[RE-UP] WATTSTAX

MUSIC FROM THE
WATTSTAX
FESTIVAL AND FILM (1973)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Calling this August 1972 concert comprised exclusively of Stax artists "Wattstock" or even the "black Woodstock" pushes the boundaries of the day-long event past its breaking point. But there is no doubt that Wattstax, held in a jittery post-riot Watts atmosphere, was an iconic cultural milestone deserving of a better recorded legacy than the two double albums that initially emerged from it, both of which were surreptitiously padded with studio tracks to enhance the roster. This three-disc, nearly four-hour-long deluxe 35th anniversary edition gets it right--or more right--by excluding the bogus material, adding a over an hour of previously unreleased music, and presenting it in an expanded package that includes a detailed essay by Stax historian Rob Bowman. The show's gospel aspect is further highlighted with plenty of Staple Singers, the amazing Rance Allen Group, and obscure blues harp player Little Sonny ripping into an instrumental version of "Wade in the Water." Comedy snippets from a young Richard Pryor and Jesse Jackson's opening speech, which appeared in the associated film, could have been excised, but nearly entire sets from Carla and Rufus Thomas, the Bar-Kays, and David Porter are worthy additions. Only the ubiquitous "Theme from Shaft" remains from Isaac Hayes's hour-long closing, but his full performance is available separately. The Emotions, Johnny Taylor, Little Milton, and a few others who didn't play the actual festival were recorded at other L.A. venues in the days around the concert, bringing a bit of a spurious element to this otherwise classy souvenir from a historically important and vibrant occasion.

CD1
01. Dale Warren & The Wattstax' 72 Orchestra - Salvation Symphony (Previously Unreleased)
02. Rev. Jesse Jackson - Intoduction
03. Kim Weston - Lift Every Voice & Sing
04. The Staple Singers - Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na- Boom-Boom)(Previously Unreleased)
05. The Staple Singers - Are You Sure (Previously Unreleased)
06. The Staple Singers - I Like The Things About Me
07. The Staple Singers - Respect Yourself
08. The Staple Singers - I'll Take You There
09. Deborah Manning - Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Previously Unreleased)
10. Louise MCcord - Better Get A Move Onlouise MCcord
11. Lee Sain - Them Hot Pants (Previously Unreleased)
12. Little Sonny - Wade In The Water (Previously Unreleased)
13. William Bell - I Forgot To Be Your Lover (Previously Unreleased)
14. The Temprees - Explain It To Her Mamma (Previously Unreleased)
15. Frederick Knight - I've Been Loney (For So Long) (Previously Unreleased)
16. The Newcomers - Pin The Tail On The Donkey (Previously Unreleased)
17. Eddie Floyd - Knock On Wood

CD2
01. The Emotions - Peace Be Still
02. Golden - Old Time Religion
03. Rance Allen Group - Lying On The Truth
04. Rance Allen Group - Up Above My Head
05. The Bar-Kays - Son Of Shaftfeel It
06. The Bar-Kays - In The Hole
07. The Bar-Kays - I Can't Turn You Loose
08. The David Porter Show - Introduction
09. David Porter - Ain't That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One)
10. David Porter - Can't See You When I Want To
11. David Porter - Reach Out And Touch Somebody's Hand
12. Richard Pryor - Niggas
13. Richard Pryor - Arrestlineup
14. The Emotions - So I Can Love You
15. The Emotions - Group Introductionshow Me How

CD3
01. Little Milton - Open The Door To Your Heart
02. Mel & Tim - Backfield In Motion
03. Johnnie Taylor - Steal Away
04. Albert King - Killing Floor
05. Carla Thomas - Pick Up The Pieces
06. Carla Thomas - I Like What You're Doing To Me
07. Carla Thomas - B-A-B-Y
08. Carla Thomas - Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes)
09. Carla Thomas - I Have A God Who Loves
10. Rufus Thomas - The Breakdown
11. Rufus Thomas - Do The Funky Chicken
12. Rufus Thomas - Do The Funky Penguin
13. The Soul Children - I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To
14. The Soul Children - Hearsay
15. Isaac Hayes - Theme From shaft

THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA

THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA
MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (2003)
320 KBPS

The soundtrack to a Russian silent film originally released in 1929, Man With a Movie Camera whips up a maelstrom of moody, electronica-tinged jazz-funk. In 1999, the Portugese film festival selection committee asked Cinematic Orchestra’s Jason Swinscoe to compose a new score for a screening of Dziga Vertov's avant-garde classic with live orchestral accompaniment. The result is a limber collection that flirts with brilliance while never quite coming together as an entity separate from the movie itself. For the full effect, listeners are advised to check out the film’s DVD release, which features this music in its intended setting. Having said that, there is much to recommend here for fans of Cinematic Orchestra’s post-modern, acid jazz fixations; "The Awakening of a Woman (Burnout)," for instance, slinks along on a decadent groove, as does the skittish "Reel Life (Evolution II)." By improving an already classic film with these sly compositions, Swinscoe’s band lives up to its name with elegant style and sophistication.

1. The Projectionist
2. Melody
3. Dawn
4. The Awakening Of A Woman (Burnout)
5. Reel Life (Evolution II)
6. Postlude
7. Evolution (Versao Portuense)
8. Work It! (Man With The Movie Camera)
9. Voyage
10. Odessa
11. Theme De Yoyo
12. The Magician
13. Theme Reprise
14. Yoyo Waltz
15. Drunken Tune
16. The Animated Tripod
17. All Things

PAUL WILLIAMS

PAUL WILLIAMS
PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE:
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK RECORDING (1974)
320 KBPS

Beneath the flash, campiness, glam, humor, etc. is some very dark and intense emotion. Some of these songs contain deep despair, sadness, and frustration. Williams conveys these feelings with such haunting, delicate beauty though that I, like so many other reviewers here, find myself drawn back to the movie and soundtrack again and again.
I don't really know anything about the rest of his work, other than his big hits, but I can't imagine any of it delves into the same places. The only thing lacking in this soundtrack is more songs. I read somewhere that the "Never thought I'd get to meet the devil" interlude isn't any longer than the couple verses in the movie, but it'd be great to have anyway, along with any stuff that might have been recorded but left out of the movie.

1. Goodbye, Eddie, Goodbye
2. Faust
3. Upholstery
4. Special to Me (Phoenix Audition Song)
5. Phantom's Theme
6. Somebody Super Like You (Beef Construction Song)
7. Life at Last
8. Old Souls
9. Faust
10. Hell of It

YANN TIERSEN

YANN TIERSEN
TABARLY (2008)
320 KBPS

2008 soundtrack dedicated to Eric Tabarly by the popular French composer. The film is about Tabarly, a former officer in the French navy who is often considered the father of French yachting, Tabarly was a record-setting distance sailor who won several notable races aboard his boats, all named Pen Duick. He was lost at sea when struck by a gaff during heavy swell and knocked overboard from his yacht while on the way to Belfast, Northern Ireland.
And now to the music: every piece of music from Yann is a celebration. This guy's music takes me to a different world leaves me emotional and speechless. Few ppl in this world have the ability to captivate the listners like Yann does. Another masterpiece from this awesome composer.

1. Tabarly
2. Naval
3. II
4. Au Dessous Du Volcan
5. IV
6. La Longue Route
7. 1976
8. Yellow
9. Point Zéro
10. La Corde
11. 8 Mm
12. Point Mort
13. Dernière
14. Atlantique Nord
15. Eire

DAVID BOWIE

DAVID BOWIE
THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA (1993)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Talk about slipping through the cracks: I've encountered devout Bowiephiles who don't know about this album. More's the pity for them. Recorded for a British TV mini-series in 1993, this album seems to exist in many forms, with many covers. Whatever the cover, the music is what matters, and the music is excellent.
There is no radio-friendly Bowie ala "Let's Dance" or "Blue Jean" here, nor even a semblance to the more conceptual Bowie of "Outside" or "Heathen." This is ambient Bowie, clearly showing the Brian Eno influence and ahead of the post-rock curve. The title track and "Strangers When We Meet" (which Bowie re-recorded for "Outside") have a fairly mainstream appeal, but the rest is ethereal, moody, dark, and largely without vocals. It's a different side of Bowie, and one well worth exploring even if you're not a fan of the better-known artist. I particularly recommend "The Mysteries," which takes several listens but eventually becomes utterly hypnotic. It has become one of my favorite pieces of music.

1. Buddha of Suburbia
2. Sex and the Church
3. South Horizon
4. Mysteries
5. Bleed Like a Craze, Dad
6. Strangers When We Meet
7. Dead Against It
8. Untitled No. 1
9. Ian Fish, U.K. Heir
10. Buddha of Suburbia

MARK KNOPFLER

MARK KNOPFLER
MUSIC FROM THE FILM 'CAL' (1984)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

With the core of Dire Straits augumented by Paul Brady and Liam O'Flynn, Knopfler set out to give this score a somewhat Irish spin, though keeping that light. A quiet, reflective set of cues that eschew false dramatics in favor of supporting the story. Knopfler completists will want the entire album, of course; others might as well settle for the several excerpts on Screenplaying.

1. Irish Boy
2. Road
3. Waiting for Her
4. Irish Love
5. Secret Place/Where Will You Go
6. Father and Son
7. Meeting Under the Trees
8. Potato Picking
9. In a Secret Place
10. Fear and Hatred
11. Love and Guilt
12. Long Road

SHUDDER TO THINK

SHUDDER TO THINK
MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE
FIRST LOVE LAST RITES (1998)
320 KBPS

First Love, Last Rites is one of the more interesting motion picture soundtracks to come along in recent times. All of the songs were written and performed by Shudder to Think, but the catch is that they have a host of different alternative rock stars pitching in on vocals. All of the songs have a strong retro feel, since the music is originating from an oldies radio station throughout the movie. The Shudder boys show the range of their talents as they back up such alternative favorites as the late Jeff Buckley ("I Want Someone Badly"), Billy Corgan ("When I Was Born, I Was Bored"), Liz Phair ("Erecting a Movie Star"), and others. Shudder to Think pitches in six compositions that they perform entirely themselves (including vocals), the best of the bunch being the country twang of "Lonesome Dove" and "Diamonds, Sparks & All," which contains a very strong high-school-prom sound. Other highlights include a pair of tracks featuring two rock legends (Cheap Trick's Robin Zander on "Automatic Soup" and X's John Doe on "Speed of Love"), which help round out a great and unpredictable collection of "oldies."

1. I Want Someone Badly (Jeff Buckley)
2. Erecting a Movie Star (Liz Phair)
3. Diamonds, Sparks & All
4. When I Was Born, I Was Bored Billy Corgan)
5. Appalachian Lullaby (Nina Persson)
6. Airfield Dream
7. Automatic Soup (Robin Zander)
8. Lonesome Dove
9. Speed of Love (John Doe)
10. Day Ditty (Angela McCluskey)
11. The Wedding Is Over (Lena Karlsson)
12. Jelly on the Table (Matt Johnson)
13. Just Really Wanna See You
14. I Want Someone Badly
15. Final Dream

B-MOVIE ARCHIVES

VARIOUS ARTISTS
B-MOVIE ARCHIVES
(2009)
320 KBPS

Released in France only, at least to my knowledge, B-Movie Archives is a 8 CDs box full of surprises from the Warner catalogue. The only thing in common with all these songs and themes is that they've been used for various B to Z movies which is as thin a concept as can be but, nevertheless, gives the listener quite a handful of terrific little tunes which could very well have been used on a Tarantino soundtrack.
Except for the 5th disk, almost entirely devoted to the works of Claudio Simonetti and his band Goblin, it's a feast of styles and sounds. From country to surf music, from soul to plain old rock'n'roll. Here's a musical rollercoaster which will surely put a smile on your face and will leave you hungry for more even after 8 disks and 119 tunes lasting a little over 6 and a half hours.

