In the Middle, Pt. 1 [CD-single] [Import]

In the Middle, Pt. 1 [CD-single] [Import]

Track Listings

1. In The Middle (Radio Edit)

2. Disturbed

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Taken from the 2003 album 'Three'. Features two non-LP tracks, 'In The Middle' (Radio Edit) & 'Disturbed'. Universal Island. 2004.

Tracks:

Harem
What A Wonderful World
It's A Beautiful Day
What You Never Know
The Journey Home
Free
Mysterious Days
The War Is Over
Misere Mei
Beautiful
Arabian Nights
Stranger In Paradise
Until The End Of Time
You Take My Breathe Away

Amazon.com

If one's notion of "world music" promises a touch of the exotic and indigenous, often overlooked is the fact that the influence of western pop music has seeped into every corner of the globe, creating a hybrid that's often more than merely the sum of its influences. Theater vet Brightman steps into that pan-cultural hall of mirrors here, wedding her fascination with the music and rhythms of the "forbidden places" (the title's Arabic meaning) of the Middle East to her own oft ethereal vocal charms and rock-solid sense of drama. And if the diva's equally sound crossover sensibilities (and that of longtime producer Frank Peterson) sometimes mire it in familiar world-beat pastiche, Brightman's charmed muse manages some transcendent moments nonetheless. Her musical borrowings (Borodin for the title track; Puccini's *Madame Butterfly* for "It's a Beautiful Day") are as compelling as her choice of collaborators: classical violin star Nigel Kennedy and Iraqi vocalist Kadim Al Sahir add compelling touches to the weary timeliness of "The War is Over." The musical influences range from Europe across the Mediterranean and as far East as the Indian roots of "Bollywood" composer A.R. Rahman's "The Journey Home" and Brightman's own "You Take My Breath Away" to evocative recastings of the emblematic standards "Stranger in Paradise" and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World," while ex-Killing Joke keyboardist Jaz Coleman provides the savory East-meets-West orchestrations that ensure Brightman's star turns the seamless foundations they deserve. --Jerry McCulley

Amazon.com

Sarah Brightman Photos

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Time to Say Goodbye
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Live from Las Vegas
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Customer Reviews:

harem .......2007-05-28

As usual a quick and effecient service ,especially for people who live abroad.Keep up the excellent work John Williams.

New to Sarah Brightman.......2007-03-12

I'm very new to Sarah brightman's music and I enjoy this CD. I think she has an amazing voice. Very talented young woman and this cd was very relaxing and joyful to listen to. I like to learn and heard more from Sarah Brightman.

Stranger in Paradise - More Like Stranger in a Lost Cause.......2006-12-30

I'm not throughly pleased with this album! This CD is only good if you know how to dance in a Middle-Easters fashion. About half of each track is dominated by all orchestrations and no Sarah. Plus, Pop-Sarah isn't really for me. I much prefer the Classical-Sarah. Some of the tracks are okay, like "Harem", "The Journey Home", "Beautiful", and "Stranger in Paradise". Really, this is a good CD for your collection, but I wouldn't listen to it on a 24/7 basis.

No voice like hers in the world.......2006-10-01

I own this cd. I saw her in person at the "Harem" concert. Never had I heard or seen any voice like this. What a performer, best concert I'd ever seen. Beautiful voice, I can never get enough of Sarah Brightman's music. It is so comforting at times. I have all her music and this cd makes you wonder, how can she top this? Thank you Sarah Brightman for giving us your beautiful gift of music.

Brilliant Brightman, Her best CD........2006-09-18

Sarah is just the best, she can hit any note and her individuality shines on this CD. She sings "The Journey Home" from the musical Bombay Dreams and her voice just soars. "Harem", "Mysterious Ways" and "You Take My Breah Away" are songs that take me to dreamland. Amazing! A master piece!

Average customer rating:

perfect score for a perfect movie
Pleasant "ethnic" melodies
Third Man & Other Original Records
The first man of the zither
This is the one you're looking for.

Third Man & Other Original Recordings
Anton Karas
Manufacturer: Jasmine Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Very Best of Anton Karas
The Third Man
The Third Man (50th Anniversary Edition) - Criterion Collection
Austrian Zither
Vienna, City of Dreams

ASIN: B00006J9M2
Release Date: 2004-04-05

Tracks:

Third Man Theme (The Harry Lime Theme) (Original Version)
Anton Karas Second Theme
Cafe Mozart Waltz (Original Version)
Carol Theme
That Dear Old Song (Original Version)
Rendezvous Waltz (Previously Unissued)
Farewell To Vienna (Previously Unissued)
Alt Wiener Tanz In C-Dur
Visions Of Vienna
Danube Dreams
Anton Karas Medley Pt. 1
Anton Karas Medley Pt. 2
Im In The Middle Of A Riddle (V. Kay Arment)
Where Do I Go From You? (V. Kay Armen)
Zither Rhythm Of Anton Karas
Vienna, Women And Song (Later Version)
Cherry Stones
Wo Grunes Kranzel Hangt
Silent Night, Holy Night
Vienna, City Of My Dreams
Vienna, Women And Song (Original Version)
Third Man Theme (Later Version)
Cafe Mozart Waltz (Later Version)
That Dear Old Song (Later Version)
Wenn Der Herrgott Net Will / The Third Man Theme (Brief Reprise)

Customer Reviews:

perfect score for a perfect movie.......2007-02-19

Carol Reed's veteran cinematographer Robert Krasker's quirky angles under Reed's direction perfectly framed the ready-made-for-an-art designer bombed out shadows and stark, isolated street lights of post-war Vienna and its underworld. Unique to cinema history the whole score (but for some canned incidental cafe music) was just the brilliant zither playing of Anton Karas, adding his nuances to every dramatic transition. Krasker won an Oscar, and Karas was nominated.

The "Third Man Theme" (also known as the "Harry Lime Theme") is alternately brittle, jaunty, bittersweet, romantic, wry, and even sardonic piece of music--which fits the mood of the story and the film perfectly -- that, once heard, can't be forgotten.

The "Third Man Theme" turned Anton Karas into a wealthy man after 28 years of toiling in obscurity an relative poverty in Vienna.

One night, Carol Reed was passing by a wine tavern where growers offer their own wines for sale directly, and heard Anton Karas's playing in the background. Reed had never heard a zither before and found the sound to be attractive. He approached Karas and persuaded him to play for him at his hotel, and made a recording, which Reed brought back to the studio to test. He liked the effect when the zither's sound was placed against the recorded dialogue and, ignoring the protests of many around him, hired Karas and brought him to London for 12 weeks.

