Emotional

Emotional

ASIN: B00004SPMV

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
On his debut album, Carl Thomas offers more of the well-sung, romantic R&B that never seems to fall out of favor. Unfortunately, while the Puffy Combs-executive-produced Emotional is perhaps a must-own for diehard fans of the genre, it seems less than inspired when compared with, say, Brian McKnight's state-of-the-art Back at One. All the elements are in place here--a guest shot by Kelly Price on "Giving You All My Love," a Stevie Wonder sample on "Summer Rain"--but for all its intended late-night aphrodisiacal potential, the music sounds flat in the bright light of day. The hilariously mumbled come-on interlude "Cadillac Rap," though, does hint at what Thomas might be capable of if he dared to buck the formula. --Rickey Wright

Tracks:

The Tower
Momentum
Gravity
Daughter
Between
Say Uncle
Drought
Enough To Go By
Unwritten Letter #1
Eric's Song
Soon Love Soon
Lullaby For A Stormy Night
Decade And One

Customer Reviews:

Vienna Teng- Waking Hour.......2007-05-30

Great music. Saw her on tv and bought the cd because of that show. Excellent quality cd.

Good times........2007-03-26

This music is beautiful and relaxing, but complex enough that it never becomes boring. I can fall asleep to it, and also listen to it all day at work. I'll definitely be buying her other albums when I have a chance.

Vienna .......2007-02-14

If you miss Vienna Teng the onus is upon you. Check out her latest. If lyrics which include more than three repeated words drag you down, then avoid her.

Vienna Teng...Walkng Hour........2007-01-03

It's a good cd. Worth owning. Her best is Warm Strangers, I highly recommend that one.

Nice piano work.......2006-11-04

Nice sound on the piano. Lyrics a little too melodramatic for my taste. I do look forward to hearing more from her in the future.

Average customer rating:

Pretty Good Stuff... 4.5 Stars
Emotionally Rescued
Old Stones Fan Just Discovered 80s Stuff
I thought the other reveiwers over rated this
THE STONES ARE COMING TO YOUR EMOTIONAL RESCUE WITH ANOTHER UNDERRATED ALBUM!

Emotional Rescue
The Rolling Stones
Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000000W5J
Release Date: 1994-07-26

Tracks:

Dance (Pt. 1)
Summer Romance
Send It To Me
Let Me Go
Indian Girl
Where The Boys Go
Down In The Hole
Emotional Rescue
She's So Cold
All About You

Customer Reviews:

Pretty Good Stuff... 4.5 Stars.......2007-07-08

This was the first Stones album I bought back in '80 at Sears, along with Big Hits - High Tide And Green Grass - on LP - so this album has somewhat a special place in my X-rayed thermo heart.

Pretty decadent album for a 10-year old to listen to on the family Zenith stereo in the basement. Obviously it's not one of the most serious Stones ablums; I think their method of recording in those days was to first, reconvene, then load up on drugs and alka, and then get about he process of recording. Thus, we get a party album with a few heartfelt moments here and there.

I think the album suffers most from the sequencing. Whoever gave the master tapes ordered the songs like he was a cokehead with a plane to catch. Literally, with the exception of the last song, the album seems like the ordering was decided by tossing the titles into the air and seeing where they fell. Unlike Tatto You, which would follow, the song order seems to make no sense whatsoever, so it leaves the listener confused and uncaring, emotionless, which, I guess, is where the Stones come to the Rescue.

The title track needs to be the first song. And I thinnk 'She's So Cold' needs to kick off Side 2. 'Dance' is a horrible lead-off track; while a good groover auto-pilot disco-dance song, I think it needs to be buried on the second side, where it can lead the album out at track 09. In retrospect, 'All About You' is one of the very best Keith songs out there.

Here's how I would have ordered the songs (for what it's worth, it still doesn't change what the songs are--they are what they are):

Side One:

Emotional Rescue
Let Me Go
Where The Boys Go
Indian Girl
Down In The Hole

Side Two:

She's So Cold
Send It To Me
Summer Romance
Dance (Pt. 1)
All About You

At the time (1980), I ended up siding with the classic Stones vs. the Emotional Resuce Stones--at least stylistically as a youngster musician (I was learning to play guitar), and took the retro route--getting into HIgh Tide, Green Grass--and the Stones classic '60s and early '70s albums more-- rather than indulging in any of the mid-to-late '70s Stones (I did get Laid In The Shade, and also Some Girls soon after -- I mean, who could resist the die-cut cover of Some Girls? People used to unwrap the Some Girls album in the store--along with LEd Zep III--just to see what the packaging was like). Yep, I found out the way to learn guitar was the earlier Stones (I think that 'Let Me Go' and 'She's So Cold' were the only ones worth figuring out at the time). The next album, Tatto You was actually a good LP for learning guitar; indeed, Tatto You and the Still Life tour gave the Stones way more of a contemporary clout than Emotional Rescue did. Emotional Rescue was really a holding pattern album--an album for the Stones to figure out how to get up out of the hole! They didn't even want to show their faces on the album. It was the strangest thing--the thermo-video imaging images on the cover and giant poster.

At any rate, has there ever been a more casually despondent and depressing song than 'Down In The Hole'?... I think not. That song used to torment me when I was ten. Now I find it's a pretty great blues.

Emotionally Rescued.......2007-05-08

Face it, Emotional Rescue was the last good studio album from the Rolling Stones. Tattoo You was rehashed from early 70s sessions, which might be an irrelevant point because this album was good too, but ER is untarnished by rerun baggage. I am embarrassed to admit that She's So Cold remains one of my favorite songs. Keith's guitar riff and Mick's screaming overwhelm the simplistic lyrics. The radio always goes to 11 for this song. Let Me Go should not work, but it does. Mick sounds like he's delivering these lyrics from a hammock, but the Santa Claus sleighbell background accompanyment just makes you bob your head in traffic. This album does not have a clunker and Mick's voice is still strong on these tracks. Where the Boys All Go is fast and has a nice 'girls chorus' at the end. This album has pop, it has blues, and ...egads...a little disco, but there's enough Glimmer Twins stink on Emotional Rescue to make the tune rise above the generational anomaly.

Old Stones Fan Just Discovered 80s Stuff.......2007-03-30

Probably like a lot people, I stopped buying the Stones LPs after Some Girls. I can't actually say why. Sabbath split, Blondie split, Keith Moon died and the Who may as well have split. John Bonham, ugh. Maybe I thought they'd seen their day. Maybe this LP and their 80s Lps didn't get enough airplay. Maybe I thought I outgrew them. But by this time in 1980, I don't recall having any passion for them anymore. I liked the title cut here. I remember Down in the Hole as a great b-side on the juke box. Still no desire to hear the album. Recently I purchased all five 80s CDs, Emotional, Tattoo, Dirty Work, Undercover and Steel Wheels. Put all five in the CD shuffle and I heard Stones I didn't know existed. It was like discovering them all over again 20 and more years later. If like a lot of people, you gave up on the Stones in the 70s. Check this stuff out. It's a new experience. I actually like it all better than Goatshead-to-Some Girls era.

I thought the other reveiwers over rated this.......2007-03-25

This is not Some Girls but it really holds up. Not having heard this in 20 or so years, I was really surprised how much I enjoyed it. Not Mick and the boys best effort but worth having in your collection especially if you are a Stones fan like me.

THE STONES ARE COMING TO YOUR EMOTIONAL RESCUE WITH ANOTHER UNDERRATED ALBUM!.......2006-12-16

I will be writing a review on the legendary brilliant masterpiece CD album simply entitled "EMOTIONAL RESCUE" by THE GREATEST ROCK N' ROLL BAND IN THE WORLD, Ladies and Gentleman, THE ROLLING STONES! This album was originally released on vinyl/LP and cassette in 1980 on the Rolling Stones Records label which is manufactured by Columbia Records/CBS Inc. I purchased the very first release issue of this album on CD and the matrix or ID number is CK 40500. I purchased the re-release of this album in the Collector's Edition on Virgin Records and the matrix or ID number is 7243-8-39501-2-6. If I hear any new additional information concerning this legendary album, I will edit this review so that you the consumer will get the best and most accurate review possible.

In my opinion, "EMOTIONAL RESCUE" is another great underrated album that deserves a little more praise then it received after its release in 1980. This album is ANOTHER REAL PRODUCTION BY THE GLIMMER TWINS! To be honest, its not one of their best albums to date, but then again, overall, It is a great album!

I will list and briefly review all the song tracks in their exact playing order as follows: (1.) "Dance," (Another great Disco rock song! It has a really good beat to it! A great way to begin this album!) (2.) "Summer Romance," (Outstanding! Another great fast Stones rocker! I love this song!) (3.) "Send It To Me," (Another great Raggae rocker done The Stones way! I love this song!) (4.) "Let Me Go," (Outstanding! Another great fast Stones rocker! I love it!) (5.) "Indian Girl," (Another beautiful slow country rocker by The Stones! I love the acoustic guitar arrangements in this song! Great song!) (6.) "Where The Boys Go," (Outstanding! Another great fast Stones rocker! I love this song!) (7.) "Down In The Hole," (Another Slow rocker! Not bad!) (8.) "Emotional Rescue," (Another great Disco song! I love this song!) (9.) "She's So Cold" (Outstanding! Another great fast Stones rocker! I love this song very much!) and (10.) "All About You." (Another slow mellow rocker sung by Keith!) Overall, this is not a bad album at all!

As you can see, this album is worth purchasing that he or she should own as part of his or her collection. In my opinion, in a few more years, I will feel confident that this album will be received better with open arms and be more appreciated then it has ever been. With that in mind, this album will get the recognition it truly deserves which will result in it being enjoyed as it was truly intended for many more years to come and be cherished now and forever.

In closing, The Rolling Stones are STILL THE GREATEST ROCK N' ROLL BAND IN THE WORLD and STILL GOING STRONG! I would love to see The Stones stay together and perform for another 20 years if not forever, wouldn't you? If anybody can do it, it has to be The Stones! Am I wrong? Thanks for reading my review and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it for your reading pleasure. I also hope that you will read all of my other reviews in the near future when time permits. God Bless and Long Live The Rolling Stones! Long Live Rock n' Roll! Rock out always and take care. J.L.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Album
Akinola2
This is a MUST have for your R&B collection...
Carl Thomas Emotional
Classic R & B from Carl Thomas & Bad Boy Records..............

Emotional
Carl Thomas
Manufacturer: Bad Boy
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004SPMV
Release Date: 2000-04-18

Tracks:

Intro
Emotional
I Wish
Anything (Interlude)
My Valentine
Giving You All My Love
Cadillac Rap (Interlude)
Woke Up In The Morning
Come To Me
Cold, Cold World
Trouble Won't Last (Interlude)
You Ain't Right
Lady Lay Your Body
Supastar
Summer Rain
Hey Now
Special Lady

Amazon.com

On his debut album, Carl Thomas offers more of the well-sung, romantic R&B that never seems to fall out of favor. Unfortunately, while the Puffy Combs-executive-produced Emotional is perhaps a must-own for diehard fans of the genre, it seems less than inspired when compared with, say, Brian McKnight's state-of-the-art Back at One. All the elements are in place here--a guest shot by Kelly Price on "Giving You All My Love," a Stevie Wonder sample on "Summer Rain"--but for all its intended late-night aphrodisiacal potential, the music sounds flat in the bright light of day. The hilariously mumbled come-on interlude "Cadillac Rap," though, does hint at what Thomas might be capable of if he dared to buck the formula. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Album.......2007-04-16

This is a great album to have. Carl Thomas is great in show, he really pours his heart into the music. He is so theatrical in his movements and has great annuciation. My favorite song on the album is "Cold, Cold World" you feel the hurt and emotion in the chorus as Carl pleads, "It's a cold, cold, cold world leaving here without in my life." This album is must have for all true music lovers. Carl incorporates an ol'skool, groovy type feel to the music esp. with "Emotional" ,"Valentine" and"Woke Up This Morning". His soulful style is somewhat reminiscent of an Al Green or Curtis Mayfield. Carl Thomas does not receive as much gratification as he is deserved.

Akinola2.......2007-04-03

Carl Thomas has definately got it going on when it comes the the old school, fresh sound of R&B. This CD is a must have if you are a true quality music fan. Most of the songs are slow and this is a CD that will be appreciated by the older, more mature crowd. Most of the songs are original and you can play this one all they way through without skipping tracks. I will be truly happy when this talented singer releases some new material. This is excellent late night, cuddle up with your boo music.

This is a MUST have for your R&B collection..........2007-01-19

This is definitely a timeless cd. It's been years since it's release and I still have it in heavy rotation in my personal collection. This is one of the few cds that you can listen to the whole way through. Carl has a phenominal voice!!! Emotional is a great cd for both the ladies and the fellas who truely love R&B... this has a lot of "slow jams" on it. Some of my personal favorites are 1. All my Love 2. Special Lady 3. Cold, Cold World. I'm sure you'll love this cd just like me!!!

Carl Thomas Emotional.......2006-11-10

The Emonitonal CD by Carl Thomas is one of his best. I hope soon we would get great music from CT again.

Classic R & B from Carl Thomas & Bad Boy Records.....................2006-09-23

Still in my cd rotation 6 years later. This one of those cds that you through in on a lazy rainy day when you're chilling with your girl. Carl delivers with bangers such as Emotional, I Wish, Lady Lay, Summer Rain, and much more.

Average customer rating:

One of the very few drum and bass CDs I like.
could this be my new theme music.. ?
Yeah, its good
Brilliant
in a word...dreamy

Mixed Emotional Features
Mocean Worker
Manufacturer: Palm Pictures (Audio
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Conversions: A K&D Selection
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ASIN: B00000I5E8
Release Date: 1999-02-23

Tracks:

Rene M
Detonator
Jello Dart
Counts, Dukes & Strays
Mycroft
Heaven @ 12:07
Wonderland
Motion Booty
Times of Danger
Boba Fett

Amazon.com

Anyone who caught Mocean Worker's previous release, Home Movies from the Brainforest, will no doubt be more than willing to take part in this action-packed sonic adventure teeming with impenetrable rhythms, mesmerizing loops, and out-of-the-blue musical scene changes. Adam Dorn does more than build some of the grooviest drum & bass into a blatantly jazz-era soundscape; the New York based artist pushes analog and digital-powered synths into the mix, along with some highly effective and masterfully understated samples. Midway into "Detonator," the second track on this his debut release on the Palm Pictures label, Dorn decides to throw a hyperspeed big-band section into a groove dominated by a controlling monotone. Equally unexpected, but from the other end of the spectrum, is a plaintive line that effectively halts the progress of a highly percussive and strings-laden song. The delightfully resonant "Boba Fett" closes out this much-anticipated work. --Paul Clark

Customer Reviews:

One of the very few drum and bass CDs I like........2000-05-20

I generally don't like drum and bass. In fact this is one of the few CD's of the few dozen or so I `ve tried that I like. MW generally doesn't program his drums too fast or dark, and unlike what I've heard (as a d'n'b newbie) the beats blend into the tracks well. It doesn't sound like programmed beats with melodies or instruments added afterwards. What I find especially compelling is his use of jazz, blues, piano, and old samples as the basis to his music. It contrasts well without fighting the percussion. Considering that, it gets a 4 star recommendation.

It starts well with the dark, melancholy "Rene M," and then goes to "Detonator," the cut he made a music video for. "Detonator" starts off as typical d'n'b (distorted drums and snaky baseline,), then kicks into this 60's chase scene horn-frenzy about two minutes in to cool effect. Track 3 "Jello Dart" is pretty good,. "Counts, Dukes & Strays" follows and is excellent, using concise, sparse jazz samples to a laid back hipster beat. "Mycroft," track 5, is the first track I don't like- that squiggly, deep baseline sound of d'n'b is grating, and this has it. "Heaven" is blues to a beat that made Beastie Boys' Check Your Head come to mind. "Motion Booty" despite its title is really a companion piece to "Rene M," and "Times of Danger" brings back the same car chase vibe s "Detonator." The last track is pretty bad, but at least this is the place to put it.

There you have it, 8 of 10 are good, it's got 4-5 strong hits, and it's one of the drum and bass CDs I like enough to keep. One last note, the packaging is first rate and classy; it's nice to see an artist who takes pride in these little details.

could this be my new theme music.. ?.......1999-11-19

For months now, I've regarded Adam F's "Colours" as the best blend of D&B, Jungle, R&B, Jazz, and Trance. Finally, there's another contender. Buy this disc - and if you've never heard Adam F, get that too. Mocean Worker ranks even (and sometimes over) anything by Metalheadz. I'm a fan.. and can't wait to see what comes next from this brilliant artist.

Yeah, its good.......1999-08-11

Its a little over the top in parts for me, but there's no denying that Dorn knows what he's about. It is not as experimental as the likes of Autechre, Richard James/Aphex, and it isn't as slyly funky as Amon Tobin's stuff or the recent Funki Porcini, but Dorn gets quite a psychedelic groove going. Dorn also is pretty imaginative in his rythmic use and placement of samples. He hasn't quite ascended Mt. Olympus yet, but he's getting real close. Recommended.

Brilliant.......1999-04-13

I'm not sure how many people are actualy going to see this review, but for the few of you that do purchase this album.

in a word...dreamy.......1999-03-19

Talk about inspired (or inspiring). This man is definitely in touch with the stuff dreams are made of, and continues to improve on his masterful skills following his first release "Home Movies from the Brainforest." This latest stuff will take you out of your hum-drum here and now, to a bass-and-drum realm of deeeelicious grooves. My sincerest thanks go out to Mocean Worker for a very moving new work of art.

Average customer rating:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!
Beginner or Expert
Very Informative and Enjoyable
Frank's view
Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

Overture To 'Tannhauser'
Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
Hungarian Dance No.7
The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
Csardas Music
The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
Tzigane
Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
Caprice No.24
The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
The Violin Muted
Clair De Lune
The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
The Pizzicato Violin
Pizzicato Polka
In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
Hungarian Dance No.4
Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
Bolero
Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
Elfenreigen

Tracks:

Introduction To The Viola
Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
Cypresses (No.9)
The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
The 'Period' Viola In Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
Elfentanz, Op.39
Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
The Protecting Veil (Opening)
A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
Flamenco
Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
Symphony No.9 (Finale)
Introduction To The Double-Bass
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
Elegy No.1 In D Major
The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
Capriccio Di Bravura
Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
Sa'Dawi
Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
Chamber Music No.II
The Piccolo - Aptly Named
La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
A Variety Of Techniques
Chamber Music No.II
Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
Naelden, Naelden
The Bachian Oboe
Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
The Swan Of Tuonela
The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
Bolero
The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
...And Quite Low.
Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
Introduction To The Saxophone
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
Bolero
The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
Sax-O-Phun
The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
Bolero
The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
Symphony No.3 (Opening)
The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
The Ceremonial Trumpet
Fanfare For The Common Man
Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
Billy The Kid
The Trumpet As Character Actor
Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
The Birth Of The Trombone
Aenmerckt Nu Hier
The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
Canzon 12 In Double Echo
The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
Hosannah
The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
The Trombone As Caricaturist
Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
The Horn And The Hunt
Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
Walter Music (Minuet 1)
The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
Den Hoboecken Dans
Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
Gymnopedie No.2
The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
The Birth Of The Bongo
Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
Taking Advantage Of Tunability
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
Ravel And The Xylophone
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
Introducing The Vibraphone
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
Folk Dances
The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
Introducing The Tubular Bells
Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
Carmen Suite (Introduction)
But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Introducing The Celeste
The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
Petrushka (Russian Dance)
The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
Mahler's Sleighbells
Symphony No.4 (Opening)
A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Nocturnes
Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
The Oboe As Duck
Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
A Thunderstorm In A Million
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
Octet In F (Mvt 3)
The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
Canzon 28
Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
Images (Gigues)
A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.

On a Good Day
Average customer rating:

Yet another original fighting to get through.....

Leaves you wanting more

a real jewel

On a Good Day
Jude Johnstone
Manufacturer: Bojak Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0007LLPW4
Release Date: 2005-02-22

Tracks:

On A Good Day
20 Years
Hard Lessons
Hold On
In This House
Old And Gray
Evelyn
Pen And Paper
Deep Water
Long Way Back
The Hereafter

Amazon.com

If an artist can be judged by the company she keeps, the vocal harmonies of Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Rodney Crowell, and Julie Miller on Jude Johnstone's second release attest to the esteem she enjoys from fellow singer-songwriters. Though Johnstone's songs have been recorded by singers from Bette Midler to Johnny Cash, the confessional conviction she invests in the title track, "Hard Lessons," and "Pen and Paper" makes her material seem as personal as a diary. As a narrative of marital breakup, "20 Years" has a melodic bounce at odds with its lyrical despair, yet most of the settings for these older-but-wiser reflections are as somber as Johnstone's writing is poetic. Some listeners might find the results a little precious, self-consciously so--as if musical maturity mainly involves the morose acceptance of painful truths--but fans of artists from Jackson Browne to Nanci Griffith should recognize a kindred spirit here. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews:

Yet another original fighting to get through............2005-06-19

I remember back in the late 70's when a new singer/songwriter
performer named Karla Bonoff was a "hot" songwriter and established artists took notice and covered her song catalogue
until she to finally got her own recognition. I see the same thing happening to Jude. She writes some wonderful stuff and the
likes of Bette Midler to Bonnie Raitt have covered her emotional
turf. This collection has some outstanding songwriting and
open hearted Joni Mitchell like realism injected into the mix,
very moving material.
Well worth owning. Jude is one of our NEW & BEST songwriters.

Leaves you wanting more.......2005-03-13

I have only one complaint about this CD: It's too short!

By the time the last track begins, I'm already wishing it was a double album or, better yet, a box-set with 100 tracks of new and old material, demos, covers, Christmas songs, commercial jingles, and Jude singing phone book listings. I just don't want the music to end.

I first heard Jude perform when she opened for Shawn Colvin last year at a show in California, and I truly can't remember the last time I've had such a strong initial reaction to a performer. I remember specifically being floored by her performance of "Doesn't Anybody Know But Me" from her first CD, Coming of Age, and "Old and Gray" from this CD. Although I was there to see Shawn Colvin, I must admit that Jude stole the show that evening with her performance and gained a life-long fan in me.

It seems that every review written about Jude's CDs makes note of the fact that Jude has written hits for many top artists like Johnny Cash, Bonnie Raitt, Trisha Yearwood, and Stevie Nicks. While that does bear repeating here as further testimony to Jude's talent and reputation as a top-notch songwriter, it shouldn't overshadow Jude's talent as the exceptional performer she has proven herself to be on stage and on both her albums.

Jude's second CD, like her first, is filled with highly emotional and intelligent music which will appeal to music lovers who demand substance in their music-listening experience. Jude's music requires "active listening" and is not, as Jude terms it, "music to cook by." Although the instrumentation on this CD is beautiful in and of itself, it is not by any means merely pleasant background music. To fully appreciate the CD (and Jude's complete body of work for that matter) one must really listen to the lyrics as well. All the tracks on this CD tell interesting stories of life's everyday occurrences--of "busted heart[s]" and watching "friends go one by one"--all told through Jude's use of vivid imagery and storytelling.

Her most obvious "story" song is "Evelyn." The lyrics tell of Jude's arty (for lack of a better word) great-aunt who was expected to become the next "Clara Bowe or...Harlow" until a fire left her disfigured and relegated to "playing piano for the silent shows." Jude's impeccable word choice makes the young girl's heartache palpable to the listener while completely avoiding the maudlin tone a less-talented writer would likely have set in telling such a story.

Jude uses some wry humor in "20 Years," to recount the story of the decay of a marriage. Jude tells of a wife who, when dealing with her husband, cannot "connect the dots on his page" and the husband who sardonically states, "Go ahead and take the kids/ I'll see them twice a year." The potentially depressing topic of divorce becomes almost deceptively lighthearted in the adept hands of the songwriter.

A personal favorite is the last track, "The Hereafter." Written about the death of a family member, the song manages to be inspirational without being preachy or precious. This track contains two of the most poignant and affective uses of imagery on the album: "...the sky up above us/ Is filled with red wings/ As they welcome you/ In the hereafter" and the CD's last line, "Now the wind's at your back/ And whatever you lack/ You will find it/ Out in the hereafter." Pure lyrical perfection like this, coupled with a beautiful and memorable melody, makes this track a standout while also representing ALL the tracks on this CD.

In the title track Jude sings of being left "wanting more." After listening to this CD you will feel the same way.

a real jewel.......2005-02-27

Jude's first cd was a hard act to follow--given it was filled with great songs which had already become famous from the cover performances of other singers. It was great for many reasons--especially to hear her take on songs we thought we knew. But, this new collection is magnificent. Just one great song after another. It would be a surprise and an injustice if several aren't taken up by others in additional cover performances.

First, her instrumentalists. Jude accompanies herself with piano on virtually every song--recalling the noble tradition of the singer/songwriter performing from the piano. She knows just how to accompany herself and does it beautifully. Mary Ramsay's violin and viola are superb. Didn't she do the same for Patty Loveless? Co-producer Charles Duncan acquits himself finely on guitar, organ, slide guitar, bass and poignantly on pennywhistle. He also does some backing vocals, along with an amazingly talented group of others--most especially Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Rodney Crowell and Julie Miller. Jude certainly knows how to use these voices to particular advantage in each song.

What can I say about the songs? They are all good, many are great...from the fine title tune which opens the cd to the amazing simple chorus of "Hold On," the sad and lovely "In This House," the poetic and image-filled "Old and Gray" (sung with Julie Miller), "Evelyn"--a wonderful, autobiographical song, the plaintive yet somehow hopeful "Pen and Paper," the sharp imagery and moving chorus of "Deep Water," the painful dilemma expressed so well in "Long Way Back," and the final song--a stellar, lovely tribute to a lost comrade--"The Hereafter" (with an amazing pennywhistle being played). It's a grand, impressive collection. What's amazing, as well, is how Jude--with a dusty, low, narrow-range of a voice--can sing so well and so rightly the emotions expressed in these songs. She's terrific.

In spite of the darkness and sadness in many of these songs, Jude finds reason for light and hope in many of them. I hope the talented Lori McKenna is listening and can find similar light and hope in future songs. She didn't in those on BITTERTOWN.

Average customer rating:

disappointing!
Very good album
Excellent.
Getting a bit too familiar, though the guitars help
wrong direction

Wrath
Iris
Manufacturer: Diffusion Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000B5UL9O
Release Date: 2005-08-23

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Lands Of Fire
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Appetite
Guide On Raging Stars
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No One Left TO Lose
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Intercede Light
You're The Delivered One

Product Description

Taking elements of rock, glitch, retro-flavored-synth music, and coloring it with a decidedly melodic worldview, Iris is a band that's hard to classify. The new album, "Wrath", is the latest signpost in the Iris story - a record which is energetic, complex, and emotional.

Customer Reviews:

disappointing!.......2007-07-08

Disconnect is one of my fave albums ever, so hopes were extremely high for this one, which is why I m all the more disappointed with Wrath- it just sounds so generic, like a million other Depeche Mode wannabes. The production has nothing of the shimmering quality of their Debut, it sounds clunky and heavy, and it is not helped by the unmemorable songs; like other people said in their reviews, I m hard pressed to find even one song that I like.
I wish Iris all the success in the world, they have the potential to be an amazing band, and an important one to boot, but this direction just seems wrong- they went from being really special and unique to "just another synthrock band" in the space of an album.

Very good album.......2006-05-31

After waiting about 2 years for a new album , it does not disappoint! After listening to this album I have to say that it continues right where Awakening left off. Wrath is more edgier with added guitars to the music. I would love to see a re-mix album of Wrath done by Iris , however with SYNTHS ONLY PLEASE!

Excellent........2006-04-18

The dymanic dual deliver the gods for the 3 time. After their last album (awakening), i fell in love with them . I really couldn't wait for them to release this one , and they didn't disappoint. I have to admit that I needed a couple of good listenings before realising how good this album is , but finally it hit me. These guys are really good. Highly recommended to anyone who appriciates good music.

Getting a bit too familiar, though the guitars help.......2006-04-10

I was wondering where Iris were going to go after writing what seemed like most of the songs that could be written within their basic formula. Where they went was to add a lot more guitar to the mix -- thereby annoying a few synth purists, but I think it works for them. I'm rounding my 3 1/2 star impression up on that basis.

On the downside, just as an Everclear song is instantly recognizable as an Everclear song, an Iris song remains instantly identifiable as an Iris song. If you were to strip out the lyrics, you'd never know that "No One Left To Lose" wasn't a remix of "Hell's Coming With Me," or vice versa. Iris have their hands firmly wrapped around the throats of a select few chord changes and apparently can't be pried away from them for love or money. This is not necessarily a bad thing: if you like those chord changes, as I do, this album will be pleasant to your ears, and maybe a very good thing to crank up and sing along with on a late-night drive. What it isn't is groundbreaking, especially compared to what, say, Mesh are doing these days.

wrong direction.......2006-03-17

This album is trapped somewhere between angry rock and dance synthpop, and it really doesn't work. The songs blend too much, with none really standing out when it's all over. It lacks any standout singles as well. It's like Iris is trying to remake Songs of Faith and Devotion.

Average customer rating:

Emotional.

Real Emotional
Curtis Stigers
Manufacturer: Concord Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music
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It Won't Be Soon Before Long
Call Me Irresponsible

ASIN: B000NVIEJA
Release Date: 2007-04-02

Tracks:

I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
I Only Want to Be with You
I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now
As You Turn to Go
San Diego Serenade
Woman Just Like You
American Tune
Night Owl
Your Mind Is on Vacation
I Need You
Stardust
Real Emotional Girl

Album Description

2007 release from the Jazz-influenced singer/songwriter. Real Emotional showcases Curtis's talent as a writer of original material as well as a magnificent interpreter of modern song by some of the most influential songwriters of our time - Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Hoagy Carmichael and Emmylou Harris to name a few. Once again, Stigers gathers a stellar cast of musicians including Larry Goldings (accordion, vibraphone, Hammond and piano), John Pizzarelli (guitar), John Sneider (trumpet), Matthew Fries (piano), Keith Hall (drums) and Phil Palombi (bass). Concord.

Album Details

Returning with his Strongest Work to Date, Curtis Stigers Blazes a Trail as One of the Worlds Most Creative and Distinctive Singer Songwriters. 'real Emotional' Showcases Curtis Stigers's Talent as a Writer of Original Material and as an Interpreter of Modern Standards by Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Tom Waits, Mose Allison, Paul Simon, Randy Newman and Hoagy Carmichael. The Album Will Debut in the United Kingdom on the 26th March on Concord Records, Supported by a 25 Date Concert Hall Tour of the UK and a Special Live Broadcast by BBC Radio 2.

Customer Reviews:

Emotional........2007-07-09

American singer/saxist Curtis Stigers is plenty more than the easy-listening artist it's easy to typecast him as, though this album - mixing originals and classics by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Tom Waits, Randy Newman and Mose Allison - may be the first of his to prove it beyond doubt.
His laconic, sandpaper tones are complemented by his funk-sax sound and deft contributions from soloists including trumpeter John Sneider and keys-player and arranger Larry Goldings, the latter transferring a role he has powerfully played for Madeleine Peyroux.
Stigers' eloquence with a heartache song is oddly enhanced by the unexpected accordion on "I Only Want to Be With You"; he follows Goldings' Hammond-funk intro with a performance of haunting inflections and curling high notes on Emmylou Harris's "I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now"; and delivers some effective soul-sax lamenting in Tom Waits' "San Diego Serenade".
The offhand ambiguities of Paul Simon's "American Tune", and Randy Newman's "Real Emotional Girl" show how far Stigers has come.

Average customer rating:

Before Your Time is Gone Away...
wowwwwww
Excellent synthpop >
Great music
Average

Disconnect
Iris
Manufacturer: A Different Drum
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Dance Pop | Compilations | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

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Awakening
Wrath
Reconnect
Compuphonic
Subkutan

ASIN: B00002EPJT
Release Date: 2000-12-01

Tracks:

Lose In Wanting
Saving Time
Endless
Twilight
The Way I Live My Life
Annie, Would I Lie to You
Danger is the Shame
Waves Crash In
Loom
The Picture

Album Description

This album features many of Iris' underground club hits like "Annie, Would I Lie to You", "Danger is the Shame", and "Lose in Wanting". This being the band's debut CD, it is surprising to see how quickly it has become a synthpop hit and will go down in history as one of the albums that belongs in the collection of any synthpop, electronic pop music, or neo- new wave collection.

Customer Reviews:

Before Your Time is Gone Away..........2006-03-18

In a world *full* of (similar sounding) electronic music Iris punches through with a sharp sound; clear vocals, distinct synths and catchy lyrics.

To the person who wrote to skip this album and go somewhere else... how can you even compare Iris to Wolfsheim and Depeche Mode?

Iris holds a lot more EBM than either of the aforementioned bands. This is clubbing music; pure to the scene.

wowwwwww.......2005-10-29

Any body who grew up listening to erasure, depeche,omd you would love this album. When i bought this it opened my ears to new synth music. Now I buy alot of this new stuff because of iris. Also get de/vision,mesh,blue october,agnes poetry. There is still good music out there.

Excellent synthpop >.......2005-10-28

This is a well crafted synthpop album. very good production, awsome vocals and catchy tunes completes this total package.
Highly recommended for any fans of synthpop and for those who appriciate good music. Just listen to "Endless" / "Loom" / "Saving Time" and you'll understand.
Buy it now !

Great music.......2005-08-16

I'm a big fan of DM, C&E, Mesh, etc. This CD is right up in there with all of my normal favorites. A little more pop then some CD's but still great.

Average.......2004-03-03

The quality of this cd is not good. The band is OK, but I'd rather listen to Wolfsheim, De/Vision, Boytronic or DM instead.

Average customer rating:

Superb CD that gets better and better
seriously people
Really grows on you
BT = the shiz
Very Disappointing!

Emotional Technology
BT
Manufacturer: Nettwerk Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Trance | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

House | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

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

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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Movement in Still Life
R&R
Movement in Still Life
The Technology
State of Trance 2006

ASIN: B0000A5A0K
Release Date: 2003-12-30

Tracks:

Intro
Knowledge of Self
Superfabulous
Somnambulist
Force of Gravity
Dark Heart Dawning
The Great Escape
Paris
Circles
Last Moment of Clarity
Communicate
Animals
The Only Constant is Change

Album Description

Aussie edition of the electronica/dance star's 2003 album features exclusive artwork. 13 tracks including 'Simply Being Loved (Somnambulist)'. Festival/Mushroom Records.

Customer Reviews:

Superb CD that gets better and better.......2006-09-11

I initially bought this CD for one song, "Somnambulist", which I'd initially heard in the DDR Extreme game. I'm so glad I bought the entire CD rather than purchasing the one song online. The entire CD is fantastic, although I will admit upon first listen, not all of the tracks appealed to me. But after a few weeks I can now say that nearly all of the tracks have something rich to offer. My favorites are "Somnambulist", which I have listened to countless times, "The Force of Gravity," "Dark Heart Dawning," and "The Great Escape." At first I wasn't too fond of "Paris" but now it's grown on me. As well as the other tracks.

I'd never heard of BT before so I can't compare to earlier works so of course this did not disappoint. I love the electronic feel of this, the vocal samples, and the great variation throughout each track. I see other reviews that call this very "pop" but personally it does not feel that "pop" to me (and I like "pop" anyway, so no matter.)

Great, great work.

seriously people.......2006-08-07

yes this is a great album..

but as for the people saying its all about love and whatnot.. Its called EMOTIONAL technology people.. what did you expect.. its based all around emotion. could you be any more DUH.

Really grows on you.......2006-05-23

BT is an incredible electronic musician, one of the best these days, if not the. When I first listened to this album, it was a bit of a letdown, the only song which really stood out for me was Somnambulist. After having the album come up once in awhile in the playlist, I really started to dig the songs. Some of my favorites are Force of Gravity, Paris, Circles and Great Escape. Give it some time, and it will grow on you.

One thing I have to say is that this version lacks a song called "Love in the Time Of Thieves" ... this is incredible track. Its from the japanese special release CD, and its worth getting that version just for that song. If you can find a clip of it, you will agree with me...

BT = the shiz.......2006-02-05

This is one of my favorite albums of all time. This man's got insane talent. It is alittle poppy, but still great songs. very different from his older work though, So i can see why some people maybe alittle disappointed with this CD.

Very Disappointing!.......2006-01-18

I have been a fan of BTs for years and have all his CDs. I bought this album when it was first released in 2003. After much anticipation I was greatly disappointed with what I heard. His previous works I love and can play again and again but this abortion of pop rock is just not the BT that I and other fans were expecting. I will now not blindly purchase one of BTs works until I have fully listened to it incase of further disappointment.

If you want to listen to Drum and Base with a mixture if techno/trance done just right I recommend Pendulums "Hold Your Colour".

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