Customer Reviews

Beyond Boundaries: Guitar Solos

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Some thought of Michael the way people thought of Frank Zappa: they wished he'd shut up and play his guitar. I liked to hear Michael sing. For one thing, it gave the guitar-intense side of my brain a few minutes to rest after the intense stimulation it had just received. But I understand the desire for an all-instrumental Hedges album and I give this one a passing grade.

Mind you, if I were compiling favorite Michael Hedges instrumentals, my list would be markedly different than this set list. I consider his first two discs to be his best instrumental work and although three cuts form the first disc (Breakfast In The Field) are included, his tour de force showpiece, "Silent Anticipations", is not. And although five cuts from the second disc (Aerial Boundaries) are included, "Hot Type" is not. I consider these to be glaring omissions and since so much was included from later albums, it would have been easy to make way for them. I guess that after this disc sets the hook in you, you'll be forced to go back and buy all the first two.

Alas, the above is picking nits. Notice that I gave 5 stars for this disc. For those unitiated to Michael Hedges, I have this advice: listen to this CD when you have time to sit and do nothing but listen. Also, crank it up to at least 85 dB. 95dB on the peaks is more like his live shows. He may have been categorized as a New Age artist, but like Leo Kottke, this stereotype was grossly inadequate. Michael was a rocker at heart, but as others have mentioned, he really was not from this planet. At a live show, he once told the audience that he was looking for a label for his music because New Age didn't hack it. I spoke out that he should call his music "Heavy Mental" and he liked it and used it for years. And that's exactly what Michael's music was: Boundless, Incredible, Fantastic, Creative, Very Heavy and Very Mental. He was like a brother to me and I sorely miss him.

Awesome display of Michael Hedges' prodigious talent, where it shines most: in his playing [this anthology has only one abbreviated vocal, and it's a tiny moment you'll really enjoy]. Cosmic tablature and wild percussive effects so basic/complex that it's hard to imagine they come from one solo acoustic guitar. The good news: you get to hear samples from his whole career, as he aggressively but cheerfully bashes in one aural door after another. The bad news: we will hear no more from this uncommonly gifted artist.

I just recently was introduced to the music of Michael Hedges. Having passed several times on the way to college the street named after him in my home town of Enid, my curiosity got the best of me. This is by far the best and most varied collection of Michael Hedges songs on one CD. Enjoyable listen and masterfully crafted songs. Hedges is amazing and so is every song on this album. I highly recommend it.

Every now and then an album comes along that seems to stand outside the constraints of time. This is one of those albums. Beautiful and unlike anything you've ever heard before, this is one of those albums that makes you truly grateful that God gave you ears.

Michael Hedges, without exaggeration, was the most brilliant solo acoustic guitarist who ever walked this Earth. This CD is not only a great starting point for those who are not familiar with his work, but it is essential listening for anyone with general interest in the field of solo instrumental acoustic guitar.

During his lifetime, Hedges was acknowledged as the "king of the hill" among an elite handful of guitar virtuosi. Years after his untimely death, the music of this artist still towers above the pack.

Also highly recommended: Areial Boundaries, Oracle, and Taproot.

As a guitarist, I was hooked the first time I heard Michael. My uncle had just purchased his album "Oracle" and I was amazed by the sounds I was hearing. This collection is quite solid although a few of my favorites (notably from "Aerial Boundaries") are missing. This is a great jumping-off point if you are not familiar with MH. Highly recommended.

I am a late bloomer, in regards to Hedges' music, but I can't express how much I like his songs. The first time I even heard about him was on the LAGQ Cd "Guitar Heroes" where they play a piece for him called "Lament and Wake".Then I bought the CD "Beyond Boundaries" and saw why they included him on their CD. What a great loss to lose such a talented musician.

This CD is a great introduction to the amazing world of Michael Hedges.

Most of you already know that Michael Hedges was a guitar god. I won't go into the music. What I would like to address is the audio quality of this cd. Nowhere on the liner notes is there any reference to the tracks here being remastered, but I can assure you that they were and done so exquisitely. The album "Oracle" was already one of my reference discs and this one surpasses it sonically. It's so nice to see a huge jump in quality on those great songs from "Breakfast in the Field" and " Ariel Boundaries". This is not a greatest hits cd, this is a must for audiophiles, especially fans of Hedges.

This product is definitly a great buy for any Hedges fan. Its a guitar-only album, which is kinda sad in my opinion, but atleast we get to hear the cream of Hedges... The most excellent masterpieces are collected into one album.

Awesome display of Michael Hedges' prodigious talent, where it shines most: in his playing [this anthology has only one abbreviated vocal, and it's a tiny moment you'll really enjoy]. Cosmic tablature and wild percussive effects so basic/complex that it's hard to imagine they come from one solo acoustic guitar. The good news: you get to hear samples from his whole career, as he cheerfully but aggressively bashes in one aural door after another. The bad news: we will hear no more from this uncommonly gifted artist.