Modern Art

Product Description:
18th album from Tom Russell, 'Modern Art' is a collection of musical short stories about a variety of subjects & personalities. Includes a brilliant performance of Charles Bukowski's poem 'Crucifix In A Death Hand' combined with Warren Zevon's classic Carmelita'. Hightone. Digipak. 2003.

Modern Art,Tom Russell,Hightone Records,Americana,Contemporary Folk,Contemporary Singer/Songwriter,Folk,Folk & Traditional,Folk-Rock,Pop,Progressive Folk,Singer/Songwriter,Urban Folk

Average customer rating: Prepare to be blown away! Back With A Vengance

Hang Love Burning Brides Manufacturer: Modern Art ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Icky Thump Baby 81 Era Vulgaris Libertad Sick Sick Sick ASIN: B000O77KZW Release Date: 2007-06-19

Tracks:

1. Ring Around the Rosary
2. San Diego
3. She Comes to Me
4. Waring Street
5. Your Nation Will Die
6. Unglued
7. Poor House
8. Feel No Shame
9. Hang Love
10. And I'm Free

Customer Reviews:

Prepare to be blown away!.......2007-06-25

Burning Brides have outdone themselves with this new album! I got goosebumps from the first strum of Dimiti's mighty axe! This band continues to produce new and amazing music. Each song on this album leaves an impression that will NOT be forgotten. What I feel is most different on this album, as compared to the first two releases, is an obvious L.A. feel to the sounds that I hear. It is almost as if the band has become more comfortable with themselves as artists...thank goodness for that ocean air! Props to Burning Brides for creating their best album yet!

Back With A Vengance.......2007-06-24

Hang Love is The Burning Brides 3rd record, and it is amazing. To me it takes all the best parts of their two previous records Fall of the Plastic Empire and Leave No Ashes, and then adds a whole heaping of Heavy. Having been a fan for a long time, its great to see them continuing to push themselves to make their songs better, and not rest on their laurels. My picks for top song are: Waring Street, Your Nation Will Die, and Poor House.

Average customer rating: Yes, folks, it's yet another great Frank Zappa album...are you gettting tired of the excellence? Fabulous... A favorite meal W's for White, the P is for Port, L is the Lemon, the J is the Juice Worth The Calories

Burnt Weeny Sandwich Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention Manufacturer: Zappa Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Comedy Rock | Comedic Music | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Progressive | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Grand Wazoo Uncle Meat Weasels Ripped My Flesh Hot Rats Waka/Jawaka ASIN: B0000009S5 Release Date: 1995-05-02

Tracks:

1. WPLJ
2. Igor's Boogie, Phase One
3. Overture To A Holiday In Berlin
4. Theme From Burnt Weeny Sandwich
5. Igor's Boogie, Phase Two
6. Holiday In Berlin, Full-Blown
7. Aybe Sea
8. The Little House I Used To Live In
9. Valarie

Customer Reviews:

Yes, folks, it's yet another great Frank Zappa album...are you gettting tired of the excellence? .......2007-02-04

This is a sister album to Weasels Ripped My Flesh. Zappa had disbanded the Mothers by this time, and this album is left over material from the Mothers. Despite that, it has an incredibly coherent feel (much like Weasels), and the material here is superb. I love the song WPLJ, showcasing Zappa's love of doo-wop ballads. A lot of the songs here are really intricate, and would probably be fantastic in an orchestral setting (like Overture to a Holiday in Berlin and Igor's Boogie, probably named after Igor Stravinsky, a good buddy of Frank's who was his roadie in the 1960's, and one of Russia's foremost composers). I love the way Zappa handles a heckler in The Little House I Used to Live In (and the song is good too). The title is one of Zappa's most memorable as well. Another superb album in the cannons of Zappa.

Fabulous..........2006-09-21

The only Frank Zappa Recording I like better than this is Hot Rats...but this a very close second. Fabulous from start to finish...

A favorite meal.......2006-07-26

I've been a Zappa fan for a very long time. I've owned Burnt Weeny Sandwich (on LP) for a long time. The odd thing is that I didn't figure out until just recently that Burnt Weeny Sandwich is one of my favorite Zappa albums. I think that part of the problem is that I didn't really understand the album when I was a kid--although I certainly didn't dislike it. It was one of the last ones I picked up on CD, so that after not really hearing it for years, I mostly heard a song at a time in isolation with the disc in my CD changers on random shuffle.

But as someone else mentioned, this is really a concept album of sorts, and needs to be listened to in its entirety to "get it". It's an odd concept, because it's not linked by lyrics or music so much as it is by a structural meta-concept--that of a sandwich. The first and last tracks, two pseudo-doo-wop songs, serve as the bread. All the songs up to "Little House I Used to Live In" are the toppings, condiments, and so on, and "Little House I Used to Live In" is the meat . . . well, er, the big burnt weeny. What's remarkable is that the basic tracks consisted of Mothers of Invention "outtakes", but Zappa, being a skilled Dadaist/collagist, could turn "outtakes" into beautiful, cohesive, seemingly composed from scratch works faster than you can say "Max Ernst". At any rate, let's look at the tracks.

Track 1: "WPLJ" 5/5
This has been performed live on a number of occasions--it appears on the Does Humor Belong in Music? disc, for example--but without a doubt, this is my favorite version of the song. Zappa achieves an appropriate 1950s-sounding production, including the female backup singers, and the music has a great, grooving looseness, including the horns. Roy Estrada's falsetto makes it even better, as does the Cheech-Marin sounding chicano dialogue over the end.

Track 2: "Igor's Boogie, Phase One" 5/5
No one, not even Zappa, loves/loved Stravinsky more than I do, plus I love Zappa just as much, so this "L'Histoire du Soldat" tribute/spoof works brilliantly for me.

Track 3: "Overture to a Holiday in Berlin" 5/5
. . . and it leads beautifully to this severely bent-intonation wonder. God I love that brief sax solo. And the outtro melody is gorgeous and orchestrated gorgeously.

Track 4: "Theme from Burnt Weeny Sandwich" 5/5
It begins as a guitar solo track, but with an extension of the orchestration from the previous track creating multiple layers underneath. It segues to some tape-speed manipulation percussion, ala that heard accompanying the Bruce Bickford animation in Baby Snakes. There it piqued your interest, but here it grows perfectly, organically out of the composition until it consumes everything in its path. Something like a melodic Tony Williams-on-a-ton-of-acid-and-speed drum solo.

Track 5: "Igor's Boogie, Phase Two" 5/5
The bookend (within a larger bookended work) that matches Track 2. Shorter, but just as good, and not just because of the added honking, although that rocks.

Track 6: "Holiday in Berlin, Full Blown" 5/5
Later used again on 200 Motels. Here it's a bit like "Peaches en Regalia's" mellow cousin. Gorgeous melodies, wondrous orchestration, and an amazing soprano sax solo leading to more tape-speed manipulation percussion. It ties a lot of the elements of tracks 2 through 5 together very nicely, then moves to one of Zappa's more lyrical extended solos.

