title: HEADS UP MUSIC FANS

text: What a storyteller!! Great live act. I have all of the cd's- all are keepers. Dylan,Prine,Todd Snider and now Chris Knight . A storyteller of the first order GET THE CD'S


title: Very disappointed

text: I got 2 different copies and they both skipped 3 times on the final encore song. Asked if this was in the original broadcast and never got an answer. Very disappointed.


title: Great

text: Ok cd. Great service


title: Four Stars

text: Better than i expected. Great service


title: Five Stars

text: Love this song


title: Jeff Healey Band Rocks

text: Absolutely love this song and have already played it many times.


title: Good Christmas album

text: Good enjoyable


This was a hard to find present for my father. He was suitably pleased, so it was a win.


title: my favorite

text: I wanted to buy more than 1. This is one of my favorite CD's when I'm in a particular mood I put this on and it helps me get through it.


title: Worth the price

text: Product came quickly.  Have enjoyed listening to every song, even though I didn't know as many as I thought I did.  Good buy.  As always, "Rise Again" is my favorite.


title: Hilarious

text: If you like Relient K, Pillar, OC Supertones, John Reuben or Sanctus Real, then you will really like this DVD.  Includes some live performance footage from the 2003 See Spot Rock tour, as well as hilarious interviews with the band members.


title: Beautifully blessed music!

text: Motivating! Inspiring!! I love to worship my Savior Jesus Christ with these beautifully blessed songs!!!


title: Don't waste your money

text: Horrible.  Painful to listen and useless for certification exams


title: Wrong CD

text: Was expecting Hank Mancini.  Received classical CD with same title.  Bummer.  Be careful when ordering.


title: enjoying  music/songs

text: enjoying music


title: Great Music

text: This is a wonderful collection of great songs from the 50's when you could actually understand the words and the singers didn't sound like howling hyena's.  It brought back many memories


title: This was a replacement of my malfunctioning CD, and ...

text: This was a replacement of my malfunctioning CD, and I was please to find it available at a reasonable price.


title: Good price, honest description

text: Condition as described, good price.


title: Thank You Thank You Thank You

text: This album has songs which were career makers for other singers all written by Buzz Linhart. I have had these tunes in my head for 40 years since I lived in New York and Buzzy was heard locally there. Thank you to the producers for allowing us to have these beautiful, soulful tunes as sung by Buzz.


title: Funny group!

text: This group is hilarious! I remember watching them on Mad tv back in the 90s. Been a fan since!


title: Great product

text: Awesome product. Came as advertised.


title: Five Stars

text: fantastic music


title: Rating for product itself, not the music

text:
This is a 45 RPM double 12" set, which is odd to me. The LPs are not cut all the way to the middle either, resulting in two or three songs per side. It's rather hard to get immersed in the album needing to flip at that rate. The vinyl itself if rather thin as well, like some of my cheaper records from the 70s.

I've attached photos of the inefficient use of space on these LPs, as well as a thickness comparison to 180g white vinyl. This weighs 55g less!

I would still recommend you buy the album musically-speaking, just know all of the above to be less surprised than I was.

attachment_type: IMAGE


title: Great nostalgia

text: If you ever heard the Wanamaker Organ in Philadelphia. A MUST<br />Virgin Fox on this organ rates more than 5 stars


title: amazing

text: This cd is probably my favorite. Whenever im doing yoga or need a little help relaxing i put it on. I wouldn't ever have gotten anything like this for myself but it was an awesome gift. It also works well for taking bubble baths!


title: Love this album so much!!

text: There are not enough words to describe how much I love this album - it's the perfect fusion of rock and electronic and has such a great amount of energy! Besides being my second favorite TH album, it's one of my favorite albums overall <3


title: Another beaut from Neil

text: Sublime!


title: great for driving or dancing

text:
I love this album & have had a hard time taking it out of the CD player in my car since I got it (I tend to switch it out for other Capsule stuff anyways).  There is one drawback to it though - the files are in .cda format, so ripping it to my older PC (& subsequently putting on my mp3 player) wasn't happening with just WMP.

Here's the track list, since Amazon doesn't have it:

1 - Open the Gate
2 - World of Fantasy (perfect for zen driving)
3 - I Just Wanna XXX You (fun song!)
4 - Striker (great for speeding down the highway or playing Wipeout at home)
5 - Keep Hope Alive (very chill song)
6 - I Will
7 - What Is Love (reminds me of my old clubbing days, but not the Haddaway ones)
8 - I Can't Say I Like You
9 - Prime Time (very "up" - great dancing song)
10 - Close the Gate


title: Five Stars

text: Really fun album from a Russian pop band that is virtually unknown in the U.S.


title: Remembering William Tucker

text: I knew William Tucker for many years. He was an incredibly talented and creative musician. Thanks to his sonic genius this Thanatos CD is uniquely enthralling. I still often listen to it, reminding myself of the great talent that was lost when my friend William left us.<br />I ordered this copy to replace my played out original copy from 1997. I received it quickly and in excellent condition.


title: Great CD

text: My daughter loves this music....


title: Packaging mistake - But excellent content.

text: I don't know if this was a wide spread problem or just me, but my 2 CD set came with Discs 2 and 3 from the 3 CD set.  So I got all the bonus material and the Homecoming show, but I did not get the remastered album itself.  I'm not sure if I should complain or be thankful that I got the concert which I would otherwise not have received.  Since I already have the original album, (one of my favorites from this or any other band) on CD and vinyl, I think I'll just be happy with what I have.  I'm just curious if it happened to anyone else.


title: Arrived quickly

text: The cd I ordered came quickly and in perfect , brand new condition .


title: You can’t go wrong with Frankie Moreno!

text: This performer is amazing.  His musical ability, great song choices and charisma keep fans coming back to see him time and time again!  The fact that he’s gorgeous is just a bonus for the ladies!  You’ll wear this CD out!


title: The Absolute Best Smooth R&B Volume 1

text: I love this kind of music and this CD did not disappoint. If you enjoy smooth R&B, you should enjoy this compilation of artists.


title: Music that makes you want to move!!

text: I bought this album on vinyl in the 70's and I loved it as did a lot of my friends. Long story short I was on my riding mower doing the yard thing. Most always I tend to sing some old Late 60's-70's songs that are stuck in my head. Well for whatever reason a couple of songs came to mind & I std singing (on the mower no one else can hear me sing or at least I think so) away the parts of the songs that I could remember. Then it hit me that I still had the vinyl but no CD. After mowing & cleaning up I got online, went straight to Amazon,looked up Larry R. & ordered the CD. I think that LR distributes them himself as my CD had his signature on it & also some other ads for ways to contact him for musical events if you are a promoter or something. Here in Kingsport,TN. we have FunFest each summer and it's a week long celebration & it has some event that is for 4-5 yrs old to 95 yrs old + each night they have a band from the 70's that had hit it big back then but still had a following today. I'd like to see LR come to this!!!


title: Five Stars

text: Its a CD and it arrived as promised, early even.


title: Best Music

text: Great CD.  Love this music and the CD is flawless.


title: Great songs

text: Inside of my car


title: I'm SO happy to have this as a CD now!

text: I purchased the original vinyl records for this album which includes The Living Strings' "The Spirit of Christmas"  and The Living Voices' "White Christmas" (in the 60's) and "A Christmas Songbook" - the latter one I never owned.  These were among my all-time favorite Christmas albums!  I couldn't find "White Christmas" so was delighted to find out it was included in this CD version!  I intend to get The Little Drummer Boy which I also had.  I didn't know they would be being shipped all the way from England!  Thanks you so much!


title: Wonderful Christmas Memories

text: I was so glad to find this CD. It was a pleasant surprise and a great present for my mom..


title: Waited for so long!

text: I love this CD and so glad I finally got it!


title: awesome collectiom

text: love the cd, fast delivery from seller. Im happy !!


title: Best of Richie Havens

text:
I purchased this album back in the 70"s and literally wore it out.  I have been waiting for a long time for this to come out and checked for it several times on Amazon and apparently missed the remaster edition and now it is unavailable.  I certainly hope that it will be available again.

I truly love this album with Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands and Ooh Child being two of my very favorites.


title: 1973 Grateful Dead Ridin high!!

text: Saw this amazing band over 50 times in 20 year period. 3-23-73 Philly was my 1st show. And a Stellar night it was. Garcia is in fine form here vocally as is Bobby Weir. Keith on piano was a monster before hard drugs made him lazy and he turned away from piano to mostly electric piano and organ. So many songs on this 3 disc night. A short 'Dark Star' that night. In those 20 years only saw 2 'Dark Stars' and this was the first. Spectrum was always great place for Dead. Philly always loved the Dead and they played some of their finest concerts in NYC and in Philly.Crazy price now believe I payed $40 for this upon release.


title: Fantastic Collection Of !950's And Early 1960's Oldies. Sound Quality Excellent

text: Each Disc Has 20 Tracks For 200 Total. Discs Run 47-50 Minutes. Nice Clamshell Box Holds All 10 Discs. No Booklet. Back Of Each CD Cardboard Sleeve Contains Time Of Each Track, Composers, And Chart position. The Usual suspects Are Here..Elvis, Buddy, Chuck, Jerry Lee. But I'm Blown Away By All The Oldies I've Never Heard.<br />Minor Complaint I Could Do Without The Likes Of Neil Sedaka, Paul Anka, Perry Como And Pat Boone. Not My Cuppa Tea...But There Is Gene Vincent, Eddy Cochran, Johnny Otis, The Coasters, Sam Cooke, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles & More. Sound ***** Thru AKG 240 Headphones


title: CD sounds perfect

text: Arrived on time.... CD sounds perfect


title: A Masterpiece! They even have Cock Robin videos on iTunes!

text: Wow it seems like the 80's all over again! Firstly a few nights ago I was browsing iTunes looking for a few new videos to put on my ipod video and noticed Cock Robin's name. Okay so I thought..AMAZING I can finally own the video for "When Your Heart is Weak", then to my amazement there were 6 different songs that they had made videos for! I of course downloaded them all!! Then this spurred me to do some research about what Peter had been up to lately and I discover at his myspace that there was a NEW Cock Robin cd out!!!! I immediately purchased it from Amazon and have not stopped playing it since! It is catchy, contemporary but also maintains that retro Cock Robin sound that Peter and Ana are so well known for. I can only PRAY that they one day play a club in New York City, it's been a dream of mine since 1986 to hear their songs onstage!


title: Great duet CD.

text: I have always liked both singers and together they are great.  Unfortunately, something happened to it , and it is no longer playable.  I really miss it, but haven't replaced it yet.


