Silver City

Amazon.com
Don't be fooled by the steel guitar on practically every track. This spirited debut by Boston's Sarah Borges owes more to punk rock than honky-tonk, with an attitude closer to Chrissie Hynde than Patsy Cline. "Good things come to those who can't wait," sings Borges on the opening "All This Weight." She proceeds to bring a breathy urgency to highlights such as "Daniel Lee" and "On the Corner," matching the joyride recklessness of her backing musicians (including Jake Brennan & the Confidence Men and Blood Oranges mandolinist Jimmy Ryan). Though propulsive rockers dominate this Paul Q. Kolderie production, there's a tender vulnerability to "Mellow Doubt" and "Pious Proud," ballads that suggest a softer side to Borges. Amid all the songs of fast living and hard loving, her torchy reading of "I'm Going to Live the Life I Sing About in My Song" gives it a spin that gospel composer Thomas Dorsey never intended. --Don McLeese

Product Description
A stunning set of songs exploring American music in all its many aspects. You'll hear everyone from Hank Williams to The Pixies, but it never sounds forced. Legendary producer Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Uncle Tupelo, Hole, Pixies) pulls it all together into a muscular, rocking sound that has a sometimes surprisingly tender core. Borges' songwriting range is most impressive in someone so young, and the songs are given ample breathing room by her band, which includes ex-Blood Oranges multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Ryan. "Silver City" is sure to emerge as one of the most striking debuts of the year.

Silver City,Sarah Borges,Blue Corn Music,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

Silver City

Average customer rating:

Sparse genious.
+ 1/2 stars...Acoustic Versions of Pre-Fame Joe Ely Songs
New recordings of great older songs

Silver City
Joe Ely
Manufacturer: Rack'Em Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000NJXC6C
Release Date: 2007-04-10

Tracks:

Silver City
Santa Rosa / St. Augustine
Indian Cowboy
Wounded Knee
Cloister Mountain
Time For Travelin
I Know Will Never Be Mine
Drivin' 'Cross Russia
Windy Windy Windy
Billy Boy

Customer Reviews:

Sparse genious........2007-06-15

I saw Joe Ely with Joel Guzmán in concert three or four years ago. It was fabulous. This record shows that spirit. It is a studio recording, so the sound is perfect and current. Excellent.

+ 1/2 stars...Acoustic Versions of Pre-Fame Joe Ely Songs.......2007-06-05

Joe Ely turned 60 last February, and it must have invigorated him. During the previous decade he only released two studio albums (1998's TWISTIN' IN THE WIND and 2003's STREETS OF SIN). We're not even half way through 2007 and Ely's already released his second album of the year. First was the February release of HAPPY SONGS FROM RATTLESNAKE GULCH (on his own label RACK 'Em Records) and now SILVER CITY just months later. Both albums came about as a result of Ely's first published book earlier this year, "Bonfire of Roadmaps," which consists of Ely's journal entries from a life on the road.

All of the songs on SILVER CITY pre-date his 1977 MCA self-titled debut. However, while these songs were all written during the span of 1968 to 1973 (hence the photo of a very young smirking Joe Ely on the cover), they are all new recordings. According to Ely, "Cloister Mountain" and "Billy Boy" (the longest song by far at 7:27) were the earliest songs, with "Silver City" being the most recent. [Note: Two of these songs have appeared in full band arrangements on earlier albums. "Time for Travelin'" was on 1979's DOWN ON THE DRAG, and "Silver City" was on 1987's LORD OF THE HIGHWAY. In addition, "Indian Cowboy" was on the 2004 Flatlander's album WHEELS OF FORTUNE with Butch Hancock handling vocals.]

But on this album, all songs are presented in an acoustic format with Ely accompanying himself on guitar. ("Cloister Mountain" adds harmonica, and "Windy Windy Windy" includes accordion.) These unplugged renditions provide an intimacy to these songs and provide a glimpse into Ely's formative years as a songwriter. For fans (including me) who enjoyed such albums as JOE ELY and HONKY TONK MASQUERADE, this is a welcome addition. [Running Time - 35:41] HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

New recordings of great older songs.......2007-06-04

I thought from the packaging that this was going to be old recordings from joes early days.Instead we get Joe and Mr. Guzman with fresh,invigorated versions of older songs,many new to me at a great price.Dont pass this up.

Average customer rating:

Not all the arias were her best
DIDN'T QUITE FULFIL MY REQUEST
Fair Enough
Fleming's High Points Well Covered in Compilation CD
Beautiful indeed!

Renee Fleming: By Request
Vincenzo Bellini , Alfredo Catalani , Antonin Dvorak , George Gershwin , Erich Wolfgang Korngold , Jules Massenet , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Giacomo Puccini , Sergey Rachmaninov , Richard Rodgers , Richard Strauss , Giuseppe Verdi , Heitor Villa-Lobos , Georg Solti , James Levine , Jeffrey Tate , Patrick Summers , Sir Charles Mackerras , Lee Ritenour , Chamber Orchestra of Europe , and Renee Fleming
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000C3ICO
Release Date: 2003-09-16

Tracks:

O Mio Babbino Caro
Ebben? ... Ne Andro Lontana
Porgi, Amor
Come Scoglio
Casta Diva
E Strano...Ah Fors E Lui...Sempre Libera
Un Bel Di Vedremo
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Mesicku Na Nebi Hlubokem (O Silver Moon)
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Bachianas Brasileiras No.5: Aria (Cantilena)
You'll Never Walk Alone

Amazon.com

This is a compilation--plus three previously unreleased selections--of some of the glorious Renée Fleming's finest work, 15 selections covering 13 composers. The rose-in-full-bloom quality of the voice is staggeringly beautiful: Her rendition of Rusalka's "Song to the Moon" is justly famous and is, alone, worth the price of this CD. Other highlights are Marietta's Lied from Korngold's Die tote stadt, an odd arrangement of the aria from Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasilerias No. 5, Manon's Gavotte, and a knock-down-gorgeous reading of Gershwin's "Summertime." The three new recordings are of Violetta's big first-act scene from La traviata, which features one of the most perfect trills heard since Joan Sutherland, a thrilling Cäcilie (R. Strauss), and a version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" which is so over the-top that it might make you look away in embarrassment. On the basis of this CD, one would have to acknowledge that Fleming is more interested in--and more successful at--pure singing than she is at character delineation (Butterfly sounds oddly like Wally who sounds too much like Norma), but it's not hard to tell why she's a superstar. Her voice and technique are one in a million. --Robert Levine

Album Details

"by Request" is a Collection of Fleming's Greatest and Most Popular Recordings Including Works by Mozart, Bellini, Pucchini, Verdi and Dvorak. Featuring Recordings from Renee Fleming's Outstanding Decca Discography Together with Two Glorious Tracks Strauss "Cacilie" and Verdi's "la Traviata" a Role Fleming Performed to Critical Aclaim Earlier in 2003.

Customer Reviews:

Not all the arias were her best.......2005-01-15

There is something lacking. Although most of these are indeed her "Best" releases, some things could have been left out. Her O Mio Babbino Caro and her Casta Diva weren't her best efforts at all. Casta Diva, sung to perfection by other revered artists, sounded too breathy and fearful here. It has good chest notes, and it is definitely better than Joan Sutherland's Norma though. Her O Mio Babbino Caro is the usual aria sung in its usual way, without leaving any trace of awe at an ability of a singer to interpret the aria. Rachmaninov's Vocalise was good, and it was great of Decca to release her Song to the Moon on this disc. However, some new additions weren't all that good as well. For example, if you listen to her excerpt from La Traviata, you will find that she sounds like she was singing jazz when uttering out "Gioir!". I think Decca should have issued the live performance version of this instead. That was so much better. Also, they should have showcased more of the bel canto repertoire she had specialized in. That would have made this CD a gem!

DIDN'T QUITE FULFIL MY REQUEST.......2004-11-22

THIS CD DEFINITELY BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN HER REPERTOIRE. SHE IS SOLID, WARM, AND BRILLIANT ON MOST OF THE SONGS. SINCE I OWN MANY OF HER CDS MOST OF THE TRACKS I HAVE IN DUPLICATE. EVEN SO EACH VERSION HAS A DIFFERENT FEEL TO IT. HER "O MIO" IS GREAT BUT GENERALLY I FEEL THAT KIRI TE KAWANA IS A LITTLE CLEARER THAN RENEE. HER "Ebben?...Ne Andrò Lontana" IS ALWAYS BRILLIANT FROM HER HIGH ENDS TO THE NECESSARY LOW NOTES TO FINISH THIS GLORIOUS TRACK. HER COUNTESS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A STRONG AND POWERFUL CHARACTERIZATION AND HER BUTTERFLY TEETERS ON HAPPINESS AND PAIN. THESE RICH LYRIC ROLES DESERVE A SOPRANO LIKE RENEE. I WAS HOWEVER, VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT SHE ADDED "SEMPRE LIBERA" TO THIS CD AS SHE'S NEVER BEEN A COMPELLING VIOLETTA AND CAN'T EVEN MUSTER THE HIGH "C" WE ALL EXPECT NOW A DAYS. HER RUSALKA IS ALWAYS MESMERIZING AND HER SIMPLICITY ON GLUCK'S "Das Mir Verblieb" WAS AN INCREDIBLE SURPRISE. I FOUND THE OTHER SONGS BORING DUE TO THE FACT THAT I DON'T LIKE THEM AND I KIND OF WISHED SHE WOULD HAVE REPLACED THEM WITH SOME BETTER WORKS. I MISSED HER SOFT AND DEFEATED "AVE MARIA" FROM OTHELLO OR HER FULL BODIED SPOILED MUSETTA IN "QUANDO MEN VO" OR HER RICH SADNESS IN "DOVE SONO"

Fair Enough .......2004-10-01

This is a compilation. I can't say love them I think thatpeople want to be surprised by new things, instead of um things they already own.On the other hand a die hard fan wouldn't mind having an extra cd by their favorite artist.Fair Enough.There was one aria that was new to me"Cantilena Brasileras"by Villa Lobos that was very striking.Her voice flows like an unimpeded stream with a lush vibrato.Like I read in one kid's review "Renee has a silky,creamy, instrument that is very beautiful and caresses the ear",couldn't have said it better myself. I agree. One smart kid!!! One thing that I have to comment on that will not escape is the dull cover picture. Renee get a better photographer;you're far more beautiful than that. I'm sounding like her mother,dear lord! She is a fox!

Fleming's High Points Well Covered in Compilation CD.......2004-09-06

Just one listen to the high points of this disc will make you realize why Renée Fleming is an opera superstar. Covering a ten-year period, this compilation disc covers a most fertile period for Fleming, absolutely one of the world's leading lyric and dramatic sopranos. What is particularly impressive is how many different styles she has covered, ranging from Italian bel canto to French Romanticism to Rodgers & Hammerstein. She effortlessly sings in six different languages, including what sounds like flawless Czech on Dvorak's "Měsíčku na nebi hlubokén" (which goes back to her family roots). Her powerful voice is expressive, almost buttery, which allows the listener to enjoy the coloratura agility she has mastered over the years and the tonal qualities she specifically defines for each aria. This is most evident on my two personal favorites - "Ebben?...Ne scoglio" from Catalani's "La Wally" (which will sound familiar to fans of the French eighties noir film, "Diva") where her crystalline voice complements the increasing power of the melody, and the haunting "Mariettas Lied" from Korngold's "Die tote Stadt".

Fleming also has a good sense of the characters she is portraying, for instance, on the "La traviata" aria, "È stano...Ah, fors'è lui...Sempre libera", one gets a strong sense of Violetta's conflict between the attractions of true love versus the free life of a courtesan. She also gets some sturdy help from tenor Joseph Calleja as Alfredo in this piece. But even in this number, the effect of her daunting runs and trills can be a bit overwhelming. She does keep this in check with the slower-paced tracks like "Casta diva" from Bellini's "Norma", which uses a choir in the background to great effect, and Rachmaninov's lovely "Vocalise". The well-worn "Summertime" from Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" is nicely covered here, and it certainly invites comparisons to even Leontyne Price's definitive version. Fleming ends the disc with a rousing version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "You'll Never Walk Alone" from "Carousel" that grows a bit too bombastic for listening comfort. Regardless, this disc provides a nice sampling of what this truly great singer has done over the past decade. A treat for her fans and highly recommended for anyone who wants an ideal introduction to her range of talent.

Beautiful indeed!.......2004-07-19

I'm very happy with this CD. She has a lovely voice! And what a fox! ;)

Lotte Lenya sings Kurt Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins & Berlin Theatre Songs

Average customer rating:

One of the greats
I cannot live without this album.
Lenya and Weill at their best! Buy It.
"An important landmark in dancing history"
"An important landmark in dancing history"

Lotte Lenya sings Kurt Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins & Berlin Theatre Songs

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000029YI
Release Date: 1997-12-09

Tracks:

The Seven Deadly Sins: Prologue: Andante sostenuto
The Seven Deadly Sins: Idleness: Allegro vivace
The Seven Deadly Sins: Pride: Allegretto, quasi andantino - Schneller Walzer
The Seven Deadly Sins: Anger: Molto agitato
The Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony: Largo
The Seven Deadly Sins: Lust: Moderato
The Seven Deadly Sins: Avarice: Allegro giusto
The Seven Deadly Sins: Envy: Allegro non troppo - Alla marcia, un poco tenuto
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Amazon.com essential recording

Whether playing Anna in The Seven Deadly Sins or singing "Moritat vom Mackie Messer" ("Mack the Knife"), Lotte Lenya helped define the music of her husband, Kurt Weill. The duo literally created the soundtrack for the prewar Berlin of our fantasies--an exotic land of nicotine and nightlights--where cabaret, jazz, and the odd American instrumental influence all coexist happily. Now remastered, this collection gathers Lenya's legendary 1957 recordings of Sins and her 1955 recording Sings Berlin Theatre Songs. Forget subtlety--Lenya is all about emotion. On cuts like "Pirate Jenny," Lenya's voice sounds fluttery and frantic, and on "Surabaya-Johnny," her German sounds fragile and sweet, but mostly she's just herself--bittersweet, raw, and (most of all) human. In spirit, Marianne Faithfull, PJ Harvey, and a host of others all kept the torch of Lenya's style going. But after listening to these Berlin theater songs in classic form (and in their original tongue), you'll never hear them the same way again. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

One of the greats.......2007-04-17

When I was a student in 1965, the turntable in my college apartment was kept busy spinning The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Broadway show cast albums, Nina Simone and Lotte Lenya. Lotte Lenya? Yes, the widow of German composer Kurt Weill and the star of the legendary 1950s off-Broadway revival of THE THREEPENNY OPERA, who also played James Bond's adversary Rosa Kleb in the movie FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. (Rosa Kleb was a martial arts expert with poison knives in the toes of her shoes.) But my theory is that Lotte Lenya enjoyed great cachet with the baby-boomers primarily because of the cover of Bob Dylan's 1965 "Bringing It All Back Home" album. That cover shows Dylan and a brunette woman in a rather elegant setting crammed with books and phonograph records. Prominent among the stack of recordings is Lenya's "Berlin Theatre Songs of Kurt Weill" album. Even though this was the age of "Don't trust anyone over thirty," if Bob Dylan liked Lotte Lenya, then she was okay. I loved everything about her Berlin Theatre Songs album, from the expressionistic cover portrait to all the unfamiliar songs sung in quavery German.

Now that CDs have made phonograph records obsolete, I've wanted to replace my LP version of the Berlin Theatre Songs for some time. Well, I feel that I've hit the jackpot with this Masterworks Heritage CD reissue which is packaged with the Brecht-Weill THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS, an experimental dance-drama that Brecht and Weill created in Paris after fleeing Nazi Germany. I had never heard THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS. It is a revelation. It could have been written by no one else. The haunting melodies, the offbeat orchestrations and the unorthodox subject matter combine to form a Brecht-Weill classic. I love this music and have played it repeatedly for weeks. Lenya's voice during this period had not yet become raspy and her saucy personality shines through. My German is much better now than it was as a college student and I can at last appreciate Lenya's perfectly enunciated German. I find this recording mesmerizing. The CD is packaged as a foldout album/book, rather than a jewel box. It includes a brief essay by Teresa Stratas and helpful notes by Mario R. Mercado. Also included are more than a dozen sepia-toned photos of the recording session and four beautiful color photographs of Lenya in Hamburg in 1956. And of course, that wonderful Saul Bolasni portrait that graced the original LP is included on the inside cover of the jacket.

I think this CD is essential. For me, it conjures up a whole era, maybe a whole century. Five stars.

I cannot live without this album. .......2006-06-09

The Weill/Brecht "Seven Sins" may not be as famous as the Threepenny, and it's certainly not as long. The songs aren't "catchy"-- no Doors or Darin or David Bowie or Dresden Dolls are going to cover any of the ballet's nine pieces. But, in all its operatic beauty, it's one of my favourite musical works on this planet.

In short: the Seven Sins is unbelievable. It's Brecht/Weill at their very best. It will latch itself onto your brain, stick its claws into your skull, surpass anything you've ever heard before. From the very start -- just three notes that will, I promise, make you shiver -- to the beautiful, melancholy ending; it's what opera should be like, and it's beyond perfect.

Miss Lotte Lenya, who was the smartest woman in the world for marrying Kurt Weill TWICE, sings what's probably the definitive version of Anna-Anna. Yes, it's two octaves lower than what was intended (but if it's high-pitched warbling you're after, I can highly recommend the lovely Anne Sofie von Otter version), and some people seem to be slightly allergic to Lotte's voice. Which I still fail to understand. She embodies everything Weill writes -- every word out of her mouth feels just right, just exactly the way it was intended.

One other version I'm particularly fond of is the one starring Marianne Faithfull. The differences are easy to spot: Marianne sings in English. Marianne sounds more stoic. Marianne's choir is more overwhelming, but smoother, though the pieces don't fit together quite as well. Marianne is just slightly faster, less emotional, slightly sweeter. Lotte, on the other hand, gives it everything she's got -- never holds back -- and fills the part with emotion. Lotte's choir is tinny, Berlin-y cabaret-y. Lotte's orchestra is much more solid. And Lotte toys more with the lyrics. Both versions are perfect, and I would VERY highly recommend buying both if you can afford it, if just to compare.

Just like Marianne's CD, this album is filled up with as much other Brecht/Weill stuff as would still fit on the disc. The final notes of the Seven Sins epilogue are quickly followed with a gorgeous full Mack The Knife (yes, uncensored), an unbelievable (and definitive) Pirate Jenny, an Alabama Song... pretty much everything these people are famous for, and even some rather obsure songs. The orchestra and background singers mix perfectly with Lotte's vocals on every track. There's not a single flaw -- not in the music, not in the recording quality, nothing -- every bit of it is as perfect as these songs get.

Whether you're just starting out collecting Berlin cabaret, or finally look to complete your collection, this album is simply something you can't NOT buy. So buy it. Buy it. Yes. Excellent. And, if you're searching for more excellent related stuff, here's some other CDs I can recommend:

- Die Dreigroschenoper: 1999 version, starring Nina Hagen, Max Raabe, HK Gruber
- The Threepenny Opera: 1954 Blitzstein adaptation (English softened version)
- Jasperina de Jong - Sieben Rosen hat der Strach (Brecht tribute)
- Cathy Berberian - The Unforgettable
- The Tiger Lillies - Twopenny Opera (It's One Cheaper)

And a final note: avoid the Ute Lemper version at all costs. She's a great singer, absolutely, but will never be Anna-Anna.

Lenya and Weill at their best! Buy It........2005-11-04

'Lotte Lenya sings Kurt Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins and Berlin Theatre Songs' is a single CD combining two separate 1955 LPs recorded in Germany, five years after the death of husband and composer, Kurt Weill.

As a lifelong Weill fan who has heard many different interpretations of these songs most notably from Ute Lemper and Maria Stratas, I was struck by how dramaticly better was Lenya's performance of the lyrics. I think this goes far beyond the fact that many of these works were written specifically to be performed by Lenya in Berlin between 1927 and 1933. It is obvious to my ear that even though Lemper is a great cabaret singer, Lenya trumps this with years of performing on the live stage without the aid of electronic amplification.

Lenya does 'Die Sieben Todsunden' with the version done for a lower voice (same as Lemper) rewritten for her by Weill. As other reviewers have noted, this was originally a combination ballet / song cycle commissioned in Germany by George Balanchine where the singer and the ballerina perform two sisters, both named Anna.

None of the individual songs are nearly as popular on their own as the following collection of songs from the German works, 'The Threepenny Opera', 'Mahagonny', and 'Happy End'.

My first encounter with Lotty Lenya's singing was on a Columbia collection done on vinyl in the 1960s, done, probably following on her appearance in the second James Bond movie, 'From Russia, With Love' as the Russian Colonel Klebb. I think this recording is far superior to that issue or to any other recent recording where Lenya does songs she never performed on the stage.

"An important landmark in dancing history".......2001-06-16

The seven Deadly Sins was commissioned as a dance piece for Les Ballets 1933 with choreography by George Balanchine, Balanchine re-staged it at the New York City Ballet with Lenya at 1958. Anna Sokolow who has difficulties to work with Bertold Brecht to close (Galileo), gave her own independent interpretation to this play as a director with Netherland Dance Theatre in 1967 and at Detroit in 1967 (Cleo Laine).

"An important landmark in dancing history".......2001-06-16

The seven Deadly Sins was commissioned as a dance piece for Les Ballets in 1933 with choreography by George Balanchine. Balanchine restaged it at the New York City Ballet with Lenya in 1958. Anna Sokolow who had difficulties working with Bertold Brecht closely (Galileo), gave her own interpretation to this play as a director with Netherlands Dance Theatre in 1967 and in Detroit in 1976 (Cleo Laine, Mary Hinkson), and in Boston in 1990.

Average customer rating:

Phenomonal Album
how can.
Frontier Index
top shelf
Take a Road Trip With Berman & Co

American Water
Silver Jews
Manufacturer: Drag City
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000AG9W
Release Date: 1998-10-20

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Random Rules
Smith & Jones Forever
Night Society
Federal Dust
People
Blue Arrangements
We Are Real
Send In The Clouds
Like Like The The The Death
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Honk If You're Lonely
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Amazon.com's Best of 1998

In the past the Silver Jews were commonly known--and often dismissed--as a Pavement side project. Not anymore. On American Water, D.C. Berman comes into his own as both a poet and a songwriter, effortlessly tossing off lines like the album-opening "In 1984 I was hospitalized for approaching perfection" while the band plays on, unimpressed. --Randy Silver

Amazon.com

"All my favorite singers couldn't sing," Dave Berman of the Silver Jews idiosyncratically speak-croons on "Blue Arrangements." To make the point hit hardest, he doesn't sing so well himself, but it's well-taken: from Lou Reed to Bob Dylan, John Cale to Palace, conventionally "good" singing isn't the most necessary element in effective storyteller-troubadour music. Berman is a prose poet by day and rocker by night, and his lazy-sounding, countrified, skeletal, yet invigorating music celebrates the union of word with sound in a manner simultaneously classic and seldom heard. It's hard not to like a record that begins with the line "In 1984 I was hospitalized for reaching perfection." Thankfully, Berman doesn't trade in the wordplay he and collaborator Steve Malkmus are so expert at. If only Pavement's Brighten the Corners were this relaxed, full of melodic hooks, and cagily profound. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews:

Phenomonal Album.......2004-12-03

This is the ultimate in laid back folk rock. The guitars are powerful but relaxed, the lyrics actually mean something, and the vocals are hollow and bold. "Now you know my two middle names are wrong and right" is to this day my favorite song lyric. And there is plenty more included. Listening to this album is like eating a warm turkey sandwich at five in the morning on a winter day. It is filling, wildly impressive, and truly one of the best albums I own. Plus, you really can't beat a name like Silver Jews. Who wouldn't want to add a band name like that to their album collection?

how can........2004-09-22

This album is just, nice. And down to earth. Very simplistic, at best.

Berman's poetic lyrics outshine Malkmus and his wails.

Frontier Index.......2004-08-31

David Berman is an amazing artist that maintains a really low profile. He's never really been in any spot light, but yet for a 7 year stretch he put out some really amazing stuff. All three of the first Silver Jews albums are worth owning along with his book. Anyway, this album finds David Berman teaming up with college friend and Pavement member Steve Malkmus again. This album is very loose and breazy with a sort of Pavement meets Bob Dylan feel. This album definitely ranks up there with either of the albums Pavement put out after Wowee Zowee, and is far better than 90% of the indie rock I hear coming out anymore. I also think that Steve Malkmus played some incredible guitar on this album, and if you hear it you'll see that he has a more restrained approach on this album. I wish these two would work together more often because the results are often amazing.

top shelf.......2004-06-21

one of the very best records of the last few years.

Take a Road Trip With Berman & Co.......2004-05-22

Like many people, I got into the Jews as a Pavement fan - this was the first Silver Jews album I ever bought, and mostly chose it for the Malkmus influence. Many people I've talked to about the CD who bought it the same way found it hard to get into at first ... it slowly drifted into the back of my CD collection ...

But after giving American Water a serious listen one day, I realized how amazing it is. Not that American Water needs a "serious" listen - it's a perfect CD for all occasions, from the sitting and reading on a rainy night to drinking lemonade with your friends ... American Water is essentially a perfect album because you can put as much or as little effort into it as you want. You can listen to it with full attention and pour over the different layers of pop, alt, and classic county, or use it as the vague but awesomely present background to the aforementioned road trip.

Each listen brings out something different to notice, from the "Smith & Jones" and "Random Rules" fixations from the first listens to the end of the album, where you discover later gems like "Honk if You're Lonely Tonight." David Berman is an incredible poet (see his book, Actual Air), and American Water is like the best of Actual Air set to the best of Wilco (with vague Pavement elements) ... which adds up to, of course, the best someone can ask for in a CD.

Tanglewood Numbers
Average customer rating:

Love it to the Max!

very good very quickly

I Saw God's Shadow on this World

It won't get more profound

Welcome back, old friend.

Tanglewood Numbers
Silver Jews
Manufacturer: Drag City
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Feels

Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

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ASIN: B000AGL1G6
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Tracks:

Punks In the Beerlight
Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed
K-Hole
Animal Shapes
I'm Getting Back Into Getting Back Into You
How Can I Love You If You Won't Lie Down
The Poor The Fair and the Good
Sleeping is the Only Love
The Farmer's Hotel
There Is a Place

Amazon.com

The first Silver Jews album in four years is a triumph with its throwback '80s-synth ear-candy keyboards, slack guitars, and a sublime hi-fi sound that only a former lo-fi band can get. Breaking the silence, the indie-rock star-studded band (Malkmus and Nastanovich rejoin, the 'Bonnie' Prince, as well as refugees from the Jesus Lizard and Papa M ) play fearless off-center rock rooted in Nashville, reminiscent of both Vic Chestnut's realism and Giant Sand's recent innovations. Not to mention that David Berman is a poet, so each song is dense with imagery, the whole record effectively telling a ten-part, 40-minute story that is partly funny, always honest, and often dark. Witness Berman exploring overcoming addiction, ("closed sign swinging in the liquor store" "later I come to find/life is sweeter than Jewish wine") the complete despair that lead to his suicide attempt, "There is a place past the blues I never want to see again" on "There Is a Place," and a uniquely American desolation, "I've been working at the airport bar/it's like Christmas in a submarine" on "Getting Back into Getting Back into You." Fortunately, the Jews sound is big enough to contain Berman's lyrical shadows, and this juxtaposition of opposite elements (happy-sounding rock and introspective lyrics) results in a record that is wholly satisfying: not too overwrought and never self-assuredly slick. --Gabi Knight

There's Plenty More Silver Jews Where This Came From

Actual Air by David Berman
The Natural Bridge
Starlite Walker

Bright Flight a>
American Water
Tennesee (EP)

Album Description

After a 4 year silence, David Berman returns under his Silver Jews guise with a new long playing album. And the songs are some of his best ever. How is it that one of Drag City's most popular artists has never toured? He is, and will remain, an enigma though his songs will live forever in your mind.

Customer Reviews:

Love it to the Max!.......2006-05-17

If any of my frivolous nuisance lawsuits against Fortune 500 companies ever bear financial fruit, I would take some of my proceeds and hire David Berman to be "artist-in-residence" at my garlic farm / spiritual retreat. This is a tremendous record, noisy and accessible, with poetic lyrics and crisp production. The Eggleston photo of Martin, Bobby, and John on the front cover does an excellent job of getting this record started. Highly recommended and the perfect length for a recording - in and out in 35 minutes!

very good very quickly.......2006-04-05

i found this album by way of cdnow.com's similar artists links and the people that bought this also bought that section. usually they send me some random works but this time they sent a diamond. i never heard of the silver jews until about a week ago (so i missed their rather large catalog thus far) but this album alone made me a fan for life. the bassy lead vocals and the occasional female voice makes this countrified rock opus sound like the new pornographers jamming quick 3 minute songs with my morning jacket. this album is 35 mins long and every second is great. start at track 1 and after track 10 repeat repeat repeat!

I Saw God's Shadow on this World.......2006-01-19

We all experience this. You find the perfect bar, you frequent it every chance you get, start to soak in its character, invite friends to experience it with you and question the strength of your friendship when they don't react the same, then as soon you're worried it'll lose its charm, you find another perfect bar. The Silver Jews are like that. Dave Berman doesn't release records on a regular basis, which works to his advantage, as it allows listeners to live in the worlds of the songs, decompose the lyrics for hidden meanings and memorize each chord progression. Then, just in time, a new one is presented to the world, and a new obsession is begun. The bar comparison is a tad inappropriate this time out, Tanglewood Numbers is an attempt by Berman to document the last years of drug and alcohol addiction, and subsequent rehabilitation. What's fascinating about it is how different it sounds from the last Jews album, and how rocking it is. This is due in no small part to the aforementioned Malkmus on guitar and his Pavement bandmate Bob Nastanovich on drums (both were members of the original SJ incarnation and record off and on with Berman.) Still intact are the lyrics that are the real draw to any Jews album. Sadly, I don't have the liner notes in front of me to quote, but suffice it to say that song titles include Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed and How Can I Love You if You Won't Lie Down?

It won't get more profound.......2006-01-16

One thing the following reviews make clear: Jews' fans are weird, man. Look at some of the reviews below. What are these people thinking and/ or talking about?
I will give you the skinny: this album is a little more rocking than the other releases (i said, a little, meaning there are some nicely sprawling guitar parts--thank you Malkamus), it's pretty fun, and it's equally genius as some other Jews' albums. Even the depressing songs are funny: "I've been living in a k-hole/ ever since you went away" and "woncha take this magnet and put my picture back on your fridge". Those are just classy lyrics, I think. You probably already own this album, if you're reading this. But if not you should probably check this out. And buy this album, too, for the cover art, because it's really nice.

Welcome back, old friend........2005-12-22

It's difficult to believe that at one time, David Berman was known as little more than Stephen Malkmus' fluky college roommate. Now an accomplished writer with a collection of poetry (Actual Air) headed quickly towards cult status, and five acclaimed albums on the highly credible Drag City imprint, Berman seems to finally be getting his dues as an artist. In the time since his career-best album, Bright Flight, Berman settled down into life in Nashville, domesticated himself alongside his new wife Cassie, presumably drank 20,000 (more) beers, became addicted to some hardcore substances, and alas, attempted to take his life. A true poet indeed. Luckily, Berman lived to write another album, the results being the recently released Tanglewood Numbers.
Once recovered, Berman began spending his days at home, collecting modest royalty checks-living off of less than $25,000 per year, a ridiculously low amount, considering his 1998 album, American Water, was regarded by many critics to be the year's best release. In time, Berman got the writing bug like he never had before, eventually calling on his all-star cast of friends and past band members to help him record what was to become his fifth full-length album in the spring of 2005. Along for the ride on one of the years most anticipated indie releases was Bob Nastanovich (Pavement), Will Oldham (Bonnie `Prince' Billy/Palace), his wife Cassie (Linda to his Richard Thompson), Steve West (Pavement), Bobby Bare, Jr., Paz Lenchantin (A Perfect Circle), Mike Fellows, and on again-off again Joo, Stephen Malkmus.
As far as album formats go, aside from the absence of his customary instrumental composition, Berman's auteuristic habits continue to be a key element on Tanglewood. Yes, as has been the case with each of his works to date, Berman's vocal quality has once again changed. Album one saw a new artist that really wanted to sing showing youthful conviction, then there was the clever whip of a bearded Berman who seemed to secretly love country music on album number two. Album three saw Berman and Malkmus often sharing vocal duties to indie-friendly results while 2001's Bright Flight saw D.C. transformed into a raspy country singer with all the answers. Truth be told, if you were to listen to TN alongside any other Jews album, you might forget it's the same band. Sounding old and beaten, campy and funny, Berman finally seems to be just singing; not over-thinking or calculating, Tanglewood might be the first true account of what David Berman really sounds like.
Musically, TN takes a slight step away from the Americana sound of recent releases with oftentimes poppy art-rock compositions. The songs are strange yet immediate as Berman takes the role of a modern day Shel Silverstein. Some songs, such as "Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed" and "Animal Shapes" seem to be borderline kids songs in the vein of the Silverstein-penned "A Boy Named Sue." A good portion of the remaining tracks are, more or less, children's songs for adults; check the titles alone, "How Can I Love You if You Wont Lie Down," "I'm Getting Back Into Getting Back Into You," and "Sleeping is the Only Love." Berman's lyrical quality, while clearly strange, is still very multifaceted and rewarding, most significantly the open account of his suicide attempt on "There is a Place." Also of note is the return of Berman's great storytelling ability on the seven minute, word heavy-epic, "The Farmer's Motel," which is co-written by Stephen Malkmus.
Since the release of his second album, The Natural Bridge in 1996, Berman has been the songwriter to watch, delivering the indie classic American Water, as well as the Americana gem, Bright Flight. While the writing on TN can't stand up to such past masterworks as "I Remember" and "Random Rules," Berman has no doubt released another poignant collection that's sure to keep all his songwriter chums in check.
Everyone has a different Jews album of choice, and while Tanglewood Numbers might be his first release not to outdo it's predecessor, it still stands as a reflective, solid piece of work for Berman; and given the circumstances surrounding it, maybe the most important of his career. If you "get it," TN will leave you laughing, crying, and searching for the "repeat all" function. How many people really "saw God's shadow on this world?" Berman has, and as he sings "there was a place past the blues I never want to see again," on the closing track-you know he'll be back soon with more stories, jokes and coy insight.

Average customer rating:

Worth The Wait
Masterpiece
Incredible.
Shines with a human eye
Very gifted band

The Natural Bridge
Silver Jews
Manufacturer: Drag City
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tanglewood Numbers
Tennessee
Actual Air
The Crane Wife
Woke on a Whaleheart

ASIN: B0000019QS
Release Date: 1996-10-01

Tracks:

How To Rent A Room
Pet Politics
Black And Brown Blues
Ballad Of Reverend War Character
The Right To Remain Silent
Dallas
Inside The Golden Days Of Missing You
Albemarle Station
The Frontier Index
Pretty Eyes

Customer Reviews:

Worth The Wait .......2006-08-31

I got this album a few months ago and to be honest was a little dissapointed the first
time I listened to it, mainly because on the first few listens the understated nature of many of the tracks caused them to slip right past me. This album is definately worth getting, after many listens it has become one of my favourites; beautiful lyrics ("I believe that stars are the headlights of angels driving from heaven to save us...they're flying from heaven into your eyes") and extremely subtle musicianship, particularly the soft guitar licks in 'Dallas'.

Great music to paint to, get ready to go out to, sleep to, wake up to... or just about anything

A must have album for any alternative/folk/soft-rock fan.

Favourite tracks (although none get skipped)
*Pet Politics - "Adam was not the first man, though the bible tells us so, there was one created before him who's name we do not know, he also lived in the garden but he had no mouth or eyes, one day Adam came to kill him and he died beneath these skies"
*Dallas - "I passed out on the 14th floor, the CPR was so erotic" (One of the best opening lines ever).
*Albemarle Station - "Bad roads, bad snow, bad bridges could turn a once bad man religious"
*Pretty Eyes - "I can see you in your room at night pictures on your walls, little forest scenes and highschool halloweens but they don't come to you, they don't come to you at all"

Masterpiece.......2005-09-24

This is my favorite Silver Jews album of all time, but more importantly, my favorite album, by any artist, of all time! DC Berman writes how most of us dream. If you haven't listened to the Silver Jews yet, start with American Water. The Natural Bridge takes a bit longer to get into, but is very rewarding in the end. DC Berman's genius continues to amaze me!

Incredible........2005-03-26

In the view of some, it was actually the bewildering perfection of this disc that drove Malkmus to disband Pavement (there's an apocryphal story that he admitted they'd never make an album as good as this one.)
Berman's a songwriter's songwriter, and it's no wonder he's got such a loyal cult following. This album encapsulates a worldview and a loneliness so vast and profound that listening to it, you just fall inside. If you're the kind of person who drives all night, you'll never feel the same way about the world after you hear it. All the other SJ albums are good -- Starlite Walker (the previous album) especially -- but none has the degree of imagery and startling revelation that this one carries from start to finish.

Shines with a human eye.......2002-04-09

Nothing beats this record for isolated late-night reflection. Its 10 melancholy meditations on life and death in our bewildering, incomprehensible world hit with an emotional depth that's unmatched on any other Jews outing. This is my favorite of his/their records overall, probably because its songs fit together so well and easily--like big chunk pieces of a puzzle whose combination forms an endlessly captivating collage of observations, feelings, and foe-biographical sketches. For me it's like leaving a city where you have bunches of responsibility and obligation, or obtaining a blurry overview of something whose details you suddenly realize don't much matter to you anyway.

Very gifted band.......2000-01-08

This album features some of the most intelligent and witty lyrics that you'll find in any record. The gloomy tone is extremely easy to relate to and very relaxing. Yet, the melodies lack much variation and get a little drawn out at times. Still a definite "must-have" for the rare poetic songs and deepness.

Average customer rating:

A Great Debut Album
Great Country Album
buy this cd now and run to see her perform live!
More Please - NOW!
The Cool Trisha Yearwood

Silver City
Sarah Borges
Manufacturer: Blue Corn Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Diamonds in the Dark
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Koala Motel

ASIN: B0007LXP3G
Release Date: 2005-03-08

Tracks:

All This Weight
Daniel Lee
Same Old 45
Mellow Doubt
Ring In The Shape Of A Heart
On The Corner
Miss Mary
I'm Gonna LIve The Life I Sing About In My Song
6 Feet Deep
Pious Proud
Think Of What You've Done
Streetwise Man

Amazon.com

Don't be fooled by the steel guitar on practically every track. This spirited debut by Boston's Sarah Borges owes more to punk rock than honky-tonk, with an attitude closer to Chrissie Hynde than Patsy Cline. "Good things come to those who can't wait," sings Borges on the opening "All This Weight." She proceeds to bring a breathy urgency to highlights such as "Daniel Lee" and "On the Corner," matching the joyride recklessness of her backing musicians (including Jake Brennan & the Confidence Men and Blood Oranges mandolinist Jimmy Ryan). Though propulsive rockers dominate this Paul Q. Kolderie production, there's a tender vulnerability to "Mellow Doubt" and "Pious Proud," ballads that suggest a softer side to Borges. Amid all the songs of fast living and hard loving, her torchy reading of "I'm Going to Live the Life I Sing About in My Song" gives it a spin that gospel composer Thomas Dorsey never intended. --Don McLeese

Album Description

A stunning set of songs exploring American music in all its many aspects. You'll hear everyone from Hank Williams to The Pixies, but it never sounds forced. Legendary producer Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Uncle Tupelo, Hole, Pixies) pulls it all together into a muscular, rocking sound that has a sometimes surprisingly tender core. Borges' songwriting range is most impressive in someone so young, and the songs are given ample breathing room by her band, which includes ex-Blood Oranges multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Ryan. "Silver City" is sure to emerge as one of the most striking debuts of the year.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Debut Album.......2007-05-26

This woman has the power!

I ordinarily won't listen to "country" music. Indeed, I usually go out of my way to avoid it. (Okay, okay, I have a bit of a soft spot for Patsy Cline, and I have been known to listen to a little Hank Williams and Johnny Cash once or twice a year, but that's it. I swear.)

But Sarah Borges is. . . Man, she rocks!

She is tough. She is raw. She is passion. And she sings straight from her heart to yours.

She doesn't mess around, and she gives it to you strong.

When I first heard this CD it was like plugging into a high-voltage socket. And it stays that way! All twelve tracks are electric quality and worth repeated listening. In fact, her song Daniel Lee is now the most played song on my MP3 player, even ahead of my favorites: Howlin' Wolf, Jimi Hendrix, and Loreena McKennitt.

In this, her debut album, she sings and plays her guitar like her spirit is on fire. And her backup cast provides powerful support behind her, giving her a strong foundation from which she can, and does, launch her musical spirit.

I called her music "country", but to be honest that's not really correct. Twang-rock or punk-country is probably more on target. But whatever you call it, one thing is for sure: Sarah Borges kicks a**!

A superior album. This CD is worth going out of your way to get your hands on. [It really is worth 4.5 stars, but Amazon won't let me choose 4.5 stars.]

Great Country Album.......2007-04-21

Sarah is from Boston and they label her a folk artist but she sounds country to me. Her music has a great foot stompin beat and won't put you to sleep like the early folk artists. She has a wonderful singing voice that I adore. I am looking forward to her 2nd album to be released June of this year. Anyone who loves good country music should check this album out. Even if you like Sheryl Crow type rock you'll like it.

buy this cd now and run to see her perform live!.......2007-03-22

a woman that can rock the house is a wonderful thing and sarah is all that! there are three or four wonderful cuts on this album and it does seem to capture the energy of her incredible live show. this is the first album from a great young talent. we can't wait for more!!

More Please - NOW!.......2007-03-19

I heard this via the Bob Harris show on the BBC when it first came out. I bought it immediately and enjoyed it enormously, and have done ever since. Six Feet Deep just got shuffled up on i-Tunes and reminded me what a truly exceptional body of work this is, especially as a debut.

Strong voice, excellent melodies and absolutely the right production for these tunes. No wishy-washy [...] here, no fillers, just strong, rock-tinged tunes. So when's the follow-up coming, Blue Corn Music people?

The Cool Trisha Yearwood.......2005-12-10

actually, she's much better than that. Great, steel-guitar-laden, honky-tonk music. If Gram and Emmylou had a baby, SB is a pretty fair approximation of what it would've been like...If artists like Lucinda and Maria McKee appeal to you, this should be right up your alley.

Debut of the year!

A - Z of Opera (includes 762 page booklet)

Average customer rating:

AN OPERA OPUS THAT'S A MUST!
The Best
Superb Modestly Priced Favorite Arias Collection!!!
Wonderful introduction to opera

A - Z of Opera (includes 762 page booklet)
Puccini , Thomas Harper , Ingrid Kertesi , Scholars Baroque Ensemble , and Hungarian State Opera Orchestra
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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A to Z of Classical Music
The Most Famous Opera Duets
The Most Famous Opera Arias
The Best of Italian Opera
Amor--Opera's Great Love Songs

ASIN: B00004YYRR
Release Date: 2000-10-17

Tracks:

L'Orfeo: Sinf/Ecco Pur Ch'a Voi - Cappella Musicale Di S. Petronio Di Bologna/Sergio Vartolo
Dido And Aeneas: When I Am Laid In Earth - Kym Amps
Rinaldo: Lascia Ch'io Pianga - Ingrid Kertesi
Serse: Ombra Mai Fu (Largo) - Ingrid Kertesi
Orfeo Ed Euridice: Dance Of The Blessed Spirits - Slovak State PO/Johannes Wildner
Alceste: Ombre Larve - Theresa Ringhoz/Drottningholm Theatre Chor
Don Giovanni: Madamina! (Catalogue Aria) - Andrea Martin
Cosi Fan Tutte: Soave Sia Il Vento (Terzetto) - Joanna Borowska/Rohangiz Yachmi/Peter Mikulas
The Marriage Of Figaro: Non Piu Andrai - Natale De Carolis
Die Zauberflote: Der Holle Rache (Aria Of The Queen Of The Night) - Helen Kwon/Hungarian Festival Chor
Fidelio: Abscheulicher! - Inga Nielsen/Hungarian Radio Chor
Der Freischutz: Huntsmen's Chor - Slovak Phil Chor
The Barber Of Seville: Largo Al Factotum - Roberto Servile
L'Elisir D'Amore: Una Furtiva Lagrima - Vincenzo La Scola
I Puritani: Qui La Voce Sua Soave - Luba Orgonasova
La Traviata: Un Di Felice (Love Duet) - Monika Krause/Yordy Ramiro
Nabucco: Va Pensiero (Chor Of The Hebrew Slaves) - Slovak Phil Chor (Bratislava)
Aida: Grand March - Nat SO Of Ireland/Rico Saccani
Falstaff: E Sogno? O Realita - Roberto Servile

Tracks:

Rigoletto: La Donna E Mobile - Yordy Ramiro/Slovak Phil Chor
Die Walkure: Ride Of The Valkyries - Czecho-Slovak RSO/Uwe Mund
Tannhauser: Begluckt Darf Nun Dich (Pilgrims' Chor) - Slovak Phil Chor
La Wally: Ebben, Ne Andro Lontana - Miriam Gauci
Rusalka: O, Silver Moon (Song To The Moon) - Jana Valaskova
Gianni Schicchi: O Mio Babbino Caro - Luba Orgonasova
La Boheme: Che Gelida Manina - Jonathan Welch
Madama Butterfly: Un Bel Di Vedremo - Miriam Gauci
Tosca: E Lucevan Le Stelle - Giorgio Lamberti
Turandot: Nessun Dorma - Thomas Harper/Slovak Phil Chor
Lakme: Dome Epais (Flower Duet) - Adriana Kohutkova/Denisa Slepkovska
Thais: Meditation - Janos Selmeczi
Carmen: L'Amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle (Habanera) - Graciela Alperyn/Slovak Phil Chor/Bratislava Children's Chor
The Pearl Fishers: Au Fond Du Temple Saint (Duet) - Janez Lotric/Igor Morozov
Pagliacci: Recitar!... Vesti La Giubba - Nicola Matinucci/Slovak Phil Chor
Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo - Czecho-Slovak RSO/Alexander Rahbari
Andrea Chenier: Come Un Bel Di Di Maggio - Thomas Harper
King Roger: Roxana's Aria - Barbara Zagorzanka
Die Tote Stadt: Gluck, Das Mir Verblieb (Marietta's Lied) - Katarina Dalayman/Thomas Sunnegardh/Tomtberga School Children's Chor/Royal Swedish Opr Chor

Album Description

A-Z of Opera is a 762-page, illustrated book, accompanied by two-and-a-half hours of opera's most glorious and moving moments on two CDs, and reflects the ever-growing Naxos catalog of recordings ranging from Monteverdi to the contemporary. A-Z of Opera provides a wide range of information on operas and their composers, from Handel's Rinaldo to Mozart's Die Zauberflote, and beyond. It features plot synopses, background details and cast lists for hundreds of operas including well-known standards as well as opera rarities. In addition, there is a wealth of information about all the great composers and a glossary of key musical and operatic terms.

Customer Reviews:

AN OPERA OPUS THAT'S A MUST!.......2003-01-19

Oh, such letter-perfect perfection! This marvel features a two-hour-plus showcase of well-known arias from "Cosi Fan Tuti," "Aida," "Carmen," "Madame Butterfly" and "The Barber of Seville." It also comes with a book --- 762 pages of remarkable facts, figures and illustrations.Encore!

The Best.......2002-06-09

This is, by far, the best introduction to opera on the market. It also contains some gem performances for anyone who already has a serious opera collection. Several tracks on this collection of mostly Eastern European singers rival those of their Western counterparts. This is a collection for EVERYONE - from the opera novice to the person who has long collected all the major Western stars. At this price, it's the best opera bargain in the world. GET IT NOW!!! Thank you, Naxos! I hope that some of these Eastern European singers at last get the attention they deserve.

Superb Modestly Priced Favorite Arias Collection!!!.......2001-02-12

I received this as my 20th birthday gift from my bestfriend and I was amazed at the quality and the content of this CD. Some of the arias which I am immensely fond of are included, i.e. "Habanera" from Bizet's "Carmen." And who would have guessed that the soprano on track 10 performing Queen of the Night's Aria from Mozart's "Die Zauberflote" was none other than Hellen Kwon? Amazing!

I really love this gift from my bestfriend for it was thoughtful and well, what can I say that this makes an excellant gift for opera neophytes (though I am not an opera neophyte).

The highlight of this CD is track 13, Rossini's "Largo al Factotum" from "The Barber of Seville." When I first heard this, I was contemplating to myself as to where have I heard this before. Then it hit me: Michigan J. Frog's signature tune! (In case people are wondering who on earth is Michigan J. Frog is, he is the Warner Brother's frog; the frog can be seen on WB network channel). I love this track! Buy this for yourself if not this makes a perfect gift for your opera neophyte friend(s)! This track brings joy and smiles on my face everytime I hear this piece!

Wonderful introduction to opera.......2000-12-16

More than just a promotional sampler, the Naxos (8.555037-38) contains not only 2 CDs crammed with 39 excerpts from that company's seemingly bottomless catalogue, but also a 762 page book. The text offers plot summaries of almost every important opera and many of far lesser renown (Delius' "The Magic Fountain," Mascagni's "Iris," for example), a brief biography of the composers, a glossary, and finally a discography. The recorded examples are in chronological order from Monteverdi to Korngold. The entries in the book, however, are in alphabetical order--so be careful to look for "Zauberflote," not "Magic Flute," and so on.

Of course, Big Names do not appear on many Naxos opera sets; but this set is an introduction to that vast area of culture and is meant to be an educational (and of course a promotional ) device. Nevertheless, many of the selections on the CDs are beautifully sung, a very few lack characterization (the arias from"Don Giovanni" and "Nozze di Figaro" for two). But at this incredibly low budget price, who can complain?

As soon as I saw what this set had to offer, I immediately ordered a copy as a seasonal gift for a friend who wants to "get into" opera. I could think of no better gift.

Tracks:

The Winter's Tale: Fennimores Lied
The Winter's Tale: Casars Tod
The Winter's Tale: Die Moritat Von Mackie Messer
The Winter's Tale: Salomon - Song
The Winter's Tale: Die Ballade Von Der Sexuallen Horigkeit
The Winter's Tale: Zu Potsdam Unter Den Eichen
The Winter's Tale: Nannas Lied
The Winter's Tale: Lied Des Lotterieagenten
The Winter's Tale: Alabama-Song
The Winter's Tale: Denn Wie Man Sich Bettet
The Winter's Tale: Je Ne T'Aime Pas
The Winter's Tale: I'm A Stranger Here Myself
The Winter's Tale: Westwind
The Winter's Tale: Speak Low

Customer Reviews:

Affecting but oversold.......2006-11-28

Prompted by both friends and reviewers, I've tried to learn to like Ute Lemper's Weill, but after valiant efforts, I must say I don't. She has great facility, it's true, in several languages, and she knows the timbre of a song and works hard to put it across. For me, however, she works too hard, whether it's the distracting breathiness of "je ne t'aime pas" or the "street kid" Berlin Rrrs in "Mackie Messer" or the aggressive Noo Yorking in "I'm a Stranger Here Myself", I end up feeling that I'm having the song pushed at me rather than allowed to flower for itself. In a cabaret setting they might (maybe) work better, but on disk, I don't find her vocally strong enough to carry the music alone. Too much wobble in the voice and not always either the breath or the pitch to make the longer phrases work. The comparison with Theresa Stratas in "Je ne t'aime pas" (or even better, the terrifying German version "Wie Lange Noch") is instructive. Lemper is small, touching, you can feel why someone would have left her, she oozes powdery pathos over a nightclub table. Stratas, Piaf-like, is riven by love and music alike and takes the song's lines where they naturally lead. For me, it's no contest.

Great vocalist in three languages. Very best Weill interpreter.......2005-10-01

`Ute Lemper Sings Kurt Weill, Volumes 1 and 2' released in 1988 and 1993, plus the third album of Weill's two most important song cycles in German, `The Seven Deadly Sins' (`Die sieben Todsunden') and `Mahagonny Songspiel' released in 1990 unequivocally established Ms. Lemper as the leading Kurt Weill interpreter since Lotte Lenya, Weill's wife and the singer for whom many of his vocal pieces were written. These three disks, sample pieces from most major Weill works written in German, including his most famous musical play, `The Threepenny Opera' (`Die Dreigroschenoper').

The first disc has fourteen tracks with three from `Der Silbersee' with lyrics by Kaiser, three from `Die Dreigroschenoper' with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht, two from `Berliner Requiem' with lyrics by Brecht, two from `Mahagonny' with lyrics by Mahagonny, `Je ne t'aime pas with French lyrics by Magre, and three from `One Touch of Venus' with English lyrics by S.J. Perelman and Ogden Nash.

The middle disc includes both works performed in their original German. After having listened to `The Seven Deadly Sins' done by several different artists, and having just reviewed a CD on which Anne Sofie von Otter does this work, I discover for the first time that the piece was written in two versions, one for a low voice and one for a high voice. Von Otter does the version for high voice and Lemper does the version for low voice that, I suspect, is the way it was originally performed by Fraulein Lenya. One service done by comparing Lemper and von Otter's performance is to see how much closer Lemper is to the original spirit of the work than is von Otter. Weill's venue was not the opera stages of Berlin or Vienna, it was the popular stage, actually much closer to what we see in the movie `Cabaret' than what we see in `Amadeus'. I enjoy von Otter's rendition, but Lemper stirs my heart where von Otter does not. Lemper also seems to have the benefit of a much better cast of supporting voices on the two works on Volume 1.

All albums are done with the backing of the RIAS Berlin Sinfonietta, conducted by John Mauceri who seems to get just the right tone of sleaze out of his ensemble to match the tone of the composition and lyrics by Weill and his various librettists, especially Berthold Brecht.

Volume 2 showcases Lemper's ability to sing with equal facility and understanding in German (Songs from `Happy End'), French (Songs from `Marie Galante'), and English (Songs from `Lady in the Dark'). While my understanding of French is far weaker than my understanding of the German and the English, when I compare Ms. Lemper's French interpretations with the French of Ms. Von Otter, I definitely prefer Lemper's treatment. She may not quite match Edith Piaf, but I feel she has a cachet all her own.

Lemper is a vocalist in that great European femme fatale tradition of Lenya, Piaf, and Dietrich and certainly to my lights the leading interpreter today of Weill's songs plus works by other European composers for the musical and cabaret (See her album `City of Strangers'). Compared to even some of the greatest contemporary American female vocalists on the stage such as Streisand and Minelli, both Yanks have their strength, but they can't or don't try to achieve the same depth of feeling behind the European `Weltschmertz' you hear from Lemper and her forerunners. The closest may be Minelli's performance as Sally Bowles in `Cabaret', but even there, she can't seem to hide her American innocence.

Of the three albums, the first of the three, `Ute Lemper Sings Kurt Weill' may be the best introduction, as it includes two of Weill's best English songs, `I'm a Stranger Here Myself' and `Speak Low'. The third, `Ute Lemper Sings Kurt Weill Vol. 2' has two of Weill's most famous German songs outside of `Die Dreigroschenoper', `Bilbao-Song' and `Surabaya-Johnny'.

If you encounter this review and have never heard Ute Lemper, I strongly urge you to try one of these albums. If the German and French turns you off, try Lemper's recent album, `Punishing Kiss'.

Very highly recommended.

Ute dramatically renders the best of Weill and Brecht!.......2004-09-25

This album is full of many highlights, Zu Potsdam, Die Sexuelle Hoerigkeit, Wenn Die Man Sich Bettet, etc. From beginning to end it is a triumph and masterpiece by the international singing sensation Ute Lemper.

Voice non par excellence.......2004-03-18

It seems that everywhere you turn there is someone "with a unique voice." Usually we nod and upon hearing the voice in question shake our heads and head on to the next great talent. But the trite saying is, for this case, proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.

These interpretations are just incredible, ultra-clear, and just the way one would imagine these songs presented. Several of the selections are more suited to a smoky speakeasy rather than the stage which is just fine by me. Lemper runs the gamut from the catty growl to the ultra-lush to the quiet melancholy to the joyous Bronx of "I'm Just a Stranger Here Myself." The three languages presented absolutely no problems: The German was sufficiently guttural, the French erotic and the English - well, as only English can sound.

A near perfect recording by a near perfect artist.

Ute! She knows how to trill me!.......2003-11-17

I'd never heard of Ute Lemper until I received a brochure announcing her March concert at the Cleveland Museum of Art. I fell for her picture. I saw a women who oozed style, class, and sensuality; she had to be a great singer, right? So I purchased the "Ute Lemper Sings Kurt Weill" CD, and fired it up as soon as UPS delivered. I didn't know what to think. The music was strange, the singing was stranger. Foreign. Had I wasted my money? Did I fall for slick marketing and a pretty face? I listened again...and again...and again... Ute's way of singing these haunting, powerful melodies-her key changes, her haughtiness, her sarcasm, her way of emphasizing key words and phrases, her trills (Oh, those trills)-grabbed me by the throat and shook me in a way that I thoroughly enjoyed. I can't get the songs out of my head. I find myself singing the last two lines of "Caesar's Tod" and "Zu Potsdam unter den Eichen" and the chorus of "Nanna's Lied" at work, auf Deutsche. These songs don't let go! I can't wait 'til March.