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Amazon.com
Raucous neo-bop instrumental frenzy from a band that could introduce some fresh ideas and sounds to a new generation. The name to tout is Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard, who puts his imprimatur on these hyperactive, sax-driven jams in his role as co-producer. "Shag," "Naked Truth" (featuring singer Shawn Smith from the Seattle band Brad), and "Double Pot Roast Backpack" are standouts. --Jeff Bateman

Guest,Critters Buggin,Loose Groove Records,Pop,Rock

Jazz

Music

jazz

Tracks:

House Party Time
Wabash Cannonball - with Bob Weir
Queremos Bailar
Hop Up Ladies
Washington At Valley Forge
Jamaica Farewell - with Angelique Kidjo
Tankoh-Bushi
Down In The Valley
Waltzing Matilda - with Deborah Harry
West Indian Counting Song
Sunny Old Sun
Tennessee Wig Walk
Shining Star
How Do You Do? - with David Jones
Daniel In The Den
Surrounded By Friendship
Old Joe Clark
Hey Little Red Bird
We Shall Not Be Moved
A Place For Us - with Phillip Glass

Amazon.com

For parents, listening to Dan Zanes provides not only instant Raffi relief, but also the warm sense of belonging to the right crowd. On each disc he trots out a posse of cool friends like Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega, and Lou Reed and he delivers his openhearted lyrics with the rare roots-rocker's gift for stirring grace into grit. It would seem that the release of his fourth record, House Party would be ripe for a backlash--how long can the hokey conceit of a bunch of aging groovsters banging out kids' tunes in a Brooklyn basement hang onto its charm? Looks like we'll have to wait and see, because House Party rages on with the same winning, welcome-to-our-homespun-revolution vibe as its predecessors. Deborah Harry takes a twirl on "Waltzing Matilda," Bob Weir fires up the "Wabash Cannonball," and Angelique Kidjo bids "Jamaica Farewell," but the Zanes originals are this record's proving grounds, and they pin the tail on the donkey with bulls-eye precision. Contributions from returning regulars Barbara Brousal and Rankin' Don--the best couple of favors a party could hope for--send Zanes' campaign to become the guy who turned lampshade-wearing into a kindergarten fashion craze soaring. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

Dan's first album...Wiggle the Wiggles out of your CD Player.......2007-06-12

You may have seen Dan on various spots on Sesame Street, I first saw him in his yellow suit, singing Jump Up. This album continues the wonderful music that my daughter has turned my wife and my self on to. The beats are there, and the lyrics are very catchy.

So do yourself a favor, swap out Wiggles or Barney for Dan and his Friends, and enjoy kids music once again.

Thank goodness for Dan Zanes!!!!!!.......2007-05-21

Mr. Zanes, you could not have come along at a better time! In a market where Teletubbies, Barney and the Wiggles seem to have the corner, this parent-friendly album is a welcome relief from all the fruit salad/I love you, you love me/lemondrops and gumdrops drivel that permeate my mushy stay-at-home mom brain!

When I was a single college gal, I remember listening to very hip, fun music. Then came pregnancy and babies. Then Baby Einstein music (which is good, but sounds like someone's ballerina jewelry box after awhile), Barney, Sesame Street and nursery rhyme CDs that took over my music collection. Ack!!! What happened to me? I decided it was time to search for something new for me and the kids to listen to.

After finding this CD and loving it, I just assumed that my one-year-old and four-year-old would not like DZ because it sounded too different from what they were used to. Boy, was I wrong! My older one thinks she is listening to "cool music" -- which she is! We especially like the "Wabash Cannonball" but every song on here is a hit with my kids. The guy is truly talented, and it's just great stuff. And it's fun to hear the celeb singers on a kid's album. Finally, we all have "cool music" to listen to!

My daughters favorite!.......2007-05-14

I bought this CD since Dan Zane is on the Disney Channel. My daughter absolutely loves it! She asks to hear "House Party" all day every day. We dance and sing and it has brought a lot of fun into our house.

Dan is her new best friend.......2007-05-13

We always look for music that is entertaining and enriching for both the toddler and the parent. We had heard Dan sing before on "For the Kids" CD and thought we'd give it a try. We all get down to Dan Zanes House Party! This CD never leaves the car player. The cover is a delightfully drawn board book of Dan & his entorage Whoopin' it up all over town. My 2 year old will "read" the book to me, explaining the pictures and making connections to the music. It's great.

Kids love it.......2007-03-09

My son, aged 6 and my daughter, almost 2 - love to dance to "House Party Time" in the morning. It really gets them going. They are big Dan Zanes fans.

