The Awakening

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
"And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed." -Romans 13:11, NIV

Promise Keepers 2005 foresees an awakening of men, one at a time, to the reality of the cosmic battle-within and around them. It will lead them to be true to who they are (and aren’t) and to discover and live their unique life purpose.

This new album, "The Awakening," marks the first CD to be recorded by the new Promise Keepers band, "PK7" and features bold cross-generational worship corresponding with the 2005 Conferences.

The Awakening, Music, Promise Keepers, CCM, Christian, Contemporary Gospel, Miscellaneous, Pop, Religious / Contemp. Christian
Spring Awakening (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • I Love Phoebe Strole's as Ilse!
  • what a great album.
  • Interesting concept for the stage
  • Great show, great soundtrack
  • Great new musical
 Spring Awakening (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
Duncan Sheik , Steven Sater , Skylar Astin , Lilli Cooper , John Gallagher Jr. , Gideon Glick , Jonathan Groff , Brian Johnson , Lea Michele , and Lauren Pritchard
Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Grey Gardens - A New Musical (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
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  5. 110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast)

ASIN: B000J3FBFC
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Tracks:

  1. Mamma Who Bore Me
  2. Mamma Who Bore Me (Reprise)
  3. All That's Known
  4. The B*tch of Living
  5. My Junk
  6. Touch Me
  7. The Word of Your Body
  8. The Dark I Know Well
  9. And Then There Were None
  10. The Mirror-Blue Night
  11. I Believe
  12. Don't Do Sadness
  13. Blue Wind
  14. The Guilty Ones
  15. Left Behind
  16. Totally F*ucked
  17. The Word of Your Body (Reprise)
  18. Whispering
  19. Those You've Known
  20. The Song of Purple Summer

Amazon.com

Who would have thought that Duncan Sheik would succeed where Paul Simon and Randy Newman failed, successfully transitioning from the pop-rock world to the Broadway stage? With Spring Awakening, Sheik and book writer/lyricist Steven Slater (who had already worked on Sheik's 2001 album Phantom Moon) have created a thoroughly exciting show that incorporates a contemporary art-indie idiom (including a small rock band instead of an orchestra) into a dramatic musical-theater context. The unlikely setting is that of a Frank Wedekind adaptation, but as it turns out, teenage angst is perennial, whether it's in contemporary America or in a 1891 German boarding school. Songs such as "The Bitch of Living" ("with nothing going on, asking just what went wrong"), "The Word of Your Body," "I Don't Do Sadness," and "Totally Fucked" ("You're fucked if you speak your mind and you know you will") resonate with the rage, frustration, confusion, excitement, joy, anger, and of course budding lust of those hormone-driven years. The show is greatly enhanced by its youthful cast members (they're all pretty close in age to their characters), who sing their hearts out. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Album Description

Decca Broadway presents the cast recording for the acclaimed new Broadway production, SPRING AWAKENING. Written by pop music composer Duncan Sheik and playwright/lyricist Steven Sater, the musical explores emotional earthquakes in the lives of teenagers.

SPRING AWAKENING is based on Frank Wedekind's controversial 1891 drama, which was scandalous in its day for addressing sex violence and suicide. The story, dialogue and costumes suggest the 19th Century, and are perfectly wedded to a beautiful alternative pop music score by Grammy® nominated singer/songwriter Duncan Sheik. The creative team also includes Tony® Award Winning director Michael Mayer (Thoroughly Modern Millie) and legendary choreographer Bill T. Jones.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars I Love Phoebe Strole's as Ilse!.......2007-07-14

I finally got this extraordinary soundtrack and I love it! The CD soundtrack is true to the play, with one exception. I saw "Spring Awakening" back in February and was blown away by the production and by the cast's incredible talent! That night I was also introduced to Phoebe Strole who played the part of Ilse. I will never forget how beautiful her voice was, especially on the song "Blue Wind". When I purchased the CD I was anticipating hearing Stole sing this beautiful song. And instead they used Lauren Pritchard's vocals for the soundtrack. Pritchard has a nice voice but I liked Strole's rendition better. I wish they would have put Strole's version as an alternate on this soundtrack recording. Other than that, this cast album is a must for your Broadway collection!

5 out of 5 stars what a great album........2007-07-13

The songs are written so well, and the performances are excellent! It's quite an experience to listen to.

4 out of 5 stars Interesting concept for the stage.......2007-07-13

The music is good, just takes some getting used to if your into more traditional musical theater. The themes are very adult, but the music is haunting. The phrasing is very different and the lyrics are more obtuse than I'm used to, But once you give it a chance, you will be singing these songs all day. I will be very interested in seeing this production live.

5 out of 5 stars Great show, great soundtrack.......2007-07-13

Spring Awakening is "not your parents' musical," so to speak, and the music certainly reflects that. With many musicals, it is hard to enjoy the music out of context, i.e. if you haven't seen the show, but I don't think that is the case with this soundtrack. The songs are edgy, beautifully written and magnificently performed. I keep going back to this over and over again.

4 out of 5 stars Great new musical.......2007-07-13

I saw the cast performing on the Tony's and was blown away by the music. TV usually deadens live theater no matter how good it is, but when I saw the company performing and they still were dynamite over the airwaves, I knew this was something special. The CD does not disappoint. Only criticism is that some of the lyrics they sing in a few songs are not in the liner notes, and it's so good I wish I had every word in writing. Not suitable for playing if you've got young children in the car, but the profanity is not for shock value, it is justified in the text. Great new work.
Twilight of the Gods: The Essential Wagner Collection
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Wonderful collection and price!
  • Awesome collection!
  • Helicopters? Marines?
  • A great addition to my music collection
  • Quintessential Wagner
 Twilight of the Gods: The Essential Wagner Collection

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000009ON7
Release Date: 1998-08-11

Tracks:

  1. The Valkyries: Ride Of The Valkyries
  2. Twilight Of The Gods: Siegfried's Funeral March
  3. Lohengrin: Prelude to Act III
  4. The Flying Dutchman: Overture
  5. The Flying Dutchman: Sailors' Chorus
  6. The Rheingold: Journey Down To Nibelheim
  7. The Mastersingers Of Nuremberg: Overture
  8. Tannhauser: Overture
  9. Tannhauser: Entry Of The Guests
  10. Tannhauser: Tannhauser's Pilgrimage
  11. Siegfried: Act III Orchestral Interlude
  12. Twilight Of The Gods: Siegfried's Rhine Journey
  13. Twilight Of The Gods: Finale
  14. The Rheingold: Entry Of The Gods Into Valhalla

Tracks:

  1. Lohengrin: Prelude To Act I
  2. Lohengrin: Bridal Chorus
  3. Parsifal: Prelude to Act I
  4. Parsifal: Good Friday Music
  5. Parsifal: Transformation Scene
  6. Tannhauser: Venusberg Music
  7. Tannhauser: Pilgrims Chorus
  8. The Mastersingers Of Nuremburg: Prelude To Act III
  9. The Rheingold: Vision Of Valhalla (Scene II Introduction)
  10. Siegfried Idyll
  11. Siegfried: Brunnhildes Awakening
  12. Tristan And Isolde: Prelude To Act III
  13. Tristan And Isolde: Death Of Isolde

Amazon.com

If you like your Wagner served up in bleeding chunks or if you're simply in a hurry to hear the tunes, then this compilation is for you. The performances, drawn from the Polygram (mainly Deutsche Grammophon) back catalog, are for the most part authoritative. They feature the likes of Herbert von Karajan, with the Berlin Philharmonic, and Karl Böhm, with the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra (and chorus), in extracts from recordings of complete operas, and conductors Giuseppe Sinopoli, Otto Gerdes, and Antal Doráti in some of the more familiar overtures and preludes. Singing, without which it is impossible to get the full flavor of Wagner's work, is skirted whenever possible: this is an unapologetic tribute to Wagner the orchestral genius. At times the salesmanship is a little overblown--the glitzy packaging includes a cover shot of the helicopters from Apocalypse Now--and the sound, some of it from very good originals, seems to have been juiced with a little added digital reverb, resulting in an overall glassiness. The gaps between tracks are minimized, disco style, so there's no dead air, and the whole thing has an Entertainment Tonight feel to it. Were he around, Wagner would have screamed bloody murder, then happily taken his cut of the action. For today's on-the-go listener, this may well be the most practical way to enjoy Wagner's music, but we won't be happy until it motivates at least one newcomer to seek out a recording of a complete opera. Anyone who does that will find out what "apocalypse" really means. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Wonderful collection and price!.......2007-05-11

I found this to be a nice collection of favorites, especially to keep in the car and listen to. It is a variety of well known compilations. Although not encompassing, it is perfect as a review for driving, relaxing, and enjoyment. Plus, the price is right!

5 out of 5 stars Awesome collection!.......2007-01-10

This is a great collection of some of Wagner's most memorable songs for those of you who do not want to buy the whole opera's for some of his works.

4 out of 5 stars Helicopters? Marines?.......2006-12-05

Do those infotainment marketing mavens ever get it right? Talk about Hollywood disconnect! Not only are the helicopters irrelevant, but to quote from the gushy drivel on the jacket, "The gripping power of Richard Wagner's music was demonstrated with spectacular effect in...Apocalpse Now, when the "Ride of the Valkyries' became synonymous with the chilling journey of Marine 'Huey' helicopters into battle..."

Marine? Marine? Them Hueys in the movie was ARMY Air Cav, slick! "First of the ninth--air mobile." If you're going to dally down that primrose path, at least get it right.

Better yet, drop the choppers. Most people who listen to Wagner probably realize that quality of an artistic work has a mystically inverse relationship to the number of helicopters contained in it.

As for the music, it is good, but the operatic equivalent of sound bites, which may be just right for people who are new to Wagner or just can't take very much of him. Hmm...perfect for a helicopter ride, perhaps?

5 out of 5 stars A great addition to my music collection.......2006-07-20

This CD takes the place of all my other Wagner music. VERY well done. Somehow I didn't realize that there were two cds in the package--what a pleasant surprise! Of the two cds, I like the first one best, but they are both good. I listen to this cd daily on my way to work. Stirring! I am so glad that I purchased this. Some purists might have a problem with the fact that some of the selections are not there in their entirety. I have no problem with that though. I recommend this to anyone who loves Wagner.

5 out of 5 stars Quintessential Wagner.......2006-05-15

Okay, so I like Wagner. I LOVE "Ride Of The Valkyries". Do I want to go out and buy every single stinkin thing Wagner did? No. If you are a die-hard Wagner fan you probably will not think much of this collection.

