Music

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Borland is back with a vengeance.
Amazing,
The melodies are indeed cruel
Borland rocks
black light burns

Cruel Melody
Black Light Burns
Manufacturer: I AM: Wolfpack
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000OZ2BQ2
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Tracks:

Mesopotamia
Animal
Lie
Coward
Cruel Melody
The Mark
I Have a Need
4 Walls
Stop a Bullet
One Of Yours
New Hunger
I Am Where It Takes Me
Iodine Sky

Album Description

He's been a) an underground metal mercenary, abetting the likes of brainy young upstarts From First to Last and He Is Legend, b) a fearless visual artist whose unsettling images will appear on his forthcoming CD, and most famously c) the chameleonic lead guitarist for Limp Bizkit, who have sold over 30 million records worldwide. Now, for Wes Borland's next trick, he's putting on the guise of frontman, leading both a studio and live supergroup to even darker depths as Black Light Burns. And the new look suits him well. Borland has flirted with his big post-LB breakthrough on and off over the last five years, first with the idiosyncratic Big Dumb Face, then with his brother Scott in Eat the Day before hooking up with bassist Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails) and drummer Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle) in proto-industrial powerhouse the Damning Well, whose crushing Underworld soundtrack contribution "Awakening" featured Richard Patrick (Filter, Army of Anyone) on vocals. Now Borland has taken Lohner, Freese and sound designer Josh Eustis (Telefon Tel Aviv) to super-producer Ross Robinson's upstart I AM: WOLFPACK label and delivered Black Light Burns' harrowing debut, Cruel Melody, 180 degrees from what you think you know about the eccentric axeman. From the post-Ramones surf rock freakout of opener "Mesopotamia" and the slow-build confessional spit of "I Have a Need" to the introspective, epic closing tandem "New Hunger" and "I Am Where It Takes Me" (the latter featuring the smoky siren call of Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano), Cruel Melody is one hell of a curveball. "For the most part, [the record's] more about melody," Borland says. "It's a big drums record, because Josh Freese goes bananas. A lot of it was thought about in terms of beats and attacking the songs beatwise. And the riff kind of followed second to that, if it was appropriate. "The record starts real aggressively, but toward the middle it gets a little more hurtful and hurting, lyrically, trying to express painful feelings, but still in an aggressive way. Then it kind of opens up in the end. And that was the purpose: to attack, then explain, then release and be done with it." Cruel Melody was originally going to be an esoteric, dirge-heavy solo project with a variety of singers, but as Borland started writing heavier material, he finally decided to take the reins behind the mike. It didn't hurt that he got inspiration not only from Lohner, who doubled as the album's producer, but Lohner's famous former employer. "I was talking to Trent Reznor, playing him these tracks in their infancy," Borland remembers. "And he said, `You're singing like somebody's sleeping in the next room. You should try to open that up.' You know, it's really easy to do cool electronic music that's instrumental and put soft vocals over it, but it's a lot harder to write actual songs and have them hit people." With Cruel Melody locked and loaded, Borland's planning an evocative new onstage persona for Black Light's maiden voyage, boasting a live band with guitarist Nick Annis (Seether), drummer Marshal Kirpatric (Today Is the Day, the Esoteric) and, for now, a laptop to wreak ambient havoc. ("Screw it," he laughs, "there's a computer in the band.") In the interim, he's just striving to perfect his unique approach to making art. "The paintings and the music kind of chase one another, trying to keep up with some other third element that's the idea," Borland considers. "It's almost like when you see a little flash in the corner of your eye and you're not sure what it was. My music and visual art is me trying to look really fast to see what that third thing was. I'm always trying to hit this place that gives me some satisfaction."

Customer Reviews:

Borland is back with a vengeance........2007-07-06

Wes Borland was the most talented member of Limp Bizkit. His guitar work was what held that band together. When I was still in high school, I was into LB because all my friends thought they were awesome. They had their place, I guess. They wrote some catchy songs that sounded good at parties, but things got worse with each album, until they became a joke with Results May Vary.

After toying with some side projects such as Big Dumb Face, which was actually a pretty good cd despite the obvious potty humor and outlandish themes, Borland has burst back on the scene with this new band.

Black Light Burns has talented musicians on board. Guys that were previously in Nine Inch Nails. On many songs, you can catch a NIN vibe, but although these guys are industrial, they incorporate many other heavy music styles to invent a new sound. There are sprinkles of classic LB-sounding riffs, there are elements of grunge, classic metal, and other genres.
The entire cd has blown me away, and it has quickly made it's way into my heavy cd rotation. Lots of variety, plenty of hooks, and Wes actually has a good voice for this kind of music. Check out the songs, "Lie" and "The Mark" and those should give you an idea of what to expect. Great album. I like it better than the new NIN.

