Indie Miscellaneous Music

Tom Barabas has done an amazing job choosing these classical pieces and performing them with his naturally soothing touch. His own composition (first track on the album) matches the quality of the great classical masters (Bach, Beethoven, Motzart, etc.) showing him to be the musical genius he is. When one listens to standard classical pieces, there are always big bombastic surprises in the middle, disrupting the overall peaceful experience. In CLASSICAL HEALING, you will not be surprised by unwanted excitement and instead can confidently use this album for massage, body work, and even meditation. It really succeeds in creating a healing space.

If relaxing is naturally healing to our bodies, minds, and spirits, this CD does exactly that.

... are two words that perfectly describe the music on this cd. Tom Barabas outdid himself on this one. I have a habit of playing good music before retiring to bed each night in order to calm myself and clear my head and this is now my current favorite. Can't say enough about the lovely piano renditions of classical favorites. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed!

I saw The New Standards perform at Orchestra Hall, and was throughly impressed. I can't say why this concept works so well, other than these musicians, but it does. REALLY WELL. It's not just a good novelty act...
well beyond that.

That night, among the classic songs they covered was the Stone's Wild Horses. It was done in New Standards "sound", but with the right mood, and heartfelt respect the song deserves.

You have to see them live, to understand what I mean.

I saw them live, and was just knocked out. The disc is equally impressive and completely contagious. Just listen to it. You'll find yourself grooving on an arrangement, and suggenly discover you are listening to a TRex tune reinterpreted by the boys.

Amazing.

Get it. Tell your friends. Tell the band to record more discs.

I can't get enough of this disc! Chan Poling, John Munson and Steve Roeh cover a variety of songs on this disc, from "Inch Worm" to "The New Pollution", from David Bowie to Blur. They sing and play their hearts out on each song making it their own, this is the way these songs were meant to be, better than the originals, or maybe the new originals.

The South Shore Concert Band does a nice job on this album of sounding more like a circus than a concert band, and of playing this very difficult material at extremely rapid tempos in some cases, but also taking some numbers at a slower beat, to provide contrast. Unfortuately, there are almost no liner notes, and the nice pictures from the Circus World Museum at Baraboo, WI are the same on all of the first several albums in this series, except for the one on each cover.

Appropriately enough, over half of the selections on this CD are by Karl King, including his most famous composition, Barnum and Bailey's Favorite (which has possibly been recorded even more than Stars and Stripes Forever), four other "King standards", Sells-Floto Triumphal, Ponderoso, New Madison Square Garden, and Invictus, and some lesser-known marches. Appropriate, since King wrote more marches than any other American composer, around 175, including several galops (marches played at one beat to the measure; in other words, extemely fast, to be played typically for fast-paced circus acts), and a few marches written under the nom de plume Carl Lawrence. About 75 of these marches are still published, and 50 are included in this 18 volume series of circus music. He also wrote many waltzes, overtures, and desciptive pieces.

Karl King (1891-1971), grew up in various cities in Ohio, and lived most of his life in the midwest. He studied music from an early age, playing the baritone and having his first compositions published by the age of seventeen. He began playing with circus bands at nineteen for the next four years, after which he became the bandmaster of the Sells-Floto and Buffalo Bill Combined Shows (1914-16), and Barnum and Bailey Circus (1917-18). Unlike other band leaders, most notably John Philip Sousa, who chose to pursue high-profile careers, King then settled in the "backwater" of Fort Dodge, Iowa, where he lived the remaining fifty three years of his life, leading the Fort Dodge Municipal Band and running a successful music publishing business. He was truly one of the finest writers of circus music, and marches in general, that this country has ever produced.

I recommend this album for anyone who enjoys music from the Big Top.

Surprisingly enough, this recording made me sleepy right away. The melody is very slow and pleasing. The sound put me into an almost trance like state. One of the two melodies includes the sound of crickets which adds to the feeling of night-time which makes you sleepy. The other melody has the sound of ocean waves coming in and rolling back. It's easy to hear those waves and imagine yourself laying in front of an open window in your beach house and hearing those waves during the night. How lovely that would be---if it were true!

