Best of Review

Best of
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Best of ReviewMy friends, if my mother's prayers are somehow heard by the Main Man Upstairs and by some unbelievable chance I make it to Heaven, I do not expect to hear the sounds of orchestras playing Mozart or choirs singing Bach. I know in my heart that the Staple Singers' music will infiltrate every micrometer of Heaven.
This is powerful stuff. Every single word that Mavis sings, every thought expressed in these songs, is still absolutely relevant to our times, as relevant as they were in the 70's. People still can't get along. The races are still fighting with each other. There ain't enough love in the world. This world would be so much better if we would all work together for the good of each other. Those messages have not dated. And those are the messages that the Staple Singers give.
A lot of people say those messages are corny in these days of Nine Inch Nails and the desperate empty mechanical clamor that is most of the music of our time. The Staple Singers' music puts the lie to all that, it makes post-modern cynicism and mean-spiritedness seem weak and irrelevant.
But not only is this deeply spiritual music on a level that few artists ever reach; it is also a deeply funky music, with roots in the Delta fingerpicking bluesmen that Pops Staples learned his craft from and the burning gospel choirs of Mississippi churches where the Staples learned their art. Ray Charles took church music and made it funky; the Staples took funky music and put it back in the church. Christianity has lost so much by divorcing the mind from the body, the heart from the spirit, and insisting on a bland asceticism that profits no one. The Staples Singers come from a tradition where everyone is granted the same compassion, where the body of the worshiper and the urge to move and dance is accepted, where the whole human is God's and not just the socially acceptable, "nice" aspects. Mavis' voice is alluring and soulful, not "heavenly" as it is commonly percieved - which only means that our perception of heavenliness is all wrong.
Every single song on here is a gem. The vocal arrangements, powerful multiple call and response statements between the band, the singers, and Pops' guitar, the bass and drums that vibrate you on an irresistible level where you have to move; there really isn't much like this music anywhere else on earth.
I don't care if you're a Christian, a Pagan, a Buddhist, Jewish, or a flat-out stonewall atheist. This is some of the best music humans have ever made, and it contains a profoundly positive spiritual message that is completely free of exclusivity or schmaltz. This music is a vision of a better world and encouragement to make it happen.
Or as Mavis Staples says, "Are you ready? Come go with me." Where to? "The city in the Sky." Listen to this and you'll be ready to head there too.Best of OverviewNo Description Available.Genre: Soul/R&BMedia Format: Compact DiskRating: Release Date: 14-AUG-1990

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After Hours Review

After Hours
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After Hours ReviewThis collection of songs from 1961 shows the quiet and meditative side of MizzSassyVaughan--as if someone told her finally to tone it down after her somewhat over-the-top early recordings. She croons here with only a bass and guitar, and although at first I was skeptical, I soon became delighted and began to marvel at the control she so easily exhibits. I'm not a fan by any means of "The Sound of Music," but "My Favorite Things" is handled moodily and in the most sophisticatedly suspended jazz style I've yet heard. This is certainly a marvelously quiet collection for the after-hours, those desperate stretch of hours some of us know at 3 a.m. Sass will keep you more than company. She will warm you more than your flask will. This is a contented collection. A must for any jazz fan and certainly any Vaughan fan.
--danAfter Hours Overview

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David Bowie - A Reality Tour Review

David Bowie - A Reality Tour
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David Bowie - A Reality Tour ReviewSome of Bowie's DVD concerts are good and some are great. This is one of the great ones. Remixed into 5.1 Surround Sound, the audio is amazingly crisp and clear. The light show is blinding in some cases (as was the actual show in person) and the director/editors use this to their advantage in splicing scenes. Some of the special effects (freeze-frame, reverse imaging, blurs, etc.) can get tedious, but it doesn't hurt the overall feel of the concert. Each band member gets plenty of close-ups and the backing vocals are near perfect. After nearly two years on the road, Bowie has connected to his audience like never before, losing any pretension. He's there to have a good time.
With nearly 60 songs used throughout the tour, it's tough to settle on which 30 Bowie decided to use, but the variety is great. "Quicksand" and "Let's Dance" were, unfortunately, not used, but some of the stand-out cuts were the incredible audience sing-along, "All The Young Dudes", the hard, fast romping of, "Hang On To Yourself" and "Under Pressure" where bassist Gail Ann Dorsey seems to channel Freddie Mercury's voice. It's eerie and wonderful! The box itself is disappointing, in that it is thin cardboard and the insert gives little information about the tour. I would have liked to know the concert song lists and the cities played. If that's all I can find wrong with this set, I'd say Bowie delivered a prized concert DVD. Did I mention its incredibly low priced?
David Bowie - A Reality Tour Overview

