The Magician

Editorial Reviews
Flipside #108
This is the Marilyn Monroe of industrial music. Get it or die never knowing true ecstasy.

Williamette Week Volume 23, Issue 50
A journey into dense, atmospheric industrial stomping grounds.

Album Description
Antifreeze: home of the finest art and music to be found in any frozen wasteland!

The Magician

Average customer rating:

Very good and something special
Fine Follow-up Album!
Eclectic, Mystic-Sounding Heavy Rock/Protometal
The best Heep
Great Uriah Heep Album

The Magician's Birthday
Uriah Heep
Manufacturer: Island / Mercury
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Demons and Wizards
Look at Yourself
Uriah Heep Live
Sweet Freedom
Salisbury

ASIN: B000001F45
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Sunrise
Spider Woman
Blind Eye
Echoes In The Dark
Rain
Sweet Lorraine
Tales
The Magician's Birthday

Customer Reviews:

Very good and something special.......2007-05-14

This is the first album that I have ever bought, so it reminds me lots of memories from the past...how time pass too quickly !
This cd is a classic album for Uriah Heep, the band was at its peak !
All songs are magical with some special mention for "Echoes in the dark", "Rain", "Tales" and the title tracks. "The Magician's Birthday", these are favorite of mine.

Fine Follow-up Album!.......2005-12-22

"The Magician's Birthday" was the second Heep album by the classical line-up featuring Hensley, Byron, Box, Thain and Kerslake. It was also the second album with a Roger Dean cover. And moreover, it was the second album the band released in 1972.

After a long 1972 tour Uriah Heep were rushed back into the Lansdowne studios to record a follow-up to their break-through and much acclaimed album "Demons and Wizzards".

As Hensley states in the notes, they felt that were never really given the time it took to record the album, which was originally planned to be a "complete" concept album. Though it may have been rushed it nearly matches its great predecessor. The band, and especially Hensley as a songwriter, were at the peak of their creativity and many of these songs have become classics and favourites. The extensive list of bonus-tracks clearly illustrates what a great period this was for the band. Unfortunately the hard work took its toll on some of the band-members; but that's another story.

The first track, Hensley's dramatic "Sunrise", is the perfect opener, with great lead and harmony vocals.

Another highlight is the melodic rocker "Blind Eye", driven by acoustic guitars and featuring a nice twin-guitar theme; also a Ken Hensley song.

Two songs released as single A-sides were "Spider Woman" (Europe) and "Sweet Lorraine" ( America), and where the first is a rather traditional heavy-rocker, "Sweet Lorraine" has all it takes to become a classic. Great whining riff, fine breaks and a catchy chorus. Simply one of the most memorable Heep recordings; written by Box, Byron and Thain.

As the most versatile songwriter in the band Hensley also demonstrates a talent for writing melodic ballads such as "Echoes in the Dark" and the quiet piano accompanied "Rain" with great lead vocals.

"Tales" is the closest the band get to playing folk-rock on the record; another fine recording.

Though the title track has its moments, it somehow feels too longwinded with its ten and a half minutes playing time.

Among the bonus-tracks Gary Thain's "Crystal Ball" is a nice surprise; sad that his constitution was strong enough to take the strain of heavy touring etc.

Though not quite as consistent as "Demons and Wizzards" still one of Heep's finest albums.

Eclectic, Mystic-Sounding Heavy Rock/Protometal.......2005-10-19

One of the best albums from the early 70s/late 60s, back when hard rock and progressive rock were together forming an offshoot - along with influences from classical, eastern music (see Led Zeppelin), heavy blues and eclectic jazz (see Judas Priest's first album, "Rocka Rolla") and a host of other musicforms - to come up with heavy metal. Uriah Heep isn't really considered metal but 'protometal', but it's close enough to appeal to metal fans as well as fans of the late 60s/early 70s sound, hard rock & progressive rock, and quality eclectic music as well. This album is distinct mystical heavy rock, and a shining example of its type of music.

