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Classical, Electronica, & New Age Individual Tracks (CD's) Music & Radio Shows

CHILDREN – ORIGINAL VERSION (by Robert Miles: Dreamland)

SUMMARY:                                RUNNING TIME: 6:19 Min.

For his 1996 dance-electronica album, Dreamland, composer-musician Robert Cocina (aka Robert Miles) performs this instrumental (Track # 10) in an expansion of its radio form.  The track’s intro combines electronica with what faintly sounds like chirping seagulls. 

Notes: The four-minute radio version of “Children” appears on the compilation album, Ultimate Dance Party 1997, Volume 1.  Yet, the closest approximation on Dreamland to the radio version is Track # 1’s expanded ‘dream’ variant (running time of 7:04).   

REVIEW:

Building up slower to a consistent beat, this interpretation of “Children” has a completely different tone.  By the album’s high-energy standards, it’s actually one of Dreamland’s few subdued tunes.  The melody is fine … but, with a six-plus minute running time, this track may grow tiresome.  Specifically, Miles just repeats the same beats over and over, with occasional sound effects thrown in for good measure.  Though it’s longer, Track # 1’s ‘dream’ variant, which is straight-up electronica/dance, is a far better bet for an adrenaline-pumping workout playlist.  The unimaginative “Children (Original Version)” could be used for aerobic workouts, too, but it’s probably best-utilized for a winding-down stretch.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:             5½ Stars

Categories
Individual Tracks (CD's) Music & Radio Shows Rock, R&B, Pop, Soul, & Metal/Symphonic Soundtracks (CD's) Soundtracks (Digital)

IT’S RAINING MEN {Cover} (by Geri Halliwell: Bridget Jones’s Diary movie soundtrack)

SUMMARY:                                 RUNNING TIME: 4:14 Min.

Covering The Weather Girls’ 1982 disco hit, Spice Girl Geri Halliwell performed this tune for 2001’s Bridget Jones’ s Diary movie soundtrack.

REVIEW:

While The Weather Girls’ vibrant original version is bright and sunny – Geri Halliwell, though faithful to the song’s melody, opts for something closer to scorching.  Her performance impressively kicks this exuberant dance song up a few notches.  Whether it’s for workouts or dance playlists, this guilty pleasure song is simply dynamite.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:               8 Stars

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Categories
Individual Tracks (CD's) Music & Radio Shows Rock, R&B, Pop, Soul, & Metal/Symphonic Soundtracks (CD's) Soundtracks (Digital)

HAVE YOU MET MISS JONES? {Cover} (by Robbie Williams: Bridget Jones’s Diary movie soundtrack)

SUMMARY:                              RUNNING TIME: 2:33 Min.

The original Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart relic dates clear back to 1937.  British performer Robbie Williams covers this romantic show tune for 2001’s Bridget Jones’s Diary movie soundtrack.

REVIEW:

Going into full-on, old-school Sinatra mode, Robbie Williams delivers a swing jazz-pop show-stopper.  With ideal big band support, Williams transforms this song into an exuberant gem. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:        8 Stars

Note: Williams goes two-for-two with the wonderful “Not of This Earth” (which he co-wrote) for the same soundtrack.

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Categories
Individual Tracks (CD's) Music & Radio Shows Rock, R&B, Pop, Soul, & Metal/Symphonic Soundtracks (CD's)

ONE OF US {Cover} (by Amanda Seyfried & Dominic Cooper: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again movie soundtrack)

SUMMARY:                            RUNNING TIME: 3:45 Min.

For the 2018 sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Amanda Seyfried duets with co-star Dominic Cooper on this cover of the vintage ABBA hit.

REVIEW:

Benefiting from a sparkling melody, Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper demonstrate great vocal chemistry on this tune.  To some degree, this track is unfairly overshadowed by other tunes off the same album.  As heard on “One of Us,”  there’s no question that Amanda Seyfried’s voice sounds just as stellar as co-star Lily James.  To Dominic Cooper’s credit, he holds his own with Seyfried.  This underrated duet is definitely worth consideration as a download. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:               8 Stars

Note: This tune benefits from a better pop melody than Seyfried & Cooper’s “Lay All Your Love on Me” duet on 2008’s Mamma Mia! soundtrack.

Categories
Individual Tracks (CD's) Music & Radio Shows Rock, R&B, Pop, Soul, & Metal/Symphonic

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW {Cover} (by Kimberley Locke: One Love)

SUMMARY:                         RUNNING TIME: 4:31 Min.

As the finale of her 2003 One Love album, American Idol alum Kimberley Locke covers this pop standard dating back to Judy Garland in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz.      

REVIEW:

Re-imagined with a contemporary R&B beat, the magic of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” works for Kimberley Locke.  Supported by a spot-on choir, the underrated Locke sounds terrific.  Though it isn’t surprising this track is reminiscent of an American Idol semi-finals/finals-style performance, Locke still imbues this overdone standard with a classy update.  It’s well worth considering as a download option for jazzy R&B playlists.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:         8 Stars

Categories
Classical, Electronica, & New Age Individual Tracks (CD's) Music & Radio Shows Soundtracks (CD's) STAR TREK-Related

STAR TREK: THE CAGE {Cover – Suite} (by Erich Kunzel & The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra: Symphonic Star Trek)

SUMMARY:                            RUNNING TIME: 7:33 Min.

First recorded for Star Trek’s unsold first pilot, “The Cage,” in 1965, the Alexander Courage themes contained in this suite can be heard in Star Trek’s first-season two-parter, “The Menagerie, Parts I & II” in 1966.  Specifically, the suite helps narrate U.S.S. Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike’s (Jeffery Hunter) illusionary ordeal on the planet, Talos IV.  This specific suite was recorded by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra for 1996’s Symphonic Star Trek instrumental album.   

REVIEW:

The rejected “Cage” was reportedly deemed far too ‘cerebral’ by NBC television executives.  Listening to this somewhat haunting suite, one can grasp why its unusual sound would have been far ahead of its time for 1965 American television.  This “Cage” blends Star Trek’s original theme with classy instrumental flavors shifting from exotic to mysterious while still anchored to a sense of sci-fi/fantasy.  Ethereally replicated by Erich Kunzel & the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, this rare track is a keepsake, not for only long-time Star Trek fans, but for any sci-fi playlist.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:            8½ Stars

Categories
Classical, Electronica, & New Age Individual Tracks (CD's) Music & Radio Shows

BOOK OF DAYS (by Enya: Shepherd Moons)

SUMMARY:                            RUNNING TIME: 2:56 Min.

It is Enya’s seventh track off her 1992 Shepherd Moons album.  The song appears as the primary theme for Ron Howard’s Far & Away historical romance (starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman) released that same year.

REVIEW:

It’s vintage Enya.  Bolstered by a compelling melody, Enya’s poignant vocals prove ideal for an epic journey.  Clearly, Ron Howard’s production team made an insightful decision choosing “Book of Days” as Far & Away’s timeless and mood-setting theme.  Either as a single download, or as a centerpiece for Shepherd Moons, this track is highly recommended.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                 9 Stars

Categories
Music & Radio Shows Rock, R&B, Pop, Soul, & Metal/Symphonic Soundtracks (CD's)

MIAMI VICE {Volume 1} [TV Soundtrack]

SUMMARY:                           RUNNING TIME: 37 Min.

Released by MCA Records in 1985, this eleven-track album has the following songs

  1. The Original Miami Vice Theme    Jan Hammer (1:00)

2. Smuggler’s Blues                            Glenn Frey (3:48)

3. Own The Night                            Chaka Khan (4:49)

4. You Belong to the City                   Glenn Frey (5:49)

5. In the Air Tonight                         Phil Collins (5:27)

6. Miami Vice (Extended Theme) Jan Hammer (2:26)

7. Vice                                            Grandmaster Melle Mel (4:59)

8. Better Be Good to Me                    Tina Turner (5:08)

9. Flashback (Instrumental)          Jan Hammer (3:20)

10. Chase (Instrumental)              Jan Hammer (2:38)

11. Evan (Instrumental)               Jan Hammer (3:06)

Note: MCA Records released Miami Vice II  (a sequel soundtrack) in 1987.

