Mirror in the Spirit Hotel

Mirror in the Spirit Hotel

Mirror in the Spirit Hotel

Track Listings
 
1. Mirror in the Spirit Hotel
2. Pterodactyl
3. So You KNow the Answer
4. Bug Dance
5. Testy Situations
6. Whatiamand Dance
7. No Shoes
8. Dionysian
9. '55 Chevrolet
10. Unique
11. My Mind
12. Song of a Seed

Editorial Reviews
Delta Democrat Times, February 26, 1998
Mirror in the Spirit Hotel, the just-released recording by Greenville's Richard Haxton, is a bravura performance. Earthy and wildly pulsating with catchy innovative rhythm combinations...

Product Description
"Mirror in the Spirit Hotel" is the first CD release as a solo artist from Richard Haxton. "The Test of Love and Sex" by his previous band, "Fun with Animals," was released by A&M records. It received airplay locally on KROQ-fm and was popular in Seattle, New York City, among other places. He currently performs with a band and solo in the Los Angeles area. The musicianship and song writing are of a high quality, with influences from Rock to African to Middle Eastern to Electronic.

The prologue song, "Mirror in the Spirit Hotel," imagines a world where the whole is larger than the sum of the sound bites. In "Pterodactyl," a man sits in his room and puzzles about how his deep feelings for someone have led him to an intimate encounter with a large flying reptile. "Do You Know the Answer?" asks all those questions you never stop asking in some form or another. "Bug Dance" is love in the jungle. "Testy Situations" depicts a citizen whose life is dragging him around by a specific body part as he attempts to impact his decision making process. In "Whatiamand Dance," a down and outer begins to speak in tongues. "No Shoes" leaves no doubt that an inappropriate fashion statement can lead to some real heat. "Dionysian" puts us in the big living room, dancing with the gods. "'55Chevrolet" confronts sex and death in the land of the free. "Unique" wants to know who you believe - the ant or the anthill? In "Mind," we see the complete ascent of civilization, beginning on that Friday night when somebody crawled out of the primordial ooze and set the stage for the birth of the blues. "Song of a Seed", the epilogue song, just wants everyone to hang in there.

Mirror in the Spirit Hotel

Mirror in the Spirit Hotel,Richard Haxton
The Best of Film Works: 20 Years of Soundtrack Music
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A good overview of Zorn's soundtrack compositions.
  • Curious about Zorn?
 The Best of Film Works: 20 Years of Soundtrack Music

Manufacturer: Tzadik
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Music Romance, Vol. 2: Taboo & Exile
  2. Film Works, Vol. 17: Notes on Marie Menken/Ray Bandar: A Life with Skulls
  3. At the Mountains of Madness
  4. Filmworks VXI: Working Man's Death
  5. The Big Gundown: John Zorn Plays the Music of Ennio Morricone

ASIN: B000A0GPJU
Release Date: 2005-08-23

Tracks:

  1. Main Title
  2. End Titles
  3. Yakisoba
  4. Punk Rock Hero
  5. Through The Night
  6. Surfing Samba
  7. Fanfare/Theme
  8. France
  9. Sweden
  10. Arsenal Dance Mix
  11. Main Title
  12. Wheelchair Racers
  13. Pueblo
  14. Lituus
  15. Fireworks
  16. End Titles
  17. Deseo
  18. Shanghai
  19. Trembling Before G-d
  20. Filming
  21. Shabbos Noir
  22. Chippy Charm
  23. Vocal Phase
  24. Shaolin Spirit
  25. Main Title
  26. Sekhel (Vocal Version)
  27. Protocols Of Zion
  28. Indonesia

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars A good overview of Zorn's soundtrack compositions........2005-10-24

Over the past twenty years or so, John Zorn has built up an enormous library of composition for film, released on sixteen CDs (cleverly titled "Filmworks I", "Filmworks II", and so on...) on his Tzadik record label. For a neophyte, this can be a bit much to tackle, as such, this album, "Filmworks Anthology: 20 Years of Soundtrack Music" has been released to provide an overview of Zorn's soundtrack composition.

As an overview of Zorn's work, this succeeds well. It also appears that another goal was to represent every volume, as at least one piece is drawn from each (volumes VI and VIII get two cuts, I and XII get three, and III and VII get four). Just about everything in Zorn's diverse catalog of film soundtracks is covered-- movies, documentaries, pornography, cartoons and commercials (certainly none I've seen!) are all represented with a suitably diverse array of pieces, from gamelan to string trios to surf rock, Zorn pretty much covers a wide array of sounds and moods-- if nothing else, the diversity of these 28 tracks is a testament to his vast skills to compose in virtually any environment. I could make a few arguments about what cuts I would have picked, but by-and-large, the compilation is a rather good and thorough overview, and the cast of performers is immense, with virtually all key players in the downtown scene involved to some extent or another.

Another notable point about this release is the artwork-- packed in a digipack with a pair of photos of Zorn (one from '86, one from '05) and stills from the various pieces littered throughout the liner notes, it certainly looks great. And speaking of the liner notes, Zorn offers a superb essay on film soundtrack composition and appreciations by musicians Marc Ribot, Anthony Coleman, Jamie Saft and Cyro Baptista (all of whom appear to some extent or another on the music) are included.

I've got currently about half of the filmworks series and I found value in this overview. Several of the individual pieces hold together far better than this recording does, but it certainly does a great job providing an impression of Zorn's diverse film scoring career.

5 out of 5 stars Curious about Zorn?.......2005-10-23

Considering myself a casual fan of John Zorn I have been at times either annoyingly put off or enthusiastically engaged with the diversity of his music. Admittedly, It can be daunting for a Zorn novice to find a suitable entry point in which to begin navigating through the extremities of his musical output. This new collection, which pulls material from the sixteen releases (thus far) of his FILMWORKS series, is everything the curious could want in a well-rounded introduction.

The selections chosen for this disc make for an exhilarating listening experience from start to finish as the focus jumps from one musical genre to the next, from cartoon scores to punk rock to jazz and surf music. Most selections early on clock in at under 4 minutes, with many others zipping by under just one. All these various styles meld together so effortlessly that it's impressive it all comes from a single creative mind.

The packaging is also deserving of mention, as the CD is housed in a fold-out digipack case with two booklets attached inside. In one of these booklets Zorn describes his methods and self-imposed rules in creating music for film (as well as for dealing with snoopy film directors). The other booklet features short essays by a few of Zorn's collaborators on what the creative sessions were like. There are also many photos from the films the music accompanies. (So far the only films I've seen with Zorn's scores are "Trembling Before G-D" and "Protocols of Zion".)

Favorite tracks: "Surfing Samba", "Arsenal Dance Mix", "Shanghai", "Main Title (Invitation to a Suicide)"
Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Mirror in the Spirit Hotel
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • That Incredible Sound...
 Mirror in the Spirit Hotel

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Folk | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00000G27B
Release Date: 1998-03-15

Tracks:

  1. Mirror in the Spirit Hotel
  2. Pterodactyl
  3. So You KNow the Answer
  4. Bug Dance
  5. Testy Situations
  6. Whatiamand Dance
  7. No Shoes
  8. Dionysian
  9. '55 Chevrolet
  10. Unique
  11. My Mind
  12. Song of a Seed

Album Description

"Mirror in the Spirit Hotel" is the first CD release as a solo artist from Richard Haxton. "The Test of Love and Sex" by his previous band, "Fun with Animals," was released by A&M records. It received airplay locally on KROQ-fm and was popular in Seattle, New York City, among other places. He currently performs with a band and solo in the Los Angeles area. The musicianship and song writing are of a high quality, with influences from Rock to African to Middle Eastern to Electronic.

The prologue song, "Mirror in the Spirit Hotel," imagines a world where the whole is larger than the sum of the sound bites. In "Pterodactyl," a man sits in his room and puzzles about how his deep feelings for someone have led him to an intimate encounter with a large flying reptile. "Do You Know the Answer?" asks all those questions you never stop asking in some form or another. "Bug Dance" is love in the jungle. "Testy Situations" depicts a citizen whose life is dragging him around by a specific body part as he attempts to impact his decision making process. In "Whatiamand Dance," a down and outer begins to speak in tongues. "No Shoes" leaves no doubt that an inappropriate fashion statement can lead to some real heat. "Dionysian" puts us in the big living room, dancing with the gods. "'55Chevrolet" confronts sex and death in the land of the free. "Unique" wants to know who you believe - the ant or the anthill? In "Mind," we see the complete ascent of civilization, beginning on that Friday night when somebody crawled out of the primordial ooze and set the stage for the birth of the blues. "Song of a Seed", the epilogue song, just wants everyone to hang in there.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars That Incredible Sound..........1999-06-16

I totally enjoyed this album. As you kick back and enjoy the sometimes complex (but relaxing) rhythms, you can't help but think about the deeper meaning of the songs. Listen (really listen) to the entire CD just once and you're hooked.

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  9. Probably the Best Album Ever Made by Anybody in Our
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