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The Needles The Space
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Nothing short of amazing
  • straylight RUN TO THE STORE AND BUY THIS!
  • AMAZING.
  • This is a fantastic ablum
  • Beautiful, and Perfectly Placed
The Needles The Space
Straylight Run
Manufacturer: Republic
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Straylight Run
  2. Icky Thump
  3. Arrivals & Departures
  4. Riot!
  5. Prepare to Be Wrong

ASIN: B000QUCQEW
Release Date: 2007-06-19

Tracks:

  1. The Words We Say
  2. The Miracle That Never Came
  3. Soon We'll Be Living In The Future
  4. How Do I Fix My Head
  5. Who Will Save Us Now
  6. Cover Your Eyes
  7. We'll Never Leave Again
  8. Take It To Manhattan
  9. Still Alone
  10. This Is The End
  11. Buttoned Down
  12. Track #12
  13. The First Of The Century

Album Description

Straylight Run is made up of sibling frontpeople John and Michelle Nolan who both sing, write, and play guitar and piano. They are joined by bassist Shaun Cooper and drummer Will Noon. There's no doubting the intelligent design of their gloriously adventurous off-kilter pop and the existential underpinnings of their lyrics.

Asked about "Soon We'll Be Living in the Future," the emotionally charged first single off Straylight Run's forthcoming album, The Needles The Space, John confides: "I'm really happy with how that song turned out because I was finally able to put a finger on a feeling I have about living and dying. It's a frustrating and terrifying experience living with the full knowledge that at any point in any day you could die, and what would your life have meant? Everything you're doing - what does it actually mean in the context of your life as a whole? It's something I probably think about too much. It's not a good idea to be too thoughtful about such things."

"The Miracle That Never Came," meanwhile, is perhaps an even more distinctive example of Straylight's brand of thinking-man's pop. It flies out of the starting gate without warning, galloping along on Shaun's insistent bass line, Will's four-four beat and Michelle's fevered vocal, the unexpected ring of glockenspiel spurring it further. Just as the see-sawing melody has lodged itself intractably in your cerebellum, "Miracle" gives way to a swooning, two-tempo waltz bridge that finds Michelle singing, "Oh, look what I've done here/ Let these thoughts creep in/ Let them seep right in." Another standout, the lovely, accordion-laced "The Words We Say," begins with "We'll wait in line for most our lives."

Says John of Straylight Run's evolving sound, which he concedes is difficult to pigeonhole: "I love pop music; I love hearing a well-written pop song. And I like a lot of music that's experimental and weird. I'm always looking for ways to take a pop song and rearrange it into something interesting and fresh and original." Michelle remarks: "We're very lucky because our fans seem to be open to whatever we do. That gives us the freedom to explore any idea we have."

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Nothing short of amazing.......2007-07-17

I have been waiting for the release of "The Needles The Space" for a long time now and it was definitely worth the wait. I haven't stopped listening to it since I bought it.

When I first listened to it I noticed that it was very different from their previous cd, not in a bad way though. This cd is an example of how much they have matured musically. The harmonies of both John and Michelle are absolutely beautiful. Everything from the lyrics to the music were put together wonderfully. I am proud to have this cd in my collection.

You surely won't regret buying this cd.

5 out of 5 stars straylight RUN TO THE STORE AND BUY THIS!.......2007-07-09

Straylight Run...a band that has more than outdone themselves with this, their latest record. Building upon the male/female vocal mixtures of their previous 2 efforts, they take the diversity to a whole new level, with John Nolan and Michelle DaRosa sharing roughly equal time on vocals. And where as on the last 2 albums, wasn't a huge fan of Michelle's vocal stylings, she left me in awe with her work on this one, often overshadowing John's songs with her own.

The album is very mellow, as someone mentioned in another review, but it will get your toes tappin'. The lyrics, also as another reviewer mentioned, have grown in maturity and overall quality.

The instrumentation on the album is pretty much flawless. They've hit a homerun by adding instruments such as Clarinet, Trombone, Trumpet, and Mandolin to the forefront on a few songs. And yes, It works VERY WELL.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful, artistic, catchy, and original albums I've heard in quite a while. Possibly the best rock/pop album since Radiohead's PABLO HONEY.

5 out of 5 stars AMAZING........2007-07-05

This CD has been on repeat in my car ever since I bought it. They have such a unique sound and they're music consistently gets better and better. Each song sounds different from the last, with John Nolan or Michelle DaRosa singing main vocals on each song. The melodies are very catchy, some mainly piano and others mainly with acoustic guitar. I would recommend this CD to any lover of rock, indie, or even folk music. It is easy for anyone to love, really.

5 out of 5 stars This is a fantastic ablum.......2007-07-05

I was so excited for the arrival of this cd that I pre-orded it months in advance, and this cd after all the wait did not let me down. My favorite thing about this album is the balence between John and Michelle, you can tell that they are related because their voices carry one another in perfect harmony. Out of all of Straylight Run's album, this is by far the superior one. The use of numerous unique instruments on this album is unprecidented by any album I have heard in this genre in ages. My favorite songs on this album are Soon we'll be living in the future, and Take it to Manhattan. Buy this album and you will surely will not be disapointed!

