Album Description "Good Night, And Good Luck" follows the legendary Edward R. Murrow (David Straithairn) during the broadcaster's on-air confrontations with Senator Joseph McCarthy. Murrow, the then host of the CBS series, "See It Now," exposed the infamous politician's deceit, bullying, and manipulation in one of history's most courageous moments of journalism, an act that helped bring an end to the tyranny of the blacklist and the House Un-American Activities Committee anti-Communist hearings. "Good Night, And Good Luck" is directed by George Clooney, who co-wrote the script with the film's producer Grant Heslov. Clooney also stars as CBS News producer Fred Friendly. "Good Night, And Good Luck" is shot entirely in black and white, with much of the mood and atmosphere created by the smoky jazz soundtrack and the gorgeous vocal talents of three-time GRAMMY(r) Award-winner Dianne Reeves. Clooney handpicked each of the songs featured in the movie, which Reeves, one of the preeminent jazz vocalists in the world today, also performs on screen. The soundtrack for "Good Night, And Good Luck" much of which was recorded live on film, features an original song, "Who's Minding the Store," along with such classics as "Too Close for Comfort," "Straighten Up and Fly Right," "One for My Baby," and "How High the Moon."
2009-05-17 Outstanding, But Little to Do WIth The Film As much as I liked the film, I would never have known that the "Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture" CD would be a Dianne Reeves album. That's good. That's GREAT.
In fact, it's ALL Dianne Reeves, no dialogue from the film, no background music, no theme song. It's a pleasant bait-and-switch, though.
I just wish a photo of Dianne Reeves had appeared on the album art-- somewhere. I always forget, when I see the album art with the picture of David Straithairn as Edward R. Murrow, that IT'S A DIANNE REEEVES ALBUM!
2009-03-02 Blues singer Diane Reeves and Good Night and Good Luck A really very good CD with terrific music sung beautifully by one of the topo blues singers.
2009-01-16 an outstanding album !!! The soundtrack to the movie Good Night, And Good Luck features incredibly beautiful and passionate singing from the great Dianne Reeves. I recently "discovered" just how special Dianne Reeves really is--when she sings a song it feels so wonderful you'd swear it was so new and fresh that you had never heard that tune before. The quality of the music is excellent and the artwork is good and reflective of the movie. It is important to note, however, that some of this music was inspired by the movie Good Night, And Good Luck; so don't expect everything you hear on this album to be in the movie. Sometimes the movie has just a few lines of the song in it which is a shame on numbers like "TV Is The Thing This Year" and "How High The Moon." I guess it couldn't be helped as Good Night, And Good Luck was certainly not a musical!
"Straighten Up And Fly Right" starts the track set with Dianne singing her heart out; the jazzy arrangement is outstanding. The brass and the percussion add an air of high elegance to this already sublime number; and that's grand. There's another gem in "Gotta Be This Or That;" this song creates a pensive mood and it's great for slow dancing, too! Dianne's excellent diction and her impeccable sense of timing make her performance all the more remarkable.
"How High The Moon" is easily a major highlight of this album; I only wish Dianne had been allowed to sing more of this in the actual movie! Dianne's contralto voice is perfect for this love song and I love this number very much. Listen also for "Who's Minding The Store?" I have never heard this song before but it's an instant classic pop vocal that Dianne aces straight through. I think you'll like "Who's Minding The Store?"
Although, "TV Is The Thing This Year" is the very shortest track on this album, man how this one packs a punch! The musical interlude swings from twelve chandeliers all at once with all that energy; and Dianne sings this with such zest I instantly fell in love with this peppy little tune. "TV Is The Thing This Year" is a highlight of this album. This is another piece I wish the film had included in full; but again the movie was not a musical by any stretch of the imagination.
"When I Fall In Love" is a most romantic number that uses the piano and the horn very well; and I also like "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall." "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" is timeless and I think just one listen will tell you why. Dianne Reeves delivers these numbers without a flaw. The CD also ends well with Dianne performing "One For My Baby;" this torch song is a classic from way back when and Dianne with those musicians give this number the justice it deserves.
The liner notes come with song credits and a few photos from the movie.
This CD, which gives us music both from and inspired by Good Night, And Good Luck is a bright star! I highly recommend this album for Dianne Reeves fans; and people who enjoy classic pop vocals with a jazzy twist will really like this album.
2008-12-09 Distorted history We all know that what Senator Joe McCarthy said in the 1950s about the communist threat facing America was filled with lies. But how many of us also know that much of what today's news and entertainment media says about the McCarthy Era is equally flawed? McCarthy died discredited in 1957, and his lies fortunately died with him. But the distortions that today's news media use to conceal their own misdeeds during that era remain with us. This film is an illustration of that. It's not only propaganda, it's poorly done and implausible propaganda.
