title: Radio fun

text:
A CD of dubious legality from a company of equally suspicious lawfulness, this is a mixture of BBC ‘Top of the Pops’ radio shows and four live recordings. All taped in 1967, it’s nice to hear live radio versions of  ‘Cucumber Castle’ ‘One Minute Woman’ and ‘In My Own Time’. Introduced by Brian Matthews,  because of their sparse nature, each track is appreciably different to its Atco (or Polydor in the UK) versions.

‘To Love Somebody’ is particularly good, with a heavier backing and chopping guitar and a cute ending. Surprisingly, they perform ‘Mrs Gillespies Refrigerator’, a song that wouldn’t be released on record for four decades. Interspersed are two interviews, one of which is with Vince Melouney who mentions a 40 minute comedy the group will be filming with Lulu and Adam Faith, using songs from their first LP. I guess it morphed into Cucumber Castle in 1970.

The last four here are supposed to be live in Stockholm. Barry does thank everyone and introduces the group, so maybe they were, though only ‘World’ has an audience in evidence. The sound quality ranges from decent to very good but the sleeve notes might as well not be there (no money was ever going to be spent on the recordings or inlay);it’s only die-hard Bee Gees fans who will buy this, so there’s no need to tell us how they got a recording contract.

As an historical document, it’s worthwhile and you do get to hear songs in a a different environment.


title: Fading in and fading out

text:
After an initial burst of success in the late 60s, the Bee Gees fell out of favour for a few years. In 1975 it all changed with ‘Main Course’ and their resurgence. Everyone was interested in the brothers again, so much so that after a tour of North America, they were invited to play on the USA TV show, Soundstage. Courtesy of Zip City, which may be a label of dubious legality, this is that show.

The interesting thing about the PBS show is a live version of ‘Road To Alaska’, and a brief delve back in time to their formative years; and such is the harmony on the three songs in question from the (very) late 50s and (very) early 60s, they could be performed with the same arrangement as the brothers did in the previous decades. The remainder might be a familiar staple of their 90s shows and available on other ‘in concert’ recordings, but they are appreciably different here. One thing that annoys me immensely is an audience clapping at the start of a song. Unfortunately most tracks here have that. Don’t. Do. It! Be aware that they also fade up at the start and there’s no between song patter, mainly because there was next to none, which was a shame. (There is a brief Q&A halfway through, which leads into that trio of 'flashback' songs.) Missing is the introduction sequence, but I guess without the visuals that wouldn't come over too well on CD.

But it isn’t just that TV broadcast here; the final eight songs are taken from a show in Melbourne in October, 1974, and it makes a change to hear ‘Mr Natural’ and ‘Lay It On Me’ performed on stage. The most unusual offering is a 97 second version of ‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band’. Like the 'Soundstage' offerings, this is probably the way it was showcased in those teenage black and white days. There's a bit of between song chat.

The sound quality isn’t the best but as good as it probably could be, and the inlay card is a waste of time, but for Bee Gees fans, and this is who it’s aimed at, it’s well worth having as an historical document and to hear a few live songs unavailable on anything else, as they were soon to be dropped from their set.


title: "Not more Yellow Submarine stuff?"

text:
I was merely browsing eBay one day when I chanced upon something I didn't realise existed. Someone was selling a four track promotional CD of The Beatles' 'Yellow Submarine Songtrack' in an auction. I watched the time tick by and nobody had bid. With a couple of hours remaining, I placed a bid and sat staring at the screen. "You've won item number *******" Blimey!. And I got it for pennies. Two days later it arrived. An unknowing gap filled.

"Not more Beatles' stuff" she said, shaking her head in one of those 'I don't understand you' moments. No, she doesn't, but then she doesn't understand what collecting is all about. Why would I want a four track promo of the 'Yellow Submarine Songtrack' when I already have the songs on a multitude of other CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray and vinyl (both mono and stereo)? Because it's something else to add to my collection that includes numerous toys, books, snow globes, furniture, etc. on the subject, that's why!

That's the thing with collecting, be it records, comics, stamps, cigarette cards, paper weights or any one of a multitude of items people have a passion for. Only a fellow collector could understand the gibbering, wide eyed enthusiasm shown when greeted by a pristine, boxed Yellow Submarine for sale at a boot fair. The same astonished drooling a comic collector would have, faced with Issue 1 of DC's Superman I suppose.

The other thing she doesn't understand is why everything is displayed in my 'man cave' like the Crown Jewels. Record collectors don't play their records any more than a Corgi enthusiast gets out his models to play 'cars' on the front room carpet.

"Are you going to sell it?" is often asked? Er, there wouldn't be any point in collecting it if I did. "What you going to do with it then?" is another favourite. Nothing! "So you're just going to look at it?" Yes.

"You give that stuff more care and attention than you give to me". That's not strictly true. She's forgetting the time when I discovered her cousin had a Blue Meanie Halloween Costume, complete with packaging

attachment_type: IMAGE


title: Monkeemania

text:
During the 'Summer of Love', that's 1967 for those unaware, the Monkees toured the USA (and played three nights in London). The final three nights of that tour were recorded for a potential live LP for the lucrative Christmas market. Though professionally recorded, the equipment and conditions were rather primitive 48 years ago, which is why nothing was released at the time. In addition to those three nights, a fourth (earlier) night was also recorded, this time from the mixing board. Twenty years later, 16 of those songs were issued on a live CD and one on a compilation boxset. In 2001, accompanied by a booklet that incorporates some great photos, Rhino, as part of their Handmade series, remixed all the shows and released a limited number quadruple CD box. Mine is 0073/3500.

What you hear on these CDs is exactly as it was all those years ago. No sweetening, no overdubbing. From start to end, everything is as you would have heard it had you been there. False starts, clowning around, tuning, unintentional feedback, unruly audiences, duff microphones, snippets of unconnected songs, spluttering instruments. It's all here, which is what makes it such a treasure. Trying to play songs on guitar, bass, drums and percussion that utilised a multitude of instruments on the records, it's real ragged garage-thrash band stuff.

Whilst there are four CDs, there are only 17 disparate tracks, including the introduction. The group didn't vary their set list, so you get to hear each song four times. But don't let that put you off, as the performances are contrasting, especially the bits in between and the introductions. Unusually, their live shows incorporated a solo spot for each member.  Tork blows the dust from his banjo on 'Cripple Creek', and backed by The Sundowners, Nesmith grabs a pair of maracas and storms through a blistering 'You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover', Jones grabs the spotlight for 'Gonna Build A Mountain', and Dolenz baffles the audience with a James Brown parody on 'I Got A Woman', most of whom, if not all, had never heard of him.

The 2½ minutes of 'Mary Mary' is extended to eight due to Mike singing a [planned] impromptu 'Singing In The Rain', 'Steppin' Stone' is double the record length, Davy sings both lead and backing vocals on 'Forget That Girl', Peter introduces Mike by playing the final part of 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'. Davy lambasts the 'idiots' who own the building for not allowing cameras inside, so encourages those who sneaked theirs in to take as many photos as possible. And get this all those who may mock; he even plays bass and drums on a couple of things. If the audience was enjoying themselves, the group seemed to be having an even better time. Whereas The Beatles appeared to want to get their shows over with as quickly as manageable, The Monkees wanted to stay out there for as long as possible.

I'm still nonplussed why music critics still deride The Monkees. I thought they would have grown up by now and given the group their deserved plaudits. Mind you, if Zappa, Hendrix, Neil Young, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, and even Lennon and Harrison gave them their fair dues, what does it matter what critics think?

If you're just dabbling, look out for the 'Live 1967' single CD. If you're a fully fledged Monkeemaniac, not only is this fabulous, it's fabulously expensive, too.


title: Listen to the band

text:
The Monkees? Oh that plastic, manufactured group with no discernible talent that was an affront to proper music? Well not quite. They sold millions of records, were watched by many more millions each week, made a film that has acclaimed cult status (as has their TV special), worked with people many may not realise (Hendrix, Zappa, Neil Young, Lowell George, Stephen Stills, Jack Nicholson, and others), and were accomplished musicians in their own right. And you thought they were just four goofballs worth nothing but contempt and the pointed finger of derision.

With their legacy now owned by Rhino, the company have been reissuing out-takes, alternate versions and previously unreleased recordings since the late 80s. In 2000, this triple CD set from their eight week 'Headquarters' sessions came out. Whilst not a complete document from those recordings, there's enough here to satiate the most rabid fan.

Being the only real album they ever made as a group, of the 84 tracks, a mammoth 61 were previously unissued, which may sound a mouth watering prospect. If you're a Monkees die-hard, then yes; if you're only contemplating, then no. The problem those non-committed fans will have is that many of the unreleased items are backing tracks. 'The Girl I Knew Somewhere', for example, is extant in seven versions, only two of which have vocals, whilst 'Forget That Girl' is heard five times. To counter this seemingly tedious repetition, there are some real gems to be heard. An acoustic 'Sunny Girlfriend' (with complete Micky and Mike vocals) is followed by a tracking take (with guide vocal), a totally alternate version of 'Randy Scouse Git'; the isolated and longer individual vocals for 'Zilch', Nesmith's solo of 'Until It's Time For You To Go', and some never-taken-any-further tracking sessions of half a dozen other songs all make the whole set worthwhile. What is also evident is the tedium that recording sessions can result in; witness the six minutes spent trying to get the drum sound right for 'Randy Scouse Git'. However, the final master backing tracks included here do allow you to hear notes and phrases you didn't know were there.

Save for a couple of vocals, Jones is virtually absent from the whole thing (the tambourine hardly being an essential instrument) but the oft overlooked Tork plays a key role in everything here, refuting the frequent claim he was bereft of any musical ability, and his acoustic demo of 'Can You Dig It' - at this point called 'Tentatively' - predates the official recording by nearly twelve months.

The third CD has the original track sequence for the LP, as taken from an early mono master before the order of songs was changed, deleted and added to. The accompanying booklet takes excerpts from Andrew Sandoval's [at the time] forthcoming chronology, after which each different track is given its own short narrative.

Limited to 4,500 numbered copies - mine is 1,365 - if you're looking for a copy of this, you won't get much change  from  £600 ($1,000). If your wallet wakes up in a sweat at the thought of that, there is an eight track vinyl sampler available and you could, of course, download the whole thing, but that's considered sacrilege to true collectors.


title: Can you dig it?

text:
When it was first released way back in late 1968, 'Head' was rather poor value for money. It wasn't that the songs weren't very good, they were, it was that not only did it clock in at a smidgeon under 29 minutes, there were a mere six of them from the group, the rest of the space being taken up by snippets of dialogue from the accompanying film and a pseudo classical piece. (That might be one of the reasons it made no impact on our charts.) In 1994, it was issued on CD with six extra tracks, which added another 15 minutes to its length. Now its part of the Rhino Handmade series, one of seven such releases involving the group. Well down on what we're used to, of the 58 tracks (though five are of an interview) just 21 have never been issued on record or CD.

