Infinite

Infinite

ASIN: B00004THCS

Track Listings

1. Selah

2. Infinite the Reign

3. God Knows

4. Gettin' Me Down

5. Impulse

6. Grand Delusion

7. Lord, I Lift Your Name On High

8. Storms On the Horizon

9. Trouble In the Valley

10. Agitation

11. 99 Behind

12. The Race

13. Voice Inside (It Will Not Escape You)

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Reign is dedicated to making intense, intricate, and blood-pumping music which will give glory back to whom it belongs- Jesus Christ!! Our music style hase been compared to bands such as Creed, Metallica, Kansas, etc.

Product Description
Reign's debut Infinite will be available on May 5. This full-featured CD contains well over one full hour of riff-crunching music. For those who have enjoyed The Demo, this project contains six of our latest efforts including one "never before heard" track.

Infinite

Tracks:

Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
Tonight, Tonight
Jellybelly
Zero
Here Is No Why
Bullet With Butterfly Wings
To Forgive
Fuck You (An Ode To No One)
Love
Cupid De Locke
Galapogos
Muzzle
Porcelina Of The Vast Oceans
Take Me Down

Tracks:

Where Boys Fear To Tread
Bodies
Thirty-Three
In The Arms Of Sleep
1979
Tales Of Scorched Earth
Thru The Eyes Of Ruby
Stumbleine
X.Y.U.
We Only Come Out At Night
Beautiful
Lily (My One And Only)
By Starlight
Farewell And Goodnight

Amazon.com essential recording

Emotionally over-the-top pop extravaganzas like the string-swelling "Tonight Tonight," the Metallica-influenced alternative rock of "Zero," the techno via new wave of "1979"--the 28 songs on this swell two-disc album are as eclectic as their themes are epic and ambitious. Billy Corgan's thin whine isn't much of an instrument, but he makes the most of it by writing smart songs that take emotional chances that more-typical alt rockers would deem uncool. Pessimistic and feeling trapped but still wanting to believe in love, in a future, in something--this is the sound of Gen X at the millennium, with all the self-indulgence and power that would suggest. --David Cantwell

Customer Reviews:

Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness.......2007-04-24

The Smashing Pumpkins-Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness ****

The Smashing Pumpkins are one of if not the greatest band of the 1990s, and will some day be concidered on eof the greatest bands of all time. Many people concider Mallon Collie And The Infinite Sadness to be the bands best album and one of the greatest albums ever. Well thats because it is. The band was at its best here. Siamese Dream is a much better album as a whole, but this because it has so many songs has more room for error. Many feel the album would have been better as a single disc, we'll see.

Corgan who we all came to find would go back and rerecord over everyone elses stuff once they left the studio so he really is the only one that you here. He is at his best musicaly, idealy, and lyricly.

Disc One: Dawn To Dusk

'Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness' the title track which opens the album does it perfectly. 'Tonight, Tonight' 'Zero' and the massive success of 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings' were all big hit singles still get played quite a bit on the radio. 'Zero' which is maybe the best thing the band ever recorded is so in your face that it is not even funny. The lyrics are just scary, and deppresing at the same time. The guitar is some of Corgans best, a classic thats for sure. 'Tonight, Tonight' apart from having one of the all time greatest music videos to accompany it is one of the bands better songs. With mostly acoustic guitar and lots of string arrangements this song is a sure win. 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings' is The Smashing Pumpkins all time biggest hit and one of the most over played songs of all time, but it is still one of the best songs ever and the lyrics are pure poetry. Corgan has some issues as you can tell from listening to this song. 'Cupid De Locke' and 'Take Me Down' are both very similar songs.They are both slower and quiter then most of the rest of the first side and are very beautiful songs. 'Here Is No Why' is a harder rocker and a great asset to the album. 'Galapogos' 'Muzzle' and 'Porcelina Of The Vast Oceans' are all songs that the album could have done with out.

All in all the first half of the album is pretty good. Only a few songs that could be thrown out, and the rest is amazing.

Disc Two: Twilight To Starlight

'Where Boys Fear To Tread' opens the second have greatly. 'Bodies' keeps the album going nicley and segues right into 'Thiry-Three' which is also one of the best songs on the album. '1979' is the only really big song on the album and it was massive when released as a single. The song that introduced most to The Smashing Pumpkins. Easily one of the best songs Corgan ever wrote, very electronic and goth, but very good with great drumming and nice guitar effects add a nice feel to the song that sets it apart from the rest of the album. 'X.Y.U.' is just insane, a very interesting song that is slightly out of place on the album but is still a great song. 'Lilly (My One And Only)' maybe the best song on the second disc. Its hard to explain, the piano and the song are so peppy and cheer full but the lyrics are sort of sad. A perfect song, and a truly original one at that. 'In The Arms Of Sleep' 'Thru The Eyes Of Ruby' and 'By Starlight' could have all benifited the album had they not been recorded. They are really just filler and the album would be a lot better with out them.

Once again disc two is really good except for a few songs that are nothing more then filler, but over all another great side to the album.

All in all could Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness been left a single album no! While yes there are still a number of songs that could have been left off there would still be way to many songs for a single disc, this album had to be big and huge and over the top. Could it have benifited from less songs, yes it could have. Is this the bands best album, no not by a long shot, is it one of the better albums in rock history, yes it is. Should you own it, is that even a question you are really debating at this point, click the order button.

I'm kinda new to this album..........2007-03-20

But I gotta say that so far "Farewell and Goodnight" is a truly remarkable song! Its great! Ill do a review later but I just gotta appreciate that song!

Best Pumpkins Album.......2007-03-19

This album is great. Billy Corgan is an incredible songwriter and the songs he wrote for this album are unbelievable. Buy this album today.

Big Disappointment after Siamese Dream.......2007-02-10

Siamese Dream was a masterpiece from start to finish, an original sound, well-crafted songs, and lots of raw emotion and power.

This album is a big dropoff from there. This is when Billy Corgan began to scowl more than sing, and the quality of the songwriting is noticably worse. The lyrics are more obvious and less powerful. The rich, textured sounds of Siamese Dream are replaced with a more conventional poppy sound that gets boring fast.

There are some good songs here, but overall this album is simply not that great, especially when compared to Siamese Dream

Wow, I'm impressed........2007-01-22

I hate rock music, I hate Led Zeepilin, The Beatles, and Pink Floyd, I am just letting you all know where I come from before I write my review.

I avoided The Smashing Pumpkins for years because It is too mainstream and too overrated just like Led Zeppilin and Pink Floyd and all that junk. I also hate music that appeals to teenagers and rock music always appeals to teenagers. I listen to the artists that don't get embraced by most people and they should, artists like Hooverphonic, The Cardigans, Heather Nova, and Yo La Tengo. I was impressed when I finnaly took a chance on the Pumpkins, I was expecting another pretentious rock band doing a pretentious attempt at a rock opera just like The Who and Pink Floyd, my god those bands were so pretentious. Those rock bands can't just except that they are nothing but noise. I like the production work on this album, I like Billy Corgan's obsured yet real emotional lyrics. Songs like Tonight, Tonight, Here is no Why, Cupid de Locke, Porcelina of the Vast Oceans, Thrity-Three, 1979, Beautiful, and Farewll and Goodnight changed my perception of the pumpkins. Underneath all that mosh pit entusiest and cliche rock n roll attitude is a very poweful song writer who writes beautifully about love and redemtion. I now like the pumpkins, I have all of there albums, but don't expect me to go to one of their concerts. I stay away from the loud mosh pit croud, I like to be safe.

Average customer rating:

Realy good lyrics.
The Essence of Hip-Hop - - D-E-S-E-R-V-E-S E-V-E-R-Y S-T-A-R
The rhymes absolutely blow my mind on this album.
His best album. I seriously mean that.
Found My Copy in a used record shop

EMINEM INFINITE (1996)
Eminem
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
Similar Items:

The Slim Shady LP
Devil's Night
8 Mile
The Marshall Mathers LP
The Eminem Show

ASIN: B000N0SYZU

Product Description

Infinite represents Eminem the way he was in his younger years: a young man in search of true love as the song « Searchin» fully reveals it. A young man facing a lot of financial problems and trying to feed his family. When you have been yourself through similar difficulties, you will be able to relate to songs like « Its ok ». 313 gives us the taste of a « sweet emcee from the 313 ». « Maxine » also belongs to the well written songs of the album. Marshalls sincerity all over Infinite is so touching. But it seems that it wasnt enough. Despite the huge efforts, he had put into his album, people reproached him to sound like Nas. The public wanted something else, something biting that Eminem gave them with the Slim Shady EP and the Slim Shady LP. Although people wont unanimously agree on Infinite, Id advice any true Eminem fan to check the album if he hasnt done it yet- at least for the great lyrics written by Marshall Mathers.

Customer Reviews:

Realy good lyrics........2007-06-01

But the production blends in with typical early to mid 90s music as far as beats go. As far as lyrics, i believe Em is on Nas' Illmatic level back then. The only reason i gave this a low rating is becaause D-12 pops up and ruins every track the talk on. D-12 should not be allowed to rap except for Bizarre.

The Essence of Hip-Hop - - D-E-S-E-R-V-E-S E-V-E-R-Y S-T-A-R.......2007-03-28

I'd like to start off my review by saying that i consider Marshall Mathers part of an elite though very select few of pure, conscious l-y-r-c-i-s-t-s. These include Eyedea, Gift of Gab (1/2 of Blackalicious), Jeru tha Damaja, AZ, Big L, Big Pun, Common Sense (in his early days), KRS-One, CL Smooth, Black Thought, all iS mineS, one.be.lo. and also the whole Hieroglyphics empire.

That said, the overall vibe of this album has an undeniable old school quality to it, even though it was released in '96. The beats are infectious and sound fresh even to this day, and eminem actually had something to say. He was hungry, relied on clever wordplay and worthwhile stories that not only reflected his life at the time, but also portrayed every day happenings that he had probably grown accustomed to seeing.

"Maxine" is about how a prostitute will lie & leave you with disease if you're dumb enough to believe she's clean. Some nice production here.

"Never 2 Far" portrays eminems ambitions to make money in the rap industry. The difference between him and other rappers is that he comes correct with clever wordplay and flow, and each verse eases nicely into the chorus, to the point where you don't even realize his technique of merging the two.

"Searchin" continues this idea except this time he's pouring out emotions as well as his lust for a lost love. Again undeniably sick wordplay and flow, with a guest appearance from a friend.

"Infinite", perhaps the strongest track on the album is also one of the sickest instances of pure lyrical destruction that i've ever heard. Not a lyric is wasted throughout, and every line effortlessly connects to the next. ("My rhymin' skills got you climbin' hills, i travel through your mind into your spine like siren drills."). This is hip-hop that actually requires thinking to understand everything he's saying, and when you do it's a real eye opener.

"Open Mic" flosses a sick beat and funny intro, and eminem rips the beat to sh*t. It's a toss up between this and "Infinite" for best track on the album. ("You couldn't flip shit playin' in toilets with a spatula.")

"It's Ok" must be heard to believe. His style is so natural you'd think he was somehow cheating. Again the wordplay is unmatched by today's "standards" of what a hip-hop song should entail.

A inevitable gripe with this album that most heads will notice is Eminems questionable approach to riding the beat. At times he certainly seems off if you listen closely, yet he also seems right on because of the way he flows in and out of the chorus, with an uncanny ear for the smallest nuances of the beat.

Bottom line: it's shocking that few people have heard this album. This was undoubtedly a different side of Eminem, when few people knew about him and his rage hadn't come out yet. If you're a hip-hop head you will probably appreciate this album for what it is, Beats, Rhymes and Storytelling ability.

The rhymes absolutely blow my mind on this album........2007-02-26

A Lot of Eminem fans don't like this album because it's none of that Slim Shady stuff.If you sit down and study this album properly and study what it's about you will like this album. On this CD Eminem talks about his struggles and how he feels he can make it, and tracks like it's okay and Never 2 Far explain that. However Eminem displays some dope skillz on this album with perfect lyrical flow over laidback beats and some hot punchlines to get you hyped up and those skillz are displayed on tracks like Infinite, 313, Tonite and open mic. My favourite tracks on this album are Never 2 Far, which talks about how confident you have to be in order to make it, no matter if you're broke or not it is still possible to be very successful in the future, Searchin is another good tune on the album about how he finally found someone to be in a good relationship with, Backstabber a funny but very lyrical song about a backstabber that eveyone should stay away from, Jealeasy woes is another one talking about how he feels his girlfriend left him because shes jealous of him especially that he spends all his money buying her fancy gifts and she keeps giving them to him acting like she don't like the gifts. So there you go if your an Eminem fan or a fan of real Hip Hop then download this album since it isn't in stores.

His best album. I seriously mean that........2007-02-24

When we turn up a track to hear Eminem "Slim Shady", we hear someone who seem bitter and sometimes outraged. Some of Eminem's songs from the Slim Shady album and on are good but in my opinion he seems to be whining a lot. Wait, wait don't get me wrong he can flow well and he has some good lyrics there is no doubt about that but "Infinite" offers something different. I listen to his tracks on this album and I feel he is being completely real. All this was before his fame and fortune... The introductory track, Infinite, will blow your socks off! His flows on this track are better than anything else I have heard by him and shows off his raw talent. On the song "It's OK" he talks about his struggles with having child, financial problems, issues with family etc. Normally he would complain about all of it and talk about putting his "baby mama in a hatchback and latched it" (Quote from the "Last Hit" from High & Mighty). Instead, he says everything is going to be OK and all right. He knows he will make it through... It is too bad the public passed up this album. In '96 they wanted something different from Eminem and that is when he developed the nemesis "Slim Shady". His character on this album is completely different and in my opinion "real". Characters on 8 Mile actually are real... He has Dj Butterfingers cutting the beats on this album along with the rest of 313. I talk to some Eminem fans and they say they know all of his songs and albums. I ask them about this one and they have no clue what I am talking about. I am telling you, if you are a true fan pick up this album and get it fast because you can't find this in stores... This is going to be a one-of-a-kind album by Eminem and he will never make anything like this again.

Found My Copy in a used record shop.......2007-02-21

I found my copy in a used record shop. I have all of Eminem's albums except this one and I knew I'd never find it again, so I went ahead and bought it. the best songs are Tonite and Jealousy Woes II.

Average customer rating:

Still Groovy As A Solo Artist
"Great Solo Debut "
Not a bad CD
As good on CD as it was in person!
Larrieux's Debut

Infinite Possibilities
Amel Larrieux
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

Neo-Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Groove Theory
Sweetback
The Once and Future
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Surrender to Love

ASIN: B00004HYM1
Release Date: 2000-02-15

Tracks:

Get Up
Ini
Sweet Misery
Searchin' My Soul
Even If
Infinite Possibilities
Shine
Down
Weather
Make Me Whole

Amazon.com

Amel Larrieux, formerly of mellow duo Groove Theory, unleashes her wholesome musical and personal aspirations on her ear-catching solo debut, Infinite Possibilities. A fusion of hip-hop, groovy R&B, jazz, and Middle Eastern and African rhythms overlaid with the singer's soulful vocal meanderings, the album resonates with the influences of Sade, Innervisions-era Stevie Wonder, and Prince. All the while thoughtful and respectful to God, Larrieux's good-girl vibes are made less ordinary with a multilayered, proficient musical backdrop that deepens with each listen. The single "Get Up" reels the listener in with atmospheric synth notes and Larrieux's beguiling vocals, which spiral into a jazzy tone poem to close the track. "Sweet Misery" is another tune bolstered by her heartfelt vocal expressions, and "Infinite Possibilities" conveys the title's meaning as it builds to its climax of overlapping vocal rounds, dreamy keyboards, reverberating guitar chords, and plugging bass. "Down" is a striking funked-up variation on the piano-bar diva's usual melancholy mood. While not as gutsy as such contemporaries as Macy Gray and Angie Stone, Larrieux's vision for a modern, world-beat-savvy sound gains significance the longer it stays in the player. --Rebecca Robinson

Customer Reviews:

Still Groovy As A Solo Artist.......2007-05-02

This album from Amel Larrieux puts her in a positive class by herself, and it was well worth the buy for me and for anyone who heeds motivation, relaxation, and mutual luvin'.

"Great Solo Debut ".......2007-03-30

I've been feeling Armel since "Groove Theory". Her solo debut is really tight. People might disagree but I think this is Armel's best work to date (her signature). Some complain that her vocals aren't strong enough. But on this disc her voice goes from smokey to energetic with equal effect. The stand outs on this disc in my opinion are (2) Ini, (3) Sweet misery, (10) Make me whole. I don't know if people classify her as "Neo Soul", I hope not, she should have her own category (Diverse & Wholesome).

Not a bad CD.......2007-02-21

I really only bought this CD for the song "Make me Whole" but the whole CD in itself isn't bad at all! I am very glad that I bought it, and I listen to it quite frequently!

As good on CD as it was in person!.......2006-09-16

My intro to this lovely birdsong was at a live concert prior to my even knowing who she was. I was so blown away that I had to buy her CD that night and luckily she was in an autographing mode! I will keep that cover long after I wear the CD out! She is such an awesome talent!! If you love jazz of any sort you will find something to enjoy on all of her CDs and if you just love music....you will love everything she has done from scat to jazz to freestyle. I love this CD in particular, though. But have bought her other CD as well! Keep up stocking her music!

Larrieux's Debut.......2006-08-04

"Infinite Possibilities", what a title for an album. The title alone made me want to listen to this piece of work. That, and the fact that I kept hearing her name from neo-soul fans. I knew who she was because she was the voice of the group Groove Theory. After listening to this album, I see why she has her own fan base, she's very good.

This is essentially a jazz album. The entire album has the same laid-back feel to it, which is alright because music listeners don't always want to hear party starters and upbeat songs. I love how Larrieux scats, she sounds so good doing it. And she gives me just enough, because she adds scatting on almost every song. The production on this album is subpar, but there is only so much one can do with a jazz album production wise. What really makes this songstress shine is her lyrics. Every song has depth to it. Lyrically, there are no fillers. "Get Up" is the only song that was played on the radio from this album. I enjoy this song. It talks about not allowing anything hold you back. "Sweet Misery" is an album highlight because everything about it shines. The lyrics are about a loss of love, the production is good, and vocally she's on point. "Even If" is beautiful. This is a really nice ballad; it's a love song. The listener can feel the point Larrieux is attempting to convey. Anyone who owns this album should take a few listens to this song. There is no question that "Make Me Whole" is the best song on this albun. I feel in love with this song the first time I heard it. This is a love song at its best. This song is so sincere, it obviously took some time to write because its truly compelling.

Overall, I enjoyed this album. It's not a 5 star album because it was short, the production was not good enough, and most of the songs grabbed me the same way. I didn't really like one song more than I liked another. However, I do recommend this album to neo-soul fans because I am almost sure that they will get something from this multi-talented artist named Amel Larrieux.

Mikeisha's Top 5
1. Get Up
2. Even If
3. Make Me Whole
4. Infinite Possibilities
5. Sweet Misery

Average customer rating:

Some of his best work
Angels in America - Always Great!
GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Celestial Xpression of Thomas Newman
Amazing work

Angels in America
Thomas Newman
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000TAZB0
Release Date: 2003-12-02

Tracks:

Threshold of Revelation - Thomas Newman
Angels in America (Main Title) - Thomas Newman
Lesionnaire - Thomas Newman
Ellis Island - Thomas Newman
Acolyte of the Flux - Thomas Newman
Umdankbar Kind - Thomas Newman
The Ramble - Thomas Newman
Ozone - Thomas Newman
Pill Poppers - Thomas Newman
Quartet - Thomas Newman
Solitude - Duke Ellington
Bayeux Tapestry - Thomas Newman
Spotty Monster - Thomas Newman
Mauve Antarctica - Thomas Newman
Her Fabulous Incipience - Thomas Newman
The Infinite Descent - Thomas Newman
A Closer Walk With Thee - Lewis, George & His Ragtime Band
Broom of Truth - Thomas Newman
Submit! - Thomas Newman
Plasma Orgasmata - Thomas Newman
Delicate Particle Logic - Thomas Newman
The Mormons - Thomas Newman
Prophet Birds - Thomas Newman
More Life - Thomas Newman
Black Angel - Thomas Newman
Garden of the Soul - Thomas Newman
Heaven - Thomas Newman
Bethesda Fountain - Thomas Newman
The Great Work Begins (End Title) - Thomas Newman
Tropopause - Thomas Newman
I'm His Child - Zella Jackson-Price

Amazon.com

Playwright Tony Kushner adapted his sprawling meditation on the AIDS epidemic of the 80's into an equally epic, Mike Nichols-directed HBO miniseries. But while Thomas Newman's score spans that dramatic landscape with rich stylistic diversity, the young champion of the daunting Newman family musical tradition (his father was Fox legend Alfred; his brother fellow film scorer David; his cousin songwriter/composer Randy) never lets musical bombast get in the way of compelling emotional introspection. Anchored by a delicate wind and string-driven main theme that's as mature as it is bittersweet, Newman proceeds to explore some of the same adventurous, rhythmically restless soundscapes that characterized his work on Erin Brockovich and American Beauty. But that typically moody experimentalism is leavened elsewhere by moments of neo-baroque choral exultation, smokey 30's jazz (courtesy of George Lewis and his Ragtime Band and Duke Ellington) and even flashes of gospel and orchestral post-modernism, all of it served up with a masterful sense of irony-free restraint that's become one of the composer's most refreshing hallmarks. It's easily one of Newman's -- and 2003's -- most accomplished and satisfying film scores. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Some of his best work.......2007-06-12

Most of us know Thomas Newman for his work on his more famous films like American Beauty, Shawshank Redemption, Scent of a Woman and Meet Joe Black, but this soundtrack to the HBO film is right up there with his best pieces of work. The whole album goes through various feelings, shades and emotions, the best tracks for me being Mauve Antarctica and Tropopause. If you're a Thomas Newman fan then you need this in your collection.

Angels in America - Always Great!.......2007-01-03

Love the film, the play and the soundtrack. If you find the topics of Angels in America interesting, thought-provoking and warm to your heart, you will LOVE this. As a man battling HIV, I find it outstanding. Thanks Amazon, for offering all the Angels in America products.

GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2005-11-01

There are not enough stars on the selection for me to say how good this CD is! It is so beautiful and like classical music. I listen to it all the time!

The Celestial Xpression of Thomas Newman.......2005-08-31

...well, to only write a review is not enough to describe the impressive sound in this record. it is necessary to listen to it. Thomas do not scrimp in efforts to assemble this wonderful musical work. in fact, each one of the melodys, agreed, and instruments (mainly those of wind and strings) even are perfectly connected and performed in litle some more of 70 minutes of music. Transitions from the quietness of a melody to the loudest human chorus, may be hear is this soundtrack (tipically from the original Serie, that I have too in DVD). But everything is not perfect. Must be had included the Henry Mancini song: "Moon River" contained in one of the most sentimental scenes in the film/serie (that i think at least). In a plus, if you are an lover of this kind of productions, it does not have to lack in its collection the "Angels in America Soundtrack". Buy and enjoy it..!

Amazing work.......2004-11-28

After working in film scoring for the past decade, Thomas Newman has finally achieved his masterwork with the soundtrack to "Angels in America." It is a culmination of the different techniques and themes he has worked on in the past, along with a completely new orchestral sound that perfectly underlies the depth and scope of the film. It is a very rare score in that it conveys all the happiness, pain, pessimism and hope that Kushner's work is all about, simply through the nuanced way Newman has written and arranged it. It is an incredibly entertaining score that stands well on its own. A must for any fans of Newman or the film.

Average customer rating:

Greatest Hits Plus!
A Great Starter CD for Vai Fans
Good Explorer CD
Great Music - Poor Quality
Steve Vai has crept up to my upper echelon of guitarists.

The Infinite Steve Vai: An Anthology
Steve Vai
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock Guitarists | Rock | Styles | Music

Shred | Rock Guitarists | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000TGA6E
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Tracks:

Liberty
Die To Live
The Attitude Song
Salamanders In The Sun
The Animal
The Riddle
For The Love Of God
Bangkok
Fire Garden Suite: Bull Whip, Pusa Road, Angel Food, Taurus Bulba
Ya-Yo Gakk
Blue Powder
Bad Horsie
Tender Surrender
All About Eve
Dyin' Day
The Blood & Tears
The Silent Within

Tracks:

Feathers
Frank
Boston Rain Melody
Kittens Got Claws
Lighter Shade Of Green
Giant Balls Of Gold
Whispering A Prayer
Jibboom
Windows To The Soul
Brandos Costumes (Gentle Ways)
The Reaper
Christmas Time Is Here
Essence
Rescue Me Or Bury Me
Burnin' Down The Mountain

Customer Reviews:

Greatest Hits Plus!.......2006-11-10

If you like Vai, of course you know a lot of the songs. The live stuff is also very cool. It is a great value since it has so much content.

A Great Starter CD for Vai Fans.......2006-06-29

I'm a big Steve Vai fan, and this CD is a good place for fans who want to get a small taste of what Steve is like. It doesn't offer up the cream of his works, for that you have to span his whole catalog. But still this is a great place to start

I recommend this as a start then branch of to his full albums and even the live stuff, like the DVD Live at the Astoria London and even the G3 DVD's.

Good Explorer CD.......2005-12-17

If you heard of the great Steve Vai, and heard stuff like "He's awesome but his music sucks!" This cd is for you. Not only does it show a big variety of the way he plays, but it has his best songs. So that away you can enjoy the songs without having some of those songs that are really weird. To be honest these two cds have some of my favorite songs ever written. If you like solo guitar music or instrumental music, I would recommend this cd to you. If not I would tell you to download a few songs from this cd online, and if you like it then go buy it.

Great Music - Poor Quality.......2005-09-15

Love the music but there is some very irritating high pitched "harmonics" or something on "For the Love of God".
None of the other reviewers mentioned this, do I have a lemon CD???
This is the first Steve Vai music I've ever bought and I think it's awesome. I'm way over 14 years old too!!!

Steve Vai has crept up to my upper echelon of guitarists. .......2005-03-24

In buying this album, I knew what I was in for, but also it gave me a good retrospective overview of the past present and future of progressive metal guitar. I would say that the Zappa and prog element is there enough with the shred/metal element to call much of Vai's solo material Prog Metal. He has a mastery of tone, melody (ok maybe not as much as Becker or Roth) and instrumentation that is probably on par with noone since Hendrix, since they both are in outer space as far as their unique visions. As Yngwie took Roth and Blackmore and surpassed them tenfold (well maybe not Roth), Vai has taken Van Halen in paticular (the liquid, spacey, tapping sound as well as other things) and taken it to another universe all together. A double album worthy of repeat listening and influence, Anthology sums up a killer career. The only thing missing is some of the David Lee Roth stuff.

Average customer rating:

Time and the Infinite
Adam Rogers Trio
Manufacturer: Criss Cross
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Way out Willy
Oceanos
Pilgrimage
Architect of the Silent Moment
Mel Bay Kurt Rosenwinkel Compositions

ASIN: B000LP4NY8
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Tracks:

Night And Day
Elegy
Time And The Infinite
Young And Foolish
Cheryl
Esteban
Without A Song
Ides Of March
I Loves You, Porgy

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 7 "Sinfonia antartica" & 8

Average customer rating:

Excellent performances of one of our greatest symphonists.
Unbelievable Sound Quality
A Tale of Two Eighths
Best "Sinfonia Antartica" Currently Available
Pure music

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 7 "Sinfonia antartica" & 8

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Vaughn Williams: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 9
Vaughan Williams: Phantasy Quintet/String Quartets 1 & 2
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 2; The Wasps
Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony (original 1913 version) / Butterworth: The Banks of Green Willow - London Symphony Orchestra / Richard Hickox
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5

ASIN: B00000AELD
Release Date: 1998-08-25

Tracks:

Sinfonia Antartica (Symphony No. 7): Prelude: Andante maestoso - Lento - Poco animato - Piu mosso - Tranquillo - Andante moderato con moto - Largamente
Sinfonia Antartica (Symphony No. 7): Scherzo: Moderato
Sinfonia Antartica (Symphony No. 7): Landscape: Lento -
Sinfonia Antartica (Symphony No. 7): Intermezzo: Andante sostenuto - Allegretto - Pesante - Tempo primo tranquillo
Sinfonia Antartica (Symphony No. 7): Epilogue: Alla marcia, moderato (non troppo allegro) - Andante maestoso
Symphony No. 8 In D Minor: Fantasia (Variazioni senza Tema): Moderato - Presto - Andante sostenuto - Allegretto - Andante non troppo - Allegro vivace - Andante sostenuto - Largamente - Tempo primo ma tranquillo
Symphony No. 8 In D Minor: Scherzo alla Marcia (per stromenti a fiato): Allegro alla marcia - Andante - Tempo primo
Symphony No. 8 In D Minor: Cavatina (per stromenti ad arco): Lento espressivo
Symphony No. 8 In D Minor: Toccata: Moderato maestoso
Movement Superscriptions For Sinfonia antartica: Prometheus Unbound: Prelude: 'To Suffer Woes Which Hope Thinks Infinite' (Percy Bysshe Shelley)
Movement Superscriptions For Sinfonia antartica: Book Of Common Prayer, Psalm 104: Schezro: 'There Go The Ships'
Movement Superscriptions For Sinfonia antartica: Hymn Before Sunrise, In The Vale Of Chamouni: Landscape: 'Ye Ice Falls!' (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
Movement Superscriptions For Sinfonia antartica: The Sun Rising: Intermezzo: 'Love, All Alike,' (John Donne)
Movement Superscriptions For Sinfonia antartica: Message To The Public: Epilogue: 'I Do Not Regret This Journey;' (Captain Robert Falcon Scott)

Customer Reviews:

Excellent performances of one of our greatest symphonists........2004-04-28

The posthumous fate of Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) has not always been a kind one. After his death, his music passed through a prolonged period of being deeply unfashionable. Stodgy, tweedy Vaughan Williams--who could get into that?! But, like Elgar, whose music is also cast in a stuffy, stereotypically "British" light, there is much more to Vaughan Williams than one might think.

First, the man was a superb melodist. He was not a mere tunesmith, to be sure, but crafted works that are primarily conceived in terms of melodic development, and this makes his work immediately appealing. Second, he was a highly original thinker who used his colossal technique (he had a doctorate in composition and studied with Ravel) for surprisingly modern ends. His music can at times sound like a mixture of Bach and Debussy, but it is always unmistakably Vaughan Williams. He had a penchant for modal counterpoint, and his streams of parallel chords place his work squarely in the 20th century.

Vaughan Williams' unique talent for scoring is evident throughout this excellent recording of his 7th and 8th symphonies. The "Sinfonia antartica" is based upon a film score he supplied for a film about the explorer Robert Scott. It is by turns brooding and wistful--an ideal introduction to this magnificent composer. Symphony No. 8 is a more eclectic affair, brighter in temperament overall, but a rewarding example of the surprises that lurk around every corner of RVW's work.

Was he the greatest symphonist of the 20th century? The jury's still out. He certainly created a body of symphonic work that is second to none in its richness, diversity, and consistency. Mahler, Sibelius, and Shostakovich are usually considered the most important symphonists of the last century, but for those who seek other fare, you can't do better than Vaughan Williams.

Unbelievable Sound Quality.......2002-03-17

The "Antarctica Symphony" portion of this disk has been called "the best digital recording ever made", and is often recommended for use as a demonstration disk on high-end audio equipment. One listen and you'll understand why...this is truly a sonic marvel.

Not a bad accomplishment for budget-price label Naxos!

A Tale of Two Eighths.......2001-07-30

I think many listeners (and reviewers) will focus more on the seventh symphony; so I leave the seventh to them, although I greatly enjoy this recording of the seventh, and am even modestly grateful that the recited superscriptions are included at the end, where they do not interrupt the sequence of the symphony itself.

The Vaughan Williams eighth symphony exhibits a few interesting parallels with the eighth symphony of the composer whose oeuvre established the "rule of nine" in the writing of symphonies: Beethoven.

Beethoven's Opus 93 strikes some listeners as both "a step backwards" from the rambunctious and expansive seventh (with its electrifying "double scherzo" and achingly intense theme-and-variations slow movement), and a mystification before the grandiose Opus 125. It is something of a look back towards Haydn; it is charming, and elegant, and seems to do entirely without the dramatic musical rhetoric of which Beethoven's third, fifth and seventh symphonies provide ample and potent illustration. It is the sort of thing which "musical progressivists" say we composers cannot do; you can almost hear the phrase spoken, "you can never go back."

Yet, in his eighth symphony, Beethoven succeeds, marvelously and musically; he does, and does not, "go back." Vaughan Williams does something of the same, in his eighth. Even though Vaughan Williams' seventh was composed originally as film music, and then adapted as a symphony in his `cycle' (or perhaps because of this), the eighth seems like a deliberate step away from musical dramtization, and into the realm of abstract, `pure' music, a music which functions on its own, not driven by any extra-musical `program.'

Now, the `point' to which Beethoven does and does not go back, is Haydn; the generation before, and a composer with whom Beethoven had taken lessons. The `point' to which Vaughan Williams does and does not go back, is musical Impressionism, and specifically Ravel. Vaughan Williams had taken some lessons with Ravel; and the `return to pure music' in the eighth is doubly apt here, as part of Ravel's Impressionism is a sort of `romantic neo-classicism' exemplified in "Le Tombeau de Couperin" and the piano concertos.

That Vaughan Williams made his eighth with the Beethoven-parallel in mind, seems to me confirmed in the opening of the second movement. Vaughan Williams' all-winds scherzo begins with too much of a `metronomic' gesture for this to be coincidental. This parallel does not become burdensome, because the `metronomic piece' functions differently in the two eighth symphonies: it is the slow movement in the Beethoven Op. 93, followed by the lovely Menuet and Trio (good heavens! didn't Beethoven realize how passé this was?), while in Vaughan Williams' eighth it serves as a scherzo followed by a richly beautiful slow movement for strings alone (in timbral balance of the string-less scherzo).

Where Vaughan Williams `does not go back' is, about two-thirds into the first movement, where, after some moments of trumpet-&-string doublings which seemed to evoke the sound-world of Prokofiev, the relatively smooth calm of most of the movement yields to the sort of orchestral menace normally associated with Shostakovich. This fury lasts but a moment, and gives way again to the idyllic calm of the opening material, but here is a musical point at which you wonder if it is really possible to `go back' ....

The last movement of the Vaughan Williams' eighth is bright and resplendent. It is almost mis-labeled; `toccata' traditionally means a `touched' piece, a keyboard work with figurations more characteristic of two hands at a keyboard, rather than a large ensemble of single-line instruments. But Vaughan Williams has a history of adapting the idea of the Toccata, as in his Toccata Marziale for band; and my musicological quibble does not get in the way of the piece, which reminds me more of a jubilant carillon.

--Karl

Best "Sinfonia Antartica" Currently Available.......2000-10-24

The classic recorded performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Sinfonia Antartica" (completed 1952) is Sir Adrian Boult's on EMI from the mid-1960s; a slightly later performance on RCA led by André Previn boasted superior sound but misjudged by prefacing each movement with spoken versions of RVW's epigraphs. (Thus interrupting the musical continuity in a score that depends heavily on a seamless transition from one mood to another.) Bernard Haitink (also on EMI) issued an "Antartica" about fifteen years ago, very close to Boult's in merit, but - in this day of classical-music démorale - "no longer available." Haitink's countryman, Kees Bakels, has "burned" a CD cycle of the RVW symphonies for Naxos, with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and one entry therein couples the Eighth with the "Antartica" (ordinally the Seventh). As James Day notes in his book on RVW, the "Antartica" calls on the largest orchestra that the composer ever stipulated, with parts for organ, wind-machine, an enormous percussion battery, and wordless soprano-solo with female choral vocalise. The "Antartica" shares with the "Pastoral" and the Sixth the evocation of inhuman nature and of human courage pitted (heroically but vainly) against such nature. Boult grasped this aspect of the work, but the limited capacity of mid-60s analogue recording took its toll on the realization of his understanding. (The vinyl pressings also posed an obstacle. I owned the American Angel pressing as well as an EMI import; neither struck me as adequate.) Bakels, like Boult, sees that this is a grim account, a genuine sequel to the tragic E-Minor Symphony of 1947. Notice how he takes the crescendi in the Prelude, with the great climax at 1.50: It's truly "majestic," as the score says it should be; the ensuing Lento, with prominent xylophone and wordless voices, sounds very icy and haunted indeed. The Scherzo presents the danger of sounding too comical; Bakels avoids this pitfall. Of the symphony's core, the "Landscape" (Third Movement), Bakels makes just the inhuman, implacable, frigid monster that RVW must have had in mind, although the organist (beginning at 8.30) does not achieve quite the hard-edged quality that I recall from Boult. The Eighth Symphony is a less monumental score, but possesses a playful seriousness all its own. The Finale can become a welter of sound, as it did unfortunately in the Boult/EMI; but here it sounds forth in all its polyphonic glory, with the tuned percussion caught with great definition by the engineers.

Pure music.......1999-07-26

As with Beethoven each of Vaughan Williams' nine symphonies has a distinct character of its own. the eighth is the most lighthearted one, ranging in mood form energetic to festive to downright comical, with a measure of gentle melancholy thrown in for contrast.The 2nd and 3rd movements- a funny march for winds and a beautifull cavatina for strings- show VW at his best.So what if he does not grab fate by the throat in this symphony? This is music in its best and purest form. The other work on the CD-Symphonia Antarctica- has its moments but it remains essentially what it is: a glorified movie-score.Director Kees Bakels proves again that he is one of the best Vaughan Williams interpreters of this time.

Average customer rating:

Calming beauty
A beautiful voice

Infinite Voice

Manufacturer: Time Art
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000KEGFYQ
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Tracks:

sous le dome epais
pavene
canto invierno
pastorale
casta diva from norma
enchantment
song of my soul
infinite voice
saint agnes and the burning train
gabriel's oboe-nella fantasia from the mission
sheep may safely graze
sous le dome epais from lakme

Customer Reviews:

Calming beauty.......2007-05-28

Infinite Voice is one of my favorite albums to pop into the player after a long and difficult day at work. Its soothing lightly classical pieces with Koldenhoven's angelic vocals do much to sooth an agitated spirit and sing peace to the soul. Wonderful Darlene! We need more like this.

A beautiful voice.......2007-04-23

A classically trained vocalist with a Master's Degree in music from the Chicago Conservatory College, the golden voiced Darlene Koldenhoven has participated in a number of high profile pop culture products. In the 1980's she appeared on jazz composer Clare Fisher's Brazilian jazz vocal project, Freefall, which was awarded a Grammy in 1986 for Best Jazz Vocal Performance by a Group. In the 90's she appeared in and served as choir director for both Sister Act films, and in 1994 sung with Yanni Live at the Acropolis, a concert film reportedly seen by nearly 500 million people worldwide. She has also sung on recordings with Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Pink Floyd, Rod Stewart, David Byrne, and Ramsey Lewis, among others, and has authored a set of musical instruction books and CDs entitled Train Your Voice.

In the late 90's Koldenhoven began writing and producing her own solo recordings, including the adult contemporary Keys to the World, a gospel album called Free to Serve, and the Christmas album Heavenly Peace. This year she's back with an all new recording, entitled Infinite Voice, a collection of classically inspired compositions and new age arrangements of classics. Ms Koldenhoven's 5-ocatve voice is the only one featured on this recording, in some places layered to give a choral effect. Most of the instrumentation is synthetic, though several songs include acoustic instrumental performances from guitar, English Horn, oboe, flue, didgeridoo, and percussion.

Infinite Voice is a delicate and beautiful recording that will appeal to fans of light classical vocals from the voices of equally talented singers such as Filippa Giordano, Hayley Westerna, or Sissel.

Infinite Joy: The Songs of William Finn (Live at Joe's Pub)

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Music, Wonderful Fun!
Fantastic
Buy this CD now.
FINN's newest finn.......Joes' pub
Finn is in

Infinite Joy: The Songs of William Finn (Live at Joe's Pub)
William Finn , Liz Callaway , and Carolee Carmello
Manufacturer: RCA Victor Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Elegies - A Song Cycle by William Finn
A New Brain (1998 Original Cast)
In Trousers (1979 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2005 Original Broadway Cast)
March Of The Falsettos (1981 Original Off-Broadway Cast) / Falsettoland (1990 Off-Off-Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B00005IAG3
Release Date: 2001-05-15

Tracks:

Mister Make Me a Song
How Marvin Eats His Breakfast
The Music Still Plays On
Republicans
I'd Rather Be Sailing
Hitchhiking Across America
That's Enough For Me
And They're Off
Anytime
Falsettos At the East Milford Community Center (Finn & DeRosa's spoken
The Baseball Game
The Bitch and the Madonna (Finn welcomes Mary Testa & Carolee Carmello)
All Fall Down
When The Earth Stopped Turning
Tannis Root (Bill & Mary discuss parenting)
Set Those Sails
I Have Found
Infinite Joy
Stupid Things I Won't Do
Infinite Joy (reprise)
Bows

Amazon.com

Recorded live at Joe's Pub in New York in January 2001, this collection is a wonderful treat. William Finn is best known for In Trousers, the award-winning Falsettoland, and the criminally underrated A New Brain. This CD includes excerpts from all those shows along with some rare gems and even some tantalizing bits from the upcoming The Royal Family of Broadway. Performed with Vadim Feichtner at the piano, the versions are sometimes wacky (in "The Baseball Game," Stephen DeRosa sings all the roles as if auditioning for an amateur production of Falsettoland), but they're always beguiling. Guests include Liz Callaway, Carolee Carmello, and Mary Testa, and Finn himself handles a few tunes. While he's not a traditionally good singer (think craggy enthusiasm), the least you can say is that he knows the material inside out. As with all good live recordings, this one makes you wish you had been there. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Music, Wonderful Fun!.......2006-01-19

I had always been aware of William Finn but had never got around to listening to his music. This was my first introduction to it. I loved every second of this cabaret act. I will definetely be checking out more of his shows. I was thouroughly entertained as if I were actually in the audience. A real winner! I think Mr. Finn's performance is wonderful. Yes, he isn't a polished performer, but so what? He knows how to perform the music, he wrote it. Don't miss this one!

Fantastic.......2005-08-02

An absolutely wonderful LIVE compilation of William Finn songs by him and his friends who happen to be wonderful musical theatre performers....

A must buy for lovers of William Finn's music.

Buy this CD now........2002-06-29

The only gripe I have about this CD is that every time I pop it in, it drives me absolutely crazy that I'd missed out on actually being there.

As a young actor and a contemporary music theatre enthusiast, this recording is a prime example and a constant reminder of why I'm in this business. Hearing the soaring voice of Carolee Carmello, the rich tones of Norm Lewis and the absolutely hysterical Mary Testa (some of the random dialogue is classic) makes me break out in goose bumps upon every listen.

Personal highlights are: Carolee singing, "I Have Found," Liz Callaway's rendition of "Sailing," and everything out of Wanda Houston's mouth. Mr. Finn, while not exactly a pleasing vocalist, breaks up the night (and the audience) with a classic rip on "Republicans" and "Stupid Things I Won't Do."

I couldn't think of a better title than "Infinite Joy" for this recording.

FINN's newest finn.......Joes' pub.......2002-05-11

absolutely brilliant..and a great idea...

we get to hear the voice of Bill....behind the songs...

we have his actors performing his numbers...

there are old songs..new songs...and all great songs...

this album is a treasure...feel lucky if you have a copy...

I have two copies..

real lucky!

Finn is in.......2002-04-09

In a sentence: I liked this CD. A lot.
Of course, one does have to be in the know of the NY musical theatre at the time to understand some of the in jokes, and while Bill Finn isn't exactly the best interpreter of his own work, there is such an earnestness and beauty to the music, I wish I was actually there to enjoy it.

Average customer rating:

ah-HA ... Quite a pleasure, really.
A Pleasant Surprise
That's It --- I'm Voting for Beeblebrox!
So long, that's all
Zarquad! What A Hoopy Soundtrack!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Manufacturer: Hollywood Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Widescreen Edition)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
Batman Begins
Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire

ASIN: B0007Z9RDY
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Tracks:

The Dolphins
So Long & Thanks For All The Fish
Arthur Wakes Up
Shoo-Rah! Shoo-Rah! - Betty Wright
Here I Am (Come And Take Me) - Al Green
Destruction Of Earth
Journey Of The Sorcerer
The Hitchhikers's Guide To The Galaxy: Original Soundtrack
Inside The Vogon Ship
Vogon Poetry
Space
Vogon Command Centre
Trillian & Arthur Reunited
Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster
Ten In Space
Deep Thought
Infinite Improbability Drive
Viltvodle Street Music
Huma's Hymn
Capture Of Trillian
Vogcity
Love
The Whale
Planet Factory Floor
Earth Mark II
Magic Moments - Perry Como
Shootout
Finale
Blast Off
So Long & Thanks For All The Fish (Reprise)
Careless Talk
Vote Beeblebrox
Reasons To Be Miserable (His Name Is Marvin)

Album Description

The popular "Hitchhiker" books by the late Douglas Adams inspired the engagingly quirky score by Joby Talbot. In addition to the score, the CD features: "Shoo-Rah Shoo-Rah" by Betty Wright; "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" by Al Green; "Magic Moments " from Perry Como; "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish" by Neil Hannon; "Careless Talk" and "Vote Beeblebrox" by Neil Hannon, Douglas Payne and Andy Dunlop; and "Reasons to be Miserable (His Name is Marvin)" by Stephen Fry.

Joby Talbot began writing and performing in the early '90s, working with artists such as Tom Jones, Paul McCartney, and producer Nigel Godrich. In 2000, his score to the primetime British comedy "The League of Gentlemen" won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Title Music. The British Film Institute commissioned Talbot to compose a new score for Alfred Hitchcock's silent classic "The Lodger." As a classical composer, he has worked with all the major U.K. orchestras and has been commissioned by the prestigious BBC Proms Festival.

Customer Reviews:

ah-HA ... Quite a pleasure, really. .......2006-03-05

.
If you enjoyed the movie [and we will assume that you did since you're here] you will love this soundtrack! It's got Everything!

Much of the work is orchestral. Some of it is techno. There are a couple of pop tune, and Perry Como [it works, trust me].

The Opening Theme "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish" is a gloriously funny show tune. It was funny on screen, but here you can pick out the lyrics. It's even more fun when you can sing along.

It's got the theme from the original radio play "Journey of the Sorcerer", banjo and all. [so did the movie].
Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is mellow enough to blow your mind.
"Huma's Hymn" about the Coming of the Great White Handkerchief is nothing more then Holy.
The "Planet Factory Floor" is ...Well, it's just plain Huge!

And Stephen Fry rapping. Stephen Fry, Man!! Reginald Jeeves of "Jeeves and Wooster" fame! If you are familiar with Stephen Fry, then the absurdity of him rapping makes this even more fun to listen to. He does the last track called "Reasons to Be Miserable (His Name is Marvin)", and he pulls it off so well!

It's enough to make you want this album!

A Pleasant Surprise.......2005-11-12

The Hitchhiker's Guide movie,for all its stupendous obserdity, had a surprisingly good score that one doesn't usually find in a comedy.

The silly tracks are in there too, and they're just as entertaining as the more traditional stuff. I love the music that is emitted from the Guide; its digital tones sound like a cell phone (except way less annoying and way cooler). Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is really awesome; it's like chilled Guide techno.

The slower tracks are equally nice. Tea in Space, Love, The Whale, and Space are all so simple and very pretty.

Then there are a few scores that are really big and just plain awesome. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish (and the intro about dophins) is so hysterical...I love how it's all put together. The Journey of the Sorcerer is fantastic. The only thing that's different about this version from the film is the addition of drums, but it's not a bad change at all. Planet Factory Floor is filled with such wonder and hugeness that's perfect for Magrathea. It's followed by the equally awesome Earth Mark II.

The only thing I didn't like about this CD was the addition of
Reasons to Be Miserable (His Name is Marvin). It was just....annoying and incredibly bad. But it's at the end of the CD, so I just don't listen to it. Not a big problem.

If you've seen the movie and enjoyed the music, this CD is definitely worth it. Who knew a comedy could have such epic music in it?

That's It --- I'm Voting for Beeblebrox!.......2005-11-03

By now, you've probably seen the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" movie in a theater, or at least on DVD (if not both.) Now check out the movie's amazing soundtrack.

The two major standouts of this album in my opinion are "Journey of the Sorcerer" and "Vote Beeblebrox." Anyone who's more than a casual fan of "Hitchhiker's" will immediately recognize "Journey of the Sorcerer" as the classic "Hitchhiker's" theme by the Eagles played on both the radio and television versions and now the movie as well. This version is enhanced and sounds great. It was a treat hearing it at the theater and it's awesome on this CD as well. "Vote Beeblebrox" --- I about died laughing when I heard this one. This is a sort of campaign song for Zaphod Beeblebrox that unfortunately never made it into the movie. "Don't believe the rumors / don't believe the vicious lies" it says, talking about how Zaphod isn't stupid. It continues in this vain with a hilarious spoken part from Zaphod saying that he "y'know, just wants to say all the things that presidents say, y'know." Has to be heard to be believed.

Following close behind these are definitely both versions of the wondrous "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish." Personally, I prefer the second version, a sort of upbeat lounge number, but both are great. "So long and thanks for all the fish / So sad that it should come to this / We tried to warn you all, but oh dear."

This album also includes a couple of what I guess could called Golden Oldies --- "Shoo-Rah! Shoo-Rah!" and "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)." Of these two, I thought "Shoo-Rah! Shoo-Rah!" was definitely better and more fun.

The bulk of the CD is the instrumental tracks from the film. Composed by Joby Talbot, these tend to suit the scenes they come from well. Enjoy some memories from the movie, or just enjoy listening to the music.

Finally, one last thing to mention --- "Reasons to be Miserable (His Name is Marvin)." Performed by Stephen Fry, this is a redo of a song by "Marvin himself." Wanna know what it's like to be Marvin? "In everything he has to do, he finds the world condemning / If he had his time again, he'd rather be a lemming." Yep, that Marvin's sure depressed (and depressing), but the song is fairly fun to listen to.

So long, that's all.......2005-10-01

When I saw the film and heard that catching tune "So Long & Thanks For All the Fish" I immediately decided to have this soundtrack, no doubt. So I rushed to buy the recording and, well brother you've bet, I fell in love with the whole disk. Get this, now, today! You won't be disappointed! You're gonna love the title song!

Zarquad! What A Hoopy Soundtrack!.......2005-06-02

Joby Talbot's score for the film version of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy is phenomenal. I mean, wow! Really incredibly phenomenal! I mean, you may think Danny Elfman's score to Spider-Man 2 was phenomenal, but that's just peanuts to this score! Okay, I may be exaggerrating a bit, but that should not distract from the fact that this is a great score for a wonderful film. Not only does the music work well with the film, but I would suggest it as a companion to other versions of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy you may come across. Try listening to it while reading one of the books, for instance. Or playing the text adventure from Infocom.

Some notable points:
The introduction about Dolphins, read by Stephen Fry, who of course played the voice of the Book in the film. And of course, the brassy, Broadway-style show-stopping musical number "So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish" which serves as a wonderfully ridiculous setpiece for the opening credits. The melody appears several times throughout the score, usually whenever Arthur or Trillian are thinking of Earth. It is also reprised as a slow, jazzy, lounge singery song during the first part of the closing credits.

The cue from when the Vogons destroy the earth, which is appropriately tense and dramatic, and climaxes with a panicked-sounding string section playing imposibly high, abrubt notes, and ends abruptly as the earth is destroyed.

To fans of the original radio and TV series, I say to you Don't Panic, because Bernie Leadon's "Journey of the Sorcerer" (Which, for those of you that don't know, served as the theme to both the TV and radio series) is on the soundtrack with a faithful and reverent arrangement, complete with banjo. It is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and I listen to it along with the following track, which shares its name with the film's title, and the title of one of the most wholly remarkable books in the universe: The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.

Another great track is the music for the whale that is suddenly called into existance over the planet of Magrathea. It is filled with unwarranted optimism, and pathos, and gives the scene the necessary emotional edge, which I think is something Douglas Adams himself would have enjoyed immensely, since he created the whale in response to cop shows where innocent bystanders are meaninglessly killed as a result of conflicts or car chases that they had nothing to do with, and the audience doesn't care about them since they were only on the screen for two seconds. So Douglas wanted to create a character who would only exist as a character for a very short time, but make him extremely sympathetic so the audience would feel actual emotion when he is killed. And it works, and has worked in every version of the Hitchhiker's Guide I've been exposed to.

Another great track is "Huma's Hymn", which sounds so authentically like a church song that you could swear you'd be able to find it in your church's song book. (But you won't, so don't go looking for it.) As I understand it, most of the chorus singing the song consists not of professional singers, but of fans and other random people who happened to be walking by the church where the song was recorded, to give it that extra level of authenticity that other filmmakers probably wouldn't care about.

Overall, this is a very evocative and wonderfully fantastic score. Mr. Talbot displays much originality, but at points seems to channel other great composers of SciFi movie music. I hear traces of John Williams' scores for the Star Wars films and Superman the Movie, Jerry Goldsmith's Star Trek: The Motion Picture, James Horner's Star Treks II and III, and even Nobuo Uematsu's Final Fantasy soundtracks. Just listen to track 8 and you'll see what I mean.

Just so you know, there are three tracks that are not part of the score of the film. I suppose you could call them "Pop" tracks, but they're not tracks that have been popular in the past 10 years, at least. Only one of them: Perry Como's "Magic Moments" was in the film, at least that I could tell. It was used as source music twice, once in the pub near the beginning, and once near the end. That's all I can say about that without spoiling the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it. (And if you don't recognise the name of the song, it's been used in several movies, so you've probably heard it before.) The other two songs are Betty Wright's "Shoo-Rah! Shoo-Rah!" and Al Green's "Here I Am (Come And Take Me)". While the inclusion of these songs on an otherwise orchestral soundtrack may seem odd, they definitely fit the film. Even if "Shoo-Rah! Shoo-Rah!" and "Here I Am (Come And Take Me)" don't appear in the film, you can imagine that they'd be the next songs to be cued on the jukebox in the pub near the beginning of the film, and so they help establish the mood for the scene. Some fans may be surprised or disappointed in the non-inclusion of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World", but if you see the film, you will see that the scene during which that song played in the radio and TV series is not in the film. But no biggie, if they make a sequel (and there's no reason they shouldn't) perhaps that scene will make it in.

Overall, I'd say that this is a soundtrack that no fan of the Hitchhiker's franchise should be without. So buy it now, before the earth is demolished to make a hyperspace bypass!

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