Odyssey US version

[gareth]

Hi All,

I am reposting a photofrom earlier in this thread - I put on a photo submitted by James from the West Coast of the USA regarding publicity at a local Borders Books and Music store. I have included the one that I perceive to give the best impression of the Hayley Westenra publicity display.

At that time, I used the attachment function. Well, that's once, but never again. I tried to replace the attachment with an IMG-link, but no matter how hard I tried to edit that post, I could not delete the attachment. As each person has only 100 MB of space for attachments, I have now deleted that post. So here is the Borders photo submitted by James in full view:



Gerrit

[Libby]

It's now been 10 years since the release of Odyssey! I distinctly remember, the US release date was October 18, 2005. That's because that was the first ever Hayley album I ever looked forward to. I had her album Pure, but it wasn't until I visited her website that I discovered Odyssey in September, with the album due out in October. Amazingly enough, it actually wasn't until early 2006 that I actually received 2 versions of Odyssey, the US release, as well as the Special UK edition. However, I did get her album from the library to try at some point that fall. It's also been a year since I first saw the announcement for the Madison concerts! It's kind of ironic that it was the same date as the Odyssey release. And, of course, as was pointed out in the Union chapel thread, it's also 2 years ago since that concert.

Oh, another interesting fact: On November 4th, it'll have been 10 years since the last post in this thread! Maybe I should have waited till then to post this. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

[martindn]

I think we got Odyssey a bit earlier over here in the UK. I remember getting it just before our Exmoor holiday that year, which started on September 305h. Played it incessantly in the campervan through that week. (I could look up the release date, but I'm too lazy).

Martin D

[Dave]

26th. September 2005. I remember it well, I cried as it ended, when I played it for the first time, at midnight! Didos Lament, y'see.

Cheers, Dave

[grant]

Oct 20, 2015 9:50:04 GMT martindn said:

I think we got Odyssey a bit earlier over here in the UK. I remember getting it just before our Exmoor holiday that year, which started on September 305h. Played it incessantly in the campervan through that week. (I could look up the release date, but I'm too lazy).

Martin D

Odyssey was released in Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan on 8th August 2005
UK and Japan on 26th September 2005
USA 18th October 2005
It was also released on cassette

The Special Edition was released in New Zealand and Australia in November 2005
and 10th April 2006 in the UK

Cheers
Grant

[Libby]

I realize that Martin and Dave, but I'm talking about the US release, which is the one that made me a fan. And Grant's post is confirmation that I was right on the exact release date without looking it up!

[cloudbusting.heights]

Odyssey was the album that made me a true Hayley fan. I loved Pure when I first got it back in 2004, and I was a big fan then. I played that CD over and over, it's a wonder it still works. My grandma dislikes Wuthering Heights because I listened to it on repeat lol! But Odyssey really solidified my fanaticism and appreciation of Hayley. My friends used to joke (a sometimes still do) that I have "girl-crush" on Hayley!

I was re-reading the posts from the beginning of this thread and I simply don't understand all the hate on You Are Water. I think it showcases her voice extremely well. I would still like to hear her perform it live, however, I don't think it would sound quite the same now voice has matured since she was 18.

[Libby]

Oct 20, 2015 23:38:55 GMT cloudbusting.heights said:

Odyssey was the album that made me a true Hayley fan. I loved Pure when I first got it back in 2004, and I was a big fan then. I played that CD over and over, it's a wonder it still works. My grandma dislikes Wuthering Heights because I listened to it on repeat lol! But Odyssey really solidified my fanaticism and appreciation of Hayley. My friends used to joke (a sometimes still do) that I have "girl-crush" on Hayley!

I was re-reading the posts from the beginning of this thread and I simply don't understand all the hate on You Are Water. I think it showcases her voice extremely well. I would still like to hear her perform it live, however, I don't think it would sound quite the same now voice has matured since she was 18.

Hey, me, too! Although I didn't play Pure all that much in the beginning, to be honest. I was still sort of a casual CC music fan; It's funny to note that the year Pure came out in the US was when I was just becoming a true Josh Groban fan, too, after his... wait for it... 2nd album! I don't remember if I had his first album before that. Actually, I don't think I did, I had just heard the 2 popular songs on the radio. Anyway, after I listened to the Odyssey clips and got excited about those songs, it inspired me to put on Pure and re-discover those songs again. Listening to those songs again made me even more excited for the new album. However, I still can't say that I was a truly obsessed fan till 2007. Again, it was right before the release of another album, Treasure! Then, not long after I joined the forums, and became forever obsessed!

I saw those comments about You Are Water, too! What's the deal, it's always been one of my favorites from the album, and one of the few that my sister really liked. I agree it suited her voice very well. But I disagree about how it would sound now. What are you talking about? Her voice is even more suited to the song! Actually, I think her voice has probably been suited to it ever since, she just didn't always sing songs that showcased that side of her voice. Remember I Believe, from 2008? Would you say the same thing about My Heart Belongs to You? To me, at the concert, she sounded almost the same as on the album, except better! No, she never lost the strength in her voice, she just hid it for a while.

[cloudbusting.heights]

Oct 21, 2015 22:06:03 GMT Libby said:

Oct 20, 2015 23:38:55 GMT cloudbusting.heights said:

Odyssey was the album that made me a true Hayley fan. I loved Pure when I first got it back in 2004, and I was a big fan then. I played that CD over and over, it's a wonder it still works. My grandma dislikes Wuthering Heights because I listened to it on repeat lol! But Odyssey really solidified my fanaticism and appreciation of Hayley. My friends used to joke (a sometimes still do) that I have "girl-crush" on Hayley!

I was re-reading the posts from the beginning of this thread and I simply don't understand all the hate on You Are Water. I think it showcases her voice extremely well. I would still like to hear her perform it live, however, I don't think it would sound quite the same now voice has matured since she was 18.

Hey, me, too! Although I didn't play Pure all that much in the beginning, to be honest. I was still sort of a casual CC music fan; It's funny to note that the year Pure came out in the US was when I was just becoming a true Josh Groban fan, too, after his... wait for it... 2nd album! I don't remember if I had his first album before that. Actually, I don't think I did, I had just heard the 2 popular songs on the radio. Anyway, after I listened to the Odyssey clips and got excited about those songs, it inspired me to put on Pure and re-discover those songs again. Listening to those songs again made me even more excited for the new album. However, I still can't say that I was a truly obsessed fan till 2007. Again, it was right before the release of another album, Treasure! Then, not long after I joined the forums, and became forever obsessed!

I saw those comments about You Are Water, too! What's the deal, it's always been one of my favorites from the album, and one of the few that my sister really liked. I agree it suited her voice very well. But I disagree about how it would sound now. What are you talking about? Her voice is even more suited to the song! Actually, I think her voice has probably been suited to it ever since, she just didn't always sing songs that showcased that side of her voice. Remember I Believe, from 2008? Would you say the same thing about My Heart Belongs to You? To me, at the concert, she sounded almost the same as on the album, except better! No, she never lost the strength in her voice, she just hid it for a while.

You make a fair point, Libby! I retract my previous comment
I remember I got Josh's first album for Christmas a year or so before I got Hayley's so I was already into Classical crossover, I just didn't know it was a genre. Charlotte Church was my first exposure to CC back in 1997/98 (I was 7 years old!). I was listening to classical music as a kid and started listening to Placido Domingo at about 12 (early 2000s).

[Libby]

Yes, I liked Charlotte then, too. I heard her on some TV shows my mom watched. Sopranos impressed me because I was a soprano in choir, and then early on in my life at church, I got the impression that soprano was how a woman was supposed to sing. Ever since, for the most part, women who sing in high voices, even if it's only a little bit, appeal to me the most.

My introduction to CC music was through watching figure skating, where I first heard Time to Say Goodbye, also the first time I heard of Bocelli & Brightman. Then later on heard Josh Groban. I actually first heard about him on 20/20, I think. They showed his duet with Celine, bits of his music videos, etc. I was impressed because I thought, Whoa, he sounds like Andrea Bocelli! I would hear 2 of his songs on the radio every so often, and I liked them. But it wasn't until some dancers used his YRMU on the short-lived new version of Star Search, that I actually started looking into his music more. I think it was probably very soon after Pure's release in July 2004 that my dad saw something about her in an AARP (retirement program) magazine, and he started playing some of her songs for me on the computer. The main song he played was WPTMB, which wasn't very soprano-y, so at first, I wasn't exactly floored. Amazing Grace wasn't a unique song, compared to Charlotte Church, and at first I was biased (don't judge me; if you want to judge someone, judge my dad, who thinks the Gothard Sisters' butchered version of Scarborough Fair is better than Hayley's ).

Going back to Josh Groban, we bought his album and went to his concert in Aug. 2004. Then, right before Josh's Live at the Greek show was supposed to be on PBS, we caught the very end of Live from NZ, probably one of its first airings. I was disappointed that it was the end and didn't get to see it. I also saw her on the Macy's parade, and was excited to see her then, too. I'm a little confused at the different events, becaue I know my sister bought Pure for my dad's birthday, which was in February, so that must've been early 2005 when we actually obtained the album. When I think of seeing her on PBS that time, it seems like I must've listened to her enough to have the desire to watch her show. Oh well, that's all 10-11 years ago! No wonder it's hard to remember! Once we had Pure, I did listen to it occasionally, but usually certain songs. Though I do remember one day being home alone, doing some chores, and I played the album and tried singing along to some.

So, actually, it turns out the time between owning the album and discovering Odyssey was all within the same year. It seemed like a long time, though. And it was all Charlotte Church's fault for taking a less-than-desirable path. I looked her up one day having nothing to do and started wondering if she had any new music yet. And right after I discovered her questionable genre switch, I immediately moved on to Hayley in hopes she had something better to offer. Boy, did she ever! I think the mere contrast between Charlotte's music and Hayley's within a space of several minutes probably is what caused me to be blown away by Hayley's beautiful new music all the more!

I admit, I'd never heard of Placido Domingo until the 2009 CBA when he received some honorary award. He now has 2 duets with Josh Groban. And most recently, I'm pretty sure I correctly identified his voice in a skater's program to the Barber of Seville. The skater is from Spain. He won the Worlds with that program, and it was very entertaining, to be sure.

My appreciation of CC music has grown gradually, I would say. I used to dislike opera, but certain singers eventually helped me appreciate opera to some extent. While I enjoy arias, it has to be by certain singers, otherwise, I can't handle it. Warbly sopranos, yawny mezzos, harsh tenors, shouting baritones, etc., forget it! Pavarotti, Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Hayley, Mario, yes! Most others, no!

[cloudbusting.heights]

That's quite a journey into CC, Libby! If you like some opera, check out Natalie Dessay, Izzy Cooper, and Natasha Marsh! (Izzy is more like CC but at the same time more operatic).

I realize this is off topic, but is there actual footage somewhere of her Macy's Day Parade performance?

[Joe]

Oct 23, 2015 16:04:13 GMT cloudbusting.heights said:

That's quite a journey into CC, Libby! If you like some opera, check out Natalie Dessay, Izzy Cooper, and Natasha Marsh! (Izzy is more like CC but at the same time more operatic).

I realize this is off topic, but is there actual footage somewhere of her Macy's Day Parade performance?

I still have my VHS recording...I will see how well I can capture her performance on either my iPad or dogital camera. 

[cloudbusting.heights]

Oct 23, 2015 21:50:29 GMT Joe said:

Oct 23, 2015 16:04:13 GMT cloudbusting.heights said:

That's quite a journey into CC, Libby! If you like some opera, check out Natalie Dessay, Izzy Cooper, and Natasha Marsh! (Izzy is more like CC but at the same time more operatic).

I realize this is off topic, but is there actual footage somewhere of her Macy's Day Parade performance?

I still have my VHS recording...I will see how well I can capture her performance on either my iPad or dogital camera. 

Cool! Thanks, Joe

[Libby]

LOL as I say, I only like opera by certain singers. Sarah Brightman is probably the most I could stand of female opera singing, but I suppose I could look up those ladies. I can't say that I'm really keen on seeking out many new CC singers to like, because I feel like I've pretty much found my favorites already. Once I've found what I consider the "perfect" singer of whatever genre, with whatever type of voice, I'm usually reluctant to give others a try. I certainly don't have the patience keep up with all the female CC singers that John H. does (and follows all over England).

Even though I watched Hayley's performance on the Macy's parade, I wasn't really that familiar with all her songs. I didn't even remember what song she sang, but someone told me it was Beat of Your Heart. And, of course what songs you hear on parades are only short clips, because they don't take the time to show a full song, usually, unless it's Sesame street, or something kiddy.

[martindn]

Well, Libby, we need something to fill our time while we are waiting for a new Hayley album or concert don't we? And there are other singers out there. And there are new and up and coming singers all the time. John H keeps in touch with them, and seems to know a huge selection. I am more limited, and tend to stick with those I like, but am still open to be convinced by others.
I know you like Mary-Jess for example, and so do I. I also like Rebecca Newman, Siobhan Owen, Annelies, Faryl Smith, and Scarlett Quigley (although I'm not sure from what you said that you would enjoy Scarlett's voice, which is as thick and sweet as honey and certainly unique). Two young singers I have recently come across are Beth Ford and Katie Marshall. I actually received a package today, which I have yet to open with Katie's name on the back of it. Don't know what is in it, I suspect a photo. I told her I thought she was the finest young singer I had heard since Hayley, and I stand by that. She is quite local to me too, so I hope to hear her live soon.

Martin D