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Outlaws Review

Outlaws
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Outlaws ReviewTo listen to The Outlaws is an amazing experience. Blazing melodic guitars. Terrific harmonies. Technical virtuosity. And just plain out great rock n roll.
This band never really got the credit they deserved. Even there less known stuff is great. I really believe the Outlaws have the top guitar unit in rock n roll. There picking acumen, feel, speed and melody are all as good as it gets!
Great vocals, too!
This album is there first offering and its a strong one. You got your well-known radio play "There Goes another love song" and "Green Grass". Also strong are the other entries, there isn't a bad song on the CD.
"Knoxville Girl" has a strong bluegrass influence. "Stay With Me" is a flat out upbeat rocker. "Song In The Breeze" is harmony heaven and "It Follows From Your Heart" is a great number, a slow ballad which veers from normal Outlaw fare.
Also check out the solo in "Cry No More". great guitar work by Hughie thomasson and Billy Jones.Outlaws Overview

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Discipline Review

Discipline
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Discipline ReviewSeveral years after the band broke up, Robert Fripp resurrected King Crimson, but in a way no one would have expected. Returning was drummer Bill Bruford, and joining was bassist/stickist/backing vocalist Tony Levin and one of the few who could stand next to Robert Fripp holding his chosen instrument and not look inept, guitarist/vocalist Adrian Belew. Originally a band called Discipline, Fripp realized this was King Crimson and renamed the band. Wrapped in a red sleeve with a Celtic knot on the cover, this album is in many ways as the cover implies-- intertwining and interlocking-- Fripp and Belew's guitars play complex lines that live with each other and don't stand without each other, supported by Levin's thunderous bass and melody vs. countermelody playing on the stick. Below all of this, Bruford is easily holding it all together. The album is one of the true greats of its era, and is certainly among the best Crimson has ever recorded.
From the opener, "Elephant Talk", you know you're in for something different-- Levin's melody/countermelody intro overlayed with two intertwined guitars, elephant squeals on guitar, a half-spoken vocal, and two bizarre guitar solos. Five minutes later, you're overwhelmed, what's amazing is that its got a groove, its a great rhythm, its just plain amazing.
The rest of the album pretty much follows suit in terms of being brilliant to the point of overwhelming while the environment and the mood changes-- interlocking guitars rule several of the songs (the breathtaking "Frame By Frame", with impassioned vocals and some of the fastest guitar licks you'll ever hear, the frantic "Thela Hun Ginjeet", and the title track-- an instrumental where you can really hear Fripp and Belew get into a groove). These are offset by a couple great ballads ("Matte Kudasai", with its beautiful slide guitar seagulls and an almost lazy feel to the vocal, "The Sheltering Sky", featuring a horn-toned Fripp guitar melody). In the middle of all of this is a piece that sounds like it would fit the last generation of Crimson better-- "Indiscipline". Building tension until the release-- an explosion of guitar pyrotechnics and a blazing solo that almost seems out of place here, but works.
Something of note-- this is NOT a progressive rock album (in terms of the genre)-- in fact, its got more in common with new wave acts like the Talking Heads and the Police than it does with Yes and early Genesis. One of the reasons why I love Crimson so much is unlike many of those other progressive rock bands, they didn't stand still, they grew and changed and became something else over time.
Bottom line though-- this is one of the greats, highly recommended.Discipline OverviewWith this 1981 LP, King Crimson became one of the few bands to release a classic in three different decades. This was their highest-charting LP (#45) in 11 years, and that Fripp/Belew guitar interplay still dazzles; includes a bonus alternate version of Matte Kudesai !

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Blue Jays Review

Blue Jays
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Blue Jays ReviewThere are some CDs that are more difficult to rate than others. Particularly when so many people rave about how great a CD is. You want to say something new, but you also want to be objective and fair to all those people who either don't know the Moody Blues or know the Moodies but not well enough to know esoteric references to members. This album is one of those.
Let's start with the basics. This album was released while the Moody Blues were on hiatus, trying to decide whether they had things to contribute musically individually versus as a group. The album was recorded in the mid-70s, and it sounds like mid-70s soft rock. The music sounds very very much like the Moody Blues, though not quite, since the talents of Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas and Graeme Edge are missing. So while there is no mistaking that this album is by members of the Moodies, it's still not quite the same.
What characterizes the songs on this CD the most are the harmonies. Justin Hayward and John Lodge have always harmonized well, and those harmonies are exploited for full effect on this album. Listen to "You", "My Brother", "I Dreamed Last Night" and "Who Are You Now" and you will see what I mean. These two are masters of mellow rock.
In fact, if you are looking for a romantic evening in front of the fire place with your favorite guy or girl, and a bottle of wine, and are looking for listening music, not talking music, pop this in, turn out the lights, and listen. This music will make you so mellow and feel so good that you'll not want to move, except for cuddling, of course!
This album was recorded with the fully matured voices of Justin Hayward and John Lodge. Their voices alone could have carried any of these songs. The songs are well performed, giving musical credence even to the weakest of lyrics on this album. Conversely, when the lyrics match well with the music and either or both of their voices, the songs are unstoppable. It's almost a good thing that this pair didn't record more albums separate from the Moody Blues because I'm not sure the world was ready for that many blues songs with so much feeling.
Bonus! This album includes Justin Hayward's solo song "Blue Guitar". The tone of this song fits well with the rest of the album, and helps to extend the length of the album to better make use of the time available on a CD, recalling that "Blue Jays" was originally recorded on vinyl. Furthermore, having "Blue Guitar" at the end makes you wish the album wouldn't end, so you have to go back and play it over again. Or pop in a Moody Blues album.
Do you like the Moody Blues, particular from the classic years? Do you like the songs Justin Hayward (who has one of the most unique voices in rock/pop music, ever) and John Lodge sing? Do you like mellow or romantic rock music? Why are you still reading this review? This album is excellent, so my advice to you is,
Go buy and good bye.Blue Jays Overview

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Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier Review

Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier
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Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier ReviewA very generous friend gave me this set several years ago and I will be forever in her debt. I had never considered buying Sviatoslav Richter playing Bach. For me he simply didn't seem to come out of the right tradition to play the Master of Leipzig. But I was mistaken, completely mistaken. This set of the WTC has become one of my most treasured possessions. For months it was in my car - a perfect way to listen to the Preludes and Fugues, a few at a time while driving short distances around town - and by now these performances are burned into my aural memory, as if they had always been there. There is such a feeling of inevitability about Richter's playing that I now cannot imagine them played any other way. Well, that's not entirely true, but close. Unlike Huibert Jonkers, whose review was posted here some months ago, I was a Glenn Gould groupie who thought his way with Bach was the best way. And though I still admire Gould, I must say that Richter has converted me. It's hard to put one's finger on what it is about Richter's playing except that it is so straightforward and full of good ol' artery-clogging cholesterol and yet so nuanced and highlighted, that it is impossible to resist. It's Romantic, I guess, and that's totally out of fashion these days. But I don't care about that. In fact, as an old pianist who has played the WTC at the keyboard for nigh on sixty years, I continue to have a hard time listening to WTC on the harpsichord. I suspect I'm not alone in that. We've been swept along in recent years by the 'historically-informed performance' folks and yet there are some of us who are not entirely convinced that the old-fashioned way with Bach isn't the best. Richter certainly fits in the 'old-fashioned' camp and that's fine with me.
Others have written here about individual details of these performances and I have little to add there. I am, like others, struck by Richter's wide dynamics and sometimes extreme tempi. For instance, the second prelude in WTC I goes faster than I've ever heard it and it is all the more exciting as a result. The overall shape of the performances, though, reveal a penetrating intellect and flawless technique put at the service of the music, granted Richter's own conception of the music, but who's to say that's not what Bach would have wanted?
I urgently recommend this box, especially since it is so attractively priced.
Scott MorrisonBach: Well-Tempered Clavier Overview

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