title: MY GOD WHAT A TURD!

text: I can see with Jack Russell no longer around to keep Kendall in line why the new Great White-Elation CD is so awful! This Kendall solo CD brings new definition to horrible. I guess so few were pressed some completist will pay this kind of sick amount of money for it. Funny how a project is SO BAD that SO FEW were pressed and people will pay SO MUCH to have one even if the product stinks? Anyway, this is out there if you look for free and even then I deleted it because it wasn't worth the space it took on one of my iPods!


title: Okay cd

text: Not her best not her worst


title: Four Stars

text: Perfect arrived right on time. I like it is good


title: Disappointed

text: I thought this would be a lot of Tennessee Ernie Ford singing beautiful hymns, but instead, his backup singers sing more than he does, and I was very disappointed.


title: Very well liked.

text: Christmas present. Very well liked.


title: The recipient was well pleased.

text: Christmas present. The recipient was well pleased.


title: but still a funny

text: Looking for more music, but still a funny CD


title: Cd

text: Excellent


title: Great cd, but

text: I could do without the Dreams remix track. It only makes me want to listen to the original track, which is not on the album. Luckily, I have Mac's Rumours. Switching discs is such a hassle.


title: Old old school

text: A bit tinny, but great artistry for the genre. They have a new album which is much of an improvement.


title: Love it,

text: Love it,,,,but the case was cracked....I was surprised it played well because of the scratches... I am enjoying it, no regrets.  No duo does this song better... Amazon has everything..Thanks


title: Five Stars

text: Great for kids


title: my favorite version of the nutcracker

text: great classic holiday music.... my favorite version of the nutcracker


title: Excellent CD - does it get any better????

text: I hadn't heard about Alan Baylock until I attended a university jazz ensemble performance and they played El Abrazo.  I've always been a big band/orchestra lover. . .Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Onzy Matthews, Duke Ellington, Oliver Nelson, GRP, just to name a few.  I was blown away by this song as performed by the U of L jazz orchestra.  Ordered this cd, and been impressed with all the songs on it.  If you like the big band sound, check this one out!  Very nice!


title: He doesn’t come with the cd.

text: Smooth and mellow. Love it!


title: My favorite album so far...

text: ...Oh, wait...


title: Get hyped!

text: Good CD, but not as good as I had hoped it would be. Also, a little pricey for a used CD. Good sound quality.


title: Great gift

text: Looking for a good gift to give anyone who likes Victorious this will make them smile. A few tunes that haven't been available to purchase are found on this cd. Overall good purchase.


title: Springtime in Paris

text: I bought this for a friend.  The songs make you feel like you are in Paris.  I got one for myself too.


title: Deluxe edition even better.

text: Classic album. Deluxe edition even better.


title: Five Stars

text: Great, love it!


title: Whats not to like?

text: It's John Prine! Whats not to like?


title: Five Stars

text: Great CD. Would havee liked a few more mandolin tunes.


title: I love One Piece soundtracks

text:
I love One Piece soundtracks, but this was disappointing. A handful of tracks that are really different versions of the same track.

I'm used to paying extra for imports, but this was not worth the money.


title: Beatles Revisited

text: If you love the Beatles and want to listen to some of their lesser-known tunes, this is the album for you.  It starts with my favorite, "Free as a Bird".  You will hear speeches by John Lennon, Brian Epstein, and Paul McCartney.  Did you know that they recorded "Ain't She Sweet" and "The Sheik of Araby"?  This album is full of surprises.  I would have liked to have known all the song titles before ordering this album, but surprises can be a lot of fun.  This is a 2-disc album with 60 tunes for your enjoyment.  I highly recommend this one.


title: Worship

text: We love this album!


title: Poetry in Motion

text:
What could be better than reading poetry? Listening to the poet recite the lyrical verses as they were intended to be delivered. For Colored Girls Who Struggle and Pale Girls Who Juggle by Lyn L. Davis is a combination of different emotions recorded using the pure essence of the poet's voice. Davis' thoughts and views are raw and open; put on display through the strength of each syllable of every word. From the "InDePenDent Woman" to the ladies mentioned in "Salute" each one has a place in this ensemble of intellect. "My Saved People" talks about a woman who is tired of the fake holier-than-thou kind of people. Every poem is set to a melodic sound in the background.

As a bonus, Davis included a short story titled "One Way Or Another" from her book "Twists & Turns on the Vine." After listening to the poems, I had no clue what to expect from this story. The saying, always expect the unexpected is very befitting for this story. Rosetta Thorn thought she would be able to finally rid herself of the man who has been abusing her for most of her life. Mitchell Gordon, her stepfather, did to her whatever he wanted for years and there was no one around to stop him. When Rosetta finally made up her mind to tell someone, she knew it would be all over just like that. Unfortunately, it was not as easy as she thought it would be. How would she be able to finally stop the abuse?

The subject matter and language is not for the faint at heart or children. I recommend For Colored Girls Who Struggle and Pale Girls Who Juggle by Lyn L. Davis to lovers of spoken word and erotic short stories.

A compact disc was provided by the poet/author for review purposes.

Jennifer Coissiere
APOOO BookClub


title: His best work

text: I was a fan during my high school days. Loved that twangy guitar! Brought back a lot of good memories of my school days with my friends. The music is really good. Excellent musician.


title: Terrific collection

text: A terrific collection of songs from an amazing singer.


title: Happy memories

text: Brought back a lot of terrific happy memories.


title: We LOVE Critter County!!

text: I grew up on Critter County, and now I have the pleasure of sharing it with my kids.  We listen to this tape EVERY time we go anywhere in the car.  If only I could find a CD version of it!


title: Most definitely:  These girls got it right!

text: I couldn't remember the name of this group, but my dad loved their music (old albums).  I am definitely ordering this!  Not just for sentimental purposes either.  The music is wonderful--the girls' voice clear and sweet.  It's like taking a trip to Paris, sitting along some quai or sidewalk café and going back in time---to music that's timeless!  I almost expect to see Leslie Caron or Maurice Chevalier come walking down the street---singing along with the girls.  I never, ever expected to find these French girls' records---what a sight and sound!  I grew up listening to these albums, and now that my dad is gone, I can recapture the music that made him so happy.

user_id: AEFVHKBGQSNSXMPPEMEXLHNEMDIQ


You can hear it's from a CD so sound isn't always great. I laughed and cried at these great reminders from when I started following F1 and his Murrayisms


title: Leaves me relaxed and energized

text: Meditation Vibrations has great music for meditating or just relaxing.  The music is interesting and fun to listen to. It leaves me relaxed and energized.


title: Creative design, but somewhat flimsy packaging

text: Very clever packaging designed to imitate a pizza box. Unfortunately, it uses an outdated jewel case for the CD and that, in combination with the thin paper cover, probably led to the huge crack on the front of the jewel case cover when I received it. Most other K-pop albums I’ve purchased are more durable (with hard book-like covers), but this one was not. The photo book was nice though, and the posters were fun. The concept this time around really suits their style/aesthetics as a group. I just wish my jewel case didn’t come cracked.

attachment_type: IMAGE


title: I really enjoyed this album

text: I really enjoyed this album. As another user points out, a lot of the tracks (9 of the 14 tracks) are covers of other artist's songs, so you should go in knowing that -- although I really enjoy hearing Nina's bizarre voices as covers of other people's songs, to me it is very amusing.  If you go in expecting an album of nothing but new Nina Hagen compositions or only a couple covers mixed in it could be very disappointing. The other 5 tracks are composed or co-composed by Nina Hagen, and of those myself I really find "Soma Koma" and "Das 5. Gebot" very catchy and especially wonderful.  "Nicht vergessen" contains a hidden track cover of "This Train is Bound For Glory" at the end, where Nina adds the lyrics of "This train don't carry no control freaks, no freaky geeky homophobic fruitcakes", which is in my opinion one of the greatest things to have ever been sung.


title: Five Stars

text: great!


title: Husband happy with his gift!

text: Arrived quickly and in good condition, decent pricing.


title: Love this CD-- simple classic hymns

text: Love this CD-- simple classic hymns, easy to sing along to.  My 4 year old now has many of these memorized and it makes my heart so full.


title: Five Stars

text: Absolutely terrific group and music!


title: Perfect

text: Perfect


title: I Am Bubblin'!!!

text: Blue IS the Best!!!


title: One Star

text: it was broken when I got it so I couldn't listen to it...


title: CARPENTERS FOREVER

text: Loved Karen's voice since I was a teenager . . . didn't know how much Richard added to the mix until recently.  Insanely talented pair.  Love the "album."  Will be buying more.


title: Awesome album from most talented writer/singer

text: Really loved this, Barry was great, and his choice of stars was good.  The only song I thought that didn't work in the change was Jive Talkin, but not everyone agrees with me I'm sure. It hit 1 in UK, I hope it will climb up in the US.


title: Swift Fan

text: I bought this for my 11 yr old daughter & she loves it.  Taylor is a good role model for young girls....just hope she keeps her head on straight & doesn't let the fan & money knock her into the world of drugs & alcohol.


title: Five Stars

text: Best break up song in the world is  Flush You From the Toilets of my Heart!!!


The best of the anthology series in my opinion. Some really good views into evolutions of songs from their beginning to the record version


title: Five Stars

text: Excellent copy!


Good story


title: Buyer beware!

text: The dust cover is mildewed and the record is warped.


title: Beautiful music!

text: He's a very talented singer.  Beautiful music!


title: She was Great!!!

text:
I think she did a Great performance - Her first time to act live!!! Did a Great recover at the beginning when she "Stumbled" a little while sing. Her voice is Wonderful. People compare her to the movie - Totally different. This sound trace is well done!!!

RECOMMEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!


title: Definitely recommend!!

text: Loud and clear in my car!!!  Definitely recommend!!!


title: Five Stars

text: LOVE IT!


title: Five Stars

text: I likes it! I likes it!


title: GOOD ONE!

text: i love Vargas, and this is another classic.


title: OUTSTANDING!!

text: Received it on 9/8/14, and am very happy with it (otherwise, I wouldn't have ordered it  :P).


title: Wasn't a bit surprised................

text: It was exactly what I hoped for..........OUTSTANDING! A rare, but very well done combination of symphonic music and my favorite, mariachi.


title: Five Stars

text: This is a very good cd love her voice.


title: Very good Cassette even though it is a Used one.

text: Cassette arrived today instead of Thursday.  I am very happy with purchase and Seller.  There is nothing I disliked about Cassette, as the description was 100% accurate.


title: Fantastic Music.

text:
Great blues album by a great songwriter and band, been enjoying this over and over again. Great music never dies, it just keeps getting better!

The package arrived as expected. Great deal all around.


title: Good mystery

text:
3.5 stars

In this 2nd book in the 'Kathryn Dance' series, the kinesics expert investigates a case stemming from bullying on social media. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Online bullying can have unfortunate consequences, up to and including murder. When a high school boy named Travis Bingham is blamed for the death of two girls in a highway accident on California's Monterey Peninsula, the bullying blogosphere goes stratospheric.....and bad things result.

