Arthur Fiedler never considered popular music beneath him as a source of repertory: as early as 1964, he'd even started putting Beatles songs into the Boston Pops' repertory, long before the Liverpool quartet had achieved anything resembling critical or artistic respectability. And as the '60s wore into the '70s, his recorded output moved ever-further toward popular music, and doubly so once he signed with Deutsche Grammophon at the end of the '60s. Peace, Love & Pops was not the title of any album released in his lifetime, ...
Read More
Arthur Fiedler never considered popular music beneath him as a source of repertory: as early as 1964, he'd even started putting Beatles songs into the Boston Pops' repertory, long before the Liverpool quartet had achieved anything resembling critical or artistic respectability. And as the '60s wore into the '70s, his recorded output moved ever-further toward popular music, and doubly so once he signed with Deutsche Grammophon at the end of the '60s. Peace, Love & Pops was not the title of any album released in his lifetime, however; rather, it's assembled from various albums cut by the Pops across the last nine years of Fiedler's career. And the title here is also a bit misleading, as there's precious little (apart from the album opener, "Aquarius") in the way of songs associated with hippie-dom and the counter-culture, or too much to do with either: anyone expecting a Boston Pops rendition of "Monday Monday" or "California Dreaming," or even "San Francisco" (never mind, say, "The Golden Road [To Unlimited Devotion]") will be disappointed. Most of the music at hand dates from the late '60s, though a handful of pieces ( "Days of Wine and Roses," "King of the Road") pre-date this period, much as a few post-date it. Still, it's a good marketing concept. As to the recordings, most of this CD comes off as very high class and well-played elevator music, which actually makes a large amount of it unsuitable for that purpose: the top soloists of the Boston Pops are a little too obtrusive in their work, especially on the most exuberant numbers here, in terms of the needs of elevator music. Still, there's almost always a lot going on in any of the arrangements used by the Pops, so that even the version of "The Sound of Silence" makes fascinating listening, with all sections of the orchestra brought into play in what is still a restrained and understated rendition of the song. And most of the arrangements are keyed to the spirit of the song, though Fiedler and company may have pushed both the tempo and the busy-ness of "Gentle on My Mind" right to the breaking point, and the intro to "Those Were The Days" sounds a bit too much like a lost part of a John Barry James Bond soundtrack; and speaking of film scores, the expected contingent of movie-related songs ("Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" etc.) and show-related tunes ("Day by Day" etc.) are here. Still, it's an entertaining CD, as far as it goes, and the sonics are impressive, Deutsche Grammophon's '70s-era masters holding up extremely well. And there's a touching, amusing, and informative essay on Fiedler by his daughter Johanna to frame the music in terms of his career, ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
Read Less
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Disc, artwork and case in excellent condition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. Orders received before 3PM PT typically ship same day. All profits support the non-profit community.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Long time seller with years of customer service experience. All items shipped within 24 hours in a CD box with tracking numbers provided. A to Z Satisfaction Guaranteed on all Amazon orders. Overseas orders take up to 4 weeks.
Portions of content provided by Rovi Corporation. © 2024 Rovi Corporation.