Gone

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Little is known about the life of Ray Johnson, past or present. His music comes from somewhere within the West, and currently extends somewhere into the Midwest. His only known live appearance occured on the 6th of June, 2001 in the music tent at the Backwoods festival near Avoca, Wisconsin. Although he hasn't been seen since, there is speculation among certain music circles in the SF Bay Area that Johnson may be behind recent rumors of a mysterious band being formed there. We who yearn to know more about the enigmatic crooner can only wait for further evidence of his existence.

Album Description
Tales of hubris, longing, avoidance and discust. Tales of the search for a way out, 'beit of the room, of the confusion, or of this strange world. Tales about you.

Good Girl Gone Bad
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • check some stuff from Europe.....
  • New Look + New Sound = Alright Music
  • This is why it's HOT!!
  • GO RIHANNA!!!
  • Okay, for what it is
 Good Girl Gone Bad
Rihanna
Manufacturer: Island / Def-Jam
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. My December
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ASIN: B000OZ2CZW
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Tracks:

  1. Umbrella feat. JAY-Z
  2. Push Up On Me
  3. Don't Stop The Music
  4. Breakin' Dishes
  5. Shut Up and Drive
  6. Hate That I Love You feat. Ne-Yo
  7. Say It
  8. Sell Me Candy
  9. Lemme Get That
  10. Rehab
  11. Question Existing
  12. Good Girl Gone Bad

Amazon.com

There's a cool new development in summer singles: they no longer need to be sunny. In fact, the wetter the better. "Umbrella," the first single off Rihanna's ragingly good third album, may be her strongest ditty yet, and that's saying something considering her run of past summer chartbusters. More stylish than "S.O.S." (from A Girl Like Me) and more interesting than "Pon de Replay" (from Music of the Sun), "Umbrella" barrels forward with big, brawny drums and a hot but haunted-sounding vocal. From there, the upbeat numbers chug forth like chilled pina colada mix into a blender: "Breakin' Dishes" trades skillfully on a recent vogue for man-directed venom, and "Shut Up and Drive" borrows "S.O.S."-style from the '80s New Order song "Blue Monday." Both are irresistible. So, too, are a couple of late tracks. "Rehab" and "Lemme Get That," both produced by Timbaland, prove that being an island girl is no barrier to holding one's own amid a sizzling stew of urban beats. In fact, it's a boon--one that'll register with pop music fans instantly. -Tammy La Gorce

Album Description

Multi-platinum, award-winning SRP/Def Jam recording artist -and CoverGirl spokesperson - Rihanna has taken over the charts with her # 1 smash single "Umbrella" (featuring JAY-Z) and her chart topping album GOOD GIRL GONE BAD. Rihanna's third album release in less than two years, GOOD GIRL GONE BAD is the follow-up to 2006's platinum A Girl Like Me, with the back-to-back #1 hits, "S.O.S." and "Unfaithful"; and her gold debut from 2005, Music Of the Sun, featuring the worldwide smash, "Pon De Replay." GOOD GIRL GONE BAD boasts the production skills of Timabland, C. "Tricky" Stewart, Stargate, and the team of Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken (responsible for "S.O.S." and "Pon De Replay"), as well as songwriting contributions from Justin Timberlake and Ne-Yo, among others.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars check some stuff from Europe............2007-07-24

Pretty good album. Anyone who likes this should check out a compilation series on iTunes called "Euro Club Hits" ... (there's a vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, etc. etc.)...... So much of current club music in the USA is based in the stuff coming out of Europe, and yet nobody seems to know of it and the radio doesn't play it here! So I'm taking it as my personal mission to introduce everyone to it as best I can ...... "Euro Club Hits" -- it's only on the digital services for some reason -- iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, Emusic, etc. etc.

3 out of 5 stars New Look + New Sound = Alright Music.......2007-07-20

Rihanna definitely made the effort to step up to a more mature sound on this album. The new sound is not half bad either. However, alot of the tracks sound rushed and like no effort was put into them. The beats are solid and there are some memorable lyrics as well. Overall, Id say this cd is worth lending an ear to. Her other 2 are better, though. Hot Tracks: Umbrella, Rehab, Good Girl Gone Bad

5 out of 5 stars This is why it's HOT!!.......2007-07-16

This CD is fresh and energeitic all the way through. It's truly made for those who want to dance. R&B artist take note, Rihanna has tapped a flavor of music that's rocking the spot.

5 out of 5 stars GO RIHANNA!!!.......2007-07-10

I THINK THIS IS ONE OF HER BEST ALBUMS. SHE REALLY SHOWS HER VERSITILITY ON THIS ONE. I CAN LISTEN TO ALMOST THE ENTIRE ALBUM AND WHEN YOU CAN DO THAT YOU KNOW ITS WORTH GETTING

4 out of 5 stars Okay, for what it is.......2007-07-09

I listened to this at work and heard it quite a few times over the course of around 5 days. It annoyed some of my workmates and others didn't mind it - I quite enjoyed some of the music on this album, which is undoubtedly well produced. I imagine that it would sound quite good played up loud at a party or in a club.

Some of the song lyrics struck me as being a little silly, but that didn't bother me too much.

I don't think I'd listen to this album very often, but if I had a lot of guests over for a party, I'd consider playing it if people looked like they may want to dance.
Between Here And Gone
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Carpenter at her best - finally!
  • Once again...
  • Wonderful CD from Mary Chapin Carpenter
  • Another winner
  • MCC Review
 Between Here And Gone
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001M7OJC
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Tracks:

  1. What Would You Say To Me
  2. Luna's Gone
  3. My Heaven
  4. Goodnight America
  5. Between Here And Gone
  6. One Small Heart
  7. Beautiful Racket
  8. Girls Like Me
  9. River
  10. Grand Central Station
  11. Shelter Of Storms
  12. Elysium

Amazon.com

Mary Chapin Carpenter's first album of new material in three years has been hailed as a fine example of pop music for adults. This is both true and misleading. In changing producers (from John Jennings to celebrated piano man Matt Rollings), the literate singer-songwriter has slightly broadened her sophisticated Americana sound, and although it's less rhythmic as a whole, her acoustic-folkie approach remains at the core of her classic style. And while "Between Here and Gone"--which addresses the theme of travel and transition, the fragility of life, and the ephemeral nature of happiness--might be said to concern itself with grown-up issues, most of Carpenter's writing has always done just that. Yet this stunning album, informed both by her 2002 marriage ("Elysium," "River") and by the events of 9/11, is more introspective than much of her early work. The alto-voiced singer is compelling throughout, but never so much as on "My Heaven," inspired by Alice Sebold's novel, The Lovely Bones, or on "Grand Central Station," in which a New York City ironworker, standing on the bucket brigade at Ground Zero, hears the voices of the dead, desperate to find their way home. In moments such as these, Carpenter reestablishes herself not only as a world-class poet, but as an artist of the first order. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Carpenter at her best - finally!.......2007-03-19

If you are the MCC fan of songs such as "A Town" and "10,000 Miles", as I am, then welcome to Carpenter bliss! No rock-a-billy here, thankfully. Carpenter delivers a slew of music on "Between" for rainy, chilly and fog-filled nights. The mournful strings and piano are a perfect accompaniment for her soothing vocals. The opening track is as fast as this chanteuse is willing to go. From there on it's slow motion. She does pick up a bit again with "Beautiful Racket".

