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(DaCosta/flickr)Oddball Albums From Big-Name Musicians
Ringo Starr released a country album and Paul McCartney went Techno. Elvis Presley treated fans to a whole album of stage banter. On today's show, the strangest, funniest and most bizarre albums from the biggest stars. Later on the show: a very plausible ensemble, The Ahn Trio, join us to share their lush, ambient arrangements of everything from the "Dies Irae" to Astor Piazzolla and Cole Porter.
Detour Albums
Neil Young baffled fans with "Trans." Bjork growled throughout "Medulla." And Frank Sinatra tanked with "Watertown." When musical artists take a sharp left turn in their careers, the albums that result can be awful, weird -- or truly groundbreaking. Zeth Lundy, music columns and features editor for PopMatters.com, joins us for a look at "detour albums."
Our blog: John Schaefer on detour albums
Tell us about a detour album that surprised you.
"Detour Albums" feature on PopMatters.com
More about Zeth Lundy
The Ahn Trio
The Ahn Trio, comprised of three fashionable Korean-American sisters, is not a traditional classical piano trio. On their latest album, they cover jazz and popular tunes like "My Funny Valentine," and do remixes by Tao of Sound and DJ Spooky. They join us to talk about crossing over, and they perform live in the studio.
The Ahn Trio performs Thursday night at Damrosch Park for the Lincoln Center Out of Doors concert series. The show is free and starts at 7.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame moves in, classical guru moves out
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be rolling into New York in November. This morning, Mayor Bloomberg was joined by Billy Joel and Clive Davis to help announce the plans for a downtown Manhattan annex to the Cleveland-based museum.
George Steel, one of New York's most unconventional impresarios, will become the new general director of the Dallas Opera. Over the past 11 years, Steel has managed Columbia University’s Miller Theater. He joins us to talk about his move.
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Join us Tuesday, Nov. 10 at The Greene Space
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, stars of the romantic indie film Once, will debate which is more powerful: a love song or a breakup song. And: live music from Grammy winning violinist Joshua Bell and Cuban stars Tiempo Libre.
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The Ill Effects of Urban Noise
Soundcheck
Soundcheck received an overwhelming response to our segment on the effects of urban noise. So much so that Arline Bronzaft decided to address the feedback. Listen to the original segment and read Bronzaft's response.
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