High Energy [CD-single] [Import]

High Energy [CD-single] [Import]

Track Listings

1. High Energy [Radio Club]

2. High Energy [Extended Club]

3. High Energy [Full Vocal]

4. High Energy [Dub Version]

5. Heart Attack

Tracks:

Two Divided By Zero
West End Girls
Oppurtunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
Love Comes Quickly
Suburbia
Opportunities (Reprise)
Tonight Is Forever
Violence
I Want A Lover
Later Tonight
Why Don't We Live Together?

Amazon.com

In many ways, Please brought Euro-techno into the unsuspecting homes of millions like no other album before. This time, the boys--in this case the Pet Shop Boys--were doin' it for themselves. "I Want a Lover" and "Tonight Is Forever" are songs by boys for boys about boys that snuck past so many because of the genderless (for the most part) objects of affection in the lyrics. Please announces with every synthesizer swell layered over electronic beats, that the boys came to dance and they could complain about their love lives while they were at it. There is also a snide swat or two at the socioeconomic state of things ("Opportunities"), but the Pet Shop Boys' debut will always be most remembered for Neil Tennant's Al Stewart-like vocals in "West End Girls." --Steve Gdula

Customer Reviews:

One of my all-time favorites........2007-04-05

This album is one of the cornerstones of my collection and my history as a lover of dance pop in general. The debut from the Pet Shop Boys is actually what I consider their best. Compared to contemporary times, the technology was too elaborate in this era of their music, and the limitations they worked within gave the music a certain quality that was never equaled in their later albums.

Specifically, there is something dark about "Please". It has a cold longing to it that worked, especially considering the image of the band at the time--unsmiling, detached, seemingly far removed from the creation of their own album.

Their subject matter wasn't too pretentious. The melodies were very strong and sounded great played on such cold instruments. "West End Girls" will always be remembered as their biggest moment, which is ironic considering the longevity of their career and the devotion of their fanbase, but it truly is a wonder. They've done more elaborate and intelligent things since, but the simplicity of it is enduring.

Songs like "I Want A Lover" and "Opportunities" sounded absolutely icy in the midst of the 80s, when pop radio seemed to have a lot of crazy and, in retrospect, tasteless style. "Please" is a case of the right thing at the right time. It's just my opinion, but there is something here that the following albums never quite recaptured.

The Foundation for the Pet Shop Boys for the next two decades - and of the "Euro Dance" Sound.......2006-09-18

When one looks at the history of musical acts that can be categorized as "Dance Music" or "Disco", there are few acts that have achieved the success and longevity of the Pet Shop Boys. The Pet Shop Boys have been making music for over 20 years - releasing an album usually about every one or two years. In the UK, the Pet Shop Boys have consistently produced Top 10 albums. They haven't had quite the same amount of success on American shores, but nonetheless they have still maintained a solid following. It actually didn't start out like that for the Pet Shop Boys in the U.S. They actually burst on to the music scene in 1986 with a #1 song entitled "West End Girls". They would then follow "West End Girls" up with another hit - "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)". These two songs would be part of the debut - and most successful album by the Pet Shop Boys "Please".

Just because this album was the most successful album by the Pet Shop Boys doesn't mean that their career went downhill afterwards. In fact, I would subscribe to the theory that "Please" would lay their foundation for the next two decades following its 1986 release. It might be that many may judge the Pet Shop Boys' success in terms of the pop charts and not consider things from where their sweet spot is - the Dance charts. "West End Girls" and "Opportunities" were songs that not only got airplay on the Pop and Dance clubs, but were even songs that got some airplay on some Rock stations. Eventually the Pet Shop Boys would find their niche on the Dance charts - and would never look back. The Pet Shop Boys came along at the end of the Classic Disco album. While acts such as Madonna and Janet Jackson were emerging during this period, the Pet Shop Boys were bringing their own unique style - that being the "Euro Disco" style (i.e. a heavily electronic style in the mold of Giorgio Moroder). In a lot of ways, "Please" made the Pet Shop Boys innovators in what was a new subgenre on the music scene.

The way the songs are ordered - they follow a loose concept. The Pet Shop Boys apparently "escape" to London's West End. They explore the West End, look for ways to make money, explore the suburbs, deal with Violence, and consistently explore love and relationships, and eventually contemplate the future.

"Two Divided by Zero": This song didn't exactly ignite me on fire. I felt it was weak for an opening song. I didn't care for the computer sounding "divided by" repetitions. This song deals with looking for an "escape".

"West End Girls": This is one of those landmark songs. Neil Tennant's does most of the song as a "rap" - and it works perfectly. Tennant is fabulous with singing the chorus. The "rap" provides a narrative. While I'm not a rap, when it's used in an effective manner like in this song - it pays big. Combine this with Euro sounding synthesizers and even some horn and you have a masterpiece. One can make the argument that Madonna's "Jump" on her 2005 "Confessions on a Dance Floor" album samples part of this song.

"Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)": This song probably has a semi-autobiographic feel for Tennant and fellow Pet Shop Boy Chris Lowe. Tennant provides a very believable "pitch" to convince a partner to join him in a business venture. As per the lyrics, it appears that Tennant has had "enough of scheming and messing around with jerks" and is "looking for a partner; someone who gets things fixed". The song almost a nice quasi-orchestral start before segueing into a Euro sounding melody. I like the drum machine in this song.

"Love Comes Quickly": This has a classic "Euro" sound to it. This song took a while to grow on me, but it did. The line from this song "cause when you least expect it; waiting round the corner for you" combined with the song's title tells the whole story.

"Suburbia": This song at times at a bit more of a pop feel. The keyboards are terrific on this one - as well as the "suburban sound effects". Tennant delivers a great commentary on life in the suburbs.

"Opportunities (reprise)": This is a short reprise of "Opportunities". It is all instrumental. I wish this reprise was longer - because this song has you wanting more.

"Tonight is Forever": Not only does this song provide a classic "Euro" sound, but it also has a feel like Giorgio Moroder's music. Very good track - I'm surprised it didn't get more attention on the club scene.

"Violence": This is a nice change of pace song. For this song, the Pet Shop Boys employ a slight Funk influence. They pull off this song perfectly.

"I Want a Lover": This song has a slight classical start to it, then like "Opportunities" it segues into a "Euro Disco" sound. This is another underrated track.

"Later Tonight": This song is sung as slow ballad with some electronic instrumentation. Tennant's vocals are the story on this song as he pulls them off well.

"Why Don't We Live Together?": This song also has a "Euro" feel to it. Tennant uses the "rap" angle again flawlessly on this track. I'm also surprised this song didn't get more airplay in the dance clubs. This song was the perfect "wrap-up" to this album.

Whether one subscribes to the "concept" of what "Please" offers or not, you can also make the argument that each song stands solid on their own. I wish that the liner notes included the lyrics to each of the songs. Overall, I found this to be an outstanding album. If you especially like the "Euro Disco" sound, this would be an album I'd highly recommend.

Let the show begin!!!.......2006-01-04

I don't know whether they have evolved a "more mature sound" during their 90 albums but PSB will always be the champion of pop music for me just for the sake of their brilliant first three albums, beautifully rounded by Discography: Please, Actually and Introspective are the results of a massive will to burst out for Neil & Chris, not in commercial sense, but in feelings and psychological terms. Being not-so-ggod looking, silent and always introspective personalities, the duo expressed what they felt about the outside world in their first three albums, and the consequences are mindboggling.

Please is the first suberp product of this chemistry bonded between two members. Starting from the brilliant "Two Divided by Zero", Neil, both vocally and lyrically, displays a somehow frightened and desperate personality while the music reflects so much confidentiality that the opposite reaction is wonderful.

"Two divided by zero" which would not be inappropriate in a James Bond soundtrack is followed by the ever-green and seminal West End girls, followed by clashing but epic Opportunities followed by a fan-love Love Comes Quickly and the ever-critical Suburbia ("where is the policeman when you need one?"). In good ol' casette days, this is where the Side A stops and you just raise your head in astonismment about the smooth flow of songs. Then you continue your dreamscaping journey: A reprise of Opportunities gives way to the brilliant Tonight is Forever ("I have no job but I can stay in bed all day), a simple version of Violence (a much improved version appeared as a later b-side but the skeleton remains the same), the flippy but burning I Want a Lover ("Just put your arms around me but it doesn't mean you love me"), the self-expressing slow piece Later Tonight (never the piano sounded so good in a poptrack before) and closure by Duran Duran-like Why Don't We Live Together?

Did you read the whole paragraph without a stop? Yes, this is how the album flows: Breathless, fantastic, topnotch music (and don't forget this is the "unexperienced" product of Boys) with some of the best lyrics in the entire cannon of pop music that Britney Spears or Kylie could not even dream of in their wildest dreams.

It's a pity that PSB remain a cult band in the United States but there is always a buyer group of good music and this is also true for them. They are now iconic figures around the globe and one of the best and most respected groups as pop music goes. They are up there with the Beatles and much above their peers when you look at the whole sum.

