Early Man

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
There are some musicians who don't feel bound by traditional musical concerns like harmony, melody, and rhythm. Usually when those concepts are ignored, the results are avant-garde abstraction or aimless New Age meandering masquerading as meditation music. With Steve Roach, however, something else happens. For more than a decade, he's been exploring ever-deeper layers, mixing high-tech and primitive instruments to reach a root sound, a primordial state of consciousness. Early Man was originally released in 2000 as a limited edition packaged between two slabs of gray slate, representing its antediluvian origins. Now it's been released in a conventional package with an additional disc of remix material. All the Roach signposts are there: swampy textures merging electronics with heavily processed acoustic sounds from rocks, bones, and shakers, and pulsing, almost subliminal rhythms, when there are any grooves at all. The second disc remixes material from the first, but being Steve Roach, don't expect any dance beats. Instead, he goes even deeper and slower, morphing his sound world in a somber psychedelic trance. --John Diliberto

Early Man,Steve Roach,Projekt Records,Europe,New Age,New Age / Meditation,Pop

Early Man

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.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.

Average customer rating:

Yankee Doodle Dandy Review

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Amazing! Wonderful! Just buy it - you won't be sorry!

What a find!!

A Soundtrack Every American Should Own

Yankee Doodle Dandy
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
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Yankee Doodle Dandy (Two-Disc Special Edition)

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ASIN: B000066RM7
Release Date: 2002-06-18

Tracks:

Main Title: Warner Bros. Signature/Yankee Doodle/Yankee Doodle Boy/Mary's A Grand Old Name/Off The Record - Warner Bros. Orchestra
Early Years Sequence: Columbia The Gem Of The Ocean/The Dancing Master/While Strolling Through The Park One Day/At A Georgia Camp Meeting - Walter Huston
I Was Born In Virginia - Walter Huston
The Warmest Baby In The Bunch - Sally Sweetland
Harrigan - Sally Sweetland
Yankee Doodle Boy - James Cagney
Little Johnny Jones Sequence: The Yankee Doodle Boy/Good Luck Johnny/Little Johnny Jones Special/Finale Special/All Aboard For Old Broadway/Rocket/Give My Regards To Broadway - James Cagney
Medley: Oh, You Wonderful Girl/Blue Skies, Gray Skies/The Belle Of The Barber's Ball - Walter Huston
Mary's A Grand Old Name - Sally Sweetland
Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway - James Cagney
Fay Templeton Medley: Mary's A Grand Old Name/Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway/So Long, Mary - Irene Manning
You're A Grand Old Flag - Walter Huston
Over There - Frances Langford
Medley: In A Kingdom Of Our Own/Love Nest/Nellie Kelly, I Love You/The Man Who Owns Broadway/Molly Malone/Billie - Frances Langford
Off The Record - James Cagney
Finale And End Cast: Over There/Yankee Doodle Boy - James Cagney
You Remind Me Of My Mother (Outtake) - James Cagney
Medley: Oh, You Wonderful Girl/Blue Skies, Gray Skies/The Belle Of The Barber's Ball (Piano Only Version) - Walter Huston
Give My Regards To Broadway (Rehearsal) - James Cagney
You're A Grand Old Flag (Rehearsal) - James Cagney

Amazon.com

When one thinks of musicals from Hollywood's golden age, the initials MGM come almost instantly to mind. Indeed when veteran song-and-dance man George M. Cohan was negotiating a film based on his colorful life story, his first choice was Metro--until a falling out with studio chief Louis B. Mayer. But L.B.'s loss eventually became Warner Brothers'--and film history's--gain when the Burbank studio's Cohan musical became a massive, patriotic hit in the opening months of World War II. As chronicled in this vibrantly restored, first-ever complete soundtrack for the film, it was a compelling twist of fate. James Cagney turns in one of the screen's most ostensibly unlikely--and ultimately indelible--musical performances (netting him his only Best Actor Oscar ^®), teaming with studio music director Roy Heindorf to update Cohan's once-quaint turn-of the-century patriotic ditties ("You're a Grand Old Flag," "Over There," "Yankee Doodle Boy") and infectious vaudevillian chestnuts ("Give My Regards to Broadway," "Harrigan") with bracing dollops of the studio's '40s orchestral sass--and, just months after Pearl Harbor, some crucial historical parallels. Also included are four bonus tracks that remarkably survived the film's preproduction, including an outtake of "You Remind Me of My Mother" and voice-and-piano-only rehearsal versions of "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "You're a Grand Old Flag" that further underscore Cagney's deceptively effortless ability to sell a song despite his limited musical gifts. It's a long overdue showcase for a true American film musical gem. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Yankee Doodle Dandy Review.......2006-11-03

It's an old movie with an old soundtrack, but I loved the movie, I love the music, and I'm very happy with my purchase.

Yankee Doodle Dandy.......2006-06-30

Excellent in black and white and color. James Cagney also got a medal from a President. (President Reagan!} If you like entertainment...this is it!

Amazing! Wonderful! Just buy it - you won't be sorry!.......2005-03-05

I am so very glad I bought this CD. I own the DVD of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and watch it all the time, so I almost didn't buy this, wondering if I really needed yet another CD.

Well, thank God I didn't pay any attention to that dumb idea!

If you love "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and Cagney, you just have to buy this soundtrack. It's like being able to take the movie with you anywhere ... it's not just the songs - as others have said - but also includes bits of Cagney's voice-overs, even the tap-dancing from the end of "Little Johnny Jones." And since the audio system in my car is better than my TV's, it all seemed even bigger, richer and better. (George M. would love that!)

Wonderful, wonderful stuff!

What a find!!.......2003-06-15

I haven't been able to see this movie on TV since Turner bought it (don't get TCM), but if you've seen the movie several tims, as I have, listening to this CD is very nearly as good as watching it all the way through. (I'm so delighted with it that I'm even willing to forgive TCM for putting a paper ad inside with the disc.)

Monumental effort must have gone into this soundtrack, given the age of the original recordings. The tracks here are crisp, clear, and bright, with no evidence of how long ago they were first put down. The editors were also generous in their inclusion of dialogue that ties some of the tracks together (for example, we hear the man tell Johny Jones to watch for the skyrocket, then we hear the skyrocket as it leads into "Give My Regards to Broadway"). There are a couple of places where the endings are slightly abrupt but this is because, in the movie, the music fades into extended dialogue.

The only bit of dialogue I expected to hear in a song, but didn't, is in "Over There" near the very end of the film, when Cagney/Cohan has fallen in step with the soldiers going off to WWII, as they're singing "Over There", when the soldier nearest him says something like, "What's wrong, old timer, don't know the words?" and Cagney says, "Seems to me I do" and starts singing along. That's minor and pales next to how wonderful the rest of this soundtrack is.

One of the biggest treats on this CD is that we get to hear some of Cagney's tapping, notably in "Give My Regards to Broadway", "You're a Grand Old Flag", and - one of my favorite moments in movie history - when he dances down the White House stairs to "Yankee Doodle" near the end).

The outtake is not a humorous one, simply a track they decided not to use. It and the rehearsal tracks are all just the performers voices with piano accompaniment. I especially enjoyed hearing Cagney rehearsing "You're a Grand Old Flag".

If you like Cagney, if you like Cohan's music, if you like movies "the way they used to make them", or if you're not ashamed to get a little choked up with patriotism once in a while, you will not be disappointed in this CD!

A Soundtrack Every American Should Own.......2002-09-23

Finally! If you own that Hollywood Soundstage abomination of the "Yankee Doodle Dandy" soundtrack you can finally pitch it. Here is the real article. Rhino (Turner Classic Movies Music) lovingly restored the music from the beloved "Yankee Doodle Dandy" motion picture starring James Cagney. This soundtrack sounds astonishing considering it's 60 years old. It's very obvious some loving care was taken in it's production for which we all should be greatful. The liner notes also are great with informative text and wonderful photos from the movie. The marvelous George M. Cohan songs gives one goosebumps and bring tears to the eyes. We all need this type of patriotic pep rally, especially in these tough times. As I've said, this soundtrack belongs in every American's home just as much as that "Grand Old Flag"! I believe there are plans to release the movie on DVD, hopefully soon.

Average customer rating:

The Better of the two
Not as good as version 1 in this series
Same as 'Goostly Psalmes: Anglo-American Psalmody 1550-1800'

Early American Choral Music, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Hmf Classical Exp.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005UVPB
Release Date: 2002-04-09

Customer Reviews:

The Better of the two.......2006-06-03

I have both disc in the series. I liked the music on this disc much more than the first. The selections seem more focused and the sounds are much clearer. Also, the particular pieces fit better together. I love the sound of this group and hope they make more in the future.

Not as good as version 1 in this series.......2004-09-03

This is by the same group who did the wonderful & engaging Early American Choral Music 1. Somehow this CD did not live up to its predecessor in some ways. The performance is still top notch, but somehow the CD as a whole isn't quite as engaging to listen to as the first. Perhaps version 2's strength is also its weakness. Its diversity of composers allows you to pear past the shadow of William Billings and sample other notable early American hymn writers. That exposure is valuable & appreciated. I just couldn't get into it as much.

A final note: many of the texts are beautiful (and available from the publisher's web site). However, I would criticize "Who is this that cometh from Edom?" as dwelling just a bit too much on the Jews' rejection of Jesus. Among other reasons & issues, Christianity says that we are all sinners & there is no cause to single a particular group out negatively.

Same as 'Goostly Psalmes: Anglo-American Psalmody 1550-1800'.......2004-02-21

Please note this CD is a duplicate of His Majestie's Clerkes's "Goostly Psalmes: Anglo-American Psalmody 1550-1800" -- identical contents but a different name and cover. I ordered both and was irritated to discover this. This CD is cheaper, so I recommend this one. It is a lovely choral work from a little-known period of sacred music.

Average customer rating:

One of the best CD's out there!
a voice teacher and early music fan
Prelewd to Postlewd
Sounds like they're singing Christmas carols
A sly and rollicksome good time!

The Art of the Bawdy Song

Manufacturer: Dorian Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001Q93
Release Date: 1993-02-11

Tracks:

Aniseed Robin
Cuckolds All A-Row
I Gave Her Cakes And I Gave Her Ale
Taking His Beer With Old Anacharsis
Fye, Nay, Prithee John
Cold And Raw
The Miller's Daughter
Will Said To His Mammy
The Old Fumbler
Walking In a Meadowe Greene
Celia Learning On The Spinnet
Tom the Taylor
My Lady's Coachman John
The Irish Jig Or The Night Ramble
Come Sirrah Jacke Hoe
Dainty Fine Aniseed Water
Most Men Do Love the Spanish Wine
Argreers
Gathering Peascods
My Lady And Her Maid
As Roger Last Night To Jenny Lay Close
Pox On You
Ladie Lie Near Me
'Tis Women Makes Us Love
Sir Walter Enjoying His Damsel
My Thing Is My Own
Here Dwells a Pretty Maid
My Man John Had a Thing That Was Long
When First Amyntas Sued For a Kiss
More Palatino
Poor Owen
Where They Drank Their Wine
Come, Come, Let Us Drink

Customer Reviews:

One of the best CD's out there!.......2007-05-10

All ages and musical backgrounds love this CD. The Baltimore Consort are amazing. One really feels one is in a smoky pub in the 14oo's getting plastered with England's best musicians! Don't miss "Pox on You;" my kids absolutely howl with glee at the "bass fartophone." I haven't heard laughter like that come out of my little boy since he was a toddler. "Sweet Sir Walter" features one of the guys singing in a falsetto that sweeps lustily down into a Tim Curry-esque (think Dr. Frank-n-furter)gutteral guffaw of delight. So outrageously fun one forgets one is listening to Renaissance madrigals.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-03-25

These bawdy catches and ballads take us on a journey to the taverns and other social gathering places of the the real 'Merry Old England'. Some of us may be mildly shocked by the directness and earthiness of the text, but everyday life in the 17th century was much more 'down-to'earth- and forward. These texts-some blatant and other euphemistic-fully explore the spectrum of humor from the sly smirk to the back-slapping guffaw.
The singing of both ballads and catches belongs to a long and venerable tradition in England. The natural habitat of the of the catch was the tavern, while the ballad was known in a wider variety of social settings as well as the stage. By the end of the 17th century, ballads were collected by connoisseurs of popular culture and published in anthologies. The main source for this recording, 'The Catch Club, or 'Merry Companions', was printed in 1762.
A quote from the catch-philosopher (of 'Come, come let us drink') is offered by the Baltimore Consort: "...wine and good cheer will in spite of our fear inspire our hearts with mirth..the time we live, to wine let us give, since we all must turn to earth...."
This is an excellent collection of songs; quite interesting and varied. The instruments are played skillfully, and the voices, for the most part, are good quality. However, as with all 'folk-like' songs, the diction is not always clear, and that is very true of several of these on this disc. The female voices were more difficult to comprehend much of the time. The text is printed out, so ultimately familiararity will make them easier to understand. I do like the disc, and think that it needed to be done.As to a previous criticism concerning the fact that it wasn't 'true' barroom singing. Of course, it's not!!!If it were, you would not understand any of it!!!!!Enough said.

Prelewd to Postlewd.......2005-09-28

The Baltimore Consort, an ensemble of six players, was founded in 1980 with the purpose of performing 'broken consort' pieces of Elizabethan origin. 'Broken' here refers to the instrumentation - treble viol/violin, flue/recorder, lute, cittern, bandore and bass viol. Their repertoire expanded beyond these beginnings to include broader British fare, as well as French and Italian music of the time. This is a happy expansion, as it made this disc of older, bawdy (for its time) music possible.

The Baltimore Consort play with life and vigour, with a good deal of improvisational flair, not being bound to texts and going through the production of notes as if mechanically. This is true to the spirit and nature of the early music, in which performers often had to 'play by ear', neither being able to read music nor having printed music even if they could. This is particularly true of the songs on this disc, where many are derivative of anonymous jokes and stories, and much of the music is likewise folk-tune and anonymously composed.

Some of the songs can be rather shocking. As Mary Anne Ballard writes in the accompanying notes, 'We must remember that in the days before indoor plumbing and pooper-scooper laws, everyday life was of an earthier flavour than it is today.... The men of the singing clubs and the ladies of stage poked fun at themselves and their companions with wit, pleasantry and contrivance.'

The names of many of the composers of these pieces have been lost to history, particularly the more folk-song oriented ones. However, some well-known composers are represented among the pieces here - Purcell, D'Urfey, Aldridge, and others.

The regular players include Mary Anne Ballard (viols), Mark Cudek (cittern, guitar, recorder and bass viol), Custer LaRue (vocalist/soprano), Larry Lipkis (recorder, viols), Ronn McFarlane (lute), Chris Norman (flutes), Webb Wiggins (tambourine and 'virginals'). Some artists are known from other Dorian productions, such as Ronn McFarlane on the lute in the collection 'Greensleeves'.

Added to the regular consort players are the Merry Companions, including Peter Becker (baritone), Alexander Blachly (baritone), Paul Shipper (bass, belch-canto), and James Weaver (baritone).

One more addition includes a guest artist, Lorenzo Labbrobacio, playing of all things, the 'fartophone', a rather mysterious instrument indeed. Labbrobacio defies identification on the internet other than references to this disc, and so the mystery deepens.

This is music that is interesting, truly fun to listen to, entertaining and has a quality about it that makes it a joy both in musical and humourous tones.

Sounds like they're singing Christmas carols.......2004-11-09

This recording is professionally produced - perhaps too much so. I've been in a few taverns and heard my share of bawdy songs. I am used to hearing them sung with gusto, with a wink and a naughty smile, to the raucous and enthusiastic appreciation of the audience. The songs on this CD are performed entirely straight. The results are technically competent but fail utterly in conveying the spirit and fun that make this genre worth listening to.

A sly and rollicksome good time!.......2002-11-29

On this recording, the Baltimore Consort and the Merry Companions are full of fun, both blatant and tongue-in-cheek. Soprano Custer La Rue and the instrumentalists of the Consort are joined by a quartet of classical male singers (Peter Becker, Alexander Blachly, Paul Shipper and James Weaver) with quite a theatrical sense of humor. The two groups take turns presenting ribald tavern songs of merry old England, interspersed by light, catchy instrumentals listed in the credits as the "Prelewd", the "Interlewd" and a "Fresh Ayre". Drinking, sex and other bodily functions are both celebrated and ridiculed in songs that are cleverly worded and enthusiastically sung, and in at least one case, accompanied by a mysterious instrument (reminiscent of P.D.Q. Bach) called a "fartophone". Especially amusing are the "catches" or rounds, and the new meanings that result from the staggering of words when several different verses are all sung together. It sounds silly, and is silly, but that's the point of it all--celebrating the "earthier flavor" of life 17th and 18th century England. My copy came with a parental advisory sticker stuck fast to the case, but my mother didn't seem overly concerned, and in fact enjoyed it too when I played it for her! For more fun Renaissance vocals, both salacious and serious, try "All At Once Well Met: English Madrigals" by the King's Singers, and "The King's Singers' Madrigal History Tour: Italy, England, France, Spain, Germany" by the King's Singers and the Consort of Musicke.

Average customer rating:

Religious Hit Parade
Very uplifting

25 Sacred Choral Favorites

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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25 Concerto Favorites

ASIN: B0000058IM
Release Date: 1997-07-01

Tracks:

Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus - George Frideric Handel
Messiah: For Unto Us A Child Is Born - George Frideric Handel
Laudate Dominum - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Magnificat: Esurientes - Johann Sebastian Bach
B Minor Mass: Credo - Johann Sebastian Bach
B Minor Mass: Crucifixus - Johann Sebastian Bach
Avinu Malkeinu - Jewish Traditional
O Magnum Mysterium - Giovanni Pierluigi Da Palestrina
Estote Fortes in Bello - TomLuis de Victoria
Stabat Mater: Opening Movement - Giovanni Pergolesi
Stabat Mater: Quae Moerebat - Giovanni Pergolesi
Stabat Mater: Fac ut Ardeat - XXGiovanni Pergolesi
Gloria: Opening Movement - Antonio Vivaldi
Stabat Mater: Eja Mater - Antonio Vivaldi
Magnificat: Quia Fecit - Claudio Monteverdi
Requiem:: Dies Irae - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Requiem: Lacrimosa - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Tzadik Katamar - Louis Lewandowski
Sanctus From Mass In A-Flat - Franz Schubert
Requiem: Libera Me Domine - Gabriel Faure
Requiem: Pie Jesu - Gabriel Faure
Ave Verum - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The Creation: Achieved Is The Glorious Work - Franz Josef Haydn
Messiah: Since By Man Came Death - George Frideric Handel
Messiah: Amen - George Frideric Handel

Customer Reviews:

Religious Hit Parade.......2002-04-08

I was torn between four and five stars for this album. In the end, it got five because of the inclusion of the two wonderful traditional Jewish songs - "Alvinu Malkeinu" and "Tzadik Katamar". They are the highlights of the disc for me (no, I'm not Jewish, but that doesn't matter) - and really, where else are you going to find this kind of music?

This CD serves the same purpose as a sampler disc - enticing the listener to buy the full works - Handel's "Messiah", Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater", Faurè's Requiem Mass, and what have you. Believe it or not, I had never heard any of "Messiah" - not even the Hallelujah Chorus in its entirety - before I purchased this CD. Now I realize what I've been missing and checked it out from the local library. Ditto for the unearthly beauty of Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater" - check out the samples of "Stabat Mater Dolorosa" and "Quae Moerebat" if you don't believe me.

The quality of the performers is excellent, and how can ANYONE pass up that price???? That is what ultimately clinched it at a solid five stars. I consider this CD one of my greatest finds - you will too.

Very uplifting.......2000-05-21

This is a great bargain CD with excerpts from some familiar classics and some lesser known treasures. Many listeners, including myself, will want to own the complete performance of most of these works, but this CD is a good way to hear composers such as Lewandowski and Pergolesi, whose works may not already be a part of your music library. The opening movement of Vivaldi's Gloria as performed by the Atlanta Symphony and Chorus conducted by Robert Shaw is terrific. True to his reputation as one of the greatest choral conductors of all time, everything sounds just right under his baton. The other performances were not as highly distinguished in my humble opinion, but overall most of them were good, and many were excellent. For Handel's Messiah though, I highly recommend Sir Georg Solti conducting the Chicago Symphony and Chorus, starring Kiri Te Kanawa (once you hear the Solti version, most other Messiah performances don't feel as moving). And if you enjoyed this CD, you'll really love Kiri Te Kanawa's Ave Maria album.

Tracks:

Bounty Hunter [12" Mix]
Skylarking
Collie Weed
Moonlight Lover
Ya We Deh [12" Mix]
Looking My Love
(Sweet) Reggae Music (Aka Don't Fuss nor Fight)
Jah
Wedding Ring
Love Your Brother Man
It's Not Easy (Aka Trod Along with Jah)
Jah the Creator
Shine Eye Girl [12" Mix] - Barrington Levy, Jah Thomas
I Hold the Handle
Shaolin Temple [12" Mix] - Barrington Levy, Jah Thomas
Young Free & Single
Give Thanks & Praise [12" Mix]

A Man Like Me - The Early Years of Roger Miller

Average customer rating:

Before his comedic career

A Man Like Me - The Early Years of Roger Miller
Roger Miller
Manufacturer: Bear Family
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

Honky-Tonk | Country | Styles | Music

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King of the Road

ASIN: B000ICL3EM
Release Date: 2006-11-13

Tracks:

You're Forgetting Me
My Pillow
Can't Stop Loving You
Poor Little John
Man Like Me
Wrong Kind of Girl
Sweet Ramona
Jason, Fleming
Country Girl
I Ain't Never
Under Your Spell Again
Jimmie Brown the Newsboy
Who Shot Sam
Playboy
Hot Rod Lincoln
I Wish I Could Fall in Love Today
Tip of My Fingers

Album Description

Bear Family once again steps up to the plate, providing a complete picture of the early years of Miller's career, from his 1957 first recordings for Starday, through his two Decca singles in 1959, to his 'sound-alike' recordings he did for Starday in 1960, this is essential listening for fans of real honky-tonk country music.

Customer Reviews:

Before his comedic career.......2007-02-27

This is an excellent early collection of the Great Roger Miller. This collection is a 17-song compilation provided by Bear Family Records, covering the earliest years of Miller's career. Here, you can hear the unmistakable influences of Ray Price, Faron Young, and even Wynn Stewart. I was surprised at just how good Roger imitated their style and delivery; nearly flawless. But, this CD also covers the beginning of the styling that would become Roger's trademark, with "Poor Little Me", "A Man Like Me', and "Jason Fleming". The sound is excellent, considering the fair quality of the original recordings. But, then again, Bear Family has yet to put out a bad product. There's also a complete set of liner notes detailing Roger's discography and bio for this era (1957-64). Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

These guys rool!
Sabbath Circa 1970 + Maiden Circa 1983= Early Man
Boring
Fistbangin' mania!!!
Metal Up Your ***!!

Closing In
Early Man
Manufacturer: Matador Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000AXW500
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Tracks:

Four Walls
War Eagle
Death Is The Answer
Feeding Frenzy
Thrill Of The Kill
Like A Goddamn Rat
Fist Shaker
Evil Is
Brain Sick
Contra
Raped And Pillaged

Amazon.com

Early Man are two Pentecostalists who discovered heavy metal at age 19 and were subsequently shunned for it. This explains a lot given the sheer reverence and horn-throwing excitement found on Closing In. It's a history lesson as well as a continuation of classic metal liturgy. This is straight-up rock riffs and metal melody and rhythm. "Four Walls" kicks off the record with a dead killer guitar line; "War Eagle" is Iron Maiden for these times; "Death is the Answer" picks up where classic Black Sabbath left off; "Feedin Frenzy" is a mid-tempo thrasher that wouldn't sound out of place on a Megadeth or Exodus album. Contrary to these descriptors, it is by no means a carbon-copy effort. This is serious without being over-burdened. There's an exuberance that defies irony and makes all 11 tracks sound fresh and invigorating. It may cause you to bite a hole in your lower lip while your foot kicks along with the bass drum--it's that kind of metal. --Robert Arambel

Customer Reviews:

These guys rool!.......2007-05-23

I haven't heard such originality or heavyness since Sabbath and Dio! You gotta get this throwback now or you won't be cool!

Sabbath Circa 1970 + Maiden Circa 1983= Early Man.......2006-02-17

If today's metal scene has left you yearning for the days of old (i.e. Priest, Maiden, Sabbath) then Early Man is the answer to your prayers. Early Man sounds almost exactly like early Black Sabbath around the time of their debut or the Master of Reality album. In fact, some will probably accuse Early Man of being nothing more than a Sabbath clone band, which in many respects is valid. But you can deny these guys have the riffs and the old school vibe going strong on Closing In. The singer sounds like a mix of early Ozzy and a twinge of early Geddy Lee. The riffs are fast and plentiful. War Eagle and Feeding Frenzy are my personal favorites. There is no let up on this album as it rocks from beginning to end. The riff in Death is the Answer to my Prayers is almost an exact clone of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath with a few minor adjustments. While Early Man may not be the most original band to hit the metal scene, they have resurrected the old school of metal with Closing In. There is tons of potential here. Overall, for metal fans who enjoy the old school, Early Man will satisfy your craving for stripped down, bare bones heavy metal. Recommended.

Boring.......2006-02-15

This band has potential but has zero groove, nothing to latch onto at all. Go see the Sword and leave early, man.

Fistbangin' mania!!!.......2006-02-09

A couple of young dudes just totally going for it, it's 83' all over again. Using "Kill Em All" as the template, these dudes proceed to thrash in fine fashion for the next 40 minutes. You WILL bang your head. This is the perfect album for those of us who ask ourselves as we listen to classic albums by the "big four", Testament, Overkill etc..."why can't new bands sound like this"? Death to irony, the thrash torch is being carried by Early Man with class and passion...and if you're looking for more assurance that metal will never die, check out High On Fire, Municipal Waste, and The Sword. The trend is dead, you can't fake this s$%t.

Metal Up Your ***!!.......2006-02-02

As much as I love Hip-Hop and heavy metal, I cursed the day they got together. What seemed so promising on the outset (remember Faith No More?) quickly devolved into the worst aspects of both genres and became the favoured choice of the very people who hated it first: mooks, jocks and Woodstock date rapists. But alas, even then, a secret fire was brewing. Lazy critics called it stoner rock, but not so fast. Stoner didn't explain Queens of the Stone Age's unabashed Beatles hooks, High on Fire's thorough understanding of Funkadelic or Mastodon's free-jazz drumming. This was too involved, too arty, genuinely New metal as opposed to Nu Metal. You could tell these are the guys who probably got kicked out of the Limp Bizkit party because they didn't call each other dawg. Their loss, for Metal has finally got its testicles back and we have these bands to thank. Now add the awesome EARLY MAN to their number. The name fits because this is primal riff rock with all the bloat trimmed off. It helps that there's only two of them. It also helps that they listened to Black Sabbath correctly and realized that they were a GROOVE band. Sure you could say the riffs aren't exactly theirs and "Death is the Answer" swipes Ozzy a little too closely, but these are young guys who've sold their souls to rock and roll and are now downright drunk on what they got in the bargain. Play it loud, but forget the bong. Closing In comes with its own high.

Average customer rating:

My Favorite Steve Roach Album!
Excellent new age ambient music
AN AMBIENT MASTERPIECE
WOW, what a superb great recording.....
A nice "subterranean" feeling from Mr.Roach

Early Man
Steve Roach
Manufacturer: Projekt Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Amazon.com

There are some musicians who don't feel bound by traditional musical concerns like harmony, melody, and rhythm. Usually when those concepts are ignored, the results are avant-garde abstraction or aimless New Age meandering masquerading as meditation music. With Steve Roach, however, something else happens. For more than a decade, he's been exploring ever-deeper layers, mixing high-tech and primitive instruments to reach a root sound, a primordial state of consciousness. Early Man was originally released in 2000 as a limited edition packaged between two slabs of gray slate, representing its antediluvian origins. Now it's been released in a conventional package with an additional disc of remix material. All the Roach signposts are there: swampy textures merging electronics with heavily processed acoustic sounds from rocks, bones, and shakers, and pulsing, almost subliminal rhythms, when there are any grooves at all. The second disc remixes material from the first, but being Steve Roach, don't expect any dance beats. Instead, he goes even deeper and slower, morphing his sound world in a somber psychedelic trance. --John Diliberto

Customer Reviews:

My Favorite Steve Roach Album!.......2005-03-31

Once again, Steve Roach transports us to an environment different from our own, but recognizable and even familiar through our collective primeval memory. He blends and weaves his textures to create wonderful ambient worlds in which the listener can become totally immersed. As with many of his other releases, the journey is simultaneously stimulating, peaceful and engrossing. The pictures and moods conjured while listening to EARLY MAN evoke in me a strong desire to explore and understand this aural landscape.

The landscape shifts subtly as the listener explores this primitive world. From hunting along the banks of a river meandering through a savannah landscape, to exploring the caves and caverns in which shelter is found, to traversing volcanic mountain peaks in search of new lands - the journey is remarkable. The sense of awe and wonder is perceptable and embedded within are textures of this lush, varied and sometimes dangerous world. Somehow, Roach was able to not only capture the ambiance of the primitive world, but to convey the almost mystic wonder and majesty felt by the inhabitants as they struggled to co-exist and survive in this harsh, beautiful world.

I personally consider this CD to be the best of Roach's many works, and one of his three masterpieces; The other two being DREAMTIME RETURN and WORLD'S EDGE. That being said, I would be remiss if I did not mention three other extraordinary works that could just as easily be classified as masterpieces: MYSTIC CHORDS AND SACRED SPACES, THE MAGNIFICENT VOID and MIDNIGHT MOON. If you are a fan of tribal, ambient or "space" music, any or all of these works will delight you to no end.

Excellent new age ambient music.......2003-08-13

The music in this two-part new age album consist of a series of strong ambient music rich in tones and sound effects that seamlessly blend into one another. This effectively creates a steady stream of deep, rythmic music that lasts for approximately 60 minutes per disk. The music has an excellent trance-like quality that makes it great for creating a dark or primeval atmosphere. Multiple layers of synthesizer sounds and sound effects give the music a very rich, layered feel.

I would strongly recommend this music for those who like "space music" or ambient music. This is also great music to listen to while driving at night or driving through the American Southwest.

AN AMBIENT MASTERPIECE.......2002-09-05

Steve Roach is a master of ambient music constructions - a review of his catalogue will attest to the consistent quality of his work. EARLY MAN (here presented in a double-disc, extended format) is a great example of Roach at his most creative. Many artists and composers have ventured into this genre, with varying results - successful forays include many works by Brian Eno (considered by many to be the `father' of the form), Cluster, Holger Czukay, and modern practitioners such as Alio Die, Templegarden, and vidnaObmana. Roach stands easily with the most successful of his contemporaries and predecessors - his work is intelligent, forceful and gentle at the same time. The tracks here are multi-layered without being too `thick' - they invite and encourage the listener to different levels of absorption. This disc can be made the subject of rapt attention, or utilized as a background for other activities - relaxation, reading, writing, or even sleep - all to equally positive effect.

Roach's sound constructions on these discs are extremely effective in evoking the earth itself - the history it has seen, ages past, watching as Man evolves, learning to cope with the world around him. One review likened the music here as the song of the rock itself - and that's a very apt description. This is the sort of `electronic' music that I can really enjoy - it's not jarring, it won't peel the paint off the walls (and yes, there's a place for that sort of composition as well), neither is it a saccharine-sweet roll of wallpaper compelling the listener to descend into mindless head-rocking (you definitely won't feel like you're riding on a 2 ½ hour elevator journey here). It's both thought provoking and meditative - it holds within it the possibilities of opening doors within the mind that have been closed for a long time.

There's a lot of music here. The first disc contains EARLY MAN in its originally-released form, nearly 75 minutes worth of music. The second disc is entitled EARLY MAN DECOMPOSED - and is comprised of material from the original sessions that has been re-constructed by Roach in his studio. This second disc, over 70 minutes of material, does not come across as merely a set of `remixes' - it stands very well on its own. The price of the 2-disc set makes this quite a bargain. Roach has a lot of quality work available (as a matter of fact, I have yet to hear anything by him that I don't like) - this is a nice place for the uninitiated to begin, and it's a nice addition to the collection of someone who's already a fan.

WOW, what a superb great recording............2001-10-02

First of all, anyone with a system better than a boombox will be amazed at the great quality of this recording. It really comes alive. Ambient? You will know what this term means after hearing this CD. I am auditioning some hi fi components, and this is my reference recording for ambient music. Buy it, it will take you away and put you away.......

A nice "subterranean" feeling from Mr.Roach.......2001-07-13

This new release from Steve Roach stimulates the imagination much like all of his previous albums. As the album opens, you get the distinct feeling as though your far underground, in a cavern perhaps. There is definately a primordial feeling throughout the album, and it is easy to conjure images of a primitive people, slowly but surely progressing from simple tool users towards a more sophisticated civilization. There was one aspect to the album that I truly did not like however, the sole reason why I granted the album 3 stars instead of 4 or 5; Throughout the composition, there is a sporadic but annoying clanking sound, much like the sound of a heavy steel bar being dragged against a cement floor. At first, I thought this sound added to the flow of the album, the sound of a primitive people hard at work! But as the album progressed, and the clanking could still be heard, I thought it began to hinder the ambient quality of the music. Anyway, I look forward to Roach's upcoming release "Core".

Fiddler on the Roof (1967 Original London Cast)

Average customer rating:

Miracle of Miracles!
Gross
Now I Have Everything...

Fiddler on the Roof (1967 Original London Cast)
Jerry Bock , Sheldon Harnick , Topol , and Sandor Eles
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Fiddler on the Roof (1964 Original Broadway Cast)
Fiddler on the Roof (2004 Broadway Revival Cast)
Fiddler on the Roof (Special Edition)
Oh, Kay! (1955 Studio Cast)
Fiddler on the Roof

ASIN: B00005ARE2
Release Date: 2001-03-20

Tracks:

Act One: Tradition
Act One: Matchmaker, Matchmaker
Act One: If I Were A Rich Man
Act One: Sabbath Prayer
Act One: To Life
Act One: Miracle Of Miracles
Act One: Tevye's Dream
Act One: Sunrise, Sunset
Act Two: Bottle Dance
Act Two: Now I Have Everything
Act Two: Do You Love Me?
Act Two: Far From The Home I Love
Act Two: Anatevka
The Dream (Early Sketch) - Jerry Bock
Sabbath Prayer (Early Version) - Jerry Bock
Sunrise, Sunset (Early Version) - Jerry Bock
The Dream (Another Early Sketch) - Jerry Bock/Sheldon Harnick
We Haven't Missed A Sabbath Yet (Original Opening Of The Show) - Jerry Bock/Sheldon Harnick

Customer Reviews:

Miracle of Miracles!.......2007-01-28

This music is to die for! I love to hear these songs and to be able to sing with the music. This CD is definitely a miricle of miracles!

Gross.......2005-04-04

I think just be looking at the cover, you can tell how rough this looks. Topal's poytrayal as Tevia dosn't help it. This is a very dark, quit version of Fiddler and the bonus tracks will scare the ever living flesh out of your kids. The early sketch for the dream was very very upsetting. Now I can't go to sleep at night because of this recording. Everything after the dream is just dissapointing and I don't blame the muscial because that is good but this is bad. The bonus tracks are just tracks you'd hear at a Halloween party. Not on an Original London cast recording. Seriously, the tracks at the end are very very scary. Do not buy.

I reccomend the American recordings. [The original Broadway and the New Broadway cast recordings].

Now I Have Everything..........2004-10-10

What is it about Fiddler on the Roof that makes it such an enduring and breathtaking masterpiece? Is it the charming and very unusual plot line coupled with the delightful music and the moving lyrics, or is it something more?...What FOTR really is is a character musical; every archetypical jewish and Russian figure is embodied in this piece. It is impossible not to love and laugh over delightful figures like Tevye, Golde, Yente, Motel...i could go on and on. It is this endearing quality that has made FOTR the timeless classic that it is...other musicals are breathtaking or touching or hilarious...this musical is all of those things and much more. While I would not go as far as to say that it is my favorite musical, I cannot deny it the credit it undoubtedly deserves. For those who have never seen it performed,I heartily reccomend the excellent film, for those who have and who want to bring the music into their homes, this is the recording for you. By all means buy the broadway recording as well but do not overlook this one which is in my opinion infinetly superior. Zero Mostel was certainly an extremely talented performer, (A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum testifies to the fact) but he does not have that utterly perfect Israeli/Yiddish flair which Topol brings to the role. Also, the extracts that i have heard from the broadway recording are slow; they do not capture the intensity of the piece as well as this one does, and several members of the cast simply cannot do justice to the songs in the way that the London cast members can. Topol's If I Were A Rich Man and his duet with Lazar Wolf(Paul Whitsun-Jones) To Life! cannot be beaten and the full company songs (Tradition, Tevye's Dream, Sunrise, Sunset amd Anatevka) are equally brilliant. The younger cast members occasionally have trouble with their songs but they still provide sweeter more vibrant moments to those on the Broadway recoding. Miracle of Miracles and Far from the Home I love are especially good. Even if i have not been able to convince you that this CD is your best option, buy one recording of the score at least; I am certain that you will not regret it.

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