City Folk [Import]

City Folk [Import]

Track Listings

1. A-E-I-O-U

2. Fear Of Heights

3. Sets Low

4. This Constellation

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Born in the Desert and Raised in the City, the Music of Tecoma Draws as Much from Roots, Jazz and Contemporary Music Cultures, as it Does from the Rich Folk Heritage in her Heart.

Tracks:

Bridges And Baloons
Sprout And The Bean
The Book Of Right-On
Sadie
Inflammatory Writ
This Side Of The Blue
'En Gallop'
Cassiopeia
Peach, Plum, Pear
Swansea
Three Little Babes
Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie

Album Description

Debut album from Californian-born singer songwriter Joanna Newsom. A former member of San Francisco's The Pleased, Newsom's first solo release effortlessly blends the genres of folk and pop. The single 'Sprout And The Bean' is included.

Customer Reviews:

Milk-Eyed Mender.......2007-07-19

It takes a listen or two to get used to the voice but its well worth trying. The songs are complex and in a similar way to Bob Dylan, the voice actually enhances the experience (once you get used to it). I have listened to the CD about 10 times over the past week or so and find new depths the more I listen.

Audiophiles will be glad to know that the CD is well recorded. The harp playing is just great. There is also a live album with orchestra called (I think) Ys and I will be buying that one too.

Can't recommend this highly enough, but the voice mightn't suit everyone

If you've gotten this far....well. Get it. 4.5 stars.......2007-04-20

If you've gotten this far....well go ahead and get it. Apparently you weren't looking for Metallica or Ashley Simpson and wound up here by mistake.

Took me a little while to get into, you probably know what your in for. All in all pretty good, not a daily listen to'er. But great every once in a while, can't really think of any real low points.

>>>---Zen--->

Wow.......2007-03-26

I haven't had as strongly and immediately positive a reaction to an artist in years as I did when I heard some tracks from Joanna Newsom. I thought the only time I would fall so quickly for a quirky artist who can't sing would be that time I first heard Tom Waits playing at a record store years ago, but Newsom's incredibly catchy harp melodies, her unconventional lyrics, and her squeaky-hinge voice combined into something that absolutely knocked me over at first listen. I waited impatiently by the mailbox until I got this CD, with the tunes of singles "Bridges and Balloons" and "The Sprout and the Bean" running almost constantly through my head.

Once I got this album, I found to my relief that Newsom's work is consistent throughout and that it held my attention through repeated listens. Newsom's off-tune, off-kilter voice wears far better than one might expect and her tunes are pop-like in the way they hook themselves into the brain like Velcro. Her lyrics are a double-edged sword on repeat listens in that there is a lot of depth to them - they are more poetry than traditional pop lyric - but some verses (a remarkable minority, actually) are art-student twee.

The good in this album far, far outweighs the occasional pretension in the lyrics. I'm over the moon about Newsom and I listen to this album over and over. I imagine it is true, as other commentators have noted, that Newsom's singing voice, if you can really call it that, could be a stumbling block for many listeners. It usually is for me. But in my opinion, Newsom makes it work.

The perfect voice for this unique music.......2007-03-17

My god, I'm sorry to disagree with most of the reviewers here but the first thing that impressed me was her voice and melodies. Her Voice is so unique and beautiful that they take me to the world she's describing and as I read somewhere she is so much more interesting than most of the indie bands out there, maybe is because her music is not your usual college rock type, it is really PROGRESSIVE FOLK, a long forgotten term.

Whatever, if you like "music" then go ahead and buy it. Maybe you'll love it the first time you hear her voice or maybe the melodies will strike you after a couple of spins.

Lisa Simpson called..........2007-03-05

...she wants her voice back. This is an either/or album. If you can get past/ like the vocals then this is a great album, if not then it is like listening to somebody strangling cats. I have a bunch of friends/ relatives who by and large listen to great music that absolutely love this album and can't stop praising it; again, I just can't get past the vocals. Listen carefully and repeatedly if you are uncertain. Good luck.

Dick's Picks, Vol. 19: Oklahoma City, OK, 10/19/73

Average customer rating:

Another great show except for additional mix edits
A Smooth and Solid Pick
The prime Dead Era of the seventies
5-Star Dark Star
A near-obligatory Pick: the essence of late 1973's glory

Dick's Picks, Vol. 19: Oklahoma City, OK, 10/19/73
Grateful Dead
Manufacturer: Grateful Dead / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dick's Picks, Vol. 22: Lake Tahoe, CA, 2/23-24/68
Dick's Picks, Vol. 20: Landover, Maryland and Syracuse, New York, 9/25/76, 9/28/76
Dick's Picks, Vol. 23: Baltimore, 9/17/72
Dick's Picks, Vol. 21: Richmond, Virginia, 11/1/85
Dick's Picks, Vol. 24: Daly City, CA, 3/23/74

ASIN: B0002VETIG
Release Date: 2004-08-31

Tracks:

