Wee [Import] [Limited Edition] [Original recording remastered]

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Japanese 20-bit remastered reissue of 1954 album. Packaged in a limited edition miniature LP sleeve.

Tracks:

In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
Mood Indigo
Glad To Be Unhappy
I Get Along Without You Very Well
Deep In A Dream
I See Your Face Before Me
Can't We Be Friends?
When Your Lover Has Gone
What Is This Thing Called Love
Last Night When We Were Young
I'll Be Around
Ill Wind
It Never Entered My Mind
Dancing On The Ceiling
I'll Never Be The Same
This Love Of Mine

Amazon.com essential recording

The first of many artistic milestones in the long and illustrious collaboration of Frank Sinatra and arranger Nelson Riddle that began at Capitol Records, In the Wee Small Hours is a first in other notable ways, as well: it was the pair's first 12-inch LP; their first album devoted entirely to ballads; the first "concept album," a program of songs designed to be heard in a particular sequence that sustains a mood and suggests a story; the introduction of Sinatra's definitive "saloon singer" persona; and the first flowering of Sinatra's mature artistic sensibility. Oh, and it's a masterpiece, too. The cover portrait suggests the mood of late-night desolation almost as effectively as the music, with Sinatra in the corner, smoking a solitary cigarette on deserted street illuminated only by the a foggy, blue-green glow of lamplight. Loneliness, thy name is Frank! They say that memories of Ava Gardner caused him to break down after finishing this aching version of "When Your Lover Has Gone." Riddle's clarinet theme for "What Is this Thing Called Love?" is as haunting as Cole Porter's melody itself. And if there's a more devastating evocation of solitude than "It Never Entered My Mind"... well it must be on Only the Lonely. With songs like "I'll Be Around" and "Dancing on the Ceiling" to suggest at least the hope of hope, Wee Small Hours may flirt with despair, but never succumbs to it. It's the kind of comforting company that misery likes best. --Jim Emerson

Amazon.com

Franks Sinatra Photos

More from Ole Blue Eyes

Classic Sinatra
Duets
Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely

Romance: Songs From the Heart
Sinatra 80th: All the Best
Come Dance with Me!

Customer Reviews:

The Range Of Sinatra.......2007-07-10

Many may think he had an ordinary voice. This CD shows the emotional range of Sinatras music

My Top Sinatra album, Charlie!.......2007-06-30

I had to choose between this and so many other albums (Only The Lonely, Songs for Swingin' Lovers etc.) It's not like choosing between your children, it's like choosing between your nuts and your arms (to be absolutely male about it.) But Wee Small Hours wins out for this reason...I feel it. I've been there. I know what he is singing about. I hate the fact that I know it, but I know it nonetheless. I've had my own Ava Gardner... haven't we all? And if you put on this album, you hear it. And it really comes down to that. You will love this if you get it, and you won't get it unless you love it. Have you fallen head first? Have you felt like swinging on a star when you see her? Has it ended badly? Then listen to this disc. He says what you feel and think. It sucks, doesn't it? Frank knew all about it, and he put it on vinyl. I don't know of many singers that ever got this personal.... especially when they didn't write any of the songs.

BUY IT. If you don't like it... well, I have no words for you. It's a gamble you will have to make. But think of it this way... why do you know who Frank Sinatra is? There must be a good reason.

The single finest collection of mood songs ever recorded--BRAVO, FRANK !!!.......2007-06-09

Frank Sinatra possessed the great wisdom to see the new LP record album as an opportunity to create a "concept album" of songs all about one topic. In The Wee Small Hours offers us a track set of songs all about love gone wrong and unrequited love. Frank sings with panache and his somewhat deepened voice reflects a vocal maturity that few singers ever attain. This CD proves it all.

The CD begins with the title track, "In The Wee Small Hours." "In The Wee Small Hours" deals with the consequences of a love gone bad--Frank sings of a man who sadly remembers his one true love who left him. The musical arrangement by Nelson Riddle enhances the beauty of this number and Frank delivers this with strength; and the vulnerability in his voice ironically makes his performance much, much stronger and beautiful.

"Mood Indigo" follows; and this song again reflects the usual high level of quality control Sinatra always maintained. He sings "Mood Indigo" passionately and the slow tempo of the arrangement works remarkably well. "I Get Along Without You Very Well" begins with a haunting musical intro and when Frank Sinatra comes in his voice is in excellent form as it is throughout this entire album. Frank delivers this with a degree of sensitivity that I rarely hear from any singer.

"Can't We be Friends" explores the thorny issue of a woman asking Frank if they could now just be friends instead of the lovers they once were. Frank focuses on the frustration and angst he experiences when their love goes wrong. In addition, many people say that "When Your Lover Has Gone" is both an excellent number and a reference to the pain Frank Sinatra felt after Ava Gardner ended their romance and marriage. Frank sings this with the greatest passion and the unmistakable sadness in his trembling voice convinces you he really IS thinking about Ava as he performs this number. Powerful stuff!

"Last Night When We Were Young" again laments a love gone wrong; Frank delivers this number without a single superfluous note. "I'll Be Around" explores the theme of a man waiting for his woman just in case her latest male lover leaves her. The musical arrangement for "I'll Be Around" is played very softly in the background; and this infuses this number with sublime elegance.

"Ill Wind" has a haunting quality to it with its musical arrangement and the incredible pain in Frank's voice; Frank projects the emotional pain of dealing with a lost romance very well. In addition, "Dancing On The Ceiling" approaches the topic of lost love from a different angle--this time Frank fantasizes about his woman dancing on the ceiling as he gazes up at his ceiling after he is in bed for the night.

The track set ends with "This Love Of Mine;" Frank delivers this flawlessly. Frank Sinatra sings so beautifully of how his heart will always belong to his one true sweetheart. "This Love Of Mine" will touch you with its graceful beauty.

The liner notes contain a great essay by Pete Welding. You also get the song credits and recording dates for each song. Larry Walsh at Capitol Recording Studios did a fantastic job of digitally remastering these singularly exquisite ballads.

Frank Sinatra will always remain a legend in the entertainment industry. When Frank sang, you listened--and you listened closely, too, because few singers could ever merely just begin to approach what Frank could do with seemingly little effort. We are all better off for his sharing his talent with us; and this CD will be an automatic "must-have" for Sinatra fans. People who love classic pop vocals and easy listening vocals will treasure this CD forever.

Bravo, Frank!!!

A timeless masterpiece.......2007-05-20

Sinatra at his sultry best. This is unquestionably the one album to take with you to a desert island (with a beautiful lover). It will always be Frank's world - we just live in it, and listen... .

Heartache makes for a classic.......2007-05-18

Sinatra was not really from my generation but rather I listened and appreciated his voice through my parents; I guess subliminally and through osmosis I learned to like old blue eyes. Fast forwrd many years and I now listen to Sinatra on any given day. Of all his albums that I own , both LP's and CD's this is one of my favorites. It is classic Sinatra. The other reviewers hit on the background of the disc, the music itself, etc. so I'll just add that this disc is in my top ten all time in a collection that is out of hand after some forty years of collecting music. This is music for the those quite sad, lonely moments, where melancholy and despair turns to hope for a new day. It is music that reflects springtime, when life is brand new and the diversity and colors of the world are more vivid than before and the new season brings new life. After the shock and heartbreak of breakup comes the promise of starting over alone or with someone even better, we learn from our mistakes. We have all been there before, the heartbreak is an inevitable part of life and Sinatra conveys his own heartbreak like no other. The voice is still young, in transition from the crooning WWII era matinee idol to establish further his credentials as an American original. His phrasing is impeccable. What he left with this disc is a very personal memoir. This is a landmark disc from one of the great, if not the greatest American singer of the 20th Century. Recommended for lovers of great music.

All At Once Well Met: English Madrigals; The King's Singers

Average customer rating:

Very pleased
Sumptuous and mellow
One of the Best Collections of English Madrigals
A Delightful Collection of English Madrigal
A wide variety

All At Once Well Met: English Madrigals; The King's Singers
John Dowland , Thomas Morley , Thomas Weelkes , John Wilbye , William Byrd , John Farmer , and The King's Singers
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music

$9.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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ASIN: B000002RPZ
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

English Madrigals: A Little Pretty Bonny Lass
English Madrigals: Weep No More, Thou Sorry Boy
English Madrigals: Shoot False Love
English Madrigals: Now Is The Month Of Maying
English Madrigals: Four Arms, Two Necks, One Wreathing
English Madrigals: Hark, All Ye Lovely Saints Above
English Madrigals: Since Robin Hood
English Madrigals: Though Philomela Lost Her Love
English Madrigals: O Wretched Man
English Madrigals: Weep, O Mine Eyes
English Madrigals: The Nightingale, The Organ Of Delight
English Madrigals: Come, Sirrah Jack, Ho!
English Madrigals: Cruel, Behold My Heavy Ending
English Madrigals: Fair Phyllis I Saw Sitting All Alone
English Madrigals: Sing We And Chant It
English Madrigals: On A Fair Morning
English Madrigals: Oft Have I Vowed
English Madrigals: Is Love A Boy?
English Madrigals: Say, Love, If Ever Thou Didst Find
English Madrigals: All At Once Well Met
English Madrigals: Construe My Meaning
English Madrigals: Lord! When I Think
English Madrigals: Cruel, Wilt Thou Persever
English Madrigals: Fine Knacks For Ladies
English Madrigals: Strike It Up, Tabor
English Madrigals: I Love, Alas I Love Thee
English Madrigals: Farwell, Dear Love
English Madrigals: See, See The Shepherd's Queen
English Madrigals: Have I Found Her
English Madrigals: Lady Your Words Do Spite Me
English Madrigals: Were I A King
English Madrigals: Come Again
English Madrigals: Tan Ta Ra, Cries Mars
English Madrigals: Why Should I Love?
English Madrigals: This Sweet And Merry Month Of May

Customer Reviews:

Very pleased.......2007-06-10

I wasn't sure what to expect when I bought this CD. True, I could have listened on line before buying but that would have taken the fun out of the purchase. Besides, I really didn't care for the CD the first couple of times I listened but now I really love it. It's not something to listen to all the time but given the right circumstances e.g. a small gathering of friends, it's perfect. If I'd listened to online, I wouldn't have purchased it.

Sumptuous and mellow.......2002-11-28

The six men of the King's Singers present sweet and light-hearted madrigals of such English composers as Morley, Weelkes, Dowland, Wilbye and Byrd. The thirty five selections include "Now is the Month of Maying", "Though Philomela Lost Her Love", "Sing We and Chant It," the celebration of tobacco entitled "Come, Sirrah Jack, Ho!" and a host of other fa-la-la-la-la venues interspersed with wistful laments. I love the rich, sonorous sound of a male vocal ensemble, with countertenors, tenor, baritones and bass, and these six singers do a great job. Occasional instrumental accompaniments by lute and tabor are included, but this group doesn't really need it--I could listen to them for hours all by themselves. Also quite enjoyable, as well as educational, is their earlier release, "The King's Singers' Madrigal History Tour: Italy, England, France, Spain and Germany". For a more risque' take on the vocal music of Renaissance England, you might get a kick out of "The Art of the Bawdy Song" by the Baltimore Consort with the Merry Companions.

One of the Best Collections of English Madrigals.......2002-03-27

Any fan of the King's Singers will regret not having this album in their collection.

This album offers a veritable feast of the choicest English madrigals found on any comparable album. From the obligatory "Now is the Month of Maying" and "Fair Phyllis" to the more obscure "Tan ta ra, cries Mars," there is certainly enough on this album to bring a smile to lovers of Renaissance music - and a spark of recognition to anyone who sang traditional madrigals in high school or university. For serious students of early music, this album comes very highly recommended.

Among the more sonorous offerings on this album, Jones' "Farewell, Dear Love" and Dowland's "Come Again," cannot be ignored. Nor can Bennet's immortal "Weep O mine eyes" be matched more musically than here by the King's Singers.

This album has been played again and again for almost 6 years as both serious listening and background working music. And it has yet to lose its delight.

A Delightful Collection of English Madrigal.......2000-08-16

With 35 tracts to enjoy you're sure to find a couple of favorites. I gave this CD 4 of 5 stars compared to 5 stars for the King's Singers World Madrigal Tour CD. If you prefer all your songs in English, this will be your 5 star CD. Tract 32 "Come again" is my favorite due to the surperb tenor lead and melodic development. Compared to many polyphonic early music styles (1300s-1485), this era (1500-1610) provides many memorable melodies.

A wide variety.......2000-04-28

This is an excellent sampling of English madrigals. This presentation, given by an older roster of the Singers, is a nice introduction to the world of the madrigal, and English madrigals in particular.

Average customer rating:

WEE HAIRY BEASTIES for about 15 mins
I got ants in my pants (but no crocodile tears)
Kids Music for Grown-ups too!
Smart and Catchy

Animal Crackers
Wee Hairy Beasties , Jon Langford , Kelly Hogan , Sally Timms , and Devil in a Woodpile
Manufacturer: Bloodshot Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000IOMVYQ
Release Date: 2006-10-24

Tracks:

Wee Hairy Beasties
Flies On My Taters
Animal Crackers
Ragtime Duck
Housefly Blues
A Newt Called Tiny
I'm An A.N.T.
Road Safety Song
Cuttlefish Bone
Glow Worm
Buzz Buzz Buzz
Cyril The Karaoke Squirrel
Toenail Moon
Lightnin' The Turtle
Wee Hairy Beasties (Reprise)

Product Description

This CD has a dance-with-ants-in-your-pants blend of back porch country blues, hippity-hop country, and wiggly old-timey swing is bound to please any child or adult. Includes an enhanced CD video track of Tonail Moon. Some of the songs included are: Wee Hairy Beasties, Animal Crackers, and Ragtime Duck.

Amazon.com

A kids' album by insurgent country's leading Marxist, disco country's leading diva, the sexiest member of the Mekons, and Chicago's most-juiced jug band? An improbable scenario, to be sure, save that John Langford, Kelly Hogan, Sally Timms, and Devil in a Woodpile are all close pals and frequent co-conspirators; you can imagine them tossing beers back at the Hide-Out and laughing hysterically as they devised their alter-egos: Cyril the Karaoke Squirrel, Marjorie the Singing Bee, and Monkey Double Dippey (as identities go, Devil in a Woodpile was already quirky enough). It's a fun, folksy, bluesy romp that never talks down to kids and never traffics in sentimentality. They turn the melody of "St. James Infirmary" into a buzzing, old-time ode to swimming the backstroke in a bowl of corn puffs and transform Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy" into "I'm an A.N.T." (with a shout-out to Johnny the Cockaroacharoo). They cuddle with cuttlefish, root turtles across the dance-contest finish line, and sing helium-voiced love songs to glowworms. With imaginations as perverse, wacky, and voracious as the average six-year-old's, the Beasties simply have a blast. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

WEE HAIRY BEASTIES for about 15 mins.......2007-06-11

My 3 yr old loves this CD for about 15 mins. The first several songs are good, then the album falls flat. The tunes are catchy and I have found myself at work many days chanting "Wee Hairy Beasties" with a brogue as the band leader does. Enjoyable, in small doses.

I got ants in my pants (but no crocodile tears).......2007-02-19

I was nervous when I ordered this. As a longtime fan of Jon Langford and Sally Timms, I feared that I was foisting my tastes on my five-year-old daughter. Would this join her stack of unlistened CDs?

My fears vanished before the opening title track. My daughter loves this record even more than I do. The music is clever, engaging, and best of all -- not cloying.

Kids Music for Grown-ups too!.......2007-01-17

Finally, a CD that can be heard at least 4 times a day that won't drive you insane. For some reason music for children tends to be simple. Animal Crackers proves that you can make good music for children and still have the silly lyrics and rhymes that kids love. I bought several copies for all the kids in my extended family.

Smart and Catchy.......2006-11-27

After just one listen, my two year old was singing out loud for Wee Hairy Beasties. Seriously. We were jumping for each "wee" and giggling, and she wanted to hear more about Cyril the Karaoke Squirrel. And all this in an an albumn that doesn't make my ears bleed.

Music for a Darkened Theatre, Vol. 1: Film & Television Music

Average customer rating:

Great compilation - and that's just the first half.
The best of Elfman!!!
Great Collection, A LIttle Too Eclectic
What Great Music
super

Music for a Darkened Theatre, Vol. 1: Film & Television Music

Manufacturer: Fontana Mca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

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Beetlejuice: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

ASIN: B000002OEB
Release Date: 1990-10-15

Tracks:

Excerpts From: Pee Wee's Big Adventure
Excerpts From: Batman
Excerpts From: Dick Tracy
Excerpts From: Beetlejuice
Excerpts From: Nightbreed
Excerpts From: Darkman
Excerpts From: Back To School
Excerpts From: Midnight Run
Excerpts From: Wisdom
Excerpts From: Hot To Trot
Excerpts From: Big Top Pee Wee
Excerpts From: The Simpsons
Excerpts From: Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Jar
Excerpts From: Tales From The Crypt
Excerpts From: Face Like A Frog
Excerpts From: Forbidden Zone
Excerpts From: Scrooged

Customer Reviews:

Great compilation - and that's just the first half........2005-09-14

I first got this on cassette in the summer of '94 and listened to it every day, drawn by its thematic range and compositional depth. And that was just side-one.

Elfman pioneered the sound that drives today's movie adaptations of comic-books and darker-themed children's stories. Side-One kicks things off with a rollicking, hyper-cartoonish theme from the first Pee-Wee movie - the one where Pee-Wee searches for his beloved bike. Elfman's theme contains layers of different rides - on tightropes, highways, in the middle of a NASCAR rally - which rudely yet melodically crash into each other.

The Batman entry actually contains several pieces - the opening credits, the extended sequence in the cathedral and the climax - which show Batman's darkened extreme at its "Frank Miller" best. (Dir. Tim Burton couldn't sustain the mood in the next sequel, and the franchise took a turn towards the camp of the TV series with the next 2 movies.)

The theme for "Dick Tracy" is perhaps the most romantic on this disc, a quality that surpasses the theme's comic-book origins, but ends on an ironic note that's pure Elfman.

"Beetlejuice" (opening & closing credits) gives Elfman's childish ID a chance to stretch its legs, or in this case, slam-dance.

"Nightbreed" is an enigma wrapped in a dark mystery, and that's just Elfman's score. Elfman's work on this movie is as good as the movie wasn't, having a more powerful narrative than the script - easily the best track on the entire disc, one likely to exceed the movie in its dose of chills.

"Darkman" doesn't quite rise to the occasion, though the score may be hobbled by the movie itself, which seldom surpassed one of the many "Batman" clones of the early 1990's. "Darkman" (the movie, I mean) excelled as a parody of many comicbook staples (the wronged hero, the relentless villain, the scientific breakthrough with just one flaw), but not enough to escape being largely anonymous. Within those constraints, it's still a moving if scary piece.

When is Elfman not like Elfman? When he was in the mid-late `80's and scored "Back to School" (A Rodney Dangerfield vehicle) and "Midnight Run". Horns in "School" bring it closer to Elfman's over-the-top style, while "Run" sounds like a love-theme for the run-down, out-of-the-way parts of America that seldom appear in Elfman-movies. "Run" is a fun score for a fun movie - it's nothing like Elfman's previous work but it perfectly captures the on-the-road-without-a-map craziness of the movie.

To this day, I don't know why I never ventured to Side-two, but it's irrelevant. Even half this disc is worth it

The best of Elfman!!!.......2005-09-05

I was obsessed about getting this CD right from when I heard about it. I found it at the library and was so excited about it, and it didn't let me down. In fact, it was a lot better than I expected. It's a fun and creepy (strange mix, but it really works!) collection of Danny Elfman's film and television soundtracks. The first track, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, is probably my favorite. Also, I really like Batman and Wisdom. Batman is creepy and dark, and Wisdom is just weird, in the best possible way.
I'd recommend this to anyone who likes film music, or everyone who is even the tiniest bit an Elfman fan. It's amazing!

Great Collection, A LIttle Too Eclectic.......2003-08-19

You should be able to tell from the movies and TV shows listed here whether or not you'd be interested in this collection. It's a little too eclectic for my tastes (hence only 4 stars) but better than volume 2. I think thatthe miscellaneous collected ites here along with the previously unreleased stuff should make this worth buying. Especially if you're a fan of Elfman's movie soundtrack work.

What Great Music.......2003-05-11

I fell in love with the music of Danny Elfman when Beetlejuice came out. There was something different about the music that he made. When Edward Scissorhands, and then Nightmare Before Christmas - I knew this man was a musical master. Its the verbal form of surrealism.

super.......2003-04-17

What a great CD. Danny's music is so original and inventive. this CD contains his pre 90's quirky, gothic music. it's all very well written and beautifully orchestrated. batman and darkman contain some really excellent long, dark, gothic cues that really take u away from reality. in my opinion no one, apart from howard shore, is as inventive and original as danny in the world of filmmusic. he far surpasses the repetitive works of williams or horner. buy this, and volume two, and keep supporting one of the greatest film composers of all time.ohh...and buy fellowship of the ring and two towers by howard shore....amazing work!

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo: Bagpipe Marches of Scotland

Average customer rating:

Stay Away
Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Not like being there, but a good appetizer
Pipes and Drums: Amazing Grace

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo: Bagpipe Marches of Scotland

Manufacturer: Legacy
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002NQ9
Release Date: 1994-07-18

Tracks:

Pipes And Drums: Amazing Grace/Fanfare Trumpets: Fanfare Militaire
Pipes And Drums: The Rock And Wee Pickle Tow/I Lo'ed A Laddie But Ane/The Drummer's Call...
Massed Military Bands: The Band Strikes-Mexican Hat Dance
4/4 Marches And 3/4 Retreats: Hills Of Alva/Far O' Er Struy/Torosay Castle/Lord Byron...
Waltzes: Hearken My Love/The Herding Song/My Lodging's On The Cold Cold Ground/Westering Home
2/4 Marches: Kitchener's Army/Balkan Hills/The Rhodesian Regiment
2/4 March, Strathspey And Reel: Miss Elspeth Campbell/The Shepherd's Crock/Smith O' Chilliechassie
4/4 And 2/4 Marches: Scotland The Brave/Highland Laddie/The Earl Of Mansfield...
6/8 Marches: 10th H.L.I. Crossing The Rhine/Mrs. Lily Christie/Dovecote Park
Waltzes: Loch Broom Bay/My Home
4/4 March, Strathspeys, Reels, Hornpipes And Jigs: Peter McKenzie Warren/Sporting Jamie...

Customer Reviews:

Stay Away.......2006-01-05

While the piping is excellent, the audio, particularly in the first half of the cd is terrible. Nearly 15 minutes are almost indecipherable. I think the recording was made with a hand held mike at the edge of a field.

Edinburgh Military Tattoo.......2001-05-19

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo first started in 1947 with some spirited displays of army piping and dancing. Since that time the show has grown to become a world class act, unfortunately losing some of its traditional elements along the way. The word "Tattoo" is a corruption of the Dutch "Doe den Taptoe" which literary means "turn off the taps", a reference to when a lone drummer would play a "tattoo" or drum roll to signal the inkeeprs to stop serving beer and to summon the troops back to barracks. This ceremony was performed by the British while they were in the low countries during the early 18th century, but it is a custom common to many armies of that time, in particular the various German princeapalities of the day. Over time the Tattoo evolved into a more elaborate affair as more bands and musicians were drawn into its fare. What we have here is the modern development of the form started in previous centuries. The Edinburgh Tattoo is justly famed for its display of massed pipes and bands, and while the recording quality here is not the best, the listener can still get a good idea of the spectacle produced. The original recording of this 1972 show was recorded by EMI, but this version is a knock-off cut that was done by a small American record firm, and which since has been sold about in various forms as a popular item. It is unfortunate that we don't have a better version of the show for listeners than this. The Tattoo produces a recording every year, as well as a video which can be obtained by contacting the Edinburgh Military Tattoo via their website which can be found using any search engine. The good thing about this recording is that it does provide a glimpse of the show in its heyday, where modern fluff and show biz influences had not crept in as much as they have today. For this reason this CD is worth having, and serves as an introduction to this great pageant of the Scottish regiments and the British army. Even though the show is watered down today with pop elements, the grandeur is still there when the massed pipes and drums march out onto the castle esplanade playing the grand old tunes. Even the politically correct producers can't ruin this grand sight, and its hoped they never will!

Not like being there, but a good appetizer.......2000-11-23

The producers and engineers for this CD are to be commended for the remarkable quality they obtained on this outdoor recording! While not quite like being there, it does convey the spirit and energy of the Tattoo.

Pipes and Drums: Amazing Grace.......2000-06-11

I love the sound of the pipes for this one song, and is my favorite.

Music for a Darkened Theatre, Vol. 2: Film & Television Music

Average customer rating:

Priceless, at any price
Good overview
Great Music!!!!!!!!!
Very nice for a Danny Elfman collection
Bring on Volume 3

Music for a Darkened Theatre, Vol. 2: Film & Television Music

Manufacturer: Fontana Mca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Serenada Schizophrana
So Lo
Sleepy Hollow: Music from the Motion Picture
Edward Scissorhands: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

ASIN: B000002P4P
Release Date: 1996-12-03

Tracks:

Edward Scissorhands Suite: Main Titles
Edward Scissorhands Suite: Storytime
Edward Scissorhands Suite: Suite
Edward Scissorhands Suite: Suburbia-Barber
Edward Scissorhands Suite: The Grand Finale
Dolores Claiborne Suite: Main Titles
Dolores Claiborne Suite: Vera's World
Dolores Claiborne Suite: Flashback
Dolores Claiborne Suite: Sad Room
Dolores Claiborne Suite: End Titles
To Die For Suite: Main Titles
To Die For Suite: Suzie's Theme
To Die For Suite: Busted
To Die For Suite: Wheepy Donuts
To Die For Suite: Finale
Black Beauty Suite: Main Titles
Black Beauty Suite: Baby Beauty
Black Beauty Suite: Jump For Joy
Black Beauty Suite: Frolick-Sick
Black Beauty Suite: Bye Bye Jerry
Black Beauty Suite: Memories
Black Beauty Suite: End Titles
Batman Returns Suite:Birth Of A Penguin
Batman Returns Suite: Trouble Suite
Batman Returns Suite: The Finale
Batman Returns Suite: End Titles

Tracks:

Mission Impossible Suite: Trouble
Mission Impossible Suite: Looking For Job
Mission Impossible Suite: Betrayal
Sommersby Suite: Main Titles
Sommersby Suite: Return Montage
Sommersby Suite: Finale-End Titles
Dead Presidents Suite: Main Titles
Dead Presidents Suite: Daughter
Dead Presidents Suite: Montage
Dead Presidents Suite: Nam
Dead Presidents Suite: Nightmare
Nightmare Before Christmas Suite: Overture
Nightmare Before Christmas Suite: Jack And Sally Suite
Nightmare Before Christmas Suite: Christmas Eve Montage
Freeway Suite: Main Titles
Freeway Suite: On The Road
Freeway Suite: Back In The Car
Shrunken Heads Suite: Main Titles
Television Odds 'N Ends Suite: Amazing Stories 'Family Dog'
Television Odds 'N Ends Suite: Amazing Stories 'Family Dog'
Television Odds 'N Ends Suite: Amazing Stories 'Mummy, Daddy
Television Odds 'N Ends Suite: Barkley Superhero 'Nike Commercial'
Television Odds 'N Ends Suite: The Flash 'Theme'
Television Odds 'N Ends Suite: Pee Wee's Playhouse
Television Odds 'N Ends Suite: Beetlejuice - Animated Tv Series 'Theme'
Untitled
Untitled
Untitled
This Is Halloween (Original Demo For Nightmare Before Christmas)

Amazon.com

A delightfully buoyant, mock-creepy collection of film scores from Hollywood's first and best call for quirk, strangeness, and charm. Focusing on Elfman's post-1992 work (much of it for director Tim Burton), this 2 CD set features excerpts from Edward Scissorhands, To Die For, and Batman Returns, among other lesser items. -- Jeff Bateman

Customer Reviews:

Priceless, at any price.......2007-07-06

Years ago, watching peter Jennings cover the funeral procession of Princess Diana, my soul was captured by some hauntingly beautiful music that at times played in the background. So began my mission to find out what it was, who wrote it and how I could get it. After some correspondence with the network I was put in touch with the woman who "put together" that part of the programming. All she could remember is that it came from the movie "Black Beauty". THEN I found out how many versions of that had been made lol. With determination, I finally found it, and had a local music store order it for me.
There are no words to describe what this music does to me. I did try listening to some of the other tracks, but they didn't even come close. I rate this music right up there with the 1971 score for "Jane Eyre" by John Willams... and that's pretty high :D

Good overview.......2007-04-18

Very nice overview of Elfman work. Insufficient by itself but worth having along with the full soundtracks. Bonus disc is a nice extra.

Great Music!!!!!!!!!.......2005-09-08

I Love Danny Elfman's music so much that I have started my own collection of the soundtracks that he composed. For a while, I was trying to find the "Beetlejuice" theme song from the TV show, but thanks to this release, I finally have it!!! Keep up the good work Elfman!

Very nice for a Danny Elfman collection.......2005-08-02

Music For A Darkened Theater, Vol.2 is a great cd!!! I love all of the tracks on both cd's,but my fav. ones are the t.v. scores and the This Is Halloween demo!!! If you love this,then i recomend looking at all the actually albums on this cd and his other works!!!! good job,Danny Elfman.

Bring on Volume 3.......2005-05-04

The liner notes and "This is Halloween Demo" on this compilation are well worth the CD price by themselves. Danny comments on each of the tracks on the CDs which is a rare and ego-free look at what a composer thinks of his own work.

Edward Scissorhands is magical, Black Beauty is a rollercoaster of emotion, and Dolores Claiborne makes me want to find the nearest piano. This is not a "Most Popular" compilation, rather it aptly showcases Danny Elfman's (and Orchestrator, Steve Bartek's) brilliance and wide range of style.

Every suite has an Elfman signature, such as the layered complexity which never sounds overdone, or the use of a choir as an instrument.

This (and Volume 1) are examples of the work of a modern day composer who consistently stands out as one of the best.

If you like this and have the spare cash, grab the individual scores from some of the movies he has worked on, including "Men In Black", "Spiderman", "Batman", "Batman Returns", "Nightmare Before Christmas", "Edward Scissorhands", "Mars Attacks" and so many more.

Varese Sarabande 25th Anniversary Celebration

Average customer rating:

A good value
The Sound Track Since Bernard Hermann
Good mix of film music
A mixed collection of movie music
Uplifts your soul, takes your mind into the heavens

Varese Sarabande 25th Anniversary Celebration

Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Star Wars | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Paramount 90th Anniversary Collection: Scores
In Session: Film Music Celebration
The Essential Elmer Bernstein Film Music Collection
Jerry Goldsmith: 40 Years of Film Music
Music In Film (National Public Radio Milestones Of The Millennium)

ASIN: B00008WI90
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Tracks:

The Man from Snowy River (Bruce Rowland)
The Winds of War (Bob Cobert)
Blue Velvet (Angelo Badalamenti)
Witness (Maurice Jarre)
Raising Arizona (Carter Burwell)
Pee Wees Big Adventure (Danny Elfman)
Halloween (John Carpenter)
A Nightmare On Elm Street (Charles Bernstein)
The Fly (Howard Shore)
RoboCop (Basil Poledouris)
The Empire Strikes Back (John Williams)
The Right Stuff (Bill Conti)
The Final Conflict (Jerry Goldsmith)
The Abyss (Alan Silvestri)
Brainstorm (James Horner)
Peggy Sue Got Married (John Barry)
My Left Foot (Elmer Bernstein)
The Dead (Alex North)
Stanley & Iris (John Williams)
The Milagro Beanfield War (Dave Grusin)
Driving Miss Daisy (Hans Zimmer)

Tracks:

Steel Magnolias (Georges Delerue)
Unforgiven (Lennie Niehaus and Clint Eastwood)
Raggedy Man (Jerry Goldsmith)
The Grifters (Elmer Bernstein)
Green Card (Hans Zimmer)
City Slickers (Marc Shaiman)
Father Of The Bride (Alan Silvestri)
While You Were Sleeping (Randy Edelman)
Babe (Nigel Westlake)
The Adventures Of The Great Mouse Detective (Henry Mancini)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (Erich Wolfgang Korngold)
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (Laurence Rosenthal)
The Secret Garden (Zbigniew Preisner)
A Little Princess (Patrick Doyle)
Rudy (Jerry Goldsmith)
Iron Will (Joel McNeely)
Memphis Belle (George Fenton)
Eye Of The Needle (Mikl)
Total Recall (Jerry Goldsmith)
Back To The Future Part III (Alan Silvestri)

Tracks:

To Die For (Danny Elfman)
The Player (Thomas Newman)
Black Robe (Georges Delerue)
Medicine Man (Jerry Goldsmith)
2001 (Alex North)
Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire (Joel McNeely)
The Crow (Graeme Revell)
Blade (Mark Isham)
The Omen (Jerry Goldsmith)
Vertigo (Bernard Herrmann)
Scream (Marco Beltrami)
The Sixth Sense (James Newton Howard)
Xena: Warrior Princess (Joseph LoDuca)
Air Force One (Jerry Goldsmith)
Starship Troopers (Basil Poledouris)
The Matrix (Don Davis)
The Iron Giant (Michael Kamen)
Youve Got Mail (George Fenton)
A Little Romance (Georges Delerue)
Pleasantville (Randy Newman)

Tracks:

Sunset Boulevard (Franz Waxman)
L.A. Confidential (Jerry Goldsmith)
Rounders (Christopher Young)
The Score (Howard Shore)
The Replacements (John Debney)
Gone In 60 Seconds (Trevor Rabin)
The Bourne Identity (John Powell)
Rush Hour 2 (Lalo Schifrin)
XXX (Randy Edelman)
Die Hard (Michael Kamen)
The Last of the Mohicans (Trevor Jones)
Moby Dick (Christopher Gordon)
The Mists Of Avalon (Lee Holdridge)
Cleopatra (Alex North)
Life As A House (Mark Isham)
Emma (Rachel Portman)
In The Bedroom (Thomas Newman)
Cast Away (Alan Silvestri)
One True Thing (Cliff Eidelman)
Unfaithful (Jan A.P. Kaczmarek)
Far From Heaven (Elmer Bernstein)
Ice Age (David Newman)
Shrek (Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell)

Customer Reviews:

A good value.......2007-05-17

I wasn't expecting to have 4 discs for this price, and the music is a quality selection of film music, giving a good scope of the genre, and a very listenable transfer.

The Sound Track Since Bernard Hermann.......2006-07-25

This collection is bound to capture your heart and evoke a tin ear on successive tracks. I found much to like and some duds - easy to skip over.
Very good value.

Good mix of film music.......2006-07-02

Good mix of films!
I'm a big fan of this soundtrack music and will be looking for more CD's like this.

A mixed collection of movie music.......2006-02-23

For the price, this CD is a great bargain. The musical selections, as you might expect, are mixed in quality ranging from extraordinary to so so, the balance being worthwhile and interesting. Sonically the CD is excellent.

Uplifts your soul, takes your mind into the heavens.......2006-01-06

I have been listening to great scores for many years and this collection is truly inspirational in so far as the choice of different scores takes you on a journey of listening pleasure matched by only a few collections.The price is incredibly reasonable for hours of listening pleasure. Don't pass this one up

Average customer rating:

SOME OF ISB'S BEST MADE BETTER STILL
TISB-Wee Tam/Big Huge
Wee Tam and the Big Huge
The ISB at their very, very best in this SINGLE album
A High Water Mark of the ISB

Wee Tam / Big Huge
Incredible String Band
Manufacturer: Collector's Choice
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

5000 Spirits / Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
Changing Horses / I Looked Up
U
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
Be Glad for the Song Has No Ending/Liquid Acrobat as Regards the Air

ASIN: B00006BC50
Release Date: 2002-09-10

Tracks:

Job's Tears
Puppies
Beyond The See
The Yellow Snake
Log Cabin Home In The Sky
You Get Brighter
The Half-Remarkable Question
Air
Ducks On A Pond

Tracks:

Maya
Greatest Friend
The Son Of Noah's Brother
Lordly Nightshade
The Mountain Of God
Cousin Caterpillar
The Iron Stone
Douglas Traherne Harding
The Circle Is Unbroken

Product Description

Disc 1: Wee Tam:
1. Job's Tears
2. Puppies
3. Beyond The See
4. Yellow Snake, The
5. Log Cabin Home In The Sky
6. You Get Brighter
7. Half-Remarkable Question, The
8. Air
9. Ducks On A Pond

Disc 2: The Big Huge:
1. Maya
2. Greatest Friend
3. Son Of Noah's Brother, The
4. Lordly Nightshade
5. Mountain Of God, The
6. Cousin Caterpillar
7. Iron Stone, The
8. Douglas Traherne Harding
9. Circle Is Unbroken, The

Format: CD

Customer Reviews:

SOME OF ISB'S BEST MADE BETTER STILL.......2006-08-06

While the remastering is expert and reveals even more of the human warmth of this work, it's difficult to write about the music of Robin Williamson and Mike Heron for the simple reason that they pretty much created their own genre. Who will we compare to the Incredible String Band? The sources and reference points of and in their music are many and widespread. Typically filed under "FOLK", the music of The Incredible String Band was and is much more. A few years after the band broke up, Robin wrote of his interest in creating a "fusion" of different musical cultures, traditions and styles. Seen from this perspective, "Wee Tam / Big Huge" must be one of the first fully-realized examples of that fusion.

In a seemingly simple, quiet framework, ISB delivers a dazzling array of ideas about music and about humankind and our perceptions of the worlds in and around us -- what are we and what we are -- with diverse and complete musical authority. How else could you possibly pull off a song titled "Puppies" without being accused of creating kitsch? This is profoundly ambitious stuff. "Wee Tam / Big Huge" allows us to witness nothing less than the patchwork creation of a being in "Maya" who is comprised of the many archetypes of the human race: "businessmen his nervous system, no-hustle men his stomach" and, my personal favorite, "opinions are his fingernails". Here, as throughout this record, small metaphors create greater metaphors, leading to saturated meanings. Throughout, the lyrical content matches the musical innovation. Always poetic and illuminating, I'd question the typical "psychedelic" conclusion: this stuff is too aware and well worked out. Remember: "At bath time the hippies, in chains, they are crossing the hall..."

As a contrast to the long and almost tone-poem-like pieces such as "Maya" and "Job's Tears" and rollicking fiddle tunes like "Log Cabin Home", there are a pair of very short, haiku-like pieces that are as pure as they are beautiful. "Son of Noah's Brother" and the more remarkable, myth-imbued "Yellow Snake" demonstrate that condensed and concise poetry can be as powerful as the more elaborate and extended work.

There is also a sense of the sacred throughout, from the every day in "Air" and the wonderfully inventive "Duck's on a Pond" to the collage of religious and literary phrases that comprise the lyrics of "The Mountain of God". Through a rich mix of musical and cultural ideas, "Wee Tam / Big Huge" makes the monumental accessible, and the miniature profound without ever resorting to cloying sentimentality, cliche or the dead ends of blind faith. This is music of approachable, constant and everyday beauty. Music as easy to love today as it was when the world was new.

TISB-Wee Tam/Big Huge.......2006-02-22

The other reviews correctly describe the richness and beauty of these albums. Mystical yet fun, fascinating musical concepts, still fresh after so many years. Highest rating...BUT...while wonderful on the ears, terrible on the eyes. Bad job on the lyrics insert, which are truly microscopic to the point of being unreadable. I'm lucky to have the original vinyl for reading. Otherwise, get a high-powered microscope. Still, a gorgeous recording, as are all their early releases.

Wee Tam and the Big Huge.......2005-08-10

I had not heard this for thirty years. Many of the songs have stayed with me. The best recordings they ever did - before they got too self conscious. Still a classic - modern bands are just too cautious. They all want to be cool.

The ISB at their very, very best in this SINGLE album.......2005-06-03

`The Big Huge' and the `Wee Tam' are nominally two different albums by The Incredible String Band (TISB) when actually; they were released simultaneously in 1968 as if they were a double album where you could buy the two disks independently. The sense with which the two titles can be combined as `The Big Huge Wee Tam' is one small sign of how these two albums were always supposed to be seen as a single work, in much the same way as Dylan's `Blond on Blond' and the Beatles' `white album' are two phonographs in a single album.

It is due to this title combination that I always considered `The Big Huge' as the first of the two recordings. The second reason is because the first cut on this album, Williamson's `Maya' so completely captures the style and spirit of both albums. It also clearly connects TISB with the style of Donovan Leitch as exemplified in his song `Atlantis'. There must be some name for this kind of song in song writing circles, and I wish I knew it, as it is so distinctive in construction. Basically, it enumerates between eight and twelve things, generally people, in a group where each type serves a particular person or fits a role in the whole. The simplest example of such a song might be the `Do-Re-Mi Song' from `The Sound of Music'. Both `Maya' and `Atlantis' are much more complicated, but fit the same basic pattern.

`Maya' is doubly interesting in that it is almost certainly based on the famous illustration on the frontispiece of Thomas Hobbes' great work `Leviathan' on political philosophy, where the head of the sovereign sits on a body composed of smaller bodies.

This pair of albums may have been the high point of the TISB recording career. At the very least, together with `The 5000 Spirits or The Layers of the Onion' and `The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter', it created a body of work which at the very least insured the durability of the groups modest popularity well into the 21st century. And, I believe it is the last set of recordings they did in the style of original writing they established in `5000 Spirits...' With their next works, I detect definite changes in style and more independence from Mike Heron, as he released a solo album around this time.

I made the observation in a review of `The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter' that many of the songs can be heard as evening entertainment for children on their way to bed. I can strengthen this analogy with this album with the references to Tolkien's fiction in one or two of these songs. Add to this references to A. A. Milne's `Winnie the Pooh' and songs about caterpillars and I rest my case. Very few of their songs relate to that most favorite song subject, romantic love. Much more time is spent on adventure, discovery, tall tales, and nonsense rhymes.

For those of you who may be coming to TISB from encounters with Fairport Convention and The Pentangle, I suggest that TISB is the gold standard of original writing based on Celtic and other world folk traditions. Fairport Convention, especially Sandy Denny may have written some great songs and Jansch and Renbourn of `The Pentangle' are probably greater instrumentalists, but TISB conveys a folkish charm that is truer to the great 1960's counterculture spirit than any other band.

A High Water Mark of the ISB.......2003-12-16

This is a magical album (and yes, it is one album, as a reviewer below noted). There are songs here which feel simultaneously ancient and totally innovative, achingly beautiful and unfathomably mysterious -- at this moment I am thinking of the songs "The Circle is Unbroken" and "The Iron Stone." But really everything here is amazing. This is one of those albums where you feel that the artists were stretching every nerve and muscle, reaching out beyond themselves to grasp something which they had glimpsed. A masterpiece is made when they succeed, and that's what happened here. And the beauty is not just conceptual. Sure, these guys were picking up a bewildering variety of instruments they had never learned how to play, but they pull it off; it all works. And Williamson's voice... a careless listener will think he's just tunelessly jibbering sometimes, but he's not, he's not... His voice glides and modulates all over the place, always exactly where he wants it to be. This work was really a transcendent, watershed event. For myself, I find it has an intensity unrivalled by any of the Incredibles' other albums, though "U" and "5000 Spirits" and "Hangman's" are all essential listening as well. But this is really something special.

Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985 Film) / Back To School (1986 Film): Original Motion Picture Scores [2 on 1]

Average customer rating:

Disappointing! It's Not Even The Original Pee-Wee Score Used In The Movie!
It's Okay But There Isn't Enough Of The Music From The Pee Wee Movie!
The DVD does have the original score
Not enough Elfman!
Can't go wrong with Elfman

Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985 Film) / Back To School (1986 Film): Original Motion Picture Scores [2 on 1]

Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Beetlejuice: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (Widescreen)
Dick Tracy
Batman: Original Motion Picture Score
Edward Scissorhands: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

ASIN: B000001546
Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

Overture/The Big Race
Breakfast Machine
Park Ride
Stolen Bike
Hitchhike
Dinosaur Dream
Simone's Theme
Clown Dream
Studio Chase
The Drive-In
Finale
Overture
Do Not Go Gently...
The Brawl
Action Medley
Classroom Secretary
Triple Lindy
Love Suite
Study Montage

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing! It's Not Even The Original Pee-Wee Score Used In The Movie!.......2005-12-22

Peee-Wee's Big Adventure is a good movie that is very funny and I loved the music used in the movie but this CD is disappointing. I'm very disappointed that this isn't even the original score used in the movie but is instead an imitation performance. A Reinactment!

It's Okay But There Isn't Enough Of The Music From The Pee Wee Movie!.......2005-10-15

I like Danny Elfman, he writes movie scores that are always great and one of his best is the score for Pee Wee's Big Adventure and while the Pee Wee tracks with the National Philharmonic Orchestra are great it would have been even greater if they had used the original master tracks and the scores on this CD are just too short. I have never watched the movie Back to School and that score does seem to overshadow the Pee Wee's Big Adventure score. Now I do recommend this CD but be prepared to be a little disappointed with the Pee Wee score getting the short end of the stick!

The DVD does have the original score.......2004-07-19

"Thank you" to all the previous reviewers who pointed out the limitations of this re-scored music. I thought I'd chime in with a discovery. The DVD of the movie has the isolated original score! Yeah!

If you buy or rent the DVD, just go into the menu options and there's a way to play the movie with only the music score isolated. (There's commentary by Danny Elfman too, but he doesn't talk over the music.)

Not enough Elfman!.......2002-05-25

The score to Tim Burton's PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE is one Danny Elfman greatest achievements. And for those who are upset about the lack of the film's music on this album [not that I blame you], I have some info. The original masters used to score the film were recorded w/an L.A. union orchestra, an orchestra that would have to be paid an enormous amount of money [and I am talking hundreds of thousands of dollar$] for the masters' release. Given this, 20+ mins of the score was re-recorded w/The National Philharmonic Orchestra [a Lodon orchestra]. Why only 20+ mins? You'll have to ask Danny Elfman or the record label, Varese Sarabande, about that.

I do not have this album, but I do have Danny Elfman's Music For A Darkened Theater Vol 1. which contains excerpts of this score. Since it is re-recorded, one might think that it doesn't sound as good as the original master tapes. Actually, some of the tracks sound identical those in the film, and some are somewhat similar.

Anyway, unless you really REALLY want this score, I suggest you wait for an expanded album, which I have no doubt [given its popularity] will eventually pop up. However this CD is not a total loss. After all, it has some of the best cues: "Main Title", "Breakfast", and "Clown Dream".

Can't go wrong with Elfman.......2000-01-27

The music from Back to School and Pee Wee is classic Elfman. It's a great CD to listen to when you're feeling down right silly. Unfortunately, the rights fell into the EVIL hands of Varese Sarabande. I don't know how they managed to cut so much out that they fit TWO scores into one half hour. Other than the fact that I loathe Varese Sarabande with a passion for time and time again depriving me of so much music, this CD is still a good buy.

Olde English Madrigals & Folk Songs at Ely Cathedral

Average customer rating:

Music for the masses
Beautiful but perhaps overly solemn for some selections
A tasteful and beautiful collection

Olde English Madrigals & Folk Songs at Ely Cathedral

Manufacturer: American Gramaphone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

All At Once Well Met: English Madrigals; The King's Singers
English and Italian Renaissance Madrigals
English Madrigals and Songs
The Fairie Round
Madrigal History Tour

ASIN: B0000005MB
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Come Away, Sweet Love
Weep, O Mine Eyes
Fair Phyllis I Saw
Now Is The Month Of Maying
Fairwell, Dear Love
April Is In My Mistress' Face
Draw On, Sweet Night
Sing We At Pleasure
My Bonnie Lass She Smileth
The Silver Swan
Mother, I Will Have A Husband
Dainty Fine Bird
As Vesta Was From Latmos Hill Descending
I Love My Love
My Sweetheart's Like Venus
Bushes And Briars
The Turtle Dove
The Three Ravens
Dashing Away With The Smoothing Iron
O Waly, Waly
Greensleeves

Customer Reviews:

Music for the masses.......2005-09-25

This disc is a bit different from many of the Cambridge Singers' discs in that it is exclusively secular songs. They have retained one of their favourite recording spaces, the Lady Chapel at Ely Cathedral, a structure well atuned to a capella singing (it has a natural nine second delay in the cathedral). This recording was John Rutter's first album on American Gramaphone Records.

--Music--
Madrigals are songs that have various purposes. They can be for private or public entertainment; they can be together with dramatic performances or played on their own. Petrarch is the inspiration of many madrigal texts, and folk songs also feature significantly. The English Madrigal School took full bloom during the golden age of Elizabeth; by the middle of the seventeenth century, the era of composition of the madrigal was essentially over. However, they have remained a popular pieces for performance, and many modern composers have arranged them, including on this disc Holst, Vaughan Williams and the Cambridge Singers director, Rutter.

Madrigals are often upbeat, happy, sometimes poignant, and lively. Some madrigals incorporate humour and jokes. There are exceptions to all of these, to be sure, including among the songs on this disc. Perhaps the best known madrigal in modern times, Greensleeves, is presented as the last piece on this disc, here in an arrangement by Vaughan Williams. There are lively emotions and sombre tones here, all sung with grace and consistent quality.

--Liner Notes--
Unlike many of the Cambridge Singers' CDs' liner notes, this one has a biographical sketch of John Rutter, a description of the setting at Ely Cathedral, a listing of the singers, and an essay about madigrals. Also unlike other CDs of theirs, this one does not include the words to the songs, a missing piece that would be helpful for many of the songs.

--John Rutter--
Rutter was born in London and educated at Clare College, Cambridge. This was where his career as a composer, arranger and conductor began. His early work was with groups at King's College Chapel at Cambridge as well as the Bath Choir and Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked for the BBC providing music for educational series such as 'The Archaeology of the Bible Lands', until in 1979 he began forming the Cambridge Singers, and has continued a remarkable career of performance and recording as their director ever since.

--The Cambridge Singers--
The Cambridge Singers are a mixed choir of voices, many of whom were members of choir of Rutter's college, Clare College, Cambridge. While they specialise in English and Latin liturgical pieces, they have a wide range of recordings that span from modern compositions (including a remarkable requiem by Rutter) to English folk songs of the Middle Ages. Many are former members of the choir of Clare College and other Cambridge collegiate choirs (hence the name, Cambridge Singers). In the quarter-century since the founding, the Cambridge Singers have produced an impressive body of recordings.

This is a fun and fabulous recording.

Beautiful but perhaps overly solemn for some selections.......2002-10-19

The splendor of these arrangements and the setting confer on all of these traditional madrigals (and some newer arrangements: Side B is dominated by twentieth century arrangements) a certain solemnity and a certain stately pace (so the lyrics are not lost in the echo of the cathedral).

This leaves a strange effect on some selections, such as "Now Is The Month of Maying," which is about, um, springtime urges and here sounds oddly like a mass.

A tasteful and beautiful collection.......2001-08-21

This disc furthers my belief that madrigals are the best forum for a capella voice. Each song is unique and beautiful, and the sequencing allows a very smooth flow. Better-known works such as "Month of Maying" or "April is in my Mistress' Face" are perhaps most representative of the style, but included here are many lesser-known gems that you're sure to enjoy. The Cambridge Singers use their obviously well-honed skills to great results, from the more frivolous tracks to the darker, more solemn ones. Very highly recommended.

Music:

Music

Music

Classic Sinatra	Duets	Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely
Romance: Songs From the Heart	Sinatra 80th: All the Best	Come Dance with Me!