The Circle Game

The Circle Game

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The title owes to a Joni Mitchell composition, which is appropriate, as Rush has been one of Mitchell's best interpreters--his languorous, sweet version of "Urge for Going," (included here) case in point. This '60s folk classic is also notable for the haunting originals, particularly "No Regrets" (covered later by Emmylou Harris), with its matching of dark guitar lines and Rush's hushed baritone. --Roy Francis Kasten

Tracks:

Tin Angel
Something In The Way She Moves
Urge For Going
Sunshine Sunshine
The Glory Of Love
Shadow Dream Song
The Circle Game
So Long
Rockport Sunday
No Regrets

Amazon.com

The title owes to a Joni Mitchell composition, which is appropriate, as Rush has been one of Mitchell's best interpreters--his languorous, sweet version of "Urge for Going," (included here) case in point. This '60s folk classic is also notable for the haunting originals, particularly "No Regrets" (covered later by Emmylou Harris), with its matching of dark guitar lines and Rush's hushed baritone. --Roy Francis Kasten

Customer Reviews:

Like the Finest Bottle of Burgundy. .......2007-06-22

It is hard for me to find the perfect adjective to describe this collection. Timeless, intimate, subtle, exceptional. Slightly melancholy but never maudlin, it grows more complex with each passing year. No better example of late 60's "electric folk" is available. Perfect on a coming of winter morning.

A Wistful Winter Album.......2007-02-21

I believe that this was Tom Rush's final album on Elektra, coming out around 1968. Like many of the folkies of the early sixties, Tom had concentrated on updated versions of old folk and blues songs on his own early albums, which had been on Folkways (I think) and subsequently Elektra. He eventually incorporated more rock type instrumentation on top of his own acoustic style, as many of his contemporaries had done as the sixties wore on and the original folk styles fell by the wayside. I remember local Boston radio playing Tom's rock version of the Bo Diddley song "Who Do You Love", with his deep baritone going even lower than usual. Being on Elektra, he was able to record with some of the members of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band (as had Bob Dylan), but that style never seemed to fit him well. By the late sixties, Tom made the crucial decision to begin recording his versions of the songs of a new breed of contemporary but lesser-known songwriters, rather than the older tunes on which he had specialized. My guess is that he took that cue from Judy Collins (also on Elektra at that time), who had had some success moving from straight folk to contemporary songs on her mid-sixties albums. For his first stab at this, he put out a single of "Urge for Going", a song by a little known songwriter, Joni Mitchell. This song got extensive play on Boston radio and became a local hit of sorts. Tom put it on his subsequent album, "The Circle Game", along with two other Joni songs, a Jackson Brown song, and a couple by another relatively unknown newcomer, James Taylor. (I don't think any of these three had put out albums of their own at that point, although Jackson may have.) Add to that two of his own very rare songs, along with a couple of other tunes and the mix became musical gold. The orchestration and sensitive arrangements, coupled with Tom's baritone, made this his best and most artistic album, before or since. While a number of artists were interested in musical experimentation after "Sgt. Pepper's" came out, this album was one of the ones whose experimentation and artistic branching out worked. It raised Tom's profile nationally and marked him as a kind of taste arbiter for new songs and songwriters. The original album had very brief orchestral links between the songs that echoed some of their melodies, and they added to what was an overall melancholy and wistfulness, marking the album as very much a "winter" album, as well as proclaiming it as more than a collection of songs, but a kind of song cycle, a whole piece. I miss those links, but I don't think that, after all this time as a CD which is still an available catalog item, that we'll ever get a re-mastered version with all of the original music. In looking back at this album, it seems like a pretty daring move for Tom, career-wise, and it pretty definitely closed the door on his folkie days. Although its orchestrations and slightly baroque stylings were never repeated, for Tom this album became the transition to the more rock based style of the seventies, a style he stuck with for much of the rest of his recording career, and many people who like Tom Rush music are surprised to find that he had an earlier folk style. This is definitely one of those albums that you need to have on your shelf so you can take it out and play it on a gray day. Whenever I hear the beginning of "Tin Angel" or the notes of "Rockport Sunday", I'm transported, not just back in time, but transported completely. And, of course, "Urge for Going" and "No Regrets" are very nearly perfect renditions, with their stately pronouncements masking the heartbreaks underneath.

Best Tom Rush recording ever.......2007-01-20

This is the album that got me into this genre of music in a big way. Tom's version of "Urge for Going" was a song that I heard on the radio and soon became one of those "must haves" pretty quickly. Tom's ear for music and eye for talent was definitely evident on this album---playing songs by Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, and James Taylor before anyone knew who they were. Top notch recording.

The man and the music at his best!.......2007-01-13

I first heard Tom Rush, when I was a Sophomore at Northeastern University in Boston back in 1969. It was a cover of "Rye Whiskey" and after just one verse, I was hooked. Between his incredible guitar playing and the way he interpreted the song, not to mention his voice, I became a Tom Rush fan. Since then I've purchased most of his recordings and gone to many concerts.

An interesting side story, is that Tom sort of had a hand in hooking me up with my future bride! It was my senior year and I was at a party talking with some people about a recent Tom Rush concert at the Harvard Stadium. This pretty lady just happened to walk by and said; "I was at that concert too!". To make a long story short, our "honeymoon" just completed its 33rd year! Both Kathy and I have been at many Tom Rush concerts, and I think this album is her favorite as well.

The Circle Game~ Tom Rush.......2006-11-21

All through the early to mid sixties my Dad would take the family to a $200 a week bungalow in Hyannis, Cape Cod run by a woman who was cleaner than clean and Main Street had miniature golf and soft creamy cones. Those were the days of an enchanting and vigorous and inspiring President and something called Camelot. Tom Rush was evolving then as a respected interpreter of a young prodigy in the Folk Rock genre by the name of Joni Mitchell. This seminal CD of Tom's The Circle Game contains the revered Joni selection, The Urge For Going and The Circle Game which chronicles the issues of a difficult process for a young man called growing up. No Regrets follows as a classic Tom Rush contribution which has captivated listeners for so many years and among other exceptional songs has served to classify Tom as one of the original Folk Heroes. Tom Rush never needed a George Burns menagerie of ill timed comedians to judge his music. Tom always got up there and played with his guitar and maybe some small back up and has always given us music that makes us relaxed and pleasured and content with his musical abilities specifically in a technical and aesthetic sense. Tom does not need high speed voting for validation, he is a bright(Harvard Graduate) and effective recording artist and this CD should be purchased immediately for clear enjoyment and if you get a chance he is currently performing. I really feel we need the television power elite to consider a true classic rock concert as an alternative to what is going on now in the music business with performers like Tom Rush, Neil Young, Steve Poltz, John Gorka and Thea Gilmore, Tori Amos and maybe even the illustrious and deliriously sensual Sarah McGlocklin simply getting up there and dishing it out-just making us feel good without the hype, bells and whistles.

Jay Adler, CD Reviewer

Average customer rating:

fabulous
Fabulous Folk
Chipmunk Folk

Circle Game: Folk Music for Kids
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Music Little People
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Compilations | Children's Music | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

All You Need Is Love: Beatles Songs for Kids
A Child's Celebration of Song
A Child's Celebration of Rock 'n' Roll
A Child's Celebration of Dance Music
Baby Beluga

ASIN: B00005NTQ1
Release Date: 2001-09-04

Tracks:

Mr. Tambourine Man - Tahkus Ekedal
Puff The Magic Dragon - Carrie Brandon
Happiness Runs - Bernie Steinberg
If I Had A Hammer (The Hammer Song) - Carrie Brandon
The Circle Game - Bernie Steinberg
Shower The People - Michael Bannett
You've Got A Friend - Shoshana Bush
There Is A Mountain - Sudhananda
El Condor Pasa - Michael Bannett
If You Want To Sing Out - Carrie Brandon
Moon Shadow - Michael Bannett
Both Sides Now - Tahkus Ekedal
59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) - Priya Francis

