Northern Lights [Import]

Product Description
Japanese pressing of the new age act's 2004 album includes three bonus tracks, 'Fright Of Time' (Special Mix), 'Lifelines' (Special Mix), & 'Calling For You' (Special Mix). Westwood.

Tracks:

Forbidden Fruit
Hobo Jungle
Ophelia
Acadian Driftwood
Ring Your Bell
It Makes No Difference
Jupiter Hollow
Rags & Bones
Twilight (Early Alternate Version)
Christmas Must Be Tonight (Alternate Version)

Amazon.com

Hailed upon its arrival as a significant comeback for the Band, this 1975 collection hasn't aged as well as the likes of Stage Fright, Moondog Matinee, or even the outfit's post-Robbie Robertson output. The eight-song collection (augmented on the 2001 reissue with two agreeable extras--alternate versions of "Twilight" and "Christmas Must Be Tonight") isn't without its delights, foremost being Rick Danko's heavy-hearted reading of the devastating "It Makes No Difference." But for every "Forbidden Fruit" and "Ophelia"--worthy additions to Robertson's credits--there are the somewhat forced likes of "Jupiter Hollow" and "Rags and Bones." Also, Garth Hudson stocked up on the latest technology before heading into the studio, but the layers ARPs and mini-Moogs here contribute to a feeling of busyness. Northern Lights--Southern Cross is very much a '70s album--not a good thing from a quintet whose best music was tough to peg to any era. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

The final classic.......2007-01-10

The Band's sixth and final proper studio album (I don't really count Islands, the collection of half-hearted studio outtakes, as a real album), Northern Lights - Southern Cross is a surprisingly strong comeback in both writing and performance. The Band hadn't released an album of new material since the disappointing Cahoots, and the extracurricular substance-related activities of Richard Manuel and Rick Danko lessened their songwriting output considerably (completely in Manuel's case). However, despite their stumbles and a growing divergence of some members (guitarist/songwriter Robbie Robertson would be ready to leave the group not long after the album was released), the quintet pull off amazing comeback album, filled with what originally made The Band so classic--great writing, strong playing from Manuel, Danko and Levon Helm, and expert playing, especially from organist/multi-instrumentalist Garth Hudson.

The album kicks off with the rocking "Forbidden Fruit," a cautionary tale sung by Helm. One thing I actually like about Robertson's somewhat egotistical prominence in the later Band material is his up-front, gnarly guitar--he starts using the whammy bar on this album, and the results are wicked to say the least. He takes a few blistering solos in "Forbidden Fruit" that make you wonder if he sold his soul for his guitar skills. This song also marks Garth Hudson's introduction of (then) new synthesizers into his arsenal of keyboards. It might off-put you if you're a classic Americana Band fan, but give it a chance--it really grew on me. Regardless of the instrument, it's still being played by the bearded master, Garth Hudson. The second track is a "Hobo Jungle," a mid-tempo narrative that features some excellent acoustic guitar from Robbie and one of the finest vocal melodies on Band record, sung by Richard Manuel. Despite his heavy drinking, his voice still sounds great, though it's become quite weathered. "Ophelia" is one of the more well-known tracks on the album. The Band uses an almost Dixieland horn arrangement and Levon Helm, in addition to singing, pounds the skins with reckless abandon.

The other well-known track is "Acadian Driftwood," a song Robbie wrote about the Acadian Indians who were forced to move from Canada to Louisiana. It's a heartfelt tribute, sung by all three vocalists and featuring a piccolo part by Garth Hudson. "Ring Your Bell" is one of the group's funkiest songs, a pretty humorous outlaw tune and a all-out belter from Danko, who also sings "It Makes No Difference." One of Robbie Robertson's best love ballads, this track became a sort of signature torch tune for Rick, and it's buoyed by some of Robbie's revelatory guitar and Garth on saxophone. "Jupiter Hollow" is a long (for The Band) and experimental song--a great detour, with a lot of mythological and mystical imagery, and a whole lot of synth overdubs from Garth Hudson. It makes for a really cool listen and has a groovy vibe and some creative drumming from Levon. The album closes on a truly classic note with "Rags and Bones," another darkly funky romp through a night-time city with some of Robbie's most lively and creative guitar (check out that left channel--wow!).

Northern Lights - Southern Cross is The Band's shortest album, and it's always over too soon. The bonus tracks are OK, but as usual don't add anything (careful they don't spoil the vibe of the original album). This one definitely ranks pretty high up there for me as one of their top albums--worlds better than Cahoots and with moments that transcend a lot of their other material. It's such a pity they had to quit making music when their last album was this great. A lot of people will tell you they didn't make any good music after Stage Fright, but give Northern Lights - Southern Cross a try and I think you might agree with me that that's simply not true. I hope you enjoy The Band's final classic!

One of the Band's Best -- An Elegant Swan Song.......2006-02-14

I disagree with the reviewers who find this album too "70s" -- yes, the production and Garth's use of the Moog and other synths peg the recording date of the record -- but why is that presumed to be a bad thing?

I love the way these songs flow seamlessly from one to another -- the songs all deal with loss, upheaval, movement, endurance, cycles of joy and sadness, all beautifully pieced together. The liner notes on the reissue really add to the significance and enjoyment of these songs; I love the way Robbie wrote "Ophelia" and "Forbidden Fruit" using older, discarded chord progressions. Danko knocks one of the park with his tortured, sensitive reading of "It Makes No Difference," and personally I enjoy Garth's enveloping and intricate synth work on "Jupiter Hollow." Of course Acadian Driftwood is a classic story of uprooting, perseverance, and survival, and even the unadorned and simple Christmas song tacked on to the end works for me.

One of the Band's best and a great way to go out (I prefer to ignore Islands....).

I like the words; the singing is great, some songs outstanding.......2006-01-16

On Junior Day, 2006, I would like to seek lessons from the twentieth century that apply to the situation in the world. Things change, but our grasp of sentimentality can ebb or flow either way, particularly if it is informed by listening to The Band album from 1975, `Northern Lights, Southern Cross.' Someone in The Band might be from Canada, and the song `Acadian Driftwood' pictures a family with a broken-down car trying to get someplace where life was better, as some French Canadians made it all the way to New Orleans after France lost its hold on Quebec. Somehow the music seems a bit more cheerful for the song `Ophelia,' when The Band is singing:

Ashes of laughter, the ghost is clear,
Why do the best things always disappear,
like Ophelia? Please darken my door.

There are a number of songs about drifters. `Hobo Jungle,' `Jupiter Hollow,' and maybe `Rags And Bones.' In the first song, `Forbidden Fruit,' there is an admonition:

You got one life that you better not waste.

The Band had been playing together for years when `Northern Lights, Southern Cross' was recorded. Among the tales of woe that allowed music to explore the depths of the human situation, `It Makes No Difference' by J. R. Robertson took four or five chords to get through the first two lines, added a few more chords for the chorus, then managed to fit in a few more for the part in the middle that declares:

Now there's no love
As true as the love
That dies untold
But the clouds never hung so low before.

Civilization requires certain limits to love, which threatens to uproot the basic standards of stability, but music keeps morphing, as The Band throws in a few more chords near the end with the words:

Without your love I'm nothing at all
Like an empty hall it's a lonely fall
Since you've gone it's a losing battle
Stampeding cattle, they rattle the walls.

Well, I love you so much
It's all I can do
Just to keep myself from telling you
That I never felt so alone before.

The last four lines probably use the same chords as the lines ending with "But the clouds never hung so low before." The hurt of lost love seems to apply to love that never even happened yet, rain or shine, because "The shadow never seems to fade away." And as for songs:

These old love letters
Well, I just can't keep
'Cause like the gambler says
Read 'em and weep
And the dawn don't rescue me no more.

3rd Best Band Album, Still one of the Top 100 ever.......2005-06-19

It is well known that by 1975 when this album was recorded, The Band was much less a band than they used to be, not due to loss of talent, but loss of the easygoing friendships that had fueled the first two albums. What a showing they still make.

To me Richard Manuel sang some of the greatest performances of his life on this album, for instance check out: Hobo Jungle, Rags & Bones, Acadian Driftwood. Levon and Rick also hand in some fine performances, Levon particularly on Forbidden Fruit, Rick's Swan Song is most definately It Makes No Difference. Robbie provides some very good lyrics for the whole album. Garth is brilliant of course, "ain't it easy when you know how" .

My only complaint is it is just not long enough, 8 songs on the original, 10 on the remastered edition. I grew up in a house full of Classic Rock "N Roll. When I heard The Band, I was mesmerized by how each song can sound so different from each other but they never lose that tight ensemble sound. To me Richard Manuel is the greatest singer in the History of Popular Music.

A must purchase for any fan of The Band, or any fan of Truly Soulful, meaningful Roots Music.

****1/4. The Band's last great record.......2004-08-03

The strongest Band album since "Stage Fright", "Northern Lights, Southern Cross" was The Band's first studio album in four years. Better than "Cahoots" and "Moondog Matinee", it is really The Band's last hurrah, although the mediocre "Islands" did come out in 1977, after the Canadian-American outfit had stopped touring for good. (Robbie Robertson says about "Islands": "It wasn't even an album, we were just trying to get out of a contract!")

"Northern Lights, Southern Cross" features the same dense, muscular arrangements as previous albums, anchored by Levon Helm's supple, versatile drumming, and the role of lead vocalist is still passed around between Helm, Danko, and Manuel. The only notable difference is that Garth Hudson had partially abandoned his Lowrey organ in favour of synthesizers (that may sound ominous, but it really isn't).

Robbie Robertson is credited as the sole composer on all eight tracks on the original LP, as well as the newly added bonus cuts, and the many highlights include the rollicking "Ophelia", Rick Danko's excellent performance of the mournful ballad "It Makes No Difference", and the lyrical, acoustic folk-rock of "Hobo Jungle".
But the album's centrepiece has to be the epic "Acadian Driftwood", a nearly seven minute folkish narrative which chronicles the story of the Acadians, a people exiled from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in the 1750s. It is a superbly evocative masterpiece, one of Robbie Robertson's very best songs.

Not as highly touted as "Music From Big Pink" or "The Band", "Northern Lights, Southern Cross" is nevertheless one of The Band's classic albums. Being the Band's fourth best record really isn't half bad, you know.

Average customer rating:

Enchanting and Mystical
Very Good CD
Enchanting
Important Celtic compilation
Not bad

Celtic Odyssey
Northern Lights , and Orison
Manufacturer: Narada
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Celtic Spirit
Celtic Legacy: A Global Celtic Journey
Heart Of The Celts: Songs Of Love
The Celtic Circle: Legendary Music from a Mystic World
Celtic Voices: Women of Song

ASIN: B000005P56
Release Date: 1993-05-25

Tracks:

Carolan's Ramble To Cashel - Northern Lights
The Butterfly - Orison
Donal Agus Morag/The New-Rigged Ship - Altan
Calliope House/The Cowboy Jig - Alasdair Fraser/Paul Machlis
Chuaigh Me 'Na Rosann - Scartaglen
Trip To Skye - John Whelan/Eileen Ivers
Are Ye Sleeping, Maggie? - Alasdair Fraser
Tribute To Peadar O'Donnell - Moving Hearts
Siun Ni Dhuibher - Relativity
Alasdair Mhic Cholla Ghasda - Capercaillie
Puirt A Beul - Sileas
The York Reel/Dancing Feet - Gerald Trimble
Morgan Meaghan (Edit) - Laurie Riley/Bob Mc Nally
Strathgarry - Simon Wynberg

Customer Reviews:

Enchanting and Mystical.......2007-07-02

Along with the other reviewers, this is my favorite celtic compilation. I, too, am moved to tears by Strathgarry at the end. My husband and I loved the music on this cd so much that we used most of it for our wedding 10 years ago, and had it included in our wedding video. It's still as good today as it was then.

Very Good CD.......2007-06-16

Really Enjoy this CD every time I listen to it. I highly recomend it. A great combonation of some slow and some faster paced songs.

Enchanting.......2007-05-11

I agree with all the other reviewers--this is a great CD. It's not too mellow and not too rowdy--just right, and there's a variety of music--some instrumental, some with vocals. I recommend it highly.

Important Celtic compilation.......2006-08-17

Most Celtic compilations usually have 4-5 really good songs mixed in with a bunch of crap. Do the editors think that they can fool us folk fans into believing that just because something has a violin, or a harp, or ethereal vocals, or bagpipes, that it's "good" Celtic music? That's like saying any song with a guitar is good rock. Well, at least according to my personal taste , most if not ALL songs on this CD are good and fit well together. They range from fiddle and drum jig, to slow and melancholy fiddle solo, to a cappella duet, to harp, to drums and other instruments, all mixed in with very crisp, Gaelic vocals. If you're a Celtic music fan, this NEEDS to be a part of your collection!

Not bad.......2005-12-13

Sounds real "purdy". But except for a couple of numbers, not a lot of character to this collection. Makes me think that if the ancient Gaels had elevators, this would be the music they'd be listening to.

Average customer rating:

An Oasis of quality music.
Wonderful CD
cool classical/rock/jazz fusion
cool classical/rock/jazz fusion
A Disaster

Nylon & Steel
Manuel Barrueco , Aaron Copland , Celso Machado , Al di Meola , Steve Morse , Stanley Myers , Ernesto Nazareth , Andy Summers , Victor Valls , Al di Meola , Andy Summers , and Steve Morse
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Manuel Barrueco ~ Bach & de Visae
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez & Fantasia para un Gentilhombre; Manuel Barrueco

ASIN: B00005ICL0
Release Date: 2001-05-22

Tracks:

Odeon - Manuel Barrueco
Beyond The Mirage - Manuel Barrueco/Al Di Meola
Azzurra - Manuel Barrueco/Al Di Meola
The Grand Passion - Manuel Barrueco/Al Di Meola
Wolvesville (An Improvisation On Etude No.1 By Villa-Lobos) - Manuel Barrueco/Steve Morse
Cavatina - Manuel Barrueco/Steve Morse
Without Sunglasses - Manuel Barrueco/Steve Morse
Northern Lights - Manuel Barrueco/Steve Morse
Up In The Air - Manuel Barrueco/Steve Morse
Mysteries Of The Slow River - Manuel Barrueco/Andy Summers
I Remember - Manuel Barrueco/Andy Summers
Crow At Midnight - Manuel Barrueco/Andy Summers
Rodeo - Manuel Barrueco

Amazon.com

Classical guitar lovers looking for a jazzier change of pace shouldn't be disappointed by Nylon & Steel, Manuel Barrueco's album of duets with Al Di Meola, Steve Morse, and Andy Summers. But ironically enough, it's the two solo tunes that bookend this disc, Barrueco's "Odeon" and his solo guitar arrangement of Aaron Copland's "Rodeo," that are the real highlights. His three cuts with Di Meola are a mixed affair, but the interplay between the duo seems to gel on the longer "Azzurra." Steve Morse's electric guitar is loaded with Bill Frisell-like effects, but on "Wolvesville," he and Barrueco create an inspired and unleashed fusion between rock and classical music (the inspiration for the piece is a Villa-Lobos étude). Three mellow collaborations with Summers round out this set of intriguing guitar instrumentals. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

An Oasis of quality music........2005-04-14

The tracks on this recording vary from exuberant latin-american jazz - like 'Beyond The Mirage'- to more introspective music like 'The Grand Passion'. 'Northern Lights'is very sensitive as well, it makes you a little bit melancholic. Between all the noisy dance-music we have nowadays, 'Nylon & Steel'is an oasis of quality and high standard.(Though there is no classical music played on this cd - apart from Villa-Lobos - don't let that spoil the fun). Something about this music reminds me of the piano-music of Brad Mehldau: it sounds familiar and at the same time it's something new.

Wonderful CD.......2003-06-04

I didn't think I would like this CD. However, after the first listen, I had to admit this is a fantastic CD!

cool classical/rock/jazz fusion.......2001-10-29

This is a very interesting combination of the classical and rock/jazz worlds of guitar playing. All four guitarists have amazing chops and they're all quite tasteful on this recording. If you're a fan of Barrueco, DiMeola, Morse, or Summers, check out this CD. I had heard Barrueco and Summers before, and knew of DiMeola and Morse by reputation, so I had an idea of what to expect...but "Nylon & Steel" surpassed those expectations. Very cool, indeed.

cool classical/rock/jazz fusion.......2001-10-29

A Disaster.......2001-09-08

Except for the two Barrueco solos, this CD made me nauseous!!!Listening to it reminded me why I stopped listening to most improvised music.

Throughout tracks 2 to 4, DiMeola struggles futilely to come up with anything but comical latin cliches. DiMeola's mindless noodling is an affront to Barrueco's musicality. Summers playing on the other hand, while somewhat musical, is mostly syrup.

Villa-Lobos' Etude 1 duet hurt the most. I have played this piece for years and, though an etude, I find it quite entertaining (as do most classical guitarists I think). During most of the piece, Morse simply plays scale-exercise filler and obliterates all the musical ideas in the piece. Listen, Villa-Lobos was one of the most original and masterful composers of this century. It is criminal to think that playing this electronic fluff over Villa-Lobos' etude does it justice.

A word to the uninitiated - buy Sergio and Odair Assad's "Latin Music for Two Guitars" and learn something about the depth and beauty of serious latin guitar music.

Northern Lights
Average customer rating:

A brilliant, moody fusion of straight-ahead balladry and "nu jazz"

MAGNIFICENT ALBUM!!!!

Northern Lights
Mike Mainieri
Manufacturer: NYC (New York City)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
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Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
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Wanderlust

ASIN: B000J234A2
Release Date: 2006-11-21

Tracks:

Nature Boy
Poochie Pie
I've Seen It All
Vertigo
Flamenco Sketches
Naima
Dance Of Ran
Bang
Remembrance

Customer Reviews:

A brilliant, moody fusion of straight-ahead balladry and "nu jazz".......2007-03-28

This is a stunning, innovative album that deserves much more attention than it's gotten. Mainieri's sidemen here are the cream of the crop of the new generation of Scandanavian jazz players who have been influenced by electronica, including Nils-Petter Molvaer, Bugge Wesseltoft, Lars Danielsson, Jan Bang, DJ Strangefruit, and a bunch of other low-key geniuses who regularly play on one another's records. Moody standards like "Naima" and "Flamenco Sketches" fit perfectly with the reflective atmosphere of the originals. If you want to dip your toe into "nu jazz," this is a great place to start. A marvelous album for late night listening, and a taste of the future of music.

MAGNIFICENT ALBUM!!!!.......2007-03-04

This is truly magnificent!!!, once again Mike Mainieri brings up a recording that reaches all of your senses; The album evolves beautifully from beginning to end, with very high peaks on "I've Seen it all" and "Flamenco Sketches", teamed up with Norwegian sax player Bendik Hofseth(he appears on Steps Ahead-NYC)and a group of other wonderful Norwegian players, Northern Lights is simply one of the best jazz offerings of this year. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Average customer rating:

Roman Twilights
One Man: Two Musics
Astralwerks mastering errors
Sounds like a collection of unfinished work.
Mastering Mistakes

More Music for Films

Manufacturer: Astralwerks
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Music for Films, Vol. 3
Music for Films
Another Day on Earth
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ASIN: B0007GFFVG
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Tracks:

Untitled
The Last Door
Chemin De Fer
Dark Waters
Fuseli
Melancholy Waltz
Northern Lights
From The Coast
Shell
Empty Landscape
Reactor
The Secret
Don't Look Back
Marseilles
The Dove
Roman Twilight
Dawn, Marshland
Climate Study
Drift Study
Approaching Taidu
Always Returning (II)

Customer Reviews:

Roman Twilights.......2006-08-11

I read all the reviews on amazon for this cd and went ahead and bought it about a year ago. I have to agree with most of the comments. This is not for someone new to Eno as it is made up of out takes from some of his best albums. However, if you are an Eno fan it is definitely worth buying. It has actually become one of my favorites. True, many of the tracks sound like different versions of previously released tracks. For instance, Reactor, Chermin de Fer and Dark Waters sound like songs that were on Another Green World. Always Returning sounds like something from Apollo. And From the Coast is Quartz from Music For Films, Fuseli is Patrolling Wire Borders. Some of the others were new to me but sound like they could have been quite at home on earlier albums. The Dove and Roman Twilight sound like tracks from The Pearl. Empty Landscape, Drift Study and Dawn, Marshland sound like aural landscapes from On Land. My only complaint is that the pieces are too short. Many could be extended to twice their length and still hold my interest. And it would be nice if the retitled repeats (Fuseli and From the Coast) could be replaced with new pieces. Still, if you enjoy On Land, The Pearl, Apollo, Another Green World and the original Music For Films you will probably like this one as well.

One Man: Two Musics.......2005-07-03

I don't know if my CD vesrsion of Music for Films is AstralWorks; all I know is that the CD version rearranged the sequence of songs which is a sacrilidge - this is one of the reasons I still keep a high qualty turn-table in operating shape for listening to original vinyl releases.

At my age, I consider myself a fully competent commentator on Brian Eno's Music. Having first "discovered" my liking when I first heard "No One Receiving" and its David Bowid/Carlos Alomar style bomp, I was hooked. (I was in a Bowie phase in 1974-77).

Then my pure interest in Eno's music was the concretely sealed upon hearing "Another Green World" - That LP changed the way I listened to music. All of this on vinyl, at the time in which it was released.

My current opinion of Brian and his music is that he isn't interested in his own back-catalog very much or his re-issues. I am not even sure he owns the rights to much of his pre-OPAL material. Sure he gets royalties. But maybe not say-so in editing, I don't know. I'd be guessing

but, if you have been folowing the Oddities Volumes, you will also know he has a vault of things he (or his record company at the time) never released.

Eno has never been about the past. I consider him one of the greatest Futurists of the modern day.

EnoShop does a great job as distributing his current works which are almost all totally "Installation" music for rooms and enviroments he creates in museums etc.

Installations are Eno's primary "solo" medium. Actually, I think he's rather be raising his daughters or lecturing on a variety of theories and subjects, than making music. Not that he dismisses the fans of his music, but he has always just seemed to shun the lime light.

Eno could have been a great rock-star and he always went out-of-his-way to dodge this categorization.

Back to his current music - (I was fortunate enough to experience the Neroli exhibit in Madrid, over a decade ago.)...

From Neroli forward, Eno has pressed towards "experiential pieces" (in a way, like Stockhausen; These pieces, I feel do not translate well to the home stereo "Active listening mode". These works stil make for very good ambient music (in his defintion of the word) not the current translation of the ambient genre, which I would call "easy-listing techno".

On many great occasions, he has made collaborative musice that is much more extroverted and relative to the Eno we like to associate with the his first 7 solo albums ("The passage of my life is measured out in shirts"). But the lone Eno is a different animal.

His work with John Cale, Jah Wobble, Peter Schwalm and most recently and superbly again with Robert Fripp, brings out the very best of Eno's external musical self. He collaborates extremely well. He composes for himself, I believe.

I also see him faithfully applied as the "5th Beatle" in the music of James, The Talking Heads and of course U2. The song "We're all going to miss you" - on the James album with the pig on the cover - (at over 40 my places and names get foggier)is an excellent example.

This song could be dropped into "Here comes the warm jets" and fit right in; Farfisa Organ and Eno singing one complete refrain and all the backing vocals in his old reminscent style.

His new album, Another day on Earth" is very good. Eno has said it many times himself, he doesn't like to sing and doesn't think he sings well or likes the sound of his own voice.

To me, his singing is is like pure peace ( the second side of "Before and after Science" is just a vocal masterpiece.

Eno's voice is an under-used intstrument. But my opinion about his new vocal Album is that it feels forced; like so many fans wanted him to sing that he felt he had to put and album of songs together, even though this is not his current interest and subsequently resulted in not his best vocal album.

Maybe,I'll write a book, or a blog, because so many younger Eno fans may not have the same time-frame of perspectibeve that older Eno fans might have; I'm nealy his age and have everyting he's ever released and some he didn't release. (Those boot-leg vinyl's from the 70's were pretty rough.

Any way, this is not a criticism, I just think you have to separate the motive of the musician from the motives of the record company and try to figure out who is benefiting and calling the shots.

I personally did not need a re-issue of Another Green World or Before and After Science. But Somebody, EG or Island or Warner/AOL thought it would be a good idea; I don't know if Eno even had a say in it.

That's my 2-cents for the night.

Good night

Ambient American

Astralwerks mastering errors.......2005-06-30

Does anyone have the final word on the degree to which Astralwerks (sic) have screwed up these Eno 'remasters'?

'Another Green World' has the first bars of 'Everything merges with the night' missing, 'Climate Study' is missing from this release (More Music For Films), and someone on the Amazon review of 'Music For Films' states that the intro to 'Quartz' on that album is also truncated. Are Astralwerks just a bunch of amateurs or something? Eno must be well pleased with this mess..

Sounds like a collection of unfinished work........2005-06-15

I find it hopelessly ironic that of all the material in the dozen reissues thus far, the one I was most wanting to get my hands on is the one that I find completely extraneous. "More Music For Films", essentially material from the "Music For Films Director's Edition" promo and "Music For Films, Volume 2" (and evidentally largely released on a boxed set some time back) is mostly an uninteresting effort. Quite simply, it feels like a collection of leftovers.

The album sounds like it was recorded in several batches, with material from each session adjacent to each other. This gives a small feeling of unity to each section, but all of the pieces have this unfinished feel about them, as though this was the raw material from which Eno would typically construct his actual pieces.

Its not that its all that bad, "Chemin de Fer" early on is a nice piece featuring some superb fretless bass playing (from Percy Jones), "Reactor" is a nice percussion loop-driven piece with a sublimely irritating lead guitar (although at 1:40, it ends before it starts).... I could go on, but overall, this is a completely unsatisfying listen.

My advice, if you're an Eno fan, get ahold of this, you'll want it. If you're anyone else, digest the proper albums before coming to this one.

Mastering Mistakes.......2005-05-03

No, I haven't purchased this yet as I'm waiting for Virgin/Astralwerks to correct their mastering mistakes. As has already been pointed out "Climate Study" is not on here but is in fact "Approaching Taidu". Also "Fuselli" unless it's a different mix that I can't detect from the sound sample is "Patrolling Wire Borders" and "From The Coast" is in fact "Quartz", both from MUSIC FOR FILMS. Let's hope they replace these repeats with "Dover Beach", the long version of "Signals" and both versions of "Always Returning". On a positive note the actual audio quality sounds promising from the samples I listened to (finer detail).

Average customer rating:

Thank you CBC
Best bassoon quartet ever!

Feast
Bill Douglas , and The Caliban Quartet of Bassoonists
Manufacturer: Northern Lights
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Sky
Bassoonatics!

ASIN: B00005N6LH
Release Date: 2001-07-24

Tracks:

Feast
Banana
Farewell to Stromness
Highland
Steppin' Out With My Baby
Tango Melancolico
Funk for Spain
Powerhouse
Yesnaby Ground
Emigrant's Farewell
Valstango
Odes to the Americas: I Good Times
Odes to the Americas: II Blue Souls
Odes to the Americas: III With You I Dance
Jewel
Bassango
Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals

Customer Reviews:

Thank you CBC.......2007-07-15

Often I listen to Canadian radio, for a different perspective on news and entertainment, and they play a lot of Canadian musicians which I otherwise wouldn't get to hear. Case in point, the marvelous Caliban Bassoon Quartet from Toronto, which was featured earlier this week. I've always loved the bassoon, with its expressive and harmonically complex voice (Lindsay Cooper of Henry Cow, Brian Guilland of Gryphon, Susan Nigro). So deep joy to be introduced to a whole quartet of talented bassoonists, "playing all the good parts" where "you can never be sure who it is playing the lead at any one time." There's even a contrabassoon in most of the tracks, a wonderfully weird instrument which sounds like a phlegmatic goose with congestive pneumonia! Add piano and percussion to most tracks and you have a thoroughly entertaining disc.

Best bassoon quartet ever!.......2001-10-26

The second CD by the Caliban Quartet is a "must-get" CD for bassoon lovers! The music in this album is very different unlike their first album. We get to hear the voices behind the beautiful instruments! I've to say my favourite track in this CD is Bill Douglas' "Jewel".

