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Shadowland
by Sire / London/Rhino
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$11.98 |
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$10.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. |
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$0.99 (8%) |
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Audio CD
Publisher: Sire / London/Rhino
Pulling out all the Nashville stops, k.d. lang's 1988 album is a meticulously crafted work, her bid for mainstream country acceptance, and an homage to her idol Patsy Cline. Surrounded by the brilliance of Owen Bradley's string-laced production and a host of legendary pickers (Buddy Emmons and Pete Wade) and singers (Kitty Wells, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn), lang's voice soars and moans like a dove. After the lush Chris Isaak-penned opener "Western Stars," lang follows with more-familiar country writers, from Roger Miller ("Lock, Stock and Teardrops") to Harlan Howard ("I'm Down to My Last Cigarette"). Both a commercial (the album went gold) and artistic success, Shadowland ranks as one of the best country records of the 1980s. --Roy Francis Kasten
| Customer Reviews: |
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| Perfection |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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When kd lang burst upon the music scene, she was an uproarious, bespectacled big boned gal, hamming it up to amped up country/rockabilly numbers. Thank goodness someone saw past the initial awkwardness of lang's early offerings to THAT VOICE. Truly, Lange posseses the finest voice in music today. She is peerless. Lang was teamed up with legendary producer Owen Bradley to phenomenal effect. Rush out and get this album. Her voice is impossibly gorgeous, lush, full-bodied, pitch perfect, huskily intimate.
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| Unexpected Fan! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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I purchased this CD when it was first released and recently came across it in my collection. Listening to it again after many years reminded me of the incredible talent of k.d. lang. While traveling in my van, I told my husband, "You have to hear this!" He loved it! He is a diehard classic country music fan and I am more into Blues, R&B and Pop, but we found ourselves fighting over the CD. I bought it again as a birthday gift for him because he kept stealing mine! It's well worth the investment!
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| Classic album with Owen Bradley as producer |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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For about two decades after it's release, this remained the only k d lang album that I was familiar with. It features plenty of covers although I was only really familiar with one of them (Don't let the stars get in your eyes) at the time I originally bought the vinyl album. By the time I bought a copy on CD, I knew much more about these songs and while most of them are covers, they are generally of fairly obscure songs.
In selecting the opening song (Western skies) k d (or whoever found the song for her) must have been among the first to discover Chris Isaak, because he hadn't made his mark at that stage. The next song (Lock, stock and teardrops) is by the late, great Roger Miller, but it's certainly not among his most famous songs. Sugar moon (a Bob Wills song) is better know, though again it's not Bob's most famous song.
Following that comes a Frank Loesser song (I wish I didn't love you so) that became a huge American hit for several singers in 1947. Vaughn Monroe and Dinah Shore each took it to number two, while Betty Hutton had a top five hit and Dick Haymes had a top ten hit. Jazz fans and those who like the music of the forties are probably familiar with this song, but they are likely to be in a minority among the people who buy this album. I didn't get seriously into such music until the early years of the new millennium, although I've become very interested since then.
Next comes a song (Waltz once around the dance floor) that I don't recognize from anywhere else, but it might also be a cover for all I know. It is followed by a cover of Black coffee, a song made famous by Peggy Lee though her version was itself a cover of a Sarah Vaughn top twenty hit from 1947. Petula Clark also included an excellent cover on one of her sixties albums. Perhaps I should have been familiar with this song in 1987, but I wasn't. I hadn't discovered the brilliance of Peggy Lee or Sarah Vaughn at that stage, while I only knew about Petula`s own hits at that time. How things have changed since then.
The title track follows and I'm assuming (perhaps wrongly) that this is an original song. Following that comes one of the most recognizable songs on the album (Don't let the stars get in your eyes), which provided Perry Como with one of his biggest hits although legend has it that he was reluctant to record it because he didn't like it. I wonder if he liked it better after it became such a huge hit. In any event, k d did a great job with her version. I think the next track (Tears don't care who cries them) could be an original, though it might not be. Next is an old country song (I'm down to my last cigarette) by Harlan Howard and Billy Walker, but it's a rarely heard song so I'm glad that k d included it here. Following that is another song (Busy being blue) that I haven't heard elsewhere and could be an original.
The album concludes with a medley of three oldies, the most famous of the three being Blues stay away from me, a Delmore brothers song that provided Owen Bradley with an American hit in 1949. Owen wasn't a huge success as a singer, but became much more successful as a record producer. The medley features Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn and Kitty Wells as guests.
This album is a masterpiece. I eventually got round to buying and reviewing 49th parallel (another brilliant album, though less so than this one), and maybe I'll buy more of k d lang's music eventually. Yet somehow, I get the impression from various sources that this remains her best album. If there is a better one, it's clearly a must-have based on the quality of this album.
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| My Mom loves her |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Although this is not my favorite type of music genre I bought this and several others for my Mom and she just loved it.....
I laughed when my 83 yr old Mom when I mentioned I heard KD was gay said so what, I just want to listen to her.
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| Perfection |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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So many people have told me this is their favorite album by anyone. I've given it as a gift to so many friends, wanting to share the experience. Song selection, arrangements, production qualities all emerge as perfect. And, above it all, reigns Lang, a powerful, deeply-felt true original with a golden voice. Owen Bradley produced her with total understanding of her prodigious gifts. The songs with Kitty Wells, Loretta Lynn and Brenda Lee are enchanting start to finish with both the songs and the vocals intertwined into a seamless melody. A totally thrilling album. Who knew "Ingenue" was ahead?
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Western Stars
Lock, Stock and Teardrops
Sugar Moon
I Wish I Didn't Love You So
(Waltz Me) Once Again Around the Dance Floor
Black Coffee
Shadowland
Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes
Tears Don't Care Who Cries Them
I'm Down to My Last Cigarette
Busy Being Blue
Honky Tonk Angels' Medley
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