I got this CD for free with a purchase of some yoga equipment. It sat on the shelf for a while and one evening, while having dinner, I decided to put it on for background music. It has some sounds I wouldn't have expected (cricket noise, etc) but after a while listening to it, both my husband and I were more relaxed and I was feeling a bit drowsy. The funny thing is even our pets (a dog and a cat) seemed to be sleepy. I have used it a couple of times to help me relax before bedtime and it has always helped. I have not used it while I sleep but a friend of mine who has sleeping problems did borrow it and absolutely loved it!...now she has her own cd and takes it everywhere with her. If you have problems sleeping, or relaxing enough before bedtime, give it a try, you won't be dissapointed!

I really wanted this recording to help me achieve deep sleep, and before using it I felt confident that it would. Unfortunately, after having this disc on during the past three nights I must report that it has not affected my sleeping patterns at all. I continue to sleep rather lightly, occasionally waking, and feeling tired and unrefreshed in the morning. Perhaps this recording has been beneficial for some, but don't expect it to be a guaranteed panacea for your sleeping problems. Most cable and satellite broadcast companies have a variety of music channels available, and I strongly suggest that you try leaving a New Age channel on at a low volume when you go to sleep; that will probably be every bit as helpful as this disc.

There are many, many, nature sounds CDs in my collection, so I thought I would give this a try to help me with my occasional sleep problems. Very nice results. You can count on it.
I recently took it on a trip to Hawaii and a great way to unwind after a long day of hiking and shopping. Nice lavender bath is perfect with this...

I bought this CD along with the Classical, Ambient and Soothing of this series. Of these four, the Natural is my favorite. Due to some family stresses I had started having problems getting to sleep, staying asleep wasn't an issue. I have a CD radio alarm clock that will repeat so I use it, it's right beside the bed. Since I never get to the second track from the beginning, I now and then start with track two. I tried to rotate the four CDs but seem to come back to this one as the favorite.

I like that there are not birds squawking at you. Don't get me wrong, I love birds, have two parrots and feed the wild birds every day...but at night I don't want random screeches interrupting my attempts at peace.

Have to travel for work this fall and plan to take this CD with me.

This compact disc is a very beautiful compilation. It is very relaxing, taking opera to a new level. Also, great to listen to driving home from work. An escape from the grind of work. Very beautiful recommended for anyone who loves trance music and a kick of opera. It is great to dance to in your workout!!!

I have listened to this CD more times than I can remember. I love the upbeat combined with the opera. Very beautiful music and a kick to listen to. You gotta try this CD.

I bought this CD before it was even well-known, though I wonder how many people even know about it right now. This is truly a gem of a find. The fusion of electronica and opera is amazing and the vocals are haunting and beautiful. I have had several friends listen to this CD and all of them fall in love with it, just like I did when I first heard it. I have since bought Operatica: Shine and the more recent Operatica: Christmas Classics and I can truly say I am just as pleased with both follow-up albums. I listen to a variety of music and have a large collection, and this is one of my favourite CDs! Bravo to the creators, composers, vocalist(s) and artists that brought this compilation together.

First few songs are good, but the rest of the album is no good!

I have this album and think it is unusually beautiful, innovative, a woman with a lovely voice.

Why is she not mentioned or given the credit she deserves, it would appear she is some kind of a secret!

Maureen O'Flynn is only mentioned in the booklet of credits in the jewel case itself, why?
Enter her name in the search in CDNOW and it comes up blank! Why?

This CD is great, my son Noah and I listen to it in the car and although he is only 12 months he gets excited when I turn it on.

Andrea

Jim is one of those musicians who creates from the humming tuning fork of his body. Harmonic Resonance is very organic and fluid, and I found it to be very relaxing. This CD brings long minutes of inner peace.

I bought this in a 4 CD set by various artists.
This CD was the best one in the set.
I've had it for over 10 years and still listen to it regularly.

I never tire of this CD. I've had it since 1995 and still play it often. I find it relaxes my nerves and calms my anxiety. I play it often when meditating or prior to anxiety-prone situations.

Of all the music I have used and have listened to, for using during my Reiki sessions, this is by far my favorite. Serene liquid light! I set the CD player to Repeat-All and let it play! All too often, Reiki CD's seem to be a tad jumpy, a bit jarring, tho of the 'new age' ilk...this CD allows the mind to wander where it will, where the Reiki treatment takes it, instead of 'dictating' where the mind will go...It lifts the mind and lets it float, instead of jerking or slinging it around. Obviously Mr Oliver understands both Music and Reiki. Buy it, you'll like it! I'm buying my second copy for a backup!

It's not Christmas without John Prine's Christmas Album playing. This is one of his best, and it is hard to find.

As much as I love John Prine, this one is for completists only: live versions of a few originals and a couple of holiday tunes. Short, too: EP length

I've struggled with this critical citation much longer than most, over the last few months this disc has turned thru at least a couple dozen times, and I'm still on the fence for words. I suppose the artist shared simular sensations while songsmithing his seasonal sleigh ride, a unquie sincerity is reflected throughout. I suppose EVERYTHING IS COOL,in this small package there's instru-tinsel, YULEridGEMality, liveness, curious narration & banter, twists-n-tweaks,and merry-medley maneuvering.~~~Merrily Mix~~~ 1$1\2, 2$, 3#1\2, 6#1\2, 7#, and 8#1\2 ~~~Post Script: If the artist is new to you, seek YULEtide elsewhere first. Yet if you're fondly familar, take the purchase plunge and click this disc into the chart, hey man it's Christmas and its' From John To you. ***buyit,saveit*sharemost*givetofans*** YULEridGEMality Factor = 5 1\2

"A John Prine Chirstmas" . . . yes, it IS a Christmas album . . . but yes, i listen to this album "year 'round". It is classic John Prine, and the seasonal holiday leaning of it's themes in no way stand in the way of all year listening and enjoyment of these great songs and great "Prine performances".

From the very first note of the very first track, "Everything Is Cool" . . . you just know that for the duration of this album's play, everything IS cool. (and it is one of the best songs John Prine has ever written at that.)

"All The Best" is a slightly comic look at a "broken relationship" and wishing the other "all the best" nonetheless. One can't picture John Prine with any other ciew on life, even when life doesn't go the way we'd have liked it to go.

"Silent Night All Day long" is a christmas card in music and lyric . . . it just paints a beautiful nostalgic holiday card picture of two lovers memories of christmas together. a little melancholy, a little tinge of sadness of the past, and a lot of beauty - another og John's best.

"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause" will just break you up in a smile and then into outright laughter -- "i saw mommy kissing Santa Clause . . .ON THE LIPS!" John laughs in mock shock!

"Christmas In Prison" is a live version of an early John Prine song. It describes the isolation and loneliness of celebrating Christmas for those locked behind prison walls and bars. Like the late great Johnny Cash, John Prine seems to catch hold of a glimpse of a soul's thoughts and feelings in such isolated circumstances. This is a truly great song by john Prine.

John Ends this Christmas tour de force with a story of "A John Prine Christmas" . . . suffice it to say that he concludes this account with an acordion solo of "The Lichtenstein Polka"! ha! . . . a tribute to his childhood memories of Christmases past no doubt.

Even if you don't have the "Christmas Spirit", get this album . . you'll love it . .and enjoy it all through the year . . and it WILL be Christmas All Year Long!

Thank you John Prine for all the great songs and smiles you have brought to us . . and we always look forward to many more . . . and this "A John Prine Christmas" cd will bring me smiles for a long long time to come. :)

OK, so at least one song has nothing to do with Christmas ("If You Were the Woman and I Was the Man), although it's a beautiful song. And in one, he mentions Christmas in the intro only ("All the Best"). And one mentions Christmas in the song, but is arguably not a Christmas song ("Everything is Cool"). And there are only eight total tracks on the whole thing. But this is taking it's place very close to "Phil Spector's Christmas Album" as my all-time favorite.

John Prine is also very close to Bob Dylan in my eyes for title of all-time best songwriter. His quirky use of making us look at the meanings of words a little differently has always mesmerized me. A good example is in the best original Christmas song here "Silent Night All Day Long". Just looking at the title is a good example of this. It is the closing line of a very moving chorus of a song that would be a modern classic if radio programmers had any sense.

He also throws in a few traditional songs, "Silver Bells" and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus", the latter being done with a rollicking saloon piano in the background. Of course we get his immortal "Chrismas in Prison", and who thought THAT song would ever appear on a Christmas album? The closing monologue is touching, and has a surprise ending that, once again, may not be traditionally Christmas, but somehow fits and leaves you with a good feeling.

This album gets more likeable each time you listen to it.

I really like Broadway music so this is the BEST!!!!!!
I let someone else borrow this to listen at her house--She liked it also

So I'll admit that I purchased this album simply because of the fact that David Lynch(and don't forget his absolutly amazing partner is soundscape,John Neff)was involved,and also after reading the reviews here on amazon.I got EXACTLY what I expected,turned up a notch!This is the type of synth work I can honestly say doesn't sound much like synth at all,and it fits perfectly as a puzzle peice into this work.I like the two non-vocal tracks;the first(Flame and Vision) is a stupenous introduction to the music,lighting the fuse of this slow-burning masterpeice.The second would be a bit off-putting if the precise clarity of the swords wasn't as evident;one definate plus to having a film-maker with Lynch's expertise aboard to lend his fine-tuned ear.Ms. montgomery's performances of the Von Bingen classics can be summed up as subdued,yet magnificently triumphant! She is right up to par with such greats as Dawn Upshaw,Azam Ali(haven't heard that one,eh?DO NOT HESITATE to investigate this very talented new voice!),Jennifer Charles,Gigi,you name it.The manner in which she eases into uplifting(but not over-the-top)shows experience beyond her years,indeed.I cannot understand why so many "midevil"and"naturalist" individuals have refered to the album as a slap-in-the-face to their respective genre,the synths are barely existant! All I can tell you is that if I could only bring three albums to a campfire in the wilderness sitting by myself,I'd instantly choose this classic,Buckethead's "Electric Tears",and the Kronos Quartet's "Salome:Dances for Peace"(although "Black Angels" would also be tempting).

'Lux Vivens' (Living Light) is nothing less than a mystical journey into the medieval spirituality and soul of Hildegard von Bingen. Performed by Jocelyn Montgomery who possesses a voice worthy of a solo position in the heavenly choir, you will be entranced by this beautiful -15 track- CD's exploration of Hildegard's interior world.

With limited instrumentation, Jocelyn is accompanied by the sounds of nature as provided by David Lynch; gentle rain, storm and thunder and birds chirping in the trees. One track even includes the sound of charging horses and swords clashing.

A great way to unwind at the end of the day, or prepare oneself for a spiritual respite in the middle of the everyday madness.

Sure, Miranda Sex Garden was a wonderful group who delivered their music with a sly wink. Not so Jocelyn Montgomery & David Lynch with Lux Vivens. Hildegard was a genius, mystic & the founder of a spiritually & politically powerful abbey. Her music, while complex in expression, is composed to be sung with unadorned simplicity. If this music is performed outdoors where bells are ringing & birds are chirping, that's ambient sound. Here it just gets in the way. If this is where you first encounter Hildegard of Bingen, that's great. But do move on to the recording that began it all, "A Feather on the Breath of God," featuring Emma Kirby, a musician who specializes in early music & who probably inspired Montgomery to form a group like Miranda Sex Garden in the first place.

Lynch's musical concepts are showcased best on the Twin Peaks soundtrack & the ethereal Julie Cruise album, "Floating Into the Night."

Bob Rixon

I'm a pagan, but I can hear in this music something very special that transcends all the horror the RC church has visited on this planet. But the RCs have a very quirky history, especially when it comes to their "mystics". Indeed, a great many of the Catholic saints and mystics are ecclesiastical and hyper-dimensional enough to impress a nature-worshipper like me. The purity doesn't need a label. This particular version of von Bingen is a stroke of luck in that a modernist like David Lynch can actually climb out of his absurdist, Samuel Beckett-esque toilet long enough to do something that approaches this delicacy and sublimity. Still, seeing a Lynch film and listening to this CD is mental whiplash. I consider 2 pieces on this CD to be some of the best music I've ever encountered: "Viridissima" and "Clarissima". Especially "Clarissima". If I could only have one CD worth of music, Montgomery's "Clarissima" would be on it.

I love this CD. It's so enrapturing and beautiful. Unlike the Enigma stuff, which is filled with cheesy drum beats, "Lux Vivens" is just Jocelyn's amazing voice combined with moody music and some sound effects (by David Lynch no less!). The result is absolutely brilliant. My only gripe with this CD is that there should have been more music. I never wanted the CD to end.

BTW, "Lux Vivens" was made in 1998. Where's Jocelyn's follow-up CD?