Big City [Extra tracks]

Amazon.com essential recording
Merle Haggard's Epic stint was short-lived and aimless; it produced a slew of celebrity duets, but little of merit except this, his 1981 label debut and 47th album overall. The first album Haggard produced himself has no fat. With his love for Western swing peaking around this time, the Strangers are a bigger band than ever and get almost as much play as he does. But even when he brings in still more instruments, as on "Stop the World (And Let Me Off)," they're honed to a sharp, minimalist edge. The writing is also growing more ambitious. The title song is still an alt-country favorite, but the album also hides such gems as the slow-death "You Don't Have Very Far to Go," cowritten with Red Simpson. Can't say the bonus tracks add anything, but neither do they do Haggard any harm. --John Morthland

Big City,Merle Haggard,Sony,Bakersfield Sound,Country,Country & Western,Pop,Traditional Country,Urban Cowboy

Average customer rating: Another Failed Effort What a joke Big and Rich Rule Great Country WASTE OF MONEY

Comin' to Your City Big & Rich Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Contemporary Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Country | Styles | Music Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Similar Items: Horse of a Different Color Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace All Jacked Up Hillbilly Deluxe The Road and the Radio ASIN: B000BF0DJ2 Release Date: 2005-11-15

Tracks:

1. Freak Parade
2. Comin' to Your City
3. Soul Shaker
4. Never Mind Me
5. Caught Up In the Moment
6. Leap of Faith
7. I Pray For You
8. Filthy Rich
9. Jalapeno
10. 20 Margaritas
11. Blow My Mind
12. Slow Motion
13. 8th of November

Amazon.com

Anybody who needed a saddle to stay in the frantic groove of Big & Rich's 2004 debut, Horse of a Different Color, had better cinch it tighter for Comin' to Your City, the duo's much-anticipated follow-up: The album rocks far harder, and ventures into zones weirder than the Bermuda Triangle. Don't believe it? Check out "Soul Shaker," which employs screaming electric guitars and a vocal chorus reminiscent of '60s psychedelia, or "Caught Up in the Moment," about a spicy encounter of the mile-high-club kind. Then there's the self-congratulatory one-minute opener, "Freak Parade," which turns into an outsized kid's song à la Shel Silverstein, and the myth-making travelogue title track. And we won't even talk about the indescribably awful "Our America," a patriotic bonus track with fellow Muzik Mafia members Gretchen Wilson and Cowboy Troy that sounds like a Saturday Night Live parody. Yet while some will find the real-life "8th of November," featuring narration by Kris Kristofferson, worthy of tears and heartswelling emotion (it's about a Vietnam vet who survived an ambush on that day in 1965), there's really no great killer tune here. The surprise, hinted at on their first album, is how well John Rich and Big Kenny incorporate their pranks (risqué vocal asides, fevered carnival barking, instrumental in-jokes, gonzo and goofball humor) with their mainstream ballads and sweet/serious songs. "I Pray for You," with its angelic imagery, is as intense and spiritual a love song as has ever been written, while "Slow Motion" achingly details the shattering of a romantic affair. And even if these merry men can't resist a few off-putting and zany lyrics at the end of "Never Mind Me," it's a perfect piece of Eagles-eque soft-rock soul. There's some just plain bad music here, too ("Jalapeño"), but somehow that fittingly rounds out this wacko offering from the most creative and unpredictable team currently operating out of Nashville. --Alanna Nash

Album Description

The follow-up to 2004's Horse of a Different Color, Comin' To Your City once again has Big & Rich blowing the doors off Nashville with their sense of freedom. Comin' To Your City proves that the fun has just begun for Big & Rich.

Customer Reviews:

Another Failed Effort .......2007-07-05

If this is what people call country music then I'm the Pope. They are nothing but a Novelty act although they are good songwriters and Rich came from lonestar he might consider returning. this is not a country album unless you feel this is your kind of country or you like rap or novelty songs this doesn't work for me at all. 1 star is too much. I will give them 5 stars for the 8th of November song.

What a joke.......2007-04-25

What a disgrace to real county music. I can't believe these guys market themselves as "Country". They are bubble gum pop music and nothing more. Just like Garth Brooks, Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy, Toby Keith and all the radio friendly garbage that America gobbles up.
If you want some real country buy some David Allan Coe, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, Robert Earl Keen. Not this garbage.

Big and Rich Rule.......2007-01-17

Big and Rich are great in concert, video and on this CD. It is great for those who want their country to really rock.

Great Country.......2007-01-14

I like this because some of the songs are typical country, some a little more upbeat, and definitely some comedy. My favorite song is The 8th of November it holds special meaning for me.

WASTE OF MONEY .......2006-10-31

The only passably decent song on the whole CD is 8th of November, and even that gets old after awhile.

Average customer rating: Big Star is a big influence Behind the Myth and the Legend, Two Fine Rock Albums a word about hype... Important and overlooked classic rock release more enticing as a twofer. Pleasing Power Pop

#1 Record/Radio City Big Star Manufacturer: Fantasy ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Proto Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Power Pop | Rock | Styles | Music $9.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Alternative Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music $9.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Third/Sister Lovers I Am the Cosmos Bandwagonesque In Space Let It Be ASIN: B000000XHA Release Date: 1992-06-10

Tracks:

1. Feel
2. The Ballad Of El Goodo
3. In The Street
4. Thirteen
5. Don't Lie To Me
6. The India Song
7. When My Baby's Beside Me
8. My Life Is Right
9. Give Me Another Chance
10. Try Again
11. Watch The Sunrise
12. St 100/6
13. O My Soul
14. Life Is White
15. Way Out West
16. What's Going Ahn
17. You Get What You Deserve
18. Mod Lang
19. Back Of A Car
20. Daisy Glaze
21. She's A Mover
22. September Gurls
23. Morpha Too
24. I'm In Love With A Girl

