Music Fiction

Mike Varela, BPM Magazine
It’s refreshing to come across something as diverse and human as this album’s beautifully displayed... another quality addition to OM

Product Description
A dance debut magically translating what Jazz, Blues and Rock have meant to DJ Culture.

Music Fiction,Rithma,Om Records,Dance Music,Electronic,House,Pop

Average customer rating: Fantastic CD Don't Confuse Him with His Dad! AMAZING sound! Saw them live last week! FICTION PLANE Launches Forward

Left Side of the Brain Fiction Plane Manufacturer: Bieler Bros Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Post Grunge | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Everything Will Never Be OK The Police (2CD Anthology) The Police - Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out One Train Later: A Memoir Ghost In The Machine [Digipak] ASIN: B000OHZJPU Release Date: 2007-05-22

Tracks:

1. Anyone
2. Death Machine
3. Two Sisters
4. It's a Lie
5. Left Side Of the Brain
6. Cold Water Symmetry
7. Running the Country
8. Drink
9. Presuppose
10. Cross the Line
11. Fake Light From the Sun

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic CD.......2007-07-24

This is a great CD. There are so many good songs on it, you won't be dissapointed. I can't wait to see them in concert again.

Don't Confuse Him with His Dad!.......2007-07-18

Just saw Fictionplane open for the Police in Cleveland. They were amazing!! Had no idea lead was Sting's son until just before the show. He shouldn't be judged on that fact though. He is a talent all his own. He totally rocked out on the bass and his voice has tremendous range and tone. The drummer is just as awesome. (Stuart Copeland was obviously a huge influence) Two Sisters was great live. As was "My Daddy's Money". After seeing them open I look forward to their very own tour soon. I'd recommend them to anyone looking for a great new sound.

AMAZING sound!.......2007-07-11

Saw Fiction Plane in Denver, opening for The Police, and was completely impressed! Bought the CD; had no idea the lead singer was Sting's son. His music stands on its own merit -- good stuff! I can't wait to see what this group does next. I've been a Police/Sting fan for decades, but my teen sons prefer Fiction Plane. I can be happy with both! ;)

Saw them live last week!.......2007-07-10

Awesome band, nice to have another alternative sound CD to my collection. They opened for The Police last week in Chicago, all together an awesome concert, I even got their autographs on my ticket stub after they performed! I hope they stick around for awhile!

FICTION PLANE Launches Forward.......2007-06-29

Fiction Plane's third outing is an excellent snapshot offering a glimpse into the mind and soul of a struggling rock band in an unforgiving musical environment. The album is a jolting departure from the tortured serenity of Bitter Forces And Lame Race Horses, but not quite as hungry or vivacious as their debut Everything Will Never Be Okay. Unlike the majority of today's complacent rock artists, Fiction Plane is actively evolving, rather than resting comfortably in a self-imposed niche. Dropping down to a three-piece, the sobering atmosphere offered by former member Dan Brown is sparingly employed in the few songs written prior to his departure ("It's A Lie", "Drink", "Presuppose" and "Fake Light From The Sun"). This leaves ample room for the remaining troopers to tighten their sound, experiment with new sonic devices and create an album that reflects the members both as individuals and as a fierce artistic unit.

The album begins with an energetic rock track, "Anyone", that challenges the notion of traditional song structure; in that it doesn't end as much as it invites the listener in and almost too quickly ends without resolution. Joe Sumner's bass behavior taunts the listener by foreshadowing the song's chorus during the verse parts and follows the vocals during the actual chorus. Denying stereotypical closure allows the cynical anthem "Death Machine" to appropriately express itself; sneak up and slap you square in the face. Immediately, you get a sense that the band has musically progressed. Throughout the album, Seton Daunt's guitar versatility provides a wealth of sonic experiences. He ranges from extraterrestrial reverberations and guitar manipulations that wouldn't be out of place on a Yes, Porcupine Tree, Led Zeppelin or Dream Theater album to Edge-like rock guitar god prowess; all the while providing an energetic backdrop complementing Sumner's angst-laden croon-wails and Pete Wilhoit's dexterous, jazz-like percussive syncopation affectation.

It's true; it is decidedly difficult to nail down any one band with which to compare Fiction Plane as a point of reference. At times, they portray the heartrending ability of U2, and at others, they provoke the conventions of the archetypal alternative rock act. And in some instances, including the rousing "Death Machine" and near-belligerent "Presuppose", the band summons a bit of the pogo-instilling voracity of Red Hot Chili Peppers or Jane's Addiction. But it is through the somber `Everyman' outlook radiating from tracks like "Drink" and "Fake Light From The Sun" that I feel the true Fiction Plane emerges. These two songs, while ballad-like and slow-tempo, echo the sentiments of fear, isolation, rejection and guilt within us all. This is the charm of Fiction Plane; rather than being vapidly inconsistent, they continuously challenge the listener in a kaleidoscope of sound, not wholly unlike one of their longtime influences, Mr. Bungle. Ultimately, Left Side of the Brain is an album not to be taken at face value, for it is more than a collection of songs from yet-another-alt-rock-band. It is not 100% deadpan seriousness, nor is it completely tongue-in-cheek frivolity. It is an aural landscape riddled with multi-hued musical designs tempered by a lyrical illustration grounded in anxiety and possibility.

Average customer rating: Where's Wray? The soundtrack is better than the film... Still Tarantino's best I recommend this soundtrack. Really good music

Pulp Fiction: Music From The Motion Picture Various Artists Manufacturer: Mca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Nashville Sound | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Surf Rock | Oldies & Retro | Rock | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music 1990s | By Decade | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Alternative Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Country | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music R&B | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Soundtracks | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Reservoir Dogs: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Kill Bill: Volume 1 Kill Bill: Volume 2 Jackie Brown: Music From The Miramax Motion Picture (1997 Film) Pulp Fiction (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) ASIN: B000002OTL Release Date: 1994-09-27

Tracks:

1. Misirlou - Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
2. Royale With Cheese - John Travolta
3. Jungle Boogie - Kool & The Gang
4. Let's Stay Together - Al Green
5. Bustin' Surfboards - The Tornadoes
6. Lonesome Town - Ricky Nelson
7. Son Of A Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield
8. Bullwinkle Part II - The Centurians
9. You Never Can Tell - Chuck Berry
10. Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon - Urge Overkill
11. If Love Is A Red Dress (Hang Me In Rags) - Maria McKee
12. Comanche - The Revels
13. Flowers On The Wall - The Statler Brothers
14. Personality Goes A Long Way - John Travolta
15. Surf Rider - The Lively Ones
16. Ezekiel 25:17 - Samuel L. Jackson

Amazon.com

Dick Dale's surf-guitar provided the memorable title theme ("Misirlou"), for Quentin Tarantino's 1994 smash, and although that sound runs throughout the soundtrack (along with bits and pieces of dialog from the movie), this is a pretty eclectic bunch of really terrific songs. I don't know how it all manages to hang together, but it does (you might say the same for the interwoven stories in the movie). Where else are you going to find Chuck Berry, Maria McKee, Al Green, The Statler Brothers, Kool & the Gang, Urge Overkill (singing a Neil Diamond ballad!), Ricky Nelson, Dusty Springfield, and the Tornadoes (among others) one album? McKee's beautiful "If Love is a Red Dress (Hang Me in Rags)" is a standout, partly because it's less familiar. One of the few soundtracks of the '90s that went into the CD player and stayed there for weeks and months thereafter. --Jim Emerson

Album Description

1998 reissue on Simply Vinyl of MCA's smash soundtrack toQuentin Tarantino's 1994 film starring John Travolta, SamuelL. Jackson, Uma Thurman and Bruce Willis. Contains classicslike Urge Overkill's cover of 'Girl, You'll Be A WomanSoon', Dusty Springfield'

Customer Reviews:

Where's Wray?.......2007-04-16

I can't say anything about this soundtrack that hasn't been said a hundred times. The known songs are great and the surf songs are better. I just wonder why Tarantino didn't include Link Wray's "Rumble" that is played in the background during the Jack Rabbit Slims scene. It is such a great song, it would have put this soundtrack over the edge.