Amazing,.......2007-07-02

This really is an amazing album. It's really a great direction for rock, and for Borland, who has always been underrated due to his time in that horrible biscuit band.

Anyways, this album really shows off his strengths as a guitarist, and his often smart songwriting capabilities.

My only real complaint is that this isn't Big Dumb Face. BDF holds a special place in my heart, and it saddens me that we may never get another album from such a great project.

The melodies are indeed cruel.......2007-06-25

Having little success with Big Dumb Face and Eat The Day, in addition to Limp Bizkit ending up in shambles, Wes Borland has brought forth a rousing gothic endeavor. Bafflingly, he passed on opportunities joining respectable bands Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle, but Black Light Burns sounds like it could be influenced from either band. Perhaps Borland wanted something he could have more control of? This could be the case, since he handles vocals, guitar, bass, programming, percussion, synths, piano, rhodes, violin, cello, and even drums (on just one song, "I Am Where It Takes Me"). Black Light Burns is also Danny Lohner (producer, additional guitar, additional bass, programming, sound design), Josh Freese (drums, percussion), and Josh Eustice (synths, sound design). Both Lohner and Freese have Nine Inch Nails ties, so it's no surprise Cruel Melody has a few similarities to the `Nails sound.

The vocals fit the style of music well - they're gritty, gloomy, and dark - although sometimes monotonous. At times Borland is Marilyn Manson-esque (but not sounding as deep or corpse-like), and at other times he is Trent Reznor-esque. As expected, he brings catchy riffs, along with a handful of solos which are carefully placed and not overdone. Drums and percussion both aggressively attack and calmly lull, and the programming adds electronic flavor. Give Wes Borland's Black Light Burns a chance, because you may be surprised with what a face-painted rocker can bring to the table.

Borland rocks.......2007-06-23

I used to hate Limp Bizkit back when they were popular. I was a NIN/Marilyn Manson fan and hated anything that was rap-related. Even though I kept telling myself that Bizkit sucked,.. I always listened to them on the radio. The music itself was actually pretty good and full of energy that made you want to punch out your car windows.

Fast forward to 2007 and I'm taking music less seriously now. It's just entertainment and it's stupid to be a snob and gauge intelligence based on what music someone listens to. I ended up buying the first three Bizkit albums and I like them alot.

I'm a Borland fan, not a Durst fan.

Black Light Burns "Cruel Melody" is pretty good. It has a lot of NIN influence,.. but Borland still works the awesome guitar riffage. It's strange to hear Borland singing,.. as I'm so used to him being the silent one who speaks with guitar. His vocals need to be pushed to the limits while on tour for him to grow in that department. His vocals aren't bad, they just need some exercise and flexing.

I can't wait for the next album.

black light burns.......2007-06-23

My curiosity got the best of me when I bought this cd. Knowing that Josh Eustis and Danny Lohner lended a hand in the final product was most likely the biggest factor that led me to buy the cd, seeing how both are A Perfect Cicle collaborators. This is a solid first effort overall, the only song I did not like was the opener, Mesopatamia, but the rest of the songs were all strong. Overall, this is a noticeable first release by guitarist/vocalist Wes Borland.

Average customer rating:

A Doorway Into Darkness
Wow
Do Not "Passover"
absolutely great
The sound of potential

Passover
The Black Angels
Manufacturer: Light In The Attic
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000EPF76S
Release Date: 2006-04-11

Tracks:

Young Men Dead
The First Vietnamese War
The Sniper at the Gates of Heaven
The Prodigal Sun
Black Grease
Manipulation
Empire
Better Off Alone
Bloodhounds on My Trail
Call to Arms

Amazon.com

Every now and again a band capable of not just capturing the spirit of a bygone era but portraying it with uncanny authenticity and accuracy arrives, and in an era where music lovers seem increasingly ravenous for psychedelic-inflected rock, Austin's the Black Angels are precisely that act. Following on the heels of their recent Turn On, Tune In, Drone Out EP, the quintet transports listeners to a land of napalm-bright LSD flashbacks with an elegantly unholy sound that proves both eerie and ethereal. "Young Men Dead" and "The Sniper at the Gates of Heaven" walk the line between celebratory dance and grief-filled dirge. These tracks unnerve the conscious mind with unsettling drones and vocals that seem to have emerged from some parallel universe where the struggle, strife, promise, and even the seedy underbelly of the Love Generation lives on in each primal drum beat and louder-than-loud bent note from a guitar that could not have been built anywhere on Earth, but has been drenched with the sweat and blood of a generation on the verge of either victory or collapse. If there is an act in American popular music with a future brighter and vaster than the cosmos, the Black Angels are it. --Jedd Beaudoin

Customer Reviews:

A Doorway Into Darkness.......2007-06-01

Droning dirges, dark lyrics, desolation, heavy psychedelia... if this is your cup of tea, you will love The Black Angels. Their music evokes a sense of deterioration, a sense of longing, and yet, somehow, a sense of hope. They present a musical vision of hell, and they play as if their lives depend upon finding their way out.

