Ashley, Robert

Ohm: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music Special Edition 3CD + DVD
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Excellent but uncomplete
  • Ohm... Ohm... Ohm...
  • This and...
  • The Standard Reference for Electronic Music
 Ohm: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music Special Edition 3CD + DVD

Manufacturer: Ellipsis Arts
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

WaltzesWaltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music
Cage, JohnCage, John | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by MessiaenAll Works by Messiaen | Messiaen, Olivier | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Reich, SteveReich, Steve | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Riley, TerryRiley, Terry | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Stockhausen, KarlheinzStockhausen, Karlheinz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by TchaikovskyAll Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Film ScoresFilm Scores | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
General ModernGeneral Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
ElectronicElectronic | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music | Computer
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
AmbientAmbient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
ElectronicaElectronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
ElectronicaElectronica | Compilations | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
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Minimal TechnoMinimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | New Age | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Movie SoundtracksMovie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
Progressive RockProgressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
Experimental RockExperimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Experimental MusicExperimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music, Vol. 3: 1952-2004
  2. An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music: First A-Chronology, Vol. 1
  3. Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music, Vol. 4
  4. Moog
  5. Theremin - An Electronic Odyssey

ASIN: B000BDGVX6
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Tracks:

  1. Valse Sentimentale - Clara Rockmore
  2. Oraison - Ens D'Ondes De Montreal
  3. Etude Aux Chemins De Fer - Pierre Schaeffer
  4. Williams Mix - John Cage
  5. Klangstudie II - Herbert Eimert/Robert Beyer
  6. Low Speed - Otto Luening
  7. Dripsody - Hugh Le Caine
  8. Forbidden Planet: Main Title - Louis Barron/Bebe Barron
  9. Elektronische Tanzste: Concertando Rubato - Oskar Sala
  10. Poem Electronique - Edgard Varese
  11. Sine Music (A Swarm Of Butterflies Encountered Over The Ocean) - Richard Maxfield
  12. Apocalypse-Part 2 - Tod Dockstader
  13. Kontakte - James Tenney/William Winant
  14. Wireless Fant - Vladimir Ussachevsky
  15. Philomel - Milton Babbitt
  16. Spacecraft - MEV

Tracks:

  1. Cindy Electronium - Raymond Scott
  2. Pendulum Music - Sonic Youth
  3. Bye Bye Butterfly - Pauline Oliveros
  4. Projection Esemplastic For White Noise - Joji Yuasa
  5. Silver Apples Of The Moon, Part 1 - Morton Subotnick
  6. Rainforest Version 1 - David Tudor
  7. Poppy Nogood - Terry Riley
  8. Boat-Woman-Song - Holger Czukay
  9. Music Promenade - Luc Ferrari
  10. Vibrations Composees: Rosace 3 - Francois Bayle
  11. Mutations - Jean-Claude Risset
  12. Hibiki-Hana-Ma - Iannis Xenakis
  13. Map Of 49's Dream The Two Systems Of Eleven Sets Of Galactic Intervals: Drift Study '31/69 c.... - La Monte Young

Tracks:

  1. He Destroyed Her Image - Charles Dodge
  2. Six Fants On A Poem By Thomas Campion: Her Song - Paul Lansky
  3. Appalachian Grove - Laurie Spiegel
  4. En Phase/Hors Phase - Bernard Parmegiani
  5. On The Other Ocean - David Behrman
  6. Stria - John Chowning
  7. Living Sound, Patent Pending Music For Sound-Joined Rooms Series - Maryanne Amacher
  8. Automatic Writing - Robert Ashley
  9. Canti Illuminati - Alvin Curran
  10. Music On A Long Thin Wire - Alvin Lucier
  11. Melange - Klaus Schulze
  12. Before And After Charm (La Notte) - Jon Hassell
  13. Unfamiliar Wind (Leeks Hills) - Brian Eno

Album Description

OHM+ : the early gurus of electronic music

Special Edition 3CD + DVD

Leaps in technology: oscillators, generators, vacuum tubes, amplifiers, transistors, magnetic tape, integrated circuits, and the microchip— inspired new instruments: the telharmonium, theremin, ondes martenot, electronic sackbut, clavivox, electronium, moog synthesizer, and computers— and artists everywhere hungry for new modes of expression.

This collection is a humble but bold attempt to give form to the wonderful, multi-directional, inevitable birth of electronic music.

"Many of the ideas in this collection have now been so completely assimilated into popular listening that it may sometimes be hard to remember how surprising it all was on first outing. Some of it still sounds pretty exotic. These CDs are important as part of the story of how we got to where we are now-the cultural conversation so far-and as a still fruitful repertoire of future possibilities." —from the Foreword by Brian Eno

Three CDs—42 original music tracks from 1948-1980 112 Page Book—extensive artist interviews, commentaries, and archival photographs Special Edition DVD—over two hours of rare performances, interviews, animations, and experimental video.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Excellent but uncomplete.......2006-11-12

Althought most of the music here is an excellent collection of electronic music history, this 3 CDs lack of the important contribution given by the RAI phonology studios of Milan, Italy in the 50s
(which was bigger than Koln's WDR studios) with Bruno Maderna, Luciano Berio and Luigi Nono.
This is a big mistake. Milans studios were the biggest of europe and produced many important electroacoustic pieces.
If the collection aim to describe faithfully electronic music history, it should include this artists too.

5 out of 5 stars Ohm... Ohm... Ohm..........2006-04-01

Back in 2000, Ellipsis Arts released OHM: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music, a fantastic and essential three CD set tracing the evolution of "electronica" from Messiaen, Cage, and Xenakis to Schulze, Eno, and Hassell. This set was recently reissued (as OHM+) along with a bonus DVD (which is thankfully now available separately for those of us who already have the CDs.) You can read plenty of excellent reviews of the original 3CD set on Amazon (and elsewhere), so I'm going to focus on the new DVD in this review.

The OHM+ DVD is jam-packed with over two hours of archival and more recent footage that runs the gamut from engrossing to mildly interesting to unwatchably dull.

If seemingly endless "talking head" interviews with Milton Babbitt and Bebe Barron are your idea of video entertainment, you've come to the right place. An interview with John Cage digitally altered beyond all recognition? Check. Swirling psychadelic colored dyes right out of a Saucerful of Secrets-era Pink Floyd concert? No problem.

There are some tastier goodies to be found on this DVD, however...

The segments with Clara Rockmore and Leon Theremin have an appealingly amateurish home movie quality to them. It's also a real treat to see the 1978 footage of underappreciated minimalist guru David Borden and Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company "on the road" hauling around their truckload of big old analog synthesizer equipment. Laurie Spiegel is fun to watch as she tinkers with a big grey metal box called a "Concerto Generator" with an extremely serious expression on her face. And Alvin Lucier's "Music for Solo Performer," where he hooks up wires to his head and produces sounds using his brainwaves and two tympani, simply must be seen to be believed.

