The Tape

1. News Story

2. Billy

3. This Is What You Came For

4. Get 'Em

5. Apollo

6. Hang 'Em High

7. Lord's Party

8. You Know My Style

9. Whisper

10. Joke's on You Jack

11. Pay Attention

12. Don't Sweat Me

13. Step Off

14. Shout Outs

The Tape,Kid Capri,Warner Bros / Wea,Hip-Hop,Pop-Rap,R&B,Rap,Rap & Hip-Hop,Soul/Reggae/Rhythm & Blues

Average customer rating: Fantastic sound! Passionate songwriter and singer A brilliant & fresh approach I <3 Brandi Carlile Addictive

The Story Brandi Carlile Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Back to Black West A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection The Reminder Easy Tiger ASIN: B000NDIAWY Release Date: 2007-04-03

Tracks:

1. Late Morning Lullaby
2. The Story
3. Turpentine
4. My Song
5. Wasted
6. Have You Ever
7. Josephine
8. Losing Heart
9. Cannonball
10. Until I Die
11. Downpour
12. Shadow on the Wall
13. Again Today

Amazon.com

The Brandi Carlile story so far is fairly short: fresh-faced singer-song writer from rural Ravensdale, Washington, quietly releases a 2005 debut that has critics and fans reaching for their thesauruses searching for appropriate adjectives to describe her voice. Patsy Cline, Jeff Buckley, kd lang, Beth Orton, Linda Ronstadt, and Aimee Mann get name-checked as Carlile and her guitar-and-bass-playing Hanseroth twins-led band criss-cross the country for two years, first as openers, then as headliners. Cue the overproduced, disappointing follow-up album? Not so fast. On The Story, Carlile teams up with veteran roots producer T Bone Burnett, who brings in vintage equipment and strips down her sound. Instead of using overdubs, the new songs--most of which were already road-tested--are recorded live, giving the ballads and midtempo rockers a tough, uncompromising edge and a fuller, more aggressive attack. Echoes of country and folk color the bucolic "Have You Ever" and the unadorned acoustic "Cannonball," but it's the sweeping drama of the more epic-sounding "Until I Die," "Late Morning Lullaby," and the U2-styled "My Song" that leave the greatest lasting impressions. Carlile and Burnett make a perfect team: he allows her malleable voice room to soar in the mix while she brings sharp original songs that exude confidence, pride, and emotion. It's a combustive combination and one that results in a sophomore release every bit as good, and in many respects better, than her first. Stay tuned as the story continues. --Hal Horowitz

Brandi Pics

From Amazon.ca

Brandi Carlile has a rare voice, consistently spilling over with honesty, purity, and passion. Her dynamic and tonal range is truly exceptional and on par with the likes of k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, and Patsy Cline--at times soft, swooping, and clear as a bell ("Turpentine," "Josephine," "Cannonball"), and then ferocious to the point of breaking ("The Story," "My Song"). A voice like Carlile's when paired with the right material is a winning combination, and The Story's country-meets-Radiohead ballads and rockers do not disappoint. While the songs on are not as consistently stellar as those on her self-titled debut album, they are more often than not solid, and show off her talents and confidence as both an artist and performer, which have fully bloomed since her debut. This, coupled with T Bone Burnett's light, live production style, creates an album that is ultimately more rewarding than her first. The high points on The Story have raised the bar considerably for Carlile, and they are frequent. Her choice to record the album in a live setting inside the studio lends it a raw intimacy and authenticity noticeably absent from most studio recordings, and leaves us with not only an album, but a work of art. Carlile is a career artist still defining her sound, but her maturity as a vocalist cannot be questioned--this is an immensely talented singer laying herself bare before us, and one of the strongest releases of 2007. --Alan Wiley

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic sound!.......2007-07-27

Brandi Carlile is wonderful! I saw her open up for the Indigo Girls this summer and had to rush out and get this CD. She's an interesting modern twist on a classic folk sound, reminding me a little of Patsy Cline and Bonnie Raitt. I can't stop listening to her. Love it!

Passionate songwriter and singer.......2007-07-27

I had never heard of Brandi before I heard "THE STORY". This song is so full of passion and has some of the best lyrics I've heard in a long time. The rest of the album is also pretty good and a great listen as a whole. However, "The Story" is still the showstopper.

A brilliant & fresh approach.......2007-07-20

Really enjoyed this release. She can burn like Melissa at times, fall back on senstive sounds like Kathleen Edwards when she wants. There are influences from 60s rock (Elton, Beatles, Mott), yet her distinct warble blossoms as a wildwood flower. I'm gonna find her debut CD.

If you gravitate toward other female singer-songwriter greats in league with Sarah Harmer, Alice Peacock or Jessica Sykes, this should work for you.

Indigo Girls guest on "Cannonball"

I <3 Brandi Carlile.......2007-07-15

This CD....*sigh*....is wonderful! This one and the one before it are both amazing. She is soulful and raw. She exposes her inner workings through her beautiful melodies.

Addictive.......2007-07-13

Brandi Carlile has a unique sound and I must admit that I wasn't sure I liked her at first. But a friend encouraged me to listen to "The Story" more closely. After hearing it a few times, I fell in love. Later, I heard "Turpentine" on Grey's Anatomy... wow! I bought the cd and am totally addicted. It stays in my car because I listen to it regularly. One of my all-time favorite songs is "Wasted".

Average customer rating: Great Solo Session- Stills Acoustic! A Master at Work Magic moment frozen in time.... As it should be... The best thing that could happen to a Stephen Stills fan!

Just Roll Tape: April 26th, 1968 Stephen Stills Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Country Rock | Rock | Styles | Music Country Rock | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Live at Massey Hall (CD/DVD) Sweeping Up the Spotlight: Jefferson Airplane Live at the Fillmore East 1969 Brothers of a Feather Sweet Warrior Time on Earth ASIN: B000R7I3KA Release Date: 2007-07-10

Tracks:

1. All I Know is What You Tell Me
2. So Begins the Task
3. Change Partners
4. Know You Got To Run
5. The Doctor Will See You Now
6. Black Queen
7. Bumblebee (Do You Need A Place to Hide?)
8. Judy
9. Dreaming of Snakes
10. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
11. Helplessly Hoping
12. Wooden Ships
13. Treetop Flyer

Amazon.com

The title and cover art effectively tell the story of this dusty gem. Captured fly-on-the-wall style in an impromptu live-in-the-studio burst after a Judy Collins session on which the 23-year-old Stephen Stills played, the soon-to-be ex-leader of Buffalo Springfield (and Collins's ex-boyfriend) unleashes unplugged, occasionally incomplete versions of songs he had recently written and wanted to get on tape. Discovered in 1978 and nearly discarded, the reels found their way to Graham Nash in 2003, who encouraged Stills to release them. He finally did so in 2007, nearly 40 years after the original session, and the result is the most revelatory album in Stills's bulging catalog. Even with remastering, the sound is on the crude side. Nevertheless, early takes of "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "Helplessly Hoping," and "Wooden Ships," all of which would appear in far more polished versions on Crosby, Stills & Nash's self-titled debut, are sung with a passion and honesty seldom exposed by the singer/songwriter. Stills's voice sometimes cracks, his guitar work intermittently sounds muddy, and these are definitely works in progress, some of which never appeared on an official release. Yet the artist is caught arguably at the peak of his substantial talents, laying down soon-to-be-classic melodies while they were fresh in his head. Folk/rock historians and Stills fans will surely be thrilled with this nascent, unvarnished set. Though Just Roll Tape may be too raw for some, it finds Stills at the crucial stage right before superstardom changed his--and popular music's--future forever. --Hal Horowitz

Album Description

Stephen Stills found himself in a New York recording studio, laid down a few hundred dollars, told the engineer to roll tape, and this collection of songs is what came about. Finally remastered and released to the public, this album shows the beginnings of Crosby, Still, and Nash.

Customer Reviews:

Great Solo Session- Stills Acoustic!.......2007-07-30

Great solo showcase for Stephen Stills with a new batch of songs, about to be unleashed (some of them) with CSN. The half finished Wooden Ships does indicate that Crosby and Kantner did contribute to this Stills idea for a song. And Suite:Judy Blue Eyes was just waiting for Crosby to add his DOO-DOO-DOO-DOOS to make it into a complete masterpiece.

A Master at Work.......2007-07-29

WOW!! This is truly a long lost treasure! An acoustic studio session recorded after a Judy Collins recording session. Stills is just beginning to reach the height of his powers, Buffalo Springfield is breaking up and CSN is yet to be. These "demos" are more powerful than most of what passes for music today. It is interesting to listen to these grittier versions of "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" and "Helplessly Hoping" and compare them to the more polished CSN versions. This "American Idol" generation of listeners may not get the "singer/songwriter" generation , so if you are looking for something slick, look elsewhere. BUT if you want see inner the workings of a man who help change the face of rock music for a generation this is a great entre.

Magic moment frozen in time...........2007-07-29

First, to the guy who said when Stills picks up an electric, "forget it", please be referred to (1) his latest effort, "Man Alive", and (2) the Judy Collins record, "Who Knows Where the Time Goes", during which sessions he recorded these demos. That was a long time ago, and he plays immensely tasteful licks behind Collins. Second, thank God they left the hiss in, which is why the whole thing sounds like Stills had just recorded it and handed you his demo! The beauty of something like this is simply that it gives you a window into something you never thought you'd be able to experience. At this point Stills was creating some of the most finely-crafted stuff around, in full and remarkable voice, and better still, was completely uninhibited by the demands of an audience or stardom. Sure, this material is for fans. There are a lot of them, too. What a beautiful gift this is to all of them.

As it should be..........2007-07-28

Many people have already touched on the key elements of this disk:
Uneven sound, great story in terms historical and personal context, excellent snapshot on some of Stills' biggest hits, etc. I have always been a huge fan of CSNY and all their configurations, but have also been supremely frustrated by so much of the over produced crap that has come out over the years. The irony is that a lot of the studio manipulation was at the hands of Stills who could apparently not leave well enough alone. Neil has been much better about putting things out warts and all, allowing his soul to pour out of the speakers. Well, Mr. Stills and Rhino Records, thank you VERY MUCH for pulling this one out of the dusty stack. This is great stuff peaking with an incredible Helplessly Hoping, which I listened to three times while sitting in the driveway after buying this disk. It has been a number of years, but this more than makes up for the hideous alternate version of H.H. found on the CSN box set. Stills has always had tremendous soul, but he would not allow it to really come through on an official release. Any other raw treasures you have, I will snap them up...

Thanks again!

The best thing that could happen to a Stephen Stills fan!.......2007-07-26

I have followed Stephen Stills' music since his days with Buffalo Springfield. I was first drawn to his voice and then to his abilities with acoustic guitar. This recording is everything the TRUE Stills fan could want. For the person who spoke of distortion in the sound, just remember this recording was made years before digital music came along -- just the man, his guitar and rolling tape -- who could ask for anything more? I am transported to 1968 as I listen.

Average customer rating: "A Joyful Noise" Not As Ecstatic As I Like To Be Devotional music at its sweetest Kirtan: The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant by jai Uttal How can I express my joy?

Kirtan: The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant Manufacturer: Sounds True ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Ethnic & International | Musical Genres | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books International | Ethnic & International | Musical Genres | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books General | Religious & Sacred Music | Musical Genres | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books New Age | Musical Genres | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books Music | Judaism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books General | International | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music World Dance | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Similar Items: Music for Yoga and Other Joys Greatest Hits of the Kali Yuga All One Dakshina Best of Both Worlds; Yoga Chant Kirtan Music ASIN: 1591791065 Release Date: 2004-03-16

Tracks:

1. Ganesha Sharanam
2. Invocation/ Introduction
3. Radha Govinda
4. Sita Ram
5. Nataraj

Tracks:

1. Durga Pahimam
2. Hara Harah Mahadev/ Om Namah Shivaya
3. Jaya Radha
4. Radha Rani
5. Shri Krishna Govinda
6. Kali Bolo

Book Description

"Kirtan is the calling, the crying, the reaching across infinite space—and digging into the heart's deepest well—to touch and be touched by the Divine Presence," teaches world music pioneer Jai Uttal. On Kirtan! The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant, Jai guides listeners through the practice of Kirtan—singing the many names of God and Goddess—an essential part of Bhakti yoga, or the yoga of devotion. This sacred music form is for all people; there are no experts, nor beginners, and the practice itself is the teacher, guiding us to ourselves. Listeners join Jai Uttal to explore: the power of ancient Sanskrit syllables in chant to invoke the Divine, how to open the voice and learn to love the sound that comes from our bodies, more than two hours of music recorded by Jai Uttal to commune with the Divine through sacred chant, and the path of Bhakti and Kirtan, the journey of surrender, and much more.

