Take Two

1. Love Train - The O'Jays

2. Brown Eyed Girl - The Isley Brothers

3. Who Am I - The O'Jays

4. Brother Brother - The Isley Brothers

5. Ship Ahoy - The O'Jays

6. Fight the Power (Pt. 1 & 2) - The Isley Brothers

7. Rich Get Richer - The O'Jays

8. Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight - The Isley Brothers

9. Stairway to Heaven - The O'Jays

10. Winner Takes All - The Isley Brothers

Take Two,The Isley Brothers & The O'Jays,Sony Special Product,Funk,Philly Soul,Pop,Quiet Storm,R&B,Rock/Pop,Soul,Soul/Reggae/Rhythm & Blues,Urban

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Average customer rating: One of the best ever! Kristen Chenowith Has its moments Great CD! This woman has what it takes, and then some...

Let Yourself Go Kristin Chenoweth , Jule Styne , George Gershwin , Richard Rodgers , Jeanine Tesori , Kurt Weill , Jerome Kern , Vincent Youmans , Ricky Ian Gordon , Richard Dworsky , Lawrence Ellington Duke / Brown , Harry Warren , Bobby Troup , Jason Alexander , Irving Berlin , Rob Fisher , and The Coffee Club Orchestra Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Weill | Weill, Kurt | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: As I Am Still I Can't Be Still You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1999 Broadway Revival Cast) Leonard Bernstein's Candide (Great Performances) Meredith Willson's The Music Man (TV Film) ASIN: B000059T4T Release Date: 2001-05-29

Tracks:

1. Let Yourself Go
2. If
3. How Long Has This Been Going On?
4. My Funny Valentine
5. Hanging Around with You (with Jason Alexander)
6. The Girl in 14G
7. I'll Tell the Man in the Street
8. I'm a Stranger Here Myself
9. Nobody Else But Me
10. Nobody's Heart Belongs to Me/Why Can't I?
11. Should I Be Sweet?
12. He's Just an Ordinary Guy
13. Going to the Dance with You
14. On a Turquoise Cloud
15. You'll Never Know
16. Daddy

Amazon.com

Kristin Chenoweth won a Tony for the supporting role of Sally Brown in the 1999 revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, made a memorably vampy Lily in the 1999 television film of Annie, and had an NBC sitcom created for her, Kristin! Now she grabs the spotlight in Let Yourself Go, her first solo recording. She mixes torchy standards ("My Funny Valentine," "How Long Has This Been Going On?") with Faith Prince-style sauciness ("If"), gets to show off her operatic and scat chops in the miniplay "The Girl in 14G," and shares a light duet with Jason Alexander (reviving his musical theater career post-Seinfeld). Perhaps her "Stranger Here Myself" isn't the weightiest you've ever heard, but this is an enjoyable album with a good deal of old-fashioned class, expertly accompanied by Rob Fisher and the Coffee Club Orchestra. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

One of the best ever!.......2007-04-24

Do I mean the best album or the best singer? You are correct if you said both! I saw Kristin Chenoweth on a PBS show "Broadway's Best at the Pops," (though it was not the first time I had heard her) and decided to check out the offerings here. This is a collection of the kind of music and performances I love. She has a great range, a precise pitch, and a great style that is at the same time true to the music and to herself. In an era when singers try to outdo each other re-interpreting the composer's original work, not usually with great success, she is a blessing!

Kristen Chenowith.......2007-02-26

I bought this CD for the Girl in 14G. Yes, it's that good...

Has its moments.......2007-02-19

After watching Candide endlessly and going to see Ms. Chenoweth in The Apple Tree, I was hungry for something more portable to listen to. At times this fits the bill, but what surprised me the most is how thin her voice comes across on this recording. Perhaps it was the joy of seeing her live that has ruined this listener; perhaps I need to upgrade my aging music system. Then again, maybe the recording is just not as good as Ms. C singing Bernstein or as good as staring at Ms. C command a Broadway stage.

