Distanz [Import]

Distanz [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
German Cult Act Andreas Krueger (Aka Der Dritte Raum) Calls his Music 'electronic Listening and Dance Music'. Krueger was Influnced in the 80's by Pink Floyd, Krafwerk, Human League and Heaven 17 .

Tracks:

The Voice
Talking Out Of Turn
Gemini Dream
In My World
MeanWhile
22,000 Days
Nervous
Painted Smile
Reflective Smile
Veteran Cosmic Rocker

Amazon.com

A regular fixture on the pop charts throughout the '70s, the Moody Blues roared into the '80s with this tremendously successful record. In fact, the album sounds only slightly different than its predecessors; the synthesizer textures are heavier (thanks to former Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz), but the band's flair for catchy, melodic compositions is still very much in evidence. In retrospect, songs like "The Voice," "Talking Out of Turn" and "In My World," while solid, don't exactly measure up to such all-time Moodies classics like "Ride My See-Saw" or "Tuesday Afternoon." Still, this is probably the last truly consistent album the band ever made. --Dan Epstein

Customer Reviews:

My intro to the Magical Moodies.......2007-06-07

This really isn't a review, just me wanting to briefly share my sentimental feelings about the Moodies and this particular album.

Having been born in 1964 into a household that did not allow rock music, I didn't discover The Moody Blues until the Summer of 1981. I can remember so very clearly lying on the floor on a hot day and hearing 'Gemini Dream' on the radio. I was instantly in love with the sounds of the music, lyrics, and what I was to later learn, John Lodge's unique voice. I was ecstatic when a few months later I got another delicious taste of the Moodies with 'The Voice'. I have been smitten by them ever since. Before LDV, I had never even heard of the Moodies and had certainly never heard anything sounding remotely like them. Since that time I have discovered the earlier works of this great band. They never cease to amaze, enthrall and delight me. Every time I listen to a Moodies song, they take up a little bit more space in my heart, where this album holds a very, very special place.

Now that I know them, I cannot imagine a world without the beautiful music and words of these talented and wonderful men who call themselves The Moody Blues.

Cover art trivia.......2007-03-30

Something I noticed years ago was the satellite passing through the sky on the album cover, an interesting anachronism made all the more poignant in its subtlety. Also, it's not just any satellite, but a "Voyager" that was launched in the 70s and is currently speeding out of our solar system. Indeed, a "Long Distance Voyager." It's a nice reminder of the Moodies cosmic roots and harkens back to "To Our Children's Children's Children."

The Moody Blues' second, and to date last, US chart topper is still excellent 25 years on.......2007-03-18

The Moody Blues' tenth studio album entitled Long Distance Voyager was released in May of 1981.
The Moody Blues, by 1981, had not put out any studio work since 1978's Platinum selling Octave (which was the last album with founding keyboard player Mike Pinder). Then in the spring of 1981 saw the return of The Moody Blues, which now consisted of guitarist/singer/songwriter Justin Hayward, bass player/singer/songwriter John Lodge (bass, vocals), flute player/singer/songwriter Ray Thomas, drummer Graeme Edge and one time Yes keyboard player Patrick Moraz (whom Yes fans remember for his stellar work on their 1974 album Relayer). Many people were disappointed with Octave and called it disjointed but Long Distance Voyager saw The Moody Blues return in a MAJOR WAY!
First, the band jettisoned producer Tony Clarke and replaced him with Pip Williams. Then the band recorded in England for the first time since 1972's Seventh Sojourn at Threshold Studios in Northamptonshire, England in late 1980/early 1981. Finally, the mellotrons were gone and synthesizers were now here in its place.
The album opend with the Top 20 hit "The Voice" which its synthesizer intro showcaed Moraz' synthesizer work. The track, penned by Hayward, is a great song and worthy of hit status. Next is "Talking Out of Turn", a ballad penned and sung by Lodge. A great song. Next was the album's other big hit, the Top 20 charting "Gemini Dream", which was penned and sung by by Lodge and Hayward and proclaiming they were back, and they were. In My World is next and was the last song on the first side. The Hayward penned number is almost country-ish in sound but a beautiful track and featured excellent steel guitar work by B.J. Cole.
"Meanwhile" starts the second half of the album and was penned and sung by Hayward and is a fantastic number about love slipping through the character's fingers. Next is the Graeme Edge penned number "22,000 Days" which is about life and making the most of it and a stellar track. we follow with another Lodge penned number called "Nervous" and is another classic number. The album's last 3 tracks is a mini-suite penned and sung by Ray Thomas. The three tracks in question are "Painted Smile", "Reflective Smile" and "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" compares the music and entertainment world to the circus. This mini-suite of three songs is a great way to close a classic album.
Long Distance Voyager upon its release became The Moody Blues' second, and to date, last US chart-topper hitting #1 in July of 1981 and staying there for three weeks and was the second Moody Blues album to hit the Platinum mark in the US (meaning it sold a million or more in copies) and rightfully so because the album is flawless and saw The Moody Blues come back from a clunker to bring one of the best albums of their career.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Welcome Back, Moody Blues.......2006-11-16

Forget the plodding, Octave. THIS is the Mooody Blues comeback album.

Most of the songs here are fantastic. The band is re-energized by the arrival of Patrick Moraz. "Talking Out Of Turn." is the best John Lodge solo vocal on any Moody Blues album from any era. "In My World" is a worthy addition to the Justin Hayward ballad catalogue. The only criticism is the Ray Thomas songs are not on par with his classic work, and, consequently, are the weakest songs on the album.

The Moody Blues' best album of the 80's.......2006-11-10

THE BAND: Justin Hayward (guitars, vocals), John Lodge (bass, vocals), Patrick Moraz (keyboards), Ray Thomas (flute, harmonica, vocals), Graeme Edge (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (1981) 10 tracks clocking in approximately 47 minutes. Included with the disc is a 14-page booklet containing song titles/time/credits, song lyrics, and misc info. Recorded at Threshold Studios in Northamptonshire, England. A hard-to-find gold/remastered edition released in 1997. Label - Decca Records / Threshold.

