2 CD set features a total of 34 tracks by featured artists Hammerfall, Whitesnake, Dio, Queensryche, UFO, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and so many more. Universal. 2005.
Sweden Rock,Sweden Rock,Rock/Pop Collections
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ABBA - Gold: Greatest Hits
ABBA Manufacturer: Polydor / Umgd ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000001DZO Release Date: 1993-09-21 |
Tracks:
- Dancing Queen
- Knowing Me, Knowing You
- Take A Chance On Me
- Mamma Mia
- Lay All Your Love On Me
- Super Trouper
- I Have A Dream
- The Winner Takes It All
- Money, Money, Money
- S.O.S.
- Chiquitita
- Fernando
- Voulez Vous
- Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
- Does Your Mother Know
- One Of Us
- The Name Of The Game
- Thank You For The Music
- Waterloo
Amazon.com essential recording
Anyone looking for the key to Abba's enduring appeal should look no further than "Voulez Vous" and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" for their answer. There was an innocence to the Swedish quartet, even when they were singing about one-night stands and the invitations to them. Gold establishes that the band, while appreciated as campy, were actually multifaceted in their execution. "S.O.S." has a raw urgency in its chorus, and "Does Your Mother Know" draws its energy from classic '50s rock & roll. Likewise, you don't have to be Priscilla to swoon over "Mamma Mia" or "Dancing Queen." And when it comes to drama, those soaring vocals on "The Winner Takes It All" turn the song into a bitter anthem of every relationship that has ever fallen apart. The much-covered "Lay All Your Love on Me" is practically epic. --Steve GdulaCustomer Reviews:
ABBA was/is Top of the Pops. But did you know these?.......2007-07-05
Better music.......2007-06-27
One of the best Swedish imports.......2007-05-24
Make sure this is what you're looking for........2007-05-16
Awesome.......2007-04-12
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Writer's Block
Peter Bjorn and John Manufacturer: Almost Gold ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000NJL4TY Release Date: 2007-03-06 |
Tracks:
- Writer's Block
- Objects of My Affection
- Young Folks
- Amsterdam
- Start To Melt
- Up Against the Wall
- Paris 2004
- Let's Call it Off (Single Mix)
- The Chills
- Roll the Credits
- Poor Cow
- Ancient Curse
- All Those Expectations (Weak Mix)
- Let's Call it Off (Girl Talk Remix)
From Amazon.co.uk Review
As fine an album as this might be (and indeed it is), it serves a much higher purpose for which it must be immediately recognised. The twee Swedish trio have single-handedly tugged whistling out of popular music's pits where it was stuffed by German soft metal granddads The Scorpions back in the early 90s. It's not even particularly proficient whistling - it's a bit skewiff really, a little out of tune - but it's tacked onto the irresistibly bobbing, Velvet-Underground-via-The-Concretes infectiousness of "Young Folks", augmented by the warm-ember vocals of ex-Concrete Victoria Bergsman herself, and by association sounds fairly heroic. Accidentally anthemic, perhaps, but anthemic nonetheless. Result.Which sets a tone for the rest of this off-kilter lo-fi record. Draw a slightly wonky line from Simon & Garfunkel through to The Shins, making sure you take in the sharp Scandinavian indie-pop of the '90s (Wannadies, The Cardigans) and modern day peers (Radio Dept, Shout Out Louds) and you have a folk album that isn't really all that folk, swimming through its own dreamy washes of ambition. The drumming on tracks like "Let's Call It Off" and "Paris 2004" is so elementary you might as well add your own, but it keeps the intuitive, simplistic 60's beat melodies trickling steadily onwards. The underlying appeal is that things could snap like an elastic band at any moment, that things are beautifully limited. Less writers block, more loving the detail of your first chapter so much you have no inclination to move on. --James Berry
Customer Reviews:
Writers Block-buster!.......2007-06-28
A little Plain?.......2007-06-27
I seriously don't get it..........2007-06-19
I give it an A.......2007-05-21
Jay Leno.......2007-05-19
I liked the sound, and although faintly mumbled by the poorest sound engineer in Cali. I was able to get a feel for what this Swedish pop group can do. I suggest, if I may, making it yourself.