Please is a lucky piece of great music and the starting point of a amazing career for them and a dazzling journey for music lovers.

If you love pop music, buy this you won't regret.
If you don't like pop music, then try this...you may be surprised and awarded more than you think...

Adventure.......2005-08-29

This CD is excellent. The songs are like stories that take you into them. West End Girls is of course the one with the most radio play in California (in the past), but the other songs are great as well. Listening is like going on an adventure with people you probably never would encounter on your own. I first bought this as an audio tape in the 80's and now, 15-20 years later it still feels good!

I STILL FIND MYSELF GOING BACK TO THIS ALBUM!.......2004-06-02

HERE I AM..MANY YEARS AFTER THIS ALBUM WAS RELEASED AND I STILL YEARN FOR IT! THIS ALBUM IS ONE OF THE ALBUMS I CHERISHED MOST DURING HIGH SCHOOL! SONGS LIKE "WEST AND GILRS..SUBURBIA..LOVE COMES QUICKLY" AS WELL AS UNREALEASED ONES SUCH AS "VIOLENCE..WHY DON'T WE LIVE TOGETHER AND TWO DIVIDED BY ZERO ARE CLASSICS IN MY EYES. WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES SOMEONE WITH OVER 300 CD'S..OLD AND NEW..WANT TO LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT IT IS.."ONE..THE MUSICIANSHIP AND ARTISTRY OF EVERY SONG.. TWO..THE MEMORIES EACH SONG EVOKES OF A TIME I STILL LONG FOR"!! COMING FROM A FAN OF SO MANY DIFFERNT TYPES OF MUSIC(TOOL..DMX..COLDPLAY..MARC ANTHONY..MAXWELL..CREED..EMINEM..BOB MARLEY..THE DOORS..KENNY G.) BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL YOU.."THIS IS A CLASSIC"!!!!

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

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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)
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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

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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
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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.

Tribe
Average customer rating:

Dancing shoes for the soul

Tribe
Gabrielle Roth & the Mirrors
Manufacturer: Raven
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music
General | New Age | Styles | Music
Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music
Minimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Bones

Ritual

Trance

Initiation

Sweat Your Prayers

ASIN: B00004UEOU
Release Date: 2000-06-20

Tracks:

Tsunami: Flowing
Tsunami: Staccato
Tsunami: Chaos
Tsunami: Lyrical
Tsunami: Stillness
Talking Sticks: David & Rob
Talking Sticks: Bob M
Talking Sticks: Rocky
Talking Sticks: Benny K
Talking Sticks: Joey B
Talking Sticks: Sanga
Talking Sticks: Cyro

Customer Reviews:

Dancing shoes for the soul.......2000-09-27

This is great, as are all her previous albums. If you like James Asher or Professor Trance, you will love this. If you have not idea who these folks are, but you want earthy primal rhythmic music to move you, you will still love this.

Average customer rating:

A must buy!

High Energy: Dance Music of the 80's
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Hot Productions
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Disco | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Dance Pop | Compilations | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

House | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music

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High Energy, Vol. 2: 80s Dance Music
Circus Disco: 25th Anniversary
The Best of "O" Records, Vol. 2
The World of Italo Dance
The Best of "O" Records, Vol. 1

ASIN: B000001QYF
Release Date: 1995-09-26

Tracks:

High Energy - Evelyn Thomas
So Many Men So Little Time - Miquel Brown
The Boys Come To Town - Earlene Bentley
Easy Love - Vikki Benson
Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Boys Town Gang
The Love I Lost - Seventh Avenue
Maybe This Time - Norma Lewis
I Want A Man - Bonnie Foreman
My Heart Keeps Beating Faster - Rocq-e Harrell
Stress - David Christie
Stranded - Elaine Charles
Stay With Me - India
Where Is My Man - Eartha Kitt
Right On Target - Paul Parker
Rocket To Your Heart - Lisa
Native Love (Step By Step) - Divine
I Like You - Phyllis Nelson
I'm Gonna Get Your Love - Jade

Tracks:

Earthquake - The Fliritations
She Has a Way - Bobby 'O'
Party - Julius Brown
Landslide - Croisette
You're A Beat - Eastbound Expressway
Searchin' (I Gotta Go Find A Man) - Hazell Dean
Stormy Weather - Viola Willis
Don'T Leave Me This Way - Carol Jiani
We Are Invincible - 501's
I'm Gonna Love You Forever - Jimmy Ruffin & Jackson Moore
I Am What I Am - La Cage
Love Disco Style - Erotic Drum Band
Boys Come And Go - April
Work Me Over - Claudja Barry
He's Number One - Fantasy
I Believe In Dreams - Jackie Rawe
Male Stripper - Man 2 Man

Customer Reviews:

A must buy!.......2002-11-09

I'm a big fan of Hi-NRG music. Today it's hard to find all the tracks from the early 80s. This CD has so many big hits from those years that you can't stop dancing. Only original artists with the original versions, no remixes. Although you find only 7'' versions this CD is absolutely great. I highly recommend it, also (if you don't have them) buy the series Gay Classics Vol. 1 - 12 (Hot Productions), where you find the 12'' versions.

Average customer rating:

relaxing, inspiring
Very liberating

Endless Wave, Vol. 1
Gabrielle Roth
Manufacturer: Raven
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Minimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Endless Wave, Vol. 2
Sweat Your Prayers
Initiation
Tribe
Maps to Ecstasy: The Healing Power of Movement

ASIN: B00002DE3T
Release Date: 1996-04-30

Tracks:

The Wave I: Body Parts
The Wave I: Flowing
The Wave I: Staccato
The Wave I: Chaos
The Wave I: Lyrical
The Wave I: Stillness
The Wave II: Body Parts
The Wave II: Flowing
The Wave II: Staccato
The Wave II: Chaos
The Wave II: Lyrical
The Wave II: Stillness

Customer Reviews:

relaxing, inspiring.......2007-06-27

If you are looking for a CD that'll take you away while moving your body in new sensuous, uninhibited, spiritual ways, this is the one to get. Enjoy!!

Very liberating.......2002-03-10

A friend introduced me to this guided dance CD and I really enjoyed it. My half-hour of following Roth's rhythms and encouragements and improvising my own movement left me feeling incredibly expressed, relaxed, and liberated. Rather than my mind leading my body, for once my body led my mind. Definitely a valuable experience.

I haven't listened to the second half, so I won't comment. Neither have I seen the video, but my friend said watching others do the guided dance detracts from the experience. I bet she's right; I danced with my eyes closed most of the time anyway. If you're interested, get the cd.

The Other Side
Average customer rating:

melissa ferrick

I am so addicted

Believe the reviews

the master class

Awesome Tunes

The Other Side
Melissa Ferrick
Manufacturer: Right on Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
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Freedom

Willing to Wait

70 People at 7000 Feet

In the Eyes of Strangers

Everything I Need

ASIN: B00025ETXM
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Tracks:

Beijing
The Other Side
Nebraska
Streetlight
I Give Up
Bad Bad Girl
Fearless
Every Three Words
Anything Anywhere
Westbound

Amazon.com

On her seventh studio album, Ferrick gets in touch with her inner control freak, producing, arranging, recording, mixing, and playing every note. That sound you hear isn't a train wreck; it's her manic, percussive guitar and jittery drumming pushing her strongest set of songs over the edge of polite folk confines. The aggressive, albeit mostly acoustic, sound suits the sexual and personal confidence of her lyrics. She burns bridges and laughs, "I'm a wicked good swimmer/watch me dive." She dares an ex-lover to call her "fearless" and when she finds a new partner she threatens to dance into a romantic "slaughterhouse." But the set's finest moment is the deceptively simple highway song "Westbound," a trance-like groove surrounded by spacey synth loops and murmured vocals urging Ferrick further down the road--an apt closing sentiment for her most ambitious album. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

melissa ferrick.......2007-05-12

i personally love her music,found her on another melissa fan site.went and purchased a used cd.have all her music,will be seeing her for the first time this summer[07]

I am so addicted.......2005-01-07

I recieved this CD in June for my birthday, and listened to it a few times....then when I really listened to it about a month later, I couldn't get enough of it, and I still can't seem to get it out of my CD player. I absolutely love Westbound and Every Three Words, well, actually there isn't a bad song on the whole CD. After seeing her in concert in December, I have discovered that I am completely addicted to ALL of her music... I am buying all the cd's as quick as I can find them. This is my favorite studio album (so far)!

Believe the reviews.......2004-12-04

How many ways are there to say something's good? And how many reasons? I'll throw my 2 cents in because The Other Side really is that good, right up there with Everything I Need and Valentine Heartache, Melissa's 2 best studio albums in my opinion.

She rocks out a bit more on this one, grooving hard on "Bad Bad Girl." "Beijing," the opening track, is the sort of catchy, joyous tune I haven't heard much of since Everything I Need. And the closing track, "Westbound," a low-key song with an undertoned chorus, incorporates electronic elements I haven't heard in her music before and makes the instrumentals more prominent and more important than the vocals.

There really aren't any weak moments on the album. It's folk, pop, rock, and groove. It's very much Melissa.

Don't forget that as good as she is in the studio, Melissa is even better live. So be sure to check out her 3 live albums and catch a show if you can.

the master class.......2004-09-30

After seeing Melissa Ferrick so many times live I started to feel like her albums weren't living up to what I knew best became her - getting on stage and breathing it all: the music, the space, the audience. *The Other Side* has broken my disenchantment with her studio work. 30 seconds into the first song, you know it's all her, and you're grateful for every blissful minute of it. 'Beijing', 'Nebraska', and 'Bad Bad Girl' are standouts - perhaps we have a live replacement for 'Drive' in the latter? I haven't seen her perform in almost a year, but I would be ecstatic to see her drag that song out like she has 'Drive'.

If you've never heard Melissa before, this or *Everything I Need* are good introductions. If it's been awhile, don't hesitate to get this album. And if you've never seen her live, save your money and get a ticket. One gets the feeling that she's found her calling and that she is singularly and entirely herself when performing these songs that mean so much to her. Rarely do I feel that so intensely at any show, and to see her is to feel a connection with her and Brian and everyone else in the room who is tossing around and sharing amazing energy. At a good show, it's better than drugs.

Awesome Tunes.......2004-08-03

I am a recent Melissa Ferrick fan, and I must say I was impressed by this album. I have all her previous records, and Melissa is a musician that never ceases to amaze me. Every album has its own distinct flavor, and this one is no exception. Very different from her past inspirations, this album lacks much of the raw, gritty guitar on her older, much less-produced albums. I must say when I first played this album, I wasn't sure what to think. Especially by the end track "Westbound", which sounds more like a remix of something, but like I said: It's different, and I loved it for that. Like with her past albums, it displays a new side of her talent as a musician, as she plays all the instruments, and once again, we are blessed with her sexy in-your-face lyrics. I have to agree with the other folks who have written reviews that "Bad Bad Girl" is the best track on the album, though, I'd also like to cast a vote for "Anything Anywhere", and "Nebraska", though "Nebraska" isn't as powerful as the live version on "70 People at 7000 Feet". Then again, Melissa is always best live.

Average customer rating:

surf lives!
GREAT FOLLOW UP
Very Good CD
A "Vara" great surf band returns

Headin' Out
The Vara-Tones
Manufacturer: Veetone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Surf Rock | Oldies & Retro | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Jetty Subject To High Surf
Surf Sensation
Locked and Loaded
Surf-N-Burn
War of The Surf Guitars

ASIN: B000BGQSJ0
Release Date: 2005-09-14

Tracks:

Headin' Out
Pipeline
The V-Factor
Tickler
Prima Vara
Ramrods 'n' Hotrods
Surf Rider
Surf Man
Mrs. Moto
Ocean Meets Land
Reverberator
Rockin' the Bach
Thingamajig
Beyond the Blue
Soupy Sez
Nite Creatures
Siboney

Product Description

Headin' Out is the second album from the Vara-Tones, following up their very successful first effort "Jetty Subject To High Surf". This album picks up where they left off with more high energy and totally authentic instrumental surf music, as would be expected from these four veterans of the original surf music scene of the sixties.

Customer Reviews:

surf lives!.......2007-05-06

The Vara-Tones were a small time band back in the heyday of surf music, but they have reformed to put out some amazing music. They have the surf sensibilities of the first wave artists, yet play with the energy and edge of 18 year olds! The guitars have incredible tone with tons of reverb. One of the best surf bands out there, and this release is my favorite.

GREAT FOLLOW UP.......2006-11-08

TO THEIR LONG AWAITED ORIGINAL CD, JETTY SUBJECT TO HIGH SURF. THIS ONE IS JUST AS GOOD, MAYBE EVEN A BIT BETTER (IF THAT'S POSSIBLE). FANS OF TRUE SURF MUSIC WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. BILL EPPS IS A GREAT GUITAR PLAYER, AND HAS "THE SOUND". EVERY CUT ON THIS ALBUM IS A WINNER. CAN'T WAIT FOR THEIR NEXT RELEASE (IF THERE IS ONE).

Very Good CD.......2006-08-11

Bill Epps keeps getting better. I liked this CD a lot more than the other Vara-tones release.

A "Vara" great surf band returns .......2005-10-18

The "V" men are back! Back with that great "V" surf sound only they can produce. This is a wonderful explosion of reverb and surfalishious melodies. Headin'Out sets the mood for this great disc with 17 tracks of classic surf sound. Well worth the wait for true Vara-tone fans!!

Average customer rating:

Large. Apparition. Beast.
Pitchforkmedia.com reviews Daikaiju!!
HybridMagazine Review
Much more than a surf band

Daikaiju
Daikaiju
Manufacturer: Reptile
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Surf Rock | Oldies & Retro | Rock | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0007GAER6
Release Date: 2005-03-08

Tracks:

Daikaiju Die!
Attack of the Crab Women
The Trouble with those Mothra Girls
Sharkakhan
Showdown in Shinjuku
The Daikaiju who Loved Me
Son of Daikaiju
Incognito
Super X-9
Farewell to Monster Island

Customer Reviews:

Large. Apparition. Beast........2006-04-19

Very good stuff here. Not your average surf band. In fact, the traditional surf/reverb sound is toned down, and replaced by a lot more of a distortion sound. If you happen to own the Los Straitjackets 3-D album, think of the first track, Squid, and that should give you a little bit of an idea. Most of this album is very uptempo, so it's perfect for driving and backflipping around your apartment. Too bad these guys will never get famous coz we need more music like this in the world. Kinda makes you wanna watch a Godzilla movie.

Pitchforkmedia.com reviews Daikaiju!!.......2006-01-30

I thought this review said it best of all:

Rating: 7.8

Somewhere along the line, surf music ceased to have anything to do with actual surfing and migrated to kitsch. Dick Dale had "Pipeline", the Surfaris had "Wipe-Out!", and Man...or Astroman? had..."You Can't Get Good Riblets in Space". But although shuddering tremolo bars fit the image of a guy in floral print trunks, the music is mostly instrumental and as such essentially abstract, so you can make it mean anything you want it to. Even early surf rockers like the Ventures and the Tornados realized this and began to incorporate the astronautical, lounge, and kitsch elements that color most efforts in the genre these days.

So the term "surf" as it relates to music today basically just refers to music with lots of reverb and crazy guitar playing, which is fine-- you can acknowledge the roots without trying to turn them into branches. I can say pretty categorically that Croatia's Bambi Molesters are the best surf band in the world today, but given Man...or Astroman?'s long silence, Daikaiju certainly have a claim to the #2 spot. Much like fellow modern surf-rockers Los Straightjackets, the men of Daikaiju keep their identities secret, each represented by a mask in the band's press releases, which also feature a lot of fake Japanese-to-English translations like "Kabuki men deliver most high rocket impact!"

Students of Godzilla, Mothra, and Gamera know that Daikaiju is Japanese for "giant monster," and the Huntsville, Ala., quartet are obviously enamored with the most conspicuous aspects of Japanese popular culture, though they refrain from sticking soundclips from Mechagodzilla sequels all over their albums the way so many other surf groups recently have. They instead opt to let the music speak for itself, and when it does, it's impressive, to say the least. Though their sound is closer to Man...or Astroman? than anything else (it's of course possible that there are members of that band hiding out in their ranks) there's a certain degree of prog muscle behind all that reverbed shredding.

Surf is one of those funny genres where a fan basically knows what to expect and enjoyment comes from hearing it done really well, and Daikaiju delivers on that score, but there is one monumental surprise lurking in this mix in the form of album closer "Farewell to Monster Island". At almost nine minutes long it's nearly four times longer than the average surf instrumental and in place of the manic snare and ride cymbal of a surf beat, the band rides a skanking dub riddim, marrying two genres that in retrospect were born to love each other. The e-bowed interlude is something to hear, but even more impressive is the simple fact that the guitarists hiding behind these masks have a jazz-like sense of how to phrase a solo. The song is the kind of jam that bands just don't do any more, and it sort of makes me wish more would.

So in the end, Daikaiju is an impressive full-length debut for a band that's clearly got more up its sleeve than a few Trashmen 45s and tablature print-outs for "Rabble Rouser". The thing with the masks and stage names like Secret Asian Man and Brain Conflict is frankly little more than a distracting sideshow to the main event, which is of course the band's massive wave of prime surf. Grab your board.

-Joe Tangari, August 31, 2005
[...]

HybridMagazine Review.......2005-09-01

Like me, have you longed for the release of a really great surf rock album? Not a surf rock album that was merely a sterilized distillation of Dick Dale's moments of greatness, but one that reminded how the genre could be freshened up and made viable once again? Perhaps an album that would be as great as the first time that Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet made the world sit up and take notice of Canadian surf, or the first time that Man Or Astroman? grabbed hold of space rock and twanged it into surf? Then, boy have I got just the album for you!

Daikaiju's eponymous release is full to the brim with twanging and boinging guitars, blistering tom rolls, and throbbing basslines. From the very first notes of "Daikaiju Die!" the album is a rollicking good time ride through the world of surf rock. Most tracks on the album clock in at right around three and a half minutes, which makes the album pass by so quickly that there will be an immediate need to hit the play button again. None of the tracks are sleepers (Take that, other surf bands!) and every track has it's own unique character, which makes this one of the finest surf albums of all time. Standouts include the brilliant tremolo swoops on "Incognito" and the stuttering machine gun guitars of "Super X-9". The jazzy cymbal wash of "The Trouble With Those Mothra Girls" makes perfect counterpoint to the deliberate bass walks and chiming guitars. The Van Halen-esque rhythm guitars on the intro to "Sharkakhan" give way to a fast paced racing song that would fit right at home in any good spy movie, especially during a chase scene.

No sleeper tracks. Distinctly different feels melodies in each song. Amazing guitar, bass and drum tones. Musicianship of the highest caliber. Those are the things you will find on this release, Daikaiju. And really, beyond that, the only thing you need to know about Daikaiju is that one of the guys goes by the moniker Secret Asian Man. And who can't stand behind that?

-L. Keane

Much more than a surf band.......2005-03-09

It would be easy to label Daikaiju a surf/spy rock band.

Easy, but not really fair, and certainly not accurate.

Daikaiju blends the instrumental surf rock genre with all sorts of other influences. Super-heavy riffs worthy of any hard rock outfit ("Daikaiju Die!"), beautifully intricate melodies (see "Farewell to Monster Island", and hints of reggae, jazz, and even some jamband-esque elements makes for an album that is very distinctive and interesting, never getting repetitive or tiresome at all.

I reccommend this record not only to surf fans, but to lovers of great, unique, instrumental music in general. Buy this record now and experience "the soundtrack to the greatest monster movie never made"

Oh, and for god's sake...seek out their first CD "The Phasing Spider Menace". It's out-of-print, but it's worth any price you might pay just for "Rising Up From the Depths of Time".

Average customer rating:

Waves
Gabrielle Roth & the Mirrors
Manufacturer: Raven
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

Healing | New Age | Styles | Music

Minimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Trance
Bones
Zone Unknown
Luna
Totem

ASIN: B0000000CE
Release Date: 1994-05-09

Tracks:

Invocation
Surrender
Waves
Ecstasy
Trance
Spirit

Average customer rating:

More production please!
A Must-Have CD
Oh brother, art thou Witches or Pagans?
Hard to keep
Decisions, decisions...

Bending Tradition

Manufacturer: Emerald Rose
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

International Folk | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Fire In The Head
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Celtic Crescent

ASIN: B00004U9TM
Release Date: 2000-06-16

Tracks:

Penny In The Well
Fire In The Head
Lucky Man
Jigs:Green Hills of Garland/The Gallagher Lass/The Ferret's Nose
Red-Haired Mary
Pagan Girl
Come By The Hills
Merry May Folk
Johnnie Cope
Castle of Arianrhod
Freya Shakti
Unfinished Business
Hills of America

Album Description

"Bending Tradition" draws heavily from Celtic roots, but moves in many directions, blending pop/rock, jazz, world beat, and mystical ideas into a unique "brew." Rich chorus vocals, driving guitars, bodhran and congas, pennywhistle, and original songwriting provide a strong new voice in Celtic fusion.

Customer Reviews:

More production please!.......2006-08-02

I was really excited to get this album, but was disappointed with the slightly less than mediocre quality of it. First of all, there was no production value at all. It sounded as though the musicians themselves recorded it in one of their garages and produced it on one of their laptops. While for some people or bands this isn't a problem, the band members themselves play their instruments and sing slightly better than you'd hear in a karaoke bar I suppose, so that might give you some idea about the production quality as well. I think the part that bothered me the most is that no matter the genre, I expect my music to be up to a minimum standard artistically, which this album really wasn't. I applaud their efforts to be sort of a light-hearted selection in a genre that sometimes takes itself a tad too seriously, but the quality simply wasn't there to carry off the whole package. I would not recommend buying this album unless you are already a fan or don't mind somewhat simplistic lyrics and trite rhyming schemes. I really really wanted to like it.

A Must-Have CD.......2004-08-14

I first heard of Emerald Rose at the Bardic Circle on Witchvox. "Freya, Shakti", "Fire in the Head": these quickly became two of my favorite songs. The live Fire in the Head rose to my most-listened song very quickly. I lived off of MP3.com for some time.

When I came to buy an ER CD, this was high on the list. I came into it loving Freya, Shakti and Fire in the Head. "Pagan Girl" I had heard wonderful things about (I understand why: a GREAT song).

Penny in the Well and Merry May Folk are just awesome songs. This is my CD of choice when I drive, now.

All in all, I am able to listen to this CD almost non-stop, skipping only 2 songs that I don't particularly like.

I HIGHLY recommend this CD as one of the greatest musical compilations that I own.

Oh brother, art thou Witches or Pagans?.......2004-07-29

Several of the tracks presented here are stunning. 'Penny in the Well'...'Freya Shakti'...'Hills of America'...even an understated version of ELP's 'Lucky Man'. All deserve kudos.
The one problem I have with EMERALD ROSE though is their Celtic Warrior/Pagan/Wiccan/Folk schtick.
Why does it seem to me that the Wiccan belief has co-opted all things Pagan? If ER is more than Wiccan (ie goddess worship), then they should explore more of the Pagan world outside of the feminine principle. I mean they use the imagery of celtic-pagan-warrior enough, but there is more to the mythos than just the lighthearted pagan as posey+ ring-around-the-maypole imagery.
I feel EMERALD ROSE is on the verge of something important. It is imperative that they define themselves more specifically, musically. Go outside the SAFE zone, challenge their fanbase, add more diverse instruments (i mean the pennywhistle featured alot is VERY good,but) perhaps even add another member to tne band.
I just wish the music was grittier, more pagan,less Wiccan. I don't want them to slip into complacency. Sorry ER if I sound like I'm being disrespectful, after all, I'm the thorn in your foot, the worm in the wood. your friendly PICT, for now.

Hard to keep.......2004-05-17

Here is a hint. DO NOT LOAN THIS CD TO ANYONE. Even your trusted friends will turn on you and growl viciously if you suggest it is time for the CD to come back to you. Happened to me just last night. So off I went to the band's website to buy another copy. Dang it. But I did buy the full set of all four.

I've had the sheer pleasure of hearing this group perform in public. It was my first time to hear the "Shakti" piece. Everyone in the auditorium was on their feet dancing. It is a chant to overcome the dirge-like chants so many of us know.

Their traditional pieces are incredibly well done. The penny whistle rivals the best work I've ever heard.

And the original songs such as "Pagan Girl" will bring a smile to your face or a tear to your eye.

These guys are true bards in the oldest sense of the word. Don't let this CD escape your notice. Truly some of the best new music I've heard in a long while.

Decisions, decisions..........2003-06-17

How do you tell a soon-to-be Emerald Rose fan which CD to buy first? It is a tough decision, but this CD is often the first choice.
This CD contains some of their best ballads, and is a good sampler of their more traditional songs plus their Pagan songs. It does NOT contain any of their purely humorous songs, or their downright *odd* songs, but that does give this album a continuity of feel that some of the others lack.

It is NOT all ballads, and does contain some of their more justly famous "get up and dance" tunes, but the ballads are the stand out stars of this album in my opinion. "Penny in the Well" (track one), a postively stellar cover of "Lucky Man" (track three, "Castle of Arianrhod" (track 10) and "Hills of America" (track 13) showcase their slower ballad work amazingly. In fact i have been stunned to find i prefer Emerald Rose's version of "Lucky Man" to the origional by Emerson Lake and Palmer!

Still, no album of theirs would be complete without some of the spectacular drumming, wonderful pennywhistle, and magnificent energy of such songs as the traditionally based "Fire in the Head" (track 2),and "The Gallagher Lass" (part of track 4). I dare you to listen to their jigs and not get up and dance! (warning: this is real excersize, and you *will* feel it later)

This CD has a few of their more famous pagan songs, like "Freya Shakti" (track 11), "Merry May Folk" (track 8), and "Pagan Girl" (track 6) that are practically required listening for any of the Pagan community. "Freya Shakti", especially, is destined to be one of those songs that will be sung and enjoyed at festivals by people who may never even know who wrote it!
Pity, that. I guess we will just have to tell them so they can enjoy the rest of the Emerald Rose play list!

If you are looking for a CD that is NOT obviously Pagan, but is still good solid Emerald Rose, i suggest "Celtic Crescent" which contains no overtly Pagan songs.

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