Ice

ALL MUSIC GUIDE
"Musically and structurally inventive, Soulfood have crafted an album that works for a variety of states…an excellent release."

Product Description
Soulfood’s DJ Free (IMAX/Billboard) returns to his club roots by bringing together an all-star ensemble to create MoodFood, an eclectic mix of artists and instruments that create transglobal electronica, jazzy rhythms and downtempo beats with influences from Australia, Central Asia, Europe and Turkey. Features vocals by queen of chill Julia Messenger, who has worked with renowned producer Klaus Schultz (Tangerine Dream) and Kraftwerk, and has appeared on compilations with Moby, Julee Cruise, Groove Armada and Delerium. Peter Schimke (PBS/Julee Cruise) shines on a Steinway baby grand, and his jazz influence brings a hip, retro feel to the album. Other guests include Servara (Peter Gabriel), Tajik MC Mario, slide guitar guru Greg Leisz (Sheryl Crow, Joe Cocker, Wilco, Beck, k.d. lang), Stokely Williams (Mint Condition/Quincy Jones), Billy Peterson (Steve Miller Band/Bob Dylan/Prince) and Richard Hardy (IMAX/Dave Mathews). This album is an exploration of retro rhythms, modern beats, jazzy melodies and sultry vocals that creates atmospheric music perfect for your next soiree or cocktail party

Ice

Ice,Moodfood,Soulfood,Soulfood Music,Dance Music,Electronic,Experimental Ambient,Pop

Average customer rating: Thackery at his best! Vintage Jimmy Thackery Best yet King of the Blues Solid Ice, my review from Barcelona

Solid Ice Jimmy Thackery Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Blues | Styles | Music Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music Modern Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Blues Rock | Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Power of the Pontchartrain Moment of Truth In the Palace of the King Close as You Get Painkiller ASIN: B000OQDX2W Release Date: 2007-05-22

Tracks:

1. Hit the Big Time
2. How Long
3. Fifteen Minutes
4. Hobart's Blues
5. Daze in May
6. Blue Tears
7. XXX Wife
8. One or the Other
9. Solid Ice
10. Blue Tears Reprise
11. Who Knows

Amazon.com

Since co-founding the Nighthawks in 1972, this singer-guitarist's compass has pointed steadily toward the blues, but like 2006's In a Natural State collaboration with the Cate Brothers, this disc veers into roadhouse rock, country, and even jazz. Although it ends with a suite of three soulful instrumentals, including the Wes Montgomery-influenced title track and Jimi Hendrix's rarely covered psychedelic funker "Who Knows," Thackery's concentrated as much on songwriting here as his bruising guitar tones. He trashes the cult of celebrity in "Hit the Big Time" and "Fifteen Minutes," dripping pure acid over riff-based grooves, and "Blue Tears" is melancholy honky-tonk, sold by Thackery's thin, quavering voice and faux-steel-guitar string-bending. The spoken blues "XXX Wife" plays marital collapse for laughs, but Thackery remains most articulate when he's picking. The shuffle "Hobart's Blues" is a stone Texas 12-bar guitar showcase, and the album's beautiful centerpiece is "Daze in May," a Tex-Mex reverie that glides on Thackery's mix of acoustic tones, with a sunny, mellow electric melody and volume swells that conjure clouds floating through a peaceful desert sky. --Ted Drozdowski

Customer Reviews:

Thackery at his best!.......2007-07-28

When I saw Jimmy Thackery perform two months ago with only 150 other lucky souls I was completely blown away. Had heard his CD's but nothing prepared me for the pure power and guitar virtuosity that he displayed that night. When I heard "Solid Ice" live , I told my friend it sounded like a cross between Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix....and I still think so.
I bought the CD at the show and it immediately became my current favorite. All but two of the songs are great, several are awesome! You can't go wrong with this if you are a fan of blues/rock guitar.

Vintage Jimmy Thackery.......2007-07-27

The best work that Jimmy has ever done. His playing is outstanding. I haven't been moved by music like this in a long time. I really enjoy the variety of music from slow blues to blues with a beat to country blues. Make no mistake this is not country and western. I dont get tired listening to it over and over. Phenominal CD

Best yet.......2007-07-24

Jimmy is my favorite live guitarist. I have seen no better. If you see him live you will wonder what the other guys were doing. His tone and technique are beyond compare. To date his recordings has stopped short of his greatness in live performance. This one still is a step short but has some fine material. When my borther and I (both long time fans) experienced Solid Ice for the first at a recent bluesfest it was stunning and got a standing ovation.

King of the Blues.......2007-07-23

Mr. Thackery has never really captured his live performance onto a tangible medium but this recording is an excellent reminder of why he should be experienced live. Songs choices are excellent and performance is outstanding. Should be experienced by mainstream audiences as well as blues enthusiests.

Solid Ice, my review from Barcelona.......2007-06-25

This is a great record and I say -this is- because in May 9, 2007 after hearing some times the 2006 LP "In The Natural State", that I just had bought, I remained very disappointed of the so limp work of Thackery and I wrote, right here, perhaps a too much furious criticism (see my review of this record).
Now this SOLID ICE in spite of having some theme, I would say, inadequate as the "Daze In May" and "Blue Tears" frankly poor and bored with Haitian-Caribbean air and out of the habitual environment of Thackery ( I do not understand in which he is thinking when he composes these themes), the remainder of the LP is frankly very good with Blues and Blues-Rock of high category with magnificient riffs and guitar solos, worthy of Thackery turning it in a real festival for all the fans of the guitar. The first four themes are, which better one, with air of rock-and-roll restrospective the first three, and when you listen the fourth, the mid-tempo "Hobart' s Blues" what a great theme, you begin to notice what good is the friend Jimmy when he tries, also I do special mention of the "XXX Wife" with some Jazz air, "One Or The Other" good Blues-Pop, "Solid Ice" wich gives title to the record, an instrumental relaxed Blues with Thackery's style, personal seal and great guitar, closing the record a very good cover, also instrumental, of the great theme "Who Knows" composed by Jimmy Hendrix and released in his marvellous Band Of Gypsys. This it's a very good record, I recommend it.

