Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi

Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi

ASIN: B000008TIO

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
U.S. edition of downtempo/trip hop duo's 1996 debut with 5 bonus tracks added, 'Transcendence', 'Scene At The Open Air Market', 'Encounter In Bahia', 'Assault On Babylon' & 'One'. Note - some import editions contained some but not all of these bonus tracks. ESL Records.

Tracks:

A Warning (Dub)
2001 Spliff Odyssey
Shaolin Satellite
Transcendence
Universal Highness
Incident At Gate 7
Scene at the Open Air Market
The Glass Bead Game
Encounters in Bahia
The Foundation
Interlude
The Oscillator
Assault On Babylon
.38.45 (A Thievery Number)
One
Sun, Moon, and Stars
Sleeper Car

Album Description

Reissue of the classic debut album. Includes 2 new tracks plus new digipack packaging. Originally released in 1999, this album started a movement which has propelled the Thievery Corporation to leaders of the electronic music genre, and masters' of their own marketing juggernaut.

Customer Reviews:

5 Stars to the Guy in the Corner.......2006-11-16

This is one of those albums that subtly grows on you after a couple of runs through the CD player. No one has yet compared it to any of Theivery's other albums - which are all balanced and intoxicating. Yet, I don't think you can. Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi is on a totally different plain than any of Thievery's more recent releases. Perhaps Hi-Fi is a couple stories down with an ambiance that truly embraces the listener even through the transition of tracks. Everything seems natural.

If you've listened to more recent albums from this duo you've probably become addicted to the seductive vocals and modest choruses that become addictive over time. Not so here...Instead this album produces easy beats, slow constructions of tracks, and mellow dramatic tones that seem to open doors to trance and highly reflective states. In other words, great background music that can also be enjoyed with a little concentration.

For myself, this album brings back the nostalgia of the North Shore and the smell of pineapples. Just the whole mood of strolling by palm trees with the Pacific in the background seemed to compliment this music to an even higher state...which I'm thankful to still remember.

Give this guy in the corner a try...you might be impressed.

Serious Addiction........2006-03-12

My addiction to this stuff is way over the top. I need to get in touch with these dudes so i can croon discordant and seductive!!! If i couldnt describe myself in words, which i cant, this type style of flow would do it. Excellent. Picked this up last nite at Tower. Each album ages sweet! Now to finish my collection.

*Rubbing hands greedily.

This is a great CD.......2006-03-06

This is a great CD, every track is different but good. I have all their other CDs and this one completes my collection. Most music in this genere fall into one of two catagories. The more pop-oriented bands like Morcheeba, Zero 7, Hooverphonic, etc. or the more unusual ones like Stereolab, Spicehouse, Portishead, etc. Theivery Corporation is somewhere in the middle. They have good songs put together in unique ways. Their music is always refreshing. My favorite songs on this CD are; The Oscillator, Sun, Moon, and Stars, Incident At Gate 7 and Transcendence. If you like Trip-Hop/Chill, you can't go wrong with any of their albums.

A very nice re-release.......2006-01-25

Having re-released their other albums as digipaks, Thievery Corporation did so with their first album. This is technically a re-release of the 1999 re-release, with Transcendence, Scene at the Open Air Market, Encounter in Bahia, Assault on Babylon, and One. They have removed the track Manha (which doesn't appear on the original CD anyway), which is not a big loss, and adds two tracks: Sun, Moon and Stars (from the Incident at Gate 7 single), and The Sleeper Car (from the 38.45 single). Sun, Moon, and Stars is a very nice uptempo song with a reggae-style beat, and The Sleeper Car is a very laid-back relaxed song. This is a great purchase if you didn't have these songs. Now, if they would just get around to compiling all their other B-sides, we'd be in business.

Average customer rating:

Great *JAZZ* album... TC only selected old tracks.
This is where they get their inspiration
Not Your Classic Thievery
What's Old Is New Again...
Can't get enough!

