Wires & Wood

Wires & Wood

ASIN: B00004RJM2

Track Listings

1. Mandolin Meltdown

2. Coal Tattoo

3. Legend of the Ghost Coon

4. Wires and Wood

5. Shafer's Reel

6. Escape from Taiwan

7. You Can't Take It With You When You Go

8. Catch Me If You Can

9. Timbuktu

10. Jessica's Lullaby

11. John"Barty" Jam [*]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The Johnny Staats Project arrives riding a wave of big-time media acclaim (The New York Times, People, CBS, and NBC, to name a few) and big-time expectations for Staats as a mandolin savior. Judge Wires & Wood by that criteria and you may never find it a satisfying listen. However, when you finally grasp the idea that this is a debut record from a heretofore amateur musician and full-time UPS driver in West Virginia, you start to realize that Wires & Wood is an amazing achievement. Backed by many of Nashville's finest players, Staats nimbly balances a number of styles ranging from straight-ahead bluegrass to Celtic reels to gentle lullabies to thoughtful folk. He's well versed in the "jazzgrass" style popularized by folks like David Grisman, offering several crafty, cunning instrumentals that prove him to be a surprisingly evocative and engaging composer. At the heart of it all, of course, is Staats's astonishing mandolin work: it's incredibly fleet and fluid, boasting clarity, precision, and taste at even the most ridiculous speeds. He doesn't resort to pet licks and there rarely seems to be a superfluous note amid the torrent. He's also a rich, honey-voiced tenor singer, even if his voice is not his greatest strength; at the very least, his earnest vocal songs give you a chance to catch your breath. Ultimately, the Staats Project may not do anything that the Grisman Quintet or the Tony Rice Unit didn't do 25 years ago, but the fact that he does it as well says quite a bit about this no-longer-hidden talent. --Marc Greilsamer

Wires & Wood,The Johnny Staats Project,Warner Bros / Wea,Bluegrass,Contemporary Country,Country,Country & Western,Pop

Crimebusters & Crossed Wires: Stories from This American Life
Average customer rating:

Some of the best This American Life ever

Hilarious! Wonderful!

Truly the best of TAM!

For people who enjoy storytelling. . .

This American Life Rocks!

Crimebusters & Crossed Wires: Stories from This American Life
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Shout Factory
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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This American Life: Lies Sissies & Fiascoes

This American Life: Stories of Hope and Fear

Driveway Moments

David Sedaris Live at Carnegie Hall

Driveway Moments, Vol. 2

ASIN: B0000TG9WY
Release Date: 2003-11-11

Tracks:

Squirrel Cop - A Police Officer Somewhere On The East Coast
Loser - fiction by Aimee Bender, read by Matt Malloy
Flight Vs. Invisibility - John Hodgman
Watching The Detective - Ira Glass
The Greatest Phone Message Of All Time - Jonathan Goldstein

Tracks:

Jesus Shaves - David Sedaris
Say It To Me In Guy Language - Ira Glass
When The Wall Came Tumbling Down - A Teenager And His Dad
Everyone Speaks Elton John - Starlee Kine
Music Lessons - Sarah Vowell

Amazon.com

If storytelling and oral history often seem like endangered species in a culture dominated by disposable infotainment, NPR host Ira Glass could be seen as something of a preservationist, his low-key passion for the magic moments that inform everyday life the driving force behind his successful This American Life radio series. This second series anthology culls its 10 stories onto two discs loosely centered around notions of "Crimebusters" and "Crossed Wires." And while professional writers like Sarah Vowell and David Sedaris (whose bemused take on nationality-diverse French class attempting to explain their various impressions of Easter is characterized by mounting, masterfully constructed hilarity) participate, they are hard-pressed to better the tales of everyday people that are the collection's de facto focal points: a rookie cop's efforts at corralling a household-invading squirrel turning into chaotic slapstick worthy of Sellers or Benigni; a Beverly Hills teen and his father making war, then peace over a spiraling drug problem; Starlee Kline and Mekons founder Jon Langford forming a band of strangers solely through classified ads. Less enamored of their own voices and ideas, those tales of "everyday people" are the collection's true treasures. --Jerry McCulley

Album Description

Crimebusters and Crossed Wires is a collection of ten stories, with true tales of (sometimes hapless) crimefighters and investigators of all sorts on one CD, and real-life adventures in miscommunication on the other.

From a bungling, squirrel-chasing cop who burns, bloodies, and tears apart a new house in pursuit of the rogue rodent, to a father who resorts to tapping his drug-using teen's phone, Crimebusters and Crossed Wires offers comical and poignant insight. Among the storytellers featured are best-selling writers David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell.

Customer Reviews:

Some of the best This American Life ever.......2007-05-07

Contains Squirrel Cop which is the stuff of urban legends.

Hilarious! Wonderful!.......2007-01-20

I have listened to this over and over. It's so funny. I absolutely love it!
PS
Don't take this to the gym with you because you won't be able to do any exercise from laughing so hard.

Truly the best of TAM!.......2005-12-19

I am a regular and avid listener of This American Life (TAM) and have loved Squirrel Cop since I first heard it on the radio. Then when they paired that amazing, anonymous confession of rookie cop bravado with the equally hilarious essay of language barriers by David Sedaris...I knew I had to have this CD set.

Since receiving them, I have listened to all the stories several times (and a few range into dozens of times). Each and every story is worth listening to more than once. The son and father who work out a drug problem by simple "spying on your kid", the lessons learned by being a band geek, and the newest, greatest party/dinner question of all time - it's a collection of stories that are diverse yet centric to life as a 21st century human.

The stories never get old, as I find more in them each time I listen, like petals opening in a blooming flower. I play them while I travel, at work in my office, at home while cleaning and for anyone who has never heard of TAM.

It has now become a topic of office discussion and I've had to buy more copies to give as gifts. In fact, at a recent gift exchange, it was the most sought after present there.

You have to get these CDs! If you're life if full of stress, involves a long commute or you just need a diversion from your everyday life - then here's the CD set you need!

For people who enjoy storytelling. . ........2005-09-25

"This American Life" is fantastic, eclectic, unusual, and often funny. The art of storytelling is dying in America. This collection of stories breathes new life into it. Some of the stories are laugh out-loud funny ("The Little Mermaid") and some are thought-provoking, but all are worthwhile.

This American Life Rocks!.......2004-12-20

This second volume of "the best" of "This American Life" is another gem! Each of these stories is amazing in its own right, and each is a perfect example of what a phenomenal show TAL really is.

Most of these stories are on the humorous side, which is really just one side of the show; however, it's still a well-rounded collection. If you are trying to turn someone on to the show, this is an excellent CD to introduce them to it.

The only thing that I didn't like about the CD was the time between Vols. 1 & 2. Come on, TAL...give us more of the best!

Average customer rating:

Killer set of tunes!
Touches A Nerve
One of my favorite Mayall albums.
Jazzy, use of horns with a touch of the avant -garde
I was hopping for better

Bare Wires
John Mayall & the Blues Breakers
Manufacturer: Umvd Special Markets
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Blues from Laurel Canyon
USA Union
Jazz Blues Fusion
Crusade
Back to the Roots

ASIN: B0000047Q8
Release Date: 1995-04-16

Tracks:

Barewires-Suite: Barewires/Where Did I Belong,...
I'm A Stranger
No Reply
Hartley Quits
Killing Time
She's Too Young
Sandy

Customer Reviews:

Killer set of tunes!.......2007-02-28

First of all, this album is just plain extraordinary. Secondly, some reviewer down below says this is the only Mayall and the Bluesbreakers album with guitarist Mick Taylor. I think Taylor has been on like 4 or 5 different Mayall albums over the years, my favorite of which is *Crusade* Micks first recording with the band in which he really shines on the guitar, much to the same level as Clapton did on the *Beano* Bluesbreaker album. Shame nobody has reviewed it here on Amazon yet so there's your first five star rating for that album. Bare Wires is a trippy, mesmerizing album that is just astounding and at times scary. The sheer level of musicianship involved is evident all over. Jon Hiseman is a wicked evil drum wizard with a killer groove and fantastic chops. Mick Taylor, already proven on Crusade takes things a step or three further and really delivers the goods on this album. The rest of the band is superb, probably Mayalls best lineup ever right here. But don't take my word for it, GET IT and then go out and get *Crusade*!!

Touches A Nerve.......2006-07-11

When I was in college, you just weren't any fun at parties if you didn't have a good Bob Dylan impression in your pocket, as well as a good John Mayall impression. Mayall's singing was so overtly unnatural that he was a perfect target, it seemed he was straining for every note. That said, Bare Wires is the album where he stays within his range most effectively. The result is that for once one does not have to politely avert one's eyes when he sings.

Bare Wires is certainly Mayall's most unusual album, and in many ways his finest. In addition to the standard blues fare for which he is famous it includes strange and brooding experimental numbers like Bare Wires, Fire, I Know Now, and Sandy. Invariably surrounded by other terrific musicians, this effort boasts one of Mayall's best bands ever, including an outstanding horn section - Chris Mercer and Dick Heckstall-Smith. Henry Lowther adds some particularly eerie, and appropriate, grace notes with his fiddle and coronet. Jon Hiseman is excellent on drums and Tony Reeves anchors the effort well on his bass.

Mayall plays guitar, piano, and harmonica, writes, arranges, sings, and probably puts up the posters too. But he is a not a virtuoso at any of them. His greatness lies in his dedication to the blues and his ability to find and groom talent. For many years Mayall's band was an unofficial Blues Graduate School, turning out such legends-in-the-making as Eric Clapton and Peter Green. When Bare Wires was recorded, Mick Taylor was the new hot thing. (Mayall had originally found Taylor through a newspaper ad when he was only 18, long before his stint with the Rolling Stones.)

The one time I saw Mayall, at the Fillmore East, he had Taylor with him. The kid was putting on a clinic, he was out of his head. That same energy and flare are present throughout Barewires, even on slow numbers like Killing Time. But when you get to the upbeat tracks like Start Walking and Hartley Quits, you'll see why many consider Taylor every bit as good as Clapton, which is saying something. A marvelously obscure and curious CD certain to delight the true collector.

One of my favorite Mayall albums........2005-12-09

Mayall is a throwback to the "big band leaders" of the early 40s. His greatest talent was recognizing and assembling great musicians; directing and leading those musicians; and arranging and creating great musical compositions. This album highlights all of those strengths and in my opinion is his best. I'm a big fan of Mayall and have all of his early works, 1980 and earlier. I rediscovered this album after I started switching my collection over to CDs...I had long lost or "misplaced" the vinyl. Oddly enough, I guess my aging has changed my taste a bit, because I now put Barewires at the top of the Mayall collection. There is more use of horns and the music is more--I guess "moody" is the right term. I love the suite; it has all the ups and downs of life..."I'm a Stranger" is one of the best songs done by Mayall, it has everything. "No reply", "Hartley Quits" lots of good cuts on this one. This album is so smooth; it's great for a laid back evening of cooling the soul! Jazz/Blues, when done right, isn't a struggle to listen to and this album can be listened to with your eyes closed and your brain set on idle...

Jazzy, use of horns with a touch of the avant -garde .......2005-07-31

I remember when this came out .. 1968. everyone was blending tracks together a'la Sgt Pepper . Mayall's Bare Wires Suite is his Sgt Pepper! This is a set of music that has stood the test of time...a real classic British Blues disc .There are wonderful horns by Henry Lowther ,and the Late, great Dick Heckstall-Smith (R.I.P Dick) Jon Hisemans inventive drumming shines throughout this recording , Jon was with the last line -up of the ill -fated Graham Bond Organisation , along with Dick, prior to joining the Mayall Band . Mick Taylor had appeared on the Crusade album prior to this , and would be retained for the next album featuring a stripped down line up of just a four piece .('Blues from Laurel Canyon'which had one track featuring Peter Green.) Obviously , especially as they had not yet 'Cracked America' A large band like this would be impossible to keep on the road for very long , even back then ..Another album with this line -up would have been really something special. This is STILL one of Johns best...

I was hopping for better.......2004-12-28

John Mayall and his blues breakers put outquite a few good albums in the late 60's and early 70's and all featured and new and amazing guitar player. Eric Clapton and Peter Green all went on to succesful bands and solo carears after bluesbreakers and so did Mick Taylor, who just happens to play on this album. After this album we didnt really hear much from Mick Taylor for a while but in the early 70's Taylor joined the Rolling Stones after Brian Jones died. Bare Wires is the only album Mick Taylor recorded with John Mayall. Mayall vocals are at the best of his carear on this album and it really shows on tracks like 'I'm a Stranger' and of course Mick Taylors guitar sourse throughout the whole album.

The album opens with 'Barewires-Suite' which is a montage of songs that lasts for 22 minutes its filled with tone of solos by the band but none show out like Mick Taylors do about half way through tha suite has goes into an amazing knock your socks off solo, it shows that Green, and Clapton had nothing on him. Next is 'Im a Stranger' which as I meantioned before shows some of Mayalls best vocal abilities, but other then that this isnt a really impressive song. 'No Reply' is a cool wah-wah pedel fueled blues song full of high energy and great vocals. 'Hartley Quites' is Mick Taylors shining moment, this song shows some of Micks best soloing, never again did he play with such passion and conviction, this track alone out shines the entire album with Eric Clapton. Listen to this and try and tell me Mick Taylor isnt one of the most underrated guitar players of all time! I dare you! 'Killing Time' is a slower piano driven blues song with great slide guitar by mick and awesome vocals by Mayall, it almost sounds western. 'Shes Too Young' is a fun saxaphone filled blues song with lots of rythem changes and lots of energy, this is the fastest song on the album and one of the better tracks as well. The albums ends with 'Sandy' which is slower and full of great slide guitar work, kinda tradidtional and its really cool because Mayall sounds like Jake Bruce of Cream at times, deffinatley the best song to close the album.

So while this may not be the best album by John Mayall and His Bluesbreakers it is still a very good album full of great musician ship. If you are someone looking or a album with great guitar work I would recomend this. Also if you are a big fan of Mick Taylors I would highly recomend this as well as Goats Head Soup by The Rolling Stones, and If you like this album be sure to pick up Hard road by Mayall featuring Peter Green and Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton, both are very good high quiality albums.

Average customer rating:

unexpected gem
A Masterpiece
cool record
Trent Reznor Brought Up in the English Countryside

Wind in the Wires
Patrick Wolf
Manufacturer: Tomlab
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Magic Position
The Magic Position
Libertine
Tristan
Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters

ASIN: B0007RTB2Y
Release Date: 2005-03-15

Tracks:

Libertine
Teignmouth
Shadowsea
Wind in the Wires
Railway House
Gypsy King
Apparition
Ghost Song
This Weather
Jacob's Ladder
Tristan
Eulogy
Lands End

Customer Reviews:

unexpected gem.......2007-06-06

I knew nothing of Patrick Wolf, but a friend let me give this album a listen, and I fell in love. At first, I'd been a bit put off by his voice, sort of extreme and raw, not unlike Jeff Buckley. But, the music is amazing - dark and luxurious, unfurling and encompassing, like being caught in a storm. A little Gothic (in the true sense of the word), a little like a fairytale, there's nothing unimpressive about this music. It's definitely an experience, and one I highly recommend.

A Masterpiece.......2005-07-13

Patrick Wolf sheds the hyperactive habber dash of Lycanthropy for the lush and haunting Wind in the Wires.

If you enjoyed "London" and "Demolition" from Lycanthropy you are in for a melodically madrigal treat. Patrick Wolf engages the listener with lovely lyrics that read right out of a gothic short story (from "Teignmouth") "Down to the burning cliffs/To the unrelenting roll/To marry the untold blisses/And anchor this lost soul".

He also utilizes a multitude of musical "instruments" (from the traditional violin and piano to bird calls and a horse's clip-clop). Highly recommended.

cool record.......2005-04-19

I have seen this guy's records for a while. I thought he was kind of like John Vanderslice. This is a young English guy, who is 21 years old, and has released two records. He seems to have a lot of classical training. Everyone was to be a pop star nowadays. The music is really excellent. It sounds really distinguished. It's somewhere between The Divine Comedy and Momus. Yes it sounds decadent. It sounds arty. The first single "The Libertine" sounds literary and gives me that impression. Patrick Wolf combines folk music, rock, electronic and classical. Apparently Meredith Monk inspired him too. He's played with Hidden Cameras. This guy is the real thing. It's something to check out. It has real feeling to it. I want to see him play live soon. I love this song called "Railway Song." Patrick Wolf is worthy.

Trent Reznor Brought Up in the English Countryside.......2005-04-10

On his debut Lycanthropy, the very young Patrick Wolf was the literal kid in the candy shop. You can hear his delight in trying absolutely everything. But that sugar rush of ideas also caused a musical form of attention deficit disorder - the disc, effective from track to track, lacked focus. Wind in the Wires sidesteps the dreaded sophomore slump because Wolf - all of 21 now - has polished his composing talents to a high sheen. His electro-folk has precedents in everything from English madrigal to goth to Conor Oberst; his voice traces of Jeff Buckley and David Sylvain. Yet he's an original. Imagine Trent Reznor brought up in the British countryside, haunted by rainy day ghost stories instead of 21st century atrocities. Not that Wolf is stuck in another time. Far from it. His songs layer dark electronics over traditional structures that are subsequently comforting and alienating. They get under your skin. And though his subject matter often seems culled from the front pages of the London Herald circa 1880, there's certainly a post-modern slant to "Lands End", about the travesty of the music press, and "The Libertine", which I'd bet money is about - or at least inspired by - Pete Doherty.

Average customer rating:

Make Plans to Buy This!
4.5 stars
A step forward.
Zany and brainy
For A Totally Different Perspective...

Drums and Wires
XTC
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Black Sea
English Settlement
Skylarking
Mummer
Oranges & Lemons

ASIN: B00005ATHI
Release Date: 2002-08-06

Tracks:

Making Plans For Nigel
Helicopter
Day In Day Out
When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty
Ten Feet Tall
Roads Girdle The Globe
Real by Reel
Millions
That Is The Way
Outside World
Scissor Man
Complicated Game
Life Begins At The Hop
Chain Of Command
Limelight

Amazon.com

Most Americans' first taste of XTC came from this CD, originally released in 1979. The band's first full-length without cofounder Barry Andrews, it was a cavalcade of Andy Partridge's neuroses and paranoia. Although it contained two quirky bona fide pop songs--the calling card "Making Plans for Nigel" and the breezy "Life Begins at the Hop"--the music as a whole was as jagged as Partridge's attitude. "Complicated Game" and "Scissor Man" have the singer's haunting howl echoing and whispering throughout, sounding like a fun house operator gone mad, while "Real by Reel," another pop standout, might be the most conventional song on the CD. Drums and Wires is a must-have for anybody who is only discovering the band. Skylarking and the collected singles are the only other releases that come close to capturing the band's early and earnest dementia. --Steve Gdula

Album Description

Remastered reissue of 1979 album features the classic 'Making Plans For Nigel'.Virgin Records. 2001.

Customer Reviews:

Make Plans to Buy This!.......2007-01-02

The departure of quirky keyboardist Barry Andrews after only two XTC albums, may have signalled the early death knell of the band. Andrews improvised and manic approach had been one of XTC's unique claims. But the arrival of guitarist and multi instrumentalist Dave Gregory for their third album "Drums and Wires" in fact had a liberating effect on the band. XTC's sound began to broaden and harden with his arrival and the song writing moved from the juvenilia of comic books and science-fiction to socio/cultural topics such as job opportunities, surveillance culture and environmental issues to name but three. The social satire reaches its peak on the hypnotic, persuasive and majestic lead single "Making Plans For Nigel". XTC's first major UK hit and the beginning of a dominant song writing spell for bassist Colin Moulding that would eventually lead to his own solo project. Moulding also pens the delightfully breezy and spacious "Ten Feet Tall", a single Virgin believed would break the band in the US. Partridge's song writing also excels, but his compositions at this time still remain quirky, experimental and at times awkward. Nevertheless "Reel by Real" hints at the very commercial songs that were too follow from Partridge. The album has a beautifully sparse production quality thanks to Steve Lillywhite and with its distinctive cover design helped it become their biggest selling record up to that point and one of their most cohesive and enjoyable recordings.

This digitally re-mastered version presents the album in its best sound quality to date and also includes three bonus tracks in the shape of "Life Begins at the Hop", "Chain of Command" and "Limelight", the latter two tracks are especially precious little gems and are presented for the first time re-mastered and sounding great.

4.5 stars.......2006-07-20

Fans usually cite XTC's songwriting as the band's greatest asset. But it was really XTC's outstanding musicianship that made their recordings special. This remastered "Drums and Wires" reveals more than ever just how powerful the group's performances could often be -- particulary when drummer Terry Chambers was on board, as he is on this album.

Get it.

A step forward........2006-07-20

A huge leap forward in terms of songwriting and arrangement, XTC's "Drums and Wires" is a new beginning for the band, not the least of which due to the personnel changes that occured in the band-- keyboardist Barry Andrews departed, evidentally due to an arguement about songwriting contributions with principle songwriter and guitarist Andy Partridge. Left as a trio, Partridge, bassist/songwriter Colin Moulding, and drummer Terry Chambers recruited guitarist/keyboardists Dave Gregory. With Gregory, the band began exploring concepts of texture in more detail. Looking at the albums over 25 years later without any sentimental attachment to the early material (I was about 18 months old when "Drums and Wires" was released), it's clear that Andrews' buzzing organ sounds were a limitation on both Partridge and Moulding as songwriters, and with Gregory they began exploring more.

Perhaps the most immediately noticable improvement in songwriting comes in Colin Moulding-- whereas on the previous two albums his contributions felt underdeveloped at best, here pretty much all the standouts are his and they benefit from an extraordinary sense of arrangement. Opener "Making Plans for Nigel" features a pulsing rhythm section and out-of-phase guitars chugging along over which Moulding paints his picture of planning your child's life in a calm and developed voice. Really, it's the kind of thing that based on the first couple records, you'd never dream Moulding had in him. Likewise, the spiralling acoustic guitars of "Ten Feet Tall" and the churning excitement of the near psychedelic "This is the Way" grab your attention.

Partridge, for his part, sticks to his guns with the ska/punk new wave stuff, although there's a distinct improvement, both in the confidence of his vocals ("Helicopter") and composition (the goofy "When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty"-- check the two guitar lines bouncing in and out of skanks and lines).

The real problem is that the album seems to fizzle as it goes on, and the second half features a bunch of totally unmemorable tracks ("Outside World", "Reel By Reel"). Throughout, there's also some examples of forced melodrama that just comes off horribly (the reciting of the title of "Complicated Game", although the fierce guitar solo and Partridge's frantic, shouted vocal pretty well absolves this, "Road Girdle the Globe")

This reissue provides remastered sound, presenting the album crisp and clean and allowing its textures to shine. It also adds three bonus tracks-- Moulding's goofy "Life Begins at the Hop" was one of the early songs with Dave Gregory and while structurally, it sounds more like the stuff on their earlier records, it maintains a sense of maturity in the vocals and the arrangements that allows it to sit comfortably alongside the best material on the album, although the other two bonus tracks aren't nearly as memorable (neither is particularly bad... kind of like much of the record).

All in all, "Drums and Wires" is a huge step forward and far and away the best thing XTC had done until now. They'd go on to bigger and better things as they became more overt about their love of '60s rock and psychedelia, but this one is worth investigating.

Zany and brainy.......2006-03-30

On their third album it's bye bye Barry Andrews and organ and hello Dave Gregory and XTC achieve their "classic sound", ie one that lasted through Black Sea and English Settlement. On Drums And Wires Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding really came into their own as songwriters and Terry Jones first displayed his peculiar and inimitable THUD WHACK drumming style. The freneticism of the first two albums was tempered by a growing and unique musical sophistication, yet there's an economy of style that reflects that these songs were supposed to be played live in front of actual people. Andy Partridges' crippling stage fright was still several years off and the complex arrangements of Skylarking even farther. My introduction to XTC was the second album Go2 and so when Barry Andrews was kicked out I didn't know what to expect. Well what I got was one of the nuttiest and finest albums these clever pop hooligans ever made. From Colin Mouldings' early hit Making Plans For Nigel to Andy Partridges' most loopy song Helicopter, it's sheer mad genius.

For A Totally Different Perspective..........2006-01-05

Unlike most XTC reviewers, I was in at the beginning. For me this is the LAST great XTC album. Don't get me wrong, there are fleeting moments of interest on some subsequent offerings but this was the last of their albums that I enjoyed from go to whoah.
The singles are fine but its the "album" tracks that really make this. Complicated Game is one of the most amazing songs I have ever experienced, especially when they did it live on their last Australian tour, and the other songs here provide links with both the past and their future. Helicopter and Outside World have all the manic intensity of their early albums whilst Millions and Ten Feet Tall point the way to their infinitely more mellow future work.
Interestingly, the LP I owned included the single Life Begins at the Hop and it even appears on the track list of the original CD, although on the disc the song is Day In Day Out. This remastered version at least includes Life Begins... as a bonus track. Even better, they put the bonus tracks at the end, not between side 1 and side 2 as was done on all the original XTC CD releases.
This album is definitely the pinnacle of their career for me, it takes all the energy and quirkiness of the first two releases and adds great production and a certain maturity to it. The result is timeless.

Average customer rating:

His last Opus!
Roy's swan song...
Roy's swan song...

Hot Wires
Roy Buchanan
Manufacturer: Alligator Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

When a Guitar Plays the Blues
Dancing on the Edge
American Axe: Live in 1974
You're Not Alone
Guitar on Fire: The Atlantic Sessions

ASIN: B0000009YQ
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

High Wire
That Did It
Goose Grease
Sunset Over Broadway
Ain't No Business
Flash Chordin'
25 Miles
These Arms Of Mine
Country Boogie
The Blues Lover

Customer Reviews:

His last Opus!.......2005-08-21

This was pitifully the last recording of this enfant terrible of the Rock: Roy Buchanan who still had so much to give and so much to say. He lefts us in a very early age.
This album contains one of the Best Blues of hos persona career: Blues lover, extraordinary.
We must mention the special version of 25 miles a remake of the original Soul singer Edwin Star of 1969.
But there is still more: The instrumental Hot wires is atrue tour de force all the way; his flamboyant Flash Chordin, Country Boogie and the enrapturing Sunset over Broadway.
Go for this album it's a must in your personal collection.
Roy Buchanan: In memoriam!

Roy's swan song..........2000-02-24

Two of the stars on this album are not with us anymore:Roy,the genius,and Stan Szelest,his keyboard player.In many ways,this is a culmination of Buchanan's career,featuring four instrumentals,and a number of guest vocalists,such as:Kanika Kress and John Sayles.The style is exactly what we have become accustomed to expect from this guitar wiz(who also sings):lots of soul and scorching guitar that will leave your rock rolling.Roy Buchanan the master,gone but not forgotten...

Roy's swan song..........2000-02-24

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Wires & Wool
The Envy Corps
Manufacturer: Universal/Mercury
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000QUU2G6
Release Date: 2007-06-25

Tracks:

Wires & Wool
Pip Pip
Surgery
Wires & Wool (Video)

Album Description

Enhanced 2007 CD single. Features two versions of 'Wires And Wool' (Main Version and Enhanced Video) plus 'Pip Pip' and 'Surgery'. Mercury.

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'The little things mean everything.' Matthew Ryan gets them all right.
Formidable talent
I don't write reviews. Period.
Poetic way with words
"...So I can begin to begin again."

Regret Over the Wires
Matthew Ryan
Manufacturer: Hybrid Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

East Autumn Grin
Concussion
Strays Don't Sleep
From A Late Night High Rise
Happiness

ASIN: B0000C7PRB
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Tracks:

Return to Me
The Little Things
Trouble Doll
Long Blvd.
I Can't Steal You
Caged Bird
Come Home
I Hope Your God Has Mercy On Mine
Nails
Sweetie
Every Good Thing
Skylight

Customer Reviews:

'The little things mean everything.' Matthew Ryan gets them all right. .......2006-02-24

If I were creating a bionic singer-songwriter, I'd start with these elements: a decent voice, a knack for writing lines that make you think, a heart just slightly smaller than the mind, a love of all kinds of music, an interest in the most tedious details of the recording process, a modest capacity for joy, a gallon of empathy for the listeners. And I'd shove all that into a body --- male or female --- that might not look so good modeling clothes.

Which is to say: I'd build Matthew Ryan.

"Regret Over the Wires," Ryan's fourth CD, was released in 2003. It rather pleases me that I missed the first three; reading about them, they sound dreary. And I'm always happy to be two years "late" --- hearing about someone great years after the fact suggests that the musician has something enduring to say.

You have only to listen to a snippet of the first song, "Return to Me," to know that Matthew Ryan's a bit more interesting than the competition. There's a melody, an actual melody. And lyrics that are smarter for their seeming informality.

The voice? I hear echoes of Leonard Cohen, Dylan, Mellencamp. But just echoes. The whisper that's topped by hoarseness is all his own. And there's none of the stripped-down production that pushes the vocals forward --- there's knockout percussion here and even better violins. The music supports the words, the words echo the music: This is what a song is meant to me.

Matthew Ryan's one of those guys --- Josh Rouse is another --- you hear on alternative radio and think, "Yes, I ought to get this." Usually, you don't because, after all, you've heard the One Good Song. The thing is, "Regret Over the Wires" is sharp all the way through. Listen to it loud, listen to it soft, play it as background music, put it on during a party --- it passes every test.

"The little things, the little things mean everything," he sings. So true. And he got them all right. I like to think I'll be listening to this CD for a long long time.

Formidable talent.......2005-09-13

I've been in possession of Matthew Ryan's Regret Over The Wires for approximately 2 weeks, but man, words can't even begin to describe just how good this guy is and how much his music means to me.

Matthew Ryan is a gritty realist and champion of the underpriveledged. He possesess a rough-hewn voice and just happens to makes transcendantly beautiful music. 'Return To Me', 'Long Blvd.', 'I Can't Steal You' and 'Skylight' never fail to send shivers up my spine. In fact, everything on this album does. This is music with soul, gravity, grit and achingly good hooks.

Essential listening.

I don't write reviews. Period. .......2005-05-26

First, let me say this: I have never written a review for any product I have ever purchased. I just don't do it -- no matter how great or awful I think a book, CD or product is. So the fact that I am writing this review, maybe the only one I'll ever submit, should tell you how highly I regard Matthew Ryan's work -- and how much I think the music of this underappreciated, almost-unknown artist deserves to be heard.

In the past five or six years, a whole slew of new-generation singer-songwriters have hit the scene: Pete Yorn, Ryan Adams, John Mayer, etc. For my money, Matthew Ryan beats them all. Each of his albums -- this one included -- teems with fresh, heartfelt, intelligent lyrics delivered with a gravelly, world-weary voice that -- like Paul Westerberg on songs like "Skyway," Here Comes A Regular," and "Achin' To Be" -- captures the pain and hope of being human. If you like literate singer-songwriter music, do yourself a favor and buy this CD...and grab "East Autumn Grin" and "May Day" while you're at it.

Poetic way with words.......2004-08-05

His voice is raspy, his emotion and sentiment is heartfelt, his words are poetry. I discovered Matthew after hearing one of his songs - "Return To Me" playing in the background on a favorite television show.. He reminds me of a combination of other gifted artists - Dylan, Reed and Shawn Mullins. This disc is worth repeated playings.. and grows on you every time.

"...So I can begin to begin again.".......2004-02-03

I've got to say that I'm a sucker for a good singer/songwriter. There's just something about the good ones, they can produce honest lyrics woven with soft melodies and it's just something that I love. John Mayer, John P. Strohm, Jonah aka Onelinedrawing, the list goes on and on. Now that I've heard this album by Matt Ryan, I can add him to the list too.

Regret Over the Wires is a great album. Return to Me starts the album off, and is probably my favorite song on the entire album. Suttle strings and percusion are mixed with guitars all creating a very hushed feel through the song. One of those songs that you can just close your eyes to and feel memories come rushing back. Return to Me brings to mind an autumn day with a light wind blowing the leaves around. Every song communicates a feeling, the lyrics are personal and very well written. Ryan has written some of the best lyrics I've ever read, he says so much through so few words. That's something to admire.

The rest of the album rocks a little more than the opening song, while there are a few breaks in between for softer songs. Over all this album is easily above average from top to bottom and has some true standout songs. Return to Me, Skylights, I Hope your God has Mercy On Mine and I Can't Steal You are my favorites.

I recomened this release to almost everyone, it really appeals to a wide audience and is a great album. One that I've been enjoying and will continue to enjoy for a while. Hopefully his past works will be as good or even better.

Bare Wires
Average customer rating:
Bare Wires
John Mayall & Bluesbreakers
Manufacturer: Umvd Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Blues | Imports | Stores | Music
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Crusade

Blues from Laurel Canyon

Live at the BBC: 1967-1970

ASIN: B000RGH6OK
Release Date: 2007-09-10

Tracks:

Bare Wires - Suite Medley
I'm A Stranger
No Reply
Hartley Quits
Killing Time
She's Too Young
Sandy
Picture On The Wall
Jenny
Knockers Step Forward
Hide And Seek
Intro - Look At The Girl (Live)
Start Walkin' (Live)

Album Details

2007 Digitally Remastered Edition of the Most Successful Album by Sir John and his Magic Band of Bluesmen that was Originally Released in 1968 and Made it to No. Three on the UK Pop Album Charts. This Would Be the Final Appearance of Lead Guitarist Mick Taylor in the Bluesbreakers, as He Would Soon Be Tapped to Join the Rolling Stones after Brian Jones Ouster and Ultimate Demise. The Sessions were Produced by Mike Vernon. This Edition Includes Six Bonus Tracks that were Not Included on the Original Issue.

Average customer rating:

Wondering about the Coal Tattoo
Amagzing Progressive Grass
Still listening after 2 years
Awesome CD for anyone!
Magic Mandolin

Wires And Wood
The Johnny Staats Project
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

How to Grow a Woman from the Ground

ASIN: B00004RJM1
Release Date: 2000-03-14

Tracks:

Mandolin Meltdown
Coal Tattoo
Legend Of The Ghost Coon
Wires And Wood
Shafer's Reel
Escape From Taiwan
You Can't Take It With You When You Go
Catch Me If You Can
Timbuktu
Jessica's Lullaby
John 'Barty' Jam

Amazon.com

The Johnny Staats Project arrives riding a wave of big-time media acclaim (The New York Times, People, CBS, and NBC, to name a few) and big-time expectations for Staats as a mandolin savior. Judge Wires & Wood by that criteria and you may never find it a satisfying listen. However, when you finally grasp the idea that this is a debut record from a heretofore amateur musician and full-time UPS driver in West Virginia, you start to realize that Wires & Wood is an amazing achievement. Backed by many of Nashville's finest players, Staats nimbly balances a number of styles ranging from straight-ahead bluegrass to Celtic reels to gentle lullabies to thoughtful folk. He's well versed in the "jazzgrass" style popularized by folks like David Grisman, offering several crafty, cunning instrumentals that prove him to be a surprisingly evocative and engaging composer. At the heart of it all, of course, is Staats's astonishing mandolin work: it's incredibly fleet and fluid, boasting clarity, precision, and taste at even the most ridiculous speeds. He doesn't resort to pet licks and there rarely seems to be a superfluous note amid the torrent. He's also a rich, honey-voiced tenor singer, even if his voice is not his greatest strength; at the very least, his earnest vocal songs give you a chance to catch your breath. Ultimately, the Staats Project may not do anything that the Grisman Quintet or the Tony Rice Unit didn't do 25 years ago, but the fact that he does it as well says quite a bit about this no-longer-hidden talent. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

Wondering about the Coal Tattoo.......2005-07-07

Make no mistake: I love this album and wear out my ears listening to it. I love Johnny Staats' sweet mountain voice, the best this side of Dan Tyminsky. But Staats' version of Coal Tattoo deletes the the verse about the union. Here is how it goes (from the songbook Rise Up Singing):
"I've stood for the union, walked in the line/Fought against the company/Stood for the U.M.W.A./Now who's going to stand for me? /I got no house & I got no pay/Just a worried soul/ And this blue tattoo on the side of the my head/Left by the number nine coal."

Amagzing Progressive Grass.......2004-05-24

This musicainship on album is so good it will enthrall even non bluegrass fans.

The crisp, clean, taught string artistry wound by jim hurst and johnny staats will draw you in. Music and compostion this good transcend genre.

Escape from Taiwan resembles Steely Dan. Blow some old New York hippies mind turn them on to bluegrass. This is the album to do it.

Still listening after 2 years.......2002-06-21

I'm still listening to this cd about once a month even after owning it for 2 years. All I have to say is that it's time for another one. I've been ready for 2 years!

Awesome CD for anyone!.......2002-05-16

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and work putting together a concert for Johnny Staats a few years ago. What a wonderful person! I admit, I'm not much of a fan of this type of music for the most part. I'm in college, and I love to listen to rap and pop, but when I heard this CD, I immediately fell in love with it! If you appreciate talented artists, you will love this CD!

Magic Mandolin.......2002-04-27

I've listened to a lot of mandolin, from classical Italian to US bluegrass, and Johnny Staats is the most amazing musician I've ever heard. He wears my ears out trying to listen, sometimes to the point that I don't even know what instrument I'm listening to. Some of this music simply defies stereotypical description. It came to me from a recommendation of a friend of mine, and it's the most pleasant surprise I've had in years!!!

Average customer rating:

How well do you know Steve Morse?
Great Instrumental Guitar CD
One Of The Finest Guitar Albums Ever!
Only one word will do .. beautiful.
The finest and most melodic guitar album ever released

High Tension Wires
Steve Morse
Manufacturer: Mca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock Guitarists | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Southern Steel
Coast to Coast
The Introduction
Stressfest
Stand Up

ASIN: B000002O5T
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Ghostwind
The Road Home
Country Colors
Highland Wedding
Third Power
Looking Back
Leprechaun Promenade
Tumeni Notes
Endless Waves
Modoc

Customer Reviews:

How well do you know Steve Morse?.......2007-04-16

If you are like me then you didn't know Morse at all until you picked up one of the latest Deep Purple albums. "Who is Steve Morse?" Fans and reviewers praise him as a guitar genius. Why hadn't I heard of him? Oh, wait. He was credited as a guest guitarist on Triumph's "Surviellance" album. Maybe I had heard of him.

The reason I wasn't familiar with the Steve Morse genius is that he has played in bands outside my usual arena of music - Dixie Dregs, Kansas and the Steve Morse Band. Hearing him in DP has given me a chance to discover an amazing world of music outside the hard rock/metal arena. And that's the point I want to make of this album. There is not much here that a die hard metal guitarist can bang his head to, but for someone who loves the guitar - both for beautiful composition and talented playing with a variety of sounds - this album will impress. For details on each track, for the sound and the style and the feeling of enjoyment, I refer you to the well-written reviews above. My only word of caution is this: if this is your first venture into the Steve Morse guitar universe after hearing him with Purple then be prepared for a very different feel. This is not a rock album to jump around and shout about. This is a guitar album to be enjoyed deeply and appreciated for its musical brilliance.

Great Instrumental Guitar CD.......2007-04-03

Steve Morse claimed the title "Most Admired Guitarist By Other Guitarists" many years ago, and listening to his music now does nothing to diminish his reputation. The Kansas guitarist is known as one of the very best players around. High Tension Wires is one of his best, with Highland Wedding and Leprechaun Promenade and a number of other cuts that show his power and versatility.

This is a CD for guitar music lovers. Enjoy!

One Of The Finest Guitar Albums Ever!.......2004-12-06

In the 80s I was always looking for a guitarist who had chops but could also write great music. First came Satriani's Surfing With The Alien in 1987 and then this great album in 1989. High Tension Wires starts off with the relaxing and beautiful Ghostwinds, one of my favorites. The next song The Road Home is more upbeat and has some nice melodies. Country Colors is another relaxing song with a verse/chorus structure and a nice piano part in the middle. Highland Wedding has a beautiful finger picked inro on electric classical guitar which turns into a Scottish dance, another one of my favorites. Third Power has some very interesting rhythms in 3/4. Looking Back and Leprechan Promenade are not my favorite songs but they have a lot of interesting guitar work. Fans of shred guitar will be blown away by Tumeni Notes and Steve's quick pickin. Endless Waves has some fine acoustic guitar playing with keyboards. The album closes with Modic which has Steve playing by himself on classical guitar. All in all a great album by one of the most versatile guitarists in the world!!!

Only one word will do .. beautiful........2004-10-07

I am a little reluctant to say that I well remember a feeling of dissappointment when I first got this CD some 15 years ago ... I suppose I just wanted Morse to let fly, and this is an album where he is ( mostly ) restrained and plays "acoustically" ... However, if I now look back at Steve's catalogue and think of tracks which radiate the sheer beauty of ( for example ) "Night meet Light", more than most are on this album.

I have been currently loading all my albums onto a brand new mp3 player ( NO , not an iPod )and this album is a wonderful and unique one in the 16 or so SM albums I have .... if you dont have this album, you are missing yet another facet of Steve Morse that is only touched on on other albums ( Point / Counterpoint etc ), Celtic feel, clean acoustics, wonderful production, great songs which build superbly

To me, this ranks as the "very best" of a pile of "bests"

The finest and most melodic guitar album ever released.......2003-12-21

This album is the first Morse's solo effort. He founded the jazz-fusion (actually jazz, rock, country, classical) band Dixie Dregs in the seventies and released with them six superb studio albums. On this solo record, Steve is backed by some of the other Dixie members. The music is nonetheless much more melodic. The opening track is a beautiful track where Steve's guitar is accompanied by Allen Sloan's sensitive violin. 'Tumeni notes' (read too many notes) is a tribute to Bach, with a fast pace à la Malmsteen. 'Leprechaun promenade' is a track that was previously played with Dixie Dregs on the record 'Dregs of the night'. It is full of rythm changes. 'Modoc' is an acoustic piece, it is briliant. The other tracks are full of emotions. Every song is good and all in all, this album deserves to be listened to by every music lover on earth.

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