Essential Mozart: 32 Of His Greatest Masterpieces

Average customer rating:

Gorgeous music, bad quality cd.
Great music, low quality reproduction
A nice introduction
Mozart is the reference point for good classical music.
Mozart's music

Essential Mozart: 32 Of His Greatest Masterpieces

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Essential Bach
Essential Beethoven
Essential Tchaikovsky
Mozart: The Great Piano Concertos, Vol. 1
Beethoven Collection: Symphonies Nos. 1-9, Complete Recording (Box Set)

ASIN: B00005A8JZ
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Tracks:

Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K525: Allegro - Academy Of St Martin-In-The-Fields
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K467: Andante - Radu Lupu
Le nozze di Figaro: Voi che sapete - Cecilia Bartoli
Clarinet Quintet In A Major, K581: Largetto - Peter Schmidl
Ave verum Corpus, K618 - James Vivian
Vesperae solennes de confessore in C major: Laudate Dominum - Emma Kirkby
Concerto For Flute And Harp In C Major: Andantino - Lisa Beznosiuk
Le nozze di Figaro: Overture - London Philharmonic Orchestra
Cosi fan tutte: Trio: Soava sia il vento - Renee Fleming
Symphony No.39 in E-flat Major, K495: Andante con moto - Chicago Symphony
Horn Concerto: Rondo - Barry Tuckwell
Don Giovanni: Serenade Deh, vieni alla finestra - Bryn Terfel
Contredanse In C Major, K609 No.1 'Non piu andrai' - Vienna Mozart Ensemble
German Dance, K605 No.3 'Sleigh Ride' - Vienna Mozart Ensemble
Piano Concerto No.23 In A Major, K488: Adagio - Vladimir Ashkenazy
A Musical Joke, K522: Presto - Vienna Mozart Ensemble

Tracks:

Symphony No.40 In G Minor, K550: Molto allegro - Vienna Philharmonic
Piano Sonata No.16 In C Major: Allegro - Andras Schiff
The Magic Flute: Queen Of The Night: Der Holle Rache - Sumi Jo
Clarinet Concerto In A Major, K622: Adagio - Franklin Cohen
Don Giovanni: La ci darem la mano - Cecilia Bartoli
Serenade in Bb Major, K361: Adagio - London Wind Soloists
Der Vogelfanger bin ich ja - Hermann Prey
Le nozze di Figaro: Dove sono - Kiri Te Kanawa
Violin Concerto No.3 in G Major, K216: Adagio - Joshua Bell
Requiem, K626: Lacrimosa - Vienna Philharmonic
Litaniae de venerabili altaris sacramento: Dulcissimum convivium - Margaret Marshall
Piano Sonata No.11 In A Major, K331: Rondo alla turca - Andras Schiff
Don Giovanni: Champagne aria: Fin ch'chan dal vino - Bryn Terfel
Divertimento No.17 in D Major, K334: Minuet & trio - Vienna Mozart Ensemble
Exsultate, jubilat, K165: Alleluja - Leontyne Price
Symphony No.41 In C Major, K551 'Jupiter': Finale: Molto allegro - Vienna Philharmonic

Customer Reviews:

Gorgeous music, bad quality cd........2007-04-13

The music is Mozart's and is fantastic. The last piece on the first disc
stutters halfway through, and seizes up my system. I don't have time to return items to Amazon. On the positive side, most of the time Amazon provides quality products and service. I gave 3 stars because I love the music.

Great music, low quality reproduction.......2007-01-30

this is a great collection of his work... the only problem i have found so far is that my copy has irritating "clicks" over the recording.

A nice introduction.......2006-02-22

This is a good well rounded collection to dip you into the classical world of Mozart.

Mozart is the reference point for good classical music........2005-10-20

A good collection of his best work and I find it helps me focus when I'm writing or contempating life.

"We exposed these animals [rats] in utero and then sixty days after birth to different types of auditory stimulation and then we ran them in a spatial maze. And sure enough, the animals that were exposed to the Mozart completed the maze faster and with fewer errors. And now what we're doing is we're removing their brains so we can slice them and see neuro-anatomically precisely what has changed as a function of this exposure. So it may be that this intense exposure to the music is a type of enrichment that has similar effects on the spatial areas of the hippocampus of the brain." --Dr. Frances Rauscher

Dr. Frances Rausher sums up what I feel happening when I expose myself to this incredible composer (Mozart).

I have yet to grow tired of any of the tracks yet, but I will invest in more of his work soon.

Mozart's music.......2005-10-17

This is a review of Mozart's music, not the cd. Mozart is praised to the skies by all and sundry, including most musicians, including my father, who no doubt has his reasons. But my feeling about Mozart has always been that there is nothing in Mozart's music that is other than music. There is no logical impressionism, there are no events that seem to be transpiring as in, for example, Beethoven. Mozart is just music. Mozart is to music as pure mathematics is to science. It hints of nothing else and has no application. I find some of his music irritatingly trivial, for example, Eine Kleine Nachtmuzic. This is mechanical music that one can imagine being piped in by a totalitarian government that insists everyone be cheerful. If Disneyland was an eighteenth century totalitarian state, Mozart would be its Muzak. The populace would be awakened, like Chinese train passengers, at 6AM by the strains of some allegro. They would arise and busy themselves with their ablutions in a state of thoughtless cheer, never for one moment leaving the surface of things. That being said, the second movement of Mozart's clarinette concerto is the music that one will hear on going into heaven.