The Pixar-ish computer animation accompanying Paul Lansky's "The Dust Bunny" is sort of cute, but it goes on for about 10 minutes too long. Surely most of the OHM target audience already has the DVD of Steve Reich's Three Tales, but it's nice that they included the best part - the ominous yet goofy "Dolly" segment. Many have also probably seen Hans Fjellestad's documentary Moog before, but the six minute excerpt provided here is really about all you need.

It's too bad there isn't a more interesting John Cage segment, and regrettable that there aren't any Stockhausen videos (those would certainly be a riot!)

Overall, though, while the OHM+ DVD is not as consistently engaging as the CD set of the same name, it is a worthy companion to it. And if you don't have either of them yet, the complete OHM+ 3-CD & DVD "special edition" box set is a no-brainer.

5 out of 5 stars This and..........2006-01-06

An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music, Vol.1 will probably have you set.

5 out of 5 stars The Standard Reference for Electronic Music.......2005-11-03

This package is mind boggling. The DVD includes over 2 hours of rare footage too. If you want to know about the roots of electronic music, look no further.
OHM: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • excellent but uncomplete
  • To call it music may be a bit limiting.
  • A worthwhile collection
  • OhMyGodHowDreadful
  • Kid Stockhausen
 OHM: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Ellipsis Arts
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

WaltzesWaltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music
Cage, JohnCage, John | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by MessiaenAll Works by Messiaen | Messiaen, Olivier | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Reich, SteveReich, Steve | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Riley, TerryRiley, Terry | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Stockhausen, KarlheinzStockhausen, Karlheinz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by TchaikovskyAll Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Film ScoresFilm Scores | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
General ModernGeneral Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
ElectronicElectronic | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music | Computer
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
AmbientAmbient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
ElectronicaElectronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
ElectronicaElectronica | Compilations | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | New Age | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Movie SoundtracksMovie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Progressive RockProgressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
Experimental RockExperimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Experimental MusicExperimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Dance & DJ | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ElectronicaElectronica | Dance & DJ | Box Sets | Stores | Music
GeneralGeneral | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ElectronicaElectronica | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Beat the Retreat: Songs by Richard Thompson
  2. An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music, Vol. 3: 1952-2004
  3. Orbus Terrarum
  4. Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music
  5. Another Day on Earth

ASIN: B00004T0FZ
Release Date: 2000-04-25

Tracks:

  1. Valse Sentimentale - Clara Rockmore
  2. Oraison - Ens D'Ondes De Montreal
  3. Etude Aux Chemins De Fer - Pierre Schaeffer
  4. Williams Mix - John Cage
  5. Klangstudie II - Herbert Eimert/Robert Beyer
  6. Low Speed - Otto Luening
  7. Dripsody - Hugh Le Caine
  8. Forbidden Planet: Main Title - Louis Barron/Bebe Barron
  9. Elektronische Tanzste: Concertando Rubato - Oskar Sala
  10. Poem Electronique - Edgard Varese
  11. Sine Music (A Swarm Of Butterflies Encountered Over The Ocean) - Richard Maxfield
  12. Apocalypse-Part 2 - Tod Dockstader
  13. Kontakte - James Tenney/William Winant
  14. Wireless Fant - Vladimir Ussachevsky
  15. Philomel - Milton Babbitt
  16. Spacecraft - MEV

Tracks:

  1. Cindy Electronium - Raymond Scott
  2. Pendulum Music - Sonic Youth
  3. Bye Bye Butterfly - Pauline Oliveros
  4. Projection Esemplastic For White Noise - Joji Yuasa
  5. Silver Apples Of The Moon, Part 1 - Morton Subotnick
  6. Rainforest Version 1 - David Tudor
  7. Poppy Nogood - Terry Riley
  8. Boat-Woman-Song - Holger Czukay
  9. Music Promenade - Luc Ferrari
  10. Vibrations Composees: Rosace 3 - Francois Bayle
  11. Mutations - Jean-Claude Risset
  12. Hibiki-Hana-Ma - Iannis Xenakis
  13. Map Of 49's Dream The Two Systems Of Eleven Sets Of Galactic Intervals: Drift Study '31/69 c.... - La Monte Young

Tracks:

  1. He Destroyed Her Image - Charles Dodge
  2. Six Fants On A Poem By Thomas Campion: Her Song - Paul Lansky
  3. Appalachian Grove - Laurie Spiegel
  4. En Phase/Hors Phase - Bernard Parmegiani
  5. On The Other Ocean - David Behrman
  6. Stria - John Chowning
  7. Living Sound, Patent Pending Music For Sound-Joined Rooms Series - Maryanne Amacher
  8. Automatic Writing - Robert Ashley
  9. Canti Illuminati - Alvin Curran
  10. Music On A Long Thin Wire - Alvin Lucier
  11. Melange - Klaus Schulze
  12. Before And After Charm (La Notte) - Jon Hassell
  13. Unfamiliar Wind (Leeks Hills) - Brian Eno

Amazon.com

Opening with Clara Rockmore's reworking of Tchaikovsky with the theremin, and finishing with one of Brian Eno's ambient soundscapes, OHM artfully succeeds in its goal of giving a representative (as opposed to the impossible, comprehensive) overview of the first several decades of electronic music. Over 3 discs, 42 compositions, and 96 pages of notes and photos, OHM clearly illustrates the producers' and contributing writers' point that early electronic music is much of the foundation of contemporary music. Herein lies the connective tissue bridging musique concrète, 20th-century classical, electronic experimentation, and the theoretical avant-garde to psychedelia, ambient, dub, techno, electro, and synthpop and the globalization of sound. The groundbreaking uses of loops, sampling, drones, remixes, and cut-and-paste technology are put fully into context. The diversity of music included makes any sort of summation impossible, but that is also the point: electronic music is not really a genre, but an open field of endless possibility. From John Cage's famous "William's Mix" of tape snippets to Karkheinz Stockhausen's electronic orchestral compositions, from David Tudor and Holger Czukay's experiments in unrelated blendings of audio elements to David Behrman's supremely peaceful duet between computers and musicians, the aural renegades on OHM tread where none (save a few of their contemporaries) had gone before. The liner notes convey the incredible amount of hard work and experimentation it took to stitch together many of these pieces in the predigital era. Putting aside the inevitable quibbles about what's missing (much of it due to legal and/or logistical issues), a more complete collection of musical eggheads, eccentrics, and visionaries is hard to imagine. --Carl Hanni

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars excellent but uncomplete.......2006-11-12

Althought most of the music here is an excellent collection of electronic music history, this 3 CDs lack of the important contribution given by the RAI phonology studios of Milan, Italy in the 50s
(which was bigger than Koln's WDR studios) with Bruno Maderna, Luciano Berio and Luigi Nono.
This is a big mistake. Milans studios were the biggest of europe and produced many important electroacoustic pieces.
If the collection aim to describe faithfully electronic music history, it should include this artists too.

4 out of 5 stars To call it music may be a bit limiting. .......2006-10-24

Some of the tracks on here are "music". That is that they contain all the bits we're trained to experience as music -- melody, etc. Some are not, and the composers would be the first people to tell you that. A lot of these works are reactions to ingrained rules, so they're bound to be jarring.

A more successful way to approach such a broad and varied collection of audio experimentation is to think of it as curated sound. This isn't something to wash the dishes to, or to seduce someone to (although if you did manage to seduce someone with the recordings on this anthology, HOLD ON TO THAT PERSON, because they've got to be a keeper). These are unique sound textures that deserve a close, probably solitary listen, and I think if you're in the right frame of mind, it can be a very rewarding listen.

My main complaint is sequencing: each dicrete piece follows it's own internal logic, so there are more than a couple rough gear changes. However, since each piece is so different, and the collection is so varied, I'm not sure that you could totally escape that.

4 out of 5 stars A worthwhile collection.......2006-01-11

The OHM collection contains some of those ground breaking electronic compositions that have shaped today's styles, from the early electronic instruments of Theremin and Martenot, through Pierre Schaeffer's Music Concrete tape music and the electronic music of Stockhausen and Subotnick, to the mainframe computer output of Risset and Chowning.

It is unfair to mark this collection down due to the production quality and 'musicality' of its contents, to do so would be to staggeringly miss the point of the development of electronic music through the 20th Century. What this collection shows is the ideas behind those at the cutting edge of the genre before many could even conceive of such output. That said it is hard going at points, as experimental music can be.

Highlights for me are no doubt Olivier Messiaen's 'Oraison' on CD 1, David Tudor's 'Rainforest Version 1' on CD 2 and on CD 3 David Behrman's 'On the Other Ocean' and Maryanne Amacher's 'Living sound Patent Pending'.

1 out of 5 stars OhMyGodHowDreadful.......2005-08-15

Ok, this collection is supposed to be early works and, thus not expected to be very sophisticated or polished. But the OHM collection sounds like the first attempt of a spastic cat turned-loose on a Moog keyboard. When it is not boreing, this collection of random and dissonant sounds (I can't call it music) is without any redeeming qualities to make it worth while. Don't get me wrong, I am a long-time fan of Wendy (nie Walter) Carlos and some other real pioneers of electronic music. However, I find that the Ohm collection has no similar qualities and is a major disappointment.

5 out of 5 stars Kid Stockhausen.......2003-01-17

This is required listening for anybody interested in the history of electronic music. Although implicitly aiming for the techno music audience, this audio history is overwhelmingly focused on the classical avant-garde of electro-acoustic composers. The closest you'll get to pop electronica is the Brian Eno track at the end of the third disc. No Kraftwerk, no Moroder, etc. Instead "OHM" manages to point to the continuities between, say, John Cage and artists currently working at the experimental edges of electronica (so-called IDM). It seems to be saying, "You think Kid 606 is visionary? Well check out this Stockhausen track from '59!"

Admittedly, some of the songs are much more interesting to think about than they are to listen to. Some of the early pieces that were made through thosuands of hours of pains-taking tape-splicing could be made today in an afternoon with a digital audio editor and a few effects plug-ins.

It is a beautiful package, containing a 90 page booklet of essays, quotations from the featured artists, and photographs. What all music should be: an education in daring.
Puccini: La Bohème
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Carreras's Rodolfo.
  • Perhaps the most lyrical Boheme on records
  • The ultimate La Bohème
  • Danger! Wrong Recording Being Reviewed!
  • La Boheme for Carreras fans
 Puccini: La Bohème

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by PucciniAll Works by Puccini | Puccini, Giacomo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Romantic (c.1820-1910)Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ItalianItalian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
OperettasOperettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Verdi: La Traviata
  2. Puccini: La Bohème
  3. Puccini: Tosca (1953) with Callas, di Stefano, Gobbi, cond. by de Sabata
  4. Puccini: Turandot
  5. Puccini: Madama Butterfly (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Lucia Danieli, Nicolai Gedda, Herbert von Karajan, Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

ASIN: B000004191
Release Date: 1994-04-12

Tracks:

  1. La Boheme, Act I: Questo Mar Rosso
  2. La Boheme, Act I: Pensier profondo
  3. La Boheme, Act I: Abbasso , abbasso l'autor !
  4. La Boheme, Act I: Si puo - Chi e La ?
  5. La Boheme, Act I: Io resto
  6. La Boheme, Act I: Chi e la ?
  7. La Boheme, Act I: Si sente meglio ?
  8. La Boheme, Act I: Che gelida manina
  9. La Boheme, Act I: Si. Mi chiamano Mimi
  10. La Boheme, Act I: Ehi ! Rodolfo !
  11. La Boheme, Act I: O soave fanciulla
  12. La Boheme, Act II: Aranci , datteri!
  13. La Boheme, Act II: Chi Guardi ? - Ecco i giocattoli di Parpignol
  14. La Boheme, Act II: Viva Parpignol ... - Una cuffietta a pizzi
  15. La Boheme, Act II: Beviam!
  16. La Boheme, Act II: Quando me'n vo'
  17. La Boheme, Act II: Caro ! - Fuori il danaro!

Tracks:

  1. La Boheme, Act III: Ohe, la, le guardie! - Aprite!
  2. La Boheme, Act III: Sa dirmi, scusi
  3. La Boheme, Act III: Mimi! - Rodolfo m'ama e mi fugge
  4. La Boheme, Act III: Marcello. Finalmente!
  5. La Boheme, Act III: Mimi e una civetta
  6. La Boheme, Act III: Mimi e tanto malata!
  7. La Boheme, Act III: Donde lieta usci
  8. La Boheme, Act III: Addio, dolce svegliare
  9. La Boheme, Act IV: In un coupe?
  10. La Boheme, Act IV: O Mimi, tu piu non torni
  11. La Boheme, Act IV: Gavotta
  12. La Boheme, Act IV: C'e Mimi...
  13. La Boheme, Act IV: Vecchia zimarra, senti
  14. La Boheme, Act IV: Sono andati
  15. La Boheme, Act IV: Oh Dio! Mimi
  16. La Boheme, Act IV: Che ha detto il medico?

Amazon.com essential recording

This ranks among the best recordings of La Bohème (a very crowded category) and is particularly important for José Carreras fans as one of the last recordings he made in the 1970s, before leukemia threatened his life and undermined his voice. He and Katia Ricciarelli always worked well together, and the long, ecstatic duet that ends act 1 is a perfect showcase for their voices and their emotional involvement in the music. Carreras is also effective in the heartbreaking acts 3 and 4, and Ingvar Wixell is at his rare best as the painter Rodolfo. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Carreras's Rodolfo........2007-06-14

Frankly, La Boheme is never my favourite Puccini opera. One good thing, though - it is short and to the point. No complicated story line, or sub-plots. So the audience concentrates on the music, as so rarely does in operas.
In another starry set, Placido Domingo sang Rodolfo with Caballe. Domingo reputedly sang the 'original' version. However, for me, Rodolfo should be a lyrical tenor. Pavarotti and Domingo are all too stentorian for the role. Jose Carreras remains the ultimate Rodolfo among the Three. Like Don Jose in Carmen, Rodolfo is a tailor-made role for Carreras: he has the timbre, the style, the temperament. Rodolfo is a poet; not a shephard boy.
If the Mimi here was stronger casted, the set would have got a sure 5 star.

