title: CAPT. FARNON, AS PRESENTED BY QUINCY JONES

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These Fontana/Philips albums were laid down in London in 1962, both produced on the fly by Capt. Farnon’s admirer Quincy Jones. They joined up again for a 1964 movie-themes album and in Copenhagen in 1963 on (Sarah) VAUGHAN WITH VIOLINS, a classic Mercury set that incorporates Sassy’s stratospheric and definitive take on Capt. Bob’s “How beautiful is night.” Jones’ production benevolence notwithstanding, these are disappointingly routine and repetitive mood albums by Farnon’s exacting standards. Both are short, at 35’ each, and their programmes—with only five new items—are simply stereo remakes of classic Farnon charts he originally recorded in proper concept-album context for Decca. Farnon purists will prefer those fresher mono originals, also reissued integrally by Dutton Vocalion.

The brief “musical bouquets” are a motley posey, with just four separate numbers from the great Lerner-Loewe score and both ballads lovingly extended to full five-minute length. “I could have danced all night” is omitted, but Farnon restored it in his live concert with the LPO in 1974, as reissued on SKETCHES OF SINATRA/BENNETT (Castle Select, 1998). The balance of the album is filled with Farnon’s sumptuous charts for “I’m a dreamer, aren’t we all?” and “Dancing in the dark,” quite suavely yet needlessly remade.

The more coherent SENSUOUS STRINGS album features two Farnon originals, “La casita mia” and “To a young lady” (for daughter Judith). Again there are more remakes from Farnon’s indispensable composer-tribute Deccas, stunning charts for “Alone together,” “Something to remember you by” and “Just a memory.” The Philips stereo, although caringly restored by Mike Dutton, adds negligibly to the perfected mono originals Farnon had made less routinely just a decade before. This twofer is for stereophiles only, and for compulsive Farnon/Jones completists, but a low and duplicative priority in Farnon’s otherwise highly collectable reissue discography.


title: FINAL SESSIONS FROM AN IMPORTANT ITALIANATE CROONER

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Vic Damone began recording at age 19, facing the Mercury and Columbia microphones as a journeyman crooner for 15 years. Just as his admirer from Hoboken left Capitol, Damone matriculated in 1962 (his dues already prepaid) at the Capitol Tower as a hip romantic singer of real substance and impeccable vocal technique. His career peak was at Capitol, Warners and RCA in the turbulent 1960s and into the next decade (Damone’s albummaking activity pasted over the gaps in Sinatra’s several retirements). Damone lived into his 90th year, his last public performance given in 2002 and a sentimental farewell in 2011. This double set, made in Miami in 1996, was Damone’s final studio project—an ambitious valediction from a 68-year-old crooner whose voice was still intact, his crooning technique and repertoire choices infallible.

There are no surprises in the programme, all remakes of Great American Songbook standards Damone, or his nightclub audiences, particularly fancied. Thirty songs for diehard Damone followers, and 29 of them great: he (like his early sponsor Perry Como) insisted on repeatedly performing the embarrassing Albert-Gasté clunker “Feelings,” the tracklist’s only glaring mishap. His Miami producer was the legendary Argentine-Mexican musician Bebu Silvetti, who prepared or revised fresh charts for the singer (Bebu’s Latinate flair inevitably filters in discreetly) and contracted for a large orchestra, backup singers and some hip percussionists. The digital recording is quite deluxe, and Damone is in masterly form throughout. Even Richard Hayman pops in for harmonica licks, as on Damone’s fine remake of the great 1952 film theme “Ruby.”

This is not an introductory Damone set, although much of his core repertoire is maturely and elegantly recapitulated here. Damone’s serious followers (and anti-Sinatrists) will swoon over how great he still sounded approaching the millennium, and the historical value of these last sessions (uniquely flavored with some Miami spice) makes this a classier capstone to his long discography—a much more collectable release than his dozens of bargain-bin hits anthologies.


title: BIGGER THAN FOX, E.G.P.B. AT THE ST. GEORGE'S MÖLLER

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Edward George Power Biggs (1906-77), born in England but permanently emigrated to Boston, actually outlived his more flamboyant American archrival Virgil Fox (1912-80), and Biggs had the wider and more daring repertoire, a scholarly interest in period organs and authentic performance style, and--for collectors in the millennium--the more lasting discography. Both men recorded and rerecorded Bach prolifically, with Biggs branching out to local European organs with personality and related harpsichord revivals. Their Bach repertoire thoroughly covered, Fox essayed the Belgian Joseph Jongen's SYMPHONIE CONCERTANTE (and "heavy organ" light shows), while the soberer Biggs made ongoing discoveries in the organ music of Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Soler and Gabrieli, with Biggs' Rheinberger, Gabrieli (organ) and Joplin (harpsichord) discs crossing over to younger buyers pawing the vinyl bins for rival Fox' heavier-organ popularizations.

This short (48 minutes of music) but spectacular audiophile set competed successfully with Fox' showier rock-concert crossovers, the more scholarly Biggs happily rehabilitating the neglected Liechtenstein composer Adolf Rheinberger (1839-1901), a contemporary of Brahms remembered for these organ concerti and sonatas, some fine Christmas choral music and two (unrecorded) operas, two more than Brahms composed. The concerti, in Late Romantic, High German, mode, date from 1884 and 1894, and Biggs plays them with penetrating clarity and rhythmic verve. His instrument is the 95-rank Möller organ at St. George's Episcopal Church in Manhattan, and Biggs is backed by a pickup chamber ensemble led by modernist conductor Maurice Peress (a Duke Ellington specialist).

Andrew Kazdin produced these sessions in November 1973, and CBS immediately rolled out an "enhanced" quadraphonic remix edition, with the soloist's little mini-discourse bonus EP as reproduced here (Biggs also wrote the excellent booklet notes). The Dutton Vocalion digital transfer successfully tames the harsher overtones of those CBS vinyls, and in the SACD format this remains a stunning piece of demonstration recordmaking, not least for reviving Rheinberger and for being Biggs' hippest and most resonant organ spectacular. Being an adopted Bostonian, Biggs never sank to Fox' more blatant pseudo-hipster affectations, but E.G.P.B. sounds more energized and relevant in this 1973 classical context than his keyboard frenemy Fox did, with his heavier organ, in those frivolous Bach light shows.


title: CHEZ MAXIM, THAT HAPPY WIDOW "PALMIERI"

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Lastingly influential, Lehar's early masterpiece (there were more to follow) had its Vienna première in December 1905, then rather slowly but insidiously went Continentally, then globally, viral. Considering her indelible French connections (distantly based on an 1861 comedy play by Henri Meilhac), WITWE's specifically Parisian setting and the overall giddiness, ebullience and joie de vivre we treasure in this pseudo-French score, the glam (and loaded) widow Glawari came rather late to Paris: April 1909. For Parisian (and similar) tastes Lehar added an overture, and (in this French adaptation by de Flers and Caillavet) La Glawari becomes an American, "Missia Palmieri," married into Pontevedran money, and Baron Mirko Zeta becomes the slightly more Gallic "Baron Popoff."

This is a fine-sounding ORTF aircheck, broadcast 30 April 1970, and the cast is very true to the French roots of this vehicle and the de Flers-Caillavet translation: Our American in Paris is the great Connecticut-born soprano Teresa Stich-Randall, familiar for her Baroque and oratorio specialties and as Sophie in Karajan's 1956 ROSENKAVALIER; her Danilo is Jean Guy Henneveux; Camille is sung by the veteran Henri Legay; and pompous Popoff is sung by Robert Destain. Their conductor is Lehar operetta specialist Adolphe Sibert (1899-1991), born Adolf Sieberth in Vienna and a student of both Clemens Krauss and Wilhelm Furtwängler. (Sibert was roughly contemporary with Robert Stolz and Manuel Rosenthal, and all three lived on into their tenth decade of musical life, sustained by the rich Viennese and Parisian operetta traditions.) This is one of Sibert's most intriguing recordings, given Stich-Randall's stellar participation, and having LUSTIGE WITWE repatriated to its Parisian underpinnings is far less offensive than hearing this sumptuous score trashed through lumpen English-language translations (and some completely clueless English-language Glawari divas, whose producers ought have known better).


title: GRANDI INDEED: LA SIMIONATO IN STUDIO RECITAL, 1954-60

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This incomparably characterful mezzo (1910-2010) was kept very busy by Decca's complete-opera recording agenda and made only two (skimpy) recital discs, a 1954 mono EP conducted by Franco Ghione with four arias (Bellini, Rossini, Verdi) and a 1958 stereo showcase  conducted by Fernando Previtali (again with only four newly recorded arias, plus addenda from her complete opera sets). Those two vinyls reappear here complete, with special interest in Simionato's stereo selections from WERTHER, MIGNON, SAMSON and CARMEN. These sides all date from the mezzo's vocal prime as she moved beyond Bel Canto and into her real specialty: more intense, fully developed dramatic roles both in the studio and onstage (once you've heard Simionato's character-actress assumptions of Azucena or Amneris, no other mezzo of her generation can quite compare). She sang regularly and reliably opposite Renata Tebaldi, although Simionato rarely recorded Puccini or related verismo composers, apart from her composer-sanctioned Santuzza in CAV. (A later and interesting role, sung and acted with badgirl witchiness, was her Zia Principessa contra Tebaldi in SUOR ANGELICA.)

As bonuses here there's a standalone "Casta diva" and representative Simionato showstoppers from her complete FAVORITA and her great Verdi specialties TROVATORE, BALLO and FORZA, all very heady stuff and always particularly penetrating in the Simionato way. In this "Grandi voci" series Anita Cerquetti's recital disc is similarly outstanding, with Simionato popping in for a riveting ensemble from their complete GIOCONDA. La Simionato currently has two recommendable tribute discs from Preiser, both strong on her postwar Cetra and Columbia shellacs in less faithful acoustics, and this better-sounding Decca anthology in their finer ffrr mono and stereo clearly begs for revival in the Most Wanted series.


title: DIGITAL "RUSTIC WEDDING," IDEALLY COUPLED

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Karl Goldmark (1830-1915) was born in Hungary, into a family of 20 children. In his peak years in Imperial Vienna he was briefly Jean Sibelius' fiddle teacher, and as composer Goldmark, toiling in crepuscular Wagnerian shadows, had a diverse and eclectic output, once widely performed but in our time sadly neglected. His most familiar survivors are the Violin Concerto--programmed by Milstein, Perlman and Heifetz--and a very grand, now unperformed, opera on the Queen of Sheba. On a slightly smaller scale, but too similarly neglected, we've this idiosyncratic five-movement "symphony,'" actually a programmatic set of symphonic variations that are perfectly stunning in their simplicity, romanticism and harmonic richness. The poignant fourth movement, "Im garten," will break listeners' hearts and clearly inspired the symphonic Rachmaninoff and, too, Vitezslav Novak in his captivating SLOVAK SUITE.

