Back Country Suite

Editorial Reviews
From Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD
Mose Allison's seminal debut recording from 1959 launched his career as a singular interpreter of American musical styles. The Mississippi pianist wraps country blues and modern jazz together in a series of autobiographical pastoral dance sketches, serving them up in his trademark low-key approach. He sings only on the brief "Blues," a Delta dreamer evoking something unfamiliar and fascinating, especially to young English musicians gearing up for R&B anarchy. -- © Frank John Hadley 1993

Back Country Suite, Music, Mose Allison, Hard Bop, Jazz, Jazz Blues, Jazz Music, Pop, Vocal Jazz
John Barry: The Collection
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra needs a guitar player!
  • Persuaders Theme!
  • A Variety Of Classics!
  • Incredible Barry Collection
  • " one of cinema's greatest composers...John Barry"
John Barry: The Collection

Manufacturer: Silva America
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Film ScoresFilm Scores | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
Movie ScoresMovie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Movie SoundtracksMovie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
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SoundtracksSoundtracks | Box Sets | Stores | Music
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  1. The Music of John Williams: 40 Years of Film Music
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  3. Beyondness of Things
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  5. Eternal Echoes

ASIN: B00005BADD
Release Date: 2001-05-22

Tracks:

  1. Zulu
  2. From Russia With Love
  3. From Russia With Love - 007
  4. Goldfinger
  5. The Ipcress File
  6. The Knack
  7. Mister Moses
  8. Thunderball
  9. The Wrong Box
  10. Born Free
  11. The Quiller Memorandum
  12. You Only Live Twice
  13. The Girl With The Sun In Her Hair
  14. Deadfall

Tracks:

  1. The Lion In Winter
  2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
  3. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
  4. Midnight Cowboy
  5. Midnight Cowboy
  6. The Appointment
  7. The Last Valley
  8. Walkabout
  9. Monte Walsh
  10. Diamonds Are Forever
  11. The Persuaders
  12. Mary Queen Of Scots
  13. The Man With The Golden Gun
  14. The Dove

Tracks:

  1. The Tamarind Seed
  2. King Kong
  3. Eleanor And Franklin
  4. Robin And Marian
  5. The Deep
  6. Hanover Street
  7. The Black Hole
  8. Moonraker
  9. Somewhere In Time
  10. Raise The Titanic
  11. Body Heat
  12. Frances
  13. Octopussy
  14. The Cotton Club

Tracks:

  1. High Road To China
  2. A View To A Kill
  3. Out Of Africa
  4. The Living Daylights
  5. Dances With Wolves
  6. Dances With Wolves
  7. Chaplin
  8. Moviola
  9. Indecent Proposal
  10. The Specialist
  11. The Scarlet Letter
  12. Cry The Beloved Country
  13. Mercury Rising
  14. The James Bond Theme

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra needs a guitar player!.......2006-11-09

Granted, they only need it for one composition (the last one, "The James Bond Theme") but still, without the guitar it's just not the same. Barry didn't compose this one so I suppose it was a bonus and I shouldn't complain, really. The rest of the music on all the CDs is fantastic. Some of the stuff I had heard before without realizing who had composed it. Very enjoyable, to say the least.

5 out of 5 stars Persuaders Theme!.......2006-03-02

Buy it for the Persuaders theme, probably the best TV theme song ever written.

5 out of 5 stars A Variety Of Classics!.......2005-12-06

John Barry has been composing film scores for over forty years and this is only scratching the surface of his productions. Never mind that the entire set is recorded by the Prague Philharmonic; it's pure to Barry's themes. While John Williams compositions ("Star Wars", etc.) are wild and flamboyant and Jerry Goldsmith's (Hoosier's, etc.) are mood pieces, John Barry crosses over all barriers and is amazingly diverse. Barry has recorded most of the exciting James Bond themes, melodramatic classics like "The Lion In Winter' and moody theme hits like "Midnight Cowboy". He also tugs at the heartstrings with compositions from, "Somewhere In Time", "Frances" and "Out Of Africa". He varies his themes for all types of films and few composers capture it so well.

