Icarus

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
This 1972 classic captures saxophonist Paul Winter and his ensemble at the height of their improvisational powers. Winter was one of the first artists to incorporate such exotic instruments as the sitar and tabla into his music and the result was memorable chamber jazz-folk played in the wonderfully experimental, post-hippie way only Winter and his merry band could. The title track, one of guitarist Ralph Towner's compositions, became famous for its pensive melody and soaring soprano sax. "Whole Earth Chant" is a piece that foreshadows New Age artists like Loreena McKennitt with its echoing tribal drums interwoven with ominous distorted guitar. And "Minuit" downright borders on what today some would call world music--it features a choir of voices singing a simple, sauntering melody taken from a Guinean folk song. Classic early '70s Winter. --Karen Karleski

Icarus,Paul Winter Consort,Sony,Jazz Music,New Age,New Age / Meditation,Pop,World Fusion

Icarus

Tracks:

Black Presents
Fshn Fvr
Gets Paid
Slayer
Sick Bitch
Amber Alert
Alert
Black Lives At The Golden Coast
Frankfurt Smile
Victory
Gardens
Committed To Extinction
Golden Rush
KIngdom

Album Description

LA's Icarus Line return with their third full-length; their most stunning venture to date. The album was entirely recorded on tape, and the band pushed the sound above and beyond their own expectations, dosing it with even more concentrated elements of pop, art, and sex. "Black Lives" proves that true rock 'n' roll is still alive in the heart of The Icarus Line.

Average customer rating:

One of those rare "perfect" albums
File Under New Age
Transitional jazz - a leap into world music
Almost Oregon
The grandfather of world musics

Icarus
Paul Winter Consort
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music

Fusion & World Fusion | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

4-for-3 International | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Jazz | 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:

Common Ground
Wintersong
Spanish Angel
Silver Solstice
Solstice Live!

ASIN: B0000024ZB
Release Date: 1989-12-19

Tracks:

Icarus
Ode To A Fillmore Dressing Room
The Silence Of A Candle
Sunwheel
Juniper Bear
Whole Earth Chant
All The Mornings Bring
Chehalis And Other Voices
Minuit

Amazon.com essential recording

This 1972 classic captures saxophonist Paul Winter and his ensemble at the height of their improvisational powers. Winter was one of the first artists to incorporate such exotic instruments as the sitar and tabla into his music and the result was memorable chamber jazz-folk played in the wonderfully experimental, post-hippie way only Winter and his merry band could. The title track, one of guitarist Ralph Towner's compositions, became famous for its pensive melody and soaring soprano sax. "Whole Earth Chant" is a piece that foreshadows New Age artists like Loreena McKennitt with its echoing tribal drums interwoven with ominous distorted guitar. And "Minuit" downright borders on what today some would call world music--it features a choir of voices singing a simple, sauntering melody taken from a Guinean folk song. Classic early '70s Winter. --Karen Karleski

Customer Reviews:

One of those rare "perfect" albums.......2006-11-26

This album, which foreshadows the group "Oregon" and features some of Ralph Towner's best compositions, is one of those rare perfect albums. It is certainly the best thing done by Paul Winter, and is comparable to the best Oregon music. My favorite cuts are "Silence of a Candle" (a simple tune, written, played, and sung (!) by Ralph Towner), "Sunwheel" (this cut actually rocks; it's one of those tunes I find myself whistling all the time), and the two more "symphonic" cuts, Paul McCandless's "All the Mornings Bring" and Towner's "Chehalis and Other Voices", which together make up about nine of the most beautiful minutes you'll ever experience on any recording. These pieces are mostly through-composed (with the exception of some oboe "blowing" by McCandless in the former). Fans of Oregon's "Moscow" recording will really appreciate these early efforts.

Just buy it! It's really fantastic!

File Under New Age.......2006-01-12

While I used to be a fan of the new age genre, my tastes have changed. While Icarus is relaxing and peaceful, there isn't as much substance as there could be. The Winter Consort cd "Road", an official live concert that has fallen out of print on cd, is far more improvisatory and experimental. Icarus has some good moments like the classic title track. But a song like "The Silence of a Candle" with dated vocals brings the album down a notch. I'm tempted to say that Icarus is an acoustic version of a jam band but the playing is better than that and Paul Winter did have a solid jazz background. However, to call it world music is to do the genre a disservice. Listen to Sahara, released by McCoy Tyner that year and hear real jazz with a pan-African influence. Also at the time Philip Glass and Steve Reich were deconstructing avant-classical music with the structure and substance of Indian and African music respectively. Adding a sitar for coloring is fine but that doesn't mean world music or we would have to call "Norwegian Wood" or "Paint it Black" world music. However, if all is said and done and you are a fan of new age music or need something relaxing then please buy this cd over all later Paul Winter cd's with animal contributors which was a novel idea for one album but 30 years later has become totally tired.

