir. Again, it's not clear which concerto in D by whom.
Andante from The Concerto for Piano & Orchestra No. 21 in C Minor, James Last. That's a much more specific title, and easier to identify; the original is by Mozart.