CD1. Augmented by ten bonus tracks, this has the original 14 track LP, which has been remastered to bring you a truly wonderful experience. Half of those bonus offerings are previously unreleased, including a rough mix of 'Can You Dig It', and alternate mixes of [a much longer] 'Daddy's Song', 'Swami' and 'Happy Birthday'. There's also a session for the spoken word 'Ditty Diego'. Beware; it goes on for 23 minutes but it does give you an insight into a recording process.

CD2. Sixteen unissued takes and mixes are spread amongst another seven that we've already heard on various releases. Of most interest (for me anyway) are three unreleased live songs that were recorded during the Salt Lake City concert for the 'Circle Sky' filming (with Jones playing a mean bass and organ with duff microphones all round), and Peter Tork's final duty as a Monkee, recording a vocal and banjo accompaniment for 'California, Here It Comes'. Standing out from the rest are a couple of alternate rough mixes of 'Porpoise Song' and an elongated 'Long Title' with a superb Tork vocal. Weirdly, a couple of these have an advert for the film tagged onto the end. The remaining ten are a variety of mono mixes, radio spots and an eight minute introduction to the live tracks, which is a great cure for insomnia.

CD3. Consisting of a five part 'open ended' Davy Jones interview about the film and intertwined with excerpts of three tracks from the LP and three complete selections, this will probably be the least listened to of the 22 CDs that come under the Handmade banner. ('Open ended' is where gaps are left between the answers so a DJ can add in the questions to make it sound as if the interviewee is there.) It's worth listening to, but you'll only do so once.

Also within the (unnumbered) box is the ubiquitous 45 that contains backing tracks of the USA 'Porpoise Song/As We Go Along' single, and a badge. The booklet contains images from the film and sports superb front and rear colour photos of the group on stage.

The number of tracks spread over three CDs is a bit thin and the unissued stuff isn't as numerous as the rest in the Handmade series, but what's inside is still pretty darn good. Psychedelia is mixed with vaudeville, which is united with some crack(l)ing live performances, a couple of well worn standards, a nod to Eastern philosophy, and a great rock tune. It's not up there with the other Handmade boxes, but that's only because these particular sessions didn't produce as much material for consideration. For hardcore Monkees fans, this is a must have; for everyone else, the '94 CD is the place to look.

I know a lot of it has found its way onto the Handmade boxes, but maybe it's time Rhino released a CD of the '33/3 Revolutions Per Monkee' television special. Whilst we wait in hope for that, Peter Tork took centre stage for this, the 'Head' soundtrack, and, along with being the guiding force of 'Headquarters', is his finest moment as a Monkee.


title: Burning Ember.

text:
Between June 1962 and March 1963, the Dave Clark Five issued a single on the Ember label and two on a Pye subsidiary, Piccadilly. When `beat' music swept all before it soon after, Ember tried to cash in on their two songs from the DC5, and have been attempting to do so ever since. Some enterprising (some would say misguided) suit decided it would be a good thing to issue those songs with some from an obscure beat group, The Washington D.C.'s, who recorded eight tracks for the label in 1964. After all, at the time the Dave Clark Five were at the top of their game. It couldn't fail. Could it? Both an EP (with a third artist, one Ray Singer) and a cheap looking, untitled, 10 track LP followed. The inherent problem, as it was with many other aspiring groups, was the non existent promotion (and many may have thought, not unreasonably, the Washington D.C.'s were American). With sales figures probably numbering less than the words of this review, there was only one outcome.

Fast forward 30 years and Repertoire records (a German label that specialises in reissuing 60s and 70s material) found it wise to bring out a CD of that original ten track Ember LP and add not only the four DC5 Piccadilly songs, but also a further nine Washington D.C.'s `waxings', two of which were originally unissued. Now, an all too brief history is all well and good but the question you're all asking is, "What's it like?"

Of The Dave Clark Five tracks, `Chaquita' (their rewrite of `Tequila'), `First Love', and `I Walk The Line' are instrumentals, which were all the rage at the time, whilst `I Knew It All The Time' is virtually `Tom Hark' with a couple of vocal lines, and 'That's What I Said' is typical very early 60s fare with female vocal backing. The record buying public weren't impressed and neither will you be. However, for collectors of this type of music and DC5 fanatics, these are essential even if they aren't very good.

The 17 Washington D.C.'s recordings are a mixed bag. `I Love Gerald Chevin The Great' is a fine guitar led jazz themed tune, whilst `32nd Floor', a song about a man fancying a girl who isn't interested, is bookended by an instrument well used at the time (1966); the harpsichord. `Seek And Find' has one quarter of Led Zeppelin on bass, and `Anytime' was surprisingly neglected when issued as a single in 1968, but then it's doubtful many knew it was available. (The B-side `I Done It All Wrong' was okay too.) Of the remaining eight, recorded in '64, it was the standard fare of well trodden songs such as 'Carol' and 'Yakkety Yak'. It isn't that they're bad, just that they aren't powerful enough. However, the original `Have You Seen My Baby' is quite catchy (there's also a much better, stronger alternate version included). Had this been released as a single things may have been different.

So, the decision. I've had this CD for years and never bothered with it. I actually wish I had. Okay, the six DC5 tracks are fairly twee (reviewed retrospectively of course) but those from the Washington D.C.'s, despite the somewhat lacklustre vocals on the early stuff, is good second division Merseybeat. For any scholar of the genre, this is a must buy.


title: See no evil. Speak no evil. Hear no evil

text:
First there was the LP (and possibly a cassette), then came the CD with extra tracks. Now there's the 'deluxe' three CD release. The question you're all asking yourselves is, "If I have the CD with bonus tracks and all the other releases with extra songs and that, is it worth getting this?" To wear out further an oft used cliché, at the end of the day only you can decide. But to help you with that decision, I pulled this from my collection to give my tuppence worth.

With the exception of one song, all the tracks on here were recorded before December 1968 when Peter Tork left. Of the original 10-track release of The Monkees' seventh album (and first as a trio), he played guitar on one track but he does appear on a couple of the bonus offerings (including two vocals). In fact, all the songs are basically solo efforts with, bar fleeting occurrences, the instrumentation courtesy of top session musicians, some dating back to 1966.

Before getting to the music itself, a word on what it's packaged in. It's excellent. A 3D book style cover opens out to reveal a twenty-three page booklet with plenty of photos I've never seen, three individual CDs, again with nice rear images, and a picture sleeve 45 (ask your parents). To keep as close to the original LP as possible, the 16 bonus tracks on CD1 aren't listed on the reverse. That's what my guess is.

This single has acetate versions of 'I Go Ape' and '(I Prithee) Do Not Ask For Love' from the TV special, but I have yet to listen to these. It's a nice item to have. Of the 87 tracks on the CDs, 58 are unreleased, but don't think it's chock full of newly discovered songs. As with something like "[[ASIN:B004Q57BFM Headquarters Sessions]]", a lot of what was previously unissued are a variety of takes of backing tracks, which I think makes all this worthwhile, but then I am a die-hard fan and, as you're reading this, maybe you are too. Excepting those backing tracks and the last five songs on disc three, the remainder consists of different mixes and/or alternate vocals. Those aforementioned five happen to be the complete versions of songs taken from the '68 television special and it's about time these were issued (different backing takes are heard elsewhere on this disc) but it's a shame the masters are no longer around.

One of the surprising things heard here is a fuzz guitar version of 'Through the Looking Glass' and a couple of original Jones penned songs, even though they are without vocals.  Also, his 'You And I' is heard in an alien mix complete with drumstick intro and a weird, ear piercing, second organ; and it's not difficult to see why Nesmith wasn't satisfied with his alternate vocal to 'Carlisle Wheeling'. Even though Colgems stopped issuing true mono albums after the group's fifth such release, most of the tracks on this LP were originally mixed in this form and they make their début here, and they are distinct from their stereo counterparts.

What is surprising is the disparate musical styles from the sessions; the usual pop ('Me Without You') is mixed with a fusion of Broadway oriented tunes ('My Share Of The Sidewalk' and 'Changes''), incendiary and provocative lyrics ('Mommy And Daddy'), country rock (most things by Nesmith), R&B ('Rosemarie') and a bit of mini opera (Dolenz's 'Shorty Blackwell') to leave the listener wondering why it never worked. Maybe the problem was there was too much of a motley mix with what the group was now recording, albeit as individuals, which could have been another issue.

This isn't for the casual listener or someone investigating The Monkees, as there are better options for them as an introduction to the group. No, this is aimed squarely at the dedicated fan and collector who will lap this up simply because much of it is discernibly different.


title: Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

text:
In October 1963, The Beatles undertook a short tour of Sweden, playing eight shows (including three in one day!) Before that, however, they took part in that country's equivalent of a BBC session before a live audience. Playing seven songs, five of these were subsequently released on 'Anthology 1' with two, 'She Loves You' and 'Twist And Shout', left off in favour of more historic versions. Now, with the 50 year old copyright rule having passed, you can hear those two on a CD that is made to look suspiciously like the Parlophone label. Strangely, it's an Italian release.

SHE LOVES YOU:
The penultimate song performed. If the first 15 seconds ever sold a record, this would be it. Their biggest UK seller and without a doubt the song that cemented the group into the psyche of the nation. Note perfect, as it always was, it's nice to hear a live version without incessant screaming but an appreciative audience. John's vocal is far more prominent than Paul's.

TWIST AND SHOUT:
If anyone doubts John Lennon was one of the world's greatest vocalists, get them to listen to this. George's guitar spits out the middle eight build up and John does the same with the words throughout, some of which get a slightly different inflection. Rip roaring stuff.

Though it's a single and you won't play it very often, for Beatles fans it's an essential purchase, as the whole show is now legally available in perfect quality (albeit on two unrelated CDs).


title: Great value!

text: All the great music from the bedtime videos of BabyFirstTV. It is of very good help when trying to sleep the baby and there is no TV near so just play it dicrectly in the phone and instant mood is created. Great buy!


title: great for kids

text: My boys enjoy listening to Uncle Moishy and this is a great addition.  Love the songs and story board that go with it.


title: Five Stars

text: Wonderful product for meditation.


title: Incredible Vocals

text: Great songs, this guy has an incredible voice.


title: A good SACD of a popular jazz album

text: This is a hybrid SACD, which means I can play it on most CD players as well as SACD players.  The sound is good and Vocalion SACDs are generally priced reasonably.  Advise to those who are not aware - The version of 2001 on the LP/SACD is an album version which is longer and you may not like it as well as the shorter single, which is not on the LP.  This SACD also has a nice version of Rhapsody in Blue played in a similar pop style.


title: A good overview of the period immediately after American Woman

text: The sound is OK for the stereo/CD layer.  The 4.0 audio layer is better and makes the SA disc a good buy for Guess Who fans.  If you are a casual listener get the American Woman SA disc or the Wheatfield Soul SA disc - they have most of the big hits.  But if you have those this is the one to have with Greatest Hits Vol. 2.


title: I did not see this gift as I bought it ...

text: I did not see this gift as I bought it for my brother's birthday.  He's hard to pick for.  He did write and tell me he was very surprised and amused by it.  Worked for me.🙂


title: I listened to this album nearly every day with my ...

text: I listened to this album nearly every day with my daughter while driving her to school... she has a phrase from "Music in my Mother's House" tatooed on her back... "and my heart still feels full with the sound..." songs that work their way into your heart and give light in the darkness!


title: Five Stars

text: Just simple songs that make you smile... or cry...


title: I love Tom Hunter songs

text: I love Tom Hunter songs. They speak to children and teachers on a very deep level. I use several of the songs on this album at least every week with my preschoolers. Two of these three Champions for Children are now gone... Thank you for your inspiration!


title: The music is fantastic, the sound not as good

text: Don't get me wrong, it is awesome to be able to hear these versions of the songs.  Unfortunately, if you think you're going to sit back in your listening chair and crank this to 11 that isn't this disc's strongpoint. The songs on the first reel are muddy and there are a few dropouts, the last few songs of the second tape are much better.  The live stuff sounds like good quality board tapes.  Highly recommended for the content.  If I could add a picture here it would be of by ticket stubs from '76 and '77 I have that are stuck into an Outlaws mirror next to my Outlaws belt buckle.


title: I played banjo on this album. Dave Goldfein played ...

text:
I played banjo on this album. Dave Goldfein played guitar and sang. Dave is now a four star general in the United States Air Force and is Chief of Staff. Dave wrote and sang "Boy of the Mountains" in 1980. He was a student at the Air Force Academy at the time. We recorded this album with one microphone and a really ancient reel-to-reel tape recorder.

Philsongs Remembered Days
(1)  INTRODUCTION John Hughs
(2)  MORENO VALLEY Tom Munch
(3)  BLACK MOUNTAIN CABIN SONG George Michaels
(4)  BOY OF THE MOUNTAINS Dave Goldfein
(5)  FRENCH HENRY Greg Walker
(6)  ME & MY GUITARRicky W. Maxey
(7)  BLACK MOUNTAIN Mark Rom
(8)  MY MOUNTAIN LADY Paul C. Tweed
(9)  THE NEW MEXICAN COWBOY Curt Rom
(10)  NEW MEXICO I’VE MISSED YOU Ken Konopka
(11)  RUNNIN’ WITH THE WINDGreg (Doc) Walker
(12)  TENNESSEE RIVER Jack Clark
(13)  WINTER OF '29 Steve Lewis
(14)  PHILMONT HYMNJohn (J.B.) Westfal


title: Cheap, obsolete piece of garbage. The seller and Amazon should be ashamed for even offering it for sell.

text: Unless you are a collector of antique computer hardware, don't bother. This product requires Windows 3.1. No seriously, Windows frickin' 3.1. Somehow that minor detail was left out of the product description. What I'm wondering is why this worthless piece of obsolete garbage is being sold on Amazon in the first place.


title: Five Stars

text: Great 45 record.  Glad to add it to my collection!  Thanks!


title: Great CD! Good songs on it

text: Great CD!  Good songs on it.  Thanks again!  :)


title: Five Stars

text: Great 45 record!  Just what I wanted!  Thanks!


title: Great CD! Thanks again

text: Great CD!  Thanks again!


title: Good Christian CD

text: Purchased this on recommendation of a friend and was not disappointed.  The songs are beautiful and the quality of recording of the live show is very good!


title: Five Stars

text: It arrived as expected and I love the music.


This is a GREAT record!  I've enjoyed listening to it!  I shared it with my dad one night and he had a blast and really enjoyed the music.<br />Thanks!


title: Thanks Tana!

text: Very informative and a great resource!


title: My introduction to Celibidache

text:
I already had discovered Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe before discovering this recording. I had been listening to Charles Dutoit and the Montreal, and that recording is of the entire ballet suite. However in one of those instances of serendipity that sometimes occur on YouTube, I saw Celi's and Munich's performance of the 2nd suite from the whole and listened to it (no video). I was immediately struck by Celibidache's interpretation, so much slower. And yet that very slowness brought out sounds I had never heard on my Dutoit recording.

This is that recording. I recommend it. There are other pieces by Ravel as well and I do like the Mother Goose Suite. The product has two discs and both the D & C and the Mother Goose are on disc 2. Disc 1 has Bolero and some other stuff I am not interested in and I never listen to. For that I give it 4 stars as just my personal experience.

But the Celibidache interpretation of the Daphnis and Chloe was worth the price of admission, the cost of the 2 CDs.


title: It's OK

text: It's OK but not something to write home about.  Pleaant is a good word for it.


title: You won't regret this purchase!

text: The kids and I have been enjoying In Freedom's Cause as a unit study.  As a parent, I love the free study guide.  The kids enjoy the theatrical style, related crafts, and especially the accents! They are learning so much in a fun way...and me too!


title: A magnificent release!

text: A gorgeous release done by talented musicians whose respect for Elvis is evident throughout.  I have a soft spot to the new backing for Forget me never: a beautiful dobro and a great steel guitar give this mostly unknown song a blue grass feel that accentuate the forlorn tone of its lyrics. Magnificent! The original version of Blueberry Hill was rather uninspired; this one has a bluesy New Orleans sound that would have fit perfectly on the King Creole doldrums. I enjoy these worthwhile efforts to keep him in the limelight, as the CD with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is doing with great success. My only regret: since the songs are reworked, a couple should have been lengthened to exceed two minutes. Overall, it is a magnificent release, highly recommended.


title: So Beautiful!

text: Heavenly music from the incomparable J.S. Bach


title: problem with case

text: Great CD, but case came broken.


title: Classic Western music

text: This talented singer/storyteller soothes with his mellow voice.  His recordings of classic Western/cowboy songs leaves nothing to be desired.  Ken's interpretations evoke memories of the West as we would all like to remember it.


title: Five Stars

text: thanks very much!


title: Five Stars

text: wonderful CD! Thanks very much!


title: Five Stars

text: Very nice music good for the spirit.


title: Five Stars

text: excellent, thank you very much


title: Three Stars

text: Interesting


title: Buyer Beware!

text: I bought this CD under the mistaken assumption that it was a follow-up to the first Black Tie compilation. In fact, it is a three-song collection probably made up of tunes that didn't make the cut for the original effort by this B-List musical celebrity line-up. When I tell you that one of the songs is "Away In A Manger", I trust that you will heed my warning.


title: perfect

text: ARRIVED EARLY AND PLAYS GREAT.


title: perfect

text: arrived early, plays great.


title: Love it

text: Plays in my computer and dvd player. Love the old radio shows.


title: Initial D music rocks!

text: The disc is in excellent condition.


title: AWESOME

text: My favorite group of all time.  This is an awesome album.


title: Great vocaloid album

text:
If you like your vocaloid music to be less of a techno-y and electronic-y and have more of a rock/hard rock feel to it (Devilish P is a guitarist), buy this album.  One of my favorite vocaloid albums, and the songs on the album have quite a variety.

To any amazon sellers out there who import japanese products, I'd also really appreciate it if you could consider selling Devilish P's 1st album, "5150" on here as well.  The price is a lot higher if I try to buy it from an online japanese store, thanks.


title: Top Notch Entertainment!

text: If you love the songs from this era this is the CD package for you! Some wonderful performers bring the music alive for people of all ages.  I actually heard this CD being played online on an Australian radio station I like to listen to and I did a search for it and found it here on Amazon.  It's a wonderful piece of history!


title: Great CD!

text: Bought CD used because of posted problems with song order. Great CD!


title: Five Stars

text: Awesome CD....


title: The Best Yet!

text: This may be her BEST yet!!! Every single song on this CD is amazing! It is Miranda as we love and know her with natural growth of age showing in song choice without losing her style! I love his CD just as much if not more than her very first and all the ones in between. Every track is dripping with true Miranda flair.


title: True Veljanov

text: All of the songs are beautiful. When you listen to 'Fragile little thing' the words transport you to a lovely scene. A quiet cabin hidden from the rest of the world. Enjoy this superior album.


title: Wonderful Worship CD

text: Kim Walker-Smith's music is always wonderful to listen to.  She is in touch with the Holy Spirit and really knows how to lead in worship.


title: Better than great!

text: My  three year old granddaughter loves this CD.  She has played LaBamba 50 times so far. She knows the lyrics word for word.  We will have to work on the meaning of the words to the song.  There is also a song on the CD that she learned from the children's show 'Dora the Exolprer."  I made a great choice in selecting this CD.


title: Vinyl is red and music is heard, It's Weezer- I consider this a win.

text: It's Weezer's "Pork and Beans", Vinyl format. Vinyl is red. Once placed in turntable, it plays "Pork and Beans" as expected.


title: Horrible quality.

text: Vinyl skipped around. There wasn't a single side where the sound didn't jump or skip on some areas. Horrible quality.


This pressing was horrible. Skipped and jumped all over the place. It seems like it may have been bootlegged or something.


title: Sounds Great

text: Sounds great and is just what my wife was hoping for.


title: Five Stars

text: Everyone who loves vinyl should own this gem


title: Schiller live 2016 Berlin Zeitreise

text: The is Schiller's best yet live perform, almost 2 hours. A must have For Schiller fans world wide.<br />This is also on blu ray disc on eBay.


title: Five Stars

text: Rockin' band. Sorry they broke up.


title: Not as picture shows...

text: Item not as the picture showed. Completely different cover and very cheaply put together. CD's are right. Not really understanding ...


title: Check seller out beforehand

text: Good music but high price I got took cheaper on I tunes


title: Quad Sound Five Stars, Stereo Four Stars

text:
Great double album multi-channel (quad) SACD with 5 of the Guess Who's biggest hits.  New discoveries for me included Humpty's Blues, Moan for Joe and Coming Down Off the Money Bag.

It took a while for the SACD to arrive from the Europe, so I was excited to give the disc a spin when it arrived.  Played the quad SACD layer on my 5.1 surround system first.  It sounded great.  Good job integrating all four speakers into the delivery.  (No sound to the sub or center, just the two front and two surround speakers.)  The quad mix is interesting, the primary voice is ofter from the surrounds, so if your surrounds are tiny they might not be up to the task.

I listened to the stereo SACD layer on my headphones.  Its perfectly acceptable, but it isn't outstanding like the quad mix is.  I have ordinary CDs that sound as good or better.

I will be purchasing more quad SACDs from Vocalion.  Seller should offer a discount on shipping if multiple items are purchased in a single order.


title: He is my favorite singer. If you haven't heard him sing and ...

text: He is my favorite singer.  If you haven't heard him sing and you love songs from the American Songbook, listen to him.


title: Five Stars

text: Great singers, great band..great salsa!


title: I loved it!

text: I wasn't sure, so I checked it out on YouTube. After the second song, I paused the performance, went to Amazon and bought a NEW copy... Then I went back to finish it on YouTube. 1 hour and 58 minutes of incredible salsa...I loved it!


title: Phenomenal

text: Awesome


title: interesting and introspective

text: This is a good album when one considers local musicians producing without a huge budget. A lot of this album is looking at patriot and some of it has a story feel.


title: Bad Recording

text: Absolutely awful recording.  I don't know if it's the narrator (who according to the box has over 200 audio books) or the production.  Everyone in my car screamed "turn it off" because they could not stand the baritone voice. It might have been okay except that the dynamic range is way too much.  You can barely hear the narration, but then when he quotes a character it blasts so loud everyone screams in pain.  It also clips on these "voices".  Skip this one.


title: Rare Bartok masterpieces.

text: Hard--to-find recordings by this Hungarian master musician. Well done.

user_id: AHNVRRJPHPZNKUUIAXHEJSOHXHOQ


title: Classic '70s Christian Folk Rock

text:
Released in 1978. 'Roadway To The Son' was the first and only album released by Heirship, a seven-man Christian band from the Merced CA area. Originally drawn from a few airmen stationed at nearby Castle Air Force base along with some area natives, Heirship developed its unique sound by combining vocals, guitars, bass, drums and flute into a cohesive sound that served to glorify the Lord they worshipped. In its short existence, the band eventually toured the entire United States in a converted school bus, singing the Gospel for the love offerings of its audience.

The music has a strong acoustic sensibility, along with electric guitar and guest keyboards. The real focus, though, is on the vocals. Thoughtful lyrics cutting to the real chase of life in Christ are projected through multi-part harmonies on every track. If the vinyl ever shows up on Amazon again (no CD of this one, but there might be the occasional cassette and eight-track!), snap it up!


title: 8 Track

text: I used to ride around in my '67 Camaro blasting these guys on 8 track as a kid.  So bad ass in the day.


title: Not Harry Nilsson

text: This is a CD single by a Dutch group called "Nilsson" (after Pippi Longstocking's pet monkey).  It is not by Harry Nilsson.


title: And a Good Time Was Had By All

text:
I bought an audio cassette of this in Seward, Alaska way back in 2002 and the kids and I enjoyed it a great deal. Very 'folksy' and fun. A couple of tracks are not music so much as spoken native stories. My kids would listen enthralled time and time again when they were young and they always giggled about "ending up as bear scat".

Track list:

1. Hey Bear Ho Bear (5:20)
2. Beaver Song (3:55)
3. How The Crane Got Blue Eyes (6:38)
4. Some Call Me Nerka (3:29)
5. The Eagle's Warning (6:22)
6. There's a Porcupine In The Outhouse (6:02)
7. How The Fox Became Red (4:19)
9. The Dipper (5:19)
10. Silently Gliding (6:43)
11. Animal Thank You  (1:42).

with Yupik storyteller John Active.


title: On time and as described

text: Product was on time and as described.


title: Rot Damn, the Pusher Man

text: This album is just like i remember it from the late 60's. Classis rock and blues. This music is still topical today


title: Great Collection

text: ANTHOLOGY 1 is key for any deep fan of the Beatles.  It's probably not for the casual fan, because it's a collection of alternate takes, rehearsals and some live recordings of their songs.  It includes songs that were hits or are well known, but these aren't the recordings that became lodged in our collective brains.  There are also a few previously unheard songs and recordings, as well as snippets of interviews.  This is more of a historical album, a peek into the Beatles' process of making their music rather than the ultimate recordings.  Taken as that - ANTHOLOGY 1 is fantastic.


title: abridged or not?

text: just purchased an audio CD of this book and found it to be just 3 hours long!  Then I saw it was abridged.  I typically do not  buy abridged books but saw nothing on the product details that said it was cut.  Caveat emptor!  Wouldn't it be best if the seller had to note that the book was either unabridged or not?


title: Rootsy blues music

text:
Troel Jensen & The Healers - Look This Way

My first listen to this group and not much information is available. Troels appears to be from Denmark and apparently plays piano and guitar. He has played with some other players as well and has some digital releases here on Amazon that are mostly acoustic in style. I don’t know much else but what I do know is that this is a good set of music. Slow blues, acoustic blues, New Orleans stroll, this one covers a variety of styles and it all sounds good. Guitar is featured on several of the tracks and there is good support from a horn group. I suspect Troels handles vocals but I’m not sure. I liked this one a lot. You might as well. Recommended

user_id: AFGCUWJKHDQOSDKYLGOCYJLBWRFA


title: Fine modern blues

text:
Joe T. Cook - Long Shot

Nice disc here of electric blues fronted by Cook on harp and vocals. Good mix of originals and covers. Cook was in Minneapolis for along time and now appears to be based in The Seattle area. This is some good stuff here and I hope he is able to continue recording for those who are not able to see him and the band live. Recommended.


title: Rockin 50’s tracks

text:
Rock Rock-Ola

The premise here is 30 tracks from the fifties that might have been found on a Rock-Ola jukebox, probably in the south somewhere. No notes but a lot of good music. What you get are rare rockers, rockabillies and country rockers from some familiar names and some obscure ones as well. This is a good collection and it’s a shame the price is so ridiculous at over $38. This is recommended but not at that price. Buy it if you ever see it for a reasonable cost.


title: Nice release

text:
James Buddy Rogers - By My Side

Solid disc here. A good amount of guitar with good tone and tasteful playing. No guitar shredding to be found here. I was not familiar with this artist before playing this CD but I am impressed and will watch for other releases by James Buddy Rogers. B’man provided a thorough review already so I will just advise this is some good stuff.


title: Early rockers from Luman

text:
Bob Luman - rocks, his 50’s recordings

30 tracks here on the Sparkletone label. Focused on his 50’s rockabilly tracks, there is some good stuff on here. There are a number of comps available for the music of Bob Luman and this is but one of those. If you see this for a good price, buy it but other collections are more readily available. He was a solid rocker in the 50’s and this is good music to have in your collection one way or another.


title: Solid comp for a casual fan

text:
The Grateful Dead - Eternally Grateful

Starbucks comp on the Dead. Last time I looked there were 4965 Grateful Dead discs available give or take a thousand. This is a basic comp that is perfect for a casual listener who wants a simple collection from the band. Most of the well known studio tracks are here on disc 1 and some assorted live tracks on disc 2. Deadheads could argue for hours about what’s not here but what is here is a good selection of tracks that makes for a good listen and might be all most casual listeners might need. The packaging is a digipak and includes a rather nice booklet. You can get a used copy for a low price and this offers good value, a nice presentation and a fair assortment of tracks (studio and live) for a casual fan.


title: Deep collection of early swamp pop

text:
Various Artists - On Bended Knee

65 tracks over 2 discs here that feature swamp pop sounds from 1955 - 1961. If you enjoy the sweet feeling that started in the Acadiana region of Louisiana, then you will enjoy this collection. Some familiar tracks and some obscure sprinkle the track list. Brief notes are included with a short history of the genre. 65 tracks of swamp pop is a lot for one listen but there is some variety of instrumentation here and this is a recommended release. There are other similar comps available so take your pick or collect them all. Great music from a time gone by.


title: Excellent 60’s band finally gets recorded

text:
The Better Days - Backlash

This one is special. The Better Days were a rockin band playing to packed houses in the countryside of England in the early 60’s. There shows featured the driving R&B music favored by the early Stones but The Better Days never got their chance at the big time like so many other English bands did. The group disbanded in the mid 60’s until new life was found for some shows and a chance to record in 1991. This disc is from those recordings and the band rips through 24 covers in a rockin style that exceeds what the stones and yardbirds recorded from that era. If you have any interest in the hard R&B and blues music from the 60’s, this is an essential purchase. 25 years after the group disbanded, they sound like they never left. A remarkable recording. Highly recommended.


title: Mixed bag on sound quality

text:
Jimi Hendrix - Live In Copenhagen

This review is for the CD on the Rock of Ages label. The track list is:

Catfish Blues  1/7/68
Tax Free  1/10/69
Fire. 1/10/69
Voodoo Child. 1/10/69
Foxy Lady. 1/10/69
Spanish Castle Magic. 1/10/69
Freedom. 9/3/70

These tracks from Copenhagen are good performances but tracks 3-6 are at a sound quality that detracts from the enjoyment. The sound quality isn’t horrible but why settle for B grade sound when you don’t have to? If this was all we had of live music from Jimi, it would be essential in any collection. Fortunately, there are many live recordings that are better sound quality than this disc and showcase Jimi in all his glory. I enjoyed Catfish Blues, Tax Free and Freedom but the other tracks are available elsewhere in better quality. Freedom shows some of the new direction he wanted to go and was recorded 2 weeks before he died. For collectors, this makes sense. For anyone else, buy the better quality versions out there on his many live recordings


title: Blues for dancing

text:
Paul Orta & Lazy Lester - Shuffle With Lester

Interesting disc here from 1999. The band features Ervin Charles, Uncle John Turner, Little Ray Ybarra among others with Lester and Paul on top. There are some real groovers here and this makes for some fine dancing music. Paul Orta is the star here with his harmonica which is deep and strong. This is an old style blues disc with the harmonica the lead instrument and not the guitar which is rare these days. 7 covers and 7 tracks written by Paul Orta make up this disc. This is good stuff.

Sadly, Paul passed away in 2019 from colon cancer and his harp is silent now but he was a great player and very active in the blues world for many years. This is a nice piece of his legacy and he certainly enjoyed working on this with one of his inspirations - Lazy Lester. Recommended.


title: Blues Guitar Deluxe

text:
Andreas Arlt - All-Time Favorites

2011 Release on Crosscut features the guitar and vocals of Andreas Arlt who was co-founder of BB & The Blues Shacks. They have a deep catalogue of great blues discs but this is a solo release from Andreas and a fine one it is. All-Time Favorites is the title and describes the disc well as the tracks all have significance to Andreas as favorites or formative to his playing. Guitar is front and center on every track and the liners written by Andreas discuss each of the original versions as well as the guitar he played for each track on this release. He notes that there are no effects here, just a guitar plugged into a 1966 Fender Princeton Reverb amp. Nice selection of boogies, slow burners, instrumentals and many are augmented by a horn section as well. The original artists of these tracks include Guitar Slim, Albert Collins, Ivory Joe Hunter, George "Harmonica' Smith, Roscoe Shelton and others. This release is a personal one for Andreas and is a winner on all counts. Highly Recommended!


title: Fine release from Antonik

text:
Chris Antonik - Monarch

13 tracks here and it’s all very well done. Antonik has a good vision for his music and executes it nicely. This is a full band here with some horns, some strings, background singers and some good songs to work with. Topping it all off is Chris’s guitar work which is excellent with a very appealing tone. The style of music found here is reminiscent of Derek Trucks in his current band and some Jeff Jensen for the diversity. This is a very nice disc and Antonik writes some good songs and plays a lot of strong guitar. I will investigate his other releases now that I hear what he can do. Recommended


title: Nice live recordings

text:
Etta James - Live From The Big Apple

Found this for a low price and took a chance. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the sound and the performances found on this disc. The notes are a career summary with only a brief mention of the recordings on this release. The only info is that these recordings were made in the early 80’s in New York. Regardless of the lack of information, the performances are excellent. The tracks are mostly covers and there are only 10 on the disc but Etta digs into these songs with a lot of intensity here. In addition, there is a lot of raw guitar playing here and a tight band. No notes on the musicians but this is good stuff and the sound is very good as well. If you can find it for a low price, get it. Recommended


title: Fine blues disc

text:
James Harman - Liquor Parking

What a great disc! James wrote the liners for this and describes how this music came to be. As he tells it, Nathan James and Marty Dodson who tour with James were unable to make it for some recent gigs so James hooked up with Big John Atkinson, Malachi Johnson, Greg Roberts, Kendra Roy, Bob Welsh and Mike Tempo. The tour ended up in Northern Cal and they hit Big John’s home studio to lay down some tracks. This was truly a jam session with James calling out keys, the band following and Harman making up the lyrics on the spot.

The result is 15 tracks of down home electric blues music that has soul. These are one take songs and shows what happens when great musicians get together. The whole vibe and atmosphere is old school here and it works very well. Match great players up with the recording style of Atkinson which is an analog sound using his old 40’s and 50’s tube gear and you have a winner. If this sounds at all interesting, I highly recommend you consider purchasing this excellent disc. Thanks James for keeping it real and look for any other discs recorded by Big John Atkinson as they all sound amazing.


title: Excellent Texas Blues Disc

text: Shawn Pittman & Jay Moeller - Everybody Wants To Know<br />Recorded in January of 2018 in Austin, this fine release features Shawn on guitar, Jay on drums and adds Johnny Moeller on several tracks for additional guitar. 14 tracks here of excellent hard driving electric blues done right. The songs are a mixture of covers and originals and there ain't a bum track in the bunch. I always enjoy Pittman and his guitar playing and adding the Moellers adds something special as they have a long friendship and have made great music together in the past (Johnny's Blues Aggregation, Bluegaloo, Triple Troubles). The only issue I see here is that the price is rather high but I paid it and was glad I did. Excellent Texas rockin blues. Recommended.


title: Solid Blues disc

text:
Joe Vicino & The Smokedaddys - Shine

10 tracks on this 2004 release. This is a GBD trio playing blues based music and Joe Vicino plays the guitar and wrote the tunes. What I liked about this was that he doesn't overplay. The tempo is controlled and there are no long hard rockin solos. Instead the guitar supports the song and the style reminds me of some of Eric Clapton's mellow electric tunes with a little SRV and a Hendrix style track included as well. Overall, I enjoyed this disc and found it to be a good listen. Not sure why the cost is so high here but if you see this at a reasonable price, pick it up.


title: Fine early R&B and Blues sides

text:
Johnny Fuller - West Coast R&B and Blues Legend

22 tracks on the Official label. This is mellow to mid tempo R&B and Blues which sounds like a late fifties or early 60’s time frame. There are no notes at all so that is a reasonable guess I think. There is a lot of that raw 50’s sounding guitar here although no long solos are to be found. Johnny was a guitar player so I assume he played on these tracks but the musicians remain a mystery with no notes to answer that question. As for the music, it holds up well and is a fine representation of West Coast blues from that era. Johnny Fuller moved to Oakland, CA in 1945 and played local clubs for many years. He recorded tracks for a variety of labels often associated with a Bob Geddins between 1954 and 1962 which should include the tracks on this release. For 50’s era West Coast Blues and R&B, this is recommended.


title: Mostly good Dead shows late 80’s

text:
The Grateful Dead - A Touch Of Grey (live broadcasts)

Stuart identified the 3 venues for these shows from 87, 88, 89. Each show is 2 discs of music and the notes are minimal. I enjoyed the first 2 shows, finding the sound quite acceptable and the energy level good. The piano is a bit loud in the mix and frankly I would rather the band had not used a keyboard player at all most of the time. However, the guitar is clear and vocals are spirited.
The letdown for me came with the last show which just doesn’t feel right. The sound quality is off, the guitars are a bit muddled, the band falls into some noodling and Clarence Clemons is wasted as a guest. He is listed as a guest on only Brokedown Palace but I think he actually plays most of the show but his contributions don’t add up to much. Things improve on disc 2 for the last 3 tracks and there are 2 bonus cuts which have better sound and a better vibe. No mention is made of where the bonus tracks were recorded. For me, most of this show was an unusually bad listen.

Summary - 2 good shows and 1 not very good one. There is a ton of live Dead to choose from so I would not rate this high on the list but for a decent price, the first 2 shows are worth a listen.


title: Good Blues Music

text: Ron Yarosz & The Vehicle - Tulips On My Organ<br />11 tracks of electric blues on this disc fronted by Yarosz who plays all keys, sings and plays the harp as well. No bum tracks here and good instrumentation highlights the disc. The cover shot is of Ron with the organ but he plays a lot of harp here as well and does a fine job on both. This is not particularly innovative stuff here but is a good entertaining disc. Give it a listen if you can find it.


title: Excellent Series of discs

text:
Blues From The Burgh - Various Artists

This is a series of discs put out by the Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania. As of this writing there are 5 discs each comprised of about15 tracks from local and some not so local. I have 4 of the 5 discs so far and the music is very good. Lots of variety, well recorded, good vocalists. Just some really good blues primarily electric with a few acoustic tracks included. This is a good chance to hear some fine musicians you may not have heard of and you won't be disappointed if you enjoy contemporary blues. Best option to get these is to buy from the Blues Society directly. I doubt you will regret the purchase.


title: Fair comp of British late 60’s rock/pop music

text:
The Great British Psychedelic Trip Vol 3 - Various Artists

Mixed bag on this disc. About half the 24 tracks qualify in my opinion as described in the disc title. The rest are too poppy for me with no real psychedelic features. These tracks could benefit from more guitar. There are so many comps out there that I don’t recommend this one for the best of British Psychedelic music. I respect the See For Miles label but this was not one of their best releases


title: Excellent disc of stories and poems combined with blues based music

text:
Dick Lourie - Ghost Radio Blues

Very unusual disc here. Dick combined his poetry with blues and early rock styles to create this disc of songs and stories. The musicianship is excellent that accompanies the spoken dialogue and each track has something to say about music history, styles or life. Big Jack Johnson is featured on two tracks which makes sense considering that Dick played sax with Big Jack and his band. Dick is the narrator throughout the disc weaving his poetry and written dialogue into the music and plays some awesome sax along the way. I love the way he plays and it really enhances the proceedings here. Blues at its best is about stories and this is a creative way to expand on that. Well done and recommended for those who enjoy blues or 50’s rock. Take a chance on this if it sounds interesting....you might really appreciate what this disc is all about.


title: Excellent tribute to jazz sax legends

text:
Teddy Edwards & Houston Person - Horn To Horn

Excellent jazz disc featuring the two tenor sax players. Each of the 8 tracks are in tribute to other classic sax players such as Coltrane, Hawkins, Getz, Young, Ammons, Webster, Gordon  and Lockjaw Davis. This was recorded in 1996 by Rudy Van Gelder at his studio and the clarity of the instruments is extraordinary.  This is some beautiful stuff that was recorded in one 5 hour session and I highly recommend it if you enjoy tenor sax style jazz.


title: Terrific sampler of rockin tracks

text:
Perfect For Parties - Various Artists

30 tracks from the El Toro and Rhythm Bomb labels. As you might expect this is a collection of rockin tracks with that 50’s feel. Primarily rockabilly, there are also a few vocal tracks such as So Young by Vicky Tafoya which is my favorite from this collection. This is jam packed with good stuff and is highly recommended as a sampler from 2 excellent labels.


title: Worthwhile disc of tracks that influenced the mighty Zep

text:
Various Artists - The Roots Of Led Zeppelin

A disc put out by Mojo magazine intended to show the influences of the Zep group. As a stand alone disc there is some good stuff on here and I think it is a good listen of blues and folk music. As a Zep influences disc it is quite enlightening. Much of the early Zep playbook is found right here within many of these tracks and it would be interesting to know for sure how much of this Page actually heard before Zep took flight. Tracks such as Bert Jansch - Blackwater Side, Davy Graham - She Moved Through Thru the Bizarre/Blue Ragga, Joan Baez - Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You and John Fahey - Dance Of The Inhabitants Of The Palace Of King Phillip XIV Of Spain are so close to what Zep did with some tunes that it is shocking. The strength of Zep was to take all of these influences and create their own sound but clearly it was not all original thinking that made the Zep sound. But then again, every musician has had influences. Overall, some good music here and quite revealing as to what Zep drew from to create there sound.


title: Fine Electric Blues Disc

text:
Peter Ward - Blues On My Shoulder
Debut disc from the Boston blues man. 13 tracks with 12 written by Ward and one cover. He displays a sense of humor in his writing and keeps things interesting. This is a good collection of musicians here which makes the disc an easy listen. There is harp, organ, sax, mandolin and piano along with the G,B,D core. Guests Sugar Ray Norcia and Sax Gordon Beadle add the most significant contributions across the disc. What I particularly enjoyed was the guitar tone he has which is a bit raw.

Summary - fine electric blues CD with skilled musicians and some good songs. I hope we hear more from Mr. Ward in the future, Recommended.


title: Excellent Electric Blues Disc

text:
The Russell Brothers - Thicker Than Water

14 tracks here of solid blues music. Fine guitar, vocals, bass etc. Good songs as well. It's all good and an enjoyable listen. I wish they had released more music together as this one shines. Recommended


title: High Quality Soul Blues Release

text: Bobby G - Still Standing<br />This disc shows how a soul blues disc should be made....with real instruments played by human beings. It makes a huge difference and the proof is right here. This is a great listen with excellent instrumental support and terrific vocals from Mr. Bobby G. 10 tracks so it moves through quickly but it is quality stuff - good songs, good musicians and a great vocalist. Well done by Bobby G and I hope he records some more music in the same style.


title: Blues Pop release from Australian guitarist

text: Mal Eastick - Southern Line<br />Mal is an Australian guitar player and bandleader who has been on the scene down under for 30 years. He has only released 2 albums, this being the first but is generally considered one of the best blues guitar players in Australia. This disk has 11 tracks of G,B,D with keys format. The weakness of the disc in my opinion is the pop nature of a few of the songs. The strength is the guitar playing which is featured prominently across nearly all tracks. Mal is a good guitar player and makes this a worthwhile release. If he was to record a full album of burning blues tracks it could be something pretty special. The blues tracks on here are good....I just wanted more hard blues. Overall, a worthwhile release with a few tracks that weren't really bluesy enough for me.


title: Solid Blues Release

text: Amos Garrett - Buried Alive In The Blues<br />Classy set of blues by Mr. Garrett. This is full bodied stuff with some horns, fine singing and songwriting, solid guitar on every track, some soul styling and it all works well. Amos is a fine guitar player who complements the song and doesn't waste notes and this disc is a good showcase for his talents. Well done.


title: Fine Live Disc Of Blues and Soul Music

text:
Margo Tufo - Live At The Candlelight
Recorded live in Portland, this is a blues/soul disc of covers. Ms Trufo is a deep voiced singer and I mean deep. Takes a bit of getting used to for me but she is a good singer and most of the tracks work well for her such as Tell Mama, Hard a Times, Love & Happiness, Someone Else Is Stepping In, The Thrill Is Gone and Giving It Up For Your Love. The band is excellent and features g,b & d plus organ and a horn section. The guitar and tenor sax are featured on most tracks. The band is hot but surprisingly, the one instrumental track on the disc was the track I liked the least. Of special note is the recording itself. This is one of the best quality live recordings i have heard. All instruments are clear and well balanced. This sounds as good as most studio recordings - well done to Drew Canulette and Bill Wolford.
In Summary, this is a very well recorded blues/soul live disc with 9 tracks fronted by a good singer with a very good band. Must have been a good show to see.


title: 28 Tracks of solid 60's Era R&B

text:
Billy Lamont Meets Chuck Edwards
This CD is on the Official label and there are 15 tracks featuring Lamont and 13 for Edwards. The liner notes provide no information as to when this stuff was recorded or any info on the featured artists. What we have here is a collection of tracks ranging from R&B workouts to instrumentals to soul ballads and a few more pop oriented tracks. Lamont was a vocalist and acquits himself well on his 15 tracks. The track notes state that 4 feature the Upsetters (Little Richard's band) as the backing band. A guy named Jimi Hendrix played guitar on tracks 14 &15. The first of these has a mild guitar accompaniment while the second track Sweet Thang has a more aggressive guitar sound but no solo that hints at the Hendrix sound which was to follow. Certainly not a reason to buy this if you are a Hendrix collector. The recording dates are not identified here but I would guess early to mid sixties range would cover these tracks. Overall the Lamont tracks are mostly uptempo R&B and ballads.
Chuck Edwards was a guitarist and singer. The 13 tracks here are mostly the same style as the Lamont tracks. I found the instrumentation on the Edwards tracks to be slightly superior to the rest of the CD. Mostly uptempo again and with a few ballads mixed in plus an instrumental, there is some variety here and several tracks are noted to be with vocal group, with the Five Crowns or the Sonny Thompson Band.

Overall this is a good slice of R&B music from probably the early sixties featuring these two artists and a worthwhile release with acceptable sound. For any collector of R&B music from that era I would say this is recommended.


title: Fine Stompin' Music - Amped Up 50's R&B

text:
Stompin 5

Another great set in the Stompin' series. If you like rockin' R&B and uptempo juke blues you need this. The Stompin series was one of the best collections of quality obscure tracks from deep in the dust bin of the 50's and 60's forgotten music pile. Most of the artists were regional with few recordings but the ones selected for the Stompin' releases were all great. I believe the series ended on Stompin' 34 and if this is your kind of music, I suggest you search out all of them. The compilers did an outstanding job of researching and compiling the tracks on the CD releases which were preceded by some LP versions when the series started. All of the tracks on #5 are a good listen...favorites include Don't Want You Maybelline, Nobody's Fool, I Gotta A New Car, It's a Man Down There and Sour Mash which has a particularly raw guitar solo. Highly recommended as are all of the 34 discs in the series which may be the best rockin R&B series ever compiled.


title: Solid Electric Blues Disc

text: Doug Macleod Band - Woman In The Street<br />1998 release. Electric blues disc with a bit of funk in the bass. Enjoyable listen here with some nice vocals and the songs tell stories as good blues should. There are 2 cuts on here that are mellow, jazzy type instrumentals that I enjoyed as well. Overall, this is a good CD of electric blues without any hard guitar soloing and I enjoyed it. A little different from a lot of other blues CD's you might hear.


title: Strong disc from Rockin Johnny

text:
Rockin Johnny - Now's The Time

Self released by Johnny in 2010 this was a return disc after a 7 year absence from the Chicago music scene. The 13 tracks are made up of 11 covers and 2 written by Johnny. The covers are wide ranging from Buddy Guy, Jesse Thomas, T-Bone Walker to Bobby King, Jimmy Dawkins and Son Seals. What we have here is Johnny and his tight band working these tunes from their perspective and of course Johnny tops it off with his fine guitar and his very soulful vocals. This is excellent stuff and was recorded primarily in one 6 hour session. Recommended as are the other discs in the Rockin Johnny catalogue. See him live when you have the opportunity.


title: Fine electric blues

text:
Little joe Washington - The Blues Reality

 Another excellent collection from Little Joe. It's a shame this is only available as an expensive Japanese import on the P Vine label. Little joe made great blues music with a soulful flavor and beautiful guitar. What a talent and he was very under recorded at the time of his death. This is fine electric blues. Highly recommended and get all of his releases - not a bad one in the bunch.


title: Good rockabilly music, porno packaging

text:
Nasty Rockabilly box set....Be! Sharp

Purchased this set after the Texas Box made by Be! Sharp which was very impressive indeed (read my review for info on that). What we have here is 10 discs of rockabilly music with a lot of good tracks and a variety of tempos and styles to make it listenable for 31 tracks per disc. These are not all lost classics but there are a lot of solid tunes here and the artists are mostly obscure so it could be a good add for a collector. The sound is pretty good for the most part but there are some that sound like old 45's and nothing sounds remastered. Probably some very rare music here. So as far as the music...4, maybe 4 1/2 stars for variety, rarity and some pretty good rockin stuff. If you are interested in this you need to be aware of the packaging. I don't know what the history is of this particular set. It looks like the discs were/are available individually as well as in a large LP format and in each case, the packaging concept is to wrap the music in pornographic covers. As I said, I don't know what the rational was as it seems to have nothing to do with the music and is totally unnecessary. The pictures look like stills from porno movies in the 50's or 60's and nothing is blurred out. Let's just say there isn't much new in the world of porno that wasn't going on 50 years ago and the proof is right here in this box. The Texas Box had a magnificent book that detailed the artists and the musical story. This box has track listings on pages full of porno pics and that's about it.

Summary: some pretty solid rockabilly music across 310 tracks most in reasonable sound quality considering the obscurity and rarity. 4 1/2 stars for the music, 0 stars for the porno packaging which is puzzling and unnecessary.


title: Excellent and Fun Electric Blues!!

text:
The Witch Doctors - Barroom Science, Dying Penniless and Insane

This is a fun CD of electric blues music with G,B,D as the instruments. I found the songs to be entertaining and each tells some type of story, many with an amusing premise. Theron Hughes is behind this band and there is much more going on than this CD. He uses the name Thayrone X and has a radio show and some cool stuff on his website Thayrone.com. The Witch Doctors have released 2 discs and both are excellent. This disc is actually available in an expanded alternative version with 18 songs and is a digital download only (titled Buffed to A High Digital Sheen...18 Original Tunes) available here on Amazon.

The music itself is very good. Thayrone X plays some fine electric guitar and the support is in the pocket. He doesn't really sing but the vocals are more talking blues and telling the story much like my man John Earl Walker. The subject matter is crazy girls, hookers, monkeys, wigs, girlfriends, etc. I didn't find a bad track in the bunch and I really like his guitar style. This dude can play some serious guitar....track 12 End In Sight is basically an 8 1/2 minute solo that would make Roy Buchanan smile but every song features his strong guitar.

Summary - Fun blues CD with entertaining songs and solid instrumentation. Highly recommended for electric blues lovers. Check out their other disc "Ain't Got No Job" as well which is also excellent!


title: Fun Final Recording

text:
Phil Guy - He's My Blues Brother

This was released in 2008 and I have to assume this is the final Phil Guy release as he passed away in the same year. In any event, this is a fine CD full of great blues guitar and a fun one to listen to. Phil injected some humor and good vibes into this one and you can feel it. Standout tracks to me include the title track which is a duet and guitar battle with brother Buddy Guy that stretches over 10 minutes, the fun On Our Front Porch and the last track I Feel Sexy which works a James Brown groove with hot guitar for over 12 minutes and will get your booty shakin' big time. Not what you would expect on a blues CD but Phil was having fun on this track for sure! Overall, a nice finish to a long career from a man who spent many years in a support role and was overshadowed by his brother but was able to occasionally shine as a solo artist. This is one of those highlights and we will miss Phil Guy.

Summary - solid blues CD with some standout tracks and some fine guitar from a long time Blues Brother.


title: Five Stars

text: Looked beautiful!


title: Criminally underrated album. An instant classic!

text:
As a fan of both Donnie Iris and The Cruisers as well as Nine Inch Nails, this is the crossover we almost all asked for. I say almost, because Trent only did the keyboards and didn't write any of the songs, making his contributions here more minor than the rest. That being said, I wish this band pulled off more than a single album, because there was some good chemistry between the band members.

I am lucky to have snagged this on compact disc. If you're looking for a copy of your own, I wish you luck. It's a bit hard to track down, and when you do find a copy, the prices can be a bit high.


title: Excellent!

text: Ill Wind is an excellent entry in an outstanding series.  The cassette was in good condition and pretty much as advertised.  My only regret is that I only have one book left in the series to read(listen to) - Endangered Species. I am looking for it in unabridged format, not an easy thing to find.


title: Why so expensive?

text: I’m not sure why Greyson Chance’s CD is so expensive at almost $28. Then there’s $4.xxshipping.


title: The Ave Regina rendered here is perhaps the most beatiful ...

text: The Ave Regina rendered here is perhaps the most beatiful of the Du Fay recorded music. High praise for the players and the label. By other way, this CD is a treasure rarely see in music stores.


title: "A CLASSIC 4 SURE"

text: Beautiful record!!!


title: "Ferocious!!!"

text: "Ferocious," in the best way!! LUV!!


title: The Military Band - A Salute to the Services

text:
I bought this record because my dad was one of the musicians who played on the record. He received one back in the late 1950's as gratis from the conductor, Felix Slatkin of whom he was good friends.

My brother and I played the #@!$ out of this record. We pretended like we were in the army marching around my parents living room. More of a nostalgia piece than anything. However, if you like military style of music, you may give it a listen.


title: HIlton pedal review

text: I don't have a lot of experience with volume pedals , I had already a Ernie Ball, and it is the only one that i can compare it to. The Hilton seems much more responsive and easier to use. The tone and quality coming through the amp seems great to me. The only downside i can find with it is i don't care to have to power it up every time i go to play the pedal steel. I guess i will get used to it......  thanks  tlboise


title: Deserves more attention!!!!

text:
Amazing soundtrack!!! I love the music!!
Even if you weren't crazy about the game, the music is definitely in the vein of Castlevania.  The composers really put some great effort into this.
Preferably a much lesser price.


title: don't rain on my parade

text: The songs themselves are amazing but the seller who posted this item over exaggerated the condition of this item.  The case came basically destroyed and was holding on by a thin piece.  The record had a couple of skips but nothing overly wrong with it.  When I order a vinyl I expect the cover to be in good condition otherwise it should be stated.


title: Strong on delivery, weak on packaging

text: I would have given 5 stars (on-time, as advertised) but for the quality (strength) of the packing material that was thin - the CD jewel case was damaged.


title: Passionless, emotionless performance

text: This is a disappointing performance. It lacks the passion and all out emotion of other casts from the 60s and 70s. Faust is not a subtle opera. It requires emotions, great singers and the willingness to leave nothing on the stage at the performance's end. This is a cool, almost emotionless performance. While the singing is "correct," it doesn't feel appropriate to the music. Is is typical of many recent singers coming out if the United State - brilliant technique and training, but passionless and afraid to display too much emotion. I love Faust, but this one will likely no be played again.


title: Great Live Band from Northhampton, MA

text: A solid debut album. It's too bad The Elevators didn't continue beyond their first LP The Frontline. I am sure I saw them live over 2 dozen times during my college days at UMASS.


title: Different then my usual but fun

text: I saw these guys on the Jenny McCarthy show years ago. Fun to watch.


title: Great record; great memories

text: This is a record my now adult children had when they were small, and they loved it. We have been trying to find a copy for ages. As soon as it came, they claimed it and listened to it again. It came in good shape.


title: Klondike Kat

text: A good album for a reasonable price I would recommend it


title: Five Stars

text: beautiful music. have nearly worn the cd out.


title: This is one of my all-time favorite albums! I'm sorry to see that it is ...

text: This is one of my all-time favorite albums!  I'm sorry to see that it is no longer available.  Glad I own it!  The songs are all very soulful and the melodies are lovely.  Eliza sings them with heart and spirit.  They obviously tell a lot of her personal story.  I hope this album comes back into circulation.  No, mine is not for sale!


title: More fun than running out of da sauna and rolling in da snow

text: My wife and I had an opportunity to hear Conga Se Menne at an art fair in Virginia, MN, where they were playing a gig.  We enjoyed them live, bought this CD and enjoy the heck out of it.  If you happen to be of Finnish descent, you will regard it as the best inside joke ever.  Actually, anyone from the UP, northern Wisconsin or northern Minnesota, or Thunder Bay, Ontario for that matter, will find particular joy in the clever lyrics as well as the lively music.  They are actually very good musicians as well.  You won't hear any sour notes on this CD.


title: Outstanding fun for kids and adults

text: Finally, some fun music that's intelligent, with good lyrics and words for both adults and kids. We bought it for our son, but I listen to it a lot myself. Unique, as is everything from They Might Be Giants.


All songs are very good. DVD is disappointing, despite I wanted to keep it as memory after his recent death.  Compilation of various old performances. Shooting not impressive. Low picture quality. Though I might be asking too much for this type of album issue.


title: Five Stars

text: Helped complete my set of this engrossing series.


title: Five Stars

text: Beautifully performed concert. Worth tracking down the DVD as well.


title: A Copland First.

text: I owned an original release bought in NYC at Sam Goody's or Korvettes for a buck 99!  It was my first Fanfare, which startled me and I love it still.  That LP is many years gone from my collection, alas. but I remember it well especially Appalachian and Salon.  Wish I had it back.  I loved all my Westminsters, including the later incarnation with Rodzinksi.


title: A waste of my money

text: Disappointing hardly describes my reaction and feelings.  Bluntly put this is hardly in the class of many other "Resurrections," non-competitive is not strong enough language.  Don't buy it.  Sluggish kallelmeister conducting, tinny sound and an orchestra too thin to handle Mahler.  A waste of my money.  I will never play it again.  I won't even pay the postage to sell it.  Dreadful.


I was very pleased.  It came to me in excellent condition.


title: Nice, upbeat music to go with Ixa of the ...

text: Nice, upbeat music to go with Ixa of the Kamen RIder franchise.  Only get the CD + DVD if you have a Japan region (2, is it?) or multi region DVD player.  I do, so I did.


title: Vinyl skps

text: This review is about the quality of the vinyl, not the quality of the music. My copy of this album skipped several times, most notably on the song "Decks Dark". Always in the exact same spots. As this is unacceptable, I had to send it back.


title: EXCELLENT CD

text:
All of the songs on this CD reflect the talent of this man. I really enjoy listening to this CD. If you like the BLUES like I do ...then you'll enjoy it too.

weldonmc


title: It's Robert Stolz, what can I say?

text: Stolz ... last of the great masters of waltz and operetta. Needs to be better known to American audiences. This out-of-print recording is hard to find. Count yourself as lucky as I was to locate one at a reasonable price.


title: Ok, not earth shattering..

text: I am not a big fan of a couple of the performers. and contrary to one review Stevie Nicks version of At Last was nowhere near as good as Etta James.


title: Classic Late 70's Soul

text: From the opening cut, "Is This A Love Thing" (You care if I'm the one, all you wanna do is have some fun.." to the closing instrumental "Get Down", this is a fun album with great songwriting, singing and musicianship.  This is Raydio's debut and Ray Parker Jr. makes a great transition from Detroit sessionman to Black popstar.


title: More Great Stories from Rolly Crump

text:
This is the third installment of "More Cute Stories" from Rolly Crump (and Jeff Heimbuch), where the former Imagineer shares his tales of working at Disney on theme parks and more.

This volume focuses on the "Museum of the Weird" which was at one time planned as a walk-through follow up to the Haunted Mansion. The stories in this volume explore the origins of the Museum, as well as the factors that contributed to it never being built.

If you're fan of the Haunted Mansion, Disney theme parks in general, Imagineering, or Rolly Crump, I heartily recommend this.


title: Loved it -

text: I loved this audio book so much - I bought a second copy to give as a gift. I love the contrast between the WWI tale and the modern tale. I don't usually listen to audio books a second time - but I will revisit this one again.


title: Masterful performance!

text: Beautiful pieces, masterly performed. Excellent recording and an incredibly talented pianist. Can't wait for more recordings from Lorenzo!


title: Makyo  Yashini.

text: This disc is very interesting the music being different from the norm. Makyo has written a collection of songs that are to my ears very pleasing. I will be listening to this disc many times in the months to come. If you like to play music that cannot be placed under a specific heading but is still melodic this is the disc to buy.


title: Five Stars

text: Great addition to my Christmas collection. Can't wait to listen to it again next year!


title: No complaint

text: Came with so much stuff. The album design is beautiful. BTS and BigHit have done it again a phenomenal CD and gifts!


title: Love it

text: Love this CD - gentle music


title: Five Stars

text: Excellent


title: A True County Singer

text: Love James Hand's style of singing! Traditional through and through! Shadows on the Ground was slightly better for sound and song choices for me but keep putting them out there and I'll buy them Mr. Hand!


title: Five Stars

text: lots of good, hard to find songs.


title: Lil Sis loved it

text: My lil sister is a big aespa fan and she loved this as her Christmas present. And everything the album came with was present and looked great!


Complete waste of time.  They provide 30 minutes of relevant material in five hours


title: careful

text: Everthing arrived in great shape but I quickly realized that I had heard maybe half the songs and the others were unknown to me. It appears this was created in Europe and many of the songs were european hits. Just an FYI.


title: Incedible band and CD

text: Mozart is incredible and so much fun to listen to.  The lead singers range and vocal abilities are amazing.  I listen to this and their other cds often.


title: Incredible

text: This band was incredible when playing live and this cd has many of their best songs on it.  The lead singers voice is incredible and the music is too much fun.  Brings back great menories of seeing them play live in Hollywood CA.  I listen to it often!


title: Five Stars

text: Absolutely love this album.  Henry is so talented.  Can't wait to hear his next album.


title: Five Stars

text: My nephew, who's nine, loves this album. He wears it out!


title: Great album, my personal favorites are Wade in the ...

text: Great album, my personal favorites are Wade in the Water, Rock Me Baby, and Little Red Rooster. All great tunes for a Sunday Brunch.


While this band uses the cheesy gimmick of maid costumes and behavior, they don't need it. They are extremely talented and boast  all of the requirements of a great rock act - bulletproof rhythm section, shredding lead guitar, and excellent rock vocals. If they can stay together they will do great things.


title: Ho Hum

text: Almost as if author, Monte Reel, had read Love and the Platypus and sought out another species to write about.


title: Smooth Jazz

text: Superb


title: Five Stars

text: King of the universe


title: Like this one.

text: The best one.


title: Exceeds All Expectations

text:
"The Opening of Misty Beethoven" is truly unique in adult film for almost every aspect of its production, from acting to plot, photography, humor, etc.  The soundtrack is also exceptional - loaded with carefully chosen nuggets of library music that linger in the mind as long as the images.

This soundtrack is a beautiful product - the case is a work of art.  The booklet is amazingly informative.  The disc is loaded with bits of dialogue from the movie, and ends with a lengthy interview of director Radley Metzger's music director for Misty and other classic films.  The music itself has been painstakingly tracked down from some of the most comprehensive, obscure music libraries across the globe, and beautifully restored from original elements (the booklet features a very interesting essay on the process of simply FINDING the music - a process that still isn't complete).  The music isn't just duped from a video or film master - each track is direct from the original source in sterling stereo splendor.  Even if there is still a song lost somewhere in an archive that didn't make this release, all of the music I remember from the movie (and more) DID make the release, so I'm happy.  The disc is rounded out with featured tracks from Metzger's other Henry Paris hardcore films from the 1970's (including what would later, and most famously, become the theme to "The People's Court").

This is, hands down, a beautiful product, and the perfect complement to the newly restored "Misty" on blu-ray or DVD (incredible products themselves).  The best bits of dialogue from the movie keep things moving along, and while there are a couple of tracks I usually pass over (such as "William Tell"), this disc has gobs of replay value.  The music really is incredible and involving, and the package as a whole is unmatched.  Well worth the $20 asking price.  Support the company that went to such lengths to create such a thoughtful product so they will create other such products in the future!


title: Classic album, excellent vinyl quality

text:
You don't need me to tell you about the musical quality of this album.  Pure, unadulterated speed metal.  Sure, it may not be Metallica's greatest album, but it stands today as an uncompromising, brutal debut the likes of which has rarely been equaled.

What I DO want to address is the quality of this deluxe 2-LP 45 RPM vinyl reissue.  I had read a LOT of things prior to purchasing this about the poor sound quality, atrocious low-end, etc.  In spite of this, after a LONG wait (over a year of thinking about it) I finally bought the record.  I'm now on my second trip through the album, and I have to say...it sounds AWESOME!

All I have to compare to is the CD of the album (which I have played dozens and dozens of time over the years) so I can't say how this edition stacks up against the others there have been throughout the years.  That having been said, I have NEVER heard the album sound this crisp and in-yer face.  The texture of the chugging guitars is thrilling, the lead-lines and solos lash out like I've never heard them do, and Cliff's legendary bass-lines are RIGHT THERE thudding away under it all.  I don't know what kind of systems other reviewers were using, but I have a fairly modest set-up and this vinyl kills.

You may still find this at your local record store.  If you have been on the fence, I highly recommend picking it up.


title: Another great album from the DUkes

text: This is a fifth album that I have by the Dukes and I love everyone of them and listen to some portion of the an album at least once each day. If nothing else get your heart pumping in the morning the music of the Dukes of Dixieland will.


title: A Fun CD

text: I thoroughly enjoy this CD. While it is not long and contains basically one song it is enjoyable and fun to hear again and again.


title: Great, but a distortion of the original Conan Doyle stories

text:
This is one volume of the BBC radio dramatizations of the complete Sherlock Holmes canon that was undertaken in the early 2000s.  Clive Merrison plays Sherlock Holes and Michael Williams is Dr. Watson.  The production values are very high.  Fine British actors are used for the various roles.  The sound effects are very well done.  I would give the series five stars if it were not for the issue of faithfulness to the original Conan Doyle stories.

The problem is that in the translation of the written stories into radio dramatizations, much of the information conveyed by Watson-the-Narrator was converted into spoken dialogue.  There is much  more repartee between Holmes and Watson in which the two men have equal status.  The mystique of Holmes the Enigmatic Genius is lessened in the process.  For me, it fundamentally changes the nature of the stories.  Even though the plot lines are essentially unchanged, the dramatizations are not faithful to the originals.


title: Fantastic Chanting Album

text: This album has great energy.  Radhe Radhe Govinda Radhe, takes me deep into my heart each time, and into a place of mad ecstasy.  Priya Priya is amazing.  This is a staple kirtan album that any lover of sacred chant should not be without!  Radhe Govinda!


title: Great Kirtan / Great Teachings

text: This is a live recording, so don't expect perfect studio quality sound.  But the bhava is incredible and this is one of my favorite recordings to chant with.  The disc of teachings is equally magnificent, Shyamdas brilliantly explores the path of Bhakti Yoga, the path of Devotion.


title: Terrific Rimsky-Korsakov

text: Terrific performances, wonderful recording.


title: Really bad!

text: Poster, photo card, and stickers are missing!


title: Buy One Nil not One All

text: I had purchased the original version of One Nil and then One All when it came out. I am amazed at how different the mixing was. Most evident in Hole in The Ice, a favorite, lost the etherial background vocals that with headphones is magical. It is like covering a photographic with scotch tape. Yes, you lose Human Kindness but gain Don't Ask Why. Compare and see.


title: A song for the ages...

text: This song says it all. Everyone will identify with the lyrics and someone in your family. I'm glad I got mine.


title: Four Stars

text: Sound track is fine. The cover was cracked.


title: Five Stars

text: Has PhD's "I won't let you down"!!!, only reason I bought it.


title: Many songs are edited.  :(

text:
Be warned: Several of the hits on this CD fade out before they end on the original recordings. This was probably done so more songs would fit, but it's a disservice to the artist and the music. If you want the full recordings, look elsewhere ("Platinum Collection" is probably the best Branigan hits compilation so far). This is especially criminal in "Solitaire" because the BIG note Branigan tears apart so beautifully at the end fades and chops off. Very uncool and disrespectful.

But people who buy this will probably do so for the videos. Some are good, some aren't - but at least buyers get the full songs within most of the videos. Oh, and not all Branigan's videos are included.

This should've been the definitive Branigan collection, but sloppily editing the original songs is NOT cool. Branigan was a five-star singer, but this is merely a disappointing attempt at a true hits compilation.


title: It's big in Germany

text:
Tatort is a long-running (25+ years) German television series about police officers solving crimes.  (The title roughly translates to "crime scene.")  This CD apparently comes from a point in the series that two of the actors were also talented singers, so their characters would often sing a tune at the bar after closing a case.

It's mostly American "standards" like "As Time Goes By", with a scattering of similar German songs.  The singing is pretty good, but the CD is mostly valuable to people who aren't fans of the original show for the novelty of it.


title: Good music

text: Good singer


title: That it has good musuc

text: Love his music


title: Nice CD

text: The CD is very good and I enjoy it. The CD that I received case was cracked but the CD itself was not damaged so I didn’t send it back. I would have preferred it not being damaged but it wasn’t worth sending it back.


title: IF YOU TRULY LOVE SCOTLAND YOU WILL COLLECT EVERY ANDERSON RECORDING YOU CAN!

text: Paul Anderson is one of the great musical geniuses of the age. He has consecrated his life to the restoration and continuation of one of Scotland's grand indigenous traditions, the Scottish fiddle. Refined, cultivated, always elegant and technically perfect in his approach, Anderson produces albums that are emotionally moving, historically instructive, and, quite simply pleasing to mind and heart. Once the great fiddler draws you into his world, you will never want to leave it. Anderson's gift is from on high.


title: Drum Circles To Go - An Excellent Resource

text:
Listening to Jim Donovan's "World Rhythm Seeds" is kind of like having your own backup band.  There are 10 instrumental tracks from all over the world featuring percussion such as drums, bells, and shakers.  I've found that listening to this CD is the most realistic way to play music and jam out all by myself and yet not feel like I am all alone with a drum.

I see lots of possible uses for "World Rhythm Seeds."  This CD would provide variety and excitement during stretching or warm-ups for a movement, dance, or exercise class.  I see possibilities of this being a good resource for a musician who doesn't get to a drum circle as often as you would like.

This CD would also be useful for any musician who could use an ongoing beat during lessons.  The instrumental tracks are also perfect to work on soloing or to try out new parts because the 8 minute tracks are steady the entire way through.

As a classroom teacher, this is the perfect CD to put on while giving students free time to work.  Some students struggle with completing tasks in silence during in class work time.  Use music to reduce the pressure to perform and stimulate their minds.  You will be surprised to see how well they work out math problems and write journal responses when you put on this CD.


title: my favorite soundtrack for relaxation

text:
This CD is as advertised: relaxing!  I have listened to it as background music while journaling, and while doing the dishes.  I'm fairly certain this is being used in yoga studios and massage therapy centers because of how peaceful it is.  After listening to "Pulse," I find myself feeling more centered, relaxed, and mentally restored.  I recommend this to absolutely anyone.

There are a few musical elements to "Pulse" that I find relaxing, including the sustained notes that sound like Native American flutes (according to the liner notes these are actually Japanese flutes called Shakuhatchi and Bansuri), quiet drum beats, and slow tempo.  Another musical element that promotes good vibes are chakra-tuned crystal bowls.  I was pleased to learn, while reading the liner notes, that the tracks were created without drum loops or synthesizers.  This strikes me as a rare practice and is a sign of a musician who is truly devoted to being present and channeling his energy with the intention of creating meditative music.

I do not often listen to music to fall asleep but I feel it would be perfect for that.  This 60 minute CD is composed of 4 fifteen-minute tracks, so you are likely to fall asleep long before you reach the end.  I also think mothers, fathers, and anyone with a little too much stress in their life could benefit from listening to this at the end of a long day, or to refocus mid-morning over a cup of tea.


title: C.C.Catch - Greatest Hits

text: Good new wave songs from the '80. This type of songs never played on the radio stations. Europeans' trend that didn't quite catch up with American public. Know it to enjoy it.


title: Wonderful Relaxation

text: When you are relaxing in a hot bath, candle lights, bedtime, dinner, or what ever you like to do to relax, this piano music on low puts the finishing touches on relaxation.


title: Great EP

text: Great EP, especially if you are a lovedrug fan. The unreleased song "The Praxter" is awesome and the cover "Heart Shaped Box" is sweet. The only downside is that the rest of the three songs are already on the album, but hey, I'm not complaining. Great stuff.


title: Five Stars

text: I loved it and could not put it down.  An excellent story and story compellingly told!