Fred Koenigsberg
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Astoundishing!
The Bobs continue to amaze, at the highest level of musicianship (not to mention humor). Their (mostly) a cappella version of Rhapsody in Blue wouldn't have George Gershwin spinning in his grave -- he'd be sitting up and smiling. And the other covers -- especially Freefallin -- are gorgeous. Close your eyes and listen to those voices!!
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Inger Zapatera
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I'm going to wear out the CD...
Okay, I'm a newcomer to the Bobs. A friend sent me this CD because I really like Cream and there's this AMAZING cover of White Room. I'm really not into a cappella, but with these guys it doesn't matter whether you are or not. They make you forget they aren't using instruments. It's hard to believe there are only four of them, because the sound they manage to create is SO much larger than life. The Rhapsody in Bob is...well, rhapsodic. I've never heard anything like it. Love Gershwin, hate Gershwin; love a cappella, hate a cappella: no matter what, you MUST own this CD.
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Byron Nilsson - Metroland Magazine
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Vocally Owned - Any fan of the human voice will enjoy the unusual directions thi
The current lineup features a new tenor, if by ·tenor· you mean ·singer who more than straddles the tenor range and adds amazing vocal effects, percussive and otherwise...Dan ·Bob· Schumacher has added enough of a personalized stamp to one of the group's favorites·the Cream classic ·White Room rerecorded here, more than a decade after its first Bobs waxing, with a new guitar solo voiced by Amy ·Bob· Engelhardt that you'll be hard pressed to tell from the real thing.
Tom Petty, They Might Be Giants, Louis Jordan, Lotte Lenya·what a lineup of singers to salute! Yet here they are: Petty's ·Freefallin·,· another Dan-and-Amy feature, and ·Alabama Song,· from a Brecht-Weill musical play (but also recorded by the Doors), showing Matthew ·Bob· Stull at his most plaintive. And its sardonic humor effectively contrasts with the rest of the playlist, which includes the rousing ·Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens,· a bouncy R&B tune, and the just-plain-strange ·Dinner Bell· from TMBG.
Once you hear the robust, gravelly bass voice of Richard ·Bob· Greene, one of the group's founders, you count on his occasional showpieces. On this disc it's Eddie Davis' ·Teenage Brain Surgeon,· a song also covered by Spike Jones but never more effective than here, in Greene's forbidding tones.
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Richard Trible
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A sham
Don't buy this CD. First of all, the Bobs are much more entertaining live so what's the point?
Also the Bobs have always been an a capella group and the Rhapsody In Blue features a piano! And they get silly like that They Might Be Giants song. So what if the piano player is excellent
What bugs me more than anything else is Richard Bob Greene. It should be noted that his voice is not enhanced by EQ recording magic but that his voice actually sounds like that. I know this because I've spoken to him. Nobody has a natural voice like that. It's clear that his voicebox has been surgically enhanced somehow. What a phoney.
OK, the CD sounds good. So what?
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Alex Stein
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Draw-droppingly beautiful virtuoso take on Gershwin
In their thirteenth album, the Bobs serve up the expected tasty mixture of world-class musicianship and first-class humor. What’s unexpected here is their virtuoso take on Gershwin’s 18-minute “Rhapsody in Blue” (familiar to fans of Woody Allen and United Airlines) where the Bobs sing the entire orchestral part. For most groups, even attempting such a high-wire arranging and singing challenge would be foolhardy, but the Bobs pull this off flawlessly. The result is draw-droppingly beautiful. As they have done for more than 20 years, the Bobs once again take a familiar tune, add amazing musical twists, and make it completely their own.
And the rest of the album's pretty great, too.
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Miriam
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Not my favorite Bob's album. Had to grow to like it.
The songs quite simply weren't nearly as funny as I had hoped they'd be, though perhaps My I'm Large is simply a 5-star album (my favorite!) and it's not a fair comparison. I also found the lyrics much more difficult to follow (in the original songs, not the remakes) compared to My I'm Large.
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Eleanor Burian-Mohr
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Love the CD, love the Bobs
After hearing the Bobs at the Steve Allen Theater, I knew I had to hear more. I rushed over and bought this CD and I LOVE IT! I want to hear all their CDS.
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Frank J. Perricone
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Excellent renditions of other people's works
I was privileged to see the Bobs perform the Rhapsody live in Worcester, MA at the world debut performance of this arrangement a couple of years back (to make a DVD of it, they said -- hope that's still coming!). They did it twice and I have kept it in my head, so I could play it back in my mind, for two years since, hoping a recording would come before it inevitably faded. Sad it wasn't the DVD but glad it came with these other songs, a few of which I've heard in concerts before and also desperately hoped to see on a recording someday.
I've been listening to this over and over since I got it. It's engaging and immediately enjoyable, but it also grows with repeated listenings. I don't think it's quite as good as a few of their albums of original material, though. Some of the choice of material doesn't really highlight their talents as well as the other bits. So I have to encourage people to not stop at this disc but also try some of their unique creations. Just think what they can do when they're combining this incredible musical talent with their offbeat, humorous, out-of-the-box creativity.
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Cecil Bothwell - Mountain Express
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UNSHAMED MELODY - The Bobs take lowing to new heights
(excerpt) At an age when most surviving pop groups grind out a living with warmed over retreads of greatest hits, the Bobs still shine, breaking new ground each time they tunnel out of the sanitorium...it's clear that the group never kept all its marbles in one box from the get-go, making their ongoing ability to surprise and delight audiences a rare treasure indeed...The Rhapsody in Bob CD captures all of the vocal excellence and some of the humor of the live show...and catch up with the tour before the Department of Homeland Security drags them back to their cages. Nothing is safe from skewering with the Bobs on the loose. "Rhapsody in Bob" showcases the group's virtuosity at every bend in the notes.
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Susan Zimmerman
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Loved it!!!
I've loved the Bobs since the 80's and love the Rhapsody in Bob CD. The two new members of the group sound great. I'm a little nostalgic for Janey Bob and Gunnar Bob, but the new folks are excellent as well. A CD for true Bobs fans! Wish they'd come to San Diego!
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