Los Angeles [Explicit Lyrics]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Steeped in poetry and class issues, X was the first L.A. punk band to fully incorporate a dark West Coast sensibility. Singer/lyricists/spouses John Doe and Exene Cervenka forged a stray-cat approach to vocal harmonies while spieling reports on crash-pad sex and drugs, casual hatred, and the occasional spotting of the "idle rich." Full-powered and intelligent, X's sound also spotlighted Billy Zoom, a pompadoured guitarist schooled by Gene Vincent, and flexible drummer D.J. Bonebrake. Los Angeles, the first of four productions by ex-Door Ray Manzarek, made an excellent case for the group, though its ambitions were to be quickly outstripped by the evolving personal takes of Doe and Cervenka. For the most part, the album is fast, hard, and fleet, like the motorcycles Zoom loved: "Your Phone's Off the Hook," "Johnny Hit and Run Pauline," the title track, and a Ramones-style cover of the Doors' "Soul Kitchen" are touchstones that reach beyond their era. Only "The Unheard Music," a turgid bit of suburbia-bashing, mars the original LP, which is augmented on this reissue by five bonus tracks that bring the running time close to 40 minutes. --Rickey Wright --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

The Battle of Los Angeles
Average customer rating:

The Battle For Los Angeles

If you like Rage, this is the best album

Fantastic Album

Better than "Evil Empire."

Worth owning for one song, but the rest are very good too

The Battle of Los Angeles
Rage Against the Machine
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Evil Empire

Rage Against the Machine

Renegades

Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium

Audioslave

Accessories:

Sonny Bones

ASIN: B00002MZ2C
Release Date: 1999-11-02

Tracks:

Testify
Guerrilla Radio
Calm Like A Bomb
Mic Check (Once Hunting, Now Hunted)
Sleep Now In The Fire
Born Of A Broken Man
Born As Ghosts
Maria
Voice Of The Voiceless
New Millennium Homes
Ashes In The Fall
War Within A Breath

Amazon.com

Having successfully fused music and politics from their start, inspiring both moshing and young minds in the process, Rage Against the Machine emerges in peak form with merely their third album in seven years. Guitarist Tom Morello is one of the most distinctive and innovative players of his era, and his foil, vocalist/lyricist Zack De La Rocha, is as unrelenting and inspiring as ever on The Battle of Los Angeles. Rage, whose past antics include performing naked with duct tape over their mouths to protest censorship, released Battle on Election Day, but the politics of the group can be separated from the sounds. Indeed, the 45 minutes of mayhem heard here can be enjoyed solely as rousing aggro hip-hop rock. There's more variety found on Battle than on its predecessors, however. "Sleep Now in the Fire" is one of their most straight-ahead rock tunes. The trippy guitar on "Calm Like a Bomb" is out there even for the adventurous Morello. And "Born a Broken Man" serves up lovely musical interludes. Overall, the more finely honed Rage heard on Battle may not inspire a generation of young revolutionaries, but they still stir up more mutinous spirit than the rest of the current rock pack. --Katherine Turman

Customer Reviews:

The Battle For Los Angeles.......2007-04-24

Rage Against The Machine-The Battle For Los Angeles *****

Many a Rage fan as well as critic well tell you that The Battle Of Los Angeles is the very best album that Rage ever made. Is this the case, is this really better then the self titled debut Rage Against The Mahine, probably. But you will have to be the judge of that one. One thing is for sure if this isnt the bands all time best effort it is a vert close second. The bands cover album Renagades was good, but this is better, Evil Empire was a killer album but once again this takes the cake of that one as well. The bands only equal comparason is the debut.

The Battle Of Los Angeles is a solid album through and through, not a bad track to be heard. Being released in late 1999, early 2000, at the dawn of a new millenium when the band was reaching its breaking point and on the eve of spliting they managed to hold it together and create one of the best rock albums of the last 25 years. Zack De La Rochas lyrics were the most focust and coherent they had ever been, and his vocal delivery is insane. Tim C, and Brad Wilk who may make up the greatest rhythm section in all of rock n' roll hold the album together as a whole. Then there is Tom who once again raised the bar as far as what is possible with the guitar. Tom Morello is easily one of the greatest guitarist ever to pick up the six string. Not only with his effects pedels but without them as well.

Songs like the major hit singles 'Testify' 'Guerrilla Radio' and the phenomenol 'Sleep Now In The Fire' helped to propel the album to the number one spot and sell millions of copies. Those three songs have gone on to become radio staples still seven yers after the album was released. 'Calm Like A Bomb' 'Mic Check' and 'Born As Ghosts' are similure and slower songs that really are nice for a change of pace. 'Born Of A Broken Man' is one of the better songs the band ever recorded. You can really here the punk influence on this song. The album closes with 'War Within A Breath' which is the prefect song to close the album.

Once you end the album all the messages in the songs come together into one and you can really here the cry for the great state of California that they love and how it has gone so far down hill. And in the end The Battle Of Los Angeles is an amazing album by on eof the greatest rock bands of all time.

If you like Rage, this is the best album.......2007-04-03

I like all of the Rage albums, but this one is better than the other two. More metal-oriented guitar and the songs are more political. If you had to buy one Rage album, this is the one to get.

