Shine [LIMITED EDITION]

Daniel Lanois

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 5, 2003)
• Original Release Date: April 22, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition
• Label: Anti
• ASIN: B00008O83O
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #26,917 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Daniel Lanois, while a prolific producer, is is a frustratingly sporadic recording artist. He’s also a surprising one, given that the albums he has produced (think of The Joshua Tree, All That You Can’t Leave Behind, So, Oh Mercy) are characterized by surging, luxuriant audioscapes, his own works are resolutely modest. Shine, indeed, is almost lo-fi. The only link between Lanois’s big-budget productions and this unassuming record is the personnel. Lanois possesses a star-studded Rolodex and he’s not shy about using it: Emmylou Harris contributes backing vocals to the opening track, while "Falling at Your Feet," is a duet with its co-author, Bono . The remainder of Shine features thoughtful, subtle songwriting. Meanwhile, the limitations of Lanois’s vocals lend an engaging frailty, leavened with bleak, lonely, instrumental interludes. --Andrew Mueller

Product Description

The man responsible for some of the greatest albums of the last twenty years presents his third and finest solo release. Daniel Lanois’ Shine is warm, organic and dazzling; the songs run the gamut from melodic roots/pop to distinctive, pedal steel fueled instrumentals. One listen to Shine, and you will hear how artists from U2 to Bob Dylan to Peter Gabriel have benefited from Daniel's unique talents.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enduring genius, May 31, 2003

By	Steven Reynolds (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

It's hard to overestimate the importance of Daniel Lanois to contemporary music. As producer for U2 (they owe their career to him), Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Robbie Robertson, Emmylou Harris, the Neville Brothers, and Bob Dylan, to name a few, Lanois has built a body of work beyond compare. I've become a fan of some artists purely for what he brought to them. What's surprising is that his output as a solo performer is just as rewarding. His previous releases, "Acadie" and "For The Beauty of Wynona", are little-known classics, and "Shine" is at least their equal. Lanois' talent is for creating extraordinarily rich musical "spaces" from the sparest of arrangements. From the opening minute of the first track, "I Love You", he subjects conventional instruments to unusual treatments to create a soundscape which is, paradoxically, dense, bleak, dark and yet completely open and inviting - especially when his endearingly imperfect voice crackles through. Matching his peerless skills for production and arrangement are a strong lyrical sensibility and a perfect instinct for economy: Lanois knows precisely when to end a song. Buy this album, buy his other two. Then go look up everything he's produced. Don't be surprised if you discover that Daniel Lanois is responsible for half the music you love.

Update, February 2005: It's getting close to 2 years since I bought this album, and it's hardly been out of my 5-disc changer for a day in all that time. It's one of the most beautiful, rewarding and endlessly interesting albums I own. Buy it now.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A selfless musical confession that lifts your spirit, October 29, 2003

By	Manny Hernandez "Author of Ning For Dummies" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This is a great man, more than "just" a great producer or a great musician. As much as this album can stand by itself and make (as it has, so far) a great impression on those who are fortunate to listen to it, it also shows a lot more about Canadian-born Daniel Lanois, the man behind some of the world's most talented artists of the past two decades!

This album shows without doubt how selfless he has been, pouring his musical spirit into the productions he's touched, rather than keeping to himself brilliant musical ideas or developments. For example, he'd invite over Emmylou Harris or Bono for the two opening tracks (track 2, actually co-written by the leader of U2), and just show you where did their sound come from, where were the fantastic atmospheres that you discovered in their respective albums born. You don't come out feeling like he kept anything to himself, and a good proof of that is his very spaced discography with a minimal four solo albums in the course of his career, and another great one in collaboration with Brian Eno and Michael Brook.

The songs speak for themselves... they jump subtly between ambient, acoustic rock and country/blues at times, with a voice whose timbre brings back memories of recent Eric Clapton. Without an obsession for virtuosity and with great attention to subtle details, each track comes out victorious as a great work of art, giving you more than just a comforting feeling when you're done listening to 'Shine' -you know you are in front of a great man. If you're unsure of it at this point, consider for a moment the liner note he signs in the album:

"What a privilege to be able to make music. And what an honour to have it received and appreciated.
Here is a small portion of what's cooking in the kitchen. I hope that some piece of it will elevate your spirit.
May we all touch a heart somewhere, sometime."

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shines !!!, May 5, 2003

By	Dub_Head (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I Waited patiently for this one - almost a year per track! (but well worth the wait) What is it about Daniel Lanois' vastly underrated sound?

I enjoy many of styles of music from Aswad to Xymox but can never quite put my finger on what makes this guy tick.

Working with banks of "antique" studio equipment Daniel Lanois is able to fashion the most incredibly full sound, incredible because it's so subtle - a few sparse notes can be enough, with his unique production techniques to say all he needs.

If you're reading this, chances are you already know his two prior solo albums "Acadie" and "The Beauty Of Wynona" - this will not disappoint and follows along as a crystallization of what has gone before. If not, I can't recommend any of his albums enough - get them while you can they are not that easy to find and don't appear too often, you can start anywhere with Daniel.