Magic Voicesby Anonymous
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March 13, 2003:
There are currently colleges offering courses on Gene Puerling's vocal arranging style and, once you take in this magnificent boxed set, you'll understand why. The man who invented open-harmony vocal arranging, Gene Puerling, Len Dresslar, Don Shelton, & Bonnie Herman created many albums during their ten year existence during the 70's and they're all collected here (save the Xmas album which remains in print separately). Gene also did the arrangements and sang with the group, The Hi-Lo's. They are also worth checking out. The arrangements are simply as good as it gets and the vocals are flawlessly executed in all cases. In Gene's hands, four voices turn into nearly a hundred (check out "Fool On The Hill"). The song choices are also first rate in most cases. The quality of the sound on this boxed set is breathtaking. The original engineer, Hans Bruner-Schwer, digitally remastered all the original MPS albums and restored them to pristine clarity and fullness. For anyone interested in imaginative vocal arrangements and pitch-perfect singing, this boxed set is for you. You'll also very clearly hear where the arrangers for Take 6, The Manhattan Transfer, and other popular vocal groups got their style. Just listen to Take 6's first album and you'll be amazed by how directly they rip off the Singers Unlimited's vocal sound. As far as the price is concerned, I promise it's worth it..:)
Magic Voicesby Anonymous
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March 09, 2003:
I disagree entirely with Jim. Anyone with any interest in vocal music would pay this amount or more to get 7 CD's worth of textbook vocal music. There are colleges that are now offering courses on Mr. Puerling's arrangements and when you pick up these CD's, you'll hear why. You have heard nothing like it before and you will hear nothing of its kind again. Immerse yourself in a world where 4 actual singers become 8, 16, 24, or even a hundred! Multi-harmony overdubbing begins and ends here, folks. It doesn't get any better. Mr. Puerling is also the father of open-harmony. Without him, you don't have harmony the way we know it today. This box set should be required listening for any music theory class. On top of that, it is absolutely fun to listen to. The arrangements don't get so caught up in themselves that they cease to be fun or to feel. Rather, the cerebral approach to these standards actually enhances the romanticism and the fun of the individual songs. The sound on this package is also first rate. The clarity is quite a stunning thing to behold. The booklet that is enclosed is also beautifully annotated and comes with interviews from Bonnie Herman & Gene Puerling, as well as an interview with the original engineer, Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer.
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