Seventh Song [Import]

Product Description
Japanese version of the acclaimed guitar icon's 2000 release with 3 bonus tracks, 'Melissa's Garden', 'The Wall Of Light', & 'Boston Rain Melody'. Standard jewel case.

Seventh Song,Steve Vai,Sony,Popular Music,Rock,Rock/Pop

Average customer rating: Lousy - don't buy it! Lackluster Great music; forgettable setting Fun, but not the best of PDQ Bach Some good tracks

P.D.Q. Bach: The Short-Tempered Clavier Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bach, P.D.Q. | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Comedic Music | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Similar Items: 1712 Overture & Other Musical Assaults Music for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion The Wurst of P.D.Q. Bach Oedipus Tex & Other Choral Calamities Ill-Conceived PDQ Bach Anthology ASIN: B000003D0T Release Date: 1995-08-29

Tracks:

1. Opening And Introduction
2. I. C Major
3. II. C Minor
4. III. C-Sharp Major
5. IV. D Major
6. V. D Minor
7. VI. E-Flat Major
8. VII. F Major
9. VIII. G Minor
10. IX. G Major
11. X. A Major
12. XI. A minor
13. XII. B-Flat Major
14. Introduction
15. I. Toccata Et Fuga Obnoxia
16. II. Chorale Prelude (Ave Maria Et Agnus Dei)
17. III. Fantasia Sopra
18. IV. Lullaby And Goodnight
19. Introduction
20. I. Spiel Vorspiel
21. II. Entrada Grande
22. III. Smokski The Russian Bear
23. IV. Toccata Ecdysiastica
24. Calliope Frustration
25. Introduction
26. I. Chorale 'Orally'
27. II. Chorale Prelude On An American Hymn For The Last Sunday Before The Fourth Day Of The Seventh Month After New Year's Eve
28. III. Chorale Variations On 'In Der Nacht So Hell, Der Petrus Ist Mein Freund'
29. Epilogue

Customer Reviews:

Lousy - don't buy it!.......2007-05-04

My boyfriend listened to the whole disc, and hated every bit of it.
I heard a couple tracks, and wanted to turn it off after two songs.
Not anywhere near as clever or entertaining as his ILL-CONCEIVED album,
which is the first PDQ we've listened to.

Hello, hello hello howdy do,
my name is Zinging-able-nessedly,
but my frrrrrieeeeeeeeennnndddsss, just call me Zing!

Lackluster.......2003-03-07

I agree with most of the other individuals who have written comments. The first piece, "The Short Tempered Clavier" is, by far, the best piece on the CD. The other works seem oddly derivative of it. There isn't the usual variety in the pieces which Schickele includes (one or two instrumental, one or two vocal). My personal suspicion is that since, years ago, Schickele announced his intention to stop his P.D.Q. Bach work in order to focus on serious compositions, this CD may have been part of a contractual obligation, or, perhaps, just an effort to get the last of the P.D.Q. Bach pieces recorded.

While the "Short Temepered Clavier" is a good piece, its probably not worth the price of the CD. If you were looking for a good P.D.Q. Bach album, I'd buy "Oedipus Tex" or "1712 Overture" or even the lesser-known (but really funny) "Lieberslieder Polkas and Twelve Quite Heavenly Songs".

Great music; forgettable setting.......2003-02-14

I'll get the bad news out of the way first. The "setting" for this performance is allegedly a Senate committee hearing room, where they are debating some ridiculous amendment to the Constitution. All of the sections of the CD where the Professor is just talking to the Senators are rather dull -- I guess Schickele was trying to get in his verbal jokes, like he does in his (hilarious) live performances, but it just falls flat here.

On to the good stuff. The Short-Tempered Clavier is some of PDQ's most inventive writing yet. Of all the solo piano PDQ music that Schickele has put out, this is some of the most cerebral ... There are quotes from other works that you don't hear until you've listened 3 or 4 times -- they're deeply imbedded. The fugue subjects are all quite ridiculous -- Beethoven's 5th, "The Worms Crawl In...", etc. (except for the last), and they are given the full PDQ treatment. The last one (in B-flat) is notable in that the fugue subject is B-A-C-H (see J.S. Bach's "Art of the Fugue", Liszt's treatment, etc.), which PDQ also manages to *invert* (something that old J.S. did once in a while, to show off his stuff). But as soon as you think the fugue might be getting serious, there is an outburst of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow". Then back to the fugueing. Marvelous stuff.

