Swimming

1. Paddington Frisk

2. Whole Wide World

3. Slow River

4. In Water

5. Amukidi

6. Swimming

7. Over the Hills

8. Boatman

9. Little Things Left Behind

10. Hewendaway

11. Aryis

12. Where the Road Leads to Nowhere

13. How You Shone

14. Parting Glass

Swimming,Roger Eno,Gyroscope,Ambient,Arranger,Avant-Garde,Composer,Electronic,Ethnic Fusion,Experimental,Instrumental Rock,Popular Music,Prog-Rock/Art Rock,Progressive Electronic,Rock/Pop

Average customer rating:

Morphine Best of the Best
this album has everything...
I feel like swimming right now....
yes and cure for pain are better, but this one's good
a good one

Like Swimming
Morphine
Manufacturer: Dreamworks
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The Night
Yes
Cure for Pain
Good
B-Sides & Otherwise

ASIN: B000005AM3
Release Date: 1997-03-11

Tracks:

Lilah (Instr.)
Potion
I Know You (Pt. III)
Early To Bed
Wishing Well
Like Swimming
Murder For The Money
French Fries w/ Pepper
Empty Box
Eleven O' Clock
Hanging On A Curtain
Swing It Low

Amazon.com

Morphine's music, which connects with listeners on a very physical level, is so simple it's amazing no one's done it before. Using exclusively low-register instruments, Mark Sandman's two-string bass and baritone voice, and Dana Colley's bass and baritone saxophones, the band's songs actually reverberate in the chest, treating listeners to a low-impact massage. And anything that feels this good can't be bad.

But Morphine's blessing--that distinctive low rock sound--is also their curse. Not only do they bind themselves to an instantly recognizable sound, but they also limit themselves in their arrangements: Voice and sax can each hit only one note at a time (though Colley sometimes manages to honk two saxes at once), while the bass can manage a two-note interval at best. It's hard being dynamic using only three or four sounds.

So where does that leave Like Swimming, Morphine's fourth album (and first since signing on with the big boys at DreamWorks)? Pretty much where the band started, it seems--with a blessing and a curse. As with past records, Like Swimming is easy to appreciate, full of loping bass lines and slithery sax riffs that strut through jazzy rock numbers like "Wishing Well" and "Empty Box." But while newcomers may be happy with the band's warm swing, others will pine for the first time they heard the band's earlier breakthrough on Cure For Pain. Only with the album closer "Swing It Low" (a title that could be a band manifesto) does Morphine hint at changes to come: With guitar, keyboards, programmed drums, and no saxophone, the song (first released as a Sandman solo project) proves it possible to capture Morphine's noir moods in midrange as well. --Roni Sarig

Customer Reviews:

Morphine Best of the Best.......2006-01-07

Being a huge Morphine fan for years now, and having all of their albums I figured it was time for me to share my thoughts (finally!)

If I had to order the albums in terms of least to most favorite I'd go Good, Yes, Cure For Pain, The Night, & Like Swimming...Like Swimming is their best album in my opinion. Take for example the song Like a Curtain totaly symbolizes what Morphine was about. Drawing beauty from things that seem dark simplistic. The song only has one "riff", but as it progresses it seems to become more and more complex. It might be my favorite Morphine song...period.

I Know You (PartIII) strong enough to carry the album by itself. Billy Conway could not have added a more perfect drum beat during the Chorus ("I know you, you know me too, I know everything that you're gonna do")

French Fries w/ Pepper is another song that proves Mark to be an absolute genius. For those true music lovers (and even more so for bass players), the bass riff itself is amazing. The lyrics are also very good.

I have to end this review a little abruptly, but I definately recomend this album to everyone, as I'm sure you Morphine fans already own it. Bottom line, this is just a very cool album.

this album has everything..........2004-08-31

it's sexy, it's soft, it's hard, it's jazzy, it's rock, it really is a complete package. however, i understand why a lot of people don't like it, it really isn't for everyone. morphine is a unique sound that incorporates a lot of different moods and music types into one album. give it a listen, or three, and it'll grow on you. i promise, you wont be disappointed.

I feel like swimming right now...........2004-06-06

Being from Boston, and being friends with Mark, i can say that i thought he was a man with a vision...well...anyway... I loved this album, and actually found it to be my favorite. Yes I do like all of his albums, but i especially like Like Swimming, for his haunting lyrics and saxaphone sounds. I thought it was a brilliant balance of jazz and rock with poetic verse to bring this album to a life of its own. I love every song but my favorite is Empty Box for its words, they're very meaningful, and whatever one person thinks, another thinks something completely different which brings perspective, that is brilliant... I don't think i have anything more to say except for the people that found it monotonous and boring, or so drawn into the "Morphine Style" get a life, because you completely miss the point Mark wanted and so you just think about what sounds good rather than what's interesting and different and how it continues on as such....

yes and cure for pain are better, but this one's good.......2003-12-20

as i alluded to in the title, cure for pain and yes have more standout tracks, and flow as albums better than like swimming. 'swing it low' is a nice touch on the end, very low and mellow, but also melodic. 'like swimming' was originally going to only be a cd5, with the title track, 'early to bed,' 'french fries with pepper,' and a live version of another song. glad they decided to release these sessions as a full album. not their greatest, but still much better than 95% of other groups' best albums.

a good one.......2003-05-30

I am still a huge fan of "Yes" but I do like this one too...Morphine's sound is bluesy and jazzy...cool and calming...you will love them...once you heard them you're hooked!! A great band from Boston!

Average customer rating:

Very Stylish
a depressing change
Great Album
Discerning the Core From the Rind
Only Andrew can rock out with a violin!

The Swimming Hour
Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire
Manufacturer: Rykodisc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Weather Systems
Oh! The Grandeur
Thrills
Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs
Armchair Apocrypha

ASIN: B00005ARFB
Release Date: 2001-04-03

Tracks:

Two Way Action
Core And Rind
Why?
11:11
Case In Point
Too Long
Way Out West
Waiting To Talk
Fatal Flower Garden
Satisfied
Headsoak
How Indiscreet
Dear Old Greenland

Customer Reviews:

Very Stylish.......2007-01-09

This is a great album. I recommend it highly. I will say that on the strength of this album I went back and checked out some of Bird's other albums and was disappointed. Some of his other stuff is...well...weird, and lacks the groove that this one does.

