American Guitar

Track Listings

1. Jackalope

2. Troubador

3. Dorado

4. Desert Wind

5. J.B.

6. Honey

7. Guitar Boogie

8. Buck

9. Guitarist's Prayer

10. Ridge Runner

11. 'Round the House

12. Paddy on the Turnpike

13. Low Rider

14. Snake Church

American Guitar,Van Manakas,Rab Records,Pop,Popular Music,Rock

American Guitar

Tracks:

It Don't Matter
Free
On My Mind
Our Love
What'cha Know About
Butterfly
Bend In The Road
Day Dreame
Make You Mine
Call Me Papa
Heading Home
So Far Away
Swing On Down

Album Description

Donavon is mates with Jack Johnson and a professional surfer. He is one of the most charismatic and soulful surfers in the world today yet his focus has shifted significantly to his music. This self-titled album is the acoustic compliment to the laid-back world that Donovan comes from.

Customer Reviews:

Great CD.......2007-05-13

This is my favorite Donnovan CD - it's great for summer or for relaxing

More Great Folk Surf Music.......2007-03-21

You will love Donavon Frankenreiter. He, Jack Johnson and Ben Harper have taken this new genre to a new level.

Poor Man's Jack Johnson.......2007-03-14

...Donavon Frankenreiter is no Jack Johnson. The album has an enjoyable start and things seem really promising when Jack helps out on the second song 'Free', but by the time it is over the songs start to sound the same. Don't get me wrong, this is a nice album with enjoyable laid back tunes, but there are better albums out there (like all of Jack Johnson's albums). Save yourself the cash and download Free and be done with it.

zzzz.....zzzzzz.................2007-01-31

Ohhhh, its finally over. God help me, if I could only get the last 38 minutes of my life back. They were spent enduring Donovan Frankenreiter's 1st attempt at making an album. Further proof that surfers should stick to what they do best--SURFING--and leave making records to musicians. If anyone can give me a single good reason for this album to exist, I am all ears. It is beyond bad, his songs are what Jack Johnson would've been writing in junior high school, only more boring.

Great Mellow Surf Rock.......2007-01-19

It's no accident that Donavon's music sounds a lot like Jack Johnson. They grew up together, and ths album is on Johnson's Brushfire label. I was introduced to Donavon's music at a concert at 8150 in Vail, CO, and bought his 2 albums immediately afterward. His relaxed yet energetic style in concert translates very well in the studio, apparently. This album is a fun, toe-tapping, finger snapping, dance around the house collection of songs. I can't recommend the album, or seeing Donavon in person, highly enough!

Carreras · Domingo · Pavarotti ~ the three tenors in concert / Mehta

Average customer rating:

delivery went ok
A knockout performance
The night that started it all!
Great singing from the three tenors
Excellent. Like summer sunshine. manna from heaven!

Carreras · Domingo · Pavarotti ~ the three tenors in concert / Mehta
Francesco Cilea , Giacomo Meyerbeer , Giacomo Puccini , Franz Lehar , Vencenzo De Crescenzo , Salvatore Cardillo , Ernesto de Curtis , Agustin Lara , Pablo Sorozabal , Umberto Giordano , Leonard Bernstein , Vincenzo d' Annibale , Anonymous , Andrew Lloyd Webber , Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomizhsky , Juan De Dios Filiberto , Louis Louiguy , Ruggiero Leoncavallo , Rudolf Sieczynski , Joseph M. Lacalle , Eduardo di Capua , Zubin Mehta , Plácido Domingo , Luciano Pavarotti , and José Carreras
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Latin Music | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The 3 Tenors in Concert 1994
The Best of the Three Tenors
Three Tenors: In Concert
The Three Tenors Christmas
Romantica: The Very Best Of Luciano Pavarotti

ASIN: B0000041XX
Release Date: 1990-09-05

Tracks:

Il Lamento Di Federico
O Paradis
Recondita Armonia - Luciano Pavarotti
Dein ist Mein Ganzes Herz
Rondine Al Nido - Luciano Pavarotti
Core 'ngrato
Torna A Surriento - Luciano Pavarotti
Granada
No Puede Ser
L'impovviso
E Lucevan Le Stelle
Nessun Dorma
Finale Medley: Maria - Tonight, 'O paese d' 'o sole, Cielito lINDO
Memory, Ochi tchorniye, Caminito
Mattinata ; Wien, Wien, Nur Du Allein, Amapola, 'O sole mio
Encore: 'O sole mio
Encore: Nessun Dorma

Amazon.com

Magic was created one starlit night in July 1990, when Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and José Carreras met onstage at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome and became the Three Tenors. They eschewed competitive instincts and cooperated in the spirit of mutual admiration to create one of the greatest musical events ever. This concert is an awe-inspiring orgy of the greatest hits for the tenor voice. Domingo and Pavarotti sing perfectly. The audience wins as these vocal supermen compete to seduce the hearts of the audience. One moment Domingo brings thrilling fire and pain to "E lucevan le stelle" from Tosca; the next, Pavarotti rises to heavenly heights in an inspired rendition of "Nessun dorma" from Turandot. Carreras is the competent little brother, one step behind the greatness of the big brothers from opera's Ponderosa. His singing isn't as captivating as that of the big boys; but his enthusiasm and passion are unrivaled. Mehta exquisitely captures the largeness of this bonanza through the grandiose orchestra. --Barbara Eisner Bayer

Customer Reviews:

delivery went ok.......2006-11-14

the item was delivered to me on-time and with no problems. however,i was looking for a DVD and not a audio Cd. might be good to clearly differentiate when the product is being advertised or shown.

A knockout performance .......2006-05-28

Like so many of the reviewers here I am not an opera aficionado. But I sensed immediately the night I saw this concert on television that this was one of those 'remarkable' artistic events. Domingo and Pavarotti both have such strength and beauty in their voices that they overwhelm. Carreras adds flavor and enthusiasm.
One of the most remarkable music performances I have seen.

