| 1. First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack |
| 2. Giving You the Best That I Got - Anita Baker |
| 3. Lovin' You - Minnie Riperton |
| 4. Get Here - Oleta Adams |
| 5. If I Could - Regina Belle |
| 6. Sweet Thing - Rufus & Chaka Khan |
| 7. What's Love Got to Do With It - Tina Turner |
| 8. Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye) - Gladys Knight & the Pips |
Female R & B Hits: Vol.1,Karaoke,Sound Choice,Karaoke,Latin
Average customer rating:
|
Love Songs
Etta James Manufacturer: Chess ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000056PPZ Release Date: 2001-01-23 |
Tracks:
- At Last
- A Sunday Kind Of Love
- My Dearest Darling
- Trust In Me
- If I Can't Have You
- How Do You Speak To An Angel?
- Someone To Watch Over Me
- Again
- I Want To Be Loved (But Only By You)
- Lovin' Arms
- Lovin' You More Every Day
- The Love Of My Man
- It Must Be Your Love
- Never My Love
Amazon.com
She's no stranger to the towering highs and lows of the heart, and Etta James's soaring, gospel-tinged pipes match up well with the rigors of unabashed bliss. Happily, the good people at Chess Records recognize this, and they have thoughtfully collected some of the best examples into one tidy record. Kicking off with her classic treatment of "At Last," the collection moves through the lilting strings of "My Dearest Darling" on into the expressive tones of "I Want to Be Loved (But Only by You)" with grace and emotional candor. James can be simultaneously tender and deeply honest and her ability to express the desperate joy that is the soul of love remains one of life's marvelous pleasures. --Matthew CookeCustomer Reviews:
THE LADY CAN SING.......2007-07-15
New Edge to "Old" Love Songs.......2007-07-07
She's been through many years of problems and heartache, but then, here she still is, with a voice that is even better (if that's possible!) than when she was a sweet young thing performing with Louie Armstrong, Ray Charles, BB King and all the great band leaders and blues singers. She even has a new thin physique!
A couple of the tunes are ones she had in her regular repertoire forty-five years ago and others are contemporary hits from other artists. Each one is "pure Etta." I seem to play this one over and over and over. I can't get enough. I even have it on my computer so I can listen to it when I am doing other work!
This CD is a great example of what the blue are and the influence it can have on all kinds of music. Some of the tunes one will hardly recognize at first. And--the best part of this recording is that you don't have to be in love to enjoy it! (though it wouldn't be bad that way, too)
Etta.......2007-05-30
Gets better each time.......2007-04-02
Love Songs CD.......2007-03-15
Average customer rating:
|
Instruments of the Orchestra
Various Artists Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00006O0NT Release Date: 2002-12-03 |
Tracks:
- Overture To 'Tannhauser'
- Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
- We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
- Hungarian Dance No.7
- The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
- Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
- But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
- The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
- The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
- Csardas Music
- The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
- The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
- Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
- The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
- Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
- Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
- The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
- Tzigane
- Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
- Caprice No.24
- 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.
- Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
- Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
- Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
- Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
- The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
- The Violin Muted
- Clair De Lune
- The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
- Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
- The Pizzicato Violin
- Pizzicato Polka
- In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
- Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
- 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...
- The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
- 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
- Hungarian Dance No.4
- Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
- The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
- Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
- Bolero
- Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
- Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
- Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
- Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
- Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
- Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
- And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
- Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
- The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
- Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
- The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
- Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
- Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
- The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
- Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
- Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
- Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
- The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
- Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
- Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
- Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
- Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
- Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
- To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
- Elfenreigen
Tracks:
- Introduction To The Viola
- Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
- Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
- Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
- Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
- Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
- 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.
- Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
- The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
- Cypresses (No.9)
- The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
- Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
- The 'Period' Viola In Bach
- Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
- The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
- Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
- Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
- Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
- Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
- Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
- In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
- Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
- But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
- Elfentanz, Op.39
- Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
- The Protecting Veil (Opening)
- A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
- Flamenco
- Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
- Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
- It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
- Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
- 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.
- Symphony No.9 (Finale)
- Introduction To The Double-Bass
- The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
- But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
- Elegy No.1 In D Major
- 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.
- Capriccio Di Bravura
- 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)
- 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....
- Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds
Tracks:
- The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
- Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
- The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
- Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
- The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
- Sa'Dawi
- Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
- Chamber Music No.II
- The Piccolo - Aptly Named
- La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
- From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
- Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
- A Variety Of Techniques
- Chamber Music No.II
- Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
- The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
- From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
- Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
- An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
- Naelden, Naelden
- The Bachian Oboe
- Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
- Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
- Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
- The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
- The Swan Of Tuonela
- The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
- Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
- Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
- Bolero
- 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...
- 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)
- As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
- Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
- 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).
- The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
- The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
- ...And Quite Low.
- Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
- The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
- Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
- But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
- Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
- Introduction To The Saxophone
- Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
- The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
- L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
- The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
- Bolero
- The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
- Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
- The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
- Sax-O-Phun
- The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
- Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
- The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
- Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
- Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
- And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
- Bolero
- The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
- Symphony No.3 (Opening)
- The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
- The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
- Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
- The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
- The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
- Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
- The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
- Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
- The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
- Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
- Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
- Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
- The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
- Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)
Tracks:
- The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
- Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
- The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
- Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
- The Ceremonial Trumpet
- Fanfare For The Common Man
- Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
- Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
- The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
- Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
- 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
- Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
- The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
- Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
- The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
- Billy The Kid
- The Trumpet As Character Actor
- Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
- The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
- Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
- The Birth Of The Trombone
- Aenmerckt Nu Hier
- The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
- Canzon 12 In Double Echo
- The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
- Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
- 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.
- Hosannah
- The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
- Symphony No.5 (Finale)
- The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
- The Trombone As Caricaturist
- Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
- The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
- The Horn And The Hunt
- Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
- The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
- Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
- The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
- Walter Music (Minuet 1)
- The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
- Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
- Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
- The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
- Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
- The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
- Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
- The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
- Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
- The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
- Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)
Tracks:
- Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
- Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
- At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
- Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
- Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
- Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
- The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
- The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
- Den Hoboecken Dans
- Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
- Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
- 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.
- Gymnopedie No.2
- 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...
- 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)
- More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
- Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
- 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.
- Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
- A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
- Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
- The Birth Of The Bongo
- Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
- From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
- Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
- From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
- Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
- Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
- But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
- Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
- Taking Advantage Of Tunability
- Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
- 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.
- Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
- Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
- The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
- Ravel And The Xylophone
- Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
- Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
- Introducing The Vibraphone
- The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
- The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
- Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
- Folk Dances
- The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
- Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
- Introducing The Tubular Bells
- Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
- A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
- Carmen Suite (Introduction)
- But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
- Introducing The Celeste
- The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
- Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
- Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
- Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
- 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
- The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
- Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
- The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
- Petrushka (Russian Dance)
- The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
- Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)
Tracks:
- Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
- Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
- But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
- Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
- The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
- An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
- Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
- Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
- Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
- Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
- Mahler's Sleighbells
- Symphony No.4 (Opening)
- A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
- Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
- Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
- Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
- National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
- And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
- And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
- The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
- The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
- The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
- The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
- The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
- The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
- The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
- The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
- There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
- The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
- Nocturnes
- Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
- The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
- The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
- The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
- The Oboe As Duck
- Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
- The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
- The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
- The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
- Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
- Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
- Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
- Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
- The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
- A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
- Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
- A Thunderstorm In A Million
- Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
- the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
- The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
- Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
- The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)
Tracks:
- The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
- Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
- A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
- Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
- Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
- String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
- The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
- String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
- The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
- String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
- The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
- String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
- The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
- String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
- The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
- Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
- Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
- String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
- The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
- Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
- Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
- Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
- In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
- Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
- In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
- Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
- In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
- Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
- Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
- Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
- And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
- Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
- The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
- Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
- Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
- Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
- A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
- Octet In F (Mvt 3)
- The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
- Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
- Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
- Canzon 28
- Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
- Symphony No.5 (Finale)
- From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
- Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
- Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
- The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
- Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
- When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
- Images (Gigues)
- A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
- Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
- The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
- Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
- Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
- Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
- A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')
Customer Reviews:
Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04
Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12
Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20
Frank's view.......2006-08-19
Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08
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:
|
The Gospel of Blues
Sister Rosetta Tharpe Manufacturer: Mca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0000C52FF Release Date: 2003-09-16 |
Tracks:
- My Man And I
- This Train
- Sit Down
- Trouble In Mind
- Shout, Sister, Shout!