Average customer rating:

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

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

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Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op34; Simple Symphony Op4
What to Listen for in Music
Study of Orchestration, Third Edition
The Life and Works of Ludwig van Beethoven
The Life and Works of Frédéric Chopin

ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beauty and the Beast - Special Edition Soundtrack
Average customer rating:

a true masterpiece in every sense of the word

Great Disney CD: For Children of all ages

got this as a present for someone else

The Story Captured Through Song.

My children listen to this CD over and over

Beauty and the Beast - Special Edition Soundtrack

Manufacturer: Disney
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Little Mermaid: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

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Little Mermaid

Mulan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack

ASIN: B00005TQ5A
Release Date: 2001-12-18

Tracks:

Prologue - Paige O'Hara
Belle - Paige O'Hara
Belle (Reprise) - Richard White
Gaston - Richard White
Gaston (Reprise) - Richard White
Be Our Guest
Something There - Paige O'Hara
Human Again - Angela Lansbury
The Mob Song - Richard White
Beauty And The Beast
To The Fair
West Wing
The Beast Lets Belle Go
Battle On The Tower
Transformation
Be Our Guest (Demo)
Beauty And The Beast (Work Tape And Demo)
Beauty And The Beast - Celine Dion
Death Of The Beast (Original Early Version)

Amazon.com essential recording

After the success of their score for The Little Mermaid, the songwriting team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken returned to Disney for their second fairy-tale adaptation. Sadly, it was the duo's last completed score before Ashman's untimely death at age 41. This soundtrack contains more-conventional show music than The Little Mermaid, owing in large part to Broadway stalwart Angela Lansbury and to Jerry Orbach's Yves Montand impersonation. Most of the songs here were included in the subsequent Broadway adaptation and its cast album, but this disc is superior in its studio polish and cast, which is better suited to the score. --John Sanchez

Customer Reviews:

a true masterpiece in every sense of the word.......2007-05-10

when alan menken and howard ashman put together their second disney feature i dont think that anyone could have known what a masterpiece beauty and the beast would become. the film itself was praised for its maturity and remains the only animated film in history to every be nominated for a best motion picture academy award (it deserved it instead of silence of the lambs) musically the film was magnificient as well. it was adapted into a full length broadway musical three years later. but this original piece will forever remain the benchmark for all other animated works and their music.

alan menken's hauntingly beautiful score is a true masterpiece. the musical scores for the west wing and the beast lets belle go are moving and powerful. the emotional level that every piece reaches is amazing and menken absolutely deserved this oscar for best score. this is not only his best score, but quite possibly one of the greatest musical scores in history.

SCORE 5 out of 5

the songs are all quite powerfull and fun with a definate broadway, its no wonder that it was so seamlessly turned into a broadway musical.

BELLE - this is the strongest opening to ever appear in a disney film. the broadway feel makes it a great way to kick off the film it is both fun and quirky but definately contains a more serous undertone. this was originally suppossed to be shortened down, but luckilly it was left intact. paige o'hara as belle is nothing short of amazing.
5 out of 5

BELLE (REPRISE) - this is short but is very strong due again to o'hara's vocals. her vocals paired with ashman's stirring lyrics of longing make this short but definately a winner.
5 out of 5

GASTON - this is a fun song that is both witty and darkly clever. ashman's lyrics and richard white's performance as gaston carry this song. it may be the weakest of the piece, but it's still fun and catchy and shouldn't be missed
3 out of 5

GASTON (REPRISE) - this is really just an extention of the song listed above, but this one is much more twistidly clever and is actually stronger that the first song.
3 out of 5

BE OUR GUEST - this is one of the most famous songs from the soundtrack and its obveous why after just one listen. jerry orbach and angela landsburry both give great performances that along with menken's french-influenced score and ashman's fun clever lyrics make this song sound fun and fresh. its a great song that really does epitimize the fun of the piece and of ashman's lyrics.
5 out of 5

SOMETHING THERE - this is a short little song but it is the first hint at belle and the beast as lovers. o'hara and robby benson both give great but short performances. orbach, lansbury and david ogden stiers also give fun performances as the objects. this is beautiful and romanticly sweet little song.
5 out of 5

HUMAN AGAIN - this wasn't included in the original theatrical film (why i dont know) this is a great song that is fun and brilliant. ashman yet again outdoes himself with great lyrics and again the household objects give dynamic performances. im so glad that this is back for the special edition since its a real gem that shouldn't be missed.
5 out of 5

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - this is the most famous song from the movie and it won the oscar for best original song. just one listen shows why. lansbury gives a beautifully moving performance as mrs potts singing this. this is of course the song that shows the beast and belle as lovers and it does so perfectly. this song never dumbs things down it goes for the full romantic punch. well done
5 out of 5

THE MOB SONG - this is possibly the cleverest piece. the use of shakespearean lyrics make this a twisted and dark piece that effectively shows human nature that still rings true today. this is an overlooked but strong song that again is lifted by white's performance as the now sinister gaston.
5 out of 5

the best part of all these songs is how none of them dumb down the romance or more "adult" themes for the kiddies. this film allows itself to be fully romantic and that's why it has been so praised and lived on in such a flattering light. the near-perfect music not only aided this, but were a crucial part of this maturity.