4 out of 5 stars Beautiful, and Perfectly Placed.......2007-07-03

Let's take two steps back, and pretend that Mr. John Nolan was never a member of another uberpopular rock band. Let's just let Straylight Run be Straylight Run without comparisons to bands like Taking Back Sundy or Brand New, because seriously guys Straylight Run is neither one of these bands. Now that I have that taken care of I'm going to have to speak in sheer reverence about "The Needles The Space", Straylight's brilliant 2007 debut for Republic Records. As much as I enjoyed the good but uneven 2004 self titled album, an amazing amount of musical maturity has occurred since then (that of which was only hinted at on the ep "Prepare to Be Wrong")

The album starts off with the song "The Words We Say" a toe tapper sung by John that pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the disc. It's mellow, which I'm going to say right now, is what this album is all about. Don't expect to find crunching pop punk electric guitar, instead be prepared to be overwhelmed with an expansive use of instruments not traditonally used on a rock record. (trombone, mandolin, accordian) The use of all these different sounds makes the whole album sound expansive and original, not knowing exactly what's coming next.

More so than in their previous works, the lyrical content of this album stands out as well. While some of the album talks about love and politics, a good majority of it is based on the struggles of the faith of John and Michelle. Never more apparent than in the John sung "Who Will Save Us Now", where he talks about how relegion was forced upon him in his youth, only to find out that his beliefs differed from those that he was raised to believe. The disc seems to flow together far better than their debut album as well, drifting from one song to the next seemlesly. Thus, giving it a well needed cohesive feel.

The album is not without fault though. It is definitely soft and slow, at times almost to slow (espically towards the end of the album) I'm in love with the new sound, but found myself longing for another fast paced tune. I also found myself hungry for more songs sung by John, I love the voice of Michelle, but am more fond of John's superlative vocals. These complaints are minute though. "The Needles The Space" is a beautiful, lush album that is far different than any type of rock album out there today; and this, my friends, is not a bad thing.
Instruments of the Orchestra
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 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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Similar Items:
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ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

  1. Overture To 'Tannhauser'
  2. Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
  3. We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
  4. Hungarian Dance No.7
  5. The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
  6. Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
  7. But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
  8. The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
  9. The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
  10. Csardas Music
  11. The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
  12. The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
  13. Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
  14. The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
  15. Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
  16. Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
  17. The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
  18. Tzigane
  19. Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
  20. Caprice No.24
  21. 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.
  22. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
  23. Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
  24. Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
  25. Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
  26. The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
  27. The Violin Muted
  28. Clair De Lune
  29. The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
  30. Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
  31. The Pizzicato Violin
  32. Pizzicato Polka
  33. In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
  34. Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
  35. 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...
  36. The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
  37. 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
  38. Hungarian Dance No.4
  39. Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
  40. The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
  41. Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
  42. Bolero
  43. Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
  44. Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
  45. Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
  46. Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
  47. Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
  48. Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
  49. And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
  50. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
  51. The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
  52. Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
  53. The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
  54. Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
  55. Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
  56. The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
  57. Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
  58. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
  59. Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
  60. The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
  61. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
  62. Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
  63. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
  64. Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
  65. Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
  66. To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
  67. Elfenreigen

Tracks:

  1. Introduction To The Viola
  2. Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
  3. Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
  4. Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
  5. Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
  6. Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
  7. 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.
  8. Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
  9. The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
  10. Cypresses (No.9)
  11. The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
  12. Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
  13. The 'Period' Viola In Bach
  14. Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
  15. The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
  16. Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
  17. Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
  18. Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
  19. Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
  20. Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
  21. In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
  22. Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
  23. But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
  24. Elfentanz, Op.39
  25. Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
  26. The Protecting Veil (Opening)
  27. A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
  28. Flamenco
  29. Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
  30. Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
  31. It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
  32. Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
  33. 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.
  34. Symphony No.9 (Finale)
  35. Introduction To The Double-Bass
  36. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
  37. But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
  38. Elegy No.1 In D Major
  39. 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.
  40. Capriccio Di Bravura
  41. 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)
  42. 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....
  43. Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

  1. The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
  2. Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
  3. The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
  4. Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
  5. The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
  6. Sa'Dawi
  7. Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
  8. Chamber Music No.II
  9. The Piccolo - Aptly Named
  10. La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
  11. From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
  12. Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
  13. A Variety Of Techniques
  14. Chamber Music No.II
  15. Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
  16. The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
  17. From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
  18. Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
  19. An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
  20. Naelden, Naelden
  21. The Bachian Oboe
  22. Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
  23. Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
  24. Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
  25. The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
  26. The Swan Of Tuonela
  27. The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
  28. Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
  29. Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
  30. Bolero
  31. 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...
  32. 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)
  33. As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
  34. Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
  35. 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).
  36. The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
  37. The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
  38. ...And Quite Low.
  39. Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
  40. The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
  41. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
  42. But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
  43. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
  44. Introduction To The Saxophone
  45. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
  46. The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
  47. L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
  48. The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
  49. Bolero
  50. The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
  51. Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
  52. The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
  53. Sax-O-Phun
  54. The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
  55. Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
  56. The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
  57. Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
  58. Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
  59. And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
  60. Bolero
  61. The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
  62. Symphony No.3 (Opening)
  63. The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
  64. The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
  65. Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
  66. The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
  67. The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
  68. Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
  69. The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
  70. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
  71. The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
  72. Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
  73. Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
  74. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
  75. The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
  76. Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