Track 7: "Aybe Sea" 5/5
Speaking of lyrical guitar work, this is a mostly delicate, almost kinda traditional classical piece for guitars, keyboards and a bit of percussion. Of course, there's lots of twentieth century stuff in there, too, and in a surprising change for this album, the piano solo that closes it gets pretty quiet, sparse, and not so surprisingly, increasingly "outside", as it segues to--

Track 8: "Little House I Used to Live in" 5/5
In a very smooth transition, the continuing solo piano is suddenly more jazzy--kind of a cross between Gershwin and Copland's (underrated) piano pieces. It's contemplative and moving. Then the whole band joins in a Zappa-ish fusion groove. After the drum break, there's a great 11/8 groove that turns into some wicked carousel orchestration. Then more complex, fusiony, uptempo 3/4 stuff becomes some extremely skilled interplay between Zappa and his drummer (probably Art Tripp) before the extended, burning and soulful Don "Sugarcane" Harris violin solo, interpolated by a typically odd Don Preston piano solo. There is a couple of short, interesting "stomping" vamps to listen for here--one halfway between 3/4 and 5/8, one halfway between 4/4 and 7/8. I love those kinds of "in-between" grooves. It's difficult to say how intentional they were here, but they work. The end of this track becomes composed 20th Century classical again. The transition between a melancholic hurdy-gurdy block chord structure and a spastic carnival-gone-haywire groove is primo. Although the ending pretty much remains in 4/4, there is a lot of creative rhythmic and playing-with-tempo stuff between the keyboards and drums. After the track is over, we get the Zappa's infamous quote, "Everybody in this room is wearing a uniform, and don't kid yourself".

Track 9: "Valarie" 5/5
This is the bottom piece of bread, the second pseudo doo-wop song. It has an appropriate and enjoyable lazy, sloppy--maybe even "skanky"--groove, enhanced by the guitar fluttering through Leslie speakers. Especially with the vocals, it sometimes sounds like we're trudging through molasses. In other words, holy cow we're pleasantly stuffed after eating all of that Burnt Weeny Sandwich!

W's for White, the P is for Port, L is the Lemon, the J is the Juice.......2006-07-11

This is my personal all-time favorite FZ album and makes a perfect one-two punch with the seminal "Hot Rats," which came out around the same time... those two together are almost the perfect showcase for Zappa's compositional skills ("The Little House I Used to Live In"), his guitar prowess (Hot Rats' "Willie the Pimp"), as well as the mind-shattering instrumental talents of reedsmith Ian Underwood and violin madman Sugarcane Harris.

I agree with the assessment that this one is more the classical side of FZ and Hot Rats is more the jazz-rock avenue, but there is ample crossover on each from one to the other in terms of style and compositional intent. Anyway you slice it this is top-drawer, truly Progressive Rock in every sense of the word, wherein many styles and forms are united under the inclusive rubric of Rock, making a whole that is, at its best, greater than the sum of its parts.

I love everything about this album, from the almost modern-classical feel of the instrumentals to the fantastic doo-wop numbers that are the bookends of this most tasty Sandwich, which manage that rarest of accomplishments in that they sound like parodies AND tributes to the genre at the same time. Perhaps best of all is the concert interlude near the end where Frank defends the cops providing security at the show from screaming, disapproving hippies, with the admonishment that "every one in this room is wearing a uniform, and don't kid yourself...".

Again, there is no excuse not to own both this and Hot Rats, they are FZ at his apogee and worthy contenders for his best recordings ever.

Worth The Calories.......2006-07-07

Collecting Zappa is treacherous business, even for the die-hard fan - for the uninitiated it is on a par with sticking your head into a bucket of piranha fish. Even his very best work, (Uncle Meat, Freak Out, Hot Rats, We're Only In It For The Money, and Weasels Ripped My Flesh, to name just a few), is replete with dreadful flaws and grandiose missteps. The best rule of thumb is to seek out the earlier material, steer towards the more musically oriented work, and avoid the infantile humor and curmudgeon-ish political rants. This is harder than it sounds.

Fortunately, you can save yourself a lot of pain by going straight to Burnt Weeny Sandwich, easily one of Zappa's best, and most musically satisfying efforts. You'll have to sit through WPLJ and Valerie, two short satirical bits of ersatz pop fluff. These numbers are intended to be funny but get lost on the way, something that happens rather a lot in the wonderland of Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention. But everything beyond that it smooth sailing.

The standout here is Little House I Used To Live In, 18:41 of mercurial magic that builds and builds, constantly switching gears, instruments, moods, and time signatures. The piece is a showcase for Ian Underwood and Don "Sugar Cane" Harris, whose virtuoso fiddling also appears on Hot Rats and Weasels Ripped My Flesh. Underwood, a musical prodigy, plays at a level of sophistication more at home in Carnegie Hall than in the dreadful arenas frequented by rock groups. His expressiveness and versatility are spellbinding. As is often the case with Zappa's better work, Little House I Used To Live In is a "movie for your ears," it seems to suggest a gallery of pictures you alone can provide. All other tracks are also orchestral and, though not as dazzling as Little House I Used To Live In, deliver the freight to the right address. Highly recommended because it's so darn tasty.

Average customer rating: My Favorite Zappa, the best of all the rest in one neat package Uncle Meat A sprawling journey through The Mothers' career... Uncle Meat and Electric Aunt Jemima The most original and absurd work ever

Uncle Meat Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention Manufacturer: Zappa Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Comedy Rock | Comedic Music | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Progressive | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Burnt Weeny Sandwich The Grand Wazoo Weasels Ripped My Flesh Absolutely Free We're Only in It for the Money ASIN: B0000009S1 Release Date: 1995-05-02

Tracks:

1. Uncle Meat
2. The Voices Of Cheese
3. Nine Types Of Industrial Pollution
4. Zolar Czakl
5. Dog Breath, In The Year Of The Plague
6. The Legend Of The Golden Arches
7. Louie Louie
8. The Dog Breath Variations
9. Sleeping In A Jar
10. Our Bizarre Relationship
11. The Uncle Meat Variations
12. Electric Aunt Jemima
13. Prelude To King Kong
14. God Bless America
15. A Pound For A Brown On The Bus
16. Ian Underwood Whips It Out
17. Mr. Green Genes
18. We Can Shoot You
19. If We'd All Been Living In California...
20. The Air
21. Project X
22. Cruising For Burgers

Tracks:

1. Uncle Meat Film Excerpt Part 1
2. Tengo Na Minchia Tanta
3. Uncle Meat Film Excerpt Part II
4. King Kong Itself
5. King Kong II
6. King Kong III
7. King Kong IV
8. King Kong V
9. King Kong VI

Amazon.com

The soundtrack for a film that remained incomplete for over a decade, Uncle Meat is one of the finest albums produced by Zappa and the original Mothers of Invention. Showcasing every facet of the band, Uncle Meat is filled with quirky Zappa instrumentals like the title track and the "Dog Breath Variations," rock staples like "Cruisin' For Burgers" and "Mr. Green Genes," and an epic suite of instrumental fervor centered around the jazz-rock forerunner, "King Kong". This double CD edition also contains audio excerpts from the movie and a later song called "Tengo Na Minchia Tanta." --Andrew Boscardin

Customer Reviews:

My Favorite Zappa, the best of all the rest in one neat package.......2007-05-17

Listening to this today, I began to go down memory lane a bit... why was I informed several years ago not to bother with Uncle Meat? Someone told me it was collage-type noise. Another time, I got the impression from some online article once that it was almost unlistenable. Neither is true. All the FZ fans I met in college (or in my life) seemed to overlook it. Or, at least, I never heard anyone play it and I never saw it lying around as part of anyone's collection. People talked about Joe's Garage a lot, the first three Mothers albums and some of the 70s and 80s live stuff, but I never heard much about Uncle Meat.

I can't figure it out, really. It's a classic FZ album. Apparently, Frank added some crappy dialog to the 2nd disc, but that can be skipped easily enough by simply going straight to track 4 on disc 2 (which I always, always do!)

As for the rest of it, it's fantastic. The sort of cool instrumentation that came out on later albums like Jazz from Hell and the classical discs is done here with a real live feel that sounds old and smokin' with the sort of production on old jazz classics and still-classic recordings of classical music of around the same time period. It certainly sounds better than many of the early FZ cd remasters! Or the plastic/dry sound of his early 80s albums. At times, this sounds downright ethereal. Looking at the liner notes, I see that this was a Zappa-approved master in 1993. I guess that is what people are talking about when they complain about the pre-93 remasters. I never bothered to look until just now. Maybe I'll replace some of my other FZ cds (although I doubt You Are What You Is was remastered after 93 and that features the dry/plastic sound I'm thinking about right now... I can't listen to that album anymore because the sound annoys me too much. The ultra-pristine sound of much of the live 80s stuff kind of annoys me, too, but not as much). Anyway, point being: this album has a cool sound which is not too ancient sounding and not too dry. It has the organic, warm feel of a 60s record without sounding like it was recorded in an oil drum.