Average customer rating: It will have you jamming!!! yayess!!! An Unfortunate End To A Great Band.... The Clock Was Ticking Them boys good

Ice Cream Castle The Time Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Party Boys | Warner Brothers Records | Stores | Music Similar Items: What Time Is It? The Time The Glamorous Life The Color of Success Controversy ASIN: B000002L66 Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Ice Cream Castles
2. My Drawers
3. Chili Sauce
4. Jungle Love
5. If The Kid Can't Make You Come
6. The Bird

Amazon.com

Whew! If you thought Jodeci and Dru Hill were the masters of putting sex into soul, think again. The Time are anything but subtle: there are tracks laced with heavy breathing, words like "straddle" and lines like "I wanna get you off, baby" are commonplace, and they're completed with a sultry style of soul that is equally as enticing in its uptempo forms (the very '80s-sounding "Jungle Love," "My Drawers") as it is in slow doses (the raw "Chili Sauce" and "If the Kid Can't Make You Come"). Even the more mellow, midtempo funk like "Ice Cream Castles" is addictive. The Time make you realize there's more to old-school funk than just George Clinton and Parliament. --Rebecca Wallwork

Customer Reviews:

It will have you jamming!!!.......2007-07-25

The Time definitely will have you on their dials with this album. Funk music at it's finest. Every song on this album is stellar, especially Jungle Love, and the Bird. I wish that they would get the recognition that they deserve.

yayess!!!.......2007-04-24

The most successful(mainstream wise) of The Time albums...largely in part to the Comedy provided by Morris and Jerome in "purple rain"...this album isn't about Prince though...it's personality screams MORRIS E. DAY..."Chili Sauce" is Halerious!..."if the kid can't make ya cum"...is for the true Time fans. The anthums are of course "Jungle Love"...&"The Bird"...This is an album that should have been the Time's coming out party and launched them into the mainstream audience but like so many bands of the past...they broke up...Success followed quite a bit of the band...Jesse Johnson"s Revue...Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis...Morris was the biggest star but he fizzeled out to say the least...still this album lives on thru the Old School dancefloor's of today...This is a real good taste of Prince's creative side being allowed to live thru the "Drawers" of Morris Day and the Time.This album is a must for those who are taken in by the "Minniapolis Music Sound"...i was and still am...(Mazarati, the family, Tamara and the Scene, Alexander O'neil) the Time were among the pioneers of the Stage showmanship to come fronm the 80's...this album is Danceable and fun!!!

An Unfortunate End To A Great Band...........2007-03-08

We all know the story surrounding The Time. Prince wrote for and produced them and put the group together. Unfortunately because of his alpha male syndrome he exerted too much control over the band until they imploded. Ice Cream Castles reflects the tension that was going on in the group (infighting, Prince's dominance). Somehow with Terry, Jimmy and Monte leaving-well being fired by Prince in the case of Terry and Jimmy, the chemistry seemed no longer to be there. Don't get me wrong, Morris was very charismatic and a great lead man and Jesse Johnson on guitar was simply unbelievable, but the spirit and thrill seems to be gone as it seems as if they are just going through the motion. The album seems as though it is pieced together. The title track "Ice Cream Castles" is a mesmerizing song about love and harmony-which is ironic because there was nothing harmonious about climate the group was working in-I love the song but it does seem a tad bit out of place given the songs that proceed it. The synthed out "My Drawers" is a bit of an oddity-but it'll do. I don't need to talk about "Chilli Sauce" which acts as filler. Morris even uses the same line he uses in Purple Rain-the bit about having "a brass waterbed" and having "an Italian cook". The song "If the Kid Can't Make You Come" is not at all satisfying. Then there are the songs for which the band is best remembered, "Jungle Love" and "The Bird" which are hot tracks and the stand outs on this album.

The Time was an extremely talented R&B/Funk band that was not allowed to flourish. Prince was indeed a genius-this has already been established. The problem is he should have given the group the opportunity to have some artistic freedom (something that he ironically preaches day and night about these days). By the time he "allowed" the group to be involved in the process it was too late-Morris and Jesse were headed on their way out of the door. I think Prince never intended them to be anything more than just an opening act. When they began to outshine and upstage him in their live shows-where the music sounded as good if not better than the studio album-he would pull dirty tricks like demoting them. He played too many games-I mean the stories are legendary I'm surprised they endured as long as they did (which was only 3 or 4 years!). I love Prince he is probably my favorite artist of all time-but The Time is a sore spot for me because I love this band and I long for what they could have been. Who knows what the band would have become-unfortunately we'll never know.

The Clock Was Ticking.......2007-02-18

In the life imitating art category was the Morris Day - Prince feud that ultimately found The Time clocking out of the music scene. Such a rivalry was the plot to the movie, Purple Rain.

Ice Cream Castle features music from the movie and is highlighted by the funk rave-up, The Bird. Even today you have to get those arms moving up & down when the beat heats up.

Another dance club gem is Jungle Love, as My Drawers keeps the pace swift, while the catchy title track has a midtempo clip. The facetious lyrics in Chili and If The Kid Can't Make You Come rounds out one of the most satisfying Prince projects from the 1980s.

Prince was building a recording dynasty with a lineup of artists who would dominate the charts. The Time was arguably the best group from that impressive roster.

Them boys good.......2006-11-23

After the sucess of Purple Rain, The Time seemed destined to be huge. Prince was talented but Morris was a cool a jerk you just wanted to hang out with. The CD includes tehe huge hits Junge Love and The Bird both of which can still get a party started. Also worth noting is the ballad If The Kid Can't Make You Come.

Average customer rating: Snow Cones for Pavlov's Puppies

Songs For Ice Cream Trucks Michael Hearst Manufacturer: Bar/None Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Betcha Bottom Dollar Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power Hey Eugene! Into White The Reminder ASIN: B000R3486C Release Date: 2007-06-12

Tracks:

1. Ice Cream!
2. Where Do Ice Cream Trucks Go In the Winter?
3. The Popsicle parade
4. Before I Drive Away (Redux)
5. Five Up
6. Tones For Cones
7. One For Doran
8. Ice Cream Yo!
9. What¹s Your Favorite Flavor?
10. Chocolate, Vanilla or Swirl?
11. The Moose Track Shake
12. The Sprinkle Twinkle
13. Before I Drive Away

Customer Reviews:

Snow Cones for Pavlov's Puppies.......2007-07-13

Yeah, why not?

With all this technology around us, with music coming at us from all angles, why are ice cream trucks still driving around emitting the same twenty second loop of a glockenspiel playing "Turkey in a Straw"? Why not some new music?

Forget the parents, forget the kids, think of the poor ice cream truck dudes. I bet some new tunes would do wonders for their spirits. I don't know how it is in other regions, but out here we have an epidemic of grumpy ice cream men, which can be a bit of a bummer.

Despite the potential, this is not a boring album. Mike Hearst has undertaken an exercise, which is to write music in the spirit of traditional circus music or ice cream truck music, but make it new and refreshing. Listen for yourself, but I think he pulled it off. It's got calliopes, glockenspiels, the occasional choir, in nice little waltzes and foxtrots, and with enough repetition to approximate the simplicity and feel of the more traditional tunes. But he adds enough variation to keep it palatable. Plus, there are some tasty, sinister undercurrents in these compositions, warbling forays into minor modes, to remind us that the ice cream truck is a parasitic capitalist appendage intruding into the naïve serenity of our playgrounds to extort parents and condition the palates of our children.

Average customer rating: We Will Go Home Good music Want to hear Gladiator II? King Arthur Hans' Best

King Arthur Hans Zimmer Manufacturer: Hollywood Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: Kingdom of Heaven The Last Samurai Gladiator: Music from the Motion Picture Troy: Music From The Motion Picture (Score) Alexander ASIN: B0002IQIWE Release Date: 2004-07-27

Tracks:

1. Tell Me Now (What You See)
2. Woad To Ruin
3. Do You Think I'm Saxon?
4. Hold The Ice
5. Another Brick In Hadrian's Wall
6. Budget Meeting
7. All Of Them!

Amazon.com

What are legends if not for reinventing -- and/or hyper-inflating into Hollywood summer fare? In retooling the Arthurian legend for the goth-beguiled video game age, mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer did away with details small (the lady in the lake, sword in the stone, etc.) and large (this Arthur is actually Eastern European, by way of Rome). Composer Hans Zimmer picks up that gauntlet, producing an orchestral score bristling with massed brass, chorus and percussion -- if little of the indigenous mysticism that made his work on Gladiator/ so rewarding. What there is of that precious commodity is frontloaded via the song "Tell Me Know (What You See)," his evocative opening collaboration with Clannad's Moya Brennan. From there, Zimmer emphasized this version's Eastern conceits with a half-dozen suites of cues that thunder in the Russian classical tradition -- and all the melodic range of "Jingle Bells." Zimmer--not to mention Poledouris--has done it better, but fans of outsized orchestral Gothic moodfests may yet take this one to heart. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

We Will Go Home.......2007-07-13

Does this soundtrack include "We Will Go Home," the song Vorna sings to the men in the bar before they find out about their new mission?

Good music.......2007-05-16

I'm a huge Hans Zimmer fan, his scores are rich and deep. This is not his best, but it's still a great listen.

Want to hear Gladiator II?.......2007-04-12

In the end, this is the only relevant question; do you want to hear a more melodramatic version of Gladiator? More melodramatic, you ask?
And you better believe it, Hans Zimmer actually managed to blow up his sound from Gladiator even more, and I really didn't think this was possible, mainly because I thought it would sound utterly pathetic and over the top. And make no mistake, Zimmer's King Arthur is just that.

I am reviewing this score in retrospect, and it is truly fascinating to do that. When you look at other composers and make a little journey to their past, you usually find more creativity. The further back you go, the more original and fresh music you find. With Hans Zimmer, it's the opposite. With each year you go back, his scores just get more dreary, and that's saying alot because his latest works also don't really qualify as schoolbook examples for colourful scoring.

From Gladiator to Pirates Of The Caribbean 2, Hans Zimmer has yet to come forth with a truly fresh and unique score. Zimmer never, ever, not in a million years, escapes his usual box. And King Arthur is no exception whatsoever. From the get go, 20 horns are amassed and play a overly simplistic motif somewhere between a and A, the strings mush together in midrange, melodramatic chords, and dwell in the shallow realm of overbearing dullness.
I don't understand how an artist - and the art of film composing is severely underrated - can be content with repeating the same thing over and over. If I were Hans Zimmer, I would be embarassed by now to even write one more note for that droning bass.
To top it all off, Zimmer incorporates an Enyaesque voice that is easy on the ears, but in the end signifies nothing, does nothing and does all that with an amazing lack of substance.

That is, amongst others, the major difference between a serious film composer and Hans Zimmer: a good and skillful film composer takes an average film like King Arthur and makes it sound like something worthwhile. Hans Zimmer on the other hand embraces mediocrity and underlines it to create an even more average film.

King Arthur.......2007-04-09

I recently purchased this particular soundtrack, and i would have to say it is awesome. Hans Zimmer is a master at what he does. The music suits the film and since I loved the film I had to get the soundtrack. I loved the song Tell Me Now by Moya Brennan, and Another Brick in Hadrians Wall is the best song im my opinion on the soundtrack. Overall I'm so glad I bought this soundtrack and I rate it up there with the likes of Gladiator, Pirates of the Carribean. Keep up the good work Hans

Hans' Best.......2007-03-12

Hans Zimmer is a film composer with dozens and dozens of scores under his belt. Many who do not collect or even listen to film scores know his name. However, much if his film music sounds very similar and lacks a complex edge that other compose like John Williams, James Horner, and James Newton Howard deliver.

