Good Acoustic Guitar Songs

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Fear of Music Review

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Fear of Music ReviewThis album was recorded by the Talking Heads in Long Island City, NY in 1979 which led me to wonder how Brian Eno got to Queens -- did he take the 7 train to Queens Borough Plaza and then walk over? After all, the 7 train does appear in at least one Talking Heads video. Regardless, this album has a real live feel to it, like it was recorded in someone's living room and mixed to reproduce the live experience of a bass, guitar, drum and keyboard ensemble. It is the Heads at their most trimmed down production and in tone, texture, production values and subject matter, it reminds me of Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division which was also recorded that year. I know the Heads must have had an awareness of Joy Division since their song "The Overload" on Remain In Light (1980) is frighteningly close to JD's "I Remember Nothing." Besides, everyone on earth knew who Joy Division was by 1980.
At first blush, this album is weird, quirky, mysterious and fragmented. But closer examination reveals a pretty huge sense of humor. The title alone, Fear of Music, is hilarious and is a key to the sensibilities that run throughout the songs. David Byrne paints one portrait after another of phobia, fear of electric guiars, fear of animals, fear of air, fear of Heaven, fear of cities, fear of wartime, fear of paper. Fear of paper?
Fear of music is a very city oriented album. It is not an album of art rock by art school students like their first two albums. It is a garage band that has spaced out on too much surrealism, late-night television, science fiction movies and Dadaist poetry. They even use a Dadaist poem by Hugo Ball as the lyrics for "I Zimbra" which is written in pseudo-African words and chanted to hypnotic effect by the Heads to a point where you almost feel emotion coming from the meaningless words. "Mind" and "Paper" are simple themed songs evoking what is probably a metaphor for Self: "Hold the paper/Up to the Light/Some rays they pass right through!"
The two great classics of the album come back to back: "Life During Wartime" and "Cities." They are epic pre-Remain In Light songs that speak of fear and trembling more potently than any other Heads song either before or after. "Find a city/Find myself a city to live in" is evocative of the Mad Max nomad who doesn't fit in anywhere and probably doesn't even have a name. "Life During Wartime" was covered many times with a slightly different sound and in the great concert movie "Stop Making Sense" it even provides a backdrop to a mid-concert aeorbics dance session, but here it is pure and uncut, no doubt recorded moments after Byrne taught the tune to the band, and it shines as a dark, disaffected piece of science fiction poetry. "Burned all my notebooks/What good are notebooks/They won't help me survive/My chest is aching/burns like a furnace/The burning keeps me alive!"
"Memories Can't Wait" is a psychedelic masterpiece. "Air" makes breathing itself seem fearful. "Animals" is disturbing and may be a top of the hat to Pink Floyd that had released their "Animals" album the year before. "Heaven" is a beautiful tune but it even makes Heaven seem sinister. "Drugs" which ends the album is scary to listen to. Byrne jogged around the city block several times before recording his vocals, and you can hear the edge in his voice and the lack of breath as he struggles to get the words out. You can only hope he's acting.
The album made Rolling Stones Top 100 Albums of the last 20 years issue and deserves it. It is a dark testament to a bunch of paranoid musicians huddled in a Queens loft right before they became really, really famous. It is an album that should be studied by historians.Fear of Music OverviewThis disc represents the bridge between Talking Heads' first two herky-jerkier albums and the next two funky ones. Includes the song's 'I Zimbra', 'Memories Can't Wait' and comes with a bonus DVD (PAL Region 0). *Please note the you will need an ALL Code DVD player to view. Rhino. 2005.--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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St Germain Des Pres Tourist Review

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St Germain Des Pres Tourist ReviewThe Tourist is, if I am not mistaken, St.Germain's first full-length CD since "Boulevard", five years ago. The long wait was well worth it. Published by the Blue Note records (which speaks by itself), the Tourist's jazz samples are lovingly reinvented and seamlessly altered and mixed with modern, 'urban' rhythm and beats and completed by Ludovic Navarre and additional participation of Pascal Ohze (trumpet), Edouard Labor (sax, flute), Alexandre Destrez (keys), Idrissa Diop (talking drum), Carneiro (percussion) and Claudio de Qeiroz (baryton) plus the sonorous guitar of the "legendary (Ernest) Ranglin, one of the great unsung guitarists in jazz and Caribbean music" (The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD). Particularly interesting is the transformation of "Harry's Philosophy" from a desolate blues miniature of John Lee Hooker (taken from the soundtrack to "Hot Spot", by M. Davis, J.L. Hooker, A. Cooper, T. Mahal and R. Rogers) to almost cheerful dance track with a "twist". Other highlights of my choice: the voice of Marlena Shaw over a loop of Dave Brubeck's Take Five ("Rose Rouge"), excellent "Land of..." with soulful introduction on organ and piano, and great funky saxophones, delicate guitar by E. Ranglin on "Montego Bay Spleen", the upbeat spider piano dance of the "Latin Note"... and there are plenty of other musical pleasures in the 60 minutes of the Tourist.
"Boulevard" was very good, but "Tourist" is better, more dense, rounded and mature. Get them both! Beautiful art work for the cover, too.St Germain Des Pres Tourist OverviewExclusive Import only 2 CD set includes a three track bonus CD which features an exclusive mix of 'Sure Thing' (ToddEdward's Deepline Remix) along with two mixes of his firstsingle, 'Rose Rouge' (Blaze Early Shelter Mix) & (SpillerRogue Mix). Signed to Blue Note for the world this is agreat jazz/dance fusion record. Perfect for those dinnerparty's! Limited edition. Slimline double jewel case.--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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Discovery Review

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Discovery ReviewEven if you bought this record just for it's liquefied metal cover, you would not be disappointed. This is truly a fantastic album in every sense of the word. And the techniques used in the creation were just fabulous. One of the things my friend said when he first heard me playing it was "the samples sound so CLEAN!" And they do. Every sample has been processed at incredibly high quality, there is no "Lo-Fi" on this record. The entire record is permeated with funky-style samples that you swear you know but just can't seem to place. Every song has some fantastic SOMETHING about it:
1.One More Time - the perfect party track! a thick thumping bassline and everybody-that's-not-a-raver's-view of the raver world lyrics -:)-, catches your attention immediately.
2.Aerodynamic - by far, the most significant bit on this track is the squealing pseudo-guitar solo. It may be simple, but it sounds REALLY COOL!
3.Digital Love - early 80's motivational tapes samples with cheesy vocoded lyrics = something still meaningful? To be honest, it's still fun to listen to, despite it's cheesiness.
4.Harder, Better Faster, Stronger - one of my favorite songs on the record. Easy to dance to, but it features one of the most incredible things I've ever heard. To understand you have to know what a vocoder is. A vocoder is a device that takes your voice, specifically the vibrations in your voice, and converts it to the tone of the instrument it is attached to, which is almost ALWAYS a keyboard for simplicity. What's really neat about Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, is that at 2:25, the vocoder is switched over to an odd device that triggers it by a guitar. It's especially obvious at certain points, where the player is playing a really neat solo. Truly interesting to hear.
5. Crescendolls - A little odd at first, but it's got the throw-your-arms-in-the-air "HEY!" sample going on. A lot of fun, eh?
6. Nightvision - a slow, short instrumental track, but still extremely well put together. I wish it were longer with some vocals.
7. Superheroes - When I looked at the sample list for the record, and saw "Barry Manilow - Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed?" I wondered "what the heck?!" But when you hear the track, and the thumping bassline and beat and "love is in the air" echoing over and over it really makes sense and the song is a lot of fun.
8. Night Life - Brings back memories of disco! And that's always a good thing, right?
9. Something About Us - Listening to the beginning of the track I was expecting Barry White to start singing. A nice slow mellow groove.
10. Voyager - A little distortion on the bassline kept it interesting.
11. Verdis Quo - After you get by the somewhat slow intro, it starts getting kind of neat, and you want to keep listening. The layers get thicker each minute, and by the end it's a real sonic jubilee.
12. Short Circuit - I can't really say anything in favour of this song, neither could amazon.
13. Face To Face - This will HAVE to be the next one on the radio! I've already remixed this into an extended version and played it at some parties where we play a lot more old-school funk and stuff. The version on the record is about 3 and a half minutes, my version was nearly 9 minutes, and still when it ended people acted dissapointed because they were getting so into the groove. I love this song!
14. Too Long - when I first saw the length of the song, I thought the title was a joke! Ten minutes? An epic pop-techno song? But yes, it's an incredibly well done track, and as Romanthony says in the lyrics, it's really been "too long" since we've heard from the Daft Punk.
In all, this is truly a fantastic record with a lot of vision. A combination of funk, pop, disco, and techno, this isn't techno up front, and it doesn't claim to be. In fact, it doesn't CLAIM to be anything. Whatever it is, it's REALLY good at being it.Discovery Overview