Average customer rating:

Resonant and rousing with their new acoustic music

New Moon
Northern Lights
Manufacturer: Fifty Fifty Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Wrong Highway Blues

ASIN: B0007Y09C8
Release Date: 2005-04-19

Tracks:

Oh, Lady Be Good
Lonely Moon
Listen To The Radio
Empty Pages
Twenty Six Daughters
Bury Me Beneath The Willow
Sit Down Servant
Dusty Miller/Ride The Wild Turkey
Blue Chalk
Blue Yodel No.4
Orphan Girl
Baby I Love You

Customer Reviews:

Resonant and rousing with their new acoustic music.......2005-10-24

Playing Time - 42:24 -- How time flies. Northern Lights, a Boston band, can trace its roots to late-1975 when a good-time bar band decided to get seriously into progressive bluegrass music. For awhile (1977-81), the band was called "String Fever" (Taylor Armerding, Bob Emery, Rex Waters, Steve Arkin). Over the years, they've stayed on course, always providing their own interpetive twists to their defining music. While Taylor Armerding (mandolin, vocals) is no longer with them, another long-time member, Bill Henry, is keeping the Northern Lights shining brightly with some engaging acoustic music centered around strong mandolin, guitar, banjo, bass and vocals. Besides Taylor Armerding, other band alumni now include such superior players as Bob Emery, Jake Armerding (Taylor's son), Alison Brown (a member in the early 1980s when she attended Harvard), Mike Kropp, Richard Hand, Oz Barron, Jeff Horton, and Chris Miles. Many are continuing to pursue music full-time in other situations.

In the band's early days of the 1970s and 1980s, they recorded for Revonah. In the 1990s, award-winning Northern Lights put out three great projects on the Flying Fish label. Their songs found their way into Bluegrass Unlimited's National Bluegrass Survey. After their signing with Red House Records in 1996, Northern Lights put out "Living in the City" with its eclectic mix of folk, rock, gospel and original music. 2000 found the band on the Prime CD (now called Fifty Fifty Music) label that released "Three August Nights Live" with Vassar Clements in 2000, and "Another Sleepless Night" in 2001. Bill Henry released a solo album, "Red Sky" in 2002.

"New Moon" is a remarkable project with many stellar moments that marks guitarist/vocalist Bill Henry's new association with some fresh talent, all very experienced in the new acoustic genre. The lineup also consisting of Ben Demerath (vocals, guitar, mandolin), Dave Dick (banjo, mandolin, harmony vocals), and John Daniel (bass, harmony vocals) may be one of Northern Lights' best configurations ever. Dave Dick (Salamander Crossing) started playing mandolin and banjo with Northern Lights in early-2000. John Daniel (Brooks Williams) has been with the group since mid-2002. In mid-2003, Taylor Armerding left to pursue other musical endeavors, and Ben Demerath (Sugarbeat) joined up.

With the new line-up, the band has less emphasis on original material, but they wisely choose and arrange covers that sit nicely within their large envelope. Songs come from the likes of George Gershwin, Nanci Griffith, Steve Winwood, John Gorka, Gillian Welch, traditional sources and others. Their vocal showcases are the gospel "Sit Down Servant," "Lonely Moon" and "Empty Pages." It seemed a little odd for these four guys to be singing "Orphan Girl," but their lean arrangement is solid. Ben Demerath's original "Twenty Six Daughters" is an impressive number that builds with euphonious zeal as the vocals interplay with lyrical riffs. While typically done by strong female vocalists, Shannon Roosevelt's "Baby I Love You" is given an interesting Northern Lights arrangement full of emotional electricity. Jimmy Rodgers' "Blue Yodel No. 4" is presented with gusto. "Dusty Miller/Ride the Wild Turkey" demonstrates an instrumental bridge as the band drives traditional and contemporary roads. Past album projects have incorporated guest fiddlers, and that instrument was missed to a slight degree on "New Moon." However, the bottomline is that these four gifted veterans are both resonant and rousing with their new acoustic music. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

Average customer rating:

Worth buying, but not Keiko's best work.
VERY TALENTED ARTIST...
Early, Good, More Mellow
Beautiful

Under Northern Lights
Keiko Matsui
Manufacturer: Mca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music

Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music
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No Borders
Whisper from the Mirror
Ring
Sapphire
Cherry Blossom

ASIN: B0000001PF
Release Date: 1997-02-25

Tracks:

Under Northern Lights
Mountain Shakedown
Secret Forest
The Morning Moon
As Far As The Eye Can See
The Ruins Of Sonora
High Brow Country Affair
Walls Of The Cave
Flight Of The Angels
The Gate

Customer Reviews:

Worth buying, but not Keiko's best work........2004-11-16

"As Far as the Eye Can See" and "High Brow Country Affair" both make me gag.

"Ruins of Sonora" has a Spanish trumpet thing going on that, while it was technically sound in its own right, just didn't jive with anything else I've heard from Keiko. It was like a well-painted piece of the wrong puzzle. I didn't like it.

Take those three tracks out of the album, and you've got the gold standard set by Keiko's other work.

If you're a Keiko collector, buy this album for tracks 1 - 4 and 8 - 10. If you're thinking of trying Keiko for the first time, I recommend one of her other albums -- particularly Dream Walk.

For the rest of the album, I enjoyed it immensely and found it just as engaging as anything else I've heard from Keiko.

-sean henning

VERY TALENTED ARTIST..........2003-07-18

This CD Is Beautiful, Every Song Is Breathtaking. You Can Relax with her music, or Stay up all Night and Work With it. Very Talented Lady.

Early, Good, More Mellow.......2000-03-30

This is Keiko's second release. I find it to be a little more mellow than some of her other CDs. It is a Keiko product and thus better than CDs by most artists, but I hesitantly place it in the lower half of her CDs. If you are addicted to her music like I am, then you should definitely buy it because it is really very good. If you are only exploring her music, then buy "The Keiko Matsui Collection". Half of the songs on that CD are from "Under Northern Lights", and "Collection" contains the best songs from "N. Lights".

Beautiful.......1999-08-01

This album has brought me to tears. I can listen to this CD for hours. My favorite track is Ruins Of Sonora, which is not included in the Keiko Matsui Collection. If you are going to explore Keiko's music, this is a good choice.

Average customer rating:

Great
Your choice

Northern Lights
Steve Coulter & Harris Moore
Manufacturer: Gourd Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Vanishing Borders
Pastorale
The Illusionist (Widescreen Edition)
An Ancient Muse
Awake

ASIN: B000005C2B
Release Date: 2001-08-14

Tracks:

Busker's Dream
Sleepers Awake
Pyramid / In The Wood / In The Bright Light / Star Of The County Down
Carolan's Draught
Mushrooms Of Fagernes, The
Squire Wood's Lamentation On The Refusal Of His Tuppence
Carolan's Ramble To Cashel
Fair Haired Lass, The
Carolan's Receipt

Album Description

As an independent label, we've worked hard to develop a distinctive sound — part-folk, part-classical, all-acoustic instrumental music. We feel our music is indeed unique, and we've never compromised in our determination to produce only the highest quality, most beautifully packaged recordings.

We include detailed liner notes for those who are curious about the history and background of the music.

Gourd has licensed music to Warner Bros. Music, Narada, Hearts of Space, Windham Hill, The Disney Channel, A&E and The History Channel. Selections from the Gourd recording The World Turned Upside Down were featured on the Ken Burns documentary Thomas Jefferson. Three Gourd recordings were featured on Ken Burns' latest project ( a documentary on Susan B. Anthony & Elizabeth Cady Stanton) on PBS.

Customer Reviews:

Great.......2006-07-28

I received it earlier than I expected. And the music is just great. Thanks a lot.

Your choice.......2001-11-25

This music will take you anywhere you want to go and introduce you to places you never dreamed of - awesome peace. Buy at least two copies - you'll wear it out quickly & for certain will want to share it's simple beauty.

Northern Lights: Music of Contemplation for a New Age

Average customer rating:

je ne sais quoi
Great CD
Northern Lights
"It makes me think of tubular bells by Mike Oldfield"

Northern Lights: Music of Contemplation for a New Age

Manufacturer: Finlandia
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

Relaxation | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music
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Night Tracks
Cyril Scott: Symphony No. 3 "The Muses"; Piano Concerto No. 2; Neptune
The Iraq Study Group Report: The Way Forward - A New Approach
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

ASIN: B000005IFQ
Release Date: 1995-11-14

Tracks:

Northbound - Jukka Linkola
Maja - Urma Sisask
Trivium (Excerpt) - Rene Eespere
Oremus - Urma Sisask
The Forest - Jukka Linkola
Song Of The Watch - Uuno Klami
Song Without Words - Lauri Saikkola
Piece From The Year 1981 - Lepo Sumera
Dominus Vobiscum - Urmas Sisask
Insula Deserta (Excerpt) - Erkki-Sven Tuur
The Ancient Kannel (Excerpt) - Ester Magi
Adagio Religioso (Excerpt From Music For String Orchestra) - Joonas Kokkonen
Gerda And Kai - Jukka Linkola
Fantasy For Piano And Orchestra (Excerpt) - Olli Mustonen
Cantabile (Excerpt) - Peteris Vasks
Pater Noster - Urmas Sisask
Trivium (Excerpt) - Rene Eepere

Customer Reviews:

je ne sais quoi.......2005-07-02

The music on this CD is hauntingly beautiful and much of it fills me with strange and wistful longings--a sort of "happy sadness," perhaps correspondent to the German concept of Sehnsucht.

Great CD.......2002-01-10

There was only one song on this CD that I did not enjoy. All the rest were great.

Northern Lights.......2000-06-28

Better than most "New Age" offerings, thanks to the overall choices and imagery the music conjures up. Northbound is first cut and gives actual feel of travelling very fast over snow and ice. Sounds like a well-crafted soundtrack. Well worth buying when you need a beautiful, lilting symphonic head-journey-or when you just need/want to hear musicians other than U.S./British-born artists.

Some of the cuts are quite moving, some sturm und drang, and others reminiscent of the best of classical artists. One friend told me he could almost hear the ice crackling underfoot in one track, and another said he thought of the time he saw flights of geese southbound for the winter.

"It makes me think of tubular bells by Mike Oldfield".......1999-02-13

"Music composed by Sisask is classical but added with a touch of symphonical rock. It was the feast of recognising when I listend to compositions like the forest. I only hope that Sisask does not go to far into the forest of early rock and roll"

Rock Music:

Rock Music