Transitional jazz - a leap into world music.......2002-11-05

Transitional jazz ... including a little bit of India (sitar, tabla), a little bit of Africa (numerous percussion instruments), and a little bit of Mexico (marimba) and South America. Although produced 30 years ago, the music is as meaningful and relevant today as in 1972 when it was created. This is contemplative music, not meditative, which is softer and quieter ... this is great "thinking" music. The musical phrases are original and refreshing, create winding moods ... which need to be explored. It is great background music at a party or for laying back on a lazy Sunday afternoon, letting thoughts drift wherever they may ... It seems Paul Winter was ahead of his time: well time has caught up with him! The mellow saxaphone and cello sounds when accompanied by any number of "world" instruments are the sounds of the future and the future is ... HERE, NOW! GO: LISTEN AND ENJOY!
Dedicated to the memory of Bob Zeidler Amazon.com reviewer who introduced me to the music of Paul Winter. Erika Borsos

Almost Oregon.......2001-06-20

3 of the 4 members of what soon after this recording would become the all acoustic group known as OREGON are playing here. One of those is responsible for making this one of the greatest string/woodwind oriented jazz albums that would influence what is still being called "New Age" (although, I think that term is finally starting to die out; sort of like "New Wave": how long can it be considered "New"?) His name is Ralph Towner. He wrote 5 of the cuts here, and is my all-time favorite acoustic guitarist. Much of the music here is comparable to Oregon, with strong Eastern flavor. Altough not really "New Age", it is some of the most beautiful and unique music you'll ever hear and is as fresh today as it was over years ago. Juniper Bear is the funkiest acoustic guitar solo ever recorded (backed only by tabla). This easily could have been a Towner album. If so, it would be one of his best. If you like his guitar work as much as I do, three other must-haves are "Solo Concert", "Solstice", and "Diary".

The grandfather of world musics.......2001-06-20

Paul Winter fused musics from Brasil, India, Native North America and Africa,and encorporated elements of Classical and "cool Jazz" into a wonderful *GUMBO * LOOOOOOONG before the current trendmongers jumped the bandwagon, and did it with clarity, articulation, and respect for the sounds he was assimilating into his musical vision.(This was HIS American vision of Andrade's "cultural cannibalism", which BRASILIAN musicians have been very successful at since the beginning of the 1900's thru current times). For years, this lp/cd has been the "soundtrack" for public radio stations, as they have continuously used soundbites from tracks from this cd in the incidental music between shows -BUT this music deserves MUCH more introspection, as the tracks are quite wonderful. The soaring "Icarus" was a staple of PWC concerts, and later in Oregon's shows.(Towner & McCandless were founding fathers of Oregon,a natural progression after they left PWC. "Whole Earth Chant" is a track that combines the elements I describe already with a "funky" herb Buschler bassline & a soaring David Darling cello solo.I feel current celloists Hank Roberts and Mr Brubeck from Oranj Symphonette were influenced byhim greatly..... Minuit is a simplistic African "round" a folk form, but somehow quite touching to the heart. Mr. Winter was one of the first wave of US musicians to tour Brasil. He never got the mass exposure of his cohorts, Stan Getz, Charlie Byrd, Herbie Mann, et al. A trail blazer, I hope this cd enjoys a renaissance it truely deserves, given the great interest in World/Fusion sounds these days. Mr. Winter's vision remains fresh,as his "mission" was the musics first, not the $$$$$$.

Myths And Hymns (1998 Off-Broadway Cast, Originally Saturn Returns)

Average customer rating:

A magical and affecting song cycle
Beautiful Song Cycle, Almost As Good As Guettel's The Light In The Piazza
Best Song Cycle Ever Written!
A fine new voice in musical theater
"There's A Shout" for this album

Myths And Hymns (1998 Off-Broadway Cast, Originally Saturn Returns)
Adam Guettel , Todd Ellison , Aidra McDonald , and Darius de Haas
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

McDonald, Audra | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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1990s | By Decade | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

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Floyd Collins (1996 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
Myths and Hymns
The Light in the Piazza (2005 Original Broadway Cast)
Grey Gardens - A New Musical (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
John & Jen (1995 Original Off-Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B00000IQ5N
Release Date: 1999-03-30

Tracks:

Children Of The Heavenly King
At The Sounding
Saturn Returns
Icarus
Migratory V
Pegasus
Link
Hero And Leander
Sisyphus
Come To Jesus
How Can I Lose You?
There's A Shout
Awaiting You
The Great Highway
There's A Land
Saturn Returns (reprise)