The soundtrack is better than the film..........2007-04-03

I like this soundtrack a ton. Surprisingly, despite the fact that I love films, I rarely buy soundtracks. I only buy them if I dig the music. This is one of the few soundtracks I have, and I play it quite a lot. I think Tarantino is an overrated filmmaker, but his choice of music here is excellent. I really like the Chuck Berry song You Never Can Tell, and I really love Miserlou, the theme of Pulp Fiction. Son of a Preacher Man is a bonafide classic, and I dig Jungle Boogie, which is superior to Kool and the Gang's awful Celebration song. This soundtrack is better than the film.

Still Tarantino's best.......2007-03-13

PULP FICTION is a movie replete with coarse language and violence. The soundtrack album accurately reflects that film. In particular, on track #1, Honey Bunny's exclamation prior to "Misrilou" is not for the faint of heart. Be advised that this CD is definitely NOT for the easily-offended.

The PULP FICTION soundtrack is a unique mix of primarily surf music, with a sprinkling of funk, pop and country. If you enjoyed the movie, this album is sure to please. Just don't play it for your grandmother!

TOTAL RUNNING TIME -- 41:28

I recommend this soundtrack........2007-03-09

Even if you aren't a big fan of the movie, the Pulp Fiction soundtrack is a must-have for music lovers of all types. It's especially enjoyable if you like the movie.

Really good music.......2007-02-13

Great songs. Just put this on and you are back in the movie. Good quality recordings as well. Much better than the original in some cases.

Average customer rating: You should have already clicked 'add to shopping cart' ... I play this repeatedly Spoon is an amazing band. OK My husband loved it

Gimme Fiction Spoon Manufacturer: Merge Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Z Show Your Bones At War with the Mystics Set Yourself on Fire Plans ASIN: B00082ZRN0 Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

1. Beast And Dragon, Adored
2. Two Sides Of Monsieur Valentine
3. I Turn My Camera On
4. My Mathematical Mind
5. Delicate Place
6. Sister Jack
7. I Summon You
8. Infinite Pet
9. Was It You
10. They Never Got You
11. Merchants Of Soul

Amazon.com

Gimme Fiction is Spoon's loosest, most eclectic effort yet. While still sounding like themselves, the Austin-based band manages to evoke a number of other artists on their fifth full-length. (It's a neat trick.) On proto-glam opener "The Beast and Dragon, Adored," Britt Daniels channels the David Bowie of The Man Who Sold the World. Then there's slinky jam "I Turn My Camera On," where he conjures up Prince or Mick Jagger, circa "Miss You," by singing in a higher register. As indicated by the title, "Sister Jack" sounds like early Who (i.e. "Happy Jack"), while "They Never Got You" sounds like Plastic Ono Band-era John Lennon. Do all these different styles hang together? For the most part: yes. After the triumph of Kill the Moonlight, Spoon could have easily rested on their laurels and issued another album just like it, but Gimme Fiction proves they would rather evolve than stagnate. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Album Description

Spoon make some of the catchiest, most confident rock 'n' roll of any group around. Their fifth full-length is nothing short of a dizzying, soulful masterpiece, easily the most expansive work in their career. "Gimme Fiction" is a sprawling, exhilarating, filler-free album of keenly focused artistic vision and ambition.

Customer Reviews:

You should have already clicked 'add to shopping cart' ..........2007-07-24

Phenomenal indie-pop rock. A must have. 'The Beast And The Dragon, Adored', 'Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine', and 'I Summon You' are three of the best songs I have heard in a long, long time. And the rest of them are gems, as well. Don't worry about if this review is helpful or not and purchase this album!

I play this repeatedly.......2007-07-19

I play it a lot not only because it has the great, thumping beats of "I turn my camera on," but also because of undeniably catchy songs like "Sister Jack," and the more sophisticated fare such as "The delicate place." Read the lyrics some time---they are far above the dreck and drivel that passes for vocal entertainment these days, for the most part.
Highly recommended.

Spoon is an amazing band........2007-07-06

I've had this album for a year, and it doesn't get old. The guitar hooks and the pop sound is incredibly addicting. Personally I like, "Girls Can Tell" better, but this doesn't fall to far from the tree. I can't wait to grab myself a copy of, "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga." I highly recommend this album!

OK.......2007-03-17

Not as good as I had hoped from the reviews. One good song and a bunch of OK ones.

My husband loved it.......2007-01-09

It was a gift..I have never heard it..then I got it for him, and he plays it everyday. Its a great CD.

Average customer rating: Good tunes!! Some hope for rock? Fantastic debut. Recommended for those bored with pop! What an Experience! FANTASTIC~!!!!

Everything Will Never Be OK Fiction Plane Manufacturer: Mca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Emo | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Post Grunge | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music $7.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Alternative Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music $7.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Left Side of the Brain The Police (2CD Anthology) One Train Later: A Memoir The Police - Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out You Still Touch Me ASIN: B00008J2L7 Release Date: 2003-03-11

Tracks:

1. Listen To My Babe
2. Everything Will Never Be OK
3. Cigarette
4. Hate
5. Soldier Machismo
6. I Wish I Would Die
7. Fallow
8. Real Real
9. Everybody Lies
10. Sickness
11. Silence
12. Wise

Customer Reviews:

Good tunes!!.......2007-06-27

I bought this after hearing only one song from the cd. I'm a huge Sting fan and wanted to see how his son compared, and I wasn't let down. While Joe Sumner isn't quite up to par with his dad their voices are similar enough that if you're a Police fan you'll probably appreciate it.
I also enjoy the style of music FP seems to gravitate towards. They're sort of mildly dark, a grey feel, and they tell stories without telling stories. I dunno, give em a listen and decide for yourself.

Some hope for rock?.......2005-05-26

Opening Sting's intimate Irving PLace May 14th show in NYC (So as to not close the tour on Friday the 13th) I got my first introduction to Fiction Plane.

I knew they were "Sting's son's band", but I am a jaded 54 year old who has seen it all starting with my first concert being Hendrix in the fall of 1968. I went in early to see.

There is so much junk being passed off as popular music these days, heck Philadelphia even lost its only decent Alt Rock station earlier this year. Sons of popular performers have really done very little but coat-tail on daddy's name.

In spite of or because of his Father's influence Joe has put together a band that really impressed me. Live they were an opening act that you didn't really want to get off the stage. I bought the album at intermission (sorry, Amazon) and have been listening to it since, wishing I had been familiar with them prior to seeing them. Interestingly enough, I recognized nearly every track from the live performance first time round.

An occasional sophomoric lyric belies Joe's youth, but generally for a debut from a famous son this is a very hopeful album that is damn good as a stand-alone. Somewhat remininsent of the energy and pathos that forged the Police and the occasional uncanny resemblance of Joe's voice to Gordon's (especially "Silence"), this band is its own and by any standard of rock a band to be eagerly followed.

I look forward to what is hopefully to come and the next opportunity to see them in a live show.

Fantastic debut. Recommended for those bored with pop!.......2005-05-18

While not usually a fan of this kind of music, I was initially struck by Fiction Plane's manic energy, which all but forced me to make closer inspection. On the surface, many fair-weather music fans would be too quick to write-off FP as yet another in a string of faceless COLDPLAY / RADIOHEAD knock-offs, however that would be a big mistake. FP wields a characteristic that is uncommon among self-pitying, melodramatic, pompous Brit Rock: a dynamic sense of fun.