It all starts with a post from righteous crusader James Chilton, on his blog 'The Chilton Report.' Chilton merely questions the quality of road maintenance on the Peninsula - not even mentioning Travis - and the resulting comments soon turn to the boy. Before long Travis is being called every kind of foul name and being accused of all manner of disgusting behavior.

This leads to the attempted murder of a high school girl named Tammy Foster, who posted nasty comments about Travis. The incident was foreshadowed by a cross being placed along the highway, decorated with rose petals and bearing the date of the crime.

The case falls to Agent Kathryn Dance of the California Bureau of Investigation. Kathryn is the foremost kinesics (body language) expert in the state, and can tell when people are lying. This is useful when Kathryn and her partner, Deputy Michael O'Neill, interview suspects, witnesses, or other persons of interest.

Kathryn speaks to Travis Bingham about the attack on Tammy, but the agent lacks direct evidence and doesn't arrest the boy. Travis then disappears and another blog bully is attacked.....followed by the murder of several people. By now, anyone who posts anything on The Chilton Report is a murder target, and each crime is heralded by a wooden cross and rose petals.

Kathryn is frustrated by the terrible crimes, by Travis's elusiveness, and by the fact that Chilton won't cooperate by shutting down his blog. The agent has other serious concerns as well. Her mother Edie, a nurse, has been arrested for euthanizing a badly burned patient. The prosecutor - a zealot who sees this as an opportunity to make a name for himself - has accused Edie of first degree murder and may even go for the death penalty.

While Kathryn works on the roadside crosses case, Deputy O'Neill is called away for another investigation. So Kathryn is assisted by a college professor who's knowledgeable about computers and a talented young cop with good instincts.

On the downside, Kathryn is frustrated by a self-serving, publicity-seeking boss and an ombudsman from the governor's office who's ethically challenged.

The book's main plot is augmented by side issues such as the environmental impact of desalination plants; political corruption; family interactions; multiplayer online role-playing games; and more.

I enjoyed the book, and liked Kathryn's analyses of body movements that signal deception. (This is very reminiscent of the old television series 'Lie to Me', starring Tim Roth.) I do have a
quibble with the book however. Deaver likes to end chapters with a cliff hanger that leads to a surprise. After this happens once or twice it becomes predictable and is no longer a twist.

Deaver has a deft hand with mystery/thrillers and I'd recommend the book to fans of the genre.


title: Five Stars

text: Very good buy!!!!


title: Five Stars

text: Hillarious, even funnier than the book


title: Great

text: Great


title: Four Stars

text: Gift for someone else.


title: my review

text: GREAT ALBUM!  LOOKING FORWARD TO WATCHING THEIR SPECIAL IN NOVEMBER OR DECEMBER!


title: my review

text: this is an excellent musical!  very memorable tunes!  i believe this andrew lloyd webber's first show without tim rice. again, this is an excellent musical!


title: The best of the best!

text: One of the best albums for one of the best bands in the world! Totally awesome!


title: Love it

text: Nothing better than mtb


title: Love Love Love Shakira!

text: I was lucky to witness Shakira in Boston on her "Tour Of The Mongoose" tour...and picking his package up for a return to that sweet night!  HA!  Well maybe I am stretching it a bit.  Regardless, this is a fun CD that captures snippets of her tremendous energy and presence.  It also helps that the DVD is included so you can watch the show if you feel the need.  The song selection is a bit weird, I would have prefered more of her english tracks on the CD...but again I can watch the DVD (which contains the whole show-imagine that!).  The DVD itself has a fabulous documentary about the show and Shakira.  The best part is watching Shakira decide if she should pee before the show.  No kidding.  The concert itself is great, but the cinematography is a bit off.  Whoever was in charge obvious didn't understand the grandeur of it all.  Im happy with it, and look forward to her next proper release here in the US.


title: Sisterhood

text: Cyndi Lauper unfortunately suffers the same stigma of other 80's pop superstars...no talent.  Which is obvisously untrue- this album is the proof of that.  The fact is Cyndi Lauper has one hell of a voice, she ranks  right up there with Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and even Tina Turner.  "Sisters of Avalon" is a remarkable combination of street smart  beats and pop savy melodies.  Starting the album is the stunning title  track- hold on to your seat.  Guitars, synh, and drums will start pouring  right out of your speakers!  Cyndi definately knows how to grab your  attention-and keep it too.  The next track is the albums best, "The  Ballad of Cleo and Joe".  Mixing urban funk and barn yard banging is  never an easy combination, but Cyndi does it remarkably, creating an  amazing song in the process.  Track 4, "You don't Know",  is...fabulous.  Giving her guitar a good strumming, Cyndi gives a good  one-two on to those who aren't so strong.  Other stand-outs:  "Fearless"-it will take your breath away trust me,"Fall into  Your Dreams", and "Mother".  Be warned-don't expect to by  this album and get old rehashes of her previous work- this is truely and  Cyndi to be reckoned with.


title: Esseential!

text: I had been hearing this live album existed for some time now and was finally able to find a copy.  Very impressive setlist and exceptionally recorded. A must for any Deftones fan.


title: A Classic for Your Christmas Collection

text: I bought this album on cassette tape a long time ago. Gradually, it stretched out and died. When I discovered that it was available on CD, I was delighted, and purchased it immediately. This album is a nice combination of classics, and a couple of classics done in new and different ways. I especially love "Emmanuel" and "Tennessee Christmas". Highly recommended.


title: Not Out Of This World But Definitely In It

text:
Beautifully arranged collection of 12 full pieces punctuated with 8 short interlude compositions.  Like Kahn’s other 2 albums, It features  well known jazz studio musicians such Peter Erskine (drums), trumpet player Don Cherry,  Dan Higgins sax,  Patti Cathcart  singing the titular “Walking on the Moon”  (she also sings the best rendition of Bluesette I own(!) on Khan’s 3rd album Paradiso) and John Abercrombie accompanying his own  signature “Ralph’s Piano Waltz”.

From the whimsical 1st track "OOPS" to the closing subdued "Silence" this hidden gem is pure delight, never grows old and is well worth having.


title: Three Stars

text: Ok


title: Five Stars

text: Great


title: Love this Album

text: I just started to really listen to Cat Stevens/Yusef music. I absolutely love this album. Every time I work in my kitchen, I play this album. I sing along with him.


title: ANOTHER MARRIAGE OF AN OLD INSTRUMENT AND METAL

text:
APOCALYPTICA proved to the world that the Cello could be used in Heavy Metal. With this album, Germany's FINSTERFORST show how effective the Accordian can be, even when paired up with Black Metal growling.

Sure, there are many other bands that use the Accordian--KORPIKLAANI and TURISAS are two that come to mind--but it is not used as extensively.

The opening track "Des Waldes Macht" is probably my favorite track on the album, with some great guitars and a very catchy Accordian tune to match. The pacing of this song (many of the songs, in fact), remind me of the Polka/Metal beats of FINNTROLL. So if you like your Metal fast and upbeat and don't mind the growling, then we're off to a good start.

"Die Suche nach dem Licht" is my next favorite track, although overall it is much tamer than "Des Waldes Macht".

Now here's where we run into a little problem and why I give this CD 4 stars instead of 5: There are many other tracks I like on this album, but after a while they all start to sound all the same, which is not entirely a bad thing, given that most of the songs are really well done (especially given their average length of over 5 minutes). On first listen I had a real hard time figuring out which tracks were keepers and which ones weren't. In the end, it's the Accordian that elevates all these songs from mediocre to great, otherwise they'd merely sound like another Black Metal band.

My other favorite tracks are: "Lauf der Welt", "Traumwald", "Speigelscherben", "Von glorreichem Schmerz", "Weinende Ruinen", and "Verlorene Seelen". All together, I like 8 of the 10 tracks on the CD. Hopefully that puts some perspective on how good this album is.

Some other German bands to check out that sound kinda sorta similar--MENHIR and EQUILIBRIUM.


title: Takes you to another time.

text: Had this cd years ago and lost it. Its like reuniting with the love of your life. Sweet and romantic as I remember. Beautiful.


title: A lousy interpretation

text:
The conductor thinks he's going to put out a fire.  There is no modulation from movement to movement.
Bach deserves better treatment. The rendition of the 51st Cantata is better, but I prefer Nancy
Argenta's performance as well as her instrumental setting.


title: Such Beautiful Music

text: This is my 3rd DVD from Two Steps from Hell and I can never get enough of their music.  Absolutely beautiful and it is so easy to get lost in the imagery of each song. I know I will be buying more of their music.


title: A classic of "island music."

text: A classic of "island music."


title: What's not to love.

text: It's Marty doing Hawaiian music.  What's not to love?


title: The true definition of "Super Group"

text: I feel bad, because I've had this CD in my collection since its release and only just listened to it last week. I've been missing out, this is just as excellent as most reviews describe. The controversy remains though, better with or without the added horn sections. Conclusion: it depends on the song. This is a wonderful snapshot in time of the musicianship and feel of an era.


title: Very good, not great, but very good

text: I like Zolof, always have because they're fun with solid songwriting and playing. Based on the other ratings here, I must be in the minority in my views of the album, but I think it has a really strong start with four knock-out songs but kind of gets into a routine - not a lot of variety, but solid tunes. I don't really care for female singers putting the "strain" in the voice used here, but that's a personal preference.


title: Five Stars

text: Great selection of her greatest hits!


title: Product

text: This is a replacement. It came in and I just love it. Thank you. Delivered with care.


title: Package

text: This is replacing a lost disc. The case came in cracked but the CD is fine.


title: Five Stars

text: Love it!!


title: Beautiful and uplifting music.

text: Susan Boyle’s CD is relaxing. She has a beautiful voice!


title: classical collection

text: Wonderfully calming music.  Looking forward to future quiet listening.


title: Great Present or Collectible!

text: I bought this as a Christmas present for my mom who grew up listening to Ray Stevens on records and she was so excited to get this! She was also very pleased that the song was on both sides of the record rather than having it with Mississippi Squirrel Revival on one, and Ned Nostril on the other. The record came in amazing condition and it made my mom’s day to recieve it.


title: Great for Relaxation!

text: I play this CD on a daily basis, sometimes 2 or 3 times.<br />I throughly enjoy and recommend!!


title: Anything Kenny Rogers is Good

text: Perfect addition to my Kenny Rogers collection.  He should never be forgotten.


title: Kenny Rogers Never Disappoints

text: His smooth and gritty soothing voice is something I never tire of.  Could listen to him sing 24/7. He sings with so much emotion and sincerity.


