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Title: Monkey: Journey to the West Artist: Damon Albarn Average Customer Review:  RRP: £13.99 Price: £7.98 You Save: £6.01 (43%) Seller: Amazon.co.uk Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours | ||
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View full details of 'Monkey: Journey to the West' at www.amazon.co.uk | 
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Product Details:
Binding: Audio CD
Publisher: XL
Publication Date:
Manufacturer: XL
Package Dimensions: 0.47 x 5.35 x 4.88 inches
ReleaseDate: 2008-08-18
EditorialReview: You could never accuse Damon Albarn of resting on his laurels. Whether it's forming supergroups (The Good, The Bad & The Queen), working with cult animators (The Gorillaz) or making music with musicians from Mali, the former Blur frontman has nurtured a restless, questing spirit not normally encountered in Britop stars. As if to underline his diverse interests, he now turns his attention to Chinese theatre. Monkey: Journey to the West is a theatrical collaboration between Albarn (music), Jamie Hewlett of Gorillaz fame (designs, costumes) and Chinese opera specialist Chen Shi-Zheng. The show itself is an explosive 90-minute circus featuring Chinese acrobats, martial arts experts and contortionists, though the album condenses the experience into 22 songs lasting an hour or so. Recorded in London and Beijing with a mix of European and Chinese musicians, Monkey ... is a genuine attempt at East-West fusion. Featuring a dizzying array of instrumentation--rock guitars, electronics, harps, mandolins, drum machines, strings, plinky-plonk keyboards, giggling girls, chants, even pigs--it's the sort of project that could so easily have gone awry. Yet Albarn, who allegedly mastered the Chinese pentatonic scale, seems to have made it work. Songs like the fluttery "Heavenly Peach Banquet" and the wistful "The Living Sea" are utterly beguiling, and stand in stark contrast to guitar-heavy behemoths like "Battle in Heaven" and the climactic "Monkey Bee." These longer songs are punctuated with incidental pieces such as "Iron Rod", "Into the Eastern Sea" and "Out of the Eastern Sea". While such interludes may distract from a 'normal' album experience, there's enough melodious charm and imaginative whimsy scattered throughout to satisfy even ardent skeptics. --Paul Sullivan
Disc: 1
Track 1: Monkey's World
Track 2: Monkey Travels
Track 3: Into The Eastern Sea
Track 4: Living Sea
Track 5: Dragon King
Track 6: Iron Rod
Track 7: Out Of The Eastern Sea
Track 8: Heavenly Peach Banquet
Track 9: Battle In Heaven
Track 10: O Mi To Fu
Track 11: Whisper
Track 12: Tripitaka's Curse
Track 13: Confessions Of A Pig
Track 14: Sandy The River Demon
Track 15: March Of The Volunteers
Track 16: White Skeleton Demon
Track 17: Monk's Song
Track 18: I Love Buddha
Track 19: March Of The Iron Army
Track 20: Pigsy In Space
Track 21: Monkey Bee
Track 22: Disappearing Volcano
1: Monkey (Penguin Classics)
2: Fleet Foxes
3: The Seldom Seen Kid
4: Only By The Night
5: Glasvegas
Customer Id: A3I7J6JTRM0HBJ 2008-11-17
Review Summary: Disappointing
Review Content: I'd been really looking forward to this release, unfortunately I have to say it's the worst of Damon Albarn's career.
I was equally disappointed with the opera itself, which I saw last weekend. A few parts were very very good, but on the whole it's really dull.
