I'd Love To Turn You On ~ Classical And Avant-Garde Music That Inspired The Counter-Culture

El Records' 3-CD clamshell of (as it says) classical, jazz and avant-garde music that inspired pop/rock musicians in the 1960s is such a good idea you wonder why no-one thought of it before. Names you'll meet here include Beethoven, Bach, Debussy, Ravel, Sun Ra, Yusef Lateef, Bill Evans, Charlie Parker, Stockhausen, Cage, and, not quite fitting any category hitherto noted, Jacques Brel.As a listen, it's pretty good. The mix works pretty well, and although the classical recordings tend to be old and monophonic, the sound quality is decent (this wasn't the case on an earlier, related set from El, "Movie Goer"). There is an admittedly testing half-hour in middle of the first disc, in which Xenakis, Stockhausen, Berio and Cage follow in rapid succession. It's to the credit of these mid-century composers that 70 years on their work will still panic neighbours and dinner-party guests more than anything else that's been produced since, but any listener other than the most self-regarding Wire reader will find this section challenging. The notes in the accompanying booklet feature an interesting quote from Barry Miles, to the effect that Paul McCartney (who, despite Lennon's reputation, was the real creative innovator in the Beatles) absorbed the likes of Stockhausen on a purely aesthetic basis: he wasn't interested in the theories behind their work, but in what it sounded like, and what that could do for the Beatles.The booklet is full of interesting snippets like that. You'll be surprised at how pervasive the influence of Sibelius was on 60s rockers. And who knew of Robert Wyatt's fondness for Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears?Unfortunately, the booklet is confusingly laid out and illogically structured, so it's hard to read and follow. This also applies to the clamshell and individual CD slipcases. For example, the names of the "influenced" artist are shown more prominently than those of the artists who are actually on the discs. This isn't a fatal problem, but it's typical of El Records, the self-consciously eccentric part of the Cherry Red empire, and it detracts a little from the pleasure to be found in an otherwise fascinating box set, which is docked a star on that basis. Come on, guys, meet the listener half way and employ a professional designer and copy editor. We know you're worried it will make you seem less wacky, but honestly, we'll still love you.

A very strange mixture of music that supposedly influenced some of the greats of the sixties, but mainly the Beatles. I have quite a few compilations in my collection but I don't think I have anything quite as eclectic as this. Avant Garde mixes with well known classical works, jazz and some other odds and ends. Some of the contasts between genres do jar a little but on the whole the CDs flow better than you would expect. Just don't expect any of your favourite bands from the 60s. This is the music that supposedly influenced bands like Soft Machine and Pink Floyd. The bands themselves do not appear.

This is a very interesting ,if initially overwhelming ,three CD collection that investigates the influences that shaped the music of the Beatles and others during the 1960s.Not everything works for me but I know I will be returning to this collection very often. Intriguing!!