Awful

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
The third single from Courtney Love & co.'s 1998 album 'Celebrity Skin'. None of the backing tracks on the Japanese edition are available on either part of the U.K. release & consist of five live recordings, 'Pretty On The Inside', 'Heaven Tonight', 'Nort

Tracks:

This Is Professor Pete
1712 Overture (S. 1712)
Introduction
II. Aria With Chorus: 'Howdy There'
Recitative: 'It Wasn't Long'
III. My Heart
Recitative: 'When Oedipus Heard'
VI. Chorale And Finale
Introduction
Love Me
WTWP Station ID
Oo-La-La Introduction
Oo-La-La: Cookin' French Like The French Cook French - Dana Krueger
Introduction: The Musical Sacrifice (S. 50% Off)
I. Fuga Meshuga - Susan Palma
Introduction
Classical Rap (S. 1-2-3) - Grandmaster Flab
Introduction
I. C Major - Christopher O'Riley
Introduction
II. Simply Grand Minuet
Introduction
Little Bunny Hop Hop Hop
Introduction
Minuet Militaire
Enough Already

Customer Reviews:

Witty and Charming.......2000-08-15

This CD is fun and action packed as much as you could hope for in a CD. He uses quotes from many famous folk and classical songs and implements them into his own compositions with a bit of a twist. For example, in Classical rap, where he raps about being the best rapper in the world with terrific brass interludes between the verses. The orchestra plays a clip from Vivaldi's "Spring" and then he twists it into a record "wicky-wicky" to the same tune. He introduces every peice before it is played in a hilarious manner in which he talks about the peice and something else that was going on in the composers mind as he wrote the peice. Starting at the begining-

This is Professor Pete- Peter Schickele introduces himself as well as P.D.Q.

1712 Overture- A takeoff of the 1812 overture of course, with snatches of some famous folktunes thrown in here and there.

Oedipus Tex- A parady of the Greek Myth Oedipus Rex where he murders his father who is the King. Oedipus Tex lives a life like his brother but in Texas style.

The next tracks are more comedy than exactly music like the WTWP station giving options over the phone about how you would like to hear a certain peice of music. Cooking French... is a woman cooking a French gourmet meal but flubbing up the entire time.

Tracks:

Introduction
I. Grand Entrance
II. Simply Grand Minuet
III. Romance In The Grand Manner
IV. Rondo Mucho Grando
Introduction
I. Mr. Minuit's Minuet - David McGill
II. Panther Dance - David McGill
III. Dance Of The Grand Dams - David McGill
IV. The Lowland Fling - David McGill
Introduction
I. Maestoso Animoso
II. Daintissimo
III. Allegro, But Not Too Mucho
IV. Molto Moderato
V. Vivace Cucarace
VI. Moving Right Alongo
Introduction
Lip My Reeds
Door Prize Scene
Introduction
March Of The Cute Little Wood Sprites
Introduction
Last Tango In Beyreuth
Closing

Customer Reviews:

The consummate Schicekle.......2004-01-07

This isn't the old PDQ Bach, e.g., Concerto for Horn and Hardart--which was also good. It's "evolved," insofar as PDQ Bach is capable of evolution...

When my wife gave this to me for Christmas, I turned it on and thought it was a live performance, like the first albums--and like the Schickele performances we've happily attended. It took a few seconds to realize that it was a mock performance, of the Turtle Mountain Naval Base Tactical Wind Ensemble (who are also, as announced by Professor Schickele, busy protecting North Dakota from naval attack, a clever comment making the CD all the more worth it!) at a convenient North Dakota location.

As a Wagnerian, I was attracted to "Last Tango in Beyreuth," the last musical number on the CD. If I may paraphrase Schickele's statement of a long time ago, when you listen to it, be prepared to hear things you've heard before (PDQ's real talent having been in plagiarism, after all.)

And, since Schickele was a bassoon major, it's amusing that he picks on that instrument--for perhaps the best piece ever composed for bassoon and tuba. Then there are the pieces by the Tennessee Bassoon Quartet, an ensemble for which there are surely limited venues...

