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 An old recording that is never stale Oct 17, 2007
Fresh Aire II Is a long time favorite of mine. I owned it on vinyl and on one of the first digitally recorded cassettes. Now I own it on CD. I never tire of hearing these rhythms and melodies. The picture on the cover could use some enhancing, I say with a chuckle. But otherwise the digital-classical-folk-rock stylings of Mannheim Steamroller are a joy to the senses. I highly recommend listening to it with a good pair of headphones. There is a delightful surround sound effect that will give you a drug-free rush. Sample the sound on the web and then buy yourself a treat. Even if you already own it on vinyl and cassette.
Mannheim Steamroller rocks with second Season Jul 27, 2006
Fresh Aire II Is just Fantastic!! Mannheim Steamroller Just Keeps Amazing me.
Chorale- A Lovely 16th Century Flute Peice. However, It is Only 36 Seconds Long.
The First Door- I Don't Really Care for this song very much. When I listen to it I Feel like it's blurred. The Sounds blend in too much.
The Second Door- One of my favourites, The Synthesizers and Drums blend so nicely. And the Horn part is great. The Chant at the end is nice too, but I Wish it lasted longer.
The Third Door- This is my Favourite because it is so lively and fun to listen to.
The Fourth Door- Nice And Peaceful, Rests your Ears.
The Fifth Door- This is another one of my favourites because of the sound. Theres a Really Cool String/Harpsichord part in it that I Love!!
The Sixth Door- Another Slow Peaceful Peice.
Door Seven- Another good one!! It is energetic and Also Fun to listen to.
Fantasy- Ahhhh.....A Weird song in my opinion. It really is just a cool sounding Expiremental Peice.
Interlude V- Nice piano Peice. From this point on the songs are mostly Slow and lovely with a couple of acceptions.....
Velvet Tear- Piano over Strings......Wonderful!!
A Shade Tree- If you like Guitar youll like this song. This song reminded me of Fall...Hence the Album!!!
Toota Lute- One Of those acceptions!! Wonderful 16th Century peice. Exciting at points!
Going to Another Place- A Great finale!!! It is a tune used several times in this album but this song shows how wonderful it is.
I Highly recommend this CD......Highly!!!!!!!!!!!
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
"Free Flight of Fancy" Mar 08, 2004
The central piece on the album is a Fantasia composed of a instrumental chorale in Renaissance style, which serves as the inspiration for a series of seven 'doors' which are sometimes variations of the chorale's them and sometimes true flights of fancy. The style of the doors ranges from Baroque to modern pop rock with plenty of variety in between. Each of the doors is intended to express an emotion, or so the liner notes explain. I found it a very enjoyable essay, but the emotional content is more intellectual in nature than visceral.The remaining five pieces stand very well on their own. A combination of acoustic and electronic that can't help but appeal to the ear. This a a more introspective set, starting out with Interlude V, which is a ostensible a melody over arpeggios with some interesting effects in the bass line. Velvet Tear is piano over strings. A lush and romantic performance that suits its title. There's a bit of a touch of music to it, but one doesn't mind. It brings up all those classic romantic images of Victorian parlours and staring at the rain. I found shade Tree interesting because of the use of a heavily plucked steel guitar to strike a contrast with what is otherwise a very contemplative and melodic piece. Toota Lute is a return to the rhythmic dance music of the Renaissance. It used the interplay between two very distinct instruments (I suspect lute and classic guitar), strings, and recorder. Going to another place is a classic finale, starting out on dulcimer and then setting up a groove and wandering all over in a style that's hard to describe, other than eclectic, toe-tapping and good. I think this is probably my favorite of the various efforts by Mannheim Steamroller - a perfect expression of their crossover styling of ancient and modern music. Don Sears, Jackson Berkey, Eric Hansen, Chip Davis (and a vast cast of supporting musicians) manage the kind of creativity that makes the album both easy to listen to and memorable at the same time. The kind of album you keep near the CD player.
3 of 4 found the following review helpful:
brings back memories Jan 25, 2004
Some 30 years ago, my parents were buying a new stereo system, which at the time was cutting edge, complete with 4ft tall stand-alone speakers and a turntable to play Records. The guy at the stereo store used this album to demonstrate the power and depth of the system, and my parents liked it so much they bought a copy for themselves. So when I hear this album, it takes me back to my childhood, and my parents with their "rock" music. Fresh Aire 2 is also,in my opinion, the best of the Fresh Aire series, but again, I may be a little biased...
 Fresh Aire II: Even today one of the best Jul 31, 2002
Musically, thematically, and experimentally, Fresh Aire II is leaps and bounds ahead of it's predessor. It's an exciting and dynamic release, that even after all this time thrills. The themes that Davis wrote here have become the standard Fresh Aire hooks on subsequent releases (he reuses them time and time again, which detracts from the originality of the later albums.) More than any other Mannheim Steamroller album, Fresh Aire II's production is geared towards records. Side A (the Fantasy; tracks 1-8) clearly belongs together, and is quite separate in feel and approach from Side B. It develops the theme of an epic battle, which is almost biblical in proportions (complete with a holy "Army of Pride" chasing away hosts of demons!). This sounds overwhelming, but actually it's completely in line with Chip's irrelevant approach; The music is delivered with amusement and a good-natured sense of melody. Indeed, the idea of "Fantasy" seems more likely a reason to experiment with grandiose textures than an actual classical-rock opera. The only drawback to this approach is that almost all of the "7 doors" tracks clock in around 2 minutes, and being so good, that just isn't enough time to satisfy the listener. (Don't worry too much though; like I mentioned before Davis' particularly likes these themes and rehashes them many times in subsequent releases.) Side B doesn't quite measure up to the first side. Interlude V, Velvet Tear, and A Shade Tree are all very tender and beautiful songs, but placed together don't feel varied enough. Toota Lute and Going to Another Place pick up a bit, with the latter being a perfect closer; it's an upbeat, nostalgic version of the Fantasy theme. Altogether Side B's lack of cohesion makes it feel a bit like "the songs that didn't make it into the Fantasy cut." Despite that, there is not a throwaway song on the entire recording (which totals a fairly brisk 35 minutes.) Fresh Aire may have introduced "classical rock," but II is easily the better recording, and showed that Mannheim Steamroller's pioneering sound wasn't a 70's experiment, but truly timeless.
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