Promised Land
Sugaree
Mexicali Blues
Tennessee Jed
Looks Like Rain
Don't Ease Me In
Jack Straw
They Love Each Other
El Paso
Row Jimmy

Tracks:

Playing In The Band
China Cat Sunflower
I Know You Rider
Me And My Uncle
Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toddeloo
Big River

Tracks:

Dark Star
Mind Left Body Jam
Morning Dew
Sugar Magnolia
Eyes Of The World
Stella Blue
Johnny B. Goode

Customer Reviews:

Another great show except for additional mix edits.......2006-12-03

This is one of the best releases performance wise. Once again though, when mastering this release, there are places where the piano is actually turned down and even erased in spots. This probably won't matter to some but it does to me. While I don't know that I actually consider any of the songs on here to be THE definitive versions, the songs certainly put on the appearence of it. Sugaree, Mexicali Blues, Playing In The Band, ect,. This certainly is one of those great shows that the Dick's Picks series is meant for.

A Smooth and Solid Pick.......2006-11-10

There is something about this collection that really gives you the sense that the band was in a good mellow mood throughout the concert. There is a tight consistency that runs through every track. This is a set that is very easy to listen to, with a few excellent moments, but lacks any truly memorable versions of their best songs. I'm glad I bought it, but I'm a tough grader and so it doesn't quite make 4 stars. That being said, the sound quality is terrific, and I disagree with the fellow who says that the mix is bad or that you can't hear Bob Weir.

The prime Dead Era of the seventies .......2006-03-10

All around a great show, great sound quality, appeals to all dead audiences, from the beginner to the tape trader. The first set is packed with short but sweet favorites. Second set Playin' jam goes into the cosmos, emerging with Donna's notorios vocals. run of the mill me and my uncle, but Very strong Mississippi 1/2step. 3rd disc delightful for any dead head with an Eyes that stretches far further than the imagination. All in all this is a gem in the grateful dead archives and I keep all 70's shows close to my heart. A must have for any head.

5-Star Dark Star.......2005-08-24

This five-star rating is based solely on the sole reason
I bought #19: I'm a collector of Dark Star(s). This version
is WONDERFUL...Phil's bass comes through loud & clear and
Jerry is subtle & complex and gorgeous as ever; and it's followed by a top-notch Mind Left Body Jam. As for the rest of #19...well...the first CD I threw away...in my mind,
it contains no "definitive" versions of any song.
CD 2, however, is worth keeping because of a long version of
Playing In The Band. It's very very good. The best thing to
do is: combine this Playing In The Band with the Playing In The
Band from Dick's Pick's #1 (both versions are 1973) and you have
yourself a terrific block of music...the ecstatic (but not too
long Weir vocal) followed by extended & brilliant Jerry jams.

A near-obligatory Pick: the essence of late 1973's glory.......2005-03-28

By any measure you care to use, 1973 was a banner year for the Grateful Dead in terms of live performance. It came right in the middle of their so-called "Golden Age" of 1972-1974, and caught them at a point where they had begun to expand not only their repertoire (most of the songs from Wake Of The Flood would, once introduced, never leave their setlists), but also their musical palette as well. Many have labelled the Dead's music from late '73 and '74 as "jazz-rock," and while the term is somewhat inapt (it doesn't capture the "Promised Land"/"Sugaree" side of the band, for one thing) it does help to approximate the laid-back vibe of classics like "Eyes Of The World" as well as suggest the purely free-form improvisational cast of many of their jams. Without a doubt the Dead were developing a lighter touch: Kreutzmann had redefined the band's rhythmic approach over the last year in adjusting to the role of the band's sole drummer, and his quickness, natural sense of restraint, and timing enabled the band to evolve a much more agile, ethereal sound.

Dick's Picks 19 captures every aspect of that "sound," which made the Dead mesmerizing in this era, in one near-perfect concert. This show is a very special one indeed, kicking off an immortal Fall '73 tour where the band managed to capture lightning in a bottle night after night, pushing out into new improvisational territory and juggling setlists and song-sequences with devil-may-care abandon. (There are many - I'm one of them - who would argue that Fall '73 is every bit the equal of Europe '72; there's a reason that THREE Dick's Picks have been released from this two-month span.)

Just about the only complaint one might make is about the first disc. It represents the bulk of the first set, which means it's full of shorter songs. There are many fans who express impatience with this side of the Dead, but when the band's hearts are into the music I'm not one of them. 10/19/73 was one of those nights: it's surely not the BEST first set they ever gave, but the performances of "Sugaree," "Jack Straw" and especially "They Love Each Other" are all spot-on, and I even find myself enjoying songs which normally irk me like "Tennessee Jed" and "Don't Ease Me In." Near the end of the disc (i.e. the last four songs) the band begins to settle into the gentle, joyful, peaceable mood which will define the particular magic of this night.