I heard one of PDQ's other numbers, Concerto for Two Piano's vs. Orchestra a few years ago. Schickele gave an hysterical historical presentation on that piece. I talked with him about it afterwards and suggested that too be put onto a CD. He said in essence that the market may not have room for it these days; renouned violinists and pianists are not sellable these days. That's distressing as Schickele's comedy form is beyond genius, and unique. So, while you can, listen to what's available. This is a gem!

Hysterical and not at all Esoterical.......2001-01-06

P.D.Q. Bach brings a funny irreverance to his subject material that is charming. He is at times on NPR (National Public Radio) and if you've ever heard him, you know what I mean. He obviously is an expert in his field, but he is outrageously funny in his parodies of famous music. Who would have thought one could bring a sense of humour to Wagner? Get this cd - or anything by PDQ - and I guarantee you're in for some laughs. You may even learn something!

Not to be taken seriously..........2000-10-08

"P. D. Q. Bach. The last and least of J. S. Bach's twenty-odd children (and by far the oddest), this composer would have passed into the mists of oblivion were it not for the determined efforts of the Music Department at the University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople, directed by Professor Peter Schickele.

This disc, played by the Turtle Mountain Naval Base Tactical Wind Ensemble with some help from the astounding Tennessee Bassoon Quartet, was made during a concert at the University and is introduced by Professor Schickele. The event was clearly organised as an attempt at making the music of P. D. Q. Bach accessible to regular concert goers. It did not succeed: as the intermittent speech between items shows, the programme of P. D. Q. Bach's various works for wind orchestra and percussion managed to drive away not only most of the audience but even the orchestra. Furthermore, the music itself is shambolic: a complete waste of time that makes one wonder how Professor Schickele ever managed to get it published."

Actually, I only half-meant what I said above. This really is the ultimate in what is known as the letting down of hair amongst musicians: every so often, even the most serious of concert performers love to play something that is light-hearted and to be taken simply at face-value, without stuffy programme notes or flambuoyant virtuosity. And P. D. Q. Bach's music, faithfully "edited" by Peter Schickele, is not just light-hearted: it's downright flippant! This disc is a superb pick-me-up in cheerless moments, an entertaining fifty-odd minutes of musical mayhem pushed to interesting and comical limits, and an excellent gift for any musical members of the family who want to add a bit of zest to any classical music collection. Purists may scoff at the fact that this whole thing pokes fun at the music of Bach and other great composers, but it's good clean fun that still retains an element of musicality. Bravo! I just hope they invent a cure for split sides soon....

Great Music.......2000-06-18

This is a very intertaining album. From the Grand Serenade to Mr. Minute's Minuet to the cute little Wood Sprites. It's all very funny--even the booklet is funny. All in all it's very good.

Music at its best!.......2000-06-03

As a high school musician, I have played the piece Grand Serenade for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion. Playing it was so much fun and listening to it was too. I'm sure everyone else who listens to this music will enjoy it just as I have. Just imagine a large wind ensemble, serious as can be, playing Grand Serenade!

A Star Is Born (Expanded 1954 Film Soundtrack)

Average customer rating:

Forgive the cheesy title, but a star is re-born once again.
A Star Is Born Soundtrack Review
Judy at her peak!
a "Star" shines like never before...
Musical perfection of the highest magnitude!!!

