This Is Scotland: Scottish Sing-A-Long [Import]

1. Amazing Grace

2. Auld Lang Syne

3. Flower of Scotland

4. Skye Boat Song

5. Northern Lights of Aberdeen

6. Loch Lomond

7. Mull of Kintyre

8. Roamin' in the Gloamin'

9. Scottish Soldier

10. I Belong to Glasgow

11. My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose

12. Scotland the Brave

This Is Scotland: Scottish Sing-A-Long,Various Artists,Mastersound (Aus),Int'l & World Music,Pop,Scotland,World Music

Average customer rating: Diana Krall Excells! "From This Moment On" ~ Diana Krall From This Moment On What went on with Ms. Krall? There's no one like her

From This Moment On Diana Krall Manufacturer: Verve ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Canada | North America | International | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Verve | Verve Music Group | Specialty Stores | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Jazz | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music International | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Duets: An American Classic Half the Perfect World Not Too Late Christmas Songs James Taylor at Christmas ASIN: B000GG4KTU Release Date: 2006-09-19

Tracks:

1. It Could Happen to You
2. Isnt This A Lovely Day
3. How Insensitive
4. Exactly Like You
5. From This Moment On
6. I was Doing All Right
7. Little Girl Blue
8. Day In Day Out
9. Willow Weep For Me
10. Come Dance With Me
11. You Can Depend On Me

Amazon.com

This album appears in the footsteps of 2004's The Girl in the Other Room but doesn't sound like a follow-up. Whereas The Girl saw the pianist-singer abandon the Great American Songbook for more personal pastures, From This Moment On sees her working out on standards done in traditional arrangements. Although the tracks here are by the likes of Cole Porter, Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn, and the Gershwins, Krall sounds more at ease than ever before; perhaps digging deep inside on The Girl loosened her up. Backed by the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra on seven tracks, Krall sings off the big band with ease. On the title track, she keeps up with a galloping bass and explosive brass arrangements and even ventures into scatting toward the end of the song. Her voice has also acquired a wonderfully worn texture in the past few years, and it works wonders on the ballads (just listen to "Isn't This a Lovely Day" and "Little Girl Blue" for instance). When standards are done like this, there's just nothing like 'em. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Album Description

From This Moment On is an 11-song collection that captures the Canadian-born sensation in full swing, in great company, and at the top of her game. It could also be called her strongest, most cohesive release to date. Krall--for the few still unknowing--is the 41-year old sensation whose cool, heavy-lidded vocals and strikingly sensitive piano-playing has helped her transcend barriers of genre to become a popular artist of the first order who has carved herself a permanent position at the top of the jazz charts. In songs, mood, and delivery, From This Moment On reveals Krall's personal ardor for that golden era of song-making, when Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and (especially) Nat "King" Cole were in their prime. It's musical territory that Krall has often explored, but this album was certainly not a case of simply repeating past formulas: Krall's A-team of support--producer Tommy LiPuma, engineer Al Schmitt, and arranger/bandleader John Clayton--were on hand to ensure that inspiration was kept on an edge, unhindered by the studio environment.

More Diana Krall

All for You: A Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio	Live in Paris	Love Scenes
The Girl in the Other Room	Christmas Songs	Stepping Out

Customer Reviews:

Diana Krall Excells!.......2007-06-27

Diana has one of the greatest voices in the jazz biz. She plays a great piano, sings as a song bird, and is truly a marvelous performer.
(Cute too.)

Buy this one. If you like jazz, it is a Must in your portfolio/collection.

"From This Moment On" ~ Diana Krall.......2007-06-26

Listening to my CD of Diana Krall, "From This Moment On," is so relaxing.
Diana executes her songs with her strong, yet mellow voice.
The "back-up" band is a great asset to this CD, so between Diana singing and the band playing, you feel like you're "In Concert!"

Everyone HAS to hear it to believe it!

Mike

From This Moment On.......2007-06-10

From This Moment On~ Diana Krall is easy listening jazz at its best. Ms Kralls vocal skills are remarkable and she sings these traditional jazz tunes with conviction and fortitude of a grandmaster of jazz. The book-let is beautifull if a bit sparse. The photographs are simply put it amazing and she looks stunning. The production value is right on the money and I like it since it so easy to listen to even for jazz beginners such as myself. Highly recommended indeed and I easily give this album 5 out of 5 stars.

What went on with Ms. Krall?.......2007-05-24

Repertoire consists of rather expected standards. All broadly covered brilliantly by so many vocalists in the past. Ms. Krall and her arrangers adds nothing at all.

Singing offers no surprise than a mainstream singer would do.

Orchestra is currently the darling big band of the time being. Good players, rare good ideas, nothing impelling.

There is an original and beautiful arrangement here: for the track 'How Insensitive'.

And that's all. Let's wait for the next Krall album.

There's no one like her.......2007-05-12

What is there to say? Diana Krall is simply the best. This album is another fine example of consistently high quality musicianship.

Average customer rating: Great Retro debut from really talented singer Whatever 'school' you put him in, Ryan Shaw's definitely head of the class True Soul - Not New Soul deja vu You'll Be Rocked With This One

This Is Ryan Shaw Ryan Shaw Manufacturer: One Haven / RED / Columbia ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Back to Black We'll Never Turn Back Breakfast in Bed Introducing Joss Stone The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster ASIN: B000NJXBYA Release Date: 2007-04-17

Tracks:

1. Do the 45
2. We Got Love
3. Nobody
4. I Am Your Man
5. Working on a Building of Love
6. I Found a Love
7. I Do the Jerk
8. Lookin' for a Love
9. I'll Always Love You
10. I'll Be Satisfied
11. Mish Mash Soul
12. Over & Done

Amazon.com

Just when you thought the 21st century retro-R&B revolution was grinding to a sunken-hearted halt, Ryan Shaw comes along and revives the revivalist moment: This Is Ryan Shaw, the 26-year-old's phenomenal debut, dazzles not just because he can sing a song like Bobby Womack's "Lookin' for a Love" without letting the rear-view mirror leach him of his own soul, but because his originals--first single "Nobody," "We Got Love," and set closer "Over and Done"--convincingly replicate the classic sound of such forebears as Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and Wilson Pickett. Here's a man who can plead, please, and play out love-struck dramas with his voice as though the '60s never ended; if his sound borrows heavily, it pays back what it owes with genuine contributions to the genre. Shaw's is real R&B without the raunch--a return to uplift too self-respecting and sincere to land on the retread pile. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

Great Retro debut from really talented singer.......2007-07-12

Ryan Shaw has a great voice, a really great voice, similar to Terence Trent D'Arby without all his dramatic attitude and he sounds like he's actually having fun. He clearly loves the genre of old school R&B, Motown, and Soul and could hold his own among all but Otis, Stevie, Marvin, and James Brown. The majority of the songs however are too retro for my taste. They have that late fifties, early sixties simplicity that's full of energy but offer nothing you haven't heard before on a Time Life commercial for oldies compilations and the arrangements offer nothing new like Joss Stone's latest does.