  1. The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
  2. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
  3. The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
  4. Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
  5. The Ceremonial Trumpet
  6. Fanfare For The Common Man
  7. Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
  8. Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
  9. The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
  10. Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
  11. 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
  12. Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
  13. The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
  14. Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
  15. The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
  16. Billy The Kid
  17. The Trumpet As Character Actor
  18. Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
  19. The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
  20. Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
  21. The Birth Of The Trombone
  22. Aenmerckt Nu Hier
  23. The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
  24. Canzon 12 In Double Echo
  25. The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
  26. Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
  27. 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.
  28. Hosannah
  29. The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
  30. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
  31. The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
  32. The Trombone As Caricaturist
  33. Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
  34. The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
  35. The Horn And The Hunt
  36. Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
  37. The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
  38. Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
  39. The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
  40. Walter Music (Minuet 1)
  41. The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
  42. Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
  43. Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
  44. The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
  45. Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
  46. The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
  47. Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
  48. The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
  49. Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
  50. The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
  51. Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

  1. Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
  2. Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
  3. At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
  4. Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
  5. Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
  6. Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
  7. The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
  8. The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
  9. Den Hoboecken Dans
  10. Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
  11. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
  12. 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.
  13. Gymnopedie No.2
  14. 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...
  15. 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)
  16. More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
  17. Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
  18. 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.
  19. Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
  20. A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
  21. Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
  22. The Birth Of The Bongo
  23. Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
  24. From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
  25. Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
  26. From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
  27. Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
  28. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
  29. But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
  30. Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
  31. Taking Advantage Of Tunability
  32. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
  33. 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.
  34. Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
  35. Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
  36. The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
  37. Ravel And The Xylophone
  38. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
  39. Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
  40. Introducing The Vibraphone
  41. The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
  42. The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
  43. Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
  44. Folk Dances
  45. The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
  46. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
  47. Introducing The Tubular Bells
  48. Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
  49. A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
  50. Carmen Suite (Introduction)
  51. But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
  52. Introducing The Celeste
  53. The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
  54. Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
  55. Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
  56. Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
  57. 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
  58. The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
  59. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
  60. The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
  61. Petrushka (Russian Dance)
  62. The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
  63. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars 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!

5 out of 5 stars 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!

5 out of 5 stars 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!

3 out of 5 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.

5 out of 5 stars 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.

Pitchfork & Lost Needles
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Pitchfork & Lost Needles
  • Butch
  • Pitchfork & Lost Needles
  • Major Riffage
  • Old vs New
Pitchfork & Lost Needles
Clutch
Manufacturer: Megaforce
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. From Beale Street to Oblivion
  2. Impetus
  3. Clutch
  4. Transnational Speedway League: Anthems, Anecdotes & Undeniable Truths
  5. Pure Rock Fury

ASIN: B0009VI44O
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Tracks:

  1. Wicker
  2. Arcadia
  3. Juggernaut
  4. Far Country
  5. Nero's Fiddle
  6. Passive Restraints
  7. Bacchanal
  8. Milk Of Human Kindness
  9. What Would A Wookie Do?
  10. Bottoms Up, Socrates

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Pitchfork & Lost Needles.......2007-05-18

What a conbination from the early days + new material added. Great!!!

5 out of 5 stars Butch.......2007-05-12

In the 420 Train Wreck Top 10 2005

A real guys band...

5 out of 5 stars Pitchfork & Lost Needles.......2007-04-03

While this album may be a collection of rare tracks, it certainly throws its weight around with all the other works from Clutch. Clutch has been a band of progression and this album is a reflection of the type of raw, uncut and downright ruthless material they used to play. No harmonizing, just downright agression.

Granted, every song pretty much sounds the same when you think about it...but so what? This album is like one big long song that never lets up. The great thing about Clutch is that they've been able to combine great instrumentation with great vocals and great lyrics. They incorporate a new theme to their music on every album and it makes for a fun time when you're giving it a listen. Yes, this collection of tracks is a lot harder than what they're putting out nowadays, but I'll be damned if you're not banging your head to each track on the CD as you damn well should be.

This album is indeed a rare gem and should be without a doubt a part of your Clutch collection. If you're a fan of early Clutch, then you probably already have it. If you're a fan of today's Clutch with all their groove-laden melodies, you'll still enjoy this pick up.

5 out of 5 stars Major Riffage.......2005-07-30

I've been a hardcore CLUTCH fan ever since I heard "Spacegrass".
Seems like every album they release is worthy. If you like major riffage, pick up some CLUTCH. This one rocks just as hard as the rest.

4 out of 5 stars Old vs New.......2005-07-16

If this were a single containing just tracks 9-10 it would have gotten 5 stars....likewise if it only contained Pitchfork and the early demos. However, the new and old tracks have no business being on the same disc. IMO the new songs are superior to most of the songs on the new album, and could have easily replaced some of the instrumentals and covers that we got instead.

