Cupid

Track Listings

1. Intro

2. Do Ya Thang 2

3. Wop

4. Shake 'em Off

5. Check Yo Girl, Check Yo Guy

6. 9:00

7. Understanding

8. Interlude

9. Real Love

10. Say the Word

11. When I Look into Your Eyes

12. Outro

13. Shake It for Me

Cupid,Cupid,Asar Entertainment,Soul/R & B

Cupid

Tracks:

The Word Girl
Small Talk
Absolute
A Little Knowledge
Don't Work That Hard
Perfect Way
Lover To Fall
Wood Beez
Hypnotize
Flesh & Blood
Absolute (Version)
Wood Beez (Version)
Hypnotize (Version)

Amazon.com

Around the time of Cupid & Psyche 85's release, Scritti Politti mastermind Green Gartside was fond of citing deconstructionist theory as an influence on his subversion of boy-meets-girl lyrics. He might just as well have named Elvis Costello, given the trenchant nature of bubbly-on-the-surface pop tunes such as the U.S. Top 20 single "Perfect Way" ("You want a margin of error for two") and "The Word Girl" ("The girl was never real / She stands for your abuse"). With veteran Aretha/Dusty/Bee Gees cohort Arif Mardin on board for several cuts, and contributions by pop subversives such as Fred Maher and Robert Quine, Cupid remains a classic of hyperintelligent post-new-wave pop funk. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

This album never gets old,and it takes me back to 1985.......2007-04-10

So the scrit boys decided to make a sequel to 1982's 'Songs To Remember'. Hmmm. Or did they release anything between those two records that I didn't know about. I don't know . Anyway...here goes my review . "The Word Girl" Lovely song,there are two keyboard breaks here that are just excellent. Keyboard riffs that are enough to give you chills !! " Small Talk " this song just has a very cool mid-eighties sound and a keyboard that is all over the place . ' I heard a whisper...'ext. " Absolute " I can't explain just where the keyboards in this song take me. Especially the ones in the middle part of this song!! "A Little Knowledge" Possibly one of the best ballads I have EVER heard. "Don't Work That Hard" That whu-whu sounding keyboard is something else! "Perfect Way" hOW can you not love a song that is driven by a siren-like keyboard.Nifty elecrontic drums,too. The piano break is just something else. Someone else said that when they first heard this song,they thought 'what in the world is this' Well,that's what I thought,too. "Lover To Fall" something about the zing and zest of this song makes me think of the giddy excitement of a crush! And lyrics that make you go 'What the ----! 'I've got the time that you left me,you've got the keys to his car,we've got the nerve to have gone this far' "Wood Beez" very cute... "Hypnotize" 'Down on the beach and out in the bay' and Baby,your heart keeps rocking' GREAT!! "Flesh & Blood" is interesting because it is basically just the intrumental track of "The Word Girl" with Green's vocals removed and new vocals added. Wonders can be done in a recording studio,I tell you...

TAKE ME BACK TO A PLACE!!!.......2007-04-07

I was a sophomore in high school when I first heard this album, one of my best friends at the time put me on to it.....and I was open. HYPNOTIZE has got to be one of the funkiest techno cuts that your ears will ever hear. Although it is considered mid tempo, you can kind of jam to it, definitely bob your head to it. The syncopated beats and the synthesizer creates just enough balance along with the soulful yet light vocals. WORD GIRL is still one of my favorite reaggae cuts, and reaggae was not that happening at the time. I like the fact that they were brave enough to use a female vocalist on this cut which was not happening at this time and the lyrics, if you pay attention speak of true girl power and respect due to a woman. My absolutely favorite cut is ABSOULUTE(long version) because the vocals by the ladies on this cut, two of them I believe is Brenda Wethers formerly of Atlantic Starr fame and Wanakee Agee who did the lead vocals on the r&b group IMTUME's eighties hit JUICY(JUICY FRUIT). This cut is just hard hitting with the synth and I do believe I hear some live percussion if I'm not mistaken. Definitely a head banger. This British group was very innovative, even if it was producer driven and up there with other british groups such as Go West and Level 42. Even twenty years later(dang!!! that long huh?!) Cupid and Pysche still sounds fresh.