The night that started it all!.......2005-11-02

You can read the technical information about the contents of this CD above. That is not what this review is about. I became intrested in opera about 1 1/2 years ago because of happening upon Mario Lanza. Since then, I have experienced many great truly operatic voices, including the "King," Pavarotti.
If you are just discovering opera, suffice it to say; Buy this album!!! It was the concert that launched the 3 Tenors phenomenon. It is full of uplifting, heart- tugging favorites, and you will find yourself listening to it over and over. Buy the dvd as well. It imparts absolute electricity! I am a young pianist and vocalist, and this concert is truly inspiring to me! You won't regret one penny you spend on this!

Great singing from the three tenors.......2005-06-23

This cd is a must-have for anyone interested in opera - or beautiful singing. And when you're at it - why don't buy the dvd from the concert? It will make you appreciate the cd even more.

First of all I have to comment on the editorial review of this cd. I felt the reviewer is "belittling" José Carreras here by saying he's one step behind the big brothers and his singing isn't as captivating as that of the big boys.....?!?!? Of course I can only speak for myself, but I feel she's way out of line. And I'm starting to wonder if she's been listening to the cd at all? In my opinion you have to be dead not to be touched by his rendition of "Lamento di Federico" and "L'improvviso". If anybody can deliver a line it has to be Carreras. When it comes to his interpretation of "Granada" even conductor Zubin Mehta was gobsmacked. Watching the dvd you can see him putting down his baton and applauding. He even steps down from his podium to hug José.

I have to say I'm not too keen on the two other tenors, although I have to admit I loved Pavarotti's "Torna a Surriento" and "Rondine al nido". The thing about Pavarotti is that he has a great singing technique and he's also in possession of this "push-button" which make him sing a lot of high notes, but that alone isn't enough to stir emotion.

As for Domingo, even if he's giving it all in every song, and his "No puede ser" was great,I think he's a bit too much on the nasal side. He's okay when they all perform together, but his "E lucevan le stelle" is sending shivers down my spine - and not of delight. I'm practically unable to sit still and listen to his solos. If you really want "fire and pain" you should check out Carreras in the Tosca-recording from -80, or his recording from -76. It's really breathtaking and I promise you'll end up in tears!

At the end of this concert the three tenors perform a medley together. Their voices blend perfectly and it's powerful to listen to them giving it all. A lot of people are talking about their mis-pronounciations. I for one, think it only adds to the charm of the performers. Pavarotti has some problems with the English songs (okay, big problems..), Domingo stumbles in the words in the beginning of "Wien Wien nur du allein", and (this you'll see in the dvd) in the same song Carreras is actually reading the text from a piece of paper as he's singing and his facial expressions when getting his head around the German words are really hilarious. O sole mio as an encore is fabulous when Pavarotti pushes his button and shakes out all his high notes.... And I love it when the two other join forces and repeat his stunt to perfection.

All in all this is a wonderful album. And well worth 5 stars.... José alone gets 10 stars!!!

Excellent. Like summer sunshine. manna from heaven!.......2004-05-28

This CD is terrific on so many levels. In celebration of one of the world's great sporting events - the World Cup of football (soccer to us stateside), three great tenors and one masterful conductor (Zubin Mehta) were brought together in one of the world's great cities - Rome -- for a special evening that we are blessed to have been able to listen to again and again.

The concert was held during the World Cup in 1990 at the Baths of Caracella, which are ruins of the once great Roman baths. In this beautiful setting Luiciano Pavrotti, Jose Carreas and Placido Domingo came together for one of the best CD's ever made.

The singing is exquisite. The passion of the crowd in this live performance should equal the reaction of the listener. This is art at its highest level. It is a celebration of great music, not just of opera, but in my opinion, the soaring human spirit. What power to move the soul! You don't need to be an opera fan to enjoy this music. If you like any kind of music, you cannot help but be affected by the power of this special evening. And what an evening, those in attendance were lucky to have been there!!

The casual listener will already know some of these arias, as they are from some the great operas of all time. However, I believe even the most hardenend opera fan, unless he or she is a real stiff, cannot be helped to be but moved by this music.

Tracks:

Henry Lee - Dick Justice
Fatal Flower Garden - Nelston's Hawaiians
House Carpenter - Clarence Ashley
Drunkard's Special - Coley Jones
Old Lady And The Devil - Bill & Belle Reed
The Butcher's Boy - Buell Kazee
The Wagoner's Lad - Buell Kazee
King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O - Chubby Parker
Old Shoes And Leggins - Uncle Eck Dunford
Willie Moore - Richard Burnett And Leonard Rutherford
A Lazy Farmer Boy - Buster Carter And Preston Young
Peg And Awl - Carolina Tar Heels
Ommie Wise - G.B. Grayson
My Name Is John Johanna - Kelly Harrell

Tracks:

Bandit Cole Younger - Edward L. Crain
Charles Giteau - Kelly Harrel
John Hardy Was A Desperate Little Man - Carter Family
Gonna Die With My Hammer In My Hand - Williamson Brothers And Curry
Stackalee - Frank Hutchison
White House Blues - Charlie Poole And The North Carolina Ramblers
Frankie - Mississippi John Hurt
When That Great Ship Went Down - William And Versey Smith
Engine 143 - Carter Family
Kassie Jones - Furry Lewis
Down On Penny's Farm - Bently Boys
Mississippi Boweavil Blues - Masked Marvel
Got The Farm Land Blues - Carolina Tar Heels

Tracks:

Sail Away Lady - Uncle Bunt Stephens
The Wild Wagoner - Jilson Setters
Wake Up Jacob - Prince Albert Hunt's Texas Ramblers
La Danseuse - Delma Lachney And Blind Uncle Gaspard
Georgia Stomp - Andrew And Jim Baxter
Brilliancy Medley - Eck Robertson
Indian War Whoop - Hoyt Ming & His Pep-Steppers
Old Country Stomp - Henry Thomas
Old Dog Blue - Jim Jackson
Saut Crapaud - Columbus Fruge
Acadian One-Step - Joseph Falcon
Home Sweet Home - Breaux Freres
Newport Blues - Cincinnati Jug Band
Moonshiner's Dance (Part One) - Frank Cloutier And The Victoria Cafe Orchestra

Tracks:

