Customer Reviews

Switched-On Bach II

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Upon reviewing my predecessors' comments, I am amazed at the degree to which Wendy's orchestrations and performances still provoke listeners!

I was given the vinyl version for Christmas when I was ten years old, and basked in it regularly for years (the Brandenburg particularly made for fascinating headphone listening, and still does). Personally, this CD release is a joy long awaited, especially because of all the TLC lavished on those original analog masters. These recordings shimmer more than they ever did years ago.

On artistic merit: While the original "S-OB" contains inspired musicality and novelty in equal doses, and "The Well-Tempered Synthesizer" reflected a maturing of vision, I believe "S-OB II" represents the most consistently musical effort of Wendy's four Baroque releases. Even the inevitable "special effects" timbres here are more wry, and just plain feel natural. For example, the sly suggestion of a snare drum in one of the two-part inventions is a delightful auditory pun unique to Carlos' sensibilities. The treatment of "Sheep May Safely Graze" falls within the realm of a solo organ performance, but oh, for an organist to have these stops at their disposal!

Speaking of organs, Carlos has already acknowledged the role of her Yamaha Electone E-5, apparently acquired sometime between S-OB I and II. It was responsible for click tracks and continuo parts, and even those marvelous runs in the Brandenburg's cadenza section. Not to shatter anyone's romantic notions of Wendy exclusively slaving over a single-note instrument... but really, so what? A masterpiece is still a masterpiece.

This was one of my favorite albums when I was a kid. It opened up my creativity and launched my appreciation not only for Bach, but also for electronic music.

Don't listen to the reviews that say it's not as good as an acoustic orchestra. Duh: it's not intended to sound like that! And there are no "Yamaha organs" as another reviewer stated. This was all done way back on the original Moog: analog modules with actual patch cords, the height of analog subtractive synthesis. It's a unique sound that's distinctive from digital synths and is something of a lost art.

Combined with Wendy's (Walter at the time) masterful keyboard performances, the Switched-On Bach series is a really nifty thing.

I have long been a fan of this series by W. Carlos. I own all of this on vinyl, cassette and now CD. This is not an automated reproduction of some of Bach's fabulous works. Rachel Elkind and Carlos worked their fingers to the bone to get this music correct. Layer after layer; no loops. Thanks to the different sounds assigned to each voice, it is easier than ever to fully appreciate Bach's genius. The person who made the "Yamaha Organ" comment needs to do a little homework.

Switched-On Bach II (along with The Well-Tempered Synthesizer) really shows what the analogue Moog gear could do in the hands of people who knew what they were doing. The performances hold up and the arrangements make the most of the material. This is Bach, after all, so that's a pretty tall order. Wendy and Rachel's experience on the earlier albums shows.

After nearly 40 years Switched-On Bach sounds, frankly, clunky in places (though it was revolutionary at the time). SOB-II still sounds fresh.

Some of the tempi are very much slower than modern taste prefers but this matters little. The Carlos sound is still gorgeous after all these years.

I had this one when I was a child, the sound is really enhanced, the work is the same. A masterpiece!

Wendy Carlos has achieved a 'double wammy' whith this second CD of Bach compositions set to the complex but enjoyable moog synthesiser.
I personally like this CD slightly better than the original 'Switched on Bach". Now that's saying something because the original CD is excellent.
Like the first CD, the compositions flow along very nicely. Could it be that Wendy Carlos reached moog genius status by the time she got around to 'Switched on Bach 2" ? As there is no narrative to this 'album', one may have to dig a little deeper to find out. Never the less, this collection of Bach compositions is a faithfully represented and artistic stroke of brilliance. I love it and I recommend it to serious music fans. It does not disappoint.

One reviewer gave it 1 star. Makes me think that more reviews will be comming giving this Switch-On Bach album a good rating (probably no less than 3 stars). Yes, I would agree on the part that they're not the best interpretations of Bach's music. The presets may sound kinda lame (especially with that Yamaha organ. I've read that she used it according to one of the booklets). I think I would've programmed the presets on my '80s synthesizer to sound better than the way Wendy Carlos did. Maybe it's the way synthesizers were at the time. Then again, I've heard other electronic performers who did better with synthesized sounds even in the early '70s. Take, for instance, Laurie Spiegel's "A Garden (1970)" from Obsolete Systems. Whenever I hear that short work, I notice that nice sound from the Buchla 100 and how the music is like a mysterious but pleasant dream sequence.

But, in spite of the complaints I just made, I only took away 1 star. I don't think it would be bad enough to give "Switch-On Bach 2" 1 star. I like the works on the CD. These unique performances are rather fun to listen to. The presets are not the strange and funny sounding ones you usually would hear from synthesizers of that era. They actually sound nicer and more appropriate for the music that was played here. This would be one of the CDs I would listen to time and again.

If 1968s original Switched On Bach was gunshot heard around the world, then Switched On Bach 2 is the second barrell of the shotgun.
Wendy Carlos has recorded several albums of her own compositons, but it's her intrepretations of Bach and other classical works which really speak to me.
Delicate, yet strong, some short pieces, but nothing out of place or wasted.
I recommend an enquirer to start with the first album and if this is enjoyed, explore this and others

SWITCHED ON BACH II is a must-have if you enjoy Carlos' electronic exposition of Bach's brain. This is a follow-up to the original 1968 album and I cannot believe I am sitting here owning the first and not this one!

It follows up Carlos' dream of giving Bach's clear thoughts to the world through electronic transcription. You MUST get this while you can, the world is running dry for some weird reason.

Savor the genius that shows Carlos saved the electronic music movement and gave us a 'new' Bach for the 21st century, and all centuries to follow, I hope!