Uriah Heep tends to tread a lot of welcome fantasy-type ground, which is also covered here, but there are other themes here, like the vibe capturing the exhiliration of romance on "Sweet Lorraine" and the fearful doomy lyrics of "Tales". "Sunrise" is an alltime gem, fitting well into the beloved realm of fantasy-esque lyrics but in this case, for me, resounding even more powerfully with its combination of the 'missing love'/'undying love' themes. Great intro to the song and tremendous (and influential) musicianship all throughout. Title track "The Magician's Birthday" jumps from musical style to musical style within itself - including a part featuring what sounds like a kazoo! - although, regretfully, the coolest guitar parts on the whole album wind up representing the 'evil' part of the tale. Still exuberantly cool though. Musicianship and vocals great all through the album, with some of the best quirky-sounding synthesizer sounds ever laid down, doing exactly what a synthesizer generally does Best - not imitating other instruments but creating brand-new, usually bizarre, sounds you don't get off traditional instruments.

I should note that I noticed in the search engine there are new versions of this with bonus tracks out, which I couldn't review because I haven't heard them. Most of these bonuses are 'alternate versions' (sometimes 'single edits') of other Heep tracks but you still may wish to hunt down audio samples of the tracks represented on the expanded editions before deciding which version you want to buy. Now Hopefully, someday there'll be a big grand boxed set collecting All of Heep's rare tracks, but until then....

Whichever version you end up going with, you can't really go wrong with this. Great, emotion-spanning and inventive album whose vast influence will, unfortunately, probably never be acknowledged by professional critics but is no less vital for it.

The best Heep.......2005-09-25

This cd is their best of their old ones. It encompases what they were. They were almost progressive and very much hard rock. They
sounded like Deep Purple and Sabbath at times. If they would have kept on like this album they would have gone extremely far.
After this they release some mediocre albums which didn't hold up to Sabbath or Purple. Then they got really bad.

But this cd rocks out totally. It brings back good memories
and all rockers must have this one in their collection. Heep
continues to rock but not like this album does, too bad Byron is gone because his voice inspired many metal vocalists like Dickinson ,John Arch and Rob Halford, what a shame

Great Uriah Heep Album.......2004-12-15

THE MAGICIAN'S BIRTHDAY is a great Uriah Heep album. It's standouts are "Sunrise" and "Sweet Lorraine", but the other songs should not be counted out, either. The group would make one more great album, SWEET FREEDOM, before problems with bassist Gary Thain would derail them musically and commercially. Here, though, it looks as if they could go on forever.

Average customer rating:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!
Beginner or Expert
Very Informative and Enjoyable
Frank's view
Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

Overture To 'Tannhauser'
Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
Hungarian Dance No.7
The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
Csardas Music
The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
Tzigane
Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
Caprice No.24
The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
The Violin Muted
Clair De Lune
The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
The Pizzicato Violin
Pizzicato Polka
In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
Hungarian Dance No.4
Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
Bolero
Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
Elfenreigen

Tracks:

Introduction To The Viola
Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
Cypresses (No.9)
The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
The 'Period' Viola In Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
Elfentanz, Op.39
Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
The Protecting Veil (Opening)
A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
Flamenco
Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
Symphony No.9 (Finale)
Introduction To The Double-Bass
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
Elegy No.1 In D Major
The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
Capriccio Di Bravura
Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
Sa'Dawi
Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
Chamber Music No.II
The Piccolo - Aptly Named
La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
A Variety Of Techniques
Chamber Music No.II
Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
Naelden, Naelden
The Bachian Oboe
Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
The Swan Of Tuonela
The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
Bolero
The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
...And Quite Low.
Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
Introduction To The Saxophone
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
Bolero
The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
Sax-O-Phun
The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
Bolero
The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
Symphony No.3 (Opening)
The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
The Ceremonial Trumpet
Fanfare For The Common Man
Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
Billy The Kid
The Trumpet As Character Actor
Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
The Birth Of The Trombone
Aenmerckt Nu Hier
The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
Canzon 12 In Double Echo
The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
Hosannah
The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
The Trombone As Caricaturist
Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
The Horn And The Hunt
Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
Walter Music (Minuet 1)
The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
Den Hoboecken Dans
Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
Gymnopedie No.2
The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
The Birth Of The Bongo
Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
Taking Advantage Of Tunability
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
Ravel And The Xylophone
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
Introducing The Vibraphone
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
Folk Dances
The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
Introducing The Tubular Bells
Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
Carmen Suite (Introduction)
But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Introducing The Celeste
The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
Petrushka (Russian Dance)
The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
Mahler's Sleighbells
Symphony No.4 (Opening)
A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Nocturnes
Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
The Oboe As Duck
Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
A Thunderstorm In A Million
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
Octet In F (Mvt 3)
The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
Canzon 28
Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
Images (Gigues)
A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

