title: Admirable and Problamatic

text:
The 3:10 train to Yuma will take Ben Wade (Crowe) to the justice of hangman's noose.  The job of getting Wade to that train falls to Dan Evans (Bale) and four other men.  Whether he gets to that train and how he gets there plays out in James Mangold's remake of 3:10 to Yuma, a film both rightfully praised and condemned by critics and audiences alike.

Called the first great Western since Unforgiven (which isn't saying much considering the company), the film has more than its share of strengths, including one of the more exciting plots in recent years.  The last half of the film rivals the intensity and uncertainty of a great mystery, action and drama all rolled into one.  Although it's clear the third act is heading for Yuma and many bullets will fly at about 3:10, the film doesn't tip its hand as to how exactly everything is going to fall together.  By the time you figure it out, your diving under your seat to dodge the bullets.

Bale shines in yet another role.  As an actor in his early 30s, Bale's face shows the age and weather of a man from his father's generation.  His Dan Evans carries the literal and figurative scars of the Civil War and does so with a humble stoicism shocking to those who know him only as the Caped Crusader.  With his chameleon-like versatility and willingness to pass on glamorous roles in favor of playing emotionally and physically ugly characters, Bale is staking his claim as the actor of his generation.

With all that praise, this is far from a perfect film.  At times, the action borders on ridiculous.  Once viewers come down from the adrenaline, they will question the plot's plausibility and see that much of it is pure Hollywood fantasy.  The most obvious flaw deals with the reaction of the guys taking Wade to Yuma after he kills two of them and seems impossible to control.  At that point, real cowboys would have strung him from the nearest tree and been done with him.  Instead, they give him repeated chances to peal them off one at a time like buxom coeds in a slasher film.

Wade lacks the ambiguity of more irresistible villains.  Yeah, he's a step above his uncultured crew of "animals" (his words), but he's still a mustache-twirling killer who does everything short of tying innocent women to railroad tracks.  Unlike Bale, Crowe doesn't own this role.  At no point did I forget I was watching Russell Crowe...in a western...as a bad guy...dressed in black...with a fast gun.  In a film full of western cliches and stock characters/action, Crowe's villain is the most tiresome.


title: McBain Has At Tricky Dick, Reader Suffers

text:
Ed McBain gets metaphorical in this 1973 edition of his 87th Precinct crime series, taking on then-President Nixon in the person of Randy M. Nesbitt, leader of a gang on a killing spree.

As a time capsule, "Hail To The Chief" is a sometimes interesting read. As a police procedural, it's weak. The leader of the "Yankee Rebels" (one of many symbolic nods to Nixon perfidy) Nesbitt is presented to us as a guy elected to his second term in office, fighting a war he inherited without much enthusiasm but that he is intends to finish because, as he piously insists, he is a man of peace. "I pray to God every night that I'll always do the right thing," Nesbitt insists.

McBain has at Nixon both in terms of Watergate, then blowing up but still a year away from its final resolution with Nixon's resignation, and particularly with U.S. troops in Vietnam, just then being brought back home. The opening scene, of men, women, and an infant lying in a ditch, deliberately conjures up the My Lai massacre and similar atrocities which Nixon was seen by many to be complicit in, even though My Lai took place during the previous administration. You keep waiting for Nesbitt to tell someone he is not a crook. He doesn't, but that's about the only button McBain misses.

Subtlety is not his goal here, nor is humor. Both are missed. While McBain criminals can be quite deep and multi-faceted (more than the cops often) it quickly becomes clear to anyone reading this novel that Nesbitt is a knuckle-dragging moral leper, a boil on the face of humanity, unable to see beyond his own colossal egotism. When he condemns his fellow gang member's girlfriend (a character named Midge, based on the wife of John Mitchell who talked to reporters during the height of the Watergate investigation) to what becomes her doom, he insists that there is no blood on his hands. He only gave the orders. [Cue the Nazi marching music here.]

As a polemic, McBain offers meat to chew on. But "Hail To The Chief" is a police procedural featuring the 87th Precinct, and it's an ill-fit seeing the familiar environs of Isola playing host to a doctrinaire political parable. McBain had been writing about gang violence since the first 87th Precinct novel two decades before, and before that, under his real name Evan Hunter in the classic "Blackboard Jungle." Maybe he wanted to jazz up the old formula. But the Yankee Rebels can't work as satire if they don't work in the reader's mind as a real gang, and they don't. For example, how Nesbitt, a pious, paranoid blowhard with a marked aversion to obscenities, sex, and drugs, got to command a street gang is never explained.

It's sometimes fun to pick up on the Nixon references. Nesbitt has a bug installed in one of his rivals' headquarters, known as "Gateside" rather than "Watergate." His chief negotiator is called "Doc," (i.e. Dr. Kissinger) and he works on a policy of triangulation against two rival gangs much like China and the Soviet Union. In the end, Nesbitt is done in by his own paranoia, and it's something of a credit to McBain he seems to beat Woodward and Bernstein to Watergate's conclusion.

But the book just doesn't work as crime fiction. There is no mystery to solve here, just dead bodies lying around and a gang too drunk on bloodletting to cover its tracks. By the time Nesbitt explains how his "second term as president" was his mandate for seeking peace through strength, we got the point long ago. One good thing about Nixon resigning the next year - it meant McBain had to go back to writing about real crime.


title: Four Stars

text: enjoyable, but gets a bit "the same" after a few sonds


title: A Diamond hidden away !

text: A hard to find, little known album of incredible lighthearted Peruvian harp music. A pleasure to listen to, and it's great as background music at a party - not intrusive, but highly unusual, with lots of folks asking about it. (brunch on the patio ? oh yeah....)  I find myself returning to it time and time again.


title: Amazing

text: In a league of their own.  Wish they were still together.  Great CD will try to buy another of theirs


title: Five Stars

text: Everything as described


title: Great album.

text: You will love this cd if you love Ciara and all here song in the cd.


title: Haunting poignant tale with a fantastic end.

text: There are many books that are rivals for the award of best beginning, but  this is definitely my vote for the best ever ending of a novel.  Obviously  I can't tell you the end, because that would spoil it, but the end of this  book has kept me thinking for years since I read it. The story itself is  low key, an aging man who has spent his productive years abroad and finds  no solace in returning home.  He decides to head off into the teeth of a  rebellion rather than vegetate in the country of his birth. The novel is  well written, with the nautical detail that you would expect from Raban.  It is a book written at the pace of the central character, a little slow  reflecting his age and the age in which he grew up. Believe me, though,  this is one you want to finish,  The ending is just brilliant.


title: record

text: was just what I wanted- so glad that I could find it online- many searches, greatful they carried one that I wanted


title: Great Debut

text: That he is the just winner of the X Factor award Shayne Ward has proved on the bigger stage. "That's My Goal" is a great track that reveals the degree of talent that this Manchester lad possess. This song clearly brings out the 20-year-old's ability out to the world.


title: Great Music low price.

text: Very nice CD, worth the money. Andrea is a distinguished musician and quality of his performances is well exposed here. His works are very inspiring for jazz musicians, flutists and guitarists worldwide.

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title: A Must Read Book for Everyone...

text: [[VIDEOID:c71a7647f86a0f4a4415c9800c93583c]]


title: Review of CD

text: I bought this for my mom who used to go see the Ranchboys in her youth. She loved it!


title: Five Stars

text: No comment.


title: Not a bad track on this compilation album

text:
For an album that has a mix of performers from various parts of the music recording world ( blues, jazz, r&b, pop, and country) I can't believe there is not a bad track on the album.  All 13 songs are well performed and blend together to make a really smooth, rich and relaxing Christmas album.  I don't usually go in for modern version of Christmas carols and songs but this album is the exception.  The various artists perform a mix of classic Christmas songs and newer ones.

Some of my favorite songs are B.B. Kings's "Merry Christmas Baby",  Mary J. Blige's "Someday At Christmas", and Kelly Price's & Wyonna Judd's "Mary's Song".  It appears Amazon.com no longer stocks this cd but some of there vendors do, and at very low and reasonable prices.  I don't believe you can go wrong with this purchase.


title: Adequate

text:
This cd didn't do much for me.  It has an interesting mix of performers but only a few songs really stood out.

Rachael Yamagata's "The River" is probably my favorite song on the album.  This up and coming singer really provided a beautiful version of this less familiar Christmas song.

Dido's "Christmas Day" is another beautiful song.  This seems to be the "go to" song for her when it comes to Christmas compilation albums, as I've heard it on other compilation albums.

Jerry Camp gives a nice rendition of "O Come All Ye Faithful."  He does justice to this Christmas Classic.

All in all this is not a bad album, it's just not that great either.  I wouldn't expect anyone to waste time hunting this album down but if you happen to come across it at a decent price I doubt you will regret purchasing it.


title: Rare and valuable entry in the SWF Radio Sessions series

text:
I'll start by saying: Good luck. If you're looking for this, your best bet is ebay, and even then you'll probably have to pay handsomely. For fans of obscure early 70's prog, however, it's a worthwhile treasure hunt. This is the one and only commercially available item from Jud's Gallery, formed in Offenbach, Germany in 1971 by Jurgen Winter (nicknamed Judy, thus the band's name). They would appear twice on the famed German regional radio channel SWF, in July of 1972 and March of 1974, then disband before ever recording a full album. These 'live' radio sessions (plus one track, "New Day's Dawning," recorded in a home studio in 1975) are all we have to suggest what heights they might have reached, and the evidence suggests that they held great prog promise.

Stylistically, Jud's Gallery was all over the progressive landscape, from the heavier experimentation of "Inspiration" and "Reaching" to the violin-laced "Danger of Shoot (Early Version)" to the folk overtones of "Friends" (not the only track with vocals, but the only one truly built around them). Then there are tracks like "Catch the Fly," "Nordrach," and "New Day's Dawning," which can hardly be pinned down as they meander wonderfully across styles.

If you get a chance, check out a couple tracks on youtube. If you like what you hear, you'll probably enjoy the whole thing. The sound quality of the tape transfers is excellent. Sure, there's some of the messiness of a live recording, but that's part of what made the live SWF radio shows so exciting, and so interesting now from a historical standpoint. Perhaps most of the acts that took part in the series never went on to great success, but it's fascinating now to be able to hear what might've been.


title: Amenzing

text: Dr. Amen certainly helps one to refocus the minds pathways so the mind can circumvent the projected obstacle and conquer it.


title: Perfect for pets

text: I firmly believe in using music to  help my pets. Music helps people relax, and this also is proven with music for pets. I play this for all my pets of all ages and they all seem to enjoy listening to this music. This should be at all shelters and rescues playing, maybe more animals would be adopted out if they were more relaxed.


title: You need this in your life!

text:
I believe there were 2 Samba Thistle CDs.
This one is in my collection and I love it.
Maybe someday I'll have them both.


title: Cracks Appear in the All-Too Human Queen

text:
The Queen starts out unambitiously enough. Elizabeth II, Queen of England, meeting the newly-elected Prime Minister, Tony Blair, a young up-and-comer who is determined to shake things up a bit in government. Elizabeth assures Blair, through her ceremony, forms, and observation that she has survived ten Prime Ministers (her own education in such relations starting with none other than Winston Churchill), that she will not be shaken up. That it is the young-buck Blair who has everything to learn, and not the stolid, stoic Queen.