REVIEW:

Considering nearly half the album is Jan Hammer’s synthesizer magic, this first season soundtrack is terrific.  Hammer’s last three tracks were often recycled during the series; of them, the haunting Evan still retains its dramatic punch.  Five of the remaining six tunes serve as an early Miami Vice highlight reel, as Glenn Fry’s two songs and Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight are virtually synonymous with the series.  Solo tracks from Tina Turner and Chaka Khan also made well-known appearances in the first season. 

Only one track doesn’t age well: Track 7’s Vice rap song, which rapidly overstays its welcome.  Even so, this somewhat abbreviated album is an energetic time machine for nostalgic fans of the 1984-89 NBC TV series.  The one downside is that some extra songs would have been appreciated. 

PACKAGING:

The tracks, artists, and running times are included on the disc.  The packaging, otherwise, is standard-issue for the era.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:           7½ Stars

Categories
CD's Music & Radio Shows Soundtracks (CD's)

ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES [Movie Soundtrack]

SUMMARY:                                                                                                                                                         RUNNING TIME: 60 Min.

Released by Morgan Creek Music Group in 1991, this ten-track album consists of:

  1. Overture and a Prisoner of the Crusades  (From Chains to Freedom)      Michael Kamen  (8:27)

2. Sir Guy of Gisborne /The Escape to Sherwood  Michael Kamen (7:27)     

3. Little John and the Band in the Forest              Michael Kamen (4:52)

4. The Sheriff and the Witch                               Michael Kamen (6:03)  

5. Maid Marian                                                Michael Kamen (2:57)

6. Training – Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves       Michael Kamen (5:15)

7. Marian at the Waterfall                               Michael Kamen (5:34)

8. The Abduction /Final Battle at the Gallows  Michael Kamen (9:53)

9. (Everything I Do), I Do It For You              Bryan Adams (6:38)

10. Wild Times                                              Jeff Lynne (3:12)  

Note: For this album, Kamen conducts the Greater Los Angeles Orchestra.

REVIEW:

The extended version of Bryan Adams’ hit song is unquestionably the highlight.  Yet, the emotional complexity of conductor Michael Kamen’s orchestral score secures this soundtrack as a true winner.  Beyond all its boisterous action crescendos, romantic serenity, and rustic interludes, Kamen complements the film’s plot by appealing to listeners’ sentiments for any given sequence.  His work makes it refreshingly easy to visualize the movie’s twists based on just the music cues alone. 

The dark Sheriff and the Witch is likely the hardest to identify, but its ominous undertones give Alan Rickman’s conniving Sheriff of Nottingham and Geraldine McEwan‘s witch their sinister due.  Likewise, Maid Marian and especially Marian at the Waterfall imbue Marian & Robin’s developing love story with an elegantly serene contrast to the eerie Track 4.

The sole weak inclusion is Jeff Lynne’s forgettable Wild Times, which does little more than complete the film’s playlist.  Even so, the other nine tracks are a first-class instrumental narrative for the film.   

PACKAGING:

The album’s tracks are listed on the CD case’s back cover, but their running times aren’t included.  The classy double-sided, twelve-panel insert includes a brief introduction by screenwriters-producers Pen Densham & John Watson; primary cast photos; some film stills; technical credits; and obligatory album thank-you’s.  The CD case itself is sturdy and well-protects the disc.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:               8 Stars

Categories
Individual Tracks (CD's) Music & Radio Shows Soundtracks (CD's)

A CLOSE CALL {1985’s North and South} (by Bill Conti & The London Symphony Orchestra: Highlights from The Right Stuff/North and South soundtrack)

SUMMARY:                    RUNNING TIME: 2:01 Min.

In 1985, composer/conductor Bill Conti and The London Symphony Orchestra released an instrumental album consisting of highlights from 1983’s The Right Stuff and 1985’s North and South TV mini-series.  This suspenseful piece recurs throughout the North and South saga. 

Note: As of 2008, a limited-edition CD set of Conti highlights from North and South Books One & Two was released.

REVIEW:

Familiar to North and South fans, this short track plays up some of the epic’s possibly confrontational cues.  As brief as it really is, “A Close Call” is a solid enough instrumental from composer-conductor Bill Conti. It just makes one want to hear more of the North and South score. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:            5 Stars

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