Touch

1. Touch

2. Astral Dreams

3. Slow Motion

4. Hypnosis

5. Starlight

6. Embrace

7. Softly

8. Still

Touch,Astral Jazz,White Cloud,Contemporary Instrumental,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop,Smooth Jazz

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Average customer rating: Cheesy and predictable This Album will Leave You Speechless Music for SCUM. Cascada CD Yum!

Everytime We Touch Cascada Manufacturer: Robbins Ent. Llc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Trance | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Euro Dance | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Similar Items: Listen To Your Heart Everytime We Touch Rain A Girl Like Me Closer ASIN: B000E6EJ2A Release Date: 2006-02-21

Tracks:

1. Everytime We Touch (3:19)
2. How Do You Do! (3:15)
3. Bad Boy (3:12)
4. Miracle (3:38)
5. Another You (3:37)
6. Ready For Love (3:23)
7. Can't Stop The Rain (3:28)
8. Kids In America (3:00)
9. A Neverending Dream (3:23)
10. Truly Madly Deeply (4:12)
11. One More Night (3:42)
12. Wouldn't It Be Good (3:27)
13. Love Again (3:28)
14. Everytime We Touch (Yanou's Candlelight Mix) (3:15)

Album Description

THE DEBUT ALBUM INCLUDES THE #1 DANCE HIT "EVERYTIME WE TOUCH"!!

Customer Reviews:

Cheesy and predictable .......2007-06-17

I used to be a big fan of trance music a few years ago but as time went on, the genre became stale and dull. Every trance artist used that same tiresome recipe of a male programmer/dj and a female singer. I can't tell one Euro pop act from another nowadays. They all sound alike. No wonder their careers don't last for more than two albums. Cascada follows that same cookie cutter, formulaic recipe that made their peers like 4 Strings and their tiresome ilk popular.

I have to admit Cascada's music is quite melodic. The pop hooks quickly got stuck in my head. It is hard not want to dance to this music. Unfortunately everything else sounds generic and lifeless. Cascada offers nothing new or original. Was it really necessary to cover that treacly Savage Garden ballad "Truly, Madly, Deeply"? I did though like their cover of Kim Wilde's "Kids in America" but how many times can that song be covered? Obviously not enough.

Cascada quickly reminded me why I no longer listen to vocal trance music any more. It all sounds the same. This genre needs to die quickly.

This Album will Leave You Speechless.......2007-06-04

Wow. I was speechless when I bought the new Cascada "Every time We touch" album. Her songs and lyrics are amazing and I know you'll love them. Men, want to show a sensitive side, and show her you care and you know what a woman likes? Well, I recommend buying her these great tracks that she is sure to love. What woman wouldn't want this, Cascada is a great singer no matter what genre you like. This album includes the tracks "Every Time We Touch", "Kids In America", and a spectactular remake of "Truly Madly Deeply", a song you and your partner will love to listen to together. Buy it for yourself or as a gift, either way, you can't go wrong.

Music for SCUM........2007-04-02

It's not often that you hate a record after the first few seconds, but that's exactly what happened here. Not for the music itself though.. let me explain.

First of all - the actual music is AWFUL. Tinny, flat sound with as much depth, charm and passion as a Happy Meal. Dull, formulaic drivel that consists of cover after cover - take a famous song, strap a instantly dated techno beat behind it, get token blonde to sing the vocals and voila - one super-suck album.

As the official Room 101 of Amazon, The Curmudgeon has access to many exclusive things. And so here is an actual excert from the recording studio where this travesty was recorded...

"What's that? Oh - 'Truly Madly Deeply' - that's a song that people who don't actually like music will know - cover that. Oh, and Kim Wilde's 'Kids In America' - that's got a good chorus, hasn't it. Let's cover that too. 'How Do You Do' by Roxette. What the hell - cover it. We really are making a worthwhile and quality album here, aren't we? Pass the cocaine."

But like I said - it's not the actual music that is so abhorrent - its the image it brings when you first hear it, of the actual low-life, teenage single mother SCUM who will buy it.

You WILL hear this coming from some empty-headed yo-yo-knickered harlot's I-Pod. You WILL hear this coming from some clapped-out car full of thick kids in baseball caps. You WILL hate absolutely everyone who listens to this.

People who listen to this don't even know what music IS. Don't be one of them.

The_Curmudgeon_Hates_You@yahoo.co.uk

Cascada CD.......2007-02-22

I had never heard of this singer until I bought her cd and it is really good. Great condition when I received it.

Yum!.......2007-01-06

This album has a lot of good dance music, as well as beautiful slow songs.
Cascada's voice is AMAZING!

Average customer rating: ooh!that's one heck of a nurse! Genesis' most successful album in the US is still great 20 plus years on GENESIS ADDS THEIR INVISIBLE TOUCH TO THIS INCREDIBLE ALBUM. Genesis - Overexposed But A Decent Album The second worst album of Genesis

Invisible Touch Genesis Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Genesis Abacab No Jacket Required Duke We Can't Dance ASIN: B000002IJ2 Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Invisible Touch
2. Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
3. Land Of Confusion
4. In Too Deep
5. Anything She Does
6. Domino (Part One-In The Glow Of The Night/Part Two - The Last Domino)
7. Throwing It All Away
8. The Brazilian

Amazon.com

There no doubt exists a school of rock purists who consider Invisible Touch the album where Genesis officially kissed street credibility goodbye and said hello to beer commercial anthems and puppet extravaganza videos. True, perhaps, but on the other hand, it's great to sing along to a good pop song, too. And this record has good pop songs in spades, from rock-solid I'm-not-so-tough-I-can't-cry-style tearjerkers ("In Too Deep," "Throwing It All Away") to zingy, gurgly pop confections ("Land of Confusion," "Anything She Does"). A few slightly more sprawling tracks are also included ("Tonight, Tonight, Tonight," "Domino," and the instrumental "The Brazilian"), but compared to the band's earlier attempt at art-rock opuses, even these feel a bit candy coated. We are talking about 1987, after all. Thin synth lines weren't retro. They just were. And we loved it. --Bob Michaels

Customer Reviews:

ooh!that's one heck of a nurse!.......2007-07-23

genesis really hit it big with invisible touch.they had 5 top 10 hits from this album. the top 10 hits were invisible touch (#1),throwing it all away(#4).land of confusion (#4), tonight tonight tonight(#3),and in too deep (#3).invisible touch remains my favorite album by genesis. speaking of land of confusion,the review title comes from the scene in the video when the ronald reagan spitting image puppet pushes the nuke button and says ooh!that's one heck of a nurse and gets bopped on the head with a snorkel. ed wilson

Genesis' most successful album in the US is still great 20 plus years on.......2007-06-22