If The Black Angels sound so dire, why do I enjoy their music so much? I have to say it is because they connect with me on a level below that of conscious or rational thought, which leads to "letting go" while listening. They connect with me at gut level, with little or no pretense. The musical arrangements are simple, but beneath the simplicity lies complexity, found in the lyrics, in the reverb-laden production, in the overall sound of quiet desperation that suggests an inner determination to survive the roller-coaster of human emotions in one piece. The musicians present the listener with a universal sort of primal scream, and thus the music has become therapeutic for me with repeated listening.

According to the band credits in the CD, the organist plays "drone machine". From what I could tell when I saw this group play live recently, that is an apt description. Adding to the drone, one band member played an electric sitar. The whole of the sound is very psychedelic, stripping away outer layers of emotions to reveal something much deeper and heavier: reality. The band provides a doorway into darkness. It's like they are describing an emotional worst-case scenario, or a bad trip... but the listener is left with a feeling that maybe life isn't as bad as all that, or that "this too shall pass".

Take a long drive at night, and put this CD in your player. Embrace the darkness of the Black Angels, and be uplifted!

Wow.......2007-05-25

You would think a band that sounds like so many others (BRMC, Dead Meadow, Warlocks, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spacemen 3) and doesn't really do anything extraordinary musically on its debut full-length would be destined to fail.

Then along come The Black Angels to prove you wrong.

Relying almost entirely on one tempo (plodding), one sound (fuzzy) and one style (60s psych rock filtered through the blues) would seem so plain in any other band's hands, but The Black Angels provide enough youhtful vigor and earnestness in what it is doing to completely floor you.

From start to finish (even on the 'lackluster' cuts like First Vietnamese War and Better Off Alone) The Black Angels pull you up by the nostrils and then drag you through a nigthmarish world that is oh-so-scary because it is real, it is now, and it is here.

Young Men Dead, Sniper at the Gates of Heaven, The Prodigal Sun, Black Grease and Manipulation are great songs sure to stand the test of time. That song about the Vietnam War (One, two, three what are we fightin for....) is good but dates itself; The Blacks Angels deal in pointed criticisms that are vague enough to make sense now or the next time the United States decides to play schoolyard bully and push some poor people around.

The political messages coupled with classic scuzzy blues-based rock mesh into one fine album. Chalk me up for first in line when the next album by The Black Angels comes out.

Do Not "Passover".......2007-04-20

What a wonderful and creative debut. Bottom line: If Jim Morrison were alive today, this is the band he would be in. Be sure to catch them live, they sound great.

absolutely great.......2007-04-04

I really really love this cd.. But If you are not a fan of Psychidelic rock music then this may not be for you.. But if you do! Then i would definetly recommend this cd

The sound of potential.......2007-03-27

There are things that I adore about this record. Overall, the sound is amazing. Big, reverberating, clangy and stoned. The playing is top notch, but it's the lyrics that sometimes make me roll my eyes. While I appreciate a good anti-war song as much as anyone, some of the wording here is just a little corny. I chalk it up to the fact that The Black Angels are a very young band, and just go along for the ride. If these guys keep it up, they have the potential to become one of the best bands around.

Oh yeah- almost every song reminds me of either "The End" or "The Unknown Soldier" by the Doors, but hey, that's not a bad thing.

Average customer rating:

Under the Blacklight
Rilo Kiley
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000T4SWXY
Release Date: 2007-08-21

Tracks:

Silver Lining
Close Call
Moneymaker
Breakin' Up
Under the Blacklight
Dreamworld
Dejalo
15
Smoke Detector
Angels Hung Around
Give a Little Love

Average customer rating:

What we Want!!
very disappointing
The Black Light
Feel good music...sort of.
one of the most distinctive and traditional styles of the era

The Black Light
Calexico
Manufacturer: Quarter Stick
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000064B7
Release Date: 1998-05-19

Tracks:

Gypsy's Curse
Fake Fur
The Ride (Pt II)
Where Water Flows
The Black Light
Sideshow
Chach
Missing
Minas De Cobre (For Better Metal)
Over Your Shoulder
Vinegaroon
Trigger
Sprawl
Stray
Old Man Waltz
Bloodflow
Frontera