Amazon.com

Until this disc, Adam Guettel was best known as the mastermind behind Floyd Collins, the gut-wrenching, boundary-breaking piece of musical theater that never gained the popularity it deserved. Myths & Hymns is another beast altogether, though just as interesting. Guettel has created a song cycle based loosely on Greek mythology and lyrics he discovered in an antique hymnal. These 15 songs are a combination of art song and show tune, but all are interesting. "Icarus" is funky jazz in which the composer duets with Lawrence Clayton. "There's a Land" is transformed from a traditional hymnal into an upbeat romp à la "This Land Is Your Land." "At the Sounding" is an upbeat yet appropriate transition from the somber "Children of the Heavenly King." Joining Guettel on the vocal parts for these works are Audra McDonald, Mandy Patinkin, Theresa McCarthy, and a handful of other fine interpreters. Sublime and moving, Myths & Hymns is all about reflecting--to God, a lover, or oneself. And while Guettel's roots run deep into the Broadway tradition (he's the grandson of Richard Rodgers), he's thankfully not afraid of musical experimentation. A great, soulful disc. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

A magical and affecting song cycle.......2006-09-28

I bought this disk on an Adam Guettel shopping spree after seeing and loving his Tony Award winning The Light in the Piazza. I was expecting the same sophistacated, elegant, and lushly romantic score a la Piazza, but was suprised to encounter an earthy mix of contemporary, hip rhythms and folkish, almost ecclesiastical melodies. However, upon my first listening, I didn't like it, didn't get it, and put it back on the self.
Fast forward a year.
I now think Myths and Hymns is the most original, most innovative song cycles of our generation. M and H encumpasses greek mythology and spiritual Americana by combining the stories of Icarus, Pegasus, Hero, Lysander, Sisyphus, and others with the structured yet sprited New England hymnal style music. The result is magical collection of songs that link together both musically and emotionally to create a satisfying listening experience.
The Performers are all in top form, including greats like Mandy Patankin embodying the eturnal suffering of Sisyphus, Theresa McCarthy and her angelic soprano voice, a spirited Billy Porter, and a radient Audra McDonald showing a playful side of Pegasus. However, the best performer by far is Guettel himself. He sings many of his own songs, and gives a soulful, heartfelt, and skilled performance, proving himself with the many talented voices on this cd.
The best songs are:
-At the Sounding: A spirited opening number combining antique lyrics with modern harmonies. It starts the cd of with a bang.
-Saturn Returns: Sung by Guettel, this song masterfully addresses the universal question about meaning in life.
-Icarus: Upbeat, and again sung but Guettel, it tells the story of the ill fated Icarus and adds present day connections to the ancient myth.
-Hero and Leander: The most romantic song on the cd, and my favorite. It is sung by Guettel, and is an understated and poigent declaration of love.
-Sisyphus: Mandy Patankin as you've never heard him before. A very funny song.
-Come To Jesus: A haunting melody that will stay with you long after listening.
-Pegasus: Another upbeat, funny little song, with silly lyrics and obscure references.
Keep an open mind while listening to this cd. It may take multiple listenings to fully appreciate its genious.
Highly reccomended

Beautiful Song Cycle, Almost As Good As Guettel's The Light In The Piazza.......2006-06-25

When listening to The Light In The Piazza, I soon fell in love with the soundtrack and wanted to hear more from Adam Guettel, so I picked up Myths & Hymns. While it is quite obviously different from The Light In The Piazza, it is just as musically brilliant.

What really gives this album that extra glue to hold it together is the star-studded cast singing the songs. There are Broadway favorites like Mandy Patinkin (singing "Sisyphus") & Audra McDonald (singing in "Pegasus"), but one great thing about this is that Mr. Adam Guettel sings a few songs himself (and not half-bad might I add) which include "Hero And Leander" & "Saturn Returns."

From the beautiful title song "Saturn Returns" to the quirky but funny "Pegasus" to the unique song stylings of "Sisyphus," this is certainly a must-have for any music lover. A few cautionary things about this though. This is a song cycle, a group of songs designed to be performed in sequence as a single entity, not really a musical. Also, there really isn't a beat. For instance, you're not going to wake up the following day singing "Come To Jesus" because it is beautifully addictive music that doesn't have a real consecutive rhythm. It is a still a brilliant music and is a must-listen for anyone.

Best Song Cycle Ever Written!.......2006-02-28

I believe that this is the best song cycle ever written and remains as one of my favourite Guettel pieces. The songs on this CD are extraordinary, extremely well written and cleverly assembled. I have also bought the sheet music which confirms his musical genius even further and also contains many songs not on the CD such as Prometheus, Jesus the Might Conquerer, Life is But a Dream and Build a Bridge, all of which are fabulous. This is a must for all music lovers! You won't regret it!

