The Bed

Zach Kuhn, Splendidezine.com, 10.03.03
... one the year's best albums, as full and rewarding a listening experience as I have had in years.

Product Description
The Bed is the soundtrack for a post-apocalyptic world, one that seduces you into thinking the worst is over. Yet just when that tranquility whispers, "It’s going to be alright," the tremors of the quake that just might tear it all apart begin to shake again. The Bed is harrowing, yet hopeful, & hits like a gently dropped ton of bricks. Low Skies may be unassuming, but their music is anything but.

The Bed

The Bed,Low Skies,Flameshovel Records,Alternative Pop/Rock,Dance Music,Indie Rock,Pop,Punk

Average customer rating: Brerakfast in Bed You can't go wrong. News from VT Exactly as advertised Joan O. has got it

Breakfast in Bed Joan Osborne Manufacturer: Time Life Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Contemporary R&B | R&B | Styles | Music Blue-Eyed Soul | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Similar Items: Pretty Little Stranger Courage Are You Listening West Back to Black ASIN: B000O78KZG Release Date: 2007-05-22

Tracks:

1. I've Got To Use My Imagination
2. Ain't No Sunshine
3. Midnight Train To Georgia
4. Baby Is A Butterfly
5. Breakfast In Bed
6. Cream Dream
7. Natural High
8. Heart Of Stone
9. Sara Smile
10. Eliminate The Night
11. Break Up To Make Up
12. I Know What's Goin' On
13. Alone With You
14. Kiss And Say Goodbye
15. Heat Wave
16. What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted

Amazon.com

On Breakfast in Bed, her first release on Time Life Records (yes, that Time Life) Joan Osborne tackles a crop of hand-picked soul and R&B favorites with equal parts sass and sensitivity. Long an underappreciated artist, Osborne is a performer with the wisdom to exercise vocal restraint for an effect that's more Dusty Springfield than Christina Aguilera. Her fine previous outing interpreting soul standards was aptly titled How Sweet It Is, and witness her contribution to the terrific 2002 film Standing in the Shadows of Motown, where Osborne's astute readings of "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" and "Heatwave" outshone performers like Ben Harper and Gerald Levert (happily, both songs are included here). The title track and Hall and Oates' "Sara Smile" are both canny choices that play to her strengths in delivering credible blue-eyed soul, and six new Osborne-penned songs fit neatly into the record. If her compositions pale a bit next to the classics she covers (with the sultry and slithery exception of the excellent "Eliminate the Night"), give Osborne credit for bravely placing herself side-by-side with songwriting luminaries like Holland-Dozier-Holland and Bill Withers. Breakfast in Bed makes for a leisurely listen on a sunny Sunday morning, so put up your feet and stay awhile. --Ben Heege

Album Description

Joan Osbourne's recently recorded album pays homage to the great Soul and R&B songs of the late '60s and early '70s. The album features a unique combination of unforgettable interpretations of timeless R&B classics. Her first single to radio will be "I've Got to Use My Imagination."

Customer Reviews:

Brerakfast in Bed.......2007-07-27

Okay if you like love songs with kind of an R&B rhythm. (which the entire cd is) I love Joan Osborn's other work, but this is not one of them . . . Excellent artist ~ poor song selection.

You can't go wrong........2007-07-25

This intriguing mix cover songs and originals make this a very enjoyable collection, although the covers are not as varied as say Annie Lennox's Medusa but still engaging all the same. The tracks seem to pull you in more and more with each listen. "Baby is a Butterfly", "Sarah Smile" and "Cream Dream" were all particularly absorbing the first time through. The production is very good and clean. Her voice is as mesmerizing and sensual as always. You can't go wrong.

News from VT.......2007-07-24

Since I first heard Spiderweb on the radio before Relish was widely released I knew I was going to like this woman's work. Over the years I've collected pretty much all Joan's recordings including trades of several soundboard live recordings. With Breakfast in Bed Joan delivers again. She's always doing a change up from release to release.
Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers is the only cover ever I've heard that even rates. My sister and I wore Bill's 45 out 2 or 3 times when we were kids. The originals powerful bass line is absent here but Joan's production showcasing drums and of course, her voice makes my memory of Bill's version fade. Joan redefines it without overshadowing it. This is true for many of the covers. The title track I could do without though. Breakfast in Bed was a walk through. A strong cup of coffee....and. Eliminate The Night would work for me as a title tune and an opener. I've Got to Use My Imagination, Midnight Train to Georgia and Sara Smile are renewed and fresh. Heat Wave and What Becomes of the Brokenhearted are repeated from Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Take note of this CD with other Motown covers by Ben Harper, Chaka Khan and Bootsy Collins among others.
Originals Baby Is a Butterfly, Eliminate the Night & I Know What's Goin' On are ones I've heard live before and they have matured.
I'd like to hear a raw & nasty version of Eliminate the Night live. She's playing Concord New Hampshire's Capitol Center for the Arts this November. It's a small venue that's perfect for Joan to showcase her work. Think about getting her Early Recordings CD before you go. If you haven't seen her headline a show in the past and live in New England then take the trek, you won't be disappointed.
I hope she hasn't let Andrew Carrillo get away. Her guitar player on much of her past work has appeared in recent live shows but he's missing here. He joined his brother Frank Carillo & The Bandoleros on their 2005 release Bad Out There. Well worth a listen.
Breakfast in Bed doesn't suffer any though I wonder what's up. He gets my vote for the title "Master of the Telecaster", given to greats Roy Buchanan, Keith Richards, Albert "The Iceman" Collins, Danny Gatton and few others. The "Tele" was the first solid body electric guitar mass produced and while it's design has been copied and modified over the years the standard set-up used by Andrew defined much of Joan's earlier work.
When I hear Joan's new CDs one or two tunes demand notice. Further listens and the whole work becomes seamless.
Joan takes her time between releases. There could be two CDs here. A few more originals could be made into to one CD and the covers working separately as another disc. I don't know if it's production advice, recording contracts or a lack of confidence by Joan on about her own writing but a real Joan Osborne collection hasn't been released since Righteous Love. Relish and Righteous Love mixed in covers but little enough that Joan's own songs made a greater statement. I'm going to make compilations of all her work when I figure out how to use my Ipod.
I have to admit a big bias here. I see Joan Osborne music or concert listings and shell out cash. It's a shame that when I mention Joan I am met with blank looks. Who? Mention What If God Was One Of Us people take note. Really the least important of her work it now sounds like weak pop to me. It may sound as familiar as Stairway to Heaven to many who don't even recognize her name. That song seems to pop up everywhere. If you love this CD and haven't heard others check out her collection. Start with Early Recordings, Relish Righteous Love, or How Sweet It Is.
I do look forward to seeing some more raw, throaty and hard driving music by Joan. But, in 1975 I was listening equally to Carly Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd. My friends thought I was nuts!
Don't miss Breakfast in Bed but, take care of it or buy two you might wear this CD out and end up asking yourself what happened to Bill Withers?