COMMENTS: I was too young to be 'into' the Moody Blues when they were big for the 1st time (late 1960's into the early 70's). "Long Distance Voyager" (LDV) was my first album of theirs... it hooked me in and eventually made me go backwards to buy much of their earlier material. Where it's debatable what album might be the best of the 60's and again in the 70's, I feel "LDV" is clearly their best album of the 80's. The thrust of their musical direction had changed since their first 7-8 albums. Leaning now toward main stream rock/pop, with less orchestration and space rock feel. "LDV" became the band's 2nd #1 album on the Billboard chart (with 2 huge hits - #15 "The Voice" and #12 "Gemini Dream"). This album also saw the departure of long time keyboardist Mike Pinder, and the entrance of ex-Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz. "The Voice" is a great song and worthy of hit status. I was never a huge fan of the very pop-oriented "Gemini Dream"... to me, outside of the vocals, it really doesn't even sound like the band. The gems on the album though are the non-hits. "Meanwhile" is a great melody about love slipping through the character's fingers; "22,000 Days" (my all-time favorite Graeme Edge song) is a great song about life and making the most of it; and the last 3 tracks pertaining to the entertainers of the world... "Painted Smile" through "Veteran Cosmic Rocker". The album really closes with a bang. If you want to own any of the Moody Blues' many studio albums, "Long Distance Voyager" should be one of them (5 stars).

Average customer rating:

re: Celestial Melodies Great Work Album
The Interpretation of Dreams
Energy transfer
Very Soothing
Urban Longing

Distance
Marconi Union
Manufacturer: All Saints
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Compounds + Elements: An Introduction to All Saints Records
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ASIN: B000AY2JPU
Release Date: 2006-03-14

Tracks:

Sleepless
These European Cities
Through Glass
Buildings and People
Suburb 27
Inter
A Temporary Life

Amazon.com

What goes around comes around ambient. That's the message from a third generation of electronica artists who were just leaving the womb when Brian Eno's early works were being diffused in the 1970s. They were barely teens when the Orb rolled forth in the '90s. But new artists like Boards of Canada, the Album Leaf, and Explosions in the Sky are taking those early ambient primers and adding geometries of glitch and dream guitar to the mix, creating a melodic brand of ethereal music with an edge. Marconi Union, a Manchester duo, follow suit on a CD that travels in cinematic melancholy and textural malaise. Their songs build slowly, emerging out of a flattened landscape of static and stillness to attain a quietly triumphal beauty. Percussion is almost subliminal in journeys that pulse more than groove. It sometimes gets ominous, with an ostinato bass growl prowling through a Blade Runner landscape on "Inter." But usually they generate a quiet awe, like the slow build of "Sleepless." Expect to hear tracks from Distance in soundtracks and commercials near you soon. --John Diliberto

Album Description

Marconi Union is a reclusive electronic duo from Manchester, England. Their sound has been described as "a post rock cinematic orchestra." Distance, their first U.S. release, is unique, individual and timeless, fusing acoustic sounds, strings and pianos with electronica, post-rock guitars and even occasional nods towards jazz and dub. Described by the band as "a soundtrack to a film that has not yet been made," listening to Distance evokes the feeling of being driven silently around an unknown city at night, observing the activity and life of the urban sprawl in safety and isolation.

Customer Reviews:

re: Celestial Melodies Great Work Album.......2007-06-22

This album resonates with beauty... the music provides you with a very thought provoking journey. If you want to transcend your current time and place, just put this album on and you will be transported by the delicate yet etheral melodies.. it is an album with tremendous beauty. I cannot recommend a album more, it relaxes me and gives me insight into what I am doing. Absolutely fantastic album to listen to while at work...

The Interpretation of Dreams.......2007-04-30

At the end of the previous century, Brian Eno's genius, expressed through his various ambient works, set an insurmountable barrier for those that they chose to follow his pattern. To put it bluntly, he set a standard that nobody managed even to come near to. (Maybe his brother came close, but he was still lacking Brian's imagination and mood to discover).

All these until Marconi Union and their Distance work. Dreamy atmosphere, almost psychoanalytic, moving in all senses. A perfect link to Eno's Music For Films sequel. A perfect step towards ambient fulfillment.

It is really hopeful that such groups exist and needless to say, we are truly looking forward to their next work.

Energy transfer.......2007-02-13

There is an exhange of energy that takes place for me when I listen to Distance. Not only do I experience de-stressing and decompression, there also comes a palpable energy transfer while listening to these selections.

The first step in the transfer is the way Distance draws the toxicity of my day out of me, leaving me pleasantly drained. The second step of the process, then, is how the movement within each track subtly softens and salves the chisel-bitten edges of my consciousness. In the third step, as fresh fluid trickles in, I am refilled and renewed.

After a day of dying little, moment-by-moment deaths, Distance breathes life back into me, slowly, slowly, and almost imperceptibly.

If you have ragged edges, if you have wounds, this can be a balm for you.

Very Soothing.......2007-01-24

Nice Album! Very peaceful textures that are perfect for relaxing/Yoga/Meditation etc. I would not consider this New Age, it's more modern Ambient with some modern electronics. There are quite a bit of interesting sounds here even guitars. The product description here says: "a Manchester duo, follow suit on a CD that travels in cinematic melancholy and textural malaise. Their songs build slowly, emerging out of a flattened landscape of static and stillness to attain a quietly triumphal beauty. Percussion is almost subliminal in journeys that pulse more than groove" I think that is a very good way of describing this album. Good Stuff.

Urban Longing.......2007-01-24

Marconi Union's Distance album is a warm embrace of ambient textures with drifting melodies and haunting memories filled with dreamy longings. If you can't sleep, put this in your CD player/stereo and climb into a warm bath. The music is well suited to relaxation, reading late at night or simply dissolving into a memorable mood.

"Through Glass" is more sensuous, while "Buildings and People" has a more luminous trajectory with the feeling that a city has been left completely empty, it is almost haunting in beauty. "A Temporary Life" has shy jazz flourishes, but overall seems to be melting into the night.

The urban moods build on each other until you feel completely relaxed. This album has hints of places you like to be and it seems to call you to distant locations where you'd like to spend more time dreaming.

~The Rebecca Review

Average customer rating:

The Distance
Very poor musically
Good price, good service
The last of the "real" Seger
Seger's Best

The Distance
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002U88
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Even Now
Makin' Thunderbirds
Boomtown Blues
Shame On The Moon
Love's The Last To Know
Roll Me Away
House Behind A House
Comin' Home
Little Victories

Customer Reviews:

The Distance.......2006-10-01

No Bob Seger fan should do without this album and "Its A Mystery" The man never makes bad music. Its timeless. We need more of his style of music.

