Collected Works

Collected Works

Track Listings

1. Perfect night for a hanging

2. Vanishing lessons

3. Pathogenic ocular dissonance

4. Twilight

5. Psycho surgery

6. You get what you pray for

7. Acidhead

8. Broken chromosomes

9. Viento borrascoso

10. Carry the wounded

11. Bearing gruesome cargo

12. The skeezix dilemma

13. Ark of suffering

14. The hand trembler

Tracks:

First Booke Of Songes: I. Unquiet Thoughts
First Booke Of Songes: II. Who Ever Thinks Or Hopes Of Love
First Booke Of Songes: III. My Thoughts Are Wing'd With Hopes
First Booke Of Songes: IV. If My Complaints Could Passions Move
First Booke Of Songes: V. Can She Excuse My Wrongs
First Booke Of Songes: VI. Now, O Now, I Needs Must Part
First Booke Of Songes: VII. Dear, If You Change
First Booke Of Songes: VIII. Burst Fourth My Tears
First Booke Of Songes: IX. Go Crystal Tears
First Booke Of Songes: X. Think'st Thou Then By Thy Feigning
First Booke Of Songes: XI. Come Away, Come Sweet Love
First Booke Of Songes: XII. Rest Awhile, You Cruel Cares
First Booke Of Songes: XIII. Sleep, Wayward Thoughts
First Booke Of Songes: XIV. All Ye, Whom Love Or Fortune Hath Betray'd
First Booke Of Songes: XV. Wilt Thou Unkind Thus Reave Me
First Booke Of Songes: XVI. Would My Conceit
First Booke Of Songes: XVII. Come Again: Sweet Love Doth Now Invite
First Booke Of Songes: XVIII. His Golden Locks
First Booke Of Songes: XIX. Awake, Sweet Love
First Booke Of Songes: XX. Come, Heavy Sleep
First Booke Of Songes: XXI. Away With These Self-Loving Lads

Tracks:

Second Booke Of Songs: I. I Saw My Lady Weep
Second Booke Of Songs: II. Flow My Tears
Second Booke Of Songs: III. Sorrow, Stay
Second Booke Of Songs: IV. Die Not Before Thy Day
Second Booke Of Songs: V. Mourn, Mourn, Day Is With Darkness Fled
Second Booke Of Songs: VI. Time's Eldest Son
Second Booke Of Songs: VII. Then Sit Thee Down
Second Booke Of Songs: VIII. When Others Sing Venite
Second Booke Of Songs: IX. Praise Blindness Eyes
Second Booke Of Songs: X. O Sweet Woods
Second Booke Of Songs: XI. If Floods Of Tears
Second Booke Of Songs: XII. Fine Knacks For Ladies
Second Booke Of Songs: XIII. Now Cease My Wand'ring Eyes
Second Booke Of Songs: XIV. Come Ye Heavy States Of Night
Second Booke Of Songs: XV. White As Lilies Was Her Face
Second Booke Of Songs: XVI. Woeful Heart
Second Booke Of Songs: XVII. A Shepherd In A Shade
Second Booke Of Songs: XVIII. Faction That Ever Dwells
Second Booke Of Songs: XIX. Shall I Sue
Second Booke Of Songs: XX. Toss Not My Soul
Second Booke Of Songs: XXI. Clear Or Cloudy
Second Booke Of Songs: XXII. Humour Say What Mak'st Thou Here

Tracks:

Third Booke Of Songs 1603: I. Farewell, Too Fair
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: II. Time Stands Still
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: III. Behold A Wonder Here
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: IV. Daphne Was Not So Chaste
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: V. Me, Me, And None But Me
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: VI. When Phoebus First Did Daphne Love
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: VII. Say, Love, If Ever Thou Didst Find
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: VIII. Flow Not So Fast, Ye Fountains
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: IX. What If I Never Speed?
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: X. Love Stood Amazed
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XI. Lend Your Ears To My Sorrow
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XII. By A Fountain Where I Lay
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XIII. O What Hath Overwrought
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XIV. Farewell, Unkind
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XV. Weep You No More, Sad Fountains
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XVI. Fie On This Feigning!
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XVII. I Must Complain
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XVIII. It Was A Time When Silly Bees
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XIX. The Lowest Trees Have Tops
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XX. What Poor Astronomers Are They
Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XXI. Come When I Call

Tracks:

A Pilgrimes Solace: I. Disdain Me Still
A Pilgrimes Solace: II. Sweet Stay Awhile
A Pilgrimes Solace: III. To Ask For All Thy Love
A Pilgrimes Solace: IV. Love, Those Beams That Breed
A Pilgrimes Solace: V. Shall I Strive Wih Words To Move?
A Pilgrimes Solace: VI. Were Every Thought An Eye
A Pilgrimes Solace: VII. Stay, Time, Awhile Thy Flying
A Pilgrimes Solace: VIII. Tell Me, True Love
A Pilgrimes Solace: IX. Go Nightly Cares
A Pilgrimes Solace: X. From Silent Night
A Pilgrimes Solace: XI. Lasso vita mia
A Pilgrimes Solace: XII. In This Trembling Shadow Cast
A Pilgrimes Solace: XIII. If That A Sinner's Sights
A Pilgrimes Solace: XIV. Thou Mighty God
A Pilgrimes Solace: XV. When David's Life
A Pilgrimes Solace: XVI. When The Poor Cripple

Tracks:

A Pilgrimes Solace: XVII. Where Sin Sore Wounding
A Pilgrimes Solace: XVIII. My Heart And Tongue Were Twins
A Pilgrimes Solace: XIX. Up Merry Mates
A Pilgrimes Solace: XX. Welcome Black Night
A Pilgrimes Solace: XXI. Cease, Cease These False Sports
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Lachrimae Pavane
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Can Shee
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Paduana
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: The Frogge
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Frog's Galliard
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Pavana And Galiarda
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Paduana Lachrymae
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Can She Excuse
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Pavion Solus cum sola
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Dowland's Almayne
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Piper's Paven And Galliard
Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Pavan Lachrymae

Tracks:

Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: I. The Lamentation Of A Sinner
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: II. Domine ne in furore
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: III. Miserere mei Deus
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: IV. The Humble Suit Of A Sinner
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: V. The Humble Complaint Of A Sinner
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: VI. De profundis
Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: VII. Domine exaudi
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Antiquae
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Antiquae Novae
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Gementes
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Tristes
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Coactae
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Amantis
Lachrimae: Lachrimae Verae
Lachrimae: Mr. John Langton's Pavan
Lachrimae: Mr. Nicholas Gryffith His Galiard
Lachrimae: Sir John Souch His Galiard
Lachrimae: Semper Dowland Semper Dolens
Lachrimae: Mr. Giles Hobies Galiard
Lachrimae: The King Of Denmark's Galiard
Lachrimae: Sir Henry Umpton's Funerall
Lachrimae: Mr. Henry Noell His Galiard
Lachrimae: The Earl Of Essex Galiard
Lachrimae: Mr. Bucton His Galiard
Lachrimae: Mr. George Whitehead His Almand
Lachrimae: Captain Digorie Piper His Galiard
Lachrimae: Mr. Thomas Collier His Galiard
Lachrimae: Mrs. Nichols Almand

Tracks:

