Winds of Change

Track Listings

1. Way of the World

2. Reason for Music

3. Waterfall Beach

4. Cast Adrift

5. Winds of Change

6. Lost in the Shadows

7. Synthetic Blue

8. Impressions of the Park

9. Spirit of Anisha

10. Angel

11. Searching for the Light

12. Child of Tomorrow

13. Wanderer

14. Song for Anna

Winds of Change,Greg Joy,Ancient Echoes Music,Christmas,Contemporary Folk,Ethnic Fusion

Winds of Change

Tracks:

Winds Of Change
Keep On Dreamin
Be My Lady
I Will Stay
Out Of Control
Can't Find Love
Black Widow
I Came Back From The Jaws Of The Dragon
Quit Wasting Time

Customer Reviews:

Jefferson Starship - The 2nd Best Album Of The Mickey Thomas Era.......2007-06-05

Jefferson Starship had started out as Jefferson Airplane back in the 60's. The Starship had gone through numerous personnel changes by the time this album came out in 1982. Paul Kantner was still the mainstay of the band and Grace Slick had come back to the fold after leaving for one album. A lot of people wrote off the late 70's early 80's version of Jefferson Starship as AOR wimps, but I always enjoyed a lot of what they did. In fact, for me the album "Freedom At Point Zero" was one of my favorite discs of the late 70's. (I still need to get that on CD one of these days). "Winds Of Change" was the 3rd album to feature former Elvin Bishop vocalist Mickey Thomas and was the 2nd after the return of Grace Slick. The album featured the big AOR hit "Can't Find Love" along with two other songs that received some AOR airplay "Winds Of Change" and Slick's "Black Widow". I don't think it is the best Mickey Thomas era Jefferson Starship album, but I would probably put it at number 2. Guitarist Craig Chaquico really shines on this one. There is a lot of metal oriented material here and Chaquico gets the chance to show off probably more than on any other J.S. album. Thomas, Slick and Kantner all share lead vocal duties often singing as duets or all together. It is a sound that works for the most part. Kantner's "I Came Back From The Jaws Of The Dragon" sounds the most like the 70's version of the band and is the longest track on the disc. The lyrics are about Kantner's survival from a cerebral hemorrhage that had happened prior to this album's release. Overall I like this album a lot. It is not quite as good as "Freedom At Point Zero", but it is worth checking out if you liked the AOR / Metal version of Jefferson Starship.

The Jefferson Speedwagon album.......2006-09-28

This, the 7th Jefferson Starship album, was the third to feature Mickey Thomas as the band's male lead vocalist. On this one, Grace Slick returned full time as co-lead singer and occasional lyricist. However, this album sounds significantly different than its two predecessors, the excellent "Freedom at Point Zero" and the somewhat weaker "Modern Times".

On "Freedom..", besides Thomas, the other key factor in the group's rejuvenation was the work of producer Ron Nevison. He provided a polished, forceful production sheen which complimented the group's sci-fi/fantasy lyrical visions and the powerhouse musicianship. "Modern Times" took a dip in the songwriting, but Nevison was able to compensate somewhat. On "Winds of Change", the band turned to Kevin Beamish, instead, who had produced REO Speedwagon's cheesey megasmash "Hi Infidelity."

The result is what one might expect. Beamish gives the group a more compressed sound which takes the edge off of the guitars and totally eviscerates Aynsley Dunbar's drums. Add to that the fact that Thomas's ultra high voice sounds a lot like Keven Cronin's to the untrained ear, and you've got an album that is indistinguinshable from REO in many places. Lead guitarist Craig Chaquico's two rockers, "Can't Find Love" and "Keep on Dreaming" and bassist/keyboardist Pete Sears' wimpy waltz "Be My Lady" (single #1) sound like weak "Hi Infidelity" outtakes. Sears' rocker "Quit Wasting Time" has a little bit more character, but only because Slick sings it as a duet with Thomas.

Still,all is not lost. The songwriting is more varied than on the previous two albums, which makes for more interesting moments elsewhere. Slick contributes some lyrics and the lead vocals to Chaquico's "Black Widow". It does sound like a reject from her heavy metal solo album "Welcome to the Wrecking Ball", but it did prove to be the best track in live performance. Sears' "I Will Stay" has a beautiful gospel melody and arrangement, perfect for Thomas's Southern rock background.
The title track is remniscent of the Moody Blues, with a swirling keyboard intro and cosmic lyrics sung forcefully by Thomas and Slick.
An odd choice for a second single, though. Finally, the decreasing profile of group founder/rhythm guitarist Paul Kantner is telling, but he contributes the two best songs on the album.His one lead vocal is on "I Came Back From the Jaws of the Dragon" (referring to surviving a cerebral hemorrhage), a passionate, anti-government folk rocker that recalls his Jefferson Airplane rabble rousing days. Finally, he co-writes with Slick "Out of Control", a catchy but crazy New Wave pounder in which Slick sings insanely about the madness of the world. Weird and wild, a welcome break from the generic sound of much of the album.

I'd like to see a remix of the album, removing Beamish's murky production influence. As it is, the album is undermined by its sound to a certain extent and is the least essential of the four JS/Thomas albums. Try "Freedom at Point Zero" first, and move on from there if that one grabs you.

very good early '80's ear candy. not a masterpiece, but.............2006-08-30

in '82, i heard the track "black widow" on my local radio station, and thought, "wow, this is pretty good!" to put it in simple terms. i promptly went out and bought the vinyl lp, and tried it out. i was pleasibly surprised by this album. i was more of a head banger, i guess you could say, into AC/DC, Priest, Motorhead and others at that time, but this was a nice change of pace. i had been into some of Starship's earlier offerings, Freedom at Point Zero, Red Octopus and Spitfire for example, but this was a little different. a new style, if you will. the title track, "be my lady" and "black widow" are my favorite tracks, but they all have something to offer. this is, by no means, a masterpiece, or even Starship' best work, but it is definitely worth owning, as most of my fellow reviewers point out. maybe i'm dating myself, as this cd's tracks, once listened to, may sound a bit hokey, or '80ish (if that's a word), but at that time, it was pretty cool stuff. see my other reviews for cds you should have in your rock and roll collection. peace.

