1st Class

1. Intro

2. 'Bout That Time

3. Ultimate

4. Brand New

5. Stay Chisel - Large Professor, Nas

6. Akinyele

7. In the Sun - Large Professor, Q-Tip

8. Born to Ball

9. Kool

10. Man

11. Large Pro

12. Alive in Stereo

13. Blaze Rhymez II

14. On - Busta Rhymes, Large Professor

15. Hip Hop

16. Radioactive

Tracks:

Swanee
Come To the Moon
I Was So Young (You Were So Beautiful)
Tee-Oodle-Um-bum-Bo
Nobody But You
Limehouse Nights
Drifting Along With The Tide
Rhapsody In Blue
Oh Lady Be Good!
Fascinating Rhythm
Hang On To Me
I'd Rather Charleston
The Man I Love
The Half Of It, Dearie, Blues
So Am I
Kickin' The Clouds Away
Concerto In F

Tracks:

Sweet And Low-Down (I)
That Certain Feeling (I)
Looking For A Boy
When Do We Dance?
Sweet And Low-Down (II)
That Certain Feeling (II)
Irish Waltz
Do, Do, Do
Someone To Watch Over Me
Clap Yo' Hands
Maybe
Three Preludes: I. No.1: Allegro Ben Ritmato E Deciso / II. No.2: Andante Con Moto / III No.3: Allegro Ben Ritmato E Deciso
Meadow Serenade
My One And Only
'S Wonderful/Funny Face
He Loves And She Loves
An American In Paris
Liza
Strike Up The Band
Embraceable You
I Got Rhythm (I)
I Got Rhythm (II)

Tracks:

Of Thee I Sing
Jilted
Second Rhapsody
For You, For Me, For Evermore
Cuban Overture
Isn't It A Pity?
Variations On 'I Got Rhythm'
I. Catfish Row: Introduction - Jazzbo Brown - First Chorus, 'Summertime'
II. Porgy Sings: 'I got Plenty O' Nuthin' - 'Bess, You Is My Woman Now'
III. Fugue: Murder Of Crown, Act III Scene 1
IV. Hurricane: Introduction, Act II Scene 3 - Hurricane, Act II Scene 3
V. Good Morning, Brother: Occupational Humoresque, Act III Scene 3 - 'Good Morning, Brother' - Children's Song 'Sure To Go To Heaven' - 'I'm On My Way' (Finale)
They Can't Take That Away From Me
Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
Our Love Is Here To Stay

Tracks:

Girl Crazy Overture
French Ballet Class
Dance Of The Waves
Slap That Bass
Walking The Dog
I've Got Beginner's Luck
They All Laughed
They Can't Take That Away From Me
Shall We Dance
By Strauss
I Can't Be Bothered Now
The Jolly Tar And The Milkmaid (1st Version)
Put Me To The Test
The Jolly Tar And The Milkmaid (2nd Version)
Stiff Upper Lip
A Foggy day (In London Town)
Nice Work If You Can Get It
Things Are Looking Up
I Was Doing All Right
Love Walked In

Customer Reviews:

Excellent performer.......2007-03-09

This plates are wonderful. I was charmed, and when I close my eyes now, I see scenes with American in Paris or Porgy and Bess but my favorite piece of music is Rhapsody in Blue. It's more than excellent is fantastic. Jack Gibbons perfectly feels the unique tone Gershwin's music, the mixture rythms of jazz with influences of impressionists and clear and beauty melodies.
I'm fascinating.

A unique project.......2006-11-23

Gibbons' undertaking is unique: to reconstruct and then execute and record the note-for-note playing of Gershwin as documented on the composers' piano rolls, sound recordings and certain published arrangements. I agree with the reviewer who points out that the result is like a library and not a recital you sit back and listen to (or get up and dance to). In fact Gibbons does some editing of his "library" now and then, and clearly documents it in his liner notes: in some reconstructions he augments accompaniment effects and even the melodic line itself. I don't mind that at all, especially as Gibbons scrupulously accounts for such tampering in his liner notes; but it seems to me that it is in this area of "tampering" that Gibbons the artist is asserting himself...which of course undermines the "library", the "historical archive": you have to search and read a bit to find out when you're hearing only Gershwin and when you're hearing some added Gibbons. I don't mind; Gibbons is a remarkable artist in his own right, not merely an impeccable documentarian. For sheer generosity of production Gibbons' Gershwin must also be unique: 4 cd's, scholar-level liner notes (yes, you need a magnifying glass to read them), and rock-bottom bargain price.

Gershwin historical, manic, perfect, archival.......2006-06-12

First: this is 4 high-end produced cd's (in low-end jewel cases) for the price of 2. The liner notes of all 4 cd's are condensed in a booklet of microscopic print, so you may need to spend the savings on a magnifying glass. MONEY WELL SPENT.
Second: Jack Gibbons plays (and has recorded) the Alkan op 39 etudes (he probably plays a lot more Alkan than that). For those of you not in the know, this is to say he has world-class chops, indeed history-class (Liszt, who never played his friend Alkan, at least in public). But it's also to say that Gibbons knows how to interpret and personalize fantastically difficult piano music. For me, his Alkan op 39 is personal and passionate and real (contrast the facile and over-pedalled Hamelin and the just-the-notes-ma'me Ringeissen). An appreciation of Gibbons' Alkan is important here because while his Alkan is uniquely personal (as such music must be, no matter how hard it is to play) his Gershwin is deliberately impersonal...which is to say: no pianist, no singer would want to reproduce what Gibbons has given us in these 4 cd's, and in fact few listeners will be able to listen for long to these 4 cd's without a respite, a break , some silence, some minimal styling from somebody (anybody) else...which brings me to
Third: This is an archive, not a recital. This is a library, not a program. There is no track-by-track contrast of moods here, no track-by-track concession to easy listening, varied delight, any more than a library shelf of novels is alphabetized by authors' last names as a concession to mood or fancy or taste of the searching patron. This is the documented Gershwin in his recording mode: manic, notey, clever, "on", and never, as generations of stylists found in him, ravishing, tender, longing, sweet, glad, hopeful...person-to-person, in a word. I can listen to these cd's about half an hour at a time, max. This is Gerwhsin, not Gibbons. And this is just one side of Gershwin. He died at 38, in the summer. Brain tumor. A lot of pain.
Finally, Jack Gibbons has given the world a uniquely valuable and easily available resource. Gibbons could now do us a service by playing us some Gershwin as he feels it, as it hits him and makes him sing (as Gershwin, our American Schubert, does to all of us, and as I think Alkan has done to Gibbons). I would love to see a Gershwin stylings by Gibbons now that Gibbons himself has made sure Gershwin in his authenticity is safe and sound.

Definative.......2005-07-23

Here's the whole Gershwin catalog at a great price... Five plus hours of bliss. Definately five stars!

Gibbons, according to a family friend and biographer Edward jablonski "recreates Gershwin's style." I'll never know. I can say this is a lively recording and has the perfect balance. It's neither stuffy and plodding or cute.

Average customer rating:

What The Game's Been Missing {3.5 Stars}
Ehhhhh ...
(3+HALF) IST CLASS delivery from the Extra P.
1st class rhythms and rhymes
Possibly 3.5 stars from one of the better producers

1st Class
Large Professor
Manufacturer: Matador Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

East Coast | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

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General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Indie Music | Stores | Music

East Coast | Rap & Hip-Hop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Heroz4hire
Ventilation: Da LP
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Return of the Funky Man
Vendetta

ASIN: B00006FRUO
Release Date: 2002-10-08

Tracks:

Intro
'Bout That Time
Ultimate
Brand New
Stay Chisel
Akinyele
In The Sun
Born To Ball
Kool
The Man
Large Pro
Alive In Stereo
Blaze Rhymez II
On
Hip Hop
Radioactive

Customer Reviews:

What The Game's Been Missing {3.5 Stars}.......2007-01-23

I don't know, I always dug Extra P's production. I've never been all that impressed with his rhymes though. He's a capable rhymeslinger, but that's not why I buy his joints. With that being said, the production seems kind of dated. To me though, that's a good thing. I know it came out in '02, but this album sounds like '92 all over again. There are plenty of solid joints all throughout the album and, with the exception of the chronically regressing Busta Rhymes, the guests do their thing too. Q Tip's verses on "The Sun" easily makes that track the standout in my opinion. But there are other tight joints on the album like "Akinyele", "Stay Chisel", and "Born To Ball" (actually, that four track span is probably the best sequence of the whole album).

To me, the only flaw on the album is Extra P's rhymes -- they're pretty elementary. I mean, he's never been all that stellar on the mic and he tends to get overshadowed by his own production (he even drops a wack line every now and then). Not only does he occasionaly drop a wack line, but he occasionaly drops a wack beat too (Brand New Sound). And, yes, there's a recycled sample/beat or two on the album. But for the most part, this is bass heavy, grimy boom bap hip hop music. I see nothing wrong with it.

1st Class isn't necessarily a bad album. I can think of plenty of albums out there that could've used beats like these. I think most people were expecting a jaw dropping release when P dropped this joint. The fact that they didn't get it is probably why most people are salty. Personally, I get a vibe from this album like I'm back in 1993 and I love it for that reason. I think this album is dope and I'd recommend it to anyone. Just make sure you leave your expectations at the door and listen with open ears.

Standout Tracks: Stay Chisel feat. Nas, Born To Ball, In The Sun feat. Q Tip (My Favorite), Kool, and Akinyele feat. Akinyele

Ehhhhh ..........2006-11-16

I am a beat JUNKIE and a Large Professor/Xtra P fan, but with guys like JayDee/J Dilla, I think this is just alright. Evidently, The baton has been passed. Don't get me wrong, I think LP is EXCELLENT at what he does, but his style is no longer as unique and groundbreaking as it once was. I hope and pray for much more from XP.

(3+HALF) IST CLASS delivery from the Extra P........2006-09-19

Alright at this stage everybody that loves that real hiphop knows Large Pro or his work. The man is flawless with the beats which is why ive also copped his newly released "Beats vol.1". However 1 thing ive personally always enjoyed with L.P. is his flow, its just so laidback and chilled. He doesnt have to use fancy wordplay or metaphors to get his point across, he just spits whats in his heart and it delivers perfectly everytime. Its like he's conversating with you over a beat. Remember his early singles "Mad Scientist" or "i juswannachill"?? Absoultely amazing beats+rhymes. I too got his (un)released album "The L.P." and thought it was breathtaking so i can understand why some heads werent feeling this as much. But considering how much hiphop has changed compared to back then i still think this album is typical L.P. because he does hiphop his way and doesnt change or compromise his style for anybody. Beats-wise he hits some seriously high points and lyrically comes correct too. There afew weak moments that prevented this from being a classic to me, like "Akinyele", "The Man", (average) "Blaze Rhymez II", (blaze rhymes 1 was 100% better and didnt appear) and finally "On". But with moments like "'Bout That Time", "Ultimate", "In The Sun", "Born To Ball", "Kool", "Large Pro", "Alive In Stereo", "Hip Hop" and "Radioactive" you can be well pleased to have this. Hopefully he's next studio album (not instrumental) will be even better. Return of a true hiphop legend.

1st class rhythms and rhymes.......2006-05-18

I'd heard things here and there by and about Large Pro, but I still hadn't gotten a clear idea of his ability until I heard this album. The man obviously knows how to lay a beat, not sound too repetetive, and his rhymes--while not on a groundbreaking level--are still crisp and easily to listen to, not boring, corny, they sound sincere..simple as that, Large Pro is one of the most underrated artists around and for the most part this LP says so.

Possibly 3.5 stars from one of the better producers .......2005-08-05

X-P the Large Pro finally drops a solo for us all to grab after being around as one of the best producers in the Golden Age of NY hip-hop before Gangsta rap was there. Although it came out in 2002, about 15 years after he stepped on the scene. There is no doubt the man is a genius on the beatbox, but his lyrics are average and that's plain truth. He was around with Akinyele and Nas, Q-Tip and The Main Source and a few other big names in the late 80's and early 90's and kind of fell off doing some tracks here and there but never a complete album. The beats on here are simple and mostly a beat box but they are TIGHT, as he produces 13 of the 16 songs on here. J-Love, Hill, and Xplicit all do 1 as well. Guests are on 4 songs (one is an Akinyele solo and it may be the best song on here, or very close). Of the 16 songs, 2 I skip, 6 are good and the other 8 are average. A good album to have for his fans and fans of his beats but the lyrical contenet is so-so.

#1 - 6
#2 - 7.5
#3 - 8 (good beat)
#4 - 7
#5 - 7 (f/ Nas)
#6 - 8.5 (great beat -- Akinyele solo)
#7 - 8 (good beat --- f/ Q-Tip)
#8 - 8.5 (nice upbeat song)
#9 - 8 (the hook has a nice relaxing beat to it)
#10 - 7
#11 - 7
#12 - 7.5
#13 - 7.5
#14 - 5 (f/ Busta Rhymes)
#15 - 8 (great beat -- Nas used it on some mixtapes under a song titled "Star Wars")
#16 - 7

b. around 1968 -- Queens, NY
check all my reviews

Average customer rating:

An Absolute Must For Lovers of Music and History
A real collector's item, especially for old-time radio buffs

George Gershwin Memorial Concert

Manufacturer: North American Class
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000006PDF
Release Date: 1998-04-28

Tracks:

Opening Comments
Prelude #2
Commentary
An American In Paris
Commentary
Eulogy
Swanee
The Man I Love
They Can't Take That Away From Me
Station Identification : Commentary
1st Movement : Allegro
2nd Movement : Andate con moto
Concerto In F: 3rd Movement : Allegro con brio

Tracks:

Intermission : Mrs. Leiland Atherton Irish; Oscar Hammerstein Tribute; Edward G. Robinson Tribute; Commentary
Introduction To The Second Half
Anthology : The Man I Love, Liza, Lady Be Good, Somebody Loves Me, Do It Again, I Got Rhythm, Wintergreen For President, Strike Up The Band
Commentary
Porgy And Bess: Introduction And Summertime
Commentary
Porgy And Bess: My Man's Gone Now
Porgy And Bess: The Buzzard Song
Porgy And Bess: The Train Song
Porgy And Bess: I've Got Plenty O' Nuttin'
Porgy And Bess: Bess, You Is My Woman Now
Porgy And Bess: I'm On My Way
Commentary
Rhapsody In Blue

Customer Reviews:

An Absolute Must For Lovers of Music and History.......2001-01-20

This album contains the best works of George Gershwin, played by the very best artists of the period. The quality of the recording is excellent, actually amazing considering that this recording was made in 1937. The music of the master, George Gershwin, and the authenticity of the playing is more than enough reason to buy the CD set. But there is more: The album consists of the complete two and one half hour historic radio program, broadcast as the announcer says "by short wave to the four corners of the earth." It is so moving that you can feel like you are experiencing it live. The 16 pages of liner notes that come with CD set have been carefully researched for historical accuracy and competent critical evaluation of the music. One could have wished the producers would have found room on the cover of the CD set to list Charles Previn, who conducted Concerto in F, which accounted for approximately thirty minutes of the playing time and for Nathaniel Shilkret and Nathaniel Finston who, as conductors, were the featured artists for another approximate half hour of playing time. One could only wish that there were only such minor complaints with all musical recordings. The producers deserve thanks for making this wonderful piece of history available to the public.

A real collector's item, especially for old-time radio buffs.......2000-09-24

This recording preserves,for all posterity and in quite listenable sound for its time, one of the most important and moving cultural events of the early twentieth century--the full-length memorial tribute to George Gershwin, the USA's greatest composer ever,IMHO.

This was broadcast on CBS Radio in September,1937, barely two months after the composer's shocking and untimely death from a brain tumor at the age of thirty-eight. All of his most famous pieces for concert hall are heard here,and the advantage of hearing them in a live performance is that they are not edited, as they often would have been in recordings made during that era. (Gershwin's own recording of the "Rhapsody in Blue",made in the 1920's in a recording studio,is rather severely cut.)

Many of the performers, such as Fred Astaire and Oscar Levant, give memorable performances,but there are a few clinkers. The great German conductor Otto Klemperer may be brilliant in Beethoven and Bach, but he was not the man to conduct Gershwin's Second Prelude, heard here in an orchestral arrangement. He has no feel for jazz idioms whatsoever, and he makes this slow, blues-like piece sound like a dirge out of Mahler or Bruckner. It is,sad to say, the worst performance of the Prelude I have ever heard. And whatever possessed the producers of this concert to get Lily Pons,with her pronounced French accent,to sing "Summertime", rather than an American soprano,which they could have gotten easily? It throws the whole "Porgy and Bess" segment out of whack.

That "Porgy" segment, however, is one of the most valuable historical documents ever recorded. It presents members of the original 1935 cast of the opera performing unedited versions of several arias,duets and ensemble pieces from the opera, conducted by Alexander Smallens, the original conductor. And it presents perhaps the only surviving recording of Ruby Elzy,the original Serena, singing "My Man's Gone Now". (Miss Elzy was NOT featured on the so-called Broadway cast album; Anne Brown,the original Bess,sang Serena's music on that one,as well as singing Bess and Clara's arias.) And we finally get to hear Todd Duncan perform "The Buzzard Song", which was cut from the opera for a very long time.

Fred Astaire's spoken tribute to Gershwin is very moving, and at one point, his voice is heard cracking with emotion. The announcer and narrator, however, speaks in that overenunciated, dramatic, actorish style which was apparently the norm for radio announcers of that period. He sounds as if he were getting ready to either impersonate Orson Welles, or audition for "Hamlet", and his style of speaking is almost quaint nowadays.

But this album is still irreplaceable.

An update to this review - This edition of the memorial concert is apparently out of print, and the concert itself has been reissued as part of the ongoing CD series "The Radio Years". DO NOT BUY THAT VERSION. It is vastly inferior to this one. This version has spectacular sound for its time, and the new reissue sounds as if had been recorded through a tin can. And not only is the sound bad on the reissue, but there is tons of surface noise and the program itself seems to be abridged.

We can only hope that the edition listed on this page will be re-issued some day. This historic concert deserves no less.

Average customer rating:

Love and War
Seven Ten
Manufacturer: Metal Mayhem Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAFAVW
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Tracks:

Calling
Chosen One
Tied Up in Love
Live for Today
Why'd You Lie
Cross My Heart
Love in a Bottle
As We Say Goodbye
Beg You to Stay
Love and War
Give It to Me Straight
Seven Ten

Average customer rating:

Westcoast Storm
Eldonvp
Manufacturer: 1st Class Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Latin Music | Styles | Music

Latin Pop | Latin Music | Styles | Music

Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAD0ZA
Release Date: 2004-03-16

Tracks:

Intro
Topicali
Fighter Fighters
Mic Donination
Bound by Blood
My Pourpouse
Dreams
Flames of Furry
Bay Life
Sco Dynasty
Bay Area Pride
Goulden Boy
Finger Fighters Part2
Outro

Enter: Unschooled Records Compilation V1.0

Average customer rating:

FINALLY- NEW MUSIC THAT'S REALLY NEW !

Enter: Unschooled Records Compilation V1.0
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Unschooled
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Compilations | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000A344F
Release Date: 2003-06-23

Tracks:

Frazed - Doofgoblin
Matches - Decomposure
Interlude - 1st Class Lounge
Calomel - Plan 29
Glossy Trinket And Bonfire - Cloudscapes
Goyle - Shank
Totally Elephants - Carbon Based Life Form
I Am Watching You - A Bit Crusher
SubLoop Thud - Sonic Wallpaper
Unstable Orbit - Mercurial
In from the Cold - Powdermonkey
Song of the Trichomes - Natu Visu
Electronic Seals Paradise - Naton Rozenburg
Squiggle (Lost within the curves) - Turbogeek

Album Description

"ENTER" is the highly anticipated initial release from Chapel Hill, NC based label Unschooled Records. The CD is a well thought-out compilation of 14 tracks from electronic musicians representing an intersection in style, geography and time. Drawing on the talents of 12 musicians from 5 countries, ENTER provides the listener with an experience that is simultaneously diverse and comforting. Tracks that run the gamut in structure and complexity: From Decomposure's "Matches", an explosive seduction that consists entirely of samples of the artist lighting matches, to internet experimental notable doofgoblin's angst-tinged commercial debut "Frazed". Solo projects from Decomposure, doofgoblin, and Plan 29 will be released on Unschooled by October 2003

Customer Reviews:

FINALLY- NEW MUSIC THAT'S REALLY NEW !.......2003-06-27

I saw announcements for this CD pop up at several of my favorite sites over the past week, so I decided to check it out. Went to the label's website... and they had a flash music player with a bunch of samples. It sounded pretty tempting, so I picked up a copy. It's a new label and these are some really fresh tunes! It's all electronic and instrumental, so if you don't like the sound of that I wouldn't bother, but the CD has so many different styles and the best part is - they're not all trying to sound like Aphex Twin! There are 14 tracks and very few total dogs (about 3 in my book) but there are 4 KILLER songs; Matches (Decomposure), I am watching you (Bit Crusher), Frazed (Dooofgoblin) and Interlude (1st Class Lounge). All in all, a great deal for some outstanding new music - several of the musicians with the best tracks have full length CDs coming out this summer - I'll be back!

Average customer rating:

Favourite Beethoven

Manufacturer: Class. for Pleas. Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Symphone No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67 - Munich Philharmonic Orchestra
The Ruins Of Athens Incidental Music, Op. 113: Turkish March - Royal Phiharmonic Orchestra
Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 61 - Yehudi Menuhin
Piano Sonata No. 14, Op. 27 No. 2 'Moonlight' - Moura Lympany
Symphony No. 6 In F Major, Op. 68 'Pastoral' - Munich Philharmonic Orchestra
Fidelio, Act 1: Mir ist so wunderbar - Helen Donath
Fur Elise - Moura Lympany
Cello Sonata No. 3 In A Major, Op. 69 - Stephen Kovacevich
Piano Concerto No. 5 In E Flat Major, Op. 73 'Emperor' - Stephen Kovacevich
Symphony No. 8 In F Major, Op. 93 - The Philadelphia Orchestra
Egmont Overture, Op. 84 - Munich Philharmonic Orchestra