The Rippingtons - The Best of the Rippingtons
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Free Music Notes for The Best of the Rippingtons
Free Music Review: Terrific CD and group..
Hit: 5 Stars
My alltime favorite "pop jazz" band has got to be the Rippingtons. From an audiophile perspective, this material is extremely well recorded, as well as being lively, musically interesting and involving. My favorite song on the CD has got to be "Vienna."
If you like the genre (or want to check it out), I can't think of a group I would recommend more highly than The Rippingtons, and this CD gives a good taste of what's available out there.
P.S. to the previous reviewer who said he felt embarrassed about liking the group -- come on man, does everything you listen to have to be angst-filled "art" that has some supposed deeper meaning? I enjoy this group purely for what it is, relaxing kick-back type music that is involving and enjoyable (so much of this genre is utter junk , The Rippingtons are not).
Free Music Review: Good - but here is a better track listing
Hit: 4 Stars
I strongly disagree with the track listing here. I don't think this really showcases how great the Rippingtons are at all. Here are my picks for a best of set:
1) Garden of Babylon
2) Aspen
3) Earthbound
4) Snowbound
5) Tourist in Paradise
6) Kenya
7) Girl with the Indigo Eye
8) Passion Fruit
9) Smooth Jazz Cafe
10) Dream of the Sirens
11) Aruba!
12) Kilimanjaro
13) Soul Mates
14) Affair in San Miguel
15) Indian Summer
Of the 15 choices I have made, only 7 appear on the "Best of the Rippingtons." If you were to take the tracks that I've provided, the CD would clock in just under 80 minutes, which is the limit. I love the Rippingtons, I just think they could have done a much better job on song selection.
Free Music Review: Over-produced twaddle
Hit: 2 Stars
The Rippingtons are one of those fusion bands that few serious jazz fans can admit to liking. They are a sort of poor man's Pat Metheny Group, writing extremely catchy numbers with high production values, but lacking all pretence at art. They produce sheer popular music with much surface glitz, and their album titles always seem to contain aspirational locations, such as 'Monaco', the 'St. James Club' and 'Paradise'.In my time, I've owned at least five of their albums, and in my view, the only decent one is 'Curves Ahead', but that's largely because of the superb piano-playing of the undervalued Mark Portmann. He didn't last long! Somewhat overstaying his welcome was the bongo-basher Steve Reid, who brought a percussive sheen to many of the earlier albums that Russ Freeman could frankly have done without.
I'm reluctant to condemn the Rippingtons, because they've brought me and many other fans a lot of pleasure over the year, but I am embarrassed about it. I often confuse the Rippingtons with the Chippendales, either because of their name or their shared liking for dodgy mullet haircuts.
The other reason I won't condemn them is that Keith Jarrett played a version of Russ's 'The Wind' on his outstanding PARIS CONCERT album. My only question is this: which Russ Freeman album contains the original version of this tune?
Free Music Review: A review of The Rippingtons's The Best Of The Rippingtons.
Hit: 3 Stars
The Best Of The Rippingtons doesn't really follow the title. I don't know why that is, either. It was released in 1997. They had many great songs before that. Most of them do not even appear on this record. There are many of their classics on here, but they still could have done better. Their new songs were pretty good.My top 3 favorite songs from this compilation are tracks 1,5, and 11. Garden Of Babylon, which has a great title and is one of their newly released songs, is a nice, fast-paced track with superb, constant guitar playing by Russ. Aruba! is a good, tropical piece with a punctilious piano solo. Urban Wanderer, which also has an awesome title, is another congenial song with beat.
Concluding, this cd is an o.k. compilation for the group. They could have done better, though. If you want a fantastic, original album by The Rippingtons, then try Moonlighting. This compilation is all right. Thank you for taking the time and generosity to read my review.
Free Music Review: Only getting better
Hit: 5 Stars
I have been a fan of Russ Freeman since the inception of the Rippingtons long ago. This group and the music that they write just gets better and better! This is a must for your collection! Check out the title track!
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