Big Picture [Import]

Product Description:
Australian Exclusive! A seamless blend of Celtic Soul and Southern roots that features contributions from Van Morrison, legendary Pogues frontman Shane Macgowan and Carolyn Cassady.This album will appeal to any fans of Folk, Country, Soul & Blues. Includes the bonus track 'Sweet Oblivion' Rogue Records. 2005.

Big Picture,Bap Kennedy,Rogue Australia,Alternative Country-Rock,Americana,Country,Country/Bluegrass,Pop,Rock

Average customer rating: Amazing Soundtrack Old School Unfulfilled promise Short, but great oldies soundtrack. Maybe the Stones wouldn't cough up the rights.

The Big Chill - 15th Anniversary: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Various Artists Manufacturer: Motown ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Girl Groups | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music Motown | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music 1980s | By Decade | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Classic Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music R&B | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Soundtracks | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Big Chill: More Songs From The Original Soundtrack The Big Chill Good Morning Vietnam: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Remember the Titans: An Original Walt Disney Motion Picture Soundtrack (2000 Film) The Big Chill - Deluxe Edition ASIN: B00000AFE8 Release Date: 1998-09-22

Tracks:

1. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
2. My Girl - The Tempations
3. Good Lovin' - Rascals
4. The Tracks Of My Tears - Smokey Robinson/Miracles
5. Joy To The World - Three Dog Night
6. Ain't Too Proud To Beg - Temptations
7. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman - Aretha Franklin
8. I Second That Emotion - Smokey Robinson/Miracles
9. A Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum
10. Tell Him - Exciters

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Soundtrack.......2005-09-15

I grew up listening to this soundtrack! I love it!! I even found a copy of it in my parent's basement in vinyl!!

Old School.......2005-08-26

I reminded my friends as they listened to this in my car: Old School RULES. All of these songs have staying power, and all my friends end up jammin' to oldies when I play it.

Unfulfilled promise.......2005-08-10

The mixing on some tracks is awful, and at one point, vocals are lost altogether on The Rascals track. I love this music -- the soundtrack of my college days -- so having it on one disc for traveling (I commute 50 miles round trip every day) is great, but the quality could be lots better.

Short, but great oldies soundtrack........2003-12-24

I remember listening to these songs in the 80s when I was little. I guess you could say I 'grew up' on this stuff almost as much as on 80's music itself. It's largely a Motown/Soul collection, but it's varied enough to fit more than one audience.

1) "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," Marvin Gaye -- Everybody has heard this pop/soul hit before, right? A mid tempo ballad about hearing rumors 'Through The Grapevine'. This is one of the classic breakup songs.

2) "My Girl," Temptations -- Another widely known hit that many people today even like. This is probably the defining Motown song of the era. Sunny, pop inflected R&B about being with 'My Girl' and feeling good.

3) "Good Lovin," Rascals -- We take a turn toward a fast '60s soul rocker here. A lot more upbeat than most of the other tunes, and a great addition.

4) "Tracks of my Tears," Smokey Robinson -- Things slow way down again with this happy sounding, reflective soul ballad.

5) "Joy To the World," Three Dog Night -- Yet another classic rocker. This time, a mid tempo tune, and the closest thing to a party song.

6) "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," Temptations -- The group has their 2nd hit here, this one a bit more uptempo and more vocal.

7) "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman," Aretha Franklin -- Even though I'm not a big AR fan, I have to like this soulful ballad. Almost a precursor to 80's pop/soul artists like Whitney Houston.

8) "I Second That Emotion," Smokey -- Yes, Mr. Robinson also strikes twice, with an ever better tune. This fun, uptempo pop hit has a definate summertime feel to it. You'd have to be a fool to not love it.

9) "Whiter Shade of Pale," Procul Harem -- Another change in style with this extremely unique rock ballad. It's a bit hard to describe if you haven't heard it, but it's an organ heavy tale of, what sounds like, sailors at sea at a restaurant. Strange as it sounds, this is a great track. Don't skip it!

10) "Tell Him," Exciters -- The last song here is another upbeat 60's girl group soulful pop ditty. It's certainly not bad, but probably my least favorite of the bunch.

All in all, a very fun, quality reminder of why much of today's music s**ks. The absence of more rock tracks, and the repeated artists bring it down to a very narrow 4 stars. The music itself is worth 5, though.

Maybe the Stones wouldn't cough up the rights........2001-10-30

Could be my memory's faulty. Could be the Stones wouldn't give the rights to the label. But don't I remember the movie starting out rolling a coffin down the aisle to the wistful cynicism of Jagger's scratchy tenor complaint, "You Can't Always Get What You Want". To prove the literal truth of the lyrics, the song isn't in either soundtrack.
What else are we missing?!

Average customer rating: terrific!! Not bad... but missing something. 8-miles high track... better in movie. what the f*ck?! camd908

The Big Lebowski: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Manufacturer: Island / Mercury ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Country Rock | Rock | Styles | Music Roots Rock | Rock | Styles | Music Southern Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music 1990s | By Decade | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Big Lebowski (Widescreen Collector's Edition) Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas: Music From The Motion Picture High Fidelity The Big Lebowski (Full Screen Collector's Edition) The Royal Tenenbaums (Collector's Edition) ASIN: B000001EYO Release Date: 1998-02-24

Tracks:

1. The Man In Me - Bob Dylan
2. Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles - Captain Beefheart
3. My Mood Swings - Elvis Costello
4. Ataypura - Yma Sumac
5. Traffic Boom - Piero Piccioni
6. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good - Nina Simone
7. Stamping Ground - Moondog With Orchestra
8. Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) - Kenny Rogers And The First Edition
9. Walking Song - Meredith Monk
10. Die Tote Standt - Gluck Das Mir Verblieb
11. Lujon - Henry Mancini
12. Hotel California - Gipsy Kings
13. Technopop - Carter Burwell
14. Dead Flowers - Townes Van Zandt

Amazon.com

One of the most inspired cobbled-together-from-a-stack-of-records soundtrack albums since Pulp Fiction, The Big Lebowski matches the goofily ramshackle spirit of the Dude, the hero of its celluloid companion. While offering Bob Dylan's luv-addled "Man in Me" together with the Gipsy Kings' redefinitive "Hotel California" and the psychedelic-era Kenny Rogers nugget "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)," Lebowski also gives longer play to some cuts barely sampled in the film, including Elvis Costello's "My Mood Swings." Whether taken as a Coen brothers mix tape, a one-album CD carousel, or an apropos souvenir of one wiggy flick, this is a smart, eclectic buy. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

terrific!!.......2007-06-30

this is a fantastic album, if you like ecclectic music, that is. easily one of my favorites.