Sacred Songs: Sorrow, Come!
Sacred Songs: I Shame At Mine Unworthiness
Sacred Songs: An Heart That's Broken And Contrite
Psalms: Psalm 100: All People That On Earth Do Dwell
Psalms: Psalm 38: Put Me Not To Rebuke O Lord
Psalms: Psalm 130: Lord To Thee I Make My Moan
Psalms: Psalm 104: My Soul Praise The Lord
Psalms: Psalm 100: All People That On Earth Do Dwell
Psalms: Psalm 134: Behold And Have Regard
A Prayer For The Queen's Most Excellent Majesty
Instrumental Music: Solus cum sola pavan
Instrumental Music: Lachrimae
Instrumental Music: Galliard
Instrumental Music: Pipers Pavan
Instrumental Music: Lachrimae
Instrumental Music: Lady Rich Galliard
Instrumental Music: Earl Of Essex Galliard
Instrumental Music: If My Complaints
Instrumental Music: Lachrimae Doolande
Instrumental Music: Lord Willoughbie's Welcome Home
Instrumental Music: My Lord Chamberlaine His Galliard
Instrumental Music: Comagain
Instrumental Music: Pavan Lachrymae
Instrumental Music: Sorrow Stay

Tracks:

Lute Music: Preludium
Lute Music: Lachrimae
Lute Music: Can She Excuse
Lute Music: Dr. Case's Pavan
Lute Music: Melancholy Galliard
Lute Music: Sir John Smith, His Almain
Lute Music: Fantasia
Lute Music: A Dream
Lute Music: Almain
Lute Music: The Queen's Galliard
Lute Music: Coranto
Lute Music: Resolution
Lute Music: Mrs. Vaux Galliard
Lute Music: Almain
Lute Music: Mr. Dowland's MIdnight
Lute Music: Fantasia
Lute Music: Loth To Depart
Lute Music: The Most Sacred Queen Elizabeth, Her Galliard
Lute Music: The Earl Of Essex, His Galliard
Lute Music: Pavan
Lute Music: John Dowland's Galliard
Lute Music: Aloe
Lute Music: The Lady Clifton's Spirit
Lute Music: What If A Day
Lute Music: Mr. Giles Hobie's Galliard
Lute Music: Come Away (Song arrangement)
Lute Music: Galliard
Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)

Tracks:

Lute Music: Lachrimae (Basic Version)
Lute Music: Galliard To Lachrimae
Lute Music: [Jig]
Lute Music: Galliard On 'Wasingham'
Lute Music: Complaint (Ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Mignarda (Galliard)
Lute Music: Semper Dowland Semper Dolens (Pavan)
Lute Music: The Frog Galliard
Lute Music: A Fancy (Fantasia)
Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)
Lute Music: Piper's Pavan
Lute Music: Captain Digorie Piper's Galliard
Lute Music: Lady Laiton's Almain
Lute Music: Dowland's Galliard
Lute Music: Dowland's First Galliard
Lute Music: Tarleton's Jig
Lute Music: Walsingham (ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Lord Willoughbie's Welcome Home (Ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Sir Henry Guilforde, His Almain
Lute Music: Pavan (Related To 'Lachrimae')
Lute Music: Mr. Langton's Galliard
Lute Music: Mrs. Clifton's Almain
Lute Music: Galliard
Lute Music: Lady Hunsdon's Puffe (Almain)
Lute Music: Galliard
Lute Music: Go From My Window (Ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)

Tracks:

Lute Music: Pavana Johan Douland
Lute Music: Mrs. Brigide Fleetwood's Pavan (Solus sine sola)
Lute Music: La mia Barbara
Lute Music: Sir Henry Umpton's Funeral (Pavan)
Lute Music: Lachrimae
Lute Music: Farewell Fancy (Chromatic Fantasia)
Lute Music: Farewell (On The 'In Nomine' Theme)
Lute Music: The King of Denmark's Galliard
Lute Music: Mrs. Vaux's Jig
Lute Music: Mrs. Nichol's Almain
Lute Music: Galliard
Lute Music: Lord Strang's March
Lute Music: Mrs. Winter's Jump
Lute Music: Can She Excuse (Galliard)
Lute Music: The Shoemaker's Wife, A Toy
Lute Music: Mrs. Norrish's Delight
Lute Music: Galliard
Lute Music: Mrs. White's Thing (Almain)
Lute Music: Mrs. White's Nothing
Lute Music: The Frog Galliard
Lute Music: Solus cum sola
Lute Music: The Lord Viscount Lisle, His Galliard
Lute Music: Orlando Sleepeth (Ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Robin (Ballad Setting)
Lute Music: Galliard (On A Galliard By Daniel Bacheler)
Lute Music: Forlorn Hope Fancy (Chromatic Fantasia)

Tracks:

Lute Music: The Lady Russell's Pavan
Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)
Lute Music: Sir John Langton's Pavan
Lute Music: Earl Of Derby, His Galliard
Lute Music: A Coy Toy
Lute Music: Fortune My Foe
Lute Music: [Almain]
Lute Music: Mr. Knight's Galliard
Lute Music: Sir John Souch His Galliard
Lute Music: Tarletone's Riserrectione
Lute Music: The Lady Rich, Her Galliard
Consort Music: Lachrimae Pavan
Consort Music: Can She Excuse Galliard
Consort Music: Captain Piper's Pavan And Galliard
Consort Music: The Frog Galliard
Consort Music: Round Battell Galliard
Consort Music: Fortune My Foe
Consort Music: Dowland's First Galliard
Consort Music: Katherine Darcie's Galliard
Consort Music: Tarleton's Jigge
Consort Music: Almain a 2
Consort Music: Mistress Nichols Almain a 2
Fullsack And Hildebrandt: Auserlesener Paduanen und Galliarden: Susanna Fair (Galliard)
Haussmann: Rest von polnischen und andern Tanzen: Mistress Nichols Alman a 5
Opusculum: Mr. John Langton Pavan And Galliard
Opusculum: La mia Barbara Pavan and Galliard
Opusculum: Lachrimae Antiquae Novae Pavan and Galliard

Tracks:

Consort Music: Mistress NIchols Almain
Consort Music: Volta a 4 ('Ioh. Douland')
Consort Music: Were Every Thought an Eye
Consort Music: Lady If You So Spite Me
Consort Music: Pavan a 4
A Musicall Banquet: I. My Heavy Sprite (Anthony Holborne)
A Musicall Banquet: II. Change Thy Mind Since She Doth Change (Richard Martin)
A Musicall Banquet: III. O Eyes, Leave Off Your Weeping (Robert Hales)
A Musicall Banquet: IV. Go, My Flock, Go Get You Hence (Anon.)
A Musicall Banquet: V. O Dear Life, When Shall It Be? (Anon.)
A Musicall Banquet: VI. To Plead My Faith (Daniel Bacheler)
A Musicall Banquet: VII. In A Grove Most Rich Of Shade (Guillaume Tessier)
A Musicall Banquet: VIII. Far From Triumphing Court
A Musicall Banquet: IX. Lady, If You So Spite Me
A Musicall Banquet: X. In Darkness Let Me Dwell
A Musicall Banquet: XI. Si le parler et le silence (Pierre Guedron)
A Musicall Banquet: XII. Ce penser qui sans fin tirannise ma vie (Pierre Guedron)
A Musicall Banquet: XIII. Vous que le Bonheur rappelle (Pierre Guedron)
A Musicall Banquet: XIV. Passava Amor su arco desarmado (Anon. Spanish)
A Musicall Banquet: XV. Sta notte mi sognava (Anon. Italian)
A Musicall Banquet: XVI. Vuestros ojos tienen d'Amor (Anon. Spanish)
A Musicall Banquet: XVII. Se di farmi morire (Domenico Maria Megli)
A Musicall Banquet: XVIII. Dovro dunque morire? (Giulio Caccini)
A Musicall Banquet: XIX. Amarilli mia bella (Giulio Caccini)
A Musicall Banquet: XX. O bella piu (Anon, Italian)

Customer Reviews:

The greatest songs ever?.......2007-07-26

I heard 'clear or cloudy', from this recording, on the radio recently and had to purchase it. It is strange but it is the sort of song that makes life prior to listening to it different from life after. I find it sad that so many people haven't heard it. There are also many other wonderful works in this collection. Given you get twelve well recorded CDs with top quality performances, this has to be one of the bargains of the age.