And from disc 2 onwards this show simply vaults into that icy-blue sky so beautifully depicted on the back cover. Set 1 ends with a gorgeous, ghostly "Playing In The Band" (this song peaked in late '73 - buy this album and listen to one example of why), and then Set 2 begins with one of the defining "China Cat Sunflower" > "I Know You Rider" sequences of the year. "Mississippi Half-Step" continues this mood, flowing majestically all the way across the Rio Grand-i-o into a (thematically united) "Big River" which choogles as Garcia's electric-bluegrass guitar busily burbles and hums like water rushing downstream.

The show could have ended right there and still have been noteworthy. But what comes next guarantees its immortality: Disc 3 is one of the best single discs of Grateful Dead music available for purchase. It begins with an unearthly "Dark Star," one which eschews the "full freak-out" atonal jamming often employed in this era's performances for a much sweeter, gently inquisitive attitude. The emphasis on melody (and on sustaining the delicate, wistful mood which has been built throughout the previous two hours) becomes all that more apparent when they move into a rapturous jam based on a descending chord sequence popularly referred to as the "Mind Left Body Jam" - I believe the first time it was ever played in this context. Then, a quiet "Morning Dew" which builds to an anguished demonstrative climax. We're not done yet! After a concluding "Sugar Magnolia" the Dead, clearly thrilled by how well they're playing tonight, come back for one of the longest encores of their career: a 15-minute "Eyes Of The World" that slides imperceptibly into a crystal-clear, dead-calm "Stella Blue." One more blast of rock 'n' roll to send the kids home on an up note with "Johnny B. Goode," and the Dead finally leave the stage for good: after delivering one of their most consistent shows, one which has an emotional and musical UNITY that few others can boast...one for the ages.

Some have complained in their reviews about the sound quality of this Pick (rather, the sound MIX - the fidelity itself is sterling, far better than any '74 shows). Admittedly such things are subjective and a matter of taste, but I find the mix to be utterly unproblematic after the first few songs. (The "Caveat Emptor" included on this Pick notes this, warning of a "rather skeevy ouverture.") If anything, the mix heightens the thoughtful, introspective sensibility of this show.

If you enjoy '73 Dead then I would argue it's inconceivable not to own this Pick. If you're unfamiliar with the year and are looking to test the waters, then this is still a great place to begin - an unrepresentative night in that it captures them in an unusually pacific mood (one which, incidentally, is also conveyed by the stunning artwork on this release, easily the best of any Pick), but also a representative one in that it shows off so many aspects of their greatness at once.

Further recommendations from this era (...):

- Dick's Picks 28: February 26th-28th, 1973 (one the top 5 Picks in the series, no less)
- Dick's Picks 14: November 30 & December 1st, 1973
- Dick's Picks 1: December 19th, 1973

Average customer rating:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!
Beginner or Expert
Very Informative and Enjoyable
Frank's view
Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

Overture To 'Tannhauser'
Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
Hungarian Dance No.7
The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
Csardas Music
The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
Tzigane
Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
Caprice No.24
The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
The Violin Muted
Clair De Lune
The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
The Pizzicato Violin
Pizzicato Polka
In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
Hungarian Dance No.4
Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
Bolero
Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
Elfenreigen

Tracks:

Introduction To The Viola
Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
Cypresses (No.9)
The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
The 'Period' Viola In Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
Elfentanz, Op.39
Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
The Protecting Veil (Opening)
A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
Flamenco
Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
Symphony No.9 (Finale)
Introduction To The Double-Bass
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
Elegy No.1 In D Major
The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
Capriccio Di Bravura
Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
Sa'Dawi
Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
Chamber Music No.II
The Piccolo - Aptly Named
La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
A Variety Of Techniques
Chamber Music No.II
Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
Naelden, Naelden
The Bachian Oboe
Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
The Swan Of Tuonela
The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
Bolero
The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
...And Quite Low.
Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
Introduction To The Saxophone
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
Bolero
The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
Sax-O-Phun
The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
Bolero
The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
Symphony No.3 (Opening)
The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
The Ceremonial Trumpet
Fanfare For The Common Man
Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
Billy The Kid
The Trumpet As Character Actor
Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
The Birth Of The Trombone
Aenmerckt Nu Hier
The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
Canzon 12 In Double Echo
The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
Hosannah
The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
The Trombone As Caricaturist
Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
The Horn And The Hunt
Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
Walter Music (Minuet 1)
The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
Den Hoboecken Dans
Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
Gymnopedie No.2
The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
The Birth Of The Bongo
Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
Taking Advantage Of Tunability
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
Ravel And The Xylophone
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
Introducing The Vibraphone
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
Folk Dances
The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
Introducing The Tubular Bells
Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
Carmen Suite (Introduction)
But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Introducing The Celeste
The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
Petrushka (Russian Dance)
The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
Mahler's Sleighbells
Symphony No.4 (Opening)
A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Nocturnes
Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
The Oboe As Duck
Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
A Thunderstorm In A Million
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
Octet In F (Mvt 3)
The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
Canzon 28
Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
Images (Gigues)
A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

Tracks:

As Cool As I Am
February
Iowa (Traveling III)
The Christians And The Pagans
This Was Pompeii
The Ocean
Family
The Pointless, Yet Poignant, Crisis Of A Co-Ed
The Blessings
Southern California Wants To Be Western New York
Mortal City

Amazon.com

This 1996 album was a breakthrough of sorts for Dar Williams, moving her from the obscure folkie circuit to the obscure alternative singer-songwriter circuit. Mortal City comes closest to capturing her live show, and many of the songs here--"Iowa," "The Family," "The Christians and the Pagans"--have become live-set favorites. Like Williams herself, this disc is sentimental, sincere, and emotional; it's an album about growing up. When Williams titles a song "The Pointless, Yet Poignant Crisis of a Co-Ed," you know she's not writing fiction. She also could have called it "Catcher in the Rye," but that title was already taken. --Charles R. Cross

Customer Reviews:

Discover that Dar Really is as Cool as She is.......2007-06-14

If you want to get into Dar, start here (or End of the Summer), and you won't regret it. The album features some of her most classic songs. It opens with "As Cool As I Am," THE Dar classic and for good reason. The song perfectly showcases Dar's wit and lyrical abilities (her greatest strengths). "February" and "Iowa" prove that she definitely can extended a metaphor. There's humor here with "The Christians and the Pagans" and "Co-Ed." "Family" is a beautiful love song (it's a cover but she does it beautifully). My favorite song on the album is "Southern California Wants to Be Wetern New York." I can't help but smile when I hear it; it just has so much heart. I think that is what strikes me so much about this album - no matter the tempo or subject matter, every song is full of emotion, perhaps the loving touch of an artist at her best. (After this, you have to hear End of the Summer.)

Dar Rocks!.......2007-01-14

"Mortal City" is another great Dar Williams CD. The best song on the album is "The Christians and the Pagans" about a family that is a blend of traditional and new age who sit down for a winter holiday dinner. "As Cool as I Am" is about ceasing to be jealous of other women. "February" is a sad song about a couple breaking apart. "The Ocean" is a very catchy song about getting back to our roots. "The Pointless, Yet Poignant, Crisis of a Co-ed" is a funny folk song about smoking pot. "The Blessings" is about recognizing our blessings in life. A great album, with many layers within the songs.

"The Christians and The Pagans is superb".......2006-05-18

This CD is a fine blend of nice vocals and fine insturmental work. "The Christians and The Pagans" is my favorite holiday song about tolerance and healing and restoring family ties.

My favorite album of all time!.......2006-01-26

I often tell my husband that if I ended up stranded on a deserted island with only one CD, this would be my choice. Each song tells a story with incredible lyrics and intoxicating melodies. Dar Williams is a musical genius!

Terrific Album, Superb Songwriter.......2006-01-03

My daughter introduced me to Dar Williams in the latter 1990s and the "Mortal City" album was my first exposure to her striking music. I enjoyed it immensely and have been a fan ever since. Her folk/pop/rock sound is sophisticated and pleasant. Her songwriting, moreover, is poignant and moving and by far the contribution of Dar Williams that I value most. Sometimes her songs are amusing and sometimes they are moving and sometimes they are both at the same time. The best example of this on "Mortal City" is "The Christians and the Pagans." It tells the story of Pagan relatives visiting for Christmas and how the "Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table/Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able/And just before the meal was served, hands were held and prayers were said/Sending hope for peace on earth to all their gods and goddesses." Great stuff! A later line sums it up thusly, "now when Christians sit with Pagans only pumpkin pies are burning."

Equally enjoyable is "The Pointless, Yet Poignant, Crisis of a Co-Ed," which tells the story of an ill-fated college love affair between Dar Williams and a leader of a hemp liberation group. She confides, that they got so stoned at their meetings that it made it hard to discuss glaucoma. Ultimately she is betrayed by her boyfriend "in the arms of a student against the treacherous use of fur." Hilarious!

But by far my favorite song on this album is "Southern California Wants to Be Western New York." About a week after I first heard this album I had to make a business trip to western New York and I felt like the words of the song became real before my eyes. I thought I was seeing that "part of the country with a land that gently creaks and thuds,/Where the heavy snows make the faucets leak in bathrooms with free-standing tubs./They're in houses that are haunted, with the kids who lie awake and think about/All the generations past who used to use that dripping sink." I'm sure that I ate in Dar's prototypical "diner where the coffee tastes like diesel fuel." But the most evocative image in this song is Dar Williams's line about "lusting after a SUNY student with mousy brown hair who is/Taking out the compost, making coffee in long underwear."

There are many other great songs on this album, including the title cut. I'm less enamored with sentimental ballads such as "This was Pompeii" and "February" than with the faster, more humorous songs, but all are engaging. Enjoy!

Average customer rating:

Sparse genious.
+ 1/2 stars...Acoustic Versions of Pre-Fame Joe Ely Songs
New recordings of great older songs

Silver City
Joe Ely
Manufacturer: Rack'Em Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Happy Songs From Rattlesnake Gulch
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West
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ASIN: B000NJXC6C
Release Date: 2007-04-10

Tracks:

Silver City
Santa Rosa / St. Augustine
Indian Cowboy
Wounded Knee
Cloister Mountain
Time For Travelin
I Know Will Never Be Mine
Drivin' 'Cross Russia
Windy Windy Windy
Billy Boy

Customer Reviews:

Sparse genious........2007-06-15

I saw Joe Ely with Joel Guzmán in concert three or four years ago. It was fabulous. This record shows that spirit. It is a studio recording, so the sound is perfect and current. Excellent.

+ 1/2 stars...Acoustic Versions of Pre-Fame Joe Ely Songs.......2007-06-05

Joe Ely turned 60 last February, and it must have invigorated him. During the previous decade he only released two studio albums (1998's TWISTIN' IN THE WIND and 2003's STREETS OF SIN). We're not even half way through 2007 and Ely's already released his second album of the year. First was the February release of HAPPY SONGS FROM RATTLESNAKE GULCH (on his own label RACK 'Em Records) and now SILVER CITY just months later. Both albums came about as a result of Ely's first published book earlier this year, "Bonfire of Roadmaps," which consists of Ely's journal entries from a life on the road.

All of the songs on SILVER CITY pre-date his 1977 MCA self-titled debut. However, while these songs were all written during the span of 1968 to 1973 (hence the photo of a very young smirking Joe Ely on the cover), they are all new recordings. According to Ely, "Cloister Mountain" and "Billy Boy" (the longest song by far at 7:27) were the earliest songs, with "Silver City" being the most recent. [Note: Two of these songs have appeared in full band arrangements on earlier albums. "Time for Travelin'" was on 1979's DOWN ON THE DRAG, and "Silver City" was on 1987's LORD OF THE HIGHWAY. In addition, "Indian Cowboy" was on the 2004 Flatlander's album WHEELS OF FORTUNE with Butch Hancock handling vocals.]

But on this album, all songs are presented in an acoustic format with Ely accompanying himself on guitar. ("Cloister Mountain" adds harmonica, and "Windy Windy Windy" includes accordion.) These unplugged renditions provide an intimacy to these songs and provide a glimpse into Ely's formative years as a songwriter. For fans (including me) who enjoyed such albums as JOE ELY and HONKY TONK MASQUERADE, this is a welcome addition. [Running Time - 35:41] HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

New recordings of great older songs.......2007-06-04

I thought from the packaging that this was going to be old recordings from joes early days.Instead we get Joe and Mr. Guzman with fresh,invigorated versions of older songs,many new to me at a great price.Dont pass this up.

Average customer rating:

Dear Companion
Meg Baird
Manufacturer: Drag City
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000OLHGB6
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Tracks:

Dear Companion
River Song
The Cruelty Of Barbary Allen
Do What You Gott Do
Riverhouse In Tinicum
The Waltze Of The Tennis Players
Maiden In The Moor Lay
Sweet William And Fair Ellen
All I Ever Wanted
Willie O' Winsbury
Untitled

Average customer rating:

Distinctive
Fat City's the place to go
Too Slick?
No sophomore slump
Under rated & Over looked

Fat City
Shawn Colvin
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Steady On
Cover Girl
A Few Small Repairs
Whole New You
These Four Walls

ASIN: B0000027I0
Release Date: 1992-10-27

Tracks:

Polaroids
Tennessee
Tenderness On The Block
Round Of Blues
Monopoly
Orion In The Sky
Climb On (A Back That's Strong)
Set The Prairie On Fire
Object Of My Affection
Kill The Messenger
I Don't Know Why

Customer Reviews:

Distinctive.......2006-11-22

I can't tell you how many miles I've driven while playing this album. It really repays repeated listenings. Exceptional song writing coupled with a very intimate and lively delivery. Has all the feistiness of "Steady On", but presages the more thoughful and brooding songs on "A Few Small Repairs". I'm totally sold on this music.

Fat City's the place to go.......2006-11-04

Four years prior to "A Few Small Repairs", Shawn Colvin released "Fat City"- a gem so rare and exquisite that just about every other release in her portfolio merely twinkles by comparison. Yes, there is magic in every recording she's put out, and certainly "Repairs" is a masterpiece which finally brought her some well deserved critical acclaim and accolades, but if you haven't listened to "Fat City" you have not yet been introduced to this woman's depth and ability to stir the soul. Listen to "Monopoly" if you want your heart ripped out. It is undoubtedly one of the most devastatingly beautiful love songs ever written. Her voice is raw, and brazenly naked in the throes of passionate love and agonizing loss. Listen to "Set the Prairie on Fire". Talk about sultry and sexy and hot! "Polaroids" is, of course, quintessential Shawn- it's a perfect example of why we love her music so much. If Anne Sexton was a songwriter her lyrics would sound like this: "Please no more therapy, Mother take care of me, piece me together with a needle and thread." Confessional, irreverent, honest, weary and triumphant all at the same time.
"Tennessee" just plain rocks. And Shawn does "Tenderness On the Block" better than Warren Zevon could ever dream of doing it (sorry, Warren, rest in peace). "Round of Blues" will have your feet tapping, your hands drumming and your throat humming, despite the almost popishness of it. Shawn doesn't do pop, so don't get me wrong. Shawn does what gets her going, and it works- always. Who else can refer to vibrators ("Object of My Affection") in such a way that you don't ask yourself if she just said what you think she said, instead, you ... laugh because, well, of course, she means what you think she means.
Sure, there are some weak spots on the album- most notably the excessive length of "Orion in the Sky" which starts to feel like a flamboyant relative who overstays their welcome. On the whole, however, this is Shawn quite possibly at her best. I say "quite possibly" because you never know what she will do next. I admit that I haven't heard the 2006 release yet (won't be long now!!!). For all I know she may just finish me off with the latest round of blues- after all, she's already ripped my heart out.

Too Slick?.......2006-03-10

Admittedly 'Fat City' was my intro to Colvin. At the time - 14 yrs ago - I thought it was 5+ star worthy.

Don't get me wrong - even w/my 3 star rating, I find it a good disk. But when compared to her body for work, you get sense that it tries too hard in too many places. It becomes slick. A good disk for Colvin's work doesn't cut it. Most of her efforts are great.

Larry Klein polished the hell out of these songs - to the point of almost taking the life out of them. There are exceptions - most notably "Monopoly" and "Set the Prairie on Fire". Even the hey-kids-lets-try-for-a-radio-hit "Climb On" works.

I still like the disk - but I do not find myself coming back to it. I cannot say that of 'Steady On', 'A Few Small Repairs' or 'Whole New You'.

No sophomore slump.......2005-07-09

I got hooked on Shawn Colvin when a friend connected me with her first album, Steady On. I picked up her sophomore release, Fat City, when I saw it in a store having never heard a single song. I was thrilled to find that it was even better. "Fat City" is an overlooked gem and one of my all-time favorites. Her song "Climb On" turned up as the original theme song from the TV show Party of Five before they switched to the Bodean's "Closer to Free". It's a shame she didn't get the boost that the Bodean's got from that exposure. It amazed me that Shawn's music got much less attention than similar but not-quite-as-talented singer/songwriters such as Jewel. Shawn's later albums may be more well-known, but I think this is her best overall.

Under rated & Over looked.......2004-07-01

I first heard "Round of Blues" on modern rock radio (Philadelphia's now defunct WDRE 103.9)soon after the album's release date (late 1992/early 1993.)I only heard it a few times before it was dropped from the station's playlist.

Right around this time I began my career as a DJ at clubs & weddings. I had added the songs to my list of most wanted songs to purchase.

None of the big retail chains carried this CD initially. A year or so later, the song received more airplay.

"Round of Blues" was included on the Nicolas Cage/Bridget Fonda movie soundtrack for "It Can Happen To You".

Eventually the "Fat City" CD began to appear at retail some two years after it's release.

From the first time I heard the entire CD it instantly became one of my favorites.

You'll be on an emotional rollercoaster with your journey through the tracks on this hidden gem.

Tracks:

U.S. Blues
Promised Land
Brown-Eyed Woman
Black-Throated Wind
Scarlet Begonias
Beat It on Down the Line
Deal
Cassidy
China Cat Sunflower
I Know You Rider
Weather Report Suite: Prelude/Part 1/Part 2 (Let It Grow)

Tracks:

Playing in the Band
Uncle John's Band
Morning Dew
Uncle John's Band
Playing in the Band
Big River
Bertha
Wharf Rat
Sugar Magnolia

Customer Reviews:

Face-Stealing Incredible Jams.......2007-02-26

First show with the wall of sound. Five stars for the deadicated, four for everyone else. Playin>UJB>M Dew>UJB>Playin during set 2, rarely played and never again played until perhaps late in 80s. The Wharf Rat that defines August West. A concise show that is edited and sounds perfect,

Difficult to love.......2007-01-18

I'm a recent arrival to Deadhead status - I'd say I deserved that title as of a few months ago when I finally ejected my mix of various artists from my portable CD case, and began filling that case with Dead CD's, including a lot of Dick's Picks.

Honestly, this is one of the rougher shows I've ever heard. I bought it without reading any reviews, and I regret that. Between technical problems and some genuinely confused Jerry solos, it seems to me that this show may not quite merit Dick's Pick status. It has its wonderful moments (after all, this is the Grateful Dead,) but there are many much better shows available out there. Also, there are moments here when Donna, (who I usually like,) sounds a bit shrieky. Perhaps the energy was just bad, but this is not one of the legendary shows in my opinion.

I've currently been enjoying Dick's Picks 12 - Providence Civic and Boston Garden, June 1974. Far more pleasurable and coherent.

Never should have been released..........2007-01-14

74' was a fantastic year for Dead performances. However, this is not one of them. From the very beginning Jerry struggles and sounds confused. He seems to have nothing to say musically. His playing gets a little better on disc 2, but it is still subpar. It is one of the few big disappointments from the Dick's Pick series. Pick any other available show from 74' and you will be much more satisfied. This show never should have been released.

Better than you might think.......2006-10-09

For the uninitiated, Deadheads can be extremely opinionated and the reviews on amazon show it.

I don't know, but I'm guessing that this show made the Dick's Picks cut because the sound quality was high and someone inside Dead Incorporated liked the Playing in the Band > Uncle John's Band > Morning Dew > Uncle John's Band > Playing in the Band sandwich from the second set. I do too, it's excellent. Yes, I can pick at various parts and say the band played this particular section better at a concert two years earlier or three years later, but there aren't that many 45 minute plus jams that are this tight. Jerry finds a very nice line to jam on in the first segment of PITB, the segues between songs are as effortless as any I have heard, and I am sure the crowd was simply blown away at the end.

Excellent Set - One Of The Best New DP Releases.......2004-11-24

Dick's Pick 24, as the last cd of the new batch of DP's released to stores, ends the set on a high quality note. Even though this installment of the Dick's Pick's series is only two discs, these two discs are jam packed with excellent music. The whole first disc flows along nicely, with excellent versions of "Beat It Down The Line", "US Blues", and the closing "Weather Report Suite". The sound quality, even though this show was used to test out the new extravangant PA sound system, is on par with most of the rest of the DP series, and definately better than a few of the prior picks. Also, it is a nice change of pace to see "Scarlet Begonias" seperated from "Fire On The Mountain", and it sounds excellent here.

Disc 2 is the real treat for this concert. The long jam of PITB - UJB - MD - UJB - PITB is superb, and one of the most unique in the Dick's Picks series. The set ends with a mediocre Wharf Rat and Sugar Magnolia, but by that time The Dead have taken you for quite a nice ride. This isn't one of the most legendary DP's, but out of the new six, I'd only rate DP 19 higher. Overall, an excellent listen.

Average customer rating:

one of his best
go with the flow
folk masterpiece.
Yeah.....that's nice!
Jansch is Back

The Black Swan
Bert Jansch
Manufacturer: Drag City
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The Best of Bert Jansch
Ys
In My Own Time
The Letting Go
Bert and John

ASIN: B000HCPSTO
Release Date: 2006-10-17

Tracks:

The Black Swan
High Days
When The Sun Comes Up
Katie Cruel
My Pocket's Empty
Watch The Stars
A Woman Like You
The Old Triangle
Bring Your Religion
Texas Cowboy Blues
Magdalina's Dance
Hey Pretty Girl

Customer Reviews:

one of his best.......2007-07-28

Bert has been my favorite performer for over 35 years now, so this latest album is a pleasant surprise--well, not a 'surprise,' I suppose, but truly a happy event. It is clearly his best at least since "Avocet" in the late 70s, and a near match for his best early work, including "Bert Jansch," "Bert and John," "Jack Orion," and "Rosemary Lane." I would place it above the also excellent "Birthday Blues," "Moonshine," "L. A. Turnaround," "A Rare Conundrum" and the more recent "When the Circus Comes to Town" and "Crimson Moon." Go beyond these (with the exception of the now-many compilations) and, unless you are a faithful fan, you may be taking your chances.

"The Black Swan" reminds me a little, strangely, of all these albums. The ensemble play is tasteful and sparse, a la "Avocet" and "Moonshine." There is a traditional feel we heard in "Jack Orion" and "Rosemary Lane." The use of well known outside musicians recalls "L. A. Turnaround," "Moonshine," and "Crimson Moon." Bert's personality is more out front here, as it was in "Bert Jansch" and "When the Circus Comes to Town." The guitar accompaniments are tasteful and occasionally dazzling, as in "Rosemary Lane" and all of his Pentangle work. There are some good blues sequences too, as back in the old days with "Birthday Blues" and the staggering 'Nobody's Bar' of "Rosemary Lane." He delivers some good new compositions as well, though I still prefer the material on "Bert Jansch," "Birthday Blues," "L. A. Turnaround" and "Rosemary Lane."

Jansch's voice was never much of a drawing point, though it was always unaffected and endearing in its own hoarse way. Here, it has reached a fairly extreme level of gruffness (though he has yet to compete with John Martyn or Tom Waits in that category!), but one still cannot help but feel it positively accents the material. Age, and aging, has never been considered a liability in the folk community (and God bless them for that...).