I'd like to see him do more stuff like "Satisfied". That track hits like a hammer.

a depressing change.......2006-06-03

oh how very depressingly bad this cd is! I bought it on pure faith after being thrilled with his previous efforts, only to be very sadly disappointed with it. It lacks the passion and creativity the Oh! The Grandeur and Thrills held. I get shivers of revulsion just thinking of some of the songs. I respect his desire to grow stylistically, but I just don't care for the boring songs he's produced. It honestly does depress me, because his previous combination of modern meets swing was exactly to my liking. People might suggest I turn to Squirrel Nut Zippers, but their poppish shallow jazz is no consolation -- not even worth comparison. I'll look into his other cds, but he's lost my trust.

Great Album.......2005-03-16

I'm admitting up front- This is the only album I have heard from Andrew Bird, (no rhyme intended) but I'm very impressed. Borrowing from many different musical genres- traditional pop, jazz, latin, country, etc, he can be critcized for sounding derivitive/contrived. However, from my perspective he suceeds at borrowing elements, but at the same time introducing something uniquely Andrew Bird in each song. After all music is not created in a vacuum. Its obvious that he is a gifted songwriter, singer, and musician from hearing this, but I noticed that there are a couple 1 star reviews. They read a bit like the pretentious 'he fell off/ sold out after he released his first album.' I can never understand this type of stupidity. Its as if some people want the same album released over and over again. Or maybe its the ol' "I listened to him way back before he was born"

Update- Now that I've listened to his other albums, this one still stands up as very good. Its not the first of his albums that I'd reach for today (that would be Oh! The grandeur), but its the most accessible and is solid throughout. He has changed his approach dramatically from album to album, but the quality remains for all of them. The albums before "Oh! the Grandeur" are weaker than the rest

Discerning the Core From the Rind.......2004-10-18

How could anyone think that Oh! The Grandeur and Thrills are better than this CD? Even Andrew admits on his web site that this is his favorite. I couldn't agree more. This album is far more creative than his previous work and it is much more ambitious - and it succeeds magnificently. His previous work is adept and shows a tremendous amount of musical talent - but it was pretty anachronistic, and didn't really offer anything new or terribly interesting. If you own one SNZ album you really don't need any more CDs like it. Hell, you probably don't even really need one SNZ CD since it's all been done before too. This album, on the other hand is a modern classic. There's nothing shallow about this music. As if music from the jazz era wasn't often shallow and silly. And there's plenty to like here if you like his older music or the SNZ. It doesn't stray completely from that music. I'm sorry some of you think that Andrew didn't make a CD that is appropriate to dance the Charleston to in a coat-tailed tux with a young flapper. It's the 21st century. Get over it. Andrew's moved on. We should too.

On another note, if you ever get a chance to see this man perform live DO IT! It's a life changing experience. MUCH more moving and enjoyable than listening to the CDs. I saw him a couple nights ago here in town. He lives on a farm about an hour from where I live so, I expect that I will have many opportunities to see him in the future and I don' t plan on wasting them. Make sure you visit his website ( http://www.bowloffire.com ) and purchase his two homemade live CDs (Fingerlings, and Fingerlings 2) which include some songs you won't find anywhere else. You'll get a taste of the amazing work he does whistling and singing to his violin, guitar, glockenspiel, and a Line 6 DL4 delay pedal that allows him to perform as a one-man orchestra. It's amazing to see in person.

Only Andrew can rock out with a violin!.......2004-04-18

I love this Cd. I'd listened to "Oh, the Grandeur" nonstop for weeks, so I'd been eagerly awaiting "the Swimming Hour." Initially, I listened to S.H. and was appalled. How could this be the same Andrew Bird I had grown to love!? This was rock and not jazz! And now he has backup singers?!

So I put the CD back in the case and didn't listen to it for a year. DO NOT MAKE MY MISTAKE! (How many hours of pleasure had I denied myself in that year...?) I'd only listened to it once, but eventually I slipped this CD into the player again... and after some listening, I adored it!

At first, it's shocking to hear Andrew play pop/rock, but then it grows on you and it's hard to take the CD player off "repeat one" to hear another song. His use of the violin in modern-sounding (yet unclassifiable) music is ingenious. Andrew has pulled off the impossible and made a violin a rock instrument.

This Cd is perfect for driving down the expressway with the windows rolled down and the car stereo cranked way up. It's fun, beautiful, and thought-provoking (what lyrics!) all at the same time. 11:11- oh! What a song! soothing violin with his signature strumming over the top melts away and is replaced by rhythm guitar accenting some hardcore sawing at the fiddle, in that way that only Andrew can play. Amazing. You need this CD!

This album is *not* a sell-out effort. We are talking about a man who had never listened to anything but classical music until directly before he made this CD. All of his albums are different, and show off how versatile he truly is. I am fond of saying, "Andrew has a CD for every mood!" This is the crazy, hyper album.*

And do yourself a favor and see him play live! I drove 3 1/2 hours to see him and he was absolutely stunning! He is in his element on stage; so if you think this recording is something, you ain't see nothin' until you go to a live show. *swoon*

*A note about his albums: Music of Hair is ethnic, folksy and soothing, Thrills is hot jazz with Euro influence, Oh! the Grandeur is dark, brooding, and unlike anything you've ever heard, this is rock, Weather Systems is floaty, serene New Age and indicates a move back to the more obscure jazz of Grandeur. If you can find Fingerlings or any other live recording of his, you should snatch it right up.

Andrew is beyond amazing and with or without his band Bowl of Fire, he creates some of the most innovative and original music of our time. BUY THIS CD RIGHT NOW! And if you enjoy this, check out his other releases (Kevin O'Donnell's Quality Six is BOF + 2 more musicians). You will not be disappointed.

Patton/The Flight of the Phoenix
Average customer rating:

The vinyl version is better

Do some research!

Missed oportunity!

Two classic scores!