That said, the songs "Nobody" and "We Got Love" are unbelievably good and worth the price of the disc alone. I've been playing them constantly. In another era they'd garner him instant stardom. They may even do that now.

Whatever 'school' you put him in, Ryan Shaw's definitely head of the class.......2007-07-10

What a voice. The first time I heard "Nobody" I thought I was on an oldies station. Ryan Shaw can belt the lyrics out with more soul than I've heard in a long time. He does make me think of Sam Cooke or Otis Redding, but honestly--he's himself and that's way beyond fine with me.

Shaw clearly demonstrates the old adage of RESPECT as well. There's no explicit language or situations that would prevent an Old School grandparent from introducing the kids to this music.

True Soul - Not New Soul.......2007-07-06

From the blog [...]:
Want some new music that's not filled with "B*&%$ and H@$"? You've got to check this young man out! Ryan Shaw is a 26 year old from Decatur, GA that will take you back to the days of sweet soul music with Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Sam Cooke. Great voice and slammin' retro tunes. I'm hoping he gets the air play he deserves on the so-called 'urban' stations.

The cd is a stable, midranger - a few new tunes by the artist, familiar standby's from Bobby Womack and Otis Redding. Right now I'm listening to Nobody, It's Over, and We Got Love. Sweet. Check him out, he's touring this summer with Joss Stone.
Now when you've finished checking this out, go tell yo' momma AND your daughter!

deja vu.......2007-06-28

You will think you've traveled back to 60's Motown with this disc, but it's well worth it! Don't play it while driving, as all you will want to do is DANCE!!!

You'll Be Rocked With This One.......2007-06-27

This young man is awesome! I first heard him sing live on Whoopi's radio program. I couldn't get online fast enough to order this CD. And I have been playing it everyday since then! Ryan Shaw reminds me of legends like Jackie Wilson, Otis Redding and Muddy Waters. Just imagine a mixture of the three sprinkled with some Anthony Hamilton!!! This 26 old can sing anything!! Thank you Whoopi! Ryan Shaw has this person as a fan for life. Keep up the excellent work, your heart in gift, and feet on the ground.

Average customer rating: The point? Disapointed Love it. What a let down!!!! Jon Bon Jovi & Sons songs from the "Funeral Parlor"

This Left Feels Right: Greatest Hits With a Twist Bon Jovi Manufacturer: Island ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Punk Revival | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Pop Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Arena Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music $9.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Classic Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Alternative Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music $9.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Have a Nice Day Cross Road One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001 Lost Highway New Jersey ASIN: B0000DZ3DG Release Date: 2003-11-04

Tracks:

1. Wanted Dead Or Alive
2. Livin' On A Prayer
3. Bad Medicine
4. It's My Life
5. Lay Your Hands On Me
6. You Give Love A Bad Name
7. Bed Of Roses
8. Everyday
9. Born To Be My Baby
10. Keep The Faith
11. I'll Be There For You
12. Always

From Amazon.co.uk

First of all, hats off to Bon Jovi for trying something different with This Left Feels Right--a selective collection of their most popular songs with a twist. That twist isn't a purely acoustic reworking, MTV unplugged style--anybody looking for that experience will be sorely disappointed by what's on offer. What Bon Jovi have done is re-record these songs in a completely different way while maintaining the original lyrics, melody and song structure. What's different then? Well, quite a bit actually. Check out the almost trip-hop beat and distorted vocal of "Wanted Dead or Alive", or the lazy soul of "Livin' on a Prayer". "It's My Life" is a beautiful piano-only standout, almost worth having the whole album for.

The tracklisting isn't perfect, concentrating largely on their 1980s period (there's nothing from These Days, for instance). As such, the venture works as an effective cheese-extraction exercise, keeping the elements that made the originals so great, but removing shouty, hairspray-fuelled "whoa-yeahs". What we get is something that is closer to Jon Bon Jovi's last solo offering--the criminally underrated Destination Anyway. It doesn't always work ("Bed of Roses" just sounds like a warbling cover of the powerful original and by the time they reach "Always" it's obvious they've run out of new twists), and no doubt there will be legions of bemulleted faithfuls who will denounce this as blasphemy of the highest order. Sure, it's probably just record-company filler, but it's a worthwhile investment and you won't be embarrassed to have it on when your mates come round. --Cortman Virtue

Customer Reviews:

The point?.......2007-06-28

So let me get this straight...all of Bon Jovi's hits were gathered together, chopped up, and destroyed to produce this piece of trash? How about an ACTUAL greatest hits album?

Disapointed.......2007-06-25

I did not like any of the songs on this album. It really only ranks 1 star, but I'll give a point for trying something new.

"This left feels right" sounds like it was done by a high school cover band trying to be artistic. Ranks WAY below Tesla (see "Five man acoustical jam" for those of you younger then 30).

I am a Bon Jovi fan and bought this without reservation. I suggest you sample the songs before you buy.

Love it........2007-05-09

I love this album. I also love the original songs. Sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don't. For those who are gasping at the supposed blasphemy of messing with classics, well, if this is all they have to worry about, their lives must be pretty good and I'm happy for them. As for me, I'm impressed that Bon Jovi took a bit of a risk. I think it worked out nicely. I'd happily buy more of this style from them.

What a let down!!!!.......2007-03-22

I was SO disappointed when I listened to this CD! It's a remix of the songs. They are done acousticly and it is not worth buying. I love Bon Jovi, but this was a HUGE disappointment! I am not happy with this CD at all.

Jon Bon Jovi & Sons songs from the "Funeral Parlor".......2007-02-25

Wow, it does pain me to knock on Bon Jovi, I love New Jersey, Slippery, Keep The Faith, Cross Road, Crash and Have a Nice Day. All albums are uplifting and cheerful and all contain a handful of raise-your-fist-in-the-air anthems. I loved all these songs the first time around. Now all the songs, and the album as a whole, has this morbid, undertaking tone to it, as if Johnny Cash was their inspiration behind re-recording their greatest hits stripped down. The low point is It's My Life, the original is such an upbeat and uplifting anthem, that listening to this version makes me want to drive my car off a cliff, it's that big of a downer! This album is reminiscent of John Mellencamp's Rough Harvest cd, where Mellencamp re-records some hits and album tracks with a more raw, earthy feel to them, but to both artists why? My mother has always stated that she wants Bon Jovi's music to be played at her wake as she loves the band and is in my eyes Bon Jovi's biggest fan. Bon Jovi put out an appropriately themed album to all those fans hoping to have Bon Jovi played at their wake/funeral.

Average customer rating: Not one of Acoustic Alchemy's best albums Great from beginning to end Come This Way Who are Acoustic Alchemy? Superb! Superb! Superb!

This Way Acoustic Alchemy Manufacturer: Narada ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Blues | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Similar Items: Good to Go-Go Sweet Surrender Born 2 Groove He Had a Hat Moyo ASIN: B000PHX55K Release Date: 2007-06-05

Tracks:

1. Love Is All There Is
2. Ernie
3. Who Knows
4. Slampop
5. Out Of Nowhere
6. This Way
7. Tied Up With String
8. Only In My Dreams
9. Carlos the King
10. Egg
11. Now I'm On My Way

Album Description

Acoustic Alchemy are the British acoustic guitar duo of Greg Carmichael and Miles Gilderdale, and with "This Way" they are celebrating a remarkable two decades since their debut with 1987's Red Dust. For all this time they have been a quiet phenomenom, constantly topping the jazz charts in the USA, being nominated for GRAMMY's and touring the world. Following the pop-soul vibe of 2005's "American English", the duo have delivered their most aggressive and swinging, hard rocking and artfully jazzy disc to date. The regular touring/recording band of Terry Disley, Snake Davis, Fred White, Julian Crampton and Greg Grainger are joined by guests such as the buzz-of-today pianist Neil Cowley, trumpeter Rick Braun, saxman Jeff Kashiwa and, on the reggae-tinged Ernie, the great Specials Trombonist, Dennis Rollins. Just two tracks, "Out of Nowhere" and "This Way" feature only the duo - the rest are a fine mix of old-school soul/jazz, funk, reggae, and rock with a mixture of electric guitars, acoustic guitars and the horn section all combining to create a smooth but completely passionate album of classy jazzy guitar music.

Customer Reviews:

Not one of Acoustic Alchemy's best albums.......2007-07-15

I bought and listened to This Way, and also went to Acoustic Alchemy concert in Phoenix on June 23rd, which mainly promoted this album. It's very listenable, but it's fair-to-middling alongside the rest of AA's 20-year oeuvre. More significantly, it's not very much like the Nick Webb-era material, except possibly for the title track. Other good tracks are "Love Is All There Is," "Ernie," and "Carlos the King" (named that because, according to Greg Carmichael, it was influenced by Carlos Santana). They played "Ernie" and "Carlos the King" at the concert, but "Carlos" wasn't so great live, because the album version has a substantial trumpet part and they didn't bring a trumpeter on the tour. The worst tracks are probably "Slampop" and "Egg."
The current state of AA is like what an Amazon reviewer said about Pierce Brosnan's last 007 movie--that it bore little resemblance to the original Bond. I'm disappointed, although this album is decent enough that I'll probably keep it. Look at the first review of this album; I agree with it.

Great from beginning to end.......2007-07-09

When was the last time you enjoyed every song on a CD? Acoustic Alchemy is about
to change your mind about CD purchases! From beginning to end, every track grabs your
attention and excites one emotion or the other. Well versed, well timed, well written and
very well executed.

In listening to this work of art, it is clear that this troupe had a great time producing this.
Everyone whom I have shared this with has fallen for it, and I suspect - no - predict you will too!!

I gave it 4 out of 5, only because I wanted more! Another 3-4 tracks like these would have been
perfect! I just have to wait for their next compilation!

Come This Way.......2007-07-03

This Way has been a long time coming. It is fabulous, and has alot of older Alchemy sounds plus great new tunes. Fantastic guest artists. Bought 2 so I don't have to share. We knew it would be great when we heard them play Ernie in concert. Been waiting since then for its release. Thanks to Amazon, received it within 6 day to my front door. You did it again, AA and so did you Amazon.

Who are Acoustic Alchemy?.......2007-07-03

Acoustic Alchemy is, or was based on the foundation of two acoustic guitarists with a simple standard format around their playing. Drums, Bass guitar, and some keys. Contrary to an earlier review, when AA bought their flight to the States from England by winning a talent competition to play aboard American Airlines(also AA...cute~), they did so as Greg Carmichael and the late Nick Webb... not Miles Gilderdale. Nick actually recruited Greg to form AA. Gilderdale did not enter until after 1997's Positive Thinking (which Nick contributed some song-writing to help in the transition that Greg would continue forward and keep AA alive). Nothing against Miles, and not to nit-pic about detail, but one cannot mention Acoustic Alchemy in the same breath without Nick Webb...but the fact is, the music that was truly AA unfortunately died in Nick's absence.
I've loved these guys since I bought the 1987 MCA Sampler LP that also included Larry Carlton and other up and coming instrumentalists. The element that made AA was the 'focus' on the acoustic guitars through the fresh, infectious melodies of Nick and Greg. They fused many styles, but always with a catchy hook and melody. I was fortunate enough to see these guys live in 1993 prior to their release of 'The New Edge'and also met them after the show(as they often met with fans for autographs) & was a definite highlight as far as live shows go. Really nice English lads! ((Get the 'Best Kept Secret' DVD!~and the counterpart CD, 'Arcanum'! ie: a nice moment when they were in Florida for a gig, and visited the launch of the Columbia Space Shuttle, inspiring them to dedicate a song to the awe that is 'Columbia')).
Since Nick passed on however, it appears to me that the formula that created AA was lost and to cover up for it, the acoustics that would grab you, draw you in and not let go, suddenly became mulit-layered, multi-instrumental, I-hate-to-say-typical, pop-Jazz that only leaves me wondering. Sounds good, and I'm glad that Greg's getting recognition through awards and all, but only pales in comparison to the years prior to the wishfully optomistic 'Positive Thinking'. I applaud Greg for continuing the dream, and I certainly wish him the best, but I'm sad to say, AA has left behind it's 'Natural Elements' for a more safe and formulaic environment.

Superb! Superb! Superb!.......2007-06-10

Oh wow! When i bought this CD i have a got feeling it will be a knock-out album. My senses are correct, their latest effort, gave me smiles!!! It's really one of the best smooth jazz releases of 2007! Ever since their "Red Dust" debut, and after 20 years - they are still great as ever. It's a nice way to celebrate their anniversary. I'm sure Nick Webb's spirit knows that with a smile on his face. AA is really AA! :)

(...)

Average customer rating: Harry Potter moves on.. and so does the music The Magic is Gone Atmospheric...But That's About All Musically Spellbinding Wonderful as always

Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Film Scores | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Soundtracks | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Classical | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Purists | Warner Brothers Records | Stores | Music Similar Items: Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Two-Disc Special Edition) (Harry Potter 4) The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ASIN: B000BGH22W Release Date: 2005-11-15

Tracks:

1. Story Continues
2. Frank Dies
3. Quidditch World Cup
4. Dark Mark
5. Foreign Visitors Arrive
6. Goblet of Fire
7. Rita Skeeter
8. Sirius Fire
9. Harry Sees Dragons
10. Golden Egg
11. Neville's Waltz
12. Harry in Winter
13. Potter Waltz
14. Underwater Secrets
15. Black Lake
16. Hogwarts' March
17. Maze
18. Voldemort
19. Death of Cedric
20. Another Year Ends
21. Hogwarts Hymn
22. Do the Hippogriff
23. This Is The Night
24. Magic Works

Amazon.com

Big news on the Harry Potter musical front: After scoring the first three installments in the series, John Williams has been replaced by Patrick Doyle. Still, Williams never feels far away. His main theme pops up here and there, and a track like "Voldemort," which eloquently illustrates the soul of a blacker-than-black wizard with thunderous cymbal crashes, shrieking horns, tumultuous strings, and a stately finish, firmly belongs in the Williams mode. Overall, Doyle acquits himself well. He can do light when needed ("The Quidditch World Cup," which starts out like some kind of jig), but mostly he's required to be ominous ("The Quidditch World Cup," which ends in martial war chants). Among the highlights are the aforementioned "Voldemort," but also the frantic, overpowering "The Dark Mark." Note that the CD concludes on a jarringly different note with three songs by the Weird Sisters, the group that performs at Hogwarts' Yule Ball. Led by Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, the ad hoc band also includes members of Radiohead and Cocker's side project Relaxed Muscle. "Do the Hippogriff" is a fast-paced rocker that somehow comes across like a grungy hybrid of Billy Idol's "White Wedding" and "Dancing with Myself." The other two songs--"This Is the Night" and "Magic Works"--are less obvious, and much better. Still, the contrast between these tracks and the instrumental score that precedes them may not be to everybody's taste. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Album Description

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth film (and soundtrack album) in the massively successful Harry Potter franchise-nearly $1 billion in U.S. box office alone-features a score by Academy Award-nominated composer Patrick Doyle and three songs written by modern rocker Jarvis Cocker, and performed by Cocker, Jonny Greenwood, Phil Selway, Steve Claydon and Jason Buckle-with all these musicians also appearing in the movie.

Customer Reviews:

Harry Potter moves on.. and so does the music.......2007-05-23

As a collector of movie soundtracks, it was unthinkable not to get this fourth album of the Harry Potter series. After reading the mixed reviews, I was apprehensive as to whether it would sit on my shelf collecting dust or get a good workout in the CD player.

I own all four albums, and as avid a fan as I am of John Williams, I would have to say "The Goblet of Fire" rates up there with "The Philosopher's Stone" (which really did set the standard for the rest of the following albums). In fact, I would have to say that "The Goblet of Fire" is my favourite. The music is quite simply beautiful and atmospheric. Standouts are "Harry In Winter" (this particular track I can't help but have on repeat mode in the car), "Death of Cedric" and "Foreign Visitors Arrive". "The Quidditch Cup" makes me want to catch the next plane to Ireland! And call me old-fashioned, but "Neville's Waltz" and "Potter Waltz" are pleasant and lovely to the ear.

As for the rock songs at the end, I usually bypass them. Some complain about the jarring disconnect between the orchestral aspect of the soundtrack and the loud rock of the end - well, at least they're at the end and not in the middle! And let's face it. How many people would have grumbled that those songs that featured at the Winter Ball were left out?

I've always loved the work of Patrick Doyle (e.g. "Sense and Sensibility" and "Much Ado About Nothing"), and this soundtrack is no exception. He didn't 'fill' John Williams' shoes on this score. He pretty much created a new pair. Harry's story and personality have shifted on. It would be remiss of us to think the music wouldn't evolve as well.

So has this soundtrack lost that feeling of magic? I would have to say a resounding 'no'. It's certainly a lot more listener-friendly than "Chamber of Secrets"!

The Magic is Gone.......2007-05-10

John Williams is not simply a hard act to follow...he's THE hard act to follow. Nonetheless this score falls far short. There was once magic in the land of Hogwarts.. themes were stated boldly and elevated the story, flurries of woodwinds nurtured scenes of flight. Doyle's score does dare to quote William's melodies at 3 points in this score. They are harmonized poorly and treated even worse. The rest of the score just goes downhill from here. He does introduce his own new "themes." These are presented as boring quarter note string lines that you can't seem to remember 10 seconds after you hear them. The rest of the scoreat it's best is a prime example of dated cliches. The dialogue scenes are overly sappy and the action scenes become hokey in an almost silent film music stlye. Watch the graveyard scene again and laugh, check out the dance scene where characters get lifted in the air as simple scales comically mirror their moves. The most common reaction to the music after viewing the film is "I don't really remember it as being good or bad." If you go back and watch it again I think you story will change. The magic is gone.

Atmospheric...But That's About All.......2007-03-31

One of the joys for me of the John Williams "Harry Potter" scores are the lush, melodic leitmotifs. On "The Chamber of Secrets" album alone there are wonderful themes for Fawkes, Dobby and Gilderoy Lockhart, not to mention Colin, Hedwig and The Flying Car. They're charming, evocative pieces that stand alone apart from the moodier, more percussive tracks composed to accompany the actual movie. Unfortunately, there's nothing that even comes close to these in Doyle's "Goblet of Fire" score. There's certainly drama ("The Maze") and pathos ("Death of Cedric"), but nothing thematic that you'd want to hear over and over again. And what themes there are ("Neville's Waltz" for instance) I find woefully banal. (And don't get me started on the acid rock songs that close the album.) So this is a true movie score in the sense that it's pretty much all background music; it certainly creates atmosphere and serves as a reminder of the film's superlative visuals. But what works well in the theater doesn't translate very well for the home audio listener.

Musically Spellbinding.......2007-01-09

This album is a must for an Harry Potter fan, both young and old, from the mild to the extreme. I also recommend the entire collection of soundtracks to the movies. Each one is full of calm, soothing melodies we have come to enjoy from Harry Potter.

Wonderful as always.......2007-01-04

It is easy to become totally absorbed in this rendition. Believable voices.

Average customer rating: Dan's first album...Wiggle the Wiggles out of your CD Player Thank goodness for Dan Zanes!!!!!! My daughters favorite! Dan is her new best friend Kids love it

House Party Dan Zanes Manufacturer: Festival Five Rec. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Children's Music | Styles | Music Folk Music | Children's Music | Styles | Music Sing-A-Longs | Children's Music | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Family Dance Catch That Train! Rocket Ship Beach Night Time Dan Zanes & Friends - All Around the Kitchen! Crazy Videos & Concert Songs! ASIN: B0000CC85J Release Date: 2003-10-07

Tracks:

1. House Party Time
2. Wabash Cannonball - with Bob Weir
3. Queremos Bailar
4. Hop Up Ladies
5. Washington At Valley Forge
6. Jamaica Farewell - with Angelique Kidjo
7. Tankoh-Bushi
8. Down In The Valley
9. Waltzing Matilda - with Deborah Harry
10. West Indian Counting Song
11. Sunny Old Sun
12. Tennessee Wig Walk
13. Shining Star
14. How Do You Do? - with David Jones
15. Daniel In The Den
16. Surrounded By Friendship
17. Old Joe Clark
18. Hey Little Red Bird
19. We Shall Not Be Moved
20. A Place For Us - with Phillip Glass

Amazon.com

For parents, listening to Dan Zanes provides not only instant Raffi relief, but also the warm sense of belonging to the right crowd. On each disc he trots out a posse of cool friends like Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega, and Lou Reed and he delivers his openhearted lyrics with the rare roots-rocker's gift for stirring grace into grit. It would seem that the release of his fourth record, House Party would be ripe for a backlash--how long can the hokey conceit of a bunch of aging groovsters banging out kids' tunes in a Brooklyn basement hang onto its charm? Looks like we'll have to wait and see, because House Party rages on with the same winning, welcome-to-our-homespun-revolution vibe as its predecessors. Deborah Harry takes a twirl on "Waltzing Matilda," Bob Weir fires up the "Wabash Cannonball," and Angelique Kidjo bids "Jamaica Farewell," but the Zanes originals are this record's proving grounds, and they pin the tail on the donkey with bulls-eye precision. Contributions from returning regulars Barbara Brousal and Rankin' Don--the best couple of favors a party could hope for--send Zanes' campaign to become the guy who turned lampshade-wearing into a kindergarten fashion craze soaring. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

Dan's first album...Wiggle the Wiggles out of your CD Player.......2007-06-12

You may have seen Dan on various spots on Sesame Street, I first saw him in his yellow suit, singing Jump Up. This album continues the wonderful music that my daughter has turned my wife and my self on to. The beats are there, and the lyrics are very catchy.

So do yourself a favor, swap out Wiggles or Barney for Dan and his Friends, and enjoy kids music once again.

Thank goodness for Dan Zanes!!!!!!.......2007-05-21

Mr. Zanes, you could not have come along at a better time! In a market where Teletubbies, Barney and the Wiggles seem to have the corner, this parent-friendly album is a welcome relief from all the fruit salad/I love you, you love me/lemondrops and gumdrops drivel that permeate my mushy stay-at-home mom brain!

When I was a single college gal, I remember listening to very hip, fun music. Then came pregnancy and babies. Then Baby Einstein music (which is good, but sounds like someone's ballerina jewelry box after awhile), Barney, Sesame Street and nursery rhyme CDs that took over my music collection. Ack!!! What happened to me? I decided it was time to search for something new for me and the kids to listen to.

After finding this CD and loving it, I just assumed that my one-year-old and four-year-old would not like DZ because it sounded too different from what they were used to. Boy, was I wrong! My older one thinks she is listening to "cool music" -- which she is! We especially like the "Wabash Cannonball" but every song on here is a hit with my kids. The guy is truly talented, and it's just great stuff. And it's fun to hear the celeb singers on a kid's album. Finally, we all have "cool music" to listen to!

My daughters favorite!.......2007-05-14

I bought this CD since Dan Zane is on the Disney Channel. My daughter absolutely loves it! She asks to hear "House Party" all day every day. We dance and sing and it has brought a lot of fun into our house.

Dan is her new best friend.......2007-05-13

We always look for music that is entertaining and enriching for both the toddler and the parent. We had heard Dan sing before on "For the Kids" CD and thought we'd give it a try. We all get down to Dan Zanes House Party! This CD never leaves the car player. The cover is a delightfully drawn board book of Dan & his entorage Whoopin' it up all over town. My 2 year old will "read" the book to me, explaining the pictures and making connections to the music. It's great.

Kids love it.......2007-03-09

My son, aged 6 and my daughter, almost 2 - love to dance to "House Party Time" in the morning. It really gets them going. They are big Dan Zanes fans.

Average customer rating: Music of the Night???????? Great short version! A long time favorite The Best Recording of this Show Available Great CD

Highlights From The Phantom Of The Opera: The Original London Cast Recording (1986 London Cast) Manufacturer: Decca Broadway ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Brightman, Sarah | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Brightman, Sarah | A to B | Featured Performers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Contemporary Musicals | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music $9.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Soundtracks | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Classical | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music $9.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Les Miserables (Highlights from the 1987 Original Broadway Cast) The Phantom of the Opera (Two-Disc Special Edition) The Phantom of the Opera: The Original Novel The Very Best Of Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Broadway Collection The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection ASIN: B000001FLQ Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Overture
2. Think Of Me
3. Angel Of Music
4. The Mirror (Angel Of Music)
5. The Phantom Of The Opera
6. The Music Of The Night
7. Prima Donna
8. All I Ask Of You/Reprise
9. Entr'acte
10. Masquerade
11. Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
12. The Point Of No Return
13. Down Once More.../Track Down This Murderer

Amazon.com

Highlight versions of cast recordings are by definition a compromise, and this reduction of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera is no exception. Weighing in at 59 minutes, it's over 40 minutes shorter than the two-disc version, excising many musical scenes that convey the flow and impact of the show (which include, admittedly, a lot of patter and screaming). On the other hand, all the hits are here--"Think of Me," "Angel of Music," the title tune, "The Music of the Night," "All I Ask of You," "Masquerade," and "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again"--and Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman are still on hand to make their distinctive contributions to the original London cast. So if you're looking for a convenient, inexpensive single disc that will let you enjoy Lloyd Webber's scrumptious melodies without having to immerse yourself in the action, this just might be for you. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Music of the Night????????.......2007-02-28

I really liked the idea of a highlights cd; however, The Music of the Night is not the same one that is on the original two-disc cd. The words aren't even the same. If you enjoy Music of the Night, skip this cd. Otherwise, this cd would be 5 stars.

Great short version!.......2006-12-06

If you only want to hear the songs from this musical, this one is for you. But if you want the full version, get the 4-disc version. I listen to this version in my car when I'm on the road, but I listen to the 4-disc version at home. Both versions are worth the purchase.

A long time favorite.......2006-08-26

This is one of my most treasured CDs. The voices of the cast are incredible! "Think of Me" and "All I Ask of You" are 2 of my favorites. If you enjoy the story behind Phantom, yu will like this soundtrack.

The Best Recording of this Show Available.......2006-04-21

I think that this is the best PHANTOM soundtrack out there:

1)It has the original Broadway cast, the best.
2)It cuts out the more risqu? parts of the show (believe me, there are some), making it "appropriate for the whole family."
3)The entire CD is on one disc, so you can go through the show w/o switching discs.
4)The only song that the movie soundtrack has on it that this doesn't is "Learn to Be Lonely," which appears in the credits, and isn't really a great song anyways.

Great CD.......2006-03-14

I bought this CD as a birthday gift for my boyfriend. We had misplaced the one that we had and needed a new one. This is one of our favorite cd's. Such beautiful music.

Average customer rating: Commit to the Genre, Dude!!! A fine introduction to an underrated band Beat This: The Best of the English Beat Its a Great Beat This is the beat you're looking for..

Beat This: The Best of the English Beat The English Beat Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music New Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music British Ska | Ska | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Ska General | Ska | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Rhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Eccentrics | Warner Brothers Records | Stores | Music Similar Items: All the Rage Specials Ultimate Collection Singles 45's and Under The Psychedelic Furs - Greatest Hits ASIN: B00005NOZD Release Date: 2001-09-11

Tracks:

1. Mirror In The Bathroom
2. Best Friend
3. Hands Off She's Mine
4. Too Nice To Talk To
5. Doors Of Your Heart
6. I Confess
7. Twist And Crawl
8. Rankin Full Stop
9. Drowning
10. Save It For Later
11. Sole Salvation
12. Click Click
13. Tears Of A Clown
14. Can't Get Used To Losing You
15. Stand Down Margaret

Customer Reviews:

Commit to the Genre, Dude!!!.......2007-03-14

In the 80's, "Save it for Later" was Pete Townshend's favorite song and The Beat were Sting's favorite band -- but the The Beat weren't bombastic or pretentious!

The best praise really came from the Japanese-American ballet dancer I took to see The Beat at Berkeley's Greek Theatre. She said they were "excellent" and later that night realigned my ska-dance weary spine with her massive calves!! (Another attendee was not so lucky: As Bow Wow Wow opened for The Beat, a crazed fan jumped on stage and was tackled by security guards at Annabella's feet! OwwwwOOOHHHHH!!! That deserved another bota bag squirt!!!)

Only 4 stars for two reasons 1) The Beat only had three original albums (and ALL the songs are "best of"). You can get all three for as low as $20. 2) The Beat's two leads - Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger - left the band so they could split new money between the two of them instead of with all six players. The Beat's anti-greed and socialist unity lyrics are forever tainted.

Wakeling and Roger left and formed General Public, whose "All the Rage" was not a massive seller, but was THE party album of 1984-5. (It's been said that only a few people bought Velvet Underground's first album, but everyone who did started a band. Everyone who bought "All the Rage" got freakin' loaded, man!!! OwwwwwOOOOGGGAAACHAKA!!!) The single "Tenderness" has been used in the Weird Science and Clueless films, and in countless drunken "courtship" attempts. General Public's follow up LP "Hand to Mouth" sold weakly, but was great as well.

Two Beat players that were left behind (termed "redundant" in Brit-speak) by Wakeling and Roger's quest for lucre were David Steele and Andy Cox, who drafted singer Roland Gift and formed Fine Young Cannibals. FYC went multi-platinum with "The Raw and the Cooked" (far exceeding General Public's sales) and saturated American airwaves with "She Drives Me Crazy" (make it stop!) and other hits. IMHO, FYC was calculated/perfected chart pop (ALL cooked) that gave the nation a quick sugar rush. Their next album was remixes of the SAME SONGS from "The Raw and the Cooked." At the time, Madonna or Paula Abdul could get away with that -- FYC just overexposed and let us know they were played out.

In short: Party girls and smart chicks dig a lot more songs than are offered on "Beat This." Save your money up and get all three real Beat albums, and then General Public's first, and then get a keg of Guinness and unroll the Twister mat. (And move the precarious vase that's on the mantle).

A fine introduction to an underrated band.......2007-01-26

Kinda funny what happened to the Beat (known as the "English Beat" here in America, though I find that name clunky): their debut, I Just Can't Stop It, was an excellent album with their biggest hit (Mirror in the Bathroom), and assorted other goodies, most of them found here (Best Friend; Hands Off She's Mine; Twist and Crawl; Click Click; Whine and Grind/Stand Down Margaret; Can't Get Used to Losing You; Tears of a Clown, though Two Swords is missed). Then they crashed: Record #2, Wha'ppen? had a few gems (Too Nice to Talk to; Doors of Your Heart; Drowning, featured here: Get a Job and Dreamhouse in NZ are both sadly MIA), but it was uneven and felt like a holding pattern. By album #3 (Special Beat Service), they had all but lost it, going from a premeire punk-ska act to an Adult Contemporary act with a slight Jamaican feel. They managed to wring three good songs out of that mess: I Confess; Sole Salvation and Save it for Later. Wisely, they put those songs here.
Find yourself a copy of this album. It's a great party CD, and I used to listen to it near-religiously. Great music. The Beat were a more authentic Police when it came to mixing reggae and punk, thanks to their brilliant saxman Saxa: that's saying something, since the Police were also an authentic reggae band. Every song on this one's a gem, unlike on some of their studio albums: if you're a casual fan, this is all the Beat you need.

Beat This: The Best of the English Beat.......2007-01-10

If there were one UK band that was a true icon of the 80's, it would definitely be the English Beat. With the upbeat ska sounds that were heavily influenced by the Specials, this album is a must have. The album starts out with "Best Friend" which has a real catchy beat and funky horn section. "Save it for later" is another favorite which appears in the Woody Harrelson movie KingPin. "Mirror in the Bathroom" is on everybodys favorite 80's hits. The cover of "Tears of a Clown" is a masterful ska interpretation of The Smokie Robinson hit. My only gripe is that "Rotating Head" (heard in Ferris Bueller's Day Off when he is running through back yards towards the end) was not included. If you like The Specials, General Public and Fine Young Cannibals, you will love this album.

Its a Great Beat.......2006-10-19

I grew up on the English Beat and they are still one of my favorite bands today. There is something about the ska from that era that really appeals to me. My first exposure to them was in the early '80s when my brother was in college and the Beat were a college radio staple.

When I finally purchased "What Is Beat?" on tape, their first compilation album, I was in heaven. When my music collection converted to CD, "What Is Beat?" was one of the first CDs I purchased. It was a slight disappointment, though, because the CD could not hold as much music as the tape did and a few songs had to be cut. Bummer.

When I found "Beat This!" a few years ago, I was thrilled. Even though there were many repeat songs, it also included some that were cut from the "What Is Beat?" CD and a few that were never included such as "Click Click" and "Drowning." I still have both CDs and each fulfills a different purpose.

Ultimately, though, these Best Of albums will never tell the whole story but they are a great start to this ska band. If you like "Beat This!," be sure to check out their original albums as well for other gems that just didn't fit with the time limitations.

This is the beat you're looking for.........2006-07-11

Definitely could've been another song or two added to this best of, but what a brilliant collection. I can't keep it out of my cd player.

I think everyone will find what they're looking for in a collections album when they purchase this, and it's a great cd to start off with if you don't have anything else by The Beat.

The cd ranges over the many genres and influences that are jam-packed into this bands talent to a perfect blend, but this one will always stick alongside my ska and reggae collection.

So put it on direct play, or shuffle - you'll thoroughly enjoy it either way.

Average customer rating:

This Delicate Thing We've Made Darren Hayes Manufacturer: Powdered Sugar ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music ASIN: B000SUKPR0 Release Date: 2007-08-21

Tracks:

1. Fear of Falling Under
2. Who Would Have Thought
3. Waking the Monster
4. How to Build a Time Machine
5. Casey
6. Step into the Light
7. Sing to Me
8. Conversation with God
9. Sun Is Always Blindind Me
10. Listen All You People
11. Only Opne
12. Bombs Up in My Face
13. Great Big Disconnect

Tracks:

1. Future Holds a Lion's Heart
2. On the Verge of Something Wonderful
3. Neverland
4. Walk Away
5. Maybe
6. Me Myself And (I)
7. Lucky Town
8. I Just Want You to Love Me
9. Setting Sun
10. Hundred Challenging Things a Boy Can Do
11. Words
12. Tuning of Violins

Average customer rating: The most overrated album of the 21st century so far fun You need to hear this. The songs make it a true classic. A Classic Album Fun, fast and punchy - 4.5 stars

Is This It The Strokes Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Garage Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music $8.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Alternative Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music $8.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Room on Fire First Impressions of Earth Franz Ferdinand Elephant White Blood Cells ASIN: B00005QIPH Release Date: 2001-10-09

Tracks:

1. Is This It
2. The Modern Age
3. Soma
4. Barely Legal
5. Someday
6. Alone, Together
7. Last Nite
8. Hard To Explain
9. When It Started
10. Trying Your Luck
11. Take It Or Leave It

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

With all the media hype that dogged the Strokes before the release of their debut album, it's rather apt that they chose the title Is This It. On the strength of just five songs released on two singles, the Strokes were being hailed as everything from the saviors of rock & roll to the Savior himself. Surely, few bands could live up to the impossibly high standards set for this young five-piece, but the band needn't have worried: Is This It is one of the most exciting and energetic debut albums to spring from New York's long-dormant club scene. In fact, the Strokes are a New York City band through and through; like the Velvet Underground, these are a bunch of uptown artsy types elegantly slumming downtown to the tried and tested themes of sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Their singer-songwriter, the fantastically named Julian Casablancas, delivers his lyrics with a weary nonchalance that belies his age on songs like the title track, "Soma," "Hard to Explain," and the altogether wonderful "Barely Legal." And the band recalls the likes of Television and the Stooges on "Last Nite" and "The Modern Age." Let's hope this sexy, stylish, and undeniably cool band is the future of rock & roll. --Robert Burrow

Customer Reviews:

The most overrated album of the 21st century so far.......2007-06-24

This is mediocre rock'n'roll. Nothing particularly great about it in any way. It will remain one of the mysteries of live how this group and this album got so hyped up. (I've never seen them live, maybe their live shows have got something that NYC critics picked up on. But on the basis of this recording?? Feh!)

fun.......2007-06-11

intitially i wasn't quite sure about these guys but as as an old rocker and surf bum, i really lke they're music. yup, these guys probably ripped off someone, somewhere but you know what? who doesn't to some degree and for what it's worth they are totally fun and their tunes just click. i read one reviewer who said they ripped off high strung and i even went so far to get the high strung cd and yes it is very similar but nowhere near as good.

You need to hear this. The songs make it a true classic. .......2007-06-07

When this album came out in the Fall of 2001, it hit my friends and I like a sledgehammer. We found ourselves endlessly trying to come up with analogies to describe the sound, and we could never quite do it. All of my friends, who had tastes ranging from punk to indie rock to radio pop, loved this record. The songs were simply that memorable and that good. Unfortunately, the Strokes were largely dismissed as an image band or a hipster band. Even worse, their follow-up albums honestly weren't as good. Still, this thing still puts a smile on my face every time. I rank it as high as any classic album ever made.

A Classic Album.......2007-05-30

I bought this album a little over a year ago, and I've probably listened to it over 200 times since then -- seriously. I realize that I'm way late to the party, but I wasn't paying much attention to the music scene back in 2001 and I lived in California.

I certainly wasn't aware of all the hype surrounding the Strokes -- their look, alleged influences, "importance to rock music," etc. All I knew was their hit, "Last Night," and remember thinking: "that's a catchy tune, but it seems to me that the singer is trying to sing like Lou Reed on "Rock 'n Roll" and the guitarist stole the riff from Tom Petty's "American Girl." The video from the same song reminded me of the High School bands that I remember seeing back in the early-to-mid '80s.

I kind of liked it, but just sort of forgot about the Strokes. It seems that along the way a lot of others have forgotten about the Strokes, too, which I mostly blame on the Strokes, themselves. But I'll get to that later.

But first, since becoming an "Is this It" devotee and diving back into the music scene, I've concluded that the Strokes were terribly misunderstood back in 2001. I think part of it has to do with how important a "rock scene" is to critics -- how is shapes their views of The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, Television, etc. I think critics back in 2001 wanted very badly for the Strokes to be a second coming of SOME NY band that came out any of the oft-noted NY rock scenes of the past. Some just fabricated the connections and praised them for it; others realized this wasn't the case and slagged them as poseurs.

To name some examples: I think that the comparisons to Television and The Stooges border on ludicrous. Comparisons to The Velvet Underground are valid, but mostly insofar as they relate to the similarity between Julian Casablancas' vocals and Lou Reed's on "Rock 'n Roll" and "Head Held High" (off the Loaded album). Frankly, in addition to the above-mentioned Tom Petty riff, some of the stuff from Joy Division and the Cure sound closer to the Strokes' sound than these other bands. Heck, I think I heard the Repitilia opening riff on Belle & Sebastian's "Judy Dick Slap."

But that's neither here nor there, because what I've learned from listening to a bunch of current bands that I like -- The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Shins, Spoon, Of Montreal, etc. -- is that that they ALL lift riffs, melodies, etc. from others. Heck, even Radiohead, on their epic OK, Computer, sounds an awful like Pink Floyd, the Smiths, and even Rush, in parts. So, yes, the Strokes might have clipped together sound fragments they liked, but they did it artfully (unlike, say, Oasis, who I like, but don't love partly for this reason), in my opinion, like many other excellent bands do.

The important thing here is the songs -- and the songs on this album are all great -- not "epic", but extremely catchy and unique. Unless I'm completely out of touch -- and that's a distinct possibility -- if I were in college today, "Is this It" would be one of the first and last records I would go to if I had a little party going on in my dorm room.

If someone wants to argue that the songs are "slight," OK, I'll buy it. If someone wants to say that there are roughly two songs here -- one more "Rock 'n Roll" and the other more "New Wavey" -- played five different ways each, I'll buy that, too. Finally, if someone wants to say that the band, itself, doesn't show true "virtuosity" as musicians or that the record, itself, didn't push new musical boundaries, like, say, "Sgt. Pepper," "Dark Side of the Moon," "OK Computer," etc., fair enough.

Except in the case of Julian Casablancas, who delivers the finest vocals on this record as almost any you'll ever hear since Kurt Cobain on Nevermind or Tom Yorke on OK, Computer. Some describe Casablancas' vocals as "listless" or "bored," but this only tells a small part of the story. Yes, at times he does sound bored, but then oftentimes, he'll go from bored, to growling, to outright shouting. Just check out "The Modern Age," "Last Night," "Take it or Leave it," well almost every song. One could argue that Casablancas' vocals are aided by a megaphone-like distortion; I don't disagree, but that doesn't change how effective they are for me. IIf all you did was focus carefully on Casablancas' vocals, I think there's a chance you'd become as hooked on this record as I have.

In fact, I urge you to do just that.

And on the note of production, I think the band and Gordon Raphael made a brilliant decision to make the album "sound" as retro as it does. The Strokes asked Raphael to produce a record which sounded like it was a band from the future returning to the past -- and he did. This album sounds, in style and substance, like it could have served as the soundtrack to "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."

Unfortunately, the Strokes haven't been productive, recording-wise, since "Is this It," coming out with only two records -- the good-but-not-great "Room on Fire" and "First Impressions of Earth" -- in the nearly-six years since then, and unlikely to produce another until at least 2008. And that's a shame.

Just imagine if we were sitting here, say, in 1989, and R.E.M. had only "Murmur," "Fables of the Reconstruction" and "Green" to show for themselves; or in 1970 and the Beatles had only made a "Please Please Me/With the Beatles" combo, "Beatles for Sale" and "Let It Be." [No, I am not saying that the Strokes are in the same class as either band, especially the Beatles]. They'd each have done some great stuff and some good stuff, but would have also missed out on producing almost two-handfuls of classic albums between them.

The Strokes SHOULD have come out with an album between "Is This It" and "Room on Fire;" they SHOULD have come out with TWO albums between "Room on Fire" and "First Impressions of Earth." Heck, I'd argue that they maybe they SHOULD have come out with an album since "First Impressions of Earth." Then, maybe, we'd have another classic Strokes' album or two to enjoy, in addition to the one we have with "Is this It."

Fun, fast and punchy - 4.5 stars.......2007-05-13

I remember getting this back in 2001 when everyone and their dog were stumbling all over themselves proclaiming The Strokes saviors and future of rock and the best thing since sliced bread. Unfair as it may be, all that hideous overexposure and ubiquity only served to set me against The Strokes because personally I just couldn't see what the fuss was about. Now that the hype around the band has dimmed and the music press are busy pushing other fresh new things into the spotlight, I could finally enjoy "Is This It" for what it is, a highly enjoyable collection of energetic, catchy guitar songs that borrow heavily from the rock'n'roll past - Television, Stooges - but still manage to sound modern and fresh. The album does start to suffer from sameness by the end especially when it comes to Julian Casablancas' monotone slacker delivery, but it's not much of a problem since "Is This It" wraps itself neatly in just over 35 minutes. Original? No, just like 99.9999% bands (some of them great) out there. Fun to tap your foot to? Heck yeah.

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