Arrived on time and was what was described.


title: Five Stars

text: The product was in good condition.


title: Great band, great music!

text: I stumbled upon this CD when clearing out the home after my parent's death. It's wonderful! If you like Celtic music, this trio does it well. I have close to perfect pitch and so I'm very sensitive to vocal accuracy, but these guys are pitch perfect! Would love for these guys to come to The Ark in Ann Arbor.


title: So happy I bought this

text: Perfect condition!


title: Same

text: Same songs collected for the other cd with different cover pic.


title: LOVE IT

text: Love every minute of it


title: Our Favorite!

text: I received this as a gift from another new mom with rave reviews.  My daughter and I loved it and listened to it everytime she went to sleep.  It became as essential to our bedtime routine as blankie and paci.  We have eventually added new cd's, but my daughter, now 3 broke this cd.  I nearly cried.  It was such a special memory from when she was a baby, I just have to have another copy.


title: Great lyrics about Brazilian Candomble

text: Great Brazilian music


title: Great CD from Natalie Grant

text: My favorite song on it- “Hurricane “ hands down!!


title: Based on a true story.

text: A great TomTom and wonderful music.


title: Very good, though not what expected.

text:
This album is good, but in the humble opinion of this long dedicated fan of Petra, the original recordings sound better. Greg Volz' voice is astoundingly just as good as it was 30 years ago, but the guitar sound in these songs is just too overbearing and/or muddy.
I'm a guitar fanatic- love the sounds you can get out of them, but not so much on this album. Jekyl and Hyde was the best Petra album of all time for guitar sound. This is not at all that (I know, it's not supposed to be), and it's not at all the original, it's something... else, for lack of a better description.
I've only given it one listen all the way through. It may grow on me. Still, hats off to the band for what they have been able to accomplish after all these years, and going on tour too? I'll definitley be there!


title: Great Dana Key music!

text:
There are some very good songs on this CD. It walks you through Christ's life via songs based on key events and their impact. Don't worry, it definitely does not follow a sing along/story book format. But it is for a more mature audience than some Degarmo and Key material might be.
I still listen to it after all these years, and for me that means it's a good one. If only they all could be that way.
I wish Dana would put some more music out there. He's a gifted writer, player and singer and it's been a long, long time.
If you enjoy this one, check out his 1995 (final?) CD "Part of the Mystery". It may not be as good as this one, but it's close.


title: amazing!

text: came a day early and came with freebies!


title: perfect!

text: came in perfect condition, I got a namjoon polaroid and two freebies!


title: Five Stars

text: Great


title: Five Stars

text: great music!


title: Quality

text: I absolutely love this cd. Almost all my favorites except "Browned Eyed Girl".


title: Honesty

text: I would absolutely recommend this seller!! Everything was as advertised and on time!


title: Great!

text: If you like or love  Randy Travis, you'll like this CD.


title: Beautiful, moving, and inspirational.

text: This is one of my favorite christian c.d.'s to listen to. I bought it when it came out in 1997 and still listen to it on a weekly basis. Powerful reminder of who we are in God's eyes and who we can be if we remember him.


title: Great CD

text: This is a great CD.  I personally know Steve as I used to go to his church and he sang at my wedding.  His voice is wonderful and shines on this album.  He has a heart for God and shows on every track.  He has an excellent voice and is a great songwriter with lyrics that lift up and praise Jesus.  There are 2 songs that are sung in Spanish.  I don't understand Spanish, but those songs are beautiful as well!  All songs are good, but "Beautiful Lamb" is unbelievablly good!  Worth every penny.


title: Five Stars

text: wonderful


title: GREAT studio-sound

text: Great tunes!! Steve Perry's replacement is wrthwhile and good to hear. Catchy tunes that are worth listening to. Musically tight,  with<br />great timing and syncopation.


title: Five Stars

text: Awesome educational CD. The kids and I love it!!!


title: Powerful worship

text: So glad to find this CD love all the songs


title: We love these!!

text: I loved these growing up in the 1990s and now my kids really enjoy listening to them.  Memorable Scripture songs (I still can sing along), fun stories, and good life lessons.


Great CD.  I bought it for my grandparents.  They loved it.


title: My idol

text: One of my favorite all time artists.  Excellent CD with such a huge collection of good songs.


title: Great CD

text: Such a good CD, my daughter and I love it! Tons of songs and worth the extra money for the UK deluxe edition


title: Five Stars

text: excellent program.


title: Five Stars

text: super price for a wonderful singer, indeed


title: Five Stars

text: Great music at a great price!


title: Five Stars

text: Great record


title: Five Stars

text: Love MGK


title: LOVE YOU, ROSSI!!!!! <3 <3

text: I LOVE YOU SEMINO!!! Your voice is that of an angel......always love when I hear your songs.


title: Bad choice

text: same five songs, over and over again.  Makes no sense, waste of money.  Why would a Russian producer, not having a clue what Anders is all about produce this sad version of music.  Hated it.


title: inspiring

text: SHEILA WALSH'S LIFE TESTIMONY IS SO AMAZING. SHE HONESTLY SHARES HER HEART IN HER BOOKS AND MUSIC. SHE IS A WONDERFUL WRITER AND HAS A FABULOUS VOICE. GREAT MUSIC.


title: Superb lectures

text: This work was one of my favourites of the Great Courses lectures.  This is a deep topic and one that is so very relevant to today's world.  Professor Cook is always colourful and engaged with his topics.  This is well worth the investment of time.


title: Good but

text: The photobook sort of seems as it was glued together w/ a glue stick as the spine is already disconnecting from the pages? Also not sure if it was supposed to have a poster but it didn't


title: I missed the music of my youth

text: These are original disc's and I have enjoyed them


title: Greaat Music

text: Love Cirque du Soleil: Alegria.  Music is GREAT.  All Cirque du Soleil productions and music are extremely entertaining, unusual and fun, fun, fun.  All the music is as great as their performance.  They fit together like hands and gloves.  BRAVO Cirque du Soleil for a Great performance with outstanding music.


title: Great Collectipn

text: A nice introduction to the mainstream blues/jazzy blues of the 1920s-1950s. Great for dancing even if I don't love this collection' s version of "Blues in the Knight." Lacks the delta blues artists<br />so if you are looking for more roots blues, this isn't your collection.


title: I like the simple acoustic backgrounds in these two CDs.

text: Split track function is great. Song selection is good. Accompaniment is clean and simple, even if some selections sound a bit dated. Perfect choice for what I needed for a baby boomer congregation.


title: Great album

text: AWESOME MUSIC


title: Incredible album

text:
This is an incredible album, but there are a few things you have to be aware of:

 1) It's a live performance, and you get a certain amount of audience sound - coughs, bumps and the like.

 2) The album back is a joke - titles are just approximations and there is no indication of who the composes are.

Still, the power of the vocals is amazing.


title: More Please!

text: Hope this is just the beginning of a long and busy solo recording career--including many recordings of popular music, too. I've wondered for years why David Foster or the Met have yet to feature this guy in something.  It's clear on his own website that he's been busy with prestigious engagements and appearances, but there should be so much more of this tenor, given his talent.  Foster, better than most, seems to be good at choosing which operatic standards and popular music standards a broad swath of the American public will crave, and international markets also, which would seem to be somewhat the key to meteoric vocal successes.  Perhaps Foster's clever arrangements help too.  Kearns is as good as, and in certain instances even better than, than some in Foster's stable of super stars, but there has been only this one solo offering thus far.  I can only hope there will be many more CD's, plus DVD performances, and many MP3 and other downloads.


title: One of my favorites!

text: This CD is awesome.  I owned it previously and it was stolen from my car.  I'm so glad I found it again!


title: Five Stars

text: my daughter loved this


title: Five Stars

text: All songs performed by the Fireside Folksingers


title: Five Stars

text: came right away as described


title: Loved it🥺

text: Love p1harmony 🤍❤


title: Five Stars

text: song title is mix up have figured out which is which


title: Powerful

text: A wonderful CD and the song Turn Your Eyes is powerful. It’s been years since this CD was produced. I would love to hear more from Scott.


title: Five Stars

text: How can I get in touch with the original band members? I knew them back in the day.


title: great!

text: Great recording and very enjoyable to listen to.


title: Not enough tiles

text: This would have been great if it came with enough tiles to actually to the math problems and spell most words. My son was so excited only to end up extremely disappointed as am I


title: Five Stars

text: The pioneering work of a legend.


title: Perfect

text: Came in perfect condition!


title: Good disc

text: Great disc, sounds good. I like the additional guide vocals for friends that suck! lol


title: possibly the best album in all of recorded human history

text:
Where do I begin? This lyrical, soulful masterpiece stands the test of time. This is, quite simply, why music was invented.

Take a chance on this album -- you won't be disappointed.


title: I returned it !

text: I returned it.  Sounds like someone used a tape recorder as John was play here or there.<br />Knowing the quality of product that John Fogerty puts out I doubt that he approves of this

user_id: AFIIPSEJAKAPFGSWBTFTQWTNSVCA


title: Disc

text: Not a good collection. Just don’t like it.


title: so nice

text: sounds great!


title: There are (at least) 2 Richard Bermans. This is the pianist, NOT the folky singer/songwriter.

text: I like a folkish type singer-songwriter named Richard Berman.  I have several of his albums, including "Bittersweet" from 1992, "Love, Work & Play" from 1996, "Dreamer" from 1998, "Storied Lives" from 2000, "Holding Hands" from 2005, and "Now & Then" from 2008.  While searching for more recent work from him, I came across this 4 CD set. The picture doesn't resemble him, but I just assumed it was him and ordered it.  The music is not bad, but it's not what I wanted. There's no vocals on the first 3 CDs so far. It's Muzak-y piano versions of show tunes, love songs and so forth (Barry Manilow, Elton John, Bette Midler, for example), but as I said, it's NOT the Richard Berman I wanted.  Depending on which RB you want, you should get or may want to pass.


title: Double album with two versions of each song.

text: Interesting for the songs he does in both a stripped down and a more full accompanied sound. I would have liked to hear both versions of his magnificent song "No Choice", which has also been covered by Edwin McCain on one of his albums.


title: Lots of talking, no complete songs, mishmash of fragments.

text:
I bought this album, thinking it would be a track-for-track duplicate of "All Things Must Pass", but in acoustic format instead of electric. Not even close. The album has subtitles of "Let It Be, Vol 3" AND "All Things Must Pass, Vol 3", but doesn't contain much of anything musical to listen to, sadly enough. I'm a big Beatle fan, still think they're the best band ever, but this is on the level of "number 9, number 9, number 9." The first of 9 tracks is more dialogue than music, as is the second. Even the longest track, some 16 minutes long, has talking over it. There is not one complete song in acoustic form, or any form, just a few bars here and there. Still love the band, but disappointed in this album. Played it once straight through, and that's enough for me.

Tracks are listed on the CD as:
1) Dialogue/All Things Must Pass,
2) Dialogue/Isn't It A Pity,
3) Window, Window,
4) For You Blue,
5) Please Mrs. Henry,
6) Rambling Woman Vol 1,
7) Rambling Woman Vol 2/I Threw It All Away,/Mama You Been On My Mind,
8) Old Brown Shoe,
9) Dialogue/For You Blue.

