Customer Reviews

Glass, Philip - North Star

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

 

 

This has long been one of my most favorite Glass albums.
I got to see the film once, after I'd already heard the album.
I used to play tracks from this album, live on a college radio station where I was a DJ, like every week, through the 1970's.

Now I miss the rough crude abruptness, of the cheesy Farfisa organ sound, in this recording, also the severity and original clarity (AKA "minimalism") of the compositions, when I listen to much later Glass.

Probably that is a very subjective personal thing. If I had heard the late recordings first, I might prefer them.

But since this was one of my original introductions to the music of Philip Glass, it remains one of my top favorites.

This music is classic Philip Glass minimalism, and is comparable to Einstein on the Beach and Koyaanisqatsi in terms of the sound and style of the compositions. These songs are not as long as those on these other albums, which makes this album short and sweet and may be a good introduction to his work from this period to someone checking out Philip Glasses music from this period for the first time. It should be noted that these songs are very, very minimal - so for those who like Glass but not the older minimalism stuff, you may consider it.

This is actually a soundtrack album, for a documentary film on sculptor Mark diSuvero and his work. Glass created short pieces for this, in a rather atypical style for the period in which this was composed and recorded (the mid-70s), since during this time Glass was mainly concerning himself with massively expansive forms in "Music in Twelve Parts" and the Robert Wilson collaboration "Einstein on the Beach". Atypical or not, though, it's one of the few recordings of his small ensemble sound of the period (winds, electric organs, voices, etc) and as such, pretty important. And the works do have a certain charm to them...but it should be noted that this isn't exactly what the composer was up to at the time, and the lack of expansiveness seems to cause the pieces to suffer a bit, as one doesn't get the 'Glass feel' from such abbreviated workouts. Check the longer pieces first, but do come back for this one...if you can find it!

This rare work is actually a good introduction to Phil's work. The cues are short and varied, both in rhythm and orchestration. Many people feel they 'get' Philip Glass after 3 minutes of listening, without having to endure another 15 minutes of the same (I know, I know - that's the point!). I think I might've enjoyed more of his work in smaller bites (like John Adams)

For a long time, I've had a deep appreciation for Philip Glass's music. Particularly, I like the early stuff such as "Music in Twelve Parts," "Two Pages," and "Einstein on the Beach." It stands to reason that I should be listening to this disc much more than I do. So why don't I?

While I absolutely love the pieces on this disc, the performances of them are absolutely horrendous! Vocalists frequently slip off pitch; instruments attack a hair late here and a hair early there. Even the odd-meter stuff that Glass and his ensemble became so good at making sound natural often sounded akward and stilted. Quite simply, the polished precision that Glass has become known for is nowhwere - I mean nowhere - to be found!

My two stars are purely for the ideas contained on this disc; the missing three are all for such a poor execution, it is somewhat embarrasing to listen to. I sincerely hope that at some point either Glass or an outside party (preferebly the former) rerecords these absolutely thrilling pieces because if you like early Glass, they are to die for. Until that day, I will grudgingly settle for this version and leave to my imagination what North Star would sound like if performed well.

(Three of the pieces, actually, ARE available in a very good all-piano version. They are found on a disc of Glass's piano pieces played by Arturo Salteri called "Circles.")

This is not a Glass recording you hear much about, but in my fairly large Glass collection, it's one of the most interesting. The electronic & vocal/contrapuntal experiments on North Star go in many different directions; I'd expect them to satisfy Glass fans with their repetition & people typically less impressed by Glass with the range. The first 2 tracks alone do well to introduce listeners to a Glassy world of avant-garde. The first is very delicate, beautiful. The second...hm...the best I can do in attempting to describe it verbally is by saying SILLY PUTTY FACTORY, but not quite so silly.

Way back in the early 80's this was the first PG album I ever heard and it has always been one of my favorites!

I bought this when it was first released as an LP in the mid or late 70's. Music-wise, I've always been very adventurous and this was my introduction to the world of minimalism and ever since then I've been a fan of the music created by Glass as well as his colleagues (Reich, Nyman etc.).