It sure would be hard to pick a favorite FZ album, but this one certainly fills a lot of needs. You'd think it might be a bit self-indulgent since it's experimental, but the fact is these songs are really tight and focused. The only overdone thing on it are the added-for-cd-release first 3 tracks on disc 2... but, like I said-- just skip those. Very easy to do! Tje rest of disc 2 (King Kongs) is like a bonus _classic_ jazz record right up there with the funkiest avant jazz you can think of. But, this is probably cooler.

Thinking more about it, this one album was like the "key" to a whole bunch of other FZ albums I just didn't really like that much. Somehow, it made everything else take on a new light. In many ways, it's more accessible than even the early Mothers albums, which were more straight "rock"-- what Uncle Meat offers that those don't is less cynicism, less "music concrete" (aka "noise"), less doo-wop, less bad/meaningless storytelling/lyrics and more beautifully cool and utterly unique musicianship. When you see what Frank and his gang were capable here, it makes you wonder why they did some of the stuff they did later. I could appreciate 4 or 5 more albums like this.

Uncle Meat.......2007-04-03

WOW!!! nothing compares to the original MOI! Uncle Meat is probably the most under-rated Moi album. It focusses mostly on chamber music and avant garde instrumentals. There is also rock, jazz, experimental, and of course doo-wop!!! The only down side of the album is the first three tracks on disc two. The film excerpts are intensely boring and Tengo Na Minchia Tanta does not at all fit in the album, but the album is still a five! The album contains brilliantly written chamber music such as the two part Uncle Meat, The Legend Of The Golden Arches, Dog Breath Variations, Sleeping In A Jar,and Pound For a brown On The Bus. It also contains some fascinating avant garde, such as Nine Types Of Industrial Pollution, Zolar Cyskal, The Voice Of Cheese, Louie Louie, Our Bizarre Relationship, God Bless America, Ian Underwood Whips It Out, We Can Shoot You, If we'd All Been Living In California, And Project X. The album also contains some rock influenced chamber music such as Dog Breath: In The Year Of The Plague, Mr. Green Genes, And Cruising For Burgers. The album also has some awesome doo- wop songs like Electric Aunt Jemima, and The Air. The jazz songs are the intense multi part King Kong. The whole album is brilliant, there is plenty of songs, plenty of variety, most of it listenable but all of it extraordinary. Very high recommendation

A sprawling journey through The Mothers' career..........2007-02-21

This is one of the more bizarre records in popular music. The original release was four sides of vinyl, covering many genres and styles. The CD is expanded to include a long sequence from the film, the official release, and outtake sequences, which isn't really necessary, but it does help put the concept of the finished film into context. Despite the rambling nature of the complete release, if you listen to it in its entirety, you do have a sense of going on a journey through sound, compliments of contemporary music's true pioneers, the Mothers Of Invention. Even though Frank Zappa was the group's spear-head, it becomes obvious that this particular group's sound and image were unique, even in the Zappa catalogue. At the time, he needed these musicians, however much he may have since said otherwise, and I don't believe this would have the sound, mood, and appearance that it has if other players were involved. Proof of this would be one of the tracks on the later release, "Tengo Na Minchia." Not the original band, and there is a night-and-day difference between this and the rest of the soundtrack. I am one of the world's biggest fans of FZ and The Mothers, but I think he messed with an ideal-sounding and ideally-paced release by including this. Just an opinion.

There is typical Mothers-style humor here, as with them playing the Whiskey-A-Go-Go in Los Angeles, a kazoo-accompanied "God Bless America," and the treatment they gave to "Louie Louie" at the Albert Hall, desecrating the "mighty, majestic Albert Hall pipe organ" in the process. Some serious pieces offset this, such as "Project X," and "Legend Of The Golden Arches." You get the definitive treatment of "King Kong," and no later band has played it with the fire of the original band performing this.

It's odd, this is a band that sometimes plays badly on purpose, and it sounds RIGHT. Proper technique can sometimes be a detrimint, and "Uncle Meat" proves this. It takes a little concentrated listening, but once you enter, you probably won't want to leave.

:)

Uncle Meat and Electric Aunt Jemima.......2006-10-05

What I love about Uncle Meat is the unpredictability in the music and the collages of music and dialogue with Suzy Creamcheese and Ian Underwood. The music sounds like something from outer space. Zappa makes it seem easy the way he arranges collages and composes the jazz-rock masterpieces. Where does the music come from? Zappa is a genuis and should be compared to the greats like Mozart, Ravel, Beethoven, Grieg, John Cage, Schumann, Prokofiev, and Varese. Great listen!

The most original and absurd work ever.......2006-05-10

Uncle meat is a soundtrack to a film of the same name, which Zappa finished almost two decades later. It is definately the weirdest soundtrack ever. My five star rating goes to original Uncle meat vinyl that doesn't contain film excerpts. The power of Uncle meat seems sometimes to be completely beyond any analysis. First of all it works better as whole than separate pieces. The album flows perfectly from instrumentals to vocal pieces to conversations to musical jokes. Uncle meat is full of complex instrumental music that is quite enjoyable, but still very experimental and unclassifiedable. There are many jazz, classical, doowop, psychedelic rock and even opera influences. I think the vocal pieces are real meat of this album. The vocals are even more hilarious than usually in Zappa's work.

This work is full of absurd humour, which probably only the band members truly understand, but musical jokes like God bless America can still be funny or at least make you smile. The whole album sounds like that Frank Zappa had a very weird dream and he put it on the album. I think this album is more mysterious than many psychedelic albums and this album actually contains one of the best psychedelic songs of all time Mr.Green Genes. The album has a tight absurd atmosphere, if you listen it throught. It contains some of the most imaginative and brilliant popular music ever Electric aunt Jemina, Uncle meat, Mr.Green Genes, Uncle meat variations and Dog breath in the year of plague. It breaks many barriers of popular music and turns everything upside down. It is not perfect. Some of the material is absolutely crap, but it is the brilliant and the most unique work ever. I'm a poet and this work has inspired me more than any other. In Uncle meat Frank Zappa has once again created a new musical universe. Certainly not a starting point for your Frank Zappa collection, but if you already own some Frank Zappa albums, give it a try. I highly recommend this for you.

Average customer rating: Choral work at it's finest. Love it Light and shadows Cambridge Singers = Quality American Gramaphone, please reissue this title.

Brother Sun, Sister Moon Gregorian Chant , William Byrd , John Taverner , Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina , Samuel Scheidt , John Sheppard , Maurice Durufle , Robert White , Cambridge Singers , Gerald Finley , and John Rutter Manufacturer: American Gramaphone ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Byrd, William | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Duruflé, Maurice | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sheppard | Sheppard, John | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Taverner | Taverner, John | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by White | White, Robert | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Sacred & Religious | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems Vocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems Sacred & Religious | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Chants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Brother Sun, Sister Moon Stillness And Sweet Harmony Hail, Gladdening Light: Music of the English Church Faire is the Heaven: Music of the English Church Lighten our Darkness ASIN: B0000005MF Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Music Of The Morning Rite: a. Alleluia - b. Haec Dies
2. Music Of The Morning Rite: Easter Sequence
3. Dum Transisset Sabbatum
4. Sanctus
5. Exsultate Deo
6. a. Easter Acclamations b. Surrexit Christus Hodie
7. Music Of The Evening Rite: Before The Ending Of The Day
8. Music Of The Evening Rite: In Pace
9. Music Of The Evening Rite: Into Thy Hands, O Lord
10. Music Of The Evening Rite: Ubi Caritas
11. Music Of The Evening Rite: Keep Me As The Apple Of An Eye And Nunc Dimittisa
12. Music Of The Evening Rite: O Christ, Who Art The Light And Day
13. Music Of The Evening Rite: a. We Will Lay Us Down In Peace b. Libera Nos, Salva Nos

Amazon.com

A brief glance at the packaging for this recording might make you think New Age, and indeed this label normally offers recordings in that vein. The disc's cover tells nothing about the music inside--all we see are the ruins of an ancient abbey, the moon in the sky on the front, the sun on the back. But wait. If you get far enough to listen to the recording, you'll find one of the most beautiful and beautifully programmed choral recordings in the catalog. The compositions, organized into the categories "Music of the Morning Rite" and "Music of the Evening Rite," are mostly from 16th- century composers--Byrd, Taverner, Sheppard, White--with a few Gregorian chants and a gorgeous rendition of the 20th-century motet by Duruflé, "Ubi caritas." Conductor/choral music legend John Rutter has assembled a program that's both uplifting and restful; the performance is faultless. One could only complain about the short (39 and a half minutes) playing time. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Choral work at it's finest........2007-06-03

I really enjoyed this work. I was first introduced to this title through American Gramophone's website and was also my first introduction in the works of John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers. You do not have be religious to enjoy this work. I find the music uplifting and very sublime. I have listened to it many times, and I find that my favorite period to play it is in the morning hours. .

I have since purchased many other Rutter titles including "Images of Christ", and more recently "Lighten our Darkness"

Love it.......2007-05-02

13 years ago, I had the tape of brother sun, sister moon and as a teenager and I would play it every night as I slept, I loved it. I dont know what happened to it and I have ever sence been looking for it, and I just baught the CD and am so excited.

Light and shadows.......2003-07-29

Recorded in the Great Hall of University College School, London, the Cambridge Singers under the direction of John Rutter produced a true masterpiece in 'Brother Sun, Sister Moon' in 1988. The title derives from a famous prayer by St. Francis of Assisi, and is inspired by liturgical music from (or derivative of) the Middle Ages and Renaissance polyphony and Gregorian chant. The music is meditative, uplifting, and elegant in simplicity and stunning vocal quality.

--Brother Sun--
The first half of the disc is largely composed of pieces from the liturgical Morning Prayer cycle, concentrating on texts from Easter, the most important of Christian days. From the Alleluia to the Acclamations and Surrexit Christus Hodie (Christ is risen today), the flow from Gregorian Chant to compositions by Byrd, Taverner and Palestrina (giants of this type of music) in increasing energy and glory, as befits both a Morning service (time to wake up!) as well as a celebration of the resurrection of Christ. Perhaps of particular note here is the cantoring of bass Gerald Finley in the Easter Acclamations.

--Sister Moon--
The second half of the disc concentrates on music of the evening; in particular, the Compline service, a service of unwinding and sombre meditation with which monastic communities conclude their days of work and worship. Many churches have reincorporated Compline into a regular cycle of services; some have even done so as a result of exposure to this recording. The music here is softer and less energetic than that of Morning prayer. This includes music from Whyte and Sheppard (also masters of the Medieval-to-Renaissance liturgical polyphony) as well as a brilliant motet by twentieth century composer Duruflé for the Ubi Caritas.

--Liner Notes--
The notes for this recording include the titles and words, in both Latin and English, for each of the pieces recorded here. It has an excerpt from a prayer by St. Francis, and a basic introduction to the music relating it historically and liturgically. One thing conspicuously missing is any biographical information about John Rutter, or any descriptive information about the Cambridge Singers apart from the basic listing of singers.

--John Rutter--
Rutter was born in London and educated at Clare College, Cambridge. This was where his career as a composer, arranger and conductor began. His early work was with groups at King's College Chapel at Cambridge as well as the Bath Choir and Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked for the BBC providing music for educational series such as 'The Archaeology of the Bible Lands', until in 1979 he began forming the Cambridge Singers, and has continued a remarkable career of performance and recording as their director ever since.

--The Cambridge Singers--
The Cambridge Singers are a mixed choir of voices, many of whom were members of choir of Rutter's college, Clare College, Cambridge. While they specialise in English and Latin liturgical pieces, they have a wide range of recordings that span from modern compositions (including a remarkable requiem by Rutter) to English folk songs of the Middle Ages. For this particular recording, the choir consisted of eleven sopranos, six altos, six tenors, and six basses.

Cambridge Singers = Quality.......2002-05-23

I do love this cd, but tend to play certain tracks as my first love is chant. I play the Victimae Paschali Laudes in the car and sing along - it is so very beautiful that this rendition of this Easter Chant is worth purchasing this cd alone. I love that one track so much, my only criticism of the cd is that I wish they'd centered the entire cd on chant - and I hope they will do one like that in the future because the quality of the voices is stunning.

American Gramaphone, please reissue this title........2000-03-30

I originally obtained this CD through Minnesota Public Radio. The first time I listened to the Ubi Caritus, I was moved to tears. The CD became my favorite to play at Christmas and other times. I gave the CD to a friend who has moved to Oregon, deeply regret that it is no longer in production.

John Rutter trains his singers to sing without vibrato, and blends their voices with such balance that they come together as a single instrument. The selection on this CD is perfect to demonstrate the clarity and richness of this ensemble. If American Gramaphone does reissue this title, I will be first in line to purchase it.

Average customer rating: hmm... The Weakest Zappa Instrumental Album Music great; recording awful. Kind of Suprising that the quality was not really there "Human Element remains intact" - FZ

London Symphony Orchestra, Vols. 1 & 2 Frank Zappa Manufacturer: Zappa Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Progressive | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Perfect Stranger Orchestral Favorites Francesco Zappa Sleep Dirt Thing-Fish ASIN: B0000009T8 Release Date: 1995-04-18

Tracks:

1. Bob In Dacron (First Movement)
2. Bob In Dacron (Second Movement)
3. Sad Jane (First Movement)
4. Sad Jane (Second Movement)
5. Mo 'N Herb's Vacation (First Movement)
6. Mo 'N Herb's Vacation (Second Movement)
7. Mo 'N Herb's Vacation (Third Movement)

Tracks:

1. Envelopes
2. Pedro's Dowry
3. Bogus Pomp
4. Strictly Genteel

Customer Reviews:

hmm..........2006-10-04

First I should offer the disclaimer that I am not a Frank Zappa fan (though I do have Joe's Garage, and I really like it). Most of the people who buy this album will be fans, so it's important to recognize that I don't have an insider's perspective here. So, with that said...

These compositions demonstrate a considerable compositional virtuosity. Zappa had real skill. He combines the coloristic approach of his major classical music influence, Edgard Varese, with a rhythmic vitality and momentum that I would call Stravinskian if it were coming from anyone else; in Zappa's case, it probably comes more from his interest in rock music. Zappa has a good range and a lot to say... this is captivating, interesting music.

But it's also entirely free-form, freely atonal and dissonant (except for the aptly-named Strictly Genteel, which uses an extended tertian, dance-band sort of vocabulary harmonically), and not easy to follow. This is not a failure on Zappa's part, it's what he intended (why else would Pierre Boulez have been interested in his work?). Zappa's ethos here is aggressively Modernist; accordingly, the music is deliberately confusing and difficult to comprehend at the first hearing.

John Cage wrote an essay entitled, "Who Cares if You Listen?" Milton Babbit flatly dismissed audience comprehension as even a minor priority of the modern composer, and said, "I'm not running a restaurant here." It may also have been Babbit who asserted that modern composers must necessarily go as far over the head of the average person as modern physicists, or theoretical mathematicians.

Zappa doesn't take things quite to those extremes, but still, all of that is representative of his aesthetic ethos. So especially if you aren't a fan, this sort of music is difficult for most people to enjoy.

The Weakest Zappa Instrumental Album.......2006-04-08

disc one is composed of 3 classical compositions and only "sad jane" is the most memorable and that's not saying much.

"bob in dacron" and " mo 'n herb's vacation" are free-form pieces that sound very imporvised and that's probably what FZ had in mind. It echoes Varese & Stravinsky, both of whom were influences on Zappa. They are not bad pieces, just very forgettable.

*** WARNING : Around 2:20 into the 2nd movement of "mo 'n herb's vacation", very loud airhorns suddenly burst out of the speakers and startle you. This starts as a relaxing piece but then scares you half to death. You gotta admire that touch.

*** WARNING #2: Around 4:40 into the same movement, loud whistles somewhat come out of nowhere and give you a scare just to make sure you are still awake after the airhorns.

Disc 2 is infinitely better:

The best track on the album is the orchestral version of "envelopes" which surpasses in quality the original version found on the "drowning witch" album. both versions are good though. 2 stars for this alone!!!

"pedro's dowry" and "bogus pomp" were heard on the previously released album "orchestral favorites" and both of the original versions surpass these. (this "bogus pomp" runs almost 25 minutes....a little overkill if you ask me while the original is done in under 14 minutes and that's just enough before you get sick of it.)

"strictly genteel" was also on "orchestral favorites" and both versions are terrific.

the original is more upbeat and has a dominant piano section (& harmonica) in it while this version is more grandiose yet soothing and has a dominant horn section (no harmonica).

If it wasn't for the 34 minutes of experimental free-form on disc two and the long and uninvolving disc one, this would have gotten a higher rating.

Music great; recording awful........2005-02-03

I was really excited about these recordings for two reasons: 1). I am a Zappa fan and have long respected and enjoyed his classical compositions (check out "The Yellow Shark", for example), and I wanted to hear his pieces played by a full symphony orchestra, and 2). I am a recording engineer who frequently works with symphony and chamber orchestras and, given FZ's usually high standard of audio recording, I was interested to hear this material.

The good news is that the material really does have merit. While I think the chamber compositions on "Yellow Shark" represent him better on many levels, I enjoyed the compositions on these LSO CD's. The bad news is that the recording quality is so awful I can't listen to it. I won't get too geeky about this, but suffice to say that FZ used 40 or 50 PZM microphones--practically one for every instrument. This technique can work for rock music (though even in rock one would not choose the harsh quality of a PZM type microphone). However in classical music, from the listener's perspective it's like having every flute, every trumpet, every drum, etc. wailing away ten inches in front of your face. It's an assault. It's painful. This is the single most fatiguing recording I have heard in my life. I am a fan of FZ, and if you're reading this review, chances are good that you are too. So buy these recordings if you really want to hear these pieces of music, but for your sake I hope your ears are less easily offended than mine.

Kind of Suprising that the quality was not really there.......2003-06-07

the LSO apparently agreed to forgo their vacation after recording the star wars theme music (I think it was ROTJ)... anyway, after that session they had originally planned to go on a 30 days vacation. That was until the mighty FZ approached them and asked if they would take 400,000 in cash to do his material. Well, if it had been anyone else in Rock music, they most likely would have headed out to vacation.

then there were so many bad experiences between FZ and the orchestra. I have read where the musicians didn't understand why FZ took so much time arranging their chairs 'JUST SO'. These folks should have just shut up and let the master of sound and engineering (and rarely anyone rivaled FZ in this arena) do his thing. then the trumpet playing folks during a break in the sessions got loaded on brew at a pub and played flat on some numbers... which FZ obviously had a problem with.

Of all the interviews I have read from the folks in the orchestra, they seemed to forget that FZ paid for these sessions and wanted things done his way. But, FZ had very little influence on these musicians to be what they were reported to be, MUSICIANS. FZ stated in many interviews that 'The LSO can play most classical music with their eyes closed, but were not really all that good at reading music they didn't know 'by heart.' Which kinda, at the time, really suprised me.

After listening to other orchestras play FZ music (try national philharmonic on 'orchestral favorites' and bootleg berkley orchestra doing 'Sinister Footwear') and you will see just how stiff the LSO seems to be. Considering that the LSO has a reputation of being a 'swinging classical orchestra'. Maybe it was the tension between the master and the pupils.... who knows.

Now, that is not to say the LSO butchered every number, because they didn't. They did manage to do one song wonderfully, and that song was 'STRICTLY GENTEEL'. This is by far my favorite version of this material and WAY WORTH THE PRICE OF THIS SET ALONE. The LSO obviously liked this number a lot, cause they nailed it. And it is terrific. I was disappointed in the music until I heard that song.. and then I was okay with the output.

So, balance this information.. I would not buy this unless you have bought a good many other FZ recordings; and for his classical releases here is my list of ones to get before this one:

1. Yellow Shark. released early 90s. Ensemble Modern. wow.

2. Perfect Stranger. VERY GOOD, but keep in mind there are also synclavier pieces included.

3. Orchestral Favorites. EXCELLENT. Matter of fact this is the best of the four.

Have fun.

"Human Element remains intact" - FZ.......2002-01-14

Frank's compositions are tackled by the London Symphony Orchestra of 102 musicians. This is a world class orchestra playing world class instruments built in the 18th and 19th centuries. Even though Frank complained about their professionalism. The musicians were in the pub during breaks and made errors as they were unprepared for the complexity of the work. The final product was finished using overdubs and it sounds really good. There are no spoken word pieces and the 2 discs sound like one long composition when played in sequence

Average customer rating: One of his best albums

Modern Times Al Stewart Manufacturer: Collector's Choice ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Russians & Americans Zero She Flies Orange Rhymes in Rooms Between the Wars ASIN: B000MR9ENU Release Date: 2007-07-31

Tracks:

1. Carol
2. Sirens Of Titan
3. What's Going On?
4. Not the One
5. Next Time
6. Apple Cider Reconstitution
7. The Dark And the Rolling Sea
8. Modern Times
9. Swallow Wind
10. A Sense Of Deja Vu
11. Willie the King

Customer Reviews:

One of his best albums.......2007-07-03

This album is sandwiched between the heavy historical content of "Past, Present and Future" and the more pop content of "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages". Songs like "Carol" and "Apple Cider Reconstitution" could have been big hits but Stewart just wasn't that well known yet. There are still traces of history with "Sirens of Titan". This is an excellent album with a preview of the hits to come as well as a nod to his past. It's taken a long time for this to reach CD but this is definitely one of his best.

Average customer rating: Bad haircut + great music = terrific album It is what it is. A collection of classic hard classics from long haired dudes The Long and The Short Of It This CD is A Lifesaver

Mullets Rock! Various Artists Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Blues Rock | Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music General | Compilations | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Arena Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music Modern Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Similar Items: Mullets Rock! Too! Goin' South Goin' South, Vol. 2 Power of Rock: 16 Classic Rock Hits This Is Mullet Rock ASIN: B00008J2QP Release Date: 2003-03-11

Tracks:

1. Mississippi Queen - Mountain
2. Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
3. Hot Blooded - Foreigner
4. Slow Ride - Foghat
5. The Stroke - Billy Squier
6. Free-For-All - Ted Nugent
7. Smokin' In The Boys Room - Brownsville Station
8. Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo - Rick Derringer
9. Surrender - Cheap Trick
10. Working For The Weekend - Loverboy
11. Any Way You Want It - Journey
12. Two Tickets To Paradise - Eddie Money
13. Hold The Line - Toto
14. Roll With The Changes - Reo Speedwagon
15. No One To Run With - Allman Brothers Band
16. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
17. Bad To The Bone - George Thorogood & The Destroyers
18. Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Tracks:

1. Smokin' - Boston
2. Flirtin' With Disaster - Molly Hatchet
3. Living After Midnight - Judas Priest
4. I Wanna Rock - Twisted Sister
5. Metal Health (Bang Your Head) - Quiet Riot
6. Godzilla - Blue VYster Cult
7. Frankenstein - The Edgar Winter Group
8. Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas
9. We're An American Band - Grand Funk Railroad
10. Don't Bring Me Down - Electric Light Orchestra
11. Takin' Care Of Business - Bachman-Turner Overdrive
12. Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress) - The Hollies
13. Rockin' Down The Highway - The Doobie Brothers
14. Black Betty - Ram Jam
15. School's Out - Alice Cooper
16. Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf
17. Hold Your Head Up - Argent

Customer Reviews:

Bad haircut + great music = terrific album.......2006-05-13

You don't have to admit that you wore a mullet (or still do) to enjoy the 35 cuts from "Mullets Rock". This 2-CD set is a great compilation of some of the finest head-banging music from the late '70s through the late '80s. Each selection (while not new to aficionados of Classic Rock) is a hit in its own right and memorable for more than a few reasons. Rarely, does a compilation like this have so many great songs one after another. There are no "filler" songs that simply take up space on "Mullets Rock"!

While it's true that most of the performers featured in this CD were not wearers of that infamous hairstyle, that's of little importance to the listener because it is the music that drives this album. Some of the biggest hits from Kansas ("Carry on My Wayward Son", Boston ("Smokin'"), BTO ("Takin' Care of Business"), The Doobie Brothers ("Roll On Down the Highway"), Deep Purple ("Smoke On the Water"), Stevie Ray Vaughan ("Voodoo Chile" and REO Speedwagon ("Roll With the Changes") just to mention a few are all present.

Meant to be played loud, this is one CD that you will crank up over and over.

It is what it is........2005-03-16

It's hard not to be a little Zen when reviewing this album. It doesn't exactly cover new ground, introduce you to a new way of living, or stretch your understanding of a particular type of music. Simply: It is what it is. It is culture-bound, enslaved in time, redneck rock and roll, and I really, really like it. Face it: You're not going to update your CD collection with very many of the original albums sampled here, but you do wish you had bought them at the time. In the end, you're going to get this and listen to it alone on long car trips, and then when your long lost college friends come over, and they are going to be SO jealous of the fact that you have this album, because YOU can relive a past that is never, ever coming back, and with good reason, but we can still enjoy what was, through this, that is. I think it's awesome.

A collection of classic hard classics from long haired dudes.......2004-07-15

"Mullets Rock!" is a 2-CD collection that decides that if you want a rationale for putting together 35 hard rock songs from the 1970s and early 1980s, then groups where guys wore the infamous mullet haircut makes as much sense as anything else. Were their actually guys wearing mullet haircuts in Journey, Toto, Argent, and the rest of these groups? Darned if I know because I was not paying attention to their hair and I am not really inclined to do a Google search to find pictures of all these groups to check their bone fides. What matters here is that this is a more than solid collection of the core classics of bombastic hard rock from his period: Mountain's "Mississippi Queen," Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water," Foghat's "Slow Ride," Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein," Kansas' "Carry on My Wayward Son," Grand Funk Railroad's "We're an American Band," Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "Takin' Care of Business," and Meat Loaf's magnum opus "Bat Out of Hell."

Not everything here qualifies as hard rock and that includes some of the better tracks, such as REO Speedwagon's "Roll With the Changes," Cheap Trick's "Surrender," the Hollies' "Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)," and Argent's "Hold Your Head Up." You will also find a few tracks that you can live without, which only underscores the only serious problem with this album: how many of these classic tracks are you missing? Of course you have Alice Cooper's "School's Out" and "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood and the Destroyers. But I have over 1200 CDs and I did not have half the tracks on this one and there are certainly enough gems to make it worth the addition. Ultimately, "Mullets Rock!" is an album that requires to be played loud with the windows down (or open, whatever works best for you).

The Long and The Short Of It.......2003-04-17

The mullet haircut at the root of this generous 2CD classic rock collection first appeared in the 1950s as a barber's mistake which became a regional, then nostalgic phenomenon. The illustrations gracing the front and inside covers (football, pro wrestlers, muscle cars and monster trucks, character rejects from "Beavis and Butthead") tell the whole story as to who wore and wears the cut called anything from "rattail" to "party in the back."

Still, "Mullets Rock" is a surprisingly robust set which gets most of the bands if not always the songs right over three decades. Foreigner's "Dirty White Boy" might have been better chosen over "Hot Blooded," Foghat's "Fool For The City" over "Slow Ride," Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law" over "Living After Midnight." Moreover, Toto and the Hollies' polished rock had little to do with the hair or lifestyle of the time, and George Thoroughgood's "Bad To The Bone" and BTO's "Taking Care of Business" are commercial and cliche now more than rockers.

But mullet wearers Journey, REO Speedwagon, and the late Stevie Ray Vaughn are well represented with album-length versions of songs often left out of collections like this. (Vaughn's epic 1984 take on Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child" ducktails, um, dovetails nicely from the Allman Brothers chugging 1994 radio hit "No One Left To Run With." Southern rockers (the Doobie Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ram Jam's infamous hard rock take on Leadbelly's "Black Betty" get their due beside some early 80s metal hair bands (Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot, Billy Squier). Overall, "Mullet Rock" works as weekend barbeque or drive collection for those wanting to comb through some classic rock's highlights.

This CD is A Lifesaver.......2003-04-16

As you may or not know, tornado season has official begun here in Arkansas. Well, one of those dang ol' twisters got me and the woman's trailer. We got the dogs out, and most of the kids, but my whole 45 collection went to the used record store in the sky. I just bought this CD, and it totally and completely replaced all that we lost. I'm proud of my mullet, I'm proud my woman's mullet, and Mullets do Rock!!!

Average customer rating: It iz what it iz Mixed Bag Great! My FIRST FZ purchase. The Machine vs. Zappa's band?

Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention Frank Zappa Manufacturer: Zappa Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Comedy Rock | Comedic Music | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Progressive | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch The Man from Utopia Jazz From Hell The Perfect Stranger Broadway the Hard Way ASIN: B0000009TD Release Date: 1995-05-16

Tracks:

1. I Don't Even Care
2. One Man, One Vote
3. Little Beige Sambo
4. Aerobics In Bondage
5. We're Turning Again
6. Alien Orifice
7. Yo Cats
8. What's New In Baltimore
9. Porn Wars
10. H.R.

Customer Reviews:

It iz what it iz.......2007-05-21

Good later Zappa. It ain't Joe's GarageJoe's Garage: Acts I, II & III, but there's some classic Zappa here.

Mixed Bag.......2003-12-19

The impetus behind this album was, of course, the PMRC hearings on labelling/censoring offensive rock lyrics. The album is a mixed bag of material -- 5 studio tracks with a band, 3 synclavier compositions, and 2 collage tracks. They're somewhat hapharzadly thrown together, making the album extremely disjointed -- but there is a lot of great material on this album, nevertheless.

The opener, "I Don't Even Care," is a waste of 5 minutes. Its essentually a groove set down in studio by Zappa's band, with "I don't even care" sung in the background while Johnny "Guitar" Watson (not credited?) ad libs some lines. No solo, though you keep waiting for one. The song goes nowhere and is extremely repetitive.

Then follows 3 synclavier compositions, "One Man One Vote," "Little Beige Sambo," and "Aerobics in Bondage." These are pretty good. "One Man One Vote" is the least interesting, but the other two are extremely worthy compositions that measure up to the best material on Jazz From Hell.

The next 4 tracks are all Zappa classics that rank among his best work. "We're Turning Again" is a hilarious swipe at hippie culture, brilliantly arranged with a great hook. There's a great re-mix of this, and "Yo Cats" on the Have I Offended Somebody? compilation. "Alien Orifice" is a jaw-dropper. Get the Make A Jazz Noise Here album to hear the '88 band perform this sucker live! Zappa at his best.

"Yo Cats" is a great Ike Willis crooner, taking a shot at professional musicians. "What's New In Baltimore" is the best track on the album -- rarely can Zappa's work be desribed as "beautiful," but the opening guitar/percussion run on this song deserves the charge. The solo is one of Zappa's greatest.

"Porn Wars" and "H.R. 2911" (a bonus track) are both sound collages, mixing sound effects, synclavier, guitar, and looping the taped hearings of the PMRC in congress. Its amusing -- especially the extra clips from the people in the piano from the Lumpy Gravy album (one of my favorites!). Also, you'll get to hear Al Gore profess to be a Mothers fan, which is PRICELESS. But it drags on far too long.

Doesn't work as an album, since it has no cohesive direction, but some of the material on this album is great.

Great!.......2003-10-26

This cd is amazing, the only downside is "Porn Wars" which can get a little old after repeated listens. The other tracks hold up well though!

My FIRST FZ purchase........2003-06-07

Simply the greatest. Little Beige Sambo, Aerobics in Bondage, what's new in baltimore, We're turning again, alien orifice, and PORN WARS make this a verifyable GREATEST HITS package for the latter part of FZ releases. And it all on one release. I was totally blown away in 1986 when someone gave this to me to listen to. I just had to get more from this artist, then started my big chase to get them all.

This recording is just simply FZ full of passion, blasting ideas like a torch into steel. He was full of fire and ideas and it was most likely his last release of all new music until his death. Great stuff.

GET THIS CD.

The Machine vs. Zappa's band?.......2002-10-31

Whereas one of the very latest albums, "The Perfect Stranger", had seen Zappa's Synclavier music computer used "against" a chamber orchestra (Pierre Boulez's), here it meets Zappa's own electric band. Oddly - Zappa's highly brilliant musical companions-in-arms of the day certainly had little to fear of such competition - the gap seems wider here, for some reason. I have no problem with the alleged "coldness" of the Synclavier material, which might just be an irrelevant issue. I find just as much coldness in some of the humanly performed pieces from that era, whether by Boulez's group or FZ's, than in most of the Synclavier tracks from the Perfect Stranger album. However, in this here "FZ meets the M.O.P", most electronic pieces have a lot of passion, mystery and humor to them (esp. "Aerobics in Bondage" [one of Zappa's most beautiful and moving pieces ever recorded IMO], "H.R. 2911" and "Little Beige Sambo"), and this tendency was to continue with the next Synclavier album ("Jazz From Hell", 1986). Maybe I lack concentration power for the very abstract pieces from the previous one ("Love Story", "Jonestown", "Girl in Magnesium Dress"), but I find the newer electronic compositions somehow more focused, with better "hummable" themes.
Some of the rock band tracks are from the studio, others are apparently live stuff from the much acclaimed '81/'82 group, cleaned up of all audience noises. AFAIAC, same thing as always with the 80s Zappa's electric combo music: dangerously brilliant compositions (listen to the FZ solo spot in "Alien Orifice"!) share the space with very dated ("We're Turning Again") or barely relevant ("Yo Cats") satires. Pretty witty all right, but absolutely lacking any "meat" of any sort in the melody. Compare with "America Drinks and Goes Home", from "Absolutely Free", or better still, with the Zappa-produced Jean-Luc Ponty version!

Average customer rating: Neither a Letdown, Nor a Knockout Close... Just as good, if not better than Yellow Shark Underwhelming A great homage

Ensemble Modern Plays Frank Zappa: Greggery Peccary & Other Persuasions Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | 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 General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Ensemble Ambrosius: The Zappa Album Oh No! Just Another Frank Zappa Memorial Barbecue! Take Your Clothes off When You Dance Trance-Fusion Imaginary Diseases ASIN: B0001FFIXS Release Date: 2004-03-23

Tracks:

1. Moggio
2. What Will Rumi Do?
3. Night School
4. Revised Music For Low Budget Orchestra
5. The Beltway Bandits
6. A Pig With Wings
7. Put A Motor In Yourself
8. Peaches En Regalia
9. Naval Aviation In Art?
10. The Adventures Of Greggery Peccary

Customer Reviews:

Neither a Letdown, Nor a Knockout.......2006-07-20

The musicianship is outstanding, plain to hear on every track. The recording is also top-notch, clear, distinct, with great separation, superb mixing.

But overall, this one just doesn't warm me up. I don't come home at the end of the day and want to slide this into the player, just to run through it a few times. And why is this? After much thinking, it's down to two things.

First, most of the arrangements are just too true to the original, too close to Frank's recordings. Yeah, the arrangements are actually different (but honestly, not by that much), and we've got all instruments as opposed to synclavier, etc. But just sitting and listening, to my long-FZ-acquainted ears it's too much like listening to the originals. This comes across as arranger homage to Frank (and you've gotta respect that), but at the same time I'd think that a group as boss and proficient as the EM would be able to branch out and stretch those musical wings a bit. I mean, if Frank Zappa's music doesn't lend itself well to alternative interpretations (just listen to the new Ed Palermo Big Band FZ music release and that wacky salsa "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance"), then what does?

Second, the vocals on "Greggary Peccary" just drive me nuts. It's like listening to a reading of some kind of darkly twisted children's book, with the narrator employing all kinds of silly, stupid, and eventually just plain annoying vocal ploys to keep me interested. Given my comments above about the sound being too close to the original, this criticism may come across here as flip-flopping, but this rendition of Greggary, despite its highly original and enjoyable add-on way there at the end, just grates on me.

If you're new to Zappa, save this purchase until you're far more schooled in the entire FZ catalog, until you can look at the songs listed on the label and hear them in your head. Wait until you've got all of the major FZ releases before you get this one.

If you're a dedicated Zappa lunatic, then you'll buy this, just as I did. And you won't regret it; I certainly don't. I guess I was just hoping for more, the kind of "more" that the Colin Towns "Frank Zappa`s Hot Licks & Funny Smells: Live at Moers Festival 2004" release gave in magnificent profusion. Now this is a recording I look forward to listening to, often. In fact, I'll put in on in the car for the ride home tonight.

Close..........2005-05-03

As much as I love "The Yellow Shark," so had I anticipated more of FZ's music from the Ensemble Modern. "Everything Is Healing Nicely" is excellent, but only whetted my appetite more. When I was informed of this offering, I leaped at the chance to gain possession. Sadly, I am not quite leaping for joy afer hearing it.

As always, the musicianship is superb. I believe the Ensemble Modern to be among the finest groups of musicians on the planet today. I also believe there is something missing on this particular release. I thought perhaps it was merely a difference between conductors, Jonathan Stockhammer on the current recording and Peter Rundel on "The Yellow Shark," but it's more than that. Perhaps it is because "Shark" is a live recording, I thought, but comparing "Healing Nicely" with this release puts that theory to bed. Then, after several intent listenings, I realized what was missing was the "eyebrows."

Perhaps only Frank himself is qualified to address that most essential aspect of Zappa's music. Perhaps we are fated to eyebrowless renditions of FZ's music for eternity. Perhaps I am wrong. I am sure that after the death of many great composers nit-pickers like myself ranted about how it will never be the same, the right attitude is missing, blah, blah, blah.

I am suddenly reminded of one of the first lessons about art I learned: Never listen to what as***les like me have to say about it. Buy it, listen to it, make up your own mind.

Just as good, if not better than Yellow Shark.......2004-06-19

Thank Jebus for the Ensemble Modern. What an incredible group of musicians. I could not agree more with Gail Zappa when she exclaims in the liner notes, "The precision with which this is played is shocking and delicious." I am so grateful to this ensemble for realizing the music of one of my favorite composers so capably and lovingly. This recording took skill, determination, and dedication.

I, personally, think the arrangements are fantastic. It was a painstaking process to find as much of the original material as possible and then to transcribe the rest. The production is lush, balanced and precise. And, once again, the performances are inspired.

My one complaint is that "Peaches" feels a little rushed. Everything else is perfect. "Moggio," "A Pig with Wings," "Naval Aviation In Art?" and "The Adventures of Gregary Preccary" stand out as perhaps a litle more perfect than the rest.

I cannot recommend this disc highly enough to any fan of Zappa's music.

Underwhelming.......2004-05-09

Excellent musicians, but quite bland arrangements (particularly in "Put a Motor in Yourself", pretty climax-less "Low Budget Orchestera..." and clumsy "Peaches..."). And I find the treatment of Greggary Peccary, FZ's magnum opus, to be particularly unsuccessful: narration sounds more like aping with a lot of silly mannerisms, making the whole story (which is a nice one, btw) sound very artificial. FZ was telling a story -David Moss and Omar Ebrahim are just reciting a text. I wonder if some more imaginative approach would have helped - like having narration parts played by some instruments (trumpets? clarinets?). Greggary Peccary sounds like quite an unlikable character in Omar Ebrahim's performance (and he was pretty charmins, IMO, in FZ's version). Orchestratin is again somehow lacking the edge of the original.

More successful tracks are excellent dynamic "Moggio" and interestng version of "Naval Aviation...".

A great homage.......2004-04-01

I have grown to love "The Yellow Shark" and "Civilization Phaze III" more and more by and by, as the discs have spin in my player. I keenly awaited the release of this disc with high expectations, and realized--the first time I gave this disc a listen--that I could have had set the bar even higher! The sound engineering (purity there of, and stereophony) is very satisfying. To hear these songs, which I have liked and loved for a long time, performed by an ensemble this powerful and professional (and furthermore - big) is very pleasing.
Ali N. Askin (composer, EM's arranger, and FZ's assistant for the "Yellow Shark" project) has transcribed the original mid-70's recording of "Greggery Peckery", and orchestrated it for EM. It is quite mind-blowing how accurate this performance is to the original, and the added spices are very tasty - this goes for every single performance on the disc, btw. I can see how the hectic narration on "Greggery" could bother those who have grown accustomed to the original recording, but it doesn't much bother me, the professionalism of the musicians saves a lot. Three pieces from "Civilization Phaze III" are performed - this time around with only "real" instruments, of course, and they are all granted to warm the hearts of "C.P.III" lovers. Two nostalgic classics --"Peaches En Regalia" and "Revised Music for Low Budget Orchestra"-- are granted to give listeners satisfaction, especially to those who might think that Zappa's hey day was during the "Hot Rats" period. The performances of these tunes are rich, and give the compositions a certain royalty. An insane fact about this album, is that it is recorded in EIGHT DAYS, proving that this is a VERY talented and EXTREMELY professional ensemble, meaning also that it is worth listening to just for the quality of performance, even if you don't generally enjoy FZ's music.
...Oh, and there's an eleventh track on the disc - it's "hidden", but I'm not going to give anything away; find out what it is for yourselves by buying this album, thus supporting a group of GREAT musicians.

Average customer rating: one star is too kind Flawed, But At Least He Tried Modern Jazz Meets Neo-Classicism

Septober Energy Centipede Manufacturer: Bgo - Beat Goes on ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B00003GPKE Release Date: 2000-04-03

Tracks:

1. Septober Energy, Pt. 1
2. Septober Energy, Pt. 2

Tracks:

1. Septober Energy, Pt. 3
2. Septober Energy, Pt. 4

Album Details

Legendary Collaboration Between Soft Machine, Henry Cow and King Crimson Members, all under the Watchful Gaze of Keith Tippett.

Customer Reviews:

one star is too kind.......2002-11-03

Those of you expecting snippets of Soft Machine and/or King Crimson circa Lizard or Islands will twitch your heads trying to bite your ears off at what a vast piece of aural nonsense you've just purchased. Centipede is such a gosh awful mess that it is difficult where to start. The bottom line is that too many people were involved in this project-over 50-each of them trying to improvise something to show off their jazz prowess (thought Julie Tippett was a terrible singer before? you just wait until you hear her improvised wailing); what they ended up with was a sonic hurricane of musicians playing barely in tune and trying to play louder than their neighbor. The only track remotely listenable is the last Septober suite where Elton Dean plays perhaps the only recognizable solo on the whole album. Just goes to show, too many cooks really do spoil the broth.

Flawed, But At Least He Tried.......2001-03-03

Centipede were a kind of early '70s free jazz/prog rock Band Aid. The then wunderkind pianist Keith Tippett assembled as broad a church of musicians as any you could find outside of "Escalator Over The Hill" - rock is represented by members of Soft Machine, King Crimson, Blossom Toes and Patto; Brit fusion pioneers Nucleus are here almost in their entirety; a vast gallimaufry of musicians at the then cutting edge of Brit jazz, including the crucial South African contingent; old mates from his hometown of Bristol; and even a scratch string section of students at the Royal College of Music. Inevitably, with 55 musicians in the band (plus 2 apologies for absence in the sleevenotes!) Tippett did bite off more than he could chew. The music is a not entirely successful mix of R&B, Sun Ra and Penderecki, and rather than working as a unified piece of music, "Septober Energy" tends towards a series of interesting bits not particularly linked very well. The highlight is the long finale "Part 4," a kind of avant-"Hey Jude" where Elton Dean's saxello wails over the orchestral swell before everyone goes into a free-form scrum. The glaring omission, of course, is producer Robert Fripp, who was supposed to play guitar on the sessions but was somewhat overwhelmed by the difficulties in recording which the huge line-up presented (saxophonist Larry Stabbins later recalled that everyone had to queue up outside the studio before they could go in and do their bit). When playing live, soundchecks were known to take up to eight hours. Blossom Toes man Brian Godding was therefore left with the unenviable job of sole guitarist and doesn't quite fill all the gaps. Another problem is that three drummers are at least one too many - Robert Wyatt and John Marshall would have been enough in themselves, but Tony Fennell (who doesn't seem to have been heard of before or since) simply clutters the rhythm up. Worth investigating, though - there are some glorious episodes of music within, and the free-form riffing in the second section of "Part 3" may be of interest to fans of Radiohead's "National Anthem" who wish to join some dots.

Modern Jazz Meets Neo-Classicism.......2000-05-28

Produced by Robert Fripp, and written by Keith Tippet, who played piano on several Crimson albums and featuring members of Soft Machine, Henry Cow, and ELO; this one can be a tough listen unless your really into noisey modern composition. Some great moments, good solos (except the guitar, why didn't Fripp, or Frith for that matter play ?). A little like Phillip Glass in places. Overall sound is closer to HC and SM than KC'S Lizard and Islands eras which some have compared it to. As you've probably noticed there is more than one pressing of this available. The one I've listened to is a two disc version that sounds like it was recorded off a vinyl album,as you can hear some surface noise in the background. I understand that the shorter version may have come from a better source.

Music Album:

1. Mountain Music Featuring the Dulcimer
2. My Saddle Pals and I [Box set]
3. No Deeper Blue
4. No Other Way
5. Now Again
6. One Endless Night
7. Outside the Lines
8. Population Me
9. Reprise Please Baby: The Warner Bros. Years [Box set]
10. Rockabilly Rumble

Music Album