Missing the Best

Patton/The Flight of the Phoenix

Manufacturer: Film Score Monthly
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Patton (1970 Film): Also Featuring Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970 Film) (1997 Studio Recording)

ASIN: B0006SSQH0
Release Date: 2005-01-11

Tracks:

Main Title [From Patton]
Battle Ground [From Patton]
Cemetary [From Patton]
First Battle [From Patton]
Funeral [From Patton]
Hospital [From Patton]
Prayer [From Patton]
No Assignment [From Patton]
Entr'acte [From Patton]
Attack [From Patton]
German Advance [From Patton]
Eloquent Man [From Patton]
Pay-Off [From Patton]
Change in the Weather [From Patton]
Pensive Patton/End Titles [From Patton]
Airborne [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Main Title [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Windy/Heartbreak [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Brave Sargent [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Harris Leaves [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Senza Fine [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Gabriele's Death [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Water [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Let's Get Back to Work [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Caravan [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Naughty Boy [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Model Planes [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Difference [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Propeller [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
That Big Pull [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Rest Stop/The Ground Run [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Going Up [From the Flight of the Phoenix]
Swimming Hole/Finale [From the Flight of the Phoenix]

Customer Reviews:

The vinyl version is better.......2006-02-19

This is the film version, and it is inferior to the original album release. Often times, soundtrack releases differed from their film versions because composers could tweak passages here and there and get a relaxex, dedicated recording, away from the harsh deadlines of film making. The result was often glorious, as was the case for Jerry Goldsmith's Patton.

Add the famous George C. Scott speeches as prologue and epilogue and you have a classic. But only on vinyl. The vinyl version has better audio quality and is a better performance. It is a shame we are stuck with this dubbed version, which ironically is available on the Patton DVD as well.

Do some research!.......2006-01-14

This is a great CD for collectors. This is the ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK to the film. These arrangements are the ones that were ACTUALLY USED in the film, NOT the ones that were on the album with the speeches. So, if you are looking for the opening and closing speeches, you won't find them here.
Why?
Because there are actually THREE different versions of the score for this FANTASTIC film.
There was another version conducted by Jerry Goldsmith in 1997.
And.... there was ANOTHER one that was recorded in 1970. THAT is the one with the speeches. As far as I know, it has NEVER been released on CD. Hopefully, at some point, someone will see fit to release that version. Personally, I feel those are the best arrangements of the music used in the film. Or, better yet, make a special edition using all 3 versions.
So, you should be HAPPY to have THIS version as well.
By the way, I believe this info is in the liner notes of this CD.

Missed oportunity!.......2006-01-06

While I can appreciate that this release is a very competent recreation of the musical content of the original vinyl, I too was totally dismayed at the absence of Patton's speeches(as delivered by George C Scott) which are virtually inseparable from the music for anyone who owned the original vinyl release.All of which subsequently leaves this release a rather hollow experience.

Two classic scores!.......2005-11-22

This cd includes Frank DeVol's score for the Robert Aldrich classic, "Flight of the Phoenix"; an exciting score for an equally exciting movie. Goldsmith's justifiably famous score for Patton features the original recordings, including the haunting "echoplexed" trumpets. Also, the previous reviewer's one-star rating is rather inexplicable considering this is FILM SCORE release. Why would soundbites from the film be included? Bizarre. All-in-all a great package and a limited edition (only 3,000 copies). Get yours while you can - you won't be disappointed!

Missing the Best .......2005-06-25

This album does not have Patton's opening speech or the closing "All Glory is Fleeting" speech. It misses the two most important segments of the original soundtrack.

Average customer rating:

Varèse Sarabande à son meilleur!
A copy in every household . . .
A sampler feat. some of the greatest film scores in history.
"the man behind Varese Sarabande ~ Robert Townson"

In Session: Film Music Celebration
Robert Townson , Joel McNeely Jerry Goldsmith , and Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Star Wars | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

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Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00005ABOI
Release Date: 2001-03-27

Tracks:

2001
Rebecca
Citizen Kane
That Hamilton Woman
Anna and the King of Siam
Captain From Castille
A Streetcar Named Desire
Viva Zapata!
The Trouble With Harry
Peyton Place
Vertigo
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
The Twilight Zone
Psycho
The 3 Worlds of Gulliver
Breakfast At Tiffany's
To Kill A Mockingbird
Marnie
Hamlet

Tracks:

The Agony and the Ecstasy
The Sand Pebbles
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Born Free
Fahrenheit 451
Patton
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Jaws
Midway
Superman: The Movie
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Somewhere In Time
Body Heat
Out of Africa
Platoon
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Taras Bulba
Agony and the Ecstacy (Main Title) - Jerry Goldsmith, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Sand Pebbles (Overture) - Jerry Goldsmith, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Moon and Main Title) - Jerry Goldsmith, National Philharmonic Orchestra
Playtime [Born Free Dub Mix II] - Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Frederic Talgorn
Road [From Fahrenheit 451] - Joel McNeely, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra
Patton (Entr'acte) - Jerry Goldsmith, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Tora! Tora! Tora! (Main Title) - Jerry Goldsmith, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Man Against Beast - Joel McNeely, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Midway (Main Title and End Title) - Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Rick Wentworth
Superman The Movie (Love Theme) - John Debney, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Enterprise [Star Trek: The Motion Picture] - Jerry Goldsmith, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Somewhere in Time (Theme) - John Debney, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Body Heat (Main Title) - The London Symphony Orchestra, Joel McNeely
Out of Africa (Main Title) - Joel McNeely, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Platoon (Theme) - Georges Delerue
Shadows of the Empire (Xizor's Theme) [Star Wars] - Joel McNeely, Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Ride of the Cossacks [Taras Bulba] - Cliff Eidelman, Seattle Symphony Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

Varèse Sarabande à son meilleur!.......2003-04-17

Robert Townson célèbre ici le 500ème cd à être édité par Varèse Sarabande en créant une compilation receuillant les nombreux réengistrements que Varèse Sarabande sut faire au travers des dernières années. Regroupant du matériel de Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Herrmann, John Williams, Alex North et plusieurs autres, In Session propose un parcours éclectique au travers des années de compositions de chacune des bandes sonores présentées au sein de la compilation. Le voyage commence à avec la musique rejetée de 2001 d'Alex North, pour faire un parcours passant par Rebecca, Citizen Kane (Félicitons ici le FABULEUSE voix de la soprano Janice Watson et la direction impécable de Joel McNeely), Viva Zapata!, Psycho, The Sand Pebbles, Patton, Jaws, Platoon (Autre musique rejetée du regreté Georges Delerue, pastiche du célèbre Adagio pour cordes de Samuel Barber), Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Musique composée par Joel McNeely pour le livre se déroulant entre The Empire Stricke Back et The Return of the Jedi) pour finalement clore avec Tara's Bulba. Il s'agit ici d'une sélection très riche, des morceaux d'une durée appréciable et d'une direction et d'une sonorité incroyable. Il s'agit ici d'un merveilleux cadeau de Robert Townson et Varèse Sarabande (Label qui célèbre en 2003 son 25ème anniversaire. Surveillez aussi la compilation de Varèse Sarabande (4 cds pour le prix de un!) qui verra le jour le 22 avril 2003) et c'est une compilation que toute personne sensible à la musique doit posséder! Chapeau Varèse!