A Star Is Born (Expanded 1954 Film Soundtrack)
Judy Garland , Harold Arlen , and Ira Gershwin
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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A Star Is Born
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ASIN: B00009KU7U
Release Date: 2004-05-18

Tracks:

Overture
Night Of The Stars
Gotta Have Me Go With You
Norman At Home
Pasion Oriental
The Man That Got Away
Cheatin' On Me
'I'm Quitting The Band...'
The Man That Got Away (Instrumental Version)
Esther In The Boarding House
Oliver Niles Studio
Esther's Awful Makeup
First Day In The Studio
Born In A Trunk (Medley)
Easy Come, Easy Go
Here's What I'm Here For
The Honeymoon
It's A New World
Someone At Last
Lose That Long Face
Norman Overhears The Conversation
It's A New World (Alternate Take)
The Last Swim
Finale - End Credits
When My Sugar Walks Down The Street
The Trinidad Coconut Oil Shampoo Commercial

Customer Reviews:

Forgive the cheesy title, but a star is re-born once again........2007-07-09

In 1954, Judy Garland gave the most acclaimed performance of her career as a musical movie star in George Cukor's musical remake of the 1937 straight-up drama A Star Is Born. After its premiere, the film was heavily edited and would not be seen in its near complete form again for nearly thirty years. Judy was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance, but lost to Grace Kelly, to the chagrin of many Garland fans to this day, as well as many celebrities of the day. (Groucho Mark famously called it the biggest robbery since Brinks.)

In all that mess, the soundtrack was released by Columbia on vinyl record in mono and has since never been out of print and was a best-seller for years. In 1988, Columbia took the musical numbers and the overture directly from the film's stereo soundtrack (As, sadly, stereo soundtrack masters no longer existed.) and released those onto CD. The sound quality was somewhat horrendous, but digital audio was still in its infancy and not much else could be done.

In 2004, for the film's 50th anniversary, Columbia, Legacy, and Sony Music Soundtrax released this incredible new expanded remastered CD reissue of the film's soundtrack. This is the most complete soundtrack you can find and it's definitely worth upgrading from your 1988 CD release.

This CD contains not only all of the songs, including an extended intro to The Man That Got Away which was shortened in the film as well as the complete intro to Gotta Have Me Go With You, but also contains a near complete release of the instrumental score, which includes whole tracks and parts of tracks that were not used in the film, as well as an alternate vocal take of It's A New World, the deleted When My Sugar Walks Down The Street segment from Born In A Trunk, and a static-y complete version of The Trinidad Coconut Oil Shampoo Commercial, which was taken from a worn acetate playback disc - the only complete recording in existence.

The soundtrack is taken from a mixing and matching of several elements, such as acetate playback discs, the original Columbia mono soundtrack album masters, and the film's 4-track stereo soundtrack, among others. This means that the soundtrack goes back and forth from being stereo and mono. However, this does not detract from my listening experience any, and frankly, I can't tell much of a difference. One interesting note is that Gotta Have Me Go With You uses both the film's soundtrack and the mono soundtrack album masters to create a faithful listening experience, from the mono instrumental intro to the song itself, which except for a short portion, is taken from the film's 4-channel soundtrack. (The mono portion of the vocal part was used to edit out some plot-related screams that were present in the 1988 release. This method of retaining the aural integrity of Gotta Have Me Go With You was also used when it was included on the Rhino Records compilation Judy Garland In Hollywood: Her Greatest Movie Hits.)

Despite the fact that this soundtrack is taken from several different surviving elements and sadly not from a single set of elements, as Warner Bros. didn't have the foresight to save everything like MGM and Disney did, this is an excellent presentation of this landmark soundtrack. The sound quality for the most part is excellent, and the liner notes are also wonderful. Garland historian John Fricke writes a small essay on the production of the film and an annotated guide to the soundtrack, which gives a synopsis of the plot and also indicates where the tracks from the CD appear in the film. Producer Didier C. Deutsch also writes a small essay on the creation of this CD release, giving notes on the elements and some specific tracks.

Amazon is offering this soundtrack at an excellent price, and I have to say, it's a bargain for a soundtrack of this caliber and sound quality. Any Garland fan or movie soundtrack fan should have this in their collection.

A Star Is Born Soundtrack Review.......2007-01-10

A really excellent soundtrack to go with an excellent movie. This is some of Judy Garland's best material in both music and acting. The power of her voice on "The Man That Got Away" is amazing. "Born In A Trunk", "It's A New World", "Someone At Last" and "Lose That Long Face" are other recommended tracks. This is a MUST HAVE for all you Judy Garland fans.

Judy at her peak!.......2006-05-30

Judy Garland's finest film work was "A Star Is Born." Because she and her husband, Sid Luft, were also the producers, it was the most intensely involving production she had ever undertaken. The laser focus of her brilliant talent was never before realized on film to this degree. Also, she had gained tremendous personal confidence due to the unprecedented audience response to the concerts she had done between her MGM films and ASIB. The love with which the live audience embraced her, brought new heights to her acting as well.
The production values of the film were top of the line and it shows on this fine CD. It's a chance to experience Judy's talent on a more intimate basis without the visuals.
A must-have for every serious Garland collector.

a "Star" shines like never before..........2005-04-27

This reissued remaster of A STAR IS BORN is a must-own for fans of the movie, and in particular those who were somewhat dissatified by the previous CD edition (CK 44389). That edition was great for offering us most of the main numbers in stereo/mono mix but was marred by poor analogue distortion and other remastering problems (though this was the best that could have been done at the time). This new edition (CK 65965) presents the entire score, including background and incidental sections as well as the cut material, in a sparkling new package.

The big bonus for getting this latest edition is for Garland's complete rendition of "The Trinidad Coconut Oil Shampoo Commercial" (without the dialogue of James Mason). This has been taken from a rare acetate master, so while the sound quality is not the best, having the number complete without interrupting dialogue is a more than ample compensation. You will notice too that "Lose That Long Face" has been newly mastered from a better stereo source (cutting out the thunder-crashes that were heard on the first CD master, and Garland's singing no longer has those violent analogue fluctuations during the introduction). "Gotta Have Me Go with You" is now presented without the screams and noises, in a new master from the mono soundtrack.

"When My Baby Walks Down the Street", a section cut from the "Born in a Trunk" sequence, has been added as a bonus track. This sparkling-new STAR IS BORN reissue is a great tribute to what is most definitely Judy Garland's greatest hour on film.

Musical perfection of the highest magnitude!!!.......2005-02-25

Was there ever a more perfect voice than the one possessed by Judy Garland? Powerful yet gentle. Dynamic yet restrained. Bone-chilling yet soothing. She had the pipes!

And her instrument was showcased at its best in the music from her triumphant "A Star is Born".

This expanded version is a bona-fide treasure with the highlight being Garland's earth-shattering "The Man That Got Away," presented with vocals and several instrumental versions. Along with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and "The Trolley Song", "The Man That Got Away" is an essential for Garland fans, as well as those that know a good song when they hear it.

The fifteen-minute medley that was featured in the film as the "introduction" of "Vicki" to the public is another outstanding track, featuring "Born in a Trunk", "Suwanee," and "My Melancholy Baby," all exquisitely performed by the legendary talent.

Clocking in at just under eighty minutes, the soundtrack to the classic film is, indeed, in a class by itself, and deserving of repeated listening, maintaining its "freshness" after more than five decades.

Average customer rating:

Robert King deserves to be famous in America, too
Bargain-priced first-class overview

Essential Handel

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000A7XJQA
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Customer Reviews:

Robert King deserves to be famous in America, too.......2006-07-23

Robert King and his King's Consort have made dozens of recordings, establishing themselves in London as a pre-eminent Baroque group. They benefit greatly from King's unflagging energy and musical insight. Twenty years ago you couldn't say that the period movement had attracted the best musicians and conductors. That situation has changed radically, and this sampler CD from King's complete recordings exhibits first-class playing throughout. Baroque singing is at a high level, too, but you couldn't say that his singers are of Met or Royal Opera House quality--even so, they are very good.

As an indicator of the strides that period performance has made, this is an eye-opening CD, but it's also engaging for the general listener, like me, who only dips into Handel's many, many operas and oratorios occasionally.

Bargain-priced first-class overview.......2006-05-01

This is a great CD for beginners, but also for those who already have a few Handel CDs. So often samplers have all the favourites which you already have on other CDs. But this set has a few well-known tracks, such as Zadok the Priest, See the Conqu'ring Hero Comes and La Rejouissance from The Fireworks, but mostly wonderful music, superbly played which is not extremely well known.

Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Going for Baroque

The King's Consort Baroque Collection

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000002ZDW
Release Date: 1997-09-09

Tracks:

Dixit Dominus
Welcome As The Dawn Of Day
Harlequinade & Aeolus
Who Is Like Unto Thee, O Lord?
Musette
Gloria in excelsis Deo
Esurientes implevit
To God Who Made The Radiant Sun
Hear My Prayer, O Lord
Andante From Trio Sonata In D Minor
Oh! Fair Cedaria
In Jehovah's Awful Sight
In furore iustissimae irae
Alla Hornpipe
Be Welcome Then, Great Sir
Country Dances I And II
Erbarme dich
Overture To The Summer's Absence Unconcerned
La Rejouissance
Salvator noster
Dona nobis pacem

Customer Reviews:

Going for Baroque.......2003-01-09

Here lies master collection from ten years and fifty discs of examples from baroque era performed by choirs, soloists and instrumentalists.

Conducted by energetic Robert King and his King's Consort, this is just superb!

Tracks:

Ivanhoe: Act One, First Scene: The Hall Of Rotherwood - Introduction; Each Day This Realm Of England Faints
Ivanhoe: Act One, First Scene: The Hall Of Rotherwood - Good Thane, Most Noble Thane
Ivanhoe: Act One, First Scene: The Hall Of Rotherwood - I See But One Thing Wanting To Our Fare
Ivanhoe: Act One, First Scene: The Hall Of Rotherwood - Drink, Drink Ye All... Then Fill The Cup, Fill High
Ivanhoe: Act One, First Scene: The Hall Of Rotherwood - The Palmer! The Holy Palmer!
Ivanhoe: Act One, Second Scene: An Ante-Chamber In Rotherwood - O Moon, Art Thou Clad
Ivanhoe: Act One, Second Scene: An Ante-Chamber In Rotherwood - Good Palmer, Thou Dids't Speak Of One
Ivanhoe: Act One, Second Scene: An Ante-Chamber In Rotherwood - Like Mountain Lark
Ivanhoe: Act One, Third Scene: The Lists At Ashby-de-la-Zouch - Will There Be No More Fighting?
Ivanhoe: Act One, Third Scene: The Lists At Ashby-de-la-Zouch - Plantagenesta!
Ivanhoe: Act One, Third Scene: The Lists At Ashby-de-la-Zouch - Isaac, My Jew, My Purse Of Gold
Ivanhoe: Act One, Third Scene: The Lists At Ashby-de-la-Zouch - What Means His Motto?

Tracks:

Ivanhoe: Act Two, First Scene: Friar Tuck's Hut At Copmanhurst - Strange Lodging This For England's King
Ivanhoe: Act Two, First Scene: Friar Tuck's Hut At Copmanhurst - There Is A Custom...I Ask Not Wealth
Ivanhoe: Act Two, First Scene: Friar Tuck's Hut At Copmanhurst - Not Bad, Say I...The Wind Blows Cold ('Ho, Jolly Jenkin!')
Ivanhoe: Act Two, First Scene: Friar Tuck's Hut At Copmanhurst - And Now For Combat!
Ivanhoe: Act Two, Second Scene: Castle Torquilstone - Will Not Our Captor Dare To Show His Face?
Ivanhoe: Act Two, Second Scene: Castle Torquilstone - Welcome, Sir Templar!...Woo Thou Thy Snowflake
Ivanhoe: Act Two, Third Scene: A Turret Chamber In Torquilstone - Whet The Keen Axes
Ivanhoe: Act Two, Third Scene: A Turret Chamber In Torquilstone - O Awful Depth...Lord Of Our Chosen Race
Ivanhoe: Act Two, Third Scene: A Turret Chamber In Torquilstone - Take Thou These Jewels
Ivanhoe: Act Two, Third Scene: A Turret Chamber In Torquilstone - What Sound Is That?

Tracks:

Ivanhoe: Act Three, First Scene: Room In Torquilstone; Assault; Burning Of The Castle - Happy With Winged Feet
Ivanhoe: Act Three, First Scene: Room In Torquilstone; Assault; Burning Of The Castle - Tend Thou The Knight Thou Lovest
Ivanhoe: Act Three, First Scene: Room In Torquilstone; Assault; Burning Of The Castle - How Cans't Thou Know?
Ivanhoe: Act Three, Second Scene: The Forest - Light Foot Upon The Dancing Green
Ivanhoe: Act Three, Second Scene: The Forest - Look, Where Thy Moody Father Walks Apart...Forgive Thy Son
Ivanhoe: Act Three, Second Scene: The Forest - How Oft Beneath The Far-Off Syrian Skies
Ivanhoe: Act Three, Third Scene: The Preceptory Of The Templars, Templestowe - Fremuere Principles
Ivanhoe: Act Three, Third Scene: The Preceptory Of The Templars, Templestowe - Thou Jewish Girl, Who Art Condemned
Ivanhoe: Act Three, Third Scene: The Preceptory Of The Templars, Templestowe - A Champion! A Champion!
Ivanhoe: Act Three, Third Scene: The Preceptory Of The Templars, Templestowe - Dead! He Is Dead!
Ivanhoe: Act Three, Third Scene: The Preceptory Of The Templars, Templestowe - See Where The Banner Of England

Customer Reviews:

Wonderfully fine performance.......2004-10-10

This is one opera I have been searching for for a very long time. I read about it in a book about Sullivan. Of course, when they wrote of the opera, they showed the scene, in drawing, where Rebecca informs Ivanhoe of the battle with the Black Knight. The drawing (based on the actual performance when it premiered) grabbed my attention completely. I just wondered what this composer could do with real opera (I loved his operettas completely, and they showed quite often Sullivan was quite capable of deep emotional pathose, even if in the end he was spoofing it more than reflecting it).

Well, all the years of searching and waiting to know were not a waste. Firstly, I have never been able to locate a score of this work (as I have done with many ancient operas or forgotten ones), so I was just as in the dark as anyone else as to what to expect. I was incredibly surprised, not to mention, thrilled with the results. No, Sullivan is no Wagner, nor is he even Verdi, but he is wonderfully beautiful in his own right. Why this work has not entered into the opera houses, I have no clue, excepting maybe because it is English opera, which never does well. Speaking of "ENGLISH OPERA", here we have a recording where for the most part we CAN understand the words (a thing I never seem to find in professional recordings of English opera, or American opera; they may as well sing in gibberish, for that is exactly what it sounds like -- perhaps the composers have no clue what works in their own language?). The performers, as we know, are not professionals, but rather semi-professionals. There are some uneven performances, and sometimes the characters are not quite as developed as one would like, there are even times the orchestra sounds like it lost the beat (but this is EXTREMELY RARE), the sound quality of the recording is OK, but nothing stellar, however, it is not bad either. Yet, in spite of these drawbacks, we CAN and DO understand the words, and for once a rather strange sounding English libretto sounds natural and unforced with stupid poetry that really leaves you laughing. These wonderfully dedicated performers, no matter their individual difficulties, give us a wonderfully vivid performance where we can finally understand the opera (like all our Italian friends do when Italian opera is sung for them). That was such a treat for me, to finally actually understand the words of opera sung in my own language.

What makes this opera such a thrill, at least for me, is the natural fall of the words and the music, especially in the recitatives. Unlike most English opera where the musical line sounds completely foreign to the natural lilt of the words, Sullivan has an uncanny way of writing lines, melodies, and recitatives that flow naturally from the language itself. That was a really exciting experience to endure. For once, I didn't wish that someone would teach the composers to listen to the flow of English to gain an insight into melody. Maybe it was all those operettas that he wrote prior to this "serios opera" that taught him what he knew, or maybe, he just had a good ear for his own language and enough sense to know that trying to graft Italian or German musical idioms onto things just wasn't the correct choice.

Is it a great work? Well, no, it will never get into the record books as a perfect opera, nor will it shove Mozart or Wagner off the stage, but it is really quite good just the same. Even with all the flaws this recording has, I am so glad it is out there so I could at last hear what music fleshed out that old drawing I saw in a book all those years ago. Though Sullivan's music is not anywhere near as dramatic as one may imagine it should be, it fits well with the scene and the over all concept of the work.

I really recommend this recording, for it, at least for now, is the only one we have (and if they make a professional one, I really hope they screen the singers well, no big names if they can't sing English so we can understand it; Sullivan, as with Wagner, you MUST understand the words or the meaning is completely lost). The entire recording is really quite enjoyable, and it doesn't disappoint.

Not ideal, but all there is.......2000-08-05

If you are interested in Arthur Sullivan's Music without Gilbert, this is one of the works you should have in your collection. Unfortunately the quality of the performance is inconsistent. The orchestra is at times good, at others sloppy. The soloists are also of varying quality. This is, after all, a recording by a semi-professional group. That said, if you are willing to accept the flaws, this is currently the only version on disc. Perhaps someday the BBC will record a version, as they did with Sullivan's "Rose of Persia". In the current recording, the most pleasing selections are: The Act 3 Scene 2 ensemble "Look where thy moody father walks apart", Friar Tuck's rollicking "Ho, Jolly Jenkin", The Templar's passionate scene "Woo thou thy snowflake", and Rebecca's evocative aria "Lord of our chosen race". Not all it could be, but it's all we've got.

Average customer rating:

Decline Of The West
Holy Sons
Manufacturer: Awful_Bliss
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000NI12EC

Product Description

Holy Sons: Decline Of The West! 2005 Independent Release! TRACKS: 1. Gnostic Device; 2. The Feral Kid; 3. Saccharine Trust; 4. Slave Morality; 5. Bleakest Picture; 6. Nothing Left; 7. More Noise Pollution; 8. Satanic Androids; 9. Level Anything; 10. Kindred Spirit; 11. Evil Falls; & 12. Things You Do While Waiting For the Apocalypse.

Average customer rating:

'S Awful Nice/'S Continental
Ray Conniff
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Classic | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Pop | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000024YT5
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Tracks:

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Lullaby of Birdland
June in January
I Cover the Waterfront
Very Thought of You
It Had to Be You
Paradise
April in Paris - Ray Conniff, Ray Conniff & His Orchestra,
That Old Feeling
Say It Isn't So
All the Things You Are
Lovely to Look At
Continental
Whiffenpoof Song
Beyond the Sea (La Mer)
Glow Worm
Poor People of Paris
Strange Music
Tico-Tico
White Cliffs of Dover
African Safari
Morgen (One More Sunrise)
Lisbon Antigua
Green Eyes

Average customer rating:

Another Excellent Release from Cathal Coughlan!
Give this man a budget
Brilliant solo CD from one of Irelands greatest singers

The Sky's Awful Blue

Manufacturer: Stop, Pop, and Roll
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Black River Falls
Viva Dead Ponies
Lost in the Former West

ASIN: B00008CM64
Release Date: 2003-01-24

Tracks:

And Springtime Followed Summer
Denial of the Right to Dream
Three Rusty Reivers
Goodbye Sadness
Toxic Mother
The Last of Eternity
You Turned Me
Amused As Hell
Pawnshop Riches
White's Academy
A Drunken Hangman
Now Westlin Winds
Amused As Hell (video)

Album Description

Cathal Coughlan, as in his early-1990's outfit Fatima Mansions (and before that in Microdisney), remains a master of wordplay and a confirmed cynic destined to reveal society's ills.

This time around, on his third solo album, the Irishman has matched his words and remarkable voice with a sparse treatment of strummed guitars and brushed drums. The mood is often eerie, but plain and effective.

