<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Has anyone mentioned the new CD of J. Scott Skinners original > recordings which were recorded by him between 1905 & 1922?
I haven't heard the CD, but the majority of it will have been issued before in vinyl format, which I have. I expect that the tracks have been digitally shampooed - pity, because I like the sizzling bacon effect of 78s. Seriously, it'll be good to hear the result. I like the album as a historical document, to hear how Skinner played, what he played, what speed he played at, and so on. The sound makes me think of a bygone age in a good way. Having said that, while I am a huge admirer of Skinner as a composer, I am not the biggest fan of his playing. It seems exaggerated, showy (in a Victorian music hall way), and not the best vehicle for his tunes. I'm not a fiddler, so it would be good to hear alternative opinions from those who actually play. And I wonder how much his use of the Stroh fiddle on the recordings affected the overall sound? It's worth noting that Stuart Eydmann, who has been cleaning up and slowing down Skinner tracks for research purposes, said that once he'd slowed it down, he had a new admiration for Skinner's playing. Perhaps the medium did not capture him at his best? -- Nigel Gatherer, Crieff, Scotland [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/ Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