Very poor musically.......2006-07-09

I've bought the vinyl LP version of this album, because someone had recommended it to me.
I'm not a Bob Seger's fan, but I found the music of this album much too simple, "déjà vu", and pretty boring for me who is usually into progressive rock.
I nevertheless gave 3 stars, because I might not be very objective to judge this sort of music, and I don't want to make Bob's fans too angry.
Simply put, I could not believe my eyes when seeing this record had an average rating of more than 4 stars, so wanted to correct a little bit this.

Good price, good service.......2005-09-22

CD was at a good price and arrived in good shape and in good time.

The last of the "real" Seger.......2004-12-15

By the early '80s, Bob Seger had established himself as a firm proponent of the guitar-heavy, rhythmically driven, classic-rock school of American music. Many consider The Distance to be his final album in that vein, and what a heck of an album it is. This is one to pop in the CD player when you first get in the car and just drive, drive, drive. This album demonstrates all of the musical categories Seger created for himself and went on to dominate. The pure, guitar-driven rockers "Even Now" and "Makin' Thunderbirds," two of Seger's most compelling tunes, start out the album; the latter hearkens back to the Chuck Berry sound he so assiduously assimilated in his earlier days, while the former represents the apex of the Bob Seger sound he went on to create. "Boomtown Blues" powers on in a similar vein, although it slows things down slightly to create (true to its name) a more bluesy feel. "Shame on the Moon," "Love's the Last to Know" and "Comin' Home" showcase another famous side of Seger's talent: the simple, soulful, almost country ballad in the style of "We've Got Tonight." "Roll Me Away," on the other hand, foreshadows a genre Seger would turn to with increasing frequency later in his career: the "rock tale." Here it's a story of a love that died as abruptly as it began, couched within the larger framework of one man's journey to find himself. Lyrically, it's an irresistibly compelling song--although it's admittedly pretty easy to miss the lyrics if you're focusing on the great beat (as I've been guilty of doing). This album has everything that makes Seger great: the simplicity and easy accessibility, the inspired lyrics, and--above all--that great Heart of America sound. It's one of his best efforts and a worthy addition to your collection.

Seger's Best.......2004-07-17

"Shame On The Moon" is Seger's best song and this is his best CD. It belongs in any collection of American Music.

Average customer rating:

A dream
Perfection at its Best
Tranquil Beauty
Beautiful!
Tranquility, Serenity, Beauty, and Superb Asian Movie Soundtrack

Hero
Tan Dun
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Hero

ASIN: B0002S945W
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Tracks:

Hero: Overture
For the World - Theme Music
Warriors
Gone with Leaves
Longing
At Emperor's Palace
In the Chess Court
Love in Distance
Spirit Fight
Swift Sword
Farewell, Hero
Sorrow in Desert
Home
Above Water
Snow
Yearning for the Peace

Amazon.com

Tan Dun straddles the very different worlds of concert music and film scores, winning admirers in both. He's perhaps best known for his score to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which shares with Hero a visual poetry that transcends the sword-filled action film genre. In Crouching Tiger, Tan Dun's music was often striking. In Hero he often lapses into repetition and cliché, a failing compensated for by several appealing cues. The Overture, for example, begins with the mournful wail of ancient Chinese instruments set against pounding drums, a promising start that evokes ancient China and the struggles to come. There's a mournful soprano vocalise in "Gone With the Leaves," and the "Warriors" cue recalls Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky. The plucking of the ancient Chinese lute in "In the Chess Court" evokes a timeless, peaceful mood, contrasting with the thrilling kodo drummers showcased in "Swift Sword." Itzhak Perlman gets cover billing for violin solos any competent studio fiddler could have handled. Tan Dun's admirers will want this, and audiophiles will love those kodo drummers. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

A dream.......2007-05-29

A magistral execution... close your eyes and dream.... a perfumed atmosphere will pervade you

Perfection at its Best.......2007-01-05

I received the Hero CD in mint condition and in a timely fashion. There's a plethora of things one could complain about, and when something works how it should, sometimes it gets overlooked. Not this time! I would just like to commend Amazon.Com on a job well done...

Tranquil Beauty.......2006-08-08

After seeing Hero, one of the (many) things that stuck with me was the evocative soundtrack. It set a perfect backdrop to the artistry and beauty of the story.

After purchasing the soundtrack, I was reminded of many of the scenes I enjoy, especially the tracks for the fight in the chess house ("In the Chess Court"), and in the yellow wood ("Gone with Leaves"). "Longing" is one of the most hauntingly serene pieces of film music I have heard.

This is not, obviously, a CD to listen to while you do step aerobics.
The theme is repeated and varied often, evoking the way the film's story is repeated from different perspectives, but those with short attention spans may perceive it as merely repetitive.

Beyond its association with the film, this soundtrack is an incredibly calming work of art. To be enjoyed with a good cup of hot tea.
5 stars.

Beautiful!.......2006-03-19

Interesting way to present some Chinese history by convoluted storytelling. Jet Li provides a subtle, challenging performance. It's a visually stunning movie to look at, as well. In a way, it's a lot like some classic Westerns in that the gorgeously stark landscapes of China become just as much a "star" as the players.

One of the real draws is the music. Tan Dun's compositions are beautiful, sad and celebratory at the same time, and haunting. I think it was pure genius to pair his compositions with Perlman. I had to wait a few months for the DVD, but I went out and bought the music CD immediately after seeing this gem of a movie.

Tranquility, Serenity, Beauty, and Superb Asian Movie Soundtrack.......2006-02-25

When I want to reconnect with my inner self and take a "time out" from my rat race life, I play either this CD or the sound track from "The Last Samurai". The theme from this CD stays in your head all day. If you like soundtracks, asian style muusic, classical music, and beauty, this CD has it all. I sometimes end up watching the movie again later in the week. I collect movie soundtracks and this is in my top ten.

From a Distance: The Very Best of Nanci Griffith

Average customer rating:

Fine collection, unacceptably marketed
ONE GREAT SONG/RENDITION
Somethin's Missin'
Fantastic Collection!
A terrific, remastered version of an old favorite!

From a Distance: The Very Best of Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith
Manufacturer: Mca Nashville
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Other Voices, Other Rooms
Hearts in Mind
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ASIN: B000068TO0
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Tracks:

Lone Star State Of Mind
Cold Hearts/Closed Minds
From A Distance
Ford Econoline
Trouble In The Fields
There's A Light Beyond These Woods (Mary Margaret)
Looking For The Time (Workin' Girl) (live)
I Don't Want To Talk About Love
Drive-In Movies And Dashboard Lights
It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go
If Wishes Were Changes
Once In a Very Blue Moon (live)
Anyone Can Be Somebody's Fool
I Knew Love
Gulf Coast Highway (with Mac McAnally)
I Wish It Would Rain
Outbound Plane
Love At The Five And Dime (live)
It's Just Another Morning Here
Late Night Grande Hotel
Hometown Streets
The Wing And The Wheel (live)

Amazon.com

Well, the title is misleading, as this collection showcases only her MCA era; a more accurate designation would be From a Distance: The Best Stuff Nanci Griffith Did After She Left Philo and Before She Went to Elektra, but maybe that's not catchy enough. What is compelling is the music itself. During the period of 1987 to 1991, Griffith wrote some of her best material. She also discovered Julie Gold's classic title song, but found herself floundering commercially in her transition from folkabilly queen to arch chanteuse. Griffith's Philo records are still the most memorable--loose and full of Texas ranginess and sawdust memories. But this compilation is surprisingly satisfying, as it ends just before she began to take herself too seriously. You can hear a tinkling banjo driving "Lone Star State of Mind" and a pedal steel guitar as hillbilly as the Grand Ole Opry on "Ford Econoline." Her little-girl voice modulates to fetching reediness when necessary and even dips into deep Texas in the spoken intros to several live performances. But what stands out is the overall quality of the writing, which turns stunning on the wistful "Gulf Coast Highway" and on "Trouble in the Fields." If the reason for Griffith's status as a cult artist has eluded you, this anthology should go a long way toward clearing up the mystery. --Alanna Nash

Album Description

Features 22 tracks from her 5 MCA albums. 96k/24-bit mastered from the original master tapes. Includes the signature tunes as well as live versions of her key Philo hits. 2002.

Customer Reviews:

Fine collection, unacceptably marketed.......2006-10-15

Others have noted the duplication between this disc and the prior MCA-era collection. I don't have a major problem with a new collection displacing an old one, but I take an even more dim view of the way MCA has titled this project: released in 2002, the "best of" moniker is more than misleading, since these tracks are culled from only five years (the most recent recordings from 1991) and as many albums from an artist who has released gobs of music before and since.

Note that for a few dollars more you can buy "The Complete MCA Recordings", a 2-disc set which includes the four studio albums represented here *in their entirety* (this disc does include a few very good live tracks not on that set). Since Griffith has had few "hits" as such, the song selection for this set really comes down to an editor's choices; there are many equally strong songs from this period not represented here.

Having said all that, on its own merits this is a fine collection, showcasing Griffith's most fertile and appealing songwriting period, after she fully developed her storytelling skill and vocal style but before she gained elder-stateswoman status by helming the "Other Voices" projects. As one might expect from late-80s country-folk, there is a certain sameness of stylistic and production approach here and Griffith's signature woman-child voice can sometimes become cloying. But taken in small doses nearly every one of these songs has the capability to surprise and delight.

ONE GREAT SONG/RENDITION.......2006-03-25

I REALLY ENJOY THIS ARTIST, BUT THE COLLECTION ISN'T REALLY WONDERFUL EXCEPT FOR "FROM A DISTANCE". ON THE OTHER HAND I'D BUY THIS CD FOR THAT SONG ALONE EVEN IF THE OTHER CUTS WERE NANCI READING CLASSIFIED ADS.

Somethin's Missin'.......2004-02-28

A Nanci Griffith compilation without "Spin on a Red Brick Floor"? Without "Workin' in Corners"? Sorry. This smacks of another record company attempt to further line their pockets. I'm sure if you ask Nanci, she'd give you a whole different list of songs for this album.

Fantastic Collection!.......2003-07-23

This CD is fantastic for fans looking for a good Nanci compilation. You get all her greatest songs, including my favorite track, which is a live version of her masterpiece "Love At The Five & Dime." In addition to this live gem, you get all of Nanci's classics, such as "Outbound Plane" and "Gulf Coast Highway," and you can hear how the Bette Midler standard "From A Distance" is supposed to sound!

A terrific, remastered version of an old favorite!.......2002-09-04

Yes, this collection is basically an updated, repackaged version of her early '90s "Retrospective," CD, but this collection has two things going for it over the previous "Best Of" release: it includes more songs, and the music has been digitally remastered. All the songs sound great and are indicative of Griffith's work during her brief stint at MCA Records. (One question: why was "Listen To the Radio" not included in this collection?)

Tracks:

Undertow
Disappointed
Edge Of The Ocean
Blame It On Yourself
While We're In Love
Lucy Doesn't Love You
Worry About You
Let's Stay Inside
Midnight Sun
I Think Of You
Hideaway
One More Last Kiss
Digging Your Scene

Amazon.com

After years of postmodern pop posturing from dozens of would-be Portisheads and Bjorks, it's something more than a relief to see Ivy's third album, Long Distance, get a U.S. release. The New York-based trio's languid but richly emotional meld of trip-hop, classic French-pop touches (singer Dominique Durand is a Paris native), and indie adventurousness shine here, even while displaying the outfit's deepest melancholic vibe. Few singer-songwriters could put across a sentiment like that of "Disappointed"--Durand explains that she's bound to leave a guy--without coming off defensive or taunting. "While We're in Love" offers a similarly bleak, if enticing, future. Long Distance never burrows so far into its own melancholy as to render the effect merely selfish or cold; even if your situation is hunky-dory, you'll be hard pressed not to revel in the subtle empathy of these numbers. The sole nonoriginal, the Blow Monkeys' 1986 single "Digging Your Scene," demonstrates Ivy's ability to render a late-summer dayscape replete with slowly pushed merry-go-round and intimation of oncoming loss, all with a wink. --Rickey Wright

Album Description

Long Distance finds Ivy continuing to move away from its beginning as straightforward guitar band, exploring in greater depth the types of slinky rhythms and sounds that were hinted at on 1997's Apartment Life. Also featured on the record are James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins), Jon Skibic (Gigolo Aunts) and Brian Young (Fountains Of Wayne/Posies). 13 tracks, including a Blow Monkey's cover 'Digging Your Scene'. 2001 release.

Customer Reviews:

I'm afraid if I breathe it will disappear..........2007-06-06

Can you be haunted by an album...listen to it more than a dozen times and never tire of it, feel that it has helped you through bad times and good times, improved your heart rate and your dreams?

If you don't think so or you're not sure, you should give Ivy's LONG DISTANCE a try. I kid you not when I say it will never be away from your music player for very long. Repeated listens never dull the album, but instead enrich it.

The album is beauty in slow motion, a perfect production that is every bit as natural as breathing and it's so wonderful you might think you imagined it.

Track by track, LONG DISTANCE never disconnects. There are the vulnerable dreamboat songs like "Edge of the Ocean," "Let's Stay Inside," "Midnight Sun" and "One More Last Kiss" (this is where I almost gasp it's so wonderful. I picture myself at the beach, utterly at peace, the sky blue, the breeze a friendly tease.)

Then Dominique Durand walks on air with more uptempo (but equally relaxing) songs like "Blame it On Yourself" (very catchy!!), "Lucy Doesn't Love You" and "I Think of You."

I'm not saving the best for last (everything here is "best for last"!!)so much as I'm saving the most devastating for last...the songs that should scorch your heart with sadness, but somehow don't because Ivy reminds us that even when things are bad, there's still loveliness in life.

One example of this is the brilliantly ironic (but not cynical) "While We're in Love." In the wrong hands, this ballad could be mean-spirited, but here it is utterly beguiling and heart-wrenching with its sincere, realistic look at the fleeting happiness of relationships. It's also very mystical and alluring, two qualities familiar to any Ivy fan.

There is no poison to be found in Ivy's music, just lots of time for reverie...It even ends on a playful note with the sweet "Digging Your Scene."

How I adore this album...it's hard to explain just how transforming the listening experience can be! My review could never do it justice...All I can do is ask you to listen and then, THEN you'll hear for yourself.

Ivy.......2007-05-08

THis was a much better Cd than i thought it would be.
I only knew the song, edge of the ocean and I am really happy with nearly all the songs.
sometimes it is a gamble buying a CD from a new artist, but I don't regret spending the money on this one.

Their best album even without "The Best Thing".......2007-01-23

I first got into Ivy when a friend of mine put "The Best Thing" on a mixtape. I couldn't stop listening to it. That song is on "Apartment Life," the album before this one. "Long Distance" is a consistently stronger album -- the production is glossier and the songwriting has matured without sacrificing any pop catchiness. This is probably the group's most popular album: soon after its release I kept hearing "Edge of the Ocean" playing in car commercials and on tv shows like "Mysterious Ways" and "Roswell" (Where the band actually appeared and performed the song). Usually, when such media saturation happens (Blur's "Song 2" for instance), I'll stop listening to the group for a while. But I didn't seem to mind when it happened to Ivy. Perhaps, to my ears, "Long Distance" is beyond corruption.

Long Distance did not come short.......2007-01-14

I purchased this CD for one song, basically the title song for a Stephen King Tv Series. I found however that the entire Cd was worth listening to. Worth the purchase.

Trippy, Spacious and Inviting.......2007-01-04

If you've read the reviews, you know that this is a helluva CD. I had never heard of this group or it's French singer until someone gave me an MP3 transfer. In spite of the curtailed frequency response and other liabilities of MP3's, the emotional power and range comes through. The driving bottom end and mellow, languid singing reminds me of Massive Attack's Blue Lines CD. If you're not familiar with that CD, don't worry. Run, don't walk, and pick up a copy of this CD. You wont be disappointed.

Average customer rating:

Brilliant!
ok but...
It's hard to beat "Throwing Copper", but this comes close!
One of My Favorites
I personally love it

The Distance to Here
Live
Manufacturer: Mca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Secret Samadhi
V
Mental Jewelry
Birds of Pray
Throwing Copper

ASIN: B00001QENU
Release Date: 1999-10-05

Tracks:

The Dolphin's Cry
The Distance
Sparkle
Run To The Water
Sun
Voodoo Lady
Where Fishes Go
Face And Ghost (The Children's Song)
Feel The Quiet River Rage
Meltdown
They Stood Up For Love
We Walk In The Dream
Dance With You

Amazon.com

It takes a certain kind of band in this day and age to release a single called "The Dolphin's Cry." Unsurprisingly, that band is the always earnest Live. The Distance to Here doesn't have the aura of dullness that marred 1996's Secret Samadhi, but the everybody-in-the-pool accessibility of Throwing Copper is nowhere in sight. Still walking hand in hand with producer Jerry Harrison (producer since their debut, 1991's Mental Jewelry), the Pennsylvania-based quartet go for the bombastic and naturally end up over the top. It's one thing to rhyme "shooting star" with "you'll go far," but it's another thing to think that this is a good idea. The literalness of the lyrics aside, The Distance to Here has a few moments where listeners may get caught up in a maelstrom of melody. Will they stick around for the "message?" Not likely. --Jason Josephes

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant!.......2007-06-15

This album is one of their best. I have not listened to this album in a while and while driving put it back in my cd player. I am always blown away by the writing and the music these boy's make. This cd is brilliant!

ok but..........2007-05-13

..just a little too religious & preachy for me. Was looking for better compositions.

It's hard to beat "Throwing Copper", but this comes close!.......2007-04-25

I respect the fact that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I have a hard time figuring out how one can NOT like this album! While "Secret Samadhi" was good, it wasn't great, which in itself might help to make this album that much better. Regardless, this effort has definitely paid off for Ed and the boys of Live. CDs with every song being good are hard to come by, but this pulls it off, in my opinion! Every time I hear "The Dolphins Cry" and "Run To The Water", I think back to my senior year in college and that time in my life, in general. Full of excitement but also uncertainty. Anyways, enough of the nostalgia trip, go out and get this disc if you are a new fan of life. You won't be disappointed.

One of My Favorites.......2007-03-10

This album, LIVE fan or not, is a must buy. It's jammed packed with powerful melody that grabs you and doesn't let go. The album truly reflects the amazing talent of this group. It is one of my favorite albums. Buy it, you wont be dissapointed.

I personally love it.......2007-02-03

As a mostly Metal minded listener, i find this cd to be purely soothing and inspirational (though i am not a spiritual person). Especially the track "Walk in the Dream". i love it. its soothing. "Dolphins Cry", "Face and Ghost", "Voodoo Lady", the title track and even the very slow yet charismatic "Dance With You". Personally, there are a couple cheezy tracks like "Run to the Water" and "they stood Up..". But i just didnt RIP those tracks.
Live went a bit off the deep end for me with IV, but this cd is great. the 3 LIVE cds of Copper, Samadhi and this were really good. I may have to try the newest release. Highly recommended to people that can appreciate a soothing release like this on a nice summer day.

Average customer rating:

My first REK
The REK album
Nationally
Keen's Best To Date
Feel so good, feelin' good again....

Walking Distance
Robert Earl Keen
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Picnic
A Bigger Piece of Sky
Gringo Honeymoon
The Party Never Ends
West Textures

ASIN: B00000DFSN
Release Date: 1998-10-27

Tracks:

Down That Dusty Trail
Travelin Light
Feelin Good Again
That Buckin Song
I'll Be Here For You
Billy Gray
Theme: Road To No Return/Carolina
New Life In Old Mexico
Still Without You/Conclusion: Road To No Return
(Silent Track)
Happy Holidays Y'All/Bonus Track 1

Amazon.com

After 1997's Picnic, an uneven attempt to cross over to the rock side of the alternative-country divide, this Bandera, Texas, singer-songwriter returns to sounds and themes closer to home. Brimming with fiddle, mandolin, and slinky honky-tonk guitars, Keen's eighth album has the lyrical depth and humor of his best work. At the center is a four-song outlaw suite, beginning with Norman Blake's little-known gem "Billy Gray" and ending with the drifter's lament "Still Without You," in which Keen sings, "I climbed the mountains and I swept the plains / I crossed the border and I broke my chains / I walked the back roads till my shoes wore through / I'm still without you." And while the album closes with the bonus coda "Happy Holidays Y'All" (a hysterical sequel to his classic "Merry Christmas from the Family," presented in two giddy takes), Walking Distance finds Keen rediscovering the intense poetry of his Texas muse. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

My first REK.......2006-08-12

This was the first Robert Earl Keen CD I ever bought, out of curiousity knowing he co-wrote This Old Porch with Lyle. It hooked me so much that I have since bought all his CD's and been to a couple of his shows up here in the northwest. The only song I could do without is Happy Holidays, but it is what it is :) All the others are just plain great. I particularly love Feelin Good Again, which sounds to me like one man's version of paradise. I'll Be Here For You is also dead on. The trilogy at the end (not counting Track 11) is the only song trilogy I've ever liked and I absolutely love it. Wish I could hear him play the whole trilogy in concert sometime.

I'm not from Texas, but I sure like all the music that passes through Austin, and for me REK is the best of the best.

The REK album.......2006-01-14

I remember listening to this album while I was attending Texas A&M University. Since Keen is an Aggie himself, attending A&M lends itself to less than a discriminating taste for his music since - let's face it - it's hard not to cheer loudly for any performer who lets you cart your own keg of Keystone to his live show. Still, Keen is the primary reason I harbor delusions that the country music played in Texas is, unlike the drivel they peddle out of Nashville these days, still actual, honest-to-God country music, and for that I am profoundly grateful. Walking Distance is the best of the bunch from Keen, too, though I count several close friends (and fellow Aggies) who would undoutedly disagree with me. The Saturday night party calls for No. 2 Live Dinner, and the pre-live show shindig necessitates a playing of Gringo Honeymoon (if not Bigger Piece of Sky, if Keen is feeling nostalgic on the night you see him live), but pound-for-pound, give me Walking Distance for a f*ing ALBUM. I get the distinct impression (and it might just be this Texan's imagination) that this album is the result of the failure of Picnic (a good album in its own right, if not particularly memorable) to morph Mr. Keen into the country star it seems he's always dreamed of being (see, e.g., The Front Porch Song, the intro to Mariano off the second live disc, or the entire Picnic album for that matter).

I for one, judging from the brilliance of Walking Distance, am glad he didn't make it. There are far too many country pop stars coming from Nashville these days. Lord knows they are stealing our artists who used to have something to sing about (Pat Green, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and Cory Morrow among them). At least to my mind, divine Providence smiled upon Mr. Keen in his failed attempt at stardom, considering that it directly resulted in Walking Distance.

Buy No. 2 Live Dinner if you know nothing about Mr. Keen - you will not be disappointed - it's his most accessible album, something of a Rubber Soul in ostrich boots and a black felt ten gallon hat. Buy Gringo Honeymoon, Bigger Piece of Sky and the Live Album (in that order) next, and you'll see why I have the audacity to compare him to the Beatles. (Thegroundbreaking nature of each is astounding - though the Beatles accomplished their revolution on a world stage, the revolution fronted by Mr. Keen is no less important to those who value the country music tradition of Jennings, Cash, Horton, Nelson, Guthrie and Williams.) But after that, buy Walking Distance (or steal it from a friend - however you can lay your hands on it) - it is the, pardon, Revolver of Texas country - the album that you will continue to put on for its own sake, not just from which to cherry-pick tracks for your next get-together (as you might from Gringo Honeymoon), but for when you put on an album when you're alone in the house, and what you want is a musical experience, dammit.

There are those of us who believe (despite our predilection for the occasional party) that this is what music is about at its core. For me, this feeling is encapsulated in Walking Distance. I hope that, at least for some of you, that same feeling can be found in the same album.

Nationally.......2005-09-10

This was REK's first Nationally released album, and while his sound has changed a little in this album from previous ones, fans are sure to still listen to this one repeatedly. "Feelin'g Good Again" is my favorite song on this disc, but there are so many others I find myself humming or singing at various times. Great for fans of REK, Texas Country, Jack Ingram, Pat Green, Charlie Robison, etc...

Keen's Best To Date.......2004-12-28

Walking Distance is REK's best release to date. From the opening of the rocking "Down That Dusty Trail" through the wonderful cover of Norman Blake's "Billy Gray", to the cinematic "Road to No Return/Carolina" and "New Life in Old Mexico", Keen finally takes his rightful place among the best songwriters in the Americana genre. This album both rocks with a kick as well as soothes with rich, haunting ballads. There's not a bad song in the bunch here. I've been a fan ever since I first heard the "Front Porch Song" some 16 years ago..... ("Robert Keen, Robert Keen, can ya come help me for a minute!", to paraphrase an inside joke from the song). Keen's current band is formidable, to say the least. Keen's guitarist, Rich Brotherton, is one of the most underrated sidemen working today. This is a must buy for all REK fans and is certainly more than a worthy introduction to one of America's most unique musical talents.

Feel so good, feelin' good again...........2004-09-26

I was turned on to Robert Earl Keen years ago by a friend from Houston who was flabbergasted that I did not know who he was -- and once I started listening to his music, so was I!!!! This is one of my all-time favorite CD's -- the kind you can just listen to over and over again and never take out of your CD player... I've had family members fall in love with it and steal it from me twice, so I will be buying it for a THIRD time now! To me, there are song on there that just tug at the heartstrings and are hearbreakingly honest and real, and some that are hilarious... I would recommend this album to any and all REK fans... and anyone who has been unfortunate as of yet to discover this Texas treasure!!!!