That's it. The great songs from A.T.M.Pass are just not here. No "What Is Life" in any form. No "My Sweet Lord". No "If Not For You". No "Apple Scruffs". No "Let It Roll". No "Awaiting On You All". Just the snippets you see above.
Total running time is 51:59.
Listed as a 1994 release from Yellow Dog Records.

Summary: if you want to hear some talking from George, knock yourself out if this is at a fair price. I've seen it at ridiculously stupid prices, when available at all, but don't expect a "new song" like "Real Love" or "Free As A Bird", from several years ago.


title: Live Grass Roots album is full of great songs.

text:
As of 9-15-12, this CD is out of stock. Here's the track listing, since none is provided, and it's one of the things I always look for:

I'd Wait A Million Years,
Baby Hold On,
Heaven Knows,
Sooner Or Later,
Things I Should Have Said,
The Runway,
Let's Live For Today,
The River Is Wide,
Where Were You When I Needed You/Bella Linda,
Two Divided By Love,
Glory Bound,
Temptation Eyes,
Midnight Confession.

  That should be 13 tracks. Running time is 47:27. Yes, they stick mostly to the hits you know, because that's what most people in the audience came to hear. I would have liked to also hear some mid-career songs like "Optical Illusion", "It's A Crying Shame", or "Nothing Good Comes Easy", for example, but can't fault this CD for not having enough ear candy. Singer Rob Grill is no longer with us (he passed on in July 2011), so if you want to hear the authentic Grass Roots sound, you'll have to get something already recorded. The band HAS continued with a new singer (saw them at the L.A. County Fair), but I wasn't impressed with him. You might feel differently. The double CD anthology "65-75" (released in 1991) is probably the best way to get the most good Grass Roots in one swoop, if you can find it at a reasonable price, with 36 cuts.


title: Track listing for IPO 14

text:
The most recent triple CD set for IPO #14 (2011) has no track listing yet, so here's what's on them, in order.

(group)-(song)("*" asterisks indicate my suggested better album tracks)
CD 1: (76:49)
The Turnback-Beyond Belief,
The Kik-My Eyes Are Still Dry,
The Dahlmanns-I Love You Baby (But I Hate Your Friends)(*),
The Records (with John Wicks)-That Girl Is Emily(*),
David Myhr-Loveblind(*),
Longplayer-Silicone Sue,
Popfilter!-Back To Zero,
Paul Housden & The Futurists-Textbook,
All Day Sucker-Santa Ana (*),
The Real Numbers-Internet Famous,
Nushu-Precious To Me,
Sonny Lee & The Layover-What's It Gonna Be Now,
The Love Dimension-Question Mark Heart,
The PondHawks-Weather Girl (*),
Blake Jones & The Trike Shop-I Roped The Moon Out Of The Sky (unplugged)(*),
The Secrets-Living Without You (*),
Susan Hedges-Hot Summer Lover,
Van Go-Invisible Girls,
Charge Of The Light Brigade-Young Love,
Brad Wait-Ride,
A Band Called Mithras-Ruby,
Plasticsoul-Beth,

CD 2: (76:23)
Bastards Of Melody-Dream Jeannine,
Fortune 500-Shake Me,
Dee Long-I Can't Help It,
Secret Powers-Tangerine (*),
Jeremy-Love Explosion,
Carousels-Call Along The Coast,
Spygenius-The Girl Who's Everywhere,
Dirty Royals-Back For More (*)(and see IPO Vol 10 for "Cover Up The Sun", a super catchy song by them),
Lannie Flowers-Give Me A Chance,
Dave Rave-Your Sparks Fly,
Clockwise-Sugar Coat It,
Fireking-Built To Last,
Fox Pass-Hurry Cherie,
Popdudes-Coming Up,
Hector Penalosa-It's Gonna Be Allright,
The American Professionals-Champion,
Shplang-Oh My Love,
Waiflike-Sober Now,
The Treeshakers-Babe You Did Me Down,
T.C. Folkpunk-Zero To Hero (In 60 Seconds),
The Shamus Twins-Better Day,
Peter Buzelle-A Dog Named Peanut,
Cosmo Topper-Are We Their Yet [sic],

CD 3: (76:57)
The Avenues-Should've Been Sarah, (*)
Skeleton Staff-If You'll Be My Adam,(*)
Tim Reid-18 Floors,(*)
Reunion-Just Enuff Light,
Post Adolescence-Don't Walk Away,
David Brookings-Dead Battery,
Laurie Biagini-One Track Mind,(*)
Blue Cartoon-You Should Have Known Better,(*)
Ladykillers-Captains Calling,(*)
Images-Frustration,
The Issue-Queen And Country,(*)
Mayflower-Oh No The Net,
Ivan Mudd-Human Being,
Modern Day Heroes-I Want You,
Buddy Love-Almost In Tears,
Trend-Southsiders (Wanting To Go Northside),(*)
Go Time!-Sudden Death,(*)
Danny Echo-Down To The Letter, (*)
Broken Alphas-Star,
Pounders-The Latest Fashion,
The Starfire Band-Till Then,
The Wags-Rhubarb Rupert.

I like 20 of the 67 cuts, which works out to almost 7 cuts per CD; better than the 2-3 good cuts on most albums. So it gets a solid "4".


title: Good songs hurt by deaf recording engineer.

text: Agree with 2 of the other 4 reviewers. Willie is an excellent performer and is as captivating live as on studio releases. This one recording, however, has horrible recording settings/levels. A live CD is capable of much better quality than this. In fact, there are other live recordings of Willie with much better sound and most of the same songs. I suggest "Live From The Streets Of New York", which has ~most~ of the album of the same name, recorded live, or else "Live-Hard Times In The U.K.", which is also good.<br />  The low grade is entirely due to the poor recording, not intended as a slam on the very talented Mr. Nile. If the sound was better, this would be a 4 or 5 star album.


title: Their best song isn't on this EP or any regular album...yet.

text: The Dirty Royals have an amazingly hook-y song entitled "Cover Up The Sun", which is not on this, their only release so far. You ~can~ find the cut on the IPO (International Pop Overthrow) sampler, however. It's "Volume 10"(2007.) You won't be able to get that super-catchy piece of power pop out of your head. I wish they'd put out an album with accompanying songs even half as good as that one, but it's been 3 years now. This album isn't bad, but compared to that one killer cut, is just about average.


title: Five Stars

text: GOOD


title: Fantastic

text: Perfect  -  works as it should with no issues.


title: Talent Abound

text:
I bought this CD and listened to it while on a road trip. I thoroughly enjoyed the music and listened to it several times during the trip.
I saw the band live and WOW! The band is a collection of very talented musicians with a very energetic and original sound.
I highly recommend buying this CD by Tyrannosaurus Grace. And if you can catch them live, do it.


title: Love this Album.  Every song!

text: Love this album.  !!!  Highly recommend


title: I really love this piece of music so much I bought 3 ...

text: I really love this piece of music so much I bought 3 different performances because I also like the other works by Rodrigo too.  Each has it's own flavor.  Especially happy with this one by Craig Ogden.


title: Not greasy & goes on nicely.

text: Not greasy & goes on nicely. Good sun protection. Excellent price!


title: Excellent variety of songs to listen to, even though I don't speak or understand Korean language.

text:
Although I don't speak or understand the Korean language, I have become a stalwart fan of  all genres of Korean dramas....e.g., Crash Landing On You, Descendents of the Sun, Goblin, Rookie Historian, Hwarang, Healer.....the list gets longer and longer.  So unsurprisingly, I've developed a love of the sound of the Korean language and Korean music.

I play this while I'm doing chores, while I'm driving, while I'm reading.  I  think you'll find this album CD enjoyable.


title: Happy to have the both DVD & CD

text: Happy to have the both DVD & CD. This is a wonderful Christmas Album. Love Josh Groban. My favorite song is  "Thankful"


title: My Favorite Music Year Round

text: I love this cd.  I've had it for many years, hearing it play for the first time in the Victoria's Secret store during the Christmas holiday season in the 1990's..  It's probably my favorite cd out of a few hundred. The songs are lovely and easy to listen to over and over again throughout the year.  I've played it during parties at my house and heard guests comment on how lovely the music is.  Of course, I think so too.


title: Five Stars

text: Husband enjoyed it


title: Smoooove

text: This is one of my favorite CDs.  My song is "If She Only Knew"


title: That something different

text: Sometimes you crave something . . . different. You don't know what it is exactly, can't quite put your finger on it. But you can feel this gnawing, little hunger--like when you're sick of the same old food and you go out and try something new and fabulous and you say--that's it! This is how the music of Ethan Lipton & his Orchestra has hit me. I love it--that new fresh thing you didn't know you needed. Beautiful.


title: Sounds gorgeous!

text: How wonderful to hear this classic Christmas album on vinyl! It sounded so warm and wonderful!


title: 12 inch collections.

text: Remembering those days of dance and club songs in 12 inch versions ,just takes me back to the fun days of dancing and enjoying one's self with my friends and exgirlfriends.


title: 12 inch collections.

text: A collection of 12 inch songs from back in the days.


title: A collection of 12 inch songs.

text: For collectors of 12 inch songs can't go wrong.


title: Wonderful songwriting

text: Great country pop singer songwriter


title: Song choices are just  ok

text: I love Frank Zappa but  some of the recordings  just aren't that great  of versions of the songs.


title: Amazing Grace

text: Solid album


title: Original on originals

text: Good product, harks to old days for Fab Four


title: Talented

text: Luv this cd 💿🥰🎶


title: A must for any Tom Petty fan

text: Good cd. Nice alternate versions.


title: One of a kind

text: We've loved it for 3 years, through 2 children. Our only complaint is we can't find any other albums like this one!


title: Love this

text:
and everything by the late great Chris Whitley.
Quick ship and in wonderful condition.
I'm glad to have it in my collection.
Thanks so much!


title: One great song

text: Overall weak album, sound quality is also mediocre.


title: Love love love!

text: How can you not fall in love with Randall Leonards music? I listen to him when I meditiate and it is so soothing. It arrived early and in perfect condition!


title: My husband really loves Jackie Wilson

text: I bought this because My husband really loves Jackie Wilson… And this CDC it does not disappoint


title: I enjoyed this CD in the u.s.albim cover

text: I did not hear some of these songs for years.


title: Great effort, solid sound

text: Great sound, a little darker than other albums, but picks up her punk-tinged roots, fun album.


title: Like a so-so made-for-tv mystery

text:
I saw this on TCM. I never heard of it before. It is NOT a lost classic. The plot is telegraphed from the start, and we think we know who the killer is, without a doubt. But, as time goes on, I think it becomes fairly obvious that the director intends for there to be a twist. And the twist is very predictable. I won't give it away, but it plays like a made-for-tv movie. The "final twist" is also obvious, and easily guessable. There is no competent character development that makes any of these characters believable. The final scenes  are not believable. The director or writer simply wants to make a twist for the sake of making a twist. Damn the torpedos!