title: Sing the Statler Brothers

text: They sound so much like the Statlers it was hard to distinguish one from the other.  Great cd. and great music.


title: This album needs to be on ITunes.

text: This CD is exactly what I needed for my music collection.  The song “Fight to Survive” is my favorite just like in the movie “Bloodsport.”  Every time I’m in the gym working out or practicing my martial arts, must play “Fight to Survive.”


title: Haunting

text: The most haunting rendtition of Coventry Carol (my favorite) I've ever heard.  The boys' voices are utterly clear and beautiful, the unusual and stunning chord modulation on the penultimate line of each verse. Sounds like a small choir, something Robert Shaw might have put together, is how exacting it is.


title: Amazing!!

text: Very good! I’m very happy with my purchase

user_id: AGNYNLNKMQCDTDFMNRSHUSPOOFJA


title: Very good

text: The album came in excellent condition, containing all the describes items.


title: Hmmm inappropriate at plces

text: Really cute fun Disney stuff. Most performers are dynamite. Worth it to get through to Adam Lambert and Andrea Boccelli. I don't think it was proper to show Derek and girlfriend in bed or Pink's waist cut open dress on Disney fare.<br />Done in a spirit of joy though and some cute effects.


title: Wrong CD in case

text:
CD inside the case was the wrong product, entirely different songs than stated on the case.
Case states: They're Playing Our Song: Unforgettable
CD states: They're Playing Our Song: Ebb Tide
Update: Contacted seller, very promptly received a full refund. Reordered the CD again to get a correct product. Upgraded rating.


title: Five Stars

text: I love these songs! Packaging was great!


title: Josh Turner cd

text:
Shipped quickly.  Easy to shop.

LOVED the music.


title: Tebowie!

text: Great Jimmy Fallon 7 inch vinyl for those that missed the release on record store day. Includes hits, Tebowie and Reading Rainbow (by "The Doors").


title: Great Music

text: Great piano player!


title: A 2019 Discovery for Me.

text: I'm now a fan of a forgotten jazz great.


title: good gift

text: nice songs


title: Five Stars

text: I love it, thank you


title: Great gospel music

text: It's just as I hoped. Great gospel music!


title: heavy metal horror

text: If you like heavy metal and like horror movies you will love this CD. My favorites are the theme song for the Exorcist theme song for Halloween in the theme song for the Alfred Hitchcock hour, I love the whole CD it rocks!


title: Best gift given!

text: Purchased as a gift and was told it was the best gift ever! I've never listened to this music but anyone that prefers this type of music would love these.


title: Damaged goods

text: I love the music on this CD. It is a reminder of days gone by. The CD skips unfortunately. Other than that I would highly recommend it.


title: Sounds very good for a live recording

text: These guys can really sing and harmonize. They have so much talent, and I also like the the talent of the band.


title: Double Down was awesome!

text: We have numerous CDs by these guys and enjoyed them many nights at Kate's Irish Pub in Springfield, VA.  We even hired them to play at our youngest daughter's wedding right after they retired.  They were very friendly guys and excellent performers - sure do miss their music.


title: Five Stars

text: Love this music


title: A good album

text: Bought it because I loved her music and the album cover itself, a favorite.


title: Excellent

text: Loved it all


title: Hard to find.

text: A great cd from a great band. This cd is hard to find but it is worth the trouble to find it.


title: Great live album

text: Great Live album


title: It’s perfect

text: It came with everything! No damage


title: It 2 cds set, it ok.

text: There noting i deslike, about it.


title: Five Stars

text: I like that song alot.


title: Great classic style banjo!

text: This CD has become very collectible and very expensive. If you can find one at a good price, and you are a fan of classic style banjo with piano accompaniment, then you’ll love this CD!


title: ok..

text: i mean one of the inside things (idk hoe to call them) broke but the CD was fine.. and I LOVE EMINEM  so yeah worth it


title: Duh

text: I didn’t buy this but based on the previous description I know what it is, yes there are many bootleg CDs, both for Eminem as well as many artists


text: it arrived very fast and i got seulgi’s pc!! she’s one of my biases hehe the only problem is the cd case was cracked :( everything else was perfect!!!!


title: Genial!

text: Una joya


title: Música de calidad

text: Amo estos cds.


title: Christmas Gift Idea

text: My sister is going to love this


title: awsome!

text: item arrived on time and in good condition.  Rocking out now.


title: Accept rocks again

text: Item shipped on time and in good shape.  I rocked hard.


title: A trip back in time......to the future.

text: For VINYL ARCHEOLOGISTS like me, EPCOT CENTER was a must have to my collection and a nostalgic first listen. Songs range in tone from ABBA standards of the day to sweeping medleys and even ragtime. It's often cheesy, but almost continually fun. While very few of these soundtrack recordings probably survived into twenty-first century Disney World speaker systems, they'll carry their listener to a particular time and place, and traveling there, at least for me, was definitely worth the trip. When you lay this twelve inch LP down on your turntable, be sure and lend it a thoughtful ear well beyond the crackle and pop of its age. I was really taken back by how ambitious the EPCOT theme park was in its conception. Improvement would certainly come over its following three decades, but EPCOT CENTER is testimony to the fact that Disney's grand vision landed on its feet with a running start.


title: It is a good cd

text: It has a lot of good songs


title: Five Stars

text: Great 2 CD set


title: Beautiful

text: This album is simply beautiful as the songs, images, colors, de text format and everything that comes with it. Taemin creates art! It came punctual and in perfect condition, love it. :) ♡


title: Taemin Japanese Album

text: Love it! worth the money, even though it is simpler than the korean albums, Taemin Japanese songs are in another level.


title: Thank you

text: What I wanted!


title: Just what I wanted

text: Exactly what I was looking for


title: CD

text: Have the LP just a great recoding well done.


title: Quality

text: Beautiful voice!


title: More Teddy Than You Knew You Needed

text:
He was very smart; he knew what had to change. On the first session he is roughly on the same plane as Herman Chittison: chops, flash, a lot of Hines, subtle swing, a little bit of Stride. But by the second session, two years later, he is well on the way towards becoming the Teddy Wilson we know and love. Love? Do we love him? Do I love him? Well...ultimately, no. I have the utmost respect for what he accomplished. And for the beautiful fluidity of his touch!

Free Association: Teddy Wilson!

1) Elegance - or Elegant (depending on how you're looking at it)
2) Streamlined

Streamlined is such a great, Art Deco word. Those beautiful trains! That's what he was and what he did: Lightened the left hand; made the right hand subtler and more "liquid" - more flowing.

But you know, those Jazz fans (well, most of them are dead now, but I used to hang out with them when I was a kid) who complain(ed) about a loss of melodic profile when Swing changed to Bop - I mean, they should've taken at least ONE Music Appreciation class. Because Bud Powell is hundreds of times more melodic in his solo conception than Teddy Wilson is. The bulk of Wilson's soloing is made up of melodic paraphrase, scales, arpeggios, and a few riffs. The most - or least (again, depending on from which angle you are looking) enlightening thing on this set in this regard is the seven takes of China Boy.

What's he working on here? What is he trying to get at that he needed seven takes for? It doesn't seem to be anything related to the conception - it ain't Un Poco Loco - it all seems pianistic in its orientation: how fast can he play it and stay relaxed? That's only marginally interesting. And that's where Teddy gets on my nerves, and that's one of the many reasons that I'm glad that Billy Kyle was born. Billy is much more minor and more limited than Teddy, but also much funkier and more incisive, while mining the same basic (streamlined Hines) area. No wonder Bud Powell liked him so much.

Don't get me wrong; I consider this set indispensable. That doesn't mean I can't be critical!


title: Playing

text: I'm still trying to find a language to express what makes a great Derek Bailey record for me: I've heard some great ones and some OK ones. And my judgement is...only what it is. I'm not  sure I have any idea at all about what Derek would've felt about these discs. He seems to question the whole idea of "records" pretty strongly anyway. But here they are - records. CD's. MP3's. And like that. So they demand a kind of engagement. So here are my general comments: I like when the conversation feels nuanced and balanced. When the feeling of some kind of active, rhythmic, free hocketing is around. I like when, although there's a dialogue, the musicians don't find themselves falling into prescribed "roles", I.E. bassist "accompanying", guitarist "soloing". I like all of the textures of Derek's sound: the brilliant use of harmonics, etc. In general, this seems to come off much better when he's playing acoustic guitar (the electric here is a hollow body, I assume - it's great too). This CD hits all of the bases of what I like in a Derek Bailey recording. I place it just slightly under some others, especially his work with Evan Parker. It is WAY better, IMHO, then the touted Han, duos w/drummer Han Bennink. There it seems like both musicians are jockeying for position. This can sometimes produce a productive tension. But not there. Drummer John Stevens doesn't have as much obvious instrumental personality as Bennink. But the collective improvising here is first class. 4 1/2 stars.


title: AMM - and they're loping!

text: The beginning...it's not so radical. It could be the opening of a Bruckner symphony - the clouds part, the fog lifts, the world begins again. Sonically, it could be '60's Stockhausen. But I still think every Improviser (and lover of improvised music) needs to cleanse the palate w/AMM every so often. And more often than they do it. The incredible patience. The waiting. The...waiting. I can't think of any improviser outside of their little group who couldn't use more of that in their vocabulary. Is this THE AMM disc? How the h__l would I know? You think I'm one of those guys who collects all of them? The JR is a Musical Radical whose listening tastes are shockingly canonical and border on the conservative. Yes...it's strange. But nobody's checking in here on Amazon w/ an AMM review. So I have to be the one. Tilbury wandering around at the piano with the radio in the background (Tune Two): a kind of Post - Cagean music that no Post - Cagean would - or could - write. And it's very beautiful, by the way! But one criticism I have is that everything proceeds in a straight line - it's all unfolding. Hey, unfolding's my joint! A piece w/o unfolding just isn't happening for me. But over here in NYC, back in the day, we came up with some strategies to give some other options to "Compositional" Free Improvisation. Well, OK, they've been largely forgotten, even here...but I remember them! NY is movingmovingmoving!!!...Yes, I love the clichés about my hometown. But, as a result (or something), I don't have the patience to listen to AMM very often. But after a day of listening to squealing, stop/start, quasi - Free Jazzy things, it's like sorbet! Grapefruit Campari? Well, maybe more like Pear. But it's still delicious.


title: Magnificent

text:
Bad news: the sound sucks. If that really bothers you, stop here.