There are 6 Out of 9 Awesome Songs on This Album!.......2006-07-18

I never could understand why Jefferson Starship's 1982 work of art, "Winds of Change," didn't get the credit or the airplay it rightfully deserved/deserves. And then even FINDING this album (especially on CD) became a personal odyssey "mission impossible" quest in itself!

One need look no further than Amazon.Com to see how difficult it can be to secure a copy of this highly underrated masterwork from one of the most seminal rock outfits in music history.

Amazon lists "Winds of Change" as requiring 3 to 6 weeks for delivery, rather than the typical turnaround of "usually available within 24 hours." Why!?! "3 to 6 weeks" sometimes means - "not available at all," at least from my own personal experience with Amazon. I wait 3 to 6 weeks for my item, then I wait a few weeks more. Finally Amazon writes to me with regrets that, in fact, they cannot get me the pristine copy of whatever it is I have ordered in the first place. Like - "Total Bummmer, Dudes!"

Fortunately, Amazon now provides "Used" outlets, including the ability to obtain BRAND SPANKING NEW copies of CDs, DVDs, books and so on forth at sometimes WAY SIGNIFICANTLY reduced prices (hooray!), through third-party, independent vendors, working with Amazon. This is very, VERY GOOD news for us beleaguered buyers in quest of that elusive "media gem," whatever it happens to be. In fact, at last check, "Winds of Change" is currently available now, with a one-to-two business-day turnaround, from "8 used and new" sources independent of Amazon, but accessible (and purchasable) via Amazon's website. Yippee!

Because "Winds of Change" in my book is one of Starship's PREMIER albums of all time, regardless of what anyone else tells you. Whether it was poor marketing or whatever that tanked this brilliant creation, the fact remains: "W.O.C." is probably J.S.'s best kept secret. But I'm telling it to you now.

There are 6 fantastic, rocking, either pop-viable or downright jamming, tightly-written and exuberantly crafted tunes on this album, starting with the eponymous "Winds of Change." A CLASSIC song. Everybody I've played it for loves it (though it got zero play on radio), and Gracie Slick's voice never sounded better, or more powerful and lambent. This is quite simply, a progressive-rock masterpiece that builds to a climactic crescendo of guitars and Gracie's "take no prisoners" clarion vocal chords.

Next is "Keep on Dreamin," a very minor hit single for Starship. This is a great pop ditty, not in the same class as "Winds...," by any stretch of the imagination, but a decent enough song in its own right. Short, sweet, and suitable either for AOR or hit radio. It possesses an infectious quality about it which ends up making it irresistibly hummable!

Okay - fast forward to "Out of Control." Like its title says, this song is an orgiastic romp with Gracie sounding like she's been dipping into the "magic mushroom fondue" again. But it's a GREAT song, regardless - experimental and bold; brash and hard driving; rocking and contagious. Certainly a unique creative departure, and welcome addition to, Starship's collection, and an almost entirely forgotten work of mad genius to this day.

The rest of the GOODIES follow in quick succession. "Can't Find Love" is a progressive-rock gold nugget. I *LOVE* Craig Chaquico's guitars on this album, especially on songs like this one. His distortion level is "Goldilocks" - JUST RIGHT! And the engineers didn't bury his axe in the mix. You almost never think of Airplane, let alone Starship, as a "heavy metal" band, but this album (perhaps the reason why it went so underplayed), proves the group CAN JAM, and they do it here all over the place.

Next up, my ABSOLUTE FAVE when I received this album as an LP for Christmas in 1982: "Black Widow." With Craig's guitars going ALL OUT on this rock classic, and with Gracie's voice so clear and so seductive - by jiminey - you just want to "climb into her web" with her (as the dominatrix, deadly spider) while she's inviting the listener (you!) to do just that in her lyrics. A combination of staccato, stop-time, heavy-amped guitar riffs (think Canadian power trio Rush during their best "metallurgical" work of the 70s), softened by rich refrain, full-out group harmonies, laced with Gracie's interspersed verse lines: all come-hither "take it sucker" vocals that conjure images of the star dressed in a Corinthian-leather, black-and-red teddy, one leg kneeling on a bed, the other planted firmly on the floor in stilletoed high-heel, with a greased cat-o-nine-tails clenched in her fist, whose wrist is wrapped in a platinum bracelet beset with steel spikes! "Take it, Sucker" INDEED! Would that more radio stations had, because "Black Widow" is as good as anything by Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, Kansas or Angel, only with a female lead vocal. This is arguably the BEST song on this album, or TIED for best with "Winds of Change."

Finally, "I Came Back From the Jaws of the Dragon" hearkens us to "Red Octopus" days and the very best of those, with its "Play on Love" feel and "group chant" ethos. This song also rocks and once again, features Gracie Slick in superb form. In fact, one can easily argue that "Winds of Change" IS Gracie's album, with Craig bringing out the powerful beauty, the best AND the BEAST in her.