4 out of 5 stars Perhaps the most lyrical Boheme on records.......2005-09-24

My heart has softened towards this underdog La Boheme, which has almost nothing Italiante going for it except the presence of Katia Ricciarelli as Mimi. We get a Spanish Rodolfo, Swedish Marcello, English Musetta, and antoerh Swede as Schaunard--all under the direciton of an Englishman. Yet this is more than just an average polyglot night att covent Garden. Carreras and Riciarelli make a touching pair of lovers who really seem to be looking into each other's eyes while singing, and both are caught in absolute best voice.

Davis frames them in a tender setting, creating an atmosphere faar more intimate than the famous Karajan recording with Pavarotti and Freni (Decca). Great as that set is, there's room for this one, too. I'd be tempted to give it five stars except that Ingvar Wixell, an absolute meance on Davis's Don giovanni and Marriage of Figaro (how did this gruff baritone every have a major career?) is only a passable Marcello, and Ashley Putnam's Musetta lacks vibrancy. Even so, the performance as a whole is thoroughly enjoyable.

5 out of 5 stars The ultimate La Bohème.......2005-06-20

First of all I have to make clear that this review is of the Bohème-recording from 1979 featuring Carreras/Ricciarelli and the supporting cast of Wixell/Hagegard/Lloyd/Putnam. So if it appears anywhere else it's due to a mix-up at Amazon. I honestly can't think of a better recording of La Bohème. In my opinion the whole cast is doing a superb job here. Carreras in his early thirties is the ultimate Rodolfo, it's almost like the role was created for him personally. His voice is like velvet on your senses and to me he is irresistible. He sings passionate and like always he is able to perfectly communicate all the different moods of his character to the listener in a way that makes your spine tingle.... No one surpasses Carreras when it comes to expressing honest and heartfelt emotion. Just listen to his "che gelida manina" or "Mimi e tanto malata". In the duets with Ricciarelli/Mimi it's quite obvious that he is very much in love with her, but you can also hear that he is concerned because she is very ill.

Ricciarellis Mimi is equally beautiful. Ricciarelli possessed one of the loveliest voices in the 70s and 80s. It's a real treat to hear her sing - so soft and "floating", it feels like the music could go on forever....And she's a perfect fit for Carreras. You can't help but falling in love with Rodolfo and Mimi.

Having listened to some really bad Musettas in the past I find Ashley Putnams' performance to be very convincing. The three other Bohèmians; Marcello, Schaunard and Colline are beautifully portrayed by Ingvar Wixell, Hakan Hagegard and Robert Lloyd. It sounds like they really enjoyed themselves when recording this opera.

Act one when Mimi and Rodolfo meets is like reliving the time when you first fell in love and their break-up in act three makes you devastated. And by the end of act four when Mimi dies and the crushed Rodolfo is crying "Mimi... Mimi....." you're really sobbing. (How someone can manage to put so much feeling into just one word is a mystery to me.) So this opera should definitely be sold with lots of hankies to go with it....

I probably shouldn't be saying this, but..... I also own a recording of La Bohème featuring Tebaldi,Bergonzi and Bastiannini and they fail to evoke my emotions like Carreras/Ricciarelli does.

In my opinion this is the Bohème to own and it's no problem buying the Philips duo-version. It comes without the libretto, but La Bohême is one of the very few operas where you can find the libretto with English translation on the internet. So - buy the cd, sit back and ENJOY.

4 out of 5 stars Danger! Wrong Recording Being Reviewed!.......2003-07-01

Careful music fans! ... The Boheme recording being reviewed here is SUPPOSED to be Carreras and Hendricks conducted by James Conlin and recorded in 1988, but nearly all of the "reviewers" ...are describing a recording featuring Carreras and RICCIARELLI which I believe was made in 1979 and conducted by Sir Colin Davis. I have the Carreras/Hendricks recording (a movie soundtrack as one reviewer correctly stated) and think it's just great.

3 out of 5 stars La Boheme for Carreras fans.......2002-03-25

I think that La Boheme's music is so strong and moving that for any listener, his first La Boheme remains the best. However, this set leaves much to be desired and I would not recommend it to anyone as a first choice (not even as a second or third for that matter). The main flaw, as expected, is Ricciarelli's Mimi. She admitted having difficulties with the role and we hear why. By the late 70s her voice was not firm any more and showed signs of wear on the upper register. I loved her early Verdi recordings so much but other roles she recorded like Aida or Turandot are sad experiences and her Mimi is unfortunately no exception.

Carreras too, shows signs of strain but still his lyric voice suits the role of Rodolfo. Now and then, he shouts like a late Di Stefano but generally Carreras is fine. The rest of the cast is unidiomatic and doesn't sound Italian enough with the sole exception of the Ashley Putnam, who is simply superb. I really liked her. She isn't too soubrette-like (a problem that often occurs), yet enough for the playful character of Musetta. I always enjoy her "Quanto men vo". C. Davis is ok but with the problems in the cast, I can hardly pay attention to the conducting. On the whole, this Davis set is a compromise, though an acceptable one.

Since you're looking for a La Boheme why not get one of the three best recordings? Serafin's, Beecham's or even Karajan's. In my opinion, the choice is between the first two. I prefer Serafin's with the strongest La Boheme cast on records: Tebaldi, Bergonzi, Bastiannini, D'Angelo, Siepi, Corena, De Palma. That Boheme simply heals your soul. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to miss Victoria De Los Angeles' great performance on the Beecham set. The choice is yours.
Great Musicals
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • The Title Is Accurate.
 Great Musicals

Manufacturer: RCA Victor Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by BernsteinAll Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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  1. Encores from Encores!
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ASIN: B00005LN5W
Release Date: 2001-08-07

Tracks:

  1. Candide: Overture - Orchestra
  2. Fiddler On The Roof: Prologue - Tradition - Zero Mostel And Company
  3. Hello, Dolly!: Dancing - Carol Channing And Company
  4. Cabaret: If You Could See Her - Alan Cumming
  5. Ain't Misbehavin': Honeysuckle Rose - Ken Page/Nell Carter
  6. Guys And Dolls: Sue Me - Faith Prince/Nathan Lane
  7. Sweeney Todd: The Worst Pies In London - Angela Lansbury
  8. Ragtime: New Music - Mark Jacoby/Marin Mazzie/Steven Sutcliffe/Brian Stokes Mitchell/Audra McDonald/Company
  9. Titanic: Lady's Maid - Original Cast
  10. How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying!: Rosemary - Matthew Broderick/Megan Mullally
  11. Les Miserables: Bring Him Home - Colm Wilkinson
  12. Falsettos: Unlikely Lovers - Lewis Cleale/James Sasser/Farah Alvin/Kristin Woodbury
  13. Parade: All The Wasted Time - Brent Carver/Carolee Carmello
  14. The Sound Of Music: Do-Re-Mi - Rebecca Luker And Company

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars The Title Is Accurate........2002-02-21

I'll be honest - I mainly bought this CD for one song - the new recording of William Finn's "Unlikely Lovers" from Falsettos.