Amazon.com

A two-for-one combo of the first two Big Star albums (they only recorded three). Heard side by side, #1 Record and Radio City only add further testament to Big Star's seminal greatness. On the first album, Chris Bell and Alex Chilton share songwriting credit, though each brings a remarkably different sensibility to the band: Bell creates pure pop nuggets ("Feel") while Chilton swaggers with reckless melancholy ("Ballad of El Goodo," "Thirteen."). After Bell's departure, Chilton took control of the helm for Radio City, and what a ride it is. While not abandoning Bell's penchant for pop, Radio City careens wildly through some of the most exhilarating music ever created, from the rave-up opener, "O My Soul," to the pure pop masterpiece "September Girls" to the whimsical ditty "I'm in Love with a Girl." It's too bad that Big Star didn't create more albums, but thank God they made the ones they did. --Tod Nelson

Customer Reviews:

Big Star is a big influence.......2007-07-09

R.E.M. and Cheap Trick are but 2 artists that have been influenced by Big Star. This cd includes their 2 best albums. Highly recommended for fans of Badfinger, the Raspberries, and of power pop in general.

Behind the Myth and the Legend, Two Fine Rock Albums.......2007-06-01

Before irony was sooooo cool, the band headed by Alex Chilton and Chris Bell revelled in it. They took their name from a grocery store chain, not from some false impression that they were or would become Big Stars. (Though Chilton had sung lead on the #1 single "The Letter" five years earlier.) And while the name of their debut could be taken to mean just that - as in record number one - they came nowhere near having a hit record, let alone a #1 Record. Chilton and Bell shared songwriting credits on this album, but generally the songs were written by one or the other. The first four songs on #1 Record make the difference in their styles abundantly clear. Bell's pop supernova "Feel" is answered by Chilton's soul-searching but hopeful "The Ballad of El Goodo". Bell strikes back with the power pop of "In the Street", only to be countered with Chilton's ode to pubescence, "Thirteen". Although Alex Chilton is the better remembered one, as he remained in the band for all three albums, it is obvious on this record that the band belonged equally to both of them. Before the end of the disc's first half, however, comes "The India Song". This has always been one my favorite tracks on #1 Record, but I only recently learned that it was written by bassist Andy Hummell. (This, coupled with drummer Jody Stephens "For You" on Third/Sister Lovers, demonstrated the rhythm section members were just as capable of writing a Big Star-quality song.) There is plenty of excellent but modest electric guitar on #1 Record, especially the in-your-face riffing of "Don't Lie To Me" and the wah-wah solo on "When My Baby's Beside Me". The second half of the record, however, consists of mainly acoustic numbers, which are at least every bit as fine as the album's rockers. A highlight among these tracks is "Watch The Sunrise". With the trading acoustic guitars before the lyrics begin, this 3:41 song is a bit of a mini-suite. The titles are indicative of the pensive nature of these songs. For example, a track called "Give Me Another Chance" is followed by one called "Try Again".

Bell had left Big Star after #1 Record, but did put in a few appearances on the follow-up, Radio City. (Once again, that title conjures up images of stardom that was not to be.) Chilton did most of the writing himself, with Hummell co-writing several songs and contributing another of his own compositions, the excellent "Way Out West". This album contains Big Star's best-known song, "September Gurls". I will admit that I find Radio City to be less that totally brilliant, but surely I will concede that this is the greatest power pop song ever, right?. Well, no, actually. Yes, it features all of the essential elements of a great pop song: tender but rocking guitar, a strong bass line, nonsense lyrics, and cherub-like vocals. However, there is another song by a different band that mix these element in an even more perfect blend. I have said it before, I say it now, and I will say it again in the future: the greatest power pop song ever is "Shake Some Action" by The Flamin' Groovies. But of course, this doesn't make "September Gurls" any less of a song. It is the best song on the album and the reason why Big Star has the reputation as a pop band that it does. "You Get What You Deserve" and "Back of a Car" certainly don't hurt, and "What's Going Ahn" and "I'm In Love With a Girl" recall the pensive moments from #1 Record.

Big Star has been described as the quintessential American power pop group and the quintessential cult band. I am not sure that any artist can be considered quintessential in either of these categories, particularly power pop, whose quintessence is better defined by songs than by bands. Granted, Big Star's potency in this genre is obvious on these albums. However, that they were more than just a power pop band is evidenced by the fact that their influence was equally strong on both brooding alternative rock and radio-friendly indie pop. For this reason, I believe that it is Third/Sister Lovers that makes the single best case for Big Star as a great and influential band. Alas, Chris Bell can't get any credit for that. But I do consider #1 Record to be the better of their first two albums, and for that he deserves a lot of credit. Having #1 Record and Radio City on a single disc makes having both of them more worthwhile, and avoiding getting bogged down in the legend of these recordings allows two very fine individual albums to rise to the surface.

a word about hype..........2007-05-11

sorry if im stating the obvious, but please, remember that hype is not necessarily synonymous with "god-like" qualities, so to speak...it begins as a means to steer people towards a product...and honestly, with all the initial distribution problems involved, and their influential sound, big star deserved all the hype that they could get... unlike the typical kind of modern-day hype that originates from record company executives.

yes, i think there are a few songs on these albums that are pretty mediocre...standard classic rock music from the early 70s... plenty of it on the second half of "#1 record", actually... not bad stuff by any means, but certainly not justifying any kind of hype in my book. BUT, any songs as beautiful, amazing, passionate, melodic, as "ballad of el goodo","thirteen","back of a car", "september girls", etc.etc.etc... deserves to be heard by everyone... so there you go. good music is good music no matter what, and im thankful that the hype was there so i could find my way to these two amazing albums.

