What people search:
 | Title : Audio
Author : Blue Man Group
Release Date : 19991207
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $17.98
Amazon.com Price : $13.99
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Editorial Reviews :
It's hard to believe that this is the debut CD created by award-winning performance-art sensations the Blue Man Group, whose off-the-wall and high-tech, highly percussive show has been an off-Broadway hit since the beginning of its uninterrupted run in 1991. This CD is not a soundtrack; while some pieces appear in the show, they are presented here with extra instruments, performers, and recently developed instruments. In addition to making abstract paintings by pouring paint onto kettledrums then bashing on them until the color pours onto an awaiting canvas, the Blue Man Group make their own instruments out of unexpected, often very simple materials. Creations used to make this record include air poles, the big drum, the PVC instrument, the backpack tubulum, and the drum wall (no, David van Tieghem is not a member of the group). Those homemade instruments notwithstanding (which are most striking visually anyway), the heavily rhythmic nature of the music, combined with the guitar as a focal element, reminds one of early-to-mid-1980s art-rock. The opening salvo--a two-minute number--starts off subtle and pleasing enough, with slowly building layers of percussive sound and overlapping soundtrack-y guitar lines vaguely reminiscent of Ennio Morricone, the great soundtrack composer that everyone rips off. The entire disc will highly satisfy the faithful and serve as intriguing background music for everyone else.
Buyer Reviews :
O.K. so some of the instruments are beyond weird - but the musicianship is rock solid and, ultimately, the overall sound becomes 'normal' in its naturalness. But it is the magnificence of the melodies and the sheer grandeur of the music that triumphs. Phil Spector's 'Wall of Sound' pales in comparison to the might of the massed drummers of Blue Man Group overlaid with impeccably mixed zither (honest) and guitar leads. There is also a delight in repeat plays of the various cuts, each one revealing nuances that could never be captured in one listening. Best track is saved for the last, 'Endless column.' A plaintive, delicate 'Spaghetti Western' sound alike that Ennio Morricone and Clint Eastwood would have been proud of ... but the opener, 'TV Song' and also 'Rods and Cones' and 'Cat Video' could make any Top-40 playlist with ease. And if you ever put together the ultimate stereo system and need the ultimate demo CD to strut your stuff, Blue Man Group 'AUDIO' is a blaster non pareil - audio quality on this level comes along once in a decade. The album liner notes mention that a custom-built (DVD) studio was constructed solely for the 'AUDIO' sessions, and it was money well spent. Perfection is rare but the big bucks behind this monumental production show up in every note. Perfection, indeed.
(by terry morgan)
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