If you feel the music, live by it, you know they will come to hear it. This group tends to remind me of the smae hope.
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Silent Shout
The Knife Manufacturer: Mute U.S. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000N3SSVM Release Date: 2007-07-17 |
Tracks:
- Silent Shout
- Neverland
- The Captain
- We Share Our Mothers' Health
- Na Na Na
- Marble House
- Like A Pen
- From Off To On
- Forest Families
- One Hit
- Still Light
Tracks:
- Pass This On
- The Captain
- We Share Our Mothers' Health
- You Make Me Like Charity
- Marble House
- Forest Families
- Kino
- Heartbeats
- Silent Shout
- From Off To On
Tracks:
- Pass This On
- The Captain
- We Share Our Mothers' Health
- You Make Me Like Charity
- Marble House
- Forest Families
- Kino
- Heartbeats
- Silent Shout
- From Off To On
Tracks:
- N.Y. Hotel
- Heartbeats
- You Take My Breath Away (I)
- Pass This On
- Handy Man
- You Take My Breath Away (II)
- Silent Shout
- Marble House (I)
- We Share Our Mothers' Health
- Like A Pen
- Marble House (II)
- When I Found The Knife (Short Film)
Album Description
Silent Shout Deluxe Special Package 2CD+DVD. This 3-disc Deluxe Edition includes the SILENT SHOUT album, a DVD containing 'Silent Shout - An Audiovisual Experience' live concert, plus every video they've ever made, and a bonus audio disc of the content. SILENT SHOUT was awarded Pitchfork's #1 Album of 2006, and ended 2006 a critical favorite!
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Dying to Say This to You
The Sounds Manufacturer: Scratchie / New Line Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000E6GC6Q Release Date: 2006-03-21 |
Tracks:
- Song With A Mission
- Queen of Apology
- Tony The Beat
- 24 Hours
- Painted By Numbers
- Night After Night
- Ego
- Hurt You
- Much Too Long
- Running Out Of Turbo
Amazon.com
It all starts with a cowbell, so at least you know it's not going to suck. This is important because, at times, the Sounds' 2003 debut, Living in America felt like a third-generation copy of Blondie's Eat to the Beat and a third-generation of anything usually sucks. But this follow-up shows improvement all around. Singer Maja Ivarsson is starting to find her own voice and the group's melodies now owe less to playground chants than actual verses and choruses. Meanwhile producer Jeff Saltzman, the man behind the Killers' blockbuster Hot Fuss, has given the band's, er, sound some much needed low end. You could accuse them of still sounding a bit contrived (just one word describes the track "Ego"--yikes!) but with thrilling New Wave throwbacks such as "Tony the Beat" and "Running Out of Turbo" pumping on the stereo you might be having too much fun to bother. --Aidin VaziriAlbum Description
The Sounds' 2003 debut, "Living In America" firmly established the band as one to watch. Their second release is an even stronger fusion of their punk attitude and pop savvy. Honed by a sonic brain trust that includes producer Jeff Saltzman (who helmed The Killers' "Hot Fuss"), with additional production from Scratchie Records co-owners James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins, A Perfect Circle) and Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne, Ivy), and mixer Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Pixies, Hole), the album presents a diversified and deeper version of the sound they established on their debut. It also showcases their growth and captures the attitude that has won over crowd after crowd. Limited first pressing with bonus remixes and video content.Customer Reviews:
makes me want to move to Sweden.......2007-07-18
Pretty good.......2007-03-26
Thank god for I-Pods - the cd would be worn out by now.......2007-03-11
Awesome band .......2007-01-19
The Sounds.......2006-12-14
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Silent Shout
The Knife Manufacturer: Mute U.S. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000FWHVKA Release Date: 2006-07-25 |
Tracks:
- Silent Shout
- Neverland
- The Captain
- We Share Our Mother's Health
- Na Na Na
- Marble House
- Like a Pen
- From Off to On
- Forest Families
- One Hit
- Still Light
Customer Reviews:
believe in this record.......2007-07-11
Silent Shout.......2007-06-08
Pitchfork, believe it or not, is wrong... a lot! Case in point, this record.......2007-05-22
One of 2006's bests.........2007-04-19
A inventive electro album that thankfully as a unique sound (as so few electro albums sometimes have), you can see why the good ears of Mute Records picked up on this mysterious sibling Sweedish duo act.