For decades RUSTIC WEDDING has lacked any modern reference recording: Sir Thomas Beecham made an unsurpassed but slightly abridged benchmark recording in 1951, in its Sony digital rebirth unattractively coupled and overpriced. Naxos have a feeble stopgap in a Gunzenhauser RUSTIC WEDDING that will disappoint true romantics, but his coupling is two rare Goldmark concert overtures. Absent the premium Beecham or bargain-basement Naxos releases, this obscure Eclipse reissue is a stopgap for the neglected Goldmark, with Decca's earliest digital engineering (not wholly perfected at recording time) a bonus. The pairing is Dorati's 1983 digital remake, with the RPO, of Op. 72 only of the SLAVONIC DANCES, the less popular but more complex of Dvorak's two sets. These are brashly energetic performances, quite balletic in Dorati's familiar podium mode. Maestro Dorati is no match for Vaclav Neumann in this repertoire, but as makeweight for Goldmark this programming is most satisfactory.

Producer Thomas Mowrey (formerly DG’s American point man in Boston and San Francisco) made an offbeat A/R choice in commingling Jesus Lopez-Cobos (1940-2018), the LAPO and RUSTIC WEDDING (always the bridesmaid, never the radiant bride) for an early (1980) digital demo disc. The orchestra plays very sleekly, although it's clear they are gingerly picking their way through an unfamiliar but consistently delightful score. Lopez-Cobos hasn't quite Beecham's panache (none did), but he's more convincing in this music than the well-meaning Gunzenhauser, Previn or Bernstein on uniformly unsatisfactory rival discs. The Eclipse price is ridiculously low, and RUSTIC WEDDING becomes a lifelong friend the very first time you hear it.

(A parallel budget reissue is well worth having: from Vanguard [and lovingly produced by Seymour Solomon], Maurice Abravanel’s 1962 Salt Lake recording of RUSTIC WEDDING, ingeniously coupled with Vladimir Golschmann’s vibrant 1960 Vienna take on both of Enesco’s ROUMANIAN RHAPSODIES. The late Lopez-Cobos and the more familiar Dorati have some cult appeal and the rather rough Eclipse digital sound, while the Abravanel/Golschmann CD is even more collectable for followers of Americanized dirigents, and the smooth Vanguard true-stereo engineering more listener-friendly than Decca’s.)


title: KETELBEY DIGITAL, EVEN BETTER KETELBEY MONO

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Here is certainly the lightest, and most shamelessly enjoyable, semiclassical music in Decca's eclectic British Music Collection, which invariably offers superior sound engineering plus some repertoire surprises from the imprint's more serious and deeper Hampstead vault recesses. The ten core tracks are Ketelbey's most familiar signature "hits," slightly perfumed in the hothouse/salon music way and instantly familiar to discophiles and pops-concert subscribers. These ten were Irish conductor Alexander Faris (1921-2015) with a pickup orchestra recorded digitally for Philips in 1982, sounding well then and not supplanted in intervening decades. Within the Polygram Group the Faris disc replaced Decca's venerable--and problematic--Ketelbey packages routinely conducted by Robert Sharples and Eric Rogers, celebrating respectively the advent of home stereo and the dubious Phase 4 process.

The Faris performances of Ketelbey favorites are completely satisfying for listeners insistent upon modern sound, yet the most idiomatic (slightly fustian) Ketelbey discs remain the riper vintage surveys conducted by John Lanchbery with the Philharmonia (EMI, 1977) and, especially, the five rarities conducted here in 1954 by Stanford Robinson with a studio pickup ensemble. Robinson (1904-84), a born phonogenic maestro, began earnestly enough, conducting the first complete Mendelssohn ELIJAH as well as important sides for Eva Turner, Maggie Teyte and Beniamino Gigli. Later he specialized in broadcasting and recording lighter music, including Eric Coates and the unsurpassed Ketelbey disc for Decca, where the ffrr mono sound engineering has a particularly warm glow and Robinson conducts with evident Beechamesque panache.

Repertoire this light seldom receives such podium inspiration, and Robinson's Ketelbey sides are real keepers. Listeners may marvel at the catchy hodgepodge "By the blue Hawaiian waters," which mixes Hawaiian steel guitar, an Italianate street melody and zigeuner rhythms that threaten to morph into "Beer barrel polka." That Robinson conducts such material with a straight face--and it works completely as a unique keeper recording--is an abiding tribute to Decca's inclusive and tolerant production and marketing strategies. The Robinson recordings of Ketelbey--like Decca's contemporary Anthony Collins recordings of Delius and Sibelius--simply refuse to go out of print, such is their ongoing appeal for collectors.

This set is very good value in Ketelbey, with Faris' digital sound the main attraction. However, the five Robinson sides are even more entertaining as oddball and offbeat Ketelbeyana, and you may find yourself playing Robinson's antique recordings even more frequently than those of Faris. I happen to enjoy "advanced" 1950s recording techniques and will alternate between Robinson's cozy mono and Lanchbery's slightly brittle stereo.


title: FIND "MORE COLE ESPAÑOL" HERE, COMPLETE

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There are 31 tracks in this very generous compilation, and in reverse chronological order the chief attractions are:
--all 12 tracks from MORE COLE ESPAÑOL, recorded in Mexico City in March 1962 with a lively mariachi band conducted by Ralph Carmichael;
--9 tracks from A MIS AMIGOS, recorded in Rio de Janeiro in April 1959 with a pickup band conducted by Dave Cavanaugh (Peggy Lee's Capitol producer of choice);
--7 tracks from COLE ESPAÑOL, with Cole's vocal overdubs recorded in Hollywood in June 1958 over orchestral backing laid down in Havana by Armando Romeu Jr. in February;
--3 additional songs from that album recorded in Hollywood and conducted by Cavanaugh.

Ironically, Cole's phonetically learnt Spanish and Portugese 1958-59 tracks were the most heavily (and unjustly) criticized and also the most anthologized, sliced and diced and reshuffled beyond recognition in confusing digital repackagings. (Never mind that they're mostly very fine primo Cole vocals, if somewhat tentative. Cole's phonetic Spanish and Portugese are better, I daresay, than yours or mine.)

By 1962 and the final Spanish album Cole had toured South America and was infinitely more comfortable with Latino rhythms and the language's nuances, so MORE COLE ESPAÑOL is unquestionably his best work in that florid and impassioned genre. The album has been hard to find in its entirety, commonly available in a pricier Collectors' Choice reissue, and here it is in its (resequenced) mariachi-infused sunsoaked glory. I especially like Cole's smooth and reassuring takes on the familiar  Latin standards "Vaya con Dios," "Golondrina" and the slightly displaced cha-cha "Arrivederci Roma." This set is very good value and a perfect overview of Cole's Latin exotica, with the emphasis properly focused on the far smoother and more confident later recordings.


title: ON THE DANUBE: LEHAR AT HOME IN BUDA-PESTH

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Smart discophiles would routinely ignore this sow's ear of a CD, presented so generically and inexpensively that it resembles a shameful secret dragged from the depths of the Laserlight (their series MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC: LEHAR samples six of these 11 tracks) or Naxos backlists, fit for classical newbies only and then fated to flea-market CD extinction. I'd been listening to Istvan Kertesz and Franz Lehar (as conductor) latterly, and mindful that the most sparkling and lilting Lehar recordings always came from Vienna (or Zurich) I was curious to hear what Lehar's countrymen downstream on the Danube were doing with (or to) his music. I specifically sought a Magyar conductor and a Magyar band for completely alamode Lehar and, buying on spec, I found a real bonanza for Lehar specialists like myself.

On offer here, cunningly masked as an undesirable orphan CD, is an integral rerelease of a mainstream 1977 Qualiton album, originally titled GOLD UND SILBER: ORCHESTRAL HITS. I found a silken purse, an unfamiliar and interesting maestro, idiomatically suave Lehar standards and in the bonus tracks a super Danubian sleeper. The Lehar hits are a predictable overture/waltz selection, but the performances by Janos Sandor and the Budapest Philharmonic are ideal, ablaze with color and striking rhythmic elasticity (the Budapest rubato is more daring than the Viennese). Sandor programs the standalone concert-waltz masterpiece GOLD UND SILBER as well as rarer selections from FRASQUITA and EVA, and in the PAGANINI extract there's a stellar violin solo played by Istvan Tamas. These performances are so wholly within the authentic Lehar idiom that I rank them alongside the reference standards conducted by Paulik, Boskovsky and Lehar himself. Sandor (1933-2010), it turns out, was born to do this. He conducted and recorded extensively in both Gyor and Budapest, specializing in Bartok and Mahler, but also preferring--like Lehar--lighter, martial and occasional music. He emigrated to Canada in 1991 and was particularly active in Victoria, Edmonton and Banff with youth and collegiate orchestras.

In the brief bonus tracks the more familiar Maestro Janos (Ferencsik, 1907-84) conducts the Hungarian State Orchestra in three dance excerpts by Delibes, Strauss fils and Lanner, with the Strauss polka ELJEN A MAGYAR! just fizzing along and the Lanner Danubian discovery PESTH-WALZER having great Rakoczy-style bugle calls.

As a Lehar specialist I'm completely surprised by and smitten with this unassuming release, and I'll recommend it too to general listeners who need reminding that there's more than one great musical capital on the banks of the muddy brown Danube.


title: TWO SUPREME CHORAL MASTERPIECES (PLUS ANTHONY COLLINS’ LUCID DELIANA)

text:
This twofer neatly spans over 40 years worth of the opera imprint's occasional flirtations with Delius' more substantive choral and orchestral works. (The Decca opera mavens have prudently shunned the Delius operas, reckoning that only Mackerras' great 1989 VILLAGE ROMEO might sell.) This set is overlapped by the 8-CD DELIUS EDITION of 2012 (packed with considerable filler). Here are two important choral masterpieces in superior sound, plus most of the classic, clearheaded Anthony Collins ffrr monos that prompted Beecham's authoritative, even more magical, stereo remakes for competing EMI.

The negligible items here, directed towards Delian newbies, ought be skipped over by insiders: a modern performance of the misplaced Cello Sonata, with Bengt Forsberg dutifully plunking Delius' monotonous block piano chords, also a tiresome recapitulation of Marriner's frivolous 1977 Delius "hits" package. (The playful ASMF reputation sold these encores successfully to the unwary, but Marriner plays Delian lollipops as disposable palm-court salon music, a performance practice made obsolete by younger, soberer Delians.)

Decca ought have purged Marriner and the doleful cello in favor of Mackerras' APPALACHIA to emphasize Delius' choral contributions, and too there’s one conspicuously missing Collins track here. In any event Anthony Collins' 1953 Delius recordings still come up very well indeed: If you know his complete Sibelius cycle you rightly expect crisp, clean musicianship, particularly in the longer works PARIS and IN A SUMMER GARDEN, where listeners may prefer Collins' sober matter-of-factness to Beecham's dreamier mood-music mode, for all the Baronet's pixillated recordmaking magic. Collins' finest Delius recording is BRIGG FAIR, omitted here, also by DELIUS EDITION and even by Eloquence's Collins-Delius reissue. (It pops up only in this release's "British Music Collection" companion devoted to the piano and violin concerti—the latter with the great Tasmin Little—yet it deserves much wider circulation as an alternative contra-Beecham take.)

