Sunburst

1. Sunburst

2. What's New?

3. Bird

4. Naima

5. This Is New

6. Stella by Starlight

7. Never Should It Ever End

8. So in Love

9. Rose Petals

Sunburst,Walter Norris Quartet,Concord Records,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop,Post-Bop

Jazz

Music

jazz

Tracks:

Romance
Pavane
Sunburst
Una Limosna Por el Amor de Dios
Asturias
Gymnopedie No. 3
El Condor Pasa
Verano Porteno
Scherzino Mexicano
Berceuse
Natalia
Dance from la Vida Breve
Planxty Madame Maxwell
Epitafios
Prelude from Lute Suite
I. Prelude from Suite for Lute (Guitar) No. 4 in E Major, BXV 1006a - From The Seville Concert
Sonata in E Major, K. 380 (L. 23) - From The Baroque Album
III. Allegro from Trio For Violin, Lute (Guitar) And Basso Continuo In C Major, RV 82 - From John Williams Plays Vivaldi Concertos
II. Adagio From Conceirto de Aranjuez For Guitar And Orchestra

Amazon.com

Guitarist John Williams (no, not John Williams the soundtrack composer) adds to his fine catalog of impeccable recordings with Classic Williams: Romance of the Guitar. But this isn't just a best-of collection (though some of his greatest work is included here) since the disc contains three new recordings. Among the new tracks, Fauré's Pavane is a real stunner, a short but gorgeous piece originally meant for orchestra and choir, where Williams's guitar sounds as though it always belonged there. We get Williams at his most interpretative--his arrangements of Satie's Gymnopedie No. 3 and Piazzolla tango Verano porteno--and his most serene (the "Cavatina" theme from the movie Deer Hunter). Let's face it, some fine classical guitarists can lull their listeners into near comatose states with their instrument; Williams, on the other hand, is just the opposite. His gorgeous tone, inventive arrangements, and interesting repertoire continue to make the classical guitar sound exciting. In short, a great introduction to Williams and a real gem for lovers of classical guitar. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

The Aranjuez Adagio is Perfection.......2007-03-01

The second movement adagio of the Aranjuez concert is one of my favourite pieces, a very difficult one to get right. I've listened to well over a dozen variations, the one on this CD, track 19, is an absolute gem. Just by itself is reason enough to own this CD. The only other Aranjuez performance that's even worth mentioning in the same breath is Julian Bream's, track 2 of the CD titled just "Julian Bream", with the Monteverdi orchestra. Both are just stunning performances, as close to perfection as it gets. Julian's is a bit stronger on the guitar than the one here.

Classic.......2007-01-26

Excellent CD for those interested in classical music. All the tracks are great in sound quality!

Classic Williams: Romance of the Guitar.......2007-01-20

Loved the songs....loved the guitar renditions. Would highly recommend!

The Best One Disc Compilation of the Man That's Out There!.......2006-04-19

If you had to call modern classical guitar by another name, it would be John Williams. A student of none other than the brilliant Andres Segovia himself, John has shown over the years to have learnt a great deal from the master and has himself developed simply impeccable technique.

As a guitarist myself who has been struggling all these years with "Cavatina", it always amazes me how effortlessly John makes the tune sound so simple and as if two guitarists are playing, one for the accompanyment and one for the melody and yet it's all him! Not only are the tracks representative of John's great talent but they also represent some of the most famous and challenging pieces to play.

Another great example of this is "Asturias(Leyenda) by Albeniz, a hauntingly beautiful and deceptively simple-sounding piece. We also get pieces that span the centuries from J.S. Bach and Vivaldi to Stanley Myers and York ending with the brilliant second movement of Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez".

Although the sound quality isn't brilliant as some tracks sound better mastered than others, overall this is a great one disc introduction to John Williams' work and comes highly recommended.

Excellent!!.......2006-03-06

This is a delightful compilation. The music flows effortlessly and leaves the listener wanting more.

