Thirty Three [EP] [Import] [CD-single]

Editorial Reviews
Album Details
Tracks Include: Title Track, Last Song, the Aeroplane Flies High and Transformer.

Tracks:

Woman Don't You Cry For Me
Dear One
Beautiful Girl
This Song
See Yourself
It's What You Value
True Love
Pure Smokey
Crackerbox Palace
Learning How To Love You
Tears Of The World (Bonus track)

Customer Reviews:

I am not surprised.......2007-02-15

I am not surprised regards to his magical work of art and music. This album was......SIMPLY MAGICAL. I NEVER get sick of it listening over and over and over everyday, I am getting healthier calmer and happier daily. Thank you George, and his magic continue on.........

The George We Love.......2006-08-04

Thirty Three and 1/3 is George Harrison's first LP on his own Dark Horse label. It comes after a good many months of personal ordeal. Harrison made a concert tour with a show that mirrored The Concert for Bangladesh. East-West music. All the top Indian musicians opened the show, and then George and his band took over after the intermission. A bright highlight of the tour was a visit to the White House, as the guest of Jack Ford, son of Gerald Ford, President. This was perhaps the first visit to the White House by a Beatle.
About half way though the tour his voice was thrashed. He became sick with jaundice. To fulfill his EMI contract, he recorded Extra Texture (Read All ABout It), where he even made a joke at his own expense (Ohnothimagain, Oh, not him again). His wife left him for Eric Clapton. Drank a good amount of brandy. However his association with A & M Records(which was the parent company of Dark Horse Records BEFORE Warner Brothers Records took it under its wing), brought about his meeting Olivia Trinidad Arias, whom he married and had a son, Dhani.
So, this album represents a George whose life had just gone from the lower depths, to heaven, in just a matter of months. Other reviews have already given a good detailed description of the tracks on this album, so I won't try to duplicate those efforts here.
One of the photos that accompanied the original album art was one of Harold Harrison Sr., George's father, with George, posing outside Friar Park. George had his father, as well as his brother Pete, residing with him on his estate in Henley on Thames, just outside London. Pete stills resides there to this day. (12/06)

Correction -- for the editor.......2005-08-08

Hi there: Stupidly wrote in my review that Gary Wright was from Procol Harum -- duhhh, he was from "Spooky Tooth". Please correct. Thanks.

Classic Harrison Stays With You.......2005-08-08

I've just recently come back to this album on CD after *many* years. After 33 1/3 was released on vinyl in 1976 (the title's now a bit silly), I virtually played the grooves off it, finding that tunes like "It's What You Value", "Crackerbox Palace", "This Song", and even the meditational "Dear One" had smart hooks that stuck in my head like crazy. I was then -- and am now -- convinced that this album is a really fine example of Harrison's tunesmithing and production sense. As a working musician, coming back now brings new value. The players here are 1st rank: friends Gary Wright (Procol Harum) and Billy Preston on keyboards along with the late lamented Richard Tee on piano and even the now-legendary David Foster. Willie Weeks lays down great, funk-inspired bass lines (see "Woman Don't You Cry For Me", and Alvin Taylor (Eric Burdon, Frank Zappa, Elton John, etc.) has great rock sense. There are times when the Tom Scott (sax)/Richard Tee duo sound recalls the Saturday Night band sound or Paul Simon's "One Trick Pony" days. This is strong material, beautifully produced, and expertly played. There's also some very interesting Harrison guitar work (e.g. the solo in "Pure Smokey"), as every understated and tasty. Beyond "All Things Must Pass" this is my favourite George Harrison album. Well worth looking at.

After two speed bumps, George gets back on smoother ground.......2005-06-28

While I have not heard much from 1974's DARK HORSE & 1975's EXTRA TEXTURE, the fact most fans do not hold these albums in very high esteem has already convinced me to hold off purchasing them until further notice. Taking that into consideration, George Harrison probably considered his next album to be a bit of a rebirth, what with a new distribution deal for his Dark Horse label & the voice problems that had marred DARK HORSE the album long gone. Of course, the album was to have been released on his 33 & 1/3rd birthday (in June of 1976), but was delayed until near the end of the year. When it did arrive however, it was clear THIRTY THREE & 1/3 was some of George's strongest work (solo or with the Beatles) in some time.

