Last Days of the Century [Import]

Last Days of the Century [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Aussie reissue of the folk-rock artist's 1988 album, originally released in the U.S. on Enigma. Highlights include, 'Real & Unreal', 'Antarctica', & 'Fields Of France'. EMI. 1997.

Tracks:

Last Days Of the Century
Real And Unreal
King Of Portugal
Red Toupee
Where Are They Now
Bad Reputation
Josephine Baker
License To Steal
Fields Of France
Antartica
Ghostly Horses Of the Plain
Helen And Cassandra
Ghostly Horses Of the Plain
Ten Cents
Dreaming

Average customer rating:

Last Days of the Century - Al Stewart's Y2K
Dated Production Paired With Substandard Stewart Songwriting
Big-time sleeper
GOOD ARTISTIC '80 MUSIC.
Lackluster songwriting from a brilliant songwriter

Last Days of the Century
Al Stewart
Manufacturer: EMI Europe
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Down in the Cellar
A Beach Full of Shells
To Whom It May Concern, 1966-1970
Orange
Modern Times

ASIN: B0000246VQ
Release Date: 2000-07-04

Tracks:

Prelude
Last Days Of The Century
Real And Unreal
King Of Portugal
Red Toupee
Where Are They Now
Bad Reputation
Josephine Baker
License To Steal
Fields Of France
Antarctica
Ghostly Horses Of The Plain
Helen And Cassandra

Album Description

Import only reissue of the folk-rock artist's 1988 album, originally released in the U.S. on Enigma. Highlights include, 'Real & Unreal', 'Antarctica', & 'Fields Of France'. EMI. 1997.

Customer Reviews:

Last Days of the Century - Al Stewart's Y2K.......2006-06-23

Al produced this work in the 1980's. It is a "different" album. Al was bringing out the swift rock here. In retrospect, it is a lesser known and appreciated work than material produced in later years. At the time, he was attempting to get back into the limelight of rock stations who had ceased playing his stuff after the phenomenal "Year of the Cat" in '76. There are some cuts that remind you of the old Al, "King of Portugal" for example. But "Last Days of the Century" was an attempt to put him back in the top 40. My favorite, "He's fresh out of Law school...he's got a license to steal" should have been used as background music for "The Firm" or put somewhere in a Gordon Gekko speech in "Wall Street". As time has gone by, Al has produced two excellent albums since this one, "Between the Wars" and "Beach Full of Shells", also one good piano album "Down in the Cellar". So this work will probably fall to a lower rung with "Russians and Americans" from '84. At least he survived and continued to plug away. It paid off! Songs from this album are almost NEVER sung at any of Al's concerts. I think because they require too many other instruments. I don't recommend this work for people who like Al's casual style. It was designed to be different and it may shock the uninitiated, especially if this was the only work of Mr. Stewart that they ever heard. (that WOULD be a crime!)

Dated Production Paired With Substandard Stewart Songwriting.......2006-05-15

Being a Stewart fan, I honestly wished I liked this album more than I ultimately do do, but when you get right down to it I just don't get it. The slick, synth heavy 80's production simply sounds painfully dated nearly 20 years later (and, quite frankly, was already rapidly falling out of vogue when this album was first released). That, in and of itself, might not be such a huge problem but it becomes one once it is paired wiht what sounds suspiciously like Stewart's song writing fatigue. None of the songs here come close to the masterful songs on previous albums, and none come close to the masterful songs that would follow on such Albums as "Famous Last Words," "Between the Wars," and his most recent album "A Beach Full of Shells." Each of those albums are essential for anyone interested in exploring Stewart's work beyond his pair of late 70's megahits "Year of the Cat," and "Time Passages."

This is not to say things are a total loss. "Antarctica" captures a memorable melody and pairs it with an intriguing metaphor (both of which manage to trump the flute part which, given its consistency in the song, can sometimes be mite annoying), "King of Portugal" is solid enough to overcome its quasi dance floor arrangement and "Red Toupee," which clearly a lightweight throwaway is catchy enough to qualify as a guilty pleasure. Still, interestingly enough, the albums best and most memorable track is "Where Are They Now." It stands out here for two reasons -- it is a first rate song and it's simpler arrangements and lower key production remind one of the style that Stewart does best.