Of course, Elizabeth was raised in a different time and age. Ensconced in various palaces, she rarely gets the opportunity to see what the realm she ironically leads, is like. When her ex-daughter-in-law, the popular Diana, tragically dies in an auto accident, Elizabeth has no conception of what a storm it will set off, both in Britain and the world. She has no *ability* to conceive of it, either: she believes that death is a private affair, and that England is a country of people who are as private and guarded as is she. On top of that, she personally bears Diana no particular goodwill, and so Elizabeth decides to treat Diana's death as a non-event.

But the British people--a different British people than Elizabeth imagines--demands a response. Demands a human, feeling monarchy. Blair, the new man of the people, represents this to the Queen, and so we are introduced to a struggle of wills between the old, controlled, powerful Queen, and the new face of Blair. It is also a struggle, more generally, between tradition and change. If you know what normally wins that struggle, or you remember these particular events in your own lifetime, then you know which side wins.

Elizabeth is presented an impossible choice: change and relent, or the monarchy, itself, will crack. It is a wonderfully dramatic scenario, and thrilling to watch it portrayed by such a talented, capable actress. Mirren will win the Best Actress Oscar, and she will deserve it.

It is also fun to watch other famous characters, such as Blair and Prince Charles, portrayed. It's hard to not like Blair in this film (as he eventually comes around to respect the monarchy he once found silly and dated), and hard not to feel sorry for him in his own, more recent, fall from popular approval. Prince Charles is another matter all-together: it is moving to watch him grieve for Diana, and painful to watch how this man (the would-be King of England) is so bowed over and controlled by others in his life. Despite the fact that the Queen is the centerpiece, the others are all interesting character studies in their own right.

It is rare to have a historical film about events so recent, revolving around people still living and capable (and, in fact, still in power). It's nice to be given this sort of insight into the people we still see on the news, to be able to reconsider our once-held notions of them, instead of waiting until they're long-dead to reflect. The Queen provides us with this rare opportunity, and it does so in an entertaining and brilliantly acted way.

This is a wonderful movie.

Five stars.


title: The first time

text: The first time I ever heard the song "Joy Comes in the Morning" sung by the BB made me shout glory hallelujah! best I have ever heard so far


title: Divine Timing...

text: I love Cindy Trimm, she is definitely on the pulse of what is going on in the Spirit for our time. I can't say enough about the prophetic annointing on this CD. I listened to it in my car and ended up riding around until I had finished listening and I'm going to disect it again at home after which I'm moving onto the,"Rules of Engagement",series to find out what I need to do to be ready for God's use in this time. So if you want to know your prophetic placing in the next move of God, listen to this offering from Cindy Trimm.


title: Not good music

text: Have lots of 'new age' music, but this is awful.  Removed it from my library.


title: Five Stars

text: no review


title: Four Stars

text: good stuff


title: Awesome Album!

text: This is an awesome album! All of Jasons independent records don't sound like they are independent. This is another album you can listen from beginning to end without skipping one track. My favorites on this one are The Letter, The Dance and The Prodigal.


title: I love this concert!

text: This is one of my favorite Josh Groban live concert DVD! I watch this one quite often. It's so good! I love that this edition of it has Don't Give Up ( You are Loved) on the CD.


title: Love This Album

text: I love this album. I know that Jason rereleased about 6 or 7 of these songs for his album All The Lovely Losers. Its a great one. My favorites are Listen to Your Life and You Are and You Are Good.


title: Love this album

text: I really love this album. I have always loved Acoustic and Live albums. I like the simplicity of Acoustic albums with just a few instruments. I highly recommend this album. Jason's music just gets me.


title: This IS Passionate Praise Music To Help You Praise God

text:
If you are like me and enjoy listening to worshipful edifying music - music that just blesses the heart and satisfies the soul then you will not be disappointed by the Passionate Praise or Passionate Praise 2 CD's. No matter where you are at spiritually or what you are going through, the 2 Passionate Praise CD's will be a source of great comfort, encouragement and blessing to you.

On the Passionate Praise CD the Praise Singers bless us with songs of praise and anthems of worship that include "Enough," "God of Wonders," "Take my Life (Holiness)," "How Great Is Our God," "Come Thou Fount," "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee and 9 other beautifully arranged and performed songs. Oh, how your heart and spirit will be lifted by listening to the songs on the Passionate Praise CD. But there are more spiritual songs, hymns, and anthems of worship to be enjoyed on the Passionate Praise 2 CD.

On the Passionate Praise 2 CD the Praise Singers delights us with such spiritual songs, hymns, and worship songs as "Blessed Be Your Name," "Open The Eyes of My Heart," "Holy Is The Lord," (Notice the fact that on both CD's there are songs regarding holiness; "He Reigns," "Be Thou My Vision," and nine other magnificently arranged and performed songs.
If you love the Lord and find delight and pleasure in listening to spiritual songs, hymns and anthems of praise and worship that exalts and glorifies the person and name of our God and Father and his glorious son, our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ then you will surely enjoy either one or both of the Passionate Praise CD's.

If the choice were mine I would purchase them both at the same time; however, if you can not afford to buy them both at once, then I wholeheartedly recommend either CD and know you WILL be blessed as you listen to it.

I received a complimentary copy of the Passionate Praise and Passionate Praise 2 CD's from Discovery House Music for reviewing it.


title: Nice acoustic Irish music

text: If you're looking for great Irish folk music, buy this cd.  Lots of fiddle and other acoustic talent found in this beautiful music.


title: Bronx Wanderers show review

text: Saw this group for the first time in Flagler Beach, FL 3/18/2016.  Awesome show- Unbelievably talented family and group of musicians with great variety of songs, videos and stories. Very energetic/feel great  program. Will see them again next year. A "must  see" -you will really enjoy them. This CD is quite enjoyable.


title: Pleased

text: The second solo album by Wes Hampton. Good music.


title: this cd has good songs!!

text:
she is  a former OV7,she had the most sexy voice in the group.this is her second album and I fell in love with it.I was blown away with the first single" "Me faltas tu", I haven't heard a song like this in a long time.It is a pop ballad.However, the rest of cd is even better,and I like almost all the songs.

My favs are.
"Me faltas tu" nice pop ballad.
"Aunque no estes" with alex ubago, what a romantic duet they did!!!
"luna Llena" a cover from asian singer called Ayaka, they made better this song. (Sarah Brightman should sing this song,because the music,is so beautiful)
"Por siempre" a very sexy pop melody.
 and the best best ballad is  "Amar sin miedo". she sings the song with a lot of melancoly ,courage and sadness at the same time.wow!!

Altough, I don't understant the cover,66 route style,but the cd is called " luna llena"(full moon).??????.
She picked up the right producer(Rafa Sardina) to make a very pop ballad album.
One of my favs albums in 2007/2008 in spanish language.


title: Five Stars

text: great!!


title: Five Stars

text: love it


title: Great stuff

text: Can't ask for a better collection of music on 1 CD. My favorite group of all time


title: great old musice

text: You want old real christmas music this is it. I really enjoyed it and didn't get any of the moaning and screaming that you get with how our current stars are singing these carols.


title: Excellent Worship as always

text: Never regret purchasing a Kim Walker-Smith CD...one of kind lady and an excellent path that leads to Rest and Worship


title: heaven is a place on her!

text: belinda your voice rocks! i lost this cd, too but now i have yet another second chance! your voice is confidence and stunning! go go girl!


title: Five Stars

text: Good quality. Love the photocards set.


title: Loved every minute!

text: My husband and I listened to Killing Kennedy on our way back from Pittsburgh after a Christmas visit.  The 10 hour ride went by amazingly fast.  Bill O'Reilly's narration is so memorizing that we actually drove right by our house, after finally arriving home, just to finish the chapter we were listening to.  The next day, we devised a reason to go into town because we just HAD to hear the last chapter!  Thank you, Bill, for keeping us so occupied on a dreary winter ride!


title: Album

text: Love it so much.


title: Five Stars

text: Great tracks from a great series.


title: Five Stars

text: I'm enjoying her album very much!


title: Like all of their CD's but this

text: Didn't care for this CD.  Like all of their CD's but this one


title: Will truly take you on a journey... and leave you feeling better on the other side.

text:
Debbie Shea's instrumental album Journey Through Grief truly takes listeners on a journey. Using a wide variety of instruments and soundscapes, I feel transported to many different settings and environments. Most of all, this CD takes me on a journey of emotion.

Shea starts the album with several darker tracks, like Abyss (a personal favorite) and Endless Night, songs that embody the feeling in the early stages of grief. But there's a shift in the middle with Winds of Change, before giving way to more hopeful and uplifting tracks at the end, like Letting Go and Peace.

As someone who has worked through a lot of grief in my life, this album has been an amazing tool in my ongoing healing journey. Each listen leaves me feeling light and refreshed. Even if you aren't experiencing grief yourself, Debbie Shea's album is simply a beautiful work of art, and a perfect soundtrack for many occasions such as yoga, massages, or falling asleep.

