Shine On

Track Listings

1. Come back and play

2. I give my life

3. Kingdom of gold

4. Trust to love

5. Beloved

6. Breathe me in

7. The Miracle

8. Shine On

9. Earth and Star

Editorial Reviews
Gregg Braden. Author of the Isaiah effect.
Rich blend of angelic melodies and rhythms of the earth reminding us of the power blessing and unity of life.

Product Description
Divinely inspired music. Beautifully simple melodies and harmonies. Musical background a mix of both peaceful and danceable rythms. Using both traditional and ethnic instruments.

Lyrics are all conversations between the Divine Source of all creation and the listener.. Namaste.

Shine On

Shine On,Omashar,Omashar,Meta-Physical pop music. Divinely inspired lyrics. Beautiful melodies. Upbeat and refreshing.

Shine On

Shine On

Average customer rating:

Second Album Shine On is a Charm by JET

70's revisited

More Cowbell

Solid as rock

A little Beatles, a little Supergrass, a little Stones.

Shine On
Jet
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Sam's Town

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Revelations

The Information

Wolfmother

ASIN: B000H30BCM
Release Date: 2006-10-03

Tracks:

L'esprit D'escalier
Holiday
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Bring It On Back
That's All Lies
Hey Kids
Kings Horses
Shine On
Come On Come On
Stand Up
Rip It Up
Skin And Bones
Shiny Magazine
Eleanor
All You Have To Do

Amazon.com

On their second full-length recording, Australian retro-rockers Jet show they've got more tricks up their sleeve (they can, like, write songs and stuff!)--not to mention a bigger and better record collection--than most of their garage rock peers. Shine On displays swaggering but intelligent boogie rock à la Humble Pie, an ability to tear the roof off like their countrymen AC/DC, and Americana-thieving swagger rock that brings to mind the Rolling Stones. They do this rather unpretentiously; they are not pretending that anything they're doing is revolutionary or "new" in the slightest. The song titles themselves all have a ring of deja vu to them: "Bring It on Back," "Shine On, "Rip It Up," "Stand Up." Heard it all before? You bet. The thing is, every once in a while a rock band plugs into the Platonic ideal of rock & roll and actually gets it all totally right. Jet does this, and it makes them sound almost as original and exciting as the people they're stealing from. --Mike McGonigal

Album Description

Shine On not only fills a void for hungry rock fans but sets the bar for what today's rock bands can aspire to be. Jet flawlessly brings together classic rock influences with a modern rock edge.

Customer Reviews:

Second Album Shine On is a Charm by JET.......2007-07-17

This album is a great second album, really surpassing their first album, Get Born, in consistency. Yes, it is retro, it is fashionable, it is likeable and really, quite lovable. This album ROCKS and will quickly become a timeless classic album of rock ages. You can feel all the influences of the Beatles, Stones, and all those great bands from the 60's-70's. And yet, quite current and refreshing from this young Aussie Band. An album you will not tire of listening to. Really.

70's revisited.......2007-06-20

Jet remains the most successful 70's revivalist bands (Wolfmother is another up-and-comer) with bluesy guitars playing over huge, bombastic drums.

I didn't find this as immediately enjoyable as the debut, but it's not bad.

More Cowbell.......2007-04-23

Power chords, a backbeat so strong white boys can dance.
All that is missing is the cowbell.

Solid as rock.......2007-04-06

If you liked Get Born, its near impossible not to like Shine On. Jet doesn't take to many risks on this cd and keeps if safe, sticking to their retro rock style. This album is a little softer than their debut, and the soft ones shine bright, Shine On and Kings Horses are brilliant. Overall Shine On is pretty solid, but it feels as though it's missing something, some sort of progression or evolution maybe? But then again it just wouldn't be Jet.
Key tracks: Stand Up, Rip It Up, Holiday, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, Kings Horses, Come On Come On, and Shine On

A little Beatles, a little Supergrass, a little Stones........2007-03-24

What a great album from a some first-rate songwriters. My son turned me on to this group and I've got them going round and round and round in my car, my computer, the home stereo, the iPod.

Average customer rating:

turned off!
Bond Shines Another Day
A Good Band
Shine On!
Does it come with a scratch and sniff?

Shine
Bond
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Classified
Born
Explosive: The Best of Bond
Remixed
Bond - Live at the Royal Albert Hall

ASIN: B00006JID4
Release Date: 2002-10-15

Tracks:

Allegretto
Shine
Fuego
Strange Paradise
Speed
Big Love Adagio
Kashmir
Gypsy Rhapsody
Libertango
Sahara
Ride
Space
Bond on Bond (James Bond Theme)

Album Description

The classical-pop act's sophomore album. 13 tracks. Decca. 2002.

Album Details

Asian Version featuring a Bonus Vidoe CD with the MTV Videos for "Fuego", and "Shine", and Footage of the Making of "Shine".

Customer Reviews:

turned off!.......2007-01-15

Bought this CD after reading the rave reviews. Not what I look for in music. This group seems to be more about sex appeal than music. More about production than real music--one can barely notice that there is a string quartet playing. Could only stand to listen to this once-could find nothing of interest. One heck of a photo shoot, though. SOmeone must have had a field day with that. This CD seems to be more for the sake of some sexy pictures than its music. A real turn-off.

Bond Shines Another Day.......2006-06-11

Fans only had to wait two years for Bond to punch out another Classical/Pop/Dance album. The finished product is some of the string quartet's best work. With the return of violins, a viola, and a cello, these instruments provided the basis of Bond's Classical music sound. But to acheive the full sound of Bond, the electronic instrumention for Pop/Dance music returned as well. This time around, Bond dove further into the Classical genre and arranged pieces to match their own sound. With a name like Bond, the string quartet also performed their version of a James Bond Theme entitled "Bond On Bond", and it landed them a spot to the score and soundtrack for the film The World Is Not Enough. With the release of this remarkable record, it was clear that Bond and their new form of Classical music would not diminish.

Stand out tracks include:
"Allegretto"
"Shine"
"Fuego"
"Speed"
"Gypsy Rhapsady"
"Bond On Bond"

A Good Band.......2006-01-05

It is a good party music. All are very talented individuals. Everyone has their own taste of music, and Bond is mine.

Shine On!.......2005-06-02

This is the album that I really liked. Although I downloaded it, I also play this one nonstop. I love the whole CD, and that's rare for me!

The album is liked so much in my house that my mother and father take it from me--and I recently had to make copies of the CD so they can play their own!

"Shine" is a great addition to your collection if you love Bond, no doubt about it.

Does it come with a scratch and sniff?.......2005-04-15

Read my review of Lara St. John's "Re: Bach" album and substitute "Bond" where it says "Lara St. John."

Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)

Average customer rating:

Fabulous for any Broadway-lover
Top Shelf
TERRIFIC CD'S
Great Collection of Broadways greatest Songs
Great Compilation!

Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Best of Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)
Broadway: The American Musical
Broadway: The American Musical
Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)
Somewhere over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals

ASIN: B00064ADMK
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Tracks:

Give My Regards To Broadway- Joel Grey
Swanee- Al Jolson
When The Moon Shines On The Moonshine- Bert Williams
A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody- John Steel
My Man- Fanny Brice
Fascinating Rhythm- Fred Astaire, Adele Astaire
If You Knew Susie (Like I Know Susie)- 78rpm Version Eddie Cantor
Someone To Watch Over Me- Gertrude Lawrence
Bill- 78 rpm Version Helen Morgan
Ol' Man River- Paul Robeson
Ain't Misbehavin'- Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra
Ten Cents A Dance- Ruth Etting
Body And Soul- Libby Holman
Brother, Can You Spare A Dime- Bing Crosby
Night And Day- Fred Astaire
Heat Wave- Ethel Waters
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes- Tamara
You're The Top- Ethel Merman
Summertime- Anne Brown
September Song- Walter Huston
My Heart Belongs To Daddy- Mary Martin
It Never Entered My Mind- Shirley Ross
Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered- Vivienne Segal
Oh, How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning- Irving Berlin
Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'- Alfred Drake

Tracks:

New York, New York- Cris Alexander,Adolph Green,John Reardon
If I Loved You- John Raitt,Jan Clayton
Come Rain Or Come Shine- Ruby Hill,Harold Nicholas
There's No Business Like Show Business- Ensemble
How Are Things In Glocca Morra? From "Finian's Rainbow"- Ella Logan
Once In Love With Amy- Ray Bolger
Wunderbar- Alfred Drake,Patricia Morison
Some Enchanted Evening- Ezio Pinza
Lost In The Stars- Todd Duncan
Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend- Carol Channing
Luck Be A Lady- Robert Alda,Guys
Getting To Know You- Gertrude Lawrence
Who Cares?- Jack Carson,Betty Oakes
Stranger In Paradise- from " Kismet" Doretta Morrow,Richard Kiley
Ballad Of Mack The Knife- Gerald Price
Hey There- from "The Pajama Game" John Raitt
Whatever Lola Wants- Gwen Verdon
I Could Have Danced All Night- Julie Andrews
Standing On The Corner- from "The Most Happy Fella, 1956" Shorty Long,John Henson,Alan Gilbert
The Party's Over- Judy Holliday
Glitter And Be Gay- Barbara Cook
Tonight- Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence

Tracks:

Seventy-Six Trombones- Robert Preston
I Enjoy Being A Girl- from "Flower Drum Song, 1958" Pat Suzuki
Everything's Coming Up Roses- Ethel Merman
My Favorite Things- from "The Sound Of Music" Mary Martin
Put On A Happy Face- from "Bye Bye Birdie" Dick Van Dyke
Try To Remember- Jerry Orbach
Camelot- from "Camelot" Richard Burton
Love Makes The World Go 'Round- Anna Maria Alberghetti
I Believe In You- Robert Morse And Co.
The Sweetest Sounds- Diahann Carroll,Richard Kiley
Comedy Tonight- Zero Mostel
What Kind Of Fool Am I?- Anthony Newley
As Long As He Needs Me- Georgia Brown
Hello, Dolly!- Carol Channing,Cast
People- Barbra Streisand
Anyone Can Whistle- from "Anyone Can Whistle" Lee Remick
If I Were A Rich Man- Zero Mostel
Night Song- Sammy Davis, Jr.
The Impossible Dream- Richard Kiley
If My Friends Could See Me Now- Gwen Verdon
Open a New Window- from Mame Voice

Tracks:

Willkommen- from "Cabaret" Joel Grey
Let The Sunshine In- James Rado,Lynn Kellogg,Melba Moore,Cast
I'll Never Fall In Love Again- Jill O'Hara,Jerry Orbach
The Ladies Who Lunch- from "Company" Elaine Stritch
Tea For Two- Roger Rathburn,Susan Watson
I'm Still Here- Yvonne De Carlo
I Don't Know How To Love Him- Yvonne Elliman
We Go Together- Adrienne Barbeau,Barry Bostwick,Walter Bobbie,Cast
Corner Of The Sky- John Rubinstein
Send In The Clowns- Glynis Johns
Ease On Down The Road- Stephanie Mills,Tiger Haynes,Ted Ross,Hinton
One- from "A Chorus Line" Cast
All That Jazz- Chita Rivera,Ensemble
Tomorrow- Andrea Mcardle
Don't Cry For Me Argentina- Patti Lupone
Come Follow The Band
Lullaby Of Broadway- Jerry Orbach
And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going- Jennifer Holliday
The Bells Of St. Sebastian- Raul Julia

Tracks:

Memory- Betty Buckley
I Am What I Am- George Hearn
Move On- Bernadette Peters,Mandy Patinkin
Do You Hear The People Sing?- Michael Maguire,Cast
The Music Of The Night- Michael Crawford
You're Nothing Without Me- James Naughton,Gregg Edelman
The American Dream- Jonathan Pryce,Cast
Doctor Jazz- Gregory Hines,Company
With One Look- Glenn Close
On Broadway- Adrian Bailey,Frederick B. Owens,Ken Ard,Victor Trent Cook
Le Jazz Hot- Julie Andrews,Ensemble
Seasons Of Love-
Hakuna Matata- Max Casella,Tom Alan Robbins,Scott Irby-Ranniar,Jason Raize
I Wanna Be A Producer- Matthew Broderick,Ensemble
Dancing Queen- Louise Plowright,Jenny Galloway
Good Morning Baltimore- Marissa Jaret Winokur
Movin' Out- Michael Cavanaugh,Band
I Go To Rio- Hugh Jackman,Company
Defying Gravity- Kristin Chenoweth,Idina Menzel

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous for any Broadway-lover.......2007-01-30

Packs into 5 CD's a sampling of Broadway tunes from the 20's thru (almost) today, mostly from original cast recordings. Includes not just well-known hits, but also some lesser-known gems. Sound quality is first rate, booklet is informative too. Have given this as a gift to several friends with rave reviews.

Top Shelf.......2007-01-04

This is THE definitive collection of Broadway hits. I have other collections, and none of them measure up. A great deal of care was obviously taken in compiling and presenting this box set. It covers a lot of ground, starting with some long-forgotten but still very enjoyable hits from the days of yore, and finishing with present-day favorites. To the best of my knowledge, the recordings are by those who made them famous. You won't be disappointed.

TERRIFIC CD'S.......2006-03-23

THESE BROADWAY MUSICALS CD'S ARE A BROADWAY LOVERS DREAM. WITH EACH SONG, MEMORIES COME FLOODING BACK. BOTH THE FAMILIAR AND THE FORGOTTEN SONGS ARE A TRUE LISTENING PLEASURE. IF YOU LIKE BROADWAY, YOU'LL LOVE THIS SET.

