Disco Meets Classical Music (Sampler)

First of all, I'd like to inform everyone that in a matter of two days, I received two DMCA copyright claims (the first for the 'Cher Sings Bob Dylan' collection and the second for the 'Footloose' soundtrack). I had never before received anything like this, so I was quite worried by them, and I know of course that I was in the wrong for the posts. I re-uploaded the Cher album not long before receiving the 'Footloose' claim, and I ultimately decided to delete the 'Footloose' blog post and file.
This raises the question of exactly where to go from here. When I started, I told myself I'd only continue as long as I enjoyed posting stuff and as long as I felt I had something worthwhile to offer. I still feel I do, so for the time being, I will continue blogging (perhaps a little more cautiously, though).
I'd hate to be a nag, but I have only received a single comment on my music posts after over 1150 (anonymous) downloads. Of course, I don't do it for the praise but it'd be nice to feel some appreciation, especially since I now feel like I am taking greater risks with each post. Some thanks would go a long way toward giving me a stronger drive to continue.
Finally, I'm going to have to give a little thought to the Dylan series I had been working on. I was very excitedly putting together a Byrds album and a various artists compilation of Dylan covers, but now I'm not sure whether I will post them, seeing as my first complaint was over the Dylan covers by Cher. We'll see. Perhaps I will use a different file hosting for certain files.
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Anyway, sorry for the wall of text. For today's post, I have a compilation of disco adaptations of classical instrumentals. The songs here range from the well-known, like Walter Murphy's US #1 hit "A Fifth of Beethoven," to the relatively obscure, like the Philarmonics' "Piano Concerto."
Two of the songs here were featured in the soundtrack of "Saturday Night Fever" (which you can find here).
The final two songs are from the first "Hooked On Classics" album, which was released in 1981 to much success, reaching #4 on the US charts. The arrangements - featuring rather generic disco beats - remind me of the "Stars on 45" medleys, and I'm not the biggest fans of the "Hooked On Classics" album, but I've included them for historical reasons and because they are nice curiosities.
The sound quality here ranges from clear CD audio to crackly Vinyl audio. The songs from Vinyl are from around the internet.
***
Here is the track listing:

1. A Fifth Of Beethoven (Walter Murphy)

- Based on "Symphony No. 5 In C Minor Op 67" (Beethoven)

2. Magic Bird Of Fire (Salsoul Orchestra)

- Based on "Firebird Suite" (Stravinsky)

3. Night On Disco Mountain (David Shire)

- Based on "Night On Bald Mountain" (Mussorgsky)

4. Concierto De Aranjuez (Charo)

- Based on "Concierto De Aranjuez" (Joaquín Rodrigo)

5. Toccata And Funk In D Minor (Walter Murphy)

- Based on "Toccata & Fugue In D Minor" (J.S. Bach)

6. Classically Elise (Elise '77) (Dino Solera & The Munich Machine)

- Based on "Für Elise" (Beethoven)

7. The Blue Danube Hustle (Part 1) (Rice & Beans Orchestra)

- Based on "Blue Danube Waltz" (J. Strauss II)

8. Fanfare For The Common Man (Montana)

- Based on "Fanfare For The Common Man" (Copland)

9. Piano Concerto (The Philarmonics)

- Based on "Piano Concerto No. 1 In B Flat Minor Op 23" (Tchaikovsky)

10. Our Love Concerto (Rice & Beans Orchestra)

- Based on "Piano Concerto No. 1 In B Flat Minor Op 23" (Tchaikovsky)

11. Prince Igor (The Philarmonics)

- Based on "Prince Igor" (Borodin)

12. Afternoon Of A Faun (Walter Murphy)

- Based on "Prelude To The Afternoon Of A Faun" (Debussy)

13. 1812 Overture (The Philarmonics)

- Based on "1812 Overture" (Tchaikovsky)

