Switched-On Boxed Set
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Free Music Notes for Switched-On Boxed Set
Free Music Review: It's all your fault, Wendy Carlos!
Hit: 5 Stars
When I was a wee lass of 11, (in 1971) my dad brought home "Switched-On Bach" from the base library to record onto tape. I was hooked from the very first chord. I had never heard such incredible music! I was hooked on both classical and electronic music. Still am! Carlos' music was seminal in making me who I am today- an electronics and computer tech, eclectic music collector and Moog junkie. My 600-plus CD collection is all her fault. So is my love of high-end audio gear. Her music is a must-have if you are a classical or synth fan.Free Music Review: Outstanding Value despite minor revisionism
Hit: 5 Stars
This generous box set is a must-have for lovers of electronic music, and a can't-live-without for Carlos fans and analog synthesists (like me).I can't believe that the Amazon.com reviewer would dismiss this excellently conceived and crisply performed music as "wacky". It is, after all, no more wacky than any other musical transcription. Indeed, if there is one thing Wendy Carlos is known for, it is good taste in sound. And that good taste is all over this box set.
The re-recording is extremely clean to the point of exposing some of the faults that would have been covered up on vinyl. For example, there is a definite 60 Hz hum on Brandenburg #4, but it's subtle andvery easy to tune out.
Hearing many of these selections for the first time in years is almost like listening to old friends who haven't lost their sparkle. As a person who has been involved in electronic music for 30 years, I have a particular appreciation for the absolute craftsmanship with which the sounds were created and combined. I have played the CDs from this box set at least twice a week and am still astonished by their sheer musicality. Delightful!
Equally as delightful are the bonus tracks, which include Wendy's ruminations on the recordings. There is a certain honesty about them that gives each mini-lecture a wonderfully intimate feeling. It soon becomes apparent to the listener that much of Carlos' success resulted not just from talent, but from working very hard and accepting nothing but the very best.
As an added treat, the Switched On Box Set includes a book of all the (almost) original liner notes and the even-more-wonderful "New Notes" book. This well-written book is loaded with pictures and has just about everything you would want to know about Wendy's studio, methods, and the Moog. It's a fun read and a great addition to any electronic music library.
Unfortunately, the printed materials in this box set suffer from revisionism, which gives Wendy's lament about "...the trendy, revisionist-obsessed world we now occupy..." a hollow ring. It is common knowledge that Wendy was Walter when the original discs were created, yet that name has been obliterated or overwritten with "Wendy" in all of the original documents. Even the original album covers have been altered! Given that sex changes are no longer novel and that Wendy long ago described her transformation in a Playboy article, the baffling decision to muddy the historical waters is not just annoying, but detracts from the otherwise honest and intimate feeling of this box set.
Despite the revisionism of the text and pictures, and occasional (but very subtle) warts-and-all noise on the discs, the Switched On Box Set is one of the best musical values going. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Free Music Review: More important today
Hit: 5 Stars
The early work of the most important synthesizer pioneer has more value today than it did 30 years ago. Like everything, electronic music has reached the street level with cheap keyboards in the wrong hands. The Switched-On box set reminds us of Carlos' own rules; that you can learn more about composing by listening to the classics than you can by reading hardware and software manuals. The books that come with the CD's are worth the price alone. Only Wendy Carlos is brave enough to share her secrets of the synthesizer.Free Music Review: An Incredible Collection
Hit: 5 Stars
Classical music played on a synthesizer tends to evoke rather specific feelings; you either like it or hate it, and there is precious little ground between. If you like it, this represents the definitive collection of Bach performed on the Moog synthesizer by the the best musician in electronic music. Don't hesitate, just get this collection.The boxed set includes the several "treats." Arguably Carlos's best album of Baroque music, "The Well-Tempered Synthesizer," appears here for the first time on CD. Bach never wrote a second movement for his Third Brandenberg Concerto, and the "Switched-On Bach" CD includes two of Carlos's three attempts to compose one. Two of the CDs include "outtakes" from the original recording process -- it's facincating to hear the work that went into building these recordings. Finally, the "Switched-On Brandenbergs" CD is an enhanced CD that contains software for PCs and Macs: a copy of the Wendy Carlos web site and samples of programs that emulate an analog synthesizer. Add to this the a booklet of the original album notes, and an almost book-length set of notes describing the music, the technical process behind the creation, and a tribute to Carlos's producer, collaborator, and friend Rachel Elkind, and you have an incredible package.
Free Music Review: Finally!
Hit: 5 Stars
I have waited for 10 years to hear "The Well-Tempered Synthesizer" on CD, as it has never before been available in complete form. I believe it to be Carlos's shining hour in the realm of classical music. It is much more polished and rewarding than the previous "Switched-On Bach", and in the selection and performance of the pieces (especially the 4th Brandenburg and the Scarlatti Sonatas) contains a magical quality not found in any of her other classical efforts. Her new-found sophistication on the instrument and excellent selection of material (moving outside of Bach) makes this the most exciting album she ever released. It makes the first "Switched-On Bach" seem quite naive in comparison. Only her performance of segments of the 9th Symphony (for Clockwork Orange) rival "The Well-Tempered Synthesizer".Having said this, if "The Well-Tempered Synthesizer" was available as a single album, I could do with just having it and "Clockwork Orange" in my collection. Early reports from East Side Digital claimed that they the albums were to be released individually, but in the unspecified future. As they are not currently available, however, the box set is great to have. The liner notes are extensive and informative. The remastered sound is incredible. The performance on the other Brandenburgs is very good (though none match the 4th, found on "The Well-Tempered Synthesizer"), and this box is a must for anybody who is interested in this kind of thing.
Individual ratings:
Switched-On Bach: * * * Well-Tempered Synthesizer: * * * * * Switched-On Bach II: * * * Switched-On Brandenburgs: * * * *