Vira Loucos: Cyro Baptista Plays the Music of Villa Lobos
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Audio CD (19 August, 1997)
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Reviews (2)

Great recording from a master of percussion!
The Musicians come together to really make this music work.Marc Ribot, Zorn, Greg Cohen, hard to go wrong.The music is strong and I keep coming back for more listens...Check it out - you won't be disappointed!

Musically Recorded Genius Found on This Album!
Vira Loucos-for the unitiated-is one of today's quintessetial albums, hands down. It is a collection of interpretations of the music of famed Brazilian composer Heitor Villa Lobos by one of the world's reigning kings of percussion: the wizard Cyro Baptista. This album is a true testament to his mastery of music, as it will take the listener on a musical journey that is dynamic, virtuosic, grooving, and absolutely unique in sound and vision. This is an album that any true lover of quality music will cherish for the rest of their music-listening days! ... Read more

Asin: B0000058W5
Sales Rank: 58598
Subjects:  1. Brazil    2. Brazilian Folk    3. Brazilian Jazz    4. Int'l & World Music    5. Pop    6. World Fusion   

Sacred Island
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (07 April, 1998)
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Editorial Review

After decades as a bluesman, Taj Mahal has earned his place in the pantheon of American music. But this takes him to a slightly different place: Hawaii, where he made his home for a number of years. He's always had a relaxed approach to music, and the Islands must have been a perfect fit for him. But Mahal has also had a long interest in the music of the Caribbean, so it's interesting to hear him adapt Toots's ska classic, "Monkey Man," to his style, on the tropically flavored "Coconut Man." Whatever he tackles, however, the blues is at the basis of everything he does; it's part of his soul now. But there are, as he shows, as many ways to approach the blues as there are bluesmen. His experience and innovation have made Mahal one of the great second (or possibly third) generation blues figures. It's nice to know he hasn't stopped pushing the envelope. --Chris Nickson ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Taj in Charleston
Nice to see Taj Mahal in "The Zone". Caught up to him Charleston, SC recently and he did a cut from this album. While the show was great, we could stand to see some NEW stuff from a blues legend. Go Taj!

Nice laidback feel
This is an album to listen to when you're just chillin on the couch on a Sunday afternoon - definitely laidback.Taj Mahal combines his blues with a Hawaiian feel.Most of the time it's pretty successful.

The first track is very Tom Waitsish and is among the best on the album.The title track, an instrumental, is as laidback and lazy as it gets.It almost sounds like a lost Billy Vaughan classic."No Na Mamo" is an interesting song sung in Hawaiian, and it contrasts sharply with the following tune "Mailbox Blues" which is definitely the bluesiest song on the album.The album closes with another instrumental "Kanikapila" which is more upbeat than the title track and is complete with Taj Mahal's yelps and laughs.

Overall, it's a pretty good album that needs to be played while daydreaming about the islands.

More great sounds from an accomplished artist
It's not every day you get to experience a new sound from an old friend. Sacred Island by Taj Mahal and the Hula Blues Band is the kind of CD that you want to play again and again. It's catchy rhythyms fused by Tajs love of Hawaiian Music blended together for upbeat arrangements.
Outstanding cuts include "Cocunut Man", "Sacred Island" and the traditional blues offering "Mailbox Blues". Not a bad song in the bunch and the only reason I gave it 4 stars was that it didn't have more tracks. An excellent effort from a master of blues. Stretch out in your favorite lounge chair, grab a cool one and let your mind drift away with Taj Mahal at the wheel ... Read more

Asin: B000005YTV
Subjects:  1. Contemporary Blues    2. Folk & Traditional    3. Hawaii    4. Pop   

Into the Purple Valley
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
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Editorial Review

Ry Cooder may have been an in-demand session guitarist in the late '60s, but what set him apart in his early solo career was his extraordinary, if eccentric, taste in songs. Here he explores the repertoires of everyone from Johnny Cash to Bahaman folk master Joseph Spence to Leadbelly with enchanting results. While Cooder's vocal skills are no match for his slide guitar and mandolin talents (the latter showcased splendidly in "Hey Porter" and "Billy the Kid"), he's an amiable singer who resists the temptation to camp it up, even when essaying such antiquated oddities as "FDR in Trinidad" and "Taxes on the Farmer Feeds Us All." --Steve Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The Return to the Purple Valley.
Ry Cooder has shown us a wide variety and diversification of musical influences since this 1972 release, but to me, this is his best effort. I love the broad range of musical influences that he has taken over the years, including the commercially successful Buena Vista Social Club, however, Into the Purple Valley is where he is at home. Frombeginning to end, this album carries such a magical feel, particularly the struggles of the poor and oppressed from a long ago era, however, seems to give us an indication that maybe our own "blues" maybe waiting around the corner for us all. ( You must remember that Nixon was in office when this was released...need I say more?). My personal favorites are "FDR in Trinidad", " How Can a Man Stand Such Times and Live", and the ever amazing rendition of "Vigilante Man". I love Mr. Cooder's travels into the realms of other cultures and rhythems. Through these venture, he has broadened our knowledge and appreciation for the sounds and rhythems of our world through the eyes and ears of those who we would have otherwise never known or heard. However, I feel that there is more for him to explore and interpret from The Heart of America and to give his own special stamp of originality. To those of you who have never heard "Into the Purple Valley" have no hesitation in going out immediately and purchasing. It will become one of your very favorites. And To Mr. Cooder, when you grow weary of world travels, come on back to the Purple Valley. We will all be waiting for you.

I wish I had this CD
I purchased this CD a year ago, right about the time when I was, coincidentally, doing a history project about the Dust Bowl. It provided the perfect backround music for it, and I have loved it ever since. In my mind there are no weak tracks, with the possible exception of Teardrops Will Fall, which I did not care for at first, but has grown on me. What amazed me the most about this album was the diversity within the particular style of music Cooder is dealing with. I normally group music like this under the term "down home," but on this disk that can range from folk to blues, or even a bit of calypso. I unfortunately lost this CD, along with Chickenskin Music, on a Continental Airlines flight this summer (and was rudely accomodated too), but I am sure that I will own it again in the near future.

The essential Ry Cooder
My brother brought this album home in the early 70's on vinyl.There was a production problem with this album and it seemed every copy we bought (must have been 3 or 4) skipped badly.You can tell we enjoyed the music.

The first 20 times we were forced to listen to it, the music and the words grated, it was a different sound.After that we found ourselves humming the tunes, whistling the music and looking for more work by the artist.

Nowadays, people ask me 'who was that?' instead of 'can we please listen to something else?'.While you might be better advised to start with 'Bob till you drop', 'Paradise and Lunch' or 'Chickenskin Music', Purple Valley remains a classic Ry Cooder Album.

Catchy tunes, wonderful guitar, lyrics which will roll you over and make you want to sing them yourself.'I want money honey'.

Besides which, on CD it doesn't skip anymore. ... Read more

Asin: B000002KBW
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Country-Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Roots Rock    7. Slide Guitar Blues   

Henryk Gorecki: Symphony 3 "Sorrowful Songs"
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (05 May, 1992)
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Editorial Review

This album, which catapulted Polish composer Henryk Gorecki to into the internationalspotlight, takes texts born in pain and turns them into statements of affirmation through the use of musicthat ebbs and flows in mystic minimalism. The clear voice of soprano Dawn Upshaw, singing the Polishtexts, is a large part of the success of this particular recording, but the music, contemporary without eitherdissonance or movie-music mawkishness, clarifies and uplifts the words. This is a moving and essentialelement of the modern repertoire. --Sarah Bryan Miller ... Read more

Reviews (83)

FANTASTIC RECORDING
In addition to this recording by Gorecki, I would also recommend
" Matrix 5 "by Krzysztof Penderecki.

Devastatingly Beautiful
This music crushed me. I bought the CD today and as a huge classical music listener I can tell you that no single piece has ever affected me more. I almost felt violated as the music seemed to physically take hold of me and drag me into emotional depths I was not prepared for.

I was naive. I thought I was going to simply relax and listen to a nice piece of music, and was instead dragged kicking and screaming onto a roller coaster of feelings so intense it left me sobbing at my desk.

Be prepared in advance, because this work won't just move you, it'll push you, pull you, twist you in a knot, and tear your bloody heart out.

Masterpiece
I hope I am not the only person to cry when I first heard this slow, sad, hypnotic piece.Few composers come even close to the emotions in this piece - they seem genuine, heartfelt, and unforced. While Gorecki's 3rd Symphany is easily the winner on the Saddest Music in the World contest, its ultimately uplifting and hopeful tone rescues it from being merely a depression fest. ... Read more

Asin: B000005J1C
Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Orchestral & Symphonic    3. Symphonic   

Slow Motion
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 May, 1989)
list price: $15.98
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Reviews (2)

great collection!
I agree with the previous reviewer.I have loved this album since I first heard it in 1985. Unfortionately, I a had a break-in my Beetle (1973) and all my favorite cds were stolen. I can't find this in the stores or record clubs!

Get it if you can.

- Learlock1

Five Stars
I first heard Andy Narell on afive hour flight from LA to NY. The Jazz Collection sound track had the "Two Tone Shoes" track from the Slow Motion album. I was immediately entranced and repeatedly listened tothe whole Jazz Collection so I could hear Two Tone Shoes over and over. Ihad no idea that steal drums could be so melodic. Also, I was amazed by thecreativity of the piece. I immediately bought the album and was astonishedto find that I loved all eight tracks on the album. I have become an AndyNarell devote. I own four of his albums and would give five stars to allbut one of those albums: Slow Motion, Stickman, and Little Secrets. ... Read more

Asin: B000008BV7
Sales Rank: 173363
Subjects:  1. Crossover Jazz    2. Jazz    3. New Age / Meditation    4. Post-Bop    5. World Fusion   

Eighteen Inches of Rain
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (04 February, 1994)
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Reviews (7)

"Heartaches Are Stealin'" - Best Song Ever Written?
Quite a claim, I know.If you're not on to Ian Tyson, such an assertion will sound preposterous.If you know his music, it might seem at least plausible.But it's the truth, at least to this man's ears.What makes it so great?First of all, the pathos.There's a whole world of sorrow summed up in three-plus minutes of musical mastery.Besides being the greatest, this is probably the saddest song ever written.You can feel these poor women's sorrow as they've once again been done in by a heartless and faithless man.Second, the musical setting perfectly matches the mood of the song.Tyson is a genius at getting just the right instrumentation and arrangement to complement his lyric.Third, there's a matter of tone.No one has an ear for the North American West like Tyson's.The California mid-coast setting is absolutely perfect for the sentiments conveyed.If you've ever been to Cayuma, you know what I mean.

"Big Horns" is almost as great.The sense of loss here is as profound as in "Heartaches."A choice between them probably comes down to what one is most familiar with.

"Rodeo Road" gives me chills every time I hear it.I'm not a cowboy, but I've had my obsessions about things to the detriment of those near to me.Tyson manages to perfectly capture this sad state of affairs, but even more amazingly wraps things up with a genuine redemptive move.Quite an accomplishment.

"M. C. Horses" evokes the changing West as well as anything out there."Old House" is a bit of exotica Tyson likes to include in most of his outings."Alcohol in the Bloodstream" has its own kind of sadness, despite the cheerful veneer."Horsethief Moon" intriguingly foreshadows "Big Horns" in a lighthearted way, making the latter all the more ominous.The title cut, although not among Tyson's absolute top-drawer tunes, does effectively bring out the joy a hard rain can bring to the parched western plains.

I could go on and on.There's not a weak cut in the bunch.I've just hit on the high points.A must-have for any Tyson fan, and a great introduction to the man and his music for anyone not yet under the spell of this true American troubadour.

Typical Tyson
Ian Tyson delivers another dead-on western cowboy musical piece. Each song makes you believe the songwriter (Tyson) has lived every word of it and even may have written it as it was happening. Tyson is completely credible, using his rustic cowboy voice and blending it with rustic tales and times to paint the picture of an authentic cowboy life. Most songs have a rhythm that is similar to be saddleback a horse. Add this to your Tyson collection or begin it right here.

real life
Ian Tyson truely sings the songs of the cowboy's heart. As a working cowboy in feedlots and ranches, nothing seems to get me to the end of the day like singing Tyson's songs, with the only accomanying rythm beig that of my pony's hoofs shuffling along. My greatest wish could be someday riding, working and singing with Ian. Would be happy to settle for great works like this CD and others. Simply impressed with latest CD "Lost Herd".Thank You Mr. Tyson for enriching my life with your music. Keep em coming. ... Read more

Asin: B000000EN0
Sales Rank: 64979
Subjects:  1. Contemporary Folk    2. Country    3. Cowboy    4. Pop   

Sanfona
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 August, 2000)
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Reviews (7)

Amazing Recording from an Amazing Artist
This is a fantastic recording of Egberto's music. Ranging from abstract "free" jazz to hothouse Brazilian samba inspired rhythms to meditative guitar ruminations this CD is astounding for the level of playing and interplay from all the musicians, the quality of the compositions and freshness of concept. The quartet side in particular stands out. The four musicians play with white-hot intensity onGismonti's challenging pieces with nary a cliche in sight. It's hard to know what aspect of EG to be most impressed with: his astounding guitar playing, his virtuostic and fresh approach to the piano or his unique and powerful compositions. This is one of my all time favorite Jazz (if you can call it that!) recordings and I urge you to get it.
Highest Recommendation!

