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For The Stars
 
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For The Stars

~ Anne Sofie Von Otter, Elvis Costello, Ron Sexsmith
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
Price: £9.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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For The Stars + The Juliet Letters + Painted From Memory
Price For All Three: £21.44

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Product details

  • Audio CD (23 Dec 2002)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Decca (UMO)
  • ASIN: B00005A46I
  • Other Editions: MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 28,178 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Samples
Song Title Time Price
Listen  1. No Wonder 3:36£0.79
Listen  2. Baby Plays Around 3:13£0.79
Listen  3. Go Leave 2:50£0.79
Listen  4. Rope 3:55£0.79
Listen  5. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) 3:12£0.79
Listen  6. Broken Bicycles (Waits) . Junk (McCartney) 4:08£0.79
Listen  7. The Other Woman 3:34£0.79
Listen  8. Like an Angel 5:00£0.79
Listen  9. Green Song based on a solo cello piece by the cps. 4:41£0.79
Listen10. April After All 2:51£0.79
Listen11. You Still Believe In Me 3:09£0.79
Listen12. I Want To Vanish 2:40£0.79
Listen13. For No One 2:01£0.79
Listen14. Shamed Into Love 3:46£0.79
Listen15. Just A Curio 4:19£0.79
Listen16. This House Is Empty Now 4:38£0.79
Listen17. Take It With Me 3:17£0.79
Listen18. For The Stars 2:46£0.79

On this CD:
  1. No Wonder
    Composed by Elvis Costello
    Performed by Ensemble
    with Anne Sofie von Otter

  2. Baby Plays Around
    Composed by Cait & Declan Patrick Aloysius O'Riordan & MacManus
    Performed by Ensemble
    with Anne Sofie von Otter, Elvis Costello

  3. Go Leave
    Composed by Kate McGarrigle
    Performed by Ensemble
    with Anne Sofie von Otter, Elvis Costello

  4. Rope
    Composed by Fleshquartet
    with Anne Sofie von Otter

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

For the Stars is the result of a unique collaboration between songwriting legend Elvis Costello and Anne Sofie Von Otter, one of the world's leading mezzo-sopranos. Working with a host of acclaimed musicians, including Abba's Benny Andersson, Costello takes Von Otter out of the concert hall and off the opera stage, and into Stockholm's Atlantis studios, birthplace of Abba's early albums. The outcome is an hour-long disc of 18 perfectly-crafted tracks, including several new numbers penned by Costello as well as songs by the likes of Tom Waits, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and Lennon and McCartney. Throughout, Otter's warm and elegant voice is utterly captivating, adding a new dimension to many familiar songs (I defy anyone not to be touched by her heartbreaking rendition of "Baby Plays Around"). On the handful of tracks where both Otter and Costello sing, her controlled and refined tones contrast with--and complement--his familiar gruffness. Instrumental colour also has a vital role to play--credited instruments include: celeste, Hammond organ, accordion, marimba, flugelhorn, baritone guitar, electric five-string violin and Moog bass. In his liner note, Costello explains that many songs had to be discarded along way, so here's to For the Stars II --Rebecca Agnew


CD Description

Elvis Costello is no stranger to the classical crossover. From his JULIET LETTERS album with the Brodsky Quartet to hiscollaboration with John Harle, the songwriter has found ways to channel his enthusiasm for classical music into a more pop-friendly format. On FOR THE STARS, Costello takes yet another step in that direction, providing songs, production and even the occasional duet vocal to frame the heavenly voiceof Sweden's classical mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie Von Otter.
Von Otter's angelic delivery sits elegantly atop a smartlyconstructed group of chamber arrangements that appropriately meld pop sensibilities with semi-classical convention. Costello and Von Otter carefully selected pop songs whose melodic content was graceful enough to complement this approach, picking gems from the catalogues of Brian Wilson, Tom Waits and others. Unsurprisingly, Costello's own melodically inventive tunes meet the challenge effectively, too. Von Otter's takes on "Baby Plays Around", "Shamed Into Love", and other Costello compositions open the songs to new realms of sonic and emotional possibility.

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Customer Reviews

26 Reviews
5 star:
 (17)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (26 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Sophisticated duet between the pop genius & an opera diva!, 1 Feb 2004
By Jonathan James Romley (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   
Sophisticated: That one word summation clarifies this album perfectly. This is a hushed, lush, relaxing collection of songs hand picked by Costello to test the range of the angelic-voiced Von Otter.

Here von Otter wraps her vocal-chords around a number of classic pop songs; from the Beatles mournful epic For No One, to two new arrangements of the legendary Pet Sounds samplers Don’t Talk (put your head on my shoulder) and the ever excellent You Still Believe in Me. Added to this we also have variations on Tom Waits’ Take it with Me and Broken Bicycle as well as two of Costello’s own underrated classics, I want to Vanish and Baby Plays Around.

For the most part, these two very different artists manage to create a mood of relaxing, lyrical beauty that they sustain throughout the hour-long running time... talking us from moments of great sadness to moments of great joy within the confines of a single song. The two Costello covers don’t really work for me personally, being far too familiar with the original arrangements and Costello’s always gruff baritone delivery... but the Elvis penned originals (the title track included) more than make up for this.

Elsewhere, the musicianship of the supporting players adds a strong sonic depth to the haunting delivery of the soprano, with Costello filling in on acoustic guitar, Steve Nieve on piano and organ, Svante Henryson on cello, Jonas Lindgren on violin and, as a real treat, former ABBA legend Benny Andersson on accordion. This is a real mood piece... filled with intelligence and a creative depth rarely found within the mire of modern-day pop.

If you are already a fan of von Otter from her previous operatic releases then you should have a good time with this. Similarly, if you appreciated the wild invention and musical perfectionism of Costello’s previous collaborations with Burt Bacharach and the Brodsky Quartet - or for that matter his more recent studio album North - then this should be an indispensable must...!

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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Totally Sublime, 20 April 2001
By A Customer
After Elvis scaled the heights in his last collaboration with Burt Bacharach I thought at the time that music doesn't get any better than this. It seems I was wrong. This album is absolutely superb and Anne Sofie von Otter's voice is quite simply stunning. Singing in a breathy lower register freed from her classically trained mezzo she performs with a brutal honesty rarely seen these days. How earlier reviewers can claim there is no emotion in her performance is beyond me. The version of 'Baby Plays Around' (one of my all time Costello favourites) is strong but not as moving as Sofie's adaptation of Brian Wilson's 'Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)' which is almost too beautiful to be bearable. It's nice to hear Elvis himself popping up on tracks like 'Green Song' and 'Shamed Into Love' but the album certainly doesn't suffer from his lack of vocal input.

In an era which is dominated by Boy Bands and total blandness in almost every department this album serves as a timely reminder of what the human voice is capable of achieving with creativity, direction and vision. The album deserves to reside at the top of the charts for months on end but, the record buying public prefering the tatse of cheap plonk rather than vintage wine, I'm afraid it's destined to be purchased only by the already converted.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A real grower - beautiful music for the soul!, 7 Nov 2001
By A Customer
I bought this on the spur of the moment - it seemed an intriguing combination. The mix of Elvis and Sophie, plus the range of music covered, seemed risky. However, some of the best music I have ever bought I knew nothing about beforehand! At first listen I really wasn't sure. After that - I was hooked. It's a beautiful, melodic, melancholic album - ultimately uplifting. Everyone I have played it to has loved it and bought it, even though they wouldn't normally buy 'this sort of album'. Well worth taking the risk of the purchase price - believe me!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional and amazing
In short, this CD is in the top of my top ten list.
The music and the voice melt perfectly. When listening to it, I am easily transported from the listening room to... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Hemiba

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime
I remember watching a South Bank show on the making of this record and was so intrigued that I had to hear the results of this unlikely collaboration. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Jl Adcock

5.0 out of 5 stars Like a dream, or the dream of a dream
Ever woken up knowing that you've had a dream? The storyline has gone, but the feeling is still there. Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2007 by John Williams

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply my favourite album.
These days I'm happier with songs with good melodies, that are well arranged and well performed. As with a number of the other reviewers of this album I first became aware of it... Read more
Published on 7 Feb 2003 by royw278

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary,wonderful,mature and heartfelt music making
From the first note this is a collaboration of people with great musical abilty and taste but with the ability to make that turn into a musical experience of great emotional... Read more
Published on 17 May 2002 by kevinb@directdialog.com

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST OF THE DECADE!
I am a huge Elvis fan (particularly due to his diversity of work!) and also a huge fan of Anne Sophie's (due mainly to her outstanding interpretation of Mahler). Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2001

1.0 out of 5 stars brave idea but ultimately disappointing
After the initial pleasure of the Abba track featuring Benny, the album quickly waned in its appeal due to the overall weakness in Anne Sofie's voice. Read more
Published on 21 Jun 2001 by gogglebooks

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic - the best!!
Having seen Sofie van Otter as Ariodante in Paris in August,(a magnificent performenace (despite the fact that it was interrutpted by some ignorant observers), I was further... Read more
Published on 17 Jun 2001

4.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting
The purity and depth of Anne Sophia von Otter vs the texture and craft of EC makes this one of the most interesting CD's in my collection at this moment - maybe it will remain so!
Published on 15 Jun 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Opera It Ain't - Excellent It Certainly Is!
Let's get two things straight: I'm not an Elvis Costello fan (in fact I think his singing is terrible! Read more
Published on 22 April 2001

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