As some reviewers have rightfully claimed, George did not seem to care very much for chart success, unlike Sir Paul McCartney who owes his status as one of the richest entertainers in the world to constantly shooting for the top of the charts. So while his singles after 1973's #1 "Give Me Love [Give Me Peace On Earth]" only fared modestly well (he would not see the top 10 again for 8 years), we could be sure George was not losing any sleep over it. As long as he made music that reflected his inner being & beliefs, the commercial success was just gravy. That being said, THIRTY THREE & 1/3 just happens to be a personal effort with enough universality to win over the marketplace (evidenced by 2 top 40 hits).

Thanks to the highly insightful liner notes (from George's autobiography I ME MINE, which I must get someday), the songs on THIRTY THREE & 1/3 show just how his ideas for material can come from almost anywhere. The funk-blues of "Woman Don't You Cry For Me" opens things up, and its prominent clavinet would have certainly made it a candidate for Stevie Wonder's 1970s albums. A slight difference in his normal guitar-playing style brought about this song, and the fact it was written & played on a bottleneck slide is more than prophetic. George's 1980s music would feature a heavy amount of slide in his playing to the point where it became a late-period trademark. This song was the prototype.

George the spiritualist gets its obligatory workout on THIRTY THREE & 1/3 with "Dear One". Naturally, George's inspiration in Indian religion is often the make-it-or-break-it part of a fan's admiration of George's music. He can come close to proselytizing in a way that runs directly counter to a listener's more traditional beliefs, and that is often too much for them to bear. However, when you strip away the unconventional religiousness aside, "Dear One" works almost on its engaging instrumentation alone. Gary Wright's keyboards definitely make this song (especially the churchy organ), along with George's not-too-shabby dabbling in synthesizers.

George even began to dig back into his catalog for some unfinished gems to finally polish off. "Beautiful Girl" had originally been written by George for a Doris Troy album, but could not find a way to finish it at the time. Eventually, the tune came back to him, and made it to order on THIRTY THREE & 1/3. The song proves that even George can turn out a devotional love song like Paul, but with not nearly as much sentimentality as him. Even at its most celebratory, it is far from gushing.

1976 was also the year that George finally lost his battles with the publishers of "He's So Fine" with a judge claiming he had "unknowingly" plagiarized the tune for his own "My Sweet Lord". Royalties from "My Sweet Lord" would then be awarded to the publishers and the estate of the songwriter of "He's So Fine" (although I believe some years later, George would eventually win his own song back). With not much left to do but laugh at his troubles, George created the funny-as-hell "This Song", certainly one of the cleverest tunes he (or anyone else) has ever written. Daring to lift obvious melodies from The Four Tops & T. Rex (can you guess which?), it is clear George & crew were having a ball recording this one. Those who owned those songs probably were too busy smiling at the mood of "This Song" to ever think about calling their lawyers. But perhaps it was too clever for the general public, hence its topping out at #25. Surely, it deserved to go higher!

Another lost song rescued from the scrap heap was "See Yourself", George's commentary on the press brouhaha surrounding Paul's admission back in 1967 that he had taken LSD. George had started it at the time, but then forgot about until a decade later when he needed a tune for this album. Pretty sage advice from George saying "It's easier to tell a lie/than it is to tell the truth", showing that sometimes the truth does not necessarily set a person free.

A quarter century before saluting the American Songbook became a standard practice & career-reviver (are you listening, Rod Stewart?), George was doing it occasionally & with a surprising twist often enough. Cole Porter's "True Love" is given a vast rethinking with more syncopation & backbeat than Cole may have originally envisioned, but it actually works fantastically. George obviously knew when to be reverent towards the original article, but not be afraid to bend the rules just a tad.

The gently-bluesy and bouncy (thanks to Tom Scott's horn arrangement) "It's What You Value" is an interesting version of George's long-standing fascination with the materialism of humanity. He wrote it about his friend drummer Jim Keltner, who was asked to fill in during the 1974 Dark Horse tour on the condition that he received no payment for his services. George instead paid Jim by buying him a car, which ticked off the rest of his bandmates who merely got cash. The song seems to have George observing that there are people who value the green stuff, and others who are more practical and would rather have something tangible they can use. Even this early, George's fascination with automobiles was more than evident.

