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Robert Rich with Steve Roach - Soma

Steve Roach and Robert Rich are the most important electronic ambient musicians in the U.S. SoMa is their highly acclaimed follow-up to their first collaboration, Strata. Soma, according to Vedic writings, is "a drink made from plants which could help one commune with the gods." It is also the Greek word for body. So they designed this CD to be a vehicle to traverse between the physical and spiritual worlds. It is deep stuff. The soundscape offers listeners the opportunity to pursue and achieve states of ecstasy. The only extracurricular involvement is from the souls of the music and the listeners. The psychoactive atmospheres penetrate the defenses of the spirit and use Earth's resonant rhythms to tap into the biorhythms. From that point forward, Rich and Roach are in control. Listeners will go to the far reaches of the netherworld and stay within the limits set by this duo. This CD is in a league of its own. Comparisons would do the other discs an injustice. It is an essential album for all fans of good music.

― Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 19:00 (twenty years ago)

You forgot "by Ned Raggett," there.

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 19:03 (twenty years ago)

Why thank you. Er, wait.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 19:04 (twenty years ago)

The psychoactive atmospheres penetrate the defenses of the spirit and use Earth's resonant rhythms to tap into the biorhythms.

This is like a James Bond villain's plan for world domination!

― Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 19:06 (twenty years ago)

hahaha, that's NED for ya!

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 19:09 (twenty years ago)

I must now hum with the spirits.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 19:17 (twenty years ago)

It is an essential album for all fans of good music.

But I only like shit music :(

― Amity Wong (noodle vague), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 19:18 (twenty years ago)

Well then, just hang around here and you'll get plenty of recommendations.

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 19:21 (twenty years ago)

*rimshot*

― Amity Wong (noodle vague), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 19:23 (twenty years ago)

This is like a James Bond villain's plan for world domination!

I have a screenplay to write.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 19:39 (twenty years ago)

This isnt a music review from AMG but is good all the same. An Amazon Review of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.

Great Expectations

3 out of 5
"I didn't actually read the book, but I saw the South Park version of it. It starts out as Pip is about to go to the graveyard to see his parents but meets an escaped convict. Pip free's him and then goes home. His brother in law ,I think it is, makes a metal newspaper and finds a job for pip entertaining this old women. This old women tries to get pip to like her daughter so she can break his heart and get his tears to get the Genesis device to work. At the end pip, the brother in law, and the convict fight the old womens robot monkeys and kills the old women."

― Chip Chop (Sutcliffe's Ball Peen), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 19:49 (twenty years ago)

Rich and Roach are in control.

― TRG (TRG), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 20:18 (twenty years ago)

It is a comforting feeling, to forego the illusion of self determination and turn things over to Rich and Roach. "Let go and let Rich and Roach!" It's all up to them now. Let's hope they use their power for good.

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 20:30 (twenty years ago)

Get To Work Relaxed- With Rich and The Roach On Your Z100 Morning Zoo!

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 20:36 (twenty years ago)

Actually I meant to say "On Your Z100 Ambient Morning Zoo!"

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 20:40 (twenty years ago)

Commuters will go to the far reaches of the highways and byways and stay within the limits set by this team. Comparisons to other morning jocks are an injustice. They are essential for all fans of a good commute.

― TRG (TRG), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 20:49 (twenty years ago)

Just for the record, I haven't completely given up on the notion that I might like that Rich/Roach album. But it's interesting how damaging badly written praise can be.

― Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 20:49 (twenty years ago)

I just played the clips. It's good. Kind of like Rubycon-era Tangerine Dream with better production.

― Amity Wong (noodle vague), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 20:56 (twenty years ago)

Whoa, I didn't know AMG music clips were working.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Tuesday, 29 November 2005 21:02 (twenty years ago)

See there's this retroactive problem with the AMG where in the beginning the review standards were a little lower -- an album could have like a two-sentence review, or just a little bolt of praise ("this is a good one"), instead of something penetrating or careful, because the urge seemed to be to get as broad of a review base as possible. But then, once that was accomplished, new reviews started getting more detailed, and important albums started getting re-reviewed in more depth. And now, since there aren't dates on the reviews, you get this weird jumble where an old just-get-it-in-there review shows up next to a nice new "professional" review, and it looks odd.

