Alternative Rock music reviews

I had this record on vinyl originally and ended up losing it to one of my friends. So i got it on CD just the other day (after having a burned copy) and it still sounds amazing. They'll never make another record like this ever again. Many consider this their best, but CHECK YOUR HEAD is my personal fav. Don't let this pass you by. If you don't own this already, buy it now!

I have a dirty little secret I must confess, I just recently got Paul's Boutique. As someone who has been called a music snob, you'd think I would have gotten back in '89 and look down on everyone who overlooked what is widely considered not only the best Beastie Boys album, but the best rap album ever made, but much like the rest of America at the beginning of the 90's, I was expecting License to Ill 2 and could quite understand the direction they were going in.

Even when I got those songs, I still didn't pick up Paul's Boutique until discussing the rap troupe around the release of To the 5 Burroughs and a co-worker of mine asked to borrow my Beastie Boys collection and then chastised me for my lone omission from their catalog (granted, keep in mine that this dude had none). So this exchange finally to plug the hole and the album somehow exceeds all expectations.

Much like every Beastie Boys album, the songs are chock full of enough pop culture references that would make Buffy Summers and Veronica Mars blush even if not all of them are all that popular. Am I the only one who looked up Sadaharu Oh? Also the wordplay is tight with my favorite being the phonetically pronounced "knowledge" from The Sound of Science. But the key to making this the greatest album is all the intertwining samples, roughly four hundred, throughout most of the song from such diverse artists as Chic and Johnny Cash as well as some artist so obscure even I've never heard of the. And thanks to licensing fees put in place right after the release of this album, it's a good bet that Paul's Boutique will stay on top of the best rap album list for a while.

The songs on the album are some of the group's best. Hey Ladies is a great transition from the sophomoric lyrics heard on their debut but trade rock riffs for disco beats and a cowbell that even Christopher Walken could approve of. Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun shows you how good the rap/metal genre could be in the hands of real artists. And High Plain Drifters showed that rappers could slow things down and still be creditable. Shake Your Rump should be required be on the playlist of every house party. Or if you are lazy, you can just throw Paul's Boutique on and everyone will be happy.

I mean, really. This is one of the best albums of all time. No doubt.

I really can't say that I'm a big fan of industrial metal, but I can say that Rammstein isn't a band to pass up. Having heard Sehnsucht before this, I was a little sceptical. Sehnsucht was a okay album but it really didn't impress me much. This on the other hand did. From the first track to the last, I was in awe. It basically blew their next album (Sehnsucht) out of the water. I love the mix of some techno, industrial, and metal. Every song sounds different from the last, which is somewhat a rarity for me. I also love the lead vocalist's singing. It's very operatic. Every song is good, though I have to say Seamann is the best. I had never heard of a industrial ballet before this and thought it sounded ridiculas when my friend told me about it. Then I listened to it. I can describe it in one word: beautiful. This is just an awesome cd.

This is Rammstein's very first album ever released. I would consider it one of their best releases. The keyboard is much more dominant on this album than laters ones, and the guitar riffs are much harder as well. I would recommend this album for people who like Heavy Metal, Electronic, or Industrial Rock.

-Wollt ihr das Bett in Flammen sehen?-...8.5/10
This is a very heavy song and is good for an intro into the album.

-Der Meister-...9.5/10
I consider this one of the best songs on the album. Very heavy guitar riffs, and a very nice keyboard solo.

-Wei�es Fleisch-...9/10
Once again, very heavy guitar riffs on this song, a nice song altogether.

-Asche zu Asche-...9/10
Awesome keyboard solo on this song. This is probably the heaviest song on the album.

-Seemann-...10/10
This is my all time favorite Rammstein song. The song has a perfect bass guitar riff and Till sings softly throughout the song. At the chorus, the guitars are very heavy, and Till sings in his deep voice. This song also has very well-written lyrics.

-Du riechst so Gut-...9/10
One of the most famous songs from this album. Medium-heavy guitars and very well executed vocals. There is a very good guitar solo on this song as well.

-Das alte Leid-...8.5/10
Very slowly played song. This is one of Rammstein's first demo tracks (a.k.a. "Hallo Hallo"). Very good considering it was originally a demo.

-Heirate mich-...9/10
Very well-written song; I love the lyrics. Song is played semi-slow and speeds up at times. The keyboards sound somewhat like the Mission Impossible theme song. Very good song.

