Faraway Land

Amazon.com
Bluegrass gospel recordings typically place a premium on the traditional sounds of close harmonies, tight arrangements, and churchly melodies. But longtime Union Station member Ron Block seems heaven bent on cutting a new gospel road. Blending together "newgrass" and adult contemporary folk, Block has fashioned a spiritual song cycle grounded very much in the present. "Higher Than Man" quotes John 8 and rocks like Whiskeytown unplugged, while "Searching..." reinterprets the metaphysics of The Matrix, and the gorgeous "Is It Any Wonder?" rewrites Les Miserables from a born-again perspective. The somber mood of these originals may put off a few listeners, but breakdowns like "Set Your Children Free," which features harmonies from Soggy Bottom Boy Dan Tyminski, and "In the Morning Light," with sizzling mandolin from Nickel Creek's Chris Thile, let in a bit of radiant joy. --Roy Kasten

Faraway Land,Ron Block,Rounder / Pgd,Bluegrass,Contemporary Bluegrass,Country,Neo-Traditionalist Country,Pop

Average customer rating: Not My Style Rockin' Western Collection Hard to Find Great Western Themes Western Music A great follow-up

Way Out West: The Essential Western Film Music Collection, Vol. 2 Manufacturer: Silva America ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Holdridge, Lee | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Morricone, Ennio | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Newman | Newman, Alfred | ( N ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Film Scores | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Television Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Wild West: The Essential Western Film Music Collection Songs Of The West, Vol. 4: Movie & Television Themes From Alamo to El Dorado, Vol. 2 The Essential Elmer Bernstein Film Music Collection The Greatest Western Movie Themes ASIN: B000060PBU Release Date: 2002-03-26

Tracks:

1. The Hallejuah Trail-Overture
2. The Alamo-The Green Leaves Of Summer
3. The Alamo-Davy Crocket
4. The Big Country-The Welcoming/Finale
5. The Big Valley-Main Theme
6. Blazing Saddles-Blazing Saddles
7. Bonaza-Main Theme
8. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid-raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head
9. The Comancheros-McBain/Main Title
10. Duel In The Sun-Main Title/The Legend/Orizaba
11. A Fistfull Of Dynamite-Duck You Sucker
12. For A Few Dollars More-Main Theme
13. Friendly Persuasion-Thee I Love
14. Giant-Main Theme
15. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly-Main Theme
16. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly-The Ecstasy Of Gold
17. Gunfight At The O.K. Corral-Suite
18. Hang 'Em High-Main Theme
19. The Hanging Tree-Main Title

Tracks:

1. High Caparral-Main Theme
2. How The West Was Won-Prelude/The Land
3. High Noon-Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin'
4. The Jayhawkers-The Lynching/Two Brothers/The Hayhawkers
5. The Lone Ranger-William Tell Overture: Finale
6. Nevada Smith-Main Title
7. Old Gringo-Main Themes
8. Once Upon A Time In The West-Man With The Harmonica
9. One Eyed Jacks-Main Title
10. The Proud Rebel-Main Titles
11. The Quick And The Dead-End Titles
12. Quigley Down Under-End Titles
13. Rio Bravo-Rio Bravo/De Guella
14. The Scalphunters-Main Title
15. Shane-Main Theme: The Call Of The Farwaway Hills
16. The Shootist-Main Title
17. The Unforgiven-The Need For Love
18. Viva Zapata-Gathering Forces
19. The Virginian-Main Theme

Customer Reviews:

Not My Style.......2007-05-11

This CD has a lot of good songs on it, but it just too bland for our taste. We prefer Western music to sound as though genuine cowboys are singing it - not a fancy chorus!

Rockin' Western Collection.......2006-08-28

For anyone who likes movie/tv music from westerns should purchase this CD. What a wonderful collection of both film and tv with great renditions of each piece. I'm about to purchase Vol. 1 to complete my collection.

Hard to Find Great Western Themes .......2006-03-16

This CD has a number of great western themes that are not in some of the standard lists. For example it includes "The Hallejuah Trail", "Blazing Saddles", and "Giant". This CD also has what I consider the true theme of "The Comancheros". I have been disappointed with some other CDs I have purchased listing "The Comancheros" which had a song rather than this theme. Many of the tracks on this two disk CD go beyond the main theme music and are actually suites. The "Big Country" and "How the West Was Won" are just a couple of examples. It may be a little more expense than some CDs, but not bad for a two disk set. I am really happy with my purchase.

Western Music.......2005-07-29

I enjoy this CD. It has many familiar melodies. Good background for reading, nice to listen while driving. It is also the only CD I've ever found that has the great theme from the movie "Giant."