Being the humble guy he always was, George admits that he has been inspired by fellow greats himself. "Pure Smokey" was his tip of the hat to Smokey Robinson, who was certainly more than deserving of a tribute from somebody. Anyone who thinks this was a tribute to smoking drugs have definitely missed the point by a couple miles. As he himself claimed, George was right in saluting Smokey while he was still alive rather than waiting until he passed away, which is the only way to do a tribute song.

The second top 40 hit after "This Song" came with "Crackerbox Palace" (#19), and proves that even George can be a master pop craftsman when he wants to. It practically defines the term "catchy", much in the same way he would prove with "Blow Away" on this album's follow-up. Partly inspired by legendary British comedian Lord Buckley, like "Dear One", its esoteric lyricism is made palatable by a melody that is literally inescapable. The term "Beatlesque" is often bandied about like mad, but "Crackerbox Palace" is one song that is deserving of it through & through.

THIRTY THREE & 1/3 closes out with the steady slow-dance of "Learning How To Love You", that George initially had written for Herb Alpert. Herb had shown with "This Guy's In Love With You" that he can indeed sing well, and George had hoped to create his own Herb vocal classic. Apparently, he liked it so much he kept the song for himself. George had divorced his first wife Patti by this time, so I wonder if he had discovered his new love for Olivia already, for this could definitely have been written for her.

Once again, the bonus tracks on the remasters of George's Dark Horse albums leave a lot to be desired, with the one on THIRTY THREE & 1/3 the most baffling of all. "Tears Of The World" is a fine, thought-provoking tune reflecting George's always-acute sense of world affairs, and was one of the infamous 4 songs that record-company politics forced off of 1981's SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND. The fact that it is being made available at all for the first time anywhere is commendable, but including it on an album made 5 years before makes hardly any sense. However, it is a song that would certainly feel right at home on SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND's bouncy, easily-digestible brand of topical pop.

Putting a highly-publicized court battle behind him, George Harrison was clearly ready to move on & get back to the music. THIRTY THREE & 1/3 is an album that certainly does not feature that fraction of top-notch material within. After apparently allowing middle- to bottom-drawer songs make up his previous two albums, George at last appeared to be returning to the peak of his powers.

Average customer rating:

uh, f*ck you guys, I'm going home!
Awesome CD
Something's coming
demons, shadow creatures and doppelgangers
Maybe not for everyone, right away....

Catch Thirty-Three
Meshuggah
Manufacturer: Nuclear Blast Americ
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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I
Destroy Erase Improve
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ASIN: B0008GGOBA
Release Date: 2005-05-30

Tracks:

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Shed
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Amazon.com

On their thirteenth release, Meshuggah got a little experimental. Not that the band hasn't always pushed the boundaries of their metal (likely one of the reasons they were picked to open for Tool on tour), but this album is more than the usual departure. For this, they have come up with an extremely rewarding album. Unlike like the full-throttle assault of Lamb of God and Shadows Fall, and more in line with bands such as Isis and Mastodon, Catch Thirty-Three contains fewer rapid-fire time changes and lets tone take over. It is an experiment in sustained riffs, rhythms, and progressions, making the hypnotic feel come across as conceptual. Some tracks are crafted to blend seamlessly with one another and others are nothing more than a simple, repetitive chords. Make no mistake; this is still one of the more brutal albums you will hear all year--the vocals are death-defying and the onslaught is pummeling. Just that this album uses repetition and silence in a way previous albums haven't. This is extreme trance music and likely one of the best metal albums of 2005. --Robert Arambel

Album Description

Sweden's metal mathematicians return with their highly anticipated new studio effort. The band refuses to rest on their laurels and pushes the boundaries of any and all genres they've been cast in. Packaged with a specially embossed O-card with foil.

Customer Reviews:

uh, f*ck you guys, I'm going home!.......2007-06-22

To bad there is no 'zero stars' option...
Meshuggah is not "crazy" . Would some one please tell me how to say mundane, lightweights in Yiddish. First of all that singer/screamer needs a good firing; then maybe I can hear the half-*ss music a little better.
It's all been done before. Your waters are stagnant and filthy... and your ability to truly agitate is nul and void.
The off beat,polyrythimc or whatever musical-scientific-technical term you want to use is a sorry excuse for sucks.
Other than that, if this is what Meshuggah was TRYING to accomplish... then awesome, They ROCK!
And to all you Meshuggah fans out there: Please EVOLVE already!

