Classical Gas [CD-single]

1. Classical Gas [Techno Edit]

2. Classical Gas [Original Mix]

3. Classical Gas [Techno Extended]

4. Classical Gas [Chameleon Club Remix]

5. Classical Gas [Acoustic Version]

Tracks:

Classical Gas
Sunflower
Samba Beach
Country Idyll
Saturday Night At The World
Shady Dell
Katydid's Ditty
Greensleeves
Doot-Doot
La Chanson De Claudine
McCall
Vancouver Island
Baroque-A-Nova

Customer Reviews:

classical gas.......2007-07-03

it was great alum/cd. Really liked most of the songs.
Classical gas was good, but look for different verison of the song.

Classical Gas, Guitar Masterpiece.......2007-03-28

I bought this album for "Classical Gas". 1967 the TV show Smothers Brothers was on, Manson Williams was writing for the show, and having been away from his guitar for awhile, he "fueled up", the result was this Masterpiece. If you have never heard it, this is a must. When we heard him play it on the Smothers Brothers, we were stunned! This is a "must" no matter what type of music you are into, I would elevate it to the level of the Brandenburg concerto. This is guitar, you may have heard Flamenco guitar, or any other guitar, but this guitar piece stands alone, classic.

Classical Gas is still a gas.......2007-01-18

This rendition of this "classic" with Mannheim Steamroller is well done. However, most of the other songs are more Mannheim than Mason Williams. Since I like both, this is not a problem for me, but I wish there had been a little more classical guitar in it.

Classical Gas.......2007-01-09

Didn't like it as much as the Christmas tapes, but very nice Manheim. And it came in perfect shape, quickly.

Blessings to Amazon!

NICE COLLABORATION.......2005-12-06

Chip Davis and friends know their way around a good arrangement, and some of these classic guitar tunes by the outragesouly talented Mason Williams do him and the songs justice - most notably the wonderful version of Greensleeves and of course the title track. And, as pure listening fun, the album is overall incredibly pleasant. A nice mix of old and new - and a good hook for those Mannheim Steamroller arrangements.

Average customer rating:

Innovative music
Slop from a slapper
HO HUM --- REALLY NOT INTERESTING AT ALL
Classical With a Twist
Highly Listenable

Vanessa-Mae The Violin Player

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

House | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Euro Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Storm
Best of Vanessa-Mae
Ultimate Collection
The Classical Album 1 / Vanessa-Mae
The Original Four Seasons And The Devil's Trill Sonata / Vanessa-Mae

ASIN: B000002SKU
Release Date: 1998-10-30

Tracks:

Toccata And Fugue In D Minor
Contradanza
Classical Gas
Theme From 'Caravans'
Warm Air
Jazz Will Eat Itself
Widescreen
Tequila Mockingbird
City Theme
Red Hot

Customer Reviews:

Innovative music.......2007-06-03

I have been listening to such contemporary artists as Bond, Yanni, Taleinsin Orchestra,... so I am not a new comer to contemporary fusion classical music. If I had listened to this CD when it first came out almost 10 years ago, I would probably have given it a 5. I am only giving it a four now (maybe a 3.5?) because there are simply other better albums out there - most of the songs here are more classically influenced than its purported to be. Also, while Vanessa-Mae is an accomplished violinist, she is not the most spectacular violnist. At times, she lackes the energy to propell her music to the next level. However, all in all, an enjoyable album, although nothing ground-breaking.

Slop from a slapper.......2005-03-01

This terrible and dull album launched the career of Über-nothing violinist, Vanessa Mae.

It is hard to describe the depth of the level to which this album stoops to be "popular". Low brow? You bet! Exploitative? Oh yeah! Dumbed down Classical Music? Well, that's what we've got here!

Value of this album? Hard to say. I am sure that Vanessa's parents and agent are happy with this prosaic product.

Very dumbed down dumb music - for the legions of philistines and musically naive of the world.

In one word, a "dud".

