Nexus [Import]

Track Listings

1. Nexus

2. Bomb Diggy

3. Summertime

4. We'll Meet Again

5. I Like The Way (Kissing G

6. Nothing Left To See

7. Ain't A Damn Thing Wrong

8. My Girl

9. Ain't Nothing Going On Bu

10. What You Know About Me

11. That Girl Belongs To Me

12. Hide

13. Kai

14. From The Heart

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Follow Up to their Platinum Self Titled Debut. Includes Hit Singles 'summertime' featuring Tq and 'from the Heart' from the 'notting Hill' Soundtrack.

Nexus,Another Level,Bmg,R&B/Soul

Nexus [Import]

Tracks:

From Me Flows What You Call Time
Twill By Twilight (In Memory Of Morton Feldman) For Orchestra
Requiem (For String Orchestra)

Amazon.com

Takemitsu (1930-96) is Japan's greatest composer. He had a diverse musical career, which included work for films. His music partakes of aspects of postmodernism--serial construction, atonal modalities, unusual instrumentation--and all of it hypnotic. The works on this disc are for a chamber-size orchestra and are illuminated by the smaller forces. From Me Flows What You Call Time (1990) brings to mind a set of delicate, atonal wind chimes. Twill by Twilight--In Memory of Morton Feldman (1988) reflects Feldman's juxtapositions and separations, but with a bit more color. Requiem (1957), Takemitsu's first orchestral work, is stunning and very beautiful. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Hauntingly beautiful music, but the programming isn't sufficiently diverse.......2006-06-18

This Sony disc contains three pieces by the late Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu, whose untimely death in 1996 robbed the contemporary music world of one of its most distinctive figures. The first two were written during his late period, while the last is his first great work. Carl St. Clair conducts the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, with the Nexus percussion group (the dedicatee) on the first piece.

"From me flows what you call Time" (1990) for orchestra and five percussionists stands as one of Takemitsu's sure masterpieces. It might be called a concerto for percussion and orchestra, though that suggests some kind of opposition when in reality all elements of instrumentation seamlessly cooperate. The soloists' parts are very fascinating, especially when they play drums, giving a rougher tinge to the work rarely heard in the music of a composer more interested in glittery sounds. Towards the end the piece follows other works of this period ("Archipelago S.", "Ceremonial") in containing a spatial element: the percussionists play bells distantly located in various parts of the auditorium by means of coloured tape. "Twill by Twilight" (1988) was written in memory of Morton Feldman, and the title is both an allusion to Feldman's love of carpets and to Takemitsu's technique of textures that "weave" in and out of the piece, as well as a building up of the large from repetitions of the small as Feldman (in)famously did in his late pieces.

What is particularly amazing about the late Takemitsu is that he uses certain contemporary techniques, yet achieves a highly original effect different from all other composers. The pitches are generated with quasi-serialist techniques, and yet his music does not sound dry or academic, but rather highly transcendental. Timbre is a highly important element, but the result is more natural, suggestive of the outdoors, than the work of the spectralist composers. However, putting any two pieces from Takemitsu's late period together on disc is not ideal, as they are often too close stylistically and tend to dull the listener's senses. While beautiful in themselves, they don't do enough to distinguish themselves from other pieces of the same era.

The last piece is from a very different era, however. "Requiem" for strings (1957) was Takemitsu's first orchestral work and brought him to fame outside Japan when Stravinsky championed him for it. It shows him still under the influence of Messiaen and is a very moving set of incisive string figures, which can often sound quite agressive but nonetheless never break major laws of tonality. Unlike in his late period, characterized by a general evenness of dynamic, Takemitsu was not afraid here of going from the softest touches to major crescendi, although he still had not discovered the importance of timbre.

For those who have never heard Takemitsu's music, as an introduction I'd recommend the QUOTATION OF DREAM disc in Deutsche Grammophon's "20/21" series, which still has the same problem of putting Takemitsu's late works together, but which contains a whole world of interesting discoveries if you can manage to listen to each piece in isolation. Still, if you've come to enjoy the music of this singular voice in 20th century music, this Sony disc is a good find, and it's a budget purchase.

Beyond the recording.......2006-03-23

Most of the earlier reviews of "From me flows what you call time" are accurate--beautiful orchestrations, unexpected moments that emerge from silences or clusters of sound, and sometimes ravishing harmonies that swirl about for 35 minutes of truly breathtaking music. I was fortunate enough to attend the premiere of this piece, so when I listen I still see in my mind the amazing visual quality of a live performance. About one hundred specially tuned wind chimes from small to very large were made by Gary Kvistad specifically for Nexus and this piece. These chimes are hung from the ceiling of the performing hall and connected to the stage by long, multi-colored ribbons. When the chimes are played at various times during the performance, the sensation of being surrounded by these exquisite bells is overwhelming. The recording is wonderful, but if you ever have an opportunity to hear a live performance, it's well worth a long trip.

Haunting and Exotic.......2003-03-21

I've had this record for quite a while now. It's taken some time but the music has really grown on me. The surface glitter of the pieces is immediately apparent. What is not so obvious on first hearing is the profundity of the musical and spiritual thought in these works.

Toru Takemitsu was Japan's foremost composer in the late 20th century, and yet his music rarely sounds blatantly Japanese. The only obvious traditional influences on this CD come at the very beginning of the first piece, Through Me Flows What You Call Time. This work opens with a flute solo that contains techniques from the shakuhatchi repertoire. But quickly, the material of this solo becomes more western, sharing with Messiaen a love of symmetrical scales and modal devices. The piece uses this first flute solo as the spring board to a thirty five minute concerto grosso for orchestra and percussion ensemble. The music is lush, very romantic and colorful. The tonal language reminds me of a mix of Debussy, Scriabin and Messiaen. The melodic material is based primarily on a five note motif from the beginning of the flute solo which morphs into myriad forms. The percussion writing is exquisite...dominated by flashes of bell and cymbal color as well as ostinati on the marimba and outbursts from steel drums. The orchestra lends support mostly, occasionally singing out in an almost chorale-like texture. This piece is absolutely lovely.

The second work on the CD is Twill by Twilight. The work seems almost a carbon copy of Time except that it doesn't include the percussion group. While I find nothing particularly objectionable about the work, it isn't distinct enough to compete with the impression made by the first work. In fact...another choice for the CD might have been in order. There gets to be a monotonous quality by the end of this work. The CD is rounded out by Takemitsu's first piece to make an international spalsh...Requiem for String Orchestra. This piece is more Bergian than the others, though it too is accessible and shaded with tonal moments. It is deeply felt and a quite moving work.

Takemitsu was an enormously popular person as a composer. Any musician who knew him has only great things to say about him. This greatness of spirit comes through in the best of his music. Time and Requiem are among the finest neo-romantic pieces around. If you like Debussy, or Rautavaara, you will certainly love these pieces. Highly recommended.

Just about perfect.......2001-08-24

"From Me Flows What You Call Time" is one of the greatest pieces written in the late 20th century. The funny thing is that its hard to put a finger on why. This is some of the most original music you've ever heard. This literally sounds like nothing else I've ever heard. It is essentially a concerto for percussion quintet and it is fabulous what Takemitsu has done with the idea. Normally, a concerto for five percussionists would be bombastic and thunderous, but this is subtle & understated, but that's where the strength lies. The Pacific Orchestra provides a solid backing for the percussion. The percussion pretty much never ceases, the orchestra provides splashes & washes of color with flutes, occassional horn bursts, and lush strings. Its is shocking just how pretty & beautiful Takemitsu was able to make music with dissonance. The whole piece isn't that way, but sometimes you will hear something that doesn't quite sound right, but its still beautiful. He's the perfector of soft dissonance. I know the comparison has been run into the ground, but there is a lot of Debussy in Takemitsu, although he's more modern and has an obvious slant from the East. His music doesn't sound like Debussy's, you can just see the influence. Believe me, Takemitsu's is truly a unique voice in music.

"Twill by Twilight" (for orchestra) is in memory of Morton Feldman, and I must say I think its better than anything I've heard by Morton Feldman.

"Requiem" (for string orchestra) is also a nice piece, but the real showstopper on this disc is "From Me Flows What You Call Time." Get the disc for that.

Beautiful music.......2001-06-06

I'm a big admirer of Takemitsu, but mostly on account of his film music. While I've enjoyed his classical pieces, I've always appreciated the rawness and experimentation of his film work more. "From Me Flows What You Call Time" is the big exception... it's a truly mesmerizing piece. Like the best Takemitsu music, it can take you into another world. Frankly I don't have words to describe how wonderful this piece is. You just need to listen to it.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful music
Great CD
LOVE IT!
wonderful
21ST CENTURY MUSIC

Sextet/Six Marimbas

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Drumming
Reich: Different Trains, Electric Counterpoint / Kronos Quartet, Pat Metheny
Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians
Steve Reich: Octet; Music for a Large Ensemble; Violin Phase
Steve Reich: The Four Sections / Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices & Organ

ASIN: B000005IY0
Release Date: 1992-05-28

Tracks:

Sextet: 1st Movement
Sextet: 2nd Movement
Sextet: 3rd Movement
Sextet: 4th Movement
Sextet: 5th Movement
Six Marimbas

Amazon.com

These pieces, written more than a decade apart, show the changes that occurred in Reich's music. Six Marimbas is a re-scoring of Reich's Six Pianos (1973), one of his most mechanically oriented pieces. The continuing rhythms are quite exhilarating, but some listeners find this music monotonous. I don't, but even I prefer the Sextet from 1985, which has more harmonic movement than Reich's earlier works. In either case, the music will appeal mostly to those who like rhythmically oriented percussion music, here composed by its greatest master. For many of us, Reich transcends the "minimalist" label and writes real music of lasting value. Try some. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful music.......2006-06-20

I first heard this music on the BBC in a tent on the north west coast of Scotland in a freezing winter gale. But they didn't back announce it, so I had no clue what I just listened to. For years all I had was the memory of this gorgeous sound circling in my head, if you listen to it you'll understand. Eventually a percussionist/tenor/conductor friend identified it from my description and I bought it the next day. This is such a wonderful overloaded harmony I just wish there was much more music like this. There aren't many pieces of music that have ever made such an impression on me that I searched for years and remember exactly where and how I first heard it. For me Sextet is the lesser of the two pieces, but still well worth having even if it was the only thing on the disk. This is a wonderful clean clear recording, buy it!

Great CD.......2004-09-26

Great cd, two great pieces by a master of the style. I write this review to rather pedantically correct other reviewers in that it is a bowed *vibraphone*, not bowed *marimba*, used to such interesting effect in the 'Sextet', as is made clear in the liner notes.

LOVE IT!.......2003-06-14

I can't get enough of "Six Marimbas". It is so soothing, warm and inviting. I listen to it over and over. I think "Six Marimbas" is one of Reich's most beautiful works.

wonderful.......2003-03-13

Sextet is a very fun piece, with the gradually changing marimba melodies & also marimbas played with bows to get longer notes than a marimba can usually do. My favorite part of Sextet is the 3rd movement. & also, the way the 5th & final movement ends is amazing -- amazing -- it always leaves me breathless.

As for Six Marimbas, it's one of my favorite Reich pieces. A rescoring of Six Pianos. I have both versions, & the rescoring improved the piece infinitely; with marimbas, you can hear each note so well. & the way the music changes always makes you so curious to see what the next note to change will be & how.

This cd as a whole coheres so well, since the 2 different pieces that are melodically & rhythmically very different from each other are both for marimbas.

21ST CENTURY MUSIC.......2002-12-01

Quite exhilerating, stark, simple yet complex marimba musical arrangements by 20th Century (and 21st) composer Steve Reich is wonderful to even this progressive rock fan who admittedly hasn't had much exposure to this type of music. The musical nucleus of this centripetal web keeps the listener transfixed on a musical point that grows, wavers, momentarily disappears and returns with renewed intensity causing the listener to stare into the insistent sound as if by gunpoint, helplessly hypnotized and bondaged towards a finale. Rather mind boggling at times it's not recommended for in your car listening. You're liable to find yourself cruising down a road that didn't exist before you got there.

Average customer rating:

A good album
Absolutely essential
Sure to be a timeless metal classic.
Reinforcing my new respect and enjoyment of black metal
Black Metal Masterpiece

Nexus Polaris
The Kovenant
Manufacturer: Nuclear Blast Americ
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Animatronic
Seti
Synthetic Generation
In Times Before the Light
In Times Before the Light

ASIN: B000005ZDL
Release Date: 1998-04-21

Tracks:

The Sulfer Feast
Bizarre Cosmic Industries
Planetarium
The Last Of Dragons
Bringer Of The Sixth Sun
Dragonheart
Planetary Black Elements
Chariots Of Thunder

Album Description

1998 album from Covenant who changed their name to Kovenant. Fine and innovative. Nuclear Blast.

Customer Reviews:

A good album.......2007-03-28

I bought this album, cuz it had a really great lineup in this album. Nagash(ex-Dimmu Borgir), Astennu(ex-Dimmu Borgir), Sverd(Arcturus), Hellhammer(Mayhem, Arcturus, and current Dimmu Borgir)and Sarah Jezibel Deva(Cradle of Filth, Angtoria). I love the album from the start. Sadly Nagash fired all the members and changed them for new ones.

Absolutely essential.......2007-02-07

Before I discovered this album, I could never have imagined the concept of melodic, atmospheric black metal--or that any band could pull off something like it. Since then, Nexus Polaris has opened my eyes. I've never heard metal like this before, and I probably never will again. The sound is so original, and yet so cohesive, that it could only have been created by some of the best musicians on the extreme metal scene--and, indeed it was.

The fiendish, snarling vocals of Nagash (now known as Lex Icon, formerly of Dimmu Borgir, currently in The Kovenant and Crowhead), two outstanding guitarists in Astennu (Dimmu Borgir and Carpe Tenebrum) and Blackheart, keyboardist Sverd (Arcturus), the remarkable Hellhammer (Mayhem) on drums, and finally the backing female vocals of Sarah Jezebel Deva (Cradle of Filth) all come together on this album, producing a sound that is at once lethal, beautiful, and mesmerizing. Everything about Nexus Polaris falls perfectly into place--not just the musicianship, but the lyrics, CD artwork, and production as well. Nuclear Blast (the record label) has been known for excellent quality, but even for them, this is something special.

Although I'd never heard of this album until recently, Wikipedia states that "Nexus Polaris was released in 1998 and was hugely successful (due to Nuclear Blast's promotion), allowed Covenant to do a two-week tour, and was on national Norwegian television for six days. This was also a sign of Covenant moving from black metal to cyber metal and space metal. Soon Covenant found themselves nominated for a Norwegian Grammy. They attended and won for Best Hard Rock band (the first ever in history)."

I have to say they deserved the success. Nexus Polaris was, and still is, a singular achievement. It's something that every extreme metal fan should experience.

Sure to be a timeless metal classic........2005-10-21

I am not typically a black metal fan, but, then again, Nexus Polaris is not your typical black metal album. Therefore, black metal purists beware! While there are more straightforward black metal tracks on this album, most tracks contain stunning melodies, and some could even be described as bordering on the extremely heavy power metal line.

One undeniably black component of this album is the vocals. Operatic female vocals from Cradle of Filth's Sarah perfectly complement the deep woods, under the bridge troll-witch growl of Lex Icon. I usually cannot stand this style of growling, but it fits so perfectly on this album. In fact, it is precisely this type of congruency which makes this album one of the most treasured in my collection. When Lex and Sarah exclaim, "But still the sun refused to move!" during my favorite track, "Bringer of the Sixth Sun", absolute chills run down my spine as the vocal delivery and lyrical content work with the instrumentation to create a truly grandiose, larger than life, epic sound. At times, Nexus Polaris sounds like THE definitive dark opera.

This neo-classically melodic sound is precisely what will have these songs so lodged in your head that you will find yourself humming the riffs and singing the lyrics even when you are not listening to the album; not a common effect of black metal.

This memorable quality is created by absolutely stellar musicianship, from the absolutely stellar Hellhammer on drums, Sverd on keyboards, and dual guitar attack of Blackheart and Astennu. At times, these axemen truly recall memories of such classic double attacks as Hanneman and King, and Smith and Murray. With these galloping riffs, Sverd offers up plenty of keyboard runs which echo the piano stylings of history's most well-known composers. At other times, he simply provides the eerie vampiric atmospherics most commonly associated with black metal. Regardless, one of the strongest selling points of this album in my opinion is how prominently the keys are featured. While they never suffocate the more traditional metal drums and guitars, they are always audible, and this album would not be nearly as good without them.

Now, do we even need to discuss Hellhammer given that we all know that everything he touches turns to gold? Of course we do. This is my favorite album featuring Hellhammer. Considering the heavy black metal leanings, relentless double-bass blasts are present, and we all know nobody plays double-bass like Hellhammer. What I like about his performance on this album is the subtle precision and style he attacks the rest of his kit with. After your first epiphany with this album, go back and listen to it again, trying hard just to listen to the drums. I think Hellhammer may perhaps be underrated in that he so meticulously, successfully, and effortlessly adds such small touches which have dramatic effects on the music.

Before ending this review, I must come back to what makes this album so cherished in the metal community: the uncanny way in which this band pulled together all the ingredients in the most perfect way. On tracks like "Nexus Polaris" the listener is immediately sucked into a black hole of galloping guitars and drums, punctuated by synthesizer bell effects and polarized clean vocals and growls. The effect may be desrcibed as a Dimmu Borgir/Cradle of Filth dramatization with the crediblity and earnestness of Sons of Northern Darkness Immortal.

Easily the most remarkable aspect of this album is that this originality and infectious style is present on every single track. I can honestly say that this is one of the few albums in my large collection that is placed in the CD player and played the entire way through. There are no weak moments on this album. While Kovenant did not impress me with any of their other albums, I will fight to the death their importance in the progression of extreme metal because Nexus Polaris represents a sound which, upon its release, had never been heard before. And more importantly for the solidification of this album's place in the annals of metal, Nexus Polaris also represents a sound which will never be replicated in the future either.

Reinforcing my new respect and enjoyment of black metal.......2005-05-05

What can I say, this album is fantastic. The amazing guitar work, the way the synth/piano compliments the music, Hellhammer's drumwork is OUTSTANDING and the operatic vocals...wow, this record is a masterpiece, I recommend this to any fan of any kind of metal, because it's cohesive enough to work as a gateway and strong enough to leave a legendary mark in the world of black metal.

Black Metal Masterpiece.......2005-02-19

The Covenant's Nexus Polaris is a layered and complex album with superb production that has set the standard for years to come. From Lex Icon's searing vocals to the majesty of Steinar Sverd Johnsen's beautiful keyboards to the blistering drum mastery from Hellhammer, this album is quite possibly one of my favorites ever. The bands sound is so cohesive on this album that every song sounds like a new masterpiece, never treading over the same path all the while pushing a new threshold in every aspect. Lex's vocals shine on every song while Sverd's keyboards enhance every track, especially his piano work on Bizzare Cosmic Industries which would later set the mold for his piano work on Star-Crossed from the album The Sham Mirrors by Arcturus. The layered guitars of Astennu and Blackheart mesh together perfectly and create a dark atmosphere that has become The Covenant's signature sound on this album. Topping it all of is Sarah Jezebel Deva's soaring vocals floating in and out of the album, but never making it too effeminate even for the most hardcore black metal fan. In fact, I consider this one of her most amazing vocal performances from any band she has ever sang for.

Nexus Polaris will reshape and remold the way you perceive black metal in general, and will leave you wanting more. The only thing I still cannot grasp is that this album was released 8 years ago, definitely engraving their place in the history books for many, many years.

Average customer rating:

Some Delicious Enemy
Saturna
Manufacturer: Nexus Underground
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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All Night

ASIN: B000QUTS20
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Tracks:

Roll Down
Fall
Pop Rocks
Blanket of Stars
Much More
Springboard
Just For Thrills
Leader Of The Western Stars
Chasing The Unpredictable
Periwinkle

Product Description

Saturna is an indie band from Portland OR that plays fuzzy, dirty, driving, psychedelic bliss pop in the vein of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Silversun Pickups or My Bloody Valentine. Saturna's debut full length ""Some Delicious Enemy"" is full of reverb laden guitar riffs and beautiful vocal harmonies and melodies, with just enough dirty fuzzy attitude thrown in to rock your world. Saturna has been busy garnering reviews in the blog-o-sphere, playing SXSW and will be on tour during June and July.

Average customer rating:

In Deep/Nexus
Argent
Manufacturer: Edsel Records UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Argent/Circus
All Together Now
Ring of Hands
Encore: Live in Concert
All Together Now

ASIN: B000A7IHSU
Release Date: 2005-09-05

Tracks:

God Gave Rock And Roll To You
It's Only Money Part I
It's Only Money Part Ii
Losing Hold
Be Glad
Christmas For The Free
Candles On The River
Rosie
Coming Of Kohoutek
Once Around The Sun
Infinite Wanderer
Love
Music From The Spheres
Thunder And Lightning
Keeper Of The Flame
A Man For All Reasons
Gonna Meet My Maker

Album Description

This classic prog-rock band was formed in 1970 by ex-Zombies' keyboardist Rod Argent and bassist Chris White (in a co-founding and co-writing role) with guitarist/vocalist Russ Ballard and future Kinks rhythm section Jim Rodford and Bob Henrit. These albums, the band's fourth and fifth, were originally released in 1973 and 1974 and include the two hit classics `God Gave Rock And Roll To You' (later covered by KISS for the film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey) and `It's Only Money (Part 2)'. This CD package includes full annotation, drawing on recent interviews with the band. Edsel. 2005.

Album Details

Their Fourth and Fifth Album's, Originally Released in 1973 and 1974.

Average customer rating:

Great synthesizer-heavy progressive hard rock
This album is a Great underated album
Taking you back
One of Argent's Best!!
Argent cracks under schizoid musical peronality.

Nexus
Argent
Manufacturer: Sbme Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000007WDR
Release Date: 2001-04-10

Tracks:

Coming of Kohoutek [Instrumental]
Once Around the Sun [Instrumental]
Infinite Wanderer
Love
Music from the Spheres
Thunder and Lightning
Keeper of the Flame
Man for All Reasons
Gonna Meet My Maker

Album Description

1998 reissue on Columbia of the original 1974 release for the label by Rod Argent's post-Zombies' band. Features all nine original tracks, including 'The Coming Of Kohoutek' and'Once Around The Sun'.

Album Details

The Fifth CD from Rod Argent's Band who Formed after the Split of the Zombies in the 60's. Originally Released in 1974.

Customer Reviews:

Great synthesizer-heavy progressive hard rock .......2005-12-04

Released in 1974, this album moved Argent closer to the realm of progressive rock. Stylistically, the nine pieces fuse elements of the progressive rock style (virtuosity, classical form and structure) with thunderous hard rock to make a very enjoyable listening experience. The first three instrumental tracks form a lengthy suite that features the Hammond organ work of superb keyboardist Rod Argent, along with sweeping pipe organ parts, some excellent mellotron and piano work, and the use of loads of synthesizers (they sound mostly like moog synthesizers). In fact, synthesizers are used extensively throughout the entire album. The guitarist alternately uses clean tones and slightly distorted tones, and can be characterized as a fairly heavy player while the rhythm section is tight and extremely heavy. The quiet, mellotron-drenched ballad Love was written by Russ Ballard and provides a nice contrast to the opening prog extravaganza and really is a very nice composition. The remaining five tracks range from tightly arranged, sophisticated progressive hard rock pieces (Music of the Spheres, Keeper of the Flame, and A Man for all Reasons) to hard rock pieces complete with an aggressive, "hard rock" vocal style (Thunder and Lightning and Gonna' Meet my Maker). Of these five tracks, the 8'07" Music of the Spheres features a ripping, jazz inflected electric piano solo with superb contributions by the other band members and is a personal favorite. Other great tracks include Keeper of the Flame and A Man for all Reasons, which both feature more prog than hard rock. The follow-up to Nexus was the Circus album released in 1975, which exhibits slightly more of the progressive rock style than Nexus. For those folks that like Nexus, Song for America (Kansas, 1975) and Hemispheres (Rush, 1978) might also prove enjoyable.

This album is a Great underated album.......2003-01-16

I'm only 16 and can appreciate this album. The musicianship in this band is not only great, but also the songwriting. One of my favourites is Music From the Spheres and Coming of Kohoutek. Any Argent fan needs this.

Taking you back.......2002-08-13

I'd say a 4 rating is rather generous for this album but 2 or 3 of the songs on it rate a 5. All I ever knew about Argent until I bought Nexus on 8 track around 28 years ago was the song "Hold your Head up". I had a little extra money and took a chance on "Nexus". There are some great keyboards here, especially on "Thunder & Lightning". "Gonna Meet My Maker" is also worth getting this CD for. In fact, for years all I've had is the album. I didn't find the CD till now. The picture on the album is better, but what the hey, you can't have everything. "Music From the Spheres" has a beautiful ending, the keyboard playing by Argent is stupendous. Listen to this song when your driving around in the winter, on a cold sunny day near sunset, with snow around but not on the roads. It's a winner.

One of Argent's Best!!.......2001-08-25

This album is great. Argent was not headed in the wrong direction, it just wasn't a commerical success...Music From the Spheres is a fantastic song, well worth the price of the CD. It may be their best song, if it isn't it is probably only second to Hold Your Head Up. Unless something on a release after this is better (I've heard that Circus is excellent)...I haven't heard the subsequent releases but of all of the prior ones I think this album is the best overall. Closely followed by All Together and Ring of Hands... Besides Music from the Spheres, Thunder and Lightning and Keeper of the Flame are noteworthy tracks here . Coming of Kohoutek/Once Around the Sun starts of this brilliant album. It will not turn off progrock lovers. Not one bit. Lots of cool synths and good sound quality. If you aren't a progrock fan, maybe this isn't for you, else, go for it!

Argent cracks under schizoid musical peronality........1999-10-09

To be a progressive rock band or not to be a progressive rock band? This was the question haunting Argent from the band's inception. With Rod Argent's classical keyboard leanings alongside guitarist Russ Ballard's commercial R&B rockers, the band actually pulled off this rather schizioid musical personality for a few years. But by '74's Nexus, it was clear that this group was due for a musical nervous breakdown. With Rod Argent lugging mellotrons and synths into the studio (ala Rick Wakeman) for the multi-part The Coming Of Kohoutek, one can almost picture Ballard sprinting for the back door. As expected, Ballard quit after this album, giving Rod Argent the green light to take the band even deeper into prog-rock nirvana. But after two commercially unsuccessful prog-like albums, Circus and Counterpoints (both unavailable on CD) Rod decided to call it a day and put the whole Argent controversy to rest once and for all. The music world of that era could now rest easy.

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Violin Concerto; Rituals

Average customer rating:

Five stars for Ellen, one for Naxos
Worth Buying for the Violin Concerto's Middle Movement Alone

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Violin Concerto; Rituals

Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Camargo Guarnieri: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2 and 3

ASIN: B000AMMSOE
Release Date: 2005-09-20

Tracks:

Quarter Note: Ca. 62
Quarter Note: Ca. 58
Quarter Note: Ca. 152
I. Invocation
II. Ambulation
III. Remembrances
IV. Contests

Customer Reviews:

Five stars for Ellen, one for Naxos.......2006-01-07

Amazon neglected to list the tracks so I will:

1-3: Concerto for Violin & Orchestra (1998) 26:03
4-7: Rituals for Five Percussionists & Orchestra (2002) 25:59

If you're a collector of fine violin concertos then you'll want to get this recording because it's the only recording of this concerto written by this Pulitzer Prize winner in music. It is a lovely piece and deserved to be coupled with similar pieces like Zwilch's Double Concerto, Triple Concerto or Concerto for Violin, Cello & Orchestra. Someone at Naxos wasn't thinking when they followed the lovely Violin Concerto with an often loud experimental piece for percussionists. It's not a terrible piece and has its moments, but it doesn't belong on this CD. And, since each of the two pieces is of equal length, you're really paying $7 for the concerto.

My 3 star isn't against Ellen Zwilch who deserves high marks for another fine concerto but for Naxos who gets low marks for a poorly designed program, and at only 52:04, a stingy one at that.

Recommended only if you can't wait for another recording of the Violin Concerto coupled with something that goes with it.

Redgecko

Worth Buying for the Violin Concerto's Middle Movement Alone.......2005-10-03

When Ellen Taafe Zwilich wrote her Violin Concerto in 1998 she brought a violinist's perspective to it; she had played in Stokowski's American Symphony Orchestra for a number of years. She chose Pamela Frank, the extraordinary violinist daughter of two pianists (Claude Frank and Lilian Kallir), to play its première with the Orchestra of St. Luke's under Hugh Wolff. In this recording, made in 1998 (before Frank began experiencing hand problems that necessitated her taking a long hiatus from playing), the orchestra is that of the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Saarbrücken (Germany) under its music director, Michael Stern, the son of another great musician, Isaac Stern. Soloist and orchestra meld effortlessly in this remarkably musical performance. The concerto has since made the rounds and almost universally critics and music-lovers comment about the intense beauty of the work's middle movement. It is a meditation on the first few notes (chords, really) of Bach's great unaccompanied 'Chaconne in D Minor' (from the Violin Partita No. 2, BWV 1004). But I'm getting ahead of myself. The first movement is a rhapsodic andante that has several cadenza-like passages for the violin (the concerto does not have a formal cadenza in any of its movements). It celebrates, among other things, the interval of a minor ninth. The second movement follows without pause, is only slightly slower than the first and according to the composer's directions is 'quiet, but intensely vocal with lots of shading.' In her article about the concerto at its première the late Shirley Fleming in the New York Post called the concerto 'a wonderfully engaging work' and commented on how Zwilich took the Chaconne melody and built it to an almost menacing climax - 'a theme of fate.' The third movement, the concerto's longest, traverses a number of different styles and ends quietly with the violin soaring mellifluously above the deep-voiced orchestra. The headline of the New York Times's article about the première called the concerto 'A Love Song to the Violin.' Apt words. This is a meltingly beautiful work.

The CD concludes with 'Rituals,' a concerto for percussion ensemble and orchestra. The principals are the 35-year-old five-member percussion group, NEXUS, accompanied by the IRIS Chamber Orchestra, also led by Michael Stern who founded the Germantown (Memphis), Tennessee group. IRIS has made some marvelous recordings, including one devoted to music of Stephen Hartke which I reviewed enthusiastically here. [I must add that Stern has just started his tenure as music director of my own home orchestra, the Kansas City Symphony, and if his recent first subscription concert is any indication, we're in for exciting times.] 'Rituals' is in four movements. Frankly it didn't do much for me, but perhaps that's because I've never been particularly fascinated by percussion solo or concerted pieces (although I did rather like Michael Torke's percussion concerto 'Rapture.') Still, it is expertly written and played and I am sure that others will find it fascinating.

Even with my idiosyncratic non-response to 'Rituals,' I unreservedly recommend this disc for the Violin Concerto which I venture to place in the same league as George Rochberg's and John Adams's recently recorded violin concertos.

Scott Morrison

Average customer rating:

Farewell to the Weird
A versatile disc from a versatile composer
Farewell to Philosophy

Gavin Bryars: Farewell to Philosophy

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000040V7
Release Date: 1997-04-15

Tracks:

Cello Concerto (Farewell to Philosophy): Track One
Cello Concerto (Farewell to Philosophy): Track Two - Piu mosso
Cello Concerto (Farewell to Philosophy): Track Three
Cello Concerto (Farewell to Philosophy): Track Four
Cello Concerto (Farewell to Philosophy): Track Five - The Philosopher
Cello Concerto (Farewell to Philosophy): Track Six - Poco Meno Mosso
Cello Concerto (Farewell to Philosophy): Track Seven - ('Farewell') a tempo
One Last Bar, then Joe can Sing: Lento
One Last Bar, then Joe can Sing: Piu mosso
One Last Bar, then Joe can Sing: Coda
Track Eleven: By The Vaar
By the Vaar: Track Eleven
By the Vaar: Epilogue

Customer Reviews:

Farewell to the Weird.......2003-10-25

This is the most classical, enjoyable, & profound of all of Gavin Bryars modern works. Yes, the 20th century needed the experiments & Gavin Bryars has done his share, but this CD returns to classical roots while still remaining fresh & modern. The 1st section "Farewell to Philosophy" is a Concerto for cello & orchestra written for Julian Lloyd Webbers who's mastery expresses deep sorrow & beauty in a world that has thrown away philosophy. "One Last Bar, then Joe can Sing" for the 5 percussionists group Nexus is an anti John Cage near tonality, enjoyable work. "By the Vaar" was written for my favorite bassist Charlie Haden, who doesn't lose his jazz expression within this quasi jazz modern classical piece. Therefore if you have heard or bought some of Gavin Bryars works in the past & felt that something was missing, try this CD.

A versatile disc from a versatile composer.......2001-11-14

This disc features three very different but worthwhile pieces. The Cello Concerto is elegiac and mournful in tone. It is a very quiet, haunting piece, but it never feels inert or without passion, and it is not "minimalist". The themes unfold slowly and achingly across the unbroken seven- movement span. The orchestration is quite graceful, especially the woodwinds and assortment of bells and chimes, nicely detailed. The whole ensemble plays with the unwavering concentration the piece demands. I could be wrong, but I think people who enjoy Elgar's Cello Concerto may enjoy this too.
"One Last Bar, Then Joe Can See", by contrast, is a dazzling piece for an arsenal of percussion instruments (once again, bells, chimes, vibes, xylophones,etc.) . This is not "head-banging" music, rather it's quite delicate and alluringly exotic.
"By the Vaar" is a wonderful synthethis of jazz and classical chamber music. It has a somber and nocturnal feel to it, and bassist Charlie Haden plays with deeply felt intensity. Highly recommended.

Farewell to Philosophy.......2000-01-25

I love this album, but as I'm not a muso nor a classically literate listener, forgive my probably naive reasons. I found this album more accessible than others of his, but I do not think that it is in any way simplistic. Perhaps it is because it is more lyrical and less angular than other albums. Perhaps it is just that the closing piece, featuring Charlie Haden, has one of the most aching passages (and note! - trust me) that I have ever heard. Either way if you're new to Bryars I can't think of a better place to start. If you know his work then I hope you have this one. Enjoy.

Average customer rating:

Best Comprehensive Survey of Canadian Music Available

Introduction to Canadian Music

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Harry Somers Celebration

ASIN: B0000014C7
Release Date: 2006-03-01

Tracks:

Marche Indienne - Hannaford Street Silver Band
Fiesta: Vif Et Bien Rythme - Neil Chotem
The Contented House - Mario Bernardi
Carnival Overture - Kazuhiro Koizumi
Fall Fair - Uri Mayer
Harbours - Nimmons 'N' Nine Plus Six
Andante Allegro - Orford Quartet
Fast And Frenzied - Robert Aitken
Mont-aux-Sources - Mario Bernardi
Allegro - Robert Silverman
Allegro Vivace - Lento - Franco Mannino
Giocoso (With A Touch Of The Absurd) - Janina Fialkowska
Thunder Dragon - Espirit Orchestra
Romance For Brass Band - Steven Chenette
Akasha (Sky) - Bramwell Tovey
Elan - Walter Boudreau

Tracks:

Magnus Dominus - Patrick Wedd
Hodie, Christus Natus Est - Elmer Iseler Singers
Feller From Fortune - Elmer Iseler
Soleils Couchants - Patrick Wedd
Ave, Verum Corpus - Vancouver Chamber Choir
Notre Seigneur En Pauvre - Saint John String Quartet
Pemoengkah - Robert Aitken
Quarks - Judy Loman
Toccata For Flute And Soprano - Robert Aitken
No.2 - Valerie Tryon
African Funeral Song - Nexus
Chanson Du Matin - David Kent
Six Themes-Solaires - No.1 - Piano Soleil - Richard Raymond
Le Jeu De Telephone - Ensemble Koln
Alma Chillin - Mark Duggan
Dripsody - Hugh Le Caine
Big Bang II - Marcelle Deschenes
Nadir - Douglas Perry

Customer Reviews:

Best Comprehensive Survey of Canadian Music Available.......1999-01-19

This anthology of three Centuries(!) of Canadian music was assembled by a former producer from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation who now works for Naxos Canada. This producer is also active in the Canadian music world, so he knows whereof he speaks (or selects, as in this case). Liscensing the best performances available from major Canadian and International labels, this is the best collection of, and introudction to, the entire Canadian music scene that I have ever come across. The booklet is informative and is as enjoyable a read as is the 2 CD set is to listen. I doubt there will ever be anything quite like it again. If only NAXOS would now start recording Canadian music on top of the Canadian artists they already record, than they will truly have one of the finest and most comprehensive classical catalogues in the world. As for now, don't pass this one up.

Average customer rating:

A Portrait
Gavin Bryars , Julian Lloyd Weber , Valerie Anderson , Tom Waits , Nexus Precussion Enasemble , Gavin Bryars Ensemble , and English Chamber Orchestra
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Minimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
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Bryars: Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet

ASIN: B00007J4WD
Release Date: 2003-01-14

Tracks:

Cello Concerto (Farewell To Philosophy) - Julian Lloyd Webber
Piu Mosso - Julian Lloyd Webber
Cello Concerto (Farewell To Philosophy) - Julian Lloyd Webber
Cello Concerto (Farewell To Philosophy) - Julian Lloyd Webber
('The Philosopher') - Julian Lloyd Webber
Poco Meno Mosso - Julian Lloyd Webber
('Farewell') A Tempo - Julian Lloyd Webber
Lento - Nexus
Piu Mosso - Nexus
Coda - Nexus
Les Fiancailles - Gavin Bryars
Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet (Single) - Tom Waits

Tracks:

The Green Ray - John Harle
Song I - Valerie Anderson
Song II - Valerie Anderson
Song III - Valerie Anderson
Song IV - Valerie Anderson
Song V - Valerie Anderson
Song VI - Valerie Anderson
Song VII - Valerie Anderson
Song VIII - Valerie Anderson
Titanic Lament (Radio Edit) - Gavin Bryars Ensemble
The North Shore - Gavin Bryars
Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet (Single Remix) - Tom Waits

Amazon.com

Philips's collection of major works that have propelled Gavin Bryars to New Music stardom is an effective overview of his music. The longest work is his Cello Concerto, handsomely played by Julian Lloyd Webber with a big, colorful tone and sustained intensity throughout its contemplative half-hour. A comparable mood pervades the bright tintinnabulating textures of the whimsically titled One Last Bar, Then Joe Can Sing. Similar as well, in their attractive serenity and suppressed sadness, are many of the other works here, prime among them the viola concerto in all but name, The North Shore, a tone painting of the rugged cliffs of northeast England. Adnan Songbook, settings of six poems by Lebanese poet Etel Adnan, are beautifully sung by soprano Valerie Anderson and delicately scored for a small ensemble. Bryars's biggest hits, The Sinking of the Titanic and Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet, have inspired him to numerous reworkings and capsuled fragments. They're represented by Titanic Lament, depicting a hymn tune dissolving into gray, watery textures, and two very different four-minute versions of Jesus' Blood, both with Tom Waits. Some will find Bryars's brand of minimalism veering too closely to New Age music, but others will immerse themselves in a sound world of originality and refined beauties. --Dan Davis

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