The Use [CD-single]

Track Listings

1. or, yellow

2. Virtuoso thinking for several invited words

3. Humility - on eating your words

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Chris Mann, an Australian poet, writer, performer and composer relocated to New York City, brings a recording of his signature works to Lovely Music. With the participation of Christine Bard, Anthony Coleman, Christian Marclay, Jim Pugliese, Mark Stewart and David Watson.

Chris Mannâ€™s works for voice are based on complex texts, freely composed to allow a play of wit and humor. He explores the textures and gestures of Australian speech, with its rhythms and qualities of color, pitch, intonation and emphasis. He has collaborated widely with composers, film-makers, and electronic music composers. He has received commissions from Radio France, Paris Autumn, National Public Radio, Composers Forum, Australian Biennale, Ars Electronica, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, BBC. He has held residencies at the Shire of Healesville in Victoria, ABC Staff Union, Harvestworks, RPIâ€™s iEar Studios. He performs extensively worldwide with Machine for Making Sense, Chris Mann and the Impediments, and solo..

Tracks:

Civil War
14 Years
Yesterdays
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Get In The Ring
Shotgun Blues
Breakdown
Pretty Tied Up
Locomotive (Complicity)
So Fine
Estranged
You Could Be Mine
Don't Cry (Alt. Lyrics)
My World

Amazon.com

Had Use Your Illusion II been combined with Use Your Illusion I, keeping only the best material while dropping the filler, it would have been one of the best rock albums ever recorded. Instead, great songs like "Civil War," "14 Years," "Estranged," and "So Fine" compete with the inexcusable "Get in the Ring" and the well-intentioned but off-target cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." There's no point to the second version of "Don't Cry," either. On the other hand, when Guns N' Roses were good, they were very, very good, and some of the material on this album is unsurpassable. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews:

The final album by Guns and Roses..........2007-06-26

Both Use Your Illusion albums had enough material for a 4LP set, and most of it is superb. This is the better of the two records, with G n R classics like Locomotive (an intense, nearly 9 minute rave up), Pretty Beat Up (courtesy of Izzy Stradlin with a cool sitar intro), an excellent cover of Knockin' on Heaven's Door, and Estranged is a good ballad. Gettin' in the Ring is a funny song where Axl goes off on critics. The song is a bit obvious, but it's still fun to listen to. This is more than likely Guns n Roses's final album. There's no way Axl is ever going to release anything else. How come Axl and company can release the equivalent of four albums in 1991, and haven't made an album of new material in 16 years (well, at least Axl, the others have moved on)? Axl needs to get his head out of his a**, and stop being full of himself.

Pure early 90s metal.......2007-05-19

Use Your Illusion II, the second half of Guns 'n' Roses' dual release, is second only to Appetite for Destruction in their list of best albums. With charging guitar funk ("Breakdown"), speeding hard rock ("You Could Be Mine"), and amazing ballads ("Estranged"), UYI II is a must-own for everyone and all die-hard G'N'R fans. It starts off with a creative blend of hard rock and balladry ("Civil War"), and after you've heard that song, you're immeadiately hooked. The blues rock sample of "14 Years" is also amongst the best in G'N'R's arsenal, and it shows that sometimes, bassists CAN be good at singing. "Estranged," which is probably the album's highest point, is one of the top 100 greatest songs of all time, and could even give "Stairway to Heaven" a run for its money. Other songs on the album, such as the two-part "Breakdown" and the awesome "So Fine," also deserve credit for giving the album the unique sound it has. "You Could Be Mine," which is my favorite from the album, is a hard-rocking G'N'R hit that will have you headbanging from the start. It features brilliant vocals by Axl Rose, awesome drumming from Matt Sorum, and masterful guitar playing from the almighty Slash. Use Your Illusion II probably would've won Best Album of the Year Award in 1992, but unfortunatly it didn't get the recogniton it needed thanks to Nevermind by Nirvana, one of the most overrated albums of all time. Standing as the last good album by Guns 'n' Roses, Use Your Illusion II will help you become a big fan of the band, even if you're against them in every way. A must-own album for everyone.

gnr 2.......2007-02-15

one of the best gnr albums, the other is part 1. most of the songs on the use your illusion cd's are really well written.

Wildly uneven, but could've been amazing.......2006-12-21

Hey, remember my old review of this album? Remember how much it SUCKED? Well, I'm editing it, because I've changed my mind about a couple songs. Now, I still feel Knockin' on Heaven's Door is a mockery of the Dylan classic, that Get in the Ring is stupidly self-centered, that My World is more wanking to end the extended game of pocket-hockey we call Use Your Illusion (at least it's short...), that Locomotive and Breakdown are amazing examples of WHY I feel this was an extended game of pocket hockey (how come nobody but me says that anymore?), and there's too much idiocy like Shotgun Blues, Pretty Tied Up (someone should make a law about anyone but Lou Reed writing a song about S&M) and So Fine. Oh, and why remake Don't Cry? It was a good song, you know, before you threw in the unneeded remake.
But we've got five REALLY AWESOME songs here. Ever see that video for Yesterdays? Great stuff, man. (and this from a guy who normally despises music videos!) Say what you will about Axl, but that little slither-dance thing he's got going is pretty cool. Now, I'm not saying you can judge a song by its video, because the song itself is amazing, too. Slash and Izzy riff away and Axl howls "ooh... yesterday's... got nothin' for me!" Schweet. Estranged is, well... Estranged. I didn't like it at first, but I didn't like ANY Guns n' Roses at first - their work seems to grow on me more than any other group's. Anyway, air-guitaring to that thing should be some sort of Olympic event, it's a great song to blast out the windows while you do said air guitaring (it'll drive the neighbors crazy, especially if they hate GN'R as I'm sure mine do and if you're as bad at air-guitar as me), it's got the best lyrics on any GN'R song anywhere ('cept maybe Patience), it's awesomely epic, AND I like Dizzy Reed's piano. It's true. I think he was an unnecessary addition to the band, but Estranged makes me change my mind. Possibly the best of either Illusion, though November Rain's some pretty stiff competition. Anyway, Izzy Stradin's my second-favorite Gunner (behind Guy with Cool Hat, Cool Stage Name and Even Cooler Guitar Tone), and he gets a chance to sing on his Stonesy Axl bash-a-thon 14 Years, which rocks tremendously. And I haven't gotten to the two big hits: Civil War (which mixes Appetite's hard rock, GN'R Lies' acoustic material, and surprising social relevance) which rules, and You Could Be Mine, a flat-out burning rocker which rules even more.