Anton Karas screened the movie hundreds of times, devising music for each scene. The Third Man ended up with a vast amount of music, scored in virtually every scene of its 104 minutes. Ironically, the piece that became known as the "Third Man Theme" was something that Anton Karas had written two decades earlier and hadn't played in over 15 years. As he later explained to Reed, playing the zither for a whole night for tips was hard work, and one tended to play the easiest pieces the most often, to save the fingers.

Other zither players never got it to sound just right. The truth was that as recorded for the movie, "The Third Man Theme" was one of the first practical examples of overdubbing on a hit record, rivaling Les Paul's work--Anton Karas had gotten just the right effect working underneath Reed's kitchen table, and had gotten the piece just right by recording and mixing more than one zither part.

The Third Man was finished and prepared for release, and Reed and the production company, London Films, tried to raise interest in it through the music. None of the record companies, however, was interested in recording Karas or releasing the "Third Man Theme." The music was too strange and different, and although British movies had produced some soundtrack successes in the past, those were usually more conventional light classical pieces, not a jangly piece of music played on a central European folk instrument.

Pleasant "ethnic" melodies.......2007-01-22

The tunes on this disc have a nice, comforting sound. Some of the selections are haunting, some have a peasant-liveliness. Nothing great or revolutionary, but plain good zither music, very enjoyable.

Third Man & Other Original Records.......2006-11-10

We bought it for a friend. They loved it.

The first man of the zither.......2006-03-10

The CD didn't sound as good as the movie sound track. Ity sounded a bit rushed as if the sampling during the transfer was not sufficient

This is the one you're looking for........2004-04-26

You've been looking for the original version of the music in "The Third Man", right? Every other CD on the market wouldn't work for you. But lucky for you, this is the one! Don't go wrong.

Average customer rating:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!
Beginner or Expert
Very Informative and Enjoyable
Frank's view
Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra

Instruments of the Orchestra
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

Overture To 'Tannhauser'
Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
Hungarian Dance No.7
The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
Csardas Music
The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
Tzigane
Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
Caprice No.24
The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
The Violin Muted
Clair De Lune
The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
The Pizzicato Violin
Pizzicato Polka
In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
Hungarian Dance No.4
Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
Bolero
Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
Elfenreigen

Tracks:

Introduction To The Viola
Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
Cypresses (No.9)
The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
The 'Period' Viola In Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
Elfentanz, Op.39
Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
The Protecting Veil (Opening)
A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
Flamenco
Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
Symphony No.9 (Finale)
Introduction To The Double-Bass
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
Elegy No.1 In D Major
The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
Capriccio Di Bravura
Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
Sa'Dawi
Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
Chamber Music No.II
The Piccolo - Aptly Named
La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
A Variety Of Techniques
Chamber Music No.II
Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
Naelden, Naelden
The Bachian Oboe
Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
The Swan Of Tuonela
The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
Bolero
The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
...And Quite Low.
Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
Introduction To The Saxophone
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
Bolero
The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
Sax-O-Phun
The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
Bolero
The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
Symphony No.3 (Opening)
The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
The Ceremonial Trumpet
Fanfare For The Common Man
Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
Billy The Kid
The Trumpet As Character Actor
Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
The Birth Of The Trombone
Aenmerckt Nu Hier
The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
Canzon 12 In Double Echo
The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
Hosannah
The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
The Trombone As Caricaturist
Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
The Horn And The Hunt
Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
Walter Music (Minuet 1)
The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
Den Hoboecken Dans
Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
Gymnopedie No.2
The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
The Birth Of The Bongo
Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
Taking Advantage Of Tunability
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
Ravel And The Xylophone
Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
Introducing The Vibraphone
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
Folk Dances
The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
Introducing The Tubular Bells
Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
Carmen Suite (Introduction)
But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Introducing The Celeste
The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
Petrushka (Russian Dance)
The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
Mahler's Sleighbells
Symphony No.4 (Opening)
A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
Nocturnes
Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
The Oboe As Duck
Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
A Thunderstorm In A Million
Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
Octet In F (Mvt 3)
The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
Canzon 28
Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
Symphony No.5 (Finale)
From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
Images (Gigues)
A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.

Nightfall in Middle-Earth
Average customer rating:

Greatest Album Ever?

wonderful

BG has won me over with this album

The finest music I have ever heard.

A progressive masterpiece on all levels

Nightfall in Middle-Earth
Blind Guardian
Manufacturer: Century Media
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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A Night at the Opera

Imaginations From the Other Side

Demons & Wizards

Tales from the Twilight World

Somewhere Far Beyond

ASIN: B00000HYXB
Release Date: 1999-02-09

Tracks:

War Of Wrath
Into The Storm
Lammoth
Nightfall
The Minstrel
The Curse Of Feanor
Captured
Blood Tears
Mirror Mirror
Face The Truth
Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns)
Battle Of Sudden Flame
Time Stands Still (At The Iron Hill)
The Dark Elf
Thorn
The Eldar
Nom The Wise
When Sorrow Sang
Out On The Water
The Steadfast
A Dark Passage
Final Chapter (Thus Ends...)

Album Description

Domestic debut of 1998 album, a musical interpretation of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic tale 'Night Fall In Middle Earth'. 22 tracks of metal fused with just a hint of folk & classical music from this German power metal act.

Customer Reviews:

Greatest Album Ever?.......2007-06-20

I must admit, I'm a pretty big Blind Guardian fan. I took a risk in early 1998 and bought an expensive 30 dollar import from an online retailer (this was 4 or 5 months before Nightfall came out, and a full year and a half before they were even SOLD in the U.S!), that being Tales from the Twilight World, and was hooked.

However, that would not prepare me for what is possibly the greatest album ever, the best (metal) concept album ever (other than Mindcrime) and the greatest symphonic metal album ever, Nightfall in Middle Earth.

You see, the newer Blind Guardian albums don't have such as scope as this, and don't sound half as organic. I think that they lost something after this album, which is likely their peak.

Its epic metal for the person who hates stuff like Rhapsody, its progressive metal for those who hate progressive metal (not me, but just a statement I'm trying to make). What really seperates Blind Guardian from the various "epic metal" and "Symphonic Metal" bands is EMOTION. Hansi Kursch really sounds like he is struggling when a character in a song is struggling, he sounds exalted when the character is exalted. Fabio Leone and others sound like robotic Kiske clones compared to this.

There is a rough edge to Blind Guardian that makes the competitors sound like mere competitors. Its the element that makes Emperor's symphonic majesty tower over stuff like Dimmu Borgir, and so on.