Good news: this disc (and its companion) are good enough to be canon  - altering. What the Hell were they putting in the water in Fort Worth, Texas back in the early '50's? These discs reveal Carter and Bradford as really major duo improvisors, and if they were better - distributed, would remove these two musicians from Ornette's shadow once and for all. Even though some of Carter's ensemble projects are conceptually remarkable, the fairly workmanlike rhythm section often drags them down to the "specialist" level. But this is improvised music for the ages. Bradford's middle register lyricism took a totally different path from Don Cherry's more Pollock - like blobs and blats, and Carter makes the best case I've heard for the clarinet in Free Jazz. Is this Free Jazz? For want of a better term...yes.
Carter is amazing, with his shrieks and his multiphonics. He makes a kind of bridge between the Ornette - y world of First Generation Free Jazz and the more sound - oriented work of the "Second Wave" - AACM and like that. But he is really unique, and any such attempt to place him within a stylistic continuum will run into pitfalls.Bradford has the whole history of Jazz Trumpet in his lines and his sound, and yet one is never aware of any studied eclecticism. But what is most wonderful on this disc is the way these two play TOGETHER. They give no quarter, maintaining their differences and the distinctions between their approaches to language. At the same time, they echo each other, with such a phenomenal shared ear for register and timbre. There is no grandstanding, no hyperbole, no attempt at Grand Statements which would demolish the carefully calibrated scale of these performances. And yet there is such a wide emotional and expressive range within each and every track. I will resist the desire to go track by track - you get the idea, I hope. I'll just close by fervently thanking the Emanem label for making this great music available.


title: Great album

text: A great album my Mathis. If a fan buy you can never go wrong with a Johnny Singing!


title: Susie Suh Rocks...

text:
It is so rare to buy a new album, especially from a new artist, and be drawn to it immediately.  I think the last album like this was Norah Jones' debut... and Susie is just as good.

Her words, although simple, are powerful.  The songs vary in theme and sound.  Lucille, this jazzy little piece, gets you snapping your fingers, while Shell makes you wonder how Susie knows you so well.

Definitely a must buy album.


title: Mostly talk.

text: Mostly talk. I was at this concert and thought it would include the whole concert and not just a few songs. Very disappointing.


title: Fantastic!

text: This is my most favorite year of the Ziegfeld Follies and to see it available on record was amazing! Shipped quick and arrived quickly. Product was completely sealed and unopened! I am very happy with this purchase.


title: Early digital vs direct to disc

text: I have both the CD and the vinyl with the Bach part of the program.  The vinyl clearly mops the floor with the CD.  It has more powerful bass, clearer highs and is (strangely) even more dynamic.  While digital recording has definitely improved since this was originally recorded, if you want the highest fidelity available for this recording seek out the d to d version.  Simply amazing.


title: Great music

text: Very good bluegrass music. So glad was able to find this CD.


title: Historic recordings in digitally remasterd clarity

text: A great collection of historic trains chugging up the Horseshoe curve near Altoona, PA. Close your eyes, crank it up and feel the power of steam!<br />A must for every collector and Train enthusiast!


title: Horrible fidelity

text: The music is great BUT the sound quality is horrible!!  I HIGHLY suggest your buying the 2015 Japanese version which sounds great!


title: Great old hymns by a super neat brother in Christ

text: What can anyone say about Bart Millard except that he is a true blessing. These are songs that I remember for from church in the country with my grandparents put to a more stepped up best. Keep in my car to remind me of who My Lord is and what He has done for me.


title: Awesome

text: Big Daddy Weave! Nuff said.


title: Five Stars

text: I enjoyed it very much.


title: Five Stars

text: LOVE IT


title: Great, great stuff.

text: Heard them on Pandora, checked the album out on YouTube, had to buy cd!!  I don't buy many cd s anymore, so you know how hooked was to get this one....


title: Five Stars

text: Perfect


title: Hawaiian music

text: Very enjoyable music on this CD.


title: Five Stars

text: Great songs...beautiful!


title: I am enjoying my cds

text: I enjoy listening to Luke Combs


title: Killer band, hot blues, Kerry is a goddess!

text: I bought this album having heard "Salvation" on Bluesville radio, and would have been happy if that was the only great song.  I was thrilled as I listened to find that every single cut is a winner!  Mostly blues, with flavors of gospel, torch, rockabilly, zeideco, punk, and almost any other variation you can think of.  Salvation rocks the house, Please Mr. Jailer wails, and Voodoo Doll sticks in the mind like kinky taffy.  I can't wait to see them live, and if I could sing like anyone, it would be Kerry Pastine--what a voice!


title: Delightful

text: I love this album, purchased years ago at Half Price Books. Everyone loves the famously difficult Barber violin concerto, of course, and when I saw someone had recorded it on FLUTE, well, I had to hear. Jennifer Stinton handled it with complete mastery. I was unfamiliar with the Khatchaturian piece, but found myself dancing in my car seat.


title: Very disappoionted

text: Noplace did this item say it was not coded for the USA.  AFTER I could not play it in my DVD player, I saw it was coded for PAL - Region 2?  And though I was looking forward to seeing it, its not worth the cost to send it back.  PLEASE EVERYONE put the region codes some place prominent and in big letters.  I fell for this before, and try to be careful to look.  THIS did not have it printed when I ordered it.


title: Five Stars

text: Love it!


title: Highly Recommended

text: Better than stated unused as nicer gift I can’t imagine. Nice and friendly to work with, arrived earlier than stated. Very nice music nicely and safely packaged.


title: The Best Gregorian Chanters-Popular Music

text: I have listened to many that call themselves Gregorian Chanters and The Masters of Chant I feel are the best.  This is an excellent set with no repeats of past chants, as I have I-VI. Excellent collection and excellent source.  Expect the order to take time since it ships from across the Atlantic but be patient; the bad reviews only come from impatience-it is sent registered.  If you do not have I-III, or the Christmas CD check them out. It is rare that any of this groups songs will be found on MP3 downloads on Amazon or iTunes, and not any from this set.


title: AWFUL

text: this is terrible.....sounds like loons during mating season....too loud...NOT restful at all....even the water sounds were too loud. I wish I could have listened to this before buying it


title: Lana Del Rey Greatest hits

text: I adored Lana Del Rey. Dark and retro and fun all rolled into one.


title: I loved the first half I bout in the early 1960' ...

text: This is an outstanding album.  I had the first part on 33 1/3, and was always looking for the second half.  I loved the first half I bout in the early 1960' and am glad to have the entire double album in my collection!


title: Carmine Meo by Emma Shapplin

text: This album I personally found to be special in every category.  There is one song that's very special in a garden of perfection; its Dolce Veneno!  I bought the very 1st release of her album, when it hit the market, also; FERA Ventura, is on that album.  It's nice to listen to certain songs that are on such a perfect album.  I love this most of all in my collection, and it is now vast.  Enjoy!


title: Yup*** love it

text: This is my daughters favorite, she loves it so much<br />perfect*


title: Our favorite set

text: This is our favorite set, great sound quality as always.


title: Worth it!

text: Great sound quality as always!


title: Love it!

text: We love this set, in fact, it's our favorite.  Great sound quality as always.


title: Great for car trips

text: Great for car trips, both the music quality and the fact that you don't have to continually adjust the volume.


title: Great sound quality

text: We love these!  This set is our favorite of the Timelife Classics.  Our favorite feature is that you don't have to continually adjust the volumn in the car.


title: Fun

text: Reckless Kelly is a great County band with a lot of R&R.


title: Made our trip run so smoothly! We would have ...

text: Made our trip run so smoothly! We would have missed so much with out this guide, and we would never have known what to stop at and what to let go. This is indispensable!!! And a little cheaper here than buying in Hawaii.


title: Not my favorite.

text: Not my favorite holiday CD. Sorry..


title: Awesome.

text: I was listening to Ricki Lee on Pandora and remembered I used to own this CD.  I have no idea where it got to, it's probably been 15 years since I listened to it.  So I bought it again.  It'll be my "car" tunes.  The case was cracked and the corner of it chipped off.  But the CD looks fine.  Haven't played it yet but I'm looking forward to my next drive.


title: Great album.

text: Arrived quickly and in perfect shape.  Great CD with legendary musicians!


title: Five Stars

text: Good shape, soft cover album.


title: enjoyable

text: good collection from the old Master


title: Five Stars

text: great cd


title: Famous Frenchman singing Italian American

text: A Frenchman singing Sinatra and the Rat pack in English? Well, yes--Roberto Alagna called on his Sicilian immigrant roots to identify with these Italian flavored American songs.  His show went over well in France, but If you prefer to hear him in French (as I do) the CD's have a few great French songs, too.  I always appreciate his enthusiasm, creativity, and great musical arrangements (Big Band here).  He's worth listening to when he's having fun with music he likes in any language--certainly the case here.


title: A Classic for South American Music

text: French tenor, Roberto Alagna--master of the musically fascinating--chose carefully, and sang with enthusiasm, rhythm, and style to produce this great album--in Spanish!  Excellent diction (of course), use of his operatic voice adjusted to the demands of this  heart-throbbing music, fine musical backup, one delightful duet.  Don't have to know anything about Alagna to enjoy this music, though you may want to know more after hearing him.


title: Relaxing

text:
About a decade ago I was doing commercial video production and one client gave me this disc (with permissions) to sample for a 30 second spot. I've had it in "sleepy music" rotation ever since. This is a nice collection of soft, melodic piano-driven music.  Good for relaxing.

Stephen Marq is an American, international Steinway Piano Artist


title: Don't waste your hard earned money!

text: Listened to this crap with as open of mind as I could muster...though I might learn something...but when the "author" said..."breath through your VAGINA"!!....sorry...I'm out of here! What the hell does that mean anyway...sounds sick!Really lame!Very weird...phoney new age stuff..ugg!


title: 7-year-old daughter loves Moxie Maxwell

text:
My first grader saw the audio CD of this title and decided she'd like to listen to it. She was attracted to the title since she too takes piano lessons, and happens to love recitals, but doesn't quite like putting in the practice hours!

The story was interesting (I listened along with her). Moxie Maxwell is an interesting character and one that many young girls, ages 6-9 will easily relate to. She is quite precocious and has many interesting ideas, as well as an independent spirit and a yearning to do things her way. The narration on the audio CD (which goes chapter by chapter, and they are short chapters) is engaging to listen to.

Recommended for ages 6-9.


title: Beautiful yet costly set

text:
I'm a great fan of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy and already own his works in hardcover. I knew of this set because my friend (an avid fan of Larsson's works) owns it (purchased online). However, I decided to purchase the other deluxe boxed set instead as it is more cost effective. The differences between the two sets are as follows:

The publisher for this set is Maclehose Press, London (2010). This set consists of four volumes, and besides being more expensive, the major difference between this set and the other slip-cased set is that this set has a poster of 16 different dust jackets of the trilogy published around the world. Each book in this slip-cased set has gilt titles on the spine, and a gilt dragon on the front boards.