Big-time sleeper.......2006-05-05

I am a guitarist and this album rates among my all-time favs. Not only did I get turned on to guitarist Peter White, years before his first solo release, but discovered one of the most clever of wordsmiths in Al Stewart.
Although, after discovering who played the majority of guitar on the project, I have purchased several of Peter's albums, this is the only Al Stewart album I have ever purchased; not too crazy about Year of the Cat or most of his other works either, but the combination of musicians and songwriting on Last Days of the Century is exceptional - like an off-the-menu entre at a small Italian restaurant that nobody else can hold a candle to.
I will be listening to this now and again for the rest of my life.

GOOD ARTISTIC '80 MUSIC........2006-02-18

I first heard "King of Portugal" back around late 1988 on WLER broadcasted from Butler, Pennsylvania on the car radio and can actually remember the street I was on at night when I heard it. It was never played on a top 40 station within a metropolitan area. I never knew the name of the song only that "king" was in it and Al Stewart sang it from a recording released around 1988 when I first heard it. So around 2000 I found out the name of the song & cd via internet cd sellers.

This recording sounds pretty good and I really wish "Ghostly Horses Of The Plain" would have been an extended 5 or 6 minute song. There is a problem with the numbering of the songs on this cd. As far as being over-produced, I think more synthesizers could have been added and it would have suited me just fine. In one of the songs the beginning sounds just like the beginning of a Simple Minds' song.

Al Stewart has a nice soft voice which is especially good in this day & age were raunchy "roots rock" singing prevails.

I don't like "Real & Unreal" because of the jazzy horn used in it.

"Red Toupee" is a good pop song as is "King Of Portugal."

I LOVE the first seconds of "Antarctica".

This is a good cd to listen to while drinking herbal teas or traveling in the national forests.

Lackluster songwriting from a brilliant songwriter.......2005-07-27

This CD is the weakest of the 11 Al Stewart albums I have on CD. Most of the songs are melodically uninteresting, and not up to his usual level of lyrics. Of the many historical topics covered in his songs, Stewart is normally at his best writing about the years around the First World War. Fields of France is a genuine disappointment, both lyrically and melodically. Perhaps it's the insipid, synthesizer-heavy arrangements, but Stewart's band, which includes the very talented guitarist Tim Renwick, a mainstay on earlier Stewart releases, sounds uninspired. Peter White's spanish guitar solos are an ill-fitted attempt to replicate what he has done so well on other Stewart albums. On a positive note, the album finishes with its best material, Antartica, an instrumental called Ghostly Horses of the Plain, and the album's only truly good song, Helen and Cassandra. This CD is for those (like myself) who would like to own Stewart's enire discography.

The Calm: Inspired 20th Century Classics

Average customer rating:

Terrific, rarely heard music

The Calm: Inspired 20th Century Classics

Manufacturer: Black Box Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Music of Life/Joseph Curiale
Awakening
John Adams: The Dharma at Big Sur/My Father Knew Charles Ives
Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna, etc. / Salamunovich, Los Angeles Master Chorale
All the Roadrunning

ASIN: B000058UUT
Release Date: 2001-05-08

Tracks:

Honey: Jesus
Messiaen: Louange a l'Eternite de Jesus
Part: Spiegel im Spiegel
Messiaen: Louange aL'Immortalite de Jesus
Satie: 6 Gnossiennes
Satie: 6 Gnossiennes
Satie: 6 Gnossiennes
Satie: 6 Gnossiennes
Satie: 6 Gnossiennes
Satie: 6 Gnossiennes
Curiale: Forgiveness - Movement 2
Satie: Le Fils des etoiles - pastorale kaldeenne: La vocation
Satie: Le Fils des etoiles - pastorale kaldeenne: L'initiation
Satie: Le Fils des etoiles - pastorale kaldeenne: L'incantation
Honey: Morning
MacMillan: Angel
Adams: Alone...again or at last

Amazon.com

Black Box may be one of the preeminent record labels for modern composers, but that doesn't mean its music can't be soothing. On The Calm, we get a 17-track sampling of some lesser-heard 20th-century pieces that are all (you guessed it) calming. Paul Honey's atmospheric track from Two Days, Nine Lives sets the opening tone for this disc, while tracks featuring the music of Erik Satie and Olivier Messiaen are a little less predictable but still soothingly meditative. Arvo Pärt's "Spiegel im Spiegel" gives a listener a hint of his "holy minimalism" style of composing; it's a gorgeous piece and well-played by violinist Rebecca Hirsch. John Adams's electronic keyboard-based "Alone ... again or at last" is an odd closer; it sounds more like smooth jazz than classical music. Still, as classical compilations go, this set is one of the most eclectic and interesting available. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

Terrific, rarely heard music.......2002-07-06

The title of this compilation is incredibly accurate IF you enjoy modern music. It doesn't really fit the traditional, mainstream definition of relaxing music -- nice, quiet Mozart or Vivaldi, for example. It does, however, feature beautiful, powerful, sublime modern music. Each track is a revelation, from the more familiar Messiaen and Satie to the rest of the album, all pieces that I had not heard before. Paul Honey, Joseph Curiale, and James MacMillan all deserve a wider audience. Hopefully, their inclusion on this compilation will help them gain that audience.

John Philip Sousa: Music for Wind Band, Vol. 3

Average customer rating:

Sousa via Royla Artillery Band

John Philip Sousa: Music for Wind Band, Vol. 3
John Philip Sousa , and Keith Brion
Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

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

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

John Philip Sousa: Music for Wind Band, Vol. 2
Sousa: Music for Wind Band, Vol. 1
John Philip Sousa: Music for Wind Band, Vol. 4
John Philip Sousa: Music for Wind Band, Vol. 5
John Philip Sousa: Music for Wind Band, Vol. 6

ASIN: B00008IHW5
Release Date: 2003-03-18

Tracks:

The Corcoran Cadets
Semper Fidelis
Selections From 'The Free Lance'
The New York Hippodrome
La Flor Di Sevilla
Waltzes From 'El Capitan'
A Century Of Progress
Suite: The Last Days Of Pompeii: In The House Of Burbo And Stratonice
Suite: The Last Days Of Pompeii: Nydia
Suite: The Last Days Of Pompeii: The Destruction Of Pompeii And Nydia's Death
The White Rose
With Pleasure - Dance Hilarious
The Belle Of Chicago
The National Game

Customer Reviews:

Sousa via Royla Artillery Band.......2004-12-03

This continuing series promises to develope many aspects of Sousa's varied music. The only marches the listener may recognize are the two favorites in the beginning. These are almost required selections and Naxos has been very clever in doling out the favorite Sousa marches (so many times recorded before) with lesser known fare. Here we have many interesting other works by Sousa that have been seldem offered before. These include numerous pieces for symphonic wind band and draw upon Sousa's fascination with operatic composition. As a composer, Sousa was probably one the most varied of his kind. Indeed, you can put together a complete program of music as there is so much variety to chose from. Such has been done here with this series. The inspired baton of Keith Brian, famed for his New Sousa Band concerts here leads the venerable Royal Artillery Band of the British army. This is a winning combination, as the RA band is one of the oldest and most distinglished bands in the UK. With 49 pieces, the band can produce the kind of robust sound which is required for many of Sousa's works, but there is also a delicacy of performance here which Keith Brian brings out in the band. This third volume in the Naxos series is promising to be one of the best of its kind ever put together. Here we can finally get that eccletic mix that made a Sousa concert such a memorable and fun event. Keith Brian, Naxos and the Royal Artillery Band are a winning combination.

John Philip Sousa: Music for Wind Band, Vols. 1-5 (Box Set)

Average customer rating:

Sousa Authenticity

John Philip Sousa: Music for Wind Band, Vols. 1-5 (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

John Philip Sousa: Music for Wind Band, Vol. 6

ASIN: B0002TNI8A
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Album Description

This five CD box set to commemorate Sousa's sesquicentennial includes Volumes 1-5 in this ongoing American Classics series. Highlights include: Looking Upward Suite, King Cotton, The Fairest of the Fair, The National Game, The Glory of the Yankee Navy, The Atlantic City Pageant, Cubaland, Semper Fidelis and The Stars and Stripes Forever.

Customer Reviews:

Sousa Authenticity.......2006-11-01

My review as stated separately for Volume V in this series goes for this boxed set even more emphatically!