I would like to say its the fact that the band is still very riff oriented underneath all the bombast but thats not it. Its this human element, this imperfection that makes the band so powerful. They layer on guitar after guitar to rival Queen but its still not perfect, its whats going on between the notes that's just as important. And Blind Guardian understand this, they make music with melody, emotion, and POWER. Also, another thing that makes them the best in this Genre is the fact that they still have a soulful 70's element brought in from Prog rock and 70's metal that makes it sound unique compared to symphonic bands that just shred away for 50 minutes. Its this sometimes pentatonic scaling that gives it a bit more "soul" I would say. Plus when the guitars kick in, they're almost as heavy as thrash, something you can't say about a band such as say, Fairyland. Acoustic guitars and flutes sure help among the choir vocals.

Blind Guardian plays what is a normally very cheesy type of music topically and musically with panache, passion, and a dark atmosphere. This is another thing that makes them tower over their competitors.

The best album of all time? Its certainly up there. The Queen meets Queensryche meets Rage (german band) meets a group of medieval
bards is intact, but it is also so much more. This album defined a genre, the genre of Symphonic Heavy Metal, and stands among the best metal albums of all time.

wonderful.......2007-03-31

Just like a tale, it gives a musical story. Really good as we are used to hear from BG.

BG has won me over with this album.......2007-02-07

There are already tons of reviews for this album, but I just felt like I had to add one. I'm coming at this from a somewhat different perspective, for I'm not a fan of Blind Guardian (this being the only album I own by them), nor am I a fan of this genre of music. Yet despite my preferences, I still enjoy this disc enough to give a four star rating, which really says something I think.

I bought this album because I'd read so much about how it was inspired by the Silmarillion, one of my favorite books. At first I was pretty skeptical for a few reasons. For one, it really sounded like a gimmick to me. Lots of metal groups (especially European progressive ones) have theme albums, and they can be quite good, but they can also be exceptionally bad. Specifically Tolkien-themed stuff that's actually good is almost impossible to create, because it's hard to live up to Tolkien's writing abilities, especially considering that in the case of the Silmarillion, Tolkien spent almost his entire life slowly polishing the history of Middle Earth (from 1917 to 1973). I was also skeptical because I didn't see how a fast-paced, heavy metal album could possibly do justice to the content. The Silmarillion has some incredible highs, but mostly it is a tragedy: the tragedy of the Noldor, their "doom" as Tolkien would say. I thought that if anything fit Middle Earth musically, it would probably have to be some kind of New Age/Celtic/Folk fusion, all on a very somber note (maybe with some Mideastern influences).

I could go on, but I was expecting this album to be way off the track. Yet I was proven wrong. The theme album concept worked beautifully because Blind Guardian was smart - they didn't go off on a tangent and make the Silmarillion their own by reinterpreting it. Nor did they do what I expected, and which I would have loathed: utilizing as many placenames, character names, etc as possible just to "suck up" to Tolkien fans. Instead they kept out the gratuitous use of Tolkien's names, and used them but sparingly when necessary. The Tolkien names that Blind Guardian used amount to but a few: Silmarils, Noldor, Feanor, Arda, Vala, Morgoth, Eldar, Valinor, and possibly a couple others. That's it. If you've read the Silmarillion you know it's chocked full of names; the index takes up 80 of the 460 pages in my edition. I really expected this to be a Tolkien love fest, but instead anyone listening can tell that Blind Guardian was truly INSPIRED by Tolkien to write the things they did, they did not just REHASH or regurgitate what he had already written. Yet they didn't reinterpret either, for the lyrics are all pretty spot on with the storyline (once you figure out what's being referred to), they just did it without gratuitously spewing Tolkien at us.

As to the music itself: I'm still hesitant to say I like it. I simply love the choruses: it sounds like a hundred people are singing the words, and it gives the choruses such power. At first the only thing I liked about the songs were the choruses; they were diamonds in the rough, tiny little gems that I had to wade through lots of power-metal to listen to. As time has passed and I've listened to the album more and more, I've begun to like some of the fast paced songs in their entirety. There are a few really great riffs that get stuck in my head, but the choruses remain the most compelling parts of the songs.

"Into the Storm" and "Nightfall" were the first two songs that won me over. The choruses are great, and the rest of the tracks are epic as well. I'd say these are the most popular songs on the disc, and possibly the most popular Blind Guardian songs overall (based on the fact that I was at a BG show for three songs before I had to leave, and 2 of the first 3 were the aforementioned tracks). But surprisingly, I've started to really like other songs as well. The chorus to "Mirror Mirror" is one of the best choruses, and "Blood Tears" has some great moments as well. But right now my very favorite song off the album is "The Curse of Feanor." I can't get enough of this song; it just stays in my head for days. It keeps conjuring the story anew in my mind: Feanor, in his fell wrath, cursing Morgoth and vowing to have his revenge and to regain the Silmarils. Epic is a word that I can't help but use, and though the word applies to much of the album, it is at its high point right here. Another song that has this same epic quality to it as far as the theme goes is "Dead Winter Reigns." This track shows us the Noldor at the pinnacle of their folly, as they have just slain their kindred, and have journeyed far to the north to cross the sea when they are confronted by Mandos, who pronounces their full doom. Fantastic! The music I'm not wild about, but the lyrics are just pefect: `Noldor, blood is on your hands,' `this deed can't be undone,' `can't escape from my damnation,' and especially the whole last part of the song after the final chorus, which I won't spell out here. So many great lines. "The Eldar" is a great slow song - I was surprised BG could write a song like this after listening to the album up to this point (though the vocals get a little breathy in parts). I was so happy to see BG make use of the concept of the "doom of the Noldor" in this track. This is possibly the best song thematically, because the tragic nature of the entire story of the elves that returned to Middle Earth is melded with a very somber sounding song.

There are still some songs I don't like at all (mostly toward the end of the album, if you haven't figured that out yet): "When Sorrow Sang" is my least favorite, followed by "A Dark Passage." I'm not wild about "Time Stands Still" either, though there's a cool acoustic riff in there. And it's taken a LONG time for the narrated tracks to grow on me. If you haven't recently read the Silmarillion, these narrations will mean nothing to you, and will detract from the album as a whole, but in the context of the storyline they're (usually) fairly appropriate.

Well this review is already long enough. On some days I could almost give this a 5, and on some days only a 3. But coming from someone who doesn't like this genre of music, I think 4-stars is a huge success. Blind Guardian has accomplished their goal, and they have given us a soundtrack to the tragic aspects of the Silmarillion.

The finest music I have ever heard........2007-01-04

I love Blind Guardian very much. I love Tolkien very much. I love the Simarillion very much. And yet I was still unprepared for the utter awesomeness that this album carries inside a small disc of alloy. Many claim that Imaginations from the Other Side is Blind Guardian's ultimate album. I disagree: that award goes to Nightfall in Middle-earth!