Average customer rating:

The Best Compilation of the Man on 2 Discs! Great Sound Quality Too!
Relaxing and Enticing to the Ear
A little something for everybody

The Ultimate Guitar Collection

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Classic Williams: Romance of the Guitar
The Guitarist
El Diablo Suelto - Guitar Music of Venezuela
Spanish Guitar Music
Essential Guitar: 33 Guitar Masterpieces

ASIN: B0007TFH52
Release Date: 2005-03-29

Tracks:

Suite Espanola, Op.47: Asturias (Leyenda)
Cavatina From The Deer Hunter
Lute Suite No.4 In E Major, BWV 1006a: Prelude
Triangular Situations
Recuerdos De La Alhambra
Romance
Dance From La Vida Breve
Sonata In E Major, K 380
Como Llora Una Estrella (Valse-Cancion)
The Mission
El Colibri
Gymnopedie No.3
Courante
La Catedral
El Condor Pasa
Salut D'Amour
Malinke Guitars
Concerto For Lute (Guitar), Two Violins (Strings) And Basso Continuo In D Major, R.93: I. Allegro Giusto
The Entertainer

Tracks:

Concierto De Aranjuez: II. Adagio
El Diablo Suelto (Valse)
Preludio En Do Menor (In C Minor)
Suite Espanola, Op.47: Sevilla (Sevillanas)
Gnossienne No.1
Cueca
Schindler's List
Lute Suite No.4 In E Major, BWV 1006a: Gavotte
Nkosi Sikelel'i Afrika
Pavane
Trio For Violin, Lute (Guitar) And Basso Continuo In C Major, R.82: III. Allegro
Sunburst
The Godfather
Scherzino Mexicano
Aeolian Suite For Guitar And Small Orchestra: I. Aeolian Chant
3 Blues For Classic Guitar: Spanish Guitar Blues
3 Blues For Classic Guitar: Blues For Felix
3 Blues For Classic Guitar: Swing 59
The Black Decameron: The Flight Of The Lovers Through The Valley Of The Echoes
Una Limosna Por El Amor De Dios
Saltarello
12 Piezas Caracteristicas, Op.92: No.12 Torre Bermeja (Serenato)

Customer Reviews:

The Best Compilation of the Man on 2 Discs! Great Sound Quality Too!.......2006-04-21

The title very aptly describes this great classical guitar album showcasing some of the best ever works of John Williams on 2 discs. The track selections are great as they span the centuries from the Baroque greats of Bach and Vivaldi to the modern day composers such as Stanley Myers and York. John even flirts with Blues and Jazz-style pieces and they actually sound very good. In addition, they did a much better mastering job on this version than on the single disc, "Classic John Williams" album that was released a few years earlier and so the sound quality is much better. John Williams' playing is without peer and his technique is superior to the vast majority of the exponents of classical guitar that are out there. I've heard recordings of many others who have tried to play "Cavatina" for example and they have never come close to the natural and flowing version that John plays. If you are a fan of this type of music or of John Williams' work, this is the best compilation that you can get that's out there. Highly recommended!

Relaxing and Enticing to the Ear.......2006-01-26

The first song on this set is why I bought the whole album. It blows you away listening to the precise picking and the gorgeous way it is done. Not robotic like some freaks out there. This is true beautiful music. Runs together like a long summer drive in the country. It is just a perfect album to listen to at home or on the go.

A little something for everybody.......2005-06-15

First, this is gorgeous guitar playing by someone who knows what he's doing. John Williams (not to be confused by the film score composer of the same name) is a superb classical guitarist. Many of these pieces are *classical* in nature, while a few are more *popular*. Many are solo, the rest in small chamber groups. Some will get your toes tapping, some will start you daydreaming, and some will make you cry with their beauty. All of it is magnificent.

Average customer rating:

Masterpiece
Sunburst Finish
Une Saison en Enfer?
Be Bop Deluxe- Impressive!
WARNING: NOT A REMASTER

Sunburst Finish
Be Bop Deluxe
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Modern Music
Axe Victim
Futurama
Live! In the Air Age
Drastic Plastic

ASIN: B000006ST7
Release Date: 1998-06-30

Tracks:

Fair Exchange
Heavenly Homes
Ships In The Night
Crying To The Sky
Sleep That Burns
Beauty Secrets
Life In The Air Age
Like An Old Blues
Crystal Gazing
Blazing Apostles
Shine
Speed Of The Wind
Blue As A Jewel

Album Description

1990 reissue on Harvest/ EMI of their 1976 album for the label with three bonus tracks, 'Shine', 'Speed Of The Wind' & 'Blue As A Jewel'. 13 tracks total. Bill Nelson, who wrote all of the tracks, co-produced the album with John Leckie. Standard jewel case.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Reissue of the Third Album from the Bbd, also on the Harvest Label. Stands Perhaps as the Groups Enduring Masterpiece. From Its Striking Cover to the Blazing Guitar Work in the Grooves, the Sound of Sunburst Finish Turned a Lot of Heads in It's Day. Sunburst also Brought Bbd Wider Exposure on American FM Radio. Features 'Sleep that Burns', 'Fair Exchange' and More. Originally Released in 1976; Includes Three Bonus Tracks Not Found on the Original Release.