Tracks:

No One Receiving
Backwater
Kurt's Rejoinder
Energy Fools The Magician
King's Lead Hat
Here He Comes
Julie With...
By This River
Through Hollow Lands (For Harold Budd)
Spider And I

Customer Reviews:

In These Metal Days.......2007-06-11

With this album, Brian Eno left behind pop songwriting to embark upon his "ambient music" period. B&AS makes a wonderful farewell to pop music and stands as his most complete pop album. Although the structure of the original album has been lost with the move to CD format, it is worth remembering that the first 5 songs appeared on side 1 of the album and the remainder on side 2. Viewed from this perspective, it is tempting to relate the title to the album structure: side 1 is wild and manic, while side 2 is calm and melodic. There are parallels in the number of songs and the number of instrumentals. Although Eno never considered hiself a musician, his underrated singing is put to great use on this album, and his songwriting skill is clearly in evidence. Others have given detailed descriptions of the songs, so I will restrict myself to the highlights: the typical lyrical silliness of "Backwater," hearing Kurt Schwitters's infamous "Ur Sonata" -- and more silly lyrics -- on "Kurt's Rejoinder" (presaging Eno's found music experiments of "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts") and the placid beauty of "Spider and I."

Fans of Eno's ambient music will find much to like here and fans who come by way of Roxy Music and/or "Here Come the Warm Jets" will find a quieter, more thoughful and complex album in "Before and After Science." This is music that rewards repeated listening and which, nearly 30 years after its debut, still seems timely and interesting.

four and one half stars........2007-02-25

quirky funk (no one receiving), fingerpoppin' pop (backwater), early leanings toward ambient sounds (energy fools the magician and through hollow lands), and a generous helping of gorgeous slow-tempo numbers have this album from 1977 jumping all over the place, which is fine with me. this is creative music that is easily accessible, completely listenable. "another green world" seems to be the eno album from his song-based (pre-ambient) period that most people latch onto as his masterpiece, but i would argue that "before and after science" gives that outstanding lp a run for its money. great art-rock. highly recommended.

A diamond in the rough of transition.......2006-06-03

Most reviewers have pointed out the presence of upbeat songs, ethereal lyrical explorations, and all out ambience on this album, and it's definitely full of gorgeous examples of all three. Although this is often classified as a transitional album because it houses so many varieties of songs, I think they work stunningly well together; While his first two solo albums are truly wonderful, the constant up-tempo pace was a bit relentless. "Another Green World" introduced the ambience to stunning effect, but I think the amalgamation of each style is fully realized on this album. The styles of song are interspersed just enough to balance the album out, and really "take you places". Plus, the songs in each style on this album can certainly rival the best of Eno's previous three albums: "Backwater" and "kurt's Rejoinder" match any highlight off "Warm Jets" or "Tiger Mountain", while "Here he Comes" and "Spider and I" easily match "Another Green World" in pure ethereal aesthetic. Moreover, everything on this album is quite catchy, and almost certainly mood-inducing. Just get it already!

Man in transition........2005-06-14

Brian Eno's "Before and After Science", his last song-based album until the about-to-be-released (June, 2005) "Another Day on Earth" is in many ways the album you would hope it would be, reflective of his past, pointing in some ways to the future, very much texture-oriented music. On the other hand, while it has its moments, it fails to capture the immediacy of "Here Come the Warm Jets" or the beauty of "Discreet Music", but its still a great listen.