With off again on again health problems, we may be witnessing Bert Jansch's end game. If so, this release could not be considered as less than a crowning touch.

go with the flow.......2007-05-10

Sometimes you buy a cd on instinct- this was not my instinct. Bert has a voice like a sinus infection but he undeniably has a way with folky melody. The best songs on this cd are the duets with Beth Orton (but that's my opinion) If you like Bonnie Prince billy then no harm you will find you here.
Echoes of Nick drake with the cello espec on the black swan (ends in beautiful synch cello-guitar).
My gut feeling is ' not bad- intrigued, may well investigate more'

folk masterpiece........2007-03-11

holy mackerel, what an album! i have 3 other bert jansch cds, and each falls just short of classic status in my book. but not this one. this is an instant classic. mr jansch's guitar playing here is exquisite, the work of a master, and he vocals are better than ever, laid-back, subtle and assured. he exhibits all the confidence of a seasoned master. beth orton sings lead vocals on three tracks, and her incredible voice is completely mesmerizing. the instrumental "magdalina's dance," performed by two banjos and a flute is gorgeous. the whole affair is simply a stunning folk masterpiece not to be missed. mojo magazine picked this as the 23rd best album of 2006. i place it somewhere in my top 5.

Yeah.....that's nice!.......2006-10-30

Great ,tastefully done ,new album from Mr. Jansch!
This has hints of Pentangle and (of course) thee modern free/freak folk messiah visiting too.
Plus check out the anti-Bush quicky song..."Texas Cowboy...". Bert could teach Neil Young a thing or two on economy of ideas(a 3 minute "Living With War" anyone?)!
If you loved Jansch's early classics or Pentangle('though Beth Orton is no J.McShee),then you'll love this CD!
Beautiful job,congrats Drag City on another fine release! Look for Red Hash's CD too.....a lost folk classic.

Jansch is Back.......2006-10-26

Bert Jansch has crafted a beautiful album, with his signiture picking style and voice and devendra banhart and beth orton contributing, this makes for one of Jansch's most compelling albums to date. And that's saying a lot.

Average customer rating:

Stunning
Great companion to the "YS" album
lovely, deceptively simple..
Addictive Beware!
I Wouldn't Get Too Excited About This

Joanna Newsom & the Ys Street Band EP
Joanna Newsom & the Ys Street Band
Manufacturer: Drag City
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Ys
The Milk-Eyed Mender
Volta
The Reminder
Sprout and the Bean

ASIN: B000NIIUXS
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

Colleen
Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie
Cosmia

Customer Reviews:

Stunning.......2007-07-06

I cried the first time I listened to this version of "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie." I feel so lucky for the opportunity to listen to Joanna's voice get better and better and better through the years. The way she sings the line in this song, "And I am watching you/ And you are starry, starry, starry..." has always gotten to me, and with her improved vocal abilities here she manages to add a new degree of touching nuance to this favorite of moments. Give it a listen, I think you'll see what I mean.

I tend to not enjoy micro-reviewing records song by song, so I think I will leave it at that. This is for Joanna both a return to a more stripped down musical presentation and a leap forward in her development as a singer. This EP makes me so happy.

Great companion to the "YS" album.......2007-07-05

Joanna Newsome is not for everyone, that's for sure, basically Joanna singing with harp, and sparse other instruments. Her 2006 "YS" album created quite a stir, though. (It was my 17 yr. daughter who introduced me to her, incidentally). This live EP was recorded on the YS Fall 06 tour.

"EP" (3 tracks, 24 min.) brings a new song, "Colleen", which is pretty much in the vein of the "YS" album. Next is "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie", from "The Milk-Eyed Mender" album, in a slightly altered version from the album. Then comes a 13 min. blow-out version of "Cosmia", from the "YS" album, which here live sounds much more invigerated than the album version, and I can't stop playing it.

If you are familiar with Joanna Newsome, this is a great companion to the "YS" album. If you are new, this is the prefect introduction to her sound, and I highly recommed checking it out for those of you. No, it's not mainstream, far from it, but this is great music by all accounts.

lovely, deceptively simple.........2007-06-12

for me, this new ep makes up for the pretensions of the Ys album; the band is amazing, and newsom has never sounder better.

i hope this bodes well for the future, for one of my favorite artists.

Addictive Beware!.......2007-05-23

It took me almost 2 years to warm up to her first album MIlk Eyed Mender. My brother in law would play it over and over again when we went to visit. Then after one of our visits I couldn't shake the songs from my head and I had to hear them! I was hooked! This ep is also addictive! Newsom's songs have an optimistic and other worldly elegance that is missing in mainstream music culture. These songs are especially endearing, ( is it the band accompaniment?) and I especially love the mix of melodies pointing to a more ethnic sound in some of the songs. A mixing of sounds, it's fantastic.

I Wouldn't Get Too Excited About This.......2007-04-25

The new song, "Colleen," is, lyric-wise, alarmingly close to boilerplate dorm-room Tori Amosity. (The only Joanna-ish touch is that the song's awakening-to-her-oppression heroine seems to be a were-whale.)

Both "Milk-Eyed Mender" and "Ys" have a muscularity to the playing and singing that's absent here--the arrangements (performed with a small acoustic combo) are much more noodly, and Joanna sings in a more "controlled" (i.e, less yelpy) manner.

For me this EP lacks the loopy imagination and expansiveness of her previous two records. I hope the relatively-lackluster songs here don't represent the shape her future work will take.

Music Review:

Music Review

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