Union

Union

Track Listings

1. Old Man Wise

2. Around Again

3. Pain Behind Your Eyes

4. Love (I Don't Need It Anymore)

5. Heavy D...

6. Let It Flow

7. Empty Soul

8. October Morning Wind

9. Get off My Cloud

10. Tangerine

11. Robin's Song

Tracks:

Let Me Touch You For Awhile
Choctaw Hayride
The Lucky One
Baby, Now That I've Found You
Bright Sunny South
Every Time You Say Goodbye
Tiny Broken Heart
Cluck Old Hen
Stay
Broadway
Ghost in This House
Forget About It
Faraway Land

Tracks:

A Tribute to Peador O'Donnell/Monkey Let the Hogs Out
The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn
Take Me For Longing
I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow
Maybe
We Hide & Seek
But You Know I Love You
When You Say Nothing At All
New Favorite
Oh, Atlanta
Down to the River to Pray
There Is A Reason

Amazon.com

This two-CD, 25-song set, recorded in Louisville on two nights in the spring of 2002, finds bluegrass's most celebrated crossover band at the top of its game. Krauss's warm, feathery vocals, capable of conveying complex emotions in a single note, appear more full-bodied than in studio recordings, yet lose none of their sensual appeal or dramatic tension. She's perfect, for example, as the melancholy temptress on "Let Me Touch You for Awhile," coming across as both savior and seductress, while Jerry Douglas's Dobro echoes the searing strains of passion and pain. With banjoist-guitarist Ron Block, bassist Barry Bales, and guest drummer Larry Atamanuik anchoring the rhythm, the ensemble deftly blends bluegrass with jazz, rock, and folk, combining lightning speed (though rushing through "Forget About It") with sophisticated chops, tangible emotion, and thrilling vocal blends. The crowd, more spellbound with every note, doesn't even breathe on "Ghost in This House" and nearly tears the place down on Dan Tyminski's voice-of-George Clooney showcase, "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow." But who could blame them? It's only one highlight on an album of uncommon artistry, a moving testament to how good live music can be in the hands of world-class players. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews:

WOW ! Amazing!.......2007-07-15

I'm late to the game and just discovered Alision and Union Station when my husband dragged me to a concert. I LOVE them ! This CD is great, it's now my new favorite. You'll enjoy it

A great release.......2007-06-18

I was not disppointed. Their talent has not subsided or been diluted in any way. The sound is tight, the singing is superb and the emotion is palpable.

Alison Krauss Is God's Mouthpiece.......2007-04-03

I must admit. I grew up with pop, soul, and rock and roll in the sixties and seventies, and despised everything that was country and bluegrass music. Then, I heard -- much by accident -- Alison Krauss singing an old sixties favorite, The Foundations "Baby, Now That I've Found You." I had never heard of Alison Krauss. I didn't even know that she was a bluegrass singer, but I was instantly mesmerized by her flawless, angelic voice! I immediately purchased this Live CD and I must say that it is one of my favorite discs.

Alison's beautiful voice nearly moves me to tears every time. Lacking the nasality of most bluegrass and country singers, Alison Krauss possesses one of the finest voices in music today.

Alison Krauss & Union Station - Live.......2007-02-28

I love these cd's because Allison's voice is so stirring. She's backed up by extremely talented musicians. The kind of music you can actively listen to.

Alison Krauss & Union Station--Live.......2007-01-18

I am a huge Alison Krauss fan, and in this live album, she and the Union Station put on a rousing performance that is sure to please...the live audience sure did! This is Bluegrass at its very best!

Average customer rating:

I LOVE this record!
The sheer delight of Alison Krauss and band
Smart and Beautiful and Talented Allison
An eclectic mix for Alison Krauss
Bluegrass for mature rockers

Lonely Runs Both Ways
Alison Krauss and Union Station
Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music

Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music
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Alison Krauss & Union Station - Live
Now That I've Found You: A Collection
New Favorite
A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection
Why Should the Fire Die?

ASIN: B000645UPA
Release Date: 2004-11-23

Tracks:

Gravity
Restless
Rain Please Go Away
Goodbye Is All We Have
Unionhouse Branch
Wouldn't Be So Bad
Pastures of Plenty
Crazy as Me
Borderline
My Poor Old Heart
This Sad Song
Doesn't Have to Be This Way
I Don't Have to Live This Way
If I Didn't Know Any Better
A Living Prayer

Amazon.com

Nobody makes somber sound more exquisite than Alison Krauss. She's come an awfully long way from her days as a teenage fiddle prodigy, as her glamour gown on this CD's cover suggests and the bittersweet maturity of the music confirms. Krauss exchanges her bluegrass fiddle for the chamber strains of viola on much of the material, including four songs by Robert Lee Castleman (whose "The Lucky One," "Let Me Touch You for Awhile," and "Forget About It" were previously popularized by Krauss). Castleman's compositions showcase the emotional intimacy and interpretive subtlety of her breathy trill. The yearning harmonies on "Wouldn't Be So Bad" (written by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings) and "Borderline" (written by Sidney and Suzanne Cox) reinforce the album's restless spirit of quiet desperation. Change-of-pace contributions by Krauss's bandmates are more deeply rooted in the bluegrass/folk tradition, with Dan Tyminski renewing Del McCoury's "Rain Please Go Away" and Woody Guthrie's populist anthem "Pastures of Plenty"; Dobro master Jerry Douglas leads the charge on his instrumental "Unionhouse Branch." Few bands in bluegrass can match the virtuosity of Union Station's interplay, but the artistry of Alison Krauss transcends genre. --Don McLeese

Recommended Alison Krauss & Union Station Discography

Now That I've Found You: A Collection
Two Highways
I've Got That Old Feeling

Live
Forget About It
So Long So Wrong

Album Description

GRAMMY WINNER FOR BEST COUNTRY ALBUM, BEST COUNTRY PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP, AND BEST COUNTRY INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE.