You Must Be Born Again - Rev. J.M. Gates
Oh Death Where Is Thy Sting - Rev. J.M. Gates
Rocky Road - Alabama Sacred Harp Singers
Present Joys - Alabama Sacred Harp Singers
This Song Of Love - Middle Georgia Singing Conv. No. 1
Judgement - Sister Mary Nelson
He Got Better Things For You - Memphis Sanctified Singers
Since I Laid My Burden Down - Elders McIntorsh & Edwards' Sanctified Singers
John The Baptist - Rev. Moses Mason
Dry Bones - Bascom Lamar Lunsford
John The Revelator - Blind Willie Johnson
Little Moses - Carter Family
Shine On Me - Ernest Phipps & Holiness Singers
Fifty Miles Of Elbow Room - Rev. F.W. McGee
In The Battlefield For My Lord - Rev. D.C. Rice And Congregation

Tracks:

The Coo Coo Bird - Clarence Ashley
East Virginia - Buell Kazee
Minglewood Blues - Cannon's Jug Stompers
I Woke Up One Morning In May - Didier Hebert
James Alley Blues - Richard 'Rabbit' Brown
Sugar Baby - Dock Boggs
I Wish I Was A Mole In The Ground - Bascom Lamar Lunsford
Mountaineer's Courtship - Ernest And Hattie Stoneman
The Spanish Merchant's Daughter - Stoneman Family
Bob Lee Junior Blues - Memphis Jug Band
Single Girl, Married Girl - Carter Family
Le Vieux Soulard Et Sa Femme - Cleoma Breaux & Joseph Falcon
Rabbit Foot Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson
Expressman Blues - Sleepy John Estes & Yank Rachell

Tracks:

Poor Boy Blues - Ramblin' Thomas
Feather Bed - Cannon's Jug Stompers
Country Blues - Dock Boggs
99 Year Blues - Julius Daniels
Prison Cell Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson
See That My Grave Is Kept Clean - Blind Lemon Jefferson
C'est Si Triste Sans Lui - Cleoma And Ophy Breaux And Joseph Falcon
Way Down The Old Plank Road - Uncle Dave Macon
Buddy Won't You Roll Down The Line - Uncle Dave Macon
Spike Driver Blues - Mississippi John Hurt
K.C. Moan - Memphis Jug Band
Train On The Island - J.P. Nestor
The Lone Star Trail - Ken Maynard
Fishing Blues - Henry Thomas

Amazon.com

This impressive--and frankly, fun--musical document is still sending out shock waves almost 50 years after its original 1952 vinyl release. The Smithsonian's six-CD reissue is painstakingly researched, annotated, and packaged (even boasting an enhanced disc for the techno-capable). Unlike field recorders, eccentric filmmaker/collector/musicologist Harry Smith assembled the Anthology from commercially released (though obscure) 78 rpm discs issued between 1927 and 1935. Its broad scope--from country blues to Cajun social music to Appalachian murder ballads--was monumentally influential, setting musicians like Bob Dylan down the path to folk fandom. The White House started its own national music library with the Anthology; anyone with more than a passing interest in American roots music should do the same. --Michael Ruby

More from Smithsonian Folkways

The Harry Smith Connection: A Live Tribute To The Anthology Of American Folk Music
Classic Maritime Music from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Smithsonian Folkways American Roots Collection

Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways
Classic Blues From Smithsonian Folkways
Folkways: The Original Vision

Album Description

This deluxe 6-CD collector's boxed set contains a 96-page book featuring Harry Smith's original songbook framed by essays by Greil Marcus and other noted writers, musicians, and scholars. Play the enhanced sixth disc on your CD-ROM drive and access historic video footage, rare photos, artist interviews, and additional background information. Edited by Harry Smith. Reissue compiled by the staff of Smithsonian Folkways. Reissue liner notes by Greil Marcus, Neil Rosenberg, Jeff Place, Jon Pankake, Luis Kemnitzer and others. "...the missing link in rock's official history." -Newsweek ***** (five stars) -Rolling Stone

Customer Reviews:

THE Chronicles.......2007-07-12

Great stuff. Yet some of the singing is almost too real, too raw. Bob Dylan cites this album as a main inspiration, and you can hear his singing and songwriting style in a lot of the songs. Not for everybody, and may be even too much for casual folk music fans. Has to be listened to in the context of a historical document.

totally essential listening.......2007-02-15

This CD compilation set is more than just an album of music--it's a historical document. I first heard of the AAFM in a Bob Dylan biography--after buying this and listening to it, I can understand how Bob was inspired to ditch his Little Richard aspirations and travel the rugged road of folk. Through the three sections--Ballads, Social Music (mostly instrumentals), and Songs (kind of like ballads, but less story-oriented), this collection not only contains some great, timeless music and performances, it's also steeped in pure humanity--the real essence of true folk music. The people Harry Smith collected and anthologized were mostly just that: folk. People like you and me who love music, and play the songs they've been handed down. You don't have to be Bob Dylan to appreciate and be moved by songs that have been passed down through the generations and soulfully interpreted by many different artists.

Aside from some essential listening ("Coo Coo Bird," "Stackalee," "Mississippi Boweavil Blues," "I wish I Was a Mole in the Ground," etc. etc.), the package has some great supplementary material. It's very interesting to learn about the song information and performer information that Smith collected with his anthology, but it's also interesting to get a glimpse into his project, seeing how he relentlessly collected and chose which songs to represent. He was a true lover of music, and that love is reflected in his project.

Please don't come to this compilation expecting pristine sound quality--it was assembled in the 50's, which means that the recordings come from then as well as much earlier--it's about the music and performers anyway, and a little bit of scratch really doesn't detract that much from the organic, down home experience. It IS a bit of a shame that there are 6 CDs, but really only about 4 full CDs worth of music--it would have been OK with me if the Ballad/Social Music/Songs organization was not cleanly divided between discs to save space, since the division isn't very efficient, but I suppose the reissuers wanted to emulate the original vinyl collection. I don't really find the material to be homogeneous like the second spotlight reviewer does, although I do agree that Roots and Blues: A Retrospective is also a great compilation--I'd recommend getting both for a great complementary experience.

Hopefully this set never goes out of print, as it's a great piece of art that any music fan or musician can learn a lot from--and enjoy, too! It's a shame that Smith had to preserve this music as it was beginning to die out even as he was collecting it, but it's also heartwarming that such classic sounds can be preserved for us to hear so many years later and keep the tradition alive. Enjoy the living history!