SONGS OVERALL 5 out of 5

as i said earlier, this is one the greatest film scores of all times. it may not be as recognizable or memorable as say star wars or gone with the wind, but the emotional punch that it makes elevates it far past these other two scores. menken truly outdid himself and ashman's lyrics work perfectly. the performances from all the performers are dynamic, fun, powerful, and intense. everythign works perfectly here and truly makes for an experience that is truly magical.

Great Disney CD: For Children of all ages.......2007-02-19

I really enjoyed this CD. IT is the soundtrack for Beauty and the Beast.
I especially enjoyed " BE our Guest". This is an all around excellent Disney CD with lots of vocals,and intrigue. The singers are very talented, and well re-hearsed. I love this CD. It's worth the money. Go and buy it!!!

got this as a present for someone else.......2007-01-04

This was a present to a friend. She liked it. I love soundtracks and Disney music, so it's pretty good.

The Story Captured Through Song........2006-09-29

Disney's revival as a major animation studio began in 1989 with the release of THE LITTLE MERMAID and reached its pinnacle with BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (the only animated film ever nominated for a Best Picture Oscar). As much as the film is a visual delight, its also a musical feast for the ears. People had said for over a decade that the musical movie was dead, but BEAUTY AND THE BEAST proved otherwise and paved the way for later big-screen adaptations of famous stage musicals. Some of my favorite songs on the album include:
"Be Our Guest"--this song revived the huge dance numbers that were once commonplace in movie musicals.

"Something There"--BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is a love story and though that love is often brought to mind by the title song, it is this number that truly captures the essence of what happens between Belle and Beast.

"The Mob Song"--out of all the songs on the album, this is the one with the most masculine appeal. It's a song about burning down castles and killing an unfamiliar creature that poses no threat. There's nothing like a dash of good old violence to get the blood flowing.

This is a great soundtrack for any Disney fan, any patron of musicals, and people who love the film.

My children listen to this CD over and over.......2006-08-25

My kids (5 year old boy and 2 year old girl) LOVE this soundtrack. They make me play it repeatedly in the car, EVERYTIME we go anywhere. It is word-for-word an exact replication of the movie. I highly recommend it for any Beauty and the Beast fan.

Average customer rating:

This is a MUST for anyone who enjoys classical music ...
PDQ Bach -- The Spike Jones of Classical Music
Recaptured (Twisted) Youth
I store it in the CD changer in my car.
New Horizons in Music Appreciation Indeed...

The Wurst of P.D.Q. Bach

Manufacturer: Vanguard Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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P.D.Q. Bach on the Air

ASIN: B000000EDR
Release Date: 1993-12-03

Tracks:

Allegro/Tema Con Variazione/Menuetto Con Panna E Zucchero
Aria/Recitative/Ground/Recitative/Aria
New Horizons In Music Appreciation Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
Larghissimo-Allegro Boffo/Menuetto Con Brio Ma Senza Trio/Adagio Saccharino/Yehudi Menuetto/Presto Hey Nonny Nonnio
What's My Melodic Line?
Madrigal, 'My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth'

Tracks:

IV Andante-Allegro
I. Introduction/II. Overture/III. Recitative And Aria, 'Now Is the Season'/IV. Trio, I'm Sure I'd Be'/V. Opera Whiz/VI. Synopsis Of Plot/VII. Finale Of Opera
Fugue In C Minor (Fuga Vulgaris) For Calliope Four Hands
Oratorio, 'The Seasonings', S. 1/2 Tsp.

Customer Reviews:

This is a MUST for anyone who enjoys classical music ... .......2006-06-07

...BUT not if you take it SO seriously that you have lost your sense of humor.

Peter Schickele (with whom I am occasionally confused - we apparently look alike!) - has got to be one of my all-time favorite composers. When I was in graduate school, I took considerable abuse from my fellow music lovers for actually having MORE albums by P.D.Q Bach than by J. S. Bach (though I think it was barely a one-point margin, really...)

But the "New Horizons in Music Appreciation" approach to Beethoven's 5th symphony is not only a musical analysis of the piece as it is being played, but a slam on the constant "blah-blah-blah" that one hears during ANY sports event.

"My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth" has got to be my all-time favorite spoof of the overly pompous "art song" oratorio. I've encouraged one of my colleagues (who directs the college chorale where I teach) to include it in a program, to no avail. One of these days, I'll put my money where my mouth is - and buy sheet music for the entire chorale.

This is one of only two albums that I have in (a) vinyl, (b) tape, and (c) CD format. That should be some indication of how very, very special I believe this to be. [The other, for those who are interested, is Joan Baez' "Diamonds and Rust."]

This has been around for years, and there's a good reason. Schickele is not only funny when he wants to be, but a supremely accomplished composer and musician, with dozens and dozens of serious musical scores to his credit as well.

PDQ Bach -- The Spike Jones of Classical Music.......2006-03-16

For the classical music lover, this is an amazing spoof. For those who do not know classical music well, this is still highly entertaining.

Recaptured (Twisted) Youth.......2003-03-31

My friend and I saw the good Prof. Schickele here in Pasadena last night (March 29th-- AND the conductor of the Pasadena Symphony is Jorge Meister!)-- and the last number on the program was the WONDERFUL "The Seasonings"-- I had a very hard time even after all these years of first hearing this on a REAL record of not singing along with every little tune!!! This piece last night, being sung by singers whom I do not doubt were not even born when I first heard a recording of it, were as good as the ones I remember from my decadent youth on the original recording. Buy this C.D. if only for this piece!

I store it in the CD changer in my car........2002-10-06

My favorite single line of music from this is from "The Unbegun Symphony". Who would think to combine "You are my sunshine", a
tune I have always thought of as sappy sweet, played on violins,
with a background of horns, (I don't know what piece, but it
makes me thing of something noble and civilized) making it a
definitive statement of a benevolent sense of life.
PDQ Bach's other works are delighfully absurd, as are Peter
Schickele's commentaries. (Well I have a new set of friends now)

New Horizons in Music Appreciation Indeed..........2002-08-08

It was while sitting in Music Appreciation in college that I was first introduced to the work of P.D.Q. Bach, specifically the track "New Horizons in Music Appreciation: Beethoven's Fifth Symphony," in which Professor Peter Schickele and Robert Dennis serve as the announcers for a spirited game involving the first movement of that particular work. Not only was it funny ("He's playing a cadenza! He's out of his mind! He thinks its an oboe concerto!") it was also more informative than the professor ("I get the feeling we are going to hear a lot of that four note motif, Bob").

One of the things about P.D.Q. Bach is that the more I learned about classical music the funnier I found it. Yes, I have enough memories of my mother insisting on playing the Texaco Opera quiz throughout the house on a Saturday afternoon to appreciate why "What's my Melodic Line?" and its exploration of the mysteries of the Baroque is funny, but it was not until I saw "Amadeus" and listened to "The Marriage of Figaro" that I understood why the recitatias in the Cantata "Iphigenia in Brooklyn" were hysterical (I was tempted to share this story of Iphigenia with my Classical Mythology class, but given their tentativeness to explore Euripides I did not think it wise to have them get neck deep in Schickele). Then again, the Madrigal "My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth" really needs no explanation, so there is something for everybody here, no matter what you level of understanding of classical music.

In discussing the works of P.D.Q. Bach with others it becomes clear that you can no more put together an idea collection of his "best" work than you can for lesser composers like Mozart or Beethoven. But you are certainly going to find a few old favorites and maybe one or two pieces that you have hitherto managed to avoid.

Now, if we can only get a University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople t-shirt...

Beauty And The Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Average customer rating:

a true masterpiece in every sense of the word

Great Disney CD: For Children of all ages

got this as a present for someone else

The Story Captured Through Song.

My children listen to this CD over and over

Beauty And The Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Manufacturer: Disney
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Little Mermaid: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Aladdin: Special Edition Soundtrack

The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Little Mermaid

Mulan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack

ASIN: B000001M13
Release Date: 1991-11-01

Tracks:

Prologue
Belle
Belle (Reprise)
Gaston
Gaston (Reprise)
Be Our Guest
Something There
The Mob Song
Beauty And The Beast
To The Fair
West Wing
The Beast Lets Belle Go
Battle On The Tower
Transformation
Beauty And The Beast (Duet)

Amazon.com essential recording

Customer Reviews:

a true masterpiece in every sense of the word.......2007-05-10

Great Disney CD: For Children of all ages.......2007-02-19

got this as a present for someone else.......2007-01-04

This was a present to a friend. She liked it. I love soundtracks and Disney music, so it's pretty good.

The Story Captured Through Song........2006-09-29

My children listen to this CD over and over.......2006-08-25

Average customer rating:

Great songwriting
The best album I bought all year!
A revelation!
Stew -- slow and steady
Make A Permanent Space In Your CD changer

Guest Host
Stew
Manufacturer: Telegraph Media
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Post Minstrel Syndrome
Joys & Concerns

ASIN: B00004Y6Q1
Release Date: 2000-09-12

Tracks:

Cavity
She's Really Daddy Feelgood
Essence
Re-hab
Into me
Ordinary Love
Man In A Dress
The Stepford Lives
Bijou
Sister/Mother
Cmon Everybody

Album Description

Stew's unique and compelling view of the world as seen through the strange prism of Los Angeles create soundscapes from the heavy groove and sexual intrigue of tracks like 'She's Really Daddy Feelgood' and 'Into Me' to moving, almost elegaic anthems inspired by urban landscapes like 'Cavity' and 'C'mon Everybody' to beautifully skewed songs like 'Ordinary Love' and 'Sister/Mother', this album, from The Telegraph Company, is a stellar body of work.