- Rock Me
- Nobody's Fault But Mine
- I Want A Tall Skinny Papa
- God Don't Like It
- What Is The Soul Of Man?
- Singing In My Soul
- Strange Things Happening Everyday
- Two Little Fishes And Five Loaves Of Bread
- Jonah
- Didn't It Rain
- The Natural Facts
- Down By The Riverside
- Up Above My Head I Hear Music In The Air
Customer Reviews:
Absolutely enthralling collection of Sister Rosetta Tharpe's finest Decca recordings........2007-05-24
"Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Gospel of the Blues" features the cream of the crop of her most productive years at Decca between 1938 and 1947. While Rosetta always considered herself to be first and foremost a gospel singer she nonethless did not hesitate to venture into other genres when the opportunity arose. You can sample some of her earliest gospel offerings on this disc. Memorable songs like "Rock Me", "Sit Down" and her own composition "This Train" were big sellers in the late 1930's. Along about 1941 Rosetta received an offer she simply could not turn down. The popular Lucky Millinder big band offered her an opportunity to be a featured vocalist. Many of her ardent gospel devotees were extremely upset with Rosetta for singing secular music. However, the gig with Lucky Millinder would prove to be highly successful and result in several of her biggest hits. You may sample three of these tunes on this disc including the rollicking "Shout, Sister, Shout", "Trouble In Mind" and the blues classic "I Want A Tall Skinny Papa" from 1942. After a few successful years with the band Sister Rosetta Tharpe decided it was time to return to her roots once again. In the mid 1940's she produced some of her very finest work. Sample Sister's take on traditional tunes like "God Don't Like It", "Didn't It Rain" and "Strange Things Happening Everyday". And if that were not enough enjoy her inspiring duet with Marie Knight "Up Above My Head I Hear Music In The Air". Outstanding!
I cannot say enough about "Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Gospel of the Blues". All I know is that I have become a fan for life. Pick this one up for yourself and you just might discover why a young Elvis Presley used to listen to her recordings all the time. "Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Gospel of the Blues" comes complete with a very informative 16 page booklet. Very nicely done and very highly recommended!
A Gospel Goldmine!.......2007-02-15
The Genius Of Schizophrenia...Music For Saints & Sinners Indeed.......2006-06-13
The tension on display of being the daughter of a preacher with a lustful vibrato is truly a creative process on these recordings spanning 1938-1948..
Listening to this fine single disc compilation of her more famous sides is a treat..the sound was restored using the CEDAR process, informative booklet on her life within,as the music plays on one her the soul of it all on display and it is no wonder that the many styles she lived in her private life was expressed in her music as a balancing act that is truly human.
A fine single disc samper of thsi faithful woman of God.......2004-12-03
Exellent r&b music, with a Gospel aftertaste.......2004-04-16
If you thought you didn't liek Gospel music, try this, and it'll change your mind, for Tharpe added r&b(almost rock'n'roll at times), and swing, jazz, and jump blues to her approach. Sometimes singing pop songs, blues, and r&b filled gospel. A exellent cd tah tcover her 1930's to late 40's recordings.
Average customer rating:
|
Tell Mama: The Complete Muscle Shoals Sessions
Etta James Manufacturer: Mca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005B7GT Release Date: 2001-04-24 |
Tracks:
- Tell Mama
- I'd Rather Go Blind
- Watch Dog
- The Love Of My Man
- I'm Gonna Take What He's Got
- The Same Rope
- Security
- Steal Away
- My Mother In Law
- Don't Lose Your Good Thing
- It Hurts Me So Much
- Just A Little Bit
- Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
- You Took It
- I Worship The Ground You Walk On
- I Got You Babe
- You Got It
- I've Gone Too Far (Previously Unreleased)
- Misty (Previously Unreleased)
- Almost Persuaded
- Fire
- Do Right Woman, Do Right Man (Alternate)
Customer Reviews:
Tell Mama: The Complete Muscle Shoals Sessions.......2006-11-10
Lord Have Mercy.......2006-03-16
4 1/2 stars. A wonderful, varied soul record.......2005-06-11
The sound is terrific, clear and realistic, as is the production by Rick Hall. And those who feel that Etta James' Chess recordings featured too many violins and not enough power need to pick up "Tell Mama" right away!
The original album was top-notch in its own right, featuring the all-time classic soul ballad "I'd Rather Go Blind", excellent covers of Ed Townsend's "I'm Gonna Take What He's Got", Otis Redding's "Security" and Jimmy Hughes' "Don't Lose Your Good Thing", and a couple of driving up-tempo numbers, most notably Don Covay's "Watch Dog" and the magnificent title track.
Etta James never sounded better than during these four 1967-1968 sessions, and the various musicians never set a foot (or a finger) wrong.
There really isn't a single weak track among the twelve songs originally issued. Even practically unknown songs like the swaggering soul stomper "My Mother In Law" and the slow "It Hurts Me So Much", which have never been covered by anyone and don't appear on any of Etta James' compilation albums, are highly enjoyable, and Etta's rendition of "Just A Little Bit" (AKA "I Just Want A Little Bit") is a supremely funky slice of soul-blues.
And the bonus tracks aren't rejects by any means. They include "Almost Persuaded", "Misty", the rocking "You Took It", a very good interpretation of Sonny Bono's "I Got You Babe", and two soulful takes on "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man", a song which has been interpreted by everybody from Aretha Franklin to the Flying Burrito Brothers.
I'm no big Etta James fan, actually, but this album is something special. I completely fell for it the first time I put it on, and to me "Tell Mama" is the best record Etta James has ever made, one of the finest, most cohesive soul and R&B records of the late 60s.
You really ought to give it a listen.
What a re-issue should be!.......2005-02-23
Blistering, bluesy R&B.......2003-01-15
Average customer rating:
|
Life, Love & the Blues
Etta James Manufacturer: RCA Victor ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000007SNA Release Date: 1998-06-30 |
Tracks:
- Born Under A Bad Sign
- I Want To Ta Ta You, Baby
- Here I Am (Come And Take Me)
- Running Out Of Lies
- Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
- Spoonful
- Life, Love & The Blues
- Hoochie Coochie Gal
- Cheating In The Next Room
- If You Want Me To Stay
- The Love You Save May Be Your Own
- I'll Take Care Of You
Amazon.com's Best of 1998
On Life, Love & the Blues, Etta James returns to her blues and soul repertoire, enlivening even the hoariest of tunes ("Spoonful," a gender-flopped "Hoochie Coochie Gal") with her growl. The tinges of funk underpinning "Born Under a Bad Sign" are given full room to stretch on a cover of Sly Stone's "If You Want Me to Stay," and James nearly swipes "The Love You Save May Be Your Own," one of Joe Tex's great preaching ballads, from the master. --Rickey WrightAmazon.com essential recording
Etta James followed her two deeply jazzy mid-'90s albums of torch songs with Love's Been Rough on Me, a flirtation with Nashville writers. On Life, Love & the Blues, she returns to her blues and soul repertoire, enlivening even the hoariest of tunes ("Spoonful," a gender-flopped "Hoochie Coochie Gal") with her growl. The tinges of funk underpinning "Born Under a Bad Sign" are given full room to stretch on a cover of Sly Stone's "If You Want Me to Stay," and James nearly swipes "The Love You Save May Be Your Own," one of Joe Tex's great preaching ballads, from the master. --Rickey WrightCustomer Reviews:
Solid but not Spectacular.......2003-03-28
Solid throughout but never quite spectacular, this session is largely driven by formula, for neither Ms. James nor her band take many chances with the arrangements and delivery no such chestnuts as Spoonful. A few tracks, such as the overly long reworking of Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues and Hoochie Coochie Gal, overstay their welcome.
On the other hand, Ms. James and her band sound vital and fresh on the title track, the one original number. And it's impossible not to tap along with the infectious energy of If You Want Me to Stay. Even if this recording does not win Ms. James many new fans, it should satisfy her core fans and make a few converts.
Love it!!.......2002-05-02
This is the best female blues recording ever produced!.......2002-04-05
Contempory Blues Cd.......2000-10-11
Take a Ride With Etta and Get An Education in the Blues.......2000-07-29
Average customer rating:
|
The Complete Johnny Mercer Songbook
Various Artists Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00000DLUK Release Date: 1998-11-03 |
Tracks:
- Blues In The Night (My Mama Done Tol' Me) - Louis Armstrong
- I Thought About You - Billie Holiday
- Come Rain Or Come Shine - Anita O'day
- Hit The Road To Dreamland - Mel Torme
- Dearly Beloved - Margaret Whiting
- Goody Goody - Buddy Rich
- Skylark - Ella Fitzgerald
- Laura - Billy Eckstine
- Day In-Day Out - Sarak Vaughan
- Early Autumn - Woody Herman
- I Remember You - Dinah Washington
- Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home - Helen Merril/Gil Evans
- Too Marvelous For Words - Joe Williams
- Autumn Leaves - Dee Dee Bridgewater
- One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) - Billie Holiday
- Jeepers Creepers - Bing Crosby/Buddy Bregman's Orchestra
Tracks:
- Something's Gotta Give - Ella Fitzgerald
- That Old Black Magic - Shirley Horn
- P.S. I Love You - Billie Holiday
- Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive - Buddy Rich
- I'm Old Fashioned - Margaret Whiting
- Midnight Sun - Ella Fitzgerald
- Dream - Dinah Washington
- On The Atchison, Topeka, And The Santa Fe - Jack Teagarden
- Trav'lin' Light - Billie Holiday
- Moon River - Sarah Vaughan
- Once Upon A Summertime - Astrud Gilberto
- Too Marvelous For Words - Oscar Peterson
- When The World Was Young - Anita O'Day/Three Sounds
- A Kiss From You - Billy Eckstine, Benny Carter
- Hit The Road To Dreamland - Cleo Laine
- Out Of This World - Helen Merrill
Tracks:
- I Remember You - Charlie Parker
- Out Of This World - Gerry Mulligan/Concert Jazz Band
- Too Marvelous For Words - Lester Young
- Come Rain Or Come Shine - Bill Evans
- Mandy Is Two - Stan Getz
- Jeepers Creepers - Benny Carter
- Satin Doll - Johnny Hodges
- That Old Black Magic - Erroll Garner
- Tangerine - Coleman Hawkins/Ben Webster
- Charade - Quincy Jones
- Laura - Don Byas
- I'm Old Fashioned - Oscar Peterson
- Skylark - Paul Motian
- Day In-Day Out - Terry Gibbs Big Band
- When The World Was Young - Stan Getz
- Days Of Wine And Roses - Joe Henderson/Wynton Kelly Trio
Customer Reviews:
Listen and dream.......2006-11-10
If you have the music, he has the words .......2006-06-06
This collection does not include them all but contains enough to show why he is considered one of the greatest lyricists popular American song ever produced.
One oddity with Mercer is that many of his greatest hits came from melodies, music which had been pre- produced and which he was asked to write the words for. So for instance the beautiful haunting 'Autumn Leaves' was given lyrics after it had come to America from France.
Mercer is also the only lyric writer to have been honored by an 'Ella Fitzergald Songbook' collection.
Average customer rating:
|
Broken Silence
Foxy Brown Manufacturer: Def Jam ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005K32I Release Date: 2001-07-17 |
Tracks:
- Intro-Broken Silence
- Fallin' (featuring Young Gavin)
- Oh Yeah (featuring Spragga Benz)
- B.K. Anthem
- The Letter (featuring Ron Isley)
- 730
- Candy (featuring Kelis)
- Tables Will Turn (featuring Baby Cham)
- Hood Scriptures
- Run Dem (featuring Baby Cham)
- 'Bout My Paper (featuring Mystikal)
- Run Yo S*** (featuring CNN)
- Na Na Be Like
- Gangsta Boogie
- I Don't Care (featuring Kori)
- So Hot (featuinrg Young Gavin)
- Saddest Day (featuring Wayne Wonder)
- Broken Silence (featuring Darius)
Amazon.com
She's back. After more drama than even this unshy Big Bad Mama might have wanted, it seems as if Foxy Brown has pulled back from the abyss. Of course, on her first album in three years (since the disappointing Chyna Doll), Foxy's rhyme skills haven't gotten any better or worse--she still exhibits the focused monotone that first got her noticed in 1995 on LL Cool J's "I Shot Ya." Broken Silence can't be called a revelation, but it does showcase a less ill, more introspective Na Na. Gratuitous battle rhymes are still very much in effect, but the effort she's made to explore her recent painful experiences has resulted in some pretty compelling material. Foxy explains her position, pointedly making thinly veiled references to the many industry beefs and relationship problems that have made her name prime fodder for the rumor mills. Many of the best tunes found here, including the ragga raw "Oh Yeah," are heavy on the reggae vibe, but, quiet as it's been kept, Foxy's been exploring her dancehall roots for a while now. Broken Silence may not be the best we'll ever hear from Ms. Brown, but you can definitely call it a comeback. --Rebecca LevineCustomer Reviews:
luv it so much gotta get it again.......2007-02-21
The ILLEST!!! Fox we need you.......2006-10-06
Foxy Brown, The Illest Female in Tha Rap Game.......2006-09-25
Buy This CD................
Foxy's best yet!.......2006-09-04
Every song on this cd is worth listening too which is really rare with most cd's these days. This is Foxy's first album that can be compared to Lil Kim's Hardcore in terms of content and arrangement.
This is the BK princess I've been waiting to hear and i'm really feelin "come fly with me" featuring sizzla. i hope she continues to kick it up a notch on this next cd.
CLASSIC!.......2006-08-08
Average customer rating:
|
Simply the Best Classical Anthems
Manufacturer: Erato ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00004SUVI Release Date: 2000-04-25 |
Tracks:
- Requiem: Dies Irae
- Carmina Burana: O Fortuna
- The Planets: Mars
- The Ride Of The Valkyries
- Chorus Of The Hebrew Slaves
- Fanfare For The Common Man
- Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1
- Aida: Grand March
- Summer - Four Seasons: Presto
- Te Deum: Prelude
- The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra
- Toccata And Fugue In D Minor
- Symphony No. 5: First Movement
- Spartacus: Adagio
- Sabre Dance
- Symphony No. 40: First Movement
- Zadok The Priest
- Turandot: Nessun Dorma
Tracks:
- Also Sprach Zarathoustra
- Romeo And Juliet: Dance Of The Knights
- Requiem: Dies Irae
- 1812 Overture
- Piano Concerto
- Spring - Four Seasons: Allegro
- Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus
- The Royal Fireworks: La Ruissance From Music
- Flight Of The Bumble Bee
- Symphonie Fantastique: March To The Scaffold
- Carmen: Overture
- Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
- Jerusalem
- The Planets: Jupiter
- Symphony No 9, 'Ode To Joy'
- Swan Lake: Scene
- Enigma Variations: Nimrod
- Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini [Variation 18]
- Pictures At An Exibitions: Promenade
- Symphony For Organ No 3: Finale, Symphony For Organ No 3
Customer Reviews:
perfect selection for commencement/ graduation.......2007-06-11
Great Starting Point for Classical Music Novices.......2004-08-13
The CD contains 36 songs composed by the legends of Classical Music Composers from the past. The bulk of the works come from Composers in the the 19th and 20th century, but there are works from the Romantic and Classical eras of the late 18th and early 19th century (such as Beethoven and Mozart). In general you will find most of the major names of Composers you would expect to find - names such as Tchiakovsky, Handel, Verdi, Strauss, Elgar, and Bach are all there. The only major composer who I would have expected to see on this CD that I don't see is Frederic Chopin. The composers of the late 20th century are not included on this collection - so you won't see Leonard Bernstein or John Williams on this set. While these Composers are excellent, I do think style of the tracks on this collection pre-date their style.
The recordings themselves are done by the great Orchestras around the world. For the most part, European Orchestras were used to deliver the tracks. There are a few exceptions: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra delivers "The Ride of the Valkyries"; The Toronto Symphony Orchestra delivers "Dance of the Knights"; and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra delivers Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture". Some of the European Orchestras that are well known include: BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra, Choeur Philhamonique de Strasbourg, and more. Also included are performances by well known names in the Classical space such as Marie-Claire Alain (Bach's "Toccate and Fogue in D Minor" and Saint-Saens' "Symphony for Organ No 3"), Piero Toso (Vivaldi's "Allegro From Spring - Four Seasons"), and Placido Domingo appears on Puccini's "Nessun Dorma".
The 2 Disc collection contains a total of over 2 hours and 6 minutes of music. The selections that are included in the set will sound very familiar to you when you play them. You probably have both heard and seen the names of tracks such as: Oref's "O Fortuna"; Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man"; Beethoven's "First Movement from Symphony Number 5" and "Ode To Joy"; Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance", and Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture". Many of the other tracks will also sound familiar, but maybe not so much by name - such as Wagner's "The Ride of the Valkyries", Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathoustra"; Grieg's "Piano Concerto", and "Dies Irae" (versions included by Mozart and Verdi - you can compare the two and judge for yourself). As for the Discs themselves, I think most of the casual fans will like the selections on Disc Two better, but Disc One is still very good. On a sidebar, the Israel Philharmonic's version of "1812 Overture" is by far the best you will hear - particularly at the end, the booming drums create almost a 3 dimensional vision of fireworks being launched into the air.
There one big negative on this collection is some of the recording quality. The clarity of the recording is there, but some of the recording levels leave a lot to be desired. On some of the softer parts, it is barely audible without significantly turning up your volume. This is very evident on "O Fortuna" where you will hear almost dead silence during from the 30 second to 1:30 mark of the track unless you crank your volume up. Same with the first few seconds of Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathoustra" and Tchiakovsky's "1812 Overture". When the volume is cranked up you will hear them - but then the other sections will be way too loud. I'm surprised with modern technology that this couldn't be addressed better.
The liner notes are pretty thin. You do get the Composers, Performers/Orchestras, and recording dates. There isn't any more details than that and you won't learn anymore insight on the tracks than this information. Despite some of the shortcomings of the liner notes and recording volume, I still think this is an excellent place to start and do recommend this CD if you are a novice to Classical Music and are looking for a great place to start listening to what the Classics have to offer.
**An Exquisite Album**.......2004-02-21
Simply The Best Classical Anthems is a compilation album of `36 of the most powerful Anthems on Earth'. But, it is also said to be something else. It is said to be a gateway. A gateway to another world. A world where our imagination can run free without being shackled down by any borders or boundaries or rules or limits. A world that we have all seen or perhaps more accurately have all heard of but for many of us a world that we have never dared to enter. Never dared to enter because of fear. The fear of being ostracised and shunned by our community.
THE MYTH
`Classical Music!', I can hear some of you cry. `That isn't another world. That's just music for the upperclass, the high-brow, and the pompous.' Surprisingly, I too felt this way for a long time until I accepted the invitation made to me by Simply The Best Classical Anthems. I always felt that Classical Music was nice to listen to as background music for a Levis ad or a Car ad but I would consider people strange if they chose to hear it on its own. However, after having listened to this album I realised how wrong I was in my assumptions.
THE TRUTH
Music as with all forms of amusement helps to take you away from where you are now. It helps to relax you when you are stressed with anger; it helps to give you strength when you are vulnerable; it helps to keep your spirits up when you have faced tragedy or loss. It helps. And, for me the type of music that best conjures up the most passionate emotions (love, hate, courage and anger) at our most testing times is Classical Music.
How? I don't know.
Why? I don't know.
I can only promise you that in my experience it does.
THE CHEST
The album, in visual terms, is very difficult to overlook amongst the plethora of records that may surround it. This is because the album has a very distinct purple sleeve cover. Not any kind of purple mind you but the Cadbury's kind of purple. The kind of purple that carries with it an invitation. An invitation that if accepted promises you a treasure inside.
And since, I have always enjoyed the treasure within the purple Cadbury's Dairy Milk wrapper, I asked myself why would an album carrying the same invitation promise to be anything different? Thus, I parted with my tuppence worth and went back home to open this purple chest of promised treasures.
