The Queen

Aretha Franklin is one of the giants of soul music, and indeed of American pop as a whole. More than any other performer, she epitomized soul at its most gospel-charged. Her astonishing run of late-'60s hits with Atlantic Records "Respect," "I Never Loved a Man," "Chain of Fools," "Baby I Love You," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Think," "The House That Jack Built," and several others earned her the title "Lady Soul," which she has worn uncontested ever since.

It is rare when four of the Bolshoi's greatest stars appear together in their home theatre in one of Russian opera's masterpieces. The opera was Tchaikovsky's, The Queen Of Spades, (Pique Dame). With a libretto written by the composer's brother, Modest, this tale of terror, with a plot involving obsessive love and gambling, hallucinations and descent into madness never fails to have a profound effect on its audience. The Bolshoi's production is riveting, with sumptuous sets and costumes, and the famed Bolshoi chorus and corps de ballet are at their most elegant and spectacular. Written by G. Forman

The world lost one of the most important, influential, and iconic voices of all time this summer when Aretha Franklin passed away. To celebrate this legendary artist’s irreplaceable musical legacy, a new collection will be released that features her biggest hits with Atlantic Records as they were originally recorded, paired with stunning symphonic versions with orchestration from The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Also featured on this new compilation are two unreleased recordings: a moving version of “Silent Night” and a newly produced duet with Beverley Knight.

The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead (2008) [DVD5 NTSC] {Sexy Intellectual}
DVD5 -> 4.06 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 4:3 | Stereo Sound Mix | ~ 115m | ISO Image | Full Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 2008 Sexy Intellectual | SIDVD538
Documentary / Rock / Alternative

If The Smiths had called it a day after Meat Is Murder, and never released The Queen Is Dead, they would surely still be seen as one of the finest British bands ever - a perpetual legacy was assured soon after their second album. But on June 16th 1986, when the band released their third record proper, they entered an exclusive league that grants new membership once a decade at best. This DVD is a visual review of this groundbreaking record, it's writing, recording, production, release and legacy.

Portuguese music enjoyed its most spectacular flowering in the early seventeenth century. Many of the greatest composers were gathered in the capital Lisbon, and this was a period when many Portuguese musicians also made their careers in Spain, which was then linked to Portugal politically. This recording presents masterpieces of Portuguese polyphony from Lisbon and Granada brought to light by the choir’s director, Owen Rees. The Lisbon composers represented are Duarte Lobo (chapelmaster at the Cathedral), Pedro de Cristo (chapelmaster at the Monastery of São Vicente), and Manuel Rodrigues Coelho (organist at the Royal Chapel).

This version of The Queen of Spades was originally recorded in 1974 and made available as a special import; it was then generally released by Philips in 1988. Reviewing it at the time, AB gave a level account of its strengths, but had little difficulty in preferring the Tchakarov set when it was issued in 1990. Deleted by Philips, the Ermler performance has now been restored to the Melodiya catalogue. I cannot see anyone dissenting from AB's view: certainly I do not, except perhaps to regard him as being over-generous in his account of Atlantov's Herman in calling it ''loud and unsubtle''. Stronger words would also be appropriate, especially when Atlantov is compared with the sensitive Wieslaw Ochman on the Tchakarov set. Valentina Levko is a good Countess in what is a well-established Russian tradition of responses to the role: AB thought the old lady's reminiscences not so pointedly delivered as by some other singers, and I would add that she would certainly have acquired a better French accent during her long sojourn as the Venus of Paris.

This album, cut live at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall in July of 1970, was the first Strawbs album to be released in the United States. It didn't do much in the U.S., but it did chart in England, and the original concert also got Rick Wakeman his first front-page coverage in the British music press, owing to his bravura performance on the solo piano spot, "Temperament for a Mind." The group is trying really hard here to make the jump from folk to folk-rock. They still play a lot of acoustic music, and some of it is surprisingly diverse, but this is a fairly successful album bridging the gap between the acoustic Strawbs combo of their first incarnation and the harder, more strident folk-rock stylings that followed on From the Witchwood, with hints of progressive leanings.