Please buy it.

A musical treasure-box.......2006-09-10

Both the music and this actual product are masterpieces. John Dowland's collected works here - covering 12 compact discs - exhibit the depth and power of this composer, a composer who many now regard as suffering from clinical depression. I doubt that the issue of the diagnosis of Dowland's depression can ever be settled, however, it is certainly obvious from his music, so completely on display here, that he was a man with very dark depths and corners in his mind. Dowland's various manifestations and "takes" on his own tune, "Flow my tears"/"Lachrimae" are here. This tune has haunted me ever since I first heard it when I was a child. It seems to sum up Dowland's feelings - at least Dowland seems to have thought so.

The First, Second, Third and Fourth Bookes of Songes, A Musicall Banquet, the keyboard transcriptions, all the lute music, consort music are here and virtually everything else written or supposedly written by John Dowland. Anthony Rooley and The Consort of Musicke perform this music with style and feeling throughout. This 12 CD set is something of a monument to the ensemble - I only wish they'd finished their collection of Monteverdi madrigals, which was equally good (La Venexiana are currently doing a magnificent job of recording all Monteverdi's books of madrigals for the GLOSSA label).

This is an expensive set, however, you will probably never need to buy another John Dowland CD again after buying and listening to this collection.

I bought this CD set on a mild Summer evening of 1998 and listened to it while sitting in my sun room - which a glorious orange sunset in progress, and a glass of wine. It brought back so many memories.

a beautiful journey into melancholy.......2001-06-15

I'm amazed at how many people tend to associate John Dowland's music with a tragic sense of drama. While no doubt this is art highly based on sadness, the "tragic" sense of it is more a legacy from the Romantic period. During the Renaissance, however, sadness was undestood as a very aesthetic way of approaching life. That is also the reason why Shakespeare's tragedies appear more sophisticated than his comedies.

Dowland, a contemporary of Shakespeare, discovered that meditating on a sad theme is, at the same time, a way of discovering a special beauty that we tend to avoid (maybe because of the "tragic" heritage of the Romantics). So, in the end, meditating on sadness is an uplifting experience! This box set is a journey into melancholy that includes songs, chamber music, pieces for lute, some rare sacred music and -as a highlight- Dowland's beautiful collection of seven pieces for viola which he called "Lachrimae" (Tears).

The Collected Works of the Roches
Average customer rating:

Great songs and singers

a fitting compilation

Buy it...even if only for their version of the Halleluiah Chorus!

A Fan

The Sisters Shine

The Collected Works of the Roches
The Roches
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
General | Folk | Styles | Music
Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music
Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
Rhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

We Three Kings

Moonswept

The Roches

Zero Church

Keep On Doing

ASIN: B0000B1A5W
Release Date: 2003-09-09

Tracks:

Hammond Song
Mr. Sellack
The Troubles
The Train
The Married Men (Live)
One Season
Nurds
The Hallelujah Chorus
Losing True
Want Not Want Not
Keep On Doing What You Do/Jerks On The Loose
Love Radiates Around
Another World
Face Down At Folk City
Love To See You
Bug Nuthin'
Everyone Is Good
Ing
A Dove

Album Description

These off-kilter folk-pop songs shine with sisters Maggie, Terre, & Suzzy's sublime harmonies & poetic charm. Spanning 1979-1992, this single-disc collection gathers 19 songs from both their MCA & Warner periods, including the Robert Fripp-produced 'Hammond Song' & a live version of 'The Married Men'.

Customer Reviews:

Great songs and singers.......2007-05-12

The Roach sisters' style, words, and tunes blend to produce songs that go directly to my heart and then to my mind. A great compilation of their music.

a fitting compilation.......2006-08-31

The Roches are ultra talented, excellent musicians, stunning vocalists, wonderful songwriters and a very interesting and rich band. However, they are probably not for everyone. Do not evaluate them by 30 second samples on this web site b/c their songs have drama and substance and they need to develop over their proper timespan.

This is whimsical folk, beautiful melodies and heartfelt harmonies. This is nothing to rock out to although the musicianship is on par with anything that is out there.

The Roches are for people that enjoy beauty.

"Love Radiates" could melt the coldest heart. It is such a terrific and beautiful melody.

I saw them live (circa 1995) and they were tremedous. The vocals and musicianship are not the results of studio tricks. Their "Hallelujua chorus" is the equivalent to listening to Hendrix. It was a sight to be seen.

As you can see, I love the Roches. This is an excellent representative of their best songs. The 3 part harmonies, raw accoustic guitar, Robert Fripp infused guitar, its all there. This is the cream of their work.

If you go to their website, their participation in music is so earnest. If you want an autographed glossy of them, just e-mail and ask and you shall receive.

I wish they were still together and wish they toured outside of the northeast.

The Roches have always been the critics darlings and they absolutely deserved their praise!

Their best works are the Robert Fripp produced works, "The Roches and "Keep on Doing".

Buy it...even if only for their version of the Halleluiah Chorus!.......2006-06-03

I first heard the Roches on Saturday Night Live in the 70's doing the Halleluiah Chorus. I was a little boy then, but it implanted itself in my memory forever. Now, as a 33 year old Daddy and Husband, I find that the vocal harmonies and unique nuances of their well blended voices still brings a chill down my spine. Excellent! Even if you only buy it for this one track, it will be well worth your money!

A Fan.......2006-03-24

I was delighted to see that the Roaches produced a collection of their best. Wish they would tour more.

The Sisters Shine.......2005-12-05

Although it's impossible to include all the gems of the Roches' music in one collection, this is a fine example of one of the greatest sister singing acts I know. Their harmonies soar, the lyrics bend around the phrasing, and they are at once mischievous and poignant. While there is no comparison to a live experience, these highlights give a flavor of what this unique group is all about. Who else can pass off a hip a capella version of the "Hallelujah Chorus" and have an audience spellbound? (They even did this on the original 'Saturday Night Live') While a bit biased as I was in school with one of the sisters, I think their work stands on its own merit. I am happily seeing them again in concert next weekend and look forward to the richness of their music. If you ever get the chance to see them, don't pass up the opportunity. At the least, buy their albums and get ready for a real treat.

Average customer rating:

Picking out my top 5...
America's Soundtrack
You May Not Need This
YES--This is what I Like to See on a Compilation
Best collection of S & G ever!