"We share our mothers health" became one of the most bizarrely catchy singles of the year, with a awesome music video to go along with it, if you are in any doubt of buying this album, I recomend checking out the video on youtube, it will convert you.
Overall, the album is dark, filled with chilling background synths layered with wonderfully sharp keyboard lines and bass that makes even the most introverted start doing some foot tapping make it where you can't ignore this disc. The very avant garde vocal style is somehow still very accessable. The production is damn fine as well. This is most defintively not only a album that you will want to have on the dancefloor, but one that will make for a good time while on the headphones at home. The duo will have a hard time topping this one, however with this quality of album work they are sure to have a good career ahead of them if they can keep it up.
one of the best ever.......2007-03-09
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Collection of Roxette Hits: Their 20 Greatest Songs
Roxette Manufacturer: Capitol ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000H5TVO4 Release Date: 2007-01-16 |
Tracks:
- One Wish
- The Look
- Dressed For Success
- Listen To Your Heart
- Dangerous
- It Must Have Been Love
- Joyride
- Fading Like A Flower (Every Time You Leave)
- Spending My Time
- How Do You Do!
- Almost Unreal
- Sleeping In My Car
- Crash! Boom! Bang!
- Run To You
- Wish I Could Fly
- Stars
- The Centre Of The Heart
- Milk And Toast And Honey
- A Thing About You
- Reveal
Amazon.com
Imagine a poppier Pat Benatar fronting a more dance-oriented Berlinbig vocals, big beats, big guitars--and you're just about there. Like fellow Swedes ABBA in the 1970s and A-Ha in the 1980s, platinum pixie Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle generate a bright, glossy sound that transcends borders. In 20 years, they've sold 45 million albums and 25 million singles, including four number ones. A Collection of Roxette Hits overlooks their 1986 debut Pearls of Passion and 1997's Baladas en Español in favor of their biggest international triumphs. All told: 12 album cuts, four singles, two remixes ("Dressed for Success" and "It Must Have Been Love"), and two new tracks ("One Wish" and "Reveal"). There are no real surprises, but Roxette has a few tricks up their shiny sleeves, like the harmonica solo in "Dangerous" (1988's Look Sharp!) and the children's chorus on "Stars" (1999's Have a Nice Day). This hook-filled collection is a fine overview for both old and new fans alike. --Kathleen C. FennessyAlbum Description
Their 20 greatest songs. EMI. 2006.Album Details
Digitally Remastered 20th Anniversary Anthology Celebrating that in Spring 1986, Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson Decided to Record a Single Together, "Neverending Love". They Called Themselves Roxette and that was the Beginning of a Fantastic Career with Over 46 Million Albums and 25 Million Singles Sold. "Roxette Hits" features their Greatest Hits and Two New Songs Recorded in Summer, 2006. One of Those Two, "One Wish", was Chosen as the First Single Released from the Album, which also Includes "Joyride", "it Must have Been Love" (Featuring in the Motion Picture "Pretty Woman"), "Fading Like a Flower (Every Time)", "Sleeping in My Car" and Many More.Customer Reviews:
Better than I thought.......2007-06-08
Another Good Greatest Hits Collection but I'd Recommend For Those With No Albums to Get Don't Bore Us Get to the Chorus Instead.......2007-06-03
The only difference this album has song wise is that it includes songs from albums released after their album Crash Boom Bang which obviously since they weren't released yet didn't make it onto Don't Bore Us Get to the Chorus. So if you haven't got (or haven't even heard of as they weren't that successfully promoted) the albums Have a Nice Day and Room Service or have bought the song A Thing About You that was the single release on another subsequent greatest hits album called Ballad Hits then this will give you the released songs from those albums. The 20th song (Reveal) is also a new release for this album but none of these songs are as good as their classic songs. I'd get Don't Bore Us Get to the Chorus instead as it has more of their big songs than this greatest hits album if you're only going to buy one Roxette album. Otherwise they are a sensational band and I'd just buy all their independent albums and not worry about buying greatest hits albums at all!
Great!.......2007-03-31
Probably the best Swedish pop/rock band besides ABBA.......2007-03-22
I say "probably the best Swedish pop/rock band besides ABBA" because I can't say I know a lot about Swedish music. However, I rate ABBA as one of the all time great bands, and probably the best pop group of all time [I rate The Beatles as the best group of all time and value them for their really weird songs...which aren't particularly pop]...so for Roxette to be compared favourably to them is a big call on my part.
Probably the main reason I bought this compilation was for the song "Fading like a flower". On the odd occasions I've heard this song, I've really enjoyed it. Listening to it for the first time on cd here, I can't say that it grabbed me as much as it did back then. However, before I listened to this cd all the way through, I must have listened to this song around a dozen times, which says a lot for me. I've been listening to it repeatedly since I've listened to the whole cd too. This song is back as an all time great pop classic in my estimation...up there with ABBA's best songs, and songs like: "What have I done to deserve this?" by the Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield; "Clocks" by Coldplay; "Do they know it's Christmas" by Band Aid; "Our lips are sealed" by The Go Gos; and, from Australia, "Chemistry" by Mondo Rock and "Green" by Alex Lloyd.
Roxette, apart from being very melodic and catchy popsters, have a harder rock sound than ABBA in their songs. So, in songs like "Fading like a flower" you get a very cool keyboard melody introducing the song, followed by a momentary rock power chord. The chorus to this song is great and the verses are nice too. The song also features some nice changes of pace and cool guitar rhythym in that slow part as well a really nice lead guitar there too.
The other song that I tend to play a lot, though not nearly as much as "Fading like a flower" is "Dressed for success". It features a cool rock guitar sound, catchy chorus and some cool drums.
Another song I quite like is "Dangerous". This is yet another catchy melody song which Roxette are so good at. Usually the female half of Roxette does all the singing, but here the male half has his share of lines. Hadn't really noticed the weird outro to this song before-the man sings some barely intelligible words.
Rest assured that the rest of the album is chock full of catchy pop/rock, which I won't delve into too much, suffice to say that Americans might rate some of Roxette's ballads higher than I do...songs like "Listen to your heart" which isn't a fave of mine and "It must have been love", which I wasn't expecting to like but on hearing it here it did have a lyrical charm to it.
As for the rest, I'll just mention songs that had me relating them to songs by other artists, e.g. something else that Roxette has in common with ABBA is songs with daggy lyrics, these would include: "Joyride", "Spending my time" [more so for mediations on relationships than being daggy], "Almost unreal" [back to dag central here]. "A thing about you" also features one of those trippy effects that The Beatles were so fond of. It's in the intro of this song whereas The Beatles liked to use stuff like this for outros.
Other songs which remind me of other artists: "How do you do" [The Beatles' version of "Twist and shout" can be heard in this song]; "Crash! Boom! Bang!" [Dusty Springfield]; "The centre of the heart" [Savage Garden]; and "Run to you", which had a guitar vibe which reminded me of Weddings, Parties, Anything's song "Monday's experts", which is, granted, more of a stretch for Roxette to have been influenced by.
The songs towards the end of this cd are not the kind of pop/rock that fills most of the preceding tracks. Best examples of that are "Crash! Boom! Bang!" and "Wish I could fly". The latter has a nice mellow, cool vibe to it. "Stars" is also a more dance orientated song...it features a trippy intro and tinny techno beat.
Another thing to recommend this band are that they widen the musical instruments that they use, e.g. instruments that sound like music box pianos, organs, steel string guitars and violins.
If you like catchy pop songs, you should love this album, so long as you don't mind the band's forays into rock for entire songs or parts of songs.
P.S. One possible criticism of this cd is that it, according to the sleeve notes, I think, does NOT have some of Roxette's songs which charted in Europe. On the upside, the new songs on this cd are surprisingly good...I mean they are not classics, but they are much better than you would expect such new songs lumped together into a best of compilation to be.
I did neglect to mention perhaps Roxette's biggest hit, The Look. Whilst this song has many good hooks/elements to it, the lyric "tasted like a raindrop", sung about a woman, remains a hurdle for me liking this song better! I.e. it sounds a rather naff lyric!
If you like this cd, you might want to read my reviews of other albums with a good pop sensibility, e.g.
Midnight Oil for masterful pop/rock. Politics never sounded so good.
Alex Lloyd-Amazing: The Best Of
The Go Gos
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Skyhooks
INXS
Blast from the past.......2007-03-09
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Tio Bitar
Dungen Manufacturer: Kemado ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000O170YO Release Date: 2007-05-15 |
Tracks:
- Intro
- Famlij
- Gor Det nu
- C Visar Vagen
- Du Ska Inte Tro Att Det Ordnar Sig
- Mon Amour
- Sa Blev Det Bestamt
- Ett Skal Att Trivas
- Svart Ar Himlen
- En Gang I Ar Kom Det En Tar
Amazon.com
Tio Bitar leads off with a wordless guitar scream and a blaze of rhythm section, knocking a hole in the wall of sound just as quickly to let in an otherworldly flute melody that's pure Ian Anderson. As modern rockers go, Dungen makes no bones about reaching back into the past to embrace both Black Sabbath's beefy parallel riffing and Jethro Tull's flights of jazzy digression. This is the second U.S. release for the Swedish band, following 2005's Ta Det Lugnt and as their name implies, Dungen are heavy, metallic, and occasionally impenetrable. Though "psychedelic" is the main reference point that comes to mind, and songs like "C Visar Vägen" and "Familj" display as much structural schizophrenia and loopy, lovely melodicism as a Donovan record hopped up on amphetamines, don't mistake Dungen for an exercise in rose-colored nostalgia--there's more than a twinge of new millennium nervousness in this dense and quite compelling record. --Ben HeegeCustomer Reviews:
over-rated.......2007-07-11
not retro!.......2007-06-20
That decade you love is back in style........2007-05-23
I'm not Bitar.......2007-05-15
But in fact, it did, with 2004's "Ta Det Lugnt," despite the music odds being stacked against it. And for the follow up, "Tio Bitar," Gustav Ejstes mostly sticks to the layered psych-folky hard-rock that has worked before, but gives it a slightly grimier edge.
It opens with a buzzing, screaming riff torn from a hard-rocker's heart, twisting around on itself like a coiled spring. But Ejstes throws in some twists -- around the halfway point, it cycles around a delicate flute melody and some rapid-fire drumming. And that's just the introduction!
He follows it up with the very different "Familj," a pleasant blend of ambient retro keyboard, dancy strings and solid drumming (mostly cymbals). You can't really put your finger on what it sounds like, and you can't really label it. Well, good.
The songs that follow are just as unexpected: intensely psychedelic hard-rockers like "Gör Det Nu," rippling pastoral ballads, fast-moving bass-rockers, gentle acoustic pop songs with spiraling riffs. And in the last three songs, Estjes makes his music even more complex -- the finale "En Gang I År Kom Det En Tår" is a masterpiece of fuzzy piano-folk and ambient synth.
"Tio Bitar" is a bit folkier and a bit rockier than Dungen's previous albums, and at times it seems to be split between those sounds -- first we get a psychedelic hard rocker, then a mellotron-folk song. But the heart of "Ta Det Lugnt" still seems to be there -- complex, strange and often meandering.
And Estjes packs this with even more instruments in his rapid, soaring music -- obviously there's the grimy bass and rampaging electric riffs, solid percussion and keyboards. But he packs in flashes of colourful mellotron, delicate flute, violins, and what sounds like klezmer, woven together into a shimmering psychedelic tapestry.
And I have no idea what Estjes is saying (except that the title means "Ten Pieces"), because I don't speak a word of Swedish. But he has a pleasant, mellow voice, sort of like a rockier Colin Meloy, and he can raise his voice to stand out in any kind of music.
"Tio Bitar" is a little bit folk-country, and a little bit rock'n'roll. But it retains the intense prog-psych-rock that Dungen is known for, and only makes it more entrancing.
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With Oden on Our Side
Amon Amarth Manufacturer: Metal Blade ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000HWXS2S Release Date: 2006-10-03 |
Tracks:
- Valhall Awaits Me
- Runes To My Memory
- Asator
- Hermod's Ride To Hel-Lokes Treachery Part 1
- Gods Of War Arise
- With Oden On Our Side
- Cry Of The Black Birds
- Under The Northern Star
- Prediction Of Warefare
Tracks:
- Where Silent Gods Stand Guard (Live)
- Death In Fire (Live)
- With Oden On Our Side (Demo)
- Hermod's Ride To Hel-Lokes Treachery Part 1 (Demo)
- Once Sent From A Golden Hall (Sunlight Recording)
- Return Of The Gods (Sunlight Recording)
Customer Reviews:
Awesome CD.......2007-06-22
this cd just plain rocks
buy it right now
The Vikings are Attacking!.......2007-06-15
Fortunate discovery.......2007-05-13
With Oden On Our Side.......2007-04-11
An Awesome Album from An Awesome Band.......2007-04-04
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The Road Back Home
The Flower Kings Manufacturer: Inside Out Music ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000QEILLK Release Date: 2007-06-26 |
Tracks:
- Cosmic Lover
- A Kings Prayer
- Stupid Girl
- Cosmic Circus
- Babylon
- Paradox Hotel
- World Without A Heart
- Church Of Your Heart
- Vox Humana
- What If God Is Alone
- Starlight Man
- Grand Old World
- The Road Back Home
- Cinema Show
Tracks:
- Ghost Of The Red Cloud
- Painter
- I Am The Sun (part 2)
- Different People
- Little Deceiver
- Chickenfarmer Song
- The Rhythm Of The Sea
- Touch My Heaven
- Life Will Kill You
- Monkey Business
- Compassion
- The Flower King
- Stardust We Are
Album Description
The Road Back Home is the first `Best Of' compilation by the now legendary Swedish progressive rockers. The Road Back Home features 27 classic Flower Kings tracks which have been personally hand-picked and re-mastered by the band's founder and driving force, Roine Stolt, giving the listener a unique and comprehensive front-row look into band's evolution and creative process. The compilation also features a previously unreleased cover version of the classic Genesis song, Cinema Show.Customer Reviews:
Messin' with Success.......2007-07-03
OK, let me get this off my chest first - why, oh why would you play with the perfection that is the original "Church of Your Heart"? When I saw this on the CD's pre-release playlist on the TFK website, I was counting the days until it arrived just to hear a remastering of this song. (I think all TFK fans can agree that while "Stardust We Are" is one of the best albums of all time, it is also one compressed sonic mess). But instead of a nice clean remastering, we get a complete remix, and, gasp - an entire section of the song - a critical section in my eyes - is totally gone! Disappointed hardly covers it.
And therein lies the problem, for me. Most of these songs weren't just remastered, they were remixed as well. Instruments are added or taken away, changing the complexion of the songs in someways good but mostly not. For the most part, the new productions just don't stand up to the old. Several tunes, like "World Without a Heart" sound lifeless, are missing key instrumental parts (where is the lovely piano part in WWAH?) or have had the sometimes rough edges dulled down until they don't have the same impact the originals did.
Roine evidently has disdained the use of reverb for the new mixes, and for me, this new "dry" sound doesn't serve this type of music well.
Overall, it WAS a somewhat fun first listen, and of course the songs are pretty much wonderful anyway, but while there are great moments, I can't imagine listening to this one again anytime soon.
Having said that, thanks Roine for the effort - the liner notes are indeed exceptional, and maybe there is hope that you'll find time to go back and remaster (but NOT remix) the classic TFK albums like Stardust We Are, Flower Power and Rainmaker. Wouldja, please????
Nothing Exciting.......2007-07-02
The remixing doesn't seems to improve the songs much and actually seems to make them 'softer.' I word I could use is 'pillowy'....almost giving some of the slower parts of songs a new-age feel to them (not a good thing in my opinion). The punch of the original songs is missing, replaced by a broadening effect to fully take up the sonic range. Another point of dissapontment......should you really mess with "Church of Your Heart?" The classic Flower Kings song has been truncated and the dramatic key change at the last part of the original version is gone. That was the part of the song that got me hooked on the song in the the first place. Also "I am the Sun part II" seems to be truncated as well, and again, the best part of the song, in my opinion, is missing.
Songs picked from newer releases (Adam + Eve and Paradox Hotel) are less affected by the mixing and come off much like the originals.
All-in-all, this is a good collection of Flower King songs, but the remixing doesn't seem that great of an improvement of the originals.
I agree with Murat.......2007-06-28
Excellent chronicle of The Flower Kings sound.......2007-06-26
The song long-time fans will want to hear the most will probably be "Little Deceiver", a leftover from the band's Rainmaker sessions. It is an interesting experiment where the tune wanders off more into Dire Straits-goes-country territory, bringing forth a true solo statement from Stolt and Froberg who are responsible for everything this song has to offer: unusual harmony vocals, cool loops and sound effects, and steady, straightforward drumming.
Also new on the CD is the band's Genesis tribute "Cinema Show", originally recorded in 1998. Being one of the greatest Genesis songs ever, Stolt says the band was rather nervous while recording it, but the result is nothing short of mindblowing. The acoustic guitar tone, the layered melodies, the awesome vocal parts, and last but not the least, Tomas Bodin's mindblowingly beautiful key solo that not only honours Tony Banks' original work but also adds its own touch to it -- everything is phenomenal about this piece. As noted in the liner notes, that solo is testimony that "great keys can be played with emotion without a trace of blues or jazz".
It would be impossible and meaningless to describe each song on this compilation. After all, they all represent a different era of the band; and they are meant to be enjoyed best in their original context. However, the little nuances brought out in the mixing stage do warrant a mention. "Cosmic Lover", for instance, features new vocal and some clarinet addition as well as a heavier focus on rhythm. This brings out the funky aesthetic and underscores the brilliant Beatles-like vocal harmony. "Stupid Girl" has a brand new guitar solo; and truth be told, I can't choose which one I like better cause the new one is truly sublime. Also, the guitar solo of "A Kings Prayer", one of the greatest Flower Kings songs ever, is different. I love how the deep message is conveyed on this one amidst glimmering acoustic guitar notes and McCartney-like vocal arrangements.
The last few minutes of "Church of Your Heart" have been cut off, and rightly so. The result is a more direct and powerful tune driven by tons of organ work by Bodin and soaring harmonies by Hasse Froberg. The African tribal rhythms merge seamlessly with a gorgeous soprano sax arrangement on "Grand Old World" whilst "Monkey Business" proves once again why everything on Unfold the Future is gold. Jonas Reingold's fretless bass, Hasse Bruniusson's percussion rhythms, and Stolt's unmistakable guitars form the musical aspect of the otherwise tragic lyrical theme. Stolt's vocal part in the intro of "The Road Back Home" has been replaced by Hasse's more fitting singing -- perhaps the best Retropolis song with its melodic hook and blazing Hammond elements.
The songs with Pain of Salvation's Daniel Gildenlow providing backing harmonies have mostly been left untouched, such as "Starlight Man" and "Cosmic Circus", but you can still tell a remix was done on them. The somewhat cluttered soundscape layering of the former piece seems totally gone on the reworked version of "Different People" off of Stardust We Are. Unlike the original version, the piece has a stronger psychedelic centre here thanks to Stolt's meticulous remixing, and the melodious flow is more evocative. The backing voices have enhanced this cut greatly as well.
It doesn't matter whether you're a long-time fan or a new listener. Any Flower Kings fan should pick this up in a heart beat and hear these songs in their new format. If you have never heard any of Flower Kings' studio albums, on the other hand, then, depending on the songs you like the best here, you should go and pick it up impromptu. Once you're hooked, you'll want to have their entire discography anyway.
Kudos to Roine Stolt for not only compiling and remixing all these songs, but also for the detailed song-by-song analysis he offers in the liner notes. He even designed the booklet and cover art himself and added some photos as well. The packaging is superb -- it couldn't be any better.
I wish all compilation albums were this amazing.
Average customer rating:
|
In Orbit
September Manufacturer: Family Tree ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000BU2JRQ Release Date: 2005-11-07 |
Tracks:
- Prelude
- Cry for You
- Looking for Love
- Satellites
- Flowers on the Grave
- It Doesn't Matter
- Sacrifice
- Good Times
- Midnight Heartache
- Sound Memory
- End of the Rainbow
- Satellites [Live Acoustic Version]
- Satellites [Multimedia Track]
- Looking for Love [Multimedia Track]
Customer Reviews:
whoa! September rules!.......2007-06-10
the CD has about 10 songs on it---all good. the cd also has two videos on it, 'Satellites' and 'Looking for Love'. for the life of me, i can't figure out how to view them. i've tried every multimedia player known to man and none of them will work. it's frustrating to the max---you'd think they would've put these two multimedia files in a format Windows Media Player could recognize.
oh well. other than not being able to play the videos, the CD is awesome.
One of Sweden's best new imports........2007-01-09
This album has the disctinctive Swedish pop sound which I looove. At the same time she has a disco sound going on. The well produced beats and instrumentation provide great foil to Petra's powerful vocals. It's refreshing for a female singer to have a strong voice in dance music.
"Satellites" the obvious hit off the album is dance-pop perfection. Think A* Teens meets old-school Britney Spears but with stronger vocals. It is the strongest and might be the best track on the album but each track is a winner. Some tracks are growers but giving them time their greatness will sink in.
"Looking for Love" has a blatant disco sound but it's much better than the crap that permeates our ears and brains. The general American public has really bad taste in music. In Europe, namely Scandinavia. They know good music and know how to make it. I am thankful to have discovered this artist.
"Flowers on the Grave" is an above standard pop ballad. It's much better than what we are subject to day in and day out by American pop culture.
Other standout tracks include, "It Doesn't Matter", "Good Times" and "Midnight Tonight" It's nothing groundbreaking or necessarily new but it's not good. It's great.
the other side..........2006-12-13
I will try to never listen to this cd again. The only reason I give it 2 stars is because the production value is above average.
I can see why young girls like this. I may give it to my niece.
My new FAVORITE cd!!! .......2006-08-11
This CD has it all! Well produced, great lyrics, and fantastic voice!
Stellar dance pop.......2006-04-19
This album is really hard to dislike. It doesn't have the obnoxious, repetetive, neverending beats like Cascada, or the whiny voice of Edmee' in DHT. The beats and melodies are all blended rather well, and the singer's voice is strong and very very easy to enjoy. At no point in this album does September take themselves too seriously, and that is HUGELY important in any genre, but definitely in dance.
"Satellites", the song everyone should know, is more electro than anything else, but I could see where people would get disco and house from. It's very poppy, and a wonderful song. "Flowers on the Grave" is one of the slower songs, still beautiful, still a great listen. "It Doesn't Matter" is more of a disco song, featuring some guitars thrown in with the "shake your ass like you just don't care" dance beats.
A previous reviewer said that "Midnight Heartache" sounded familiar. This is because the song features a "Bette Davis Eyes" sample as the musical background. Also, Mylo used the same sample for his "In Your Arms" song. September treats the music as a canvas, and they paint quite a song overtop of it. "Midnight Heartache" is one of my favorites. "Sacrifice" is your typical dance-pop fare, but again those vocals are amazing and they drag you by the ear drum.
All in all, I highly recommend this to anyone with an ear for gorgeous female vocals, or for a penchant to dance. This will not disappoint.
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