Fantastic Album.......2006-08-21

Rage Against the Machine is a band I only started listening to out of curiosity. I'd never heard any of their music, but I had gotten into Audioslave and wanted to see what these guys were like. Rage is a unique band in many ways. First off, this album (their final album, which was called Album of the Year by many Rock magazines; Even Time Magazine in fact) is amazing. Every song is good and not just in the sense, it's not bad. You can listen to each of these songs a few times over, there's not one track I'd skip over while listening to it. Tom Morello (who does stuff with a guitar that the best guitar players in the world couldn't do) is in top form; Tim Commerford cranks out some great basslines here (most notably in "Calm Like a Bomb"), and Brad Wilk is of course great. Zack De La Rocha's vocals and lyrics are very angry and very political here; He makes some genuine points though. That's one of the things I find most impressive about Rage. A lot of bands that do political songs, wind up with good lyrics and bad songs. It doesn't even matter if you're listening to the lyrics on this album; The music is still completely enjoyable. If you're looking to buy a really good CD, then get this. Here are the tracks and occasional in-depth commentary:

1. Testify-5/5
2. Guerilla Radio-5/5-One of my favorite songs on the album.
3. Calm Like a Bomb-5/5-One of my favorite Rage songs. It's really catchy and you can't beat Tom Morrello's riffs.
4. Mic Check-5/5-I love the lyrics; I love the chorus. Great song.
5. Sleep Now in the Fire-5/5-The guitar riff in this song is awesome. As are the lyrics; One of my favorite songs on here.
6. Born of a Broken Man-5/5-Zack De La Rocha speaks the verses and then pours energy into the chorus. I know some people who don't like this song, I love it.
7. Born as Ghosts-5/5-My 2nd favorite song on the album.
8. Maria-5/5
9. Voice of the Voiceless-5/5-It's short, but it's a great song.
10. New Millenium Homes-5/5-This probably ties as my 2nd favorite song. It sounds a little like Bulls on Parade, but the lyrics and music are awesome.
11. Ashes in the Fall-5/5-The music is awesome. De La Rocha whispering "Like ashes in the fall" is kind of creepy; Angry lyrics that definitely get their point across.
12. War Within a Breath-5/5-And a very impressive album closer. Some of the best drumming is on this track.
GRADE: A

Better than "Evil Empire.".......2006-04-08

This is a definite improvement from "Evil Empire," which incorporated too much alternative elements, these tracks are more hard-rockish than on the previous album but not quite at the level on their self-titled. Tom Morello touched up his unique style of solos into something that sounds good rather than weird in EE, especially in "Guerilla Radio." If you're a big fan of Timmy C.'s basslines, this is where he shines the most. Zach's lyrics and rhyming are really centered around the problems in Mexico and the 2000 Presidential Election, these have also improved from their sophomore slump.

The only annoying track on here was "Mic Check," everything else was good, especially "Guerilla Radio," "Ashes in the Fall," "Maria," and "Voice of the Voiceless."

Its not great, but its defitely better than "Significant Crap" from Limp Bizs**t.

If you're a Rage' fan, I suggest you pick this up.

Worth owning for one song, but the rest are very good too.......2006-03-29

I'll keep this short and sweet since, while I think this album was excellent, I don't view "The Battle of Los Angeles" to be the band's finest work. I think that's a toss-up between their debut and the nigh-perfect "Evil Empire." This band told it like it was, is, and will likely, unfortunately, continue to be each and every time they released an album.

However, this one digs into the band's favorite topics a little deeper and what it uncovers is hideous and depressing. From songs ranging about the destitution-to-desperation of the poor in Mexico ("Maria") to the us-against-them nature of abandoned/forgotten ethic groups/gangs in the inner city ("Born As Ghosts") to a song about one of their biggest causes, the freedom of (perhaps wrongly) convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal and other so-called criminals that may be in the same boat ("Voice of the Voiceless"), this album doesn't relent until the CD ends.

However, the one track that has always stuck out in my mind as the glimpse behind the curtain to which all others should be compared is the masterful "Ashes in the Fall," perhaps the band's most gut-wrenching, soul-searing track in its entire career.

The song takes an unflinching look at poverty and the plight of the lower class, immigrants and homeless: the very people that the government should be taking care of that it instead allows to fend for themselves. Starving, desperate, abused, and neglected, these people see no other way out of their situation than resorting to violence and crime...actions for which they are arrested and imprisoned, if not killed outright. The song's most gripping moment is when Zach de la Rocha mockingly screams, "Ain't it funny how the factory doors close 'round the time that the school doors close? 'Round the time that the doors of the jail cell open up to greet you like the Reaper?"

In other words, while most children are entering/leaving school, the pvverty-stricken are walking into factories where they can be promised low wages and grueling work until the whistle blows. If not that, then finding trouble and expending what little life is left inside them in the confines of a prison cell. It is a bleak image and all too true in the darker corners of every city in the United States.

As others have said, the reference to the new sound being just like the old sound is a snide reminder to the listener that the grandiose speeches of the government's appointed representatives are just echoes of all that was said by those who came before them. And all the while, a voice can be heard in the undercurrent calling for the expulsion of all "non-natives" in favor of the so-called "chosen" people of God, a direct contradiction to everything the founders of the nation believed it should be about, according to the Constitution.

It is an exceptional song on the strength of its lyrics alone, but the band truly outdid itself with the music, from the high-pitched cry of the guitar to the soft rhthym of the bass during the build to the song's final crescendo.

I don't know if there's a human being that can listen to this song and not feel his or her soul quail in horror at the images it creates. If such a person exists, I hope we never meet.