love cupid and psyche.......2006-11-10

This is very classy synth-pop work with wonderfully ambigious lyrics to match. Beautifully recorded with oh so special tongue-in-cheek petshop boys dance steps - songs of lost and found love for the new generation.
Also includes remixes of 4 of the original tracks.

scritti politti.......2006-08-07

Weren't they some sort of New Wave group? This is a fine Electro-pop album, well produced, both musically and lyrically. If Marcus Miller can appear on an album where you can find the words 'I found a new hermeneutic' (look it up, like I had to), then it's well worth a listen. If you want an authentic sound of the mid-80's, this is the album, bar none.

It's as good as I remembered it!.......2006-03-10

I was all of 13 when this first came out,a nd I was obsessed with the whole album. 20 years later, and it's as fresh and clever and easy on the ears!!! As someone else mentioned, I have this album now in tape cassette, LP, and now CD form too. That's syaing something.

I honestly can pop this CD in and just let it play---every song is good. But there are some real standouts. My favorite is the gorgeous, GORGEOUS ballad "A Little Knowledge."

I"m telling you, this album shows you how good pop can be, even for folks like me who usually shutter at the very word!

Average customer rating:

Decent Hip-Hop Song Made Better by Supertramp's Roger Hodgson.

Cupid's Chokehold

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
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Good Girl Gone Bad
Minutes to Midnight

ASIN: B000N0W9EM
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Album Description

Gym Class Heroes are a four-member alternative hip-hop band from Geneva, New York. It was the band's alternative hip-hop style and use of live instruments in favour of looped samples and canned beats that caught the attention of Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, who immediately signed the group to his Decaydance imprint. Gym Class Heroes have gained critical acclaim around the world for kicking out genre-busting jams that seamlessly meld rap, rock & r'n'b. With their highly successful 2006 tour with Fall Out Boy and headlined sold out dates the band has built a large, dedicated fan base and established an overwhelming online presence. `Cupid's Chokehold' features Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy and contains a sample from Supertramp's `Breakfast In America'. It the first single released from the band's sophomore album "As Cruel As School Children".

Customer Reviews:

Decent Hip-Hop Song Made Better by Supertramp's Roger Hodgson........2007-03-28

It's kind of hard to ignore this Hip-Hop Tune since it is currently ranked at #4 on the Billboard's charts. What really sets it apart though is the inclusion of the song "Breakfast In America" written by Supertramp's Roger Hodgson. Oddly there doesn't seem to be any recognition of this fact from either the group or it's label. The Video of this song is very good.

Purcell: Songs & Airs / Argenta, North, Boothby, Nicholson, Toll

Average customer rating:

Nice Collection
PERFECT!
Great singing and excellent value for money
More than two hours of beautiful 17th century 'ayres'

Purcell: Songs & Airs / Argenta, North, Boothby, Nicholson, Toll
Henry Purcell , Nancy Argenta , and Nigel North
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Odes | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Purcell: The Fairy Queen
Purcell: Odes for St. Cecilia's Day - Music for Queen Mary / Taverner Consort
Essential Purcell
Bach: Cantatas
Gabrieli · Monteverdi · Vivaldi - Venetian Church Music / Taverner Consort, Choir & Players · Andrew Parrott

ASIN: B000059LOH
Release Date: 2001-06-05

Tracks:

O Solitude - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
Ah! How Sweet It Is To Love - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Not All My Torments - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Paul Nicholson
Stripp'd Of Their Green - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Tell Me, Some Pitying Angel - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
If Music Be The Food Of Love - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Hark! Hark! The Echoing Air - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
The Fatal Hour Comes On Apace - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
Incassum, Lesbia - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Paul Nicholson
Sweeter Than Roses - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby
Cupid, The Slyest Rogue Alive - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
From Silent Shades - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Dear Pretty Youth - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby
From Rosy Bow'rs - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Now That The Sun Hath Veil'd His Light - Nancy Argenta/Paul Nicholson
Beneath A Poplar's Shadow - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby
I Attempt From Love's Sickness To Fly - Nancy Argenta/Paul Nicholson
Let Us Dance - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Fairest Isle - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
O Solitude - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby

Tracks:

Nymphs And Shepherds - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Amidst The Shades And Cool Refreshing Streams - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
Love In Their Little Veins Inspires - Nancy Argenta/Rachel Becket/Marion Scott/Richard Boothby/Nigel North
Fly Swift, Ye Hours - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
They Tell Us That Your Mighty Powers - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
The Plaint: O Let Me Weep - Nancy Argenta/Pauline Nobes/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
In The Black, Dismal Dungeon Of Despair - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/John Toll
See, Even Night Herself Is Here - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones
Why Should Men Quarrel? - Nancy Argenta/Rachel Becket/Marion Scott/Richard Boothby/John Toll
Seek Not To Know - Nancy Argenta/Paul Goodwin/Sophia McKenna/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Retir'd From Mortals' Sight - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
To Arms, Heoric Prince - Nancy Argenta/Mark Bennett/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
O Lead Me To Some Peaceful Gloom - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Halcyon Days - Nancy Argenta/Paul Goodwin/Pauline Nobes/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Bid The Virtues - Nancy Argenta/Paul Goodwin/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Lord, What Is Man? (A Divine Hymn) - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Music For A While - Nancy Argenta/John Toll
If Music Be The Food Of Love (1st Setting) - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/John Toll
Sawney Is A Bonny Lad (A Scotch Song) - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
When I Have Often Heard Young Maids Complaining - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Ah! Cruel, Bloody Fate - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/John Toll
Thy Hand, Belinda... When I Am Laid In Earth - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones/Richard Boothby/Nigel North

Customer Reviews:

Nice Collection.......2007-03-05

I have many collections of Purcell's Music. This collection stands up to them at half the price. Solid buy.

PERFECT!.......2006-10-26

There is only a word with which I can describe this set of discs: perfect!
The only flaw there is, is not related to the singing or playing: no text enclosed.

Great singing and excellent value for money.......2004-09-19

This is probably one of the best anthologies of Purcell songs around, and not just because it's two-for-one pricing means it contains twice as much music (CD1:74'24" & CD2: 77'41")! Nancy Argenta has an irrepressible sense of style and crystal clear diction. But unlike Emma Kirby, whose vocal purity can become tiresome, these renditions radiate warmth. She is also, I have found, more consistently involving than any one of the singers in Hyperion's three disc survey of Complete Secular Songs (recently reissued as a single set). One marvels at how she judiciously balances restraint and emotional forthrightness. The accompaniments (archlute, viola da gamba, harpsichord, and organ) are well judged and blend with the voice, all helped by an excellently defined recording acoustic. This is an absolute winner at any price!

More than two hours of beautiful 17th century 'ayres'.......2001-08-02

Two CDs, totaling more than 150 minutes of sparsely-arranged (never more than 3-5 instruments at a time), sweetly-sung, 350 year old 'ayres' (a typically English form of secular music). Nancy Argenta's soprano voice is lovely, silvery indeed as her name implies. The instruments are a discreet but friendly accompaniment to her solo voice. Perhaps the instruments are a little too discreet -- there are times when I wish they were a touch more prominent. But that is a very, very minor complaint. A beautiful collection, and quite well worth the money.

Herbert L. Clarke: Original Recordings 1907-21

Average customer rating:

Brilliant playing transcending primitive recording technique
The Master of the Cornet
Clarke is the cornet master!
heartbreaking music from a bygone era
Be careful

Herbert L. Clarke: Original Recordings 1907-21

Manufacturer: Crystal Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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The American Brass Band Journal

ASIN: B000003J4O
Release Date: 1996-10-01

Tracks:

Bride Of The Waves
The Holy City
Sounds From The Hudson (Valse Brilliante)
Killarney
Caprice Brilliante (The Debutante)
Perhaps Love's Dream Will Last Forever
Carnival Of Venice
Ah Cupid
Bride Of The Waves
Once Upon A Time
Rondo Caprice (From The Shores Of The Mighty Pacific)
Aloha Oe (Farewell) (Hawaiian Love Song)
Russian Fantasie
The Palms
La Veta Caprice (Lillian)
Berceuse From Jocelyn
Sounds From The Hudson (Valse Brilliante)
Twilight Dreams Waltz-Intermezzo
Southern Cross
Love's Old Sweet Song
Showers Of Gold Scherzo
Macushla
Caprice Brilliante (The Debutante)
Killarney
Carnival Of Venice
Stars In A Velvety Sky

Amazon.com

These 26 selections, recorded from 1904 to 1922, document the work of an important American player and band composer. Despite the trivial nature of most of the music, one can't help listening to Herbert Clarke's playing with respect and growing affection. He was a most elegant player, with a beautiful tone that comes across even in the earliest of these recordings. The showiest pieces, which can be quite dazzling, are still performed with taste and musicianship. This disc is an important sound document, and the transfers from even the earliest of the recordings are surprisingly listenable. Highly recommended to all brass and nostalgia lovers. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant playing transcending primitive recording technique.......2001-01-11

Hearing this CD -- despite the distracting surface noise from the primative acoustic recordings from which this CD was remastered -- I appreciate for the first time the greatness of Clarke as a cornet soloist. If he is not the greatest to date, he is surely one of the giants upon whose shoulders modern virtuosi of the trumpet (which has pretty much replaced the cornet) stand.

Clarke's sheer artistry in both composition and performance still dazzle and his interpretive ability brings to life some of the 'tear jerkers' of the golden age of popular brass music in a way no modern performance comes close to.

Although on first hearing one could be very much distracted by the primitive recordings, the brass player soon focuses on Clarke's playing so completely that the the surface noise disappears.

Every trumpet player and cornetist, more, every brass player and lover of band music, should own a copy.

The Master of the Cornet.......2001-01-04

God bless Crystal Records for taking the time to re-issue these extremely rare and valuable recordings from an unfortunately neglected giant in American musical history. Most people today don't realise how famous and influential Mr. Clarke and his peers (Sousa, Pryor et. al.)were on the American musical scene at the beginning of the Twentieth century. It is very important that these recordings (and others from this period, the birth of sound recording) be preserved for future generations.

As for those who could not stand the "hiss" on these recordings, how spoiled can you be? You simply miss the point of all this. We all know that these records were made during the infancy of the recording industry, and that they didn't have the technology we now have. I find it thrilling to listen to them just as they are. Recorded sound is the closest we have to time travel, and I find it fascinating to listen to these recordings as though I was there when they were first made. And most of all, through the marvel of recorded sound (Mr. Sousa notwithstanding) I can listen today to the greatest cornetist who ever lived, even though he passed away over 50 years ago.

Hopefully Crystal Records will someday put out an anthology of original Sousa and Pryor Band recordings.

Clarke is the cornet master!.......2000-08-03

Herbert Clarke is the finest cornetist the planet has ever seen. The technical brilliance on Carnival is just breathtaking. The sound quality of the recording is little hinderance on the true genius behind this man's playing. Don't let the hiss bother you!!!

heartbreaking music from a bygone era.......2000-03-22

These vintage recordings would have been otherwise lost to us--and a great loss at that. Clarke plays so beautifully, esp. those pieces that he wrote. It's notall oom-paa-paa, but music that is deeply affecting and stirring.This is the effect that Wynton Marsalis was going for in his "Carneval." While Marsalis's album is a wonderful tribute, this is the original. A must-have for any serious trumpet player.

Be careful.......1999-09-14

Watch out if you want to buy this cd! It's a good cd with Herbert Clarke playing some of his own pieces the way they should be played...but the recording is TERRIBLE! Naturally, it's a 1904 recording! But the hiss for the first half of the cd is almost painful. It's NOT something you can just ignore, so don't be caught unawares.