A great follow-up.......2003-08-29

This is the second collection by SilvaScreen, who are also responsible for "The Wild West: The Essential Western Film Music Collection" (see my review). And it's just as good as the first. There are themes in here that everyone will recognize ("Bonanza," "A Fistful of Dollars"), themes that may not be so familiar ("Duel in the Sun," "The Hanging Tree," the lively "Blazing Saddles"), and even themes you may not associate with Westerns at all ("The Friendly Persuasion"). And no duplication either: when this disc includes a piece from one of the same sources covered in its predecessor, it's a different piece. One great treat: the full lyrics to "Gunfight at OK Corral," which I've never heard outside the soundtrack of the movie itself. The arrangement from "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid" includes not only the familiar song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" but an overview of the music--seguing almost seamlessly into Bernstein's magnificent "The Comancheros," a rare find indeed. An expensive item, but if you love Western film music, well worth it.

Average customer rating: Absolutely Brilliant Divine music! A glimpse into the heart of Ron Block Excellent Christian Music ! An understated musician makes a valiant first effort...

Faraway Land Ron Block Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music New Traditionalist | Contemporary Country | Country | Styles | Music Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Carry Me Across the Mountain DoorWay Lookout for Hope So Long So Wrong The Best Kept Secret ASIN: B00005N8TC Release Date: 2001-08-07

Tracks:

1. Faraway Land
2. He's Holding On To Me
3. Your Heart Has Found A Home
4. Searching
5. Is It Any Wonder
6. Higher Than Man
7. Another Life I'm Living On
8. In The Morning Light
9. Set Your Children Free
10. Donal's Lullaby
11. In Memory Of Steve
12. Let Me Be You

Amazon.com

Bluegrass gospel recordings typically place a premium on the traditional sounds of close harmonies, tight arrangements, and churchly melodies. But longtime Union Station member Ron Block seems heaven bent on cutting a new gospel road. Blending together "newgrass" and adult contemporary folk, Block has fashioned a spiritual song cycle grounded very much in the present. "Higher Than Man" quotes John 8 and rocks like Whiskeytown unplugged, while "Searching..." reinterprets the metaphysics of The Matrix, and the gorgeous "Is It Any Wonder?" rewrites Les Miserables from a born-again perspective. The somber mood of these originals may put off a few listeners, but breakdowns like "Set Your Children Free," which features harmonies from Soggy Bottom Boy Dan Tyminski, and "In the Morning Light," with sizzling mandolin from Nickel Creek's Chris Thile, let in a bit of radiant joy. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Brilliant.......2007-01-26

Ron Block is one of two banjo/guitar players in Union Station (Alison Krauss' band), and is a great talent who deserves more attention. Alison Krauss and Union Station have recorded a couple of his Christian songs, which are amazing ("There is a Reason" and " Living Prayer"). He recorded his own album, "Faraway Land," in 2001, which has become one of my all-time favorite discs. The playing and music are great, but I especially love his lyrics. They are on a completely different level from most worship songs I've heard. There is an intimacy and intellect in his words that really grab me. He addresses the struggle of becoming and being a Christian in a way that I haven't heard elsewhere, and the music is brilliant - the mood, the musicianship, the production - it's all spot on. It's as enjoyable and inspiring as it is thought provoking. I highly recommend it. Take a chance on this CD. I'm confident it will be one of your all-time favorites too.

Divine music!.......2006-09-07

What an incredible blessing this album has been! My brother bought it when it was released, and I heard it a few times, and thought "It's not bad." Then something just clicked. I finally started listening to the words, and was simply blown away. This is the best bluegrass CD I have ever heard.

From start to finish, it is a wonderful journey. You know that music is inspired when it leads you to the foot of the cross. This does. The lyrics and arranging are just great. Take my advice- BUY IT!

A glimpse into the heart of Ron Block.......2006-05-19

This is an excellent collection of Christian music by a consummate writer and instrumentalist. Ron's voice is probably more suited to the bluegrassy blending of Union Station, but his true voice lives in his words and music. It is there that you will gain a glimpse into the heart of a true man of God. Much of popular contemporary Christian music is filled with bad theology. You will not find anything of the sort here. Ron's theology is as carefully crafted as his songs.
If you love good music you will not be disappointed on any level - whether you are a Christian or not.

Excellent Christian Music !.......2006-04-05

This album is expertly crafted. Not only is the musicianship extremely good, but the lyrics are much better than many other christian songs out there. Even though I wasn't a big fan of bluegrass music before, I am now.

An understated musician makes a valiant first effort..........2006-02-25

Union Station has had some ups and downs, but each member has proven their abilities are beyond the average pickers and grinners. Alison is the velvet voice and violin prodigy, Dan is the Soggy Bottom Boy, Jerry is the Dobro Wizard, Barry is the good-looking bass player, and Ron is that guy on the end that plays the banjo.

What Ron actually is, is a guitar and banjo virtuoso. He doesn't have a superstar's voice, or a superstar's looks. What he does have is a strong faith in Christ, and a gift for writing bluegrass gospel music. He takes that faith to a new level in this, his first release. I enjoyed it, and I look forward to more of his work.

Average customer rating:

Songs of Aleksandr Grechaninov Manufacturer: Bridge ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B0001LJC2U Release Date: 2004-03-30

Tracks:

1. Snowflakes
2. Pussy Willows
3. About the Little Calf
4. In the Forest
5. Tom Thumb
6. Gnomes
7. Night, Op. 47, #7
8. Frost
9. Snowdrops
10. The Song of the Fairy
11. With a Sharp Pole-Ax
12. Lullaby, Op. 7, #4
13. Night, Op. 5, #2
14. She Was Yours
15. Lullaby, Op. 1, #5
16. The Collector of the Bell
17. Evening, Op. 20, #1
18. Night, Op. 20, #3
19. I Love You
20. And I Dreamed of a Faraway Land
21. In the Evenings, in the Hours of Sad Dreams
22. Cat
23. The First Snow
24. Auntie Agashka
25. Prayer
26. Flower
27. Youth, Bitterly Weeping
28. To a Cupbearer
29. Evening, Op. 97, #6
30. The Rosy Reflection of Sunset
31. The Speckled Hen
32. Lullaby, Op. 84, #3
33. Tari-tari

Album Description

Songs of Grechaninov (BRIDGE 9142), with soprano Georgine Resick accompanied by pianist Warren Jones.

This disc presents thirty-three songs by the Russian born Aleksandr Grechaninov (1864-1956). The performances (sung in Russian) sample a broad range of Grechaninov's work, from children's songs (Snowflakes) to the Russian National School; and from Impressionist/Symbolist influenced works to songs based on Folk texts. Georgine Resick is a protegée of the late George London. Renowned for her Mozart and Strauss interpretations, she has sung a wide variety of leading roles with the Vienna State Opera, the Chicago Lyric Opera, the Paris Opera, and the Houston Grand Opera. Warren Jones has been the distinguished accompanist for Marilyn Horne, Luciano Pavarotti, Kiri Te Kanawa, Kathleen Battle, and many other leading vocalists of our time.

Average customer rating:

Sergej Larin - Eternity ~ Western Poets in Russian Music, Vol. 3 Nikolay Medtner , Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , Mikhail Glinka , Cesar Cui , Anton Rubinstein , Vasily Kalinnikov , Dimitry Stepanovich Bortnyansky , Alexander Tikhonovich Grechaninov , Alexander Borodin , Anatol Alexandrov , Sergej Larin , and Eleonora Bekova Manufacturer: Chandos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Borodin | Borodin, Alexander | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Cui, César | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Glinka | Glinka, Mikhail | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Kalinnikov | Kalinnikov, Vasily Serge | ( K ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Medtner | Medtner, Nikolai | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rubinstein | Rubinstein, Anton | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Sergej Larin - Romance ~ Western Poets in Russian Music, Vol. 2 ASIN: B00005BIJ6 Release Date: 2001-06-26

Tracks:

1. Inneres Wuhlen Aus 'Erwin Und Elmire', Op.6 No.6
2. Erster Verlust, Op.6 No.8
3. Es Traumte Mir Von Einer Weiten Heide, Op.63 No.5
4. La Mort, Op.48 No.5
5. Les Larmes, Op.65 No.5
6. Le Colibri
7. Les Deux Menetriers
8. Wandrers Nachtlied II Aus 'Neun Lieder Von W. Goethe', Op.6 No.1
9. Lieb Liebchen, Op.12 No.1
10. Bergstimme, Op.12 No.3
11. Die Thrane, Op.83 No.8
12. La Rondinella Pelegrina
13. Der Konig War Alt
14. Romance De Paul Et Virginie
15. Wo?
16. Mi Sento Il Cor Trafiggere
17. Septain De C.G.
18. Les Feuilles Mortes, Op.11 No.1
19. Ho Perduto Il Mio Tesoro

Average customer rating:

Faraway Land ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music ASIN: B000GEU47E Release Date: 2004-08-24

Music Album:

1. Freddy Fender: 20 Hits
2. Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
3. Head on into Heartache
4. Heavy Weather
5. Here for the Party [DualDisc]
6. Honky Tonk Man: The Essential Johnny Horton 1956-1960
7. Horse Legends
8. Hot Pickin
9. How I Feel
10. It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad)/If We Make It Through December [Import]

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