Important and overlooked classic rock release more enticing as a twofer. .......2007-04-20

When put together, the first two of Big Star's few noteworthy albums in a brief career seems essential to any classic rock purist, although casual listeners may find some material more stale then the legendary album's reputation may suggest. Make no mistake, right away the band proves what they are capable of with a great one-two punch..Sadly though, few songs on #1 Record rise to the emotional highs and thoughtfully composed flow of The Ballad Of El Goodo. Most play out more as well constructed, but evidently so, rock and pop which in ways pays worthy tribute to some of the better constructed British rock at the time but rarely transcends their construct like that second track does so well. Showing an utter confidence in the largely acoustic playing though, it seems clear why even half an idea from the Bell and Chilton pairing offered such memorable potential and puzzles as to why commercial success did not follow.

As satisfying as # 1 may be, Radio City takes the cake for me, only cementing Alex Chilton's status as a one man riff machine of brilliance. His leads are more focused here, and some of his power-pop musings are amongst histories shining examples. A worthy purchase for anyone wanting a fun, at times inspired musical history of electric guitar from an underrated mainstay.

Pleasing Power Pop.......2007-03-31

#1 Record/Radio City is a really fun two-fer album featuring Big Star's first two albums. Big Star first formed in 1971. Band members include the songwriting duo of Chris Bell and Alex Chilton, as well as Andy Hummel and drummer Jody Stevens. They released their debut - #1 Record in 1972.
This is a wonderful pristine power pop punch of an album! Filled with happy sunny bliss harmonies. Radio City is a bit slowed down and quieter, but both together go really well. Although these albums didn't sell well and the band fell into obscurity.
If there are any fans of Teenage Fan Club, Velvet Crush or even R.E.M.- (just about any band who sings sweet sad songs, may have been inspired)You may LOVE Big Star - This is one of the first who entered into the power-pop genre. Although Chris Bell and Alex Chilton did model themselves after John Lennon & Paul McCartney.
Such a fun two-fer to listen to, and a total of 24 songs at 73 minutes- I just love it! - 5 stars

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

Instruments of the Orchestra Various Artists Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra | ( H ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Instructional | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra | ( H ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra | ( M ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music National Philharmonic Orchestra London | ( N ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4 What to Listen for in Music Study of Orchestration, Third Edition The Life and Works of Ludwig van Beethoven The Life and Works of Frédéric Chopin 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:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Average customer rating: A good value The Sound Track Since Bernard Hermann Good mix of film music A mixed collection of movie music Uplifts your soul, takes your mind into the heavens

Varese Sarabande 25th Anniversary Celebration Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Elfman, Danny | ( E ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Herrmann | Herrmann, Bernard | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Holdridge, Lee | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Korngold, Erich Wolfgang | ( K ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Kamen | Kamen, Michael | ( K ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schifrin | Schifrin, Lalo | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Waxman | Waxman, Franz | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mancini | Mancini, Henry | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Film Scores | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Korngold, Erich Wolfgang | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Star Wars | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Bargain Box Sets | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Similar Items: Paramount 90th Anniversary Collection: Scores In Session: Film Music Celebration The Essential Elmer Bernstein Film Music Collection Jerry Goldsmith: 40 Years of Film Music Music In Film (National Public Radio Milestones Of The Millennium) ASIN: B00008WI90 Release Date: 2003-04-22

Tracks:

1. The Man from Snowy River (Bruce Rowland)
2. The Winds of War (Bob Cobert)
3. Blue Velvet (Angelo Badalamenti)
4. Witness (Maurice Jarre)
5. Raising Arizona (Carter Burwell)
6. Pee Wees Big Adventure (Danny Elfman)
7. Halloween (John Carpenter)
8. A Nightmare On Elm Street (Charles Bernstein)
9. The Fly (Howard Shore)
10. RoboCop (Basil Poledouris)
11. The Empire Strikes Back (John Williams)
12. The Right Stuff (Bill Conti)
13. The Final Conflict (Jerry Goldsmith)
14. The Abyss (Alan Silvestri)
15. Brainstorm (James Horner)
16. Peggy Sue Got Married (John Barry)
17. My Left Foot (Elmer Bernstein)
18. The Dead (Alex North)
19. Stanley & Iris (John Williams)
20. The Milagro Beanfield War (Dave Grusin)
21. Driving Miss Daisy (Hans Zimmer)

Tracks:

1. Steel Magnolias (Georges Delerue)
2. Unforgiven (Lennie Niehaus and Clint Eastwood)
3. Raggedy Man (Jerry Goldsmith)
4. The Grifters (Elmer Bernstein)
5. Green Card (Hans Zimmer)
6. City Slickers (Marc Shaiman)
7. Father Of The Bride (Alan Silvestri)
8. While You Were Sleeping (Randy Edelman)
9. Babe (Nigel Westlake)
10. The Adventures Of The Great Mouse Detective (Henry Mancini)
11. The Adventures of Robin Hood (Erich Wolfgang Korngold)
12. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (Laurence Rosenthal)
13. The Secret Garden (Zbigniew Preisner)
14. A Little Princess (Patrick Doyle)
15. Rudy (Jerry Goldsmith)
16. Iron Will (Joel McNeely)
17. Memphis Belle (George Fenton)
18. Eye Of The Needle (Mikl)
19. Total Recall (Jerry Goldsmith)
20. Back To The Future Part III (Alan Silvestri)

Tracks:

1. To Die For (Danny Elfman)
2. The Player (Thomas Newman)
3. Black Robe (Georges Delerue)
4. Medicine Man (Jerry Goldsmith)
5. 2001 (Alex North)
6. Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire (Joel McNeely)
7. The Crow (Graeme Revell)
8. Blade (Mark Isham)
9. The Omen (Jerry Goldsmith)
10. Vertigo (Bernard Herrmann)
11. Scream (Marco Beltrami)
12. The Sixth Sense (James Newton Howard)
13. Xena: Warrior Princess (Joseph LoDuca)
14. Air Force One (Jerry Goldsmith)
15. Starship Troopers (Basil Poledouris)
16. The Matrix (Don Davis)
17. The Iron Giant (Michael Kamen)
18. Youve Got Mail (George Fenton)
19. A Little Romance (Georges Delerue)
20. Pleasantville (Randy Newman)

Tracks:

1. Sunset Boulevard (Franz Waxman)
2. L.A. Confidential (Jerry Goldsmith)
3. Rounders (Christopher Young)
4. The Score (Howard Shore)
5. The Replacements (John Debney)
6. Gone In 60 Seconds (Trevor Rabin)
7. The Bourne Identity (John Powell)
8. Rush Hour 2 (Lalo Schifrin)
9. XXX (Randy Edelman)
10. Die Hard (Michael Kamen)
11. The Last of the Mohicans (Trevor Jones)
12. Moby Dick (Christopher Gordon)
13. The Mists Of Avalon (Lee Holdridge)
14. Cleopatra (Alex North)
15. Life As A House (Mark Isham)
16. Emma (Rachel Portman)
17. In The Bedroom (Thomas Newman)
18. Cast Away (Alan Silvestri)
19. One True Thing (Cliff Eidelman)
20. Unfaithful (Jan A.P. Kaczmarek)
21. Far From Heaven (Elmer Bernstein)
22. Ice Age (David Newman)
23. Shrek (Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell)

Customer Reviews:

A good value.......2007-05-17

I wasn't expecting to have 4 discs for this price, and the music is a quality selection of film music, giving a good scope of the genre, and a very listenable transfer.

The Sound Track Since Bernard Hermann.......2006-07-25

This collection is bound to capture your heart and evoke a tin ear on successive tracks. I found much to like and some duds - easy to skip over.
Very good value.

Good mix of film music.......2006-07-02

Good mix of films!
I'm a big fan of this soundtrack music and will be looking for more CD's like this.

A mixed collection of movie music.......2006-02-23

For the price, this CD is a great bargain. The musical selections, as you might expect, are mixed in quality ranging from extraordinary to so so, the balance being worthwhile and interesting. Sonically the CD is excellent.

Uplifts your soul, takes your mind into the heavens.......2006-01-06

I have been listening to great scores for many years and this collection is truly inspirational in so far as the choice of different scores takes you on a journey of listening pleasure matched by only a few collections.The price is incredibly reasonable for hours of listening pleasure. Don't pass this one up

Average customer rating: Pops Goes the 4th! TOP NOTCH!

America Manufacturer: Boston Pops Rec. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Smith, John Stafford | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sousa | Sousa, John Philip | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Film Scores | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Overtures | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Boston Pops | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: Sleigh Ride Salute to America I Love a Parade John Williams Holiday Pops My Favorite Things: A Richard Rodgers Celebration ASIN: B0009ML1X4 Release Date: 2005-06-21

Tracks:

1. The Pledge Of Allegiance
2. Star Spangled Banner
3. Liberty Fanfare
4. America
5. This Is My Country
6. City Of New Orleans
7. Doodletown Fifers
8. God Bless America
9. Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy
10. This Land Is Your Land
11. The Gettysburg Address
12. America, We're Proud To Serve
13. America The Beautiful
14. 1812 Overture
15. The Stars And Stripes Forever

Customer Reviews:

Pops Goes the 4th!.......2006-12-02

This is a great CD for any fan of the Boston Pops - especially those who have seen or been to their annual 4th of July performance - or for those who appreciate patriotic music. Many of the pieces they play at the Pops Goes the 4th concert are on the CD. My personal favorite is the 1812 Overture for its live cannons.

TOP NOTCH!.......2005-08-27

This is a top notch collection of music. These represent the american spirit. I highly recomend it to everyone.

Average customer rating: For Everything Merle The Hag Best country album of the early 80's Peerless Clean and Mean Country -- Hag's Way SAVE A HORSE, RIDE A COWBOY

Big City Merle Haggard Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Cowboy | Country | Styles | Music General | Country | Styles | Music Honky-Tonk | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Country General | Country | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Country General | Country | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Honky-Tonk | Country | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Honky-Tonk | Country | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Country | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Serving 190 Proof Back to the Barrooms Going Where the Lonely Go/That's the Way Love Goes Mama Tried/Pride In What I Am Seashores of Old Mexico ASIN: B0000296J4 Release Date: 1999-10-19

Tracks:

1. Big City
2. My Favorite Memory
3. Good Old American Guest
4. I Think I'm Gonna Live Forever
5. This Song Is Mine
6. Stop The World And Let Me Off
7. Are The Good Times Really Over (I Wish A Buck Was Still Silver)
8. Texas Fiddle Song
9. You Don't Have Very Far To Go
10. I Always Get Lucky With You
11. Call Me
12. I Won't Give Up My Train

Amazon.com essential recording

Merle Haggard's Epic stint was short-lived and aimless; it produced a slew of celebrity duets, but little of merit except this, his 1981 label debut and 47th album overall. The first album Haggard produced himself has no fat. With his love for Western swing peaking around this time, the Strangers are a bigger band than ever and get almost as much play as he does. But even when he brings in still more instruments, as on "Stop the World (And Let Me Off)," they're honed to a sharp, minimalist edge. The writing is also growing more ambitious. The title song is still an alt-country favorite, but the album also hides such gems as the slow-death "You Don't Have Very Far to Go," cowritten with Red Simpson. Can't say the bonus tracks add anything, but neither do they do Haggard any harm. --John Morthland

Customer Reviews:

For Everything Merle.......2007-01-18

This CD is way cool. I have the Oh! Boy Greatest Hits, but needed the song Big City. I got that and much, much more with this awesome CD. There are no repeated songs. Together with the Oh! Boy CD I now have Everything Merle.

The Hag.......2006-09-23

Wish Coke was still Cola and a joint was a bad place to be.

Listen to the Master.

Best country album of the early 80's.......2006-01-11

Arguably Merle's best album of the Epic years, this is a no-filler, must-have for any serious student of country music. The remastered disc sounds superb and is worth the price if you've got the older cd issue. I dispute the reviewer who asserts that Haggards Epic years were wasted with the exception of this classic. The Epic albums do have a different sound than the earlier Capitol years but that's only a natural progression of a man entering his 40's in a time when Nashville was swinging back to the "Urban Cowboy" pop period. Merle never gave in to the "Big City" sound and this album stands in clear contrast to much of what filled the airwaves then...and now. Pick it up and thank me later.

Peerless Clean and Mean Country -- Hag's Way.......2005-12-23

All the alt-country, neo-folk, new-Americana wannabees out there trying to carry the torch better listen closely to this 1981 Hag classic for how this should be done. The big man's songwriting was peaking, introspective and personal as usual, but with good humor, wit, and class at the same time. Hag's infatuation with western swing was also growing, and was used to great effect here, highlighting and illustrating the lyrics without sounding intrusive. The production is minimal and clean, and really sounds great. The title track, his raucous song about ridin' the rails ("Good Old American Guest"), and many others make this a superior collection that stands the test of time. Thank you Merle!

SAVE A HORSE, RIDE A COWBOY.......2005-07-09

MY HUSBAND AND I PLAY THIS CD ALL THE TIME. WE BOTH LOVE IT.

Average customer rating: Neo-Ellingtonian masterpiece Fantastic Interpretation of Duke's Best wynton marsalis solos on 2 tracks Swingin with Wynton & Friends I NEVER WANTED THIS ALBUM TO END! -- Brilliant!

Live in Swing City - Swingin' With Duke Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra & Wynton Marsalis Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Jazz General | Jazz | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Jazz General | Jazz | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Jazz | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Jazz at Lincoln Center: They Came to Swing Live at the Village Vanguard A Love Supreme Standard Time, Vol.2: Intimacy Calling Standard Time, Vol.3: The Resolution Of Romance ASIN: B00000ICNS Release Date: 1999-04-13

Tracks:

1. Happy Go Lucky
2. Main Stem
3. C Jam Blues
4. Multi Colored Blue
5. Chinoiserie
6. Black & Tan Fantasy
7. Cottontail
8. Mood Indigo
9. Bli-Blip
10. Harlem Air Shaft
11. Portrait Of Louis Armstrong

Amazon.com

Powerfully rendered and enthusiastically received by the crowd at New York's Supper Club, this collection of Duke Ellington favorites is worthwhile for its buoyant spirit and execution. It's a session where, like most of Ellington's, multiple soloists get to sound off in a three-minute span, creating an atmosphere where economy in individual expression is a must. So on "C Jam Blues," long associated with Ellington's favorite alto saxophonist, Johnny Hodges, Wynton Marsalis yields the floor to fellow trumpeter Marcus Printup, who in turn yields to tenor saxophonist Walter Blanding, and so on. Further, the band avoids trying to echo Hodges's alto to make the tune more Ellingtonian. The group is content to shuffle through it in its own manner, sounding frequently more like a bluesy Basie band than an Ellington outfit. No matter, though, since this is ultimately a fun recording, packed with solid band workouts and even handsomely presenting vocalists Milt Grayson on "Multi Colored Blue" and Dianne Reeves on "Bli Blip." But it's not ultimately the swinging tunes, best of which here are "Cottontail" and "Harlem Air Shaft," that make this a genuinely important look at Ellington. It's the band's reflective take on Billy Strayhorn's "Chinoiserie," replete with Blanding's smart solo. Or maybe it is "Cottontail," with Illinois Jacquet's wingspread solo with its mix of gutbucket pocks and slurry wisps. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Neo-Ellingtonian masterpiece.......2006-07-20

Wynton Marsalis' work with Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra seems to be just one of many aspects of his immense contribution to modern jazz, but that's not really essential for this hard swinging and inventive tribute to Ellington. This is just a brilliant CD.
Admittedly, few songs do sound corny and imitative at few points (Black and Tan Fantasy, for instance), but these same songs at the very next moment disperse the shade of cliche or routine by incredible soloing and ensemble work.

Fantastic Interpretation of Duke's Best.......2004-12-23

I bought this CD three years ago, looking for music by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (I had just discovered them then). What a great first choice!! The group (headed by Wynton Marsalis) truly captured, in this writer's humble opinion, the spirit of the music of one of the truly great American composers. The Duke would be happy and pleased to sit in with this bunch of top-flight cats!

If you are truly in love with the music of Duke Ellington as I am, don't hesitate to buy this CD.

Duke lives!

wynton marsalis solos on 2 tracks.......2003-06-29

there are 11 tracks on this cd. i thought i was buying a cd of
wynton marsalis playing (with the orchestra), but he only solos on 2 tracks. he shares solos with several others on 4 tracks. and on 5 of the tracks he doesn't get a mention at all (in the liner notes). don't get me wrong though ... try holding your foot still while listening to it, if you can.

Swingin with Wynton & Friends.......2002-08-29

The lincoln center Jazz Orchestra has gotten a lot of attention recently and rightly so. Listening to them will bring a smile to your face. The energy level of this CD is amazing, the performances are breathtaking. I've been listening to it for a few years now, and just love it. My kids (2 & 4) love to dance to it too! If you get a chance to see them live, don't miss it, regardless you must own this CD.

I NEVER WANTED THIS ALBUM TO END! -- Brilliant!.......2002-05-15

Hey, do you remember the opening SOUNDS you heard while watching "The Cotton Club" movie? Remember during the credits how the opening song mushroomed into such a realistic jazz-listening experience?

WELL, that's WHAT YOU GET WITH THIS ALBUM. This is simply one of the most best performed, classic-jazz sound LIVE "encounters" that you can experience. With EVERY SONG, you just don't want them to ever end! And the solos are amazing, especially Wynton and his fellow trumpet players! Then there are the sax solos, the piano solos... well, I rate it all a 10!

The audio fidelity is super clean, with a very realistic live ambience. I'll often listen to this CD on "whole disc repeat" -- and will never tire of it. With a few exceptions most of the songs running time is between 3 to 4 minutes, yet you really wished they lasted much, much longer - it's just such awesome JAZZ!

It is THIS live album that I ask my friends to hear, and (with all respect as to race) this CD is proof that Negro (African-American) musicians are unequaled in the talent of writing and performing American jazz! I also recommend the live performances by the Duke himself.

Average customer rating: Should have been better Excellent cd...But there's not anyone hotter A great compilation! This is a Texas blues mirror!! Vintage Guitar magazine review:

Big Blues Extravaganza : The Best Of Austin City Limits Various Artists Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Blues | Styles | Music Texas Blues | Regional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Compilations | Blues | Styles | Music Modern Blues | Compilations | Blues | Styles | Music Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music Acoustic Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Modern Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Contemporary R&B | R&B | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Blues Rock | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music 1970s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music 1980s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music 1990s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music 1970-1979 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music 1980-1989 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music 1990-1999 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Blues General | Blues | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Blues General | Blues | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Funk | R&B | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Funk | R&B | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Soul General | Soul | R&B | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Soul General | Soul | R&B | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 R&B | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Austin City Limits Music Festival: 2003 Blind Pig Records' 25th Anniversary Collection Austin City Limits Music Festival: 2004 Alligator Records 30th Anniversary Collection Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Collection ASIN: B000006O7A Release Date: 1998-05-05

Tracks:

1. Travellin' South - Albert Collins
2. Rock Me Baby - Lightnin' Sam Hopkins
3. Love Struck Baby - Stevie Ray Vaughan
4. Six Strings Down - Jimmie Vaughan & The Tilt-A-Whirl Band
5. I've Never Found A Man - Miss Lavelle White
6. Tell Everybody I Know - Keb' Mo'
7. Born In Louisiana - Gatemouth Brown
8. Since I Fell For You - Dr. John
9. Mary Had A Little Lamb - Buddy Guy
10. Queen Bee - Taj Mahal
11. Yellow Moon - The Neville Brothers
12. Big Road Blues - Rory Block
13. Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away - W.C. Clark And Friends
14. Night Life - B.B. King
15. Leap Of Faith - Delbert McClinton

Amazon.com

Here's a bountiful blues buffet from deep in the heart of Texas, courtesy of the long-running Austin City Limits television series. Texas talents--including Lightnin' Hopkins, represented by a suitably idiosyncratic "Rock Me Baby"; the razor-sharp Albert Collins, ripping through "Travellin' South" in front of a horn-powered band; and W.C. Clark, the godfather of the Austin blues scene, who sparkles on a song by hometown hero Willie Nelson--make the most of their spotlight time. And, naturally, there's Stevie Ray Vaughan, who leads Double Trouble through a tight and tasty "Love Struck Baby." Jimmie Vaughan's tribute to his blues brother, "Six Strings Down," follows in an example of the collection's creative sequencing. In like manner Gatemouth Brown's "Born in Louisiana" leads into Dr. John's New Orleans version of "Since I Fell for You," and Clark's rendition of "Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away" segues into B.B. King's personalized cover of Nelson's classic "Night Life." The honorary Austinites, including a rambunctious Buddy Guy and a solo Rory Block, also make considerable contributions, the best probably being Taj Mahal bouncing through "Queen Bee" with Ben Harper on slide guitar, although Keb' Mo's straightahead "Tell Everybody I Know" isn't far behind. --Michael Point

Customer Reviews:

Should have been better.......2007-07-03

I get the feeling all of the artists record labels held back releasing any really good stuff. You get some tasty work here though. Worth adding to the collection.

Excellent cd...But there's not anyone hotter.......2006-01-12

Than Buddy Guy, doing "Mary Had A Little Lamb" This cd was a pleasant surprise, too bad Austin City Limits does not offer more of these blues tributes on cd and dvd..Would be sweet to hear the full hour performance of Buddy Guy and others listed on here. Buy it..You won't be disappointed, if you are, then you just don't get the blues.

A great compilation!.......2000-11-17

This is a great sampling of the blues. B.B. King does an excellent "Night Life", his guitar is fabulous! One of my favorites is W.C. Clark, who I had never heard before. "Queen Bee" is the best Taj Mahal I have heard. Miss Lavelle White, Stevie Ray, Lightnin' Sam, Collins....I could go on and on. The recording quality varies very little from track to track, which is expected from Austin City Limits, as they are one of the few TV program which delivers excellent sound. Don't pass this one up!

Enjoy!

This is a Texas blues mirror!!.......2000-11-05

Texas is a State,full of hot deserts,but this cd shows that not only hot deserts...Texas always have hot blues with great icons of this musical style. We must reverence this contribution,specially the legendary SRV,and the great melodic voice of Delbert Mc Clinton! If you don't know what is the Texas Blues Twister,just buy this cd and.........

Vintage Guitar magazine review:.......1999-02-09

This greatest hits collection assembles fifteen performances from the famous television series "Austin City Limits." As a tribute to the televised music venue, it's a fine CD. And as a live blues disc it doesn't get much better than this. The recordings range from Lightnin' Sam Hopkins' "Rock Me Baby" from 1978 to Delbert McClinton's "Leap of Faith" from 1997. In between, are hot numbers from Albert Collins, Jimmie Vaughan, Keb' Mo', Gatemouth Brown, Dr. John, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Miss Lavelle White, the Neville brothers, Rory Block, and W.C. Clark. That's quite a lineup. Among the best tracks here, however, is Stevie Ray Vaughan's blistering performance of "Love Struck Baby" from 1983, when he was near the peak of his powers. B.B. King also turns in a fine "Night Life" from 1982 packed with his trademark vibrato and phrasing. Hot stuff.

Average customer rating: ESSENTIAL Sun Ra Some Truly Great 20th Century Music: Too Good To Ignore Otherworldly I can't believe nobody's reviewed this CD before!

The Magic City Sun Ra Manufacturer: Evidence ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Avant-Garde | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Space Is the Place For Alto Conquistador Jazz Advance Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come ASIN: B0000014KK Release Date: 1993-11-25

Tracks:

1. The Magic City
2. The Shadow World
3. Abstract Eye
4. Abstract 'I'

Amazon.com

By the mid-1960s, bandleader and composer Sun Ra was delving deeply into extended, improvisation-heavy suites like The Magic City. Reckoned to be a tribute to his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, this long, circuitous piece comes in two different takes on the CD reissue, and both takes are rambunctiously keeled on Ra's core band members, tenor saxophonist John Gilmore and alto saxophonist Marshall Allen, who each offer scouring, ear-pinning interludes. Even so, the music here is huge, with sprawling collective improvisatons that burst with wholehearted high energy, suggesting a latent power that Sun Ra often channeled through both his own intricate scores and reams of cover tunes elsewhere in his several decades as jazz's chief outer-space renegade. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

ESSENTIAL Sun Ra.......2003-01-19

This (IMHO) is one of the finest releases from Sun Ra and the Arkestra. Accessable to the neophyte and satisfying to those familiar with Ra's music. Strong composition and execution. RECOMMENDED!

Some Truly Great 20th Century Music: Too Good To Ignore.......2001-11-15

I'm not going to compare "Magic City" to other jazz albums of the 60's, because it deserves a wider audience than only Sun Ra fans or free jazz afficionados. This album is distinct and amazing even in Sun Ra's eccentric ouevre, and it is without peer. If you appreciate the myriad attempts of 20th Century composers to reach the musical outer limits, such as those of Webern, Berg, Stravinsky, Varese, Bartok, Messiaen, Boulez, Zappa, etc., this is an album you will want to hear. Its textures, sonorities, and extremes of mood, from humor to terror and dread, put it in the august company of every musician who has put a soundtrack to consciousness and creation, to science and synthesis, to form generating itself in pure music. Get it!

Otherworldly.......1999-12-28

This is not the place to start in avant garde jazz. In fact, I suspect that plenty of perfectly reasonable, open-minded jazz fans will never get into this album. Unlike more accessible albums in the genre (Eric Dolphy's _Out to Lunch_, Ornette Coleman's early albums, John Coltrane's recordings between '61-'65) there's not much for most listeners to touch base with here. Harmony, rhythm, and melody are fleeting; the second half of the epic title track, which features extremely discordant horn blowing, will scare off 99% of the reasonable people.

If you're not completely scared off by this, I strongly recommend buying this album; the title suite is an incredibly intense collective improvisation: Sun Ra plays his eerie clavioline while Marshall Allen manically toots his piccolo and Ronnie Boykins does some killer bowing. Finally the rest of the band joins in to what may be some of the most intense and challenging fifteen minutes ever recorded. It truly is from outer space. The second half of the CD is full of shorter pieces that aren't quite as mind blowing but are still remarkable.

Get it if you dare.

I can't believe nobody's reviewed this CD before!.......1999-12-18

This CD is amazing and while I see 13 reviews for Eric Dolphy's "Out to Lunch," I see no reviews for this cd. This seems to show that people just buy those other albums because they're considered so good (and controversial), but never bothered to delve deep into the vein of free jazz, and this album is one of the greatest in that vein. Sounding harsh at times, this album ebbs and flows like no other. The continuously playing clavioline gives the album a constant theme of eerie unknown, like space, or another world. Yet it always manages to come back to sounding earthly. While Eric Dolphy was amazing and monumental in the same area, he never seemed to have the drive that Sun Ra did, who constantly made his musicians rehearse. This album is amazing and I highly recommend buying it for anyone who seriously listens to jazz, or any kind of music (if you want to have a better life, listen to a wide variety of music, that way you find out what you like.) The Magic City engulfs you and causes you to see things you wouldn't normally see. The songs not only are monumental in their sound, but monumental in their ability to represent visual themes, such as outer space and "the Magic City" itself, Birmingham Alabama. Listen to this CD at your local store, then buy it if you like it.

Average customer rating: Tremendous All Of The Above Enjoyable listening and good sound Like a MUCH better Killers... amazing amazing amazing

Big City Rock Big City Rock Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Power Pop | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Big City Rock Testing the Atmosphere Airless Alarm About-Face Dirtie Blonde ASIN: B000E6EHFE Release Date: 2006-03-14

Tracks:

1. Sink
2. All Of The Above
3. As Soon As I Find Out
4. I Believe In You
5. Human
6. Kind
7. Better Place
8. Shelter
9. They Won't Mind
10. Touch The Horizon

Amazon.com

Big City Rock may have just given us the perfect pop record of the year. Although the 10-song album clocks in at just 35 minutes, not one second of that time is wasted. The Los Angeles quintet moves seamlessly between a night in Clubland ("All Of The Above") to a naked heart conversation ("I Believe In You") to a fun romp that takes you back to the height of 60's soul ("Kind"). Along the way there's a dash of slacker humor ("Sink"), a moving call for peace ("Shelter") and an unapologetic love song ("A Better Place"). If listeners at times think of latter-day U2, it's probably no surprise as Big City Rock shares a knack for creating almighty pop songs absent of unnecessary ornamentation and full of a wide range of genuine emotions. A true contender for the American pop crown.--Jedd Beaudoin

Customer Reviews:

Tremendous.......2007-04-28

I scour Amazon for bargain priced power-pop and found a gem in Big City Rock. Every song is a winner and instantly hummable. There are no clunkers to skip past and they change tempo effortlessly without losing the listener. For the obligatory comparisons, there's definitely an homage to The Fixx. I also wonder why The Killers are huge and these guys aren't (they're probably thinking the same thing), but let's hope Big City Rock explodes soon so I can say "I knew them when..."

All Of The Above.......2006-10-19

While it's true that anything labeled "power-pop" is going to compel me to try it, I've also grown wary of how music is always shunted into one of various sub-genres -- it can be misleading, and I end up being disappointed when I don't like one band, or worse yet I end up missing a really good band altogether. So I try my best to ignore the sub-genre labels ... but I'm glad I didn't this time, and gave this one a chance.

I'm not sure I'd call Big City Rock a "power-pop" band. True, they have the keyboard/synth flourishes that are common on power-pop albums (though here they're sparingly used), as well as one catchy song after another, but the lyrics have more substance to them, and their delivery, by the hearty, resonant baritone of Nate Bott -- who occasionally sounds like he might be getting ready to erupt into the raging growl of your average emo-band singer (but thankfully doesn't, as I don't care for "screamo") -- gives the songs more weight than one would expect to find on the typical "power-pop" record.

All the songs on this album are good, but here are a few standouts: "Human" sounds like a direct and worthy descendant of The Fixx's "Less Cities, More Moving People"; "Kind" could have been a saccharine "can't we all get along" song, but is kept earnestly on the ground thanks to the driving beat and Bott's strong vocals; and "Shelter" is another excellent socially-conscious song that I can't seem to get enough of. One of these songs will definitely be going on the "year-in-review" CD I make for friends for the holidays -- I just have to decide which one!

The only bad thing about this CD is that it's quite brief (less than 40 minutes) and could easily have accommodated one or two more songs without feeling overly long. But this has certainly whet my appetite for Big City Rock and, if and when they release a sophomore disc, I'll know it will have been worth the wait!

Enjoyable listening and good sound.......2006-09-12

I first heard the band Big City Rock when they opened for a Jason Mraz concert. My first impression was that they were very loud (and not quite what I was expecting, since they don't sound like Mraz at all) but the songs were good and the few ones they played actually stuck with me. I didn't just forget them right when they were done, which is the sign of a good song to me. So after the show I bought the CD and the band members were all hanging around and they all signed my CD, and they seemed very friendly.
As for the music, it is not nearly so loud on CD :) The vocals are good and the lead singer actually has singing talent (which is more than I can say for many rock bands out there) and a distinctive voice. The songs are good and some of them can get stuck in your head. I would recommend this to anyone who likes rock music that isn't obnoxious.

Like a MUCH better Killers..........2006-09-10

I was very skeptical of Big City Rock, right off the bat. I first heard the record as a generic Atlantic advanced promo with no cover, and it sounded good, but I wasn't sure what to expect. With a name like BCR, you would think bloated, generic, heavy metal monsters, not the sound this band has. The first song "Sink" had my immediate attention, as it's ultracatchy new-wavish powerpop of the highest quality. I mean, cool quick verse with Nate Bott sounding like a better Brandon Flowers on a better-crafted tune. THEN, a catchy PRE-chorus of sinking to the bottom of the ocean and kissing the feet (and a**es) of businessmen, and that would have been fine, but NO, then the REAL chorus of "That's how far I'd go...". Kinda genius really...

BUT there are 9 more songs of high quality, none sounding like the other and none at all dull or the disc sounding like one long blur of a great song. I am not surprised that Fountains Of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger co-produced this album, as he is a powerpop tunesmith of the highest order. He probably went through the stack of songs the band had and picked out the best 10, and put them in a sequence that flows perfectly. It's only 34 minutes and change, but you finish satisfied...there's not one ounce of fat on the disc...YET you want to play the album over in it's entirety, after not skipping any songs!!! There's a powerballad that's actually GOOD, not schmaltzy mush with cliched lyrics, called "I Believe In You" with an awesome melody. There are 2 soulful uplifting tunes in the middle which call for social change and peace in "Human" and "Kind", a danceable nonsense catchy tune in "All Of The Above", like a 21st century "Take On Me", WAAAAAY better than a Killers tune as well. And I love the way the album ends with a killer uplifting melodious powerpop rocker in "Touch The Horizon" that makes you want to hit repeat and go Whoah!!!

Many folks were telling me to give these guys a chance and I was skeptical...how right they were...now, let's see how they progress on future records. GREAT first time at bat!!!

amazing amazing amazing.......2006-07-26

Normally when I buy a new CD I listen to the entire thing, decide which songs I like, and listen to those on repeat. With this CD I listen to the ENTIRE THING on repeat. There are not any songs on here that I don't enjoy listening to. Every song makes you wanna bop around and get up and dance. Big City Rock are an amazing set of talented fellas.

Music Album:

1. Blake & Rice
2. Carrying Your Love with Me
3. Classic Country
4. Collection: 1962-89
5. Country Music
6. Cowboy Classics: Playing Favorites II
7. Cowboy in Sweden
8. Desperado: A Decade of Hits
9. Doc and the Boys/Live and Pickin' [Live]
10. Employee of the Month

Music Album