King R&B Box Set

Amazon.com
An 85-track sampling of the greatest R&B ever waxed from one of the legendary labels of that genre. Essential selections from Wynonie Harris, Tiny Bradshaw, Hank Ballard, and Freddie King dovetail seamlessly with magical tracks from the likes of the Swallows, the 5 Royales, and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. Songs that will change your life include Lula Reed's aching rendition of Ray Charles's "Drown in My Tears," Big Jay McNeely's frantic "Nervous Man, Nervous," and Lil Greenwood & the Four Jack's hilarious "Grandpaw Can Boogie Too." Music scribe Colin Escott and his compilers wisely assume that you can find all the James Brown you require a few bins over. But a half a CD of King Records overlord-tyrant Syd Nathan spouting off at his A and R team is an unforgivable sin in a compilation as important as this one. --Ken Hohman

Product Description
85 Superb Classic featuring Tiny Bradshaw, Wynonie Harris, Earl Bostic, Sonny Thompson, Roy Byrd, the Platters & Jack Dupree.

King R&B Box Set,King R & B Box Set,King,Pop,R&B,Soul/R & B Collections,Soul/Reggae/Rhythm & Blues,V/a Compilations

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Average customer rating: Great introduction to B. B. King The Best single disc of BB you will find Terrific Decades Spanning Compilation!!! unbelievable The Growth of a Legend

The Ultimate Collection B.B. King Manufacturer: Geffen Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chicago Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Blues | Styles | Music Memphis Blues | Regional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music Modern Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music R&B | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: 80 The Very Best Of John Lee Hooker Riding with the King B.B. King - Greatest Hits Damn Right, I've Got The Blues ASIN: B0007QJ1PM Release Date: 2005-03-15

Tracks:

1. Three O' Clock Blues
2. Please Love Me
3. You Upset Me, Baby
4. Sweet Sixteen Parts One & Two
5. Rock Me Baby
6. How Blue Can You Get?
7. Everyday I Have The Blues
8. Sweet Little Angel
9. Don't Answer The Door
10. Paying The Cost To Be The Boss
11. The Thrill Is Gone
12. Nobody Loves Me But My Mother
13. Chains And Things
14. Ain't Nobody Home
15. I Like To Live The Love
16. Never Make A Move Too Soon
17. Better Not Look Down
18. There Must Be A Better World Somewhere
19. When Love Comes To Town
20. Ten Long Years
21. I'll Survive

Amazon.com

B.B. King's music has been anthologized and put in box sets many times, but this is the first single-disc collection that truly spans the American icon's career. It starts with his breakthrough 1951 No. 1 R&B hit "Three O'Clock Blues" and ends, chronologically, with 2000's "Ten Long Years" from his platinum-selling, pop-chart-topping smash collaboration with Eric Clapton, Riding with the King. In between there are 19 numbers that trace King's creative peaks (1969's "The Thrill is Gone," 1960's "Rock Me Baby") and valleys (1973's disco-inspired "I Like to Live the Love"). And they all tell the story of his growth as a performer. As the years and tunes tumble by, King's guitar solos become more expansive and adventurous, and his cross-genre experiments, like 1987's "When Love Come to Town" with U2, grow bolder. "I'll Survive," also featured here, has become King's late-career theme song, but as he heads toward his 80th birthday on September 16, 2005--still playing 150 concerts a year with his vastly influential guitar skills sharp and his voice just a bit weathered--King's version of survival contains genuine majesty. --Ted Drozdowski

Customer Reviews:

Great introduction to B. B. King.......2007-06-22

B. B. King is one of the best known bluesmen of the past several decades. His first hit came in 1951 with the wonderful "Three O'clock Blues" (more on this cut below). Nonetheless, his reputation was not very widespread among "mainstream" America. That changed with the British invasion (the Rolling Stones, Animals, Yardbirds, and so on) as well as the Paul Butterfield Blues Band (the liner notes do a good job of chronicling King's career). By the later 1960s, he became well known to people throughout the world. And in 1970, his great song, "The Thrill is Gone," became a hit. Even though this is a nice compilation of his best works, one can always wonder about items excluded. Personally, I regret that "Why I Sing the Blues" was not a part of this CD. But that is hardly a major problem. One final comment before taking a look at a sampling of his works on this CD. His guitar playing, of course, is legendary, but his is a restrained style, not spitting out a bazillion notes in a few seconds, as some guitarists are wont to do. But his guitar playing is mesmerizing.

Some cuts:

"Three O'clock Blues": This is a nice example of his blues singing. He has a fine voice, a nice blues voice. He looks around, in the song, at 3 O'clock in the morning.

"Well, I can't find my baby,
Lord, I can't be satisfied."

His guitar work is sterling, but understated. There is a very well done guitar turn about 2/3 of the way through. All in all, a strong work.

"Sweet Sixteen": This cut begins with some very well done guitar work. Not wild playing, but controlled and oh so effective. It reminds one that playing fast is not necessarily playing well. He sings of when he met his baby, when she was "sweet sixteen." He says that she was "the sweetest thing I ever seen." But then things soured and she left. He displays great blues singing, as he wails away about her running away from him.

"The Thrill Is Gone": Quintessential B. B. King. This features wonderful guitar work. "The thrill is gone" is sung throughout as a recurring phrase. The pain of lost love is manifest. And his splendid guitar work is a glue that holds the work together.

"Nobody Loves Me but My Mother": This is short but cool! One of my favorites. There is nice keyboard playing. One of the great blues lines is repeated in this bagatelle:

"Nobody loves me but my mother,
And she could be jiving, too."

When all is said and done, this is a good way for anyone interested in B. B. King to be introduced to his work. His blues playing on guitar and his singing are top notch. A good CD to add to one's musical library.