"Girls Like Me" is a chilling description of the power of simplicity and how we often overlook the no frills people in our lives for the more flashy. Carpenter seems to be saying she's done with "flash". Brava. Also wonderful are "Grand Central Station" and "The Shelter of Storms" - just Mary, an instrument or two and tons of soul. Simply wonderful.

5 out of 5 stars Once again..........2007-03-10

Once again Mary Chapin Carpenter has amazed me with her beautiful words and music. She's an artist that is very much an individual.

5 out of 5 stars Wonderful CD from Mary Chapin Carpenter.......2006-11-08

The CD "Between Here And Gone" is fantastic. Many wonderful songs and melodies.

5 out of 5 stars Another winner.......2006-10-23

The latest (to date) offering from the cerebral country singer. This is not background music. Chapin's music reads like beautiful poetry and she deliver's it with a captivating voice.

4 out of 5 stars MCC Review.......2006-06-26

If you love the songwriting of Mary Chapin Carpenter you will love the CD. Love the song "in My Heaven". Some of her best work yet.
Vocal quality is as excellent as always. Listen to it over and over one of my favorite CD's.
Ten Years Gone: The Best of Everclear, 1994-2004
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Great CD
  • Guess I like their newer stuff better
  • One of the best collections EVER, and that's CLEAR.
  • An Everclear Fan Who refuses to buy this Album
  • Everclear's Best Of is a great CD for anyone to own.
 Ten Years Gone: The Best of Everclear, 1994-2004
Everclear
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991-2003)
  2. So Much for the Afterglow
  3. Sparkle and Fade
  4. Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile
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ASIN: B0002Y4SXY
Release Date: 2004-10-05

Tracks:

  1. Wonderful
  2. Santa Monica
  3. Everything To Everyone
  4. AM Radio
  5. Volvo Driving Soccer Mom
  6. I Will Buy You A New Life
  7. Learning How To Smile
  8. Strawberry
  9. Local God
  10. Summerland
  11. Fire Maple Song
  12. When It All Goes Wrong Again
  13. Father Of Mine (Radio Mix)
  14. The Boys Are Back In Town
  15. Heroin Girl
  16. Brown Eyed Girl
  17. Sex With A Movie Star (The Good Witch Gone Bad)
  18. The New Disease
  19. The New York Times
  20. Song From An American Movie Pt. 1
  21. Rock Star

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great CD.......2007-01-10

This is a great CD that contains all of their hits. Hard to review because it's all pre-released music.

4 out of 5 stars Guess I like their newer stuff better.......2006-08-10

The newer music on the CD I liked much better than the older stuff. I should have just bought the CD that most of the newer songs were on. I actually had that tape and loved it but now have CD player in the car and thought if I liked that album I should like their other music too. But overall its not a waste like some best hits CDs out there.

4 out of 5 stars One of the best collections EVER, and that's CLEAR........2005-04-05

Unlike some other people, I find this "Best Of" to be perfect. Mostly because I always liked them when I heard them, but not enough to buy an album, so "Ten Years Gone" was made for me. This is also packed full of 21 songs, the more popular ones being "Wonderful", "Santa Monica", "AM Radio", and "I Will Buy You A New Life". Plus the excellent "Father Of Mine", which unfortunately many relate to, and 2 good covers of "The Boys Are Back In Town" and "Brown Eyed Girl". Most of what I didn't know I like now also. This collection should easily please most, but it probably won't be "Everything To Everyone".

1 out of 5 stars An Everclear Fan Who refuses to buy this Album.......2005-02-25

A Friend of mine bought this album and I listened to it. This compilation is a serious shortchange to Everclear's fans, and saddest of all, to themselves. Alexakis and Co. have seriously mislead themselves in almost all ways since Thier 2000 release of 'Songs from an American Movie: Part 1' For starters, what in the hell kind of title is that? It's lame, that's what. I only found two, maybe three songs on that album that I could keep listening to. I only bought 'Vol 2' to say that, yes, I owned all of their albums. I don't think there is one good song on Vol 2, especially when you line it up with anything they produced up until 1998. All songs on that album either consist of pathetic, blind rage, or pathetic, dithering, trivial matters. It is a long shot from their introspective, clever disapointment and sorrow that still somehow carries a touch of sunshine and hope, everclears trademarks.
I would have really liked to have seen some of their fantastic, less well known songs on this album like 'Sunflowers,' 'Amphetamine,' or 'White Men in Black Suits' off of 'So Much for the Afterglow', by far Everlears best album. Their inclusion of less well known songs from 'Sparkle and Fade' is good, but they really shortchange themselves on what they wrote during their early days on 'World of Noise'
Eveclear, I hope, is starting to show some hope. I believe that they have seen their last two albums for the failures that they are. Their sound has become extremely weak and uninspired, their lyrics a far cry from the smack-you-in the face stuff that they used to write. The only glimmer of hope I saw on their latest release, 'Slow-Motion Daydream' was 'Crysanthemum,' which heralds a very pure and stripped-away quality of acuoustic guitar, blended ever so slightly with effective sound effects of blowing wind and haunting lyrics. 'New York Times' is half way good, but is nothing that stands up above anything else that any unpublished poet or musician wrote to express their feelings in a post 9/11 world.
10 Years are definetly gone, and the last 4 of them are WAY gone. i hope you get your rear in gear Art. You've done it before, now do it again. I know '20 Years Gone' can be a much better shot.

5 out of 5 stars Everclear's Best Of is a great CD for anyone to own........2005-01-12

Everclear's Best Of is a great CD for anyone to own.

This is a great Everclear best of CD. I am glad there are 21 songs and that it is almost 80 minutes long. There are 2 b-sides on here called Local God (from the Romeo And Juliet soundtrack) and The Boys Are Back In Town (a Thin Lizzy cover that was originally a hit off of the Detroit Rock City soundtrack). There are also 2 new songs on here that were originally recorded during Everclear's recording sessions for their previous CD Slow Motion Daydream. The new songs are called Sex With A Movie Star (The Good Witch Gone Bad) and The New Disease.

The songs and what I think of them is the following:

#01. Wonderful - This is a great pop sounding song from them. It is a big hit too. This is a great song to listen to when you are in a good mood. Even though the lyrics sound happy, they are not.

#02. Santa Monica - This is a great rock song from them with a great beat and great words. This is this first big hit and the song that made them famous.

#03. Everything To Everyone - This is another good rock song that was a big hit. This was followed by other hit songs that broke them into the mainstream music concious.

#04. AM Radio - This is another big hit with a 70's feel to it. It surprised me by how popular it became. This is not a favorite of mine off of here, but I like it. It is a necessity for this CD.

#05. Volvo Driving Soccer Mom - I like this song a lot. It was a hit but not a big one. This song did not help their CD Slow Motion Daydream sell well because not many people liked this song I guess or that album.

#06. I Will Buy You A New Life - This song was a huge hit. I think it was either this song, Santa Monica, Father Of Mine, or Wonderful that was their biggest hit. This is the song that broke them into the mainstream music concious and made them a household name. If you didn't know Everclear from their song Santa Monica off their CD Sparkle And Fade, you now did because of this song off their CD So Much For The Afterglow.

#07. Learning How To Smile - I don't remember this song being a hit. But it is another kind of pop song from them. It is not as good as Wonderful in my opinion. Both these songs can be found off of their CD Songs From An American Movie, Vol. One: Learning How To Smile, which is their most pop sounding CD.

#08. Strawberry - This song was a small hit. It is a slower song, but I like it and the acoustic guitar that you can hear throughout the whold thing. I like the words to this song and how well they go with the music.

#09. Local God - This song was a hit in Austraila. I am not sure if it was here in the U.S.A. But it sure sounds like it was, because it is a great sounding rock song and sounds like a big hit. This is the first b-side off this CD. It was originally on the Romeo And Juliet soundtrack. If it wasn't a big hit, then that is because it is a off a soundtrack and wasn't promoted right. This is a favorite Everclear song of mine.

#10. Summerland - This is another hit, not a big one or small one though. In the booklet for this CD Art Alexakis says about this song: Hands down... my favorite Everclear song of all time. This is a slow rock song. Not a favorite of mine, but I like it some.

#11. Fire Maple Song - This was not a hit. But if it was, it would have been their first one. This is the only song on this compilation CD off their first CD World Of Noise. This song is alright. It is growing on me. It is another slower rock song. I wish they included another song or two from their first CD on this compilation than some others included on here.

#12. When It All Goes Wrong Again - This is their first hit off of their CD Songs From An American Movie, Vol. Two: Good Time For A Bad Attitude, which is the more rocking of the two Songs From American Movie CDs. This is another rock song. I prefer their song Rock Star over this one. Both songs are on Good Time For A Bad Attitude.

#13. Father Of Mine (Radio Mix) - Father Of Mine was another huge hit from Everclear. This is the radio mix version, so if you have So Much For The Afterglow, this version may sound a little different to you. But it still sounds good. This is Art Alexakis's favorite version of this song. This is Everclear song has touched and helped more people than any other.

#14. The Boys Are Back In Town - This song was originally a hit off of the Detroit Rock City soundtrack. It is a cover of an old Thin Lizzy song. This is a good rock song. This song is the second b-side off of this CD. I like this song better than their cover of Brown Eyed Girl.

#15. Heroin Girl - This is a rock great song. This was a big hit and another one of my favorite Everclear songs. This is the fastest song off of this CD. It has great music and the lyrics are really cool. I love listening to this song. It is cool.

#16. Brown Eyed Girl - This is another hit song. This is a slow rock song. But that should be obvious since it is a cover of the Van Morrison classic. This is a good cover, but I prefer The Boys Are Back In Town over this one. But this is still good.

#17. Sex With A Movie Star (The Good Witch Gone Bad) - This is the first previously unreleased song off of this CD. This is a good rock song. It is not that hard but not that soft either. I like the words and the music to it.

#18. The New Disease - This is the second previosly unreleased song off of this CD. This is a good rock song. I am not sure if this song or Sex With A Movie Star (The Good Witch Gone Bad) were hits or not. I am not sure which one I like better. They are both good songs. I am glad that they are on here.

#19. The New York Times - This song is about hoping there is love and compassion in this post 9/11 world. 9/11 plus something tragic that happened to a poor soul in Everclear's hometown of Portland Oregon inspired Art Alexakis to write this. He wrote this hoping the world would stop hating and fearing, and start loving and being compassionate. This is a slow moving rock song. A definiate inclusion on this CD. I like this good hit song too.

#20. Song From An American Movie Pt. 1 - If any song doesn't deserve to be on this CD, it is this one. This is just a soft nice intro to a previous CD of theirs. They should have taken this song off and replaced it with the song One Hit Wonder off the CD So Much For The Afterglow. That would have been better.

#21. Rock Star - This is of course a rock song. I like this song a lot. It has great music and some cool lyrics that got misinterpreted by a lot of fans of the band. This is another hit song. This is a great way to end the CD. This is another favorite Everclear song of mine. It is a song I am sure you will like too. It is a loud fast and just excellent song of theirs.

So there you have it. 21 great songs from a great band. I am glad I got this CD. I recommend it to anyone, even if you don't like the band or already have all of their other CDs. Pick it up.

It is too bad though that Everclear is just done to one member now, Art Alexakis. But he promises another Everclear album later this year. I hope he makes a great one with some great musicians. Everclear is a good band and I hope they live on and on.

Just go out and pick up this CD and enjoy it as much as I do.
Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone?
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Original Sound
  • BUY THIS!
  • Hear The Voices In My Head...
  • Fun, very atypical band, violent femmes
  • Flagpole Sitta and.... not much else
 Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone?
Harvey Danger
Manufacturer: Fontana London
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000006AUU
Release Date: 1998-03-31

Tracks:

  1. Carlotta Valdez
  2. Flagpole Sitta
  3. Woolly Muffler
  4. Private Helicopter
  5. Problems & Bigger Ones
  6. Jack The Lion
  7. Old Hat
  8. Terminal Annex
  9. Wrecking Ball
  10. Radio Silence

Amazon.com

There's a disturbing trend in the Northwest: bands are getting way over-hyped before their first full-length record (which is often mediocre and disappointing) even hits the streets. Seattle's Harvey Danger, however, deserved the buzz that their debut CD generated. Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? was quite simply one of the best local records released in 1997. It has the pop accessibility of vocalist Sean Nelson's high-register croon (not unlike Jeremy Enigk), and the energetic and dynamic punch of a band--guitarist Jeff Lin, bassist Aaron Huffman, and drummer Evan Sult (The Rocket's assistant art director)--that has developed its chops together for more than four years. Harvey Danger have drawn all the worthwhile elements from '90s indie rock and created a sound that is at once their own, yet completely familiar. Lin's guitar is full and confident, ranging from full-on power chords to buzzing melodies, while Huffman frequently takes the leads with his fat, distorted bass humming away. Sult ably links the two with a minimum of flash and pretense. Nelson's clear-as-a-bell vocals and sardonic, clever, and frequently emotional lyrics are both the album's strongest and weakest aspects. Occasionally his verbosity overcomes the music and his almost condescending sniping becomes a little tiresome. However, these are minor complaints in the big picture, because songs like "Carlotta Valdez," "Flagpole Sitta," and "Problems and Bigger Ones" are true gems, and for a first effort, this is as close to flawless as a band can get. --Adem Tepedelen

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Original Sound.......2007-03-10

This albums is great because of its raw original sound. The volcals aren't the greatest, but the composition of the peices makes that an inreaging sound. If you like rock, pop, or punk buy this album.

5 out of 5 stars BUY THIS!.......2006-12-21

No, really, you dont know what you are missing, every track is excellent. Lyrics are amazing. buy this now.

5 out of 5 stars Hear The Voices In My Head..........2006-10-30

This is a great album. Harvey Danger's most well-known song is 'Flagpole Sitta' but there are many great songs on this album. My personal favorites are 'Terminal Annex' and 'Radio Silence'. The guitar riffs are very well matched with the bass lines and drum beats, making great music. The vocals are crooned out in a grungy and neurotic tone by Sean Nelson, which makes the music seem very real to the listener.

1.Carlotta Valdez- 4/5. Not one of my favorites.
2.Flagpole Sitta'- 5/5. All around great song.
3.Wooly Muffler- 5/5. Was stuck in my head for a lonnnng time.
4.Private Helicopter-3/5. Least favorite track.
5.Problems and Bigger Ones-5/5.Catchy.
6.Jack The Lion-5/5. Gave out his last roar.
7.Old Hat-5/5.Great.
8.Terminal Annex-10/5. My favorite.
9.Wrecking Ball-5/5. Such a good song.
10.Radio Silence-10/5.It is very rare that I can handle a ballad.

This is a great album if you liked Marcy Playground and Third Eye Blind.

4 out of 5 stars Fun, very atypical band, violent femmes.......2006-07-09

kind've in their punchy, catchy sound. While this band will never make it to the main stream thats okay too. The songs are very intelligent, the sound is crisp and I think everyone can identify with the line "I am not sick and I'm not well..."

2 out of 5 stars Flagpole Sitta and.... not much else.......2006-06-23

Flagpole Sitta is such a catchy tune, But it's really the only song worth hearing on this disc. All the lyrics are funny and witty, yes, but only the lyrics. the songs themselves are irritating. You'd be Much better off with Harvey Danger's superb and entertaining "Little By Little" and then just buy the Flagpole Sitta single.

This disc leaves a lot to be desired
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson: Handel Arias
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • A Legendary Singer.
  • Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's Bach: The mind of God revealed!!
  • Glorious singing to treasure for decades
  • Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson (1954-2006), supreme Handelian
  • The Stellar Hunt Lieberson
 Lorraine Hunt Lieberson: Handel Arias

Manufacturer: Avie
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  5. Bach - Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook (highlights) / Hunt-Liberson, McGegan

ASIN: B00022LZW8
Release Date: 2004-08-10

Tracks:

  1. Ah! Whither Should We Fly...
  2. ...As With Rosy Steps The Morn
  3. O Bright Example Of All Goodness!...
  4. ...Bane Of Virtue, Nurse Of Passions
  5. The Clouds Begin To Veil The Hemisphere...
  6. ...Defend Her Heav'n!
  7. Lord, To Thee Each Night And Day
  8. She's Gone, Disdaining Liberty And Life...
  9. ...New Scenes Of Joy
  10. Cantata
  11. Cantata
  12. Cantata
  13. Cantata
  14. Cantata
  15. Cantata
  16. Cantata
  17. Cantata
  18. Se Bramate D'amar, Chi Vi Sdegna
  19. Frondi Tenere E Belle...
  20. ...Ombra Mai Fu

Amazon.com

If you think you've heard Handel's "Ombra mai fu" (known as his "Largo") so often, and in so many different arrangements, and sung by so many different voices, that you can no longer be moved or surprised by it, think again. This CD of Handel arias, mostly from his Theodora or the cantata La Lucrezia, ends with "Ombra mai fu," and as sung by Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, it is so tender, so beautiful, so impeccably shaded, that you'll think you're hearing it for the first time. But that's only four of this disc's 67 minutes---a follow-up to Hunt Lieberson's extraordinarily successful CD of Bach cantatas. There's not a dull or disinterested moment to be heard anywhere. As the violated Lucrezia, Hunt Lieberson alternately rages against the man who raped her and turns her grief inward; the former is terrifying in its intensity, the latter makes us almost feel as if we're eavesdropping. The five arias for Irene, Theodora's friend, confidante, and the upholder of Christian beliefs are all magical prayers or statements of faith, and from Hunt Lieberson, they become real, with each word honestly conveyed and colored. The voice itself is unfailingly beautiful---warm, lush, never forced, agile when necessary---and her breath control is stunning. She is backed ideally by Harry Bicket and The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the string soloists in the ensemble---the viola da gamba player, lutenist, etc.---are as gifted as she is. If you want proof that Handel was a great dramatist with a special gift for communicating emotion, all while listening to sublime sounds, this CD is a must. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A Legendary Singer........2007-03-07

I simply don't have the heart to review Mrs. Lieberson's works.
If we call Ms. Bartoli a 'great' singer, then the description of 'legendary' more aptly depicts Mrs. Lieberson.
If ever a truly good artist lived, Mrs. Lieberson is one such.
The only singer that could be recalled singing in such style is Teresa Berganza; but still, they are different.
This is one of my favourite interpretators of Haendel. Having been 'treated' by those coloraturas of arias of Haendel's period by Ms. Bartoli and others, I find the singing of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson a great relief - at last, this is what Haendel would want it to be. And I equally enjoy the singing of soprano arias by Mrs. Lieberson - the timbre is warmer, but still with all the shimmer - so different from the dark mushy tones of other celebrated 'lyrical soprano' around.
Don't want to say more. Mrs. Lieberson's leaving last year is too heavy a news for me.

5 out of 5 stars Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's Bach: The mind of God revealed!!.......2007-01-06

These deeply felt performances of two of Bach's most moving cantatas show this transcendent singer's combination of emotional honesty and profound musicality, all combined to reveal the very mind of God through divine redemption from suffering. The disc is to be treasured even more in light of the Ms. Lieberson's recent untimely death from cancer. I'm an agnostic, but this music makes me envious of those who can believe. Roy in Pope Valley, California

5 out of 5 stars Glorious singing to treasure for decades.......2006-07-11

By any measure, America's Lorraine Hunt Lieberson is at least the equal of Italy's premier diva, mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, although she does not have the same superstar status. It is difficult to recall past mezzos with clearer enunciation of English text, (as favoured in nine excerpts from Theodora), the richness of voice, displayed in full-throated fortissimo and sharply contrasted pianissimo of utmost delicacy, evokes fondest memories of the tragically doomed Kathleen Ferrier. Masterfully chosen to display every facet of Hunt Lieberson's consumate command of Handel's dauntingly difficult music, the disc's repertoire - recitatives and linkig arias from the operas Theodora and Serse, and the cantana La Lucrezia - is stunning. An unsung mezzo who makes the senses tingle!

5 out of 5 stars Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson (1954-2006), supreme Handelian.......2006-07-06

I have never heard a voice purer of tone, more flexible in phrasing, and so gorgeously produced in a homogeneous column of sound such as this artist in Handel's repertoire. It is very tastefully sung (unlike a certain person whose name begins with R and ends with enaaay Fleming) and so dramatically touching that one could not help but feel that this repertoire finally has found its instrument. And how sad it is to know that this instrument has passed away two days ago. Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson died two days ago in her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico of breast cancer. It is such a huge loss to the opera world, as she is an artist who is still experiencing the prime of her career. The voice is just so beautiful, the tone so pure, that I lament that we can no longer hear any great roles from this artist. She will be missed.

5 out of 5 stars The Stellar Hunt Lieberson.......2006-03-19

Simply put, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson is one of the very best classical singers alive. She combines vocal elegance and purity with an emotional delivery that raises her above the crowd of technically proficient singers who just don't possess her depth of musical understanding or emotional commitment. Hunt Lieberson is a true artist who resists easy classfication except to say she is perfect in what she does.
Lost and Gone Forever
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • The best guster CD if not the best CD ever
  • One of my favorite albums EVER
  • This album sucks
  • the best music is somtimes found by accident :)
  • An AMAZING album!
 Lost and Gone Forever
Guster
Manufacturer: Reprise / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00001SIEW
Release Date: 1999-09-28

Tracks:

  1. What You Wish For
  2. Barrel Of A Gun
  3. Either Way
  4. Fa Fa
  5. I Spy
  6. Center Of Attention
  7. All The Way Up To Heaven
  8. Happier
  9. So Long
  10. Two Points For Honesty
  11. Rainy Day

Amazon.com

Guster's formula is quite simple: Take time-tested harmonies à la Simon and Garfunkel or the Hollies, pour them over pleasant acoustic guitars, and add a pinch of congas for toe-tapping made easier. Lost and Gone Forever all but screams "radio friendly!" (especially with hit-producing wunderkind Steve Lillywhite at the knobs), but luckily the final product is more palatable than that. The musical plan is occasionally augmented by an electric guitar or strings, but generally follows harmonious sounds over articulate voices. Some people will listen to Lost and Gone Forever and find it too slight and completely corny, but others will fall under the spell of Ryan Miller and Adam Gardner's full-bodied vocal blend. --Jason Josephes

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The best guster CD if not the best CD ever.......2007-04-28

I have bought this CD a year ago and to this day it remains in my stereo all the time. Every single song on it is an instant guster classic and each song is very catchy in its own way. What you wish for is easily the best opening song on any guster cd to date. The bongos perfectly blend with the acoustic and electric guitars creating the most perfect musical sound i have ever heard, even better than the catchiness of oar or even dave matthews band.

The barrell of a gun is easily my favorite guster song of all time and i have listened to it 95 times on my i pod alone. Either way and FaFa are both extremely catchy but either way is mellower. I spy is short leading into the cuter sounding center of attention and all the way up to heaven (the whistling is very catchy i whistled this song in the halls of school one day). Happier so long and two points for honesty are on the mellow side but they are still great listens. Rainy day starts off mellow and builds up to being another one of gusters best songs.

Bottom line, this CD is possibly the best CD ever made. Barrell of a gun is one of the best songs ever made. Look at their live album and notice that almost every song from this cd is played on that live album and they all sound amazing. Guster is an amazing band and once you listen to this cd it will be imprinted in your head forever.

5 out of 5 stars One of my favorite albums EVER.......2007-02-05

I love all types of music (rock, alternative, folk, jazz, country, bluegrass, etc. etc.) and listen to a little bit of everything. Having said that, if I was on a deserted island for a year, this would be on my top 5 of CD's to listen to repeatedly. The harmonies are amazing, the songs are Beatlesesque, and the pacing is great (except for the last song, Rainy Day, which I think even the band admits is kind of a "downer" after the rest of the (fairly) upbeat album). I've liked every CD they've done since then, but I'm not sure if they will match the brilliance of this CD. They are great musicians, they seem to be great guys (in interviews, in concert, etc.), they have a sense of humor about themselves, and they deserve their success.

1 out of 5 stars This album sucks.......2007-01-16

After buying this album based on the excellent reviews, I will always, from now on, look at the negative reviews before buying. This album sucks. This music consists of brain-dead lyrics with a presumably emasculated lead singer(this surely is a modern guy capable of crying). This is not chill-out music - it is properly classified as "modern whining". And it's not good.

5 out of 5 stars the best music is somtimes found by accident :).......2007-01-04

If you are tired of all the same music you hear on the radio all day, then you should give a listen to Guster,they are original in the most perfect way.I love the powerful lyrics and great sound. just give it chance for the love of great music :)

5 out of 5 stars An AMAZING album!.......2006-06-29

This is the only album I have ever voted 5 stars in my entire life. Guster is a great band, and this is the pinncale of their works. If you are new to Guster, THIS is the album to get!

See the other reviews, listen to the samples, and you will know THIS is the one Guster album that everyone should own!
Real Gone
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • New Incarnation of Archaic Sound
  • One of a kind
  • give it a chance - it WILL grow on you
  • the best Tom Waits album ever
  • not for everyone
 Real Gone
Tom Waits
Manufacturer: Anti
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Orphans [Fold-out Digipak with 24-page booklet]
  2. Rain Dogs
  3. Mule Variations
  4. Alice
  5. Swordfishtrombones

ASIN: B0002SDKG6
Release Date: 2004-10-05

Tracks:

  1. Top Of The Hill
  2. Hoist That Rag
  3. Sins Of My Father
  4. Shake It
  5. Don't Go Into That Barn
  6. How's It Gonna End
  7. Metropolitan Glide
  8. Dead And Lovely
  9. Circus
  10. Trampled Rose
  11. Green Grass
  12. Baby Gonna Leave Me
  13. Clang Boom Steam
  14. Make It Rain
  15. Day After Tomorrow

Amazon.com

There's little risk of confusing Tom Waits with the gentle pop folk who have covered his songs--Rod Stewart, Sarah McLachlan, Everything But the Girl, just to name a few. That's because even though the eccentric songwriter is capable of summoning the most tender sentiments, his preferred method of delivery is through carnival melodies, crackpot instruments, and a bourbon-soaked bark. Real Gone continues the dark experimental streak of not just its predecessors like Alice and Blood Money, but the past 30 years. Yes, the percussion is sharper, the arrangements stranger, and the voice more ghost-like than ever, but at the center of all the chaos remains an uncanny storyteller--capable of ripping down governments ("Sins of My Father") and building up tears ("Day After Tomorrow"). --Aidin Vaziri

Album Description

Tom Waits is one of the most influential musicians in the world today, an artist who never rests on his laurels. He continues to re-invent music, push boundaries and create new sounds. On Real Gone, the up tempo tracks are some of the rawest and most kinetic he's ever laid down...He's never sounded like he's had this much fun...while the ballads are among his most beautiful and even chilling at times. Real Gone also contains his first overtly political song, "The Day After Tomorrow", a plaintive letter home from a young soldier in the middle of a war. Taken as a whole, the experience is breathtaking.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars New Incarnation of Archaic Sound.......2007-07-12

Somehow, Chain-Gang early Clang Boom, BirthOfBlues stuff, meets the occasional (usually buried) turntable use.

Gruff, Raw, Carnal Sounds. Hard to 'classify'

Les Claypool (Bass player of Primus and other great stuff), and noted drummer, Brain, collaborate on some tracks, though not in their usual styles. It looks like Waits' kids played on some tracks as well, though you'd never guess it.

Mark Ribot, who's been around since at least Raindogs, continues to grace us with his unique take on lead guitar. I love it.

This album is not for everyone. If you prefer pristinely produced pop, refined jazz, live classical, standard rock, or radio rap, this maybe ain't for you. (Incidentally, I can't get enough jazz, 'classical,' or intelligent rock, and i dig good hip-hop.) If you want dirt under your nails, haunted shipwrecked tunes, spiritual echoes from confederate slave days, and deep, ancient, primal vibrations, check it out. I can't get enough. Inspirational.

Concludes beautifully with the most well-written war song I can call to mind, which Waits performed for a nervous, starstruck Jon Stewart and studio audience on Comedy Central's Daily Show. (Check it out on Youtube.)

More bang for your buck than you're used to, guaranteed.

5 out of 5 stars One of a kind.......2007-06-10

Tom Waits is a true original, and this album makes good use of his unique voice, eclectic choice of accompaniment, and interesting song subject matter. This is not pop music, but if you are willing to work at it a bit, it is fabulously rewarding.

3 out of 5 stars give it a chance - it WILL grow on you.......2007-05-03

At first listen, only three of the tracks grabbed me (hoist #2, green grass #11, day after tomorrow #15) and by the second listen I'd moved my rating from one star to three. So that's where I am now...it could move even higher. This recording definitely improves with repeated listening.
I wouldn't have believed it but I gave it the chance and it's true.
So this is a discordant and clangy, percussive sound, little if any piano, but some tracks have some guitar I liked a lot. Closing Time is my favorite Tom Waits album, but it's not fair to compare this to that. They are thirty years apart I think and almost opposite. Real Gone might sound Real Strange but keep listening.

5 out of 5 stars the best Tom Waits album ever.......2007-03-18

I'm a big fan of Tom Waits and have been so for many years. I'm constantly amazed by his obvious talent, his fantastic understanding of music and sound, his willingness to experiment and of course his commanding voice.

All of those things come together on "Real Gone", as Tom Waits yet again reinvents himself. He experiments, oh yes, with all kinds of different stuff, especially his voice gets full use on this album. Also he dosen't use the calliope on "Real Gone", but uses instead a lot more guitar and beat boxing (yes!). Yet every step he takes seems to be in the right direction. There is a certain feeling to this album, I don't actually know how to describe it, but it just feels good inside when you listen to it. And every time you listen to it, new things will reveal themselves, new layers will be visible (or audible, as it were) and your appreciation will become deeper.

The word "masterpiece" is used far too much nowadays, and it is but too easy to use it when describing Tom Waits. But that exactly, is what "Real Gone" is; a masterpiece. I definitely thought, that mr Waits couldn't do better than some of his previous releases, but he did. This is, in my humble opinion, his best work to date.

Highest possible recommendation. 5 stars does not do this album justice.

3 out of 5 stars not for everyone.......2007-03-15

waits fans the buck stops here this is waits at the height of his experimental powers. this album has the power to take you places you have never been before. but, for most it is just a wall of incoherent noise. i suggest listening to it in advance. at the very least put "make it rain" on your ipod
Porgy & Bess
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Absolutely peerless
  • once-in-a-lifetime greatness
  • We love this album
  • Simply great
  • Porgy and Bess
 Porgy & Bess
Ella Fitzgerald , and Louis Armstrong
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000046Z5
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

  1. Overture
  2. Summertime
  3. I Wants To Stay Here
  4. My Man's Gone Now
  5. I Got Plenty O'Nuttin'
  6. Buzzard Song
  7. Bess, You Is My Woman Now
  8. It Ain't Necessarily So
  9. What You Want Wild Bess?
  10. A Woman Is A Sometime Thing
  11. Oh, Doctor Jesus
  12. Medley: Here Come De Honey Man/Crab Man/Oh, Deh's So Fresh And Fine (Strawberry Woman)
  13. There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York
  14. Bess, Oh Where's My Bess
  15. Oh Lawd, I'm On My Way

Amazon.com

Getting the two most personable voices in jazz to sing an hour's worth of George Gershwin's opera Porgy & Bess (Ella doing all the female parts, Satchmo all the male) was a good idea, but not quite as great as it sounded. Armstrong savors the down-and-dirty Charlestonisms that inspired the cadences of the music and lyrics, and they fit his happy rasp like an old shoe; Fitzgerald, conversely, sounds almost prissy every time she has to sing the word "ain't," though her melodic genius gets Gershwin's bold, supple tunes over. The arrangements are full-throttle Broadway, with a few leaps into Dixieland (including some fine Armstrong trumpet solos), but the disc works best when the vocalists break character and let their jazz side out. --Douglas Wolk

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Absolutely peerless.......2006-11-17

"Porgy and Bess" has just opened (with some controversy) in London's West End, though as a musical and not as an opera as it was originally conceived. Reviews have been promising and I aim to go down and see it soon. I decided to listen to this CD to put myself in the mood. I hadn't listened to it for years and I'd completely forgotten how good it actually is. Ella's voice blends with Louis' perfectly and Russell Garcia's orchestration gives them a dreamy landscape to perform against. I have one or two other CDs by Louis and Ella but this one is by far my favourite. The CD opens with "Overture" and its orchestral performance of classics like "Summertime", "I Wants To Stay Here", "I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'" and "It Ain't Neccessarily So" set the tone nicely, leaving one ever so keen for the vocal versions. Louis Armstong has a very rough tone to his voice but the emotion he packs with it is moving, most especially on the mournful "Bess, Oh Where's My Bess?" And we get all this and Louis' wonderful trumpet playing too?

Gershwin and Gershwin must be among the top composers of the last century and this opera showcases their talents more than anything I've heard. Ella and Louis are peerless as a vocal duo and though I doubt the West End performance will capture the magic in the same way they did, I still remain very keen to go see it. Is it opera or is it a jazz performance? I don't really know. I just know that I love it. And strongly recommend it.

5 out of 5 stars once-in-a-lifetime greatness.......2006-10-06

Two thousand five hundred musicians have recorded "Summertime" --- it's a classic. (I bet most Americans can name Janis Joplin and no other singer.) As for "Porgy and Bess," the folk opera from which "Summertime" springs, it's such a classic that it's hard to believe anyone ever had a harsh word to say about it.

But after its premiere in 1935, no less than Duke Ellington said, "It has grand music and a swell play, but the two didn't go together. It does not use the Negro musical idiom --- the times are here to debunk Gershwin's lampblack Negroisms."

A quarter of a century later, the producers of the film version had trouble assembling a cast. Harry Belafonte rejected their offer to play Porgy. Sidney Poitier took the part --- and wished he hadn't. Poitier later wrote that the movie insulted black people; when he chose clips of his best performances for his tribute at the American Film Institute, he picked nothing from "Porgy and Bess."

And in 1985, when Grace Bumbry was a sensation as Bess in a Metropolitan Opera production, she slammed the opera: "I thought it beneath me, I felt I had worked far too hard, that we had come far too far to have to retrogress to 1935."

All that may be. All I know is that I have, in a long life, rarely been confronted with more genius than in the Fitzgerald/Armstrong recording of "Porgy & Bess." Set aside the achievement of George and Ira Gershwin in transforming DuBose Heyward's novel into a folk opera. Let's just focus on Armstrong and Fitzgerald, who were at the peak of their popularity when this record was made in 1957.

"Summertime" --- the first song --- sets the tone. A baleful horn figure, then violins. And then Armstrong's trumpet: slow, steady, dignified. But wait --- here comes a slurred note. And a cool little improvisation. Just enough of each. Very tasty.

Fitzgerald sings a verse. She is cool and formal. A lady. Not to be taken lightly. Now it's Armstrong's turn. Tender, but let's not kid ourselves --- this is not singing as others define it. This is melodic speech: rough, gutteral. And thus he is ideally cast: His Porgy may have his charms, but he'll have to stretch to keep Bess.

And so it goes throughout the CD. Trumpet mastery --- Armstrong has dazzling control. His tone is bright, but never shrill; there's a warmth in his playing no one else could produce. And Fitzgerald is just a study in inevitability; to hear her is to wonder how anyone could sing these songs any other way.

"I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'." "Bess, You Is My Woman Now." "A Woman Is a Sometime Thing." "There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York." "Bess, Oh Where's My Bess?" "Oh Lawd, I'm on My Way."

All brilliantly conceived, orchestrated and recorded.

The greatest trumpet player in this history of jazz.

The father of scat singing.

The queen of the jazz vocal.

There are no-brainers, and then there is this Ella Fitzgerald-Louis Armstrong collaboration --- music that imprints on your soul.

5 out of 5 stars We love this album.......2006-08-22

We hope they will someday bring this beautiful story back to the stage

5 out of 5 stars Simply great.......2006-03-04

The fusion between the great two voices and the orchestra is just brilliant. Very good brass and violins that accompany Fitzeralds and Armstrongs magic voices leaves you with your mouth open.

A must have for everyone!

5 out of 5 stars Porgy and Bess.......2005-10-14

Could not find this anyway locally. It is a great recording
World Gone Wrong
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The world gone wrong, but Bob's still good...
  • Pure Dylan
  • Grows on you
  • Dylan Being Dylan
  • Pure and Good, but Can't Understand the Lyrics
 World Gone Wrong
Bob Dylan
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0000029E8
Release Date: 1993-10-26

Tracks:

  1. World Gone Wrong
  2. Love Henry
  3. Ragged And Dirty
  4. Blood In My Eyes
  5. Broke Down Engine
  6. Delia
  7. Stack A Lee
  8. Two Soldiers
  9. Jack-A-Roe
  10. Lone Pilgrim

Amazon.com

With his songwriting muse on pause, Bob Dylan spent the mid-'90s recording old folk and blues standards with just himself, a harmonica, and an acoustic guitar. Good As I Been to You was the first effort. For the follow-up, World Gone Wrong, he went even further into the dark night of the soul. His voice aged by road-weary experience and informed by lifelong insight delivers just the right pathos to these tales of lost love and existential blight. Tom Paley, one of the original New Lost City Ramblers, popularized "Love Henry," a symbolic tale of a businessman who loses his soul traveling through the halls of corruption. Dylan delivers it as a funeral march and surrounds it with songs of similar sentiment. A modern acoustic blues classic. --Rob O'Connor

Album Description

Out-of-print in the US. Import pressing of this Grammy Award winning album, released in 1995. Sony / BMG.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars The world gone wrong, but Bob's still good..........2007-06-05

Bob Dylan comes from an age of music where "what you play is what you get." Despite what some computer corrected music sounds like these days, human music often involves mistakes, flubs, cracking voices, and one-take cuts. Way back in the nascent days of folk, these elements were accepted warts and all. Voices and instruments blended acoustically in all their perfect imperfection. Much modern music propogates the illusion of "the perfect performance" by filtering out gargles, croaks, and gutterals. Some recordings don't sound human. Dylan stands in stark opposition to such fiddling. As such, he never fully embraced the world of electronic music, though working with Daniel Lanois brought him close. In the early 1990s, as 80s synth-drenched pop drowned in a mire of grunge, Dylan exhumed his former life as an unplugged troubador on two solo acoustic albums, "Good As I Been To You" and "World Gone Wrong." Neither included any originals. They feature a raw unedited Dylan squealing through folk and blues classics. Throughout, he flubs and frets notes, his voice bubbles, and his guitar sounds road weary. Despite these seeming flaws, Dylan delivers memorable and poingant performances. Though nowhere near as polished, these late folk efforts evoke the earlier "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'." "World Gone Wrong" follows the latter in theme: melancholic, brooding, and fed up. The one-take cuts grind this mood into the listener's brain.

"Strange things have happened, like never before," the first song, also the title track, opens. In the CD's arcane liner notes, which also evoke an earlier surreal era, Dylan credits this song to "the Mississippi Sheiks, a little known de facto group whom in their former glory mustve been something to behold. rebellion against routine," he continues, "seems to be their strong theme. all their songs are raw to the bone & are faultlessly made for these modern times (the New Dark Ages) nothing effete about the Mississippi Sheiks." Fourteen years after Dylan wrote that, one can look up "Mississippi Sheiks" on Wikipedia for more information. Is anything obscure anymore? The CD continues how it started: world-weary, out of control, and wasted. "Love Henry" tells the story of a cold-blooded murder from a parrot's point of view. When the murderess calls the bird down to her, it replies, "I won't fly down, I can't fly down / And light on your right knee / A girl who would murder her own true love / Would kill a little birdlike me." "Blood In My Eyes," also attributed to the Mississippi Sheiks, seeps with desperate sexual passion. Dylan's rendition almost hurts. "Ragged & Dirty" and "Broke Down Engine" pick up the pace but not the mood. Both tell stories of people at the end of their rope. "Delia" and "Stack A Lee" revisit the brutal murder theme. The stunning, and almost meditative, "Two Soliders" recalls death on the battlefield and a mother's pain. Dylan says he picked it up from the now late Jerry Garcia. "Jack-A-Roe" and "Lone Pilgrim" conclude the album appropriately.

Some saw Dylan's cover albums as a sign that his muse had taken flight. Others saw it as an easy way to fulfill his soon to expire contract. Some were extactic at the return of "the acoustic Dylan." Some cried, for the umpteenth time, "comeback!" Nonetheless, the 1980s and 1990s left some skeptics weary of Dylan's direction. They need not have worried. Following an "MTV Unplugged" album, Dylan would start a streak that still hasn't let up, beginning with 1997's amazing "Time Out of Mind." In retrospect, "World Gone Wrong" fits right in with Dylan's overall ouvre: unpredictable, untarnished by needless perfection, and unapologetic.

5 out of 5 stars Pure Dylan.......2007-06-01

Dylan is a master. Trashed and criticized as the man who could not sing, he has endured. If you like pure country blues, I think this is Dylan at his best. He brings me to a time that I understand. Hey, hey babe...I got blood in my eyes for you...I love this work.

L. Mora

5 out of 5 stars Grows on you.......2007-05-06

Really lovely. One of his very best albums. For a man with a strange voice, he has great facility with it and ability to evoke the most subtle emotions and overtones. Just great.

4 out of 5 stars Dylan Being Dylan.......2007-01-09

Dylan is as enigmatic as ever in this offering . He never ceases to surprise. Dylan Fans will like this CD, those unfamiliar with the Master,s works will probably hate it. I personally enjoyed it very much, but I,m a dyed in the wool DYLAN FAN!!!!!

4 out of 5 stars Pure and Good, but Can't Understand the Lyrics.......2006-11-15

Dylan is authentic and sounds so on this acoustic guitar and voice cd. The songs are great classics, but the recording is weak insofar as the lyrics are not clear. This album would be so much better if you could hear the great classic lyrics of these great songs. So, 4 stars instead of 5, as the weak recording detracts from what otherwise would be a classic.
Red Gone Wild: Thee Album
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • (4.5 stars) Redman's Bak Inda Buildin!
  • YEAH!
  • Please enter a title for your review
  • GILLA HOUSE!!!
  • The Illest MC In The Game Today
 Red Gone Wild: Thee Album
Redman
Manufacturer: Def Jam
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

East CoastEast Coast | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0009VJWP4
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Tracks:

  1. Fire
  2. Bak Inda Bildin
  3. Put It Down
  4. Gimmie One
  5. F**k Ur Opinion
  6. Sumtn 4 Urrbody
  7. How U Like Dat
  8. Freestyle Feestyle
  9. Walk In Gutta
  10. Wutchoogonnado
  11. Dis Iz Brick City
  12. Rite Now
  13. Blow Treez
  14. Pimp Nutz
  15. Mr. Ice Cream Man
  16. Hold Dis Blaow!
  17. Get' Em
  18. Merry Jane
  19. Gilla House Check
  20. No Mo Soopaman Luva
  21. Soopaman Luva
  22. Soopaman Luva
  23. Suicide

Amazon.com

Jersey boy, sometime actor, longtime rapper Redman ends to a five-year album hiatus with Red Gone Wild. "Thee Album," as its subtitle suggests, slings all the comeback bravado it can. From the opening bump of "Fire," Redman rolls out his own red carpet, strutting the whole way. "Rite Now" swipes and recalls the thumping throwback funk Redman first exploited well with 1994's Muddy Waters, and "Freestyle Freestyle" adds a heavy shuffle to that. Throughout, Redman and a bevy of guests saunter through backing tracks built around Marvin Gaye, Millie Jackson, Curtis Mayfield, Rick James, and Bob Marley (the viscerally stupid and strangely arresting "Blow Treez"). In one of the album's wilder moments, "Sumtn 4 Urrbody," rappers Blam, Runt Dog, Ready Roc, Icadon, and Saukrates drop in to party for a verse each: suddenly, the line "Hair on my chest look like taco meat" never sounded so good. Lines that doggone dirty have stapled seams through the beats of every Redman record since 1994's Dare Iz A Darkside, at least. But Seattle producer Vitaman D cooks up the album's wildest cut, namely the abysmally thick pulse gunning beneath the ironic silliness of "Pimp Nutz." To his continuing credit, Redman's got no problem bringing more talented collaborators into the studio and letting them loose. After all, he himself was long ago gone wild. --Jason Kirk

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars (4.5 stars) Redman's Bak Inda Buildin!.......2007-06-26

It's been years since we had the pleasure of hearing a solo Redman joint...especially one that's worth listening to! The last good album was 1998's Doc's Da Name, although the dismal album Malpractice was released in 2000. But just listening to the intro track "Fire," it becomes clear that Red Gone Wild is the real deal. The album has the feel of a mixtape, but without the yelling deejays or the redundancy of tracks that serve no purpose. Even though "Bak Inda Buildin" clocks in under 3 minutes (just like "How U Like Dat" later in the album), it still delivers the energy we've been accustom to hearing from Redman and segues into the equally hyper "Put It Down" and "Gimmie One." "Sumtn 4 Urrbody" features virtual unknowns named Blam, Runt Dog, Ready Roc, Icadon, and Saukrates showcasing their best licks and it's amazing that the track still stands at less than 4 minutes. The Scott Storch produced "Freestyle Freestyle" is an enjoyable track with the feel of a true freestyle with its uncomplicated background and lyrical veracity. Veteran Def Squad members Erick Sermon and Keith Murray regroup for the convincing posse cut "Walk In Gutta" while R&B newcomer Melanie Rutherford [...] gives an impassioned hook for the indelible melody of "Wutchoogonnado." "Blow Treez" is a well-performed collabo that features partner-in-rhyme Method Man and Ready Roc. "Merry Jane" is a fun, entertaining tune that pairs Red with Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg. "Dis Is Brick City" and "Rite Now" both showcase classic Redman while "Hold Dis Blaow" rocks an infectious beat that makes it one of many standouts on the album. He closes with the recurring "Superman Lova" featuring Hurricane G and Melanie Rutherford (it's presented as two connected tracks with the same title) and the tenacious "Suicide" that's embodies all the intensity that Redman has been known to display from time to time. Red Gone Wild personifies a rapper whose talent far exceeds most others in the industry today. Redman's future as a rapper is proven with Red Gone Wild, and he'll never have to worry about losing his appeal if he keeps putting out albums like this.

5 out of 5 stars YEAH!.......2007-06-20

this album is SOLID from beginning to end, best Redman album since Muddy Waters.

5 out of 5 stars Please enter a title for your review.......2007-05-30

I don't listen to rap music but I can't stop listening to this album. It's got like msg or crack or something in it to make you keep wanting more, listening to it over and over. From the beats through the vocal layering and party atmosphere to the incessantly repetitive lines on choruses prettymuch every song on it is better than any rap single released in the last couple years.

4 out of 5 stars GILLA HOUSE!!! .......2007-05-30

After making everybody wait quite a while, Redman is finally back and drops another solid album with "Red Gone Wild." Keeping it funky but not quite as grimy as his past releases, "Red Gone Wild" showcases Red's infantry of friends almost as much as Red himself. Most of the guest artists serve their purpose, however, and everything blends together rather seamlessly. Over and over again, Red and his crew chant "Gilla House!" over a plethora of prototypical Def Squad beats. When Red is at his best is when he spits the grime we've come to love from him, as on the intro track "Fire" which is one of the album's highlights.
Although "Red Gone Wild" suffers from the usual amount of filler most Redman albums have, it still holds its own as a solid "comeback" release from one of hip-hop's most consistent veterans.

4 out of 5 stars The Illest MC In The Game Today.......2007-05-22

Redman is one dope emcee. I love the fact that he doesn't have to adapt to today's hip hop scene...either you feel him or you don't. In the game right now...he's my favorite and has been for some time. His style is the illest. True underground. My favorite Redman album (not his best but my favorite) is "DARE IZ A DARKSIDE". Spark one up and check out that joint...TRIPPIN !!

This new joint "REDMAN GONE WILD - THEE ALBUM" is classic REGGIE NOBLE. I've been waiting on this for 6 years. I grabbed it the day it dropped. "PUT IT DOWN" is a certified club banger. Other favorites on the cd is the comical "PIMP NUTZ", "SUMTN 4 UR'RBODY" "WALK IN GUTTA" with the DEF SQUAD and my man BIZ MARKIE and "DIS IZ BRICK CITY". The whole album is worth the price of admission and of course it wouldn't be a REDMAN album without another chapter in the SOOPERMAN LUVA series (Peace to Hurricane G). It's time we get back to real hip hop. Tired of this snap and killing up everybody music. PEACE TO REDMAN, REGGIE NOBLE, FUNK DOC, SOOPAMAN LUVA or whatever he's calling himself this week. Keep it gutta baby! Represent for the underground. Be careful with those wires on the doorbell too homey ! WKYA Radio is on the air !!!! REAL HIP HOP LIVES and it's name is REDMAN !!!

Music:

  1. I'll Take the Rain [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]
  2. Iconoclast (split CD)
  3. Is a Woman [Import]
  4. It's All Been Done [CD-single] [Import]
  5. Leech [CD-single]
  6. Love, Hate & Dignity [Explicit Lyrics]
  7. Lullaby
  8. Made Of Water
  9. Man Needs to Be Told [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]
  10. Micah Green

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