Tracks 5-8 are great examples that lend some insight into the evolution of the tracks on TSL. Most of them use lyrics that made their way into other songs on their debut album.

If anything, this release shows you how much Clutch's sound has changed (for good or bad depending on who you ask) since their first release.

It's definitely worth getting just for the new songs alone--and if you don't own the original Pitchfork it's a no-brainer
Pins and Needles
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Caffery Returns With The Metal
Pins and Needles
Chris Caffery
Manufacturer: Locomotive Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. United Abominations
  2. Maniacal Renderings
  3. Systematic Chaos
  4. Overture of the Wicked
  5. Burden of Truth

ASIN: B000PHW2EK
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Tracks:

  1. Pins And Needles
  2. 66
  3. Reach Out And Torment Again
  4. Walls
  5. Y.G.B.F.K.M.
  6. It's S-A-D
  7. Chained
  8. Worms
  9. The Sign Of the Crossed
  10. The Time
  11. Mettle Eastern
  12. In the Midst
  13. Quaaludio
  14. The Temple
  15. Once Upon a Time
  16. Pisses Me Off
  17. The Time

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Caffery Returns With The Metal.......2007-06-14

For many years we have seen all of the different faces that Chris Caffery musically possesses. His level of skills across the wide variety of Metal and Hard Rock genres led him to give us his first solo album appropriately titled "Faces" which he followed up with "God Damn War". Each of these albums and the re-issue of his work with Doctor Butcher set the clear path for him to deliver "Pins And Needles", a recording that finds the Savatage/Trans-Siberian guitarist at his heaviest yet. "Pins" is not continuing the experimentation that he first gave us with "Faces" but instead relies on shredding guitar and thunderous drums to focus more on the Metal side of things. My thoughts are that the fans of his work with both Metalium and Savatage will appreciate the choice to remain heavy as opposed to trying too many different things. The album opens with one of the best numbers I have heard Caffery do and this is the actual title track of "Pins" itself. The drums here are delivered by the talented Yael, but she is not the only drummer on the album to enjoy. I also took notice that the album required a couple of more listens before settling on how the tunes were affecting me. "Faces" gave you a wide assortment as we have noted but with the heavy groove remaining on each tune here one will need to sit and absorb them a little more carefully. Overall there is a higher level of musical complexity showcased, and the album is very dynamic at almost every turn. It's the most consistent in sound for the player as he rallies the army with one Traditional Metal laced rocker after another. One of my favorite such tunes is "Chained" which rocks with abandon and definitely "Walls" because of the unique vocal styling he is delivering during that one. The cast of players who recorded the album reads like a directory of musicians and among them are such notables as Alex Skolnick (Testament/TSO/AST) and Mark Wood (TSO/VHC). This influential talent allows this to be sound musical journey and Chris' vocals sound better than ever before. He touches upon the pains of loss during "S.A.D." which at times makes one think he is speaking of reaction to the tragic death of Criss Oliva and how it affected Savatage. The line that tips me off is "thousands screamed insane, now we sit and trade the rumors, `twas it all in vain". Anyone who has read Caffery interviews knows full well that the musician would put his solo work on hold if it meant the return of Savatage. I am sure that there are legions of Metal fans that would stand behind him in this decision if it should ever happen. Only time will tell on that, but at least while we wait he does not sit idly by and instead keeps the Metal coming on a regular basis.

"The Time and "Mettle Eastern" are also a among the albums strongest tunes and his work with Doctor Butcher is revisited with "Reach Out And Torment Again". The main portion of the album closes out with a passionate ballad which I think will please the fans of that side of the guitarist but it really doesn't end with this song. His sense of humor and view on that which annoys him returns in an updated version of "Pisses Me Off" which is presented as one of the albums bonus tracks. It's sad to find Starbuck's still pissing him off but amusing to hear how he finds MySpace and his website doing a little of the same this time around. There's a lot of songs to enjoy and that is another good thing about Chris Caffery releases - he gives you your money's worth (this one has 17 tracks and lyrics in the enclosed booklet). For a third solo release this one still finds him sounding fresh and not yet out of ideas. There is a riff or two that might sound Savatage like but that will happen with anyone who was in a band that influential. I think that those who have never followed any of his solo efforts will find this a great jumping on point and those who were fans in the past might like this one better based on its consistent execution of many different Heavy Metal styles. Nice work Chris.
Providing Needles for Your Balloons
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Essential for Flaming Lips fans - and not as hard to find as some would have you believe
  • A Hard Find- But Worth It!
  • The waterbugs attack the policeman
  • a must have ep fo flamin lips fans
  • a very fine ep; well worth the money!
Providing Needles for Your Balloons
The Flaming Lips
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Dream PopDream Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Neo-PsychedeliaNeo-Psychedelia | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
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GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Indie & Lo FiIndie & Lo Fi | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. 20 Years of Weird: Flaming Lips 1986-2006
  2. Hit to Death in the Future Head
  3. The Day They Shot a Hole in the Jesus Egg - The Priest Driven Ambulance Album, Demos and Outtakes
  4. Zaireeka
  5. It Overtakes Me