To wrap this review up, ANY rock-and-roll album, and I mean ANY, that has 6 out of 9 great, listenable, well-written songs and superb production value to boot - DESERVES a place in ANY rock fan's collection. If this is the first time you ever heard of "Winds of Change" by Jefferson Starship, you may be forgiven. But to ignore this review and thereby to bypass this album is a mistake you render at your audial peril.

Get this album now! It will be nigh IMPOSSIBLE, with 6 of 9 stellar rock pieces, and arguably some of Gracie's FINEST work, and arguably some of Craig's BEST of his best work on display as well - for you to NOT listen raptly and intently, with headphones tightly (but comfortably) enconsced over your "salivating ear drums" (talk about a mixed metaphor there), imagining that you're in a fast sports convertible (passenger seat preferred), top down, riding fast with the wind in your hair and lightning coming up over the horizon on a thunderclouded midwest plain, jamming to "The Winds of Change."

Fills missing part of Jefferson Airplane/Starship collection.......2005-03-31

I am one of the rare individuals who likes all incarnations of Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship/Starship. A few years ago, they put out a hits compilation that included songs from all three versions of the band. That CD is great, except it does not include one of my favorite songs from Jefferson Airplane, "Winds of Change". That song squeaked into the Top 40, reaching #38 in early 1983. I have scoured every Greatest Hits package issued over the years, and they always leave that song off. Finally, I found this CD used and decided to buy it just for that track. I love "Winds of Change" because it allows Grace to belt out some "White Rabbit" like theatrics to a distinctively early 80's rock beat. Besides "Winds of Change", I enjoyed many of the other songs included. This contains some great early 80's Jefferson Airplane rock. If you like their hard rockers of that era such as "Jane" and "Find Your Way Back", you will like this CD. Some of the other good tunes on this CD include "Quit Wasting Time", "Can't Find Love", and "It Came from the Jaws of the Dragon". Of course, "Be my Lady" was the other hit off of the album, reaching #28 in late '82. One sour note is "Out of Control", which is another Grace song. Now, I love Grace, but that song is pretty awful. Aside from that track, if you love Jefferson Airplane music, you will love this CD.

Average customer rating:

GREAT PSYCHEDELIA
CALEIDOSCOPIO LISERGICO QUE ESTALLA ANTE CADA ESCUCHA!
"You Know What I'm Talkin' Bout........JIMI"
Winds Of Change
Wow! What A Sonic Improvement!

Winds of Change
Eric Burdon & The Animals
Manufacturer: Repertoire
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Twain Shall Meet
Every One of Us
Love Is
Animalisms
The Animals - Animalism

ASIN: B0000AVF29
Release Date: 2003-09-29

Tracks:

Winds of Change [Stereo]
Poem by the Sea [Stereo]
Paint It Black [Stereo]
Black Plague [Stereo]
Yes I'm Experienced [Stereo]
San Franciscan Nights [Stereo]
Man-Woman [Stereo]
Hotel Hell [Stereo]
Good Times [Stereo]
Anything [Stereo]
It's All Meat [Stereo]
Good Times [Mono Version][*][Version]
Ain't That So [Mono Version][*]
San Francisco Nights [Mono Version][*][Version]
Gratefully Dead [Mono Version][*]

Album Description

2003 reissue of 1967 album that's unavailable domestically, features 15 tracks including 4 bonus tracks, 'Good Times' (Mono Single Version), 'Ain't That So' (Mono), 'San Franciscan Nights' (Mono Single Version) & 'Gratefully Dead' (Mono). Tracks 1-11 recorded in stereo. Digipak. Repertoire.

Customer Reviews:

GREAT PSYCHEDELIA.......2007-06-08

THIS CD AND THE TWAIN SHALL MEET ARE BOTH CLASSICS. THE BEST BURDON OF ALL!!!!

CALEIDOSCOPIO LISERGICO QUE ESTALLA ANTE CADA ESCUCHA!.......2007-01-23

REINVENCION DE LOS ANIMALS, JOYA PSICODELICA DE UN MOMENTO ASOMBROSAMENTE CREATIVO DE ERIC Y SU BANDA, CAUTIVANTE DESDE CADA TEMA QUE ESCUCHES...LA VERSION DE PAINT IT BLACK RECREA LA ATMOSFERA DE LA LETRA MEJOR QUE SUS AUTORES ORIGINALES....NO DEJES DE ESCUCHAR ESTA PLACA, AUNQUE HAYAN PASADO MAS DE TREINTA AÑOS, EL SENTIMIENTO, LA AUTENTICIDAD Y LAS GANAS DE CAMBIAR EL MUNDO SIGUEN VIVOS!

"You Know What I'm Talkin' Bout........JIMI" .......2004-11-10

"For Those Of Another Generation......". Yep.....I guess we certainly were. Like many, I was turned onto this album back when I was a youngster in the late 60's and couldn't get enough of this album to the point of owning the mono & stereo vinyl versions as well as the 8 track and reel to reel audio tapes. My only complaint with any of the releases pertained to the overall "compressed" sound quality, especially on tracks such as "Paint It Black" & "Yes, I'm Experienced" (two of my favorites).

In the late 80's, Polydor finally released this album on CD and to my horror, the sound quality didn't differ one bit from the vinyl. Then came BGO in 2002 with their CD version, coupled along with The Twain Shall Meet (another great album) and although the mix had been somewhat improved, much of the compressed atmosphere still lingered. I began to believe that no actual master tapes would surface to right the various wrongs, but I was "Gratefully Dead" wrong ( a bonus track :)

As it turns out, Repertoire came to the rescue and did the impossible...gave a newly found face lift to the original grooves on this album and what we now have is the ultimate remastered version ever released during the past 37 years since it was first recorded. The original muffled high end frequencies now have a uniformity of clarity & brightness never heard before throughout the entire album. It's amazing to finally be able to hear what Barry Jenkins drumming really sounds like.