While my evaluation was initially instigated by seeing the band perform, opening for Sting at 2 shows, actually listening to the CDs brings FP's package together. The band's lyrics shower the listener with an array of emotions, while the musical dexterity displayed by each member launches them into a genre all their own. Yes, FP has its share of faux-ballads discussing relationships and life-lessons, however they are subversively concealed behind boisterous and genre-leaping songwriting. While the band itself cites NIRVANA as a distinct influence, I am more inclined to believe that FP's style is a monstrous hybrid of RADIOHEAD, MAROON 5, early POLICE, PORCUPINE TREE (check out the `ghost track' following "Wise", loaded with esoteric, progressive rock overtones) and a touch of early DURAN DURAN (especially in the lyric department). I would guess that FP wanted to get out of the gates and show the world a little bit of everything that comprises them, and this debut CD does just that. That in itself is probably the album's one downside - the fact that they move in so many different directions during the course of one disc that the listener is not offered a solid impression of what the band is truly about.

However, one cannot hold that against a young band on its debut release. New acts are usually pressured by labels to create one or two strong `radio-friendly' cuts, leaving the rest of the album for the band to noodle with as filler. However, rather than play that game, FP went out on a limb and broke down walls that would otherwise limit them to one sect of listenership. As there may be one or two songs on the disc that I would chalk up as `growing pains', there are still ten very strong tracks showing the range and intensity of a band that is primed for evolution and success. Excellent standout tracks, in addition to the aforementioned ghost track, include the funky "Listen To My Babe", the incredibly cynical "Hate", and the mixed metaphor "Cigarette". I implore you, check out FICTION PLANE; the best band you've never heard on the radio!

What an Experience!.......2005-05-05

I just went to see Sting perform a couple of nights ago, having no idea there was an opening band. I was extremely impressed with Fiction Plane. They had such a new sound, and my husband was particularly impressed by the drummer. I asked the girl next to me if she knew who they were, and she didn't have a clue either. I am very embarrassed by my ignorance, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the paper the next day to find out who they were. I had to get their CD right away. It was a fantastic concert, and I was sorry I couldn't hear more of Fiction Plane. Sting was pretty awesome himself.

FANTASTIC~!!!!.......2005-05-04

I saw FP live on 05/02/2005.. opening for Sting...

once i found out who was opening for sting, and to find out that it was his son... i'd figure i'd wait and see how he sounded before getting the albums... Joe's voice is fantastic.. a nice cross between early sting and bono... and with good looks to boot!!.. thank god for nearly front row seating right in line with the mic... as soon as his set was done, i had to rush right out and get both albums (this and the ep) before they sold out...

"cigarette" is definitely one of my fav's...

definitely really great original music...

Average customer rating: this is the biggest chunk of seel out pie! After a few listens it becomes better PUNK ROCK IS NOT DEAD... AND THIS PROVES IT! Ok album overall the god of BR's atlantic years

Stranger Than Fiction Bad Religion Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Hardcore | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music American Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Rebels | Warner Brothers Records | Stores | Music Similar Items: Recipe for Hate The Gray Race The Empire Strikes First Against the Grain The Process of Belief ASIN: B000002J11 Release Date: 1994-09-06

Tracks:

1. Incomplete
2. Leave Mine To Me
3. Stranger Than Fiction
4. Tiny Voices
5. The Handshake
6. Better Off Dead
7. Infected
8. Television
9. Individual
10. Hooray For Me
11. Slumber
12. Marked
13. Inner Logic
14. What It Is
15. 21st Century (Digital Boy)

Amazon.com

Bad Religion, one of the last bands you'd expect to join the ranks of major-label rockers, makes the leap from its own Epitaph Records to Atlantic for its eighth album, Stranger Than Fiction. The quintet doesn't compromise its integrity or its aesthetics, delivering its familiar Ramones-style pop songs at crash-and-burn tempos and continuing to rail against business as usual in corporate America. (The band's social critiques have always been a cut above the average hardcore punk's, as befits a group led by a vocalist pursuing his PhD at Cornell.) Especially effective is the opening track, "Incomplete," which features guest guitar by Wayne Kramer of the MC5. --Jim DeRogatis

Customer Reviews:

this is the biggest chunk of seel out pie!.......2007-06-03

These guys totaly sold out when they singed to atlantic for this peace of junk. this album just screams sell out. Look we're played in the mall now. If you want good bad religion then get anything from how could hell be any worse up recipe for hate. I can make a better album then these sell outs can!!!

After a few listens it becomes better.......2006-08-09

Out of the 5 BR CDs I own (Process of Belief, Generator, No Control, Gray Race and Stranger than fiction) Id have to say this is the weakest of the 5. Not that thats a bad thing mind you, far from it infact. Its just this cd takes (well it did for me about 4 listens before I started to love it). The sound they portray on this cd is a very straightforward simplistic approach compared to say for example the process of belief. Its still an awesome cd but it lacks the intensity that I was hoping for. Some really good songs are included on this album such as Leave mine to me, Stranger than Fiction, Tiny Voices, The Handshake, Individual, Better off dead and Hooray for me. However there are a couple of weak tracks like Television feat Tim Armstrong of Rancid fame and the revision of the classic song: 21st Century Digital Boy. However look through all the subtle gripes Ive made and you'll find yourself ROCKING out to this after a few attempts. Just dont buy it and think that it is as intense as their other work. Hope this review helped even if it was only a little.

PUNK ROCK IS NOT DEAD... AND THIS PROVES IT!.......2006-05-06

1994 was a great year for punk rock. Green Day came out with Dookie, their first major label album... and Bad Religion gave the world Stranger Than Fiction.
Stranger Than Fiction was Bad Religion's first album on a major label, and was underappriecated by most old Bad Religion fans. But, no matter what they say, Stranger than Fiction is an awesome album.
THE BEST SONGS
Incomplete- classic Bad Religion. 'Mother, Father, look at your little monster. I'm a hero, I'm a zero.'
Stranger than Fiction- the song the album came from. Great, catchy, Bad Religion.
The Handshake- an intresting quick song. 'a handshake's nothing but a subtle f**k you.'
Slumber- you know you have an awesome band when they can take a slow song and make it one of the best in a great album. SLumber is a great song. Your Bad Religion collection isn't complete until you have this.

These are the best songs, but the album in genereal is wonderful. Any BAd Religion, heck, any punk rock fan needs this album.

Ok album overall.......2006-04-05

Ok I understand this band is a classic in the punk scene, but it doesnt make their music any less boring. It feels like they're using the same chords over and over in different orders in each song, and also id like to know, is Tim Armstrong singing in Television? If yes please rate this review as useful if not then rate it as unuseful.

the god of BR's atlantic years.......2006-03-28

when i first got into BR, i shyed away from this album like a fool at first. i thought when people said "they left epitaph", that they changed and sold out.......selling out is green day folks. BR signing to atlantic was something that provided some major changes is music and lineup.(following this album)

i just have to say, i love this album to death. infected is definately a song that is a total landmark. i also think the title song is amazing as well. some songs like tiny voices and slumber are hidden gems.

the only gripe is that they had to remake 21st century digital boy. that was totally unnecessary, but it doesnt really matter too much.

i would say that this album is an essential cd for BR fans, but not their best by far. i may put it on par with generator. this album is the biggest fish on the small pond of BR albums on atlantic records.(recipe for hate, gray race, no substance, and new america)

Average customer rating: Better than 'Character' and almost as good as 'Damage Done' melodic death metal kings another masterpiece under the belt. Less melodic, more death More Groove than Earlier Releases

Fiction Dark Tranquillity Manufacturer: Century Media ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: In Sorte Diaboli With Oden on Our Side United Abominations The Hinderers Threads of Life ASIN: B000NIIUYC Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

1. Nothing To No One
2. The Lesser Faith
3. Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive)
4. Blind At Heart
5. Icipher
6. Inside The Particle Storm
7. Empty Me
8. Misery's Crown
9. Focus Shift
10. The Mundane And The Magic

Customer Reviews:

Better than 'Character' and almost as good as 'Damage Done'.......2007-07-29

Dark Tranquillity is one of the few bands that manages to alter and improve its sound in every new release. Each release since their "The Gallery" sounds different from the previous one but still is easily distinguishable as a Dark Tranquillity offering.

Their sound follows the Swedish melodic death metal recipe but it is different from the other bands playing in the same genre (At The Gates, In Flames, The Haunted, etc). Fast, aggressive yet melodic guitar riffs and leads, pounding but also varying drumming, the perfect use and amount of keys and Stanne's low and high death vocals. The good thing about DT's songwriting is that it is not predictable. All songs are versatile, aggressive, melodic, progressive and technical all at once.

Some fans and reviewers claim that 2005's "Character" is the bands strongest release since their 1995's classic "The Gallery"... well, I strongly disagree. Although "Character" was another masterpiece, it was fast paced throughout, rawer and not so versatile. It was definitely more 'death' than 'melodic death' and that similarity of tempo in most tracks resulted in a monotonous sounding release, in a way. "Fiction" IMO perfected "Character's" sound. There are still plenty of fast songs with outstanding drumming (with the use of blast beats aswell), down tuned and heavy guitar riffs and death vocals, but there are also passages within these same songs that are more atmospheric and incorporate wonderful melodies provided by keys, guitar leads and solos.

Songs like 'Nothing To No One', 'Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive)', 'Inside The Particle Storm' and 'Focus Shift' are some of the best songs that the band has ever written. Even 'The Mundane And The Magic' which is the most simplistic and slow song manages to sound amazing due to the use of beautiful keys, varying drumming and the application of both female and clean vocals in the chorus. You will be certainly amazed by this album, it contains some of the best guitar riffs I have ever heard (you will be forced to head bang), melodic and technical guitar leads and solos, truly amazing (and not over the top) drumming and the best vocals of the genre!

I honestly believe that "Fiction" is Dark Tranquillity's strongest release after the brilliant "Damage Done" and the experimental masterpiece "Projector". For any fans of the band and for any fans of metal this is a must buy. DT are still going strong after being active for over 15 years and haven't released a weak album yet. Congratulations to them...

melodic death metal kings.......2007-06-17

Dark tranquility are one of the few melodic death metal bands that have developed a unique sound early in there career and never completley strayed from it or lost it and for that alone should be comended. They have also always released at least quality material throughout their career. Ficton is another great record from them. Each track is distingushable and fantastic in its own way. Terminus(where death is most alive) is the heaviest and fastest song on the album. Misery's crown features clean vocals which were featured prodimenatley on projector which are tremendous full of emotion without ever losing their edge and fantastic thought provoking lyrics. The last track the mundane and the majic is the only song that features female vocals and they are used to tremendous effect in the chorus. Icipher and lesser faith are also fantastic seamessly blending aggresion and a undercurrent of melody. Inside the particle shows the more elecltronic side of dark tranqulity with a strong use of keyboards throughout. Focus shift is the only weak song to me. Bottom line dark tranquility have never made a bad record and are the reigning melodic death kings in my opinion. Everything about this band is top notch though provoking lyrics what is argurabbly the best death metal vocalist in the field and the melodic but still agressive music.

another masterpiece under the belt........2007-06-04

Comparing the Dark Tranquillity's recent work with that of their historically related band In Flames, it seems almost counter-intuitive for dark tranq's standards to have remained so high. This review is not of course to speak of In Flames, but merely keep them in mind when considering how different Dark Tranquillity's work has become. Instead of forcing their music to fit a preconceived notion of commercialism to the point where all of the songs end up sounding like it was churned out of somebody's Swedish metal factory. _Fiction_ marks the third masterpiece in a row, and by now they have utterly perfected the stylistic turn that began years back with the mostly successful experiment _Projector_. It is easy enough to lump _Projector_ into the same category as stuff like _Clayman_ or _Natural Born Chaos_, although such a comparison does not bear much usefulness as _Projector_ did not mark a turn to commercialism in the scope of dark tranq's career, but instead was an experiment in the grand scheme of finding awesome music.

With gorgeous pianos and keys shining alongside the ever-brilliant guitar leads and riffs, _Fiction_ also marks the return of Stanne's clean vocals on two tracks and a female-voice supported chorus on the final track, the stunning finale "The Mundane and the Magic". The music is very close to _Character_, but where _Character_'s tracks came off sounding a bit blurred together, _Fiction_'s variety and imagination shows that if anything, Dark Tranquillity is only getting better and may yet peak beyond even what they attained with their youthful masterworks of genre-defining melodeath godliness, _The Gallery_ and _The Mind's I_. In fact, this is the best album since those. Tracks like the grumbling opener "Nothing to No One", the soaring "Focus Shift", or the ripping speedmetal of "Blind at Heart" are mainstays of the band's modern sound, combining the band's literally unmatched ear for melody and arrangement with their impeccable classical (as in western art music) sense of development and structure. Also of great interest is the churning, massive "Inside the Particle Storm", the driving metal of "Misery's Crown", with its sparse clean verses, growly-crunchy choruses and bridge with a blistering riff that screams for air guitar, and of course the INCREDIBLE closer "The Mundane and the Magic", where Stanne and guest singer Nell trade off lines on the chorus to chilling effect, and verses develop with seething guitar crunch and melancholy piano. This song in a way evokes "Bolt of Blazing Gold" without sounding at all like it, and that is of course a good thing. The production has been compressed to a grey smear with little breathing room for the arrangements, heavy and thick, which would out of context appear as a bad thing were the music not so perfectly incredible. Any other production would feel like it belonged with a different recording.

Less melodic, more death.......2007-05-20

This album and its spiritual (and chronological) predecessor Character mark a shift in Dark Tranquillity's approach to melodic death metal -- namely, a shift away from melody and towards death. Accordingly, the production has become emptier and drier, the sonic equivalent of walking barefoot across the smooth concrete floor of a darkened empty warehouse.

For some, this is a welcome change. But for me, DT's Damage Done represented the high-water mark in melodic death. It was full of pain and longing and rage, evoked through its haunting melodies. The album was very emotionally expressive (for metal) even when Mikael Stanne withheld his throaty rasping vocals. Fiction trades some of that for more aggressive riffs and dusty ambience.

Despite all this, the album is quite good. The opener "Nothing to No One" throws some well-placed blast beats in your face while retaining the DT feel. "Focus Shift" initially misdirects with a grooving downtuned riff, then layers the guitars on in anticipation of the fist-pumping anthemic chorus. It's also nice to hear several mini-guitar solos sprinkled in liberally throughout the album. Song quality is a little uneven compared to Damage Done, but if you wanted to read a review on that album you'd be on a different product page.

Currently without any real peers in this type of metal, Dark Tranquillity's stiffest competition is themselves. 4.25 stars.

More Groove than Earlier Releases.......2007-05-19

Though I have to disagree with a previous reviewer: There's strong hints of Sabbath in many of these songs, and they ARE a mainstream band; they lose nothing here. The most noticeable difference with most of their previous releases is a concentration on groove as well as melody. There's a bit of downtuned-churning on this one, but I'm one of those guys that loves that. (Terminus is an example)

Many of the riffs display with a great attitude, and groove like a slower version of Fear Factory's Demanufacture. It's closest brother for comparison is Character, and it is amazingly eclipsed. The keyboards are allowed to take over large swaths of songs, and they provide that level of depth that only electronics can provide to an already great song. (Icipher, and Empty Me for that example.)

The album's overall atmospheric piece is "Inside the Particle Storm."

If you were to blend Character and Projector together, this is the album you would get.

Average customer rating: Great 21st Century Blues difficult, grim, unpleasant the stuff that lasts

Truth Is Not Fiction Otis Taylor Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Delta Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Blues | Styles | Music Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music Acoustic Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Modern Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Similar Items: White African Double V Respect the Dead When Negroes Walked the Earth Below the Fold ASIN: B00009NH8M Release Date: 2003-06-24

Tracks:

1. Rosa, Rosa
2. Kitchen Towel
3. comb Your Brown Hair
4. Babies Don't Lie
5. Be My Frankenstein
6. House Of The Crosses
7. Past Times
8. Shakie's Gone
9. Be My Witness
10. Nasty Letter
11. Walk On Water
12. Baby, Please Don't Go

Amazon.com

There is an upbeat style of blues that lightens life's darkest moments by its sheer joyfulness and exuberance. And then there is Otis Taylor's style of blues. On his fourth album, the multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter drags us once again into the seething underbelly of emotional gloom, wallowing in the sadness, hurt, and confrontation of the human condition. It's not pretty, but it's the territory that has been uniquely staked out by Taylor and his stripped-down, percussion-less backing duo of producer-bassist Kenny Passarelli and lead guitarist Eddie Turner. This riveting storytelling music springs from Delta, folk, slave, and prison songs, with many tracks boiled down to a single repeated chord. Mournful cello occasionally fleshes out the sound, but with Turner's slicing lead guitar and Taylor's dusky voice singing harrowing tales of lynching, rape, murder, death, lost love, and nasty letters, the intensity generated--even by the album's only cover, "Baby Please Don't Go"--is off the scale. Not for the squeamish, Taylor's chilling music provokes, angers, and unnerves the listener in ways that are just too powerful for most artists to muster. Otis Taylor's truth is found in the dark recesses and murky shadows. Explore it with caution. --Hal Horowitz

Customer Reviews:

Great 21st Century Blues.......2006-03-07

Otis Taylor is at the top of a very short list -- current, vibrant African-American musicians expressing themselves through blues. Although Taylor obviously has assimilated classic Delta, rural and urban blues but has no interest in becoming an archivist or revivalist. He is telling his stories, not recycling Robert Johnson's. The same can be said of his music.

If there are "rules" to the blues, Otis Taylor is breaking pretty much all of them. These songs mix electric and acoustic instruments, with no drums. Taylor plays a very percussive banjo on some tracks, and other cuts include background cello that sounds like an early Suzanne Vega disc. Since this CD, Taylor hit upon "Trance Blues" as a way to describe his music. It simultaneously appeals to "jam band" festivals and John Lee Hooker fans. This is the most idiosyncratic blues(-ish) stuff I've heard in ... pretty much ever. Purists will be as unhappy with Taylor as the Newport Festival crowd was with Dylan in 1965. People who love blues but are ready to move on from Clarksdale circa 1938 without should really check this out. Folks who have worried about blues becoming fossilized with no means to develop or grow will be thrilled.

I notice that one of the reviewers is dismayed by the subject matter in this CD. It bears noting that this is not heavy-handed or uniformly sad stuff. It is a pleasant listen. The song about organ transplantation ("Be My Frankenstein" -- I told you this is not 1930's blues) is downright lighthearted. Taylor is as entitled to write a song about lynching as Billie Holiday was to sing "Strange Fruit." But if you're looking for 12-bar shuffles, you won't find them here. Highly recommended.

difficult, grim, unpleasant.......2004-06-16

I guess I'm one of the shallow people who likes a little wisdom, a little commentary, or a little irony to dilute ugliness and misery. Taylor's an artist, clear-eyed and apparently sincere, but this is about as fun as a holocaust documentary. It has none of the release usually associated with blues (or honky-tonk country) and although admirable, it's anything but enjoyable. I can't think of a setting or situation which would make me want to pop this in the CD player. I'm going to put on some Nick Drake to cheer myself up.

the stuff that lasts.......2003-07-21

Today just about any tradition-based, secular African-American musician is routinely called a blues artist, as if blues were all there is to be said about black folk music. So call Otis Taylor a "bluesman" if you will, but if so, he is far from an ordinary one. He fuses old and new in a striking, even startling, manner, and with such assurance that one cannot help comparing it to Dylan's comparable achievement. Though Truth Is Not Fiction has its own, distinctive sound, it will bring to mind such masterpieces as Time Out of Mind and Love and Theft. Yes, on the evidence of this disc, one can speak of Dylan and Taylor in the same sentence.

Though thoroughly contemporary, the arrangements eerily bridge the 19th and 21st Centuries in roughly the way Dylan's recent work has done. Taylor's settings are sparer, however, and his narratives more straightforward. Taylor even manages to breathe new life into the one non-original, the hoary folk-blues "Baby, Please Don't Go" (Big Joe Williams's often-recorded rewrite of the old prison lament "Another Man Done Gone"), but it's his own material that places him among the most compelling American roots performers to come along in recent memory. Dylan would have been proud to write -- for but one example -- "Shakie's Gone," but even the master would be hard-pressed to pull it off half so well.

This is music from a deep well, indeed. If you're looking for the stuff that lasts, Otis Taylor certainly has it.

Average customer rating: The penultimate collection ... Muisic of the Spheres The Ulllllltimate Sci-Fi Music Collection SciFi Album gift Away From to be a Collectible Peace

The Science Fiction Album Various Artists Manufacturer: Silva America ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Star Wars | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Star Trek | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: Sci-Fi Channel - Sci-Fi's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1: Final Frontiers Fantastic Journey Sci-Fi Channel - Sci-Fi's Greatest Hits, Vol. 4: Defenders Of Justice Sci-Fi Channel - Sci-Fi's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2: The Dark Side The Science Fiction Album, Vol. 1 ASIN: B000066HE5 Release Date: 2005-02-08

Tracks:

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Aliens
3. Sound Effect - The Nostromo
4. Alien
5. A.I.
6. Armageddon
7. Sound Effect - Apollo 13 Lift-off
8. Apollo 13
9. Back To The Future
10. Battle Beyond The Stars
11. Battlestar Galactica
12. The Black Hole
13. Contact
14. Capricorn One
15. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
16. The Day The Earth Stood Still
17. Dune

Tracks:

1. Galaxy Quest
2. Sound Effect - Dogfight in Space
3. Enemy Mine
4. Ghostbusters
5. Gremlins
6. Heavy Metal
7. Independence Day
8. E.T.
9. Judge Dredd
10. The Last Starfighter
11. Lifeforce
12. Sound Effect - Crash Landing
13. Lost In Space
14. Mars Attacks
15. The Matrix
16. Predator
17. The Right Stuff

Tracks:

1. Moonraker
2. Robocop
3. Silent Running
4. Sound Effect - Alien Organism
5. Species
6. Stargate
7. Starship Troopers
8. Starman
9. Star Trek - TV Theme
10. Star Trek: The Motion Picture End Title
11. Klingon Attack
12. Sound Effect - Warp Drive
13. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
14. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
15. Star Trek: Generations
16. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Tracks:

1. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
2. Sound Effect - Transporter Crew
3. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Main Theme
4. Star Trek First Contact
5. Star Wars
6. The Empire Strikes Back
7. The Empire Strikes Back
8. Return of the Jedi
9. Sound Effect - Battle Stations
10. Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace - The Flag Parade
11. Anakin's Theme
12. The Adventures of Jar Jar
13. Duel of the Fates
14. The Time Machine
15. Things to Come
16. The Thing From Another World
17. War of the Worlds
18. When Worlds Collide
19. Total Recall
20. You Only Live Twice
21. Superman

Customer Reviews:

The penultimate collection ..........2006-12-07

Generally I agree with Strategos in his ecstatic Spotlight Review above. It is a joy to here some of the most memorable themes and cues from some of the most memorable science fiction and fantasy movies (re)recorded in great sound and in lavish (re)orchestrations, played by renowned classical orchestras, namely the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra, no less.

I have always had a weak spot for (good, or maybe even intelligent) science fiction/fantasy and film music, especially its way of evoking mystery, grandure and wide open spaces. Call it a weakness if you want. But it was maybe really kick started off, for as far as I can remember, with Star Trek. But especially Star Trek II, III and IV - essentially a trilogy - because of their very romantic but very warm, human core, set on the broadest canvasses of unlimited and mysterious outer space. But then there was the music for adding that essential extra dimension of emotion and atmosphere. I am happy that much of the music on this album is from the Star Trek series and films, often equaling or sometimes even outclassing the original recordings.