Amazon.com

The perfect soundtrack for a summer roadtrip in an old car across Death Valley. Calexico's musical textures are woven out of a dazzling array of instruments and styles, including mariachi trumpets, countrified pedal steel, Latin jazz percussion, and carnival organ, just to name a few. The songs move at siesta speed, casually looping and loping along, never getting overheated. Bandmates Joey Burns and John Convertino have their hands in so many musical pies--including projects with OP8, Giant Sand, Victoria Williams, Giant Sand, and Richard Buckner--one wonders how they find the time to create the sun-soaked music of Calexico. But thank God they have. --Tod Nelson

Customer Reviews:

What we Want!!.......2007-05-12

When we think of Calexico everyone can be asked what are your expectations? these guys are not going to fill your portable stereo with pop but the groove is more like that of the Jamaican reggae producers. I love this album, it's my 'haunt the room with desert' album and can see now what these guys contributed to Giant Sand.

very disappointing.......2007-04-05

This is boring, there is no theme, there are no highs and lows and the cd just aimlessly meanders.

I have seen Calexico on Austin City Limits and one of the late night talk shows (Leno? Letterman? Conan?). They were fascinating both visually and sonically. I have several live downloads and they put on a cool show. I made my own compilation and the disc is awesome.

This cd just does not do it for me. There are no bad songs on it but...there is hardly anything exciting, nothing really knocks my socks off.

This may be one of those bands that need to be experienced live rather than through the studio.

This hardly resembles the totally cool band I saw perform on Austin City Limits

The Black Light.......2006-03-10

Awesome, Awesome cd!! If you like slow instrumental music that has a mexican sound you'll adore this. The song Over Your Shoulder is by far my favorite, it was worth the money just for that song. There are some songs that have vocals as well. If you put the cd on it kind of just sweeps you to another place.

Feel good music...sort of........2006-02-19

This album just makes me feel great, not ecstatic and energized 'great', but rather soothed and contented 'great'. The music and lyrics evoke conflicts of the self with society and of the moment with eternity. They illustrate the perfection (by that I mean 'completeness', not necessarily 'flawlessness') of the seemingly simple, perhaps even mundane moments of life, while at the same time recognizing the immense world in which individual lives exist and the grand purpose that each life has. In doing so, the album explores frontiers, those places between humanity and the vast unfamiliar world where everything is strange and new, where there are seemingly endless possibilities and a man has obligations to no one but himself. That feeling of hope and purpose and independence and risk associated with a frontier is what feels so good when I listen to this album. Also, it just sounds really awesome.

one of the most distinctive and traditional styles of the era.......2005-10-15

Calexico, which was Giant Sand's rhythm section of bassist Joey Burns and drummer John Convertino, coined one of the most distinctive and traditional styles of the era.
The languid, introspective and touching mood of The Black Light (1998) relied on humble but eccentric orchestration and a hallucinated, oneiric take on mariachi music and Ennio Morricone's soundtracks. Austere but friendly, they sound like the equivalent of the Penguin Cafe` Orchestra for the Arizona desert.

Average customer rating:

Another Immolation masterpiece
Immolation: on the verge

Shadows in the Light
Immolation
Manufacturer: Century Media
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000OHZK3Q
Release Date: 2007-05-08

Customer Reviews:

Another Immolation masterpiece.......2007-06-23

The new Immolation cd is another Immolation masterpiece. It's actually even better than Harnessing Ruin, and I love Harnessing Ruin. (as well as all of their albums) This effort seems to be a little more precise and focused than Harnessing. Also, the production and mix is a little more clear on this album. The results? This seems to be the most straight forward, to the point release so far. Kind of like Close To A World Below but the songs are all just under 4 minutes except for a few.

Another point to make is that even though this whole album seems more straight forward, they didn't lose any of their trademark Immolation songwriting ability whatsoever!It still has Bob's trademark riffing and their punishing,pummeling,Immolation whirlwind style.
It's really amazing how a band can still maintain their identity like this band has without becoming cheesy or corny or without completely changing their style.
This band is simply one of the best and most under-rated bands in all of extreme music. Highly recommended if you even just liked one of thier cd's.

Immolation: on the verge.......2007-06-12

I have to start by admitting that Immolation is one of my favorite bands: not for what they are, but for what they could be. If you listen closely to Shadows in the Light and its predecessor, Harnessing Ruin, you will find complex structures, memorable riffs, and Death Metal that is approaching a state of sophistication that other bands are not reaching.

The biggest negative Immolation is facing is their studio recording, production, and mixing. Oh, what I'd give to hear a Tue Madsen produced Immolation CD! Shadows in the light is slightly less muted and muddied than Harnessing Ruin, which is a plus. However, when you listen to Behemoth's Demigod or Kataklysm's latest, you will understand this point. Immolation just needs technical expertise to truly blast the world with superior DM.

I rated Shadows in the Light at 4 stars because of the production values. I rate Immolation as a band at 5.

Average customer rating:

Outstanding
Incredible..Worth 30 stars
Superb singing matched with superb arrangements
Beautiful music
Beautiful Music, Yet There Is No There Here

Blue Wheat
Stephen Foster , John , American Traditional , Spiritual Traditional , and Dale Warland Singers
Manufacturer: American Choral
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Harvest Home
Christmas With the Dale Warland Singers
Cathedral Classics
December Stillness
Christmas Echoes, Vol. 1

ASIN: B000003M4T
Release Date: 1996-06-18

Tracks:

Oh, Shenandoah (Traditional)
He's Goin' Away (Traditional)
Skip To My Lou (Traditional)
Steal Away (Spiritual)
Wayfarin' Stranger (Traditional)
Soldier, Soldier Won't You Marry Me? (Traditional)
Pretty Saro (Traditional)
Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier
Black Is The Color (Traditional)
Red River Valley 9 (Traditional)
Nelly Bly (Stephen Foster)
My Lord, What A Mornin' (Spiritual)
Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair (Stephen Foster)
Hard Times Come Again No More (Stephen Foster)
Single Girl (Traditional)
Deep River (Spiritual)
Buffalo Gals (Cool White [John Hodges])
The Water is Wide (Traditional)
Black Sheep (African-American lullaby)

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding.......2007-06-06

Robert De Cormier's remarkable arrangement and Marie Spar Dymit's and Lynette Johnson's pure vocals of "Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier" are well worth the price of the entire CD.

Incredible..Worth 30 stars.......2007-05-16

The Dale Warland Singers are my benchmark by which I judge all other choirs. The uniformity of sound, blend, and precise entrances, uniformity are incredible - almost inhuman. Excluding the all male Chanticleer from the roster, this was the finest choir in America. Now that they have broken up, buy all of their CD's you won't be disappointed!

Superb singing matched with superb arrangements.......2004-07-03

A project like this one inevitably highlights the skill of arrangers, and Dale Warland has selected some of the most talented anywhere. Most of these selections will be familiar to listeners, but I doubt most people have heard, for example, "Red River Valley" in Carol Barnett's haunting version here, and ditto for her magnificent "Deep River."

The disc opens with a spectacular, panoramic "Shenandoah" that takes maximum advantage of the Dale Warland Singers' refined sound, and things only get better (if that's possible). Other favorites are a cheery, fizzing "Nelly Bly" and Mark Keller's strong reworking of Stephen Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More."

Throughout the recording, the freshness of the arrangements is matched by the irresistible singing. This group is known for its outstanding performances and recordings, but this must be counted as one of their all-time best. The sound quality is terrific, capturing the gorgeous blend and precision of the group in a natural-sounding acoustic. Just stunning.

Beautiful music.......2003-07-03

I bought this CD after hearing a few of the recordings on our local NPR radio station. I was not disappointed in any of the selections. Very beautiful.

Beautiful Music, Yet There Is No There Here.......2003-01-13

The Dale Warland Singers (DWS) are among the relatively few musical professionals, who by their aesthetic standards and demonstrated artistry, have taken the less traveled and narrow road to exemplary artistic excellence.

The sound quality and acoustics are excellently engineered in this 20-bit original recording. The most delicately blend and inflection of the singers' voice can be heard. This sheaf of choral works has once existed in real space and time in the kaleidoscopic folklife of past generations. In recording the "Blue Wheat", the 40-member DWS, the creme de la creme of professional choral ensembles, has elevated the common oral tradition of American folk music into a rarified choral art form a capella "in the style of the chapel."

If the soul of the DWS is a capella singing, then Warland and the arrangers are the wings of the same soul. Among the kapellmeisters whose arrangements have graced this folksong anthology are the late Norman Luboff and Roger Wagner. Also included in this album are contemporary arrangements by other esteemed composers: John Rutter (conductor of The Cambridge Singers), Carol Barnett (the DWS resident composer from 1992 to 2001), and Stephen Paulus.

Gertrude Stein is famous for saying of her childhood home, Oakland, California, "When you get there, there's no there there." Purportedly, Stein opined this city by the San Francisco Bay lacked a defining sense of place. Bel canto notwithstanding, the folk melodies of "Blue Wheat" invoke a longing for something no longer possible. The abyss between the America today and the its past is impossible to bridge. Already, we have yielded to the abstractness of political correctness. Our past is either neglected, actively destroyed, or selectively museumed. We do not live in an understood land and culture. There is no there here in the presence of this music. It is only the poignancy of the moment that these beautifully rendered tunes live in our mind. We have to accept this reality as part and parcel of our rootlessness.

If the Oakland Raiders do make it to and win the Superbowl in 2003, there is a there there for some in the football community, albeit fleeting.

Average customer rating:

Excellent intro to Foster and Sousa
march review

Stories Of Foster And Sousa

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Story Of Johann Strauss In Words And Music
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The Story Of Brahms
The Story of Tchaikovsky
The Story Of Handel

ASIN: B000001KDF
Release Date: 1995-04-16

Tracks:

Old Folks At Home
Oh ! Susanna
Old Black Joe
Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair
My Old Kentucky Home
Old Folks At Home
Camptown Races
Massa's In De Cold, Cold Ground
Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming
Beautiful Dreamer
The Stars And Stripes Forever
The Crusader
Offenbach: La Vie Parisienne
The Belle Of Chicago
The Gladiator
Semper Fidelis
Washington Post
High School Cadets
The Thunderer
Semper Fidelis
Washington Post
Hands Across The Sea
El Capitan
Stars And Stripes Forever
Semper Fidelis
Washington Post March
The Thunderer
High School Cadets
El Capitan

Customer Reviews:

Excellent intro to Foster and Sousa.......2007-02-25

This is a tremendous value considering the price and the number of tracks that you get. The renditions are not bad, but I have heard better Foster. There is a lot of narration, which makes this a great teaching tool to introduce Foster and Sousa. The narration is a bit more for Foster than Sousa. Some of the Foster songs seem to be cut a little short, giving you what is really more of a sampler than a rich collection of complete Foster songs. The Sousa marches seem to be a little longer and don't have quite as much narration. Even though both men were well known American composers, their type of music was quite different, so it's kind of an odd paring on this album. It's a pleasant listen, but not a "must have" item unless you don't have much Foster or Sousa in your music collection; it's a good starter album. Great for kids who might be interested in learning about these two famous composers.

march review.......2001-05-10

this cd gas a great selection of music on it. the sound of the music is perfectly clear and i definately reccomend it. it is an ideal disc for all march fans. two of the greatest american composers on one disc. this is also a great deal considering the amount of songs on this disc. definately but this cd.

Purcell: Songs & Airs / Argenta, North, Boothby, Nicholson, Toll

Average customer rating:

Nice Collection
PERFECT!
Great singing and excellent value for money
More than two hours of beautiful 17th century 'ayres'

Purcell: Songs & Airs / Argenta, North, Boothby, Nicholson, Toll
Henry Purcell , Nancy Argenta , and Nigel North
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Essential Purcell
Purcell: The Fairy Queen
Purcell: Odes for St. Cecilia's Day - Music for Queen Mary / Taverner Consort
English and Italian Renaissance Madrigals
Gabrieli · Monteverdi · Vivaldi - Venetian Church Music / Taverner Consort, Choir & Players · Andrew Parrott

ASIN: B000059LOH
Release Date: 2001-06-05

Tracks:

O Solitude - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
Ah! How Sweet It Is To Love - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Not All My Torments - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Paul Nicholson
Stripp'd Of Their Green - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Tell Me, Some Pitying Angel - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
If Music Be The Food Of Love - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Hark! Hark! The Echoing Air - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
The Fatal Hour Comes On Apace - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
Incassum, Lesbia - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Paul Nicholson
Sweeter Than Roses - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby
Cupid, The Slyest Rogue Alive - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
From Silent Shades - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Dear Pretty Youth - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby
From Rosy Bow'rs - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Now That The Sun Hath Veil'd His Light - Nancy Argenta/Paul Nicholson
Beneath A Poplar's Shadow - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby
I Attempt From Love's Sickness To Fly - Nancy Argenta/Paul Nicholson
Let Us Dance - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Fairest Isle - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
O Solitude - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby

Tracks:

Nymphs And Shepherds - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Amidst The Shades And Cool Refreshing Streams - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
Love In Their Little Veins Inspires - Nancy Argenta/Rachel Becket/Marion Scott/Richard Boothby/Nigel North
Fly Swift, Ye Hours - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
They Tell Us That Your Mighty Powers - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
The Plaint: O Let Me Weep - Nancy Argenta/Pauline Nobes/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
In The Black, Dismal Dungeon Of Despair - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/John Toll
See, Even Night Herself Is Here - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones
Why Should Men Quarrel? - Nancy Argenta/Rachel Becket/Marion Scott/Richard Boothby/John Toll
Seek Not To Know - Nancy Argenta/Paul Goodwin/Sophia McKenna/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Retir'd From Mortals' Sight - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
To Arms, Heoric Prince - Nancy Argenta/Mark Bennett/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
O Lead Me To Some Peaceful Gloom - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Halcyon Days - Nancy Argenta/Paul Goodwin/Pauline Nobes/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Bid The Virtues - Nancy Argenta/Paul Goodwin/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Lord, What Is Man? (A Divine Hymn) - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Music For A While - Nancy Argenta/John Toll
If Music Be The Food Of Love (1st Setting) - Nancy Argenta/Richard Boothby/John Toll
Sawney Is A Bonny Lad (A Scotch Song) - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North
When I Have Often Heard Young Maids Complaining - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Richard Boothby/Nigel North/John Toll
Ah! Cruel, Bloody Fate - Nancy Argenta/Nigel North/John Toll
Thy Hand, Belinda... When I Am Laid In Earth - Nancy Argenta/Nicholas Robinson/Fiona Huggett/Trevor Jones/Richard Boothby/Nigel North

Customer Reviews:

Nice Collection.......2007-03-05

I have many collections of Purcell's Music. This collection stands up to them at half the price. Solid buy.

PERFECT!.......2006-10-26

There is only a word with which I can describe this set of discs: perfect!
The only flaw there is, is not related to the singing or playing: no text enclosed.

Great singing and excellent value for money.......2004-09-19

This is probably one of the best anthologies of Purcell songs around, and not just because it's two-for-one pricing means it contains twice as much music (CD1:74'24" & CD2: 77'41")! Nancy Argenta has an irrepressible sense of style and crystal clear diction. But unlike Emma Kirby, whose vocal purity can become tiresome, these renditions radiate warmth. She is also, I have found, more consistently involving than any one of the singers in Hyperion's three disc survey of Complete Secular Songs (recently reissued as a single set). One marvels at how she judiciously balances restraint and emotional forthrightness. The accompaniments (archlute, viola da gamba, harpsichord, and organ) are well judged and blend with the voice, all helped by an excellently defined recording acoustic. This is an absolute winner at any price!

More than two hours of beautiful 17th century 'ayres'.......2001-08-02

Two CDs, totaling more than 150 minutes of sparsely-arranged (never more than 3-5 instruments at a time), sweetly-sung, 350 year old 'ayres' (a typically English form of secular music). Nancy Argenta's soprano voice is lovely, silvery indeed as her name implies. The instruments are a discreet but friendly accompaniment to her solo voice. Perhaps the instruments are a little too discreet -- there are times when I wish they were a touch more prominent. But that is a very, very minor complaint. A beautiful collection, and quite well worth the money.

Average customer rating:

Available at retailers for about $18
A classic compilation
A dis-service to Joplin
Unique
Great set

Scott Joplin: His Complete Works

Manufacturer: Bescol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Ragtime | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music

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Complete Piano Music of Scott Joplin
King of the Ragtime Writers
Entertainer: Classic Ragtime from Rare Piano Rolls
Joplin: Treemonisha
Joplin: Piano Rags

ASIN: B000001RR2
Release Date: 1994-07-19

Tracks:

Please Say You Will - Richard Zimmerman
A Picture Of Her Face - Richard Zimmerman
The Great Crush Collision March - Richard Zimmerman
Harmony Club Waltz - Richard Zimmerman
Combination March - Richard Zimmerman
Original Rags - Richard Zimmerman
Maple Leaf Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Swipesy - Cake Walk - Richard Zimmerman
Sunflower Slow Drag - Richard Zimmerman
Peacherine Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Augustan Club Waltz - Richard Zimmerman
The Easy Winners - Richard Zimmerman
Cleopha - Richard Zimmerman
The Strenuous Life - Richard Zimmerman
I Am Thinking Of My Pickanniny Days - Richard Zimmerman
The Ragtime Dance - Richard Zimmerman
A Breeze From Alabama - Richard Zimmerman
Elite Syncopations - Richard Zimmerman

Tracks:

March Majestic - S. Joplin
The Entertainer - S. Joplin
Something Doing - S. Joplin
Weeping Willow - S. Joplin
Little Black Baby - S. Joplin
Palm Leaf Rag - S. Joplin
The Favorite - S. Joplin
The Sycamore - S. Joplin
The Cascades - S. Joplin
The Chrysanthemum - S. Joplin
Rosebud March - S. Joplin
Bethena - S. Joplin
Leola - S. Joplin
Sarah Dear - S. Joplin
Binks Waltz - S. Joplin
Eugenia - S. Joplin
Antoinette - S. Joplin
Snoring Sampson - S. Joplin

Tracks:

Gladiolus Rag - S. Joplin
Searchlight Rag - S. Joplin
The Nonpareil (None to Equal) - S. Joplin
When Your Hair Is Like The Snow - S. Joplin
Rose Leaf Rag - S. Joplin
Heliotrope Bouquet - S. Joplin
School Of Ragtime - S. Joplin
Fig Leaf Rag - S. Joplin
Sugar Cane - S. Joplin
Pine Apple Rag - S. Joplin
Wall Street Rag - S. Joplin
Solace - S. Joplin
Pleasant Moments - S. Joplin
Country Club - S. Joplin
Paragon Rag - S. Joplin
Euphonic Sounds - S. Joplin
Stoptime Rag - S. Joplin
Felicity Rag - S. Joplin

Tracks:

Highlights From Treemonisha - Richard Zimmerman
A Real Slow Drag - Richard Zimmerman
Prelude To Act 3 - Richard Zimmerman
Frolic Of The Bears - Richard Zimmerman
Lovin' Babe - Richard Zimmerman
Scott Joplin's New Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Kismet Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Magnetic Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Reflection Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Silver Swan Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Lily Queen - Richard Zimmerman
Sensation - Richard Zimmerman

Customer Reviews:

Available at retailers for about $18.......2006-12-21

Excellent collection - but there are re-sellers listed here that are selling this for as much $50 or $60. Yikes, most major retailers are selling this complete set for $18 - so beware.

A classic compilation.......2006-10-07

This collection is one of my most treasured possessions. (My father gave me the original 5-album set in the 70's when it was originally released on vinyl.)

This is the definitive collection of Scott Joplin's work. Richard Zimmerman provides wonderful performances that accurately reflect Joplin's intentions. (As evidence beyond my personal opinion, I submit the recent releases of digital recordings made from Joplin's piano rolls.)

A few points to consider regarding negative comments you may encounter in other reviews:
* This is a digital recording from an analog master. Lack of quality in the recording does not imply a lackluster performance.
* This is a complete collection. Some similarity is due to Joplin re-exploring melodic themes. But some is due to the fact that these are "rags". One might as well complain that all 50's doo-wop (or all 70's disco) sounds the same.
* Many pieces of the period exhibit formal musical structures, such as the marches of John Phillips Sousa. (Both Sousa and Joplin performed at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.) Actually, Joplin is responsible for extending the formal boundaries of ragtime to concert waltzes (Bethena) and opera (A Guest of Honor, Treemonisha)
* This is probably one of the few collections which will include selections from "Treemonisha". It is my understanding that after the initial release, one of Joplin's descendants made a copyright claim that was upheld in court. (I presume the issue was that Joplin had to finance "Treemonisha" himself, and therefore the customary performance clearances did not cover those selections.)

For ragtime students and enthusiasts, this is a "must-have" collection at a very affordable price.

A dis-service to Joplin.......2006-02-01

Sadly, the only virtue this set possesses is completeness.

The pianist does not play Joplin's pieces "as written", the piano is of poor quality, and not properly in tune.

This is emphatically NOT the set to buy. A far better set, beautifully annotated and well played on a good concert grand piano, is the complete works played by Guido Nielsen on the Basta Label.

This set is a dis-service to Joplin and his music. He deserves better, and gets it elsewhere.

Unique .......2004-10-19

I have several cd sets of Joplin's music: Rifkin, Arpo, Nielsen, and Zimmerman. All have their excellent qualities. What sets Zimmerman's set apart is the inclusion of excerpts from Joplin's opera, Treemonisha---especially "A Real Slow Drag." Why the other sets do not include excerpts from Treemonisha, I don't know---because they are some of his most beautiful and joyful pieces of music. Of course, you can hear the orchestrated version of Treemonisha in the Houston Grand Opera recording, and it is spectacular. But Zimmerman's piano version, especially of "A Real Slow Drag," is not to be missed.

Great set.......2001-10-16

I guess this will be a rather one sided review. I have been a fan of Scott Joplin since I first learned to play a piano.

I was shocked to see that one reviewer thought it all sounded the same. How silly. All of Frank Sinatra's music sounds like Frank Sinatra. All of Led Zeppelin sounds like Led Zeppelin. So, if the songs were drastically different, I would question if the same author composed them. As it is, though, each song on this set is fantastic!!

I don't know that I have heard of Richard Zimmerman, and I was a little leary as to what I would be getting, I certainly was impressed. Without a doubt the best renditions of "Weeping Willow" and "Bethena" I have heard, and at least a dozen songs I didn't know Joplin wrote.

Without a doubt, this album is fantastic. A very good price, as well.

Average customer rating:

Allen & Allen
Allen & Allen
Manufacturer: Light Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Love Sweet Love
A New Beginning
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Christmas Like Never Before
Come Sunday

ASIN: B0000047ZR
Release Date: 1994-01-18

Tracks:

Lost Without You
No, Not One
Trouble In My Way
I Shall Wear A Crown
Walk With Me Lord
Anyway You Bless Me
Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus
I'm In Love
Wounded For Me
Medley: Hark The Herald Angels Sing/O Come, All Ye Faithful
Voice Angel

Music:

Music