Video Games Live - VGL - Hollywood Bowl - Civilization IV

[@Esejp]

One of the most amazing video games theme I've ever heard!!! It's just sooo beautiful... I take off my hat to this song as well as the theme of Kingdom hearts.

[@andrea-demicheli]

fabulous!

[@kriskorp]

Yes, its on their CD. Its song #5.

[@smokinglirare]

love this tune.. even though i have no clue about what theyre singin'. just now its some biblic phrases translated to swahili. would be very cool to see them live!

[@jairus]

Yes, the original soloist and a cappella group came down from Stanford (actually, the soloist probably had graduated by this point) for this show, which explains the increased quality versus other Video Games Live performances, although no youtube video can capture it perfectly. Especially the verses sung by the soloist; for some reason, they just didn't make it through all the music very well on this video. Oh well.

[@JPZ16974]

the soundtrack is included in the 'music' folder when the game is installed

[@nbloom]

Because this was filmed in Hollywood itself.

[@jairus]

That's basically what you are listening to...

[@TomG1555]

The composer isn't Swahili, either. So what? Its a beautiful song performed by an extremely talented choir and singers. Enjoy it for what it is. And thanks to AB1 for sharing the video.

[@koukoupuffs]

I loved this song at the Toronto performance (Feb 9, 2008) but this one seemed to have a bigger choir or at least the voices seem more powerful which makes it even better!! *envious* At the Toronto show, the choir was drowned out by the orchestra and the guy doing the solo was standing AWAY from the mic through most of his part. -_-;;; Anyway, this CivIV tune sounds AMAZING live. I just wish the actual track in the game had as much oomph. :/

[@techdawg667]

i think some people were singing along in the audience, making it sound lagged.

[@jairus]

yea, i have one

[@jairus]

Its the original performers, btw...

[@hardr0ck]

no the group Talisman a Capella are Stanford students lol. Only a handful of them are black - not sure if even African. I'm talking about a full choir straight out of Africa. If you listen in the chorus (not so much this performance but the recorded version) you can hear white girls singing.

[@FryChicken]

Does anybody know if there's a professional recording of this?

[@Kristanni20X6]

or did they?

[@jairus]

Interesting. I figured you were talking about style, not actual race. Having heard the group, I can assure you that the best singers in the group are often not black, so its usually a worthy trade. Also, I think what you are hearing is poor audio quality. Listen to the sample from the recording of this song on iTunes (search "Baba Yetu Talisman) and let me know if you can still hear the difference.

[@FryChicken]

How did your meeting go?

[@hardr0ck]

i'd love to hear this song performed by a full african choir.

[@hardr0ck]

don't be so sensitive. I wasn't being racist at all. It's a song in Swahili, meant to sound like a real African song. Of course real Africans who are native speakers of Swahili and have been singing songs like this their whole lives would sing it MUCH BETTER than white girls. oh, excuse me, caucasian girls.

[@Getsmartwiz]

somehow Hollywood is funny

[@hardr0ck]

perhaps better overall vocalists, but how could you say non-native Swahili speaking singers perform this song better than a real native who has been singing in Swahili and in the same style all his/her life? They're exceptional singers, I grant you. But they're not authentic singers of this style.

[@hardr0ck]

well excuse me for actually wanting to hear this song sung authentically in the aesthetic it was arranged. a bunch of white girls trying to sing in an african language they don't even speak. A foreigner who doesn't speak english can't sing an english song properly. it just doesn't work like that. It's the same thing. So quit trying to defend something you clearly know nothing about.

[@hardr0ck]

no u

[@hardr0ck]

ahem. first of all, this was 4 months ago. congratulations for bringing up an already beaten horse. if you had ACTUALLY read my comment, you would have realized that i wasn't saying they weren't good singers, I was just saying they're not AUTHENTIC African choristers. You can "work your butt off" all you want, but you're not from Africa and you don't fluently speak the language you're trying to sing in, you're absolutely NOT authentic. I'm sure those singers would agree with me.

[@xAngel0Jackx]

I didn't know there was a difference? I actually found your comments racist and im deeply appalled at your behavior. Next time think twice about your racist comments like these.

[@Tumbleweedjc]

They killed this song.. not in the good way

[@hardr0ck]

no u