The grandfather of the reissue records.......2005-02-21

This collection led to the "re-discovery" of many artists who had dissapeared after when the depression crippled the recording industry. Mississippi John Hurt is probably the most famous as of now, but others, like Clarence Ashley were major finds at the time - and when Folkways sent a field crew to do a new record by Ashley he requested some assist from a young friend named Doc Watson. Watson was unknown outside his home town at the time but went on to become a major star in a field which has very few stars.
Listening to many cuts on this album you can hear the source of much material for folk groups as diverse as the New Lost City Ramblers and The Holy Modal Rounders, rock groups like Canned Heat, and The Grateful Dead. Some of the melodies will be familiar to fans of Dylan, others to Jorma Kaukonan listeners. There are otehrs -- many many others.
This set is the source, the headwaters of reissues, and revivals. An essential part of any folk music collection.

Necessary........2003-05-28

I dont think there is a need to go into to much detail about this *6 CD* set. If you can fork over the cash, just buy it. If you have any interest in roots music, just buy it. If you thought ol' Bobby Dylan and the Band made some great weird music in the basement of big pink in '67 .. for the love of god, BUY THIS! strange, unadorned, raw music , just buy it.

Essential.......2002-11-30

Much ink & many electrons have been devoted to explaining both Harry Smith (and a lot of explanation is necessary -- very interesting man) and this wonderful collection of recordings from the 1920's and 30's, so I won't go into too much detail here. If you'd like a good treatise on the work itself as a cultural object, and how it relates to other thematically similar items, I would reccomend Griel Marcus' book Invisible Republic.
This is the greatest mix tape ever made, and an essential cultural artifact, not only of the vernacular music of the hills & highways of pre-electrification America, but also of the folk movement ofthe fifties and sixties (the primer fromwhic all else was derived) and by extension of the hippy movement following closely thereafter.
SOme of this music is really wild...

Average customer rating:

Don't waste your brain cells
Timeless high quality rock music
A genuine 5 star record
Television - 'Marquee Moon' (Elektra)
One of the Greatest!

Marquee Moon
Television
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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

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

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

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Adventure
New York Dolls
Horses
Raw Power
Entertainment

ASIN: B0000AI45P
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Tracks:

See No Evil
Venus
Friction
Marquee Moon
Elevation
Guiding Light
Prove It
Torn Curtain
Little Johnny Jewel (Parts 1 & 2)
See No Evil (Alternate Version)
Friction (Alternate Version)
Marquee Moon (Alternate Version)
Untitled Instrumental

Album Description

Remastered digipak reissue of classic 1977 debut, includes 5 bonus tracks 'Little Johnny Jewel' (parts 1 & 2), 'See No Evil' (alternate version), 'Friction' (alternate version), 'Marquee Moon' (alternate version) & untitled instrumental. Elektra. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

Don't waste your brain cells.......2007-06-11

This album (along with The Clash) is on every rock critic's "best albums of all time" list, but Television and the Clash are both on my "1001 Things You Must AVOID Before You Die" list (unfortunately, too late for me, my money, and my brain cells, but at least I can warn you not to make the same mistake).

I really don't know what all the critical acclaim is for. I guess you had to be there at the time or something.
To "new" ears (i.e. someone with no personal-history-related nostalgia) this sounds unimaginative, murky and boring.

I wrote a negative review about this before, but Amazon apparently thought it "offensive" and didn't publish it.
Perhaps what their censorious employee was truly offended by was somebody's ability to think for themselves and not cave in to the critics' "dictatorship of taste". Punk WAS about rebellion not conformity, right?

I say: Save your brain cells (and money) for better things.
You want classic punk? Try Blondie, Ramones, Iggy Pop, Stranglers, Damned and Sex Pistols. They deserve to be remembered.
Television and The Clash deserve a big bonfire.

Timeless high quality rock music.......2007-05-14

When you revisit your musical taste of twenty years back a lot of it doesn't sound that fresh any longer, this album, though, really does, everything from the neurotic sounding vocals to the dry drums and the odd guitar works. Getting the full length version of the underrated "Little Johnny Jewel" helped me make up my mind upgrading my old vinyl.

A genuine 5 star record.......2007-03-22

I don't give out stars lightly. To rate a record 5 stars means to me that its one of the greatest records ever, of which there are perhaps 100. Marquee Moon is one of them.

Television came out of the mid 70's NYC punk scene and may have had a punk attitude and fashion sense, but their music was the antithesis of the 3 chord, 90 second songs of Blondie and The Ramones. The first thing I remember thinking when I first played Marquee Moon was that I've never heard anything quite like this before. The awesome guitar play, the sharp lyrics and Verlaine's high pitched, quavering voice gave them a unique sound.

In later years I noticed some similarities between Television's guitar work and that of Neil Young's, particularly in Young's Cowgirl in the Sand and Down By the River. I have a feeling you will find some Young in Verlaine's and Lloyd's record collections.

The hardest thing about Television is describing their sound to someone. They just didn't sound like anyone else. Though they were never a commercial success, their influences have been heard later in bands like the Strokes, Violent Femmes, Radiohead, Sonic Youth, The Killers and many more.

In an attempt to describe Television's sound to someone, I asked him to picture a band with Neil Young and David Gilmour playing guitar, the Violent Femme's Gordon Gano on vocals and David Bowie writing the lyrics (Hmmmm, maybe someone should write them and see if they could put something together. It would have to be better than Tin Machine).

Marquee Moon is Television's finest album, though I think the follow-up, Adventure, is vastly underrated. What "Freebird" is to southern rock and "Stairway to Heaven" is to progressive rock, that is what the title track, "Marquee Moon" is to alt/punk rock. It's nearly 10 minutes of one of Rock's greatest moments of guitar interplay.

Every song on this album is phenominal. From the opening riffs of "See No Evil" to Verlaine's plaintive wail on the closer, "Torn Curtain" the record is solid.

Marquee Moon will be 30 years old this year. The amazing thing is that the music is still as fresh today as it was when it when released.

