Unfortunately, while being one of his very best outings, this CD is getting increasingly hard to find. If you don't own it, you should and if you only own one copy, you need a second for the day when your first gets too scuffed from frequent use to play smoothly!

Even though the moods swing from Ennio Morriconi-esque (as with Dust at Dawn and Ringingglow) to painfully beautiful minimalist strings supported by a delicate piano framework as in "autumn", a seven minute-plus piece that is so original and so beatiful its style and approach has actually been ripped off a few times by movie composers.

The works on this album seem to fall into two slots: The minimalist and the orchestral. The minimalist work such as "Prelude for St. Joan" and 'Autumn" rely on fragile strings to advance what at first seems to be either fragmentary melodies or subliminal melodies. As the piece continues, these themes are fully developed and accompanied by subtle hints of counter-melodies and descants. Some people might not like his frequent use of the perfect chord, but it works well since Eno doesn't force the pieces to progress in the traditional manner. In Autumn, which adds a lovely base of a piano played with a tender, slip-note style... the effect is overwhelmingly sad but beautiful. Eno is always at his best when he strips down the instrumentation and eschews the more New-Agey glides he often relys upon.

The very first cut "Dust at Dawn" sounds as if it was lifted directly from some lost Sergio Leone film and Morricone soundtrack.. it's that lovely. Using a fairly traditional orchestration, this piece really does evoke a movie of the mind, as does "Ringingglow". The other pieces not mentioned swing back and forth between the minimalist strings and the more expansive approach of the above mentioned cuts. Overall, the CD is a nice balance of both styles but sometimes I make mix tapes where I cut out one or the other and add similar pieces from Enos other works to avoid ruinging the mood.

The string pieces alone should qualify Eno as a major talent of the Neo-Expressionist mode, but he moves between so many styles that there is never an entire CDs worth of such pieces to treasure. While this might be maddening in another, lesser talented composer, it is actually a plus with Eno since all his styles have merit. BETWEEN TIDES is a CD \you will want to have in you permanent collection

Having bought this book when it first came out, and having bought many others since then with similar content but slightly different approaches, I came back to HOW TO SPEAK DOG when I was choosing a book to give to a young teen who had just adopted a German Shepherd from a Rescue Organization. Why? Quite simply, this books has wonderful drawings that give direct visual clues to the student of Dog-Speak which is essentially a marriage of vocalization and body langauge. In many cases, it is the placement of the Dog's ears, his posture and more that helps to communicate his needs and the simple yet charming illustrations give concrete examples of what your doggie should look like when he is saying "I wanna play" or "I'm scared and might bite."

Added to this enormous wealth of visual information is Coren's charming storytelling abilities. In each chapter, he draws on his own experiences with his dogs with obvious affection. This tenderness lends credibility to his explanations and also underscores the importance of understandig your dog's needs and motivations when assessing the meaning of the communcation in question. Coren also brings considerable experience in human affairs to the mix...being a practising Psychiatrist. He masterfully explains not just the rudimentary basics of learning to communicate with Fido and goes further to explore virtually ALL of the possible means by which Dogs communicate with us. Especially touching is his description towards the end of the book of the personal significance the sound of his own dogs' breathing in the quiet night has to him.

Mixed in with the discussions of the various woofs, howls and ear postions are some very charming anecdotes. Coren begins the book with a very amusing Russian "myth" about how Dog came to live with Adam and Eve after they were expelled from the Garden of Eden. I have retold that story to others and always gotten a laugh. In relating this story, Coren illustrates just how timeless and precious is the relationship between mankind and Dogs. This book is an excellent Doggie Dictionary for both beginning Dog Caregivers and experienced Dog lovers everywhere. You may find it necessary to keep extra copies on hand, since you may find yourself, as I have, constantly recommending this book and being further compelled to give your own copy away!