The perennially refreshing Collins recordings are complemented by modern, keeper performances of the two choral heavyweights SONG OF THE HIGH HILLS and SEA DRIFT. The former is underrecorded but major Delius, personifying the randy young Yorkshire pantheist's transcendental marching to a very different drummer on hiking trips in Norway. Mackerras' Swansea recording was made in glowing digital sound in 1993, his conducting is more personable and assured than Eric Fenby's on his earlier Unicorn recording, and Mackerras has superior voices, the robustly hale and hearty Welsh singers from the WNO chorus.

SEA DRIFT is hardly underrecorded and even more significant in Delius' choral output than MASS OF LIFE. Richard Hickox' first recording, from 1980 but still analog, was too soon eclipsed by his own Chandos remake with Bryn Terfel and by Mackerras' with Thomas Hampson. Hickox’ baritone soloist is the veteran Delian John Shirley-Quirk (1931-2014), in his maturity and autumnal resignation more reminiscent of the memorable Bruce Boyce (with Beecham), than the more dramatic but also callower Terfel or Hampson. It's especially intriguing to hear Shirley-Quirk, experienced in earlier Delius performance practices, collaborating with young Hickox, along with Tasmin Little the most promising of a new, revisionist generation of fully committed Delians.

So there you have it—40 years, plus the later cello postscript, of a major label's commitment to that harmonic visionary Frederick Delius. The Collins and Hickox performances have permanent niches alongside Beecham in the Delius discography, and Mackerras' Delius recordings (while variable in idiomatic authenticity) are always sincere efforts from a Delian aspirant not quite fully accredited to the innermost circle of old-school Delian mysticism and arcana.


title: REAL COUNTRY DUETS: FOLKIES NEED NOT APPLY

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The great Canadian folkies Hamilton covered so sincerely (and with surprising commercial success) were disinvited to this northwoods duets bash, although their songwriting supremacy (e.g., Ian Tyson) is covered or invoked. George IV made his finest RCA albums--no fewer than six, of really prime country/folk Canadiana (see Bear Family's MY NORTH COUNTRY HOME)--in Nashville and Toronto between 1966-75 and taped his internationally syndicated variety show at CHCH Hamilton through the 1970s, where his regular guest stars were the duet harmonists featured here. In 1995 the late producer Gary Buck bade George return to Canadian material for these duets with a galaxy of Canadian country traditionalists. The CTV and CBC elites include Buck (originally a Nashville solo star for Capitol), Gary Fjellgaard, Ray Griff, George Hamilton V, Dallas Harms, Myrna Lorrie, the late Colleen Peterson, Ronnie Prophet and Lucille Starr, all major artists who have gone largely unrecorded (Griff, Prophet) or neglected (Starr) in the digital era in fickle American and Canadian markets.

Hamilton, still boyish of voice at age 58 and a far deeper interpreter, is clearly the active star, singing extended solo verses and refrains with the guests primarily chiming in as luxury backup harmonizers, a very old Canadian roadhouse tradition in the bygone days when everyone smoked Cravens and chugged Molsons. The major highlights are the Fjellgaard duet on "Children of the street," the pre-Gene Watson "Paper Rosie" with its composer Harms (and the Toronto sunset specificity, expurgated by Nashville, of its intro restored) and a fine cover of Tyson's "Navajo rug" with  Prophet. More especially there are Griff's travelogue anthem "Canada," rockabilly monarch Lorrie grooving and cooing on "North country," Peterson's soulful chops matched nicely with George's on "Your distant arms" and the epochal real-harmony killer, Mme Starr's megahit "The French song." (Starr, personifying true Canadian country music done from the ground up and bilingually, is now retired, and this is likely her final recording, a very beautiful and reminiscent one.)

Buck allowed some vocal party crashers and dimmer talents, but these stellar combos are discographically historic and musically very satisfying. Buck coordinated the project in his regular commute between Calgary, Toronto and Nashville, and the backing tracks were laid down in Nashville with the guests' overdubs authentically recorded in Toronto. As a daring bonus George shyly models an HBC blanket-coat and--never a hat act--a dorky but practical tuque.

Hipsters will recoil at the retro harmonies, audience-pleasing semiclassic songs (all but one new to the George IV playlist), the tuque and write this off as just a routine reunion of ageing hoedown stompers (the Tommys Hunter and Connors too were disinvited). Those listeners may comfortably revert to the blandness of "Abilene" and "Rose and a Baby Ruth," fluke Hamilton hits that misrepresent this singer's depths and commitment. He really put his heart and musical soul into all of his Canadian work, and this set ranks with WAITING FOR THE SUN TO SHINE (1982, K-Tel UK 2003 reissue) and the displaced-Scotsman treasury HAMILTON'S OTHER COUNTRY (Corban, 2004) as the honorary Canadian's best late-career work, vastly preferable to his bluegrass, gospel and remade hits projects. The really hip Hamiltonians will already know of his 1982 Supraphon country album (vinyl only), recorded in the former Czechoslovakia and even more exotic than the urbane singer's daring Canadiana. (Hamilton's contemporary, the legendary Wanda Jackson, followed him to Bohemia for a live party set recorded by Supraphon in Prague in 1988.)


title: NOT QUITE THE KING OF INSTRUMENTS, BUT . . .

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Wright, irrepressibly witty and naughty at retirement age, made this album in 1985 on the Hollywood Philharmonic Organ, a genuine pipe organ but not an impressive one and certainly not the equal of the Vaughn Wurlitzer Wright played in his bestselling Hi-Fi Records albums 30 years before. This instrument has a brassy, metallic and quite mechanical tone (it fairly groans as Wright flicks the stops) that wants more mellow registration combinations but has no lack of, literally, bells and whistles, all of which are flaunted brazenly and unashamedly in the throwaway novelty numbers such as the bikini song or "Kitten on the keys." Wright's continued virtuosity and inventiveness are givens, but the real highlights here are four very extended, and delicious, fantasias: the RED, HOT AND BLUE medley (9'30") incorporates ruminative, chic takes on two of Porter's most sophisticated songs, "Ours" and "Down in the depths (on the 90th floor)" (with Wright's singing stops voicing the lyrics), and Wright offers even more Porter in 4'47" of a particularly ardent arrangement of "I love you." These tracks alone are worth careful listening, but the real keepers are a full 5'24" of the rhapsodic "Secret love" and the tour de force "St. Louis blues," 6'07" of some of the raunchiest, dirtiest playing Wright ever got away with, not excluding direct quotations from Gershwin and Bizet cravenly tossed in for good measure. This track, Wright followers will note, outdoes even his louche bump-and-grind "Wabash blues" for sheer raciness and theatre-organ jazz chops. The six minutes start as lowdown Southern, father-of-waters, jazz and gradually morph via the classical referents into pure Virgil Fox church-organ formality (Wright makes us rethink W.C. Handy, as he clearly has).

The digital sound is very bright and acutely clinical, not entirely flattering to the wheezing instrument but very certainly appropriate to Wright's theatrical and over-the-top style, and the timings for the keeper tracks will indicate that this was a rare opportunity for Wright late in his career to indulge in longer-form experimentation with unorthodox combinations of manuals, stops and percussion on a rather flamboyant instrument. It's a hugely entertaining release overall, the best of Wright's later recordings, and the keeper tracks are indelible, not to be missed.


title: COLD-WAR GERMAN EUROPOP HITS, IN THE PLURAL

text:
RCA offer a dandy Lolita bargain box, IHRE GRÖSSTEN ERFOLGE, 47 tracks on three discs--but those are Ariola stereo rerecordings from the 1970s with fine vocals but dumbed-down backings that turn this expert popster into a singer of granny music. Here are Lolita's 16 biggest hits (note the plural), her randier Polydor originals recorded 1956-61. Their topicality and Eurozone popster expertise are absolutely irresistible, as the Austrian diva sings in the most intelligible, basic German 101, and this catchy music transcends all language barriers.

Speaking of catchy, her global megahit "Seemann" has one of the grabbiest bridges ever ("über Rio und Shanghai, über Bali und Hawaii"), and that success inevitably set the template for her entire career, travelogue songs of and for horny homesick mariners in exotic ports. So supplemental Lolita hits anthologized here include "Meine schiff heisst 'Heimweh'," "Weisser mond  von Maratonga," "Manakoora" (without the moon), "Am strand von Mindanao" and "Sehnsucht nach Samoa." Lolita diversified with an ongoing series of Latino and Italiano songs all sung in German 101 (with even more in the RCA box), here "La luna," "Addio, amigo," "Mexicano" and a quaint German cover of "El Paso," plus the familiar "Paper roses" given as "Lieber Johnny, komm doch wieder." Lolita had real potential as a country balladeer (cf. the popular German Tom Astor), and those typically Alpine instruments the Hawaiian steel guitar and harmonica often pop up in these original, and very slick, Polydor charts.

She was actually Edith Zuser (1931-2010) and her chart successes, thoroughly documented here, were perfectly timed, coinciding exactly with fraught international tensions over divided Berlin, the resurgent West Germany, and the career prospects for discharged Army Sgt. Elvis Aron Presley (imagine, if you will, an after-hours German studio jam with Sergeant Elvis and the charming hitmaker Miss Lolita--or better yet Lolita gently drilling Wanda Jackson in the idiomatic vocalization of "Ich"). The kitsch factor is not predominant here as in her cozier Ariola remakes; this is the primo original Lolita at her vocal peak. Unlike her contemporary Eurozone popsters, Lolita had maturity, solid technique and uniquely exotic material. She defines her era and is impossible to forget: those hooks of "Seemann" and "Maratonga" penetrate your consciousness and will refuse to let go. (Unimaginably, absent Lolita's yearning smash hit from Vienna we might never have had Ricky Nelson, James Burton and the Jordanaires' "Travelin' man.")


title: UNCOLLECTED PRIMO SHELTON: THE PHILIPS MASTERS

text:
The smart compilers at See for Miles issued this 24-track collection of Shelton's later signature hits, plus rare uncollected addenda, recorded for Philips 1956-66. The title song (not a Blitz hit) joins other cheerful marchtime anthems that have not worn well, even when produced by Joe Meek ("Lay down your arms"). The great Shelton Sound keepers are the covers, exotic Continental love songs and motley oddments that fill in gaps in her discography. The period covers, widely anthologized, include "Great pretender" and "Sail along, silv'ry moon." (The programme incorrectly lists a cover of "Harbour lights," but we hear instead Anne’s original single "Harbour bells.")

The originals are her beautiful UK hit original "Village of St. Bernadette," "How green was my valley," "Where can I go," "Too young to go steady," "I hear that song again" (cf. Jo Stafford's "You belong to me"), the countrified "Where were you when I needed you" (with superb double tracking in perfect harmony) and the very late (1966) "The carnival is closed today" of Johnny Mandel. The sophisticated Continental refrains, Shelton's most irresistible specialties, include "Tonight's my night," "Volare," "Souvenir d'Italie" (really ravishing singing) and the throwaway "Nein nein, fraulein." The majority of Shelton’s Philips singles, and her too few albums, were produced by Johnny Franz and arranged and conducted by Wally Stott (whose work as Angela Morley is latterly repopularized by John Wilson), whose inventive charts are at least 50% of the appeal of this anthology.

