title: Ladies Choice, yes!

text: Whispering Bill...PLEASE, release this in CD or MP3!!! Absolutely loved this album, lost it in a move, no turntable or I would buy the LP.


title: Pretty much brand new!

text: I received this cd in a condition that looked like the cellophane wrapper was just removed! Excellent!


title: 💋💋💋perfect

text: it came perfectly! everything was there & in good quality. i love the poster ngl was not expecting it to be THATT big but it actually made me rlly happy cus who wouldnt want the biggest rv poster possible???🤔🤔🤔

attachment_type: IMAGE


title: What else is there to say but I’m in heaven!

text: Came in perfect condition. I can’t stop listening to my favorite band. Brings back sweet memories.


title: Brad Mitchell at a  young age is a MASTER in the world of music

text: I listened to this on a long car ride for many hours over and over again.  How can one heart contain so much love?  These songs are of a genius quality ~ and the cd is ten years old.  Soon Brad Mitchell I am certain will be a well known name in the industry ~ I'm in awe of this young man's talent.....simply in awe.


title: Gotta Love Cats!

text: discs work great!


title: Loved it

text: Excellent choice of songs on the CD


title: Awesome thing to have

text: Apparently not a lot of these were made, which makes it even more special to own. Love the Sums!


title: Five Stars

text: perfect


title: Five Stars

text: This was great and nostalgic! In great condition-brand new!!


title: carl h

text: great cd


title: Five Stars

text: A wonderful assortment of songs...


title: xmas gift for my wife

text: she used to go to the mixers that he would be at.  this one mentioned the roller skating rink that she went to see him at. brought back great memories.  thanks. norm


title: Two Stars

text: Wasn't quite sure what this was, several of the same song. Some with the singing/song and others without

user_id: AGAZONZABKYCZOGSCTVLFMNDGAIQ


title: What drew people to AA to begin with.

text: Harkens back to their original sound. Not that there was anything wrong with the detours they've made in recent years. Still it's good to know they've got their old licks.


title: Great CD

text: Delighted with the shipping speed and the quality of the CD


title: Very Awesome!

text: perfectly had every song i could imagine in the game even the tutorial!!! I indefinably recommend this to anyone who loved the game


title: Awesome band, awesome album

text:
I first discovered Angels on Acid a few years ago through Myspace (my personal source for finding music). Eyes Behind the Curtain is the debut album and it is a mainstay on my ipod. The music is excellent. The songs have everything that I look for in electro/industrial music...solid hooks, clean/distorted vocals, and beats that will make me want to get up and dance. It is difficult for me to pick a favorite track on the album. I really love all of them but there are a couple of songs that really stands out with me "Misery Loves Company", "Shadow Dance", and "Salvation". These songs are propelled by such a powerful hook and beat it would be hard not to want to dance to these songs. I wholeheartedly recommend buying Eyes Behind the Curtain. I have had the immense pleasure of seeing Angels on Acid live twice. The songs on the album sounds even better live in concert so I strongly suggest to go see Angels on Acid live if they ever come to your city/town.

Track List:
01. Eyes Behind the Curtain
02. The Vile
03. Misery Loves Company
04. Dominate
05. Hellion
06. Ashes
07. Nowhere to Run
08. The Present Darkness
09. Shadow Dance
10. Leviathan
11. I am the Future
12. Salvation
13. Fall of Angels
14. Leviathan (Kri Remixxx)


title: Playground Isolator

text: Karen Stever is an artist I recently discovered through the social networking website Myspace. PLAYGROUND ISOLATOR! is Karen's debut album. I would say her music is hard rock with subtle hints of industrial music. I cannot compare Karen with any other singer because she has her own distinct voice. I will be the first to admit that the album did not take to me right away but after several listens, I grew to love it. The music sounds even better when the stereo is cranked up. All of the songs are loaded with aggressive guitar riffs and a thunderous rhythm section. It is obvious that it is Karen's voice is front and center. None of the instruments takes precedent over her vocals. My personal favorite song is "Dream Baby Dream". I really like how Karen starts singing off softly and then gradually evolves into full blown wailing. I really recommend to anyone to go to Stever's Myspace page where you can order from her personally a copy personally signed by her. It is a real treat. Oh and the shipping is quite fast.


title: Great female synthpop

text:
I am a huge Sara Noxx fan. I have been a big fan of her brand of synthpop for a couple of years ago. I first found her through Myspace and since then I have been hooked. Unfortunately Sara's music is extremely difficult to find in the United States. I had to shell out a pretty penny for her best of compilation. Thankfully that wasn't the case with EXXTASY. I recently found a cheap copy on the internet and I was not disappointed by it. EXXTASY is 54 minutes of melodic synthpop. The throbbing synth beats are never overwhelming. They do not overwhelm Sara's whispery vocals. Sara's lyrics are like poetry like in the song "Last Desire" with the line "My Heart is still on fire. I kiss you goodbye". I also like this like this line "The words that you whisper I refuse to believe. I will surive" from the song "Survive". The melodies are just as beautiful. A lot of the songs are midtempo but there are some killer dance tracks like "Exxtasy" with its club thumping dance beats. I love all thirteen tracks. Too bad Sara's music is difficult to find or expensive. If you can find EXXTASY at a decent price, it is definitely worth the money.

Track List:
01. Survive
02. Gold (Feel the Fever)
03. Last Desire
04. Crying For
05. Exxtasy
06. So Cold
07. 1999
08. In My Fingers
09. In This Time
10. Jeanny Part I (feat. Darrin C. Huss)
11. Winter Again
12. Sometimes
13. Enslave Me


title: A beautiful film score

text:
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is my new favorite film. I came across it on Landmark Theatre's website last month. I loved the film I have seen it twice. The film is based on the John Ajvide Lindqvist novel LET ME IN which has been re-published as LET THE RIGHT ONE IN. The story centers around twelve year old Oskar Eriksson who lives in Blackberge, Sweden, a working class neighborhood. Oskar is a loner and is constantly picked on by a few of his peers at school. One night he meets the mysterious Eli, a young girl who had moved into his apartment building with her adult companion Hakan. Initially the two children are wary of each other but over time they begin a cautious friendship which leads to a subtle romance.

I loved the film because it transcends the horror genre. The film's score by Johan Soderqvist with the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra really drives the melancholy and sadness in the characters in the film. The classical film score is definitely not your traditional score for a horror movie. Johan Soderqvist does a brilliant job of capturing the essence of the films' characters as well as the film itself. I love the fact that Johan wanted to incorporate both melody and emotions into his music. "Eli and Oskar" in particular is a stunning song that captures the loneliness and sadness of these two young individuals. "Eli's Theme" is a beautiful and haunting track. The melodies are emotionally stirring which fits perfectly with Eli's loneliness and angst. Another great track is "Eli and Oskar". The movement reminds me of the music from PSYCHO with the gradual build up and then the explosion of cymbals, percussion, and the array of stringed instruments. Another great song is "The Father". This is from the scene where Oskar is visiting his father. The gorgeous lush melodies is similiar to "Eli's Theme" but not as somber.

There isn't anything about the soundtrack to LET THE RIGHT ONE IN that I didn't like. The music helped gave the film the emotional depth that it required. Johan's work is never overwhelming to the ears. Even when the music is about to hit its peak like on "Eli and Oskar", the music is never obnoxiously bombastic like the music by Hans Zimmer and John Williams' tends to be. If you loved the film as much as I do as well as the music, do try to find a copy of this terrific soundtrack. It is breathtaking to listen to especially on a cold winter's night or after a long day at the office.


title: A good introduction to Metropolis Records artists

text: Metropolis Records is hands down my favorite record label. Metropolis Records is an indie label based in Pennsylvania whose roster is a mix bag of goth, EBM, synthpop, industrial, and alternative. Every year the label releases a compilation of artists that is signed to the label and released via Hot Topic and they usually sell out pretty quickly. "Metropolis 2004" is one of my favorite in the series. The music ranges from electro-industrial (Velvet Acid Christ)to trance (Cesium 137). Thanks to this particular compilation, I discovered Mono Chrome and Imperative Reaction, my personal favorite of the two. Their music contains solid pop hooks set to high energy dance beats that would surely make anyone want to dance. I also loved the tracks by Assemblage 23, Wumpscut, Icon of Coil, and Informatik. The only tracks I wasn't too keen on was by Punto Omega and Grendel (the music was too repetitious for my liking), otherwise good cd. This is a good introduction to Metropolis Records and their artists. It is definitely worth owning.


title: So Beautiful

text: Every song on here is beautiful.  I have a few of his CDs, but this is by far my favorite.  My particular favorite song is Shamans Call. No matter how angry or upset I am, that song has the ability to relax me better than any medicine


title: The case came cracked on both sides.

text: Good music but, the case is broken.


title: Perfect!

text: My grandpa (age 93) cried when he received this cd. It reminded him of his daddy. Perfect!


title: Amazing talent!!

text: We had seen “The Who” perform last month and such amazing energy and talent!!


title: Come and Get It

text: This album and Slide It In are the first 2 albums I got by Whitesnake.  I think I like this one better but it is really a hard call.  I like most all the selections on both albums.  There are one or two selections on each album that I could take a pass on, but isn't that the way with most albums. Love the vocals, sounds a little like Tim Curry in Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Hope this helps.


title: Long Lonesome Highway LP

text: I LOVE this album! Michael Parks voice and singing style is timeless and appeals to all ages. You can hear some of his songs from this album at: [...].


title: Perfect Christmas Gift for One's Self!!!

text: I so love the Piano Guys! Their music and videos are really wonderful! IT is the highlight of my day when they come out with a new video or album or in this case, the DVD!!!


title: Three Stars

text: sound quality fine satisfied with order


title: Buying Twice

text: I'm replacing some stolen CD's. So, this is the second time I've purchased this album.


title: Great mindfulness practice, soothing guide

text: Definitely has helped my mindfulness practice. I am falling asleep much easier.


title: NYTimes Review

text:
NYTimes Bernard Holland review of the MCORE live performance of these two operas by the Magic Circle.Oct. 1994
Every musical gesture Ned Rorem has ever made has something of the human voice behind it. Yet opera seems to make him shy. The Boosey & Hawkes catalogue of his works is interesting reading: "an opera in one act," "five very short operas," "five scenes for four singers," "melodrama in one scene," "opera in three scenes." Mr. Rorem keeps putting his foot in the operatic door but remains reluctant to pass through it.

How, for example, are we to describe "A Childhood Miracle" and "Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters"? The Magic Circle Opera Repertory Ensemble put on both in concert form at Merkin Concert Hall on Thursday night. There were soloists on stage doing a minimal amount of acting, and behind them a sizable orchestra conducted by the company's director, Ray Evans Harrell.

Cantata? Oratorio? Or should we care? Indeed, the question would seem frivolous were it not for an impression of reluctance lurking behind both pieces. Perhaps Mr. Rorem feels uncomfortable in opera. Perhaps he mistrusts it as a medium. At any rate, both these brief events are more verbal than they are visual.

"A Childhood Miracle" from 1951 sets Hawthorne's whimsical tale of a snowman come to life only to melt in the warmth of its creators' parlor. Mr. Rorem makes it a story told rather than one depicted. It is a reader's drama, with each of us supplying our own pictures.

The thick operatic techniques of its female principals sounded fine in themselves, but they were not good vehicles for Elliott Stein's adaptation. Mr. Rorem's lovely, flowing pastoral style aims at making the words work. Smaller, clearer voices might have been swallowed in the rousing finale, but elsewhere they would have put language first.

Next to "Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters," written 17 years later, "A Childhood Miracle" seems to sprawl, generous to a fault. Much of its music is beautiful, but one misses a certain urgency, a need to connect events by the shortest path. In "Three Sisters," conciseness is enforced by Gertrude Stein's play and, I think, welcomed by a now older and wiser composer.

Stein's little game of mock murder makes sense of a sort, but making sense is not its business. It is the arrangement of her simple declarative sentences that pleases. Mr. Rorem's terse music and its skillful, imitative ensembles sometimes make Stein's textures seem more crowded than they want to be, but his music successfully explains a literary art in which form is everything and matter matters little.

The evening's busier soloists were Ross Solomon, Carol Flamm, Andrea Matthews, Darcy Dunn and Madeline Tsingopoulus. Kenneth Newbern was the pianist for the Stein.


title: So soothing and beautiful

text: I have just discovered William Ackerman, and I love his music.  I know I'll be using this CD to relax while I work, or just while relaxing on a lazy afternoon. The music is incredibly smooth and soothing, and takes you to a beautiful place. It's playing as I write this review now. A definite win!


title: Float away on this CD....

text: I have collected various relaxation CDs over time, but this is one I can't seem to get out of my CD player.  The mixture of instruments is wonderful, so each selection has its own identity and they don't all seem like one piece.  The voices on the CD are very soothing, calm and unobtrusive.  One of my best purchases!!


title: Best Celtic Christmas album out there!

text: I bought this CD when I was in middle school. Ithe is always the first album I listen to to get into the Christmas spirit.  I love it!


title: Nice!

text: Nice songs. Come with original instrumental tracks as well.


title: 素晴らしいCD！Amazing CD!

text:
Ganpeki no Haha is a very sad song but it's beautifully remastered on this CD! Ms. Futaba Yuriko has an amazing voice. It has 3 songs and 3 original karaoke! Highly recommend it!

1. Ganpeki no Haha
2. Kudan no Haha
3. Haha Ruten
4. Ganpeki no Haha (Original Karaoke)
5. Kudan no Haha (Original Karaoke)
6. Haha Ruten (Original Karaoke)


title: Hibari Misora Best Cover Song Selections!

text: I like this selection of songs! All of them are song covers.


title: If you like the simpler music of a bygone era, you should listen to Vera Lynn

text: For the genre, this is a beauty. Vera Lynn's clear, simple delivery takes you back to another era, when much of the world was afraid, but at the same time extremely courageous. As I listen to the lyrics--easy to do with Ms. Lynn's superb enunciation--I am amazed at how the optimism of a song helped save a nation--during World War II.


title: Not what we needed.

text: We ordered the wrong adapter to hook up our Wii to out LG TV. We thought we needed a 3 mm. This is well made and sturdy. It arrived the next day. But not what we needed. We got a refund.


title: Great Music

text: Love Sandi and love this music!


title: Powerful!

text: This group brings back to memory why we love music so much. A collection of g!reat memories await your brain


title: Classic

text: There isn’t anything about it that I don’t like.  It’s a classic.  It makes me feel young again.  Wonderful music played and sung by one of the best!!


title: Great lullabies for my grand baby

text: I had this for my daughters when they were young and now my daughter is expecting her first child so I purchased it for her.


title: Five Stars

text: Good looking beer sticker.


title: Unfortunately there was no sound. I tried it on ...

text: Unfortunately there was no sound. I tried it on several different machines and there was nothing. I realized that it was used but would hope it would have been checked out before offering it for sale.😉


Where's the CD ?  Amazing offering from the band !


title: Absolutely fabulous and sooo anointed ..I love this cd soooo much❤❣👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌

text: Love ..love...love this..bobs saxophone is soooo inspired! And the songs are a pure pleasure to my soul❤👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌


title: Five Stars

text: Beautiful music for your soul.


title: Noise, not music

text: All I can say is that this sounds like noise, noise which is not suggestive of music. There may be something there that gratifies persons highly sophisticated in music. I like classical music. I really wonder if there is something that I am missing when I listen to this.


title: Duds

text: Both CD's  were empty They were returned via UPS  I expect my refund of<br />14.65 each  at your earliest convenience - Thank you.


title: Good Clean Humor  !!

text: I have listened to Dennis Swanberg on KMBI many times and while i like humor I want it to be clean.  Great entertainment that all ages can enjoy and relate to. Thank you


title: Five Stars

text: Excellent product and excellent seller, a real asset for Amazon


title: Really good!

text: Wasn’t sure if I was goin to like it but it turned out to be really good!


title: Four Stars

text: Good music


title: ... very first Contemporary Christian music purchases Every song is Good. I was a Huge Amy Grant fan and ...

text: One of my very first Contemporary Christian music purchases Every song is Good. I was a Huge Amy Grant fan and I took a chance purchasing<br />it, but didn't regret it. From "Sparrow Watcher" to "Find the Glory", Pam does not disappoint. This album came out during a very fun and profitable time for Contemporary Christian music. A genre you can still find out there but I think the artists pale in comparison to Pam and Amy.


title: got this for my father and i listen to it ...

text: got this for my father and i listen to it more than he does. some of thes calls sound very haunting and some even sound cat-like! owls are so amazing


title: Wicked Awesome!

text: Watched the videos, listened to the music...reveled in wicked awesome music!!


title: Very gentle

text: This edition is very quiet...too quiet. There are no loud bursts of rain and thunder is weak. I would not purchase this item again.


title: DHG Supervillain Outcast

text: Love it. Great album.


title: You can rely on Amazon

text: Liked everything about it. Rates a ten.


title: Flawless

text: Flawless hoouse classic.  My original got so damaged over the years, I had to toss it, and buy a new one.


title: REALLY grows on you

text: I'll admit, it took me a few listens, as I like the music, but each song is a very short single-themed piece which I wish had been maybe half the number of tracks with interwoven themes.  That being said, it has become mandatory writing music, as the music builds soundscapes that are quite conducive to imagery.  After listening to the SLIP (which includes "The Four Of Us Are Dying" - a superior instrumental that DOES mix themes), I'm quite intrigued to find out if/when Trent will do GHOSTS V-VIII.  Of course, as I'm a die-hard NIN fan, I'd like him to do another three albums for purchase next week... but I think the poor man needs a nice long break.


title: Fantastic debut!

text:
It's been a few years since Boston's The Spaceshots released SIREN SOUNDS, but the album still sounds fresh!  Soon-to-be pop sensation Patrick Emswiler and band string together 10 non-stop power pop tracks that are sure to have you singing along!  Imagine if XTC and Pink Floyd got together and jammed with Semisonic.... yeah.  Awesome.

And be sure to check out "Greetings My Glorious Graces" - the first single from the upcoming album "Straight Grenadine"!

1. Offense/Defense
2. Blues Driven
3. The Misery Love Co.
4. Somedaze
5. Duespaying
6. Promise The World
7. Angelesque
8. The Oldest Excuse
9. Mercy
10. Baby New Year


title: Two Stars

text: not really the the songs i had hoped for.


i bought this for the song "Someday" that features Donny Osmond. It's a nice cd to have playing in the background. Love positive music!


title: Five Stars

text: awesome.


Great music, and writing production. When music was real.


title: Five Stars

text: fresh


title: Really Good If You Can Get It

text: There are 6 tracks on this CD. Not all are great but worth listening to. The only thing missing on the back cover listing is the bonus 6th track which is a cover of "You Spin Me Round".


title: Love

text: Love this candies help me with scratch throat 😉


title: Two Stars

text: It was in good shape but tape 9, 10, and 11, were missing


title: ... Lynn does nothing to shake her position as my favorite female "pop" singer

text: This marathon collection by Vera Lynn does nothing to shake her position as my favorite female "pop" singer.  The compilation is so vast it boggles the mind.  These  records go all the way back to the war years and provide plenty of nostalgia and the beautiful clarity of her voice shines through.  She's still the best, in my book!


title: Great American Songs - Through the Years

text: Can't write a review because I haven't heard it!  It is being shipped from Japan so I haven't got access to it.  I did see Jeff in person and he's an amazing drummer and his trio is a solid, VERY solid group.


title: Five Stars

text: Excellent choice!!


title: An album for fans of actual music

text: Do you prefer slick, polished studio tracks, rife with autotune and constrained to 3 (or 4 if you're lucky) safe chords?  Then this is not the album for you.  If, on the other hand, you appreciate complex melodies with surprising chord progressions carried off to 12 string acoustic perfection, you have found your next favorite CD.  Playing a 12 string guitar requires talent and skill beyond playing a 6 string, and Grigor plays with amazing finesse and grace; he is clearly a master of his craft.  The songs on this CD include both vocal and acoustic tracks, and they refuse to be pigeon holed into any particular musical genre.  There are obvious influences of folk, rock, jazz, and even classical Spanish, but they're all woven into something that is the sum of its parts and yet greater than all of them.  For the vocal tracks, Grigor's voice is deep and soft, pairing well with his thoughtful and thought provoking lyrics.  Production is minimal, and the effect is very intimate, as though Grigor is sitting in your living room, playing only for you. If you enjoy real Music, you want this album!


title: Love it!

text: I Love this cd! Decided to buy another one for the long term care facility I work at as a few residents are in their 60s. It arrived quickly and in good condition.


title: Five Stars

text: great cd


title: Best acapella group ever!

text:
I am sorry these guys are not still together!  They are the BEST, in MY opinion!  Have seen them three times, and have two CD's want more, but... so sad... as I said before, they are not together any more :o(

Loved you guys!


title: good

text: music is wonderful  case was all cracked


title: You must be in the right mood for Ghosts - Wanted Album, Am a Curious Cat - Glad I waited before Review

text: 2008 Release 36 Tracks - Wanted to know what this was about. "Curiosity Killed The Cat, but He Died Satisfied" - am glad to have this in my collection, some tracks are more interesting than others, but it can be hard core, no vocals, instruments, sounds, hey, it's Metal. 9 tracks of Ghost I, 1st starts with a Piano sound, Some tracks in II have Piano sound, Some tracks in III, (Track 24 has a interesting sound, drive to it, like this one,) Ghost IV closes it's sequence with some resolution.  This is NOT John Cage with "Prepared Piano" it might grow on you.  My beautiful yellow, green & blue parakeet seems to like some tracks, sings along track 11, 29 Ghosts IV - is it organized noise? Are you man enough for this Album set?  You decide.. I'm a long time fan of Frank Zappa, & The Mothers, but many of his compositions have "comedy relief along the way" like "Uncle Meat" which was complex, but at least I could whistle the main themes, but this NIN is much more of a challenge. Thanks to Professor Fischer at Pasadena City College in '70 for introducing me to so many different kinds, types of music, Gregorian Chants to "Sunken Cathedral", and the many beats, musical scales. I did get an A- on my Synthesizer paper, learned much as well. It was my "fun" class when I went to college after USAF in '70.  This is a long way from singing in Church on Sundays. *keep smiling* -30-


title: XRT

text: GREAT CD. I REALLY LOVE THESE CDS I HAVE TOLD MY FRIENDS ABOUT THEM THEY ARE VERY GOOD THANKS AGAIN


title: love it

text: this CD has beautiful songs on it and some of my favorites i would recommend it to anyone it is both heart warming and some songs can make me shout


title: Five Stars

text: Wanted for years, now I have it!


title: Happy with Off Kilter CD

text: Off Kilter arrived when promised. Package securely.  Case was all intact . Sound is great . Happy with the purchase.


title: She really is No Angel

text: Dido and her brother, Rollo, have crafted a sensuous , compelling collection of songs


title: Four Stars

text: as advertised


title: Great for a collector but there are better interpretations

text:
Got this as I collect recordings. For a long time Heifetz and Reiner were considered masters. That has not changed but there are better alternatives in my opinion. The recording shows it's age and Heifetz seems a trifle wooden in his interpretation. There are lots of people who will disagree with me. Reiner is still a good reliable conductor and his recording of Scheherazade still holds up well.

Oistrakh is my prime choice for one of the long gone violinists. Of the more recent recordings I like Shaham and find Hillary Hahn's work very enjoyable.


title: GREAT TALENT

text: This is a great album by Sarit. The selections are all "hits" and as usual she does not disappoint with her amazing and vast talent.


title: MYLENE REIGNS !

text: Mylene never makes a bad album.<br />She is my heroine!


title: A sound track as great as I remember

text: Saw the movie in 1957 (63 years ago) when I was in the service, got and loved the LP Soundtrack.<br />Then lost the LP 45 years ago and forgot about it. To play and hear it again on a CD with todays equipment is just a wonderful find.


title: Finally found it!

text: What a find! This music is just fantastic, and to find this album in MP3 after having lost the "vinyl" almost 60 years ago makes the start of 2016 special.<br /> This early Michel Legrand along with his "I LOVE PARIS" both released in the mid-fifties set me up as a future and current fan of Legrand's music forever!


title: Good Old-Timey Music

text: Good Old-Timey Music


title: too much 80s

text: good collection of hits but too much 80s. we all need more of that G sound in our life, would have been better if it was almost all 60s.


title: An excellent and full soundtrack

text: An excellent and full soundtrack. 1 point off because the vocalist of the Tightsmen has a kind of whiney modern pop vocal, ruining the groove of most of the GS style songs; however, the Knuckles absolutely mastered the proto-New Rock (Japanese prog rock) sound.


title: 5 Stars

text: One of my favorites.


title: I Love Me Some George Strait!

text: This two disc CD is awesome!  I am a huge George Strait fan and this collection of his best hits will not disappoint!


title: Wow, what a great album!!!

text:
This is a super album, especially for anyone who enjoys Tom Petty, Rick Springfield, Bruce... great lyrics, super vocals and instrumentals.  I'm in my late 40s: listened to the album with my 15 year old daughter, and she wanted to load the songs onto her iPOD, so the music and the lyrics definitely reach across the generations.

The original band members recently put out two new tracks: "The Highway" and "You’re Everything That I Want", both available on iTunes and Amazon.  Well worth a listen - I just downloaded them, and think they're great!


title: Easy listening.  Great lyrics

text: Great set of songs from great ladies.


title: New music

text: I love the song Victoria.  Great band.


title: christian music

text: Petra is a great band. the  mix of ballads and rock anthems on this two fer are awesome.  irecommend them for anyone. great messages.


title: very pleased. Now all I need is time to hear ...

text: An almost overwhelming resource; very pleased.  Now all I need is time to hear it all!


title: Kory Welch/John McArthur CD

text: Both men have beautiful tenors, and the background music is simple, not overwhelming either voice or the content of the hymns sung.  Well worth the price, and then some!


title: Great album

text: One of his best!!


title: Three Stars

text: I expected sooooooo much more from this usually awesome artist.


title: Five Stars

text: Not his best but still good.


title: Not a good purchase

text: This battery arrived in August, and I didn't put it in until recently.  It lasted no more than one month.  I was wearing earphones and suddenly heard a screech and pop in my ear.  I can no longer record and had to order another battery.  My ear seems O.K.


title: Perfect condition

text: So good to hear Amy grant's earlier hits.....<br />arrived on time and sounds great!


title: Five Stars

text: Anything Tennessee Ernie Ford records is awsome


title: Five Stars

text: Oldie but goodie


title: Fun Gift!

text: My daughter loved this for her 30th birthday.  Its a great add-on to any 30th present.


title: The best

text: The best peanut brittle on the planet. My husband loves it. It is full of peanuts and the candy surrounding it is actually very good, not like other brands. I would give it 10 stars if it would allow me to


title: Absolutely stunning!

text: Saybia's debut cd was truly remarkable and remains one of my favorite debuts ever.  It was poignant in its lyrics.  It had a subtle way of sending images into your mind while at the same time displaying amazing musicianship.  Since then every Saybia release seem to expand in different horizons like a child expressing the angst of growing up.  On their latest cd "No sound from the Outside", Saybia seems to come full circle.  It's almost as if the band have taken a moment to pause and reflect on past mistakes we make in life and yet look well into the future for comfort.  Lyrically, this has to be the most powerful of all their releases.  It captures perfectly the essences of prior releases, whether it be the folk lingerings or the acoustic sounds, yet pushes forward into a modern sound.  This is particularly the case in the second part of the cd.  I can't emphasize enough how majestic the lyrics are on this release.  They have grown in leaps and bounds and are not timid in expressing exactly how they feel.  It's like reading an amazing book and carrying that overwhelming feeling of satisfaction with you long after you've put the book down.  If I had to say anything to the band, it would be "well done indeed"!  I just hope they realize how expansive their fanbase is worldwide.  I've bought every cd from them and yet I live in the USA and have never been to their native land.  They can truly express the sentiments of man worldwide.  Thank you!


title: Five Stars

text: great CD !


title: Great Music

text: This is a great CD. It's a bit like Enigma but has enough of a different sound to be very satisfying. I enjoy it very much. I first heard it in Seward Alaska at The Russian Shoppe. Great background music. I got the title, searched the internet and finally found it at Amazon. Buy this one if you can find it.


title: Very dark recording

text: Civil wars has a some exceptional live recordings like VH-1 unplugged. This one is very dark sounding and very poor quality. If sound quality is important to you pass on this live album.  That said the VH-1 "unplugged" is awesome and very well recorded it sounds great on both Vinyl and CD.


title: Great Anthology

text: Good Beach music on this CD


title: wow...

text: wow..


title: Lara does not disappoint!

text: The incredible, multilingual Lara Fabian at her finest.


title: Posthumous classic

text: Classic Biggie album.. up there with "Ready to Die"


title: This import version did not contain the exact song the packaging said it did.

text: Overall, this is an excellent Paul Anka album. His best in quite a while. But curiously, the last song was supposed to be "My Way" with Micheal Buble and Andrea Bocelli. Instead it was an older recording of "My Way" with Sinatra and Pavoratti. I realize this was an import and maybe there were legal issues and for that, I paid a higher price than I would have if was an American CD, but it was all that was available. I really was looking forward to the Buble, Bocelli, Anka collaboration. The packaging should have at least said you weren't getting the Buble, Bocelli version.


title: It's Okay

text: Okay, but not special


title: Five Stars

text: Nice new group.


title: Love these vocals!

text: Wow this man can sing sing sing!!!!! Very talented.  Betcha anyone who listens will appreciate these vocals ‐ no matter what language you speak!


title: A brilliant recording.

text: A treasure to find it since it's not for sale anymore. My husband is one of the marvelous pianists.  A brilliant recording.


title: The clear vinyl is great and the album is great but I got an ...

text: The clear vinyl is great and the album is great but I got an off centered  pressing on at least one side of one of the 2 LPs. I mean way off center....the tone arm sways back and forth and the sound if affected in a major way.


title: Five Stars

text: Very good classics.


title: Five Stars

text: great


title: Great Bible Songs for Kids

text: My children love these cd's/songs.  A lot of children's songs are obnoxiously fast and are hard for parents to endure.  These are not.  The tunes are catchy and fun to listen to.  It's a great way to help your children learn classic Bible songs and put scripture/Bible truths in their heart.  Highly recommend!


title: Five Stars

text: This is a wonderful soundtrack! I had been looking for it for years! Thank you! :)


title: great

text: All Good and Can their be a bad Johnny Cash album? I enjoy them all. A Good collection of Johnny Cash


title: great LP

text: I have many Ernie Ford records of His country music and gospel and this is a great LP!  He has a great voice and good songs!


title: good

text: I enjoy the gospel music of the Oak Ridge Boys and there harmony what a a blessing from the Lord is this tape. God Bless you


title: Great!

text: Since I love hearing his voice I was not disappointed with the value here.


Heard Dave sing and play at my moms funeral what a wonderful ministry he had. Would like this one on cd!


title: Good quality

text: The video was in good condition and delivered on time.


title: Amazing worship albums.

text: These are amazing worship albums done by the creator of Mercyme. The recording quality is amazing as well as the the musicianship. Your foot starts tapping and you really get into the music.


title: WAYYYYY overpriced

text: Good album though


One of the coolest story's for kids ever. I want this on cd!! If you have a record player and want to present the gospel to your kids: put Jesus first, and Others second, and put Yourself at the end of the line and you will find true joy in your life, true J.O.Y.!


title: movie

text: great movie


title: Great Kenny Loggins Album

text: Not like there are any bad ones, but I like many of his more recent albums better than his older ones. Children's music is an evident passion for Kenny Loggins, though he doesn't perform them live on tour, perhaps because so many are covers. Buy this album, it is just as well made as his others. I have no idea why it took me so many years to even know this one existed.


title: Awakening by J Evancho.

text: I really love this voice. It was an easy transfer from some of C-Churches albums/songs. My only reservation is that she seems to have coppied many of Churches songs. Still if you didn't know she was so young, you'd swear the voice was that of a much older person. I've tried to collect all of here albums, especially the Christmas ones.


title: Five Stars

text: Great music !!!


title: Seemed to be a hit

text: I gave this CD to my brother and his wife as a Christmas present. She is from Glasgow and especially liked the first song, which mentions many of Glasgow's features. The words to all of the songs are included in the CD case, which is a nice touch. I already owned this CD, having purchased it when I saw Alex Beaton in person at the Highland Games in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina many years ago. It is one of my favorite albums. If you enjoy Scottish folk music, you will like this album.


title: Want to return it

text: I requested a slip for return. When I opened up the package he stated that he only worked on the six certain DVD player I didn't want to fool with that.


title: Amazing!

text: I especially like LAST GREAT KIDS OF THE 20th CENTURY, and MR SCHWINN.


title: extremely unsusual music...

text: I bought this cd a few years ago and I lost it during a move.  I just rebought it recently.  It is a very unusual mix of progressive rock with a concept album feel.  It sounds as if an advanced alien civilization had contacted the ancient egyptians and had somehow created this music together (yes, it is that unusual!).  I love it, and it will probably appeal to those who enjoy listening to semi-experimental, Alan Parsons's-like, Kraut-rocky type of music.


title: Five Stars

text: Interesting.


title: So Fun!

text: I love this soundtrack from one of my favorite movies! My 3 year old loves it too. He sings and dances to it in the bath tub!


title: Good, but not the same

text: My wife and I saw Le Reve a few weeks ago and thought the show was amazing. I ordered this shortly after seeing the show and it arrived in good condition. The music is good, but it's not all the same music as in the current version of the show. I had heard the show was re-choreographed periodically, but I didn't know the music was changed. This DC is  from an earlier incarnation of Le Reve, so it was a little dissappointing.


title: Five Stars

text: great cd of uncle lar and lil tommy, fast delivery


title: This is Linda Gail Lewis at her absolute finest! All of the essential Smash/Mercury cuts from 1968 ...

text: This is Linda Gail Lewis at her absolute finest! All of the essential Smash/Mercury cuts from 1968 - 1974 plus a few earlier singles and two unreleased tunes. Only the Bear Family would put the love and care into assembling a 30 track anthology like this. This is the one to buy if you never buy another. In my opinion one of the 100 essential cds that should be in your collection. By all means buy it!


title: Beautiful if forceful Jazz performance.

text: Rough recording but still enjoyable and it is music with abandonment.


title: Five Stars

text: music for a friend


title: Easially as good as American Gothic

text: without question this album is the equal (minimum) of his typically much more lauded American Gothic. this might be one of the if not THE greatest, most under recognized album in the history of pop music. Wikipedia, references Elvis Costello mentioning two of Ackles's albums as "among his "500 Greatest Albums Ever," They didn't say which but knowing his catalog af well as I do, it was THIS and American Gothic. This and American Gothic should be released one last time as a two-fer. Really he deserves a full boat box but since his first 3 were on Electra and this one was Columbia that's probably not even possible. The real CRIME here is this one isn't even available as MP3's. I thank GOD my vinyl copy is in perfect shape!!


title: NOT  THE  SAME

text:
This "euro-boot" is posing as a re/alternate release of the out of print original, "Back It Up! Live... An Authorized Bootleg", But the price is just slightly more than half that of the original, and sadly with good reason. It's cut. Like this album wasn't short enough to freaking begin with! If you want the WHOLE THING DON'T BUY THIS ONE!! Pony up for the other one.

Track One: almost a full minute shorter. Supposed to be a 2 song medley, "Take You To The Movies" is stripped off. This alone is reason to pass on this one. But it gets worse,
Track 4 also a minute shorter than the same track on the original.
Track 5 goes against the grain, oddly, being about 40 seconds LONGER (?)SO with these two perhaps some form of "robbing peter to pay paul" is going on here. But we're not done !
Track 7 is shorter by a full 2 minutes.
0 reviews should have been a red light for me.....
1 star only here. 4 stars off for the hatchet-job.


title: GREAT FIND!!!!!!

text: WON'T OPEN THIS COLLECTOR'S PIECE A GREAT FIND ON AMAZON VERY HAPPY!!!!!!


title: Clann, drumma, bagpipe, drum

text: GREAT music. I LOVE this group. I have 3 of their CDs and have seen them perform in person at a highland festival. They are so primal ... gives me the goosebumps.


title: Didn't Dig It

text:
I first heard Wayne Escoffery on Monty Alexander's super 2019 disc, "Wareika Hill", a reggae reimagining of tunes by the inimitable Thelonious Monk.  Escoffery was great on that album, so I looked into checking out one of his discs as a leader, but hesitated because I didn't recognize the tunes on most of them.

This disc, veneration, seemed like a better bet, as it only features one original by Escoffery.  The rest are described on the liner notes as under-recorded gems, or some similar wording.  That was a clue, but I didn't realize it at the time.  The tunes are under-recorded for the simple reason that they are not very memorable.  This disc did nothing to make them so.

Further, the disc was recorded in 2007, when Escoffery was a long way from the robust, self-assured player I heard on "Wareika Hill".  If that disc is any indication, then Escoffery has really grown into himself.

I like Escoffery's playing, but I don't like it on this disc, which to me is ordinary at best.  It's already gone to Goodwill, where hopefully it will find a home with someone who likes it more than I did.


title: I am Stunned by This Album!

text:
I've listened to jazz all my life, and am disenchanted enough with what's going on with jazz in the United States that I now almost exclusively listen to dead guys along with ten or twelve who are still alive.  One of these is Swedish pianist Jan Lundgren.

My first experience with Lundgren was through his fluent interpretations of bebop, both as a leader and a sideman with Scott Hamilton and Harry Allen.  He's at the top of his game.  Then I read a reference in liner notes to his work with other European musicians, which led to some wonderful CDs and more liner notes referring to Jan Johansson.  I got Johansson's disc, Jazz Pa Svenska, and had one of those revelatory moments as a listener - my entire world was rocked by that one album!

This live concert album is Lundgren's tribute to Johansson, but it is by no means a pale imitation any more than, say, Barry Harris playing "'Round Midnight" was simply an imitation of Monk.  Lundgren puts his own stamp on Johannson's music, and the end result is the spiritual presence of Johansson in the wonderful notes laid down by Lundgren.

This album is stunning.  This album is thrilling.  At least to me.  I am so glad liner notes from actual CDs led me to it.  Would never have happened if I listened on a streaming service.

As with all my CD reviews, this is not at all objective, but reflects my taste and listening experience.


title: Music to Think By, or Just to Enjoy

text:
Jan Lundgren is well known among American jazz listeners as a fluent, bop-influenced pianist whose style is both economical and graceful.  He's recorded a number of albums either in the States or as a sideman with American horn players such as Scott Hamilton and Harry Allen.  Presently in his mid-fifties, in my view he is in his prime.

"Flowers of Sendai" displays Lundgren as part of a trio, with Mattias Svensson on bass, and Zoltan Csorsz, Jr., on drums.  Both are top-drawer and complement each other and Lundgren perfectly.  The tunes on this album are pretty much all taken at a medium-slow tempo, with one or two being outright ballads.  This, for me, makes listening to this album a somewhat contemplative experience.  Further, with the exception of Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life", the tunes are written by European composers, including Lundgren, and are unfamiliar to me.  This, for me, is also a plus.  I've got albums of Lundgren playing tunes from the bebop canon at L.A.'s late, lamented Jazz Bakery, and I know he's the real deal as a jazzman.  For me he's got nothing to prove, so I was free to just open my ears and listen to this album, which I think is a delight.

As for Sendai, it is a city in Japan.  Possibly its flowers meant something to Lundgren, as both the album and a song on it are "The Flowers of Sendai".

As with all my CD reviews, I make no attempt at objectivity, but review based on my taste and listening experience.


title: Sublime!

text:
This disc is going to wind up being one of my favorites in a pretty large CD collection.  Solo guitar from a master player at the top of his game, Jimmy Ponder's "Alone" is easily and readily comparable to Ron Affif's "Solotude", another solo guitar gem.

I've been listening to jazz, in clubs and on records and CDs, for almost fifty years, and for my listening taste, this disc is damn near as good as they come.


title: When They Were "On", There Was Nobody Better

text:
I've been listening to jazz all my life, and got hipped to Rare Silk in 1983 when this album came out.  I was living in Washington, DC, and fell in love with the song, "New York Afternoon", as I desperately wanted to move to New York.  Rare Silk came to Blues Alley, and I remember going to see them at least once, maybe twice.  This group really had it.  Their articulation was crystal clear, their dynamic range was incredible, their singing was joyful, and with this album they had clearly hit the big time and were going places.  And they did go places for a little while.

But the market for jazz in the eighties wasn't what it had been before.  The great "dumbing down" of the collective audience had already begun, and Rare Silk was simply too good to survive.  But man, when they were in the groove, I can't think of anyone better, except perhaps Singers Unlimited, who I believe were an influence on Rare Silk.

Highlights of the album for me are "New York Afternoon", "Red Clay", "Sugar", and "D.C. Farewell".

Sorry they didn't last longer, but they were a gas while they were around.  I'm so glad I got to see them at Blues Alley.


title: What a Monumental Waste of Talent

text:
"Bombastic" is not a word I would normally associate with Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess", but it's the word that came to my mind about four bars into the opening cut, "Summertime".  I then immediately recalled the advice dispensed by Lester Young to jazz musicians when playing ballads:  Know and understand the lyrics.  Only then can you improvise inside the song.  "Summertime" on this album is a runaway train, a real barn burner, and in my view totally loses the jazz soul of this wonderful opera.

What else can I say?  For me, none of it gets better, and all of it makes me wish this wonderful music had been rearranged by someone more attuned to it, such as Ellington and/or Strayhorn.

Sure, there's some pretty playing, but not nearly enough to make up for the overbearing arrangements.  Bill Evans at piano has virtually nothing to do, and for me, the "Jazz Soul of Porgy and Bess" is nowhere to be heard.  I'd have given it one star, but added a second just because of the wonderful musicians on the band.

This review is not at all objective but is based on my taste and listening experience.


title: A Bit Overwrought For My Taste

text:
Certain songs "get" me, and I spend a lot of time trying to find recordings of them that, for me, are definitive.  One of those songs is "Blackberry Winter", by Alec Wilder, with lyrics by Loonis McGlohon.  It's a simple, sad song about lost love, and its very simplicity sets a trap for anyone who sings it.  Ms. Kole, in my view, falls into the trap.  She takes a "small" song, and tries to turn it into a big one.  The result is, for me, very overwrought for my taste, and the pure simplicity of the song is lost.

The search continues.

The rest of the disc is pleasant enough, but I'm sixty-six, and "pleasant enough" doesn't stay on my shelves.  This one's off to the used record store.  Someone who fully appreciates this disc should have it.


title: By the Sea, By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea - Well Done Versions of Pieces About the Sea

text:
"The result of a merger in 1979 of the Norfolk Symphony, Peninsula Symphony, and Virginia Beach Pops Orchestra, the present-day Virginia Symphony is an excellent ensemble of 77 players over which Maestra Falletta has been music director for the past decade. On the evidence of this and other recordings in the series, they are a superb ensemble. Very satisfying playing, and unhackneyed repertoire, too."

The quote above is the entire review of this disc on the Minnesota Public Radio website.  I very much concur.  The pieces are almost all among my favorites, and are well played and conducted.  While the versions are not quite the best available, I very much enjoy having them all on the same disc.  This one will spend a lot of time in my CD player.

This review is not objective, but is based on my taste and listening experience.


title: Four Stars From Me

text:
Lately I've found myself listening to a lot of my old Stanley Turrentine stuff and filling in my gaps with his music by adding what I've been missing.  I came upon this album kind of by accident, and it sounded like something I had to have.  While I'm not sorry I bought it, I'm not as taken with it as some of the other reviewers.  Albums like this are tricky, as each tenor man was trying to pay homage to Turrentine while also keeping his own individuality.  To my ears, some succeeded better than others; those are Houston Person on "La Place Street", Mike Lee on "Pieces of Dreams", Don Braden on "Don't Mess With Mr. T", Jimmy Heath on "In a Sentimental Mood", and Steve Slagle on "Side Steppin'".  They all, for me, hit that perfect sweet spot in which Stanley Turrentine's spirit was invoked, but through interpretation rather than imitation.

To my ears, the least successful tunes were "Impressions", by Chris Potter, "Gibraltar", by Bob Mintzer, and "Sugar" by Javon Jackson.  Both "Impressions" and "Gibraltar" were taken at a faster tempo than usually played by Turrentine, and the tributists' soloes suffered by comparison.  "Impressions" would have been infinitely more interesting played a bit slower, and Gibraltar, for all the speed, never took off.  "Sugar", for some reason, was played as a waltz, heaven alone knows why.

The other tunes:  "Salt Song", and "Side Steppin'", were okay, but didn't make an impression beyond that.  As for the backing band, Stryker was always relaxed and in command, while the organ was too prominent and the drums too busy for my taste.  And that's all this review it - my taste, formed by my listening experience, and in this case by my memories of the times I saw Stanley Turrentine play in person.  The last time I had that good fortune was at a music festival in San Diego sometime back in the early to mid-nineties.

That man blew a heavenly horn.


title: Walton At His Best With A Band That Can't Be Beat!

text:
For my money, this is the best CD featuring the tunes of the late, great jazz pianist, Cedar Walton.  The disc revisits nine of Walton's compositions written over a 35-year period, and the band that plays it is top-notch.  On the band you've got:  Walton on piano; Ron Carter on bass; Lewis Nash on drums; a background horn section consisting of Don Sickler,Bobby Porcelli, Willie Williams, Scott Whitfield, and Gary Smulyan; and Ray Mantilla on percussion.  Spread out on the different tunes are Joshua Redman on Tenor Sax; Terence Blanchard on trumpet; and Mark Whitfield on guitar.

The tunes and featured soloists are as follows:  Bolivia and Ojos De Roja - Joshua Redman; When Love Is Now and I'll Let You Know - Terence Blanchard; Mode For Joe, Blue Monterey, and Fantasy In D - Mark Whitfield.  All three lay out on Fiesta Espanol, and Redman and Blanchard return for Firm Roots, which concludes the set.  Walton is featured on all the numbers.

This disc swings amazingly, and features my favorite version of "Mode for Joe".  It's the most lyrical of all the versions I've heard.  Whitfield's solo is a joy, and Walton's is even more so to my ears.  I've got God knows how many Jazz CDs in my collection, and if I could only take ten with me to a desert island, this would be one of them.

I see there is only one copy available, and it's selling for about $61.00.  That's a lot of money, but if I lost my copy I'd be ordering it right about now.

This review is not at all objective, but reflects my taste and listening experience.


title: If You Love English String Music, This Disc is a "Must Have"

text:
The following is from Jim Sveda's "Insider's Guide to Classical Music".  The pieces referred to in the first sentence are Elgar's "Introduction and Allegro" and "Serenade for Strings."

"The small (seventeen members) London Chamber Orchestra performs both works with phenomenal precision under Christopher Warren-Green.  Yet in addition to the near-perfect execution, the performances are bustling with Elgarian energy: the 'devil of a fugue' in the 'Allegro' is tossed off with a supremely insolent swagger, while the opening theme of the 'Serenade' is amiability itself.  With equally inspired accounts of Vaughan Williams's 'Lark Ascending', 'Greensleeves', and 'Tallis Fantasia', this is a recording that no lover of English string music can afford to be without."

I'm one of those lovers of English string music that Sveda was talking about, and I agree whole-heartedly.  Whatever other CDs I have to shed in the coming years, this one is going nowhere.  I rank it right up there with Barbirolli's disc of English string music.  I can give this one no higher praise.


title: Wonderful Silvestri

text: Not only a wonderfully conducted Scheherazade, the recording itself is extremely well done.  It seems to me that I can hear much more of the orchestra than in other versions.  This is one of two recordings I have by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the other being VW's London Symphony.  Both are terrific, and I highly recommend them.


title: Contemporary and Extraordinary

text:
For my ears, the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band was as good as any in the world, but their approach to the music gave them a versatility and appeal that other top-flight competition pipe bands simply did not have.  This album takes off for a number of reasons.

First, their then-pipe major, Bill Livingstone, wrote terrific tunes, and his compositions make up a healthy percentage of the music.  Some sound very traditional, like the three hornpipes that make up the first set.  Another, entitled "Craig Colquhoun", takes piping in a very different direction by being in the 5/4 time signature, and also by being accompanied by keyboards and featuring an alto sax solo.  The result is not "New Age" at all (Thank God.), but contemporary, with tangible swing.  The final piece, "Seskinore/Omagh", commemorates one of the worst of Northern Ireland's many atrocities, and is heartbreaking.

There is also a two-tune small pipes set, as well as a couple of medleys and a March, Strathspey, Reel set.  The CD concludes with a pair of traditional polkas.  On all selections the musicianship is superb.  The recording quality is also top-notch, whith wonderful clarity.

This was my favorite pipe band, and this is my favorite of their albums.


title: great music

text: Brought back many warm and fuzzy memories from that time. Good gracious you could even understand the words and dance to it without looking like a escapeee from the home.


title: NOT her best songs...

text:
This disc only contains 2 famous songs, among which is "Bambino", but the rest are French covers of English disco songs, which were popular in her day, but that no one remembers any more...

Boring old songs, uninspired selection - this CD is a BIG LETDOWN for Dalida fans, I don't recommend it...


title: Different, but not better…

text:
This release is far weaker than her previous ones... The lyrics are befuddled and so are the rhythms & Vanesa Martin introduced some rather commercial sounding choruses – as if you were listening to One Republic, but in Spanish rather than English...

Or this is simply NOT her style... She accustomed us to simpler notes and more intimate lyrics – themes drawn from everyday life, that anyone could understand and relate to. Unfortunately, I couldn't relate to any of the songs on this album... When one needs a PHD in philosophy to simply grasp what the artist is singing about, that's not music anymore, it's cockiness !

I own all of Vanesa Martin's previous albums & enjoy them very much, but this one has been a HUGE LETDOWN for me and in good conscience I couldn't recommend it to anyone... Vanesa Martin is an artist worth discovering, but don’t start by this album, which might prove more of a repellent than an incentive to delight in her sensibility & insight…


title: Touching

text:
This is a beautiful album by Pablo Lopez, more mature and more poised than his first one. The stories are touching and even aching - I can never listen to "Mi casa" without tears in my eyes...

The special edition also includes the duet with Georgina, "Te espero aqui", which is really nice :-)

I would recommend this album to any music lover – provided, of course, enough familiarity with Spanish in order to appreciate the subtlety of the lyrics –, you will not be disappointed by it !


title: Boooooring...

text: Kind of boring, all songs sound alike, although Pablo does have a soothing voice...


title: HISTORIC album meant to LAST !

text:
This is an excellent album, Buika's soulful vocals enhanced by the genuine piano playing of Cuban virtuoso Chucho Valdés. The atmosphere is emotionally charged and intimate, particularly since this was recorded in Havana, in a long but fruitful 11-straight-hour sprint!

Buika is truly a phenomenal talent, mixing with skill and taste different music styles and bringing to light the influences of her childhood in Palma de Mallorca (Spain's biggest Balearic Island), in what can be resumed as Afro-flamenco jazz.

This album is a MUST HAVE for any music lover, regardless of his origin or language, since EMOTION IS UNIVERSAL :-)


title: 50 Shades of Gloomy

text: This album is BORING, all songs sound alike, and the lyrics are childish... Pablo opted for a more contemporary sound, but I preferred his old fashion, it seemed more authentic... This disc sounds commercial from start to finish, nothing stands out, it's like a long, gray elegy... Puts you right to sleep!


title: DEGENERATE opera for DEGENERATE audiences !

text:
This is by far the stupidest and ugliest opera that I have ever listened to & I've been going to the Opera for years... The story is incomprehensible, the music subtle to the point of inaudibility and the libretto - totally GROTESQUE! The medieval-modern mix - either in the plot itself or in the sets or the costumes - makes NO SENSE whatsoever and proves utterly inefficient, since we don't even know what the opera is about...

How could anybody in his right mind give this wiling, creepy, condescending piece of CRAP more than one star (even that is too high a score!) is beyond my understanding : not only the protagonists are vilely removed from plausibility (which straight husband would reject his wife's advances on the pretext of their being puerile?!), but women are presented as solely sensual creatures, whose purpose in life is to ensnarl even angels...

This opera's plot is a distasteful rewrite of the biblical story of Adam & Eve, with the ostensible pretension of empowering women by supporting the view that sexuality is divine & the driving force behind all that's good in the world... Now, that's a feeble message :  what about LOVE (which surpasses sexual desire, in my humble opinion), morality, loyalty, pity, compassion for the weak, the helpless, the unfortunate? I don't remember having heard Agnes revolt against the violence her wealthy husband is inflicting upon the serfs on his fiefdom... All she cares about is the "love" story written on her skin by her lover's caress... That's the petty role model Mr. Crimp pretends to raise to mythological heights as a postmodern hero!...

The frantic reception of this more than undeserving (please forgive the euphemism!) opera is the ultimate proof that we live in a society lacking both moral and aesthetic standards, a society that relishes and feeds on paradox :  all the "blinded" progressists that were dazed into equating this appalling Agnes with XXI st century’s Wonder Woman should be reminded that there is more to women that lust & more to opera that George Benjamin, who shamefully discredits it...


title: CLASSIC album!

text: This is a CLASSIC Latin album, it's fun & upbeat and Thalia has a stunning voice!!! Her videos, as well, are pure works of art - get a glimpse of them if you can, Thalia is a fiery dancer! :-)


title: DOWNFALL

text: This is an international-appealing release, but the songs lack both flavor & rhythm... The duet with India Martinez is nice, because she has an outstanding voice, but the overall album is boring and uninspired... His previous work is better.


title: Fondness for formless

text:
I agree with several of the comments already posted about this album: Buika's voice is as beautiful as ever, but the rhythms on this disc are chaotic and way too intricate, you can't relate to any of the songs...

Besides, I'm personally not a fan of her French & English versions, which fail to capture her intimate authenticity, being rather commercial attempts at reaching an international audience... Or one cannot be truly genuine while trying to satisfy every public's taste, difficulty which reflects in this album's ramble and lack of cohesion...

Lastly, Buika seems to grant an aesthetic quality to mumbling, like on the song titled "Don't Explain", which is totally beyond me... I sense an overall deterioration in the quality of her songs, I hope she can recover from this inexplicable fondness for formless compositions and delight us with some of the more traditional songs, displaying an articulate subject and a discernible cadence...


title: Very nice tunes

text: Beautiful music by two great musicians. Especially liked "Paris Nights" which I learned by ear on my mandolin.


title: Grandkids got them in our yearly treasure Hunt!

text: They are exactly what I expected! They are the weight and feel of real coins. Grand kids live it!


Excellent


title: Great Value - No product issues

text: Nice Package with liner notes and lyric sheets


title: Guy & Ralna Give one peace in the songs they sing

text: My wife is a huge fan of Guy and Ralna. She has many CDs by them. This CD will bring you joy and I highly recommend it. These two people can sing songs in a way to bring joy to your heart.


title: Grupo Niche- Con Cuerdas 1987

text:
1. Perder Para Amar
2.  Bendita Seas
3.  Un Caso Social
4.  Me Huele A Matrimonio
5. Pa’ Que Esa Negra Caiga
6. La Trampa
7. Pa’ Mi Negra Un Son
8. Ese Día


title: It’s worth getting and how loves  Christmas it’s worth getting and it’s the best Christmas  cd

text: I love my Jackson 5  Christmas cd it came write on time and  it works super good. And I love of the guys wish you happy holidays or marry Christmas the Jackson are my favorite bad all times so if you love the Jackson 5! Christmas or if you have  some home likes the Jackson you should get  the Christmas cd and how ever love Christmas it’s is a good  Christmas cd.  And it will put you in a good mood


title: great gospel music

text: my friend at work ask me to find this cd for her & she said it was the best cd she had listen to


title: MCDONALDS  DID  GOOD

text: AS  YOU  ALL  KNOW  THIS  CD  WAS  ONLY  SOLD  AT  MCDONALDS.  I  WORKED  THERE  AT  THE  TIME  IT  WAS  RELEASED.  WE  SOLD  SO  MANY  I  WAS  NEVER  ABLE  TO  GET  ONE.  NOW  THAT  I  FINALLY  HAVE  ONE  I  LOVE  IT.  THE  REMIXES  MAKE  FOR  A  COOL  PARTY  CD.  JUST  GET  IT  NO  WORRIES.


title: Happy to have found this album

text: This recording is a wonderful reminder of the original Haven of Rest quartet.  I especially like the track "Haven of Rest" which is performed exactly as the old opening theme was performed at the beginning of each radio broadcast with the boat whistle and the 8 bells as played on their WurliTzer theatre organ.  This LP is a wonderful addition to my vinyl collection.


title: Rolled the dice and bought this used LP and came up a winner!!!

text: This album is long out of print and is not available either on new vinyl or on CD.  I rolled the dice and bought this used copy.  I needed this LP to get one particular track to be played at my Mom's memorial service.  Buying used vinyl is always buying a pig-in-a-poke but this LP had absolutely NO surface noise.  I couldn't be more pleased with my purchase.


title: Love it!

text: Great album by a great artist.


title: Like new used LP

text: Buying used vinyl is always a crap shoot.  I couldn't be happier with my purchase of this LP.  This rare album recorded by an obscure artist arrived in pristine like new condition.  The LP is completely devoid of surface noise.  I am thrilled.


title: I particularly like this album because it is just Baxter playing alone ...

text: I have been a lifelong fan of Eddie Baxter.  I particularly like this album because it is just Baxter playing alone without the addition of a drummer and a bass man as is the case with most of his albums.  The disc arrived in pretty miserable condition but it cleaned up very nicely with my disc washing system.  There is a little more surface noise than I like to find but it is still a listenable record.


title: An Incredably Emotional Experience

text:
I listened to this multi-channel SACD in 5.0 surround sound. BIS does not use the .1 LFE channel, so no sub-woofer was used. I used a volume setting of -16db on my Denon AVR-3805 receiver, Denon DVD-3910 SACD player and my 5 speakers that are rated at overall 90db efficiency. This setting for me achieved live performance volume based on my live concert attendances in the seats behind the orchestra at Symphony Center in Chicago.

I was first struck by the Sao Paulo Hall's warm and rich sound character. In fact, from this recording I can tell it is one of the most acoustically perfect halls in the world. It's similar in sound to the Boston Symphonic Hall and the Musikverein in Vienna. The reverberation from Sao Paulo Hall (Sala São Paulo) is just about perfect at about 2 to 3 seconds which for me adds so much to the large space image and big emotions of this recording. These works by Respighi are among my most favorite and I have many recordings of them; Ozawa with BSO (CD), Tortelier with the Philharmonia (CD), De Waart with San Francisco(CD), Dutoit with Montreal(CD), Reiner with Chicago (SACD), and Que with Minnesota (HDCD). All have their strengths and weaknesses, but, the brass sound of this recording blends so beautifully together it is the most gorgeous, realistic and dark bronzy sounding I've heard on any SACD or CD. And when the building and climax came along on the Appian Way, my entire body was literally shaking and heaving from the incredibly inspiring emotion that this recording and performance stirred in my soul and tears started to flow from the overwhelming experience. I really wonder if they actually used original buccines (ancient trumpets) called for in the score as I've never heard the brass of Festivals and Pines sound this earthy before! The buccines are usually represented by modern flugelhorns and saxhorns. During the Pines of Rome and Festivals the brass come to you from the front AND rear channels which makes wonderful use of the multi-channel SACD format! Also, the trumpets did not hurt my ears even at loud volumes, like some of the other recordings do. Overall the recording has that you-are-there realism that SACD is famous for. John Neschling, the conductor, keeps a tight rein and controls the entire orchestra as if it were one. The natural sounding and elegant beauty of the quite passages in all three works is breathtaking. In fact, the musicianship of the orchestra is one of the best of all the recordings I have. For instance Dutoit's horns fumble slightly in places. Que's brass has a slight misstep during the finally of Pines. I could not find any fault in the Sao Paulo brass. Also, the performances from the winds of the Sao Paulo Symphony are superb and the strings sound lush. If I had to find a fault, it's with the recording engineer, the bass drum at the very end of the Appian Way could have used a little more impact as well as more volume for the 32' organ pedal notes during the Catacombs and the 32' pedal thumps depicting the ground trembling under the army's feet marching along the Appian Way. (Does the Sao Paulo Hall even have a 32' pipe? I researched this on the internet and could not even find out if the Sao Paulo Hall has a pipe organ in it at all.) It's really too bad that BIS has decided as a rule not to use the LFE .1 channel because here it could have been used to GREAT effect! But don't make too much of this criticism, the climaxes still make an incredable impact. In fact the finally of Pines is the best of all the recordings I have. If this doesn't win the Grammy than nothing should! Thank you BIS!

(FYI - I totally disagree with the reviewer who says that this is overrated and the recording has a "too-distant perspective". He probably did not turn the volume up high enough. This recording requires you to turn the volume control up 6db to 10db higher than you normally would for most other recordings to get a "live" volume level.)


title: A Fiasco!

text: Please, leave opera to the professionals! I like Andrea Bocelli, but his voice does not sound good doing opera. The control, emotion and strength needed just are not there. The final scene is a perfect example of how unconvincing Bocelli is when he realizes Mimi has died, he sounds as if he just lost his pet cat not the love of his life. It's surprising because Botecelli himself talks about how important and emotional this opera is and that it has been a dream for him to perform, but he just does not deliver. Barbara Frittoli gives an OK performance of Mimi and Eva Mei a good Musetta and Mario Luperi a good Colline. Paolo Gavanelli as Marcello has an uneven vibrato. His voice sounds tired and his pitch goes flat at the end of phases. There is even a blatant wrong note from the brass section in the first act which the editors should have caught. The recording favors the singers and the orchestra sounds like background music instead of an integral part of the work except during forte passages.<br />Overall, it's a fiasco! I just could not warm up to any of these characters and FEEL this opera the way it should be felt, with great emotion. If you want to hear this opera the way it should be done get Bjorling and Beechem (EMI #67753 ASIN: B000063UM0 ) or the Domingo and Solti recording (RCA #39496 ASIN: B000009NIW ).


title: tracks

text:
1 He Was,He is forevermore
2 While Ages Roll
3 That "Jesus Loves me" Feeling
4 The Apple Tree Stroy
5 Through it All
6 He's more than just a swearword
7 It's called love
8 Let's all go down to the River
9 Potter's Field
10 I'd reather be an Old time Christian

This is old music before the days of Cd's the kingsmen placed some of the older music on some Cd's. I knew this when I bought it and I am happy with it but some people may want newer sounding music


title: Five Stars

text: Beautifully produced, beautifully played, I can't seem to take these CDs out of the CD player in my car!


title: Time for the e-book and an update

text: Too much useful info is hidden because of the outdated format.  Add a workbook feature to spread your message with the recipes.


title: Fabulous Sounds From Zenith

text: I just found this set today in a local resale shop, missing record # 4.  Iam thrilled to have found it and have been enjoying the albums for the past few hours.  Records I bought are in excellent condition, as are their individual heavy duty covers.  The box the set came in has some wear, so I was surprised at the quality of those inside.<br />The songs are very much the "Collector's Best", in my opinion, but of course subject to individual choice.  The Stereo quality is great as produced by Capitol Records.  Record # 4  is entitled "The Best of THE EASY SOUNDS -- IN A MELLOW MOOD", with songs I will miss having unless I run across it someday.  I am very satisified to have the 4 that I do.


title: Discover Algorithms

text: I gave this as a gift to break the Ice in a relationship. Then I realized I didn't know how to solve it myself. So I search on How To solve it and Discovered ALGORITHMS! As you give you receive! Since then I've been discovering and teaching Algorithms I find in The Standard of All Truth. Metaphors Elevate your understanding. Algorithms will do just that. cheers to the cube.


title: Love it

text: Love it, look forward to purchase volume 1


title: Happy with my purchase

text: Listen to it all the time.


title: hauntingly beautiful

text: This film score plays with haunting variations of the jazz classic "Gloomy Sunday" (which really was associated with some suicides) around which the movie was built, although the history of the actual song is somewhat different from the film version.  The score holds up well as a stand alone CD but is better in the context of the movie, which is excellent.


title: As good as it gets

text: A relaxing, worshipful experience. The used CD copy I purchased was in very good shape and plays well.


title: The other customer review IS NOT ABOUT THIS ALBUM

text:
I own this album and it is excellent, but the other review IS NOT ABOUT THIS ALBUM, and the track list provided in that review is not the track list for this album.

The same material has been re-released as disc 3 of Ultimate Handel and is available on Amazon [[ASIN:B000PDZAUM Ultimate Handel [Box Set]]] or mp3 download [[ASIN:B00161277Q Ultimate Handel]]. See those listings for the content of this album.


title: Great selection

text: CD includes most of the band's best work.


title: A master piece!

text: Marco Rosano's Stabat Mater by Andreas Scholl is the best work I've heard from Andreas in years. His voice is perfectly mastered and mature. It sounds like an Angel. I highly recommend for fine classical music listeners.


title: Loved it!

text: My husband is a Pink Floyd superfan, he loved it, said it is his new favorite.


title: It is not in sealed and came with damage

text: This CD is not in a sealed package, and it is damaged. Seems like it is a used one with scratches instead of brand new one


title: Garth Brooks is the best!

text: Have been WAITING for a Garth Brooks cd, shouldn’t have waited this long. But soo happy I finally got one!


title: Five Stars

text: Love all the music on the CDs!


title: Most of my favorite songs

text: I watched a video with most of Alan Jackson’s hits. I hadn’t heard many of them but had to check his DVD’S on Amazon and was able to purchase these two with the songs I wanted.


title: wonderful music

text: The music and singing on this album reminds of when I was growing up and we had family gatherings.  All the relatives would sing Italian songs and my uncle would play his mandolin.


title: My Son, a Christmas lullaby

text:
It is so wonderful to read that someone heard and loved "My Son." I wrote that song many years ago.

Pat and I sang in high school choir and Madrigals together and have stayed in touch these many years. I shared "My Son" with her during one visit, and when she asked me several years later for permission to record it for an album, I was honored to oblige.

I was scheduled to sing a Christmas service and wanted a song from Mary's perspective. When I couldn't find the song that spoke to me as I imagined Mary, I wrote this song. I've sung it many Christmases, and each Christmas I think about how the song should be out in the world more and enjoyed.

More than a Christmas song, "My Son" is my prayer for my children (my son's birthday is Christmas), it's what I think Mary's lullaby would be to her baby, and what I think every parent hopes for their children: to teach them only love, to help them to become the holy one. To know that they are good, to trust in the world.

As parents, we can be painfully aware that the world can be a terrifying place. We don't bring our children here to teach them fear, yet sometimes it seems as though that's how many of us protect our children. Even though the world can be a fearful place, it's our job to love them no matter what and send them out into the world with courage. Send them forward with love. Not fearful of the world. Knowing that nothing can really hurt the true nature of who we are, which is spiritual beings on a material plane.

The album is beautiful and thoughtful, and filled with love. Thank you, Pat!


title: Five Stars

text: great! Great!!!!<br />Slow delivery, but still great music!!!


title: good

text: some crackle but good


title: gift for teenage grandaughter shes happy

text: granddaughter loves the item she happy so were happy


title: A great Tattoo of the 1990s

text:
The 1998 Tattoo was one of the most exciting of the 1990s. Most of the Scottish Regiments' pipe bands that now make up 'The Royal Regiment of Scotland' are here, along with bands from Ireland and New Zealand. Guests include pipe bands from Dunedin & Invercargill, New Zealand, to celebrate the founding of those cities 150 years ago. Also included was a guest appearance from the Central Band of the Russian Navy, playing a great rendition of 'Kalinka'.

Well worth picking up for fans! Get this one!


title: One of the better Tattoos in recent years

text:
The 2009 Edinburgh Tattoo is one of the more interesting Tattoos in recent years. Other reviewers have pointed out the recent history of the Tattoo's trending towards non-military performers such as dance groups, which is true to an extent. The 2009 Tattoo focused on U.K army bands and pipes and drums, such as the Royal Regiment of Scotland Band, Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders and the Royal Air Force Pipes and Drums. Guests included a Chinese Dance Troop, the Military Band of Tonga, and the Top Secret Drum Corps of Switzerland (making their 3rd appearance at the Tattoo), as well as the Swiss Army Central Band. This year also marked the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns' birth, so what would a Scotland-based event like this be without a tribute to a man who is arguably Scotland's greatest literary giant? Also featured this year were the massed bands of the Royal Air Force.

This is a great recording, worth picking up for fans. Highly recommended.


title: Good collection of classical (and other) masterpieces by the Welsh Guards Band

text: This collection by the Welsh Guards Band is, as its title suggests, a great collection of pieces anyone might expect to hear in concert. It includes classics by Rimsky-Korsakov ('Dance of the Tumblers' from 'Snow Maiden' & 'Procession of the Nobles'), Joseph Haydn ('Finale' from 'Concerto for Trumpet'), Puccini ('Nessun Dorma' from 'Turandot'), Mozart ('Marriage of Figaro' Overture), and Beethoven ('Adagio Cantabile' from 'Pathetique'). Also included are regimental marches ('Men of Harlech'), music from films ('Summon the Heroes' from 'Saving Pvt. Ryan'), jazz/swing ('In the Miller Mood') and the masterpiece 'Jupiter; The Bringer of Jollity' from 'The Planets'. A collection suitable for both classical & military band fans. Worth picking up.


title: A great collection of the Grenadier Guards' regimental music

text: The Grenadier Guards Band is one of the premier bands of the British Army, and this CD proves that they still retain that status. This one is a collection of mostly regimental marches & bugle calls, but it includes some marches by J.P. Sousa - an American - whose music is not usually associated with British bands. Included here are the classic Sousa marches 'King Cotton' and ' Liberty Bell'. Most of the other selections are classic British marches such as 'The Duke of York's and 'British Grenadiers'; 'Guards Patrol' is a collection of the slow & quick marches of all 5 Guards Division Bands. 'Toy Grenadier' is a lively, descriptive piece that might be suitable for toy soldiers. This is a worthy collection for anyone fond of this band or military bands. Well worth it.


title: A great premiere for the Royal Adjutant General's Corps Band

text:
The Royal Adjutant General's Corps Band was formed in the early 1990s under the British Army's 'Options for Change' that saw the tragic passing or renaming of many staff/regimental bands. In this case, the Band was formed from the ashes of the now-disbanded Women's Royal Army Corps Band. The Band takes on some challenging music occasionally heard from other bands, such as 'Symphonic Marches of John Williams' which I had heard from both the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards & the Australian Army Band. 'Grand March: The Spirit of Pageantry' was a prize-winner for composer Percy Fletcher. This was another one I had heard performed by the Coldstream Guards on a recording made back in 1985. Corps marches for the branches that make up the AGC are included here; namely, 'Imperial Echoes', 'Gaudemus Igitur', 'Scales of Justice', and 'Greensleeves'. 'Echoes of an Era' is a compilation of well-known Beatles melodies. 'Molly on the Shore' is a composition by English composer Percy Grainger that I had never heard performed by a military band, and boy - do these guys do it well! I had last heard it played by a symphony orchestra with a lead by legendary flute player James Galway, and thought nobody could make it sound like that. Boy, was I wrong!

Some lighter melodies also make it into the recording; 'When You Wish Upon A Star' from the Walt Disney classic 'Pinocchio' is featured here. 'Broadway Show Stoppers' is a lively collection of melodies from Broadway musicals.

This is a great collection; I believe it is the band's first recording under its new name. I was lucky to be able to score a new copy from another site as it is becoming harder to find. Well worth getting.


title: AT LAST! The soundtrack for 'Cujo' is here!

text:
In 1983, Stephen King's novel 'Cujo', about a Saint Bernard dog who turns bad after being bitten by a rabid bat, hit the big screen. After more than 30 years, the soundtrack by Charles Bernstein is at last available - and what a soundtrack it is!

Charles Bernstein is no stranger to writing horror movie scores; prior to 'Cujo', he had composed the score for 'The Entity', and following 'Cujo' he would compose the frightening score for Wes Craven's classic 'Nightmare on Elm Street'. Both those scores relied on synthesizers & electric guitar (in the case of 'The Entity'); 'Cujo' is entirely different. It relies largely on an orchestral score like most soundtracks; this score is alternately light-hearted ('Main Title'), as we are introduced to Cujo himself and then the horrible incident which sets him on the dark path; chilling ('Cujo kills Gary'), and somber ('End Title'). Possibly the most exciting tracks are 'Cujo Attacks Car', which had a biting, sharp tempo using low brass & percussion punctuated by woodwinds as Cujo violently slams himself against the Pinto's door, trying to get it open; also, 'Cujo Kills Camber', which uses drumsticks to create a motif similar to a ticking bomb, almost a metaphor of what seems to be going on in Cujo's head during that scene (he had cornered his owner's dad, Joe Camber, in the garage & was about to attack him). A number of alternate cues are also presented here, particularly for the attack sequence when the dog comes after Donna (Dee Wallace Stone of 'E.T.'), and 3 cues for ''Cujo on Hood'. This is a relatively short recording at about 47 minutes, but it is well worth getting for fans of this film or composer. Thank you Intrada for releasing this one! Highly recommended.


title: Can't go wrong with H.M. Scots Guards

text: HM Scots Guards - the 3rd regiment of the Guards Division - are one of the premier bands in the British Army today. While this recording goes back all the way to 1996, I believe, it still shows the band's great talent with Scottish melodies. Traditional Scottish tunes like 'The Wee MacGregor' and 'Loch Lomond' will be familiar to most listeners. 'Tam O'Shanter' is an overture based on a prominent figure of Robert Burns' writing. 'Swing of the Kilt' is a lively Scottish march that incorporates traditional tunes such as 'Highland Laddie' & 'Blue Bells of Scotland' into it. 'Four Scottish Dances' is the longest track on the recording at over 10 minutes; it introduces Scottish dance melodies at varied tempos. 'Land of the Mountain & Flood' is an overture based on a famous writing. This is the Regimental Band at its finest.


title: Great bluesy/Jazz-type soundtrack for 1993's 'The Firm'

text:
The soundtrack for 1993's John Grisham thriller 'The Firm', which starred Tom Cruise as a young idealistic law school graduate who is tricked into working for a small Memphis law firm that is involved in the criminal enterprises of a Chicago crime family, or Mafia, is a bit unusual for a soundtrack both of its time and even now. Dave Grusin's score is largely piano-based and has a jazz/bluesy feel that runs through most of the film. In places, it seems like it would be almost as well suited to have the film set in New Orleans! Having said that, it's a great score that follows the action closely. The tracks are presented in chronological order, which will please most soundtrack buffs. The first CD is the full, expanded soundtrack with a substantial number of missing cues left off the original soundtrack release. In fact, most of the first CD is the complete score, as the first release only had a limited number of tracks from the score. The 2nd CD is the original release with the songs, plus a few bonus tracks. Having recently regained my interest in this movie (the last time I saw it was way back in 1993, when it was released in theaters) and hearing the soundtrack again, I decided to pick this one up. I was not disappointed.

This one is well worth grabbing before it's gone (or becomes astronomically high!).


title: A great recording of the 2015 Tattoo

text: I was lucky enough to see the 2015 Edinburgh Tattoo live, in August of this year. This recording is a live recording made during 1 of the earlier performances. This year's theme for the Tattoo was 'East meets West', featuring a number of musicians from China and dancers from both India and China, as well as the United States & Canada. The opening fanfare is, appropriately, 'East meets West', and depicts a distinct Chinese theme blended into the melody. Next comes the most exciting part; the massed Pipes & Drums featuring Scotland's own pipe bands; The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, The Black Watch, The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons & Cameronians), and Royal Air Force Pipes & Drums. Also performing with them were the Brigade of Gurkhas, RCMP Pipes & Drums from Canada, Citadel Military Academy Pipes & Drums from South Carolina, U.S.A., Auckland Police Pipe Band from New Zealand, Crossed Swords Pipe Band, and others. A fiddle group from the Shetland islands joins with the Royal Regiment of Scotland Military Band next, followed by the People's Liberation Army Band from China and the Changxing Lotus Dragon Dance troop. This is followed by the Citadel Military Academy Band & Pipes from the U.S.A, playing such well-known melodies as 'Killaloe', 'El Capitan', 'Somewhere over the Rainbow', 'Hound Dog' and even 'Shake It Off' by Taylor Swift! Switzerland's Top Secret Drums Corps makes another appearance and last, but not least, comes the massed bands of the Royal Air Force in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. The Grand Finale brings out all the show's performers in a massive display of music before the traditional march out of 'Scotland the Brave', 'We're No 'Awa to Bide 'Awa', and 'Black Bear'. Anyone who is familiar with the great experience that is the Tattoo will want to pick this up.


title: At last, the score for the last 'Jaws' film!

text: The last 'Jaws' film is considered by many to be the weakest of the franchise. There are some reasonable grounds to agree with that sentiment, but soundtrack is not one of them. Michael Small does a very capable job in composing a score that succeeds on its own, but also carries, in several tracks, John Williams' classic, 2-toned theme of the shark. This is most notable in the 2 opening tracks, 'Main Title', and 'Sean Attacked',  but also in the frightening 'Banana Boat' track, when the huge shark comes at Thea's banana boat from the rear, then attacks and kills a woman sitting on the boat's rear as the woman yanks Thea out of reach of the shark. Small attempts to create his own themes for the characters & events while also blending Williams' original theme. This score stands up well on its own. Despite the film's poor box office take and reviews, the score is still worth picking up. Get it while it's available!


title: A short soundtrack, but worth picking up

text:
'The Presidio' was a little-remembered but underrated film about the murder of a military policewoman on the the grounds of San Francisco's Presidio. It starred Sean Connery as Lt.-Col Alan Caldwell and Mark Harmon as S.F. Police Inspector Jay Austin, the 2 men investigating the murder for both the U.S. Army and the San Francisco Police. As a well-paced action film it required a fitting score, the task of which fell to Bruce Broughton.

Broughton had previously done some work for TV, notably the old 1980s TV series 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'. He would later go on to score Hyams' 1992 comedy 'Stay Tuned'. The score for 'The Presidio' is an effective action score, making good use of brass & percussion in tracks such as 'Car Chase', 'Chinatown Chase/The Car' - during which 1 of the men Austin suspects of the murder is spotted in Chinatown and then struck by a car. The 'Warehouse Fight' - the longest track at 9 minutes - is a bellicose piece mainly using brass, strings & percussion as Austin & Caldwell close in on the men responsible and Caldwell's friend (Jack Warden) is killed by the fleeing hoods. A romantic theme is heard in 'Donna & Jay', as Austin romances Caldwell's daughter Donna (Meg Ryan), who, we are led to believe, Austin has always had an attraction to.

This CD is a short one at just over 45 minutes, but it does include some alternate versions of some of the tracks including the Main Title. This is worth picking up for anyone familiar with this film or Broughton's music.


title: Stirring collection of regal-based music from this Household Cavalry Band

text:
The Life Guards are one of two regiments that form the British Army's 'Household Cavalry', the other being the 'Blues and Royals'. These bands have produced some of the British Army's finest recordings and are usually part of major royal occasions such as Trooping the Color, weddings, and coronations. This CD carries some of the music most often played at those occasions.

'Crown Imperial', a coronation march written by Sir William Walton for the coronation of the current monarch, Elizabeth II, has been recorded by several other military bands including the Coldstream Guards, Grenadier Guards & Royal Air Force. 'Here's a Health Unto Her Majesty' is a melody often heard in British military circles. 'Jerusalem' is a very well-known hymn by Sir Hubert Parry that has been played by other military bands, and was heard in the 1981 film 'Chariots of Fire', performed by the Ambrosia Singers. 'Orb & Sceptre' is another coronation march written for the current Queen; it gets its name from the magnificent Crown Jewels used in the coronation and which now have a regular home at the Tower of London's Jewel House. 'Rule Brittania' is a very famous melody that asserts the country's devotion to freedom; 'I Vow to Thee, My Country' is also a very well-known melody - it's the 'Jupiter' movement of Gustav Holst's 'The Planets', which was re-arranged by that composer in 1921 to a poem by a diplomat named Cecil Spring Rice. The 'Imperial March' presented here is one written by Sir Edward Elgar for Queen Victoria in 1897, to celebrate that monarch's Diamond Jubilee. 'Land of Hope & Glory' is another one of Elgar's famous compositions, set to the melody of 'Pomp & Circumstance March #1', with which it shares the melody.

This is a fine collection of music for royal occasions; it truly is a 'Royal Salute'!


title: Excellent collection of music for the series' 1st season

text:
As with 'Battlestar Galactica', Intrada has released the TV scores for this classic late 70's TV series. I remember this series with great affection, having watched it regularly on Sunday nights as I was growing up. This 3-disc set contains the complete scores from season 1 of the series, including episodes such as 'Planet of the Slave Girls', which starred Jack Palance as the sinister Kaleel, a psychopathic cult leader trying to take over the world after poisoning its food supply; 'Return of the Fighting 69th', which starred the late Peter Graves as a pilot with unfinished business; and 'Space Rockers', about a rock group whose music is being exploited by a psychopathic promoter to cause riots & general mayhem. These scores, while written by different composers (Johnny Harris, Stu Phillips, Richard LaSalle, and Les Baxter [who scored 'House of Usher', also released by Intrada]), include themes for the characters, notably Twiki's 'mechanical' oboe theme, but also great action music appropriate for the episodes.

Extensive liner notes are also included here, along with a more detailed track listing. It also mentions an upcoming release of the music for Season 2, which I am very excited about. Get this one before it becomes unavailable (or astronomically priced)!


title: At last, Horner's soundtrack for 'Patriot Games' gets the release it deserves

text:
In 1992, when Harrison Ford graced the screen in his first appearance as Tom Clancy's CIA man Jack Ryan in 'Patriot Games', opposite Anne Archer, Patrick Bergin, Richard Harris & Sean Bean, James Horner ('Titanic', 'Aliens', 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan') created a score for the film that was heavily Celtic-oriented, which was certainly appropriate to the film because the main villains, of course, were a renegade splinter faction of the Irish Republican Army. Horner relies heavily on traditional Celtic instruments, including tin whistles and the bodhran, especially in the 'Main Title', 'Assault on Ryan's House', and 'Closing Credits'. This last track alternates between that tin whistle motif that represented the enemy and the military-style drum rolls, which quite possibly refer to Ryan's former background as a USMC lieutenant.

For the record, this is the FULL score; nothing obvious is missing here. The original score released at the time was very limited in nature, quite possibly due to doubts about the continued viability of soundtracks which had gone as far back as the mid-1980's. This 2-CD set presents Horner's score in chronological order, the way they appeared in the film. Prominent unreleased tracks include 'Kevin Walks Away'/'Deadly Lover'/'Sean's Trial'/'Sean Obsessing in Jail', which detailed Kevin O'Donnell's and his girlfriend Annette's murder of IRA Brigade Commander Jimmy O'Reardon, who had opposed O'Donnell's murderous attempt on Lord Holmes, as well as Sean's outburst at Ryan in court and his silent obsession to exact revenge on Ryan and his family. Also included are several incidental music cues, including the 'Washington Post March', heard as one of the bands of the Guards Division is seen marching to Buckingham Palace; 'Whelan's Jig', which is heard in the pub during the meeting between O'Donnell, Annette & O'Reardon before the latter is shot in the head by Annette; also available is Clannad's 'Harry's Game', heard as O'Donnell watches TV in his home as O'Reardon's hit men stealthily try to sneak up on him (this one had been available on the original release).

It's about time that Horner's fantastic score for this film finally got the release it deserves. Get this one while it's still somewhat reasonably priced; it has a limited edition of about 3000 copies.