pretty good.......2006-10-06

This was a pretty good piece of work by GNR, but they have definately done better. Use your Illusion I was clearly the better of the two, but that doesnt mean this cd was total trash. This was by-far 10 times better than the Spaghetti Incedent, but not as good as Appetite for Destruction or the Greatest Hits album. "Knockin' on Heavens Door" was probably the best song on the album, whearas "My World" was complete garbage. I don't know what they were thinking with this song, but it sucks big time.

Average customer rating:

The guns n roses show
nearly perfect
turn around point!
turn around point!
Yeah, whatever

Use Your Illusion I
Guns N' Roses
Manufacturer: Geffen Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Use Your Illusion II
Appetite for Destruction
G N' R Lies
The Spaghetti Incident?
Live Era: '87-'93

ASIN: B000000OSE
Release Date: 1991-09-17

Tracks:

Right Next Door To Hell
Dust N' Bones
Live And Let Die
Don't Cry (Original)
Perfect Crime
You Ain't The First
Bad Obsession
Back Off Bitch
Double Talkin' Jive
November Rain
The Garden
Garden Of Eden
Don't Damn Me
Bad Apples
Dead Horse
Coma

Amazon.com

Part one of Guns N' Roses' ambitious second album is arguably the better of the two. It certainly rocks harder, though this seems to be more coincidence than anything else; which songs went on which CD looks to have been a random selection. Use Your Illusion I stays closer to the band's bluesy hard-rock roots, with guitarist Izzy Stradlin contributing some of the best songs, including "Dust N' Bones" and "You Ain't the First." "November Rain" (clocking in at over nine minutes) became an instant classic, and there are a fair number of straight-ahead rockers, such as "Perfect Crime," "Don't Damn Me," and "Garden of Eden." Taking the best from this album and Use Your Illusion II would have made a killer single CD, but there's enough good stuff here to make it worthwhile. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews:

The guns n roses show.......2007-04-18

This was the 5th guns album i bought my first being : Greatest Hits, 2nd Appetite: third Use your illusion 2 and then lies and finally Uyi 1.
Each time i bought a new guns album i heard a new sound completly different to the album before it. My fav. songs on this album are Don't damn me, Dead horse, Back off Bitch and definetly COMA. The riffs are unbelivable, Matt on the drums is great and axl well he is legendary, his voice, ever changing and his lyrics especially on Coma are mind blowing. Buy this album. You have to appriciate the lyrics of Axl and the others to really get this album. But there are still some hard rockin classics 5*

nearly perfect .......2006-12-30

use your illusion 1 is a real bluesy, complex, rock n roll album, instead of a stupid hair metal album like appetite. i'll only review songs i like,ok.

dust n bones, bad obsession and bad apples: intelligent, aerosmith, stonesy blues rock songs.

live and let die: cool cover song, unique riffs.

don't cry: beautiful, but not comparable to november rain.

november rain: if u know anything about gnr, you've heard it. sounds classical, complex, and great instruments.

you ain't the 1st: twangy bluegrass country song w/ no solos, short, but one of a kind.

double talkin jive: kinda stupid lyrics, but almost metallica-sounding guitar solo, which fades into a spanish guitar sounding solo at the 1 minute left mark, rebellious.

the garden: seems to tell of drug use, multi-styled, it's soft yet heavy, like led zeppelin songs. BEST HARD SONG ON ALBUM

don't damn me: rebellious, and quality lyrics, just a simple gnr rocker.

dead horse: starts out acoustic, then suddenly gets crazy heavy, and an awesome solo from slash, then goes back to the same acoustic part then ends.

coma: describes a coma, has very heavy riff in it; coma>the garden.

This is not a hair metal album; uyi1 is like aerosmith/stones, while appetite is like poison/motley crue/kiss. do not buy but a few songs off appetite.

turn around point!.......2006-12-28

appetite makes gnr sound like motley crue: high-pitched singing, repetitive songs, empty lyrics. This makes em seem even more manly; they sound like aerosmith, perhaps lynyrd skynyrd, having old, bluesy licks, deep lyrics, southern rockish keyboard, and the great ballad november rain, of course. Also, kinda weird pink floydish/zep sounds in some parts.
anti- hair metal! buy now!!!

turn around point!.......2006-12-28

Yeah, whatever.......2006-12-13

Okay, I'm still wondering something: Do we really need two CD's worth of this album? I mean, come on! Yeah, there's some coolness spread across this album: "November Rain" and "Don't Cry" are two more awesome lovestruck power ballads, "Live and Let Die" is arguably even better than Macca's because of Slash's heavy guitar, "Right Next Door to Hell", "Dust n' Bones", and "Perfect Crime" fill out the obligatory "kickass rock n' roll" quotient. And "Coma" is nicely epic and such. The biggest misstep is the acoustic country-twanger thing "You Ain't the First", which at least is mercifully brief, unlike the proceeding stupidity. Tell me, what was their justification for dragging slag like the Stones rip "Bad Obsession", misogynistic "Back off B*tch", psychedelic trash "In the Garden" (with Alice Cooper making a total fool of himself), and "Don't Damn Me", with Axl justifying his writing "One in a Million" by saying, "Sometimes I wanna kill" and "Sometimes I wanna destroy" (niiiiiiice. Now those two people in the world who previously didn't think you were an a** have changed their minds). And not only is he an a** (but you knew that), he's a friggin' hypocrite. "Why let one bad apple spoil the whole damn bunch", proclaims Mr. Axl "Immigrants and f*ggots/they make no sense to me" Rose. Hey buddy, by now everybody knows you hate anyone who isn't a straight American white guy, so why pretend otherwise? Who's gonna believe you? And guess what else? If you take what's good here, you get an economical single CD! Maybe it's a couple songs too few, but that's what we have those precious few good songs from Use Your Illusion II for!