There is over four hours of music in this set with a colorful and informative booklet.

5 out of 5 stars Incredible Barry Collection.......2004-03-11

Any fan of movies will absolutley love this collection. Being a movie buff I couldn't wait to get this boxed set. Knowing Barry from all the James Bond movies, I did not realize his involvement with so many others. The orchestra is magnificent in all these themes. I'm listening to "High Road to China" right now and I'm drifting in the clouds in a Tiger Moth with Tom Selleck and Bess Armstrong. If you are familiar with a movie it will definitely have you seeing it again, if not the scores are still beautiful. Any fan of classical music will be pleased as well. Travellers will defintitely enjoy it for a long drive. I know from when I use to travel that music like this made the miles float by faster. I highly recommend these four CDs even if you just know a handful of the songs.

5 out of 5 stars " one of cinema's greatest composers...John Barry".......2001-07-06

This collection of four compact discs...are worth their weight in GOLD! Barry creates visual moods for each film he scores...romantic, sentimental, action, adventure, suspense and mystery...the list could go on. Strings, brass and lush-velvet arrangements overlay each cue in his distinctive style of legendary scoring...we have ~ "John Barry:The Collection", Silva Screen's release traces 40 years of film music, featuring "The City Of Prague Philarmonic Orchestra" ~ conducted by Mr. Nic Raine (outstanding)..."Crouch End Festival Chorus" ~ David Temple, Choir Master...perform 56 selections, over four hours of symphonic suites with a full orchestra sound...all individually wrapped-up into one neat package...just the way "film-score-buffs" like 'em!

Must ask the following to take a bow ~ James Fitzpatrick (compilation producer), always in their pitching, Reynold da Silva (executive producer), Nic Raine (conductor, arranger, orchestrator & associate producer), a tremen!dous asset to every project he undertakes...and the man who made it all possible...a legendary icon always leading the way in film scoring ~ JOHN BARRY!

Total Time: 258:76 on 56 Tracks ~ SSD-1128 ~ (2001)

You might try other albums from Silva Screen, all worthy of a good listen ~ "The Essential James Bond" (SSD-1034)..."Bond:Back In Action" (SSD-1100)..."Bond:Back In Action 2" (SSD-1119)..."Zulu" (SSD-1095)..."Raise The Titanic" (SSD-1102)..."Walkabout" (SSD-1120)...check out my reviews on amazon.com/music.
The Science Fiction Album
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The penultimate collection ...
  • Muisic of the Spheres
  • The Ulllllltimate Sci-Fi Music Collection
  • SciFi Album gift
  • Away From to be a Collectible Peace
The Science Fiction Album
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Silva America
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie SoundtracksMovie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Star WarsStar Wars | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Star TrekStar Trek | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
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  4. Fantastic Journey
  5. Sci-Fi Channel - Sci-Fi's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2: The Dark Side

ASIN: B000066HE5
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Tracks:

  1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
  2. Aliens
  3. Sound Effect - The Nostromo
  4. Alien
  5. A.I.
  6. Armageddon
  7. Sound Effect - Apollo 13 Lift-off
  8. Apollo 13
  9. Back To The Future
  10. Battle Beyond The Stars
  11. Battlestar Galactica
  12. The Black Hole
  13. Contact
  14. Capricorn One
  15. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
  16. The Day The Earth Stood Still
  17. Dune

Tracks:

  1. Galaxy Quest
  2. Sound Effect - Dogfight in Space
  3. Enemy Mine
  4. Ghostbusters
  5. Gremlins
  6. Heavy Metal
  7. Independence Day
  8. E.T.
  9. Judge Dredd
  10. The Last Starfighter
  11. Lifeforce
  12. Sound Effect - Crash Landing
  13. Lost In Space
  14. Mars Attacks
  15. The Matrix
  16. Predator
  17. The Right Stuff

Tracks:

