Bliss

Track Listings

1. Waters of Peace

2. Call of the Universe

3. Distant Cries

4. Cloudwalking

5. Ascension

6. Echoes of Ages

Bliss,Stephen Rhodes,New World Music,Contemporary Instrumental,Meditation,New Age / Meditation,Pop

Bliss

Bliss

Instrumental Paradise Volume 8
Average customer rating:

Another Best of Mehdi

Delightful, Relaxing, Wonderful !

Nice, but not the best I've ever heard.

Musical Nirvana - Where sound quality, artistry and composition come together.

Gorgeous sound !

Instrumental Paradise Volume 8
Mehdi
Manufacturer: SoothingMusic.Com
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music
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Instrumental Heaven Volume 7

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Instrumental Fantasy Volume 4

ASIN: B000PGQEIG
Release Date: 2007-04-30

Tracks:

Steps To Paradise
Eternal Bliss
Guiding Light
Heavens Rain
Utopian Dance
Sacred Gathering
Blossoming Flowers
Connecting Prayer
Trees In The Breeze
Prayers Answered

Product Description

Have you ever heard music so beautiful that it captivated you, lifted you up and opened your heart and mind? As comfortable as a relaxing day on the beach or as fresh as a warm spring breeze, these rich multicultural soundscapes are the soundtrack to your dreams. It's the feeling of bliss that you wish would never end. This is the music of Mehdi. We call it, "Music that sounds the way life should feel".>>> Contemporary Instrumental: Piano, Acoustic Guitar, Violin, Cello, Flute, Live Orchestral Strings, Electric Guitar, Persian Oud, Sitar, Santoor, Hammered Dulcimer with Rhythmic Hand Percussion, Drum Kit all Placed in Lush Orchestral Arrangements.

Customer Reviews:

Another Best of Mehdi .......2007-07-06

"Every album should be called Best of Mehdi," another reviewer once said.
Amen. It's everything everyone says it is. And it was absolutely worth the wait.
Yes, good cover choice; love the white horse.

Where's our DVD, Concertmaster?

Delightful, Relaxing, Wonderful !.......2007-06-29

I also purchased this CD based on the reviews and I'm truly glad that I did. This is Mehdi at his best. I've only listened to it a a few times since I received it, but I know I'll be playing it often. It's especially nice in the car, because it brings the surrounding natural scenery to life. Recommended !

Nice, but not the best I've ever heard........2007-06-29

I bought this based on other review I read on Amazon cold-turkey. It's nice, but not up to the calibur of other albums I have in the same genra.

I wouldn't not recommend it, but I wouldn' rave over it either.

Musical Nirvana - Where sound quality, artistry and composition come together........2007-06-25

Power up the stereo. Turn the lights down low. Don the headphones and energize the CD player. Relax. It's time to enter a world of virtuoso musicianship, of soundscapes that take you to another world. Close your eyes and listen. You're no longer alone but surrounded by beauty and floating into Paradise. You move seamlessly between this world and the next, the music weaving a tapestry that transcends the distance and the times.

Mehdi's Instrumental Paradise is a special recording in that it captures the soul and essence of one of the great musical visionaries in our time.

Mehdi has been playing the piano since he could reach the keys and has composed music for many feature films prior to embarking on his Instrumental musical journey in the mid-90's. Mehdi's music (a mixture of Middle Eastern, Celtic, Greek, Southern European and Spanish or at times Moorish set to neo classical and more modern influences) defies the current practice of cataloging each artist into a standard category. Above all else, this is music for the adventurer in each of us.

Mehdi is the feature artist showcasing his wide-ranging Piano and mesmerizing original compositions. But this is by no means a one-person show. Flutist Dan Jenks, Violinist Tony Ragetti, Percussionist Yoshi Masayuki,Cellist Jesse Von Unwerth,Persian Oudist John Bilezikjian,Guitarist Michael Barbieri,Sitarist Daniel J Gupta are just a few of the virtuoso musicians on this master piece.
They add their tremendous musical talents to a recording that truly is more than the sum of its individual parts. Each of these musicians are talented masters in their own right and have recorded with Mehdi as well as other respected and diverse musicians ranging from Loreena Mckinnett to Yanni.

The sound quality of this recording is beyond reproach. The dynamics and spatial imaging of the recording deserve special mention. This truly is a recording without fault: Over 59 minutes of timeless excellence in sound.

Mehdi's spirituality seems to be as little understood as his music. He is a musical and spiritual adventurer. Each recording contains compositions that deal with a wide range of influences ranging from Christianity to Mysticism to Islam and other faiths. One should be careful in not labeling his beliefs as well as his music. Just listen, learn and enjoy.

If you enjoy artists such as Secret Garden, Loreena Mckinnett,Enya, David Lanz, Phil Coulter, Yanni, classical, Celtic and other world music, or if you are intrigued by a musical adventure, Mehdi's extraordinary Instrumentals should be on your short list of future musical purchases.

Gorgeous sound !.......2007-06-25

A DJ here in Austin insists on calling Mehdi, "The Jewel of public television." While many of his fans are probably jealous that there's actually a station here that gives him airtime (KGSR, 107.1 -- a near identical twin of KBCO Boulder, 97.3), I've patiently combed public TV listings for months, and never seen his name once. Woe is me!

Ever since some cognoscenti used a snippet of his "Wedding Song" as background on an episode of "Northern Exposure," I've been hooked on Mehdi's compelling blend of inspiring melodies and middle eastern rhythms. The California Native and his bandmates are wizards with their instruments. Volume 8 Instrumental Paradise is a must for any fan of Mehdi's music; and I can think of no better way for someone unfamiliar with his sound to become acquainted.

Average customer rating:

Island Bliss
Medwyn Goodall
Manufacturer: Gemini Sun Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Celtic | International | Styles | Music
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Om
An Ancient Muse
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Rhythm of the Ancients
Lotus Land

ASIN: B000RHRG8U
Release Date: 2007-07-17

Tracks:

Amulet 9:47
Sungrass 6:27
Totem 9:26
Shadows of the Mind 6:07
Goddess Power 10:06
Topaz 8:31

Album Description

The gentle breeze of a tropical island paradise and the sand beneath your feet create visions of lazy days swaying carelessly in the midday sun. Warm to the touch your skin tingles under vast blue skies and in the distance, sounds of the island blend with gentle surf against satin white shores. This is paradise, this is your bliss, and this is Island Bliss. An intoxicating mix of island guitars, panpipes, and hand drums blended to perfection by legendry instrumental artist Medwyn Goodall. This is Music that illuminates your life...(tm)

Average customer rating:

Do NOT get this confused with Bliss the Danish/Swedish/African outfit
So Beautiful, Yet so Hard to Get (in the US)

A Hundred Thousand Angels
Bliss
Manufacturer: Blissful Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music
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Bliss: They Made History
Bliss
Bliss (Import)
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Afterlife

ASIN: B0000YDH6K
Release Date: 2004-04-05

Customer Reviews:

Do NOT get this confused with Bliss the Danish/Swedish/African outfit.......2007-08-03

I bought this in excitement thinking it was another album by the Danish/Swedish/African outfit Bliss with members Alexandra Hamnede:vocals, Tchando:vocals, Marc-George Andersen:keyboards, Steffen Aaskoven:samples & sound design. But it turns out this album is by someone else altogether. I was most disappointed to find an album full of very folky, almost Christian pop type ballads. I totally appreciate the spiritual content of this album (the lead singer Lucinda Drayton discovered her voice through Vipassana meditation) but I don't see what is so extraordinary about the musical compositions. They are pretty, but certainly not anything amazing (unlike the incredibly haunting compositions of the other Bliss). In fact I found most of the lyrics verging on corny, such as in "I'll Be Waiting" - "I'll be the raindrops when you cry, I'll be the sun when you can't shine..." I love poetry and I cry at the drop of a hat, but even that makes me cringe. The only track that really stood out for me is #7 "Shiv Shakti", an inspiring song that resonated with me about being a woman. As for all the others, frankly I can take or leave them. But then again, this is only my own opinion. Someone else will probably love this.

So Beautiful, Yet so Hard to Get (in the US).......2007-06-30

Five stars does not do this album justice. This is not an album to play as background music. To get its full effect, one needs to just sit quietly, and listen. There are subtle nuances to these songs that one will not hear at low volume or on a cheap stereo, so turn it up a little. Very few musicans today can put silence into their songs, but Bliss has mastered the silence.

The female vocals are truly angelic. After 4 years of Vipasana meditation, the artist's voice as you hear it here just appeared and this album was the first effort. If you look for beauty in music, you must add this to your collection. You will not be disappointed. I have been in tears numerous times listening, and although you will be touched by the first song, for me the album gets even better and after the third time sitting quietly, I was ecstatic. People always like to say that an album is like this one, or this voice is like that one, but refrain from that and just be with this music.

I had to order this from Amazon UK, and now it is finally available here, but because of the price you will not find it in music stores. I wish the artists would realize that this price is going to cause their CD to be copied many times. After you hear it, you will want to share it with everyone you care about.

Average customer rating:

WAY OFF THE MARK
LUXURIANT: yielding abundantly, characterized by abundant growth
Very displeasing!
Bravo Amel Larrieux
missing something

Lovely Standards
Amel Larrieux
Manufacturer: Bliss Life
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Feel the Fire
I Am
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Luvanmusiq

ASIN: B000O75EZA
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Tracks:

Younger Than Springtime
Something Wonderful
If I Were A Bell
You're My Thrill
If I Loved You
I Like the Sunrise
Shadow of Your Smile
Try Your Wings
Lucky to be Me
Wild is the Wind

Customer Reviews:

WAY OFF THE MARK.......2007-07-15

Not sure what she was thinking but singing jazz should not be in this ladies songbook. Terrible readings of some great standards....Amel needs to listen and study the greats before she ever tries her hand at jazz again.

A souful singer she maybe but certainly is not a jazz singer.

LUXURIANT: yielding abundantly, characterized by abundant growth .......2007-07-07

One word that can describe this compilation, is 'substantial'. Such substance and richness is not often tasted, in an industry where the finest taste - is often spoiled.

I am apalled to see that some cannot comprehend Amel's artistry. Amel is not one of these 'accessible' artists that you have come to expect. Often we are so used to second-rate garbage, that we truly do not know how to ascertain quality.

I am so glad to see that once again this magnificent vocalist BLAZES trails rather than follows them. I could have sworn that I heard the echoes of the Beatnick era of the 60s - whistling through my speakers. A blahzay, and plaintive Amel Larrieux - chanelling John Coltrane with her slender (slight) vocals. Black turtleneck sweaters and bongos, berets and dark glasses. Billowing cigarette smoke swirling around "You're my Thrill". Such ecstacy, and the pleasure was surely mine.

Where would Nina Simone be without a her spirited antagonists, clawing at each eclectic release. Where would the inimitable Shirley Horn be without the stumbling blocks and pitfalls of industry distaste (slow and boring?); or even the great Gloria Lynne (who never recieved her due).

Let us look at this program. Each piece - intentionally uncommon. Each treatment - intentionally unique. Amel does not know how to follow the crowd. Amel is in another realm altogether. Amel is the living embodiment of soul and jazz; the diaspora of world music; the collective understanding of love and loss, pain and pleasure. She represents all that is good that there is. Amel is the Lynn Collins of this era. You will know and remember this album in 10 years. It's too fresh right now.

Albums are not meant to reflect the past - they are meant to illustrate a higher level of futuristic consciousness and creative ability within the artist. Amel is just not meant for 'everybody'. If you cant LOVE her all the way - don't love her AT ALL my brothers and sisters. I'm hurt to see that people can turn-coat like this and sell Amel out!. But just as they say with the stock-market; BUY when the market is down. This album is a CLASSIC, too bad that some people can't see it yet.

Bengali
djbengali@aol.com

Very displeasing!.......2007-06-25

I have enjoyed all of Amel Larriuex's albums until this one. I don't even know how to describe it, it's just blah...that pretty much sums it up. It's terrible. If you are used to her other great albums don't buy this one.

Bravo Amel Larrieux.......2007-06-17

The Best album from the fine team of Amel and Laru Larrieux! Amel's vocals are quietly soothing, innocent & smooth as she floats with the lyrics!

missing something.......2007-06-15

Amel is a great vocalist and I have all of her albums going back to when she was with groove theory. Lovely standards is an attempt of amel to do a full jazz cd. The cd is ok at best. A lot of the tracks sound the same and I don't really care for the way she delivers the vocals on some songs. I gave the album three stars because amel has a beautiful voice, I just don't care for the way the lyrics are delivered. If it weren't for her melodic voice i would've rated the album lower. Younger than springtime is a good song that has some good vocals and actually the track sounds slightly different than the majority of the album. This album can be relaxing but is caught somewhere between candle lit dinner music and elevator music. My final thoughts are, if you missed this album it won't be a big loss.

Average customer rating:

A source of peace for peace-lovers
Beautiful
A few bright spots, but also some disappointments
This CD Deserves SIX Stars!
every good adjective

Peace Like a River
James Lucas , Janice Kapp Perry , John Rutter , Jean Sibelius , John Tavener , American Traditional , English Traditional , Spiritual Traditional , Mack Wilberg , Craig D. Jessop , Clay Christiansen , John Longhurst , Richard L. Elliott , Daron Bradford , and Meredith Campbell
Manufacturer: Mormon Tabernacle
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Consider the Lilies
Love Is Spoken Here
America's Choir
Rock of Ages: 30 Favorite Hymns
Mormon Tabernacle Choir: The Sound of Glory-Battle Hymn of the Republic

ASIN: B00020H9W0
Release Date: 2004-06-22

Tracks:

Sweet Peace
Be Still, My Soul
Peace Like a River
All Things Bright and Beautiful
Lord Is My Shepherd
This Is My Father's World
Wayfarin' Stranger
Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Deep River
Lamb
Child's Prayer
It Is Well With My Soul
Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep
Gaelic Blessing
Thou Gracious God, Whose Mercy Lends
Come, Let Us Anew

Customer Reviews:

A source of peace for peace-lovers.......2007-08-03

This CD is one of my favorites to listen to when I feel the need to be closer to the Spirit. Mack Wilberg is a master at transforming old hymns into glorious arrangements. I have had experience with high school students who love singing his arrangements even within the context of a world that seems in a state of constant conflict. THIS CD IS FABULOUS!

Beautiful.......2007-06-14

This CD is a must have for any Mormon Tabernacle Choir fans. The music is very reverent and gentle, and should also appeal to those not from the LDS church, seeing as how most of the music is common to the wider Christian community. This CD is a fantastic addition to any music collection.

A few bright spots, but also some disappointments.......2007-01-19

It Is Well With My Soul is one of my favorite-favorites and that is the main reason why I bought the CD; it turned out to be a huge let down on this album, they rearranged it so much that I almost didn't recognize it. Be Still My Soul is another reason why I bought it and it's good, but not great. Swing Low Sweet Chariot is where it starts to get good. The last two songs "Thou Gracious God, Whose Mercy Lends"
and "Come, Let Us Anew" are very good reasons to buy this CD, they each have truely powerful passages and make the CD worth having. The Mormon Tabernacle Choirs 2006 release entitled Then Sings My Soul is by far the best that I've heard from them.

This CD Deserves SIX Stars!.......2005-11-05

However, the rating scale has a limit of five. I own over 700 CDs of virtually every type of music. Peace Like A River belongs in a class by itself! I've never written a review before but, after listening to this STUNNING performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, I feel compelled to share my praise with that of the five other reviewers. If I were limited to one word, I would use the word "SUPERB" to describe this beautiful and moving CD. SIX stars for Peace Like a River! BRAVO!!!

every good adjective .......2005-08-06

This album is all beauty and solace. The singing is pristine, the arrangements lush and often stirring--never saccharine. As with the previous reviewer, my first listing of "Peace Like a River" brought me to tears (especially "Peace Like a River," the sopranos in "Swing Low," and the bagpipes in "Thou Gracious God"). Buy this one.

Average customer rating:

Need to know another album
Favorite Album Ever
Their best?
If you are a fan of the band Cake, you'll love these guys.
This CD is so good

Irresistible Bliss
Soul Coughing
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Lust in Phaze: The Best of Soul Coughing

ASIN: B000002N56
Release Date: 1996-07-09

Tracks:

Super Bon Bon
Soft Serve
White Girl
Soundtrack To Mary
Lazybones
4 Out Of 5
Paint
Disseminated
Collapse
Sleepless
The Idiot Kings
How Many Cans?

Amazon.com

For a group that exudes so much intelligence and sophistication, Soul Coughing make incredibly intuitive music. The New York foursome gets pinned for its downtown neo-beat poetry shtick, but even M. Doughty, the group's acid-tongued lyricist, will tell you it's really all about the vibe, not the verse: the true leaders are the guys bringing up the rear. Sebastian Steinberg's loping upright bass and Yuval Gabay's precision drums, which form a live hip-hop/jazz-rock base, make Soul Coughing's second album, Irresistible Bliss, even sharper and more rhythmically confident than their 1994 debut, Ruby Vroom. Inverting George Clinton's maxim, Soul Coughing's operating principle seems to be "Free your ass and your mind will follow." As on Ruby Vroom, Doughty's vocals (increasingly dynamic) and Mark De Gli Antoni's keyboard sampler (increasingly focused) form the icing on Irresistible Bliss's groove-filled cake. But like the bass and drums, the voice and sampler work on a subconscious level. Neither conveys concrete meaning so much as it regurgitates data. Like a television set that plays down the hall while you drift off to sleep, Soul Coughing transmit repeated and recontextualized cliches as if they were information-age mantras, and collide those with door squeaks, elephant sounds, and Raymond Scott cartoon music to form a blanket of pop-cultural white noise. If Irresistible Bliss is less referentially hip-hop and (therefore) more song-oriented than the previous album, it's just as enthusiastically geometric--not to mention funky. Or, to transpose Clinton again: Who says a rock band can't play funk?--Roni Sarig

Customer Reviews:

Need to know another album.......2006-03-08

I love soul coughing and have for a very long time now, well since 1995 and I thoroughly suggest anyone who truly loves music to own this cd, it's amazing. But I do have a question, does anyone know of a soundtrack (I believe) that has the song soft serve on it and on the actual cd there is an orange/yellow flower that consumes the top of it. Anyway, any help would be surely appreciated! Thanks!

Favorite Album Ever.......2006-02-20

I've never written a review for anything (I'm pretty sure). It's just like: "Whatever" to me, but I read some guy's review of Keep it Like a Secret by Built To Spill (by the way: couldn't recommend that album any more highly. Buy it now.). I lost my train of thought, but

Here's what I'm getting at:

This album changed my life. Not even kidding.

Besides, maybe, Giant Steps, this is the most important piece of music of all time. Of all the time in my life, of course. I don't know about yours.

Do me a favor and pick it up now.

Seriously, I couldn't even quantify or qualify the effect this album has on me with words or numbers or any other means of expression beyond this: This album changed my life.

Seriously, you don't even get it.

God man, I've been listening to this album since I was in second grade. My all time favorite.

Buy Ruby Vroom, too. Stay away from El Oso. And Mike Doughty's solo stuff. I mean, get it if you want. I don't care.

Just go read some Soul Coughing lyrics. Just take like, 2 minutes out of your day. You're not even doing anything important right now. Are you? No.

http://scug.net/, man. Thats all. Just go there. Read some of the words. Look at the pictures.

Seriously, you don't even get it. I took the liner notes out of the case (which I lost) and taped them to my wall. I'm not even kidding.

sigh

aklsjdfl;asjkdfkl;asdj

-wilson

Their best?.......2003-09-12

Maybe, maybe not. Soul Coughing wins the award for quitting while they were ahead. Although their decision to call it quits was unfortunate, they left behind three incredible albums, two of which are among the best albums of the 90s.

This album, their second, is possibly their best...though it's tough to say. The first album, Ruby Vroom, featured dark grooves and bombshells like Screewriter's Blues and Sugar Free Jazz. Irresistible Bliss features a broader range of styles and sounds; and, while not as groove-oriented, the songs seem to show the band coming into itself. Bassist Sebastian Steinberg and drummer Yuval Gabay are locked in here tightly enough to make most jazz band rhythm sections jealous. Mark DeGli Antoni's samples here are fabulous, often quite humorous (Disseminated, for example). While Ruby Vroom featured vocals consisting of repeated phrases, Irresistible Bliss features vocal work more in line with actual lyrics. For some people, this may not be a plus, as the approach of Ruby Vroom allowed for uniterrupted grooving. For me, the lyrics of Irresistible Bliss become just one more fabulous element to pay attention to.

I can't say enough about this album. It's great stuff. Buy it.

If you are a fan of the band Cake, you'll love these guys........2003-04-28

As of late I've been listening online to WOXY (from Oxford, Ohio, the best radio station in the nation) . I heard a couple tunes from Soul Coughing; "Super Bon Bon" (with which I was familiar) and, I believe, "Soft Serve", from Irresistable Bliss. I decided that I had to own it. The only regret that I have is that I had to go for 7 years without owning it. Now I'm hooked.
These guys are technically adept and simple at the same time. Almost every song on the album is catchy. And none could be considered boring. My favorite is the stripped-down "How Many Cans?", which is a true showcase for M. Doughty's amazing voice. Now I'm going to have to pick up the rest of the S.C. catalog.

This CD is so good.......2003-03-23

This CD is great listening, all the way up and down. Super Bon-Bon is the radio hit, but every track's bound to stick in your head after a listen or two. The lyrics are nuts, I don't know what he's getting at exactly but the music is just outrageously good. I'm not usually a huge fan of this genre, whatever genre that is, but this is a top-ten disc for me.

Average customer rating:

Expand your horizons.....buy this CD !!!
CD Bliss:Quiet Letters: U.S. Edition
Truly Blissful
Superb!
blissed out

Quiet Letters: U.S. Edition
Bliss
Manufacturer: Quango Fontana
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ambient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

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Bliss
The Lost Art of the Idle Moment
Afterlife
Afterlife
Dream Therapy - Global Adventure

ASIN: B0009YA45I
Release Date: 2005-08-02

Tracks:

Sleep Will Come
Kissing
Wish U Were There
Wish U Were Here
Dunai
Song For Olabi
The Suns of Afterlife
Don't Look Back
Arapapa
Long Life To You My Friend
Remember My Name
Right Here
Blissful Moment
If Heaven Closes

Album Description

Bliss¹ North American debut is a chill out masterpiece, deeply rooted in a fine collage of western, African and classical musical influences, and representing the vast musical backgrounds of the band. Bliss has inspired comparisons to Sade, Norah Jones, Enya and Ennio Morricone. With its captivating vocals, gentle percussion and gracious orchestration, Quiet Letters is described by Buddha Bar¹s DJ Ravin as ³The Album of the Year², one of those albums that you have always been looking for without ever finding. Featuring guest vocals by Zero 7¹s Sophie Barker, Quiet Letters is an album that transports you far beyond the beaches of Ibiza, on a travel through African soul, Scandinavian jazz, and ethereal pop

Customer Reviews:

Expand your horizons.....buy this CD !!!.......2007-06-08

This is really some great CHILL music! I think we babyboomers could all enjoy some tunes that can relax the soul in this hectic, fast paced world in which we live. I often listen to the "Chill" station on my Sirius Radio and I picked up on this band immediately. This is the first CD of theirs that I have purchased and I am simply AMAZED at how good ALL the tracks are. A great group from Denmark and the female vocalist has a voice from heaven!!

CD Bliss:Quiet Letters: U.S. Edition.......2007-01-16

Great CD of relaxing music: you must have it (US edition better than european one!)

Truly Blissful.......2007-01-15

A great cd for relaxing, creating, dreaming, wishing, and just breathing.
Beautiful mix of sound and texture...truly blissful.

Superb!.......2007-01-15

A tightly woven string of music weaves the listener into the fabric of Bliss. Slightly reminiscent of B-Tribe in some instances; sometimes delving into a jazzier sound at others. This album is well-produced and listeners in my home always ask,"Who IS that and where can I find that CD?"

blissed out.......2006-12-02

Others have mentioned how relaxing this CD is but no one has mentoned how sensual and erotic it is. "Kissing" is a song you have to listen to while kissing to fully appreciate. I leave the rest to the listener's imagination but recommend keeping the CD in the bedroom. It's a masterpiece of mood and emotion.

Average customer rating:

A soundtrack Masterpiece
This is how a movie score should be made.
Still fresh after 6 years
A Masterpiece!
Maybe the best electronic soundtrack yet created

Spy Game: Original Motion Picture Score
Harry Gregson-William
Manufacturer: Decca U.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

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The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
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ASIN: B00005RIL7
Release Date: 2001-11-13

Tracks:

Su-Chou Prison
Muir Races To Work
'...He's Been Arrested For Espionage.'
Red Shirt
Training Montage
Berlin
'It's Not A Game'
'You're Going To Miss It'
Beirut, A War Zone
'My Name Is Tom'
All Hell Breaks Loose
Explosion & Aftermath
Parting Company
Harker Tracks Muir
The Long Night
Muir's In The Hot Seat
Back At Su-Chou Prison
Operation Dinner Out
Spies (Ryebot Remix)
Dinner Out [Rothrock Remix]

Amazon.com

Director Tony Scott's buddy pic-cum-espionage thriller shrewdly unites Robert Redford and Brad Pitt, pretty-boy box-office icons from two different generations. But its tense musical score embodies a gratifying sense of cross-cultural experimentation that seems as doggedly genre-expanding as it does dramatically tough. Young composer Harry Gregson-Williams (Shrek, The Replacement Killers, Antz, The Rock) employs haunting Eastern instrumental modalities, symphonic flourishes, and spare choral touches here but crucially weds them to driving, polyrhythmic percussion and pulsing techno club grooves. Continuing a contemporary scoring trend that largely eschews thematic melodies in favor of evocative atmospherics, the composer's studio-savvy fusion has conjured up a soundscape of surprisingly emotional twists and turns, but one that also seems to grow more determinedly electro-modern with each successive cut. This is that rare score that proves that pop trend can indeed inform classical tradition--and much to the benefit of both. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

A soundtrack Masterpiece.......2007-05-23

The movie is rgeat, the story line is mind-boggling, the action is fantastic and the score is fabulous. These are just a view small lines that come to mind when you've watched this movie "Spy Game".

A Movie soundtrack is not only adding sound to the picture, it is of utmost importance that it brings a total picture to the storyline. Composer and writer Harry Gregson Williams is known for his synthesizer orgestrated music. Normally a soundtrack to a movie would be only a hugh orchestra with string's, brass, percussion en more. But Mister Williams add's even more to that picture with his knowledge of Computer software and synthesizers.

This soundtrack is from start to finish a journey to relive the entire story of Spy game over and over again. Plus adding the two remixes as a bonus.

This is how a movie score should be made........2007-04-07

Spy Game is one of my favorite movies, and I've always been amazed by the music score. The music is incredibly well done and holds up on its own on CD. Whether or not you've seen the movie, this is good music. I'm glad I finally broke down and bought this CD!

Still fresh after 6 years.......2007-02-20

HGW is an exceptional electronic musician and a definite hero of mine, his classical training has easily transitioned to genre, and he has admitted that he is not even into computers. This may well have handicapped him until he could harness their undeniable power, and provide an additional platform for his talent. I was first introduced to him through the Metal Gear Solid series on the Playstation. I was very impressed with his musical abilities then because he can turn emotion from soft and dark to edgy and triumphant effortlessly. This soundtrack is his best work. He is not afraid to break the rules. Buy it!

A Masterpiece!.......2006-01-07

The following words describe this score perfectly: emotional, triumphant, energetic, melancholy.

This is one of Gregson-Williams' masterpieces that consists of an amazing blend of all types of emotion and excitement. Absolutely one of my favorites in the same class as "The Rock".

Maybe the best electronic soundtrack yet created.......2005-07-12

While the general job of anyone getting the "Music By" credit is to underscore the emotional context of the filmed image, electronic music is often overlooked as a tool by which this can be meaningfully achieved. Indeed, most electronically-rendered scores ARE easily forgettable, and in some cases flatly inappropriate for the action being described.

But Gregson-William here chooses precisely the right instruments and displays his absolute studio-side mastery. In part this is because the film itself, being so heavily involved with electronic surveillance, obviously calls for a more artificial musical score. But his real genius is in finding a way to give both cultural context and recognizable motifs. Whether the current action on the screen is set in Asia, Europe, America or the Middle East, the music feels like it belongs both in those locales AND in the same movie. The main theme for Redford's character doubles as the SPY GAME theme, and it's worked and reworked throughout to give a thoroughly satisfying evolution through the action.

If you've been disappointed by electronic soundtracks in the past--and who living through the 80s wasn't?--this score will show you just how expressive the genre can be, when handled by the right artist.

Average customer rating:

Solid Basic March Collection
Bold and brassy mixes well with the rest
40 Famous Marches - a great collection!!
Classics on Parade
Too, too much Philip Jones Ensemble

40 Famous Marches

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Stars & Stripes Forever and the Greatest Marches
Sousa's Greatest Hits
Regimental Marches of British Army, Vol. 1
German Military Marches
Marches: Greatest Hits

ASIN: B000040OX5
Release Date: 2000-02-08

Tracks:

Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1 In D Major - London PO; Solti, G.
Karelia Suite: Alla marcia - Philharmonia Orchestra
Jubel March - Vienna PO; Boskovsky, W.
Funeral March Of A Marionette - Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Tannhauser: Grand March - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble; Howarth, E.
Rinaldo: March - English Chamber Orchestra
Saul: Dead March - English CO; Bonynge, R.
Aida: Grand March - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Radetzky March - Vienna PO; Boskovsky, W.
Marche militaire - Wiener Philharmoniker
Athalia: War March Of The Priests - Vienna PO; Dohnanyi, C.v.
The Nutcracker: March - National Philharmonic Orchestra
The Love For Three Oranges: March - London PO; Weller, W.
Le Prophete: Coronation March - London Philharmonic Orchestra
La Damnation de Faust: Hungarian March - Chicago SO; Solti, G.
Persian March - Wiener Philharmoniker
Aladdin Suite: Oriental Festive March - San Francisco SO; Blomstedt, H.
The Ruins Of Athens: Turkish March - Carlo Curley
The Occasional Oratorio: March - San Francisco SO; Blomstedt, H.
Pomp And Circumstance March No. 4 In G Major - London Philharmonic Orchestra

Tracks:

Crown Imperial (Coronation March) - London PO; Norrington, R.
Music For The Funeral Of Queen Mary: Funeral March - Baroque Brass Of London
Prince of Denmark's March (Trumpet Voluntary) - London PO; Norrington, R.
March - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Marche triomphale - London PO; Norrington, R.
Egyptian March - Wiener Philharmoniker
Joyeuse March - Swiss Romande Orch; Ansermet, E.
Napoleon March - Wiener Philharmoniker
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Wedding March - Montreal SO; Dutoit, C.
Russian March - Wiener Philharmoniker
Carmen, Suite No.2: Marche des contrebandiers - Montreal SO; Dutoit, C.
The Tale Of Tsar Saltan: March - London Symphony Orchestra
Mlada: Procession Of The Nobles - Kingsway Orch; Camarata, S.
Spanish March - Wiener Philharmoniker
Things To Come: March - National PO; Herrmann, B.
Washington Post - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Entry Of The Gladiators - National PO; Herrmann, B.
Colonel Bogey - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
The Dam Busters - National PO; Herrmann, B.
The Stars And Stripes Forever - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble

Customer Reviews:

Solid Basic March Collection.......2006-08-07

Great solid basic collection, a real bargain with mostly outstanding performances. Having played several in bands and orchestras and sung one (the Rimsky Mlada), I have a good idea how they should go. As other other commentators say, there are better individual recordings, such as anything by Fennell and the Eastman band. The organ pieces just don't do this music justice, although a real cathedral organ can come close, but that's beyond these discs. The Nielsen Aladdin March is the new one for me. Berlioz by Solti is great! Buy it!

Bold and brassy mixes well with the rest.......2004-08-14

I am impressed most by the variety in 40 Famous Marches on 2 CDs, a Double Decca release. The performers include Philharmonic Orchestras, a Brass Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, organ, Symphony, and for nine selections, the Wiener Philharmoniker. I am not sure if the word schmaltzy ought to be applied to any of this, but the Wiener Philharmoniker often exhibits a unique sound which is not quite the same as any of the other selections. The final five selections are all performed by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble under Elgar Howarth in ADD/DDD format in 1983 and 1985. Two of those five are rousing marches by John Philip Sousa, another called `Entry of the Gladiators' is typical of songs played by live bands at circuses, and the remaining two are from movie soundtracks. `Colonel Bogey' is famous from the movie about British prisoners of war building a railroad bridge for the Japanese in World War Two, the Bridge over the River Kwai.

The major source of variety in these 40 selections is that many of them are taken from operas and even a ballet, Tchaikovsky's famous `The Nutcracker--March.' I originally found this collection when I was searching for `Funeral March of a Marionette' by Charles Gounod (1818-1893) which has a theme that is famous from its use by a television series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. If you can't remember how that goes, you ought to buy this collection and listen for it early: it is selection 4 on the first CD. The main theme was fun to play and easy to learn in a book of piano lessons, but the rest is quite whimsical and worth listening to, and people who play organ with pedal notes might still be able to find music for playing the entire arrangement, difficult though it is for someone like me, who becomes confused when too many things are going on at the same time.

There was something on this CD that sounded weird, and I had to check to see what it was, and it was just someone playing the organ, but he was trying to play `The Ruins of Athens -- Turkish March' by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827).

Something by Handel sounds so much like the beginning of a movie that I expect someone to start singing, `The hills are alive with The Sound Of Music,' but this CD is something else. The first CD starts and ends with marches from `Pomp and Circumstance' by Edward Elgar, so people who have been to a lot of graduation ceremonies will be expecting plenty of familiar music. The 6:32 time is slightly longer than the Wagner's `Tannhauser -- Grand March' on the first CD, but long graduation ceremonies may play it even longer, until all the diplomas are handed out.

Verdi, Strauss, Schubert, Prokofiev, Berlioz, these famous composers might be recognized by people who know music, but the `Wedding March' by Felix Mendelssohn is famous with everybody for what it is used for. If you haven't heard it lately, maybe you should hear it a few times so you won't be so nervous the next time it comes around.

40 Famous Marches - a great collection!!.......2003-11-21

This is a wonderful collection. What a wide collection of exciting pieces, all in one affordable package!! It encompasses so many composers and styles, from the majesty of Elgar and Walton, to upbeat Sousa to schmaltzy Strauss. It also includes such classic marches as Meyerbeer's Coronation, a pinnacle of the French opera style, the timeless Wedding March of Mendelssohn, and the brilliant organ piece, Marche Triomphale of Sigfrid Karg-Elert. There are also some interesting oddball selections like the mysterious Things to Come of Bliss (composed for the H.G. Wells film), the jaunty Chabrier marche, and oriental flair of Nielsen's Aladdin.
In reading some of the other criticisms, it is true that the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble perhaps is not the best or most noted ensemble. However, overall, the pieces they play are either Sousa or patriotic-sounding tunes. Their only forays into the true classical realm are the Grand Marches from Tannhauser and Aida, and they are not half bad. So don't let those pieces keep you from buying the CD - 1) because most of the songs they do play are great and 2) they only play in 1/4 of the music....

Classics on Parade.......2003-05-01

If you're looking for a collection of marches from classical music, this would be a fine one to get.
It contains recordings made from 1958 to 1996 by some of the world's great orchestras, plus several numbers by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, and four arranged for organ.
The first 35 marches include many of the best-known classical marches, plus three "coronation" marches, written as far back as the end of the seventeenth century (The Prince of Denmark's March) up to 1954 (The Dam Busters). The last five pieces are "popular" marches played by the Jones Ensemble.
The liner notes give a nice history of marches, including where most of the ones in this collection fit into that scenario.
A great collection of marches by classical and popular music "masters".

Too, too much Philip Jones Ensemble.......2003-04-17

A mixed bag of music, 40 FAMOUS MARCHES compiles a good many marches - some not too common.

The CD has it's high points:
1. Chicago Symphony (under Solti!) playing Berlioz's Hungarian March (love that trombone excerpt - BAM!)
2. London Philharmonic playing Prokofiev's "The Love for Three Oranges" March
3. Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 (also London Philharmonic)

BUT... There's some real stuff on here, too. I must concur with a prior reviewer: FAR TOO MUCH Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. Case in point - Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever, as played by PJBE is completely devoid of the energy and fire it needs. The trombone countermelody at the end is just NOT THERE (you'll strain to hear it). There's just no way this is right. PBJE is great in their setting, but this is just not it.

Tracks:

Toccata And Fugue In D Minor
Contradanza
Classical Gas
Theme From 'Caravans'
Warm Air
Jazz Will Eat Itself
Widescreen
Tequila Mockingbird
City Theme
Red Hot

Customer Reviews:

Innovative music.......2007-06-03

I have been listening to such contemporary artists as Bond, Yanni, Taleinsin Orchestra,... so I am not a new comer to contemporary fusion classical music. If I had listened to this CD when it first came out almost 10 years ago, I would probably have given it a 5. I am only giving it a four now (maybe a 3.5?) because there are simply other better albums out there - most of the songs here are more classically influenced than its purported to be. Also, while Vanessa-Mae is an accomplished violinist, she is not the most spectacular violnist. At times, she lackes the energy to propell her music to the next level. However, all in all, an enjoyable album, although nothing ground-breaking.

Slop from a slapper.......2005-03-01

This terrible and dull album launched the career of Über-nothing violinist, Vanessa Mae.

It is hard to describe the depth of the level to which this album stoops to be "popular". Low brow? You bet! Exploitative? Oh yeah! Dumbed down Classical Music? Well, that's what we've got here!

Value of this album? Hard to say. I am sure that Vanessa's parents and agent are happy with this prosaic product.

Very dumbed down dumb music - for the legions of philistines and musically naive of the world.

In one word, a "dud".

HO HUM --- REALLY NOT INTERESTING AT ALL.......2003-07-11

As violin technique goes, there is not much here in evidence to get all fired up about. She is an adequete violinist who does just fine with the material she is given, but the only people who are going to think that she is a violinist for the ages are people who don't know anything about violin playing.

That being said, this album had the potential to be interesting, except that the arrangements of Mike Batt are about as flat as one can get. This album seems to be more about Mike Batt's ego than about Vanessa Mae, as Mike perform, conducts, composes & produces practically every piece. This would be fine if the end product was remotely interesting, but of it sounds like it should be background music. The Bach arrangement, with gratuitous techno-pop flourishes thrown in at every opportunity, just bogs down in an effort to be "innovative." Most of Batt's compositions leave no impression whatsoever.

Any lunatic who puts this crossover album in the classical category truly needs to go back to Music Appreciation 101, to be reminded of what classical music is. File this one in the Fluffy Boring Pop category and forget about it.

Classical With a Twist.......2003-07-01

The first notes of Vanessa Mae's The Violin Player sound like a dramatic beginning to a classical composition, but it's not. This album in fact is anything but traditional classical. It's unique, creative, energetic and alive and I give Vanessa props for being brave enough to come out with it. It's hard to be different. The fact that Vanessa did make the music and did it so well says that she's a true artist, something sadly lacking in a world where technical mastery is considered more important than artistic invention. This is a fantastic, fun album that you'll want to listen to again and again, the music hitting something within you and bringing all sorts of energy you didn't know you had bubbling to the surface. If you won't buy it for that reason, then buy it for it's historical significance. It's already plain to me, Vanessa Mae with this album changed the one sided face of classical music forever.

Highly Listenable.......2002-11-13

Let's get this straight upfront: Vanessa Mae is a good violin player, but I've heard plenty better in the classical world today. You buy this CD not for Mae's technique as a violinist (frankly, I'd give her just a 6 or 7 out of 10), but for her innovation - her ground-breaking album that blends the old-style classical music with pop/techno/jazz, and gives that genre of music (which had there for a while even before Mae) the kind of visibility that it did not use to have. This album is novel and upbeat, and is highly listenable both to people who like classical music and those who find it intimdating (or boring). Would especially recommend this to people in their 20s and 30s.

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