This is not the worst film ever made, but it really is not a must-see, or even a sort-of-want-to see, especially at the price it is being sold on Amazon.  Very mediocre, not a lot of blood or gore, no horror or scares, no nudity to speak of, more of a procedural crime story. Basically, a very tame 1980s film that a person who wants to avoid "slasher" films might say is OK (except that it does deal with cut-off women's heads, so, there's that...)


title: Nice sampler...

text: Seems like this disc is from starbucks..Good mix of old and new genesis cuts from Tresspass to calling all stations. NO songs from nursery cryme for some reason but they substituted "happy the man"; a single from the same time point.. Nice addition for the Genesis completist..


title: Old school

text: all-star line up put together after QM jazz fest. - rec. in 3days master with one of the best what can u say


title: WOW....There's a new voice out there

text:
Or has she been around a while and I just never heard her?
  It blends soft, cool, jazzy overtones with a raw cutting edge reminiscent of early folk idols.  Jo Potter is more than just a pretty face, she is a breath of fresh air in the stale computer effect driven haze of pop music.
Listening to her belt out her new song, "Saved", one is transported to a sultry cocktail lounge where real musicians ply their trade for the sheer joy of making music.  She is obviously devoted to her craft and her songs and she brings them home with both class and style.
If you've grown weary of the limousine traveling pop Diva's who need more equipment than NASA houses for vocal assistance then you really need to hear Jo Potter.  She and her music are  both worthy of the highest praise because both are real.  This is music.


title: One Star

text: Item was scratched and skipped!


title: Enjoy or discover Word Jazz to the betterment of your interior landscape

text: Surely the finest collection for dyed-in-the-wool Ken Nordine fans.


title: great learning

text: My grand daughter has listen to this music since she was born. she now starts it herself


title: Warped vinyl.

text: The album is wonderful but the vinyl itself was a tad hit warped.


title: An influence, ever still.

text:
I hear your voice still.

It's been 20 years.  You were in Athens, Georgia. You took the time and spoke to me and my friend. I hear your voice ever still in my heart and my mind.  This particular music, well....

Thank you for your soul; it's felt throughout.

I'd pay about anything just to hear you sing again.

When you sing, I hear the world sing, God through you.

What I cannot understand is how the state of North Carolina or anyone who has ever heard your poetry could allow such to not continually flourish.

I listen to you often.

Sometimes I cry for home when I sing along.

Thank you.

Such imagery is precious.


title: Four Stars

text: good stuff......


title: Five Stars

text: I enjoyed the extra songs as well.


title: ALL IS BRIGHT (Always is with Tim Janis)!

text: All of Tim Janis' music found here on Amazon and in YouTube are so beautiful and peaceful! I love watch the video version because the pictures, scenery is gorgeous. It reminds me of Yellowstone Park, Wyoming and Montana in winter.Tim does a superb job on this CD as well as all others. I'm never disappointed!


title: You should buy it

text: I start buying this since,1976 and still the same,not has strong and crisp like guerlain.smooth, easy and refreshing


title: The Surprisingly Underrated Szeryng at His Marvelous Peak

text: A thrilling account of the concerto and hands down the most enchanting version of the Romance No. 2 you'll ever hear. Don't hesitate to buy this very special recording wherever you can find it. So few things in life are this fulfilling.


title: Really damn good

text: Good


title: Good one

text: He has damn  good songs on here


title: Good

text: Like


title: Great music!

text: Love this cd!


title: Amazing

text: Great music. Never goes out of style


title: Good deal on good music

text: Great music..  Great seller!


title: Great item

text: The seller is amazing


title: Five Stars

text: Hole Rock's


title: Please Come Home For Christmas

text:
Great C/D
Bon Jovi is my Favorite vocalist of all
He did an outstanding work with this record
I recommended to all BON JOVI Christian Fans


First and foremost lets talk about the audio quality.  It's definitely Hi-Fi - but not 5.1 Surround sound.  The highs and lows seem pretty crisp but it's not spread over the channels.  I am playing this DVD-A in my Acura ELS system and you can clearly tell the sound/music is distributed to all the speakers rather than being distinctly center/right/ rear etc.

Never the less the songs are spot on - overall pretty happy with the Album...wish there were more Old school artists in DVD-A quality out there!


title: Five Stars

text: Beautiful voice.


title: Xmas gift

text: Xmas gift.  She liked it


title: No Music Her Folks, Move Along!

text: Skips on three songs!  Very Poor Quality Product!


title: Fuyuki Tenge's first post-Light Bringer solo disc: An even mix of good Rock and Pop

text:
Fuki has been prolific in her vocal career, breaking onto the Japanese rock scene as lead vocalist for the melodic power-metal band Light Bringer, while doing side projects with the synth-rock girl group Gacharic Spin (as "Doll$Boxx" on the one-off disc "Doll's Apartment,") along with Carbonic Acid, Unlucky Morpheus, Dragon Guardian (which did mostly Anime soundtracks, every song of which has annoying spoken-word voice-overs midway through each song,) and guest appearances with Undead Corporation and Nozomu Wakai's Destinia.

Details are sketchy in America about Japanese rock band personnel changes, but from what I've been able to gather, after Light Bringer's 2010 "Midnight Circus" album the twin-lead-guitar configuration shrunk to a single guitarist with the departure of guitarist-vocalist Kazu; and after the 2012 disc "Genesis" - arguably the band's best, most polished and world-class work - the remaining guitarist Seiya and drummer Satoru - both phenomenal rock musicians - were replaced with new members Yumi on drums and Jay on guitar.  (And no, I have no idea what happened to these peoples' surnames.)  I haven't been able to find any information as to whether these guys quit or were fired, but after "Genesis" the band released two more albums, "Scenes of Infinity" (2013) and "Monument" (2014), then abruptly issued notice of an "indefinite hiatus, effective December 21, 2014" - just six weeks after the release of "Monument."  Since their former official website is gone and it's coming up on two full years after the fact, I assume they've broken up for good.  Given that the two post-"Genesis" albums were respectively overproduced and lackluster in comparison with the 2012 release, the breakup is not nearly as disappointing as it could have been.

Something that's been alternately enjoyable and annoying, both in Light Bringer and on this disc, is the (similarly single-named) Mao's keyboards.  He's always had serious chops as a keyboardist, but roughly half of the synth voicings he chooses are incredibly cheesy - often sounding like a vintage 16-bit video game.  With Light Bringer there was always a good balance between guitar and keyboard in the mix, but on this album it's clear that the emphasis has shifted, subtly but unmistakably, from guitar-based rock to keyboard-heavy pop-rock.

On its face that wouldn't bother me - even as a hard rock guitar-lover - because the songs on this disc are well-crafted, punchy, upbeat and memorable.  The problem is that the guitar on this disc comes across as a kind of obligatory afterthought, tacked atop the keyboard tracks.  And though Mao does a better job of avoiding the sheer geekiness of some of the voicings he used with Light Bringer, there are instrumental passages on this disc that are keyboards-only and flatly bland.  Meanwhile, the guitar leads suffer from a sense of anonymity and "speed for speed's sake," with little in the way of memorable melodic sensibility.  The liner notes show that three different guitarists play on the various tracks, and the lack of a single personality with a single, strong style detracts from the instrumental quality.  Fuki has a great voice, but it shines best when it's a part of a great band of instrumentalists, as in "Genesis"-era Light Bringer.  I'm hoping that that instrumental backslide gets reversed - which means that at minimum she needs to find a worthy, permanent guitarist and a better balance in the mix - else she risks sliding into that bland, forgettable "vocalist only" genre.

Though it could've been much better, this is still a decent pop-rock album, for two reasons:  First, Fuki's vocal talent is huge and consistently excellent.  Secondly, the songwriting on this disc is good throughout, even on the more "poppy" tunes that I don't really care for genre-wise, and well-composed songs are what make an album.  A good example is track 8, "Aoi Kisetsu Ni" ("Blue Season") - it's a little saccharine-sweet, but it's also a driving, upbeat, over-the-top tune with perfect vocal harmonization and an infectious melodic sense.  With the exception of tracks 6 and 7, written by people outside the band, all of the songs are by Fuki and keyboardist Mao, with guitarist Wakai Nozomu contributing on tracks 2, 3 and 5.  That would explain the somewhat lopsided keyboard-to-guitar mix.

Another disappointment with this band is that it lacks an outstanding bassist.  Not that this bassist is bad (Hasagawa Atsushi,) just... after the amazing prog-rock bass-percussion interplay between bassist Hibiki and drummer Satoru in Light Bringer songs like "Ark" and "Noah," as well as steeping in phenomenal front-of-the-mix bassists like Koga Michiko in Gacharic Spin and Masaki Kurata in Daida Laida and Liv Moon, the reversion to a "background bassist" buried in the mix is a huge letdown.

The track-by-track rundown:

1. Welcome To My Dream - An instrumental intro that's just over a minute long - consisting of a repeating, overdriven guitar figure atop drum-machine percussion, with synth embellishments.

2. Tsuki Ga Mae Ni (Before a Full Moon) - There are four songs on this disc that I'd classify as the kind of hard rock in Light Bringer and in Carbonic Acid, and this is one of them. It's a strong album-opener that shows off Fuki's ability to shift between full-power rock vocal and softer, more nuanced passages and back again.  The tempo is fast, and the mood alternates between pensive, softer verses and driving, upbeat choruses that end with surprising shifts from minor to major key in the last bars of each.  There's an annoying but thankfully brief vocal passage just before Nozomu comes in for a (pedestrian) guitar solo.

3. Kagayaku Yoru e Youkoso! (Welcome to the Sparkling Night!) - This is another fast, driving tune but with Fuki adopting a more girly-girl vocal quality than is usual for her. The verses have a nice bouncy, punchy rhythm to them, and the choruses are, well... driving, upbeat and unapologetically over-the-top.  The bridge has Nozomu and Mao trading guitar and keyboard licks - again, not actually bad, but a little generic and pedestrian.

4. I'll Never Let You Down - More than any other song on Welcome! this one sounds like it could easily have come off of a Light Bringer disc.  IOW, a charging rock tune - but nonetheless upbeat, and just a great pedal-to-the-metal romp.  There's a brief, playful interlude where it's just Fuki over a jazzy hi-hat drumbeat and some Hammond organ fills, then right back to the stomp-rock groove.  Nice.  The instrumental bridge begins with keyboards in that same Hammond voicing, then a fast keys-guitar unison riff, then Fuki literally roars - yes, roars - back into the chorus.  Awesome.  I get the feeling everybody involved was having a blast recording this.  Another great thing about this song is that it doesn't just hang everything on a verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus-end pattern, but rather has a bunch of unexpected changes all over the place, including an extended outro instrumental after a false ending.  'Liking this one, lots.

5. Boku Ga Ikiru Sekai (I Live in the World) -  A more poppy, keyboard-dominated feel to this one, but still on a rock foundation.  The choruses have an unnerving disco beat but the breakneck pace carries them. Mao goes full 16-bit-retro-video-game on the keyboards at the outset of the bridge, followed by a guitar lead from Nozomu that's finally a little more interesting than his previous ones, followed by some nice piano beneath a quieter version of the chorus, then it's back to high gear. Another example of a tune that's enjoyable and memorable despite its being a little more poppy than I ordinarily like.