Lonely Runs Both Ways is the highly anticipated new studio album from the world's finest purveyors of Bluegrass, Alison Krauss and Union Station. Featuring instant classics such as "Wouldn't Be So Bad," "Goodbye Is All We Have," and the lead single, "Restless," Lonely Runs Both Ways is another unforgettable collection of songs from this multiple Grammy-winning act.

Customer Reviews:

I LOVE this record!.......2007-07-12

I love this record, and I love the fact that Alison and the guys know where there talent lies. They never pretend to be something they're not. Any record of theirs is going to be your favorite. There is not a song on this record that I don't like. If you like this one, try their new one "A Hundred Miles or More". Same goes for that one. Very few singers in my experience are as good as Alison, so if you want to listen to music at it's purist, this is the record for you.

The sheer delight of Alison Krauss and band.......2007-07-01

I keep referring to "that goddess" when I hear her come on the radio or one of her tracks comes on my computer. My colleagues are used to me gushing about her. I say, I first fell in love with this diva as I discovered her in "O Brother, where art thou" and then again in "Cold Mountain". I was terribly hooked and several albums later I am a devoted fan of her and her band. They cannot do wrong, each album is full of fun, superb artistry on several instruments, incredibly good harmonies. What can I tell you? She is at the top of her genre and her contributions to those soundtracks shows a depth she can call on that certify her as a true gem. What a great talent and another great album.

Smart and Beautiful and Talented Allison.......2007-05-13

I love practically everything they do. Allison and Union Station. I love Bluegrass. Always have and always will. I have all of their CDs except for the newest one released this year. Soon I'll have it. I have a brand new favorite male singer. (Right up there with Don Gibson.) That would be Dan Tyminski. I just love the way he "pushes" those words out. After I found out that wasn't George singing in O Brother, I searched and searched for the song not even realizing it was on a CD I already had. Don't know how I missed it unless I was on the phone or something. I now play it over and over. There are lots and lots in these CDs that I absolutely can't get enough of. I play them all over and over.

An eclectic mix for Alison Krauss.......2007-05-12

She has some heart wrenchers and some upbeat jigs. A great CD to listen to any time--several different moods to choose from!

Bluegrass for mature rockers.......2007-05-07

AKUS has been the premier bluegrass act...forever. However they were off my radar since they played BLUEGRASS. I am a rocker. Then I clicked on Urge to catch and listen and I was hooked. This is Bluegrass? Alison's ethereal voice and her bands phenomenal playing have made me a convert. (ps. the singer from the Coen brothers' movie "O brother where art thou" is in this band)

Gary Puckett & the Union Gap - Greatest Hits

Average customer rating:

Great album by an often overlooked group
Oldies Lover
A real time machine trip (ten stars)
Gary Puckett-Greatest Hits
Another Gary Puckett Greatest Hits?

Gary Puckett & the Union Gap - Greatest Hits
Gary Puckett & the Union Gap
Manufacturer: Sony Special Product
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

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Jay & The Americans - Greatest Hits
The Grass Roots - All Time Greatest Hits
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Very Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

ASIN: B000002YAI
Release Date: 1995-10-01

Tracks:

Woman, Woman
Let's Give Adam & Eve Another Chance
To Love Somebody
Young Girl
Lady Willpower
Kentucky Woman
This Girl Is A Woman Now
Over You
Could I
Daylight Stranger

Customer Reviews:

Great album by an often overlooked group.......2007-01-04

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap had a distinctive sound that still comes through today. This CD has all of their best hits with a few others added. If you are a fan, this is a must-have.

Oldies Lover.......2006-11-07

There are a lot of songs on this CD that I don't remember & don't really care for. However, the sound quality is good. Take the time to listen to all the samples before buying.

A real time machine trip (ten stars).......2006-03-08

Your kidding me! This takes me back to a hangout called "the barn" and my old girlfriend Debby. Boy those were the days. This is real music to relate to.

Gary Puckett-Greatest Hits.......2005-09-19

It is a great CD- am enjoying it immensely!

Another Gary Puckett Greatest Hits?.......2005-08-02

It seems like there are at least a dozen "Greatest Hits" or "Best of" collections by Gary Puckett, and this one is probably not one of the better ones. I think that each of the collections include the real hits of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, "Woman, Woman," "Young Girl," "Lady Willpower," "This Girl Is a Woman Now," and "Over You." After that each of the collections includes "stuff."

The "stuff" on this CD includes "To Love Somebody" by the Bee Gees. Gary Puckett's voice is an excellent match for this cover of the Bee Gees' classic. There is a cover of "Kentucky Woman" by Neil Diamond in this collection. I know the remaining songs, "Let's Give Adam and Eve Another Chance," "Could I," and "Daylight Stranger" have all appeared on other Gary Puckett collections.

Gary Puckett has an excellent, mellow voice. When his voice matches the material the result is outstanding. However, there are a lot of Gary Puckett collections that exist, and this one is very short, under a half hour. If you are only interested in the top 40 hits, nearly any of these collections (including this one) will give you those. Then you have to decide which of the other songs on the collection you want as well.

My rating is not so much for the material on this collection, which is okay, but for the fact that there are better collections available and it seems as though Gary Puckett has been repackaged too many times with the same core material. The numerous collections should be pared down to a couple. One collection should have half dozen songs or so and the other collection could be like "A Golden Classics Collection," which has an incredible 27 songs. Choose wisely!

Average customer rating:

Midlake's standing on the shoulders of giants
A Really Outstanding Album
A one of a kind band...
A Masterpiece
Outstanding!

The Trials of Van Occupanther
Midlake
Manufacturer: Bella Union
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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

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Bamnan and Slivercork
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ASIN: B000FVQYJK
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Tracks:

Roscoe
Bandits
Head Home
Van Occupanther
Young Bride
Branches
In This Camp
We Gathered In Spring
It Covers the Hillside
Chasing After Deer
You Never Arrived

Customer Reviews:

Midlake's standing on the shoulders of giants.......2007-05-17

I love this album. These guys take all of the elements of rock in the 70's that're timeless, and create a new piece. It's kinda like making an awesome collage out of all of those old National Geographic mags that they sell at the thrift store. The originals were good, but a masterpiece CAN be made with what has already been done.

A Really Outstanding Album.......2007-04-13

From the opening track Roscoe to the final track You Never Arrived The Trials of Van Occupanther is a really well constructed album. As you listen to each song you cant help but appreciate how the flute, guitar, piano, and electric guitar in the background complement the voice and lyrics of Tim Smith. This album blends together gracefully and powerfully and you really begin to appreciate what seem like alot of time and effort the group must have put into this album. Its been a long time since I have heard something this fresh. Give the album a try I am sure you will like and appreciate it. Stand out track: "Van Occupanther" this is a clever and beautiful song.

A one of a kind band..........2007-03-13

Out with the contemptible, self-obsessed, self-loathing lyrics of most modern bands; Midlake is folk like Woody Guthrie and brimming with good old-fashioned American idealism. Van Occupanther is thematically and musically transcendent, unlike many a contemporary act's cop-out post-modernism, in that it backs away from our history and gives generous place to who we are and where we're at in the grand scheme of things. How dare a band actually attempt to SAY something nowadays, right? But that's the case here, and it feels good. Emerson would be proud.

A Masterpiece.......2007-03-08

This is the first time I've taken the time to give my input on an album on Amazon. But I had to for this album. It is truely amazing. I bought it right before a trip to Denver and it became the soundtrack for a weekend in the mountains. They're style is truely unique. You definetly hear possible influences throughout. Some Radiohead, Pink Floyd, folk music of the 70's. This is an album for a wide range of music listeners.

Outstanding!.......2007-02-28

It's only their second project, but the Trials of Van Occupanther makes Midlake stand out of the crowd and takes them to the next level. At first, the tracks seem to run together and no single song stands out, but once you listen to the intricacies of each track the album reveals hit after hit. The first track 'Roscoe' was the reason I bought the album, but it has dropped to fourth place of my favorites on the album. Track three 'Head Home' takes the cake, track eight 'We Gathered in Spring' comes in second, track 5 'Young Bride' slides in at third. Be mindful not to over look 'Bandits' (track two) and the album's namesake track 'Van Occupanther', both catchy tunes. The harmonizing is incredible, and the array of instruments will put their contemporaries to shame. If you are curious whether they can pull off these delicate nuances live, the answer is an emphatic 'YES'! The live performance was captivating and they held their vocals and compliment of instrument sounds as tight as the studio recording, with some entertaining banter between songs. Go and get this album today! Vince Minneapolis, MN

Average customer rating:

Do NOT pass this up
Awesome
Awesome, as they usually are!!
Nicely done, if a little slow...but I like slow
Stunning

New Favorite
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

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Lonely Runs Both Ways
Forget About It
So Long So Wrong
Now That I've Found You: A Collection
Alison Krauss & Union Station - Live

ASIN: B00005N8T1
Release Date: 2001-08-14

Tracks:

Let Me Touch You For Awhile
The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn
The Lucky One
Choctaw Hayride
Crazy Faith
Momma Cried
I'm Gone
Daylight
Bright Sunny South
Stars
It All Comes Down To You
Take Me For Longing
New Favorite

Amazon.com

After her 1999 gold release, Forget About It, Alison Krauss has found additional success as part of the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou?--an album that's done more to advance the cause of bluegrass since Bill Monroe first conjured the music out of the hills of western Kentucky. While Forget About It showcased the more contemporary part of Krauss's musical equation and the O Brother soundtrack spotlighted the more traditional, New Favorite combines the approaches in balancing the softer sounds with the rougher-edged material. Krauss particularly shines on the soulful title tune of love gone cold, her vocal--softer than a cloud and more intimate than a midnight kiss--threatening to steal your breath away. However, it's mostly the older sounds that you'll remember from this largely somber album, one that telegraphs uncertainty, doom, and the promise of bloodshed throughout much of the repertoire. On "Momma Cried," a song about a child-snatching that tore a family asunder, Dan Tyminski's tenor vocals rise above a wailing Dobro, a driving banjo, and a thumping, anchoring bass to convey unspeakable pain. Too many of the pop-minded songs fall flat in comparison, but although this may not be the group's best effort overall, no other crossover bluegrass band begins to meet their mark either musically or emotionally, as New Favorite so amply shows. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews:

Do NOT pass this up.......2007-06-18

I never knew I liked Bluegrass until I heard Alison Kraus and Union Station. Her voice is clear and sweet yet she can roar like a lion. The banjos and other instruments are played like they're on fire. I love this music!