ASIN: B000005JCC
Release Date: 1994-07-12

Tracks:

  1. Bad Days
  2. Jets Part 2 (My Two Days As An Abulance Driver)
  3. Ice Drummer
  4. Put The Waterbug In The Policeman's Ear
  5. Chewin The Apple Of Yer Eye
  6. Chosen One
  7. Little Drummer Boy
  8. Slow-Nerve-Action

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Essential for Flaming Lips fans - and not as hard to find as some would have you believe.......2005-11-15

2 months ago, I didn't realize this EP existed. I was shocked to see it listed for $100+, even $200+ Since then, I got into some bidding wars for it (some lucky bloke got it for $8.50 - brand new!) before I got my hands on it at a price that fit my pockets. Keep this little tale in mind when shopping for it. As to the EP itself - for FLips fans, it is worth $200+!

"Bad Days" sounds just like the "Clouds..." version (but that's okay, that horrible batman movie ruined this song for me anyway -my fault for watching it) and I believe that the same version of "...Waterbug..." is available on the "Turn It On" single, but everything else here is unavailable elsewhere as far as I know and is pure GOLD! "Chosen One" and a slightly harsher version of "Slow-Nerve-Action" (which ends with a short, instrumental hidden track) are worth it alone. Wayne Coyne has a certain sadness in his voice that doesn't depress you, but kinda touches you, especially in the beautifully clumsy version of "Little Drummer Boy".

Bottom-line: Get it, but don't hurt yourself in the process.

4 out of 5 stars A Hard Find- But Worth It!.......2003-11-05

When I was in high school, my friend bought this EP and some other Flaming Lips stuff. I borrowed it for a long time, and since this was in the days before CD burning was in vogue, I made myself a tape of this record. This and Transmissions From The Satellite Heart were the foundation for what has become my songwriting career. I am to this day completely inspired and refreshed when I hear this record. So anyway, after I wore the tape out, I decided I needed to legally (!) purchase the disc. And it has not been an easy find. I began looking a couple of years ago. I got it in the mail last week.

WHY DO GREAT THINGS GO OUT OF PRINT?
I wish I knew. Fans of bands like the Flaming Lips thrive on EP's and unreleased b-sides. And if you are a Flaming Lips fan reading this review, I strongly urge you to do whatever you can to find this record. Your collection MUST include it.

5 out of 5 stars The waterbugs attack the policeman.......2003-06-26

This EP is wonderful. I wish it wasn't out of print, because it's a really great CD. The Flaming Lips have never done anything wrong, in my opinion. I'm one who can never "rank" or "rate" an artist/musician(s). The Flaming Lips' music is never disappointing, and always glorious.
All of the songs on "Providing Needles For Your Balloons" are really great. Even the demo of "Chewin' The Apple of Your Eye" is great. That's all I can say, really, is simply it is just a wonderful EP that is out of print. If you happen to run across it in a record store that sells used music, buy it and hold onto it.

5 out of 5 stars a must have ep fo flamin lips fans.......2002-07-16

This is a fine ep that kind of is an album. What I mean is, it clocks in at just under 45 minutes, and it contains nothing but unheard material. No, it isn't all major studio work, but where would the Residents be if that is all that matters? A great unknown piece of the flaming lips puzzle. Enjoy....baby.

5 out of 5 stars a very fine ep; well worth the money!.......1999-07-07

songs in the same vein as transmission...excellent stuff here
Pins And Needles (1962 Revival Cast)
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Sounds more like management than labor
  • BARBRA STREISAND MUSICAL THEATRE ANTHOLOGY (a compilation of theatre songs by Barbra Streisand.)
  • Barbra on 5 songs: worth the price!
  • Disappointing
  • A COLLECTORS ITEAM
Pins And Needles (1962 Revival Cast)
Harold Rome , Harold Rome , and Original Cast
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000029BP
Release Date: 1993-10-19

Tracks:

  1. Sing Me A Song With Social Significance
  2. Doing The Reactionary
  3. One Big Union For Two
  4. It's Better With A Union Man
  5. Nobody Makes A Pass At Me
  6. I've Got The Nerve To Be In Love
  7. Not Cricket To Picket
  8. Back To Work
  9. Status Quo
  10. When I Grow Up (The G-Man Song)
  11. Chain Store Daisy
  12. Four Little Angels Of Peace
  13. Sunday In The Park
  14. What Good Is Love
  15. Mene, Mene, Tekel

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Sounds more like management than labor.......2006-11-13

Though this score is quite tuneful the problem is the presentation can't even be close to the original. At the Labor Stage the ILGWU members and duo-pianists (one of whom for a time was the socialist firebrand Marc Blitzstein) surely imbued it with charm and innocent amateur enthusiasm; here a slick pop combo and chorus turn the thing into an early-sixties bank commercial. It's so slick it's hard to believe "One Big Union for Two" was once banned from the air for the word "scabbing". Ditto with Jack Carroll and Rose Marie Jun, veterans of Broadway demo recordings; they sound as if they stepped in from a jingle session, and stepped out to another. We'll say this for Harold Rome: he's amiable.