A Masterpiece
I love all types of music and this an all time favorite.If you open minded, and want to hear original, heartfelt, and intellegent music, without any pretensions, this is it. The compositions, performance and feeling are all perfect on this one.
One thing to add: There are really two different parts to this CD. One is a quartet with Gismonti on mostly piano and some guitar. (The one with guitar is incredible.) And another is Gismonti going solo on (acoustic) guitar or an accordion-like "Indian Organ".The solo guitar pieces are as great as any I have heard.

World-class music
Egberto and his quartet were at the top of their form in this great recording. I still remember their live performance in Buenos Aires in 1981. It was a huge indoor stadium filled with 5.000 people, and the quartet played the music on this album: Grand piano, guitar, sax, flute, bass and drum set, with Nené occasionally playing brazilian percussion. Everybody somehow knew, or felt, that they were witnessing something huge, almost incredible, bigger than life. Even if they were not familiar with his compositions.

Egberto is so much more than his music. His albums featuring photos of his family, his cousins, uncles and aunts, the Carmo of his childhood, his own children, constantly remind us that indeed it is possible and necessary to go back to our beginning, our roots, to add all that baggage to our own music, to our own lives. Especially with such a bombardment of foreign trash music and culture in our cities that has only gotten worst and worst.

In this part of the world we have a few outstanding composers and performers that have made incredible music blending the local melodies and rhythms with modern and sophisticated harmonies. Egberto is certainly one of them, together with Hermeto Pascoal and Astor Piazzolla. "Loro" makes me think of Hermeto every time I listen to it. Maracatu, one of my favorites (It is so nice to hear Egberto tell about going fishing in the middle of the night on a canoe, with a flashlight, and how this music grows, as dawn slowly comes about).
Now that Egberto has a quartet with cello and bass, one can't help but remember our dear Astor Piazzolla and hisquintet.

This is superb music, played with heart and intelligence by giftedmusicians. Don't try to find a label for it. It just does'n get any better than this, and thank God for the superb ECM engineering. ... Read more

Asin: B00000DTEU
Sales Rank: 149423
Subjects:  1. Brazil    2. Brazilian Folk    3. Brazilian Jazz    4. Jazz    5. Latin Continuum    6. Latin Jazz    7. Pop    8. Samba    9. World Fusion   

Song Cycle
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 May, 1990)
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Editorial Review

Former child actor Van Dyke Parks had reinvented himself as a songwriter, arranger, raconteur, and budding conceptualist when Warner Bros. bankrolled this brave, baroque 1968 debut, which has achieved true notoriety in the annals of '60s California pop. More heard-of than heard, Song Cycle sailed against the tide of guitar-driven, blues-drenched rock to bet on the orchestral ambitions of Sgt. Pepper, weaving a conceptual tapestry from folk, Tin Pan Alley, and classical strands. In place of generational anthems or confessional love songs, Parks's coy, modest tenor offered intricate, impressionistic wordplay ripe with puns, multiple-entendres, and geopolitical allusions far beyond the pale of countercultural rock. On songs such as "The All Golden," "Palm Desert," and "Laurel Canyon Blvd.," you'll hear poetic links to Brian Wilson's most convoluted, internalized soundscapes, as well as a wily musical intelligence that will either intoxicate or infuriate you. Not unlike a brattier, Californian cousin to Stephen Sondheim, Parks revels in musical and thematic puzzles, and Song Cycle offers his most seductive and challenging ones. --Sam Sutherland ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Strike up the band
At the time that this album came out, Van Dyke Parks was mostly known (if he was known at all) as Brian Wilson's songwriting collaborator on the unreleased Smile album.Part of the reason that Smile wasn't released was because the other Beach Boys didn't "get" Parks' lyrics.Well, on this album his lyrics are pretty strange as well.Actually, the lyrics are often unintelligible, due to the excessive echo added to his voice (probably to hide a weak singing voice).This is a very uncommercial album, which Warner Brothers deserves all the credit in the world for releasing.Having said that, it's not very enjoyable to listen to.It's an album that's more admirable than enjoyable.

Californiana (Once upon a time there were orange orchards)
I couldn't get any of my friends to sit through this when it came out. It's sales at the time indicated the kind of reception the album got across the board, but this is classic Americana/Californiana music and I will not forget my fellow Californians who laughed at it.
The music here is dense, idiosyncratic, and difficult to get through, although it is much more lyrical than given credit for. It is easy to understand why Warner Brothers thought it would be an immediately famous debut. It was; it just did not get any airplay or reception. This album and the excellent "Orange Crate Art" with Brian Wilson proclaim a vision of golden California pre/post World War 2, and being a native and having grown up in the 1950's and 60's I understand perfectly well the semi-urban,semi-rural feeling of Los Angeles inthat era. Pasadena was high-powered in a quaint kind of way, Santa Monica and the coastal stretches were untrammeled, and the desert was WAY out there.
People like my grandmother lived in neighborhoods, and knew their neighbors.The residents of Hollywood had bungalows and gardens. The car was not critically important. Mostly, Southern California had a community atmmosphere. This music reflects all that.
Joan Didion would like the presentation on these two albums. The atmosphere would suit her, I think.