14. Hooked On Classics (Part 1 & 2) (The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted By Louis Clark)

- Piano Concerto No. 1 In B Flat Minor Op 23 (Tchaikovsky)
- Flight Of The Bumblebee (Rimsky-Korsakov)
- Symphony No. 40 In G Minor (Mozart)
- Rhapsody In Blue (Gershwin)
- Karelia Suite Op 11 (Sibelius)
- Symphony No. 5 In C Minor Op 67 (Beethoven)
- Toccata In D Minor (J.S. Bach)
- Serenade No. 13 In G Major - 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' (Mozart)
- Symphony No. 9 In D Minor Op 125 (Beethoven)
- William Tell Overture (Rossini)
- Le Nozze Di Figaro (Mozart)
- Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture (Tchaikovsky)
- Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke)
- Hallelujah Chorus (Handel)
- Piano Concerto In A minor Op 16 (Grieg)
- March Of The Toreadors (Bizet)
- 1812 Overture (Tchaikovsky)

15. Hooked On Tchaikovsky (The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted By Louis Clark)

- Capriccio Italien (Tchaikovsky)
- Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky)
- Dance Of The Reed Flutes (Tchaikovsky)
- Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture (Tchaikovsky)
- Symphony No. 6 In B Minor Op 74 (Tchaikovsky)
- Trepak (Tchaikovsky)
- Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy (Tchaikovsky)
- March (Tchaikovsky)
- Chinese Dance (Tchaikovsky)
- Miniature Overture (Tchaikovsky)
- Piano Concerto No. 1 In B Flat Minor Op 23 (Tchaikovsky)
- Capriccio Italien (Tchaikovsky)
***
Download in ZIP format here.
***
Dino Solera's 1977 album "Classically" can be downloaded here. I did not upload it myself, and I do not know who did, so I unfortunately can't give credit where it's due.
The same story applies to the first "Hooked On Classics" album (here) and to Walter Murphy's 1976 album "A Fifth of Beethoven" (here).
I got the Philarmonics' album "The Masters In Philadelphia from the blog 70disconights a while back, but the DL link is no longer active.
***
And, as an added bonus, here is a video of Vincent Montana, Jr. conducting a strings rehearsal of "Magic Bird of Fire" in 1990. Enjoy!

Video: "An Introduction to Humanism"

I came across this video today and thought I should share it. I'm posting it without comment other than to say that it sums up quite eloquently and concisely my views on life and death.

Dylan Cover Albums

I was a bit surprised by the lukewarm reception to my first Dylan post, "Cher Sings Bob Dylan," but in any event, I am currently working on a follow-up post, which will be "The Byrds Sing Bob Dylan," and I'm hoping it will be a bit more popular.
The Byrds post should be ready early next week, as will a Various Artists compilation of Dylan covers. In the meantime, here are a few Dylan cover albums I really like that have been posted on other blogs.
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Odetta- Odetta Sings Dylan [1965]
*
Odetta's 1965 album "Odetta Sings Dylan" is not only a wonderful album, but a historically interesting one as well. It is only the second Dylan covers album ever released, and it was recorded by one of Bob Dylan's greatest influences. Dylan named Odetta's album "Odetta Sings Ballads & Blues" as the reason he decided to sing folk music.
*
01. "Baby, I'm in the Mood for You" – 2:50
02. "Long Ago, Far Away" – 2:50
03. "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" – 5:42
04. "Tomorrow is a Long Time" – 6:20
05. "Masters of War" – 6:18
06. "Walkin' Down the Line" – 4:01
07. "The Times They Are A-Changin'" – 4:39
08. "With God on Our Side" – 5:13
09. "Long Time Gone" – 3:44
10. "Mr. Tambourine Man" – 10:44
11. "Blowin' in the Wind" – 4:11
12. "Paths of Victory" – 2:24
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Joan Baez- Any Day Now [1968] [Alt]
*
Joan Baez's 1968 double album "Any Day Now" established Baez as the greatest interpretor of Dylan's music and included not only well-established Dylan classics but a number of songs Dylan himself hadn't recorded and/or released.
*

