Bread & Circuses [Import]

bread & circuses [import]

Track Listings

1. Pauline

2. Tomorrow

3. Dance II

4. Hilary

5. Street Fight

6. Royal Infirmary

7. Black Horses

8. Dance I

9. Blind Elevator Girl/Osaka

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Now Available Again at Alower Price.

Bread & Circuses,The Durutti Column,Import [Generic],Alternative Pop/Rock,Experimental Rock,Pop,Post-Punk,Rock

Bread & Circuses [Import]

Average customer rating:

Remember when...
check it out, and see.
Man does not live by Bread alone
Music To Chill Out
flash backs!

The Best of Bread
Bread
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00005JGA4
Release Date: 2001-06-19

Tracks:

Make It With You
Everything I Own
Diary
Baby I'm-A Want You
It Don't Matter To Me
If
Mother Freedom
Down On My Knees
Too Much Love
Let Your Love Go
Look What You've Done
Truckin'
The Guitar Man
Aubrey
The Last Time
Sweet Surrender
He's A Good Lad
Daughter
Friends And Lovers
Lost Without Your Love

Amazon.com

If they are to believed, David Gates and the other members of Bread never intended to become the enduring icons of a subgenre they virtually invented: soft rock. Indeed, scattered throughout this expanded edition of a perennial bestselling catalog album are tuneful evidence of their original intent, as one band mate said, "to make the '60s last a little longer." But it's the familiar, largely Gates-penned and -sung hit singles that remain the band's legacy, from "Make It with You" through the reunited band's last hurrah, "Lost Without Your Love." Though they've become oft-mocked clichés, these are singles informed with a rare, often complex melodic sense, delivered with a deceptively breezy tone by one of pop's purest tenors. Gates and Bread clearly colored artists as diverse as '80s MOR icon Christopher Cross and nouveau singer-songwriter David Mead. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Remember when..........2007-07-07

This album was so wonderfully refreshing. It took me back to the days when you could listen to music without profanity, vulgarity....or R A P !!
I felt I was back in high school, where life was fun and easy and my whole future was ahead and brilliant.
I loved this album back then, and I still do.

check it out, and see........2007-06-13

i ordered "the best of bread," less than a week ago, and received it, today. as i was listening, i was taken back to when i first bought it, as an album. i can't remember, when it was first released, but the songs just as then, are remarkable. "make it with you, diary, baby i'm a want you, it don't matter to me, if especially if, let your love go, the guitar man and aubrey," are the best cuts, on the piece. i'm telling you, you won't be disappointed. it is truly a magnificent, piece of work. check it out, and see.

Man does not live by Bread alone.......2007-06-09

This is a fine collection of music by a group of with good harmonies. I bought this in memory of a friend of mine who introduced this CD to me along time ago. He passed away a couple years back, but it reminds me of him whenever I play it. Its a solid collection for any Bread lover.

Music To Chill Out.......2007-03-27

David Gates wrote some of the most soothing and melodic love songs of the seventies and that voice of his must have melted a lot of female hearts!
Although all the best songs of Bread are here, this album would have been more complete if it had included the David Gates classic "Goodbye Girl".

flash backs!.......2007-03-10

I remember as a 6yr old back in the early 70's when my dad was a guitar player in a top 40 band they had to figure out songs for there club gigs and anywhere where someone wants to listen. one day my dad brought home a new album,so he could start figuring out new songs to add to there set list. well it happen to be the Bread album, and I remember the melodies even to this day of how nice and beautiful sounds were coming out of the turn table(way bak in-d-day)it always put me in a lazy summer moods whenever these melodies pop back in my head. Anyways you cant go wrong with any of the bread albums, great song writing and classic musicianship(team player) inspiring sounds. I know cause I've been a guitar shredder for the last 20yrs and it can get old after a while. so when these old melodies come back to me it inspires me to be more of a mature musician. my band mates keep telling me that my maturity as a musicians got alot better within the last 4yrs. All because of the Bread songs way bak in-d-day.

Average customer rating:

Still great to listen to
A Good Selection, Some of My Favorites.
smooth.. most of this is good stuff!
The Music That Gave 70's Music A Bad Name
Nostalgia for the Seventies? Check these guys out.

Anthology
Bread
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000002H2N
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Make It With You
Dismal Day
London Bridge
Anyway You Want Me
Look What You've Done
It Don't Matter To Me
The Last Time
Let Your Love Go
Truckin'
If
Baby, I'm-A Want You
Everything I Own
Down On My Knees
Aubrey
Diary
Sweet Surrender
The Guitar Man
Fancy Dancer
She's The Only One
Lost Without Your Love

Amazon.com

Those who had more than their fill of the likes of England Dan & John Ford Coley in the '70s had Bread to thank for the proliferation of such acts. Bread, led by David Gates, took all of the softer aspects of the post-'60s folk metamorphosis and none of the artistry. Songs like "Make It with You" and "Baby I'm A-Want You" were enormous hits, but nothing compared to the success of "If." Surveys would probably show that eight out of 10 weddings in the years after the song's debut had it squeezed somewhere in the ceremonial proceedings. Anthology doesn't really offer anything that some select surfing of adult easy listening stations doesn't already provide. It also shows that in the end, most of Bread's material, while a staple of the aural diet of many, ultimately has become stale as their namesake. --Steve Gdula

Customer Reviews:

Still great to listen to.......2007-06-11

For me, the true 'taste test' for music is how well it holds up now. Bread hasn't gone stale as a group. This is one of maybe 20 or 30 CDs that I still listen to regularly. I love every song. David Gates has a great singing voice, not to mention excellent writing talents. These songs are part of our subconscious. Every now and then, I catch myself humming or singing these songs. Someone will ask "Who does that song?". I'll say "Bread" and the other will say "Who's that?". To answer that question, one need only to buy this CD, or Retrospective or the Definitive Collection. I own only Anthology. One of these days, I'll buy the other six studio albums and savor every song.

A Good Selection, Some of My Favorites........2006-09-20

This group headed by David Gates is not classic rock or even easy rock, as I heard "Sweet Surrender," my favorites of their recordings on the Easy Listening FM in Huntsville, Alabama, years ago. For the life of me I simply cannot get the two "adult standards" stations FM or AM to play this particular recording. Why is it taboo? One plays way too much Doris Day, the other too much Enya with a bit of Michael Feinstein put in at odd hours. I miss most of his. MYL won't even play his now. ONly that maverick, the Winker, who is the Rebel and plays what he wants to come hell or hight water may insert one occasionally. Even he won't play "Sweet Surrender." I've gone through a few sweet surrenders in my time; they just don't know what they are missing by not trying it just once.

smooth.. most of this is good stuff!.......2006-08-08

Most everyone knows what music critics and used car salemen have in common..
Bread delivered what we wanted then, smooth love ballads that even today bring back those great memories that make us feel good, sad..
About 8 of the songs on this Cd were the big hits and what I remember today.
-'Make it without you, 'It don't matter to me, If, Baby, I'm-a want you, Aubrey, Diary, and the classic, Lost without your love. Mr.Gates and company did it real good.. for most of us.
These songs are worth the money by themselves.

