title: Who's riding motorcycle?

text:
******** First, this third Japanese album (Love and Peace) released on 11 Dec 2013 comes in four versions:

1) CD only [[ASIN:B00G6MV3KC Love & Peace]]
2) Limited CD+DVD [[ASIN:B00G6MV3IE Love & Peace (CD + DVD)]]
3) Limited CD+Blu-ray [[ASIN:B00G6MV3KM Love & Peace (+Blu-ray + Booklet) (Digi-Pak)]]
4) Limited CD+Bluray+Goods (went out of print a full month before the release date) [[ASIN:B00G541OQO Love & Peace (CD + Blu-ray)]]

All versions have the same CD, "2" and "3" have the same videos (as well as the same album cover), but "4" has different videos and different album cover. And "1" has a unique album cover as well. Since these are Japanese disks, the blu-rays will play fine in US-region players, the DVD's will not.

To hear samples of all 12 tracks, go to bottom of this page and click on "Japan" (this takes you to Amazon.co.jp), then search B00G6MV3KC.

******** Track List

01 Gossip Girls
02 Motorcycle
03 Flyers
04 Galaxy Supernova
05 Love & Girls
06 Beep Beep
07 My oh My
08 Lips
09 Do The Catwalk
10 Karma Butterfly
11 Lingua Franca
12 Everyday Love

DVD/Blu-ray

01 BEEP BEEP
02 LOVE&GIRLS
03 LOVE&GIRLS Dance ver
04 GALAXY SUPERNOVA
05 GALAXY SUPERNOVA Dance ver.
06 My oh My

Deluxe Blu-ray

01 BEEP BEEP
02 LOVE&GIRLS
03 GALAXY SUPERNOVA
04 My oh My
05 Making of GALAXY SUPERNOVA
06 Making of My oh My
07 Japan 3rd ALBUM photo shooting

******** Review

I'm just now listening for the first time, so can't say too much yet. But it's not techno/clubby like [[ASIN:B009K8JVLM Girls' Generation Ii Girls & Peace(cd+dvd) [Cd+dvd, Limited Edition]]] (which I still love a year later).

[Update two days later] I definitely love this album. I like every song. It is again different than their previous albums, you can search Amazon.co.jp for "B00G6MV3KC" to get a page with samples. There aren't any real slow quiet songs like the 3 Girls and Peace had, except maybe the final two songs, but they're not that quiet. I really don't know genres but the music is definitely different, and very good. The first track "Gossip Girls" is very fast and the music makes me think of Gogol Bordello. I love "Motorcycle", I have no idea how to describe it. "Flyers" sounds like it could be the main song in a Disney movie. I really like it though it does sound like it could be in a Disney movie. "Lips", especially the beginning, makes me think of a tiki bar. I'll stop now.

I really like the "My Oh My" video and song, and the "Love and Girls" Bluray videos (on the non extra-deluxe bluray) look significantly better than the DVD/youtube.

All in all I love this album and am looking forward to ten more awesome albums from Girls' Generation. Maybe another Korean album on January first? And another TTS album would be fantastic. The music keeps changing, good variety, but what it all has in common is their voices. Love it.[/Update]

******** Rant

I had two of the deluxe Blu-rays in my Amazon.co.jp shopping cart back in early November. Before I finished checking out, they sold out. I checked once or twice a day for a month, they never came back. Hopefully the marketplace price will come down, right now they're $166, about $100 more than what I would have paid for one if I had checked out two minutes earlier. [Update Dec 26: just got one from Amazon.co.jp marketplace for $115 + $20 shipping. What a bargain.[/Update]

[Update Jan 25 2014: You can now get it for around $95 plus $20 shipping on Amazon.co.jp. And here it has dropped to $125 plus $3.99 shipping. My guess is it will go down to $100 here.[/Update]

******** PS

If you pre-order from Amazon.co.jp, you should get things on the release date. They ship them the afternoon before the release date (Tokyo time). I get my SNSD/AKB48 about 36 hours later, which is the afternoon of the release day (Eastern time).


title: Best version

text:
There are 7 versions of this single. The one pictured above (with 7 girls in a pool with floating flowers) is the <Type B> Limited Edition. It comes in mini-lp format (the case is cardboard, and the disks slide into the case the way a 12" lp slides into an album cover. And it's high quality Japanese cardboard.

I think Type B is the best version. Unique to the <Type B> version are videos of "Romance Kenjuu", "Haste and Waste", and a b+w flipbook for the 1830m song "First Rabbit". I wrote a more extensive review here: [[ASIN:B00C1G2AZO Akb48 - Sayonara Crawl (CD+DVD) (Type 2) [Japan CD] KIZM -215]].

You may someday be a Rina Kawaei fan, in which case you must get this <Type B> version (for the "Haste and Waste" video).
But if you are a Yuko Oshima, Tomomi Itano, or Jurina Matsui fan, you must get <Type K>, which is what the link goes to.

Update: They're coming out with a 6-disc collection of music videos in September. There's just 16 girls on the cover, and Rina Kawaei is one of them!!!!!


title: Still going strong

text:
Probably the best review you'll find is here: [[ASIN:B008Z1E3AY Akb48 - Uza (Type K)]], but I'll add a little here:

The title track is a high energy techno dance track that I keep listening to three times in a row. Love it. The other songs are good too, and more like their other work. There are multiple package versions of this single, make sure you get one with a DVD with "Season" on it. It features multiple takes of girls doing skill shots, including one girl throwing a shoe onto another's foot - got it on take 34, girl throwing tennis ball to turn off faucet - got it on take 387, girl throwing hat blindly over divider onto other girl's head - got it on take 1, and many others, including a 16 girl basketball free throw - still hadn't got it after 178 takes.

Update Nov 2 2014: I still love UZA (it was in fact the first song I put on my Galaxy Tab AKB48 playlist a few weeks ago.)

The girls on the limited type K cover are (along with their 2014 election rank)
Top: Haruna Kojima (8), Rena Matsui (5), Yuki Kashiwagi (3), Mariko Shinoda (grad)
Bottom: Tomomi Itano (grad), Mayu Watanabe (1), Minami Takahashi (9)

I continue to watch the "Tsugi no Season" video weekly if not daily. It is easily one of my top 5 AKB48 videos.
From memory I can tell you all 16 girls along with all(?) of the skill shots. Here goes:

Rina Kawaei: hat,coat toss onto hangers
Anna Iriyama: milk bottle into pail
Rena Kato: keys toss onto wall hanger
Karen Iwata + Maria Nagao: bag toss into bike basket
Nana Yamada: pen toss into pencil cup
Juri Takahashi: newspaper into box

Yuria Kizaki + Kanon Kimoto: backhand lipstick toss into makeup bag
Ryoka Oshima: tennis ball toss to turn off faucet
Haruka Kodama: backwards key toss onto small door hanger
Tomu Muto: ball toss to turn on light switch
Miyu Takeuchi: Oven mitt toss onto hanger
Rena Kato + Miori Ichikawa: marshmallow into Ichi's mouth

Kanon Kimoto + Manatsu Mukaida: Cushions onto chair
Karen Iwata: stairs kick into basket
Yuka Tano + Anna Iriyama: jacket drop onto Yuka's arms
Miyu Takeuchi + Maria Nagao: ice cube into orange juice
Juri Takahashi + Karen Iwata: tennis ball to mirror, lipstick
Tomu Muto + Ryoka Oshima: blind hat toss onto Ryoka's head
Kanon Kimoto + Manatsu Mukaida + Yuria Kizaki: chair and table

Miori Ichikawa + Rena Kato: tennis ball toss to close container
Rina Kawaei + Haruka Kodama + Ryoka Oshima: book toss into bag

Just checked and I missed Juri Takahashi slipper toss onto Anna Iriyama's foot, and Nana Yamada umbrella toss, and a few are out of order, but hey, not bad.


title: I love this group (but I'm still holding SNSD as number 1, except for the Stones)

text:
The music is very happy and upbeat, a lot of places where it seems it would slow down or pause it just keeps going. You can check out samples on the mp3 page here: [[ASIN:B003WA592E Kamikyokutachi]], though for some reason Baby Baby Baby isn't on the mp3 album.

I got mine from maru-music's ebay page, which is a US version at a US price. It's apparently the same as the Japanese version. Yesasia has the Japanese Version for $40.25

About the DVD: You get CHOREOGRAPHY versions of River, Ogoe Diamond, and liwake Maybe. They are nothing like the youtube story MVs. They are 15 or 20 girls dancing in a white room, and you have a choice of 4 different camera angles. I guess to get the story MV's you have to buy the single for each song, or (hopefully) [[ASIN:B00524BUNU AKB48 The Best Music Video [Japan Import]]], which comes in DVD, Bluray, standard and deluxe box versions. Or download decent versions from Youtube.

Track List:

01 - River
02 - Baby! Baby! Baby! Baby!
03 - Ogoe Diamond
04 - Kimi to Niji to Taiyo to
05 - Shonichi
06 - 10-nen zakura
07 - Tobenai Ageha Chou
08 - Namida Surprise
09 - Choose me!
10 - Enkyori Poster
11 - Iiwake Maybe
12 - Hikoukigumo
13 - Majisuka Rock n' Roll
14 - Sakura no Shiori
15 - Jibun Rashisa
16 - Kimi no koto ga Sukidakara

You can find lyrics in English for a lot of the songs at kiwi-musume dot com. The lyrics to River and Sakura no Shiori (Cherry Blossom bookmark) are very good, and the lyrics to Ogoe Diamond and Namida Surprise are good too, as are their videos on youtube. I haven't read any others except Baby Baby Baby (extremely enjoyable adult bubblegum) and the Vegetable Sisters song from a different CD but so far I like everything, which is unusual when it comes to me and pop music.


title: I'm just your biggest fan

text:
The Japanese version of Genie is arguably their best song, though they have a lot of other very good songs including Gee, Hoot, Beautiful Stranger, Top Secret, Oscar, Trick, Oh, Iceboy, My Child, Into the New World, Paparazzi, ...........

If you're looking for Genie (in Japanese), your best bet is [[ASIN:B0075ANZHS Girls Generation]] ,which comes in standard jewel case, more expensive dvd case, and even more expensive box.

If you're looking to collect, I would first check with the seller to make sure they're selling the 14x19cm cardboard digipak case, and that it says "Made In Japan" on the obi. Some were made in Korea, and some were made in Taiwan, and there's a cd/dvd version that comes in a regular plastic jewel case as well. The Japanese cardboard is worth the most.


title: YES!

text: This is my FAVORITE group! Being from Cleveland, this album is extra sweet! I can't believe I was able to get it! I'm a very happy camper!


title: Five Stars

text: Good album


title: Five Stars

text: Very good album


title: Still Available

text:
As of this writing (11/2006), this tasty item is STILL available as an add-on to the THUD CD from Amazon. I just got mine yesterday.

Don't succumb to these crooks that claim that it is "LONG OOP" and "Very Rare".

It is a shame that it is not extremely rare after 10+ years, but it isn't...yet.

Anyway, instead of paying the "scalpers" $40+ for an EP, just order THUD from Amazon. Even if you don't get the EP (which you probably will), THUD itself is a fantastic CD.


title: Crash Moderns Rocked

text: The Crash Moderns were a fun band to go see live as much as listening to electronically.  Have been a fan of the singer for a long time.  He's in a new band called The Mylars.


title: INACCURATE PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

text:
This bad review is nothing against the actual music, because I loved this CD. I'm more annoyed by the fact that the title and the description of this product says it's limited edition and includes 2 bonus tracks. That's primarily the reason I bought the CD, because I was interested in the bonus tracks. However, the first time I received the CD, it was the regular edition. I requested a replacement and even contacted them to make sure it was the limited edition that was actually sent back to me... It wasn't. It was the same regular edition, which was obviously disappointing.

However, if you're not interested in the bonus tracks then go for this CD bc it's awesome. It's just not the proper description.


title: Five Stars

text: I got it!


title: Five Stars

text: Add it to my collection


title: Five Stars

text: Awesome.


title: First-rate Performances

text: The Washington Winds never disappoint.  I bought this so that I would have good demos available for my students but, like volumes 1 and 2, I find myself listening to it for pleasure!


title: Awesome Aussies Rock Big Time

text: After the breakup of Unitopia in 2014, Aussie keyboard wizard Sean Timms formed this quintet.  Some have denigrated them as “Unitopia-lite,” but I think they’re better.  “Civilization” is their second album, released in 2018. Quite a bit edgier and more diverse than Timms’ previous band, these guys have it all: inventive, memorable songs, chops to burn, and a plethora of guest musicians on horns, fiddles; you name it.  Of particular interest is lead singer Danny Lopresto, obviously a veteran of the Australian music scene whose incredible voice is both weathered and flexible beyond belief.  Some may be put off by the idea of an album that clocks in at over 60 minutes and contains only four songs, but none of it is padded or boring.  The opening track, “Goliath’s Moon,” sounds like a theme song for a sci-fi anime series (that’s a compliment; I love sci-fi anime).  The album’s centerpiece, “Crossroads,” appears to be an extended meditation on mankind’s journey to know God (Get it? CROSS-roads?) All in all, this is a wonderful disc that it’s no exaggeration to call musical nourishment.


title: One of the best pianists alive today

text:
I have a few CDs of the Rachmaninoff PC3, by pianists including Garrick Ohlsson and Rachmaninoff himself. Sgouros's is my favorite interpretation BY FAR. The energy, technical virtuosity, and sheer soul that he brings to this music is just stunning.

Two months before he died, Arthur Rubinstein said of Sqouros "I thank God for keeping me alive so that I would be able to hear with my own ears Sgouros play. He is the best pianist I have ever heard, including myself"

If you like Rachmaninoff, you should hear this recording.


title: Flawless

text:
This cd is great, a must have, if you already own any one of the Samurai Champloo soundtracks or dig the songs from the show. Its a great blend of hiphop, mixed with jazz, and a dash of soul to calm the warrior within. Its great for..

1. Thinking

2. Chilling with your buds or your gf (or bf lol)

3. Driving

4. Being one with the earth ( or sunflowers if you watch the show)

 Pick this album up today!


title: Five Stars

text: Love it, It came in perfect condition.


title: Almost perfect

text: Poster and book was damaged. Everything else was ok.


title: Definitely recommended.

text: Yet another outstanding album from Russell Donnellon.  Improvisational neoclassical and modern themes.  I have bought all his CDs.  He is one the finest guitarists I have heard.


title: Excellent performance.

text: I have reviewed his other album, Soliloquy, and have the same opinion of this one: he's a true virtuoso.  Some passages are wistful but hopeful.


title: Just like it says--two for one

text: Sound great.


title: No photocard

text: No photocard included with my copy, but I suppose that's my own fault for not reading closely enough.


title: Few bands can blend consistency with variability like Vulfpeck, every track sounds unique and yet screams ...

text: Jazzy, funky, soulful goodness.  Few bands can blend consistency with variability like Vulfpeck, every track sounds unique and yet screams VULFPECK!


title: A Superb Talent

text: I met Joyce in 1958, in Hoboken, New Jersey. She was extraordinarily talented singer, and was equally charming. I saw her again in 1971, in San Juan, Puerto Rico and she remembered me and invited me to see her perform at the San Geronimo Hotel nightclub. This recording is a small sample of this gifted vocalist. Her talent far exceeded many of the big names over the past fifty years.


title: Great comeback

text: Yolanda Rivera was riding the crest of success in the seventies and gradually fell off the grid. Her comeback recording is very well made and has great support with fine musicians.


title: Good listening

text: This is a recording with some very good arrangements. Some cuts are better than others, but is worth listening and dancing to.


title: Godd nostalgia

text: The sound of Spirit In The Sky is nostalgic to many baby boomers, but it also has a great sound that appeals to the newer generations. The guitar twang effects are a one of a kind sound.


title: Awful Egotistical drunken brawl recorded and given a ECM "Looking" Cover

text:
Arild Andersen is a very deservedly world wide known jazz musician who for many years worked very hard at earning a spin on the player, But those days being way behind him, he now glides on a name, bangs his instrument had expects adoration.

This album was the result of a free "Bar Get Together" in which folks asked if it was recorded, which spawned the idea of doing a remake of the chance meeting Being on the third time they met, they recorded "Tales Of Hackney"
Which is a dam fitting name cause it is hacked together.
Despite what many would have you believe, most real music takes a lot of effort after an original explosion of creativity.
Not even one of those two elements ever occurred here.
For me the real issue is artist personal integrity and responsibility, of the nine songs here, (and please Arild remember it is songs people want) I may keep one, maybe. The rest of the album is just too darn off the top of everyone's head.
Compared to what this guy used to do, I think he just does not even care any more.


title: CAUTION

text: This could be a Jazz Door PC. I can get it to play once in a while but when I do I have to contend with Joe's gruffy tone by 1994. The overall sound quality is OK. Sheki Mseleku plays acoustic piano. The tunes are Take The A Train - Recorda Me - Beatrice and Blue Bossa.


title: LIVE  SEXTET

text: Yeah, I like it. The first 2 tracks that is. There's the 12 min. title track. Then a 11 min. version of So What. Tenor, Trumpet, Alto, Piano all sound good. Then on the 20 min. last track, Get Magic Again, things change. The alto sax becomes a soprano sax, the piano becomes an electric piano and the music becomes decidedly avant garde. I don't know if they play like that all the way through. I didn't last very long. And now my CD player won't play my Jazz Door copy of it. Don't worry I don't think Amazon sells Jazz Door PCs.


title: Excellent

text: Nothing little Muddy Waters songs on a 3 CD set.


title: but not great as a lot of those old FM live broadcasts ...

text: Old radio broadcasts from the mid to late 70's and a couple of interviews with Bon Scott!!  The recordings are decent, but not great as a lot of those old FM live broadcasts were.but the performances are really great and include some tunes that don't turn up on many other live AC/DC releases.  3 cd's offered for cheap!  Get it!


title: Raw Pop!

text: Stripped down and raw, more straightforward, energetic, pop punk with tony the tiger great melodies.  This record did not appeal to too many Westerners due to it's Japanese vocals. That's their loss as there are great songs and hooks here, but many people seem to miss this because the songs are not sung in English.  This is a wonderful pop rock record, raw and underproduced compared to their American major label recordings, but still full of world class melodies and hooks, get it today, for a better tomorrow!


title: RELAXING

text: I got this cd at The Dollar Tree, and I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT!!! This is so relaxing. Washes away the stress.


title: Compact but big!!!

text: This is the best music from a Heartland rocker.


title: great southern gospel quartet

text: great new songs and classics


title: Stunningly beautiful recording of English sacred music of the Tudor period

text:
The Tudor Choir's CD, "O Splendor Gloriae," is a stunningly beautiful recording that will greatly appeal to anyone interested in sacred music of the English Tudor period. The Choir, based in Seattle and under the direction of Doug Fullington, has nineteen singers: 6 sopranos, 5 altos, 4 tenors, and 4 basses. They sing this gorgeous music about as beautifully as anyone could wish.

Two versions of "Libera nos, salva nos" by early 16th Century composer John Sheppard serve as bookends for music by three eminent composers of the English renaissance period: John Taverner (c1490-1545), Thomas Tallis (c1505-85), and William Byrd (c1540-1623). There are four pieces by each of these musicians on the CD. Their musical styles, while having similarities, evolve over time.

Little is known about Taverner's life beyond the fact that he was organist and master of the choirs at Christ Church, Oxford, for five years. Nearly all of his compositions that we know of today were composed during that interval. An interesting aspect of his music on this CD is that each piece ends on a dominant major chord (for example, tonic e-minor ending on b-major). "Dum transisset Sabbatum" is an antiphonal work, with three chanted introits answered by choral "alleluias." The piece which gives the CD its name features solos and duets as well as extended choral passages.

Tallis served as the head musician of the Chapel Royal for four consecutive English monarchs, from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I. Though he remained a Catholic, he, like his student and successor Byrd, was protected by the Protestant rulers because of his musical capabilities, and he adjusted his style to suit the tastes of each monarch. His musical style is more inventive than that of Taverner. In places, use of unusual harmonization and quickly shifting keys resembles the music of Gesualdo (unknown to Tallis). Listen to the opening of "Susipe quaeso," where in relatively few bars the music modulated through a half-dozen keys.

Byrd was closely associated with Tallis, and they published a joint collection of sacred works under the auspices of Queen Elizabeth. Byrd's music reflects the influence of Tallis but sounds more structured and less polyphonic overall. His well-known "Ave verum corpus" is included on this recording. Byrd was a convert to Catholicism but served Elizabeth and James I in composing music for Protestant services as well as several Catholic masses.

In summary, this is one of the best recordings of brilliant a cappella singing that I know of. The Tudor Singers perform flawlessly and with feeling for music of this period. The Latin words are clearly pronounced, for the most part. The CD comes with a pamphlet that describes the musical selections and gives the Latin verses with English translation. This is a recording not to miss!


title: Excellent performances of Bach's Musical Offering and Canons

text:
Bach composed his Musical Offering for King Frederick II of Prussia in 1747. Most of the Offering is based on a theme that Frederick provided during Bach's visit at Potsdam. Frederick, having heard from his kapellmeister and Bach's son, C.P.E. Bach, about "Old Bach's" prodigious improvisational ability, asked Bach to improvise a three-part fugue on the theme, which Bach did on the spot. Not satisfied, Frederick then asked for a six-part fugue on the same theme. Bach, having never written a six-part fugue, said that he would have to compose one and send it to the king at a later time.

Frederick himself was an amateur musician who played the flute and violin and to some extent the keyboard. He didn't actually care much for Baroque contrapuntal music, preferring instead the "galant" style then coming into vogue. He had acquired about a dozen new fortepianos (forerunners to modern pianos) and had Bach try them out. Supposedly Bach improvised the three-part fugue on one of these fortepianos. Bach reportedly was impressed with their sound compared to that of harpsichords.

Bach composed a six-part fugue on the theme (which he called a "Ricercar," an old term), but he also composed and sent to the King much more: a three-part Ricercar perhaps similar to the one that he improvised, a set of elaborate canons on Frederick's theme, and a four movement sonata for flute, violin, and keyboard continuo also based, somewhat more loosely, on the theme. Bach sent this Musical Offering to the king, but it's doubtful that Frederick ever performed or even heard any of this music, since by the time the manuscript arrived in Potsdam, Frederick was off on one of his many campaigns of conquest.

The canons feature all the musical permutations possible with a theme treated canonically. There are lags at differing intervals, different pitches, the theme inverted, the theme played backward against itself ("crab canon"), fast against slow, stretching and compression, and a "perpetual" canon that rises by half a step with each playing. Bach makes all this sound very musical, sometimes by adding harmonized accompaniment.

With the exception of the sonata and one of the canons, Bach did not indicate the performing instrument(s), but it's likely that he meant the canons and fugues to be played on a keyboard. In this recording by Michael Behringer, et al., performance diversity is introduced with use of strings for some of the canons as well as fortepiano and harpsichord. The three-part Ricercar is played by Behringer on fortepiano and the six-part Ricercar on harpsichord.

This CD also includes a set of 14 short canons based on the ground bass of the theme used for the Goldberg Variations. Again, these feature the full panoply of canonical features. Finally, there are several additional short canons perhaps written as musical exercises for his sons. The first of these is an eight-part canon on a very simple melody, where forward, backward, upside-down, etc., are all combined in one canon.

The four musicians: Behringer, Gottfried von der Goltz (violin/viola), Karl Kaiser (flute), and Ekkehard Weber (viol da gamba) apparently were an ad hoc group formed for this recording, but they play together very well and are given excellent sound reproduction. They are all fluent in Baroque playing style and use period instruments. The recording was made in 1999, and this Musical Heritage Society CD was issued in 2001.

This CD will greatly appeal to those who admire Bach's contrapuntal art and wish both to enjoy it and to have a better grasp of its musical complexity. The music requires careful listening to identify what's happening in the canons, and having a musical score would be useful. This music is definitely not for the casual listener, but if you appreciate the fine contrapuntal art of Bach as I do, you will want this CD. Unfortunately, this MHS release has become something of a rarity today and commands a high price. (I bought my second-hand copy about a year ago for $3.00 and consider myself lucky to have found it.)


title: Gorgeous Tchaikovsky chamber works superbly performed.

text:
Music buffs who know Tchaikovsky only through his orchestral music will be surprised to learn that he also composed some very fine chamber works, four of which are performed by the Franz Schubert Quartett on this 2-CD set issued by the Musical Heritage Society.

Of the three string quartets, only the first one is regularly played. The other two are hardly ever performed, but they contain much fine music and deserve to be much better known. The Quartet No. 1 in D dates from 1871 and is recognizably influenced by Schubert. The second movement, andante cantabile, is based in part on a folk tune, and it is often heard by itself in an arrangement for string orchestra. It's one of Tchaikovsky's most memorable tunes.

The Quartet No. 2 in F dates from 1874 and is a more serious work despite its major key. It also is surprisingly contrapuntal for Tchaikovsky, with fugal sections in the developments of the two outer movements. After a delightful mixed beat scherzo, the third movement andante, in a minor key, is more personal and heartfelt in a way that we associate with Tchaikovsky.

The Quartet in E-flat Minor was composed in 1876 as a tribute to fellow musician Ferdinand Laub, who had died the previous year. It begins with a lengthy slow introduction that reappears in an abbreviated form at the end of the first movement and is also briefly suggested just before the work concludes. But the heart of this quartet is the third movement andante funebre e doloroso in memory to Laub. Throughout this beautiful quartet, there are occasional musical phrases that bring to mind the Fourth Symphony, composed a year or so later.

The Souvenir de Florence, written in 1890 for string sextet and revised in 1892, is better known. Tchaikovsky started composing it while on a visit to Florence, Italy, hence the name. But unlike the Capriccio Italien, it doesn't contain any obvious Italian folk melodies. Written in Tchaikovsky's late style, it's a more overtly dramatic work than the quartets. The opening theme's three-note motif dominates the long, eventful development of the first movement. The andante echoes ballet music but highlights a phrase that calls to mind Smetana's Ma Vlast. The lively scherzo is followed by one of Tchaikovsky's most finely wrought and most contrapuntal movements, where the opening theme becomes a fugue in the development section.

All in all, these works are Tchaikovsky at his finest and are absent the sometimes overwrought emotionalism of his last three symphonies. I haven't made comparisons, but the Franz Schubert Quartett gives these chamber works enthusiastic performances without losing sight of their structural integrity. The four principals interact very well, with excellent balance among the parts, in the quartets, and the additional violist and cellist of the sextet blend right in and give their reading of the Souvenir an almost orchestral feel, which is probably what Tchaikovsky intended. The acoustical quality of this 1993 recording is tops; one could believe that the string players are in the same room as the listener. If you're a Tchaikovsky fan, or even if you're not especially, you will love hearing these gorgeous works played by accomplished musicians. The included notes are very informative about the musical selections and also give bio sketches of each of the quartet members. Highly recommended!


title: Abolutely splendid CD of Mozart's serenades for wind octet

text:
Mozart composed two serenades for wind instruments in 1781 and 1782. Typically, a serenade for wind instruments provided background music for an open air festivity and consisted of several movements. Mozart's Serenade in E-flat (K. 375), originally for wind sextet (pairs of clarinets, bassoons, and horns) but later made into an octet by the addition of two oboes, fits into that format. It consists of five movements, an opening allegro, a minuet, an adagio, another minuet, and a concluding allegro. It is carefully wrought music that is of no great depth but makes for enjoyable listening. The adagio in particular is a beautiful, and heartfelt, movement.

The Serenade in C Minor for wind octet (K. 388), on the other hand, is a much more serious work. It consists of four movements: allegro, andante, menuetto in canone, and allegro, and it is one of Mozart's masterpieces. The opening allegro is quite dramatic and the andante especially lyrical. The minuet is written in the form of a canon, with the bassoons echoing the oboe, and the trio is also canonical, with an echo that's an inversion of the theme. The finale is a set of variations, interrupted by a central section in E-flat, and concluding with the main theme in C Major. It is a marvelously constructed composition.

Some years later, in 1787, Mozart produced a version of the C Minor Serenade as a string quintet (K. 406). There's circumstantial evidence that the quintet was actually the original form of the composition, and that Mozart, pressed to provide a wind Serenade for a special occasion on short notice, adapted it to a wind octet. In a letter to his father, Mozart said, "I have had to compose in a great hurry a serenade, but only for wind instruments." (Quoted from Alfred Einstein's book on Mozart.) The C Minor is a profound work, unlikely to have been composed in haste from scratch. Nevertheless, the wind octet version is the preferred version today.

This CD, with performances of the two serenades, features the Scottish National Wind Ensemble directed by Paavo Jarvi and was recorded in 1984. It's a stunning recording, especially of the C Minor, with outstanding performances coupled with excellent, realistic sound. Jarvi and the SNWE take relatively leisurely tempos, which I think suits Mozart and this music better than the rushed tempos heard on some recordings. Unfortunately, copies of this CD are scarce today. I got my copy at a garage sale and consider myself very lucky to have found it. There are many recordings of these serenades available, but this has to be one of the best. If you run across a copy, by all means get it; you'll be glad you did!

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title: Excellent "Capriccio Espagnol" and generally fine "Pictures," a CD worth getting at a bargain price

text:
Nickolai Rimsky-Korsakov was a master orchestrator who became especially known for his colorful use of woodwinds and brass, perhaps as a result of his conducting the Russian Navy Band in his early days. He put this talent to excellent use in his "Capriccio Espagnol," which is based on Spanish folk tunes, according to the composer. There are five sections: Alborada, Variazioni, Alborada (repeated with changed orchestration in a different key), Scena e canto gitano (gypsy street song), leading into Fandango asturiano. There is a brief concluding reference to the Alborada in the coda. Rimsky-Korsakov was likely inspired to compose this orchestral piece by Tchaikovsky's similar "Capriccio Italien."

In this recording, the BBC Philharmonic, led by Yan Pascal Tortelier, turns in a splendid, lively rendition of the Capriccio, especially in the gypsy song section and the following fandango. Tortelier chooses a fairly fast tempo that keeps the music moving apace. The brass especially shines, as in the intro to the gypsy song. This intro is followed by several short cadenza-like statements by various instruments before the foot-tapping triple beat of the song gets underway. All in all, this Capriccio version is one of the best renditions that I've heard on recordings.

The CD begins with two sections from R-K's ill-fated opera "Le Coque d'Or" (The Golden Cockerel). The opera was a thinly disguised criticism of Russia's losing role in the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-5; as a result it was banned from public performance in Tsarist Russia. It contains some of R-K's most innovative music but is rarely performed today. Two of the orchestral numbers, Introduction and Wedding March, are included on this CD. It's not nearly as familiar music as the Capriccio but is well performed here and certainly worth having in one's music collection.

The CD concludes with Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" as orchestrated by Maurice Ravel. Mussorgsky wrote this work as a piano suite after attending a painting and drawing exhibit assembled in honor of the artist, Victor Hartmann, Mussorgsky's closest friend who died suddenly at the age of 39. Mussorgsky contributed two of his own Hartmann paintings, the ones of Sandovar Jews, to the exhibit, then composed "Pictures" to describe musically his viewing of several of the exhibit's works. The work consists of a Promenade, repeated several times in varied form between sections that are musical descriptions of eleven of the paintings. Six of the paintings have been discovered, including Mussorgsky's of the two Jews. The music runs the gamut from the capricious "Gnome" through the melancholy "Old Castle" and the bustling "Market Place at Limoges" to the grim "Catacombs" and finally the joyful, pompous "Great Gate of Kiev." Ravel's orchestration is brilliant (in a style similar to that of Rimsky-Korsakov) and enhances the dramatic character of Mussorgsky's piano piece.

Maestro Tortelier again chooses rather quick tempi for many of the sections of "Pictures." Sometimes this works, but other times it makes the music seem rushed where it should be more leisurely. A case in point is the "Catacombs" scene, where I've heard slowly paced performances that impart a sense of real terror, but that doesn't occur in this rendition. Tortelier and the BBC Philharmonic do well in the most popular section, the concluding "Great Gate," where they pull out all the stops in a resounding finale. But overall, I've heard better renditions of Mussorgsky's masterpiece as orchestrated by Ravel.

The CD was recorded in 1993, and the sound quality is excellent, with a lot of presence. The included liner notes are quite brief and only give the bare essentials about the music selections. This CD was originally issued by BBC Music Magazine and only available to subscribers, but now is available through Amazon for general purchase at very reasonable cost.


title: A Bruckner super-bargain?  Or not?

text:
Bruckner: Symphonies 4 and 2, "Philharmonia Slavonica"

This very cheap 2 CD set is an Alfred Scholz/Pilz production, and as seems to be typical of many Scholz productions, the "Philharmonia Slavonica" orchestra and the conductors "Henri Adolph" and "Alberto Lizzio" are all pseudonyms.  According to Bruckner discographer John Berky, the Fourth Symphony recording is actually of Milan Horvat conducting the ORF Symphony Orchestra (now the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra) in 1973.  The Second Symphony recording, on the other hand, is by an unknown orchestra and conductor, and the date of recording is also unknown.  The CD set carries the label DDD, but that's not likely given the 1973 date of the Fourth and the likely even older date of the Second.  Why these recordings were issued with fake information is a good question!  Given this and the give-away price, I wasn't expecting much, so was pleasantly surprised that the Fourth at least is quite splendid.

Symphony No. 4 "Romantic":

This symphony underwent several revisions, including composition of a whole new scherzo, before reaching its final form.  It has long been one of Bruckner's better known symphonies and makes considerable demands on the horn players in the first, third, and fourth movements.  The first three movements are Bruckner at his best, but the last movement is somewhat rambling and has a less than great second subject.  The symphony does however end with a dramatic crescendo passage, similar to that of the Eighth, that is quite thrilling.

This performance, presumably led by Horvat, is actually a very good one.  Horvat is well known in European circles as a conductor and has also recorded this symphony under his own name. The pace that he sets here is comparatively brisk, compared to others such as Von Karajan, and keeps the music from bogging down in the slow movement or elsewhere.  The crucial horn playing is excellent.  Most likely, the 1973 recording has been re-mastered, and the resulting sound quality is pretty impressive.  I also have a CD of Eugen Jochum conducting the Dresden Staatskapelle in a 1975 recording of this symphony, and the two compare quite closely, with the Horvat perhaps having a slight edge on sound quality.  The Jochum performance is a more lyrical one compared to Horvat's more emphatic approach.  Overall, I rate this performance highly, though I certainly haven't heard all the competing performances out there, and there are many of them.

Symphony No. 2:

This totally unidentified performance is more problematic.  To start with, it follows the Haas edition of the 1877 score with the restored passages that are cut in the Nowak edition.  These passages lengthen the codas of the first and last movements and amplify the second theme of the slow movement on its first appearance.  Most Bruckner aficionados will likely prefer this version to the cut version.  Supposedly, Bruckner made the cuts in order to get the Vienna Philharmonic to perform the symphony.

The performance itself is reasonably good, but the sound quality is not nearly as good as that of the other CD; it is rather distant sounding, with a weak and muffled bass in places.  In fact, I suspect that the recording is rather old and that it may have been remastered into "pseudo-stereo" sound.  The gorgeous slow movement sounds the best and seems to have better bass than the other movements.  Is it possible that this recording was put together from more than one performance?  Some of the horn playing is occasionally out of balance with the rest of the orchestra by being too loud.  An example of this occurs at the end of the second (slow) movement.  But overall this is a worthy performance provided one is not too concerned about the sound or the fact that the performers are unknown.

In conclusion, I'd give the CD of the Fourth five stars but the CD of the Second three stars.  Considering that the cost is almost trivial (mostly just paying for the $2.98 postage), this set is a super-bargain just for the sake of acquiring a fine performance of the Fourth.

A footnote, added May 17, 2015: According to Brucknerian John Berky, this recording of the Second was probably by Erich Schmid conducting the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra, recorded in the early 1960's, in stereo.


title: All that I hoped for and more

text: This was even better than I expected.  Not only does this soundtrack have some of my favorite music of all time, it has music that wasn't used in the movie.  I now have a MUCH bigger appreciation for John Scott.  He is an awesome composer!  The cd also has a small booklet with extensive liner notes, the full story of the making of the movie, and a short essay by John Scott himself.  This was more than worth the investment!


title: Great Music!

text:
This is the soundtrack to one of my all-time favorite movies, the cult classic "Night Of The Comet".  I love that flick for a whole lot of reasons, not least of which is the music.  It's typical 80s rock, which is my generation, so maybe that's why I like it so much.  Some of the songs are a bit too much on the techno-pop side, which I actually don't care too much for, but every one of them is fantastic.  My two favorite ones are probably "Learn To Love Again" by Chris Farren & Amy Holland and "Lady In Love" by Revolver.  You may not recognize any of the artists on this tape -- I sure didn't, heck, I'd never even heard of ANY of these songs outside this movie -- but they're all great.
 I'd been looking for this soundtrack for years, I'm so glad I finally found it from this seller.  Apparently, it's only available on cassette tape and vinyl, not cd, so you may consider that a drawback, but I didn't.  I still use those formats, too.  Like I said, I am a child of the 80s.
 All in all, a fantastic tape.


title: A long time favorite recording

text:
Hard to believe it's been four years since I bought this CD. This has always been one of my favorites. It was one of the first recordings I had on a cassette when I was a kid. The tape wore from being much played and much loved. A few years later, my parents and I had the great privelage to attend a concert by the Roger Wagner Chorale when the did a tour of the Pacific Northwest. Incidentally Roger Wagner had a great sense of humor. At that time they "Joy to the World" had been unavailable for a few years and there was a digital recording made and put on record, I guess in house as it wasn't on the Capitol label and it had a different picture on the cover. They were selling these at the concert. Just before intermission, Roger Wagner said that they were available, but they only brought one box of records with them so they might sell out fast. My mother and I raced to get in line so we could get one. As we were making our way back to our seats, we happened to glance under the bleachers and saw at least ten more boxes! We still chuckle about that years later.

I was thrilled and delighted to find this available on CD. That much cherished record that my mother and I worked very hard to get somehow got lost in moving yet it had always been a treasured recording and we listened to it every year. The familiar carols in the beautiful arrangements are all there on this CD and sound better than ever. This will be in our families collection for years to come.


title: Takes You Back Disney Memory Lane

text:
Compared to other Disney CD's out there (both OOP and new), this particular set is the most comprehensive.  In addition to the traditional "Tiki Tiki Room", "Pirates of the Caribbean", and "Haunted Mansion" tracks from the Magic Kingdom, this set includes rare tracks from vintage EPCOT such as "Universe Of Energy" (not the Ellen version), "Spaceship Earth" (Tomorrow's Child), "Listen To The Land" (not the new "Living With The Land" boat tour that no longer has a human guide), "Test Track" (not the new theme from the refurbished pavilion that opened this month), and "Canada" (the mesmerizing duet, not the reboot single).

If you look at the track listing provided by another review, you'll also notice this includes attractions that have closed, including Horizons and World Of Motion.  There's also the enchanting "Magic Journeys" that I remember hearing as a kid while watching the first 3D movie that showed in the Imagination pavilion back in the early 80's.

I bump this one down a star to 4 stars only because visibly missing is the Main Street Electrical Parade and Fantasmic, although there is a CD available you can get separately that contains just those two.

These kinds of CD's are expensive because they were exclusive to the Disney theme parks, and this particular one is Out Of Print (OOP).  If you love Disney World like I do, shell out the money for this one!


title: I love Polina Gagarina, so beautiful and talented with her singing!

text: Love Polina Gagarina, she has an amazing voice and a wide range of vocal expression. The music is driving Russian pop that is epic with Polina's use of voice. So happy to have this two cd set of her music. I only understand some of the words but music is the universal language.


title: Christian Regaeeton CD

text: Bought the CD as a Christmas gift and they loved it. Great music and no scratches or anything on the CD.  There is a really long Intro song that I wasn't thrilled with, but it gives Alex Zurdo a way to present his testimony.


title: Great music on a shoddy disc

text:
I had the vinyl version of this recording long ago and I have been looking for a CD version for several years. The music is all scripture and is very inspiring. I would give this CD a 4-5 rating for the music on it, but not for this particular disc.

The CD case cover was badly scratched and broken into several pieces when it arrived, so the packing was quite inadequate. There are NO mp3 tags on the songs, so all information has to be entered manually. Because of the lack of headers, my computer (less than 1 year old) would not recognize the disc as music and I had to use some workarounds to rip the album. The price was way too high for the quality of this product and the producers should be ashamed of bringing this low quality to market.


title: Classic!

text: One of my favorite Christian albums/CDs. Her best music.


title: Music is OK

text: So I was really hoping these CD's would be awesome as I love my Procyon device and use it every day. And... well... most of the music just isn't very good - and I enjoy literally every genre of music. On top of this, almost every song has a sound like brushes on a snare drum every time the lights in the glasses flash (which is present when listening to the CD on my home stereo without the Procyon as well, so its not the device or the CD player). I thought maybe this was some sort of trigger sound for the lights, but then some songs have 'verses' without the clicking sound and the lights still work so its really just some odd artistic choice.


title: SELLER FAST AND WELL PACKAGING

text: VERY AMAZING ARTIST AND QUALITY ALBUM,

user_id: AEQTKMKLHJEBDGWOBVNUVLZUENSA


title: Five Stars

text: great cd


title: I Love It!

text: I love listening to this cd. Listening to this cd relaxes me. I feel love, peace and harmony everytime I listen to this cd. I love it!


title: Well recorded

text: If you like Esperanza Spalding this is one of her better ones


title: Great album

text: Different sound for Shelby.  Love it


title: An Assassin on your Door Step

text: If an assassin ever shows up on your doorstep, you would want him to have a soft spot in his heart.  The main character, Will Robie, is your dream assassin.  The story line is a little overdrawn in parts with a bit of twisting and turning towards the end. Overall, well worth your time.


title: A Must Have for Blues Lovers

text: Stevie's love of Albert really shows through in this recording... as does Albert's love for Stevie. The old master and the young protege have a chemistry that cannot be denied. So glad I stumbled on this CD.


title: Excellent CD/DVD. - Must have

text:
Excellent CD/DVD. Love, love my Latin roots music and in particular Juan Gabriel, who has graced our music delights for 40+ years!!!

That he has invited other fabulous artist to accompany him to his amazing songs is just an added treat for us all to enjoy.

Thank you!!


title: Awesome

text: I was in a car accident 6 months after getting my car and the CD didn't survive. It was awhile before I could get another.


Good!


title: Four Stars

text: very good disc


title: Five Stars

text: I am pleased with the product and the speed in which it was sent.


title: Very good

text: Sound quality excellent. If you are a Traffic fan or just enjoy live music, get this.


title: Five Stars

text: So nice！


title: Integrity

text: THX


title: Integrity

text: THX!!!


title: Honesty

text: Thx!!!


title: #TRUST!!!

text: THANX!!!


title: Five Stars

text: Thanks!!!


title: Five Stars

text: Great cd,


title: Dizzy and Moe  Pop  A Da

text: Dizzy Gillespie lost a few steps by 1988,when this was recorded-on trumpet.But not in scatting;and his scatting on Oop Pop a Da is not to be missed.Moe Koffman-on flute and alto sax- sounds like he's on top of his game at 'George's Spaghetti House' in Toronto.


title: Document of a crucial event

text:
Derek Bailey has always been interested in the way that musicians react and interact within unfamiliar situations.  Beginning in 1977, he began organizing regular events called "Company Week", in which a group of musicians was assembled to play in ad-hoc formations throughout the course of several days.  The players are chosen with care: some will have extensive backgrounds in free improvisation, others will not; some will have worked with each other, some will have never even have heard each other's music.  Bailey has remarked that by the end of the week the musicians will have settled into a working rapport but that he's not necessarily most interested in the more polished or empathetic performances that might result: he's most interested in the earlier stages, where musicians test each other out, warily responding & trying to find ways of communicating.
This disc documents performances from the first event, in May 1977.  (Originally the performances were released sequentially on LPs numbered 1-7; this CD compiles most but not all of the last two LPs.)  This was a historic encounter between some of the finest European free improvisors with a number of American free jazz musicians.  In the former group: Bailey himself on guitar (as usual with Company Week, Bailey is perhaps the least prominent musician here, & in fact only plays on 3 tracks); Evan Parker & Lol Coxhill on saxophones; Steve Beresford on piano & miscellaneous instruments; Han Bennink on drums, clarinet, viola, banjo & anything else within range; Tristan Honsinger on cello & Maarten van Regteren Altena on Bass.  The Americans are Steve Lacy & Anthony Braxton on saxophones, & the trumpeter Leo Smith.
It's hard to describe this music at all: one's strongest sense is of how differences in temperament & approach between musicians can lead to bewildering differences in result from track to track, depending on the personnel.  One division here is between some of the Europeans whose playing involves a lot of sheer mischief & humour, & the "serious" approach of the Americans & some of the other Europeans.  Beresford, Honsinger & Bennink are loose cannons, making tracks like "SB/MR/HB/LC", "HB/LC/MR/TH" & "TH/MR/SB/HB/DB" (the tracks are simply titled after the personnel on them) Dadaist assemblages of noise & mayhem.  On the other hand, there's the beautiful, austere "AB/EP", a duo between Braxton & Parker that anticipates their marvellous 1993 duet disc on Leo.  Listening to the disc again, it strikes me forcibly exactly how good the American players are, especially Leo Smith & Braxton--Braxton's improvising was surely never more trenchant than when he was a young lion in the 1970s, & he gives a bravura multiinstrumental performance on the opening track (which features Lacy, Smith, Braxton with Altena & Honsinger) that has him blowing saxophone, flute & clarinet in succession.  Leo Smith is also outstanding on this album--try out his careening duet with Honsinger, "TH/LS", or the spacious trio that closes the disc with Parker & Bailey.  The album also features one track performed by an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime quartet of soprano saxophonists--Parker, Coxhill, Braxton, Lacy--& will be treasured by collectors for just that.
By any definition this is "difficult music".  It is also very rewarding, & historically important.  A very welcome reissue, though it's a pity that the original albums weren't reissued in their entirety. -- One final note: Derek Bailey's friend, the poet Peter Riley, wrote extensively about the 1977 Company Week, & these writings are worth seeking out.  The poems were published as _The Musicians The Instruments_ (The Many Press, 1978); the prose was only published a few years ago by Bailey, in a book simply called _Company Week_.


title: An intriguing encounter

text: This CD is a document of a concert encounter between Derek Bailey &  two percussionists of African origin--the great Louis Moholo and the  less-known Thebe Lipere.  The music is much less mercurial than usual for  Bailey, a series of gently rhythmic, almost tranced improvisations; despite  the double percussion, the music is mostly quite quiet.  I like the disk  very much, but have to issue a serious caveat: the recording is one of  Incus's less satisfactory jobs, with the guitar disappearing for long  stretches into near-inaudibility.  Bailey has always avoided conventional  structures of "soloist" and "accompaniment" (while he  can often be abrasive & disruptive, he can just as often take a role  like that of swing-era guitarists Freddie Green or Teddy Bunn, patiently  filling in the background texture), but this recording's poor balance makes  it hard to tell what's going on.


title: Exceptional re-release of two 1960's albums

text:
The material here was originally released as two distinct LPs.  The earlier sessions with the Basie band were arranged by Neal Hefti, who was responsible for some of the band's best work (see Atomic Basie).  These first 12 charts really swing,with rollicking instrumental solos, and show Sinatra to be a vocalist comfortably at home in front of a formidable jazz band.

The Quincy Jones arrangements, recorded two years later, feature strings and a more relaxed, polished approach.  Note:  this session is still sold separately as "It Might As Well Be Swing."

Together one sees Sinatra working hard to establish himself and his new "reprise" label as leaders in jazz recordings.  His contribution in a period when even famous bands like Basie's and Ellington's were struggling on the road, working for as little as $1,400 per night, deserves credit. Even a talent as formidable as Frank Sinatra couldn't hold the culture back from the changes that rode in with the Beach Boys and the Beatles. The music here speaks for itself - among the best work of Frank's career.  And jazz still speaks for itself - a powerful genre marked by exploration and emphasizing the individual's role in making the best of life and love as they come.


title: For collectors only

text: These albums didn't age very well....


One of my favorite albums. First Enchantment is a melodic, imaginative, and beautifully performed CD. The moods vary throughout from the spirited "Waltz For Andrea," the technicolor "Speaks In Images," the whimsical "African Festival," and the nuanced romanticism of "Quiet Sense." Originally released in 2002 it seems to have gotten lost in the mix. How First Enchantment slipped by virtually unnoticed is anybody's guess. My guess is that there's simply too much music being released and not enough time to sift through it all. Per Wiki, Triosence have released 4 full albums since Enchantment: Away For A While from 2005, and, Turning Point from 2013 are other high point for the trio. First Enchantment, though, was exactly that - a fun, uplifting, free wheeling affair that I like to revisit often. If you're not familiar with Triosence, First Enchantment remains a lost gem that continues to sparkle - waiting to be discovered.


title: great service great price

text: No dislikes again great service great price


title: Great for children and the whole family!

text: We've listened to several of these audio drams; my children & I LOVE them. The action is great and captivating; the effects are so vivid it feels as if you are truly there! During a 'hurricane' in "Under Drake's Flag," my children were giggling and screaming to turn it down before we get all wet! We also love the integrity of the characters and their resolute faith in God. Way to go, Heirloom! Keep up the good work.


title: Available at Internet Archive--Fantastic Reading by Leonard Nimoy

text: This recording is now in the public domain and is available on the Internet Archive.  Leonard Nimoy is in fine form in this Ray Bradbury classic!<br />https://archive.org/details/01TheVeldt


title: Interesting Reading of a Play

text: I had not known this existed and am glad I bought it.  Usually I buy only musical LPs and CDs and was not certain if this had a musical aspect before I bought it.  This is a two LP collection that is the Broadway Cast reading the entire play 'Ivanov'.  This was Vivien Leigh's last Broadway play before her death, which is why I purchased it.  The play was well read and well recorded.  It took a couple of listens for me to better understand which lines belonged to which characters.  There was a useful booklet included with information about the writer and the cast.  I enjoyed the recording, have played it a few times and intend to keep it.


title: Rubbery folk music?

text: It's hard/impossible to describe Stump. Maybe folk music turned on its head and played with rubber instruments.  If you are open minded about music,  then try it. This is one of my favorite albums of all time.


title: Five Stars

text: Thumbs up


title: Five Stars

text: Good


title: Improvisational jamming at its best

text: Classic performances.  Cream sounds best live, especially in long jams.


title: I discovered Peggy Lee with this LP

text:
There are some who say that Peggy Lee’s voice was shot when she recorded this album at the age of 68.  .Such comments miss the point.  One would hope that a 68 year old does not sound like a 30 year old or worse try to sound like a 30 year old.

The changes in her voice lend the music a certain pathos that would not exist had she made the record in her 20’s or 30’s.


title: Five Stars

text: It is a classic.


title: Brubeck

text: This is an outstanding copy of one of the greatest albums ever released.


title: This is a collectible that needs to be in everyone's Library!

text: These two legends need no introduction. Their names speaks volumes about who they are.


title: The torch has been passed to a new generation of music lovers...

text: Excellent soundtrack...captures the brash and dash of the late 1950's and early 1960's, big bands had about died out but the music of choice was still jazz, half the cars had shark fins, the men wore skinny ties and suits with skinny trouser legs, and the women wore smart, slender garments that they had to squeeze into and move about in wearing high heels and makeup, martinis and other forms of liquid recreation were the rage, and there was a charming, intelligent President in the White House, under 50 with a full head of hair, a formidable brain, and a very healthy libido...


title: Henry Mancini at his best

text: I grew up hearing the RCA LP edition of Henry Mancini's Charade soundtrack.  Was thrilled to receive the complete original soundtrack!  77 minutes of Manicini's best.  Not only the well known songs arranged for release on the soundtrack, but the more subtle and quiet pieces that underscore and make the film so memorable and exciting.  The sound is superb for music recorded in 1963.  From the opening title music  to the closing music, Charade is guaranteed to delight.


title: Very enjoyable!

text: I love the mood, the melodies and the music of each song. Very enjoyable and a nice addition to my collection.


title: Buy this cd your photo indicates that it is a ...

text: Buy this cd your photo indicates that it is a DCC Gold !!!<br />But it was a UK edition Not the same !!!


title: Five Stars

text: great Argentine musician


title: Five Stars

text: That Band!! my God !!!


title: good album, but unfortunately the wrong one

text:
I searched Amazon for one specific song by this group, I was led to believe it was on this album but it is not. I wish Amazon or it's vendors would publish a list of album contents when listing music albums on the site. Now I am at a loss how to get the correct album (all of which seem to have identical covers and publisher) without a song list included in the description.
I gave four stars because it's a good album, but just not the one I expected it to be.

UPDATE: I see that my review of a few minutes ago is included as a review for the album shown above. The one above is what I thought I'd ordered, the track list does contain the songs I wanted. The album I received has an identical cover but the tracks are completely different and omit the one song I came to Amazon to find; it's not at all the album I thought I'd ordered. I am very disappointed at the lack of clarity in the album descriptions.


title: Masterpiece.

text: rarely listen to every single track on a CD but this was a Masterpiece for every jazz vocalist affacinodo. Clean.


title: Disappointed.

text: I was sent a cd of adele with a alessia cover photo.


title: nostalgia!

text: I was so exited to see I could still find albums from this band that I saw in the late 90's and broke up soon after. Great album!


title: He's got a way with the word

text:
After an eleven year absence, arguably one of the 80s most respected pop icons returns to the scene with a hip-hop heavy offering which is sure to delight some and alienate most. Featuring rapper Mos Def and virtuoso  bassist Me'shell N'degeocello, the collaborative efforts have resulted in  some of the most immaculately crafted melodies and verse this side of a  DJ's turntable.
For most, however, this album will disappoint. Most fans  remember the Scritti of Cupid and Psyche '85 and Provision which featured  Americans David Gamson and Fred Maher. Purveyors of  lighthearted music  which belie their intelligent lyrics, they developed a commercial following  that unfortunately were unaware of the deconstructionist confusion that  pervades Green's earlier work. Green isn't a part of Scritti Politti, Green  is Scritti Politti.
Ever the eclectic, Green has delved into reggae in  "the word girl" in Cupid and Psyche. His recent hip-hop  influenced work should come as no surprise. The hip-hop slant in this album  proves to be a happy marriage. Green's penchant for synthesized loops and  mechanized drumbeats has its equivalent in hip-hop. The street-savvy, hard  hitting rhymes of Mos Def is the perfect foil for Green's Elliot Smith-like  falsetto crooning. Listen to "World you understand" and this is  immediately apparent.
"First Goodbye" immediately brings to  mind "Overnite" from the last album. This, and "Brushed with  oil, dusted with powder" remind us that Green hasn't lost his touch  with the slower tempo songs. Those who recall "A little  knowledge" will understand.
All in all, this isn't a hip-hop album.  The aforementioned immaculately crafted pop music is here, but with a new  twist. If you still associate Scritti with the 80s, this isn't an album  you'd like.


title: Four Stars

text: I bought this album for the title song, man oh man!


title: Five Stars

text: The 50's Baby Doll of Broadway, what a novelty for any real eclectic collection.


title: Not bad, but originally intended for stoners...

text: I bought this LP in 1973, when first issued, recommended to me by a record store/head shop owner when I mentioned I was into Moog synthesizer music. It's really not that bad, in the grand scheme of things, but it never caught on, even back in the day, overshadowed by Wendy (Walter) Carlos, in the conventional music scene, and Keith Emerson (of Emerson, Lake and Palmer), in the pop scene. I still own the LP but frankly, I haven't listened to it in at least 10 years. If you lived through the early 70's or have a fascination with the time period, this album represents a unique side trip from the musical mainstream of those days and, as such, has some interest. But if you're a Moog synthesizer fan, and want to hear some breakthrough, virtuoso performances, look at the works from Wendy Carlos or, my favorite, Tomita.


title: some good rock

text: exactly as described.  i bought it for a few specific songs.  my needs were met


title: willie's boy does good

text: some really good southern style country blues rock and roll from willie's son.  lots of fun.  the "hidden" track at the end is very good.


title: This is good Norwegian Music

text: This compilation was originally put together by the Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway. I got the CD by writing the Norwegian Minstry and asking for the CD (and also Volume II). The CD was in celebration of the 150 anniversary of Edvard Grieg's Birth and not only of his music but of Norwegian Musicians who performed it. There may be better renditions of some of the selections but it will make a Norwegian proud to hear such good music by a Norwegian Composer and Norwegian Musicians.


title: Wrong Album Art

text: Unfortunately the album art on the digital copy is wrong. It's a shame for on of the most important albums of all time.


title: Long Tall Sally

text: This is for my collection and a nice addition to my Beatles collection.  I know all the songs, but it is a wonderful small package and I am delighted.  Anything Beatles is truly wonderful.


I grew up as a teen during the 1960s and the onslaught of the British Invasion.  My favorite group of course was The Beatles, but in the wake of the new music scene, many other groups made their way to the U.S. shores, and none more finer than The Searchers.  They had sublime vocals and great musicianship which made them stand out as one of the best of from their genre.  I am in the midst of recollection their entire collection, and this LP is a real find for me.  In great condition and sounds so good on my stereo.  I am a 'happy purchaser'.


title: Broken CD music cases

text: There was to be 2 cd and there was only one


title: Claims to be a 2 disc set but only received ...

text: Claims to be a 2 disc set but only received disc 1. If this hadn't have been such a low price I'd be more upset


title: Great record!

text: Great album!


title: Only one disk of the 2 disk set

text: Only one disk of the set.


title: Awesome

text: Awesome


title: Would love to find this CD

text: I was at this concert and it was a simulcast on WXRT Chicago. I had it on cassette for along time and it was a tremendous show! I saw Peter Gabriel just a few days before at the same venue. He was touring  in support of his second lp. Would love to find this CD.


title: Order Not Completely Filled.

text: This purchase was very deceptive.  This particular Talking Heads CD is supposed to be a two disc set.  I only received disc one.


title: Good collection

text: Good collection but the CDs I purchased only had the first disc of music. Eventually had to buy the MP3s to get them all.


title: Five Stars

text: If you love the Talking Heads you'll love this "Best of" 2 CD set.


title: Oh by the way, which one's Plink?

text:
Well, this is pretty bad whether viewed as a novelty, as a tribute, or as something of interest to a Pink Floyd fanatic.  The concept of new-wave piano takes on PF sounds like a minor hoot, but these takes are presented without any real imagination, creativity, or flair. Even by the pale standards of solo piano discs, this is bland stuff: in fact it often sounds like MIDI arrangements done from sheet music.  You'd THINK a piano version of "Have a Cigar" would at least be interesting, and maybe it is for the first minute or so, but there is nothing here that warrants a second listen.

I suppose if you are really in the market for Muzak-style background music you could do worse, but please, Grandma, DON'T buy this for your Floyd-fan grandson.


title: hard to find.

text: excellent transaction. no complaints.


title: Five Stars

text: great tribute to a very underated artist excellent transaction


title: thanks SM

text: Album arrived really fast and this is sooo much better than ordering from Korea, but... for some reason my album did NOT have a photo card in it. Not sure if somehow it slipped out or one time fluke or what. Debating ordering a second album because I'm a little upset<br />update edit: Did an exchange through amazon and got a new album that actually included the photocard (AND the one I wanted!), sent the first album back, no problems.


title: Oh Man.....If you like REAL Rock Music, take a Big Bite of this PEACH !!!!

text: Simply said : You must Get this CD if you are into Rock Music at it's very Best !!!  A Rock Classic :  Eat A Peach.  The sound reproduction and quality on the CD is absolutely Phenomenal.  I had the LP which had its fair share of Clicks and Pops from careless playing on less than qualitative equipment way back then (early 70s), so I decided to upgrade some of my damaged LPs with CDs.  This was one of them.  A Must Have.  PS - Also Got Live at the Fillmore East and Brothers and Sisters (3 pack purchase). Even my 2 sons in their 30s love Em....  I kept telling them (I'm 69 YO), You Can't beat the Good Old Classic Rock and Roll.  Keep Rockin' All,  be safe :  Kill the CCV!!


title: Five Stars

text: Here is the great maestro himself. This music is so well played, with such ease. I love it.


title: Five Stars

text: This is my favorite Zabaleta record. It arrived in great condition. Listen to it every day!!


title: Five Stars

text: Beautiful music for early mornings with a perfect disc in great condition. Thanks!


title: Ruined by poor audio quality

text: Great music, but unfortunately not always great audio quality, especially on "My Old Man" toward the end of the CD.  The rest of the cuts are OK, but that one stands out as being really bad audio.  Ruined the whole experience for me, and I love Joni!  Strange because a very similar CD also from an FM radio broadcast with Joni & James Taylor has good audio throughout.


title: A Very Good Collection for a Bargain Price

text:
A very nice set of this wonderful band.  Has Silver Shoes which is a rarity, although this song does not sound remastered compared to some of the other tracks.  My guess is that this 2-CD set contains a mixture of remastered and not-remastered tracks.

There are a few live versions but unfortunately there are no details of where and when the live versions were recorded.  Instead the liner notes list the album that contains the the studio version of the song.  The live version of "Rock N' Roll Widow" in this collection is exceptional.  I have the first Live Dates album and judging from the introductory comments before the song, this version came from that 1973 recording.

Other live versions are Warrior (also from 1973's Live Dates I believe) and Living Proof.  Both are excellent live tracks.

The rest of the songs seem to be full length studio versions, all from before 1970-1990. CD 1 is 74 minutes and CD 2 is 71 minutes.  Not bad.

I would say this is not your basic starter set of "best of" for this band. For sure some classics are here (Blowing Free, Jail Bait, Warrior, etc.), but some of my very favorite songs are not included (Time Was; You Rescue Me; Lorelei; Outward Bound; F.U.B.B.; Rest In Peace; Goodbye Baby, Hello Friend; The Pilgrim; Doctor; Phoenix; Strange Affair).  But it is worth it to get a few of the lesser known tunes I did not have.


title: Not worth it

text: Ms. Weber is considered a fine player of Liszt's works, and her technique is indeed strong. I did not like her overly emotional interpretations, however, and for that reason I would not buy this early recording of hers.


title: Early potential, never fulfilled

text: It's interesting to hear these recordings, made some time ago, from a pianist who has never fulfilled her musical potential. The technique is good, the interpretation interesting. But the later recordings in her repetoire have been hit or miss, and I can't help but think that a messy personal life may have something to do with it.


title: awesome

text: A lot of great songs, 33 altogether. Love the Eagles


title: CSN Greatest Hits, satisfied

text: Satisfied


title: good purchase

text: good purchase, a bit pricey for a remasteredcopy.


title: If not for de Sabata, for Farrell

text:
First, the inevitable question: how's the sound of this prehistoric document? Surprisingly good, considering that it's not only prehistoric, but live (most of it) as well. That said, don't expect anything even close to digital. Additionally, for reasons I don't understand, if I use the headphones, I can only hear this recording through one "can." All of it. No, nothing wrong with my headphones. So, you've been warned. Plays fine via speakers.
Now that we've got that out of the way, I'd say that it's a recording to rave about. De Sabata takes each excerpt at a tempo he deems right for the work, and achieves a sound of his own, original and crystal clear in terms of what he wants to underscore. Strangely perhaps, the adjective that comes to my mind is "elegant."
And it seems de Sabata has made the elegance pact with Farrell. She was always restrained, sacrificing emotion for musical perfection, yet never lacking depth somehow, which made her an ideal interpreter of Bach's religious works. She brings this, along with her superlative voice, to Wagner, and fills the liebestod with beauty that one can only wish more emotive but vocally inadequate Isoldes were able to give us. She brings the same magic to the closing scene of the Gotterdammerung. It took many auditions, many performances, for me to realize that, while this piece of music is so laden with emotion (if not provided by Brunnhilde, provided by Wagner's music, which recapitulates all the emotionally devastating moments of the tetralogy), Brunnhilde is not just any ol' maid weeping over her lousy fortune. She is someone special, and she understands that it is not just her and her beloved who  are leaving this world - their whole world is. Farrell is on the extremely short list of those who have known how to convey that - Flagstad, Nilsson... But she sounds like no one else.
So, if you ask yourself - as I did - do I really need yet another disc of bleeding chunks? I'd say: for de Sabata and for Farrell, you do. You may even get rid of another CD because this one suffices.


title: ... an amount of unreasonable guilt involved in writing a bad review for a wonderful pianist who shared his love ...

text:
There is an amount of unreasonable guilt involved in writing a bad review for a wonderful pianist who shared his love of music and his tradition of playing with the public until he was almost a hundred years old! But objectively speaking, this recording is rather awful. This is a live performance when Horszowski was 95, and much of its problem is due to the claustrophobic, dull recording, which saps whatever energy there was; Horszowski sounds like he’s using a beginner's upright in a cardboard box. He tends to overuse the pedal a little, and when he does disaster ensues as the entire left-hand part of the score becomes a muddle.The program, too, is not well put together: the tempo barely changes throughout, so there is no sense of dynamism until the end, when the pianist, rather unexpectedly, plays two short pieces by Villa-Lobos as encores.
But a lot of the problem, undeniably, is Horszowski himself. Let’s first look at the interpretation: he simply doesn’t bring anything new or in any way original to the pieces he's chosen. The old mitteleuropa charm, praised by the media who latched onto it as a great publicity concept, is not so ancient and dead that it cannot be heard better elsewhere. Just because Horszowski is 95 here, it doesn’t make him the sole recorded survivor of an era: Rubenstein, for one, would do as an example. As I compared Rubinstein’s Chopin nocturne to Horszowski on this CD, Rubinstein's was far more vibrant, and the studio, imbuing the piece with a sense of spaciousness, contributed to it.
Comparing Horszowski's take on the Beehoven's Sonata in A Major with Gould’s is, admittedly, unfair. Gould is eccentric and not to everyone's taste, but to my ear, he does wonders with this piece! He plays in his usual ultra-clear manner, only here he emphasizes it, as if he were metronomically counting out each note in each hand, and the result is that the separation, in a mono recording from long ago, nevertheless sounds like a first-rate stereo with each hand miked separately; none of which actually took place. Horszowski actually plays faster and finishes twenty seconds earlier than Gould, but he sounds leaden, unemotional, lacking purpose, and, frankly, just boring. The sonata is a work of some length: about 24 minutes. It requires dynamics and a variety of tonality.
And then, there is the technique. It’s lovely that someone can play until he’s a hundred, it’s lovely that he can play at all, let alone tackle such difficult pieces. But it’s more lovely as an idea of self-affirmation for him than as reality of other people’s concert experience. The coordination between the two hands is more than once shot as one hand trails a bit behind the other, and glitches are pretty numerous. Infamously, glitches were par for the course with Horowitz as well, but they could easily be disregarded because Horowitz tended to have an electrifying repertoire full of virtuoso pieces, such as Scriabin's works.
There are far better recordings of this heart-warming pianist. You don't need to be acquainted with him, as great interpreters of the same repertoire in modern recording conditions about, but if you wish to have something to remind you of him as an icon of enduring art, I'd suggest this CD, found right here on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Schumann-Papillons-Preludes-Mazurka/dp/B000005J0V/ref=sr_1_10?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1459710124&sr=1-10&keywords=horszowski


title: Five Stars

text: One of the best jazz cd's I have ever heard.


title: Five Stars

text: Exactly as described


title: Sound and quality

text: Great purchase to add to Doors collection


title: quality of sound

text: Arrived promptly. The quality of sound is excellent. A good investment


title: Got it for "Closing Time" . .

text: but the rest of the album is pretty decent as well.  Good pick-up


title: High school memories....

text: Helen Reddy brings me back to  the 1970's.  May she rest in peace, thank you for your voice and music. God bless you.  Pablo Paguia


title: Five Stars

text: BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!


title: Great musicians

text: I first heard these guys when they were on the John mayall album  TheTurning Point very different sound for the time. john Mark plays classical guitar and Johnny almond tenor and alto sax Bass/concert flute not long after their time with John mayall they bought out their first solo album called Sunrise. Then they product two more albums next came Best of Mark Almond Live the a side has three tracks  Then I have you 6;14  Lonely Girl 7;58  Girl on table 5;29  then the b side  New York state of mind The City 22;42  even if you bought this cd just for side b it is worth it the whole cd is is good but the b side is brilliant and it has the best cover.


title: Seriously? A classic for the ages. A industry ...

text: Seriously? A classic for the ages. A industry setting standard. Prolific and way ahead of its "time". No pun intended. The simplistic way the effects were created is a marvel. If there's anyone who doesn't have a copy, what are you waitng for?


title: Impeccable modern Latin music.

text: While playing many styles of Latin Music, there is an essence in Ron Korb’s compositions which maintains the traditional feel and yet is modern and vitally refreshing. All the musicians are masters and Ron’s virtuoso flute playing flows amazingly over and through these musical flavors of Latin Music. Each song offers a new variety for your musical palette to enjoy and yet the entire CD presents a unified experience.


title: Excellent Honkyoku Meditation Music

text: This is the first disk in a four disk series. This disk has a large variety of live music, mostly solo Shakuhachi flute. The next three are on a long flute (3.0) and are Honkyoku at its finest. This disk exemplifies masterful musicianship which transcends the typical boundaries of the grand masters.


title: ... gift from a friend and it is now my favorite Christmas CD

text: I received this CD as a gift from a friend and it is now my favorite Christmas CD. If you like lively and creative acoustic guitar arrangements and flawless style and execution you'll love this CD. It is absolutely, hands down, the best holiday instrumental guitar work I've ever heard. Anyone who plays the guitar will appreciate the skill these performers have.


title: 30 Years of Magical Music Making

text: So glad to have caught up with this release - it really captures the essential Live Dead experience very well.


title: The ambiance

text: Playing and recording..


title: A Desert Island Top Ten!!

text: Bought this album when it first came out and it has easily stood the test of time. At the time Peter's lyrics spoke to me and my inner most feelings. I can go on and on about the musical side of this classic. But the emotional connection I developed with it is hard to explain, or ignore. Peters spiritual journey has been a backstory in my life. He is easily one of a handful of artist that I can go to and not be disappointed. Buy it you'll like it, jus'sayin'.


title: track listing is not the same as cd on cover ...

text: track listing is not the same as cd on cover.from a other show, hawk records sould redo cover for the right concret so you have right cover.


title: It's important to have but....

text: Buddy was a genius and a Rock N Roll G-D 4 sure. That said this SACD release, sound wise is all over the place. A lot of tracks sound raw and harsh. I think these may be non cleaned up and or treated original cuts but a lot of it just hurts.  I have no idea where they got the material that makes up this collection.There are some also some very great tracks but I was a little taken aback overall. I have a Lexicon RT 10,a pretty decent machine but I hardly listen to this SACD, it just hurts too much. My CD Redbook and vinyl version are far lusher. You should own it if your a fan you may just not listen to it much...


title: This Stuff Is Really Good

text: I don't know why this record cleaner has got bad reviews. This stuff works really well. The key to having success with this is to let it soak for about 5 minutes before vacuuming off. You should always rinse with distilled water afterwards. I will be buying more of this after I run out.


title: Four Stars

text: Very good vintage music, my wife enjoyed brought back memories.


title: Awesome

text: Thank you


title: Sheer Quality.

text: The Music Matters 2x45 RPM vinyl version of Judgement is just life-changing to behold. Elvin Jones' drumming is reproduced with such sheer power and clarity, I was scared my neighbors would complain. ("Let em," I figured, this is worth it). Oh, and they didn't.<br />This is music on a very, very high level, recorded at the highest level, and delivered to our ears and eyes at a higher level than I've ever imagined possible. Get this record before it sells out, set you stereo on Stun(ning), and buckle your seat belt....


title: Quality, Quality, Quality

text: The Music Matters 2x45 RPM vinyl version of Leapin and Lopin' has basically changed my life. This is a superb record, in every way, from start to finish. Get it, before it's sold out. In this age of planned obsolescence in which we currently live, it's such a breath of fresh air to experience music of this quality, played by musicians of such masterful caliber, recorded with such mind-boggling care, and delivered to our ears with such painstaking precision. Made in the USA indeed!


title: Five Stars

text: Greatest album ever by the Bay Area's Happiest Damn Band!


title: Nice

text: Very good CD I like music,


title: total waste of money

text: I really looked forward to this concert dvd.  The entire concert was messed up, pixels throughout, it stopped working entirely throughout the concert.  the special features worked fine, the concert itself was a total disaster!<br />It was a brand new cd/dvd.  Could only see a couple scratches on it.  Just a total bummer, and not cheap either!


title: You will love this one!

text: You must have "Captains of Industry, Captains of War!" An excellent group continues to excel. One can tell they are a talented group who so enjoy music.These guys are contagious. This purchase is money well spent! The authenticity is amazing!


title: Justin Young Is Fabulous

text: Justin's cut here "Father Figure" is an excellent re-make of George Michael's classic, I think better than the original. This track is not available on any other release.


title: Very nicely layed out collection.

text: Love the double-sided vinyl record and lithograph. The whole package was nicely done, I might just frame it all (except the shirt) and simply display it. Great stuff.


title: Excellent album, arrived in mint condition

text: Disc arrived with no scratches or damage of any kind, very pleased with my purchase.


title: A Masterpiece!

text: Wonderful album from beginning to end.


title: Valente with Bossa Nova master Bonfa make a perfect combination

text: This album is a double album, Caterina in Italy and Valente Sings Bonfa. I'm going to review just the Bossa Nova album. Those who are familiar with the works of Bonfa already know that he is a master guitarist and excellent composer. In this release, we have Bonfa himself playing guitar, backing Valente with a full orchestra in all his compositions. There are some true gems in this release. It is an early bossa nova album with many songs that are not otherwise familiar to the non bossa nova fan. Nevertheless, the songs are wonderful and it creates such a relaxed mood, that it should not be missed. I was expecting her to sing it in Portuguese, after all, it is bossa nova, but she sings it in Italian. It works out fine, so don't worry about that! The arrangements are superb, with a lush string section that cushions her delicate vocals perfectly. With Bonfa's perfect guitar work, soft bossa nova rhythms, you can't go wrong with this release. The remastering is superb and it comes with new liner notes. A must buy for Valente and bossa nova fans!


title: Jo Basile's outstanding album of early Bossa Nova tunes, a must have for Bossa Nova fans!

text: If you love Bossa Nova as I do, then you must ABSOLUTELY have this album. I have the original LP pressed in the 60's, that I found in a used record store. I bought it because I'm a huge fan of Jo Basile. Up until I heard this album, my favorite album of his was Paris! That all changed when I bought this album. It was reissued on cd in Spain and I was thrilled that the reissue lists the personnel, the recording date and location. I bought it and was excited, but the sound quality was overly bright as compared to the original LP. And it's lacking slightly in bass response and in presence. This is a minor complaint, but the one major complaint is that on track 2, the tape they used to issue this cd has a damaged section and it skips and you lose about 1 full second. The jump is very noticeable. But considering that this the only way you are going to hear this great album, it's something you'll have to live with. The classic Bossa Nova tune, "Voce e Eu", is given an outstanding treatment by Basile and The Bossa Tres. I have have 2 different versions by Walter Wanderley, one by Claus Ogerman, and they are all enjoyable. But Basile and his crew blow them out of the water. Basile's version has such an energetic drive and spirit that the those other versions don't come close. The other classic song "Cry Your Sadness" is another stand out arrangement. Yes, the one by Walter Wanderley is excellent, but this one is even better. The bass work on this tune by the Bossa Tres bassist (who's name escapes me, sorry) is just outstanding. The piano solo as well, is equally remarkable. I know what you must be thinking. Baslie is a French accordian player, how well does he do with a trio of Brazillian jazz men? Well, he holds his own with no problem. He crafted all the arrangements. In fact, the blending of the accordian with brazillian rhythms sound so natural that you wonder why no one else has done it. Basile is often grouped as an easy listening musician. But he is equally at home at jazz, and this album proves that in spades. It's just sad that is great Bossa Nova album is over looked by so many Bossa Nova jazz lovers. I had this playing at my house one day and my guest just loved it. She mistook it for French! And I told her it was a combination of a French accordianist and Brazillian musicians that gave it such a unique sound. If you can get this cd, don't hesitate!


title: Soothing and Lovely

text: Good compilation


title: This CD is out of print!

text: I love Peter Pan Speedrock! They have become one of my all time favorite band over the years and right up there with Zeke. I'm glad I purchased this years ago, because it is now out of print and worth a lot of money. More than I could ever afford, that's for sure. This CD is a compilation of kick ass songs that go back as far as their first self titled LP when they were simply known as "Peter Pan" in 1997. Other LP's some of these songs are taken from are"Rocketfuel" (1998), "Home Steel" (1999), "Killermachine" (2000), and "Premium Quality" (2001). Tracks are:1.Rocket Fuel 2. Goodyear 3. Rock City 4. Dead Mechanics 5. Gotta Get Some 6. Resurrection 7. Donkeypunch 8. Next Town 9.Boom! 10. Big Toy 11. Pedal to the Metal 12. Come on You 13. Bad Year for Rock'n'Roll 14. Dukes of Danger 15. Megasdeltitas 16. Hellalujah! 17. Motorblock 18. Auf Der Axe.  If you don't own this,buy it! I highly recommend all of their other records too. There isn't one Peter Pan Speedrock song I've ever not liked. They have a DVD out too which is well worth adding to your collection which gives you an inside look of their lives while on the road on tour and family life at home.


title: Human Revolution changed my life

text: This is unlike any music I have ever experienced.  I highly recommend !


title: I love RUSH

text: As a huge rush fan I am so happy that I got this. Hemispheres was (and still is) an amazing album!!


title: Amazing detail

text:
Was not as big as I thought it would be, but I love MSG Rock. As a fellow MSG myself I ask myself, “What would Sergeant Rock Do?” when faced with a perplexing dilemma.

Great detail


title: Pete and the others who were geniuses of music....

text: I recently saw Pete Best in concert and i could tell he wasn't as good as Ringo on drums but...his humility and kindness was inspiring. he took pictures and waved to us all through the concert. Great time. After that i decided to pick up this little cd, even though i have these session in some bootlegs. The sound of this one cd is quite good. The session is complete and you can actually hear how good they were now, after those eight hour gigs in Germany. They soon would pay off but without Pete. The good part is there are a lot of songs which The Beatles never recorded or released again and, for that, this cd is actually worth listening to.


title: Choir music

text: This book is out of print; I was so excited to find the listening cd.  We had the books and tracks, but not the listening.  Great series.


title: Unfortunately these tracks are not complete nor is it a ...

text: Unfortunately these tracks are not complete nor is it a continuous mix. Tracks are between 2 and 3 minutes. I suppose the one use out ill get out of this is for samples. Wish they had made it a double cd set and had the complete original tunes. THAT would have been worth my $4. I'm not going to return because I understand if I had done my research that I would have know prior to ordering.


title: very happy with purchase

text: got it fast. item as described.very happy with purchase. thanks again!


title: Five Stars

text: Well worth it to have the bonus Letterman footage.


title: Great to have them all in one place

text: Spectacular collection of an iconic album. Have had most of the bonus tracks on various CD singles. Great to have them all in one place. The bonus DVD of the Paris concert is a fantastic piece of archival history. Book that is included in this edition is very informative. Quite satisfied with this purchase.


title: Great Music !!

text: Larry Hutcherson is as great of a guitarist as you can find in a world that seems to keep running down a familiar road where only the drums rule. This CD can take you back to the days of black top freeways with miles to drive !!  Where you could get with other musicians and jam for Days !! Where having fun was the number one rule and the cops left you alone if you were doing it in the back seat.  Where the blues--drinking and pig pickings went hand in hand.<br />  Where paying your dues really meant jaming with the best of the best !!  How do I know this you ask ?  Well -- having known and played drums with Larry for many years, I can honestly say that he is the real deal !! Backed with friends who happen to be some of the best misucians Raleigh, NC has to offer, this CD is packed with tunes that will blast you to a time where you could pay $5.00 and see the best players around. Many musicians got their start by playing at the open mic night started by Larry in 1982 ( The Rythum and Blues Review ), and it still continues to this day !!  Larry is a rare breed of person who is giving of his time and can just flat out master his instrument !!  It is a Shame that I got one of the last CDs out there by him but with enough support, I think that this music really needs a new audience !!


title: katharsis

text:
This is a great jazz fusion album in the vein of "blow by blow"; ABBA
guitarist Janne Schaffer & a fine Swedish studio band really make this
album cook. When will this be released on CD? It's far superior to his
1st & 2nd albums, which are currently available


title: Still the pop diva!

text: Great, perfectly crafted pop song with the woo hoo that stays in your head for days. Ms Minogue has done it again. Welcome back Kylie!<br />PS: The album 'X' is fantastic as well. A great collection of electro-pop/rock. Kylie proves once again she is a chameleon.


title: STUPENDOUS - BREATHTAKING - SUPREME

text: I just got this 5 disc set as a gift.  I have "On An Island" and this is the entire album live and more.  Incredible performances, David Gilmour gives a beyond 5 star performance.  The sound is phenomenal.  I can't recommend this enough.  You can lose yourself and forget you are at home watching this with the lights off and the surround sound.  Just wonderful.  This is the most glorious gift, I have thanked the person that got this for me.  I LOVE IT.  For Pink Floyd fans it's an absolute, I mean absolute must.  No matter how much it costs, I can tell you it's worth every cent.  It is very intimate for such a huge concert, the orchestration is great.  Top notch in every way - the entire packaging is brilliant.  Entirely enjoyable.  Will watch and listen endlessly again and again.  Perfect.


title: Excellent performance, great recording!

text:
This is probably one of the best readings of Holst's masterpiece. Since this was the recording that introduced  me to Holst's great opus, it holds a special place in my heart/ears. Surely, there are other great recordings, namely Solti/LPO, Dutoit/Montreal, Davis/BBC Philharmonic, Steiberg/Boston, but this recording, Rattle's first version with the excellent Philharmonia Orchestra is full of energy, colors, and wonderful tempi. Mars is truly menacing, Venus an insight in peace, Uranus unpredictable, with a truly surprising final rumbling chord, Jupiter bustling and noble, Neptune ethereal, Mercury truly fleeting and mercurial, Saturn ponderous and inexorable. This version is indeed superior to Rattle's second live version with the BPO, which has the bonus of including the newly composed Pluto by Colin Mathews together with an array of Asteroids newly composed too, but which are more of a curiosity and not really worth influencing one's choice of recording.
As to the recording per se, this is one of EMI's early digital attempts which I have owned as Lp and later as a Japanese early regular Cd, which sounded  disappointing compared to the Lp, mastered at an unusually  low level and lacking in presence.
The present Japanese HQCD is a completely different matter and a vast improvement over the earlier versions. It is a much superior remastering that offers excellent dynamics, improved bass and wonderful presence, courtesy of Kingsway Hall. A truly great performance in a great presentation, highly recommended and well worth buying.


title: Young at his finest

text: The Monkey King is an epic, bombastic, and thematic film score that does not disappoint.  Young layers many themes together in a Holst's Planets style presentation journey.  Sweeping strings, traditional Chinese instruments and heavy percussion create a complex orchestration that moves.  The use of choir and solo vocals adds touches of beauty and enchantment.  The Monkey King is so complex is requires multiple listens to truly appreciate the mastery here.  Highlights include:  Nuwa, Guan Yin, Subhuti and Sun Wukong.  Looking forward to Young's work on the sequel!


title: Five Stars

text: Excellence


title: Love my 'Good Will Hunting' soundtrack

text: This is all the music you didn't get on the other CD.  This is the soundtrack music by Danny Elfman and includes all the pathos and beauty and emotion brought to the film as a whole.  It's a must-have if you love this film and love soundtracks.