War of Wrath: Excellent. Depicting Morgoth conversing with Sauron and sending him off to Middle-earth. Great voice acting and the battle SFX in the beginning are something I'd expect from Manowar. (Manowar: It's really something we wanted to do.)

Into The Storm: The best godsdamned opening you will ever find. It opens both the album and BG's live concerts flawlessly. Very enjoyable riffs and lyrics that stands the hairs on the back of my neck on end.

Lammoth: It's Morgoth. And he's...screaming. Yeah. ...neat. And...the wind is blowing, zomg.

Nightfall: This song about the Noldor's departure from Valinor brings up images of a world on the brink, contains the best choir I've seen, and is the only song capable of rivalling Valhalla as the favorite live BG song. There's nothing about this song to dislike, and it's more and more proof that a metal band like BG can do melancholy and non-metal music.

The Minstrel: I assume this is Feanor talking, and it tells us one thing: He has no idea what he's doing.

The Curse of Feanor: One of my top 5 BG songs of all time. "

Morgoth I cry
all hope is gone but I swear revenge
in my oath
I will take part
IN YOUR DAMNED FATE

Captured: I think we all owe BG a big thank you for bringing to us Morgoth's evil laugh, because it is awesome.

Blood Tears: A phenomenal song. It's melancholy and holds your interest through the entire song. The chorus is emotion-stirring, and the opening stanzas just reel you in. Plus it contains my favorite line to quote ever: Welcome to where time stands still
no one leaves and no one ever will

Mirror Mirror: If it were possible to distill pure, unadaultrated awesome into a song and project it into your ears so that you want nothing more than to stand up and start singing along at the top of your lungs, it - oh, wait, they've already done that with Mirror Mirror. Quite possibly the best chorus ever concieved, an excellent opening riff, and lyrics that stay with you after hearing only a couple times, and just....don't ask me to put how great this song is into words, I'm only a mortal man, I can't do it.
Mirror, mirror on the wall
true hope lies beyond the coast
you're a damned kind can't you see
that the winds will change

Face The Truth: This one has to be my favorite narrative. It's pretty deep, and sums up the Noldor's current situation (I.E. completely screwed) really well.

Noldor(Dead Winter Reigns): Another hit. In my opinion, the best melancholy song on the album. It's a unique combination of melancholy and power metal. Each part of the song has its own style, always leading back up to the fantastic chorus. The end brings out a sudden bit of piano that just ends the song in the absolute best possible way.

Battle of Sudden Flame: An interesting narrative-style piece that actually sounds a bit like a rejected sound clip from Nightfall. It's quite good, with a neat flute in the background.

Time Stands Still(At The Iron Hill):

The fate of us all
lies deep in the dark
when time stands still at the i-ron hill

A fantastic chorus, unique and very enjoyable music, and a live hit. The only song that can challenge Mirror Mirror and some freaking awesome music to play while playing Battle For Middle-earth 2. These and more describe Time Stands Still. You will put it on repeat for hours. This is not a prediction or an expectation. It is a fact.

The Dark Elf: DUN DUN DUUUN.

Thorn: This is an interesting, rather melancholy song about bad consience. It takes some time to grow on you, but once it does it's excellent. Yet more unique music and vocals, and some very, very nice cooperation between drums and guitar.

The Eldar: This song deserves a mention simply because it's unbelievable that Hansi Kursch can sing this high, nay, that any metal singer can go this high. If you played a song from Imaginations From The Other Side, and then this song, most people would not believe that it was the same band and same singer. It's a very good song with some excellent keyboard work.

Nom The Wise: A mournful goodbye to one of the finest of the Noldor, and also a strange contrast to the next song.

When Sorrow Sang: This song is precisely the opposite of what it looks like. With a name like that, you'd expect another melancholy song, huh? Wrong. This one is pure power metal. It doesn't make it a bad song, it's just kind of wierd in my opinion. Good beat, nice lyrics, excellent chorus as always.

Out On The Water: Another sad narrative-ish piece. Nothing special.

The Steadfast: Morgoth appears to be very pleased with himself. Jackass.

A Dark Passage: This one took me a while to get into, but it's an excellent song.
Deep in his castle he said,
All land be mine
there's one thing for sure
the triuph of shadow is near
Deep in his castle they sang
We shall not rest until all will be thine
All land is mine
you can be sure
don't dare me the mighty one screamed

Final Chapter(Thus Ends): This one isn't too good. Why is that? Because it's the end of the album. Just kidding. This is a fine narrative, explaining the conclusion of the Simarillion and almost sounding like it's describing Aragorn...but I don't think that's too likely.

There's only one bad thing I have to say about Nightfall in Middle-earth. On the album cover: Morgoth's taste in entertainment leaves something to be desired.

A progressive masterpiece on all levels.......2006-09-19

Like i said in the title, this is one of the few great power metal bands there are these days. Sure there are bands like Dragonforce or whatever but these guys have been here for a pretty long time, not judas priest long, but long nonetheless. This album popularly known as NiME, is a progressive masterpiece. Like Seventh son (maiden album), this needs a bit getting used to. At first, i was fairly dissapointed with this effort, but soon enough it grew on me. My theory on listening to music is that its hard to listen and like the music, when you don't know any of the riffs or lyrics. You can't sing-a-long which automatically makes it boring. But you'll know these catchy lyrics after the first time, because they are so damn catchy! There are 11 songs on the album ( not including the narratives). The narratives are what makes this album seem really progressive and story like. It's as if i'm watching lord of the rings the musical. Not don't take that too seriously, its just a thought. The narratives are great because they feature great battle sounds, some flutes in there, and a lot of yelling. Most of the songs on here are great. The only track that i really hate is Time Stands still ( at the iron hill), its so annoying. Not really metal, or anything really. I should categorize it as annoying rock. But otherwise this album is great, great progressive, passionate, emotional (not emo), dramatic music from the great minds of Blind Guardian.

Best songs: War of wrath/ Into the storm, Nightfall, The curse of feanor, Captured/blood tears, Mirror Mirror, Thorn, When sorrow sang, and A dark passage/ final chapter.

p.s. if you like this album, get the debut from Demons and Wizards!

Drum and Dance / 30 Doumbek and Djembe Rhythms

Average customer rating:

Excellent collection of all Doumbek rythms
I like it
Excellent intro

Drum and Dance / 30 Doumbek and Djembe Rhythms
T. Roy
Manufacturer: T. Roy Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

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Doumbek Technique and Rhythms for Arabic Percussion, Bellydance, and Drum Circles
The Quick Guide to Playing Doumbek (English/Spanish/Japanese)
Air Mail Music: African Drums
Dumbek Fever: Dumbek Instructional Kit
Djembe: African Percussions

ASIN: B0006U4LM2
Release Date: 2004-01-01

Tracks:

Intro
Zar
Ayoob
Saudi
Felahin
Malfoof
Karachi
Maksoom
Sahidi
Nawari
Wahida
Beledi
Bolero
Chiftitelli #1
Chiftitelli #2
Masmoodi #1
Masmoodi #2
Elzafa #1
Elzafa #2
Egyptian 3
Darag
Tzamiko
Shish Hasht
Zebula
Moroccan 6
Turkish 5
Armenian 10
Leznoto
Rachinitza
Karislama
Ziembeikiko
All 30 Rhythms Spoken (no drumming)
Outro

Album Description

On this hand drum CD, T. Roy clearly demonstrates how to play 30 of the most popular Middle Eastern Rhythms used in music and dance today. His "say it / play it" approach makes learning these ancient rhythms simple and fun. Included in the inset of this CD are the written and spoken phrases for each rhythm. The "cheat-sheet" inset, depicting each rhythm in plain-sentence, spoken verse (not musical notation or some strange code), along with the spoken-word only track of ALL the rhythms (for ease of memorization in the car etc.), are by themselves worth the price of this CD.

Simply put, this project is a "must have" for all serious hand drummers and dancers.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent collection of all Doumbek rythms.......2007-06-30

This CD contains all possible rhythems of Doumbek from middle east. The instruction is very clear and easy to follow. Also an excellent set of rhythms to practice various belly dancing styles.

I like it.......2007-05-17

I like this cd. He tells the rythm then plays it, it really helps with understanding for playing and dancing.

Excellent intro.......2005-08-31

This CD is an excellent complement to a live drumming class. When practicing at home, it provides clear vocalization of the rhythms, CD jacket has the rhythms written out, and there are simple and complex variations on each.

Average customer rating:

Stealers Wheel- Who knew?
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right
Classic first rate band!!
More than a One Hit Wonder

Stuck in the Middle with You
Stealers Wheel
Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Very Best of the Sutherland Brothers & Quiver

ASIN: B0000251S4
Release Date: 2000-10-30

Tracks:

Stuck in the Middle With You
Who Cares?
Benediction
Go as You Please
Late Again
Everyone's Agreed That Everything Will Turn Out Fine
Blind Faith
Star
Outside Looking In
Found My Way to You
Right or Wrong
You Put Something Better Inside of Me

Album Description

1998 compilation on Spectrum featuring 18 of the greatest bythis Scottish pop duo from the '70s, comprised of GerryRafferty and Joe Egan. Includes the top 10 smash 'Stuck InThe Middle With You' (re-popularized in 1992 when it washeard in the background during the infamous ear scene inQuentin Tarantino's film 'Reservoir Dogs') and the top 30hit 'Star', plus 'Everything'll Turn Out Fine' and 'LateAgain'.

Customer Reviews:

Stealers Wheel- Who knew?.......2007-07-13

I had heard the song Stuck in the Middle with You on the radio for years, but never knew who performed it. Someone told me it was Bob Dylan, so I did some research and found out that it was Stealers Wheel. So I purchased the cd just because I loved Stuck in the Middle with You. But, there are so many other songs on the cd that I enjoy as well. I like to listen to the cd when I am exercising or cleaning the house. Most of the songs have a good beat and I can keep a good pace. I would definitely recommend this cd. I have listened to it non-stop since purchasing it.

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right.......2004-12-02

It may have taken a decade for Gerry Rafferty to come to terms with his past (his classic "Baker Street" was about meeting Joe Egan several years post-Wheel breakdown), but "The Best Of Stealers Wheel" will rekindle the flame for anyone who puzzled over originally hearing "Stuck In The Middle With You." Thanks to some more obsessive fans (Quentin Tarrentino has used both "Stuck" and "Star" in his movies), Stealers Wheel has held on to their cult audience. This "Best Of" is the definitive collection, being the first to include "Stuck In The Middle With You," "Star" and "Everyone's Agreed That Everything Will Turn Out Fine," Stealers Wheel's three charting American Singles.

The US got tricked by the Wheel back in 1973. A single with a lyric that sounded torn from Bob Dylan's back pages and harmonies that mirrored CSN&Y climbed into the Top Ten. "Stuck In The Middle With You" was an immediate classic, and the brains behind Stealers Wheel suddenly found themselves turned into overnight success stories. Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan had been kicking about England for several years (Rafferty had cut a solo album and recorded with folk rockers the Humblebums before forming Stealers Wheel), and the group had already been signed, broken up and reformed before the first album came out.

That debut, a delicious mix of English folk harmony and Beatlesque pop, contained several great songs. These included "You Put Something Better Inside Of Me" and "I Get By." Produced by the legendary Lieber/Stoller team (writers and producers for the likes of Elvis Presley, Ben E King and The Coasters), the album had a clean and uncanny sense of craft. Unfortunately, Rafferty and Egan were a volatile pair. They had broken up again before starting the second album, then reformed and promptly fired the then current Wheel line-up to proceed as a Steely Dan like studio entity, recording "Ferguslie Park" with session hands.

Another pair of minor hits came off that album, the deceptively disillusioned "Star" and the more optimistic "Everyone's Agreed That Everything Will Turn Out Fine," and the FM radio staple "Good Businessman." But the tension between the two escalated. It led to a terrific and unheralded third album, "Right Or Wrong," before the duo splintered for good. That swan song yielded a couple great tunes here, in particular the title track and "Benediction," as well as the music hall sound of "Found My Way To You."

Also worth noting, both the debut and "Ferguslie Park" are back in print, on CD for the first time.

Classic first rate band!!.......2004-10-08

"Stealers wheel" may not be a name recognised by the general public..but if given a listen-there are some clear cut gems here! 'stuck in the middle' is the hit of this cd-but its just the beginning of a great polished sound! other highlites include-'star', right or wrong', walltz,stealin', steamboat row, ect..this band also featured the talents of GERRY RAFFERTY(who later on recorded "baker street' and right down the line. AMAZING harmonies, musicianship and craft(joe eagan) and other quality musicians.

More than a One Hit Wonder.......2001-12-27

Compiled from their three albums of the early 70's, this actually turned out to be quite a fine piece of pop music. I purchased this CD based on my appreciation for "Stuck in the Middle with You" but soon found that it turned out to be one of the weaker numbers on the compilation. Complete with slide guitar, harmonica, violins, jangly piano, this is certainly a band that has the rock-country-folk sound down to a science. Virtually every song is a winner. Some of the standouts, in my opinion, include "This Morning", "Star", "Steamboat Row" and "Go As You Please". It's mellow, but also includes a couple tunes that can get you up and dancing. Gerry Rafferty has never really broken through as a big talent and it's a bit curious as to why he hasn't. Certain alt-country bands of the 90's sound quite a bit derivative. It's easy now to see where some of their influences have come from. If you're a fan of Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo, or Slobberbone, you might want to give this disc a spin.

Average customer rating:

Bardic Magic...
Nice work!
Great Album misleading Credits a must have!
A great understanding of Tolkien's world
inspired

In Elven Lands: The Fellowship
Jon Anderson
Manufacturer: United States Dist
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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White
Animation
Tour of the Universe
Homebrew 3
Olias of Sunhillow

ASIN: B000BSZA9M
Release Date: 2006-01-31

Tracks:

Tir Im
Dan Barlinman's Jig
The Silver Bowl
The Man In The Moon
A Verse To Elbereth Gilthoniel
Elechoi
Beware The Wolf
Orome: Lord Of The Hunt
Creation Hymn
When Durin Woke
Eala Earendel
The Sacred Stones
The Battle Of Evermore
Blood of Kings
Verses to Elbereth Gilthoniel
Evening Star

Product Description

1. Tir IM
2. Dan Barliman’s Jig*
3. The Silver Bowl
4. The Man In The Moon
5. A Verse To Elbereth Gilthoniel
6. Ele Choi*
7. Beware The Wolf
8. Oromë: Lord Of The Hunt
9. Creation Hymn
10. When Durin Woke
11. Eala Earendel
12. The Sacred Stones*
13. The Battle Of Evermore
14. The Blood Of Kings
15. Namarie
16. Verses To Elbereth Gilthoniel*
17. The Evening Star

*Songs that feature vocals by Jon Anderson

Format: CD

Customer Reviews:

Bardic Magic..........2007-06-01

While Jon Anderson is not the chief creator of this magnificent project, I have this to say: 'In Elven Lands' would not be the album that it is without Jon adding his own bardic artistry into the mix. I think Carvin Knowles (the primary composer) knew the album would benefit from Jon's musical wizardry.

That being said, the other artists/musicians did themselves proud by honoring Tolkien's original intentions by not only using Tolkien's material but expounding further by giving their own musical interpretations...and it came out sounding precisely how I think the music of Middle-Earth would have sounded.

If there is any 'modern gloss-over' on this album (as one reviewer suggested), it's due to the fact that it's recorded on CD, and not vinyl. Otherwise, there are no synths, no electronica stuff going on...the only thing 'electronica'-related is Jon Anderson...and don't kid yourself about his talents, because his gifts aren't solely relegated to electronic stuff...he does play acoustic guitar after all. ;-)

As for the Led Zeppelin thing: I *much* prefer The Fellowship's slower interpretation of 'Battle of Evermore.' This has more to do with sound/energy vibes than anything. If the Fellowship had tried to copy Zeppelin completely, the harder-edged result would be too harsh in comparison to the Renaissance-style music on the rest of the CD. Plus, the slower rhythm gave the song more of the 'Lord of the Rings' feel that the CD required.

I also enjoyed 'Beware the Wolf.' It has a nice Halloween-like edge to it that appeals to this Celtic Pagan..in fact, the whole album appeals to my Pagan sensibilities. ;-D

Above all, I confess that I did purchase it because Jon Anderson is on the album, but I also purchased it because it *is* Tolkien-inspired, and I am such a Lord of the Rings/Renaissance music geek that it's not even funny. ;-)

Nice work!.......2007-05-21

This is a nice album by the Fellowship. Jon Anderson's voice is strong and beautiful in some of the songs. Recommende for Jon Anderson fans.

Great Album misleading Credits a must have!.......2007-01-10

After having listened to this Album several hundred times. I can say that of all the "Music inspired by LOTR" this one is the most satisfying. I am a fan of period style, Early instrumentation and arrangement so this makes me biased toward this album as many of the other albums out there sound far too Orchestral and Modern or Gawd awful New Agey to my ears. (The exception being "Music Inspired by LOTR" by Bo Hannson in the Seventies with its dated synth and organ sounds..but that's a Nostalgia pick as I heard that album when I was what, 12?) Some people have called it Rennaisance like but the sound is definitely earlier than that.
As has been pointed out in other reviews the album's credits are misleading as Jon Anderson only sings on four songs and this is definatley an Ensemble work with alot of the credit going to Carvin Knowles who handles a good portion of the instrumentation and writing credits. It is closer in spirit to Mediaeval Baebes than anything else (Would be nice to see a Baebes LOTR album), though comparisons to other Irish/Gaelic music abound and are appropriate.
Most of the Songs are very good to excellent and I recommend listening in order as I believe this sets the mood. (though I like waking up to Tir Im and Orome). Beware the Wolf and Orome: Lord of the Hunt come to mind. 2 songs that while diffrent in staly share theme and are vry complimentary. Beware the Wolf also has quite abit of energy and Draws you in. You really get the the feeling the you are preparing to face down Carcharoth and recover the Silmaril.
The Best songs (IMHO) are the ones sung in "Elvish" performed by both John Anderson and the Female Lead Caitlin Elisabeth. Totally believable and other-worldly. I am however on the Fence with one tune; The Battle of Evermore cover. Its a little too Goth-y (and I like Goth-y)and would not sound out of place on an Eighties 4AD Album like Dead can Dance or This mortal Coil. I was not fond of it at first but it grew on me. (I like the use of the Female Chourus in Counter to the Dreary male lead). However, another Tune sung in Elvish by either Jon Or Caitlin would might have been better.
Another nice fact about the album is the way that the songs seem to cover the span of Tolkiens works with more emphasis on the Silmarillion than LOTR itself. Overal and Excellent album that should be in any Fans collection.

A great understanding of Tolkien's world.......2006-07-10

What an amazing album! And who saw it coming? Jon Anderson's work here is the best, it's really great to hear his natural voice on it's own, as opposed to the way his voice is layered in Yes. But his talent is not to take away from anyone else on the album's by any means! There certainly is other great talent, especially on the last song and the instrumental works. "Beware the Wolf", which I think is about the wolf who eats the Silmaril and Beren's hand, is also a favorite of mine.

Most of the lyrics are in elvish, but there's some in english (old and modern), too. All the songs are good, and the only real downpoint is the cover of "Battle Of Evermore" pales in comparison to the original Zepellin song. But after owning this album for a year, I'm beginning to see that song in a new light. Listened to as an old english interpretation of a somewhat modern classic, it becames incredibly interesting!

All in all, this accompanies Tolkien's work fabulously. Tolkien's new book out, and with it my interest in all things middle earth has been reawakened. This album deserves a 5, I wish I had rated it so ealier!!!

inspired.......2006-03-13

Jon Anderson and the rest of the Fellowship have grabbed hold of the essence of Professor J.R.R. Tolkein's mystical land. The haunting melodies and outstanding musicology add more color and richness to Middle Earth than I had ever imagined. Every time I listen to the CD I hear something new. I give my highest recommendation for this CD to any wishing to be musically transported to Elven lands .

Taqasim: Art of Improvisation in Arabic Music

Average customer rating:

Taqasim is a Beautiful Tapestry of sound. Sublime!!
Taqasim-The Art of Improvisation. Ali Jihad Racy

Taqasim: Art of Improvisation in Arabic Music
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Lyrichord Discs Inc.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Turath: Masterworks of the Middle East
Blue Flame
Art of the Ud
Mystical Legacies
Barzakh

ASIN: B00000229V
Release Date: 1993-07-21

Tracks:

Maqam Kurd
Maqam Nahawand
Maqam Bayyati

Customer Reviews:

Taqasim is a Beautiful Tapestry of sound. Sublime!!.......2002-02-08

This particular compilation is one of the best I have found. Arabic music is highly intelligent. The intricate notes always bring to my mind a Tapestry of sound. Taqasim is always very beautiful. These artists have achieved the perfect balance as they play in accord to each other...Dulcet tones & perfect pause... like two dancers poised in step & counter step. I highly recommend this CD. It is sure to become a favorite in anyones CD library. Especially to those that love the Sublime sounds of the East.
I came to Amazon to look for this & one other CD. I was dissapointed to find both of these are not in stock. No price is listed. ( The other compilation I was looking for was Amina- Ya Lil. ) I will check back, & hope to find these in stock at some future date. I am certain many latent listeners out there would love to discover these compilations. Both are excellent!!

Happy Listening!!

Taqasim-The Art of Improvisation. Ali Jihad Racy.......2000-08-10

Was a nice experience to find this improvisation in arab music. Iwas listen the Led Zepellin work with marraquesh music and another time I descouvered the deep musical taste and education that Led Zeppelin had even that more time they don't believe in it as an important support in their rock music.In this case is a cultural a music thinking across the improvisation and I feel this is a classical aproach but with the spirits of jazz reflection.Nice very nice.We ussually have a close stereotipe about the arab music and some time their oficial musicians have to.This is a traditional expereince not a traditional copy.Thanks

Average customer rating:

Too far in the "Dirt"?
Boland Rules!
Boland and Boys do it again!
Red Dirt Music Rules !

Somewhere in the Middle
Jason Boland & the Stragglers
Manufacturer: Smith Music Group
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music

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Pearl Snaps
Live at Billy Bob's
The Bourbon Legend
Pearl Snaps
Truck Stop Diaries

ASIN: B0002NY7X6
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Tracks:

Hank
When I'm Stoned
Somewhere In The Middle
If You Want To Hear A Love Song
Back To You
Stand Up To The Man
Radio's Misbehaving
Dirty Fightin' Love
12 Oz. Curls
Mary
Thunderbird Wine
Hell Or Bust
Untitled

Description

"It's like going to bed for the very first time and then going to bed when you're 29you take your time a little bit more" This is how Jason Boland associates the difference between his brand new record and those in the band's collective past. When it comes to making music Jason doesn't feel that one record is the end-all be-all, but rather emerges as a timepiece, like the ever-faithful phases of life. And though his list of publicly proclaimed pet names and labels have suggested him as the ghost of country music past, Somewhere in the Middle, Jason Boland and The Stragglers' first album release in three years, delivers a seasoned sonic indulgence mellowed with age and wiser for the wear. Jason Boland's reputation as a voraciously untamed songsmith and performer has well preceded him over the years since emerging first in 1999 at the age of 25. With over 50,000 combined units sold independently, and backed by a fierce band of the musically well endowed, the Stragglers are Roger Ray (pedal steel, lead/rhythm guitar), Brad Rice (drums/backing vocals), and Grant Tracy (bass). Additional record contributions goes to Noah Jeffries on banjo, mandolin, and guitar.Let it be a warning to all: "Mellow" in this case does in no way translate to lukewarm. In fact, the irons in this fire come out blazing with the record's first track Hank. Even upon first listening, if you didn't know any better, you would swear that Jason Boland is linked to the Jennings' gene with his baritone saunter combined with Tracy's bouncy bass line. "Dirty Fighting Love," co-written with Red Dirt favorite Stoney LaRue, reigns with the grudge of a bitter lead guitar stopping for breaks in the desolate land of a heartbreak hang over. Love Song approaches with seemingly exhausted warning of not how love is lost, but rather how it is gained, while Mary whines with the prowess of Ray's pedal steel combined with Rice's surrendering groove so smooth it would make Jergen's jealous. With guest appearances from Billy Joe Shaver, Red Dirt pioneer Randy Crouch, Kathleen O'Keefe, Stoney LaRue, and Reckless Kelly's Cody Bronze, Somewhere in the Middle is sure not to disappoint.The title of this album is ironic in the way of its location being somewhat of a familiar place to Jason-who has been caught since early on somewhere between mainstream and up the proverbial creek without a paddle. That is until radio started flexing some muscle by exercising fans requests going way outside the lines of the Top 40 mandate. Initial spins were quick to prove that fans were a little more interested in quality than quantity. The band's debut album release of Pearl Snaps in 1999 put them on the map of the working musician. Truck Stop Diaries released in 2001 landed them the rarefied #1 spot on the Texas Music chart with "Travelin Jones," and the Gruene with Envy Album of the Year Award, an awards ceremony based solely on votes by the fans. Live and Loud at Billy Bob's was their next release in 2002 winning them the Gruene with Envy Live Album of the Year as well as securing them a Top 20 spot with Mexico or Crazy before the single had even been released. Jason has been called everything from the surfacing king of alt-swing to an outlaw, and in some cases even a liability. But all in all, at the end of the day what you have here are five guys who have been instrumental in putting quality music back on the radio airwaves, on the covers of magazines nationwide and on the lips of music goers everywhere. Produced by Lloyd Maines, Grammy award winning producer for the Dixie Chicks' smash album Home, and brought to you by the Smith Music Group whose series of "Live at Billy Bob's" releases have boosted Texas music record sales by 53%, fans can expect the new album unleashing by summers' end.Songs include: Hank; When I'm Stoned; Somewhere In the Middle; If You Want to Hear Love Song; Back to You; Stand Up to the Man; Radio's Misbehaving; Dirty Figthin' Love; 12 oz. Curls; Mary; Thunderbird Wine; Hell or Bust

Customer Reviews:

Too far in the "Dirt"?.......2006-09-07

Jason came out with a classic country album "Pearl Snaps" some years ago, and I really thought at that time that we had ourselves a new, young "Outlaw" type of country music saviour. Yeah, that disc was that good. His next release, "Truckstop Diaries" was good, but it didn't quite match his debut, plus there was 'something" a little different about it. Since then, there's been this huge "Red Dirt Music" scene happening in Texas that's really big with the kids, mostly high-schoolers, and college students. Many (and I mean many)of these artists just don't have that much talent, and some of it is downright terrible but as long as they make music that is different than Nashville music, and there's a fiddle or two, the kids think that this is some kind of outlaw thing. I know many of Jason's buddies are writing this stuff, and hey, I do believe it's better for the kids to get into this rather than the bubblegum stuff coming out of Music Row, but I just thought Jason and the band were too talented for this. He seems to be gravitating to this genre, and to be honest, he's a better "country" artist than where he seems to be headed. Even though Billie Joe Shaver's on this, it doesn't save the album from being a disappointment for me. I still like this band, I just hope he gets back to writing some material I believe he's capable of writing; honest, hard-core redneck country. 3 1/2 stars.

Boland Rules!.......2005-09-09

Jason Boland is one of my favorite country singers. However, this album isn't as strong as some of his previous albums are. This is still a good album and its fun to listen as it is full of songs you'd expect from the straggler himself. If you like Boland or Outlaw Country then you will find this album enjoyable at the least.

Boland and Boys do it again!.......2004-10-16

For those who don't know, Jason Boland and The Stragglers music will kick you right in the tail. "Somewhere in the Middle" is not my favorite album of theirs, but it still smokes. Check out "Dirty Fightin' Love" and "Stand Up To The Man" if you want to know how its done down here in Texas. This album seems to be a bit more mature and polished (not in a bad way) than is previous material with a diverse selection of straight up roadhouse to western swing to rock. Billy Joe Shaver guests on a remake of his "Thunderbird" and that alone is worth the price of admission (Good to see BJS finally start to get his due). Check out "Pearl Snaps" and "Truckstop Dairies" also, they are exceptional also.

Red Dirt Music Rules !.......2004-09-23

Jason Boland and The Stragglers have long been one of my favorite "Red Dirt" bands. Boland's "Proud Souls" is one of the best songs ever written (in my humble opinion!).This latest CD, "Somewhere in the Middle" carries on the tradition of excellent songwriting (most are Boland compositions)and a steamy hot mix of Southern Rock and Texas-style Country. One thing that really caught my ear on this CD is Jason Boland's remarkable voice...like a young Waylon Jennings. Excellent musicianship from the Stragglers, who are obviously one of the tightest bands around. Hopefully, "Somewhere In The Middle" will open up a much wider audience to Red Dirt music in general. If you're not satisfied with the "Corporate Country music" so common on the radio these days, you owe it to yourself to give Jason and the Stragglers a listen. Prepare to fall in love with music again...I sure did !

Life of the Worlds: Journeys in Jewish Sacred Music

Average customer rating:

Life of the Worlds: Journeys in Jewish Sacred Music

Manufacturer: Five Souls Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Jewish & Yiddish Music | Folk | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000172L72
Release Date: 2003-12-03

Tracks:

Ha'aderet Veha'emunah/LeKhay Olamim - Yemen
Le'El Adir Neranenah - Afghanistan
Bati Legani - Eastern Europe
Kinah Lekhurban Gan Eden - Eastern Europe
Sephardi Yerushalmi Khatsi Kaddish - Jerusalem/Spain
Navah Tehilah - Afghanistan
Hayoshevet Baganim - Yemen
Eyn Keloheynu - Morocco
Modeh Ani/Elohay Neshamah - Salonica
Eli Shema Koli - Morocco
Reb Nachman's Niggun - Ukraine
Hishtapkhut Hanefesh - Belarus
Niggun of the Alter Rebbe - Belarus
Ve'erastikh Li - Salonica
El Mistater - Poland
Ashrey - Eastern Europe/Spain
Yemeni Shema - Yemen
Grandfather Sang a Song - Eastern Europe

Amazon.com

The modern-day traditional Jewish music revival is filled with artists exploring klezmer's Eastern-European roots, but you'll hear no clarinet and little violin on cantor/educator Richard Kaplan's Life Of The Worlds. Although these are traditional songs, there is a broad range of the Diaspora represented on his second album, including Afghani, Spanish, Moroccan, and Algerian traditions. Kaplan dives into the sacred and the secular, the prophetic and the exultant, finding commonalities amongst different tribes and fusing them together. Musical accompaniment comes in the form of an occasional flute, piano, and violin as well as Moroccan clay drums, oud, dumbek, and other pre-modern-era instruments, but the instrument at the center of each song is Kaplan's voice--his high baritone majestically soars, quavers with sensitivity, and rings out with joy. To hear him sing solo versions of traditional Niggiun is to hear a world-class master savor the multifaceted nuance of each note and transcend the concept of song, turning it into religion and high art. --Tad Hendrickson

Album Description

A remarkable collection of vocal performances of Jewish sacred music from the Middle East, Andalusia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia - songs of exultation, longing, love, and Divine immanence - accompanied by an ensemble of masterful musicians.

Instruments include: oud, ney, kanun, Egyptian accordian, violin, mandolin, dumbek, doira, riqq, Yemenite can, tar, saz, clarinet, mey (Turkish duduk), tilinca (Rumanian shepherd's flute), piano, string bass, balaban (Klezmer drum set), cimbalom, and a chorus of voices.

Among many special songs, the CD features an 'eco-lament' (ecological lament) based on lament melodies for the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. It is called "Lament on the Destruction of the Garden of Eden" (Kinah Lekhurban Gan Eden), and updates the use of these tunes to mourn the wounding of our larger temple, Gaia - Mother Earth.

LIFE OF THE WORLDS contains 18 songs, 77 minutes of music, and contains a 32-page booklet which includes informative song descriptions; all texts are provided in transliteration, English translation, and in Hebrew or Yiddish.

This CD was three years in the making, and presents the first recordings in North America of several songs from the treasure-chest of Jewish sacred music.

Music Review:

Music Review

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