The clue lies in this film's portrayal of McCarthy, a portrayal that has hardened into dogma among most professional journalists. Senator McCarthy, the film tells us, was such an immensely powerful figure that Edward R. Murrow, a journalist at CBS-TV, displayed great courage in talking him on in 1953.
Does that make sense? In 1953, McCarthy was the junior senator from Wisconsin and had been in that office for only six years. It's not a position that carries with it much political power. Today, most Americans don't even know who holds that office and certainly wouldn't hesitate to criticize someone with so little power. In contrast, Murrow had been an internationally known and well-respected reporter since May of 1938, when he covered the German annexation of Austria for CBS radio. The American public had been hearing him for fifteen years and millions tuned into his TV show, "See It Now." Look at the numbers. McCarthy had been nationally known only since his Wheeling, West Virginia speech in February of 1950, a mere three years earlier. Three years or fifteen--who really had the most influence and power?
Of course, that doesn't mean that McCarthy wasn't powerful or that no one need fear to tangle with him. Even President Eisenhower, who loathed McCarthy, was forced to bide his time, waiting for the senator to self-destruct. But McCarthy's power did not rest in who he was. It rested on what the national press had made out of him. That's the key to understanding why the media in this country has a vested interest in distorting the history of that era. It was they who had turned a politician with no particular talent and a propensity to lie into someone millions of Americans saw as a brave and honest opponent of communist infiltration into American life.
If you want a historical parallel, think of former Vice-President Albert Gore and the millions who believe what he says about global warning. They eagerly follow his hints of dark conspiracies by oil companies. They want dissenting voices silenced, and our lives forcibly reorganized to remove what they think is a great danger. Former vice-presidents aren't that powerful. It's the media that gives Gore a platform from which to speak and rarely challenges what he says. The real problem isn't the fear-monger. It's a hysteria-prone press lacking in judgment.
Substitute a communist conspiracy for one by oil companies and you have the McCarthy Era. It was created by the press and not McCarthy. That's what this film fails to point out. Murrow had to take a bold stand against McCarthy because for three years many hundred of reporters and news outlets had repeated what McCarthy said without critically examining it. Over and over, McCarthy made claims that did not stand up to close scrutiny. The closest this film comes to admitting that is in its oft-repeated statement that reporting the news should mean more than reporting what each side in a controversy was saying.
I'll close with a brief look at the film as a film. It's the fifties, so be prepared for more smoking than you see in films set in the present. Murrow himself was heavy smoker who died in 1965 of lung cancer. Also, this film focuses almost exclusively on the world of CBS. The larger world only appears in brief flashes, typically on television monitors.
--Michael W. Perry, editor of The School of Journalism in Columbia University: The Book That Transformed Journalism from a Trade into a Profession
2008-10-21 Amazing Voice and Collection Absolutely love this CD! Dianne Reeves has a voice like butter. Highly recommend this for sipping cocktails or other fun!
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As much as I liked the film, I would never have known that the "Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture" CD would be a Dianne Reeves album. That's good. That's GREAT.
In fact, it's ALL Dianne Reeves, no dialogue from the film, no background music, no theme song. It's a pleasant bait-and-switch, though.
I just wish a photo of Dianne Reeves had appeared on the album art-- somewhere. I always forget, when I see the album art with the picture of David Straithairn as Edward R. Murrow, that IT'S A DIANNE REEEVES ALBUM!
2009-03-02 Blues singer Diane Reeves and Good Night and Good Luck
A really very good CD with terrific music sung beautifully by one of the topo blues singers.
2009-01-16 an outstanding album !!!
The soundtrack to the movie Good Night, And Good Luck features incredibly beautiful and passionate singing from the great Dianne Reeves. I recently "discovered" just how special Dianne Reeves really is--when she sings a song it feels so wonderful you'd swear it was so new and fresh that you had never heard that tune before. The quality of the music is excellent and the artwork is good and reflective of the movie. It is important to note, however, that some of this music was inspired by the movie Good Night, And Good Luck; so don't expect everything you hear on this album to be in the movie. Sometimes the movie has just a few lines of the song in it which is a shame on numbers like "TV Is The Thing This Year" and "How High The Moon." I guess it couldn't be helped as Good Night, And Good Luck was certainly not a musical!
"Straighten Up And Fly Right" starts the track set with Dianne singing her heart out; the jazzy arrangement is outstanding. The brass and the percussion add an air of high elegance to this already sublime number; and that's grand. There's another gem in "Gotta Be This Or That;" this song creates a pensive mood and it's great for slow dancing, too! Dianne's excellent diction and her impeccable sense of timing make her performance all the more remarkable.
"How High The Moon" is easily a major highlight of this album; I only wish Dianne had been allowed to sing more of this in the actual movie! Dianne's contralto voice is perfect for this love song and I love this number very much. Listen also for "Who's Minding The Store?" I have never heard this song before but it's an instant classic pop vocal that Dianne aces straight through. I think you'll like "Who's Minding The Store?"
Although, "TV Is The Thing This Year" is the very shortest track on this album, man how this one packs a punch! The musical interlude swings from twelve chandeliers all at once with all that energy; and Dianne sings this with such zest I instantly fell in love with this peppy little tune. "TV Is The Thing This Year" is a highlight of this album. This is another piece I wish the film had included in full; but again the movie was not a musical by any stretch of the imagination.
"When I Fall In Love" is a most romantic number that uses the piano and the horn very well; and I also like "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall." "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" is timeless and I think just one listen will tell you why. Dianne Reeves delivers these numbers without a flaw. The CD also ends well with Dianne performing "One For My Baby;" this torch song is a classic from way back when and Dianne with those musicians give this number the justice it deserves.
The liner notes come with song credits and a few photos from the movie.
This CD, which gives us music both from and inspired by Good Night, And Good Luck is a bright star! I highly recommend this album for Dianne Reeves fans; and people who enjoy classic pop vocals with a jazzy twist will really like this album.
2008-12-09 Distorted history
We all know that what Senator Joe McCarthy said in the 1950s about the communist threat facing America was filled with lies. But how many of us also know that much of what today's news and entertainment media says about the McCarthy Era is equally flawed? McCarthy died discredited in 1957, and his lies fortunately died with him. But the distortions that today's news media use to conceal their own misdeeds during that era remain with us. This film is an illustration of that. It's not only propaganda, it's poorly done and implausible propaganda.
The clue lies in this film's portrayal of McCarthy, a portrayal that has hardened into dogma among most professional journalists. Senator McCarthy, the film tells us, was such an immensely powerful figure that Edward R. Murrow, a journalist at CBS-TV, displayed great courage in talking him on in 1953.
Does that make sense? In 1953, McCarthy was the junior senator from Wisconsin and had been in that office for only six years. It's not a position that carries with it much political power. Today, most Americans don't even know who holds that office and certainly wouldn't hesitate to criticize someone with so little power. In contrast, Murrow had been an internationally known and well-respected reporter since May of 1938, when he covered the German annexation of Austria for CBS radio. The American public had been hearing him for fifteen years and millions tuned into his TV show, "See It Now." Look at the numbers. McCarthy had been nationally known only since his Wheeling, West Virginia speech in February of 1950, a mere three years earlier. Three years or fifteen--who really had the most influence and power?
Of course, that doesn't mean that McCarthy wasn't powerful or that no one need fear to tangle with him. Even President Eisenhower, who loathed McCarthy, was forced to bide his time, waiting for the senator to self-destruct. But McCarthy's power did not rest in who he was. It rested on what the national press had made out of him. That's the key to understanding why the media in this country has a vested interest in distorting the history of that era. It was they who had turned a politician with no particular talent and a propensity to lie into someone millions of Americans saw as a brave and honest opponent of communist infiltration into American life.
If you want a historical parallel, think of former Vice-President Albert Gore and the millions who believe what he says about global warning. They eagerly follow his hints of dark conspiracies by oil companies. They want dissenting voices silenced, and our lives forcibly reorganized to remove what they think is a great danger. Former vice-presidents aren't that powerful. It's the media that gives Gore a platform from which to speak and rarely challenges what he says. The real problem isn't the fear-monger. It's a hysteria-prone press lacking in judgment.
Substitute a communist conspiracy for one by oil companies and you have the McCarthy Era. It was created by the press and not McCarthy. That's what this film fails to point out. Murrow had to take a bold stand against McCarthy because for three years many hundred of reporters and news outlets had repeated what McCarthy said without critically examining it. Over and over, McCarthy made claims that did not stand up to close scrutiny. The closest this film comes to admitting that is in its oft-repeated statement that reporting the news should mean more than reporting what each side in a controversy was saying.
I'll close with a brief look at the film as a film. It's the fifties, so be prepared for more smoking than you see in films set in the present. Murrow himself was heavy smoker who died in 1965 of lung cancer. Also, this film focuses almost exclusively on the world of CBS. The larger world only appears in brief flashes, typically on television monitors.
--Michael W. Perry, editor of The School of Journalism in Columbia University: The Book That Transformed Journalism from a Trade into a Profession
2008-10-21 Amazing Voice and Collection
Absolutely love this CD! Dianne Reeves has a voice like butter. Highly recommend this for sipping cocktails or other fun!