The album is really two sides, the first being more energetic, the second being a bit more ambient in feel. On the first side, there are three things that immediately draw you in-- the first is an overt use of vocal harmonies-- Eno's vocals are almost always in a harmony form with two or three voices singing the line ("No One Receiving", melodic pop song "Here He Comes"). The second is bassist Percy Jones, whose playing on a few of the tracks, in particular "Kurt's Rejoinder", is nothing short of astonishing. The third is the use of space-- look no further than standout "Energy Fools the Magician", where the four piece (Eno, Jones, drummer Phil Collins back when he was a drummer and guitarist Fred Frith) manipulate space as a fifth instrument to amazing effect.

The second side is much more in line with the ambient work of Eno's most recent albums-- a overwhelming feel of haunted ambient with vocals dominates. The entire side is full of fantastic material, from the haunted "Julie With..." to the lyrically brilliant and dark "Spider and I".

Overall, its a rewarding album that finds an artist caught in between forms, but even in transition, his brilliance shines through. Recommended.

Another Eno World.......2005-03-24

The last in Eno's series of quirky, unique albums from the 70's before he moved totally into ambient music and expored his "rock" side only through production of other artists.

Like the titles that came before, Before and After Science finds Eno stringing together a series of offbeat numbers ranging from rock to pop to ambient and everything in between. This record was sequenced with most of the more ambient numbers at the end, unlike Another Green World's free admixture of styles. I personally liked the AGW way better, but fortunately we have the option these days of programming the songs in any order we want, so problem solved.

Eno's star-studded array of collaborators had become as legendary as his skewed sense of pop by this point, with everyone from Phil Manzanera to Phil Collins to Robert Fripp sitting in on this one. They were Eno veterans, but Eno's concurrent interest in German art-rock brings Can's Jaki Liebzeit and Moebius and Roedelius from Cluster to the table on Before and After Science.

My favourite moments: The atmospheric but too-short "Energy Fools the Magician" with the Brand X rhythm section of Percy Jones and Collins, with Fred Frith. The frantic new wave single "King's Lead Hat" (an anagram of Talking Heads) with Fripp. And all of the old "side 2" especially the beautiful "By This River" with Cluster. The piano has haunted me since I first heard it way-back-when, and I enjoy playing it myself. The closing "Spider and I" summons up a massive wall of synths-n-bass, and Eno's resigned vocal is quite fitting as he was about to leave the rock world (as a performer) for a very, very long time.

I have the earlier CD edition and to tell you the truth I don't notice anything radically different about the remaster, so the cheaper original CD might be a good bargain unless you're a real audiophile.

Average customer rating:

Wendy Carlos - 'Tron' (Disney)
If You Liked the Movie, You'll Love this Album
EXCELLENT!
The sounds need the sights
A fantastic soundtrack for a pioneer CGI movie

Tron

Manufacturer: Disney
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tron (20th Anniversary Collector's Edition)
Sonic Seasonings + [Enhanced CD]
Secrets of Synthesis
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ASIN: B00005V8J7
Release Date: 2002-01-29

Tracks:

Creation Of TRON
Only Solutions - Journey
We've Got Company
Wormhole
Ring Game And Escape
Water, Music, And Tronaction
TRON Scherzo
Miracle and Magician
Magic Landings
Theme From TRON
1990's Theme - Journey
Love Theme
Tower Music - Let Us Pray
The Light Sailer
Sea Of Simulation
A New TRON And The MCP
Anthem
Ending Titles
TRONaction (Original Version)
Break In (For Strings, Flutes, And Celesta) - The London Philharmoic Orchestra
Anthem For Keyboard Solo

Amazon.com

Disney's pioneering 1982 effort in computer animation has garnered a small but devoted cult audience, despite--or perhaps because of--its now-dated, rudimentary vid-game aesthetic. But while designers Jean Giraud and Syd Mead gave its visual design a certain streamline moderne panache, its musical score attempts a similar back-to-the-future fusion with somewhat more mixed results. Given the composer's often chilling, landmark synthesized score work a decade earlier on Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, Wendy Carlos seemed like an apt choice for Tron. But without her previous collaborator's taste for Beethoven, Elgar, and Rossini, Carlos's instincts wend from atmospheric, 20th-century European modernism to cheesy '50s B-film melodramatics, with the sonic limitations of '80s synth technology sometimes a burden. Still, those fond of her solo work and collaboration with Kubrick on Orange (and The Shining) will find familiar charms in "Water, Music, and TRONaction," "TRONscherzo" and "Theme from TRON." But Journey's "Only Solutions" and now all-too-ironic "1990's Theme" further fix the score firmly in the '80s. This debut CD-release of the score also features three bonus tracks, the original "TRONaction" and two other unused cues, including a solo synth rendition of the film's anthem. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Wendy Carlos - 'Tron' (Disney).......2007-06-26