Awesome.......2007-05-17

Great mix of bluegrass banjo, fiddle, and Alison. Even my two year old loves the banjo. Very well put together.

Awesome, as they usually are!!.......2007-05-10

Of course it's a great CD. If you don't know them then you should and start your collection today.

Nicely done, if a little slow...but I like slow.......2007-04-12

This is a very good album by AK+US. As I'm not a tried and true country/bluegrass fan, I prefer to hear Alison sing the slower ballads, usually. Two favorites on this album are "Daylight" and "Stars," both of which are just gorgeous. "Let Me Touch You for Awhile" is great too, although I think I prefer the previous two for their introspective words and deeper meaning. To be honest, I am not really a fan of the songs where Alison doesn't sing lead ("The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn," "Momma Cried," "Bright Sunny South," or "It All Comes Down to You") but they are good songs, and well done. I just think Alison's voice is amazing, so I'd rather listen to her. She doesn't sing many upbeat tracks on this album; besides the ones I mentioned above, "Crazy Faith," "I'm Gone," and "New Favorite" are three additional slow numbers. "Take Me for Longing" is the only one she sings that seems to move along faster than a walking pace, although I guess "The Lucky One" is not too slow. Overall, a great album; "Now That I've Found You" and "Forget About It" are even better. For a great gospel/bluegrass album, try Alison Krauss and the Cox Family: I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.

Stunning.......2006-08-01

My first recollection of AKUS (their live album, on prominent rotation in BJ's Wholesale Club) had me thinking - "whoah, this is much better than the Dixie Chicks!".

Call it New Tradition, Newgrass, whatever, this AKUS album is a perfect blend of the old and the new. Allison sings as ever like an angel, Dan T. conveys true grit in his vocals, and Jerry's dobro has never sounded more soulful. It stands firmly in the past, and yet shimmers like a newly-cut diamond.

Get this now.

Average customer rating:

Sorrow and the mandolin
Set your CD player for Auto Repeat, its finger pickin good.
Alison stays true to Her Artistic Vision
A+: Excellent Songs, Singing, Musicianship
Great bluegrass and folk sound

So Long So Wrong
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Traditional | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music
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Lonely Runs Both Ways
Every Time You Say Goodbye
Now That I've Found You: A Collection
New Favorite
Forget About It

ASIN: B0000002O5
Release Date: 1997-03-25

Tracks:

So Long, So Wrong
No Place To Hide
Deeper Than Crying
I Can Let Go Now
The Road Is A Lover
Little Liza Jane
It Doesn't Matter
Find My Way Back To My Heart
I'll Remember You, Love, In My Prayers
Looking In The Eyes Of Love
Pain Of A Troubled Life
Happiness
Blue Trail Of Sorrow
There Is A Reason

Amazon.com

Many bluegrass musicians have incorporated contemporary elements into their work, Jim & Jesse, the Osborne Brothers, and Mac Wiseman among them., but Krauss's contemporary bluegrass contains particularly heavy doses of pop, folk, and modern country. Whatever style she chooses, her flawless voice and her crack Union Station cohorts usually maintain a high standard. The instrumental "Little Liza Jane" and the traditional "I'll Remember You, Love, In My Prayers" prove their instrumental chops, and songs like "No Place to Hide," with an impressive fiddle turn from Krauss herself, effectively mold modern elements into the bluegrass idiom. However, others such as "It Doesn't Matter" and "Deeper Than Crying" have very little to do with bluegrass at all. A mostly solid contemporary-bluegrass album, except when the contemporary drowns out the bluegrass. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

Sorrow and the mandolin.......2006-03-15

Before Jerry Douglas and the Dobro, there Adam Steffey was and his mandolin. I don't know why the band changed the lineup in this way, but it changed the style. With the mandolin, I noticed a lot more traditional sounding tunes, like Little Liza Jane and The Road is a Lover. With the mandolin, the album seems to have a bit more of the banjo.

Alison Krauss's singing is still as ethereal as ever. You can't help but sit and listen. The lead vocal chores are shared throughout the album as Adam, Dan, Ron, and Allison all chime in.

Aside from the traditional tunes, the theme of the album seems to be about sorrow as well as the paths we choose. This is pure storytelling. It is worth the time to read through the lyrics while listening to the songs. It definitely adds to the enjoyment.

Unless you are a fan of traditional country and bluegrass, this may not be for you. However, I would recommend giving this album a listen.

Set your CD player for Auto Repeat, its finger pickin good........2005-05-30

How can one be critical of such perfection seemingly sent direct from his holly bosom. OK!, I know? That isn't exactly helpful to those new to the AKUS phenomenon. I'll try to be level headed about this. If you are reading this, you are looking for guidance, so for those who have resisted buying any AKUS until NOW... Shame on you! But OK, if that be the case, you're best bet for a high saturation of OUTSTANDING ballads is "New Favorite" which has some good B-grass also, or "Forget About It" But this is void of any B-grass whatsoever, (how'd that happen?). For the most balanced album with STRONG Ballads AND B-grass, "So Long So Wrong" is your good first choice. If you prefer the older works of AKUS (lots of B-grass) but can't decide which to buy, your best bet is "Now That I've Found You" without question. Unless you have a specific song title in mind, "Lonely Runs Both Ways" may not be your best first purchase. Stellar performances on ALL titles are to be found without question. Myself? I heard AKUS the first time in 1992. I was awe-struck, and remain so with each release from Alison or AKUS. When god shines, HE SHINES. One day I hope a CD of all of Alisons singles from movie sound-tracks etc... will be released. I own every Alison "album" released so far, other than the occasional wayward single. I can say the same for Dan & Rons works also. Jerry!... lol, Dude, nobody has enough money or time to buy everything YOU've put your personal touch too. However, I can nearly always detect your sound & style, sight unseen whenever I hear it, ". Alison & the group are beyond mere descriptive phrases. Certainly they are perfection, in humility, talent, taste, execution, communion and musicianship. Yet, these words are only glimpses of the greater power one can sense from every utterance AKUS make. Thank You Alison, Dan, Ron, Jerry, Barry et all... I appreciate your music sooooo very much.

Alison stays true to Her Artistic Vision.......2004-06-24

Ever since Elvis began his famed recording career with a Rockabilly cover of Bluegrass Bossman Bill Monroe's signature "Blue Moon of Kentucky" Bluegrass has been regarded by *some* as the poor barefoot hayseed step-child of Country Music. Acoustic Guitars and Banjos and Fiddles were overwhelmed and swallowed up by Electric Guitars and Peddle Steel Guitars. A successful Bluegrass album sold maybe 30,000. The "dirty little secret" in Nashville was that the Bluegrass musicians were the ones who could really PLAY, so talented bluegrassers who wanted to make a decent living became Nashville studio musicians. Bluegrass fans, who are often as fanatical about the music as a religious zealot is about their religion, considered such musicians to have "sold out", and so it was that artists like Ricky Skaggs, Bill Keith, Marty Stuart and Vince Gill were considered. Once big fish in the small Bluegrass pond, they were thought by Bluegrass Purists to have compromised their artistic integrity to become Country successes. (Was it ironic that Ricky Skagg's first Country Hit was a "countrified" version of Lester Flatt's "Don't Get Above Your Raisin'?")

The purpose of this review isn't to give even a thumbnail history lesson of the evolution of Bluegrass and a comparison to more popular and "mainstream" forms of music, but it is important in having a complete appreciation of this album to recognize the historical rarity of a "popular" or "breakout" Bluegrass artist or band or recording. In the past half-century before Alison Krauss the number of Bluegrass recordings which received any degree of popular airplay could be easily counted on one hand:
Flatt and Scruggs "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" - the music used as the musical theme to "Bonnie and Clyde".
Flatt and Scruggs "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" - the theme to "Beverly Hillbillies"
"Dueling Banjos" - from the soundtrack to "Deliverance"
"Rocky Top" - by the Osborne Brothers
"Fox on the Run" - by the Country Gentlemen

Then along came Alison Krauss, with her stunning crystalline voice that caught the attention of the Bluegrass community while she was still a teenager.

She recorded several albums which were among the most well-received in the Bluegrass community leading up to 1995 when her label, Rounder, persuaded her to put together a few new recordings with mostly previous releases, some as "guest star" on other CDs to come up with the compilation "Now That I've Found You"(It may have been called "Greatest Hits" for an artist that had HAD a "hit").

That CD stunned everyone, sold 6 million copies and suddenly Alison Krauss was the hottest female voice in Nashville - winning a handful of CMA awards.

Under the expectations of THAT success Ms. Krauss and her band, Union Station, went to the studio to record the follow-up album.

Many on either side of the "Bluegrass Purist" fence were expecting the next CD to be the "Sell-Out" CD - full of steel guitars and guest duets with Barbra Streisand.

What came instead was THIS CD, "So Long So Wrong", an album that celebrates the Bluegrass heritage that these musicians hail from in addition to showcasing the extraordinary contemporary talents of Alison and Union Station.

Newcomers to Bluegrass expecting a recording with nothing but Alison's voice were likely put out a little that some GUY was singing the lead vocal on several of these cuts. Alison knew that Dan Tyminsky was an extraordinary vocalist YEARS before Dan was chosen to do the singing voiceover for George Clooney in "O Brother Where Art Thou?"

The CD is one of the prominent ones that Alison jokes about in which her lead vocals are predominantly on beautiful but sorrowful ballads like "Deeper Than Crying" and "Find My Way Back to my Heart." These tracks are beautiful and they're NOT "straight bluegrass" for you purists - Ron Block trades in his trusty 5-string for some tasty acoustic guitar work and these are closer to folk or even just "unplugged pop" than to bluegrass. The Dan Tyminski tracks are rollicking rip-roaring bluegrass monsters like "I'll Remember You, Love in my Prayers" and "The Road is a Lover".

This CD is one of the very best by Alison Krauss and Union Station, and that is saying something. If you're a fan of Alison, or maybe you just heard something about "those musicians on the O Brother soundtrack" this is a recording you just have to add to your collection.

A+: Excellent Songs, Singing, Musicianship.......2004-05-02

If you like New Grass or folk, spirited American acoustic, banjo and fiddle, you'll like Alison Krauss. If you don't have anything by her yet, So Long So Wrong is the album to get. I've listened extensively to her albums, and I rate this one the best so far. Excellent selection of melodic numbers. She's never sung better. Her musicians are in very top form.

An outstanding set.

Great bluegrass and folk sound.......2004-03-15

Alison Krauss and her Union Station bandmates do a fine job on So Long, So Wrong. Alison's singing and fiddle playing dominate, especially on the ballads "Looking In The Eyes Of Love", "I Can Let Go Now", "Deeper Than Crying", "It Doesn't Matter", "Happiness" and "There Is A Reason". However, Union Station's guitarist, Dan Tyminski, who sings lead on "No Place To Hide", "The Road Is A Lover", and "Blue Trail Of Sorrow", also is a strong singer. Furthermore, Adam Steffey(mandolin), Ron Block(banjo and guitar), and Barry Bales(acoustic bass), the remaining Union Station members, really shine on this one. The instrumental "Little Liza Jane", on which all the band members get into the act, is a driving bluegrass tune. There's no percussion anywhere on the record, but thanks to Barry's thumping bass lines, the songs have a rhythmic, flowing feel to them, which more than makes up for the lack of a drumbeat. There aren't any musical gimmicks here, but there is a great bluegrass and folk sound. So Long, So Wrong is a fine collection of songs from a truly talented group of singers and musicians.

Average customer rating:

re: Celestial Melodies Great Work Album
The Interpretation of Dreams
Energy transfer
Very Soothing
Urban Longing

Distance
Marconi Union
Manufacturer: All Saints
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000AY2JPU
Release Date: 2006-03-14

Tracks:

Sleepless
These European Cities
Through Glass
Buildings and People
Suburb 27
Inter
A Temporary Life

Amazon.com

What goes around comes around ambient. That's the message from a third generation of electronica artists who were just leaving the womb when Brian Eno's early works were being diffused in the 1970s. They were barely teens when the Orb rolled forth in the '90s. But new artists like Boards of Canada, the Album Leaf, and Explosions in the Sky are taking those early ambient primers and adding geometries of glitch and dream guitar to the mix, creating a melodic brand of ethereal music with an edge. Marconi Union, a Manchester duo, follow suit on a CD that travels in cinematic melancholy and textural malaise. Their songs build slowly, emerging out of a flattened landscape of static and stillness to attain a quietly triumphal beauty. Percussion is almost subliminal in journeys that pulse more than groove. It sometimes gets ominous, with an ostinato bass growl prowling through a Blade Runner landscape on "Inter." But usually they generate a quiet awe, like the slow build of "Sleepless." Expect to hear tracks from Distance in soundtracks and commercials near you soon. --John Diliberto

Album Description

Marconi Union is a reclusive electronic duo from Manchester, England. Their sound has been described as "a post rock cinematic orchestra." Distance, their first U.S. release, is unique, individual and timeless, fusing acoustic sounds, strings and pianos with electronica, post-rock guitars and even occasional nods towards jazz and dub. Described by the band as "a soundtrack to a film that has not yet been made," listening to Distance evokes the feeling of being driven silently around an unknown city at night, observing the activity and life of the urban sprawl in safety and isolation.

Customer Reviews:

re: Celestial Melodies Great Work Album.......2007-06-22

This album resonates with beauty... the music provides you with a very thought provoking journey. If you want to transcend your current time and place, just put this album on and you will be transported by the delicate yet etheral melodies.. it is an album with tremendous beauty. I cannot recommend a album more, it relaxes me and gives me insight into what I am doing. Absolutely fantastic album to listen to while at work...

The Interpretation of Dreams.......2007-04-30

At the end of the previous century, Brian Eno's genius, expressed through his various ambient works, set an insurmountable barrier for those that they chose to follow his pattern. To put it bluntly, he set a standard that nobody managed even to come near to. (Maybe his brother came close, but he was still lacking Brian's imagination and mood to discover).

All these until Marconi Union and their Distance work. Dreamy atmosphere, almost psychoanalytic, moving in all senses. A perfect link to Eno's Music For Films sequel. A perfect step towards ambient fulfillment.

It is really hopeful that such groups exist and needless to say, we are truly looking forward to their next work.

Energy transfer.......2007-02-13

There is an exhange of energy that takes place for me when I listen to Distance. Not only do I experience de-stressing and decompression, there also comes a palpable energy transfer while listening to these selections.

The first step in the transfer is the way Distance draws the toxicity of my day out of me, leaving me pleasantly drained. The second step of the process, then, is how the movement within each track subtly softens and salves the chisel-bitten edges of my consciousness. In the third step, as fresh fluid trickles in, I am refilled and renewed.

After a day of dying little, moment-by-moment deaths, Distance breathes life back into me, slowly, slowly, and almost imperceptibly.

If you have ragged edges, if you have wounds, this can be a balm for you.

Very Soothing.......2007-01-24

Nice Album! Very peaceful textures that are perfect for relaxing/Yoga/Meditation etc. I would not consider this New Age, it's more modern Ambient with some modern electronics. There are quite a bit of interesting sounds here even guitars. The product description here says: "a Manchester duo, follow suit on a CD that travels in cinematic melancholy and textural malaise. Their songs build slowly, emerging out of a flattened landscape of static and stillness to attain a quietly triumphal beauty. Percussion is almost subliminal in journeys that pulse more than groove" I think that is a very good way of describing this album. Good Stuff.

Urban Longing.......2007-01-24

Marconi Union's Distance album is a warm embrace of ambient textures with drifting melodies and haunting memories filled with dreamy longings. If you can't sleep, put this in your CD player/stereo and climb into a warm bath. The music is well suited to relaxation, reading late at night or simply dissolving into a memorable mood.

"Through Glass" is more sensuous, while "Buildings and People" has a more luminous trajectory with the feeling that a city has been left completely empty, it is almost haunting in beauty. "A Temporary Life" has shy jazz flourishes, but overall seems to be melting into the night.

The urban moods build on each other until you feel completely relaxed. This album has hints of places you like to be and it seems to call you to distant locations where you'd like to spend more time dreaming.

~The Rebecca Review

Average customer rating:

Soviet Army Band & Chorus aren't taking any prisoners!
Good music.
Magnificent!
I loved it!
The ultimate collection

Best of the Red Army Choir
Red Army Choir
Manufacturer: Silva America
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

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Soviet Army Chorus & Band
Russian Favourites
The Hunt For Red October: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Best of Communism: Revolutionary Songs
Echoes of a Red Empire

ASIN: B000066RMJ
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Tracks:

Kalinka
Partisan's Song
Souliko
Korobelniki
On The Road (A Soldier's Song)
My Country
The Red Army Is The Strongest
Moscow Nights
Along Peterskaia Street
Smuglianka
Troika Gallop
Ah Nastassia
Echelon's Song
My Army
Civil War Songs
Bella Ciao

Tracks:

National Anthem Of The USSR
Oh Fields, My Fields
The Cliff
The Cossacks
In The Central Steppes
Gandzia
Cossack's Song
The Roads
Song Of The Volga Boatman
Dark Eyes
Let's Go
The Birch Tree
The Road Song
The Samovars
Varchavianka
Slavery And Suffering

Customer Reviews:

Soviet Army Band & Chorus aren't taking any prisoners!.......2007-05-12

If you enjoy a good stiring martial male chorus then spend some time with these guys. They're all graduates of Soviet musical acadamies and any one of them could have graced the top opera houses of the world. You don't have to know any Russian to appreciate this CD. The songs are glorious (just don't translate them -- machine guns, death to foes, etc.), and will make you want to march on Berlin all over again.

Good music........2007-03-09

I had heard a few songs by the Red Army Choir in the past and happened upon this CD set a while back, I found it to be far better than I had hoped and would reccoment it to anyone who enjoys Russian folk music, choir in general, and cultural items from when Russia was still the Soviet Union.

Magnificent!.......2007-02-27

I'm so glad I stumbled onto this.

Spirited, committed, manly singing. Soul-shaking stuff! The ensemble is incisive; soloists are marvelous. The folk melodies are enchanting. The songs--and the singers--are bound up in the cultural fabric of the Cossacks, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky...on and on.., Chekhov, Trotsky, Nabakov... This music conveys the great romantic, dignified, boistrous soul of the Russian People. (Loosely speaking. Some members of the chorus were presumably of other nationalities once part of the Soviet Union. And some of the songs are not Russian).

I don't speak Russian, but listening to this makes me wish I did. What a beautiful-sounding language it is.

I loved it!.......2007-02-22

Even though I cannot speak Russian, the quality of this choral group is beyond excellent. Many of these pieces are extremely moving and stirring. The rendering of the Soviet anthem and the song "Let's Go" (V'put) come to my mind. "Let's Go" became a huge hit in Russia when it was featured in a movie about the Great Patriotic War, and indeed, hearing it - you can well imagine ranks upon ranks of hard-eyed, grim-faced Soviet soldiers striding into battle against the Wehrmacht.

The ultimate collection.......2004-06-15

Excellent performance by the choir and the orchestra. The grandeur, the charm, and the romance! Great collection of songs, sure to bring back memories!

Average customer rating:

An amazing bunch of talent
Alison and an earlier version of Union Station sound great
Excellent CD
Pure but fairly mellow bluegrass
New Grass Blue Grass Good Grass

Every Time You Say Goodbye
Alison Krauss and Union Station
Manufacturer: Rounder / UMGD
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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So Long So Wrong
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Accessories:

GPX C3948BI Ultra-Slim CD Player with 40-Second Anti-Shock Protection and Car Kit

ASIN: B0000002KB
Release Date: 1992-02-14

Tracks:

Every Time You Say Goodbye
Another Night
Last Love Letter
Cluck Old Hen
Who Can Blame You
It Won't Work This Time
Heartstrings
I Don't Know Why
Cloudy Days
New Fool
Shield Of Faith
Lose Again
Another Day, Another Dollar
Jesus Help Me To Stand

Amazon.com essential recording

Over the course of her first albums, including her fourth, 1992's Every Time You Say Goodbye, Alison Krauss probably did more than any of her contemporaries to attract mainstream-country attention to bluegrass. A traditionalist might say this is because Krauss and her band, Union Station, offer a kind of "bluegrass-lite" that's cut with pop sensibility, absent any manic-fast picking, and awash in Krauss's goes-down-easy vocal. Nonetheless, this is a solid album that pushed Krauss deservedly further into the limelight. Highlights include the title track, Union Station banjo picker Ron Block's fine gospel number "Shield of Faith," and the traditional instrumental "Cluck Old Hen." --Anders Smith-Lindall

Customer Reviews:

An amazing bunch of talent.......2007-05-17

It's a fantastic CD. They are fantastic. Their close harmony and high sounds - mind boggling. Some of the best music in the world. (Please see my comment on Mark Fowler's above review.)