If you're a fan of this brilliant album, I strongly recommend you buy a copy and hear it for the VERY first time in your life and while you're at it, also pick up a copy of The Twain Shall Meet also released by the good folks at Repertoire. They deserve numerous kudos for their excellent work and I look forward to seeing what other albums they release in the future.

Winds Of Change.......2004-06-09

Excellent re-release of Eric Burdon & The Animals' first album together, Winds of Change. It's a very interesting and good album, superbly remastered by Repertoire. Throughout strong songs. San Fransiscan Nights, their biggest hit ever, can be found here along with such gems as Hotel Hell, Good Times and Paint it Black. It also contains some extra tracks.
If you're fond of psychedelic music, or like Eric Burdon, buy this album.

Wow! What A Sonic Improvement!.......2004-06-06

I've had this eratic--but brilliant 1967 masterpiece in one form or another (both vinyl and cd) for most of its 37 years of existence up to this point, but never have I heard it sound anywhere near as good as does this 2003 remaster on Repertoire. Both the Polydor and One Way cd reissues were marred with tape hiss which, combined with a relatively low recording level, made for somewhat muffled, muted sound. No such problem here: The sound is strong and crisp...obviously first-generation. That said, a few additional thoughts:
This is the first, and (in my humble opinion) the best of the four original albums by the revamped, psychedelic Animals line-up Eric Burdon formed in late 1966. This band actually made its debut on record in the late winter/early spring of 1967 with the terrific "When I Was Young"/bw/"A Girl Named Sandoz" single. They performed at the legendary Monterey Pop Festival in June, and it was during that time period that the songs for this album were being written and recorded. I really cannot think of another album from the psychedelic era which runs as wide a gamut as does this one: From the rollicking, electric Hendrix answer "Yes, I'm Experienced" to the downright eerie, solemn "The Black Plague," from the brooding self-deprecation of "Poem By The Sea" to the back-to-R&B roots rough edge of "It's All Meat." Now, if you are endeavoring to read this, you probably know about all that, but you may not know about a couple of the bonus tracks on this edition of the album. The mono single versions of Good Times" and "San Francisco Nights" (notice the difference in the title) are not really all that different from the stereo versions, save for perhaps offering Burdon's vocal a tad more prominence. However:
The two UK B-sides offered here as tracks 13 and 15 are both Killers! First, "Ain't That So" calls to mind some of the raw, three-chord grungy blues the earlier Animals were doing after leaving Mickey Most and signing up with Decca. If you dug songs like "She'll Return It" and "That's All I Am To You," you're sure to dig "Ain't That So": Not psychedelic at all, just tough-guy, in-your-face garagy rock. An then there is the cd's closer, "Gratefully Dead." This song could easily be mistaken for an out-take from the Are You Experienced? album sessions, with the same Stratocaster sound popularized by the master himself jumping down your throat from the songs' opening note. Again, it's a basic three-chord blues, but it's The Experience as well as The Experience themselves could play it--right down to Barry Jenkins' drumming being a deadwringer for Mitch Mitchell's sound and style at the time. The song even features a great false ending, where the tape suddenly slows down to a dead stop . . .and after perhaps a second-and-a-half of silence, the music just explodes back out your speakers. Through all that, Eric shouts his lungs out, and provides an extra track of low vocals periodically through the track which calls to mind Hendrix's spoken vocal on "Third Stone From The Sun." Apt to say, these two B-sides alone are worth the price of this cd: they're two of the best, hardest-rocking recordings by _any incarnation of The Animals.
About the only possible complaint I can render about this reissue is the failure to include the above-mentioned two songs from the first single by this latter-day version of the band: That would have made this package absolutely perfect! As is, the dramatically improved sound quality on the original album, those two priceless B-side bonus tracks and pretty decent liner notes (especially by comparison to older versions) make this cd an absolute must-have for any Eric Burdon fan or any fan of late-Sixties psychedelia. Also recommended: The Repertoire reissue of The Twain Shall Meet: Not quite as good an album as this one, but good enough, also boasting superior remastered sound, and the mammoth raw single version of "Monterey" as a bonus track.

Average customer rating:

GREAT
Psychedelic Eric reinvents himself California style
Summer of Love in 2003

Winds of Change / The Twain Shall Meet
Eric Burdon , and Animals
Manufacturer: Bgo - Beat Goes on
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Every One of Us
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ASIN: B000069RE2
Release Date: 2002-09-30

Tracks:

Winds Of Change
Poem By The Sea
Paint It Black
The Black Plague
Yes I Am Experienced
San Franciscan Nights
Man-Woman
Hotel Hell
Good Times
Anything
Its All Meat
Monterey
Just The Thought
Closer To The Truth
No Self Pity
Orange And Red Beams
Sky Pilot
We Love You Lil
All Is One

Album Description

UK two-fer combines the British Invasion act's 1967 album, 'Winds Of Change' with 1968's 'The Twain Shall Meet'. Both are unavailable domestically. BGO. 2002.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Edition of Two of their Mgm Albums Reissued on One CD. These were Essential Records of the Summer of Love. Tracks Include Some of their Biggest Hits Like "San Franciscan Nights", "Sky Pilot", "Paint it Black", "Monterey" and "Good Times".