The Best single disc of BB you will find.......2007-04-03

If you are going to own just one CD by the King, this is it. No compilation disc is all encompasing, but this one hits all the highs and well represents the various stages of his career. I particularly like how it is all in chronological order, other compilations could learn from this one.

Terrific Decades Spanning Compilation!!!.......2006-11-13

One of the best compilation CD's that I have ever heard!!! Includes many of B.B.'s early work, without any sugar coating. Includes songs that today might be considered mildly controversial like "Don't Answer the Door" and "Paying the Cost to be the Boss" and classics like "Rock me Baby" all the way through more modern hits like "When Love Comes to Town" with U2. This is a CD that you can play over and over again without getting tired of it.

unbelievable.......2005-06-23

i've never heard music so moving in my entire life, this is the ultimate addition to anyones collection, get it or be lost

The Growth of a Legend.......2005-06-11

This collection of great songs begins with the early hits and moves thru time to the more recent collaborations with U2 and Eric Clapton. You can really hear B.B. King grow as an artist as the album progresses and recording techniques improve. The songs themselves are truly classic : the lyrics to How Blue Can You Get belong in a museum. I especially recommend Paying The Cost To Be The Boss , Never Make A Move Too Soon, and his signature song, The Thrill Is Gone. There is no way that any blues fan cannot enjoy this cd

Average customer rating: King & Queen: Aces Awesome The Perfect Duo Soul Monarchy King and Queen

King & Queen Otis Redding & Carla Thomas Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Southern Soul | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Memphis Soul | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Otis Redding Dictionary Of Soul : Complete & Unbelievable The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads The Soul Album Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul In Person at the Whisky a Go Go ASIN: B000002IR9 Release Date: 1991-06-11

Tracks:

1. Knock On Wood
2. Let Me Be Good To You
3. Tramp
4. Tell It Like It Is
5. When Something Is Wrong With My Baby
6. Lovey Dovey
7. New Year's Resolution
8. It Takes Two
9. Are You Lonely For Me Baby
10. Bring It On Home To Me
11. Ooh Carla, Ooh Otis

Customer Reviews:

King & Queen: Aces.......2006-11-08

Memphis has produced many great musicians. Sam Phillips' Sun Studio, launched in February 1952, boasted Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Roy Orbison. Beale Street started BB King's career. And then there was Stax/Volt, home to Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Johnnie Taylor and Rufus Thomas. These Stax acts, ably backed by one of the greatest studio bands of all time, otherwise known as Booker T. and the MGs, have left us unmatched rhythm and blues. (Now, I'm not going to get into the argument of which had the greatest studio band, Detroit's Motown, Atlantic's Muscle Shoals, or Stax: I'm just not competent to do so, unfortunately. I'm just going to say that with Booker T and the MGs behind him, Otis Redding has to be on the short list for greatest rhythm and blues singer, greatest Southern soul singer, however you prefer to characterize his music.) "Sitting on The Dock of the Bay," "Knock on Wood," "Try a Little Tenderness," "I'm Coming Home:" the man had range. What he didn't have, on his own, was humor: that's where Carla Thomas, daughter of Rufus, came in. "Tramp" is an exuberant corn-pone-flavored duet: once heard, it lingers in the mind, or at least in mine. It's funny. The rest of this record, first released in 1967, lingers well, too: the covers of several rock and roll masterpieces like "Tell It Like It Is," "It Takes Two,"and "Bring It On Home to Me," are crisp, light-handed, and sure-footed.

People say that the late, great Marvin Gaye never sang better than when he was paired with Tammi Terrell; that's a matter of personal taste, and I wouldn't say the same about Otis Redding and Carla Tucker. I would say they sang superbly together: if you love 1960's Southern soul, you want to get this rare record before it goes out of print.

Awesome.......2005-08-05

I had to write this because I couldn't believe that none of the people that already reviewed it mentioned "Are You Lonely For Me, Baby?" Definately the best song on the album and one of the best Otis ever recorded. The rest kick ass too.

The Perfect Duo.......2005-07-30

How can anybody from Georgia - even the South - not think that Carla Thomas & Otis Redding are sui generis. The song "Tramp" with their clever exchange of lyrics, and gold digger/dirt farmer jokes is a hoot. "Otis," says Carla, "you ain't nuthin' but country." Otis replies, "That's right, baby. Yes I is." She complains, "You can't buy me diamonds or minks." And he comes back, "Why, woman, I can buy you anything you want - rat, squirrell, frog, anything!" The romantic songs are as good as it gets, as well.

Soul Monarchy.......2000-12-05

Otis Redding & Carla Thomas recorded one album together, but it is an R&B gem. Motown started the duet album trend by pairing Marvin Gaye with Mary Wells, Kim Weston & most famously Tammi Terrell, so this was Stax/Volt's rebuttal. The album is made up of mostly covers, but Mr. Redding & Ms. Thomas attack the songs with a ferocity and verve that makes them sound all there own. Mr. Redding's smooth voice easily mingles with the sass of Ms. Thomas' and this is no better illustrated than on "Tramp" which is pure Southern Soul. They do a tender take on Sam & Dave's "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" and Aaron Neville's "Tell It Like It Is" while ripping it up on Eddie Floyd's "Knock On Wood" & "Lovey Dovey". It is interesting to hear them do the Gaye/Weston song "It Takes Two" as there is always was a rivalry between Motown & Stax/Volt. King & Queen was a boastful title and the two more than live up to the claim.

King and Queen.......2000-11-02

A fairly swell collection of duets between Otis and Carla. They fit together like, well, King and Queen. If you like the Stax/Memphis sound and Otis Redding and/or Carla Thomas, you can't go wrong on this one. Their version of Eddie Floyd's "Knock on Wood" is an absolute classic. Great Album. Buy it before it goes out of print!