(I am sensitive to this issue because I wrote a bunch of just-get-it-in-there reviews when I was like 20, and they have the potential to embarrass me now.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 21:13 (twenty years ago)

In fact, every time I see anything anywhere that's all "hahaha look at this AMG review I came across" I immediately cross my fingers and click in hoping like hell I didn't write it.

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 21:14 (twenty years ago)

Malcolm Bly records as Mollusk. Accretions is his debut CD. the inspiration for much of the music comes from Malcolm's study of - DUH! - mollusks and natural history.
...
The music is very experiMENTAL. The sounds are all digital. Malcolm manipulated samples and field recordings to augment the music. The result is very cool and very soothing. This is a cool CD.

http://www.ambientvisions.com/foundry.htm

― älänbänänä (alanbanana), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 21:39 (twenty years ago)

So they designed this CD to be a particularly fine vehicle to traverse between the physical and spiritual worlds.

― caspar (caspar), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 21:49 (twenty years ago)

Evangelos Papathanassiou (aka Vangelis) is one of the most celebrated electronic musicians ever. He is certainly the most popular and most widely heard. His CDs feature symphony orchestras to augment his electronics. His older discs are classics and they are in the symphonic synthesizer style. L'Apocalypse Des Animaux is one of his earliest albums. It is the soundtrack to the Frederic Rossi film of the same name. The disc is short (35 minutes), as it was originally recorded in the analog domain for release on a vinyl LP. This CD demonstrates that Vangelis has always had the innate ability to paint pictures with his music. The atmospheres are lush and full. Deep listeners will see the music. This CD will appeal to fans of Constance Demby, Yanni, Suzanne Ciani, and Jon Jenkins.

― telephone thing, Tuesday, 29 November 2005 22:07 (twenty years ago)

A solo effort from Chris Carrabba, this album is essentially acoustic emo. The music involves the acoustic guitar and how beautiful the instrument can sound. The lyrics are very personal and relatable. The only problem is Carrabba's voice. Even though he has a very powerful and heartful voice, he ends up sounding like every other emo singer. His voice is very similar to Jeremy Enigk. All of the songs tend to sound the same, but they are all very good songs. Stand out cuts are "Screaming Infidelities" and "Living in Your Letters."

― zachary curd is the greatest, Tuesday, 29 November 2005 22:14 (twenty years ago)

what a load of bollocks. its scary

― Savin All My Love 4 u (Savin 4ll my (heart) 4u), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 00:16 (twenty years ago)

I think "a very powerful and heartful voice" will be the title of his next album, if Conor or Sufjan doesn't beat him to it.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 00:35 (twenty years ago)

There was a funny moment in a Stephen Thomas Erlewine review of some obscure female extremist singer, where he quotes one of the one-line AMG reviews. Too bad I can't remember who it was.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 05:02 (twenty years ago)

This one infuriates me to no end:

Immolation "Unholy Cult" - two stars
Review by Adam Bregman

Immolation sounds like an opening band. If you go to a death metal show and endure three to five bands, Immolation might be the second or third band on the bill. They've toured with some heavy hitters like Cannibal Corpse and Six Feet Under, but on their fifth album, Unholy Cult, they do nothing to raise themselves higher on the death metal totem pole. Ross Dolan's vocals are fine, but are not any more monstrous than your average death metal growler. Musically, Immolation's songs have a sort of flat, relentless feel to them and, like Slayer, the leads seem tacked on in the middle of a song for no particular reason. The cover art for Unholy Cult is scary, but the music inside could be a little more evil.

― digestion (digestion), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 16:33 (twenty years ago)

My mind seemed to be a bit too set for hilarious allmusic-hijinx.
I first read:
Steve Roach and Robert Rich
as
Steve Rich and Robert Roach
and went "lolmg@almusik"

I'm still amazed at that Immolation review. But I guess it's nice to see a dissenting opinion, even if it's WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG. Unholy Cult = The best death metal record since "Obscura"

― Øystein (Øystein), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 17:14 (twenty years ago)

I'm still amazed at that Immolation review. But I guess it's nice to see a dissenting opinion, even if it's WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG. Unholy Cult = The best death metal record since "Obscura"

Seriously.

dissing Immolation + dissing Slayer + praising Six Feet Under = total lack of credibility

― digestion (digestion), Thursday, 1 December 2005 07:31 (twenty years ago)

I dunno. If that first record was with Buddy Rich and Max Roach, maybe.

― k/l (Ken L), Thursday, 1 December 2005 14:25 (twenty years ago)

NED RAGGETT why da fuck havent you got me on the AMG team yet because surely you could put in a good word for me and so i can bust on the MUSIC NERDS with the STAR RATINGS and my frank independent (not teh gay indie) opinions yo

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!, Thursday, 1 December 2005 14:29 (twenty years ago)

But I have no control over hiring!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 1 December 2005 16:51 (twenty years ago)

Good mornin’ ladies and gentlemen (what hotel number is she in? )
Boys and motherfuckin’ girls (319, 319 cool)
This is your captain with no name speakin’
And I’m here 2 rock your world
With a tale that will soon be classic
About a woman u already know
No prostitute she, but the mayor of your brain
Pussy control (are u ready? )

Aaah, pussy control, oh
Aaah, pussy control, oh

― 'you' vs. 'radio gnome invisible 3' FITE (ex machina), Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:00 (twenty years ago)

Prior to Sam Dees writing hit songs for Atlantic Starr, Larry Graham ("One in a Million You"), Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and others, he toiled first in a group, then solo, recording on many southern labels during the '60s and '70s. He never had any significant hits but kept extremely busy writing and producing songs for the likes of C.L. Blast, Denise LaSalle, Frederick Knight, and others. His name was a fixture on Billboard and Cashbox R&B surveys as a writer, and you thought he lived well, not rich by any means, but eking out a decent living as a songwriter. Not! During the height of the Northern soul explosion in England, a writer for Black Music and Jazz Review did the best interview on Dees to date. Garnering more popularity in northern England than his homeland, Dees flew there to do some shows at Northern soul clubs, take pictures, do interviews, and -- for once -- get the star treatment. The BMJR writer came armed with more facts about him than even Dees remembered, so the soul singer/writer/producer -- knowing he couldn't BS the guy -- was brutally straight when asked about his songwriting income, poignantly stating, "I've never made a dime from a song." Second to None features many of those early -- "I've never made a dime" -- songs. Many are demos that were dropped as finished products on other artists, and some were originally released by Dees. Three are from his 1975 Atlantic album, The Show Must Go On. Instrumentation is light but Dees' heart is heavy as he sings his words as only he can: from the guts. Included are his versions of "Cry to Me" and "Worn Out Broken Heart" (which are more known by Loleatta Holloway), "Vanishing Love," "Homewreckers," "Your Love Is Like a Boomerang," and "You've Been Doing Wrong for So Long."

― Mr. Snrub, Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:58 (twenty years ago)

Last night Rich and Roach said everyone was after me and they all needed to be punished.

― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:21 (twenty years ago)

Nic Jones - Ballads And Songs
"This debut album established him as one of the best."

Nic Jones - S/T
"It's a beautiful followup to Ballads and Songs."

― Hatch (Hatch), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:46 (twenty years ago)

Nic Jones - The Noah's Arc Track

"A few guests join him to fill out the arrangements."

― Hatch (Hatch), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:47 (twenty years ago)

The opening of the Tenacious D review is pretty amusing:

As anyone who witnessed their legendary shorts on HBO will attest, Tenacious D is indeed the greatest band on earth. Bad D is still better than the Beatles and good D is transcendent.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Saturday, 3 December 2005 03:35 (twenty years ago)

In fact, every time I see anything anywhere that's all "hahaha look at this AMG review I came across" I immediately cross my fingers and click in hoping like hell I didn't write it.

So says the author of the best-written review I've read from 2005.

― Sincerely, (Paul in Santa Cruz), Thursday, 8 December 2005 18:30 (twenty years ago)

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