Customer Reviews:

GREAT.......2007-03-17

I was amazed at the level of service I received dealing with this site.
The product is great. THANK YOU

Psychedelic Eric reinvents himself California style.......2003-04-26

Leaving the UK for the California coast, he picks up a new band and also reinvents himself as a sorta peace & love cosmic older brother, instead of a boasting, boozing blues singer. From '67 and '68. Eric had become psychedelised and the evidence oozes out of every pore of these two albums presented here as a double disc set with the original liners to Winds of Change, and additional ones by Alan Clayson. There are hits (San Francisan Nights, Monterey, and Sky Pilot) there are a few clinkers, and a lot of Eric Burdon's most interesting work. All originals except for a trippy reworking of the Stones' Paint It Black. In addition to the hits, some of Eric Burdon's most interesting work resides on these sides: Poem by the Sea, Hotel Hell, Good Times, Anything, Orange and Red Beams, We Love You Lil, and All is One are among the best songs Burdon ever had a hand in writing. The shout/spoken Man-Woman predates his later 70's work with War, the spoken work story The Black Plague is still chilling in an A.E. Poe meets EC Comics sorta way. San Franciscan Nights captures a moment or at least a bit of the mythology of a magical moment in a corny/sweet 3:24. Hotel Hell has lonely Spanish trumpet casting long shadows across acoustic guitar and Eric's darkest sleepless 3:AM musings. Good Times looks back on hard drinking days with hard won wisdom, and potent hooks that recall his earlier work more than anything else here. The all embracing love song Anything is perhaps Eric's most blissed out recorded moment. The first disc/album is the better, but they are both well worth investigating by anyone curious about the more experimental pop musical moments of the later 60s, by one of it's underappreciated and more gifted practitioners.

Summer of Love in 2003.......2003-04-22

Back in 1966, at the age of 11, when the Beatles were the rage, I fell in love with the Animals strong raunchy blues. No velvet coats for these guys. Eric Burden has always been a re-inventor and creative force. HE has the gift of of being able to powerfully deliver spoken words as well as singing. Winds of Change and the Twain are some of later albums, along with Love Is. I have all of these in the original vinyl and traveled to England in 1972 to buy them, as they were hard to find then. Now I have them again in a more useable format.
The two subject albums are creative, The Twain is pshycedelic in feel and celebrates Monterey Pop festival, really different and not blues. The weaker of the two IMHO, excluding its only 'hit' Sky Pilot, again relevant in light of Iraq.

Winds of Change, offers spoken stories about hispanic lovers parting and reuniting as well as medieval plague with very cool background music, a cover of Paint it Black, and some other driving tunes. It stands up well thirty years later. These are not the top forty covers or compositions. They are original and different, and interesting, especially for the time. Some songs have born the test of time better than others-see the editorial review-they are notably those played on the radio. My CD came as two CDs one for each album, liner notes which arent that accurate IMHO, and little of the original art. Still I like the albums.

Winds of Change
Average customer rating:

I Could Get Used to This Bein Happy!

stirs your soul

a small man with a voice like thunder

Winds of Change
Russ Taff
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Under Their Influence

Russ Taff

ASIN: B000002MSH
Release Date: 1995-04-11

Tracks:

Bein' Happy
One And Only Love
Love Is Not A Thing
I Cry
I'd Fall In Love Tonight
Winds Of Change
Your Face
Heart Like Yours
Once In A Lifetime
Home To You

Amazon.com

Russ Taff tries to duplicate Amy Grant's feat of crossing over from Christian music stardom to pop stardom, but he's going about it in an entirely different way. Just as Grant's pop records reflected the middle-of-the-road soft rock sound of her Christian releases, Taff's first secular album, Winds of Change, echoes the rootsiness of his religious music. Winds of Change may be a pop country album but it leans in the progressive direction of Rodney Crowell, the Mavericks and Brother Phelps. Despite the lyrics' shift from faith in divine love to faith in true love, Taff's songs are as upbeat and cheerful as ever. What makes this such an exciting album, however, is Taff's nose for juicy melodic hooks which he belts out with a fervor that betrays his lifelong enthusiasm for African-American gospel music. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews:

I Could Get Used to This Bein Happy!.......2000-06-25

Russ did a nice foray into "country/pop" music with this release. "Bein Happy" is such a great, bouncy and cheerful song. His ballads, "I Cry" and "One and Only Love" are additional highlights of this well done album. Sometimes some of the other songs tend to sound similar, but overall Russ did a fine job. Am glad though that he's returned to his Christian roots and recorded a very good Christian CD.

stirs your soul.......1999-08-19

Russ shows again why his music never really fades away. His soulful tones made me "feel" the song as he sings them. Having been a Taff fan since his days with the Imperials, this cd continues to keep Taff as a "must" have for my music collection. His voice continues to bring me into the studio with him. This would be "emotional" addition to one's library. Along with other titles by Russ Taff.

a small man with a voice like thunder.......1998-09-10

russ taff is the only singer that has a voice that can move my soul every time i hear him.this album contains some of his best songs, from the ballard "i cry", to "bein' happy". i highly recomend this cd.

Average customer rating:

Winds of Change
The Fureys
Manufacturer: Shanachie
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Spanish Cloak
Chasing Moonlight: Love Songs of Ireland
The Essential Fureys

ASIN: B000000E18
Release Date: 1994-01-28

Tracks:

Oro, Oro
It's Good To See You
Sweet And Gentle Love
Old George
Didn't It Rain?
North By North
Mary And Me
Campfire In The Dark
Travelling Lady
If I Don't Bring Your Flowers
Cry Of The Celts
A Man Of Our Times
Noraleen
Song For The Fox
Goodbye Booze

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Symphony 9: Introduction to Dvorak
Dvorak
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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An Introduction to Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2
An Introduction to Schubert's Piano Quintet "Trout"
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ASIN: B000069HGK
Release Date: 2002-09-17

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Winds of Change

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000GRUS36
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Album Description

Vinyl replica version. CD reissue of this 1967 album, Eric and The Animals' first foray into the world of Psychedelia, featuring four bonus tracks: 'Good Times' (Mono Single Version), 'Ain't That So' (Mono), 'San Franciscan Nights' (Mono Single Version) and 'Gratefully Dead' (Mono). 18 tracks total.

