In this weekly series of articles you will discover what are the business insider’s favorite albums and tracks. We have contacted a broad selection of industry experts and each Wednesday you can discover one of those guy’s favorite albums and why this is so. Check out our previous “Favorite album of” articles here: https://www.headfonia.com/category/fav-album-of/
This week’s honor goes to Phil Wannell. Most of you will know Phil as he represents Audio Sanctuary (the famous UK audio retailer) on social media and on Head-Fi.
Who am I:
Phil Wannell – I work for Audio Sanctuary, a headphone and portable audio specialist in London, UK. I am basically the brand ambassador for Audio Sanctuary but manage the website and clients requirements.
The Band :
This is a hard one as I have a few across varied genres. If I was to pick just one, it would need to be George Michael.
The Album:
I think Older is my favourite album from Mr. Panayiotou as it mixes excellent vocals, incredible music and a large amount of soul running through the entire album. I love it and it really immerses me and takes me away from what’s going on around me.
Older is the third solo studio album by George Michael, released in Europe on 13 May 1996. It was his first album since 1990’s Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 – the five-and-a-half-year gap was due to the controversial legal battle that Michael experienced with his record company. Michael dedicated three years to the recording of Older, and the album found him exploring new musical territories in a more serious fashion compared to his previous work.
At the time of release, the album was a huge commercial hit, particularly in Europe, but was received in America with a lukewarm critical approval. In the UK, the album was particularly notable for producing six top three hit singles in a two-year span, creating a record still unsurpassed. The high sales of the album presaged a re-issue of the album under the name of Older & Upper 18 months after its original release. To date, Older has sold around 8 million copies worldwide. (Wikipedia)
The Song
Spinning The Wheel has it for me here. The underlying bass and smooth rhythm launches at you from the off and drags you away into a George’s lyrical masterclass.
Listening preference
Hardest question so far…..I work in an environment surrounded by the highest quality headphones, earphones and portable audio players and I do love to flutter between them all from time to time. If I was to choose one specific setup then for me it would be my Galaxy S7 Edge with a Vertere OTG cable into a Chord Electronics Hugo or DAVE with a pair of oBravo Zeus earphones. Total system cost with the DAVE would be circa £15k. To be honest, it should be pretty damn amazing at that price and it doesn’t fail to deliver…
Discover
If you want to check out Phil’s favorite album, you can do so here:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKWeUyjcINs
TIDAL: tidal.com/album/5255432
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/45evuVVrY9LzPez8geNEIF
Qobuz: http://player.qobuz.com/#!/album/0884977869781
Enjoy!
Thank you Phil for being on the series and for giving us a little insight in what you like to listen to. If you have suggestions of who we should feature in this article series, let us know in the comments!
Up to next week…