Disc One
1. JACK NITZCHE - The Last Race
2. THE STOOGES - 1970
3. THE ROUTERS - Sting Ray
4. CHORUS - Cabaret Dance Music
5. 6IX - I'm Just Like You
6. ROGER VOUDOURIS - Hold On
7. DR. JOHN - Right Place Wrong Time
8. JOHNNY HARRIS - Stepping Stones
9. AIRTO - Toque de Cuica
10. ENNIO MORRICONE - Quatro Mosche di Velluto Grigio
11. THE METERS - Come Together
12. THE RAMONES - I Wanna Be Sedated
13. FOGHAT - Fool for the City
14. ALICE COOPER - Desperado
15. FRONT LINE - Got Love

Disc Two
1. LITTLE SISTER - Stanga
2. BETTY WRIGHT - I Love the Way You Love
3. THE WATTS 103RD ST. RHYTHM BAND - Giggin' Down 103rd
4. DAVID NEWMAN - Shiloh
5. CLARENCE REID - It Was Good Enough for Daddy
6. DIONNE WARWICK - Walk On By
7. DONNY HATHAWAY - Magnificent Sanctuary Band
8. KING CURTIS - Teasin'
9. FUNK FACTORY - Rien ne va plus
10. THE STOVALL SISTERS - Hang On in There
11. FREDDIE KING - Funky
12. EARTH WIND & FIRE - Moment of Truth
13. CLAUDIA LENNEAR - Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky
14. EDDIE FLOYD - Good Love, Bad Love
15. TERRY CALLIER - Holdin' On (To Your Love)

Disc Three
1. TONY JOE WHITE - Roosevelt and Ira Lee (Night of the Mossacin)
2. WILLIE NELSON - Shotgun Willie
3. DR. JOHN - Mos' Scocious
4. YOUNG-HOLT UNLIMITED - Wah Wah Man
5. ZZ TOP - Master of Sparks
6. FELIX CAVALIERE - You Came and Set Me Free
7. BREAD - Down on My Knees
8. LALO SCHIFRIN - Room "26"
9. SEATRAIN - Flute Thing
10. WENDY WALDMAN - You Got to Ride
11. THE YOUNG RASCALS - I've Been Lonely Too Long
12. ALLEN TOUSSAINT - Goin' Down
13. ARIF MARDIN - Forms
14. ANANDA SHANKAR - Light My Fire
15. MARTY PAICH - Summertime

Disc Four
1. BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD - For What It's Worth
2. ENNIO MORRICONE - Hurrytome (Mettiuna sera a cena)
3. FELIX CAVALIERE - Summer in El Barrio
4. WILLY DEVILLE - Demasiado Corazon
5. SERGIO MENDES - Don't Go Breakin' My Heart
6. GNARLS BARKLEY - Who's Gonna Save My Soul
7. PERCY SLEDGE - True Love Travels on a Gravel Road
8. HERBIE MANN - Scratch
9. LATA MANGESHKAR, ASHA BHOSLE & MAHENDRA KAPOOR - Pyar Zindagi
10. DR. JOHN - Black Widow Spider
11. THE BEGINNING OF THE END - When She Made Me Promise
12. LINDA LEWIS - Sideway Shuffle
13. ENNIO MORRICONE - Non rimane Piu' Nessuno
14. GOBLIN - Witch

Disc Five
1. GOBLIN - L'Alba dei Morti Viventi
2. CLAUDIO SIMONETTI, MASSIMO MORANTE & FABIO PIGNATELLI - Flashing
3. GOBLIN - Patrick
4. GOBLIN - Suspiria
5. GOBLIN - Quiet Drops
6. KEITH EMERSON - Inferno
7. CLAUDIO SIMONETTI, MASSIMO MORANTE & FABIO PIGNATELLI - School at Nights
8. CLAUDIO SIMONETTI, MASSIMO MORANTE & FABIO PIGNATELLI - Waiting Death
9. GOBLIN - Sleepwalking
10. GIORGIO GIASLINI - La Notte Dei Diavoli
11. GOBLIN - Connexion
12. CLAUDIO SIMONETTI, MASSIMO MORANTE & FABIO PIGNATELLI - Jane Mirror Theme
13. GOBLIN - Jennifer
14. GOBLIN - Transmute
15. GOBLIN - Profondo Rosso

Disc Six
1. PAUL KELLY - Soul Flow
2. ASHA BHOSLE - Yeh Mera Dil Yaar Ka Diwana
3. LARRY GRAHAM & GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION - (You're a) Foxy Lady
4. THE YOUNG RASCALS - A Girl Like You
5. MEL TORME - Comin' Home Baby
6. BOZ SCAGGS - Loan Me a Dime
7. THE YOUNG RASCALS - A Beautiful Morning
8. TRINI LOPEZ - Made in Paris
9. THE COASTERS - Down in Mexico
10. LORRAINE ELLISON - Stay With Me
11. VAN MORRISON - And It Stoned Me
12. FRANKIE VALLI & THE FOUR SEASONS - Sherry
13. DANNY O'KEEFE - Catfish
14. ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM - Hurry Up and Love Me (Precisco de Voce)
15. ENNIO MORRICONE - Il Gatto

Disc Seven
1. WESTMINSTER PHILARMONIC ORCHESTRA - In the Kingdom of She/The Cruelty of She
2. KISHORE KAPOOR, KISHORE KUMAR & CHORUS - Ah Dil Kya Mahfil Hai
3. BEN E. KING - Spoiled
4. LIBRA - The Shock
5. CLAUDIO SIMONETTI, MASSIMO MORANTE & FABIO PIGNATELLI - Tenebre
6. KEIKO ASARI - Return! The Sun
7. ESTHER PHILLIPS - Just Say Goodbye
8. ENNIO MORRICONE - Bianco Rosso e Verdone
9. DR. JOHN - Jump Sturdy
10. ELLA FITZGERALD - Get Ready
11. GOBLIN - Zombi
12. GREAT SOCIETY - Free Advice
13. LOVE - A House Is Not a Motel
14. ASHA BHOSLE & CHORUS - Dum Maro Dum
15. STELVIO CIPRIANI - The Hot Chase

Disc Eight
1. WESTMINSTER PHILARMONIC ORCHESTRA - Danse Macabre
2. WESTMINSTER PHILARMONIC ORCHESTRA - The Power of Evil
3. STELVIO CIPRIANI - L'Attesa
4. AKIRA IFUKUBE - Godzilla Rebirth
5. WESTMINSTER PHILARMONIC ORCHESTRA - Sute: Introduction & Death of the Monster
6. ASHA BHOSLE - Aye Naujawan Hai Sab
7. AKIRA IFUKUBE - Sacred Fountain
8. DORIS TROY - Just One Look
9. MASARU SATOH - The Sun Rises in the West
10. AKIRA IFUKUBE - Godzilla Revives
11. TODD RUNDGREN - Wolfman Jack
12. CHORUS - Dharmatma Theme
13. ASHA BHOSLE - Mera Jaawani
14. FELIX CAVALIERE - Mountain Man
15. KEITH EMERSON - Murderock

EMILIE SIMON

EMILIE SIMON
LA MARCHE DE L'EMPEREUR (2005)
320 KBPS

When documentary producer Luc Jacquet contacted Emilie Simon about contributing music to his award-winning 2005 documentary March of the Penguins, he might have felt a little uneasy — somewhere in the conversation, he would have to let on that he found her sound well-suited to themes of ice and snow. If he did hesitate before making the call, though, he needn't have: Simon was already working on new songs that would conjure images of ice when she first met the director in 2003. Though The Flower Book, Simon's acclaimed 2006 U.S. debut, established her as a rising electro-pop star and, more specifically, one with a penchant for merging concepts from the natural world with beats rooted firmly in technology, it didn't let on that the Parisian artist was so skilled at dreaming up frost-covered soundscapes. In the 15 songs on March of the Empress, Simon evokes both the beauty and bitterness of winter: "Song of the Sea" captures the fun of slush, "Mother's Pain" recalls the hushed energy that attends a coming blizzard, and "Antarctic" finds hope in the stillness of a world frozen over by polar cold; other standouts include the tense "The Sea Leopard" and the menacing but moving "The Attack of the Killer Birds." Though the soundtrack (which did not make it onto the U.S. and U.K. film versions of March of the Penguins) was originally intended to be strictly instrumental, Simon's Kate Bush-reminiscent voice surfaces on five English tracks. They all reinforce a sense that whether the scenery that surrounds her is pastoral or frozen solid, she infiltrates it fully, until she is able to echo it down to the last thunderclap or whistling wind.

1. The Frozen World
2. Antarctic
3. The Egg
4. Song Of The Sea
5. Baby Penguins
6. Attack Of The Killerbirds
7. Aurora Australis
8. The Sea Leopard
9. Song Of The Storm
10. Mother's Pain
11. To The Dancers On The Ice
12. All Is White
13. The Voyage
14. Footprints In The Snow
15. Ice Girl
16. Antarctic (Extended version)

THE INSIDER

THE INSIDER
MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE (1999)
320 KBPS

Directors making strong characteristic decisions about the music in their films are, aside from being few in number, generally people who depend on a particular composer--directors like Steven Spielberg (John Williams), Steven Soderbergh (Cliff Martinez), and John Carpenter (himself). Michael Mann is that rare director for whom musical literacy has less to do with professional partnership than with a hunger for aesthetic exploration. From his days with Miami Vice, in which he spearheaded the integration of pop songs with a scene's motion, Mann has been relentlessly creative in the scoring of his work--setting producer Trevor Jones (a knowledgeable technophile) loose in The Last of the Mohicans wilderness and getting Elliot Goldenthal to blend electronic, hard-rock, and orchestral effects for a haunting score to Heat. The common theme is mood, at times profoundly spiritual, fashionably effete, or resolutely cold. These are the temperaments of Lisa Gerrard, best known for her work with the prototrance act Dead Can Dance, and her sometime partner Pieter Bourke. Their score for The Insider is a rich montage of paranoia and momentum, perfectly suited to Mann's moralistic corporate thriller. Mechanized drums flirt with ambient music while, soaring above, thick clouds of synthesized drones recall Peter Gabriel's fortunate work on the big screen.