01. Love Minus Zero - No Limit

02. North Country Blues

03. You Ain't goin' Nowhere

04. Drifter's Escape

05. I Pity the Poor Immigrant

06. Tears of Rage

07. Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands

08. Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word

09. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine

10. The Walls of Redwing

11. Dear Landlord

12. One Too Many Mornings

13. I Shall Be Released

14. Boots of Spanish Leather

15. Walkin' Down the Line

16. Restless Farewell

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The Hollies- Hollies Sing Dylan [1969]
*
The Hollies' "Sing Dylan" album, released in 1969 during Graham Nash's departure from the group, was not regarded as a great artistic achievement, however it is still a lot of fun.
*
01. When the Ship Come In
02. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
03. I Want You
04. This Wheel's on Fire
05. I Shaw Be Released
06. Blowin' The Wind
07. Quit Your Low Down Ways
08.Just Like a Woman
09. The Times They Are a Changin'
10. All I Really Want to Do
11. My Back Pages
12. Mighty Quinn
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Brothers & Sisters Gospel Choir- Dylans Gospel [1971]
*
The Brothers & Sisters Gospel Choir's 1971 album "Dylan's Gospel" is also quite fun, and the gospel treatment works especially well on songs such as "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and "I Shall Be Released."
*
01. The Times They Are A-Changin' (2:45)
02. I Shall Be Released (4:09)
03. Lay Lady Lay (3:24)
04. Mr. Tambourine Man (3:39)
05. All Along The Watchtower (3:28)
06. The Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo) (3:33)
07. Chimes Of Freedom (4:33)
08. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (2:22)
09. My Back Pages (5:05)
10. Just Like A Woman (2:54)
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Enjoy!

Cher Sings Bob Dylan, 1965-1969 (Dylan Sampler #1)

The Bacharach Samplers 1 & 2 (particularly the "Dionne Warwick Sings Bacharach" album) were relatively popular, so I wanted to begin a similar series of samplers featuring covers of Bob Dylan songs.
This first installment features Cher's Dylan covers, released between 1965 and 1969. Each of her first six studio albums contained at least one Dylan song, and all ten of them are included here.
There are some really stunning renditions here. "All I Really Want To Do" was Cher's first solo single, and it hit #15 in the US and #9 in the UK. "Blowin' In The Wind," "Lay Baby Lay," and "The Times They Are A-Changing" are the highlights of this compilation, in my opinion.
All songs are from my personal CD collection, with the exception of "Masters of War," which is from a somewhat crackly vinyl LP posted on the internet. The few pops in the track do not greatly disrupt the listening experience.
Enjoy!

1) All I Really Want To Do (1965)
2) Don't Think Twice, Its Alright (1965)
3) Like A Rolling Stone (1966)
4) I Want You (1966)

5) Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You (1969)
6) I Threw It All Away (1969)
7) The Times They Are A-Changin' (1967)
8) Masters Of War (1968)
9) Lay Baby Lay (1969)
10) Blowin' In The Wind (1965)
 

New Link (31 Oct. 2012)

Random ABBA Info

NOTE: I wrote this a while back (for what I can't remember) and just re-discovered it, so I thought I might as well post it...

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I've never made any secret of the fact that my favourite music group is ABBA, and I just wanted to share a few random factoids. They were very successful around the world at the height of their careers. Although never nearly as successful in America as in, for example, Europe, the chart dominance that ABBA displayed during their time was quite remarkable nonetheless.

To give a sense of their success in the UK, ABBA are the eighth-highest selling singles artist in UK chart history. They had 9 number 1 UK charting singles (for a total of 31 weeks at the top spot), with all 18 singles released between 1975 and 1981 reaching the Top 10 in the UK charts (their other 6 singles all reached the Top 40). As a side note, when “Lay All Your Love on Me” was released as a single in 1980, it became the highest charting 12” single to date, reaching number 7. They also had 8 consecutive UK number 1 albums (49 weeks at the top spot), in addition to ABBA Gold, which has hit the number 1 spot 5 different times since its 1992 release, becoming the oldest album to reach number 1 in 2008 and the third highest selling album in UK chart history. Three of their albums have been the most successful album of the year in the UK: Greatest Hits in 1976, Arrival in 1977, and Super Trouper in 1980. The latter album held the record for most advance sales in the UK (about 1 million copies) until 1984, when it was surpassed. In addition, 4 other ABBA albums have been among the top 10 of a year, and 5 ABBA songs have been among the top 10 of a year.

ABBA were also very successful in Australia. “The Best of ABBA” was the best-selling album of 1976, while “Fernando” was the highest selling single of the year. In fact, “Fernando” became the highest-selling single in Australian chart history. 3 other singles and 3 albums were among the top 10 singles of a year. 6 singles (including “Fernando”) went to number 1, for a total of 42 weeks, and 4 albums went to number 1 (for at least 35 weeks).

In addition, ABBA had 16 number 1 singles in Belgium (for 61 weeks total), 9 in Germany, 13 in Ireland, 9 in Mexico, 8 in the Netherlands, 7 in South Africa, 7 in Switzerland, as well as number 1s in many other nations. “Fernando” was ABBA’s most successful international single, reaching number 1 in 13 countries (14 if you count the original Swedish-language solo single), and the top 10 in many other countries. “Dancing Queen” was ABBA’s second most successful single, hitting the number 1 in 13 countries. “Chiquitita” was a number 1 in at least 10 countries (remarkably, both the English and Spanish versions went to number 1 in Mexico on the respective language charts for 32 and 30 weeks). In addition, “Waterloo,” “Money Money Money,” “Take A Chance On Me,” and “The Winner Takes It All,” among others, were also worldwide hits. “ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits,” released in 1992, is ABBA’s highest-selling album, having sold at least 26 million units internationally, placing it among the top 40 highest selling albums of all time.

In the United States, ABBA were not as successful as they were around the world. Ultimately, they only had one number 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 (Dancing Queen), and only 3 other singles made the top 10. Including these 4 singles, ABBA had a total of 15 Top 40 singles in the U.S. That said, ABBA also had three other number 1 singles on other Billboard charts: “Fernando” and “The Winner Takes It All” on the Adult Contemporary Chart and “Lay All Your Love On Me” (backed with "On And On And On" and "Super Trouper") on the Dance Charts.

In 1977, at the height of their success, ABBA toured Europe and Australia. Australia was one of the major focuses of the tour, with 11 shows played there to an estimated 160,000 people. Among the European shows, ABBA did two concerts in London’s Royal Albert Hall, for which tickets were only available by mail order. It was later revealed that 3.5 million requests were received, enough to fill the stadium 580 times. During their 1979 tour, ABBA played in North America and Europe, including 6 sold-out concerts at Wembley Arena in London.

An interesting and very random fact is that ABBA’s eighth and final studio album, The Visitors, was the first CD ever to be manufactured for commercial sale (in September 1982), and among the first titles released in the new format.

For those interested, ABBA’s 9 UK number 1 singles:

Waterloo (2 wks)

Mamma Mia (2 wks)

Fernando (4 wks)

Dancing Queen (6 wks)

Knowing Me, Knowing You (5 wks)

The Name of the Game (4 wks)

Take A Chance On Me (3 wks)

The Winner Takes It All (2 wks)

Super Trouper (3 wks)

P.S. See ABBA: The Worldwide Chart Lists for some more interesting info, including chart placing for all their singles in many countries, year-end rankings, etc.

Why I Am Voting For Obama

I should preface this by stating that I am 22 years of age and I voted for Obama in 2008 at 18 years of age. I recognise therefore that my relative lack of political experience/knowledge opens me up to much criticism. The fact that I will be in Europe for at least one year of the next president's term (if not longer), as I was during a year of Obama's (first) term, is also open to criticism. Nevertheless, it is important to me that I vote and that I give my humble opinion, and I will be proud to cast my vote for Obama from France.

So, why am I voting for Barack Hussein Obama instead of Mitt Romney or a third party candidate? Here is the CliffNotes version...

He has had a number of accomplishments during his four years in office of which any president would be proud. He certainly has not been the greatest president, but he has been far from a terrible president, and he has done his best given a very difficult economic and social situation.

Has he been the "Great Messiah" some were expecting? Has he been a crazy leftist communist nutcase? No, and anyone who thought he would be either of those was just not paying attention to him on the campaign trail. He has been (more or less) the president he said he would be, a pragmatic and relatively centrist chief executive who has tried to reach out to both sides of the aisle despite extreme opposition.

Has he kept all of his campaign promises? No, and he's definitely been more active with his policy-making and whatnot around election times than he has been on average. But let's not pretend that Mitt Romney would be any better.

Do we know what Obama's true thoughts are, or what his real motivations are? No, but we certainly have a better idea of what to expect from him than we do of Mitt Romney, the great "flip-flopper." Despite his relative longevity in politics and business, no one really knows what to expect from him, and perhaps he himself doesn't even know. I should add that flip-flopping is not per se a bad thing. I respect someone who is willing to change with the times and adapt their opinions to new insights. But it's pretty clear that's not why Mitt Romney has changed positions on so many issues so many times. He is an opportunist, plain and simple.

Once again, Obama is far from perfect, but a true liberal choice is never going to happen. Honestly, if the United States had a viable Socialist Party with a real chance of winning (as does much of Europe), I would be more likely to vote for their candidate, but that's just not the reality. And between Obama and Romney, there's really no contest between the two. I am hesitant to use the term "lesser of two evils," as I don't consider Obama an "evil," however you get the idea.

I have seen the argument that there is no real difference between the two, but I have trouble believing that.
Particularly in regard to the social issues, the two are quite easy to distinguish (as for the economic issues, I am a little less sure). Could you imagine Mitt Romney signing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act? Or the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (Video)? Whom do you think would be more willing to set effective climate policy, or work to protect women's reproductive rights?

And, yes, the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") is far from perfect. I don't know that it's the solution anyone wanted, but it's a real step toward solving some very serious problems with our nation's health care system, a system that is the most expensive in the world yet yields relatively poor results. Romney has tried to distance himself from the similar "Romneycare" system in Massachusetts, and is likely to turn back the clock on any health reforms passed thus far.

Finally, and perhaps most important in the long run (imho), is the effect this election will have on the composition of the Supreme Court. As I've discussed in a previous post, the tendency in recent decades has been for Democratic presidents to nominate moderate to left justices, while Republican presidents have tended toward naming more conservative justices. Because 4 of the 5 most conservative justices of the last 80 years are currently sitting on the Court, and as many as three justices may retire in the next four years (Ginsburg, Scalia, and Thomas), this election will be crucial in determining the balance of the Roberts Court. Although I like to believe in the concept of blind justice and Robert's "referee" metaphor, the reality is that justices' legal theories tend to mesh with the political beliefs of the presidents who nominate them. I should also add of course Obama's background in Constitutional Law.

I'll end this post with a corny (and old) little joke: Just like when you drive a car, shifting the gear into "D" will move you forward, while the "R" will move you backward.

-Steven

Popular Songs Based On The Bible (Sampler)

For today's post, here is a short sampler of songs that were in one way or another inspired by the Bible. I am by no means religious (I am an atheist, in fact), however I have always found biblical references in literature and popular culture quite fascinating. I could have put a lot more than 12 songs in this sampler, but I thought I'd make it brief and just choose a few of my favourites.

1. Rivers Of Babylon (Boney M., Single Version)

- From Psalms 137:1-4 & Psalms 19:14

2. Sodom & Gemorrah (Village People)

- Recounts the story of Sodom & Gemorrah from Genesis 18:16- 19:29

3. Samson & Delilah (Newton Family)

- This popular story from Judges 16 appears in this and the following song

4. Samson & Delilah (Middle Of The Road)

- Samson & Delilah of course, but also a fleeting reference to the story of Cain & Abel

5. Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) (The Byrds)

- From Ecclesiastes 3

6. The Lord's Prayer (Beach Boys)

- From Matthew 6:9-13

7. Ac-cent-tcu-ate the Positive (Johnny Mercer)

- In addition to talk of sermons, faith, and sin, there is a reference to "Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark."

8. Judas (Lady Gaga)

- A line-by-line biblical analysis can be found at Vulture.com, but of course the primary biblical influence is the story of Judas's betrayal of Jesus.

9. Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord (Boney M., 12" Version)

- Of course, there are a great many popular Christmas songs retelling the story of Jesus's birth, but I've always had a soft spot for this one.

10. One Love/People Get Ready (Bob Marley)

- Job 34:22 is among many references/allusions in this song, which can be found at the Words of Wisdom site.

11. Man Smart (Woman Smarter) (Harry Belafonte, Live at Carnegie)

- Belafonte performed/recorded many versions of this song in his career, with different stories in each version. The recording from the 'Calypso' album (1956) includes the story of Samson & Delilah; This live performance from 1959 includes references to the story of Adam & Eve in the garden of Eden

12. '40' (U2)

- From Psalms 40

Download (98MB, ZIP format) here.

P.S. David Porter at Suite101 wrote a nice review of Biblical imagery/quotations in popular music, which served as a little guidance in putting together this post. The site "atU2" also has an extensive list of biblical quotations in U2's songs.
P.P.S. You can also get Alec R. Costandinos's biblically-based disco suites "Judas Iscariot/Simon Peter" at the Disco2Go Blog (where you can also find many other great disco albums).

Evita: Cast Album Highlights

Evita is, without a doubt, my favourite musical.
I was a late-comer to musical theatre, being introduced to musicals in high school and seeing my first (legit) stage production in college.
The 1996 film adaptation was one of the first musical films with which I fell in love, and drove me to seek out others.
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So, for today's post, I'd like to share a compilation I made of songs from Evita. This two-disc album mostly consists of songs from the 1976 Concept Recording (starring Julie Covington and Colm Wilkinson) and  1979 Original Broadway Cast Recording (starring Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin). The entirety of the score is (more or less) represented here, and as it is complete, it may be the only Evita cast album you ever need.
Some of the songs have been edited for various reasons (sequencing, favouritism, etc.), and the edits made have been noted in the "Read-Me" file. Don't fret, though; none of the changes are drastic or in any way affect the listening experience.
I own on CD all of the cast albums represented here with the exception of the '81 Australian Cast, which came from the now defunct blog "Wilkommen..." and is sourced from vinyl (with no notable audio problems).
As with some previous samplers, I have made two different covers, so you can choose for yourself. :)
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Without further ado, here is the track listing:

#	Title	Cast
1.1	Un Cine En Buenos Aires: 26 De Julio De 1952	1980 Madrid
1.2	Requiem For Evita, Pt. 1	1996 Soundtrack
1.3	Oh What A Circus/ Requiem For Evita, Pt. 2	1979 Broadway
1.4	Intro: “Now Eva Peron…”	1996 Soundtrack
1.5	On This Night Of A Thousand Stars	2006 London
1.6	Eva & Magaldi/ Eva Beware Of The City	1976 Studio (Concept)
1.7	Buenos Aires	1976 Studio (Concept)
1.8	Goodnight And Thank You	1979 Broadway
1.9	The Lady’s Got Potential	1996 Soundtrack
1.10	The Art Of The Possible	1979 Broadway
1.11	Charity Concert (On This Night Of A Thousand Stars)/ I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You	1979 Broadway
1.12	Intro: “Hello & Goodbye…”	1976 Studio (Concept)
1.13	Another Suitcase In Another Hall	1976 Studio (Concept)
1.14	Peron’s Latest Flame (AKA Dangerous Jade)	1979 Broadway
1.15	Dice Are Rolling, Pt. 1/ A New Argentina	1979 Broadway
2.1	On The Balcony Of The Casa Rosada, Pt. 1	1976 Studio (Concept)
2.2	Don’t Cry For Me Argentina	1976 Studio (Concept)
2.3	On The Balcony Of The Casa Rosada, Pt. 2	1976 Studio (Concept)
2.4	High Flying, Adored	1979 Broadway
2.5	Rainbow High	1981 Australian
2.6	Rainbow Tour	1976 Studio (Concept)
2.7	The Actress Hasn’t Learned The Lines (You’d Like To Hear)	1979 Broadway
2.8	And The Money Kept Rolling In (And Out)	1979 Broadway
2.9	Partido Feminista	1996 Soundtrack
2.10	Santa Evita	1996 Soundtrack
2.11	Waltz For Eva & Che	1976 Studio (Concept)
2.12	She Is A Diamond	1978 London
2.13	Dice Are Rolling, Pt. 2/ Eva’s Sonnet, Pt. 1	1976 Studio (Concept)
2.14	You Must Love Me	1996 Soundtrack
2.15	Eva’s Final Broadcast	1996 Soundtrack
2.16	Montage	2006 London
2.17	Lament	1979 Broadway

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You can download the ZIP file here (UPDATED LINK). Enjoy!
Feel free to leave a comment with your feedback.
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P.S. The new Broadway Revival Cast, starring Elena Roger and Ricky Martin, has just released a two-disc cast album, which can be purchased from Amazon for $14.88. I have yet to listen to it, but I have high hopes. :)
P.P.S. You can purchase the classic disco album "Evita," produced by the legendary Boris Midney from Amazon mp3 for just $6.93. I highly recommend it, particularly for the disco versions of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" and "Buenos Aires."

Digression #4: Blog Statistics

Hello all,
Just wanted to say that I haven't dropped off the face of the planet, and that more posts are in the works. I haven't had a lot of time recently, but hang in there and hopefully I'll post a few things in the next few days.
-Steven
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I was going through my blog and download statistics to get an idea as to which posts and downloads are most popular. I have included the stats for all mp3 posts below.
As you can see, my first four music posts (which incidentally are variations on official music releases) are the most-downloaded, while my more recent posts have more views but fewer downloads. My guess is that albums such as Bee Gees Gold and Saturday Night Fever are being downloaded from RAR/Zip search engines, hence the relatively large numbers of downloads compared to page views.
The most site traffic comes from the US, followed by Germany, the UK, Russia, and Spain...
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No one has left any comments, so I have no idea whether people liked the albums, or whether there were any complaints about sound quality or whatnot, so I am hoping all is well.
Please let me know which albums you liked the most, so I can have an idea what to post in the future.
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Bee Gees Gold
- 248 Downloads
- 37 Post Views
Saturday Night Fever (OST Expanded)
- 137 Downloads
- 48 Post Views
Flashdance (OST Expanded)
- 89 Downloads
- 62 Post Views
Thank God It's Friday (OST Expanded)
- 43 Downloads (Disc 2)
- 43 Downloads (Discs 1&3)
- 47 Post Views
Dionne Warwick Sings Bacharach (Sampler)
- 29 Downloads
- 56 Post Views
ABBA-esque Sampler
- 18 Downloads (Disc 1)
- 22 Downloads (Disc 2)
- 46 Page Views
Batman Score & Soundtrack Sampler
- 15 Downloads
- 55 Post Views
Country Ladies Sampler
- 8 Downloads (Disc 1)
- 8 Downloads (Disc 2)
- 55 Post Views
Burt Bacharach Sampler
- 7 Downloads (0 Downloads for "A House Is Not A Home")
- 48 Post Views
African Music Sampler
- 1 Download
- 13 Post Views

P.S. I'm also excited to be approaching 1,000 page views, which is quite an accomplishment for a modest little blog like mine. :)

SCOTUS Compare-Contrast

Note: This post was actually started two years ago as a follow-up to my Brief History of the Supreme Court, and I have finally finished it.
This is my first non-music post in a while.
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DISCLAIMER: My following explanation of the Post-Nixon Court is mostly based on fact and observation, and I have tried to be as objective as possible; nevertheless, there may be some opinion-based thoughts expressed here. This is also not meant to be exhaustive.
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Despite the few liberal precedents of the Nixon era, SCOTUS became markedly more conservative during this period, and with the election of Reagan as president, the Court hit a point from which it could never easily turn back: the rise of the Ultra-Conservative faction of the Court, as well as the retirements/deaths of the remaining "Strong" liberals, who were replaced by moderate liberals, and the rise of moderate Justice Stevens as the foremost liberal on the Court.
* This is illustrated by the failed nomination of Robert Bork, followed by the successful appointment of Scalia, Thomas, Alito, and Roberts.
* Of course, both Reagan and Bush Sr. had relative disappointments as had Nixon, with the appointment of, respectively, two moderate-right conservatives (O'Connor and Kennedy [both Reagan appointees]) and one moderate-left liberal (Souter [Bush appointee].

What I mean by all of this is simple:
If one were to compare the Supreme Court of today to, for example, the Warren Court (I chose that one mainly because I am most familiar with it, and because it serves as a strong contrast), we would see some striking differences, even in how we define the factions.
* The Warren Court, despite its relative liberality, had a relatively conservative wing as has every Court. The Justices most strongly aligned with the Conservative wing of the Warren Court were Potter Stewart, John Marshall Harlan II, and Felix Frankfurter.

The Warren Court's makeup from 1958-1962

* But, when one compares these conservatives with the current SCOTUS' conservatives (Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Scalia), one finds that they are on entirely different wavelengths. Despite the Warren-Era conservatives' attempts to prevent some of the Warren Court's excesses, the conservative justices of the time still joined in many of the liberal decisions.
* For example, Justice Harlan, often considered a strong conservative, nevertheless was the main proponent of the Right of Privacy established in Griswald and which led to the decision in Roe v. Wade. The idea of the current conservatives taking any part in such a decision is hard to even imagine. Perhaps the only analogue on the Court is Justice Kennedy, who helped to preserve Roe v. Wade and even authored the decision in Lawrence v. Texas (2003), which established a freedom of sexual activity within the Right of Privacy. Nevertheless, Kennedy (the most moderate conservative) is arguably more conservative than the strongest Warren conservatives, as his vote in such cases as Citizen's United and the recent "Obamacare" case illustrate.
* Justice Hugo Black (who may be the greatest justice to ever sit on the Court in my estimation) and Justice William Douglas were both First Amendment Absolutists and, especially in the case of Black, were Strict Constructionists. Yet, they were the last of their breed of Strict Constructionists who reached quite liberal decisions while also reaching rather conservative ones at times. Now, the Court can (generally) be lumped into the Constructionists/Originalists (not necessarily the same thing) on one end and the Living Constitutionists on the other, with each side voting pretty much along party lines. Although the Warren Court justices were somewhat predictable, their votes were not nearly as partisan as those of today's justices.

There you have it... My humble thoughts...
The conclusion: Although most Supreme Court compositions throughout the US's history could be divided into Conservative and Liberal factions, those labels meant vastly different things in the past. In the last few decades, the Court has swung the right, with the conservative wing almost off the tipping point and even the liberal wing being far less liberal than in the past.

According to a US News & Weekly Report 2008 ranking of conservatism in the post-1937 Court, four of the five most conservative justices of the last 75 years are currently sitting on the Court, and most of the top ten have sat on the Court within the last few decades, while none of the ten least conservative justices are currently sitting.

Finally, an article published a few days ago includes a chart (below) showing percentages of decisions featuring one-vote majorities (in many cases 5-4 decisions), and the Rehnquist and Roberts Courts both have over 20% of their decisions decided by such majorities, an increase of 5% from the Burger and Vinson Courts and about 10% from the Warren and Stone Courts.