Music of Kurt Weill: Various Artists: Amazon.co.uk: Music

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1. Mahagonny Songspiel (Intro) - Steve Weisberg

2. 'The Ballad Of Mac The Knife' - Sting/Dominc Muldowney

3. 'The Cannon Song' - The Fowler Brothers

4. 'Ballad Of The Soldier's Wife' - Marianne Faithfull

5. Johnny Johnson Medley - Van Dyke Parks

6. The Great Hall - Henry Threadgill

7. 'Alabama Song' - Ralph Schuckett

8. 'Youkali Tango' - The Armadillo String Quartet

9. 'The Little Lieutenant Of The Loving God' - John Zorn

10. Johnny's Speech - Van Dyke Parks

11. 'September Song' - Lou Reed

12. 'Lost In The Stars' - Carla Bley

13. 'What Keeps Mankind Alive?' - Tom Waits

14. Klops Lied (Meatball Song) - Elliot Sharp

15. 'Surabaya Johnny' - Dagmar Krause

16. Oh Heavenly Salvation': Hurriccane Introduction - Mark Bingham

17. Oh Heavenly Salvation: Oh Heavenly Salvation - Mark Bingham

18. 'Call From The Grave/Ballad In Which Macheath Begs All Men For Forgiveness - Todd Rundgren

19. 'Speak Low' - Charlie Haden

20. 'In No Man's Land' - Van Dyke Parks

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Customer Reviews

2 Reviews

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4.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)

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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars getting the things right, 21 Jan 2009

By

Giuliano Gasparini "ettoregg" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Music of Kurt Weill (Audio CD)

I felt compelled to write a review after reading the previous one, which I think it's completely off the mark.
The previous reviewer gave 3 stars on the basis of Tom Waits' track which is "actually very short and not especially thrilling either".
I am a long time Waits' fan and I think What Keeps Mankind Alive? is an excellent interpretation.
This album is a masterpiece because it's an excellent take on Kurt Weil's songs and for the calibre of the singers (not many albums feature John Zorn, Stan Ridgway, Lou Reed, Marianne Faithfull in the track list).
So I wholeheartedly recommend this album to whoever is interested in great music (notwithstanding the lenght of the tracks...)

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1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy it just for Tom Waits, 17 Jan 2009

By

Barmee (Notts, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Music of Kurt Weill (Audio CD)

I bought this specifically becuase of the rare Tom Waits track. Said track is actually very short and not especially thrilling either. That is not to say it is a rubbish track but at only about 2 mins long it is nothing special either. Kind of like an out-take from the Black Rider CD. However despite this lacklustre comment I have to say that the album as a whole was a revelation. A wonderfully discordant and thrilling ride through new versions of many tracks that I did not realise I already knew. If you are just after the Tom Waits track then don't pay over the top (like I did!) - however this jazz experimental album is still worth seeking out (check out the John Zorn track).

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Amazon.com: 4.2 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars splendid Weill and a splendid memento of the 1980s, 8 Mar 2002

By Macready Lawes - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Music of Kurt Weill (Audio CD)

Nearly every track on this CD (which includes material left off the original 1985 release) is a gem -- even if some are slightly more precious than others.

Sting's take on "Moritat/Mack the Knife" is deliberately low-key and affectless, a lovely antidote (at the time, and even now) to the jokey, albeit entertaining big-band renderings of Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin.

Lou Reed's "September Song" is an utter delight, as the personification of late 20th-century underworld New York does this set piece from *Knickerbocker Holiday*. Reed's instrumentation echoes John Lennon's last recordings (like the ironically titled "Starting Over") and adds some Stax-Volt-style horns, while his wonderfully world-weary delivery of Maxwell Anderson's cynical *and* sentimental lyrics steals the show.

Other great vocal performances are contributed by Stanard Ridgway from Wall of Voodoo, Richard Butler of the Psychedelic Furs (a splendid "Alabama Song/Whiskey Bar"), Marianne Faithful, Tom Waits, Aaron Neville, and a heart-breaking turn by Dagmar Krause on Weill's perfect subversion of the torch song, "Surabaya Johnny."

Fine arrangements are supplied by members of the Armadillo String Quartet, who ably explore the minor-key sonorities of the "Youkali Tango"; by Van Dyke Parks, whose music-box renderings of selections from "Johnny Johnson" are both oddly fitting and oddly moving; by John Zorn, who applies his distinctive search-and-destroy, acid jazz approach to "The Little Lieutenant of the Loving God"; by Carla Bley, who lets Phil Woods blow incandescent alto sax on the title track; and by Sharon Freeman, who provides an admirable -- both witty and heartfelt -- showcase for Charlie Haden on lead bass for "Speak Low."

I have to confess that Todd Rundgren's version of Macheath's "Call from the Grave" (from *The Threepenny Opera*) disappointed me at first hearing and still does, nearly two decades later: he did this kind of hard rock translation much better with Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Lord Chancellor's Nightmare Song" on one of his own albums and recycles here many of the same techniques and effects. It's still fun, but doesn't supply the punch one expects at this late stage of the proceedings.

I don't know whether Weill would "approve" of all these interpretations, but I think his own eclectic sensibilities -- and his embrace of a wide range of popular and mass-market musical forms -- receive fitting tribute on this CD. One minor cavil: the liner notes could be a little more informative about these recordings. One major plaudit: it's magnificent to have these songs well-engineered in CD format; my 1980s-era cassette had been played to death.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great memories!, 13 Nov 2008

By Anne E. Zimmerman "LA Architect" - Published on Amazon.com

Apart from having to admit that I grew up with Kurt Weill and memorized the Three Penny Opera by the age of 5 (OK, I had unusual parents for the time!), this is really one of Hal Willner's (the producer) greatest concept albums ever. He is responsible for turning many stars onto Kurt Weill's music and lyrics-Marianne Faithful, Lou Reed (I think. . .), etc. Can't believe it's not on CD and glad I still have my vinyl and record player. Hal Wilner also produces amazing live shows, in LA I've seen a couple of Halloween Edgar Allan Poe events with great performers, turned me onto Anthony years ago. Follow Hal, study Weill!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Hal Willner project, 23 Aug 2007

By Passionate About Music - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Music of Kurt Weill (Audio CD)

If your idea of Weill is the Doors doing "Alabama Song," this is the perfect place to expand your knowledge. Sting's performance of that song is the weakest performance here. Marianne Faithfull's interpretation of 'Ballad Of The Soldier's Wife' is one of her best performances and really captures the pathos of the song, and Tom Waits is great on 'What Keeps Mankind Alive?' For me, a dream project would be a whole CD of the two of them doing Weill.

Just to prove that Weill has a softer side, Lou Reed does the ballad 'September Song'

That tells you what kind of disc this is! Lou Reed does the 'soft' pretty music.

Because this is a Hal Willner production, and because Willner doesn't want to get too close to the mainstream, this album is more challenging and complex than the later, similar disc from 1997. He produced that one, too, as a soundtrack for a film on Weill's music. That soundtrack is called 'September Songs: The Music of Kurt Weill' and as the title says, it features songs. In fact, many of the same songs are found on both albums. 'Lost in the Stars' features more instrumentals and includes both jazz and classical performances. The result is sometimes a little jarring, but that is very much in keeping with Weill.

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