Customer Reviews:

Great songwriting.......2005-01-20

Don't know about the "Stew Rocks My World" one star review. My guess is the guy's either mentally unbalanced or dislikes good music. Regardless, "Guest Host" is Stew's debut solo CD and has amazing, wonderful moments. He's truly one of the best songwriters around today.

The best album I bought all year!.......2001-10-03

Ok, It's a 2000 release, but it's the best album I bought in 2001.

It was one of those Cds I just took a chance on... I liked the cover, the blurbs,the songs titles, etc. and just went ahead and bought it. I wound up with a cd that instantly entered my all-time top 20 list. The first track "Cavity" gives you a good idea what this album is all about-- killer melody, intelligent lyrics, passionate singing, interesting arrangements. Some songs may be difficult to decipher---they tend to be loaded with insider-references to everything from the music biz to the Bible--- but even if you aren't into unraveling all the lyrics, you'll still be able to enjoy the tunes. Stew sounds like a hybrid of Van Morrison and Harry Nilsson with Elvis Costello-esque lyrics and a penchant for Brain Wilson-like arrangements. Now, how can that be bad? Ultimately though, Stew is a true original, and thoughtful listeners should really enjoy his odd ruminations on love, innuendo-laced turns-of-phrase, LA-music-scene-name-dropping (playing checkers/with a roadie from Save Ferris) and sometimes heartbreakingly honest delivery.

What if one musical mastermind listened to and digested every blip of music that emerged from America in the last half century and made an album that succesfully blended everything from Fleetwood Mac to Motown to The Beach Boys? Well, "Guest Host" would be a pretty good guess. It's the rare record that is obviously referential and reverent, but never come across as derivative or "clever". Many bands have tried and failed to make this type of album. Stew has suceeded wildly. A landmark album.

A revelation!.......2000-11-07

I use the word deliberately, because Stew's work , while absolutely unique, recalls no one as much as the great Arthur Lee and Love, circa "Forever Changes." Evocative lyrics that demand repeated listening, wedded to memorable pop melodies and harmonies. Soulful and original and definitely fresh, they aren't making too many records like "Guest Host" anymore. That's becuse Stew is an artist who sounds like no one but himself, and yet brings to mind a heyday of songwriting now all but forgotten.

Stew -- slow and steady.......2000-11-06

Mark "Stew" Stewart will probably draw in a new fan base with his first solo album. The tracks form an intoxicating brew that connects with the last few decades of LA pop, an earnest broth that adds a bit of Arthur Lee's Love to Burt Bacharach and everything in between. This is catchy stuff, but the emphasis is on the lyrics and Stew's soulful and intoxicating voice. The LA name-dropping won't mean anything to folks outside of the Smog Belt (including references to Echo Park and LA Weekly music scribes who only seem to like obscure bands), but songs like "Rehab" and "She's Really Daddy Feelgood" are urban and urbane cuts that will appeal to anybody who likes 60's influenced pop.

Make A Permanent Space In Your CD changer.......2000-10-22

I just received Stew's "Guest Host" as a gift and I am amazed. Elegantly simple,engaging songwriting at its best. Stew resides permanently in my cd changer.

The (Complete) Session recorded in London w/ great guest artists

Average customer rating:

Jaw Dropping
A great historical recording
Jerry Lee's terrifying answer to the "1968 Elvis Comeback Special"
No Comparison!

The (Complete) Session recorded in London w/ great guest artists
Jerry Lee Lewis
Manufacturer: Hip-O Select
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Jerry Lee Lewis - The Greatest Live Shows on Earth
Live at the Star Club, Hamburg
Jerry Lee Lewis: Greatest Live Performances of the 50s, 60s and 70s
In the Palace of the King
Killer Country