This kind of music (for the movies) should be seen as an art on its own rights with its own merits and qualities. As such, the musical sequences on these CD's are a beautifully played cross section of some of the most evoking orchestral music for science fiction/fantasy film ever created. And I very much like the nicely blended, wide and deep orchestral soundpicture with enough reverberation to evoke a sense of wide open spaces.
I am quite thrilled by tracks like the evocative music from Dune, truly transporting one to the vastly sands of Arrakis (the music is wonderful, but to my great regret I think the movie itself is a flawed masterpiece at best, alas.). And then there is the very different, goofy music for Ghostbusters (memories of childhood), the spoofy but electrifying music from Mars Attacks (lovingly parodist music, this, with not a little touch of irony) and the happily adventurous, forward driving Theme from Galaxy Quest ('Never give up, never surrender!'), now also used for the internet-based fan-series Star Trek: The Hidden Frontier. On the other side of the spectrum we have the atmospheric music for Enemy Mine (an underestimated 'little' movie), the Theme from The Right Stuff (actually science FACT, not fiction, this film, just like Apollo 13, of course), the eerily attractive music for Species, the original End Title for Alien (not used in the theatrical version of the movie, where it was replaced by music from howard Hanson's Second Symphony), the exquisitely exotic music for Stargate, the sweet and warmly sympathetic, beautifully re-orchestrated, theme for Starman, the title cue for Star Trek: TOS (much more melodiously played than the original! If only a series nowadays could continue to be as thought provoking and as original as Star Trek was during its launch, fourty years ago ...) and a truly overpowering End Titles Suite from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. I especially like the thrillingly grandiloquent rendition here of the music for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. And how nice it is to hear the (thematic) similarities between James Horner's music for The Wrath of Khan, his great break-through as a film music composer, and his (two years) earlier music for Battle Beyond the Stars (which did indeed help him earn the job for writing the music for Star Trek II) ...

But on the 'down side', if one is looking for - for example - the gorgeously expansively played End Titles from Cocoon, it is not included here: one has to acquire the album that 'kicked it all off', so to say, namely 'Space and Beyond', also on Silva Screen. I was very pleased also with the inclusion on that album of some of the music from the series Star Trek: The Next Generation, namely where one of the characters, Tasha Yar, in one of the episodes (Skin of Evil) is saying goodbye to her crewmmates: sweetly sentimental and simple music which I have always wanted to own on CD. I guess that a few cues from the other two sequals ('Alien Invasion: Space and Beyond II' and 'Space3: Beyond the Final Frontier') didn't make it onto this 4 CD collection-album as well, but I guess that it would be the 'better part of the bargain' to opt to buy this 'The Science Fiction Album' instead of buying all three albums separately. Well, of course it is for yourself to ultimately decide what you really want ;-)

If I were to nitpick (which is not easy with such a marvellous project as this one), then I would say that while all music is performed with magnificent grandure and with style, some of it is not performed as crisply and as technically 'on the spot' as some of the original recordings: ensemble is a little slack and the playing somewhat stilted sometimes, losing some of the edge and the originality of the writing. ET and Star Wars spring to mind, but then the soundtracks for Star Wars are traditionally recorded with the magnificent London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro John Williams himself, and these superior recordings (especially the ones for Episode I, II and III) can't really be bettered, IMHO. Likewise for the music from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, I believe that in the end one really has to resort to the ultimate reference, namely the original recording (which is true in many other instances of 'original recordings'), and then the 20th anniversay colector's edition of this soundtrack on Columbia/Legacy (truly unmissable, this veritable classic of sci-fi/film music soundtracks!).

But all in all this 4CD-collection amounts to probably being the penultimate high quality sci-fi music album collection (I certainly know of no other project that comes as close quality as well as quantity wise), with some of the most memorable musical moments from classic to modern sci-fi/fantasy film captured in lavish orchestrations.
Collection-wise: five *stars*. Playing: generally four *stars*, sometimes more. The recording quality: five *stars*. The music (qualified on its own merits as film music) and its (re)orchestrations: generally five *stars*. In the end this is all highly recommended, and certainly not to be missed by science fiction and fantasy film music fans. Klaatu barada nikto.

Muisic of the Spheres.......2006-11-06

You wonderful four disk collection of SF music. It startsa up the the grand master of SF music, 2001: A space Odyssey all the way to Superman. This is all American SF music and several themes I would have liked to have included are not there. All in all though, a collection you will enjoy.

The Ulllllltimate Sci-Fi Music Collection.......2005-10-23

If one person gives great gifts, it's the illustrious Codemaster Talon. I've received a fair number of gifts in my lifetime, but so far, my older sister's take the cake. Take this one for instance. I'm real big on orchestral music, to the point where I listen to them more than any other kind of music. I've got orchestral versions of video game themes, orchestral soundtracks to truck-loads of anime shows (Big O, Escaflowne, and Giant Robo are incredible), and could probably spend the rest of my life just trying to study the nuances of all the classical music I've got. Being such a huge fan of orchestral music, I also have come to believe that orchestra music produced for movies and television is the new classical music (or as someone once said, Mozart would be making music for movies if he were alive today). Being a huge sci-fi fan, that kind of music has always been particularly near and dear to my heart. But were I to buy each and every soundtrack for every sci-fi I liked it would cost quite a bundle, and would include a lot of sub-par music along with the grandiose and fantastic main and memorable themes. That's where this beauty comes in.

The moment I ripped off the shrink-wrap and popped it into my cd player was a moment of great trepidation. Believe me when I tell that I've seen my fair share of sub-par orchestral recording in my lifetime. Very often they are in those big super-packs of music, and suffer from poor direction, improper mastering, and sometime even pathetic orchestration (or worse yet have something sounding like a cheap synthesizer and a kazoo in place of a full orchestra). I needn't have worried though. This sucker is fantastic.

Many people who are not audiophiles will probably miss the point of this cd collection. It is not the original versions of the pieces. It is re-orchestrations, mostly by the phenomenal Prague Symphony Orchestra. Many of these themes didn't sound all that hot in there original versions because they were low budget films or were not recorded in high-fidelity. Here they are given the full treatment, mastered with the most loving care imaginable. Often the version found in these cds is SUPERIOR to the original.

Remember the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey? Of course you do. But how many times have you heard a cheap imitation of the original version from the movie, starting too low in volume and ending too high (and missing the essential pipe-organ that gives it that extra oomph)? Well, this first track in the entire collection is not only everything it should be instrumental and timing-wise, but it also has been oh-so-carefully adjusted during the mastering process so that at no time is the music either too low or too high in volume (surely a benchmark for every other recording ever to be made of the piece).

Or what about the theme from the (at-the-time) uber-creepy The Black Hole? The orchestration of this piece of music goes from tiumphant to terrifying and back again, with a splendor and cleanness that I CERTAINLY don't remember being in the original recording.

Then there's the new version of the theme from Independence Day, complete with a violin solo, a far more electrifying ending climax, and a chorus so thunderous that you feel like applauding at the end. Simply indescribable. Kind of like the MIND-BLOWING rendition of the theme from The Last Star Fighter. This has been one of my favorite themes for a long time now, but I've never heard it played like this. I think the original version of the theme is something like 1 minute long, but this new version doesn't just fade out (HAHAHAHA!!!!) THIS version is THREE minutes long, goes through the main theme THREE times, with the final strains being so triumphant and joyous I could not help but feel an electrifying charge the first dozen or so times (come to think of it, I still feel that way). This is superior to the original in EVERY way. AWESOME.

And let's not forget the incredible new rendition of Stargate with it's heavy use of clarinets (for Egyptian effect!) and a triumphant new ending (completely lacking the chanting from the original version. This version is so different that for the first minute it is very hard to tell that it is in fact Stargate. But then the main theme kicks in, and then you get this incredible flute solo for my favorite part of theme (the whole thing is played slower, but arguably more powerfully than the original). My goodness. At first I found the thing so different I didn't like it. But then I listened to it again. And again. And again.

I could go on and on, talking about the fantastic new rendition of Moon Raker, the ear-popping Battlestar Galactica, the classic Star Trek (First Contact has a minute or two of the theme from Star Trek:The Motion Picture before going into the main theme), or the sweet renditions of music from the Star Wars movies (or the music from E.T.).

I have to mention though that this collection was not picked based merely on what people want, or on what is popular. No, the people who made it obviously thought a GOOD music collection was better than a popular one. That's why you get a heartbreakingly beautiful theme from A.I. instead of the main theme. It's why you get music from movies that you probably never gave a second thought to the music (because the movie was lousy). It's why you get Armageddon, Judge Dredd, and Robocop (who would have guessed their music was so COOL when there was all that crazy action and bad-acting going on on-screen).

I said it before and I'll say it again. This cd-set was mastered with tender-loving-care, and it shows BIG-TIME. High-fidelity the likes of which I have not seen since the days when cds were brand-new in the world. Dolby Surround. Perfectly balanced. BEAUTIUFL orchestrations. About the only thing that makes me scratch my head is the weird sound-effect tracks (Oooookay.....). Other than that, it's PERFECT. Obviously they could not include every sci-fi theme ever (no one can), but this collection is REALLY GOOD. A lot of great themes that got away (forgotten gems :), new versions of old favorites, and under-appreciated classics aplenty, but ALWAYS the full and complete versions with nothing cut-out (the theme from Dune is quite extended).

If you love movie music (and sci-fi movie music in particular) you MUST buy this awesome collection). It is not the original recordings. Almost always the new ones are better (if they aren't better they're just equal). This is what you have been waiting for. I for one am going to be buying quite a few cds from this company in the future. Give your ears the treat they deserve. Buy it NOW.

SciFi Album gift.......2005-07-20

I bought the Science Fiction Album as a gift for my son who is twenty-one years old. He is a musician, and also a huge fan of many SciFi shows and movies. I thought this would be the perfect thing for him and I was right. He loves it!

Away From to be a Collectible Peace.......2004-12-16

If you like Sci-Fi movies and want a compilation of their important scores, this is the CD-set to buy. But let me warn you about that very few songs in the cds are from the original soundtracks. Most of them is re-recorded by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. But the sound quality of cds are very good, because they have HDCD and Dolby Surround labels. This set is away from to be a collectible peace, but it is a good general compilation of favorite Sci-Fi movie scores.

Average customer rating: RICHARD SHINDELL'S "COURIER" - A TRIUMPHANT TROUBADOR Captures Richard Live! Check this out "Laid Back" folks! Shindell's best work to date Richard WHO?

Courier Richard Shindell Manufacturer: Signature Sounds ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Vuelta Somewhere Near Paterson Blue Divide Cry Cry Cry Sparrows Point ASIN: B00005Y1TX Release Date: 2002-02-12

Tracks:

1. The Courier
2. Memory Of You
3. Next Best Western
4. Willin
5. The Kenworth Of My Dreams
6. Arrowhead
7. Reunion Hill
8. Nora
9. A Summer Wind, A Cotton Dress
10. On A Sea Of Fleur De Lis
11. The Ballad Of Mary Magdalen
12. Are You Happy Now?
13. Transit
14. Fourth Of July, Asbury Park

Amazon.com

These live recordings find the seminarian-turned-new-folkie in his element: playing before an attentive, enthusiastic audience in his native New Jersey and New York, spinning mythic stories of fateful battlefields, haunted truckers, and visionary saints and lovers alike. Fronting an easygoing band of expert pickers, Richard Shindell turns in surprisingly solid covers of Little Feat and Bruce Springsteen tunes. Cry, Cry, Cry partner Lucy Kaplansky wraps Shindell's nasal, sinewy delivery in subtle harmonies, pushing the best of these songs, including "Next Best Western" and his finest, most poignant take on relationships, "Are You Happy Now," past previously recorded versions. As an introduction to Shindell's spiritual lyricism and as a live document for longtime fans, Courier is a cache of reflective, gently glowing gems. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

RICHARD SHINDELL'S "COURIER" - A TRIUMPHANT TROUBADOR.......2007-03-27

Few artists can successfully translate the strength and intimacy of a live performance onto a CD, but Richard Shindell is just the sort of rare singer/songwriter who does just that. His CD, titled "COURIER" was recorded live in New York and New Jersey, and the excitement of those performances is beautifully captured on this album. The CD opens with the title track "COURIER"-a strong foksy work told in the typical Shindell style of first person narrative. With such an impressive work as the number one track, some might worry that the rest of the CD may pale in comparison.On the contrary, it continues to get better and better with each passing song. Not only is Shindell's voice rich and expressive, but his writing is so insightful that one is reminded of other greats like Joni Mitchell and Tracy Chapman. His themes are serious-lost love (as told in "Memory of You" and "Nora",), War (as exhibited in the magnificent "Reunion Hill") and Prejudice ( in the song "Fishing"). Yet, Shindell's keen sense of humor helps to keep the work from being too mired down in the maudlin. For instance, in his crowd-pleasing "Are You Happy Now", he speaks about his lover who abandoned him on, of all days, Halloween. He writes "What was I supposed to do/But to sit there in the dark/ I was amazed to think that you/ took the candy with you too". By laughing through his pain, Shindell's angst becomes more powerful without being overpowering. Richard Shindell is an engaging performer with a rock-solid voice that is nothing short of mesmerizing, yet his greater talent is his writing. He weaves such intricate tales in a few perfectly chosen words...a true poet, as witnessed in such Shindell classics as "The Next Best Western" and "A Summer Wind, A Cotton Dress", that it is little wonder that Richard Shindell's work has become a staple on other's recordings, most notably Joan Baez, whose covers of "Reunion Hill" and "Fishing" truly bring out the genius of the work. On "COURIER", Richard Shindell is blessed with some fine back up musicians and singers, including John Putnam on guitar, Denny McDermott on drums, Lincoln Schleifer on bass, and the ethereal Lucy Kaplansky lending her lilting country folk voice as a perfect foil to Shindell's powerful tones. There are no missteps on this recording...only brilliant writing in the true folk tradition, presented in a straight-on manner that is certain to please.

Captures Richard Live!.......2005-11-28

Most songs are quite brilliant. "Courier," "Transit," "Reunion Hill," and "Ballad of Mary Magdalen," are the best. Even a couple of trucker songs in there done very well, like "Next Best Western." This CD gives one an excellent feel for what a live show is like.

If you get a chance, read his bio on the [...] He has quite an interesting history.
He was going to be a priest, but apparently found songwriting more interesting and more "his calling." He is still a very spiritual man and it shows through in his intelligently crafted music.

Check this out "Laid Back" folks!.......2005-03-29

This is a really clean, tight nit live performance by Mr. Shindell. A couple of the tracks sound somewhat familiar but it's overall variety and tone is really nice. A real asset for a late night run down the interstate. Good stuff I must say!!!

Shindell's best work to date .......2005-01-11

I loved Richard Shindell in the "Cry Cry Cry" project with Lucy Kaplansky and Dar Williams, and the cover of his "Reunion Hill" as done by Joan Baez is as magnificent and stirring as anything you'll hear. But I've found his voice slightly nasal for my tastes, and the recordings (even his solo performances) a bit dry compared with his always stellar songwriting.

Until this.

I listen to this album when I want to feel life deeply. It's a live album without chatter between songs, which really works for me, his voice and songwriting meeting in blissful marriage. The Civil War ballad "Arrowhead" thoughtfully explores the "glamour" of war vs. its reality; the relationship song "Are You Happy Now?" is poignant AND fall-down funny; "The Ballad of Mary Magdalen" has special longing from the male voice as compared with the Cry Cry Cry version. Nice to hear Lucy backing him him up on some of the tracks. And special notice to the spiritual, surrealistic revenge fantasy "Transit," which always gives me chills (in an uplifting way).