Average customer rating:

AWESOME!!
MacRae and Jones soar in this tragic R&H musical
Great Music
Response to David Pabian's review below
Gummed up an Original

Carousel (1956 Film Soundtrack)
Shirley Jones , Claramae Turner , Robert Rounseville , Cameron Mitchell , Barbara Ruick , Robert Rounseville , Richard Rodgers , Oscar Hammerstein II , and Gordon MacRae
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Oklahoma! (1955 Film Soundtrack)
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ASIN: B00005A7XD
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Tracks:

Introduction - Gordon MacRae/William Le Massena
Main Title: The Carousel Waltz - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
You're A Queer One, Julie Jordan - Barbara Ruick/Shirley Jones
When I Marry Mr. Snow - Barbara Ruick
If I Loved You - Shirley Jones/Gordon MacRae
June Is Bustin' Out All Over - Claramae Turner/Barbara Ruick
June Is Bustin' Out All Over Ballet - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
Soliloquy - Gordon MacRae
Blow High, Blow Low - Cameron Mitchell
When The Children Are Asleep - Robert Rounseville/Barbara Ruick
A Real Nice Clambake - Barbara Ruick/Claramae Turner/Robert Rounseville/Cameron Mitchell
Stonecutters Cut In On Stone - Cameron Mitchell
What's The Use Of Wond'rin - Shirley Jones
You'll Never Walk Alone - Shirley Jones/Claramae Turner
Ballet - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
If I Loved You (Reprise) - Gordon MacRae
You'll Never Walk Alone (Finale) - Shirley Jones
Carousel Waltz (LP Version) - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman

Amazon.com

Richard Rodgers always considered Carousel his favorite score, even though it didn't generate the number of popular hits of some of the other shows he produced with lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. Their adaptation of the Ferenc Molnar play Liliom is marked by three especially sublime moments. "The Carousel Waltz," Rodgers's alternative to the traditional Broadway overture, serves as an orchestral backdrop to the opening scene and is one of the best miniatures ever written for the theater. "If I Loved You," which establishes the romance of carnival barker Billy Bigelow (Gordon MacRae, a late replacement for Frank Sinatra) and nice girl Julie Jordan (Shirley Jones), is a musical minidrama in which the pair's discussion of how they are not in love reveals just how much they are in love. "Soliloquy" is Billy's powerful solo that foreshadows the action to come in Act II. Add the inspirational anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone," and you have Rodgers and Hammerstein's most extraordinary, near-operatic score. On the soundtrack for the 1956 film, MacRae and Jones are in exceptional voice (following their success in 1955's Oklahoma) and the orchestra sounds glorious, but unfortunately some of the numbers were shortened, most notably "If I Loved You." Extensive production notes, an interview with Jones, and a synopsis are included. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

AWESOME!!.......2007-05-12

LOVE SOUND TRACTS FROM OLD MOVIES - SING ALONGS AND THE BEST ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE TRAVELING AND CAN SING LOUD. IT IS A KEEPER

MacRae and Jones soar in this tragic R&H musical.......2007-02-11

This film adaptation of Carousel came shortly after the Oklahoma! film and reunited Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones. Although the film was not well-received at the box office, the soundtrack shows MacRae, Jones and the superb cast performing their roles to their heart's content. Their performance helps bring out the pathos in this tragic R&H musical, which Rodgers himself considered his favourite of all his works.

MacRae shines vocally as Billy Bigelow, bringing an open-hearted musicality and sincerity to his stout-hearted portrayal. MacRae stands out in Billy's pivotal Soliloquy, which some reviewers have considered one of the finest vocal performances of the 20th century. He is well-partnered by Shirley Jones, who lends her tender voice and personality to her portrayal as Julie. Listen to the chemistry they exude during the pivotal If I Loved You duet, as if they're overcoming their shyness and drawing sustenance from each other with their love. The supporting cast also gives its all in performing their roles. Claramae Turner's hearty Nettie brims with sincerity, warmth and tenderness, and she leads a rousing rendition of June is Bustin' Out All Over and renders You'll Never Walk Alone touchingly. Barbara Ruick and Robert Rounseville are superb as Carrie and Mr. Snow, although I admit I would have liked a little more humour. I also admit I would have liked Cameron Mitchell as Jigger to sound more sinister, like Fisher Stevens did in the 1994 Broadway revival recording. But even as it is, everyone sings gloriously and is given sumptuous backing from Alfred Newman's superb arrangements and the 20th-Century Fox Orchestra, when it shines out in the ballets.

If I'm adding to the praise of these critic-proof performance, you'll wonder, why am I giving only 4 stars? Well, it's because the extra sound effects from the unreleased sequences tend to jar after a while. I know some of you are complaining that the dance sequences are plagued by extraneous sound effects and noise. I share the same feelings too and also wish that the producers had utilised the original studio pre-recordings for a sumptuous listening experience. However, let us at least be grateful that Didier Deutsch and his production team have made these unreleased sequences available on a soundtrack CD reissue. At least it's a step in the right direction before the entire canon of R&H film soundtracks (yes, including South Pacific and The Sound of Music) gets its due as deluxe 2-CD sets, complete with underscore.

However, don't let this gripe dissuade you from buying this soundtrack. It offers a complete musical experience that one could only dream of in the previous CD reissues of the soundtrack. And it demonstrates the element that Rodgers & Hammerstein were discovering in their musicals.

Great Music.......2007-01-04

Rogers and Hammerstein were in a different league when it came to writing musicals. Their music, lyrics and story are never alike. These two partners were exceptional and their music shows it. Carousel is a tragic story but also shows that human nature can rise above adversity. The music is wonderful and the characters believable. A great movie.

Response to David Pabian's review below.......2004-06-30

Response to David Pabian's review:

My review was not in error, as Mr. Pabian expects. The review was for the original CD release, not this expanded version. Amazon lifted it out of that spot and dropped it here, which of course makes it anachronistic. Why they did it without reading it is certainly an inept decision.

Gummed up an Original.......2003-06-10

This overblown "completeitis" has got to stop. The original soundtrack album Carousel Waltz is now relegated to Appendix status, and terrible sonics accompany dancers' footstomping in the "new" expanded musical sequences, taken directly from the soundtrack rather than from still-existing musical tracks. There was a reason soundtrack recordings were studio performances. The proportions were right, the timings were correct for an overall BALANCED listening experience. These gawdawful expanded editions, often with dialogue thrown in, completely throw off those balances. An argument might be made for expanded sequences appropriate to a CDs longer playing time than the standard L.P. 45min., but possibly only if those sequences are from their original studio-recorded, pre release-print mix -- which could have easily been done in this case. A quick word on one of the above reviews: This is not the first time the complete Carousel Waltz is heard in stereo. There were two previous CD remasterings of the original soundtrack whereon it was included. And the reprise of "If I loved You" was part of every soundtrack release, mono and stereo.

Average customer rating:

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

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

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ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

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.

All the Best Songs
Average customer rating:
All the Best Songs
No Use for a Name
Manufacturer: Fat Wreck Chords
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Secret Weapon

New Maps of Hell

Blackhawks Over Los Angeles

Keep It Going

Icky Thump

ASIN: B000A2GXQ8
Release Date: 2007-07-10

Tracks:

International You Day
Justified Black Eye
Coming Too Close
Invincible
Dumb Reminders
Fatal Flu
Life Size Mirror
On the Outside
Soulmate
Let Me Down
Permanent Rust
Chasing Rainbows
Not Your Savior
Black Box
The Answer Is Still No
Straight From the Jacket
Any Number Can Play
For Fiona
The Daily Grind
Let It Slide
Feeding the Fire
Part Two
Growing Down
Exit
History Defeats
Stunt Double

Average customer rating:

Fine. YOu win
The totally unofficial Bloodhound Gang `Use Your Fingers' Q&A
Worst Ive heard from Bloodhound Gang
The funniest one of the bunch...
The one bad thing about this album

Use Your Fingers
The Bloodhound Gang
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Funk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Metal | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Hefty Fine
Hooray for Boobies
One Fierce Beer Run
Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo
Tenacious D

ASIN: B000002B79
Release Date: 1995-07-18

Tracks:

Rip Taylor Is God
We Are The Knuckleheads
Legend In My Spare Time
B.H.G.P.S.A.
Mama Say
Kids In America
You're Pretty When I'm Drunk
The Evils Of Placenta Hustling
One Way
Shitty Record Offer
Go Down
Earlameyer The Butt Pirate
No Rest For The Wicked
She Ain't Got No Legs
We Like Meat
Coo Coo Ca Choo
Rang Dang
Nightmare At The Apollo
K.I.D.S. Incorporated
Bonus Track 1

Amazon.com

White rappers generally divide into two camps: the Beastie Boys disciples and the House of Pain clique. For the former, honky hip-hop has nothing to do with the African-American experiences that gave birth to the rap form; rather, it is borrowed to express the middle-class, often suburban, ennui that comes from too much pop culture and too much time on one's hands. In the latter, groups attempt to co-opt the Afrocentrism and identity worship from black rap and use it as a template for their own particular ethnic trumpeting--Irish, in HOP's case. On their debut album, Use Your Fingers, Bloodhound Gang make it clear which group they expect to be confused with: "No, I'm not the guy from the Beastie Boys!" yells Jimmy Pop (or is it his partner Daddy Long Legs?). Hailing from suburban Philadelphia, BG are a self-contained frat party dying to offend anyone who'll listen with their often hilarious, in-your-face political incorrectness. They fight for their right to be moronic throughout--whether worshiping Rip Taylor or invoking the Cavity Creeps from an old toothpaste ad. It's not all just fat-chick and cripple jokes, though: BG back up their obnoxious idiocy with some fairly wise musical maneuvering. While their age and background lead them to repeatedly mine the '80s for material--Duran Duran and Cure samples, Michael Jackson and Blondie interpolations, a "Kids in America" cover--their sly comments and ingenious a cappella snippets prove they're surprisingly sharp and able lads. --Roni Sarig

Customer Reviews:

Fine. YOu win.......2007-03-23

Amazon wants me to review this. And _____, I will. If you like The Bloodhound Gang, and don't own this, then you are missing out.

One of the best rap albums ever. THere's no rock on this really, just rap. SOunds like _____? Looks like alot of people slam this record. I say this record rules. It's one of the best rap albums ever. The record is made like this.

1.Remember Mope. Yeah, I _______ loved all the refrences to pop culture. Well, that's this record is built on raps like that, only alot better. IT's pure rap, remember that. And best of all, there's no tough guy talk really. Yeah, some get you _____, but instead of bragging about how large his ________ is, or how many skinny, hot girls he gets. IT's the opposite. Jimmy knows that he has a small ______, and says that, and sings about how he _________ fat chicks after getting drunk, cause that's all he's gonna ___________ get.

2.Samples. No ________ beat that sound like a four year old made it. Some really cool samples. (the most creative. The Sanford and San Theme).
3.One line choruses. Lot's of party choruses.
4.Skits. Placenta hunting, Rip Taylor. and a slam on Axl Rose (showing how desperate the _________ was).