Sounds from the Verve Hi-Fi
Thievery Corporation
Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Trip-Hop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Brazil | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music

General | Latin Music | Styles | Music

Latin Pop | Latin Music | Styles | Music

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

Brazilian Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Latin Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Soul-Jazz & Boogaloo | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

DJ-Kicks
Versions
Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi
Verve Unmixed
Verve Unmixed, Vol. 3

ASIN: B00005RTJ4
Release Date: 2002-01-29

Tracks:

Menina Flor - Stan Getz And Luiz Bonfa
Chove Chuva - Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66
Ogd (Road Song) - Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery
Hard Latin - Kenyon Hopkins
The Fakir - Cal Tjader with Lalo Schifrin
Something Else Again - Richie Havens
Light My Fire - Astrud Gilberto
Bala Com Bala - 0 Elis Regina
Batacuda - Walter Wanderley
Samba Triste - Jackie And Roy
Cuchy Frito Man - Cal Tjader
Lisa - Willie Bobo
For Mods Only - Chico Hamilton
Escapade - The Wynton Kelly Trio
Do It The Heart Way - The Jazz Renegades

Amazon.com

Get ready for your jazz education. These virgin, unremixed tracks taken from the 1960s Verve vaults were a major influence on Thievery Corporation's Rob Garza and Eric Hilton years before they spun epic documents like The Mirror Conspiracy. Their time capsule is a bubbling, Brazilian soul-jazz blast, starting with the sensuous "Menina Flor" by Stan Getz and Luis Bonfa. Jimmy Smith's "Road Song" is a classic of '60s hard bop, while Kenyon Hopkins's "Hard Latin" shows the kind of groovy organ jazz that was popular in bars from Philly to hot 'Lanta. Things go left with Cal Tjader's "The Fakir," a day-glo Middle Eastern track influenced by Coltrane's "My Favorite Things," while Astrud Gilberto pulls a Nancy Sinatra on another freaky standout, "Light My Fire." Walter Wanderley, Wynton Kelly, Chico Hamilton, and Elis Regina also light up the night, along with your hi-fi. --Ken Micallef

Customer Reviews:

Great *JAZZ* album... TC only selected old tracks........2005-12-01

I find it funny that so many Thievery Corporation fans are reviewing this disc. This is pretty much a JAZZ disc of music from the 50's and 60s with tracks that just happen to be chosen by the Thievery Corporation. There was no sampling or editing, or anything. Just original music from 50 odd years ago. With all that said, I find this compilation to be excellent. If you like Bossa Nova, or some cool laid back jazz, then you'll probably like this disc. The music is lively but light. Give it a try, if you do, all your wildest dreams will come true. Ok, maybe not, but this is one fine CD.

This is where they get their inspiration.......2005-03-13

I remember the first time I listened to a record by Thievery Corp. I became instantly aware of how different their sound is. I could not help wonder where this pair gets their inspiration, and what serves them so well in their constant stream of well engineered sounds.
Well...this is it!
I think they did a great job in letting their public know what inspires them to conceive the sounds they so well create.
The songs in this compilation range from Bossa Nova to early Latin Jazz...a truly remarkable spectrum of early sounds that planted the seed for part of what is now known as loounge music.

Not Your Classic Thievery.......2004-10-26

This CD by all means is not like Thievery's other stuff. When I first bought the album I was a little disappointed. I had boughten "The Richest Man in Babylon" and had fallen in love with these guys. So when I got this CD it just didnt do it for me at first. It was just all jazz tracks. But I took it with me one day to the library to study with and I have to admit it is really a great CD. I am glad I bought it. All the tracks are really amazing once you get into them. But hey if you're not into jazz dont buy this cd.

What's Old Is New Again..........2003-08-09

Bossa Nova, Jazz, Reggae and Lounge-Pop are what the Thievery Corporation is all about. The resurrection of the downtempo-lounge movement of recent years is a reflection of the original musical craze of over 40 years ago. It is nice to see that artists such as Willie Bobo, the Gilbertos, Stan Getz, Sergio Mendes, and other artists that my parents grooved to, have now come full circle for a new generation. Although this music may sound a bit dated to those born after 1985, those who can appreciate music before the MTV age can chill out with a cool drink and some headphones, stereo lounge chair optional. This CD is a nice tribute compilation of various artists and gives us an idea of TC's inspirational roots.

Can't get enough!.......2003-06-11

I first heard this compilation in the Pacific Restaurant in Dublin. I asked the server for the name of the CD and ordered it right away. I'm a boomer and was heavily into the "Top 10". Finally, I've matured beyond that. Thievery has done a great job of placing the music so that it flows along. The instrumentals are catchy enough to linger in your head and complex enough to engage you in multiple listenings. First rate. I'm ordering this for my daughter!

Average customer rating:

The disc that pulled me in
keep playing it
Good, but not great.
Chillout staples offer a near-masterpiece
The Beginning of a Legacy

Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi
Thievery Corporation
Manufacturer: Eighteenth Street
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Trip-Hop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Acid Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

DJ-Kicks
Sounds from the Verve Hi-Fi
Versions
Simple Things
The K&D Sessions

ASIN: B000008TIO
Release Date: 1997-06-10

Tracks:

A Warning (Dub)
2001 Spliff Odyssey
Shaolin Satellite
Transcendence
Universal Highness
Incident At Gate 7
Manha
Scene At The Open Air Market
The Glass Bead Game
Encounter In Bahia
The Foundation
Interlude
The Oscillator
Assault On Babylon
.38.45 (A Thievery Number)
One

Album Description

U.S. edition of downtempo/trip hop duo's 1996 debut with 5 bonus tracks added, 'Transcendence', 'Scene At The Open Air Market', 'Encounter In Bahia', 'Assault On Babylon' & 'One'. Note - some import editions contained some but not all of these bonus tracks. ESL Records.

Album Details

This Version Contains Four More Tracks Than the 4ad Release : Transcendance,one,encounter in Bahia, Assault in Babylon.

Customer Reviews:

The disc that pulled me in.......2005-11-14

Its hard to believe this disc came out in 1996. Depending on which way you look at Thievery Corporation, and which specific aspects you focus on in their later albums, you could say that they've come along way. You could also say they've stayed the course the entire journey.

This, the debut album, was the second Thievery Corporation disc I purchased, the first being Richest Man in Babylon. I've always felt that for newcomers, Richest Man in Babylon is the best starting point - but for what its worth, this disc could be as well.

This disc has the same variety of genres and flavours that can be found in any Thievery Corporation disc. I find that this disc pumps out a little more bass than the others, especially in the first two songs, which kind of flow into one another. Ethnic downtempo is present, (with that unmistakable Thievery Corp. flavour), but some songs are more reggae-influenced, especially with the voice-overs.

As far as replay value goes, this disc is the one that makes an appearance most often. Because of the typical Thievery Corp. song variations, it can be played in a lot of different situations. I find its very appropriate late night music, whether hosting a party or driving through city streets.

If there was any T.C. disc more appropriate in a dark, smoke-filled lounge, this is it. Go grab that martini. Let Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi do the rest.

One thing to note: I seem to have the UK edition which does not have the songs "Manha" and "Encounter In Bahia." I can't speak for these two songs.

keep playing it.......2005-09-16

perhaps not their best album in comparison to 'the mirror conspiracy', but good and solid- you will not regret you bought it. so buy it...hurry!

Good, but not great........2005-08-02

This is Thievery Corporation's first album, released shortly after the talented "duo" hooked up in DC. If you're familiar with their later works, i.e. The Mirror Conspiracy or the Cosmic Game- then you'll notice this cd is lacking in some of the many intricacies that can be found there. Although still a good cd, it doesn't last as long in my changer as - say - DJ Kicks.

Chillout staples offer a near-masterpiece.......2004-07-19

For anyone new to chillout, World lounge or Brazilectro, "Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi" is as good a place to start as any. Still low-key while maintaining a driving sense of rhythm, Thievery Corporation prove themselves an essential electronica act on their first collection of original material (the band is also well-known for their remix and compilation work).

Tracks like "2001 A Spliff Odyssey" and "The Oscillator" beg for a sofa and a shaker of martinis at 2 a.m., and more insistent groovers like "Shaolin Satellite" and "Univeral Highness" are sure to breathe some life into any social gathering. Other cuts aren't so easy to peg; "The Glass Bead Game" spends almost four minutes as a mystical Bossa Nova before introducing a head-bobber of a drum loop, and "Incident at Gate 7" casts an ethereal spell that almost puts a sustaining effect on its funky rhythms.

The only thing that could have been shaken up a bit is the disc's range of tempo...sometimes the tracks are better appreciated when played in a changer rather than taking on all sixteen at once. But either way, "Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi" is solid proof that between their own fantastic work and their forward-thinking Eighteenth Street Music label, Thievery Corporation are clearly here for the long haul.

The Beginning of a Legacy.......2004-05-23

This is the first Thievery Corporation CD, and a monumental one at that. A groovy blend of Dub, Jazz, and Drums is the only way I can describe this CD. Thievery Corp nowadays has added more instruments and progressed their sound more but still; any Thievery Corporation fan should pickup this classic. Lay back and enjoy this amazing CD.

Average customer rating:

The disc that pulled me in
keep playing it
Good, but not great.
Chillout staples offer a near-masterpiece
The Beginning of a Legacy

Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi
Thievery Corporation
Manufacturer: 4AD
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Trip-Hop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Acid Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

DJ-Kicks
Sounds from the Verve Hi-Fi
Versions
Simple Things
The K&D Sessions

ASIN: B00000B8VV

Album Description

Album Details

This Version Contains Four More Tracks Than the 4ad Release : Transcendance,one,encounter in Bahia, Assault in Babylon.

Customer Reviews:

The disc that pulled me in.......2005-11-14

keep playing it.......2005-09-16

perhaps not their best album in comparison to 'the mirror conspiracy', but good and solid- you will not regret you bought it. so buy it...hurry!

Good, but not great........2005-08-02

Chillout staples offer a near-masterpiece.......2004-07-19

The Beginning of a Legacy.......2004-05-23

Average customer rating:

The British version is different from the U.S. version

Sounds From the Thievery Hi-Fi
Thievery Corporation
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Trip-Hop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000566ZH

Customer Reviews:

The British version is different from the U.S. version.......2005-03-13

Back in 1996, Thievery Corporation released their first album, Sounds From the Thievery Hi-Fi. It did well, but not having a huge label behind them, it became hard to find it. So they re-released it in 1999 with some bonus stuff that was similarly hard-to-find by that point. Today, if you see this in a music store, you are almost 100% guaranteed to be looking at thew re-release, with 16 tracks on it. This version has been reviewed on the other page, so I'll just stick to this version. This will mostly comparing the differences and reviewing the stuff that's on this version and not on the other version. For starters, 2001 Spliff Odyssey is longer. This version runs about 7:45, and I believe is the version found on the 12" single. It's mostly extended, with a few new bits. I find it actually makes the song flow better, but that's just me. Next up is the track Vivid (which was replaced by Transcendence on the newer version). A very up-tempo and groovable song with a great drum-line. A shame to have lost this song. Next, this version doesn't have Manha on it (which was however on the original double lp version, go figure). Now, on this version, Scene at the Open Air Market has vocals by Bebel Gilberto, but she's really just vocalizing along with the various melody lines. Nothing life-altering, but a pleasant surprise (as i hadn't opened the booklet on this version, and wasn't expecting it). The Glass Bead Game is almost exactly the same, but during some of the flute-sounding bits, there's a little drum part that appears (on the newer version, it's so faint as to be almost inaudible). Encounter in Bahia doesn't appear here, and Assault in Babylon is replaced by So Vast as the Sky. this is a good track, but doesn't resemble anything else Thievery's ever done. Describing it makes it sound like it does, though. A fast little drum line, big bass line. What separates it is the melody. It sounds like they threw a few synth lines together. The first listen is a bit disorienting as all the lines do their own thing. After a while, the song comes together (note: on the Dubbed Out in D.C. compilation, this song appears, only about 2 minutes longer). Lastly, One doesn't appear here, instead, we have a track called Walking Through Babylon. If nothing else, this track is the reason to get this album (and not just because it's the only song that doesn't appear anywhere else). This is the perfect song to end an album with. Very laid-back, this song even sounds like it was made for a nighttime drive home after a long day. Which version is better? Well, they both are. They were good enough to replace tracks with some worked just as well for the flow of the album. My personal take is that they should just re-release it one more time, as a double cd, with all the tracks from both albums, plus other b-sides that aren't on cd, and the longer version that appear on the double lp (apparently, A Warning, Shaolin Satellite, and Universal Highness also have longer versions). But that's just my wishful thinking there. But if you see this version, pick it up. The other tracks are just as good.

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