Widescreen

Rupert Holmes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 28, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B0000014V9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #466,878 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You're never bored...., February 10, 2005

By 

R. Kyle (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Widescreen-The Collector's Edition (Audio CD)

It didn't come as any big surprise to me that Rupert Holmes moved from music to writing books. Every song is a story in itself.

"Brass Knuckles" is a Chandleresque tale of a gumshoe set out to restore the honor of a fallen partner.

"Letters that Cross in the Mail" talks about relationships dying via the foibles of communication. It's still as droll as it ever was.

"Psycho Drama" uses the voices of Radio Mystery Theatre players to recreate the long-dead radio play.

The music's definitely dated, but the themes are not. I love Holmes' wry humor and humanity. This is my favorite of his music and often revisited.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like A Grand Old House, Restored With Additions!, February 2, 2002

By 

Burl Lampert (San Rafael, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Widescreen-The Collector's Edition (Audio CD)

I've always considered this to be one of the great albums EVER, but oh wowo zowie - this is such a treat. The remastering is masterful; the musical nuances are clear at last. The additional tracks are wonderful, but especially terrific are Rupert's liner notes detailing the making of "Widescreen" in 1973-74. NOW I know how they made "Letters That Cross In The Mail" sound so unique..! Listening to it is still one of the most memorable musical experiences ever recorded. I can't recommend this CD highly enough.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rupert Holmes Creates Movies In Your Mind, March 21, 2000

By 

Richard E. Upton (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Widescreen (Audio CD)

When this album was first released on Epic Records in 1974, I thought it was brilliant. I still do. I was delighted when it was reissued on CD in 1995 on the Varese Vintage label. The album is a true blending of music and cinema...of the mind. The songs truly are movies unto themselves, short stories set to music, brilliantly written, arranged and performed. The "hit" was "Our National Pastime," wherein our hero meets a girl at a baseball game and attempts to seduce her to the tune of "The Star-Spangled Banner." "Letters That Cross In the Mail" (later covered by Barbra Streisand on an album Holmes produced), "Terminal" and "Second Saxophone" are all surprise-ending stories with great melodies. "Widescreen" and "Bagdad" set distinct moods in surround sound before surround sound was invented. "Talk" is one of several songs on the CD that use bittersweet humor to express universal feelings and experiences. "Phantom of the Opera" and "Soap Opera" are both truly movies-on-CD, the first a beautiful and sad plea for love, the second a very funny satire on TV's "daytime dramas". The last track, "Psycho Drama," is just that; a short spoken play with incidental music and sound effects, and guest voices like Ed Herlihy and Will Jordan (whose characters are takeoffs on Peter Lorre and James Mason). The original CD version contained two bonus tracks from other Holmes albums, "Deco Lady" and "Brass Knuckles." but that version went out of print. Now it's back with even MORE bonus tracks! What are you waiting for? BUY IT!