Customer Reviews

Tricycle

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this CD in 1984 and still listen to it frequently. While it is fair to say that it was originally popularized as a test disc for high-end stereo systems (it showed off the "new" CD format to great effect), the music is what has kept it alive in my collection. Not easily categorized...kind of a light jazz meets new age meets pop, with a unique spin. Above all, the music has an optimism, a jubilant quality that's hard to describe but immediately apparent. Go for it...I bought several more Flim CDs after this one if that tells you anything. By the way, another exellent choice from this band is "Further Adventures"...but then again they're all really good.

My father listened to this cd at least 1000 times during my childhood in the late 80's and as I've gotten older playing jazz and appreciating it more I have to come to realize why this CD is so great. The playing, the superb recording quality, the experience of listening is one that is unique to this album. I would recommend this disc to anyone who wants a wonderful recording to play through their audiophile-quality system and to enjoy great music. This is Flim & The BB's best CD. The only thing better than this will be the DVD-Audio version when it comes out! Being that this is one of the first ever digital recordings, it was recorded on a Mitsubishi x-80 two track digital recorder at 50.4Khz if you can believe that! Happy Listening!

Where to start. This was the first Flim album I ever heard and I was absolutely smitten. This disc and possibly Big Notes are the discs to use for stereo evaluations in my book. Incredible sonic range. If a stereo has a weakness this disc WILL find it. Carry this disc to the store to try out systems and crowds gather to listen. You will be asked about the disc and artists so be prepared to tell them all about Flim and the BB's. If you only have room for one Flim disc in your library, this is the one.

This is the debut album by ace bassist Jimmy "Flim" Johnson and sax virtuoso Dick Oatts with keyboards and drums by Bill Barber and Bill Berg that is well-known among audiophiles as a test CD for evaluating audio systems. That aside, the music in and of itself is outstanding. The title cut Tricycle has strong keyboards with heavy bass support. Highwire has a distinct circus flavor, but is delicate and almost music-box-like. The tour de force track for me is Lunch Hour Wedding March. The piece starts with a staccato piano intro with synth harmony blending in immediately. The middle of the number is prime "heading down the highway" music. Flim Johnson's strong bassline is awesome. For fans of piano and sax, one cannot waste money buying this CD.

B R Smith

Very good artisitc and technical production of intrumentals with big sound and lots of dynamic range. Buy this CD, listen to it, then start upgrading your system to reveal the complexities of composition that can break through the surface. This production is not for boom boxes or 90% of mobile audio systems. Read the liner notes before playing and start your first listening with a low volume setting.

I hope this CD never goes "out of print"!
This was one of the original "high quality" CD's when CD's first came out, audio quality wise. This was one of the first CD's in my collection that I used to demonstrate my JBL 2245H subwoofer. A generation later it became special to my then first grade daughter as she loved to listen to it as I took her to her first grade school in my car. I am nearly in tears as I write this as I sincerly plan to give a copy of this CD to her on her wedding day as a memory of our special time together! I cannot articulate how timeless and special this CD is to myself and family. It has many memories for us that nothing else created can duplicate! Thank-you Flim & The BB's! Scott Lewis, Noblesville, IN

I first heard this CD when it was first released. The DMP label was only released on CDs. Tom Jung is the engineer on the series of recordings by Flim and the BBs. Musically, this is original music. Theres nothing to compare it to. My initial exposure was the result of a magazine called Digital Audio. This publication was highly critical of the technical aspects of digital audio. This album was, and to me, still is the challenge to all to properly mike and record a live performance. The dynamic range of the CD is paralleled with the future efforts by Flim and the BBs. Again, credit Tom Jung. The recordings were, as I understand, laid out in one take. No overdubs here, and no remixing.
The lead in piano work on the first track will tempt you to turn up the volume to hear it all. The bass and drums blast in to fill in the developing riff and the CD is a great musical journey from there. I do highly reccomend these CDs for their sound quality. Some of the future efforts were critisized musically by some reveiwers. My advice is not to expect the recording quality on the CD New Pants. It is a clean effort, but the quality is not the same. Other CDs on DMP are good. None equal, to me , Flim and the BBS.

You can be assured that any time a Flim and the BB's CD enters your digital stereo domain - you are in for a treat. TRICYCLE is no stranger to this idea. In fAact, it is probably in my top ten most loved Jazz Albums along with Coltrane's Blue Trane and Miles' All Blues - It relally is that good!! It is jazz and improvisation at its finest. Dick Oatts and Billy Barber continue to remain innovative and creative in their approach to Jazz improv. Bill Berg is as masterful a drummer as you could ever "wish upon a star" for and Flim (JImmy ) Johnson has proven over and over again to be one of THE bassists that the world of jazz must stand up for. Add this CD to your collection byut don't stop there, you must also add BIG NOTES, TUNNEL, NEON, NEW PANTS, THIS IS A RECORDING, and THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF FLIM AND THE BB"S to your collection as well. Lift them all onto your MP3 player and enjoy hours of pure Jazz GENIUS.

Scooby dow ah wah wah,
Heavy T

Flim and the BB's were one of the pioneers that paved the way for CD's. Delivering a dynamic range not possible on vinyl or tape and simply not explored by lesser talented main stream artists, this will grab your attention. Punchy, Jazzy, Piano, Synthisyzer, Kick Drum, Wide Awake and Wide Awake New Age are a few ways to describe this masterpiece. This CD is a masterpiece for anyone who is serious about quality in music and the reproduction of that sound through an exceptional stereo system. I first purchased this CD in 1983 when I was 13 years old. I am now 40 and still listen to it frequently. Without knowing the year it was produced, even the most advanced industry ear would be hard pressed to determine its age. Buy it, share it. You'll be glad you did.

When (for many people), music on compact disks was new, a pioneer group of musicians embraced the superior format and produced jazz in a way that let people appreciated the richness and beauty of their work. Even though it been more than 20 years since I first heard the music, it is a timeless classic and a worthy investment.




Tricycle