rjw@ptsfc.UUCP (Rod Williams) (03/15/85)
I've listened to a friend's copy of "Silk Road" and like it very much. Now I'd like to get some Kitaro for myself, preferably on CD. If you have a favorite album, please let me know by mail. I'll summarize responses to the net, if there seems to be sufficient interest. Thanx! -- rod williams -------------------- dual!ptsfa!ptsfc!rjw
Cooper.SBDERX@XEROX.ARPA (03/19/85)
Rod, Having seen so many Kitaro albums in appropriate secions in the stores, and having not heard any of them yet, I'd very much like to have recommendations. I want to know what this sounds like at its best! Martin.
dave@rocksvax.UUCP (03/21/85)
I thought Silk Road 1 was very good. I own the CD for "Tai"? I think that is it's name. The CD cover is all in Japanese so I don't know it's real name. It is a real peaceful album with a sort of Japanese if I can call it "twang". Playing it gives you sort of a feeling of synthesized wind chimes of sorts. I plan on getting it at my favorite store here in Rochester. They come in and if you don't make it there within a few days of its arrival someone buys it!! I am kicking myself for not buying it when he was playing it. To the fellow Xeroid, where is the SBDERX? domain? Drop me a laurel/hardy line on that. Dave arpa: Sewhuk.HENR@Xerox.ARPA uucp: {allegra,rochester,amd,sunybcs}!rocksvax!dave
jim@noscvax.UUCP (James A. Zaun) (03/26/85)
Rod, I was unable to respond by direct mail (problems with truncated paths), so I'm posting this to the net. My response to your question turned out to be longer than expected: [from Rod Williams, Pacific Bell, San Francisco] I've listened to a friend's copy of "Silk Road" and like it very much. Now I'd like to get some Kitaro for myself, preferably on CD. If you have a favorite album, please let me know by mail. I'll sum- marize responses to the net, if there seems to be sufficient in- terest. Thanx! Kitaro has been incredibly prolific; 23 albums so far! Kitaro's "Silk Road I & II" and "Tanhuang" are good. All three are on CD. Haven't listened to "Ten-Jiku" yet. The "Ki" and "Oasis" (c1979) albums are less satisfying to me. Some parts are good; others are so-so. "Ki" is a little better than "Oasis". "Kitaro in Person (digital)" (c1980) is a kind of Kitaro's greatest hits. I understand a "Best of Kitaro" album will be released later this year. My all time Kitaro favorite is the "Silk Road Suite" performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Same selections as on the "Silk Roads" but with the richness of a full size symphony orchestra. It's a double album, not available on CD. I've heard that the less expensive German pressing sounds as good as the ori- ginal Japanese, but comes without the overpriced box and booklet. Actually, I prefer the Japanese composer Stomu Yamashta over Kitaro. His lastest album "Sea and Sky" (c1984) is a beautifully romantic work with a spectacular final crescendo. The richness of a symphonic orches- tra combined with synthesizer and percussion only add to the passion of this expansive work. Highly recommended. It's also available on CD. Some of his earlier efforts ("Iroha-Ka" sp?) are good too, but those recordings (LP only) are difficult to find. Also, check out Vangelis' "Soil Festivities" (c1984) and "Antarctica" (c1980). Both albums have the colossal power and sonic majesty of Vangelis; and both are on CD. Stay away from his lastest creation "In- visible Connections" (c1985) unless you like the prepared piano abstrac- tions of John Cage. The styles are similar. Recordings by Tangerine Dream, Jean-Michel Jarre (but not Maurice Jarre), Synchestra and Mark Isham are also recommended. If you like the "space" music of these composers, you should listen to "Hearts of Space" broadcast on many public radio stations. The program is produced by Stephen Hill and Anna Turner at Celestial Sound in San Fran- cisco. (I have a listing of all the "H of S" affiliate stations, but I won't post that here. This message is already too long as it is.) Happy listening. -jim zaun (NOSC, San Diego)