Customer Reviews:

"A Joyful Noise".......2007-05-16

When I heard an interview on NPR with this artist,Jai Uttal,and music from his CD I couldn't get it out of my mind. It is "a joyful noise" that lifts the spirit and energizes. His very personal explanation of Kirtan on Track 2 gives one an understanding of the spiritual basis of the music and even if it is not a path that you might follow you can't help but be swept up in the chanting. I play it in the car on days when I feel stressed and it removes all that chatter in my head and helps me arrive at my destination uplifted and in the present. His interpretation of the ancient chants using non traditional instruments and renditions is appealing and engaging. P.S.It is a 2 disc set so you can have one at home and one in the car!

Not As Ecstatic As I Like To Be.......2007-04-22

Although a double CD set, both disks pose a problem to this reviewer's taste. Each contains a rather lengthy exposition by the artist on the nature of Bhakti (Devotional) Yoga sandwiched in the program. Jai Uttal has a very pleasant speaking voice & the material was helpful, even inspiring--but do you really want to hear it all over again everytime you play either discs? I know I don't. The musical material is engaging, but not particularly special. It is authentic mantra, but without the technical brilliance of many such CDs (see links below). I don't regret buying it--again, BUT it won't become a treasured favorite. I don't think it would turn-on people who weren't mantra fanatics like me or a real fan of the artist--or a devotee of Kirtan.

PS. The cover artwork is great!

Greatest Hits of the Kali Yuga
Breath of the Heart
Chants Of India: Ravi Shankar; George HarrisonThe Essential Ravi Shankar
The Sounds of India
The Sounds of India
Peter Brook's The MahabharataDVD
Devi
The Bhagavad Gita

Devotional music at its sweetest.......2007-03-15

This 2-CD set is one of the best introductions to contemporary kirtan I've come across (and I own many kirtan CDs). Aside from the wonderful spoken section, where Jai Uttal chats informally about what kirtan is, the selection of songs is truly heartwarming. I love both CDs, but find I listen over and over again particularly to the second one for its variety of moods and styles. Jai's voice really cuts deep and brings out the intensity and authenticity of his own devotion to the path of music and the heart.

In addition, the musicianship of everyone featured on this set is superb and adds so much to the listening experience. It is hard not to sing along and feel the blessings flow, even if you are not a singer...and that is exactly the point.

Kirtan: The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant by jai Uttal.......2007-03-09

Wonderful kirtan, by a great artist.

How can I express my joy?.......2007-03-06

I was a big fan of Krishna Das and I still am. A couple of weeks ago, for the first time in my life, I heard Jai Uttal's 'Radha Rani ki Jai, Maha Rani ki Jai' - Track # 4 on Disc 2. Like all good music does to my soul, I was so enchanted that I played the same track again and again till I lost count. I wasted no time in getting both the discs and my favorites are as follows:
Disc 1: Track # 3 'Radha Govinda'
Disc 2: Track # 1 'Durga Pahimam', Track # 3 'Jaya Radha', Track # 4 'Radha Rani'
Originally coming from India and being a big proponent of 'Bhakthi Yoga' (Path of devotion and Divine love for God), I can say from the depths of my heart that Jai Uttal sings with such soulful melody and love, it takes my breath away every single time I listen to the tracks mentioned above. It surprises me so much that while I cannot listen to certain types of music even once leave alone repeating my listening experience, the kind of music that Jai Uttal, Krishna Das and others produce, I can listen for a lifetime and experience that joy again and again.

Average customer rating: A Vocally Dazzling Esparza Rides High on an Exuberant Pre-"Rent" Larson Score Great tunes - great lyrics - great harmonies Love the Music Larson Lives Fantastic Music, but i wouldnt want to see it live

Tick, Tick... Boom! (2001 Original Off-Broadway Cast) Jonathan Larson , Amy Spanger , and Raul Esparza Manufacturer: RCA Victor Broadway ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Contemporary Musicals | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: tick, tick ... BOOM! The Last 5 Years (2002 Off-Broadway Cast) Spring Awakening (2006 Original Broadway Cast) The Wild Party (Lippa) (2000 Off-Broadway Cast) Songs for a New World (1996 Original New York Cast) ASIN: B00005NQK5 Release Date: 2001-09-11

Tracks:

1. 30/90
2. Green Green Dress
3. Johnny Can't Decide
4. Sunday
5. No More
6. Therapy
7. Real Life
8. Sugar
9. See Her Smile
10. Come To Your Senses
11. Why
12. Louder Than Words
13. Boho Days
14. 30/90 Playout

Amazon.com

Rent is usually treated as Jonathan Larson's one and only show, but the truth is that he had a career--albeit a hitless one--before that blockbuster. There was a musical titled JP Morgan Saves the Nation with lyrics by Jeffrey M. Jones and music by Larson. And there was Tick, Tick... Boom!, an autobiographical piece that Larson workshopped for a while before setting it aside and finishing Rent.

In 2001, Tick, Tick is getting a full off-Broadway production, and it's a rather endearing one. Lyrics have never been Larson's strong point, but he was a hell of a melodic composer--and the score here is even poppier than that of Rent (think Top 40 rather than Sondheim). It's hard to pick favorite songs: "Green Green Dress" is built on a rollicking piano boogie, for instance, and "Real Life" and "See Her Smile" are the kind of elegiac ballad that Larson would later perfect with "Seasons of Love." Luckily, this show has a lot more to offer than mere youthful musings. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

A Vocally Dazzling Esparza Rides High on an Exuberant Pre-"Rent" Larson Score.......2007-06-16

Perhaps it's a coincidence that the immensely talented Raúl Esparza plays a character dreading his 30th birthday in this 2001 recording of the hit off-Broadway show by the late Jonathan Larson, while five years later, he would play the elliptical Bobby dreading his 35th birthday in the enthralling 2006 Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Company. In both performances, Esparza shows a true affinity for capturing the angst of men undergoing transitional points in their lives which render them emotionally paralyzed. At first glance, Sondheim and Larson would not seem like kindred spirits, but both share a gift for sophisticated lyrics in an unmistakable musical style defined by their oeuvres. Larson even pays tribute to Sondheim in the story's climax and with the sardonic, work-is-hell "Sunday", a take-off of the song with the same name in Sunday in the Park with George.

However, it is the familiar Larson sound of Rent that is heard most in this score - driving, rock-out rhythms with unavoidable pop hooks and yearning, piano-driven ballads. Even the opener, "30/90", is a virtual sound-alike of the bigger show's title tune. If the songs are not quite as polished or even memorable as those in Rent, they feel more personal because the autobiographical story is far more intimate in scale. Set in 1990 in the same SoHo neighborhood as Rent, it's a simple three-character piece about Jon, an aspiring composer who considers giving up his dreams on the verge of his 30th birthday. With charismatic fire, Esparza is equally adept using his beautifully expressive voice in a rock milieu as in a Sondheim character study. He brings energetic brio to finger-snapping rockers like the Twinkie-induced "Sugar" and especially shines on the ballads, "See Her Smile" and the revelatory "Why".

With a slightly pinched voice that reminds me a bit of the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs, Amy Spanger as girlfriend Susan duets nicely with Esparza on the touching "Johnny Can't Decide", the rocking "Green Green Dress", and the comical self-help wordplay of "Therapy". Her shining solo moment comes with the knockout ballad, "Come to Your Senses". As Jon's embattled pal Michael, Jerry Dixon provides powerful vocals, bringing particular warmth to "Real Life" and grit to the fed-up rave "No More". The trio closes the show powerfully with the anthem-like "Louder Than Words". The overall score is a bit derivative and a tad too earnest, but the youthful zest of the cast and Larson's pop craftsmanship more than compensate. Two bonus tracks are offered at the end - an instrumental replay of the opener, "30/90 Playout" and a rare recording of Larson singing "Boho Days" a capella with propulsive hand claps.

Great tunes - great lyrics - great harmonies.......2006-11-04

If you are a fan of the late great Mr. Larson you will love this music. Okay, I have seen the play a couple of times so I know what happens between the songs but this, his autobiography, really moved me. Even my kids like the Green Dress Song.

I hope you like it... The theme is "Actions Speak Louder Than Words" rings true today as the day he wrote it.

John we miss you.

Love the Music.......2006-08-22

I saw this play a few weeks ago, and really enjoyed the music, so I got the CD. The voices, and lyrics are amazing! However, as I often find with CDs of musicals, there wasn't always the right feeling in the voice, particularly in "Therapy" where couple ought to be angry at each other, and it seems more cute on the CD.

Larson Lives.......2006-05-06

I love Tick, Tick... Boom! The show is quite refreshing. The show works so well with three actors. I LOVE "30/90" and "Louder Than Words." Both speak really strongly to the audience because they both are really relatable to anyone's life. Admittedly the middle of the show drags a little, and Spangler's voice can be chipmunkish at times. However those are minor detractions when it comes to this show. It is especially moving if you know Jonathan's story. It is no Rent, but the short piece is really moving

Fantastic Music, but i wouldnt want to see it live.......2006-04-30

I was soo soo very pleased with the music from "Tick...Tick..BOOM!". Rock Operas are my favorite type of musical theatre, and i must say this is one of the best. The storyline, however, although dealing with bohemian problems like AIDS, rehersals, love, didnt meet the power of the music. It was taken from Johnathans original one-man show and made into a three-man show. This was the only way possible to make this conversion, but still it was a dull storyline only going over the time period of one day in the day in the life of Johnathan Larson. Yes, it was an important day, his thirtieth birthday and his friend annoucing that he is HIV positive, but none of this happens until the end. The show lacks obsession, and in order to make a good musical storyline there has to be an obsession. Luckily, the weak storyline is backed with fantastic music, perhaps even better than Rent. 30/90 is my all time favorite song EVER i have listened to it over and over and still am not sick of it. other favorite tracks include:
30/90
Green Green Dress
No More
Sugar
Come To Your Senses (originally from Superbia)
Louder Than Words
and i also enjoy the rest of the songs as well.

Average customer rating: Great music to de-stress Transportive and restorative Absolutely Beautiful Gentle, contemplative Celtic instrumentals

Celtic Meditation Music Manufacturer: Sounds True ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books Meditation | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books Meditation | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books Meditations | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books General | Folk | Styles | Music Irish Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Celtic | International | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music Similar Items: Celtic Lamentations Mysts of Time Mystic Irish Rain Celtic Lamentations Celtic Requiem ASIN: 1591791529 Release Date: 2004-05-11

Tracks:

1. Blind Mary
2. Aran Boat Song
3. Far Beyond Yon Mountain/Bridget Cruise
4. Were You At The Rock (An Raibh Tu Ag An Gcarraig)
5. Bruach Na Carraige Bana/At The Edge Of The White Rock
6. Dark Island
7. An Bhoutais
8. Gentle Maiden
9. Dawning Of The Day
10. Easter Snow
11. Limerick's Lamentation (Marbha Na Luimneach)

Album Description

New World. 2004.

Customer Reviews:

Great music to de-stress.......2007-05-09

My husband and I listen to this cd almost every night before going to sleep. The music is calming and reverent. Great way to end a busy day.

Transportive and restorative.......2007-01-25

This is one of the most beautiful, restorative collections of Celtic music I have ever heard. Haunting, sublime harp, cello, guitar, flute, and soundscapes create an atomosphere of serenity for meditation, prayer, or simply unwinding the mind and emotions. The poetry which originated each selection is included and provides a meditation in itself. Highly recommended.

Absolutely Beautiful.......2007-01-05

The music included on the "Celtic Meditation Music" CD is so soothing & hauntingly beautiful to me that I've barely listened to anything else for the last week - it's that good!

The liner notes are great as well. They share information about the various rituals, prayers, and poems that are behind each of the songs - it's really quite interesting!

Overall, I would highly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys the sounds of celtic music, as well as those who are looking for music to relax to - it's absolutely beautiful!