Exactly as advertised.......2007-07-22

As one reviewer noted, this release is somewhat monotone. Still, it's a relaxing and quality release from Joan that my wife really likes. Getting "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" is a bonus.

A couple of the originals are really excellent, stay in your head tunes. I'd say if your having Breakfast in Bed, it works. But it's not an all occasions, "hey check this out" kind of release.

Joan O. has got it.......2007-07-19

I'm becoming a bigger fan of Joan every day. I loved her last album, Pretty Little Stranger, even though it was a bit country for her, and I'm not a country music fan. I'm interested in checking out this collection of her covering pop hits. She does covers well, and her voice is so obviously hers, that even though it might be a song you have heard enough times already in your life, hearing the "Joan" version is always a treat. I'm sorry this is not a review of this album in particular, I do plan to get it soon. I'll let you know then! I'm giving 5 stars based on the Amazon video and audio samples. What I can say is that her previous albums are all great, and her live shows are awesome, especially if you can be lucky enough to see her in a smaller venue.

The first time I saw her was pretty much by accident. I wound up crossing through the front of a very large crowd between acts at a Woodstock reunion in Bethel, NY (not Pepsistock in Saugeraties), in the late 90's. Then Joan and her band came on and I'm front and center and she blew me away with St. Teressa or something like that. I've been a fan ever since.

Average customer rating: It's good Revolutionary times Black Dove makes me want to dance Enjoy!

Frida Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Soundtracks | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music International | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Frida Border (La Linea) La Sandunga Una Sangre (One Blood) La Llorona ASIN: B00006LLNV Release Date: 2002-10-22

Tracks:

1. Benediction and Dream
2. The Floating Bed
3. El Conejo
4. Paloma Negra
5. Self-Portrait with Hair Down
6. Alcoba Azul
7. Carabina 30/30
8. Solo Tu
9. El Gusto
10. The Journey
11. El Antifaz
12. The Suicide of Dorothy Hale
13. La Cavalera
14. La Bruja
15. Portrait of Lude
16. La Llorona
17. Estrella Oscura
18. Still Life
19. Viva La Vida
20. The Departure
21. Coyoacan and Variations
22. La Llorona
23. Burning Bed
24. Burn It Blue

Amazon.com

She was famous as both artist and model, infamous as political revolutionary and social libertine, and Frida Kahlo's controversial life couldn't help but seem the stuff of great musical theater. Her story is brought to the screen by director Julie Taymor, whose musical compatriot here is also her husband; Elliot Goldenthal, student of both Copland and Corigliani, shrewdly sublimates his modernism in service of the rich, evocative music and songs of Mexico and Central America. Utilizing performers that range from the contemporary (Lila Downs) to the folk-classic (Costa Rican legend Chavela Vargas; Brazilian star Caetano Veloso) and traditional (Los Cojolites, El Poder Del Norte, Trio Huasteca, Caimanes de Tanquin, and others), Goldenthal generously displays the true breadth of Mexican folk music, while seamlessly infusing it with the minimalist corners of his own underscore and some winning songwriting of his own. The result is one of 2002's most compelling soundtracks. The enhanced CD features include musical film excerpts, as well as a video conversation between Goldenthal and star Salma Hayek and text interviews with the composer and director Taymor. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

It's good.......2007-07-22

But I don't think it's all it's hyped up to be on the other reviews, but, I do like it to the point of keeping it. It's the perfect 4star rating.

Revolutionary times.......2007-05-14

I absolutely love this soundtrack! Everytime I listen to it, I feel as though I am in Mexico during the revolution and Frida's life. Everyone should choose their own life soundtrack and this one allows us to see into Frida's life more clearly.

Black Dove.......2007-05-13

Fell into the movie trying to avoid study and hang out with a jilted housemate. If I'm honest, Salma Hayek was the main draw. Wafer thin.
However, I was enraptured by the story of Frida and the amazing performance (no wonder she was oscar nominated).
I bought the soundtrack the next morning. It really got to me.This is a great soundtrack and, yes, it does help if you have seen the movie but not necessary. I loved the latin passion (highs and lows). Chervala Vargas as Elliot Goldenthal describes in the slieve was once Frida's lover. I loved her Paloma Negra. So powerful.
There is something for everyone in this long soundtrack.
Do as i have: watch the movie and buy the soundtrack. Worth the time and money.

makes me want to dance .......2007-05-07

I really enjoyed the CD, the musical selection is great and it seems very authentic.

Enjoy!.......2006-12-30

I purchased this CD after seeing the movie. The music is enjoyable to listen to and passionate as I would think Frida was. I purchased this CD a second time to give to a female Hispanic artist who identifies with the trials and tribulations of Frida. This artist now paints while listening to this CD. Her artwork not only has improved but has become popular. I defiantly recommend its purchase.

Average customer rating: Excellent Try high quality speakers didn't like so don't listen to it It just plain works!! Sweet sleep!