BUY THIS CD!! You won't be disappointed.


title: Excellent packaging, delivery and vinyl 45 record

text: Excellent packaging, delivery, and vinyl 45 record in superb condition!!!  Thank you.


title: 💙this!!!

text: Love this song by Taylor Swift.


title: Skynyrd Badassery

text: First off Lynyrd Skynyrd is my favorite band of all time so I might be a little biased with my review. The main reason I bought this was for the old grey whistle test live performance and I wasn't disappointed. Its a great mix of common songs and less commonly heard songs. I'm a big fan of the song "I got the same ol' blues" and they rocked it out! Ronnie's stage presence is also such an enjoyment to watch. Also I didn't really even notice there was no Ed King or Steve Gaines playing a third guitar until they played Sweet Home Alabama but that's the only song you notice it in. Allen Collins does such a badass job on freebird and nearly jumps over Ronnie's head...EPIC! The other two CDs are awesome as well but I already have such a full repetoire of Skynyrd that I'm more interested in watching them live. #SkynyrdNation


title: Nothing like bluegrass gospel

text: Love this but not quite as much as their other gospel collection.  Still wonderful if you like bluegrass gospel.


title: Great album

text: Great album. Great songs.  LOVE almost anything the Osborne Brothers do.....


title: Rule the world

text: Being older I didn't realize how good Tears for Fears were. Very pleased with this.


title: Good Assortment

text: Not all the songs are hits for me, but my husband loves the entire disk.


title: I enjoyed The Chipmunks performing great songs on the classic TV ...

text: As an 80's baby, I enjoyed The Chipmunks performing great songs on the classic TV shows. They are talented and great!


title: Supa Mario Presents Ghost In The Machine (Evil E's Review)

text: The first time i listened to the mixtape i was blown away. Very different tracks then usual. Like "The Key" that track is crazzy. The three tracks "The Day You Die", "Ghost Stories Part 1" and "Ghost Stories Part 2" are definately sick tracks. Pretty much the whole mixtape is tough except for a couple which i suppose could have been better. But other than that it's crazy. I recommend that you Buy it or if you are like me you can download it. But either way it is sick and i recommend it to all.


title: Five Stars

text: great oldy


title: It's Story Time with Travis

text: The Production is Poor and the cd's title is not recognized by Windows Media Player. So I had to type in the title of the songs manually.  However if you are a travis fan you will love this cd.  Fran and Andy dwelve into the past and allow the listner to little tid bits of history pertaining to the songs. Very nice, very funny, you will laugh out loud especially when they joke about Jake Gylnhaal. Just like any other purchase it's all about what your looking for, to complete your Travis collection.  If your just looking for a greatest hits package stay far away and just buy any Travis Album as the whole catalog is best heard as a story in itself.


title: I love it.

text: This one was for me. I love it.


title: The all-in-one album!

text:
If you have not gotten any of the editions of Goodbye Lullaby yet, this is the one to buy!! This album has two discs, and it includes all the tracks on the deluxe edition of this album plus:
-What the Hell and Wish You Were Here Instrumentals
-The Making of Goodbye Lullaby
-What the Hell, Smile, Push, Wish You Were Here, and Girlfriend (from 4music Favorites live session)
-What the Hell, Smile and Wish You Were Here music videos
-Behind the scenes of What the Hell and Smile

I highly recommend this album, especially if you're an Avril Lavigne fan, or if you haven't bought any Goodbye Lullaby editions yet since this includes every track, plus bonus tracks/videos on just one album (and the blue color is very pretty)!
This cd is a great addition to your music collection!


title: Coldplay

text: Good solid album that captured the career of this talented band up to this point. Had never really been a huge but had always respected their talent.


title: Loved this Album!

text: Epic Rookie group! Crown is an amazing title track! :D


title: Loved it! Everything they promoted was included!

text: Super happy with the album!


title: Be Mine CD

text: I am very happy with my purchase of my CD, Be Mine.  I just love David Gray.  The amount I paid for this CD, the timely manner which I received it, and the product itself were excellent.  Thank you.


title: timely service

text: I found from this vendor exactly what I wanted and at a reasonable price.  It was shipped and delivered to me in a timely manner and was in great condition.


title: Five Stars

text: Excellent!!


title: Love This Recording!

text: Having now heard most of Tony's CDs & EPs from over the years, I feel this is his best musically produced work to date and his most powerfully clean vocals I have ever heard on his recordings. I'm a "latecomer" fan of Lucca's music and discovered his music only about 3-4 years ago after hearing "Right on Time" on XM radio. While it might be the best track on the CD and arguably (according to my wife) our favorite track by him on any recording, I was surprised to find that about 50-60% of the CD is not mellow like Right on Time but contains some great rockers with an edge to them, and I enjoy those tunes just as well. Old Girl is a rocking opening track, catchy with great vocals, but the real gem among the group of electric songs on the early part of this recording is Imagination; just a perfect mix of a very good catchy pop/rock song with outstanding lead and background vocals that will keep you humming the tune the rest of the day. There are other good rockers on this disc, notably Sweat it Out, Cherry, and Delilah but also some nice softer songs and power ballads, such as North Star, Smoke 'Em, and the very catchy Paint a Picture. While this disc is a higher level of recording production than much of his earlier work and a slicker more refined sound overall, the songs, musicianship, and vocals make it perhaps my favorite Tony Lucca recording start to finish with several stellar songs. A very fun listen and perhaps the most mainstream radio recording in his collection. Can't recommend it enough!


title: Aretha!!!

text: I have always loved Aretha’s voice. I even saw the film about her life twice. I love this album and, if you are an “Aretha Fan” you will, too


title: Great cd

text: My favorite


title: Love Coldplay

text: This cd set has all of the Coldplay songs I love most on it.  I can play them through and then start back at the beginning.  My favorite - Violet Hill.


title: good cd

text: My wife loves the cd


title: Beautiful music

text: Music CD


title: Uptown Funk

text: Plays perfectly. Very fast shipping!


title: Five Stars

text: Everything Good!


title: Not bad

text: I bought this cd thinks that there was a special song on it, but the song I liked was not on this cd.


title: We All Benefit from this Benefit Album

text: This is one dynamite live album. It is full of fun, love and purpose. The voices are infectious. You want to sing along. This was the calm before the storm, literally. Barry is back with his siblings, doing what he does best. His vocals are strong, as are all the others. I especially love Susan's, the new de facto vocal leader of The Cowsills. This was a benefit for big brother Bill, who had myriad of health issues. A few years later the family dynamic would tragically change for ever, but it produced another benefit. If got The Cowsills to tour again as a family. If only they would record as a family...


title: Great album

text: Can't believe this album wasn't released until 2009 when it should have been released in 2005. I enjoy listening to all the songs on this album, particularly the tunes featuring a young Katy Perry. I prefer her older work with a bit more of a rock edge to her current work, though for an unknown reason I read that Katy Perry doesn't like this album.  I am also pleased that this album was available on CD as I do not care for the sound quality of MP3.  The Matrix was offered at a reasonable cost through Amazon and shipping was quick.


title: Excellent compilation!

text: If you're a DVD Audio lover, be sure to pick up this disc.  This is a very nice "Greatest Hits" compilation set.  There is a DVD Audio disc and a regular CD as well.


title: nick black

text: I actually like the album. I know by research this is a millionaire (real doll owner) living out his rockstar persona and this band is just a bunch of 'hired' guns and not cohesive at all. I was hoping they were going to play San Diego & Los Angeles so they would have a tight sound but that never happened. You listen to this album & you realize with a little bit of talent and a whole lot of $$$$ you too can have a rock band & your own record label.


title: STRAIGHT AHEAD ROCK

text: Great piece of work. The 3 Duncan brothers have great chemistry. If you like Armored Saint....than this is a must for your collection. Their new album Explode has more 'kick' than this album but I would recommend this to any metal head.


title: Five Stars

text: Great CD


title: Brought Back Memories

text: Fun music. I purchased this CD just for The Ritchie Family track, Give Me A Break.


title: Two Beautiful Voices Blending Together

text: I brought this collection of songs when the lp was first released being a fan of both singers. I have since purchased it again as an import cd and it is worth every penny I spent. I love music. I love good songs. However, I really love good singers, since I can't carry a tune with somebody else's voice. Ladies and Gentlemen, if you have not heard these two singers together, please treat yourself. As a supporter of Motown records, I have purchased the hits and the misses, this one was a miss, due to Motown's lack of interest, not because it wasn't good product. From the ballads to the mid tempo cuts to the full on upbeat tracks, it is WONDERFUL. They sing as if they enjoyed singing with each other and I hear it, but more importantly, I FEEL IT!!! To those who have the rights to rerelease this body of music, PLEASE give it a second chance and allow the public the chance to hear it. Soul Music, Hip-OSelect etc, jump on this on, please.


title: This Is Wonderful Music

text: How is her best cd her last cd. Please someone promote this and give her a double platinum lp. Ladies and Gentleman, this is Vesta at her BEST, SIMPLY THE BEST.


title: good buy

text: This is what I'm talking about! Buy it! This is what I've fought to when I was training Muay Thai.


title: Awesome!

text: Thanks to this seller for offering a rare item in good conditions at a fair price! I went to a show on this tour 15 plus years ago so it’s really cool to have this.


title: Terrific Christian Music For Kids and Adults Will Like It Too!

text: Jana Alayra is one of the best musicians for Children’ Christian music I know and Jump Into the Light is my favorite! Her music is positive, unique, and fun. Kids love the tempo and can move and dance to the beat. I highly recommend this CD as well as her others.


title: Another hit for Jana Alayra

text: This is another great recoding from Jana Alayra!  If you are looking for positive, fun Christian music for your kids, then this is a perfect pick. The songs and tempo are upbeat and the lyrics are simple enough so that kids can sing along. There are movements that can be done as well. Look for her in concert or on YouTube.


title: Four Stars

text: I liked a few song on this album, so I gave it away.


title: Five Stars

text: Great choir music!


title: Love their music!

text: Love their music!


title: mercy me cd

text: I just bought the new Mercy Me cd and this is the first time I have ever heard them,I thought they were great.<br />I received my cd in the mail very quickly.


title: great cd

text: This is a great addition for any CD collection.  If you are a fan of this artist, I would highly recommend this CD.


title: Four Stars

text: very helpful!


title: OMG! God Loves ME!

text: This album really offers music you can praise God to. The words and music can't keep you in your seat. The devil must flee when you are praising God with this album!


title: dear seller I really loved listening to this cd tape alot it is a ...

text: dear seller I really loved listening to this cd tape alot<br />it is a great cd tape to listen to love caroline boudle


title: dear seller I really love listening to phychic learning meditation cd it is a ...

text: dear seller I really love listening to phychic learning meditation cd<br />it is a great cd tape to listen to I really loved it alot love caroline boudle


title: dear seller I really love the clairoyance phychic and spiritual learning meditation cd it ...

text: dear seller I really love the clairoyance phychic and spiritual  learning meditation cd<br />it is really a great cd tape to listen to I realy love it alot love caroline boudle


title: ... the world cd tape it really is not that great of a cd tape to listen to I have ...

text:
dear seller I really did not care much for give me the world cd tape
it really is not that great of a cd tape to listen to I have seen better cd tapes
love caroline boudle


title: ... me to help me in any way at all love caroline

text:
dear seller I really did not care much for clearing and cleansing old behavioral patterns meditation cd
it really did not do any thing for me to help me in any way at all
love caroline boudle


title: ... care for the songs on it were not that great for me love caroline

text:
dear seller I really did not care much for the heart of worship cd tape
I really did not care for the songs on it were not that great for me
love caroline boudle


title: ... me it really did not help me at all love caroline

text:
dear seller the galactic light alignment cd tape
it really did not work for me it really did not help me at all
love caroline boudle


title: ... did nothing for me to help me at all love caroline

text:
dear seller te arch angel gabriel vibrational healing cd tape did not work for me
It did nothing for me to help me at all
love caroline boudle


title: ... not care for the songs did not sound that great to me I like the hiding places cd tape ...

text:
dear seller I really did not care much for this cd tape did not care for the songs did not sound that great to me
I like the hiding places cd tape alot better than this one
love caroline boudle


title: dear seller I really loved listening to this commune with angels cd tape alot ...