PDQ does the same thing in the Toccata -- it starts out with the theme of Dad's warhorse Toccata & Fugue in D minor -- only the subject is inverted (it goes up instead of down). This is an example of the oft-mentioned principle that the more you know about music theory and history, the funnier PDQ's stuff is.

Not PDQ's best work, but some of it is close. Not Schickele's best CD, but not bad, either.

Fun, but not the best of PDQ Bach.......2002-04-18

Others have written here of the slight difference between Peter Schickele's "early" and "late" PDQ Bach performances, hence it is slightly surperfluous to say that the more recent Telarc recordings (of which this is one) lack the sparkle and 'zany' character of the earlier ones from the 1970s.

They are certainly still as clever: "The Short-Tempered Clavier" is of course a spoof of J. S. Bach's "Well-Tempered Keyboard", laced with quotations from other areas of the pianists repertoire as well as having the odd snatch of a very familiar tune here and there.

The whole disc is set out as the document of a lecture given by Peter Schickele to a group of skeptical, 'unmusical' US senators, with the PDQ Bach keyboard works woven in as musical examples. Hence, as well as the title work (played on piano), the programme also features appearances by a theatre organ (on which is played the "Pochelbuchlein" - "The Little Pickle Book"), a calliope (used for the "Sonata da Circo" - "Circus Sonata" - the rendition of which is cut short by the explosion of the instrument!) and the organ of the King Congregational Church (get it?!) which is little more than two synthesisers stacked on top of each other.
Each piece is fun, although the impact of the musical jokes will vary depending upon how musically-minded the listener is. In other words, musicologists, pianists and organists are likely to get the most laughs out of the programme. The liner notes add an extra dimension to the fun by containing, as well as a "scholarly essay" on the history, discovery and publication of the music, various quips about those involved in the production of the recording, with in-jokes including a 'specification' of the King Congregational Church organ...

Take it or leave it ... as a Christmas or birthday gift for a musical friend or family-member, it wouldn't be a bad choice.

Some good tracks.......2002-03-01

I enjoyed the Short-Tempered Clavier pieces tremendously. Played masterfully by Christopher O'Reilley, they are witty and delightful. A new suprise is always around the corner, and upon my first listen I found myself grinning and sometimes laughing out loud.

Then comes the rest of the album.

In the succeeding pieces, Schickele uses the same jokes, the same tunes, and crummy synthesized instruments that become so annoying that I just want to turn the thing off.

Do yourself a favor and leave after the first act.

Average customer rating:

Pink Champagne: A Collection of Vintage Light Music Manufacturer: Asv Living Era ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Morton Gould | Gould, Morton | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Easy Listening | Compilations | Pop | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: Twilight Memories: Vintage Brit Light Music A Portrait of Farnon Holiday for Strings ASIN: B00008IHWK Release Date: 2003-04-08

Tracks:

1. Curtain Time
2. Lovely Day
3. Music for "Rivers of the North of England": Serene/Flowing
4. Chiming Strings
5. Vanessa
6. Film Opens (Eleventh Hour Melody)
7. Melody in Moccasins
8. Seventh Heaven
9. Gin-Fizz
10. Vendetta - London Promenade Orchestra
11. Cross Roads
12. Laughing Marionette - London Promenade Orchestra
13. Pulling Strings
14. Tinkerbell
15. Tomboy
16. Playtime
17. Falcons
18. Speakeasy
19. Dance of the Hailstones
20. Bubble, Bubble, Bubble (Pink Champagne)
21. Muriella
22. Happy Time
23. Waltz in Swingtime
24. Veradero
25. Windy Corner
26. Baa Baa Black Sheep
27. Dancing Tambourine

Average customer rating: 100-Men Strong The Classic

Stars & Stripes Forever (Sousa Marches) Manufacturer: Vanguard Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Sousa | Sousa, John Philip | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: Stars & Stripes: Fanfares, Marches & Wind Band Spectaculars ASIN: B000000EFP Release Date: 1991-09-16

Tracks:

1. On Brave Old Army Team
2. Anchors Aweigh
3. King Cotton
4. Nobles Of The Mystic Shrine
5. Golden Jubilee
6. El Capitan
7. Manhattan Beach
8. Northern Pines
9. Gridiron Club
10. Fairest Of The Fair
11. American Civil War Fantasy
12. Washington Post March
13. George Washington Bicentennial
14. Pride Of The Wolverins
15. The Thunderer
16. Free Lance
17. Gallant Seventh
18. Colossus Of Columbia
19. The Stars And Stripes Forever

Customer Reviews:

100-Men Strong.......2000-08-24

Back in the 60s and 70s, there were two main sources for recorded Band Music - Frederick Fennell with the Eastman Wind Ensemble on Mercury and Dr. William D. Revelli with the University of Michigan Band on Vangard. Although both conductors are giants of the Industry, they differed greatly in their approaches - Fennell worked with small groups (usually under 50 personnel) while Revelli used a LARGE group - advertised as 100 strong.

This recording incorporates all of the selections on the original LP "Hail Sousa" (now on CD - also available through Amazon) with the addition of several non-Sousa selections as shown on the song selection list. Which recording to buy is a personal preference - whether you want to pay a couple of dollars more for 4 additional selections. All the additions are classic marches except for Jerry Bilik's "American Civil War Fantasy". This is out-of-place in a march collection, but it is a wonderful recording nonetheless. It is taken from another old UM recording, "The University of Michigan Band On Tour".

The performances are uniformly excellent. I was always amazed at the ensemble playing of the woodwind section. Although not as "clean" as the playing of a small group like the Eastman Wind Ensemble, the overall sound of this big band, especially at high volume levels, is simply amazing. The Brass are big and boomy, and the percussion drive things along while still playing tastefully.

I have not given this recording 5 stars because some of the newer recordings by Fennell on import from Japan with the Tokyo Wind Orchestra have much better digital sound, and the old Fennell recordings on Mercury are considered THE classic recordings. However, this CD has very good analog sound, especially considering its age.

The Classic.......2000-08-09

I have heard this version of Sousa as a boy at boy scout camporees, high school football games, etc. during the 70s. Its as energized and vibrant as you would expect a major college band to be. You'll not disapointed.

Average customer rating: Wonderful!

Ojibwe: Waasa Inaabidaa Peter Buffett Manufacturer: BisonHead Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music | Ambient | Celtic | Environmental | General | International | Jazz | Meditation Music | Piano | World Dance General | Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Spirit - The Seventh Fire 500 Nations: A Musical Journey (1996 Television Documentary) Spirit Spirit Dance Spirit - The Seventh Fire ASIN: B00007E1Y8 Release Date: 2002-10-29

Tracks:

1. Seventh Fire
2. Words Are Songs
3. Walking The Path
4. Anishinaabeg Streets
5. Will I Dream
6. Sweetgrass Song
7. In The Beginning
8. Returning
9. Road Of Souls
10. The Long Walk
11. Spirit Birds
12. Two Worlds
13. Daybreak
14. My Prayer

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful!.......2005-01-14

Highly recommended! The songs are very passionate. They stir your soul, draw out your emotions and sometimes make you get up and dance.

Average customer rating: AL GALLODORO

Paul Whiteman: Carnegie Hall Concert December 25, 1938 Manufacturer: Storyville Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Ellington | Ellington, Edward Duke | ( E ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Morton Gould | Gould, Morton | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Grofé, Ferde | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Overtures | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Ferde Grofé's Tabloid Suite Infinite Gallodoro Say It with Music Linger Awhile Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra ASIN: B0007NFLFY Release Date: 2005-03-08

Tracks:

1. INtroduction By Deems Taylor
2. The Farmer Leaves The Hay
3. Blue Belle Of Harlem
4. Cowbell Serenade
5. Quonk
6. The Seventh Day
7. The Bell Fugue
8. St. Louis Blues
9. Gay Mood/Peasant Song/Finale: Op.1

Tracks:

1. Cuban Overture
2. Nursey Ballet
3. Talk
4. Bumpy Weather Over Newark
5. Suicide Cliff
6. Mexican Jumping Bean
7. Trylon And Perisphere
8. Shadrack
9. Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen
10. Rhapsody In Blue

Customer Reviews:

AL GALLODORO.......2005-07-23

The best thing about this whole CD was being able to find Al Gallodoro's marvelous playing! Worth the whole price!

Average customer rating:

Freshwater Highway Lee Murdock Manufacturer: Depot Recordings ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music ASIN: B000CAFH2Y Release Date: 2005-04-05

Tracks:

1. Great Lakes Song
2. Heaver Her Up and Bust Her
3. No Nets Will Be Found
4. Scow Nettie Fly
5. Fire on the Water
6. Haul Away Joe
7. Illinois and Michigan Canal
8. Requiem for the Mesquite
9. Glendy Burk
10. Ghost of Red Monroe
11. It's Time for Us to Leave Her
12. Cold Freshwater Trade

Average customer rating:

The Seventh Son Manufacturer: Pacific Artists ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music ASIN: B0002IPITS

Product Description

Tracks include: Seventh son/ Equinox/ Conundrum/ Awakened Heart/ October Song/ Run away with me/ Open Sky-Primordial Spirit/ Conversations, Part 1/ Song for Julie/ Horizons/ On the Avenue/ Lifeline/ If your believe/ Musings

Average customer rating:

Hero Middle 8 Manufacturer: Seventh Heaven ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Rock | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B000060NWE Release Date: 2002-01-29

Tracks:

1. Away
2. Spotlight
3. World Gone Dark
4. Waiting
5. Melancholy Blue
6. One Chance
7. Edge Of The World
8. Hero
9. Stretch Out
10. Is It Time
11. One

Album Description

Debut release by up and coming northwest rock band Middle 8. The sound is modern commercial rock and is based on solid song structure, memorable hooks, and a groove oriented rhythm. Middle 8 has the commercial radio appeal of Vertical Horizon, the vocal strength of Incubus and the hit songwriting style of Train. If you are a fan of these bands, Middle 8's new CD "Hero" will find a permanent spot in your CD changer!

Average customer rating: a voice teacher and early music fan Sensuously performed madrigals

De Wert: Settimo Libro de Madrigali (Seventh Book of Madrigals) - Consort of Musicke Giaches de Wert , Anthony Rooley , and The Consort of Musicke Manufacturer: EMI Records [All429] ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B000005GN7 Release Date: 2000-05-20

Tracks:

1. Sorgi, E Rischiara
2. Misera, Che Faro
3. Donna, Se Ben Le Chiome
4. Vive Doglioso Il Core
5. Vani E Schiocchi
6. Vaghi Boschetti
7. Lo Mi Vivea Del Mio Languir
8. Solo E Pensoso
9. Giunto Alla Tomba
10. Voi Volete Ch'io Muoia
11. Grazie Ch'a Pochi Il Ciel
12. Trist Morir Volea
13. In Qual Parte Of Ratto

Customer Reviews:

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-01-26

Gaiches de Wert (1535-1596) was one of the last two important madrigalists from Northern Europe who worked wholly or mainly in Italy. He was one of the most progressive composers of his day whose works are known for their vivid word painting, telling use of chromaticism, wide voice range, declamatory passages and a tendency to make the lower voices accompany the upper. He was Director of Music at Mantua, where he composed his seventh and eighth books of five-part madrigals (1581-1586); they were polyphonic and included prominent soprano parts, rapidly running lines and written-out ornamentation. His music did indeed anticipate the new music of Monteverdi, who may have been his pupil.

This seventh book of Madrigals represent some of DeWert's finest music and cover a wide variety of subjects and moods. The music is rich and densely textured and many dwell on the more painful aspects of love.

The Consort of Musicke was founded by its director ,Anthony Rooley, in 1969, at which time there were 6 singers (as on this disc). In addition, Michael Chance-countertenor-makes an occasional appearance when they need his voice.. Unfortunately, he is only on one selection in this group. However, the music is performed by all very skillfully, and I find it all very interesting and plesant.

Sensuously performed madrigals.......2005-04-26

Anthony Rooley’s Consort of Musicke is justly famous for its performances and recordings of the madrigals of Monteverdi (on Decca and Virgin), but the ensemble has more to offer than just the works of one composer: here, for example, they have produced an exquisite recording of madrigals on texts by Tasso, Guarini, Petrarca etc. by Giaches de Wert (1535 – 1596), choirmaster at the Mantuan court and immediate predecessor of Monteverdi. The texts are mainly, but not exclusively, laments and are set to music in a way that, when performed as it is done here, can only be described as sensuous, with up to seven voices blending beautifully and justifying Wert’s reputation as a past master of the madrigal. The singers are Emma Kirkby and Evelyn Tubb, soprano, Mary Nichols, alto, Andrew King and Rufus Müller, tenor, and Alan Ewing, bass, all of them first-class representatives of early music singing. They are here joined on one track each by the brilliant countertenor Michael Chance and by soprano Suzie LeBlanc, and as the recording (made in Forde Abbey, England, in 1988) is also of top-class quality, the end result is a superb listening experience – something that I have come to expect of the Consort of Musicke since hearing them live a few years ago. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating: Neglected masterpieces A truly special and beautiful CD Killer music. Sublime

Music for Quiet Listening Manufacturer: Mercury Living Presence / Philips ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Baroque Dance Suites | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music | Allemandes | Courantes | Gigue | Sarabande Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Elegies | Requiems, Elegies & Tombeau | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Music for Quiet Listening, Vol 2 Howard Hanson Conducts Bloch Howard Hanson Conducts Barber, Piston, Griffes, McCauley, Kennan, Bergsma Paul Paray Conducts Dances of Death Hanson Conducts Hanson ASIN: B0000057MJ Release Date: 1994-11-15

Tracks:

1. Sarabande: For Katherine In April
2. Christ Looking Over Jerusalem
3. Adagio Cantabile
4. Pavane
5. Autumn Landscape
6. Gymnopedie
7. Larghetto
8. And On The Seventh Day...
9. In Memoriam Abraham
10. Night Soliloquy For Flute And Strings
11. The Winter's Past
12. Night Song

Customer Reviews:

Neglected masterpieces.......2006-01-23

The reviewer Mr. Fitzwilliam captured what I have felt when listening to "For Katherine in April." He said -- "Most people can remember, with joy, and longing, and perhaps regret for what might have been, the first time they were ever in love. This is that feeling, expressed in music." Ron Nelson has had a distinguished career as a composer, but this piece, written in his youth, I think is his best. The rest of the music is calming, but with a rapturous quality about it. The sound is good -- but is the only weak link in the album. There is a lack of bloom in the recording at times. I wish some smart music executive would redo this with a world class orchestra. However, Howard Hanson conducts here, and he excels. I doubt anyone could exceed his fine work. (But I'd like to see someone try.) Most of these pieces should be concert hall staples. I sometimes wonder about the breadth of knowledge of our major orchestra directors and managers. Why isn't the Nelson work as famous as, e.g., Rachmaninov's Vocalise? It's that good. Most highly recommended.

A truly special and beautiful CD.......2005-02-02

The music on this CD has been a part of my life in so many different ways I almost don't know where to begin. It is probably the most treasured CD I own. This is a collection of music of Eastman (School of Music) composers. Two of my favorite music teachers in high school, husband and wife, had both of their children study at the Eastman School. So, one day one of these teachers of mine plays me a bit of this album -- when it still WAS an "album", that is, the Mercury LP -- and I fell in love with it literally from the first minute. I could not obtain my own copy, however, as the LP had long been out of print.

A few years later, I attended the Eastman School of Music myself. The bookstore often had rare Eastman recordings, including some of the Mercury LPs, for sale -- but NEVER this one. (Everyone wanted it, you see!) However, pursuing leads, I learned that one of the deans of the school had a secret personal stash of brand-new, unopened, Mercury LPs of which he might sell you one if you asked him REALLY nicely. For me, getting my hands on that LP copy of Music For Quiet Listening still in its shrink wrap was like finding a gold double eagle in your loose change.

Fast-forward a few decades, and finally, the Mercury Living Presence LPs are being re-issued on CD! But Music For Quiet Listening never seemed to be in stock. Finally a record store clerk, who knew the CD himself, took pity on me and found a copy that had been mis-shelved. Again, it was like finding the Holy Grail.

What really captivated me about this recording on first hearing all those years ago was the very first piece, Ron Nelson's "For Katherine In April", a beautiful melody in the strings, with lush harmony and heart-wrenching counterlines in the inner voices. Later, after a more melancholy passage in the english horn and oboe, the sun bursts forth, and there is an almost unbearably beautiful climax with the full orchestra, strings still most prominent, with some ecstatic birdcalls from the flutes running through it all. The only description I can come up with is: Most people can remember, with joy, and longing, and perhaps regret for what might have been, the first time they were ever in love. This is that feeling, expressed in music.

And that is just the FIRST FIVE MINUTES of this CD.

This recording is a collection of pieces from the 1950s by Eastman School of Music composers which were awarded the Benjamin Prize at the school. This was a composition prize founded by a philanthropist who wanted to encourage music that inspired a feeling of quiet beauty in the listener. And "quiet" does NOT mean flat and lifeless, or bland elevator music. These pieces, as you can tell from my description of For Katherine In April, DO have highs and lows in them. And, they have different moods. Some are dark or mysterious, some melancholy, some light and peaceful, but they are all soothing to the mind, and the heart, and the soul.

And as for the quality of the CD itself: ALL re-issues of beloved, classic LPs should be this good. For one thing, the original Mercury studio recordings were captured either on a 35 millimeter film recorder, or on a custom-made three-track Ampex reel-to-reel recorder. For the CD mastering of these Mercury re-issues, they found and restored to original working condition THE VERY SAME RECORDERS from which the LP masters had been made. (You can thank Ros Ritchie, head of the Eastman Recording Services department for many years, for having the foresight to keep that priceless, one-of-a-kind equipment intact.) Thus, the CD has exactly the same timbre and frequency balance as the original LP.

But it gets better! Not only do they give you the original cover art, and the original liner notes, but there are also new, expanded liner notes telling you what the composers went on to do in the years after the original LP was made. This is a really thoughtful, very nice touch.

And, if THAT wasn't enough, since there is more room on a CD than on an LP, there are three bonus tracks on the CD! All were also winners of the Benjamin prize, and all were recorded on the same mastering equipment as the original LP contents. One of the new additions is an early recording of Kent Kennan's "Night Soliloquy", which has become a staple of 20th century flute repertoire.

Well, I have gone on enough. This is a truly special recording, one that has beautified my own quiet, thoughtful moments for years, and the fact that it is available to us on CD in such pristine condition is really fortunate. I hope that it comes to mean as much to you.

Killer music........2001-05-11

"Killer" is a household term for music which is so beautiful, so luscious, that it, well, just kills you. I'm a music school graduate, 50 years old, and my partner and I have amassed hundreds and hundreds of LPs, tapes and CDs over the decades. This is one of the handful of albums which gets played repeatedly. The music is sometimes melancholy, sometimes bitter-sweet, but always "accessible" yet spiritually fulfilling. I don't want you to think that it will make you depressed--it won't. But it's great for those times you want something to think by, remember by, mourn by. (I'm buying it for a friend who just lost a close relative). I'm thrilled to see there is a second volume available on CD. Listen to what beautiful music Americans were creating at mid-Century even while the "challenges" of Milton Babbitt and Elliot Carter were the only things being proselytized in music schools. Vindication is sweet and so is this album.

Sublime.......2000-07-07

Each of these is a lovely work. All range from Romantic to Impressionist. Each is special.

Hanson takes works by Eastman students and makes up a restful compendium. Rest assured, these aren't current--the original LP came out in the late 50s, so this is an outstanding document of what was going on in composition at Eastman during that period.

Taken either as history, or strictly as music, this Mercury classic is one every serious lover of American music should have. It's pure, sonic balm.

Rock Music:

1. Shadowed Force
2. Shake Some Action: Best of the Flamin Groovies [Import]
3. Simply the Best Singers [Import]
4. Six Suitable Tracks [Import]
5. Storm
6. Surfin' USA
7. The Crown
8. The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack [Import] [Limited Edition] [Original recording remastered]
9. The Way You Love
10. Thousand Yard Stare [Import]

Rock Music