Great Collection of Broadways greatest Songs .......2005-06-14

This Collection was perfectly made it has almost all the most famous Broadway songs on this 5 cd set. The Music is great and has Broadways greatest treasures like "Memory""People""With One Look""Give my regards Too Broadway" just to name a few of this numerous cd set with over 100 songs. This is a great buy if you like musicals or The music of Broadway

Great Compilation!.......2005-01-17

If you are a fan of the Broadway Musicals, this is a collection that you should purchase. Since I got the 5 disc set I've enjoyed listening to it. The majority of the songs are done by the original singers. The collection is priceless considering that you will have over 100 songs from popular musicals since the beginning of Broadway

Average customer rating:

Oh dear...they've taken their eye off the ball
Stunningly beautiful music
Better then R&B
Very good, yet not comparable to Diva Dance
Opera Today

Operatica: Shine

Manufacturer: E-Magine Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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O: Operatica, Vol. 1
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Trance Opera: The Complete Masterworks - Classic Meets Pop

ASIN: B000060OXN
Release Date: 2002-05-21

Tracks:

Solvejg's Song
Mon Amour
Shine
Kokab
Standing On The Edge Of The World
Lost In Someone Else's Dream
Khodoya
Je Crois Entendre Encore
Passepied
Under The Desert Sky
Kokab (Extended Grooveshaman Remix) (bonus track)

Customer Reviews:

Oh dear...they've taken their eye off the ball.......2007-01-08

This is not much like their first album (which was a mostly clever, sometimes ham-handed combination of operatic arias and modern electronic instrumentation).

But Shine is pretty much the same ethno-electronica that was pervasive throughout the 90s. Think Deep Forest, Anubian Nights, Enigma, B-Tribe, and even Sting's "Desert Rose". Yawnnnnnnnnnnnn.

Their first album was good mostly because of its orginality (operatic arias are definitely a challenge), but any old fool can slap a "cool" Middle Eastern chant over a modern beat.

What bugs me about both albums is that they don't maintain that singularly operatic quality--it seems to be a sonic delicacy reserved only for a few tracks.

So, with a very few exceptions, this album is a bit contrived.

Stunningly beautiful music.......2004-11-29

I would describe this music as a mellow and unusal mix of music where Enya meets Maria Callas, and I am a fan of both, so that's a good thing. It is so good that Billboard Music called it the best classical crossover of the year!

I would call this music techno opera scene from the future with beautiful opera singing, just to give you an idea of what this music is like! Also, the singer from the Fifth Element soundtrack, Inva Mula sings the song "Mon Amour".
Also singing on this cd is a singer named Shakila. She sings on "Kokab" and "Khodoya". These three are my favorite tracks. Though the cd in whole is a joy to listen to.

We'll say that "Operatica-Shine" succesfully bridged the Middle East to Europe via southern Spain.

So if you're a nu music dj, pick up this cd, so you can really spin an eclectc mix of music - Savannah Skye aka DJ Dakini-NYC...

Better then R&B.......2004-04-16

My wife and I are always looking for new music to cuddle up to, while either watching the sunset, or getting a little heated. I think this album is a great replacement for Barry White, or some other R&B that people often equate with mood music.

These sounds will actually get your heart pounding and blood pumping without forcing you to constantly skip over songs that just get too rowdy.

Very good, yet not comparable to Diva Dance.......2004-03-12

Let me start out by saying that i love this cd. i bought it thinking that it would be like the song Diva Dance from the Fifth Element. It is most certainly one of my favorite cd's but it is nothing like the Diva Dance song. All of the tracks are much slower, focusing more on the opera part, as opposed to the techno/pop. i would still give this cd a splendid 4 out of 5 stars, but i would just like to get across the point that it doesn't have the type of songs that are advertised. thanks.

Opera Today.......2003-08-24

I just bought Operatica:Shine. It is my favorite CD, I strongly recomend it to enyone who enjoys opera! If you like "THE DIVA DANCE" in The Fifth Element you will love this CD!

Average customer rating:

Groovy Classics
Remixed
Exciting!
Remixed not recommended for "re-listening".
Good remixes

Remixed
Bond (string quartet) , Grant / Bond Crichton Stuart / Black , Trevor / Bond Crichton Stuart / Gray , Michelle de / Vries, Marius de Crichton Stuart / Vries , Magnus Fiennes , Tonci Huljic , Gil Nevo Yoad / Brown , Orion , Pussy Galore , Mark Wright Andy / Jolley , Brian Gascoigne , Julian Kershaw , Z. Vracevic , Millennia Strings , Clem Clempson , Estaban Antonio , London Session Orchestra , Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , Kuljit Balma , Luis Jardim , Phil Todd , Craig Pruess , Gareth Cousins , Anita Kelsey , and Shashi Pandit
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Classified
Explosive: The Best of Bond
Shine
Born
Bond - Live at the Royal Albert Hall

ASIN: B0000C3ICL
Release Date: 2003-09-16

Tracks:

Viva - Orion Mix
Victory - Sharp Boys Wild Strings Edit
Wintersun - Bobby D'Ambrosio Mix
Speed - Crash Club Mix - Radio Edit
Fuego - Caliente Mix
Homecoming
Atlanta
Shine - Dubshakra Mix
Time
Duel - Hectic Mix
Bond On Bond - Hectic Mix
Jingle Bell Rock - Pussy Galore Mix

Customer Reviews:

Groovy Classics.......2007-01-09

A great way to introduce the classics to the person who is too hip to listen to Mozart!

Remixed.......2006-06-01

Hmmmm....what can I say? Remixed is the 3rd album Bond has released, consisting of remixes of old favorites and several new tracks. For those of you who don't know, Bond is a rock string Quartet made up by 4 young women. Similar in style old Vanessa Mae.

The Album starts with an exciting opening, of Viva! (Orion Mix). This is made up from a remake of Antonio Vivaldi's Allegro from Winter (The Four Seasons). Its an enjoyable piece, very simple, but the drums and the occasional shouting of "VIVA!" makes it a great song.

The second track is a remix of one of Bond's more famous piece. Victory was a huge success, but the remix wasn't so in my opinion. The 'Sharp Boys Wild Strings Edit' was a strange one. It didn't contain much of the original. After a tedious drum beat and strange sounds for about 1 minute and 10 seconds, a short clip of strings come on the original melody. For the next minute more drums, then more repeating of the melody heard in the middle.

Third track was a remix of Wintersun. Wintersun (Bobby D'Ambrosio Mix) was basically the same, but a bit more of a disco style.

Again, with Speed (Crash Club Mix). Sam thing, but a lot more of the disco sounds. I actually found myself enjoying it more than the original! It really sounds like some one is...driving a car or something.

Fuego's remix (Caliete Mix) I also enjoyed more than the original. It has a longer introduction, and more music to back up the strings. It also has a very fast sita (sp?) solo in the middle, making it sound very Spanish!

Homecoming, Atlanta and Time are new tracks. Not my most favorites, but they are very calm, remind me of Asia. Except for Time which sort of gives you the feeling that all the clocks are moving at the same time. Bond also uses Clock sounds in the middle for effect.