Average customer rating: The KIng at his best b.b. king at the top of his form. A must have for any blues collection Regally Overrated You Really Have To Hate Music To Not Like This

Live at the Regal B.B. King Manufacturer: Mca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chicago Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Blues | Styles | Music Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music Chicago Blues | Live Albums | Blues | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Blues | Styles | Music Modern Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Rock Guitarists | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music $7.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music R&B | 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: Live in Cook County Jail Born Under a Bad Sign West Side Soul Howlin' Wolf/Moanin' in the Moonlight The Sky Is Crying: The History of Elmore James ASIN: B000002P72 Release Date: 1997-07-29

Tracks:

1. Every Day I Have The Blues
2. Sweet Little Angel
3. It's My Own Fault
4. How Blue Can You Get?
5. Please Love Me
6. You Upset Me Baby
7. Worry, Worry
8. Woke Up This Mornin'
9. You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now
10. Help The Poor

Amazon.com essential recording

Heralded as one of the greatest live blues albums ever recorded, this set catches the singer-guitarist as his star was in ascent: in 1964 playing Chicago's answer to Harlem's Apollo Theater--the Regal. King's performance is visceral. He sings so hard that gravel flies even in his clearest high notes. And his trademark single-note guitar lines are sharp and steely, matching his voice with trembling vigor. He offers early hits like "How Blue Can You Get," "Worry, Worry," and "You Upset Me Baby" to what's essentially his adopted hometown crowd (by his own account, King had already played the theater hundreds of times). They give him a hero's welcome. In fact, the audience's screaming enthusiasm is distracting. But rarely has a love-fest of this magnitude between a performer and fans been documented. --Ted Drozdowski

Customer Reviews:

The KIng at his best.......2007-04-02

As a Memphis native, I have heard B.B. on many occasions. Never have I seen or hear him play with the same passion he did here in 1964. The quality of the recording is outstanding, with Lucille giving the center-stage on many occasions. The clarity and quality is amazing for a forty year old recording. This is the live B.B. King recording to buy. The Cook County Jail performance from 1971 is a close second, but the quality is not nearly as good.

b.b. king at the top of his form........2007-03-13

recorded live at the regal theatre, chicago in 1964, this is generally considered b.b. king's best album, and deservedly so. this is simply one of the great urban blues albums of all-time. b.b.'s singing is as powerful and nuanced on this recording as it was ever to be, before or after. his guitar playing is at a peak of expressive beauty here, far more tasteful and beyond the technic, at this point, of what any rock and roll guitarist was yet capable of. yes, the rock and rollers would improve greatly in time, but this was 1964, and King was the undisputed guitar king. a fine horn section, it should be mentioned, also graces the album. the whole affair is magical. a great night in recording history.

A must have for any blues collection.......2006-12-28

BB King's Live at the Regal is a recording of a great show performed at the Regal Theater in Chicago in 1965. Considered among many, including myself, as his greatest album its a must for any blues collection. King is at the top of his form and you can hear it in his guitar playing. His band gives their all and, importantly, the song selections are magnificent.

Its a great recording of a great performance. Its also a perfect introduction to the blues for neophytes as well. Highly recommended.

Regally Overrated.......2006-06-15

I can't believe the touch of B.B. King. I enjoy his playing immensely. I know this album gets buried in accolades. But I don't like it. The quality is poor and, differing from other's opinions, the crowd noise takes away from the music. B.B. said, in so many words, that Live at the Regal was far from his choice as his best recording. Typically, he said he wouldn't argue with success--and left it at that. There are so many good albums by B.B. You can't go wrong for $4.65 for the "Ultimate Collection". Sure it doesn't have them all--but it has quite a few of his great songs, including a few from Live at the Regal. I would steer clear of this selection. Or I'll send you mine for free!

You Really Have To Hate Music To Not Like This.......2006-05-12

One of the first things people notice when listening to B.B. King's Live At The Regal album is that the response of the audience is rapturous, almost like the congregation at a Pentecostal church. There's a reason for this. This is simply the natural response of anyone hearing the King of the Blues at the peak of his powers.

The critic Lester Bangs once wrote that the reason we listen to music in the first place is to hear passion expressed. If this is the case, which I believe it is for most of us, I can think of very few recordings that are more worthy of your time than Live At The Regal.

I was going to continue on about B.B.'s silky-smooth guitar tone on this album, Erick Labson's excellent remastering job on this CD (Wow - those drums sound GREAT!), B.B.'s incredible gift for pacing a show just right, and so forth, but this is all ultimately superfluous. Let me simply say that B.B. King's music transcends genre distinctions - he is simply one of the treasures of American popular music, and this is him at his finest. To paraphrase a commentator I recently heard on NPR, you really have to hate music to not like this.

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

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Average customer rating: Great blues Influential................ No doubt this guy IS history himself! Too focused on mediocre latter-day material His Bluesy Best

B.B. King - Greatest Hits B.B. King Manufacturer: Mca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chicago Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Blues | Styles | Music Memphis Blues | Regional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music Modern Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music R&B | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Riding with the King The Very Best Of John Lee Hooker The Ultimate Collection Blues on the Bayou Stevie Ray Vaughan - Greatest Hits ASIN: B00000ADG3 Release Date: 1998-08-25

Tracks:

1. Everyday I Have The Blues
2. Sweet Little Angel (Live)
3. How Blue Can You Get?
4. Paying The Cost To Be The Boss
5. Don't Answer The Door
6. Why I Sing The Blues
7. The Thrill Is Gone
8. I Like To Live The Love
9. Hummingbird
10. To Know You Is to Love You
11. Chains And Things
12. Better Not Look Down
13. Never Make A Move Too Soon
14. There Must Be A Better World Somewhere
15. Playin' With My Friends
16. When Love Comes To Town

Customer Reviews:

Great blues.......2006-07-18

From one of the most renonwned blues legends ever, this album of his greatest hits is awesome. If you love guitar, and blues then check this album out.

Influential.......................2004-12-09

B.B. King is the most influential blues guitarist of all time. B.B. is the real deal for so many reasons, and this greatest hits complination is the very best. The first two tracks are taken from Live At Regal one of the best live B.B. King recordings including Every Day I Have The Blues, and Sweet Little Angel. Some other known tracks for the early listner are The Thrill Is Gone, and Hummingbird those are both two tracks that really stand out. Their is a track called Playin' With My Friends (with robert cray), and When Love Comes To Town(with U2). I highly encourage anybody to try this bb. king's greatest hits complination. I also would highly recomend Live At The Regal!

No doubt this guy IS history himself!.......2004-10-20

Later in life I`ve discovered the power and energy of B.B.King, and amazed I`ve become his fan. This is a good sample of his style and tempo, and no matter he gets old, his quality remains intact.

Too focused on mediocre latter-day material.......2004-06-29

This certainly isn't everything you could ever want from the Beale Street Blues Boy, but it does give the first-time listener a pretty accurate idea about what to expect from B.B. King. For better or worse.

His excellent and highly influential 50s singles are missing, which is a shame, especially since some of those were actually sizable hits and this compilation has the audacity to call itself "Greatest Hits".
There are lot of great moments here anyway, like the swinging "Paying The Cost To Be The Boss", the epic "Why I Sing The Blues", and the slow burner "How Blue Can You Get" among them, and they sit next to two cuts from King's highly succesful "Live At The Regal" album, an excellent "Sweet Little Angel" and a hideous "Every Day I Have The Blues" which falls miles short of Memphis Slim's potent original ("Nobody Loves Me").

And there are just too many mediocrities on this album. B.B. King experimented with some sort of pop-blues fusion in the 70s and 80s, and the compilers have included "To Know You Is to Love You", "I Like To Live The Love" and "Hummingbird" from that unfortunate era. The duets with Robert Cray on "Playin' With My Friends" and rock group U2 on "When Love Comes To Town" are not much more uplifting, and too much of this material was recorded well after King's prime.

If you like B.B. King at his most pop-friendly, you will probably enjoy this compilation. If you like him at his grittiest, you will certainly be disappointed. May I suggest the new "Ultimate Collection" instead.

His Bluesy Best.......2002-04-01

A nice compilation of this blues legend. Some catchy lyrics and strong guitar solos exist throughout this collection. The first seven songs are strictly three chord blues progressions which can be a bit tiresome for some audiences. However, the catchy lyrics make you pay attention to such gems as Paying The Cost To Be The Boss, How Blue Can You Get?, and The Thrill Is Gone.

The next few tracks have a more varied arrangement and get away from the standard three chord progression. BB King gets funky in spots and the use of strings and horns in the background add a nice touch. The duets with Bono and Robert Cray are quite good. A nice intro to this legend, indeed.

Average customer rating: Best Ben E King compilation by far! Good Stuff Ex-Drifters lead singer made great solo music Good but Routine What a sound!!

The Ultimate Collection: Stand by Me/Best of Ben E. King/Ben E. King with the Drifters Ben E. King & The Drifters Manufacturer: East/West Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Classic R&B | R&B | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Oldies & Retro | Rock | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classic R&B | R&B | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classic R&B | R&B | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Soul General | Soul | R&B | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Soul General | Soul | R&B | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Oldies General | Oldies & Retro | Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Oldies General | Oldies & Retro | Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 R&B | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Very Best of the Drifters The Very Best of Ben E. King Drifters' Golden Hits The Ultimate Collection Sam Cooke - Greatest Hits ASIN: B000002IH2 Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Stand By Me
2. Save The Last Dance For Me
3. I (Who Have Nothing)
4. That's When It Hurts
5. I Could Have Danced All Night
6. First Taste Of love
7. Dream Lover
8. Moon River
9. Spanish Harlem
10. Amor
11. I Count The Tears
12. Don't Play That Song
13. This Magic Moment
14. Young Boy Blues
15. It's All In The Game
16. Supernatural Thing (Part 1)
17. On The Street Where You Live
18. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
19. Show Me The Way
20. Here Comes The Night

Customer Reviews:

Best Ben E King compilation by far!.......2007-06-17

Here we have all the hits + the 3 big Drifters' hits when Ben was their
leadsinger. After the first Drifters success Ben received a ridiculous
500 $ "salary" and he decided he'd better be off by himself. Before
leaving in 1960 he recorded 3 more songs as leader of the Drifters
that became huge hits (Save the Last Dance, I Count the Tears and This
Magic Moment)Then as a solo singer he recorded Stand By Me in 1961 and
the rest is history. This song is considered as one of the greatest
in music history. The reason why I consider this the best compilation
ever is because of the sound quality. All songs are in full stereo and
I just don't understand why other Drifters and Ben E King compilations
are rather bad mono recordings. Hearing all these wonderful hits in
full stereo make the other compilations worthless.
Highly recommendable!

Good Stuff.......2007-05-13

Early Rock And Roll with a mix of Blues good stuff for the ears

Ex-Drifters lead singer made great solo music.......2005-03-30

Born Benjamin Earl Nelson but known as Ben E King by the time he achieved fame as lead singer of the Drifters, Ben did not have many big solo hits but he nevertheless made an important contribution to popular music.