Gentle, contemplative Celtic instrumentals.......2006-10-01

Based on ancient Celtic prayers, the compositions featured on this album were conceived under the premise "If prayers were music, what would they sound like?" The gentle, familiar tunes, rendered on Minogue's sparkling Irish harp and accompanied by other acoustic and electronic instruments, are drawn from the traditional Celtic repertoire and the liner notes pair each song with the text of a prayer, either pagan/nature-based or Christian. This pairing of unrelated prayers with existing melodies is an interesting approach, especially considering that the tracks here are all instrumental, with none of the prayer words actually being spoken or sung. Minogue's earlier albums feature a lot of vocals, both hers and others', sometimes even done hymn-style in rich choral harmonies. So I'm not sure why the texts of the prayers couldn't have been incorporated somehow into this music. But nonetheless, "Celtic Meditation Music" is, like all of Aine Minogue's work that I'm familiar with, deftly orchestrated, supremely relaxing, and full of quiet beauty. This is good music for massage, resting, deep breathing, or just unwinding at the end of a long day. Then guest instrumentalists are cellist Eugene Friesen, whistle player Joanie Madden, clarinetist Tom Hill, string orchestrator Brad Hatfield, concertina player Brid Meany, guitarist Sheldon Mirowitz and electronic soundscape artist Randy Roos. For more Celtic-inspired instrumentals conducive to meditation, try Minogue's other works, and also the following: "Celtic Inspirations" by guitarist William Patterson, the Narada compilation albums "Celtic Treasure: The Legacy of Turlough O'Carolan" and "Celtic Treasure II: The Living Legacy of Turlough O'Carolan," and anything by Kim Robertson and Lisa Lynne, but particularly their early work.

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

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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: a true masterpiece in every sense of the word Great Disney CD: For Children of all ages got this as a present for someone else The Story Captured Through Song. My children listen to this CD over and over

Beauty and the Beast - Special Edition Soundtrack Manufacturer: Disney ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Disney Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Little Mermaid: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Aladdin: Special Edition Soundtrack The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Mulan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack Disney's Hercules: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack ASIN: B00005TQ5A Release Date: 2001-12-18

Tracks:

1. Prologue - Paige O'Hara
2. Belle - Paige O'Hara
3. Belle (Reprise) - Richard White
4. Gaston - Richard White
5. Gaston (Reprise) - Richard White
6. Be Our Guest
7. Something There - Paige O'Hara
8. Human Again - Angela Lansbury
9. The Mob Song - Richard White
10. Beauty And The Beast
11. To The Fair
12. West Wing
13. The Beast Lets Belle Go
14. Battle On The Tower
15. Transformation
16. Be Our Guest (Demo)
17. Beauty And The Beast (Work Tape And Demo)
18. Beauty And The Beast - Celine Dion
19. Death Of The Beast (Original Early Version)

Amazon.com essential recording

After the success of their score for The Little Mermaid, the songwriting team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken returned to Disney for their second fairy-tale adaptation. Sadly, it was the duo's last completed score before Ashman's untimely death at age 41. This soundtrack contains more-conventional show music than The Little Mermaid, owing in large part to Broadway stalwart Angela Lansbury and to Jerry Orbach's Yves Montand impersonation. Most of the songs here were included in the subsequent Broadway adaptation and its cast album, but this disc is superior in its studio polish and cast, which is better suited to the score. --John Sanchez

Customer Reviews:

a true masterpiece in every sense of the word.......2007-05-10

when alan menken and howard ashman put together their second disney feature i dont think that anyone could have known what a masterpiece beauty and the beast would become. the film itself was praised for its maturity and remains the only animated film in history to every be nominated for a best motion picture academy award (it deserved it instead of silence of the lambs) musically the film was magnificient as well. it was adapted into a full length broadway musical three years later. but this original piece will forever remain the benchmark for all other animated works and their music.

alan menken's hauntingly beautiful score is a true masterpiece. the musical scores for the west wing and the beast lets belle go are moving and powerful. the emotional level that every piece reaches is amazing and menken absolutely deserved this oscar for best score. this is not only his best score, but quite possibly one of the greatest musical scores in history.

SCORE 5 out of 5

the songs are all quite powerfull and fun with a definate broadway, its no wonder that it was so seamlessly turned into a broadway musical.

BELLE - this is the strongest opening to ever appear in a disney film. the broadway feel makes it a great way to kick off the film it is both fun and quirky but definately contains a more serous undertone. this was originally suppossed to be shortened down, but luckilly it was left intact. paige o'hara as belle is nothing short of amazing.
5 out of 5

BELLE (REPRISE) - this is short but is very strong due again to o'hara's vocals. her vocals paired with ashman's stirring lyrics of longing make this short but definately a winner.
5 out of 5

GASTON - this is a fun song that is both witty and darkly clever. ashman's lyrics and richard white's performance as gaston carry this song. it may be the weakest of the piece, but it's still fun and catchy and shouldn't be missed
3 out of 5

GASTON (REPRISE) - this is really just an extention of the song listed above, but this one is much more twistidly clever and is actually stronger that the first song.
3 out of 5

BE OUR GUEST - this is one of the most famous songs from the soundtrack and its obveous why after just one listen. jerry orbach and angela landsburry both give great performances that along with menken's french-influenced score and ashman's fun clever lyrics make this song sound fun and fresh. its a great song that really does epitimize the fun of the piece and of ashman's lyrics.
5 out of 5

SOMETHING THERE - this is a short little song but it is the first hint at belle and the beast as lovers. o'hara and robby benson both give great but short performances. orbach, lansbury and david ogden stiers also give fun performances as the objects. this is beautiful and romanticly sweet little song.
5 out of 5

HUMAN AGAIN - this wasn't included in the original theatrical film (why i dont know) this is a great song that is fun and brilliant. ashman yet again outdoes himself with great lyrics and again the household objects give dynamic performances. im so glad that this is back for the special edition since its a real gem that shouldn't be missed.
5 out of 5

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - this is the most famous song from the movie and it won the oscar for best original song. just one listen shows why. lansbury gives a beautifully moving performance as mrs potts singing this. this is of course the song that shows the beast and belle as lovers and it does so perfectly. this song never dumbs things down it goes for the full romantic punch. well done
5 out of 5

THE MOB SONG - this is possibly the cleverest piece. the use of shakespearean lyrics make this a twisted and dark piece that effectively shows human nature that still rings true today. this is an overlooked but strong song that again is lifted by white's performance as the now sinister gaston.
5 out of 5

the best part of all these songs is how none of them dumb down the romance or more "adult" themes for the kiddies. this film allows itself to be fully romantic and that's why it has been so praised and lived on in such a flattering light. the near-perfect music not only aided this, but were a crucial part of this maturity.

SONGS OVERALL 5 out of 5

as i said earlier, this is one the greatest film scores of all times. it may not be as recognizable or memorable as say star wars or gone with the wind, but the emotional punch that it makes elevates it far past these other two scores. menken truly outdid himself and ashman's lyrics work perfectly. the performances from all the performers are dynamic, fun, powerful, and intense. everythign works perfectly here and truly makes for an experience that is truly magical.