-Herzeleid-...9/10
The lyrics are sung very slowly in this song. This is also one of the heaviest songs on the album. Very Very nice keyboard solo on this track.

-Laichzeit-...8.5/10
The lyrics are sung semi-fast on this track; the lyrics are quite interesting as well. Not a bad song at all.

-Rammstein-...9.25/10
One of my album favorites. Starts off very slow, then the guitars rush in and play very heavy. This song is about the Ramstein air show disaster in Germany. There is also an awesome guitar solo in this track.

First off my cd cover is different, it only shows their heads and the rest is all white. I think that cover looks better but either way it's the same cd whichever cover you get. This is their first cd and it's the most raw and fast paced album that they've made. Wollt ihr.. is their best riff ever but the song goes on about a minute too long. Asche zu Asche has a great fast paced riff but it's not as heavy as I'd like but it still rocks. Seemann is a ballad that slows down the album but it does have some cool heavy sounding guitars throw in it here and their. Things pick up again with Du riechst ... which is another fast paced fast song with a great riff and beat. Herzeleid is slower but still heavy and the singer does the lyrics a word or 2 at a time and it has a nice keyboard solo. Heirate mich has a mediocre riff but it still works very well. Das Alte Leid is the strangest song here, it doesn't sound like the rest of the songs but it's still good. Rammstein is also slow but heavy and it took me a while to like it but I do. The other songs I didn't mention are also faced paced and good. This cd also has their best guitar solo's, they have a nice warpy feel to them Yes the lyrics are in German, which give it a great sound plus the singer doesn't sound that good singing in English. So if you're a fan or like fast paced music then you should buy this cd.

I'd say this is the best Guster album, with an overall listenable quality, a few stand-outs being "Happier," "Either way," "Two Points for Honesty," and "Fa Fa." But "Barrel of a Gun," "Center of Attention," and "All the Way up to Heaven" sort of spoil the whole mood. They're fun and nice, but not quite up to the rest of the songs on the album, which is why I'm giving it a four.

But it's nice, because there ARE stand-outs, as opposed to "Keep It Together," which was sort of disappointing in that aspect.

This is the only album I have ever voted 5 stars in my entire life. Guster is a great band, and this is the pinncale of their works. If you are new to Guster, THIS is the album to get!

See the other reviews, listen to the samples, and you will know THIS is the one Guster album that everyone should own!

The moment I heard the first track, "What You Wish For," I asked myself, why hadn't i ever tried this cd before??? I own Guster's newest effort, Keep It Together, but mostly for the first two tracks and a few in between i like. But this one - YOU CAN'T BEAT IT. It's just AMAZING. After "What You Wish For," there's "Barrel Of A Gun"...great track in general. But the next two songs, "Either Way" and "Fa Fa" are really exceptional. The latter of the two is the catchiest song EVER that i know i heard on a commercial at some point...it just draws you in, literally. and "Either Way", which i am listening to right at this moment, is a great relationship anthem. Really truthful and the harmonious efforts of the band are UNMATCHED. The next track after those two, "I Spy", has great bongo work, as do most of the tunes. Each song just brings you into Guster's little bongo-driven, pitch-perfect world. Their newest cds just can't beat this cd in catchy hooks, wicked awesome guitar, and quite a few falsetto tunes reminiscent of the Beach Boys and the more recent Jack Johnson. There are even tunes like "Happier," that combine some falsetto with deep pitches that can change in an instant. It's really quite amazing how they can keep their voices so in-check :)

GO AND BUY THIS ALBUM NOW!!! i guarentee you won't regret it =)

While I am a fan of every Jimmy Eat World album, Clarity is easily the most meaningful and sonically beautiful experience they have ever laid to tape. Originally released in 1999, J.E.W.'s Clarity helped lay the groundwork for many of the bands I enjoy today (for instance, just listen to "Your New Aesthetic" and tell me that Brand New's Jesse Lacey didn't have this album lying around while writing Deja Entendu). In my opinion, Clarity is one of the most underappreciated albums to be released within the last ten years as every aspect of this recording is near flawless. From the gorgeous vocal harmonies and melodies to the layered string sections, this album just exudes brilliance. Much time was spent in the studio perfecting every track and it shows as each song is an epic ride, taking the listener through various moods and emotions that are at times soothing and energetic.

"Table for Glasses" leads off the album and can only be described as a constant build. Beginning as a slow shoegazer, the song eventually launches into a wonderful vocal round sang by Adkins with harmonies provided by fellow guitarist Tom Linton. With Adkins' earnest plea of "lead my skeptic side," the listener is drawn into a glorious head rush of vocal harmonies, chugging guitars, and bell chimes that must be heard to truly understand. It is this opening song that sets the amazing mood and high standard for the entire album.

"Lucky Denver Mint" is a faster track with an almost "dancy" drumbeat that is contrasted by Adkins' slow and deliberate vocal delivery. The first single from the album, it is truly a shame that this great song fell on deaf ears when hitting the airwaves. "Believe in What You Want" features choppy guitar rhythms for the verses before delving into an unexpected time change in the chorus that works remarkably well. "Crush" is an all out rocker that provides great lyrics, a memorable chorus, and raw emotional lyrics from Adkins while "For Me This is Heaven" relies on string arrangements and acoustic guitars to deliver arguably the best song on the disc.

I could easily write a novella about Clarity, but it is the music on the album that speaks volumes. It can be argued that great art is often misunderstood and unappreciated when first presented, which was exactly the case with J.E.W. as they were dropped from Capitol Records after the release of this album. Everything about this work (from Mark Trombino's excellent production to the great lyrics and song structure) showcases J.E.W. at the top of their game. Those who appreciate great music will recognize the genius of this album while casual music fans will prefer the watered down sound of J.E.W.'s next self-titled album (originally Bleed American). Thus, I urge anyone who is only familiar with J.E.W.'s latter work to return to the time when they were not radio darlings, but a relatively small band who had much to prove.

I'm not going to explain the songs here. I'm not going to list the high points and low points of the album (as if there were such a thing). I'm simply going to say - I've had this album for a long time now, and when I first got it I was obsessed and worshipped every speaker it played from. I listened to it tonight for the first time in a while, and all I could do was cry.

Occassionally a song will make you cry. This is an album that does it effortlessly. If you are a person who is able to get truly lost in music - meaning closing your eyes, blocking the world out, and sinking into the sound, forgetting you are even human - then you need to get this album to understand the definition of ethereal.

Every once in a while, you come across an album that not only impresses you, but just really makes you feel grateful to be alive. Something that just makes the world that much better of a place, knowing that something like this exists. For me, "Clarity" is one of these albums. I enjoy every incarnation of Jimmy Eat World, from the raw, indie punk of the early days, to the more radio-friendly sound they've adopted more recently, but this album is where everything just really came together. "Clarity" is huge, daring, multi-layered, unpredictable, and just mesmerizingly beautiful.

Here, the band really pull out all the stops. As compared their later work, there are far few catchy hooks, instead opting for massive soundscapes, and sweeping melodies. However, that's not to say that there's no hook power to be found here, as the elegant power ballad "Lucky Denver Mint" (which was sort of a minor hit) boasts a strong, driving melody, and one of the band's best choruses. "Your New Aesthetic", the band's rousing protest against commercialism in music, toggles wildly between power pop hooks and crashing Fugazi-like riffs. "Blister" and "Crush" are fast, hard, punk rock anthems, adding a nice sense of variety to an otherwise melodic album.

But the real brilliance here lies foremost in the epic, sweeping ballads. "Table for Glasses" opens the album, with its achingly beautiful buildup, and jaw-dropping vocal harmonies. "Ten", "Just Watch the Fireworks", and "For Me This Is Heaven" (which are all in a row) are just about the most beautiful and heart-wrenching ballads you can hope to hear, and all three of them put together are nearly overwhelming. It really is just beyond words.

Elsewhere, there's plenty of other goodness as well. "Believe in What You Want" combines lurching, offbeat rhythms with a sweeping melodic chorus. "12-23-95" is an odd, electronic-tinged track, with sparse vocals, and a tastefully done minimalist arrangement, and the title track is fluffy and multi-layered.

Now, having gotten 12 tracks into this album, you may think, at this point, that it can't possibly get any better. But guess what? IT DOES! The closing track, "Goodbye Sky Harbor", is a massive, 16+ minute epic of pure freaking divinity. It starts off seemingly conventional, your typical indie rock type song, but soon, it moves into a gargantuan instrumental section that's nothing short of magical. Centered around a simple but entrancing guitar melody, the song slowly and gradually builds an incredible atmosphere. About halfway through, the band members start doing these amazing wordless vocal harmonies, slowly layering them more and more, finally leading into a cool electronic drum bit, and culminating in a dynamite ending. While not everyone might have the attention span for something like this (if you've only heard the newer stuff, you probably can't even imagine them doing such a song), I can't get enough of it. The most experimental, and amazing thing these guys have ever done.

You know, I sort of hate writing more detailed reviews for albums I like this much, because I know that whatever crap I rattle off won't even come close to doing the experience justice. If you really love beauty in music, you really need to hear this. In the final moments before my death, I want this to be the last album I ever hear, because the way this album makes me feel is exactly how I want to feel when I leave this world. Jimmy Eat World have that rare quality of being both poignant and uplifting at the same time, like a happy memory of a time in your life you wish would never end. I don't know how they did this, but I'm forever grateful that they did.

Highly recommended.

While I am a fan of every Jimmy Eat World album, Clarity is easily the most meaningful and sonically beautiful experience they have ever laid to tape. Originally released in 1999, J.E.W.'s Clarity helped lay the groundwork for many of the bands I enjoy today (for instance, just listen to "Your New Aesthetic" and tell me that Brand New's Jesse Lacey didn't have this album lying around while writing Deja Entendu). In my opinion, Clarity is one of the most underappreciated albums to be released within the last ten years as every aspect of this recording is near flawless. From the gorgeous vocal harmonies and melodies to the layered string sections, this album just exudes brilliance. Much time was spent in the studio perfecting every track and it shows as each song is an epic ride, taking the listener through various moods and emotions that are at times soothing and energetic.

"Table for Glasses" leads off the album and can only be described as a constant build. Beginning as a slow shoegazer, the song eventually launches into a wonderful vocal round sang by Adkins with harmonies provided by fellow guitarist Tom Linton. With Adkins' earnest plea of "lead my skeptic side," the listener is drawn into a glorious head rush of vocal harmonies, chugging guitars, and bell chimes that must be heard to truly understand. It is this opening song that sets the amazing mood and high standard for the entire album.

"Lucky Denver Mint" is a faster track with an almost "dancy" drumbeat that is contrasted by Adkins' slow and deliberate vocal delivery. The first single from the album, it is truly a shame that this great song fell on deaf ears when hitting the airwaves. "Believe in What You Want" features choppy guitar rhythms for the verses before delving into an unexpected time change in the chorus that works remarkably well. "Crush" is an all out rocker that provides great lyrics, a memorable chorus, and raw emotional lyrics from Adkins while "For Me This is Heaven" relies on string arrangements and acoustic guitars to deliver arguably the best song on the disc.

I could easily write a novella about Clarity, but it is the music on the album that speaks volumes. It can be argued that great art is often misunderstood and unappreciated when first presented, which was exactly the case with J.E.W. as they were dropped from Capitol Records after the release of this album. Everything about this work (from Mark Trombino's excellent production to the great lyrics and song structure) showcases J.E.W. at the top of their game. Those who appreciate great music will recognize the genius of this album while casual music fans will prefer the watered down sound of J.E.W.'s next self-titled album (originally Bleed American). Thus, I urge anyone who is only familiar with J.E.W.'s latter work to return to the time when they were not radio darlings, but a relatively small band who had much to prove.

I'm not going to explain the songs here. I'm not going to list the high points and low points of the album (as if there were such a thing). I'm simply going to say - I've had this album for a long time now, and when I first got it I was obsessed and worshipped every speaker it played from. I listened to it tonight for the first time in a while, and all I could do was cry.

Occassionally a song will make you cry. This is an album that does it effortlessly. If you are a person who is able to get truly lost in music - meaning closing your eyes, blocking the world out, and sinking into the sound, forgetting you are even human - then you need to get this album to understand the definition of ethereal.

Every once in a while, you come across an album that not only impresses you, but just really makes you feel grateful to be alive. Something that just makes the world that much better of a place, knowing that something like this exists. For me, "Clarity" is one of these albums. I enjoy every incarnation of Jimmy Eat World, from the raw, indie punk of the early days, to the more radio-friendly sound they've adopted more recently, but this album is where everything just really came together. "Clarity" is huge, daring, multi-layered, unpredictable, and just mesmerizingly beautiful.

Here, the band really pull out all the stops. As compared their later work, there are far few catchy hooks, instead opting for massive soundscapes, and sweeping melodies. However, that's not to say that there's no hook power to be found here, as the elegant power ballad "Lucky Denver Mint" (which was sort of a minor hit) boasts a strong, driving melody, and one of the band's best choruses. "Your New Aesthetic", the band's rousing protest against commercialism in music, toggles wildly between power pop hooks and crashing Fugazi-like riffs. "Blister" and "Crush" are fast, hard, punk rock anthems, adding a nice sense of variety to an otherwise melodic album.

But the real brilliance here lies foremost in the epic, sweeping ballads. "Table for Glasses" opens the album, with its achingly beautiful buildup, and jaw-dropping vocal harmonies. "Ten", "Just Watch the Fireworks", and "For Me This Is Heaven" (which are all in a row) are just about the most beautiful and heart-wrenching ballads you can hope to hear, and all three of them put together are nearly overwhelming. It really is just beyond words.

Elsewhere, there's plenty of other goodness as well. "Believe in What You Want" combines lurching, offbeat rhythms with a sweeping melodic chorus. "12-23-95" is an odd, electronic-tinged track, with sparse vocals, and a tastefully done minimalist arrangement, and the title track is fluffy and multi-layered.

Now, having gotten 12 tracks into this album, you may think, at this point, that it can't possibly get any better. But guess what? IT DOES! The closing track, "Goodbye Sky Harbor", is a massive, 16+ minute epic of pure freaking divinity. It starts off seemingly conventional, your typical indie rock type song, but soon, it moves into a gargantuan instrumental section that's nothing short of magical. Centered around a simple but entrancing guitar melody, the song slowly and gradually builds an incredible atmosphere. About halfway through, the band members start doing these amazing wordless vocal harmonies, slowly layering them more and more, finally leading into a cool electronic drum bit, and culminating in a dynamite ending. While not everyone might have the attention span for something like this (if you've only heard the newer stuff, you probably can't even imagine them doing such a song), I can't get enough of it. The most experimental, and amazing thing these guys have ever done.

You know, I sort of hate writing more detailed reviews for albums I like this much, because I know that whatever crap I rattle off won't even come close to doing the experience justice. If you really love beauty in music, you really need to hear this. In the final moments before my death, I want this to be the last album I ever hear, because the way this album makes me feel is exactly how I want to feel when I leave this world. Jimmy Eat World have that rare quality of being both poignant and uplifting at the same time, like a happy memory of a time in your life you wish would never end. I don't know how they did this, but I'm forever grateful that they did.

Highly recommended.

When Roadrunner Records first started out, there were a handfull of bands that kept the label rolling, and while this compilation has a few good moments, it misses the mark for the most part. Sure, Slipknot helped catapault Roadrunner to superstar record label status, but they don't belong on here, and neither does lead singer Corey Taylor's Stone Sour band either. Of all the Sepultura songs that could be included on here, they picked "Roots Bloody Roots", which was the band's only real hit. Anything from "Beneath the Remains", "Arise", or "Chaos A.D." would have been a better selection. Coal Chamber and Killswitch Engage helped find the label success as well, but they don't belong on here either, and neither does Max Cavalera's Soulfly. Not to mention that material from Fear Factory and Type O Negative should have been from their debut albums, instead of the more recent hits. Thankfully, someone remembered the band's that made Roadrunner a force to be reckoned with at one time: Deicide, King Diamond, Life of Agony, Obituary, and Nailbomb; but where is Mercyful Fate, Death, and Biohazard? Who knows, but for everything this compilation does wrong, it does a lot right. Thankfully they decided not to include any tracks from Nickelback.

This is a great cd Ididn't expect much from.I bought it for 4.99
at my fav record store.here are the best tunes and why i chose
them.
1. Fear Factory-Replica.Fear Factory kick ass and this is one of
their best songs.Never slow and always crunchy and heavy
2.Killswitch Engage-In the Unblind.KSE kick the sh@t out of every
one,I like Howard Jones,But Jesse was the man.
3.Sepultura-Roots Bloody Roots.A classic tribal/metal tune from
the Calvera brothers and co.
4.Chimaira-Fascination St.Melodic and relentless at times.GREAT.
5.Decide-.Got to have some all out death once in a while.
Well those are stand outs the rest are good though.

this incredible album is a compilation of artist from roadrunner records back in 2003! i highly recomend this cd to anyone who is or has become interested in metal. the heart of roadrunner records compilation has a very very VERY good selection of talented artist new and old.
and about a half of the songs are exclusive, like the remix of "spit it out" by slipknot and "unreal" by ill nino. it also includes the cover of the cures dark "fascination street" by chimara, which is actually pretty good even though its about 5 minutes long. the classic song "roots bloody roots" by sepultura is very catchy song and was a great way to kick of this cd. what i enjoyed the most on this compilation though was the song "brujeria" by brujerizmo! which is a very unique mexican heavy metal band. during the song "dead by dawn" by deicide they scream like frogs croaking, which is interesting i guess... i like all of the other songs to although i am sort of disapointed by the soulfly song because its kind of retarded and anoying, it sounds more punk rockish and is only a minute and 30 seconds long. but the song i really hate is the song "abigail" by king diamond. the guy screams like a little girl, its sounds really anoying. but other than that this is a great compilation and the inserts include long list of roadrunner artist during 2003 and small portrates of all the bands on the inside cover except Nailbomb and Brujerizmo. o'yeah song number 3, "In the unblind" is by Killswitch Engage!

So I read some reviews, and basically everyone who was a calling lover liked this, and others thought it sucked. Well I have to say "Wherever You Will Go" is pretty much the only song I like of Camino Palmero (there older CD), but I love everything on this album. I think it is definitely their best. "Our Lives" and "Dreaming in Red" are my two favorite. At least for now, this is my favorite CD. I listen to it probably as much as my other 30 or so combined. The lyrics are really good, and they are definitely musically talented. That's hard to find nowadays.

I enjoyed The Calling's first album and bought their second album expecting it to be good. I was amazed at how incredible this album turned out to be. I truly enjoy this album and consider it one of my favorites and would recommend this album to anyone.

wow people are you feeling this? this is a great day for music....are you with me? i'm excited, so excited for this album. it is simply one of the greastest musical works ever. i wish i could give it 10,000 stars instead of just 5. wow, this is a great day people. one day you'll look back at this day and say wow, this really was a great day. i was never the same after this day. after hearing this album i was never the same. i was changed forever after this amazing day, thanks to the calling. this album has power, and musical genious behind it. are you with me? this is a great day for music....

arrived in good condition, cd is in perfect shape. I love her style of music and this cd is one of her best. Thanks for many hours of music bliss.

I am of Scotish descent. I look for my countryman's music and cherish it. When I discovered Loreena I was awestruck - I saw her on a PBS special and could not get my pen out fast enough to write down her name. As soon thereafter as possible I was out to the music stores looking for her. I bought everything I could get my hands on! Her music is timeless (and some songs have the pipes which just reach into my Scotish heart and make me cry - love them!). Her voice makes me weep too - it is the most beautiful voice, the clarity - aw. I also bellydance as a hobby and for exercise and found many of her boisterous songs to be quite satisfactory for that - especially with the drums and all! She makes you dance, makes you weep, makes you dream, makes you think. It is such an experience. Nothing like it exists! Love, Love, Love, Loreena!

I am by no means an expert on Loreena McKennitt's works. I own just this album and her most popular album The Book of Secrets. Although The Book of Secrets made Ms. McKennitt popular because of the song The Mummer's Dance, which received air play on even some popular music stations, The Visit contains some wonderful songs.

All Souls Night is a quick song about the ancient Celtic holiday Samhain. The pagans believed that on October 31st, the last day of summer, the spirits of the dead wandered the landscape looking for bodies to inhabit. The living lit bonfires, sang songs, and dressed in scary costumes to frighten away the dead. If you let your mind wander, this song can almost transport you to ancient Ireland. Historians know so little for certain about ancient pagan beliefs, McKennitt's well-studied songs and lyrics help bring this lost culture back to life.

The Lady of Shalott is the masterpiece of this album. Adapted from the poem by Alfred Tennyson, McKennitt sets it to music and brings the poem to life. Over 11 minutes long, McKennitt deleted hardly a word of the original poem, yet the music and intonation rivet the listener's attention. The poem is about a spirit or elfish woman drawn to the ancient mythical city of Camelot by the beauty of the castle and Sir Lancelot. Even the way McKennitt pronounces the word Camelot in the song conveys the sacred nature of this most important legend in English mythology. The poem and the song will touch your heart. For me, as I watch modern England quickly losing it's historic culture, this song serves as a reminder of the England that once was.

McKennitt adapts another long poem from English Literature in her later album The Book of Secrets. McKennit faithfully puts the word of Alfred Noyes' The Highwayman into a heart-wrenching song. Again, over 10 minutes long, this is a formula McKennitt does very well.

If I had to choose just one album by Loreena McKennitt, it would be The Book of Secrets. But it would be a cruel choice to have to make. I look forward to someday owning all of her works and anxiously await her next recording.

arrived in good condition, cd is in perfect shape. I love her style of music and this cd is one of her best. Thanks for many hours of music bliss.

I am of Scotish descent. I look for my countryman's music and cherish it. When I discovered Loreena I was awestruck - I saw her on a PBS special and could not get my pen out fast enough to write down her name. As soon thereafter as possible I was out to the music stores looking for her. I bought everything I could get my hands on! Her music is timeless (and some songs have the pipes which just reach into my Scotish heart and make me cry - love them!). Her voice makes me weep too - it is the most beautiful voice, the clarity - aw. I also bellydance as a hobby and for exercise and found many of her boisterous songs to be quite satisfactory for that - especially with the drums and all! She makes you dance, makes you weep, makes you dream, makes you think. It is such an experience. Nothing like it exists! Love, Love, Love, Loreena!

I am by no means an expert on Loreena McKennitt's works. I own just this album and her most popular album The Book of Secrets. Although The Book of Secrets made Ms. McKennitt popular because of the song The Mummer's Dance, which received air play on even some popular music stations, The Visit contains some wonderful songs.

All Souls Night is a quick song about the ancient Celtic holiday Samhain. The pagans believed that on October 31st, the last day of summer, the spirits of the dead wandered the landscape looking for bodies to inhabit. The living lit bonfires, sang songs, and dressed in scary costumes to frighten away the dead. If you let your mind wander, this song can almost transport you to ancient Ireland. Historians know so little for certain about ancient pagan beliefs, McKennitt's well-studied songs and lyrics help bring this lost culture back to life.

The Lady of Shalott is the masterpiece of this album. Adapted from the poem by Alfred Tennyson, McKennitt sets it to music and brings the poem to life. Over 11 minutes long, McKennitt deleted hardly a word of the original poem, yet the music and intonation rivet the listener's attention. The poem is about a spirit or elfish woman drawn to the ancient mythical city of Camelot by the beauty of the castle and Sir Lancelot. Even the way McKennitt pronounces the word Camelot in the song conveys the sacred nature of this most important legend in English mythology. The poem and the song will touch your heart. For me, as I watch modern England quickly losing it's historic culture, this song serves as a reminder of the England that once was.

McKennitt adapts another long poem from English Literature in her later album The Book of Secrets. McKennit faithfully puts the word of Alfred Noyes' The Highwayman into a heart-wrenching song. Again, over 10 minutes long, this is a formula McKennitt does very well.

If I had to choose just one album by Loreena McKennitt, it would be The Book of Secrets. But it would be a cruel choice to have to make. I look forward to someday owning all of her works and anxiously await her next recording.

Read the other reviews. I'm not going to repeat stuff. I will say that Cake is great! I own all 5 albums and there is not one song on any of them that I do not like. In fact, after 2 listens of any of the albums and you'll swore they're old classics!

From one of the best bands ever. LOVE THIS BAND.

I bought every Cake CD within the span of a few weeks after I finally got hooked by "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" from Comfort Eagle. For a long time, Comfort Eagle was my favorite Cake album. The problem is, ask me on any given day now and it'd probably be a toss-up between Fashion Nugget, Prolonging the Magic and Comfort Eagle.

The fact is that Cake has never released a dud. Their first album suffers in quality, but considering they were unknowns at the time, one can't blame them for working on a shoestring budget. The music is still great.

At the end of the day, I find myself coming back to Fashion Nugget again and again. The big single on this album, "The Distance" is, in my opinion, one of the weaker songs. That's saying a lot. Check out Frank Sinatra, Friend is a Four Letter Word, and Daria for a small glimpse into the genius that is Cake. The lyrical imagery and their catchy melodies quietly wrap themselves around your brain. They are certainly the masters of making more out of less.

If you ever get a chance to go see Cake live, do it. Watch everybody sing the lyrics to every song. It's a great experience. If you've heard their typical radio fare (Rock 'N Roll Lifestyle, The Distance, Never There, and Short Skirt) and have been even mildly interested, you owe it to yourself to go buy Fasion Nugget. You'll soon find yourself owning all of their releases. As a good friend of mine would say, "Trust me".