In fact, there is a sticker on the front of the Great Musicals CD which states the following - "Unlikely Lovers from Falsettos is new to CD."

This isn't really correct. This particular recording of that wonderful second act song is new, but the song itself was previously recorded and released on the original cast recording of Falsettoland many years ago. I have also read a review of another (unauthorised?) CD recording made in Michigan of Falsettoland.

Anyway, this new recording is so powerful and emotional, I'm glad I bought the CD.

Readers might be interested to know that the 2001 recording of U. Lovers was made at Joe's Pub in January - the same place where Finn's Infinite Joy was recorded.

To the best of my knowledge, U.L. wasn't performed in the live show. I believe this as in an interview, Finn stated that the only song from Falsettos they were to perform in Infinite Joy was The Baseball Game (wonderfully conveyed by Stephen DeRosa on the CD). Also, in this new recording of U.L., unlike the recordings on Infinite Joy, there isn't any audience reaction. I suspect that the cast made this recording before or after audience arrived.

Loved this new version. It's accompanied by a solo piano. Lewis Cleale has a more traditional male voice (light baritone?) than Michael Rupert's higher, head, some might say "character" sound. Both are more than pleasant on the ear.

Also, on this recording, there's an a cappella section towards the end of the song; on the lyrics "...let's pretend..." Quite affecting.

As for the rest of the album, well all the tracks are gems in one way or another. Particular favourites of mine include -

"Lady's Maid" from Titanic. With it's "up down up" three note/syllable melody structure (millionaire, constable, engineer) it is immediately catchy, and is a great example of an "I'm about to start a journey, so wish me luck as I go" type of show song.

"All The Wasted Time" from Parade. Loved the almost folk influenced sound and the soaring voices; including Carolee Carmello who is heard on Infinite Joy.

"New Music" from Ragtime. It 'builds' beautifully and is a great example of the work of a contemporary song writing team - the highly talented Flaherty and Ahrens.

I suppose the thing is, that many musical theatre buffs will already have many of these songs on CD. However, you many not have THESE recordings - e.g. - the "If You Could See Her" from Cabaret is from the 1998 version, the "Do-Re-Mi" from (what else?) The S.O.M. is the 1998 recording.

If one was being picky, the following points might be made -

For a CD celebrating RCA's 100th anniversary, this collection is somewhat 'top heavy' - 9 of the 14 tracks - almost 65% were recorded in 1992 or later.

Also -

With a number of the American based performers, even when they are portraying non-Americans, their native accent is still recognisable. This is particularly noticeable on track 14 - "Do-Re-Mi" ("...Here, I'll make it easier for you...") and, to a lesser extent; track 2 - "Prologue - Tradition" from Fiddler ("...trying to scratch out a pleasant simple tune...")

But when one is dealing with material and performances of this level, such points are minor quibbles.

All in all, a very fine CD which has made a welcome addition to my collection.
Mila's Journey Inspired by a Dream
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Mila's Journey Inspired by a Dream

    Manufacturer: Lovely Music
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    Minimal TechnoMinimal Techno | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
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    ASIN: B00000IO9R
    Release Date: 1993-09-18

    Tracks:

    1. Mila's Journey Inspired by a Dream (62:21)
    Robert Ashley: Improvement
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • IMPROVEMENT cannot be improved upon.
    • Intoxicating - Enchanting
    • Past Allegory and Present Circumstance
    • Great, strange TV opera will blow your mind. In English.
    		 Robert Ashley: Improvement

    Manufacturer: Nonesuch
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    Modern & 20th CenturyModern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    EnglishEnglish | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    OperettasOperettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
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    1. Automatic Writing
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    ASIN: B000005J1K
    Release Date: 1992-11-17

    Tracks:

    1. Improvement: The Argument (Prelude)
    2. Improvement: Sunset At The Turnoff (Sc. I)
    3. Improvement: The Airline Ticket Counter (Sc. 2)
    4. Improvement: The Correspondences Text (Sc. 3)
    5. Improvement: The Ride To Town (Sc. 4)
    6. Improvement: The Airline Ticket Counter (Sc. 5)
    7. Improvement: The Indifference Text (Sc. 6)
    8. Improvement: Back Home... (Sc. 7)
    9. Improvement: Mr. George Payne (Sc. 8)
    10. Improvement: The Contents Of Her Purse (Sc. 9)
    11. Improvement: Supper With Mr. Payne's Mother (Sc. 10)
    12. Improvement: Golf Left-Handed (Sc. 11)
    13. Improvement: A Moment (Very Late)... (Sc. 12)

    Tracks:

    1. Improvement: The Big City (Sc. 13)
    2. Improvement: Tarzan
    3. Improvement: The Big City (Continued)
    4. Improvement: The Doctor (Sc. 14)
    5. Improvement: The Offering Of Images
    6. Improvement: The Good Life (Sc. 15)
    7. Improvement: Trouble (Sc. 16)
    8. Improvement: The Good Life (Continued)
    9. Improvement: Trouble (Continued)
    10. Improvement: The Good Life (Continued)
    11. Improvement: A Place In The Country (Sc. 17)
    12. Improvement: Happiness, Prosperity And Forgetfulness (Sc. 18)
    13. Improvement: The Bridge Game (Sc. 19)
    14. Improvement: North (Berlin/A Tango) (Sc. 20)
    15. Improvement: East (River Rouge) (Sc. 21)
    16. Improvement: South (Campo dei Fiori, Rome) (Sc. 22)
    17. Improvement: West (Atlantis) (Sc. 23)

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars IMPROVEMENT cannot be improved upon........2001-10-30

    Just when I thought there was nothing that could continue the excitement people like Philip Glass and Robert Wilson brought to contemporary opera, along came Robert Ashley's IMPROVEMENT. This is my favorite work by Ashley and I think it is one of his 'masterpieces' to date. It follows kind of like a David Lynch film; you may not 'get it' from moment to moment, but as the opera progresses you begin to understand an overall framework and sense a progression (the piece is modeled after the Tibetan Book of the Dead, according to Ashley).

    The story of the opera is interesting and the music participates in creating a context for the drama (unlike, I think, some of Ashley's other pieces). Try it. You'll like it...