Awesome CD.......2007-06-22

original technical brutal noise
this cd just plain rocks
buy it right now

Something's coming.......2007-04-12

Meshuggah produces a scarily confident wall of sound. Never have I experienced such heavy music that at once possesses such meditative qualities. And Meshuggah has a thesis statement; they tell an unsettling and compulsive story. Aesthetically they are a perfect unit of dissonance, a harmonic institution of violent carnality, a hyperballad planet swirling cunningly around stray meteors; a militant family, self-assured. Catch 33 is a gruesome and determined hymn about the end of a dream of a world. The music persists as if it has absorbed a great fate and has been sent back as messenger. Catch 33 is a giant black train that lays its own track, coarsing through the cardboard metropolis of man's vanity and confidence. The percussion fits under the body like an extraterrestrially-fitted generator; the bass sustains the machine like a grinding steel fortress of diabolic devotion; one guitar is an enduring coal furnace while the other either a vibrating platform of atoms or a wily, snaking banner of sick electrical motivation; the suffering, wailing voice slams the message into the lower atmosphere like a warning thunder-horn rattling a frantic countryside. As the message evolves, the rhythm delicately bends back and forth like a peanutbutter&jelly sandwich--it is God's hand, or something, folding the planes of existence. This band has been programmed with flawless data that can only be figuratively decoded with multiple listens.

It's also great to treadmill to.

demons, shadow creatures and doppelgangers.......2007-03-29

I honestly cannot detract from this record at all.

This album is freaking awesome; and after repeated listens it remains freaking awesome; and after listening to it way to much it becomes even more freakishly astounding, and beyond that once you've listened to it so much you should be hating it, then you might begin to connect some of the Meshugga dots, and I swear upon my mother that when you do connect the dots your mind will open up and your soul will discover some deep rooted philosophical concept buried under a morass of your sick, perverted, insane, infinitely looped, mental circuts.

For me 33 was a voyage in deep, fresh, wrenching, intricate, mathematical but somehow smooth and absolutely un-corny metal, with an underlying twisted philosophical path paved with FREAKING AWESOME lyrics.

There you have it.

Maybe not for everyone, right away...........2007-03-19

I have been into Meshuggah for quite awhile, there have been people before me. I was brought in with Destroy.Erase.Improve. by a friend who played in a hardcore band with me. At first I thought these guys were Sweden's answer to Fear Factory. But after future releases, that was slowly pushed down. We decided after Nothing that Meshuggah stays about 10 years ahead of what they would be doing if they a normal band. Thankfully, they do what they do, and write the way the write.

I bought Catch 33 the day it came to shelves and as soon as I was in my car I had it in the CD player and was ready to be blown away once again. After listening to a song that seemed to be 12 or 15 minutes long I looked to see that it was actually not on track 1 anymore. I skipped around and it seemed like my CD was improperly copied to disc. As strange as the new CD seemed to me, my Meshuggah buzz hadn't been killed so I just went back to listening to Chaosphere and I.

5 months later the opening riff on the Catch 33 disc was always on my mind while at work. So I just grabbed the CD and decided to listen on my way to work. Work is 40 minutes away, so there wasn't time for the whole album. But after that one day, the cd stayed in that player for 3 months. I was drawn into each piece. Instead of paying attention to track number, I listened to each part until it reached it's breakdown or pattern shift.

To me "Mind's Mirrors" is a standout part. I always came to a certain point in my trip to work when this is playing(and I work at 2am so it's a night drive, and i'm the only car on a 30 miles stretch of highway most of the time). And the "In Death is Death" is the best in my opinion. The longest track containing the most interesting parts. A very brutal and well timed start, followed by a strange jazz sounding breakdown, back to a heavy section of music and then crashes and winds down into one of the most haunting sounding pieces of music I have ever heard.

So the album makes these sweeps from Brutal, to strange, back to brutal, haunting, epic, brutal and then BIG epic, and closes with a calm quiet reprise of a guitar version of the vocals part in Mind's Mirrors. When you stand back and look at all of that, it's really amazing how the album all comes together, Aside from being an epic in itself. Just because it's musically and technically a masterpiece, doesn't mean YOU will like it. People are different. It took some time for me to get into this one, and I am a Meshuggah fan. I didn't have to learn to like them, it just happened like that. Some people probably heard this CD and loved it right outta the plastic. Some people probably gave the CD away to a homeless person to burn and keep warm(Shudder at the thought). So if you are reading reviews to decide if you want to buy it or not, people can't tell you that you'll love or hate it based on any one thing. So it's better to have a description that's honest and comparitive to help out.

The sound is closer to "Nothing" as is the tempo. But the structure is closer to "I". There are some parts that sound like they belong in "D.E.I." But like most (paid)critics say about it sounding like a continuation of "Nothing", that's not very true at all. This album goes places "Nothing" did not, and leaves all the solos hanging in the closet for the most part. This time around they are attacking with a different technical strategy, using a few parts from thier other creations. Like most fans have been saying, it is one that you should listen to start to finish uninterrupted. The fans seem to know more than critics, so why are they paid? And why is thier opinion sought after? Listen to the fans, but decide for yourself.

Average customer rating:

happiness takes place in small piano tunes
Cacaphonic Harmonious

Gurdjieff's Music for the Movements

Manufacturer: Channel Crossings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Customer Reviews:

happiness takes place in small piano tunes.......2001-07-24

these short piano pieces are simple, but absolutely not boring. gurdjieff and de hartmann wrote some of the most thoughtful and sincere music you'll ever hear. I found this CD over a year ago and it's one I return to over and over again.

Cacaphonic Harmonious.......2001-07-15

Truly an exposition of beautiful "objective" listening. This music will not put you to sleep. Transitions are abrupt and engaging throughout the score's entirity. I play the music whenever I find myself searching for something to do or am bored. This music will consume all negativity and poke the listner to begin a stirring sensation in their own mentation. The music is not sophisticated or eligant by no means, but has a way about it which will intrige one to listen again and again.

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Thirty Three
Smashing Pumpkins
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Binding: Audio CD

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Thirty Three
1979
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Thirty Three [Box Set Version]

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Port Author's Native Son
Rep Yo Clik

Thirty-Three: Live from Hiroshima
DJ DMD
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That Dough
Grindin'
Talk With Ashley - DJ DMD,
Mr. 25/8
Ain't No Trippin
Hard in Tha Paint
Let a Playa Come Thru [So Real 2000]
Keep the Real Ones by Your Side
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Snitch Snatchaz
Trill Connection II [Breakin Ni**az Off]
4 in the Morning (Skit)
Bang, Ball, Sawng, Crawl
I'm a Pimp
Q to Tha B (A Lyrical Desperado)
Hard in Tha Paint [the Trunk Banger's Remix]
Suga B and QB

Customer Reviews:

Port Author's Native Son.......2003-09-30

Port Arthur's native daughter, Janis Joplin, would be dancing in her grave if she realized how far the urban music market has grown on the third coast of Texas. With Joplin's death in 1970, it was safe to assume that the music of this small petroleum industry town had been buried along with her. That was until the Underground Kingz (known to the masses as UGK) began to make some noise and position Port Arthur as a forced to be reckoned with. Though Joplin specialized in emotion filled, heart stomping singing ---- UGK and other P.A. residents such as DJ DMD cater to the head-bobbing generation and their hustlin' ways.

Thirty-Three: Live from Hiroshima opens with "P.A.T." (Port Arthur, Texas), a futuristic beat skipping ode to DMD's hometown. This cut gives a peep into "the land of the trill", further explaining a lifestyle of wood grain steering wheels, candy paint and "Styrofoam cups/Sippin' codeine/ 9mm fully loaded magazine" so as not to get it confused with any other Southern municipality.

