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Transistor Radio
 
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Transistor Radio

M. Ward
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews) | More about this product
List Price: $15.98
Price: $13.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Samples
Song Title Time Price
listen  1. You Still Believe In Me 2:24$0.89 Buy Track
listen  2. One Life Away 1:57$0.89 Buy Track
listen  3. Sweethearts on Parade 2:12$0.89 Buy Track
listen  4. Hi-Fi 4:14$0.89 Buy Track
listen  5. Fuel for Fire 4:12$0.89 Buy Track
listen  6. Four Hours in Washington 3:01$0.89 Buy Track
listen  7. Regeneration No. 1 1:18$0.89 Buy Track
listen  8. Big Boat 2:45$0.89 Buy Track
listen  9. Paul's Song 3:10$0.89 Buy Track
listen10. Radio Campaign 2:36$0.89 Buy Track
listen11. Here Comes the Sun Again 2:21$0.89 Buy Track
listen12. Deep Dark Well 2:25$0.89 Buy Track
listen13. Oh Take Me Back 2:07$0.89 Buy Track
listen14. I'll Be Yr Bird 2:54$0.89 Buy Track
listen15. Lullaby + Exile 2:44$0.89 Buy Track
listen16. Well-Tempered Clavier 2:58$0.89 Buy Track

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Frequently Bought Together

Transistor Radio + Post-War + Transfiguration of Vincent
Price For All Three: $41.97

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  • This item: Transistor Radio ~ M. Ward

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  • Post-War ~ M. Ward

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  • Transfiguration of Vincent ~ M. Ward

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Product Details

  • Audio CD (February 22, 2005)
  • Original Release Date: February 22, 2005
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Merge Records
  • ASIN: B0007KIFIM
  • Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,662 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Transistor Radio may be bookmarked by instrumentals, but M. Ward’s cracked, jazzy croon is the true star of all his work. The sixteen tunes here all sound like sketches that became songs on the spot, and we all know the well-crafted illusion of spontaneity is a very difficult thing to pull off repeatedly. His most consistently enjoyable album to date, Transistor offers breezy, smart, poppy music very much in the American folk tradition, from country blues to bleary-eyed bedroom strums. This is the soundtrack to a lazy Sunday when you sleep in, read the Times in bed, cuddle with a friend, then finally leave the house for cheese grits. "I’ll Be Yr Bird" sounds like the Fruit Bats collaborating with Vic Chesnutt, while Ward recalls Stew on "Hi Fi," the deadpan lyrics over lazy, lovely sounds: "Why burn your bridges when you can blow your bridges up?" The laudanum-like charms of Ward’s music are tough to resist. --Mike McGonigal


Product Description

From a half-named troubadour with an otherworldly voice and an old time sensibility comes this fourth full-length, a collection of songs "about childhood memories of a utopian radio power", dedicated to "the last of the remaining independent radio stations." With songs normally associated with the front porches of Louisiana, back when families gathered around the radio instead of the TV, "Transistor Radio" fits somewhere between your great-grandfather's collection of 78 rpm records and current and timeless artists such as Iron & Wine, Gram Parsons, and Tom Waits. Guests include Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley), Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), and Jordan Hudson (The Thermals).
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Customer Reviews

28 Reviews
5 star:
 (21)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (28 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Best pop album I've heard in a long time, May 30, 2005
By moose_of_many_waters (Palo Alto, CA United States) - See all my reviews
  
This is one of most texturally rich and inventive pop music albums I've heard. I'd put it up there with any album I've listened to in the last 30 years. M Ward is an outstanding musician whose bank of pop musical knowledge is immense and goes back many decades. With this CD, Mr. Ward vaults to the upper echelon of the pop music world (not in sales, but in artistic expression). There is an effortless inventiveness here that you see in only a handful of musicians. It's the rare kind of album that gets better the more you listen. Joe Henry. Elvis Costello. Nirvana. Randy Newman. These are the caliber of people/bands M Ward stands with in my book. If you want something for a casual listen - the Dave Mathews/Jack Johnson crowd - this CD probably won't work for you. But if your tastes run to meaningful music that demands careful listening, you'll love this album. Transistor Radio is a gem.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond Definition but Astounding: This is one to Buy, February 25, 2005
By Robert E. Murena Jr. "tedmurena" (Fairfield, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
M Ward's Transistor Radio is an eclectic mix of genres that is captivating in its beauty and scope. If I needed one word to describe the album it would be ethereal. With influences both classical and popular this album hearkens back through the years giving it an ultimately timeless feel. I highly recommend this one.

Transistor Radio opens up with "You Still believe in me" which showcases Wards musical ability with this purely American tune that is reminiscent of Bluegrass and Folk. And of course worthy of note is his cover of Louis Armstrong's "Sweethearts on Parade". I am always fearful when an artist sets out to cover Armstrong. It usually sounds more like a mockery than serious art. But Ward is so focused and creative that he can pull it off making the work something entirely new while still keeping the feel of the Armstrong original. Lastly, I must mention "Fuel for Fire" which is exemplary of wards haunting vocals and "Four Hours in Washington" with its shuffling rhythm sound like a Tom Waits song.

M Ward is a true artist and this is a great work. If I had to compare him to anyone it would be to Tom Waits. They both have a real knack for mixing genres and adding subtle hints and allusions to other styles and songs. They are both true American Artists. Transistor Radio has wide appeal and I think fans of "emo" to fans Billie Holiday will find this a great album. M Ward is one to watch and this is a super album. Buy a copy today.

Ted Murena
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Timeless Album by Matt Ward, February 23, 2005
By Kevin Weel (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Mr. Ward manages to release an album that maintains the timelessness of Transfiguration of Vincent, his indescribable and impeccable previous release. Transistor Radio is a collection of short songs that isn't as cohesive as his previous release, but as you move from song to song you understand this is by design. Each song is crafted not simply from folk and bluegrass but also 50s AM radio, the saloon cabaret of studio-era Hollywood, and good old-fashioned indie rock.

I think what makes M. Ward most appealing is how effortlessly he plays and sings, giving you the feeling that these songs were conceived and recorded in a single take. Ward is a "true" songwriter and at no point do you feel he's following or trying to create a trend by resurrecting a sound from the past. This album along with his previous releases gives me plenty of ammunition when defending a genre that has been so poorly mistreated.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars an aquired taste
The Man has skills, the music is spot on, slow and dreery with a lot of heart. NOT a mainstream lp (qualifies for an extra star), if your looking for radio pop go some where... Read more
Published 4 months ago by cerberus

5.0 out of 5 stars SHINY!
Even the cover songs are incredible! Each track is exquisite...My only complaint is that some of the track near the end also appear on a previous album.
Published 5 months ago by Mary M. Hosford

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, not life-changing
This album by M.Ward is pretty solid with some standout tracks ("Hi-Fi" is my favorite, but "One Life Away", "Fuel for Fire", "Four Hours in Washington"), and some weaker ones... Read more
Published 10 months ago by J. T. Herbert

5.0 out of 5 stars This one has got it all
This CD is one of my all time favorites. It has all the elements of music that I love - beautiful sounds, soul-provoking smart lyrics, some rhythm, and variety.
Published 19 months ago by Infopusher

5.0 out of 5 stars springboard
What Elvis did with Junior Parker, the Stones did with Howlin' Wolf, M. Ward has done with Louis Armstrong. Why didn't I think of that?
Published on July 16, 2007 by jude

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, Hypnotic, as usual
This was the 3rd M. Ward album I got. If you haven't any of his stuff, this wouldn't be a bad start, but Post War might be a little more "Beginner Friendly. Read more
Published on July 5, 2007 by L. Riley

5.0 out of 5 stars Grows on you, leaves you wanting more M. Ward
I was first exposed to M. Ward's work through his 200 release Post-War, which I found to be one of the year's best. Read more
Published on March 26, 2007 by Manny Hernandez

4.0 out of 5 stars Lonesome Fuel
I first discovered Matthew Ward on `The Transfiguration of Vincent' (2003), which became one of my favourite albums of that year. Read more
Published on September 6, 2006 by Phoust

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best albums of all time
i came across M. ward unexpectedly at a white stripes concert, where he was the opening act. He completely blew me away, so i went out and bought this album. Read more
Published on June 10, 2006 by green eggs and sam

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless.
Transistor Radio is easily one of the best albums I've heard in the past few years. It was my first exposure to Matt Ward, and I have since purchased his two previous albums. Read more
Published on March 26, 2006 by Charly <3

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