Journey into Deep Relaxation CHT Doreen Blumenfeld Manufacturer: HeartHill ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Self-Help | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music Healing | New Age | Styles | Music Relaxation | New Age | Styles | Music General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Gift of Relaxation - Stress Relief * Sleep * Wellness Progressive Relaxation & Autogenic Training Relaxation Body Scan & Guided Imagery for Well-Being Journey into Healing Light The Ease of Being: Guided Meditations for Centering and Healing ASIN: B00006JLR9 Release Date: 2002-07-01

Tracks:

1. Introducton
2. The Journey

Album Description

A restful guided imagery CD creating a path towards deep relaxation. Helps to reduce stress and anxiety, achieve restorative sleep, enhance the body's natural healing process and increase balance and focus in your life. Background music especially composed to deepen your state of relaxation.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-07-09

Excellent CD. Doreen has a very soothing voice spoken in a relaxed manner. The soft music in the background enhances the relaxed mood without becoming a focus in itself. The script she uses is concise enough to provide adequate guidance yet open-ended enough to make listining to it a very personal experience which can be listened to again and again as if it were the first time.

Try high quality speakers.......2007-07-08

I bought this cd along with several others. After awhile this has become my favorite. It's not the words or imagery, and this might sound wierd.
I tried it out recently on a higher quality system with expensive speakers. It may just be me, but it has the effect of percodan or loritab (pain medication).
Something about her voice, on the high end speakers multiplies the effect of relaxing me, even as I'm sitting up with eyes open. On my $100 stereo it's nothing special although still my favorite.

didn't like so don't listen to it.......2006-11-09

should have been as good as the others i got.

It just plain works!!.......2006-10-07

This CD is a strange mix of things -- from a guided imagery trip to a tale about a boy building a wall. Whatever. The bottom line is that it puts me to sleep almost every time. I can't remember the last time I heard the CD to the end. Maybe only twice out of 60 playings.

I can still have problems staying asleep (insomnia and mild sleep apnea) but that's another issue.

My wife has a bunch of Wendi Freisen CDs which absolutely do not work for me. Where Wendi's voice grates and annoys, Doreen's voice is, "like buttah".

Highly recommended.

Sweet sleep!.......2006-08-25

I bought this for my husband to help with his relaxation and sleep. Not only does he love it, but I do to! I put it in my DVD player at night, set the tv for auto shut off and Doreen knocks me out! I've been sleeping so well myself since listening to her. She has a great voice for relaxation, and I've yet to hear the whole cd! I also gave this to my mom who has problems with sleeping and she dittos what I've said.

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 All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Divertimentos | Serenades & Divertimentos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances French Horn | Brass | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Comedic Music | 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:

1. Warthog, The (The Hog Beneath The Skin)
2. The Sea Horse
3. The Chameleon
4. Whale, The (Mopy Dick)
5. Je Suis Le Tenebreux
6. Songs For Our Time
7. A Song Of The Weather - Flanders & Swann
8. The Reluctant Cannibal
9. Greensleeves
10. Misalliance
11. Kokoraki
12. Madeira M'Dear?
13. Too Many Cookers
14. Built Up Area
15. In The Bath (From 'At The Drop Of A Hat')
16. Sea Fever
17. The Hippopotamus Song

Tracks:

1. The Gas Man Cometh
2. Sounding Brass
3. Los Olividados
4. In The Desert
5. The Sloth
6. The Rhinoceros
7. Kangaroo Tango
8. Jaguar
9. Dead Ducks
10. The Elephant
11. By Air
12. Slow Train
13. A Song Of Patriotic Prejudice - Flanders & Swann
14. The Humming Bird
15. The Portuguese Man-Of-War
16. Sea Fever
17. The Hippopotamus Song

Tracks:

1. The Gas Man Cometh
2. Sounding Brass
3. Los Olividados
4. In The Desert
5. The Sloth
6. The Rhinoceros
7. Kangaroo Tango
8. Jaguar
9. Dead Ducks
10. The Elephant
11. By Air
12. Slow Train
13. A Song Of Patriotic Prejudice - Flanders & Swann
14. The Humming Bird
15. The Portuguese Man-Of-War
16. The Wild Boar
17. The Ostrich
18. The Wompom
19. Twice Shy
20. Commonwealth Fair
21. P** P* B**** B** D******
22. Paris
23. Eine Kleine Nacht Musik Cha Cha Cha
24. The Hundred Song
25. 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."

Average customer rating: HIDDEN JEWELS Innovative and dreamlike This is amazing magical music

Round About Weill Manufacturer: Ecm Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Weill | Weill, Kurt | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Italy | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Orchestral Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music ECM Classical | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music ECM Jazz & World | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Senderos Fugace Suspended Night Vaghissimo Ritratto Responsorium ASIN: B0007DHQ34 Release Date: 2005-04-19

Tracks:

1. Dov'e La Citta
2. Ach, Bedenken Sie, Herr Jack O'Brien
3. Tango Ballade
4. Improvvisamente
5. Divagazioni Su 'Youlkali'
6. Mahagonny, Scene 6
7. Ein Taifun!...Tifone? No, Pioggerella
8. Lieben
9. Boxen
10. Round About Weill I/Denn Wie Man Sich Bettet, So Liegt Man
11. Mahagonny, Scene 13
12. Essen
13. Round About Weill II
14. Tief In Alaskas Schneeweissen Waldern
15. Ach, Bedenken Sie, Herr Jack O'Brien, Var
16. Mahagonny, Scene 4
17. Aber Dieses Ganze Mahagonny
18. Alabama Song
19. Mahagonny, Scene 6, Var.
20. Alabama Song, Var.
21. Interludio 'Ma Che Modi Sono?...': Cumparsita Maggiorata
22. Interludio 'Ma Che Modi Sono?...': Tristezze Di Fra' Martino
23. Denn Wie Man Sich Bettet, So Liegt Man, Var.