This is not for poser fans. IF you only like The Bad Touch, Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo, and Fire Water Burn, stay away. IT's rap, and that only really, besides Kids IN America and KIDS Incorporated. I loved it, and I think it's great. YOu should get it.

The totally unofficial Bloodhound Gang `Use Your Fingers' Q&A.......2006-09-07

Q: So was the mega-successful, multi-platinum Rock/Hip-Hip crossover masterpiece `One Fierce Beer Coaster' the Bloodhound Gang's first album?
A: No, it wasn't. The band's first album was `Use Your Fingers', released in 1995.

Q: So how come I've never heard of it?
A: You haven't been looking in the bargain bin at your local record store.

Q: Was it any good?
A: The record-buying public didn't seem to think so, and neither did the band. Bloodhound Gang actually split up after the release of `Use Your Fingers' because of the poor response it received, but reformed again.

Q: So what's the title all about then? Is it referring to Guns n Roses or female masturbation?
A: Yes to both.

Q: So what's it sound like?
A: It sounds just how you might imagine the predecessor to `One Fierce Beer Coaster' would sound.

Q: So it's got the funky beats then?
A: Er, sort of.

Q: And it's got the silly lyrics?
A: Yes.

Q: And the dumb bits between the songs?
A: Of course it does. It's a Bloodhound Gang album isn't it?

Q: And does the CD have some dumb instructions on it?
A: Yes! These questions are really dumb!

Q: Sorry, but I'm doing my best. There are lots of obscure references to American pop culture here. Can you help me out?
A: I'll try...

Q: Is that really Rip Taylor on the first track?
A: Yes, it is.

Q: So who's Rip Taylor?
A: A camp American comedian, famous for being fat, having spiky hair, throwing confetti when he tells jokes, and being camp. Also known as the Prince of Pandemonium.

Q: Who are Vera, Flo and Mel?
A: All three are characters from the sitcom "Alice". Vera and Flo are waitresses, while Mel is the cook who owns Mel's Diner.

Q: Who are Jerry's Kids, and why do they need a sponsor?
A: Comedian Jerry Lewis got all serious when he started getting old, and started a charity for disabled children. The children helped by the charity are known as Jerry's Kids.

Q: What was the Rockford Files?
A: It was a 1970s police show starring James Garner.

Q: What are spaghettios?
A: Little rings made of spaghetti, shaped like the letter O.

Q: What was Barbara Eden doing in a bottle?
A: She was Jeannie in the sitcom "I Dream Of Jeannie", where she was a genie who lived in a bottle. Look, this is getting boring. Ask some questions about the music!

Q: Er, OK, I'll try. Um, did Bloodhound Gang write all the music?
A: Of course not! They ripped stuff off all over the place and covered Kim Wilde's "Kids In America". However, The Cure wouldn't let them rip off a sample, which is probably a good thing, because this album is bad enough on it's own.

Q: Is it as good as Lawnmower Deth's "Kids In America"?
A: No.

Q: Is "One Way" a Blondie cover, "Go Down" an AC/DC cover, and "No Rest For The Wicked' an Ozzy Osbourne cover?
A: No.

Q: Are any of the songs clever and funny?
A: No, but some are stupid and funny, like `You're Pretty When I'm Drunk', and he's pretty ...ing drunk.

Q: So what else can you tell us about the music?
A: That's a stupid question! Um, well, it sounds like the demo tunes on tinny little hand held keyboards, but it took five guys to make the sounds. Occasionally a guitar pops up, but not often enough.

Q: So, um, is this like, any good, or worth getting?
A: It depends. If you like other Bloodhound Gang albums, then you might like this. If you are just a casual observer, who quite liked "Fire Water Burn" then you'd probably be very disappointed.

Q: So it's rubbish then.
A: I wouldn't go quite that far, but it's not a masterpiece. Finished with the questions?

Q: Yes.
A: Good.

Worst Ive heard from Bloodhound Gang.......2006-07-25

I was excited about this cd...then I started listening to it. If I wanted Beastie Boys I would have bought Beastie Boys. Its nothing but lame 80's rap loops and a few butt rock tracks. Nothing like the Bloodhound gang of old. What happened to the techno/pop? What happened to somewhat punk? The only good song on the cd is Kids incorporated. I would consider this their joke cd since about half of the tracks are garbage and only 40 seconds long. One word...lame.

The funniest one of the bunch..........2006-04-19

'Bloodhound Gang is here to get it on, so rock on brothers, rock on' - There are a lot of positive things to say about Beer Coast and Boobies, but Use Your Fingers is still the most unique! Rip Taylor, Duran Duran, Blondie and The Cure samples, trying to find his wife's placenta, then turning her upside-down to hold Jimmy's beer, and the nastiest last bonus track of all time! The only things that I would omit is Kids In America and Sh*tty Record Offer, but that certainly doesn't affect me giving this full length 5 stars.

The one bad thing about this album.......2006-03-25

After listening to some of the newer seemingly un-inspired Bloodhound Gang records, I have to put in some kudos to this one.. with TONS of horribly inappropriate genius lyrics.. this is a great album..

and the only bad part is that Daddy Long Legs seems to rap a little too much about how he's "cold kicking lyrics". Trust me.. listen to this album too much like me and that starts to get really annoying...

but Jimmy Pop's obscure pop culture references MORE then make up for such a minor thought.

Average customer rating:

Great Music
If you like Mason Jennings, ...
A Classic....!
This is an amazing work
It is good, and I like Mason a lot, but i agree that it can sound out of tune

Use Your Voice
Mason Jennings
Manufacturer: Bar/None Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Birds Flying Away
Mason Jennings
Boneclouds
Century Spring
Learn Yourself

ASIN: B00019PDFC
Release Date: 2004-02-10

Tracks:

Crown
The Light Part (II)
Empire Builder
Fourteen Pictures
Lemon Grove Avenue
Keepin It Real
The Ballad of Paul and Sheila
Southern Cross
Drinking As Religion
Ulysses

Amazon.com

With Use Your Voice, Mason Jennings turns in what is easily his finest CD to date, an understated masterpiece of sensitive songwriting, minimalist production, and wonderful folk grooves. The vibe on this disc is heartfelt and intimate, but--as lead track "Crown" reveals--Jennings never succumbs to earnestness or folk-rock cliches. Instead, he captures the essence of vintage, pre-electric Dylan with poetic and timeless ballads about love and loss. Though Jennings is often compared to Jack Johnson, his bluesy songwriting and infectious rhythms on this fine disc are thoroughly unique. As his tunes move from funky ("Empire Builder," "Keepin' It Real") to somber ("Fourteen Pictures," "Ballad of Paul and Sheila"), he sounds soulful, not affected. All told, Use Your Voice is a great disc, and a fine introduction to this ascending talent. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

Great Music.......2007-02-22

To anyone who has not had the pleasure of hearing Masons work, you truly are missing out. I have just recently been introduced to Mason through the movie Oh in Ohio and I could not be more happy. My wife and I listen to Mason at least 3-4 times a week. His CD's get more play then any other cd's we own. Devon Sproule is a close second. I am a big music fan and appreciate all types of music and Mason is one of the best. My personal favorite of Mason's is Use Your Voice. All I can say is that Mason is outstanding and I hope that he continues the great work. For those that think he is imitating Jack Johnson I say do not even attempt to degrade Masons music like that. Jack Johnson is talent less like the rest of today's pathetic group of musicians and it is artists like Mason and Devon who are KEEPIN IT REAL.

If you like Mason Jennings, ..........2006-07-29

I bought it specifically for the song "Lemon Grove Avenue" and am happy with it on that basis. Mr. Jennings has a number of CDs available and, I'm sure, a very devout following. I like his songs and playing but his style of singing (sliding across notes) does get to me after awhile. That said, the CD was still a good decision and I'm very happy to have it. :)

A Classic....!.......2006-04-09

I'm always impressed with Jennings ability to capture human emotions in his songs. Overall, this album is very good, and won't be leaving my CD player for a very long time, and I hope it gets some time in yours too. It reminds me of Tim Kirker's .."Like Distant Sounds" album clean, honest and a must have for any music collection.

This is an amazing work.......2005-10-23

Yeah if you go and read some of Mason's interviews, the reason it is slightly out of tune is cause he said he wanted to get the feel of Bob Dylan's "blood on the tracks", record. I think he did a great job. I tottally got that feeling. Also if you listen to the last song I think it's called "ulysses" it tottally has the feel of a Jack Kerouac book, it seriously gives you chills if you listen to every word.

It is good, and I like Mason a lot, but i agree that it can sound out of tune.......2005-10-20

I think he has a great voice, with a lot of soul, but it can sound out of tune at times, technically. I agree about the "scoop" thing he does. Even though he gets to the right pitch at the end of a note, half of the actual note is out of tune. I don't think it's easy to notice though because b/c it's kind of like you're anticipating the right pitch so you're still feeling the whole note(no pun intended). It's like when a trombonist holds his slide out and starts the note, then pulls the slide up until he hits the right note. There's even a name for it I think and a way to cite it on sheet music. Technically a lot of the note might be out of tune, but it can still be a cool style on some of the notes, and I think that's kind of how it works for him. The listener is still feeling the whole note, even though some of it is out of tune. I can see how you could get stuck on it being out of tune though, b/c in a lot of the songs he does it a lot, so if you're thinking about it, it can be annoying. I don't know if it's on this CD, but listen to the song "Adrian". It seems to me that he really uses that scoop well to give a sort of feel and vibe to the song, that would otherwise not be there. It's like his way of putting accents on the notes, so you acctually maybe even feel it more. Also the song "Duluth", shows that his voice fits in a bluesy style of music, which is known for having a sort of swing and soulful feel to it. So while it is technically out of tune some of the time and can potentially be annoying, I still enjoy it on the whole, and I would definitely recommend giving it a shot.

Average customer rating:

The Correct Use of Soap
Magazine
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

New Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Real Life
Secondhand Daylight
Magic, Murder and the Weather
Daydream Nation (Deluxe Edition)
Y

ASIN: B000LZ6DPA
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

Because You're Frightened
Model Worker
I'm a Party
You Never Knew Me
Philadelphia
I Want to Burn Again
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
Sweetheart Contract
Stuck
Song from Under the Floorboards
Twenty Years Ago [*]
Book [B-Side][*]
Upside Down [*]
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) [A-Side][*]
Light Pours out of Me [*][Version]

Album Description

2007 digitally remastered and expanded edition of the third album from the Post-Punk band led by former Buzzcocks vocalist Howard Devoto. Originally released in 1980, this reissue now features four bonus tracks: 'Twenty Years Ago', 'Book', 'Upside Down' and 'The Light Pours Out Of Me' (Single Version). Virgin.

Album Details

After Leaving the Buzzcocks in 1977, Vocalist Howard Devoto Formed Magazine with Guitarist John Mcgeoch, Bassist Barry Adamson, Keyboardist Bob Dickinson, and Drummer Martin Jackson. Acknowledged by Radiohead as an Important Influence, Magazine Wilfully Ignored the Prevailing Musical Orthodoxy of the Punk Era - which is What Makes These Albums Timeless. "The Correct Use of Soap" was Released in May 1980. Magazine's Third Album Found Devoto Reunited with Martin Hannett, the Producer of Buzzcocks' Spiral Scratch EP - Devoto's Only Contemporary Release with the Band. Hannett's Production of Joy Division Had Recently Sealed his Reputation as a Prime Sonic Auteur. Recognised as Magazine's Masterpiece, "Soap" was also Praised by Its Producer as My "Best Technical Production". Digitally Remastered for 2007, the Correct Use of Soap Includes the Singles 'a Song from under the Floorboards', 'thank You', 'upside Down' and 'sweetheart Contract', plus B-sides.

