God's Money

Vice Magazine, March 2005
GGD are a bird as rare and special as a phoenix—they're an avant-garde band that isn't boring, over-thought, or ugly.

Product Description
We are proud to present Gang Gang Dance’s much anticipated second full length release entitled God’s Money. With God’s Money Gang Gang Dance creates a modern music which reorients the palette of electronic music into an organic context, manipulating sound, rhythm and melody in an almost mercurial manner. Painstakingly recorded over the course of a year at Junkyard Audio Salvage, the band utilized whatever means were available to them to craft their sound: drums of all shapes, sizes and circuits, various keyboards and synthesizers, midi-triggering guitar scenarios, vocals reconfi gured via a guitar effect pedal and even the occasional aluminum chair. Blending their hypnotic rhythms into a highly structured compositional style or soaring in the lofty heights of practiced improvisation, this recording follows in the footsteps of the bands previous output, all while marking new ground.

In between writing and recording God’s Money GGD spent the last year playing to packed houses in NYC, Europe and on the road with Animal Collective. Exploding with an energy & confi dence rarely seen these days and coupling it with such a heightened level of musicianship the band has turned even the most casual of spectators into full on believers. With magazines such as The Wire, The Village Voice, I.D. & XLR8R having already run features on the band, the press is falling into the ranks of the converted.

God’s Money is the height of GGD’s uncompromising sonic pursuit which has spanned the better part of the band’s fi ve year history. Some of this can be gleamed from previous groups the members have been in, including Cranium, Actress, Ssaab Songs & Angel Blood. Though God’s Money may be interpreted as the band’s high-water mark of sorts it is much more the raising of the tide as they continually to push the boundaries of the palette of sound itself with no sign waning.

God's Money

God's Money,Gang Gang Dance,The Social Registry,Experimental Rock,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

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God's Money

Average customer rating: You'll be disappointed Pretty good musical mix

Greatest Songs from the Musicals Various Artists Manufacturer: Soho ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music International | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Very Best Of Broadway Musicals Ultimate Broadway Only Broadway CD You'll Ever Need Greatest Hits: Broadway Ultimate Broadway II: The Very Best of Broadway Now ASIN: B000077JS0 Release Date: 2002-10-21

Tracks:

1. Aquarius [From Hair] - Steve Brooker, NSO Ensemble, , Caroline O'Connor
2. If I Can't Love Her [From Beauty and the Beast] - Ethan Freeman, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
3. I Could Have Danced All Night [From My Fair Lady] - Katrina Murphy, National Symphony Orchestra
4. Can You Feel the Love Tonight? [From The Lion King] - John Barrowman, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
5. What I Did for Love [from a Chorus Line] - National Symphony Orchestra, Catherine Porter, Martin Yates
6. This Is the Moment [From Jekyll and Hyde] - Gary Mauer, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
7. All That Jazz [From Chicago] - Paulette Ivory, Julian Kelly, Katrina Murphy, National Symphony Orchestra, Sally Ann Triplett
8. Impossible Dream [From Man of La Mancha] - Ethan Freeman, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
9. America [From West Side Story] - National Symphony Orchestra
10. Written in the Stars [From Aida] - Simon Bowman, NSO Ensemble, Sally Ann Triplett, Martin Yates
11. Mame [From Mame] - Jerry Lanning, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
12. Some Enchanted Evening [From South Pacific] - Thomas Allen, John Owen Edwards, Philharmonic Orchestra
13. I Am What I Am [From LA Cage aux Follies] - Janet Glazener, Leslie Uggams
14. One Song Glory [From Rent] - Sean McDermott, Martin Yates

Tracks:

1. Phantom of the Opera [From The Phantom of the Opera] - Ethan Freeman, Claire Moore, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
2. I Dreamed a Dream [From Les Miserables] - National Symphony Orchestra, Jacqui Scott, Martin Yates
3. Bui Doi [From Miss Saigon] - Ethan Freeman, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
4. As Long as He Needs Me [From Oliver!] - National Symphony Orchestra,
5. Time Warp [From the Rocky Horror Picture Show] - Anita Dobson, NSO Ensemble, Martin Yates,
6. Memory [From Cats] - Kim Criswell, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
7. Why God Why [From Miss Saigon] - Graham Bickley, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
8. I Know Him So Well [From Chess] - Katrina Murphy, NSO Ensemble, Sally Ann Triplett, Martin Yates
9. One Day More [From Les Miserables] - National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
10. Peggy Sue [From Buddy Holly Story] - Dominic Curtis
11. Empty Charis at Empty Tables [From Les Miserables] - Graham Bickley, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
12. Dancing Queen [From Mamma Mia!] - Julian Kelly, NSO Ensemble, , Caroline O'Connor
13. All I Ask of You [From The Phantom of the Opera] - Andrew Halliday, , National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
14. We Will Rock You [From We Will Rock You] - Martin Yates

Tracks:

1. It's a Grand Night for Singing [From State Fair] - National Symphony Orchestra
2. If I Were a Rich Man [From Fiddler on the Roof] - Jerry Lanning, National Symphony Orchestra
3. I Talk to the Trees [From Paint Your Wagon] - Ethan Freeman, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
4. Over the Rainbow [From The Wizard of Oz] - Gillian Bevan, , John Owen Edwards, , Royal Shakespeare Company
5. Bless Yore Beautiful Hide [From Seven Brides for Seven Brothers] - Hal Fowler, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
6. Grease [From Grease] - John Barrowman, NSO Ensemble, Martin Yates
7. Woman in Love [From Guys and Dolls] - Gregg Edelman, , Emily Loesser, National Symphony Orchestra
8. Secret Love [From Calamity Jane] - Debbie Gravitte, National Symphony Orchestra
9. Quintet [From West Side Story] - National Symphony Orchestra
10. I Will Always Love You [From the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas] - Salena Jones, John Pearce
11. Money, Money [From "Caberet"] - Maria Friedman, National Symphony Orchestra, Jonathan Pryce
12. If My Friends Could See Me Now (Sweet Charity) - Jacqueline Dankworth, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
13. Thank Heaven for Little Girls [From Gigi] - Ron Moody, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
14. Singin' in the Rain [From Singin' in the Rain] - Craig Barna, National Symphony Orchestra, Paul Robinson

Customer Reviews:

You'll be disappointed.......2006-09-02

Not the original artists. Very weak versions of beloved songs by marginal to downright bad vocalists.

Pretty good musical mix.......2006-03-10

Lots of great and clear vocals. I was looking for a musical mix and this has a nice sampling of many major songs but also some more recent stuff. I haven't purchased an import before but I would do it again if the opportunity presented itself. It is somewhat annoying to have three cds when I think it could have fit onto two. Still, more than I have complaints, I have compliments about it.

Average customer rating: A National Treasure Stritch is superb Entertaining but grating on the ears Great Broadway Review Elaine Stritch at Liberty

Elaine Stritch - At Liberty (2002 Original Broadway Production) Elaine Stritch , Irving Berlin , John/ Stritch, Elaine Lohr , Porter P. Grainger , Albert Hague , Stephen Sondheim , Carl Sigman , Richard Rodgers , Sir Noel Coward , George Gershwin , Jule Styne , John Campo , and Billy Miller Manufacturer: Drg ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Cabaret | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Classic | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Broadway & Vocalists | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Traditional & Vocal Pop | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Elaine Stritch at Liberty Bea Arthur on Broadway - Just Between Friends Stritch Company - A Musical Comedy (1970 Original Broadway Cast) Grey Gardens - A New Musical (2006 Original Broadway Cast) ASIN: B000060P33 Release Date: 2002-04-02

Tracks:

1. There's No Business Like Show Business (Berlin)
2. Caca
3. I Want a Long Time Daddy (Grainger)
4. A Piece of Mahler
5. This Is All Very New to Me (Hague/Horwitt)
6. Going to New York
7. Marlon Brando
8. Broadway Baby (Sondheim)
9. My First Broadway Show
10. Civilization (Hilliard/Sigman)
11. Ethel Merman
12. Can You Use Any Money Today? (Berlin)
13. Pal Joey
14. Zip (Hart/Rodgers)
15. Ben Gazzara
16. Nokl Coward
17. Why Do the Wrong People Travel (Coward)
18. Richard Burton
19. But Not for Me/If Love Were All (Gershwin/Gershwin)
20. I'm Still Here (Sondheim)
21. Booze
22. Little Things You Do Together (Sondheim)
23. The Ladies Who Lunch (Sondheim)
24. John Bay
25. There Was Never a Baby Like My Baby (Comden/Green/Styne)
26. I've Been to a Marvelous Party (Coward)
27. God So Quickly
28. The Party's Over (Comden/Green/Styne)
29. Absent Almost Always
30. Something Good (Rodgers)

Tracks:

1. I'm Still Here (Sondheim)
2. Booze
3. Little Things You Do Together (Sondheim)
4. The Ladies Who Lunch (Sondheim)
5. John Bay
6. There Was Never a Baby Like My Baby (Comden/Green/Styne)
7. I've Been to a Marvelous Party (Coward)
8. God So Quickly
9. The Party's Over (Comden/Green/Styne)
10. Absent Almost Always
11. Something Good (Rodgers)

Amazon.com

Elaine Stritch is a legend and she knows it. And so she came up with a whole one-woman show about the best topic she could think of: her life in the theater. And what a trip it's been. From Ethel Merman to Noel Coward, Stritch has worked with some of the greatest names to grace the American stage, and she has anecdotes about all of them (most are included on this recording). In this show, she hits all the marks with the acuity of a seasoned pro who's seen it all and whose love for the theater remains undiluted. Stritch is not a traditionally pretty singer (those gravelly pipes!), but she absolutely knows how to give life to a song, extracting the last drop of meaning, dropping pauses for effect with deadly accuracy. Sondheim's "Ladies Who Lunch" and "Broadway Baby" will be hers forever, and a case could be made for the hilarious "Zip" (from Pal Joey) and the obscure, spectacularly politically incorrect "Civilization" (from the revue Angel in the Wings) as well. Fittingly, this two-CD set includes "I'm Still Here," which may well be Stritch's motto. If you're looking for a concise yet bewitching history of the musical, this is it. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

A National Treasure.......2007-07-05

This double CD is stuffed full of great songs and amazing stories. My favorite stories are of Elaine's date with Marlon Brando, what she thought some lyric are/meant, and her time in Compant. The total honesty that she brings it all together is touching and inspiring.

Very few people have the length or variety of a career that Elaine Stritch has had. I am sure that she has enough stories to do ten more shows.

If you love Broadway then you must buy this CD.

Stritch is superb.......2007-06-27

The only disappointment is that I missed the show live. This is a terrific honest performance by an actor who has a deep well of experience from which to draw. From her early childhood memories, through acting school, her loves, her struggles and more, Ms Stritch weaves a fascinating and completely enthralling story. Ultimately, she lives the songs, rather than just performs and this is what really marks her out.
I am so glad, she's still here!

Entertaining but grating on the ears.......2007-05-11

I've never been able to understand what is so great about Elaine Stritch's singing. It's simple: she can't sing. I've tried and tried to like her, and I do, as an actress, but NOT as a singer. Listening to these CDs, all I hear is a grouchy old lady voice with no vibrato, no range, and no ability to hold notes. If she were to try out for American Idol she would get cringes! I love her humor and honesty, and that's why I bought this, but the voice...ugh.

Great Broadway Review.......2007-04-11

I thoroughly enjoy this collection of stories from her experiences from a teenage girl in Michigan through her career, very funny, some sad and great entertainment.

Elaine Stritch at Liberty.......2007-01-19

Completely entertaining---a bit maudilin in places, but a must have for any Elaine Stritch fan.

Certainly worth the money!

Average customer rating: At the Mercy of the Young God Eldritch moods and agony in droves Astonishingly Difficult Beautiful The most brutal and heaviest music recorded.

Cop/Young God/Greed/Holy Money Swans Manufacturer: Thirsty Ear ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music | Vinyl Records | American Punk | British Punk | Emo | Garage Punk | Hardcore | Post Hardcore | Proto Punk | Punk | Punk Revival | Punk-Pop | Riot Grrl | Ska Punk | Straight Edge General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Noise | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Post-Punk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Children of God/World of Skin Filth/Body to Body, Job to Job Great Annihilator Soundtracks for the Blind Various Failures 1988-1992 ASIN: B00000G5PY Release Date: 1999-03-23

Tracks:

1. Half Life
2. Job
3. Why Hide
4. Clay Man
5. Your Property
6. Cop
7. Butcher
8. Thug
9. I Crawled
10. Raping A Slave
11. Young God
12. This Is Mine
13. Sealed In Skin
14. Fool

Tracks:

1. Time Is Money (Bastard)
2. Money Is Flesh
3. Another You
4. Blackmail
5. A Screw (Holy Money)
6. Fool #2
7. Stupid Child
8. Anything For You
9. Nobody
10. A Screw
11. Heaven
12. Coward
13. A Hanging
14. You Need Me
15. Greed

Amazon.com

This double-disc set compiles the complete material from three LPs and one EP released during the Swans' early years: 1984 through 1986. The band's general sound is that of a grungey electric guitar dirge, angry and sullen, not unlike a cross between a slowed down Killing Joke and Lou Reed's Street Hassle. The material is slow and methodical, somewhat spartan, with raspy semi-spoken vocals coming across like some anti-Western mantra. The first, earlier disc is the most stripped down--fuzzed guitars and bass, with a plodding beat. The second disc, although maintaining the same style, features a larger band and fuller sound, with occasional keyboards, female voices, and more complex drum patterns. The Swans' music is very unsettling, seeming at once angry and heavily medicated, as if the composer's rage is being filtered through a haze of antidepressants. It is also very good at conveying this combination of fog and emotion on a visceral level. --Michael C. Mahan

Customer Reviews:

At the Mercy of the Young God.......2007-07-14

Having been a Swans appreciator for many years, I can say this set of recordings stands as the pinnacle of the harsh and bludgening style they had cultivated in their early years, and among my personal favorites. Punishing as the music may be, here it is a finely honed and maticulously crafted monlolith of sound designed for catharsis and amidst personal suffering, given the right attitude. Perhaps only Swans devotees will truly appreciate the quality of expression on this album, but it stands as a major achievement for a highly unique & uncompromising band, as well as an important historical document of a major influence on underground music. It would be unfair to label this recording as "noise", "industrial", "post-punk" or whatever label you may be tempted to attach to it; it stands as it is. More often than not, the more difficult music makes for more rewarding listening. *Caveat Emptor: this is NOT an album to listen too if you are abjectly depressed and are considering offing yourself.

The best tracks in the set, in my opinion, are: "Half Life", "I Crawled", "Time is Money (Bastard)", "Money is Flesh", "A Screw (Holy Money" and "A Hanging".

Eldritch moods and agony in droves.......2007-02-24

Make no mistake about it, Swans are one of the most imporant bands of our time. Considering they certainly can't be pigeonholed as a mere metal, ambient, or industrial act; they somehow transcended normal classification to craft some of the most depressing and loathesome music in history. Along with this double disc, and "Filth" / "Body to Body, Job to Job", they should all be listened to in one sitting, to achieve the appropriate (hopefully desired) effect.

At a snails pace, these nightmarish soundscapes will slowly begin to sink into the subconscious realm. Gradually over time, it crawls right under your skin and festers. I'm of the opinion that these particular albums and ep's capture the true essences of dread and paranoia. The guitar "riffs" are rather disjointed and off-kilter, always keeping the listener off balance. The drums also pound and plod along in the same manner; think jazz on downers and in a really bad mood. Gira's vocals apathetically wail and shout, with an underlying sense of misanthropy. It sounds as if he just doesn't care, which is something I enjoy about his vocal style. The approach is very cynical; for these are the hatefilled and emotionless messages of a calloused soul. As for the lyrics? Minimalist and depraved. They represent all the grotesque, and oppressive thoughts and actions that are inherent in man and his societies.

I should briefly mention that I consider myself to be an enthusiast of avant-garde, and (eccentric) extreme music. I tend to listen to a lot of Doom and Dark Ambient, for it helps create the dark mood, and that sense of hopelessness, which I happen to enjoy.
Swans, however, are certainly not a metal band, yet somehow they were years ahead of their time, creating music that would scare the living daylights out of most "br00tal" death metal, and even the heaviest of doom bands.
This sort of musical expression is what naturally flowed out of Michael Gira and Co. I don't believe their approach was to be the heaviest, or a metal act; Swans simply were. Their emotions, ideas, and abilities came oozing forth from their darkest depths, and these are the end results of such pioneering musicians.

Too dissonant for the average listener, and too "artsy" and industrialized (not the pseudo, dance/pop nonsense that is passed off as such) for the staunch metal aficionado.
This is only for the most extreme and open-minded individuals, who appreciate music for it's abilitiy to create a mood, and leave a lasting impression. Personally, I could listen to this era of Swans all day long; there must be something wrong with me.

Note: A few years after Swans released these milestones, a band came along known as Godflesh. Godflesh was fronted by Justin Broadrick, who was also a member of Head of David and early Napalm Death. If you happen to listen to their debut self titled album, you'll notice a major resemblance to Cop/Young God/Greed/Holy Money; it's almost uncanny. Coincidentally, Ted Parsons is now in the band jesu with Mr. J.K. They are also worth your attention.

I'm going to recommend only one band who can contend with the audible horror of Swans; the beast known as Khanate (r.i.p.).

Astonishingly Difficult.......2006-09-21

I bought this double album in 2000, while in college and rapidly expanding my highly eclectic music collection. I sold it within the year. I simply could not handle it. Open-minded but not knowing what to expect, I was scared by this dismal noise and shockingly bleak poetry. Though I haven't heard this "music" for quite awhile now, I still distinctly remember the sound and the dull, dark pressure it caused in my chest, as I forced myself to sit through both discs in their entirety. How unfortunate for me now that this CD is difficult to find, as my tastes have expanded to include extremely challenging music. This early SWANS material is such a challenge.

Beautiful.......2006-06-08

As many others have said, this is just so intense it's ridiculous. I remember when I used to think things like Soundgarden was heavy. What a young teenage fool I was.

This is perfect essentially. It doesn't resort to melody at any point, unlike Swans later material, which I don't like as much, but I understand you can't carry on playing stuff like this forever.

The thing I love about these early records is that no one type of music fan seems to get it. Every metaller I know hates it and obviously people into pop think you're mad for listening to it. It only seems to be the most open minded of people that like swans.

I still remember the first time I heard Raping A Slave. I had never heard ANYTHING like that before. I was quite stoned. It was terrifying.

So to anyone listening to what KERRANG!!!! etc claim is heavy, buy this and learn the truth. Just don't play it to a girl in the early stages of your relationship (unless she's a fan, well done you) as she will be convinced you're a rapist.

By the way, if you can pick up the 'A Long Slow Screw' VHS anywhere, buy it and see just how truly nihilistic they were live at this point.

The most brutal and heaviest music recorded........2006-06-01

Swans are just brutal and relentless. It's just audio insanity at a monolithic pace. Like one reviewer here said, there is absolutely no middle ground when listening to Swans. You will either love it or loathe it. It demands that you play it loud.

This was music I listened to when I was an alcoholic, drinking alone at night. It has an extremely disturbing aura to it, particularly when listened to at maximum volume (as suggested on the the album covers of the original releases).

If you are a fan of the new "doom" stuff out there like Sunn O))), Khanate or Boris, you absolutely have to listen to this. This is "music" that is so heavy and devasting, words really fail to do it justice.

I still listen to these old records, even though I don't drink anymore.

Average customer rating: A Record to Grow On You Very un-American Ineffable One of my All-Time Favorites Deftly Spun Chaos

God's Money Gang Gang Dance Manufacturer: The Social Registry ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Similar Items: Feels Young Prayer Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished/Danse Manitee Worn Copy Broken Ear Record ASIN: B0007UDCL2 Release Date: 2005-04-05

Tracks:

1. God's Money I (Percussion)
2. Glory In Itself/Egyptian
3. Egowar
4. Untitled (Piano)
5. God's Money V
6. Before My Voice Fails
7. God's Money VII
8. Nomand For Love (Cannibal)
9. God's Money IX

Album Description

We are proud to present Gang Gang Dance's much anticipated second full length release entitled God's Money. With God's Money Gang Gang Dance creates a modern music which reorients the palette of electronic music into an organic context, manipulating sound, rhythm and melody in an almost mercurial manner. Painstakingly recorded over the course of a year at Junkyard Audio Salvage, the band utilized whatever means were available to them to craft their sound: drums of all shapes, sizes and circuits, various keyboards and synthesizers, midi-triggering guitar scenarios, vocals reconfi gured via a guitar effect pedal and even the occasional aluminum chair. Blending their hypnotic rhythms into a highly structured compositional style or soaring in the lofty heights of practiced improvisation, this recording follows in the footsteps of the bands previous output, all while marking new ground.

In between writing and recording God's Money GGD spent the last year playing to packed houses in NYC, Europe and on the road with Animal Collective. Exploding with an energy & confi dence rarely seen these days and coupling it with such a heightened level of musicianship the band has turned even the most casual of spectators into full on believers. With magazines such as The Wire, The Village Voice, I.D. & XLR8R having already run features on the band, the press is falling into the ranks of the converted.

God's Money is the height of GGD's uncompromising sonic pursuit which has spanned the better part of the band's fi ve year history. Some of this can be gleamed from previous groups the members have been in, including Cranium, Actress, Ssaab Songs & Angel Blood. Though God's Money may be interpreted as the band's high-water mark of sorts it is much more the raising of the tide as they continually to push the boundaries of the palette of sound itself with no sign waning.

Customer Reviews:

A Record to Grow On You.......2006-08-02

The new offering from Gang Gang Dance needs more than a few listens to get into and to love it or hate it, if that's the case. Although the music is quite weird, the performance sounds very natural and effortless. Check out the inside of the sleeve and you will find images of mosques, arabs and machine guns. God's Money is a musical reflection of the world as we know it today, and it succeeds. World music indeed.

Very un-American.......2006-04-24

I'm coming a little late to the party here......but I just got "God's Money". For the first 15 years of my listening to experimental/electro, music like this was almost always from Europe, most likely Belgium or more recently, Japan. So it's good to see us Yanks catching up a bit.
At times the decidely avant garde vocals get a bit much for me and it occasionaly sounds like they're trying a bit too hard, but overall the music is gorgeous and simple/complex at the same time. I'd give it 5 stars but I'm feeling a bit niggardly. Overall a beautiful audio experience.

Ineffable.......2006-04-08

On God's Money, Gang Gang Dance manage to channel their diverse and seemingly contradictory influences (ranging from Kate Bush to dub, from Yoko Ono to ambient drone) into a seamless and organic whole. With a few exceptions the tracks flow one into the other almost imperceptibly. One could conceive this album as a single extended track - and with the way it breathes and pulsates and occasionally chokes and writhes - even as a living 'thing'. There is no 'noise' here that doesn't serve some purpose - in my own view, all of it invokes a subtle tension between immanence and transcendence, between order and chaos. And if I've used somewhat religious language here to describe what they've accomplished that's not an accident. It's that good.

One of my All-Time Favorites.......2006-03-05

Alright, listen. I am a pretty critical person, especially when it comes to music. The fact of the matter is, if you listen to a LOT of music, you will have a harder and harder time finding albums you really love, because the bar keeps getting raised in your mind. God's Money is probably my favorite album of the past year because it defies everything I expect music to be, but I can certainly still call it music without any hesitation, and beautiful music at that.

Anyone who is trying to put this in some stupid genre like freak folk or whatever is doing a huge disservice to the album. Firstly, it really doesn't sound anything like Animal Collective, or whatever else you are trying to compare it to. Any sonic similarites are coincidental - the intent of the two groups is completely different. Secondly, this music is best appreciated without any context, just on the merits of its composition, instrumentation and production. Don't even think about Brooklyn or stupid stuff like that. It really has nothing to do with the music.

If you are reading any of these reviews, and listening to the music, wondering why anyone would rate God's Money highly, you truly haven't understood the album yet. Yes, there is something there, you just need to discover it, and once you do you'll be amazed you ever lived without it. I really mean it - look how many reviews I've ever written for anything after using Amazon for like 6 years. It's that important to me to share this album with others.

Deftly Spun Chaos.......2006-02-07

An admitted novice to avant-garde rock, I hesitantly stepped foot into this world with the purchase of Gang Gang Dance's "God's Money." At first, I had absolutely no idea what to expect from this genre, and I was a bit afraid of what I would find. I had read reviews of GGD and others, and was hard-pressed to find a consistent feeling for what I would find upon a first listen.

No more than 15 minutes into this album, I was a believer, and I would even go as far as to say a fan. I have since discovered the likes of Excetper and Can, and am thoroughly fascinated by this emerging genre. Whatever you call it, be that Freak Folk, or New Weird Americana, whatever; its dang intriguing stuff. Enough of that, on to the music.

The album begins innocuously enough, with tribal drumming ushering in a pseudo-African chant by vocalist Lizzi Bougatsos. It is Bougatsos' voice that emerges as the centerpiece of this entire work, and it will probably be your appreciation of her vocal stylings (or lack thereof) that will ultimately determine your enjoyment of this record. There are echos of Kate Bush in her musings, with all sorts of tribal influences. Her voice is still used instrumentally in several tracks, but others allow her to take on a more traditional lead-singer role ("Glory in Itself").

The music itself, recorded over a one year period at New York's Junkyard Audio Salvage, is the musical equivalent of fractal geometry. There are no regular sides, no hooks to really hold on to, but every tiny piece is magnificent in its own right. Each instrument and vocal feels like a tiny piece of string, but they are all masterfully woven together by near-flawless production into a cohesive whole. It almost feels as if the producer took every piece this quartet recorded that year, smashed it all into tiny pieces, chose the best, and put them together in a new way.

And then there is Tim Dewitt's drumming. It has been quite some time since I've heard percussion as solid, inventive, and just plain cool. I found myself simply focusing on the percussion so much that I had to relisten to several tracks (i.e. "God's Money V") just to hear the other parts of the music. From deep steel drums to traditional kits, Dewitt has created a drumming masterpiece in God's Money.

All that being said, this is certainly not a record for everyone. As stated previously, an immediate detraction to Bougatsos' voice will almost certainly taint the entire record for some. For others, the "out there" nature of the more experimental tracks will steer them another direction. But for those who can shrug off everything else and sit inside this record, there is a marvelous world to discover in God's Money.

Average customer rating:

God Guns Money Capone Manufacturer: Latino Jam ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Latin Music | Styles | Music Latin Rap | Latin Music | Styles | Music Gangsta & Hardcore | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Chicano World, Vol. 3 Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life) ASIN: B000G7PLOC Release Date: 2006-08-08

Tracks:

1. Intro
2. Latino Riders
3. No Matter What
4. Why You Trippin'
5. Mexicano Hustlin'
6. Lightweight
7. Got It in the Trunk
8. Going out Like a Soldier
9. Two Hot Pistols
10. Texas Anthem
11. I Know What to Do with It
12. Trippin' [Radio Edit]
13. Latino Riders [Radio Edit]
14. So Rough out Here [*]

Average customer rating: DECENT EFFORT FROM VETERAN SWAMP GUITARIST

God, Guns & Money Brian Stoltz Manufacturer: Long Overdue Recordings ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: East Of Rampart Street ASIN: B000AMJD06 Release Date: 2005-08-02

Tracks:

1. God, Guns & Money Pt 1 (Radio Edit)
2. War Song
3. What Is Real?
4. Opposite Sides of the War
5. Greatest Armed Robbery in History
6. Still Some Sense Left in the World
7. Downtown
8. Chicken Hawk
9. This Christmas
10. God, Guns & Money Pt 2

Customer Reviews:

DECENT EFFORT FROM VETERAN SWAMP GUITARIST.......2006-08-25

Brian Stoltz has been on the scene since the 80's, working as a featured session guitarist and/or touring with the likes of Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, Bob Dylan, Edie Brickell, and The Funky Meters, among others. He has earned a reputation as an exceptionally talented musician, combining the blues with more funky Hendrixian stuff. His singing reminds me of a Bob Dylan impersonater doing mediocre Beatles tunes, even sounding like a less passionate John Hiatt at times. He's a decent songwriter, but as a lyric writer I'm not so sure. One of the cuts on this album is a verbatim rip-off of a Bob Dylan song from his last album, Love & Theft. Or maybe Stoltz wrote it first, I don't know. Anyway, I bought this album after seeing Jazz Fest footage of Stoltz playing with both The Funky Meters and PBS. He blew my mind on guitar, but every time he sang it kinda bothered me. On this album he sings (obviously) and really scales back on the guitar playing. It's not funky and it's not particularly exciting. However, three or four cuts are good enough for me to have hope for the future.

Average customer rating:

T.H.U.G. (The Highest Under God) Kidd Money Manufacturer: Keep It Real Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: We Bubblin' ASIN: B00000FXUY Release Date: 1998-10-27

Tracks:

1. Intro
2. Plenty Nigga's
3. Interlude
4. Roll Dat Shit
5. All Bout Dat Money
6. Interlude
7. Love Gone
8. Interlude
9. Murder Murder
10. Interlude
11. Player Haters
12. 4-U-Momma
13. Interlude
14. Down-N-Dirty
15. Money Shakers
16. Interlude
17. 4-My-Soldiers
18. Interlude
19. Was In Da Game (Fell Off)
20. Will I Make It

Average customer rating:

Money Back Guarantee Manufacturer: Goadies ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000GFJW3A

Average customer rating: Superb Music Refreshing music. It's excellent, more you hear it more you like it. ITS NICE! Excellent

ANU"First money then God" ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Goth | Goth & Industrial | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Rock | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B00001NTGT Release Date: 1996-11-01

Tracks:

1. Akele
2. Dil
3. Pehle paisa
4. Hold me
5. Tu Hee Mera Dil Hai
6. Rest of my Life
7. ABCD
8. Now You are Gone
9. Dil ( Instrumental)

Album Description

World Music Album in English and Hindi(Indian) Op,R&B with flashes of Hindi Rap, beautifully mixed and composed, an original. Theme of the album is that ehat will happen to all of us since we are running after money so much. That money comes before God.

Customer Reviews:

Superb Music.......1999-09-27

Good music from an Indian artist in the US

Refreshing music........1999-09-25

A refreshing mix of pop and Indian music, much different than what Bally Sagoo et al provide. The blending of the two different kinds of music as well as of English and Hindi lyrics is smooth and sounds natural. Anu is a very talented artist. Good work, I am looking forward to more music from him.

It's excellent, more you hear it more you like it. ITS NICE!.......1999-09-18

It's excellent, more you hear it more you like it. ITS NICE

Excellent.......1999-09-18

It's excellent fusion music. I think he is exciting upcoming artist

Average customer rating:

Money Is a God Sunday Morning Lounge Manufacturer: Fat Zebra Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music ASIN: B000A41D02 Release Date: 2001-03-27

Tracks:

1. Long Lost Sanity
2. Lift Me Up
3. Station of Deception
4. Shopping Mall Temple
5. Miss You
6. Ride & Trip
7. Covered

Rap Music:

1. Hammer It Out: The Anthology [Import]
2. Hang-Ups
3. Hate [Enhanced]
4. Head Games [Original recording remastered]
5. Hellbound
6. Hin Vordende Sod and So
7. Hoarse
8. Hormonally Yours
9. I [Explicit Lyrics]
10. Ian Hunter [Limited Edition] [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Rap Music

rap music

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