Extreme

Extreme

Track Listings

1. Little Girls

2. Wind Me Up

3. Kid Ego

4. Watching Waiting

5. Mutha (Don't Wanna Go to School Today)

6. Teacher's Pet

7. Big Boys Don't Cry

8. Smoke Signals

9. Flesh 'N' Blood

10. Rock a Bye Bye

11. Play With Me

Extreme,Extreme,A&M,Hair Metal,Hard Rock,Heavy Metal,Pop-Metal,Pop/Rock,Popular Music,Rock

Extreme Behavior
Average customer rating:

Extreme Radio Friendly Tunes!

Hinder Brings More Fire to The Rock World!

Nickelback No. 2? I wouldn't waste your time or $$$ on this one...

Some good songs but not solid throughout

Power Pop Returns

Extreme Behavior
Hinder
Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Post Grunge | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

All the Right Reasons

One X

The Open Door

Daughtry

Phobia

ASIN: B000B7QOR0
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Tracks:

Get Stoned
How Long
By the Way
Nothin' Good About Goodbye
Bliss (I Don't Wanna Know)
Better Than Me
Room 21
Lips of an Angel
Homecoming Queen
Shoulda

Amazon.com

In the liner notes to their major label debut, Oklahoma City's Hinder endorse tequila, Belvedere, Crown Royal, Jägermeister, and Mr. Watson 540. In "Get Stoned," photogenic Austin Winkler (who sounds tougher than he looks) rasps, "Let's go home and get stoned." Later, he adds, "The break-up is worth the make-up sex you're givin' me." In "Bliss (I Don't Wanna Know)," the lead singer laments, "The vodka's running on empty." This is a problem because, "I can't stay sober/if it's over." But things pick up in "Room 21" where he meets a "b*tch" with "red lipstick and pale pink boots," who shows him a good time (yes, he said boots). And he doesn't even know her name! The days of big hair-and-spandex metal may be long gone, but in songwriting terms, Hinder's music is a throwback to the politically incorrect Sunset Strip days of Guns N' Roses, LA Guns, and Faster Pussycat. For some hard-rock aficionados, they will surely come as a breath of fresh air. For those with more refined tastes--a blast of stale cigarette smoke. That said, "Homecoming Queen" is surprisingly tender ("She never walked on water/'cause no one really saw her"), proving that way down deep inside, the frisky fivesome does have a teeny, tiny, little beating heart. Overall though, if the platinum long-player, which was cowritten with producer Brian Howes, has a message, it's this: Girl, you broke my heart and I hate you for it. Oh, and alcohol is good. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

Extreme Radio Friendly Tunes! .......2007-07-30

The only thing that's "Extreme" is how "Radio Friendly" this CD is. I'm a fan of Nickelback, so when I heard a couple Hinder tunes I decided to get this CD. I wish I listened to the other reviews. Many bands ride the wave of success that others have made. They many sound similar or have a similar style. I don't have a problem with that. Many great bands have come out since Nickelback's initial success. Default, Theory of a Deadman, the list goes on. Even thou they had a similar style they found a way to standout. Whether it was great guitars, vocals or song writing. To me Hinder fails to standout. If you like Nickelback, Default, Theory, Alterbridge, Tantric, Shinedown, etc..... Hinder won't crack your CD rotation. It has a couple good tunes here or their but for me the music has no edge. Just a bunch of radio friendly tunes. It's "Nickelback Light". If that sounds good to you, you can have mine.

Hinder Brings More Fire to The Rock World!.......2007-07-30

I personally feel purchasing this CD was one of the best purchases I have made of music in 2007. Yes, I AM a big Nickelback fan, and I think these guys rock along the same lines if you like Chad Kroeger's testosterone-filled style just not as hard-hitting as Nickelback. Their words are much about every day frustrating things like broken relationships & coping with such, not unrealistic happy endings, howbeit a little raw at times. No song on the CD hit me as being subpar, and I couldn't help but laugh about some song phrases like "with one finger I said f#%@ that", "sex is so much better when you're mad at me". Sounds like true similar experience to me. You're top notch, Hinder, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Keep up the great work and best wishes with future projects! If you keep with the path you're blazing, you'll be enjoyed for a long time to come.

Nickelback No. 2? I wouldn't waste your time or $$$ on this one... .......2007-07-23

Let's cut to the chase - Hinder is yet another group patterning themselves in the post-grunge tradtion following thee horrible example of the most critically reviled band of today - Nickelback. Congratulations Austin Winkler, your band is Nickelback No. 2. The same style of song on EXTREME BEHAVIOR has been written ten times here essentially for the ten tracks. Some reputation Hinder has, right? I know that people who read this review will be quick to say how good Hinder is and I'm just a hater, but I'm being honest. This isn't what rock and roll is meant to be. Hinder and all of their post-grunge cousins (Nickelback namely) aren't being representative of what true rock and roll is. Sure, EXTREME BEHAVIOR has a couple of strong numbers but otherwise it is ordinary, unthoughtful crap, honestly. The one thing that Hinder does represent that is true rock and roll is the lifestyle. In Blender Magazine, Hinder (namely frontman Austin Winkler) came over as one of the horniest bands ever. I guess the 'girl-crazy' plug gives the otherwise unoriginal band some rock and roll credibility, which they DESPERATELY need because the album definitely doesn't cut it.

There are a number of reasons why EXTREME BEHAVIOR - well sucks to be brutally honest. Firstly, the songs are completely unoriginal. Come on, "I really miss your hair in my face" from "Better than Me" has been used a thousand times before Hinder were even born. Even the great, yet ultimately unoriginal "Lips of an Angel" has been sung how many times over? Think about it. You can only write so many songs with anthemic refrains and talking about how much you want to get in a girl's pants. Furthermore, you can only use the same chord progression on the first few songs before it grows all too boring. Secondly, Hinder is really no different than any of the other post-grunge bands as I stated earlier. The one exception for me differentiating them from Nickelback is that there are two songs I can name from EXTREME BEHAVIOR that I like ("Get Stoned" and "Lips Of an Angel"), while I hate everything that has been released by Nickelback. If you're into the post-grunge thing, I'd opt for Daughtry.

I wont waste my time going through the individual tracks since most of them are replicas of each others. The great, if unoriginal "Lips of an Angel" is the very best of the album while opening track "Get Stoned" comes in at a close second. "How Long" and "Better Than Me" are fine enough, but definitely not the second coming by any means. "Room 21" is marginally OK, if there is such a thing. Again, if you're into this style as performed by Nickelback, you'll probably love Hinder. Otherwise, if you are looking for a new musical experience to delve outside your 'box', don't go for EXTREME BEHAVIOR because it'll make you sorry you wasted your $10 or $15. 1 star.

Some good songs but not solid throughout.......2007-07-07

Hinder's CD has several great songs but there are some sub par songs on the CD.

Power Pop Returns.......2007-07-07

I picked up this CD because I liked "Lips Of An Angel", and yes I originally thought it was Nickelback (not really a fan of theirs). This music isn't rock or grunge, it's good old fashioned power pop, and who isn't a sucker for that! Hinder I think is a current version of Cheap Trick; catchy hooks, simple lyrics and a lead vocalist that fit the music well, and decent musicianship. Keep that in mind if you are thinking of buying the CD and you won't go wrong.

Average customer rating:

If you liked the original soundtrack, you will love this one!
Excellent Listen
Best soundtrack I've listened to.
Great music!
Love the music--can't decide to buy

The Bourne Supremacy

Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Bourne Identity (Score)
The Italian Job
Collateral
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Spy Game: Original Motion Picture Score

ASIN: B0002IQI3I
Release Date: 2004-07-27

Tracks:

Goa
The Drop
Funeral Pyre
Gathering Data
Nach Deutschland
To The Roof
New Memories
Berlin Foot Chase
Alexander Platz/Abbotts Confesses
Moscow Wind Up
Bim Bam Smash
Atonement
Extreme Ways

Amazon.com

Novelist Robert Ludlum's amnesia-plagued, tough-as-nails spy/assassin Jason Bourne again proves that success begats sequels, be they literary or cinematic. As he did for the saga's initial big screen installment, composer John Powell concocts an electro-orchestral fusion score that seasons its tense, bristling rhythms with dollops of melodicism, synth-atmospherics and staccato string figures. Those welcome touches hearken back to composer's similar work on the '03 action-thriller The Italian Job, with Powell initially evoking the film's exotic locales by employing a savory synth pop-meets-Eastern European palate. The tension-building rhythms and percussion flourishes familiar from Powell's other action-centric scores are the score's musical pulse -- even if they eventually upset the finely honed balancing act by boiling over into the familiar explosive cliches of all too many thriller scores. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

If you liked the original soundtrack, you will love this one!.......2007-05-31

I wrote a very positive review of the soundtrack for "The Bourne Identity"...I was right to do so. This soundtrack; however, is even better!

What can I say...the wonderful musial selections to this great movie are all here...I suggest buying a copy now...if you are a Bourne fan.

One other note of interest...this sound track included Moby's song, "Extreme Ways" this time...an obvious oversight corrected from the last soundtrack

Excellent Listen.......2006-02-15

I enjoyed this soundtrack immensely. Having heard the background themes to the Bourne movies from the movie, I knew right away that I would like the soundtrack.
The soundtrack is mainly a combination of electronic and orchestral themes except for the last song by Moby, "Extreme Ways". Instead of basing the soundtrack on one or two main riffs, the pieces rely on multiple riffs. While in some respect I wished that John Powell could have expanded some of the pieces (like Gao), I was satisfied that there was enough genuinely unique material throughout.
Regarding the song-content on this album, there is mainly orchestral pieces as mentioned earlier. I did some research on-line and found that the song in the chase-scene of the first Bourne series, The Bourne Identity, is by Paul Oakenfold - 'Ready Steady Go'. Also, the club music in the second Bourne series, The Bourne Supremecy, is by Mocean Worker - 'IntoThinAir'. Two great artists that I hardly knew about before the Bourne series.

Best soundtrack I've listened to........2006-01-16

I listen to this album on my five-hour drives between home and college. You'd think I'd get tired of the songs, but I don't. The time goes very fast when listening to this album. However, several of the songs make me want to imitate the car chase sequence in the film. So, although this album is truly wonderful, drive carefully while listening to it.

Great music!.......2005-10-28

I have never bought a soundtrack before. This is my first. I just love this music! I can't get it out of my head!

Love the music--can't decide to buy.......2005-10-11

Does anyone know if the music from early in the film where Matt Damon is running on the beach is on here? Really want to find the artist/song name. Any help is appreciated.

Average customer rating:

its alright
Way Better Than Nickelback!!
Nice effort
worst band on the radio
Excellent

Extreme Behavior
Hinder
Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Post Grunge | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

All the Right Reasons
Daughtry
The Open Door
Eyes Open
Foiled

ASIN: B000AYYU4S
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Tracks:

Get Stoned
How Long
By the Way
Nothin' Good About Goodbye
Bliss (I Don't Wanna Know)
Better Than Me
Room 21
Lips of an Angel
Homecoming Queen
Shoulda

Customer Reviews:

its alright.......2007-01-20

Everyone is saying they are a nickelback ripoff. I dont think that, but i love nickelback and i just like hinder. My favorite song on the cd is get stoned. Awesome track. I can listen to about 6 of the songs on this cd before switching cds, whereas Nickelback i can put any one of their cds in and listen for hours.

Now nickelback was a little rocky in the start of thier music career. just listen to curb, and then listen to for all the right reasons. Each band has to find out what their style is and what their good at. Hinder will be a music force sooner or later i have no doubt but this cd is ok. I found that it does grow on you though.

Way Better Than Nickelback!!.......2007-01-13

I listened to this CD and absolutely fell in love with it. They sing with so much passion, you can tell they like to perform. I got this CD from my brother for Christmas and I am so glad he did. I would love to go to one of their concerts when they come to town. It makes you want to get up and dance and sing with them. It's way, way better than Nickelback or any of the other wannabe's. This band is the real deal. I hope they come out with a second CD. I know it'll be outstanding. KEEP ROCKIN' HINDER!

Nice effort.......2007-01-10

I obviously bought this CD for "Lips of an Angel." There are a couple of other good tracks - overall decent music and worth the buy. I think the songwriting is a little immature, but Hinder makes up for it with sheer enthusiasm and raw emotion. They clearly love to perform.

worst band on the radio.......2006-12-31

everything about this band sucks... music is generic... lyrics are corny and sappy and pathetic. how many times can you hear the same songs over and over until you realize how bad they are. "lips of an angel" is hands down the most anoying song that has come along in the past 5 years. all the other songs are wanting to be nickelback part 2. except this band starts where nickelback is at now... writing crappy sappy songs... anybody who buys this album is a mindless drone who lets the media pick what is good music to them. try listening to good music. there are bands out there that may have some of the same style but they do not suck as much as these guys... worst album of 06 by far

Excellent.......2006-10-14

All songs are excellent from beginning to end. Great vocals. Love the voices and blending!!!

Average customer rating:

greatly underrated
"Pornograffitti" really funks up classic hair metal
Played hard, did good
Extreme - One Of The Best Bands Of The 90's Breakout Album
Don't bother to order if you are from Malaysia

Extreme II: Pornograffitti
Extreme
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

$7.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Classic Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

$7.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

III Sides to Every Story
Extreme
Waiting for the Punchline
Lean into It
Bulletboys

ASIN: B000002GJ7
Release Date: 1990-07-19

Tracks:

Decadence Dance
Li'l Jack Horny
When I'm President
Get The Funk Out
More Than Words
Honey (In God We Trust)
It ('s A Monster)
Pornograffitti
When I First Kissed You
Suzi (Wants Her All Day What?)
He-Man Woman Hater
Song For Love
Hole Hearted

Amazon.com

Extreme's best recording displays this band's considerable talents to their best advantage, particularly those of guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and vocalist Gary Cherone (as of this writing, sounding a lot like Sammy Hagar as the current singer for Van Halen). The album's success has mainly been due to the soft-spoken hits "More Than Words" and "Hole Hearted," but there's plenty to like on this album, which explores the very general theme of love in a cynical world. Extreme had a lot on their minds when they recorded Pornograffitti, as evidenced by the songs "Decadence Dance," "When I'm President," and "Money (In God We Trust)." Aside from the aforementioned ballads and the loungey "When I First Kissed You," this album rocks out, examining serious themes with considerable humor, which prevents Extreme from ever sounding preachy or condescending. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews:

greatly underrated.......2007-07-25

Nuno tears this whole album down like the berlin wall. I mean the guy is all over the place and most metal heads who dislike "more than words" can't deny the real metal soul behind this album.

"Pornograffitti" really funks up classic hair metal.......2007-03-25

Extreme really got a bum rap. In the 80's, everyone shrugged them off as carbon copies of Van Halen. In the 90's, they tried to make relevant concept albums. ... And maybe had it not been for Nevermind, people would've actually listened to them. ... But, alas, much like Def Leppard and the Crue and others who need not be mentioned, Extreme found their albums in bargain bins and basement boxes. ... Because, let's face it; they weren't from Seattle.

If anyone ever took time to listen to their records in the early 90's, particularly Extreme II: Pornograffitti and III Sides to Every Story, they're actually not that bad. ... And listening to them in 2007, they're surprisingly not dated.

While conceptually the "fairy tale" of Extreme II: Pornograffitti isn't as tight as it could have been, the album really shows Extreme leaping from arena hair metal into any genre you could imagine. Yes, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt's solos are here, but they take a back seat in the horn-laden "Get the Funk Out" or the crooner throwback, "When I First Kissed You." Of course, the real highlights of this disc are the two hits, "Hole Hearted" and "More Than Words," the latter showcasing one of the best acoustic guitar tones to this day.

So if you're looking for a throwback record that you can crank up in the Camaro on the way to your high school reunion, this probably isn't the record for you. However, if you are looking for one of the more musically interesting and boundary-pushing albums of the hair-metal era, I definitely recommend this.

Played hard, did good.......2007-02-28

Extremes second album blew the doors off their at times one dimensional debut. The tunes, playing and vibe of this album betray a band reaching out, playing great hard rock that's almost too great, the band showing they are almost too talented for their chosen environs.

All up this disc gives the listener a very full experience. It addresses a range of styles within the hard rock genre. We get racy hard rockers such as Decadence Dance, Get the Funk Out and six string freak out He-Man Woman Hater. We score sappy ballads in Song for Love (hurl inducing), Hole Hearted (amusing and nifty) and More than Words (destined to be on radio until the end of time). And it's this mixture of hard rock fun and inclusive mellow cuts that realy makes this album. A few of the numbers don't work, the aforementioned Song for Love being overwrought and the actual title track is a bit wonky, but such is the breezy, carefree delivery that the listener doesn't really notice, instead focussing on the good tunes here.

The playing on this disc is lovely - the show of course stolen by Gary Cherones' smooth vocal stylings and Nunos six string histrionics. And the whole shebang is crystal clear, sporting production by Michael Wagener - though tracks 9 and 13 were twiddled by Nuno. And this clear production helps the listener appreciate the way Extreme were able to shift up and down the gears.

For all the success of a couple of it's ballads it would be wrong to consign Extreme to some sort of soft rock compilation hell. This was a working rock band that could kick some serious backside. The rockers here are like an expanding of the horizons of the rockers of their debut while the continued use of funky time signatures and overtones gives this album some serious mobility. All spiced up with a hint of the tackling of serious issues which would come so much to the fore on their third LP.

With this album.... oh I'm sick of typing - just pick this album up for a good listen OK?

Extreme - One Of The Best Bands Of The 90's Breakout Album.......2007-02-22

To me Extreme was one of the most overlooked bands of the 90's. "Pornograffitti" was the band's big breakout album containing the huge hit ballad "More Than Words". Unfortunately the song and the video got the band lumped in to the "hair metal" category and many dismissed them as just another Warrant, Ratt or Winger clone. The truth is that Extreme was heads and tails above most of their peers and was really a creative band that was not afraid to try many different things. More importantly they had the talent to pull it off. As musicians Nuno Bettencourt was an outstanding guitarist and vocalist Gary Charone was as good as any other 90's frontman in the business. The music on "Pornograffitti" is all over the place with metal, ballads, funk, folk, and even a 1940's-ish crooner ballad in "When I First Kissed You". The band's mix of metal and funk on songs like "Get The Funk Out", "Little Jack Horney" and others remind me of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in spots. The other big hit from this album "Hole Hearted" has a folk vibe with chiming acoustic guitars and gorgeous vocals. There really is not a bad song on the disc. The lyrics are continuously clever and at times quite funny. If you are only familiar with "More Than Words" don't let that put you off. This album is much more than that song. One thing that I always found amusing about "More Than Words" is that I remember a lot of people (especially women) who lauded this track for being such a great love song. I even have seen it used as the bride and groom dance in weddings. What has always cracked me up is that if you really listen to the lyrics this is anything but a love song. It is basically a guy using the old "if you loved me you'd show me" excuse to get a woman into bed. Just goes to show how much many people pay attention to lyrics of songs they supposedly love. Anyway....the bottom line is that, although I don't think this is Extreme's best, this is an excellent album from a band that never got the credit they deserved in my opinion.

Don't bother to order if you are from Malaysia.......2007-01-12

They'd think its porn. I never received mine.

Average customer rating:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!
Beginner or Expert
Very Informative and Enjoyable
Frank's view
Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4
The Mahler Symphonies: An Owner's Manual (includes 1 CD)
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Book & CD)
What to Listen for in Music
Study of Orchestration, Third Edition

ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

Overture To 'Tannhauser'
Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
Hungarian Dance No.7
The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
Csardas Music
The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
Tzigane
Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
Caprice No.24
The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
The Violin Muted
Clair De Lune
The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
The Pizzicato Violin
Pizzicato Polka
In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
Hungarian Dance No.4
Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
Bolero
Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
Elfenreigen

Tracks:

Introduction To The Viola
Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
Cypresses (No.9)
The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
The 'Period' Viola In Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
Elfentanz, Op.39
Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
The Protecting Veil (Opening)
A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
Flamenco
Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
Symphony No.9 (Finale)
Introduction To The Double-Bass
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
Elegy No.1 In D Major
The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
Capriccio Di Bravura
Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
Sa'Dawi
Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
Chamber Music No.II
The Piccolo - Aptly Named
La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
A Variety Of Techniques
Chamber Music No.II
Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
Naelden, Naelden
The Bachian Oboe
Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
The Swan Of Tuonela
The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
Bolero
The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
...And Quite Low.
Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
Introduction To The Saxophone
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
Bolero
The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
Sax-O-Phun
The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
Bolero
The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
Symphony No.3 (Opening)
The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
The Ceremonial Trumpet
Fanfare For The Common Man
Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
Billy The Kid
The Trumpet As Character Actor
Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
The Birth Of The Trombone
Aenmerckt Nu Hier
The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
Canzon 12 In Double Echo
The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
Hosannah
The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
The Trombone As Caricaturist
Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
The Horn And The Hunt
Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
Walter Music (Minuet 1)
The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
Den Hoboecken Dans
Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
Gymnopedie No.2
The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
The Birth Of The Bongo
Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
Taking Advantage Of Tunability
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
Ravel And The Xylophone
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
Introducing The Vibraphone
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
Folk Dances
The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
Introducing The Tubular Bells
Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
Carmen Suite (Introduction)
But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Introducing The Celeste
The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
Petrushka (Russian Dance)
The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
Mahler's Sleighbells
Symphony No.4 (Opening)
A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Nocturnes
Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
The Oboe As Duck
Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
A Thunderstorm In A Million
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
Octet In F (Mvt 3)
The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
Canzon 28
Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
Images (Gigues)
A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.

Average customer rating:

Admit it . . .

Rip off of Queen/David Bowie's "Under Pressure"

Has its place in history..........

To the extreme past...........................

Cool as Ice,Ice,Baby!

To the Extreme
Vanilla Ice
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em

Totally Krossed Out

12 Inches of Snow

Gonna Make You Sweat

MC Hammer - Greatest Hits

ASIN: B00000DRBV
Release Date: 1990-08-28

Tracks:

Ice Ice Baby
Yo Vanilla
Stop That Train
Hooked
Ice Is Workin' It
Life Is A Fantasy
Play That Funky Music
Dancin'
Go Ill
It's A Party
Juice To Get Loose Boy
Ice Cold
Rosta Man
I Love You
Havin' A Roni

Customer Reviews:

Admit it . . ........2007-06-20

You LOVED this CD in 1990. It was just good music that didn't take itself too seriously and it is still fun now. He's the one laughing . . . he made a mint off of it off of us young music lovers.

Rip off of Queen/David Bowie's "Under Pressure".......2007-06-10

The only reason this piece of garbage singer is known at all is because he stole a beat, sound for sound, from a song written by Queen and David Bowie. If you listen to them both you will hear the exact same thing. AND WHAT DO YA KNOW! Queen and David Bowie were around long before this joke!

Has its place in history.................2007-03-16

To all the snot nosed kids that listen to this for the first time and are just discovering it and think it is the greatest album of all time (that title probably would go to NWA's Straight Out of Compton), give me a break...... but to all of us late 20s-early 30s old timers, you know this album played in your boom box/car stereo around the clock. Hell, I still bump it sometimes in my Crown Vic sitting on 22s, heh. It still is catchy and everybody I know still sings along with "Ice Ice Baby" when it comes on, so act like you hate it, act like it is the worst album of all time, blah blah blah, but the next time it comes on at a party, you will fall right in with everybody else and sing along with it. Definitely has a place in history and I love instantly being mentally transported back to a simpler time in my life as a child when I listen to it. Every rap song samples these days, this album was made at the time all of that was starting, so give it its place in history and stop trying to compare it to anything made almost 2 decades later, give me a break. Word to your mutha!

To the extreme past..................................2006-10-12

I recently dug up this cd from its resting place of 16 years. And I hate to say it, but this cd did not stand the test of time. And for that matter Ice hasn't much either. However this cd does bring good memories and for a cd I haven't heard I was surprised to hear myself rapping along. That's why this cd deserves 3 stars for at least the hit single and of course "Word to Yo Mutha". I would buy this cd if you love the 90's. Oh and give the other tracks besides the hit song a chance, there are some tracks you might dig, then again maybe not. So here is the list:

1. It was either U can't touch this or this jam. This was the soundtrack for summer 1990. For those that don't know the sample comes from Queen & David Bowies 1982 track "Under Pressure".

2. Vanilla Ice with a voice equalizer

3. A reissue track off the Ep "Hooked". Contains a sample of "Express Yourself" by NWA. Mostly a filler track, most often skipped.

4. A reissue title track off the Ep "Hooked". Not bad.

5. An upbeat pop track. Lacks originality, put good for laugh.

6. Heavy Madonna influence (Justify My Love style) and samples heavily Tone Loc beats. However saying all that this is one of Bside favs. It might have been a good single to release instead of "Play That Funky Music". I like this one.

7. Second single of the album. I know all the words to this song, so I have nothing bad or good to say about this track. 99% of the time I don't skip this track.

8. Underrated track. I'm a big Jackson 5 fan, and Vanilla Ice sampled yet another big name act and mixed with his ice style. I like the flow of the rap and the mix with Michael Jackson and the turntables...is beautiful. Also check out Naughty By Nature's "O.P.P." featuring Jackson 5's "ABC". This of course samples the 1977 hit "Dancing Machine" by the Jackson 5. Love this track

9. Even James Brown and the Ed Lover Dance theme can't save this song. Terrible song.

10. Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock influence. With help from a snippet of Thriller's Vincent Price laugh and a Beastie Boy rip off, the song has its moments. However after listening you really have this urge to hear "It Take 2".

11. Vanilla Ice with a voice equalizer again!

12. Ice Cold. Definitely left me ice cold. More samples of Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock, Pump Up The Volume, and etc. Skip this one too.

13. Rosta Man?? A spelling error perhaps. A white rapper now crossing over to Reggae. Sure as you can see on the liner notes he can't even spell Rasta. Good for a laugh.

14. Think LL Cool J's "I Need Love" without the talent, but boy does Ice have the vocal sounding very much like a cousin of LL's twice removed. Oh there is a pretty good rip off of someone who sounds like Kenny G. That is the wrong G to have on a rap album. Pretty bad.

15. Ice's attempt at beat boxing, you wish he had stopped after the reggae bit. After hearing this track I was glad it was the last song.

Cool as Ice,Ice,Baby!.......2006-09-18

One memorable line from the Top 10 smash ICE ICE BABY is,"You got a problem,I'll solve it,check out the beat while the DJ revolves it!". "Word to your mother!",is awesome also. Robert Van Winkle,aka Vanilla Ice,was one of a handful of flash-in-the-pan white rappers that,back in 1990,competed with M.C. Hammer who had the #1 album that year. This was one of '90's biggest-selling albums as well and Van Winkle became a sometime movie star with 1991's Universal film COOL AS ICE. I have to admit,for a white man,Van Winkle is very rhythmic. We can say he's a caucasian M.C. Hammer.

Average customer rating:

Extreme Extreme
Anonymous Glam/Hair metal good time debut - 3.5 stars
Extremely well done..................
Extreme's weakest album, but not bad
Hey Kid Ego!

Extreme
Extreme
Manufacturer: A&M Super Budget
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Extreme II: Pornograffitti
III Sides to Every Story
Waiting for the Punchline
Videograffiti: The Definitive (Dol)
Bulletboys

ASIN: B000002GIE
Release Date: 1994-06-14

Tracks:

Little Girls
Wind Me Up
Kid Ego
Watching, Waiting
Mutha (Don't Wanna Go To School Today)
Teacher's Pet
Big Boys Don't Cry
Smoke Signals
Flesh 'N' Blood
Rock A Bye Bye
Play With Me

Amazon.com

Extreme's debut album is sometimes uneven but always fun. Van Halen influences are prominent, which is ironic given singer Gary Cherone's post-Extreme career. This album, like all of Extreme's work, is notable for Nuno Bettancourt's guitar playing, but the songs aren't bad either, mostly examining childhood from a playful but oddly mature perspective. "Kid Ego," their first single, is here, as well as "Mutha (Don't Want to Go to School Today)," "Little Girls," "Big Boys Don't Cry," and the rock-out finale "Play with Me." There are a few ballads as well: "Watching, Waiting" is particularly poignant and surprisingly spiritual in content. This album showed Extreme's considerable potential, which peaked with their second album, Pornograffitti. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews:

Extreme Extreme.......2007-07-30

Debut album by big hair rockers from Boston, this little package is full of raw guitar rock suited to fit any style. Despite this taste of music being somewhat of a garage sale nostalgia nowadays, it still is something to note given some great singing by Gary Cherone and guitar playing by Nuno Bettencourt. As the pro review on this page reveals, there were Van Halen influences and that was not a bad thing when Extreme entered the picture. Little Girls, Play with Me and Mother don't wanna go to school today are all fun and user friendly. No quite their best but for a debut album it still remains a great one to me.

Anonymous Glam/Hair metal good time debut - 3.5 stars.......2007-01-29

OK, if your reading this review you probably know the Extreme story to some extent, how they started off as a fairly generic but fun hair metal mob and wound up going on a journey into far more interesting (intellectually and musically) areas that were, alas, barren of commercial payoffs.

So what do we get on this debut?

Firstly you get a huge pop metal supernova with musical ability above the norm for this sort of dross. Led of course by the obscenely talented Mr Nuno Bettencourt and the super smooth vocalisations of Gary Cherone. And bonus points to the band for producing a few tracks themselves, though most of the tunes on offer here were knob-jobbed by someone or something going by the name of Mack. Um yeah whatever.....

Secondly as the album unfolds you realise that the band have played to their strenght, which increases the listeners respect. Tunes like Wind Me Up are good time party rockers and along with tunes like Kid Ego are what the prospective listener should try to listen to a sample of before buying this disc as they so perfectly encapsulate the happy happy joy joy metal the band were purveying at this point in their career. And the funky touches provided by the rhythm section with tasty intrusions by Nunos guitar are well done, though funk may not be to everyones taste. A good example of this toe tapping inducing funk side to the band would be Teachers Pet.

But as much as I enjoyed a number of Extreme releases and have always kicked myself for missing them live (did catch a Nuno solo tour though) there are a couple of downsides to this album.

These would include the slightly too juvenile approach. Stuff like Little Girls is a bit embarrassing and some of the other tunes walk just to the wrong side of the very thin line between cool silly and uncool silly such as Big Boys Don't Cry. All through the album I find myself hankering for their more accomplished Pornograffiti album.

If your an Extreme fan you really should pick this up. It shows a band struggling against the limitations of their chosen genre, partying on and actually offering something a little different from some of their competitors of the time. It's all well played and it's always a pleasure to hear the blazing six string of Nuno who is on particularly fine form on Kid Ego and Play With Me - the latter a perfect example of everything that is right and wrong with this album (and was actually featured on the first Bill & Ted's movie soundtrack).

Extremely well done.........................2006-10-19

The S/T first effort by one of the most talented rock bands of the 80s/90s. Though not their best album (by far) this record showed the song-writing prowess of this incredible band, and displayed the potential that would come to fruition on their later releases. Many dismiss this album, and the song-writing, as sophmoric and immature, even cheesy. I disagree.

Extreme has always had the ability to write and compose songs that seem simple, even shallow on the surface, but that have much deeper meanings, and are themed much more seriously upon closer examination. Wind Me Up, Play With Me, and Flesh N Blood are examples of this, though they delve into the sexual double entrende. But this concept is displayed most strongly on the emotional ballad Rock A Bye Bye. On the surface seemingly just a play on the lullaby Rock A Baby, this song tackles the difficult issue of abortion, but from the fetus' point-of-view. Extremely (pun intended) powerful and moving.

Sure there are a lot of 80s metal riffs and standards here. But when you look at these songs closely you can see much more at work than first meets the eye, something the band would use to the fullest on their next two albums.

And, of cours,e they took a huge risk by including a song (Watching, Waiting) based on Christian theology. The song is very powerful and the vocals are arranged very well, as Nuno (guitarist) sings this song as a duet with Gary (lead singer).

This is a must have for any Extreme fan, and is strongly recommended for those drawn to the 80s metal (hair band) sound, but that want that sound with a little more depth than traditionally provided by these types of bands.

Extreme's weakest album, but not bad.......2006-04-21

Throughout the latter half of the 80s, the Boston band Extreme became one of the city's most popular bands. Nuno Bettencourt, (guitar) Gary Cherone, (vocals) Paul Geary (drums) and Pat Badger (bass) packed clubs weekly and grew an enthusiastic following. The young and promising band was signed with A&M and anticipation ran high for the band's debut.

Some bands blow their wad on the debut. It's not uncommon for a band to spend years playing clubs, build up a following, and then release the best of their material on the first album, and then enter the infamous "sophomore slump." For Extreme, however, this was not the case. Of the band's four studio albums, the self-titled debut (1989) is by far their weakest offering.

"Extreme" isn't a bad album, it's actually a decent effort. It's basically a by-the-numbers, generic hair-metal album. Like most pop-metal albums of the 1980s, it's a mix of Van Halen and KISS. It has all the ingredients essential to a hair metal album; sing-along choruses, a guitar virtuoso, catchy riffs, aqua net, party anthems, baled(s) and cheesy lyrics.

The problem with Extreme's debut is that we've seen this all before, and done better, with such genre defining albums as Warrant's "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich," (1989) Motley Crue's "Dr. Feelgood," (1989) Poison's "Open Up and Say Ahh...," (1988) and KISS's "Animalize" (1984). "Extreme" just comes across as another tired, formulaic album in a genre that was running out of steam. Still, the album is effective and fans of the pop-metal genre will find much to like with such songs as "Little Girls," "Wind me up," "Mutha, don't wanna go to school today," and "Play with me." The rest of the album is pretty much just filler, albeit enjoyable.

Extreme was actually a highly underrated band that encompassed elements of Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Van Halen. The band would go on to make some incredible albums with their classic sophomore release "Pornograffiti" (1990) and their breathtaking magnum opus "III Sides to Every Story" (1992). Extreme's debut, however, is not up-to-par with those albums and is just another good, but untimely forgettable pop-metal album.

Hey Kid Ego!.......2006-03-20

In the late 80's and early 90's it was about how in your face you can get with your sound. Nobody was better at this art form then Extreme and this is where they started.

What I mean about "in your face" is not about speed, not about heavy and not about how popular you can get. It is about putting emphasis on every instrument including the vocals while still making the song melodic. Extreme did this, well to the Extreme.

What I find is a shame is that thier biggest hit and probably the only song Extreme will be remembered by is the Mega-hit "More Than Words" When it comes to music, does it really matter what the general public thinks. If you thought like them, you wouldn't even consider buying this CD no less be reading this review.

As for the record itself... read on
Even though this is probably the bands 3rd best recording, it still has a few stand out tracks. Mutha (Don't Wanna go to School Today) is a true 80's rock Anthem. Wind Me Up is filled with killer licks and overthe top vocal production. Play With Me shows off Nuno's A1 guitar skills. Not every track is top notch though(there are some weaker songs toward the end of the disc)

Overall this is one of the better releases from the late 80's hard rock genre. Ignore all who say Extreme was just a one hit wonder with a ballad and see for yourself.

Chef Aid: The South Park Album (Television Compilation) [Extreme Version]

Average customer rating:

This Album is a Keeper
good songs from the shows
Hilarious!
Just what these troubled times require-- CHEF AID !!!
I only bought it for the Rancid track.

Chef Aid: The South Park Album (Television Compilation) [Extreme Version]
Matt Stone
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Television Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Soundtracks | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut - Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture
Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics
Timmy & The Lords of the Underworld
Team America: World Police
South Park - Bigger, Longer & Uncut

ASIN: B00000G2JM
Release Date: 1998-11-24

Tracks:

South Park Theme - Primus
Nowhere To Run (Vapor Trail) - The Crystal Method/Ozzy Osbourne/DMX/Ol' Dirty Bastard/Fuzzbubble
Chocolate Salty Balls (P.S. I Love You) - Chef
Brad Logan - Rancid
Come Sail Away - Eric Cartman
Kenny's Dead - Master P
Simultaneous - Chef
Will They Die 4 You - Mase/Puffy/Lil' Kim/System Of A Down
Hot Lava - Perry Farrell/D.V.D.A.
Bubblegoose - Wyclef Jean/Stan/Kyle/Cartman/Kenny
No Substitute - Chef
Wake Up Wendy - Elton John
Horny - Mousse T. Vs. Hot 'N' Juicy
Huboon Stomp - Devo
Love Gravy - Rick James/Ike Turner
Feel Like Makin' Love - Ned Gerblansky
The Rainbow - Ween
Tonight Is Right For Love - Chef/Meat Loaf/Meredith Baxter-Birney
It's A Rockin' World - Joe Strummer
Mephisto And Kevin - Primus
Mentally Dull (Think Tank Remix) - Vitro Featuring The Cast Of South Park

Customer Reviews:

This Album is a Keeper.......2007-05-19

It is so refreshing to get a n album that gets the humor of South Park. I bought it for 'Chocolate Salty Balls,' but was pleasantly suprised by the rest fo the album. This is a 'Must Have'.

good songs from the shows.......2007-03-27

alot of good south park songs but needed more of naughty ones on it,but its worth buying if you enjoy the show

Hilarious! .......2007-01-20

When I was a kid, I bought this album (the edited version) and thought it was great. Now, as an adult, (eight years later) I re-purchased it and it's funnier than ever! The songs are well written and fun, but very explicit, so not for children. I find myself wondering how on earth they got the artists to agree to do this album. A must for any South Park fan!

Just what these troubled times require-- CHEF AID !!!.......2006-08-07

This album rocks hard and it's a lot of fun. There are some pretty big names singing and doin' their thing here: The Crystal Method/Ozzy Osbourne/DMX/Ol' Dirty [...]/Fuzzbubble get together to perform "Nowhere To Run (Vapor Trail);" and Mase/Puffy/Lil' Kim/System Of A Down all rock on with "Will They Die 4 You." These songs have a great beat and they don't mince words, either!

Other great songs include "Simultaneous" sung by Chef (Isaac Hayes), "Wake Up Wendy" by Elton John and the very funny [...] performed by Mousse T. Vs. Hot 'N' Juicy! "Feel Like Makin' Love" has Isaac Hayes as Chef to make it a bit better sounding than if Ned Gerblansky had sung it solo; and "The Rainbow" by Ween is also pretty good. A personal favorite of mine is "Come Sail Away" performed by none other than South Park character Eric Cartman himself. SMILE

There's a wide variety of styles on this album. "Will They Die 4 You" comes from the world of rap (with just a touch of hard core rock and roll added in); "Simultaneous" has a R&B flavor to it; and "The Rainbow" is very influenced by psychedelic '60s music.

The quality of the sound is excellent; and the liner notes are pretty good, too! Song credits are given. Matt and Trey, the creators of South Park, had the best help anybody could ever ask for with this album!

I recommend this CD not just for South Park fans, but also for fans of rap, rock and roll, R&B, and for people who just plain want a CD that marches to the beat of its own drummer. It's also great for people who collect CDs based on original soundtracks of a movie or a television series. Kudos to these great artists who made this CD a reality! Enjoy it!

I only bought it for the Rancid track........2005-05-18

I only really picked this cd up because it was cheap and had rancid on it and glad i only payed a few bucks for it.Its made as a Live show in south park with chef being the Host.I only really like 3 of the tracks on here Rancids brad logan,Mase/puffy/lil kim and SOAD and Ozzy.ODB and DMX.The rest of the tracks are just random artists (Master P,Elton john,meat loaf,joe strummer and a few other celebrities) probably only worth buying if you are a big south park fan or if you have spare change.

Average customer rating:

An Extreme (-ly bad) version of a Beatles Broadway musical
Simply Amazing Album!
A logical destination
Extreme - One Of The Most Underrated Albums Of The 90's
Great rock album for non-rock fans!

III Sides to Every Story
Extreme
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Extreme II: Pornograffitti
Extreme
Waiting for the Punchline
Videograffiti: The Definitive (Dol)
Lean into It

ASIN: B000002G0P
Release Date: 1992-09-22

Tracks:

Warheads
Rest In Peace
Politicalamity
Color Me Blind
Cupid's Dead
Peacemaker Die
Seven Sundays
Tragic Comic
Our Father
Stop The World
God Isn't Dead?
Everything Under The Sun: I. Rise 'N Shine
Everything Under The Sun: II. Am I Ever Gonna Change
Everything Under The Sun: III. Who Cares?

Customer Reviews:

An Extreme (-ly bad) version of a Beatles Broadway musical.......2007-05-28

Let's face it; Extreme was really nothing more than a hair metal band; concerned more with appearance than with art. In fact, they were of the second generation of hair metal bands, which means they were really nothing more than an imitation of a hair metal band. I know, they had an amazing guitarist, but so did Dokken, White Lion, Ratt, and many others. Having a talented guitarist clearly would not exclude them from the characterization. Nuno, after all, had the prettiest hair of any of them.

Maybe I'm not giving Extreme enough credit. But I do give them credit for what they attempted to do with this album. It sounds like they were trying for a metal-sounding Beatles Broadway musical, which is quite an ambitious undertaking! Frankly, they weren't good enough to pull it off.

The album does have some redeeming qualities. The tone of the guitar is superb, Nuno's abilities definitely shine, and there are a few memorable songs, such as Am I Ever Gonna Change and Rest in Peace. Most of the other songs, however, are less memorable and really without much significance. The drummer plays fairly well, but the bassist is only average and can't really even be heard, and the vocals are terrible. I've never been impressed with the quality of Gary Cherone's voice and it's no more impressive here. Most of the lyrics are pretentious, intentionally abstract (as abstract as a hair metal band can be, I suppose), and ridiculous.

There are few bands that can pull off anything close to what the Beatles did. And, with or without having heard this album, it'd be hard to believe any proclamation that Extreme was a band who could.

Simply Amazing Album!.......2007-05-10

In 1992, if an interviewer had asked who their most influential band had been, chances are that Pat Badger, Nuno Bettencourt, Gary Cherone, and Paul Geary of Extreme would answer with the 70s hard-rock band, Queen. With a flair for the dramatic, and the fluidity of vocals to back it, Cherone ably reproduced the presence that was Freddie Mercury - yet maintained a uniqueness all his own. Mixing one part Brian May and one part Eddie Van Halen, the blazing guitar riffs by Bettencourt set him apart from the pack of late 80s hair-metal, due mainly to his ability to aptly devise melody and funk rhythms throughout his work. Rounding out the quartet, Badger on bass guitar provided a strong undercurrent of sound and Geary was rock-solid in his timing and fill on drums. Based out of Boston, Massachusetts, the band had had some commercial success from their previous albums with "Play with Me" from Extreme I appearing in the movie soundtrack for "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," and "More than Words," from Extreme II: Pornograffitti, being broadcast incessantly over the radio waves. When they released their third album, "III Sides to Every Story," Extreme showed their roots with a concept album. Like Queen in previous years, they decided to create an opus, or story, broken into three sections labeled: "Yours," "Mine," and "The Truth." It was diverse, original, and stunning, and although not as successful as their second album, was masterfully crafted and has been heralded as their finest work to date.

All of the songs on this album aren't just good, they're damn good, but two that will push their way forward are "Peacemaker Die" and "God Isn't Dead?" With the former, strong rhythms and musical hooks are coupled with vocal harmonies distinctive to Extreme's overall sound, and are again reminiscent of Queen. Powerful lyrics with a dash of sound bite from none other than the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech captivate the listener and evoke emotions of loss for such a great man. Although not a fan of musical overdubs, the orchestration of this song is layered and thick with such a good sound, it hardly goes noticed. As in previous albums, they blend smooth vocal patterns with lightning-fast guitar riffs, thumping bass, and crisp rhythms, but this time to produce a chilling view of how the world's leaders do not allow a dissonant voice of reason that is calling for peace to live. In sharp contrast to this, "God Isn't Dead?" starts softly, with just piano and vocals beseeching listeners to help Cherone through his drought of faith and bemoaning his fate in the world. Building throughout the song in an undertone, a full 70-piece orchestra supports the duo, which breaks from their previous album work of just keyboard and synthesizer. This shows a commitment to a full-fledged opus and not just another album. As the flutes, strings, and horns begin their slow, steady crescendo, the corresponding vocals follow to a harsh and hooking abrupt halt. Here, Cherone's passionate fortissimo, "Please tell me God Isn't Dead!" ends the song with the denouement of "I want to know..."where he is accompanied only by piano again. Haunting and beautiful, the song will stick with a person for years on end.

Overall, Extreme's third release shows their extreme (pun intended) versatility and daring, with a mix of hard rock, symphonic orchestrations, and melodic ballads to tempt the soul. Unbelievable vocal harmonies make this a delight to listen to, and the lyrical content is unsurpassed, as the listener will find himself or herself actually paying attention for a much-needed change. This is their best work without a doubt, followed closely by the funk-laced and rock-driven "Pornograffitti" following a close second; and an album highly suggested. It contains many of the band's "trademark" sounds and will most likely not disappoint. But, it is recommended to at pick III Sides up first, for a masterpiece work of music that will keep the listener enthralled for years.

A logical destination.......2007-02-28

Extremes third LP was highly anticipated. After shifting serious units with their sophomore effort the band were on a roll. And on this album a number of Extremes points of reference are taken to their logical conclusion. Whether or not this works is very much a matter of taste. And since the band split the disc up into three conceptual sections, I'll do the same with putting into words my feelings towards different aspects of this disc.

The Rock - Warheads is a great heavy rocker. Anti-authoritarian, anti-militaristic and dead on musically. This is a great and appropriate use of the bands rocking sensibilities and a dead ahead follow on from When I'm President from Pornograffiti. The spirit infuses Rest in Peace and Politicalamity, obvious results of the social concerns that started to be heard in tunes like Money (In God We Trust).

The Ballads - Not so obvious here until you listen to how some of the songs are constructed. While this album isn't in posession of a More Than Words, the construction of many of the mellow cuts here do owe a big debt to the bands softer side. The fuller orchestration on some of the tracks are a true follow on from the soppy ballads from the bands previous disc.

The Brains - once again you get the feeling that this band, musically and intellectually, were way above the norm for the usually numbskull hair metal genre which they were so unfairly lumped in with. Approaching Queen in some ways, Extreme are here bursting at the seams of possibility and daring their fan base to follow.

The potential downsides here are a lack of getting down to business, not much headbang for your buck. And the pretentiousness that this release feels steeped in, well it's never gone down well with the hard rock community. And without the sappy ballads to get the little girls buying it the bands target audience for this album is hard to guage. After all, though Brian May all but publicly bequethed Extreme the crown worn by Queen, the fans of Queen were unlikely to appreciate a new band taking over the niche of their heroes. And all the pontificating does get overmuch very quickly.

Call me a philistine, but having quite enjoyed their first two, after hearing this album I didn't buy any more Extreme. Neither did most other people. A sadly derailed release from a multi-talented band.

Extreme - One Of The Most Underrated Albums Of The 90's.......2007-02-23

"3 Sides" is simply put, one of the most underrated albums of the 90's, from one of the most underrated bands of the 90's. After the success of "Pornograffitti" the band could have played it safe and done a copy of what they had done before. Instead they put out this album that really moved the band into new territory. Unfortunately the album did not sell nearly as well as it's predecessor. I honestly think the material was too good (challenging?) for many of the people who just liked the band for "More Than Words". People just looking for top 40 radio fodder probably hated this album because it required the listener to really take notice and get into the nuances contained within. It also did not help that "3 Sides" release coincided with the whole grunge movement that killed many 90's era bands. Many of those bands deserved to be pushed aside, but Extreme was not one of them. The album is broken up into three sections. "Yours", which is mostly metal, hard rock and funk, "mine", which is more acoustic, folk, melodic oriented, and "The Truth" which moves into progressive rock territory. These guys really tried to cram a little bit of everything into this album and it is a resounding success. Nuno is brilliant on guitar and keys throughout the disc as is Charone on vocals. The rhythm section is also solid throughout. The lyrics are for the most part very good, touching on a whole range of subjects including political and world issues, religion, and relationships. Many of the lyrics on this album are more relevant today than when they were written. The album is recorded really well too. In fact it sounds better than many modern day productions, and is a great headphone album. If you are one of those people who wrote Extreme off as just another hair metal band with limited talent, check this album out. This album proves that Extreme were one of the best bands of the 90's, it is just too bad that the public didn't get it. Sadly Extreme's next album "Waiting For The Punchline" would be a big disappointment. I don't know if it was a reaction to the way "3 Sides" was received or record company pressure, but "Waiting" would be an attempt at a straight forward basic rock album and in my opinion was a big letdown from "3 Sides". The band would then break up and go their separate ways. Too bad, because it would have really been interesting to see where these guys could have gone had they continued down the path forged on the "3 Sides" album.

Great rock album for non-rock fans!.......2007-02-19

i totally agree that a great track, don't leave me alone, right after the song 'god isn't dead' doesn't appear on the cd as it was on the cassette. not sure if the earlier releases has the track on. this album is by far one of the greatest rock albums for all time.. for me ... since i am not into rock, heavy metal, and alternative. i guess this album is unique since it has 3 parts and though the first part can be considered noisy, extreme delivered it nicely still lyrically and melodically which captured those who aren't digging this genre.

Average customer rating:

Another slept on New Jack Swing Band
Certainly Took It II D Extreme
Pretty Good Stuff

II D Extreme
II D Extreme
Manufacturer: Mca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Something's Goin' On
From I Extreme II Another
Men at Large
Rude Awakening
Riff

ASIN: B000002OQY
Release Date: 1993-11-09

Tracks:

Prelude: Falling In Love
Let Me Love You
Tell Me
Outstanding
Thinkin' Bout Cha
Up On The Roof
Interlude: Thinkin'
Cry No More
To Love Someone
No Way
I Need Your Lovin'
Yummy
Postlude: Finally

Customer Reviews:

Another slept on New Jack Swing Band.......2005-12-06

II D Extreme featured three extremly talented brothers who blew up with their single Cry No More. Unlike many New Jack Swing groups of the early nineties II D Extreme had their strongest material in the form of ballads. Give this one a listen for old times sake.

Certainly Took It II D Extreme.......2003-09-16

II D Extreme (D'Extra Wiley, Randy Gill (Johnny Gill's Brother), and Jermaine Mickey) combines hip-hop production with 1970s soul (Donny Hathaway, L.T.D.), which falls, without doubt, into the New Jack Swing category, at times. Their self-titled debut produced three hits; the lead single "Cry No More," which features Erik Lil Rick White (Keyboards, Programming, Producer, Engineer) and Kevin "K-Jack" Jackson, the second single "Up On The Roof," which is a cover of The Drifters early sixties hit, shows the three vocals in top knotch form, and follow-up third single "Let Me Love You," was produced by The Funky Descendant Hami. The three would go on and have a farely successful career, contributing to 1994's Blankman Soundtrack (did a cover of the Spinners "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love") with Patra, and in 1996 releasing their second album titled, From I Extreme II Another.

Pretty Good Stuff.......2003-02-21

I love Up On the Roof! My friends and I think it's one of the best songs ever written. II D Extreme provides some great music for whatever mood you're in. It's good stuff!

Music Info:

Music Info

music info

Recommended Music:

Now We Are 20

Classical Favorites (Box Set) [Box set]

Criss Cross

World of Country and Western [Import]

Early Pedro

Crimson Red

Estrela-Guia [Soundtrack] [Import]

Collection [Import]

Guitar Tribute to 40 Years of the Beatles

Dreamscape - Lullabies from Around the World

Funky Strut [Import]

Duke Ellington [Box set] [Import]

Coleccion de Oro

Nápravník: Concerto symphonique; Fantaisie russe; Blumenfeld: Allegro

I Robot