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PhilipGlassPhilipGlassPhilipGlass

This is the second best add to our library of all time, after Dopesmoker.

Ten discs of philip mothafuggin glass.

Sprawling organ sounds, impossibly complex vocal harmonies, swelling drones underneath tightly scored parts forming gears within' gears hypnosis. "Sure is a fan of that arpeggio"

For fans of musicians pushed to the brink of their physical abilities, massive organs, striking choral works, experimental prog egytpain concept operas, motorik grooves, erxperimental synthesizer works, peking duck, impeccable counterpoint, mathematical precision, methamphetamine, impossibly complex time signatures, sample art, space music, trance, film, academia, string quartets, modern classical, gay porn, steve reich, le monte young, bob saget, madonna, masonna, drones, eastern music, minimalism, voyeurism, 12 galaxies, cesjrogrenical ergonomics, trippy patterns, drugs, absitence, lift jesus higher.

This is the real deal, all time-legendary works of genius.

The problem is, now I've listened to 99 of these and my head keeps going PhilipGlassPhilipGlass PhilipPhilipPhilipHGlassGlassGlassPhilGlaPhilGlaPhilGlaGlaGlaPhillipGlaPhilGlassPhilipPhilipGlass.

Reccomended Discs

Longer Works
I, II, III, IX

Shorter Works
III, IV, VI, VII


Disc 1- Early Works

1- Music in Contrary Motion (15:33)-
Space age masterpiece of repetition and organ megalith's. A tremendous warm sounding organ, playing dueling melodies in contrary motion (if one melody goes down, the other part goes up), with a building climaxing low end drone underneath it, and trademark Glass time signature gears within gears hypnosis. A manifesto of something new and brilliant, that is evident from the performance. An Organ Masterpiece, and work of Genius.
2- Music With Changing Parts (45:39)
Starts with high end organ patterns, mesh with a a more buzzing swell underneath, that his numerous hypnotic motorik grooves. Heats up around 6 minutes, with the addition of some wonky wailing whining violin melody. At 11 minutes the piece really begins to lift of, becoming more and more urgent. The organs get darker and lower around 18 minutes, with in with pieces and patterns that move without subliminally so that you will be listening to an entirely different piece of music 10 minutes later without immediately noticing the changes. The piece speeds towards higher frequencies for a bed and faster patterns towards the end. Brilliant, and the seminal work of the genre' minimalism'
3- Music in Similar Motion (17:12) starts with organ and a flute playing a musical pattern in similiar motion. this piece then adds a higher pitched, tinny sounding second organ to duel with the first. definite stellar vibe. the real fun comes when the vocalists are added, one a fourth above the original melody, and one a fourth below. at 4:35 the piece becomes truly wild, but every time a new part is added, there is a dramatic sonic miracle and the song seems to have entirely changed. Around 10:00 minutes, the music is an the most heavenly spacetrance you've ever heard to the end.

Disc 2- Music in 12 Parts

A massive theoretical excesize on repetition in music, done with 12 musicians, and twelve lines of counterpoint. This is a snippet of the 12 part, music in 12 pars, which originally ran 3:26:06. Here we see Glass at his absolute peak, Trippy head patterns, fluttering sounds, dueling triumphant orchestration, and four full on masterpieces.

1- Part VII (19:58) Glass's vocal harmonies feature prominently in this, accompanied by a dueling organ, but this piece is a grueling vocal excersize in immensely complicated interlocking time signature. At 3:18, it hits a beautiful tick- tock, call and response groove adding a real pulse to the piece. The climbing and falling vampire organ lines, and syncopated vocals make for a big climax near the middle of the piece until the parts seem to be turned inside out by glass's manipulations. The piece ends with a call and response fight between
2- Part VIII (18:18) The trippiest track I have ever heard. These patterns are fluttering and will be weaving in and out of my brain for months
3- Part IX- Rising, triumphant, twisting Organ led piece, kind of sounds like a whimsical soundtrack to autoerotic asphyxiation, from the perspective of a DNA helix
4- Part X (starts with super high pitched organ shredding in god knows what absurd time signature, against honking strings. then a magical bouncing bassline comes in around 3 minutes, and then the magic happens with fuzzy pulses. this is like flying through a shimmering gumdrop forest, that just lifts off top the sky with tempo accelerations. One of the best trances you can possibly experience.

Disc 3- Einstein on the Beach

Selections from a 4 hour long concept operatic tribute to Albert Einstein. A sprawling and staggering work of manic genius. Light speed interlocking melodies, synth freakouts, mathematically confusing time signatures, odd sample art. An incredibly taxing piece on the singers, and a mind-blowing vocal repetition of mangled number patterns. One of the most difficult and rewarding listens of all time.

1- knee play 1- , ease in to the piece, the most smooth spoken word trip out with women chanting numbers over a rising swell of brilliance
2- train 1(edited)- a look into einstein's brain, fluttering, rapidspeed, gears within gears brilliance. the epitome and climax of manic mathematic musical genius. an incredibly challenging piece.
3- knee play 2- crazy math spoken word with violin twisting, mind-blowing speed
4-knee play 3- unbelievable vocal triplet patterns counting numbers out loud, one of the greatest achievements of glass's career. absolutely beautiful, strange, and radio friendly.
5.-trial/2 prison: "prematurely air-conditioned supermarket" - goofy narration, absurd, dream speech about a trial, vaguely,
6. knee 4- rising and falling fiddle patters with men's voices singing do re mi fa so
7. bed/prelude- e=mc squared, that's all ya gotta know
8. spaceship- the 123, 123s go insane. sprawling space since opus of magnificent proportions, killer fiddle breakdown in the middle
9. knee play 5- the comedown, a final lecture, over angel voices and semi-mournful speech about relaxation

DISC 4- ANALOG

Thirteen Unparalleled works of Organ and Synthesizer Genius from the prime of Glass's creative career. This CD alone is one of the top 50 Psychedelic recordings, ever. Great intro to Glass. Pick any track.

1- orange mountain music- two dueling pianos making the most beautiful flowing sounds, like a rushing river over rocks, warm
2- same pattern as before with rising tension, holy smokes those gears within gears are trippin me out
3- Megafast, sprawling, turning blippy bloopy piece, classic glass
4- somber, delicate closer to the piece with the same melodic and harmonic themes
5- lovely short Choral Piece, beautiful rising and falling tones
6- whimsical rising and falling short choral piece
7- swirl of triumphant flutes at face melting speeds.
8- funky organ stomp, a twinkly psychedelic carousel
9- an acapella work of genius swirling female voice pattern over lush male choral harmonies & vocal madness, could be used to sell diamonds
10- crazy futurepsych synthesizer sci fi madness
11- rising and falling vocal harmonies over organ swells, gorgeous, a preview of koyanisqaatsi
12-short, slower, emotive mournful chorus & high pitched organ, great interlude track
13- "mad rush for organ" - spacious analog exploration, tickling the ear, one of of the greatest all time works for organ

DISC 5- from Satyagraha

A concept opera about Satyagraha and Tolstoy. More traditional instrumentation & harmonies, for glass, and his most traditionally classical and dramatic sounding work. The vocal performances are exceptional, and this marks one of Glass's most successful works with Opera.

1-Low strings playing a typical glass pattern paired with soaring and deep operatic singers playing off each other. A different direction for glass, and much more than a novelty for opera fans.
2-Tense male voice with pastoral string swells & more traditional instrumentation. Like high quality film music mixed with opera. the mathematics of glass are restrained here. The vocalists are exceptional in this performance.
3- A fierce galloping rush, paced by synthesizers and vocalists, twirling synthesizer patterns and twinkling that will be later adapted for Koyaanisqatsi. Reminds me of Russian Dancers, Industry, Fear. An exceptional work.
4- Begins mournfully w/ chanting, then takes a strong turn towards operatic exploration, gets lost in its own intensity, and spurts you out spiriting with flutes to a dizzying ending.
5- A mellow resolution, a fluffy string piece, in the seem mood as toile polaire. Some of these reefs are repurposed without the opera for Koyaanisqatsi. Pleasant, if nothing else.

DISC 6-

Koyaanisqatsi, derived from a Hopi word meaning 'Life out of Balance,' is the soundtrack to a masterwork of film that captures the essence of modern humanity. This music is a pastiche of glass's finest moments, cut to radio friendly lengths, and instrumented for a film audience. There are rather dystopian themes throughout the album, and the ominous pulse of the machine's grip on man is present throughout. The soundtracks to the films sequel (Powaqqatsi) are also included on this disc, but the best moments are tracks 1-6.

1- Koyaaaaaaniisssqattttssii…. chil inducing piece, meaning low end tone with the deepest voices of all time. Iconic piece.
2- String swells give way to a barren, thickening baritonedronescape with a percolating flute flowing above like clouds. Wow.
3- Chirping muted trumpets over an ominous but warm low-brass part work their way in to an awe-inspiring crescendo.
4- Mechanical synthesizer pulse, gears within gears patterns, rising and falling harmony lines, sense of impending doom, and explosion into manic tempos and organ patterns
5- Exceptional ethereal choral work that pulses and rises and falls, organs enter at 333, and speed the piece into a frantic mind boggling beauty
6- The most hypnotic organ/chorus trance masterpiece that blasts off to the speed of light. 20 minutes long.
7- Funky polyrhythmic percussive stomp with whistles and tropical goodness, glass having fun. A freak folk/fem-fronted world power pop track, how about that?!
8- Railroad whistling, chase music style pulse w/ a lounge chugging vibe. Cool short track.
9- If Philip Glass did a song for the nightmare before xmas soundtrack, it would sound like this. Cheese, total cheese man.
10- Relaxed vacuous string strumming and swells & some over the top melody parts. Mrh.
11- Twinkly, marimba shuffle with a playful clip cloppy feel.
12- Keeps the pulse from the track before, but an even happier feel, with more forced fanfare. I heard something that sounded like a panflute and had to turn it off.
13- 1:15 of beautiful plucked guitars & a droning strings, a hidden gem, great interlude track. ends on dark tones.
14- Resolution to the piece with a super cheesy kids choir paired off against the deep voiced guy from koyaanisqatsi. A great tension between glass at his absolute best and worst.

Philip Glass- Disc 7-

Philip Glass's string quartet works performed by the Kronos Quartet. Tracks 1-4 compromise String Quartet #2, Tracks 7-11 compromise String Quartet # 5 and tracks 14-16 are String Quartet #4. The rest are piano etudes, which make for eerie, haunting, interludes that are easier on the eardrums and brain. All of these tracks are swell, hidden gems in his massive body of work.


1- slower, flowing, lush, dynamic string quartet
2- urgent, antsy string quartet playing with loud soft dynamic
3- sad, swelling section of the piece
4- the punctuation of the quartet and flow to the end
5- stunning, dark, tri-repetitive piano work, haunting
6- refreshing river of alternating piano patterns, spectacular work
7- easy, retrained strings lull you into reflective string quartet piece
8- string quartet piece, playful, crescendoes, hiding something dark, reminds me of horseback riding in the country with something afoul in the forest
9- faster moving, call and response string piece with classic arpeggiated melodies, intangible math patterns, dissonance and crescendo.
10- a slow, spacious swelling resolution to the melodies and patterns of the two previous tracks with a strong dramatic tension between the players. fantastic.
11- genius, megahigh degree of difficulty quartet piece, players explore the space of the piece, and go from playing breakneck speeds to stopping on a dime and back, and then swell the piece to a triumphant conclusion.
12- Minor key, spacious, meditative, piano etude that makes me reel for lost love.
13- Deranged repetitive bastard ragtime-etude, Like a player piano getting stuck in a locked groove and skipping, every few seconds
14- lush, swelling, restrained, dignified string quartet groove that stretches its notes to the fullest, and goes to triplet city.
15- lonely strings playing a film-noir like melody, sound like they're searching for something
16- chamber music for the king of numbertown's banquet affair, dignified strings that sound like they belong in a fine jewelry advertisment

Philip Glass- Disc 8-

All those Philip Glass conceptual prog opera goodies that never took off are found here. Out of place dramatic operatic vocals, ridiculous spoken word bits, melodramatic instrumentation of Glass's favorite patterns. A can't miss for diehard fans and those with a sense of irony.

1- the rome section- 18 minute long roman war horn marching drum, opera, flute noodling. this covers everything from war to peace. my roommate, "who says philip glass is a minimalist, this is pretty maximum sounding to me."
2- such a lovely crooner, eerie organ tone & duo of near gregorian chanters singing about war. lyrics hold this piece back
3- just about the worst prog opera song of all time, in the best possible way. smoking' frantic handdrums drums, goofy baseline, man and woman trying to sing some far fetched opera about yahweh and allah battling. just wait for the spoken word break from the prophet. kill me
4. glass's favorite piano lick, with prog opera vox about wanting to be a green automobile.
5- Spoken word recounting casualty figures of various wars and animals over castanets and bells.
6- This guy thinks he's don quijote or something. There are castanets, I've reviewed over hundred glass tracks, and this guy needs to shut up. His angelic chrous is nice, I bet you they weren't paid nearly enough for this shit.
7- Monlogue from a lonesome man in Kansas, that a lonesome man in Kansas could never realistically articulate. Shares a piano chord in common with hey jude, and cracks me up.
8- Philip Glass's faux- Carmina Burana. Walls of voices that seem ready for war. Dramatic orchestral instrumentation.
9- The funeral of Amenhotep III, Opening scene from Glass's Operatic Tribute to the Pharaoh Akhentaten. Drums, gongs, war voices. Temple of Isis, Cult of the Apis Bull Music. If only Cy Thoth could get his hands on this…
10- operatic female duet over patterns of rising and falling instrumentation, crescendoes and arpeggios aplenty
11- gorgeous low end tones expanding across the nile, menacing female chrous shrills, circular patterns wrapping mummies, trumpets announcing the arrival of the spirit of the great priest amun re.

Philip Glass Disc 9-

Flows together, not as repetitive, brusque melodic compositions that build on addition and subtraction of parts, and the twisting of melodies. Quality classical music, not as daring as his other music, but very harmonically pleasing and delicate. Sensitive and intelligent modern composition.

Tracks 1-4, symphony No. 3

1. Lovely, violin melody, tense low strings, pulsing undertones, warm brass instrumentation are all added and removed. its bliss when the chords come together and climax.
2- A storm of urgent strings rising and falling with a menacing low end reminiscent of russian composers. A twisting Flowing structure that gets intense, and is relieved with a plucked string break. Taxing on the musicians, I imagine. great stuff
3- Warm, low, somber tones, with enticing teases of violin crescendoes. Fantastic. Riffs from this are borrowed in Koyaanisqatsi.
4- Tense, pulsing, violin excursive in partial twisted scales, a fantastic short orchestral work.
5 thru 7 A sprawling work that falls the most within the bounds of 'classical music' as any in glass's catalog Symphony VIII is at its finest when glass goes to the thunder, big horns, violin swells, high speeds, crescendos.

Philip Glass Disc 10

All of Philip Glass's works for films. Here his patterns are simplified, the instrumentation is dramatized, and the track lengths are shorter, the music is less daring. Still, plenty of interesting sounds, atmospheres and Outtakes here. The three Dracula songs shred, but for sprawling works of manic genius, look elsewhere in this set.

1- Twinkly, triumphant, gamelan-orchestra hybrid explodes into massive satisfying crescendo of spiral melodies. Awexxxxxxxxxxome
2- Military drums leads to an aggressive take on Philip Glass's stepladder of melodies. Killer track, should have been in Gladiator.
3- A whitewashed version of toile polaire (disc 4)
4- Glass playing bad 80s suspense film music cliches on cheesy synthesizers.
5- Darker cello exploration + woodwind w/ churning orchestra underneath, music for a cliffhanger.
6- total doom intro. Low end sand mandala jam with megalow voices. melody is a bit cheesy but its worth it for the doomy vox.
7- shorter better doom interlude w/ dark low strings & throat sung badassery. 'distraught'
8- supercool snake charming echoey oboe & dark strings, triad ninja mullah murder in micronesia vibe to the track.
9- a darker, deeper, gloomier version of the previous track with buried strings competing against the deep tones & percussion, and some bonus time
10- dramatic, spacious, warm soundscape, ambient as far as glass goes
11- same riff as toile polaire (disc 4) w/ warm trumpet melodies & tones
12- ominous low ends line, twinkling farty sci-fi synth line that i've fallen in love with, kind of like a goofy b-side or demo from the koyaanisqatsi soundtrack. t
13- fluttering twinklyscape, relatively innocuous and pretty.
14- dracula, intense murder ballad strings, racing dissonant violin/violas, great stuff
15- violin strings play at dangeoursly & passionately biteneck speeds (dracula)
16- cool, lazier violin groove with scales underneath, these dracula tracks shred
17- dreamlike, music box style, but sadly mixed over film 1990s music cliche strings
18- a delicate piano opens the piece, then an angelic chorus drops in to visit.
19- hazy meditative cloudscape for cinematic consumption
20- gentle swelling strings buried in the mix come to reveal themselves and wave goodbye to you