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Mathematical cheese   July 26, 2002

Awesome classic amoung classics   July 10, 2002

Owning this historical piece of music makes me feel the same as if I were standing on the beach at Kitty Hawk, NC watching those brothers and their bicycle contraption.


Historical, but rather dated   December 26, 2001
  10 out of 12 found this review helpful

This boxed collection sets out to provide listeners with the definitive record of the Switched On Bach legacy. And it succeeds brilliantly, with near-perfect sound quality, two booklets full of text and pictures, four CDs, and extra audio and visual material.

The problem is the music itself is such a mix of highs and lows. At best, the results are extremely musical and satisfying, illuminating the inner lines of Baroque counterpoint with crispness and verve. But in other places things don't quite hold together - the notes are all there, perfectly played and arranged, but some of the poetry seems to be missing. And the (thankfully rare) worst moments sound like a bad PC soundcard playing a MIDI file.

The highlight of the collection is undoubtedly The Well Tempered Synthesizer, which has some wonderfully rich-sounding arrangements, but also keeps the fun of the best parts of SOB, before Carlos and Elkind began to take themselves and their work too seriously - the kind of fun and exuberance that makes the interpolated 2nd movement of the 3rd Brandenburg such a joy to listen to.

But in general, many of the other performances tend towards diamond-hard perfectionism rather than warmth and flow, and this is underscored by the bitty percussiveness of much of the synthesizer programming.

Overall then, this collection is perhaps more interesting as a historical record than a stand-out listening experience. It certainly has its moments, which work as well today as they ever did. But for sheer adventuresome musicality and colour, Carlos can't compare to synthesists like Tomita, who sacrificed idiomatic perfection and correctness for a richer, more poetically creative overall result.

Still, the fact remains that Carlos got there first, and whatever the imperfections, SOB was, and is a huge achievement. (Not to mention an almost unbelievable amount of work, especially when compared with the trivial ease of the technology that's available today.) This boxed set shows exactly how it was done, and why SOB and its siblings remain landmark recordings, even today.

Recommended for synth geeks everywhere, and more adventuruous classical listeners who will appreciate a different perspective on Bach to the one they're used to.


World Shattering Work Collected for Synthfools   October 26, 2001
  20 out of 23 found this review helpful

Wendy Carlos changed the world in 1968 when Switched-On-Bach appeared. The Modular synthesizer became the foundation of music, ushering in the loop-based electronica we hear today. Would that current synth freaks had one tenth the imagination that Wendy Carlos does.

This box set is not for the casual listener, but an historical overview of the creation of musical interpretations that shook the foundations of Western Civilization. Carlos explains how each project came to be, which, as a self-confessed Synthfool, I find fascination. Yes, I agree that it would probably have been better to confine the spoken commentary to a seperate disk from the music. Most listeners might be happier to buy the single-CD reissues, since the music is more important to them.

Now, as for the work itself, unlike the gimcrack Moog "this" or Switched-on "that" which inevitably followed the release of this work, this music still shines, is still exciting, and is still ground-shaking. This speaks, as I said, to Carlos' taste as a performer, and imagination as a programmer/arranger. She has few competitors, and no equals in this regard.


HOORAY! FINALLY!   August 28, 2001
  3 out of 4 found this review helpful

This boxed set is amazing! These tunes came out of my parents speakers when I was just a tike, and I'm so glad to have them for my own now as an adult! Wendy's use of the MOOG to bring these songs to life is the reason I was exposed to classical music as a child, and I will be forever grateful. I have looked and looked, and been sad that I couldn't get them on CD. Thank you so much Wendy, for re-releasing these to us, your devoted fans in all their digital spender! Perfectly re-mastered digitally, there is an awesome texture and flavor previously not allowed to blossom from vinyl. If I could only have a handful of music to take anywhere, this collection would be it! In fact I never road trip without them. There is also extra "making of" type information at the end of two of the discs that is very cool too. You won't be sorry you bought this collection, even if you have never heard it before. Treat yourself, sit back with a nice glass of good Cabernet, (as long as you aren't road tripping!) and ENJOY! Thank you, thank you, thank you Wendy!