Customer Reviews:

Masterpiece.......2007-03-14

This is a quality album and along with Modern Music probably in my top fifty favourite albums of all time (i've been around a few years and got quite a large collection!). I saw them live in 1977 and have treasured all their work ever since. I find their work hard to categorize and it still stands up with the best of today. Songs are intricate yet melodic with lyrics both bizarre and astonishing. "Crying to the Sky" has a beautiful guitar solo and "Ships in the Night" I just can't get out of my head. Many commend Bill Nelson as a creative genius. How he fronts this band singing vocals and playing the guitar so amazingly well is hard to comprehend. The "Drastic Plastic" album marked the beginning of the end for me. Bill Nelson was a great rock guitar player, pity he split Be-Bop up after Plastic to explore his musicality. I don't care too much for any of his later solo work.

Sunburst Finish.......2007-01-05

This disc is probably the best overall from Be-Bop Deluxe. The music arrangements are very good. More bass would make the songs fuller,but a good disc.

Une Saison en Enfer?.......2006-09-07

Be Bop Deluxe was a band that deserved better than they got, when they were around. Sunburst Finish is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of their creative efforts. From the opening sledgehammer blows of "Fair Exchange" right through to the last ringing notes of "Blazing Apostles", Bill Nelson, Charles Tumahai, Simon Fox and Andrew Clarke take the listener on a sonic tour of the landscape of the human soul. From the sad lament, "Crying to the Sky", to the Rimbaud-esque lyrics and searing guitar work of "Sleep that Burns", this is an album that's truly timeless, and well worth the listen. The addition of tracks like "Blue as a Jewel" and "Speed of the Wind" make this disc a jewel in its own right.

Be Bop Deluxe- Impressive!.......2005-08-22

Now, when you're a teenager, like I am (15 years old), you are expected to like the music in your generation. FRANKLY, to me, my generation of music completely sucks. No one gives a damn about the music or lyrics anymore!! I love RUSH (all of their music speaks to me, from their beginnings to their new stuff), and I was looking for a band that was full of musicianship and that just plain ROCKED, like them. Boy did I get it with Be Bop Deluxe! These guys were wonderful musicians. My Uncle and my Father introduced me to them in 2003, and ever since I've been listening to all of their songs. LOVE Beauty Secrets!!! Anyone looking for a good band with great musicians, check these guys out. It is a shame they split, but their music lives on...

WARNING: NOT A REMASTER.......2005-02-24

Five stars for the album, which is superb. But if you're in the US and you have this already, and were hoping to upgrade, forget it. Despte the fact that Astral Werks has been trumpeting these Be Bop Deluxe rerleases on its site-- with expanded booklets! Whoopee!-- these are, in fact, straight reissues of the old 1990 CD editions. Expanded booklets my ass: these booklets have been scanned from the old ones. And the mixes are identical to the 1990 editions. These so-called new editions are roughly as far, chronologically, from the original CD editions as those editions were from the LP releases. But no improvements have been made in this case. Another sterling instance of a record company simply not giving a damn. You should wait for the upcoming boxset, which Mr. Nelson is preparing even as we speak.

Average customer rating:

Thank you Montana Skies

Montana Skies
Jonathan Adams , Anonymous , Giuesseppe Farruato , John & Paul McCartney Lennon , Roberto di Marino , Turlough O'Carolan , Erik Satie , Andrew York , and Montana Skies
Manufacturer: Sonic Grapefruit
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Chasing the Sun
Lift
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Not Too Late

ASIN: B00007KUTN
Release Date: 2002-12-04

Tracks:

Montana Skies, Jonathan Adams
The Edge of Night, Jonathan Adams
Sunburst, Andrew York
Gymnopedie #1, Erik Satie
Morenita do Brazil, Giuesseppe Farruato
Prelude, Jonathan Adams
Danza, Jonathan Adams
Milonga, Roberto di Marino
The Nightfall, Roberto di Marino
Here, There and Everywhere, Lennon/McCartney
Eleanor Rigby, Lennon/McCartney
December Mourning, Jonathan Adams
Bridget O'Malley, Traditional
Lord Inchiquin, Turlough O'Carolan

Album Description

Montana Skies creates a unique new sound with the unusual pairing of cello and fingerstyle guitar. Combining classic with modern, the group has created their own "new acoustic" sound with innovative original compositions and arrangements. As the group moves ahead, they continue to stretch the boundaries of contemporary instrumental music.

Customer Reviews:

Thank you Montana Skies.......2005-01-26

I downloaded the free MP3 of "Danza" to play in our middle school media center, to give us all a little relief from classical piano pieces playing in the background. :) "Danza" sounded so fresh and invigorating, that I downloaded all the MP3's offered by Montana Sky. I love the blend of classical guitar and cello. It is not easy to find well played, well recorded, classical music with a world flavor that is not distracting in a library setting--and also does not make everyone sleepy. There are Celtic and Latin sounding pieces here.
The guitar and cello both are recorded with a very full sound and are exquisitely mixed and mastered. A very nice surprise. I've put both CDs on my wish list at home for myself too.
Mary Z. Cox
www.maryzcox.com

Average customer rating:

Ekranoplan
Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound
Manufacturer: Tee Pee Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000MQ55G6
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Tracks:

Ekranoplan
Mosquito Lantern
Rudy on the Corner
Summon the Vardig
Occult Roots
Message by Mistral and Thunderclap
D. Brown
Chocolate Maiden's Misty Summer Morning
Gemini 9

Average customer rating:

Funk/Jazz fusion masterpiece!
The Past is in The Future
Miles Davis Electric musics fans take note..

Sunburst
Eddie Henderson
Manufacturer: Blue Note Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Anthology
Anthology, Vol. 2: The Capricorn Years: Realization/Inside Out
Love, Love
Ethiopian Knights
Straight Life

ASIN: B000065TS3
Release Date: 2002-05-21

Tracks:

Explodition
The Kumquat Kids
Sunburst
Involuntary Bliss
Hop Scotch
Galaxy
We End In A Dream

Customer Reviews:

Funk/Jazz fusion masterpiece!.......2006-03-16

Eddie Henderson, George Duke, and Alphonso Johnson brink the funk on this one. A really amazing album full of tight ensemble playing, brilliant and out solos, funky grooves, and excellent compositions. Many might know Henderson from his work in Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi group and although the last track on this album sonds similar to that free style of jazz this album is really much more funk oriented, with pretty tight arrangments. If you are a fan of Geroge Duke's early solo work or Stanley Clarke's early work, you'll love this album.

The Past is in The Future.......2002-07-10

My Sunburst album became very worn well before the 70's were over. In that day, some of mankind's most creative and freethinking musicians had only recently mined, forged and began crafting the use of a newly found raw musical resource called electricity (in the pre-digital age!)? This record under Henderson's leadership successfully states the facts of funk and the sounds of space. It's playful outrageousness just sitting on the bus stop down the street. It's far out, but cool. It's fun. It's beautiful. The grooves are living and breathing, evolving under the ever-creative solos in tight cohesion, yet freely expanding. Eddie Henderson's trumpet playing here is a real sunburst of brilliance throughout, be it with wah-wah, echo-plex, ghost electronics or plain good old acoustic. The pieces are both accessible and explorative. The structures are as intelligent as the group's performance is emotionally intuitive. If Jazz became a dead language in the 60's, then this album is one of a small handful of recordings that gave birth to the next several decades of global musical styling. The only true American art form in action, not in the `30's, but again in 1975?

Miles Davis Electric musics fans take note.........2002-06-06

.. the more or less unhearalded(except for the avid Jazz enthusiast), Eddie Henderson has been making great post bop and Electric jazz/funk for years.
Outside of a brief "ultra-commercial" fase, Mr Henderson has made some marvelous musics on trumpet, fluglehorn & cornet ,effortlessly articulating winding and complex, yet beautifully melodic solos. (He's another in the LONG line of examples why "Whine-tone" Marsalis ignores mention of these wonderful brassmen when HE pontificates at will as if he were some sort of "keeper of the jazz flame")
--Wynton ?- you can have him, I prefer a fresh and individual voice on the trumpet, not a passionless technician , and Edddie Henderson is one of my favorites! You listen to Eddie H., Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, etc etc, and W.M. becomes superfluous.

These guys , as said in musicians parlance, BURN!

E.H. was a seminal member of Herbie Hancock's unusually adventurous "Mwandishi" band, and "Sunburst" takes an interesting "middle ground" between the "outside" avant leanings and the commercial side(read "Fat Albert Rotunda")of the Mwandishi filosofia.

Ex-Mwandishis Bennie Maupin , Buster Williams and Billy Hart are featured along with illustrious names as Alfonso Johnson and George Duke,and the sound created sounds like a more cogent version of Miles' electric things. If I may be so bold, Mr Henderson's firey lines far outshine Mile's playing during his electric fase, as EH is equally as introspective as Miles could be, but burns more complex , snaking lines than the Dark Magus , in my humble opinion.And I thinks that the use of the echoplex is very tasteful, and equal to mile's "wah-wah" trumpet work as electric manipulation of an acoustic instrument goes..

Only 1 cut from 6 is pedestrian, the rest is a combination of funky groove, jazzy inspired solos and intergallactic electric aspirations!

Tracks:

Sunburst
What's New
Bird
Naima
This Is New
Stella By Starlight
Never Should It Ever End
So In Love
Rose Petals

Customer Reviews:

Fine mainstream jazz.......2002-01-18

Walter Norris is a veteran West-Coast pianist who remains familiar to most jazz fans from his least characteristic recording date: he was called in as a pianist for Ornette Coleman's first LP for Contemporary--an important date, but Coleman hardly needed a pianist. He has recorded a couple discs for the German label Enja as a leader, and Concord has more recently thrown him a welcome lifeline. He's a truly marvellous & original player, & deserves a much higher profile in the music then he's got. Like a number of his contemporaries (Lou Levy & Roger Kellaway come to mind) he has a distinctively adventurous, exploratory harmonic sensibility that pushes the music into riskier territory than is usual for Concord; he also has remarkably commanding chops, which are informed by a grounding in classical music (in one album's liner notes he talks a bit about his admiration for Chopin). He gets a very bright sound out of the piano, & his solos have a rhythmic sensibility that's quite unique (slippery, branching, accelerating-and-decelerating lines that often reach confidently out for ringing intervals in the treble). His readings of standards are always carefully thought out, often with extensive & challenging reharmonization (check out for instance his take on "Ruby My Dear" or "Laura" on _Love Every Moment_, another of his Concord discs).

This disc matches Norris with the great Joe Henderson, who is in good latterday form: it's an unexpected stylistic pairing that probably wouldn't have worked back in the 1960s when Henderson was in his firebrand stage but in the 1990s catches both players late in their careers, a pair of wise old owls. The rhythm section is not the centre of the action but is usefully youthful & thus not inclined to take things easy: it includes a young Larry Grenadier (now better known for his anchoring Brad Mehldau's trio) & a drummer I don't otherwise know, Mike Hyman. The material is a mix of mostly fairly familiar standards ("Naima", "What's New", "Stella by Starlight", &c) & a few Norris originals, of which the best is the closing "Rose Petals", a lovely trio performance. Henderson is in genial form, & this stands as tall as any of his 1990s discs under his own name: check out in particular the surprisingly forceful reading of "Naima" on here, & the entirely uncliche'd version of "Stella by Starlight". My only complaint here is that the sequencing of the album is a tad odd--the first 3 tracks are fine, but it's only with the 4th, "Naima" that the album hits top gear. Still, there's nothing bad here, & it's an album that will please anyone looking for intelligent mainstream jazz. The key to Norris's music is its warm, rhapsodic romantic sensibility (witness his opening out-of-tempo solo on "Rose Petals") that nonetheless is never soggy or self-indulgent. Give it a listen.

London Soul: Soulful Rhyme from the Capitol City { Various Artists }
Average customer rating:

Lifesaver For Those Sick of The Radio

London Soul: Soulful Rhyme from the Capitol City { Various Artists }

Manufacturer: Phantom Sound & Vision
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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New York Soul: Bite of Soul from the Big Apple

Rahsaan Patterson

ASIN: B00081MVXA
Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

Set the Tone - Nate James
Negative 2 Positive
Be Thankful (For What You Got) [Blaze Mix]
Don't Say It - NSMM
L.O.V.E. - Terri Walker
Help Me
Two Hearts - Juliette Leon,
This Thing - D'Nell
Dawning of a New Day - Vanessa Freeman
When Will I Ever Learn 2
Every Day - The Sunburst Band
What Can I Do - Romina Johnson
Action - 4hero
Hurry Home [TM Juke Mix] - Alice Russell
Bus Stop - Don-E,
Secret Garden - Natalie Williams
Booty la La - Bugz in the Attic

Album Description

London Soul bears threads of music from around the world, hot step raga, afro beat, lovers rock all find their way into the hybrid of Soul on this compilation. Featuring Bugz In The Attic, Hil St Soul Ft Roots Manuva, Incognito, Don-E, Lewis Taylor, 4 Hero, SpaceK, Omar FT Angie Stone, Shaun Escoffery, Terri Walker, D'Nell and many others. Unisex. 2005.

Customer Reviews:

Lifesaver For Those Sick of The Radio.......2006-05-29

I really appreciate good R&B; of course my definition of "good" means a nice beat, smooth vocals, and sharp production. But no matter how good a song is, it can "get old" very quick when you hear it on the radio, in the mall, on TV, in the club, etc. I've noticed that with R&B, the pool of pickings seems slim - and today I can listen to all those Boyz II Men, Jodeci, Tweet or Mary J. Blige songs from 2 years ago when I couldn't then. A treat is to see up-and-coming acts in the genre, but that's a rarity in Miami (dearth of soul/R&B musicians here...)

So I picked this CD up, just out of curiousity. I was expecting some interesting music - a conversation piece. But in two weeks, I've played the CD everywhere - in my house, the car, the iPod. It's a superb sampler that is diverse (the British music scene is a bit more ecclectic that the US) with hip-hop, deep club mixes, R&B singles, and neo-soul ballads occupying the same disc. Some special treats are "Be Thankful" - a remake of the 70's gem by Omar & Angie Stone; "L.O.V.E." by Terri Walker that sounds like it should be a R&B chart topper over on these shores (Beyonce, eat your heart out honey!); "This Thing" by D'nell which is a perfect mix of classic soul and modern remix techniques...but one of my favorites is "The Action" by 4hero; and excellent track that reminds you of De La Soul (well actually, it's Butterfly from Digable Planets on vocals - but I don't know if as many people remember Digable Planets!)

So if you enjoy "indie" neo-soul and hip/hop, and/or you are a DJ looking for solid tracks that aren't being played on the radio, this disc is for you. I'm curious to check out the other CDs in this series as well!

Average customer rating:

three perfect Cocteau Twins songs, plus one bonus
From the Flagstones is my favorite CT song
The Head Over Heels companion EP
Wonderful voice and ethereal music from Cocteau Twins...

Sunburst and Snowblind
Cocteau Twins
Manufacturer: 4ad
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000006XP6
Release Date: 1992-01-01

Tracks:

Sugar Hiccup
From the Flagstones
Hitherto
Because of Whirl-Jack

Customer Reviews:

three perfect Cocteau Twins songs, plus one bonus.......2005-09-29

No band has ever hit my auditory G-spot as often and as intensely as Cocteau Twins. Liz Fraser's mostly incomprehensible lyrics are like coded secrets, baring the essence of their feeling without showing their face (as one who is loved for one's soul rather than for one's body). People who can only listen to pop songs with vocals may not respond well to the Cocteau Twins, each of whose songs is -- in the manner of a traditional pop song, I guess -- a unique and stand-alone work, but whose songs toss their texts back to the realm of the purely musical, of the unlingual. In that respect, the lyrics do not treat the instrumentation as a background/backdrop, but rather, everything becomes homogonous. Which isn't to say that Fraser's vocals don't stand out. They do, but like an ethereal voice calling from the distance, perhaps from a cloud whose nighttime sky renders it barely visible.

On that same token, this literal obscurity turns the vocals and lyrics into a blank canvas. The songs can never become completely familiar. They retain an indelible aura of mystery and inaccessibility. They're better than orgasm, because there's no release from them. Ever hear a song, somewhere, without knowing the lyrics, and you think the singer's singing a particular phrase -- a phrase you find appealing -- only to find the actual lyrics and realize you heard incorrectly? Ever feel disappointed by this, knowing that the phrase you thought was being sung is more resonant than what is actually sung? The songs of Cocteau Twins are the solution to that quandary.