Then there's...Babs. It's obvious why she was destined to be a superstar -- and, alas, a pill. She does the Miss Marmelstein shtick and you can't help thinking she got her political education from these songs, but she hasn't yet learned how to sing with bared fangs; she has a youthful simplicity and a yearning understatedness she would soon enough abandon for the theatrics, a shame, because she is so damned good here. Perhaps she could only become worse as she became her ego, but we should never forget the great talent and appeal her discoverers Jack Paar and Mr. Rome saw in her, and we see it here in a mere six songs.

Strangely enough, this album spurred a kind of sequel: "Harold Rome's Gallery", an art-themed studio recording of some original tunes in a swing jacket, with most of the same crew minus Babs; it wasn't around long enough to become even a collector's item.

5 out of 5 stars BARBRA STREISAND MUSICAL THEATRE ANTHOLOGY (a compilation of theatre songs by Barbra Streisand.).......2006-02-23

Barbra Streisand has sung hundreds of Broadway and musical theatre songs, yet she has never issued an anthology of musical theatre songs.
It's not mere chance that she was given a special Tony Award
around 1970 for her contribution to the Broadway musical. Many
of the songs in Barbra Streisand's lp's and cd's come from the
musical theatre, but many times were not properly credited on the record label, just limiting the information to the name of the composers.
We, Barbra Streisand fans, demand now a MUSICAL THEATRE ANTHOLOGY that will include all recordings by Barbra Streisand
related to the musical stage.
This is Barbra Streisand's second released lp in May 1962.
PINS AND NEEDLES ( 25th anniversary).
The original show opened on broadway on November 27th, 1937.
Music and lyrics by Harold Rome.
Barbra sang 6 songs:
-Doing the reactionary.
-Nobody makes a pass at me.
-Not cricket to picket.
-Status Quo.
-Four little angels of peace.
-What good is love.
These 6 songs should be included in THE BARBRA STREISAND MUSICAL
THEATRE ANTHOLOGY under shows which opened in 1937.
All shows should be listed in chronologicaL order, that is,
the year in which the show first opened. This way we get a panoramic view of how songs from the musical theatre changed over the course of the 20th century.
Let's get SONY interested in releasing a BARBRA STREISAND MUSICAL THEATRE ANTHOLOGY.
This idea is my gift to Barbra, who has provided us with so much pleasure over many decades. Let's make this idea a reality.

3 out of 5 stars Barbra on 5 songs: worth the price!.......2005-05-20

Tribute album to an old Broadway favorite managed to catch a young Barbra Streisand on her early rise to fame(what was she?...Nineteen?). She's delightful on "Doin' the Reactionary" and "Status Quo", but her big number "Nobody Makes a Pass at Me" sounds as if it were written especially for her. She makes these songs her own, even though they were not from her generation. Far removed from the current era, it's amazing that "Pins & Needles" still sounds fresh and lively.

2 out of 5 stars Disappointing.......2002-04-13

This review written by Harold Rome was a very disappointing recording. The satire of the songs did not have the punch they might have had. The music was forgettable and the performances were adequate.

4 out of 5 stars A COLLECTORS ITEAM.......2002-03-02

Another one of Babra's early album if you are a great Streisand fan you have to have this album. Avery young Barbra but the voice is so pure it's wonderful her best song I think is DOING THE REACTIONARY.
At the Sign of the Crumhorn
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • The best of the 4 I recently bought
  • a little jewel of Renaissance music
At the Sign of the Crumhorn

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Praetorius: Dances from Terpsichore
  2. Codex Faenza: Instrumental Music of the Early 15th Century
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ASIN: B00004GLLP
Release Date: 2000-04-11

Tracks:

  1. Come Out All
  2. Needles, Needles
  3. Den III. Ende VI. Ronde + Quatre Branles
  4. In Sorrow Must I Die
  5. I Carry In My Heart
  6. Be Sure To Drink In Moderation
  7. A Venus Creature
  8. How Sorrowful Is My Heart
  9. New Almanack
  10. In The Middle Of May
  11. A Guild Has It's Wench
  12. My Heart Has Secretly Departed
  13. My Beloved's Brown Eyes
  14. Ye Noble Young Spirits
  15. Ronde IV-I-VI
  16. Fool's Entr'acte
  17. Beautiful Venus
  18. Hoboken Dance
  19. I Went Out Last Night
  20. Allemande IV-III-IV
  21. Gaillarde I-II-III
  22. You Are The Most Precious
  23. Pain And Sorrow + I Mourn
  24. O Time So Heartily Full Of Melodies
  25. Now Take Note
  26. Here We Come
  27. A Girl Came Walking By I
  28. A Girl Came Walking By II
  29. Ronde III - IV

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The best of the 4 I recently bought.......2005-04-27

For some reason I recently decided to buy a variety of Early Music CDs from Amazon. I purchased four, including this one, enough to spend $25 for free shipping. Of the four (the others being 'Praetorius: Dances from Terpsichore', 'Music of the Troubadours', and 'Music of the Crusades'), this is my favorite.

I particularly like the song whose title is translated on this page as 'Be sure to drink in moderation' - I don't know enough contemporary Dutch to know if learning to sing this as recorded on this CD would be comprehensible to native speakers of Dutch today, but I certainly hope so, because it would make a terrific ice breaker at parties in Holland.

As for the music, it's hard to imagine that a gaggle of trained geese would sound as good as these Crumhorns. This album really rocks.

5 out of 5 stars a little jewel of Renaissance music.......2004-01-17

If you are looking for an album with all types of renaissance-music from the Low Countries this is the album. Different composers from that time-area and different types of music are recorded. Some songs are very modest, others makes it difficult not to hum with. This cd is a jewel worth listening. Renaissancofiles: this album should be in your collection.
My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Groundbreaking!
  • Qu'ran is back, baby.
  • Groundbreaking brilliance...
  • Brilliant
  • Why Qu'aran is not in this CD ??
My Life in the Bush of Ghosts

Manufacturer: Sire / London/Rhino
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  5. Talking Heads: 77

ASIN: B000002MM1
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

  1. America Is Waiting
  2. Mea Culpa
  3. Regiment
  4. Help Me Somebody
  5. The Jezebel Spirit
  6. Very, Very Hungry
  7. Moonlight in Glory
  8. The Carrier
  9. A Secret Life
  10. Come with Us
  11. Mountain of Needles

Amazon.com essential recording

Released in 1981, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts is a collaboration between ambient pioneer Brian Eno and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. On Ghosts, the two strong-willed musicians manage to come to a meeting of the minds, blending Byrne's herky-jerky funk with Eno's atmospheric sound sculpting. More than anything, this is a large album, intent on pushing itself to the front of the listener's consciousness. Abundant percussion (everything from booming tribal drums to eerie electronics) reverberates in the background while Byrne and Eno toss all manner of found sounds, field recordings, and radio broadcasts into the mix. What results is a groundbreaking album that introduced a generation to the dazzling possibilities offered by electronic recording techniques. Highlights include "The Jezebel Spirit," an electro-funk workout that uses a recording of an exorcism as its focal point, and "Very, Very Hungry," a mysteriously ethereal display of electronic percussion and large-scale sonic architecture. --S. Duda

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking!.......2006-03-30

Wgen I first heard this record I was completely blown away. IT was a completely new and unique fusion of ethnic music and modern technology. tracks such as Jezebel Spirit and Help Me Somebody remain incredible even to this day. Even if the sound has aged slightly (it is somewhat trebly by today's standards and the bass and guitar somewhat too newwavy...but i guess it was the time so...) I still consider this one of the ...100 best records i have.

5 out of 5 stars Qu'ran is back, baby........2005-04-18

Perhaps I have a strange version of the cd, but I think the new versions of the cd now have "Qu'ran" as track 6 and "Very, Very Hungry" at track 12.

I'm glad they put Qu'ran back in the mix because it's one of my favorite songs. I also particularly like "Mea Culpa" "Regiment" "Help Me Somebody" "Come With Us" and "Very, Very Hungry"

It's very funky and odd. Not quite like anything else. I do get strange looks from people, though, when they hear preaching coming out of my cd player.

5 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking brilliance..........2005-03-31

Few records can justifiably claim to be "groundbreaking", but here's one - a mesmerising example of two highly creative musicians at the peak of their powers pushing their ideas out to the edge. Using the infectious poly-rhythms and jerky, high tension riffs & vocals that permeated their brilliantly successful collaboration on Talking Heads' "Remain in Light" as their starting point, they mix-in ingenious looped samples and insidious guitar, synthesizer & percussion back-beats to produce something completely unique. Not only like nothing else around at the time but, like all truly great albums, one that hasn't aged with time. Often sounding more like an inventive slice of modern "electronica/dance" it's almost impossible to believe that it was produced over twenty years ago... and, of course, a great deal of what's followed since can be traced back to this amazing record.

Darker and far more "left-field" than "Remain in Light", "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" is no easy listen, but with repeat playing it becomes equally addictive... a worthy successor and a wholly successful exploration of just how far Brian Eno's & David Byrne's complex fusions of electronica & rock could be taken. File under "essential, timeless and under-rated slice of musical genius".

5 out of 5 stars Brilliant .......2004-11-18

I have had a few copies of the vinyl, and back in the day created a cassette with the deleted track Qu'Ran. Then a friend gave me a program that enabled me to rip Qu'Ran from tape to the PC and enabled me to burn a cd with the proper track listing adding Very Very Hungry as the bonus track it should have always been.We are also in the process of finding the Katherine Kuhlman tracks which were deleted due to pressure from her estate.Whee!