The really rare Shelton oddments are this discophile's delight: From 1964 there is Anne's popcorn cover of "Dancing with tears in my eyes," anciently introduced by Ruth Etting during the Depression (and a very fine song, covered by Dame Vera Lynn in Nashville in 1976). Shelton rocks slangily in a yeah-yeah go-go arrangement that doesn't work, but it's a great party record, a demented curiosity. Miss Shelton rarely made concept albums and (almost) never had the benefit of stereo, but from 1974 (impossibly late in a career begun in 1938, or even earlier under her birth name Pat Sibley) there is the uncollected stereo single "Forever" (another dated anthem) b/w a stupendous, and torchy, "My one and only love." I refer casually to "keeper" recordings of permanent value, and that late, rare Shelton single simply could not be bettered, not even by our California contralto Jo Stafford (nor by Anne’s singing sibling Jo Shelton, for that matter).


title: COATES MEMORIAL RARITIES, MAESTRO ROBINSON IN STEREO

text:
This is literally a twofer, having two early-stereo Pye albums spread over two CDs quite luxuriously. Dutton reckoned accurately that interest would be piqued by the splendid Coates rarities, the discreet Pye engineering (far less assertive than Decca's or RCA's in that era) and, for compulsive discophiles, the conducting of Maestro Stanford Robinson (1904-84). (Charles Mackerras' Coates recordings might have balanced this release more logically, but Dutton opted to couple them with Sir Arthur Sullivan.)

The Edwardiana disc is perfectly decent but lightweight, with four very long medleys of signature tunes by the familiar Edward German and Josef Strauss and the rarer Lionel Monckton and Paul Rubens. It's agreeable garden-party listening, testimony to Robinson's park-concert bandmaster skills, and the period mood is similar to Maureen Forrester's Pro Arte recital MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (all the smash hits we remember from 1904), absent that concert's ragtime and Victor Herbert. The Pye engineering is very subtle and quite beautiful (recall that Pye were simultaneously recording John Barbirolli with the Hallé in Manchester).

The 1958 Coates disc is a wonderful memorial to the composer who left us the prior year, with Robinson ideally cast as light-music eulogist. The familiar items are "London Bridge" (subsequently shipped to Lake Havasu—Coates would have been appalled), "By the sleepy lagoon" (in a ravishing chamber-orchestra treatment) and the full-length CINDERELLA. These are definitive accounts, perfectly served by the conductor, studio pickup orchestra and Pye techs. The comparative rarities are worth the price of this set: "Footlights," "Bird song at eventide" (very reminiscent of Ketelbey) and the full-length ENCHANTED GARDEN, the disc's big highlight. Along with Coates' own vintage sides and those by Mackerras and John Wilson, this is some of the choicest Coates on record.

The reason for that is Robinson: Like his contemporary George Weldon, he was phonogenic, spending more time in recording and radio studios than in live concertizing. Like John Culshaw, Victor Olof or Walter Legge, he really knew how to make (keeper) records, and his career spanned almost the entire length of electrical recording up until digital.  He began with heavyweight podium creds, conducting in the studio for Beniamino Gigli, Heddle Nash, Isobel Baillie, Maggie Teyte and Eva Turner. On CD there is his pioneering Mendelssohn ELIJAH, complete, and a complete MANON with La Teyte. After the BBC (which probably overworked him) years Robinson found a comfortable niche in British light music, as represented here, and he conducted Decca's first Ketelbey treasury, reissued in that imprint's WORLD OF KETELBEY or in their British Music Collection series. It's a tough tossup: shall we play Robinson's Coates or Robinson's Ketelbey more frequently? Both are big components in UK recording history and both have that highly collectable, studio-perfected, ambience heard today in many of Maestro John Wilson's restoration recordings.


title: CHE "BELLA MUSICA"—IT'S ANNE SHELTON, CAPISCE?

text:
The great Anne Shelton (1923-94) had much in common with Dame Vera Lynn, six years her senior: Both sang with (Bert) Ambrose and His Orchestra, and both are famous for their heroic Blitz ballads and anthems (not invariably their best or most challenging work but certainly enduring). Both had more intriguing peacetime careers—Shelton's slightly more progressive and unpredictable than Dame Vera's telly familiarity during the 1950s—and this comp genuinely represents Shelton's postwar best, particularly in her collaborations with legendary producer Joe Meek and with Wally Stott (later Angela Morley) and his orchestra.

The Shelton contralto is glorious, warmer and deeper than Vera Lynn (but with the same spot-on enunciation), and Shelton's pitch-perfect control and delivery are very reminiscent of the late great Jo Stafford (there is no higher praise). Unlike Dame Vera, Shelton had true blues/swing chops (heard here in the very hip "Put your shoes on, Lucy") and, like Stafford, had most competently covered Harold Arlen ("Blues in the night" and "Man that got away," not included here). Postwar peacenik Anne went quite Continental in a long string of proprietary hits, and covers, many evoking Italy or Ireland, that give her 1950s singles an adventurous, international flavor: "Kiss of fire," "Isle of Innisfree," "Volare," the very droll novelty "Bella musica," Shelton's Anglo cover ("in Capri or Amsterdam, Honolulu or Siam," she carols romantically) of Lolita's international megahit "Sailor" (cf. Dame Vera's earlier cover of "Morgen") and her very beautiful UK original of "Village of St. Bernadette." There are wacky surprises too, in covers of "Great pretender," the neglected "I talk to the trees" (Anne really comprehends Lerner's Porteresque lyrics), "Seven days" and Shelton's big 1956 Meek singalong hit "Lay down your arms." This is one great tracklist, packed with hits, rarities, fun and reckless Continental romance, plus tea-cozy nostalgia for the granny-music buyers.

This starter set does Shelton full justice, and serious listeners will want too the more deluxe SHELTON SOUND from Dutton Vocalion and NOW HEAR THIS! (See for Miles reissue). Shelton seems very much Vera Lynn's alternate, lower-voiced, vocal equal and—again inviting inevitable comparisons—evidently wisely chose, like Jo Stafford, early retirement once the clatter from Liverpool began heralding a seismic change in British recordmakng. To her lasting credit, Anne Shelton at least had this rather jolly, Joe Meek-produced, era in her stalwart later career.


title: MM, LOUVIN AND JONES IN (PARTIAL) CAREER ANTHOLOGY

text:
The instantly recognizable voice--columnar, deadpan, no-nonsense and feisty--of the greatest duet (equal) partner in country music history receives a decent (but still very incomplete) career overview here, including essential duets and rare solo hits from UA, Musicor, Capitol and Elektra recorded in Melba's peak years 1963-77. (We are still patiently waiting for the deluxe, cross-licensed and fully annotated box that might bring all these sides, especially the neglected solos, together.)

The focus is the duets, the familiar classics with George Jones ("Let's invite them over" and "Multiply the heartaches" being ever welcome) and the even more extraordinary, and far sexier, 1970s Capitol duets with Charlie Louvin ("Something to brag about," "Baby, you've got what it takes," "A man likes things like that" and "I'm gonna leave you"). There are still two full albums' worth of Louvin duets awaiting CD release.

MM's solo hits are scantily sampled, omitting the big one "No charge." However, "Greatest one of all," "Angel of the morning" and especially "Hall of shame" (in which the keyword "shame" is stretched to three syllables) are very welcome rarities, not otherwise available. This is a stopgap anthology at best, but it does an important singer (and songwriter) fairly full justice, and in any case the four wild Louvin duets are to die for and make an interesting contrast with the more conservative Jones tracks. There are only 14 tracks here, with no room for Melba's duets with Gene Pitney.


title: BASQUE CROSSOVER: CAPTIVATING CHORAL EUROPOP

text:
Like the Welsh, the Basque are born to sing. Orfeón Donostiarra, founded in San Sebastian in 1897, is one of the greatest large chorales on the planet. Their expertise is primarily classical: Verdi, Mahler and Mendelssohn with Abbado and Maag; a CARMINA BURANA; a long series of French choral masterpieces with Plasson in Toulouse (the complete Bizet L'ARLÉSIENNE is really outstanding due to the Orfeón); Spanish and Basque classics from Granados, Halffter, Guridi, Madina and Garbizu; and lighter collections of canciones, habañeras and zarzuela excerpts. The Orfeón sing in Latin, German, French and Spanish, and in their native Euskadi they are proudly unsurpassed.

LATINO, released in 2005, is the group's most listener-friendly showcase, consistently gorgeous through all 12 long songs. The massed women's voices are ethereal, the men's virile (check out the antiphonal interplay in "Maria Cristina"). These are overfamiliar Latin American standards—"Siboney," "Adios," "La paloma," "Estrellita," "Tico tico," "Ay ay ay"—in modern orchestral dress, with a discreet but lively Latin rhythm section, and the more offbeat songs, "Maria bonita" and "El arreglito," make the strongest impression. The superb chorus and Basque symphony are both expertly directed by their regular choirmaster José Antonio Sainz Alfaro. This is wonderfully refined ensemble singing, freshening up stale repertoire in a most accessible and beguiling way.


title: PURELY ECLECTIC EPIC SINGLES, WITH FIVE KEEPER SONGS

text:
Damita Jo [DeBlanc], 1930-98, unjustly remains spottily and inadequately represented on CD, but the best work of this soulful chic soprano survives on collectable vinyl. This 1967 compilation of recent singles was the singer's third of four Epic albums, her last major-label activity before she turned, like her contemporary Della Reese, to acting, comedy and gospel singing. This set is credited to producer Ted Cooper and arranger-conductor Larry Glover: true to their era they overproduce or overconduct, and Damita Jo's unique spunk, sassiness and vocal clarity are lost in the shuffle. (These are, remember, just singles, and breakout hits never quite broke for Damita Jo during her solo years 1960-68). Her uncontrolled "My man's gone now" is just unlistenable, and her English-language cover of Brel's "If you go away," which charted, has dated awkwardly, Damita Jo overselling the introspective song with operatic delivery.

The keeper tracks are, however, very likeable: two nightclub standards, "Dinner for one please, James" and "If you are but a dream" and the newer "An affair to remember" beautifully performed, and a boffo Vegas version of the Lerner-Lane power ballad "What did I have that I don't have?" There's minor historical significance in "Yellow days," where Damita Jo was evidently the first—preceding Messrs Sinatra and Bennett—to sing Alan Bernstein's lovely 1965 English lyric set to Alvaro Carrillo's earlier bolero "La mentira (se te olvida)." It's a short album, but five keepers out of ten ain't bad, and this artiste really begs for rediscovery and proper homage. On collectable vinyl she is brilliant on the true concept album I'LL SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR YOU (Mercury, 1961), even more so on ONCE MORE WITH FEELING (Epic, 1966). On CD the 2015 Jasmine twofer LOVE LAID ITS HAND ON ME indispensably collects two Mercury albums (absent her Quincy Jones set THIS ONE’S FOR ME), signature singles (including the fiery "I burned your letter") and Damita Jo's dues-paying solos with the doo-wop Red Caps.


title: HARRY WARREN DONE FULL ORCHESTRAL JUSTICE

text:
Hugo Winterhalter (1909-73) was RCA's most reliable house arranger (Kay Starr, Eddie Heywood, Perry Como, Dinah Shore, Eddie Fisher and many others) and conductor of best-selling orchestral albums of sophisticated mood music. The selling point here is clearly the 1962 GOES CONTINENTAL album and its swimsuit model. The tracklist includes "Anna," "Swedish rhapsody," "Funiculi-funicula" and "Volare" in a tasteful travelogue, the familiar tunes spiked by the gentle percussion battery.

I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU (1964) is Winterhalter's composer tribute, the extraordinary film songs of Harry Warren (1893-1981). The songs are from Warren's Warners and Fox careers, and all twelve are standards, easily the equal of Jerome Kern's Hollywood songs in melodic and harmonic content and durability. The big-orchestra charts feature superb string writing and muted brass and are Winterhalter's most distinguished and least commercial. "September in the rain," "Boulevard of broken dreams," "At last" and "The more I see you" are highlights, and the real keeper is "I'll string along with you" (introduced by Dick Powell in 1934 in TWENTY MILLION SWEETHEARTS). This is a great songsmith given the considerable homage, within his lifetime, of definitive arrangements, and it is essential and very easy listening.


title: EFFERVESCENT FIZZ: THE BONYNGES’ CHAMPAGNE OPERETTAS

text:
Accept no diluted substitutes: here’s the jeroboam-sized integral reissue, sweetly retitled, of Dame Joan's deluxe 1966 two-LP set GOLDEN AGE OF OPERETTA, in its breadth and depth (it truly was an âge d'or) competing directly with EMI's indispensable 1956 ELISABETH SCHWARZKOPF SINGS OPERETTA (without which civilised life might not be possible). Sutherland, Bonynge and the Ambrosians (superbly drilled, registering strongly throughout) cover many of the Schwarzkopf specialties, including of course the "Nuns' chorus," quite memorably. The very last ounce of intimate innuendo and Viennese naughtiness, conveyed meltingly by Schwarzkopf with Otto Ackermann, goes wanting in the more theatrical, grandiose approach of Sutherland/Bonynge. Either interpretation is valid (the difference between pink and white champagnes) and happy listeners have the echt-Viennese OPERETTA EVERGREENS recital by Hilde Gueden, with Robert Stolz, for joyful further comparison.

Singing in that most obtuse tongue, German, always posed problems for Joan Sutherland, but her purity of tone is consistently ravishing, and a little French Offenbach is casually thrown in, artfully tossed off for good measure. The diva finds her most comfortable groove in the "Vilja-lied" gorgeously sung in inoffensive English translation, the rare and intoxicating "Stars in my eyes" and "At the balalaika," with perky castanet obbligato. The English-language ariettas, sung in lilting Australian to lush customized arrangements by Douglas Gamley, are this set's highlights: Oscar Straus, Romberg, Friml, Kern, Kreisler, Herbert and Rodgers are included, sumptuously, in a cavalcade of impetuously romantic songs that had become slightly fustian by the time Sutherland imbued them with freshness and a dignity missing since the crossover days of Helen Traubel. Bonynge conducts with great enthusiasm: this was the birth of his ongoing operetta career, where he regularly found considerably more sparkle than in his spouse's Massenet or Delibes revivals.

That stupendous spouse was in glorious voice, at a soaring creative peak in '66, also recording her comprehensive Noël Coward selection under that master's direct (and bemused) supervision, and 20 years on the Bonynges again lifted a glass to lighter material in the choice cinema songs of TALKING PICTURES (Dame Joan covers Janet Gaynor). Decca have fossicked about, rereleasing these operetta tracks in abridged single-CD hits configurations that hardly reflect this original, comprehensive programming. Opt for this authentic, integral rerelease (now duplicated on Eloquence), not to be missed by dedicated operetta specialists and Sutherland groupies.


title: QUEENSLAND COWBOY ROCKS THE BUSH

text:
Because it surfaces regularly stateside in very affordable used copies, this 1995 release is a perfect introduction to the phenomenal one-man country industry Lee Kernaghan represents in his native Australia. Insanely and dominantly popular there, as a singer/songwriter/showperson he is more than competitive with Nashville's biggest (and overhyped) talents. Check out Kernaghan's completely convincing outback reworking of Chris Ledoux' dippy old "This cowboy's hat." It's the least memorable and certainly least original song here, but Kernaghan makes it work, as trite material improved by the ministrations of a more intelligent artist.

What will reward you most, apart from the voice, cowboy personality and nonroutine songs, are the production values which are world-class. The Australian country scene may be small and is monopolistically wrapped up in this one talent, which is a huge one, and Kernaghan has authentically earned his spectacular success. He and his music are real keepers, and your country hipness quotient increases exponentially by buying this release or his two, pricier, hits compilations.


title: KENNY COUNTRY: HOUSTON TO WELLINGTON

text:
Country purists with long memories might shun that Chesney guy and opt for the more Texan sounds of regional legend Kenny Seratt or this sweet countrypolitan tenor Kenny Dale (1951-2020), who in his major-label prime resembled a Brother Gibb gone missing. This Kenneth, born in Artesia, NM, became an adopted Texan and made his best hit tracks from a Houston base in his peak years 1976-80. He has a high, beautifully clear tenor (think Vince Gill) perfect for harmony singing and an unearthly falsetto (check out his solid covers of "Crazy" and "Misty blue"). He is regulararly backed in close harmony by the Bowen Sisters or Donna Hazard, strengthening the country tenor, and the blend is immensely appealing: The breakout hit "Bluest heartache of the year" leads off, followed by the catchy reggae beat of "When it's just you and me," a great cover of "Release me" and a lively Ray Price shuffle, "Red hot memory." Best of all is Dale's boffo cover of the Bacharach-David “Only love can break a heart” using the original Gene Pitney chart minus the shrill whistling.

Dale ambitiously laid down his hit Capitol singles in Houston for local producer A.V. Mittelstedt. (Nearby Mark Chesnutt and George Strait were beginning to make progressive pre-Nashville rumblings on the regional scene, heralding an influential new era in Texas music.) Kenny Dale's Houston masters were flown to Nashville for final polish and sweetening before Capitol distributed them globally, not least to New Zealand where Dale achieved his greatest and lasting fame. His only (post-Capitol) domestic CD is not at all representative, and this EMI anthology is definitive. Indeed, it’s the sole source for Kenny Dale’s hit tracks, its sole supplier its ultrareliable New Zealand third-party vendor which keeps it in print, copy by collectable copy. Kenny Dale becomes an adventure in long-distance record collecting, a decision you'll not regret. I enjoy doing business with Wellington for my music from Houston, and you will too.


title: BONNIE GUITAR: HER SEMINAL TUTMARC (AND FABOR ROBISON) YEARS

text:
Who could willingly resist a collection so titled, and who could resist such genuine rarities, formative prequels to a five-decade career as singer, songwriter, session guitarist and influential record-label executive? Only in the arcane Bonnie Guitar cosmos (a terrain of moonlight and shadows and truly a specialist's subculture) are such things possible. This 2012 compilation appeared just in time for Bonnie (née Buckingham) Guitar's 90th birthday in 2013, and she remained musically active, still singing and chording in her home region, into her tenth decade.

These 34 tracks date from 1951-57 and cover the artist's entire recording career up to the breakout hit "Dark moon"—in effect a dress rehearsal for that triumph. Musically these songs are all over the map: there are smatterings of country, jukebox pop, rockabilly, progressive folk, cowboy, Hawaiian, roots regionalism and any other category you care to name. Call them pioneering Greater Seattle (and Malibu) Americana, united by Bonnie's pure, clear (and huskily seductive) voice and her smartly understated guitar picking.

The earliest, quaintest sides involve Bonnie Guitar's spouse Paul Tutmarc (1896-1972), legendarily inventor of the electric bass and other amplified instruments, here playing steel in his ad hoc band the Wranglers. (Marrying her teacher Paul in 1944, Bonnie Buckingham entered into a singular musical dynasty. She became stepmother to Paul Tutmarc's grown son Bud [1924-2006], a much-recorded Hawaiian steel guitar virtuoso. Bonnie and Paul had one daughter, Paula Tutmarc-Johnson [1950-2013], who sang folk-rock under the stage names Alexys, Iris Hill and Cookie Irene. The family's remarkable musical legacy, begun with Paul's relocation to Seattle in the 1920s, continues: Bud's grandson Shane Tutmarc [b. 1981] is a nationally renowned progressive producer, singer and songwriter based in Nashville.)

Insiders will recognize Bonnie's earliest takes on her own "If you see my love dancing" and Eddy Arnold's "I couldn't believe it was true." The obscure rarities, however, are even more typical Bonnie Guitar, yielding a diverse, eccentric playlist: "My heart turned gypsy"; "Only the moon man knows"; "Shanty boat"; "Frantic party" (Bonnie Guitar rocks!); "Midget auto blues"; "Cowboy serenade"; "Sailing thru the sunny San Juan isles" (appropriately, the Seattle native's very first recording). This offbeat playlist is weird, definitely weird—and only possible on a Bonnie Guitar collection incorporating many of her own songs, those cowritten with Tutmarc, and custom material composed by Hal Blair and, already, the late great Ned Miller (like Bonnie Guitar a protégé of maverick producer Fabor Robison in his Malibu studios).

Apart from this slightly surreal oddness, there’s one side, dating from ca. 1956-57, which points directly towards Bonnie Guitar's future musical proclivities: "In the heart of a song," produced more elaborately (his eye ever on potential jukebox sales) by Fabor Robison and featuring Bonnie singing in (phonetic) Spanish on the second chorus. This is a true keeper amongst all the assorted oddments, pure Fabor and not unusual for Bonnie Guitar. Bear Family’s digipak is quite deluxe: Todd Everett's booklet notes are lucidly informative, so too the discography compiled by Richard Weize with Everett. This is not a collection for the casual hit-seeking listener, but completists and insiders will welcome it as a prequel to Bear Family's essential 1957-61 anthology DARK MOON and their excellent INTIMATE SESSION (previously unreleased 1961-62 tracks). As for Bonnie Guitar's mature return to recordmaking between 1966-89 (still undocumented in digital reissues)—well, only the moon man knows.


title: PEGGY, HAPPY AT LAST WITH THE BLUES

text:
Miss Peggy Lee had every right to sing a white woman's blues. She was no stranger to personal crises and trauma but rarely let them infect her music. Ironically, her late smash "Is that all there is?" was far more autobiographical than even her cryptic, disappointing memoirs or the one-woman Broadway confessional PEG. With Quincy Jones she had recorded the upbeat travelogue BLUES CROSS COUNTRY in the prime of her Capitol career, an excellent showcase for her poetic skills as a lyricist. At the same time, 1961, she collaborated on "Happy with the blues" with Harold Arlen for a TV spectacular. She rewrote the lyric over the intervening 27 years until its definitive appearance on LOVE HELD LIGHTLY, recorded in 1988 but less satisfyingly than this deeper-grooved gig from the same year.

In the last 20 years of her life Peggy Lee made only four albums (as against two new originals per year during her Capitol prime 1957-72): LOVE HELD LIGHTLY reviving neglected Harold Arlen "trunk songs"; THERE'LL BE ANOTHER SPRING collecting her song lyrics; and the very lame MOMENTS LIKE THIS frailly revisiting past successes. PEGGY SINGS THE BLUES is patently the best of the four final albums.

Peggy Lee is in better voice, though frail and minimized, than on the other three albums and sounds far happier singing these blues, the deep blues groove befitting her reflective and autumnal mature-hipster credentials. It goes without saying that this brave senior trouper's infallible sense of rhythm, born to the clickety-clack of the Dakota railyards, is absolutely unimpaired. Peggy Lee sang from a wheelchair in her last years and there were audible problems in her breath control, but here the rhythmic vitality and empathetic accompaniment conceal any acute vocal difficulties. The jazz quintet (the overall sound picture replicates Lee's great combo sets with Lou Levy and George Shearing) is led by Mike Renzi from the keyboard, with superior guitar work by John Chiodini. At the time partisan critics diplomatically declared "Peggy Lee hasn't sounded this good in years" when what they really intended was "decades." This is the one genuine keeper among her last four albums and her most convincing work since the extended glory years of her second Capitol contract.


title: Great but unfortunately obscure pop album

text:
I was lucky enough to see these great musicians play a small venue in Seattle just after this album was released. All the songs have pretty clever lyrics with really catchy guitar hooks and licks. Great energy and nice vocal harmonies too. Songs are all unique.

I still listen once in a while 24 years later because it is still good stuff.


title: Great CD from a great new band!!

text: This CD is legit! Mark it down that this band will be huge in the next couple years or so.


title: Mask not included

text: All text was in Korean, which I guess i should have expected since they are a Korean band.  The mask was not included as indicated in the description, but since this was a gift, I didn't return it.


title: Great CD

text: Love the throaty bluesy voice of Sarah. It is always a highlight when she sings at church! She is a passionate gifted musician


title: Candlelight Sax for sure

text: Very nice cd to relax with, or even sleep by. I would recommend to anyone who likes the sound of soft saxophone music.


title: perfect quality

text: this is such an old album but it was in perfect condition.  I searched for this thing for a long time online and was not disappointed by this seller.


title: Five Stars

text: AMAZING!!!!


title: The Fun Days

text: I remember playing this album as a teen and my mum yelling for me to turn the noise down. Those were the good old days of Anarchy and dishing out attitude. This album/cd is nothing but historic. James White and The Blacks, Lydia Lunch and Teenage Jesus and The Jerks, DNA and Mars just thrashing out that wonderful noisy energy that at the time that was so tolerable and needed. The album is chaotic, minimalistic, loud, angry, annoying, and emotionally provoking. You have Lydia emitting guttural angry sounds, James's sax play unaccompanied tunes, while there's thunderous unpredictable percussion playing odd non-melodic drum lines. The noise is simply everywhere and all over the place. This is a gem. It is a classic, and it is rare at the price of $37.00 at Amazon (same at Ebay so, don't bother). I remember when you could buy it for $3.00 or like one reviewer said 40 cents at a thrift shop, well that is inflation for you. You must acquire this piece if you are into this sort of thing.


title: For What It's Worth...

text: The LP pictured above by Amazon is a completely different record. It has not a thing to do with CTI, or Throbbing Gristle.


title: Exquisite, reverent renderings

text: These are Dallapiccola's best, most lyrical works.  The well balanced Australia Ensemble presents exquisite, reverent renderings.  The mastering is on the quiet side, no surprise in a disc from the mid nineties.  One of the treasures in my collection.


title: Not much better than the Phantom Menace...

text:
After seeing it last night, I left the theatre unsatisfied...
Yes the movie did have its pros, but cons were more than evident in the latest tale of the Star Wars saga.
First, Jar Jar is nowhere to be found... except for the five minutes he is in the picture.
Hayden did an excellent job of portraying Anakin... no complaints... he did great.
The special effects were great... In fact the whole movie was flooded with them.
The Bad...
I understand that the focus of the movie is to explain the romance between Anakin and Padme, but did they have to do it so corny?
I liked Jango Fett, but in typical Lucas style, the villian takes a back seat, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, more origin and screen time would have been more appropriate (especially considering that Jango is who the enitre clone army is based from).
And the worst thing about Episode 2, What did they do to Yoda? (I won't spoil the ending battle, but it is a disgrace. I have no idea why Lucas did this... I couldn't help myself but laugh at the stupidity of it. Its a shame it came to this...
Best thing about this movie in fact wasn't the movie. A nice teaser of the new Matrix movies are previewed.


title: In These Days of Evil Presidentes....

text:
I honestly have no idea what people are complaining about with regard to the audio. The fact that there is any audio document to survive and preserve a live performance by The Clash is a feat in and of itself. These were not the days where everything was streamed and nothing happened unless it was uploaded to You Tube. For my generation, the Clash were our Rolling Stones (no Beatles or Elvis in 1977), and to have access to not only live performances, but historic occasions (I'm not sure if the Palladium show was where Paul smashed his bass (the date on the photo credit on the LP may be incorrect I was told by one who had been there). Like I said, news and happenings were not instaneous then. In fact, as an American Clash fan, you learned about them from underground sources, here in Boston it was BC College Radio's WZBC playing cuts from the UK first album Protex Blue and I'm So Bored, while WBCN would play Brand New Cadillac and Groovy Times. It was hard to get those import records in America, and we had to settle for the edited and re-ordered first album, London Calling came out maybe a month later than it did in the UK (I cut school that day to get the record), and chances to see your favorite band (whoever that favorite band was then, how many chances did Americans have to see the Buzzcocks in those early days, Bauhaus, Joy Division, etc?) and really, you had to be in the right place at the right time.
That's what this collection is: an artifact of 4 musicians in their prime, at a time that was just right both in the UK and USA for many factors (political, economic, social, technology). These moments in time do not repeat themselves, and frankly, I don't see any contenders stepping up to the plate these days. Maybe it's not a pristine digitally clear highly nuances balanced low bass rumble to high hat whisper, but its well worth having. Complaining about the sound quality in this is like complaining that the picture in the Star Trek Original Series doesn't fit the wide screen tv format.
This is a great document of time, place, ideology, and moment in rock history.
Stop yer whinin'


title: Load of Crap

text: What a load of crap. Experiments are important but not every experiment works. I give The Doors points for trying but nothing can excuse Morrison’s pretentiousness. The only good albums are the eponymous and L.A. Woman. If you’re obsessive get all six, but be prepared to vomit. It is sacrilege that Oscar Wilde’s grave was graffitied to point the way to a drunk illiterate.


title: A moment in time not to be repeated.

text: Growing up I always thought this was a Jefferson Starship LP so I left it alone. Not too long ago I was tracking down any Cream albums I didn't own and came across this. Bonus with Winwood! When it first arrived I honestly listened to it back to back for about 3 days. I grew up having heard it all before (through the osmosis of growing up in the 70s), but the bonus track with cut out jams makes it worth the price of admission.


title: Some People Never (Will) Know...

text:
Here is an album many people seem unsure about liking; it's been that way since it was released in the early 70's. I think it's well worth checking out because, unlike Macca's later work, every song on this disc has something going for it. Usually, I don't like to go song by song through an album because it makes the review too long, but this album has few songs, and they are so different from each other it really seemed the best way, so:
MUMBO: Mumbo Jumbo, Paul mixes up some magic with his first Wings lineup on this opening garage-rocker. I think he was very pleased to be playing with a band again, and he cuts loose with a paint-peeling vocal and some great grunge guitar. People who had criticized Paul for being 'soft' might have been comforted by this one.
BIP BOP: Yeah, it's got a childish lyric, he wrote it for his kids! I personally love Paul's acoustic bluesy numbers, this one is very reminiscent of '2 Legs' on 'Ram', the album before this. Surreal and cool.
LOVE IS STRANGE: The great story behind this number can be read in another review below. This is a great reggae-style cover of the old Mickey And Sylvia number, with some crazed slide guitar from Sir Paul. Fun and charming.
WILD LIFE: Another rocker with the Wings lineup. This is probably my least favorite song on the album, but I still enjoy the strange backing vocals and the lyrics (an early foray into animal rights) especially where McCartney sings 'Aminals' instead of 'Animals'!
SOME PEOPLE NEVER KNOW: My favorite track. Triunphant, lyrical, melodic, this song is what we expect from Macca, and what he delivers here. Very much like the better cuts from 'Ram', Paul has it all working here. And to those who complain about the out-of-tune guitars, remember, they didn't have electronic tuning in those days. And Paul may have had one or two low-alcohol lagers while recording 'Wild Life'...
I AM YOUR SINGER: Extra-charming ballad from Paul And Linda. We've all heard the complaints about Linda, but I honestly think the contrast between her 'hard' American voice, and Paul's 'soft' English voice, can work really well, as it does here. Paul also does some great guitar here, love that vibrato twang!
TOMORROW: A nice piano popper with vocals so high-pitched, I'd swear Paul sped up his voice. Try singing along and you'll see what I mean. This song is like a somewhat more rockin' 'Another Day' with a great bluesy 'Oh Darling!' end bit...lovely!
DEAR FRIEND: Woo-hoo...creepy, haunted, jazzy, spectral, shadowy...this is Paul at his most creepy and melancholic (who thought he had it in him?) . A sad letter of loss and confusion to John Lennon, Paul mournfully noodles on piano while horns, drums, and other things come in and out. The song seems to end and restart and is very hypnotic. One of a kind stuff and very very good.
But what about those extra tracks eh? 'IRISH" was banned by the BBC and is tremendous rocked-out fun, nice to see Paul be political for once. 'Mama's Little Girl' is a neat little acoustic number, reminiscent of 'Mother Nature's Son'. 'Little Woman Love' is some sexy, New Orleans-style pianobilly (a personal fave)...and then there's 'Mary Had A Little Lamb'. What can I say, the guy had children to amuse AND a sheep farm, OK? Give him a Wee Break!
So, don't be afraid, get 'Wild Life' and live it up with Paul, Linda, & all the gang...


title: The force is strong with this one.

text: Star[]Wars! The series has come back into full swing with 'Attack of the Clones.' Everything that 'Phantom Menace' tried to be and more, we return to the rollicking space adventure that made the first three classics. Don't pay attention to the negitive reviews, aside from a little cheese covered romance the goods are delivered in great fashion. 'Attack..' is packed with extremely well lensed action set pieces that remind the viewer of the summer of 1980. The acting is decent and works for the material provided...I mean, this is Star Wars not Shakespere and lines are delivered with intended monotonality; lightsabers speak louder than words and emotion a Jedi does not crave. I found this film to be better than 'Return of the Jedi' due to its return to the swashbuckling action/adverture of the first two movies sans cute little talking kid friendly creatures that help generate mechandise sales for the toddler marketing target group. The special effects are outstanding of course, and the sound effects were really cool. The story was decent enough to get you to care what happens to the heroes and dislike the villians (finally, villians. That seemed to be missing from episode one save Darth Maul who was way underused). All around an excellent chapter in the saga and a great movie in itself. This film makes you look forward to the next installment and the man himself-Darth Vader. Thanks, George for reigniting the magic that was, and is, Star Wars.


title: Five Stars

text: you are tops


title: A treasure trove of Rez gems.

text: This is a superb box set with the best of Rez captured in 3 remastered CDs and the bonus of a DVD which is the XX Years Live footage that was previously available only on VHS. The commentary on the DVD is wonderful with hilarious laughter from Wendi and some scathing remarks at her posing and overall performance. It's great to hear the band reminiscing over the 80s. The book is extensive with info on the early years up to the split up. Overall this package is the best compilation leaving only a few treasures out but they are easily available on the actual albums. Thee are no new tracks but it ends with the bluesy demoand some live tracks which is great. I highly recommend this treasure trove of Rez.


title: Sound quality disapoints..but still a nice collection

text:
Stating that this is a Remastered recording is very misleading.  The songs sound like they have been burned from a vinyl record.  I was expecting the quality we heard on Anthology 1 (listen to "Three Cool Cats" from Anthology 1 and compare it to the one on this CD.  Enough said).  While it is nice to have the complete collection of songs from the Decca sessions on one CD, Apple/Capitol needs to do the Remastering, similar to the few tracks that made it to the Anthology CD's.