Customer Reviews:

HIDDEN JEWELS.......2006-04-22

Gianluigi Trovesi (clarinets) & Gianni Coscia (accordion), Round About Weill (5*)
Gianluigi Trovesi (clarinets) & Gianni Coscia (accordion), In Cerca di Cibo (5*)

Gianluigi Trovesi is a hidden jewel in today's jazz. Perhaps he's undersung because he's Italian: he performs and records in Italy, not in American jazz clubs or for a central American jazz label. Maybe, on these two albums, it's because some afficionados look down on the "European" clean jazz typical to ECM records. Above all, I suspect it's because the music he plays --though not the way he plays it-- is hard to classify.

Take these two albums. Are they jazz? Italian folk music? Composed or 'classical' music? Trovesi and Coscia mesh as well as any duo in jazz --think of the exquisite music made by duos such as Charlie Haden and Kenny Baron, Jim Hall and Ron Carter, or Gary Burton and Chick Corea on Crystal Silence. But the music Torvesi and Coscia produce on these two albums is devilishly difficult to classify. Sometimes they settle for composed lines, heartbreaking melodies played simply, simply. At other times, they clearly improvise, but seldom on recognmizable jazz lines. They are demons --Trovesi especially-- at quoting wildly from other pieces: they close one piece on the Weill album with "Blue Moon," another time with (almost) "Frere Jacques." But it's jazz nonetheless, played by two hyper-alert and super-intelligent musicians who mine their musical ancestry to consummate effect.

Of the two albums, my wife has a very slight preference for the Weill album, which is made up half of tunes written by Weill and most of the rest of the artists' own tunes that fit the mood of Weill. Both clarinet and acordion capture well the cabaret atmosphere of so many Weill tunes, including different versions of "Alabama Song" and "Tango Ballade."

On the Weill album, Trovesi continues his fascination with John Lewis's "Django," the moving funeral dirge for French gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt first recorded by the Modern Jazz Quartet. (Trovesi plays "Django" on In Cerca di Cibo and quotes it on Around Small Fairy Tales.) This is appropriate because in some respects, Trovesi is like Lewis, though much hotter and more earthy at times. Both composed and have led groups that played music that critics saw as too 'classical.' Both used non-jazz idioms for jazz purposes.

I own five albums by Trovesi now, which is all I've been able to find and buy to date. Around Small Fairy Tales features Trovesi playing his own compositions with a string orchestra. From G to G and Fugace feature his octet, which sounds at times like a slightly woozy stepchild of the great George Russell experimental groups of the very early sixties. In an age that slights the clarinet as a solo instrument, Trovesi is arguably the best clarinetist in jazz, a major soloist and melodist.

I love this man and he's never sounded better than playing with Coscia. Needless to say, these two ECM albums are impeccably engineered for sound.

Dave Keymer

Innovative and dreamlike.......2005-10-24

The two reed instruments complement each other wonderfully in the tonal range of the human voice. They are smoothly blended even in stacatto pieces. Coscia reminds me of Dino Saluzzi, not as expressive, yet more rhythmically emphatic than Saluzzi and with much more variation in style. Trovesi's clarinet has a beautiful, liquid sound. The music varies from oom-pah folk to hypnotic wandering, all of it inventive. There are no cliches here. Reviewed well in Downbeat, but is it jazz? There is a classical foundation, but the rhythms, harmonies and melodies are all over the map. Even so, there is a certain sameness that sets in after a while, due to the limited pallette.

This is amazing.......2005-07-02

First, this CD is impressible-only two instruments but the music they play is incredible.The music in this CD-slow and fast-emotional.Amazing.And again...highly recommended!

magical music.......2005-05-03

Like this duo's ECM release "In cerca di cibo", this disc has a wonderful old world feel. The combination of trovesi's clarinets and Coscia's accordian suite Weil's compostions well. Beatuiful playing and recording quality. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating: Excellent Instrumentals: And Ben Watt? Versatile yet occasionally misses mark Insanely good cabaret jazz Test your CD player.... A lot of wasted talent

Don't Smoke in Bed Holly Cole Trio Manufacturer: Blue Note Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Blue Note Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Traditional & Vocal Pop | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Blame It on My Youth Temptation Dark Dear Heart Shade The Best of Holly Cole ASIN: B000005HBB Release Date: 1993-09-07

Tracks:

1. I Can See Clearly Now
2. Don't Let The Teardrops Rust Your Shining Heart
3. Get Out Of Town
4. So And So
5. The Tennessee Waltz
6. Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday
7. Blame It On My Youth
8. Ev'rything I've Got (Belongs To You)
9. Je Ne T'aime Pas
10. Cry (If You Want To)
11. Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)
12. Don't Smoke In Bed

Amazon.com

Holly Cole brings her own dimension to the tradition of cabaret, a strong voice that's still capable of nuance, an ear for quirky repertoire, and a light touch that keeps some of these performances floating just at the edge of irony. Her delivery of more traditional fare shines on Cole Porter's witty "Get Out of Town" and Kurt Weill's torchy "Je Ne T'aime Pas," while she brings clarity, power, and anthemic passion to the surprising treatment of Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now." Some of her inspirations are less successful, such as aiming for jazz depth on the lightweight pop of "Que Sera Sera," but Cole is never less than interesting. She's generally well supported in this intimate art by pianist Aaron Davis and bassist Davd Piltch, while there's sparing and effective use of strings. There are fine guest spots by tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, on "Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday," and David Lindley, whose steel guitar contributes to the strange country music of "Don't Let the Teardrops Rust Your Shining Heart." --Adam Rains

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Instrumentals: And Ben Watt?.......2005-09-26

Instrumental work on this album is fantastic, and Holly Cole's voice is a smoldering call to the lower, primitive parts of the brain. Particularly the Ben Watt number (previously sung by Tracy Thorn on Eden (Everything but the Girl) is a nice arrangement.

I use this to relax after a busy shift at the hospital, and it rewards a good audo setup.