Not bad... but missing something........2007-04-17

This cd definitely has some good points. A great song by Dylan from the opening credits and my favourite, "Dead Flowers" done by Townes Van Zandt. But tremendously written by Jagger and Richards. Funny how my faves are from the start and end of the film. Between these two songs and a rousing "Hotel California" by the Gypsy Kings, I'm happy enough, but oddly, no Creedance. What am I gonna listen to while reaching for that joint I dropped in my lap in the car?

8-miles high track... better in movie........2007-03-19

The song that goes with the Treehorn dream sequence in the film (Kenny Rodgers et al "Tripped on a Cloud/ 8-miles high") was better in the movie, as the version on the cd is a poor original edit, with ackward reverses (and I like reverses, when not halfway through a measure...- for example, the reverse that opens it up is fine, the one three quarters through or so, you see, is not.), half measures chopping up the rhythm and in general either hastily done or naively... I've toyed with the idea of re-editing it myself in a track editor, but I'll just delete it from my player, because I'm lazy. The other tracks are good, but with a few odd ones like the feminist chant song- play this at your next Halloween party/[...]. I have loads of creedence, so not missing that. the Gypsy Kings' "Hotel California" is the best track, much better after first listen as anyone who has watched Lebowski more than a few times will be surprised by the new verses at first. "The Man in Me", if you don't already have it, isn't exactly representative of Dylan's work in large, but is a nice ditty. The Mancini song is filler. Elvis Costello's "My Mood Swings" rocks, and I'm glad it was included despite being minutely used in the film. Anyway, it's a good cd all in all, but only for "Hotel California", and "My Mood Swings"... otherwise the Kenny Rodgers' song is bad, should have been re-edited... Probably the reason it was obscure to begin with... The Man in Me is widely available. My advice... wait and find Gypsy Kings elsewhere. Same for Costello and Dylan. Not the best playing mix.

what the f*ck?!.......2007-03-06

No Tumblin' Tumbleweeds. That's a bummer, man, uh, you've got to have Tumbleweeds in there, the film f*cking OPENS with it, man, and it's in there again later with the Stranger. This is a f*ckin travesty. F*ck it. I'm goin bowling.

camd908.......2007-01-05

The Dude is the man for our times. John Goodman makes Walter the crazed Vietman vet a classic movie side kick. And what can you say about Donny except he loved to surf. Happy Trails.

Average customer rating: Louisiana One Of The Best the best single disc intro to the music of new orleans Fabulous! Forgettable Movie, Unforgettable Sound Track

The Big Easy: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Various Artists Manufacturer: Fontana Island ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Zydeco | Cajun & Zydeco | Regional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Cajun & Creole | Cajun & Zydeco | Regional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music 1980s | By Decade | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Big Easy Zydeco's Greatest Hits The Ultimate Collection Zydeco Cajun Heat Zydeco Beat ASIN: B000003QKO Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

1. Iko Iko - The Dixie Cups
2. Tipitina - Professor Longhair
3. Ma 'Tit Fille - Buckwheat Zydeco
4. Colinda - Zachary Richard
5. Tell It Like It Is - Aaron Neville & The Neville Brothers
6. Zydeco Gris Gris - Beausoleil
7. Oh Yeh Yai - Terrance Simien & The Mallet Playboys
8. Hey Hey (Indians Comin') - The Wild Tchoupitoulas
9. Closer To You - Dennis Quaid
10. Saviour, Pass Me Not - The Swan Silvertones
11. Buck's Nouvelle Jole Blon - Buckwheat Zydeco & Ils Sont Partis Band
12. Pine Grove Blues - Dewey Balfa

Amazon.com essential recording

While it didn't do for Louisiana music what the film The Harder They Come did for reggae, the soundtrack to director Jim McBride's steamy and stylized cops-and-corruption movie is a pretty good introduction to the region's extensive musical delights (even if gospel's great Swan Silvertones are from West Virginia). The late Dewey Balfa (who appears in the film's sweet porch-party scene) is to Cajun music's rural past what Terrance Simien and Zachary Richard are to its rocking present. Buckwheat Zydeco is to zydeco what Beausoleil is to Cajun: an intelligent synthesis of the old and new that you can dance to. It's a shame the St. Augustine's Marching Hundred's raw and jumping version of "Li'l Liza Jane" didn't make the cut from film to album. And it's an even bigger shame that star Dennis Quaid's awful ballad did. --Richard Gehr

Customer Reviews:

Louisiana.......2006-11-06

Great soundtrack, if you liked the movie and New Orleans! I love both!

One Of The Best.......2006-05-11

We loved the movie and discovered the sound track. As a New Orleans regular this CD just adds to the mood when we are back home. I predict you'all will jus' love it.

the best single disc intro to the music of new orleans.......2005-08-12

the keyword here is single disc. the whole album clocks in just under 47 minutes. don't know why, but back then the standard running time for a cd is about 45 minutes, so that's at least 20 some odd minutes worth of music they could have put into this cd. of course, at additional right fee. perhaps that was why we couldn't tap into the music of new orleans a little deeper.

that being said, this is a great compilation for beginners. the music of new orleans is an acquired taste that you may never get used to. no matter how much japanese people likes toro, the fatty belly section of tuna, if you don't like sushi, then you will never know. once you get a hang of sushi, you will get to love toro. once you start to liking the new orleans music, you will never get enough.

although new orleans is heavily influenced by the french, but they don't have this type of music over in france, so we can almost say that this is one of the most under recognized original american music. few people knows any new orleans songs outside of tell it like it is and iko iko, and frankly speaking tell it like it is really doesn't sound new orleans to me. it is about as new orleans as toto's africa is to africa. if nothing else, getting this disc to hear the music from the big easy is both fun and educational .

one single disc cannot do new orleans justice, so there is a 4 disc boxset: doctors, professors, kings & queens - the big ol' box of new orleans, also available here at amazon. that set, as comprehensive as it is, does not sound as good as this disc in terms of fidelity. there are only four songs from this cd that appeared on the boxset, but none of them are the same version as the ones appeared in the other title. if you get both you won't feel cheated.