1. Tempest - Pieter Bourke, Lisa Gerrard
2. Dawn of the Truth - Graeme Revell
3. Sacrifice - Pieter Bourke, Lisa Gerrard
4. Subordinate - Graeme Revell
5. Exile - Graeme Revell
6. Silencer - Graeme Revell
7. Broken - Graeme Revell
8. Faith - Graeme Revell
9. I'm Alone on This - Graeme Revell
10. LB in Montana- Graeme Revell
11. Palladino Montage - Graeme Revell
12. Iguazu - Gustavo Santaolalla
13. Liquid Moon- Pieter Bourke, Lisa Gerrard
14. Rites [Special Edit for the Film] - Jan Garbarek
15. Safe from Harm [Perfecto Mix] - Massive Attack
16. Meltdown - Pieter Bourke, Lisa Gerrard

MAX RICHTER SPECIAL

Blending classical, electronic and rock influences into a style he calls "post-Classical," composer/programmer Max Richter ignores boundaries in favor of haunting, strangely familiar sounds. Born in Germany in the mid-'60s, Richter and his family moved to the U.K. when he was still a little boy; by his early teens, he was listening to the canon of classical music as well as modern composers, including Philip Glass, whose sound was a major influence on Richter. the Clash, the Beatles, and Pink Floyd were also important, along with the early electronic music scene; inspired by artists such as Kraftwerk, Richter built his own analog instruments. He studied composition and piano at Edinburgh University, the Royal Academy of Music, and in Florence with Luciano Berio. Richter then became a founding member of the Piano Circus, a contemporary classical group that played works by Glass, Brian Eno, Steve Reich, Arvo Pärt, and Julia Wolfe, and also incorporated found sounds and video into their performances. After ten years and five albums, Richter left the group and became more involved in the U.K.'s thriving electronica scene, collaborating with the Future Sound of London on Dead Cities (which features a track named after him) and Isness; he also contributed orchesrations to Roni Size's In the Mode. Richter's own work evolved from the Xenakis-inspired music of his early days into something that included his electronic and pop influences: 2003's Memoryhouse introduced his mix of modern composition, electronica, and field recordings, and the following year's stunning Blue Notebooks — inspired by Kafka's Blue Octavo Notebooks — showed off a more streamlined, and more affecting, version of this sound. 2006's Songs from Before paired Richter's plaintive sound with texts written by Haruki Murakami and delivered by Robert Wyatt; two years later, 24 Postcards in Full Colour, a collection of elaborate ringtones, was released closely followed by his first work for the big screen, animated documentary soundtrack's Waltz with Bashir.

MEMORYHOUSE (2002)
320 KBPS

Max Richter's Memoryhouse is a journey though the 20th century which unfolds like the soundtrack to an imaginary film. Combining the BBC Philharmonic under conductor Rumon Gamba--no strangers to recording classic film scores--with atmospheric electronics, the result is a melancholy evocation of love, loss and survival, often with the focus on Eastern Europe. Minimalism with a deeply emotional core, overlaid with fragments of poetic voices, the melodic sensibility lies between Philip Glass's minimalism.

1. Europe, After the Rain
2. Maria, the Poet (1913)
3. Laika's Journey
4. The Twins (Prague)
5. Sarajevo
6. Andras
7. Untitled (Figures)
8. Sketchbook
9. November
10. Jan's Notebook
11. Arbenita (11 Years)
12. Garden (1973)/Interior
13. Landscape with Figure (1922)
14. Fragment
15. Lines on a Page (One Hundred Violins)
16. Embers
17. Last Days
18. Quartet Fragment (1908)

THE BLUE NOTEBOOKS (2004)
320 KBPS

Richter has created a soundtrack for our time. It is at once reflective and the music itself has the power to carry us to that inner place of denial, peace, sorrow, joy, regret, forgiveness, whether it be for ourselves or those once loved, forgotten or dearly missed.
There is no denying that Richter has created a musical space that is highly personal. Yes, there are many great pieces of orchestral music and many of them convey much of the same emotion, but Richter has done so in a way that is a coherent journey from start to finish. The level of musicianship and production value in this recording is very high; it is challenging to create and execute music at this level.

1. The Blue Notebooks
2. On The Nature Of Daylight
3. Horizon Variations
4. Shadow Journal
5. Iconography
6. Vladimir's Blues
7. Arboretum
8. Old Song
9. Organum
10. The Trees
11. Written On The Sky

SONGS FROM BEFORE (2006)
192-320 KBPS

This record is a resounding success. From the first note, the sound is cavernous, and entombed beneath some of the most mournful orchestration imaginable are musical secrets and recycled sonic treasure.

1. Song
2. Flowers For Yulia
3. Fragment
4. Harmonium
5. Ionosphere
6. Autumn Music 1
7. Time Passing
8. Sunlight
9. Lullaby
10. Autumn Music 2
11. Verses
12. From The Rue Vilin

24 POSTCARDS IN FULL COLOUR (2008)
320 KBPS

With his fourth album, Berlin-based Richter further cements his status as one of the leading lights of modern composition. Each of this album's twenty-four tracks is a classically-composed ringtone, an evocative miniature whose theme, though fully developed, hints at a larger piece; thus Richter explores the fugitive nature of memory through reprises and repetition throughout this intriguing album. With a sonic palette consisting of string quintet, solo piano, 16-track 2-inch tape, transistors, found shortwave radio, vinyl clicks, dust, scratches and rumble, and acoustic guitars, Richter's latest effort is both beautifully detailed and sonically rich.

1. The Road Is A Grey Tape
2. H In New England
3. This Picture Of Us. P.
4. Lullaby From The Westcoast Sleepers
5. When The Northern Lights/Jasper And Louise
6. Circles From The Rue Simon-Crubellier
7. Cascade Nw By W
8. A Sudden Manhattan Of The Mind
9. In Louisville At 7
10. Cathodes
11. I Was Just Thinking
12. A Song For H/Far Away
13. Return To Prague
14. Broken Symmetries For Y
15. Berlin By Overnight
16. Cradle Song For A (Interstate B3)
17. Kierling/Doubt
18. From 553 W Elm Street, Logan Illinois (Snow)
19. Tokyo Riddle Song
20. The Tartu Piano
21. Caold Fusion For G
22. 32 Via San Nicolo
23. Found Song For P
24. H Thinks A Journey

WALTZ WITH BASHIR (2008)
256-320 KBPS

Post-minimalist composer Max Richter's first film score is his finest work released yet on cd. Dark, intense and simoultaneously chilling and moving - Richter blends post-Philip Glass minimalism with baroque, with elements of techno and ambient thrown in for effect and delivers the finest film score of the year. A work of genius from a prodigiously gifted young composer.

2. Iconography
3. The Haunted Ocean 1
4. JSB/RPG
5. Shadow Journal
6. Enola Gay (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark)
7. The Haunted Ocean 2
8. Taxi And APC
9. Any Minute Now/Thinking Back
10. I Swam Out To Sea/Return
11. Patchouli Oil And Karate
12. This Is Not A Love Song (Public Image Ltd)
13. What Have They Done?
14. Into The Airport Hallucination
15. The Slaughterhouse
16. The Haunted Ocean 3
17. Into The Camps
18. The Haunted Ocean 4
19. Andante/Reflection (End Title)
20. The Haunted Ocean 5 (Solo Version)

KIDS

KIDS
ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK (1995)
320 KBPS

Given his endless roster of side projects in addition to his main gig, Sebadoh, it would seem Lou Barlow just can't get enough of himself. But as the king of lo-fi, it's Lou's job to be a compulsive releaser of material. In committing so much to tape, Barlow gives us an intimate view of a songwriter in all his moods and various states of polish. Barlow appears on 9 of 13 cuts on the soundtrack of the much-discussed film Kids, mainly as part of a duo with John Davis called Folk Implosion. While there's a spare Sebadoh oldie ("Spoiled") and an angry punk exorcism from the four-man Deluxx Folk Implosion ("Daddy Never Understood"), mostly we hear Barlow in mellow dance mode with the groove-based Implosion. Over trancelike mechanical beats and synth effects that verge on ambient at times, Barlow delivers vocals in as plain and funky a style as a nerdy white boy can. It's a shame that songs like "Natural One" and "Wet Stuff" barely appear in the film; they create a perfect backdrop for Kids' confused adolescents.

1. Casper - Daniel Johnston
2. Daddy Never Understood - Deluxx Folk Implosion
3. Nothing Gonna Stop - Folk Implosion
4. Jenny's Theme - Folk Implosion
5. Simean Groove - Folk Implosion
6. Casper, the Friendly Ghost - Daniel Johnston
7. Natural One - Folk Implosion
8. Spoiled - Sebadoh
9. Crash - Folk Implosion
10. Wet Stuff - Folk Implosion
11. Mad Fright Night - Lo-Down
12. Raise the Bells - Folk Implosion
13. Good Morning Captain - Slint

JOHN ZORN [REPOST]

JOHN ZORN
FILMWORKS XX: SHOLEM ALEICHEM (2008)
320 KBPS

This twentieth volume of John Zorn's exciting FilmWorks series features the fabulous accordionist Rob Burger and harpist Carol Emanuel accompanied by the world acclaimed Masada String Trio performing music for a documentary on the 19th century Jewish writer Sholem Aleichem. Known primarily for the Tevye stories that inspired Fiddler on the Roof, Aleichem wrote tales in Russian, Hebrew and Yiddish that have a dark subtext reminiscent of Kafka and Poe. Avoiding overt klezmer references, Zorn's score both breaks with and draws upon tradition, dramatizing the writer's life and work with lyricism, orchestral color and a keen sense of irony and black humor.

1. Shalom, Sholem!
2. Luminous Visions
3. Mamme Loshen
4. Beyond The Pale
5. Mekubolim
6. Portable Homeland
7. Wandering Star
8. Jewish Revolutionaries
9. Shtetls
10. Lucky Me, I'm An Orphan!
11. Nicht Gefahrlich
12. Talking Through Oblivion

THE COMMITMENTS

THE COMMITMENTS
MUSIC FROM THE ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK (1991)
320 KBPS

Based on Irish writer Roddy Doyle's novel and lovingly directed with admirable restraint by the sometimes bombastic Alan Parker, this quirky 1991 tribute to the enduring and universal power of American R&B took some cynical criticism for its reliance on Baby Boomer-era classics such as "Mustang Sally," "Take Me to the River," and "In the Midnight Hour." But that sword cuts two ways: by casting a motley crew of real musicians, including the guts 'n' gravel-voiced young vocalist Andrew Strong, Parker didn't have to do much coaxing to reveal the obvious respect and affection his players have for this music. The material may not be fresh, but the love with which it's played is timeless.

1. Mustang Sally
2. Take Me To The River
3. Chain Of Fools
4. The Dark End Of The Street
5. Destination Anywhere
6. I Can't Stand The Rain
7. Try A Little Tenderness
8. Treat Her Right
9. Do Right Woman, Do Right
10. Mr. Pitiful
11. I Never Loved A Man
12. In The Midnight Hour
13. Bye Bye Baby
14. Slip Away

THE BOAT THAT ROCKED

THE BOAT THAT ROCKED
MOVIE SOUNDTRACK (2009)
320 KBPS

Bringing together some of director Richard Curtis’ favourite songs, many of which have never been cleared for soundtrack usage before, the soundtrack to The Boat That Rocked is truly integral to the movie. It features some of the greatest songs from the 60’s and 70’s, as well as the odd gem from the 80’s (David Bowie’s "Let’s Dance"). A new version of "Stay With Me Baby" performed by Duffy, meanwhile, provides the backdrop to one of the film’s most poignant moments. If you haven't seen the movie, go see it. If you have, I'm sure you'll want the soundtrack. Enjoy.

Disc 1
1. Stay With Me Baby - Duffy
2. All Day And All Of The Night - The Kinks
3. Elenore - The Turtles
4. Judy In Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band
5. Dancing In The Street - Martha Reeves And The Vandellas
6. Wouldn't It Be Nice - The Beach Boys
7. Ooo Baby Baby - Smokey Robinson
8. This Guy's In Love With You - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
9. Crimson And Clover - Tommy James & The Shondells
10. Hi Ho Silver Lining - Jeff Beck
11. I Can See For Miles - The Who
12. With A Girl Like You - The Troggs
13. The Letter - The Box Tops
14. I'm Alive - The Hollies
15. Yesterday Man - Chris Andrews
16. I've Been A Bad Bad Boy - Paul Jones
17. Silence Is Golden - The Tremeloes
18. The End Of The World - Skeeter Davis

.

Disc 2
1. Friday On My Mind - The Easybeats
2. My Generation - The Who
3. I Feel Free - Cream
4. The Wind Cries Mary - Jimi Hendrix
5. A Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum
6. These Arms Of Mine - Otis Redding
7. Cleo's Mood - Jr. Walker & The All Stars
8. The Happening - The Supremes
9. She'd Rather Be With Me - The Turtles
10. 98.6 - The Bystanders
11. Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks
12. Father And Son - Cat Stevens
13. Nights In White Satin - Moody Blues
14. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - Dusty Springfield
15. Stay With Me (Baby) - Lorraine Ellison
16. Hang On Sloopy - The McCoys
17. This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) - The Isley Brothers
18. Let's Dance - David Bowie

ENNIO MORRICONE

ENNIO MORRICONE
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984)
320 KBPS

This is not just a soundtrack that works only in the film. In fact, you don't even need to know the film at all to enjoy it. The music is deeply moving.
Only the pairing of Bernard Herrman/Alfred Hitchcock can rival the artistic success of Ennio Morricone/Sergio Leone, and this their last collaboration stands as one of their several finest. Plaintive and deeply,deeply moving, this score is as perfect a compliment to the film's somber, gauzy images as one could hope for. Morricone has given the world of music at least a dozen classic film scores, this certainly one of them. Get it.

1. Once upon a Time in America
2. Poverty
3. Deborah's Theme
4. Childhood Memories
5. Amapola
6. Friends
7. Prohibition Dirge
8. Cockeye's Song
9. Amapola, Pt. 2
10. Chilhood Poverty
11. Photographic Memories
12. Friends
13. Friendship & Love
14. Speakeasy
15. Deborah's Theme-Amapola

EDDIE VEDDER

EDDIE VEDDER
INTO THE WILD (2007)
320 KBPS

This is the music I've been waiting for from Eddie Vedder. The richness of voice matched with the passsion of his performance and lyrics with substance touch me in ways that Pearl Jam does not. He has produced other music with those elements, but here his warmth and sincerity are not competing with heavy rock sound. A few of the songs really remind me of John Lennon. No Ceiling would fit right in on Revolver. The first few months I owned the album, I considered it quiet and contemplative. After seeing four of his solo shows, I turn it way up and it has a whole different energy. The shortness of the album has an easy fix: hit play again.

1. Setting Forth
2. No Ceiling
3. Far Behind
4. Rise
5. Long Nights
6. Tuolumne
7. Hard Sun
8. Society
9. The Wolf
10. End Of The Road
11. Guaranteed

THE BAND

THE BAND
THE LAST WALTZ (1978)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

During the late '60s and most of the '70s, The Band were arguably the premier American rock group, combining a host of influences to create a distinctive full-bodied sound. For a primarily Canadian ensemble, their lyrics were pure Americana. With themes ranging from the Civil War to small town fairs, they were set in heartland cornfields and Southern battlefields, and the Band's repertoire came to personify the American people. Eloquent and lyrical, their songs stood apart from the other popular genres of the time. Musically, they were equally inventive, incoporating accordions, organs, mandolins and fiddles. It was all driven by the group's individualised vocals, with harmonies that purposely didn't blend.
THE LAST WALTZ is the recorded document of their 1976 farewell performance. The event was filmed as a documentary by Martin Scorsese, capturing the all-star concert (and Thanksgiving dinner) for posterity. Sort of a rock version of "This Is Your Life", THE LAST WALTZ brought together performers from all phases of the group's career, giving them a chance to pay tribute and join The Band one last time.
There's no doubt that the songs are the centrepiece. All the group's well-worn hits are reprised, but there are some notable standouts. Famed Canadian rocker Ronnie Hawkins, whom the Band backed in their early days as The Hawks, reprises "Who Do You Love". After their tenure with Hawkins, the group went on to accompany Bob Dylan on some of his earliest electric sessions. Dylan returns the favour by performing a strong folk-bluesmedley beginning and ending with a fiery, rocking version of "Baby Let Me Follow You Down". Muddy Waters gives a lessonin the blues on "Mannish Boy", with the late great Paul Butterfield on harmonica. Eric Clapton offers his own polished version of the blues with a blistering "Further On Up The Road". Emmylou Harris, a highlight in any setting, duets on the gentle waltz "Evangeline". Dr. John's accurate and rousing"Such A Night" brings a bit of Mardi Gras to the proceedings. Joni Mitchell provides another pleasant change of pace, introducing her jazz-inflected sound with "Coyote", and joining in on soulful soaring harmonies with Neil Young on his classic "Helpless". Even Neil Diamond joins in on the fun, on a song he co-wrote with Robbie Robertson.
Although not the last track on the disc, the Dylan-led all-star rendition of the Band/Dylan classic "I Shall Be Released" is the emotional finale of one of the most important records in contemporary music.

Disc 1
1. Theme from the Last Waltz
2. Cripple Creek ferry
3. Who do you love
4. Helpless
5. Stagefright
6. Coyote
7. Dry your eyes
8. It makes no difference
9. Such a night
10. Night they drove old Dixie down
11. Mystery train
12. Mannish boy
13. Further on up the road

Disc 2
1. Shape I'm in
2. Down South in New Orleans
3. Ophelia
4. Tura lura lural (that's an Irish lullaby)
5. Caravan
6. Life is a carnival
7. Baby let me follow you down
8. I don't believe you (she acts like we never have met)
9. Forever young
10. Baby let me follow you down (reprise)
11. I shall be released (finale)
12. Well
13. Evangeline
14. Out of the blue
15. Weight
16. Last waltz (refrain)
17. Theme from the Last Waltz

GORAN BREGOVIC

GORAN BREGOVIC
TIME OF THE GYPSIES (1990)
320 KBPS

The soundtrack Time of the Gypsies (Temps Des Gitans Et Kuduz) features music from the incredible, must-see movie of the same name. While some of the most memorable music from the movie is included (Perhane's accordian music and music from the dream sequence, for example), three excellent pieces of music featured in the film are NOT on the CD (music during Ahmed's return from Italy, music when Perhane and Danira leave home, and music when Perhane is dancing in a bar). This CD is an excellent addition for anyone who came away from the movie humming Perhane's accordian song and is anxious to preserve his or her memory of the movie, but potential downloaders should note the CD's shortcomings.

1. Ederlezi [Scena Durdevdana Na Rijeci]
2. Scena Pojavljivanja Majke [Scéne de l'Apparition de la Mére]
3. Scena Perhanove Pogibije [Scéne du Meurtre de Perhan]
4. Kustino Oro [Ronde Populaire de Kustin]
5. Borino Oro [Ronde Populaire de Boro]
6. Glavna Tema [B.O.F. Kuduz]
7. Tango [B.O.F. Kuduz]
8. Pjesma [Chant]
9. Talijanska [L'Italienne]
10. Ederlezi

ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ

ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ
THE FIRST BASKET (2009)
320 KBPS

Roberto Juan Rodriguez may be best known as a go-to drummer for a wide array of musicians ranging from Rubén Blades and Marc Ribot to T-Bone Burnettand Paul Simon. While there's no doubt that these gigs are his bread and butter, they are far from the sum total of his passion and gifts — his own records are. The First Basket is his fourth offering for John Zorn's Tzadik imprint. The previous three, including the provocative, big-band set Les Danzon de Moises wove together rhythms from his native Cuba and the Caribbean with melodies from klezmer, Yiddish folk songs, and surf tunes. While his other delightful recordings — 2004's Baila! Gitano Baila! And 2006's Oy Vey! Ole! — showcase somewhat smaller ensembles, they were no less groundbreaking or thrilling. 2009 sees the release of The First Basket, the soundtrack to the documentary film of the same name by David Vyorst about the origins of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) that later became the National Basketball Association (NBA). Rodriguez has composed a brilliant score for a film about the origins of American basketball in the ethnic Jewish neighborhoods of New York, from the ash cans placed on the stoops of brownstones to Madison Square Garden.
Rodriguez has assembled a 15-piece ensemble to perform his music here; it includes some of the brightest lights of the New York vanguard jazz and new Jewish culture scenes: Frank London, Brad Jones, Peter Apfelbaum, Gilad Harell, Uri Sharlin, Oz Noy, Meg Okura, and many more. There are 30 cues in this work that range from under 30 seconds to six-and-a-half minutes. The moaning "Shofar" commences the seamless score; it is named for the Jewish horn used to mark the beginning of religious ceremonies and Rodriguez plays the instrument. It gives way to the ensemble piece "Ellis Island," based on a Hebrew folk melody, played on clarinets, strings, bass, and accordion with trombone entering the mix to underscore the feelings of memory, longing, and melancholy. The mood doesn't remain, however as "Euro Trash Jewish Hoops," begins with funky trip-hop rhythms and loops, heavily reverbed surf-cum-Spanish-style guitar, rolling bass and Harell's clarinet. It is one of the many juxtapositions that add such breadth and depth to the score. The truth of the matter is that while Jewish music is the beating heart of Rodriguez's work, it is simply one part of a mix that claims rhumba, son, rock, ska, dub, salsa, jump jazz and blues, and more as part of the mix: "Red Auerbach" is named for the famous player and coach. It is a roiling blend of snaky blues guitar and B-3 with a funky bassline and shuffling drum kit. New Orleans-style jazz — complete with trombone, trumpet, banjo, and clarinets — makes "Birth of Basketball" a joy to listen to. Then there's scratchy hip-hop at the heart of the Yiddish melody that underscores "The Holyland Dribble," and the stomping, burning klezmer of "Kid's Club Lower East Side," brings the listener back to the narrative movement of both film and score.
If The First Basket is a film about the Jewish contribution of basketball to the North American experience, then Rodriguez's score places it in the context of American music as well: jazz, hip-hop, funk rock, and Latin musics morph with Jewish music into this crazy melting pot of sounds this nation breathes out each day. The First Basket is easily Rodriguez's most ambitious project to date, and his most fully realized; it cannot be recommended enough.

1. Shofar
2. Ellis Island
3. Euro Trash Jewish Hoops
4. Catskills Jump
5. Kosher Rasta
6. Jewish American March
7. Red Auerbach
8. Doina 1
9. Jewish Suburbs
10. Ode to Ozzie Perry
11. Philadelphia Spahs
12. Catskills New York
13. Workman's Circle
14. Jacob's Basketball
15. Birth of Basketball
16. Holyland Dribble
17. Doina 8
18. Mezinka
19. 1936 Olympics
20. R & B Mezinka
21. Demarcation Line Lower East Side
22. Sabbath
23. Red Holzman
24. Anti-Semitism
25. Kid's Clubs Lower East Side
26. City College Crime Scene
27. Nat Holman
28. Doina 4
29. Settlement Houses
30. Jerusalem Momenta