6. Asana Asana (Every Morning) - This is a mellower pop ballad, again dominated by keyboard and breathy backing vocal behind a pretty (but not particularly memorable) vocal melody.  I'm thinking this is one of those tunes that depends more on lyrical content than musical hooks for its appeal.  It's not a bad tune, just a mellower, radio-friendly pop thing.  Not bad, just not outstanding.

7. Kurui Zake Setsugekka (I'm getting "Setsugekka Flower Blooms Confusion" but I'm seeing the title translated elsewhere as "Destiny of Ninja" - the confusion is definite, at any rate)  - The intro to this one reminds me of Onmyoza's "Koga Ninpouchou" - a shakuhachi flute over ominous drums and guitar, leading into a fast, upbeat pop-rock tune which sounds like it could be an anime theme - like "Koga Ninpouchou" was for the anime "Basilisk" - which is maybe the intent.  (For any Japanese band, getting your tune selected as the theme of a popular anime is a fast-track to mega-stardom.) The guitar break in this one is lightning-fast Bach-rock riffing but the guitarist is not credited - I'm thinking it's someone other than Nozomu.  Nozomu's guitar is a consistent disappointment both on this disc and his "Destinia" discs - adequate, but generally lacking in personality and often played in thin, brittle voicings.  I'm hoping they find someone better to replace him before heading back to the studio for round two.

8. Aoi Kisetsu ni (Blue Season) -  This is maybe the poppiest tune on the disc, with even more of a classic anime theme feel to it.  As mentioned above, this is bright, sunny, pop-rock with a great melodic sense.  Again the keyboard voicing at the outset of the bridge sounds dated, but in this case so much so that it's actually kind of cool in a "retro" sense. Nozomu's guitar lead here is his best on the disc - a good, respectable and melodic solo, finally.

9. Liberator - Another of the disc's heavier rock tunes. It starts with an ominous intro, followed by a slower-paced, brooding verse that leads into a faster, punchy transition, then an exuberant chorus with a vocal melody that once again shows off Fuki's vocal power.  The instrumental bridge is oddly lackluster and dull in this one - a really bland keyboard passage followed by some generic, fast guitar riffing, then back to the chorus.  That is a producer fail, almost like this bridge was filler material for a later instrumental fleshing-out that never got done.  A nice rock tune, but not as good as tracks 2 or 4.

10. Mirai (The Future) - Like "Asana Asana" a slower, mellower song, at least at the outset - but more in the "power ballad" genre, and in 3/4 time.  I like this one a little better than the other, not just for the guitar foundation but because the vocal melody is significantly better, but the whole mood of this is very "down" and a little depressing at the outset.  The instrumental bridge is all guitar, switching in midstream from 3/4 to a fast 4/4 groove that continues with the return to the vocal chorus to the end. This song is a good example both of the shortcomings of Nozomu's guitar and of the keyboard-heavy mix.  Nozomu does a fine job of convincing people he can play fast, but doesn't say anything melodically in the process - so the net result is forgettable.  (It may be an unfair comparison, but for a great example of how to make fast playing sound spellbinding just by virtue of the notes you choose, give a listen to Michael Schenker on UFO's "Rodeo" - or just Take-C's short solo blast in the ShakaLabbits tune "Mushroom Cat Number Plate.") The keyboards are a tad overbearing in the mix, so the combination of fast-but-bland guitar and wall-of-sound keyboards ends up being a little tedious. During the outro instrumental, Mao comes in with another really tinny keyboard voicing, matching Nozomu on speed but at least sounding more interesting.  The rock groove fades into a mournful orchestral strings patch at the end.

11. Sail On My Love - Another song that could've come off one of the last two Light Bringer discs, particularly reminiscent of the stuff on "Monument."  It's an ultra-fast rock groove with an energetic, upbeat mood.  A minor gripe is that "one-shoe-off/one-shoe-on" drumbeat that's in so many of the LB tunes, also present here, but... minor gripe.  The instrumental bridge comes off of an interesting vocal transition, then a keyboard solo that feeds into a keyboard-guitar duo. There's another brief, slower vocal transition, then it's back to the main groove.  Fuki just lets fly with everything she's got in this tune too, and that is always a good thing.

So... bottom line:  Though it would have benefited from a dialing-back of keyboards and a little punching-up of guitar - as well as the addition of a solid, permanent guitarist on a par with Seiya of Light Bringer - this is still a good disc that's roughly half and half rock and pop with some memorable songs, but I was expecting something much better.  My assumption is that Tenge is flailing around a little in search of her own identity after the demise of Light Bringer.  I hope she finds a good band soon, because her voice deserves one.
.


title: Gacharic Spin Hits It Out Of The Park!

text:
As a fan of rock that tends on the heavy side of things (if Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush,  Ronnie Montrose, pre-grunge Rush and Schenker-era UFO are any indication,) I'd held Gacharic Spin at arm's length after stumbling onto their work via their collaboration with Light Bringer vocalist Fuyuki Tenge, because they're basically a keyboard-dominated band with a heavy techno-clubbish feel.  I don't know all of the details, but they've apparently struggled to find a decent vocalist to front the band - their original vocalist (stage named "Armmy") quit the band due to health problems in 2012, with drummer Hana assuming vocal chores thereafter.  Hana has a tendency toward "shouty" - something I dislike in vocalists but for which I cut her a bit of slack, given the difficulty of doing finessed vocals while doing frenetic percussion.  So here's this band of incredible musicians, in dire need of a good singer, and...

In late 2012 Gacharic Spin paired up with Fuyuki Tenge (a.k.a. Fuki,) of the Japanese rock band Light Bringer, to do a one-off collaboration as "Doll$Boxx."  Fuki is easily one of the best rock vocalists on Earth - a female David Coverdale or Ronnie Dio, if you will - and on the "Doll's Apartment" disc the shift away from techno-synth to more guitar-oriented rock, combined with Tenge's incredible voice, resulted in a spectacular album (with caveats.)

On "Music Battler" the band has gone back in the direction of rock and away from the heavy keyboard / techno feel  that was still present on "Winner," their 2014 release.  Combined with excellent - but not overdone - production and the definite sense that the band have gained a world-class confidence to go with their already-abundant chops (each of these women has her own instructional DVD on her respective instrument, with good reason,) with "Music Battler" they've released an album that's got a lifelong hard rock fan raving - well, on first listen, at any rate.  This disc is wall-to-wall, start-to-finish high-energy rock with phenomenal musicianship throughout, and a distinctly upbeat, "benevolent-universe" attitude that is rare to nonexistent in contemporary rock, at least in North America - if contemporary North America can be said to have a rock scene at all.

The core of Gacharic Spin is its founder, bassist Michiko Koga, who goes by the inexplicable stage name "F Chopper Koga."  8^]  Her style is predominantly slap-funk, but she plays with the confidence of an absolute master of her instrument in both slap and conventional plucked style alike - slipping effortlessly between the two at will. For whatever reason, in Japanese rock the bass guitar is not relegated to a bland "thum-thum-thum-thum-thum" drone buried in the mix as is typical of North American and European rock, but is rather given the same integral footing within the mix as guitar and vocal.  A longtime peeve of mine handily dispatched, IOW.  One doesn't generally think of rock bass as an expressive instrument, but Koga conveys, invariably, a sense of undiluted joi de vivre in her playing.  Go to YouTube, pull up songs like "Merrily High Go Round" and "Take My Chance" from Doll$Boxx, or maybe "Omocho no Heitai" ('or "Toy Soldier" in English,)  focus exclusively on the bass line, and you'll get a sense of this.

Koga chugs along at the center of every song like she's the heart of a futuristic locomotive, with an intricacy, power and melodic sense one normally only associates with guitarists, conveying an insistent optimism and a joi de vivre that is a palpable thing.  If you watch her live performances, she's generally smiling from ear to ear, if not laughing, from the moment she takes the stage to the moment she leaves it.  She absolutely loves playing bass and is supremely confident in her ability - and that is a spectacular thing to witness.  Give a listen to the bouncy yet high-intensity title track of this album, and you'll hear that bass hammering away like the pistons of a massive machine, shaping, directing and anchoring the groove.  I could listen to this album just for Koga's bass alone.  Am I raving?  Yes I'm raving.  Deal. 8^]

Another switch on this album is that keyboardist OreoReona takes lead vocal on roughly half of the tracks, and that is a good thing because she has a softer - and I think better - voice than Hana.  For her part, Hana's voice too is unusually appealing on this disc - a lot of her previous edge is softened in this mix, and perhaps she's learned to sing with more feel and less bombast.  Whatever the reason, the vocal problem that has plagued this band's previous releases is not as much of a problem here.

A caveat - and for me, a peeve - is that two of the absolute worst elements of contemporary American ...entertainment... , have found their way into this band, also onto the Doll$Boxx disc:  "Rap" and the "cookie monster" vocal distortion processor.

I'm fairly certain that Gacharic Spin adopted them to add an element of shocking incongruity:  "girl group" with "macho-heavy."  You can see that in the video for the Doll$Boxx tune "Take My Chance," which has Hana singing through a cookie-monster voice distortion unit in counterpoint to Fuki's voice during the song's verses, to the astonishment of an audience of otaku types (in the song's video.)  Both the cookie monster thing and nods to rap could have been left out - of that album and all of Gacharic Spin's releases - to the betterment of every song of which they're a part.  On this disc both of those noxious elements show up here and there but fortunately are rare and brief, so they're at least easily ignored.

But if ever there were two intensely stupid fads that needed to die a swift death - like pet rocks and tattoos - then "Cookie Monster vocals" and "rap" are them.  But I digress.

A more pronounced rock emphasis is exactly what Gacharic Spin has needed for a long time, and on "Music Battler" they did it.  Which means it's almost as good as the Doll$Boxx "Doll's Apartment" disc, and, assuming a mind open to the unfamiliar, a feast for rock fans who've been slogging through the thankless wasteland that the American music scene has been for at least two decades.

Amazon hasn't posted the song list, so here are my track-by-track notes (translation corrections welcomed):

1. Nostalgic Blue - OreoReona sings lead on this.  It begins in the kind of techno groove typical of GS, but quickly becomes a more complex rock groove.  There are a lot of interesting changes and instrumental things going on in this one, and Tomo-zo does a respectable guitar break in the middle of it.

2. Digital Fiction - An incredible intro worthy of a sci-fi anime, an annoying rap transition, then a high-octane rock groove with Hana and OreoReona trading off vocals.