Debussy for Daydreaming: Music to Caress Your Innermost Thoughts

Average customer rating:

Life Is But A Dream...
Beautiful, dreamy
Fabulous collection !
An excellent introduction to Debussy and French music
Dream and Classical music are magic

Debussy for Daydreaming: Music to Caress Your Innermost Thoughts

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Mozart for Meditation
Beethoven at Bedtime: A Gentle Prelude to Sleep
Tchaikovsky At Tea Time: A Refreshing Blend For Body And Spirit
Chopin and Champagne: Set Your Mood for Romance
Baroque at Bathtime: A Relaxing Serenade to Wash Your Cares Away

ASIN: B0000041CL
Release Date: 1995-04-11

Tracks:

Syrinx
Maid With The Flaxen Hair
Clair de lune
Petit Suite - En Bateau
Reverie
La plue que lente (Valse)
Prelude To The Afternoon Of A Faun
String Quartet In G minor: Andantino doucement expressif
Sonata For Flute, Viola And Harp: Interlude
Arabesque No. 1
Valse romantique
Images For Orchestra: Perfumes Of The Night

Customer Reviews:

Life Is But A Dream..........2006-08-30

This CD is just pure magic. I know that is such a cliche' thing to say, but it really is. Of course, it really won't appeal to those people who are into EXTREME LIVING...whatever the hell that means, because to me, extreme living is living close to the soul, close to the spirit, close to the Invisible Source that makes and creates all things in and out of Itself.

Debussy was a composer who lived very close to this Invisible Stream. His music reflects a gentleness and yet a strength that flows throughout each composistion. The arrangements are dreamy and mystical and allows one to go into their "inner chamber" and pray in secret to the One who knows their heart as well as their soul.

As much as I love this CD, I tend not to listen to it in the car. I once listened to it while making a routine drive to Santa Monica. The CD stopped and I had somehow missed all of my exits and ended up in Ventura...talk about being in dreamland!

It's a great CD to put in your walkman and go to an outdoor cafe' where you can sip a cafe latte and write poems to an unknown lover whose face you cannot remember, but whose gentle breath is the scent of lavendar...oh, I wax poetic...so sorry...

If you are into quiet and stillness, get this CD...it's truly a breath of fresh air in this noisy, crowded, extreme world we have to be in but not necessarily of...

Peace & Blessings

Beautiful, dreamy.......2006-07-17

This music evokes both emotions and images of life waking up in spring, even being in a magical forest where anything can happen, or floating on clouds. You can just enjoy the music and let your imagination soar or the music can take you into that trance-like state where you can access creative ideas and creative solutions to any problems - and maybe they just dissolve of their own accord.

Fabulous collection !.......2005-09-13

If you like Debussy - whom I have heard called one of the progenitors of ambient music - you will love having his most inspiring and beautiful works together on one cd. These works are tranquil and serene, and yet they don't fade into the background - no matter what you are doing - because they are true art. When this cd is playing you can't help but listen and sigh. My cats love this cd, too.

An excellent introduction to Debussy and French music.......2005-06-30

Compilation CD's like this are an excellent first CD to purchase when first exploring a new composer or style of music ("Expressionism" in Debussy's case). And this Philip's "Set your Life to Music" collection is usually a sure and safe way to do that given their well thought-out selections, themes and quality recordings. This CD here contains many of the most popular, lyrical and enchanting works of the 19th-century French composer, Claude Debussy. The range of selections are diverse and satisfying: from his major solo piano works through his top chamber music (for 2-5 instruments) to the full-blown orchestral selections of great imagery and dreaminess that can transport one into another world of great serenity. (But, there are enough sudden changes in loudness and rhythm to upset any notions of perfect bliss and keep the daydreamer from falling asleep - hence the title, "for Daydreams" and not "for Bedtime" like in other offerings in this Philips' series) Regardless, this CD is an excellent introduction to Claude Debussy as well as being overall relaxing music to enrich one's life.

One interesting music history tidbit on Debussy that might interest the new listener: Even though Debussy did not like the label, his music was labeled "Expressionism" for the similarities to what the French artists like Monet were doing at the same time. In Debussy's case, his intent was to create "emotional impressions" with music that evoked specific moods and images in the mind - not unlike what the "impressionistic painters" were trying to do on canvas using pure color and form to evoke the fleeting, emotional moment of a landscape scene. "Prelude of the Afternoon of the Fawn" is a good example of this dreamy, lingering, emotive style of music.

Dream and Classical music are magic.......2005-02-16

This CD is one of the best among its classical collections. (bach for breakfast is my one of them) It puts me to any place I dream of whenever I listen to this cd. It usually brings me into outer space, or sometimes go to the sky or under the sea. You can also just sit back and relax while listening to the music. In addition, once I get mad or not calm enough, I just put this cd on and it cures my anger.
Classical music is magic.

In Search of Sunrise, Vol. 5 Los Angeles

Average customer rating:

another 5 star performance by tiesto
what an awesome arsenal for our ears
TIESTO GIVES US ONE MORE REASON TO HATE HIM!
Great CD
keeps me home

In Search of Sunrise, Vol. 5 Los Angeles
Tiesto
Manufacturer: Songbird
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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State of Trance 2006
In Search of Sunrise, Vol. 4: Latin America
Elements of Life
In Search of Sunrise
DJ in the Mix 3

ASIN: B000EGDBUQ
Release Date: 2006-04-25

Tracks:

Conil - Malibu Beach
Mark Norman Pres. Celine - Colour My Eyes
Late Night Alumni - Empty Streets
Electro Prompt - Beside Me (Gothek DC Remix)
Fonzarelli - Moonlight Party
Leama & Moor - Everything Matters (Matthew Dekay Remix)
Matthew Dekay Vs. Proluctors - Let The Game Begin
Karen Overton - Your Loving Arms (Club Mix)
Parker & Hanson - Let Me Be (Extended Mix)
Kalafut & Fugle - Novocaine (Mark Otten Remix)
Jes - People Will Go (Steve Forte Rio Remix)
Basic Perspective - Small Step On the Other Side
Tom Cloud - Told You So
A.M. - Arise (Hammer & Fubayashi Remix)
Cass - Little Bird

Tracks:

Pink Elephant - LAX
Alex Stealthy - Something Is Wrong
Shah & Laruso Pres. Global Experience - Zanzibar
Progression - Technophobia
A Boy Called Joni - Green Astronauts
Petter - These Days (Luke Chable's Those Days Mix)
Estuera - Tales From the South (Jonas Steur's Revision Flow)
?zg?r Can - Irony
Jonas Steur - Second Turn
Smith & Pledger Pres Aspekt - Hi Jack
Jaytech - Genesis (Jimbo's Afterburner Mix)
Super8 & DJ Tab - Helsinki Scorchin'
Way Out West - Don't Forget Me (Guy Ehmetores Remix)

Product Description

1. Global Experience - San Salvador
2. Way Out West - Don't Forget Me (Steve Forte Rio Mix)
3. Progression - Technofobia
4. Midway - Cobra
5. Estuera - Tales From The South 2006
6. A Boy Called Joni - Green Astronauts
7. 16BIT Lolita's & Johan Cyber - Like A Memory
8. Petter - These Days
9. Incolumis - One With Sanctuary9
10. Alex Stealthy - Deplorings
11. AM - Arise
12. Tom Cloud - Told You So
13. Base Perspective - Small Step On The Other Side
14. Parker & Hanson - Let Me Be
15. Leama & Moor - Everything Matters
16. Electroprompt - Beside Me
17. Ozgur Can - Irony

Format: CD

Amazon.com

Trance is about as Dutch as windmills, and more than any other DJ, Tiësto is its ambassador. His highly successful In Search of Sunrise series can claim much of the credit for this, and this fifth installment, Los Angeles, delivers in spades. As ever, the man finds his inspiration in the female voice; from Late Night Alumni's "Empty Streets," which pits a bassline that bounces like Silly Putty against Becky Jean Williams's dreamy vocals, to Karen Overton's dancefloor-destroying cover of Billie Ray Martin's "Your Loving Arms," Tiësto again proves himself a master at driving sets to soaring highs with well-placed siren songs. The second disc finds the Dutchman in more progressive territory, luring in the unsuspecting with Pink Elephant's effervescent "LAX" only to drop the hammer with Alex Stealthy's "Something Is Wrong," a track with a disorienting beat that seems to tumble over itself and a haunting melody that sounds as though it were trapped under ice. Tiësto also shows he hasn't lost his affinity for engaging the listener in a test of wills, as in A Boy Called Joni's vertiginous "Green Astronauts." Like all good mixes, the fifth in the ISoS series is after all a study in contrasts. Ironic, perhaps, that with the title Los Angeles the album makes a compelling case that the trance crown won't be leaving Holland anytime soon. --Brent Kallmer

Customer Reviews:

another 5 star performance by tiesto.......2007-07-19

this album is another in the line of great mixes by tiesto. if you love trance like i do then isos 5 is a must buy. i think 4 is still my personal fav due to disc one but i would recomend buying all 5 isos albums. they are worth the money in FULL

what an awesome arsenal for our ears.......2007-07-07

Tiesto, albeit ostentatious, is revolutionizing music, and ISOS5 is a clear example where dj's like him, and Armin are heading. His tracks are eloquent, driving and full of forcefullness, and flowing and no one, anywhere, can do it like Tiesto. People say he is a sell out, well Go ahead and sell out Tiesto, because if you can make albums like this for me and my 100 friends to enjoy, than so be it. Everyone I have given this cd to, really, everyone of them, can't believe how magical it is. Like the previous reviewer, I can be driving in rush hour from Boston and blast ISOS5 and never get sick of it, that is hard for a trance album to stand multiple plays after a year or so.

Tiesto is only starting his protege mixing. I cannot wait for more tracks from him. 'Tiesto IN Concert' is mind boggling, a life altering trance experience.

Anyone hestitating to buy this for perhaps a different dj like Armin B or Van Helden or the like, well they are good, but def. add this to your collection.

SO BRILLIANT!

thanks

TIESTO GIVES US ONE MORE REASON TO HATE HIM!.......2007-06-13

what else is there to say, except stay away- the almighty god of the sound of torment makes us want to rage some more. Please I beg you tiesto, go away and leave us all alone.

Great CD.......2007-05-03

This is a great CD by Tiesto. I love the mixes and sounds presented in Sunrise Vol. 5, and this was the first CD of his that I had ever owned. I especially loved the track "Helsinki Scorchin". Great track to drive to, by the way. I like the faster beat tracks that Tiesto creates/uses, and a lot of that is due to the fact that I like to listen to trance when I'm driving, and it's most fun to drive to fast tracks. The reason why I rated this four stars instead of five is because I have Sunrise Panama and Sunrise Latin America, and I think both of those albums are actually a little bit better that Sunrise Los Angeles, even though they were its predecessors.

keeps me home.......2007-05-02

This cd set of Tiesto's is really great i live in Los Angeles and driving at 80 on L.A.'s most known freeway you can understand that no matter during the day or at night its a really good energetic album my favorite is "moonlight party" because that brings the suspense of speed during the day or night and those loud hits are fantastic you have to pick up a copy

Average customer rating:

Scary entity in your head-the music of X's Los Angeles
The First - Not The Best
X-TACY! (sorry, that was lame)
The Greatest Album Of All-time
one of my favorite punk records

Los Angeles
X
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Wild Gift
Under the Big Black Sun
More Fun in the New World
MIA: The Complete Anthology
Group Sex

ASIN: B00005NTQ5
Release Date: 2001-09-18

Tracks:

Your Phone's Off The Hook, But You're Not
Johnny Hit And Run Paulene
Soul Kitchen
Nausea
Sugarlight
Los Angeles
Sex And Dying In High Society
The Unheard Music
The World's A Mess; It's In My Kiss
I'm Coming Over (Demo)
Adult Books (Demo)
Delta 88 (Demo)
Cyrano De Berger's Back (Rehearsal)
Los Angeles (Dangerhouse Version)

Amazon.com

Steeped in poetry and class issues, X was the first L.A. punk band to fully incorporate a dark West Coast sensibility. Singer/lyricists/spouses John Doe and Exene Cervenka forged a stray-cat approach to vocal harmonies while spieling reports on crash-pad sex and drugs, casual hatred, and the occasional spotting of the "idle rich." Full-powered and intelligent, X's sound also spotlighted Billy Zoom, a pompadoured guitarist schooled by Gene Vincent, and flexible drummer D.J. Bonebrake. Los Angeles, the first of four productions by ex-Door Ray Manzarek, made an excellent case for the group, though its ambitions were to be quickly outstripped by the evolving personal takes of Doe and Cervenka. For the most part, the album is fast, hard, and fleet, like the motorcycles Zoom loved: "Your Phone's Off the Hook," "Johnny Hit and Run Pauline," the title track, and a Ramones-style cover of the Doors' "Soul Kitchen" are touchstones that reach beyond their era. Only "The Unheard Music," a turgid bit of suburbia-bashing, mars the original LP, which is augmented on this reissue by five bonus tracks that bring the running time close to 40 minutes. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

Scary entity in your head-the music of X's Los Angeles.......2007-03-18

The uneasy beauty of the raw punk sound alongside the dark and troubling subject matter on this classic 1980 release is worthy of a true 5 star rating. This is a strange and disturbing CD. My first listen left me emotionaly askew,but I loved it. This is a must have punk-style CD.
John Doe and Exene's haunting,dissonant vocal tracks are downright scary.
Go buy this CD. After listening to it,you won't feel comfortable for days...

The First - Not The Best.......2007-01-12

This is X's first recording and contains most of the songs X are famous for. I loved this as a teenager...it just oozes angst and anger but I'd have to say now with an adult perspective that X's second go round Wild Gift rings a lot more true to the groups originality and song writing and arrangement. Not to say that I don't think that there are some really great tracks on Los Angeles but you won't find a dab of political correctness on this one. There are a few tracks that are downright offensive. I wouldn't let my boy's (11 & 16) listen to it and they love hearing the wierd stuff mom used to listen to. I wouldn't suggest this CD for anyone other than hardcore X fans.

X-TACY! (sorry, that was lame).......2006-05-15

Imagine a hybrid of The Sex Pistols, Fleetwood Mac, and Chuck Berry and you'd have something close to X's genius sound. Wheareas other West Coast outfits like Black Flag and Circle Jerks made a career out of playing harder, louder, and faster X placed more emphasis on tight musicianship and tunefulness, while still remaining very much a punk band. Their 1980 debut Los Angeles is perhaps their best, darkest album (classic cover to boot!).

From the moment that Exene Cervenka and bassist John Doe start applying their distinctive and slightly off-key harmonies, you can tell from the get-go it's an X song. Both vocalists tell seamy tales of California's underground and the ennui and nihilism of the rich, ranging from date rape (Johnny Hit & Run Pauline) to crashing in a punk dive (Nausea). Exene would have an even greater role in later releases, but on this album the songs are split largely 50/50 between the two vocalists.

Meanwhile, Billy Zoom's guitar blasts out pitch-perfect surf rock riffs and DJ Bonebrake's tight rhythms hold the whole thing together. Ex-Doors member and producer Ray Manzarek contributes some color with some great overdubbed organ lines, but otherwise this album is raw and searing, just as it should be. Your Phone's Off The Hook (But You're Not), The World's A Mess It's In My Kiss, Sex & Dying In High Society and the title track are barnstorming, venomous, and humorous all at once, while The Unheard Music is a slower-burning track with a more poetic and haunting delivery thrown in for variety.

Apart from a somewhat mediocre cover of The Doors' Soul Kitchen and a short album length (the original album is under 30 minutes, and the extra tracks are mostly demos that don't add much to the album), Los Angeles is an excellent release and essential to any discerning punker. Wild Gift and Under The Big Black Sun are also vital X albums, if a bit more polished and civilized than this one.

The Greatest Album Of All-time.......2006-05-05

This album is the true definition of what rock n roll is. It's the perfect album. Mixing all sorts of different genres together,and at that time no other band was doing what X did. There were many followers after, but none with the pure, raw, dark, energy that Los Angeles had. Exene and John Doe's voices morph together sending shivers up my spine every single time I here this album. They're song writing abilities are superior to every other song writer, yes even Bob Dylan. The lyrics take you to the darkest, most evil place you could imagine, yet they make that evil place romantic and comforting. You can feel there words. I can't say that about any other band. Billy Zoom is hands down the greatest guitar player ever. He's like an inteligent version of Chuck Berry on speed.And to see him play live with that constant satisfied smile on his face is just great.
This album will totally change your view of music and probably yourself. Produced by Ray Manzarek, who also plays organ on three tracks. Including the punked up cover of "Soul Kitchen".If you claim to be a true fan of music you will love this album. If you don't like it you are not a music fan and you should probably stop listening to music altogether.

one of my favorite punk records.......2006-03-08

This has to be atleast one of my favorite punk records,New fans of X pick this up!

Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna, etc. / Salamunovich, Los Angeles Master Chorale

Average customer rating:

Review of Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna/Salamunovich, Los Angeles Master Chorale
So beautiful that it hurts.
Excellent
Great CD
Glorious, but not Perfection

Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna, etc. / Salamunovich, Los Angeles Master Chorale
M. Lauridsen
Manufacturer: Rubeda Canis Musica
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Eric Whitacre: The Complete A Cappella Works, 1991-2001
Morten Lauridsen: Lux aeterna
O Magnum Mysterium
Eric Whitacre: Cloudburst and other choral works
Lauridsen: Northwest Journey

ASIN: B000006OF1
Release Date: 1998-05-19

Tracks:

Introitus - Lux Aeterna
In Te, Domine, Speravi - Lux Aeterna
O Nata Lux - Lux Aeterna
Veni, Sancte Spiritus - Lux Aeterna
Agnus Dei - Lus Aeterna - Lux Aeterna
En Une Seule Fleur - Les Chansons Des Roses
Contre Qui, Rose - Les Chansons Des Roses
De Ton Reve Trop Plein - Les Chansons Des Roses
La Rose Complete - Les Chansons Des Roses
Dirait - On - Les Chansons Des Roses
Ave Maria - Ave Maria
MID WINTER SONGS: Lament For Pasiphae - M. LAURIDSEN
MID WINTER SONGS: Like Snow - M. LAURIDSEN
MID WINTER SONGS: She Tells Her Love While Half Asleep - M. LAURIDSEN
MID WINTER SONGS: Mid-Winter Waking - M. LAURIDSEN
MID WINTER SONGS: Intercession In Late October - M. LAURIDSEN
O Magnum Mysterium - O Magnum Mysterium

Amazon.com

Modern choral music for amateur singers may be America's biggest musical underground. That's the only explanation of why Grammy-nominated composer Morten Lauridsen can claim that his works are some of the most often-performed new pieces in years, although few among the East Coast intelligentsia have ever heard of him. Like the similarly popular John Rutter, Lauridsen inhabits an extremely conservative style directed simply and single-mindedly at showing off the beauty of choral singing while it illustrates inspiring texts. Unlike many of his fellow neo-Romantic conservatives, Lauridsen displays a brand of conservatism that is completely convincing and sincere. His music also has range, from the spellbindingly rapturous Lux aeterna to his playful settings of Rilke's poems about the beauty and thorniness of roses in Les chansons des roses. There is, moreover, a Coplandesque streak heard in his Mid-Winter Songs, which are settings of poems by Robert Graves. Though the Los Angeles Master Chorale has a suitably red-blooded sound, the music would be better served with more precise diction. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

Review of Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna/Salamunovich, Los Angeles Master Chorale.......2007-05-13

This is a fabulous CD! I have sung at least one of the compositions on the CD in a choral society to which I belong. I am also familiar with the composer and love his music. The Los Angeles Master Chorale is a wonderful music group!

So beautiful that it hurts........2007-04-27

Two days ago I had never heard of Morten Lauridsen (shame on me). Our local PBS station (WITF in Harrisburg, PA) opened its morning show a few days ago at 9 AM with his lovely "Sure on This Shining Night," a segment of a poem by James Agee. I could not work for an hour after hearing it. Students entered my office and left quickly at the sight of my dazed look. I immediately purchased three recordings, and this one, "Lux Aeterna," is my favorite. The music is so beautiful that it hurts.

Buy this album now. The music is truly exquisite. The performance is outstanding. The CD is a masterpiece. After one hearing of Lauridsen's "Lux Aeterna," I tell you the truth: I could not sleep the entire night. The music was with me all night, and it continues to resonate through my soul.

Excellent.......2007-04-06

Excellent recording - Lauridsen music represents the best choral composers of this age. This CD captures as many of his best compositions as one can expect - Great buy.

Great CD.......2007-02-17

I purchased this CD a couple of years ago when my daughter was working up a couple of Lauridsen works for an audition recording she was doing for her college application (she got in). Besides the sentimental association with that time, this CD has remained a treasured part of out listening library. These are truly 20th century masterpieces of choral music. The recording is among the very best of any type that I have heard. Even if you don't normally like choral music this is a CD to treasure.

Glorious, but not Perfection.......2007-01-20

Morten Lauridsen has a style as distinctively recognizable as Mozart or Beethoven--if you have heard or sung a few of his works, an unfamiliar title will still sound like an old friend. I have to admit I love the aural world which Lauridsen creates.

This recording displays Lauridsen at his best--the long-standing working relationship between the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the composer give these performances an authority and credibility which would be the envy of any group. The Chorale voices display a depth and maturity (particularly in the Bass and Alto sections) which I miss in college choirs, yet the control is perfect.

