Moonlighting

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
It's not every day that a jazz singer admits to being influenced and inspired by Bobby Darrin, but Gary LeMel is not your everyday guy. With the help of Darrin arranger Roger Kellaway and producer Bobby Colomby, he teams up with a stellar group of New York City musicians to offer his twist on "Mack the Knife," "Beyond the Sea," and a wide assortment of classic show tunes and standards. Armed with both panache and sincerity, LeMel's husky baritone aims to respect the "honesty of the lyric and the integrity of the melody," and he succeeds admirably, aided considerably by the likes of Elvin Jones, the Brecker Brothers, and Grady Tate. There's an unmistakable air of homage throughout this recording, forcing one to reassess the abilities of Bobby Darrin. Beneath the finger-popping exterior was a solid craftsman, and, in similar fashion on this Hollywood-meets-New York extravaganza, Gary Le Mel's respectful renderings dovetail nicely with the showy, big-band arrangements. --Wally Shoup

Tracks:

Moonlighting
She Likes To Watch
Angela
Dreams
Mirage
Calypso Cafe
Open All Night
Intimate Strangers

Customer Reviews:

Excelente.......2006-11-04

Muy Buen Grupo no los conocia, me lo sugu¡irieron USTEDES ya que Yo, escucho Spyro Gyra, Muy Bueno

SMOOTH JAZZ-KENNY G- NOT FUSION.......2006-08-10

If you like Fusion, you will NOT LIKE THIS album. This is commercial, SMOOTH jazz. It is not good for you if you like REAL jazz or Fusion. Kenneth Gorelick (Kenny G)makes two appearances on this. That should say enough for those who know music.

Their first and by far their best CD!.......2006-03-25

Perhaps this falls into the category of never as good as the first time as "Moonlighting" their 1986 debut album remains my faovrite Rippingtons album to date and I've listened to their music on the radio for almost my entire life. The sounds of this CD are way ahead of their time and songs like "Intimate Strangers", and the ever trancendent "She Likes To Watch" are amzingly innovative by 1986 standards. It's hard to beleive that this CD is from 1986! A large number of subsequent albums since then have not aged as well as this! Highly recommended!

Moonlighting .......2005-10-13

This is a good CD and I enjoy it. I heard Drive first, though, and actually prefer that one.

smokin hot funkafized fusion.......2005-09-16

Rippington's during the period Moonlighting was made were the epitomy of Jazz fusion with latino flair. Fusion today is milk toast compared to this CD. "Soft Jazz" has become the term for bands and artists of this genre, and it fits. All radio friendly and crossover hopeful. This CD smokes with vibes, fast guitar, syncapated rythyms, and memorable melodies. Toe tapping and should be played twice in a row to let it sink in. Russ Freeman is the most under-rated jazz guitarist of his time. He is never mentioned with Carlton, Rit, Lorber, Dimeola,etc..... He is a great songwriter and his music appeals to all that listen, old and young alike......

Moonlighting: The Television Soundtrack Album

Average customer rating:

Very impressed
Solid Soundtrack
Moolighting soundtrack is the best
More tracks would make it better
how rediculous!

Moonlighting: The Television Soundtrack Album
Bob James and David Sanborn
Manufacturer: Mca Special Products
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Moonlighting - Season 3
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The Return of Bruno

ASIN: B000002Q85
Release Date: 1995-01-01

Tracks:

Moonlighting (Theme) - Al Jarreau
Limbo Rock - Chubby Checker
This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) - The Isley Brothers
Blue Moon - Cybill Shepherd
I Told Ya I Love Ya, Now Get Out! - Cybill Shepherd
Good Lovin' - Bruce Willis
Since I Fell For You - Bob James/David Sanborn
When A Man Loves A Woman - Percy Sledge
Someone To Watch Over Me - Linda Ronstadt & The Nelson Riddle Orch
Stormy Weather - Billie Holiday

Customer Reviews:

Very impressed.......2006-07-04

I have to say that this seller is very good at his business and I am also impressed by the time it took to recieve my products in the mail.

Solid Soundtrack.......2006-02-23

The soundtrack to the television series Moonlighting is worth purchasing for Al Jarreau's superb title theme alone. It is one of Mr. Jarreau's finest performances and one of the most elegant theme songs in music history. The soundtrack also contains some Motown songs that were included on several episodes as well as two standards sung by Cybil Shepherd that were included on episode that included a dream sequence back to the 40's and Bruce Willis' version of "Good Lovin'" that probably unfortunately led to his own full length album, The Return of Bruno.

Moolighting soundtrack is the best.......2005-09-29

This is an absolutely fantastic CD. After buying the Moonlighting DVDs, I had to have the soundtrack. You get to enjoy songs by great singers like Billie Holiday and The Isley Brothers. You also get to listen to Bruce Willis' version of "Good Lovin'" and Cybill Shepherd's versions of "Bluemoon" and "I Told Ya I Love Ya, Now Get Out". If you're a fan of the show, you'll be a fan of this CD.

More tracks would make it better.......2004-09-16

I still own the original vinyl lp of this soundtrack, I bought it in 1989 and still enjoy listening to it whenever i feel like relaxing to some good music. It features several highlights such as a rare Bruce track his fans cant find anywhere else and two lovely ones from Cybill. Its a pity, however, the compilers didn't include more songs from the show. I remember I did myself my own Moonlighting special edition on tape, way back then. I added some missing tracks I already owned somewhere (Nasty, West End Girls, Man on M.Street, All The Way) which did feature on a few crucial episodes but had been taken off the final compilation and I used to listen to it on my walkman whilst on holiday. Lets hope they release a fleshier remastered edition of this album, in the meantime buy it just the way it is. You won't get disappointed!

how rediculous!.......2004-07-23

I found this at the library and laughed my arse off!talk about a good dose of silly nostagia!it's worth the price only if you remember how goofy the show was-in particular mr bruce willis!god,that guy's full of himself in a very flambouyant way!all in all,it's $7 for a damb good laugh.

Average customer rating:

Moonlighting
Tanya Morgan
Manufacturer: Loud Minority Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000FHYYJG
Release Date: 2006-04-04

Tracks:

The Record Spot (Intro)
The Warm Up
Paper Thin ft. Jermiside
We Be
Skit #1
Take The L
Ode To Tanya
Ha Ha Ha
Skit #2
We Right Here
Just cause I Got Locs
Rough U Up
Skit #3
Pretty
Hooks
Want You To Want Me
We Bad
Skit #4

Product Description

Although the name evokes something of a neo-soul songstress, the music is overtly hip hop. Making matters even more complicated, this womans name is actually the pseudonym for a group of three male MCs. Not confused yet? Well try this on for size: Tanya Morgan is a group comprised of Von Pea and Ilwil (Ilyas and Donwill) - two totally separate acts. Within the span of a year, the collective of four recorded all the material that would become their debut, Moonlighting. The tightly knit 13-song set is bound together by the story of a misled record shopper and his unwanted purchase. The albums title is a nod to the fact that Tanya Morgan is really two acts in a group together who are, in a sense, moonlighting on their respective jobs by working with each other. And what sound should one expect from three men who named their group after a fictitious woman? Expect the unexpected. There are no neo-soul, rap/r&b hybrid songs on the album. Lyrically the three saturate their clever content with enough personality to push the listener through songs at rewind button-breaking speeds. Tanya Morgan has, in effect, dubbed their sound Running Man Music, and that descriptor is two fold. When the BPMs arent cranked up to a pitch frenetic enough to induce the dance itself, the emotion evoked by the music is enough to remind the listener of a time when Hip Hop was urgent. The album is a clever tongue-in-cheek look at what it means to be a consumer in todays single-driven market where the album format is slowly dissolving altogether. Collectively and individually, Tanya Morgan has worked with Nicolay, The Justus League, Fat Jon, Main Flow and a long list of others. Along with getting a nod of approval from several of their peers, Tanya is now making her rounds in various publications and websites as the buzz-worthy group to watch.

Average customer rating:

Really, 4.5 Stars
Most of this collection is just plain lamb
Moonlighting: The Anthology
A fine body of work from one of rock's great frontmen
Moonlighting: Anthology - Roger Daltrey

Moonlighting: The Anthology
Roger Daltrey
Manufacturer: Sanctuary UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001WPSEA
Release Date: 2005-02-07

Tracks:

One Man Band
Way of the World
Thinking
There Is Love
Giving It All Away
(Come And) Get Your Love
World Over
Proud
Dear John
Avenging Annie
One of the Boys
Martyrs and Madmen
Say It Ain't So, Joe
Bitter and Twisted
Free Me
Without Your Love
Waiting for a Friend
Parting Would Be Painless
After the Fire
Under a Raging Moon

Tracks:

Behind Blues Eyes
Won't Get Fooled Again
Quicksilver Lightning
Lover's Storm
Mack the Knife
Pig Must Die
Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me
Rock and Roll
Who's Gonna Walk On Water
Love Is
Blues Man's Road
Baba O'Riley
Pinball Wizard
Real Me
Child of Mine
Born to Run
Second Out [#]

Album Description

Import exclusive compilation for the Who frontman features 38 tracks.Highlights include 'One Man Band', 'Way Of The World', 'Thinking', 'There Is Love', 'Giving It All Away', '(Come &) Get Your Love', & 'World Over'. Sanctuary. 2004.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Double Disc Collection of Recordings Culled from the Solo Projects Released by the Who's Energetic Lead Singer. He Delivers Powerful Renditions of Pop Hits Like "(Come And) Get Your Love", "There is Love", "Mack the Knife" and More, as Well as who Favorites Like "Baba O'reilly", "Pinball Wizard", "Behind Blue Eyes" and Many More.

Customer Reviews:

Really, 4.5 Stars.......2007-01-15

I'll keep this relatively brief, because I think Thunderbird's review (from April '05) says what I'd like to say, and says it very well.

Yes, as one reviewer pointed out, there is much horrendous 70s pop in Daltrey's history, but he manages to elevate some of those songs beyond what their writing deserves. I give Roger a break, though, because, to be honest, I'm a biased fan and most of the writing is beyond his control.

On the other hand, Daltrey has a lot of great songs that just aren't given much attention, such as "After the Fire", "Under a Raging Moon", "Without Your Love", "Let Me Down Easy" and a few others. I rate this collection five stars because it includes all of those, plus some interesting soundtrack and live rarities I'd never heard before. "A Second Out" - released for the first time here - just might be the best song on Moonlighting.

If possible, I would have rated this collection 4.5 stars, because it leaves out two great songs - "Oceans Away" and "Days of Light", the latter being one of the best Friday-night/weekend songs you'll ever hear. Still, it's tough to put together a collection that includes everything for everyone, so I'll give Moonlighting the benefit of the doubt and round it up to five stars.

Most of this collection is just plain lamb.......2006-09-01

I'm sorry Roger and fans, but after the first 5 tracks on CD1, I can't listen to anything else. The cover songs and live Who stuff is good, but the rest is just that cheesy late seventies, eighties garbage with synthesizers and no rock or soul at all to the music. My suggestion is if you are a Who fan then just buy Rogers' first solo effort and leave it at that.

Moonlighting: The Anthology .......2005-06-28

Roger Daltrey has proved he is one of the best front men in Rock and Roll. For the Who he belted out some of rock and rolls greatest anthems, in his solo work proves he can also sing a more subdued melodic song just as well. Some of these songs are a departure from his work with the Who which I think is a good place to start when contemplating a solo album. I can honestly say there is only one track on the whole album I don't like. I will let you figure out which one it is (hint It is originally sung by the other blonde long haired front man who abs aren't nearly as nice as Rogers) If you are a fan of the Who or Roger Daltrey I highly suggest you pick it up.

A fine body of work from one of rock's great frontmen.......2005-04-28

It is true that Roger's solo work will always take a back seat to the Who (same goes for Entwistle's, and much of Townshend's), but this 2-CD collection is a great examination of Daltrey's evolution as a singer, from the Who to his own stuff. It also proves that like any good singer, he can shift his voice into anything he bloody well wants.

The first CD covers his early solo stuff, up to "Under A Raging Moon." While I didn't care much for the quality of the earliest work, being Leo Sayer and Dave Courtenay's tunes, Daltrey showed he had a softer, more sensitive side that did not get much of a workout in the Who. "Giving It All Away" was a top five hit in the UK in '73, and was a very good song, considering the source.

Roger digs a bit more into the rock world with Russ Ballard's "Come And Get Your Love," and stuff like "Avenging Annie." All good, though I think a few songs are missing...his cutting of "You Put Something Better Inside Me" and "Oceans Away" (which you can find on '82's "Best Bits" collection) were both pretty solid tunes, and they really should be here.

The author notes a few other B-sides are missing that I'd like to have heard about, especially in the later work. In any case, CD #2 takes from one of the '85 mini-tour shows (I used to have a killer bootleg of that), the "Daltrey Sings Townshend" shows and "Rocks In The Head," Roger's very best solo job (he wrote most of the tunes, and Townshend gave his endorsement to them!). Again, missing is one good song, "Days of Light," from that album.

Also liked the performance of "Mack the Knife" from the Threepenny Opera (eat your heart out, Bobby Darin!), and "The Pig Must Die." Proves Roger can indeed sing anything.

Some of the soundtrack work is here, like "Quicksilver Lightning," a song more memorable than the movie, and I must admit I was a bit stunned at the other covers.

"Rock and Roll" was handled well by Daltrey for a tennis players' benefit CD, and Jon McEnroe and Pat Cash on guitars (?!?) was interesting...though I see why the studio pro's slide guitar washed a lot of their work out! The cover of "Born to Run" was good, even with Daltrey forgetting the first line!

"A Second Out" was unreleased til now...good song...and I'm damn glad Daltrey is exploring his ability as a writer.

In any case, this collection is very good and covers the bases well...now...I am in suspense of Who-2 and just what Pete and Roger are gonna get together in the near future.

Moonlighting: Anthology - Roger Daltrey.......2005-03-15

This compilation is quite amazing. This puts Rhino's compilation (which is out-of-print) to shame. The remastered sound quality will blow you away. What thrilled me the most, is the inclusion of the album version of Under a Raging Moon. Without a doubt, Roger Daltey's vocals are mesmerizing; he still the best rock vocalist that I've ever heard. The songs chosen for this compilation are all great rockers and ballads; even Roger's solo versions of The Who material are great. In fact, some of his early solo material, I thought were originally The Who; that's how good they are. Definitely get this, if you're a Who fan or a Classic Rock fan, you won't be disappointed.

Average customer rating:

wonderful
A National Treasure
The best live album ever?
In a world of aluminum and plastic, this is polished wood.

Moonlighting: Live at the Ash Grove
Van Dyke Parks
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002NE9
Release Date: 1998-02-10

Tracks:

Jump!
Orange Crate Art
Wings Of A Dove
Sail Away
Night In The Tropics
FDR In Trinidad
Danza
Cowboy
Delta Queen Waltz
C-H-I-C-K-E-N
The All Golden
Hominy Grove
Sailin' Shoes

Amazon.com

Parks has always been a moonlighter, producing albums by Little Feat and Randy Newman, writing arrangements for U2 and Victoria Williams, and composing film scores. He's also recorded half a dozen albums on his own, but he's spent most of his career in the shadow of an early failed collaboration: his work as lyricist for Brian Wilson's epic '60s disaster, Smile. Moonlighting, a live recording taken from a 1996 performance, places him in the spotlight's full glare. There may be a 17-piece band behind him, but Parks sings (by his own admission badly) and plays piano throughout, displaying the personality a bitter environmentalist one moment, and then self-assured professor the next-that drives the album. Though he's lived in California since the '60s, Parks was born in Mississippi and even without the drawl he remains a Southerner. That he's a sentimentalist is evident in the Br'er Rabbit-inspired "Jump!" and "Hominy Grove," but he also has an intellectual's appreciation for the past. Occasionally, this leads him astray; listen to his stilted version of Uncle Dave Macon's old folk tune, "C-H-I-C-K-E-N." More often it feels right, especially on a lovely orchestral remake of John Hartford's "Delta Queen Waltz" and a pair of instrumentals inspired by the 19th-century New Orleans composer, Louis Moreau Gottschalk. Moonlighting is a welcome anachronism, with its star reading a Robert Frost poem, singing a song about FDR's trip to the Caribbean before cruiseships, and reinventing Little Feat's "Sailin' Shoes" as a slide-guitar-and-strings art song. Between songs, Parks admits, "This isn't a franchise operation, folks." Thank God for that, not to mention Parks's thin voice and slightly misshapen heart. --Keith Moerer

Customer Reviews:

wonderful.......2002-11-08

fantastic orchestration, shimmering sound quality, and songs that have peculiar but most graceful melodies. Van Dyke Parks has been a behind the scenes guy adding so much to bands as varied as The Beach Boys to U2; but his gift of translating others' songs as well as writing gorgous melodies is distinctly original.
Moonlighting, works as a sort of best-of, covering most of his solo career. Along with great performances, he also spins some history of each song telling a bit of where the inspiration came from, all adding to his unique southern charm. If you enjoy tin pan alley music this is a great album to add to your collection.

A National Treasure.......2002-05-26

With five albums that have very little in common, it would have been almost impossible to find a proper introduction to the music of Van Dyke Parks - until now. More than any of his previous releases, this disc explains why Parks's fans are so loyal. Almost tearfully melodic, these compositions --- both his and the obscure ones settled in the public domain --- bring you back, dreamike, to another era. The rearranged Orange Crate Art and Sailin' Shoes are highlights. If you care at all, you'll never be able to remove this from the CD player.

The best live album ever?.......2000-05-10

I'm not a fan of live albums but there's a few live albums I really love, such as Live Killers by Queen and this one. Often the problem in live albums is that there music sounds the same as in studio albums, only worse. On this album the music doesn't sound the same as on the studio albums because Van Dyke Parks has rearranged the songs. Most of them sound even better than on the studio albums. This music has nothing to do with rock. The songs are very old-fashioned, ragtimes, waltzes... Three of the songs are from the album Orange Crate Art which Parks recorded with Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys) as the singer. On this album he sings them himself. His voice isn't as strong as Wilson's but his versions of the songs don't sound worse, just different.

In a world of aluminum and plastic, this is polished wood........1999-10-18

This is one beautiful album. Ain't nothing synthetic here... just brilliantly crafted and executed music, played by real people on real instruments. Van Dyke is an American Treasure, and should be celebrated as such. Buying and reveling in this album is a good way to start.

Average customer rating:

Hit TV Themes

Manufacturer: Compose Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000B9PW3K

Product Description

Contains ten different 80's televison theme songs as performed by Flavor.

Average customer rating:

record exec moonlighting as a singer
moonlighting blows my doors off
Skillful but flawed tribute to Bobby Darin

Moonlighting
Gary LeMel
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00000I8T4
Release Date: 1999-03-23

Tracks:

Skylark
Mack The Knife
Call Me Irresponsible
I'll Only Miss Her When I Think Of Her
By Myself
Beyond The Sea
Hello, Young Lovers
Easy Living
After Today
Somewhere

Amazon.com

It's not every day that a jazz singer admits to being influenced and inspired by Bobby Darrin, but Gary LeMel is not your everyday guy. With the help of Darrin arranger Roger Kellaway and producer Bobby Colomby, he teams up with a stellar group of New York City musicians to offer his twist on "Mack the Knife," "Beyond the Sea," and a wide assortment of classic show tunes and standards. Armed with both panache and sincerity, LeMel's husky baritone aims to respect the "honesty of the lyric and the integrity of the melody," and he succeeds admirably, aided considerably by the likes of Elvin Jones, the Brecker Brothers, and Grady Tate. There's an unmistakable air of homage throughout this recording, forcing one to reassess the abilities of Bobby Darrin. Beneath the finger-popping exterior was a solid craftsman, and, in similar fashion on this Hollywood-meets-New York extravaganza, Gary Le Mel's respectful renderings dovetail nicely with the showy, big-band arrangements. --Wally Shoup

Customer Reviews:

record exec moonlighting as a singer.......2006-03-07

Schmaltzy. . . I am trying to figure out why this merrits good reviews. The whole disc smacks of people in the biz trying to get on this guy's good side. He's a decent singer, but the arrangements are really overdone (even though one reviewer I saw said that he managed to keep it not too overdone). If you want a really good/different version of Mac the Knife look to the Kurt Weil's Lost in the Stars CD with Sting. I guess this really doesn't matter much because the disc is out of print.

moonlighting blows my doors off.......2000-10-16

this is one of the great cds of the year. i c an,t stop listening to it.

Skillful but flawed tribute to Bobby Darin.......1999-03-18

First things first. Bobby Darin was one of the greatest, most audacious interpreters of swinging standards in American music. He certainly deserves tribute. Gary LeMel is wise not to imitate slavishly on this album. He has picked a program of excellent tunes associated with Darin, and surrounded himself with some of the best musicians in the business. He avoids the mannerism and excessive ornamentation that ruins many non-jazz singers who try to sing in a jazz context.

And yet. And yet upon repeated listenings I found myself thinking that something is out of place on this album. The singer's breathiness and occasional forced vibrato drew attention to his limitations as a vocalist. The arrangements are unusual and interesting, the playing by an astonishing group including Lew Soloff, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Grady Tate, Roger Kellaway (who also wrote the charts), and Elvin Jones. Yes, *that* Elvin Jones. But those interesting arrangements--particularly Kellaway's needless virtuosity and Jones's polyrhythms--sometimes seem to be engineered to distract the listener from the singer's obvious shortcomings. I got suspicious.

It finally hit me. Gary LeMel is what's out of place on this album. I had never heard of him, which doesn't prejudice me against him, but he's just simply not in the same musical realm as his cohorts on this date. But who could afford this band? And why would Atlantic, a major label, put it out? I searched on his name. Turns out he's a Hollywood film producer.

So it *is* a dilettante with a dream band. A dilettante with some cash and some influence, presumably. His talent is not equal to his effort and taste. The disjunction between the voice and the context is too great. The quality of the players and charts just draws attention to the prosaic singing.