This effort by Recall Records is mediocre at best.  But until there is an official Apple release, this CD is about the best there is available today.  I still enjoyed listening to it very much.


title: Makes EPISODE 1 look like a classic

text: Slow, tedious prequel to Lucas's megahit saga, has young Anakin traveling back to Naboo with Senator Amidala as her protector while Obi-Wan pursues the bloodthirsty bounty hunter Jango Fett, and stumbles across a seemingly endless army of clones in the process. Like its predecessor THE PHANTOM MENACE, this contains enough exhausting visual effects to sink a boat, but they don't pack any of the punch they should. This, along with laughable politics, cardboard-thin characters, ridiculous sexual chemistry between the two leads and a monotonous battle at the end make this pitiful instalment easily the worst of the entire saga yet. EPISODE 1 actually looks good by comparison. One of the first films to be shot of HD Video, but who cares?


title: Shameful!!

text:
The Track "We Belong" steals the melody of a pop song by japanese mega star Utada Hikaru called "First love".

the singer isn't all that bad. but if you want to use someone else's idea, atleast give them credit.

and that's why i gave this such a poor rating. it's shameful. give people credit, or use your own ideas!!!!


title: It needed more training...

text:
STAR WARS EPISODE TWO: ATTACK OF THE CLONES didn't exactly spark the kindling of my imagination into roaring conflagration.  I still believe in the Force, of course, I am still a disciple of the Lucasian mythos, but I must generate criticism which is consistent with what I saw, not only to exercise my right to do so, but to fulfill my obligation as a moviegoer.
If one were to make an attempt at isolation of the main infectious agent responsible for the underachieving nature of the film, it is possible that one would see on the microscope slide a nasty bug of self-conscious hubris; for it seems impossible to dismiss a sense of a solipsistic attitude throughout the presentation, a sort of this-is-Star-Wars-so-people-will-like-it viewpoint.  After all, Star Wars retains an incredibly large amount of inherent brand equity to its credit.  It is therefore seeable that Mr. Lucas might have taken a nonchalant approach to the generation of the flow-sheet for not only the plot of the film, but its essential foundation in terms of ambience and characters.  But the faults within CLONES are not only due to its resting-on-laurels manner; as stated, we have the related sin of excessive pride, which made itself known mostly through the performances of the actors.  Most of it was a bludgeoning, ponderous, trying-too-hard recitation of the lines, the people involved were too aware that they were in a Star Wars movie, and thus overshot this inflection and exaggerated that enunciation, trying to sound regally dramatic when a looser tone would have been more suiting (the same thing happened with Ford and Hamil's portrayals of their respective characters in RETURN OF THE JEDI as opposed to A NEW HOPE).
There were some nicely done sequences, but I got a feeling of déjà during a few instances, in particular the speeder-chase scene near the beginning- I felt this was too close to the podrace event in MENACE.  There is nothing wrong with a repetition of specific devices under different guises; but if you use the same formula, be sure to alter the variables enough to make it interesting.  And there were certain conceptual things in the film which did not rest comfortably with me.  Let me give one example which will not ruin the experience for anyone who has yet to catch the subject under discussion: Boba Fett.  Just about everyone knows that the origins of the most infamous bounty hunter is unraveled, we see the anti-hero himself as the dutiful son of Jango Fett, a loving boy who respects his dad dearly and wants to be just like him.  Only problem is, do I really want to see the ruffian loner as some sweet, innocent child?  Do I really want to delve into his familial background?  Doesn't this spoil the whole persona for the hardened fan of the jetpack-wearing, Mandolorian-armored amoral predator of Han Solo?  I have to answer yes on all counts.  It's like Darth Vader vs. Young Annikin Skywalker; many people have talked about the dubious worth of focusing on Vader as a youngster, preferring a quicker ascension- or descent, as the case may be- to the helmeted bad guy (one friend of mine pointed out that Episode II could have been Episode I, granting us the Sith Lord on a much faster time horizon; I tend to concur).
There were a couple of truly awful parts that I must make mention of.  One of the lowest points for me was the foray into Dexter Jetster's bar.  Now, for those who have seen what I am talking about: did you ever believe you'd see a Johnny Rocketts in a Star Wars film?  I know, I know, you're saying to yourself there is precedence for such indulgence, many of our current bits of culture have made it into the series already, but somehow, that set went a bit too far (I had a similar negative reaction to the ESPN-like two-headed podrace announcer in MENACE).  And I found the scene where a certain diminutive Jedi Knight's charges help Kenobi find his lost planet extraneously goofy at best.
Now, as a balance to some of my criticisms, I can direct you to the arena scene near the end, which was handled very well.  Also, the flight through the asteroid field and the journey through the mines of Geonosis were rendered with passable skill; and the explosive theater of operations at the climax was wonderful sugar for the visual receptors.  Perhaps the biggest emotional response during the viewing came when Count Dooku- played with exceptional flair by Christopher Lee- took on the digitally-updated, future-denizen-of-Dagobah Yoda himself, a spastic, kinetic fight which was as emotionally invigorating as it was completely surprising.
Unfortunately, overall, the story of CLONES failed to resonate with me.  I'm not necessarily sure why this is; all the political machinations were present, there were the requisite number of  twists and turns and forks in the road, but somehow, it didn't reach the speed where velocity of escape is possible, blowing my mind past the atmosphere of the ordinary and into the space of wonder.  I know that further inspection of the film will allow me to find more value to it (this occurred with MENACE, to a degree).  I still rate Lucas's second episode three stars, for even though I may have been disappointed, the franchise nevertheless carries on in my mind as a memorable and worthy diversion (I think the fact that it is struggling to reach the $300 million mark might offer proof of the market's agreement with such a statement).  May the Force be with us all.


title: Five Stars

text: Phil Forever!!!!


title: my second copy!

text: I absolutely LOVE this CD.  The second copy I bought, I got for the car.  It is a great CD for a long commute or a relaxing drive. My copy for home I use while I am doing my craft stuff.


title: El Primer Disco de Zoe

text: Zoe es una de las mejores bandas de Rock Progressivo de Mexico y Zoe es su primer disco.  En este disco muchas canciones son movedisas y tambien ay canciones relagantes (pasivas, no para bailar o saltar).  La gran mayoria de temas son amor, desamor, y confusion en una relacion.  Los que realmente quieren conocer a Zoe les recomiendo este album (en mi opinion es mejor que el segundo (Memorex Comender y El Corazon Atomico de la Via Lactea) o tercero (Reptilectric) album de la banda.  En el album Memorex Comender y El Corazon Atomico de la Via Lactea la musica es movedisa al principio y poco a poco es mas y mas relagante.  En el album Reptilectric la musica es completamente relagante (pasiva, no para bailar or saltar).


title: waka waka wonderful

text: speedy delivery....a+ condition...great and trusting company to do business with. if you have not seen or heard this song, it is a must have. this hot latin star has stepped outside of the box to congratulate Africa for it outstanding role in world class soccor


title: To the last guy..

text:
This isn't a review at all..but I just had to point out that "pitchy" is NOT a real term. What the fudge is "pitchy"? Is this a retarded way of saying "off key"?

Just because idiots like Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson use this term doesn't mean its real. They don't know anything about proper organization of sound or even real music. They manufacture pop idols.


title: AWESOME SET!  3 plus hours of music and nearly 90 minutes of VIDEOS!

text:
If you like Fey, you'll LOVE this set!  Well worth the price.

Comes in a cardstock box, with four individual cardstock sleeves for the discs.  Each of the inner sleeves feature photographic artwork similar to the box image in the item description.  Variations on a theme, we'll say.

Each music disc features over 75 minutes of music.  Lots of standard album/single tracks, but also some remixes.  Covers Fey albums up through La Fuerza del Destino, INCLUDING tracks from the hard to find, "out-of-print" VERTIGO.  Even the English language "The Other Side" is included.

The DVD includes 14 music videos (including English language "The Other Side") PLUS 6 "live" TV performances from Televisa.  Five are "lip-synch" performances, but "La Noche se Mueve" appeared to me to be a live-mic, actual singing performance.  The audio had a different "ambience", a floor mic was used, and the audio levels varied based on how close Fey managed to get herself to the microphone when it was time to sing!

ALL IN ALL, for the price, you can't find a better "greatest hits" set from Fey!  Plus those videos are priceless.  Those early first album videos are so formulaic and "cheesy" that it's a testament to Fey's actual talent that she managed to continue her career past that point!  After watching "Media Naranja", it's easy to see how some artists can get trapped by a "light-weight fluff" image and fail to move on to more mature material.  Darn record companies!  Thankfully, Fey succeeded in moving on to bigger and better things.  Of course, it's still fun to look back and enjoy those early years.