Amazon.com

Instead of going round and round and round trying to narrow a meandering genre for Circle Game: Folk Music for Kids, Music for Little People limited its songwriting players to a certain era. So break out your bandana and loosen up about letting the kids wear tie-dye, because a hippy-happier mood is hard to find these days. It's not that the 13 songs collected here serve only to spread good vibes--"You've Got a Friend" does more to remind us how we'd feel without one, and "Puff the Magic Dragon" could knock the wind out of even the most freewheeling spirits--but the boys and girls enlisted to perform these tracks clearly were feelin' groovy come recording time. "If I Had a Hammer (the Hammer Song)" and "If You Want to Sing Out," both led by what sounds like a mighty and stuffy-nosed 6-year-old, carry the lyrical capacity to temporarily ease 21st-century strife, real or imagined. So do "Happiness Runs" and "Moon Shadow," which even when delivered by crooners too young to wax philosophical can't help but impart a near-mystical hopefulness. "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Both Sides Now," and "The Circle Game" pull a similar sleight of hand, sparking a winding, shifting sort of introspection. For a finale, "59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" couldn't be more fitting. Spin this disc and count on not only raising just-aroused consciences, but also on kick-starting a renewed karmic wave of harmony and lyrical insight. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

fabulous.......2002-10-24

I think this CD is fabulous. It has a whole lot of songs from my younger days, sung by children. I play this in the car and both the kids and I enjoy it. I am asked over and over to play it. Recommend!

Fabulous Folk.......2001-12-07

Really nice CD. My son & I enjoy it together - it's fun to share these classic songs with him and he enjoys the kids voices very much.

Chipmunk Folk.......2001-11-19

I bought this CD specifically to help me sing folk songs to my newborn -- I didn't anticipate the songs to be sung by children in such high voices and at speeded up tempos! It's nothing I can sing along to, let alone barely listen to. Maybe small children would enjoy it but adults would probably find it as irritating as I do!

Average customer rating:

Simply Musicals

Manufacturer: Simply
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Simply Jazz
Greatest Songs from the Musicals

ASIN: B0002S303Y
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Tracks:

Comedy Tonight [From a Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Foru] - National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Circle of Life [From The Lion King] - National Symphony Orchestra, David Shannon, Martin Yates
Elaborate Lives [From Aida] - Vanessa A. Jones, Sean McDermott, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Patrick Vaccariello
All That Jazz [From Chicago] - Jan Horvath, Julian Kelly, National Symphony Orchestra
If I Were a Rich Man [From Fiddler on the Roof] - John Owen Edwards, Jerry Lanning, National Symphony Orchestra
On the Street Where You Live [From My Fair Lady] - John Owen Edwards, Gary Mauer, National Symphony Orchestra
Luck Be a Lady [From Guys and Dolls] - Gregg Edelman, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra
Younger Than Springtime [From South Pacific] - Graham Bickley, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra
What I Did for Love [from a Chorus Line] - National Symphony Orchestra, Catherine Porter, Martin Yates
Anything You Can Do [From Annie Get Your Gun] - Mark Adam, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra, Caroline O'Connor
Impossible Dream [From Man of La Mancha] - John Owen Edwards, , National Symphony Orchestra
Try to Remember [From the Fantasticks] - Graham Bickley, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Oklahoma! [From Oklahoma!] - John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra

Tracks:

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang [From Chitty Chitty Bang Bang] - Simon Bowman, , National Symphony Orchestra, Sally Ann Triplett, , Martin Yates
What Kind of Fool [From Saturday Night Fever] - Julian Kelly, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Caroline O'Connor
Memory [From Cats] - John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra,
Anthem [From Chess] - Andrew Halliday, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Phantom of the Opera [From The Phantom of the Opera] - Graham Bickley, Claire Moore, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
What Kind of Fool Am I? [From Stop the World I Want to Get Off] - Holloway/Gold/Yates, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Dancing Queen [From Mamma Mia] - Julian Kelly, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Caroline O'Connor
Sun and Moon [From Miss Saigon] - Graham Bickley, Katrina Murphy, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Anything Goes [From Anything Goes] - John Owen Edwards, Louise Gold, National Symphony Orchestra
As Long as He Needs Me [From Oliver!] - John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra, Sally Ann Triplett
People's Song [From Les Miserables] - National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Time Warp [From the Rocky Horror Show] - National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Martin Yates
We Are the Champions [From We Will Rock You] - Dean Collinson, , Jim Graeme, Paulette Ivory, Sally Ann Triplett, Martin Yates

Tracks:

Tonight (Quintet) [From West Side Story] - John Owen Edwards, Paul Manuel, National Symphony Orchestra, Caroline O'Connor, Tinuke Olafimihan
Good Mornin' [From Singin' in the Rain] - Craig Barna, Michael Gruber, National Symphony Orchestra, Randy Rogel,
Summer Nights [From Grease] - John Barrowman, Shona Lindsay, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Martin Yates
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious [From Mary Poppins] - Jim Graeme, , National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Make Believe [From Show Boat] - John Owen Edwards, Teri Hansen, Doug LaBrecque, National Symphony Orchestra
You'll Never Walk Alone [From Carousel] - Muriel Dickinson, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra
Woman in Love [From Guys and Dolls] - Gregg Edelman, John Owen Edwards, Emily Loesser, National Symphony Orchestra
Deadwood Stage [From Calamity Jane] - John Owen Edwards, Debbie Gravitte, National Symphony Orchestra
Maybe This Time [From Cabaret] - National Symphony Orchestra, Sally Ann Triplett, Martin Yates
New York New York [from New York New York] - Craig Barna, Sean McDermott, National Symphony Orchestra
If Ever I Would Leave You [From Camelot] - Gerry Anderson, Robert Meadmore
Nowadays [From Chicago] - Julian Kelly, National Symphony Orchestra, Caroline O'Connor
76 Trombones [From The Music Man] - National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates

Tracks:

Macavity [From Cats] - National Symphony Orchestra, Jacqui Scott, Martin Yates
With One Look [From Sunset Boulevard] - Kim Criswell, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Whistle Down the Wind [From Whistle Down the Wind] - Jim Graeme, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Martin Yates
All I Ask of You [From The Phantom of the Opera] - Andrew Halliday, Katrina Murphy, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Only You [From Starlight Express] - John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Grania Renihan
Another Suitcase in Another Hall [From Evita] - John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra, Grania Renihan
King Herod's Song [From Jesus Christ Superstar] - Christopher Biggins, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Music of the Night [From The Phantom of the Opera] - John Owen Edwards, Jim Graeme, National Symphony Orchestra
Buenos Aires [From Evita] - Julian Kelly, National Symphony Orchestra, Caroline O'Connor
As If We Never Said Goodbye [From Sunset Boulevard] - National Symphony Orchestra, Jacqui Scott, Martin Yates
Unexpected Song [From Song and Dance] - Clare Burt, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Close Every Door [From Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat] - John Barrowman, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra
Our Kind of Love [From the Beautiful Game] - National Symphony Orchestra, Sally Ann Triplett, Martin Yates

Sherlock Holmes: Classic Themes From 221B Baker Street (Television And Film Score Anthology)

Average customer rating:

A good collection
Great music to accompany your favorite detective stories!
Excellent Collection of Pieces from Many Sources
Superb, otherwise unavailable music
Superb, otherwise unavailable music

Sherlock Holmes: Classic Themes From 221B Baker Street (Television And Film Score Anthology)

Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

1990s | By Decade | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

221B Baker Street - Patrick Gowers
The Seven Percent Solution Suite - John Addison
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Main Title - Cyril Mockridge
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Moriarty - Cyril Mockridge
A Study In Terror - John Scott
The Universal Holmes - Frank Skinner
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Game Is Afoot - Cyril Mockridge
Young Sherlock Homes - The Riddle Solved - Bruce Broughton
The Red Circle - Patrick Gowers
The Seven Percent Solution - I Never Do Anything Twice - Stephen Sondheim
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Elementary - Cyril Mockridge
The Masks of Death - Malcolm Williamson
The Hound Of The Baskervilles - Main Title - James Bernard
Dressed to Kill - The Music Box - Frank Skinner
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes Suite - Miklos Rozsa
Without A Clue - End Title - Henry Mancini

Customer Reviews:

A good collection.......2002-03-27

I have always been a fan of the Sherlock Holmes books, but the films and TV shows have never impressed me. (Except for the originals starring Nigel Bruce and Basil Rathborne.) However, I loved most of the music on this CD, especially the Victorian sounding piece from "A Study in Terror". I also enjoyed the song "I Never Do Anything Twice". (OK, its very blunt, but the tune is original, and I was humming the song for days after I first heard it!) I recommed this album to any Holmes fans, or anyone who likes unusual soundtracks.

Great music to accompany your favorite detective stories!.......2001-09-13

I'm going to say this upfront because I wish I had known it before purchasing this cd. The music on this cd is not original. In other words, a single orchestra has redone the selected pieces. For the most part, they are loyal to the originals - however, there is a difference between what you've heard in these programs or films and what is on this cd. The Granada piece, which I was most excited about, did use an annoying bass drum which, in my opinion, was a bit over the line (a bit too much of a "rock" feel, if you will), but it is very brief and used in a musical bridge. The violin part is intact and impressive.

The Young Sherlock Holmes suite is nearer the original film score than anything on the cd and is very enjoyable. I could have done without the Sondheim vocal piece all together as it breaks the instrumental flow and feeling. The "aztec flute" piece (from the Woman in Green I believe) that is visted three times is slightly annoying - particularly since it is very short in a couple of places and again, interrupts the flow of the album.

Surprisingly, I will say that overall, I'm pleased as a Sherlock Holmes fan and happy to add the album to my Holmes collection. It will make superb reading music when I pull out my Holmes books again this fall - granted, I may put the vocal piece on skip. However, I'm am more anxious to own the TV soundtrack to the Granada/Jeremy Brett show - as, I suspect, it is probably the superior album.

Excellent Collection of Pieces from Many Sources.......2001-06-01

This is an excellent compilation of music from various Sherlock Holmes movies, with the addition of music from the Granada TV series that starred the late Jeremy Brett. The excerpts are really very enjoyable,and cover films from the 1930s onward, so represent a mix of film music styles. Particular favorites of mine are the music from "Young Sherlock Holmes" (when is this going to be on DVD??) and a suite from the underrated Billy Wilder film "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes." The latter derives from a gorgeous violin concerto by Milos Rozsa, which seems to be appropriate for our violin playing detective. An item some people may like is the Stephen Sondheim song "I Never Do Anything Twice," heard here with its full set of lyrics.

All of the music is very well played (and the one sung well sung) in this well-filled CD. It is definitely a treat if like Sherlock Holmes and have seen any of the movies for which the music was written or the Granada TV series.

Superb, otherwise unavailable music.......2000-01-17

This is a soundtrack that no lover of good film scores should be without. Virtually none of the music is otherwise available. Thanks to Sherlock Holmes' affinity for the violin, much of the music here features that instrument prominently. None of the cues disappoint.

There are two cues from the Granada TV series (which ran on PBS from the mid-80s to mid-90s, starring Jeremy Brett). Patrick Gowers' music is available on a CD collection, but this is out of print and becoming increasingly difficult to find.

Similarly, the score excerpts from The Seven Percent Solution (Addison) and A Study in Terror (Scott) are lovely, lyrical, and melancholy. Ditto for Young Sherlock Holmes (Broughton) -- it is a crying shame that this wonderful score is not available on CD, but this cue is an excellent gloss on the best themes of the score.

I am also fond of the suite from The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (Rozsa); though the score is derived from Rozsa's violin concerto (which exists on a very fine coupling featuring Jascha Heifetz, with the Korngold violin concerto, and Waxman's Carmen Fantasie), it is different enough to be worth hearing on its own.

The other cues are also worthwhile listening. The interruption of the Sondheim song midway through the tracks is something of an annoyance (even though I like the song itself); given that it was available elsewhere it seemed sort of pointless to include it in this collection, which is otherwise all-orchestral.

Highly recommended.

Superb, otherwise unavailable music.......2000-01-17

Tracks:

Gamer Chick
Anime Girl
PROJECT-ENTROPIA PC Game

Album Description

Two Hot Singles for the Gamer generation & this enhanced CD also comes with Project-Entropia full client software.

Customer Reviews:

Project-Entropia is the best!.......2004-04-10

Project-Entropia is simply the coolest online game ever...
Love this CD the music is awesome! I'm going Pro!

Gamer Chick and PE Rule.......2004-03-22

The tracks listed on this CD are next to none. The MMORPG that comes with it is a very fun and addicting game. ENJOY!!

Average customer rating:

Circle Game

Manufacturer: Abacus Productions
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000BVJF9A

Product Description

Tracks: 1 Nagasaki 2 Plant a Radish 3 Minstrel 4 Summertime is Here 5 Brother Can You Spare a Dime? 6 A Popular Song 7 Madeira, My Dear 8 Preacher & the Bear 9 September Song 10 Danny Boy 11 Orange Colored Sky / Makin' Whoopee 12 Josephine 13 Mother Faces / Circle Game / Grandmother's House / Grandmother