Prison Songs

Prison Songs

Prison Songs

ASIN: B00005TN82

Track Listings
 
1. Leavenworth Prison
2. Keep on Lovin Me
3. I'm Locked away
4. I was in Prison (When my Mama Died)
5. The Warden Lied
6. Scum Suckin Laywers
7. Prison Boogie
8. Singing These old Prison Songs
9. Where did America go
10. Stuck in Prison
11. Diesel Therapy
12. I'm in Prison Blues
13. Little Frank and the snitch
14. The Judge's Daughter
15. Epiloogue: You Gotta Hear This!

Editorial Reviews
American News Journal 03/01/01
"The best Album of prison songs - ever!"

Product Description
America's only true album of prison songs, each written and preformed by Robert Earl Reed who was sent to Leavenworth Prison after another man's felony was put in Reed's misdeameanor court records!

Prison Songs

Prison Songs,Robert Earl Reed
Prison Songs (Historical Recordings From Parchman Farm 1947-48), Vol. 1: Murderous Home
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Real Gangstas, Role Models, and Elvis Presley
  • DEEP
  • Incredibly powerful music
  • One of the great documents of American music.
 Prison Songs (Historical Recordings From Parchman Farm 1947-48), Vol. 1: Murderous Home
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Rounder Select
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Delta BluesDelta Blues | Blues | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Blues | Styles | Music
Traditional BluesTraditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Compilations | Blues | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Folk | Styles | Music
Traditional FolkTraditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
ItalyItaly | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
Rounder RecordsRounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music
GeneralGeneral | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Delta BluesDelta Blues | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music
GeneralGeneral | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Prison Songs (Historical Recordings From Parchman Farm 1947-48), Vol. 2: Don'tcha Hear Poor Mother Calling?
  2. Treasury of Library of Congress Field Recordings
  3. Negro Work Songs & Calls
  4. Land Where the Blues Began
  5. Afro-American Spirituals, Work Songs, And Ballads

ASIN: B0000002UV
Release Date: 1997-09-28

Tracks:

  1. The Murderer's Home - Jimpson & group
  2. No More, My Lord - Jimpson & axe gang
  3. Old Alabama - B.B. & group
  4. Black Woman - B.B. & group
  5. Jumpin' Judy - Tangle Eye, Fuzzy Red, Hard Hair, & group
  6. Whoa Buck - C.B.
  7. Prettiest Train - '22'
  8. Old Dollar Mamie - '22' & group
  9. It Makes A Long Time Man Feel Bad - '22' & group
  10. Rosie - C.B. & axe gang
  11. Levee Camp Holler - Bama
  12. What Makes A Work Song Leader? - Interview with Bama
  13. Early In The Mornin' - '22' with Little Red, Tangle Eye, & Hard Hair
  14. How I Got In The Penitentiary - Interview with Bama
  15. Tangle Eye Blues - Tangle Eye
  16. Stackerlee - Bama
  17. Prison Blues - Alex

Album Description

"These songs belong to the musical tradition which Africans brought to the New World, but they are also as American as the Mississippi River. They were born out of the very rock and earth of this country, as black hands broke the soil, moved, reformed it, and rivers of stinging sweat poured upon the land under the blazing heat of Southern skies, and are mounted upon the passion that this struggle with nature brought forth. They tell us the story of the slave gang, the sharecropper system, the lawless work camp, the chain gang, the pen." --Alan Lomax

This is a reissue of Alan Lomax's legendary album Negro Prison Songs in its entirety. A complete CD of previously unissued material from the same field recordings is also available: Prison Songs Vol. 2: Don'tcha Hear Poor Mother Calling?

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Real Gangstas, Role Models, and Elvis Presley.......2004-06-10

This disc (as well as its companion, "Vol. 2: Dont'cha Hear Poor Mother Calling?") is perhaps some of the most beautiful and honest recordings of human expression you'll ever hear. Modern music has nothing on this stuff; it's the real deal. This is music that was created to get you through the day; not to sell records or to score chicks. This is as anti-commercial, and therefore, as antiestablishment as you can get. Truly alternative. And it is, in a word, spellbinding.
The greatest beauty of, not only the songs, but culture that spawned them and the men who sang them as well, is the burning human spirit that inhabits each and every track on this record. Nowhere is there a mention of giving up or losing hope. These songs are optimistic in the the purest sense and prideful in the best way. One can't help but wonder how - in a place where you could get six months on the chain gang for standing on a street corner, or five years for stealing a loaf of bread - these men managed to remain so hopeful? How could they stay so proud and sing so true, with so much life, while they were being worked to death every day, from dawn until dusk, under the blazing, hot sun with nothing but a little bread and water to keep them going? These men must have had an amazing inner strength and a strong system of values to get through it. Or, if not that, at they very least, they had to have possessed an unimaginable amount of pride and dignity in themselves to not to be broken down by their captors and the brutal Jim Crow penal system under which they were railroaded.
Thinking of that and listening to this disc, I was reminded of something I heard Wynton Marsalis say in an interview with David Frost. When asked what he thought of Rap music, Wynton said that, "Rap, because of it's sense of nihilism, represents the ultimate triumph of the white man over the black man..." Nowhere, he claimed, in the history of African-American creative expression do you find that sense of nihilism that you do in Rock & Roll. That was something that found its way into black culture after Elvis took off. So if Rock music was, and still is, a white manifestation of the Blues and R&B with a Dionysian sense of self-destruction, then the rebellious posturing and devil-may-care swagger of today's gun-toting "Gangsta" archetype is something that was adopted from white culture. Does this sound far fetched? Not if one looks at white popular culture from the fifties. Take, for example, "Rebel Without a Cause" or "The Wild One" where disenfranchised white kids, juiced up on hormones, drag race down the road, not at all concerned that somebody might crash or fly off a cliff. Where do these ideas play out in pre-fifties African-American culture? They don't. Because they don't exist. Could you ever imagine Duke Ellington, in his top hat and tails, kicking over his piano bench the way Jerry Lee Lewis did on the Steve Allen Show? Never in a million years. This sense of nihilism was introduced into the mix by white guys like James Dean, Marlon Brando, Gene Vincent, and Eddie Cochran; it was later elevated to a fine art by the likes of Keith Richards, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison before it was co-opted by latter day Rap performers.
To be sure, there is no sense of nihilism on this disc. And for that reason, the singers on "Murderous Home" (and "Dont'cha Hear Poor Mother Calling?") should be held up as role models to countless disenfranchised young people out there who have no faith in the system. The men here didn't let the system get the better of them; they didn't let the institution turn them sour; they didn't let the institution turn them on themselves. The guys on this disc are the original "Gangstas." True rebels, defiant in a time long before being an outsider was bottled up, made cool, and sold to us in the form of Rock & Roll...long before the advertisers taught us how to be self-destructive...and long before rap videos made that sense of self-destruction sexy to suburban kids.
It's interesting to note that in spite of all the positive spirit in these songs, when Alan Lomax returned to Parchman just a few years later, the younger convicts refused to sing them. They saw the songs as old-fashioned and thought singing them would be "Uncle Tomming." Ironically, of course, this was in the fifties...after Rock & Roll.
How sad then, that these songs were forgotten by African-Americans. Because what got left behind was a guiding voice. A voice that was so poetic, beautiful and honest in its heroic strength and language and so steadfast in its conviction and principle and so completely true to itself that no rapper out there today comes anywhere close to equaling its defiance. But, perhaps the worst thing of all...the saddest of thing all...is that a genuine dignity was lost. A dignity that could have been a navigational beacon...a roadmap to the high road...forsaken and cast aside...and, ultimately, all because a good-looking white boy from Memphis shook his hips on a thing called television.

5 out of 5 stars DEEP.......2001-11-05

I really had no idea what i was in store for. But for those who love black, southern and prison history, spirituals, and are thirsting for music in its purest form, buy this CD!!! It has wonderful chants, commentary from Lomax, narrative from the inmatesand even clanking from the axes. You can hear the suffering and longing in their voices. You can hear the humor in may of the lyrics. Be sure to read the booklet so that you can get a clearer understanding of it all. It is a wonderful piece of recorded history. you may also want to buy the book Worse than Slavery, by Oshinsky so that you can get greater sense of exactly waht they are thinking about. One more thing..You will totally feel the energy of 22.

4 out of 5 stars Incredibly powerful music.......2001-10-26

I was blown away when I listened to this CD for the first time. The recording is great. I didn't expect too much due to the time frame of the recording, but the quality is impressive. I bought this hoping to find more tracks like "Po' Lazarus" from the "O' Brother Where Art Thou" Soundtrack. What I got was much more.

5 out of 5 stars One of the great documents of American music........2000-06-27

Words fail to describe this incredibly powerful album. I've had a copy since the 60's, and still have an unopened LP copy in my "vault" (along with the first Roberty Johnson LP). Luckily, I don't have to describe the power of the music - you can click on the samples, and hear for yourself.

Reams of praise have been heaped on this album, and every word has been an understatement.

If you have any interest whatever in American folk music or in blues or jazz, you either have a copy of this or should get one. This is the absolute peak of Lomax's years of collecting.

Incredibly clean sound for the 40's, all well recorded, musically superb pieces, each a perfect gem of its kind, preserving some of the oldest and best of American music, done by some of the finest singers you've never heard of.

You will listen to this again and again.
Susan Graham - La Belle Époque (The Songs of Reynaldo Hahn)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Susan Graham, Songs of Reynaldo Hahn
  • Excellent Catalyst for Seduction. Buy It.
  • Graham's Artistry Makes for Compelling Listening in a Collection of Songs from a 'Minor' Composer
  • The beauty of "La Belle Époque"
  • A very good Hahn collection
 Susan Graham - La Belle Époque (The Songs of Reynaldo Hahn)
Reynaldo Hahn , Susan Graham , and Roger Vignoles
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Modern & 20th CenturyModern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
$7.99 and Under$7.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
All Classical Music BlowoutAll Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Opera & VocalOpera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Classical MusicClassical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Opera & VocalOpera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Susan Graham ~ Berlioz - Les nuits d'été
  2. Susan Graham - Songs of Ned Rorem
  3. Poèmes de l'Amour
  4. Susan Graham - Mozart & Gluck Arias ~ Il tenero momento
  5. Susan Graham at Carnegie Hall

ASIN: B00000AG7M
Release Date: 1998-09-15

Tracks:

  1. A Chloris
  2. Le Rossignol des lilas
  3. L'Enamour
  4. Trois Jours de vendage
  5. Lyde
  6. Tyndaris
  7. Phyllis
  8. Les Fontaines
  9. L'Automne
  10. Infidelit
  11. Dans la nuit
  12. D'une prison
  13. Quand la nuit n'est pas teoilee
  14. Fume
  15. Le Printemps
  16. Je me souviens
  17. Quand je fus pris au pavillion
  18. Paysage
  19. Fetes galantes
  20. Nocturne
  21. Mai
  22. L'Heure exquise
  23. Offrande
  24. Si mes vers avaient des ailes

Amazon.com

Lyric mezzo-soprano Susan Graham stands out from the crowd for her expressive, opulent voice and communicative gifts. Someone at Sony has made the decision to place her in the public mind primarily as a singer of French works, and although it would be a shame to see her limited to that area of the repertoire, she does sing the French repertoire exceptionally. Graham sings sensitively and idiomatically in this group of 24 songs by Reynaldo Hahn (1875-1947), a Venezuelan-born, French-reared composer and conductor who knew how to craft a song like few others. In such lovely songs as "A Chloris," which opens the album, and "Je me souviens," Hahn creates a bevy of beautiful little worlds, which Graham and the outstanding pianist Roger Vignoles present in memorable form. This album belongs in the collection of all lovers of song. --Sarah Bryan Miller

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Susan Graham, Songs of Reynaldo Hahn.......2007-01-10

Stunning. The sticker on the front of the CD (New York Times quote) says it all: "breathtaiking and unforgettable!".

5 out of 5 stars Excellent Catalyst for Seduction. Buy It........2006-05-19

'La Belle Epoque, The Songs of Reynaldo Hahn' by mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, accompanied by pianist, Roger Vignoles, is much different from my earlier subject of a Graham Review, some songs from Berlioz. The Berlioz material struck me as a concerto for orchestra and voice. This was excellent material for to wow a mate on a first date. Reynaldo Hahn's chamber songs are for much more intimate venues and objectives. Even more than any other 'Lieder' or 'Chansom' specialist I can think of, these are the sorts of things you want to use when the object is seduction.

The songs are so gentle and so seductive that they are as likely to set the tone for the seducer as well as for the seductee. Even if you are not in a seductive situation, the songs will make you want to be there.

All this means is that while Reynaldo Hahn does not have the great reputation of Berlioz or Shubert or Schuman or Debussy, you really should know his songs, and Ms. Graham does a great interpretation to make this introduction.

5 out of 5 stars Graham's Artistry Makes for Compelling Listening in a Collection of Songs from a 'Minor' Composer.......2006-02-27

This was only Graham's second solo outing, and for many listeners it confirmed the promise of her d?but recording of "Les Nuits d'?t?" -- an unusual accomplishment for a relatively minor project.

I know the songs of Reynaldo Hahn from a number of worthy recordings from other artists -- Rachel Yakar, Martyn Hill, Bruno Laplante, Mady Mespl?, Graham Johnson & Co. (the Hyperion French Song Edition), one-offs on Elly Ameling albums, not to mention vintage recordings by Hahn himself. All the same, this recording was a complete revelation. Her beauty of tone, her ease with the French language (surpassing, I daresay, the much-vaunted Francophony of Felicity Lott), her canny selection of songs, Vignoles's sensitive accompaniment, they all add up. But there's that (ahem) je-ne-sais-quoi that makes something a classic, and this album has it. It captures an era, it creates a time and place that come wafting out of your speakers.

My favorite song on this record is "Si la nuit n'est pas ?toil?e" -- it is a rapturous melody to a quintessential Victor Hugo text. But there is nary a false note on the entire album. I do recommend, if you can find it, the Ameling album "Serenata," which includes two Hahn songs I haven't encountered elsewhere, "L'amiti?" with its faint melancholy and "La vie est belle" with its French ?lan.

As we know, Graham has gone on to much bigger things, but she retains her commitment to the art of song and to breathing fresh life into French rarities (as in her delightful operetta album). In terms of tone, timbre, and intonation, for my money she has the most beautiful voice in opera today. My only hope is that she doesn't go the way of Ren?e Fleming and become The Voice Beautiful ... she veered a bit in that direction with her recent Chausson record, and I hope she gets back to business and gets her vivid personality back in action in her song performances.

5 out of 5 stars The beauty of "La Belle Époque".......2005-09-13

This is one of the most beautiful vocal recordings I have recently experienced. The songs of Reynaldo Hahn are beautiful gems exquisitly presented by the polished voice of Susan Graham. I have gone back to this recording many times.

4 out of 5 stars A very good Hahn collection.......2004-12-05

Venezuelan-born Reynaldo Hahn was taken to Paris at age 3, and became, early enough (his most famous song, Si mes vers avaient des ailes, was composed when he was 12!) a steady feature in the musical life of Paris.

Lover of Marcel Proust, sought-after musical entertainer in the salons of the Highest Society, diarist, composer, singer, renowned conductor, influential music writer in the most powerful daily in France (Le Figaro) finally General Manager of the Opéra Comique before dying of a brain tumor in 1947, Hahn was a multi-faceted musician of the highest probity. His songs are simple, patrician, utterly elegant, and always set to the best poetry. His simplicity and purity of means accomplish in little what many pretentious thunderers fail even to approximate.

Hahn himself had a light little baritone voice, a little croak of a voice, really, with which he became popular in high society drawing rooms before the First World War: a voice that charmed duchesses and made the most reserved princesses smile. He even made some 50 records between 1920 and 1930, which show his unique, expressive musicality, unfailing sense of phrasing, elegance of style, and fine piano-playing (He almost invariably accompanies himself.)

Hahn's own 78s, and a very few others by the likes of Ninon Vallin, give a clear recorded testimony of how his songs ought to be performed: simply, elegantly, with charm.

Graham is a lovely singer and a supple musician. Her French is not exactly top-notch but most people will not care: they will respond to her beautiful sound and endearing manner. The pianist is also good.
Prison Songs (Historical Recordings From Parchman Farm 1947-48), Vol. 2: Don'tcha Hear Poor Mother Calling?
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Cut 8. 'O' Berta' not the one I thought it was
  • Great
 Prison Songs (Historical Recordings From Parchman Farm 1947-48), Vol. 2: Don'tcha Hear Poor Mother Calling?
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Rounder Select
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Delta BluesDelta Blues | Blues | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Blues | Styles | Music
Traditional BluesTraditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Compilations | Blues | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Folk | Styles | Music
Traditional FolkTraditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
ItalyItaly | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
Rounder RecordsRounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music
GeneralGeneral | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Delta BluesDelta Blues | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music
GeneralGeneral | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Prison Songs (Historical Recordings From Parchman Farm 1947-48), Vol. 1: Murderous Home
  2. Negro Work Songs & Calls
  3. Afro-American Spirituals, Work Songs, And Ballads
  4. Treasury of Library of Congress Field Recordings
  5. Negro Prison Blues and Songs

ASIN: B0000002UW
Release Date: 1997-09-28

Tracks:

  1. Dontcha Hear Poor Mother Calling? - Hollie Dew, Bull & group
  2. John Henry - '22' & group
  3. Strongest Man I Ever Saw-Tall tale by Bama - Bama
  4. Well, I Wonder - Dobie Red & group
  5. Lies - Bama, Dobie & Red
  6. Im Goin Home - Bama
  7. More Lies - Bama, '22' & Bull
  8. OBerta - Bull & group
  9. Disability Boogie Woogie - Curry Childress
  10. O Rosie - '22' & group
  11. Hollers - Dobie, Red, Foots
  12. Stewball - '22' & group with axes
  13. Fox Chase - Curry Childress, C.B. Banks
  14. Katy Left Memphis - Percy Wilson
  15. About Prison Singers-Interview with Dobie Red - Dobie Red
  16. Rosie - '88' & group
  17. High Rollin Sergeant - Tangle Eye
  18. Garbage Man-Toast - George Johnson
  19. When I Went To Leland - '22' & group
  20. Prodigal Son - George Johnson
  21. Im Goin To Memphis - Percy Wilson & group

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Cut 8. 'O' Berta' not the one I thought it was.......2002-09-11

I heard a great arraingement of "Berta" during the movie "The Piano" which stared Charles Dutton. I thought that arraingement or at least some approximation was on this CD but it turns out that track 8 'O' Berta' is a disapointing version of that great tune. Otherwise if you like to hear these types of songs you might like this cd.

5 out of 5 stars Great.......2000-09-06

This collection has real feeling and that's what music is supposed to be about. I highly recommend it.
Songs from the Trilogy
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • cream of the cream
  • Gorgeous and lush!
  • Strange and wonderful avant-garde opera
  • One of the best
  • Real live electric combustion
 Songs from the Trilogy

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Glass, PhilipGlass, Philip | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General ModernGeneral Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by GlassAll Works by Glass | Glass, Philip | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | New Age | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Modern & 20th CenturyModern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
EnglishEnglish | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Minimal TechnoMinimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
Classical MusicClassical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Opera & VocalOpera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Philip Glass - Songs from Liquid Days
  2. Satyagraha
  3. The Photographer
  4. Glass: Akhnaten
  5. Glass: Symphony no 5 (Choral): Requiem, Bardo, Nirmanakaya

ASIN: B0000026Y7
Release Date: 1989-08-07

Tracks:

  1. Protest (Satyagraha)
  2. Evening Song (Satyagraha)
  3. Hymn To The Sun (Akhnaten)
  4. Trail/Prison (Einstein)
  5. Akhnatin And Nefertiti (Akhnatin)
  6. Kuru Field Of Justice (Satyagraha)
  7. Knee I (Einstein)
  8. Tolstoy Farm (Satyagraha)
  9. Window Of Appearances (Akhnatin)
  10. Bed (Einstein)
  11. Epilouge (Akhnatin)
  12. Knee 5 (Einstein)

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars cream of the cream.......2006-01-20

The three operas comprising Glass' trilogy are something special, but this disc of arias from those three operas is even better. The selections themselves, the pacing of the sequencing, and absolutely top-drawer performances make this a standout disc. It's a great introduction disc for those seeking to learn more about Philip Glass's operas without having to invest in the full length recordings, although Akhnaten especially is a masterpiece and more than worthy of the price for the complete opera. I've given this disc to many friends and received only grateful raves, even from those already familiar with Glass' music. Douglas Perry's singing deserves special mention; his singing of Evening Song from Satyagraha is perfect in every way, with immaculate phrasing and a kind of passion of restraint that is mesmerizing. Glass' intentions are deceptive to the ear; he is master of a simplicity that keeps giving. The selections from Einstein on the Beach are richly complex; even after years of listening, new directions continue to appear in the score, each time revealing another dimension, an idea not really noticed before will suddenly become clear and engaging, creating a wonderfully familiar listening experience. Beautiful stuff. The melismatic Bed aria from Einstein on the Beach is a joy, heartbreaking as it is. Milagro Vargas contributes passionate singing in the Window of Appearances, and some marvelous ensemble singing is generously spread throughout the entire disc. Glass' best work may be found in his opera scores, and this disc presents the cream of the cream. Check it for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

5 out of 5 stars Gorgeous and lush!.......2004-06-02

This album is my favorite Philip Glass album. I remember the discordance of "Glassworks" in the early 1980s when Philip Glass became more well known with Steve Reich, John Adams, and other "minimalist" composers. Somewhere along the line, Glass has lost a lot of the real shocking discordance that he used to express energy. Some individuals cannot stand Glass's music and lament about its repetitive (and therefore boring) nature. Repetition is the real seed of this music. The repetition by itself can be a simple and beautiful thing, just like a fugue. Then it grows and blossoms out into various new and unexpected ways. I think that Glass really stuns the listener by using the speaking voice as an instrument. Voices read at times. The importance is in the sound of the voice, not the meaning of what is being read. It's an intellectual exercise as well as a lush and beautiful garden of sound and movement. Listen to it and experience its simple beauties. This is not country music. This is not "traditional" opera. It's a work of creativity and sensitivity. Shut your eyes and enjoy.

4 out of 5 stars Strange and wonderful avant-garde opera.......2001-05-08

Man . . . how the hell do I start?

This is a collection of pieces from three operas scored by Philip Glass: "Satyagraha," "Akhnaten" and "Einstein on the Beach." They're about spiritual and moral pioneers: Ghandi in South Africa, the Egyptian leader who introduced monotheism and, well, Einstein.

I haven't seen these; I'm not sure if I'd like them. But some of these pieces are so stunningly beautiful and profound that I feel like looking up the full scores.

Not for everybody, especially the bits from Einstein, which consist of barely audible and repetitive muttering to the accompanyment of a chorus chanting numbers. Damn cool.

5 out of 5 stars One of the best.......1999-12-01

I would say this is Mr. Glass' best work. The songs are simply beautiful. The orchestration is rich and complex, yet gives a tranquil quality. I highly recommend this album.

4 out of 5 stars Real live electric combustion.......1999-01-25

Alright people listen up... This is Dusty Tex Tumbleweed of the American Funboys and I have a thing or two which I would like to share with all the Philip Glass fans out there regarding this here album. At first I was'nt quite sure what to make of it - I was a little hesitant because of the weird-looking artwork on the cover { I usually pick out my music based on several criteria - one of which is album cover art... I only see in pinks and browns so some album cover art makes my eyes hurt } When I saw this album it immediately made me feel sick to my stomach, but when I listened to it I was pleasantly surprised. Philip Glass went out on a limb by combining monotonous keyboard riffs and bizarre electronic chirrups { made my girlfriend Shawangtang have a kiniption fit on my red leather sofa.. } Anyway, I found that the more I listened to this album the more I liked it - at one point about seven minutes into the first movement you can distinctly here the sound of a dozen or so camouflage parrots sqwaking in time with the simple yet extremely tedious keyboard noodling of this great boring composer Philip Glass... simply ear spliting. I'm going to wrap up this album review by saying that Philip Glass is an amazing gentleman with an ear for really live electric sounding combustion... Peace, I'm out { Shawangtang and I are taking our manager Sir William Buorbonaugh out for raisin corndogs and chocolate ice water... and keep an eye out for me and the rest of the funboys this summer on the Tab sodapop steam-engine jetski tour }
Fauré: The Complete Songs, Vol. 2: Un paysage choisi
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Fauré: The Complete Songs, Vol. 2: Un paysage choisi

    Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Fauré, Gabriel | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    ChorusesChoruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    OratoriosOratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    ClassicalClassical | Imports | Stores | Music
    Similar Items:
    1. Faure: Complete Songs 1 - Au bord de l'eau
    2. Gabriel Fauré: The Complete Songs, Vol. 3
    3. Fauré - The Complete Songs, Vol. 4 ~ Dans un parfum de roses
    4. The Songs of Henri Duparc
    5. The Songs of Chausson / Lott · Murray · McGreevy · Trakas · Chilingirian Quartet · G. Johnson

    ASIN: B0007WFWQ8
    Release Date: 2005-05-10
    Negro Prison Blues and Songs
    Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    • Listen to the clips once, think twice
    • Great music, no liner notes
    		 Negro Prison Blues and Songs
    Various Artists
    Manufacturer: Legacy
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    Delta BluesDelta Blues | Blues | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Blues | Styles | Music
    Traditional BluesTraditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Compilations | Blues | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Live Albums | Blues | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Folk | Styles | Music
    Traditional FolkTraditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Compilations | Folk | Styles | Music
    Traditional FolkTraditional Folk | Live Albums | Folk | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Live Albums | Folk | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music
    CDs $7 - $10CDs $7 - $10 | Blues General | Blues | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Blues General | Blues | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    CDs $7 - $10CDs $7 - $10 | Folk General | Folk | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Folk General | Folk | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    CDs $7 - $10CDs $7 - $10 | Traditional Folk | Folk | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Traditional Folk | Folk | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music
    Traditional BluesTraditional Blues | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music
    Delta BluesDelta Blues | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
    Traditional FolkTraditional Folk | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
    4-for-3 Pop4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
    4-for-3 All Music4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
    Similar Items:
    1. Negro Work Songs & Calls
    2. Prison Songs (Historical Recordings From Parchman Farm 1947-48), Vol. 2: Don'tcha Hear Poor Mother Calling?
    3. Prison Songs (Historical Recordings From Parchman Farm 1947-48), Vol. 1: Murderous Home
    4. Afro-American Spirituals, Work Songs, And Ballads
    5. Treasury of Library of Congress Field Recordings

    ASIN: B000002NQQ
    Release Date: 1994-07-19

    Tracks:

    1. Murder's Home
    2. No More, My Lawd
    3. Old Alabama
    4. Black Woman
    5. Jumpin' Judy
    6. Whoa Buck
    7. Prettiest Train
    8. Old Dollar Mamie
    9. It Makes A Long Time Man Feel Bad
    10. Rosie
    11. Levee Camp Holler
    12. What Makes A Work Song Leader?
    13. Early In The Mornin'
    14. How I Got In The Penitentiary
    15. Tangle Eye Blues
    16. Stackerlee
    17. Prison Blues
    18. Duckin' And Dodgin'
    19. My Baby Got To Go
    20. Penitentiary Blues
    21. Lonesome Blues
    22. They'll Miss Me When I'm Gone
    23. Rock Me Mama

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Listen to the clips once, think twice.......2005-07-25

    I wish anybody had mentioned this about this album before I bought it, so I'm telling you: this edition has been post-processed with a reverb that surely wasn't there when Lomax recorded it. Sometimes it's not especially intrusive, but sometimes it's aggressively metallic and artifical. Serves me right for trying to cheap out, and failing to listen to the clips. If this bugs you as it does me, do yourself what I'm going to do next time, buy the Rounder edition of "Prison Songs (Historical Recordings From Parchman Farm 1947-48)".

    3 out of 5 stars Great music, no liner notes.......2004-05-10

    This is an excellent recording with almost no context. The liner notes (all of two paragraphs) don't say anything about when the songs were recorded of how Lomax got access to the prisoners. The sound is excellent.
    Falla: Seite canciones populaires españolas; Ravel: Histoires naturelles; Fauré: Mélodies
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Falla: Seite canciones populaires españolas; Ravel: Histoires naturelles; Fauré: Mélodies

      Manufacturer: Testament UK
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      All Works by FallaAll Works by Falla | Falla, Manuel de | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Fauré, Gabriel | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
      Ravel, MauriceRavel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
      Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
      Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
      Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
      Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      Modern & 20th CenturyModern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      ClassicalClassical | Imports | Stores | Music
      ASIN: B0000AH3DD
      Release Date: 2003-11-11

      Tracks:

      1. I El Pano Moruno
      2. II Seguidilla Murciana
      3. III Asturiana
      4. IV Jota
      5. V Nana
      6. VI Cancion
      7. VII Polo
      8. I Le Paon
      9. II Le Grillon
      10. III Le Cygne
      11. IV Le Martin-Pecheur
      12. V La Pintade
      13. C'est L'extase Langoureuse, Op.58 No.5
      14. Green, Op.58 No.3
      15. Mandoline, Op.58 No.1
      16. Prison, Op.83 No.1
      17. Spleen, Op.51 No.3
      18. Tristesse, Op.6 No.2
      19. Au Bord De L'eau, Op.8 No.1
      20. Apres Un Reve, Op.7 No.1
      21. Clair De Lune, Op.46 No.2
      22. Arpege, Op.76 No.2
      23. En Sourdine, Op.58 No.2
      24. I La Mer Est Infinie
      25. II Je Me Suis Embarque
      26. III Diane, Selene
      27. IV Vaisseaux, Nous Vous Aurons Aimes
      Melodies Francaises
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Melodies Francaises

        Manufacturer: RCA Red Seal
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        Chausson, ErnestChausson, Ernest | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Fauré, Gabriel | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        All Works by PoulencAll Works by Poulenc | Poulenc, Francis | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        Ravel, MauriceRavel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        All Works by DebussyAll Works by Debussy | Debussy, Claude | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        Modern & 20th CenturyModern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        Classical MusicClassical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
        Opera & VocalOpera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
        ASIN: B00009963B
        Release Date: 2003-04-24

        Tracks:

        1. Le Papillon Et Al Fleur
        2. Mai
        3. Chanson Du Pecheur
        4. Lydia
        5. Reve D'amour
        6. Tristesse
        7. Les Berceaux
        8. Notre Amour
        9. Le Secret
        10. Aurore
        11. Les Roses D'lspahan
        12. Nocturne
        13. Clair De Lune
        14. Spleen
        15. Mandoline
        16. En Sourdine
        17. Green
        18. A Clymene
        19. C'est L'extase
        20. Prison
        21. Histories Naturales
        22. La Caravane
        23. Le Temps Des Lilas
        24. Les Heures
        25. La Chansson Perpetuelle
        26. Arettes Oubliees
        27. Cinq Poemes De Baudelaire
        28. Chansons De Bilitis
        29. Montparnasse

        Album Details

        Artist & Repertoires Series.
        The Golden Harvest
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • Shaker Music at its best
        • Simply Beautiful
        		 The Golden Harvest

        Manufacturer: Glissando
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        GeneralGeneral | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems
        GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        ClassicalClassical | Imports | Stores | Music
        Similar Items:
        1. Simple Gifts: Shaker Chants and Spirituals
        2. Early Shaker Spirituals
        3. Let Zion Move: Music Of The Shakers
        4. An Inconvenient Truth

        ASIN: B0000508QY
        Release Date: 2000-10-17

        Tracks:

        1. Stone Prison: Stone Prison
        2. Stone Prison: Trumpet Peace
        3. Stone Prison: Voice Of The Angels Of Mercy
        4. Upon This Fair Soil: O Zion Arise
        5. Upon This Fair Soil: Joyful Praises
        6. Upon This Fair Soil: Rights Of Conscience
        7. Upon This Fair Soil: The Blessings Of Peace
        8. Upon This Fair Soil: Holy Habitation
        9. Upon This Fair Soil: Thanksgiving
        10. Upon This Fair Soil: A Suite Of Five Dance Tunes
        11. Sweep As I Go: Solemn Song Of The Ancients
        12. Sweep As I Go: Mother Ann's Song
        13. Sweep As I Go: Path Of Sorrow
        14. Sweep As I Go: Fall On The Rock
        15. Sweep As I Go: Sweep As I Go
        16. Gift Songs: Birds: Philomela
        17. Gift Songs: Birds: Mourning Dove
        18. Gift Songs: Birds: Mother's Pretty Dove
        19. Gift Songs: Birds: Consoling Dove
        20. Gift Songs: Native Spirits: Woben Mesa Crelana (Indian Song)
        21. Gift Songs: Native Spirits: He Haw Tallabo (Indian Song)
        22. Gift Songs: Native Spirits: Indian Song
        23. Gift Songs: Native Spirits: Negro Songs
        24. Gift Songs: Native Spirits: Pretty Home
        25. Gift Songs: Heavenly Spirits: Angel Of Light
        26. Gift Songs: Heavenly Spirits: Angel Invitation
        27. Gift Songs: Heavenly Spirits: Four Little Angels
        28. Gift Songs: Heavenly Spirits: Sweet Angels Come Nearer
        29. Gift Songs: Heavenly Spirits: Mother's Comforting Promise
        30. Gift Songs: Heavenly Spirits: Holy Order Song
        31. Gift Songs: Heavenly Spirits: O Come, Come Away
        32. Gift Songs: Heavenly Spirits: The Savior's Cheering Promise
        33. The Golden Harvest: Behold The Day
        34. The Golden Harvest: All Glean With Care
        35. The Golden Harvest: The Harvest
        36. The Golden Harvest: Angel Reapers
        37. The Golden Harvest: Light
        38. The Golden Harvest: The Angel Reapers
        39. The Shakers Of Sabbathday Lake, Main In Coversation With Joel Cohen

        Amazon.com

        Few collections are so aptly titled as The Golden Harvest, a rich survey of Shaker songs, chants, and spirituals dating from the mid-19th century. The music often recalls the shapes and cadences of English folksong, while its unaccompanied, unison performance tradition connects with medieval chant. Thirty-eight selections are partitioned into groups according to subject: there are songs about birds, heavenly spirits, and the all-important harvest. Joel Cohen, who transcribed much of this music from old manuscripts, mixes and matches performers drawn from the Boston Camerata in solo and group settings to ensure maximum timbral and expressive variety. Hear, for example, how the call-and-response patterns in "Pretty Home" build to a joyful climax. By contrast, some of the introspective, a cappella hymns quietly resonate with poignant simplicity. A bonus track features the six Shaker family members of Sabbathday Lake, Maine, in conversation with Joel Cohen. In sum, this disc is a beautifully assembled, excellently annotated follow-up to Cohen's 1994 Shaker anthology, Simple Gifts. Should you feel inclined to sing along, full texts are included. --Jed Distler

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars Shaker Music at its best.......2002-03-18

        For authenticity and variety, this is one of the best albums available. It includes both well-known and new songs done in proper Shaker tempo using voices alone to convey the feelings reflected in the songs. The comments by the Shakers regarding their thoughts about their music gives a special touch to the album. This album, along with the earlier one titled "Simple Gifts", is a worthwhile addition to any collection.

        5 out of 5 stars Simply Beautiful.......2000-12-02

        The Boston Camerata is characteristically superb in interpreting this new collection of 19th century Shaker spirituals. Like their previous recording of Shaker songs, "Simple Gifts," the Camerata captures the hope and humility of Shaker belief, performing with bouyant movement and emotional clarity. By dividing the songs into thematic sections however, this CD is untimately stronger and more consistent than the latter. The Native American songs are particulary unique and the addition of a youth choir and the Shakers brothers and sisters add a freshness and reality to the smooth as silk voices of the ever professional Camerata. The tunes sound like a combination of folk and traditional protestant church music, but the lyrics reveal many elements of Shaker theology, some quaint, some still as revolutionary as they must have seemed in 1830. This CD offers an inspirational experience no matter what your religious background, the perfomances transcend definition.
        Chansons Grises & other songs by Reynaldo Hahn
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • A unique flavour
        		 Chansons Grises & other songs by Reynaldo Hahn
        Reynaldo Hahn , Martyn Hill , and Graham Johnson
        Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        Modern & 20th CenturyModern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        ClassicalClassical | Imports | Stores | Music
        $9.99 and Under$9.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
        All Classical Music BlowoutAll Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
        Opera & VocalOpera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
        Similar Items:
        1. Susan Graham - La Belle Époque (The Songs of Reynaldo Hahn)
        2. Songs by Reynaldo Hahn / Lott, Bostridge, Bickley; Johnson
        3. Hahn: Recordings 1908-35
        4. The Songs of Henri Duparc

        ASIN: B00004S3BH
        Release Date: 2000-04-11

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars A unique flavour.......2000-04-19

        Reynaldo Hahn should be better known - his songs have a unique flavour and are often very appealing. The highlight on this disc is 'L'heure Exquise' which is my favourite French melodie. Martyn Hill has a most beautiful pure tenor voice, perfect for this repertoire, and Graham Johnson is immaculate in the airy sweetness of Hahn's accompaniments.

        Recommended.

        Album Review:

        1. Rock My Soul
        2. Room Full of Roses
        3. Singing Shouting Praises
        4. Sings Lefty
        5. Some Things I Want to Sing About
        6. Soulbeat
        7. Streamline
        8. The Appalachian String Band Music Festival
        9. The Best of B.J. Thomas
        10. The Best of Country & Irish

        Album Review

        Album Review