The other slip-cased set (which I purchased) consists of four books in a beautiful slip-case. The four books are The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, and On Stieg Larsson. The three novels are cloth bound (no dust jacket) and have beautiful, unique engravings on each. There are also unique features such as maps and full-color endpapers. The book titled On Stieg Larsson consists of essays which have never been published before as well as correspondence with Larsson who died in 2004.


title: Very good 1969 story telling CD

text: If your from the south west these stories on this CD are fantastic. Originally on album, it was never officially released on CD, so this while not really boot legged CD's do not come from licensed companies to officially release this CD. Being from 1969, who know maybe the copy write has expired. Anyway, this has great stereo separation sound and good use of side to side effects. Being from 1969 it lacks any low end bass punch. I have this from a pressed CD and recorded professionally from the LP Original album, classics!!!


title: Well its the beach boys, 3 stars just for that

text: Cant give it a 5 stars as only about half these songs are any good with them and the country singer. The sound itself is fantastic, but some country twang just not flow right with the beach boys harmony, thats all, so 3 stars.


title: Great family TV movies from the 90's

text: Even though a TV movie from the 90's, still a great family film. quality is ok, it is 4x3. One of the better ways they explain how Santa delivers all the presents over one night. This is a Region B disc, but I got around that and can player it as an all region Movie now.


title: Very Good CD, Nice Sound, Classic 80's with Modern Music

text: I like this CD as Carol Decker still records songs with a 80's sound, but also mixes modern songs also, so nice array of music. usually I only like maybe 4-5 songs off a CD. Of the 11 songs I think 8 are great, 1 is good and the other 2 well really don't care for them, but impressed I like so many on this CD, big improvement over their Red CD release. Quality is top notch also.


title: Great classic never re-issued CD

text: price wayyyy to much look into Europe where I got mine a few years back for less than $25 shipped, have the smart weed CD, a professional recording on CD and one from a new un-played album on a $1000 phono player, they all sound about the same, great, fantastic music cave creek arizona IS NOT a suburb of Scottsdale as one reviewer said here, north phoenix is closer to cave creek than Scottsdale is. Fantastic music, better on CD as it never wears.


title: Exquisite

text: Gentle, ravishing, old French songs, performed exquisitely by Mouskouri and her backup bands. If you want to give your soul a rest, put this on your player and sit back.


title: Übermäßig süß

text: I own, on vinyl and CD, just about every song Nana Mouskouri has ever recorded. Obviously, I like her voice and her interpretations a lot. But not on this disc, on which every song is grotesquely over sweetened. Even the best cup of coffee can be ruined with 10 lumps of sugar, and so are these songs, many of which I own, have heard in multiple versions, and have sung in German choruses. I could not even listen to them in their entirety on this disc but skipped forward to hear a bit of each and then move on. Awful.


title: Lively, pleasing music, extraordinarily well recorded

text: CPE Bach sounds nothing like his father, Johann Sebastian, but more like Haydn. Actually, he represents the link between the Baroque and Classical periods. These pieces are typical of his work, lively and fully orchestrated. They are well played and extraordinarily well recorded. Highly recommended.


title: Lovely

text: Lovely compilation from a long distant time. These songs evoke memories, including memories of things which never existed - e.g., there are no bluebirds in Dover (the song was written by an American who had never been there). I have bones to pick with a few other songs, too. Oscar Hammerstein was just short of 40 when he wrote the lyrics to When I Grow Too Old to Dream, so how could he know that the older you get the more you dream, indeed the more vividly you dream. But I love the song and just about all the others here, which I used to play, half a century ago, as a cocktail pianist. Vera Lynn is a very unmannered, open-hearted singer, ideal for these songs. Even if you are too young to experience nostalgia for a time you cannot have known, if your hearing hasn't been destroyed by 120 dB rock concerts, put these on your player and soon be calmer than perhaps you have ever been. That, indeed, was the purpose of many of these songs - to calm entire populations living in a time of total war and to assure them that someday the war would be over and, even if there would be no bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover, there wouldn't be any Messerschmitts either.


title: i fought the great song

text: I've heard a bunch of versions of "I Fought the Law" over the years but I've come to the conclusion that none of them are as good as Bobby Fuller's version.  This is the ultimate version of the song if you ask me.  Maybe because it's the original.  Hey that's likely since I do tend to prefer original content over cover tunes.  Or maybe it's because I have the strongest memories of Bobby Fuller's version.  The passionate voice, the frantic rhythm, the sense of nervousness in the vocals... yeah, Bobby Fuller's version for the win.


title: good morning!

text:
Hmmm, a stripped down acoustic album you say?  That would be quite the remarkable change compared to the Bob Seger System stuff that consisted of blues, hard rock, psychedelia and other (really bizarre!) experiments.  Let's see what it's like.

The title song, "Brand New Morning", kicks things off.  Yup, acoustic and stripped down!  Wow the way Bob sings this melody makes me think of someone in a deep personal state of mind, and from another perspective, perhaps someone still searching for his style.  But if you ask me it would have been FANTASTIC if he had continued making albums like these.  "It's a brand new morning of a brand new day, it's a brand new chance to make it all work out some way, it's a brand new morning and a brand new smile, it's some brand new things you just might see in a while" is a great line, but the way he sings "It's a time to be reborn, it's a time for being free, someone might be waiting here outside where you can see, and you just might see that it's a brand new morning" shows Bob's ability to hit the high notes in a meaningful way.  What an *extremely* strong melody too!

"Maybe Today" is more devastating with the piano and somber tone.  "Maybe it's time, maybe today, you're gonna find your way, maybe he's here maybe she's here, maybe this is your day" is a line that shows a different kind of vocal range for Bob.  "Open your eyes, open your heart, maybe this is your day".  Really strong vocal performance and lyrics about starting a new life.  Might happen today or tonight!  The piano near the end is really creepy to me.  Has those STRONG early 70's vibes you know.  It ends with the line "You'll never know until you try" which reminds me of "Lonely People" by America.

"Sometimes" contains lyrics about not caring at all.  "Sometimes you just don't care at all" and "Sometimes I don't know why I love you sometimes".  A slow-moving ballad of sorts, but memorable.  Perhaps it's mostly memorable just because it's located in exactly the right spot as the third song.  I admit the song is a wee bit overlong though.  Like by 2 minutes.  "You Know Who You Are" is another slow song, this time with the return of that dreary and devastating piano.  Bob was in a *serious* thinking mood when he made this album!  At least it sure sounds like he was based on the first half of Brand New Morning.  I like how Bob never loses sight of a strong vocal melody.  This song almost has a Randy Newman vibe, I kid you not.  I like how the piano picks up the pace in the middle just enough to elevate the emotional impact of the tune before slowing down again.  Lyrics seem to be about Bob reaching out to someone but having trouble getting through to them.

"Railroad Days" is where the Bruce Springsteen comparisons make a little more sense.  The acoustic guitar picks up more on this tune, but the song is all about telling a story which of course is a Bruce trademark.  Actually this song reminds me of Van Morrison's "Sweet Thing" but not nearly as tear-jerking.  You'll probably love singing along to this tune because it's definitely melodic.  "When I was young in my prime on my way, when the rain never got in my way, oh in my younger railroad days".  The line "Some nights drifters playing on the hi-fi, talking about girls or preposterous lies, laughing hard watching Soupy at 11,  skonking down one of mom's lemon pies, 10 o'clock bringing groceries from the market, singing songs to the darkness of the night, even sang the parts the instruments were playing, life was freer, dreams were really quite alright" shows the nostalgic phase Bob was going through while making this album.  This song gives me the impression that Bob felt life was a lot easier when he was younger.  Every once in a while Bob hits certain high notes at the end of certain lines and it's really amazing.

"Louise" is almost a hoedown type of tune.  Maybe I shouldn't say almost?  "Now Louise is an outlaw in the year of 71, she's got Levi bells and long straight hair, she's got a gun, her folks they didn't understand why she couldn't get her homework done, her father is a preacher, her mother is an ex-nun" is a solid lyric, as is the line about Louise's boyfriend "They ride on his Harley from morning till late afternoon, they get stoned in the evening and make love beneath the moon!"  This is a really fun and upbeat tune.  "Song For Him" is a softly sung tune with some subtly interesting acoustic guitar parts (the guitar jumps around more than it sounds like).  This is a strange song.  Not sure what to think about it.  It's almost sung in a bluesy way based on the vocal melody, but it's acoustic-based so... acoustic blues, haha.  The melody doesn't pick up enough for my liking.  Still okay.  Bob does let loose and hit some sad notes in the middle.  Otherwise not much in the way of lyrical substance but decent based on Bob's singing.

"Something Like" is the final song on this short album (just over 32 minutes).  Just another acoustic tune and oddly the same tempo changes from the previous song feel like they're returning again here.  I don't know enough about the acoustic guitar to determine if Bob is repeating the same ideas again (but louder and easier to notice this time).  The melody is a repeat of the title song though.  I think the "Brand Mew Morning" melody returns in a subtle/tricky way however.  I don't think the whole song contains the same melody.  I didn't sense this until the final minute.  "Even though you're late, you'll get by if you try, everything will wait you'll get over it, oh it's something like loving if she means so much to you, there's not a thing you shouldn't do oh it's something like love, it will help to show her that you care, it's something like accepting everything about a woman" is a nice line.

Bob's vocals are amazing through this album- that's for sure.  So Brand New Morning has two REALLY BIG things going for it- Bob's emotional voice being really wonderful, and the album being entirely acoustic based.  I highly recommend this album.


title: bob's early system

text:
This is the album that supposedly steps away from the classic Bob Seger sound in a dramatic way after Bob supposedly went through a nervous breakdown.  This changed the songwriting in a big way according to most people.  But did it really?  Well yeah it did, but did it change the music for the worse?  Most would probably say yes, but me?  I don't really think so!

"Noah" has a vocal melody that sounds familiar to me.  For some reason I can picture Tears for Fears writing/singing a song like this, haha.  "You must realize that you need something, resynthesize your own ego, you must recognize that life's just a circle so let's go on with the show" is a memorable line.  In fact the verse melody is pretty good.  The way Bob gradually builds the "Noah noah NOAH 1-2-3-4" reminds me of the Beatles "Hey Jude" before the "naaaa na na na na" part.  I'm probably alone there, haha.  Nice saxophone but it's brief.  "Innervenus Eyes" has a fairly heavy guitar riff and classic Bob vocals as he belts out his voice at top volume.  Pretty much in the blues vain.  "Lord she looked she looked she looked so good!, Innervenus blue the fools are not so few, innervenus blue, the corporations ran first too, she looked she looked at me, she looked at me so good!"  There's some Deep Purple-like tempo changes with the keyboard that I like.  Sort of reminds me of their classic "Hard Lovin' Man".

"Lonely Man" is another bluesy tune in the Cream style.  I like the background vocals though I can understand if others think they're clunky and that this is a lazily written tune.  It should be noted the production is really tacky here.  You can definitely tell this album's old.  I sort of like that sound (because hey, I spent over 30 years getting used to it) but it does bother me on a small level.  "Lord I wasn't born, wasn't born to wander aimlessly, Lord it can't be I don't want it to be my destiny, woman come and help me" is a good line.  Don't leave Bob a lonely man cuz he can't stand it.

"Loneliness Is a Feeling" opens in a way that reminds me of Mountain's "For Yasgur's Farm".  I keep making Mountain comparisons but you know, they feel appropriate.  I never really compared Bob Seger to Leslie West before, but this early Bob Seger System stuff brings out some comparisons that I notice.  Anyway this is a GREAT song for the emotional punch.  The pace suddenly slows down during the line "Standing there like a piller of salt, don't know the day my hair's turning grey, oh is the tide comin' to take my blues away" which I like.  I like the "loneliness" chorus at the end too.  This song is really cool.

"Cat" opens with some African like drums and percussion.  Wow the production is thin, haha.  I know I said I don't really care about any of that but well, this *is* pretty badly recorded I gotta admit.  Hey this doesn't sound like Bob singing!  Sounds like someone imitating Bob's vocal range.  I don't hate it though.  Then again is this even singing?  It's more like chanting of the word "CAT!" (and I just had a feeling of deja vu like I actually said this before, hehe- I get these deja vu spells a lot.  No I never said this before because right now is the first time I heard this song).  Anyway perhaps this song is an imitation of the Rolling Stones "Sympathy of the Devil" because the "CAT!" chanting resembles the intro to that classic Rolling Stones tune.  The grunting at the end is weird too.  We'll just say this song's okay because it reminds me of the jam at the end of Chicago's "Only the Beginning".

"Jumpin' Jack... er Jumpin'  Humpin' Hip Hypocrite" (wow I feel dizzy!) returns to normal songwriting... but unfortunately Bob isn't singing once again.  This other guy has an okay voice, and perhaps with time I'll even think it's a great voice, but you know I miss Bob!  This singer doesn't have the depth to his vocal range like Bob does.  He's also rushing through the vocals.  "I've been down to the gutter, hoping I've lived on honey and butter?"  I like the line "But with me life's a game, I call insane, I'm not the one to blame, I'm called insane" mostly for the melody.  "Follow the Children" is awesome!  Okay maybe this singer's pretty good after all, haha.  Well THAT didn't take long for me to change my mind! "Wish I could turn around and go back again, just for a moment to visit a friend, he was an old man I met by the sea" is a pleasant line.  I LOVE the upbeat foot-tappin' rhythm of this tune with the handclaps.  "Follow the children and you will see, the reason for living is just to be free".  So true!

"Johnson, Lennie"... Sgt. Pepper take six?  Well there you go- an attempt to imitate the Beatles!  Maybe not this song however.  I can't think of any Beatles song like this except maybe "Rocky Raccoon" but that's really stretching it.  This is a country ballad of sorts, but it has a ton of feeling to it.  "Lennie Johnson's lost his way!".  The verse melody's sung really soothingly and enjoyably.  I love this song!  Yeah the line "Lennie Johnson's lost his way" repeats a bit much, but otherwise -especially the verse melody-  this is terrific.

"Paint Them a Picture Jane" has another really memorable vocal melody.  I'm guessing the reason people hate this album is because Bob isn't singing on half the tunes, and even though at times I agree with that being a legitimate reason for the mixed feelings, it seems like there's several songs on the second half that make up for it by being really catchy and emotional pop tunes with fairly strong songwriting.  "Paint them a picture Jane, like the one you painted for me, tell them that I'm in love, but don't tell them they will see, if they ask you why I'm crying, just tell them someone is dying, and that he was just a friend" is amazingly sung.  I'm almost crying playing it!  I feel like I should be able to figure out exactly which band of the 60's this song is trying to sound like, but it's not coming to me at the moment.

"Death Row" opens with a line similar to the Troggs "Wild Thing" and vocals/mood similar to Eric Burdon and the Animals.  Good stuff though.  Whoa that guitar riff is really ominous, and the way the drums plod along is appealing too.  Bob's singing this one, and he sounds really angry!  Really upfront vocals and lyrics.  "Here I am oh my time's rolling slowly by, 21 years old waiting on my turn to die, every minute Lord, every minute seems like five, and if it wasn't for the window I'd wonder if the world outside is alive, yes smokin' cigarettes drinkin' coffe, and waiting on my last meal" is a great line.  Another line I love is the one near the end.  "Oh it's too late they'll be comin' for me soon, it's too late to pray and anyway God can't see this room, I'm starting to sweat now it won't be long now, I can see they're gonna me in that chair, they're gonna put me in that chair and that's how the end's gonna be, yeah it's gettin' cold, it's gettin' colder".  CHILLING!  This song captures the intense nervousness of heading to the electric chair.  I wonder what the lyrics are about because I get the feeling it's about murdering a woman.

Other than "Cat", this album's actually pretty awesome.  I highly recommend it unless you're expecting normal Bob Seger music.  But then again if you liked Bob Seger System's first album you should know that's not really normal Bob either.  So yeah!


title: zippo!

text:
I don't know where this album came from, but I like it!  Let's review it shall we?

"Zippo Zetterlink in the Poor Sun" is 20 minutes long.  It starts off with some cool drumming and bass.  VERY poor muffled quality but I don't mind.  Gives the song a cool vibe.  The guitar lines that come in a moment later are totally German which means I love them.  Eventually they turn melodic... I think!  So ridiculously muffled in a cool way I can't tell for certain.  The rhythm picks up a moment later while maintaining a steady pace.  Lots of cymbal smashing if I haven't mentioned it yet.  The guitarist is pretty good- he has a knack for providing some decent solos from time to time, but also falling apart a little and making everything feel like total noise other times.  10 minutes in, the relentless pace of the guitar soloing, rhythm work, steady drum work and bass continues!  It's almost like Zippo's trying to out rock... everybody and succeeding!

Around the 12:30 mark, the pace slows down a lot more and gets groovy.  It feels like the guitar, drums and everything else is contemplating relaxation.  Get up boy!  Don't sit down on me now!  Really enjoy the guitar soloing though.  It stops being a constant piece of relentlessness, so I can actually sit back and focus on the playing.  14 minutes in it gets sort of James Bond-ish which is cool.  Never cared for James Bond to be honest but the music's really good (especially in the older films).  Love those buzzy/spy themes.  Anyway this song sounds like the ultimate late night party.  Wish I'd been invited.  The song speeds up and dare I say, gets more melodic (the guitar in particular) as it gets closer to the conclusion.  Possibly fans of the Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray" would like it a lot.  Not *quite* the same idea, but provides enough similarities with the rebellious sound that maybe VU fans would admire what Zippo's doing here.

"Kaputt" is quieter and quite unbelievably muffled even *more!*  The drumming, guitar tuning (hey I wouldn't really consider this a solo, would you?) and bass are all decent.  Well this song soon gets so soft that nothing really happens except for some heavy guitar feedback, soft drumming, weird baby crying sound effects, and Middle Eastern arrangements. Something about this is quite pleasant to me however.  I'm losing my mind man!

What the?  Normalcy?  "I Deal" might be normal, haha.  A pretty good blues song with okay vocals.  No this isn't the best blues you've ever listened to, but for Zippo Zetterlink coming up with the most outrageous freak out music ever for this outing, I'm quite impressed with the sudden change and delighted Zippo has what it takes to be normal.  "Cool Fish" sounds like a good nickname for somebody.  It's more bass and light guitar lines.  Light enough to chill out and turn the lights down low if you know what I mean (drugs, not the other reason for turning the lights low, lol).  The bass gets really melodic on a couple occasions.  "Rosa-Lie" has a simple but VERY catchy blues guitar riff.  Reminds me of Creedence Clearwater Revival.  Of course the lead singer is no John Fogerty.  Well then again the "vocal melody" here is just a German news story with creepy violins in the background.  Really cool though.

In the Poor Sun is probably intended for fans of really trippy psychedelic guitar jams with lots of bass and drumming.  The production of the album isn't up to par but you know, it's probably not supposed to be.  Or rather if it *was* up to par and sounded clean the effect wouldn't have been the same.  5 stars for the total fascination.


title: endless joy

text:
Well once again I'm the first one to review something.  Big shocker there!  This is for the none of you reading this, haha.

"Rudiment" begins with an EXTRAORDINARYLY ominous guitar riff.  Then the vocals come in... soulful female vocals!  Now that's a pleasant surprise.  I love singing along to this stuff "Hooooold myyyyy haaaaand!"  This entire melody is actually very beautiful.  It takes a few minutes to get over the initial shock of a progressive rock Emerson, Lake & Palmer-like opening riff leading directly into a soulful vocal melody but there you have it. Hey that's the magic of the 70's right?  Being unpredictable and experimental!  Love when that riff comes back later on.  "Connection" is a short Gentle Giant-like moment of Canterbury-flavored melodic peacefulness.

Oh no!  "You and meeee, we and sheeee!"  That's me singing the next song, "That's the Key" (and probably singing it incorrectly).  This band suddenly turns all Chicago on me with horns and it's sort of ugly initially- the vocal melody AND the twisty horns.  However the little brief moment that the horns become less obnoxious so the vocals from "Connection" come back is a GREAT moment so all is forgiven!  "For You And Me" begins with a VERY sludgy guitar riff and a repetitive soulful lyric of the song title over and over.  However it's not so bad because the arrangements are diverse enough.  I mean we have a guitar solo, horns building dramatically and other things, but yeah, a little more diversity with the vocal melody wouldn't hurt!

"Suppression" almost makes me think of a combination of TWO Kansas songs- "The Wall" and "Point of Know Return" occurring in the intro.  That's a fascinating but unintentional moment of greatness.  The horns are more melodic than usual but still become a victim of needless repetition once in a while.  Not the sharpest of songwriters, these guys (and girls!)  WHOA!  The female singer hits a SUPER high note to take us into "Rankness" and it reminds me of Tina Turner.  I have to be honest- whatever type of music Joy Unlimited is supposed to be (because I haven't taken the time to read anything about them yet, heh) it's somewhat of an experimental genius idea to combine soul with progressive rock.  That seems to be this bands type of music.