  1. Moonraker
  2. Robocop
  3. Silent Running
  4. Sound Effect - Alien Organism
  5. Species
  6. Stargate
  7. Starship Troopers
  8. Starman
  9. Star Trek - TV Theme
  10. Star Trek: The Motion Picture End Title
  11. Klingon Attack
  12. Sound Effect - Warp Drive
  13. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
  14. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
  15. Star Trek: Generations
  16. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Tracks:

  1. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
  2. Sound Effect - Transporter Crew
  3. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Main Theme
  4. Star Trek First Contact
  5. Star Wars
  6. The Empire Strikes Back
  7. The Empire Strikes Back
  8. Return of the Jedi
  9. Sound Effect - Battle Stations
  10. Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace - The Flag Parade
  11. Anakin's Theme
  12. The Adventures of Jar Jar
  13. Duel of the Fates
  14. The Time Machine
  15. Things to Come
  16. The Thing From Another World
  17. War of the Worlds
  18. When Worlds Collide
  19. Total Recall
  20. You Only Live Twice
  21. Superman

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The penultimate collection ..........2006-12-07

Generally I agree with Strategos in his ecstatic Spotlight Review above. It is a joy to here some of the most memorable themes and cues from some of the most memorable science fiction and fantasy movies (re)recorded in great sound and in lavish (re)orchestrations, played by renowned classical orchestras, namely the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra, no less.

I have always had a weak spot for (good, or maybe even intelligent) science fiction/fantasy and film music, especially its way of evoking mystery, grandure and wide open spaces. Call it a weakness if you want. But it was maybe really kick started off, for as far as I can remember, with Star Trek. But especially Star Trek II, III and IV - essentially a trilogy - because of their very romantic but very warm, human core, set on the broadest canvasses of unlimited and mysterious outer space. But then there was the music for adding that essential extra dimension of emotion and atmosphere. I am happy that much of the music on this album is from the Star Trek series and films, often equaling or sometimes even outclassing the original recordings.

This kind of music (for the movies) should be seen as an art on its own rights with its own merits and qualities. As such, the musical sequences on these CD's are a beautifully played cross section of some of the most evoking orchestral music for science fiction/fantasy film ever created. And I very much like the nicely blended, wide and deep orchestral soundpicture with enough reverberation to evoke a sense of wide open spaces.
I am quite thrilled by tracks like the evocative music from Dune, truly transporting one to the vastly sands of Arrakis (the music is wonderful, but to my great regret I think the movie itself is a flawed masterpiece at best, alas.). And then there is the very different, goofy music for Ghostbusters (memories of childhood), the spoofy but electrifying music from Mars Attacks (lovingly parodist music, this, with not a little touch of irony) and the happily adventurous, forward driving Theme from Galaxy Quest ('Never give up, never surrender!'), now also used for the internet-based fan-series Star Trek: The Hidden Frontier. On the other side of the spectrum we have the atmospheric music for Enemy Mine (an underestimated 'little' movie), the Theme from The Right Stuff (actually science FACT, not fiction, this film, just like Apollo 13, of course), the eerily attractive music for Species, the original End Title for Alien (not used in the theatrical version of the movie, where it was replaced by music from howard Hanson's Second Symphony), the exquisitely exotic music for Stargate, the sweet and warmly sympathetic, beautifully re-orchestrated, theme for Starman, the title cue for Star Trek: TOS (much more melodiously played than the original! If only a series nowadays could continue to be as thought provoking and as original as Star Trek was during its launch, fourty years ago ...) and a truly overpowering End Titles Suite from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. I especially like the thrillingly grandiloquent rendition here of the music for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. And how nice it is to hear the (thematic) similarities between James Horner's music for The Wrath of Khan, his great break-through as a film music composer, and his (two years) earlier music for Battle Beyond the Stars (which did indeed help him earn the job for writing the music for Star Trek II) ...