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This captures a momement for me....
'New' Doesn't Always Mean 'Improved'
Dark and very beautiful
surprisingly good ex-animal burdon outfit!
Beware - INSIPID lyrics ahead

Winds of Change
Eric Burdon & the Animals
Manufacturer: One Way Records Inc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Black-Man's Burdon

ASIN: B000002R67
Release Date: 1995-04-25

Tracks:

Winds Of Change
Poem By The Sea
Paint It Black
The Black Plague
Yes I Am Experienced
San Franciscan Nights
Man-Woman
Hotel Hell
Good Times
Anything
It's All Meat

Customer Reviews:

This captures a momement for me...........2002-07-02

Lately, I've used this album to explain to some of my younger
friends what the times were like when I was young. The album just
speaks to me.

'New' Doesn't Always Mean 'Improved'.......2002-06-04

Why did the orignal Animals break up? Because converted hippie Eric Burdon convinced himself that aping Jimi Hendrix and San Francisco psychedelia made him more of an 'artist' than gritty, substantive R&B. Need evidence? Pick up WINDS OF CHANGE. Read Eric's front cover essay. It's the summer of love, baby, and thus no time for E.B. to get down on himself. Why? Because he "loves you and wants you to gain something from these new sounds, as I gained something from the saints of my past." Now, open the sleeve and read the dedications ("Ho Chi Minh--whom I hope will listen--maybe with LBJ"; picture that). Then, peruse Eric's bios of his new cohorts (the patronizing profiles of Tom Wilson and John Weider smack of unintentional prejudice). Finally, listen to the contents. Nearly half of the songs are not songs at all, but monologues. The title track opens the album with a cringe as Vic Briggs lets loose with his third-rate Ravi Shankar imitation on the sitar. Enter Burdon, whose phased voice name checks every musical icon from Billie Holliday to Jimi Hendrix in a string of bad rhymes ("Frank Zappa zapped/Mamas and Papas knew where what was at") that make Nigel Tufnel's history of the Druids look positively trenchant. (Even Briggs thought it was "stupid"; read ANIMAL TRACKS) In "The Black Plague", Burdon addresses class conflict in the Middle Ages with the insight of a sixth-grade book report; once he gets to the "bring out your dead" refrain, you'll wonder if Eric Idle will take him away for nine pence. But hang loose, daddy-o, cause there's still "Man-Woman", Burdon's beatnik bongo babblefest about a crumbling relationship. Here, Eric's narrator hopes his woman will "pull some tricks from her feminine bag" to keep together a relationship squandered by his drinkin' and cheatin' (so much for detox, marriage counseling or an apology). Luckily, the rest of WINDS OF CHANGE is comprised of tracks where Burdon actually sings. His voice is in top form, as usual, but his material is all over the place, ranging from appealing to crass to flimsy---often all in one song. Such a song is the hit "San Franciscan Nights." After exhorting listeners to "save all their bread" and fly to the Bay Area so they can "understand the song," Burdon eulogizes Hell's Angels, uptight cops and minorities with the help of a lilting Spanish-style acoustic guitar melody. It's a kitsch masterpiece that makes the Seeds sound hardheaded. Weider's violin enhances the drama of the clunky confessional "Good Times" and the gentle "Anything", a lovely, if slight ballad that's easily the best track on the whole LP. "Poem By the Sea" is also appealing, as Burdon indulges in hippie humility without overstaying his welcome as a gong tolls in the background. The mariachi troubadour blues of "Hotel Hell" overcomes some duff lines ("the cigarette blows...") thanks to a superb trumpet from Tony Terran. Oddly, despite their intensity as a jam band (check out ROADRUNNERS), the New Animals only rock out on three numbers--a passable, if overlong, cover of "Paint It Black"; "Yes I Am Experienced" finds Eric paying tribute to Jimi Hendrix with the restraint of a psychedelic lounge lizard; and "It's All Meat", a fierce, effects-laden blues rocker that---you guessed it---name checks Burdon's musical heroes (this time, Eric Clapton, Ravi Shankar and Roland Kirk). A must for those who prefer songs about rock stars to songs by rock stars. If anyone emerges from this album with credit, it's the aforementioned Tom Wilson, whose deft production touch creates a sparse, dark sonic atmosphere that amazingly makes even the silliest material listenable. A definite curio, WINDS OF CHANGE is filled with songs that will please the inner Austin Powers among you. Those less keen on kitsch should avoid this trip and pick up Love's FOREVER CHANGES instead.

Dark and very beautiful.......2002-04-09

When I try to think of an album in which the music is polar opposite to the performer's characteristic sound, this is the one that come to mind. In Winds of Change, the blues/rock, roots sound of The Animals metamorphoses into a darkly atmospheric, instrumentally sparse, poetically versed concept album of Eric Burdon. It is a masterwork.

Though I say "instrumentally sparse" (certainly from a rock and roll perspective), this recording is at the same time instrumentally and atmospherically (with frequent sound effects) rich, and even occasionally lush. As to sound effects, guess what we hear in the title cut and the next number, "Poem by the Sea"? But violins and horns enhance a number of songs, and varied percussion and vibrations are often prominent. The lead guitar usually sounds Spanish, not really flamenco, more soft and simple, without flourishes, to let Eric's spoken words be more dominant. Indeed, Burdon pronounces the words very clearly throughout, unlike in some of his other work, creating poetry that punctuates an atmosphere that is usually haunting or dark, and often subdued. The result is songs that are sometimes sensuous, and at other times beautiful and highly evocative. The best case in point of the latter is the lovely ballad "Anything," perhaps the best song on the album, with Eric expressing passionately what he would do for a friend, who seems to be a female, backed by pretty guitar and gorgeous violin arrangements. Both "Good Times" and "San Franciscan Nights" are sweet and sentimental, and excellent songs. The former is actually also sort of melodramatic, embellished by violins and the sudden appearance of a crowd.

"The Black Plague" and "Man-Woman" are not songs, but poetry surrounded by sound effects. The latter is almost entirely percussion-driven (primitive-style drum beat), musically spare with orderly chants from Burdon to send his 60s message. "The Black Plague" is about what it suggests: a medieval tale of morbid woe, with plucked strings, low-pitched bass, eerie organ, (single chimes--triangle?), and church-style harmonic wailing backing Burdon's narrative.

"Hotel Hell" is the noticeably horn-backed number, to great effect. It is precious, extremely evocative, even as it is bleak and despondent: "And I, so very far from my home." It (so does "Good Times") seems to have an Old English feel. Also lovely is "Poem By the Sea," in which Burdon engages in introspection surrounded by guitar crescendos and psychedelia, and even a gong.

Other songs keep us more in the real world. Fittingly, Burdon enlists the Rolling Stones' big hit "Paint It Black," an authentic metaphor for this work, and makes it darker and more mystical, and intense, and, this time, we hear some blistering guitar work. The title cut, with its signature sitar backing, and the finale, "It's All Meat," show Burdon chanting the names of familiar, accomplished, innovative musicians and scattered other people. In "Yes, I Am Experienced," he answers Jimi Hendrix in one of the album's livelier numbers.

This is one of my favorites, but I acknowledge individual tastes could vary. Regular rock and roll it isn't, but full of excellent, often very pretty songs; evocative lyrics; and a dark atmosphere it is. Anyway, you have my view.

surprisingly good ex-animal burdon outfit!.......2000-08-03

Eric Burdon will be usually remembered as the singer of "THe house of the rising sun"... and his post-animal works are less mentioned... hey, this album, "Winds of Change" in 1967 surprisingly change my stereotype on him... a weird psychedelic album, half-spoken spontaneous lines with superb backing... title track, "Winds of Change", Burdon shouts a list of singers... a spoken mini history of rock and roll. "It's all meat" is a tricky work that he name lots of famous rockers (e.g. eric clapton) and commented "it's all meat...in the same bowl". Haha. THe best cut is "Hotel Hell", reverb trumpet sound fits the moody melody very well. A romantic song. Also, this album is with the hit "Sancisco nights". The only weak moment is the cover of Rolling Stones' "Paint it black". Excellent.

Beware - INSIPID lyrics ahead.......2000-05-19

Actually, "lyrics" is probably not the right word. The two most offensive songs ("Winds of Change" and "The Black Plague") are spoken-word...but they're hardly poetry, so that's not the right term either.

I'm sorry, folks, but I just can't erase the image of Spinal Tap when Bourdon starts reading some fourth grader's melodrama about the peasants outside the castle walls. I did get the point (so please don't accuse me of being one of the rich holed-up in the castle starving for fear of confronting the winds of change), but it sure is painful listening. Give me poetry, give me melody ("The Story of Bo Diddley" is among my favorites), or give me the evening news - I'll take anything over this.

Do feel free to accuse me of letting one foul note ruin my experience of an entire album. There's a lot of talk here about this being a "theme" album, which would seem to me to require the listener to consider it as a whole. I'm sorry to say that as far as this listener is concerned, two bad apples spoiled the bunch.

Tracks:

Three Songs: Daphne
Three Songs: Through Gilded Trellises
Three Songs: Old Sir Faulk
Anon In Love: Fain Would I Change That Note
Anon In Love: O Stay, Sweet Love
Anon In Love: Lady, When I Behold The Roses
Anon In Love: My Love In Her Attire
Anon In Love: I Gave Her Cakes And I Gave Her Ale
Anon In Love: To Couple Is A Custom
A Song For The Lord Mayor's Table: The Lord Mayors Table
A Song For The Lord Mayor's Table: Glide Gently
A Song For The Lord Mayor's Table: Wapping Old Stairs
A Song For The Lord Mayor's Table: Holy Thursday
A Song For The Lord Mayor's Table: The Contrast
A Song For The Lord Mayor's Table: Rhyme
The Winds
Tritons
Under The Greenwood Tree
Beatriz's Song
Eight Poems By Li-Po: A Summer Day
Eight Poems By Li-Po: Nocturne
Eight Poems By Li-Po: With A Man Of Leisure
Eight Poems By Li-Po: Lines
Eight Poems By Li-Po: The Ruin Of The Ku-Su Palace
Eight Poems By Li-Po: The Intruder
Eight Poems By Li-Po: On The City Street
Eight Poems By Li-Po: Long Departed Lover

Customer Reviews:

Chinese miniatures.......1998-09-12

Constant Lambert's eight brief settings of the Li Po Poems are wonderful, and the performances here are good. But it's worth pointing out that these songs have also been scored for chamber ensemble.