3. Music Battler - A fast, intense, bouncy, relentless tune with Koga absolutely slamming the bass throughout, again with a bunch of interesting instrumental flourishes and dynamic changes.  This song makes me want to run a marathon.  Which means I'd better not hear it again before I do some serious cardio conditioning.  8^]

4. Yoshiki Destroyer - This is a more malevolent groove in a minor key - not my favorite thing - but the choruses are incredibly upbeat, pedal-to-the-metal anthemic rock grooves.  The bridge is a strange carnival-like passage with Hana singing beautifully with a huge reverb ambiance, transitioning to a raucous guitar break from Tomo-zo, then back to the high-energy chorus.

5. Yume Gen Jikko (Realization of a Dream?)  - This is mellower - over no less heavy a foundation - and a little more "poppy."  Hana is singing with more control, even when she's at the upper limit of her range.  The mood is dramatic and a little angsty but still overwhelmingly upbeat - just a great little rock tune.

6. Ganbanba Dancer - This is a rock sendup of disco - a bouncy disco beat with a well-crafted rock song built on top of it.  Koga's bass is all over the place in this too.  The bridge is jaw-dropping - a strange, metallic guitar patch that leads into an extended keyboard solo that Reona scat-sings along with, note-for-note.  They've even written a disco tune I can like!  'Never thought I'd see the day, and I shudder to think of the reactions of my high school metal buddies.

7. Final na Fantasy - This starts with a synth-strings intro, then a fast, upbeat groove with Koga-chan's bass rumbling along beneath it like a locomotive.  (Give the bass line in this song a listen through earbuds and you'll see what I mean.) Reona sings on this - a little too girly-girly and saccharine-poppy for my taste, but an interesting change.  Tomo-zo does an exuberant guitar lead midway through the song, and a whole lot of interesting improv jamming during the repeated outro choruses.

8. Yume Kui Zame - A full-blown dance club tune, which is not my thing. It's a good indicator of GS' previous style - heavy, pulsing dance beat, dense synthesizer, digital stepped vocals, heavy-duty "shouty" from Hana, the whole shmear.  Not a bad tune by any means, particularly if you're into dance clubbing, but it's the only song on the album that's... Well, in the spirit of that Japanese language thing where people trail off and leave the unspoken to sink in all by its lonesome:  "Yume Kui Zame" wa chotto.....

9. Identity - The beat in this one is disco-ish on the choruses but all rock through the verses, with Koga's bass once again serving as the "engine room" of the band, just thumping frenetically beneath everything, adding a rhythmic complexity that reminds me of the palpable, catalyzing element that Geddy Lee's bass imparts to Rush tunes.  And in this song the bass is even a little more subdued than in the others.  There's also some incredible, tight syncopation in the short bridge section.

10. Mata ne - This one is a mellower, relaxed pop-rock song with Reona singing.  It's pretty and well-done, but not particularly memorable.

11. Sekira Liar - Koga! This starts with an incredibly fast slap-bass figure reminiscent of her intro for the song "Lock On!" - with a synth-drenched vocal melody from Reona.  There's a lot of incredible bass in this song, along with some unusual syncopation and instrumental flourishes.  So call it a fusion of dance-club techno with high-octane bass-driven rock.  If I'm not mistaken this is one of the first two videos (with "Don't Let Me Down,") that they made for this album.

12. Don't Let Me Down - This is a bubbly pop-rock tune with an explosive exuberance - just completely over-the-top-upbeat from start to finish.  Reona sings on this one too.  See the vid for details - a far better description than I can do here.

That's a wrap boys & girls.  If you like incredibly well-crafted pop-rock, if you want an audio pick-me-up that will leave you smiling to the core of your being, just get this disc.  Just a great band in their prime, flexing their chops in a truly world-class production.


title: Tane-san's Alt-Rock Album - Leaves You Wanting More

text:
I do not pretend to be familiar with the details of Tane's career aside from what I can infer from listening to her music - and I haven't yet heard all of her 1990s-era releases (because they're a little difficult to find.)  But given the fact that the vast majority of her work subsequent to the 1990s falls into the pop and light jazz genres, I get the impression that for "Hetero" her manager (or producer, whatever,) was trying to nudge her into alt-rock, that Tane herself was more interested in... pop and light jazz, but acquiesced to a harder-edged album all the same.  An artist is going to follow her own path, obviously, but I wish Tane-san would've done an album or two more of straight-ahead rock, because she's good at it and her voice is well suited for it.  The "Hetero" album is something that fans of rock and female vocalists should snap up at their first opportunity, because although it has some minor downsides, it's akin to a buried pop-rock treasure.

Since there's no track listing here I'll do a blow-by-blow:

1. "Kaeshite" ("Give It Back") starts with a strange, almost playful verse, takes some wonderfully unexpected twists in chord progression, picks up a stark, thin drumbeat, then dives into an excellent, somewhat angsty chorus which, again, traverses a chord progression unlike anything I've heard before.  Just a great, understated rock tune.

2. "Down" is far more poppy, but with the same arresting vocal attitude.  The groove here is just acoustic guitar and vocal over simple percussion and later some subtle keyboard, but here's where Tane's unique voice shines through.  It's difficult for me to explain exactly why, but her voice reminds me of Phoebe Snow.  Maybe its because of that strange vibrato, which sounds both tightly-controlled and loose at the same time, but that comparison keeps jumping out at me, even years after I first heard this disc.

3. "Cut the Fruits" is a little funky, a little jazzy, with beautiful, floating, upbeat transitional grooves between verses and choruses. There's a satisfying gnarly-twangy guitar break in the bridge, then back to that glide-groove, then a rideout chorus that brings the tune to an abrupt end.  Just an excellent groove from start to finish.

4. "Ame to Gamu" ("Chewing Gum Candy") is hard to describe.  Again it's vocal over acoustic guitar (something that ordinarily bores the hell out of me,) but the vocal melody in this song is nothing short of spellbinding.  There is a lot of really weird instrumentation (synth washes, and... French accordion?) but it all meshes perfectly.  The bridge is a bass solo, something that seems to send American producers running like frightened rabbits. If you've spent much time listening to Japanese rock and pop, one of the first happy discoveries you will experience is that the bass guitar is rarely relegated to that anonymous "dum-dum-dum-dum-dum" drone buried deep in the background, but rather is an integral, catalyzing element of the mix.  How or why Japan has some of the most phenomenal bassists on Earth (Masaki of Daida Laida and Liv Moon, Koga Michiko of Doll$Boxx and Gacharic Spin, King-san [formerly] of ShakaLabbits, Onda Yoshihito of Zamza and Judy And Mary, Hibiki of Light Bringer, etc.,) is beyond me.  Ditto how or why Japan has an abundance of recording engineers and producers who treat the bass as an instrument on an even par with guitar and vocal.  But I am really, really glad that's the case.  Anyhow, "Ame to Gamu" is an unforgettable song, and Tane's vocal performance is just phenomenal here.  And I almost forgot:  Something that puts a big, goofy smile on my face every time I listen to this song is the fact that the last three chords of the song are a quote of that three-chord figure in Jimi's "Wind Cries Mary."  Whether that's incidental or intentional, it... just makes me smile.

5. "Memoria" is maybe the best song on this album, but undercut by an annoyance in the recording:  The heavier parts are noticeably distorted.  You have to push that annoyance aside, because "Memoria" is just epic - one of those songs that's like a heartfelt little journey or adventure.  It begins soft as a feather, builds and builds, explodes in anthemic choruses, then after a brief acoustic bridge turns a corner into an unexpected, melodically-magical passage that builds to its own crescendo - with Tane pouring heart and soul into the vocal - to end on that same soft-as-a-feather place it started.  This is one of those tunes you can listen to for the first time today, yet will seem like it was the backdrop for some of the most moving experiences of your life, a song that's been with you for years.  That, folks, is powerful songwriting.  Just a great song - easily one of my all-time faves.  It's unfortunate that the engineer distorted the hell out of the guitar on the choruses, but... great song.

6. "No Joker" starts with Tane's sly vocal over piano and drums that sound a little like solo John Lennon - but this is the tune I like least on the album, mostly because of the choruses, which have Tane stretching her range too much, amid repeats of the line "I wanna be your woman / I wanna be your woman."  It's not a horrid song, but to me the choruses are awkward and a little annoying, and the bridge is just weird, and not in a good way.

7. "Kakekko" ("Sprint" or "Race") is a mellow groove with a pretty vocal melody and touch of reverb-ambience, evocative of sitting in a garden pagoda in a cool cloudburst.  There's also an understated acoustic slide solo in the bridge.

8. "Kage no Naka no Kage" ("Shadow in the Middle of a Shadow") is the most jazzy tune on the disc - more in line with the stuff she's done since - but an excellent, relaxed groove.

9. "Daite te Hoshii" ("I Want You to Hold Me") is another jazzy tune, mellower than "Kage," with just vocal over electric piano and some periodic synth pulses, then the same over a drumbeat, with some funk-flavored instrumentation with the choruses.  The vocal melody is not as interesting as the rest of the songs, which leads me to believe it's one of those songs that rest more heavily on lyrical content than musicality (just a guess, since my Nihongo skills are only a little bit beyond The Three Most Important Phrases In Any Language, namely, "Where is the beer?" "Where is the restroom?" and "I love you," generally in that order - and I haven't sat down to translate it.)

10. "Tree" closes out the album in a dreamy, atmospheric wash, with Tane's voice processed through a thin "radio mic" patch that fits the song perfectly.  There are two breaks into slower-tempo grooves that are actually more powerful and dramatic than the faster tempo of the rest of the song.  An understated but relentlessly cool tune.

I'm far more a rock guy than either jazz or pop, so although there are a lot of her tunes I like from those of her later albums I've heard, "Hetero" is her standout disc - for that rock element.  But again, I still haven't gotten around to getting her other '90s discs.  If you like alt-rock that's generally upbeat rather than a massive boat-anchor of metaphysical angst, and if you enjoy totally unique voices, get "Hetero."  Definitely time well spent.


title: The Labbits' Rock Masterpiece

text:
This is the Shakalabbits' second full-length album, and it's easily their masterpiece (to date.)  As is typical with Japanese rock bands, their first few releases were EPs ("Overdoing" and "Let's Party,") and extended singles, before releasing their debut album "Exploring of the Space" in December of 2002.  By the early 2004 release of "Clutch" the band had arrived at the perfect intersection of a cohesive band identity, great songwriting, and world-class production that stopped comfortably short of that dreaded, now-widespread cancer in rock music, overproduction.

To call the Labbits a ska band is to overstate that element.  The Labbits are unquestionably a rock band, with roots in Japanese punk, and just the right infusion of ska rhythms to serve as an excellent kind of "seasoning" to their hard rock sound.  Add to that foundation Uki's wonderfully feisty personality and excellent voice, and what you have is audio catnip.

This is one of those rare albums that's an "instant classic" - in the sense that it's great from start to finish, where you find yourself just shaking your head in amazement at one excellent song after another.  Since the description doesn't have the track list, here it is:

1. Can't Escape the Chocolate Syrup
2. Mushroom Cat Number Plate
3. Wish of a Vampire
4. Monster Tree
5. It's Our Secret
6. Candy Ball
7. Pobby to Dingan
8. Pivot
9. Admire
10. G.S.G.
11. Spice!
12. Hoshizora no Shita de
13. Come Back Anytime

Another thing I love about the 'Labbits is that although they're generally harder-edged rock than Judy And Mary, like JAM every song they release is different from each of their others.  The Shakalabbits are not a cookie-cutter band, manufactured and promoted on a formula, but a group of artists with a unique voice and something to say.  Just like JAM.  Like Yuki and the boys, each of these musicians is a stunning talent - and "Clutch" catches them at the top of their form, much like JAM's "Orange Sunshine" disc.  Their subsequent releases remind me of Rush - brilliant songs but scattered across multiple albums, with none of the albums as a whole being start-to-finish phenomenal.  So call "Clutch" the Shakalabbits' equivalent of "Moving Pictures" or "Roll The Bones."  B^]

As I've said, this album is one great rock song after another.  Out of thirteen tracks only three songs are duds for me - "It's Our Secret," "Admire" and the throwaway "Come Back Anytime" right at the end.  But YMMV.  The album kicks off with "Chocolate Syrup" by way of a feisty, frenetic warmup, then "Mushroom Cat Number Plate," a song that "goes places" rather than following a verse-chorus-verse template - its chord progression just never stops turning corners, the result being a kind of audio joy-ride (maybe suggested by the hilarious CGI video for it, but you get the picture.)  "Wish of a Vampire" begins and ends with a spellbinding staccato guitar figure with an excellent, punchy rock tune between;  "Monster Tree" is a stand-up-and-cheer anthem to determination;  "Candy Ball" could easily be headbanger hard rock, but with a great vocal melody that Uki-san pours heart and soul into; "Pobby to Dingan," inspired by Ben Rice's strange little novel of the same name, conveys a subtle sense of drama, mystery and again, anthemic, stand-up-and-cheer determination; "Pivot" is the most ska-flavored song on the disc, but rooted a nice satisfying rock crunch;  "G.S.G." is a mellow "breather" of sorts, but it too intensifies into a kind of party song - it's interesting to note that it also works as a full-on rock tune, if you watch the clip from their Shibuya concert DVD;  "Spice!" is another rock anthem with a chorus that will stick in your brain for days;  "Hoshizora no Shita de" ("Beneath a Starry Sky,") starts with a relaxed, pretty vocal melody from Uki, builds to a fast-paced, bitchy rock tune, then lands on the same gentle runway.  Stunning.

The sudden, mysterious departure in late 2011 of bassist King-san - whose palpable voicing was as integral to the Labbits' sound as Geddy Lee's is to that of Rush or Koga Michiko's is to Gacharic Spin and Doll$Boxx, has altered the whole personality of the band, so as a longtime fan I'm a little pessimistic of the band's likelihood of finding this kind of fresh, punchy, hard-edged groove again, but... you never know.  In any case, "Clutch" is their masterpiece, without a doubt.


title: great

text: if you want a feel good lift you up cd this is it.loved allt he songs on it.many i havent heard in years.great


title: Good sound quality

text: Great music, and good sound quality.


title: I have listened to this several times now. It ...

text: I have listened to this several times now.  It comes from a different perspective that I am not sure I am ready for.


title: Awesome band

text: Great band and cd. Must have for any grunge fan.


title: Love it

text: I love the Daystar singers they always give me goose-bumps. if you want to worship you can't get any finer worship music.


title: Sound quality is good.

text: Brings back great memories.


title: Love these tunes

text: Love these tunes. I picked this one to give to my husband for Christmas because he loves this kind of music and so do I. There wasn't one we did not love. Played it on a car trip.


title: LOVE

text: Simply the BEST. This CD has been on repeat since Christmas. Love his voice and music and all of these songs.


title: Great time saving product for worship leaders!

text: Great praise & worship music with easy to use arrangements. Awesome product that saves a lot of time and energy for worship leaders.


title: Great praise & worship music for personal worship

text: Great praise & worship music for listening to & jamming out with in the car. The arrangements, however, are a little too complicated for most to be able to use without some simplification.


title: relaxing and soothing

text: works for me. brings back beach memories. no longer live close to any oceans so love this CD.


title: Beautiful

text: The selections on this album are romantic and and warm.  I love all of them and so glad that I have discovered Beegie Adair.  I had never heard of her til I was looking for light jazz piano music just before Christmas.  My grandkids got me Beegie's "Jazz for the Road" and I was hooked.  I immediately bought 4 more of her albums and I love every one.  Had no idea that this person was a woman, nearly my age (78) and sadly died last year.  She had a long and lucrative life playing piano in all kinds of settings and was very prolific and award- winning in the recording world.  If you love light jazz piano playing familiar songs, I think you will love her music too.


title: Item listed as "very good" arrived in "fair" condition

text: I ordered the item on Nov. 29th and it arrived on Dec. 9th, which is not bad coming from OH to the east coast during the Christmas season.  However, when I ordered it, I paid almost $13 + $3.99 shipping and handling for an item that was advertised as "Used-Very Good," which implies to me some mild wear and tear and a few scratches, nothing big.  With this, however, one of the discs in this two-disc set had a number of scratches on each side and looked like it was handled by sticky fingers and the person who handled it left a number of sticky finger prints on it.  Also, the front side of the album cover had a one-inch orange price sticker (blank) on one of the faces of the characters.  Maybe you could say it was "good" or "fair," but not "very good."


title: Huh?

text: Ok.  I grew up listening to Chicago and love their tunes.  But this?!  Production values change between songs and most sound like a bad cover band. Extremely disappointing.


title: Nice collection

text: Nice collection of music for a good price.  One star removed because cases were broken inside delivery box.  Cds had no damage.


title: Two Stars

text: The selections are too short.


title: Five Stars

text: nothing like cool jazz


title: Classic Thrash!

text: This the perfect anthology release! It really sums up these guys careers and gives you a lot of music for your monies worth. If you have just discovered these guys this is the perfect opportunity to help support a great artist! I recommend this title for any fans of classic thrash metal!


title: Five Stars

text: Love it.


title: Mirror matching

text: Monsta X is one of my favorite groups so collecting their albums have been fun.  The extra photo cards were nice, but the mirror has the Got7 logo.  I am Team Wang, not so much Got7.  I appreciate this seller adding extras to the package, but the mirror to match the group makes more sense to me.


title: Fantastic

text: Best love story version I've heard.


title: "Mary did you know"

text: I first discovered these talented artists while listening to a harmony on Sesame Street (1,2,3 ...) ... go figure. My daughter listens to that episode over and over and over on YouTube ...as do we. Then I decided to look them up. My grandfather does barbershop and few people these days have a true voice in music. I have a love of awesome harmony and this crew delivers. We wandered through several songs and loved them all. If you love true music, these talents are a treat. BUT ABOVE ALL I was sold on "Mary did you know" and bought the album on that song alone knowing the rest would be just as powerful.


title: packaging great ND enjoying this music very much

text: The cd arrived before it expected to...packaging great and enjoying this music very much!


title: Five Stars

text: arrived quckly, I am enjoying this cd, so clever and hilarious!


title: Nice

text: Enjoyable


title: Sound quality poor

text: You'll enjoy this for reasons of nostalgia.  Unfortunately, I've been accustomed to a sound quality which wasn't available in the '30's and early '40's so I was disappointed in the recording. . . But that's me. . . Funny, but when I was listening to Bing sing his songs on our big wooden AM radio, I never heard a sound quality that was anything but perfect!!!  But I was a child then and judgement just wasn't awakened in my little brain.


title: Satisfying

text: When in Salzburg in 1962, I had the privilege of hearing Bruckner's 9th.  As his climatic cord of the "3rd" movement resonated through the concert hall, it affected me so intensely that tears welled up in my eyes.  My whole body, mind, and emotions resonated such that it had never done before.  Since then, I've purchased every recording available to try to capture that experience.  Impossible!  But the closest I found were in two CD albums conducted by Gunter Wand.  I also found that Wand's tempo was neither too slow nor hurried to be able to portray the inner essence of his music[[ASIN:B005OMBNRI Gunter Wand - Bruckner: Symphony No.9 [Japan CD] KICC-967]] that Brucker was trying to convey.  Hope this helps.  Best wishes,  carena


title: Five Stars

text: I love this CD. So uplifting and relaxing.  Awesome!!


title: She's a Amazing! Adding to my collection

text: Amazing young lady!  Will ad to my collection.


title: I like it

text: I thought it was a different cd with elain page  but that was my bad. It plays well and I love the songs.


title: Five Stars

text: Whoop Whoop.


title: Gift.

text: Bought for my granddaughter.  She was very happy.


title: enjoyable

text: I liked most of this CD, nothing wrong with it just personal preferences.


title: Returned

text: Returned


title: Cockatiel CD

text: I like the cd very much. Of course it is repetative and that is how the bird learns. I usually turn it on as I am going out the door. That way Bobby can learn and have something to listen to at the same time while I am away.


title: Good deal

text: Gift for mom who just got into Mumford. She is happy.


title: Quality

text: I enjoy the cd but wale way over priced


title: Love it!!

text: Our whole family listens to this type of sound when going to bed .


title: As described

text: This album is an absolute favorite in our family. Listening to grandmas albums on Christmas Eve is a tradition I was not willing to part with. Although I have this album, it’s important enough that I needed a back up. Thank you for provided that for me.


title: Love this cd

text: Love this CD had it before and the old one was scatched so I just replaced it


title: MY ol' time rock and roll !!

text: LOVE THIS ALBUM!


title: Awesome! Sara does not disapoint!

text: Sara is always awesome and this is no exception.


title: This might be the worst album ever made but it also just goes to ...

text: This might be the worst album ever made but it also just goes to show you that its not how you start but how you finished. This guy Xavier Naidoo is the biggest music act in Germany now.

user_id: AGJGPZLVLCSPCPXJKSJAOEOBDSRQ


title: Total flashback!

text:
I grew up listening to US 99 and the Katman was awesome! When he died they played his songs on the radio and a friend recorded it on cassette for me. I lost the cassette when i moved and i was so upset.  Imagine my surprise and joy when I saw it for sale on amazon!  A must have for any Katman fan!

FYI: does not have all his songs, but most of them are there!


title: My daughter was thrilled with this gift. She is ...

text: My daughter was thrilled with this gift. She is a huge fan of countrymusic, the Voice and the Swon Brothers. The fact that the CD was autographed was icing on the cake.


title: Lucky find, great CD

text: Happy to find this at a decent price, thank you!!


title: Romantic Music

text: Romantic 💜


title: Wish it was a cd… but still good

text: Would have preferred a cd, but I can still enjoy this old radio series. Glad I got it.


title: Product as described - new

text: Would use seller again


title: Stereotypical bar band fare.

text: This compilation CD features Southeastern bands.  Go anywhere in the country and the compilation CD from that region will sound exactly like this.  It's standard bar band music.  Nothing horrible, but nothing special.