Shine (Dubsharka Mix) is by FAR the best song on the album. Its a fantastic dance track, with a fantastic solo and playing in the song. Its a Bollywood styled song, making you think of India. I was a little disappointed however, since this song was released on their earlier album (Shine, 2002). Although I love it, they should have put the Indian Summer Mix on instead, which cant be found anywhere except on Atlanta/Time

Duel and Bond on Bond (Both 'Hectic Mixes') I just couldn't stand. They were absolutely ridiculous. Just having the tracks played twice as fast. If I wanted to do that, I could have gone into Media player and pressed Fast Forward x2.

The Last song is Jingle Bell Rock (Pussy Galore Mix). Its an interesting one, just jazzing up the original Jingle Bell Rock.

Overall, this album is great for something like a party, for its mainly disco music. Not the best Bond Album, but very good anyway.

However, If you are a big bond fan, I would suggest you get the Import (Includes 2 videos of Victory and Fuego) or the Japanese Edition (Includes and Extra mix of Viva!, original Jingle Bell Rock, Duel Indonesian Mix and Innocent)

Hope you enjoy this CD!

Exciting!.......2004-09-07

I got Bond's debut album a couple years ago. Although not as exciting as Vanessa-Mae's album "Storm," it was better than Vanessa-Mae's debut crossover album "The Violin Player" and approximately equal to her third album, "Subject To Change." The Bond debut had a lot of energy, but to me it was begging for a little stronger beat.

So when I found a Bond remix album late last summer, I grabbed it! How cool can that be--a Bond remix album! Whoo-hoo!!!

When I got it home and listened to it, I was a bit disappointed because it wasn't quite remixed enough. I wanted the mixes to be hotter, and the bass and drums more pronounced. But under-remixed is far preferable to over-remixed, which is a problem with Vanessa-Mae's song "Storm." This is my favorite Vanessa-Mae song; the four-minute album length is not nearly long enough for me, so when I learned there was an 8-minute remix, I just had to have it! I had to buy this Vanessa Mae CD single from a store in England (via Amazon's used CD vendors) since I could not find it stateside. And I was very disappointed: The remixer had so vastly remixed it that not only did it lose all its energy, it wasn't even recognizable! So between over-remixing and under-remixing, I prefer under-remixing, thus I am happy enough with the remixes on this Bond album. But they could have done better, I think.

Although I was a little disappointed that the mixes not being spruced up quite enough, it does not mean I do not like this album. Au contraire! I love this album! It is an album full of energy, life, vitality! It is an album that I nearly always play very LOUD! It as an album that I play when I'm wound up, feelin' good!!! Nearly every song is fast, and the beat never stops!

The album opens with "Viva!", a song that is also found on their DVD, which I bought around the same time I got this album. What a perfect song to start this album with! A sample of a group of females shouting 'VIVA!" plays from time to time throughout, adding to the energetic playing of the strings. On the DVD, this song is backed with video footage from their concert at the Royal Albert Hall in England; in the video, when the shouts "VIVA!" are heard, fireworks shoot out from the balconies and the stage at the theater--so exciting!

The next song is the remix of their first radio hit, "Victory," which starts out with a hot Latin beat and Spanish guitars. "Victory" and another track, "Fuego," feature frenetic string playing. The best song on the CD for dancing--and my second favorite song on the album--is "Duel." This has a driving bass line and percussion beat, an upfront electronic synthesizer riff, and a beautiful ethereal female nonverbal vocal accoutrement, with tubular bells even added toward the end. Spine-tingling! Wonderful!

Although "Duel" and my favorite song "Viva!" rule supreme in the degree of spine-tingling awesomeness, they're not the only ones to bring such a pleasurable reaction to me. "Wintersun" is played with deep heartfelt emotion; "Atlanta" also is full of emotion. I like "Speed" and "Time" because of their European technopop sound, especially "Time," which has a nice melodic, minor key electronic keyboard riff. "Shine" has a bit of a Spanish or Italian flair, another of many romantic flavors of this album.

There are only two songs on the album that I don't care for. One I absolutely don't like is "Jingle Bell Rock," but that's because I hate the song, not because I don't like their version of the song. If I am forced to listen to that song, I would likely choose their version. The other one I like okay, but it doesn't do for me what the rest of the songs on the album do: "Bond on Bond." This is a track of them doing the James Bond theme. A cool idea, and it works, but again, doesn't float my boat. Fortunately, these two songs are at the end of the album, so I can just end the album at the third to the last song, which is also my second favorite song, "Duel"!

Most of the DVD's music comes from their first album, while this remix CD has the best of their first two albums. I now have their third studio album, "Classified," which I like better than their first album (I don't have their second), but no surprise to me, this remix album of theirs is clearly my favorite. "Storm" by Vanessa Mae is my favorite secular album of all time, all genres combined, so naturally in the genre of classical crossover it is my favorite. Bond's "Remix" is my second favorite classical crossover album. It reaches down and touches the heartstrings of my musical soul and stirs them up to make a fabulous and emotional listening experience for me!

Remixed not recommended for "re-listening"........2004-07-27

Bond has impressed critics with their somewhat controversial performances of classical-crossovers. From using trance beats to the sounds of African drums... there is no limit to how much and what they can do to enhance classical music that they play.

With Bond Remixed however; it is quite a drag to put it simply. The album is a total re-mix album, so think of it as a compilation of single re-mixes put together. But also, there are three original tracks by Bond: Homecoming, Atlanta, and Time. All three of these tracks rely a lot on synth sounds and trance beats. Which get boring after listening to all these re-mixes, but keeping in mind that it is a RE-MIX album after all... so although the originality of Bond's previous albums: Born and Shine are not there, it is because they are re-mixed.

One of my personal favorite tracks is Viva [Orion Mix], which for those who have the Bond Live at Royal Albert Hall DVD all should know (For those who do not know, it is an extra video on the DVD, a live performance of Viva). Though I would have to say it takes repetition of classical music to its red line. Another great track to listen to is Jingle Bell Rock [Pussy Galore Mix]. Great example of good trance, combined with classical sounds. Bobby D'Ambrosio's mix of Winter, originally named Wintersun, is interesting enough by creating a new intro into the song. The rest of the song is shorter with a different beat.

The rest of the tracks seemed to use the original songs, but just add a different beat, more bass, and more synth. It puts the name of "re-mix" to a shame. Besides Speed [Crash Club Mix] which adds more excitement to the song as it is called Speed, the listener is better off listening to the originals. The prime example of horrible remixing is Duel [Hectic Mix] and Bond on Bond [Hectic Mix] (It's funny how both of these songs were badly mixed by the same person). In Duel, Hectic makes the song more faster-paced and adds a synth sound to the beat, which has a deeper bass. The song relatively stays the same. As goes the same for the Bond on Bond mix, where there is only a different, harder dance beat added to the original song. Also, Shine [Dubshakra Mix], doesn't even sound different. After listening carefully, you will notice the very subtle addition of more tambourines. But it sounds exactly the same; I listened back and forth from the "mix" to the original on the "Shine" album, and could not really tell.

If you want re-mixed Bond songs, this is terrible album to try to find some. Re-mixes are supposed to be a variation of the original song, almost as if the mix was a whole new song. But these "re-mixes" are sad to listen to. I am ashamed for whoever compiled this horrible playlist of tracks. Also, the original tracks by Bond are not what Bond is noted for, as if they were rushed to do these tracks.