Great CD!.......2007-01-19

I truly enjoy listening to this CD. Kristin Chenoweth's vocal style and abilities are very well-matched to the songs selected for this album. If you enjoy classic, older-style Broadway/popular tunes, I would highly recommend this CD. Ms. Chenoweth has a bright, expressive voice and does a fantastic job with this material.

As with any full-length CD, there are a couple of songs I am not as crazy about, but that has to do with the songs themselves, not Ms. Chenoweth's vocal performance. Overall, I love this album and have listened to it several times now, since receiving it as a Christmas gift last month.

This woman has what it takes, and then some..........2007-01-12

Kristin Chenoweth brings new life to some timeless Broadways tunes while introducing a few wonderful new ones. This high pitched vocal goddess effortlessly provides for a nearly flawless and easy listening experience. I definitly recommend this CD for anyone who enjoys jazz vocals, showtunes, or just a new spin on some old classics.

Average customer rating: More of the bland stagnance of Takemitsu's later symphonic work Really enjoying this one A fine collection of late works and an ideal introduction Another world Takemitsu draws you into his dream world

Toru Takemitsu: Quotation of Dream (20/21 series) - London Sinfonietta / Oliver Knussen Oliver Knussen , Paul Crossley , Peter Serkin , London Sinfonietta , Sebastian Bell , Michael Collins , Andrew Crowley , Gareth Hulse , Joan Atherton , Rebecca Hirsch , and Timothy Lines Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Takemitsu | Takemitsu, Toru | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Concertinos | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Takemitsu: A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden Takemitsu: Requiem; Twill by Twilight Takemitsu: A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden Takemitsu: Chamber Music Takemitsu: To the Edge of Dream / Folios for Guitar / Toward the Sea / Transcriptions for Guitar ASIN: B00000I0L6 Release Date: 1999-02-09

Tracks:

1. Quotation Of Dream: Day Signal
2. Quotation Of Dream
3. Quotation Of Dream: How Slow The Wind
4. Quotation Of Dream: Twill By Twilight
5. Quotation Of Dream: Archipelago S.
6. Quotation Of Dream: Dream-Window
7. Quotation Of Dream: Night Signal

Amazon.com

Sometimes, even while you are listening, it can be very difficult to understand how Takemitsu created such exquisitely beautiful music using so much dissonance. As the brief Day Signal opens the disc, for example, you're more likely to think of the glory of sunrise than of the discords. And Quotation of Dream, which quotes freely from Debussy's La Mer, is nearly as beautiful as its source. Rather than waste time figuring out how Takemitsu's spacing of notes and imaginative scoring influences our perceptions, it's much more rewarding just to relax and let the music wash over you. Knussen, who leads amazing performances here, has programmed the disc for a continuous listening experience, although the novice should probably listen only to a couple of pieces at one sitting. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

More of the bland stagnance of Takemitsu's later symphonic work.......2007-06-03

It's inexplicable that so little of Takemitsu's extraordinary film music has been released in affordable editions outside Japan, while compilations of his boring, overtly derivative late orchestral output have enjoyed inclusion on releases by the likes of DG. Then again, DG hasn't had a good string of releases since the late '70s, so I don't expect too much from that fallen giant.

"Quotation of Dream" is easily one of Takemitsu's worst compositions and an absolute waste of time: a meandering exercise that tediously quotes Debussy's "La Mer" and recycles portions of Takemitsu's own "Dream/Window." Technically, this piece is as expertly constructed as all of Takemitsu's work, but that doesn't make it any less counterfeit of its' source material, or any less embarrassing for it. Why should I listen to this tiresome pablum when the compositions it borrows from are readily available?

"How Slow the Wind," "Twill by Twilight" and "Archipelago S." are typical examples of Takemitsu's late orchestral works: they assume a lovely sound and were composed with ingenious design, but that doesn't make them even remotely interesting or memorable.

There are a few works on this disc that are worth hearing. The aforementioned "Dream/Window" is a brilliant, beautiful twelve-tone composition that's infused with the drifting, dreamlike sonority common of his works - an aesthetic which is almost anathema to the rigorous character of most serialist compositions.
Also notable are "Day Signal" and "Night Signal," a pair of dissonant, evocative fanfares that bookend the album's content. These brass-voiced compositions seem almost facile to the ear at first listen, but repeated plays distinguish the cleverness of these little pieces as antiphonal movements.

None of the negative comments of this review should obscure the fact that Takemitsu was a truly gifted and intuitive composer. But it's inexplicable that so much of his best (and in many cases, most accessible) works of film, piano, chamber and electronic/tape music remain either out of print (often since being released on LP) or entirely unavailable for domestic consumption of his North American and European listeners when the least of his orchestral oeuvre is readily on hand.

There's nothing that I can say against these performances by Knussen conducting the LS. They're excellent, informed executions of mostly mediocre compositions. However, I'd much rather hear Knussen performing the best of his own small (but distinguished) oeuvre!

The production is decent: as transparent and pristine as most of the best digital recordings. These compositions don't demand any venture into extreme registers, but the soft passages are capably, audibly reproduced without any loss of their inherent subtlety.

Really enjoying this one.......2006-04-29

I have only recently begun listening to Takemitsu. Was introduced at a guitar recital. I have been slowly accumulating more of his compositions. For me, this is possibly the best.

Composition intrigues me perhaps more than any other aspect of music, and this fellow was clearly inspired. I would liken his music to that of Alan Hovhaness, but without some of the more brash moments of that composer. I can also hear the influence of Debussy, but Takemitsu takes the listener in many enjoyable directions throughout this CD.

The playing and recording are also top-notch.

A fine collection of late works and an ideal introduction.......2004-12-11

QUOTATION OF DREAM is the first of Deutsche Grammophon's several collections of pieces by late Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu, who thankfully has been getting ever-more attention since his untimely death in 1996. Takemitsu was a mainly self-taught composer, and because of this there seems to be little that connects him to his serialism- or minimalism-inspired colleagues. Nevertheless, Takemitsu's own path is fascinating, exploring Japanese and Western compositional principles in isolation and in combination and striving to transcend them both. These pieces, several of them related by shared thematic materials. are lovingly performed by the London Sinfonietta conducted by Oliver Knussen, who was a friend and admirer of Takemitsu.

The disc is framed by two antiphonal fanfares written in 1987, "Day Signal" and "Night Signal", together called "Signals from Heaven". They are closely related, both using dissonance to suggest the changing of the skies, but with one inverted from the other to suggest an opposite tone.

A quip of Takemitsu was "I am self-taught, but I consider Debussy my teacher." The first major work here, "Quotation of Dream - Say sea, take me!" (1991), is a tribute to Debussy using quotations from his "La Mer" as if the composer was trying to recreate the piece he had just woken up from dreaming. The title also refers to its use of some material from "Dream/Window", an earlier composition present on this disc. "Quotation of Dream" is a lovely tribute to the composer's greatest inspiration, but the majority of the work comes only from Takemitsu. His use of a zig-zag of harmony, of orchestral colour that comes forth and recedes like waves is nothing you have ever heard before in orchestral music.

"How Slow the Wind" (1991), inspired by a poem by Emily Dickinson, is rather more brooding. It's most interesting moments occur toward the end, when cascading woodwind sounds and the faintly mechanical notes of two Swiss cowbells transform the work into something different. This is one of Takemitsu's most impressive works,

"Twill by Twillight (in memory of Morton Feldman)" (1988) is an experiment with a musical "tapestry", where a theme "weaves" through the piece. The piece is pretty music, but does little to make itself memorable and for me remains the low point of this collection.

The title of "Archipelago S." for twenty-one players (1993) refers to the landscapes of Seattle, Stockholm, and the islands of the Sato Inland Sea . The piece has an innovative stage layout, with the players grouped into five "islands": a five-person brass group, two mixed seven-piece groups, a clarinet sitting to the right, and a clarinet sitting to the left. The effect is indeed somewhat nautical and this recording exploits the space well.

"Dream/Window" (1985) is probably the most important composition on this disc. Every note of this piece is of the greatest delicacy, and the work as a whole is so crystalline and fragile that one feels one will break it just by listening to it. Though Takemitsu's later works are impressive, they have never seemed to me to acheive the perfection of "Dream/Window". What is surprising is that this work is true twelve-tone music, yet with Takemitsu's skill it does not sound dull or scientific.

If you ever think that modern-classical music is written only by dispassionate ivory-tower robots like Pierre Boulez, the works of Takemitsu will show you that contemporary techniques can, under the right hands, touch the emotions as much as the intellect. While it takes some time to get used to (nearly six months for me), this is probably the single best introduction to the music of Toru Takemitsu. And one should certainly listen to this before getting the other DG "20/21" discs, which are rather more specialised (with, for example, one having traditional Japanese pieces and the other flute and guitar works).

Another world.......2003-10-18

Toru Takemitsu was one of the late 20th century's most individual composers whose scores use primarily the traditional instruments of western classical music. Perhaps in part because he wrote film scores in addition to concert pieces, his art is highly communicative and un-academic. It has the double merit of being about as far as you can get both from gnarly, dissonant modernism and from pretty-pretty New Age ear candy.

Quotation of Dream includes seven pieces from the last decade of Takemitsu's life (he died in 1996), including the premiere recording of the title piece. The disc begins and ends with fanfares that, while perhaps effective as aural bookends, are to my ears undistinguished. The music that lies in between, however, is extraordinarily compelling.

Takemitsu's style in these works is generally meditative, with frequent slow, quiet passages, strings predominating. But there are dramatic incidents and color as well: flaring brass, rising like a mountainous island from a tropical sea; raindrops of chimes; drawn-out woodwind lines weaving sinuously through swirls of massed violins. The music sometimes pivots around silent pauses, like the empty spaces in Zen painting. In Quotation of Dream, twin pianos (played by Paul Crossley and Peter Serkin, respectively) dominate the foreground with gentle cascades of notes while orchestral clouds form in the background.

The musical language is often reminiscent of Debussy and Ravel; in mood (though not in technique) it can resemble the slowest and most mysterious moments in music of the second Viennese school (Schoenberg, Berg, Webern et al.). The subtlety and elusiveness probably owe something to the composer's Japanese heritage. But this is no cut-and-paste job; the overall impression is startlingly original.

I have not read the liner notes, and have no idea of what Takemitsu is trying to "say," or what these scores "mean." I would also suggest that those considerations are pretty irrelevant: the important thing is the sound world that he has created, which is both other-worldly and bracing.

Oliver Knussen, a contemporary British composer and a friend of Takemitsu, conducted the London Sinfonietta in these recordings. It is apparent that that he helped the players, who sound expert, get "inside" the music.

Anyone who already knows and appreciates Takemitsu's sensibility need not hesitate to acquire this disc. It can also be recommended for all but the most determinedly "mostly Mozart" classical devotees.

The presentation is not ideal. Deutsche Grammophon has never excelled at digital recordings, and the sound of this disc, while detailed and transparent, is a bit bright and clinical. The disc is contained in one of those cardboard containers that some labels are now trying to get you to accept in lieu of the standard jewel case because it's cheaper to produce (but not cheaper for you to buy). The atmospheric sepia-toned photo on the cover has a fat round sticker on it that shouts "World Premiere Recording"; if you try to peel off the sticker, it leaves ineradicable shreds. The plastic tray with the central claw ring is glued to the cardboard. Take care not to break the plastic, because there is no way you can replace it.

Takemitsu draws you into his dream world.......2002-04-07

These pieces from Takemitsu's maturity represent the pinnacle of achievement for this gifted composer. Without regard to trends and fashion in contemporary music has has created his own sound universe. A peaceful, yet oddly non-somnolent, serenity informs virtually every bar of these wonderful pieces. The music is beautiful, lush and imaginative at every turn and despite strong ties to the French impressionists it is creative and unique and infused with Takemitsu's personal stamp and his nature-mystical aesthetic. The sound and the performances are first rate and Oliver Knussen must be congratulated on doing such a fine job in bringing these excellent pieces to life. If you love Takemitsu, you will love this CD. If you are new to Takemitsu, this is a wonderful introduction to one of the 20th century's finest composers.
Recommended without reservation.

Average customer rating: Back in catalogue, again

Take Two Marvin Gaye , and Kim Weston Manufacturer: Umvd Import ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | R&B | Styles | Music Motown | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music R&B | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Motown Anthology Reflections: The Definitive Performances 1964-1969 Silk & Soul/Nitty Gritty Knight Time/A Little Knight Music Love Is in Our Hearts: The Love Collection ASIN: B000LV6W32 Release Date: 2007-01-22

Tracks:

1. What Good Am I Without You
2. Baby Say Yes
3. It Takes Two
4. When We're Together
5. Baby (Don't You Leave Me)
6. I Want You 'Round (Single Version)
7. Heaven Sent You I Know
8. It's Got To Be A Miracle (This Thing Called Love) Single Version
9. Love Fell On Me
10. Baby I Need Your Loving
11. It's Me
12. I Couldn't Help Falling For You (1995 The Master Version)(Mono)
13. Exactly Like You
14. Til There Was You
15. Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)
16. Love You, Yes I Do
17. Secret Love
18. Teach Me Tonight
19. You've Got To Be Real (Previously Unreleased)

Album Description

Originally released in 1998, this collection of all known tracks recorded by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston has been out of print since the year of release! 19 tracks including 'What Good Am I Without You', 'It Takes Two', 'Baby I Need Your Loving' and many more. Spectrum. 2007.

Album Details

Compiled Back in 1998 the Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston Master Series CD Consisted Then of the `complete' Recorded Works of Marvin Gaye and his Singing Partner, Kim Weston. Copies of the CD, which Seemed to Disappear from Both the Shops and the Record Company Catalogue in the Twinkling of an Eye, Started to Fetch Vast Sums of Money on Internet Auction Sites - If You Could Find it at All, that Is.

Customer Reviews:

Back in catalogue, again.......2007-04-09

Marvin Gaye enjoyed his parallel career as a duettist with Motown's favoured ladies, and enjoyed commercial success with each, but was always ultimately unlucky with his vocal partners. First, Mary Wells left the label for Twentieth Century Fox, then Kim Weston left with husband-producer Mickey Stevenson to sign to MGM, and finally Tammi Terrell collapsed in his arms onstage with a fatal brain tumour, at which point he pledged never to pair up again.

Mary Wells' sudden departure caused seismic waves at Motown. It is well known that some new songs she had recorded were reassigned to other singers, notably a reluctant Brenda Holloway, but it now appears that in May 1964 work had also begun on another record with Marvin Gaye. The evidence is the song You've Got To Be For Real which was assigned to Marvin and Mary, and is released here for the first time, with Mary's vocal having been replaced in September 1964 by that of Kim Weston.

After Motown had caught its breath, the choice of Kim as Marvin's new singing partner must have been quite swift as the B-side of their first joint single, What Good Am I Without You/I Want You 'Round, was cut in July 1964. It must have been a natural choice as Kim had been a supporting artist on the Marvin Gaye Revue concerts that year.

I Want You 'Round was a Smokey Robinson song that Smokey had tried out with Mary Wells the year before but not released. Another early try-out was James Brown's I Love You, Yes I Do which Kim Weston had recorded alone in April 1964 and to which Marvin Gaye added his new vocals that September. Although a few tracks were recorded during 1965, and a one-sided acetate of Baby Say Yes was circulating towards the end of the year, after the failure of What Good Am I Without You in the charts no follow-up single appeared until December 1966, when It Takes Two became a huge smash.