In 1977, if you looked back 30 years you saw artists like Guy Lombardo, Bing Crosby, Mills Bros. etc..., all fine artists in their own right, but that was grandma's and grandpa's music and had little relevance in 1977. The fact that Televison is as relevant, if not more so, in 2007 as they were in 1977 is a testament to their greatness.

Television - 'Marquee Moon' (Elektra).......2007-02-01

Review number 57. Originally released in 1977, as this was the first of three 'actual' Television albums. As most fans might tag this debut offering as new wave or punk, it seems to ME that it's more of a guitar rock effort. If anything, this four piece was a major influence on bands to come along after them like Jeff Buckley, U2, Rapture, Echo&the Bunnymen and Sonic Youth. Tunes here I found to show us just what Television was truly capable of were "See No Evil", "Venus", the moving title track "Marquee Moon" and "Torn Curtain". Line-up: Tom Verlane-guitar,keyboards&vocals, Fred Smith-bass&vocals, Richard Lloyd-guitar and Billy Ficca-drums. Likely to draw in fans of Wire, Suicide, XTC and Blondie.

One of the Greatest!.......2007-01-13

I hadn't heard anything about this band before I began to notice Television being repeatedly mentioned as an influence for a variety of other bands; U2, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Strokes, The Killers, etc. I figured that there was probably something good about them if so many other bands liked them, so I listened to clips of a couple of Television's songs online and then I bought their first album, "Marquee Moon".

For originally being only eight tracks (though this edition has an extra song, alternate versions, and an instrumental), "Marquee Moon" manages to pack a lot of complexity into a short period of listening time. Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine have an impressive command over their instruments; the guitar. Their style of playing intertwines both lead guitar and rhythm guitar in such a way that it's almost hard to separate the one from the other! The bass is strong, the drums form a good backbeat, Verlaine's poetic style of lyrics and unusual delivery of vocals fit the instrumentation well...what's not to like about this band?!

It's hard to pick favorite tracks, because every song on the album is fantastic. "See No Evil", "Friction", and "Torn Curtain" are tracks I particularly like. A few of the songs are a bit lengthy (the title track, "Marquee Moon", is 10 minutes and 47 seconds), but the whole album flows from song to song so well, it doesn't really seem to matter. It's a brilliant classic!

I've never heard anything else like it.

Average customer rating:

This is the SY record to discover
Unique sound, unique songs
A little bit of everything
and do you like to ...?
Incredible Album From An Incredible Band...

Sister
Sonic Youth
Manufacturer: Geffen Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

$7.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Alternative Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

$7.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

EVOL
Daydream Nation
Bad Moon Rising
Goo
Washing Machine

ASIN: B000003TAJ
Release Date: 1994-10-11

Tracks:

Schizophrenia
Catholic Block
Beauty Lies In The Eye
Stereo Sanctity
Pipeline/Kill Time
Tuff Gnarl
Pacific Coast Highway
Hot Wire My Heart
Cotton Crown
White Cross
Master-Dik

Amazon.com essential recording

Having successfully balanced atonal freak-outs with rock song structure on their previous release, EVOL, Sonic Youth went further towards convention with this concise, "all rock" (their words) album. Recorded on old tube equipment instead of then-emerging digital technology, the album's 10 songs have an impressively warm, cozy vibe even as they tear up the pavement underneath. "(I Got a) Catholic Block," "Pacific Coast Highway," and a vicious cover of Crime's "Hot Wire My Heart" are propelled by the newfound power of drummer Steve Shelley, who doesn't let the band's arty self-consciousness inhibit the songs' natural drive. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews:

This is the SY record to discover.......2007-07-05

WHen someone tells me they never saw the big deal with Sonic Youth I always throw on Sister. Yeah, I know Daydream is great but I always thought this was their masterpiece. It put both their musicianship and recording prowess together in one disk.

Sister was recorded on old tube boards and you can really tell by the soft tones and warm fuzz. Feels like a wish coming true.

Unique sound, unique songs.......2007-03-08

Back in the days where Sonic Youth didn't have to use a specific song structure or strings arrangement. It's everything. The whole sound, the songs, the environment it creates. This is one of the best cds I own.

A little bit of everything.......2006-05-15

While Sonic Youth have earned their share of detractors over the past couple decades, there's no denying that they've been responsible for some of the most fiercely individualistic music of that time, and those who love their occasionally inviting, occasionally ugly, but always intriguing sound should find Sister to be among their best efforts. After several albums seemingly devoted to freaking out as many people as possible, Sister was the Youth's most blatant early flirtation with conventional rock songwriting. It was still a far cry from the mature, almost pastoral work of the band's current autumnal phase, but Sister saw the Youth moving past the self-consciously avant-garde stylings of their early albums to create a much more accessible, immediate, and listenable sound.

Where Confusion is Sex, Bad Moon Rising, and EVOL were as much curiosities as they were works of art, Sister was probably the first Sonic Youth album where the songwriting spoke for itself, succeeding solely as music rather than as a middle finger to the establishment. There were some good songs on their old albums, no doubt, but it was here, unhindered by the quasi-musical experiments that characterized much of their earlier career, that the Youth came up with a batch of great songs like they would on Daydream Nation, Goo, Dirty, and the more recent Murray Street and Sonic Nurse.

Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo still took the lead with their odd mix of fragile microtonalities and dizzying noise storms, but this time around their patented form of guitar abuse was married to memorable melodies and even the occasional hook. Steve Shelley, whom I've long considered to be a tragically underrated drummer, was also in extremely fine form here; the more I listen to this album, the more I appreciate how his beats drive the songs' peaks and valleys in intensity rather than just mirroring them. For an illustration, just check out Stereo Sanctity, where his drumming is all pounding aggression in the louder moments before turning to jazzy precision for the quieter ones. While a lot is made of Thurston and Lee's innovations on guitar, Steve's constant powerful presence on the kit does just as much, if not more, to separate Sonic Youth from pretty much every other underground band of their time. If you listen to SY immediately before or after listening to say, the Pixies, the difference is that much more pronounced.