But if you like Wagner and appreciate "Ride Of The Valkyries", and maybe require it in just a little more substance than what is included in "Apocolypse Now Redux", then this is what you want. The extra tracks are bonuses and are quite good. Meets my needs, presentation great, performance excellent. I recommend it for anyone that needs a Wagner fix.
Khachaturian: Spartacus / Khachaturian, Vienna Philharmonic
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Spartacus/Khachaturian
  • Poor digitalization
  • flamboyant readings of Khachaturian!
  • Vivid performances!
  • Hudsucker Proxy
 Khachaturian: Spartacus / Khachaturian, Vienna Philharmonic

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  4. Khachaturian - Spartacus / Mukhamedov, Semenyaka, Vetrov, Bilova, Zhuraitis, Bolshoi Ballet
  5. Khachaturian: Gayaneh & Spartacus Suites

ASIN: B00004C8TA
Release Date: 2000-04-11

Tracks:

  1. Spartacus-Excerpts: Adagio Of Spartacus And Phrygia
  2. Spartacus-Excerpts: Variation Of Aegina And Bacchanalia
  3. Spartacus-Excerpts: Scene And Dance With Crotala
  4. Spartacus-Excerpts: Dance Of Gaditanae And Victory Of Spartacus
  5. Gayaneh-Excerpts: Sabre Dance
  6. Gayaneh-Excerpts: Aysheh's Awakening And Dance
  7. Gayaneh-Excerpts: Lezghinka
  8. Gayaneh-Excerpts: Gayaneh's Adagio
  9. Gayaneh-Excerpts: Gopak
  10. The Seasons, Op. 67: Winter
  11. The Seasons, Op. 67: Spring
  12. The Seasons, Op. 67: Summer
  13. The Seasons, Op. 67: Autumn

Amazon.com

Khachaturian's popular ballet scores benefit from his vigorous leadership and the surprisingly idiomatic playing of the Vienna Philharmonic. All the favorite crowd-pleasers are here, including the Sabre Dance. This pairing of ballet suites was a demonstration disc back in LP days and the engineering is still impressive. For those not on Khachaturian's wave length (he does skate perilously close to kitschy vulgarism), the generous filler is a delight--Ansermet's dynamic account of Glazunov's ballet. Its four movements depict the four seasons in an idiom flavored by Tchaikovsky and Glazunov's teacher, Rimsky-Korsakov, and the music's all the more fetching for it. Ansermet sometimes could be a bit too sedate, and his orchestra was never a world-class group, but his conducting is nothing short of vivacious here, and the orchestra, captured in vivid sound, is with him all the way. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Spartacus/Khachaturian.......2007-01-10

Portions of this work were used in the BBC Oneden Line in the 1980s. The title had me baffled for years until I checked the reviews. I was surprised and extremely pleased to have the entire version.

3 out of 5 stars Poor digitalization.......2007-01-05

How nostalgic to can hear 33 1/3 rpm vinyl scratches between the selections! Also, I hear some gurgling that sounds as if a cassette tape is running through dirty heads. This is the only digitally transferred CD on which I've ever heard either of these annoyances.

5 out of 5 stars flamboyant readings of Khachaturian!.......2005-10-31

This CD is really a treasure! Khachaturian's brilliant ballet scores played amazing by Wiener Philharmoniker, under the baton of the composer!

It is a little surprising that, Wiener Philharmoniker plays generally Austro-German musics, from Haydn to Mahler and Alban Berg. But they are very good in these virtuosic orchestral scores. For example, Sabre Dance is whirling, excellent! I like especially the dances "Lezghinka" which a very fast dance of Caucasian-Musluman people and the "Gopak" which starts slow and gradually go faster and faster and finishes in a hysteric tempo! There is a beautiful slow movement, "Adagio" which you can remember form the film 2001: A Space Odyseyy.

At this price and at this sound quality, you can not go wrong with this legendary recording of 1962 by Khachaturian.

Highly recommended.

5 out of 5 stars Vivid performances!.......2005-04-25

The serene and exotic lyricism of this notable work has never been exhibited with so eloquence and majesty ever before. This adagio of Spartacus and Phygia's passionate performance is imbued of profane exoticism, radiant sensuality and suggested eroticism. As you know the string and winds section of the Vienna were in that decade one of the most remarkable around the world. The variation of Aegina and Bacchanalia is loaded with admirable acrobatic fierceness. Scene and dance with crotaria is simply outstanding. Kachaturian as director maintained the rigorous balance, and the muscle never shatters the expression musical. The last section Dance of Gaditane and Spartacus' victory is extremely interesting, the bass clarinet makes a rapture filigree work, anticipating the tragic ending. The whole orchestra will emerge creating a real homage to Dionysisus and surrounding the hall with that Balkan wildness.

The Gayaneh suite begins with the super known Sabre Dance, an admirable exercise of portentous sound and exhibition of high caliber pyrotechnic. The tragic and premonitory omen waltz is almost a perpetuum mobile that strikes the main melody in Aysheh's awakening and dance. In Lezghinka we have to admit the superior histamine doses given by Tekjnavorian . It' s worthy but it is not even closer to incandescence and febrile spirit demanded: I found it weak, lack of the required emotion. In the case of Gayaneh's adagio so well known for the great audiences since Kubrick 's 2001 Odyssey we have to recognize it' s simply great, serene, persuasive, intimate with admirable fond. Hopak is excellent too, reflecting the joy of living so characteristic o this slave country.

Ansermet' s Seasons is splendid though I rather choose the Albert Wolff's performance of the fifties.

And just as historical reference, it is a must for you to acquire this golden recording. Excellent sound edition.

5 out of 5 stars Hudsucker Proxy.......2003-11-11

For a number of years, I've been under the impression that the "Adagio of Spartacus" was simply called "The Hudsucker Proxy Theme." Now I know that where I have been giving credit to Carter Burwell and the Hudsucker Proxy soundtrack, I should have been giving credit to this album - it has both the Adagio of Spartacus and the Sabre Dance - the two best songs from the Hudsucker Proxy, in their original forms. If you are a fan of Hudsucker, BUY THIS ALBUM!
Chanting the Chakras: Roots of Awakening
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Better than I expected!
  • Absolutely Amazing!
  • Wonderful!
  • Vibrate with the sounds of your body/spirit connection.
 Chanting the Chakras: Roots of Awakening
Layne Redmond
Manufacturer: Gemini Sun Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | New Age | Styles | Music
MeditationMeditation | New Age | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. Chakra Healing Chants
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  5. Travelling the Sacred Sound Current: Divine Chants & Sacred Tones for Healing & Meditation

ASIN: B00005RGI1
Release Date: 2001-12-12

Tracks:

  1. The Garland of Letters
  2. Lotus of Light
  3. Elements into Light

Album Description

In India's nada yoga (sound yoga)tradition, sacred music has been revered for centuries for its power to attune and balance our physical, mental, and spiritual energies. Chanting the Chakras combines trance drumming with authentic yogic chant to retune the body's seven vital energy centers and encourage inner awareness. Chant along - or simply listen - whenever you need to rejuvenate and center yourself. Includes a 24-page booklet with diagrams and full explanations of the chants, and a description of the history of meditation practice and current scientific understanding of how music and drumming affect our minds and bodies. Redmond is accompanied by these acclaimed music artists: Tommy Brunjes (udu drum, frame drums, percussion), Steve Gorn (bansuri bamboo flute), Amitava Chatterjee (chanting, sitar), and Laurel Masse (chanting).

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Better than I expected!.......2005-07-14

I bought this cd for my morning meditations and it's better than I expected! I love every chant on the cd. It's made my meditations feel much more spiritual and I actually meditated for longer! Would definitely buy again!

5 out of 5 stars Absolutely Amazing!.......2005-03-09

This CD deserves more than 5 stars! I have never listened to a piece of music that was so able to instantly elevate my consciousness. It is beautiful to just listen to and pure ecstasy to chant along with. HIGHLY recommended!

5 out of 5 stars Wonderful!.......2003-09-06

More middle eastern sounding than the eastern that I was expecting - absolutely lovely. The music evolves and changes through the chakras, the human voices are more like an instrument being played. It really has a mesmorizing effect. I love it.

5 out of 5 stars Vibrate with the sounds of your body/spirit connection........2000-01-17

To be in tune with the body and spirit requires a great deal of processing of the human psyche. Sounds play a key role in allowing the human mind to delve into parts of the unkown self. This CD provides the vibrational element to link your connection to all parts of self. The sounds and words of pure essence, have been researched to lock into the key points of the body. Meditate, chant, yoga, breath work, dancing, etc. all can be used with this CD. I have used the chants of the first song to fine tune my essence. I danced to the 2nd song to intergrate my body, mind and spirit. The 3rd song feels like the manifestation of the process of my intergration. I hope you will discover as much as I have with this CD.
Loveland/Music for Dreaming and Awakening
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Beyond the Beyond
 Loveland/Music for Dreaming and Awakening
Jai Uttal , and Ben Leinbach
Manufacturer: Gemini Sun Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Music for Yoga and Other Joys
  2. Kirtan: The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant
  3. The Spirit of Yoga
  4. Mondo Rama
  5. Pranayama: may our breath be our prayer

ASIN: B000E97ZB4
Release Date: 2006-03-14

Tracks:

  1. Twameva
  2. Prayer To The Buddha Maitreya
  3. Loveland
  4. Gopala Lullaby
  5. Bija Mantras-Watering The Seeds
  6. Radiance-Prayer To The Goddess Sarawait
  7. Prayer To The Shakyamuni Buddha

Amazon.com

Jai Uttal was on the bleeding edge of the chant curve. He started singing kirtan in the 1980s and has been incorporating it into his music to such a degree that it's now his primary musical vehicle. And in a way, that's a shame. Uttal is possessed of a warm, slightly weathered, and impassioned voice that he wraps around serpentine melodies. But because of that, we don't get to hear much of his instrumental side. That's partly remedied on this CD, which is something of a follow-up to Music for Yoga and Other Joys. Taking what was originally a backing track for an instructional meditation CD, Uttal has, with one tragic exception, stripped away the speaking voice, and reconfigured the music into a meditation in sound. There's plenty of Uttal's chanting, but it's all wrapped in the swirling electronic ambiences and slow-trance grooves of Ben Leinbach, the bansuri flute of Manose, and Daniel Paul's tablas. Instead of chanting, Uttal weaves seductive Robert Fripp-like e-bow guitar lines and dotar improvisations. Tracks like "Bija Mantras" and "Radiance" are as epic as a meditative song can get, although the effect is ruined at the end of "Radiance" by a spoken-word segment that's strictly for the converted. Except for that, Loveland: Music for Dreaming and Awakening is a definitive deep-space meditation CD. --John Diliberto

Album Description

Enter Loveland...a place where time dissolves, and the heart within your heart is awakened, where world music visionary Jai Uttal merges the pulsing beat of the universe with the flowing source of energy through sacred melodies to the Divine. Here, the Grammy® Award-nominated multi- instrumentalist and vocalist joins Ben Leinbach to create six extended tracks of evocative compositions that celebrate the breath of life, revel in the power of infinite love, and invite you to deeply experience the numinous.

Also available by Jai Uttal: Yoga for Music and Other Joys and Kirtan! The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Beyond the Beyond.......2006-12-17

This CD carries me to another place, a place of beauty and radiance and gratitude and gentle bliss. Meditating to this music is ethereal. I am absorbed into the music and my heart is cracked open and poured out. After that, there is only floating and radiance. My favorite track is Twameva, but all of the tracks are exemplary. I highly recommend this music for awakening and becoming one with loving kindness.
Rude Awakening
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A great deal, but there are a couple things to complain about
  • Great live album.....but where's the countdown?
  • Rude Awakening
  • Mustaine Not Mellow Live Either
  • wow, enfin un album live pour MEGADETH
 Rude Awakening
Megadeth
Manufacturer: Sanctuary Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. So Far, So Good...So What!
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ASIN: B0000633IL
Release Date: 2002-03-19

Tracks:

  1. Dread and the Fugative Mind
  2. Kill the King
  3. Wake Up Dead
  4. In My Darkest Hour
  5. Angry Again
  6. She Wolf
  7. Reckoning Day
  8. Devil's Island
  9. Train of Consequences
  10. A Tout Le Monde
  11. Burning Bridges
  12. Hangar 18
  13. Return to Hangar
  14. Hook in Mouth
  15. Almost Honest
  16. 1000 Times Goodbye
  17. Mechanix
  18. Tornado of Souls
  19. Ashes In Your Mouth
  20. Sweating Bullets
  21. Trust
  22. Symphony of Destruction
  23. Peace Sells
  24. Holy Wars

Amazon.com

Rec-room rock stars can rejoice knowing that drum and guitar solos, long thought extinct in the post-grunge era, are alive, well, and flourishing in the hands of speed-metal granddaddies Megadeth. Seriously, Rude Awakening, the band's first-ever live set, is almost certain to benefit from renewed interest sparked by the reissue of their spruced-up debut, Killing Is My Business. . . and Business Is Good. That album, like most in Megadeth's canon, is quoted here ("Mechanix"). The band also revisits So Far, So Good. . . So What ("Hook in Mouth"), Peace Sells. . . But Who's Buying ("Peace Sells"), The World Needs a Hero ("Return to Hangar"), Countdown to Extinction ("Symphony of Destruction," "Sweating Bullets"), Youthanasia ("Train of Consequences"), Rust in Peace ("Hangar 18"), and Cryptic Writings ("Almost Honest"). Fanned across two discs, Rude Awakening's 24 tracks capture Dave Mustaine and cohorts in top form--lightning fast, muscular, nihilistic, urgent, and, of course, very, very angry--with crowd noise kept to a bearable minimum. --Kim Hughes

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars A great deal, but there are a couple things to complain about.......2006-02-05

Before I get into this review, let me say you are getting a great deal for what you pay. 2 discs full of (well, partially full of) classic Megadeth. This cd has great sound quality and a few cool places in between songs where Dave talks, however brief they may be. It is also cool how the two new guys step up and deliver all the classics with the same power as the Marty and Menza.

Now some of the bad things. The songs selection is just ok in my opinion. They play a lot off of The World Needs a Hero, which is understandable considering thats what they're touring. It's actually a very good album, but I thought they chose a lot of the wrong ones. Burning Bridges and 1000 Times Goodbye really aren't special. Off of Cryptic Writings they take Trust, She-Wolf, and Almost Honest. ALmost Honest should not be on here, and on the other two Mustaine has a little vocal trouble, he just sounds off. She Wolf does have sweet guitar and drum solos at the end though, making it well worth listening to. Other than A Tout Le Monde, it seems like Mustaine also has trouble singing the tracks from Youthanasia too. During Train of Consequences he forgets the words and mumbles.

Some of the best tracks include Hangar 18, Return to Hangar, Mechanix, Dread and the Fugitive Mind, and everything off Peace Sells. The best track though, which surprised me, is Hook In Mouth hands down. It is performed just like it is on the album.
Once again, this is a great deal for what you're paying, and though there are a few lyrical mess-ups, it's the only live Megadeth CD out there, and therefore a must have for any Deth fan.

One other thing. There's a half-cd/half-dvd version. Don't buy it. You lose half the songs when you can really just go pick this and the full length DVD up seperately for a better price.

5 out of 5 stars Great live album.....but where's the countdown?.......2005-07-22

Megadeth's sound on this live album was superb, and included much of their best work........but where is "Countdown to Extinction"? That's my favorite MD song!

5 out of 5 stars Rude Awakening.......2004-12-14

This is a great cd or dvd for any megadeth fan. It gives you a little taste of Megadeth Live! Must get for any hard rock fan!

4 out of 5 stars Mustaine Not Mellow Live Either.......2004-02-26

This double live album and apparent send off for one of thrash metal's giants shows why they should be(and usually are)respected as true metal stalwarts. Leader Dave Mustaine's fiery tongue and trademark riffing are on full display in too numerous places to mention. Newer songs like "Dread..." and "Return To Hangar" sound just as menacing and accusatory as older chesnuts like "Mechanix" and the band's long time credo "Peace Sells." Lead guitarist Al Pitrelli adds his own spark while reproducing the classic lines of "Wake Up Dead" and "Ashes..." The musicianship and mind of Mustaine is stellar and still full of life after 20 long years and this disc shows that. While his band may never have reached the pinnacle of popularity Metallica enjoyed, that in no way makes Megadeth any less important. And I'm sure Dave would be the first to tell you.

5 out of 5 stars wow, enfin un album live pour MEGADETH.......2003-08-25

Je suis probablement le plus grand fan de Megadeth du Québec et j'avoue que j'avais hâte à la sortie d'un album live. Cet album est incroyable et il démontre toute l'intensité de ce groupe légendaire. Le répertoire de chansons est impressionnant et on peut remarquer qu'il n'y a aucune chanson de l'album Risk(le plus décevant album de Megadeth). Rude Awakening m'a beaucoup surpris, surtout la version de she-wolf avec des solos de guitare et de batterie. Bref, pour tous les vrai fans de Megadeth, cet album est un cadeau du ciel envoyé par le génial Dave Mustaine.
The Awakening
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		The Awakening
    Caliban
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    Release postponed in the U.S.! 2007 release from the German Death-Core band, unleashed ten years after the band originally formed. They have been a major influence on bands like Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, etc. and continue to break new ground with each release. 12 tracks including 'I Will Never Let You Down', 'I'll Show No Fear' and 'Let Go'. Roadrunner.
    Second Great Awakening
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Definitely worth picking up
    • COULD HAVE BEEN A CLASSIC SABBATH ALBUM
    • Gotta have more cowbell!
    • Finally! Rock is alive, and kicking
    • worth buying
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    Fireball Ministry
    Manufacturer: Nuclear Blast Americ
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    ASIN: B0000CC87T
    Release Date: 2003-10-07

    Tracks:

    1. The Second Great Awakening
    2. King
    3. The Sinner
    4. Master Of None
    5. Daughter Of The Damned
    6. Flatline
    7. In The Mourning
    8. He Who Kills
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    11. Maidens Of Venus

    Album Description

    The members of hard rock trio Fireball Ministry - E. Burton, J. Rota, and H. Storer - christened themselves with religious titles (bishop, reverend, and sister, respectively) in keeping with their band name, and issued their debut album, Ou Est La Rock?, in 1999 on Bong Load Records. This is their second release on the Nuclear Blast label. For fans of Fu Manchu and Nebula. 11 tracks. 2003.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Definitely worth picking up.......2006-10-10

    I just became aware of the band recently and picked up this album. Honestly, they could pass as a Sabbath cover band pretty easily. The vocals are almost dead-on Ozzy with a bit more of a "grrunt" sound. That being said - they do it extremly well. This album is full of hooks - and that's what won me over. The songs get stuck in your head. Definitely worth picking up.

    5 out of 5 stars COULD HAVE BEEN A CLASSIC SABBATH ALBUM.......2006-04-28

    I ordered this album online after getting the recommendation, and listing to some of the online sample tracks. The riffs, and particularly, the vocals are eerily reminiscant of classic Ozzy Sabbath, fitting between the "Technical Ecstasy" and "Never Say Die" releases, and actually, much better than both. Any fan of classic late-era Ozzy Sabbath and Deep Purple should give this disc a listen.

    4 out of 5 stars Gotta have more cowbell!.......2006-01-24

    I love this sound!

    It is a nice amalgam of Sabbath and early Monster Magnet.

    Is it the most origional thing in the world? No.

    But it is very good at what it is and it totally fit the
    bill for what i wanted to hear.

    If you like BLS, or other rather anthemy style metal,
    with cool vocals, good hooks and a liberal dose of cowbell
    then snap it up!

    If you hate bands that sound a little like Sabbath,
    Motorhead, or very early Kiss, stay away from this.

    Better than Circus of Power, better than Whitchfinder General
    and better than the last Ozzy Record :-)

    5 out of 5 stars Finally! Rock is alive, and kicking.......2005-12-25

    At a time when the great rock bands are starting to show their age, and all the newer bands are caught up in the "Music Industries deathtrap"; a glimmer of light has appeared on the horizon.

    If you're looking for the emotional power ballads, and pretty boy front men, go see if Poison has put out another greatest hits album. This isn't for you.

    However, if your idea of music is jacking up the volume, and having your teeth blasted down your throat by a band that rocks with a vengeance, welcome home.

    I can't remember hearing a new band with such an in your face, solid rock delivery since the earlier days of Motorhead. If you're a serious rock fan, you will not be disappointed.

    5 out of 5 stars worth buying.......2005-08-30

    The samples given don't do the actual CD justice. Well worth the money.
    Rude Awakening
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Great CD
    • The most underrated of the '90s R&B male groups
    • A RUDE FAN
    • Bingo Bounce, Banks, and Little!
    • The Best Rude Boys Cd Ever!
    		 Rude Awakening
    Rude Boys
    Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
    ProductGroup: Music
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    1. Men at Large
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    ASIN: B000002IPP
    Release Date: 1990-08-13

    Tracks:

    1. Come On Let's Do This
    2. Written All Over Your Face
    3. I Feel For You
    4. Heaven
    5. Pressure
    6. Never Get Enough Of It
    7. I'm Going Thru
    8. Are You Lonely For Me
    9. I Need You
    10. Fool For You

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Great CD.......2007-04-12

    If you are a fan of Gerald Levert's works, then you should like this cd. My favorite track on this cd is "It's Written All Over Your Face."

    4 out of 5 stars The most underrated of the '90s R&B male groups.......2006-02-27

    I felt that the Rude Boys were the most underrated R&B group back in the '90s. Although they released several albums, nothing could top their 1990 debut. Full of soul and strong vocals, the Rude Boys had it together on songs like "Written all Over Your Face." "Written" sounds like they could have done it on a street corner with a live band, rather than in a studio. There's such a realness to it. The other 9 songs are just as strong, with that R&B/hip-hop hybrid felt on most numbers. They should have been as big as Boyz II Men and other top groups, but they went their own course and were comfortable with it.

    5 out of 5 stars A RUDE FAN.......2005-05-09

    WHEN I FIRST HEARD OF THE RUDE BOYS,I EXPECTED A FOUL-MOUTHED RAP GROUP TO BE WEARING THAT NAME.WAS I EVER PLEASENTLY SURPRISED.THERE ARE A LOT OF OUTSTANDING BALLADS ON THIS ALBUM.WRITTEN ALL OVER YOUR FACE WAS AN INSTANT CLASSIC,AND IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES TODAY.I'VE WON A FEW TALENT SHOWS WITH MY RENDITION OF THIS SONG.ARE YOU LONELY FOR ME WAS ALSO VERY STRONG.THE ONE BALLAD THAT WAS(kind of)OVERLOOKED WAS I'M GOING THRU.I WAS EXTREMELY FOND OF HEAVEN TOO,BECAUSE I COULD RELATE AT THE TIME.IN MY OPINION RUDE HOUSE WAS A LITTLE BETTER THAN THIS,BUT BELIEVE ME YOU CAN'T LOSE WITH THIS CD.

    4 out of 5 stars Bingo Bounce, Banks, and Little!.......2003-10-08

    The Rude Boys' debut album featured a few chart-topping singles, two of them charted big. The first chart-topper was the Philly Soul sounding/bingo bounce (a clone of The O'Jays' "Use Ta Be My Girl") "Written All Over Your Face," which was penned by group member Larry "Bingo" Marcus (cousin of B.B. King). The vocals of Joe Little, Buddy Banks and a cameo appearance by Gerald LeVert gave the single a nice ride on the charts for 31 weeks; No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the R&B charts. The other huge hit was "Are You Lonely for Me." The well-rounded baritone of Joe Little and the towering tenor of Buddy Banks gave the single a missle launching start on the charts, without a video the single hit No. 1. The third and fourth release singles "Come on Lets Do This" and "Heaven" both broke into the top 40; the more soulful "Heaven" hit No. 15 and the more moderately-paced number "Come on Lets Do This" hit No. 38. The album also featured other great songs like the tight dance track "I Feel For You;" "I Need You" and "I'm Going Thru" are two potentially classic R&B ballads, emotional testimony at its best! Its not unusual for great vocalists to make great albums, outstanding singers with amazing delivery on every song, amazing.

    5 out of 5 stars The Best Rude Boys Cd Ever!.......2003-05-16

    this cd is the best i love song number 1 and 2.
    But why Gerald Levert name got to be in the cd cover 25 times.
    i know he found them and everthing but the group is the rude boys not gerald levert and the rude boys who is with me on this .
    the cd is good but if they havn't hook up the gerald the would still be sing by now
    Awakening
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • very techno, but really good
    • Great production, but the songwriting needs work.
    • This is your awakening call !
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    • Good Stuff!
    		 Awakening
    Iris
    Manufacturer: Diffusion
    ProductGroup: Music
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    ASIN: B00009KDLA
    Release Date: 2003-05-01

    Tracks:

    1. Whatever
    2. When I'm Not Around
    3. Sentimental Scar
    4. Sorrow Expert
    5. You're the Answer
    6. In Spite
    7. Vacant
    8. Wait Move On
    9. Island

    Album Description

    After almost 4 years since their last album, IRIS finally returns in 2003 with their new record, "Awakening". The first full-length release from the band since 1999's "Disconnect", "Awakening" showcases the band's evolution into a modern electro-pop force. Vocalist/songwriter Reagan Jones has created a work of passionate, intense songs that recall the heyday of synth-driven pop. New member Andrew Sega (The Alpha Conspiracy) takes over production duties for this record, and brings elements of IDM and electro to the pop mix, creating an evocative, modern sound. Instrumentally, the record covers diverse ground, ranging from pulsing beat-driven anthems to dreamlike, textured ballads. The disc also includes an electrifying version of the Seven Red Seven classic, "You're the Answer".

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars very techno, but really good.......2007-06-08

    I'm not a techno music fan generally speaking, but this has some really good music. I don't know what to compare it to, but it's good stuff.

    3 out of 5 stars Great production, but the songwriting needs work........2007-02-10

    One day, vocalist Reagan Jones replaced all the other members of his band Iris with electronica producer Andrew Sega. It was a brilliant move. Sega might be the most talented producer working today. In the mid-to-late nineties, under the name of Necros, he composed some of the best, most creative electronic music of all time. In 2001, he opened his own label, Diffusion Records, and released two albums under the name The Alpha Conspiracy. Awakening is the second Iris album, but it's the first to be recorded after Sega joined.

    Sega's work on this album is excellent. In some ways, it's a dream come true for fans of his earliest work who dreamed that Necros would one day join a full-fledged band and break into the mainstream. In fact, the music in Awakening is similar to his sound in those days: strong and energetic, but very clean, without dissonance. The opening chords of "Whatever" could have come from any one of his MODs. That song and many others begin with a gentle, slow part that suddenly bursts into a big, expansive, melodic rush. In "Sorrow Expert," for instance, the rush is created using many fast, droning electronic keyboard notes, which seem to shimmer as they ring against one another. Sega also uses guitars sometimes, creating the right dramatic tension in the chorus of "Whatever."

    It makes me wish there were more. The album contains few instrumental stretches, and thus few powerful riffs like in "Martian Lovesong" from the first Alpha Conspiracy album or "Wishing Never" from the second. Sega is mostly relegated to providing a rhythmic backing favourable to the voice of Reagan Jones. He does a superb job of it. For instance, when Jones carries a long note in "You're The Answer," Sega cushions his vocals in droning distortion and echo, creating the energetic feel that Jones was undoubtedly going for.

    But Jones is meant to be the star. He's a competent singer. He doesn't strain his voice too much, and displays some theatrical charisma. Most of the songs have some inventive rhythmic structure for the lyrics, along with big choruses that are repeated many times for the full radio-friendly effect. They could have easily released four or five singles off the album; in particular "Whatever," "Sorrow Expert" or even "When I'm Not Around" could have been huge successes.

    The problem lies in Jones's lyrics, which consist of sincere, earnest and impenetrably vague exhortations. Anyone can write an Iris song. All you need to do is come up with some combination of emotive general phrases like "I," "you," "pain," "everything," "meaning," "this way," "this life," and then abuse the pronoun "it" without explaining what you're referring to, e.g. "find a way to make it better."

    Jones also writes awkward things in order to make his lyrics fit the rhythm. In "Whatever," he says, "Last night I had a once-in-a-life understanding of all / I'd tell you but it doesn't mean a thing." Indeed it doesn't, and furthermore, "once-in-a-life" and "understanding of all" sound clumsy. In "Sentimental Scars," he says, "Pain is a wonderful emotion." It's odd to describe pain as an emotion. "Sensation" would have been more accurate, though it wouldn't have rhymed. The opening lines of "Unknown" are "I understand but I don't listen / Too perfect school for this tuition," which is so garbled that I can't tell what he's trying to say. And so on.

    The word "pain" occurs frequently in Iris lyrics. Jones is forthright about his pain. In "Sorrow Expert," he announces, "I'm just a sorrow expert now / The more I love, the more I drown." It's a great pop chorus, made even better by Sega's terrific instrumentation. It's also very self-obsessed. But his lyrics are like that, focused exclusively on himself and his feelings, though occasionally addressed to some nebulous, faceless "you." In "Sentimental Scars," he concludes his discourse on pain with the modest admission, "I can tell you I've been there, man / And pain is a wonderful emotion." And in "You're The Answer," he professes sympathy towards "you," on the grounds that "it's hard for you to breathe" and "you don't know what you need." He then offers the following utterly vacuous counsel: "Don't let them take away your dreams / You're the answer."

    He delivers these lines with perfect sincerity. His voice sighs, trembles in all the right places. It goes to lower notes in order to affect a tone of world-weary resignation, like in "Whatever" when he says, "I hesitate to ask / A second of your time to tell you how / I came to be so hard on all of us." He's simultaneously wise, worldly, and sensitive. In a way, it's impressive.

    Consider "Island," the last song. With Sega's subtle, detailed rhythm track in the background, Jones implores "you" to accompany him to the titular island so he can show you something. Of course he doesn't say what it is. It's just "my dream" and "something you might like." Then, in the chorus, he emotes, "I can feel it now / Oh the place I pray you'll see," with a breathy falsetto on "pray you'll see." There is nothing in these romantic effusions that remotely resembles any kind of real interaction between people. Nothing sensual, nothing carnal or dangerous, not a trace of anything so realistic. If you know a dreamy high-school girl who writes poetry in her notebook, buy this album for her. She'll love it.

    You get the point. The album sounds great. It's very enjoyable to listen to, but it's also somewhat superficial. If you're able to ignore the lyrics while enjoying the sound, by all means buy it. If not, maybe Aura by The Alpha Conspiracy would be a better choice.

    5 out of 5 stars This is your awakening call !.......2005-10-28

    To all you synthpop fans out there , who haven't hearded yet of "Iris". this album offers a different sound from their debut album (disconnect) , a more mature one. they've also addes few guitars riffs th this one - and made this one even better than
    "disconnect". all the songs here are very good.

    5 out of 5 stars synth music lover.......2005-10-21

    I absolutely love this album. Im so glad their is music out there like iris. If you like cause & effect you should buy anything by Iris. This album Is one of my favorite new albums. Iris is the best new synth band out there. Some of the new synth music has horrible voices. This guy can sing. The music is awesome.The song Island is beautiful. Also some of the new synth music that people are lumping into this category with iris is just plain horrible. I put these guys up with de/vision mesh and old school synth like depeche mode camouflage..

    4 out of 5 stars Good Stuff!.......2005-10-09

    I'll make this simple. Do you like Cause & Effect? Depeche Mode? Toad the Wet Sprocket? Then this is the band for you! The lead singer has a sexy deep voice, not unlike Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode and the guys from Cause & Effect. This is a great album - it makes you want to get up and dance! Every song is great and has catchy hooks. I am a big fan of Seven Red Seven and purchased this album from Amazon because Iris does a fantastic cover of "You're the Answer." Go ahead and buy this album - I know you will enjoy it!

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