Rodgers & Hammerstein: Songbook for Orchestra (Orchestral Suites)

Average customer rating:

Irresistible
"Some Enchanted Evening" with Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops
Excellent!
Great Arrangments

Rodgers & Hammerstein: Songbook for Orchestra (Orchestral Suites)

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Lerner & Loewe Songbook for Orchestra
Rodgers & Hammerstein - The Complete Overtures ~ Opening Night / Hollywood Bowl Orchestra · Mauceri
Puttin' on the Ritz: The Great Hollywood Musicals
The Sound Of Music (1987 Studio Cast)
Classics of the Silver Screen

ASIN: B000003CXQ
Release Date: 1992-01-28

Tracks:

Oklahoma!
Carousel
State Fair
South Pacific
The King And I
Cinderella Waltz
Flower Drum Song
The Sound Of Music

Customer Reviews:

Irresistible.......2005-07-29

From beginning to end this CD is pure delight. A great recording has great music, a great performance, and great sound; this one scores on all three counts.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals dominated Broadway in the 1940s and 1950s, and American musical theater has produced no more consistently eloquent and durable voice than Richard Rodgers. From his fertile genius flowed a surprising number of memorable songs, many of which have passed into and become an accepted and beloved part of modern American culture.

This well-filled CD (77:36) features symphonic arrangements (all but two by Robert Russell Bennett) of the music from Oklahoma (1943), Carousel (1945), State Fair (1945), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), Flower Drum Song (1958), and The Sound of Music (1959). All the great tunes are here in suites from each musical that average 10-12 minutes in length. The arrangements are expert: rich, varied, and colorful. The performances are polished, idiomatic, and irresistible; Kunzel and this orchestra are thorough masters of this kind of material. And Telarc's sound (recorded 1991) is state-of-the-art (engineer Michael Bishop deserves to take a bow).

In short, there's nothing here to cloud your listening pleasure (the only quibble I can imagine is that some of your favorites may not last long enough), so it's hard for me to envision anyone with ears and a taste for music who wouldn't enjoy this CD. Warmly recommended. Finally, if you like this one as much as I do, you might want to know that the same team has produced a companion volume, the Lerner & Lowe Songbook for Orchestra.

"Some Enchanted Evening" with Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops.......2003-12-26

Erich Kunzel's Rodgers and Hammerstein anthology with the Cincinatti Pops Orchestra is one of the best and most ravishing instrumental Rodgers and Hammerstein albums of all time. With sumptuous arrangements and warm, natural Telarc recording, this glorious 77-minute CD presents sweeping, melodic arrangements of over 60 Rodgers and Hammerstein selections, spanning eight scores, and Kunzel allows the Pops to play with a characterful and polished understanding of the Rodgers and Hammerstein idiom. The disc is enough to cheer you up on a dull day and make you smile, and it might even want to make you feel like a convert to Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals.

This CD has all the scores arranged chronologically. The OKLAHOMA! suite that opens this disc promises a feast for the senses, Kunzel ably evokes the territory's "bright, golden haze" in the way he conducts the various excerpts, until you feel the atmosphere of the country charm of the show, and the love-affair between Curly and Laurey. Then, in CAROUSEL, he ably evokes the pathos of this tragic R&H masterwork, especially in the truncated Waltz, but he leads a wonderfully melodic "June is Bustin' Out All Over" and a devotional "You'll Never Walk Alone." Although this suite does not include Billy's pivotal Soliloquy, it includes "If I Loved You" as an expression of his love for Julie, and within minutes you could be soaked in the ups and downs of the show's mood.

After a brief STATE FAIR suite, with sweeping renditions of "It Might As Well Be Spring" and "It's a Grand Night for Singing", we are brought into the disc's showstopping highlights. These highlights are the excerpts from SOUTH PACIFIC, THE KING AND I, and THE SOUND OF MUSIC. But yet Kunzel conducts the rest of the disc until the various suites amount to a series of showstoppers. These three suites present wonderfully-arranged versions of their many familiar classic songs, with well-played solos. The SOUTH PACIFIC suite presents the songs in chronological order, yet preserves the atmosphere of the show at the same time. Kunzel ably brings out the romance in "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Younger than Springtime," and contrasts it with the exotic and dreamlike "Bali Hai'i" and the comic "There is Nothing like a Dame" and "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair". Although the suite ends quietly with a reprise of "Dites-Moi" rather than the reprise of "Some Enchanted Evening," within minutes we are swept into the KING AND I suite. Kunzel ably brings out the Oriental pathos in this score, and he captures the warmth of Anna's rapport with the King's Siamese children in "Getting to Know You", and with the King himself in "Shall We Dance." There is also romance in the love ballads "I Have Dreamed" and "We Kiss in a Shadow." Similarly, in the selection from THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Kunzel conducts this until the orchestra soaks itself in the atmosphere of this Austrian R&H score. This SOUND OF MUSIC suite has more of a feel of the score compared to the bonus track on Sony's reissued version of the Broadway recording. You can almost feel as if you are following the progress of the Trapp family and how it lifts its spirits with the joy of music. Kunzel gives us a soaring version of the title song, and spirited versions of "Do-Re-Mi" and "My Favourite Things." He balances it with the open-air quality of "Edelweiss" and "The Lonely Goatherd." Although this suite could have included "Something Good," the love ballad written for the film, the three recollections of the songs that were cut from the movie only last for a while. And, the towering version of "Climb Every Mountain" crowns this portion of the disc, and this sumptuously-produced recording. But, I should also mention the infectuous FLOWER DRUM SONG medley, where Kunzel turns this underrated score into a work of art, until it convinces you to buy the cast recording. And, don't forget about the brief CINDERELLA WALTZ, too, when Kunzel conducts it magically, until you feel like you are in the company of Cinderella and the Prince. He is able to show how this R&H score marked a comeback for R&H after the failiures of Me and Juliet, and Pipe Dream.

Overall, this glorious Rodgers and Hammerstein recording is guarunteed to make you want to pucker your lips out for a whistle or sing along (to paraphrase another revew for Kunzel's Disney Spectacular disc) - even if this recording is music only, and as long as you know the words to the songs (and you might know a large handful of them already.) There is always a certain magic in this fine CD that makes you feel like you're sitting in the theatre watching these musicals, until it makes you feel like it is truly, to borrow two R&H song titles, "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Something Wonderful" to be in Kunzel's company for this R&H offering. It would certainly be one recording that could make you feel willing to buy the complete cast recordings of the shows. And I guaruntee that it will make you feel willing to pull out your existing copies of the cast recordings to listen to them again. I also guaruntee that it will be a cornerstone in any Rodgers and Hammerstein collection, just as it is in mine. Recommended heartily to any Rodgers and Hammerstein enthusiast and to fans of Erich Kunzel's work. And, you can play it while reading the Richard Rodgers biography, Musical Stages, until Rodgers himself would count this as his favourite disc in the afterlife.

By the way, most of the arrangements for the suites on this CD were done by the veteran R&H orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett, and it surely adds to the appeal of this recording. This itself is enough to amount to the icing on the cake, since Kunzel conducts them well on here, and since this recording still allows the suites to have the original theatrical atmosphere. And, although this recording is like the Mauceri collection of the Rodgers & Hammerstein overtures in compiling orchestral suites of Rodgers & Hammerstein, I think that I like the Kunzel recording even more because Kunzel has more magic in his conducting of these suites.

Excellent!.......2003-04-08

This is one of the best Erich Kunzel/Cincinnati Pops collections we own! A must for Rodgers and Hammerstein fans, too.

Great Arrangments.......2001-09-02

This is a first rate album with great arrangments and orchestrations. If you're a Rodgers and Hammerstein fan, you can't afford to miss this specatacular album

Average customer rating:

Really, really, REALLY BAD!
Deceptive Title & Trade Dress
This was a major disappointment
Not worth your money
LOTR meets New Age

Themes from Lord of the Rings: Trilogy
Annie Lennox , and Fran Walsh
Manufacturer: Music Club International
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Music from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Lord of the Rings 3 CD Set
May It Be
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

ASIN: B0001GDRH6
Release Date: 2004-03-29

Tracks:

Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: The Prophecy
Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: Concerning Hobbits
Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: Theme for Aragorn and Arwen
Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: Lothln
Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf's Lament
Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: Darture of Boromir
Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: In Dreams
Suite from the Fellowship of the Ring: May It Be
Suite from the Two Towers: Foundations of Stone
Suite from the Two Towers: Smol's Theme
Suite from the Two Towers: The King of the Golden Hall
Suite from the Two Towers: Evenstar
Suite from the Two Towers: Breath of Life
Suite from the Two Towers: Samwise the Brave
Suite from the Two Towers: Gollum's Song
Suite from the Return of the King: A Storm Is Coming
Suite from the Return of the King: The Steward of Gondor
Suite from the Return of the King: Twilight and Shadow
Suite from the Return of the King: The Black Gate Opens
Suite from the Return of the King: Use Well the Days
Suite from the Return of the King: The End of All Things
Suite from the Return of the King: The Return of the King ...
Suite from the Return of the King: The Grey Havens
Suite from the Return of the King: Into the West

Album Description

Full Title - Themes From The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy. 2004 compilation featuring three separate suites of music from the movies, 'The Fellowship Of The Ring', 'The Two Towers', & 'Return Of The King'. Music Club.

Album Details

Features Three Separate Suits of Music from the Movies, "The Fellowship of the Ring", "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King".

Customer Reviews:

Really, really, REALLY BAD!.......2006-11-22

Bought and returned it with the first few minutes after sliding it into the player. The cover art is nice. As for the, um, muzak, I expected something less...fuzzy. Even the player hated it, spitting it out within seconds after tasting the first track.
If any of the original movie scores rate 5 stars, this rates a solid 10 black holes, IMHO.

Deceptive Title & Trade Dress.......2006-07-27

The title line of this product says Enya (Composer), Roma Enya / Ryan (Composer), Annie / Walsh, Fran / Shore, Howard Lennox (Composer), Howard Shore (Composer), Fran Shore Howard / Walsh (Composer). Had I read the descriptions more closely, I would have seen that the composers were listed in a way that made no sense. Rather, the list merely is composed of the names of the writers, musicians, and composers of the music in Peter Jackson's trilogy, so that someone who is familiar with the music of the trilogy would be deceived into buying this subpar and inadequate product. The trade dress is deceptive enough that it might border on trademark/trade dress infringment of the real stuff.
If you are a fan of the LOTR soundtracks and/or Howard Shore, I would avoid this product and opt for: 1) the official soundtracks of the trilogy; and 2) The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring The Complete Recordings. Let's hope they follow up with the Two Towers and the Return of the King Complete Recordings.

This was a major disappointment.......2006-06-21

Too bad I can't give this one no stars. This disk is really bad. The performance is by a bland synthesizer "orchestra" without any of the depth or emotion you can find on the movie soundtracks. I would sell this CD back to the music store where I bought it, but then somebody else might be tempted to buy it. No; this disk is headed for the trash bin.

Not worth your money.......2006-05-14

Simply put, this album corrupts Howard Shore's music in the same way the ring tried to corrupt Frodo. The more you listen to it, the more you realize you should have bought the original soundtrack.

LOTR meets New Age.......2005-10-01

I wish I had read the other reviews before buying. 78 minutes of meandering through (and maiming) Howard Shore's fantastic work. No focus, no edge to the playing, themes apparently put together at random. The horns are poorly synthesized and sound pretty cheezy. Spend your money on the movie soundtrack. I wish I had.

Music Review: