Unity: The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
By now, most of us have come to grudgingly accept a certain woodenness in artists-coming-together-for-a-cause CDs. Normally, the higher the collective star wattage, the more somber the tone. Not so with Unity, which dives deep into the genre pool and skims the talent off the top, leaving the wet blankets out to dry. Brian Eno follows Alice Cooper, who follows Macy Gray and Neneh Cherry, who follow Sting, Destiny's Child, and Avril Lavigne, all of them sounding kick-it ready despite the seriousness of their goal (which is to promote participation, friendship, and peace at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games). Best of all, these musical cheerleaders for unity mix it up among themselves: Roots Manuva bounces off the old-school beats of Earth, Wind & Fire ("Love Together"); Timbaland waves his production wand over Utada and Kiley Dean ("By Your Side"); Lenny Kravitz lights a revolutionary fire alongside Kadim Al Sahir ("We Want Peace"); and--in what may be the best pairing of all--Moby and Public Enemy put their hands in the air, proclaiming power to the people ("MKLFKWR"). It's purposeful without the whiff of preachiness, worthy of its own kind of torch-passing ceremony. --Tammy La Gorce

Product Description
The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album. An eclectic mix of top international artists appears on UNITY, hailing from 15 different countries across four continents. Artists include Lenny Kravitz, Sting, Destiny's Child, Avril Lavigne, Tarkan, and Kadim Al Sahir. With an underlying theme of harmony and peace, most of the 16 tracks on UNITY are exclusive to this album.

Unity: The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album,Various Artists,Capitol,Adult Alternative Pop/Rock,Adult Contemporary,Foreign Language Rock,Hip-Hop,Pop,Pop/Rock,Rock/Pop Collections,Urban,V/A Compilations,Worldbeat

Unity: The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album

Unity: The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album
Unity: The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • Great for Everyday Listening and Fun!
  • Why not the real McCoy?
  • Great Idea, Bad Execution
  • Time to here something else
  • Why is this an Olympic authorised CD??
 Unity: The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
RockRock | International | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music
Adult AlternativeAdult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | R&B | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Compilations | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Harmony: The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Classical Album
  2. American Journey - Winter Olympics 2002
  3. Summon the Heroes
  4. 1988 Summer Olympics Album: One Moment in Time
  5. Light Up The Land: 2002 Olympic Winter Games

ASIN: B0002H2WSE
Release Date: 2004-07-27

Tracks:

  1. Knocking On Heaven's Door - Avril Lavigne
  2. I Know - Destinys Child and Will I Am
  3. By Your Side - Timbaland, Utada, and Kiley Dean
  4. Universal Prayer - Tiziano Ferro and Jamelia
  5. A Thousand Years - Sting and Mariza
  6. Going All The Way - Beres Hammond and Les Nubians
  7. Issues - Mr G
  8. Love Together - Earth Wind & Fire and Roots Manuva
  9. Eyes On the Prize - Wayne Wonder and Neneh Cherry
  10. We Want Peace - Lenny Kravitz and Kadim Al Sahir
  11. Oh Yeah - Macy Gray and Keziah Jones
  12. MKLFKWR - Moby and Public Enemy
  13. Stand - Alice Cooper and Xzibit
  14. Everlasting - Greyer, Cheb Mami, and Dalaras
  15. Still Standing - Brian Eno, Skin, and Rachid Taha
  16. Pass The Flame - Trevor Horn, Yiannis, Tarkan, and Katia

Amazon.com

By now, most of us have come to grudgingly accept a certain woodenness in artists-coming-together-for-a-cause CDs. Normally, the higher the collective star wattage, the more somber the tone. Not so with Unity, which dives deep into the genre pool and skims the talent off the top, leaving the wet blankets out to dry. Brian Eno follows Alice Cooper, who follows Macy Gray and Neneh Cherry, who follow Sting, Destiny's Child, and Avril Lavigne, all of them sounding kick-it ready despite the seriousness of their goal (which is to promote participation, friendship, and peace at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games). Best of all, these musical cheerleaders for unity mix it up among themselves: Roots Manuva bounces off the old-school beats of Earth, Wind & Fire ("Love Together"); Timbaland waves his production wand over Utada and Kiley Dean ("By Your Side"); Lenny Kravitz lights a revolutionary fire alongside Kadim Al Sahir ("We Want Peace"); and--in what may be the best pairing of all--Moby and Public Enemy put their hands in the air, proclaiming power to the people ("MKLFKWR"). It's purposeful without the whiff of preachiness, worthy of its own kind of torch-passing ceremony. --Tammy La Gorce

Album Description

The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album. An eclectic mix of top international artists appears on UNITY, hailing from 15 different countries across four continents. Artists include Lenny Kravitz, Sting, Destiny's Child, Avril Lavigne, Tarkan, and Kadim Al Sahir. With an underlying theme of harmony and peace, most of the 16 tracks on UNITY are exclusive to this album.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great for Everyday Listening and Fun!.......2005-10-14

I bought this and was greatly impressed with the result. I love the cd, many of the songs are terrific, a few you can get annoyed with after a while but still...awesome. For me my two favorite songs would be Issues and Pass the Flame. Issues just makes you want to sing along while at the same time makes you think about the world around you while listen. Pass the Flame is just totally...wow, it makes you really reflective and is almost trance like. Definitely my favorite track on the cd.

1 out of 5 stars Why not the real McCoy?.......2004-12-11

As another reviewer noted, this is NOT the music used at the games! Why couldn't they put together a CD with the music used at the opening and closing ceremonies? Why not a DVD of those ceremonies (this time WITHOUT NBC's annoying commentary and constant commercial interruption!)? Those ceremonies, as are all Olympic Ceremonies, are carefully choreographed and usually magnificent occasions worthy of preservation on DVD. Somehow, it all just gets trashed and forgotten. After the tremendous expense involved, that seems incredibly wasteful. The drum beats at the beginning of the opening ceremony sent chills down my spine! Oh, to see and hear them again!

We can hear these dumb pop stars anytime. This CD is a pathetic peice of self-promotion. Avoid it.

2 out of 5 stars Great Idea, Bad Execution.......2004-11-17

This seemed like such a good idea - get a bunch of music stars from different countries to collaborate on tracks. This album is certainly eclectic, but it doesn't work at all. All I can figure is that one of two things happened. 1) They couldn't get enough big names to do it, so they had to settle for former stars (a less kind person might say "has beens") such as Alice Cooper and Earth Wind And Fire. 2) Some 50-something year old recording executive got wind of the project and made some changes. I can just imagine some clueless guy who thinks "the kids still dig Bruce Springsteen" saying "Add some Urban music because kids buy that stuff. Add Earth Wind And Fire. Boy they sure were good, weren't they?"

I was stunned at how much Urban music (R&B, hip hop, etc.) is on this album. I don't like that kind of music at all and never listen to it. I have no frame of reference. Is the Destiny Child's song as good as their other stuff, better, or worse? I truly have no idea. Listening to this album didn't convince me that I was missing anything by not listening to that kind of music.

A few of these tracks work. Avril Lavigne's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" was inspired. Sting and Mariza work well together. In fact, I bought this because of that song. Alice Cooper and Xzibit were pretty good. Moby and Public Enemy were surprisingly good and the Brian Eno and Skin collaboration was nice. The rest is not so good. Lenny Kravitz tries, bless his heart, but his song with Kadim Al Sahir does not work at all. The styles just don't match. Maybe Lenny should have listed to Sting's song "Desert Rose" to figure out how to blend his music with Arabic music. Herbert Groenemeyer and Cheb Mami is really bad. Well, Herbert is really bad and Cheb can do nothing to save the track. Herbert is apparently some big deal in Germany, but hey, David Hasselhoff is a recording star there too. Why oh why couldn't they have gotten Nena to do the album instead of Herbert? The rest of the album is truly forgettable, although not necessarily bad.

My recommendation would be to try to buy individual songs if there's an artist you like, but I can't recommend this album.

4 out of 5 stars Time to here something else.......2004-09-17

Well I wouldn't actually give a 5 star, but this cd is a collection of diferent types of sounds and surelly open to the world. Who said that it's anti-American? And who said that the whole world IS America? Is it that bad to sit down and listen something else, than the barkings in the hip-hop/rap/RnB music who's poor in mellody to say the least and rich in cursing (at least 4 times of the *f* word in every hip-hop song). European, African and Asian sounds to help people extend their music knowlege, I dont think this makes it anti-American. After all, music is food for our minds. Am I right or am I right? :))

1 out of 5 stars Why is this an Olympic authorised CD??.......2004-09-12

After visiting Athens during the Olympics and attending many of the events I eagerly looked forward to a CD being released of all the music played at the venues to keep the crowd going. Unfortunately "Unity" is the CD they released. Of all the songs on this CD I recognise about 3 that were actually played in stadiums during the Olympic Games - so why is this the official Athens 2004 CD?
Unity: The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Unity: The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album
    Various Artists
    Manufacturer: EMI
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
    RockRock | International | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
    Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music
    Adult AlternativeAdult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | R&B | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B000276KKA

    Tracks:

    1. Knockin' on Heaven's Door - Avril Lavigne
    2. I Know - Destiny's Child, will.i.am
    3. By Your Side - Kiley Dean, Utada Hikaru, Timbaland, Utada, Hikaru Utada
    4. Universal Prayer - Tiziano Ferro, Jamelia
    5. Thousand Years - Mariza, Sting
    6. All the Way - Beres Hammond, Les Nubians
    7. Issues
    8. Love Together - Roots Manuva
    9. Eyes on the Prize - Neneh Cherry, Wayne Wonder
    10. We Want Peace - Lenny Kravitz
    11. Oh Yeah - Macy Gray
    12. MKLVFKWR - Moby, Public Enemy
    13. Stand - Alice Cooper, Xzibit
    14. Everlasting - George Dalaras, Herbert Groenemeyer, Herbert Greyer, Cheb Mami
    15. Still Standing - Brian Eno, , Rachid Taha
    16. Pass the Flame - The Official Torch Relay Theme - Trevor Horn, Yiannis Kotsiras, Tarkan

    Album Details

    Features an Eclectic Mix of Top International Artists Hailing from 15 Different Countries Across Four Continents, Including Avril Lavigne, Lenny Kravitz, Sting, Destiny's Child, Tarkan and Kadim Al Sahir. With an Underlying Theme of Harmony and Peace, Most of the 16 Tracks on "Unitiy" Feature Two Or More Artists Performing Together.
    Unity - Athens 2004 -The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Unity - Athens 2004 -The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album
      Avril Lavigne , Destiny's Child , Timbaland - Kiley Dean - Utada , Tiziano Ferro - Jamelia , Sting - Maritza , Beres Hammond - Les Nubians , Mr. G , Earth Wind & Fire - Roots Manuva , Wayne Wonder - Neneh Cherry , and Lenny Kravitz - Kadim Al Sahir
      Manufacturer: EMI/Capitol
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B000FMPEPO

      Product Description

      Unity - Athens 2004 -The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album // 1. Knocking On Heaven's Door - Avril Lavigne 2. I Know - Destiny's Child - will.i.am 3. By Your Side - Timbaland - Kiley Dean - Utada 4. Universal Prayer - Tiziano Ferro - Jamelia 5. Thousand Years - Sting - Maritza 6. All The Way - Beres Hammond - Les Nubians 7. Issues - Mr. G 8. Love Together - Earth Wind & Fire - Roots Manuva 9. Eyes On The Prize - Wayne Wonder - Neneh Cherry 10. We Want Peace - Lenny Kravitz - Kadim Al Sahir 11. Oh Yeah - Macy Gray - Keziah Jones 12. MKLVFKWR - Moby - Public Enemy 13. Stand - Alice Cooper - Xzibit 14. Everlasting - Hernert Groenemeyer - Cheb Mami - George Dalaras 15. Still Standing - Brian Eno - Skin - Rachid Taha 16. Pass The Flame - Trevorn Horn - Yiannis Kotsiras - Tarkan
      Unity: The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Unity: The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album
        Various Artists
        Manufacturer: EMI/Virgin
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
        RockRock | International | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
        Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music
        Adult AlternativeAdult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | R&B | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Compilations | Rock | Styles | Music
        ASIN: B00028XEF8
        Release Date: 2004-07-15

        Tracks:

        1. Knockin' on Heaven's Door - Avril Lavigne
        2. I Know - Destiny's Child, will.i.am
        3. By Your Side - Kiley Dean, Utada Hikaru, Timbaland, Utada, Hikaru Utada
        4. Universal Prayer - Tiziano Ferro, Jamelia
        5. Thousand Years - Mariza, Sting
        6. All the Way - Beres Hammond, Les Nubians
        7. Issues
        8. Love Together - Roots Manuva
        9. Eyes on the Prize - Neneh Cherry, Wayne Wonder
        10. We Want Peace - Lenny Kravitz
        11. Oh Yeah - Macy Gray
        12. MKLVFKWR - Moby, Public Enemy
        13. Stand - Alice Cooper, Xzibit
        14. Everlasting - George Dalaras, Herbert Groenemeyer, Herbert Greyer, Cheb Mami
        15. Still Standing - Brian Eno, , Rachid Taha
        16. Pass the Flame - The Official Torch Relay Theme - Trevor Horn, Yiannis Kotsiras, Tarkan

        Album Description

        Japanese pressing of the official Athens 2004 Olympic Games album has earliest release. Featured artists include Avril Lavigne, Destiny's Child & mostly unique collaborations like Moby/Public Enemy, Sting/Mariza, Earth Wind & Fire/Roots Manuva, Brian Eno/Skin/Rachid Taha, & more. Virgin.

        Soul Music:

        1. Urban Legend [Explicit Lyrics]
        2. Visions of the Tenth Chamber [Explicit Lyrics]
        3. Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life [Explicit Lyrics]
        4. Where Is the Love [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]
        5. Where's Your Album?!! [Explicit Lyrics]
        6. Wu-Chronicles [Explicit Lyrics]
        7. X Marks the Spot
        8. 2000 [Explicit Lyrics]
        9. AOI: Bionix [Explicit Lyrics]
        10. ATLiens [Clean]

        Soul Music

        soul music

        Recommended Music:

        Tell Us the Truth: The Live Concert Recording [Live]

        Caliph: Arabic Episode in One Act

        Complete Early Recordings

        Move

        Fish Rising [Import]

        Cabo Verde

        Anthology: 40 Years of Hits and More [Import]

        Bruckner - Mass in F minor / Booth, Rigby, Ainsley, Howell, Corydon Singers and Orchestra, Best

        Demolition

        Beethoven: Symphony No. 9; Claudio Abbado, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

        Compact Jazz: Best of Bossa Nova

        Ache [Import]

        Bacarat En La Ideal [Import]

        Richard Strauss: An Alpine Symphony

        Dancing at the Gate