    5 out of 5 stars Intoxicating - Enchanting.......2001-06-25

    Ashley uses the rhythms of speech, and little else, to create a fascinating kind of music. The first lines capture your attention, and from there one hardly notices the hour and a half passing before the opera finishes and finally releases you from the captivity of rapt attention you didn't realize you had succmbed to.

    5 out of 5 stars Past Allegory and Present Circumstance.......1999-11-25

    The album notes and sparse opening remarks narrated by Ashley's liquid voice indicate that this work is a musical allegory for the Sephardim Jewry in Spain. The opera centers around Linda (representing the Jews), abandoned at a desert roadside rest stop by her husband Don (Spain in 1492), so that he can run off with Eleanor (America/the New World). Various characters inhabit Linda's life as she copes with Don's departure (is this why the title of the opera is IMPROVEMENT?), all of whom represent significant influences/impacts on the Sephardim. You don't have to be a history buff to enjoy this opera; the melodic and lyrical flow is richly textured, quite often in a strange chanting monotone (reminding one of Latin chants in Mass). Ashley's background as a linguist comes to the fore in his music; the rhythms and patterns of speech and vocals are varied, beautiful, sometimes humorous, and often quite haunting. You'll have many memorable passages inhabiting your consciousness for hours after you stop listening to IMPROVEMENT. If you are a fan of modern "post-industrial" music, complex symbolism, or the beauty of the spoken word, you will become intoxicated by this album.

    5 out of 5 stars Great, strange TV opera will blow your mind. In English........1999-10-07

    If you like Ashley, this is one of his best. A full length TV Opera, incredibly strange, IMPROVEMENT pushes the limits of what is considered "opera." Ashley messes with how we perceive language, content vs inflection- this is both spoken/chanted and sung. Poignant, it's packed with meaning and with tons of liner notes to guide you, including the complete text of the opera. The Airline Ticket Counter is a highlight.
    Automatic Writing
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Intimate theater
    • A masterwork
    • Automatic writing
    		 Automatic Writing

    Manufacturer: Lovely Music
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    General ModernGeneral Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    Modern & 20th CenturyModern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    EnglishEnglish | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    Experimental MusicExperimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Latin Music | Indie Music | Stores | Music
    Latin PopLatin Pop | Latin Music | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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    1. I Am Sitting in a Room
    2. Music on a Long Thin Wire
    3. Robert Ashley: Private Parts (the record)
    4. Robert Ashley: Improvement
    5. Deep Listening

    ASIN: B000003Y7Z
    Release Date: 1996-06-15

    Tracks:

    1. Automatic Writing (1979) (46:00)
    2. Purposeful Lady Slow Afternoon (1968) (10:14)
    3. She Was A Visitor (1967) (5:54)

    Album Description

    Three of Ashley's landmark recordings, Automatic Writing (1979), Purposeful Lady Slow Afternoon (1971) and She Was A Visitor (1967).

    Composed in recorded form over a period of five years, Automatic Writing is the result of Robert Ashley's fascination with involuntary speech. He has recorded and analyzed the repeated lines of his own mantra and extracted four musical characters. The result is quiet, mysterious, melancholy and an early form of ambient music.

    Purposeful Lady Slow Afternoon, and She Was a Visitor are excerpts from an opera entitled That Morning Thing that was composed in 1966-67.

    Purposeful Lady Slow Afternoon is Ashley's attempt to demonstrate the dichotomy between the rational--whatever can be explained in words--and its opposite--which is not irrational or a-rational, but which cannot be explained in words. A woman describes a sexual encounter in matter-of-fact detail. The rhythm of the woman's voice, the processed back-up chorus, the recurring bell tone, and the pervading tape hiss, are at once unsettling and soothing.

    She Was a Visitor is another form of description, it is intended to be understood as a form of rumor. The chorus is divided into groups, each headed by a leader. A lone speaker repeats the title sentence throughout the entire performance. The separate phonemes of this sentence are picked up freely by the group leaders and are relayed to the group members, who sustain them softly and for the duration of one natural breath. The time lag between the group leaders' phoneme choices and those phonemes being picked up by members of the group produces a staggered, chant-like effect, with the sounds moving outward from the nearest performer to the farthest.

    Booklet notes by Robert Ashley.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Intimate theater.......2006-03-05

    I've heard a lot of unusual music. This is one of those rare albums that sounds like absolutely nothing else out there. The other reviewers didn't describe it, so I'll try:

    1 - tape hiss
    2 - tiny electronic clanking sounds
    3 - a man (distressed) mumbling nonsense syllables in your ear
    4 - thin organ in the background
    5 - a woman whispering in French
    6 - muted R&B through the wall

    These things come and go for 46 minutes. What's going on here? The booklet is vague, almost evasive; Ashley talks about a personal crisis but doesn't explain how he actually made this. It sounds like he took a private tape of his own "involuntary speech", ran it through electronic processing, then added organ and a French "translation". Ashley's voice is close, tense, and impossible to ignore -- this is NOT ambient music. The piece feels more like a document of something (or a catharsis) than a musical composition. It invites and rewards close listening. Every time I play it (two or three times a year) I hear new things. Cryptic and personal, but fascinating. Try?

    5 out of 5 stars A masterwork.......2001-09-01

    Besides technically this being a contemporary composition, the result is an inner moving piece that makes you being ecstatic, trying to manage the sublimity and surreal setting the passages in this piece delivers. But I am being inexact in my description, maybe I could be more precise with lesser moving works, but with this one it is impossible.

    5 out of 5 stars Automatic writing.......1999-10-03

    I first heard this piece, on vinyl, whilst studying music at Sussex Uni. I remember listening to it and half nodding off, as the vocals are like pillow talk. There was a moment when I thought I was listening to a bass melody in the music that actually wasn't there. I have never experienced such an intense rush of realisation from a piece of music since then. Very cool.
    Chance Operation: The John Cage Tribute
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Silence please!
    • Georgia Stone the best antiwar composition to date
    • unknown..but i'm real excited
    • What? 183 tracks? What for? There is a reason...
    		 Chance Operation: The John Cage Tribute

    Manufacturer: Koch Int'l Classics
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    1. Live In New York
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    4. My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
    5. Djin Djin

    ASIN: B000001SH6
    Release Date: 1993-11-18

    Tracks:

    1. Excerpts For Thirty Pieces For String Quartet
    2. Excerpt From Thirty Pieces For String Quartet
    3. Three Dances For Prepared Piano, Dance #1
    4. Dance 2: Three Dances for Prepared Piano
    5. Dance 3: Three Dances for Prepared Piano
    6. First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
    7. First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
    8. First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
    9. First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
    10. First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
    11. First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
    12. First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
    13. First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
    14. First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage
    15. Six Melodies Variation for Solo Violin
    16. Six Melodies Variation for Solo Violin
    17. Six Melodies Variation for Solo Violin
    18. Six Melodies Variation for Solo Violin
    19. A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
    20. A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
    21. A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
    22. A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
    23. A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
    24. A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
    25. A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
    26. A Cage Went in Search of a Bird
    27. Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
    28. Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
    29. Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
    30. Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
    31. Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
    32. Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
    33. Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
    34. Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
    35. Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
    36. Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
    37. Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
    38. Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
    39. Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
    40. Concert for Piano and Orchestra: Three Solos for Trumpet
    41. Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
    42. Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
    43. Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
    44. Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
    45. Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
    46. Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
    47. Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
    48. Cunningham Stories (At the Age of Twelve...)
    49. Haiku FM
    50. Haiku FM
    51. Haiku FM
    52. Haiku FM
    53. Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
    54. Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
    55. Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
    56. Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
    57. Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
    58. Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
    59. Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
    60. Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
    61. Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
    62. Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
    63. Art is self-alteration is Cage is...
    64. Music for the Merce Cunningham dance Shards: Webwork
    65. Music for the Merce Cunningham dance Shards: Webwork
    66. Music for the Merce Cunningham dance Shards: Webwork
    67. Music for the Merce Cunningham dance Shards: Webwork
    68. Music for the Merce Cunningham dance Shards: Webwork
    69. Music for the Merce Cunningham dance Shards: Webwork
    70. Georgia Stone
    71. Georgia Stone
    72. Georgia Stone
    73. Georgia Stone
    74. Georgia Stone
    75. Georgia Stone
    76. Georgia Stone
    77. Georgia Stone
    78. Georgia Stone
    79. Georgia Stone
    80. Georgia Stone
    81. Georgia Stone
    82. Georgia Stone
    83. Georgia Stone
    84. Georgia Stone
    85. Georgia Stone
    86. Georgia Stone
    87. Georgia Stone
    88. Georgia Stone
    89. Georgia Stone
    90. Georgia Stone
    91. Georgia Stone
    92. Georgia Stone
    93. Georgia Stone
    94. Georgia Stone
    95. Georgia Stone
    96. Georgia Stone
    97. Georgia Stone
    98. Georgia Stone

    Tracks:

    1. Cunningham Stories (Merce Cunningham Phoned His Mother...)
    2. Cunningham Stories (Merce Cunningham Phoned His Mother...)
    3. Cunningham Stories (Merce Cunningham Phoned His Mother...)
    4. Cunningham Stories (Merce Cunningham Phoned His Mother...)
    5. Oregon: Chance/Choice
    6. Oregon: Chance/Choice
    7. Chance/Choice
    8. Chance/Choice
    9. Chance/Choice
    10. Chance/Choice
    11. Seventy-five Letters & Improvisation
    12. Seventy-five Letters & Improvisation
    13. Seventy-five Letters & Improvisation
    14. Seventy-five Letters & Improvisation
    15. Seventy-five Letters & Improvisation
    16. Seventy-five Letters & Improvisation
    17. Seventy-five Letters & Improvisation
    18. Seventy-five Letters & Improvisation
    19. Living Room Music
    20. Living Room Music
    21. Living Room Music
    22. Living Room Music
    23. Living Room Music
    24. Living Room Music
    25. Living Room Music
    26. Living Room Music
    27. Ergodos I for John Cage
    28. Ergodos I for John Cage
    29. Ergodos I for John Cage
    30. Ergodos I for John Cage
    31. Ergodos I for John Cage
    32. Ergodos I for John Cage
    33. Cunningham Stories (Every Morning...)
    34. Cunningham Stories (Every Morning...)
    35. Cunningham Stories (Every Morning...)
    36. Cunningham Stories (Every Morning...)
    37. Cunningham Stories (Every Morning...)
    38. Cunningham Stories (Every Morning...)
    39. Cunningham Stories (Every Morning...)
    40. Factory Preset
    41. Factory Preset
    42. Factory Preset
    43. Factory Preset
    44. Factory Preset
    45. Factory Preset
    46. Factory Preset
    47. Factory Preset
    48. Factory Preset
    49. Factory Preset
    50. Factory Preset
    51. 4'33
    52. 4'33
    53. 4'33
    54. 4'33
    55. 4'33
    56. In Memoriam John Cage
    57. In Memoriam John Cage - Call Waiting
    58. In Memoriam John Cage - Call Waiting
    59. In Memoriam John Cage - Call Waiting
    60. In Memoriam John Cage - Call Waiting
    61. In Memoriam John Cage - Call Waiting
    62. In Memoriam John Cage - Call Waiting
    63. In Memoriam John Cage - Call Waiting
    64. Aria
    65. Aria
    66. Aria
    67. Aria
    68. Aria
    69. Aria
    70. Aria
    71. Aria
    72. Aria
    73. Aria
    74. Aria
    75. Aria
    76. Aria
    77. Aria
    78. Aria
    79. Cunningham Stories (The Cunningham Company...)
    80. Cunningham Stories (The Cunningham Company...)
    81. Cunningham Stories (The Cunningham Company...)
    82. New York City
    83. New York City
    84. New York City
    85. New York City

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Silence please!.......2006-08-30

    My only reason for buying this CD is the track 4:33 by Frank Zappa. 4:33 minutes of total silence, well almost total silence because you can hear a little background noices in the control room of Frank. It is a very interesting cd. But if you are not a fan of Zappa or Cage, and you like to hear music I say: buy something else. If you are ready for an experiment: buy this one or the CD Roaratorio.

    5 out of 5 stars Georgia Stone the best antiwar composition to date.......2002-12-15

    The whole collection is interesting. However, the great moment of this collection is the Ono contribution Georgia Stone. It's a fluxus symphony. Never have I heard a more poignant antiwar piece. It rates in power and beauty to Henryk Gorecki's Symphony #3 with soprano Dawn Upshaw. If anyone ever doubted the genius of Yoko Ono as being relevant and an artist of the highest calibre then listen to this masterpiece and you'll be jolted into her energy as an artist. Yoko, give us more of this kind of music.

    5 out of 5 stars unknown..but i'm real excited.......2001-06-05

    Jspark wrote a review that totally grabbed my intrest..I did my senior art history project on John Cage..using random sheets of paper for the lecture. the idea of hitting the "random button" is a great idea..and the idea of running two disks at once is even neater..being a big fan of just about everybody on the cd..especially Laurie Anderson doesnt hurt either... I haven't heard it yet, but i think i'll be sticking with the 5 star rating.

    5 out of 5 stars What? 183 tracks? What for? There is a reason..........1999-08-03

    It might be bewildering at first. The first disc has 98 tracks; the second, 85. If you listen straight through, you do not perceive any discontinuity. A collection of John Cage pieces performed by friends, collegues, and admirers. Frank Zappa (American composer [complete biographical blurb that he provided]) contributed 4'33". Laurie Anderson tells a few Merce Cunningham tales. Seems like a fun tribute from the git-go. But wait! (And this is where the fun begins!) Switch your CD player to the shuffle (random) mode. Now look what happens. It goes from, say, Yoko Ono's piece to the Kronos to the Moraz prepared piano performance to Ken Nordine's narration - all in the matter of seconds. It is a great to homage to Cage himself with the great use of the random chance operations that he might have enjoyed. Every performance of this disc becomes a unique experience (just like Cage). For even more fun, try playing both discs at the same time (provided, of course, you have the means; if not, improvise). Or add another sound source as well, like, say, the radio, or the television very low, or a tape of white noise. The possibilities are endless. I had the pleasure of trying this one day with FOUR players going on simulataneously: two with these discs, another with Miles Davis far in the background, the fourth with a disc of bird calls. It was quite a fun sound environment and I would not hesitate to try it again. But that was my experience. Your experience may be different.
    The Blue Estuaries: American Choral Music
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		The Blue Estuaries: American Choral Music

      Manufacturer: Zephyr Records
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      All Works by CoplandAll Works by Copland | Copland, Aaron | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
      Foster, StephenFoster, Stephen | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
      Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
      Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
      Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Folk | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      Folk SongsFolk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      MotetsMotets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B00005TS12
      Release Date: 2001-11-27

      Tracks:

      1. The Choir Invisible
      2. Songs Of Nature: God Is At The Anvil
      3. Songs Of Nature: Deep Wet Moss
      4. Songs Of Nature: Hang Me Among Your Winds
      5. Come Away To The Skies
      6. Hark, I Hear The Harps Eternal
      7. Oh, Shenandoah
      8. Three Portraits: Three Portraits: I. Laura Lee
      9. Three Portraits: Three Portraits: II. Oh! Susanna
      10. Three Portraits: Three Portraits: III. Gentle Annie
      11. Nelly Bly
      12. Four Motets: Help Us, O Lord
      13. Lark
      14. The Blue Estuaries: Evening-Star
      15. The Blue Estuaries: I Saw Eternity
      16. The Blue Estuaries: To Be Sung On The Water
      17. The Blue Estuaries: Train Tune
      18. The Blue Estuaries: Night
      19. Images: Images (For Jazz Trio And Choir)
      20. Images: Images (For Jazz Trio And Choir)
      21. Images: Images (For Jazz Trio And Choir)
      22. Images: Images (For Jazz Trio And Choir)
      Free Expression
      Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
      • Great, underappreciated band
      • Their best yet.
      • More of the same a good thing
      • Now Comfortable with Vox
      • A wonderful find
      		 Free Expression

      Manufacturer: Bobsled Records
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
      Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
      All Works by J.S. BachAll Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      PassionsPassions | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
      Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
      Similar Items:
      1. Stereo Blues
      2. Teenage Symphonies to God
      3. Heavy Changes

      ASIN: B00001YVCH
      Release Date: 1999-10-26

      Tracks:

      1. Kill Me Now
      2. Worst Enemy
      3. Between The Lines
      4. Goin' To My Head
      5. Heaven Knows
      6. Roman Candle
      7. Melody #1
      8. Things Get Better
      9. Gentle Breeze
      10. All Together
      11. Shine On Me
      12. The Unlucky One
      13. Ballad Of Yesteryear

      Amazon.com

      The failure of Rhode Island natives Velvet Crush to have much impact outside the cloisters of American college radio is one of life's more vexing mysteries. Their frequently exquisite albums are laden with terrific hooks, gorgeous harmonies, and lovely, languid choruses. Free Expression finds Velvet Crush remaining loyal to their founding principles: an abiding and guiding love of Big Star and the Raspberries, and a certain spiritual kinship with Teenage Fanclub and the Posies. There are some new touches added, however, and they're all for the better: the exuberant horns on the giddy "Melody #1" and the mournful slide guitar on the gentle country trundle "Heaven Knows"--the album's highlight and possibly Velvet Crush's finest few minutes. --Andrew Mueller

      Customer Reviews:

      4 out of 5 stars Great, underappreciated band.......2001-10-20

      I think the previous reviewer, Scott Waldon, meant "apex" instead of "nadir."

      I still think that they hit their apex with Teenage Symphonies, but I can certainly see how some people pick this album as their favorite: There is absolutely nothing to dislike on this album. It's all good, it's all melodic, and it all rocks, with superb guitar work. Still, I keep coming back to Teenage Symphonies the most, so I'm giving this album four stars and TS five as a relative rating.

      That's still definitely enough of a recommendation to buy this album!

      5 out of 5 stars Their best yet........2000-11-16

      I know a lot of people drool over Teenage Symphonies..(a previous release of theirs), but this one is their best. It is the most consistent, and mature effort to date. A very easy flowing, enjoyable ride. I think they have reached their nadir. For fans of Beatles, Byrds etc. Pick this one up.

      3 out of 5 stars More of the same a good thing.......2000-02-29

      Just a quick comment - this is another really strong album by Velvet Crush. But to my ears, somthing is wrong with the production. Though obviously not recorded in mono, the sound is very flat, like something out an AM radio. At first I thought my headphones weren't plugged in all the way - that sort of idea. It doesn't matter as much without headphones, but it bothered me knowing these great songs could sound even better. For great playing by the guys from Velvet Crush, check out Duffy's self titled CD,produced my Mitch Easter.

      5 out of 5 stars Now Comfortable with Vox.......2000-02-23

      Where did Chastain get this voice! It's awesome and I suspect genius pop mastermind Matthew Sweet had something to do with it... anyhow any weakness I ever was dissapointed by in The Crush's sound has vanished. Love the rockly irreligious intro "Kill Me Know", and the compact but harshly distorted sweet pill "Worst Enemy". Huge slow drum rolls and shining guitar glacier-speed "Between the Lines" while "Roman Candle" has great wah-wah. Paul McCartney almost says a quick hello on "Things get Better"! Well not really but you know! Anyhow every track is absolutely great, and most are sort of short leaving you desperate to hum them or just pop the cd in again! This goes up there with "Girlfriend". It's just so good! Don't deny yourself! Makes life worth living! Buy. Buy now, Buy is good!

      4 out of 5 stars A wonderful find.......2000-02-14

      I bought this slbum based on the reviews, and I was not disappointed.Indeed it exceeded my expectations, and it is an CD that I play againand again. If it were possible, I would give it 4 1/2 stars, since it is one of the best recent albums I have heard (especially in the power pop genre). The songs are both gentle and passionate. The voices weave in and out of amazing harmoies, and there is even one track with beautifully understated horns. I find myself humming some of the catchy tunes, and yet I am enchanted by the overall complexity of the music. I highly recommend it.

      Music Composers:

      1. Auric, Georges
      2. Babbitt, Milton
      3. Bacewicz, Grazyna
      4. Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel
      5. Bach, Johann Christian
      6. Bach, Johann Christoph Friedrich
      7. Bach, Johann Sebastian
      8. Bach, P. D. Q.
      9. Bach, Wilhelm Friedemann
      10. Bach, Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst

      Music Composers

      Music Composers