Collected Works
Simon & Garfunkel
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Box Sets | Stores | Music

General | Rock | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Paul Simon 1964-1993
The Columbia Studio Recordings 1964-1970
Bookends
Boneclouds
How The West Was Won

ASIN: B0000026VB
Release Date: 1990-01-05

Tracks:

You Can Tell The World
Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream
Bleeker Street
Sparrow
Benedictus
The Sound Of Silence
He Is My Brother
Peggy-O
Go Tell It On The Mountain
The Sun Is Burning
The Times They Are A-Changin'
Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.
The Sound Of Silence
Leaves That Are Green
Blessed
Kathy's Song
Somewhere They Can't Find Me
Anji
Richard Cory
A Most Peculiar Man
April Come She Will
We've Got A Groovey Thing Goin'
I Am A Rock

Tracks:

Scarborough Fair/Canticle
Patterns
Cloudy
Homeward Bound
The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine
The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
The Dangling Coonversation
Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall
A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission)
For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her
A Poem On The Underground Wall
7 O'Clock New/Silent Night
Bookends Theme
Save The Life Of My Child
America
Overs
Voices Of Old People
Old Friends
Bookends Theme
Fakin' It
Punky's Dilemma
Mrs. Robinson (From The Motion Picture 'The Graduate')
A Hazy Shade Of Winter
At The Zoo

Tracks:

Bridge Over Troubled Water
El Condor Pasa (If I Could)
Cecilia
Keep The Customer Satisfied
So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright
The Boxer
Baby Driver
The Only Living Boy In New York
Why Don't You Write Me
Bye Bye Love
Song For The Asking

Amazon.com

Simon & Garfunkel recorded only five albums of studio material during their reign in the 1960s. Pop perfectionists, increasingly they sculpted records with extensive arrangements that made songs like "The Boxer," "The Dangling Conversation," and "America" more than mere pop songs, but compositions submerged in the delicacy of the art song. This collection is everything from those five albums, from the earnest early folk to the folk-rock that spawned their initial success ("The Sound of Silence") to the layered, methodical approach of their complex later work ("Bridge over Troubled Water"). The duo recorded music among the most successful of its era. No extra tracks were included. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews:

Picking out my top 5..........2007-07-03

What can I really say about this collection? I grew up on this music. I loved it as a small child and have only grown to love it more, as years go by. My love for Simon and Garfunkel is kind of like the love I have for my 60 year old Coach bag. Yep, you guessed it, the word is TIMELESS.

My one criticism about the recording quality within this set, is that the volume travels considerably from song to song, meaning that sometimes you have to turn up the volume to hear well, other times it is WAY TOO LOUD. I think that the song to song volume could have been regulated better.

I've lost my harmonica, Albert!

America's Soundtrack.......2007-05-17

So many memories with the listening to of these songs. Hard to name a favorite, but standouts for me have always been (Scarborough Fair, April Come She Will, El Condor Pasa(If I Could), Bookends Theme, The Sounds Of Silence, At The Zoo, The Boxer) to name but a small few. All five original albums, from 1964 to 1970 in one. A real musical bargain.

You May Not Need This.......2005-12-28

It sure is a lovefest here with all the 5 star reviews. And the fact that I'm giving this just 3 stars will be blasphemous to many who read this. Have you ever noticed how most of the 5 star reviews are by the hardcore fans, written for other hardcore fans who already own all this. But I press on: Why do you think that Simon And Garfunkel's original Greatest Hits LP is one of the best (and best selling) greatest hits albums? And why do you think, in the cd age, that their record company has released a bunch of other "Best Of" compilations? I mean do you really need a 2 cd best-of compilation when you can buy their whole output on 3 cd's? The truthful answer to these questions is that their best songs are amazing and timeless, BUT many of their other songs are mediocre and dated. My experience with S&G is as follows. I absolutely love the Greatest Hits cd, to the point where I wanted more so I bought an expanded best of cd. I also really liked that, although some of the new (to me) songs were not as good. Then I bought this 3 cd set of their whole output and was largely disappointed. Yes, there were a few new songs that I really liked, but also quite a lot of things that are not that good. They are 35 years old and don't hold up to their best work. Amidst all the unequivocal endorsements I offer a little advice. If you are not a huge fan you probably don't need all this,and worse, won't like it.

YES--This is what I Like to See on a Compilation.......2003-01-31

Are you a big S&G fan? I know I am...an hugely avid one in fact. Well then my advice to you is NOT to buy some silly compilation with only the big hits and a few "unreleased extras " *cough-oldfriendsboxset-cough*. This is a great resource, a good solid 3-disc set with ALL FIVE complete S&G albums. Think of it as a CONSOLIDATION of all three in a more affordable format. (It's also great if you have all their albums on your old LPs and you want to switch over to CD but not break the proverbial bank.) Obviously, this set contains all the hits, as well as all the album tunes, many of which are dazzlingly unappreciated. The best part of this set is that it includes the least-known album "Wednesday Morning 3AM," which is a beautifully simple, accoustic, and earnest album. (Without being painfully earnest--it's great music too!) SO, if you're looking for the definitve S&G resource, start here with this set of ALL the ALBUMS. Maybe later someone will give you some "unreleased stuff" for your birthday or something if you really pine for it.

Best collection of S & G ever!.......2002-02-11

I listen to these CDs more than enything else I own. After September 11th, I craved the mellow sounds that only they can provide.

Average customer rating:

Too Much Fun!!!
I can't help myself, I must hear "Lifeguard' periodically
I've Been Singing "I Want to Be a Lifeguard" to My 6-Year Old and Then I Hear It on XM
Pure Party and Amusement!
Blotto on CD - Yow!

Collected Works
Blotto
Manufacturer: One Way Records Inc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

New Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Then More Than Ever

ASIN: B000002R5L
Release Date: 1994-01-18

Tracks:

I Wanna Be A Lifeguard
(We Are) The Nowtones
Too Much Fun
It's Only Money
Scream
I Quit
Metal Head
It's Not You
Occupational Hazard
When The Second Feature Starts
Goodbye, Mr. Bond
She's Got A Big Boyfriend
Gimme The Girl
My Baby's The Star Of A Driver's Ed Movie
H. S. H.
Stop! In The Name Of Love
Lightning Strikes
I Wanna Be A Lifeguard (Live)
The B Side
I Wanna Be A Lifeguard (Karaoke Version)

Customer Reviews:

Too Much Fun!!!.......2007-05-13

Who'd'a thunk that an Albany-based bar/party band with a wicked sense of humor and identical stage surnames (take THAT, Ramones) would become critical and cult legends? Ever since I heard that rolling drumbeat intro and goofy Beach Boys-influenced harmonic sentiment of "I Wanna Be a Lifeguard" leading off their first EP, Hello. My Name Is Blotto. What's Yours?, I was hooked.

Playing in pure party fashion but throwing in bitingly satirical lyrics on subjects ranging from heavy metal fandom ("Metal Head," which featured Blue Oyster Cult's Buck Dharma on screamin' guitar) to cheesy lounge acts ([We Are] The Nowtones"..."We say 'thank you' at the end of every song"), groupies ("Occupational Hazard") and dumb bosses (the liberating "I Quit") to unattainable women in advertisements (the raggae-fied "Gimme the Girl"), Blotto never failed to raise a smile if not an outright laugh.

"Lifeguard" is still the star of the show here (it's a persoanl summer anthem, and centerpiece of many a surf-themed mixtape) -- heck, it appears in three different versions! But the cleverest, most blackly humorous tune in the collection -- perhaps of the '80s -- is "My Baby's the Star of a Driver's Ed Movie." Done in pure early '60s death-pop style, it relates the tale of man attending remedial driving classes after receiving a DWI. While seeing a film about highway crashes, he recognizes a scene in which his own late girlfriend's demise was documented! He remains philosophical, though, noting that the poor young lass's mom "would be proud -- her underwear was clean."

The remaining tracks show the Blots' at their rockin' best on their original compositions -- the weakest track is probably the sole cover, a take on "Stop! In the Name of Love," taken from their debut EP and original lineup featuring a female singer.

This release compiles their entire studio output -- a mere LP, two 12" EPs and a 45 B-side (appropriately titled "The B Side") -- with a couple of previously unreleased goodies. All you'll ever need from Blotto is here -- if you're feeling adventurous afterward, don't miss their Then More Than Ever live CD, and seek out their long-out-of-print VHS "Video 45" from Sony.

I can't help myself, I must hear "Lifeguard' periodically.......2006-09-02

Look, this band was a novelty act. They are a relic from [I think] Long Island. They had talent, made some catchy songs, had a nice sense of humor, but if you are here it is b/c of "I...I...I..Wanna be a Lifeguard" It is a great song. It is worth to get this cd just for the song which appears THREE times!

There's the studio version...great

There's the Karoke version...makes sense cause I want to sing along, without the intrusion of the singer!

Then theres the live version...Ooooh this is good. They start out singing "Funky Broadway" which, after some credible moments turns into "LIFEGUARD" YEEEAAAAAHHHH!

The rest of the cd...whatever...lets just hear "Lifeguard" again!

I've Been Singing "I Want to Be a Lifeguard" to My 6-Year Old and Then I Hear It on XM.......2006-03-10

It's been on my mind lately and I started singing it to my kid who loves it. Regrettably, I don't own the Collected Works, but after hearing them on XM today (hadn't heard them since the 80s), I am considering it. Serendipitous indeed.

Pure Party and Amusement!.......2005-09-12

A great party-band with a hilarious sense of humor. I am so glad I have "I Wanna be a Lifeguard", "Goodbye, Mr. Bond", "Metal Head", "My Baby's the Star of a Driver's Ed Movie", and "It's Not You" on CD. These are some of the most amusing songs I've ever heard.

Blotto on CD - Yow!.......2005-08-17

I was in college in upstate NY late 70's and early 80's, I remember seeing Blotto live at JB Scott's in Albany and at numerous gigs at school and around the Albany area. I was hooked from the first show, and still have the first EPs. Their shows were enjoyed by rockers and punkers alike.

A classic FUN band with great originals -"My Baby's The Star of a Driver's Ed Movie" was always a favorite for twisted, irreverent lyrics. Great musical talent with too much of a sense of humor to ever make it commercially. Their cover of "Secret Agent Man" is way better than the original.

If you remember Blotto or are a fan of music from the era, get the album. If you were born after 1980, you probably won't comprehend why Blotto was ever popular.

Collected Ambient and Textural Works: 1977-1987

Average customer rating:

A Little Known Masterpiece
An excellent album from a veteran of ambient music...
Ambient music in its childhood
Wonderful retrospective of truly original ambiant music

Collected Ambient and Textural Works: 1977-1987
Michael Stearns
Manufacturer: Fathom/Hos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ambient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

Electronic | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Structures from Silence
En Trance
Desert Solitaire
The Stargazer's Journey
Myths And Memories

ASIN: B000000X7H
Release Date: 1996-07-16

Tracks:

Elysian E
M'ocean
Morning
Ancient Leaves
Subterranean Ambiance
Rivers of Rhythm
Vicki's Dance
Jewel
Night Currents
The Dragon's Dream World
Desert Moon Walk

Customer Reviews:

A Little Known Masterpiece.......2003-01-03

In the vast ocean of ambient music, Michael Stearns has been left out to sea. Having been eclipsed in the public mind by high-profile artists like Brian Eno, Stearn's back catalog has been reduced to two LPs, consisting of disjointed snippets of much longer pieces. I've always been surprised that Stearns hasn't been more revered after scoring such films as Baraka. Having been confined to the New Age shelves probably hasn't helped, but above all, Stearns doesn't seem to try and come up with an artists image like so many young, hip, ambient artists. Stearns is above all an earth-hugging hippie, and his music is all the more powerful and sincere because of it.
Ambient and Textural works consists of most airy, floating synthezisers, bells, eerie and beautiful female vocals, and field recordings. Stearn's big strength on this album is his ability to create not simply experimental pieces, but to create emotionally potent and beautiful pieces, without resorting to any of the luke-warm New Age flourishes that many of his contemporaries did. The nine-minute tape, vocal, and bell piece "Jewel" is worth the purchase price, and listeners would be hard-pressed to hear anything that didn't exite them. Anyone looking for organic, sincere, and ascendent ambient music would regret not buying this album.

An excellent album from a veteran of ambient music..........2000-09-07

Michael Stearns played a major role in the beginning of the style known as Ambient Music. Even if he is shadowed by masters like Brian Eno and Steve Roach, the extreme quality of this album shows how this artist has been forgotten by the critics and the historians! Because of its beautiful and calm melodies, this album should be very accessible for someone new to this style as well as being a good intro for a amateur wishing to discover the early compositions of Stearns.

Ambient music in its childhood.......1998-06-15

This retrospective disc shows the promise of ambient music, along the lines of Brian Eno and early Tangerine Dream. Uneven but compelling, the artist Michael Stearns later works eclipse these rough sketches. A must if already a fan, but try Kronos or The Lost World first if uninitiated.

Wonderful retrospective of truly original ambiant music.......1998-06-13

This CD has some of the very best ambiant music ever recorded. It covers all sorts of moods and textures without degenerating into "drums and rattles" or horrible dissonance.

Tracks:

Desperate Love (from 'Heat') - Oscar Lopez
A Sunday At Home (from 'Heart & Beat') - Ralf Illenberger
Magnolia (from 'A Sense Of Place') - Eric Tingstad
Breeze From Saintes Maries (from 'Tempest') - Jesse Cook
Lover's Promise (from 'Passion: Music For Guitar') - David Arkenstone
November Winds (from 'Indian Summer') - Friedemann
Ferry (from 'Liquid Smoke') - Randy Roos
Amber (from 'Guitar Works') - Matthew Montfort
Leaving Home (from Guitar Works') - Sheldon Mirowitz
Simpatico (from 'Natural Selections') - William Ellwood
Beloved (from 'Departures') - John Doan
Fall Dreams (from 'Impressions') - Gabriel Lee

Tracks:

Barcelona (from 'Guitar Works') - ANDREW WHITE
Fingerdance (from 'Fingerdance') - Billy McLaughlin
Mori' Sonando (from 'Flamenco Fire And Grace') - Miguel De La Bastide
Walking With Alfredo (from 'Bridge Of Dreams') - David Lanz and Paul Speer
La Fagota (from 'Give And Take') - Tingstad & Rumbel
Horizons I (from 'Circle') - Ralf Illenberger
Bye Bye Lullaby (from 'Guitar Works') - Martin Kolbe
The Man From Caesaria (from 'Aquamarine') - Friedemann
New Face (from 'Passion: Music For Guitar') - Nando Lauria
My Sky At Twilight (from 'Warm Sounds In A Gray Field') - Peter Maunu
Chameleon's Dance (from 'Primalvision') - Randy Roos

Customer Reviews:

Could have been much better.......2001-12-08

There are 6 tracks that save the cd's from being drink coasters:"Lover's promise","My sky at twilight","Ferry","Breeze from Saintes Maries","Simpatico" and "Fingerdance".The rest of the works are bland and bear no repeated listening.One cd would have been more than sufficient considering the lack of great material.Prepare to do a lot of skipping around on these disks. P.S. Get this set only if you happen across it used.

A lot of strings...but not so much music.......1998-11-02

For me it was a surprise that a label as Narada couldn't issue a better guitar sampler than this, considering all the good material that they have. Probably, they privilege a "Good Seller Sampler", as a "young person guide to Narada Guitarists", than a sampler for their fans. Sorry about that, but for me the only tracks that worth it are "Ferry" (Randy Ross), "November Winds" (Friedemann) and "Finger dance" (B. Mclaughlin). E.R.

Average customer rating:

Collected Works
The Third Eye Foundation
Manufacturer: Domino Records UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky (Fando y Lis / El Topo / The Holy Mountain)
The Fountain (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000HDRAB2
Release Date: 2006-11-13

Tracks:

What to Do Buy Cry?
Corpses as Bedmates
Star's Gone Out
Out Sound from Way In
I've Seen the Light and It's Dark
Ghosts...
Donald Crowhurst
Semtex [Edit][*]
Science Fiction [Edit][*]
Sound of My Violence [*]
Name for My Pain [*]

Tracks:

Galaxy of Scars
For All the Brothers and Sisters
There's a Fight at the End of the Tunnel
Even Harder Shade of Dark
Lions Writing the Bible
No Dove No Covenant
I'm Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired
That Would Be Exhibiting the Same Weak Traits
In Bristol (With a Pistol)
Fear of a Wack Planet [*]
Galaxy of Scars [*][Version]
In Bristol with a Pistol (The Full 9mm) [*]

Tracks:

I've Lost That Loving Feline
What Is It with You
Stone Cold Said So
Half a Tiger
Lost
Are You Still a Clich
Goddamit You've Got to Be Kind
Galaxy of Scars [Live Remix][*]
Semtex [Live Remix][*]
Even Harder Shade of Dark [Live Remix][*]
Lost [Edit][*]
Lost [Pour Elise Remix by Many Fingers][*]

Album Description

This three CD set by the apocalyptic Drum 'N' Bass alias of Matt Elliot (formerly of Flying Saucer Attack) combines the albums Ghost (1997), You Guys Kill Me (1998) and Little Lost Soul (2000) plus extra tracks from the Semtex, Sound of Violence, Fear of a Wack Planet and In Bristol With A Pistol EPs, as well as new material. 35 tracks in all. Domino. 2006.

Album Details

Matt Elliott's Three Key Albums in his Third Eye Foundation Guise. Limited to 1,000 Copies

Night Through: Singles and Collected Works 1976-2004

Average customer rating:

A great starter.....

Night Through: Singles and Collected Works 1976-2004
Loren MazzaCane Connors
Manufacturer: Family Vineyard
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Praise & Worship | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Sails
A Lazarus Taxon
Ys
A Life Without Fear
Not Alone - Medicins Sans Frontieres

ASIN: B000FKO3IU
Release Date: 2006-06-13

Tracks:

Come On In My Kitchen
Ribbon O' Blues
Ribbon O' Blues
Ribbon O' Blues
Mother & Son
Mother & Son
Mother & Son
Mother & Son
Mother & Son
Mother & Son
Five Points
Five Points
Five Points
Five Points
Five Points
The Stations Of The Cross
The Stations Of The Cross
The Stations Of The Cross
The Stations Of The Cross
The Stations Of The Cross
The Stations Of The Cross
The Stations Of The Cross
The Stations Of The Cross
The Stations Of The Cross
Deirdre Of The Sorrows
Deirdre Of The Sorrows
Deirdre Of The Sorrows
Deirdre Of The Sorrows
Battle Of Clontarf
Battle Of Clontarf
Battle Of Clontarf
Battle Of Clontarf
Battle Of Clontarf
Battle Of Clontarf
Battle Of Clontarf

Tracks:

Betty Mae
Night Through
Exile
Exile
Exile
The End, The Afternoon, The Light
The End, The Afternoon, The Light Pt. 2
The End, The Afternoon, The Light Pt. 2
Adonais
Spirit
In A Street Full Of Rain
Air
Oh Bonny Doone
Woman Taken In Adultery
For New York 9/11/01
Pretty As Ever
The Parting Of A Dream Vol. 4
Moon Gone Down
Peace

Tracks:

Why We Came Together
Suzanne's Rain
I've Had Trouble, I've Had Joy
Not Listed
Haunted House
Shadows
Only When You Sleep
I Love You Porgy
Star Of Bethlehem Pt. 1
Star Of Bethlehem Pt. 2
Earth
Stars
Night In Vain
Not Listed
Not Listed
Not Listed
For Miles Davis
For Miles Pt. 2

Album Description

"Outside of Derek Bailey and John Fahey, I've never heard such purity in guitar playing." - Jim O'Rourke

"[Connors] is an American original in much the same sense as John Fahey or Jandek, in that he's chosen a classically American form, in this case the blues, and in true pioneer spirit, taken it off somewhere else." - THE WIRE

"One of my generation's finest and most fervently iconoclast musical voices." - Byron Coley

The essential collection of singles by guitarist Loren (nee MazzaCane) Connors, one of America's most unique and challenging voices. Night Through spans four decades of Connors' recordings, from the first solo 7" (Ribbon o' Blues on St. Joan) and critically acclaimed, rare singles issued by Table of the Elements, Road Cone, Father Yod, Menlo Park, Gyttja, and Union Pole to his late nineties band Haunted House and recent acoustic recordings. In all, this 3XCD set contains three and half hours of music: twelve 7" singles, private CD-R releases, collaborations with Suzanne Langille and Robert Crotty, compilation appearances, and twenty-two unreleased pieces including a two-part tribute to Miles Davis and a 1959 recording by Connors' mother Mary Mazzacane. The twenty-four-page color booklet contains detailed notes and cover art for each single, plus never-before-seen photographs, a biographical and critical essay by renowned blues scholar Dr. William Ferris, and commentary from Connors, Langille, Road Cone's Mike Hinds, and more. Remastered from the original tapes by Jim O'Rourke, this is the definitive overview of Connors' journey as a consummate solo artist.

Customer Reviews:

A great starter............2006-06-14

Man! Three full disc of great sounds from Loren Connors!

This is a nice place to start for the beginner,because this set has many examples of this "venusian blues" guitarists craft.

There are his lilting ,fragile pieces,and some of his more trditional sounds too (a few are even a bit loud). Occasional vocals are here too,...some by Susan,Loren's wife(in his Haunted House version of his vision).

I was so used to his album releases that seem to average only 30-some minutes playing time each,that when I started to listen here I found I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer size of this portion of Mr. Connors' music found here. But it's all of high quality,and most of it is dreamy,floating ,forelorn blues-y stuff.

Well worth the price,and (like I said before) a fine starter kit as an intorduction to this sigular artist's sound. This could be the one Loren MazzaCane Connors CD set you need in your collection,or the beginning of an obsession with his music.

Give it a try and see for yourself.

Collected Works (The Complete Studio Recordings 1991-1994)

Average customer rating:

mastery!
Hmmm....not bad
Grindcore, dub and everything in between.
Shrieks and whispers and rolling thunder
SOUND IN AN AGE OF TERRORISM

Collected Works (The Complete Studio Recordings 1991-1994)
Painkiller
Manufacturer: Tzadik
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music

The Complete Studio Recordings
Talisman: Live in Nagoya
Astronome
At the Mountains of Madness
Kristallnacht

ASIN: B000003YUO
Release Date: 1998-02-17

Tracks:

Scud Attack
Deadly Obstacle Collage
Damage To The Mask
Guts Of A Virgin
Handjob
Portent
Hostage
Lathe Of God
Dr. Phibes
Purgatory Of Fiery Vulvas
Warhead
Devil's Eye
Tortured Souls
One-Eyed Pessary
Trailmarker
Blackhole Dub
Buried Secrets
The Ladder
Executioner
Black Chamber
Skinned
The Toll
Unlisted

Tracks:

Parish Of Tama (Ossuary Dub)
Morning Of Balachaturdasi
Pashupatinath

Tracks:

Pashupatinath (Ambient)
Parish Of Tama (Ambient)

Tracks:

Gandhamadana
Vaidurya
Satapitaka
Bodkyithangga
Black Bile/Yellow Bile/Blue Bile/Crimson Bile/Ivory Bile

Customer Reviews:

mastery!.......2006-09-04

Painkiller is John Zorn (saxophone, vocals), Bill Laswell (bass) and Mick Harris (drums, vocals). Without the name, the makeup of the trio sounds more like the recipe for a lounge act, any place the smoke will be thick and people are going to hum along to "Misty," no matter how many times they've already heard it.

Throw in the band's name, though, and you have improvisational thrash tinged with ambient grooves and a boatload of primal screaming, not to mention the occasional lick of dub reggae. The music is full and deep and will toss you around in a matter of seconds (as is the case with "Handjob," "Purgatory of Fiery Vulvas" and "Trailmarker," which altogether total not even a minute's worth of music) or quell you with twenty minutes of oceanic groove (as in "Pashupatinath (Ambient)"). Sometimes, Painkiller gives you both in the same song.

Known in their time mostly through those in the know up in New York City (and by some very lucky crowds in Japan), Painkiller was a three-year effort that started in 1991. They released four recordings: the EPs Guts of a Virgin and Buried Secrets, the two-album Execution Ground and a live recording from Osaka, which graced only select stores in Japan. In continual reverence to John Zorn, their executive producer, the Tzadik label has released all four recordings and a bonus track in a four-disc package amply titled Painkiller: the Complete Studio Recordings 1991-1994 (Tzadik has been rereleasing many of John Zorn's older works, from his first recordings of 1973 to his film scores and a previously unavailable--in America, at least--recording from his band Naked City).

Painkiller was a creation of three icons of underground music. Mick Harris was the original whirlwind of percussion behind Napalm Death; John Zorn has been blowing saxophone (and bird whistles and kazoos and pots and pans and vacuum cleaner hoses...) in New York City since the 1970's; and Bill Laswell is the master ear behind such bands as Praxis (featuring Funkadelic veterans Bootsy Collins and Bernie Worrell) and Material (featuring everyone in the world at some point of the band's continued reincarnations, including Whitney Houston). The idea was to see if improvisation could make a crowd mosh (and mosh they did). Perhaps another idea was to explore the sounds of a band without lead guitar, a must to your typical rockers.

Each member of the trio brought to the table his own talent and extraordinary magic. Mick Harris brought the sheer power a drum kit could offer, the reality that there could be but one man, a mere pair of arms and feet, behind an insane flurry of percussive attacks and cymbal crashings. Also, he brought that primal wail that sent the early recordings of Napalm Death (the days of thirty-minute albums graced by forty or more songs) to their psychomaniac height. John Zorn brought the virtuosity of saxophone--the ability to make the most extraordinary range of sounds, from wails and squeals to the kind of breathy riffs film noire ran their credits in front of. He brought the ability of quick-change, the precision of switching from a steady, droning groove to high pitch mayhem in the space of a breath (more often switching tempos in the same breath, having been inspired by Carl Stalling and his scores to Warner Brothers cartoons). John Zorn also brought the ability to play along to anything. Soul, ska, bebop, hip-hop, Beach Boys or Dead Boys, Zorn could find a way to slip in some saxophone and never let it sound out of place.

The real crux of this band, though, was Bill Laswell. Only he could round out the efforts of this spectrum of influence. His name has held the producer's spot on albums from the Ramones and Mephiskapholes to the Japanese drumming band Kodo and jazz great Pharaoh Sanders. A Bill Laswell production distinguishes itself not for sounding like every other Bill Laswell production (like, for instance, the efforts of Bob Rock or the David Bowie influence on Iggy Pop) but for not sounding like any other Bill Laswell production. John Zorn often holds the spotlight in Painkiller with his high trills and lung-bursting blasts, and Mick Harris may mesmerize with his drum rolls that make Alex van Halen's beats as tedious as a pair of shrunken old dams operating a crusty red Bonneville, but it's Laswell that maintains Painkiller through its plethora of sounds. No matter if it's the unremitting noise of "Damage to the Mask" or the sine wave of crescendo and liquid slide in "Parish of Tama," Bill Laswell drives the atmosphere with a steady foundation of bass--nothing too fancy, but always just right.

In all, the Painkiller complete recordings will give you a full range of experience, offerings selections for all tastes--a lot of the short, hard material lies in wait on one disc, while the more ambient tracks sit on another, a considerate allowance for those whose moods may shift in trying to decide what to listen to. The dynamic of having all three performers keeps things from completely giving themselves over to, say, the purist speed-dementia of Mick Harris or the disparate noise that can too often grace a lot of John Zorn's solitary efforts. We never even sink fully to the depths of Bill Laswell's thalassic ambient whalesong, the likes of which can be found on the Subharmonic label with such notaries as Jah Wobble and the California mutant guitarist Buckethead, the kind of ambient that would make Brian Eno look like a speed freak. Just as any one sound seems to be taking over, it is instantly thwarted by another in a very refreshing way. The mega-quick, three-second "Trailmarker" is rounded out right afterward by the bass-heavy "Blackhole Dub."

But the real gems by far are found in selections from Execution Ground. Rather than hit us with several songs, each sporting its own musical style, as in the Guts of a Virgin and Buried Secrets EPs, Execution Ground offers fourteen to sixteen minute assaults that take us through every mood of the ensemble. Zorn's peals on the sax meld slowly into a cascade of screams by Mick Harris, moving then so slowly into the subconscious (and subaural) thumps of Bill Laswell, and we come to an end strangely pacifying and complete. This was indeed the height of their artform, and their live disc reinforces that: the audience sounds both mesmerized and enraged. Slowly, oh so slowly, we have been breaking down the categories of music and find it harder and harder to call one thing 'rock' while we call another thing 'alternative' or 'pop.' Painkiller offers us music that transcends all--slow and fast, hard and soft, Painkiller offers up music worth a serious listen.

Hmmm....not bad.......2006-03-09

Now this is not a completely satisfying box set. Do not get me wrong there is some really great stuff on here. the mix of heavy metal and jazz is well done. I preferred Naked City however but even that concept wore thin after a few records. Here it is abit of the same. Ok the players are exceptional and there are some gems but...

Grindcore, dub and everything in between........2005-11-18

In the late '80s, John Zorn developed a fascination with hardcore death metal and grindcore. Adding bands like Napalm Death to his endless list of influences. Zorn at some point met Napalm Death drummer Mick Harris, and the two discussed collaborating. The net result of this was Painkiller, with the addition of bassist Bill Laswell.

Describing Painkiller is a bit difficult-- Zorn and Harris' overt grindcore sound blends remarkably well with dub bass courtesy of Laswell-- the band recorded three albums-- "Guts of a Virgin" and "Buried Secrets" and "Execution Ground". All of these along with an ambient remix of "Execution Ground" and a live show are gathered into this boxed set, "Collected Works".

"Guts of a Virgin" and "Buried Secrets" (making up the first disc) follow pretty much the same formula-- the band rails away, loud, heavy, and propolsive-- Laswell finds oddball grooves, Harris pounds relentlessly, and Zorn screeches over the top. The music is exciting, powerful and engaging, but you really have to be in the right frame of mind to hear it because it is relentless in its approach. Sometimes it excels enormously (opener "Scud Attack", frantic "Guts of a Virgin" and "Skinned" or Zorn explosion "Hostage"), sometimes it gets a bit more experimental which is intriguing, particularly on "Buried Secrets"-- tracks like "Blackhole Dub" and "Black Chamber" find Laswell pushing the grooves in somewhat different directions. Guest performances by Justin Broadrick and G.G. Green (both of Godflesh) on a pair of tracks help provide some more intrigue to those pieces-- "Buried Secrets" is a guitar effects workout and "The Toll" is morbid and bleak (and fantastic). The final cut on the disc, "Marianne", is from an album by vocalist Makigami Koichi. The band with Koichi on vocal and Haino Keiji on guitar, follows much the same formula, also in Keiji, Zorn has a guitarist willing to match his screeches and it makes for an intriguing pairing. Add to this Koichi's much more patient and relaxed vocal delivery, and certainly the cut is one of the most unique on the record.

"Execution Ground" paints a drastically different picture-- the same fierce improvs and explosive performances are present, but rather than brief tracks, it sounds as if Laswell mixed several pieces together with some ambient tape to form more coherent and extended statements. The results-- the music is a bit more laid back (a bit mind you, it's not exactly calm and patient), a more overt dub sound comes out, and it's much more produced and arranged-- effects processing, instruments fading in and out, volume swells, and so on. While it makes for a more coherent statement, it does lack that frantic energy that the earlier records had. The music is really quite unlike anything else and needs to be heard to make sense, "Pashupatinath" is the standout, encompassing an almost Naked City-like variance in sounds and themes, with Zorn adding a West coast jazz sensibility to the dub and grindcore sounds. If production made "Execution Ground" unique, then it stands to follow that ambient remixes would only continue that trend. What results is something totally unexpected-- "Execution Ground" is reduced virtually to samples for Laswell, who by and large creates a music that is bleak and haunting, using ambient sound, noise, and staggered instrumental presence to build a sense of foreboding. It's highly enjoyable, albeit not what you'll be looking for if you were expecting a grindcore workout.

The final disc, "Live in Osaka", is to my mind the gem of the set-- like many Zorn projects, Painkiller shines live. The music loses some of its heaviness but does not tame a bit-- four pieces are performed by the band, each is far more extended than the album cuts an has a weird jam-band/grindcore feel to it that, while I'm incapable of explaining it, benefits the material. On the last track with the band, Yamatsuka Eye of the Boredoms joins in to add some madness, and Eye and Zorn duet for an encore.

All in all, it's a pretty impressive set, there's a lot of material, I suspect not all of it is going to be to everyone's liking, but it's a good value for the money. Recommended.

Shrieks and whispers and rolling thunder.......2003-12-06

Although this box set lives up to its reputation (and then some), it's a disappointing collection of music. Painkiller is a very heavy, shrill band. Over the course of four CDs, three guys improvise an interesting hybrid of hardcore jazz and heavy metal: John Zorn on alto sax, Mick Harris on drums, and Bill Laswell on bass. The first two EPs (squeezed together on to one disc) are formless instrumentals of noise. Each song has a random length and a colorful title. These two EPs (Guts of a Virgin and Buried Secrets) don't have much going for them. They stop and start, they shriek, and in the end you get a little bit bored.

Their third recording, Execution Ground (the second disc here) is a major improvement. It sounds like Laswell took the first two EPs and remixed them, blending ambient soundscapes into the jackhammering improvisation. There are three songs, each about 15 minutes long, that drone and rumble along. The third disc in this set is an ambient remix of Execution Ground. The noise is kept to a minimum while wind and distant echoing screams take over. It's very creepy and beautiful. It is, by far, the best part of this set.

The fourth and final disc is a live album. It sounds just like Execution Ground. On the final tracks, the great Yamatsuka Eye joins in. Eye howls like the Tasmanian Devil along with Zorn's screeching saxophone. I've heard this disc over and over, waiting for it to grow on me, but it never did. It's boring.

It's hard to recommend the Collected Works to anyone who hasn't already heard (and loved) Painkiller. The idea behind the band --- three musicians improvising the noisiest music of all time --- is a great idea. But the result is less than expected. Too much of this music is an indulgence that leaves you scratching your head. The high points (discs 2 and 3) are impressive, but not enough to justify buying the whole set.

SOUND IN AN AGE OF TERRORISM.......2003-07-26

Improvisational music's currrent Dark Magus is found here
in a amplified trio that includes alto sax, bass and drums. How to describe Zorn's playing here? Imagine if a velociraptor somehow was an alto saxophone virtuoso-and was hunting for his next kill! Bill Laswell's generous use of his weapons of bass destruction create the general mood and space of each piece while Harris's drums serve to raise or lower the general panic level. I'm not put off by noise but I do marvel at how HARD these guys work at it. Someone might compose a piece about BILE,
But five BILE(s) in 5 different colors?! These recordings spill the "gutbucket" back into Jazz but in a visceral,FORENSIC sense.
The use of dub techniques and echoes remind us that violence (most of which occurs on disc one) may reverberate longer in our lives than we think. P.S. Better than Naked City because more of Zorn's own brilliant playing over extended jams. Six Stars!!!

Average customer rating:

Quite a surprise!

Griffes: Collected Works for Piano

Manufacturer: New World Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Griffes: Complete Piano Works, Vol. 1
Charles Griffes: The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan/The White Peacock/Three Poems of Fiona McLeod

ASIN: B0000030G2
Release Date: 1997-08-19

Tracks:

Three Tone-Pictures, Op. 5: The Lake At Evening
Three Tone-Pictures, Op. 5: The Night Winds
Three Tone-Pictures, Op. 5: The Vale Of Dreams
Piece In B-Flat major
Piece In D Minor
Legend
Roman Sketches, Op. 7: The White Peacock
De Profundis
Dance In A Minor
Roman Sketches, Op. 7: Nightfall
Piece In E Major
Roman Sketches, Op. 7: Clouds
Roman Sketches, Op. 7: The Fountain Of The Acqua Paola
Three Preludes: Prelude 1
Three Preludes: Prelude 2
Three Preludes: Prelude 3
Sonata

Customer Reviews:

Quite a surprise!.......2003-09-19

The work of Charles Griffes may represent one of those rare hidden treasures of America's not-too-distant past. Although his piano works draw upon the likes of Debussy and Chopin, they certainly seem unique and creative enough to warrant similar acclaim. In his music I hear a certain introspective sound that I suppose one would call "impressionism". Anyone who can appreciate Debussy's work, or even Bill Evans's for that matter, will definitely want to check out this cd. The artistry and sound quality also seem quite exceptional.

Music Info:

Music Info

music info

Recommended Music:

Killamangiro [CD-single] [Import]

Rossini: Guillaume Tell [Box set]

Russian Folk-Songs

Live [Live]

Songs for the Jet Set/Collector Number One

Standing In Da Spirit (The Uncut Version)

Stairway to the Stars

Sibelius: Pelléas et Mélisande; Rakastava; Valse Triste

Right Side Up [Import]

Mountain Tracks, Vol. 4