Average customer rating:

"Magnificent" is the right word
"You're coming down, you're never the same"
Terrific follow-up
Excellent
A Must Buy For Crowes Fans!!

This Magnificent Distance
Chris Robinson
Manufacturer: Vector Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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New Earth Mud (with Bonus DVD)
The Lost Crowes (The Black Crows: The Tall Sessions)
Freak 'N' Roll... Into the Fog
It's About Time
Amorica

ASIN: B000294TWO
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Tracks:

40 Days
Girl On the Mountain
Mother Of Stone
Train Robbers
Like A Tumbleweed In Eden
Vohen The Gold Wind Blows At The Dark End Of Night
...If You See California
The Never Empty Table
Eagles On The Highway
Surgical Glove
Piece Of Wind
Sea Of Love

Customer Reviews:

"Magnificent" is the right word.......2006-12-13

I love every song on this CD. Chris's creativity is amazing with or without his brother (although "with" is stellar.) He's an incredible singer and a man who gives so much soul to his lyrics. He pulls you into that other world with him like a modern day pied piper. (There wouldn't be much pulling with me. I'd follow him anywhere.)

The dreaminess of Train Robbers (seemingly inspired from Butch Cassidy), Like a Tumbleweed in Eden, ...If you see California, Eagles on the Highway--all great. He rocks out in Sea of Love--those drums are powerful--turn this up really loud for the full effect. Who is he talking about in Surgical Glove? Hmm.

This quickly became one of my favorite albums. People just don't realize how talented Chris is--I don't believe he will ever get his due nor would he care. I come back to This Magnificent Distance again and again--I usually listen to it every week--it's a staple in my car. YEAH Chris!

"You're coming down, you're never the same".......2006-10-02

This is one of those albums that are so unique and so special, that you know it won't get the acclaim it deserves. In the best case scenario, people would discover it 30 years from now, like we discover forgotten albums from the 60's and the 70's.

And it can't be any other way.

This is not an album for the masses. Its not cheerful, its not comforting, and its not romantic. This is not "popular" music, but personal music at its best. Its Chris's personal mix of styles and inspirations, his personal lyrics and songs, and for those of us who fell in its magic, its our personal soundtrack. When someone asks me what is the sort of music that I love the most, I put This Magnificent Distance in the stereo.

From the crunching riffs of Forty Days, you know that you go on a journey, a personal journey through the music styles that defined Chris Robinson as an artist, as well as defined my taste of music. Then, the haunting magic of Girl On The Mountain, followed by the organic sound of Mother Of Stone, with its beautiful touch of percussions. Train Robbers offers a nostalgic look at one of the most romantic scenes of the "old times" - the train robbers (the original title of the song was "the last of the old time train robbers"), but the music is an evidence that the "old time", free-form rock is still alive. For many reasons, Chris Robinson IS the last of the old time train robbers: he is the last of the old-time musicians, sings from his soul and making real, uncompromisig and somewhat unpopular music. The song ends with a teriffic solo from Paul Stacey. The next song. Like A Tumbleweed In Eden, is a Dylanesque ballad. You can really feel Dylan's influence on this slow and haunting number. The next song, When The Cold Wind Blows At The Dark End Of Night, is the song that captures the feeling of a hollucionary drug in the best and most honest way. With its changing speeds, the painfully disharmonic bridge and its haunting lyrics. "You're coming down, you're never the same".
...If You See California offers a nice relaxation from Cold Wind Blows, and its a much needed rest. This is a beautiful number, simple and optimistic. It is clearly influenced and currespond with Dylan's Girl From The North Country, a song that Chris has covered many times with the Black Crowes. The Never Empty Table is a mid-tempo return to the 60's sound as well as state of mind, as Chris offers us all a place on his table. By opening your mind to this album, you accept the offer. Eagles On The Highway is the music of America: Its display of obvious Americana icons in the lyrics (Eagles, Highway) as well as musical fusion of Rock with touches of country, blues and soul. Surgical Glove is a small epic. Its got a riff that puts you in another place and another time. Sea Of Love is a dark hard rocker, perhaps the least accessible song on this album, but its got its dark magic, waiting to be discovered. The albums closes with the bluesy Piece Of Wind, with a great, long harmonica solo at the end.

This album is differt from the Black Crowes popular cuts, and can only be described as the next musical stage after 3 Snakes And One Charm (with songs like One Mirror Too Many, Bring On Bring On and How Much For Your Wings in mind). This album is certainly not for everyone, and will never appeal for the masses. But this is what makes it so good.

Terrific follow-up.......2006-08-27

Unlike his solo debut, which was softer in scope, this is most certainly and undeniably a "rock" record. And though there are elements in some of these songs that remind the listener of his previous offering, "This Magnificent Distance" is a good old-fashioned 70s-style hippie rock record at the core. The songs grab you immediately, which makes this a wonderfully engaging testament to Robinson's creative evolution as a songwriter.

Excellent.......2006-04-28

I'm not even sure where to start with this guy. The Black Crowes are pretty much the new Allman Brothers, in more ways than one. The more I listen to, learn about, and explore this band the more I'm amazed. Such is the case with Chris' solo stuff as well. What a gift he's got, lyrically AND musically. You can be a close-minded person and label hippie/psychedelic rock but this album will seriously blow your mind. The New Earth Mud will, as well. Do yourself a favor and at least give it a listen...whether or not you like the Black Crowes a lot or not.

A Must Buy For Crowes Fans!!.......2006-01-30

If you have the true Crowes bug, you will love it. I was suprised to find out how much I actually like it. It is an alternative to a more calmer side of chris. Like the Crowes it will grow on you and than you won't be able to shake it. It is worth the buy.

György Ligeti Edition 2: A Cappella Choral Works - London Sinfonietta Voices

Average customer rating:

Surprising Variety in Modern A Capepella Choral works
Mostly unlistenable....
a handful of great Ligeti works.
brilliant choral music
Exquisite use of the voice

György Ligeti Edition 2: A Cappella Choral Works - London Sinfonietta Voices

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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György Ligeti Edition 4: Vocal Works (Madrigals, Mysteries, Aventures, Songs) - The King's Singers / Philharmonia Orchestra / Esa-Pekka Salonen
György Ligeti Edition 1: String Quartets and Duets - Arditti String Quartet
György Ligeti Edition 3: Works for Piano (Etudes, Musica Ricercata) - Pierre-Laurent Aimard
György Ligeti Edition 6: Keyboard Works (Piano, Harpsichord, Organ) - Irina Kataeva / Pierre-Laurent Aimard / Elisabeth Chojnacka / Zsigmond Szathmáry
Ligeti: Mechanical Music

ASIN: B0000029OX
Release Date: 1997-01-21

Tracks:

A Cappella Choral Works: Night
A Cappella Choral Works: Morning
A Cappella Choral Works: Far from home 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Far from home 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Far from home 3
A Cappella Choral Works: Far from home 4
A Cappella Choral Works: Solitude
A Cappella Choral Works: Two Canons 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Two Canons 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Kings of Bethlehem
A Cappella Choral Works: The Fugitive
A Cappella Choral Works: Lux aeterna
A Cappella Choral Works: Wedding Song
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Inaktelke 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Inaktelke 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Inaktelke 3
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Inaktelke 4
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Matraszentimre 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Matraszentimre 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Matraszentimre 3
A Cappella Choral Works: Songs from Matraszentimre 4
A Cappella Choral Works: Widow Papai
A Cappella Choral Works: Three phantasies after Hrlin 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Three phantasies after Hrlin 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Three phantasies after Hrlin 3
A Cappella Choral Works: Hungarian Etudes 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Hungarian Etudes 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Hungarian Etudes 3
A Cappella Choral Works: Heigh, Youth! 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Heigh, Youth! 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Easter
A Cappella Choral Works: Hortobagy 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Hortobagy 2
A Cappella Choral Works: Hortobagy 3
A Cappella Choral Works: From a high mountain rock
A Cappella Choral Works: Double-Dance from Kallo 1
A Cappella Choral Works: Double-Dance from Kallo 2

Amazon.com essential recording

A vast audience received its first exposure to the music of György Ligeti through Stanley Kubrick's use of his haunting "Lux Aeterna" (despite the composer's lack of consent) in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. This collection--part of Sony's invaluable Ligeti edition--places "Lux aeterna" in the context of Ligeti's other a cappella choral works, which together provide an overview of the evolving phases of one of the 20th century's most intriguing composers. In his booklet notes to the disc, Ligeti recalls the influence of Bartók and Kodály on his early folkloric compositions, from arrangements of traditional material to free, polyrhythmically inflected inventions on Hungarian folk texts, a format that allowed him some degree of experimental freedom from the strictures of "socialist realism" before he fled the Hungarian Communist regime. The breakthrough "Lux aeterna" is a classic example of Ligeti's trademark technique of "micropolyphony," enveloping the listener in mesmerizingly dense textures of cloudlike harmonies. From Ligeti's late period comes a triptych of "Hölderlin Phantasies." Their 16-voice polyphony transcends the simplistic distinction between tonality and atonality to explore "new kinds of half diatonic, half chromatic harmonies." The resulting sound world of fragmentary, dislocated epiphanies mirrors the unfathomable richness of the great visionary poet to uncanny effect. Throughout, the acoustical balance and conviction of the London Sinfonietta Voices give vivid shape to Ligeti's genius. -Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Surprising Variety in Modern A Capepella Choral works.......2006-08-24

This 'A Cappella Choral Works', the second volume in a collection of Gyorgy Ligeti compositions contains one of the pieces of music which contributed to making '2001, A Space Odyessy' such a profoundly interesting film. This piece, 'Lux aeterna' which is the textbook example of 'SciFi' music, is very different from many of the other pieces on this recording. In fact, one is really impressed by the wide variety of styles, where you have some peasant songs which sound a lot like sea chantys and other pieces which are definitely liturgical. One can certainly thank Stanley Kubrick for bringing Ligeti to our attention.

Mostly unlistenable...........2006-08-23

Not even good for background music/noise as the voices get really loud in certain parts and almost silent.

I bought this CD and am returning it. It's just more & more of the sameness throughout the whole CD.

I realize that Ligeti is avant garde but I heard that if you like Gregorian chant (which I do) this CD is similar. I don't think it is. It's very disquieting and full of tension (great, if that's the mood you're looking for).

a handful of great Ligeti works........2004-09-06

As a compilation, musically speaking, Edition 2 is probably my least favorite of the Sony Ligeti Edition collection. Many of the pieces come from traditional Hungarian sources, conceived while Ligeti was still in his early years. They are pretty, but also pretty straightforward and conventional, and other than their simple pleasantness and occasionally yummy dissonances, they aren't really mindblowing like the best Ligeti. They are often very beautiful though. However, Edition 2 DOES feature one of the most harrowing, apocalyptic compositions of 20th century Western music, _Lux aeterna_. The profound tension in the quiet web of micropolyphonic voices is just devastating. Also great are the other later pieces, _Drei Phantasien nach Friedrich Holderlin_, three wild polyphony pieces from German literature, and _Magyar Etudok_, three very complex Hungarian etudes for 16 voices. Those pieces are all outstanding but honestly I think everything I've heard by Ligeti is worth hearing. Check out Ligeti edition 4 for more vocal works, some of which are the best of Ligeti's works.

brilliant choral music.......2003-07-21

This cd is beautiful to listen to.From Ejszaka to Kallai Ketto
is brilliant. Ligeti choral works is the first cd have got choral music on it and i love it.Now im going to get the other two cds in the ligeti edition.
(the vocal works & le grand marabre)

Exquisite use of the voice.......2002-07-11

Bringing Ligeti's works to a wider public was one of the great services Stanley Kubrick performed for the world when Lux aeterna was included in the soundtrack for 2001: a Space Odyssey.

This album is a collection of a cappella choral works and which highlights Ligeti's great talent and skill in the use of the voice as a musical instrument. He, together with Yoko Ono, have excelled in this field though from different, sometimes conflicting directions.

When I listen to this I revel in it's glory. The sounds are ethereal and atmospheric, ghostly and angelic in a way that no-one but the composer can make them sound. I never want those sounds to end and in a way it is like having a sort of dependence.

I could go on and on and on about this but I had better stop. This is one essentila component of anyone's classical music collection yet it really defies categorisation. This is timeless, awesome music, not just for a generation but for a world. Lest Zeus strike me with a thunderbolt, these voices are sweeter and more angelic than the voices of the angels themselves.

Exquiiste. Words are insufficient to describe such beauty.

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