English progressive rockers Genesis released their 16th overall album entitled Invisible Touch in June of 1986.
By 1986, lead singer and drummer Phil Collins was a solo superstar with his 1985 solo album No Jacket Required which hit #1, spawned singles and won him Grammies. Plus had hits with the soundtrack songs "Against All Odds" in 1984 and "Separate Lives" (with Marilyn Martin) in 1985. Plus he produced Earth Wind and Fire singer Philip Bailey's album Chinese Wall (which featured the two Phil's duet Easy Lover) and songs for Adam Ant's Strip album. Keyboard player Tony Banks had done the film score to the Kevin Bacon movie Quicksilver. Guitarist/bass player Mike Rutherford started his side project called Mike and the Mechanics which released its self-titled debut which spawned three singles.
In late 1985, the band plus co-producer Hugh Padgham recorded the follow-up to the 1983 self-titled effort. When the album was released, would fans embrace it or turn its back on the band. Read on and find out.
We kick things off with the chart-topping title track which has one of the best Rutherford riffs I ever heard and is still a great pop number today. Next is the first of two epics "Tonight Tonight Tonight". This track speaks about the evils of drugs and the seedy parts of life and with the drum machine loop, created a masterpiece. The song was released as a single with over FOUR MINUTES chopped from this classic and was another US Top 10 hit. We follow with "Land of Confusion" which was a great rocker. Who cannot forget the video where the puppets of the band and the late Ronald Reagan are dominating the clip. This track was another Top 5 hit here in the US. The album's first side closed with another Top 10 hit "In Too Deep" which was a nice ballad to close the first half.
The driving "Anything She Does" kicks off the album's second half and is an incredibly fun rocker with amusing supermodel-oriented lyrics that are right on the money, and the synth horns on it sound remarkably like the real thing. The video for this was funny and included the late Benny Hill as their head of security Fred Scottle Esquire! Next is the 11 minute plus epic "Domino". The first section "In the Glow of the Night" is wistful and superb. Then the section ends suddenly and we dreamingly then segue into the powerful "The Last Domino" which is killer despite the Simmons drums which slightly date the song. Next is the album's second US Top 10 hit "Throwing It All Away" which was a superb ballad. We then close the album with the atmospheric instrumental called "The Brazilian" which is packed with killer hooks and a wild atmosphere.
Invisible Touch would become Genesis' highest charting album in the US reaching #3 and was also its best selling album in the US with 6 million copies sold in the US alone and it is because the material is superb and has held up. Also, ex-Genesis members Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett had success that year with their albums So and GTR respectively. Invisible Touch is still superb today.
Recommended!

GENESIS ADDS THEIR INVISIBLE TOUCH TO THIS INCREDIBLE ALBUM........2007-05-05

I will be writing a review on the legendary album entitled "GENESIS - INVISIBLE TOUCH" by one of England's pride and joy's. I give you one of Britain's favorite sons, G-E-N-E-S-I-S! "INVISIBLE TOUCH" was originally released in 1986 on Vinyl/LP, Cassette and Compact Disc on the Atlantic Records label which is a Warner Communications Company. As always, if I hear any new additional information concerning this legendary album or the artist, I will edit this review immediately so that you the consumer will get the overall best informative and most accurate review possible.

GENESIS will forever go down in Rock n' Roll history and be remembered for writing and recording some of Rock's most sacred classic anthems ever.
It is now 1985 and a new phase for the band during this point in their career. GENESIS' lead singer, drummer and frontman Phil Collins would continue to enjoy his solo career with the extremely successful "NO JACKET REQUIRED" album released in 1985. His tour would be extremely successful to highly critically acclaim. However, Collins would forever remain loyal to the band that gave him his start and would willingly return to GENESIS and rejoin his fellow bandmates and friends Tony Banks on keyboards and bassist, lead and rhythm guitarist Mike Rutherford. It was now time for the band to head into the recording studio and record the follow-up allbum to the extremely successful "GENESIS" album from 1983. It would be on this next GENESIS album that the band would follow in the same recording atmosphere and tradition as the previous successful album "GENESIS" released in 1983. After a certain period of time went by, the band would emerge and come out of the recording studio with the fully completed acetate and deliver the finished product to their record label and employer, Atlantic Records. Atlantic Records would release the product as the "INVISIBLE TOUCH" album in 1986. In my opinion, the "INVISIBLE TOUCH" album is another true testament of the genius and musical creativity of three extremely talented individuals. The "INVISIBLE TOUCH" album is also a fine fitting tribute to a great band that was truly indeed, far ahead of their time.

It is now time to let the rock n' Roll music of GENESIS to speak for itself and back it up by doing all of the talking musically. The legendary "INVISIBLE TOUCH" album from 1986 begins with the incredible synthesized progressive Rocker "Invisible Touch," the beautifully slow and soothing synthesized Rocker "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight," the breathtaking synthesized Progressive hard Rocker "Land Of Confusion," the beautifully slow and well arranged love song "In Too Deep," the fast and energetic progressive Rocker "Anything She Does," the groundbreaking and beautifully slow mild Rocker turned fast synthesized progressive Rocker "Domino (Part One - In The Glow Of The Night AND Part Two - The Last Domino)," one of the greatest and most powerful love songs ever written that we can all grasp and relate to, "Throwing It All Away" and the beautifully synthesized progressive instrumental song "The Brazilian." May I also add that all three musicians were steamin' and sizzlin' red hot while laying down the tracks for this album. Phil Collins' blistering lead vocals were so powerful and emotional that he takes the songs and music to an entirely different level.

Overall, this is one great album worth checking out and seeking further research and information into especially if you are a hardcore diehard GENESIS fan or a devout music collector. As for all of the curious newcomers and new beginners that are not quite familiar with the sound and music of GENESIS, I would highly suggest that you research the many GENESIS greatest hits compilation albums on Amazon com before you make your final decision as to which GENESIS album(s) that is right for your musical needs and tastes. If you feel that you truly love the music of GENESIS and you want more, then it would be in your best interests to purchase their many other studio albums that are available on Amazon com. Either way you choose, you will have taken a giant step towards owning and starting your very own GENESIS music collection. You can do all of your researching and album purchases either on Amazon com or at your nearest local Borders Books and Music store. If you ever get a chance, buy this album. You'll be happy and satisfied that you did.

I would like to highly recommend purchasing this legendary album to own as a valuable and important part of his or her own personal music collection. This treasure album has already proven to stand the test of time and will always be around to be enjoyed, appreciated and cherished for many years to come, NOW AND FOREVER. This is one great legendary album that no hardcore music fan or devout music collector would want to be without.

In closing, the GENESIS "INVISIBLE TOUCH" album would be released in 1986 to highly critically acclaim. The band would also quickly embark on a new World Tour to promote the "INVISIBLE TOUCH" album in what would prove to be one of their greatest tours yet ever. Following the tour, it was now time once again for the band to take another long rest and hiatus. There would be many other GENESIS albums that are still yet to come and new stories that would still need to be told and written. But that, my fellow readers and reviewers, you will just have to stay tuned and read further more about it at a later date in the near future. GENESIS, at this point in their career, has forever left their place and mark in Rock n' Roll history and will never be forgotten. So here's to you Phil, Tony and Mike. Thanks for the great memories with many more still to come. Keep Persevering. Keep the Faith. And as the saying goes, "AND THE REST IS ROCK N' ROLL HISTORY," need I say more? Thanks for reading my review and I truly hope that you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have truly enjoyed writing it for your reading pleasure. I also deeply hope that all of you will read all of my other reviews in the near future when time permits. GENESIS RULES! Long Live Rock n' Roll. Rock out always and take it easy. Forever in Rock, John L.

Genesis - Overexposed But A Decent Album.......2007-04-11

This album gets regularly pounded by progressive rock fans as the album where Genesis hit rock bottom. I think part of the problem was that the album was so incredibly commercially successful that many of the tracks were played so much on the radio (and MTV) that people just got sick of hearing them. Add to that the fact that two songs appeared in TV commercials (again vastly overexposed), it is easy to see why this album earned the "sell out" tag that many people place upon it. All this being said, I have always liked this album. No, it is not on a par with the band's progressive rock masterpieces of the 70's, but taken for what it is I enjoy most of it. On the negative side the title track "Invisible Touch", "In Too Deep", and "Throwing It All Away" are pretty typical Phil Collins mush, but these songs are still much better than the crap he put out on his solo albums. On the positive side there are some really good tracks on the disc. "Tonight Tonight, Tonight" is a 10 plus minute proggish tune that now is usually thought of as TV commercial music, but listening to the unedited version it is really a strong track. "Land Of Confusion" is another good social commentary song that suffered from massive over airplay. "Anything She Does" is another good pop tune. The album closer "The Brazilian" is a cool instrumental written by Tony Banks. The highlight of the disc (and the most prog oriented track) is the two part 10 minute plus "Domino". I love this song and on the tour it was one of the highlights of the show. As mentioned previously some people really hate this album, and I can understand where they are coming from, but I have always thought it was a decent effort.

The second worst album of Genesis.......2007-02-15

This is an album that I really hate, most of the songs have been heard over an over again, I can't listen to them anymore, I am talking about "Invisible Touch",Tonight, tonight, tonight", "Land of confusion", "In too deep", "Anything she does" and "Throwing it all away"
It's like fast food, you get into it fast, but as soon as you have finish, you begin to feel sick. These songs were instant hits, but they didn't pass the test of time. The only track that I still like is "Domino" part one and two.

One last point, the only other Genesis album that is this weak is "Abacab"
I am wondering how can somebody can give five star to an album like this one ?

Average customer rating: Ma? What are they giving me??? not as bad as my brother says, but still..... Worth the wait. Yawnfest. Well its finally here.

Excellent Italian Greyhound Shellac Manufacturer: Touch & Go Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Post Hardcore | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Noise | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Jesus Lizard - Live Mirrored Icky Thump Anonymous Beyond ASIN: B000PA9PTM Release Date: 2007-06-05

Tracks:

1. The End Of Radio
2. Steady As She Goes
3. Be Prepared
4. Elephant
5. Genuine Lulabelle
6. Kittypants
7. Boycott
8. Paco
9. Spoke

Album Description

Shellac consists of Steve Albini on guitar, Todd Trainer on drums, and Bob Weston on bass. This is their fourth and longest release and all the songs are about Italy or greyhounds. Both the CD and LP come packaged in a beautiful full-color gatefold sleeve. The LP also includes an OBI or slipcover that was drawn and hand-silk screened by Jay Ryan. The CD has a non-hand-screened OBI.

Customer Reviews:

Ma? What are they giving me???.......2007-07-30

Back in days one heard hype of how Shellac were turning down the offers of superstardom and mega ka-jillions from all of the "major" labels, thumbing their noses at "the man". Instead, they chose to keep their day jobs and make the music that they wanted to at their own pace, rather than on some schedule.

Well, after waiting for quite some time, the fans are given this. Needless to say, it's good thing they didn't quit their day jobs, as they have proven to be substantially more lucrative than any music that they are currently putting out as a band (if that's what you call The Genuine Article, or anything with Weston singing on it).

It's almost as if Shellac is SOOoooo uber-cool, that they're thumbing their noses at their fans now, knowing that we'll still buy it. Perhaps, the only redeeming attribute of this album is the packaging/artwork.

I'll give it two stars for the first two to three songs. Flush the rest down....tell the sewage treatment plant to BE PREPARED!!!

not as bad as my brother says, but still............2007-06-10

if you still 'really' like shellac after 13 years, then...... you will like this....i guess. i haven't really cared about shellac since 'at action park'. the two early 7"s 'uranus' and 'the rude gesture' are what i turn to when i'm in the mood, but i keep up with what's new. "i'm" bored with this, but i wouldn't say it's a bad album, like say....... '1,000 hurts'. In general the shellac sound hasn't changed. The album sounds like somewhat inspired mediocrity 'to me', but like i say..... it's been 13 years.....and they've never been my favorite band. ok....adam....i'm yawning.

Worth the wait........2007-06-06

"Excellent Italian Greyhound" finds Ablini and co developing their signature sound even further. The album opens up with the eight and a half minute "End of Radio" which slowly but steadily builds up from just Steve and his guitar only to return to square one and build up all over again. And the intensity only lets up for the two minute instrumental "Kittypants" which is quite possibly the most melodic thing they've ever recorded. The album closes with the brilliant "Spoke", which finds Steve Albini and Bob Weston in a screaming match of sorts over a fast-paced drum beat courtesy of Todd Trainer.

If you're a fan of punk, indie, rock, or just music in general, do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

Yawnfest........2007-06-06

The only good things this pretentious band put out were the early 7"s and At Action Park. You can take a dump on the rest )Terraform save a couple tracks, 1000 Hurts)and this steaming pile. Signature sound? Not too sure on that, Albinis metal guitar/pick set up sounds nothing like it did on amazing tracks like Wingwalker. Please, someone try and tell me this and the last two albums were anywhere near as good as that track.

This album reminded me of their "Futurist" LP, which was boring too. Id rather hear Albini harp on about houses full of garbage 'with the doo-doo and the feces on the wall' than keep this. Too bad, I like the album cover art.

Well its finally here........2007-06-06

Ah at last after a 7 year wait since 1000 hurts we have the new shellac album and has it been worth the wait,the answer is a most definite yes.This album is there most intense record since at action park,the album has great depth and energy and with epic songs like the end of radio and genuine lulabelle it shows shellac have dug deep to show there experimental side and then you,ve got songs like steady as she goes and be prepeared which showcase the band at there most brutal and intense.To finish off my review all i can say is this album is my fave album of the year along with the new daniel higgs album and its gonna take something very special to top either of them,totally essential.

Average customer rating: Slint's Six Song lp - "Spiderland" "In the mirror, he saw his friend." "I Miss You!" genius, genius Frightening In Its Strength.

Spiderland Slint Manufacturer: Touch & Go Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Emo | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Math Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Laughing Stock Daydream Nation Double Nickels on the Dime Loveless Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven ASIN: B0000019HU Release Date: 1994-03-31

Tracks:

1. Breadcrumb
2. Nosferatu Man
3. Don, Aman
4. Washer
5. For Dinner...
6. Good Morning, Captain

Amazon.com

Although this Kentucky combo had a short lifespan, its influence has been extraordinary, presaging the underground "math-rock" revolution and spawning spinoffs such as Tortoise and Gastr Del Sol. But don't go thinking that the foursome is a mere footnote: The bracingly dense, dizzyingly complex songs that vein this, their second full-length release, perfectly capture the smarter face of early-'90s thug-rock. Yes, Slint's sound is descended from punk, but its members--particularly guitarist Brian McMahan--never subscribed to the "keep it simple, stupid" philosophy. Spiderland is so rife with breakneck tempo changes, off-kilter chord progressions, and bizarro-world themes, you'd be hard-pressed to go a listen without discovering something new. --David Sprague

Customer Reviews:

Slint's Six Song lp - "Spiderland".......2007-06-22

'Spiderland' is currently a album that I have been listening to more often these days. It's an album I have had for about 10 years now, but it just recently made it's way back into my stereo. This time I actually like it.
'Spiderland' was first released in 1991 and it was Slint's second album after 'Tweez'
I read many reviews over the last few years, still not sure how I felt about this. Many stated this is the first True Post Rock album.
A statement in some ways I still don't get, but no other band influenced by Slint has come close to matching it's depressive, but atmospheric intensity.
There has been rumors that the band members of Slint had to be institutionalized during the making of 'Spiderland'-
The sound is very lo-fi. Filled with off key guitar distortions which are quite eerie and strange(one of the reasons why it took me so long to get into this record). Very disturbing, and full of slowed down tempo.
Brian McMahan's voice switches from grunge induced screams to mere whispers. And yes, I do prefer this album over another (landmark) album which also came out later in 1991. Although 'Spiderland' was sadly much less known and it still is.
This album truly does mix garage rock, grunge and punk and it's also full of mutters and talking. Really creepy, may be a turn off for some.
The song "Washer" is a very dark track. The protagonist knew his fate, but couldn't avoid it in the end. Despair can be heard throughout.
Opener "Breadcrumb Trail" - A truly gut-wrenching listen, dissonant guitars over McMahan's intensity. Then on through the closer, and best known track "Good Morning Captain" where the last lines are McMahan screaming "I'm in Hell...I'm in HELLL...I MISS YOU...!"
- It is hard to believe that these guys were just teenagers when making this album. A Record that inspired Math Rock (?) and bands like Explosions in the Sky and Tortoise. This is a 'must hear' listen and it should be heard on vinyl.

"In the mirror, he saw his friend.".......2007-06-13

Unheard of by many, revered by almost all those that own it, Slint's second (and last) album is regarded as one of the most influential alternative records ever released.

Brian McMahan's primarily spoken vocals offer a haunting juxtaposition to David Pajo's (later of Tortoise and Zwan) jaggedly ornate guitar playing, with the lyrics seemingly having little connection to the stop-start syncopation of the instrumental. From McMahan's tale of a ride on a roller-coaster with a gypsy fortune teller at a carnival in Spiderland's opener 'Breadcrumb Trail' to his reworking of Coleridge's opus The Rime of the Ancient Mariner ('Good Morning, Captain'), at the album's close, Slint's final work runs the gamut of marginal human experience, abstracted against a backdrop of jazz time signatures and 'spidery' guitars, to create a stifling air of impending doom. For all that however, 'Washer' is one of the most startlingly beautiful elegies committed to record.

Sexy, claustrophobic, unashamedly arty and conceptual, Spiderland is considered by many to be the first true 'post-rock' album, following their Steve Albini-recorded 'post-hardcore' debut, Tweez (1989).

"I Miss You!".......2007-04-09

Simplicity should never be confused with being simple. The relatively primitive component parts of "Spiderland" build into something far more powerful, mostly because the band had a firm grasp of the dynamic tensions of "heavy" music. In other words, dramatic, powerful music is formed through the dynamic shifts in the component parts rather than the top level of the sound. Its brilliance comes from the fact that its brutality is brutally subtle.
The rumours that several members of the band had to seek psychiatric help after the recording of this album ring true precisely because there is a very real jarring sense of desperation and loss in the mere thirty six minutes and six tracks that comprise this album.
Another thing to explain the impact that this album has made is that, paradoxically, it doesn't really sound like anything that has come either before or since. Perhaps the closest relative to its sound is the work of Tortoise and other "Post Rock" bands, formed by some members of the band after the demise of Slint. Yet "Spiderland" is at heart unapologetically straight rock music...but with a sense of mystery that totally eludes most rock bands and their preening "stars". The contrary cover art (shot by Billy "Prince" Billy, a.k.a., Will Oldham) and sparse liner notes only add to the mystery.
The band split up soon after "Spiderland" was released, partly because hardly anyone bought it. They therefore never got the chance to lose their charisma, and will always stay those young men frolicking in a dingy wayside pond. Slint are a much-missed band. But perhaps it's better that way.

genius, genius.......2007-04-04

I love Slint to pieces. This record is so unique on so many different levels. Words may not do justice here, but i always think of "Spiderland" as a concept album: that being a monumental night terror one night.

You are falling asleep at the beginning, and by the end of "Breadcrumb Trail," you are in R.E.M. sleep.

...Now begins the nightmare ("Nosferatu Man")

...The night-terror takes hold of your body ("Don, Aman")


...and now the aftershocks ("Washer")


..you reconcile your inner-demons and begin to wake from the night ("For Dinner...)


...finally, you wake from the dream and your life will never be the same ever again ("Good Morning, Captain")



I still find nuances that I have not yet experienced in this record. Oh, another plus, one of the best album covers/promo photos ever

Frightening In Its Strength........2007-02-15

This record...is brilliant. No filler. No hits. No traditional songs. 7 minute mind-blowing works of art? Yes.

I can't remember where I heard of Slint or why I got this, but I assure you that I regret neither. The record encorporates a sense of paranoia, hope, faith, depression, lonliness, confusion and spite. It is a rare recording. A masterpiece. Never equaled before. Never equaled since. The openening of "Don, Aman" is an acapella breakdown leading into an ocean of strings, "Washer" is unequaled in gorgeous "heart-on-sleeve" humility. "Nosferatu Man" haunts like a bad dream, "Good Morning, Captain" sticks to so many surfaces, only to all be unglued with the blood-curdling screams of "I Miss You."

Stop reading.
Get this record NOW.
Listen.

Average customer rating: primal Good indie / garage EP supersonic orgasm What in God's name am I listening to? to the "rip off" review, not a rip off

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Yeah Yeah Yeah's , and Yeah Yeah Yeahs Manufacturer: Touch & Go Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Garage Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Rock | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Alternative Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Fever To Tell Show Your Bones Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow Is Is Gold Lion/Let Me Know ASIN: B0000683N4 Release Date: 2002-07-09

Tracks:

1. Bang
2. Mystery Girl
3. Art Star
4. Miles Away
5. Our Time

Amazon.com

Having shared bills with 2001 darlings White Stripes and the Strokes, it's not shocking that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs also are wrapped in a sticky film of hype. They tackle it explicitly when indispensable singer Karen O croons, "It's our time to be hated / So glad that we made it" (the conceit plays to a tune vaguely reminiscent of "Crimson and Clover"). To be safe, the YYYs are calling themselves sellouts before they sell out--but for this trio of rock & roll revivalists, sounding good enough to be popular is their only crime. Attacking with a snottiness sorely needed these days, they confront the critical types as (jealous) "punk kids" anyway. With a sexy yet imperfect swagger, they come on like calculating outsiders bent on forcing their way in. As an antidote to the glossy/rough New Yorkerism presented by the Strokes, the YYYs serve up dirtier yet sublime grit, in five tunes about bad sex, "art stars" and "mystery boys" who will "be your toys." Careening drums pop into synch with sparse, metallic punk guitar, and none of O's "yeah"s and "baby"s are wasted or otherwise lost in the band's econo-power style: surprisingly loud, though bassless, and carved with abandon from '60s garage, the playfulness of X-Ray Spex, the sparseness of the Delta 5, and the shambolic thrash of the Fall. --Cyndi Elliott

Customer Reviews:

primal.......2006-01-12

this is a great EP. very raw and primal but still shows great skills in writing in this genre, as the garage rock genre is very riff based. i would give it a 5 out of 5 but i think the EP lacks consistancy and flow, as it starts off very rock and roll, then goes heavy, then finishes with almost a ballad. definately a well thought out EP.

Good indie / garage EP.......2005-11-12

I think this EP has a lot of character. Normally I would only give something like this 3 stars because the musicianship isn't very mature or individualistic, but I give this an extra star for personality and interesting production value. Sounds a lot like the White Stripes, but less provincial and more worldly. I suppose that's the New Yorker element.

supersonic orgasm.......2005-09-12

i cannot believe so many people are ripping on the yeahyeahyeahs. i have to conclude that they have bad taste. VERY bad taste. either that, or they're the type of people who have to gripe about something just because it's popular.
but i digress. karen o. gives me hope for the future of music. i actually prefer this ep to their full-length release: songs like "maps" and "modern romance" seem a little schmaltzy to me. as always, karen o's howling, moaning, and screaming as if she's in the midst of the most fantastic orgasm of her life is a delight to listen to. the album literally starts with a "bang," then progresses on into the surf rock riffs of "mystery girl." "art star," perhaps my favorite track, is a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the pretentious participants of the art world that starts off monotone and ends in throat-wrenching screams.
so, while i agree that in many ways, this band brings nothing new to the table in terms of indy and alternative music, it definitely holds up a fine tradition of hard-rocking bands (like siouxsie and the banshees, as another reviewer pointed out.) with so much pop crap out there, it's nice to know that some bands can still rock out.

What in God's name am I listening to?.......2005-01-10

There's absolutely NOTHING to this music. It's atonal garbage. If you flushed your toilet 50 times and recorded it it would make a better record. I saw these guys live and they were probably the worst band to ever play in front of a live audience. This "music" is a complete waste of your life.

to the "rip off" review, not a rip off.......2004-10-14

take any group, and search long enough and you'll find something that sounds similar. The Yeah Yeah Yeah's belong to a genre of music that is long established, definitely nothing new, but they have their own distinct sound and personality. So before you decide to share any more of your stupid comparisons please first realize that they'll be irrelevant, cause you just don't know your stuff kid.

Average customer rating: A breakthrough album Different this is a magical (short review) Bjork? Miss Li? Imaginatively weird album

The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn CocoRosie Manufacturer: Touch & Go Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Dream Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Electronic Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Trip-Hop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Electronica | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Volta The Reminder Sound of Silver Ys We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank ASIN: B000NQR7RU Release Date: 2007-04-10

Tracks:

1. Rainbowarriors
2. Promise
3. Bloody Twins
4. Japan
5. Sunshine
6. Black Poppies
7. Werewolf
8. Animals
9. Houses
10. Raphael
11. Girl And The Geese
12. Miracle

Album Description

Their third release represents another stride onward from previous works, where the girls continue to experiment with their disparate voices and clashing personalities, juxtaposing devastating ballads like "Werewolf" with exhilarating tracks like "Japan" and the jaunty single "Rainbowarriors". It's a lush, orchestral array of sounds and beauty; a vaudevillian opera, if you will.

Customer Reviews:

A breakthrough album.......2007-06-12

I never considered myself a big CocoRosie fan before this album... but even on first listen it was hard not to notice there are a bunch of absolutely stunning tracks here... Raphael, Promise, Werewolf etc.

To me the album is a lot more confident and cohesive than Noah's Ark, which had flashes of brilliance but was never totally satisfying. Highly recommended.

Different.......2007-05-13

Cocorosie is different. It is this difference that makes this album great. If you like rock, pop or folk, then you should enjoy this ablum. If you're looking for variety, then this album will be a good addition to your collection.

this is a magical (short review).......2007-05-10

This does not fall short in any respects!
Cocorosie's imagery is beautiful and frightening, like the hypnopompic state of not-quite-awake. Definitely have they not at all declined over albums. Ever strengthening their abilities in storytelling and musicianship, Cocorosie leads the listener inward to a tiny, new world of romance and creepies. The whole disc seems so natural and carefree, but at the same time every word and sound is so, so perfectly placed. It's real enjoyable.

Bjork? Miss Li?.......2007-05-03

For me, this album sounds like their influences come from Bjork and Miss Li. Although some of the songs are slightly different with beat and rhythm, I think I'd rather listen to Bjork's Vespertine. Bjork uses the same style and the same sound with chimes and drums on almost all of her albums. I strongly suggest to buy one of hers instead. Much more heart felt. Although I really wanted to like this album, I simply....can't.

Imaginatively weird album.......2007-04-21

This album sounds like it could be the soundtrack to the Jean-Pierre Jeunet film "City of Lost Children" with a dash of hip-hop thrown in for good measure but be warned, on first listen this album feels somewhat slow & lumbering but after quite a few listens that all changes & each song beautifully stands out from the next. Easily one of the best albums of 2007.

Average customer rating: Beautiful Music Beautiful, calming, romantic... Masterfull & Wonderful! Guaranteed to relax you! A generous helping of each artist

Touch-Windham Hill 25 Years of Guitar Various Artists Manufacturer: Windham Hill Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music General | Compilations | New Age | Styles | Music Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Windows: Windham Hill 25 Years of Piano Acoustic Heart: Acoustic Guitar Masters Masters of Acoustic Guitar Windham Hill Guitar Sampler Windham Hill Chill: Ambient Acoustic ASIN: B00005JXSJ Release Date: 2001-06-05

Tracks:

1. Aerial Boundaries - Michael Hedges
2. Western - Alex De Grassi
3. The Impending Death Of The Virgin Spirit - Will Ackerman
4. Larry's World - Russ Freeman
5. Who Lives Up There - Snuffy Walden
6. Pavane - Steve Erquiaga
7. Coming Home - Sean Harkness
8. On The Way - David Cullen
9. Shella's Pictures - Will Ackerman
10. Nothing's Too Good (For A Friend) - Doyle Dykes
11. Turning, Turning Back - Alex De Grassi
12. Rikki's Shuffle - Michael Hedges

Amazon.com

Windham Hill initially gained a sterling reputation through exquisitely recorded and played instrumental guitar albums. The label now commemorates 25 years of recording by picking the cream of its crop. A great harvest it is, too! Founder Will Ackerman rerecords the early "The Impeding Death of the Virgin Spirit." Then there's Alex De Grassi's gentle pyrotechnics and Doyle Dykes's jazzy inflections. Together, they've truly expanded the boundaries of acoustic-guitar playing--an effort that may have reached its zenith with the late Michael Hedges. His "Aerial Boundaries" remains a tour de force, while his live duet with bassist Michael Manring--"Rikki's Shuffle"--shows the synergy between two great musicians. --Chris Nickson

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Music.......2007-01-16

Windham Hill is always great and this cd is right in that tradition

Beautiful, calming, romantic..........2007-01-10

I have never purchased a Windham Hill CD that I have not enjoyed and this one may be the best of them all. It is beautiful and, at times, hauntingly so. I took a deep breath at the first note of the first song and I don't remember breathing after that. I highly reccommend this CD for anyone who loves acoustic guitar or for someone who just needs a moment to relax.

Masterfull & Wonderful!.......2002-10-16

This album has quickly become one of my favorite instrumental albums. Long a fan of the Windham-Hill label, I'm of the opinion that this compilation offers some of the best guitar music around. This CD is masterful and richly rewarding. It contains some of the most soothing instrumental music recorded, and as one other reviewer aptly put it, it's a great stress reducer. The cuts from the masters Ackerman, deGrassi and Hedges are wonderful as any WH fan over the years has come to appreciate them. My favorite selection is however, Snuffy Walden's "Who Lives Up There". In my opinion it is just the most beautifully written and performed piece of acoustic guitar music period. It is such a technically wonderful recording as well. This cut is worth the price of the CD alone. Another favorite is David Culen's "On the Way". I am not as familiar with his work but I plan to check out other Cullen offerings soon. There is not a misstep on this entire hour-long CD. And to think I almost hesitated buying it.

Guaranteed to relax you!.......2002-07-24

This is THE most relaxing, beautiful CD I've purchased in years. It should have STRESS-BUSTER written across the cover. Three minutes after I hit the "Play" button, I'm off in another realm altogether. If you love acoustic guitar music, you'll treasure this awesome CD.

A generous helping of each artist.......2002-06-26

This is a great commemorative album made up of the music that established Windham Hill. Thankfully, the principal artists are represented by two cuts apiece, making this CD more of a showcase than a sampler. Snuffy Walden got shorted with just his "Who Lives Up There?", but we have Michael Hedges opening the set with "Aerial Boundaries" and ending it with a duet with bassist Michael Manning, "Rikki's Shuffle".

Alex De Grassi then has the #2 and the next-to-last positions. Rather an interesting pattern is established, using those two noteworthy members of the Windham Hill family.

Will Ackerman is quite well represented with "The Impending Death of the Virgin Spirit" on the third cut, and "Sheila's Pictures" on the ninth cut.

In my most humble opinion, these seven of the twelve are the very richest cream of the crop while the other five are scarcely a step less enjoyable. This is definitely the Windham Hill style of guitar music and therefore will seem rather mild and bland to those with desensitized ears, but those who can enjoy the depths of really good and well-performed music will indeed be well rewarded by listening to this.

Average customer rating: something's lacking What you'd expect from Ted Leo Ted Finds His "Beginner's Mind" TL/Rx remain consistently AWESOME! Just What You'd Expect

Living with the Living Ted Leo and The Pharmacists Manufacturer: Touch & Go Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank Sound of Silver Favourite Worst Nightmare Icky Thump Because of the Times ASIN: B000MQ55DO Release Date: 2007-03-20

Tracks:

1. Fourth World War
2. The Sons of Cain
3. Army Bound
4. Who Do You Love
5. Colleen
6. A Bottle Of Buckie
7. Bomb. Repeat. Bomb.
8. La Costa Brava
9. Annunciation Day/ Born on Christmas Day
10. The Unwanted Things
11. The Lost Brigade
12. The World Stops Turning
13. Some Beginner's Mind
14. The Toro And The Toreador
15. C.I.A.

Album Description

For their fifth full-length release (and first with Touch and Go Records), Ted Leo and the Pharmacists met up with Brendan Canty (Fugazi) to iron out a new set of anthems that arrive with a confident and outspoken immediacy. With Living with the Living, Ted & Co. wipe clean the slate that once held names like Weller, Strummer and Bragg and indulge some of their farthest-reaching musical ambitions. "Army Bound" and "La Costa Brava" evoke the melodic spirit of Andy Partridge, Ray Davies and ArgyBargy-era Squeeze, while "Colleen" is Ted's most successful meditation on pop music yet. "A Bottle of Buckie" clinks pint glasses with The Pogues and captures Ted conjuring up the rhythms of his Irish ancestry. And stretching his boundaries further still, songs like "The Toro and the Toreador", "The Lost Brigade" and "The Unwanted Things" find Ted taking his falsetto in new directions, with vocals that caress each composition with the greatest delicacy and grace. Along with the punk sound and energy found in Ted Leo and the Pharmacists' previous works, Living with the Living finds soul, funk and R&B injected into the trajectory of Chris Wilson's dexterous percussion, Dave Lerner's bedrock bass and an onslaught of combustibles from Ted's possessed fingertips.

Customer Reviews:

something's lacking.......2007-05-14

As a huge fan of Shake the Sheets' power and catchy-ness, something is definitely missing here. The lyrics are superb but the delivery feels flat and monotonous.

Compared to most of the rubbish that's out there, it's really good yet several steps from great.

What you'd expect from Ted Leo.......2007-04-25

Ted Leo is great at writing high energy, catchy rock songs, and he does not disappoint in this respect on this album. "Sons of Cain," "Who do you love," and "Some beginners mind" are all high energy and very good songs. He is also known for his political/social lyrics, and this album may be the most straightforward in that regard. I think there are only two songs on the album that veer from this. This album is not without its flaws, however, and could have benefited from a bit more trimming.

Some other highlights: "Bomb repeat bomb" is a fantastic song, but stands out a bit on this album. For one, it is incredibly high energy is stuck between to relatively subdued songs. Another reason it stands out is because the song is not as based in pop as the songs that surround it. Nevertheless, it is one of my favorites on the album. "La Costa Brava" is an incredibly catchy pop/rock song about the need to relax, and get away from the stresses in life. The theme is fitting considering the intensity of some of his songs, and the almost always serious political subject matter. "Annunciation Day" sounds just like a Minutemen song- its even that short. "The lost brigade" is a very good rock song with a great sounding opening verse, that would have been even better if the song wasnt over 7 minutes long.

As for the flaws of this album:
1. Many of the initially catchiest songs (e.g. "Colleen," "Bottle of Buckie") are a bit bland and uninteresting after the first few listens. This made this album a bit of a 'grower' for me.
2.The length. I think he overreached a bit for certain songs and the album as a whole. This would have been a better album at 45 minutes versus 60+. He could have left a couple of the songs off and trimmed a few of them.

All in all Ted Leo created another high energy political rock album that have occupied my CD player/mp3 player for the past few weeks. The great songs on this album will still be great years from now, but the weaker songs lost their appeal weeks ago.

Ted Finds His "Beginner's Mind".......2007-04-16

"`Cause we're not trying to change when you tell me that I change
and when I try not to change, well then you tell me that I don't change
And there's not much I can change about that, sir"
- Some Beginner's Mind, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists

Ted Leo makes music to set your life to. While other bands are content with introspective navel gazing, and still a few others deal strictly with the political, Ted Leo finds a comfortable medium between the public and private, and, ultimately, he shows us there's not a whole lot of difference between the two. Ted Leo attempts to wrap his arms around the immensity of our world. Leo's success is credited to his ability to make his politics seem about the individual. For example, on The High Party he lets it slip that 9/11 is his birthday while ruminating on the politics of propaganda, and on Living with the Living the most strident anti-war song, Bomb.Repeat.Bomb, is told through the eyes of a bomber pilot. His politics sound less like sleep deprived manifesto than the ruminations of someone walking around the city without a destination.

On their fifth LP Ted Leo and those irascible Pharmacists construct a musical diorama of all the styles that have informed their sound. While in his previous albums these influences could be heard through parts of his songs, a bass line here or a lyric there, on Living with the Living, Leo has adopted these styles whole instead of piecemeal. The album feels like he's making a mix tape of all his favorite styles but with his own music. Living with the Living runs through hardcore (Bomb.Repeat.Bomb.), Irish folk (Bottle of Buckie), reggae (Unwanted Things), and new wave (La Costa Brava) just to name a few. There are also genres you wouldn't necessarily associate with Ted Leo, like funk (Lost Brigade) and R.E.M. style jangle pop (Colleen).

I think the reasons behind these genre specific congs can be found in Some Beginner's Mind. The aforementioned quote shows the paradox of this album: Leo's sound is evolving by devolving his songs to their genre origins. It makes a kind of sense. I read somewhere that this song is referencing the Zen concept of shoshin, or "beginner's mind." I ran across this little quote by Shunryu Suzuki: "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few." By rediscovering the sounds that first made him excited about music in the first place, Ted Leo is actually uncovering multiple ways of songwriting.

The strength of Leo's political writing doesn't end with his ability to make the political personal. The political songs on Living also make great use of analogy to attack the current war in the Middle East. Nowhere does Leo mention the second Gulf War. However, he has called Bomb.Repeat.Bomb. a song about America's involvement in Guatemala, Annunciation Day/Born on Christmas Day references the Falkland War, and C.I.A. takes on our overly secretive institution. At the same time, the shadow of our current war can be felt throughout the album. Ted Leo is implicitly drawing attention to the fact our current war is not a finite problem, but rather a part of our systematic dealings with the rest of the world. His call for change is as far reaching as it is individualistic. Once again, Leo manages to wrestle a complex view of our world through seemingly disparate dichotomies.

I'm sure you've noticed that I haven't even touched upon whether or not the album is any good. Ted Leo is such a natural songwriter that his albums are always good, but more than that, Ted Leo's work has become such a part of my life I'm less interested in the mostly boring question of quality, than I am interested in how his craft is evolving. Judging by Living with the Living I'm sure I'll be returning to Leo's latest album, whatever that album may be at the time, until he no longer puts music to disc.

TL/Rx remain consistently AWESOME!.......2007-04-10

If you enjoyed Hearts of Oak (2003) and Shake the Sheets (2004), then you will not be disappointed by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists newest album. As usual, Ted subtly addresses current affairs with his creative lyrics, while delighting your ears with infectious tunes. They open the album with "Sons of Cain", which will certainly get you on your feet. The ongoing, unvalidated war is addressed in numerous songs, like "Army Bound" and " Bomb Repeat Bomb" (check out the new video for this single). The mood is lighten with "love" songs like "Colleen" and "The Unwanted Things". This album definitely makes me even more anxious for MORE TED LEO and the PHARMACISTS! They are on tour right now, so support TL/Rx and your local venues and buy tickets TODAY! They put 150% into every performance, and you will leave feeling invigorated by their energy.

Just What You'd Expect.......2007-04-03

If you've been a fan of the Ted Leo and the R/x for a while, then you should know what to expect from this album: a remarkably consistent collection of very good power pop and rock songs with two or three standout tracks that will become instant favorites.

If you're not familiar with Ted Leo, here's the quick synopsis: clever lyrics and musical experimentation reminiscent of Elvis Costello, Billy Bragg, or the Clash mixed with the pop hooks and guitar licks you'd associate with Big Star, Thin Lizzy, or the Pixies.

As for the album: it's everything you can reasonably ask for from an album. Leo is one of the few performers in the indie world who's still making the unpretentious guitar rock that defined the early nineties underground scene. The most negative comments I've heard about Leo fall into two categories: either he's not original enough, or he never changes his formula. Both comments are true--Leo owes a lot to the great songwriters who preceded him. And though his influences are varied (albums often have rock albums, pop songs, and songs influenced by folk, reggae, and punk), it's true that his albums tend to be similar in style and structure and there's no real attempt to make a grand, artistic statement.

But it's really hard to criticize a guy for knowing his strengths and sticking too them. There aren't many lyricists today who can turn a better phrase, and nobody seems to write rock anthems anymore. This albums is filled with great tracks. Ranking it against his earlier albums, it's probably a bit beneath the level of "The Tyranny of Distance" and "Hearts of Oak," but it compares favorable to "Shake The Sheets." The album has a decent amount of experimentation and several laid back songs, so it's probably closest to "The Tyranny of Distance" in terms of structure.

If you want a good feel for the album check out "The Song of Cain," one of the albums best rockers, "La Costa Brava," a good pop song, and "Bomb. Repeat. Bomb," a more experimental track with an abrasive, DC-punk sound.

Average customer rating: Schmilsson for Lovers Supurb Departure to the Classics FANTASTIC !! The import is arranged for a better listen. You Must Remember This...

A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night Harry Nilsson Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Contemporary | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Similar Items: Son of Schmilsson Nilsson Schmilsson As Time Goes By Harry / Nilsson Sings Newman Harry Nilsson - Greatest Hits ASIN: B000EQ47WM Release Date: 2006-05-23

Tracks:

1. Lazy Moon
2. For Me And My Gal
3. It Had To Be You
4. Always
5. Makin' Whoopee!
6. You Made Me Love You
7. Lullaby In Ragtime
8. I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
9. What'll I Do
10. Nevertheless (I'm In Love With You)
11. This Is All I Ask
12. As Time Goes By
13. I'm Always Chasing Rainbows
14. Make Believe
15. Trust In Me
16. It's Only A Paper Moon
17. Thanks For The Memory
18. Over The Rainbow

Customer Reviews:

Schmilsson for Lovers.......2007-05-27

My wife and lost the vinyl record of this music that we had and enjoyed for many years. We loved it dearly,and missed it. We were delighted to find it in CD.It was like finding a lost friend.The music has enhanced our relationship almost from the beginning for over 30 years. For a lovely romantic evening (or any time of day). you cannot beat this CD. We both highly recommend it.

Supurb Departure to the Classics.......2007-01-23

Nilsson sings some of THE classics. One of the best albums ever recorded. There are no breaks between songs and the London Philharmonic has a dreamy score backing him up. If you are looking to woo someone, this is the album for you.

FANTASTIC !!.......2007-01-10

If you like "old standards" this is the CD for you. It is without a doubt the best I have ever heard. Not just the soulful and mellow singing but the bridges between songs, the way it is compiled, just everything about it. I have been buying and gifting this album since its first release as an LP, then cassette, now CD. Every single person I have ever given it to falls in love with it. If I could give it more than 5 stars I certainly would.

The import is arranged for a better listen........2006-09-17

I've reviewed this album twice before on the Amazon site, first for the Australian import version entitled, "As Time Goes By," and then some while later when the British import version became available here.

THERE ARE DIFFERENCES here that may be of interest to someone who has not yet discovered this magnificent collection, and these differences may be important enough for you to consider one version over another. The audiophile with an especially capable system will prefer the British pressing.

First, and perhaps most importantly, the new domestic remaster simply adds the bonus tracks to the end of the album after following the original 13-song LP sequence. In my opinion, this is something of a disservice since it appears to me (and to some professional critics) that the song, "As Time Goes By," is intentionally placed at the end of the album -- in either the truncated original 1973 release or the expanded British and Australian imports -- because the artist intended the song to be an epilogue expressing the theme of the album as a whole. The tune emphasizes the importance of the various phases of many interpersonal relationships as they evolve from courtship ("Lazy Moon") through marriage ("For Me & My Gal"), infidelity ("Makin' Whoopee") and irreconcilable differences ("Thanks For The Memories"). Along the way, Nilsson is mindful of the importance of introspection ("This Is All I Ask) and his own mortality ("Over The Rainbow").

Not only does this new remaster merely append the five additional tunes omitted from the original release, there are two non-essential asides that are attached to two songs, but not indexed (one from an engineer telling Nilsson that he has "all the time he needs but not a second extra." The other is a request from Nilsson that he is provided with a cigarette, some whiskey and some drugs.). These two instances on the domestic remaster are placed within the bonus tracks segment so that the album loses its continuity -- breaking a spell, perhaps. On the British import, the engineer's remarks precede the album in its entirety. Nilsson's request for drugs and whiskey was omitted from the British import altogether, but it appears at the end of "Over The Rainbow" on the domestic remaster. This results in a somewhat devalued effect for many listeners, myself included. Some may note that the revised lyrics for two song selections on the album might suggest the artist's nonchalant attitude toward this album; personally I consider them as comic relief.

Second in importance is the artwork that accompanies these two releases. While both the British import and the newer remaster provide the original jacket photo, only the British import follows the inner illustrations of the original gatefold, and in full color, just like the original. The new domestic release provides us with some sense of what was there (black and white only), but moves the musicians' credit to the back of the booklet. Both versions include producer Derek Taylor's introduction to the album, but beyond that is where the real differences are found. There is a more extensive set of notes to the domestic release. Curtis Armstrong wrote these notes in February 2006; the British import features an essay written by Andrea Sheridan in January 2002. Both are informative for the completist.

You Must Remember This..........2006-05-30

The remastered release of Harry Nilsson's Touch is cause for celebration. In a time when American Idols reign supreme, and faded pop singers try to resurrect ailing careers singing standards, yielding excruciating results, this CD reminds us that Mr. Nilsson was perhaps the first rocker to successfully record an album of standards. Along with Willie Nelson's 1978 Stardust, these two lps introduced an entire generation to its own musical heritage. But Mr. Nilsson's lp was first, and finest.
I purchased it back then (1973) and was transported by its romantic lyricism. Like many Beatles generation's kids, I was not enamored with the 70's music. Disco was on the horizon, jazz was becoming fusion, and country was becoming pop with a southern accent. The only place to go was to the past. And Mr. Nilsson must have known this. He didn't undertake this project to resurrect his own career, as he was on top at the time. It was a risky move; some warned of career suicide. The results, both commercially and critically, thankfully proved otherwise.
The album itself is composed mainly of prewar, (WW11 that is,) standards written by the likes of Gus Kahn, Herman Hupfield, and Irving Berlin. The lesser known jewels "Lazy Moon" and "Lullaby In Ragtime" glimmer just as much as the more familiar "Always", "Making Whopee", and "As Time Goes By". Mr. Nilsson employs a respectful approach, preventing a degeneration into camp, a la Tiny Tim. The renditions are joyous, and full of vitality, but not overdelivered (unlike so much of the bellowing we hear today). His vocals caress each lyric, and being who he is, Mr. Nilsson avoids the solemnity that often mars so many of these projects, while simultaneously rejecting the whimsey that was beginning to stereotype him.
Much of the credit for the album has to go to Gordon Jenkins for his arrangements and direction of the 39 piece orchestra. For many of us, the past sounds like Gordon Jenkins: sumptious, elegant, and full of grace. This lp stands alongside Mr. Jenkins best work, including the lp "Where Are You".
For me, Touch served as a launching pad, albeit into the past, and led me down a path where I discovered those singers and artists before the Beatles, and before Elvis. Jo Stafford, Jeri Southern,and Hoagy Carmichael became favorites; then I happened upon jazz, where the standards, particularly since Mr. Nilsson's lp, seem to be valued and constantly reinterpreted. I like to think Touch had something to do with that. Finally, I have come to rest where all paths in popular music inevitably lead- to Frank Sinatra's doorstep. And waiting in the wings- much to my surprise- with Mr.Sinatra, was Gordon Jenkins and the aforementioned "Where Are You". Mr. Sinatra's seminal 1957 lp emanates with much of the same sense of longing and sweet sadness that haunts Mr. Nilsson's. My musical route, circuitous as it was, and some 30 years in the making, had come full circle. And now, a few years later, the lp that started it all-Touch- has finally been remastered and released, sending me back in time once more...This is all I ask, this is all I need...

Average customer rating: One of the best ever! Kristen Chenowith Has its moments Great CD! This woman has what it takes, and then some...

Let Yourself Go Kristin Chenoweth , Jule Styne , George Gershwin , Richard Rodgers , Jeanine Tesori , Kurt Weill , Jerome Kern , Vincent Youmans , Ricky Ian Gordon , Richard Dworsky , Lawrence Ellington Duke / Brown , Harry Warren , Bobby Troup , Jason Alexander , Irving Berlin , Rob Fisher , and The Coffee Club Orchestra Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Weill | Weill, Kurt | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Sony | Computers Brands | Computers Features | Electronics | Desktops | Monitors | Networking | Notebooks Similar Items: As I Am Still I Can't Be Still You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1999 Broadway Revival Cast) Leonard Bernstein's Candide (Great Performances) WICKED: THE GRIMMERIE, A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT THE HIT BROADWAY MUSICAL ASIN: B000059T4T Release Date: 2001-05-29

Tracks:

1. Let Yourself Go
2. If
3. How Long Has This Been Going On?
4. My Funny Valentine
5. Hanging Around with You (with Jason Alexander)
6. The Girl in 14G
7. I'll Tell the Man in the Street
8. I'm a Stranger Here Myself
9. Nobody Else But Me
10. Nobody's Heart Belongs to Me/Why Can't I?
11. Should I Be Sweet?
12. He's Just an Ordinary Guy
13. Going to the Dance with You
14. On a Turquoise Cloud
15. You'll Never Know
16. Daddy

Amazon.com

Kristin Chenoweth won a Tony for the supporting role of Sally Brown in the 1999 revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, made a memorably vampy Lily in the 1999 television film of Annie, and had an NBC sitcom created for her, Kristin! Now she grabs the spotlight in Let Yourself Go, her first solo recording. She mixes torchy standards ("My Funny Valentine," "How Long Has This Been Going On?") with Faith Prince-style sauciness ("If"), gets to show off her operatic and scat chops in the miniplay "The Girl in 14G," and shares a light duet with Jason Alexander (reviving his musical theater career post-Seinfeld). Perhaps her "Stranger Here Myself" isn't the weightiest you've ever heard, but this is an enjoyable album with a good deal of old-fashioned class, expertly accompanied by Rob Fisher and the Coffee Club Orchestra. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

One of the best ever!.......2007-04-24

Do I mean the best album or the best singer? You are correct if you said both! I saw Kristin Chenoweth on a PBS show "Broadway's Best at the Pops," (though it was not the first time I had heard her) and decided to check out the offerings here. This is a collection of the kind of music and performances I love. She has a great range, a precise pitch, and a great style that is at the same time true to the music and to herself. In an era when singers try to outdo each other re-interpreting the composer's original work, not usually with great success, she is a blessing!

Kristen Chenowith.......2007-02-26

I bought this CD for the Girl in 14G. Yes, it's that good...

Has its moments.......2007-02-19

After watching Candide endlessly and going to see Ms. Chenoweth in The Apple Tree, I was hungry for something more portable to listen to. At times this fits the bill, but what surprised me the most is how thin her voice comes across on this recording. Perhaps it was the joy of seeing her live that has ruined this listener; perhaps I need to upgrade my aging music system. Then again, maybe the recording is just not as good as Ms. C singing Bernstein or as good as staring at Ms. C command a Broadway stage.

Great CD!.......2007-01-19

I truly enjoy listening to this CD. Kristin Chenoweth's vocal style and abilities are very well-matched to the songs selected for this album. If you enjoy classic, older-style Broadway/popular tunes, I would highly recommend this CD. Ms. Chenoweth has a bright, expressive voice and does a fantastic job with this material.

As with any full-length CD, there are a couple of songs I am not as crazy about, but that has to do with the songs themselves, not Ms. Chenoweth's vocal performance. Overall, I love this album and have listened to it several times now, since receiving it as a Christmas gift last month.

This woman has what it takes, and then some..........2007-01-12

Kristin Chenoweth brings new life to some timeless Broadways tunes while introducing a few wonderful new ones. This high pitched vocal goddess effortlessly provides for a nearly flawless and easy listening experience. I definitly recommend this CD for anyone who enjoys jazz vocals, showtunes, or just a new spin on some old classics.

Meditation Music:

1. Under the Flag
2. Unnatural History II
3. Visions of Christmas
4. Walkabout
5. Watercycle [Box set]
6. Windham Hill: The First Ten Years
7. Wisdom Tree
8. Yoga Energy
9. Zodiac
10. 2X45

Meditation Music

meditation music

Meditation Music

Dead Letters [Extra tracks] [Import]

The Best of Gioacchino Rossini [Import]

Rued Langgaard: Sonata No. 2; Béguinage

Music: World in a Drop of Water

Tekno Junkies 92 -94 [Import]

Slow E-Motion Sightseeing [Import]

Presidente Cao Cao [Import]

Scorpion [Clean]

Sao Salvador

Quintets 3

Sun Beats Down [CD-single]

Songs from the Attic, Vol. 4: Potatoes

Prove My Love

Dance Party 2000

Kind of Blue