Why have I chosen to write these comments specifically for the 'Sunburst and Snowblind' EP? Well, it was an arbitrary choice -- they had to go somewhere, if anywhere at all -- but this EP represents, as well as any, that the singles and EPs of the Cocteau Twins were no throwaways; this music was as good as anything on any of their albums, making the 10-disc Cocteau Twins Singles Box a must-own for anyone else carried away by this music.

'Sunburst and Snowblind' contains three of the band's most haunting numbers. There's a reworked 'Sugar Hiccup,' sounding exciting and sweetly violent as ever; there's the urgent-sounding 'Hitherto,' which starts as though amidst a condition that's both tragic and prosaic -- it's brooding slice-of-life; and then there's 'From the Flagstones,' whose lyrics are shockingly lucid and intelligible, with perhaps every word sung entirely comprehensible. But this is not detrimental to the song in any way. Rather, it is possibly Cocteau Twins' most affecting love song, a dreamy call with a grand emotional scope and depth. Fraser limits the song to a handful of phrases whose strangeness creates a fragile resonance and power.

The fourth song here is something called "Because of Whirljack," and its inclusion is a mystery to me. It hardly sounds like Cocteau Twins, and it's one of the only Cocteau Twins songs that sounds dated. It sounds like weak Smiths, with Fraser's vocals skirting ever so close to the Siouxsie Sioux comparison that's haunted her throughout her presence in critical discussions of her style. But worst of all, its melody and Fraser's interpretation of it made me think of Stevie Nicks.

But three out of four ain't bad, surely, and in the case of 'Sunburst and Snowblind,' it's a privilege.

From the Flagstones is my favorite CT song.......2000-10-23

Like any EP, you can't place this effort in the catagory of some of the Cocteau Twins' full-length album. But I chose to give it 5 stars because From the Flagstones is absolutely sublime and Elizabeth's singing is phenomenal on it. When you consider that this track is from the Head over Heels era, I think it makes it all the more special.

The Head Over Heels companion EP.......2000-07-02

While some newer Cocteau Twins fans place Sunburst & Snowblind pretty low on their "favorites" list, there are a couple of wonderful tracks on this EP: From The Flagstones and Because Of Whirl-Jack. In fact, back in the days of vinyl this EP was highly sought after, mainly for Because Of Whirl-Jack.

This EP and the Head Over Heels album are sold as 2 separate titles as well as 1 combo title these days. I always tell folks they shouldn't have Sunburst & Snowblind without Head Over Heels and vice versa.

Wonderful voice and ethereal music from Cocteau Twins..........2000-06-20

There's a lot to like about this band (especially the inventive song titles--just look at them). However, these aren't the best songs they've done. Check out "Heaven or..." and "Treasure."

Guitar Player Presents Legends of Guitar: Classical, Vol. 2

Average customer rating:

The Best CD to get if you're new to the classical guitar

Guitar Player Presents Legends of Guitar: Classical, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Rhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B0000032H8
Release Date: 1991-08-27

Tracks:

Sonata K.336 - David Tanenbaum
Engish Suite No. 3: Allegro - Alexandre Lagoya
Spinning Wheel: Variations On The Russian Folk Song 'Spinning Wheel' - Alexander Ivanov-Kramskoy
Introduction And Variations On A Theme Of Mozart, Op. 9 - Nigel North
Capriccio No. 5 - Eliot Fisk
Danzas Espanolas, Op. 37, No. 2 'Oriental' - Pepe Romero
Homenaje A Debussy - Jose Rey de la Torre
Sueno En La Floresta - John Williams
Etude No. 7 - Eduardo Fernandez
Fandanguillo - Andres Segovia
Cochichando - Sharon Isbin
El Polifemo de Oro - Julian Bream
Brazillance - The Falla Trio
Micro Piezas - Sergio Assad
Gigue - Benjamin Verdery
Chase - David Starobin
Sunburst - Andrew York

Customer Reviews:

The Best CD to get if you're new to the classical guitar.......2004-02-06

Yea. That's pretty much a summation of this product. On this disc you get a almost all of the major guitarists of today. This of course means you take the good with the bad. It's a great disc because the pieces are staples and the performers are wonderfully varied. Pity David Russell & the LAGQ couldn't have been on it. For what it is it's a wonderful disc. Great intro to the classical guitar.

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Jazz Music

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