Galaxies [CD-single]

Galaxies [CD-single]

Track Listings

1. Galaxies

2. Galaxies (Feat. Kotos The Rock Thrower)

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
First Single to Be Taken from her Album "Year of Meteors".

Tracks:

Star Wars
Arcturas
Princess Leia's Theme
Orion's Sword
Pegasus
Crypton
Lyra
Eros
Ursa
Vulcan

Customer Reviews:

Not Ellis' best...but essential for fans........2007-03-27

Kind of an oddity among the CDs of the Don Ellis Band, this was put together to capitalize on the success of Star Wars. Actually, for the time period, the Star Wars arrangements aren't too bad. The other pieces are mainly renamed works of Don's included to fill out the album. Not his finest work, but recordings of the "Tears of Joy"-style band with the strings are few and far between, so Ellis fans will still want this record.

A reassessment.......2006-08-16

I work with the Don Ellis estate and am involved in various recording, publishing, and producing projects for it. I received an early promo of this and it prompted me to rethink many of my long standing thoughts about this recording. First, a little history.

This recording was rushed together from beginning to end in six days. Atlantic's deal was that if they were going to record and release Don's upcoming Montreux date (they did), he first had to generate an album to capitalize on the then current Star Wars craze. There was very little time to do this since the Montreux gig was fast approaching. As one result, this is the only Ellis album where he had other people arranging his own tunes. Then the Atlantic marketing department went to work. The band was redubbed ("Survival"), and tunes were renamed with outer space references. Don likely had a hand in the renaming of the tunes as the names often slyly tie into the original title; e.g., Eros was originally entitled Let's Do It This Way For Awhile. So in six days, the whole project from end to end was brokered, conceptualized, arranged, rehearsed, and recorded. With that in mind, it's not surprising that the final product pales compared to Don's other recordings. But...

Wounded Bird has done a good job with the sound transfer. It has more presence and dimension than I recall from the LP. And maybe I'm just partial from association, but the album overall is not as weak as I thought before. Yes, there are 10 tunes on a 40 minute CD--probably for easy radio play--and the band never stretches out and unleashes its full power. Yes, many of the tunes have a disco aspect to them. Yes, the title track is particularly weak, especially with the vocals intoning "Star Wars" over and over. (By the way, it's my observation that jazz instrumentalists usually take a marked wrong turn when they try their hand at incorporating lyrics where none previously existed.) Yes, most of the tunes are in 4/4--and that's a marginal pejorative only when applied to Ellis' usual time signature forays. But many of the tunes and arrangements have solid things to recommend about them.

Arcturas, Lyra, and Eros all showed up in live versions on the Montreux recording, so you can judge for yourself what these charts were like unbridled. The only other thing to note about Eros is that Don made a lot of cuts from the original arrangement, which (I feel) greatly water down the piece into not much more than a head chart, albeit with some interesting cross accents.

Don's soloing is pretty good throughout. (He's almost the only soloist.) His solos are usually on the short side, but they rarely lack wit or musicality.

The strings are well integrated as an equal with the other sections and not just "sweeteners".

Given the circumstances of minimal rehearsal and limited recording time, the band plays well, if a bit on the safe side.

If the arrangements are somewhat curtailed, the compositions often reflect Don's melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic thinking at the time. For instance, the melodic profile of Crypton is very akin to that of Sporting Dance (on the Montreux recording), but the latter is a much more richly realized composition. Orion's Sword's melody (in inverted fashion) and harmonic treatment is also similar to Sporting Dance. Throughout the CD there are moments and passages that are very much what you would hear on a better realized and fleshed out recording.

I think just about anyone knowledgeable about Don's music would tell you this is the weakest recording he put out. I would agree with that. But as cited above, I think there are some good things here to enjoy. If they're not heard in the best context, they're still there for anyone willing to listen with an open mind.

