Among the Ruins
Editorial Reviews
Album Description
ANYONE can make electronic music, but this is a BLC Productions disc and consequently we're treated to surreal landscapes, quickly unfolding in waves and crescendos with a tribal and untamed beat. Literally volleys of sound that hypnotically take the listener into this world of ruins. Experience it. Enjoy it.
Among the Ruins, Music, S.E.M;I, Electronic soundscapes weaving the industrial with the organic, the edgy with the liquidy, the expanse with the density.
Average customer rating:
- 10,000 Stars?
- Fantastic album, better than with Merchant
- Natalie who?
- Beauty and the Past...
- Stop the comparisons
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Love Among the Ruins
10,000 Maniacs
Manufacturer: Geffen Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
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Jangle Pop
| Indie & Lo-Fi
| Alternative Rock
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Folk Rock
| Rock
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General
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Pop Rock
| Pop
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Adult Alternative
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Similar Items:
- Our Time in Eden
- The Earth Pressed Flat
- The Wishing Chair
- Blind Man's Zoo
- In My Tribe
ASIN: B000000OVT
Release Date: 1997-06-17 |
Tracks:
- Rainy Day
- Love Among The Ruins
- Even With My Eyes Closed
- Girl On A Train
- Green Children
- A Room For Everything
- More Than This
- Big Star
- You Won't Find
- All That Never Happens
- Shining Light
- Across the Fields
Amazon.com
Every song here sports the customized blend of sprightly guitars and warm-bath keyboards that marked this band's salad days. But Mary Ramsay is no Natalie Merchant, and her bland delivery ensures that these dozen tunes sound more or less identical, even if their ho-hum cover of Roxy Music's "More Than This" was a big radio hit. --Jeff Bateman
Customer Reviews:
10,000 Stars?.......2007-04-07
This was the first XKM disc which I ever purchased, initially on the merits of the Roxy Music cover, "More Than This". I was very pleasantly surprised to really like the entire disc, rather than just a few tracks. Mary Ramsey has a wonderful voice with a warm, mellow, smooth quality. I would LOVE to talk to Mary over dinner, just to hear that voice. Because I heard Mary first, when I hear "10,000 Maniacs" I think "Mary Ramsey" and not "Natalie Merchant". I later did buy another disc (In My Tribe) which featured Natalie as lead vocalist, but found that, while it is a very good disc, I didn't like it any better than this one. Mary shouldn't be judged by how close to Natalie she sounds, rather, her vocal qualites and instrumental skills stand on their own.
Truly a great disc.
Fantastic album, better than with Merchant.......2006-01-20
I liked some of the 10,000 Maniac albums with Merchant, such as In My Tribe and Blind Man's Zoo--but Our Time in Eden was strange and fragmented, hard to understand. Merchant was so in love with writing odd lyrics that she forgot the main purpose of a song: to tell a story.
Mary's voice is beautiful, sweet and strong, and the title song "Love Among the Ruins" is just gorgeous. "Shining Light" is another strong song, and with this album it becomes clear that 10,000 Maniacs was never just about Merchant, though she'd have liked us to think so.
Natalie who?.......2005-10-02
I'm soooo sick and tired of the comparison of Mary Ramsey to Natalie Merchant. Mary's cover of Roxy Music's classic "More Than This" is, quite simply, beautiful. She does it in her own simple, smooth, and sultry style. As a matter of fact, her version was the first I'd ever heard of this peerless and dreamy song. Roxy Music's original will always be the best, but the 10,000 Maniacs version stands tall in its own right, too. Hey, there's a reason this song was such a popular radio play in the late 90's.
There's no need to be so harsh on Mary Ramsey's singing talents ... besides, most of her critics wish they could sing half as well as she can! So, enjoy this song and the album for what it is, a nice work from a talented group of musicians.
Beauty and the Past..........2005-08-15
Yep, I agree, let's leave the comparisons with Natalie out of the picture. This is a superb album, despite the all-too common lousy editorial review (where do Amazon find these clowns?)
I discovered this album by accident when I went into the TV room and was captivated by Mary's beauty in the band's cover of Bryan Ferry's stunnning song More Than This. It was only at the end of the video that I realized that it was the Maniacs.
This is an exceptional album, which stands on its own.
Stop the comparisons.......2005-07-31
I remember, back when this album was released in 1997, hearing a radio DJ, in an attempt to promote the album, proclaim, "Mary Ramsey sounds just like Natalie Merchant!!" And I remember thinking to myself, "No she doesn't; what in the world is he listening to?" Because it was just that kind of comparison, I think, which doomed this lineup of 10,000 Maniacs right from the start.
I will say that Mary Ramsey's voice is just as distinctive as Natalie Merchant's. But it is very different--neither better nor worse--just different. The rest of the band, though, sound like classic Maniacs. Their music reminds me more of their "Blind Man's Zoo" era than anything else.
But what is clear upon listening to this album is not only that Ramsey sounds different from Merchant, but that when Merchant left the band to pursue a solo career, she also took with her the band's social and political consciousness. The songs on this album lack the anti-war, pro-liberal, pro-feminist commentary that the earlier 10,000 Maniacs albums are known for (which demonstrates just how much of a powerful creative influence Merchant had over the band). Instead, we have a dozen of your typical mid-nineties adult-contemporary-style love songs. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but again, it makes for a very different "10,000 Maniacs experience". The songs here are pleasant, upbeat, and catchy.
When Merchant left the band and Ramsey was brought in, the wise thing to do would have been to give this new lineup a different name. That way, they could have had a fresh start without the never-ending (mostly negative) comparisons between Ramsey and Merchant. I think if that had happened, then the former Maniacs might have seen a lot more post-Merchant success than they did.
Because when you strip away all of the old-10,000 Maniacs baggage, when you free this band from their anxiety of influence, when you stop trying to compare Ramsey to Merchant, when you stop trying to compare this album to "Our Time in Eden" or "In My Tribe," when you are willing to listen to this band not as "10,000 Maniacs" but simply as a group of talented musicians, then you find that "Love Among the Ruins" really is a very good album that deserves to be judged by its own merits and not forever compared to a different lineup--indeed, a different band altogether.
Average customer rating:
- Great Stuff
- A Masterpiece That Defies Genre!!
- Hard rock prog that should be better known
- metal church guitar player progs on
- Metal Church guitarist goes progressive rock
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Peace Among the Ruins
Presto Ballet
Manufacturer: Inside Out U.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Progressive Rock
| Progressive
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Progressive Metal
| Progressive
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
Hard Rock
| Hard Rock & Metal
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Pop Rock
| Pop
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Similar Items:
- Milliontown
- Second Life Syndrome
- The Art of Navigating by the Stars
- Paradox Hotel
- Photoplay
ASIN: B0009JE5QW
Release Date: 2005-06-07 |
Tracks:
- Peace Among The Ruins 5:47
- The Fringes 7:34
- Seasons 3:39
- Find The Time 7:18
- Speed Of Time 5:50
- Sunshine 4:51
- Slave 5:33
- Bringin It On 6:43
Album Description
Presto Ballet is the new band from Kurdt Vanderhoof, who is well known for his work as a member of the legendary heavy metal band Metal Church. Presto Ballet is dedicated to melodic progressive rock and Peace Among The Ruins is an amazing debut album with sophisticated songwriting and tight production. The talented musicians and their careful choice of instruments, like Mellotron and Hammond Organ, make this album a must for every music lover.
Customer Reviews:
Great Stuff.......2006-04-22
For any progressive rock lover this is a must have. As other's have already said Presto Ballet is a mix of Dreamtheater, Kansas, Styx, Genesis etc. Every song is solid. Hope these guys come around. I'll definatly be there!!
A Masterpiece That Defies Genre!! .......2005-11-27
Let's just put it this way: if you love good music, you have to get this cd!! There is not a weak cut on the entire cd. From the Deep Purple Burn-Era opener "Peace Among The Ruins" through the Zeppelinesque "Find The Time"(sounds eerily like 'No Quarter'), this album is without doubt one of the best releases of 2005! Kurdt Vanderhoof has really outdone himself this time. Here's hoping that this is not just a 'one off' project.
Hard rock prog that should be better known.......2005-09-04
Excellent album. Someone else described it as "Styx meets Deep Purple", with some psychedelia thrown in for good measure. It has powerful guitars, wailing Hammonds, nice artful arrangement touches, great vocals, and a wonderfully big production. I definitely recommend this to anyone who misses the art-acid rock sound of the seventies.
metal church guitar player progs on.......2005-08-22
Ok, really now. If Vanderhoof can put out this high a quality prog album, what can't he do? Acid jazz anyone? This is a great album and the mighty V hits the mark. There is no need to tell you what bands they sound like as the reviewer before me did a fine job with that. It has a classic prog sound and any music wonk gearhead can find something to enjoy.
Metal Church guitarist goes progressive rock.......2005-07-23
Presto Ballet's Peace Among the Ruins strangely reminds me of one of my favourite bands Savatage. The name is similar to their Gutter Ballet album, whilst the title takes me back to Savatage's "Ghost in the Ruins" song on their Streets masterpiece. However, these similarities aside, Presto Ballet is a completely different entity. Put together by Metal Church guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, this record is his venture into 70's progressive rock with tons of analog keyboards, huge mellotron and Hammond organ sounds, 70's style drumming that focuses more on hands than feet and a great singer that will take you back to the glory days of Deep Purple mixed with Kansas, Yes, and Genesis.
The lineup on the album may not be the most well-known musicians, but they're no newcomers. Vocalist Scott Albright whose voice brings Dennis DeYoung from Styx to mind previously sang on Kurdt Vanderhoof's solo record while drummer Jeff Wade and bassist Brian Lake also have a touring history with Metal Church. On keyboards we have Brian Cokeley formerly of Earth, Quiet Riot and Vanilla Fudge fame. It's Cokeley who makes this disc so amazing actually. His retro sounds produced through his vast use of analog keys surround Vanderhoof's flowing guitar lines effectively providing the backbone of the music to a great extent. Most of the songs start off with slow, analog synths that are developed into energetic hard rock driven music thanks to a great singer and a powerful drum-bass combo. "Find the Time" has an amazing keyboard intro supported by an arpeggiated acoustic guitar melody and is eerily evocative of Yes' Close to the Edge era to these ears. Albright's vocals are at their emotional best as they soar over huge mellotron soundscapes.
Similarly, "Slave" continues to build on atmospheric mellotrons with a great guitar theme from Vanderhoof and possibly the most pounding bass section on the entire album. Brian Lake lays down a very impressive groove to this song. "Speed of Time" and the closing track "Bringin' It On" both have soft acoustic intros with great piano and synth passages again followed by some really heavy bass figures. "Speed of Time" is particularly to my liking as the song reminds me of Kansas in terms of its neat arrangement. Also note the magnificent drum solo that closes the track.
With all that said, the two most interesting cuts are the title song which is easily their most straightforward track - it's got a nice 70's vibe all over it and it's easy to notice that this is the band's nod to their 70's idols. On the other hand, the longest song "The Fringes" is also the most progressive and mindblowing piece on this disc. It's got everything you'd expect from a 70's-inspired prog rock band - analog keys with a very warm tone, super prog odd time signatures, a killer guitar solo from Vanderhoof that duels fiercely with Cokeley's keyboard run, and in closing, a nifty acoustic guitar that is so seamlessly hidden under a huge organ sound. Vanderhoof produced this record on his own and this song is proof that he's done a very good job. He also meant to revisit his past and pay tribute to his musical heroes, which he, without doubt, has achieved. Needless to say, a second Presto Ballet release would be more than welcome in the prog community.
Average customer rating:
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About a Hundred Years: A History of Sound Recording
Manufacturer: Symposium
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
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ASIN: B000001XXB
Release Date: 1997-12-16 |
Tracks:
- Mary Had a Little Lamb - Thomas Alva Edison
- I Am Dr. Brahms - Johannes Brahms
- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star - Emile Berliner
- Drinking - George Graham
- Vigan Vannak (They Are Merry) - Pege,
- Die Kleine Witwe (The Little Widow) - Carl Michael Ziehrer
- Aida: Celeste Aida - Enrico Caruso
- Stars and Stripes Forever - Sousa's Band
- Otello: Esultate - Francesco Tamagno
- Phe de Racine - Sarah Bernhardt
- Partita No. 1 in B Minor BWV 1002: Bourr- Joseph Joachim
- Komm, Lieber Mai: K.596 - Joseph Joachim
- Chant Venitien - Dame Nellie Melba
- Faust: Jewel Song - Adelina Patti
- Put Me Among the Girls - John Wakefield
- Danse Hongroise No.5 - Orchestre Cologne
- Thoughts from the Book "For Every Day" - Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy
- To Anthea - Sir Charles Santley
- Magnetic Rag - Scott Joplin
- Actual Recording of the Gas Shell Bombardment - Royal Garrison Artillery
- "What Is Soviet Power?" - Vladimir Ilich Lenin
- "Abide With Me"/Kipling's "Recessional" - Grenadier Guards
- St. Louis Blues - Original Dixieland Jazz Band
- National Anthem
- Waterboy (Convict Song) - Paul Robeson
- Mefistofele: Son Io Spirtro Di Nega - Fyodor Shaliapin
- Oh, For the Wings of a Dove - Choir of the Temple Church
- Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
- Phonovision Record
- Etude Op. 10 No. 12 "Revolutionary" - Ignace Jan Paderewski
- His Spiritual Message - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
- Flight of the Bumblebee - Jascha Heifetz
- Ansprache F BDer Wehrmacht - President vonHindenburg
- Turkish March from the Ruins of Athens - Josef Hofmann
- Prime Minister, The RT. Hon. Neville Chamberlain - Neville Chamberlain
- Der Freischverture - Sir Henry Joseph Wood
- Tonight, As the Nazis Look Out: Passo a Sei - Winston Churchill
- William Tell: Passo a Sei - The NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscannini
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Love Among The Ruins
Lies Damned Lies
Manufacturer: Siren
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000092AGB |
Average customer rating:
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Ruins
Cary Aria
Manufacturer: Caria Media
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General
| Alternative Rock
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
Rock
| Alternative Rock
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
ASIN: B00005RH70
Release Date: 2001-11-06 |
Tracks:
- A is for Alison
- Tongue Tied
- Draw
- Tattoo
- My Cliche
- You Can't Hide
- Scared
- Gasoline
- Where've You Been?
