V01-T01a "Are you sitting comfortably?..."

.....Many years ago I made audio cassette tape compilations, mostly for long commutes and jobs where I could program the music for my work environment. Occasionally they would be topical, with some unifying theme. Mostly, though, they would be chronological overviews of a single artist or act. I would try to include A-sides, B-sides, key album tracks and rare items that often didn't appear on commercially released compilations due to licensing conflicts. Since I never sold my tapes, this wasn't an issue for me.

.....One day a regular customer entered where I worked, heard whatever tape I was playing, and smiled. He said, out of the blue, "Every time I come in here, there's interesting music playing." "Thanks," I replied, taking it as a compliment on my tastes. "Except," he continued, "it's always something I've never heard before and I never hear the same thing twice.... How much music do you own?" That led to conversations about tastes and variety in listening and ultimately I had to admit to myself that there was an increasing body within my collection of recordings that were unlikely to ever be included on the compilations that I made. Either they were the works of artists who recorded little (or little that was of interest to me) or they were by artists I enjoyed but were not characteristic of them and would be left off compilation tapes for being unrepresentative. Yet, I had to admit that there was some reason, at some time,for me to add them to the pile. What I needed was a more accurate cross-section of the kudzu that was my collection of recordings. Not a 'best-of' but an 'all-of'.

.....I created shortly thereafter the first in a series of cassettes I called "So, What Kind Of Music Do You Listen To?". Each was a 90-minute tape containing two album-length programs (one on each side) with its own title. And unlike the detailed handwritten liner notes I provided on my other compilation tapes, these were blank (except for the titles and series name). No song names, no artists, no playing times, nothing. No preconceptions, either. One would be forced to listen, without prejudice or not at all. I ran off a copy for that customer, who told me he loved it. I've circulated copies to a few others since and some have confirmed to me that they have as well. I honestly don't know how many people have heard them. For most I'm sure that half the fun has been guessing the sources or at least the artists. And I've shown the liner notes to a few people, but not many. Until now. It's been at least fifteen years, so I guess the joke is over. Here now, in daily installments, in proper running order so that you can (good luck) reconstitute the mixes yourselves, are the true contents of the tapes.

Volume 1: THE PITCHFORK APPROACH, track 1a

• 00:05 [introduction, "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin."]
• (aka excerpt from "Peter And The Wolf" by Sergei Prokofiev)
• performed by David Bowie (with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra)
• original source: LP "Peter And The Wolf" RCA Red Seal ARL1-2743(US) 05/12/78
• and my source: CD "Peter And The Wolf" RCA Victor 09026-60878-2(US) 1992

.....The full recording was reportedly done by Bowie as a birthday present for his son (then Zowie, now Joe) who would have turned seven when it was released. At one point, when I noticed how many celebrity recordings of "Peter And The Wolf" there were, it occurred to me to collect them as a sideline hobby. Fortunately I was experiencing a rare moment of lucidity that day and decided against it. (How many times would I listen to the Phyllis Diller version, honestly?) There were at least two others I wound up with: The Wendy (formerly Walter) Carlos and Weird Al Yankovic version and the 1970's British art-rock version with members of Roxy Music, King Crimson and Genesis. I think Brian Eno plays the duck on that one. I mean he represents the duck, he's not actually playing one as a musical instrument ( although I wouldn't put it past him to try...).

.....The CD I used is not the only version on disc. There's an earlier version that reproduces the art used on the original vinyl release. The one I used was manufactured a few years later, after BMG acquired RCA. Both include the non-Bowie flipside, the reliable standby Britten's "Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra". The 1992 version was part of a "60+" imprint, however, whose selling point was that CD's could contain more material than vinyl (more than 60 minutes anyway). To this end they added a 1972 recording of Ormandy conducting "The Nutcracker Suite", technically creating a new catalog title.