"Face of War" has screeching vocals that almost remind me of early Geddy Lee of Rush fame before some freak out-style tempo changes happen with odd drumming, mellotron and guitars.  Wow this part's *incredibly* cool.  The "Tiiiiime to cryyyyy" part later on is a surprisingly eerie melody and the way it builds with so much tension is an effective moment.  "Free" is nothing but rehearsal-like horns for a couple minutes.  Don't do that!  "Sensual Impression"... WOW I totally thought the Little House on the Prairie theme song was about to play based on the very first note of this song!  No, haha.  That would've been incredibly strange if it WAS that theme... but then again I recently heard a late 60's tune that resembled the Partridge Family theme song that apparently came out *before* the Partridge Family so I guess the world is covered in coincidences!  Anyway this song is all about Jethro Tull-style flutes in the beginning without much else occurring until a little pleasant melody plays on exactly 3 occasions- all the flute stuff in between is a bunch of ambiance and nothing particularly special.  Certainly nothing melodic, but the flute melody at the very end is really wonderful.

"Quintessence"... is actually a word!  Hey how about that.  Too bad I can't understand the definition, lol.  This song has a jazzy vocal melody that speeds along somewhat uninterestingly but the tone gives off promising and optimistic vibes so I like it.  The saxophone solo in the middle is really good though.  "Eden Park" has more gentle atmosphere and delicate slow-building soulful singing with flutes.  This is the kind of song you'd hear after escaping underground and arriving to a blue sunny sky after a rainstorm.  "Metamorphosis" has a very beautiful vocal melody with lyrics about realizing dreams.  "In Search for the Last World" has smoky barroom-style jazzy vocals.  "Rising Mind" is what happens when your mind can't make sense of the surrounding chaos!  I LOVE this little fast-paced boogie rocker.  It's so much like the type of song you'd find from any number of 70's rock albums but I dunno, I can't get enough of this style.  I LOVE IT for goodness sake so let me have it!  "Eden Park Revisited" is just delicate, ultra effective conclusive soulful work.

Bonus material!  "Neckarbracken Blues"... if you think I'm going to try pronouncing THAT word don't hold your breath!  A German blues song with piano, xylophone and nice drum work.  It's odd that the drumming is so good but it is.  It's also odd that the band would jam on the xylophone in the middle of a blues song but it does.  "All Heaven And All Earth Are Silent" starts off on an eerie note before turning anthemic in the middle... and get this- a VERY spot-on Frank Zappa-like saxophone solo occurs for a few seconds.  However that's it for the Zappa comparisons, because now the song gets medieval in the guitar playing but the emphasis is clearly on the soulful, sincere star-reaching vocal range before eventually mellowing out in a very spiritual/highly enjoyable kind of way with sporadic flutes.  The flutes then pick up the intensity by a LOT and remind me of the band Focus while the female singer chants "Freedom!" (not like Aretha Franklin, heh) over a really good guitar solo.  This song reminds me of the late 60's band Coven and their classic "One Tin Soldier" tune.  I think "All Heaven And All Earth Are Silent" is a masterpiece.  I really do.

Speaking of Focus similarities, the intro to "Silver Gun" sounds like a song from Focus' third album before turning EXTREMELY soulful (male singer this time) and the voice is comparable to John Wetton.  Wow listen to that BEAUTIFUL guitar line in the middle!  Reminds me of classic Peter Gabriel-era Genesis since that's a type of guitar playing Genesis used to specialize in.  "Peace Train" is a wonderful Cat Stevens cover song!  Wow I was just about to say "Just kidding it ain't really a Cat Stevens cover" but... it is.  Joke's on me!  Anyway just like the Cat Stevens song, this song is flawless.  Just flawless.  Spiritually uplifting in a way that really makes you *feel* the lyrics.  Only in the 70's I tell ya.  Only then!  Love the extended flute solo while keeping the melody intact.  Genius idea.

Well the truth is, I think I owe it to the band to actually type out the name of the album considering how awesome it is- Schmetterlinge.  There. I seriously didn't feel like doing that but to show my respect and appreciation for the band for creating such an amazing album, I feel like I had to.  Yeah, if you can find this please buy it.  It's worth it!


title: this gallery is worth full admission price for the tour

text:
Jud's Gallery actually gave me the impression these guys wrote strictly lengthy jazz pieces, but uh... no, haha.  This is clearly in the rock style.  I guess the words "sessions" and "volume" in the album title threw me off since those are words I normally read from jazz albums.  Not only is this rock, it's very melodic and tastefully performed rock!

"Inspiration" is all about very tastily performed blues chops on the electric guitar with a crunchy guitar riff coming and going every now and then.  It's appealing how the tempo and the mood just suddenly changes when the guitar solo and piano comes in.  I adore the very end of this song when the guitar gets dreamy and downright *gorgeous*.  "Danger of Shoot" has some magnificent violin and drum work playing together.  The tempo ventures from upbeat, majestic and classical to a somber tone in an instant.  Just like THAT it changes!  Only one word can describe what happens at the end of this song- FABULOUS!  It goes from very gentle and teary-eyed delicate guitar playing to heavy guitar riffage... to classical-inspired piano brilliance.  Wow!  So far I'm really impressed with the diversity this album brings to the table.

"Follow Me" begins with more excellent guitar soloing in the blues category with exciting piano playing before shifting into catchy, VERY heavy guitar riffage.  You know some of this flashy guitar work isn't much different from the stuff you'd hear on Wishbone Ash's debut.  It's even slightly jazzy in the same way too.  Now the violin jam at the end of this song is out of this world.  The progressive elements are in fine working order too- listen to the way the violin shakes and tears while riding the guitar work at the very end.  Now THAT'S unique!  If you say it's not unique well, that would be preposterous!  The violin actually goes through a series of different changes... much to my satisfaction!  This song seriously reminds me of barn dancing!  Did the mention the production is really clean and clear?  It is!

Vocals.  Oh right, vocals!  This album has them!  "Friends" has a tender, soothing and very eye-watering vocal melody.  The guitar playing is so right-on the way it follows and enhances the somberness of the vocal melody that I can't believe this stuff wasn't more popular.  "Catch the Fly" lives up to its name- catch the colorful violin rainbow!  These violins are almost as cool as the way they were performed on "Follow Me".  What is that mysterious instrument in the second half?  Is that a harp or something similar?  Now that's a king-size WOW!  As is the guitar solo afterwards.  The returning marching violin work reminds me of sailors heading out to sea.  "Reaching" has a speedy vocal melody and it's pretty good.  It does a nice job capturing the beauty of the early 70's.  To be honest I can't criticize the guitar jam that takes place afterwards even though I probably should since it's a fairly weak moment.  My reason is simple- this band sounds WAY too talented and is clearly WAY too underrated judging the slim number of reviews I barely found for this album, so I ain't criticizin' nuttin!

"Danger of Shoot" (the second version) has a magnificent atmospheric build-up that reminds me of losing something I treasure.  It has those eerie kind of vibes you know?  The vocal melody is decent, but the exchange of dreamy vocals and guitar parts near the end is a progressive rock tendency I enjoy.  The Wishbone Ash-style jazzy guitar playing immediately following is really cool too.  "Nordrach" has a guitar intro that sort of reminds me of Deep Purple's "Speed King".  Just a little bit.  Then again if you've been reading my reviews, I say *many* songs sound like "Speed King".  I guess it's just a nice and convenient go to choice!  Anyway if you factor in the final few minutes of "Danger of Shoot" with this song, the progressive rock-ness is fully underway now.  The guitar jam here is so beautiful and heavenly that words escape me in trying to convincingly explain it.  So just take my simple words for it, haha!  I especially like one particular moment when an exceptionally dreamy guitar melody comes and goes.  Meanwhile the rhythm section keeps chugging along while all kinds of outrageous crazy sound effects zoom around all over the place.  Far out!  The pace eases up dramatically for a few minutes as the keyboards harmlessly chug along before a melodic/awesome guitar riff comes in.  Now this is how you write jams ladies and gentlemen!  The song officially ends with either crows or babies screeching as the boat sails away forever as the eulogy's been read one last time.  What a song!

"White Woman" finishes the album with anthem salute-like guitar playing and neat vocals not much different from Ian Gillan of Deep Purple fame (at least occasionally).  Let's not kid ourselves- Jud's Gallery is clearly more remarkable than the lack of success they had will lead you to believe.  In fact I'd even say this Jud's Gallery album is more musically interesting than a band like Deep Purple at the top of their game.  Now that's something!  Wow I really mention Deep Purple a lot in this review.  I need to stop doing that!


title: jamming all night long

text:
First of all the way this album was produced is AMAZING!  It's sparkling clear.  "Sail Inside" opens with a very Thin Lizzy-like anthem guitar riff before some vocals come in that sound REALLY American to me.  I mean imagine some of the most commercialized American music you can imagine, or American-sounding British acts.  They sound like this! Or rather, this sounds like that!  I'm trying to think of one band in particular that this sounds like.  A popular band you'd recognize.  How about Fog--- (wow amazon won't let me say their name because it conflicts with their guidelines due to the definition of the word/band name- I honestly didn't know what it meant until now!  Unbelievable!).  It's important to know I absolutely LOVE this song on all counts.  There's a devastatingly sad vibe to it.  The guitar solo is actually comparable to the lengthy solo from Black Sabbath's "Dirty Women" but perhaps the guitar playing is even better here.  This is a FANTASTIC guitar jam!  This jam could seriously go on for another 3 hours and I wouldn't mind!  The guitarist -whoever his wonderul name is- has a solid feel for emotional playing.  I can sense this immediately. I do find it a bit odd that the band would choose this as the opener.  A song like this is better reserved for a closer.

"Cross Talking" begins with an irresistibly funky rhythm and some soulful guitar playing over it.  Already I feel like I've been listening to this band for years given how immediately accessible their music is to me.  Soon the soulful Joe Walsh-like guitar playing simultaneously plays with another guitar and BOTH solos -if you can handle two of them at the same time- will surely blow you away!  Just like on "Sail Inside", the guitar playing displays a range of emotion that most guitarists would never be able to achieve as far as being able to instantly lure me in.  The solo reaches a point of being so heavy and intense that it eventually has no *choice* but to slowly fade away.  I can tell right away that Cargo likes to make dramatic statements by way of lengthy guitar jams to place themselves on the map.  Well they certainly have won ME over- not sure about everyone else, or why this album is only receiving so-so ratings.

"Finding Out" has an early Golden Earring vibe.  More funky rhythms, more intense and melodic guitar soloing, more awesomeness!  However Golden Earring -with all due respect to them (who are insanely enjoyable from a songwriting perspective and talented too)- would never be able to make their guitar jams as interesting as this one.  Trust me, I've heard their early albums and while their guitar jam writing abilities are okay, they sound *nowhere* as cool as the ones on this Cargo album.  "Summerfair" opens with a dreamy set of vocals, and the guitar playing behind the vocals elevates the delicateness of the singing.  Why do these guys sound so professional and yet, remain almost completely unknown to the music world? Am I missing something here? The soulful type of singing presented here could be compared to someone like Todd Rundgren.  You know the more I hear this guitar soloing the more I wonder if the Outlaws were listening to these guys.  You know the band that sings "Green Grass and High Tides".  That's probably the closest comparison to these jams I can think of.  I actually might like the jams on this Cargo album more than the Outlaws classic.

Now we arrive to some bonus material.  "Choker" is apparently a demo but hey, it's not like most of us would ever know that!  This song has vocals that sound almost exactly like David Coverdale of Deep Purple and Whitesnake fame!  Hey isn't that a pretty cool coincidence.  "Lydia Purple" could probably pass for a Wishbone Ash song in the vocals as well as the delicate guitar playing.  Most of the time however I disagree with the Wishbone Ash comparisons I've been reading about.  "Yelly Rose" is a slow moving but vocally powerful song that reminds me of a good pop song from the late 60's, especially during the chorus.  That's a very charming chorus!  This song has serious hit potential!  "If Mr. Right Comes Along" has some powerful, slow moving ceremonial-like guitar playing.  The entire song is based around that pretty catchy riff.  "Little Sister"... WHAT?!?!?  Isn't this a cover of a Dave Edmunds song called "In the Land of the Few?"  At least it borrows a certain theme from that Dave Edmunds song.  However knowing Dave used to cover songs like mad he probably didn't write the original version either.  This is crazy!  This is actually a great song.  I'm just curious if both Cargo and Dave Edmunds borrowed that chorus from somebody else.  Also, the lead singer sounds like Steve Perry of Journey fame.  He has the same kind of hoarse voice.  This is all so bizarre!

I'm pretty sure "Walk On By" is a cover song.  I've heard the same exact chorus before.  The only reason I'm not 100% certain it's a cover song is because this version sounds dramatically different.  I like it though I do believe I prefer the original with the female singer but the drums and cymbal smashing tricks in the intro are fantastic.  Google results show Dionne Warwick as a possibility but again, I'm just not sure who sings the original version.  Oh well no point thinking about it too much!  "Run Away" is a heavy bluesy song constructed similarity to Deep Purple's "Demon's Eye".  This song's AWESOME!  The guitar riff itself is catchy and the brief solo work is awesome too.  "One More Change" has hit potential.  LOVE the verse melody!  I hear a lot of passion in the way it's sung and the lyrics about being wrong but not letting it show.  The guitar playing once again amazes me in ways that are impossible to describe.

Wow what a shame these guys were never popular.  I'm telling ya, you have no reason to believe me but Cargo is a FANTASTIC album!  For guitar jam lovers and people who admire quality 70's songwriting, this is a must have.  It's worth the extra price it costs to own.


title: very very impressive!

text:
This is my first time listening to this underrated unknown band by the name of Cold Sun and... I LOVE it!  What do I mainly love you wonder?  The guitar playing.  It's some kind of soaring, freak out, psychedelic, stoner, carefully constructed melodic guitar playing that makes me wish I could fly.  Not to brag but I've experienced literally hundreds of guitar players by this point many with their own unique style, and THIS type of guitar playing is clearly some of the best stuff I've had the pleasure of listening to in my musical journey so far.

I don't quite get the comparisons to Black Sabbath, the Doors or the Velvet Underground.  It doesn't have the same cold, mechanical guitar soloing of Tony Iommi, the lead singer resembles early Stooges Iggy Pop way more than Lou Reed and the lead singer doesn't really remind me of Jim Morrison's poetic lounge vocals either, nor does the mood strike any comparisons to the Doors for the most part.  Every once in a while admittedly you will hear some Lou Reed characteristics in the vocal style.  I like how the band sometimes applies other arrangements such as slide guitar or harmonica just enough to spice up and enhance the stoner experience.

However Cold Sun DOES remind me of early Blue Oyster Cult quite a bit in the muddy production, similarities to Buck Dharma's guitar soloing (though he'd hardly ever jam for THIS long- Dark Shadows is basically a series of carefully weaved guitar solos while the vocals are an afterthought) and even the lead singer sounds like Eric Bloom.  The only difference is that the lyrics throughout Dark Shadows probably aren't quite as creative or thought provoking as you'd typically find on a Blue Oyster Cult album.  Otherwise, yeah, the best comparison I can find.  Of course Blue Oyster Cult started releasing albums AFTER Dark Shadows came out so maybe BOC were big fans of these guys!  Anyone know?

But you know what?  Comparisons aside, Dark Shadows is an *awesome* rock album.  I'm not kidding when I say pretty much every single moment of these guitar jams is instantly melodic.  Even when the jams occasionally shift into noisier parts it feels intentional and planned well ahead of time so you know it's coming.  And the noisy parts are never grating or overlong either- they are only used as a means to build intensity before more of that beautiful guitar tone makes a return.  It feels like guitar playing done with a purpose to assure listeners are completely satisfied.  It's hardly ever sloppy.  Also the rhythm section is AMAZINGLY tight!  The members of Cold Sun clearly tried their hardest to be one of the more professional guitar bands out there and in my opinion they succeeded very well.  The only issue is that the production can often times be a little *too* muddy which makes it hard to make out the lyrics since the lead singers voice is pushed in the back of the mix.  VERY minor complaint.  At least the instrumental work is always clear which is what makes a song like the Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray" intolerable.

You definitely have to play Dark Shadows from beginning to end because it's an experience much like a Jimi Hendrix album.  You don't want to miss out on *anything* while it's playing.  I totally enjoy albums like these.  As a result it's impossible to pick a song that's a highlight though I'm leaning towards "Here In the Year" because it just feels so *right* due to the uplifting vocal melody, the anthem-like style, and the heavenly guitar playing.  Probably the closest the lead singer sounds to resembling Lou Reed, just like "Twisted Flower" is the closest the album ever gets to resembling a Doors song.  I could listen to Dark Shadows a thousand times and STILL want more.  It's just that kind of album.  We also have to keep in mind that the muddy production is part of its charm.  Would this music still be as much fun if it was clean and discernible?  Probably not.

Absolutely do I recommend this!  No doubt about it!


title: the band powers on

text:
Power In the Music shows signs of a band losing momentum, but not *that* much.  Basically the Guess Who is taking another step in trying to survive, even though their popularity was fading in a hurry by this point.  Oh well, doesn't distract from the great music.  The only really negative with the lack of success is that, years later, it becomes harder to actually FIND these rare albums (and find them for an affordable price, might I add).

"Rich World/Poor World" perfectly illustrates this new updated sounded that the band attempted on previous albums, but now the change is officially complete.  A pretty good vocal melody, though not a particularly emotional one.  Maybe Burton Cummings was losing his ability to be affectionate, who knows?  Then again, the song sort of rocks so perhaps being emotional wasn't his intention anyway.  These lyrics are about realizing the problems in the world, such as helping either diseased or hungry kids.  I can't help but notice the guitar solo sounds generic to me.  Overall it's a good song, but it has a few generic moments that drag it down somewhat.

The title song is awesome.  VERY catchy verse melody, funky rhythm that totally resembles the mid 70's, magnificent guitar solo and just an overall quality song.  "Dreams" is one of those REALLY emotional ballads that only the 70's can create because a band nowadays making a ballad *this* impactful would be nearly impossible.  Something about the atmosphere, the gentle piano notes that actually play relatively fast but we don't notice since they're played so softly, the feeling of dreadedness that leads one to contemplate crying... it's a beautiful thing and a beautiful song.

"Rosanne" totally reminds me of the Seals & Crofts song "Dust on my Saddle (Sand on my Boots)" in the vocal melody, but it's a pretty good type of bluegrass experiment regardless.  "Down and Out Woman" is a pretty standard rocker by Guess Who's normally MUCH higher standards, but hey, it's catchy enough to get the job done.  "When the Band Was Singin' (Shakin' All Over)" is DEFINITELY the worst song here.  Sorry but Burton Cummings is no Leslie West.  It really sounds like Burton is straining his voice in a lackluster attempt to replicate Leslie's style.  Maybe not.

Overall, Power in the Music is a weak offering by Guess Who standards, but it's hardly worth dismissing.  It has its fair share of quality gems.  The songwriting and the guitar work has changed considerably though.  Just keep this in mind please.


title: her success is rising but the sun is setting so to speak

text:
Rising Sun seems like a disappointment to me.  You see the first two Yvonne Elliman albums were loaded with tasty piano and guitar arrangements, blusey vocal melodies, R&B influences and just a solid and diverse collection of songs.  Those albums really felt like a female star taking diversity into account and made two minor, forgotten classics.

Here however, it seems obvious Yvonne is headed for a (brief) period of commercial success and sacrifices arrangements for straight ahead ballads and orchestration.

Many of the songs feature a heavy emphasis on orchestration and as a result, it fits in perfectly with the commercial scene of the mid 70's, but that's about the only compliment I can give unfortunately.  The songwriting and specifically, Yvonne's voice doesn't feel up to par this time around.

My favorite song is easily "Who's Gonna Save the World?" because the chorus is pretty good for one thing, but hearing it just makes me desire the first two Yvonne albums where the orchestration was not placed at the forefront like it is here.  Still, it's a highlight on Rising Sun.  Her version of "The Best of my Love" makes me realize what's wrong with the Eagles version- it's too quiet.  Actually I always realized the Eagles version was too quiet and lacking, but hearing Yvonne implement some piano and a slightly more upbeat rhythm really confirms this is the better of the two versions.

Then we have more ballads like "Somewhere in the Night" that probably played a minor part in influencing artists such as Pat Benatar and Belinda Carlisle, but it's really not a memorable song where I sit (unless you have a strong passion for slow-paced mid 70's dramatic-sounding ballads with heavy orchestration- I think I'll pass).  Yvonne does a good job changing her voice into something more hoarse on "Small Town Talk" which also features a bouncy rhythm section.  It sounds a bit fruity as a result, but it's fun and catchy at least.

Overall I'm a tad disappointed with Rising Sun.  Check into the first two Yvonne albums before this one to hear some true variety and talent- Rising Sun misses the mark.


title: showing progression

text:
First of all... I'm confused.  Why is there only ONE other review for Ralf & Florian?  Seriously?  Is this album THAT rare?  Well at any rate, I got the opportunity to hear it, so I definitely took advantage of it.

The good news is that the majority of nonsense you hear on the first two Kraftwerk albums are no longer a part of the bands sound.  In other words, all those airplane sound effects, disjointed drum beats, unfocused guitar jams, the chaotic clanging and banging overall nature of the first two albums... all that stuff has finally been tossed out the window.  Hey, those experiments worked for Kraftwerk's first album but definitely NOT their second album.

Now we've arrived to a much more atmospheric/ambient *peaceful* sounding album.  Ever see those late night commercials advertising products on how to fall asleep, such as listening to certain music?  Well, with all due respect to the bands style on Ralf & Florian, you could easily drift to sleep listening to the majority of this album.  It's actually a compliment though.

"Tanzmuzik" includes some pretty good piano playing, and the piano pretty much carries along to the rhythm for most of its time only changing tempo slightly.  The BEST song is the closer- the 14-minute "Ananas" suite.  It will take your mind to the most peaceful lakes, beaches, mountains you NAME it on the planet.  It's entirely ambient, mostly focusing on peacefully quiet and beautiful guitar sounds put together in such a way that's not really melodic, but not boring either.  It certainly has the potential to grow on me with repeated listens.  Many of the parts drift calmly into other nicely-performed sounds.

So there you have it- Ralf & Florian is an album that stands out from the rest of Kraftwerk's discography.  The album isn't really like the chaotic/noisy jams of the first two albums, nor is it centered around synth jams like on Autobahn.  It's just a nicely created mood album.


title: great

text:
Early Journey is a THOUSAND times better than the ballad-dominated version of the band that became commercially successful in the late 70's through the mid 80's.  THIS version of the band is flat out raw, inventive, and isn't afraid to rip a hole into your speakers with some dazzling and mind-blowing guitar solos more often than not.

Maybe it's just me, but some of these guitar solos remind me of the songs from Black Sabbath's Technical Ecstasy album, which was released the same year as this one.  I have a feeling either the guitarist from Journey or the one from Sabbath was listening to the other one at the time.

Not ONLY are there extremely melodic and heavy guitar solos all over the place giving Look to the Future a borderline heavy metal vibe, but the quality that went into the songwriting is quite a breath of fresh air as well.  There's one catchy song on here that reminds me of the Beatles epic "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and to REALLY knock you off your chair, the second to last song actually sounds very jazzy.  Now THIS is what I call a "journey".


title: a pleasant surprise

text: I'm really surprised at the quality of this album.  Nine Inch Nails really experiments in a way I've never heard them, or other similar sounding artists, attempt before.  You have ambient sounds mixed with hard rock.  The band members must have had a desire to try something different, and I'm really happy the results work.  I'm not exactly "in" as far as new music is concerned, but if there's more music like this out there, it might be worth digging deeper into certain bands catalogs.


title: some things never change

text:
Love's Forever Changes is one of those albums that wasn't popular at all back when it was first released, but over time people began to realize that the album contains everything great about the late 60's rock scene.  It features beautiful and lush vocal melodies, great experimental instrumentation, and just an overall wonderful friendly atmosphere.

"Alone Again Or" is one major exception.  It's my favorite song on the album because it features a really haunting fast-paced little vocal melody with an evil, negative feeling attached to it.  It's just a really disturbing song compared to the rest of the album.

"You Set the Scene" is memorable for me personally because when I was a child I used to go around creating melodies pretending to be a rock star, and the kind of vocal melodies I was interested in were very similar to the vocal melody found on the second half of this rather lengthy track.  I didn't realize it as a child, but this tune was my biggest influence then, haha.

Anyway, this is a great album for people who enjoy music found on late 60's rock albums.  It's so melodic, and easily accessible for just about anyone.  This includes EVERY single song.  I love it.


title: take on the hill

text: It's not often a video game comes along and has music that gives you the biggest creeps of your life.  Silent Hill is that very game.  This collection of tracks are incredibly moving, and you will remember the experience you had with the game once you pop this disc into your CD player.  The game was brilliantly moving, spooky, and original.  This disc can be considered just as amazing and influential.  Music to remember for years.  Well worth buying.


"If one pivotal person fell to the dark side...then this time, everything they knew might slide into stifling darkness"

Balance Point takes us about 10 months after Vector Prime. Han is on Duro, acting as an emissary of sorts for the Ryn. His son, Jacen, is with him, attempting to figure out his place in the Force. Jaina is injured and is sent to be with Han and Jacen; Leia eventually makes her way to Duro and reunites with Han. Mara makes a stunning discovery and slowly, a new plot of the Yuuzhan Vong unravels before their very eyes.

NOTE: Based off audiobook (hence some of the future misspellings) and novel.

Kathy Tyers is not unfamiliar to the world of Star Wars. She wrote The Truce at Bakura, a novel taking place right after "Return of the Jedi". Now, that book I had mixed feelings about. It had some decent characterizations, an interesting story, but felt a bit ho-hum, and the aliens were definitely weird.

So how is Tyers return to Star Wars? About the same as the last book.

Tyers has done a great job summarizing the last book for those who don't want to put up with that frenetic mess and tying up some loose ends. It's hard, in a series, to balance writing to old and new readers, but I think Tyers did a great job. She included a nice little summary of the events of Agents of Chaos II that was a good reminder for old readers (such as me, even though I had just listened to AoCII) and good for new readers with all the high points (sparing them the preceeding book's numerous low points). Tyers wraps up threads introduced in earlier books as well, thus keeping the series' continuity. Han and Leia get back together (excellent quote from Han to Leia: "You probably won't forget some things, but I was hoping you would forgive them), and, honestly, I don't have a clue why Luceno didn't bother to tie that loose end up (it wouldn't have taken that much time, and plus, it's wrapped up here really quickly). She also picks up the "Jacen doesn't have a clue what to do with his life" thread with a very interesting vision/dream sequence and brings closure to that in a fairly bad @ss way that involves facing off with the Yuuzhan Vong (no spoilers from me, no siree!).

The characters under Tyers' pen are also well done. Han and Leia are good (Leia is really well-done); I also found myself more interested in Jaina (I loved it when she expresses her disgust at her absentee parents, though I could've shot Mara's deprecating "But your mom is doing so much good" bull-poodoo--how about you sympathize with your niece when she's opening her heart to you instead of preaching, Macho-Girl?) and Jacen, particularly Jacen with his interesting quest. Luke, however, didn't really strike me as anything extraordinary, Anakin made really almost no major impact (though he had a particularly squicky scene...more in a bit) while Mara was a mixed bag. I liked seeing her go undercover again, but I almost wonder if the whole "Anakin sees Mara in a hot, Kuati outfit and goes ga-ga" was a bit much. MILF much? Also, I loved the exchange between Jacen and Ronga the Hutt over Kyp: "He killed millions" "Oh, that was when he was young". LOL

Even the story is pretty decent. The Yuuzhan Vong are rising in prominence, they are making a more solid stance against the Jedi, which is promising to polarize the galaxy, and they actually get to succeed (this is a big deal, as they are supposed to be conquering our Galaxy Far, Far Away). One of my complaints, if you've read my reviews for the earlier novels of this series, has been how the Yuuzhan Vong are "winning" but all the books seem to show the New Republic "winning". So if the Yuuzhan Vong are supposedly winning, how is it each book ends with the Good GuysTM succeeding in their crazy capers? The war should technically be over...right?

So much praise, so why such a low score? With all the good that is here, there is just so much blah, so much mediocre. Sure, there are good plot threads, but we have more unknown Jedi dying for the sake of dying (I hate characters that die before they are introduced or introduced well--one of the complaints I had about the Bantam novels, in fact). Characters that were prominent earlier (Danni Quee, for one) are completely absent. Annoying characters (Droma...) return. Some of the action/story gets bogged down, possibly because of the audiobook format (such as why Mara is going undercover as a Kuati). We have our major characters, such as Luke and Leia, being biased against species because, as always, ALL Rodians are "aggressive and single-minded" and ALL Hutts would sell their mothers' for a decicred. Ronga's actions, which go somewhat against Hutt "norm" were one of a few attempts to defy this "logic". And then, don't forget the animosity towards Jedi who are actually trying to fight back this threat and not just lying down and letting the Yuuzhan Vong take over every planet in their path.

As an entry in the New Jedi Order, "Balance Point" is a solid, if somewhat flawed, entry. It doesn't overly rely on previous NJO novels, so if you skip (as I highly suggest) the Agents of Chaos books, you won't be missing anything. It keeps the story moving. And we definitely start to see why the Yuuzhan Vong may be winning this war. Just don't expect brilliance on par with Stover, Zahn, and Stackpole, and you should be great.

Brought to you by:
*C.S. Light*


title: Three Stars

text: ok


title: Five Stars

text: OK


title: Jorg Demus a giant in Debussy!

text:
In this Debussy's centenary it very pleasant to take a backward glance to famous pianists of the past. And Jorg Demus couldn't be ignored in this sense. This album is a feast for your soul and senses. Demus manages to express the elusive atmosphere of C.D.with his well known majestic pianism.

Sensitivity and breadth characterize most of Demus’ interpretations, together with his warm sonority, nuanced touch, subtle dynamic gradations, and astute ear for textural variety.

Nicely phrased with verve and refinement. The Suite Bergamasque is one of the most hypnotical versions ever recorded. Other memorable performances are the two Arabesques, Children's cormer,  Reverie,Lla plus que lent, Pour le piano and both books of Preludes.

Despite this album was released some years ago, I would like to recommend its acquisition.

Absolutely recommended.


title: For hard collectors!

text:
Bulgary was the land of  two of the most eminent pianists of the past Century: Alexis Weisenberg and Yuri Boukoff.

Boukoff (1925) was a supreme master of the instrument. Unfortunately for him was not wodely known in this side of the Ocean. I had the chance to know about him when I purchased the first set of Proko Piano Sonatas in the middle seventies.

This version of Tchaikovsky Op. 23 is one of the most electryfying ever made and it's a real pity this version had been almost hidden for most of hard lovers music. It's plenty of drive, mercurial drive and flaming musicality.

The Grieg is worthy to hear too, even it's not at the same level than Piotr.

You will have a rewarding experience once you listen it. Don't doubt and go for this recording, before it is OOP.