Versatile yet occasionally misses mark.......2002-01-19

I discovered Holly Cole's Temptation CD and found the arrangements to be tight and musically interesting without being obtrusive. In other words, I can concentrate enough to do CAD work on my computer, but still have the pleasure of hearing interesting riffs occasionally. Fortunately, I listen to her music on my computer so I can edit the play list. Dr. Armin's review is correct when he comments about her control of pitch. Her stylistic repertoire includes sliding up into notes. Sometimes she doesn't make it and just plain sings flat. I edit out the worst offenders: Listen to the excerpt from "Don't Smoke in Bed." If you don't hear it, then you'll write one of the blanket adulatory reviews on this page. If you do, you'll still enjoy her, but be prepared to edit her CDs' playlists. Eva Cassidy, she's not. Eva's just as quirky, always dead on tune, but her arrangements aren't as interesting to me. So, I listen to Holly Cole, but can't give her a five-star rating.

Insanely good cabaret jazz.......2001-07-24

Ok, I'll admit it. It's not every day or every hour that I want to be tantalized by a sultry voiced, talented, dynamic female vocalist with a set of sidemen who can flat out play: Tuesdays just seem to be the wrong day. But the rest of the week? Hook me up. Holly may not be vocally "perfect" (when she goes high she gets a touch brittle), but she has to me the far more important quality of knowing how to carry a song, and how to impart a mood to it. She also has just a flat out gorgeous, stunning lower-middle register, and she is a powerfully dynamic singer who I'm sure could blow your speakers out if your system was good/and turned up too loud, and can caress your ears with the soft notes as well. Song wise, I initially liked "I can see clearly now", "Everyday will be like a holiday" and "Get out of town", but as I listen more, I'm drawn in, and other tracks speak to me now. Musically, her supporting musicians are absolutely first rate, including the insanely good Howard Levy on harmonica on a few cuts. Technically, this CD is among the very, very few pieces of recorded work that merit a near-perfect rating from me. There are a few recordings as well recorded, but none better. If you're into the Diana Krall/Jane Monheit and others scene, you might just find a different style/voice similar but not cloned of the others. 5 easy stars from me.

Test your CD player...........2000-09-15

No doubt a nice album with a very broad selection of styles, maybe too broad for some as there seems to be no red line connecting all the songs. Holly's voice is clearly overrated, it is rather flat and she chickens out when it gets difficult. Nevertheless, I got totally addicted to "I can see clearly now", it became my daily dose of mood lifter until I once listened to it at night without the usual background noise. And guess what, you can actually hear a PHONE RINGING in the background. And of course now I hear it every time, so that did it for me, no more Hollies daily mood lifter, too bad. I just wonder why nobody else seems to have noticed...

A lot of wasted talent.......2000-04-27

What a great voice! What a lousy album! One wonders why such a great singer is wasting her time on these second class arrangements and questionable song selection. Perhaps she needs a new producer if she's ever going to make the album she's really capable of.

Average customer rating: Wonderful! Simple and sweet songs Marvellous cd, enchanting music Good if you want to sing from the book but can't read music Didn't like the voice.

Lullabies: A Songbook Companion Manufacturer: Essay ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Elgar | Elgar, Sir Edward | ( E ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Godard, Benjamin | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Humperdinck, Engelbert | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Offenbach | Offenbach, Jacques | ( O ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Robert Schumann | Schumann, Robert | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Folk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Children's Music | Styles | Music Lullabies | Children's Music | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Lullabies: An Illustrated Songbook Lullabies and Poems for Children (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets) A Treasury of Children's Songs: Forty Favorites to Sing and Play Go In and Out the Window: An Illustrated Songbook For Children The Library of Children's Song Classics ASIN: B00000083Z Release Date: 1997-11-18

Tracks:

1. All Through The Night
2. All The Pretty Little Horses
3. All Night, All Day
4. Armenian Lullaby
5. Baby's Bed's A Silver Moon
6. Baloo, Baleerie
7. Brahms' Lullaby
8. Brezairola
9. Traumerei, Op. 15, No. 1
10. Can Ye Sew Cushions
11. By'm Bye
12. Bye, Baby Bunting - Golden Slumbers
13. Dance To Your Daddy - Dance, Little Baby
14. Fais Dodo
15. Good Night To You All
16. Jocelyn: Berceuse
17. Hush, Little Baby
18. Kumbayah
19. Little Boy Blue
20. Suo Gan
21. Matthew, Mark, Luke, And John
22. Mozart's Lullaby
23. Chanson de Nuit, Op. 15, No. 1
24. Now The Day Is Over - Raindrops
25. Raisins And Almonds
26. Rock-A-Bye, Baby
27. Rocking - The Sandman
28. Tales Of Hoffman: O Bell Nuit - Bacarolle
29. Skidamarink
30. Sleep, Baby, Sleep
31. Sweet And Low
32. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
33. Toora, Loora, Loora
34. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: Twinkel, Twinkel, Little Star
35. When At Night I Go To Sleep

Amazon.com

Released as a companion piece to the award-winning book Lullabies: An Illustrated Songbook, this hour-plus of music is a wonderful mix of stately classical themes and child-friendly vocals. The selections range from "All the Pretty Little Horses" to a global spread of lullabies drawn from classical and folk traditions. The music is spare, with Kapp on piano, Julianne Baird and Kapp's daughter Madeline on vocals, and Mela Tenenbaum on violin, viola, and occasional vocals. Most of the classical selections (from Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Edmund Elgar, W.A. Mozart, et al.) get a straight-ahead, accomplished treatment. Lest you think the project stuffy, each of the melodies is in the one- to two-minute range, which effectively mandates a stronger sense of flow than most children's collections. Kapp, who managed to create a visual and poetic flow in the Lullabies book, keeps things nicely in a groove here, knowing enough to segue into silly tracks about halfway through the CD to provide a wider emotional range. This album every bit as accomplished as the book. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful!.......2007-02-14

I love this CD. It's very well-done, and the approach is different than most children's CDs - very refined, yet soothing. I don't get tired of listening to it the way I do others -- which is important when trying to get a little one to sleep! I highly recommend it and the companion book.

Simple and sweet songs.......2006-04-02

With just piano, violin and vocals, this is a simple and heartfelt album. Ms. Baird's voice conveys the full emotions that a mother feels for her new baby with clean and open singing. The first track in particular, "All Through The Night," still makes me teary. I played this in the hospital when my son was born, and we use it as part of our wind-down ritual. I do agree that some of the songs are a little upbeat for bedtime. We just skip those in the evening (using iTunes).

Marvellous cd, enchanting music.......2005-10-18

Our whole family loves this cd. I am continually charmed and refreshed by the subtlety, taste and musicianship that has gone into these arrangements of well- and lesser-known gems. Apart from the joy of the simple yet perfect chordal progressions, listen to the warm, caressing tone imparted by the low bass notes in the piano in many of the tracks. The pace is so wonderfully leisurely, there is time to savour each song or piece, and yet each lasts only two or three minutes. The three diverse yet complementary singers, each with a tender and gentle presence suiting the subject matter, give a sense of a 19th century family musical evening. Magical.

Good if you want to sing from the book but can't read music.......2004-02-10

I bought this solely because I have the book and wanted to sing the lullabies to my kids, but I can't read music. For this purpose it is fine. The songs are not in the same order as in the book but I can deal. As a stand-alone lullaby CD I wouldn't really recommend it--the songs are not sung in a soothing manner, there's lots of variety in tempo and volume, some are even sung up-beat. The voices are not pitched high enough for babies either. That being said, I am back on Amazon today to buy it for my sister who is due any day now with her 3rd kid--we both like to sing and have the book, and songs (in book or music form) are a great present that the baby won't grow out of for a long time, and helps you bond with your little one too.

Didn't like the voice........2002-12-11

I bought this cd to go with the book and it is very frustrating because the songs on this cd are not even in the same order as the book. The singing voice fluctuates too much, it will be really soft and then it gets really high pitch. And if you have the volume set at a lower level for some songs then you can't hear other songs. I think there are better cds to buy than this one.

Average customer rating: Beautiful sentiment and wonderful music A wonderful recording of a great show

Songs From an Unmade Bed Michael Winther , Duncan Sheik , and Mark Campbell Manufacturer: Ghostlight ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: It's Only Life: Songs of John Bucchino See What I Wanna See (2005 Original Off-Broadway Cast) Grey Gardens - A New Musical (2006 Original Broadway Cast) The Drowsy Chaperone (2006 Original Broadway Cast) [title of show] (2006 Original Off-Broadway Cast) ASIN: B000EHQ846 Release Date: 2006-03-21

Tracks:

1. Here In My Bed
2. An Admission
3. Spring
4. The Man In The Starched White Shirt
5. Perfect, Finite
6. The Other Other Woman
7. Oh, To Be Stupid Again
8. Exit Right
9. He Plays The Cello
10. Funny Gesture
11. I Want To Go Out Tonight
12. He Never Did That Before
13. A Dinner Party
14. I Miss New York
15. Florence
16. Our Separate Ways
17. To Sing
18. The Night You Decided To Stay

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful sentiment and wonderful music.......2006-05-19

It's hard to say anything but, everything here is wonderful. The performer (excellent), the lyrics, and the music. This CD gets listened to time after time--the songs are sublime.

Having said that: the music is not always of the "hummable" type, if that is what you are after--there is a modicum of edgy dissonance, at times. And the subject matter is adult (although lyrics are almost never explicit--I can think of only one double entendre)--the personal reflections, often relating to sex, of a gay man. But many, of both genders, single and coupled, and of all sexual orientations, likely will find resonance with the music, or otherwise will find the inner personal reflections of another human being of interest.

With that caveat, highly recommended, at 4-1/2 stars. I think that many will be pleasantly surprised by this gem.

A wonderful recording of a great show.......2006-03-26

I saw this show at the NYTW, and never dreamed that they would record it- but they did! And the recording is lovely. Michael Winther has such a fabulous voice- so smooth and expressive. Songs not to miss, IMO- "Perfect, Finite", "I Want to Go Out Tonight", "Spring". This is a lovely addition to any showtunes collection.

Average customer rating: catchy Got bored with it pretty fast. Great Pop Music, period John Roderick's Pain Is Your Listening Pleasure Gain Best "pop" record of the year

Putting the Days to Bed The Long Winters Manufacturer: Barsuk ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Crane Wife Boys and Girls in America The Trials of Van Occupanther Carnavas Return to Cookie Mountain (with Bonus Tracks) ASIN: B000FUF834 Release Date: 2006-07-25

Tracks:

1. Pushover
2. Fire Island, AK
3. Teaspoon
4. Hindsight
5. Sky Is Open
6. Honest
7. Clouds
8. Rich Wife
9. Ultimatum
10. (It's a) Departure
11. Seven

Amazon.com

On their third long player, Seattle's Long Winters are as literate as ever, but there's added power to their pop. In other words: more Nada Surf, less Death Cab for Cutie. Now a quartet after previous incarnations as a trio and two-keyboard player quintet (drummer Nabil Ayers and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Rothman are the new additions), John Roderick still sings as if he's sitting across from you. It starts with frequent use of the second person and ends with a tone as conversational and familiar as that an old friend. As he observes in "Honest," "Everything is different when he's singing right to you" (before warning, "But don't you love a singer whatever you do"). To quote Nick Lowe, Putting the Days to Bed is "pure pop for now people," or maybe the Talking Heads come closer with "more songs about buildings and food." On The Worst You Can Do Is Harm, Roderick sang about "Unsalted Butter" and "Scent of Lime," on When I Pretend to Fall, it was "Cinnamon." Now the musical gourmand has moved on to cream ("Clouds") and wine ("Rich Wife"). (Roderick is starting to rival Cibo Matto in the epicurean songwriter sweepstakes.) On their most polished platter yet, the Long Winters are joined by several Northwest notables, including Kurt Bloch (the Fastbacks) and Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) on guitar, and one-time member Sean Nelson (Harvey Danger) on harmony vocals. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Album Description

The third LP from Seattle's Long Winters combines the lyrical intimacy and melodic complexity of the "Ultimatum" EP with the guitar pop rave-ups of the band's previous full-lengths. The two sides of songwriter John Roderick come together to create the most compelling Long Winters release to date. This is a big, very rock record, but underneath the guitars you'll find the bones of mellow folk, psych, and orchestral pop.

Customer Reviews:

catchy.......2007-01-05

This absolutely floored me with its catchiness. Great lyrics like "Now I'm smoking cigarettes when no one else does" and "You never told me your secrets, so I guess they're still safe with me" provide new novelties to enjoy after the initial catchiness of the music wears off. That's gonna take a while, because this is one of the catchiest cds I've heard all year. "I like the old days, but not all the old days, only the good old days." Great cd.

Got bored with it pretty fast........2007-01-04

I put this one to bed after just a few weeks. Great hooks and some clever lyrics, and a very nice voice. But the overall effect is of just trying too hard to write the "perfect pop song." So nothing breathes. It's just a bit too tight for its own good. Nothing has any sense of being new, nothing surprises. Sorry, but we need a few less pop stars reading books and steeping themselves in specific genres. They'll be compared to Nada Surf who are slightly more interesting. Instead try Matt Pond PA and get back to me later.

Great Pop Music, period.......2006-12-19

I think this one is at the top of my list for 2006. Really great pop music, with maybe a bit more power than their first 3 discs. The lyrics are a bit more abstract, in a good way. The harmonies are fantastic...this disc reminds me a lot of Zumpano, or Joe, Marc's Brother with the harmonies. The songs are just terrifically written and fleshed out. The production is 1st rate, and if you crave power pop of a higher order than most of the current indie pop/rock out there, don't pass this one up! Ear candy of the highest order!!! You will be singing along with those high-note leads and harmonies!!!

John Roderick's Pain Is Your Listening Pleasure Gain.......2006-11-20

Dysfunction in self breeds great art.
Dysfunction in relationships breeds great pop songs.

Three years ago I was drawn to The Long Winters release When I Pretend To Fall by a quirky pop song called Cinnamon. Once I listened to it a couple of times I figured out that Cinnamon wasn't even close to the best song on the disc. Several other songs stood out but it was the track Stupid that sealed my being a John Roderick fan for a very long time. There are several layers to making a good pop song. A catchy melody, great lyrics, and raw emotion are the three that stand out to me. Rarely do all three meet at the same time, but on the aptly named track Stupid, they certainly do. Roderick, despite the fact that his voice is irritatingly whiny to some, manages to churn out a cement mixer full of emotion on many of his songs and when his opening line on Stupid is, She has no idea she can make me do anything, you know you are in for a long ride on an unhealthy personal journey.

Skip ahead to Putting The Days To Bed and the same formula has worked on me again. I was drawn in by the quirky Fire Island AK, found out that it wasn't even close to the best song on the disc, and was absolutely moved to chills on the track Hindsight, a song I believe to be the singer's response to 2003's Stupid. It appears that John has recognized that a true relationship will never come to pass and he has to let it go. However, his only way of doing so is convince himself that she'll one day be sorry she let him slip through her fingers. With lines like: But I'm bailing water and bailing water 'Cause I like the shape of the boat, and If you're my anchor then I'm throwing you over the side Before I have the time to say I never wanted anyone this way it's clear that the pain of moving on may be too much for him to bear. The entire lyrics to Hindsight could not be more perfectly written and the way Roderick's voice is able to grind it through the emotional mill leaves me absolutely speechless.

The disc starts out strong, stumbles through the middle, and manages to find it's footing for the remaining three or four songs. The two songs after Hindsight, to me, are the low points of the CD, but that's probably because you're left on such a gut-wrenching precipice it takes two more songs to get you back. I find it odd that the title to 2003's release can be found buried in the lyrics of Stupid and the title to 2005's release can be found buried in the lyrics of Hindsight. I'm guessing that few people notice that. Whereas 2003's release had a smattering of bad relationship songs, it's central to every song on Putting The Days To Bed. For those of you that can't stomach the pain, this may not be for you. For those of you that realize that pain and suffering equals exquisite music, enjoy John Roderick's pain.

Best "pop" record of the year.......2006-10-07

Don't buy all that "it's a death cab rip off" garbage. This is the best odd pop record of the year. Wildly imaginative and thouroughly original. Roderick's writes great lyrics and hooks and over emotes in all the right places. Death Cab is OK, but this here is the real deal.

Average customer rating: Mixed feelings Your love for this superb collection will be here to stay... He's done it again Absolutely 'S WONDERFUL! A beautiful 2 disc CD-another hit for Michael

The Michael Feinstein Anthology Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Porter | Porter, Cole | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Nostalgia | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Similar Items: Romance on Film/Romance on Broadway Hopeless Romantics Pure Gershwin Nice Work If You Can Get It: Songs by the Gershwins Michael & George (Feinstein Sings Gershwin) ASIN: B000065DVH Release Date: 2002-05-21

Tracks:

1. Nice Work If You Can Get It
2. Isn't It Romantic
3. Swinging On A Star
4. Ask Me Again
5. Rhode Island Is Famous For You
6. 'S Wonderful
7. Wonder Why
8. Too Marvelous For Words
9. Where Do You Start
10. Theme From The Bad And The Beautiful
11. Easy To Love
12. Alexander's Ragtime Band
13. Who Are You Now?
14. You're An Education
15. You Are There
16. Sophisticated Swing
17. Love Can Change The Stars
18. Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are
19. Half Of April (Most Of May)
20. Marianne
21. They Can't Take That Away From Me
22. I Love A Piano

Tracks:

1. That's Entertainment
2. My Favorite Year
3. Ten Feet Off The Ground (With Rosemary Clooney)
4. I Never Felt Better
5. Someone To Watch Over Me
6. Kiss Her Now
7. The Ugly Bug Ball
8. For You, For Me, Forever More
9. The Mole People
10. And So To Bed
11. You're All The World To Me
12. Old Friend
13. Isn't It A Pity (with Rosemary Clooney)
14. Pattisserie
15. Open Your Eyes
16. For Love Alone
17. I Won't Send Roses/Time Heals Everything
18. Get Out And Get Under The Moon (with Page Cavanaugh)
19. My Romance
20. Love Is Here To Stay
21. Violin (with Liza Minnelli)

Amazon.com

The line between evangelist and entertainer has always been somewhat indistinct. But as showcased on this 43-track, double-disc collection culled from his '87-'96 recordings for Elektra/Nonesuch/Atlantic, Michael Feinstein's dedication to spreading the gospel of the American song often blurs it beyond recognition. While the singer's pedigree for the task is impeccable (a long-term stint as Ira Gershwin's assistant and early career sponsorship by Liza Minnelli), his interpretations often succeed by playing off a tense axis of fervent emotionalism and a joyous sense of irreverence.

If his readings of romantic standards can sometimes tend toward the precious, they're often balanced here by sheer dramatic power and telling insights ("Isn't It Romantic" fairly bristles with ironic chauvinism) and a few loopy curves ("The Mole People," the Sherman Brothers' "The Ugly Bug Ball," and the previously unreleased "Rhode Island Is Famous for You"). Feinstein's dedicated song archaeology is also showcased on several gems: "Violin," a duet with Liza Minnelli; "My Favorite Year," a rejected ballad for the film of that name; the sublime "lost" Gershwin classic "Ask Me Again."

Sprinkled with live performances (the forum where Feinstein's talents seem most energized) and studio outtakes and featuring a lengthy print interview with the singer, the set chronicles both the pioneering efforts of one of pop music's most successful revivalists and, crucially, the cream of his beloved American songwriters, from stalwarts Gershwin, Berlin, and Porter to later legends like Herman, Styne, Lane, Martin, and Mercer. --Jerry McCulley

Album Description

The definitive collection of performances by the Grammy nominated singer features 43 tracks from 14 albums released by Elektra, Elektra Nonesuch, and Atlantic labels from 1987-1996. Plus 8 previously unreleased live tracks only available here 'Rhode Island is Famous For You', 'S Wonderful', 'Alexander's Ragtime Band', 'I Love A Piano', 'Patisserie', 'Get Out And Get Under The Moon' (with Page Cavanaugh), 'Love Is Here To Stay' & 'Violin' (with Liza Minnelli). 2 Digipacks housed in a slipcase with a booklet. Rhino Records. 2002.

Customer Reviews:

Mixed feelings.......2005-10-05

This album has some GREAT songs on it; sophisticated swing being one of my favorites. However many of the other songs are too operatic and lame. I give three stars but this album is definatly worth it just for some of the better songs.

Your love for this superb collection will be here to stay..........2002-07-18

The magnificently talented Michael Feinstein has made one wonderful album after another for nearly two decades. Now that Elektra and Rhino have put together this anthology, I am blown away by the versatility and diversity in Feinstein's recorded output. Such amazing rare gems, combined with the most beloved favorites in the history of American Popular Song. Assembled with wit, intelligence, and obvious affection on the part of the record company, this set is a keeper. You'll love it!

He's done it again.......2002-07-15

Is there anything this man can't sing? This collection is so varied as to be the definitive collection of songs for any occassion.

This is perfect background music for a dinner party for a whole group but especially for two. Light, romantic and just gorgeous. You just can't go wrong when Michael Feinstein is your musical choice.

Way to go Michael, you've done it again!

Absolutely 'S WONDERFUL!.......2002-06-10

There are very few contemporary performers who can hold their own with the truly great interpreters of American popular song. Michael Feinstein is truly the ONLY performer of the "younger" generation who really understands what these songs are all about. His incredible knowledge of this music, and his enthusiasm and passion for it have fueled his career. Rhino Records has done a truly outstanding job of putting together an anthology that exemplifies why Mr. Feinstein has become so beloved by audiences around the world. The packaging is excellent, and filled with interesting photos and background information about many of the selections.

This collection not only contains all the favorites one would expect, but a neat group of surprises too. I especially love the duets with people like Liza Minnelli and Rosemary Clooney, and the various collaborative efforts with songwriters like Jule Styne and Burton Lane accompanying Michael at the piano.

This collection is a classic to be treasured. Bravo Michael!
Bravo Rhino!

A beautiful 2 disc CD-another hit for Michael.......2002-06-09

I have every CD Michael has ever made and this is by far one of the best ones because of Michael's range in singing and his wonderful singing voice. I love his duets with Rosemary Clooney and Liza Minelli. He is a wonderful performer on this double CD and am looking foward to the next CD.

Album Review:

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2. The Go-Go Music of Mark Wirtz, His Orchestra & Chorus
3. The Trial of St. Orange
4. Think It Over
5. This Is Techno, Vol. 3 [Import]
6. Todo Exitos V.7 [Import]
7. Treat U Right
8. Twisted Tenderness
9. Underwater, Episode 3
10. Very Very Very Best of 70's Disco [Import]

Album Review

album review

Album Review

Techno Unit 32:Misc.Tracks

Bach: Chorales, BWV 302-342

Beethoven: Violin Concerto/Romances

Music: Pursuance: The Music of John Coltrane

Ancestral Voyage

Bedrock in Concert (Bonus DVD) [Live] [Import]

Blessed Is He

Amnesiac

Bajan Beat V.2: More Crop Over Hits from Barbados [Import]

Bach, Handel, Paganini: Viola Recitals

Another Day

Avantagan [Live]

B With U [CD-single] [Import]

Dreams Do Come True

Jazz in Paris: Notre Ami Django