A tape he made, suffice it to say it didn't make the grade
This is a really trippy, funny, and bizarre album. Not trippy in the vein of say California contemporaries Jefferson Airplane or the Dead. NO. Way better and much more surreal. Comparison is pointless. Song cycle is immaculately orchestrated, yet detatched, and free of any "hippy bandwagon" fodder. I couldn't care less about connections to Americana or Gerschwinism. This album is a much more psychedelic and abstract than anything to come from a bunch of long haired LSDenthusiasts in their VW vans. What was this dude on?
Musically, the orchestration is way out there. All the rules and standards were thrown out. Read the credits. Look at all of the unusual instrumentation and droves of players who got the challenge of their lives. Imagine their reaction upon seeing the notation before them in the studio. Then perhaps they were even more bewildered (amazed, disgusted?) to hear the final product, complete with the processed vocals and innovative studio effects. Parks sounds like a hallucinating midget. The lyrics are equally odd. This is the most psychedelic album to come out of the USA! Not by a goateed tye-dier, but a better-groomed guy who'dlook square at the love-in. Quite brilliant, indeed. ... Read more

Asin: B000005JAT
Subjects:  1. Baroque Pop    2. Experimental    3. Folk & Traditional    4. Pop    5. Psychedelic    6. Psychedelic Pop    7. Singer/Songwriter   

Silver Pistol
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (16 June, 1994)
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Editorial Review

After exiting the Byrds, Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman formed the Burrito Brothers and recorded The Gilded Palace of Sin, an alternative country record before there even was such a thing. It's all thrilling: the country-ish covers of soul classics such as "Dark End of the Street," the distorted pedal-steel fills of Sneaky Pete Kleinow, and the classic country-rock compositions like the bluegrassy draft-dodger's anthem "My Uncle" and the amazingly twangy critique of capitalism, "Sin City." Along with the Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo, this is the premier example of Parsons and Hillman's prescient hippie-from-Muskogee aesthetic. Nine of Palace's 11 songs are available on the 21-track Farther Along anthology, an option bargain hunters may want to explore. But there's no replacing the full original. --David Cantwell ... Read more

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Reviews (18)

--
I'm of the opinion that country music died with this record.I think that it accomplished everything that country music ever tried to accomplish and that everything that's come after has been a pose to make money by playing to cliche.As the title implies, the Burrito Brothers were playing to established country music themes such as adultery, substance abuse, Satan and one night stands.However, they ADDED to these themes and enhanced them rather than simply rehashing them and calling them their own.

They made draft-dodging into genuine country tragedy in 'My Uncle', they demonstrated that country music was nothing more than white man's soul music by adapting the soul tunes 'Do Right Woman' (made popular by Aretha Franklin) and 'Dark End of the Street (done earlier by James Carr) into country tunes and doing it so successfully that if the listener hadn't known they weren't country songs beforehand, then they would never suspect otherwise.Also, although it sounds a little dated today, Sneaky Pete Kleinow's fuzz steel guitar runs on 'Christine's Tune' and 'Hot Burrito #2' were nevertheless a first for country music.The only thud on the record is the final song, 'Hippie Boy,' which can be avoided easily.

A direct line can be drawn from the backwoods, Judgement Day Christianity that the Louvin Brothers grew up on and feared to the music on 'The Gilded Palace of Sin'.The Burrito Brothers managed to take those doomsday religious themes from the Appalachians right into modern-day Las Vegas in 'Sin City' and hinted that inevitable punishment would be their acknowledged destination for being involved with 'Juanita' and the female co-conspirator in 'Dark End of the Street'.Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman were able to wear their nudie suits (virtual replicas of those owned by the Louvins twenty years earlier) with the same gaudy sense of perverse sin as their influences, but with an outsider's grin that suggested they were in on the joke.For the sake of argument though, the fact that the Louvins were not outsiders increases their charm in retrospect.They were the genuine article.

I don't respect Parsons as a person, but there's no question that he understood what country music was about more than his country-rock contemporaries like Poco and the Eagles.Hillman's contributions to the record should not be overlooked either - especially his sympathetic vocal harmonies.

This is the last relevant original country music we're likely to ever hear again.The way the country music industry is set up today, hedonism like this will never again be acceptable for radio play and anyone wishing to expand on it will be buried in obscurity.

Burrito/Byrds Excursion
This is the best country rock album to ever come out-this album along with the Byrds -Sweetheart of the Rodeo album introduced the world to country rock-the way it should be played--great vocals*(Listen to this album in headphones-dual vocals)I played a Vinyl copy of this from the day it came out to the day my record wore out-and than I replaced it over and over again-check out the cover-Hillman and Parsons look very high in their "Nudie" outfits with grass leaves on them. When this album came out-they appeared on American Bandstand exactly the way they were on the album-same outfits and very high-I saw this but I have not seen it again-it was quite rare for commercial TV in 1968. This album and Sweethearts of the Rodeo are must have albums.

Desert Island Disc
This is simply one of the best rock albums. I loved it when it first came out, I played it until you could see thru the vinyl. These songs are on plenty of Burrito albums but there is just something about having them in the original order and just by themselves. This is one of the 10 discs I would take to a desert island. ... Read more

Asin: B0000011SS
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Country-Rock    3. Pop    4. Pub Rock    5. Rock    6. Rock & Roll    7. Rock/Pop   

A Meeting by the River
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (23 February, 1993)
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Editorial Review

Ry Cooder has long had an interest in other people's music, from the blues and gospel of black America through classic jazz and the music of Cuba. Even by this standard, his meeting with Mohan Vishwa Bhatt is certainly a departure. He is neither a serious student of Indian music nor in any way a master of its intricacies. Yet on his improvised session (this album was recorded without rehearsal in one evening), he and Bhatt truly collided musically and created moments worthy of the world-music Grammy they received for it. Bhatt is an iconoclastic character himself. He plays a modified box he calls the mohan vina that is a hybrid of a classical Indian instrument and slide guitar. He is long trained in the arduous classical style, yet his work has always demanded a lot of freedom. His duets here with Cooder are completely unique, liberating both artists from the usual constraints and creating a new musical style that is unlikely to be repeated or imitated. --Louis Gibson ... Read more

Reviews (22)

In the true spirit of confluence
The album truly encompasses the spirit of the confluence, of different worlds, different music, different thoughts, united in harmony, in the cool shade of the banks of the ganges.

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt is as effortlessly beautiful as ever. The flowing quality of his music, with delightful legatos splashes as his solos meet the solid boulders and branches of Ry Cooder's slide guitar. If anything I feel Ry Cooder was too quiet on this album, though, the blues/jazz influence was underplayed a little.

The title piece is one of my favourites, though Isa Lie is equally wonderful.

Magical music from another place and time.