That said, King Arthur is Hans' most intriguing score to date. Backdraft and Gladiator (overrated) were very good, but this score is a departure from Hans' usual motifs. The only bad part for me(not related to the music itself) is that there are only seven tracks and each are very long. I like shorter tracks so I can pinpoint the themes or variations I want to lsiten to, but this is extremely minor. The music is great, and I reccommend you go enjoy Hans' best music yet.

Average customer rating: Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material! Beginner or Expert Very Informative and Enjoyable Frank's view Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra Various Artists Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra | ( H ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra | ( H ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra | ( M ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4 The Mahler Symphonies: An Owner's Manual (includes 1 CD) The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Book & CD) What to Listen for in Music Study of Orchestration, Third Edition ASIN: B00006O0NT Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

1. Overture To 'Tannhauser'
2. Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
3. We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
4. Hungarian Dance No.7
5. The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
6. Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
7. But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
8. The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
9. The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
10. Csardas Music
11. The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
12. The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
13. Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
14. The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
15. Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
16. Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
17. The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
18. Tzigane
19. Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
20. Caprice No.24
21. The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
22. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
23. Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
24. Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
25. Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
26. The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
27. The Violin Muted
28. Clair De Lune
29. The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
30. Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
31. The Pizzicato Violin
32. Pizzicato Polka
33. In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
34. Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
35. Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
36. The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
37. The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
38. Hungarian Dance No.4
39. Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
40. The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
41. Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
42. Bolero
43. Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
44. Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
45. Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
46. Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
47. Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
48. Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
49. And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
50. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
51. The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
52. Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
53. The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
54. Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
55. Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
56. The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
57. Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
58. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
59. Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
60. The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
61. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
62. Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
63. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
64. Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
65. Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
66. To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
67. Elfenreigen

Tracks:

1. Introduction To The Viola
2. Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
3. Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
4. Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
5. Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
6. Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
7. The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
8. Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
9. The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
10. Cypresses (No.9)
11. The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
12. Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
13. The 'Period' Viola In Bach
14. Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
15. The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
16. Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
17. Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
18. Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
19. Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
20. Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
21. In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
22. Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
23. But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
24. Elfentanz, Op.39
25. Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
26. The Protecting Veil (Opening)
27. A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
28. Flamenco
29. Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
30. Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
31. It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
32. Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
33. It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
34. Symphony No.9 (Finale)
35. Introduction To The Double-Bass
36. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
37. But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
38. Elegy No.1 In D Major
39. The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
40. Capriccio Di Bravura
41. Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
42. The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
43. Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

1. The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
2. Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
3. The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
4. Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
5. The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
6. Sa'Dawi
7. Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
8. Chamber Music No.II
9. The Piccolo - Aptly Named
10. La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
11. From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
12. Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
13. A Variety Of Techniques
14. Chamber Music No.II
15. Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
16. The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
17. From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
18. Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
19. An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
20. Naelden, Naelden
21. The Bachian Oboe
22. Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
23. Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
24. Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
25. The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
26. The Swan Of Tuonela
27. The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
28. Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
29. Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
30. Bolero
31. The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
32. Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
33. As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
34. Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
35. The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
36. The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
37. The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
38. ...And Quite Low.
39. Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
40. The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
41. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
42. But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
43. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
44. Introduction To The Saxophone
45. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
46. The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
47. L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
48. The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
49. Bolero
50. The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
51. Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
52. The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
53. Sax-O-Phun
54. The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
55. Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
56. The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
57. Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
58. Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
59. And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
60. Bolero
61. The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
62. Symphony No.3 (Opening)
63. The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
64. The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
65. Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
66. The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
67. The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
68. Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
69. The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
70. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
71. The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
72. Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
73. Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
74. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
75. The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
76. Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

1. The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
2. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
3. The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
4. Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
5. The Ceremonial Trumpet
6. Fanfare For The Common Man
7. Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
8. Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
9. The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
10. Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
11. The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
12. Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
13. The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
14. Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
15. The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
16. Billy The Kid
17. The Trumpet As Character Actor
18. Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
19. The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
20. Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
21. The Birth Of The Trombone
22. Aenmerckt Nu Hier
23. The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
24. Canzon 12 In Double Echo
25. The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
26. Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
27. The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
28. Hosannah
29. The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
30. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
31. The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
32. The Trombone As Caricaturist
33. Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
34. The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
35. The Horn And The Hunt
36. Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
37. The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
38. Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
39. The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
40. Walter Music (Minuet 1)
41. The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
42. Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
43. Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
44. The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
45. Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
46. The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
47. Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
48. The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
49. Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
50. The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
51. Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

1. Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
2. Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
3. At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
4. Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
5. Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
6. Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
7. The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
8. The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
9. Den Hoboecken Dans
10. Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
11. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
12. No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
13. Gymnopedie No.2
14. The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
15. Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
16. More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
17. Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
18. Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
19. Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
20. A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
21. Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
22. The Birth Of The Bongo
23. Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
24. From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
25. Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
26. From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
27. Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
28. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
29. But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
30. Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
31. Taking Advantage Of Tunability
32. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
33. The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
34. Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
35. Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
36. The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
37. Ravel And The Xylophone
38. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
39. Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
40. Introducing The Vibraphone
41. The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
42. The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
43. Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
44. Folk Dances
45. The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
46. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
47. Introducing The Tubular Bells
48. Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
49. A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
50. Carmen Suite (Introduction)
51. But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
52. Introducing The Celeste
53. The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
54. Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
55. Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
56. Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
57. A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
58. The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
59. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
60. The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
61. Petrushka (Russian Dance)
62. The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
63. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

1. Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
2. Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
3. But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
4. Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
5. The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
6. An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
7. Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
8. Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
9. Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
10. Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
11. Mahler's Sleighbells
12. Symphony No.4 (Opening)
13. A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
14. Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
15. Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
16. Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
17. National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
18. And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
19. And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
20. The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
21. The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
22. The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
23. The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
24. The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
25. The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
26. The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
27. The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
28. There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
29. The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
30. Nocturnes
31. Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
32. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
33. The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
34. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
35. The Oboe As Duck
36. Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
37. The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
38. The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
39. The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
40. Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
41. Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
42. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
43. Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
44. The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
45. A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
46. Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
47. A Thunderstorm In A Million
48. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
49. the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
50. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
51. Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
52. The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

1. The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
2. Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
3. A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
4. Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
5. Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
6. String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
7. The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
8. String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
9. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
10. String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
11. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
12. String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
13. The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
14. String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
15. The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
16. Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
17. Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
18. String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
19. The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
20. Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
21. Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
22. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
23. In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
24. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
25. In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
26. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
27. In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
28. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
29. Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
30. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
31. And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
32. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
33. The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
34. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
35. Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
36. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
37. A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
38. Octet In F (Mvt 3)
39. The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
40. Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
41. Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
42. Canzon 28
43. Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
44. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
45. From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
46. Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
47. Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
48. The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
49. Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
50. When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
51. Images (Gigues)
52. A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
53. Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
54. The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
55. Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
56. Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
57. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
58. A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.

Average customer rating: What Have I Missed A Blues Master Can't beat this one Ice Age Ice Age

Ice Pickin' Albert Collins Manufacturer: Alligator Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chicago Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Blues | Styles | Music Texas Blues | Regional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music Modern Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Alligator Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music General | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music Texas Blues | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Showdown! Frostbite West Side Soul Frozen Alive! Born Under a Bad Sign ASIN: B0000009XI Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Honey, Hush! (Talking Woman Blues)
2. When The Welfare Turns Its Back On You
3. Ice Pick
4. Cold, Cold Feeling
5. Too Tired
6. Master Charge
7. Conversation With Collins
8. Avalanche

Amazon.com

Until this album was released in 1978, Albert Collins had been a journeyman Texas bluesman, little known and unrecorded for six years. His guitar playing here won him a new generation of fans, and set the stage for the popularity he enjoyed until his death. His clustered, sustained, choked, and bent notes, played with his thumb and fingers, set a generation of pickers agog. The tone was piercing; the timing impeccable. Collins' vocals were never quite as strong, but it scarcely mattered as he was the man for whom the electric guitar might have been invented. The eight songs on this set include "When the Welfare Turns Its Back on You," and several jaw-dropping instrumentals. --Colin Escott

Customer Reviews:

What Have I Missed.......2007-03-22

I'm 59 years old and somehow I missed Albert Collins and that I regret. I recently heard an Albert Collins song on KCUV, a Denver radio station and I couldn't believe my ears. I had to have some of his music. What a great blues guitarist and "Ice Pickin" is a superb CD. If you decide to get some Collins, get "Ice Pickin" for sure then get some more. You won't be disappointed.

A Blues Master.......2003-03-30

Albert Collins was one of the most unique blues pickers to grace the stage. Tuning his guitar to alternate tunings and using a capo, he would walk around the bar with his 100-foot cord wandering into the bathrooms, out on the street, around the bar playing the blues all the while. He mixes his blues up playing soft, slow blues, and powerful instrumentals. Sometimes his topics are serious, other times his humor comes through. Collins was quite the entertainer.

Although "Ice Pickin'" is a short album, it is jammed with the blues over eight tracks. In such a short amount of time, Collins covers a lot of ground. From his upbeat "Honey, Hush!" to making his guitar talk the argument between him and his wife on "Conversation with Collins" it is nothing but enjoyable. He shines with instrumentals like "Ice Pick" and "Avalanche". His phrasing is like talking. Never to many words, and he can get his point across with hardly any effort. Humor shows through in "Too Tired", where he's too tired to stand after sitting on a pin, and "Master Charge". He also gets heavy on "When the Welfare Turns Its Back On You" and "Cold, Cold Feeling".

A definite master of the guitar, and the blues. He has entertained many a people over his life. As he said in the movie "Adventures In Babysitting" - No one leaves until they sing the blues. He sure did.

Can't beat this one.......2003-01-02

Here you have one of the classic electric blues guitar albums with a great selection of tracks that can't be beat.

One thing that often doesn't get discussed in these reviews is what setting the music is good for. After all, unless we are professional critics, we don't often have time to just sit down and listen to a CD. This one is good for doing housework, driving to work, late night listening, eating breakfast to, working in the yard, just about anything. If you like blues, you can't go wrong with it.

Ice Age.......2002-10-19

I miss the Iceman. He was as funny as he was a serious musician. His sound was telicious.

Ice Age.......2002-10-19

I miss the Iceman. He was as funny as he was a serious musician. His sound was telicious.

Average customer rating: Admit it . . . Rip off of Queen/David Bowie's "Under Pressure" Has its place in history.......... To the extreme past........................... Cool as Ice,Ice,Baby!

To the Extreme Vanilla Ice Manufacturer: Capitol ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em Totally Krossed Out 12 Inches of Snow Gonna Make You Sweat MC Hammer - Greatest Hits ASIN: B00000DRBV Release Date: 1990-08-28

Tracks:

1. Ice Ice Baby
2. Yo Vanilla
3. Stop That Train
4. Hooked
5. Ice Is Workin' It
6. Life Is A Fantasy
7. Play That Funky Music
8. Dancin'
9. Go Ill
10. It's A Party
11. Juice To Get Loose Boy
12. Ice Cold
13. Rosta Man
14. I Love You
15. Havin' A Roni

Customer Reviews:

Admit it . . ........2007-06-20

You LOVED this CD in 1990. It was just good music that didn't take itself too seriously and it is still fun now. He's the one laughing . . . he made a mint off of it off of us young music lovers.

Rip off of Queen/David Bowie's "Under Pressure".......2007-06-10

The only reason this piece of garbage singer is known at all is because he stole a beat, sound for sound, from a song written by Queen and David Bowie. If you listen to them both you will hear the exact same thing. AND WHAT DO YA KNOW! Queen and David Bowie were around long before this joke!

Has its place in history.................2007-03-16

To all the snot nosed kids that listen to this for the first time and are just discovering it and think it is the greatest album of all time (that title probably would go to NWA's Straight Out of Compton), give me a break...... but to all of us late 20s-early 30s old timers, you know this album played in your boom box/car stereo around the clock. Hell, I still bump it sometimes in my Crown Vic sitting on 22s, heh. It still is catchy and everybody I know still sings along with "Ice Ice Baby" when it comes on, so act like you hate it, act like it is the worst album of all time, blah blah blah, but the next time it comes on at a party, you will fall right in with everybody else and sing along with it. Definitely has a place in history and I love instantly being mentally transported back to a simpler time in my life as a child when I listen to it. Every rap song samples these days, this album was made at the time all of that was starting, so give it its place in history and stop trying to compare it to anything made almost 2 decades later, give me a break. Word to your mutha!

To the extreme past..................................2006-10-12

I recently dug up this cd from its resting place of 16 years. And I hate to say it, but this cd did not stand the test of time. And for that matter Ice hasn't much either. However this cd does bring good memories and for a cd I haven't heard I was surprised to hear myself rapping along. That's why this cd deserves 3 stars for at least the hit single and of course "Word to Yo Mutha". I would buy this cd if you love the 90's. Oh and give the other tracks besides the hit song a chance, there are some tracks you might dig, then again maybe not. So here is the list:

1. It was either U can't touch this or this jam. This was the soundtrack for summer 1990. For those that don't know the sample comes from Queen & David Bowies 1982 track "Under Pressure".

2. Vanilla Ice with a voice equalizer

3. A reissue track off the Ep "Hooked". Contains a sample of "Express Yourself" by NWA. Mostly a filler track, most often skipped.

4. A reissue title track off the Ep "Hooked". Not bad.

5. An upbeat pop track. Lacks originality, put good for laugh.

6. Heavy Madonna influence (Justify My Love style) and samples heavily Tone Loc beats. However saying all that this is one of Bside favs. It might have been a good single to release instead of "Play That Funky Music". I like this one.

7. Second single of the album. I know all the words to this song, so I have nothing bad or good to say about this track. 99% of the time I don't skip this track.

8. Underrated track. I'm a big Jackson 5 fan, and Vanilla Ice sampled yet another big name act and mixed with his ice style. I like the flow of the rap and the mix with Michael Jackson and the turntables...is beautiful. Also check out Naughty By Nature's "O.P.P." featuring Jackson 5's "ABC". This of course samples the 1977 hit "Dancing Machine" by the Jackson 5. Love this track

9. Even James Brown and the Ed Lover Dance theme can't save this song. Terrible song.

10. Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock influence. With help from a snippet of Thriller's Vincent Price laugh and a Beastie Boy rip off, the song has its moments. However after listening you really have this urge to hear "It Take 2".

11. Vanilla Ice with a voice equalizer again!

12. Ice Cold. Definitely left me ice cold. More samples of Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock, Pump Up The Volume, and etc. Skip this one too.

13. Rosta Man?? A spelling error perhaps. A white rapper now crossing over to Reggae. Sure as you can see on the liner notes he can't even spell Rasta. Good for a laugh.

14. Think LL Cool J's "I Need Love" without the talent, but boy does Ice have the vocal sounding very much like a cousin of LL's twice removed. Oh there is a pretty good rip off of someone who sounds like Kenny G. That is the wrong G to have on a rap album. Pretty bad.

15. Ice's attempt at beat boxing, you wish he had stopped after the reggae bit. After hearing this track I was glad it was the last song.

Cool as Ice,Ice,Baby!.......2006-09-18

One memorable line from the Top 10 smash ICE ICE BABY is,"You got a problem,I'll solve it,check out the beat while the DJ revolves it!". "Word to your mother!",is awesome also. Robert Van Winkle,aka Vanilla Ice,was one of a handful of flash-in-the-pan white rappers that,back in 1990,competed with M.C. Hammer who had the #1 album that year. This was one of '90's biggest-selling albums as well and Van Winkle became a sometime movie star with 1991's Universal film COOL AS ICE. I have to admit,for a white man,Van Winkle is very rhythmic. We can say he's a caucasian M.C. Hammer.

Average customer rating: Liken' it! I like it.......... great!! Feel Yourself Flying! great soundtrack

Ice Princess Original Soundtrack Manufacturer: Disney ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Disney | Children's Music | Styles | Music Teen Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Disney Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Ice Princess (Full Screen Edition) Into the Rush The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement Herbie: Fully Loaded Go Figure ASIN: B0007TKH3E Release Date: 2005-03-15

Tracks:

1. Reach - Caleigh Peters
2. If I Had My Way - Emma Roberts
3. Get Your Shine On - Jesse McCartney
4. You Set Me Free - Michelle Branch
5. Reachin' For Heaven - Diana DeGarmo
6. No One - Aly & A.J.
7. It's Oh So Quiet - Lucy Woodward
8. Get Up - Superchick
9. I Fly - Hayden Panettiere
10. Just A Dream - Jump5
11. Bump - Raven-Symone
12. There Is No Alternative - Tina Sugandh
13. Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield

Amazon.com

Hollywood formula dictates that high school bookworm Casey (Michelle Trachtenberg) must struggle against both her own strong-willed mother (Joan Cusack) as well as her rival's (Kim Cattrall) in her quest to become a champion figure skater. It also inspires this soundtrack to be anchored by a rousing, against-all-odds anthem, "Reach," an infectious modern rocker by Caleigh Peters. Elsewhere, budding teen idol Jesse McCartney offers up the slick, 80's-inflected groove of "Get Your Shine On" while Michele Branch's "You Set Me Free" and "I Fly" by co-star Hayden Panetierre are infused with an inviting, harmony-rich contemporary sheen. Disney's penchant for energetic teeny-pop is showcased via Emma Roberts, Superchick and Natasha Bedingfield. But it's also an album eclectic enough to include the unabashed retro-Broadway charms of Lucy Woodward's "It's Oh So Quiet" and the more modern melodrama of Diana DeGarmo's "Reachin' For Heaven." --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Liken' it!.......2007-05-24

If you loved the movie you wont want to miss this. A very exciting CD. It even has all your favorite artists. Aly&Aj, Raven, Jesse McCartney, and more! A variety of different music, but mostly pop. Even if you didn't like the movie the soundtrack is no dissapointment.

I like it.................2006-12-12

I checked out this CD from the library the other day and so far, I am pretty happy with it! I think it is pretty good. Here are my fave songs on it (and pretty much the only ones I listen to):

Unwritten: Track 13. Very Good! ONe of my faves on the whole CD
I fly: Track 9. Pretty Good. Not the best, but very good.
Get up: Track 8: DEFFINETLY one of my faves!!!
You set me free: Track 4. REALLY good!
No one: Track 6. Ok. I like it
IT's so quiet: Track 7. Pretty good

Thanx for reading my review!!!!!

BYE!!!!!

great!!.......2006-12-06

I own the soundtrack, and listen to it all the time! Catchy rythems and it's from Disney, so it's bound to be good! Here's the best songs on the CD:

"Reach"- Cool beat to it.
"If I Had it My Way"- Fun and fast song.
"You Set Me Free- the BEST on the album. I am actually going to buy Michelle Branch's CD because of this one song!

"I Fly"- Simple and sweet, Hayden does really good in this one.
"There Is NO Alternative"- Good dancing song and really pop-ish.
"Unwritten"- Good message in it too.

The rest are good but not great. The WORST song on it was definallty IT'S OH SO QUIET! That song is so retarted and lame with her whilpering in it! Come one! That's a horrid song and i never listen to it!
You should go buy this CD. Trust me, you will like it.

Feel Yourself Flying!.......2006-06-30

Have you ever had a big, big dream and you felt like you were soaring up into the clouds? Even if perhaps you haven't had such a dream yet, the music from Ice Princess is enough to get you feeling that "up in the air" feeling. All of the songs have a great message to give you about just going for things and being yourself... not being afraid to do anything. Many of the singers are probably familiar to you - Natasha Bedingfield, Aly & AJ, Jesse McCartney... even Diana DeGarmo from American Idol. There's just something about this album that reaches out to your innermost feelings and allows you to open up yourself. I realized that many of these songs helped me feel stronger. And if you enjoy this CD, be sure to check out the movie... and if you enjoyed the movie, it's guaranteed that you'll enjoy this CD. Start flying!

great soundtrack.......2006-04-30

I love this soundtrack. It's got good, clean songs and because most of them were used to skate to in the movie, they have great beat. I used several of them to dance to in my dance class. They're great. I also ice skate, not terribly well, but I'm not too bad...and I loved these songs to skate to as well. My favorite song is Get Up. The words are great. I'm not afraid to fall it means I've climbed up high, to fall is not to fail, you fail when you don't try. That's a great message. however, the only thing I wish it had was the song Casey does at regionals, and the songs (without words) like Can-can, Pink Panther theme song, etc. Those are neat songs to dance to as well, and even do gymnastics to. but, over all, great CD. I give it a 9/10.

Average customer rating: Hillbilly garbage Excellent! STINGRAY!!!!! Super Sammy cool!

Ice Caps: Peaks of Telluride Sam Bush Manufacturer: Sugarhill [Country] ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Bluegrass | Live Albums | Country | Styles | Music Bluegrass Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music Jam Bands | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Jambands | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: King of My World Laps in Seven Howlin' at the Moon Hold On, We're Strummin' Glamour & Grits ASIN: B00004U1G7 Release Date: 2000-07-25

Tracks:

1. Pastor Mustard: Introduction
2. Girl of the North Country
3. Big Mon
4. Same Ol' River
5. Angel to Be
6. Speak of the Devil
7. Memphis in the Meantime
8. Spooky Lane
9. The Ice Caps Are Melting
10. Lee Highway Blues
11. Pastor Mustard: Heen
12. Hungry for Your Love
13. Sailin' Shoes
14. I Put a Spell on You
15. Celebrate
16. Stingray

Amazon.com

Opening with a chant summoning the faithful to worship their idol, Sam Bush's fourth solo recording documents the joy, musicianship, and weirdness that is the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Held every June in the mountains of Colorado, Telluride has become the premier hippie-grass event, and you can chalk up its success in large part to Bush and his old New Grass Revival cohorts. If these 1990s concert recordings are not the best music Bush has made, they're among the most fun. The set moves from a zippy "Girl of the North Country" to blistering jams such as "Big Mon"--featuring the mind-boggling banjo of Béla Fleck--and the seven-minute, electric noodle-off "Speak of the Devil." He also duets with John Cowan on a gorgeous version of Van Morrison's "Hungry for Your Love" and a joyous cover of Little Feat's "Sailin' Shoes." Along the way, Bush offers electric guitar licks in addition to his usual fiddle and mandolin breaks, all fascinating as fractals, as well as some underrated lead singing. Beside comrades-in-jam such as Cowan, Jon Randall Stewart, Jerry Douglas, and Larry Atamanuik, Bush couldn't be more in his element or more entertaining. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

Hillbilly garbage.......2007-05-14

R. Kasten doesn't know what he's talking about because NO self-respecting REAL hippie would EVER listen to any of this hillbilly junk!!!!

Excellent!.......2006-08-13

I have not listened to anything by Sam Bush before, but he is clearly a stellar mandolin and fiddle player. Not only does Sam play great, he is surrounded by numerous other great musicians. With Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, and numerous others, we have the best newgrass musicians jamming together. Another noticable thing about this disk is in addition to virtuoso playing, Sam Bush sings well.

STINGRAY!!!!!.......2006-06-27

Ever since Sam Bush founded the New Grass Revival, purists and pickers of nits the world over have complained, "That ain't bluegrass." Well, it ain't. Ask yourself this question: "Do I want to hear stringed instruments played loud, fast, and well by some of the best musicians the genre has produced?"?

Still puzzled? Here's more data - Sam on mando, electric mando, fiddle, and electric guitar. Bela Fleck on banjo with Sammie for a 9 minute acoustic Stingray rager. Another NGR alum, John Cowan showing up for most of the cuts. Sam covers Bob Dylan, Bill Monroe and John Hiatt. The 2 snippets of stage banter from Pastor Mustard.

Look, just buy it. Really.

Super Sammy.......2003-09-19

I love it.
Telluride, one of the most beautiful places on earth and the best place to hear Sam's music.
I was lucky to attend this festivals many times and see New Grass Revival here, and it was always like a dream.
This new album by Sam is wonderful, great tunes and great players.
This is the spirit of Telluride, THE mando king.

cool!.......2003-03-08

This CD has more vocal-type tracks than I would prefer, but what do you expect for live tracks? The music is great!

Average customer rating: Sings to my DNA Pretty Good For the Nordic Soul, an echo across time... Medieval Latin? Music A great tool for learning as well as the musical enjoyment

Edda - An Icelandic Saga - Myths From Medieval Iceland / Sequentia Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music $7.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Rheingold Curse: A Germanic Saga of Greed and Revenge from the Medieval Icelandic Edda Aquitania Lost Songs of a Rhineland Harper [Hybrid SACD] Nordisk Sang Nordic Roots: Northside Sampler ASIN: B00000IFOM Release Date: 1999-05-18

Tracks:

1. Myths From Medieval Iceland: Leikr elds ok isa (The Song Of Fire And Ice)
2. Myths From Medieval Iceland: Veit ek at ek hekk (Odinn's Rune-verses)
3. Myths From Medieval Iceland: Hliods bid ek allar (The Prophecy Of The Seeress)
4. Myths From Medieval Iceland: Vreidr var pa Ving-Porr (The Tale Of Prymr)
5. Myths From Medieval Iceland: Nu erum komnar (The Song Of The Mill)
6. Myths From Medieval Iceland: Baldrs minni (In Memory Of Baldr)
7. Myths From Medieval Iceland: Senn voru aesir allir a pingi (Baldr's Dreams)
8. Myths From Medieval Iceland: Pat man hon folkvig (The Prophecy Of The Seeress)
9. Myths From Medieval Iceland: Ragnarok (The End Of The Gods)
10. Myths From Medieval Iceland: A fellr austan um eitrdala (The Prophecy Of The Seeress)

Amazon.com

Sequentia here performs a miracle of musical restoration, bringing to vibrant life medieval Icelandic texts about gods and heroes inhabiting a mythic past. Drawing on oral traditions and informed scholarly speculations about long-dead performing styles, they have come up with a hypnotic disc that startles with its power and beauties. The songs and recitations are interwoven with captivating fiddle tunes, and the singers wrench surprising emotions from the old texts. The late Barbara Thornton shines in her solos and duets, and Benjamin Bagby's mesmerizing chanting, recitation, and singing brings us as close as we're likely to get to sitting at the feet of the bards of old. An extraordinary disc that shouldn't be missed. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Sings to my DNA.......2007-02-17

While it's not unusual for me to have several different recordings of the same work by different performers, this is the only case in which I have two identical CDs, one for home and one for the car. I have to assume my Scots-Irish ancestry has some Nordic blood, as this music affects me powerfully. I haven't even read the program notes, so it can't be that the text's mesmerizing. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if mead is your drink, it's perfect.

Pretty Good.......2007-02-01

There are some really awesome moments on this disc. All of the Voluspa segments, especially the final one describing Ragnarok, and The Song of the Mill are very well done. The stark atmosphere serves to not only enhance the singing portion, but really draw you into the song. The booklet that comes with the CD is essential, with beautiful translations of the poems that put Caroline Larrington's Poetic Edda to shame.

But there are also a lot of weak moments. I can't say that there is anything interesting in the instrumentals, which are fortunately few and far between. The Tale of Thrym is ok the first time through, but loses it's appeal very quickly. Odin's Rune Verses lack emotion compared to the rest of the pieces.

I also found the Italian Opera style singing a bit imposing. The rolling of the r's is sometime distracting, and I wondered the first time I heard it if that's what the language really sounds like. Of course, this is my first exposure to Icelandic, so I really couldn't tell you if its right or wrong, but the male singers do it much more than the females. Perhaps it just comes from their background as opera singers.

Overall, this is a good thing to have if you're at all interested in Norse/Icelandic/Viking mythology. If you're not, I think you can skip it.

For the Nordic Soul, an echo across time..........2006-10-23

I thought nothing like this existed, yet here it is! The Sequentia group sings ancient Nordic mythological poems, in very much the manner of ancient Skalds. The skald was a bard, or troubadour, of ancient Scandinavia. In the Sagas, many of the greatest skalds came from Iceland, a land colonized by Norwegians unwilling to live under the dictatorship of King Harald Harfa-gri (Harald Fairhair). The songs on this album are recited in Icelandic, a language that has changed only slightly from the Old Norse spoken by their ancestors. The style of performance is a specualtion, to a certain degree, but very much like that of most traditional Nordic folk music, traditions that have been passed on for centuries.

Medieval Latin? Music.......2006-10-14

For some reason, it doesn't sound quite nordic to me. Did they really roll their 'R's in the Old Norse, or is Sequentia putting a Latin spin on it? It sounds like Italian opera accompanied by medieval Icelandic instruments.

A great tool for learning as well as the musical enjoyment.......2006-07-11

I am impressed by, actually, the insert book! It has 47 thin pages of history, lyrics, and translation.

I bought this CD because the only foreign language I really retain is from foreign music. The lyrics are decently clear for learning. I didn't expect the insert book to have Icelandic lyrics, but it has that and a translation. There is a summary on each of the poems also.

The music is a bit simple, but the real art is in the song. The singing could even go without instrumentation. The album is 76:52 minutes long.

Album Review:

1. Kano - Greatest Hits [Import]
2. Kittenz & Thee Glitz
3. L' Incroyable Verite
4. Let's Hear It For The Boy Vol. 2
5. Let It Die [Import]
6. Let Us Play!
7. Live! in the Mix [Live]
8. Living Return
9. Loud Pipes Save Lives [Import]
10. Love Songs of the Hanging Gardens

Album Review

album review

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Music: Live Without Fear

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Chapter V [Clean]

Cry Holy

Benedetto Marcello: Sonatas, Op. 2 (Vol. 1)

Classic Country Christmas

Chiquitita

Annie's Grave [Enhanced] [Explicit Lyrics]

Dudu [Import]

Chiff-Chaffs & Willow Warblers

Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks; Water Music

Lightfoot!/The Way I Feel