"Grindin", though not the Neptunes produced hit by The Clipse, is a gem in it's own right. Both singles speak of "putting in work" but DMD elaborates that he's "Been grindin'/Tryna have the finer thangs/ A mansion and a hand full of diamond rings/ A silver Navigator on some shiny thangs" over an infectious loop fit only for those who own a pinky ring. While The Clipse give props to playground icon Pee Wee Kirkland, DMD eclipses that with the greatest tribute to Houston's underground musical phenomenon, the late DJ Screw. Although Screw has been gone almost two years, his legacy still lives in the "chopped and screwed" style of music he has made legendary (think the end of Outkast's "Stanklove"). Halfway through Grindin", it shifts from an uptempo club banger to a sluggish hypnotic trance that forces you to envision yourself smoking and choking in a Chevy sitting on deuce deuces. On "Let a Playa Come Thru (So Real 2000)", DJ Screw and Mike D of the Screwed Up Click join DMD at the Hiroshima Studios to lay down a few simple rhymes over an old school beat your parents will swear they've heard before.

Aliases are a must in this industry and DMD (the DJ and MC) gives one that suggests he stays on the grind like know other. "Mr. 25/8" celebrates the hard working individual who puts in overtime beyond the maximum 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Using an interpolation of Keith Sweat's "Make it Last Forever" makes it destined to get major airplay with the emergence of sample-happy Murder, Inc. on playlists nationwide. President Bush and his cohorts should take a listen and finally come to the conclusion that it's not impossible to raise a respectable black man in the state where he formerly served as overseer. DMD's mom is the shining star on this cut as he praises her valuable life lessons: "Now my mama told me to hustle and never give up/Work hard and have faith/And you'll be livin it up/Count your blessings/Remember who you love in life/Keep it real with yourself/Try hard to do right". It's been said that you can't please everybody but DMD comes correct with a "screwed" version of this song at the end of the CD that will undeniably have you moving in slow motion.

Every NBA team has their franchise player and so does Inner Soul Records: Ricky Diamondz. This point guard is posting up all opponents and driving down the lane on "Hard in tha Paint" when he spits "Baby this Ricky D/Keepin it all real/ Pullin up on your corner/ Ridin on three wheels/Visualize the skills/Visualize the aim/Visualize the pimpin/What you think it's a game?" Coming like that is like Allen Iverson skipping practice and showing up for the game cuz he know he got game! Ricky is not alone in this talent heavy line-up. DJ DMD is "penetrating the lane" while rookie point guard QB (with additional verses on "Q to tha B") reiterates the time old saying that "We got dem big body cars/Big body broads/Everything in Texas is large." Somebody call Rudy Tomjanovich!

Just when you thought Ricky Diamondz would be injured and side lined after an MVP-like performance on "Snitch Snatchaz"; he makes the playoffs and is fully rehabilitated with "Bang, Ball, Swang, Crawl." A sure trunk thumper like this will test the maximum limit of your speakers and assess the quality of your amp as the bass maintains a harder edge than the other tracks. Hearing him rip lyrics is like reptiles feasting on the crocodile hunter Steve Irwin's butt: if you get to close, he will get in your ish! Enough said.

The proverbial playa braggadocio anthem "I'm a Pimp" still talks about the usual I-don't- love-`em and you-don't-run-nothin'-but-yo-mouth theme but with one distinctive characteristic: the lyrics are arranged over Beethoven's "5th Symphony"!! With the successful mixing of a highly unlikely formula of oil (DMD) and water (Beethoven), "I'm a Pimp" will having dj's everywhere contacting their local record pools to order pieces by Van Gogh and Mozart. Imagine classical genius Beethoven's reaction if he heard "My granddaddy was playa/Old man the same/ Even though I tried to deny it/The fact remains/That I'm a pimp/A ni**a playin h*es fa life/Don't believe me, ask my ex-wife!" If she's willing to co-sign that statement, DMD should be nominated for "Pimp of the Year."

With more hits than misses, a guest appearance by Pimp C of UGK, a tribute to DJ Screw and fresh talent on his squad, DJ DMD drops more bombs than Funkmaster Flex with Thirty-Three and unquestionably will go from Hiroshima to Pearl Harbor on his upcoming release 44.

Rep Yo Clik.......2003-05-31

This is another one of those down-south, ballin, flippin, and screwed up mixes. These boys are laying it down for them Texas players only this time with a [tight] beats and smooth keys. P.A. World Wide--Let a playa come thru!