text: dear seller I really loved listening to this commune with angels cd tape alot it is a great cd tape to listen to<br />I rwally loved listening to this meditation cd tape alot love carolineboudle


title: michaeljaclkson

text: I really enjoyed reading this book of michael jacksn alot it has some nice pitures in it  I rwally loved it


title: jackson5

text: I really enjoyed listening to this cd tape of the jackson 5 alot it has some nice songs on it to listen  to


title: christ mediation cd

text: I really enjoyed listening to this cd alot<br />I t is really a nice cd tape about jesus I really enjoyed it alot


title: arch angel michael

text: I really enjoyed listening to this cd alot and hearing arch angel michael talking to me looking for ward to getting more cds on arch angel michael


title: ... for my grandson - age 14 - and he loved them.

text: Bought these for my grandson - age 14 - and he loved them.


title: Every song is absolutely beautiful, lyrics and melody. True message from God.

text: Absolutely love this CD and DVD. Voice of Truth was why I purchased it, but every single song spoke to my heart.


title: Three Stars

text: Was alittle disappointed.


title: More Vintage Mathis

text: Same formula of all charting Mathis albums of the 60s and 70s: a mix of the hits of the day, musical/movie themes with a sprinkle of new material thrown in. I always thought that Mathis' cover of the current hits was usually better than the original artist.


title: DOA!

text: A long, long time ago and not too far from where I live now a guy named George Lucas made some pretty cool movies.  Now all he does is make two and half hour commercials for his toys!  There's not one moment of real acting in this entire picture.  The movie plays out as if they decided to save time and money and skip those tedious rehearsals!  It's as if they filmed the first read the "actors" do to familiarize themselves with the script and the other "actors".  The effects look like a Saturday morning cartoon!  Dump most of the computer animation and bring back the model makers!  The entire experience was depressing.  The only good thing I can say about it is there's less Jar-Jar. You should avoid this clinker at all costs.  If we keep encouraging them to make trash like this by handing over our money they will be more than happy to oblige us.  Oh, and as a side note: Ewan McGregor = Sir Alec Guinness as a young Obi-Wan?  What a joke!  Sorry Ewan you can't get there from here.


title: Re-packaged songs

text: All the songs on that CD are songs that I already had. The only differences was that there was a different cover, so I would think I was getting something new.


title: Wonderful!

text: Beautiful item appropriately packaged.


title: The voice

text: Robson's voice is wonderful...my favorite on the recording is 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes'  I listen to this daily at work...gets me thru....buy it you will not regret it...


title: "Sentimental Cowboy Music For Dreaming Circus Workers Just Before Dawn"

text:
Thats a quote from their myspace... sorry, but defines somewhat well, in part, sometimes, what their music is.

Hints of  John Fahey or Linda Cohen if you need reference, but personally, one of the most overlooked musical works of this century. Time will tell.


title: Beautiful

text:
Split EP by Japanese artists Wata (Boris) and Ai Aso. It was released in 2007 by Diwphalanx Records on 7" and limited to 1500 copies (GRAB ONE WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY ARISES!!). The 7" comes with a 60 page (!!!) full color photo book. Ai Aso's song is a King Crimson cover from the album Islands. Wata's side is a cover of a Masashi Kitamura song.

One of the best packaged albums i have seen


title: Like Father, like son.

text: I saw a video on You Tube with Julian Lennon.  I wanted to hear the similarities.  They are there.


title: Five Stars

text: good price


title: Five Stars

text: great cd


title: Great Bootleg

text: Very Nice sound, and very nice image cuality for a bootleg, this dvd contain, the motley crue live at US Festiva in 1983 and live in Tacoma in 198, great for a fans of Motley Crue


title: Great Live Album

text: This is a live cd, very old, its from the gigs of the first cd, too fast for love, its more like a bootleg, but the sound and cuality of sound its great,very recomended to hardcore fans of this gran band.


title: Andrew Powell's Instrumental Interpretations of Project Hits

text:
At the height of The Project's success, orchestral composer and arranger Andrew Powell had the extraordinary opportunity to release an album of his interpretations of their greatest hits.  While Arista also began to release one mediocre compilation after another, this effort by several other members of The Project "team" became something that would really intrigue their ardent fans.  Some of these arrangements are nothing short of brilliant!

Case in point: the very first song on the album.  It opens with a variation of the same french horn fanfare that opened [[ASIN:B00049QNMG The Turn of a Friendly Card]] before transitioning into an orchestral arrangement of [[ASIN:B001GZMPG0 Lucifer]] and [[ASIN:B001QYEB8Q Mammagamma (Instrumental)]] that almost rivals both in their original form.  While the interpretations of both [[ASIN:B0017T0FWG Time]] and [[ASIN:B0017T0FXU Games People Play]] aren't as compelling as the album's overture, the I ROBOT SUITE reinterprets the entirety of [[ASIN:B000A2GJVW I Robot]] even better than [[ASIN:B00206OYCW The Naked Robot (Early Stage Instrumental Mixes)]].

By and large, the strongest tracks on the album are not The Project's biggest hits like [[ASIN:B001QYJG5O Eye In The Sky]], but the somewhat lesser know songs that ardent fans tend to love.  The virtues of this effort are likely to be lost on the casual fan who might dismiss it has muzak in Project clothing, but anyone who is willing to actually listen to this is going to come away more than a little impressed.  I cannot imagine another album of this ilk succeeding in the manner that this one does, and I cannot imagine anyone other than Andrew Powell achieving that success with an endeavor of this nature.


title: great music

text: I have been a fan for far to long and now I own a great collection of music history. all around great buy


title: Bravo, again, Ryan!

text: Once again Ryan Truesdell has proven to be a terrific musical detective & historian, arranger (of newly discovered material by Gil Evans), & leader of an incredibly robust jazz band flying high in this live recording at The Jazz Standard! The mixing is expertly done--so well that this could easily be a studio recording. Some reviewers seem to have not paid attention to the fact that this is new music, not just contemporary treatments of songs associated with Gil Evans in the early part of his career. These are recently found arrangements, or in some cases entirely new songs. It shreds light on how active & creative Evans was in the period leading up to his famous collaborations with Miles Davis--and in so doing has redefined & amplified Evans' importance. He's sometimes seen as a composer/arranger who dropped out of sight for periods of time, but this CD demonstates that he was highly active in the late '40s & early '50s, though frequently his compositions &  arrangements went undocumented. Unrecorded, at least as originally written. (And if anyone in jazz at that time was "original," it was Evans.) Additionally, with songs that are familiar, especially the Claude Thornhill work, we're hearing them for the first time as audiences would have heard them live. What up to this point were compositions & arrangements limited by the recording technology of the late '40s--sometimes sounding like they're being heard through a telephone--are now "live" in both the literal & figurative sense. A perfect example is the "Easy Living Medley"--"Easy Living," "Everything Happens to Me," & "Moon Dreams". This is the first full recording of this surprising sequence, since it wasn't possible to record a work of this length when the medley was put together by Evans. And it's jaw-droppingly beautiful! As is the entire CD, an unqualified pleasure to listen to! Thanks again, Ryan!


title: 4 U

text: This is a rare song to find by Shanice.  it's a good dance/pop song with good vocals and a cool sample by Soul 2 Soul thru-out the song.  You can't find this song on any Shanice album, only as the single and on the Meteor Man soundtrack.


title: Gimmee a break beat

text: The only prob with this cd is the house remix of buffalo stance is NOT on here, it's only on the vinyl 12 inch, which sucks.  The other versions are ok and the song itself is classic.  I don't know why they didn't put the house mix on here and included some other mixes that are not that great and unnecessary.


title: Rain On Me

text: I love the last 4 songs on tha cd.  Queen latifah is so multi-talented, she's in alot of good movies and I think this is her best album.  She also pays homage to her bro that was killed in an auto accident so I'm sure this album was special to her as well.  Queen has it all, and now I hear she's got her own talk show, u go queen.  i also met her once at an autograph signing in Carson, Ca.  She was totally cool to me and signed one of my records.  I luv u Queen Latifah, keep on doin' what u doin' girl, God's got ur back.


title: Blue Light Soundscapes

text: This cd is an immersion into a mystical world Wendy and Lisa have created in White Flags of Winter Chimneys.  This is creative, unique music bordering on Beatles lyricism and deep soundscapes.  Considering I bought this cd and listened to it on a typical California heatwave in September, I would much prefer 2 listen to it again during the rainy and cold weather season to get the full effect.  This is artsy music, there are no pop hits just good music from the creative team of Wendy and Lisa.  I own every cd from them and each cd is unique in it's own way.  I would love for them to get a lil funky again, like on Fruit at The Bottom.  I will always luv Wendy and Lisa and will continue to support them in their artform and I look 4ward to the next offering.  I am sooo glad they are still makin' music!!!  :)


title: My  review from bollywoodhungama.com:

text: Great songs. I've never lost faith in this guy. I was a huge fan, but now many other singers are showing their talent(Vishal Dadlini, Neeraj Shridhar, Sukwinder, Sonu Nigaam, Shankar, Kailash, Mohit C, and more). But still, I've never been against him, though it's fun making fun of him. This time he's back with another bang. From Karzzzz, many other soundtracks have beaten it up to the ground (Rab Ne, Ghajini, KAMINEY, Love Aaj Kal, Dehli 6, Dil Bole Hadippa, What's Your Rashee, and some more). But from the first 5 songs, I knew that this is going to be a great OST. The only disappointment are the lyrics, which are fair. Best is Jaaneman, then Mann Ka Radio, then Zindagi-Remix, and then Teri Meri tied with Rafa Dafa. The rest are great.


title: Five Stars

text: More from the time of wonderful music


title: Extraordinarily moving.

text: Barry Guy's "After the Rain" is one of the most powerful pieces of music that I have ever heard. It ebbs and flows - chaos juxtaposed with grace and beauty. I have never experienced anything quite like it. Definitely unique. I highly recommend it.


title: Happy Birthday to You!

text: My daughter was born in 1957 and I gave the book and music cd to her, so that she could understand what was happening in the world she was born into. Thank you for having such a product available.


title: Taeyeon

text:
Its Taeyeon's newest/first mini album!
The booklet has the disc inside and the book has a ton of pictures of Taeyeon (Aw yeah).

Also, it comes with some goodies like a poster and few stickers/photo cards.


title: Paco 101

text: Quintessential Paco De Lucia. If you're looking for an introduction to Paco, this is the album.


title: Political

text: Unusual record


title: Britney can't sing but got the moves

text: Britney can't really hold her vocals up to Christina....but what made her sell double the number of albums (12 million) than Christina? Probably, she has got the right tunes, at least the ones that were released, and the  right cool moves! Each released single coupled with the right moves and the  right vid really shaped her status as the Princess of pop, but then again  the rest of the album apart from Baby one More time, Crazy, Sometimes &  Born To Make You Happy are just too kiddish and juvenile, but then again,  she's only 18! Give her time she could turn out just another wonder with  better material?


title: SoYeon's gift

text:
LABOUM remains my favorite kpop group for its originality - while it often expertly uses retro features - at times it produces something fresh & unexpected - like the 2 tunes on this single

by chance - i first heard the title song in its original form later - in the group's followup album "I'm Yours" - (the title "Between Us [Original ver]" should have given me a hint) - anyway - that track's arrangement was subdued - with a lone guitar as accompaniment - a pleasantly relaxing tune - but in this album - the fuller musical arrangement has an eerie & exotic quality - - gifted group member SoYeon - the main singer - seems to have been involved in the writing of this song - and she produced the album

the second song - named "Love Game" - is the equal to the first track in its surprising dynamics - and catchiness

my appreciation and enjoyment for this album has grown and grown - however - my appreciation for SoYeon remains the same - because i've always held her in the highest esteem


title: all i need for christmas is Jeong Eunji's latest album

text:
...that will always be the case

if Eunji's voice was wine - i would swish it around in my mouth and pronounce "tender & sweet - with a touch of tears - and a slightly haunting quality"

this one has 7 full songs - the intro is a short piano version of the Track 2 "Being There" - i'll post the tracklist in english at the end of this review

like her previous albums - these are mostly ballads to bring out her lyrical style - but tracks 4 ("The Box") and 5 ("Thanking About You") are jauntily uptempo with a teasing quality

to show this is not idolatry - a tiny criticism - i wish i could hear more of her full voice - over the course of the 3 albums - Eunji has resorted more and more to a breathy style - her full voice is one of the best in all kpop

i'm still trying to find an explanation for Track 9 of this album - it's mostly of Eunji talking in Korean - closing with an abbreviated "Being There" - i'll come back and fill you in when i find out - but if you're unfamiliar with Korean - Eunji makes it sound prettier than other speakers do

if chirpy kpop - with pretty performers and average voices - doesn't appeal - eunji is a reminder that rich musical talent can be found in that mass of dancing bodies - and they're worth discovering for yourself

Tracklist (English):
01 - For Hyehwa
02 - Being There
03 - Seasons Change
04 - The Box
05 - Thinking About You
06 - B  [yes - that's the title]
07 - Farewell
08 - Sae-byuk
09 - [spoken]


title: sheer bliss

text:
like Jeong EunJi herself - EunJi's voice is warm and pretty - and my idea of bliss is sitting and listening to her sing some lyrical ballads - this mini album with 6 tracks is blissfully fulfilling - one of my best purchases - Kpop or otherwise

it has 5 unique tracks with a 6th track that is a remix of the first (english title: "Hopefully Sky") - the remix has a relaxed piano backup instead of the riffy slightly country-western arrangement of the 1st track - i wished they had continued with that touch of C&W with its plaintive harmonica counterpoint played by a Korean folk singer Harim - fyi - the lyrics were written by the young singer herself

my favorite song however is the third one - "It's OK" - a lilting ballad that shows off EunJi's ability to sound pretty thru out her range - my second favorite is probably the next one - "Home" - an up-tempo song

tracks 2 ("Love is Like the Wind") and 5 ("Love Is") have slower heartfelt tempos - the koreans like songs like this to be sung with a slightly breathy quality - but the good singers like EunJi never give in entirely to that - she sticks mostly to a crystalline tone

the secret for an album from someone of EunJi's caliber is to have no bad songs - there aren't any tracks that i wouldn't want to listen to again and again - i start at the beginning - and go to the end - with images of EunJi from YouTube videos playing in my mind

if you are unfamiliar with this lovely young singer - she's currently part of a popular KPop girl group called APink - just go to YouTube and search for "APink EunJi" and you'll get a ton of links

the $15 set i got encased the CD in a photobook - and included a few wallet sized photos of her - and a large folded poster (i need to figure out how to get rid of those wrinkles!) - but that's icing - the rich center is EunJi's singing

---
Eun Ji has released a second mini-album - [[ASIN:B06Y12616Z SPACE]]


title: how to get close to a gorgeous girl group

text:
i bought this thru Amazon - and it cost a fortune - well - $26 - but i'm happy - i hope enuf of that money gets to the girls - and the song writer - and the producers of the music video

it was that Youtube music video that sold me - a 4 minute single take of the girls as they danced thru an open shopping mall - the video was gorgeous! - saturated color skewed slightly toward yellow - as a bonus - that look was used in the cover art of this CD - which was almost worth the price of the CD itself

btw - the lyrics are in japanese since this was made for the japanese market - and the choreo is based on the Super Mario video game

for this video - the girls are the prettiest i've ever seen them - with colorful & feminine costumes - blue skirts with the rest of the costume in different colors for each girl - the same assignment that they had for FM and other videos

there are 2 songs and 4 tracks - any Kpop fan knows to expect that - there's DANCING ALL NIGHT - and the japanese version of UH-EE (pronounced like "oiy") - plus the instrumental background of the both

the album also comes with the happy thought that i paid for the privilege of viewing their music video - and that the transaction brings us a little closer together


title: kawaii koreans - well - see postscript

text:
SECRET is one of the most charming groups in the current KPop scene - it's not surprising they managed to succeed in the glutted Korean market - and then managed a successful foray into the Japanese market - where they must have frequently heard the utterance "kawaii" - which means "cute"

this is a japanese language CD - and yes i know - japanese may not be music to americans ears when spoken - but when it is sung - it is a very lovely language - especially when sung with the little girl voices of SECRET

this CD contains three songs - the first is a sweet ballad entitled "Kore Kurai no Sayonara" but is called "So Much for Goodbye" in english - the second "Love is Long" is an up tempo song and my favorite of CD - the last song is a very listenable ballad called "Color of Love"

if you get the CD and DVD set - the DVD will contain a music video of the title song - and either a behind scenes of the shooting of the music video - or an interview - depending on the one you get

if you become a big fan - you'll want to know their names - so - if you're looking at the cover with three of the girls sitting in chairs while one sits on the floor - from left to right - they are Jun Hyo Seong - Song Ji Eun - Han Sun Hwa - and Zinger (who has returned to her real name Ha Na) - remember - family names first

to see other SECRET albums - click on their name beneath the title - notice that it's underlined indicating that it's a link - i have almost every one of those albums - and intend to complete my collection - i like them that much

---

PS (9/24/12)  i saw their music video "Poison" recently - in the blink of an eye - they had gone from cute - to slutty - my enthusiasm for them has diminished considerably


title: Buena colección

text: Sin duda este es uno de los recopilatorios más completos que hay sobre Pedro Infante. Además está especializado en diferentes etapas de su carrera.


title: 5 huge stars

text: Anyone who likes jazz, cocktail piano, or any sort of piano will love this album. The last album recorded by Mr. Walter, it showcases his virtuostic talents. There are some cool, interesting reharmonizations of the standards here. I particularly like what he does with Moon River. Although primarily "solo piano" there are a couple songs done as a three-piece. Unfortunately not available yet on digital format, but perhaps the family's ongoing effort to digitize and archive his music will eventually produce a mp3 collection of these songs.


title: Excellent

text: I have heard Dudley Moore play jazz before on youtube videos from the 1960s. Although interesting, his playing was a bit odd, definitely his own thing. So I wasn't sure if I wanted to actually buy an album, but I took a chance on this one, and I have to tell you, I'm glad I did. This is a great album and I'm really impressed and surprised - GO Dudley Moore! Mature, very solid jazz and a little bit of the interesting "Moore style." I definitely recommend it to any jazz piano enthusiast.


title: Awesome Tour Guide!

text: Great tour guide for the Road to Hana!  We listened to it the whole way there and found some amazing spots that we would have missed if not for the CD. Also had a bunch of spots after Hana going towards the Southeastern side of the Island.  Well worth it for a once in a lifetime adventure!


title: Lucinda makes these songs hers

text: Just getting into Lucinda.  First heard her on Reason To Cry.  Her voice is unique and bluesy.  Don't have to be a Petty fan to really enjoy these songs.  Her band is TOP NOCH!  These recordings are meant to co-exist with whatever you are doing.


title: This is a wonderful collection of...

text: This is a wonderful collection of CD's.  Unfortunately they do not have the bonus tracks.  You can get them on another collection though.


title: I am very happy with this purchase

text: It has become a very important purchase because it teaches relaxation and calm. I am very happy with this purchase.


title: "In diesen heil'gen Hallen"

text:
The Metropolitan Opera has released their 1967 broadcast of "Die Zauberflöte" on Compact Discs.  It was the second, American cast of the new production famously designed by Marc Chagall, and starred Judith Raskin, Roberta Peters, George Shirley, Theodor Uppman, and John Macurdy, conducted by Josef Krips.

The cast is a superb ensemble, particularly the Tamino of Shirley and the Sarastro of Macurdy.  The latter is ideal in the role, a true basso cantante.  Also is the cast is Walter Cassel as the Speaker of the Temple:  His contribution is so significant, his name should have graced the cover with the other principals.  Krips' conducting is elegant, but often without sufficient momentum.

While Peters gives a committed performance as the Queen of Night, attention should also be paid to the studio recordings of Erna Berger (a "vicious baby-doll," 1937-38), Edda Moser (ferocious, 1972), and Zdzisława Donat (glacial, 1980).  Lighter pleasures are found in Christian Boesch's Papageno (opposite Donat, 1980) and Janet Perry's Papagena (under Herbert von Karajan, 1980).

Among studio recordings, the highest recommendation is given to that conducted by Sir Roger Norrington, with Dawn Upshaw as Pamina (1990).


title: "Nach Rom!"

text:
This 1990 recording of excerpts from Richard Wagner's "Tannhaüser" was produced as the soundtrack of the film "Meeting Venus," with Glenn Close.  Even so, it is a major addition to the discography of this opera, and one wishes the entire work had been recorded with this cast, which is well conducted by Marek Janowski.

Featured are Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, René Kollo, Håkan Hagegård, and Waltraud Meier.  Dame Kiri is resplendent as the Princess Elisabeth, in a repertoire not associated with the soprano.  Kollo recorded the title role complete in 1970 (for Decca, under Sir Georg Solti), but here his matured interpretation is far superior to the earlier outing in the studio.  In fact, he is extraordinarily moving in these highlights.

Hagegård has a most beautiful voice for the part of Wolfram von Eschenbach, and his musicality is exemplary.  Meier, as Venus, sings with much idiomatic commitment.

Elsewhere, one finds the extraordinary Elisabeth of Anja Silja, at the age of twenty-two, in the 1962 recording from the Bayreuth Festival (on Philips).  This was the first of her recordings to be published in the USA, and her plaintive voice is heartrending as the Princess.  From the "pirates," one can hear the late Karan Armstrong as an intriguing, intoxicating Venus in a Berlin performance (with Kollo in the name part) of 1992.  Surely, the goddess of love was one of the soprano's greatest roles.

On DVD, the Tannhaüser of Richard Cassilly and the Hermann of John Macurdy are marvelous in a stolid, "traditional" production from the Metropolitan Opera in 1982.  (In 1984, this reviewer was at the Met for this production, with Cassilly, Hagegård, and Macurdy.)  Tannhaüser was one of Cassilly's finest roles, and this is a stirring memento of the portrayal.

Also on DVD is Götz Friedrich's interesting production of the work from Bayreuth in 1978, with Dame Gwyneth Jones as both Elisabeth and Venus.  She is, of course, one of the great singing-actresses (as with Silja and Armstrong) and she is electric--and beautiful--in the two roles.


title: "Pelléas, Pelléas, is it thou?..."

text:
In 2010, the Metropolitan Opera published their 1983 radio broadcast of Claude Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande," après the Symbolist masterpiece of Maurice Maeterlinck, on Compact Discs.  Featured are Jeannette Pilou, Dale Duesing, Jocelyne Taillon, José van Dam, and Jerome Hines, with James Levine conducting the production by Fabrizio Melano.

The performance is precise and magnificent, arguably superior to any studio recording of the opera.  Of particular interest is the Pelléas of Duesing:  In the published score, the role is engraved on the treble staff, denoting the provenance of a tenor, and indeed a tenor (as with the superb George Shirley in the 1970 recording conducted by the great Pierre Boulez) gives more the impression of youth than does that of a baritone voice.  That said, baritone Duesing is extraordinarily moving as the tragic character, and is the great treasure of the present account.

A "bonus CD" includes excerpts from two fine performances of the work, from 1978 (with Teresa Stratas, Gabriel Bacquier, and Hines) and 1995 (with Frederica von Stade, Dwayne Croft, and Victor Braun).

Elsewhere, the late Karan Armstrong's penultimate appearance was for a Concert Version of "Pelléas et Mélisande," for RAI in 2015, conducted by Juraj Valčuha.  Once the greatest Mélisande, she here undertook the part of Geneviève, and with a thread of voice created an unforgettable impression (a DVD is available from Première Opera).  Would we had a recording of the great singing-actress as Mélisande (pictured, in 1984)!


title: "A Lion"

text: This is an inexplicably-underrated opera, which should be in the repertoire of the world’s great theatres. Here, in 1986, Karan Armstrong gives a towering characterization in one of her few studio recordings, alongside the tenor Kenneth Riegel (who also sang the role opposite Anja Silja at Carnegie Hall, in 1990), in one of his best recordings. Magnificent!


title: "A Cry of Protest"

text:
Luigi Nono was the son-in-law of Arnold Schoenberg, and his "Intolleranza" was premiered at the 24th International Festival for Contemporary Music at the Teatro La Fenice, in Venice, on April 13, 1961, conducted by Bruno Maderna. The première was a scandal, yet it is one of the most important works of the post-World War II period.  Dedicated, indeed, to Schoenberg, the argument is a "flaming protest" against intolerance and oppression.
Only four years later, the Boston Opera presented the twelve-tone "scenic action" in its American première, on February 21, 1965, in English translation.  Maderna again conducted, Sarah Caldwell was the stage director, and Lawrence White (replacing John Moulson as the Migrant), Beverly Sills (as the Companion), Margaret Roggero (A Woman), Ercole (later Mario) Bertolino (An Algerian), and Guus Hoekman (A Tortured Man, sung at the world première by Italo Tajo) headed the cast.
Due to various delays, the two scheduled performances ultimately occurred on the same day (!), as matinée and evening performances, at the Back Bay Theatre.  National Education Television filmed both, and telecast a combination of the two on March 11, 1966.  This recording published by Opera Depot (with the encouragement of the present writer) is the soundtrack of that television film.  Would that film of Caldwell's production (by many accounts, one of her most fascinating, with set designs by Josef Svoboda) emerge some day!
The cast copes heroically with the fiercely difficult, magnificent score, with Miss Sills, in the most advanced opera the prima donna was to sing, astonishing in her hapless rôle.  She famously declared her personal dislike of the composer, but admitted his dodecaphonic score was "intriguing."  The fact that the very next year she was to triumph in the vastly different rôle of Cleopatra in Handel's "Giulio Cesare," at the New York City Opera, indicates the vast range of the soprano's talents.
Congratulations are due to Opera Depot for publishing this thrilling recording of one of the most challenging works of the twentieth century, which can be considered a sequel to their magnificent recent publication of Luigi Dallapiccola's twelve-tone "Il prigioniero," with Norman Treigle conducted by Leopold Stokowski.

Three further recordings of "Intolleranza" have been published.  In 1995, Teldec published (and in 2010 Warner Classics reissued) a "live" recording from March 1993, in Stuttgart, with David Rampy, Urszula Koszut, Kathryn Harries, Jerrold van der Schaaf, and Wolfgang Probst, conducted by Bernard Kontarsky (who also led the overwhelming 1988-89 Teldec recording of "Die Soldaten," with Nancy Shade).  It is in German translation and omits the spoken Part II, Scene 1.  Otherwise, it is electrifying.
In 2012, Radio Bremen and Dreyer Gaido published a Compact Disc of the February 2001 "live" performance from Bremen, with Wolfgang Neumann, Judy Berry, Maria Kowollik, Armin Kolarczyk, Bartholomeus Driessen, and Ina Schlingensiepen, conducted by Gabriel Feltz.  Much as I admire the Kontarsky Brothers, Feltz is even more vibrant in this difficult score.  Neumann's expressive Heldentenor is thrilling to hear in the role of the Migrant.  As with the Teldec set, it is sung in German, and omits Part II, Scene 1.
In 2011, the Teatro La Fenice mounted the work to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the world première at that theatre.  Stefan Vinke, Cornelia Horak, Julie Mellor (an interesting voice as the Woman), Alessandro Palinga, and Michael Leibundgut (very moving as the Tortured Man), were conducted by Lothar Zagrosek.  Luca Ronconi (and his studio) directed the production, and a DVD is available from Première Opera.  The copy is flawed:  It omits the ethereal opening, off-stage, a cappella chorus, and it appears Part II, Scene 1 was not performed.  The cast sings the jagged score with relative ease, and Ronconi's work was always fascinating.  If he did not remove the masterpiece from the drab, proletariat ethos of the original setting, it is nevertheless interesting.  Perhaps the chief value of this recording is that this production was--quite surprisingly--the first since the première to be sung in the original Italian!


title: Incomprehensible

text:
Bernd Alois Zimmermann was one of the greatest composers after the Second Viennese School.  His masterpiece is rightly regarded to be "Die Soldaten," possibly the most complex opera ever produced.  In fact, the work premièred in 1965 was the "simplified" version, the withdrawn original having been declared impossible to perform.
At first glace, Zimmermann, whose dodecaphonic scores erupt with horrifying Expressionistic fury, would have little in common with the elegant Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but both, in effect, wrote their own Requiems.  Zimmermann's last large-scale work was his "Requiem für einen jungen Dichter," a "Lingual" (linguistic piece) for massive forces, which incorporated texts from various sources, including Pope St John XXIII (an allocution to the German public, delivered in Latin on the last day of his life), James Joyce, Æschylus, and Adolf Hitler.  The intellectual and artistic complexity of this work are staggering.
Musically, the apocalyptic score even incorporates a few seconds of a "pop" song by the Beatles (representing our anti-intellectual crass commercialism) and a few bars of jazz (representing our degradation), but in toto the effect is like that of a volcanic eruption, sweeping all before the fury of its cataclysm.
This 2005 "live" recording from The Netherlands is stupendous.  Bernhard Kontarsky (who leads the definitive Teldec recording of "Die Soldaten," with Nancy Shade as Marie) conducts, proving his great talent with these difficult scores, the inestimable Claudia Barainsky and David Pittman-Jennings are the vocal soloists, with Jan Hage at the organ.  The Dutch Catholic Radio Broadcasting Organisation (KRO) was involved in the production, which Cybele Records published in 2008.  In 2019, Gramophone described this recording as, “An unsettling scream of an anti-war work.”
The "Requiem für einen jungen Dichter" was first performed in 1969, and the following year Zimmermann was, at the age of fifty-two, a victim of suicide while at work on his second opera, "Medea," après Hans Henny Jahnn.  Requiescat in pace.


title: Vaudeville

text:
This is a fascinating recording of the rarely performed "La Cubana," by Hans Werner Henze.  It was premiered over American television, as "Rachel La Cubana," the last production of the NET Opera Theatre, conducted by the composer, and it featured Lee Venora, Susanne Marsee, Alan Titus, Robert Rounseville, Alan Crofoot, and Olympia Dukakis.  The plot concerns a Cuban vaudeville performer, Rachel, and the history of that country before the Revolution.

It was first produced on-stage in Munich the next year, but has seldom been heard since.  In 1982, a "Radio Version" was recorded, as "La Cubana oder Ein Leben für die Kunst,"starring Anja Silja, and was published in 1986 by WERGO.  Here, the microphones are indeed very close to the singers, and Mme Silja embodies Rachel to a fare-thee-well.  Another triumph for the great singing-actress.  Jan Latham-Koenig is the excellent conductor.


title: The Heresy of the Cathars

text: Recorded “live” in Paris, in 1987, this fascinating opera features the great singing-actress Karan Armstrong in an extraordinary tour-de-force, co-starring Gino Quilico, conducted by Michel Plasson.


title: "Tutto nel mondo"

text:
Giuseppe Verdi's final opera, "Falstaff," after William Shakespeare's beloved character, was first heard at the Teatro alla Scala in 1893.  It has never been quite the popular success as several of the composer's earlier works; it has remained better liked by connoisseurs and musicians.

In 1950, Arturo Toscanini (who knew the composer, of course) conducted a Concert Version with Herva Nelli and Giuseppe Valdengo, which was later published as a recording on RCA.  Many consider it, even today, as one of the greatest operatic recordings, and it is markedly superior to its commercial rivals in this opera.  Toscanini's burning vitality, his brisk tempi, make the set unforgettable.  And Mme Nelli's Mrs Alice Ford (her only comedic assumption), with her unique instrument, is an absolute delight.

Elsewhere on Compact Disc is found Audrey Schuh's charming Nannetta, in a "live" performance from the New Orleans Opera (conducted by Renato Cellini, 1956, published by VAI), and Alan Titus's magnificent Ford (on RCA, conducted by Sir Colin Davis, 1991).

On DVD is found an interesting film of "Falstaff," directed by Götz Friedrich and conducted by Sir Georg Solti (1978-79).  Among the cast is the marvelous Karan Armstrong:  The great singing-actress is exquisitely beautiful and gives a darkly-fascinating interpretation of Mrs Ford.

In a 1956 film from Italian television (conducted by Tullio Serafin, directed by Herbert Graf, and distributed by VAI), the underrated Scipio Colombo presents a thundering interpretation of Ford.

Janet Perry's ethereal Nannetta is seen in Herbert von Karajan's Salzburg Festival production (with Francisco Araiza's excellent Fenton, 1982).  In 1980, Philips had recorded the work with the same conductor and principals for an audio recording.

From the Metropolitan Opera are found Paul Plishka's definitive Sir John in the midst of a vulgar production, conducted by James Levine (1992); and Lisette Oropesa's adorable Nannetta, also conducted by Levine (2013).


title: "The Flames are Roaring!"

text:
Giuseppe Verdi's "Il trovatore" is famous for its improbable plot, high drama, and beautiful melodies.  However, if one truly wishes to hear "Il trovatore," the only commercial recording that gives us what Verdi wrote, without cuts, interpolated high notes, simplifications, etc, foisted on the score by generations of singers of lesser or greater abilities, is that conducted by Riccardo Muti.

Maestro Muti's conducting is almost intolerably exciting, with a cast featuring Salvatore Licitra, Barbara Frittoli, Leo Nucci, and Violeta Urmana, from "live" performances at the Teatro alla Scala, in 2000.  It is a magnificent achievement.

Elsewhere, one finds the thrilling Manrico of Aureliano Pertile (1930), the sublime Leonora of Maria Callas (conducted by Herbert von Karajan, 1956), and the elemental Azucena of Shirley Verrett (1990).


title: "May I?"

text:
The beloved pairing of purpled verismo operas, "Cavalleria rusticana" and "Pagliacci," have often encouraged forays into the recording studio, beloved as they are by sopranos, tenors, baritones, and audiences. Unfortunately, a certain lack of discipline crept into the performing of the works, encouraging the adding of high notes at the expense of the finely-wrought scores of Pietro Mascagni and Ruggero Leoncavallo.

In 1978, Riccardo Muti conducted new editions of the scores, for EMI.  "Cavalleria rusticana" has a notable cast featuring Montserrat Caballé, José Carreras, Matteo Manuguerra, and Astrid Varnay, and the results are electrifying.  Varnay, a great Wagnérienne from the previous generation, makes a formidable Lucia.

"Pagliacci" stars Renata Scotto, Carreras, Kari Nurmela, and Sir Thomas Allen, and, if anything, the effect is even greater than with the Mascagni.  Mme Scotto is particularly impressive as Nedda, not shying away from the unpleasant aspects of the unfaithful wife.  Her collaborations with Maestro Muti were among the greatest of her fabled career.

Indeed, the casting for both operas is top-flight, and Muti's conducting approaches the definitive.

Elsewhere, Jon Vickers participated in a film of "Pagliacci" in 1968, with the forces of La Scala.  Conducted and directed by Herbert von Karajan, it was probably the finest of his films, with Raina Kabaivanska and Peter Glossop also in the cast.  Mr Vickers is tremendous, the greatest singing-actor among tenors; he is both frightening and extraordinarily moving as Canio.  Here, Karajan (as does Muti, of course) rightfully gives Tonio the last, famous line:  "La commedia è finita!"  (Karajan also filmed "Cavalleria," after the production of Giorgio Strehler, but it was stillborn, particularly due to the phlegmatic Santuzza of Fiorenza Cossotto.)

Mme Scotto also recorded Santuzza, for RCA in 1978 (with Plácido Domingo as Turiddu), and is heartrending as the betrayed young Sicilian.  One wishes Herva Nelli, who sang the part at the New York City Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, had been given the opportunity to record this first verismo opera.


title: "Donec gratus..."

text:
In 1979, Renata Scotto came to record "La bohème" for the second time, replacing an announced recording of Ponchielli's "La Gioconda," which was to have also starred Plácido Domingo and Tatiana Troyanos, conducted by James Levine.  Joining Mme Scotto in the Puccini sessions were Alfredo Kraus, Sherrill Milnes, Carol Neblett, Matteo Manuguerra, and Paul Plishka, as well as Renato Capecchi and Italo Tajo, under the baton of Levine.

Giacomo Puccini's beloved work has been recorded in the studio many times, yet this may well be the finest, the most interesting, version of all.  Surpassing all other elements, Scotto's Mimì is extraordinary:  A sensuously beautiful voice was not in her armory.  Rather, we have such musicality, delicacy and quite passion as to be unforgettable.  Kraus, with his unusual timbre, is a good match for the soprano; only his slight lifts to top notes compromise his authority.

Miss Neblett's Musetta is a brilliant achievement.  Her vibrant persona and dark voice, much heavier than that of the usual soubrette who often undertakes this role, adds unexplored dimensions to the character of the grisette.  Milnes, Manuguerra, and Plishka triumph in their assignments, as do the veterans Capecchi and Tajo.  Levine conducts with great slancio.

Elsewhere, one finds Arturo Toscanini, who led the world premiere in 1896, conducting a Concert Version in 1946, on RCA.  His mastery is absolute, incomparable.  One wishes his future protégée, Herva Nelli, had recorded the role of Mimì; she sang it in 1952 for the San Francisco Opera when they toured to Los Angeles.

On EMI's studio set of 1956, Maria Callas (who never sang this opera on-stage) presents a fascinating, miniaturist account of the seamstress, Mimì.  Three years later, the New Orleans Opera had one of their finest evenings when Audrey Schuh and Norman Treigle sang Musetta and Colline under the stage direction of Armando Agnini.  Miss Schuh encapsulates all the joie de vivre of Mimì's effervescent friend.  Mr Treigle (in the role of his New York City Opera debut in 1953) touches the profound in his interpretation of the philosopher.  VAI first published the performance on Compact Discs in 1995.

In 1982, the Metropolitan Opera televised their new production of "La bohème," with Teresa Stratas and Mme Scotto (now as Musetta).  Franco Zeffirelli's distended production is vulgar, but we do have two legendary singing-actresses in the cast, and the results are thrilling.  Miss Stratas looks like she is already near death at her first entrance, and is deeply moving.  Scotto is beautiful and irresistible as a flamboyant Musetta.  One wishes, nevertheless, that the original idea of having the great John Dexter direct this production would have succeeded!

The most interesting of more recent recordings has Roberto Alagna's exquisite Rodolfo, conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano (EMI, 1995).


title: "Tosca divina"

text:
This is indeed an historic recording, since it captures Magda Olivero's first performance, in a 1957 Concert Version for RAI, of Floria Tosca, which was certainly one of her greatest roles, in a opera in which she continued to appear until 1979, during a Metropolitan Opera tour.

Here, she is exquisitely musical and dramatically overwhelming, and in fact sings the role come scritto, to astonishing effect. For this reviewer (who saw her on that Met tour), she is the greatest of recorded Toscas.

Mme Olivero is not, however, the only reason for this recording: Emidio Tieri conducts with authority, Eugenio Fernandi (who studied with Aureliano Pertile, and is known to collectors as the Calàf in Tullio Serafin's EMI recording of "Turandot," from three months earlier, with Maria Callas and Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf) sings a lyrical Mario Cavaradossi, and Scipio Colombo is one of the greatest of Baron Scarpias. The inimitable Piero Di Palma is the classic Spoletta.

Scipio Colombo is not a familiar name today, but he sings a tremendous villain. Best-known as a champion of new music, he was in the premieres of "Il prigioniero" and "Dialogues des Carmélites." He had recorded "Tosca" for Westminster, in 1951, but is here even more theatrical. Like the soprano, he sings the role, without resorting to shouting and speaking the notated pitches in the manner beloved by many a famous Scarpia. Colombo also appeared as Ford in the 1956 film of "Falstaff" (conducted by Serafin and directed by Herbert Graf, and available via VAI), also for RAI.

In 2014, Opera Depot published a new edition of this classic performance.


title: "Egli vede ch'io piango!"

text:
On May 11, 1979, the Metropolitan Opera presented "Tosca" on tour in Dallas, with Magda Olivero (at the age of sixty-nine!), Luciano Pavarotti, Cornell MacNeil, as well as Italo Tajo, John Cheek, and Andrea Velis, conducted by James Conlon and directed by Tito Gobbi.
The present writer was there (and noticed Eugene Conley also in the audience), and it was one of the most exciting evenings he has ever spent in the theatre.  It also, in a sense, was the most historic performance he witnessed.
Mme Olivero made her debut in 1933, and is often regarded as the greatest of verismo sopranos, and one of the century's finest singing-actresses.  This performance provided much evidence for both:  As a singer, her voice, now rather small and dry, was nevertheless pure expression.  The acuti were terrifically exciting, the famous parlando effects were tremendous.  As an actress, she was sublime.  Her entire physique mirrored the music, her arms deployed as that of a great ballerina.  The histrionic ethos was that of the Nineteenth Century; it was redolent of the finest examples in Silent Film.  One can see from whence Mme Olivero emanated by watching the antique films of Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Duse.  She was their direct descendant.
Pavarotti was, in various ways, the complete opposite.  The voice, in 1979, was like that of precious silver, and his projection was so sure one always heard him above the orchestra.  But, as an actor, he was completely provincial.  It was not so much that he was inexpressive, but that what he seemed to express was at odds with the opera at hand.  There was much preoccupation and facial concentration for the upcoming high note, and he seemed to be a bit contemptuous of his surroundings.  His conception of the artist and revolutionary Mario Cavaradossi was more than a bit puerile.
MacNeil had one of the largest voices this writer ever heard in the theatre.  His was a great portrayal of the wicked Baron Scarpia, and he thundered in the great scene of the "Te Deum" that concludes Act I.
Italo Tajo was the Banco the only time Maria Callas sang Lady Macbeth on-stage (which her biographer Michael Scott thought "most suited her voice and temperament; it was enough that she was herself") and was in the world premiere of Luigi Nono's "Intolleranza."  It was a privilege to see him as a classic Sacristan.  Contrariwise, it was a treat to hear John Cheek so early in his career.
And while Gobbi's production was ordinary, it was still a fine thing to see his work since he had retired from singing.
Afterwards, this author waited with a substantial crowd for Mme Olivero to emerge from the stage door.  The conductor Nicola Rescigno made his way through the crowd to visit back-stage.  There was, in fact, much excited chatter until the prima donna emerged, escorted by Francis Robinson.  Absolute silence descended.  Bejeweled, and wearing a white evening-gown and a white fur, the soprano proceeded, in solemn fashion, to sign everything that was asked, in silence. When she gave me a signed photograph, I kissed her hand.
In short order, the performance was published as a "pirate" recording, and today is available on Compact Discs.  Even approaching forty years later, the evening remains more vivid than many nights spent in the theatre since.


title: Le couronnement de Boris

text:
Paul Plishka is one of the greatest singers of our time.  A mainstay at the Metropolitan Opera, where he sang a great array of rôles, he only retired from there in 2012.  The bass appeared at other great theatres, as well, including the Teatro alla Scala (from 1975 to 1992) and the New York City Opera ("I puritani"), but the Met truly was his home company.

His commercial discography and videography are highly impressive, and will give future generations a good idea of his accomplishments.  Certainly one of Mr Plishka's finest recordings is the one under review, "À Bordeaux," a 1989 collection of excerpts by Moussorgsky and Verdi, conducted by Alain Lombard.

The Verdi pieces are from "Macbeth," "Les vêpres siciliennes" (in Italian translation), "Nabucco," and "Don Carlos" (also in Italian translation), and are beautifully accomplished.  The scena from "Macbeth" is topped in intensity only by Norman Treigle's account from 1967, and the other excerpts are also near-ideal.  (The present reviewer, who saw Plishka many times in the theatre, regards Philippe II in "Don Carlos" as the bass' greatest rôle.)

The most interesting excerpts are, nevertheless, those from "Boris Godounov," the title part of which Plishka did sing at the Metropolitan (pictured), in 1987 (conducted by James Conlon) and 1991 (with Stefania Toczyska as Marina Mnichek, when it was broadcast).  Lombard achieves great clarity with his French forces in this score, and Plishka is one of the great interpreters of the troubled Tsar, and is heard in the Coronation, Monologue, and Death of Boris.  Absolutely extraordinary.  The edition by Rimsky-Korsakov is apparently utilized, and the uncredited treble as the Tsarévitch is ideal.

It is a great pity that Plishka was never given the opportunity to record a complete Boris, but he did record the rôle of Pimenn, the Orthodox monk-chronicler, from the same opera, in the 1987 Erato recording conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich, with Ruggero Raimondi and the electrifying Galina Vishnevskaya.  Raimondi is even further than Plishka from the Chaliapine parlando tradition in this opera, and Plishka has gone on record stating that Pimenn is a character particularly close to his heart.  The set is extraordinary, in Moussorgsky's stark original-version.


title: "Regnans in excelsis"

text:
In 1977, the Aix-en-Provence Festival produced Donizetti's "Roberto Devereux," directed by Alberto Fassini (a protégé of Luchino Visconti), starring José Carreras, Montserrat Caballé, Susanne Marsee, Vicente Sardinero, and Ferruccio Furlanetto, and conducted by the late Julius Rudel with the usual interpolations and cuts familiar from the period.

The full extant of the beauty of Carreras' voice is heard here in these excerpts as the title rôle of the Earl of Essex, and he sings with admirable abandon, as well.  The voice of Caballé was also, of course, one of the most beautiful instruments before the public, and, in this particular performance, she sings with great energy.  Some might prefer, nevertheless, the singing-actress approach of the other celebrated post-War exponents of the rôle of Elisabetta, Leyla Gencer and Beverly Sills.

Miss Marsee had made her European début earlier that year, at the Spoleto Festival, in "Così fan tutte," and here replaced Grace Bumbry as Sara, Duchess of Nottingham.  That rôle was an important one in the great singing-actress' career (and remains her favorite), having débuted at the New York City Opera in this opera, opposite Sills, Plácido Domingo, and Louis Quilico, in 1970.  In 1975, she appeared in a national telecast of the work from Wolf Trap Farm Park.  Here, she is thrilling as the hapless Duchess, her unique voice throttled with passion.

Sardinero and the young Furlanetto, additionally, are exemplary in their assignments, as is Maestro Rudel.


title: "Regnans in excelsis"

text:
In 1977, the Aix-en-Provence Festival produced Donizetti's "Roberto Devereux," directed by Alberto Fassini (a protégé of Luchino Visconti), starring José Carreras, Montserrat Caballé, Susanne Marsee, Vicente Sardinero, and Ferruccio Furlanetto, and conducted by the late Julius Rudel with the usual interpolations and cuts familiar from the period.

The full extant of the beauty of Carreras' voice is heard here in the title rôle of the Earl of Essex, and he sings with admirable abandon, as well.  The voice of Caballé was also, of course, one of the most beautiful instruments before the public, and, in this particular performance, she sings with great energy.  Some might prefer, nevertheless, the singing-actress approach of the other celebrated post-War exponents of the rôle of Elisabetta, Leyla Gencer and Beverly Sills.

Miss Marsee had made her European début earlier that year, at the Spoleto Festival, in "Così fan tutte," and here replaced Grace Bumbry as Sara, Duchess of Nottingham.  That rôle was an important one in the great singing-actress' career (and remains her favorite), having débuted at the New York City Opera in this opera, opposite Sills, Plácido Domingo, and Louis Quilico, in 1970.  In 1975, she appeared in a national telecast of the work from Wolf Trap Farm Park.  Here, she is thrilling as the hapless Duchess, her unique voice throttled with passion.

Sardinero and the young Furlanetto, additionally, are exemplary in their assignments, as is Maestro Rudel.  I would, nevertheless, direct all to the edition of this performance published by Opera Depot in 2016, marking the seventieth birthday of Mr Carreras.


title: "The Most Happy"

text:
It was Giuditta Pasta who, in 1830, created the rôle of the ill-fated queen in Donizetti's masterpiece, "Anna Bolena," the character of whom bears little resemblance to the treacherous historical figure.  In 1957, Maria Callas scored one of her greatest triumphs with the rôle at the Teatro alla Scala, in Luchino Visconti's production.  Leyla Gencer, Beverly Sills, and Renata Scotto followed as important interpreters of Bolena.

In November of 1975, Mme Scotto assumed the part for the Dallas Civic Opera.  The following month, James DeBlasis staged the work for the Opera Company of Philadelphia, with Scotto, Susanne Marsee, and Samuel Ramey in the leading rôles, with the late Julius Rudel conducting; the recording under review emanates from the electrifying performance of December 16th.  The soprano presents a gripping account of the eponymous part.  She was entering the phase of her really great career as one of the important singing-actresses of the era.  She was to have sung the opera again, in 1979, for the San Francisco Opera, but the management rather infamously changed it to "La Gioconda."  By then, we would have probably experienced a "come scritto" traversal, since that had happily become her wont.  Here, we have the usual cuts and interpolations of the time.

Miss Marsee's interpretation of Giovanna (Jane) Seymour is thrilling.  The greatest singing-actress among mezzo-sopranos, she is heard here in extremis, and is heart-rending in her unfortunate predicament as one of the countless victims of Enrico (Henry) VIII.  Having sung the rôle opposite Miss Sills, she is a suitable rival for La Scotto, as well.  In fact, though her répertoire extended from the Baroque to dodecaphony, she considered this (in 2012) to be "the most difficult opera I sang because of the length of the rôle and the tessitura."

As the cruel Enrico, Samuel Ramey makes a towering impression, heard here only two years after his New York City Opera début, and in his only appearances opposite Mme Scotto.  The voice seems limitless in size and force.  The remainder of the cast is excellent, and Rudel conducts with his accustomed distinction.


title: "My Unfettered Soul"

text:
Dame Gwyneth Jones presented this Tokyo concert in 1991, where it was beautifully conducted by Roberto Paternostro and superbly recorded by KOCH Schwann.

This beautiful singing-actress's voice is often harsh and off-pitch.  Almost any of the other recordings of the "Four Last Songs" would provide more dulcet tones.  However, none will give the listener, as does the sublime Dame Gwyneth, the great depth of Strauss' last compositions, suffused as they are with the inevitability and acceptance of death.  This is an extraordinary presentation.


title: "Ich riech Blut!"

text:
This reviewer has heard a number of performances of Alban Berg's masterpiece, but this one is, by any measure, the greatest of them.  It is the March 8, 1980, broadcast of David Alden's production of "Wozzeck," from the Metropolitan Opera.

José van Dam's title role is beautifully sung; is it still rare to hear such a cultivated sound in the operas of the Expressionist School.  Only Christian Boesch, in a 1985 broadcast from the Met, surpassed him in intensity.

Anja Silja's Marie is extraordinarily moving, and reaches the sublime in the Bible Scene.  Her death, at the hands of her lover, is disturbing to hear.  Without a beautiful voice, she has been one of the greatest singing-actresses of the post-War era.  She is to Schoenberg and Berg what Maria Callas was to Bellini.  Included here are two beautiful photographs, by Beth Bergman, of Mme Silja in this production.

Richard Cassilly is a marvelous Drum-major, with his huge voice and admirable musicianship.  Several of the other roles are richly cast:  Jon Garrison as Andres, Isola Jones as Margret, Andrea Velis as the Fool, and Christopher Byers as the Child.  In the 2001 DVD from the Met, however, we have Michael Devlin's fascinating Doctor, a Nosferatu-like figure of fright.

This is undoubtedly one of James Levine's greatest recordings, and the total effect is simply shattering.


title: My favorite book

text: I love this book.  It really changed the way I see the world and myself and how I relate to the world.  It's written from a geek's perspective which I respect dearly.  It's unpretentious and easy to understand and even funny at times.  I recommend this book to anyone who has a body and a mind.


title: Great Song all on its own!

text: Although the special edition of "The Turn" contains "A guy like you" the regular disc does not.  I was thrilled Alison released it as a single and I bought it without having heard it.  And I am so glad I did!!  I like "The Turn", maybe not Alison's best work, but I like it.  This single is NOTHING like the songs on the album.  It is a GREAT song, very upbeat and danceable.  The remixes are just what you would like - extended and up tempo, but both very different.  The Almighty version is excellent - but I haven't met an Almighty mix I haven't liked.  If I dinn't know better I would have thought "A Guy Like You" was taken from the Essex Album.  Do yourself a favor, and buy this disc.


title: Excellent

text:
This is stunningly beautiful.  The male chorus, with its deep bass notes and clear tenor voices, produces a rich sound that is surprisingly hard to find.

With songs in Byzantine, Znamenny (ancient Russian)  and more modern styles, there is sure to be a song that just about anybody would love.  It is enchantingly beautiful.

On a practical side, the fact the songs are not in English makes for a good, un-intrusive background music while doing other things, such as reading.


title: a good listen

text: very thought provoking - as Mar Westmaycott, Agatha Christie brings deep meaning to reading between the lines - in some way "solving the mysteries of life" - seems slow but only in a Miss Marple way


title: The breadth of the Music

text: I listen to this CD several times a week and it plays throughout the night.  It brings me back to the movie and Gregory Peck and Jean Simmons et al.  I saw the movie on Amazon Prime.  Immediately, I purchased the music.  It has that wonderful 50s panoramic feel for the great Westerns that were made during that time.


title: Unique and Uplifting Score

text: One of my favorite soundtracks.


title: Great sounding music

text: Great sounding music, but the CD has no title ("Unknown Artist", and the song tracks do not have any titles ("Track 1", "Track 2", etc.).  A CD like this should not be produced and sold.