Cooder aint up to par...
Its a good cd, if you like the music. It may not be what you are used to. Listen to the audio clips. Nice slide guitar playing. Personally, i think Ry Cooder gets killed on this one, the blues licks just seem a little crude and basic compared to V.M. Bhatts licks...granted, he's more used to the style of music.

good slide work
It helps to have listened to Indian music before. You can easily get fatigued by it, if you've never heard Indian music.

Cooder's slide work is really nice. You'l hear the typical blues music in the back ground and it somehow blends with Bhatt's raagas. Bhatt is pretty good as usual. ... Read more

Asin: B000005L9Z
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Ethnic Fusion    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Worldbeat   

Lone Soldier
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (21 March, 1995)
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Reviews (1)

Gorgeous performances and compositions
David Grier lives up to his reputation as one of the hottest acoustic flatpickers around.But don't be misled into thinking that this will be an album of hot licks showcasing Grier alone.Instead Grier has written somebeautiful tunes spanning bluegrass, newgrass, jazz, and Grier's own uniquecompositional voice.Grier's sensitive touch on the instrument is at thecenter of this album, but it is surrounded by phenomenal performances allaround.This is a deeply musical album.I have had it on continuous playfor several days and found more pleasure each listen. ... Read more

Asin: B0000002LN
Sales Rank: 96583
Subjects:  1. Bluegrass    2. Country    3. Pop   

How Late'll Ya Play 'til?, Vol. 2 [Studio]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (17 December, 1993)
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Reviews (2)

excellent ecelectic album
This is my first excursion into Amazon land and thought a Bromberg search would be a good test. Both cd's of "How Late'll ya play 'til?"are easily worth the cost.I admit a bias, but Bromberg treats folk,blues, rock & roll, and even jazz with the same insight and feeling forlife.

If you ever have a chance to see him perform, whether solo or if hereforms the band and they do some small blues club, go, just go.You willenjoy yourself.

Ars Gratia Arteest
David does it all, and does it so well.His version of 'Summer Wages' will make you rush home and lock up your beloved, before some no-accountlow down false friend steals her away.Even if YOU don't want her anymore. I've been a fan of Bromberg since Moses waded out of the bulrushesand the classic double 'How Late'll Ya Play 'Til?" is my favorite ofhis old recordings.I always liked the 'studio' side best, but there'ssomething to be said about the energy from the live recordings like 'Willnot be your fool'.Since David doesn't make many live appearances anymore, you might want to double your pleasure and grab both CDs while you'vegot the chance. Buy the CDs, then write David, tell him to get busy andwhip up some more just like this. ... Read more

Asin: B000000XD8
Sales Rank: 8419
Subjects:  1. Contemporary Folk    2. Folk & Traditional    3. Pop    4. Singer/Songwriter   

The Pet Sounds Sessions
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (04 November, 1997)
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Editorial Review

Released in 1966 to tepid sales (and hence causing no small amount of grumbling among the notoriously fractious band members), Brian Wilson's Rubber Soul-inspired album of "spiritual love" eventually became one of pop music's most celebrated artistic accomplishments. Paul McCartney would later claim that Pet Sounds in turn inspired the Beatles' magnum opus, Sgt. Pepper. This four-disc box set offers an unprecedented deconstruction of Wilson's masterpiece, taking fans, armchair scholars, and musicians on a compelling creative journey. Leading off with what once was heresy--a complete true-stereo mix of the album cleverly conjured from the existing session tapes by engineer and project coproducer Mark Linett--the set proceeds through edited audio collages that document the evolution of each song's backing track. Along the way, listeners are treated to a playful, unreleased gem ("Trombone Dixie") and the very genesis of Wilson's other great period masterpiece, "Good Vibrations." Conversely, disc 2 presents all the songs' glorious harmonies, sans instrumental backing tracks, then 19 more tracks that highlight alternate working versions (including the original take on "I Know There's an Answer," the pointedly titled "Hang On to Your Ego"), session snippets, and radio promotional spots. Disc 3 contains a newly remastered version of the album's original mono mix. The album's two comprehensive booklets were written and edited by coproducer and veteran Beach Boy biographer David Leaf and include commentary by Wilson and quotes from McCartney and producer George Martin. The 126-page "Making of Pet Sounds" pieces together the recollections of the band, session men, and engineers behind the epochal album into a warm, human-scaled history. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (46)

Essential for any Brian Wilson fan.
When I was 21 or 22, one of my coworkers dropped a copy of Pet Sounds on my desk and said, "listen to it, it'll change your life".Well, like anyone that age, I assumed he'd be wrong, but one late night years later, I did listen to it.

So anyway, he was right, it changed the way I thought about music, at a minimum.Since then, you might say my obsession with the Beach Boys is complete.

What this set is, and admittedly, its probably extraneous for most listeners, is a study in Pet Sounds.It contains two mixes of the album, one in stereo, one in mono (I go back in forth as to which I prefer), a set of sessions, and a pile of alternates.

The album you guys probably know about, if you don't, I'll touch on it here.13 tracks of just incredible, lush, essential music.Much of it is Brian singing lead, and he does so magnificantly, in either a tenor range or falsetto, depending on the piece.Where there's harmonies, they're sometimes drier than the previous stuff, sometimes as lush and well arranged, and sometimes there's none.

As far as the songs go, there's not a bad one-- highlights change for me over time, right now "You Still Believe in Me", "Don't Talk", and "God Only Knows" are my favorites, but this changes over time.They're all quite brilliant though.

The session material is intriguing but only for big BB fans.It can get tedious at times I suspect, although I wish they'd released the full sessions.Having each with a complete instrumental track is nice too.There's also an isolated vocal track for each song, though I wish we'd gotten vocal sessions as well (then again, if I had my way, it'd be a 20-CD box...).

The alternate versions are interesting, some of them I really enjoy."God Only Knows" with the vocal tag and sax solo and "Hang On To Your Ego" (with a better vocal delivery than its rewrite) are the big highlights.

Amazing material, highly recommended.

A Masterwork.......
We all knew that Brian Wilson was a musical genius and innovator for our times.This Box Set shows how Brian crafted and shaped.One can see the album "Pet Sounds" come to life.No slight to the Mono release,the Stereo version is pure joy to hear.Snap this one up,while STILL waiting for Capitol to do the same treatment to "Good Vibrations".

The Least You Could So Is SMiLE
With the upcoming release of a rerecorded SMiLE album by Brian Wilson I'm hoping that Capitol Records will finally release a SMiLE box set with all the missing pieces left off the GOOD VIBRATIONS box set.

Pieces missing are "Barnyard," "The Old Master Painter/You Are My Sunshine," "Look (Song For Children)," "Child Is Father Of The Man," "I'm In Great Shape," "I Wanna Be Around/Friday Night (Woodshop)", "Holidays (On A Holiday)," and "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow (Fire)." Also an unedited "Surf's Up (Demo)" and "Heroes And Villains (Intro)" please.

So Capitol Records, cash in on this project please! ... Read more

Asin: B000002U4U
Subjects:  1. Baroque Pop    2. Box Sets (Audio Only)    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Rock    6. Rock & Roll    7. Sunshine Pop    8. United States of America   

Architextures
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (13 October, 1998)
list price: $14.99
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Reviews (2)

A future classic today!
....
The first thing to note is that this is both a trio and an octet disc. This allows two different sides of Iyer as a composer to be expressed.
On the trio cuts, he is joined by Jeff Brock on the bass and Brad Hargreaves on the drums. As a writer for trio, he explores the vast terrain between the European classical and the jazz traditions. His playing is not pyrotechnic- it is more about composition. He uses lots of space in his playing which allows for the harmonic and rhythmic side of his playing to be strongly heard. On his Microchips and Bullocks (which he wrote to convey some of his reaction to the juxtaposition of new technologies and old in India) a Monkish side emerges but very much in his own way. This is one of the admirable things about Iyer. He has absorbed a lot of influences from a lot of traditions. Among others, he mentions and evokes McCoy Tyner, Cecil Taylor and Duke Ellington but he doesn't really sound like any of them. And he is only is his mid-twenties at the time of this recording!
On the octet sides, the writing is more straight ahead jazz but again with a very individual, swinging and modern voice. The band is Rudresh Mahanthappa on the alto, Aaron Stewart and Eric Crystal on the tenor, Liberty Ellman on the guitar, both Brock and Kevin Ellington Mingus on the basses and Hargreaves again on the drums. As individuals these guys are amazing and as a group they are as good as any I have heard. I can only hope that they tour out west soon as individuals or (I can dream, can't I?)as this group.
Mahanthappa and Ellman are the real standouts to my ears. I love the way Mahanthappa will accelerate in his solos. He has a great sense of time; almost slippery but also very precise. If you can find any of his own records, buy them. Again, this is an amazingly young man to sound this mature on his horn. Where do these people come from? Liberty Ellman is a real find to me. He seems to be an extension of the Grant Green, Phil Upchurch, Melvin Sparks school of guitar but harmonically more advanced. His CD is my next purchase based on the way he plays on this one.
I agree with my fellow reviewer most importantly in that this should be a better known CD. I have been a jazz listener for about 35 years now. Hearing CDs like this reminds me how infinitely vital this music can be- how in order to play it well the player has to be wide open to a world of influences and yet true to and honest about their individual musical soul. Mr. Iyer and his associates live up to that standard as well anyone I have ever heard play at their age. If this was a mid-sixties Blue Note, it would be considered a classic. Personally, I think it is a classic.

Another burning disc
Why hasn't anyone written a review of this great disc?I would have to guess that it's because they're all too scared to try. Anyone who has seen Vijay play knows what I'm talking about, and if you haven't seen him, go to New York right now and check him out immediately, and then you'll see.Vijay is a trueinnovator, both as a composer and an improvisor.His melodic and rhythmic ideas are complex and dark and hit you with a jolt, like a great cup of Peet's coffee.His writing confounds and simultaneously redefines common notions of what "jazz" music is: it weaves new ideas into this great american tapestry but in the end, it's still a beautiful rug!Ha ha ha!

And there's great supporton this disc in the frightening Liberty Ellman on guitar (recently seen with Greg Osby), the incalculable Aaron "Oh s**t" Stewart on tenor (recently seen with Andrew Hill), the bedevilling and bedazzling Brad Hargreaves on drums (recently seen with Third Eye Blind), the unequivocal Eric Crystal on tenor (recently seen everywhere on the SF jazz scene), and the omnipresent super-presence of Vijay's friend and collaborator on so many projects, Rudresh Mahanthappa on the death-defying alto (recently seen with Saturn Returns... what? you've never heard of Saturn Returns? By god, man, get yourself to NYC right away!).

This is a great disc, and you should own it if you consideryourself human.Also, look for new stuff by all the folks mentioned above to appear in stores soon, especially new albums by Vijay and by Rudresh (separately and together, as it should be). ... Read more

Asin: B00000DC47
Sales Rank: 294548
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop    3. World Fusion   

War
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (15 June, 1990)
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Editorial Review

The final album of U2's early period, before the group broadened its sonic palette and lyrical vision, War is a brilliantly conflicted album, sounding martial and majestic while its very purpose is to tear down false idols propped up by politics. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "40" take the subject of Ireland's troubles head-on, while it's the subtext of "New Year's Day," which is about a sundered love relationship symbolic of a greater division. "Torn in two, we can be one," Bono pleads, as Edge's guitar scratches and snarls behind him. Songs such as "Two Hearts Beat as One" and the delicate "Drowning Man" take a back seat here, but they help make War a compelling and well-rounded album. --Daniel Durchholz ... Read more

Reviews (131)

Full of sh**!
THis is pure sh**! WHy make this kind of sc***? Listen to good bands like Megadeth and Led Zeppelin instead!

a mixed bag
The studio version of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" really pales in comparison with the live version. The "S.B.S" mix on "War" is just really odd and lacking in clarity and punch. It sounds like it was recorded in mono with everyone in the same room going through the same mic. And it almost sounds like an acoustic version of the song. I've always found the arrangement of "S.B.S" awkward anyway and thought it lacked momentum. I mean, it's basically a march. "Seconds" and "New Year's Day" are good. "Like A Song" has a lot of raw energy, but isn't a terribly memorable song. "Drowning Man" is one of the few real ballads U2 has recorded and is a pretty unique track in the U2 catalog in terms of arrangement and song-writing. But Bono's surprisingly trite lyrics for the song drag the quality down.

The second half/B-side of the album is basically all filler, with the exception of "40," which has some pretty melodies and a great sonic aura which kind of points in the direction they would head into with their next album. I doubt U2's ever performed "The Refugee" or "Red Light" in concert. I remember reading an interview with Edge a long time ago in which he said he didn't care much for "Surrender" because the lyrics didn't really mean anything.

I guess "War" is widely considered to be one of U2's definitive albums, but though there are a few great moments on it, overall I've always found it to be pretty inconsistent.

U2s Rock Extraordinaire
Although War never receives the critical acclaim and praise that Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby get, War is the U2 album that is most influenced by passion and emotions expressed through rock. After 1983, U2 moved on to more a of a pop/rock stage, while also expanding their horizons with power ballad classics. That being said, the essence of this album alone gives it the flavour to satisfy my tastes, as I have always had a deeper love for the languished, meaningful rock classics. This is the only U2 album I own, which may not qualify me for being a true fan of their music.

To review some of the music that lies on this disc, we open with the booms and clashes of one Sunday Bloody Sunday. A song that changed my outlook on the world as a whole, most specifically through the lyrics. U2s raw interpretation and outcry on the lost innocence of the world is expressed heavily through melodic emotions. To follow, we get the track Seconds, primarily built around a love provoked meaning. New Year's Day is a favourite, mostly because of the melodic phases and backing lyrics. Nevertheless, it is superb songwriting. Moving on, we see U2 stay very consistent with the general theme of the album, Drowning Man is a great song, and Two Hearts Beat As One is probably the most rock oriented song on the album. Other great songs on this album include '40' and Refugee. The album runs very smoothly as well, and the musicality of the band is sensational.

The most impressive component to this album is that a great number of rock listeners can enjoy it. U2 explored different styles of music in their later years, but for me this is the only album of theirs that I need to own. The cover art is well chosen and properly represents the expression that U2 delivered to the music audience. Highly recommended to any fan of U2, lovers of emotional and passionate rock, or someone looking to broaden their taste in music. ... Read more

Asin: B000001F3C
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Trout Mask Replica
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $15.98 -- our price: $13.99
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Editorial Review

A colleague of Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart (aka Don Van Vliet) and his Magic Band produced some of the most eccentric music of the late 1960s--or, for that matter, ever. The high water mark of Beefheart's bizarre career, this double album of freeform "Dada rock" features such daunting tracks as "Pachuco Cadaver," "Hair Pie (Bakes 1 and 2)," and "Neon Meat Dream of an Octafish," all of which actually sound as unusual as their titles. Between Beefheart's mind-bending lyrics and cavernous voice, as well as the twisted playing of guitarists Zoot Horn Rollo and Antennae Jimmy Semens, bassist Rockette Morton and drummer The Mascara Snake, this album fully explains the expression "far out." --Billy Altman ... Read more

Reviews (329)

Music, er, NOISEfor Guantanamo Bay Detainees?
Intriguing?No, not really.Daring?I guess it is in the same way that taking a dump in the middle of Times Square is daring.I think I've heard more melodious airplane crashes.I've definitely heard more harmony from lawnmower engines.And I know I've heard better singing from the worst American Idol auditions.This is the musical equivalent of "Attack of the 50-foot Woman," "Plan 9 from Outer Space" or "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians."Listen to the samples for yourself.Believe me, that should be more than enough to help you make up your mind.

Ahh...The Captain....
'A squid eating dough in a polyethaline bag is fast and bulbous, got me?'

If I can think of one album that divides its listeners into the two extremes of love to utter hatred, it would be 'Trout Mask Replica.'All I have to say is that this is a very listenable album, and I've listened to it straight through too many times to count.I can play you music that would make Captain Beefheart sound like Britney Spears, such as John Zorn, Albert Ayler, late-Ornette Coleman, late-John Coltrane, Mike Patton, incarnations of Robert Fripp and King Crimson, and many more.I think the main problems associated with the acceptance of this music and avant-garde music in general are intelligence and open-mindedness.I'm sorry if I offend you, but if you went back in time and played the Beatles to Eurpoeans during the Renaissance, they would tell you it was crap.The only reason why any new styles of music get discovered is open mindedness, as well as the intelligence and maturity of the listener.Music doesn't have to sound the same all the time.Sometimes the best musical channels to express the most honest feelings cannot be limited to the structural constraints of pop music.All I have to say is that if you don't 'get' this album then you are guilty of closed-mindedness and emotional immaturity.

Now that we have that out of the way, I want to cover several songs here - I promise not to do all of them!

'Frownland' - one of my favorites; I love the imagery of the line "my smile is stuck" as well as "I cannot go back to your land of gloom".The Captain sounds like a drunk sailor!It makes you really witness a place called Frownland.The music is layered and if you focus on each individual instrument you will find repetition, much to the dismay of the nay-sayers.

'Dust Blows Forward and the Dust Blows Back' - you can hear the Captain recording this on a pocket recorder as he hits 'record' and then 'stop' in between ideas.He is brilliant - a genius, if you will, who improvises poetry better than any rap artist of the 21st century.This is also similar to the track 'Orange Claw Hammer,' as well as 'Well'.

'Dachau Blues' - is this a tribute to fallen Jews?Either way, I love the catchiness of the chorus as well as the bass and percussive elements of the music. The Captain sounds like a church preacher, trying to make evil forces go away.

'Ella Guru' - I don't know...I think this song is too commercial for me.Possibly the captain was trying to sell out.It still has a really catchy chorus with great vocal harmonies.Also, one of my favorite all time Captain lines is "She do what she mean; she do what she do; Got somethin' for me, got sumthin' for you; she show sumthin; she young too".The Captain also has some communication with the ever mysterious 'Mascara Snake'."That's right the mascara snake, fast and bulbous, tight also!"

'Moonlight on Vermont' is another favorite of mine.The beginning sounds like The Birds or Jefferson Airplane.10 seconds later that image leaves you as the captain enters like a psych-ward escapee!

The best track, without a doubt is 'Neon Meate Dream of a Octafish.'The Captain sounds like he's having an argument with himself about the horrific realities of this octafish. "In jest, incest, injest, injust, in feast, incest, 'n specks, 'n spreckled, spreckled, speckled speculation."There's also another classic one-liner here with "Cavorts girdled in latters uh lite." Absolutely brilliant.

'China Pig' is a decent blues song, going back to earlier material such as the SAFE AS MILK album, which is sterile and lacks the beauty of TROUTMASK.However, 'China Pig' has a nice raw sound and fits in better on this album.

I've danced to "My Human Gets Me Blues" a few times.
The 'Mascara Snake' makes another appearance on 'Pena.'Who is this entity...this spirit?
Other epic songs on this cd are 'The Blimp,' and 'Old Fart at Play.'

In closing, I'd just like to say that if you don't own this, don't listen to the narrow-mindedness of the reviewers who put this masterpiece down.You're not going to get super commercial crap...you'll actually get a refreshing dose of creativity and originality in music - an element missing from most popular music.Also, if you like Troutmask, I also recommend 'Lick My Decals Off, Baby' - it's out of print, but if you find a copy for sale, buy it.It's extremely rare, and very similar to 'Troutmask Replica.'

Soundtrack to a root canal.
Quite possibly the worst affront to your ears since a dentist's drill.Seriously, no words can explain how many things are wrong with this cacaphonous mess.A heaping, steaming plate of b*******; please make sure NOT to buy it in order to keep money away from this shyster.If they were to drag Beefheart into the street and beat him with a sack of doorknobs, it would be a just punishment for this affront to the human race. ... Read more

Asin: B000005JA8
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Do Right Man
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (14 June, 1994)
list price: $9.98 -- our price: $9.98
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Reviews (19)

GO ON CUZ
YES HE'S MY COUSIN!!!!!!! And I'm not saying it's a good CD because he is, it is some of his best work. Can't wait for the next one.

ONe of my fave CDs ever
I bought this CD on the rave review of my hometown newspaper's music critic. I recognized some of the songs, like that sort of music and went out immediately and purchased it. I have not been sorry as it has been one of my all-time favorites in the passing years. I never tire of Dan's comforting and earthy voice.

The Penn is mightier
I wasn't sure how I'd feel about hearing a c.d. full of tuneswritten by Dan but made popular by other artists, no easy task when considering the array of heavyweight talent who've branded their own soulified stamp of success on tunes such as "the dark end of the street, "I'm your puppet" & "you left the water running" to name but a few, but I was pleasently suprised with the results! Dan is in good vocal form throughout these set of tracks cut at Muscle Shoals sound studios back in 1993. The backing band comprised mostly of Muscle Shoals vets, have worked with one another for well over thirty years, supporting a virtual who's who of southern soul stars. You can't go wrong with this one! Dan captures the spirit on his old soul classic's making them sound as fresh as if written just yesterday, while the band fit's like a glove into the pocket of tune after timeless tune. ... Read more

Asin: B000002MOQ
Sales Rank: 42487
Subjects:  1. Americana    2. Blues    3. Pop    4. R&B    5. Roots Rock    6. Singer/Songwriter   

Learning to Crawl
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

The departure of bassist Pete Farndon, and the drug-related death of lead guitarist James Honeyman Scott in 1982, left Chrissie Hynde's Pretenders in disarray, but she and drummer Martin Chambers rallied to produce the stunning 1983 single, "Back on the Chain Gang" (dedicated to Scott), and over the course of the next year, cobbled together enough material for a new album, some of whose tracks included new members: guitarist Robbie McIntosh and bassist Malcolm Foster. Nontheless, the album held together due to Hynde's uniformly strong material, which ranged from the rocking, bluesy "Middle of the Road" to the near-protest tune "My City Was Gone," to the piercing "Time the Avenger."--Billy Altman ... Read more

Reviews (30)

A Winner
It's my personal favorite, and a potent introduction, if you've never heard them. I enjoy singers who don't sound like anyone else, and Chrissie Hynde is certainly one. You can tell it's her from the first few words. The band is at its best.

Beware!Copy-protected CD
I bought this CD, which should entitle me to rip MP3 files to play on my MP3 player.But this CD is apparently copy-protected.Neither my Dell nor my wife's new IBM can read this CD.If you are satisfied to listen only with an ordinary CD player, go ahead and buy this CD.But if you want to play it on your computer or rip MP3 files, forget it.

Ok
The high points of CD are some, but there are some low points, too. The high points are: My City Was Gone(which in case your'e wondering is Rush Limbaugh's theme), Middle Of The Road, and Back On The Chain Gang. The low points are: Watching The Clothes, which is a silly song about sitting in laundromat, I Hurt You, Thumbelina, and just about every other song on the album. I gave this album a whole 3 stars because the high points are really high, in spite of the lows. ... Read more

Asin: B000002KZQ
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Hard Rock    3. New Wave    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll   

Avalon
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (14 March, 2000)
list price: $16.98 -- our price: $13.99
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Editorial Review

Hipper students of 1980s pop might pretend that Joy Division and the Smiths had a monopoly on melancholia, but for the older, more suave brooders, nothing could match the stylized desolation of Roxy Music's last album. Avalon was recorded in the wake of the band's hit version of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy." Although that song isn't on Avalon, its tortured shadow looms large over "While My Heart Is Still Beating," the title track, and the unlikely Balearic anthem "More Than This." If time has been kind to Bryan Ferry's crumpled Armani chic, it hasn't exactly been vicious to his back catalog: Avalon sounds even more sumptuous now that the CD age has caught up with Rhett Davis's pristine production. --Peter Paphides ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (86)

a landmark in 80's music and production
the arrangements and production on this album are simply astounding.the engineers obviously took great care to make sure this album had near perfect sound, which it does.The last Roxy album, and maybe even the best, Avalon is full of wonderful compositions, some better than others.I don't really think there is any filler, but I find myself returning to the first 3 tracks and skipping a few at the end usually.I haven't listened to this one in awhile; its one of those albums that you never let go of because sometimes its just perfect, but other times it may not be.I highly recommend this album, and Country Life for the new fan.

Delectable
The lush vocals of chantuese Bryan Ferry, gracefully winding through the landscape of Roxy Music is pure bliss.I purchased this album in 1986, when a new friend told me he liked RM.Randomly scanning the bin, I chose "Avalon" among the RM collection, and discovered an inimitable masterpiece. Check out www.roxyrama.com for more info re: Avalon and other "Roxy Music", including tour dates and possible new studio recording.

"Avalon"--one of the best albums ever made!
I don't think I will ever grow tired of this album. It has amazing staying power, considering how old it is. (80s) But maybe that's the mark of a classic. Classics just don't age, but like fine wine, are to be savored.

My favorite cuts are "More Than This", "Take a Chance with Me", and the title song, "Avalon".

One of the best ways to listen to this album, is to put the top down on the car, get out onto Highway 17 to Santa Cruz, CA, and just move into a sublime, blissful state of mind as you listen to the smooth vocals of Brian Ferry and the top-notch instrumental arrangements.

If you somehow missed this one, give it a listen. You won't be sorry. ... Read more

Asin: B0000256VK
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock