tempest

The Double-Cross
$16.98
This one flat out rocks, folks. Tempest is one of the few bands out there today for whom the name "folk-rock" is not a misnomer. So many bands who call themselves "folk-rock" bands are merely ELECTRIFIED FOLK bands. They think that by adding electric bass and electric guitar to folk music they are turning it into rock music. But alas, they perform with no rock and roll intensity, so they are little more than RLECTRIFIED FOLK bands. Tempest, meanwhile, performs with true rock and roll intensity and the name "folk-rock" fits them to a T. With their previous release, Shapeshifter, while a fine effort from the band, something was lacking in the production. There was no low end, ie, while you could hear the bass, it was flat and lifeless and lacking in realism. It had no "oomph." The instruments were also meshed together into a uniform sound; in fact they were so meshed together that when I flipped the switch to "mono" on my stereo, there was virtually no difference in the sound. With Double Cross, these problems have been gladly corrected and the results are spectacularly improved. The bass here is beefy, thick, full, rich and realistic and has an "oomph" that you can feel as well as hear. This is how rock and roll bass should ALWAYS be produced. Add crisp drums up in the mix and electric guitar that has been boosted in the mix and WOW! There is also space between and among the instruments here. They have been allowed to breathe so that you can clearly hear each instrument's contribution to the total sound, rather than uniformly meshing all the instruments flatly together as on the previous album. So it sounds like the band is performing "live" in front of you. But what good is great production if the performance is lousy? Well folks, the performance on the contrary is very good. Here Tempest not only performs with rock and roll intensity, but has made a conscious effort to vary its sound more than ever before. We get additional instruments added such as harmonica, bagpipes, piano, flute and didgeridoo. Everything is thrown in but the kitchen sink. We get bass solos, tempo changes, playful interation between the instruments as well as electric guitar and fiddle playing in note-for-note unsison and on one song a Slavic sound which we haven't heard before from these lads. All in all, this is another fine effort from a band whose consistency of sound has been amazing considering all the personnel turnover they have had over the years.

A Tempest: Based on Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST, Adaptation for a Black Theatre
$12.95
Cesaire's A TEMPEST wears its politics on its sleeve, and that can be grating even when its political message is agreeable with your own leanings. This is not a particularly subtle work, but it is of supreme importance to understanding a number of socio-political movements, especillly as they relate to the Carribean (though it reaches far beyond that limited geographic range in its implications). Order this in conjunction with Shakepeare's original, Dryden's rewrite, Rodo's ARIEL, Retamar's CALIBAN and perhaps PROSPERO'S BOOKS starring John Gielgud. Then go to town...or perhaps away from it.

Tempest
$14.94
This is one of my favorite films. I like it because it's really different from what you might expect. There are aspects of it that leave you scratching your head. It's funny, entertaining, surprising and even shocking. It's a fairly unusual title, so if you're interested in something a little "off the beaten track" as it were, this might be it. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because the story moves a little too slowly for my taste. If you're an action junky - forget it. If you're in it for a deep story - forget it. After watching this, you'll recall it like it was a dream you had more than a movie you saw.

The Tempest (Norton Critical Editions)
$6.67
I found this a very helpful and interesting adjunct to the play proper (although, of course, it has the play in it). Like most NCE's it is stuffed with extras: primary sources, critical reactions and analyses, and creative reinterpretations. The price is a little higher than the Folger or other popular Shakepeare's paperbacks, but you get a lot of bang for only a few extra bucks. Pretty cool. I found it worked well as a "Teacher's Edition."