The Life and Works of Antonín Dvorák, Narration with Musical Excerpts

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An Extraordinary User-Friendly Multimedia Dvorák Biography

The Life and Works of Antonín Dvorák, Narration with Musical Excerpts

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001HOXLO
Release Date: 2004-04-20

Tracks:

Slavonic Dance In G Minor, Op.46 No.8/Childhood, Boyhood, Youth
Symphony No.8 In G, Op.88 (Mvt 3: Allegretto Grazioso - Molto Vivace)
A Secret Life: Early Manhood, Determination And First Love
Cypresses, B.152 (No.3: When Thy Sweet Glances)
A Change Of Job, Marriage And Increasing Success
Symphony No.3 In E Flat, Op.10 (Mvt 1: Allegro Moderato)
Hope, Grief And Sublimation/Stabat Mater, Op.58 (Quando Corpus Morietur)
International Celebrity And Deceptive Simplicity
Serenade In E For Strings, Op.22 (Mvt 2: Walzer)
A New Championing, A New Friendship: Brahms Weighs In
String Quartet In D Minor, Op.34 (Mvt 1: Allegro)

Tracks:

A Populist Commission
Slavonic Dance In C, Op.46 No.1
An Amateur Pianist's Dream
Slavonic Dance In A, Op.46 No.5
A Token Of Gratitude
Serenade For Wind Instruments, Op.44 (Mvt 1: Moderato, Quasi Marcia)
An Explosion Of Popularity - On Both Sides Of The Atlantic
Romance In F Minor For Violin And Orchestra, Op.11
Personal Glimpses: The Outer Man
Symphony No.6 In D, Op.60 (Mvt 1: Allegro Non Tanto)
The Anti-Czech Stance Of Vienna
Piano Trio In F Minor, Op.65 (Mvt 3: Poco Adagio)
Dvorak In London
Vysoka: A New Home, A Simple Life
The Second London Visit
Symphony No.7 In D Minor, Op.70 (Mvt 1: Allegro Maestoso)
Dvorak The Conductor
Czech Suite, Op.39 (Preludium: Pastorale)
London, Birmingham - And Brighton Belles
Dvorak The Czech
Symphony No.6 In D, Op.60 (Mvt 3: Scherzo: Furiant)

Tracks:

Discord With Simrock
Slavonic Dances In A For Piano Duet, Op.72 No.15
'Orchestra!'
Slavonic Dance In B, Op.72 No.1
Dvorak In Leeds
Piano Quintet In A, Op.81 (Mvt 3: Finale: Allegro Con Brio)
Dvorak And Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin: (Act III: Polonaise)
Dvorak In Russia
Schezo Capriccioso, Op.66
Dvorak The Teacher
Mozart: Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Mvt 4: Allegro Con Spirito)
Dvorak In Cambridge
Dvorak In New York
String Quartet In F, Op.96 ('American' - Mvt 1: Allegro Ma Non Troppo)

Tracks:

Dvorak In Iowa
Sonatian In G For Violin And Piano, Op.100 (Mvt 2: Larghetto)
Niagara Falls
Symphony No.9 In E Minor, Op.95 ('From The New World' - Mvt 1: Adagio - Allegro Molto)
The Dark Side
Cello Concerto In B Minor, Op.104 (Mvt 3: Finale: Allegro Moderato - Andante - Allegro Vivo)
Home Again
Symphony No.9 In E Minor, Op.95 ('From The New World' - Mvt 4: Allegro Con Fuoco)
The Death Of Brahms And A Change Of Direction
A Hero's Song, Op.111
The Return To Opera
Rusalka (Act I: Song To The Moon)
Distraction, Disappointment And Death
Symphony No.6 In D, Op.60 (Mvt 4: Finale: Allegro Con Spirito)

Customer Reviews:

An Extraordinary User-Friendly Multimedia Dvorák Biography.......2004-04-28

I have followed with interest the series of CDs explaining popular operas by Jeremy Siepmann, an American musicologist long resident in Britain. Each of those is a single CD with a spoken text interspersed with longish excerpts from the opera in question. This 4-CD set, though, is something else again. It is a combination of music/audio CDs with superimposed CD-ROM material (on the same discs). One plays the audio portion on your regular stereo equipment. When put in your PC or Mac CD drive, the CD-ROM portion of the discs brings up an extensive set of hyperlinked text materials as well as links to the CDs from which the musical examples are taken (all from the Naxos music recordings library, of course). Also included in the CD-ROM material is the full text of Siepmann's detailed biography of Dvorák. There is also a thick booklet that includes cast lists (various actors playing various important people in Dvorák's life), an extensive essay about the sociopolitical and cultural conditions extant during Dvorák's life, an longish essay about his major works and their significance, a graded listening plan, an article outlining recommended reading, biographical snippets about each of the important people in Dvorák's life, a chronological calendar of Dvorák's life, and an extensive glossary of musical and other pertinent terms.

Siepmann's four-and-a-half-hour exploration of Dvorák's life and works is in his wonted polished, often witty, prose. It is read gracefully by Siepmann himself. Dvorák is played by the suave-voiced British actor, Sean Barrett. The musical examples are extensive, often including complete movements, arias, etc., and are placed expertly within the flow of the text. Production values for this budget-priced set are quite high.

I will admit that I had a particular interest in this production as I grew up in a rural Oklahoma town settled by Bohemians (Czechs) and came to love some of Dvorák's music before even that of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. I've already recommended this set to the public schools and town library in my hometown.

I am not quite sure who the intended audience for this set is. Presumably there are those, like me, who are insatiable when it comes to increasing their knowledge of classical music, its composers and their sociocultural milieu. One also imagines that even in these days of decreasing support for music and music appreciation courses in our schools, there are teachers who could make wonderful use of this material for their students. Whoever the audience is, I cannot imagine a listener coming away from this set without a great deal more information and appreciation for the genius of Antonin Dvorák.

Recommended.

Scott Morrison

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