On The Sky's Awful Blue, the songs' styles vary from the sprightly boneyard travelogue "Denial Of The Right To Dream" to the 80's anti-nostalgia of "Goodbye Sadness" (which shifts uneasily between the atmosphere at a scrapyard concert and the feverish cocaine visions of a wayward TV personality, all set to a wistful jazz waltz). The camp drama of "You Turned Me," with a lone clarinet highlighting a lush orchestration, begs to be set to film. Especially with the lyric, "You turned me/So it's the Nobel Prize for you/Now you're looking so stately, pious yet shapely/Parading down the avenue." But then again, with lyrics that vivid, film would almost be redundant. In the grim denouement of "A Drunken Hangman" a failed executor of the State's judicial will glimpses a salvation which will never be his, years after true reform has ceased to be a realistic possibility for him. Simple piano and strings give way to dissonant guitars as the lyrics underpin the hangman's grim situation, "My clients did not know me long, in wooden rooms stood trembling/The final one I barely touched, for I was barely standing/And in the boarding houses since/I toast my age with lemonade/Recent memories are few/There's just a single fragment of one day." This tragic irony makes for one of the album's most haunting songs.

Customer Reviews:

Another Excellent Release from Cathal Coughlan!.......2003-10-23

I've been following Mr. Coughlan's career ever since the Fatima Mansion's release of Viva Dead Ponies, which I consider one of the best recordings of the nineties, with it's ranging styles from sad to angry to humorous etc. What strikes me more astutely than his vocal style and sound, are the lyrics he writes (check out track #8 Amused as Hell, a very cynical view on consumer culture). I don't think any other performer captures the current world we're living in better than Coughlan. These songs reveal some of the uglier side of living in the modern world. Musically, this is bit of a departure from his previouse work, but if you've heard his previous releases (Grand Necropolitan & Black River Falls), you can see how his musical style has evolved to a more sparse sound. Whether this is due to budgets or personal choices, I'm unsure. Most songs seem to be skeletal acousitic guitar/vocal tracks layered with various stringed intrustments, electronic sounds and background vocals. There's a certain aloofness to it, but you're also drawn in emotionally to many of the sad tales told in a narrative style. Take a listen to the samples and check out his Web site www.cathalcouglin.com, which includes his first solo release Grand Necropolitan downloadable for free! I think after listening to that, if you're so inclined, you will want to check out (and hopefully buy) this most current release. This guy needs to be better known! Keep putting out the great records Cathal! Viva dead ponies!

Give this man a budget.......2003-05-16

Not as strong as his previous "Black River Falls", which was Coughlan's strongest work since 1985's "The Clock Comes Down the Stairs" with Microdisney, nevertheless this is a fine record, with Coughlan's voice sounding better than ever (if that were possible). The arrangements leave a little to be desired for me. I just wish that someone would have the decency to give this man a budget to record with, as he is certainly one of the most interesting artists at work today.

Brilliant solo CD from one of Irelands greatest singers.......2003-02-13

Where to begin. First off, Cathal Coughlan is a genius, dating all the way back to his work with Microdisney, then with the Fatima Mansions ('Blues for Ceaucescu' was one of the finest singles of the 90s), and now finally his solo 'career' (unfortunately I must use that term loosely).

Secondly thanks to Aaron Tap for finally getting this CD a US release. Hopefully if enough of you buy the CD we might get a small US tour.

Onto the album. Well, its a brilliant piece of work and was right up there with my favorite albums of 2002. It practically oozes world weariness and cynicism, while managing to avoid sounding defeatist.

While every song on the album is quality, highlights for me are 'You Turned Me'with the great chorus "You turned me/So it's the Nobel Prize for you/Now you're looking so stately, pious yet shapely/Parading down the avenue." Amused as Hell is also brilliant, possibly one of his more vitriolic songs in a number of years. Denial of the Right to Dream, The Drunken Hangman - they're all good.