Average customer rating:

Excellent CD

The King of Down South R&B
Cupid
Manufacturer: The Only Cupid
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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

General | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000CAEMVG
Release Date: 2006-10-24

Tracks:

Swing Around the Rosey
Oh No
Wop
9:00
Real Love, Pt. 1
I Fell in Love with You
Break It Down
Say the Word - Cupid, Lady Kimberly
Real Love, Pt. 2
Cherry Pie

Customer Reviews:

Excellent CD.......2007-06-02

I first heard of this brother when I dated one of his managers in Lafayette, La. in 2004. I heard all of these songs long before they came out. This CD is awesome and this artist deserves every good thing that happens to him. However, I have heard the "Cupid Shuffle" recently and I must warn you that this CD contains serious and real music. I know this brother did what he had to do for the sake of the industry and surviving, but this CD is for true neo soul lovers. It is not at all what you think it is. I only wish there were samples to listen to. My personal favorites on this CD are "9:00" and "Cherry Pie". Don't sleep on this!!!

Sylvia McNair - The Echoing Air ~ The Music of Henry Purcell / AAM, Hogwood

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Surprise
One of my favorite CDs

Sylvia McNair - The Echoing Air ~ The Music of Henry Purcell / AAM, Hogwood
Henry Purcell , The Academy of Ancient Music , Sylvia McNair , Christopher Hogwood , Laurence Dreyfus , and Paul O'Dette
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Sylvia McNair: Love's Sweet Surrender (Mozart Arias)
Rêveries
Exsultate Jubilate and other Works by Handel and Mozart
Music of Samuel Barber
Come Rain Or Come Shine - The Harold Arlen Songbook / McNair, Previn

ASIN: B0000041BF
Release Date: 1995-03-14

Tracks:

Part I: Staircase: Overture
Part I: If Music Be The Food Of Love
Part I: Cebell
Part I: To Arms, To Arms, Heroic Prince
Part I: To Arms
Part I: Tell Me, Some Pitying Angel
Part I: Slow Air
Part II: We Come To Sing
Part II: Oh! Lead Me To Some Peaceful Gloom
Part II: O Solitude
Part II: Hark! Hark! The Echoing Air
Part II: Trumpet Tune
Part III: Sweeter Than Roses
Part III: Fairest Isle
Part III: She That Would Gain A Faithful Lover
Part III: Cupid, The Slyest Rogue Alive
Part III: I Attempt From Love's Sickness To Fly
Part III: Jig
Part IV: Music For A While
Part IV: The Fatal Hour Comes On Apace
Part IV: Hear, Mighty Love
Part IV: Plainte: O, Let Me Weep
Part IV: Chacony In G Minor

Amazon.com

The stars of this recording are Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music, entertaining us with rarely-heard instrumental pieces receiving their first modern performances with the endearing poignancy inherent in Purcell's music. McNair's gracile voice and accurate, easy-going coloratura capture the lyricism of Purcell's songs, but none of the subtext's vibrant passion. Emotional variety and vocal color are lacking when she repeatedly calls for Gabriel in "Tell Me, Some Pitying Angel." Still, McNair's light and pure soprano is enjoyable in small doses. When three or four plaintiff songs are programmed back to back, however, the monotony presents a fabulous opportunity to lull insomniacs back to sleep. --Barbara Eisner Bayer

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Surprise.......2006-01-01

Normally I run in the opposite direction of any baroque music - thought I had heard it all and had enough, but I love Slyvia McNair and I wanted to hear more of her recordings. This recording was such a wonderful surprise, not only interms of McNair's performance but interms of the overall presentation (organization of the pieces) and the energy of the performances by the AAM. I have new-found appreciation of Purcell's music!

One of my favorite CDs.......2003-01-12

When I listened to this CD, I fell in love with Sylvia McNair's artistic and beautiful voice along with Henry Purcell's music. This CD offers a style of music that I love to listen to and sing with. There is a mixture of instrumental only and vocal pieces. When I listen to this CD I feel like I have been transported to the late 1600s. The title "The Echoing Air" appropriately describes the beauty of this music.

Average customer rating:

May be High Point of English Song

O Solitude: Songs & Airs

Manufacturer: EMI Records [All429]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000025FZD
Release Date: 2001-01-09

Tracks:

O Solitude - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
Ah! How Sweet It Is To Love - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Not All My Torments - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Paul Nicholson
Stripp'd Of Their Green - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Tell Me, Some Pitying Angel - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
If Music Be The Food Of Love - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Hark! Hark! The Echoing Air - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
The Fatal Hour Comes On Apace - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
Incassum, Lesbia - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Paul Nicholson
Sweeter Than Roses - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby
Cupid, The Slyest Rogue Alive - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
From Silent Shades - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Dear Pretty Youth - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby
From Rosy Bow'rs - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Now That The Sun Hath Veil'd His Light - Nancy Argenta/Paul Nicholson
Beneath A Poplar's Shadow - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby
I Attempt From Love's Sickness To Fly - Nancy Argenta/Paul Nicholson
Let Us Dance - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Fairest Isle - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
O Solitude - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby

Customer Reviews:

May be High Point of English Song.......2007-06-04

Whenever I listen to any renditions of English art songs, going from Elizabethan times to the modern, as by Percy Grainger, I always dispair at how uninteresting they are when compared to the great German, French, and Italian art song repetoires. It seems as if the English can never quite wrest their genre from its folk roots and become a 'classic' music realization. I cringe at the Shakspearean 'hey nonny nonnies' and the 19th century compositions, none of which are as good even as Stephen Foster at his best.

But here is Purcell, and I believe I've found an author of English song I can really enjoy. To be sure, he has not entirely kicked the straw from all of the lyrics, but out of this 74 minutes of performance, I can easily listen to it many times over. And, as it stands at the moment, the prices for these CD's are a real bargain, if you like English song.

Average customer rating:

Operatic arias, definitely "curiously set"

The Lady's Banquet, Vol. I

Manufacturer: Collins Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003VYZ
Release Date: 1995-09-19

Tracks:

Rinaldo: Vo Far Guerra
Se In Ombre Nacosta
Rinaldo: Lascia Ch'io Pianga
Rinaldo: Bel Piacere
Rinaldo: Sulla Routa Di Fortuna
Hydaspes: Ritorna Gia
Hydaspes: Se Credi
Hydaspes: Vi Fara
Hydaspes: In Non Voglio
Hydaspes: Mostro Crudel
Almahide: Perte Sol
Almahide: Alvariar
Clotildo: Man In Imagination
Clotildo: Rimirarvi
Pyrrhus (After Pirro E Demetrio): Kindly Cupid
Pyrrhus (After Pirro E Demetrio): Rise O Sun
Rinaldo: The Ov Of Rinaldo
Antiochus: Questo Conforto Solo
Rinaldo: Hor La Trumba

Customer Reviews:

Operatic arias, definitely "curiously set".......2006-07-15

This is a recording of various operatic arias, mostly from Handel and Mancini, with Handel's "Rinaldo" particularly featured, arranged for keyboard so they could be learned and played at home. With this recipe, you'd think you couldn't go wrong: you come to the record expecting something tuneful if not deep.

The arrangements here are by William Babell, about whom Fanny Burney wrote that he acquired "great celebrity" without "the assistance of taste." There are a number of pieces here that would appear to justify Burney's judgment here; for in the perennial war between Musicality and Virtuosity, Music takes a loss here.

The opening number "Vo fa guerra" is a perfect example. Babell embellishes Handel's melody with extensive glissandi, plus some eighteenth century power chords and boogie-woogie harpsichord. It is interesting, a tour de force for Jane Chapman, but it is unlikely to be a classical earworm.

Chapman plays a 1766 Kirckman harpsichord. The instrument is apparently a big concert harpsichord with all the bells and whistles. We know there are several sets of couplers and a crescendo pedal on it, and all of these gimmicks are apparently needed to play Babell's arrangements at their most elaborate. However, Babell's arrangements were not uniformly as showy; and for the pieces that were not so tricked out for display, the more of that stuff that Chapman leaves turned off, the better they sound. If these pieces were intended for domestic music making, an instrument with a less emphatic voice, or perhaps even a spinet, might have been a better choice. (I understand that there is a second volume of these pieces, which is in fact performed on the spinet.)

The performance itself is confident and lively. The programme is enjoyable, and when Babell isn't pulling out all the stops it is as tuneful as you were hoping.

Average customer rating:

how beautiful!
Soul Driver, Soul Diva, Soul Survivor......
MORE HOMEGROWN SOULFUL MUSIC FROM THE OJAI DIVA
SOULDRIVER.
SOULDRIVER.

Soul Driver
Stone Cupid & Julie Christensen
Manufacturer: Stone Cupid
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
Heaven and Earth
Separate Ways
Bird on the Wire/the Songs of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man

ASIN: B00004WGXA
Release Date: 2000-08-15

Tracks:

Soul Driver
Biggest Fool of All
Sweet Sound
People Will Lie
The Moon Was
I Am an Angel
I Have a Photograph
Traveling Companion
Pretend I'm Your Girlfriend
Shipwreck
Stone Cupid
Tornado

Album Description

More music from the Great Plains via Texas and California. Julie Christensen's travels with her longtime musician friends have brought us glimpses into her achy soulville through a lens of strong focus on real live instruments and blue country jazzy soulful vocals, organically grown in Ojai.

Customer Reviews:

how beautiful!.......2005-04-14

i am, i must begin, incredibly biased. i call julie christensen "aunt julie." haha. but seriously, anyone considering buying an amazing representation of true musical talent and true lyrics, cannot pass up my aunt. i mean, julie christensen. but seriously, i love her music and her voice is immaculate!

Soul Driver, Soul Diva, Soul Survivor.............2000-10-24

The Music on this CD captures perfectly the raw wild spirit of what real music is all about: music that leaves you hungry and wanting more - music that takes you back to a time when sitting up until 2:00 in the morning listening in a crowded nightclub with the paint peeling off of the walls seemed like a benediction from above. Sadly, music like this is largely gone in this day and age of video queens and slick commercial pop. Happily, Julie Christensen along with other members of the Stone Cupid Collective have come along to remind us of what it is all about -and it is good - so good to know that music like this is still out there screaming its head off.

The CD with its blend of Blues, Rhythm and Blues, touches of Jazz and soulful balladry reminds us of all of the best of Aretha, Dusty, and Maria, while at the same time bringing a freshness that is totally spontaneous and new. This is a CD of music that is not the result of some sound engineer mixing up a batch of canned music, but real music that is meant to be experienced and tasted as it is played.

The CD begins with the Album's title track "Soul Driver" which, with its tasteful and sublime horns lifting and driving the rhythm makes the band sound like it could be out of Chicago in the 60's. Christensen's voice, an incredible instrument that recalls soul divas of days gone past, wails and moans over the blues of "Shipwreck" and then slips into a silky curl of smoke on ballads such as "Biggest Fool of All" finally, becoming steeped in the pure gospel soul of "I Am An Angel".

Perhaps the best part of all is the feeling that each and every one of the musicians who take part in the Stone Cupid Collective seem to be doing this not because of any promise of fame or fortune but simply because it is the thing they were made to do - and they do it because it just feels so good.

For those of us who actually do enjoy the meaning of true "soul" this CD is well worth the drive.

MORE HOMEGROWN SOULFUL MUSIC FROM THE OJAI DIVA.......2000-09-28

I admit, I'm biased as Julie is a friend and collaborator. In fact we co-wrote a song on this CD (Pretend I'm Your Girlfriend). With that out of the way, let me explain why I LOVE this CD. Julie has been forced by virtue of the industry to make music on her own terms or fade away. Julie will not go away quietly. She is here to move and challenge us into listening to sensual songs for grown-ups with thoughtful lyrics and passionate singing.

Songs like Travelling Companion have been in her repitoire for years and she takes listener on a ride that moves your spirit and soul. One of my favorite songs is Shipwreck, a blues that sounds like it was written from the perspective of a beat writer of the 50's. In your face yet symbolic and sensual, this and other songs challenge categorization.

In the end, just consider it great music by an artist deserving of much wider attention.

SOULDRIVER........2000-09-25

WHEN YOU LISTEN TO JULIE SING, it's like taking a wonderful Ride. She lifts you off the ground in a gentle swirl and before you realize it, you're riding high! There's a stiff breeze a blowing, but don't be afraid; just let go and hang on as you glide and dip and then swoop up again. Breathe. Now. We're headed for some Rocks, but that's OK, the angel Julie is here to sing us a lullaby, nuzzle up and Relax. And soon we're off again, going for HOME, but it's a long ways off. We fly sure and strong on the wings of Melody. Let her take you for a ride. Julie Christensen can get down and dirty with the the best of them, and she tells it like it is, but there's a strong current of spirituality that runs right thru the middle of IT . She's a spiritual singer. So, in spite of our human frailities, we can overcome and be stronger and wiser,and better; not a fool at all. When I hear Julie's sweet sound, it's a soothing antidote for a bad day.

SOULDRIVER........2000-09-25

Average customer rating:

Too cool for some
Ethereal and Hauntingly Beautiful

The English Lute Song

Manufacturer: Dorian Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Heavenly Love, Earthly Joy

ASIN: B000001Q7S
Release Date: 1993-08-02

Tracks:

This Merry Pleasant Spring
Woods, Rocks And Mountains
April Is In My Mistress' Face
No More Shall Meads Be Deck'd With Flow'rs
Lute Solo: The French King's Masque
Come My Celia
O Death, Rock Me Asleep
Where The Bee Sucks
Full Fathom Five
Come Away, Hecate
The Willow Song
Lute Solo: Alman, 'Hit And Take It'
Dear, Do Not Your Fair Beauty Wrong
Come Hither You That Love
Have You Seen But A White Lily Grow
I Must Complain
Nothing On Earth
Fain Would I Wed
Miserere, My Maker
O That Mine Eyes
Lite Solo: Alman
Care, Charming Sleep
Cupid Is Venus' Only Joy
O Let Us Howl
As Life What Is So Sweet
Turn, Turn Thy Beauteous Face Away!
Take, O Take Those Lips Away

Customer Reviews:

Too cool for some.......2005-02-22

Julianne Baird is breathtakingly good at what she does: intelligent, stylistically convincing, technically brilliant ornamentation, in a sweet, phenomenally accurate voice. I love it. Those not accustomed to this sort of thing, though, may find it lacking emotional immediacy. Consider also Kathleen Battle with some of the same material: not that she's better, but the appeal is more directly sensual rather than intellectual.

Ethereal and Hauntingly Beautiful.......2003-11-05

How could you go wrong with the clear seraph voice of Julianne Baird accompanied by the delicate skill of Ronn McFarlane on the Lute. Not only is the talent exceptional but the composed works of Lute music divine.

You listen to each song and are carried away to time/place devoid of any worry let alone any task other than to listen to Julianne and Ronn execute perfection. You truely feel part of the Elizabethan Court listening to this CD it is both beautiful and dark simutaneously.

Another fabulous feature to this CD is the simplicity of the recording of only lute and vocals with no special effects. To retain the warmth and purity of the composition it was recorded on location in 'The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall' in Upstate New York and is one of the finest acoustical settings in the world. Unlike modern pop music Lute music as written needs no manipulation or adjustment in the studio if executed by skilled artists and musicians in an acoustical atmosphere and this recording does exactly that.

I highly recommend this CD of beautiful music. It truely will evoke deep feeling and emotion.

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