Album Description
I knew her for two and a half years, and although I didn't know it at the time, the songs I was writing were about her, and about us
The starry eyed beginning with all it's passion and lust
the ambiguous confusion when it leveled out, to the bitter end and it's crumbling ruins
Average customer rating:
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Among the Ruins
Manufacturer: Feather Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B00025448M
Release Date: 2005-07-19 |
Average customer rating:
- Walls Upon Walls of Ambient
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Among the Ruins
S.E.M; I
Manufacturer: BLC Productions
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Dance & DJ
| Styles
| Music
Electronica
| Dance & DJ
| Styles
| Music
General
| Alternative Rock
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
ASIN: B0000DC3WS
Release Date: 2003-09-16 |
Tracks:
- Frequency
- Love
- The Ruins (99 Mix)
- Emotion
- World of Fantasy
- Deprivation
- Earth Rotation (Extended Mix)
- True Creator
- Condemned (Dark City)
- Magnitude (Seizmik /SDS)
- Space Creature (Seizmik /SDS)
Album Description
ANYONE can make electronic music, but this is a BLC Productions disc and consequently we're treated to surreal landscapes, quickly unfolding in waves and crescendos with a tribal and untamed beat. Literally volleys of sound that hypnotically take the listener into this world of ruins. Experience it. Enjoy it.
Customer Reviews:
Walls Upon Walls of Ambient.......2005-02-04
I classify this as destructive ambience due to the fact that a lot of these tunes could go perfectly with a fight scene to a movie. SEMI has a lot going on for it, and if you're looking for some new ambience then i suggest you give SEMI a try.
Average customer rating:
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Life Among the Ruins
Virgin Steele
Manufacturer: Noise
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
Hard Rock & Metal
| Imports
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ASIN: B000QXDHCO
Release Date: 2007-08-20 |
Tracks:
- Sex Religion Machine
- Love Is Pain
- Jet Black
- Invitation
- I Dress In Black
- Crown Of Thorns
- Cage Of Angels
- Never Believed In Good-Bye
- Too Hot To Handle
- Love's Gone
- Wild Fire Woman
- Cry Forever
- Haunting The Last Hours
- Last Rose Of Summer
Average customer rating:
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Life Among The Ruins
Virgin Steele
Manufacturer: Noise
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Progressive Metal
| Progressive
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000LX85HQ |
Average customer rating:
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Love Among The Ruins
10 , and 000 Maniacs
Manufacturer: Geffen
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000LXQCLC |
Music:
- Bad Day, Pt. 1 [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]
- Bad Day, Pt. 2 [CD-single] [Import]
- Battered & Bruised
- By The Way [IMPORT] [EXTRA TRACKS]
- Corruption
- Different Jungles
- Digitalis Purpurea
- Disco & The Halfway to Discontent (+2 Bonus Tracks) [Import]
- Earth is Heaven A Meditational Journey
- Eat You Alive (Enhanced) [CD-single]
Music
music
Music
Burning From the Inside [Import]
Elgar, Delius: Violin Concertos
Handel: Cantates Romaines
Horace Morris Music
Cucamonga
Greatest Hits: My Prerogative
Go With the Flow
Elisabeth Boström: Triptyk
Girls Get in Free
From My Heart
From Paris with L-U-V [Live]
El Danzon de la Reina Isabel
Freestyle Gold [Import]
Boss of the Blues
One Cold Winter's Night