Bikini [Import]

Product Description
Japanese Version featuring a Bonus Track: Tout (Pizzicato Five Mix).

Bikini,Helena Nogukrra,Wea Japan,Int'l & World Music,Pop

Average customer rating: YOU ARE YOUR OWN WORST ENEMY Do not reject this album We are turning cursive letters into knives Reject all american The Last Pogo

Reject All American Bikini Kill Manufacturer: Kill Rock Stars ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Riot Grrl | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Indie & Lo Fi | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: This Island Bricks Are Heavy Gato Negro The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum Le Tigre ASIN: B00000373N Release Date: 1996-04-05

Tracks:

1. Statement Of Vindication
2. Capri pants
3. Jet Ski
4. Distinct Complicity
5. False Start
6. R.I.P.
7. No Backrub
8. Bloody Ice Cream
9. For Only
10. Tony Randall
11. Reject All American
12. Finale

Amazon.com

With three years since their last album, Pussy Whipped, and only a few 7-inch singles in the meantime, Bikini Kill had loads of time to become a band that stands on its own merits. Reject All American, their 1996 sophomore release, reveals a refined punk band with increased clarity, verified competence, and expanded range. While the band's heart still lies in the sneering brat punk of the Sex Pistols or X-Ray Spex--heard here on thrilling two-minute slices of attitude like "Capri Pants" and "Statement of Vindication"--the band also gives a go at airy alt rock (bassist Kathi Wilcox's jangly "False Start"), classic new wave pop (the title track's Go-Go's chorus), and even drops a trumpet and xylophone into the mix. Still, it's Kathleen Hanna's words and vocals that have matured most and remain the band's primary strength. It's enough to make you proud: Just look at how our little grrrl has grown. --Roni Sarig

Customer Reviews:

YOU ARE YOUR OWN WORST ENEMY.......2006-01-14

This is by far Bikini Kill's poppiest album, and that doesn't mean they've become tame!
I dare not say they have "matured", because their previous statements were powerful and become more true everytime you listen to them. The roar of Pussy Whipped, the prevalescence of DIY and the screech of guitars in CD Version, the stylish Singles, are milestones in the history of punk rock.

The sound of Reject All American is different from any of BKs other work. The breathtaking surfer vibe, the catchy hooks and unfogettable lines Kathleen throws at you. Bikini Kill delivers everything from compelling and tuneful slower numbers (R.I.P, For Only, False Start, Tony Randall), to our beloved fast loud fun political little pieces (Statement of Vindication, Capri Pants, No Backrub--- BEEN PROGRAMMED TO SELF DESTRUCT, Bloody Ice Cream, Finale). There's pop songs like Jet Ski and Reject All American... this album wont' wear out!

Maybe it isn't the "girls with the bad reputation" at their rawest, but they sure as hell are gonna "make you pay" anyways. Tobi's and Kathleen's vocals are as mind blowing as ever, the songwriting is every time more brilliant! only word I can find to describe it.

If you are honestly gonna judge this according to its "poppiness", you lose. Bikini Kill win. They can't lose, they're the real princesses.

My favorite tracks are Statement of Vindication, R.I.P, Jet Ski, No Backrub, Bloody Ice Cream, Distinct Complicity, and Capri Pants

Do not reject this album.......2005-10-20

Postoje samo dva punk beda. Sex Pistols i Bikini Kill.
Sve ostalo sto se svrstava za punk je smesno.
Punk kultura je jedno a punk muzika je nesto sasvim drugo.
Reject All American je jedan od onih albuma koji zasluzuje svaku paznju i pohvalu.

We are turning cursive letters into knives.......2004-08-04

Bikini Kill were one of the original riot grrrl bands in the early '90s. This was their last album, and more polished than their previous works. I think it's an awesome album and a great place to start with Bikini Kill. All the songs are excellent, there is not a single bad song on here. My favorites being 'Statement of Vindication', 'Capri Pants', 'Jet Ski', 'Tony Randall', 'Reject All American', and 'Finale'. Kathleen Hanna's voice takes some warming up to at first, but before you know it you suddenly fall in love with her snotty brat girl voice. I'm really glad I've found out about this band and I wish we had bands like Bikini Kill still around. Female musicians are so overlooked, it's a shame.

Reject all american.......2004-04-06

Back in the mid to late '90s, I was not the goth/industrial loving freak that I am now. I was much more into punk music. I was so anti-establishment. One of my favorite punk albums that has really shaped my disdain for major record labels was "Reject All American" by Bikini Kill. I thought at the time this was the most brilliant cd I had ever heard because Kathleen Hannah and co. totally eschewed mainstream rock aesthetic in terms of playing polished rock music. "Reject All American" was definitely one of the angriest cds I had ever heard. The razor sharp lyrics of Kathleen Hannah resonated with me. And as raw and unpolished the music was, there still was a pop sensibility to the songs. They were all incredibly catchy and melodic just like The Ramones' music was. I especially love the ferociousity of the opening track "Statement of Vindication" and the incredibly infectious "Capri Pants" and the title track. I haven't listened to "Reject All American" in a few years because my musical tastes has evolved over the years but as I am listening to it, I find myself falling in love with the music once again. Sometimes the greatest bands don't always have the longest careers in music, and Bikini Kill is definitely one of them. Bikini Kill was a pure representation to how bands should operate which is totally free of major record label and to forego the typical rock aesthetic and the unspoken rules that goes with being a rock star.

The Last Pogo.......2003-12-31

The product of considerable maturation on the part of the now-defunct Olympia/DC/Olympia Bikini Kill, *Reject All American* was an era-defining record: the last good-faith attempt to recreate the energy of '77 Britain hitting American shores. But Kathleen Hanna's Jam t-shirt in the liner notes might tip the serious observer to the fact this is music with less-than-universal intent. Closely tied as it was to Evergreen State College, the Olympia Riot Grrl sound was a mark of the mentality of educated lower-middle-class youth in the late '90s: far from learning old ways to be young, they were trying work out the contradictions of a cultural "long present" inherited from people one felt to be one's contemporaries.

Whether or not such efforts succeeded, Hanna has succeeded at not being a revivalist and this is some proof: the models for the band's sound are not actually evident, as the influences for the direction of the musical movement were autochtonic rather than mediatized -- the '97 Bikini Kill listener would be thinking of Bratmobile and Sleater-Kinney, rather than Pamela Des Barres or Joan Jett and the Runaways. Has the music stood up well? Yes, and this is a testament to the less-than-total standardization of the American cultural present -- there are really many people who remember this period fondly, and if it's not quite the right attitude for the present feel that this reflects rather badly on the present (no sentiments were harmed in its production). An absolute must-exist, a truly worthwhile purchase.

Average customer rating: changed my taste in music Bikini Kill-cd version of the first two records Does it scare you boy Your world has taught me nothing. we want REVOLUTION!

The CD Version of the First Two Records Bikini Kill Manufacturer: Kill Rock Stars ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Riot Grrl | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Indie & Lo Fi | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Fontanelle Gato Negro This Island Bricks Are Heavy Le Tigre ASIN: B000003726 Release Date: 1994-03-04

Tracks:

1. Double Dare Ya
2. Liar
3. Carnival
4. Suck My Left One
5. Feels Blind
6. Thurston Hearts The Who
7. White Boy
8. This Is Not A Test
9. Don't Need You
10. Jigsaw Youth
11. Resist Psychic Death
12. Rebel Girl
13. Outta Me

Customer Reviews:

changed my taste in music.......2007-02-04

Carnival is one of my favorite Bikini Kill songs and it's simply amazing. A punk rock classic. And so is this band and The CD Version of the First Two Records. Unfortunately, very few have even heard about it nowadays and some who have don't wanna listen to bikini Kill because of all the (false) accusations the band got back in their heyday. Double Dare Ya is an anthem, lyrically and musically. Jigsaw Youth is catchy and raw. White Boy and Suck My Left One brilliant songs with a message. However, one thing on this album bugs me. It's the line in the lyrics of the otherwise great track, Liar, about eating meat. Now, I can understand vegetarians but this is way, way out of line. Still, in the bigger picture, it's a just a blunder, and hopefully not meant in all seriousness. It was after I discovered this album back as a kid and it just blew me away that my musical horizons broadened drastically (before Bikini Kill, I used to concentrate mostly on mainstream). So for me, it has a sentimental value of a sort but, really, it is a great offering from one of the bands that kept punk from dying throughout the 90s.

Bikini Kill-cd version of the first two records.......2007-01-09

I purchased this as a gift for someone else. As far as delivery and being in stock, excellent job. The person I purchased it for thoroughly enjoys it. Thanks!

Does it scare you boy.......2005-12-07

You don't have to be a feminist to enjoy this. It's about having the guts to stand up for what you believe in and never letting people trample over you. Be the thorn in their foot that makes them so sorry they tried. Bikini Kill has 4 albums and this is the best, even though they are all amazingly wonderful.

~The Songs~

1. Double Dare Ya- a very feminist start, "dare you to be want you want"

2. Liar- "you profit from the lie" in your face angry

3. Carnival- I love kathleen's voice, angry and powerful, this song makes me want to ride on the ferris wheel

4. Suck My Left One- the title speaks for itself, pretty sick to think some dads really act this way

5. Feels Blind- a little toned down, but only enough to prove kathleen's voice can be pretty too

6. Thurston Hearts the Who- this is a dumb song, they should have left it off the album

7. White boy- "white boy, don't cry, just die" if you are mad at a guy, Bikini Kill is the music to play

8. This in Not a Test- alright song

9. Don't Need You- play him this song and feed him cyanide

10. Jigsaw Youth- deep lyrics, the article is good too

11. Resist Psychic Death- ok

12. Rebel Girl- this song is on 3 of their 4 albums b/c it's a VERY good song, but this version is a little drunken. maybe that's why it's crossed out on the listing. the versions on "Pussywhipped" and "Singles" are much better

13. Outta Me- beautiful ending song, different from the rest of the album

Your world has taught me nothing........2004-10-08

I'm not sure if these are the first two records that started riot grrrl, but I do know it did have a major influence on the scene. For those who don't know, riot grrrl (also spelled as just riot grrl) is a form of hardcore punk rock music, with militant feminist lyrics. It began and then died (having gotten unwanted attention from the media) in the early '90s. The record first starts off with 'Double Dare Ya' an urge for women to take control of their equal rights, which has one of my favorite lines 'Gotta listen to what the Man says/time to make his stomach burn'. 'Liar' is a song that attacks rapists and also mocks the typical redneck macho man (eat meat/hate blacks/beat your f*cking wife/it's all the same thing). 'Carnival' is an interesting song with its skipping drumbeat, while 'Thurston Hearts The Who' has Tobi reading a negative review which puts down the band, while Kathleen mocks the reviewer. 'White Boy' is another song which deals with rape, and 'Don't Need You' is a powerful feminist anthem. The CD closes with 'Outta Me' which sounds almost like a slow and sad '60s pop song. A striking contrast compared to the other songs. Included in the CD booklet is political essay written by Kathleen. Great CD, if you feel like there is a lack of feminist perspective in music nowadays, definately pick this up.

we want REVOLUTION!.......2003-08-01

K, so BK is my favorite band so obviously I won't be too hard on them. This is probably my second favorite CD of theirs, I do prefer "Pussywhipped" but this one is great too. A lot more aggressive than later releases and more catchy songs.

1) Double Dare Ya- pretty good... eh, not much to say about that
2) Liar- EXCELLENT punky song, don't know about the random screaming that happens later in the track though
3) Carnival- very neat song, interesting drumbeat
4) Suck My Left One- MARVELLOUS!
5) Feels Blind- AHHHHHHH I HATE THIS SONG! i skip it every time
6) Thurston Hearts...- a lot of people don't like this song, but i think it's funny... they basically make fun of a reviewer who was making fun of them
7) White Boy- really good song, good message
8) This is Not a Test- kinda repetitive..mediocre
9) Don't Need You- righteous ... power anthem
10) Jigsaw Youth- this song kinda bugs me
11) Resist Psychic Death- uh... what the hell is this song?
12) Rebel Girl- the worst rendition of this song ever! come on Kathleen, what were you thinking?
13) Outta Me- not very special

so there you have it, my wonderful unwanted, unrequested thoughts on this album. g'night.

Average customer rating: My favorite punk album of the 90s Feminism musically expressed mid 90's. A masterpiece. Feminism Is Still Relevant and Important I'll scratch out yr eyes! Kathleen Hannah is Angry

Pussy Whipped Bikini Kill Manufacturer: Kill Rock Stars ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Riot Grrl | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Indie & Lo Fi | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Fontanelle This Island Gato Negro Bricks Are Heavy Hungry for Stink ASIN: B00000372H Release Date: 1993-10-29

Tracks:

1. Blood One
2. Alien She
3. Magnet
4. Speed Heart
5. Lil Red
6. Tell Me So
7. Sugar
8. Star Bellied Boy
9. Hamster Baby
10. Rebel Girl
11. Star Fish
12. For Tammy Rea

Amazon.com

Though peers such as Hole's Courtney Love and Babes in Toyland's Kat Bjelland became more famous, no riot grrrl screamed with as much emotional force as Kathleen Hanna. Though it's frequently difficult to hear what she's saying, especially above the glorious din of Billy Karren's fierce guitar, Hanna declares herself a "self-fulfilling porno queen" on "Sugar," and threatens to "scratch out your eyes" with her "long red nails" in "Lil Red." The quartet's relentless hardcore is straight from the Dead Kennedys school, which means it's tough to take in large doses when you're in a reflective mood, but 1993's Pussy Whipped is one of the great punk albums of the '90s. --Steve Knopper

Customer Reviews:

My favorite punk album of the 90s.......2007-02-04

Pussy Whipped is an amazing album. For me, it is the best of riot-grrrl. The sonic assault is awesome and evokes hardcore, the tunes catchy as hell and the lyrics sharp and fun (though sometimes a little difficult to hear). Kathleen Hannah's voice can both screech and sing, and it all sounds great. This is real punk, so that not even purists who care a lot about such categories could complain about it. I agree with Bikini Kill's message, but that's whole different thing. This album is cream of the crop on terms of MUSIC. The only fault I can think of is how short it is, but then again, that's the case with a lot of great punk albums...

Feminism musically expressed mid 90's. A masterpiece........2006-01-02

Ordinarily I don't write a review when there's already over 5 or so reviews. But, I can't help myself here. I made a 60 minute tape of this, the first split album and their other short album along with the Peel 7". I left off about 3 songs altogether. It made for one swingin' tape.

It wasn't till I was playing this CD in my car (keeps peace at home), loud, of course, that I realized this album is one of the few I've heard over 30 years that is just excellent from beginning to end.

Of course, they have their biggest hit single, or, if we had real radio stations, it would have been, 'Rebel Girl', just aching to be enjoyed by the masses but it'll never be. Instead, its up to those of us, like you folks looking them up on amazon.com, who get to track down their music and dig that high quality sound.

Inventors of riot grrl, 90's version (from what I can tell). I heard about 20 other riot grrl bands and none of them had the consistency and overall quality of BIKINI KILL. It's a mix of, as ever with any great band, very strong song writing and, in this case, intense lead vocals and winning lyrics. Carrying on with the noble punk tradition of not having records full of sappy love songs, these 3 ladies and a guy pack the lyrics with a full punch letting us know that feminist issues have not disappeared, without the band actually going out and obtaining a feminist membership card.

If only the YEASTIE GIRLZ had done as many records as BIKINI KILL did. Never heard of 'em? They only did a tape and a 7". Acappela 3 gals from Bay Area around mid 80's. Lovely. Similar lyrics and musically potent too, tho hard to really tell since, as I recall, they didn't use any instruments but their voices. Still, the songs were great.

If you only get one BIKINI KILL record, this is it. Reject All American has about 2 great songs, CD of their first 2 albums is about half brilliant songs. This release here is 100% pure pleasure. You know someone's angry here. chrisbct@hotmail.com

Feminism Is Still Relevant and Important.......2005-09-23

This album speaks to a cause, and this type of music usually ends up preaching to the choir, but so what the choir needs sermons too. Anyone who has felt the inside incinerating frustration that comes from being aware of the injustice to the "other" (all non white heterosexual males) inherent in most practiced western ideologies will smile at the angry irony in the tiny "cute" voice with which Kathleen Hanna delivers her biting testimonies of "otherness". There is a certain catharsis in this musical project which renders it inarticulate. The lyrics aren't all that eloquent, however, if you listen close you might notice they're pretty well read. Most people spend a lot more time with Michael Crichton than they do any theorist, but not Ms. Hanna. Musically the songs are energizing, melodies brewed according to a pretty standard punk formula. Unfortunately for you, Bikini Kill (now defunct)were probably at their best live. Live they could express themselves through action as well as music. Typically, Kathleen Hanna would remove an article of clothing at some point during the show, like her skirt, and state that her "big" ass adorned with cellulite and unflattering underwear was a "real ass" unlike that of say a playboy centerfold whose so air brushed she might as well be wearing clothes. A record can't compete with the way an action like that drives the message home. Feminism is still important. Those who believe riot grrls (however you want to call them or spell it) are redundant or unnecessary have been tricked. The power structure (which has not changed since the '60's) wants you to believe that it has reformed itself, and legally, technically it has. Laws are in place, and women in Illinois make 73 cents on every dollar a man does. Fair? Women have nothing to complain about? No, they shouldn't be complaining. What the are they doing out of the kitchen?

I'll scratch out yr eyes!.......2005-09-06

This is one of the best female albums I've ever heard!! I got their tape from a friend, and I listened to it and fell in love. The best songs are probably Speed Heart, Rebel Girl, and Lil Red. The screaming is rad, because they don't even try to sound cool or anything, they just plain scream. I love it!! I'll probably buy it on CD though, because tapes are smelly and annoying. But anyways, GO BUY IT!!

Kathleen Hannah is Angry.......2004-07-19

First of all, this CD is awesome. The whole feminist drive is amazing. I just have to say I read reviews for it and how they are pushing the feminist movement too far. I know that they dont stand for rape or whatever, but for not needing a man to tell you you're pretty or what have you. And on a second note, Kathleen Hannah is angry, she sings that way and it rules.

Average customer rating: I believe in the radical possibilities of pleasure, babe A brief look at SPIN's editorial review of THE SINGLES Sweetly corrosive the singles BK's neatest

The Singles Bikini Kill Manufacturer: Kill Rock Stars ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Riot Grrl | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Indie & Lo Fi | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Fontanelle This Island Bricks Are Heavy Gato Negro The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum ASIN: B0000064AF Release Date: 1998-06-23

Tracks:

1. New Radio
2. Rebel Girl
3. Demirep
4. In Accordance To Natural Law
5. Strawberry Julius
6. Anti-Pleasure Dissertation
7. Rah! Rah! Replica
8. I Like Fucking
9. I Hate Danger
10. Bonus Track 1

Album Description

Features all 9 songs from the three 7 inch singles the riot grrrl trio cut for Kill Rock Stars, including the Joan Jett produced 'New Radio' and 'Dissertation' & 'I Like Fucking'.

Customer Reviews:

I believe in the radical possibilities of pleasure, babe.......2004-08-22

Bikini Kill were a phenomenal band, too bad they aren't around anymore. Kathleen Hanna screams about what it's like to be a woman; the pain, anger, and frusteration. She is bold, blunt, and doesn't hold anything back. 'I Like F*cking' is possibly one of the best feminist songs ever written. All the other songs are excellent and I can't pick standouts because they're ALL standouts. Especially recommended to teenage girls.

A brief look at SPIN's editorial review of THE SINGLES.......2002-12-02

I'm really only writing this review for the sake of pointing out how ...SPIN magazine is - often criticized by the band for it's superficial reporting of the punk underground, we find that the dumb ...can't even review a CD properly...right on the main Amazon.com listing for this album, SPIN describes the CD:

"The Singles boils down the band's brief career into a package as compact and abrasive as a scouring pad."

No, THE SINGLES is not a career retrospective. Bikini Kill was not a major-label band that put out albums and then promoted them with radio-ready single releases plucked from it's core. Their 7" 'singles' were completely original, previously unreleased work crammed onto 45 rpm vinyl. For a long time, these nine songs were only available to those with turntables, but after the band broke up Kill Rock Stars put that material out as _The Singles_ on CD and cassette. But it's obvious SPIN did little more than look at the albums cover before writing up that short, misinformed and completely useless review (the songs here are never described, the writer merely throws out adjectives commonly used to describe the band's sound and other cute wordplay).

Anyway, this is a really good collection of some of the bands best work, but only the song REBEL GIRL is also available on their albums, which are well worth owning.

Sweetly corrosive.......2002-06-18

This is probably the B-K CD I listen to most (if "Feels Blind" and especially "Outta Me" were on it, i might hardly ever listen to anything else--by anyone...). From the beginning (the Joan Jett produced troika "New Radio", "Rebel Girl"--the best verson--, and "Demi Rep", my personal favourite, to the end, it's an astonishing experience, you really get the feeling that this band is composed of ferociously tender people, with alot on their minds, and enough of a sense of humour to avoid becoming annoying about it. No one who was alive in the nineties should go another minute into the twenty-first century without hearing this...

the singles.......2002-03-05

The Singles is my favorite Bikini Kill record because it represents perfectly feminist issues, personal struggle--and Joan Jett and Kathleen Hanna playing "Miss Mary Mack" doesn't hurt either. The Singles is what teenage girls would write if teenagers wrote really, really great things. Juvenile sex exploits and childhood abuse are written with a maturity that seems almost contradictory to the shocking accuracy with which these abuses are portrayed. The songs are written in blood with an emotional cord that plugs right into yr gut. It's experiences that all girls have gone through, only written so that everyone can understand.

BK's neatest.......2002-01-08

Yes, it's not the raw BK you heard on Pussywhipped, it's more like the polished rock of 'Reject All-American' - but better. Joan Jett lends her great voice, guitar-work and production to a few tracks. Yet another version of 'Rebel Girl' is here as well, but this might be the best of them all. If you were unfortunate enough to have missed the 7" where these songs debuted, this is an essential catch-up.

Average customer rating: (Generally) Good Performances, Bad Editing Pretty good live Stones, but it could have been better A Stiff And (Mostly) Uninteresting Live Album Live Licks; Best Since "Ya Ya's" Muffled Old Men

Live Licks (bikini cover) The Rolling Stones Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us 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 General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Supergroups | Classic Rock | Styles | Music General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: No Security Still Life Stripped Love You Live Flashpoint ASIN: B00064VQD0 Release Date: 2004-11-02

Tracks:

1. Brown Sugar
2. Street Fighting Man
3. Paint It, Black
4. You Can't Always Get What You Want
5. Start Me Up
6. It's Only Rock n' Roll
7. Angie
8. Honky Tonk Women
9. Happy
10. Gimme Shelter
11. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

Tracks:

1. Neighbours
2. Monkey Man
3. Rocks Off
4. Can't You Hear Me Knocking
5. That's How Strong My Love Is
6. The Nearness Of You
7. Beast Of Burden
8. When The Whip Comes Down
9. Rock Me, Baby
10. You Don't Have To Mean It
11. Worried About You
12. Everybody Needs Somebody To Love

Amazon.com

The Rolling Stones have built themselves a fine conundrum with this double-disc anthology culled from performances on their 40th Anniversary tour of 2002-03, releasing arguably their most comprehensive and compelling live recording at a moment in history when it seems to matter least. The Stones' by now overwhelming spate of live albums has consistently been the most disappointing part of their considerable oeuvre, but the band--particularly the chunky/bluesy twin guitar locomotion of Keith Richards and Ron Wood--are in a form here that rivals the halcyon touring behind Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street. Befitting this tour's anniversary aims, they tackle material that ranges from their original Brit Invasion roots ("Satisfaction," "Paint It Black") through 70's superstardom (with Sheryl Crow guesting on "Honky Tonky Women") and a middle-age that was anything but staid. Disc two is largely given over to paying energetic, loving tribute to roots heroes like B.B. King ("Rock Me, Baby"), Otis Redding ("That's How Strong My Love Is") and even Hoagy Carmichael (Richards' raggedly sweet "The Nearness of You"), concluding the show with Mick Jagger's voice triumphantly being joined by soul legend Solomon Burke on a buoyant, gospel-fervent version of his "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love." --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

(Generally) Good Performances, Bad Editing.......2006-03-21

Although this set contains too many of the same old songs, the Stones play them quite well. However, botched editing marred what could have been a memorable live album. "Rocks Off" is a prime example: Jagger badly muffs the lyrics, and the problem is compounded by the amateurish editing. It seems that it would have been better to have eliminated this cut, if a better version could not be found. Also, do we really need Sheryl Crow on "Honky Tonk Women"? I don't buy Stones albums to hear Sheryl Crow. Further, why is Keith Richards singing "The Nearness of You"? This song just doesn't fit in a Stones set. Aside from the less-than-careful song selection and dreadful editing, there are a few worthy moments here; unfortunately, there just aren't enough of them to justify buying this album. There are bootlegs which are far superior to this.

Pretty good live Stones, but it could have been better.......2005-08-11

This is a pretty good live album. I've seen some people complain about the sound, but it's not that bad, it's just not truly great, and that goes for the album itself as well I suppose.

If you don't own any live Stones, you won't mind the fact that songs like "Start Me Up", "Street Fighting Man", "Honky Tonk Women" and "Satisfaction" have been available live for a long time and on several different albums. And if you do, well, then you're probably considering to buy this album because of disc two, which features a dozen rarely heard songs which have never appeared live before.

Now, I don't know why these rarities have to be compiled on a disc of their own...I would have preferred them to be mixed in with the old warhorses on disc one. But that's the way things are, and it's nice to have them.
Disc one is highlighted by powerful renditions of "Paint It Black" and "Street Fighting Man", and disc two features a really good, bluesy "Monkey Man" and a wonderful take on the classic blues "Rock Me Baby". "Brown Sugar" is alright, too, and I'm sure it was very provocative and exciting thirty years ago when Jagger first changed the line "like a young girl should" into "like a young man should". I'm kinda tired of it by now, though.

Sir Michael Jagger is actually the main reason why I've given this album only three stars. His vocals are frequently sloppy and unfocused, and while I expect that from Keith Richards, Jagger used to be a better singer than this. Perhaps he still is, but "Live Licks" is not his finest hour. He is not terrible, but he is also very rarely great, and I hate that annoying faux-country slur of his.

Still, it's good to hear the 60s soul cover "That's How Strong My Love Is" and the driving (if slightly ragged) "Rocks Off". And of course one of my personal "cult" favorites, Keith Richards' swinging reggae-number "You Don't Have To Mean It".
The band is really good, too, as tight as a 13-man combo can be. "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out" and "Love You Live" remain the best live Stones albums in my book, but dedicated fans should find something to like here as well. One hour and fifty minutes of music on a double live album from a 43-year-old band is a bit stingy, though...they could've found room for another ten songs.

"Live Licks" is a decent album, but if you really want the taste of the Stones' "Licks" tour, go for the DVD set "Four Flicks". Yeah, it's kinda expensive, but it is so much better...and it has Keith Richards' wonderful performance of "Slipping Away" from London's Twickenham Stadium, one of the highlights of the entire tour.

A Stiff And (Mostly) Uninteresting Live Album.......2005-05-14

One listen to "Live Licks" will instantly wipe away any memory of "Get Yer Ya - Ya's Out", "Love You Live", "Flashpoint" and "Stripped - and not in a good way. "Live Licks" is a blah document of easily the Stones' best tour in history.

This two disc set contains of 23 tracks. Given the wealth of material performed on this tour (and the amount of room left on both discs), this album could have included 45 tracks. But we're stuck with these forgettable moments of sound.

Disc one has the band basically sleepwalking their way through big hits like "Brown Sugar" and "Start Me Up". Honestly, there are times on this record where their performances recall the drugged out 1980 and 1981 tours, arguably their worst. Keith is still the guitar wizard he is known to be, but he wastes his talents here. The rest of the band isn't much better, either. Mick stumbles through half the songs. The only salvagable performances on the record are "Street Fighting Man" and "Happy".

Disc two is little better. However, I will admit that the producers made excellent choices by including "When The Whip Comes Down" and "Can't You Hear Me Knocking". However, the rest of this disc averages about the same as the first disc.

This is really a sad representation. It doesn't feel like a real concert. The worst thing is that neither "Sympathy For The Devil" or "Jumpin' Jack Flash" - easily the two most exciting songs in any Stones concert - are included. Also, "Tumblin' Dice", "Miss You" and "You Got Me Rocking", three big hits and concert highlights, are absent, as well as the many little known gems revived during the tour - "Star Star", "Let It Bleed", "Bitch", "Live With Me" and especially "Midnight Rambler" should have all been included. In my opinion, what they should have done was release a concert of the January 18th, 2003 concert at Madison Square Garden that was on HBO - I was there - on cd. That would have made for a great live album. That show was one of their best ever.

This is a dirty shame. Hopefully, their next live album will be better.

Live Licks; Best Since "Ya Ya's".......2005-01-30

Just ignore all the negative reviews of "Live Licks". A little history is required to fully appreciate what this album represents. When "Get Yer Ya Ya's Out" came out in 1970, it showcased a band that could turn in spectacular performances that were both rocking and professional. In a sense, the Stones jinxed themselves with that release because we now know it was heavily doctored with studio overdubs. Just compare the songs on the album to the way they sound on the film, "Gimme Shelter" or bootlegs from that period. The band really didn't sound that good. Therefore, when they followed up with more honest, undoctored live albums like "Love You Live", and "Still Life", people compared them to "Ya Ya's" as if they'd slipped when that was really how they sounded all along.

Now, after 40 years on the road, The Rollings Stones have documented proof that they've truly evolved into the band people believed they were in 1969. The sound is hard and bright; the performances are passionate, human, yet totaly professional. True, there are some repeats on disc one, but you won't find better renditions of "Street Fighting Man", "Paint it Black", "It's Only Rock and Roll", and many others. Disc two is a treasure with obscure tunes that most Stones fans have been drooling to have official live versions of for years. For those who just don't "get it", it's like Keith says, "Ya gotta be there." Having attended actual Stones concerts since the mid seventies, I can tell you that the sloppines of "Love You Live" or "Still Life" truly represents the band's sound at that time. Having been blown away by the greatness I witnessed on their 2002 Licks Tour, I can tell you that "Live "Licks" is a brilliant tribute to a band that has achieved true greatness after all these years. If this album doesn't move you, you're just not into what The Rolling Stones live are all about.

Muffled Old Men.......2005-01-29

You can almost hear their shawls blowing in the wind on some of the songs. I'm a died in the wool Stones fan. I have everything. But this is far from their best effort. It sounds muddier than some bootlegs. The playing is poor and the energy - the boys need some Geritol! You can hear Mick running out of breath on Rocks Off. Everything Stripped was, this isn't. While it is nice to get some of the more obscure songs, this is for only real fans. There are plenty of other better examples of how great the Stones are live.

Average customer rating: Revelatory reissue of teen idol's latter-day artistic triumph

Brian Hyland Brian Hyland Manufacturer: Hip-O Select ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Teen Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Stay and Love Me All Summer Hits & Rarities ASIN: B000BQORXO Release Date: 2006-12-01

Tracks:

1. Maria/Somewhere
2. Lonely Teardrops
3. On the East Side
4. Lorrayne
5. Mail Order Gun
6. Thrill Is Gone
7. Gypsy Woman
8. I'm Without You
9. Slow Down
10. Drivin' Me Crazy
11. You and Me

Product Description

Brian Hyland got his first taste of stardom while still a sophomore in high school; his chart-topping hit, Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini, has been a staple of novelty compilations for nearly 40 years. As he reached his latter teen years, Hyland morphed into the Bobby Vee/Bobby Vinton/Gene Pitney teen idol mold popular at the time and connected with a classic girlfriend leaving for the summer pop song, Sealed With A Kiss. By 1970, at the age of 27, Hyland was already on his sixth label, Uni. He enlisted fellow former teen idol Del Shannon to make a more mature record than he had in the past, entitled simply Brian Hyland. The musical breadth of the album is quite remarkable; opening with the Sondheim/Bernstein song Maria from West Side Story, then making an immediate segue into a cover of Jackie Wilsons Lonely Teardrops. The album also featured covers of Larry Williams Slow Down (later popularized by the Beatles) and what ultimately became B. B. Kings signature tune, The Thrill Is Gone. But it was a Curtis Mayfield-penned hit for the Impressions from 1961 that was the albums centerpiece: Gypsy Woman. The Hyland cover hit #3, seventeen notches higher than the original. Hyland and Shannon teamed up to write about half the album, but only two songs managed to break into the Hot 100 and they were both covers. They were also his last two entries into the pop charts.

Customer Reviews:

Revelatory reissue of teen idol's latter-day artistic triumph.......2006-11-22

Those who know Hyland's work probably remember this album's #3 charting single, "Gypsy Woman"; others will peg him for his 1960 novelty "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," or his classic 1962 long-summer hit "Sealed With a Kiss." All three provide elements of Hyland's sound - playful, melodic and dramatic - but none fully prepare you for the brilliance of this 1970 come-back LP.

With fellow pop master Del Shannon in the producer's chair, Hyland sang a superbly selected set of covers and originals. The opening medley from Westside Story is turned from show tune to soul-searching adult-contemporary pop, with drums, bass and piano in front of a compelling string arrangement. Hyland is surprisingly effective as a blue-eyed soul singer on Jackie Wilson's "Lonely Teardrops," and with the help of a fuzz-guitar, Larry Williams' "Slow Down" is turned into a credible blues-rock shout.

Hyland is a gifted artist - much more gifted than his hit singles revealed - able to marry the qualities of his voice to the demands of his material. His version of "The Thrill is Gone" won't make you forget B.B. King, but neither will it have you fast-forwarding to the next track, and his hit rendition of Curtis Mayfield's "Gypsy Woman" perfectly modernizes the Impressions original into early-70s soul. Shannon's arrangements follow suit, cannily melding a pure-pop background into the songs' own structures.

Hyland and Shannon's originals are just as good as the covers, winningly mixing bass-guitar-and-drums with organ, strings and horns. "On the East Side" and "I'm Without You" show influences of the Hollies and Zombies, as well as the production-pop sounds of California. "Drivin' Me Crazy" has a fuzz-guitar underlining the vocal longing and McCartney-esque bass, and Hyland's folky song of suicide, "Mail Order Gun," brings to mind Paul Simon's early "A Most Peculiar Man."

Hip-O Select's reissue reproduces the album's original eleven tracks, and houses the CD in a slightly-oversized mini-LP cover preproduction. Sound is excellent, but the lack of new liner notes explaining the circumstances and fate of this LP is disappointing. Pop fans should snap this up while you can still find it, as the reissue was limited to 5000 copies - you'll kick yourself for missing it a second time! [©2006 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

Average customer rating: A Swinger's Soundtrack

Easy Tempo, Vol. 7: Bikini Beat Various Artists Manufacturer: Easy Tempo ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Lounge | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: Beat at Cinecitta, Vol. 3 Music for TV Dinners Beat at Cinecitta, Vol. 2 The In-Kraut: Hip Shaking Grooves Made in Germany 1966-1974 Vol. 10-Retro Active ASIN: B00002846J Release Date: 1998-08-23

Tracks:

1. Malizie Di Venere - Gian Piero Reverberi
2. Teresa L'Illusa - Riz Ortolani
3. Abigaille - Piero Piccioni
4. Spy Chase - Bruno Nicolai
5. Decisione - Armando Trojavoli
6. Airport Rock - G. Barigozzi Group
7. Lombard Street - Riz Ortolani
8. Shake 2000 - Piero Piccioni
9. Amanda Blues - Gianni Ferrio
10. Il Profeta - Armando Trovajoli
11. Topless Party - Piero Umiliani
12. Ti Ho Sposato Per Allegria - Piero Piccioni
13. La Bambolona - Luis Bacalov
14. Theme (Shake) - Armando Trovajoli
15. Il Dovorzio - Fred Bongusto
16. Katmanou - Piero Piccioni
17. Un Detective - Fred Bongusto
18. Ursula Shake - Piero Piccioni
19. FMB Shake - Armando Trovajoli

Album Description

Seventh installment in this series of easy listening groovesfrom Italy in the '60s & '70s. Devoted to shake music fromsoundtracks to bikini films of the day, it contains 19 gems,including 'Spy Chase', 'Topless Party', 'Katmandu' and'Amanda Blues'. 1998 Right Tempo release.

Customer Reviews:

A Swinger's Soundtrack.......2000-06-15

In my view, the best of the Easy Tempo series. An outstanding collection of funky/phychedelic tunes from Italian B-movie soundtracks. The songs chosen cover the period from 1966 to 1975, but all share a go-go beat and a sexy undertone. This collection has a heavier 'rock' influence than others in the series, but this in no way detracts from its lounge-appeal.

Dripping with Lalo Schifrin references and riffs stolen from 1960s rock classics, the songs conjure up images of a swinging pre-disco party scene. The perfect CD to unwind to after a tough day, or to play wen you want to turn your home into a mini Playboy mansion - get me Barbi Benton and an ice cold scotch!

Average customer rating: Brings back memories of the summer of 1982 Killer Pussy Risque & Rockin'!! - An Overlooked New Wave Treasure! Bikini Wax Walk! Don't take this album too seriously

Bikini Wax Killer Pussy Manufacturer: Oglio Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD New Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Novelty Music | Comedic Music | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music ASIN: B000001J6H Release Date: 1994-07-19

Tracks:

1. Bikini Wax (Vocal)
2. Boys
3. Pocket Pool
4. Dildo Desire
5. Pepperoni Ice Cream
6. Tomahawks
7. Dial-A-Teen
8. Rockabilly Earwig
9. Toad Hop
10. Moist Towelette
11. Herpes
12. Pump-Rama
13. Teenage Enema Nurses In Bondage
14. Bikini Wax Walk

Customer Reviews:

Brings back memories of the summer of 1982.......2006-07-27

Which is saying something, because I spent most of that hot LA summer mirroring the addled haze of the valley's atmosphere. KROQ ("getting ripped off by dinosaurs")was the voice of god and his angels and Teenage Enema Nurses in Bondage (along with another song whose refrain was "lubricate so i can operate" - can't remember the artist, but want to say King Cotton)was a revelation, an intimation of a new consciousness rising out the drug and smog fueled soul of southern California (much like "mr tamborine man" must have been for those unwashed hairy hippies 17 years earlier). i hope someone reissues this thing on vinyl. SOON.

Killer Pussy.......2003-04-22

It is my belief that everything about this band and this CD is "Killer!" Lucy LaMode is not only way cool...She's way hot. These guys and doll blew into the punk scene and added a dash of avante garde to the vibe, much as Lady Miss Kier would do years later. I remember the day Rodney Bingenheimer of "Rodney On The Rock" back in the good 'ol days of KROQ introduced all of us in the Valley to this much underrated and undiscovered band. Funny how Killer Pussy's music still holds up and inspires people today. Just ask "The Donnas!" Yeah!!!

Risque & Rockin'!! - An Overlooked New Wave Treasure!.......2002-09-11

I just wanted to set the record straight... Killer Pussy was one of the biggest local New Wave bands in Phoenix back in the 80's. Featuring the outlandish costumes and stage exploits of lead chanteuse, Lucy LaMode, they released several independent singles and EP's, but this Bikini Wax LP, originally released on vinyl in 1982, was their defining work. The single, "Teenage Enema Nurses in Bondage", was picked up and played in high rotation as a "signature song" by KROQ in Los Angeles, causing it to be "name-checked" in Bret Easton Ellis' novel "Less Than Zero" which glamorized the fast-living California drug and sex culture in the 80's and was later made into a movie. Killer Pussy played showcase concerts in California and NYC and hobnobbed with a who's who of punk rock and new wave stars back in the day, but never got the recognition and backing they so richly deserved and alas, this recording is all that remains of their legacy. Check out the song titles shown above... killer, boppin' tunes with snotty guitars, new wave keyboards and sexy Betty Boop-style vocals make this a guilty pleasure you won't want to take out of the CD player.

Bikini Wax Walk!.......2002-03-19

Yep. Puerile, juvenile, at turns great fun, at turns lame...eh, er.. Punk. Still, you can beat "Bikini Wax Walk" for a feel-good instrumental piece of genius. It'll have you up and dancing in ten seconds flat. Someone should do a remix or extended version. Click on the audio sample and hear for yourself.

Don't take this album too seriously.......2001-07-10

I have the LP of this recording along with there EP, It's great punk and a bit nasty Too, but there's nothing wrong with that. It's great fun to listen too, so don't that everything so serious

Average customer rating: You'll wear this one out so good it hurts Unbelievable!!

Bikini Pie Fight! Lustra Manufacturer: X. Off ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music ASIN: B00004YRGR Release Date: 2000-10-10

Tracks:

1. Porno Getaway
2. Captain Tito
3. Newbury Window
4. Big Gay Friend
5. Mark Fu
6. My Man Mike
7. Return To Disco Mountain
8. It's All Good
9. Number 9
10. Mountains, Literally Mountains, Of Coke
11. Fingerbang
12. T-22

Customer Reviews:

You'll wear this one out.......2001-04-21

If you like the Pixies and Ned's Atomic Dustbin you'll love Seventeen! These guys get it.

so good it hurts.......2000-10-16

Hard drivingness, fun, scariness, extravagance, and mystery shroud this band like Turin's holy cloak. RFP, LaFour and Circus of George have copied these guys but can't match the fearsomeness of their foursomeness or the ransomness of their handsomeness.

Unbelievable!!.......2000-10-14

Where have these guys been all of my life? After spending the last few years listening to new bands that sound just like the last "big new band" Seventeen is truly a breath of fresh air! The album is full of raw energy, and possibly the most creative lyrics I've ever heard. Add to this the enormous musical and vocal talent and this easily qualifies as the best new album of 2000! I predict screaming women will be tossing undergarments at these gentlemen across the country before 2000 is over!

Average customer rating: On Steve Reich's "Three Tales" Revolutionary experimental music + video by Steve Reich & Beryl Korot 60s leftist rehash mishmash Try again, it's all there and good, I promise Just to Clarify

Three Tales (CD & DVD) Steve Reich , Bradley Lubman , Todd Reynolds , and Beryl Korot Manufacturer: Nonesuch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Reich, Steve | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Electronic | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music | Computer General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Cave Proverb/Nagoya Marimbas/City Life Steve Reich: You Are (Variations) Reich: Tehillim / The Desert Music Louis Andriessen: Writing to Vermeer ASIN: B0000AN4F5 Release Date: 2003-08-19

Tracks:

1. Untitled
2. Untitled
3. Untitled
4. Untitled
5. Untitled
6. Untitled
7. Untitled
8. Untitled
9. Untitled
10. Untitled
11. Untitled
12. Untitled
13. Untitled
14. Untitled
15. Untitled
16. Untitled
17. Untitled
18. Untitled
19. Untitled

Customer Reviews:

On Steve Reich's "Three Tales".......2005-11-03

Weeks before seeing Three Tales I heard its score. The music Reich composed for this opera is slightly less interesting than anything he has published previously. It features incessantly repeating syncopated phrases comprised of annoying melodies tossed upon stagnant, droning tones. This is the best that can be noted of the work. Mr. Reich uses Three Tales to expand his compositional methods into the modern age of the early 1990's. Time-stretched vocals are in every piece. A computerized voice (as that available standard on every Macintosh computer) sings several solos in the Dolly act. Uncomplicated, novice drum programming also hammers into numerous pieces - this is particularly disappointing as Mr. Reich is a competent percussionist himself. From onset to finish the score falls victim to a toybox of mundane digital audio gimmicks - perhaps impressive to the ignorant elite of la musique nouveau but thoroughly boring to anyone willing to acknowledge the radio music of the last two decades [see N'Sync's BT produced "Pop", Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle", Britney Spears' Neptunes produced "Slave", or anything produced for Madonna by William Orbit for far more progressive and successful attempts at integrating DSP (Digital Signal Processing) techniques into music]. Reich and his engineers should understand that these audio effects are not an end in and of themselves, and it shows little respect for the listener to try to pass these off as such.

The greater failing of Three Tales is the video component produced by Beryl Korot. I want to write only a few words on this piece as I have already spent more time on this review than a first grader with iMovie would require to reproduce Ms. Korot's cut and paste disaster. In my life I have watched my father slowly succumb to bone cancer, I see daily attrocities broadcast on the television news and the uncut footage on HBO or the internet. Yet, not for its content but for its design Ms. Korot's video for Three Tales is perhaps the worst thing ever to have struck mine eyes.

Revolutionary experimental music + video by Steve Reich & Beryl Korot.......2004-10-21

Love it or not, Reich's music is STILL revolutionary. The sort of art that's going to draw public scorn and praise -- choose your side. The piece called DOLLY ... wow, one of the most amazing music videos ... brilliant, I thought. Included in DOLLY's cast of characters: Freya von Moltke, 'Kismet', Ruth Deech, Richard Dawkins, James D. Watson, Gina Kolata, Steven Jay Gould, Jaron Lanier, Sherry Turkle, Rodney Brooks, Steven Pinker, Robert Pollack, Adin Steinsaltz, Kevin Warwick, Joshua Getzler, Ray Kurzweil, Cynthia Breazeal, Bill Joy, Marvin Minsky, Henri Atlan. If you're bothered by strange editing, visual treatments and sonic processing as "something must be wrong with my CD/DVD player!" then perhaps this music + video is not for you. I'm giving this five stars just for DOLLY! I also enjoyed the other pieces: HINDENBURG, and BIKINI, though a little less. If you're a serious Steve Reich fan, this recent music + video work by Reich and Korot should certainly NOT disappoint -- however, be warned -- this is NOT '18 Musicians' or 'Desert Music' ... more like 'Different Trains' ... experimental and revolutionary.

60s leftist rehash mishmash.......2004-10-05

I love Steve Reichs works and am always looking forward to the next, but I was sadly dissapointed with this one. Musically this was surprisingly dull and I dare say, quite ugly.

One of the most striking elements of much of Steve Reichs earlier music is the combination of harmonic and melodic beauty with fascinating rhythmic structures. Unfortunately, that doesn't not exist here at all. Consistent dissonance, seemingly for dissonance sake, the use of an assortment of instruments (voice, strings, piano, percussion) in a dry and dull acoustic setting, and a text that is about as exciting and interesting as reading the Sunday news, all combines for some very uninspiring and uninteresting music. Then add a video that, for all the technology available to us, uses amazingly simplistic and trite visual mechanisms to rehash leftist political statements that were popular in the 60s and 70s, and you have what I think is one of Steve Reichs least appealing works.

While "Different trains" did a wonderful job of combining spoken word and music, this piece requires the vocalists to sing what are essentially spoken and written words, and the result is what one would expect, weak and dull at best.

At its worst, this video is barely equal to a first time music video students output. At best it's an insult to my intelligence. A divided screen showing the same scene at different times; splicing up an interviewees statement and repeating it over and over; displaying words on the screen as the singers are singing them (Mitch Miller anyone?); mixing scrolling text and video...techniques so banal and simplistic, it is amazing that such a weak collection of sounds and images recieved any support at all from a record company.

Strangest of all is the subject matter of the pieces. The Hindenburg disaster, the destruction of Bikini Atoll and the cloning of Dolly. How many times are 'artists' going to use their pulpit to preach the evils of technology and the evil nature of man, and how the combination of the two will one day result in the destruction of the world? These are such tired and worn out positions that they need to go the way of the Bikini Atol themselves. It's old news and it's completely irrelevant in todays world. In a word, boring.

Where is the originality that we know Steve Reich is capable of? Where is the vision here? Where is the unique insight that would make some impact on the way I view the world? Where is the originality of vision that is so apparent in "Different Trains" in which spoken images and recollections of the banal and the horrific were combined with incredible ingenuity and care?

You will find none of that here. Don't buy this CD/DVD. Save your money, you'll be glad you did.

Try again, it's all there and good, I promise.......2004-05-30

Just because you do not like "Three Tales" does not mean that "Three Tales" sucks. You were expecting "Music for 18 Musicians-the sequel", maybe?

This is a different kind of music.

To be honest, at first, I did not at all care for the music or the video. Then really, honestly went back and listened to the music. When you listen to what's actually going on, and shut your mind up, you will discover something incredible. You could of course continue thinking that "Three Tales" sucks. Good for you. But you're really missing out on one of the most interesting and spectacular works in recent times.

Just to Clarify.......2004-05-29

In response to the person who said not to listen to my review. I would like to add that I'm a long term Reich fan, I love most of his music, but I just think this work is extremely disappointing. I have listened to it and watched it a lot to try and get to like it but it just isn't happening. I'm not one of these Glass or Reich freaks who think you can't like one if you like the other. I think they both create great works but in recent years they have both been a bit disappointing. I am not alone in thinking this, almost all the people I know who love Reich's music think this is a poor piece, especially considering the amount of time it took to make. That is the most frustrating thing about Reich, it takes him so bloody long to come up with something, but recently when he does
it is just not worth the wait. Glass is far more prolific and although a lot of his recent output is fairly dull, he does produce some good stuff every now and then. You just have to find it. Anyway, I've said all I need to say, Three Tales sucks, go buy something like Trance by Michael Gordon instead.

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