Mummer [Import]

Beating of Hearts, Love On A Farm Boy's Wages, Great Fire, Wonderland, Deliver Us From The Elements and Funk Pop A Roll stand with the best songs Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding have written. They also hint at the stylistic changes and challenges the band would embark upon with later albums. The one track that doesn't fit on the album is the last tune Funk Pop A Roll. It's a great song but doesn't quite fit the mood of the album. Partridge visits the same themes as Elvis Costello did on his classic Radio Radio with equal power and venom.

The artwork on this reissue is comparable to the original cardboard sleeve of the vinyl record. Ian Cooper has done a great job on remastering this album (although to be fair the previous verison sounded pretty darn good as well). There are a few drawbacks--the Japanese lyric insert is pretty accurate and very good but the type is too light and too small (at least for these eyes) compared to the booklet with the previous version. With the extra $ spend on this limited edition import you'd expect better.

It's easy to see why Mummer was overlooked when it was first released; it broke with the "traditional" XTC sound cemented on English Settlement. Mummer still deserves a place in anybody's collection despite flaws.

Average customer rating:

Like taking a scented bath in sheer symphonic sound...

Pure Orchestra

Tesh, a savior..... maybe, just maybe

Did not reach its fullest potential

Uplifting

Pure Orchestra

Manufacturer: Garden City Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music
Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music
General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The John Tesh Project: Pure Movies 2

One World

The Power of Love

Monterey Nights

Grand Passion

ASIN: B0000560S9
Release Date: 2001-01-16

Tracks:

Book of Days
After the Sunrise
Picture This
Silk Road
Song for Jennifer
Marching Season
Watermark
Longing / Love
The Mummer's Dance
Dancin' In The Stars
Havana
Angel Eyes
Blue

Amazon.com

The thinking behind Pure Orchestra is as follows: select 11 familiar melodies composed by New Age-related artists, arrange them for a 60-member orchestra, then hope something special happens. Alas, nothing much does. This installment from John Tesh's music factory is a decent, well-intentioned effort that may find fans among listeners drawn to symphonic renditions of pop music. Yet for anyone who holds dear the compositions addressed on Pure Orchestra (Enya's "Book of Days," Jim Brickman's "Picture This," "Marching Season" by Yanni, and so on), these lightweight, soundtrack-like interpretations will probably only make you long to hear the originals. Tesh's role here is only as a producer, not a performer, though he does include two original, though uneventful, pieces of his own ("Song for Jennifer" and "Blue"). Kenny G's "Havana" sounds as though its re-creation was being handled by 101 Strings. Meanwhile, the interpretations of two Yanni tracks pale compared to what can be found on Live at the Acropolis, and truly affecting solo pieces such as Brickman's "Angel Eyes" and "Longing/Love" by George Winston gain nothing by orchestral treatment. Sometimes it's better to leave well enough alone. --Terry Wood

Album Description

Lose yourself in a dynamic swirl of strings, horns and percussion as performed by a 60-piece Symphony Orchestra! Powerful melodies transform 13 memorable songs from the world's most popular new age composers into fully orchestrated, symphonic

Customer Reviews:

Like taking a scented bath in sheer symphonic sound..........2004-12-09

This album comes in handy when you want to take a break from all those Mancini, Bacharach, John williams etc. reissues. The program is drawn from compositions of top New Age artists all arranged for a sixty piece orchestra. The arrangements are quite weighty for the most part with a lot of bravado during the big moments. Strings breeze from speaker to speaker, with glissening brass and horns throughout. Yanni, Chip Davis, and Tesh himself have all used orchestras extensively. Keep in mind
John Tesh does not perform on the album; he produces and had a hand in choosing the selections. One does not have to be a New Age fan to enjoy this disc; in fact I was not even familiar with most the compositions. When your in the mood for a semiclassical atmosphere this will fit the bill. Add a star if you think this album will inspire you to pursue more on the original artists.

Pure Orchestra.......2004-08-11

I loved it! I enjoyed every piece on the album. I have played it several times and have enjoyed just as much each time. I bought a copy for my Sister & Brother-in-law.

Tesh, a savior..... maybe, just maybe.......2003-07-31

If you are looking for some powerful and great new age music, and who is, this disc is not for you. i feel like i should be crossing a finish line in the olympics every time i hear tesh. to call the music corny would be the greatest compliment, and accomplishment for tesh to this day. much worse words are needed to truely describe the music of the infamous, john tesh. now, if you dont take my word, and you actually go through with the purchase of this cd, please, please, make sure your running shoes are laced, be sure to have plenty of water and run that mile. make sure there is something for you to run through at the end of the mile, and time it so a big orchestra stab hits at that moment. well, i dont care for tesh, but i am looking very much forward to the day when tesh, hasselhoff, kevin bacon, keanu reeves (sp) & william shatner all join forces to create a monster, star-laden group, that all sorts of people will buy, even though it truely smells of week old britches that have been soiled and sitting in the sun.

Did not reach its fullest potential.......2003-01-04

I hate to be the only partly dissenting review so far (taking a deep breath), but here goes:

This is a wonderful album in concept, but earns about a C+ in execution. The song selection is wonderful - truly some of the best melodies from the modern "new age" genre. (I agree with John Tesh in his liner notes: "...'new age' music never really gets much respect as a musical genre. It's a shame, because I believe these melodies to be strong and vital.") Unfortunately, this album may not advance the "new age" genre's reputation as he (or I) had hoped.

It is vital to note that John Tesh didn't do the arranging or orchestrating on this album. One can almost immediately hear it doesn't have his trademark lush, full sounds. Arranger, orchestrater, and conductor J. Eric Schmidt didn't take full advantage of his source material. Most of his arrangements sound thin, especially considering the intent was to fill-out the songs with a 60 piece orchestra. Almost every piece sounds rushed and too staccato. There's no hallmark fermatta-type chords one can hang on to and truly luxuriate in.

Though I do enjoy a few pieces on this album, the tracks I'm most disappointed in are the songs with which I'm most familiar. A couple of examples: Jim Brickman's "Angel Eyes", normally a very pensive and peaceful piece, is so fast it sounds like the conductor just couldn't wait to get out of the studio. Enya's "Book of Days" starts out impressively, but again, there's an underlying rushed feeling and Schmidt changes some of the original chords in the chorus that sound like either lazy arranging or mistakes. The horns in the 2nd and 3rd choruses sound really frail, almost pathetic.

Ultimately, this is a collection of great songs that under poor management falls flat and short of its grander intent. One can enjoy it simply because the skeletons of each piece is so strong. The fleshing out leaves something to be desired.

Uplifting.......2001-10-20

This is the album I selected to be played around the clock in the hospital room of a dear friend who was in a coma. Every selection is uplifting, the melodies and instrumentation beautiful. There are no howling wolves, crashing waves, or dripping water...just music that makes you feel good all over. I am buying it for my dad who is a classical music purist (distrusts the contemporary composers.) It will convert him immediately!

Average customer rating:

Brilliant songwriting and studio wizardry.
Waited A Long TIme For This One
"Color TV" finally
XTC's poorest effort, a flawed transitional album from touring band to studio project
it took a long time