Complete Early Recordings (1927-1935)

On this CD:

1. Suite for solo cello No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009 Courante
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Andres Segovia

2. Prelude for lute in C minor, BWV 999
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Andres Segovia

3. Suite for lute in E minor, BWV 996 Allemande
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Andres Segovia

4. Sonata for solo violin No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001 Fuga
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Andres Segovia

5. Introduction, Theme, & Variations on a Theme From Mozart's "The Magic Flute, " for guitar, Op. 9
Composed by Fernando Sor
Performed by Andres Segovia

6. Work(s) Unspecified Sarabande (from Pieces for guitar)
Composed by Robert de Visee
Performed by Andres Segovia

7. Work(s) Unspecified Bourrée (from Pieces for Guitar)
Composed by Robert de Visee
Performed by Andres Segovia

8. Work(s) Unspecified Menuet (Pieces for Guitar)
Composed by Robert de Visee
Performed by Andres Segovia

9. Sonatina for guitar in A major Allegretto
Composed by Federico Moreno Torroba
Performed by Andres Segovia

10. String Quartet No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 12 Canzonetta
Composed by Felix Mendelssohn
Performed by Andres Segovia

11. Recuerdos de la Alhambra, for guitar
Composed by Francisco Tarrega
Performed by Andres Segovia

12. Sonata for guitar, Op 77 "Omaggio a Boccherini" Vivo e energico
Composed by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Performed by Andres Segovia

13. Suite española No.1, for piano, Op. 47, B. 7 Granada
Composed by Isaac Albeniz
Performed by Andres Segovia

14. Suite española No.1, for piano, Op. 47, B. 7 Sevilla
Composed by Isaac Albeniz
Performed by Andres Segovia

15. Suite castellana for guitar Fandanguillo
Composed by Federico Moreno Torroba
Performed by Andres Segovia

16. Preludio for guitar in E major
Composed by Federico Moreno Torroba
Performed by Andres Segovia

17. Nocturno for guitar in A minor
Composed by Federico Moreno Torroba
Performed by Andres Segovia

18. Fandanguillo, for guitar, Op 36
Composed by Joaquin Turina
Performed by Andres Segovia

19. Spanish Dances (12), in 4 volumes for piano (also arrangements), Op.37, H. 142 No.10, Melancolica
Composed by Enrique Granados
Performed by Andres Segovia

20. Andaluza (Playera) (No.5 of "Spanish Dances (12)"), various guitar & other non-piano arrangements No.5, Andaluza
Composed by Enrique Granados
Performed by Andres Segovia

21. Work(s) Unspecified Gigue (arranged for guitar)
Composed by Johann Jacob Froberger
Performed by Andres Segovia

22. Partita for solo violin No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006 Gavotte en rondeau
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Andres Segovia

23. Suite for solo cello No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 Prélude
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Andres Segovia

24. Etude for guitar in A
Composed by Francisco Tarrega
Performed by Andres Segovia

25. Serenata española for piano in F major
Composed by Joaquin Malats
Performed by Andres Segovia

26. Suite in A minor
Composed by Manuel Ponce
Performed by Andres Segovia

27. Folias de España, 20 variations and fugue for guitar
Composed by Manuel Ponce
Performed by Andres Segovia

28. Sonata for guitar No 3 in D minor
Composed by Manuel Ponce
Performed by Andres Segovia

Tracks:

I Left My Heart In San Francisco
Reincarnation Of a Lovebird
Peggy's Blue Skylight
Love Is a Dangerous Necessity
Blue Bird
Pithecanthropus Erectus

Tracks:

Reincarnation Of a Lovebird
Reincarnation Of a Lovebird
Reincarnation Of a Lovebird
Reincarnation Of a Lovebird
Peggy's Blue Skylight
Peggy's Blue Skylight
Peggy's Blue Skylight
Peggy's Blue Skylight
Blue Bird
Reprise
Love Is a Dangerous Necessity
Love Is a Dangerous Necessity
Pithecanthropus Erectus
Pithecanthropus Erectus
Pithecanthropus Erectus
Pithecanthropus Erectus
Pithecanthropus Erectus
Pithecanthropus Erectus

Amazon.com

Thankfully, the brains behind this double-disc reissue of two almost forgotten 1970 sessions determined that the first CD should be simply the six tracks originally released on the America label. The false starts and incomplete and alternate takes are left for the second disc. This way, the album closes properly -- in a fit of passion, with Mingus's sextet spinning intense yarns out of "Pithecanthropus Erectus," a tune un-recorded in the studio since 1956. Here, Jaki Byard gets a midnight solo, wobbling on the rails between his well-known clustering talent and his deeply lyrical bent. Bobby Jones on tenor, Charles McPherson on alto, and Eddie Preston on trumpet offer a variety of predispositions, mostly post-bop but certainly aware of the tonal advances Eric Dolphy made with Mingus. "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" is lovely, slightly tense - which helps with the drama, and "Peggy's Blue Skylight" is dynamic and lazily vigorous. As for the second disc, it's instructional in how Mingus the bandleader thought and led: beyond that, it's for the initiates only. Keep in mind that these tunes comprise the first studio album Mingus made after Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus and show the bassist returning to the forge, readying himself for the great stuff yet to come with George Adams and Don Pullen. --Andrew Bartlett

Product Description

This was recorded on October 31st 1970 in a single, sleepless night, the fleeting space of a session that took place almost undetected, and in a sort of urgent calm. The scene was a deserted Decca studio on the rue Beaujon, a stone's throw from the Champs-Élysées. From both a historical and a musical standpoint, this unexpected session it was anything but premeditated undeniably stands apart in the bassist's work; originally released as two records (Pithycanthropus Erectus and Blue Bird), and here reissued for the first time in its entire, intimate dramaturgy, the recordings constitute precious and moving testimony to one of the least-documented periods of his exceptional career; with hindsight, it was a period that saw the decisive moment when, after years of doubt and silence, Mingus found a new confidence, and his faith in his music; it was the instant when he began his final, creative resurrection.

Customer Reviews:

Fantasy released this in the 1970's.......2007-05-24

While acting like this has never been heard before in America, Fantasy (or maybe it was Milestone) released this music on 2 double albums in the early 1970's. It is a great set of music. This is my favorite version of Pithyecanthropus Erectus. Part of this session was also released on the French label Accord in 1985 and the CD was titled Charlie Mingus Pithycanthropus Erectus. Once again, it is truly a great set of Mingus music. If you like Mingus get it!

The Complete Early Recordings of Skip James

Average customer rating:

How could I rate this other that a 5?
awesome!
"I'd rather be dead and six feet in the ground..."
leaves you wanting more....
What can i say....wow!

The Complete Early Recordings of Skip James
Skip James
Manufacturer: Yazoo
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Delta Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Blues | Styles | Music

Traditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

Acoustic Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

Piano | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Delta Blues | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Complete Blind Willie Johnson
Avalon Blues : Complete 1928 Okeh Recordings
Complete Recorded Works of Son House & the Great Delta Blues Singers
The Best of Blind Lemon Jefferson
Complete Recorded Works (1928-1929)

ASIN: B000000G8L
Release Date: 1994-09-15

Tracks:

Devil Got My Woman
Cypress Grove Blues
Little Cow And Calf Is Gonna Die Blues
Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues
Drunken Spree
Cherry Ball Blues
Jesus Is A Mighty Good Leader
Illinois Blues
How Long 'Buck'
4 O'Clock Blues
22-20 Blues
Hard Luck Child
If You Haven't Any Hay Get On Down The Road
Be Ready When He Comes
Yola My Blues Away
I'm So Glad
What Am I To Do Blues
Special Rider Blues

Amazon.com

With an unmistakable falsetto delivery, Skip James created some of history's eeriest blues records. His blues sounds dark and mysterious, using odd tunings, structures, and rhythms, and exploring gloomy lyrical themes. Unlike other bluesmen of the day, James's music was personal and bleak, played for his own emotional release and not for purposes of entertainment. "Devil Got My Woman," "Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues," "Hard Luck Child," and "Special Rider Blues" convey sorrow and misery like few others can. Uptempo numbers such as the classic "I'm So Glad" and "Drunken Spree," which resembles the hillbilly traditional "Late Last Night," showcase his forceful guitar picking while rags "Little Cow and Calf" and the jumpy "How Long 'Buck'" feature his unique piano work. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

How could I rate this other that a 5?.......2007-03-27

This is an essential addition to any collection. Don't read reviews. Just get a copy. "I'm so glad" that I did.

awesome!.......2006-10-19

skip james is one of those true masters. there is so much to say about him, the way he sang, his funny tunings, the lyrics he wrote. he was an absolute genius. stay away from early recordings if you have a problem with lo-fi sound, but if you do you're cheating yourself. Amazing!!!

"I'd rather be dead and six feet in the ground...".......2006-07-02

Wow!!! This is history on CD!! One of the darkest, eeriest , blues recordings I've ever heard. Pop this in the player and you feel like you're out in a lonely bayou in the dead of night. "Devil Got My Woman Blues", "Cypress Grove Blues" are probably my favs on here. And while it is a shame that the sound quality of the recordings are subpar, after a few listens you don't even seem to notice. It gives it an earthy quality that if absence could probably take away the powerfullness of the songs.

leaves you wanting more...........2005-09-24

Skip James is wonderfully quirky in his interpretation of delta blues. These recordings comprise his entire output before the delta blues revivial in the early 60's, and as such, are priceless as a musical document. Too bad that the recording they obtained have deteriorated so badly. I have heard better versions on other collections. The piano work was cool, though.

What can i say....wow!.......2005-09-09

Yes, when i heard "Devil got my woman" while watching the movie "Ghost world" i was instantly mesmerised with that tune.

i feel very strongly for this album, this album has soul, it has a depth,it has such passion, and it hits me on an emotional level, it goes straight to my heart. very hypnotic, and ALL the tracks are masterpieces, i mean it.

plus, skip james voice is just incredible, can be compared to blind lemon jefferson's voice, but better, in my non-expert opinion.

Vladimir Horowitz, The Complete Masterworks Recordings 1962-1973, Volume VII: Early Romantics

Average customer rating:

The Schumann Kreisleriana is worth everything, and the Chopin is magical
Chopin + Schumann + Horowitz = Unforgettable Playing
Classic Chopin

Vladimir Horowitz, The Complete Masterworks Recordings 1962-1973, Volume VII: Early Romantics

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Vladimir Horowitz, Complete Masterworks Recordings 1962-1973, Vol. I: The Studio Recordings 1962-63
Late Russian Romantics
Vladimir Horowitz, Complete Masterworks Recordings 1962-1973, Vol. VI: Horowitz Performs Beethoven
Horowitz: The Historic Return Carnegie Hall 1965; The 1966 Concerts
The Complete Masterworks Recordings, Vol. 4: The Legendary 1968 TV Concert

ASIN: B00000290G
Release Date: 1994-07-19

Tracks:

Mazurka in A minor, Op. 17 No. 4: Lento, ma non troppo
Etude in G-flat major, Op. 10 No. 5: Vivace
Introduction & Rondo in E-flat major, Op. 16
Waltz in A minor, Op. 34 No. 2: Lento
Polonaise in A-flat Major, Op. 53: Maestoso
Mazurka in F-sharp minor, Op. 59 No. 3: Vivace
Mazurka in C-sharp minor, Op. 50 No. 3: Moderato
Mazurka in D-flat major, Op. 30 No. 3: Allegro non troppo
Mazurka in E minor, Op. 41 No. 2: Andantino
Mazurka in D major, Op. 33 No. 2: Vivace
Etude in C-sharp minor, Op. 10 No. 4: Presto
Etude in E major, Op. 10 No. 3: Lento, ma non troppo
Etude in C minor, Op. 10 No. 12: Allegro con fuoco
Prelude in B minor, Op. 28 No. 6: Lento assai

Tracks:

Posonaise in A major, Op. 40 No. 1: Allegro con brio
Prelude in D-flat major, Op. 28 No. 15: Sostenuto
Etude in E-flat minor, Op. 10 No. 6: Andante
Etude No. 2 in A-flat major from 'Trois Nouvelles Etudes': Allegretto
Mazurka in F minor, Op. 7 No. 3
Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2: Tempo giusto
Variations on a Theme by Clara Wieck from Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 14: Andantino
Kreisleriana, Op. 16: I. Auberst bewegt
Kreisleriana, Op. 16: II. Sehr innig
Kreisleriana, Op. 16: III. Sehr aufgeregt
Kreisleriana, Op. 16: IV. Sehr langsam
Kreisleriana, Op. 16: V. Sehr lebhaft
Kreisleriana, Op. 16: VI. Sehr langsam
Kreisleriana, Op. 16: VII. Sehr rasch
Kreisleriana, Op. 16: VIII. Schnell und spielend

Amazon.com essential recording

Schumann and Chopin were staples of Horowitz's repertory, and this late 1960s-early 1970s collection finds him at his mature peak, playing with elan and imaginative fantasy. The Kreisleriana is one of his greatest recordings, trumping rivals with its spectacular pianism and complete identification with the composer. The Chopin set typifies Horowitz's approach--big and bold, with personalized editorial emendations and an energy that shatters the conventional salon approach. But he also sings Chopin's touching melodies as few others can, making the lovely Op. 10 No. 3 Etude an achingly touching poem. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

The Schumann Kreisleriana is worth everything, and the Chopin is magical.......2005-12-20

This is a must have dual CD set of one of the great pianists of all time playing some of his favorite music. Later in life Horowitz made a TV show that became a best selling VHS tape entitled "Horowitz: The Last Romantic". If you ever heard him play, you know that title is appropriate and what the grand piano style was all about.

I have often referred to recordings of music as photographs of music. And just as photographs of people a wonderfully valuable, they are not the real person and do not capture the real person. Even a movie or documentary distorts the reality of the person. Still, we treasure our home movies, photos, and recordings. And we should. We just need to remember what they really are and that they are representations of reality (or of fictions if that is what they are) rather than real life.

It was my good fortune to hear Horowitz in recital three times; twice here in Ann Arbor and once in East Lansing. While I have heard dozens of great pianists, and hundreds of very fine quality, Horowitz (and Rubenstein) had a special charisma that was totally involving. His playing had special qualities that were unique to him. He played more quietly and yet was able to send that whisper of sound to the farthest rows in Hill Auditorium. I believe the secret of his power was that he had so many shades of pianissimo. While we clearly here a great dynamic range in these recordings, the compressed nature of recordings cannot capture the full range of what we heard in live performance.

The other thing he had was the ability to not only keep the voices clear in the music he was playing, but to give each voice its own character and sound. The recording of Schumann's fabulous Opus 16, Kreisleriana included here captures this ability to a stunning degree. This recording should be in your collection and studied carefully. While these phantasies are full of contrasts that make listening to them seemingly easy, there is so much quality and interesting music that they will reward as much close listening and study as you can lavish on them.

The other Schumann work included is the "Variations on a theme by Clara Wieck" (who became Schumann's wife and was a superb and important pianist).

The Chopin pieces included here are a wonderful collection of etudes, mazurkas, the two famous polonaises, preludes, waltzes, and the wonderful but not often heard "Introduction and Rondo in E-flat major Op 16". These are all full of magic and will hold your imagination closely. I find myself saying, "Oh, I LOVE this piece" and then the next one comes on, and I say the same thing again and then again for the next one. They are all pieces I have learned to play or want to learn (like the Intro & Rondo).

Get a hold of these disks if you can. Just a number of wonderful listening experiences.

Chopin + Schumann + Horowitz = Unforgettable Playing.......2003-04-12

Volume Seven of Sony's Horowitz reissue contains very convincing performances of Chopin and Schumann, Romantic composers whose music was sympathetic to the pianist's interpretive style.

It was not uncommon for Horowitz to bring to light a rarely played work by a well known composer, which is the case with Chopin's Introduction & Rondo in E-flat. This early composition (probably written for Chopin's most advanced pupils) abounds with glittery passagework and technical configurations similar to his Concertos (which Horowitz never recorded). Under Horowitz's hands, the work exceeds the boundaries of mere salon piece and emerges as a virtuoso tour de force.

Horowitz (who had a Polish grandmother and was fond of pointing out that he was "half as much a Pole as Chopin") considered the Mazurkas to be Chopin's greatest works, and often stated that there was more music in the shortest Chopin Mazurka than in the longest Mahler Symphony. The pianist treated the Mazurkas less as dance pieces than as "dance-fantasies" and his playing of the works was freer than the more straightforward Rubinstein. Highlights of this set include a seductive F-sharp Minor, Op. 59 No. 3.

Horowitz made several recordings of the ever popular A-flat Polonaise, and this one adheres most closely to Chopin's text. The introduction is very sparsely pedalled (as if Horowitz were saying "Look! I can play the tricky introduction without using the pedal to cover up insufficient fingerwork. Take THAT, Rubinstein!"). The remainder of the piece goes with gusto and flair (too fast to be a Maestoso), but he somehow misses the grandeur which Rubinstein brought to the piece--and which Horowitz himself would attain in his last years. The A-major Polonaise is also taken at a fast clip, but this somehow seems more appropriate to this work, and one is reminded of Chopin's remark that if he were able to play the piece the way he meant it to be played, the piano would lay in ruins afterward.

If anyone thought Horowitz, then approaching 70, had lost any of his fire, their worries were quickly dispelled with the Etudes included here. The C-sharp Minor goes at a rapid clip, but unlike many pianists, there is no loss of clarity. The famous Revolutionary Etude is given a more outwardly virtuosic performance then the pianist's 1963 recording, yet somehow the piece has less impact here.

The ubiquitous C-sharp Minor Waltz is from the Boston concert of April 7, 1968. Three days previously, the Reverend Martin Luther King had been murdered in Memphis. At the beginning of this concert, Horowitz came onstage with an African-American minister, and played Chopin's Funeral March in memory of Dr. King.

Horowitz learned Shumann's Kreisleriana in the 1930s, but did not play it in public until 1968. Several attempts to record the work in concert were not successful, and Horowitz came to the conclusion that he needed the peace and quiet of a recording studio to achieve the concentration for a performance suitable for posterity. Horowitz recorded the work at one inspired session on December 1, 1969, and this may well be the most successful Kreisleriana ever recorded. Ironically, Horowitz, who often had trouble holding together a Beethoven Sonata, makes this structurally splintered work emerge as one piece. This is one Kriesleriana which is never rambling or boring. There is virtuosity here, but never for its own sake, and there is poetry in plenty. This stands alongside the 1932 Liszt Sonata and 1951 Rachmaninoff Third Concerto as one of Horowitz's greatest recordings. However, it should be pointed out that this reissue of Kriesleriana uses a few alternate takes, which are markedly different from the original LP and an earlier CD issue (MK42409). Although the performance is basically similar, there are several differences in detail.

Schumann's Variations on a Theme by Clara Wieck, originally included as a filler for the Kriesleriana record, is given a straightforward reading here. It a lovely little work, but it is even more beautiful in its original context: as the third movement from the composer's Sonata in F Minor, another rarely played work Horowitz would bring to light in 1975.

The sound is more than acceptable here, and especially fine in the Schumann works.

Classic Chopin.......2000-11-23

Volume Seven of Vladimir Horowitz's "Complete Masterworks Recordings" ("Early Romantics") compiles almost two discs worth of classic Chopin performances. There's a little bit of everything here -- Polonaises, Etudes, Mazurkas and Preludes, but sadly no Nocturnes. The Chopin renditions here are as good as, if not better than, anything available -- Rubinstein, Kissin, Pollini and Cliburn included. And just when you thought the highlight of this collection was the Chopin material, on come two amazing pieces by Schumann, "Variations on a Theme by Clara Wreck" and "Kreislerania." The latter piece is a particular favorite of mine -- a wild and turbulent, and at times poetic and lovely, masterpiece which Horowitz captures in all its brilliance. In all, "Early Romantics" is a thoroughly enjoyable couple of discs that anyone should love.

The Legendary Ray Kane: Complete Early Recordings

Average customer rating:

The Legendary Ray Kane: Complete Early Recordings
Ray Kane
Manufacturer: Hana Ola Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

Hawaii | Pacific Islands | International | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Legendary Leonard Kwan
Wa'ahila
Punahele
Endlessly
Black Sand

ASIN: B0000AM6GL
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Tracks:

Na Hoa He'e Nalu
Wai O Ke Aniani
Pau Sadinia
Punahele
Nani Wale Lihu'e/Wai'alae/Halona
Keiki Slack Key
Hi'ilawe
Wa'ahila
'Ulupalakua
Maui Chimes
Kila Kila O Haleakala
Meleana E (Kane's Mele)
Wa'ahila
Willy's Tune
Moana Chimes
Hawaiian Reverie
Punahele
Auwe

The Early Years: The Complete Liberty Recordings Plus More

Average customer rating:

The growing pains of a legend

The Early Years: The Complete Liberty Recordings Plus More
Willie Nelson
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

Nashville Sound | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

Outlaw & Progressive Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | R&B | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000008IUY
Release Date: 1994-05-03

Tracks:

Night Life
Rainy Day Blues
Touch Me
Wake Me When It's Over
Hello Walls
Funny How Time Slips Away
Crazy
Part Where I Cry
Mr. Record Man
Three Days
One Step Beyond
Undo the Right
Darkness on the Face of the Earth
Where My House Lives
How Long Is Forever [Version #1]
Country Willie
Go Away
Waiting Time
You Wouldn't Cross the Street to Say Goodbye
There's Gonna Be Love in My House
Take My Word [Version #1]
There Goes a Man
Columbus Stockade Blues [Version #1] - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson
Our Chain of Love - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson
Willingly - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson
Columbus Stockade Blues [Version #2] - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson
You Dream About Me - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson
Is This My Destiny? - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson
Together - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson
Columbus Stockade Blues [Version #3] - Shirley Collie, Willie Nelson

Tracks:

How Long Is Forever [Version #2]
You Took My Happy Away [Version #1]
Roly Poly
Half a Man
Lonely Little Mansion
Last Letter
Second Fiddle
Take My Word [Version #2]
Right or Wrong
Feed It a Memory
Let Me Talk to You
Way You See Me
Things I Might Have Been
Home Motel
Opportunity to Cry
You Took My Happy Away [Version #2]
I Hope So [Original Version]
River Boy [Original Version]
At the Bottom [Original Version]
Cold War With You
Seasons of My Heart
Blue Must Be the Color of the Blues
Am I Blue
There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight
Take Me as I Am (Or Let Me Go)
Tomorrow Night (You'll Have Another Sweetheart)
I'll Walk Alone
You Wouldn't Cross the Street to Say Goodbye [Overdubbed Version]
I Hope So [Overdubbed Version]
River Boy [Overdubbed Version]
At the Bottom [Overdubbed Version]

Customer Reviews:

The growing pains of a legend.......2005-06-07

There aren't a lot of country "hits" here ("Willingly",a duet with Shirley Collie, #10-1962, "Touch Me" #7-1962, "Half a Man" was #25-1963, and "I Hope So" scraped in at #36-1969) but Allison blames that on mismanagement in the liners: "The first album worked [AND THEN I WROTE] because it sounded like him." Allison left the label shortly after signing him and Willie's new producer Tommy Allsup smothered Willie's voice in "Nashville Sound" strings and backing vocals.

Whether this was because he felt that sound was more "commercial" (String-flooded Eddy Arnold and Jim Reeves records were big then...) or because Allsup thought Willie's voice was weak and he wanted to hide it depends on what version of history you want to believe. (Willie thinks the latter..) This is how the outlaw sounded before he made his "jailbreak" in Austin.

The 2 CD set includes 15 previously unreleased tracks (all but 4 are alternate takes/mixes) for the diehards. As far as liners go, you get a 10 page barebones bio with discography. They tell the bare bones story of Willie's move from Vancouver to Nashville but it's 3rd person..no new quotes or song by song commentary from Willie himself.

HIGHLIGHTS:
"Wake Me When it's Over" is a nice honky-tonk weeper (though I could do without the ooh-ing female backing vocals). Hearing "Crazy" in its first rendition is sort of spooky: Patsy Cline slavishly copied Willie down to the phrasing in her hit. I realize "Willingly" was the hit duet but for my money Willie and labelmate Shirley Collie's "Is this my destiny?" is a more compelling song. On disc 2,"How Long is Forever (Version #2)" finds Willie questioning an on-again,off-again lover. Willie croons "Let me Talk to You" over a whisper-soft pedal steel and hi-hat. The poor boy, rich girl tale of "River Boy (Overdubbed version)" is the rare tune that succeeds because of the flourishes...it doesn't sound "finished" without the strings and other touches.

LOWS:
"Hello Walls" and "Funny How Time Slips Away" are hacked to bits thanks to the cooing background singers heard here. They're easy listening schmaltz. "There Goes a Man" is a great lyric (Willie regretting stealing another man's woman..empathizing with his loss) but the band can't begin to follow his vocal. "Together" has a horribly simplistic lyric and the xylophone part makes it sound even more like children's music. The cocktail lounge vibe of "Am I Blue?" may be the downright nadir of this set. And as far as the oozing strings go on "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight", are you SURE Hank done it that way? (Sorry...the joke was too easy..)

BOTTOM LINE:
There are a few great tunes here but most are mediocre if pleasant and a few are outright countrypolitan clunkers. For all the bellowing some country fans make about bland modern "pop country", some of the songs on Disc 2 sound like Mantovani with a little bit of twang. The packaging is alright but nothing special.

If you're new to Willie, do NOT start here. Try out 16 BIGGEST HITS to get your first taste and move on to individual albums next (STARDUST and RED HEADED STRANGER are suggested.) This box is not for everyone.

Average customer rating:

Straight from the heart
unbelievable
Not quite complete recordings...

Complete Early Recordings
Reverend Gary Davis
Manufacturer: Yazoo
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Delta Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Blues | Styles | Music

Traditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

Acoustic Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Traditional Blues | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Demons and Angels: The Ultimate Collection
Complete Recorded Works (1928-1929)
Harlem Street Singer
Blues & Ragtime
Avalon Blues : Complete 1928 Okeh Recordings

ASIN: B000000G8N
Release Date: 1994-09-15

Tracks:

I Belong To The Band-Hallelujah!
The Great Change In Me
The Angel's Message To Me
I Saw The Light
Lord, Stand By Me
I Am The Light
O Lord, Search My Heart
Have More Faith In Jesus
You Got To Go Down
I Am The True Vine
Twelve Gates To The City
You Can Go Home
I'm Throwin' Up My Hand
Cross And Evil Woman Blues
I Can't Bear My Burden By Myself
Meet Me At The Station

Customer Reviews:

Straight from the heart.......2003-06-24

Impassioned gospel-blues from one of the foremost streetsinging preachers and bluesmen. The songs are taken from old 78's so there is some minor hiss present, but the power of Davis' voice and the ringing of his fingerstyle guitar distracts you from any imperfections in the source material. A minor quibble: the liner notes are generally good at explaining Davis' career and playing style of this time, but never breaks down when each song was recorded and other useful track info.

If your oldtime blues collection could use a little religion, then the Complete Early Recordings of Rev. Gary Davis is a pretty good place to start.

unbelievable.......2001-10-12

Reverend Gary Davis. These are the earliest known recordings of THE MAN. His guitar skill truly must be heard to be believed. At points I swear there are at least two or three seperate guitars, but it's all coming out of him. Simply incredible.
Most people may be familiar only with his later stuff, but for my money this is the gold. A musician just getting first exposure, like college athletes in a way, always have something to prove, and it shows well on this disc. Mostly gospel and ragtime tunes, the Reverend was not particularly fond of straight-up blues, but his style and skill will surely impress anyone with an interest in blues, guitar, or plain musicianship. Outstanding. One of my most deserved 5 stars.

Not quite complete recordings..........1999-11-24

It's strange that a CD, advertising itself as the 'complete' early recordings of this brilliant (and very influential) ragtime guitarist, should in fact, be lacking several of them - where have "I wish I could see" or "I am the light of the world" gone, for example? Still, it is a fine showcase of Rev. Davis' early recordings; but it could have, and possibly should have been better. It would have taken little effort to add the remaining titles, and there's certainly enough room on the CD.

Country Blues: Complete Early Recordings

Average customer rating:

not for the faint of heart.
greil marcus is a pompous idiot, but dock boggs is great
Classic old-time country blues
Get Out of the Graveyard
Bone chilling folk music from the backwoods

Country Blues: Complete Early Recordings
Dock Boggs
Manufacturer: Revenant Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

Traditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Country | Styles | Music

Old-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Appalachian | North America | International | Styles | Music

General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Dock Boggs: His Folkways Years 1963-1968
The High Lonesome Sound
Greenback Dollar: 1929-1933
An Untamed Sense of Control
Music From The Lost Provinces: Old-Time Stringbands From Ashe County, North Carolina & Vicinity 1927-1931

ASIN: B000001Z3Y
Release Date: 1998-02-17

Tracks:

Sugar Baby
Down Home Blues
Country Blues
Sammie, Where Have You Been So Long?
Danville Girl
Pretty Polly
New Prisoner's Song
Hard Luck Blues
Lost Love Blues
Will Sweethearts Know Each Other There?
Old Rub Alcohol Blues
False Hearted Lover's Blues
Lost Love Blues (Unissued Alternate Take #1)
Will Sweethearts Know Each Other There? (Unissued Alternate Take #1)
Old Rub Alcohol Blues (Sole Unissues Alternate Take)
Lost Love Blues (Unissued Alternate Take #2)
Will Sweethearts Know Each Other There? (Unissued Alternate Take #2)
Peddler & His Wife - Dock Boggs/Hayes Shepherd
Hard For To Love - Dock Boggs/Hayes Shepherd
Bound Steel Blues - Dock Boggs/Bill Shephard
Aunt Jane Blues - Dock Boggs/Bill Shephard

Amazon.com

With his dark genius lauded by the literary likes of Greil Marcus in this compilation's accompanying 64-page hardcover booklet, Dock Boggs is remembered as a grim and tortured man who barely managed to save his soul with a banjo and a handful of songs. Originally recorded in the late 1920s, this collection illuminates the history of murder ballads like "Pretty Polly" from their origins in the English countryside to their more contemporary expressions (see "Polly" by Nirvana). While Boggs experienced popularity when these recordings were made, he retired from music for more than 30 years until being "rediscovered" in the early 1960s. Along with 12 classic Boggs performances, Country Blues includes five unreleased outtakes and four cuts with Dock as an instrumental sideman. --Mitch Myers

Customer Reviews:

not for the faint of heart........2007-04-05

well, this disc fascinates me. I didn't much care for it during my first listen. put it away for a few months & came back to it. by about the 3rd play it was striking a chord in me. this is not easy listening. not by a long shot. if you are going to succeed in liking this cd, you are going to have to have a certain level of tolerance for unusual voices. this man was no honey-throated songbird. usually i have a hard time describing unique voices with words, but in this case it seems easy: when mr boggs sings he sounds like an alcoholic uncle whom you would not trust around your children. i realize this is not sounding like a high recommendation (i do like this disc - i gave it four stars), i just think you should have a clear idea of what you might be getting into here. this is rural folk music with a raw and vital vibe to it. though sounding drunk and demented mr boggs fascinates, and he plays a mean banjo, to boot. lots of excellent banjo on this disc. but back to that voice: i will insist that some of these old tunes are best suited by a voice such as this. take "pretty polly," for example. now, if you are not familiar with old mountain ballads, you might think "pretty polly," that sounds like a nice song; but, if you are familiar with these ballads, you will see that title and think "uh-oh! pretty polly is surely going to die." and of course, die she does. mr boggs sings about murdering her, and he sounds just right for the role. someone like say, oh, how about johnny mathis, could not pull this song off convincingly. this is a truly disturbing song and it deserves a distrubed sounding man to do it justice. now i know next to nothing about doc boggs, the man (i have not even read the lengthy linear notes that come with this disc). maybe he was a great fella. i hope so. but i am saying "he truly sounds like a rural maniac." so that's part of the reason that this disc now fascinates me. that and all the fine music on it. i don't really have time to go further with this now; i have a life and you have a life. we need to get on with things. buy this, or don't. thanks for hearing me out.

greil marcus is a pompous idiot, but dock boggs is great.......2007-02-10

Greil Marcus's American Studies/Joe Campbell influenced "old wierd America" nonsense does a terrible disservice to roots artists like Dock Boggs. A working man who played the banjo and sang old timey blues-drenched folk material in an eerie croak, Boggs is one of the godfathers of American roots music. But Marcus, in his dreadful essay on Boggs which is included in this otherwise beautifully packaged CD/Booklet, tries to turn Boggs into a mythic figure. This is the same hero-worshipping schoolboy mindset that fantasized Robert Johnson as a devotee of Satan. Ironically, Marcus is projecting a showbiz framework (where musicians must be "legends" -- so they may be sold as pure media images) onto musicians who were community entertainers in the days before music was a plastic fantasy world. Boggs is no myth, his humanity is one of the greatest lessons he has to teach us in a world where superstar worship strips away any human relation between artists and their audience. Listen to Dock Boggs for yourself, don't let Marcus pollute your appreciation of this great roots artist.

Classic old-time country blues.......2006-08-31

This release was almost willed into existence, firstly by the attention given to the singer by Greil Marcus in 'Invisible Republic', his 1997 study of Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes and their dependence on the 1952 Folkways Anthology, and secondly by the re-release of that Anthology on CD and the subsequent singling out for special praise of the two Boggs songs it included. Although Boggs's original twelve recordings have been available on a Folkways album for some time, this CD, with all known alternate takes as well as contributions from associated musicians, contains much more.

Moran Lee 'Dock' Boggs was a coal miner from Virginia who played banjo and sang with a strong nasal twang some of the most intensely haunting white blues of the 1920s, rivalling many a black blues singer in fervour and pain. There is a strong sense of more ancient traditions, both white and black, in his performances. He listened to the recordings of black singers, such as Rosa Henderson and Sara Martin, and adapted some of their songs, including 'Down South Blues', 'Sugar Blues' and 'Mistreated Mama Blues', into his own repertoire. Others, like 'Pretty Polly', 'Danville Girl', and 'Sammie, Where Have You Been So Long?', come from the white tradition.

Boggs recorded the first eight tracks on this album for Brunswick in 1927, accompanied on most songs by Hub Mahaffey on guitar. The following four songs, and the alternate takes, were recorded for the small Virginia label Lonesome Ace in 1929. Both 'Old Rub Alcohol Blues' and 'False Hearted Lover's Blues' from this date use the same tune as the more successful 'Country Blues'. Boggs was backed on this session by the guitar of Emry Arthur, who composed and recorded 'Man Of Constant Sorrow' for Paramount in 1929, a song covered by Dylan on his first album. Dock Boggs was not to record again until after his rediscovery in the 1960s when three new albums were issued by Folkways, and these are also now available on CD.

The final four tracks of this album feature the brothers Bill and Hayes Shepherd from Kentucky, singing in the typical 'high-lonesome' style associated with that state. Hayes, in particular, exhibits an intense delivery similar to that of Dock Boggs on his outstanding pair of performances included here.

Sound quality is pretty good, but surface noise is intrusive on certain tracks, and I can't help feeling that someone such as John R T Davies could have achieved a better standard of remastering. There is a certain quirkiness in the programming, since two-minute periods of silence are provided, to separate the alternate takes from the original releases, and the Shepherd brothers from Dock Boggs. An unnecessary measure, which proves to be quite irritating on repeated playings of the disc.

The CD comes inside a 64-page hardback booklet, cunningly designed to be just too tall to fit onto conventional CD shelving. The external sleeve notes and track listing detach themselves when the cellophane outer wrapper is removed, and are then presumably intended for disposal, since there is no way of re-securing them to the package. It is also difficult to remove and re-insert the CD into its rough cardboard sleeve, attached inside the rear cover. The booklet includes detailed notes by Greil Marcus, adapted from 'Invisible Republic', and also by Jon Pankake, and lyrics are provided to all twelve of Boggs's songs. Photographs are included, but their reproduction is faint. Given the attention that has been lavished in other areas, a discography is almost conspicuous by its absence, and would have been a useful addition. The music itself is superb, and this CD is an essential acquisition for all lovers of old-time music. But beware of the eccentric packaging.

Get Out of the Graveyard.......2004-03-04

Beautifully packaged treatment of Dock's 1920s recordings. Kind of a banjo flailing hillbilly Robert Johnson. Sidenote, I actually met Dock when I was a child, he was a friend of my pawpaw's. They worked in the coalmines together and was wild together back in the old days. I had no idea Dock even played an instrument until I read a book by Greil Marcus years later...

Bone chilling folk music from the backwoods.......2003-11-07

Great music, like great movies, has atmosphere and tactile presence. You can just imagine what Boggs' contemporaries thought about these songs. There is a seriousness and a pervading sense of doom that must have shocked and compelled his early audiences. The old power is still there.

Handel The Water Music in Three Suites Complete

Average customer rating:

Handel The Water Music in Three Suites Complete

Manufacturer: Musically Speaking
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Mozart Symphony No. 40, Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter"

ASIN: B0000B383H
Release Date: 1983-11-12

Album Description

The Water Music in Three Suites Complete. Handel's Water Music is a collection of short orchestral pieces composed to serenade King George I of England during a boating party on the Thames river in 1717. The music is grouped into three suites, each featuring different instrumental colors and having its own distinct character. The individual movements that comprise these suites include overtures, fanfares, instrumental arias and dances. Each CD package includes two CDs. The first, a Musical Performance Disk, features the top performers and symphony orchestras in the world, performing the best-loved music from the classical music Greats.

Accompanying the Musical Performance Disc is a Conductor's Guide on a separate CD. Here, Maestro Gerard Schwarz discusses the musical performances in depth--movement by movement, section by section--using examples from the recorded performances. There's no better, more enjoyable way to get a basic education in classical music.