3 comments about Christmass.

1. This is a compendium of mostly live recordings from Frank Black's latest solo acoustic tour. If you're a fan, you probably already have this, but if you don't, get it while you can.
   
   It's a testament to the strength of his songwriting that so many of these tracks stand up to solo acoustic renditions. As you can see, he also peppers in a few Pixies songs here & there, which is always a treat.
   
   There are also a few *new* songs here, recorded while on the road and remixed. The best of them are "(Do What You Want) Gyaneshwar" and "She's my Way". I can't vouch for the others, which seem to be semi-failed experiments (especially "Demon Girl"... yeck).
   
   The outtakes at the end are quite funny, especially the last one where Charles is dealing with a drunken screaming fan proclaiming that she saw him step out of a UFO before the concert.
   
   Anyway, get it if you dig Frank Black. It's a great tide-me-over until Bluefinger is officially released.



2. Frank Black, a.k.a Black Francis, a.k.a Charles Michael Kittredge Thompson the Fourth is best known as the "inventor" of Alt Rock, while fronting "The Pixies", a late 80s/early 90s Cult band with fans like Curt Cubain and David Bowie (who has covered two Pixies tracks, including one "Cactus", on his 2002 album "Heathen"). But the Pixies have disbanded a long time ago, and despite a financially successful and artistically questionable reunion tour, true fans know that some of the most interesting music our hero has produced is scattered throughout his eleven Post-Pixies Studio albums, various B-Sides, and the soon to be released 2007 album "Bluefinger", which will feature Charles Thompson retaking his Pixies moniker for a concept album about the life and art of a Herman Brood, a Belgian Rock star.
   
   Meanwhile, we have this album. A true oddity, Christmass is a 2006 release featuring assorted live tracks, hotel room recording, and a couple of demo-level songs. Most of the album tracks feature only Frank Black and the guitar, and were recorded on his 2006 solo acoustic tour.
   
   This is not an album for the uninitiated fan, although Pixie-heads would appreciate the various Pixies songs here. Ever since it has been featured in David Fincher's classic Fight Club, "Where is My Mind?" became one of the Pixies' best known tunes. The rendition here is absolutely brilliant, Frank's powerful singing and the crowd's enthusiasm are both apparent. Of the other Pixies tunes, I quite like "Wave of Mutilation" which received subtle reworking, but am less fond of Cactus.
   
   The assorted studio recordings vary between the cool-and-bizarre "Radio Lizard" which features only vocals in one of Frank's most experimental recordings in recent years, "(Do What You Want) Gyaneshwar" which is a fine, fast Frank song, and "Demon Girl" which is a silly and forgettable love song.
   
   People who have been privileged enough to attend a Frank Black concert know that he's a phenomenal performer, and indeed, the live tracks are the highlight here. Though accompanied mostly by a guitar alone, Frank delivers rendition that routinely match or supersede the album versions. Although he doesn't hit gold every time - "Massif Central", probably the best track off Frank's 2003 album "Show Me Your Tears" sounds good but not nearly as powerful as the original - for the most part he delivers. So "Bullet" from "Dog in the Sand" sounds completely different (with the main riff muted) but every bit as powerful. "Nadine", not one of my favorite tracks, receives a spooky and subtly powerful reading, and "Living on Soul" a B-Side, sounds less like a hard rock track as in the original but as a powerful and effective pop/rock tune which narrates a sense of hopelessness, with cool cultural allusions to boost "You can't get off your stop/ like Old Charlie on the MTA".
   
   The highlight of the album, for me at least, is the new track "Dead Man's Curve" first recorded in an as-yet-unreleased session with long time collaborator Eric Drew Feldman, "Dead Man's Curve" is one of the best Frank Black songs of all time. Hard rocking, musically clever and lyrically disturbing "I've seen the lights on the valley
   /From Dead Man's Curve/Down lover's alley/I never lost my nerve". I have seen Frank perform this song live with a band, and it was an absolute peak in an outstanding show.
   
   The CD comes with a bonus DVD which features Frank alone on the stage. While Frank's trademark energy and intensity takes an unusually long time to load, once Frank Black gets to the groove, he offers a mesmerizing performance, with special highlights including 2002's "California Bound" and the Pixies' classic "Ed is Dead".
   
   Ultimately, this is a recording for those in the know. It shows a stripped Down Frank Black which may come as a shock to those who only know him from his Pixies or early solo days. For a new comer I would recommend the recent best-of collection. But for those who have already had a taste of Frank Black's music, and would like to go beyond step one, this is a worthy recording.



3. not only do you get a cd w\ unreleased F.B. songs, solo acoustic versions of his classics(and a couple of PIXIES hits!, you get a dvd of a solo acoustic frank black performance! it's like he's in the room playing just for you! you need this...

No comments about Best of Ichiban Blues at Christmas.

2 comments about On a Cold Winter's Night.

1. Ed is truly one of the very gifted instrumentalist of our time. His arrangements and precision playing is pure delight. All guitarist will find much inspiration in his quality work...the non-guitarist will find pure joy in the great sound of XMAS coming from the Ed's six-string and twelve-string guitars. I look forward to XMAS just so I can break out this and his previous CD. Beautiful music.



2. This CD is great if you are looking for relaxing, enjoyable Christmas music. I am neither a guitar player nor a musician, but this has become my favorite Holiday CD. If you often find listening to carols unpleasant because the vocalists' styles interfere with the music, purchase this and also the "Christmas" CD. No jarring high notes or chipmunks here, just soothing music.

5 comments about The Empire Strikes Back: Symphonic Suite From The Original Motion Picture Score.

1. Superb CD. I knew it was a selection from the score, but i had this CD for a long time without actually realizing it was'nt the original 'recording'. When years later i obtained the Special Edition recording of the original,i actually found myself going back to this one much more (and still do). Its a far far superior performance of the music (and Williams himself agrees on the sleeves that they are beautiful suites of his score). Gerhardt gets the full ooomp and brassy power out of the orchestra and this makes for a stunningly powerful performance of Empire strikes back's main themes and cues. The Asteroid field is 10 times better here than on the original recording where its infact quite weak and incidental background quality. This version will leave you with you hair sticking up and a sound blasted face. Incredible power. Williams himself is not a fan of full released scores and prefers to release "Selections from" CD's of his scores. I,like many JW fans used to grumble about this no end, but more and more i appreciate why he and Jerry Goldsmith prefer this. It makes for a much more balanced,well paced,and enjoyable listening experience. The 2 disc Phantom menace score from Sony was an example of how "ALL" the music in the film on disc is not quite as enjoyable as you would of imagined. Give this CD a try and i can guarantee you'll prefer this one anyday.



2. Even though I had owned the original soundtrack recording of John Williams' score for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on vinyl LP and cassette, but when Polygram released that soundtrack on compact disc, I was less than thrilled. The tracks were out of sequence and fewer in number...so it was a bit of a gyp. So when I found this wonderful album of the Empire Strikes Back Symphonic suite on CD, I was ecstatic.

   Basically, this 13-track album consists of the basic Concert Suite (The Imperial March, Han Solo and the Princess, Yoda's Theme, and The Asteroid Field), supplemented by several other cues from the film score, including Alfred Newman's Fox Fanfare, Main Title/The Imperial Probe, and Training of a Jedi Knight.

   To avoid repetition of familiar material, composer John Williams, conductor Charles Gerhardt, and producer George Korngold present some of the compositions with different arrangements. The Imperial March, for instance, leads off with material used while Han Solo is being frozen in carbonite. The new intro adds menace and malice to the already dark and jeering theme for Darth Vader.

   My personal favorite twist is the rendition of the love theme (Han Solo and the Princess). It is presented here with new orcheestrations and no sudden cut to Vader's theme as in the film soundtrack. As it goes through the theme and variations cycle, little quotes of Princess Leia's Theme from the first film appear, first subtly by plucked harp strings, then more boldly by the violin and wind sections.

   Gerhardt and the National Philharmonic do a magnificent job on this amazing film score. Williams fans should run, not walk, to get this recording.




3. Charles Gerhardt and the NPO released many CDs on RCA Victor, mainly of golden age film scores, but also a Star Wars/Close Encounters CD and Return of the Jedi. For whatever reason, RCA passed on Gerhardt's recording of Empire Strikes Back, but no fear, Varese Sarabande picked it up. I love all of the Gerhardt recordings, and this is my favorite of the three. While it doesn't have all the cues that the 1993 Anthology or 1997 sppecial editions had, it still has most of the major themes and is performed superbly by the National Philharmonic.
   
   George Korngold (producer) and Charles Gerhardt (conductor) did a huge favor for film score fans with the Classic Film Score series, and of course the Star Wars trilogy recordings.



4. This re-recording of the music of John Williams for the film "The Empire Strikes Back" by Charles Gerhardt and the National Philharmonic Orchestra is, in many ways, even better than the two-CD Special Edition Original Soundtrack. I must first add that the Special Edition is an absolute must for fans of John Williams (particularly fans of this score) as it contains every minute of music Williams composed for the film, including some really essential themes that did not make it onto the Gerhardt recording, and given an outstanding performance by the London Symphony Orchestra. As this score is one of Williams' very best of all time, fans should certainly have the original recording. That said, the Gerhardt recording presents an even more enjoyable listening experience, as it contains suites of the very best music from the film, performed (generally) even better than the original recording, with superior sound quality. Additionally, the Concert Suites have an advantage over the original recording in that the Suites are arranged to maximize the audio experience, leaving out the repitition of themes and "background" music from the original, which are better suited to accompanying the scenes in the film for which it was written, than for our listening enjoyment. The Suites also avoid the choppiness inherent in duplicating for CD music which was meant to accompany the rapidly changing action on the screen.
   The Han Solo and the Princess Suite found on this CD is surely the greatest performance of this music ever recorded, very powerful and harmonized beautifully, a sort of 20th century version of the "love music" from Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture. The Asteroid Field Suite is even more exciting than the original recording as is Battle on the Ice, particularly since the original Ice Battle track is over 15 minutes long, switching between themes to accompany the action in the film, often without any organic connection between the themes. The re-recording contains just the battle music, performed thrillingly.
   The Imperial March Suite is superior to the original since it starts with music from the Carbon Freeze scene and switches to the original march, which is performed faster than the original, making it more exciting, if perhaps a bit less manacing. The music for the Training of a Jedi Knight sounds more magical than you've ever heard it before, while Yoda's Theme lilts more than in the original. The only music which is slightly better in the original is the Through the Window music (a drop too fast here) and the beginning of the closing credits music (the brass has slightly more oomph in the original). Otherwise, hearing this music in Suite form, performed magnificently, and with excellent digital sound (the original recording is analog and contains slight background hiss) makes for an immensely enjoyable and unforgettable listening experience.
   In summation, while fans should certainly get the Special Edition, if I had to pick one, I'd go with the Gerhardt recording. You will find yourself listening to this CD over and over again. This is a true must-own CD for fans of John Williams and 20th century classical/orchestral music in general. Get it now before it goes out of print.



5. I find the lack of not-so-great reviews here a bit amazing, really. Now I claim Empire as the greatest film ever, and I listen to the soundtrack on a regular basis. But that's not to say I can't enjoy a different interpretation of the score. But this just is not very good. For starters, by making this a "suite," an attempt has been made to join parts of the score that were originally interrupted by different themes due to the on-screen action. In the movie, sometimes the scene changes suddenly and the music reflects that, so this album tries to "fix" that, to change it into something you could just go to the symphony concert and hear played. And while John Williams himself worked on this "suite," it's really a terrible job. The new changes sound forced and are no less jarring than the original. I expected a smooth, flowing interpretation and this is anything but. But worst of all is the musicianship. These guys are just NOT that good. I heard at least three trumpet flubs on this CD, guys just trying to hit high notes and flat-out MISSING. And the cymbal player... I kid you not, on a couple of songs it sounds like they got a middle school kid off the street to play the cymbal. I honestly was thinking to myself, "can this guy not count?" I knew this wasn't THE soundtrack when I bought it, and I understood the idea behind it and it had the potential to be good. It's just... not.

5 comments about Mr. Snowman.

1. After having John Michael Montgomery's Mr. Snowman cd in my possession for two weeks and just getting a chance to listen to it today, my only regret is that I have missed out on two weeks of absolutely incredible music. From the first song (Winter Wonderland) you start yearning and reminiscing of the holiday season. By the time you hear O Holy Night you will be amazed and astounded by the powerful voice and talent that this man has. That talent, combined with the big band and jazz sound will make you wish it was Christmas time year round. This cd is one of those that should be considered a classic (in the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Elvis) and a must for all music lovers, not just country. "My Christmas Wish" is that John Michael writes, sings and produces more albums in the near future that are as awesome as "Mr. Snowman" is.



2. The country content lies almost entirely in Montgomery's rumbling voice, enveloped in thumping, piano-heavy, big band-ish arrangements and swooping pop-vocals strings'n'horns. But he is well-suited to the style, with a smoky, relaxed delivery and a comfortably delivery that lets him stretch out and melt into the lyrics. If you like corny poppish holiday albums, this one's pretty good. The original songs on this album include "December, 1943," about a soldier's holiday on the European front line... It's sappy and pleasantly compelling.



3. i shall not harp on too much...the old traditional songs are very nicely sung and orchestrated....JMM's voice as ever is wonderful...but there are a few more things that make this record so special..."december 1943" is such a great storytelling song....the string arrangement on "o holy night" is colossal...and his co written finale "a daddy's prayer" rounds off with his own kids singing "jesus loves you"

   not a long record at just on 39 minutes..but its quality stuff!!!




4. I've always been a big fan of John Michael Montgomery so I was very excited when he put out a Christmas album. His vocalizing lends well to Christmas songs although he doesn't sing them as well as a John Berry or Martina McBride. "December 1943" is the story of the American and German soldiers taking a break from the fighting in World War II. Most of the rest of the songs are classics. This is a very good album to put on while writing out your Christmas cards, baking cookies or socializing with friends.
   
   by Karen Claffey



5. This is true John Michael Montgomery. It's full of beautiful, and traditional Christmas music.

5 comments about Bach: Sacred Masterpieces.

1. First of all, I don't own this box set but I do own each of the individual recordings it contains. The box would have been considerably cheaper and would take less precious space on my shelves.
   
   However, for each of the works presented here, Richter's versions are my favourite, and I have 40+ recordings of the Mass alone (ten or fewer of the other compositions). These aren't period instruments HIP recordings, but neither are they over-indulgent romantic slop. What they are are *supremely* musical readings. Even some HIP purists keep these in their collection. The very successful HIP conductor Suzuki even sings their praises, and every now and then I'll spot a trait of Richter's popping up in a Suzuki recording.
   
   Unless you really really need HIP performances and have already made up your mind against anything that isn't, this box is highly recommended.



2. I've owned all these recordings for years, first on the Archiv LPs - in fabric upholstered boxes with 4 x 6 library index cards enclosed - and the subsequent individual CD issuances. For those who have never heard them, I strongly advise you to seize the opportunity. I also have the cantata series mentioned in other postings, so my affection for Richter's achievement should be obvious.
   
   To get the negatives out of the way first, the sound isn't state of the art, but who cares? The choral sopranos can take on a metallic edge at times, but those passing faults do not undermine the achievement of this well rehearsed ensemble. I'm still not entirely happy with Richter's slow motion treatment of the Christmas Oratorio's Part II "Schlafe, mein liebster" but it doesn't bother me so much any more.
   
   Overall, Richter strikes a good balance between performance practice sensibilities and his personal interpretative point of view. With playing and singing of this quality, the absence of period instruments and the use of a medium sized choir doesn't bother me. Hearing these operatic soloists apply their well schooled vocal resources and emotional sensibilities to the music is a treat indeed.
   
   While it would be nice to hear Richter's second St. Matthew again - the CD reissue has disappeared - I prefer the 1958 version. Haefliger's Evangelist is one of the great assumptions of the part. Seefried was outclassed by Mathis in the second version, but Engen's Jesus in the earlier version stands up very well indeed, as do Hertha Topper, Fischer-Dieskau and Haefligher in the tenor arias. The organ continuo of 1958 can get screechy at times but it's preferable to the harpsichord of the 1970s.
   
   The St. John holds its own with the competition and is one of the few examples we have of Evelyn Lear singing Bach. In the Christmas Oratorio, Wunderlich's Evangelist is another example of our great loss in his untimely death. Janowitz, Ludwig and Crass complete an unbeatable solo quartet.
   
   If you like your B-Minors "massive" this is the recording for you. It has a satisfyingly grand sound without being overblown. The soloists are again a distinguished group and Adolf Scherbaum leads the trumpets. Be prepared for the umlaut shift in latin words like "coeli". I don't think the Magnificat has held up quite as well after 45 years, but it's no clinker.
   
   I am also very satisfied by more recent historically informed period instrument performances, but Richter was one of the last great representatives of an older performance tradition. Few conductors have done these works so well with such performing forces, particularly the vocal soloists.



3. The performance of the B-minor Mass in this set is NOT the famous one in the boxed set of LPs, contrary to what other reviewers have implied. Sorry, but it is not as good, plus it was recorded in front of a live audience, meaning coughs etc. Why would DGG do this? I feel duped.



4. The notion that to be "authentic," a Bach performance must be on period instruments and in precisely the style of the day makes as much sense as a claim that the Hammerklavier must be played only on Beethoven's Broadwood and not on a Bosendorfer.
   
   This is not to say that the Romantic, ponderous, 19th-century performance style epitomized by Klemperer wasn't due for an overhaul by Gardiner, Harnoncourt, et al. But our 21st-century ears have heard the modern instruments, and we've heard the music that came after Bach. We can never truly hear his music exactly as the people of the 18th-century perceived it. And the people of the 22nd century will perceive it differently from the way we do.
   
   So let's be glad we have the various interpretations, appreciate the insights they provide, and not worry about whether Professor Authentico would approve.
   
   That being said, Richter's conception of these masterpieces is akin to that of Colin Davis in his 1966 "Messiah": hardly "authentic" in the narrow sense, but superbly authentic in that it conveys the music deep into the listener's heart and soul. This to me is the true gauge. I would add that, somewhat surprisingly, the polyphonic nature of the choruses is more evident with Richter than with any other conductor I have heard. Perhaps this was Richter's intent; perhaps it's just the recording. But repeated listenings have borne this out.
   
   This 10-disc set costs less per disc than the "Greatest Hits" garbage on the no-label CDs in the $4.99 bin at Wal-Mart. I cannot imagine that anyone would ever regret purchasing it.



5. Just look at this set, you can't beat a set like this! All with the great Karl Richter! Thanks DG!

1 comments about Charpentier: Messe de Minuit pour Noël; Te Deum.

1. I was particularly pleased to get this CD because I had just sung in a presentation of Charpentier's 'Messe de Minuit pour Noël' this past Christmas season and had been really knocked sideways by the piece. I'd never heard it before but it was love at first run-through, largely because it is so unpretentious, so joyous, so bewitching that it would take a heart of stone to dislike it.

   Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704) probably wrote the Messe for Christmas 1694 - three hundred years ago! - using several French carols as its basis. Most of those carols are not well-known to us (although the first one used, 'Joseph est bien marié') is pretty familiar), but I can only imagine that for parishioners of the time the parade of beloved tunes made the mass a joy to hear. And it is possibly with that in mind that in this recording the Canadian choral group Aradia inserted into the 'Christe eleison' a substitution that would particularly have appealed to their Canadian audiences. What they did was take Charpentier's treatment of the French carol 'Une jeune pucelle' ('A Young Virgin') and replace the usual French words with a text from the Huron language ('Estennialon de tsonwe'), a version known in Canada simply as 'The Huron Carol.' What a delightful touch! It does not alter Charpentier's music, but it gives a regional cast to the performance that I found puzzling at first (particularly since Keith Anderson's booklet notes make absolutely no mention of the substitution) but then utterly charming. I gather there is a tradition of doing this sort of thing in this populist mass. The music of the mass itself is quintessentially French baroque: transparency, lots of dotted rhythms, homophonic textures mingling with limpid counterpoint and, most of all, a lack of stolidity so common to German baroque sacred music of the time. I can tell you that when the choir I belong to was first preparing it we broke down into giggles more than once. It's that light-hearted. I do not know any other recordings of the work and thus can make no comparisons; I see that it has been recorded by Les Arts Florissants and others. I will only say that I found this performance entirely satisfying.

   Also included on the disc are the 'Te Deum' which is filled with ceremonial flourishes from trumpets and drums, and one of Charpentier's settings of the 'Dixit Dominus,' listed as H. 204. (The H. denotes the listing of Charpentier's works by the distinguished American musicologist, H. Wiley Hitchcock.) The performances are beguiling.

   Aradia, a group of singers and period instrumentalists based in Toronto, specializes in early music and is under the expert direction of Kevin Mallon.

   Recommended.

   Scott Morrison

5 comments about One Silent Night.

1. One Silent Night beautifully combines traditonal Christmas music, done in a contemporary fashion, with new songs geared to todays tastes. The CD offers a nice blending of vocal styles and voices, together with wonderful transitions featuring orchestral strings. A great addition to your Christmas music collection.



2. This is the best Christmas recording from "various artists" that I've ever heard. The CD truly offers something for everyone, and the artists featured are able to retain their own unique styles while singing familiar, old carols or contemporary, original songs. Here you will find some beautiful voices and some thought-provoking, new Christmas songs that ought to be eventual classics. Everyone will have favorites (I certainly do!), yet almost all will find that the CD as a whole celebrates the spirit of Christmas in an appealingly brand new way.



3. I like the gathering of contemporary Christian women artists to proclaim the faith in the mystery of the incarration and hope to be found in a baby's cry.Throughout this record there is originality, unfortunately the cacophony of full orchestration and over production muddles this modern-millennial-mirth-makers vocal talent. Portraying The Simple Truth is best begotten with less accompaniment,thus echoing more clearly in the hearts it it meant to touch. Merrily Mix 2,3,4,6,7,8,10,and 11 just undo some intros and fades. Post Script~ Good that could have been Great,please give it another go.***buyit*savemost*sharemost*giveit*donateit***



4. I got this album last year beacause of the song Babe in the Straw by LEIGH NASH (NOT KEIGH NASH!...). She is the lead singer for Sixpence None the Richer, my favorite band. I got it mostly for that one song, but to my surprise the whole album is really good. In fact this year, this is the album I've been playing the most of all my christmas music! It has a lot of good artists on it like Crystal Lewis and Amy Grant (another one of my favorite singers!)



5. Only six of these 13 songs are the classics (including "Mary Did You Know"), and two of those are instrumental. But the original songs are catching and excellent.
   
   Favorites? "Joy" (Cindy Morgan), "When The Time Is Right" (Ginny Owens), "I Choose You" (Rachael Lampa), "O Holy Night" (Crystal Lewis), "Sister Of My Soul" (Nicole C. Mullen), and "Rose of Bethlehem" (Maire Brennan).

No comments about Elephant Party.

1 comments about Presence of Christmas.

1. When the CD arrived, and it really WAS the Harry Nilsson we know and love, I thought I had one of those special "collector's moments". In all my years of bin browsing, I'd never seen or heard of a Christmas album by Harry. It's a special feeling to have something nobody else does.
   
   Of course, the same could apply for dog-poop on your shoe, couldn't it?
   
   And this is a stinky CD. On the few numbers that Harry DOES actually sing on it sounds like his voice has been slowed and lowered almost beyond recognition. It sounds like something he might have recorded in a stupor in his latest party years, but the box says 1968. There are a number of spoken word narrative bits (NOT by Harry) which would normally get our scorn for their inclusion, but in this case, they almost redeem poor Harry's abysmal performance.
   
   Stay away. This is going to be one of those CD's you can't even excuse, even if you are a "completist".
   
   Now, when they get around to releasing Harry's music for POPEYE, we will be able to rejoice.
   
   This one sorely misses THE POINT.....