The Music That Gave 70's Music A Bad Name.......2006-05-22

The punk rock movement of the late 70's was, in part, inspired by the type of insipid pop music that Bread embodied - fluffy, lightweight, and unchallenging. Bread and a host of other unchallenging pop bands had their fair share of radio airplay in the 70's. But a listen to their music now finds it hasn't stood the test of time.

The easy-listening adult oriented radio stations that still play this pablum are going the way of the dinosaur. Other pop music of the era is far more enjoyable while still making a statement. If you're hankering for some 70's pop that leaves Bread flat in the oven, try the Carpenters, Carole King, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, and Gordon Lightfoot.

Nostalgia for the Seventies? Check these guys out........2006-05-06

The critics. Ah, the critics. Reading the Amazon reviewer up there, I thought to myself, "Yeah, all this is more or less true. This is one cheesy band. But man, do I love it anyway."

I grew up in the seventies in New England, and no matter where you go in southern Maine and New Hampshire you can always get WHOM broadcasting a 100 thousand watts from the top of Mt. Washington. And all WHOM does is play soft rock hits. Artists like Dan Fogelburg, Anne Murray, John Denver, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Elton John.. and Bread. My parents loved the stuff, and though my taste has evolved since quite a bit then, this music has been imprinted on my mind and heart forever.

And I'm glad. It never fails to make me happy when I hear it.

I brought this album with me to Mexico a few years ago when I taught ESL at a prep- school down there. I used a couple of the songs in class, usually getting the kids to sing themselves. Let me tell you this: you really haven't lived until you've seen and heard a classroom full of Mexican kids singing "Everything I Own". It's enough to make you cry, it's too funny and glad at once to bear.

On the band: David Gates is a pop genius. He formed this band, and named it "Bread" because that's what he wanted to make oodles of with this music. So yeah, these songs are basically latter day tin- pan alley type folk pop, more or less cynically produced to manipulate people emotionally, and get as many of them to buy it as possible. Just like most pop music. And Gates is now in fact rich. I for one applaud him.

On the songs: the big ones are all here. All the hits. A big bonus - or drawback, depending on your p.o.v.- is that a bunch of B sides have been included, as well. I like a couple of them, but sometimes wish they weren't there when I just want to throw the disk in a cd player and only hear the hits without having to pay attention or program anything.

Of the hits, they're all huge- if you're over 25 you'll probably recognise them all.

I enjoy all of them, with the sole exception of "It Don't Matter to Me" which I cannot stand. The lyrics are addressed to a girl the singer's in "love" with. Excerpt: "it don't matter to me if you take up with someone who's better than me.. a lot of people have an ego hang up they wanna be the only one.." The guy needs testosterone replacement therapy, and a smack upside the head.

To sum up: this is great 70's pop music by one of the seminal pop bands of that decade. If you like groups like the Carpenters you'll enjoy them. Don't let all the hipster disdain faze you, now. Check them out.

The Essential Leontyne Price: Spirituals, Hymns & Sacred Songs

Average customer rating:

The Price Club
A living legend
not your daddy's old timey spiritual
Immaculate Vocals of Leontyne Price
Great Gospel Stuff

The Essential Leontyne Price: Spirituals, Hymns & Sacred Songs

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Spirituals

ASIN: B000003FWE
Release Date: 1997-01-14

Tracks:

Ev'ry Time I Feel The Spirit - Various Artists
Let Us Break Bread Together On Our Knees - Various Artists
His Name So Sweet - Various Artists
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Tracks:

Holy, Holy, Holy - Leontyne Price
Lead, Kindly Light - Leontyne Price
Blessed Assurance - Leontyne Price
Ave Maria - Leontyne Price
What A Friend We Have In Jesus - Leontyne Price
Amazing Grace - Leontyne Price
The Lord's Prayer - Leontyne Price
Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior - Leontyne Price
The Church's One Foundation - Leontyne Price
Bless This House - Leontyne Price
I Need Thee Every Hour - Leontyne Price
Schlesische Volkslieder: Fairest Lord Jesus - Leontyne Price
I Wonder As I Wander - Leontyne Price
Ave Maria - Leontyne Price
Porgy And Bess: Summertime - Leontyne Price
America The Beautiful - Leontyne Price
Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing - Leontyne Price
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God - Leontyne Price
Battle Hymn Of The Republic - Leontyne Price

Customer Reviews:

The Price Club.......2005-04-28

"I am here," said Leontyne Price when interviewed as she opened the new Metropolitan Opera with Samuel Barber's underrated ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, "and you will know that I am the best and will hear me. The color of my skin or the kink of my hair or the spread of my mouth has nothing to do with what you are listening to." Back in the 1960s Price was one of the greatest divas in all of opera, and it wasn't just her voice but her magnificent stage presence, combined with her social activism. All of the above come into play in this collection of secular songs and ditties, some of them traditional plantation chanties and others, art songs and a scattering of pop music. And some of them, like Gershwin's "Summertime," cross the ever-permeable boundaries between Broadway and classical. These recordings were made at different times in Price's career, and her voice, while always angelic, has different shadings and reaches a different range of timbre in each separate recording date, but there is no question that, as time goes by, she is able to impart a richness of life experience noticeably absent from some of her earlier work.

"Ave Maria" sounds heavenly no matter which way you slice it, and as for "I Wonder As I Wander," it brings tears to your eyes. If you have a heart that's beating you will be moved by this rendition. "Ein feste Burg" is pretty strong, but Price seems more comfortable with the traditional spirituals, though perhaps it is the slightly off-kilter sounds of the Ambrosian Singers (what a name) who back her up on many of these tracks, that detract slightly from the experience. Compare "Lead Kindly Light" for a clear sense of what constitutes authority vs. what is a wee bit overproduced. If you had this compilation, and perhaps one of Leontyne Price's Christmas albums, you could attain nirvana any time you wanted to, just flip a switch and close your eyes, let her lift you up on wings of song.

A living legend.......2005-03-10

Leontyne Price (still alive) and already passing into immortality amongst vocal artists, both classical and popular. Leontyne Price stands at the pinnacle of her classical art, but those who only know her work in La Forza del destino or the Verdi Requiem are in for a heart rending treat with this album where Leontyne Price goes home to her roots in Mississippi and gives an unabashed account of the classic spirituals she sang as a young woman. Like John Mc Cormacks rendering of Irish songs there is a personal longing and devotion expressed here that reveals a side of the artist not known in the bulk of their "classical" repetoire. A sense of going home like Citizen Kane's rosebud, or as Dorothy Gale observes at the end of the Wizard of Oz "everything I could ever have wanted was right in my own backyard "

not your daddy's old timey spiritual.......2004-06-23

Agreed this is a good cd for a beautiful voice, but this is not, repeat not, for someone who wants to hear that old-timey religious fervor that you think of when you've been to a Black Baptist hand-clapping, standing, swaying, and singing service.

Immaculate Vocals of Leontyne Price.......2003-12-31

IMMACULATE, SUPERB vocal range and style! There's no other words that can complement Miss Leontyne Price's vocal arrangements. Miss Price's voice is strong, and shrills very nicely to the instruments played on many songs listed on this double CD which is a joy to treasure; every song listed are songs I was raised to hearing and singing. Miss Price is the reason why many of these songs remain in popularity and presently used. Miss Leontyne Price has been incredible in many of her past performances. This is my fourth CD of Miss Price and I am glad to own this particular CD forever and ever. Many thanks to the executors who found this remarkable album and upgraded it to a CD format! **Angi**

Great Gospel Stuff.......2001-04-12

This is a great CD. The only problem I have with it is that on some of the selections there is a boy's choir screaming in the background, and this takes away (a bit) from her performance. That said, her best selections are those that are either unaccompanied or those where her voice is not buried. Songs that strike me are - His Name So Sweet, He's Got The Whole World, Were You There, I Wonder as I Wander, Lift Every Voice and Sing, and my all time favourite Summertime. Enough said.

Average customer rating:

Typically cut corners
"I can now die CD-happy!"
A Classic for Bread Fans - and their Final Album
their best
Very Good

Lost Without Your Love
Bread
Manufacturer: Wounded Bird Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000JVSWEG
Release Date: 2006-12-05

Tracks:

Hooked on You
She's the Only One
Lost Without Your Love
Change of Heart
Belonging
Fly Away
Lay Your Money Down
Chosen One
Today's the First Day
Hold Tight
Our Lady of Sorrow

Customer Reviews:

Typically cut corners.......2007-05-12

This is my favorite Bread album. Earlier in the 70's they produced a string of hits as well as solid album cuts. As Sir George Martin once noted, .. we look to an album to encapsulate a period of time, usually fond, by which we can associate... . This album works on that level, and some other levels. Fortunately, these songs stand up to many of Bread's finest. Opening with the catchy melody of "Hooked On You" the listener is intrigued enough to pay attention to all the cuts. Even years after their last release, the definitive Bread sound is there- and still sounding fresh! "She's The Only One" is also a good moving tune followed by the name sake title song, "Lost Without Your Love". If the melody here, simple and sweet, is not enough, then do catch the final lyric- "if we had love before ... we can have it back once more." Tough to beat that. "Change Of Heart" is a nice change of pace- very listenable-a la Bread. Without being too long winded, I will focus on one last tune- "Belonging". This starts as it might be a David Gates solo as Lennon's "Working Class Hero" or Marley's "Redemption Song". Gates could have made it work too. However the Bread signature instrumentation is beautifully woven into the fabric of the song, raising it to an even higher level. Gates has come a long way since he penned The Murmaids' "Popsicles and Icicles" a dozen or so years earlier. This album is classic Bread.
No doubt Wounded Bird Records knew the CD buying public would eat this release up as they chose to skimp on the "extras" (the reason I withheld a star). At slightly more than 36 minutes for 11 songs, an out take or two or an alternate version would have been welcomed. Perhaps some liner notes, recording dates, etc. could help justify the price of the CD. Oh well, at least we get a gatefold which is more than Clapton gets on many of his releases.
In summation, this is a very GOOD Bread release from 1976. Buy it- you won't be disappointed.

"I can now die CD-happy!".......2007-04-03

I was elated when I found out (3 months later, but better late than never) that "Lost Without Your Love" had finally seen the light of CD. Every music fan surely has their "last holdout(s)" when they can say everything from vinyl they care to own has finally been released on compact disc, and this album is mine.

I'm making a space for it between "Guitar Man" and Jackson Browne's "Late For the Sky"!

A Classic for Bread Fans - and their Final Album.......2007-03-19

I can't be objective about this album - during the winter holidays of my senior year I found the LP in the racks at the local record store and lovingly carried it home (after dropping off my girlfriend) and dropped the needle into the groove with great anticipation. I had already worn out my 45 single of "Lost Without Your Love / Change Of Heart" purchased 6 weeks earlier, and as a long time fanatic of the songs and vocals of David Gates (and partner James Griffin) from their start in 1969, I was completely captivated by hearing new songs from these guys. Since their breakup in 1973, there had been great solo albums by Gates (First & Never Let Her Go) and Griffin (Breakin Up Is Easy), so I wasn't totally starved, but it was a BREAD album! Like most, I was captivated by David Gates work, and LOST WITHOUT YOUR LOVE includes some of his very best. The hit title song and the 2nd single "Hooked On You" are killer, and he dropped in a classic with "Chosen One" as well. James Griffin's fantastic "She's The Only One" has been on most of the Bread CD compilations, and "Change Of Heart", a rare songwriting collaboration between Griffin & Gates is one of his classics. Griffin's vocal "Lay Your Money Down" was actually recorded by Bread in 1973 for their "next" album (unfinished/unreleased). LOST WITHOUT YOUR LOVE is a great late 70's classic with wonderful songs by a talented and creative band.
NOTE: James Griffin and Mike Botts have both recently passed away. Griffin released a 2nd solo album in Europe on Polydor ("James Griffin" - 1977), and recorded many great songs with Terry Sylvester, Black Tie, and The Remingtons post-Bread. David Gates has released 4 more solo albums since Bread disbanded (again) in late 1977. BREAD toured in support of the Lost Without Your Love album in 1977 (great show!) and also in 1995-1996 with the original lineup (still great!).

their best.......2007-02-22

This album is definitely the best release by bread, and it is about time it was released on CD. With 'guitar man' (1972),there was quite a bit of experimentation and genre swapping, but this album really keeps to what the band does best, in terms of quality ballads and melodic soft rock. Gates is the main composer with the ballad 'hooked on you' to start things off, which is a typical melodic bread love ballad, with soft guitars and orchestra. His classic piano ballad 'lost without your love' has an incredible verse and beautiful uplifting chorus, with a great electric guitar solo. The synths at the end are quite simply ethereal. 'Belonging' is a stripped down ballad, with acoustic picking and orchestra, similar in style to other Gates numbers like 'diary' and 'aubrey', a fantastic track. 'The chosen one' is also amazing, with a solid band effort and excellent keyboards and bass and a lovely lead vocal. Another soft rock song. 'Hold tight' is a happy discoish rock song, which is ever so slightly twee, but enjoyable nonetheless. Gates also composes the Griffin sung 'lay your money down', which is the only rock song on the album, and is fantastic, with multi layered vocals and great instrumentation, although the drums seemed to be panned extreme left, which somewhat lessens the potential heaviness of the track.
Griffin co-writes with Gates on 'change of heart' which is another delicious ballad, with great high vocals from Griffin, and some nice acoustic guitar and flute work. He composes with Royer, who was previously in bread on the remaining tracks. 'She's the only one' is a great country-esque ballad, and 'fly away' has some climactic vocals that really reach into the high notes and this melody sticks in the head, accompanied by lots of acoustic strummed guitars. The album has yet two more Griffin/Royer ballads at the end, 'today's the first day' which has a beautiful verse and nice backing vocals and, another lovely falsetto performance in places for 'lady of sorror', which closes out the album.
A fantastic album, chock full of ballads. Definitely their greatest release ever. Highly recommended.

Very Good.......2006-12-16

Discography Complete, thanks Wounded Bird Records. David Gates only CD`s availables First and Goodbye girl, i have CD`s Never let her go, Falling in love again, Take me now, but they were not recorded by Elektra, but by different labels.

Average customer rating:

Fantabulos
Wow
Aicha - a Homage to Khaled
aicha
A standing ovation for Outlandish

Outlandish: Bread & Barrels of Water
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Bmg Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Outlandish Presents...Beats, Rhymes & Life
Walou
Sahra
Aiysha

ASIN: B0000DGDOC
Release Date: 2003-09-08

Tracks:

Introduction
Guantanamo
Peelo
Walou
Aicha
Gritty
Interlude
If Only
Fatimas Hand
We Dareti el Ayam
Moro
Faat al Miaad
Eyes Never Dry
Detni Essekra
Donkey Named Cheetah
Dirty Dirty East
Life Is a Loom
Bumpy

Album Details

The Critically Acclaimed Eclectic Hip-hop Trio Topped the Charts in Northern Europe. They Grew Up in Brondby Strand, a Multicultural Suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark. Their Family Roots, However Stretch from Three Continents; Isam Bachiri from Morocco, Waqas Qadri from Pakistan and Lenny Martinez from Honduras. Outlandish Are Influenced by Traditional Arabic and Indian Music with Cuban and Latin-american Rhythms. The Group's Lyrics Are in English, Spanish, Urdu and Arabic. They Scored Awards in Six Categories at the Danish Music Awards (Denmark's Equivalent of the Grammys) and Won the Best Hip Hop Award.

Customer Reviews:

Fantabulos.......2006-04-02

The first song I listened to from the album was Guantanamo and I thought it was absolutely fantastic. I really like what Outlandish stand for seeing as I am a fellow Moroccan and muslim lake Isam Bachiri.
Hope you continue to do well.

Wow.......2005-10-05

I love this cd! I first heard it in a record store in Armenia. They were playing it, and I heard the spanish lyrics and it caught my attention (after hearing Russian and Armenian for a while, and language I understand is bound to catch my attention).
Anyways, I bought it immediately based on that one part! And it was the best decision I ever made.

Aicha - a Homage to Khaled.......2005-03-23

This album is great, and Aicha is a thoughtful, lovely song. It is not simply a direct translation from Khaled's Aicha (also very moving), which is sung in French, as has been stated by a previous reviewer. The verses are different, but still poetic. it is more an homage and the singers do honor Khaled, in the line, "aicha, ecoutez moi." I'd recommend this album and Khaled's album so you can hear both together.

aicha.......2004-12-25

This song Aicha is great, but it is a cover of the song Aiysha
by Cheb Khaled. I dislike it that people are giving credit to Outlandish for the song lyrics as they were just translated from french. There is no doubt that Outlandish is a good group, but i think that credit should be given to Khaled for this song.

A standing ovation for Outlandish.......2004-06-05

I first heard the song "Aicha" on a Sky Music channel and I was totally captivated by it. What an intelligent, beautiful and haunting song, I couldn't believe my ears and eyes as I watched and listened for the few minutes it flashed across my TV screen.

I had to find out more about this group "Outlandish" and I went straight online and began to dig around. Most of the internet hits took me to Danish sites of course but I found a few English ones that I could browse through and get more information about the song and its singers. Of course I was delighted that the group had an Album out and I purchased it immediately. I was a bit worried I might not like any of the other songs but I needn't have worried. They were all as intelligent and as well sung as "Aicha" was.

I was also amazed about the group's three young singers who come from such diversely different backgrounds. How were they able to come together and create such amazing lyrics and music?

Perhaps it was their common experience of being strangers in a strange land? "Aicha" is a song/rap about a Muslim girl looking after her family and the life she leads in exile. Perhaps this is a song that goes to the heart of the group itself which is made of up of refugees/asylum seekers?

All the lyrics to all the songs are intelligent and heartfelt and I have only ever heard intelligent rap from people like "Miss Dynamite", Coolio with his song "Gangsta's Paradise" and on occasions the brutally honest Eminem.

Tracks:

Way Away
Scenes From A Vinyl Recliner
Unquiet
Know Me
When We Recovered
One Wind Blows
Pale Blue
Always Changing Probably
One Little Girl
Covered In Roses

Customer Reviews:

More Than One Wind Blows.......2006-03-15

After reading the past reviews it seems that most have come to this debut album late in their Toad fan stages. This was my first album purchase of the band and it was because I heard "One Little Girl" on SF's "Live 105" radio station back in 1989. The album lived up to the promise of that single and beyond. It was raw, emotional and over the top with passion. It became my go-to album when I was moody, lonely or just wanted a walk by myself.

I'm glad I came to know them from this album. The later albums were more produced and polished and in some cases, as others have mentioned, produced some better songs, but this was their benchmark as far as pure raw talent is concerned in my opinion. I still play it and it never disappoints from start to finish and there isn't a throw-away or unnecessary song on it.

The earlier Toad was darker and more consistent:.......2005-10-08

Again with Bread and Circus the theory proves correct. How can an album with thin production have such a full sound. Easy, these guys graduated from the school of REM with an A+. Their music is original however. Bread and Circus may be their most consistent effort despite not having anything excellent on here. There are some great songs like Know Me, One wind blows, and One Little Girl being the best songs of their early days. There is not a bad song here, not even close. Later on their music would get less consistent but come up with better songs. So, which period, their consistent early period and eerie or the period where songs like Good intensions, Fall Down, I will not take these things for granted with a bad song here and here. You pick.

Great early "Toad"........2004-08-09

Even though I believe "Pale" is their best album, this debut is similar to it. "Toad The Wet Sprocket's" popularity came more with their later alt-pop sound, but this here is more alt-country really. "Way Away" was an early hit, and I also like "Unquiet", "Know Me", and "One Little Girl". However the closer "Covered In Roses" is the most moving song to me. I once made a tape which was just that song repeated. Anyway, anyone who likes the band, or similar ones should enjoy "Bread And Circus".

Solid Album.......2003-10-14

I will admit as w/ a few others here, Bread and Circus was my last addition to my Toad collection. It's hard to really compare this album to any other Toad ablum though. Simply b/c they were in the early stages of their music.

1989 wasn't really a year full of great music, it was a year full of experimenting music. You see alice in chains working on their debut, nirvana working on songs, but not yet clicking until a couple years later. R.E.M. doing their own little thing drastically altering their sound (see Out of Time) which they release in 91, a full 3 years after "green". U2, Soul Asylum, Soundgarden, Metallica, etc, etc. all these top bands are really actually starting to change their sound. So when Toad steps in, they fell right smack in the the middle of the crowd.

Bread and Circus, is a classic nonetheless, if you are a devoted fan. It seems like every song has this dark, eerie, kinda sleepy tone to it, maybe w/ the exception of "One Little Girl" and "Unquiet" which shows some signs of pep, but even then, the haunting guitars and vocals overlook that. I think that the music scene at the time, really set toad on a direct path of songwriting. They sorta wanted to make it big, but also have a quality of sound that was unique and could compete with the soon ever so popular genre of "mainstream."

The album, although really no singles i believe, provides some great songs. My favorites would be "Know Me" and "One Wind Blows". These may have found themselves easily on the "Pale" album, b/c they do bring the same quality of sound, but mainly b/c they are probably the most developed songs on the album. "Know Me", the longest song at 5:13, sorta starts off w/ some kind of storytelling which almost foreshadows the rest of the song which really actually picks up almost at the 45sec point. It's sort of a testiment of a young man trying to make a name for himself in the world, and wants everyone to really start to realize who he is.

"One Wind Blows" which picks up immediately, is a nice little "pale"ish sort of upbeat guitar rythym ditty. There's really nothing too special about the words, but it shows signs that the band will be something for years to come.

My other top picks include "Way Away", which in my opinion, sets the stage for the rest of the album. It's easy to listen from beginning to end, and is very free flowing. "When We Recover" is a short 3min depressing song in a sense that tells of hardships and unfortunate circumstances and hopes for a better life after the "recovery". It's a song of hope. "Always Changing" seems like a predesessor to other songs such as "Little Heaven", "Something's Always Wrong" and "Crazy Life". It's Bread and Circus' idea of the good slow song single.

The rest of the album is fantastic of course, for me being a huge toad the wet sprocket fan. However, opinions often may vary. Check it out, it's a great album, then and now. Even in that turmultous time in music. The dreaded year of 1989.

One Wind Blows.......2001-05-20

As a faithful Toad fan I had the luck to grab this cd one time I was in the States. Knowing this is the begining, one must have it. And what a begining. These guys recorded the album without much production or instrumentation. Yet they did a great cd, so emotional, letting us know what was about to come. Too bad you guys are gone as a band, I would have loved more songs like one of my all-time favorites: One Wind Blows. After a song like that, there's not much left.

Average customer rating:

It's sad. It's sparkly. It's simply stunning.
Dreamy......
Lazy summer ...
She sings brightly
Wow, don't miss this album!

Bavarian Fruit Bread
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
Manufacturer: Sanctuary Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Dream Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Among My Swan
She Hangs Brightly
So Tonight That I Might See
Suzanne
Suzanne

ASIN: B00005QB7K
Release Date: 2001-10-23

Tracks:

Hope
Suzanne
Butterfly Morning
On The Low
Baby Let Me Go
Feeling of Gaze
Charlotte
Clear Day
Bavarian Fruit Bread
Around My Smile
Lose Me On The Way

Amazon.com

Anyone familiar with Mazzy Star's ethereal, hypnotic music will find singer Hope Sandoval's debut album with the Warm Inventions a welcome return, with its haunting, spaced-out odes to melancholy. It's been five years since Mazzy Star's last album--the rich, evocative Among My Swan--and while Sandoval has appeared on records by the Jesus and Mary Chain and the Chemical Brothers, the At the Doorway Again EP, released at the end of 2000, was the Warm Inventions' first offering. The band--half of which is Colm O'Ciosoig from My Bloody Valentine--favor altogether sparser songs, which suffer somewhat from the absence of David Roback's lush, entrancing slide guitar, which made Mazzy Star so beguiling. Nonetheless, there are delights to be had: Sandoval's voice continues to drip with ennui and a tripped-out nonchalance while the delicate, tinkling songs on display here are eerily romantic, employing soft, beautiful acoustic guitars and occasional strings. Highlights include the relatively upbeat "On the Low," with its gentle swaying rhythm and occasional splashes of harmonica, and the dreamlike "Around My Smile," which features an intoxicated Sandoval singing, "I've got it going on." She may well be right. --Suzannah Brown

Customer Reviews:

It's sad. It's sparkly. It's simply stunning........2006-06-03

With the music, Hope Sandoval's vocals, the album art, and the album cover of "Bavarian Fruit Bread" combined, this has to be my single favorite album. Hope, whether it was when she was with Mazzy Star or went solo with this project, has easily become my favorite vocalist. How could anyone not be drawn to that adorable voice? What's really great about this album is that her vocals become even more of a focal point on "Bavarian Fruit Bread." And what's different about the music here is that rather than the psychedelic bluesy sound of Mazzy Star, there's more of a low-key, folksy approach through the use of acoustic guitar, harmonica, and the glockenspiel. Simple, sparkly, and gorgeous. I wish all music was this good.

I remember hearing "Suzanne" for the first time. I was not yet familiar with Hope, but that song was the beginning to my adoration of dream pop and shoegaze music. What really stood out was the gentle tinkling of the glockenspiel on this track accompanied with Hope and Colm murmuring "Suzanne". There's a certain shimmering, subdued beauty about this entire album that gently pulls you in and keeps you warm and intoxicated with its relaxing and somber nature. It's so easy to just sit back and lose yourself in this kind of music. Of course this isn't the most uplifting or upbeat music I've heard, but there's so much beauty to discover and appreciate in the lethargic dreaminess here.

The only fault I see in this album is the slight mix-up of song titles. I find they're sometimes listed differently, so here's my version:
1. Drop
2. Suzanne
3. Butterfly Mornings
4. On the Low
5. Baby Let Me
6. Feeling of Gaze
7. Charlotte
8. Clear Day
9. Bavarian Fruit Bread (instrumental)
10. Bavarian Fruit Bread
11. Around My Smile
12. Lose Me on the Way

I consider the standout tracks to be "Bavarian Fruit Bread", "Clear Day", "Suzanne", and "Charlotte." All tracks are impressive, though, and it's quite consistent. I can't guarantee you'll love it, but I hope many have been able to enjoy this album as much as I have. Melancholy was never so beautiful before. Whether it makes me want to smile or cry at all its beauty, I just feel pleased to have come across an album created by all very talented musicians.

Dreamy.............2006-02-14

I enjoy this album, the way it's all smoky and dreamy and sensual. If you want to spent a little time floating away, here's a good way to go. To me, it feels like total girl-pouty-attitude, which is kinda satisfying sometimes!

Lazy summer ..........2005-04-20

It's always been hard to try to put Mazzy Star (Hope Sandoval's first band) into any category. One could say they're rock or folk or "pop" ... mostly whenever anyone asks me I say they're "psychadelic" or "alternative" country, if such a thing does exist.

Hope is now aligned with a new band called New Inventions, but, goodie for us, there's nothing all that different from Mazzy Star that's going to alienate us away. Hope's sad, pretty melodies and her harmonicas and chiming guitars are still there (though this time they're all acoustic), as well as her somewhat "drugged-up," pondering, meandering, whispering voice.

The music itself reminds me of a hot summer day, and it's the best music to relax to and forget all that's bothering you. Unfortunately, it's still sometimes too difficult to memorize the lyrics because you can't quite understand what Hope is saying or singing, but ... memorizing the lyrics wasn't always the best route to go down anyway; the atmospherics themselves are enough to take you away and bring satisfaction.

She sings brightly.......2005-04-14

Her wispy, soft vocals were the biggest highlight of Mazzy Star's smoky pop. But now that that much-missed band is gone, Hope Sandoval sets out as a solo artist, in the enchanting "Bavarian Fruit Bread." If you can't have Mazzy Star, then this is a pretty good alternative.

It opens with an acoustic guitar playing a slow melody, mellow and gently. That tune doesn't change much throughout the opening song "Drop," except that Sandoval begins singing in a moody, dreamy manner after a minute. That pretty much sets the tone for the entire album, except for a few songs -- sweet vocals, languid melodies, and a few chimes thrown in.

Most of the songs that follow are much the same -- mellow, gentle, sad acoustic ballads. A few break the mold, with an electric guitar riff in the smoldering "On The Low," and a distant piano solo in "Baby Let Me." And the final song "Lose Me On The Way" is a brilliant slice of experimental pop, slowly sliding from guitar to synth and haunted-house effects, and then back again.

"Bavarian Fruit Bread" is undoubtedly Sandoval's own effort, despite all the inevitable comparisons to her defunct band. It's prettier, less jazzy, more delicate, and simpler. And taken only on its own, it's still a remarkably pretty piece of indie folkpop.

Some of the acoustic guitar playing is somewhat weak, which becomes even clearer when the electric one enters the scene. It's far too simple. So, for that matter, is the songwriting ("Gonna find all your trouble/Gonna send them away/Gonna make you feel happy/Gonna be what you say"), although the songwriting's simplicity is something of a blessing.

However, the piano, eerie fuzzy synth, and slightly scratchy violin are well done, and add some extra dimension to the pretty little songs. Perhaps the only instrumental flaw is that Sandoval and her band never pick up the tempo. Everything is slow and languid. Why not a few midtempo songs?

But whatever the melodies are, they seem to exist to frame Sandoval's lovely voice. She puts it to good use here, singing as if she were half asleep. "The way you drop/Is like a stone/Making out you're flying/But you've just been thrown," she murmurs in the opening song. While these are very simple, they are also beautiful in their lack of pretension.

Stripped-down songs and airy melodies are at the heart of "Bavarian Fruit Bread," the solo debut by Hope Sandoval. Sweet and languid all around.

Wow, don't miss this album!.......2005-02-23

Flat out a great album. Clear Day, On the Low & Around My Smile have rocketed up to my all time favorite songs list, with Clear Day's slightly haunting, slightly entrancing ambiguity being possibly one of my top favorite songs ever. Not to build it up to much, but if your favorite songs trend moody then you'll likely find something deeply beautiful about it. The rest of the album is good too. Different than Mazzy, but not by much. I'm so hoping she'll keep both bands going. A total gem of an album that so many will surly fall in love with.

Average customer rating:

Bread - Retrospective
Awesome Collection
Absolutely awesome and took me back
The best-of of best-ofs ... Period.
Take it from a Long-Time Bread fan this is the compilation to get!

Retrospective [2 CD SET]
Bread
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

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America - The Complete Greatest Hits
First
The Very Best of England Dan & John Ford Coley
The Best of Bread
Baby I'm-a Want You

ASIN: B000003477
Release Date: 1996-07-16

Tracks:

Dismal Day
London Bridge
Any Way You Want Me
The Last Time
Could I
Friends And Lovers
Look At Me
Make It With You
Look What You've Done
Been Too Long On The Road
Why Do You Keep Me Waiting
Call On Me
It Don't Matter To Me (Single Version)
Let Your Love Go
He's A Good Lad
Live In Your Love
She Was My Lady
If
Too Much Love
Take Comfort
Truckin'
Down On My Knees
Daughter
Games Of Magic
Just Like Yesterday

Tracks:

Mother Freedom
Baby I'm-A Want You
Everything I Own
Diary
The Guitar Man
Aubrey
Fancy Dancer
Sweet Surrender
Yours For Life
She Knows
Clouds
I Use The Soap
Sail Around The World
Ann
Never Let Her Go
Part-Time Love
Lost Without Your Love
She's The Only One
Hooked On You
The Chosen One
Goodbye Girl
Took The Last Train
Where Does The Lovin' Go
Take Me Now
For All We Know

Amazon.com

Sometimes soapy ("If"), sometimes heartbreakingly honest ("Everything I Own"), always melodic, early-'70s AM staple Bread are given their 50-cut due on the two CDs of Retrospective. A link between '60s studio pop and the post-Beatles singer/songwriter ethos, the outfit was at its best on songs by David Gates, who came on in a deceptively laidback manner. The set also includes solo work by Gates (including the Goodbye Girl theme) and James Griffin. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

Bread - Retrospective.......2007-05-07

A terrific compilation of the best of Bread. Great to listen to and reminisce about those days when Bread was putting out top hits. 2 CDs full of songs - a few of which I never heard (or "remembered" hearing ;-)) back in the day...

Awesome Collection.......2007-01-05

I had searched high and low for many of the Bread albums, but could not find them. Here are all the great songs and some of even the lesser known hits together in one collection! A must for any breadhead!

Absolutely awesome and took me back.......2006-11-28

This collection was exactly what I was looking for. Although the case was damaged, thankfully none of the cd's were and I was able to immediately begin listening to the cd's. After ditching my turntable and albums I've been trying to get back all the music I love. This definitely helped. Absolutely awesome...has every song anyone could want.

The best-of of best-ofs ... Period........2006-06-03

Yeah that's right - the best-of of best-ofs ... PERIOD. With two 25-song discs both stuffed so full of the highest-quality eardrum art that very little disc space remains ... you can't be stuck on any desert island without it!

To this day, however, I still can't figure out why since day one much of the public has pigeonholed this legendary band as progenitors of soft-rock ... not even after thirty-some years later! Which is why this compilation reflects this reviewer's humble opinion that Bread excelled (at least, for the most part, aesthetically) in every notion of pop music imaginable - from folk-rockers like "Dismal Day" and "Any Way You Want Me" to country-rockers such as "Too Much Love" and "Truckin'" to stomping rockers including "Let Your Love Go" and, of course, the punchy "Mother Freedom" (the latter of which now bears a timely re-listening given the world's current state of absolute turmoil). Even drummer Mike Botts's sole Bread co-writing credit (with James Griffin), the infectiously groovy "Fancy Dancer", also makes a listener want to get up and get down instead of just sit and read Cosmopolitan magazines all the time ...

Which is not to suggest that Bread's legendary ballads were bad, let alone "sappy." "Everything I Own," David Gates' moving tribute to his late father, is an excellent example, not to mention his true signature tune, the immortal and much-covered standard "If" (which, incidentally, is prolific enough to have its own entry in Wikipedia!). Even James Griffin (God rest his soul), the hard(er) rocker of the group who often fought (unsuccessfully) to have his compositions released as singles (with the exception of 1969's "Could I", which unfortunately bombed miserably - as did the debut album from which it was featured), had his own share of outstanding Bread ballads to his resume'. Check out the dreamy "ballad section" of "Take Comfort" and the gospel-flavored Disc One closer, "Just Like Yesterday" - very convincing evidence indeed!

And for the compilation's overall lack of previously-unearthed treasures, the only such track included - the Griffin/Royer/Karlin composition "For All We Know" - is classic revelation enough to make up for that liability. In fact the original demo remains this reviewer's favorite rendition of this Oscar-winning gem!

Throw in several Gates solo recordings as well as an extensive booklet with massive and informative liner notes and first-rate photos to the mixing trough and VOILA! - you have the ultimate and most consistently satisfying platter in all of pop music. So in conclusion, to paraphrase one of the genre's most profilic writers, IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER TO ME what style of pop music you crave - this outstanding compilation by an equally outstanding group is sure to meet the RIAA's USRDA of all of pop's subgenres in a manner that should be enough to satisfy even the most picky connoisseur - in spite of all the endless, unnecessary AND uneducated critical scorn.

Happy listening and Bon Appetit ... :-)

Take it from a Long-Time Bread fan this is the compilation to get!.......2005-08-28

Finally, in 2 discs we get a proper very well remastered retrospective of not just Bread but also David Gates solo stuff as well. This is the one to get if you want a true representation of Bread and David Gate's work. With the great track selections and sound quality, it's fully worth the price.
Highly recommended!

Average customer rating:

The gems make it worth it
After all these years Green has done it AGAIN !!!!
the Best Pop Album of 2006
If Hooks Could Kill...
Thoughtfully Harmonius

White Bread Black Beer
Scritti Politti
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
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Cupid & Psyche 85
Songs to Remember
Early
Return to Cookie Mountain (with Bonus Tracks)
Ys

ASIN: B000G1QXOK
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Tracks:

The Boom Boom Bap
No Fine Lines
Snow In Sun
Cooking
Throw
Dr. Abernathy
After Six
Petrococadollar
E Eleventh Nuts
Window Wide Open
Road to No Regret
Locked
Mrs. Hughes
Robin Hood

Amazon.com

If you haven't listened to Scritti Politti's Cupid & Psyche '85 lately, you may be shocked at how well it holds up. With the hyper-literate songwriting chops of XTC and a fluffy electronic sheen that remains highly influential, the damn thing is better than it ever was, filled with impossible sweetness and glistening pop songs that were--despite the helium lightness of Green Gartside's voice--deceptively ballsy. 20 years later, White Bread Black Beer flaunts many of the same qualities. Gartside may be in his 50s, but he's still pure High Fructose with his candy-colored saccharine tones, linguistic non-sequiturs (see "The Boom Boom Bap") and sweet--but blunt--atheism ("After Six"). Beer completely ditches the strong hip-hop influence of SP's last "comeback" album, 1999's Anomie & Bonhomie and replaces it with quieter, softer textures and ballads. Then again, the whole thing was recorded in the back room of Gartside's Hackney apartment so maybe he just lacked the production oomph to jazz it up properly. Not that it matters; Beer might be a relatively hushed and less exuberant record, but it's unmistakably Scritti Politti, bursting with a twinkling, bright likeability that makes us grateful for anything Gartside manages to release. --Matthew Cooke

Album Description

With the release of White Bread Black Beer, the first Scritti Politti offering in seven years, Green Gartside experiments with lush Beach Boys-style harmonies and Beatles-esque melodies, subtly subverting them with touches of hip hop and reggae. Gartside once again offers instantly embraceable, pure-pop pleasure. If you plunge beneath these shimmering surfaces, however, you'll discover greater challenges and richer rewards--reservoirs of feeling and layers of meaning residing within Gartside's carefully arranged lyrics.

Customer Reviews:

The gems make it worth it.......2007-02-18

As a music fan not particularly fond of Scritti, I found this album to have a lot of filler, specifically tracks 2 through 14. But Boom Boom Bap and Robin Hood are amazing songs.

Keep in mind that I am rating this album 4 stars just for those songs. No matter who you are, or where you play them, they'll get a terrific response. Scritti fans, like my sister, will probably enjoy the rest of the CD a lot more than I did.

After all these years Green has done it AGAIN !!!!.......2007-01-26

I can't get this music out of my mind! Greens mesmerising voice and (dare I say) soulful sound have that ability to draw you in and keep you "there".I have been a Scritti fan since the early 80's ,and I feel of all his albums(ok CD's) this is his most open and unselfconsious piece of work.It makes you feel as if he is finally letting it all go ,and to heck with what people think Scritti should be.
I'm so glad that Scritti Politti (Green Gartside)is back and BETTER than ever.I LOVE the old stuff(boy do I),but his new work was well worth the wait.

the Best Pop Album of 2006.......2007-01-09

Make no mistake, this is not your Mother's Scritti Politti. Gone - if not especially missed - are the super-glossy, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Fairlight arrangements and the frantic, frenetic dance beats of the mid-Eighties. But what remains unchanged is what makes this album so special. Gorgeous, lushly arranged multi-tracked vocals, smart ( but not smarmy ) lyrics and a batch of particularly strong songs all come together to make what is without a doubt the best pop album of the last year. Most of these songs float along on little more than gently strummed acoustic guitar and very deftly programmed, subtle electronic textures. Purposely lo-fi, the spartan instrumentation makes the vocals and lyrics stand out that much more. Several tracks remind me of opening up a jewel box - simple but incredibly melodic keyboard lines married to Green Gartside's ethereal and eternally young, sweet-sounding falsetto. A very few songs here approach anything sounding "modern" - the opening track "The Boom Boom Bap" features impossibly deep bass and a rhythm somewhere between minimalist hip-hop and dub reggae. "After Six" could be a Gorillaz track if they had a better lyricist and knew when to quit. And "Dr. Abernathy" rocks just a *little* bit. Apparently self-produced at home, " White Bread, Black Beer" has very obvious touchstones in the already mentioned Beach Boys ( the vocal harmonies ) and the Beatles ( the lyrics and melodies ). I also hear the dub productions of Lee Perry here, in that there is a real clear, clean space in the mix. Not every available spot on the tape is covered with sound, and what you DON'T hear is as important as what you DO hear. Fans of the "Cupid and Psyche '85" might be shocked, thinking Scritti Politti have taken a step backward by issuing such a low key, minimal sounding album, and "White Bread, Black Beer" does sound much more like their very early, pre-"Cupid..." recordings than anything else. But I think "White Bread" betters that pop masterpiece in every way. It is my favourite album of the last year, and Very Highly Recommended.

If Hooks Could Kill..........2006-12-13

Since discovering this album 3 months ago it is rapidly become one of my all-time favourites. After a couple of listenings the entire album becomes pure bliss, yet I was hooked the first time I heard the opening song.

The instruments and *that* voice sound gorgeous and Green Gartside has not lost his instinct for hitting the right notes and the pressing the right keys and wrap it up with impeccable production. Almost every song gives a rush of pleasure like biting into a piece of Belgian chocolate - and just as sweet. Or for those who adore Renoir's paintings, this may be the aural equivalent - it's lush, relaxed, warm, dreamy, romantic, gorgeous.

To say that some songs of this album - say Locked, Petrococadollar and Snow In Sun - are worth the price of the album would be a trite understatement. These are gems with the magic Scritti Politti touch that one would scour record shops around the country for. A soundscape with nice melodies and harmonies embellished by clever hooks, tempo changes, word plays and intonations is presented. Let us hope Green produces more of this type of music, which brings out his talent to full effect, instead of hip hop which hopefully remains an 'Anomalie'.

The album is laid back yet some songs swing with an infectious rhythm, example "Cooking" and "Robin Hood", and with the latter the album ends on a high - it fits perfectly as an ending track. Perhaps the piece de resistance is in the middle - Petrococadollar which is slow, atmospheric and totally mesmering. How do you follow up a showstopper like that? Answer: with the uptempo "E Eleventh Nuts" which gives instant satisfaction and we move on. The album's flow is excellent.

"WBBB" is an inconspicuous masterpiece so if you chanced upon this review I hope WBBB will become one of your best lucky finds. Definitely give this one a chance!

Note: the Amazon UK site has many more reviews of this album.

Thoughtfully Harmonius.......2006-12-10

Green Gartside has been an enigmatic, intellectual presence on the fringes of popular music since the mid-80s. If one can appreciate great harmonies, well-crafted tunes, and isn't hung-up on hip-hop - well, this is one of the great listens of 2006! This loose subset includes Duncan Sheik, Beachboys, Beatles, Pet Shop Boys, Badly Drawn Boy, Tim Buckley, and Randy Newman. But Gartside has created a unique space; and his evolution is appreciated.

Average customer rating:

The amazing Jessye Norman
Amazing Grace
Superb! As Always, superb!
Uplifting and Timeless
Why was I such a fool?

Amazing Grace: Jessye Norman

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00000413L
Release Date: 1991-09-12

Tracks:

Amazing Grace: Amazing Grace (traditional)
Amazing Grace: Gesu Bambino
Amazing Grace: Ave Maria (Op. 52 No.6)
Amazing Grace: Sweet Little Jesus Boy
Amazing Grace: Let Us Break Bread Together
Amazing Grace: There's a Man Going Round
Amazing Grace: Mary Had a Baby
Amazing Grace: Panis Angelicus
Amazing Grace: Greensleeves
Amazing Grace: Great Day
Amazing Grace: Steal Away
Amazing Grace: Were You There
Amazing Grace: Calvary
Amazing Grace: City Called Heaven
Amazing Grace: Give Me Jesus
Amazing Grace: O Divine Redeemer
Amazing Grace: He's Got the Whole World
Amazing Grace: Amazing Grace (traditional)

Customer Reviews:

The amazing Jessye Norman.......2007-06-18

Oh what a joy to listen to one of the richest voices of our time! A truly great singing legend. Breathtaking depth and effortless power!

Amazing Grace.......2007-05-08

Don't Know. Holder had a CD of Ludwig con Beethoven! Awaiting the real thing.

Superb! As Always, superb!.......2003-12-27

There's not enough words that can express how wonderful Miss Jessye Norman's vocal talent is. What a wonderful opera diva! I thought the George Bizet's Carmen (CD) was magnificient but then when I got this (CD), I was thrown back. The range and style in "Ave Maria" is splendid, so is "Let's Break Bread Together," "Amazing Grace," and many more songs found on this CD. Miss Jessye Norman, Ms. Leontyne Price, Miss kathleen Battle, Miss Joan Sutherland are top opera divas on my list. So you know I have a fine taste of hearing great vocals; you can't go wrong in purchasing this CD. It's a treasure to listen to.

Uplifting and Timeless.......2003-09-08

Jessye Norman is one of my favorite opera singers. I hope that she may release another CD of Gospel songs very soon. We have waited too much!!! How about to revisit Marian Andersons' Gospel recordings!!!

Why was I such a fool?.......2003-06-17

Okay, if you look at my other recommendations, you'll see that I'm a conservative. So, before my full embrace of the classical vocal artistry, and when I was just beginning to grasp politics (I'm only 21 now), I heard a beautiful voice and rejected it because it was singing at the inauguration of Bill Clinton.

I've learned a little since then. I've learned to ignore an artists political leanings, because they don't tell you much about quality (contrast the Republican South Park creators Matt Parker and Trey Stone with the Democrat Robert Redford). I've also learned to (sometimes) listen to the recommendations of friends. And well, after a friend heard me laud Reneé Fleming, Kathleen Battle, and Leontyne Price, she told me I needed to try Jessye Norman. So I did.

Jessye Norman here offers here own takes on many of the most-loved (i.e. trite) pieces in the religio-classical tradition. She renders one of my own favorites, "O Divine Redeemer", with great beauty. When other reviewers mention shivers on the spine, I can only nod. As a wonderful introduction to Ms. Norman, the great spirituals and hymns, or repudiation of foolish artistic discrimination, I highly recommend this CD.

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