The convergence of rave, New Age, and global music cultures in the 1990s gave rise to groups like Medicine Drum, who turn up at Burning Man and Glastonbury, festivals for the spiritual and pagan side of rave culture. Medicine Drum offer the perfect alchemy at these events for losing all consciousness. It involves a heady mixture of electronic rhythms laced with real percussion and pulled aloft by wordless voices from singers Irina Mikhailova (of Ancient Future and Lumin) and Suzanne Sterling. Original Face alternates between anthemic calls to ecstasy, like the title track featuring Mikhailova on vocals, and all-out rhythmic forays like "Katakali," mixing squiggly electronics and electro-acoustic percussion welded to a thudding bass drum beat. It's not as original or cosmic as they want you to think, but it gets the downtempo grooves moving. --John Diliberto
Original Face,Medicine Drum,Cyber Octave,Club/Dance,Dance,Dance Music,Ethnic Fusion,Pop
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Class of 3000: Music Volume One
Manufacturer: La Face ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000RB6UY2 Release Date: 2007-07-03 |
Tracks:
- Class of 3000 Theme
- Life Without Music
- Throwdown
- Oh Peanut
- We Want Your Soul
- Banana Zoo
- A Richer Shade Of Blue
- Fight The Blob
- UFO Ninja
- Kim Kam Jam
- Luna Love
- The Crayon Song
- My Mentor
- Cool Kitty
Amazon.com
Fall in, funketeers: the first soundtrack to "Class of 3000," the Cartoon Network show executive-produced by Andre 3000 of OutKast, mashes up a melange of beats and styles so beautifully conceived, so inner-city cool, that parents who once grooved to the "Fat Albert" gang will find themselves in thrall (cartoons able to make the grade with school-age kids while putting across a message happen once every 30 years, apparently). Here we have the whole "3000" crew cutting up to Andre, a.k.a. Sunny Bridges', whip-smart concoctions--Li'l D, Kim and Kam, Tamika, Madison, Philly Phil, and Edward trade the spotlight on weird but wickedly fun tracks like "Banana Zoo," "Oh Peanut," and "We Want Your Soul." The messages seep through, but in the end the grooves matter most. Future funkers of America, take note. And tune in immediately. --Tammy La GorceAlbum Description
Class of 3000 is the critically-acclaimed Cartoon Network original series from creator and executive producers Andre "3000" Benjamin and Tom Lynch. Each episode features a new, original song written and performed by Andre "3000" Benjamin accompanied by an animated music video. In addition, Benjamin contributes his visual direction for the series and its original music videos. The Class of 3000: Music From The First Season CD is comprised of 15 songs from the show, performed by the kids/characters in the show, and executive-produced by, who else...Andre Benjamin!Customer Reviews:
It's a great soundtrack.......2007-07-27
What I was wishing for!.......2007-07-21
I have been lovin' Outkast for years and years and am so thrilled that Andre has made this creative choice. Never being one to play to stereotypes, he has made an awesome "family" album. If only other hip hop fathers would get over their gangsta selves and make music that they would let their own kids listen too!
awesome.......2007-07-08
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The Producers (2001 Original Broadway Cast)
Mel Brooks , Matthew Broderick , Nathan Lane , Roger Bart , Gary Beach , Cady Huffman , Jesse Levy , and Grace Paradise, Jennifer Smith Tony Kadleck Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005AY6I Release Date: 2001-04-17 |
Tracks:
- Overture
- Opening Night
- The King of Broadway
- We Can Do It
- Unhappy
- I Wanna Be a Producer
- In Old Bavaria
- Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop
- Keep It Gay
- When You Got It, Flaunt It
- Along Came Bialy
- That Face
- Have You Ever Heard the German Band?
- It's Bad Luck to Say Good Luck on Op'ning Night
- Springtime for hitler
- Where Did We Go Right?
- Betrayed
- 'Til Him
- Prisoners Of Love (Leo & Max)
- Goodbye!
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
The Producers was the vehicle that first proclaimed Mel Brooks's decidedly singular comic vision as a film director in 1968. At the time, the world may not have been entirely ready for the depth charges of hilarity he unleashed; but more than three decades later, it seemed almost foreordained that the film's retooling as a full-fledged musical--directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman--would become the smash hit of the 2000-2001 Broadway season (even before opening at the St. James Theatre in April). Brooks is, of course, no stranger to the Broadway musical genre or to songwriting, but skeptics might find themselves taken by surprise at just how outrageously well all the threads come together for the new show.The film's absurd core vignette--the infamous "Springtime for Hitler"--if anything gains a few notches in hilarity when framed by a character-rich musical that comes off as both parody and valentine in its mimicry of Broadway's "golden age." Brooks (with the help of idiomatically expert arrangements by Glen Kelly) has cooked up a variety of numbers constituting a virtual primer of old-fashioned American musical comedy styles (there's even a toying with Cabaret-style decadence), but they're always coated with an extra layer of zaniness. In fact, the whole show becomes a Chinese box of parodies within parodies. But what really gets the whole mix working is a surefire cast headed by Nathan Lane playing Max Bialystock and Matthew Broderick doing a delightfully nebbish turn with delusions of misplaced glory as his sidekick, Leo Bloom.