I'm honestly not all that familiar with the extended catalog of electronic music pioneer Carlos has done outside of her 'Clockwork Orange' and 'Tales Of Heaven And Hell' releases (see my reviews of both), but I was sort of taken with 'Tron'. This is music 'from the future, with a vision'. Really dug the two cuts scored from Journey here, "Only Solutions" and "1990's Theme". 'Tron' may be considered by some to be a bit bizarre, but should be pretty enjoyable to most. Do check this soundtrack out when you can. You won't regret it.

If You Liked the Movie, You'll Love this Album.......2006-12-30

This was the only work of Wendy Carlos I've ever heard, and I thought it was great! For the time period the movie was made in, this music was amazing and ahead of it's time. Watching the movie and listening to the soundtrack go hand-in-hand--I don't think this soundtrack would stand too well on its own. However, for those who've seen Tron, every song will be exciting.

The blending of synth and orchestral music was very well done--so much so that I didn't ever notice it until listening to the soundtrack the first time in my iPod headphones. Every song has a unique blend of synth/live orchestra.

The only reason I gave the CD 4 stars instead of 5 is because it isn't one of those albums that you can listen to over and over again. Rather, listen one or two times, then put it on the shelf, then bring it out again at some later time. The Journey songs on the CD (and in the movie) were defintely not the band's best, so don't get the album just because you're a Journey fan. I'm glad Disney finally published this CD!

EXCELLENT!.......2004-07-15

Etant fan de "TRON", j'ai eu un trés grand plaisir a posséder la BOF de Wendy Carlos.La musique est tous simplement génial et un grand MERCI pour AMAZON.CA ,car sans eux, mon réve devenez impossible.

The sounds need the sights.......2004-07-02

While I felt the music of 'Tron' melded quite well with the film's action and scenes and set the right tone for the most part, the music by itself doesn't sound all that interesting to me. Ms. (formerly Mister) Carlos' work requires the movie's visual cues to help it really stand out. Without the visual element, the score is kinda droning, and rarely catches my attention while I'm listening to it and performing some other task-- like writing a new product review for example. It's almost like I'm not listening to anything at all. Not helping matters is the pair of sub-par Journey tunes. I guess Disney didn't wanna shell out the big bucks to get the rights to a few of their decent songs...

Bottom line: if ya wanna listen to this soundtrack, buy the Tron DVD (the 2-disc Special Edition of course, which can be found at www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005OCMR/qid=1088712198/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/002-6699831-0404821?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846) and listen to it while watching the movie. You'll get much more auditory enjoyment listening to the score in this manner, believe you me...

'Late

A fantastic soundtrack for a pioneer CGI movie.......2004-01-24

It took 9 years for Disney to release the original soundtrack for Tron. But the wait was all the more worthwhile. When I saw the movie way back in 82, I was entralled by its computer animation, but noticed the soundtrack was equally impressive. Like the movie itself, the music was a pioneer of its kind, with an emphasis on synthesizer composition, while there was a mix of orchestral music in the soundtrack. The electronic music is what makes it so special and it creates a truly cyberspace feel for the movie. It sounds not just futuristic, but the variations in the music generate different moods for the plot. I like most of the pieces in the soundtrack, but I think 'Theme from Tron' and the 'Love Theme' stand out, and the 'Anthem' is one of my favorites. Needless to say the synthesizer music throughout the soundtrack manages to stand the test of time, even though the 2 tracks by Journey do sound pretty dated by today's standard. But those 2 songs are still pretty good considering they are from 1982.
Wendy Carlos managed to create music that suits the movie to the T. The electronic music is full of harmony. I can listen to the soundtrack time and again and still not get tired of it, because it still sounds futuristic more than 20 years after it was composed. I recommend this soundtrack to all those who have seen the movie, as well as those who enjoy electronic music.

