Customer Reviews

Fresh Aire 8

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Chip Davis must be a graduate student at heart. His grand plan was to have eight albums represented in his Fresh Aire series which he started way back in 1974 (my first "new age" album). He "rushed" right through the first seven albums, releasing Fresh Aire 7 by 1990. But, like any doctoral candidate, he got caught up in all his other diversions and took FOREVER to finish his thesis, Fresh Aire 8. TEN YEARS later we finally get the pleasure of listening to his crowning achievement. And what an achievement it is!

The Fresh Aire series has always been at the forefront of sound recording technology. Whenever an audio store needed to demo a piece of expensive equipment, invariably the music chosen to sample on the equipment was by Mannheim Steamroller. That trend will continue even today as Fresh Aire 8 will be the definitive medium by which to judge new digital surround-sound audio systems (and video home-theater systems with the upcoming DVD version).

The music, itself, continues to explore new realms of the human condition which is the general theme of the second quartet of albums, FA 5 through 8 (the first four celebrated the four seasons or conditions of nature). In Fresh Aire 8, Chip tackles the topic of Infinity and how it relates to all facets of human life: love, art, philosophy, mathematics and of course music, to name a few.

Classic Mannheim Steamroller riffs weave their way through the tapistry of new sounds; the most obvious of which is the song 'Leonardo' whose "Renaissance Le-do-dah" sound harkens back to classics like 'Four Rows of Jacks' on FA 4 and 'The Olympics' on FA 6. There is even a new 'Interlude 8' woven into the 'Greek Thinkers Suite'; a style which hasn't been utilized since Fresh Aire 4 (and has been sorely missed)!

I was a little leery at first about the inclusion of the song 'The Steamroller', after I read that it was based on a children's story about a steamroller named "Steamy" (plus, it featured a saxophone, for godsakes). It turns out to be one of my favorite songs on the CD! I'll probably cringe whenever I see the video, though. Flashbacks to 'Rudolph the Red..' on Christmas In The Aire.

After listening to the CD in its entirety, I can now see how it could have taken that long to find a way to wrap up the Fresh Aire series appropriately. My hat goes off to Chip Davis and his brilliant accomplishment. I truly hope this is not the end of Chip Davis music. I hope we hear a lot more from him in the future. And, not just little snippets here and there on various 'Day Parts' compilations and Christmas projects!

Just heard MS in concert at Interlochen. The first half was comprised of cuts from previous Fresh Aire's. It was great and one could tell the huge crowd grooved to it.

Then, this new release of Infinity. The DVD was played, and it was not well received. Philosophy and math and love and on and on and on and on, sideways done eights. Too much, and not the Steamroller stuff one is used to nor what was heard in the first concert half.

Many of the audience left early. My impression of this new effort. Going in new direction that I can't go with. I will not buy this, nor recommend it. Davis expressed that over 1,000 people involved in its production and over $5 million dollars. My input is that likely $450 million was wasted.

The first time I heard this album, I didn't know what to think. It grew on me gradually, and then as I listened to it more I realized that for the first time, I didn't like a Mannheim Steamroller album. (I am a huge fan.) There are too many special sound effects and not enough good music. Even good tracks like The Circle, Waterfall, and Leonardo have too many sound effects that get in the way. The Big Bang and Fractals are too insubstantial for my tastes. I think overall I liked about half the tracks on this CD, but with some reservations apart from The Steamroller. Definitely not for everyone.

More of an experiment in audio technology than anything, this album fits into the Fresh Aire genre, but is not an adequate conclusion to one of the finest series of albums ever produced. Some of the tracks ("Leonardo," "Waterfall," "Steamroller") are vintage Mannheim (I'll even forgive the unwelcome sax in "Steamroller"), while others are simply forgettable--not to mention annoying (see "Fractals"). And why are there a dozen tracks on the album, but only eight listed? I know that "Greek Thinkers" is a multi-part track, but couldn't they have let us know--I kept trying to place each track in proper order. I do want to say this--when listening to it for the first time, use headphones. The sound is as crisp and clear (thanks to HDCD recording) as anything I've heard recently--made me proud to own a pair of $40 headphones. There are some wonderful moments of sheer inventiveness, caught in amazing clarity. But that is all for naught, since the album is so formulaic. Definitely not one of Chip's best efforts, and a disappointing send-off for the wonderful Fresh Aire series

I was so thrilled about getting this CD and unfortunetly didn't enjoy it at all. Selling it after one listen - I'm sure many will love it, but it's not for me, I'll stick with the other albums in the collection.

This album sounds less like mannheim steamroller and more like other contemporary new age compilations. A few tracks do stand out, but overall I was a little dissapointed. The repetition and the blandness of the tunes made me feel like I was in a department store. Still, I don't feel cheated, the few tracks that retained mannhiem's distinctive style made the cd worth buying

This CD is excellent, but does become repetitious after listening to it. Chip Davis seemingly just discovered the great sounds of Middle Eastern music, and has used it in nearly every song. The Greek Thinkers Suite: Probably mistitled: it should have been the Egyptian Thinker's Suite. It is delightful to have the return of "Interlude" with its strumming harps. Day Party is mediocre, but Night party is excellent if you turn up the bass, although it does get a little boring. Forest is mildly interesting, but it would bring back that old Fresh Aire feeling, if the mood wasn't so Arabian. Big Bang is just a bunch of cool and weird sounds flying by, with little actual plot to the song. Leonardo is probably the best song on the disc, with harpsichords drumming out Renaissance sounding chords with as little Islamic flavoring as possible. Fractals is neat at first, but quickly becomes boringly repetetive as the same sounds are heard over and over and over. Waterfall is great, but I have yet to find out where Chip got the connection between M. C. Escher and Middle Eastern music. The water sounds are good, however. The Circle of Love challenges Leonardo for the position of best song on this disc. It is hauntingly romantic, and it sends chills up one's spine to listen to it. The Steamroller is totally different from most anything else I have ever heard on Fresh Aire, though is does grow on you. The saxaphones are interesting at best, though. The Heart and the Feather is great, summing up the whole Middle Eastern idea of this disc. Overall, it is a good CD, well worth the money, but listen to it too much or your head will start spinning. It isn't quite as good as Fresh Aire 7, but then, what is?