A fine new voice in musical theater.......2003-07-19

"Myths and Hymns" brings a fine new talent to musical theater. Adam Guettel has taken Greek myths and combined them with songs found in an old hymnal to create a unique cycle of songs ranging from funny ("Pegasus" and "There's A Land") to poignant ("Migratory V" and "Hero and Leander") to uplifting ("There's A Shout"). And, for this recording, we get to hear some of the original cast members from "Saturn Returns," the off-broadway show which featured the 16 tracks on this album. Theresa McCarthy, Audra McDonald, Billy Porter and Mandy Patinkin, to name a few.

Some of my favorites are "Hero and Leandro" sung by Adam Guettel, "How Can I Lose You?" sung by Annie Golden and "Awaiting You" sung by Billy Porter. But, the entire album is filled with fantastic music and wonderful voices.

"There's A Shout" for this album.......2002-12-31

I've been on a crusade ever since I was in college, it was to find unique and passionate musical. When I first started my search it mostly consisted of Stephen Sondheim's musicals, but now its getting bombarded with the likes of Ricky Ian Gordon, Jason Robert Brown, Micahal John Lachiusa and of course Adam Guettel. I first fell in love with in love with Adam Guettel's works when I bought FLOYD COLLINS, it mentioned on the back that he was the new Sondheim, so of course I bought it. Well after I listened to that album I was in a desperate search for what ever else he wrote. Then I found MYTHS & HYMNS. Which is not quite a musical, but it is. There such amazing voice on this album such as Audra McDonald, Mandy Patinkin, Theresa McCarthy, Vivian Cherry, Annie Golden, and of course Adam Guettel himself. The music is so powerful at times it can reduce you to tears and so fun at times you can't help from dancing and singing around your room. So if you haven't guessed it yet I highly recommend this album!

Average customer rating:

The Voyage of Icarus
Silmaril
Manufacturer: Locust
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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Colour Green

ASIN: B000MRA6KK
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Tracks:

Poustinia
Not Enough
Windbridge
Vespers
Living Stone
Given Time
Harrow Hill
October Road/Sleeping Magnificat
Voyage of the "Icarus"
Holy Holy
Plymouth Bay
Velvet and Gold the Dancer
Babylon
Maranatha
Vita Brevis
Coming Storm
Lamb of God
Revelation 13:11:18
Song of the Apolcalypse

Album Description

Awash in fuzz boxes and acid trips, the dozens of other overlooked groups from the psychedelic era bear little resemblance to Silmaril. While others buzzed within the hippie epicenters of Haight Street and the Lower East Side, Silmaril formed in haunted, industrial Milwaukee. Other bands might have met at a love-in; Silmaril were friends from a Catholic youth retreat bound together by a doomed figure in the eccentric madman tradition of Syd Barrett, Roy Harper and Mel Lyman by the name of Matthew Peregrine. The Voyage of Icarus captures the dark, mysterious, and achingly beautiful acid folk & Christian themed psychedelic sounds that emanated from 1973's highly collectable privately pressed album, Given Time... Or the Several Roads, and their dormant, unreleased follow up No Mirrored Temple.

Average customer rating:

"Charmingly Misanthropical"
a beautiful album
Believe it, It's true.
This is real music
just an amazing album

Icarus
The Forms
Manufacturer: Three Spheres
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

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The Spirituality

ASIN: B00005UN14
Release Date: 2003-02-25

Tracks:

Stel
Stel
Innizar
Innizar
Sunday
Sunday
Seagull
Classical
Stravinsky
Black Metal

Customer Reviews:

"Charmingly Misanthropical".......2005-05-10

First and foremost, I'd like to say that I am truly upset by the way this album is being sold under the "used" and "new" (cheap CDs for the people who have little faith in what such an album could do for them) section, for two dollars and ninety six cents, none the less. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!? This album, in its enitrety, is a masterpiece. In fact, it is one of the few albums that I own that I can say there is absolutely nothing wrong with (among such winners as Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea", Wilco's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot", and so on). To point out how moving, and wonderful this album is, I shall retell my story of how this album came to be my favorite album of the passed summer.
Now, (skipping all the crap before this) a good friend of mine who has always recommended contemporary materpieces to me, burned me a copy of this album (along with the Desert Fathers, which is another fantastic band you should be aware of. But that's beside the point) after I showed a slight interest in the guitar work I had heard briefly. So, when I arrived at home late at night, I placed this album in my CD player and just let it play. At first, well, I wasn't at all impressed. The vocals were messy, the guitar was far too distorted, and it just seemed to be nothing special (but keep in mind, I was still excited for the Warped Tour at this time, blach). I also felt like the recording was horrid... "it sounded like it was recorded in someones garage in the 80's," was my initial response. Little did I know that this album was recorded by Steve Albini... If I had known this at the time, I may have paid more attention to the album the first time around. Now, don't let this discourage you, because I did say it is one of my favorite albums of all time. So, after the album was over (oh, yeah... the album is about the length of an average EP/Singles Set: a record eighteen minutes and nineteen seconds), I decided to play it again since I had felt as though I'd missed the entire thing. So, I played it again. This time, a few things caught my attention: a few melodies in certain songs, the accented piano in 'Stravinsky', the way Ecco Terres (Alex Tween) wailed and screamed like an emo artist with an adrenaline kick, and even the bass made me smile a bit. It was slightly resonant of SDRE's (Sunny Day Real Estate for all you uneducated "music enthusists.") Well, since I still felt like I wasn't getting the full effect of this album, I kept listening. And on and on I went, replaying this CD in its entirity until I "got it". Now, I still struggled with Stel (parts I and II) but all and all, it was wonderful. I had never felt so much passion when Ecco Terres screamed in "Black Metal", or how well put together the album is. I had never fully comprehended how complicated the guitar rythms were, or how perfectly the basslines complimented the pattern and ascencion of the drums. The time signatures were extrordinary in certain areas, and the vocals, along with the lyrics were so foreign but warm and inviting. They floated atop the flowing melodies and breezy harmonies. Needless to say, I ate this album up. And to this day, I still force it into my girlfriends CD played and pretend I am Ecco Terres or one of the Kenny brothers as the moving bassline in "Innizar (pt. II)" comes in after being faded out, then simply climax's with Ecco almost exhaling an unidentifiable sound. In a sense, I almost believe him to be a siren (greek mythology), coaxing you into the music and giving you a little taste of Forms excellence, yet prolonging pure, exquisite bliss until the very last few chords. If you have ever listened to the entire "Icarus" album, at the end of "Black Metal", there's a build up (not a climax... "Classical" does that), and then suddenly, it fades out, then back in to three chords that end the album, making you feel complete. There's nothing else to say, this album makes me feel infinate; like I am an untouchable child, again. Look, I've said enough. The Forms rule. This album rules. Please, please.. heed my advice: Buy this album (from Threespheres).

a beautiful album.......2004-01-25

i bought this album because i liked the cover art, and i haven't stopped listening to it. it takes everything i like about indie rock, distills everything i don't like about it, and then throws in some new innovations of its own (song structures, rhythms). the recording is spectacular (obviously steve albini gets some credit for that), and the singer is great. this album is only 20 minutes long, but i don't think it needs to be any longer. more records should be this length, scrapping the bad songs so people don't have to skip over them. all in all, a great record.

Believe it, It's true........2003-06-20

Believe all of the excitement generated by this release, the countless cooing reviews and word of mouth are not to fall on deaf ears. This is music at it's best, three ordinary men who have the power to play from their guts and make you feel it in yours. A true return to the vehemence of smaller bands who do what popular "musicians" of today could not even fathom. Get this record and pay attention to The Forms for they deserve it.

This is real music.......2003-06-09

If you don't like music(meaning you listen to radio bands) don't buy this album. If you are a true music fan, and you know who you are, get this. If you don't like it at first, then listen to it over and over again, you should like it after the second or third time through. You will love this album!!

just an amazing album.......2003-04-15

What separates this band from pretty much every other band is the rhythm - so intricate but so fluid to the point where you don't even notice how unusual it is. And the music somehow manages to be ridiculously catchy too. The song "Stel" is a masterpiece. Get this album right now.

Average customer rating:

possibly the most Pretentious band in the world.
Requires 3 listens.
How in the world did the cd gets 3 1/2 stars
I don't like A Perfect Circle...sorry
Waiting in line was more interesting...

Mono
Icarus Line
Manufacturer: Crank! a Record Co.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Hardcore | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Red & Black Attack

ASIN: B00005CDUG
Release Date: 2001-05-22

Tracks:

Love Is Happiness
You Make Me Nervous
L.O.S.T.
Enemies In High Places
In Lieu
Feed A Cat To Your Cobra
Oh Faithless
Please Fire Me
Keep Your Eyes Peeled
Best Two Out Of Three
Rape Of The Holy Mother
SPMC

Customer Reviews:

possibly the most Pretentious band in the world........2004-02-18

If you are familiar with the Buddyhead website, then you know what I'm talking about. These guys sound like a bunch of rich California e-dorks who think they're At the Drive-In. I'd lump them in with the Strokes before I would a good band like ATDI or Radiohead.