End of product details for 'Monkey: Journey to the West'
Publisher: XL
Publication Date:
Manufacturer: XL
Package Dimensions: 0.47 x 5.35 x 4.88 inches
ReleaseDate: 2008-08-18
EditorialReview: You could never accuse Damon Albarn of resting on his laurels. Whether it's forming supergroups (The Good, The Bad & The Queen), working with cult animators (The Gorillaz) or making music with musicians from Mali, the former Blur frontman has nurtured a restless, questing spirit not normally encountered in Britop stars. As if to underline his diverse interests, he now turns his attention to Chinese theatre. Monkey: Journey to the West is a theatrical collaboration between Albarn (music), Jamie Hewlett of Gorillaz fame (designs, costumes) and Chinese opera specialist Chen Shi-Zheng. The show itself is an explosive 90-minute circus featuring Chinese acrobats, martial arts experts and contortionists, though the album condenses the experience into 22 songs lasting an hour or so. Recorded in London and Beijing with a mix of European and Chinese musicians, Monkey ... is a genuine attempt at East-West fusion. Featuring a dizzying array of instrumentation--rock guitars, electronics, harps, mandolins, drum machines, strings, plinky-plonk keyboards, giggling girls, chants, even pigs--it's the sort of project that could so easily have gone awry. Yet Albarn, who allegedly mastered the Chinese pentatonic scale, seems to have made it work. Songs like the fluttery "Heavenly Peach Banquet" and the wistful "The Living Sea" are utterly beguiling, and stand in stark contrast to guitar-heavy behemoths like "Battle in Heaven" and the climactic "Monkey Bee." These longer songs are punctuated with incidental pieces such as "Iron Rod", "Into the Eastern Sea" and "Out of the Eastern Sea". While such interludes may distract from a 'normal' album experience, there's enough melodious charm and imaginative whimsy scattered throughout to satisfy even ardent skeptics. --Paul Sullivan
Track List:
Disc: 1
Track 1: Monkey's World
Track 2: Monkey Travels
Track 3: Into The Eastern Sea
Track 4: Living Sea
Track 5: Dragon King
Track 6: Iron Rod
Track 7: Out Of The Eastern Sea
Track 8: Heavenly Peach Banquet
Track 9: Battle In Heaven
Track 10: O Mi To Fu
Track 11: Whisper
Track 12: Tripitaka's Curse
Track 13: Confessions Of A Pig
Track 14: Sandy The River Demon
Track 15: March Of The Volunteers
Track 16: White Skeleton Demon
Track 17: Monk's Song
Track 18: I Love Buddha
Track 19: March Of The Iron Army
Track 20: Pigsy In Space
Track 21: Monkey Bee
Track 22: Disappearing Volcano
Similar Products:
1: Monkey (Penguin Classics)
2: Fleet Foxes
3: The Seldom Seen Kid
4: Only By The Night
5: Glasvegas
Customer Reviews:
0 out of 2 people found the following review helpfulCustomer Id: A3I7J6JTRM0HBJ 2008-11-17 Review Summary: Disappointing
Review Content: I'd been really looking forward to this release, unfortunately I have to say it's the worst of Damon Albarn's career.
I was equally disappointed with the opera itself, which I saw last weekend. A few parts were very very good, but on the whole it's really dull.
3 out of 5 people found the following review helpful
Customer Id: A1084BYBEW0RNS 2008-09-11
Review Summary: Quite interesting, incidentally ... (6/10)
Review Content: I have been a keen advoate of all things Damon Albarn post-Graham Coxon (i.e., Blur's `Think Tank` and beyond) so was understandably quite excited by the album release of `Monkey, Journey to the West`. I had not seen the Chinese opera-spectacular which this album scores but I didn't let that dissuade me from pre-ordering this one from Amazon. What I hadn't realised was that this 22-song collection largely comprises incidental compositions from the opera and doesn't stand up as an album in its own right. Unless you have seen the opera - in which case this might make a compelling souvenir - I feel duty-bound to warn you not to expect something on the scale of other Albarn side-projects such as Gorillaz' `Demon Days`, `Mali Music` or `The Good, the Bad and the Queen`.
There are handfull of lovely individual songs - particularly the Himalayan Kate Bushisms of `Heavenly Peach Blanket' - but the majority are sonic doodles of varying interest. Predominantly comprising synths and drum machines, fleshed out with guitar, harp and strings, some are diverting enough - even narrational - in their own right, but most score some unseen action intelligable only to those who have seen the production. The effect is sometimes frustratingly akin to being stuck in a theatre foyer ticketless while the action gets underway without you in the audience. And unlike a traditional opera, the music seems rather secondary - or at least only complementary to - the action on stage, rather than the other way around. As a souvenir, it's an attractive package, but I've never been a fan of Jamie Hewlett's artwork - Gorillaz for me was always just about the music.
Customer Id: A1084BYBEW0RNS 2008-09-11 Review Summary: Quite interesting, incidentally ... (6/10)
Review Content: I have been a keen advoate of all things Damon Albarn post-Graham Coxon (i.e., Blur's `Think Tank` and beyond) so was understandably quite excited by the album release of `Monkey, Journey to the West`. I had not seen the Chinese opera-spectacular which this album scores but I didn't let that dissuade me from pre-ordering this one from Amazon. What I hadn't realised was that this 22-song collection largely comprises incidental compositions from the opera and doesn't stand up as an album in its own right. Unless you have seen the opera - in which case this might make a compelling souvenir - I feel duty-bound to warn you not to expect something on the scale of other Albarn side-projects such as Gorillaz' `Demon Days`, `Mali Music` or `The Good, the Bad and the Queen`.
There are handfull of lovely individual songs - particularly the Himalayan Kate Bushisms of `Heavenly Peach Blanket' - but the majority are sonic doodles of varying interest. Predominantly comprising synths and drum machines, fleshed out with guitar, harp and strings, some are diverting enough - even narrational - in their own right, but most score some unseen action intelligable only to those who have seen the production. The effect is sometimes frustratingly akin to being stuck in a theatre foyer ticketless while the action gets underway without you in the audience. And unlike a traditional opera, the music seems rather secondary - or at least only complementary to - the action on stage, rather than the other way around. As a souvenir, it's an attractive package, but I've never been a fan of Jamie Hewlett's artwork - Gorillaz for me was always just about the music.
7 out of 7 people found the following review helpful
Customer Id: A42V710492U3Q 2008-09-03
Review Summary: good but great?
Review Content: is this any good, yes. would it be any good without damon albarns name on it? yes but surely wouldn't make the light of day on western charts. its a great opeara score and the good thing is even without having seen the show, its easy to imagine how track names complement the music.. worth buying, still undecided.
Customer Id: A42V710492U3Q 2008-09-03 Review Summary: good but great?
Review Content: is this any good, yes. would it be any good without damon albarns name on it? yes but surely wouldn't make the light of day on western charts. its a great opeara score and the good thing is even without having seen the show, its easy to imagine how track names complement the music.. worth buying, still undecided.
7 out of 7 people found the following review helpful
Customer Id: AHGRC1NQSQZ9I 2008-09-03
Review Summary: A beautiful banquet for the ears
Review Content: Just received the album this morning, and on the first listen I am taken to a different world of sounds, which spark so many emotions. I feel as if I am traveling with monkey and his pals.
I haven't seen the opera, but this certainly gives me a private peek into how this amazing project came together!!! Good work boys!
Customer Id: AHGRC1NQSQZ9I 2008-09-03 Review Summary: A beautiful banquet for the ears
Review Content: Just received the album this morning, and on the first listen I am taken to a different world of sounds, which spark so many emotions. I feel as if I am traveling with monkey and his pals.
I haven't seen the opera, but this certainly gives me a private peek into how this amazing project came together!!! Good work boys!
9 out of 9 people found the following review helpful
Customer Id: A1SXM0P56RT01V 2008-09-02
Review Summary: could try harder
Review Content: Well, there is no doubt Monkey at the Royal Opera House was one of the events of summer 08 in London and I went and was certainly entertained. As a spectacle I think the whole thing came together and there should have been a DVD. Many would like to have seen this who didn't get an opportunity - rather exclusive compared to Gorillaz. So, the music. Does it stand up? Just about. Unlike Gorillaz and Good, Bad Queen you can really hear the joins in this. It's not the production, which is quite masterful. There's electronica, choirs singing in large spaces, brass, trad Chinese instruments etc. all vying for a place in the mix and I feel this works. You could use this CD to show off your hifi for sure. But I hear all the joins in the musical composition (sorry Damon!): there are vocal melodies directly parallel to what you hear on Good, Bad, Queen (Albarn trademark or DNA I guess); the 'chinese' melodies I feel are fairly standard - sort of thing you you hear on Buddhist chant records (where they add percussion and mellotron). There is LOTS of Michael Nyman style rhythm (which is why it won't sound like Gorillaz anywhere)- particularly with orchestral 'strings'. On one track (March of the iron army) this is added to a vocal reminiscent of the score for Nevsky - so if a Nyman/Prokoviev mash up is your thing...Basically, though I want to support the whole idea of this kind of production - there's only Damon Albarn doing all these really interesting projects and, dare I make the comparison with the Beatles, very few composers are able to imagine things that reach such a broad cross-section of the public - I like the idea of the blue rinse set listening to Good Bad Queen and buying art by the 'zombie flesh eaters'!
Customer Id: A1SXM0P56RT01V 2008-09-02 Review Summary: could try harder
Review Content: Well, there is no doubt Monkey at the Royal Opera House was one of the events of summer 08 in London and I went and was certainly entertained. As a spectacle I think the whole thing came together and there should have been a DVD. Many would like to have seen this who didn't get an opportunity - rather exclusive compared to Gorillaz. So, the music. Does it stand up? Just about. Unlike Gorillaz and Good, Bad Queen you can really hear the joins in this. It's not the production, which is quite masterful. There's electronica, choirs singing in large spaces, brass, trad Chinese instruments etc. all vying for a place in the mix and I feel this works. You could use this CD to show off your hifi for sure. But I hear all the joins in the musical composition (sorry Damon!): there are vocal melodies directly parallel to what you hear on Good, Bad, Queen (Albarn trademark or DNA I guess); the 'chinese' melodies I feel are fairly standard - sort of thing you you hear on Buddhist chant records (where they add percussion and mellotron). There is LOTS of Michael Nyman style rhythm (which is why it won't sound like Gorillaz anywhere)- particularly with orchestral 'strings'. On one track (March of the iron army) this is added to a vocal reminiscent of the score for Nevsky - so if a Nyman/Prokoviev mash up is your thing...Basically, though I want to support the whole idea of this kind of production - there's only Damon Albarn doing all these really interesting projects and, dare I make the comparison with the Beatles, very few composers are able to imagine things that reach such a broad cross-section of the public - I like the idea of the blue rinse set listening to Good Bad Queen and buying art by the 'zombie flesh eaters'!
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