Alison and an earlier version of Union Station sound great.......2004-07-15

Dan Tyminski later replaced Tim Stafford on guitar and after mandolin Wiz Adam Steffey left AKUS Dobro Deity Jerry Douglas joined the band.

Ron Block on banjo and guitar and Barry Bales on bass have been with Alison for years, and this version of Union Station sounds comparably polished and talented. I'm going to guess if you're reading this that you have at least a nodding acquaintance with Alison's one-in-a-million voice and the fact that while her bands are built to complement that voice - she also doesn't hog the spotlight.

On this CD standout cuts include "New Fool", "Who Can Blame You", "Heartstrings" along with the Gospel "Jesus, Help me to Stand" and the title cut.

Several of the tracks feature other Union Station members on lead vocals and although they vary from "good" to "not bad" - they suffer from today's perspective in that no one else in Union Station has a voice like Alison's, and no one else in *this* version of the band has a voice like Dan Tyminski.

Still - absolutely required for Alison Krauss fans.

Excellent CD.......2003-08-21

I am a newcomer to Bluegrass - bought the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack and got hooked on it. I was intrigued by the Krauss songs on that album and came to Amazon looking for more. The reviews told me to buy this album, so I did. And I am quite pleased with the purchase.

It is incredible to listen to such skill on the banjo, especially after hearing so much modern guitar strumming. That combined with Krauss' hypnotic voice make the album great. My only problem with the album was that Krauss didn't sing EVERY song!

Pure but fairly mellow bluegrass.......2003-07-12

Alison Krauss has done much to popularise bluegrass in recent years. Her early recordings were pure bluegrass - this (from 1992) was the last album of that phase of her career. Her more recent albums have included other influences but I enjoy those too, in a different way.

On this album, Alison and her band, Union Station, work their way through a selection of songs that are generally not well known despite several of them being cover versions. Many of these are old bluegrass songs, but they also include I don't know why (Shawn Colvin) and Lose again (Karla Bonoff). There are also some original songs here including two by Sidney Cox (of the Cox family).

At the time, Union Station was made up of Tim Stafford (guitar), Ron Block (banjo - he also wrote three of the songs here), Adam Steffey (mandolin) and Barry Bales (bass). Alison played the fiddle as well as doing most of the singing. The four men could all sing and each of them can be heard on this album, providing harmony or duet vocals, but Alison is the real star.

If you are unfamiliar with Alison's early music, I recommend that you buy Now that I've found you - A collection, which I've already reviewed. That includes one track from each of her early albums, plus tracks not available on any of her other albums so far. If you have that collection and you are looking for more of Alison's early music, you will enjoy this.

New Grass Blue Grass Good Grass.......2003-05-13

Bluegrass is cool again. Wait, when was it cool in the first place? I'm sure there was a time when everyone in town would gather together at the barn hoedown and Ma and Pa would take a spin on the dance floor. Well, this one by Alison Krauss and Union Station puts you there. It's a mix between traditional and an edge-off twang of new grass softness. It's the work that really heralded in Alison Krauss and her crew and dare I say laid a precursor for the popular runaway success of "O Brother Where Art Thou?" soundtrack and to a lesser extent the Dixie Chicks.

This music reaches me quite pure. There is something about an artist earlier works that comes across more raw, true, fervent, pure and "Every Time You Say Goodbye" comes across in places as all of these. Though Krauss carries the band's main moniker, it's Union Station that has the talent that stands out here. Ron Block, Tim Stafford, Barry Bales, and Adam Steffey trade off adding to the harmonies and take the lead in a few songs. Those songs stand-out to me. To my taste, Krauss' voice is a little too soft, a little too sweet to catch the down home spirit of bluegrass. She can play one heck of a fiddle, but let the boys sing for the most part.

Tracks:

Nature's Disappearing
You Must Be Crazy
Night Flyer
Off The Road
Possessive Emotions
Where Did My Legs Go
Took The Car
Crying
My Pretty Girl
Deep Blue Sea

Customer Reviews:

This is a great album.......2005-04-10

I bought the CD of John Mayall's album USA Union to replace my LP - it wears awfully well. This is a soft, rhythmic album with a blues feeling. I particularly love the contributions of Don Harris, an "improvising violinist." (Heck, I thought that was a fiddle). Listen to him in the sample of the song "Crying!" You've also got Larry Taylor, bass guitar; Harvey Mandel, lead guitar; and John Mayall's laid-back vocals, some harmonica, and some piano. All songs written by John Mayall. Good listening.

An all time classic.......2005-04-08

This is one of my favorite John Mayall records and an all time Blues-Rock classic. The sound and compositions are soft,creamy and of very good taste. John Mayall made excellent music without drums. The guitar playing of Harvey Mandell
(Canned Heat) is outstanding and works out very well here.

blues from laurel canyon, again.......2000-03-09

John was able to recruit, yet not retain very talented musicians from the US to back him. I saw him twice in the early seventies and his egocentrism in on stage comments that "I'm the star." leave a negative impression . He eventually ran out of material,or else it became to tedious to continue.

Album with no drums, SugarCane Harris and Larry Taylor.......1999-08-09

This is a seminal album for Mayall. Wonderful music, great violin playing by Sugar Cane Harris. I have listened to this album since 1970 and have never tired of it. It has been in constant rotation as album, cassette, and now CD. Get it, relax, and enjoy.

Music Info:

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