Requires 3 listens........2004-02-17

I nearly threw this CD in the bin, and nearly threw that bin in another bin, when I first heard Mono. Two listens later and I was right into it, especially when I heard the singer whisper: "It gets better than this, I swear" at the end of one of the songs: that's gold.
So buy it and listen to it 3 times. If you still don't like it, it's time to get the bins out.

How in the world did the cd gets 3 1/2 stars.......2003-12-16

This band is just awful.They opened for APC and there set didn't end soon enough.I have no idea how they were able to be the opening act.It was just awful.Save your money and APC new cd instead.

I don't like A Perfect Circle...sorry.......2003-11-18

Well, this album may not be worth 5 stars, in fact it definitely is not. But is not squarely the fault of the band. They had certain time restriction 'issues' in the studio. However i award it 5 stars to make up for the unfortunate ignorance of other posters who shall not be named (no offence but you cannot judge the band and dismiss them so easily.
Now to the album, hardcore punk is not my genre of choice but my admiration for Refused, Fugazi and to a lesser extent the drug induced feedback glory that was Spacemen 3, endeared me to this adventurous band.
To be honest, upon first listen i was afraid of what i had landed myself in: face first into screaming concoction of guitar, drums and, well, screaming. Opener "Love is Happiness" and single "Feed a Cat to your Cobra," however provided a more immediate gateway into the less accessible tracks on this album. Highlights include "L.O.S.T" and "In Lieu" which combine the sonic blast of the Stooges with confronting, though in these dark modern times, highly relevant lyrics. In true punk fashion, The Icarus Line do not adere to simple verse-chorus-verse, but this is a good thing.
This review should serve as a warning that this album is very, very raw and if you don't noise, well just don't both...no listen for even below the noise and changing song directions, great song writing is on show.
Highly reccomended - even coming from the softest of hardcore fans.

Waiting in line was more interesting..........2003-11-09

This band sounded terrible live, and I have no idea how they got to open for APC. The tampa show with them was a big laugh the guitar player was going nuts running around the place, stomping his foot as hard as he possibly could over and over again. Tshirts were thrown into the crowd and people dodged them, I would of left if I wasnt a big APC fan.

Average customer rating:

Grimy
Punk
boring cd
Best Album Ever
Very cool

Penance Soiree
Icarus Line
Manufacturer: V2 Ada
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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Mono
Killing Joke
Our Aim Is to Satisfy Red Snapper
Junkyard
Sincere

ASIN: B0001FVEFY
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Tracks:

Up Against The Wall Motherfuckers
Spit On It
On The Lash
Caviar
Spike Island
Kiss Like Lizards
Getting Bright At Night
Big Sleep
White Devil
Meatmaker
Virgin Velcro
Sea Sick
Party The Baby Off

Customer Reviews:

Grimy.......2007-07-03

jagged, loud, intoxicated, innovative, well mixed. good tracks
sounds like the L.A. sun beating down on a ghetto,and I'm walkin down the street, stoned

Punk.......2007-01-10

This album is by far one of the most unintelligable albums ever...and I love it. The lyrics are completely smothered by slurring and screaming, but it's emotional. If you like noise, and even if you don't, I recommend this album for at least one listen. If you don't like it after that, listen to it again, and if you still don't like it, try one more time...if after that third (and for the adventurous ones, fourth) time, then keep it anyway. The Icarus Line, and their album Penance Soiree are among the best you could have in a collection.

boring cd.......2005-11-19

this cd is so boring, after the first listen I wanted to sell it already, on amazon marketplace. the singing is boring, the lyrics are mindless and misguided. therefore when I listen to bands like Death From Above 1979 and blood brothers, I wonder why I bought this crap instead

Best Album Ever.......2005-10-10

I really think that people who don't like this album simply don't like rock music. With this record, the Icarus Line take influences ranging over the entire spectrum of rock 'n' roll and manage to push them forward into a sound that is breathtaking in its originality. Do you like The Stooges? Or My Bloody Valentine? What about The Jesus Lizard? Or Born Against, Funkadelic, Suicide, Spiritualized, Nirvana, The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, Ink & Dagger? Do you like music at all?

The guitars of Aaron North and Alvin DeGuzman clash against each other like some demon cocktail of Fugazi and the MC5. The rhythm section of Don Devore (a legend in his own right) and Jeff Watson is unbeatable - they attack each song like bulldozers, each going into wild new structures dead on. And on top of all the mayhem, Joe Cardamone sings like a bastard child of Iggy Pop and Mick Jagger who grew up listening to the Dwarves.

This album is a landmark record. No one liked Funhouse when that album came out. Now it's looked at as one of the most revolutionary records ever released. In 30 years, everyone will be looking back at this album and wondering how the Icarus Line could produce such awe-inspiring material.