But on the 'down side', if one is looking for - for example - the gorgeously expansively played End Titles from Cocoon, it is not included here: one has to acquire the album that 'kicked it all off', so to say, namely 'Space and Beyond', also on Silva Screen. I was very pleased also with the inclusion on that album of some of the music from the series Star Trek: The Next Generation, namely where one of the characters, Tasha Yar, in one of the episodes (Skin of Evil) is saying goodbye to her crewmmates: sweetly sentimental and simple music which I have always wanted to own on CD. I guess that a few cues from the other two sequals ('Alien Invasion: Space and Beyond II' and 'Space3: Beyond the Final Frontier') didn't make it onto this 4 CD collection-album as well, but I guess that it would be the 'better part of the bargain' to opt to buy this 'The Science Fiction Album' instead of buying all three albums separately. Well, of course it is for yourself to ultimately decide what you really want ;-)

If I were to nitpick (which is not easy with such a marvellous project as this one), then I would say that while all music is performed with magnificent grandure and with style, some of it is not performed as crisply and as technically 'on the spot' as some of the original recordings: ensemble is a little slack and the playing somewhat stilted sometimes, losing some of the edge and the originality of the writing. ET and Star Wars spring to mind, but then the soundtracks for Star Wars are traditionally recorded with the magnificent London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro John Williams himself, and these superior recordings (especially the ones for Episode I, II and III) can't really be bettered, IMHO. Likewise for the music from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, I believe that in the end one really has to resort to the ultimate reference, namely the original recording (which is true in many other instances of 'original recordings'), and then the 20th anniversay colector's edition of this soundtrack on Columbia/Legacy (truly unmissable, this veritable classic of sci-fi/film music soundtracks!).

But all in all this 4CD-collection amounts to probably being the penultimate high quality sci-fi music album collection (I certainly know of no other project that comes as close quality as well as quantity wise), with some of the most memorable musical moments from classic to modern sci-fi/fantasy film captured in lavish orchestrations.
Collection-wise: five *stars*. Playing: generally four *stars*, sometimes more. The recording quality: five *stars*. The music (qualified on its own merits as film music) and its (re)orchestrations: generally five *stars*. In the end this is all highly recommended, and certainly not to be missed by science fiction and fantasy film music fans. Klaatu barada nikto.

5 out of 5 stars Muisic of the Spheres.......2006-11-06

You wonderful four disk collection of SF music. It startsa up the the grand master of SF music, 2001: A space Odyssey all the way to Superman. This is all American SF music and several themes I would have liked to have included are not there. All in all though, a collection you will enjoy.

5 out of 5 stars The Ulllllltimate Sci-Fi Music Collection.......2005-10-23

If one person gives great gifts, it's the illustrious Codemaster Talon. I've received a fair number of gifts in my lifetime, but so far, my older sister's take the cake. Take this one for instance. I'm real big on orchestral music, to the point where I listen to them more than any other kind of music. I've got orchestral versions of video game themes, orchestral soundtracks to truck-loads of anime shows (Big O, Escaflowne, and Giant Robo are incredible), and could probably spend the rest of my life just trying to study the nuances of all the classical music I've got. Being such a huge fan of orchestral music, I also have come to believe that orchestra music produced for movies and television is the new classical music (or as someone once said, Mozart would be making music for movies if he were alive today). Being a huge sci-fi fan, that kind of music has always been particularly near and dear to my heart. But were I to buy each and every soundtrack for every sci-fi I liked it would cost quite a bundle, and would include a lot of sub-par music along with the grandiose and fantastic main and memorable themes. That's where this beauty comes in.

The moment I ripped off the shrink-wrap and popped it into my cd player was a moment of great trepidation. Believe me when I tell that I've seen my fair share of sub-par orchestral recording in my lifetime. Very often they are in those big super-packs of music, and suffer from poor direction, improper mastering, and sometime even pathetic orchestration (or worse yet have something sounding like a cheap synthesizer and a kazoo in place of a full orchestra). I needn't have worried though. This sucker is fantastic.

Many people who are not audiophiles will probably miss the point of this cd collection. It is not the original versions of the pieces. It is re-orchestrations, mostly by the phenomenal Prague Symphony Orchestra. Many of these themes didn't sound all that hot in there original versions because they were low budget films or were not recorded in high-fidelity. Here they are given the full treatment, mastered with the most loving care imaginable. Often the version found in these cds is SUPERIOR to the original.

Remember the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey? Of course you do. But how many times have you heard a cheap imitation of the original version from the movie, starting too low in volume and ending too high (and missing the essential pipe-organ that gives it that extra oomph)? Well, this first track in the entire collection is not only everything it should be instrumental and timing-wise, but it also has been oh-so-carefully adjusted during the mastering process so that at no time is the music either too low or too high in volume (surely a benchmark for every other recording ever to be made of the piece).

Or what about the theme from the (at-the-time) uber-creepy The Black Hole? The orchestration of this piece of music goes from tiumphant to terrifying and back again, with a splendor and cleanness that I CERTAINLY don't remember being in the original recording.

Then there's the new version of the theme from Independence Day, complete with a violin solo, a far more electrifying ending climax, and a chorus so thunderous that you feel like applauding at the end. Simply indescribable. Kind of like the MIND-BLOWING rendition of the theme from The Last Star Fighter. This has been one of my favorite themes for a long time now, but I've never heard it played like this. I think the original version of the theme is something like 1 minute long, but this new version doesn't just fade out (HAHAHAHA!!!!) THIS version is THREE minutes long, goes through the main theme THREE times, with the final strains being so triumphant and joyous I could not help but feel an electrifying charge the first dozen or so times (come to think of it, I still feel that way). This is superior to the original in EVERY way. AWESOME.

And let's not forget the incredible new rendition of Stargate with it's heavy use of clarinets (for Egyptian effect!) and a triumphant new ending (completely lacking the chanting from the original version. This version is so different that for the first minute it is very hard to tell that it is in fact Stargate. But then the main theme kicks in, and then you get this incredible flute solo for my favorite part of theme (the whole thing is played slower, but arguably more powerfully than the original). My goodness. At first I found the thing so different I didn't like it. But then I listened to it again. And again. And again.

I could go on and on, talking about the fantastic new rendition of Moon Raker, the ear-popping Battlestar Galactica, the classic Star Trek (First Contact has a minute or two of the theme from Star Trek:The Motion Picture before going into the main theme), or the sweet renditions of music from the Star Wars movies (or the music from E.T.).

I have to mention though that this collection was not picked based merely on what people want, or on what is popular. No, the people who made it obviously thought a GOOD music collection was better than a popular one. That's why you get a heartbreakingly beautiful theme from A.I. instead of the main theme. It's why you get music from movies that you probably never gave a second thought to the music (because the movie was lousy). It's why you get Armageddon, Judge Dredd, and Robocop (who would have guessed their music was so COOL when there was all that crazy action and bad-acting going on on-screen).

I said it before and I'll say it again. This cd-set was mastered with tender-loving-care, and it shows BIG-TIME. High-fidelity the likes of which I have not seen since the days when cds were brand-new in the world. Dolby Surround. Perfectly balanced. BEAUTIUFL orchestrations. About the only thing that makes me scratch my head is the weird sound-effect tracks (Oooookay.....). Other than that, it's PERFECT. Obviously they could not include every sci-fi theme ever (no one can), but this collection is REALLY GOOD. A lot of great themes that got away (forgotten gems :), new versions of old favorites, and under-appreciated classics aplenty, but ALWAYS the full and complete versions with nothing cut-out (the theme from Dune is quite extended).

If you love movie music (and sci-fi movie music in particular) you MUST buy this awesome collection). It is not the original recordings. Almost always the new ones are better (if they aren't better they're just equal). This is what you have been waiting for. I for one am going to be buying quite a few cds from this company in the future. Give your ears the treat they deserve. Buy it NOW.

5 out of 5 stars SciFi Album gift.......2005-07-20

I bought the Science Fiction Album as a gift for my son who is twenty-one years old. He is a musician, and also a huge fan of many SciFi shows and movies. I thought this would be the perfect thing for him and I was right. He loves it!

3 out of 5 stars Away From to be a Collectible Peace.......2004-12-16

If you like Sci-Fi movies and want a compilation of their important scores, this is the CD-set to buy. But let me warn you about that very few songs in the cds are from the original soundtracks. Most of them is re-recorded by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. But the sound quality of cds are very good, because they have HDCD and Dolby Surround labels. This set is away from to be a collectible peace, but it is a good general compilation of favorite Sci-Fi movie scores.
Back Country Suite
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Very disappointing
  • A seminal jazz-funk album
Back Country Suite
Mose Allison
Manufacturer: Ojc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop GeneralBebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
Hard BopHard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
Vocal Jazz GeneralVocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
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  4. Autumn Song
  5. Your Mind Is on Vacation

ASIN: B000000Y4N
Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

  1. New Ground
  2. Train
  3. Warm Night
  4. Blues
  5. Saturday
  6. Scamper
  7. January
  8. Promised Land
  9. Spring Song
  10. Highway
  11. Blueberry Hill
  12. You Won't let Me Go
  13. I Thought About You
  14. One Room Country Shack
  15. In Salah

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars Very disappointing.......2003-07-12

Mose Allison is not all that great. He's not stupid, but he doesn't exert his mind enough to make his ideas really interesting. He's not really jive, and he's not "whitey," but he isn't much else either. His chops aren't too hot, to boot. I guess his appeal is that Pete Townshend of The Who finds himself cheering Mose's songwriting and recorded his "Blue Blues.". I don't figure. Anyway, his voice is humdrum, and his piano playing is not sharp. I dismiss him as being for freshman mentalities. I am reviewing disc one of the twofer "Mose Allison" by Mose Allison, which is the same as "Back Country Suite" (Sides 3 & 4 are his other '57 album, "Local Color".) I docked the album one star because of obscene liner notes by Mr. Townshend.

5 out of 5 stars A seminal jazz-funk album.......1999-07-29

This is the best of Allison's blues piano and composition...and no one explored so much modernity while staying so deeply rooted. The Grove Press guide is wrong..."One Room Country Shack" is also a vocal - on a great blues song by Mercy Dee Walton (incorrectly named "Mercy Dee" on the original liner notes).
Purcell: Theatre Music
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Fine reissue of a classic set
Purcell: Theatre Music

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Purcell, HenryPurcell, Henry | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Incidental MusicIncidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Purcell, Henry | Composers | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
ViolinViolin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
Hogwood, ChristopherHogwood, Christopher | ( H ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Purcell, HenryPurcell, Henry | M to P | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
OdesOdes | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
The Decca Records StoreThe Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
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  5. Lute Music, Vol. 2

ASIN: B0001Y4JHA
Release Date: 2004-10-12

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Fine reissue of a classic set.......2006-05-24

Think about the stupidest, most formulaic Hollywood movies you can think of: cheesy action pictures, fluffy, unfunny comedies, big but stiff epics. Now imagine that one of the greatest living composers was working in Hollywood, turning out astonishing, hauntingly beautiful and stirring musical scores for these throwaway movies. That's what you get with this set: music Henry Purcell composed for some two dozen often utterly forgettable plays (trust me--I've read a number of them!) Occasionally, when he teams up with a playwright worthy of his stature, such as John Dryden, Aphra Behn, or William Congreve, the results are even better, but for the most part you can enjoy the music here without knowing anything about the original plays.

This set originally appeared as separate LPs in the 70s and 80s, and has been long out of print. That's a pity, since Purcell spent a good deal of his short professional life in the theatre, either writing the incidental music contained on these CDs, or the music for his larger works, the semi-operas (King Arthur, The Fairy Queen, and the like). Almost all of these works are enjoyable gems; certainly, they represent a pinnacle of English 17th century music. Purcell had a genius for spinning musical gold out of the most leaden lyrics (check out his Odes and Welcome Songs on Hyperion if you don't believe me), and he does the same with the song texts in these plays.

Hogwood and the AAM offer clean, listenable performances, and the sound on these old analog discs has been cleaned up and brightened--although they were pretty good, even in the late 70s. As with most Hogwood, emotional extremes are kept to a minimum, so the "otherworldly" nature of late 17th century music, so often emphasised in more recent Baroque performances, doesn't come across here. It would be interesting to see what a group like The King's Consort would do with this music, but this set fills the major gap in the Purcell canon quite nicely.

My only beef with the reissue, as with many reissues, is that the liner notes are rather thin for a 6-cd set--the lyrics to the songs, for example, are especially missed. Still, it's a worthwhile set, and a must for fans of Purcell, English Baroque music, or anyone who just wants to experience a taste of the last days of the Restoration stage.
Sondheim - A Celebration at Carnegie Hall (Highlights from the 1992 Concert Cast)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • What a recording!
Sondheim - A Celebration at Carnegie Hall (Highlights from the 1992 Concert Cast)

Manufacturer: RCA Victor Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Sondheim, StephenSondheim, Stephen | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. Sondheim, Etc.: Bernadette Peters Live at Carnegie Hall
  2. Sondheim - A Celebration at Carnegie Hall (1992 Concert Cast)
  3. Company - A Musical Comedy (1970 Original Broadway Cast)
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ASIN: B000003FEM
Release Date: 1993-02-23

Tracks:

  1. Symphonic Sondheim: Sweeney Todd
  2. Company: Loveland - Getting Married Today
  3. Follies: Waiting For The Girls Upstairs - Love, I Hear - Live Alone And Like It
  4. Company: Being Alive
  5. Merrily We Roll Along: Good Thing Going
  6. Merrily We Roll Along: Our Time - Children Will Listen
  7. Dick Tracy: Back In Business
  8. Sweeny Todd: Green Finch And Linnet Bird
  9. Follies: Broadway Baby
  10. Merrily We Roll Along: Not A Day Goes By
  11. A Little Night Music: A Weekend In The Country
  12. A Little Night Music: Send In The Clowns
  13. Sunday In The Park With George: Sunday

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars What a recording!.......2000-06-29

I only wich I could have been at Carnegie Hall that night! Come on, Bernadette Peters, Liza Minnelli, Karen Ziemba, James Naughton, and so much more! After i bought this highlights album I knew I had to get the full 2-CD set. It's great cause it's live, the orchestrations are Heaven, and you will feel like your in new york in the audience. Buy it enjoy it and if you like it is much as I do buy the Video of the performance!
Back Country Suite
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Back Country Suite

    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    Vocal Jazz GeneralVocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
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    ASIN: B000LE1J46
    Release Date: 2007-01-30
    Back Country Suite
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Back Country Suite
      Mose Allison
      Manufacturer: Prestige
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      Bebop GeneralBebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
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      ASIN: B0000561DK
      Release Date: 1957-01-01

      Tracks:

      1. Back Country Suite for Piano, Bass and Drums: New Ground
      2. Back Country Suite for Piano, Bass and Drums: Train
      3. Back Country Suite for Piano, Bass and Drums: Warm Night
      4. Back Country Suite for Piano, Bass and Drums: Blues
      5. Back Country Suite for Piano, Bass and Drums: Saturday
      6. Back Country Suite for Piano, Bass and Drums: Scamper
      7. Back Country Suite for Piano, Bass and Drums: January
      8. Back Country Suite for Piano, Bass and Drums: Promised Land
      9. Back Country Suite for Piano, Bass and Drums: Spring Song
      10. Back Country Suite for Piano, Bass and Drums: Highway 49
      11. Blueberry Hill
      12. You Won't Let Me Go
      13. I Thought About You
      14. One Room Country Shack
      15. In Salah

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      3. Best of Randy Crawford & Friends [Import]
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      6. Change [Import]
      7. Cocktail Hour: Lena Horne
      8. Come Away With Me [CD-single] [Import]
      9. Come Away With Me [Import] [Live]
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      Music