4 out of 5 stars Why Qu'aran is not in this CD ??.......2004-07-16

From S?o Paulo, Brazil !
This album is excellent, but a song called Qu'aran, (one of my favourite)is not on this CD ! political reasons ? I don't know.
Fortunately I have a vinyl version. If you don't know this song, try to find in vinyl, the bass line is great !
Pins and Needles
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • Caffery's second solo album
Pins and Needles
Chris Caffery
Manufacturer: Pins & Needles
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000MV93O6
Release Date: 2007-04-02

Tracks:

  1. Pins And Needles
  2. 66
  3. Reach Out And Torment Again
  4. Walls'
  5. Y.G.B.F.K.M.
  6. It's S-A-D
  7. Chained
  8. Worms
  9. Sign Of The Crossed
  10. Time
  11. Mettle Eastern
  12. In The Midst
  13. Quaaludio
  14. Temple
  15. Once Upon A Time (Bonus Track)

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Caffery's second solo album.......2007-04-25

Chris Caffery released his debut solo album Faces / God Damn War in a time when Savatage was on hold and every other member was doing their own thing. He also released an EP after that, and then put out the God Damn War CD again under the W.A.R.P.E.D. title adding in some bonus tracks, one of which featured Jon Oliva.

So Pins & Needles should, in reality, be considered Caffery's second full-length studio album, and a very different one at that. This CD finds Savatage and TSO guitarist experimenting with more different soundscapes, whilst retaining the classic heaviness of his debut. Caffery still sounds a lot like Jon Oliva on some of the songs, such as the title track which kicks off with the great drum rolls of Yael. Her (Yes - it's a she!) drum sound is arguably the finest aspect of this album - full and powerful. The song immediately gains pace and ventures into classic heavy metal territory a la Doctor Butcher, especially with Caffery trying to emulate the Oliva sound. This is immediately followed by "Sixty-Six", which sounds almost like an outtake from the early days of Savatage. It also features a terrific lead solo.

However, the overall flow and direction of this CD is a lot more defined and settled than its predecessor. Caffery has penned songs that have a more distinct vibe happening, with more varied instrumentation and unusual song structures. The Sabbathian and doomy intros of "Torment" and "Walls" are some of his finest riffs on this album. Caff also plays the marching drum section on the former, and it greatly complements the slap bass outro. "Walls" is a lot more experimental though, complete with unorthodox vocal harmonies, busy soundscapes, siren-like guitar rhythms and leads, and even a jazzy interlude. Caff truly showcases how versatile a musician he is by playing drums, percussion, guitars, bass, keyboards, and even the saxophone. "Worms" is a song that begins with weird guitar effects, funky bass, and angry lyrics, but it's the saxophone that diversifies the already complex piece. There are other pieces expanding on this newfound style of Caffery in the form of "Crossed", utilising a vast array of keyboard work, eerie spoken word passages, and an unusually fast-sung second verse.

Former Savatage axeman Alex Skolnick appears on one track as well. "Sad" is another song that features lots of effects and colourful guitar sounds, and Skolnick's wide-ranging tonalities exhibited during the solo are simply tasteful. I was able to tell it before checking the credits actually. "YGBKM" and "Chained" prove to be quite different different works as well in that they are both filled with strong vocal harmonies where everything else takes a backseat and allows Caffery to take the lead with just his vocals. The former is a song that evokes "Pisses Me Off" a little, and is supposed to be the abbreviation for "You Gotta Be Fucking Kidding Me", so lots of cursing on this one. However, amidst all that aggression, the shift from heavy to super clean passages is quite interesting. "Chained" is the melodic staple of the record, featuring both bass and drum solos respectively and highlighting Caffery's intense lead playing.

There are also other guests on the CD, one of whom is the operatic vocalist on "The Time", and Ferdy Doenberg on "Metal East", inspired by songs on God Damn War. Doenberg's keyboard solo is sublime and contributes to the overall diversity of the song. The last two songs are just short pieces: "Qualdio" is an entirely acoustic track, and perhaps my favourite part on this disc, while "The Temple", also largely acoustic, provides some tormented backing vocals. There is also a nice bonus track called "Once Upon a Time", which sees Caffery returning to his Doctor Butcher type of material.

Overall, Pins & Needles is a solid album, but like the previous Caffery album, it doesn't quite hold my attention. Both Circle II Circle and Jon Oliva's Pain released new albums last year and I feel they have stronger replay value, the former for Zak Stevens' incredible vocal performance and the latter for pretty much everything. Still the average Caffery fan should love this - there is nothing here that will disappoint them.
The Needles The Space (+2 Bonus Tracks)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    The Needles The Space (+2 Bonus Tracks)
    Straylight Run
    Manufacturer: Republic
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B000S75JJC

    Product Description

    Limited Edition includes two Exclusive Bonus Tracks. (1) The Words We Say, (2) The Miracle That Never Came, (3) Soon We'll Be Living In The Future, (4) How Do I Fix My Head, (5) Who Will Save Us Now, (6) Cover Your Eyes, (7) We'll Never Leave Again, (8) Take It To Manhattan, (9) Still Alone, (10) This Is The End, (11) Buttoned Down, (12) Untitled, (13) The First Of The Century, The BONUS TRACKS: (14) I Know It Hasn't Been Easy, (15) I Don't Have the Time

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    2. Surface of Pain
    3. Flux [US-Import]
    4. Bass War One
    5. Fantastic Planet Revisited [US-Import]
    6. Arkansas Traveler
    7. End
    8. To the Faithful Departed [Vinyl LP]
    9. Black River
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