Foreshadowing the more rocking direction they'd take as the '80's turned into the '90's, the band was at its best on this album when it ratcheted up the intensity-propulsive, swirling tracks like Catholic Block, Stereo Sanctity, and White Cross are all quintessential Sonic Youth songs that helped write the book on alternative rock well before Nirvana made the label fashionable. That said, the band also impresses with slower, looser pieces like the brilliant opener Schizophrenia and Kotton Krown, which turn the volume down a couple notches but sacrifice none of the complexity and noisy experimentation. Even Pacific Coast Highway, one of the obligatory Kim Gordon songs, is excellent in spite of her, erm, limitations as a vocalist, with feedback-drenched guitars scraping in the background behind her freaky, half-sung-half-spoken mantras. Just for good measure, they included a cover as well, in the form of an eyebrow-singeing version of Crime's Hotwire my Heart that gives you a nice idea of what the Youth would've sounded like if they'd taken a more straightforward route. But of course, straightforwardness has never really been SY's emphasis, and we fans are all the better off for it.

and do you like to ...?.......2006-01-27

Firstly, CATHOLIC BLOCK (I'VE GOT A) is one of their best songs, by far. there are other great songs on here as well, COTTON CROWN, HOT WIRE MY HEART, SCHIZOPHRENIA, TUFF GNARL, and PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY all come to mind. but generally this album is not that listenable to me as a whole because of the monotonous overly-punk-styled vocals. still, it's a good album. just not where i'd introduce someone to SY.

Incredible Album From An Incredible Band..........2005-12-07

Sonic Youth is one of the more influential and revered bands of the last 20 years. They are rightfully known as the Godfathers of Indie Rock. I can think of no other band that has been consistently putting out quality music for as long as Sonic Youth. Some bands manage to string together 2 or 3 good albums, but then tend to fade into obscurity, break-up, or start to suck. Amazingly, Sonic Youth have yet to succumb to any of those fates. They have had the occasional slump (the mid-to-late 90's), yet they are still here- producing worthwhile, quality albums. In my mind, their creative peak was the late 80's; when they put out the amazing trilogy of `Evol', `Sister', and `Daydream Nation'. I love this band and own every single one of their albums. That being said, `Sister' is my favorite.
`Sister' was initially released on SST records in 1987, and in my mind stands as the quintessential Sonic Youth release. There is a mythic, mystical undercurrent pulling the listener thru this delicious album. It is hard to quantify and explain. The guitar interplay of Thurston and Lee is something special- at times beautifully melodic, dissonant, violent, loving, and ethereal. These songs really speak to me.
This awesome work open with `Schizophrenia' (you really need to hear this song live sometime). I like how both Kim and Thurston share vocals on this track- something they should do more often, which they do in fact numerous times on `Sister'. Lyrically this is one of Sonic Youth's finest efforts, which should be no surprise to anyone when they realize that the Youth were heavily into Philip K. Dick at the time this album was written. Feelings of insanity, isolation, loneliness, chaos, and love pervade `Sister'- for these were all themes with which Dick was intimately familiar. A number of Sonic Youth's best tracks appear on this album. `Stereo Sanctity' is dissonant, delirious, and wonderful. This is followed by the reflective and mysterious `Pipeline/ Kill Time', which makes use of Lee's poetic lyrics, rolling drums, and incredible feedback control. After this amazing track comes `Tuff Gnarl', which ends with a devastating and divinely dissonant guitar frenzy. Maintaining the momentum, next up is `Pacific Coast Highway', one of Kim Gordon's best tracks- she sounds genuinely scary at the outset, which serves as a perfect lead-in to more guitar beauty. This stretch here- tracks 4 through 7, marks one of the best I have heard on ANY album.
`Cotton Crown' follows `Hot Wire My Heart' (which I could've done without). `Cotton Crown' is the closest thing Sonic Youth has to a love song, but don't let that deter you- I HATE love songs. The instrumental section in the middle of this song is a thing of beauty and power. Dissonant guitars have never sounded so soothing (with the exception of My Bloody Valentine's Loveless). `White Cross' follows this gem, ending the album on a rocking note. `Master-Dik' actually ends this version of `Sister' (I don't think it was on the original SST version). `Master-Dik' is a VERY tongue-in-cheek Sonic Youth take on Hip Hop, complete with lots of distorted guitars and even a KISS sample.
If you are only familiar with recent Sonic Youth, and you find yourself wishing they would rock out more, than you need this album. This is probably the Youth's most rocking album. The guitar is blistering throughout. And all though it is blistering, distorted, and dissonant; it is highly soothing and quite trance inducing at times. The guitar interplay here paved the way for the amazing sonics exhibited on their next album, the undisputed masterpiece- `Daydream Nation'.
The song writing on `Sister' is some of their best- cosmically poetic and mystically enchanting. This, in conjunction with the otherworldly music make for a fascinating listen. If you like Sonic Youth, but have yet to get this album, you must do so immediately. If you are only familiar with major label Youth (post-Goo), then you must IMMEDIATELY get this incredible album. And finally, if you are curious about Sonic Youth, but have yet to delve into their daunting catalogue, this might not be the best place to start. `Goo' & `Daydream Nation' might be better jumping off points. However, if you are musically adventurous, a guitarist, or a fan of interesting rock, you will most likely love this wonderfully dissonant work. After many years, and hundreds upon hundreds of CD's and vinyl albums, `Sister' remains one of my favorites.

Average customer rating:

Not the best Idol debut
Total Garbage
c'mon now
Nice little debut
Could not get past Baby Mama

Free Yourself
Fantasia Barrino
Manufacturer: J-Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Teen Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music

Contemporary R&B | R&B | Styles | Music

General | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

$8.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

R&B | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Classical | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

$8.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Fantasia
I Need an Angel
Destiny Fulfilled
Life Is Not a Fairy Tale
The Way It Is

ASIN: B00065BYAY
Release Date: 2004-11-23

Tracks:

Ain't Gonna Beg
Free Yourself
Truth Is
Selfish
Summertime
Baby Mama
Got Me Waiting
It's All Good
You Were Always On My Mind
Good Lovin
Don't Act Right
This Is Me
I Believe

Amazon.com

Few would accuse Fantasia of a reluctance to abide by the wisdom that what you've got, you should flaunt, and the vocal gusto she slathers over her full-length debut gets partial credit for earning--and keeping--your attention. To a greater extent, though, the high-wattage help heaped over the Idol 3 champ and Patti LaBelle-sound-alike makes the disc dazzle. In addition to pitch-ins from Missy Elliott, who produced and co-wrote three tracks and busts out a two-snaps-up rhyme on "Selfish (I Want U 2 Myself)," Jazze Pha duets on the ultra-mod "Don't Act Right" and Jermaine Dupri wrote and produced the smolderer "Got Me Waiting." Surprisingly, though, it's not those tracks or even the Idol-propelled cover of the Gershwins' "Summertime" that will stick with listeners most. Instead, first single "Truth Is," a sweet, old-school R&B lament directed toward a lost love, and "Baby Mama," a spirited shout-out to hard-working single mothers, snare standout status with their from-the-gut authenticity. Keeping it real is what won Fantasia the hearts of millions on TV, and despite Free Yourself's likable slickness, it convinces that--hot commodity or no--she's not about to forget it. -Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

Not the best Idol debut.......2007-08-02

I think Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson's debut albums were much better than Fantasia's. I was a Jennifer Hudson fan from season 3 (I thought Fantasia was okay, but nothing like J Hud). Her voice is very unique and almost sounds like Macy Gray (whatever happened to her anyway?). I bought this album on itunes and I only liked some of the songs such as "Truth Is", "Free Yourself', "I Believe", "You Were Always On My Mind" and "Got Me Waiting." I am a fan of R&B so I gave this album a chance. It's actually pretty good but not as good quality as Kelly Clarkson's debut or Carrie Underwood's debut. Her voice just isn't as good as those two idols. Overall I would reccomend this album but I don't think it's the best Idol debut. Some of the songs are reccomended.

Total Garbage.......2007-02-27

This album and this artist should never be heard. There were sooo many more talented people on American Idol when she won. This album is a perfect example of that. All the studio effects in the world can't help this over-rated, so-called singer. You can't make chicken salad out of chicken s$%^.

c'mon now.......2007-02-16

what happened to that voice we wanted to hear from American Idol? maybe it was the choice of songs but I really was disappointed.

Nice little debut.......2007-01-02

When the three diva's Jennifer Hudson, Latoya London and Fantasia Barrino
were killing the competiion on Amercian Idol in 2004 it was almost a given that an female R&B singer would take the crown that year. Well Fantasia ended up taking the crown and lived up to her promise on her first CD. Her first single Truth Is was an excllent R&B single and the song Baby Mama was catchy and fun.

Could not get past Baby Mama .......2006-12-29

I am sorry but I could not get past the Baby Mama song. Unlike some of the other complaints it does not bother me if people are single moms or had a child out of wedlock. The whole "baby mama" stuff is just so played out and ignorant sounding. There must have been a more classy way for her to get her story across and empower moms. She has a great voice but this song was beneath her, it ruined it for me.

Average customer rating:

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

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

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4
The Mahler Symphonies: An Owner's Manual (includes 1 CD)
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Book & CD)
Study of Orchestration, Third Edition
The Life and Works of Ludwig van Beethoven

ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tracks:

Khirimian Hairig, Op.49
Largo
Andante Espressivo
Allegro Moderato
Adagio Doloroso
Allegro
Senza Misura: Adagio
Finale: Andante - Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Illuminating music by the master musician of a generation........2007-07-23

It will be another sleepless night. Quite by accident I stumbled upon this CD which contains excellent performances of several more works of Alan Hovhaness that I did not know. It arrived today in the mail with the last of the Harry Potter series. While my 11 year old daughter devours the words of the writer of her generation, I sit downstairs in my basement office, transported by the sounds of the master musician of my generation. The music coming from my aged stereo is music of such beauty, such grace and such wonder that it will not leave me. The sounds will play in my soul throughout the night: While others in the house sleep, I will hear in silence his Christmas Symphony, his haunting Prayer of St. Gregory, the mysterious and oh, so lovely, Khrimian Hairig, a testament to the faith of the Armenian people, so excellently performed on this CD, and the majesty of the 60th Symphony, now my favorite, and one of his later compositions.

Hovhaness was a true artist. He was somehow able to go beyond composition; it is as if he revealed music itself, the purpose, the essence of music beneath the notes. I think I understand what his wife meant when she called him "music itself". So yes, I do indeed recommend this CD and pray that I will discover more like it. The music is illuminating; the performances are flawless. Surely there will be other nights in which to sleep.

Superb Introduction to Hovhaness.......2007-05-24

This is a superb introduction to the works of Alan Hovhaness, a long-neglected 20th Century American Composer. The Trumpet Concerto (Khrimian Hairig) is well-played and has a serious thoughtful quality to it. This work should be performed more often by orchestras. The Guitar Concerto is also entertaining and well-played and deserves more playing time with larger orchestras. The Symphony No. 60 (!) is a work more typically associated with Hovhaness - upbeat positive music with no ties to the modern school of classical music. The conductor Gerard Schwartz has spent much of his career championing the works of lesser known American composers and does a great job here. The recording is excellent as well.

Hovhaness on Naxos.......2007-03-07

The reputation of the American composer Alan Hovhaness (1911 -- 2000) continues to grow. Hovhaness was a prolific composer of 67 symphonies and about 400 other works. He wrote in a highly personal, mystical style that emphasized his Armenian roots, his devotion to nature, and his interest in Eastern thought and music. His music is accessible and enjoyed substantial popular appeal during the later years of the composer's life. But it was not always well-received by critics.

This CD is the third that Naxos has devoted to the music of Hovhaness in its "American classics" series. It offers two world-premiere recordings. These releases offer an outstanding opportunity at a budget price to get to know Hovhaness' music. The first two CDs featured Hovhaness early cello concerto and symphony no. 22, the "City of Light" and a collection of three of Hovhaness' six symphonies for wind band. The most recent, CD offers three works in differing forms from relatively early in Hovhaness' career to near the end. Gerard Schwarz, music director of the Seattle Symphony (Hovhaness spent the final years of his life in Seattle) and long a champion of the composer conducts the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. It is good to see a European orchestra offer sympathetic performances of Hovhaness in a short early work, and in the first recordings of a guitar concerto, and a late symphony. The composer's widow, Hinako Fujihara Hovhaness, has written excellent notes for the CD.

The CD opens with a work called "Khrimian Harig", opus 49, composed during the mid-40s. This is a work of about 8 minutes for orchestra and solo trumpet, played here by the orchestra's first trumpet, Lars Ranch. This is a highly lyrical, mystical work in which the trumpet represents an ancient Armenian prophet leading his people through persecutions to the path of faith. Much of the work is call-and-response between trumpet and orchestra. Hovhaness later adopted this work into a composition titled "Return and Rebuild the Desolate Places" opus 213 which appears on the earlier Naxos CD of Hovhaness' music for wind band.

Hovhaness' guitar concerto opus 325 was composed in 1979 and it is performed here by the American guitarist and composer David Leisner. This three movement work is highly idiomatic for the guitar and balances the voice of the instrument well against the larger forces of the orchestra. In the opening movement, slow, ominous statements of a theme for orchestra and bells alternate with long, guitar solos of a reflectively Spanish cast. The middle movement is in a concertante style as the guitar part alternates with a variety of solo passages for bassoon, cello, wind choir, and violin. The finale begins dramatically in a statement for the full orchestra. The stern orchestral writing alternates througout with softer, lyrical sections for the soloist. This is an intriguing, successful work in a difficult genre.

The final work on the CD is the Symphony no. 60 "To the Appalachian Mountains" opus 396 which also receives its first recorded performance. Hovhaness wrote this work in 1985 under a commission to celebrate the cultural heritage of the State of Tenessee. Apparently, the work was not well received in its opening performances, and that is unfortunate. This is one of Hovhaness' longer symphonies, over one-half hour in length, and it is lovely. Hovhaness combines his love for eastern music and nature with passages of distinctively American folk themes, virtually in the manner of Aaron Copland's popular works. With good reason, the composer referred to this work as his "Americana" symphony.

The work opens with a slow passage for flute and harp followed by a long flowing melody for strings. Near the end of the movement, the melody turns into a fugue, backed by pulsating drums and chimes. The second movement is an allegro which opens with a folklike mountain theme in the strings. This is followed by a melancholy English horn solo soon joined by the flute. After an outburst by the full orchestra, the folk theme returns to close the movement. The brief third movement opens with the harp and is based upon an old mountain tune called "Parting Friends." The finale opens with a large, slowly rocking theme in the strings followed by sections reminiscent of mountain dances before the opening material returns with brass and bells to close the work. I loved this symphony, particularly in its use of folk-sounding material (all of which were originally composed, with the exception of the tune in the third movement) and in its imaginative orchestration.

Listeners wanting to get to know Hovhaness and his distinctive style will enjoy this CD and its companions on Naxos. I am looking forward to further releases of Hovhaness' music in the "American classics" series.

Robin Friedman

Average customer rating:

DIRTY still sounds FRESH
another very solid SY release
I Don't Get It
Dirty sounds, but dirty is nice isn't it...
Not as Dirty as it sounds

Dirty
Sonic Youth
Manufacturer: Geffen Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

$7.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

Alternative Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

$7.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Goo
Daydream Nation
Sister
Experimental Jet Set, Trash & No Star
EVOL

ASIN: B000003TA9
Release Date: 1992-07-21

Tracks:

100%
Swimsuit Issue
Theresa's Sound-world
Drunken Butterfly
Shoot
Wish Fulfillment
Sugar Kane
Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit
Youth Against Fascism
Nic Fit
On The Strip
Chapel Hill
JC
Purr
Creme Brulee

Amazon.com

A must-buy for any teen or twentysomething who considers themselves the least bit cool. With Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore swopping leads, it's a beautifully paced disc exploding with beatific beats, white-noise assaults and great, grungy pop ("Sugar Kane," "Chapel Hill"). --Jeff Bateman

Album Description

1998 Japanese reissue on Geffen of their 1992 album with 'Stalker' added as a hidden bonus track. 16 tracks total, also featuring the singles '100%', 'Youth Against Fascism' and 'Sugar Kane'.

Album Details

Japanese Reissue Including a Bonus Track: Stalker.

Customer Reviews:

DIRTY still sounds FRESH .......2007-04-03

DIRTY was released by Sonic Youth in 1992 during the grunge years. This album, their 8th release was produced and directed by Butch Vig the same producer for Nirvana's Nevermind and the Smashing Pumpkins debut: Gish.
Always changing their sound, this is their grunge effort. Very upbeat with a natural rock coolness that includes propulsive layers of sound and fury. DIRTY is the second shot of shorter pop songs in the same way "Goo" was produced. Both Goo and DIRTY sound more accessible w/o the long instrumental guitar noise passages that graced earlier albums My favorite songs on DIRTY are: "100%" - "Swimsuit Issue" - "Drunken Butterfly" - "Shoot" - "Sugar Cane" - "Orange Rolls,Angel's Spit" - "Chapel Hill" - "JC" - & "Purr"
ESSENTIAL SONIC YOUTH along with Daydream Nation(which sounds completely different) and EVOL- I also LOVE Murray Street, Sister, Thousand Leaves + 2006s Rather Ripped. I am also a REALLY BIG fan, I had to buy all of their albums.
DIRTY shows a wonderful transition for Sonic Youth still sounds fresh and clean - 15 years after it's release.

another very solid SY release.......2007-03-14

Each Sonic Youth album has a very unique flavor, and each Sonic Youth album stands out in their extremely lengthy catalouge... yet it is hard to find a Sonic Youth album that is virtually flawless. Obviously, Sonic Youth are not at all interested with perfection, rather atmosphere... but isn't that what makes this band so great?

There seems to be two basic problems with Sonic Youth releases. On some, the production is way too obscure and lacking to let the beauty of the album be heard, and on others, the soaring sections of feedback and reverb can sometimes wander off into obscure directions with seemingly no purpose. Both are aspects that I do not criticize too harshly, because I think of Sonic Youth as artists rather than musicians, throwing the ugly in with the beautiful to create a very realistic p

The Harry Smith Connection: A Live Tribute To The Anthology Of American Folk Music	Classic Maritime Music from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings	Smithsonian Folkways American Roots Collection
Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways	Classic Blues From Smithsonian Folkways	Folkways: The Original Vision