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Treats Review

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Treats ReviewThis one is going to split the jury. Sleigh Bells are not a Christmas novelty act (some will disagree) but another band from the People's Independent Noise Republic of Brooklyn and an immense grungy dance punk juggernaut consisting of Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller a former hardcore rock guitarist. For influences think Bow Wow Wow, crossed with Lil Wayne and then throw in the Beastie Boys, White Stripes and Le Tigre.
As for the music Sleigh Bells elephantine beats don't just hammer the damn things could pile drive concrete supports into the foundations for skyscrapers. Their primitive guitar fuzz is wickedly distorted and married to the simplest of pop melodies. Krauss's ever so sweet voice provides tranquillity amongst this cacophony. Thereby this irresistible mix combines with room-shaking production and big guitars and is the reason why so many people are salivating over this album on the blogosphere.
When I first played the opener "Tell em" on my car stereo it was so bloody loud I swerved to miss a passing cyclist. It is a full blown aural assault, the musical equivalent of a punch in the face and one of the quieter songs on the album. It may just be 2010's musical counterpart to last years "My Girls" by Animal Collective. In terms of what follows there is no let up or escape. "Riot Rhythm" has drums which pound and Millers guitar introduces a razor like cutting riff. "Infinity guitars" sounds like a cross between the Beastie boys and Japandroids. "Run the heart" is Abba for the Twitter generation. It is a staccato composition punctuated by bubbling noises, shimmering synths and the dreamlike vocal of Krauss. Then there is the Phil Spectorish "Rill Rill" formerly "Ring Ring" from their demo's which is a charming confection of a pop song that is a temporary if welcome relief from Miller frankly going mental. His return however comes back with all the force of a wayward Katyusha missile on "Crown on the Ground" which sounds like the treble button has broken and someone has sucked the bass out. Your graphic equalizer is I am afraid onto a hiding to nothing but it works brilliantly and is actually quite sweet in comparison to the 90 second riff monster "Straight A's" that follows which could be Husker Du having a bad soundcheck. "A B Machines" is a surf guitar hip hop mash up (I kid you not) with Krauss repeating a two line lyric throughout. Finally the title track sounds like Mastadon making a bid for the charts with a girl singer.
There will be many of you wonderful people on Amazon who will state that "you don't get this", that "you've heard it all before" or will use that ubiquitous insult that it is the "king's new clothes". Even more will complain that the level of distortion on the album (at Spinal Tap "11") is giving your speakers a workload which they neither desire or can cope with and that perhaps "Treats" should come with complimentary Paracetamol. Yet there are on occasions when certain albums for just a very elusive moment on the space time continuum appear to make all other game players sound a bit wrought and tired. Sleigh Bells new album "Treats" falls into that category and will nudge popular music into different directions.
Granted "Treats" is so bound for mainstream success and overexposure that you sense that a brief romance with this band may be the extent of your involvement, but so what it will be fun while it lasts. Thus we have an album that is very loud, trashy, and disposable and pulled off with the sort of brazen audacity that would find the state police visiting in the dark of night in a less tolerant society. "Treats" describes itself, get it on Amazon MP3 download now and be prepared for a complete sensory overload.Treats Overview

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Cafe Del Mar - Volume 7 Review

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Cafe Del Mar - Volume 7 ReviewIn no way I do not mean wrong here, but this cd is well... First as the person before wrote before Jose Padilla is no longer involved in Cafe del Mar projects, for whatever reason his personal touch is not on this cd. The new dj Bruno has skills in this style, he knows the formula and the mood, but his efforts are far beyond reaching what Padilla built for himself along 6 previous cd's. With the evident up's and down's his compilations went on to be an example of Balearic music worldwide, giving the people who could not afford the Ibiza experience for themselves. His style ended up being copy by greedy corporate people that knew the well deserve success of his compilations. Volumen Two and Five have to be my personal favourites and I would recommend them to newcomers to the series. I mean after 6 times hitting gold the concept has done so much for us, that I guess Padilla himself though it was time to move on. I have no complaints for the Art (which features a summer stylish beach catalogue with a couple of models enjoying the good life with plenty of Sun and Sea) Despite a couple of solid tunes, the fact of incorporating Bush (a well respected Rock band from the U.K) in the form of a mix from dowtempo monsters Nightmares on Wax makes you wonder, why, has Balearic music gone rock? If you are an addict of the Cafe del Mar series then buy this cd, you might actually find something new but if you are starting your collection buy 2,3,4,5,6 instead.Cafe Del Mar - Volume 7 OverviewSeventh Volume Of The Successful Series That Spotlights Some Of The Best Ambient-Trance Tracks Making The Rounds Recently.Artists Included: Moby, Lux, Bush, Bent, Uko & More.

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Play Review

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Play ReviewI've never been, what I would consider, a huge Moby fan. I've only recently become associated with him from his work on the "Saint" and "The Beach" soundtracks. Boy oh boy, do I wish I had discovered this talented individual sooner! My friend bought this CD and let me borrow it. Although I don't like the first two tracks, I immediately was hooked in by "Porcelain," which is also featured on the "Beach" soundtrack and in a recent Neiman Marcus commerical. I used to think that Orbital was the best techno artist around, but after this CD, Moby takes the cake! I've never known any techno artist to put so much feeling into a song, without saying anything. This album gets you grooving and relaxing all at the same time. Some tracks to defintely listen to: "Porcelain," "Rushing," "Bodyrock," "Machete," "Inside" and the last track, "My Weakness." "My Weakness," "Porcelain" and "Inside" have a spirituality that is rarely seen in techno music. So haunting and beautiful all at the same time. If you saw the episode of the X-Files where Mulder finally finds out about his sister, you heard "My Weakness" in the final scene with the ghost children. When I heard it there, i immediately wanted to know who did it. This is without a doubt the most moving techno song I've ever heard. It just hits you right in the gut. This CD is a MUST have for all Techno fans. Look out wallet! I'm buying more of his work! Look out Moby, you've got a new fan who looks forward to more years of this awesome music!Play Overview

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Come With Us Review

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Come With Us ReviewFor those eagerly waiting on this, the new chem bros cd, you will not be disappointed. 'Come with us' is very much a chemical brothers record, with high-octane songs for starters, more rhythmic songs in the middle, the usual 'coming down/female vocal' songs towards the end, and finally, the epic song to end the cd. Overall, I would say this is an improvement on 'surrender', though in many ways the beats and effects are reminiscent of 'exit planet dust'.
What are the songs like? you ask...
Well...
'Come with us': Starting with strings and a booming voice, and following with drawn-out, spacey effects (along with the next song, these are as close to the high-frequency/kettle-whistling/acid effects that filled 'dig your own hole' as you'll get on this album), this song acts as a steadily building welcome to the rest of the album.
'It began in afrika-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka...': When the single was released it was admittedly annoying. However, look past the repetitive vocals and you'll find the chemicals reverting back to old methods with a song that would fit in neatly on any of their previous albums.
'Galaxy bounce' differs slightly to the version that appears on the tomb raider soundtrack. Preceded by turntables scractching in the vein of 'in dust we trust', this song shows the chems cutting up samples, backed a rolling bassline. Though this song is fine on its own, it seems somewhat out of place on this album.
'Star Guitar' is an exercise in sequencing beats (as indicated by the film clip). This dreamy song is the flagship of the album, showing the chems production qualities at their finest.
'Hoops' will no doubt stay in your head long after you've listened to the album. Though the song begins to speed up 'out of control' style, it doesn't go overboard, with more emphasis on drums, guitars, and a bassline familiar to that on blur's 'music is my radar'.
'My elastic eye' has Instant Hit written all over it. This song captures attention immediately with its deep bassline, quick drum snares and 'yayaya' vocals. At a constant crescendo, this song will no doubt be a personal favourite to many.
'The state we're in' is this albums come-down song, after the previous three tracks have taken you on a high. Beth Orton thankfully returns, though this song never quite hits the spot emotionally as well as 'Alive alone', and doesn't progress to anywhere in particular (unlike the industrial noises that concluded 'where do i begin'. More effective than Hope Sandoval at least, and the track segues nicely into...
...'Denmark', which is as generically 'dance' music as the chems get. The opening snare/high-hat routine seems a bit cheesy to me, but is redeemed by a funky bassline and melody. Slightly disappointed by this song, though should sound good when played live (the dance template wasn't altered too much to make this one).
'Pioneer skies' starts of low key, despite the jackhammer effects, but eventually builds into a heavy track. Frequency changes are not unlike previous chems songs, though the track fails to 'enlighten', as much as songs like 'orange wedge' which are of a similar pace and feel. Essentially a preparation for the final, long track.
'The test' features Richard Ashcroft. It's not a folk song like 'dream on', but rather the emotionally charged Ashcroft vocal backed by 'competent' beats. They are neither slow-and-dreamy nor hard-and-fast. Ashcroft is a good person to sing 'epic' songs (see Unkle), but he only barely 'passes the test' on this song. The chems seem somewhat indecisive as to how use Ashcrofts vocals effectively, and eventually the vocals take command over the song and its beats. Nevertheless a good song (judging by the fact that the 7 mins seem to go by quickly), that will have you singing all the way.
Well, that's an outline of the album, and if you're considering buying it, then I would say go for it. If you're already a chem bros fan, 'Come with us' will only increase your admiration of their work.Come With Us OverviewCD > POPULAR MUSIC > ELECTRONIC

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Tokyo Review

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Tokyo ReviewI own every Guitar album there is... even a few made directly from the artist and another since Tokyo.
Anyways... like all their albums... 90% of it is great, and then there's always a song or two that are not so great... usually more noise type songs. That's just my preference. But most of the songs are the type you can listen to over and over again and just get more into the more you listen. Guitar is one of my top all-time favorite artists in the elctro-hybrid shoegaze mixed genre. I really enjoy their use and mix of electronics with more traditional instrumentation. A very unique sound that not too many are duplicating.Tokyo Overview

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ESL The Soundtrack, Vol. 1 Review

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ESL The Soundtrack, Vol. 1 ReviewInside booklet was written that songs are listed the way as they are played in parties at eighteenth street lounge. Record starts off with 70's funky grooves and as the evening matures tunes are getting deeper. starting from Nightmares on Wax track, music takes listeners to pure nirvana. cool, chilled dancemusic with latin/dub flavor. quality stuff.ESL The Soundtrack, Vol. 1 Overview

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Kosmos Review

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Kosmos Review
In Tomita's music I have found serene beauty, relaxation, landscapes of wonder, mysterious spaces, thrilling excitement, inspiration, and some fun. He creates his music with more depth, color, imagery, feeling, and thought than any other synthesized music I have ever heard.
The big box set of all 11 CDs has finally been released! Considering that a number of Tomita CDs are over $30, and all the CDs in the box have been remastered, it is almost a bargain! So here is my list, improved and updated for accuracy (August 2009)... As a person who started collecting Tomita and lots of other electronic music when I was 19 in 1979, plus the original symphony orchestra versions of the classical music that Tomita used, I hope you consider me qualified to create the following list of Tomita albums and review them as well.
Note on the 1991 Surround Sound CDs (Snowflakes to Kosmos): Tomita originally mixed his albums for special Quadraphonic LPs and tapes, but for some reason, the rear channel sounds almost completely disappear, no matter what stereo equipment a person listens on.
SNOWFLAKES ARE DANCING 1974
(11 Debussy pieces)
Some say Snowflakes is Tomita's best CD. I think it is in his top three. I love the range of styles in this album, the relaxing beauty, the depth of colors. The Snowflakes album is very enjoyable. One of the few CDs I have that I like to hear again and again.
The newly remastered High Performance CD is audiophile quality and adds Prelude To The Afternoon of a Faun also by Debussy.
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION 1975 (Mussorgsky)
Also in the top 3. For this album Tomita created some of the most unusual, high quality electronic sounds ever heard. Then he used these sounds very effectively in good orchestrations. The listening is as enjoyable as it is bizarre; quite an accomplishment in itself. (Unlike other synthesized music, I have never gotten a headache listening to this or any other Tomita recording. Not even close. Not even when playing his music loud, which I love to do. )
FIREBIRD 1976
(Stravinsky: Firebird Suite. Debussy: Prelude To The Afternoon of A Faun. Mussorgsky: Night On Bare Mountain.)
Firebird is one of Tomita's best CDs. The Round of the Princesses is beautiful. The Infernal Dance of King Kastchei is exciting, scary, and LOUD - much more so than any performance by any orchestra. The Finale is so awesome; Tomita played it at the end of his live concerts.
THE PLANETS 1976 (Holst)
This one album is a completely different mood for Tomita. This is one Tomita album that is far better than any symphony orchestra performance could every be. Imagine Lord of The Rings before CGI. It is as if Holst was so far ahead of his time, that he composed The Planets for Tomita.
KOSMOS or COSMOS 1978
(Star Wars Title. Space Fantasy- R. Strauss: Thus Spake Zarathustra, Wagner: Ride of The Valkyries and Tannhauser Overture. Honnegar: Pacific 231. Ives: Unanswered Question. Rodrigo: Aranjuez. Grieg: Solveig's Song. Dinicu-Heifetz: Hora Staccato. Bach-Tomita: The Sea Named Solaris.)
This is a science fiction album without a theme, really. On this album: Star Wars is cute. The Space Fantasy is pretty good. Pacific 231 is exciting and fun, a quality piece. You can almost see the mechanical motions flying through space after the train leaves the tracks. Tomita's interpretation of the mystery and solitude of The Unanswered Question is far better than any orchestral performance of it! Hora Staccato is lots of fun. And Carl Sagan used the amazing Sea Named Solaris in his "Cosmos." The Sea Named Solaris is one of the greatest works of music every performed by anyone. Tomita fans and collectors should enjoy most of this CD.
THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE 1979 - A Musical Fantasy of Science Fiction
(Sibelius: Valse Triste. Williams: Close Encounters. Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, Scythian Suite, Symphonies 5 and 6, Violin Concerto 1.)
After nearly 30 years of listening to The Bermuda Triangle off and on, I have decided that it is my all time favorite record album, CD, concept album, and my all time favorite synthesized music.
Another reviewer is absolutely right... Turn off the lights, put the phone on silent, turn the volume way up, and sit down and listen! Really listen!! Because The Bermuda Triangle is an Experience; A Phenomenal, Powerful, Enlightening, Enjoyable Experience!! And it's fun too.
Inexplicably, the U.S. CD releases stopped with Kosmos. The Bermuda Triangle is much better than Kosmos. I could type two pages on The Bermuda Triangle, and you can find many pages on various websites. But I will just say that the orchestrations and performances of the music itself all fit together masterfully to tell a story that is part thrilling science fiction and part impressionistic dream. I especially like the second half- the really good Prokofiev stuff. The sounds Tomita used in creating this album are his most sophisticated and fascinating yet, as innovative and high quality as Pictures At An Exhibition or more. The quality of the recording is bright, full, deep, clear, and clean. The whole experience is extraordinary. I am so grateful the album is on CD.
BOLERO or DAPHNIS AND CHLOE 1980
(Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe, Pavane for A Dead Princess, Bolero, Mother Goose Suite.)
This is a very good album with the best performance of The Mother Goose Suite that I have heard, by far. I love the range of musical styles in the Mother Goose Suite. You can actually hear the fairies in the Fairy Garden (they sound like hummingbirds). Plus, there are only two Daphnis and Chloes that I like better than this one. And the Pavane is very nice.
THE GRAND CANYON 1982 (Grofe)
(Bonus track: Syncopated Clock by Leroy Anderson)
Most music critics would say that this performance of The Grand Canyon Suite is not as good as a symphony orchestra's. But it is worth checking out, as parts of it are far more colorful, magical, and entertaining than any symphony orchestra version I have ever heard. Tomita's Painted Desert gives a feeling of flying low over vast mysterious, enchanted, moonlit sands. On The Trail is a lot of fun, although not as good as orchestra performances. And The Thunderstorm is exhilarating and even a little frightening, especially when turned up Loud. You can actually Hear the Lightning, Feel the Thunder, and then See a Rainbow at the end. Only Tomita could do that!! This is the shortest Tomita album. It would easily fit on a CD with Canon of The Three Stars.
CANON OF THE THREE STARS or DAWN CHORUS 1984
(Pachelbel: Canon. Rachmaninoff: Vocalise. Albinoni: Adagio. Bach: Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring. 4 pieces from Villa Lobos: Bachianis Brasileiras 2, 4, and 7.)
Sweet is the word I would use to describe pretty much this whole album. Some tracks are even cute, although at least one is solemn and another poignant. The quality of this album is not nearly as great as Snowflakes, Pictures, The Bermuda Triangle, or the Ravel Album. It almost seems that Tomita did this one in his sleep, but some tracks are very good, and since all the tracks are individual pieces it would be worth owning as a reference CD.
LIVE AT LINZ, AUSTRIA 1985 - THE MIND OF THE UNIVERSE
(Live concert with huge speakers on both sides of the Danube River and live soloists. Includes 7 pieces from previous albums- some with new arrangements and live soloists. Plus, Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring. Japanese Traditional: Cranes In Their Nest. Vaughn Williams: The Lark Ascending. Wagner: Tristan Und Isolde-Liebestod. Beethoven: Ode To Joy with full Choir and soloists.)
In my opinion, this is in Tomita's top five best albums. It contains some of the most beautiful and unique performances ever put on a disk. The live violin solo (Mariko Senju) of the Lark Ascending is by far the most captivating, lovely, and perfect I have ever heard; the best performance of The Lark Ascending that I know of. The same violinist does an outstanding job on Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1: Moderato; Allegro Moderato. This is the part of The Bermuda Triangle near the end that gets so exciting, and with the live violinist and Tomita's magical orchestral creations, it is truly one of the most thrilling musical experiences I have ever enjoyed.
I also love the Wagner: Tristan Und Isolde-Liebestod (which first appeared on this album). So much depth and feeling, it is hard to describe how lovely it is. This album also has an extended version of Cranes In Their Nest, a very good performance by Goro Yamaguchi, on the Shakuhachi.
Of the two concert CDs, this one has more awe-inspiring moments, and more depth. It is also the longest Tomita album ever made, which is perfect, since it is so enjoyable.
Note on sound quality: I appreciate good sound quality. This CD does have imperfect moments, but over all it is very good. I listened on my pretty good car stereo system last night turned up very LOUD. The most important parts are clean. There is reverb at times, but it is natural, bouncing off things in the area. It could have been mixed better, but it is very hard for a huge concert like this to be recorded perfectly. Also, during The Conversation from Close Encounters and the first couple minutes of Ode To Joy you can hear the helicopter that was holding up a huge speaker during the show. Actually hearing a helicopter on a CD may seem silly... BUT, it is these things that make you Feel as if you are At the Live Concert, and this is a huge Plus.
LIVE IN NEW YORK 1988 - BACK TO THE EARTH
(Live concert with live soloists. Includes 7 pieces from...Read more›Kosmos Overview

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Who Needs Guitars Anyway Review

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Who Needs Guitars Anyway ReviewTecnho, trance, rave, electronica - hey, it's all DANCE MUSIC to me. HOWEVER, I am really 'feeling' Alice Deejay. I first heard "Better Off Alone" while looking for music to play (I was a DJ for the event) at the University of California at Santa Barbara's "All-Hall Ball". Upon hearing the song online, I was very impressed. When it comes to dance music, I usually go for compilations, but this album is a safe buy. Let me explain why:
The album starts with "Back In My Life" (great song), which was already a huge hit in Europe. Then, "Better Off Alone" is next, and you'll find yourself satisfied that you own the CD cuz this song is so good! Then there's "Celebrate Our Love" which is a cool, pre-party/get dressed/go out song cuz it sounds like she's saying "Rave...Saturday Night" instead of "Yeah...Celebrate Our Love". Anywayz...
I really like "The Lonely One" - kinda reminds me of "Runaway" by the Real McCoy (remember them? - "Another Night" wuz their biggest hit). Next up is an extremely well done instrumental called "Who Needs Guitars Anyway?". Come to think of it, this may be the best song on the album. I have to mention "Fairytales" which is a slower, kinda mysterious song, and the other incredible instrumental on this album, "Everything Begins With an E" (hey...is that a drug reference? )
Yes, this is not hard house, but I consider it a a "gateway" CD to house music. Ladies, (and some fellas too), this is your stairmaster music - you'll have energy for dayz...But you can do just about ANYTHING to this music. As a matter of fact, I'm typing this to "Fairytales". So do yourself a favor, and expose yourself to the world of Alice Deejay.
You won't regret getting this if you enjoyed music by: Ace Of Base, The Real McCoy, Technotronic, Black Box, C&C Music Factory, Erasure (very Europop) or even Madonna's "Ray of Light". Trust me!Who Needs Guitars Anyway OverviewUK Version including different tracklistings & sleve art to versions available everywhere else. A different enhanced section which includes the video for 'Back In My Life', a photo library, lyrics & a screensaver.--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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