A lot of artists do a "filler" album. Bond may have used a re-mix album to give themselves a year off, either for time off recording, or to make more time to record their 4th album, "Classified". Most likely it was to give the girls some well-deserved time off after releasing "Born" and "Shine".

Any fan of Bond will most likely find this album oddly dissatisfying, leaving a caustic taste in the mouth, and a penetrating headache. I would not recommend this album, unless you are a die-hard fan. But please, if you are a first-time listener to Bond, listen to "Born" or "Shine".

*There is two videos that can be played on your computer however; a video of Fuego and Victory, are fun to watch. But they are from their other albums, Victory from "Born" and Fuego from "Shine".

Good remixes.......2004-06-19

I generally stay away from remix albums simply because it's tough to improve on an original. However, I'm a huge fan of techno music and these remixes are heavier fixed with the sound of the dancefloor than the original tracks are. As you can tell by some of the reviews, some people love this, and some hate it. I think the ones that hated this CD are not fans of modern dance music and miss the whole point of dance CDs to begin with, so you can't judge anything by what they say.
This is a great dance CD, period. For the more consertive use of dance beats, see any of Bonds other releases, but this one is definately for the club fans out there. Another killer dance CD I want to suggest is Mr.Deviant's "Techno Obsession" which mixes power rock with killer dance beats to create some very original dance music. Both CDs are great!

The Ultimate Gilbert & Sullivan Collection

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Well worth the price
Not Exactly "The Ultimate" Collection...
Where's the chicks?!?!
Not quite the ultimate....
Great Music - Questionable Selection

The Ultimate Gilbert & Sullivan Collection
Arthur Sullivan , Isidore Godfrey , Royston Nash , New Symphony Orchestra of London , Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , Colin Wright , Donald Adams , George Cook , Gillian Knight , Jean Hindmarsh , Jeffrey Skitch , John Ayldon , John Reed , Joyce Wright , Kenneth Sandford , Lyndsie Holland , Owen Brannigan , Pauline Wales , Peggy Ann Jones , Thomas Round , Valerie Masterson , and D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan
Gilbert & Sullivan - Highlights from The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, Trial of Jury
Topsy-Turvy - The Music of Gilbert & Sullivan: From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Topsy-Turvy
The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan

ASIN: B000007OU0
Release Date: 1998-06-09

Tracks:

H.M.S. Pinafore: We Shall Sail The Ocean Blue
H.M.S. Pinafore: I'm Called Little Buttercup
H.M.S. Pinafore: My Galant Crew, Good Morning
H.M.S. Pinafore: I'm The Monarch Of The Sea
H.M.S. Pinafore: When I Was A Lad
H.M.S. Pinafore: Nevermind The Why And Wherefore
H.M.S. Pinafore: Kind Captain, I've Important Information
H.M.S. Pinafore: Carefully On Tip - Toe Stealing
H.M.S. Pinafore: For He Is An Englishman
The Pirates Of Penzance: I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major - General
The Pirates Of Penzance: When A Felon's Not Engaged In His Employment
The Pirates Of Penzance: With Cat Like Tread
The Sorcerer: My Name Is John Wellinton Wells
The Gondoliers: Take A Pair Of Sparkling Eyes
Patience: If You're Anxious To Shine
The Mikado: If You Want To Know Who We Are
The Mikado: A Wand'ring Minstrel I
The Mikado: Behold The Lord High Executioner
The Mikado: As Someday It May Happen
The Mikado: Three Little Maids From School Are We
The Mikado: The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze
The Mikado: Here's A How - De - Do!
The Mikado: From Ev'ry Kind Of Man Obedience I Expect
The Mikado: A More Humane Mikado Never Did In Japan Exist
The Mikado: The Criminal Cried As He Dropp'd Him Down
The Mikado: The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring, Tra La
The Mikado: On A Tree By A River A Little Tom Tit
The Mikado: There Is Beauty In The Bellow Of The Blast
The Mikado: For He's Gone And Married Yum-Yum

Customer Reviews:

Well worth the price.......2006-04-13

I love this CD. No, despite its name it is not the "ultimate" collection, as scarcely could be expected from a single CD. It is heavy on Mikado, as others have stated. It leaves out things I would have included and includes things I would have left out. But the performances are wonderful, traditional and all you expect from G&S. Considering the low price, it is well worth including in your G&S collection ... as PART of your collection. After the disappointment of the godawful Opera World video series (Don't buy it!) this CD is a joy and a relief.

Not Exactly "The Ultimate" Collection..........2004-12-23

It seems that a collection of Gilbert & Sullivan music that has the name "The Ultimate Collection" in its title would boast a wide range of music, but I found the selection disappointing. Half of the tracks are songs from The Mikado, and the other half is divided between five... yes, FIVE other operettas. This means that the representation from each operetta is awfully scant. I would have liked to see less Mikado and more of everything else, and perhaps some highlights from the more obscure operettas (Princess Ida and The Sorcerer, namely).

In addition, while most of the music is very well performed, some of the vocalists either go a bit overboard or, at the very opposite end, seem to lack expression. For example, this Nanki-Poo (in The Mikado) seems to be overly occupied with vibrato. Katisha's voice is annoying, and The Mikado's low voice often seems to lack feeling and humor. The other idiosyncracies, like the very frightening evil laughing during "A More Humane Mikado" and hissing during "Three Little Maids" really bug me.

Then again, I'm new to Gilbert and Sullivan, and was introduced to the music through the Topsy Turvy soundtrack, which has a noticeably less operatic style, and hardly includes "stage noise"... so perhaps all this is the norm. Do listen to the tracks for yourself, though, before you purchase the CD. Personally, I find that the Topsy Turvy soundtrack, while considerably less ecompassing, is much lighthearted and easier listening.

Where's the chicks?!?!.......2003-05-15

It wouldn't be G&S if not for the ladies - so where are they? How could they leave out Mabel's aria - or Josephine's!? The only female aria included on this disc comes from Mikado, which is the least exciting (if G&S could be un-exciting) of the three! Everything else on the recording is great, but I am still quite disappointed.

Not quite the ultimate...........2002-03-25

This is a great collection, but unfortunately it doesn't have songs from all the works of G&S. Most notably, there is nothing from the "Yeoman of the Guard". I still reccommed it however as John Reed is wonderful!!

Great Music - Questionable Selection.......2002-02-05

It's an ongoing challenge to find a recording of Gilbert and Sullivan that combines premium musicality and great theatrical performance. This recording is a true gem on both fronts. My only complaint is that for a "Best of" collection, this compilation is Mikado-heavy and scarcely touches on highlights from other masterpieces, particularly The Pirates of Penzance. This would be my favorite G&S CD of all time, of only it included tracks like "When the Foeman Bares his Steel," "Poor Wand'ring One," and "Dry the Glist'ning Tear," but then again, I guess there's no real consensus as to which are Gilbert and Sullivan's best works, and there are too many to fit on one CD.

The Great War: Classical And Popular Selections From The Time Of World War I (National Public Radio Milestones Of The Millennium)

Average customer rating:

Music and the Great War
How a Century Has Change Our Perception of War
Excellent Recording!
Good music, bad title

The Great War: Classical And Popular Selections From The Time Of World War I (National Public Radio Milestones Of The Millennium)

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Great War
Over There - Songs From America's Wars
Words and Music of World War II
The Roaring Twenties
Songs That Got Us Through WWII

ASIN: B00000HXKX
Release Date: 1999-01-12

Tracks:

Military March No. 1 In D Major, Op. 39: Pomp Ad Circumstance
Waltz Fom Der Rosenkavalier Suite
'Von der Schonheit' From Das Lied von der Erde
'De l'aube a midi sur la mer' From La Mer
Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25 'Classical Symphony': III. Gavotta. Non troppo allegro
L'histoire du soldat Suite - IV. The Royal March
L'histoire du soldat Suite - V. The Little Concert
Le tombeau de Couperin - V. Menuet
Le tombeau de Couperin - VI. Toccata
Sinfonia From Pulcinella Suite
Walzer From Funf Klavierstucke, Op. 23
Interlude From Wozzeck, Act III
Prologue From Music Ffor The Theatre
'Shine On Harvest Moon'
'Alexander's Ragtime Band' - Irving Berlin
'Over There'
'How You Gonna Keep'em Down On The Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?'
'The Man I Love' From Stride Up The Band
'West End Blues'

Amazon.com

The first two-thirds of this disc is a fascinating cram course in concert music around the time of World War I. The programmer has put together some fascinating juxtapositions--for example, Strauss's Rosenkavalier leads almost seamlessly into Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, and Schoenberg sounds out of context with everybody (including Berg). The selections are all short, and performance quality runs from great to mediocre, but this is still a thought-provoking educational experience, even though Bartók and Ives are conspicuously missing. The popular selections are less interesting, often campy, and although vintage recordings are used, they aren't always the right vintage. And someone missed a point by separating Copland's jazzy "Music for the Theatre" from Louis Armstrong, who could have followed immediately. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Music and the Great War.......2007-05-14

This is a fascinating compendium of popular and classical music from the World War One period. It evokes all the turmoil, anguish, and also humor, of the age, and is a vital CD to own if you have an interest in the Great War and the music it inspired or was inspired by.

How a Century Has Change Our Perception of War.......2005-10-29

War. Tough subject these days - tough subject since the beginning of time. Yet Americans tend to mend wounds and gradually allow the atrocities of yesteryear to fade into coated cases that signal more memories of 'how things used to be' rather than learning from the tragedies with which war has scarred the planet. National Public Radio issued this excellent memoir at the turn of the millennium and one wonders if it now has the same response that greeted it in 1999.

Linda Kobler reconstituted this mix of classical and popular music with a keen sense of history. The CD is twice divided (in both the classical and the popular music) into 'Before the War' 1901 - 1917, 'During the War' 1917 - 1922, and 'After the War' 1922 - 1928. In the first era are the works of Elgar ('Pomp and Circumstance'), Strauss (a waltz from 'Der Rosenkavalier'), Mahler (excerpt from 'Das Lied von der Erde'), and Debussy ('La Mer') joining the songs 'Shine On Harvest Moon' and 'Alexander's Ragtime Band'. The War period is represented by Prokofiev's 'Symphony No. 1', Stravinsky's 'L'histoire du soldat', and Ravel's 'Le tombeau de Couperin' in tandem with 'Over There'. After the war include Stravinsky ('Pulcinella Suite'), Schoenberg (Waltz from 'Five Piano Pieces'), Berg (excerpt from 'Wozzeck') and Copland ('Music from the Theatre') with popular songs 'How you gonna keep 'em down on the farm', 'The Man I Love', and 'West End Blues'.

The excerpts selected for this survey are exceptionally good: orchestras include NY Phil, LA Phil, Philadelphia Orchestra, London Symphony, and the Columbia Symphony under such batons a Ormandy, Bernstein, Salonen, Tilson Thomas, Schippers and Stravinsky; soloists include Glen Gould, Robert Casadesus, Lili Chookaskian, Louis Armstrong, et al. The sonics are very fine and the performances are each from significant full recordings remaining in the catalogue.

The booklet accompanying this concert of memories is written by Linda Kobler who uses each selection as a pivotal point in the atmosphere of the globe that accompanied the Great War: it is very well written and informative. This is one of those recorded collections that goes far beyond an accumulation of bits and pieces and instead gives food for thought about how our political and social actions intertwine with the arts in a prophetic way. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, October 05

Excellent Recording!.......1999-03-13

(It was called The "Great" War, because nobody knew about WWII at the time and it was the biggest war anyone had ever seen.)

I think this CD may be a bit choppy to "easy" listeners, but for anyone who has a sincere interest in delving into the musical senses of earlier generations it's VERY good! I recommend the entire NPR Milestones of the Millennium series to such aficionados.

Good music, bad title.......1999-02-11

Since when is war great? Life in the trenches waiting for the germans to attack you worrying about whether mustard gas is gonna loft your way isn't exactly like sipping chablis.

Average customer rating:

In the beginning . . .
In Held Twas In I
So Brightly Insane
One of my favorite groups of the 60s....
A strong successor to Sgt. Pepper, though not so humorous

Shine on Brightly
Procol Harum
Manufacturer: Repertoire
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Broken Barricades
A Whiter Shade of Pale
Home
A Salty Dog
Procol Harum

ASIN: B000006ZOV
Release Date: 1997-06-30

Tracks:

Quite Rightly So
Shine on Brightly
Skip Softly (My Moonbeams)
Wish Me Well
Rambling On
Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone)
In Held Twas in I: Glimpses of Nirvana/'Twas Teatime at the Circus
In the Wee Small Hours of Sixpence [*]
Tuo Diamante [*]
Homburg [Stereo Version][*]

Album Description

Reissued 1968 album. Digi Pack. 'Quite Rightly So' is the opening cut on Procol's 1968 offering which has the band exploring all the facets of its unique style and sound, so firmly established in the wake of its original chart hits. Here are the resounding themes, the soulful vocals and swelling organ chords backed by a firm and steady beat, all matched by Keith Reid's lyrical imagery.

Album Details

Tracks: Quite Rightly So/ Shine on Brightly/ Skip Softly (My Moonbeams)/ Wish Me Well/ Rambling On/ Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone).

Customer Reviews:

In the beginning . . ........2007-05-06

there was Procol Harum, the "inventors" of Crock Rock -- pretentiousness for the "classical" music aspirant without the necessary effort.

From this point, those who couldn't compete with such as The Beatles in the field of creativity opted instead for being consciously "different," thereby trumping the merely excessively self-indulgent rockers.

It wouldn't be long before rock 'n roll, the democratic alternative to white-only MOR, and classist "classical" music, renamed "rock" by its second generation, would splinter and devolve into numerous "alternative to rock" "rock" musics, each ahistorically claiming to be the True One.

There is nothing in the history of "rock" more retrogressive than crock rock mysteriously labelled instead "Progressive Rock" (or, if one is "hip," "Prog Rock"). Anyone for "Rage Rock"?

Kill the phony beast before it pollutes the minds of future generations.

In Held Twas In I.......2005-10-03

Procol Harum's second album found lyricist Keith Reid developing a song cycle around a specific theme, in this case insanity. Reid and Procol Harum would continue this pattern of themed albums through their next series of recorings.

Shine on Brightly begins quite well with the classic title track and "Quite Rightly So" before stumbling just a bit on the rest of the old side one. "Wish Me Well" sounds like they were attampting to ape the American west-coast sound of the time, but Moby Grape or the Dead they were not meant to be. "Rambling On" (NOT the Led Zep song!) features some excellent distorted guitar lines from Robin Trower that sound kind of like something Phil Manzanera would do years later.

Things pick up again on "Magdalene" before the band gets to the mammoth "In Held Twas In I" which is to my knowledge the first-ever sidelong symphonic prog epic. Things start out a bit rough with some sub-Moody Blues poetry but once it finally gets going during the "In The Autumn of My Madness" section, sung by Matthew Fisher, it turns into a real treat. Robin Trower's heavy guitar lines star on "Look to Your Soul" along with Gary Brookers soulful singing before the powerful "Grand Finale" wraps things up in style. It may take a while to get going, and little if any attempt was made to tie the segments together musically, but this piece provided the blueprint for every "Suppers Ready" and "Close to the Edge" that followed, while still being an entertaining piece of art in it's own right.

The four stars is completely subjective to the high quality of this band's work. Shine On Brightly is excellent and entertaining, and a five star CD by anyone else, but I have to reserve five stars for the next two albums, "A Salty Dog" and "Home" which found the band matching the song cycle themes with more cohesive music and produced a couple of classic masterpieces.

So Brightly Insane.......2004-11-15

Procol Harum's remarkable self-titled debut album clearly revealed a deep baroque influence, but it did so in more than just a musical sense. I think there are many P H listeners who are familiar with the word baroque as a term describing a certain style of European music, but do not know that the term also applies, among other things, to a style of European literature and that, in fact, out of all the forms of baroque art emerges a vision of reality that can itself be termed baroque. It is this larger sense of the term that really applies more meaningfully to P H.
This baroque vision can be described both in terms of form and content. In form, it is generally very precise and multi-layered and multi-currented so that it tends toward a certain expansiveness and these different layers and currents elaborately and dynamically relate to each other, but in a peculiar way that gives a paradoxical self-enclosing feeling in spite of its expansiveness. It is precise, but seems haunted. This latter quality is taken up and developed by its content. In content, that is, in terms of its ideas and images, it is intense and ambiguous. It is emotionally powerful and intellectually stimulating, but it is virtually impossible to pinpoint what it is all exactly about. All of this very well applies to that fabulous first P H album.
With SHINE ON BRIGHTLY it appears on the surface that P H decided to present a more definite "theme" of content than on the first album. But it is easy to be mislead by this appearance with a resulting lack of proper appreciation for this great album.
SOB presents the subject-idea of spiritual life and struggle in a modern setting through obvious and traditional Buddhist and Christian terms and the overall extended musical structure itself seems to imply along with this that there is a definite laid out program being presented here. In other words, we might suspect that we are being preached to by way of a somewhat pretentious "concept album". But a close look at the content, that is, the ideas and images and way in which the music supports these reveals an ambiguity no less intense than that of the first album. What SOB actually presents us with that the first album lacked, is a sort of great wall of definite traditional spiritual-religious content against which is very artistically and intensely projected a darkly flaming ambiguity that represents the pleasurable-painful, heavenly- nightmarish, reality-unreality of the actual human condition. To demonstrate what I mean, I will look at the title song which is the heart of this album, the dark-fire core from which all the rest radiates. It is no accident that it is the Title Song.
First of all, before looking at its content, I want to state my view that this song is musically a genuine step forward in P H's modern-baroque style. It is a direct extension of the style presented on the first album but with a new subtle depth and range. The music is structurally divided into three repeating sections: 1) the refrain with its two guitar notes shrilly echoed at the octave. 2) the beginning of the beautiful chord progression proper filled out by the piano's steady chords at every half beat. 3) then the stunning sudden dropping out of the steady piano and its change to a purely percussive parallelling of B J Wilson's wonderful dynamic accenting of this part of the song. And with this dropping out of the piano there is the focus on Matthew Fisher's glorious, eerie, finely slithering ascending and descending organ lines extending fully through and defining the now hollow chords in the most moving and suggestive way. This is modern-baroque discovering new mysterious, ominous, carnival places in itself.
Content: His Prussian blue electric clock's alarm bell will not stop ringing. It is an electric clock, a modern clock, it is a modern alarm that can not be turned off and he can see no end to this alarm. He turns and searches for an answer by an older, even ancient, way, through the old venerated spiritual traditions symbolized by candle light, but the search is in vain for "some long road that goes nowhere, some signpost that is not there."
Suddenly he is plunged in a nightmare vision where the chandelier wildly swings over a scene where he finds that he himself, this lost and searching soul, is, impossibly, the Christ Child and the Three Wise Kings are bringing him gifts. But these wise men are not wise at all, but rather full of desire and envy and carry darkly telling gifts such as "fat old Buddhas carved in gold." The Kings are not what they appear to be, but then how could he himself possibly be the Holy Child? And yet...
He is his ordinary self again watching the huge and eerie Ferris wheel (so awesomely described by Matthew's organ) in a place where confusion reigns supreme. His eunuch friend tells him that he must simply "soldier on." His tongue and words fail him. All Truth is right before him and yet nothing is before him but darkness. And his befuddled brain, quite insane, Shines On Brightly.
The moral? Create the best art you can and soldier on.
I'll see you at Home.

One of my favorite groups of the 60s...........2003-12-07

Procol Harum was (were?) nicknamed "The Madmen of Rock", and they lived up to the name completely! They were like the Honoré De Balzacs of the genre, (the lead singer, Gary Brooker, even LOOKED like Balzac!) putting out an odd mixture of bluesy, organ and piano-driven, classically informed rock with lyrics and wizard guitar licks that had few, if any, equals. Since Procol's inception, Genesis is about the only group that even came close to sounding like them. NOBODY threw off the same rich aesthetic vibe they did.

This album, "Shine on Brightly", is probably where the group established their "madmen" reputation, putting you in mind of William Blake and Hieronymus Bosch as if these painters were musicians, with songs like "Skip Softly (My Moonbeams)" and the title song. The masterpiece on this album, (VERY William Blake-ish!) is the nearly 18 minute long "In Held Twas In I", an epic composition with passages like: "In The Autumn of My Madness" and "Twas Teatime At The Circus", capturing the full-on "Ship Of Fools" feel that they'll probably take with them into rock & roll heaven! (Or hell, where they belong!) The piece ends with "Look To Your Soul", a passage that snatches hope from self-induced despair.

Other tunes include "Wish Me Well", a precursor to their "Juicy John Pink" on "Salty Dog" with its ultra-bluesy guitar riff and Screamin' Jay Hawkins singing style; "Magdalene, My Regal Zononphone", a typical Procol number with gentle, classically influenced music framing very introspective lyrics; "Ramblin' On", a song that sounds like it should have been on their first album along with "Christmas Camel" and "She Wandered Through The Garden Fence".

For some odd reason, I've always liked Procol Harum. They didn't sound like anyone else, (until their pale imitations, Genesis, came along,) and nobody had the intelligent lyrical mode they had, with its study of faux madness and voluptuary indulgence. It was if Orson Welles had decided to become a rock auteur!

For all intents and purposes, this album, indeed, was the true bridge between their first album and "Salty Dog", with elements of both being quite obvious in it. One could do a LOT worse than discovering this group of non-conformist individuals who laid a lot of groundwork for the branch of music known as "art rock".

A strong successor to Sgt. Pepper, though not so humorous.......2003-05-07

The early Association ("Along Comes Mary" and "Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies") and the Left Banke ("Walk Away Renee", "Pretty Ballerina) started the baroque-rock ball rolling. Procol Harum picked it up and ran hard with it for their first two albums. This, their second, followed close on the heels of the Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper' and was both influenced by it, and carried parts of its ideation to greater heights/depths.

The first song, the up-tempo "Quite Rightly So" combines baroque compositional rigor with stellar organ solos to rival even "A Whiter Shade of Pale". Its lyrics eschewed the earlier song's surrealism in favor of a more soul-searching text, on a smaller, less mystical scale than George Harrison's "Within You Without You" from 'Pepper'.

The title cut, "Shine On Brightly", follows with a serious return to the surreal, the lyrics upping the intensity via meandering metaphors winding around the listener like the coils of a brazen serpent. There is pathetic humor and/or irony in the psychological allegory that unfolds here. Glorious organ solos continue, intensified by Robin Trower's searing guitar licks, which inject purgatorial eloquence and strident power.

With "Skip Softly My Moonbeams", music and lyrics become more hellish - carrying us over the brink into serious spiritual/psychological crisis. Sounds of a brutish and clownish nature enhance a sense of desperation not heard since "A Christmas Camel" on the first album. There only the lyrics told the complete story - the music was impassioned, but not so expressionistic like here - with 'percussively' sinister licks from Trower's guitar, Fisher's organ, and even the backup singer(s).

On "Wish Me Well", the bottom falls out - we enter the underworld. The music becomes a kind of psychedelicized blues-rock.

The mood lightens with "Rambling On", though its humor remains self-effacing. The singer ruminates on the state of being trapped between worlds - it's like being lost inside a bad tarot reading (or dreaming of it). The combination of a slow vaudevillian sound punctuated by the churchy organ solo is hardened by the rock underpinnings of drums and guitars. The clown's ready to be hung out to dry.

"Magdalene, My Regal Zonophone" - a glimmer of light, or hope, or warmth in the heart - which turns out to be calm before the storm. A gorgeously moving piano accompaniment [in waltz time with warm bass guitar tones and snare drum] plays underneath, recapitulating hopes expressed by the opening song; but added to this new openness is apprehension. As the song winds down and fades toward oblivion, in the distance someone comically/pathetically intones through a megaphone "Magdalene, my regal zonophone" a number of times, in rhythm with the band.

"In Held Twas I" Spoken soliloquy to ominous simulations of Tibetan chanting, rollicking circus music, huge choral textures, tender piano nocturnes, and powerfully endowed guitar solos all play their respective roles in this sublimely conceived conjuration. The whole builds its immense architecture in word and sound, mood and motive, sometimes in quiet serenity, other times as if thunderously through the eye of the hurricane - all these motifs work together to symbolize the possibility of spiritual rebirth and redemption obtained through eclectic rather than narrow, dogmatic means.

Tracks:

You Gave Me Love
Where Did We Go Wrong
Getaway
Will Love Grow
Love Is What You Need
Shine On
Lovers Everywhere
Lady Love
Don'tcha Know

Customer Reviews:

"Magic just starting to wear off".......2007-02-04

At the beginning of a new decade L.T.D. release this album after the somewhat dissapointing Devotion from a year earlier and sparks really start to fly right off the bat with the midtempo "Where Did We Go Wrong". For years I never knew who sung this song and that is because Jeffrey Osborne sings this song in a lower register than he does on most songs by the band. This album is worth it just for that song and the inspirational "Shine On". Lovers Everwhere is also one of my favorite tracks as is "Lady Love"(not the Lou Rawls song) with a great lead vocal by Billy Osborne. After this album Jeffrey and Billy Osborne left for solo careers as did long time producer Bobby Martin who left to become a Jehovah's Witness missionary, thus putting an end to this great marraige and L.T.D.'s classic run of hit albums. Although the rest of the album is pretty solid I really wish they could have went out with a bigger bang than this...but you know you can't get everything you want. Although they gained two new lead singers on the next album, things were never the same and the band disbanded two years later. So in conclusion I think this is a good album but could have been better. If you love L.T.D. this album is a keeper regardless and a great purchase because of the bargain price.

Just surperb.......2006-03-02

One of L.T.D's best. If you are a L.T.D or a Jeffery Osborne fan, this CD is a "must have" addition to your collection. A steal at this price.

Typical LTD.......2005-12-12

I like this CD for the same reasons Mr. Grindle dislikes it - the ballads. Apart from "Back in Love Again", LTD's uptempo songs could have been canned. I'm an avid fan of LTD for such songs as "Concentrate on You", "Love Ballad", "We Both Deserve Each Other's Love" and "(Won't Cha) Stay With Me". Shine On was an album with which I waited patiently to be reissued on CD. Jeffrey Osborne's voice and phrasing are tailor-made for romantic ballads, and are wonderfully showcased on the little known song "Lovers Everywhere", featured on this CD. The ballads on this CD lends it its value. Also, I take issue with Mr. Grindle categorizing the ballads as pop as Osborne's style in delivering them is consistent with authentic soul tradition. For fans of LTD's romantic music, I strongly recommend Shine On as it offers some well-known tracks along with some lesser known gems.

Osborne's Last.......2005-03-20

You know upon hearing it 'Shine On' has the same flaw as every LTD release it seems-too little funk and too much smarmy pop balladeering,and for lovers of the latter this album is FULL of that slow jam stuff.But up the tempo and this album COOKS!!!
"You Gave Me Love","Getaway" and the fabulous closer "Don't Cha Know" are all fabulous funk tunes with great songs attached too!But like alot of LTD they just don't sustain funkiness for a whole album.I think a 2 CD compilation of JUST their funk tunes is in order-just too many boring album tracks that are way overrated!

Classic L.T.D........2000-10-27

This is truly L.T.D. at its best. My father purchased this albumn when I was about nine years old. I don't have a clue to where that albumn is now, but I still remember the songs. My favorites were "Where Did We Go Wrong" and "Lovers Everywhere." If you like L.T.D., you will definately love this C.D.!