THE PROMISED TREASURE
As you may have guessed, the contents of the album are somewhat different to the contents of a Cadbury's bar. When I opened the album, I was presented with two compact discs. At first glance, there did not seem to be anything special about them. They were just your average, everyday, run of the mill compact discs. To tell you the truth, I was a bit disappointed because I suppose I had hoped for something more.
However, looks can be deceptive. (Afterall, a Cadbury's Dairy Milk does not seem very appetising until you taste it!) And, also come November each year, I am always bemused and surprised at how the shabby contents of a cardboard box can both light up the sky and light up the faces of the neighbourhood. Thus, I pushed aside my assumptions and I ignited the discs (not literally of course, I just pressed the play button on the CD player). And, I let the fireworks begin.
THE KEY
From the very beginning, you will feel like you have unlocked the doorway to something special. And, after a full two hours of listening to both discs, you will feel like you have been taken out of this world and transported to another. Welcome to the world of Classical Music.
GUIDANCE
In the beginning, continue to listen to both discs in one go (i.e. one after the other). After a while, you will know which tracks you enjoy listening to the most. For those tracks you enjoyed the most make a promise to yourself that you will listen to the whole of the piece from which that track came from.
Good Luck on your quest if you choose to accept it.
Ride amongst the Valkyries, listen to the Flight of the Bumblebees, and use The Planets to keep you on the path.
I am not a good reviewer because as with all of my reviews I refuse to comment too much about what is inside the product but rather more about what effect the product has had on me. (Me, me, me. Vain & Egotistic, I know, so my friends and family keep telling me). But, I just want to cause a raucous about the product, enough not to spoil but enough of a raucous to let you experience it for yourself.
So my final words are:
Simply The Best Classical Anthems is an invitation. An invitation to the world of classical music. A world where you can begin a never-ending quest of curiosity. A curiosity that will always be rewarded with fulfilment.
Do you accept such an invitation?
Hope you found this review helpful.
Samples.......2003-11-23
Great Sampler!.......2002-03-20
There are also some new pieces that I have fallen in love with, such as "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra," "'Promenade' from Pictures at an Exhibition." The compilers did an interesting double take by including both Verdi's and Mozart's "Dies Ire." I'm not sure which is better.
This music is good for the brain and good for the soul. There is a power and passion that the blaring and glaring music that makes up most of the FM band. I'm reminded of the religious man who said that there is no music in hell. Probably because they wouldn't appreciate it there.
These CDs has a good transfer from the analogue tapes; there is no hiss or fuzziness. The packaging hearkens back to 2001: A Space Odyssey, with the black monolith. And appropriately, "Also Sprach Zarathustra" is the opening track on Disk 2.
Average customer rating:
|
20th Century Masters: The Best Of Etta James (Millennium Collection)
Etta James Manufacturer: Mca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00000I9CK Release Date: 1999-04-06 |
Tracks:
- At Last
- Something's Got A Hold On Me
- All I Could Do Was Cry
- Stop The Wedding
- Pushover
- Don't Cry Baby
- Trust In Me
- My Dearest Darling
- Tell Mama
- Almost Persuaded
- I'd Rather Go Blind
Amazon.com
Few vocalists can muster the power and sass of Etta James when she's rocking the mike on classic R&B tunes like "Tell Mama" or "Something's Got a Hold on Me." But James also had a way with a ballad, and her sensitive readings of songs such as "At Last" and "All I Could Do Was Cry" made her a fan favorite in the early '60s. Had she not been sidelined for a while by an addiction to heroin, today we might think of James, not Aretha, as the Queen of Soul. Because this set offers only 11 cuts, it's generally inferior to Her Best: The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection, which boasts 20 tunes. Still, it's a satisfying intro to the delightful "Miss Peaches" nonetheless. --Daniel DurchholzCustomer Reviews:
A living legend.......2007-07-25
More than a successful singer, she has become a real icon of the pop throughout these years.
THERE ARE BETTER SELECTIONS, BUT THIS I DO LOVE.......2007-01-31
her early stuff.......2006-11-11
A fiery and passionate Ms. Etta James delivers! .......2006-05-22
Etta could--and can--sing just about any type of song. Whether it's about the joy and fulfillment of a new found true love ("At Last,") the angst of being left behind for a new lo