A copy in every household . . ........2003-02-09

This disc is so chock-full of classic scores from classic films that every movie-and-music lover should own a copy. Thanks to Robert Townson for producing this collection and the entire Varese film score catalog. My favorite tracks from this disc are "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf"; "Star Trek: The Motion Picture"; and "Midway".

A sampler feat. some of the greatest film scores in history........2001-09-06

Words cannot convey what a collection like this means to a film music collector such as myself. Varese Saraband has been releasing quality film scores and music for the last 20 plus years. My vinyl and CD collections burst with so much great stuff from Varese. One day I was looking in the bins of my local record store and noticed this little gem of a collection. I looked at it and saw a virtual cornucopia of the great film score cues for only $ (and 2 discs). So I purchased it and opened it up. Much to my surprise, the booklet is chock full of information about each scoring session and pictures to boot. I also learned more about some of these wonderful pieces as well. Well thanks to Mr. Townson and this nice collection, I plan to purchase some of the recordings these cues were released on since I don't own classics like Viva Zapata, Alex North's 2001, Superman (not the Varese version, I do have the other release), and Patton. Guess I will have to save a few pennies, but it will be worth it. I recommend this collection to anybody who wants to discover and learn about the history of film music. I also think it's a great listen from the first song to the last on both discs. My compliments to Varese on a great collection of classics (and keeping it under $).

"the man behind Varese Sarabande ~ Robert Townson".......2001-04-06

The music that this label releases is without a doubt in a class by themselves, always perfection. Here we have the 500th CD release from ~ "The Man Behind The Music" ~ Mr. Robert Townson. So much care is taken with each album, that you feel you are witnessing the birth of a newborn baby, and that may be just what it is.

For those of us who buy each album ~ people who work to create them ~ the artwork ~ musicians ~ and a list of some of the most talented composers and conductors ~ John Barry, Elmer Bernstein, John Debney, Georges Delerue, Cliff Eidelman, Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Herrmann, Michael Lang, Henry Mancini, Joel McNeely, Alfred Newman, Alex North, Miklos Rozsa, Dimitri Shostakovich, Frederic Talgorn, Franz Waxman, Rick Wentworth and John Williams ~ and as always the sound quality and performances by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and National Philharmonic Orchestra is dynamically flawless and simply superb.

This economically priced 2-CD-Set ~ pure film score sampling ~ is worth it's weight in gold. One should not have a favorite from this vast collection, but if asked ~ it would be "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD" (1962) composer Elmer Bernstein took it to the limit and beyond, the story-line, cast and score was the perfect marriage.

A big, big thank you to ~ Matthew Joseph Peak (cover/session photography) ~ Jonathan Allen, Geoff Foster, Bernie Kirsh, Mike Ross, Mike Sheady and Al Swanson (recording engineers) ~ Rich Breen (mastering engineer) ~ and for the extensive 28 page liner-note booklet featuring "behind the scenes" memories of these past 500 albums, may we look forward to future classics on the next 500 CD's from producer...ROBERT TOWNSON!

Total Time: Disc One 71:20 on 19 Tracks & Disc Two 71:24 on 17 Tracks...Varese Sarabande 302 066 225 2...(2001)

Hands
Average customer rating:

Super Folk Music

A breakthrough song and otherwise solid folk

Beautiful music full of life, love, losses and lessons

Amazing! Makes me want to get out and march!

Beautiful!

Hands
Pat Humphries
Manufacturer: Appleseed Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music
Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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One

Same Rain

Amaze Me: Songs in the Key of Peace

Roots Rock and Revolution

Guide My Feet

ASIN: B0000560KB
Release Date: 2001-01-23

Tracks:

Hands
Indanee
No Sweat
Another New Year
Bread & Roses
Bound For Freedom
Cold Cup Of Water
In This Life
I'll Be There
People Love
We Were There
Let Her Go
Swimming To The Other Side

Album Description

Miracles DO happen! Although singer-songwriter and musical activist Pat Humphries created a stir in the folk world with her first album, 1992's "Same Rain," it took nine years before the release of "Hands," its follow-up. Then, more than a year after "Hands'" January 2001 release, the CD suddenly spent three days as the best-selling CD for Amazon.com, the Internet's most popular music store. What triggered the rush of sales was a feature on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" about Pat's composition, "Swimming to the Other Side," which first appeared on her debut and then in a re-recorded version (broadcasted by NPR) on "Hands." This song of hope and determination had become, like Pat's "Common Thread" and "Never Turning Back," a ubiquitous folk anthem sung at peace and social justice rallies and demonstrations around the world and was translated into seven languages. Pat Humphries is no longer a secret in her homeland. No less an authority than Pete Seeger called Pat's songs "some of the best I've heard in 50 years," and the material on "Hands" validates Pete's praise. "No Sweat" and "Cold Cup of Water" respectively examine the plight of workers in Third World sweat shops and migrant workers here in the States. Social issues of gay and straight parenting are addressed in "I'll Be There" and "People Love"; women's rights are the subject of Pat's cover versions of "Bread & Roses" and "We Were There." Pat wrote "Bound for Freedom" for a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and bears the central message, "We are one and we are all." The CD's pro-labor title track was written but never released by Phil Ochs before his 1976 suicide. These rallying cries of optimism and activism are sung warmly and without affectation by Pat, who also plays guitar on most tracks. She is accompanied by the "world music" pioneer David Amram (woodwinds, percussion), renowned fiddler Jay Ungar, and veteran folk duo Kim and Reggie Harris on backing vocals; the CD's producer, Abby Newton, contributes cello to "Swimming to the Other Side," among other songs.

Customer Reviews:

Super Folk Music.......2006-08-23

There is not a song on this CD that will not move the true folkie heart. Nothing fancy, just clear, clean, meaningful lyrics accompanied by great acoustic guitar. I'll be purchasing more music by Pat Humphries. I highly reccomend this product.

A breakthrough song and otherwise solid folk.......2002-08-30

I bought HANDS after being introduced to Pat Humphries and "Swimming to the Other Side" in a feature on NPR. Like the correspondent said, the song grabs you. When HANDS arrived, I plunked it on the CD player and it instantly pulled me back a few decades to when folkies ruled and we all had to have guitars like them, back to Pete Seger and Woody Guthrie, back to the early Bob Dylan, back to reading John Steinbeck in school, back to when there was social awareness and liberal was not a bad word. She infuses the tradition with a fresh zest. "Swimming to the Other Side," remains my favorite on this album, though an informed folk devotee might say some of the other songs, especially the titular "Hands," are just as worthy. "Swimming to the Other Side" has a simple tune that lends itself to variations and its lyrics tap into our 21st century zeitgeist. We are living in scary times, we are trying to make it to the other side. There is uplift but no denial in this song.

Beautiful music full of life, love, losses and lessons.......2002-07-30

When my niece and I ride in the car together she always asks for "Pat" [Hands]and for track # 9: "I'll Be There". It seems to make her feel secure and safe. And we talk about being able to tell Mommy or Auntie Anne ANYTHING. People Love is just a wonderful reflection of healthy loving. No Sweat and Cold Cup of Water make our blood dance with wanting to right all the wrongs of the world. Pat's beautiful Swimming to the Other Side celebrates our unity in our diversity on the earth. This album is a friend to us, familiar, challenging, loving, anguished, peaceful.

Amazing! Makes me want to get out and march!.......2002-07-08

This is an album such that I have not heard in many years. Her harmonies, The words and melodies make me wwant to do something to change the world and do it NOW. Now all I have to do is locate her first album!

Beautiful!.......2002-05-31

Haven't heard music like this since the 60's - It is great to see someone still cares about others.

Average customer rating:

Bill's Solo masterpiece
One of my favorite solo guitar albums ever
still swimming ...
Bill Connors' Escape from Forever

Swimming with a Hole in My Body
Bill Connors
Manufacturer: ECM
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Theme to the Guardian
Saudades
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I Have the Room Above Her

ASIN: B000026FRM
Release Date: 2000-10-24

Tracks:

Feet First
Wade
Sing and Swim
Frog Stroke
Surrender to the Water
Survive
With Strings Attached
Breath

Customer Reviews:

Bill's Solo masterpiece.......2003-09-07

Connors came to attention as the first wild electric guitarist with Chick Corea's Return To Forever group (Al Dimeola filled the spot after Connors left).
The RTF work may stillbe his best known, which is a shame really, because after leaving the group he concentrated on acoustic and nylon string guitars and recorded as a solo artist during the late 70's with ECM while, at the same time, being a part of several collaboritive recordings on the IAI label (Improvising Artists Inc), which was a New York-based jazz label run by pianist Paul Bley. Sadly, this label no longer exists, but Connors recorded at least 4 albums during this period for them (all of which also featured Paul Bley's piano). Those late 70's recordings were issued on CD however in the early 90's but seem to be out of print now. For fans of really avant-guarde improvised jazz, those records are worth seeking out (as well as Connors fans looking to hear a slightly different side than we get on the ECM records or with Chick Corea's RTF).
Connors recorded only 2 all-solo discs, both for ECM. The earlier "Theme To The Guardian" and this follow-up, "Swimming".
I really find that "Swimming" does the trick, so to speak, for me. It really delivers the goods. By that I mean, I believe if Connors intent here was to get the listener "lost" in his music, without any regard for passing time, well he suceeded. Especially with the longer cuts here. While "Guardian" is still also a fine companion album to this, I belive it's shorter pieces (though fine compositions) were harder to get that "lost-in" vibe to them , simply because they ended too soon.
I'm sorry ECM didn't keep Connors around as a solo artists though. He did also record another solo disc for ECM in a quartet context with Drummer Jack Dejohnette, Saxophonist Jan Garbarek and Gary Peacock on Bass, as well as make several appearences with the Jan Garbarek Group at this same time period.
This was Connors most prolific period: solo discs with ECM, guitarist with the Jan Garbarek group, several recording projects with Paul Bley on the IAI label. There was also a great, never released on CD recording on ECM done in Feb 1979 with Connors in a trio setting on an album by Vibraphonist Tom Van Der Geld called "Path", which also featured Roger Jannotta playing Flute, Oboe, and Saxophone. A great percussionless chamberish recording that all Connors fans should flock to buy if ECM ever deems it worthy of re-releasing. I burned my old vinyl copy onto CD years ago and still play this one along with "Swimming" as my most frequently-played Connors discs.
After this period Connors dropped from sight, re-emerged in the mid 80's for a few years making 3 electric guitar fusion recordings that are still in print, but no-one would believe that this is the same person as recorded these discs I am talking about here, then dropped from sight afterwards.
Connors 80's fusion music is so different from what you have here however, that, if you heard his 80's stuff and didn't like it, well, please do not let that deter you from sampling his 70's music. I'm not even so sure that many fans of Connors 70's music would like his 80's fusion recordings and i'm sure that also works vice-versa.
Well, he's still around and i'm still hoping that he returns to the world of recorded music again, specifically in the mode that we have here. Well, at least for now we still do have these recordings (are you out there reading this Bill??) .

One of my favorite solo guitar albums ever.......2002-07-11

I literally wore out the original import vinyl of this one, bought the moment it came out. The liquid guitar work just sings. I got my CD version from Amsterdam 'cause I couldn't find it in the states; thanks Amazon for carrying this now. Highly recommended. Timeless, playful, moving and quiet all at once.

still swimming ..........2002-04-08

I first heard the album right when it was released ,having been turned on to "theme to the guardian" roughly three years earlier. In stark contrast to the guitar scene at the time the quiet melody and detached rhythms spoke volumes about
the "ambient" possibilties of solo acoustic guitar.Not over the top virtuosity but reflective,thoughtful,genuine music.The compositions and arrangments have a depth that like most great records reveal new imagery with repeat listenings
the album was recorded by the unhearlded Jan Erik Kongshaug who brings an audiophile quality to it .As relevent now if not more so in our "got to have it now" world
"Swimming with.." causes you stop and think about what it is you've gotten yourself into and how that experience might
influence the future for the positive.
"Swimming with .. "is one of my 10 favorite recordings.

Bill Connors' Escape from Forever.......2001-06-17

I'm still waiting to get ahold of the cd version of this, but that's okay, the exquisite ECM vinyl that I rely on still delivers the goods: If you've heard Connors' prior ECM solo recording Theme to the Gaurdian, then you'll have some idea; Swimming was recorded in 1979, about 5 years after Connors left Return to Forever and went acoustic, performing rarely and woodshedding extensively in his Brooklyn loft. Although he had been playing lots of classical guitar during the late '70's, Swimming features acoustic steel-string, sometimes with one melody line over-dubbed on top of the chord progressions, which are often reminscent of Ralph Towner's composing, without the rhythmic drive which Towner usually has on display. Here on Swimming, the performances are often devoid of a discernable beat; rather meandering, but moody & beautiful.

Average customer rating:

great CD
Pleasing to the Ears
Swimming Pool Soundtrack - dance song
anyone

Swimming Pool

Manufacturer: Wea International
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Swimming Pool (Unrated Version)
The Painted Veil
Amelie

ASIN: B00008Z0FW
Release Date: 2006-04-17

Tracks:

Th
Writing
Fausse Piste
Rlation
Journal Intime
Mance
Soups
Flashback Meurtre
Ouverture
Apparition de Jean
Sur le Sable
Grique
Adagio
Grique Fin

Tracks:

Bang Bang, Extrait de une Robe d'
Tanze Samba mit Mir (A Far l'Amor Comincia Tu), Extrait de Gouttes ...
Traeume, Extrait de Gouttes d'Eau Sur Pierres Bres
Septembre (Quel Joli Temps), Extrait de Sous le Sable
Toi Jamais, Extrait de 8 Femmes
Papa T'Es Plus dans le Coup, RMX - Int Extrait de 8 Femmes
Gorecki, Extrait des Amants Criminels
Undenied, Extrait de Sous le Sable
Mirrorball, Extrait de Swimming Pool
Promised Land, Extrait de Swimming Pool

Customer Reviews:

great CD.......2007-03-11

I watched the movie that this soundtrax goes with had to have it found it on amazon at a real good price

Pleasing to the Ears.......2006-02-11

After getting this Cd as a gift, I was very interested in hearing the other scores that Francois Ozon had done for his other very interesting films. Each song on the first Cd is very somber, mystery enriched songs. Gives a similar backdrop to what Ozon has to offer in his earlier works, maybe making "Swimming Pool" the sophmore contender in his career.
The second Cd is highly inviting, and makes me curious about his other wonder film, "8 Femmes". Each song is catchy, whether it be the Cher influenced remake of "Bang, Bang", or the cutesy pop tune, "Papa t'es plus dans le coup" remix sung by Ozon's starlet, Ludvine Sagnier. Of course there was the song that I had lucked out on finding which was, Steve Everitt's "Mirrorball (let's do it)". I took a screenshot of the credits and saw that it was Koka Atmos 126, so I searched for that on the internet to find some more of Mr. Everitt's works. However Koka media was in french, so like the American I am I waited for this purchase and made sure that I told everyone about it and the movie. I recommend this to those who like independant and foriegn films.

Swimming Pool Soundtrack - dance song.......2005-12-30

The song is called 'Lets do It' and is perfromed by Mirror ball and composed by Steve Everitt.
It is featured on the second disk of the 'Swimming Pool' soundtrack
which you can purchase at the Amazon France.
www.amazon.fr
Its all in french though so just type in Swimming Pool at the search bar at the top and should be ok.
The 'Lets Do It' track is a little shorter than the one featured in the film but i think the version in Swimming Pool was deliberately lengthened do last the scene appropriately.
hoped this helped and happy hunting.

anyone.......2005-11-17

one song that i like on this movie, a really cool dance,trance song..is being played when there getting stoned...if anyone knows the name please post it.

Average customer rating:

Rob with amazing support creates his finest album to date!
haven't even heard it yet
excellent stuff. you'll be pleased rob crow fans!
" I hate you Rob Crow!"

Wake Up Swimming
Other Men
Manufacturer: Robcore Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Nautical Antiques
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ASIN: B000NA2V0O
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Tracks:

Other People
Strapped
Kind Of Off To The Side A Bit
Self-Fulfilling Boss Coffee Vending Machine Prophecy
In This Wind
Uhhhh...
Anaglyphic
Indiscriminate Proposals Of Little Marcy
Total Nutcase
False Positives
Bullet Train To Jimbo's

Album Description

Sprung from the fertile musical ground of the early '90s San Diego scene, Heavy Vegetables stood out and apart from their contemporaries with hyperspastic mood-swings mixed with complex melodies and baffling dynamics that made their performances the stuff of legend. After yielding two groundbreaking records and while at the top of their game, they called it quits. Now, 11 years after their last studio album, the band have reformed as Other Men and seem to have picked up directly from where they left off. Instead of treading the sounds of the past, Other Men seem intent on creating new sounds from the depths of a played-out genre.

Customer Reviews:

Rob with amazing support creates his finest album to date!.......2007-04-10

I've followed Rob Crow's many music endeavors since the early 90s. Rob and friends were and are an integral part of the absolutely amazing and very influential San Diego rock scene. It's great to see one of my favorite Rob Crow projects (Heavy Vegetable) get resurrected. Elea, someone who accompanied Rob's voice perfectly, giving way to some of the most spot on melodies is the only member that didn't return. With this loss comes Other Men, consisting of Rob Crow (Bass and Vocals), Travis Nelson (Guitar), and Manolo Turner (Drums), who made up the remainder of Heavy Vegetable.

Before I had a chance to hear the album I was excited to see what life, age, and the reunion of the original members would produce. In typical Rob fashion, he gives you exactly what you would expect...and that is a very mature, melodic, sporadic, off kilter, focused, tight and overall fantastic record.

With every new album/project you find Rob becoming finer at what he does. Couple this with the reunion of the two musicians I enjoyed him collaborating with most, and you have an album that is the perfect balance of elements from projects past and present...and Rob's finest album to date.

For those of you who may have limited knowledge of his past, you can find Rob injecting his genius in the following projects:

Aspects of Physics, Goblin Cock, Heavy Vegetable, Optiganally Yours, Physics, Pinback, Rob Crow (Solo), The Ladies, Thingy, and many other contributions and collaborations.

haven't even heard it yet.......2007-04-09

Because it's Easter I am unable to purchase this album, otherwise I would go RIGHT NOW and buy it. But I just wanted to say this: why hasn't anybody mentioned in their reviews that Elea Tenuta is not a member of the Heavy Vegetable reincarnation? You CAN NOT deny that she played a major role in the brilliance that was call Heavy Veggie. Regardless, I am going to buy this album tomorrow at the crack of noon and I will still love it because Rob Crow is the s%#t. ROCK ON!

excellent stuff. you'll be pleased rob crow fans!.......2007-04-01

I think this reviewer (krakatoa 1883 over here) has had little experience with discord and melodic tension, because this is relatively straightforward, well crafted and excellent music that never takes you over that cliff of noise and chaos at all (there is NO atonality here, folks. I fail to see the Coltrane comparison.). It is melodically in line with all of rob crow's work, meaning: angular, complex and sharply turning, but catchy, sing-along-able, and enjoyable. I just wanted to clarify that this is NOT Don Caballero or Hella or anything....it is just another excellent Rob Crow project which, while technically and artistically improved, sits nicely next to the original Heavy Vegetable (and Thingy) albums. Oh, and I would also point out that the work of the other two musicians here (Rob plays bass, Travis Nelson takes guitar, drummer is Manolo Turner) is more than worthy of the beloved Robcore stylee we are all here for. Turner's drumming, in particular, is just perfect and, for me at least, a large part of the ticklish enjoyment of this album. The liner notes give writing credit to all members of Other Men, and it sounds that way, too.

" I hate you Rob Crow!".......2007-03-25

Other Men Wake Up Swimming, is Rob Crow's first Robcore release, and the reuniting of the former line up of his original band Heavy Vegetable. Some are going to say that this CD continues right from where they left off, but I would have to say that there is a significant improvement in both power and profoundness that was not fully matured when the band broke up 11 years ago. This is a musical experience that reminds me very much of John Coletrane's Sun Ship album. It is not music that you will probably like the first time you hear it, in fact, the initial reaction will probably be one of shock due to the aggressive dissonant contents. Indeed, there really isn't any of those familiar chord changes that one has come to expect from standard rock albums, if anything, it feels down right atonal and nearly unmelodic the first few times through. There is no knowing what is around the next turn, and thus no comfort zone to hang your hat on. As one deals with the relentless attack of brooding darkness that is being inflicted on their bruitalized senses, it becomes very difficult to stop yourself from muttering that Rob Crow sure has a weird perverse opinion of springtime.

The clincher here however is that there is a monster sized reward for continuing to listen to this CD untill clarity finally arrives. The truth is that like the Sunship album by Coletrane, this disc is a new musical language that requires the listener to grow first before they are able to truly comprehend what they are actually hearing. As such, one will realize that the overall impact of this music will reach the very depth of their soul and last a life time. In short, this CD presents the very best kind of musical experience that a person can possibly have, in two words, profound power. It is only when the clarity finally comes that you truly realize what you actually have in your CD player. It is not some unpleasant atonal nightmare, but is instead your very own nuclear reactor, snarling and hissing out steam, while it charges at you like a renegade bull, and pounces on you like a growling mountain lion. I will go out on a limb here and say that this is Rob Crow's ultimate masterpiece to date, ( which is saying a lot) and that it is a album that one can up hold side by side with any rock album in existence. Other Men Wake Up Swimming is an album that challenges you where you live, and ultimately changes your musical perspective for all time. It is just that its impact is not felt immediately because it takes effort on the part of the listener to really hear it.

I am not going to attempt to give you much of an in-depth blow by blow discription of the music, just a general one. It is not so much an act of laziness on my part as it is an act of great respect for this sublime work of pure genius. I am humbled by the fact that a hack like myself can not really describe the overall beauty of this album with mere words....but here it goes.

The first track, " Other People" is shaped just like an ocean wave. It builds up momentum, rises to a high fine crest, only to crash headlong into the beach, breaching its considerable momentum, it then draws itself back out to sea in a set of long inhales. Nice start to an album EH? From then on the album only gets better. Track 2, "Strapped" is where the CD really bears its mighty fangs, it is here that one will realize that there is no mistaking the hard charging power of this album for anything other then a force of nature. Track 3, " Kind of off the side a bit" is the first track that hits you with a surprise ending. It is a track that would of been completely satisfying without it, but Rob Crow is not playing any games here, once the listener is against the ropes he goes for the knockout punch. This surprise ending reaches an even more contrasting and striking force at the conclusion of the fifth track, " In This Wind", which is the long slow melodic song on this disc. That is, until all hell breaks lose and the listener is pushed without warning into an enraged mosh pit. Track 6, "UHHH" continues where the ending pace of "In This Wind" left off, as it travels like a rocket and catapults the listener higher and higher, and then even higher. It may be a short song, but one needs to catch ones breath after being shot out of that cannon. Track 7, "Anaglyphic" is that much needed breather, but don't worry, because track 8, "Indiscriminate Proposals of Little Marcy" brings the momentum all back again with ferocious gusto. When Rob Crow yells out the line "I won't say anymore" the cascading guitar and bass riff becomes a wickedly evil animalistic growl that blows your socks off and sends them across the street into your neighbors living room. Track 9, "Total Nutcase" is weightless, the entire song is seemingly suspended by hidden filament wires. It is just before the two minute point that the sound descends like an elevator from the sky with a set of self imploding chords. It is as if this song was really a hovering spacecraft that had decided to suddenly land like a demonic threat in your back yard. Track 10, "False Positives" is the track that caps off the CD, its driving momentum rivals any point in this CD, and yet there is a conclusive sadness that tells you that it is all coming to an end. Is it the passion in Crow's voice mixing with the pathos of this enthralling high flying melody? All I know is that every hair on my arms stand on end durring this song. I don't ever want it to end, except for the fact that sooner or later I need to breath again. The last track, "Bullet Train To Jimbo's" works as a final coda to the tenth track, proving once and for all that what I wrote in my review of Rob Crow's last release is completely accurate and true. Rob Crow is only getting better, his maturity has only sharpened his ability to constuct and polish his gems into an organic and uncompromising whole. My only worry now, is how in the world is he ever going to top this masterpiece?

Average customer rating:

Great Band
Fantastic!
Forerunners of The Cure
Robert meets Ian
No mere Joy Division copyists...

Swimming + Singles
The Names
Manufacturer: Ltm / Boutique Nl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Here Comes Everybody + Singles
Spectators of Life
Always Now
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The Plateau Phase

ASIN: B00004W3MN
Release Date: 2000-07-07

Tracks:

Music for Someone [*]
Discovery
Floating World
Fire
Life by the Sea
White Shadow
Calcutta [*]
Postcards [*]
(This Is) Harmony
Shanghai Gesture
Leave Her to Heaven
Light
Nightshift [*]
I Wish I Could Speak Your Language [*]
Astronaut [*]
Cat [*]
I Wish I Could Speak Your Language [*]

Album Description

UK compilation for cult Factory Benelux/Crepescule band. Featuring the entire 1982 debut 'Swimming' plus non-album singles etc. Produced by Martin Hannett (The Buzzcocks, Happy Mondays, Joy Division). Reminiscent of Joy Division/Magazine. Includes original artwork plus detailed liner notes. 2000 release. Standard jewel case.

Album Details

Collection Combining 'swimming', the Group's Sole Album Originally Released in 1982, with Bonus Tracks Taken from Singles and Compilations.

Customer Reviews:

Great Band.......2007-01-27

Great album. Be sure to check out their complilation CD, Spectators of Life, which I like even more!

Fantastic!.......2005-06-11

Everyone reviewing this album did a very good job but I'd like to add that The Names are far more comparable to New Order's first album "Movement" then to anything Joy division did - I must admit that I would sometimes get "The Wake" and "The Names" confused because their sound is very similar (the Wake being the more "pop" sounding of the two). This CD will fit nicely next to your "A Certain Ratio", "Crispy Ambulence", "Section 25" and "Eyeless In Gaza" albums...

Forerunners of The Cure.......2004-11-14

The Names were one of the most obscure bands to record for Manchester's Factory label, but their ethereal sound had a profound and direct impact on everything The Cure recorded after 1982. This close-to-comprehensive disc collects their lone album: 1982's Swimming, a few A and B sides, and two self-produced outtakes. Though the quality ranges from astonishing to mediocre, fifteen of the seventeen songs on this compilation received the magically digitized production touch of the mysterious Martin Hannett.

Apparently Hannett refused to listen to any of the band's demos, insisting instead that they perform the material live in the studio while shaking their instruments. This gives the music a hazy, almost narcotic quality. As he did with Joy Division, Hannett changed the texture of nearly every instrument by delaying the sounds for little fragments of milliseconds. The timing of each note remained perfect, but the songs themselves emerged from the mixing desk with a weirdly unique, inorganic feel about them.

Hannett also convinced the group to approach their debut LP conceptually. The up-tempo, piano-inflected numbers appear on what was the first side of the record, while the dark, nocturnal pieces follow on the second. On side one, the listener feels like she's swimming, on side two, like she's drowning. Between each song, Hannett inserted the digitally manipulated sound of water coursing through pipes. Intriguingly, the way in which the motion of the fluid is recorded makes it seem solid, metallic, and clunky. My biggest complaint is that the compiler of this reissue upset the flow of the album by placing non-album tracks without the water segues between the two sides of the original record.

A handful of uneven songs aside, Swimming + Singles is a really worthwhile release and testament to The Names under-recognized importance.

Robert meets Ian.......2003-12-17

Have you ever asked yourself, "What would have happened if Robert Smith and his boys (The Cure) had gotten together with Ian Curtis and his boys (Joy Division) and put some songs together?" Well, that's the sound that Belgium band The Names captured. They had a rhythm section like Joy Division on Closer, and keyboards, vocals and overall atmosphere like The Cure on Faith and Pornography. It really is a shame and a mystery that this Factory band had been looked over by both the critics and music lovers (I keep the two compltely separate on purpose). Unfortunately, because they were on Martin Hannett's Factory label, they were written off as "just another Joy Division copycat." This couldn't be further from the truth... Just one listen to this album and you'll realize that - though they can be compared to Joy Division and early Cure - they have a sound all their own.

They are several standouts on this collection. "White Shadow" (my personal favorite) is a somber, reflective, atmospheric piece that is reminiscent of "All Cats Are Grey" from The Cure's Faith album. The tracks "Nightshift" and "I Wish I Could Speak Your Language" are the highlights here. The upbeat yet somber atmosphere, combined with the catchy riffs, will have you hooked.

If you like The Sound, The Cure, Joy Division, or any of the other sorely overlooked atmospheric post-punk bands og the 80s, then you will want to look these guys up. Trust me...

No mere Joy Division copyists..........2002-08-30

I'm sick of lazy critics writing off all Factory-related bands as Joy Division rip-offs! These halfwits fail to see the Factory scene as a loose conglomerate of artists with a similar, modernist approach to music. A defining force for this scene was the late producer Martin Hannett, whose profound influence on the *sound* of post-punk came from his radical use of the studio as an instrument. To compare the Names to Joy Division as a convenient stylistic reference is one thing, but to brand them plagiarists overlooks Hannett's role in shaping the sounds, as well as the overall vision that many Factory/Crepuscule/Benelux bands shared.

This CD collects all of the Names' output from the early 80s. "Swimming" itself isn't an exceptional album, but the inclusion of stellar singles "Calcutta" and "Nightshift," and other bonus tracks, more than makes up for any weaknesses in the original LP.

The sound is classic Hannett: sharp and crisp, drums and bass high in the mix, with treated guitar and washes of synths pushed out to the edges, creating an atmospheric, hypnotic swell. Most songs feature catchy but understated hooks, and the various sounds/tones employed suit the melodies perfectly, resulting in lush, colorful textures. Songs like "Floating World," "Fire," and "Life by the Sea" are breezy, attractively melodic, and haunting. Comparisons to Magazine aren't off the mark. However, the Names might actually be *better* songwriters, if only because they avoid Magazine's overzealous, prog-like tendencies and focus more on space and color.

The singer's mopey, monotone hampers things at times and a few of the songs drag, but if you dig Magazine, Joy Division, early 80s Cure, Stockholm Monsters, the Wake, etc., you should give this a listen. Oh, and the cover by in-house Crepuscule artist Hennbert, rules.