Fresh Aire 8

Mannheim Steamroller | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 22, 2000)
• Original Release Date: August 22, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: American Gramaphone
• ASIN: B00004WFMK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,783 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's about time!, August 23, 2000

By 

David Troska (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fresh Aire 8 (Audio CD)

It's been ten years and several inferior albums since Fresh Aire 7, but the Steamroller is finally back on track. While Fresh Aire 7 is still the undisputed champ of the series, Fresh Aire 8 is one of the stronger competitors, with a rich, full sound that offers a well-balanced blend of synthesizers and orchestra.

The topic this time is "infinity," and this allows for some rather bizarre musical pieces. "The Big Bang" (Infinity in Cosmology) is an extremely effective piece. I don't normally like pieces that are so heavily laden with sound effects and so light on melody, but this one actually works quite well. Listen to it in the dark through big speakers for the best effect.

"Circle Of Love" (Infinity in The Wedding Ring) is one of the best pieces of music Chip Davis has written in several years, showcasing the fact that he does, indeed, still know how to write great music without using MIDI keyboards.

"Leonardo" (The Infinite Thinker) is classic Mannheim, opening with some solemn Renaissance-style chord changes and then going into a style of music similar to earlier pieces like "Four Rows Of Jacks" and "Baroque A Nova."

"The Heart And The Feather" is an overly long Egyptian-themed piece. It's not bad, but there's a lot of wasted time. The piece is close to 8 minutes, but you can skip to the last four and get your money's worth.

"The Waterfall" is based on M.C. Escher's painting. There's something oddly mesmerizing about this bolero-style piece, and again, I was glad to see Chip making use of a full-orchestra. It also does a great job of musically telling the story that's given in the liner notes.

There are a few throw-away tracks here, and they're what ultimately keeps this album from reaching the excellence of Fresh Aire 7. "The Night Party" is downright irritating, and far too repetitive with no sense of progression or build. At least it's mercifully short. "The Steamroller" is also one of the weaker tracks, which is a shame since Chip once said he wrote this with the intention of it being their "signature" song. As for now, "Going To Another Place" from Fresh Aire 2 still holds that crown. "Fractals" is an acquired taste. You won't like it on your first listen, you might on your second.

Ultimately, if you're a fan of the Steamroller, you'll like much of what you hear. I'm not sure it's all that it could have been, but it's well-worth having, and a fitting conclusion to the Fresh Aire Series.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An honest review., October 21, 2004

By 

James Wilson (Colorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fresh Aire 8 (Audio CD)

Fresh Aire 8 was the first non-holiday, Mannheim Steamroller CD I purchased and at the time I thought the criticism against it was unfair. But after purchasing and listening to the rest of the Fresh Aire series, I understand where the long time fans of Chip's music are coming from.

Simply put Fresh 8 has a great concept (Infinity) but just is not executed up to the standards set by the prior 7 Fresh Aire albums. A few tracks stand out, 'Leonardo (The Infinite Thinker)' and 'Circle of Love (Infinity in the Wedding Band)' are exceptional tracks that in themselves validate the purchase of this album. Unfortunately the remaining tracks slide into mediocrity and keep this effort from being great.

Anyone looking to complete the Fresh Aire series should proceed without hesitation, but anyone looking to make the leap from Mannheim Holiday music to the Fresh Aire series should start elsewhere (I personally recommend Fresh Aire 7,5 & 2 as my favorites).

In conclusion, Fresh Aire 8 is good but doesn't stand up against the rest of the series.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Infinitely boring, August 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fresh Aire 8 (Audio CD)

Fresh Aire VIII is based on the concept of infinity. All of the songs are (loosely) written with this in mind. One big problem with this album is that it is largely recycling old Mannheim Steamroller material. The opening Greek Suite is a ripoff of the beginning of Fresh Aire VI. "The Big Bang" is mostly a spacey sound effect fest. "Leonardo" is good, but sounds very much like previous Fresh Aire material. "Fractals" is insanely repetitive and annoying, apparently trying to show us the mathematical concept of fractals. "The Circle of Love" isn't bad, but "The Steamroller", with it's ho-hum melody and irritating saxes, is quite bad. "The Heart and the Feather" is one of the best songs on the album. Overall, it contains way too many simplistic melodies. It's a shame that Chip Davis couldn't close the Fresh Aire series gracefully.