HO HUM --- REALLY NOT INTERESTING AT ALL.......2003-07-11

As violin technique goes, there is not much here in evidence to get all fired up about. She is an adequete violinist who does just fine with the material she is given, but the only people who are going to think that she is a violinist for the ages are people who don't know anything about violin playing.

That being said, this album had the potential to be interesting, except that the arrangements of Mike Batt are about as flat as one can get. This album seems to be more about Mike Batt's ego than about Vanessa Mae, as Mike perform, conducts, composes & produces practically every piece. This would be fine if the end product was remotely interesting, but of it sounds like it should be background music. The Bach arrangement, with gratuitous techno-pop flourishes thrown in at every opportunity, just bogs down in an effort to be "innovative." Most of Batt's compositions leave no impression whatsoever.

Any lunatic who puts this crossover album in the classical category truly needs to go back to Music Appreciation 101, to be reminded of what classical music is. File this one in the Fluffy Boring Pop category and forget about it.

Classical With a Twist.......2003-07-01

The first notes of Vanessa Mae's The Violin Player sound like a dramatic beginning to a classical composition, but it's not. This album in fact is anything but traditional classical. It's unique, creative, energetic and alive and I give Vanessa props for being brave enough to come out with it. It's hard to be different. The fact that Vanessa did make the music and did it so well says that she's a true artist, something sadly lacking in a world where technical mastery is considered more important than artistic invention. This is a fantastic, fun album that you'll want to listen to again and again, the music hitting something within you and bringing all sorts of energy you didn't know you had bubbling to the surface. If you won't buy it for that reason, then buy it for it's historical significance. It's already plain to me, Vanessa Mae with this album changed the one sided face of classical music forever.

Highly Listenable.......2002-11-13

Let's get this straight upfront: Vanessa Mae is a good violin player, but I've heard plenty better in the classical world today. You buy this CD not for Mae's technique as a violinist (frankly, I'd give her just a 6 or 7 out of 10), but for her innovation - her ground-breaking album that blends the old-style classical music with pop/techno/jazz, and gives that genre of music (which had there for a while even before Mae) the kind of visibility that it did not use to have. This album is novel and upbeat, and is highly listenable both to people who like classical music and those who find it intimdating (or boring). Would especially recommend this to people in their 20s and 30s.

Average customer rating:

Awesome violin Vanessa-Mae
Amazing....

Ultimate Collection

Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

House | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Euro Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Vanessa-Mae The Violin Player
Subject to Change
Best of Vanessa-Mae
Storm
Choreography

ASIN: B0000DFZ86
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Tracks:

Classical Gas (Single Version)
I Feel Love (Single Version)
Picante
Red Hot (Symphonic Mix)
Yantra
Bach Street Prelude
Leyanda
Cotton Eyed Joe
I Can Can (You?)
Widescreen
Nightflight
Toccata & Fugue
Four Seasons Spring Allegro Part 1
Scherzo In C Minor For Violin & Piano

Album Description

2003 UK compilation for the world-renowned classical crossover star features 14 tracks. Copy Controlled. EMI Gold. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome violin Vanessa-Mae.......2007-07-21

I 'found' Vanessa-Mae a few years ago. I am so blown away by her unusual talent in classical violin. My all time favorite is Toccata and Fugue. As a classical music lover, this gives me goosebumps. I am wondering why I am not hearing her in this year-2007. It is as if she made these awesome tracks and then no media news about her. That to me is a shame, for we need more real artists, not these talentless pop stars in rehab! This CD is a charm, you will love it!

Amazing...........2005-05-28

she is an Excelent and great violin player, her music is unique, if you love instrumental music, you can't miss it.