Very cool.......2005-04-14

I gotta both agree and disagree with the previous review. The Icarus line do take alot of influences and "cut and paste" them into their music but unlike maybe older listners I really don't have the time to be going through 100s of old Iggy Pop albums to find these similarities. Bands like the Icarus line have to be given due credit as they're the ones that carry this music foward. I mean dude I can't exactly travel into the past to an Iggy concert, but I can see bands like the Icarus Line when they tour and maybe experience some of that energy.

LAGQ - Guitar Heroes (Multichannel Hybrid SACD)

Average customer rating:

LAGQ Guitar Heroes by the LAGQ
A Guitar Grimoire for 6 string enthusiasts

LAGQ - Guitar Heroes (Multichannel Hybrid SACD)

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture etc. / Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops (Multichannel Hybrid SACD)

ASIN: B000294RMG
Release Date: 2004-06-22

Tracks:

Icarus
B & B
We Know You Know: Reverie For Mahavishnu
Pluck, Strum And Hammer
Letter From Home
Uarekena
Aire Para Un Dia (Mood For A Day)
Gyspy Flower
Pop
El Baile De Luis Alonso
Lament And Wake
Let's Be Frank
Blue Echo/Country Gentleman

Customer Reviews:

LAGQ Guitar Heroes by the LAGQ.......2005-03-24

This was the Grammy award winner in classical crossover for 2005. It is great if you appreciate the innovators in 20th century guitar music. Listen to The "Assad Duo" and a rock remedition of a Michael Hedges tribute" Lament and Wake which stand out. Both these songs got great reviews as arrangements by the newspaper critics. Get the multi channel version if you have a a top notch audio system with the speakers to show off the enginneering. If you just want "pretty" background music this is not an album for you.

A Guitar Grimoire for 6 string enthusiasts.......2004-08-14

This is an exciting display of 6 string prowess that really isn't classical, yet will inevitably become a classic. It is an amazing tour de force worthy of the California Guitar Trio. The efforst here focus on composers and players who are heroes to this quartet, and it is a compendium of the best: McLaughlin, Hendrix, Metheny, Towner, Howe, Rheinhart. Each and every selection is brilliant whether they are essaying Norman Blake or Frank Zappa. York, Tennant, Kanengiser and Dearman command their instruments with power and discipline, and the finessse and passion leaps off the strings. The fretwork is a tribute to each of the heroes honored, and indeed this is truly an honouring of great fretmen. The digital encoding of the disc is such that you get a very precise definition of who is playing spacially from right to left. Very impressive, as you would expect from Telarc.
Their take on Towner's "Icarus" is both timely and quite a creative adjustment of the tempo. Steve Howe's "Mood For A Day" undergoes a makeover as a flamenco tour de force, and it actually comes off even more amazing than Howe's various re-workings of this abstemious wonder. At times, the compositions are those of the heroes, at others it is the LAGQ's composition evoking essential qualities of the personalities honoured. It works beautifully on all accounts. If you are a fan of acoustic guitars, or even of any of the guitarists honoured here, you owe it to yourself to pick this up.

Average customer rating:

An Outstanding Hommage to the Greats of All-Styles of Guitar
LAGQ: "Decent"
Fails to translate into much pleasure for average listeners
I Should Have Known Better
Totally satisfying

LAGQ's Guitar Heroes

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Latin Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00020PVUC
Release Date: 2004-06-22

Tracks:

Icarus
B & B
We Know You Know: Reverie For Mahavishnu
Pluck, Strum, And Hammer
Letter From Home
Uarekena
Aire Para Un Dia (Mood For A Day)
Gypsy Flower
Pop
El Baile De Luis Alonso
Lament And Wake
Let's Be Frank
Blue Echo/Country Gentleman

Amazon.com

These guys are amazing. This CD is for everyone, regardless of "favorite" musical tastes. Classical, pop, new-age, country, whatever: the LAGQ's virtuosity is stunning, and the sounds they make are engaging, clear and clean (and aided by recording engineers who should win the Nobel Prize for recording, were there such a thing). Nominally, this CD is inspired by the heroes of the four members of LAGQ, but that's only a piece of information: What they do with music by, or indebted to, or inspired by their "heroes" is the issue, and it's never less than original, by turns lovely (the Pat Metheny piece), reckless and innovatively busy (Jimi Hendrix's "Pluck, Strum and Hammer"---with gorgeous harmonics), flamenco (Steve Howe's "Aire para un dia," totally re-conceived), and kitchen-sink (Frank Zappa's "Let's be Frank"). Even the infuriating John McLaughlin is well represented. The recording is vivid and the artists are identified from left to right, speaker-wise. And the Chet Atkins piece that closes the CD is nothing short of delicious. What is this uncategorizable CD? A joy---that's what. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

An Outstanding Hommage to the Greats of All-Styles of Guitar.......2006-06-25

It goes without saying the the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet is in fact the BEST performing guitar ensemble in the world right now. The quartet always impresses me with their variety, technique, musicianship, ensemble playing and innovation. The playing and material on this album reflects just that. The variety reflects many different styles: contemporary classical, rock, jazz, avant garde, new age, bluegrass, country and flamenco. The technique is spotless, the musicianship is incredibly fine tuned the group plays together perfectly and the selections are fresh, new and very interesting. It's a true treat to hear nylon stringed classical guitars playing tribute to their greats and the greats of their electric counterparts.