Average customer rating:

A True Magician

The Magician
Sammy Figueroa
Manufacturer: Savant
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Latin Music | Styles | Music

Latin Pop | Latin Music | Styles | Music

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And Sammy Walked In
Spirit of the Moment
Rumba Palace
Raise Your Hand
Fast Track

ASIN: B000N3STH0
Release Date: 2007-03-13

Tracks:

Together
The Three Marias
The Magician
Firm Roots
Crossroads
Seven Steps To Heaven
Celebrations From The North
Healing Man
Gregory Is Here

Customer Reviews:

A True Magician.......2007-07-17

A wonderful collection to be enjoyed by fans not only of Latin Jazz, but by fans of any Jazz! It is creative as well as imaginative. I give it a hearty Bravo!

Average customer rating:

recommended if you are an Erroll fan
The Magic of a Genius
If God himself played jazz piano.......
A Real Gem

Magician/Gershwin and Kern
Erroll Garner
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Body and Soul
Dreamstreet/One World Concert
Erroll Garner's Finest Hour
The Essence of Erroll Garner
Concert By The Sea

ASIN: B000003D3Z
Release Date: 1995-02-28

Tracks:

(They Long To Be) Close To You
It Gets Better Every Time
Someone To Watch Over Me
Nightwind
One Good Turn
Watch What Happens
Yesterdays
I Only Have Eyes For You
Mucho Gusto
Strike Up The Band
Love Walked In
I Got Rhythm
Someone To Watch Over Me
A Foggy Day
Nice Work If You Can Get It
Lovely To Look At
Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man
Only Make Believe
Old Man River
Dearly Beloved
Why Do I Love You?
A Fine Romance

Customer Reviews:

recommended if you are an Erroll fan.......2005-10-28

Although this is not one of Erroll's best albums I would recommend it if you are a fan. There are two albums and it is a good deal pricewise. Close To You, the Carpenter's drivel, is a revelation the way Erroll plays it and it's fun to listen to.

The Magic of a Genius.......2004-04-01

Garner recorded his last album, MAGICIAN in October of 1973 at the age of 52 (and died at 55 in January of 1977).
This album proves that he was moving ever forward in his
playing. It demonstrates how much his style evolved since the
mid-1940s. It also demonstrates that his compositional gift
was expanding in its sheer variety of influences (it was not just swing anymore, he touched Latin with both a hybrid Cuban
or Brazilian feel, even a gospel-music tinged composition. It has been reported that just a few days before passing away he said that "only the tip of the iceberg was showing and that he had a head full of music.Wait till you hear it!!" Sadly, we will never know what that music might have been. The beauty of Garner's talent while he was alive, though, was that sense of surprise that would make you wonder where his fantastic imagination would take him across the piano. (And of course, the results were always and continue to be delightful and transcendentally joyful to our ears!!)
Check out his fantastically romping version of the Carpenters' ballad "(They Long To Be) Close To You" complete with a typically humurous introduction by Garner before he plays the main theme and grooves like only he could. His first composition on the album is a great slow medium blues with an
appropriate title for how the Garner style had developed during the previous thirty years, "It Gets Better Every Time". It is blues with unusually captivating harmonic richness with piano voicings reminiscent of some of the late blues compositions and arrangements by Duke Ellington. Gershwin's "Someone To Watch Over Me" is given fresh treatment as a tightly grooving bossa nova. Dig his uncanny sense of rhythm on this one!! Other highlights are his ballad in the "Misty" mold, "Nightwind" his
gospel-flavored composition complete with organ and tambourine "One Good Turn" and perhaps one of his very best
Afro-Cuban tinged compositions "Mucho Gusto", which would prove to the last tune on the album (and of his studio recording career).
The second album is taken from sessions recorded in 1964 and 1965 (that were not released in vinyl form at the time until 1976) and features great songbooks of Gershwin and Jerome Kern. Of particular interest are his rousing version of "Strike Up The Band", one his most gorgeous treatments of any ballad he ever touched, "Love Walked In" and his infectiously spirited version of "I Got Rhythm". On the Kern side, of interest are "Lovely To Look At", "Can't Help Lovin Dat Man", and "A Fine Romance".
Both albums serve as proof that the elfin Garner's music is still today an indispensable and irrepressible legacy for all who like spirited, joyful, and downright swinging jazz piano.

If God himself played jazz piano..............2002-03-03

Erroll Garner swings this album to gloriuos, outrageous, joyous heights. Listen to his amazing re-creation of the Carpenters classic "Close to You"; it swings so unbelievably hard and is the epitome of stunningly, dazzlingly "hip". It is impossible to sit still during this and very many other tracks on this remarkable disc. Then Mr. G will turn around and play something as meltingly beautiful and exquisitely tender as "Love Walked In". Gifted as a Mozart, Erroll Garner had something none of the rest of them had, and truly "strode like a colossus among pygmies." Jazz truthfully doesn't get any better than this.

A Real Gem.......1999-12-17

Garner is pure magic on this cd. A piano player who's grace and style remains unmatched. Take a good listen to the song "Nightwind". It's a pure treasure in the "Misty" tridition. For a little laugh catch "Nice Work if You Can Get It". This short number was never available on the orginal LP,and you hear Erroll sing (how often do you hear that),and even cracks himself up at the end. Erroll Garner was born June 15, 1921 and died January 2, 1977 at the all too young age of 55. Noboby did it better. I'm forever grateful for the music he left behind.

Average customer rating:

Gorgeously interpreted by Bernstein...
magnificent

The Planets

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Copland: Appalachian Spring/Fanfare For The Common Man/El Salón México/Danzón Cubano

ASIN: B00000DRY3
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Customer Reviews:

Gorgeously interpreted by Bernstein..........2007-05-25

The "Great Performances" series puts out another fantastic entry with Gustave Holst's The Planets Suite as interpreted by Bernstein.

The recording is a little low, but the interpretation of Mars is worth the price of this CD alone.

A must have...

magnificent.......2006-09-17

Listening to this, any musician can tell just how passionate bernstein is. It's truly a great performance. I can not base it off other recordings of the planets, but can say that his interpretations of mars and jupiter are simply stunning.

Note-I would give this a rating over 9, but would not give it a perfect in good conscience

Average customer rating:

Magician's Birthday
Uriah Heep
Manufacturer: Sanctuary UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Look at Yourself

ASIN: B000NQQ1Z4
Release Date: 2007-04-30

Tracks:

Sunrise
Spider Woman
Blind Eye
Echoes in the Dark
Rain
Sweet Lorraine
Tales
Magician's Birthday
Crystal Ball [#][*][Outtake]
Silver White Man [#][*][Outtake]
Proud Words on a Dusty Shelf [Alternate Version][#][*]
Echoes in the Dark [Edited Version][#][*]
Rain [Edited Version][#][*]
Happy Birthday [#][*]
Sunrise [Single Edit][#][*]
Gary's Song [#][*][Outtake]
Silver White Man [*][Instrumental][Outtake]

Album Description

Album Details

2007 Digitally Remastered Edition of the 1972 Released Album that Immediately Became a Favorite with the Band's Ever Widening Fanbase. Includes Classic Anthems Like "Sunrise" and "Sweet Lorraine".

Holst The Planets & Britten Four Sea Interludes / Bernstein, New York Philharmonic (SACD)

Average customer rating:

Brilliant Performance,Stellar CD!!

Holst The Planets & Britten Four Sea Interludes / Bernstein, New York Philharmonic (SACD)
Holst , New York Philharmonic , and Leonard Bernstein
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B00008J2QM
Release Date: 2003-03-04

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant Performance,Stellar CD!!.......2007-07-11

I have this on Discrete Quadraphonic 8-track (Holst: The Planets) and have been waiting ,for years,to get a discrete CD.It ia a favorite of mine.Finally a CD!
Edward Kerr
iegolden@shaw.ca