Fabulous!.......2005-07-08

I have seen this movie several times over the years and it never fails to delight me.

Forgettable Movie, Unforgettable Sound Track.......2005-05-17

Some say, all music came from New Orleans. Jazz and blues, from which so much American music descended, got their start in the clubs of New Orleans and fields around the Mississippi delta. New Orleans, and Louisiana generally, remains a major center of musical vitality, if somewhat apart from the American mainstream.

In the mid-80s, I began to develop an interest in "New Orleans" music, and the many varied styles it encompassed including traditional "Dixieland", brass-band and more modern Jazz, as well as second-line, blues, rock'n'roll, cajun, gospel, zydeco and funk. About that time, the Big-Easy, a midling, formulaic picture, put out its sound track, and I was hooked. A sampler of the various styles, with the infectious, polyrhythmic beat so characterisctic of the The Big Easy.

There is so much they could have put on the album, and a one or two that could have been omitted. But since then, I have developed a life-long love of all the various music that represents NOLA.

Average customer rating: Sweet and Lowdown Luke Darlison Great sound track for a great movie. Very pleasing Marvelous soundtrack

Sweet & Lowdown: Music from the Motion Picture Dick Hyman , and Various Artists - Soundtracks - 1999 Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Lounge | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music 1990s | By Decade | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Scores | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Best of Django Reinhardt Sweet and Lowdown Woody's Winners: 20 Classic Tracks from the Films Quintette du Hot Club de France: 25 Classics 1934-1940 Mel Bay Sweet and Lowdown ASIN: B000034D03 Release Date: 1999-11-23

Tracks:

1. I'll See You In My Dreams
2. Caravan - Bunny Berigan & His Orchestra
3. Sweet Georgia Brown
4. Unfaithful Woman
5. Viper Mad - Sidney Bechet And Noble Sissle's Swingsters
6. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away)
7. Old-Fashioned Love
8. Limehouse Blues/Mystery Pacific
9. Just A Gigolo
10. 3:00 A.M. Blues
11. All Of Me/The Peanut Vendor
12. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
13. Shine
14. I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
15. There'll Be Some Changes Made

Amazon.com

Although Woody Allen has been using jazz from the '20s and '30s on his soundtracks since Sleeper, Sweet and Lowdown is his first movie featuring the musicians of the period. The story is about Emmett Ray, who is a brilliant guitarist but is always being unfavorably compared to Django Reinhardt. Allen hired the guitarist Howard Alden and the Dick Hyman Group to play the music of Ray and his band, and they have done an excellent job of recreating the small band swing of the '30s. Alden has assimilated the music of such guitarists as Eddie Lang, Karl Kress, and Django to create a guitar style that is unique yet also sounds thoroughly authentic. He is the Zelig of guitar players. This music has all of the excitement of '30s jazz with none of the stodginess that sometimes plagues other jazz revivalists. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews:

Sweet and Lowdown.......2007-03-04

Had to own it after seeing the movie - fabulous! Go Django, go!

Luke Darlison.......2006-08-06

To Eric Verworst,
You won't be able to find any original pieces from Emmet Ray because he is a fictional character.

Great sound track for a great movie........2006-03-23

This sound track from Woody Allen's movie Sweet and Lowdown is fabulous. The guitar renditions are exceptional as is the story.
It is a must listen to and must see.

Very pleasing.......2006-02-25

I never saw the movie, but I am very interested in the music of this under strange circumstances vanished guitar player.
The music on this CD is really close to a few originals that are out there from him.
Anybody who can point me in the direction of any original work from Emmet Ray on CD or DVD, please feel free to contact me.

Marvelous soundtrack.......2006-02-24

I am particularly haunted by track #6, Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away). Great soundtrack.

Average customer rating: Original 1978 Recording? AWESOME! John Williams shows again why he's the master of movie scores Is John Williams Superman??? Excellent! Hector, about the liner notes...

Superman - The Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Film Scores | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Williams, John [guitar] | ( W ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Rhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Superman Returns Batman: Original Motion Picture Score Look, Up in the Sky - The Amazing Story of Superman Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition (Superman - The Movie/ Superman II/ Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut/ Superman III/ Superman IV - The Quest for Peace/ Superman Returns) Superman: The Movie - Original Sound Track ASIN: B000046PVN Release Date: 2000-02-15

Tracks:

1. Prelude and Main Title March
2. Planet Krypton, The
3. Destruction of Krypton
4. Star Ship Escapes
5. Trip to Earth, The
6. Growing Up
7. Death of Jonathan Kent
8. Leaving Home
9. Fortress of Solitude, The
10. Welcome to Metropolis
11. Lex Luthor's Lair
12. Big Rescue, The
13. Super Crime Fighter
14. Super Rescues
15. Luther's Luau
16. Planet Krypton (Alternate), The
17. Main Title March (Alternate)

Tracks:

1. Superman March (Alternate)
2. March of the Villains, The
3. Terrace, The
4. Flying Sequence, The
5. Lois and Clark
6. Crime of the Century
7. Sonic Greeting
8. Misguided Missiles and Kryptonite
9. Chasing Rockets
10. Supefeates
11. Super Dam and Finding Lois
12. Turning Back the World
13. Finale and End Title March
14. Love Theme from Superman
15. Can You Read My MInd (Alternate performed by Margot Kidder)
16. Flying Sequence/Can You Read My Mind, The
17. Can You Read My Mind (Alternate Instrumental)
18. Theme from Superman (Concert Version)

Amazon.com

Released during the era of leisure suits and pet rocks, the film Superman: The Movie has aged about as well. But the often-clumsy charms of Richard Donner's cartoonish, hit-and-miss take on the Man of Steel was blessed with at least one superlative artistic effort: John Williams's epic score. The composer's Oscar-nominated music (coming on the heels of Star Wars and Close Encounters) was a wall-to-wall heroic symphony, rife with memorable melodies and ominous arrangements. Almost every original cut on this soundtrack appears in an expanded version, supplemented by nearly a dozen previously unreleased cues and alternate takes. Featuring a deluxe slipcase and extensive, new liner notes, this is the definitive release of one of Maestro Williams's greatest scores. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Original 1978 Recording?.......2007-04-04

FIVE STAR FOR MUSIC. 1 STAR FOR AUDIO. Ok I've wanted this recording for almost 4 years. Now I got it. I am a discerning listener. This soundtrack is not the best quality. Tape hiss is very pronounced. You can tell it's taken directly from a cassette recording. I have other digital recordings of this music. They are miles ahead of this cd. Soundtrack is on the Rhino label. What? Rhino is not known for high fidelity. So it is very deceiving for one to buy a cd thinking it's John Williams conducting on a new recording in 1998 or whenever. It's the actual 1978 recording. Now let me unleash my rage. This thing sounds as if it's recorded with a single microphone in a bathroom, at a truck stop. Yes the music is phenomenal. My favorite track is #2 Krypton. I was hoping to discover some new hidden melodies that I've never heard in previous recording (original 1978). Nope. This IS the 1978 recording. So I will be getting the Debney recording just so I can hear what I'm missing. Love the music. Just can't hear it. ALL OF IT! But cool booklet. I can't listen to a booklet. But I got it. Whoopee.

AWESOME! John Williams shows again why he's the master of movie scores.......2006-08-31

After over a year of trying to find a seller of this fine soundtrack, I finally found it! It is high time that the full score was released on CD.
The original soundtrack release from 1978, while still an excellent collection, was sadly lacking in several of the best cues from the film. Most important of these was Track 12 (Disc 1) in which the helicopter crashes on the Daily Planet's roof and dangles precariously above the street. Williams builds on it, introducing Superman's theme into it as Clark Kent runs across the street, then rips open his shirt to reveal the 'S' - the symbol of the House of El - then enters the revolving door & exits as Superman. At the end of this is one of my favorite cues; the Superman theme is played as the Man of Steel appears above Metropolis, flying over the city on the hunt for criminals. 'Crime of the Century' (Track 6, Disc 2) was one of my favorite cues; this one portrayed the missile convoy as it made its way along the freeway, where Luthor staged the accident to get his cronies close enough to sabotage the missiles. There are too many new tracks to list here that should have been included the first time around, just a lack of space precluded this from happening.

Is John Williams Superman???.......2006-08-20

After listening to the CD, John Williams must be Superman. By far, the greatest movie score ever written.

Excellent!.......2006-08-10

Other than the over kill of "Can you read my mind", an excellent collection.

Hector, about the liner notes..........2006-07-14

I have the previous edition, and the notes that came with it were nestled next to the CD in a thick booklet (with a cover of Reeve in front of an American flag) that was large enough for the slipcase cover, but too big to fit into the CD case front. Otherwise, the one-sheet cover that came with your soundtrack is identical to the slipcase version.

Average customer rating: Best "Sing Sing Sing" ever Swing me! Swing, Swing, Swing... Dance Dance Dance! Swing, kids!!!

Swing Kids: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack James Horner Manufacturer: Hollywood Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music 1990s | By Decade | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: Swing Kids The Fabulous Swing Collection Newsies Mugzy's Move Zoot Suit Riot ASIN: B000000OC4 Release Date: 1993-02-23

Tracks:

1. Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing)
2. Nothing To Report
3. Shout And Feel It
4. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) - Bill Banks
5. The Letter
6. Flat Foot Floogee - Benny Goodman
7. Arvid Beten
8. Swingtime In The Rockies - Benny Goodman
9. Daphne
10. Training For Utopia
11. Life Goes To A Party/Jumpin' At The Woodside - Robert Hraft
12. Goodnight My Love - Benny Goodman
13. Ashes
14. Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
15. The Bismarck
16. Swing Heil

Customer Reviews:

Best "Sing Sing Sing" ever.......2007-03-09

This soundtrack has the single best version of Benny Goodman's "Sing Sing Sing" I've ever heard -- as well done as the original, and, with the benefit of modern recording equipment, much easier to listen to. That song alone was worth the price of the album for me.

Swing me!.......2006-11-10

Of course, 'Sing Sing Sing' is a classic, and it is well played. My other favorite is 'Bei Mir Bis Du Schoen', for sentimental reasons, but it is well sung and makes a great dance. The other tracks are typical soundtrack music to me. They sound fine, but I really got the CD just for the two songs mentioned.

Swing, Swing, Swing..........2006-04-11

SWING KIDS is a fine but obscure movie about young nonconformists in prewar Nazi Germany who rebel against their authoritarian society by indulging in Swing music and dance clubs. Derided by the Nazis as "decadent", "Black" and "Jewish," Swing was banned, and it's adherents were forcibly conscripted, arrested, tortured, and sent to concentration camps. In SWING KIDS, the irresistible pressures of conformity ratchet apart the relationship between three best friends. Sad, yet ultimately defiant, SWING KIDS is a fascinating look at ordinary day-to-day life in National Socialist Germany.

Fortunately, "sad" is not a word that can be applied to the soundtrack, which is rife with Swing classics from Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Count Basie, and others. Some of the records are wonderfully archaic scratchy originals. Others are new orchestrations done for the film.

The downside to this CD is James Horner's film orchestrations which are mostly not Swing, and manage to interrupt the party just as it settles into its groove. It's unfair to complain: After all, this is a movie soundtrack, the guy who wrote the original music for the movie should be on it, and when he's in Swing, he's got that Thing. But having to listen to a cheery little minor key string piece titled "Arvid Beaten" in between "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" and "Jumping At The Woodside" is really disconcerting. Like the soundtrack to YELLOW SUBMARINE, the film orchestrations should have been gathered together on the "B" side (a good argument to bring back the 33.3 record). For myself, I just hit the "Track Forward" button.

Fortunately, the Swing more than outweighs Horner's minor musical distractions. This should have been a five star recording, and could have been a three star recording. I'm giving it four stars. The Swing is splendid.

Dance Dance Dance!.......2005-07-05

Swing Kids is one hellouva cd and one hellouva soundtrack. It represents old swing titles (Swingtime in the rockies, Flat Floot Floogie and Goodnight My Love by Benny Goodman, It Don't Mean A Thing by Billy Banks) few score numbers (Nothing To Report, The Letter, Arvid Beaten, Training For Utopia, Ashes, The Bismarck and Swing Heil composed by James Horner) and few remakes of old swing classics recorded for the movie (Sing Sing Sing, orig. Benny Goodman, Shout and Feel It, orig. by Count Basie, Daphne, orig. by Django Reinhardt, medley Life Goes to a Party/Jumpin' at the Woodside, and fabulous Bei Mir Bist du Schön by Janis Siegel). Sound quality is great and music danceable. I highly recommend this record.

Swing, kids!!!.......2004-05-12

Living in Germany during World War II, but don't necessarily agree with the dictatorship? Well geez, let's rebel by dancing. The Swing Kid movement, as portrayed by this movie, was rather bizarre, considering that they were risking their lives and showing it by dancing the night away. However, the music is light, bouncy and rather catchy, considering many of the tunes on this CD are catchy and jazz standards. One of the downfalls however, is that this engergetic music is paired up with what is often over-dramatic and sullen classical music, to supplement the storyline (you didn't think Hitler would let these rebels have their way, did you?). But when you're in the dancing mood, this soundtrack is definitely well worth it, and if you love jazz music, please do go get this. Just be sure to skip the dreaded, down-tempo classical pieces.

Average customer rating: The Big Blue Beautiful... cd Serra vs. Conti Soothing and mesmerizing...

The Big Blue: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Eric Serra Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music 1980s | By Decade | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Big Blue (Director's Cut) Atlantis La Music des Films: Soundtrack Collection Atlantis (1991 Film Documentary) La Femme Nikita: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack ASIN: B000000WGK Release Date: 1996-03-06

Tracks:

1. The Big Blue Overture
2. Deep Blue Dream
3. Sailing To Death
4. Rescue In A Wreck
5. La Raya
6. Huacraccocha
7. Water Works
8. Between The Sky-Scrapers
9. Remembering A Heart Beat
10. Spaghetti Del Mare
11. Let them Try
12. Synchronised Instant
13. Homo Delphinus
14. The Monastery Of Amorgos
15. Much Better Down There
16. Cruise Of the Dolphin T.
17. Second Dive
18. Leaving the World Behind
19. My Lady Blue

Customer Reviews:

The Big Blue.......2007-07-17

This is one of my favorite films, set in Europe and based on a true story. The camera work, music and plot are excellent. I highly recommend this film. The sound track is also worth buying!

Beautiful..........2007-04-27

If you love this movie, the soundtrack is a must have. It sounds like the ocean feels when you are diving.

cd.......2007-03-13

When I got this cd I thought it was the music from the first version and that is the main reason I bought it. Its an ok cd just not my taste in music.

Serra vs. Conti.......2007-01-25

I, like so many others, bought the Serra version thinking it was from the American version of the film. I bought it back in 1991, and was and still am a huge Serra fan. But.....I have always (for the past 16 years) been on the lookout for the Bill Conti version of the soundtrack. Finally.....I found one on eBay, won it, received it, and played it 2 dozen times in this past week alone. Like I said, I am a huge fan of Serra (especially 'La Femme Nikita'), and love what he did for 'The Big Blue'....but Conti's version is truly magical. There will always be room for both soundtracks, but my heart belongs with the Conti version. It really can stand on its own, without the visuals of the film. The ongoing theme throughout the 22 tracks is hidden beautifully. At times magical, other times playful, but a sense of haunting lies underneath. The electronic instrumentation is pure genius and complements the more traditional instruments extremely well. So for those of you still seeking the Conti soundtrack to 'The Big Blue', do not give up....it does exist, and in gorgeous stereo.

Soothing and mesmerizing..........2006-02-17

This is a fantastic soundtrack and a great movie that not too many people have actually seen. The music is very oceanic and serene. Pick up the movie if you get the chance.

Average customer rating: As good as advertised Rest In Peace to the G.O.A.T! 4.5 stars for his Post-Humous release - R.I.P. This is an amazing album... never to be forgotten R.I.P !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will miss u fo eva Big L !

The Big Picture Big L Manufacturer: Rawkus / Umgd ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Country | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Lifestylez Ov Da Poor and Dangerous The Infamous Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Doe or Die It Was Written ASIN: B000067CNU Release Date: 2002-06-04

Tracks:

1. The Big Picture (Intro)
2. Ebonics
3. Size 'Em Up
4. Deadly Combination
5. '98 Freestyle
6. Holdin' It Down
7. The Heist
8. The Enemy
9. Fall Back
10. Flamboyant
11. Casualties Of A Dice Game
12. Platinum Plus
13. Who You Slidin' Wit'
14. Games
15. The Heist Revisited
16. The Triboro

Customer Reviews:

As good as advertised.......2007-04-04

this album is truly a masterpiece. I was told it was before i got it and was skeptical but its hot with a suprise cameo from 2pac.

Rest In Peace to the G.O.A.T!.......2007-02-26

This album was just above half done, when Big L was murdered.. this album to me is CLASSIC! and i could'n even imagine what it would've have been if Big L was around to finish it.. this cat is the most underrated EVER... may his soul forever live on..

Back to the album, production wise its alot better than his debut, there's features such as, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, Sadat X, 2pac, Fat Joe, AG, Guru, OC and Remy Martin.. but Big L shines trough this album even tho he wasent around to finish it... dont even think about buying this.. DO IT! its an instant classic, and one of my personal favourites.. ! DITC!

4.5 stars for his Post-Humous release - R.I.P........2006-12-13

A year and a half since one of the all-time greats on the mic passed, and 5 years since his classic debut album, they dug these songs and verses out and put them together in a nice pleasing album With 14 different songs, you get 2 classics, 1 almost classic, 4 o.k songs, and the other 7 are good or real good songs. The lyrics and metaphors are on point as always from Big L and the guests for the most part hold their own as well. Guests are on much more then on his classic debut album on 8 of the 14 songs. Production is tight as well and most of the beats sound good for his flow and style. It's a shame he died cause I heard he was going to sign to Roc-A-Fella and I'd have liked to see how he fared on abig label with the fame he deserved. A must have rap album.

#2 - 9.5 (great beat -- about ebonics)
#3 - 8.5
#4 - 10 (CLASSIC -- f/ 2Pac (r.I.P.) -- great beat)
#5 - 10 (CLASSIC!!! -- great freestyle with one of the funniest lines I've ever heard)
#6 - 7.5 (f/ stan spit, AG, miss jones)
#7 - 7.5
#8 - 8.5 (f/ fat Joe)
#9 - 9 (f/ Kool G Rap -- tight beat)
#10 - 8
#11 - 9 (nice beat -- about a dice game gone bad)
#12 - 8.5 (f/ Big Daddy Kane)
#13 - 7.5 (f/ stan spit)
#14 - 6.5 (f/ sadat X & Guru)
#15 - 8 (remix of #7 with better beat)
#16 - 7.5 (f/ OC, Fat Joe, Remy MArtin)

Lamont Coleman -- b. 5/30/74 d. 2/15/99 -- Harlem, NY
Check all my reviews

This is an amazing album... never to be forgotten.......2006-07-01

Big L was "so ahead of his time his parents haven't met yet". The punchlines he threw out were so sharp and so quick they were amazing. The track "Ebonics" dances through New York Slang and translates it to common terms. All of the tracks are very well written, the production is fantastic, from Pete Rock, Buckwild, Ron G, and others, and guest shots include appearances by Tupac (mixed by Ron G almost hauntingly), Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, Guru, Sadat X, Fat Joe, Stan Spit and OC. Tracks with guest stars really let the stars shine (especially tracks including BDK, KGR and Guru/SadatX)...

Part of the reason Big L was so good was that he could tell an amazing story from start to finish. Everything is very simple but vivid (and by simple I mean wording, not rhyme patterns). Casualties of A Dice Game is a very good example of L's storytelling ability, as is The Heist (and the Heist Remix)...

Sadly L was cut down in his prime, a victim of a brutal slaying in his neighborhood. Even though he never blew up the way he should have in his lifetime, he will always be respected amongst hip-hop heads and his amazing East Coast Freestyle skills will be the stuff of legends.

R.I.P !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will miss u fo eva Big L !.......2006-06-07

Best rapper by his lyrics and flow, just sick, sometimes his flow is so quick and sickly good u just don't get it. The intro on this album is surprisingly good, beat by Dj Premier (Gang Starr's producer).Here is some of his sick lyrics from the song Holdin' It Down. (Also check out his lyrics in the intro that is sick to).

The other night around 8 P.M.
Pockets crazy slim, jumped out the gray BM
Went to the ATM, took a thou' out
then later on I had to wild out
In the club, knock some coward and his pal out
Then afterwards went to the restroom, pissed Cristal out
Now I'm thinkin - which chick number I could dial out

Average customer rating: Intimate gem and a wonderful hommage radio days Beautiful musical landscapes Great Music This was a gift

Radio Days: Selections From The Original Soundtrack Of The Motion Picture Glenn Miller & His Orchestra Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music 1980s | By Decade | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: Hannah and Her Sisters The Purple Rose of Cairo Broadway Danny Rose Crimes and Misdemeanors Zelig ASIN: B0000004XK Release Date: 1992-05-01

Tracks:

1. In The Mood - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
2. I Double Dare You - Larry Clinton & His Orchestra
3. Opus No.1 - Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
4. Frenesi - Artie Shaw & His Orchestra
5. The Donkey Serenade - Allan Jones
6. Body And Soul - Benny Goodman Trio
7. You And I - Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
8. Remember Pearl Harbor - Swing & Sway
9. That Old Feeling - Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
10. (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
11. Goodbye - Benny Goodman & His Orchestra
12. I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You - Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
13. Lullaby Of Broadway - Richard Himber & His Ritz-Carlton Orchestra
14. American Patrol - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
15. Take The 'A' Train - Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra
16. One, Two, Three, Kick - Xavier Cugat & His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

Intimate gem and a wonderful hommage.......2007-04-30

Giving the enormous genius and extensive Woody Allen's work (one of my Top Five American Directors)it is practically impossible for me to choose a favorite.
Nevertheless, "Radio Days" is Allen's movie that I enjoy the most, based on a pure emotional impulse. Here you find the perfect mix of fun and love: Allen evocative memory of his infancy is treated with such tenderness and understanding, fun and respect, that even not being born or lived in the radio era you ends loving it as the author did.
And that is precisely a great piece of art: the one that correctly connect the audience with the subject depicted.
Everything here works: the superb music selection, the link between music and situations, the mood of every scene, characters and actors, and Allen's own appearance as the narrator.
A masterpiece.

radio days.......2007-03-09

One of the few videos that I can watch over and over. A must see

Beautiful musical landscapes.......2007-01-28

I saw you last night and got that old feeling
When you came in sight I got that old feeling
The moment you came by I felt a thrill
And when you caught my eye
My heart stood still
Once again I seemed to have that old yearning
And I knew the spark of love was still burning
There'll be no new romance for me
It's foolish to start
For that old feeling is still in my heart

The score to Woody Allen's film Radio Days boasts magnificent classic songs and instrumental numbers mostly from the World War 2 era. Each song has a haunting melody to it with a quiet strength; these songs as a track set produce a stunning CD.

The CD begins with swinging big band flavored "In The Mood" by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. The CD then turns into a mood that is even more playful with "I Double Dare You" by Larry Clinton and His Orchestra. "Opus No. 1" by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra follows--these three songs in succession generate a grand slam opening! Excellent!

Other classic instrumentals on this CD include "Frenesi" by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra; "Body And Soul" by The Benny Goodman Trio and "I'm Getting' Sentimental Over You" performed flawlessly by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra. Each instrumental track paints beautiful musical landscapes and each number brings back memories for those of us who lived through those years.

Classic vocal numbers on this CD stun you with their potency. "You And I" by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra opens as an instrumental and when Sinatra joins in his vocals are perfect; Sinatra never sings a superfluous note. SMILES "Remember Pearl Harbor" is equally potent and very patriotic; the lyrics order fighting soldiers to win the war at any cost and to never forget the tragedy of Pearl Harbor. Moreover, Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians impeccably execute "That Old Feeling," a romantic ballad with unforgettable lyrics.

The CD song stack ends with the potent "One, Two, Three, Kick" by Xavier Cugat and His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra. The Cuban beat of this song seduces you to listen more--don't be surprised if you play this entire CD over again because just one listen won't make you sick of these fine numbers the second time around!

The liner notes give the credits for the movie and a list of the songs on the CD. I wanted an essay about the movie and its songs; but that's just not here. This is a minor disappointment.

Unfortunately, a more important disappointment exists. The tracks on the CD have too much surface noise which proves not enough care was given to digitally remaster this wonderful numbers. To be fair, perhaps they remastered these numbers with state of the art equipment in 1987 when they released this CD. They could have re-released this CD with superior remastering equipment over the last twenty years. Unfortunately, I have to take off one star for this to make this a four star review.

Overall, this CD provides not only the music from the movie Radio Days; it also helps us all appreciate the wonderful music from the World War 2 era. I recommend this CD for fans of classic pop vocals. Fans of motion picture soundtracks will be very pleased with this album as well.

Great Music.......2007-01-12

I bought this movie for a friend for Christmas and ended up watching it with them. I'm not a big Woody Allen fan, but the story was very well done and kept me interested. What I really loved was all the music. All around a good movie. Enjoy

This was a gift.......2007-01-12

My friend has raved about this movie. Of course she relates this movie to her growing up years in New York. She has shown it to several of her friends. This was a good choice as a gift for her.

Average customer rating: Dichotomous A Revelation The Great Duke didn't have a clue I'm feelin' this; in terms'a movie scores is' a classic... Pioneering and Perfect

Anatomy of a Murder: From the Soundtrack of the Motion Picture (1959 Film) Duke Ellington Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Swing Jazz | 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 Soundtracks | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Movie Scores | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Man with the Golden Arm Such Sweet Thunder Blues in Orbit Ellington Uptown Black, Brown and Beige ASIN: B00000IMYH Release Date: 1999-04-27

Tracks:

1. Main Title And Anatomy Of A Murder
2. Flirtibird
3. Way Early Subtone
4. Hero To Zero
5. Low Key Lightly
6. Happy Anatomy
7. Midnight Indigo
8. Almost Cried
9. Sunswept Sunday
10. Grace Valse
11. Happy Anatomy
12. Haupe
13. Upper And Outest
14. Anatomy Of A Murder - (bonus track, stereo single)
15. Merrily Rolling Along (Hero To Zero)
16. Sunswept Sunday - (bonus track)
17. Beer Garden - (bonus track, previously unreleased)
18. Happy Anatomy - (bonus track, previously unreleased)
19. Polly - (bonus track, previously unreleased)
20. Polly - (bonus track, previously unreleased, movie stings)
21. Happy Anatomy - (bonus track, previously unreleased, dixieland)
22. More Blues - (bonus track, previously unreleased, P.I. Five)
23. Almost Cried (Flirtibird) - (bonus track, previously unreleased, movie)
24. Anatomy Of A Murder - (bonus track, previously unreleased)
25. Anatomy Of A Murder - (mono single in stereo)
26. Grand Finale, The - (bonus track, previously unreleased)

Amazon.com

"I like playing with music and its relationship to the theater, particularly in the supporting role," Duke Ellington remarked in an audio interview from the reissue of his splendid soundtrack to Otto Preminger's 1959 film, Anatomy of a Murder. "Doing the score for a picture really calls for being along with the action and absorbing all of the atmosphere [of] everything taking place in the picture." But as this CD--which includes 14 alternate takes--shows, the syncopated swing and soul Ellington and his men lay down steal the show. Just as Preminger moves and shapes his actor's characters, Ellington creates musical motifs that bring out the best in his musicians as well as the story line. The orchestra sets the pace with the fanfare-ish "Main Title," with tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves's candlelight tones. Johnny Hodges's upwardly mobile alto-sax cries signify the femme-fatale, hip-swinging rhythms of "Flirtibird," which segues into the finger-snapped "Way Early Subtone," with Russell Procope's cool clarinet. Other standouts include the ballad "Low Key Lightly," costarring Ellington's regal piano and Ray Nance's serenading violin, while "Midnight Indigo" is harmonically haunted by Ellington's crystalline celesta chords, Billy Strayhorn's telepathic piano comping, and Harry Carney's soul-stirring baritone sax. The insightful and authoritative notes by historian Phil Schaap and Wynton Marsalis, along with the alternate and rehearsal takes, give the listener a comprehensive overview into the movie's themes of murder, romance, and intrigue that Duke Ellington so brilliantly augmented and illuminated through jazz improvisation, big-band orchestration, and the blues. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews:

Dichotomous.......2007-02-07

That guy who said this was the closest thing we have to a vernacular American symphony needs to spend more time outside of his comfort zone! I mean, I know we all want to circle the wagons around Duke because of the indignities that such an obvious genius suffered during his lifetime: being called a "petit maitre" by his greatest supporters, having it be questioned whether he was a composer at all! Horrible. But none of this changes the fact that there are radically different levels of excellence on this record - 1) Performance - totally excellent; the Ellington band at the top of their game. 2) melodic writing and scoring - intermittently excellent: Almost Cried/Flirtibird - excellent, I'm Gonna Go Fishing (Main title/Upper and Outest) - excellent. Happy Anatomy - definitely not excellent - in fact quite generic. Clark Terry is great, but that's obvious...3) Sense of continuity and linkage - absolutely not excellent. Henry Mancini's score for Touch of Evil (for example) is ersatz Jazz, OK, agreed. But the flow of it! It's just better than this is. Give it up to Mancini! He may be shlock, but he's a master ! As composition, this is middling Ellington. People who are married to Jazz are just the wrong people to be judging this music. And Wynton says this is the best use of celeste in Jazz? I mean I know we don't like the same things, but compared to Monk's Pannonica????? We're not doing Ellington's legacy any favors by calling this a masterpiece.

A Revelation.......2004-11-23

While I am no great fan of Duke Ellington's music, especially the stuff he created after 1950-52, this album is a jewel. It expanded the definition of what musical soundtracks might be, and it did so with such deep feeling, style and creativity, I can't imagine anyone grousing at this 75:00+ program of superb big- and small-ensemble jazz. It synthesizes blues, be-bop and abstract classical on a very profound level.

Other writers on this page have mentioned the musicians on the disk , but I want to mention the ways in which this composer and his ensemble created ambiance in a very tense, erotic and ambiguous motion picture. It's just what the doctor ordered.

Except for the Main Title, which sounds harshly strident to my ear, the remastering of this material wants for nothing. It is rich, deep and full, and plays well on a system with "flat," natural, output.

ANATOMY OF A MURDER marked the end of an era in which the real action of movie mysteries was implicit and ambiguous, in which the audience was called upon to actually THINK. What Jimmy Stewart, Ben Gazarra and Lee Remick brought to this project will last a lot longer than I will. But what Ellington's music did to amplify their superb performances is exceptional.

For the price of a big-city martini, you get your perennial warm-up. Five stars for a job well done.

The Great Duke didn't have a clue.......2004-03-18

One wants to be kind to this album -- this is, after all, the Great Duke, the Wizard of Jazz -- but in the end one thinks of what the critic Terry Teachout has said about jazz film scores: they're "like TV," too small-scale, too cheap, too familiar. "Anatomy of a Murder" is not a bad big-band album, though one pines for Duke's melodic viruosity of yore; but he was in his Grandeur phase by now, grinding out tuneless tone poems, treating concert halls as lecture halls, and generally noodling big time. Besides, when it came to composing a film score Duke didn't have a clue. It's one thing to write themes -- "Anatomy" is full of themes -- but it's another to write compelling music with a dramatic flow, and though the jazz buff may wince at Max Steiner and Alfred Newman ("Rachmaninoff!" as they used to sneer, before they learned Rocky was pretty good himself), you can't get the main titles of "A Stolen Life" or "The Bravados" ever out of your head, or your heart, while the Duke's chords are instantly forgettable.

More's the pity as this third-rate soundtrack is a first-rate album, a generous 76 minutes with excellent sound and some most interesting extra takes spiced with Duke's promo-disc platitudes, dialogue elements and Ot-to Prrrreminger. ("You've just been ginned, lieutenant!" "Grrrrin, be happy.") But even the ace producer Phil Schaap, that brilliant reconstructor of the Newport concert, couldn't heat up Mr. Freeze, and he ends the show with the sound of strangling and flatted-fifths. Not one of jazz' finest hours.

I'm feelin' this; in terms'a movie scores is' a classic..........2003-05-25

After watching the movie (which is a classic!) an' noticin' Duke Ellington's name in the credits as havin' composed the score, I knew I hadda get my hands on this. I'm sumpin' of a jazz-head an' Ellington's compositions are straight from heaven, the stuff dreams are made of. Although I like his more relaxed stuff, this is some good big band arrangements; comin' outta that "crime jazz" vein like previous reviewers mentioned. It works best to me, because of the hint of danger behind even the more seductive an' playful pieces on the whole album.

If you're jus' gettin' into the Duke's work, then this album should NOT be sumpin' you'd rush out an' get, but if you get deep enough into his work is' sumpin' of an essential. On the other hand, if you're a fan'a movie scores ('specially classix ones) then this IS sumpin' you'll wanna rush out an' get, 'cause is' a classic in that respects.

Pioneering and Perfect.......2002-10-14

While Elmer Bernstein is usually given credit for inventing the subgenre of the "crime jazz" soundtrack for Otto Preminger's 1955 film noir "The Man With the Golden Arm," Bernstein's score more or less stayed with the convention of wedding the music directly to the emotional import of the action onscreen. While he wrote some strong and visceral themes, and opened up a previously untapped genre (jazz) to the movies, Bernstein's score relies too heavily on one main theme, and lacks the cohesion of his later efforts. In 1958, Orson Welles hired composer Henry Mancini to write the score for his own noir thriller, "Touch of Evil," and Mancini's soundtrack really took the "crime jazz" soundtrack into previously uncharted territory, as Welles incorporated the soundtrack into the movie more as background music and raucous street noise than classic underscoring.

But it was with Preminger's 1959 courtroom drama "Anatomy of a Murder" that the "crime jazz" soundtrack really came to its full fruition. Whereas Bernstein and Mancini were classically-trained movie composers writing in the jazz genre, Ellington was one of jazz's true elder statesman, who had a refined interest in the classics, and his soundtrack for "Anatomy" is the most consummate of all jazz soundtracks, looking forward to Quincy Jones' backbeat scores. What Ellington brings at long last to the fore is the element of improvisation, which really gives the soundtrack an unpredictable bounce that works wonderfully vis-a-vis Wendell Mayes' unpredictable screenplay.

There are a number of listeners that regard Ellington as a fish out of water for this soundtrack, which they regard as a "nice attempt." I disagree, entirely: Ellington's dynamic orchestrations, economical use of themes and varied moods represent some of his best output, and although there is a hip, urbane sound to his big band/swing numbers, his sad songs are among the saddest sounds in all movies, even rivalling Bernard Herrmann's dark scoring. There is a bottomless pit of sorrow in his quiet blues numbers that ring true and resonate with the listener in the most bitter, sanguinary, way.

Columbia's reissuing packaging remains faithful to the original cover/label art and there are plenty of alternate takes and concurrent issues on this disc as a bonus. Ellington's commentary at the end gives further insight into the soundtrack, the movie itself, and his musical ideas. His voice is as musical as his numbers, very refined, gentlemanly and impassioned.

Music Album:

1. Blue Kentucky Girl
2. Bruce Robison
3. Cadillac Jack's #1 Son
4. Castles in the Sand//Hello in There Plus [Import]
5. Classic Country: The '80s
6. Clawhammer Banjo, Vol. 2
7. Comfort of Her Wings
8. Country Music Hall of Fame Series
9. Countryman (Alternate Clean Cover) (Edco) (Dig)
10. Daddy's Hands

Music Album