To talk about highlight tracks on this album just wouldn't be fair. There are too many. The cover of Ralph Towner's "Icarus" is exciting in its use of special guitar techniques, its Brazillian flavor and Andrew Yorks amazing improvised solo. The bouncy tribute to Norman Blake and David Bromberg is fun and incredibly enerjetic. The hommages to McLaughlin and Hendrix are provocative, strange and haunting. Following those two abrasive, dissonant cuts is a beautiful transcription of Pat Metheny's Letter from Home and Sergio Assad's very cool composition "Uarekena." The disc also features a flamenco reworking of Yes's "Mood for a Day," a tribute to gypsy great Django Reinhard, a Romeros quartet piece bubbling with Spanish flair, the extended technique ridden Michael Hedges tribute, an avant garde nod to Frank Zappa and a bouncy country influenced salute to Chet Atkins. Every cut is strong and is oozing with LAGQ perfection and nuance.

The other cool thing about this album is that it is mixed in stereo. The players are mixed across the speakers so that the arrangements can be aurally analyzed much easier. This album is a must have for any fan of the guitar... not just classical players.

LAGQ: "Decent".......2006-02-21

Bought this album because I thought the last tune on it was very catchy. The rest of the album didn't seem so great, possibly because my girlfriend wouldn't shut up and listen to it. I am going to listen to it some more without her. It is all instrumental, all guitar, and just not bad.

Fails to translate into much pleasure for average listeners .......2006-01-31

LAGQ's CD "Guitar Heroes" begins with their take on Ralph Towner's classic Icarus. This choice proves an apt one, for like this mythical Greek hero, LAGQ strives to accomplish something great and wonderful, but instead crashes to earth.

In fact, the CD begins with much promise, leading with the soaring cover of Icarus and the well-done homage to Blake and Bromberg "B&B." Then the McLaughlin and Hendrix tributes founder badly before the band achieves stability with a pair of unexciting but listenable tunes in honor of Pat Metheney and the Assad Duo (I always thought it was the other way around, Duo Assad).

A rather horrid homage to Steve Howe and a lackluster one for Django Reinhardt are countered by the brief but clever Duane York, a nice yoking together of slide and classical styles. The tip of the cap to Los Romeros is OK, but then the overlong, often irritating tributes to Michael Hedges and Frank Zappa do not add any luster to either of these late guitarists' legacies and set the CD on a terminal downward spiral.

The nice tribute to Chet Atkins that concludes this set is not enough to restore altitude and the whole effort essential crashes to earth.

No doubt the performers had a great time recording this CD for their grasp of technique and nuance proves solid. The problem is that the concept of "Guitar Heroes" fails to translate into much pleasure for average listeners like me.

I Should Have Known Better.......2005-04-05

I'm a fan of Classical Guitar. I heard about this quartet and sought them out, buying "Guitar Heroes". I should have read the Amazon review more closely. If I had I would have earned these pieces are in a dissonant rock-style with little or no melodic form. A far cry from what I envisioned. I write this to warn other innocents who might be looking for melodic music in a classical style. I didn't read the review closely enough, but you should.

Totally satisfying.......2004-12-12

I can't think of any recent collection of music that I enjoyed more than this album by the LAGQ. "Guitar Heroes" is amazing right from the beginning and never ceases right through the last track. The performances are solid, always musical and often mesmerizing. The songs and arrangements are impeccable and thoughtful, never pandering or taking the easy route to illuminating a particular guitar hero. After listening to this album, you want to hear more of the LAGQ, and also more from their "heroes". For that alone, this offering is a tremendous success.

Average customer rating:

Enclosed
Dreamaker
Manufacturer: Icarus
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock & Metal | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B0007OQDC8
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Tracks:

I Live My Own Life
Reverse Universe
Over the Edge
Living in Fear
End of Your Suicide
Innocent Blood
W.W. 666
Face to Face
Enclosed
Perfect Soul
Take Me Higher
Promised Heaven

Album Description

Dreamaker makes no bones about what they are, they are Metal with a capital 'M'. Featured on this album are the hit songs 'Reverse Universe' & 'The End Of Your Suicide'. Icarus. 2005.

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