Customer Reviews

Air: Late Night Tales

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The CD is best when the choices are least expected: "All Cats are Grey" (The Cure), "Planet Caravan" (Black Sabbath), "Metal Heart" (Cat Power), "P.L.A." (Robert Wyatt), "Cousin Jane" (Troggs) are all fantastic, and fantastically unexpected. I can live without some of the movie-soundtrack selections (esp. Tan Dun) and the foray into kitsch - Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You" (wretched stuff, plus it sounds completely out of place here) - but these compilation albums are always a bit hit-and-miss, for whatever reason, and this one is no exception. By my calculation, there are NINE stellar tracks here, and that's enough for me (for the price I paid). I've downloaded the best tracks onto my IPod, along with some of my favorite moody Air tracks ("Bathroom Girl," "Les Professionnels"), and the results are exceptional LateNight music.

It would be a mistake--one the other reviewers here have made--to review this as if it were an Air album and not just a selection of some of their favorite music. You can definitely hear the influences on Air in the music chosen, but the selections are all over the musical map. What other mix CD includes Black Sabbath and Ravel? If you don't expect everything on the CD to sound exactly like Air, you will find it an excellent, eclectic collection of tracks. The artists are mostly people you've heard (or heard of) before, but several of the songs are left-field selections. It's perfect listening for--as you may have guessed--late nights.

This is one of my favorite CDs at the moment. If you listen to this CD and then you listen to any AIR CD, you can really see how the songs on this CD influence their music. The only complaint I have about the mix of songs is Minnie Ripperton's "Loving You". It has never really been a favorite of mine, mostly because it gets stuck in my head everytime I hear it. On the other hand, choices like "All Cats are Grey" by the Cure and Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan" are a great start to this moody trip that you really should check out.

Nothing else to add that hasn't already been said. To reiterate the obvious - this is a compilation and not an original artist album and it represents what has inspired Air musically and shaped their sound to what it is today. This is a MUST BUY.

Seriously, how can the other two reviewers clame themselves Air fans?!?!? THis is AIR picking out the songs that inspire them. AND THEY ARE GREAT CHOICES! The Band, Japan, Cat Power? Plus it's a CHILL OUT MIX!!! Thats why it's low key! Seriously, if you like AIR, you will love this.

This album is part of a series of late-night mixtapes, called "Late Night Tales." This series (similar to other dj-mixtape series) allows artists to come up with a range of songs that express their tastes, stories, inspirations, and identities. Air's version is quite excellent and goes beyond the ordinary mixtape. They really set the mood for a "late night" chillout-including a range of artists and genres that blend together smoothly (and surprisingly-see the Cat Power-Minnie Riperton, or Black Sabbath-Nino Rota transitions). Definitely a purchase for the well-versed fan, not the ordinary Air fan. The majority of people who are rating this as low either didn't understand what the Late Night Tales series was, or misread the product description. Do not consider these reviews as legitimate.

When I heard it for the first time, I was a little dissapointed and later on I found that this is just remix album of various songs and interprets. In this view I have listened to it a couple of times and found thout that this is a very extraordinary album that is my favourite one to listen to before I go to the bed. EXCELLENT from the beginning to the end, definately worth a try.

Great song picks and recorded as to do them justice. One not to be missed.

Amazon has sent me two copies of this cd (the original and a replacement). Both of these cds have been the regular, domestic, 18 track versions. You will not get what you see described here.

The songs on this "album" were not written, recorded, produced or even covered by Air. They have nothing to do with Air. YOU could have made this exact album by getting on to itunes, downloading the same songs, burn them to a disc and put your name on that disc and claiming it as your new album.

You've got to be a pretty mindless Air fan to give this album 5 out of 5 stars when anyone in the world could have done exactly what they did.