From his first big number (musically winking at Fiddler on the Roof), Lane hungrily lays claim to the role, undaunted by his formidable predecessor, Zero Mostel. Even on disc, you can visualize his over-the-top mugging as a dethroned "king of Broadway" who was "the first producer ever to do summer stock in the winter." Comedy, as they say, is all about timing, and that's exactly what Lane gets right. His interactions with Bloom, Franz Liebkind (Brad Oscar), and Roger de Bris (Gary Beach) are priceless, even when only in sound. As for the tunes, Brooks crafts a number of truly memorable ones--don't be surprised to find yourself horrified as you hum along with "Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop" and, of course, "Springtime for Hitler." --Thomas May
Customer Reviews:
Just what I wanted.......2006-11-06
I Want to be a producer.......2006-03-06
Spring Time for "The Producers".......2005-12-13
While "The Producers" Is not as musically complex or mature as other "Best Musical" scores of recent years (Spamalot, Avenue Q, Hairspray,) It is funnier than all of those put together. Nathan lane And Matthew Broderick Are perfectly cast in their roles and Caddy Hoffman is great, and when Ulla belt, she Belts!
the rest of the cast is amazing.
As for the song I can't think of one that I don't like, They are all great!
I would hope that the fact that the show makes light of Hitler doesn't turn you off, because you would be missing somthing great.
Mel Brooks = Brilliant.......2005-12-12
I was not disappointed. It was funny, racy, and downright fabulous. I bought the soundtrack at intermission and have been listening to it ever since. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves musicals. Lane and Broderick play off each other perfectly, Cady Huffman has one of the best belting voices I've heard in ages, and the songs are actually FUNNY.
Aside from raving about one of my favorite shows, I would like to address the comments made about the show downplaying Hitler and being racist towards Germans. In no way does this show downplay Hitler's terrible deeds. Bialystock and Bloom make several comments about how disgusted they are about the play- the fact that it is so insulting to our sensibilities is the reason why it was chosen in the first place. I am Jewish and have studied the Holocaust and WWII for years. I was not offended in the least, nor did I feel the Brooks was promoting or trivializing Hitler's war crimes. Brooks himself is Jewish for god's sake.
Second, I see nothing in the show that is racist towards Germans. Yes there is a Nazi in it who is German. How is that racist? The Nazis went all over the world after WWII- it is possible that several ended up in New York City. And no one will argue that some Nazi's were German. You might as well say that the show is discriminatory towards Swedes, or gay directors, or producers, or the countless number of things made fun of in the show.
it won 11 (if im correct) TONY awards for a reason!.......2005-12-08
So about the CD...awesome. I love these songs, and I am very much looking forward to seeing the movie version of the musical coming out in late December! GO SEE IT!
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Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)
Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00064ADMK Release Date: 2004-10-19 |
Tracks:
- Give My Regards To Broadway- Joel Grey
- Swanee- Al Jolson
- When The Moon Shines On The Moonshine- Bert Williams
- A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody- John Steel
- My Man- Fanny Brice
- Fascinating Rhythm- Fred Astaire, Adele Astaire
- If You Knew Susie (Like I Know Susie)- 78rpm Version Eddie Cantor
- Someone To Watch Over Me- Gertrude Lawrence
- Bill- 78 rpm Version Helen Morgan
- Ol' Man River- Paul Robeson
- Ain't Misbehavin'- Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra
- Ten Cents A Dance- Ruth Etting
- Body And Soul- Libby Holman
- Brother, Can You Spare A Dime- Bing Crosby
- Night And Day- Fred Astaire
- Heat Wave- Ethel Waters
- Smoke Gets in Your Eyes- Tamara
- You're The Top- Ethel Merman
- Summertime- Anne Brown
- September Song- Walter Huston
- My Heart Belongs To Daddy- Mary Martin
- It Never Entered My Mind- Shirley Ross
- Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered- Vivienne Segal
- Oh, How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning- Irving Berlin
- Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'- Alfred Drake
Tracks:
- New York, New York- Cris Alexander,Adolph Green,John Reardon
- If I Loved You- John Raitt,Jan Clayton
- Come Rain Or Come Shine- Ruby Hill,Harold Nicholas
- There's No Business Like Show Business- Ensemble
- How Are Things In Glocca Morra? From "Finian's Rainbow"- Ella Logan
- Once In Love With Amy- Ray Bolger
- Wunderbar- Alfred Drake,Patricia Morison
- Some Enchanted Evening- Ezio Pinza
- Lost In The Stars- Todd Duncan
- Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend- Carol Channing
- Luck Be A Lady- Robert Alda,Guys
- Getting To Know You- Gertrude Lawrence
- Who Cares?- Jack Carson,Betty Oakes
- Stranger In Paradise- from " Kismet" Doretta Morrow,Richard Kiley
- Ballad Of Mack The Knife- Gerald Price
- Hey There- from "The Pajama Game" John Raitt
- Whatever Lola Wants- Gwen Verdon
- I Could Have Danced All Night- Julie Andrews
- Standing On The Corner- from "The Most Happy Fella, 1956" Shorty Long,John Henson,Alan Gilbert
- The Party's Over- Judy Holliday
- Glitter And Be Gay- Barbara Cook
- Tonight- Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence
Tracks:
- Seventy-Six Trombones- Robert Preston
- I Enjoy Being A Girl- from "Flower Drum Song, 1958" Pat Suzuki
- Everything's Coming Up Roses- Ethel Merman
- My Favorite Things- from "The Sound Of Music" Mary Martin
- Put On A Happy Face- from "Bye Bye Birdie" Dick Van Dyke
- Try To Remember- Jerry Orbach
- Camelot- from "Camelot" Richard Burton
- Love Makes The World Go 'Round- Anna Maria Alberghetti
- I Believe In You- Robert Morse And Co.
- The Sweetest Sounds- Diahann Carroll,Richard Kiley
- Comedy Tonight- Zero Mostel
- What Kind Of Fool Am I?- Anthony Newley
- As Long As He Needs Me- Georgia Brown
- Hello, Dolly!- Carol Channing,Cast
- People- Barbra Streisand
- Anyone Can Whistle- from "Anyone Can Whistle" Lee Remick
- If I Were A Rich Man- Zero Mostel
- Night Song- Sammy Davis, Jr.
- The Impossible Dream- Richard Kiley
- If My Friends Could See Me Now- Gwen Verdon
- Open a New Window- from Mame Voice
Tracks:
- Willkommen- from "Cabaret" Joel Grey
- Let The Sunshine In- James Rado,Lynn Kellogg,Melba Moore,Cast
- I'll Never Fall In Love Again- Jill O'Hara,Jerry Orbach
- The Ladies Who Lunch- from "Company" Elaine Stritch
- Tea For Two- Roger Rathburn,Susan Watson
- I'm Still Here- Yvonne De Carlo
- I Don't Know How To Love Him- Yvonne Elliman
- We Go Together- Adrienne Barbeau,Barry Bostwick,Walter Bobbie,Cast
- Corner Of The Sky- John Rubinstein
- Send In The Clowns- Glynis Johns
- Ease On Down The Road- Stephanie Mills,Tiger Haynes,Ted Ross,Hinton
- One- from "A Chorus Line" Cast
- All That Jazz- Chita Rivera,Ensemble
- Tomorrow- Andrea Mcardle
- Don't Cry For Me Argentina- Patti Lupone
- Come Follow The Band
- Lullaby Of Broadway- Jerry Orbach
- And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going- Jennifer Holliday
- The Bells Of St. Sebastian- Raul Julia
Tracks:
- Memory- Betty Buckley
- I Am What I Am- George Hearn
- Move On- Bernadette Peters,Mandy Patinkin
- Do You Hear The People Sing?- Michael Maguire,Cast
- The Music Of The Night- Michael Crawford
- You're Nothing Without Me- James Naughton,Gregg Edelman
- The American Dream- Jonathan Pryce,Cast
- Doctor Jazz- Gregory Hines,Company
- With One Look- Glenn Close
- On Broadway- Adrian Bailey,Frederick B. Owens,Ken Ard,Victor Trent Cook
- Le Jazz Hot- Julie Andrews,Ensemble
- Seasons Of Love-
- Hakuna Matata- Max Casella,Tom Alan Robbins,Scott Irby-Ranniar,Jason Raize
- I Wanna Be A Producer- Matthew Broderick,Ensemble
- Dancing Queen- Louise Plowright,Jenny Galloway
- Good Morning Baltimore- Marissa Jaret Winokur
- Movin' Out- Michael Cavanaugh,Band
- I Go To Rio- Hugh Jackman,Company
- Defying Gravity- Kristin Chenoweth,Idina Menzel
Customer Reviews:
Fabulous for any Broadway-lover.......2007-01-30
Top Shelf.......2007-01-04
TERRIFIC CD'S.......2006-03-23
Great Collection of Broadways greatest Songs .......2005-06-14
Great Compilation!.......2005-01-17
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The Premiere Collection: The Best Of Andrew Lloyd Webber (Original Cast Compilation)
Manufacturer: Mca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000002O5W Release Date: 1990-10-25 |
Tracks:
- Phantom Of The Opera
- Take That Look Off Your Face
- All I Ask Of You
- Don't Cry For Me Argentina
- Magical Mr. Mistoffeles
- Variations 1-4
- Superstar
- Memory
- Starlight Express
- Tell Me On A Sunday
- The Music Of The Night
- Another Suitcase In Another Hall
- I Don't Know How To Love Him
- Pie Jesu
Amazon.com essential recording
There are many, many Andrew Lloyd Webber albums out there, including cut-and-paste compilations and songbooks from individual artists, most notably Sarah Brightman, Michael Crawford, and even Jose Carreras. The Premiere Collection is probably as authentic as you can get in a hits album, however. In addition to the most popular selections from the original casts of Evita, Cats, and Jesus Christ Superstar, the 57-minute album includes two selections from Tell Me on a Sunday (also recorded by Bernadette Peters as Song and Dance), the title tune from Starlight Express, the "Pie Jesu" from the Requiem, and a snippet from the Paganini Variations, thereby allowing you to hear the good stuff without having to spring for the complete albums. Note that the three selections from Phantom of the Opera are the 1986 pop singles instead of the cast recordings, meaning Steve Harley rather than Crawford sings with Brightman on the title tune and Cliff Richard subs for Steve Barton on "All I Ask of You." (Crawford does sing "The Music of the Night," of course.) This 1989 compilation was too early for Aspects of Love or Sunset Boulevard, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is ignored, but these omissions are rectified in the follow-up album The Premiere Collection Encore, and the American-slanted version, The Very Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Broadway Collection. --David HoriuchiCustomer Reviews:
Musical Pleasure.......2007-07-03
The Premiere Collection.......2007-01-17
beautiful.......2006-12-21
Fair Album with 1 starlight and 0 aspects.......2004-07-09
Superb collection.......2003-08-11
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Kiss Me, Kate (1948 Original Broadway Cast)
Cole Porter , Alfred Drake , and Patricia Morison Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000007OHT Release Date: 1998-06-02 |
Tracks:
- Act I: Overture
- Act I: Another Op'nin', Another Show
- Act I: Why Can't You Behave?
- Act I: Wunderbar
- Act I: So In Love
- Act I: We Open In Venice
- Act I: Tom, Dick Or Harry
- Act I: I've Come To Wive It Wealthily In Padua
- Act I: I Hate Men
- Act I: Were Thine That Special Face
- Act II: Too Darn Hot
- Act II: Where Is The Life That Late I Led?
- Act II: Always True To You (In My Fashion)
- Act II: Bianca
- Act II: So In Love (Reprise)
- Act II: Brush Up Your Shakespeare
- Act II: I Am Ashamed That Women Are So Simple
- Act II: Finale: Kiss Me, Kate
- Kiss Me, Kate Overture
Amazon.com
Opening at the tail end of 1948, Kiss Me, Kate became an instant classic--and amazingly didn't receive a full-scale revival until 1999. All the more reason to revel in its original version. With its cunning play-within-a-play premise (a musical update of The Taming of the Shrew reverberates in backstage feuds), brilliant mix of high and low comedy, and of course some of Cole Porter's better-known songs--"So in Love," "I Hate Men," Too Darn Hot," "Always True to You (In My Fashion)"--Kiss Me, Kate remains a funny, zesty hall of mirrors. Hard as you may try to find a fly in the ointment, there's no fault with the cast either--Patricia Morison, for instance, is a perfectly petulant Lilli Vanessi. --Elisabeth VincentelliCustomer Reviews:
The best and maybe the last CD of this great musical........2006-02-20
Sony's transfer engineers used state-of-the-art restoration software to remove the roughness and surface noise from the originals, but (thankfully) they resisted the urge to tart-up the sound with artificial reverb, faux stereo, and thundering bass. This is by far the best-sounding CD of this ever released, and it may be the last.
The age of music ownership in America could be drawing to a close. Five years from now, this music may only be available by download, you might only be "borrowing" it, and it probably won't come with the the authentic cover art or the 26-page booklet.
(See also the original broadway CD of Out of This World.)
Beautiful remastering of historic original cast recording.......2004-05-24
The sound on this newly remastered CD is crisp and clear and easily surpasses all previous issues. Sony even uses the original artwork from the very first LP release.
The performances remain as fresh as ever. Alfred Drake was Broadway's top leading man and sounds just glorious. Pat Morrison had less of a career but sounds just perfect as Lilli. Lisa Kirk is wonderful as Lois, and Harold Lang makes the most of his few moments on the record as her boyfriend, Bill. In an unusual move these peopel reunited 10 years later to re-record the score for Capitol in true stereo. They still sound great on that recording (on CD as part of the Broadway Angel series) but the performances are fresher on this recording made just 2 weeks after KIS ME KATE had opened on Broadway to rave reviews.
The CD booklet has good info about the show, though curiously, no synopsis. There are, however, a half dozen pictures of the original production. This edition featureds longer takes of "We Open in Venice", "I Hate Men" and "Too Darn Hot" though the total extra music adds but a minute to the album's running time. A bonus track of the Overture dates from a 1958 stereo recording by Lehman Engle.
KISS ME KATE was the first Tony Award winner for Best Musical (1949). The 1999 revival won a Tony for Best Revival.
the peerless original cast.......2004-03-04
Very rarely has the score been bettered than the original 1949 cast album, reissued here on the Columbia Broadway Masterworks label. Patricia Morison plays Lilli, with Alfred Drake (OKLAHOMA!, KISMET, GIGI) as Fred, the feuding, ego-ridden leads. Lisa Kirk (ALLEGRO, MACK AND MABEL) is the sexy young starlet Lois, with Harold Lang (PAL JOEY) as her caddish boyfriend Bill.
KISS ME KATE opened at the New Century Theatre on Broadway in 1949, making history in its run of over 1000 performances. Patricia Morison is perfectly-suited to the role of Lilli. She offers a glowing rendition of "So in Love", whilst her duet with Alfred Drake in the tongue-in-cheek "Wunderbar" is sublime. Lisa Kirk gets three of the big showstoppers ("Why Can't You Behave?", "Tom Dick or Harry" and "Always True to You in My Fashion"), and nails each and every one. Harold Lang was a better dancer than he ever was as a singer, but is quite good on this disc.
A must-own.
Who Put The Shake In Shakespeare?.......2001-04-11
The story is set in a Baltimore theatre where a divorced couple, Fred Graham and Lilli Vannessi, are in the two leading roles of a musical version of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. Fred currently dates a colorful light-heart named Lois Lane, while Lilli is about to head off to get maried in the south. Lois, by the way, will 'always be true' to her boyfriend, the gambling player Bill Calhoun. The story takes off from there!
The show originaly opened on Broadway in 1948. It's timelessness has still not worn off after so many years. The classic script by Bela and Sam Spewack, and the best music of Cole Porter, we cannot fail! The show has been performed since then in many many countries, and has been performed in many languages! It has only recently been revived on Broadway.
Kiss Me Kate has become a staple of classic Broadway, and this is the cast that will not be outdone. Patricia Morrison is a perfect, operatic, Lilli Vanesi. She is strong, yet thoughtful. Her voice fills the CD with a lively 'Wunderbar' and the raging 'I Hate Men.' Alfred Drake is a manly and appealing Fred Graham who will have you laughing out loud! His 'Where Is the Live...?' is yet to be surpassed. Harold Lang is a sexy, and hypnotic Bill Calhoun. He takes the role for himself, and his 'Bianca' is done to the point of perfection! His voice is misty and self-confident, and has the qualities all Bill Calhoun's should. And of course, there will be no one as good as Lisa Kirk for the role of Lois Lane! Her tongue-in-cheek performance on this CD is flawless! She is teasing, sympathetic, funny, and has the right voice to win her part! I can't imagine anyone who can do what she has done with 'Alway True to You' and 'Why Can't You Behave.' The classic character songs are very nice! The balladic, and melodic 'So In Love' will ring in your head. 'We Open In Venice' will make you dance! And 'Brush Up Your Shakespeare'(performed with much humor by Jack Diamond and Harry Clark) will give you a laugh the next time you read 'Romeo.' You won't be disapointed!
The nostalgic quality of the 40's is alive and well in this recording. Columbia has done a great job restoring the work, and the scratching that were a part of the original releases. The sound quality is crisp and clear, and the music sounds wonderful! The magic hasn't worn out yet!
There have been a few more recordings of the work, including a complete London recording, and the new Broadway revival cast. None can do as well as the original recording, however. In the revival recordng, however, they come close. Brian Stokes Mitchell has the voice for Fred, but runs through his lines a bit fast, and without much enthusiasm. And the orchestrations for the new recording are a bit overdone, and they sound more like PBS's Jazz, than Broadway.
Altogether, this is great recording. I was very pleased with my buy, and hope that you will add it to your collection right away! It's time to Brush Up Your Shakespeare!
TIMELESS BROADWAY SHOW.......2001-01-11
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Music for a Darkened Theatre, Vol. 1: Film & Television Music
Manufacturer: Fontana Mca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000002OEB Release Date: 1990-10-15 |
Tracks:
- Excerpts From: Pee Wee's Big Adventure
- Excerpts From: Batman
- Excerpts From: Dick Tracy
- Excerpts From: Beetlejuice
- Excerpts From: Nightbreed
- Excerpts From: Darkman
- Excerpts From: Back To School
- Excerpts From: Midnight Run
- Excerpts From: Wisdom
- Excerpts From: Hot To Trot
- Excerpts From: Big Top Pee Wee
- Excerpts From: The Simpsons
- Excerpts From: Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Jar
- Excerpts From: Tales From The Crypt
- Excerpts From: Face Like A Frog
- Excerpts From: Forbidden Zone
- Excerpts From: Scrooged
Customer Reviews:
Great compilation - and that's just the first half........2005-09-14
Elfman pioneered the sound that drives today's movie adaptations of comic-books and darker-themed children's stories. Side-One kicks things off with a rollicking, hyper-cartoonish theme from the first Pee-Wee movie - the one where Pee-Wee searches for his beloved bike. Elfman's theme contains layers of different rides - on tightropes, highways, in the middle of a NASCAR rally - which rudely yet melodically crash into each other.
The Batman entry actually contains several pieces - the opening credits, the extended sequence in the cathedral and the climax - which show Batman's darkened extreme at its "Frank Miller" best. (Dir. Tim Burton couldn't sustain the mood in the next sequel, and the franchise took a turn towards the camp of the TV series with the next 2 movies.)
The theme for "Dick Tracy" is perhaps the most romantic on this disc, a quality that surpasses the theme's comic-book origins, but ends on an ironic note that's pure Elfman.
"Beetlejuice" (opening & closing credits) gives Elfman's childish ID a chance to stretch its legs, or in this case, slam-dance.
"Nightbreed" is an enigma wrapped in a dark mystery, and that's just Elfman's score. Elfman's work on this movie is as good as the movie wasn't, having a more powerful narrative than the script - easily the best track on the entire disc, one likely to exceed the movie in its dose of chills.
"Darkman" doesn't quite rise to the occasion, though the score may be hobbled by the movie itself, which seldom surpassed one of the many "Batman" clones of the early 1990's. "Darkman" (the movie, I mean) excelled as a parody of many comicbook staples (the wronged hero, the relentless villain, the scientific breakthrough with just one flaw), but not enough to escape being largely anonymous. Within those constraints, it's still a moving if scary piece.
When is Elfman not like Elfman? When he was in the mid-late `80's and scored "Back to School" (A Rodney Dangerfield vehicle) and "Midnight Run". Horns in "School" bring it closer to Elfman's over-the-top style, while "Run" sounds like a love-theme for the run-down, out-of-the-way parts of America that seldom appear in Elfman-movies. "Run" is a fun score for a fun movie - it's nothing like Elfman's previous work but it perfectly captures the on-the-road-without-a-map craziness of the movie.
To this day, I don't know why I never ventured to Side-two, but it's irrelevant. Even half this disc is worth it
The best of Elfman!!!.......2005-09-05
I'd recommend this to anyone who likes film music, or everyone who is even the tiniest bit an Elfman fan. It's amazing!
Great Collection, A LIttle Too Eclectic.......2003-08-19
What Great Music.......2003-05-11
super.......2003-04-17
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Gershwin Plays Rhapsody in Blue
Manufacturer: Shout Factory ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000098ZSS Release Date: 2003-05-13 |
Tracks:
- Rhapsody In Blue
- An American In Paris
- Swanee
- Walkin' The Dog
- Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
- Somebody Loves Me
- Our Love Is Here To Stay
- S'Wonderful
- Embraceable You
- Oh, Lady Be Good
Customer Reviews:
Let the Buyer Beware.......2007-01-12
Historical and Pristine.......2006-12-22
"An American in Paris" is also a concert work that did not achieve the widespread adoration that the Rhapsody has garnered. It was intended by the composer to capture the emotions of a tourist visiting Paris, and was purportedly auto-biographical. It was performed in 1928 at New York's Carnegie Hall with Walter Damrosch conducting the New York Philharmonic. It received mixed reviews at the time but remains a favorite of Gershwin's classical works. Like the "Rhapsody," the version included here is a piano adaptation of the original orchestral work.
The remaining works on the CD are those of a popular composer, the flipside of Gershwin's career. No other American composer (or any for that matter) has strattled these two different fields of music with the success with which George Gershwin did. And the popular songs, among them, "Embraceable You," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," and "Love is Here to Stay" have achieved enormous pop culture penetration and secure Gershwin's place in history as a master of popular song composition. Notably missing from this CD, however, are Ira Gershwin's contributions, i.e. the words, which add an element important to these songs' true place in history. Along with Ira's contributions come the countless Gershwin vocal interpreters who helped to realize these songs' true significance and their dispersion throughout the American popular music idiom.
On these versions, it is simply Gershwin playing his works (albeit the recordings are taken from his piano rolls, not an actual live recording). In these arrangements, the melodies are incorporated into lush and often convoluted harmonic accompaniment, in which the melody often becomes lost (i.e., the bridge or B section of "Oh, Lady Be Good!"). However, the opportunity to hear the composer express the harmonic possibilities of these disguisingly "simple" American tunes is truly a valuable one. The particular bouncing style with which Gershwin jumps from chord to chord to accompany his melodies is clearly apparent on many of these tunes, and that is an aspect borrowed from Ragtime that contributes to Gershwin being labeled as a uniquely "American" styled composer. The idiosyncracy of his composition and playing are tied together and come to life on this CD. The harmonic statements are sophisticated and evasive to the common ear, and the rhythmic precision and prolificity are legendary. Together with the melody, these elements of the musical composition on which Gershwin demonstrates mastery come together to produce a truly quintessential and essential Gershwin compilation.
"Rhapsody In Blue".......2006-07-12
Today, July 11, 2006, marks the 69th death anniversary of one of America's most versatile songwriters, George Gershwin. The birth of one of my favorite jazz-infused-classical pieces, "Rhapsody In Blue" in 1924 made Mr. Gershwin an overnight and sensational star and had gained him a worldwide recognition. He had been my late parents' (and mine, too) favorite composer along with Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern and Cole Porter. His harmonious collaboration with his brother, Ira Gershwin, had produced the most beautiful songs of all-time. They were the most prolific team of songwriters and their compositions have been recorded countless times by famous interpreters of Great American Songbook such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane, Tony Bennett, Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, Michael Feinstein, Natalie Cole, Linda Ronstadt, Rod Stewart, Steve Tyrell, Diana Krall, John Pizzarelli, Michael Bublé and Chris Botti, among many others.
This CD is a musical treasure and one that I would strongly recommend not only to any Gershwin enthusiast but also to any new fan for this includes the original recording of "Rhapsody In Blue" from rare Piano Rolls. The sound quality is just terrific. It highlights two of his major works - "Rhapsody In Blue" (1924) and "An American In Paris" (1928). It also features some of his well-known popular songs and favorites of mine, my parents' theme songs "Our Love Is Here To Stay" and "Embraceable You." It has been said that Mr. Gershwin functioned best and had written his very best compositions at 3 o'clock in the morning and when he finish eight bars that he likes, he can finish a chorus in a few minutes, like the songs "`S Wonderful" and "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off." This recording also includes "Swanee," "Walkin' The Dog," "Somebody Loves Me," and "Oh, Lady Be Good."
It's so amazing that he composed frequently and never run out of inspirations for writing melodic tunes that are so pleasing to the ears. He can write three to five songs in a single afternoon. When he completed the melody of a song, he gives it to Ira to write words to it. He was such a genius and played the piano by ear after a fashion, tapping out the tunes with a finger.
Not known to many, Mr. Gershwin had tried his hand at painting. I've seen a portrait of himself that he painted a year before his death from brain cancer, and I would say, it's a beautiful work of art, almost like a work of a professional painter. He could have been a great painter.
George Gershwin will always be remembered as one of the greatest 20th Century composers and his music will always linger in the hearts of music lovers like me who truly appreciate and enjoy fine music.
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The Great Race: Music From The Film Score
Manufacturer: RCA Fs Imports ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00000JC1B Release Date: 2000-12-19 |
Tracks:
- "Overture: A. He Shouldn't-a, Oughtn't-a Swang On
- "Push The Button, Max!
- The Royal Waltz
- "Night, Night, Sweet Prince
- They're Off
- The Sweetheart Tree(With Corus)
- The Great Race March
- " A. He Shouldn't-a, Oughtn't-a Swang On Me!
- Music To Become King By
- Cold Finger
- Pie-In-The-face Polka
Album Description
Henry Mancini's soundtrack to director Blake Edward's 1965 comedy starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk & Vivian Vance about the first New York-to-Paris car race. Features all 11 cuts from the original release & the original cover art. 1999 release.Customer Reviews:
No finish line in sight........2001-08-22
It's Mancini--no more to say.......2001-08-07
All in all, great music for a fun movie.
One of Mancini's best film scores.......2000-04-27
The soundtrack is as wacky as the Blake Edwards movie........1999-11-16
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Scott Joplin: His Complete Works
Manufacturer: Bescol ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000001RR2 Release Date: 1994-07-19 |
Tracks:
- Please Say You Will - Richard Zimmerman
- A Picture Of Her Face - Richard Zimmerman
- The Great Crush Collision March - Richard Zimmerman
- Harmony Club Waltz - Richard Zimmerman
- Combination March - Richard Zimmerman
- Original Rags - Richard Zimmerman
- Maple Leaf Rag - Richard Zimmerman
- Swipesy - Cake Walk - Richard Zimmerman
- Sunflower Slow Drag - Richard Zimmerman
- Peacherine Rag - Richard Zimmerman
- Augustan Club Waltz - Richard Zimmerman
- The Easy Winners - Richard Zimmerman
- Cleopha - Richard Zimmerman
- The Strenuous Life - Richard Zimmerman
- I Am Thinking Of My Pickanniny Days - Richard Zimmerman
- The Ragtime Dance - Richard Zimmerman
- A Breeze From Alabama - Richard Zimmerman
- Elite Syncopations - Richard Zimmerman
Tracks:
- March Majestic - S. Joplin
- The Entertainer - S. Joplin
- Something Doing - S. Joplin
- Weeping Willow - S. Joplin
- Little Black Baby - S. Joplin
- Palm Leaf Rag - S. Joplin
- The Favorite - S. Joplin
- The Sycamore - S. Joplin
- The Cascades - S. Joplin
- The Chrysanthemum - S. Joplin
- Rosebud March - S. Joplin
- Bethena - S. Joplin
- Leola - S. Joplin
- Sarah Dear - S. Joplin
- Binks Waltz - S. Joplin
- Eugenia - S. Joplin
- Antoinette - S. Joplin
- Snoring Sampson - S. Joplin
Tracks:
- Gladiolus Rag - S. Joplin
- Searchlight Rag - S. Joplin
- The Nonpareil (None to Equal) - S. Joplin
- When Your Hair Is Like The Snow - S. Joplin
- Rose Leaf Rag - S. Joplin
- Heliotrope Bouquet - S. Joplin
- School Of Ragtime - S. Joplin
- Fig Leaf Rag - S. Joplin
- Sugar Cane - S. Joplin
- Pine Apple Rag - S. Joplin
- Wall Street Rag - S. Joplin
- Solace - S. Joplin
- Pleasant Moments - S. Joplin
- Country Club - S. Joplin
- Paragon Rag - S. Joplin
- Euphonic Sounds - S. Joplin
- Stoptime Rag - S. Joplin
- Felicity Rag - S. Joplin
Tracks:
- Highlights From Treemonisha - Richard Zimmerman
- A Real Slow Drag - Richard Zimmerman
- Prelude To Act 3 - Richard Zimmerman
- Frolic Of The Bears - Richard Zimmerman
- Lovin' Babe - Richard Zimmerman
- Scott Joplin's New Rag - Richard Zimmerman
- Kismet Rag - Richard Zimmerman
- Magnetic Rag - Richard Zimmerman
- Reflection Rag - Richard Zimmerman
- Silver Swan Rag - Richard Zimmerman
- Lily Queen - Richard Zimmerman
- Sensation - Richard Zimmerman
Customer Reviews:
Available at retailers for about $18.......2006-12-21
A classic compilation.......2006-10-07
This is the definitive collection of Scott Joplin's work. Richard Zimmerman provides wonderful performances that accurately reflect Joplin's intentions. (As evidence beyond my personal opinion, I submit the recent releases of digital recordings made from Joplin's piano rolls.)
A few points to consider regarding negative comments you may encounter in other reviews:
* This is a digital recording from an analog master. Lack of quality in the recording does not imply a lackluster performance.
* This is a complete collection. Some similarity is due to Joplin re-exploring melodic themes. But some is due to the fact that these are "rags". One might as well complain that all 50's doo-wop (or all 70's disco) sounds the same.
* Many pieces of the period exhibit formal musical structures, such as the marches of John Phillips Sousa. (Both Sousa and Joplin performed at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.) Actually, Joplin is responsible for extending the formal boundaries of ragtime to concert waltzes (Bethena) and opera (A Guest of Honor, Treemonisha)
* This is probably one of the few collections which will include selections from "Treemonisha". It is my understanding that after the initial release, one of Joplin's descendants made a copyright claim that was upheld in court. (I presume the issue was that Joplin had to finance "Treemonisha" himself, and therefore the customary performance clearances did not cover those selections.)
For ragtime students and enthusiasts, this is a "must-have" collection at a very affordable price.
A dis-service to Joplin.......2006-02-01
The pianist does not play Joplin's pieces "as written", the piano is of poor quality, and not properly in tune.
This is emphatically NOT the set to buy. A far better set, beautifully annotated and well played on a good concert grand piano, is the complete works played by Guido Nielsen on the Basta Label.
This set is a dis-service to Joplin and his music. He deserves better, and gets it elsewhere.
Unique .......2004-10-19
Great set.......2001-10-16
I was shocked to see that one reviewer thought it all sounded the same. How silly. All of Frank Sinatra's music sounds like Frank Sinatra. All of Led Zeppelin sounds like Led Zeppelin. So, if the songs were drastically different, I would question if the same author composed them. As it is, though, each song on this set is fantastic!!
I don't know that I have heard of Richard Zimmerman, and I was a little leary as to what I would be getting, I certainly was impressed. Without a doubt the best renditions of "Weeping Willow" and "Bethena" I have heard, and at least a dozen songs I didn't know Joplin wrote.
Without a doubt, this album is fantastic. A very good price, as well.
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Sweet Charity (1969 Film Soundtrack)
Cy Coleman , Shirley MacLaine , and Sammy Davis Jr. Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0000AYL1W Release Date: 2003-08-26 |
Tracks:
- Overture
- My Personal Property
- Big Spender
- The Pompeii Club
- If My Friends Could See Me Now
- There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This
- It's A Nice Face
- Rhythm Of Life
- Sweet Charity
- I'm A Brass Band
- I Love To Cry At Weddings
- Where Am I Going?
- Finale
Customer Reviews:
Sweet Charity: Sweet Memories.......2007-07-13
Sammy Davis Jr. is awesome.......2007-01-10
Great Memories (better than current 2005 Broadway Revival).......2005-08-06
This cast recording makes me wish I was old enough to have seen them during the original Broadway run.
Consider buying the DVD to the movie to accompany this DVD. That way, you'll also get to see Ben Vereen at his best. I will warn you that the movie was a bit indulgent with extended scenes whose length is not justified by their contribution to the overall film. It's about 20-30 minutes too long. But the musical and dance numbers are really great. Who doesn't love Fosse?
long-overdue reissue of the classic soundtrack.......2003-10-09
The score was heavily revised for the move to celluloid. "You Should See Yourself" was replaced by "My Personal Property", "I'm the Bravest Individual" was replaced by "It's a Nice Face". The melody for "Sweet Charity" was re-jigged for a more uptempo feel. Songs cut from the score altogether included "Baby Dream Your Dream", "Too Many Tomorrows" and "Charity's Soliloquy".
Shirley MacLaine was joined by a cast including veteran Broadway talents Paula Kelly and Chita Rivera, John McMartin (recreating the role he originated on Broadway opposite Gwen Verdon) as Oscar Linquist, Sammy Davis Jr. as Daddy Brubeck, Stubby Kaye as Herman and Ricardo Montalban.
Shirley MacLaine sings her numbers with her sweet pixie-esque voice, gliding through showstoppers like "I'm a Brass Band" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now" with great ease.
Another fantastic package from Decca Broadway. Peter Filichia, as always, offers comprehensive liner notes, and sound quality is quite good. In addition to this CD I also recommend the still-superb 1966 original Broadway cast album with Gwen Verdon.
Sweet Charity.......2003-09-14
My biggest complaint about this CD release is that it is not complete. You think that Decca Records would do a complete Cd release as previous musical soundtracks have done. This is a direct copy of the Lp released so many years ago. There is so much more music in this film that I was disapointed when I found it it was only a Cd of the original album. With Cd's fitting up the 80 minutes of music it is very surprising that this truncated version was released. Maybe because it's not considered a classic. This is am underrated film as far as I am concerned and in my opinion a far better score than Chicago (with all due respect to Bob Fosse who directed this film) This would be a great CD if only it wasn't abbreviated.
Album Review:
- Paris Lounge, Vol. 1
- Pirates of Dance [Import]
- projectHUMAN
- Purgatorio
- Rasa Exotica II
- Revelation: S&M Party (Soundfactory Live) [Live]
- Revolutionary, Vol. 2 [Explicit Lyrics]
- Right of Way (Includes Bonus DVD)
- Serve Chilled, Vol. 3 [Import]
- Shades of Technology
Album Review
Music: Nod to the Old School [Enhanced] [Limited Edition] [I
Overkill [Extra tracks] [Original recording remastered]
Ralph Stanley And The Clinch Mountain Boys: 1971-1973 [Box set]
Madrigali E Canzonette for 2 & 3 Voices
Live, The Last Concert - - February 26, 1995, Houston TX [Live]
More Trouble Than They're Worth
John Wayne Der Held Aus Dem Wilden Westen [Import]