Customer Reviews

Thunderdrums

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In 1989 Scott Fitzgerald first released Thunderdrums on an audiocassette from Nature Recordings. Every piece was emotional and evocative, and the title piece of the recording, "Thunderdrums", was one of the most powerful pieces of music I had ever heard, capturing the primordial energy of the thunderstorm and melding it seamlessly with the strength and energy of tribal drumming. This was, at the time, one of my favorite recordings.

Imagine my delight when, a few years later, I discovered what I thought was the same recording, now transferred to CD. No longer would I have to worry that my audiocassette would wear out from repeated playing! Now I could select my favorite track and set it on repeat, and sink into a trance as the music washed over me! But the recording on the CD is NOT the recording that was originally released on audiocassette. For some reason, every single track had been remixed, some slightly, some horribly, and the title track was the most hideously butchered of all.

In place of the original, intense piece, there now exists a new-agey, overly instrumentalized, sanitized version of the original. Where the original starred the majesty of a thunderstorm as its central element, now it seems added as an afterthought, an accent. Where the deep thrumming of tribal drums sank into your bones, now they are flat, with riffs and flourishes of other instruments adding 'texture'. Where the original evoked the spirit of the Thunderbird, and called the stormclouds into the sky, now it evokes nothing more than a yawn.

If you can find the original, 1989 release of Thunderdrums, buy it and treasure it as a masterpiece. If, however, all you can find is the new version (which I believe is the only one released on CD), save your money. There are far better recordings out there.

This is an excellent CD. The cover art may be a little misleading. Its not really Native American. Native American influenced, maybe, but its completely original and uniquely Fitzgerald, and at the same time its something else. Something deeper. Almost primordial. This music is some of the most emotionally charged pseudo-ethnic drumming I think I've ever heard. I love it. Just listen to it and let it take you on a wild ride through the jungles of Africa or wherever else you picture yourself. Primal and beautiful. If you like the music of Mickey Hart, you'll love this.

This cd is great... When I get angry at any one or anything, I put this in to my player and let it remove all of my hatred/ anger. I would recommend this to any one. Also a great stress remover.

When you need something to get and keep you going- THUNDERDRUMS does the trick. Play the volume up, or better, mute it in the background. I can listen to it for hours on end and never tire of it. It really keeps me going.

I can never think about this music without remembering how I came to hear it. I heard this album while on a motorcycle trip to Zion National Park in Utah back in 2001, right after 9/11. I had rented a Harley in Las Vegas and ridden up through the canyonlands, looking for a really spiritual kind of experience. I only had 3 days before I had to be back in Las Vegas for a Comdex show, and I was trying to cram as much "flavor" into my ride as I could.

There were some really nice "tourist" shops in Rockville where I spent the night. One of them had music CDs that were playing in the store and it was there that I first became acquainted with Scott Fitzgerald's fantastic music. It was so evocative of all that I was hoping to see on my trip that I actually bought a couple of copies so that I could keep one in my car, and still have one in the CD carousel in my office.

This particular CD is, at least in my opinion, the best he has produced. If you like music of the Southwest, this is the premier one that should be in your collection.

This music takes me to another realm of thought. LOVE IT! I had this before on cassette, My cassette broke, I could not rest until I found another copy. Thank you for making it available on CD.

Scott Fitzgerald has done a great job with every song on this CD. He takes just enough nature and blends it perfectly with his original music. A perfect recording!

When I first bought this album (from a storeside keosk) I had listened to the title piece and was sold. I was a little disappointed that the rest of the album did not reflect the piece I bought it for. After a couple of times listening through it has become one of my favorites. Highly recommend!

I looked far and wide for an album to juggle my devilsticks (and lunastix) with and this by far is it. This is also a great album to sit back and chill with after a long hard day. The only drawback is you may feel the urge to perform your best tarzan interpretation after listening. ;-) This has an excellent rhythm, beat, and use of instrumentation.

This disc looks as if I just unwrapped it. Both disc and jewel case are in fine condition. The package arrived in less than a week, packaged properly to prevent damage to the contents. Very good service!