Tasteful covers of "Willin'" and "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" round out this altogether spectacular offering.

Richard WHO?.......2004-12-17

Why are all the great artists of my time so obscure that when you mention them most people don't know who you're talking about? I guess we just have to look at who just got re-elected President to see the lack of judgment of the American public. The all DO know who Jessica Simpson is though.

This is a magnificent CD from beginning to end. Shindell's songs are brilliant, and his vocals are passionate and moving. "The Next Best Western," "Reunion Hill" and "The Ballad of Mary Magdalen" are probably the most intensely PERFECT songs on this CD, but it's difficult to say that anything on this Cd is a "stand-out." Every song is a "stand-out."

Average customer rating: A beautiful set of albums... crucial american music quite exquisite long-awaited Ornette masterpiece as deluxe CD absolutely essential

Complete Science Fiction Sessions Ornette Coleman Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Similar Items: Skies of America Sound Grammar At the "Golden Circle" in Stockholm, Vol. 1 Change of the Century At The Golden Circle Vol. 2 ASIN: B00004T0PM Release Date: 2000-05-02

Tracks:

1. What Reason Could I Give?
2. Civilization Day
3. Street Woman
4. Science Fiction
5. Rock the Clock
6. All My Life
7. Law Years
8. Jungle Is a Skyscraper
9. School Work
10. Country Town Blues
11. Street Woman [Alternate Take][*]
12. Civilization Day [Alternate Take][*]

Tracks:

1. Happy House
2. Elizabeth
3. Written Word
4. Broken Shadows
5. Rubber Gloves
6. Good Girl Blues
7. Is It Forever?

Amazon.com

This two-CD set combines a pair of Ornette Coleman's Columbia LPs, Science Fiction and Broken Shadows, and adds three tracks--a new piece, an alternate take, and an alternate mix. Most of the material comes from sessions in September 1971, when Coleman surrounded himself with old associates--including the group with which he'd made his startling New York debut a dozen years earlier: trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Billy Higgins. Also along were tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman, drummer Ed Blackwell, and trumpeter Bobby Bradford, another longtime associate. The seven musicians recorded as two distinct quartets, as a quintet with Bradford, and as a septet, while other guests contributed to still more permutations. All the musicians were deeply immersed in Coleman's musical language: the complex, sometimes jagged tunes; the emotional directness that drew on the wellspring of the blues; the sprung rhythms and melodic freedom that had first defined the free-jazz movement.

The set's first CD consists largely of quartet and quintet pieces. There are new groupings that take new directions, such as two evocative songs with the gifted Indian vocalist Asha Puthi, accompanied by a septet with two classical trumpeters and Higgins on tympani. And on "Science Fiction," the band breathes seething chaos around the poet David Henderson's voice. Much of the second CD concentrates on the septet, a group that inevitably invokes Coleman's most radical grouping, the "double quartet" that recorded Free Jazz in 1960, with five of the original members present. The pieces here are shorter, with more clearly defined compositional materials, but the collective improvisations are still bracing and the rhythmic dialogues often stunning. While Cherry and Coleman no longer worked together regularly, they shared a vision and empathy unique in jazz, and the shifting densities and internal meters of "Elizabeth" are something to behold. "Good Girl Blues" and "Is It Forever" catch Coleman layering and alternating different components--Kansas City blues, swing, bop, free, and classical--to create unique musical spaces. This is one of Coleman's strangest groupings, with his regular band joined by blues singer Webster Armstrong, guitarist Jim Hall, hard-bop pianist Cedar Walton, and a woodwind quintet. This is essential hearing, varied and intriguing music from one of the greatest architects, composers, and improvisers in the history of jazz. Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

A beautiful set of albums..........2005-12-10

While other reviewers have mentioned that it would be useful to hear earlier Ornette albums to have some frame of reference for this one, it's the first Coleman album I ever heard: That said, I became absolutely immersed in it. The variation created by using so many different group configurations, keeps proceedings consistantly strong and simultaneously varied. The tracks featuring the Indian vocalist are absolutely breathtaking, and Coleman's playing on these albums is at once obtuse and very catchy. While this music may be complex, it still manages to retain accessibility and warmth. This is the Coleman album I will keep coming back to.

crucial american music.......2005-01-04

this collection of music represents a groundbreaking period in modern american music. ornette put together the perfect ensemble(s) to accomplish the task and they performed beautifully. the whole record is a wonderful meditation on and sublime interpretation of the whole of american music up to 1970.

none of ornette's stuff is for the casual listener, of course, so it's worth the time and effort to peruse his earlier works to build a frame of reference for this record. i consider this to be the pinnacle of ornette's recorded work - which is not to say i don't love his later stuff. but these recordings seem to me the essence of ornette's contribution to music.

quite exquisite.......2000-05-20

this is a collection of two ornette albums that were previously unavailable on cd in the united states, Broken Shadows and Science Fiction. these two albums, comprised here as one, are lost holes in the vast Ornette Coleman discography. The instrumentation is quite ride spread, including some very interesting vocal pieces. all in all any Ornette fan should buy this and listen to it regularly. it is excellent.

long-awaited Ornette masterpiece as deluxe CD.......2000-05-07

At last! SCIENCE FICTION on CD -- 24-bit mapped, and given the full Mosaic-style treatment by Michael Cuscuna. Included are 2 alternate takes and 1 never before released track from the original 1971 sessions, along with all the material from those sessions originally released in 1982 as BROKEN SHADOWS.

SCIENCE FICTION is the first Ornette record I heard, in 1975, and I still love it. Most of it sounds quite like the great Atlantic recordings of 1959-62, with Charlie Haden on bass, either Ed Blackwell or Billy Higgins on drums, and Don Cherry or Bobby Bradford on trumpet (and all 5 on some tracks). Dewey Redman, in Ornette's working band of the time, also plays on many of the tracks. The twist is that there are several vocal tracks -- the 2 with Asha Puthli, the female pop/classical singer from Bombay, are heartbreakingly beautiful. (Some critics did not approve, but they weren't listening!) The title track features the poet David Henderson, and it truly sounds like Science Fiction. Two more vocal tracks, from BROKEN SHADOWS, are more conventional, and frankly can be safely skipped. A highlight of the set is "Law Years," one of Ornette's best known and often covered compositions (by Old and New Dreams and Ken Vandermark, among others). The variety of styles and textures made the original SCIENCE FICTION, to me, Ornette's greatest accomplishment as a cohesive album. (Be aware that many critics disagreed.) There is a wrenching intensity to every track on the original album, the first 8 of the 19 collected here, making a statement greater than the sum of the individual pieces, a testimony to Ornette's compositional vision. It is interesting to find that "School Work" is the theme used in DANCING IN YOUR HEAD, Ornette's first electric Prime Time recording from 1976. That was to be Ornette's new direction following this work, so SCIENCE FICTION stands as the last great recording before Ornette's "Second Period."

Absolutely essential!

absolutely essential.......2000-05-06

When all is said and done, these will go down as some of Ornette's greatest works. By the time he did these, he was very tight with Cherry, Haden, Higgins, Blackwell, and Redman so anything he did with those musicians was outstanding.

Some of the cuts (Civilization Day, Street Woman, Law Years, Country Town Blues) more or less follow the Atlantic model (see "Beauty is a Rare Thing")

There also are two very beautiful songs (What Reason Could I Give and All My Life) sung by a fabulous Indian singer (who later appeared on a recording by Henry Threadgill), and some more densely layered compositions (Rock the Clock, Science Fiction, Jungle Is A Skyscraper) with sizzling energy that captures the times they were recorded in.

There may be a few selections which are half-baked, but this is a box set whose purpose is to document a series of sessions.

Don't miss this masterpiece!

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