Average customer rating:

Return to Sanity
Have Some Madeira
British humour at its best
If you haven't heard this...
Gentle Satire

Complete Flanders & Swann

Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Broadway & Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Comedy & Spoken Word | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Songs of Michael Flanders & Donald Swann
At the Drop of a Hat
The Best of Flanders & Swan - A Transport of Delight
Beyond The Fringe (1961 Original London Cast)
Too Many Songs by Tom Lehrer

ASIN: B000006T4S
Release Date: 1997-04-30

Tracks:

Warthog, The (The Hog Beneath The Skin)
The Sea Horse
The Chameleon
Whale, The (Mopy Dick)
Je Suis Le Tenebreux
Songs For Our Time
A Song Of The Weather - Flanders & Swann
The Reluctant Cannibal
Greensleeves
Misalliance
Kokoraki
Madeira M'Dear?
Too Many Cookers
Built Up Area
In The Bath (From 'At The Drop Of A Hat')
Sea Fever
The Hippopotamus Song

Tracks:

The Gas Man Cometh
Sounding Brass
Los Olividados
In The Desert
The Sloth
The Rhinoceros
Kangaroo Tango
Jaguar
Dead Ducks
The Elephant
By Air
Slow Train
A Song Of Patriotic Prejudice - Flanders & Swann
The Humming Bird
The Portuguese Man-Of-War
Sea Fever
The Hippopotamus Song

Tracks:

The Gas Man Cometh
Sounding Brass
Los Olividados
In The Desert
The Sloth
The Rhinoceros
Kangaroo Tango
Jaguar
Dead Ducks
The Elephant
By Air
Slow Train
A Song Of Patriotic Prejudice - Flanders & Swann
The Humming Bird
The Portuguese Man-Of-War
The Wild Boar
The Ostrich
The Wompom
Twice Shy
Commonwealth Fair
P** P* B**** B** D******
Paris
Eine Kleine Nacht Musik Cha Cha Cha
The Hundred Song
Food For Thought

Album Details

Fantastic Triple CD Box Set of the Recorded Works of One of Britain's Most Popular Comedy Duos. Their Keen Observations of Everyday British Life and Abilities to Exemplify them in Song Made them the Darlings of the UK. Cleverness, Wit and Absoute Hilarity were the Order of the Day, in Just About Any Style of Music. Pure Comic Genius on Three Discs!

Customer Reviews:

Return to Sanity.......2005-07-27

Before Monty Python, before the Beatles, before "'Enery the Aigth Oi Am" there was the subtle, sweet, insdious humor of Flanders and Swann, and their lyrics remain part of the recognition rituals of Ivy Leaguers of the sixties. For any aging hippies or yuppies who find life WAY more stressful than we ever expected, and for whom the down side of alcohol, sex, and drugs has become apparent, I recommend listening several times to "In the Bath". It raises a cry for peace among the nations by inviting all the leaders to sit congenially steaming in a communal bathtub. And they reminding us of our essential self-interest when they add the proviso "as long as Swann and Flanders get the end without the taps." On those nights when we suspect that there isn't any point to it all, reach for the Flanders and Swann. They won't convince you there is any meaning to life, but they'll make it a lot easier to bear. Don't even try to do without it.

Have Some Madeira.......2005-07-06

Not every line in Flanders and Swann has become part of our 37-year marriage, but many have. As our turntables fail, we are pleased that we can relive all the fun stuff we used to collect. Nothing is like this duo, especially what you usually hear as French horn by Mozart converted into "I found that horn go(r)ne." And, of course,
"Have some Madeira, m'dear" is an all-time favorite.

British humour at its best.......2003-03-15

When I started out as a teacher of English, I had the most wonderful colleague as a mentor -- when she retired she gave me three LPs with much of what is on these CDs, and it must be one of the best gifts I have ever been given. Practically all of it makes me smile or laugh out loud (although I must admit that some, like The Armadillo and Slow Train, make me so melancholy that I can just feel my lower lip tremble and my eyes fill up). How can you beat lines like "Hail to thee, blithe Wompom", or "The English are moral, the English are good / And clever, and modest, and misunderstood"? I find they make great listening exercises for my teenaged students as well -- they consider it ancient, but incredibly funny!

If you haven't heard this..........2003-01-16

The great comedic pairing of the late Michael Flanders (vocals) and Donald Swann (piano and occasional vocals) must surely rank among the hall of fame of comic singers and songwriters. Descended from the British music hall tradition, these two men wrote and performed music which still sparkles with wit today, some 40 or more years since it was recorded.

After being told to take up singing as a means of strengthening his polio-weakened lungs, the wheelchair-bound Flanders teamed up with pianist Swann and proceeded to write such classic songs as "The Hippo Song (Mud Mud Glorious Mud)", "The Gasman Cometh", "The Gnu Song", "A Transport of Delight" and many others. As well as a gently satirical spirit, all these songs feature the sublime wordplay and interplay of both men.

The first two discs of this box set are actual concerts - "At The Drop Of A Hat" and its successor "At The Drop Of Another Hat". Recorded at the height of the duo's popularity and form, the sound quality is surprisingly good for recordings this old.

"At The Drop Of A Hat" opens with three of the Flanders and Swann classics. "Transport Of Delight", a song in praise of the "97 horsepower omnibus" features the wonderful harmonies of the duo on lines like "any more fares" and Flanders' dead-on impression of a London busdriver "Geddardait, we're full right up inside". "Song of Reproduction" deals with the new, as it was then, stereo technology and features Flanders delivering an incredible monologue using every conceivable piece of audiophile jargon. "The Gnu Song" (in which "gnu" is pronounced phonetically) is a real treat. The audience's reaction to the reappearance of the gnu is superb.
As well as this opening trio, the disc features Flanders' snippets of "Songs For Our Time" (in which he experiments with conventions of hit songs), "Song of the Weather" (a rundown of English weather throughout the year), "The Reluctant Cannibal" (featuring Swann in the tititular role and the chorus "I can't eat people/I won't eat people/eatin' people is wrong"), Swann's foray into Greek folksong "Kokraki" and the justifiably famous "Madeira M'Dear". The performance ends with a rousing version of "The Hippo Song".
Flanders is in fine voice throughout and his comments introducing each song are delivered with deadpan accuracy. The story behind "The Gnu Song" is an absolute masterpiece. Flanders' monologue about the creation of "Greensleeves" is also superb - "'Greenfleeves'. That's an interesting name for a fong" (referencing old English script) being just a taste.

"Another Hat" begins in equally fine form with "Gasman Cometh" and "Ill Wind". "Gasman", presaged as "a tale of unending domestic upheaval", is sure to have most people who've ever dealt with unreliable tradesmen nodding in agreement, while "Ill Wind" is Flanders' attempt at setting words to a French horn concerto featuring the immortal lines "I lost that horn/lost that horn/lost that horn/found that horn/gorn". The performance continues with Swann's Russian/English song "In The Desert", the ending of which is truly side-splitting. "All Gall" (a reinterpretation of "This Old Man" to fit then-French President Charles de Gaulle) is a little dated but very cleverly done. "Song of Patriotic Prejudice", with its introduction and opening lines grabbing the audience's attention is another triumph, while the "Hippo Encore" is a great end to the performance.
Again Flanders is at his peak. His loving description of the Spanish olive-stuffers ("Olividados") and his superb story about flying ("By Air") are both brilliant examples of the shaggy dog story.
My favourite from both of these discs would have to be "First and Second Law". Flanders decides to educate Swann in elementary science and picks on the first and second laws of thermodynamics ("heat is work and work is heat" and "heat cannot of itself pass from one body to a hotter body") and the repetition of these phrases in time to Swann's barely-there piano accompaniment is one of the finest moments in British comedy.

The third disc is largely forgettable. It begins with a series of animal-related songs performed in a studio and without much of Flanders' rambling introductions. "Warthog" has its moments, while the others were clearly not performed in front of an audience for a reason. "Wompom" is also mildly diverting, presenting a story about a made-up substance which is the answer to everything.
The rest of the disc is then filled out with much earlier material in a rather poorly-recorded concert. "20 Tons of TNT" (related to the calculation the pair had done which gave that as the amount of TNT per person on the planet at the time) provides food for thought, but little more.

Is this box set for everyone? No. Much of the humour both within and without the songs does require a bit of background knowledge to what was going on in Britain and Europe at the time (1960s), John Profumo is referenced a few times as well as Charles de Gaulle and the Common Market, while a smattering of classical music knowledge can help out a bit with Swann's work and "Ill Wind". The fact that my grandfather (who's in his late 70s) recalls hearing these songs and laughing may give an indication as to the age of some of the subject matter. Equally the fact that "First and Second Law" references an awful lot of physics might do the same.

Nevertheless, for anyone who loves British humour done in a gentle manner or who is interested in the source of "mud mud glorious mud/nothing quite like it for cooling the blood", give these CDs some serious consideration.

Gentle Satire.......2002-04-03

I've been singing Flanders and Swann every day In the Bath since I first heard them in 1964. If you don't know them, think Gilbert and Sullivan by way of English music hall and Noel Coward, with a bit of Tom Lehrer musical satire and classic Bob Newhart or Charlie Manna monologues. F&S commented gently on their times: "The purpose of satire, it has been rightly said, is to strip away the veneer of comfortable illusion and cozy half-truth. And our job, as I see it, is to put it back again." Quite simply the best comic songs and patter of the 20th century. Michael died in 1975, Donald in 1994. Goodnight, Mabel Figworthy, wherever you are.

Here are some samples of Michael's verbal wit.

Wordplay:
- "A Transport of Delight," their song of the pleasures of the double-decker bus "has recently been adopted as the theme song of the Underground resistance movement."
- Speculating that Henry VIII wrote Greensleeves: "and the royalties go to royalty."
- About a tennis referee late in the day: "the umpire upon whom the sun never sets."
- Explaining how he was hoisted in his wheelchair onto airliners by a fork lift: "Why they need a great machine like that to lift forks I do not know. Well, they're only plastic, now, aren't they?"
- On status symbols: "The object is to Gunga Din your neighbor: 'I'm a better man than you' is the acid test," and, "let's bang our status cymbals with the best."
- To a disenchanted cannibal: "You used to be a regular anthropophagi."
- Of a lecher: "And he said as he hastened to put out the cat, the wine, his cigar, and the lamps," while the girl "lowered her standards by raising her glass, her courage, her eyes, and his hopes."
- At the corrida d'olivas (the Andorran festival of olive stuffing, not to be confused with the Spanish corrida de toros, or bullfight): "And a great cry goes up of Ole! He has made an 'ol."
- "It's no good going up to a scientist and saying to him like you would to anybody else, 'Good morning, how are you, lend me a quid, and so on.' He'll just glare at you, or make a rude retort."

Throw-aways
- During the height of the cold war the Soviet Union sent the Moscow Ballet on a world tour. Donald sang one chorus of the Hippopotamus Song "mud, mud, glorious mud - nothing quite like it for cooling the blood" in Russian. Michael: "That should improve our cultural relations."
- During the 1963 Mandy Rice-Davies and Christine Keeler scandal: "None of that going around saying no smoke without fire. Nil cumbustibus, Profumo." Also, from "Friendly Duet," "such models of friendship are precious and rare, while the friendship of models is not."
- "Now if you're writing a musical, as I'm sure practically all of you are, . . ."
- Of Donald: "You know that no one has a higher regard for your music . . . than you do yourself. I merely meant that you are not great because you are not dead. If you wish to be great you must stop composing and start decomposing."
- "We never found a rhyme for (Soviet Premier Nikita) "Kruschev" until he was dead: Did he die or was he "pushed off"?"
- "We spent two dreadful, uh, delightful years, entertaining the Americans whose need, let's face it, is greater even than yours. Of course, when we're over there we say that the other way 'round."
- "No matter what you may say about the Germans, and who doesn't . . ."
- "Some of the songs that have made our names a household word, like slop-bucket . . ."
- "They've started testing cars now. They started at 10 years, then 5, now three. There's even some talk of having them tested before they leave the factory."

Absurdities
- "I'm delirious about our new oven fitted with the eye-level grill. This means that without my having to bend down the hot fat can squirt straight into my eye."
- A spectator during the construction of Stonehenge: "So, it's not going to be lived in. Well, that's something anyway. So what is it, then? It's a what?! A calendar?! A bit big for a calendar isn't it? You'd look pretty foolish with that on your desk."
- "Donald knocked himself out this morning. Got one of those new pop-up toasters. Nasty things."

Incredible multiple rhymes:
- "The fair hippoptama he aimed to entice from her seat on her hilltop above, as she hadn't got a ma to give her advice, went tip-toeing down to her love."
- Of Josephine: "Nonsense, said Bonaparte. She lives on her own, apart, in her own apartment."
- "Oh let us be married if our parents don't mind. We'd be happy and inseparable. Inextricably entwined. We'd live happily every after, said the Honeysuckle to the Bindweed."
- "And you'll always see a single lace-less left-hand leather boot. A bootless British river bank's a shock. We leave them there at midnight, you can track a member's route by the alternating print of boot and sock."

Electrical Gas
Average customer rating:

New ideas

New Compositions

Electrical Gas
Mason Williams , and Zoe McCulloch
Manufacturer: Skookum Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music
General | Pop | Styles | Music
General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
General | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

EP 2003: Music for the Epicurean Harkener

The Mason Williams Phonograph Record

A Gift of Song

Music 1968-1971

Of Time and Rivers Flowing

ASIN: B000BHN7FC
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Tracks:

Classical Gas 2005
Riding the Low Moon
The Last Crusade
Largo Deluxe
Gypsy Noodle
Eddie, Im Ready/instrumental
Santa Fe Souvenir
Baroque-A-Nova
Destinations of the Sun
Doot-Doot
Country Idyll
Eddie, Im Ready/vocal

Product Description

Electrical Gas represents a step in a new direction for Mason Williams as a composer and recording artist. His chart topping instrumental, Classical Gas has been inspiring musicians and music lovers for nearly 40 years. Combining this unprecedented acoustic piece with the electric guitar allow Mason Williams and Zoe McCulloch the prospect of launching Classical Gas into the 21st century with resounding force. Together they have literally electrified a dozen compositions Mason has polished to perfection for this special sampling of his extensive repertoire. For more information visit www.electricalgas.com

Customer Reviews:

New ideas.......2005-11-12

I received a copy of this from Mason and took a listen to it. The electric guitar addition to Largo De Luxe sounded surprisingly both refreshing and natural at the same time. In previous editions of the tune, the lead instrument was always a harmonica, which was okay, but it sounds more complete and natural with the stratocaster over it. It gives it almost a Santos and Johnny "Sleepwalk" effect to it, which suits the music better. I recently heard that this version is being submitted for Grammy consideration, which I think it deserves. Riding the Low Moon is excellent and probably the best track on the album. I've listened to this version over and over again for weeks. Country Idyll is much the same as the old version, with more drum hooks tossed in that ends up making the update totally worth it. The Last Crusade is a humorous take on an older tune Mason wrote with alternating names, it was previously known as "Common Ground", "Tierra Commun", "Fettucini Western", and perhaps more. The orchestral arrangement spotlights the excellent guitarwork of Zoe McCulloch and takes what used to be a purely classical piece into a new realm of Ventures like surfer rock. Eric Hamilton had recorded a similar idea, but this one could end up being a classic among Pipeline guitarists. It has inspired me to go back and look at the wealth of instrumental rock of the 50's and 60's.

New Compositions.......2005-10-15

A friend of mine played this album for me and it's not what you might expect. Its not the updated Classical Gas that makes this album, its the excellent arrangements of the other pieces, such as Riding the Low Moon that make this album a treat. Given the amount of versions of Classical Gas out there, this one sounds the most lethargic and forced. It is bereft of anything new to offer and given the timelessness of Classical Gas, updating a Classic like that is more of a disservice to the work. The piece was not written for electric guitar and that comes across on the album. However, the lesser known Mason Williams pieces such as Riding the Low Moon, Country Idyll, and others are some of Mason's best work. This version of Country Idyll is a far sight better than the Mannheim Steamroller version. I understand why he remade it. New songs such as Eddie, I'm Ready show the humourous side of Mason that is missed in retrospect. Most don't know his origins as a comedic writer for Saturday Night Live and the Smothers Brothers, and that humour comes across on this album. Zoe McCulloch's guitar playing sounds like a mediocre elevator artist and is not the kind of artist that a man of Mason Williams' caliber should be hooking up with as she is almost totally unknown in the US. She is second rate at best. If Mason Williams wants to duet, there are a plethora of better artists on the market that would die for a chance to record with him and you wonder why he didn't try harder to find someone more commercially accessible such as the recent teamings of Rob Thomas, Michelle Branch, and Chad Kroeger with older artists from Williams' generation such as the Rolling Stones and Santana. Those teamings had immense commercial success and Williams is certainly capable of commanding such attention, you end up wondering why he didn't try harder to find someone else.
The best times are when Williams and McCulloch duet and that makes the album worth a good listen. The newer compositions are an excellent demonstration of how well the lost art of the instrumental can still be done.

Average customer rating:

The Ultimate

Manufacturer: Disky
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

House | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Euro Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Choreography
Subject to Change
Storm
Ultimate Collection
Vanessa-Mae The Violin Player

ASIN: B00019RAO4
Release Date: 2004-02-05

Tracks:

Red Hot [Symphonic Mix]
I Feel Love
Classical Gas
Picante
(I) Can, Can (You?)
Yantra
Leyenda
Bach Street Prelude
Widescreen
Night Flight
Scherzo in C Minor for Violin & Piano
Allegro (Spring-The Original Four Seasons on 8 No 1)
Toccata & Fugue in D Minor
Cotton Eye Joe [Live]

Album Description

Import exclusive compilation for the classical crossover star features 14 tracks including 2 live tracks. Highlights include, 'Red Hot' (Symphonic Mix), 'I Feel Love', 'Classical Gas', 'Picante', '(I) Can, Can (You?)', & many more. Disky. 2003.

Electronic Realizations for Rock Orchestra

Average customer rating:

Pre-Digital Electronic Music
A very sophisticated recording of electronic music

Electronic Realizations for Rock Orchestra

Manufacturer: Voiceprint UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Sequencer
Cords
Games
Audion
The Jupiter Menace

ASIN: B000167XVW
Release Date: 2004-02-16

Tracks:

Legacy
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue
Classical Gas [1975 Version]
Synergy
Relay Breakdown
Warriors

Album Details

This Re-issue Has Been Remastered and is the First in a Series that Will Make their Entire Back Cataloge Available. Includes Different Bonus Tracks to the Us Version.

Customer Reviews:

Pre-Digital Electronic Music.......2006-08-24

I have the original lp of this album(it came in clear vinyl) which was recorded in SQ quadrophonic sound! The early U.S. release on CD doesn't even come close. I only wish it could be remastered using SACD or Dolby Surround like some of todays CD's or even DVD Audio. But, even on CD this is one of the best early electronic music masterpeices!

A very sophisticated recording of electronic music.......2006-06-20

This 1975 album is, in my estimation, nearly singular in the world of electronic music due to its sheer complexity. In fact, this album by American electronic composer Larry Fast is much closer to progressive rock than Berlin School electronica for example - there is just a lot going on in each of these compositions.

The six tracks on the album range in length from 2'58" to 12'50" and feature a range of tones and dynamic contrasts. Another interesting aspect of the music, and I never expected to discuss this in a review of an electronic composition, is the abundant use of melodies, harmonies, and most importantly both rhythmic and melodic counterpoint. In fact, it is amazing what Larry achieved with just the use of a mini-moog, an Oberheim Polyphonic, and a Mellotron 400. In fact, it makes me wonder what it would have sounded like if he had scored these complicated synthesizer pieces for rock instruments, including a full drum kit.

Interestingly, Larry's link with prog rock is not as tenuous as one might think with his being an electronic composer and he struck up a good working relationship with the prog band Nektar around this time. His excellent work can be heard on Nektar's Recycled album (1975).

This remastered album features restored cover art and excellent sound quality, along with some skimpy liner notes.

This album is very highly recommended to those electronica fans who want something a little more varied than the typical fare. Also recommended are two albums by Isao Tomita including Snowflakes are Dancing (1974) and The Tomita Planets (1976).

Average customer rating:

Long time...

Classical Gas
Pepe
Manufacturer: Robbins Ent. Llc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Dance & DJ | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Classical Gas

ASIN: B00023GGFS
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Tracks:

Classical Gas [Techno Edit]
Classical Gas [Original Mix]
Classical Gas [Techno Extended]
Classical Gas [Chameleon Club Remix]
Classical Gas [Acoustic Version]

Customer Reviews:

Long time..........2004-11-25

...since the first time I heard this...Great versions are extended and Chameleon Club remixes...

Average customer rating:

Fantastic Classic Guitar Variety

Classica
Darren Curtis Skanson , and Andrew York
Manufacturer: Colorado Creative Mus
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Tracks:

Faire
Moonlight Sonata
Pobrecito
Symphony #9 In D Maj
Capricccio
Dedos De Platino
Classical Gas 2000
Rondo for Michael
Nocturne
Valse No 15
Minuet
Mi verdadero amor te esperare

Album Description

Colorado Creative Music is a Denver based micro label specializing in the production of light classical and spanish guitar music.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Classic Guitar Variety.......2001-08-20

Credit due to Beethoven.com for bringing this new artist to the attention of classic guitar lovers everywhere. Hearing his music online from this CD got me to ordering this.

I am favorably impressed with this purchase, playing it over and over. It is rich in traditional pieces such as a magnficent rendering of Ode to Joy as well as a Brahms Lullaby.

To my surprise and joy, what I enjoy most is Skanson's own compositions, especially the final track, which is has entitled Mi Verdadero Amor Te Esperare. This is just a magnificent piece, which flows smooth and silky. His other entrees on this CD as well are wonderful, Porbreito and Dedos de Platino.

He shows great versatility, from Spanish guitar to his take of Classical Gas by Mason Williams.

Album Description

Australian pressing. With tracks like 'The Journey', 'Concierto De Aranjuez' and 'Initiation' with the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra and 'Pan Man' with Slava Grigoryan, this album promises to be a special one for Tommy Emmanuel. He is no doubt one of a few instrumentalists around the world that ever get a chance to record with an orchestra, it's an endeavour which is but an illusive dream for most musicians. I went down to the Blue Train cafe in Southgate to meet up with Tommy for a talk over coffee, but only to find out that he's given up the evil drinking habit. He then goes on to tell me that he hasn't had a coffee in ten days, and he's been drinking tea and water, and the first thing he noticed is the skin on his scalp is loser. For two days he had a headache and then after that he came good, he was fine. Well, I don't know if I'll ever find out if he's telling the truth, because giving up smoking is one thing, but to me coffee is definitely the heartbeat of my soul. Sony. 2004.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Disapointment.......2005-08-25

There is too much Australian Philharmonic and too little Tommy Emmanuel. The recording sounds like the microphone was hidden in someone's pocket. It has little dynamic range and the sounds are muffled. I have a track of Tommy playing Classical Gas which I recorded off of FM radio which is far superior in performance and sound than the track on this album.

Album Review:

Album Review

Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk [Import]

Music: Bella Ragazza

Bikers...Babes...Beers...

Animatronic

All Of You

Balakirev: Islamey - Oriental Fantasy; Glazunov: Piano Sonata No. 1

Amazing Steel Guitar: The Buddy Emmons Collection

30 Salsas Pegaditas

At the Mercy of the City

Aurora

B-Sides & Rarities [Import]

Pops Britannia

The Lion's Roar: Classic M-G-M Film Scores, 1935 - 1965: Motion Picture Soundtrack Anthology