Average customer rating:

Umm, it's sorta froofy
An excellent CD of new age "space" music
Exactly what I was looking for...
Wonderful stimulus to the imagination.
A bit too commercial sounding

Galaxies
Kevin Braheny
Manufacturer: Hearts of Space
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ambient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

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Blue Cosmos
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ASIN: B000000X54
Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

Galaxies Main Theme
Starflight
Ancient Stars
Milky Way Rising
Galactic Sky
The Southern Cross
Starflight 2
The Pleaides
Starflight 3
Winds Proxima Centauri
Intertgalactic Space
Ice Forests Of Orion
Lookback Time
Going Home
Starflight 4
Down To Earth

Product Description

1. Galaxies Main Theme
2. Starflight 1
3. Ancient Stars
4. Milky Way Rising
5. Galactic Sky
6. The Southern Cross
7. Starflight 2
8. The Pleaides
9. Starflight 3
10. Winds (Proxima Centaury)
11. Intergalactic Space
12. Ice Forests Of Orion
13. Lookback Time
14. Going Home
15. Starflight 4
16. Down To Earth

Format: CD

Customer Reviews:

Umm, it's sorta froofy.......2007-04-06

Judging by the reviews I had read here I was expecting something not unremarkable, but really this is just old-style New Age with a few added flavors.

Even the old Cosmos-like analog synth stuff wasn't all that inspired, and much of sounded like it was trying to rehash Vangelis' original concept.

Sorry; unremarkable.

An excellent CD of new age "space" music.......2006-08-07

I own this CD, I love this CD! Some new age music that claims to be space-related just doesn't cut it. With "Galaxies," every time I listen to it I can mentally drift off and imagine encountering the phenomena the tracks are named for. I own quite a few ambient New Age CDs, and this one is one of my top 3. If you're seeking music that puts you in mind of space flight, along the lines of the Hearts of Space collections, this CD is a must-own!

Exactly what I was looking for..........2002-01-05

I don't agree at all with the previous reviews that say this is "commercial sounding"... In fact, I don't even know what they are talking about. This CD is first rate. It reminds me of when I went to the San Francisco planetarium for the first time when I was little. The experience was charactirized by overwhelming awe and transport. When I listen to this, I know just how Ellie (in Contact by Carl Sagan - the movie version) felt when she space..."can't describe...no words...poetry..." This music is a soundtrack for experiencing the Numinous.

Buy this!

Wonderful stimulus to the imagination........2001-05-29

Actually, I like and agree with both of the prior reviews. I've had this for a number of years, like it a lot, though, yeah, it is a tad commercial. While listening to it, I think of the novel "Starmaker" the author of which escapes me at this point, but I think it's Olaf Stabledon. Just ponder interstellar, let alone intergalactic space.

Then maybe I'll pull out a book or magazine with a color photo of, say, the Sombrero galaxy, or even neighbor Andromeda, and contemplate their trillion or so stars...or the atoms of my body which were one day part of a star....

There's a slight resemblance to Mike Oldfield too, though my apologies to those who either love or hate Oldfield. I just hear most of his music as kind of pointless but relaxing and mentally stimulating at the same time.

Well, in a nutshell, I'm delighted, though not surprised, that Amazon.com offers this. And I'll have to order some more of Braheny's music now. I hope I enjoy it as much.

A bit too commercial sounding.......2000-10-23

The cover of this cd looked very promising, but didn't quite deliver in the music. Occasionally I will put it in rotation with other space music cd's to break the monotony of too much of my favorite deep space music, just to keep me on my toes. Yes, to me this cd has one foot just barely on the cheesy side. However, it is not at all boring. It is entertaining, and I like Kevin Braheny, but I think he does a little better when he collaborates with artists such as Tim Clark or Steve Roach. We all have our tastes, however, this cd is just a bit commercial sounding for me. It has some deep space moments, but leans more toward a slightly science fiction atmosphere, lightly sprinkled with a fairy tale feel. The music is nice, but I don't think the synthesizers used on this cd are necessarily cutting edge. Either that or he just isn't experimenting enough with various sounds. I've heard these angelic voices before. I've heard way too many similar effects as found here. Give me something that veers off the glorious, heavenly path but still remains mysterious and beautiful. A large order perhaps, but as an extreme space music buff, I can't help but continue to raise my standards as I am exposed to artists who do venture beyond what has already been done. But I still gave this cd three stars, and really that isn't bad at all.

The Galaxies' Incredibly Sensual Transmission Field of...

Average customer rating:

Whoa Nelly!

The Galaxies' Incredibly Sensual Transmission Field of...
Tower Recordings
Manufacturer: Communion Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Customer Reviews:

Whoa Nelly!.......2006-07-22

I can't believe that noone else has reviewed this yet. I first borrowed this disc from a buddy of mine, then I bought it because man! It is the sheeeeeeeeeeeit!!! The first track builds and builds, with whining feedback and percusive shakeryness and then... WHOA! boom-kish-boom-kish, boom-kish and repeat, as the percussion takes you totally out there! Man! And then the last track "Other Kinds Run" I don't even know where to begin with how much this track rules! Some fool somewhere said it sounds like a lost Spacement 3 jam, but no! It begins with a pretty rocking riff played on an acoustic guitar, with some lyrics about something... bluejeans? Anyways, then everything starts going backwards and holy crap! Then the sky is ripped open and the listener experiences guitarmageddon!

Average customer rating:

Galaxies

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
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Carbon Glacier

ASIN: B000BIOH64
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Album Description

Title track is backed by the Laura Veirs & Kotos the Rock Thrower mix of 'Galaxies'. Nonesuch. 2005.

Average customer rating:

Making Money and Surfing Back to School
Galaxies
Manufacturer: Collectables
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000000874
Release Date: 1995-04-24

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Makin' Money
Surfin' Back to School
Roll over Beethoven
Night Train
Think About the Good Times
Lucille
Beg Me
Tell Me I'm the Most
Little Girl
Make up Your Mind
You Better Don't
Back in the U.S.A.
Door Is Open
Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On
Only Child
It's All Wrong
Stuck on Lovin' You
Let Me In
She Blows My Mind
Round and Round
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Average customer rating:

Galaxies & Planets
Jay Leonhart
Manufacturer: Sons of Sound
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000066JFT
Release Date: 2002-05-07

Tracks:

Endless Nights
Galaxies And Planets
I Got The Blues
Joy
Farmers Farming
THe Judge
Woe Is Me
Double Parking
Dizzy
Bass Abroad A Plane
You Say That You're Leavin'
Customs
Rash Cash Blues
She's Mean
German Shepherd
CD-Rom Data

Average customer rating:

Tour Of The Galaxies
Alexander
Manufacturer: Futurewave
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001DB3IO
Release Date: 2004-01-13

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The Very Deep canyons Of Another Planet
The Pleadian Children Danced
The Dream Of Space
Deeper Mysteries
Beyond Our Galaxy
There I Must Go
Warp Speed
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Album Description

An instrumental excursion into the mystery of the galaxies, rich in melodies and with rhythm felt in even the most ambient of songs. Outer space with love and a touch of humor. From orchestral concepts to beats that wouldn't be out of place on a dance floor "Tour" is a wide and varied experience.

The sole mission of this music is to let the imagination (that other great mystery) play with what might be 'out there'. To possibly experience as personal our connection with the seemingly impersonal vastness of space.

Black Clouds in Twin Galaxies
Average customer rating:
Black Clouds in Twin Galaxies
Winters
Manufacturer: Rise Above
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Trip Between Our Galaxies
Average customer rating:
Trip Between Our Galaxies
Spirits of the Trash
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Acoustic Prayer
Ertters Market Blues

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Jewelt Galaxies/Spirit Shambles
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Manufacturer: Spekk Records/Darla
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000OPO5Z2
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