|
|
Music CD - Various Artists: Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
|
Music CD: Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
Artist: Various Artists
List Price: $21.98
Our Price: $7.59
Your Save: $ 14.39 ( 65% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
|
Average Customer Rating:  
|
|
Tracks:
|
1. Instant Karma -- U2
2. #9 Dream -- R.E.M.
3. Mother -- Christina Aguilera
4. Give Peace A Chance -- Aerosmith with Sierra Leone Refuge All-Stars
5. Cold Turkey -- Lenny Kravitz
6. Whatever Gets You Through the Night -- Los Lonely Boys
7. I'm Losing You -- Corinne Bailey Rae
8. Gimme Some Truth -- Jakob Dylan Feat. Dhani Harrison
9. Oh, My Love -- Jackson Browne
10. Imagine -- Avril Lavigne
11. Nobody Told Me -- Big & Rich
12. Jealous Guy -- Youssou N'Dour
|
|
|
Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0093624997153
Label: Warner Bros / Wea
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
Number Of Discs: 2
Publisher: Warner Bros / Wea
Release Date: 2007-06-12
Studio: Warner Bros / Wea
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spotlight customer reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: Average Karma
Comment: This CD was disappointing. When you look at the list of artists: U2, REM, Snow Patrol, Jack Johnson, Postal Service, Ben Harper, Green Day, Jakob Dylan, and more, you think you are going to get a great album. But it's average at best. I loved the U2 and REM songs at the beginning, but even some of the artists I liked didn't do a great job. Definitely more misses than hits. I will admit that I didn't know any of these songs, except Imagine, so I'm not sure how faithful these covers are to the original. But they felt very bland. Luckily, I checked this CD out from the library, so I didn't waste any $$$. Of course, I guess it wouldn't be wasting since proceeds would go to a good cause, but you catch my drift.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Worthy Cause, but Unworthy Renditions....
Comment: There is one thing that this collection makes abundantly clear: Lennon was a master ARRANGER above everything else. It seems no one could do it like John. With only a few exceptions, the artists paying tribute here seem uncomprehending of the melodic perfection John bestowed upon his creations, thus giving them their power.
I'm sorry to say that the majority of these renditions are beyond butchered. Now, I'm well aware that for a collection like 'Instant Karma' to work, the artists had to stamp their own style on their particular cover, which is what they did. To my experienced ears, however, only a small number succeeded in doing this properly.
-------The good ones-------
1.)Los Lonely Boys - 'Whatever Gets You Through the Night':
A great example of how to keep in tune with the original melody and at the same time evoke a sound similar to your own creation, in this case, 'How Far Is Heaven?'. Well done boyos!
2.)Green Day - 'Working Class Hero':
Same as above.
3.) Snow Patrol - 'Isolation':
I LOVED this cover, especially how they reworked the lonely and solitary piano line into fast acoustic playing, making the song just as ominous as the original but in a new way. My only complaint is that they skip some lyrics "you're just a human, a victim of the insane". Why?
4.) Matisyahu - 'Watching the Wheels':
Not anything spectacular, but the tune is just so perfect that any rendition may have succeeded.
5.) The Flaming Lips - '(Just Like) Starting Over':
This is the perfect band to cover this song. Wayne's voice is perfect for it. Very well done.
6.) Regina Spektor - 'Real Love':
Again, like 'Watching the Wheels', this tune is so uniquely beautiful that any rendition may suffice. She has a nice voice and I'm tempted to check out her own work.
---The bad ones---
1.) The Postal Service - 'Grow Old With Me'
No amount of apology is sufficient for what was done to this gem. This is my favorite John song, his most moving and tear inducing. But this group saw fit to turn it into an electronic funeral dirge that makes one want to jump off a bridge. What a wasted opportunity!
2.) Jakob Dylan - 'Gimme Some Truth':
Dylan apparently can't grasp the anger and power of the original. No wonder, he doesn't sound like he has a vitriolic bone in his body. That is usually a good thing, but not when it comes to covering songs DRIPPING with it. Bleh.
3.) Jaguares - 'Gimme Some Truth':
TWO covers of this mighty song on this album, and still no real anger! Come on folks, you'll never save Darfur with this half-***edness!
That leaves the rest, which I can only describe as good efforts, but just off-tune or off emotionally to keep them from being truly worthy covers. In conclusion, I think this album demonstrates that modern artists need to take a MUCH closer listen to Lennon's production values. Therein lies the power that changed the world once......
p.s, Why didn't anyone cover 'Love', 'Nobody Loves You When You're Down and Out', 'Remember', or 'Free As a Bird'?
Customer Rating:
Summary: Instant Karma
Comment: LOVE IT !
I pick out and feel a differant emotion from each artist every time I listen.
Liking it better each time!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Decent in Quality, Excellent in Cause
Comment: This CD tribute of sorts is an amazing cause, Darfur is in hard times and needs help and anything done for that cause is good. However, this is music and music by one of the greatest songwriters of all time, and 2nd favorite artist/band ever so I was excited and yet very nervous. There are some amazing remakes on here, U2 and Green Day and Regina Spector and REM and Dylan/Harrison and Jackson Browne, but there are some really bad ones, both Imagines and Isolation and Flaming Lips and Christina Aguilera. Still, the cause and the really good ones make this an excellent project with average results. So listen to it and put the good ones on your music player. so 5 for he cause and 3 for the music makes a 4 overall.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Sucks!
Comment: NO JEWEL CASE!
I returned the CD.
It came in a cardboard sleeve.
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews:
|
John Lennon would have turned 67 in 2007. If alive, he could well be at the forefront of bringing peace to Darfur, where more than half a million have died from violence and disease during four years of rebel discord. So to create awareness of the ongoing conflict, Amnesty International (with permission from Yoko Ono) has mined Lennon's solo work and rounded up nearly two dozen current artists to reinterpret the music, which spans the ex-Beatle's entire post-band catalog (plus a pair from while the Fab Four were still in business). As with any attempt to cover Beatles-related music, results are hit and miss, with kudos going to Snow Patrol and the Postal Service for capturing the starkness of "Isolation" and "Grow Old with Me," respectively, Mexican rock band Jaguares for uncovering the fear and fury in "Gimme Some Truth," and (surprise!) Christina Aguilera for nailing the complex composition and mood of "Mother." Other highlights include Jackson Browne's piano-led "Oh My Love," Green Day's louder straight take on "Working Class Hero," and the Black Eyed Peas turning "Power to the People" into a gospelly protest. Will resurrecting 30-to-40-year-old messages of peace and love be enough to help end the brutalities in Darfur? That remains to be seen. But selecting John Lennon as the author of those messages will make people listen and, with this collection, may keep them listening. --Scott Holter
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