Great Disney CD: For Children of all ages.......2007-02-19

I really enjoyed this CD. IT is the soundtrack for Beauty and the Beast.
I especially enjoyed " BE our Guest". This is an all around excellent Disney CD with lots of vocals,and intrigue. The singers are very talented, and well re-hearsed. I love this CD. It's worth the money. Go and buy it!!!

got this as a present for someone else.......2007-01-04

This was a present to a friend. She liked it. I love soundtracks and Disney music, so it's pretty good.

The Story Captured Through Song........2006-09-29

Disney's revival as a major animation studio began in 1989 with the release of THE LITTLE MERMAID and reached its pinnacle with BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (the only animated film ever nominated for a Best Picture Oscar). As much as the film is a visual delight, its also a musical feast for the ears. People had said for over a decade that the musical movie was dead, but BEAUTY AND THE BEAST proved otherwise and paved the way for later big-screen adaptations of famous stage musicals. Some of my favorite songs on the album include:
"Be Our Guest"--this song revived the huge dance numbers that were once commonplace in movie musicals.

"Something There"--BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is a love story and though that love is often brought to mind by the title song, it is this number that truly captures the essence of what happens between Belle and Beast.

"The Mob Song"--out of all the songs on the album, this is the one with the most masculine appeal. It's a song about burning down castles and killing an unfamiliar creature that poses no threat. There's nothing like a dash of good old violence to get the blood flowing.

This is a great soundtrack for any Disney fan, any patron of musicals, and people who love the film.

My children listen to this CD over and over.......2006-08-25

My kids (5 year old boy and 2 year old girl) LOVE this soundtrack. They make me play it repeatedly in the car, EVERYTIME we go anywhere. It is word-for-word an exact replication of the movie. I highly recommend it for any Beauty and the Beast fan.

Average customer rating: Original Dark Pop EVERYTHING!! If you're looking at this, you're probably already a fan No this is not a BLACK METAL album!! THESE SONGS WERE AHEAD OF THEIR TIME

Everything! Tones on Tail Manufacturer: Beggars UK - Ada ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Goth | Goth & Industrial | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Goth | Goth & Industrial | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Sky's Gone Out Singles: 1979-1983, Volume 2 Burning from the Inside The Botanic Verses Oil & Gold ASIN: B0000060J9 Release Date: 1998-04-07

Tracks:

1. Lions
2. War
3. Happiness
4. The Never Never (Is Forever)
5. Performance
6. Slender Fungus
7. Movement Of Fear
8. Real Life
9. Rain

Tracks:

1. Go! (Club Mix)
2. Christian Says
3. Twist
4. Burning Skies
5. O.K. This Is The Pops
6. You, The Night And The Music
7. When You're Smiling
8. There's Only One
9. Now We Lustre
10. A Bigger Splash
11. Copper
12. Means Of Escape
13. Instrumental
14. Performance (7in Version)
15. Shakes
16. Heartbreak Hotel (Live)

Customer Reviews:

Original Dark Pop.......2006-07-05

Tones On Tail was a real cool discovery for me. It is dark, clever pop with just the right dose of quirkiness tossed in for good measure. I liked this music a lot in the early 80's and I still enjoy it today.

EVERYTHING!!.......2006-02-01

sIMILAR TO bAUHAUS, TONES oN tAIL IN JUST 3 SHORT YEARS, THEY RECORDED AN ESSENCIAL COLLECTION OF dARK MUSIC AND DELICIOUSLY TWISTED,INCORPORATED EXPERIMENTAL ELECTRONICA, DANCE, DUB, ABSTRACK MINIMALISM AND ELEMENTS OF FREE-JAZZ, ART-ROCK WHIT PECULIAR, YET, INSATIABLE GROOVES.
2 CD FANTASTIC -REMASTERED!!! DANIEL ASH-GLENN CAMPLING-KEVIN HASHINS ______ ARE TONES ON TAIL_____

If you're looking at this, you're probably already a fan.......2005-12-28

There's a certain charm in collecting. You chase down all the vinyl, pick up the individual reissued CD's, and carefully organize all your treasures in chronological order on your glass fronted cabinet so that other collectors and admire your ebay and rummage sale skillz in putting together the complete record of your favorite bands.

Or maybe you're just a damn slacker like myself and you want everything together in one place. Yes, its everything. Its not cool but its efficient and if you don't feel like tracking down all the individual Tones On Tail releases, say halleluja and slap down your hard earned cash knowning that you might suck as a fan but you can listen to slender fungus any damn time you please.

No this is not a BLACK METAL album!!.......2005-10-21

WHAT THE HELL?? this is some very unsettleing stuff!!

This is of course so ahead of every band like this..even years before NIN's DEBUT

THIS IS DARK!!!!!! DARK!!!!!

I could describe this as being sorta like EARLY MINSITRY, SKINNY PUPPY..maybe even a little like KMFDM!

I cant wait until I get this disc!!

ALL HAIL THE 80'S!!!!!!!!! AND DARK SYNTH POP!!!!!!

THESE SONGS WERE AHEAD OF THEIR TIME.......2005-09-02

My words could never do this album justice. This is an amazing piece of work! With many things this brilliant, there are some people that will need to listen to it 2 times before they "get it" - but you'll "get it". This album kicks *&^! I echo so many of the positive remarks already made here. I really don't understand the "save your money" comment, however. My advise to that reviewer would be to listen to it again.

Average customer rating: highly worthwhile Excellent First Reich Disc Spectacular Aural Imagery!! not his best but worth a listen The Fastest Train

Reich: Different Trains, Electric Counterpoint / Kronos Quartet, Pat Metheny Manufacturer: Nonesuch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Reich, Steve | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Minimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Reich, Steve | ( R ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians Drumming Steve Reich: You Are (Variations) Reich: Tehillim / The Desert Music Rainbow in Curved Air ASIN: B000005IYU Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Different Trains: America - Before the War
2. Different Trains: Europe - During The War
3. Different Trains: After the War
4. Electric Counterpoint: Fast
5. Electric Counterpoint: Electric Counterpoint: Slow
6. Electric Counterpoint: Fast

Amazon.com essential recording

Different Trains (1988) will probably go down in history as Reich's masterpiece. And deservedly so. Reich's phase-shifting minimalism is made dazzlingly entertaining in Different Trains, which is scored for string quartet and digitally sampled voices that repeat bits of speech concerning trains and Reich's experience with them growing up. The sinister part here is than some trains carried Jews to death camps. That's here as well. The Kronos Quartet has also never sounded better. Electric Counterpoint (1987) has one guitar--Pat Metheny in this case-- playing to 10 pre-recorded motifs, also on guitar. You absolutely need this. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

highly worthwhile.......2006-12-15

Different trains a very powerful piece, full of irony and juxtopostion that are used to the greatest effect. Its one of Reich's best, but it's actually not very minimalist for him, which may be why I like it. Of course, Kronos does an excellent job. Electric Counterpoint is pleasant for about a movement or so, but in the end it comes across as thin and dull compared to Different Trains.

Excellent First Reich Disc.......2005-12-04

Both pieces on this disc are delightful and brilliant - very emotional and accessible I find. Neither has the vast (Well-tempered klavier of percussive phase-shifting!) scale of _18 Musicians_ or _Drumming_, but that's almost certainly an advantage for most people (and has been for me). Just two quick comments about the pieces:
1. Holocaust themes in art are often ponderous... "Different Trains" ingeniously avoids all sorts of traps of that sort by starting us off, as it were, in the New World with technology and optimism. The darkness enters later and is all the more powerful for it. Now I think about it, this piece makes the disc a great gift for a precocious kid... if they like Pink Floyd or other broadly conceptual rock stuff they'll dig this.
2. The second "slow" movement of "Electric Counterpoint" is flat out gorgeous.

Spectacular Aural Imagery!!.......2005-05-12

I was very fortunate to hear the Kronos Quartet perform this up in Orono, Maine (at the University of Maine) the year this CD was released. Not being familiar with either Reich, the piece, or the KQ at the time, I was completely blown out of the water by the uniqueness of the idea, the emotion of the narrative, and the jarring comparison between Reich's life and the lives of so many others. Several jazz perfomers have tried similar "voice-matching" techiniques--Victor Wooten and Jason Moran, most recently--but hearing a child's message on an answering machine replayed on the bass guitar does not match the emotional impact of the narrative Reich provides. It is such an abstract notion with such concrete results. Kronos is impeccable in their performance, as usual, and they provide the flair and brass needed to pull off such a feat. I played this CD (along with Gorecki's Symphony #3) every year in my Holocaust class for juniors and seniors in high school. They are as blown away by the whole concept as I originally was. It is a technically impressive and emotionally draining experience.

Electric Counterpoint is, quite sadly, the overlooked portion of this CD for me. I am a huge Pat Metheny fan, but I look to his other CDs for his best work. I know it is my loss. . . .

Bottom Line: Whether or not you like Steve Reich and/or the Kronos Quartet, you need to give this CD a listen--it is a challenge and a delight.

not his best but worth a listen.......2004-02-28

Steve Reich can be undigestable at times and not the easiest of composers to listen to, it's as if your listening to a record with the needle sticking to the groove with very little developement...so it's safe to say that you certainly have to be in a certain mood to appreciate this kind of music but it does have it's rewards. The c.d is divided up into two sections, "Different Trains" with the Kronos Quartet as good as usual. The momentum of the music depicts the progression of trains through out America and Europe and what they represent, human voices reciting historical dates.
The second work on the disc "Electric Counterpoint" almost seems as though it doesn't belong on the same disc but it's in my opinion the diamond in the rough. I have been a Pat Metheny fan long before Steve Reich and it's the main driving point in owning the disc, brilliant guitar playing.

The Fastest Train.......2004-02-18

This album is great, yep. It's neat. What are you expecting when you say things like, "for me this album just doesn't cut it." That says nothing about Reich's work. It only says that you could not connect with what he is doing. It's a shame too, because Reich does some very nice work on this album - The Fastest train, on the fastest train. It's so very entertaining - he does such a good job of putting all of that material together. Stow you tastes and opinions away then listen again - maybe you'll actually hear Steve Reich's music.

Average customer rating: John Adams - Talentless, Opportunistic Hack A New Requiem A RIP-OFF CD A very definite miss..... It finished playing and I couldn't move...

On the Transmigration of Souls John Adams , Lorin Maazel , and New York Philharmonic Manufacturer: Nonesuch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Adams | Adams, John | ( A ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Minimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Similar Items: John Adams - Harmonielehre · The Chairman Dances · Tromba lontana · Short Ride in a Fast Machine / Sir Simon Rattle Road Movies Naive & Sentimental Music William Bolcom - Songs of Innocence and of Experience (William Blake) / Slatkin, University of Michigan School of Music John Adams: The Dharma at Big Sur/My Father Knew Charles Ives ASIN: B0002JNLNM Release Date: 2004-08-31

Tracks:

1. On The Transmigration Of Souls

Amazon.com

This is the first recording of Adams's On the Transmigration of Souls (which won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in music), by the orchestra and conductor that commissioned and premiered it. Adams grips from the start, with a slow buildup of taped mundane city sounds, the obsessively repeated word "missing" superimposed on them. The taped texts are drawn from fragments found on missing person posters, newspaper memorials, and the names of victims of the 9/11 attack. Sometimes the taped voices dominate; at others, the chorus intones the texts; the orchestra an ever-present commentator, its impressionistic harmonies fulfilling Adams' description of creating a "memory space" where each listener can find a personal response to the events. The orchestra erupts in an overwhelming climax after the words "I wanted to dig him out," managing, in a brief passage, to encompass anger, deep grief, and the enormity of the tragedy. Then it subsides into a long, slow decrescendo overlaid by the quiet recitation of names, as if the souls of the title hover over us. Adams has created music for his time and place that fulfills music's ability to move us. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

John Adams - Talentless, Opportunistic Hack.......2007-03-25

I attended a performance of Adams' work last night at the Atlanta Symphony. Adam's conducted. I will never again spend a dollar to hear any work composed or conducted by John Adams, "America's most esteemed composer".

My question is why? Why is this man considered so brilliant? His music lacks any sense of musicality, rhythm, timing, melody, and is utterly devoid of emotion.

A more honest and accurate description of his compositions would be "a mishmash of disparate noises".

His Violin concerto was akin to listening to a power drill for 45 minutes, despite a valiant effort by the astonishingly talented Midori Ito.

"On the Transmigration of Souls". The ONLY reason this symphony won the Pulitzer Prize for Music was the subject matter. Adams simply happened to be the ONLY composer who submitted a musical tribute to the fallen. He had no competition because the NSO commissioned him to do the piece. The NSO knew that the guilt people feel over this horrific event would prevent anyone from honestly appraising his work. He knew he had a golden opportunity to elevate his own myth and it worked.

Which is exactly the point ... Adams is an opportunist and he used the tragedy of 9-11 as a context to create a piece of noisy 'musical' garbage that would fall outside the realm of honest criticism.

In other words, it won simply because NOONE had the courage to stand up and say "this really s***s" ... because criticizing "Transmigration" would be akin to criticizing the victims of 9-11.

Transmigration is simply awful. Pandering to the lowest common impulse to evoke emotion ... by having children read the names of people who died, a choir belting out some of the most insipid and uninspiring lyrics that HAPPENED to be phrases taken from signs around the site and topping it off with sound effects of ambulance sirens? Come on. This is not cathartic, it's pandering to people's guilt and emotion.

That said, there was nothing even remotely emotional or stirring about this piece. It was, for me, a man who nearly lost three friends that day, an absolute affront to people I care for.

A final point: If Adams' music is so difficult to play that the composer has to be present to orchestrate the work ... the work isn't very well written.

Adams music will never stand the test of time and our greatest living American composer will be regarded as the untalented hack he is. "New Music" isn't new or musical, but rather an excuse for people to praise a genre for not living up to the excellence of symphonic predecessors.

Let me be the first to say that simply because a symphony was written to honor the dead of 9-11 does not make it worthy of the souls who died, nor does using a fancy title to describe what he should have simply named "9-11".

A New Requiem.......2007-03-25

A few days after 9/11...the first day I was able to watch images on TV ...I sat down with the set on, the sound turned down and Mozart's "Requiem" on the stereo. While I cannot compare Adams to Mozart, listening to "On the Transmigration of Souls" also gave me a sense of permission to grieve, as well as a sense of hope, as that great "Requiem" can. I do love Adams' work, and the sound layering here is quite effective when applied to the reading of names and posters, the reduntant word "Missing", and the music. When I listen to this CD, I feel like I'm in the city in 2001, reading flyer after flyer stacked one upon another, seeing the shrines made up of flowers and photographs.

Once again, however, the piece is not meant to imply despair, but a grief that gives way to hope, as the title implies--souls migrating, perhaps from this earth to a better place.

A RIP-OFF CD.......2007-02-24

I LIKE JOHN ADAMS' MUSIC VERY MUCH, BUT HAD NOTICED THAT SOME OF HIS RECORDINGS WERE HEFTY IN PRICE AND QUITE SHORT ON THE AMOUNT OF MUSIC ONE GETS FOR THE MONEY. THIS RECORD IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE. WHAT YOU GET IS A PIECE OF MUSIC THAT SEEMS TO BE OVER BEFORE IT HAS REALLY STARTED. MOREOVER, FRANKLY, IT IS NOT HIS BEST. IT SOUNDS CONTRIVED AND, WELL, COMMISSIONED. I'D SAY SKIP THIS ONE AND BUY THE DEATH OF KLINGHOFFER!

A very definite miss............2006-12-27

First and foremost, any CD offered at a list price of $13.99 and containing 24 minutes of music is a poor value, no matter what the contents. The opening of On The....is intriguing and might have worked if Adams had stuck with the pleasing simplicity. But instead, he attempts to reach for the moon, and misses handily. Everything is thrown in but the kitchen sink, including incredibly dissonant writing which has nothing to do compositionally with what came earlier, and sticks out as merely being a "stunt". As a matter of fact the work as a whole is extremely self-conscious. The Wound Dresser portrays the same emotions with a minimum of notes and is a true Masterpiece. This is definitely lesser Adams, the same tired "tricks" which have now become wearisome. I'm glad none of my friends names are mentioned because this piece is really an embarrassment to music, and to those who perished in 911. A smarmy, disjointed mess, one can't help but wonder what the people who awarded the Pulitzer Prize were thinking...but then, what work that has won the Pulitzer Prize in the last 25 years has lasted? Hmmm.....

It finished playing and I couldn't move..........2006-11-16

There have been many who have slashed this recording in the reviews on this page. People claim that it's 25 minutes of unmusical noise from the orchestra behind a bunch of reading of names. People claim it's too soon to write pieces about the 9/11 tragedy. If all of this is true, then I would like to ask why it recieved a Pulitzer Prize. Either the Pulitzer Prize committe members have lost their marbles, or the negative reviewers are missing the point. I believe the latter to be true. In response to people who think it's too soon to write pieces about the 9/11 tragedy, I would just like to say that the piece was commissioned by the NYSO. So, they obviously didn't believe it was too early. The whole point of art is to respond to things that are happening around us, and with a tragic event like 9/11, we use art to cope with those tragedies. So no, it's never too early to respond to current events with art. September 10th, 2001 was too early.

I have a feeling that those who complain about the actual music in the piece do not regularly listen to contemporary classical music and simply don't know how to appreciate it. John Adams primarily composes with the intent on creating rich colorful musical atmospheres, not melodies. I find the sonorities and soundscapes in this piece to be incredibly beautiful and they fit well with the conceptual ideas put forth by John Adams as the pieces premise. This is music for the new millenium. It's about depicting emotion and ideas through the abstract medium as music. There isn't a way to concretely depict ideas through music. Music is not a concrete artform. I find this piece to be incredibly moving and don't understand how people can't appreciate this. People talk about how this work is offending, but I don't believe the members of the NYSO who commissioned the work were very offended. They wanted it to be written and I salute John Adams for taking on such a daunting task as writing a tribute to the victims of 9/11.

Dance Music:

1. The Vigilante
2. Tricks of the Trades, Vol. 2: The Money Is Made [Explicit Lyrics]
3. Triple M
4. U Already Know [Explicit Lyrics]
5. U Go Girl Remix [CD-single]
6. Underground Hit List
7. Unleashed
8. Vagina Diner
9. Walking With a Panther [Clean]
10. Walking With a Panther [Explicit Lyrics]

Dance Music

dance music

Dance Music

In the Skies [Original recording remastered] [Import]

The Best of Edvard Grieg [Import]

Solo, Duo & Trio

KKSF 103.7 FM Sampler for AIDS Relief, Vol. 5

Boa vs. Python [EP]

Superfly [Soundtrack]

Songs From The Capeman (1997 Concept Cast Album) [Cast Recording]

Sunday Paper, Vol. 1, No. 1

Perfect Love [Import]

Siesta Suite

Stranger Than Fiction [Import]

Running With the Pack [Import]

Picante

Southern Gospel Treasury

Eastwood After Hours: Live At Carnegie Hall