ASIN: B000BQS6TK
Release Date: 2006-08-01

Product Description

Jerry Lee Lewis first trip to the United Kingdom ended in less than spectacular fashion, as the tabloids got hold of the age (and ancestry) of his young bride. In 1973, though, he returned triumphantly. His all-star backing band includes Eric Clapton, Rory Gallagher, Peter Frampton, Albert Lee, Alvin Lee, The Whos Kenney Jones, Procol Harums Matthew Fisher, and Gary Wright, among others. Virtually all of the previously releases of these sessions were truncated in some fashion, usually to satisfy the demands of the medium (only eighty minutes on a CD, so either tracks had to go, or the number of discs had to increase). As a consequence, six songsSatisfaction, Dungaree Doll, I Cant Give You Anything But Love, Be Bop A Lula, Goldmine In The Sky, and Singing The Blues make their CD debut on the Select release. And how does Jerry Lee sound in the company of these talented artists backing him up? Better than he had since the Fifties. Not only did he take on such early rock hits as Frankie Fords Sea Cruise, Johnny Rivers Memphis and Chuck Berrys Johnny B. Goode, but he also turned in creditable versions of Gordon Lightfoots Early Morning Rain and Creedences Bad Moon Rising. Hes totally on his game throughout, surprisingly laid back as he pumps the piano with virtuosic intensity, letting his fingers do the talking. The man from Ferriday, Louisiana, is rocking big time on this finally-restored-to-its-original-glory album.

Customer Reviews:

Jaw Dropping.......2007-06-12

This may very well be both one of the most obscure, yet "no-holds barred" and wholly unleashed R&R albums of all time, Read the critics' and the few consumer reviews. Recorded "live" in a London studio in '72 (?), just check out the producers, engineers, and guest musicians. You will be wholly incapable of cranking the auto audio system and driving less than 80 m.p.h Just can't be done...

A great historical recording.......2007-05-28

Most reviews of JLL records are written by Jerry Lee Lewis enthusiasts and I am one of them. My review might therefore be biased. What I find fascinating about Jerry Lee is that he has not lost any of the original magic during the past 50 years. Listening to records of other artists from that time period, I find the music often dated if not boring or kitsch. Strangely, this is not the case with the recordings of JLL. There is some magic quality to his work which demands respect even today. I have listened recently to many of his records and also viewed some of the movies avaiable on youtube. I recommend that you take a look at his performance of "Mona Lisa" on youtube. That movie shows JLL's great piano playing ability. Look at his left hand articulating clearly rhythm and harmonies. Then watch his energetic outbursts without compromising precision and clarity. That's a unique quality of JLL! He plays the piano almost like a drum. Pay attention to the overall clarity of sound. Jerry Lee's piano is so strong and dominating that he needs little backup - just a drum is enough. The recording under review, unfortunately, does not display these qualities as clearly as possible. The overall sound is a little bit too "thick" and noisy at times. This is the result of a too heavy electric guitar sound - the great innovation of the 70's in jazz and rock music. The sheer power of electricity employed masks some of the finer qualities of JLL's playing. In my ears this sounds today more dated than the original Jerry Lee Lewis boogie woogie sound from the 1950's which in comparison is more delicate. However, this does not diminuish the overall quality and historic value of the recording which is excellent. Highly recommended!

Jerry Lee's terrifying answer to the "1968 Elvis Comeback Special".......2007-05-08

First, it's great that Amazon's offering this. It's a Hip-O Select release (Universal's answer to Rhino Records, offering Web-only collectors reissues). Second, what a lineup: Alvin Lee, Albert Lee, Gary Wright, Kenny Jones, Rory Gallagher, Klaus Voorman, Matthew Fisher, Peter Frampton and more, but Jerry Lee is the star here and he's cousin Jimmy Lee Swaggart's worst nightmare: howling, snarling, filled with rock 'n' roll fire. Highlights are Drinking Wine Spo-Dee O'Dee, No Headstone On My Grave, Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (a truly insane, over-the-top version), and the Rock Medley (4 Little Richard hits capped by a reprise of "Whole Lotta Shakin"). No one expected this in 1972 (the original year of its release). Jerry Lee was making a name in the world of Country music. Just as Elvis reclaimed his legacy after years of bad movies by suiting up in black leather and beaming himself into America's living rooms, Jerry Lee headed "across the pond" and took back what was rightfully his...with a vengeance. The career-best version of "Whole Lotta Shakin"...with Rory Gallagher on over-amped slide guitar and Peter Frampton on rhythm...explodes as Jerry pleads "Let's go one time now...SHAKE me baby shake me...MOVE me Mama, move me....WHOOOOO, shake it baby shake it, HEE-YOW, shake it baby shake it...Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on...SHAKE it baby shake it...SHAKE it baby shake it...SHAKE it baby shake it...SHAKE it baby shake it...WHOOO, Move it baby, move it...I ain't fakin', whole lotta shakin' goin' on...ONE MORE TIME NOW...I SAID, shake it baby shake it..." Seriously, folks, what are you waiting for?

No Comparison!.......2005-10-31

This is a fantastic album. It is infinitely better than any of his many others. Score it if you can!

Average customer rating:

Magical Misery Tour
Embrace the Misery!
Some incredibly funny stuff, some not so much...

Greatest Hits Of The National Lampoon

Manufacturer: Uproar
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Love, Sex & Marriage | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Gold Turkey: National Lampoon Radio Hour/Greatest Hits
That's Not Funny, That's Sick
The Classic National Lampoon Box Set
National Lampoon's Lemmings (1973 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
National Lampoon Radio Hour: Funniest Laughs

ASIN: B0002CHIOW
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Tracks:

Deteriorata - Norman Rose
Save The Whales - Tony Hendra
Colorado - Chevy Chase
I'm A Woman - Gilda Radner
Well-Intentioned Blues - Christopher Guest
Mission: Impeachable - Chevy Chase
Kung Fu Christmas - Christopher Guest
Mister Roberts - Brian Doyle-Murray
Gymnasty - Brian Doyle-Murray
Pizza Man - Alice Playten
The Immigrants - John Belushi
Those Fabulous Sixties - Christopher Guest
Magical Mystery Tour - Tony Hendra

Customer Reviews:

Magical Misery Tour.......2005-05-17

Actually, every word in the "Magical Misery Tour" was lifted from John Lennon's famous Rolling Stone Interview, which was even released as a paperback book. Or as Yoko said, "The Dream is Over."

Embrace the Misery!.......2005-01-09

This album is an absolute must-have, because "Magical Misery Tour" is just about the funniest thing ever recorded. Give it a listen and you too will shriek "Mother! They're trying to crucify me!"

Some incredibly funny stuff, some not so much..........2004-09-28

It's hard to remember what a cultural force Nat Lamp was in the 1970's. Only an institution such as the Lampoon could have helped to create the keystone epic "Animal House" and, of course "SNL", arguably the two most important and influential comedy forces of the decade. So it is with this in mind that I try to remain at least mildly unbiased in my assessment of this disc as, frankly, some of it absolutely first rate, even thirty years later. And some of it is, well...

So, why should you buy this disc? Well, here's why you shouldn't: "Save The Whales" is good for one listen only, and frankly, should have been done much better; "I'm A Woman" is a testiment to the fact that Gilda Radner was both overrated and, at times, incredibly annoying (although, in all fairness to her, the material itself was dated and silly probably 18 months after it was first recorded and would have been if anyone else had done it); "Pizza Man", a "tribute" to vocal stylings of 1950's rock/doo-wop that comes across as one of those "Is this supposed to be funny or just stupid?" moments; and "Those Fabulous Sixties" which is a head scratcher in terms of why in the hell this one was included. So, you ask, what is left? What is left indeed. The remaining tracks teeter between incredibly funny to sheer, total brilliance. "Deteriorata" is an amazing, and amusing, parody of the incredibly insipid "Desidorata", one of the top selling singles of the early 70's. "Colorado" demonstrates that not only was Chevy Chase once funny, he was also undeniably multi-talented; "Well-Intentioned Blues", a hysterical blues parody by Christopher Guest, and, arguably, the best thing on this CD; "Mission:Impeachable", another Chase gem that both amusingly and chillingly distillates the entire Watergate scandal in about two minutes; "Kung Fu Christmas", another funny song, "Mister Roberts", a howlingly funny (and loving) take on Mr. Rogers, with both Guest and Bill Murray displaying their collective genius in what is the funniest bit on the disc; "Gymnasty", a short, shockingly funny bit that will bring back memories of anyone who remembers the 1976 Olympics; "The Immigrants", a funny take on documentaries and, finally, "Magical Misery Tour", with lyrics that I believe must have been lifted directly from interviews that John Lennon gave in the 70's (there is no way that anyone at the Lampoon could have written anything both this brilliant and twisted!) So, there you have it. Most of the CD is terrific and you will listen to it over and over again. And thanks to the digital age for being able to move quickly past the dumb stuff. Buy it today!

Average customer rating:

Inspired musicianship!

On the Wild Side
John La Barbera Big Band
Manufacturer: Jazz Compass
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
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Fantazm
The Bill Holman Band Live
Menza Lines
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Live at MCG

ASIN: B0001BS4S8
Release Date: 2004-03-16

Tracks:

Mayreh
So What
Tiger Of San Pedro
Message From Art
Walk On The Wild Side Suite
Cachaca Gotcha
Eleanor Rigby
Cloth Of Silver - Threads Of Blue
Highland Crossing

Customer Reviews:

Inspired musicianship!.......2004-11-22

I had heard La Barbera's work before -- he was the principal arranger for the Buddy Rich Band for over 15 years and contributed to arrangements by a host of other leaders such as Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Mel Tormé, Harry James, Glenn Miller, and Doc Severinsen - but this is the first CD I've found under his own name. With kudos on the back of the CD from the likes of Elmer Bernstein (composer of the title track) and Horace Silver, I knew before listening that this recording would become a solid staple of my big band library... and it has lived up to that promise. Crisp, bright, and solid arrangements swing from the first cut. The tracks move from rich symphonic fullness to dynamic smaller ensembles - embracing a full palette of colors - and the musicianship is top flight with folks like Bill Cunliffe on Keyboards, Clay Jenkins on trumpet, Pat La Barbera and Bob Shepard on tenor, and Joe La Barbera on drums. Horace Silver wrote: "Good arrangements -- good band -- good performance." I couldn't agree more!

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