Klaus Nomi - The Essential [Import]

Klaus Nomi | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 20, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: RCA Victor Europe
• ASIN: B000026I99
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,096 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Keys of Life

2. Lightning Strikes

3. The Twist

4. Nomi Song

5. You Don't Own Me

6. The Cold Song

7. Wasting My Time

8. Total Eclipse

9. Nomi Chant

10. Samson and Delilah (Aria)

Editorial Reviews

20 tracks including, 'Keys Of Life', 'Homi Song', 'Total Eclipse' and 'After The Fall'.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to Klaus Nomi, March 25, 2005

By 

A. D. Boorman - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Klaus Nomi - The Essential (Audio CD)

Klaus Nomi was a rare and special being. He made the world a little less drab.

This CD is a strange and happy mix of songs from all sides of Nomi. This is important in understanding Nomi - a strange and happy artist. Nomi was equally comfortable in many styles and equally proficient at all of them. He was at home in pop, opera, and new wave.

He shows off his classical side in a Saint-Saens aria, Der Nussbaum, and the Cold Song, among others. He surprises with a

cover of 'Can't Help Falling in Love' that wisely resisted the temptation to go soprano.

Any collection of Nomi is incomplete without the 'Nomi Song,' 'Total Eclipse,' and 'After the Fall,' and these are here, along with the Rush-Limbaugh-Favorite 'You Don't Own Me.'

This does not have any of the 'hard-to-find' tracks, but it's an excellent introduction to Klaus Nomi.

Incidental note - liner notes are in french.

Hopefully, with the movie out, people will begin to look at Nomi again, and we may even see a revival of interest in his music.

It may be cliche, but it's true: Nomi was an artist who lived before his time.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece of operatic rock and synth-pop, December 19, 2004

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Klaus Nomi - The Essential (Audio CD)

This compilation contains tracks from all Nomi's solo albums plus a stunning live version of the magnificent Samson And Delilah Aria, composed by Saint Saens. The material is an interesting blend of catchy synth-pop, like Just One Look and Falling In Love Again (sung partly in German) and serious choral pieces like From Beyond. Rubberband Lazer, an addictive pop song with weird country infusions and effusive synth textures, and the theatrical Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead with its singalong chorus are amazing tracks.

Nomi's most famous tracks like Cold Song, an impressive operatic number and Total Eclipse, a magical marriage of rock and classical from the first album, still sound awesome. My only complaint is that I think the studio version of Samson And Delilah ought also to have been included. Klaus Nomi was part of the late 70s/early 80s synth explosion, but his operatic angle was unique. His music remains highly original and inspiring. The Essential Klaus Nomi is definitely the best album to investigate this obscure genius.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yes!, October 18, 2007

By 

R. Hartung III (Everywhere, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Klaus Nomi - The Essential (Audio CD)

I bought this CD just to try something different and I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. I would recommend this to anyone with an open mind, and is hungry for something that might be generally considered out of the ordinary.