FIVE STARS for LO ESENCIAL DE FEY.  If you like Fey, you'll like this box set!


title: This is a must get

text: This by far has been the best reissue from the Prince Estate. I'm blown away by all the extra vault music so many and not enough time to process them all. The live concert cd is the hidden gem in this set the sound quality is off the hook. As a diehard fan I encourage anyone that is remotely interested in this set to purchase it immediately. Trust me you will be glad that you did. His very best reissue to date.


title: Seeking Corgis

text: I very much looked forward to an excellent performance by Helen Mirren and my wish was granted. I had seen an interview with Mirren in which she mentioned how a photograph of Elizabeth at the age of 12 had served as a catalyst for her interpretation of the role. I'm sure other performances were worth a word or two but I am not able to do them justice. I was saddened that Charles was reduced to a couple of grimaces, afraid of Mum, and forced to try and woo others to implement his wishes. I would rather have seen a more rounded portrayal -- something to balance the presence of Diana. Truth be known, however, I considered the possibility of beautifully shot images of the Corgis worth the price of admission. Unfortunately, for me, the scenes in which they capered or stopped dead in their tracks were scarce. The film seems first-rate. It gives almost everyone a shot at being understood; exceptions being the caricatures of the Queen Mother and Prince Phillip, and puts everything in perspective by revealing the beauty of Balmoral, a handsome stag, and a passel of very polite people I enjoyed watching. If you're wondering about the emphasis on the pups, yes, I have a beautiful Corgi at home who brings me much joy.


title: Is it really that good?

text: I hate to break it. But i don't get what's all the fuss about this movie. Yes Helen Mirren gives an amazing performance as Queen Elisabeth II but thats pretty much it. The movie itself is pretty boring. Best director? There really wasn't that much going on. Doesn't mean that the movie is based on true events means it HAS to be a good movie automatically. C'mon. Thank god this movie was short movie, cause if it had ran over 120min i'd probab walk out or fall asleep. All the acting were only 'reactions', The ending was satisfying with a little foreshadowing if anyone picked up on it. Overall. Helen Mirren walks home with the gold, but the movie would be a real stinker with out her.


title: Another good b-side from the girls

text:
"Can't Speak French" is the 18th single from Girls Aloud and it brings them one step closer to the 20th single mark. This is the 3rd release from the girls' fourth studio album Tangled Up. It has been redone for the single release, which actually makes the single worth buying.

Since this is a 2 track single, it can only get a maximum of 4 stars. Here's my rundown:

01. Can't Speak French [Radio Edit]
The radio edit of CSF is vastly different from the version on Tangled Up. It is over a minute shorter and the song is slightly remixed to a good effect. Every girl gets a part to sing and the chorus is really catchy. This radio edit actually made me love the song. With a very catchy hook for the chorus ("I can't speak french, so I'll let the funky music do the talking"), this is a winner and strong candidate for GA's best single yet. (5/5)

02. Hoxton Heroes
GA's newest b-side, this was actually a song that was deemed too controversial to go on Tangled Up. Here it appears as a b-side and I'm glad it has. This song makes fun of the indie music genre and indie bands in general, with scathing lyrics and a wry sense of humour. It's in the same vein as tracks from Tangled Up and it's not that bad, it could have fitted in nicely on the album. A winner. (5/5)

I would say this single is a very high 4 star as both tracks are new and great. Brilliant stuff.

(PS: Another great cover! The girls look great)


title: Finally, a decent 2nd track

text:
This is the CD1 of the 2CD set of "Call The Shots" - meaning it only has 2 tracks. Therefore in my reviews, it can't go higher then 4 stars.

But for once, we actually get a decent 2nd track on the CD alongside the single itself. Rundown:

01. Call The Shots
The radio edit of CTS. Like I said, not my fave GA single, but it's still a good song. This is chilled out, quite relaxed, which is a new thing for the girls. The best part of this song is the middle 8 which Nicola sings She sounds amazing! I love listening to this song just for that part. Overall though, this is a good, if yet a bit bland song. (3/5)

02. Rehab [Radio 1 Live Lounge]
The high point of the single and a great 2nd track, this is a acoustic live track from Radio 1's Live Lounge, a cover of Amy Winehouse's "Rehab." The girls are absolutely great on this song, they do it better then Amy. They take turns singing a line, and it sounds brilliant. I love their version of the song! (5/5)

If we'd had a bad 2nd track, I would have given the single 3 stars or maybe 2. But "Rehab" keeps it at 4 stars.


title: Five stars for Blow Your Cover

text:
"Call The Shots" isn't my favourite Girls Aloud single. I'm a huge fan of the girls, but I find CTS a little bit bland. But it has been a huge hit for them and for that I am glad.

Here is my rundown of the tracks:

01. Call The Shots [Main Version]
The radio edit of CTS. Like I said, not my fave GA single, but it's still a good song. This is chilled out, quite relaxed, which is a new thing for the girls. The best part of this song is the middle 8 which Nicola sings She sounds amazing! I love listening to this song just for that part. Overall though, this is a good, if yet a bit bland song. (3/5)

02. Blow Your Cover
This is the high point of the single in my opinion. Get this CD just for this song. It's another one of GA's brilliant b-sides (of which they have many!). This song is VERY reminiscent of "Love Machine" - one of GA's previous (and best) singles. The tune is mostly the same, but it's not a complete copy. Nadine and Cheryl lead this bouncy upbeat track, which isn't really about anything but is loads of fun to sing along to. Great. (5/5)

03. Call The Shots [Xenomania Club Mix]
I'm glad Xenomania are remixing GA's songs themselves, because Tony Lamezma was getting tiresome. But this is a quite good remix, it's clubby and speeds up CTS a lot. Rather good. (4/5)

04. Call The Shots [Enhanced Video]
Of course this single has the video. The video to CTS is gorgeous - it was filmed in Santa Monica and features the girls on the beach at night in beautiful purple outfits, singing the song. Simple, but it works with the relaxed nature of the song. (5/5)

Despite me not liking CTS so much, this single still receives 5 stars because of "Blow Your Cover" and the video. You need this if you're a GA fan. 5 stars!


title: Absolutely gorgeous!

text:
I am Scottish and was glad to finally see a Scottish girlband on the scene. Lemonescent flopped but I think their music is brilliant.

"Beautiful" is their best song without a doubt. The song took awhile to grow on me, I didn't like it all on the first listen, I thought it was kind of bland. But after a couple of listens, I just fell in love with it - the vocals are absolutely amazing, especially the last line of the song. I love the music breakdown in the middle of the song too.

This song should have been a hit, along with their other songs "Help Me Mama" and "All Right Now." Definitely 5 stars for this "beautiful" track.


title: Five Stars

text: Great cd


title: The characterization of a great generation

text:
Helen Mirren's work has always been superlative and I have always enjoyed the tough, determined and tempestuous Jane Tennyson in her Prime Suspect series. She has acted a very broad range being light,funny and flirtatious in some parts and stoic and reserved in others.

 "The Queen" is not one of those pick you up and whip you around emotional movies. It is done in the same way that the queen is, stoic, determined and with little display of emotion. Although you get the very strong sense that she does have very deep emotions and what really matters to her. Helen Mirren coming from the British Theatre actually knows how to act and portray those emotions. American actors should do the same. We rely on gizmos,computers and explosions. One exeption would be Clint Eastwood in some of his "off" movies like Bridges of Madison County and Unforgiven (although popular). "The Queen" isn't gripping, but it is illuminating. The queen as portayed in this movie was part of "The Great Generation" who stoicly, quietly and with great determination and faith in God endured the terrible bombings in WWII and the horrific loss of life in the trenches of WWI and the hedgerows and freezing winters of WWII. We should remember this.  And Helen did a masterful job.


title: What would the real Queen think of this?

text:
After watching this drama-documentary, the question probably weighing on my mind as well as others in here who have seen this film is.... How would Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth (the real one, not Dame Mirren) and the rest of her family react if they were to sit down and watch this film from beginning to end? I imagine that dear old Liz would not be very amused at all.

Having said that, if Stephen Frear's "The Queen" does not win best picture at the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles this next spring, then I will be very shocked. Helen Mirren has given her performance of a life time. The way she walks, the way she behaves and speaks, all the way down to the real Queen's trademark hairstyle is uncanny. If I were to see Mirren impersonating the real Queen on the street, I would have thought that she was the real monarch. She has gotten it all spot on!

The Duke of Edinburgh, played by James Cromwell acted like a complete jerk. I wonder if Philip is like this in real life? Besides the comic relief of the Queen Mother who I found hilarious, as well as a skiddish Prince of Wales, where were the rest of The Queen's family, namely Andrew, Edward, and Anne? I also found it a little odd that William and Harry were not a large part of this story. I was relieved when they did not cast someone to play the part of Princess Diana. Instead they relied on real footage of the Princess just prior to her tragic death in Paris.

This was an excellent film and it deserves 5 stars. Well worth the $7.50 I spent for an afternoon viewing at the theatre.


title: Go Dutch

text: Cuby + Blizzards were a hot blooded blues band with some good guitar playing and a visit here by blues great Alexis Korner.  Alexis Korner fans will want to pick this up for a listen; his appearance on two cuts may be the highlight of the recording. It's a perfectly respectable live gig, but it's not going to stand up against real Chicago blues or even some of the pretty real British bands of the 60s. Overall, better than any bar band . . . except, of course in Chicago.


title: The original basement tapes

text: John Mayall recorded these sessions on his reel to reel tape deck.  While historically of some interest, the quality of the recordings and the haphazard way in which they were edited puts them in the category of "great if I found them in the local yard sale."  Pay more than that, and you'll wish you had stuck to the essential three Mayall releases: Hard Road, the Beano sessions, and Crusade.


title: Import this cd again

text: I first saw this duo at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival several years back--one of those night when I didn't want to run cross town and had only one more performance I could attend for the night.  After ticking all the must sees in the local festival guide, I settled on the SWLG because I was right across the street.  What a great confluence of cosmic forces!  It was a great show, and I enjoyed the cd I purchased afterwards for a long time.  Awhile back i came across this cd online, plopped down some virtual money to send downunder, and was thrilled when the cd arrived because it was as funny as their live show.  I'm sure about 4 minutes of an internet search will turn up some dealer in the world who is hawking this disc.  If I were you, I'd be searching now and not worrying about finishing this review.


title: Fast shipment

text: Fast shipment.  Has old scratchy sound, otherwise plays well.


title: this movie is all about brilliant casting

text:
with absolutely amazing helen mirren convincing you she is queen elizabeth.

and the dramatization? oh well, when you think back, of course you can never really KNOW what happened, was the prime minister blair really so sleezy, was prince charles really moved for about three seconds after his wife's death (eee, i kinda doubt that cuz i think he's a prick), was mrs blair so full of low breed complexes..

but it sure seemed real, thanks to brilliant casting, producition and marvelous performance by the entire cast.

what it did for me, it gave me a little bit different insight into princess diana. which i will keep for myself.


title: These recordings are amazing!

text: Having studied the organ with a student of Marcel Dupre, I remember buying a recording back in the 60s of Mr. Dupre at St. Sulpice. I was struck by the power of his playing and of the organ itself. These remastered recordings are much more. For instance, I was not aware that he made other recordings here in the states, especially at St. Thomas in New York City. That organ is an Aeoline Skinner. And Duped certainly pulls out all the stops. These recordings cover so much more than New York or Paris. To hear a great master such as Marcel Duped is worth every penny you can find. The remastered recordings are clear with very little distortion and Mercury is to be comended for a job well done...


title: Sinatra smooth as silk

text: Have it just a few days and played it five or six times.  It’s exceptionally good.  Great sound.  Please do it again. only this time make it a two cd set.


title: A Hard to Find song by John Denver

text:
I have this song on DVD, but was looking for a CD or disk with just this song on it - for my wife!
She loves it- thanks for stocking it at Amazon!
R. McCarthy