Customer Reviews

The Sea

5 star:		(119)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

During the late 60's and early 70's, the songwriter, poet and singer Rod McKuen teamed with Anita Kerr, the music composer, conductor and arranger, to release a number of albums melding Rod's thoughts about life and relationships with Anita's perfect music. Three of the releases, THE EARTH, THE SEA, and THE SKY, formed a trilogy - arguably the pair's finest work together. Unfortunately, only THE SEA has been re-released on CD to date. (Lucky for me that I still have those old, vinyl disks! For those of you too young to know, they're called "records".)

I was introduced to these marvelous performances while a college teenager, when the hormone levels were high, the blood ran hot, and the experiences and emotions of life were sharp and novel. Now, 30+ years later, THE SEA and its companion albums evoke more in the way of memories than passions. However, there is one selection on THE SEA entitled "Pushing the Clouds Away", which has more meaning now than ever before:

"Clouds are not the cheeks of angels, you know. They're only clouds. Friendly sometimes, but you can never be sure. If I had longer arms, I'd push the clouds away, or make them hang above the water somewhere else. But, I'm just a man, who needs and wants mostly things he'll never have, looking for that thing hardest to find - himself. I've been going a long time now, and along the way I've learned a few things. You have to make the good times yourself. Take the little times and make them big times, and save the times that are alright for those that aren't so good. I've never been able to push the clouds away by myself."

I don't know if the McKuen/Kerr collaborations would be popular today. Perhaps they're too maudlin, too corny. But, if you can find them, listen at least once. They may make you ... feel.

All through this CD you can hear the ocean waves hitting the shoreline which is a sound I love. The background music is calming and the lyrics encourage you to remember those you love and those you once loved. I came across this CD by accident and it is the best accident I ever had. I love it so much that I bought it for other people who also love the ocean and Rob McKuen. If you want to hear poetry set to beautiful music, this CD is for you.

Every Thanksgiving we begin our dinner with "The Earth" then continue with "The Sea" and "The Sky." All three are superb at capturing the ambiance of nature and bring back fond memories of the 60's. We used to give the three record set as wedding presents. Our vinyl recordings are getting scratchy; please release the trilogy on CD's! We have had this Thanksgiving tradition for 24 years- every year since our first daughter was born. All three are beautifully done, and we would like to continue playing them for the next generation.

I didn't 'find' this album in my college days... I was born in the 60's and my mother played this album everyday of my young life, instilling in me the familiar voice, the soft whisper of the sea, and the enveloping sound of the music. I still have the album, and after 25 years of silence (I don't have a turntable), I can still hear the music, the sea, and that incredible voice. When I found this CD on amazon.com, I was estatic! I agree with the customer who recommends that everyone listen to it at least once in their lifetime.

I, too, bought these albums, The Sea, The Sky, The Earth, as a 60's college student. I was goofy enough to give them away when I bought my CD player. What I would give to have them now in CD. I finally live by the Pacific Ocean, and it is everything Rod McKuen wrote that it was....Please re-release them as CD's...us 50 year olds are not too old for romance!

This is an absolutely beautiful cd. Poetry set to music with sounds of the ocean mixed in. The San Sebastian Strings do an outstanding job. I fell in love with this back in the 60`s, wore out the album and could never find another one. I searched for this for years and found it on line back in December. I love it even more now. It is so relaxing. I highly recommend it.

These series have a timeless link to the past as well a hopeful glimpse of the future. Like most of the other reviewers, I am hopeful of Warner Brothers or any other recording companies releasing the Sky and the Earth, and the other "Sea" recordings to complete the series. I have the Sky and the Earth as well as the Seasons (Spring-Summer-Autumn-Winter) on Vinyl LPs. I have recently copied, via computer, onto compact discs but the years of wear come through as well as the beautiful music and lyrics. How about boxed sets?

My LP is thirty years old and now being replaced with this CD. If you love the romance of the ocean, the music of Anita Kerr, if you are familiar with the honest, poignant and skillful poetry of Rod McKuen, you will want to own "The Sea". It is breathtaking in its intensity through musical score and poetry. This haunting CD will put you in a trance.

This is only part of two different sets of poems. I have always loved Rod McKuen's wonderful way with words. I have all three of The Sea series, but I am currently searching for The Sky to complete my collection which includes The Sea, The Earth also The Soft Sea, and Home to the Sea.Let's find them ALL!

I still own the LP from back in 1969, but found the CD and remembered one magical summer when I was in love and this music seemed to be all around us. Lying in bed on Sunday morning at 22 years old with the one you love listening to "The Sea". It didn't get any better than that!