The works are recorded in the Sacred Heart Chapel of Loyola Marymount University--a very live acoustic, which contributes to the wonderful sense of blend and sonic depth in these pieces. This sonorous glory does have a price, however. The wonderful texts are quite frequently muddled a bit. The enunciation and diction are not as clear on this recording as one might have expected from this group. That is a small cavil, however--intonation and interpretation are flawless.

Buy this, put it in your CD player, turn it up, and enjoy it. If you love choral music, you need to own this disc.

Average customer rating:

a slow ride to iron maiden's ville?
Great Album
One of the best
Blackhawks in LA
Bonus Track

Blackhawks Over Los Angeles
Strung Out
Manufacturer: Fat Wreck Chords
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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New Maps of Hell
Music from Regions Beyond
Keep It Going
Exile in Oblivion
An American Paradox

ASIN: B000PAAI16
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Tracks:

Calling
Blackhawks Over Los Angeles
Party In the Hills
All the Nations
A War Called Home
Letter Home
Orchid
Dirty Little Secret
Downtown
The King Has Left the Building
Mission Statement
Diver

Customer Reviews:

a slow ride to iron maiden's ville?.......2007-07-08

i've been a huge fan of strung out since their first album and watched the band progress past a all the other fat wreck chords stuff that seems to all sound the same. it might be fair to say that the band's pseudo apex might have been twisted by design which combined strong guitar work and amazingly heartfelt lyrics that cut into the core of the human condition, and since there seems to be more emphasis on being a metal band than being the unclassifiable genius of twisted by design. i will defend the new ablum and their departure to a melodic metalesque punk fusion by recognizing the strength and beauty that has surfaced in the past two ablums. Exile and Blackhawks are consistently strong almost metal albums which have tons of hooks and guitar solos that could rival dragonforce on a slow day. musically these albums are strong as hell, lyrically though i miss the old days of subterranian and twisted. as a loyal fan i'll continue to listen and appreciate their direction even if its a departure of what i knew and loved.

Great Album.......2007-06-29

Strung out never makes a bad album. It was alittle different than I thought it would be, but great music is great music.....

One of the best.......2007-06-23

I have been listening to Strung Out since the early years, and this album is amazing. This album sounds like the Old school Strung Out with some f'n edge. Thank you strung out for putting out an album with some passion if I had to listen to anymore commercial punk I was going to kill myself.

Blackhawks in LA.......2007-06-22

I've been listening to Strung Out since their "Twisted by Design" cd came out and then I bought almost all of their cds and that is something to say considering that I live in Argentina, where most of my fav bands cds aren't edited, being SO one of them.

Since "Elements of Sonic Defiance", SO hasn't put out an album which could match that effort until this new record. "Blackhawks.." sounds much more better than "American Paradox" and "Exile in Oblivion" together. Their composition has gotten a lot better and this time it really feels like they have put an effort in making a true record and not just a bunch of punk-metal songs. Not only the songs sound much more better but you can also listen clearly to guitar solos and the drumming does really blow your head off.

I know that this review may go against what most of people think of this cd, but well, this is just an opinion. Don't take it personal.

Bonus Track.......2007-06-19

Anyone have ANY idea how I can get my hands on the "More than Words" bonus track? Fat Wreck's all out. Email ruckus328@aol.com.

Now onto the review....Strung out is BY FAR my favorite band so to rate any of thier albums as anything other than amazing really pains me. The reality is, this album is just ok. I would rank it as my least favorite and only a 3, maybe 4 out of 5 (That really hurts). I want to love this album but just can't. It's got some great songs, however there are many songs which lack that catchy hook I have grown to love and find myself skipping past half of the album. Best songs IMO are "Calling", "All The Nations", War Called Home", "Party In The Hills", And "Orchid". If you're a Strung Out fan, I would definately pick it up, just don't expect another Exile in Oblivion.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful! And with thanks to John Williams for introducing this listener to "The Planets!"
Streaming Space
ALMOST A REFERENCE RECORDING
It Doesn't Get Much Better
A fine CD at a friendly price

Holst: The Planets

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Prokofiev: Peter And The Wolf/Saint-Saëns: The Carnival Of The Animals

ASIN: B000050AQC
Release Date: 2001-04-10

Tracks:

The Planets: Mars, The Bringer Of War
The Planets: Venus, The Bringer Of Peace
The Planets: Mercury, The Winged Messenger
The Planets: Jupiter, The Bringer Of Jollity
The Planets: Saturn, The Bringer Of Old Age
The Planets: Uranus, The Magician
The Planets: Neptune, The Mystic
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind: Suite
Star Wars: Main Title

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful! And with thanks to John Williams for introducing this listener to "The Planets!".......2007-05-07

I bought this CD after a Tanglewood concert a few years ago where John Williams, focusing on movie music including his own compositions, also conducted "The Planets." I recognized "Jupiter" as the theme music for a WQXR (the New York Times radio station) "New York at 6" program. It was a treat to find out where that piece came from. When I listened to this beautifully performed CD, I was pleasantly surprised to see Mr. Williams' movie music included -- a brilliant move on the part of this item's producers (just listen to "Mars" and then to "Star Wars"). As another reviewer has suggested, it's not clear why his music was included, but there are similarities here which I'd love Mr. Williams to discuss some day. I've since become an avid amateur astronomer, and so the themes, musical and otherwise, projected in the works of Holst and Williams have become a special treat for the mind as well as the ear.

Streaming Space.......2006-11-17

Music to travel by - to the market, the mountain top - anywhere.
Beautiful music performed beautifully. A treat for the ears and
the soul.

ALMOST A REFERENCE RECORDING.......2006-11-10

Very good recording of The Planets. I like it even better than the Sir Alexander Gibson recording, although that was my previous favorite. This piece needs to be played dynamically, and Mehta certainly does that. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a certain amount of bombast and a decent workout for their woofers.

It Doesn't Get Much Better.......2006-09-26

This is the fourth recording of "The Planets" I've purchased, and I am extremely pleased. The Los Angeles Philharmonic was at its best here, and much of that was owed to the genius of its then director Zubin Mehta. Crisp arrangements, and a full orchestral sound is how you achieve the full effect of "The Planets." Other conductors should take note. Not my favorite, that honor still goes to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, under the leadership of Leopold Stokowski. But you definitely can't go wrong with this one.

A fine CD at a friendly price.......2006-09-01

I've heard several recordings of "The Planets," and I like this one very much. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (with Zubin Mehta conducting) and the Los Angeles Master Chorale (Women's voices) do a fine job of capturing the drama of the work. And I think it was a good idea to couple it with a little of the outer-space-related music of John Williams.

Holst wrote selections about all eight planets, except for the Earth. But what about Pluto? Oh, wait, it got demoted last week! It's only a dwarf planet. Or maybe just a big rock. In any case, we hear some imaginative musical descriptions of the remaining planets.

I recommend this excellent performance.

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1993 Los Angeles Cast)

Average customer rating:

The BEST!
Best recording
GREAT MUSIC!!!!!!
Love it
Awesome

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1993 Los Angeles Cast)
Andrew Lloyd Webber , and Tim Rice
Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
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ASIN: B000001E34
Release Date: 1993-06-22

Tracks:

Prologue
Any Dream Will Do
Jacob & Sons/Joseph's Coat
Joseph's Dreams
Poor, Poor Joseph
One More Angel In Heaven
Potiphar
Close Every Door
Go, Go, Go Joseph
Pharaoh Story
Poor, Poor Pharaoh
Song Of The King (Seven Fat Cows)
Pharaoh's Dreams Explained
Stone The Crows
Those Cannaan Days
The Brothers Come To Egypt/Grovel, Grovel
Who's The Thief?
Benjamin Calypso
Joseph All The Time
Jacob In Egypt
Finale: Any Dream Will Do/ Give Me My Colored Coat
Joseph Megamix

Amazon.com

If you were to think this 1993 Los Angeles revival cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat sounds a lot like the 1991 London revival cast and the 1992 Canadian revival cast, you'd be right. All three use the glitzy version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's school-cantata-turned-musical based on the biblical story of Joseph and his coat of many colors, which debuted with the London revival in 1991 and became the basis for most subsequent productions, as well as the video version. Yes, the "Joseph Megamix" is here, along with the witty lyrics and catchy melodies that borrow freely from country, calypso, French cafés, and Elvis--as well as favorites "Any Dream Will Do," "Close Every Door," and "Go, Go, Go Joseph." And orchestral credits, cover art, and running time are almost exactly the same, leading one to believe that the various casts recorded their vocals over the same prerecorded orchestral tracks.

So is there any difference between the three? Yes, the singers, most notably the role of the narrator and the title character. The London production starred Linzi Hateley as the narrator and Australian pop singer Jason Donovan as Joseph. For the 1992 Canadian cast, former teen pop sensation Donny Osmond took over the title role, with Janet Metz as the narrator. For this 1993 Los Angeles cast, Michael Damian was Joseph and Kelli Rabke the narrator. All the narrators are solid, though Hateley is probably the best overall. The biggest difference is Osmond, the clear winner with a terrific voice and irresistible warmth, contrasted with Donovan's somewhat thick and heavy singing and Damian's rather deliberate pronunciation. You really don't need more than one of these Josephs, and the Canadian cast is the one to have. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

The BEST!.......2007-04-12

Better than Donny Osmond Cast by a long shot. michael Damien is great and well as narrator Keli (im bad with names) She is The BEST Narrator of ANY Joseph cast

Best recording.......2007-02-13

This version of Joseph is the best. The voices are beautiful! My family saw Joseph three times and we found this particular version to be better than the other ones that are available.

GREAT MUSIC!!!!!!.......2007-01-14

Wow! This was a great CD including the whole cast! The only thing is I think Donny Osmand is a tiny bit better than Michael Damian for the Josephs in my opinion.

Love it.......2007-01-13

My daughter saw the show and now continually plays this CD and sings along - exactly what we were looking for.

Awesome.......2006-03-19

I absolutely love this musical. It was the first broadway musical I ever saw - I saw it about 10 years ago. We bought this CD right afterward and went on a family vacation to Europe soon after... this CD was played throughout the ENTIRE trip. I know every word to every song, and to me it never gets old!! I ended up being in the play and seeing the movie with Donny Osmond as well, but I always loved this version the most and finally found it on Amazon. This is an absolutely incredible version, I highly recommend it.

Average customer rating:

Not as good as the film...
disappointing
it's all about the Malagueña
Start to Finish, a Real Mexi-CAN of a Soundtrack
Better than the movie!

Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Manufacturer: Milan Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

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Kill Bill: Volume 1

ASIN: B0000BWVC5
Release Date: 2003-09-09

Tracks: