Students of terrible music should appreciate this one
586918
I loved the track that Frances Mcd was striving so hard to produce. It reminded of nothing so much as an attempted serious version of the fantasy Eurovision song contest entry 'My Little Horse' which appears in the peerless sitcom Father Ted and is intended to lose the competition so Ireland do't have to foot the bill of sitting the next one. It had everyone I was watching the film with convulsed with laughter.

Other than risque, well yes especially if you have lived a sheltered life, but the script is more banal than subtle I'm afraid. Give me Woody Allen anyday.
2331933
Here it is... the disc where classic rags crawl to die. Honestly, how this disc ever saw the light of day, I'll never know. Imagine, if you will, an average middle school band sight-reading through a dozen or so arrangements of classic rags for the first time and you'll have a pretty good idea of how this CD sounds. The New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra, pioneers though they may have been in recording "classic-style" band arrangements of piano rags in the 1960s, just don't cut it. Everything sounds out-of-tune, and the band lumbers slowly through each tune, with plenty of broken notes and uneven rhythms. These sound more like miserable funeral dirges than the joyous rags I know! Contentment has never sounded less content, Pleasant Moments sounds like a bad case of indigestion, and those "Creole Belles" are now cranky 90-year-old ladies pushing their walkers down the street. I've heard some bad ragtime recordings in my dozen or so years as a collector, but this qualifies as one of the all-time worst. I would give this one star, but the tunes are still recognizeable, and it is still a step above most of the absolute garbage being pumped out of popular music industry today, so I figure I'll err on the generous side and give it two. Give me the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra or the Ophelia Ragtime Orchestra *any* day. Avoid this CD.
3614931
I don't recall ever being as disappointed by a CD as I was with this true masterpiece of crap.

10 seconds in, when the music was horrifically off time and faceless, I knew I was in for something bad.  When the vocals started, I nearly cried.  Suggestion for "Mr. Vintersorg" as he so affectionately refers to himself:  Don't try to do death metal vocals with severe laryngitis.  And REALLY don't try to do black metal vocals.

The singing was so bad, it almost took all my attention away from how unfocused and poorly executed the music was.  But it didn't, and that's a testimony to how awful this was.  Just because you can play your instruments fast doesn't mean you can play listenable music.

Then they try to do some softer sections with clean vocals and even acoustic guitars.  The gutteral mess of what came before them takes away any sense of beauty they may have once had.

It's like putting a rotten cherry on a pile of crap and saying "chow down!"

Metal, or music itself just doesn't get much worse than this garbage.

I'm just sad that they only let you go as low as just 1 star.
2786131
Well, another CD from our friends, The Dave Matthews Orchestra. 'Live at the Grange' is proto-colonial country-pop, brontosaurus musik that will provoke headache and dizziness to some if listened for a prolonged period. I can't even imagine hearing that stuff for more than 40 seconds ; as a torture i'd prefer hearing the repulsive metal noise of the worst trash/speed metal bands. Here the DMB has exceeded it's own expectations: It sounds out of date, a sort of '1870 old-western', 'saloon and dance floor style' if you will, and it could do for a perfect soundtrack to a (forthcoming) Lucky Luke motion picture. (z^p)
2570574
Yes, the story of this book is indeed shallow and self-indulgent, and those who really practice music and who spend years mastering an instrument will have nothing but well-deserved derision for the story of a guy who wants to learn to play the piano but doesn't want to put much effort into studying it. That really is the red thread running through the book: his attempts to learn the piano using instant methods such as a computer program and tapes and books from a guy who will teach you how to play by ear. And even the idea of a week-long piano camp smacks of an attempt to cram a bunch of knowledge in rather than doing what is necessary: playing day in and day out and getting better over a period of years.

When he finally plays Traumerei at the end he makes it pretty clear that he didn't really play it very well and missed lots of notes and screwed up on parts, which isn't very surprising. But again, rather than taking the time to do it right (God forbid he should put too much effort into learning music), he'd rather just crank out anything that passes as Traumerei and call himself accomplished. I have a feeling that when his wife was crying at the end it wasn't because of the touchingness of the concert that he performed for her, but rather her tears were tears of agony and pain over the aural trainwreck that was being forced upon her, a pile of musical debris that was once a majestic and beautiful piece of music.

So why do I give this nonsense a full three stars? Because there is some good information in it about musicians and pianists and performing. He did interviews with various pianists and it is fun and interesting to read about them and what they say. The small bit he said about Scott Joplin has very much improved my playing of the Entertainer, for example. Nothing in this book that comes from the author's own mind or experience is the least bit intersting, but the information he brings in from others is quite worthwhile.
1991510
Well, what can you say about Richard Clayderman? Anything one says about him says more, in truth, about his audience... naive non-specialist listeners who, at least, are not listening to Rap. But for any serious musician or listener, Clayderman's work and approach sticks in the craw. His music is one step away from a synthesizer. Though it's no worse than the piano music published for amateurs in the nineteenth century, with the same banal melodies and utter lack of musical sophistication, we get the impression that he knows he is a well-paid hack.

Proof positive: Watch his youtube video of the Tschaikovsky Concerto desecration. I say "watch", as his hands most often have nothing to do with the music. The microphone is off, thankfully, as he "plays" to a previously-made recording, just slapping his fingers here and there, while his face emotes those counterfeit feelings that drive his innocent, impressionable fans wild.

He is apparently a beloved figure in the middle-of-the-road pop-classical world, notably in third-world countries. He has found his niche, works hard and easily pays the rent. I guess he has reached as far as he cares to. Clayderman is not a musician, he is an "entertainer". And yes, I detest him for his mistreatment of the music I love.
2110967
I agree with much of what the "anonymous music fan" had to say about Jadin, but I have to say that I found Ms. Wang's playing careless and sloppy.  The recording, furthermore, is just horrible, perhaps the worst  I've heard on CD.  I say this from the memory of *one* hearing, however,  since I borrowed this from a friend.  Surprised by the quality of Jadin's  music, I later bought Patrick Cohen's recording on fortepiano of the Op. 4  and 5 sonatas (Auvidis Valois), which is brilliant in every sense of the  word, despite the fact that Cohen *reads* the music from a score (page  turns are audible).
It is too bad we live in a culture that concerns  itself far too much with "cults of celebrity".  Please excuse  Jadin that he was not Beethoven or Mozart.  His compositions are original,  full of good ideas and show a touch of genius which, had he lived, might  have flowered into something truly remarkable. Do yourself a favor and  check out Jadin, only avoid this recording.
1855506
BAckground music made an otherwise  pleasant experience an unpleasant one. The talent is obvious.
1622014
Well, these people do know how to create an excellently sticky hook. Bits from the album stick in my mind for days after I have listened to it. The guitarist is quite technically accomplished. He has lifted various riffs with great exactness from various types of African music, but he plays them rather like one of the dudes you find down at Guitar Center - all the speed and flash with none of the feeling. They revel in the "Alterna-crap" silliness, by this I mean they risk no emotion themselves, but merely make an endless ironic commentary on those brave enough to admit to suffering from this unfortunate disease. Protestations of love would not be believed by anyone with a heart, for example "Flourescent Halfdome." This may be their appeal. The male vocalist utterly murders something halfway to a ballad on that song, which may be his intent, it would suit the alterna aversion to risking any sort of emotion or attachment.
1027044
****************************Personnel
  * Dave Brock - guitar, keyboards, vocals
  * Tim Blake - keyboards, theremin
  * Jason Stuart - keyboards
  * Mr. Dibs - bass guitar, vocals
  * Richard Chadwick - drums, vocals

***************************Technical Stuff
First off, the mastering on this disc is fantastic.  There is tonnes of dynamics, zero clipping, and zero mastering induced distortion.  I wanted to give props to the mastering guy by mentioning his name here, but it is nowhere to be found in the packaging.  I think this is because mastering guys today do not want to be known as making so called quiet cds, even though those are the cds that sound the best and move listeners the most.  So I don't think the fact that there is no mention of the mastering guy is an accident.

Anyway, so the the mastering is great.  Unfortunately, the whoever recorded the concert did a dreadful job for a professional.  The sound is muddy, and in parts of the concert the drums and guitar almost disappear.  Very poor.

***************************The Music
This is basically a live set of their greatest hits, using a very basic line up.  The musicians run through the tunes, but never seem involved.  There is virtually no jamming, or experimenting, or chance taking.  It is almost as if I was listening to a Hawkwind cover band.  It doesn't help that the vocal duties are carried out by Mr. Dibs and Dave.  Both voices are thin and threadbare.  The spoken word piecies "Black Corridor", "Robot", and "Sonic Attack" are delivered quite poorly in comparison with any of the other 12 000 versions released before.

**************************Summary
A fairly dull, straightforward, and passionless concert marred by substandard recording.  For Kompletists only.
4733877
Why do musicians ruin songs with the "F" bomb? Who are they trying to shock? Sometimes it just injures a good song.
18257
Good grief. This is really not good. Some guys with a D-50 and a bathroom stall recorded an album. If you don't believe how bad this really is, listen to the track snippet from "Entertainer". Holy cow, is it ever atrocious.
2599094
I have read the reviews of this album here and find them nauseating, I mean LITERALLY nauseating - don't read these on a full stomach, to paraphrase one of them. I am convinced that a person who is unable to see the inherent good qualities of these songs is so blinded by the rock press' jaded concepts of "art" and "music" that they shouldn't have ears. Rather, they should allow the critics to tell them what to think of this music without having to listen to it - it would certainly save their closed minds wear and tear. As for the rest of us, this collection (though unavailable from Amazon.com itself) represents the best of Paul McCartney's 70s career - not a bad thing.

Silly Love Songs seems to receive a lot of flack, a lot of totally undeserved flack. It is as though its critics cannot sense the irony of Paul writing an effortlessly melodic, polished, multi-layered song that in essence silences their complaints in spite of their determination. Often persistence is a good thing; but in cases like this it is defiance in the face of overwhelming evidence. The song's message, like the Beatles' best, is not only uplifting but completely true, set to an instantly memorable tune. An example:

Love doesn't come in a minute
Sometimes it doesn't come at all
I only know that when I'm in it
It isn't silly
Love isn't silly
Love isn't silly at all!

Quite right, Paul. Only one verse there, along with all the rest expressed in one glorious pop opus. Just listen to the splendid three-part polyphonies, string flourishes, and tremendous bass-line of this great song - mindless indeed. One of McCartney's better goes, I'd say, in the Beatles or out.

That sums up Wings work in a nutshell. With pieces like the afore-mentioned Silly Love Songs, Band on the Run, Jet, and others McCartney approaches the grandeur of the Beatles at their very best. Rockers like Hi, Hi, Hi and Junior's Farm demonstrate that he hadn't lost his ability to belt out a pumping rock song now and again, and while My Love, With a Little Luck, and their ilk are admittedly syrupy, there's nothing wrong with a little romantic emotion in music now and again. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey is a great, tuneful mini-suite of a song, Mull of Kintyre a folksy delight for fans of Celtic music that became one of the biggest singles of all time in the U.K., Another Day a splendid McCartney character-sketch piece ala She's Leaving Home, Live and Let Die a great pop-rocker combined with a quasi-sinister James Bond instrumental. Even Let 'Em In defies in part its criticisms as it builds around a single chord (E major) subtly manipulated throughout as only a master like Paul can.

 Admittedly, the lyrics were sometimes lightweight, but words are not the only thing that make a song - there exist too the melody (always Macca's strongest point), the arrangement (Paul is a notoriously meticulous songsmith), and the overall mood or "feel" which can sometimes exist wholly independently of the lyric or tune. And Paul has, for the most part, always been able to craft a catchy, melodic, polished pop song that all-too-often contains messages and insights that completely escape the mundane minds of critics professional and amateur alike. I don't necessarily recommend this collection - the double-disc set Wingspan is both more comprehensive and affordable - but just to set the record straight, Paul McCartney was and remains an immensely talented musician, for the most part undeserving of the criticisms heaped upon him. In this review I often compare Paul's solo work to his work with the Beatles. Do not get me wrong - I feel that the Beatles were the most brilliant musicians in the history of popular music and that brilliance is not easily replicated by one element of a four-part whole. However, Paul's post-Beatles stuff is still very worthy of recognition and not just mindless pop-fluff. If you disagree, you are entitled to your opinion - your loss!
2433277
The only thing more unbearable than listening to this garbage is watching this "band" perform.  Comfortably Numb is one of the most amazing songs ever written, and what Scissor Sisters has done to it should be punishable by a lifetime banishment from the music-recording industry.  Composing and performing their own truly awful songs would have been bad enough.  Tampering with the work of a band that was, perhaps, the most creative, original and qualitatively superior of the 20th century is far, far worse.
2609743
Whatever. The only one demonstrating the slightest amount of talent is the singer, who used to be in O.L.D along with bass player Plotkin. They should have stuck to what they knew. The singing/shrieking is best described as excrutiating, but the music has no redeeming features. I've nothing against detuning but detuning this far just makes the guitar sound poorly tuned and badly played. To me it's extreme for extreme's sake, like making it sound plain crap was their primary objective. Mission accomplished, 2/10.
1454555
I agree with Michael Wydra's review below: this collection sounds like garbage, for the most part, and for the very reason he says it does: it's over-compressed. Unfortunately, this is true of most modern remasters of old music: they compress it all to heck in an effort to "compete," in terms of volume, with modern recordings. This creates a number of problems, not the least of which is the utter inability to listen to it below a certain volume (above which, paradoxically, it becomes ear-splitting) without losing a portion of the music.

In addition to being over-compressed, this record has also been subjected to excessive "noise reduction." There's an idea in this day and age that analogue tape hiss, which shows up more on compact disc than on record (because the mechanism used to play CDs is itself silent, for one thing, and also because the digital carrier brings out more incidental detail), is somehow embarrassing. (This is also another supposed justification for over-compression: the idea is to "saturate" the speakers with music so tape hiss won't be detectable.) In my mind, this is simply untrue...and unfortunately, it's not merely an academic subject, as noise reduction also mutes a lot of the wonderful high-end sound that should be such a feature of the Everly Brothers' recordings. Listen (if you can bear it) to "Bye Bye Love," one of the great rock-and-roll records of all time: the guitars, which ought to sparkle, sound downright dull, and there's no "air" whatsoever around the instruments in which they, and the Brothers' harmonies, can expand; therefore the track lacks momentum as well as sheen. Hearing it, as it's presented here, one wonders, "What on earth was the big fuss about this?" This is a direct result of excessive noise reduction and compression.

It's wonderful to have these songs all together on one budget-priced collection...or it would be, if the sound quality was worthy of the delightful music the discs contain. But this isn't the way the Everly Brothers ought to be experienced, and it's hard to imagine a newcomer to them appreciating their achievement based solely on this collection. Five stars for the music, and none for the sound.
4352674
Pogorelich is, you know the phrase, a riddle wrapped in an mystery, wrapped in an enigma, or something like that. I understand there are fans out there, like the slightly obsessed reviewer below-who worship the sound he walks on. I don't get it at all, though I do know there are moments of extraordinary pianism, unfortunately often at the sake of the music itself. For instance i heard a shaven and bald "Pogo" play in Chicago the final sonata of Beeth along with some Liszt etudes. Ivo could no more follow the lines and rhythm of the Beeth than Bush pronounce Ivo's last name. The powerful octave march(if you will) was like a bottlerocket with it's stick torn off, just out there. It was the worst Beethoven sonata i have ever seen or heard by a professional pianist. Of course half the audience(those that stayed) gave it a standing ovation, but those of us who feel an artist needs to earn their meal, knew this was something worse than terrible, it was intentional.
He followed this with some liszt etudes that reminded me why this pianist was and is a phenomenon. I truly beleieve his performances were immaculate, it was like the virtuosity of Gould and Berman.
This liszt sonata, for the most part, takes on where those performances left off. There are moments of the most inspired virtuosity[such as the left hand chromatic descension]. My only quibble would be, and this is with everything he has done and much of what ruined the Beeth sonata, he needs to learn that slower does not mean more profound and that he takes the most harmful ritardandos I have ever heard.
The playing is phenomenal yes, but the intelligence behind the music is not there, yet. Someday it probably will be. But first Pogo has to learn that he is an extension of the composer, it is not about him, it is not about the audience, it is about the music.
Liszt Sonata-
Horowitz[32]
Arrau
Gilels
Richter
Anda[Testament]
Argerich
Sandor[Columbia LP]
Scriabin-Richter. Sofronitszky.