The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace

Track Listings

1. Lik Av Falne Menn

2. ÆRefull Ferd

3. Bærer Av Nordstjernen

4. Magellanic Clouds

5. Crystal Palace

6. Ragnarok

7. Gate of Mystic

8. Lunar Eclipse

Tracks:

Cu Chullain
The Eternal Knot
Palace Of The Crystal Bridge
The Wooing Of Etain
King Of The Sacred Grove
Saint Declan's Drone
Salm O 'Dewi Sant'
Connla's Well
The Dagda
Children Of Dannu
Ceridwen's Curse
Hermit Of The Sea Rock
Isle Of The Mystic Lake
Math Was A Wizard

Amazon.com

When British composer Karl Jenkins launched Adiemus with the Songs of Sanctuary album in 1995, it was a fresh and exhilarating take on global music. Jenkins used choral vocals similar to Enya's, but spiked with a language of the imagination (merging African and Latin phonemes) and stoked by Jenkins's pastoral arrangements. Never wholly original--Lisa Gerrard and Elizabeth Fraser had already worked out fantasy vocal designs and the 1960s African mass "Missa Luba" effected a similar choral/African/Latin sound--Adiemus nevertheless found a new take on English composers' penchant for choirs. However, after six years and four albums mining this vein, Jenkins's sound rings more hollow with each recording.

The Eternal Knot is drawn from Jenkins's soundtrack to a BBC documentary called The Celts. You might recall that Enya also evolved her sound in the late 1980s doing a soundtrack for another documentary called The Celts. Taking his titles from the Celtic legends that populate the documentary, Jenkins orchestrates cinematic landscapes full of swelling crescendos and dynamic cadences. Less oppressive than the heavily orchestrated Adiemus II, The Eternal Knot still wears thin. He casts Miriam Stockley's voice into a boys-choir register, turning her staccato phonemes into incessant prattle. But when she's in her warmer middle range, her layered voice is enveloping. Despite the theme of the album, Celtic music is only used as an occasional touchstone, with uilleann piper Davy Spillane, a few bodhran-style percussion grooves, and harpist Catrin Finch providing some relief from Jenkins's string-laden classical pretensions. --John Diliberto

Customer Reviews:

Adiemus IV.......2007-05-07

This is another celtic cd which stirs the blood to your core. It has great melodies and wonderful arrangements to compliment the vocals. I will look forward to purchasing more of Adiemus in the future.

whaaaaaat?????.......2007-01-06

that was the first thing that popped into my head when i heard this album. i loved `songs of sanctuary' and was heartily disappointed not to also love this album. while it is obvious that the music is celtic-inspired, it is *only* the music that is so. the vocals seem to float along on their own with no relevance to the instrumentals beneath them. the language, which is the same play-language as `sanctuary', is blatantly out of place here. while with `sanctuary', despite the make-believe quality of the words, the quality of the vocal sound was instantly recognizable as south african. but those nasal tones and front-of-the-mask, brassy notes don't translate well to a celtic sound. (in fact, the whole album sounds like a clash of two cultures. as if a south african choir accidentally got routed to the shannon airport and collided with the chieftans.) on the whole, a disappointing album. if you want celtic music, buy a putumayo collection or *anything* by narada, clannad, celtic woman, etc. don't buy this album.

Good...Although two of the Songs are on my Ipod..........2006-01-24

My favorite songs are "Cu Chullain" and "Math was a Wizard". Cu Chullain is a good song for a ballet performance.

By the way, I own these two songs on my Ipod!

Meghan :)

New Age with an eclectic blend of styles from across the musical map!.......2005-11-23

Some earlier reviewers would suggest that this isn't up to the standards that Karl Jenkins achieved in some of his earlier output. I couldn't respond to that because this is the first Adiemus recording I've ever heard and, frankly, I loved every second of it. I'm thrilled that other listeners think the earlier recordings are better because I've now got something to really look forward to.

For me this recording evinced a blend of emotional responses - quiet contemplation, relaxation, toe-tapping, a satisfied smile, that whole body moving response to a driving rhythm and a joyful sense of participation in an all-encompassing musical experience. The recording is an eclectic blend of styles that cover an enormous range - Celtic rhythms and fiddling tunes in the style of River Dance; hard rock and steady beats that took a page out of Enigma's play book; a beautifully blended chorus of female voices that might well have included Enya, Diane Arkenstone and Loreena McKennitt; orchestral backgrounds that ranged from lush full orchestral accompaniment to pizzicato violin arpeggios that would have done Tchaikovsky proud in The Nutcracker; simple but effective, pleasing blues style acoustic guitar; full-bodied high speed choral sections that might have been penned by Karl Orff as part of the unforgettable Carmina Burana; and, a very effective seven beat piece that reminded me of the rhythms of Dave Brubeck's Unsquare Square Dance or Moe Kaufman's Swingin' Shepherd Blues!

Well, to each their own I suppose. It's certainly possible that this CD suffered by comparison to the quality of his other works but as a first time listener, I've got nothing but praise for it!

Paul Weiss

Unimaginative.......2004-06-14

Unlike 'Songs of Sanctuary', this album lacks imagination and invention. It comes across as somewhat monotonous and overly 'camp'.

Cu Chulain is a reasonable start but even there the urgent contribution by the violins comes too early, and by the end of the 'song', the concept becomes tiresome. The title track seems to be depicting something monumental in its climatic outbursts but if so, the effect is more visual (the documentary itself) than aural. It's odd how there is apparently no language used here yet 'Palace of the Crystal Bridge' manages to sound like some clueless surfer-girl taking herself way too seriously.

'The Wooing of Etain' is a beautiful instrumental and one of the very few pieces on the album that is thought-provoking, as is 'King of the Sacred Grove' (which is mellow and sounds suitably regal)....this is more of what I've come to expect/appreciate in Jenkins. Even so, he could have done more to build a climax towards the end of this, the third longest piece on the album.

'Songs' such as 'The Dagda' would be interesting diversions/fillers for the album if it wasn't for the synthesized, mass-product result of the album overall. Less 'ethnic-sounding' and more towards 'tacky' (e.g., the duo separated by 1 octave sung in unison at the end of 'Hermit of the Sea Rock'), this isn't as moving an experience as some would laud it to be.

At Crystal Palace
Average customer rating:

Even Better than the First Album

they're no Scissor Girls

a good record

At Crystal Palace
Erase Errata
Manufacturer: Troubleman Unlimited
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
Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Other Animals

Other Animals

Rats! Sing! Sing!

Exitheuxa

Myths of the Near Future

ASIN: B0000C3WZX
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Tracks:

Driving Test
Ca. Viewing
Go to Sleep
Retreat! The Most Familiar
Suprize, It's Easter
Let's Be Active C/O Club Hott
Flippy Flop
Owls
Ease on Over
White Horse Is Bucking
Thief Detests the Criminal, Elements of the Ruling Class
Harvester
Matter No Medley

Customer Reviews:

Even Better than the First Album.......2006-02-22

It's about time bands start getting some influence from no-wave. Now that new-wave is making a bit of a comeback with the whole 80's revival of the past few years, it's about time no-wave reared its deformed head. In actuality Erase Errata are far more approachable than many of these early no-wavers, but don't hold that against them, they'll still try and punish you with their sounds. Piercing guitar notes over swirling bass and drums, these girls make you work to get their music. You can tell that these four girls from San Francisco have musical chemistry, and while at first listen you might think they learned to play five minutes ago, upon repeat listen you realize how damn catchy all the songs really are. Add a trumpet that sounds like something from an Angelo Badalamenti score and you've got one hell of a band. Erase Errata claim they wrote ten songs the first half an hour they were together, and you can tell a definite difference between their improvised songs and those more structured, but don't worry, I doubt you'll find dead heads listening Erase Errata jam out anytime soon; I bet Jerry Garcia would have had to smoke at least a pound of weed before he got into this. However, on this album it's apparent that there's less improvisation than on their last album, Other Animals. Besides, the often sparse arrangements make it absolutely certain that these chicks carry a punk aesthetic through and through.

they're no Scissor Girls.......2003-11-27

This is okay, pretty good. I'd go so far as to say it's not bad. But for christ sakes music listeners, go back to the source and listen to the Scissor Girls! Start with "We People Space With Phantoms" and work your way through their other mazes. THEN come back and listen to this. Having said that, I should also say that I think Erase Errata is a very good band and you should try to see them live -- how about that drummer, eh? Still, they're no Scissor Girls.

a good record.......2003-10-29

Their debut album from a couple years ago may one day be considered a classic and this album isn't too bad from what I am hearing. I have listened the whole way through 4-5 times and it is a very cohesive record that flows well throughout with the occassional failure, but that was really basically the same with the last record. The one difference with this record and the first is that the first record had some really great high points while this one doesn't achieve those highs quite as often. It's still one of my favorites from this year, but I wouldn't say it is better than the Drive By Truckers record, Beulah record, or Broken Social Scene record. If you liked the first album then definitely buy this one, but if you are new to this band and are looking to buy their best album go with their first.

Average customer rating:

The Governator

Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Tributes | Pop | Styles | Music

Soundtracks | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000U6KDG
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Tracks:

Terminator Theme [From Terminator]
Desert [From Terminator II]
Trust Me [From Terminator II]
It's Over [From Terminator II]
Main Title [From Junior Miss]
Main Title/Harry Makes His Entrance [From True Lies]
Prologue [From Conan the Barbarian]
Anvil of Crom [From Conan the Barbarian]
Riddle of Steel/Rider of Dom [From Conan the Barbarian]
Chambers of Mirror/Crystal Palace [From Conan the Barbarian]
Anvil of Crom/Finale [From Conan the Barbarian]
Total Recall [From Total Recall]
Main Title [From Commando]
Astoria School Theme [From Kindergarten Cop]
Main Title Theme [From Twins]
Going to Santa Fe [From Twins]
Main Title [From Red Heat]
Running Man [From the Running Man]
Kaminski Stomps [From Raw Deal]
Main Title [From Predator]
California er Alles [*]

Album Description

The ultimate soundtrack collecting music from Arnold Schwarzenegger films, such as Terminator, True Lies, Conan The Barbarian, Commando, The Running Man and more. 21 tracks including 1 bonus track, 'California Uber Alles' from Bad Lieutnants. Austerlitz Music. 2003.

Average customer rating:

Viking Metal
Not what black metal fan expects

The Crystal Palace
Forlorn
Manufacturer: Head Not Found N'way
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock & Metal | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000251CO
Release Date: 2006-03-28

Tracks:

Lik Av Falne Menn
efull Ferd
Br Av Nordstjernen
Magellanic Clouds
Crystal Palace
Ragnarok
Gate of Mystic
Lunar Eclipse

Customer Reviews:

Viking Metal.......2006-09-19

This is an awesome Viking Metal release (contrary to what was said in other reviews this isn't black metal). The keyboards on this album are really good as well as the rest of the music. The vocalist on this album was the best one they ever had and if you listen to the next album you will hear that the other two members of the group were not comfortable doing the vocals on that album. Anyway good album it's one of my favs.

Not what black metal fan expects.......2004-05-28

A friend of mine advised me to give it a listen - he said it was a true Norvegian black metal. But what I heard was a kind of mixture between Therion and Bathory (i.e. symphonic power and viking doom). Though the music on this CD is not bad, I can not hear it from the beginning to the end, as the songs sound very much like each other and it's becoming boring. Also, after the listen you won't remember a single tune from it, and that means it is not worth to listen...

Average customer rating:

Songs for Palace supporters worldwide

Crystal Palace F.C.: Glad All Over
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Gaffer
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Compilations | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000026Y9J
Release Date: 2002-07-01

Tracks:

Crystal Palace Fc 1990 Fa Cup Final Squad:Glad
Crystal Palace Fc 1972:Claret And Blue
Palace:Power To The Palace
Crystal Palace Fc & Wives 1972:Why Can't We All
Terry Venables:Bye Bye Blackbird
Palace:Flying High
Gary's Construction Co:Gonna Build A Palace
Crystal Band:Our Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace 1990:Where Eagles Fly
Universal:Follow The Eagles
Eastern Eagles:We All Follow The Palace
We Are The Eagles
Garage Mechanics:Eagles Are Flying High
Lady Helen Of Selhurst:I'm In Love With Harry B
Lower Tier:Where's Joyce
Eddie Eagle:We're Back Where We Belong
Back 5:Yes We're Back

Customer Reviews:

Songs for Palace supporters worldwide.......2002-05-20

"Glad All Over" is the essential CD for Crystal Palace supporters worldwide. While the classic Dave Clark Five hit is sadly not included the 1990 FA Cup Squad's is, as is "When Eagles Fly." Also included are all the palace favs from the '70s to the '90s, including Terry Venables (ugh) immortal rendition of "Bye, Bye, Blackbird". Listening to this CD will remind all Palace supporters of why we torture ourselves pledging our loyalty to the Red and Blue.