This compilation includes three of his American hits as lead singer of the Drifters. All three are brilliant but the most famous is Save the last dance for me, which has been recorded by a multitude of singers in several different styles of music. It has also been translated into several languages and many great covers have been recorded in France, Germany and elsewhere.

Following the success of Save the last dance for me, Ben opted for a solo career. He had fewer hits as a solo artist than his former group had without him, but Stand by me (later to become the theme song of an eighties movie) ensures his place in pop music history as a solo singer, while his other great solo records include Spanish Harlem, Amor, Don't play that song and I who have nothing. Ben made a brief comeback in the American charts with Supernatural thing in the mid-seventies.

Ben's first (minor) UK hit, First taste of love, is also included, together with his covers of such classics as Dream lover, Moon river, It's all in the game, On the street where you live and Will you love me tomorrow.

This is a fine compilation that contains all the important solo tracks from Ben's career, plus three Drifters tracks.

Good but Routine.......2004-10-02

There are clearly some memorable songs on this CD but there are at least 6 tunes that are "covers" and were done originally by other artists whom you think of when you hear them. Try the CD, "Very Best of Ben E. King". Those songs belong only to him.

What a sound!!.......2000-09-19

I have long been a Drifters fan and admired Ben E. King when he was their lead singer; but I never really appreciated his talents until I heard this album. Ben E. King is truly a soulful singer, and many of the songs on this album will have you wondering why he hasn't been more appreciated. If you like Jerry Butler, the Drifters, Jackie Wilson or Clyde McPhatter, then you will have to like this album. Wish I had found it years ago!!

Average customer rating: Flashy, Fun, and Flamboyant stunning musical review Nice and lively! Sounds even better than when I first heard it A staple

Screamers (Circus Marches) Manufacturer: Philips ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Similar Items: Fennell Conducts Sousa Under the Big Top: 100 Years of Circus Music Fennell Conducts Hands Across the Sea The Grand Old Circus Band Circus Music from the Big Top ASIN: B0000057L1 Release Date: 1991-02-08

Tracks:

1. In Storm And Sunshine
2. Whip And Spur
3. Invictus
4. The Big Cage
5. Bones Trombone
6. Them Basses
7. The Circus Bee
8. The Screamer
9. Thunder And Blazes
10. Robinson's Grand Entree
11. Circus Days
12. Bombasto
13. The Squealer
14. Rolling Thunder
15. Bennett's Triumphal
16. Bravura
17. Bugles And Drum
18. Illinois March
19. Children's March
20. The Interlochen Bowl
21. Onward-Upward
22. Boy Scouts Of America
23. Americans We
24. Officer Of The Day
25. March
26. Second Regiment, Connecticut National Guard March
27. The Mad Major
28. Guadalcanal March From

Customer Reviews:

Flashy, Fun, and Flamboyant.......2007-05-31

The Circus March is unfortunately a style of music that is often ignored, yet can be one of the most difficult things to play. Musicians almost have to have a feel for it to achieve the desired effect. Each march contained herein captures both excitement, showmanship, and even a certain degree of comedy that is associated with this style. Listening to these brings back a by-gone era of bearded ladies, roller coasters, and kettle corn. If you play this regularly, you may even begin to smell the peanuts roasting....

stunning musical review.......2005-09-27

This is music I have not heard, or played, for years. Most impressive musicianship. And the tempos are unbelievable! For this size group, it is amazing--and nothing less would be expected.

I am a retired music teacher, and this brought me back to the times when I played in large marching bands, or smaller groups for the local rodeo, as a college student. Great excitement in listening, and being swept away to a time when I had less to worry about.

The music itself has a great affect on me, besides the impressive way in which it is delivered. Great sound. Great precision. Great music that just isn't played or used much anymore. How fun to relive those moments--especially the ones featuring the trombone.

Nice and lively!.......2004-04-28

I was specifically looking for music of the circus and this recording just blew me away. It is clean and well done -- technically speaking. The Eastman Wind Ensemble is spectacular! If you are looking for something that sounds like a circus band, this is NOT it. This is a very professional, high quality recording of some of the best march music ever composed.

Sounds even better than when I first heard it.......2004-03-01

When I first heard the last eleven marches on this recording; I heard them on tape, and I really enjoyed them, this was back in 1988 when I was in the seventh grade. When I moved in the winter of 1988, I lost that tape. I was very sad when I did, and it was not until the summer of 2002 that I saw this recording at amazon; 14 years later still great, and sounds even better on CD than it did on tape. This time was even better, because it has even more marches, in the old tape, it had what on this recording are tracks 17-28. Tracks 1-16 are equally good, this recording is of a great sentimental value for me...I hope you enjoy as much as I have 14 years later....

A staple.......2003-06-14

A great collection of marches not by Sousa conducting by none other than Fennell. You can't go wrong having this in your band CD collection.

Average customer rating: Magic......Pure aural pleasure! The Tops The Original 'Kingpin' of Southern Soul

Live at Fillmore West King Curtis Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music Soul-Jazz & Boogaloo | Jazz | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Southern Soul | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Soul | Live Albums | R&B | Styles | Music Similar Items: Live at Fillmore West Santana III Eat a Peach Live at the Fillmore East What It Is! Funky Soul And Rare Grooves (1967-1977) ASIN: B000FBG06C Release Date: 2006-07-11

Tracks:

1. Memphis Soul Stew
2. A Whiter Shade Of Pale
3. Whole Lotta Love
4. I Stand Accused
5. Them Changes
6. Ode To Billie Joe
7. Mr. Bojangles
8. Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)
9. Soul Serenade
10. My Sweet Lord
11. Them Changes
12. Ode To Billie Joe
13. Soul Serenade
14. Memphis Soul Stew

Customer Reviews:

Magic......Pure aural pleasure!.......2007-03-05

From the moment I put on this recording, I was captivated. Six minutes into 'Memphis Soul Stew' listners are treated to an explosion of sound that wraps up in it the genres of soul, rock, jazz, and most likely some unearthly sound millions of light years away. From beginning to end, King Curtis and the incredible musicians brought together on this recording groove and interact in a manner that few bands achieve. If you own three live recordings in your life, this should be .333333.

The Tops.......2006-12-22

As in the very best. King Curtis and everyone here cooks up the finest Memphis Soul Stew. Whiter Shade of Pale is lovely. Everything surges with a funky pull. Billy Preston shines on organ, but the others rise to the occasion too. If you like soul, get this, you'll love it.

The Original 'Kingpin' of Southern Soul.......2006-07-29

Six months after this recording was made, `King' Curtis Ousley would be stabbed to death while standing in front of his New York City apartment building. This tragic violence brought a premature close to a career that had recently projected to new heights, and seemed poised to go just about anywhere. Active since the early fifties, King Curtis moved easily from jazz to soul to rock and roll. To put things in perspective, you should know that when Sam Cooke sings "Play that one called `Soul Twist'" in "Having a Party," he's referring to a King Curtis tune. The man was ubiquitous, but usually stayed behind the scenes, serving as a bandleader, producer or back-up musician for an endless number of performers, including the Coasters, the Isley Brothers, Bobby Darin and John Lennon. In 1971, he was acting as bandleader for Aretha Franklin (see my review for "Aretha Franklin Live at the Fillmore West") and racking up a few hits of his own. "King Curtis Live at the Fillmore West" culls the highlights from his own sets at this venue, and it also marks a high point of his recording career.
The band alone justifies the price of admission. Billy Preston plays keyboards and Cornell Dupree plays guitar, while Jerry Jemmott and Bernard Purdie make up the rhythm section. Fattening out the rich sound of Curtis' own baritone saxophone are the Memphis Horns, making this ensemble a dream team of funky soul-music brethren. Even when the material is lacking, the band manages to transcend mundanity with spirited interpretations. Would you expect "Ode to Billie Joe" to have a fatback groove? I wouldn't have. Could you even imagine a baritone sax handling Robert Plant's vocal line for "Whole Lotta Love"? I didn't think so. This version in particular brings the song full circle, taking it closer to its roots as a Willie Dixon composition. The best tune here, though, is "Memphis Soul Stew," a gorgeous eight-minute rhythmic workout that virtually defines the funky/loose and yet stop-on-a-dime/tight spirit of contemporary soul music. It is a virtual primer in everything anyone would need to know about cooking up a hot rhythm and letting it simmer until it boils over with intense energy. Throw in a bonus track that features Billy Preston molding "My Sweet Lord" into something uniquely his own, and you will have to wonder how on Earth anybody could claim George Harrison's composition as a derivative of "He's So Fine."
King Curtis had a lengthy career, but it still ended much too soon. Catch this set and you're also bound to wonder how soul music would have progressed had we not lost such a talented force at the peak of his powers. A- Tom Ryan

Average customer rating: WHY SO MANY LIVE TRACKS???? ***1/2. Quite good, but not quite good enough For Collectors Only Excelent Sampler From the King of the Blues Good, easy listening

Anthology B.B. King Manufacturer: Mca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chicago Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Blues | Styles | Music Memphis Blues | Regional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music Modern Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Contemporary R&B | R&B | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Box Sets at 30% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music R&B | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Howlin' Wolf: His Best (Chess 50th Anniversary Collection) John Lee Hooker: The Ultimate Collection 1948-1990 Blues Masters: The Very Best of T-Bone Walker His Best: 1947 to 1955 Damn Right, I've Got The Blues ASIN: B000051Y0S Release Date: 2000-11-14

Tracks:

1. How Blue Can You Get?
2. Sneakin' Around
3. Help The Poor
4. Stop Leadin' Me On
5. Never Trust A Woman
6. Every Day I Have The Blues (Live At The Regal)
7. Sweet Little Angel (Live At The Regal)
8. All Over Again
9. Don't Answer The Door
10. Gambler's Blues
11. Sweet Sixteen, Parts One & Two
12. Paying The Cost To Be The Boss
13. Lucille
14. Why I Sing The Blues
15. Please Accept My Love
16. The Thrill Is Gone
17. Nobody Loves Me But My Mother
18. Hummingbird
19. Chains And Things

Tracks:

1. Ain't Nobody Home
2. Ghetto Woman
3. I Got Some Help I Don't Need (Single Edit)
4. Guess Who
5. To Know You Is To Love You
6. I Like To Live The Love
7. Let The Good Times Roll
8. Never Make Your Move Too Soon
9. Better Not Look Down
10. There Must Be A Better World Somewhere
11. Into The Night
12. When Love Comes To Town (7in Version)
13. Call It Stormy Monday (Complete Version)
14. Playing With My Friends
15. I'll Survive

Amazon.com

The two-disc, 34-track Anthology could be subtitled "The Crossover Decades," for it covers the years when B.B. King (like his "Sweet Little Angel") spread his wings. Spanning the era 1962-1998, the set begins when King was a recording veteran whose renown was confined to the blues ghetto. Applying vocal grit and guitar sting to the dramatic call-and-response of his material, King won rock converts with his Live at the Regal album (represented here by two highlights), climbed the pop charts with the string-laced "The Thrill Is Gone," employed the jazz grooves of the Crusaders and the soul tinge of the Memphis Horns, and even invaded MTV with U2's "When Love Comes to Town." More scattershot survey than comprehensive career summary, this collection isn't as consistent as King's single-disc hits compilations or as expansive as his four-disc King of the Blues box, but it amply documents his staying power. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews:

WHY SO MANY LIVE TRACKS????.......2005-05-11

First. I love B. B. King' s singing and his guitar playing even more. This is a collection of great performances. BUT, why ARE MOST OF THE TRACKS ON THE FIRST DISC < ALTHOUGH NOT STATED LIVE? Well, all of them are great, but what I expected were the studio versions except from the two numbers culled off Live at the Regal. This is an anthology, it's not entitled "Live Anthology". Plus, there is a nice CD called "How Blue can you get?", which is a live Anthology, so these selections were not necessery, although they are high quality music.
Three stars because of the inclusion of as many live tracks. The music itself is pure five stars, but be careful if you want the studio versions of B. B.'s tracks presented here. You Won't find them here and you may have somewhat strange feelings towards this CD.You can love it for what it does include but be angry too because it's not exactly what you wanted.

***1/2. Quite good, but not quite good enough.......2004-07-31

This extensive anthology provides a very thorough overview of B.B. King's career after 1962. The tracks list is stronger than on the good-but-not-great "His Definitive Greatest Hits", and "The Anthology 1962-98" wisely omits completely inessental items like King's duets with U2 and Gary Moore.

The compilers lean heavily towards King's 60s and 70s material, with only a few later songs, and virtually all of his best 60s and 70s songs are here - songs like "Sneakin' Around", "Paying The Cost To Be The Boss", "Why I Sing The Blues", "Help The Poor", the crossover hit "The Thrill Is Gone", and King's version of Robert Nighthawk's "Sweet Little Angel".

But it is a great shame that King's earlier Flair sides aren't included, and the fact that 50s classics like "3 O'Clock Blues", "Woke Up This Morning", "Please Love Me", and "Crying Won't Help You" are missing means that this compilation is not all that it could have been. And there are a few minor items here as well, like the duet with Robert Cray and the bland "There Must Be A Better World Somewhere" and "To Know You Is To Love You", which drag down disc two and mainly serve to remind the listener that B.B. King's career has been winding down, creatively at least, for a long time.

You should pick up "Do The Boogie: B.B. King's Early Classics" from Virgin, and then, if you want more, get this collection as well. It's good, but not quite good enough to work as a thorough career overview by itself.
Three and a half stars.

For Collectors Only.......2003-08-15

If you're a B. B. King collector then this compilation has 3 unique offerings that are noteworthy:

1. complete version of Gambler's Blues (90 seconds longer) than found on King of the Blues (4 CD box set). Due to some unfathomable screw-up, the 90 second guitar intro was cut off of the version on the Box Set!! The whole song is on this Anthology collection (also complete version is on Classic Live performances). It is a great live intro.

2. long version (7" version) of When Love Comes to Town is on this Anthology. A one minute shorter version is on the King of the Blues box set (recorded without the solo Bono verses). In my opinion, the longer version with Bono doing more singing is better.

3. This Anthology has a longer (by 4 minutes) version of Stormy Monday Blues than appears on the album Blues Summit. The Anthology album notes say that theirs is the unedited version but it is actually a different version. If you listen to the part where Albert Collins takes over the vocals, it is obvious that his singing is totally different than on the Blues Summit version. Also note that Stormy Monday Blues was recorded over a 5 day period indicating that multiple takes were done.

Excelent Sampler From the King of the Blues.......2001-01-02

For the novice fan on a budget, this is an excellent primer from one of the giants of modern electric blues. It completely duplicates 1998's single-disc Greatest Hits and expands it with an additional 18 songs--all of them gems. This collection begins with his first single for MCA "How Blue Can You Get" from 1963 through "I'll Survive" from 1998's Blues on the Bayou. [The only other track from the Nineties is "Playin' With My Friends," a duet with Robert Cray from Blues Summit. While recent albums like Riding with the King, Making Love Is Good for You and Let the Good Times Roll show that King is still a viable artist, you can't include everything on a two-disc set that covers 35 years!]

Short of buying the 4-disc box set King of the Blues, a more economical second purchase would be ACE Records excellent single-disc, 25-track The Best of the Kent Singles to give you a sampling of B.B. King's pre-1963 output.

If you're looking for confirmation that B.B. King is truly the King of the Blues, these 34 tracks should be adequate proof. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Good, easy listening.......2000-12-03

This CD blends all of the greatest of B.B. King onto something anyone can enjoy. I'd recommend it to anyone that enjoys any of B.B. Kings material and just wants the best of him.

Average customer rating: This one'll get ya going. TIME TRAVEL Interesting variety A trip through history Overrated

Music Of The Crusades Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Walther v. der Vogelweide | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Sinners & Saints: The Ultimate Medieval and Renaissance Music Collection Music for a Medieval Banquet Codex Faenza: Instrumental Music of the Early 15th Century Medieval Dance Music Music of the Troubadours ASIN: B0000041XJ Release Date: 1991-04-05

Tracks:

1. Music Of The Crusades: La quinte estampie real
2. Music Of The Crusades: Pax in nomine Domini!
3. Music Of The Crusades: Parti de mal - Third Crusade
4. Music Of The Crusades: Chevalier, mult estes guariz - Second Crusade
5. Music Of The Crusades: Chanterai por mon corage - Third Crusade
6. Music Of The Crusades: Danse real
7. Music Of The Crusades: Sede, Syon, in pulvere
8. Music Of The Crusades: Palastinalied - Sixth Crusade
9. Music Of The Crusades: Condicio - O nacio - Mane prima
10. Music Of The Crusades: O tocius Asie - Crusade of 1248
11. Music Of The Crusades: La uitime estampie real
12. Music Of The Crusades: Cum sint difficilia - Crusade of 1248
13. Music Of The Crusades: Li noviaus tens - Le Chatelain de Coucy - Third Crusade
14. Music Of The Crusades: Fortz chausa es (Gaucelm Faidit) - Lament On The Death Of Richard Coeur - de - Lion
15. Music Of The Crusades: Je ne puis - Amors me tienent - Veritatem
16. Music Of The Crusades: Ahi! Amours - Third Crusade
17. Music Of The Crusades: La tierche estampie real
18. Music Of The Crusades: Ja nus hons pris - Song Of Captivity
19. Music Of The Crusades: Au tens plain do felonnie - Crusade fo 1239

Customer Reviews:

This one'll get ya going........2007-05-19

For early music people, this is another great compilation of stuff you just like to put on in the background while doing your daily routine. Good times.

TIME TRAVEL.......2006-08-15

LIKE A TRIP BACK IN TIME. FROM THE FIRST NOTES, I WAS TRANSPORTED.

Interesting variety.......2006-03-28

One of the problems I have with many early music CDs is an emphasis on one place in a time period. This reissue manages to avoid that flaw by including minnesinger, troubador, trouvere, and instrumental pieces, though the liner notes could easily have told us which of the pieces were troubador, and which trouvere, instead of just the tantalizing "two are troubador (written in langue d'oc)" without identifying which.

As a sampler, it is excellent, though the vocal pieces tend to be somewhat slow--not all the lyrics seem consistent with that delivery, so this is probably an artist's choice. It would be interesting to hear the same pieces performed now, 30 years later, with 30 years of new scholarship. Ah well, nothing is perfect!

A trip through history.......2005-09-29

The time of the Crusades spanned several centuries, from the time Pope Urban II called upon Christendom to fight for Jerusalem until the thirteenth century (this does not include the numerous minor, unnumbered crusades, sometimes against other Christians). The Crusades became for many in the Middle Ages a romantic ideal; the appeal for those who would join the Crusades was two-fold, both riches in this world and salvation in the next.

In this collection, the texts of the songs are primarily contemporary with the Crusades, although a few come from later troubadour and folk songs. Some songs here directly relate to the Crusades in content (for example, Pax in nomine Domini!), whereas others are songs contemporary with and popular among the Crusaders, but have no direct relation to the Crusades. 'Ja nus hons pris' is one such song, which has origins attributed to one of the most famous of the Crusaders, Richard the Lionhearted.

One of the problems with music from this time period is that very little written material exists. What music notation there is often is reminiscent of Gregorian chant - there are markers for pitch, but nothing for rhythmic values, melodies, etc. Similarly, the types of instruments are often not listed for particular songs, so it becomes educated guesswork as to the instruments used - lutes, rebec, wind instruments, percussion, etc.

The performances here are wonderful and full. The Early Music Consort of London recorded this first for vinyl in 1970; this CD is a reissue, well engineered. David Munrow was the director as well as performer on recorder, fluet, shawm, crumhorn and bagpipes. Munrow's talents are well suited to this kind of medieval music. Among the other performers are soprano Christina Clarke, counter tenors James Bowman and Charles Brett, tenor Nigel Rogers and baritone Geoffrey Shaw. Musicians include Eleanor Sloan on treble rebec, Oliver Brookes on bass rebec, James Tyler on lute and citole, Gillian Reid on the bells, Christopher Hogwood on harp, organ, nakers and tabor, and James Blades on nakers and tabor.

This recording is superb, a great addition to an early music library, and a joy to have as a CD - I had the vinyl of this, but over time it warped in storage, and I was very sad to have lost such a brilliant collection of music. Here it is again, restored and full of power and life.

Overrated.......2005-03-03

Note that I am a harsh reviewer, especially for music... but there are a lot of problems with this CD and there are better other there.

It is certainly interesting music and it does have historical value, but it is by no means unique.

Here are my criticisms:

1)
All of the 19 tracks are short. They range from 1-4 minutes with an average of around 2 1/2 minutes per track.

2)
This wouldn't be all that bad, except that none of those 19 tracks really stood out. They are all slow-paced and generic with little feeling of variety. Essentially, despite being a fan of the genre, I just couldn't get 'into' any of the music. It was not at all inspiring.

3)
One of my favorite things about medieval/renaissance music is the excellent balance and combination of voice talent and instruments.
This CD did not come through at all in that area, however.
The majority of this CD was the mellow, slow-paced singing that many people associate with the genre.
However, whenever the singers got going, the relatively few instruments all disappeared entirely, leaving you with just the singers (who weren't powerful enough to carry the show alone).


If you are a fan of the genre, then you might want to add this to your collection just because it isn't very expensive.

However, if you are merely interested in trying out the archaic music genre, then I defintely would recommend:
"Sinners & Saints - The Ultimate Medieval and Renaissance Music Collection"
*instead* of this one.
I gave Sinners & Saints a 5/5 - It was the CD that this one should've been.

Christian Music:

1. Left Outside Alone [CD-single]
2. Let's Get Married [CD-single]
3. Let Me Love You [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]
4. Live At The Apollo
5. Love Crimes
6. Love Is a Merry Go Round [Import]
7. Love Is On My Mind
8. Love Songs
9. Love Train: the Best of [Import]
10. Maximum Prince

Christian Music

christian music

Christian Music

Are You a Boy Or Are You a Girl

Songs Of Past Lives

Texas Blues Guitar Summit

Lonely Days Passin'

Stealth [CD-single] [Import]

Songs of the Enchanted

Other Side [Import]

The Snow Goose [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Sick Songs

Robert Schumann: Symphonies Nos. 1-4

Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven

Sow The Seed

Oh Melancolia [Import]

Greatest Soul on Earth

The Dangermen Sessions, Vol. 1