It remains the song for which Kim Weston is best known, and was the only single to be taken from the album Take Two, released a couple of months earlier. It looks from this as if the sessions of March 1966, during which It Takes Two was completed, marked the last time Kim Weston recorded for the label.

The album veered slightly awkwardly between the trademark hot Motown groove of the in-house compositions, many co-written by Mickey Stevenson, and the standards thought by Berry Gordy to appeal to the more "adult" buyers - songs like 'Til There Was You and Secret Love, blessed though they were by some modern arrangements and brilliant playing from the Funk Brothers. Kim's vocals were strong though, and were the foil that coaxed some competitively inspired performances from Marvin. The piecemeal recording process, however, stretched over more than two years, gave a lack of cohesion to the album.

In 1998 the album was released on CD in the Motown Master Series, in an expanded and re-mastered form, under the title Take Two Plus. It sold out quickly, was not re-pressed and has apparently been in strong subsequent demand. Mixed among the twelve re-sequenced tracks (eleven in stereo, I Love You Yes I Do in mono) were a further six mono contemporary duets that had been debuted on various posthumous compilations. The liner notes suggests that these had been intended for a further album tentatively titled Side By Side, though as all six tracks were recorded between 1964 and 1965 apart from I Couldn't Help Falling You (from the March 1966 sessions) it looks as if such an album would have been largely leftovers.

They include three further standards - Exactly Like You and Let's Do It (both borrowing from Nina Simone's versions) and Dinah Washington's Teach Me Tonight, which further weigh down the album. Furthermore, the out-take Teach Me Tonight is another old Mary Wells backing track to which Marvin and Kim had recorded new vocals either in 1965 or, more probably, 1964. One wonders why the bonus tracks were not placed at the end of the disc to retain the integrity of the original album.

The compilers of this 2007 reissue, which differs from the 1998 release only by virtue of one further previously unreleased mono track from 1964 (the excellent Ivy Jo Hunter song You've Got To Be For Real), seem unaware that Take Two was re-mastered entirely in stereo and in the correct running order, and re-released in 2001 in the affordable 2 Classic Albums 1 CD series as Together/Take Two, coupled with the 1963 album Marvin Gaye made with Mary Wells. Buyers of Take Two therefore now have the bonus choices of either seven tracks with Kim Weston or a ten-track album with Mary Wells. Don't ask me to decide, though; I bought both.

Average customer rating: Fine reissue of a classic set

Purcell: Theatre Music Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Purcell, Henry | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Purcell, Henry | Composers | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Hogwood, Christopher | ( H ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Purcell, Henry | M to P | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Odes | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Cantatas for Solo Countertenor Purcell: The Fairy Queen Purcell: Songs & Airs / Argenta, North, Boothby, Nicholson, Toll Monteverdi - Madrigali guerrieri ed amorosi / Concerto Köln, Jacobs Lawes: The Consort Setts for 5 & 7 viols and organ ASIN: B0001Y4JHA Release Date: 2004-10-12

Customer Reviews:

Fine reissue of a classic set.......2006-05-24

Think about the stupidest, most formulaic Hollywood movies you can think of: cheesy action pictures, fluffy, unfunny comedies, big but stiff epics. Now imagine that one of the greatest living composers was working in Hollywood, turning out astonishing, hauntingly beautiful and stirring musical scores for these throwaway movies. That's what you get with this set: music Henry Purcell composed for some two dozen often utterly forgettable plays (trust me--I've read a number of them!) Occasionally, when he teams up with a playwright worthy of his stature, such as John Dryden, Aphra Behn, or William Congreve, the results are even better, but for the most part you can enjoy the music here without knowing anything about the original plays.

This set originally appeared as separate LPs in the 70s and 80s, and has been long out of print. That's a pity, since Purcell spent a good deal of his short professional life in the theatre, either writing the incidental music contained on these CDs, or the music for his larger works, the semi-operas (King Arthur, The Fairy Queen, and the like). Almost all of these works are enjoyable gems; certainly, they represent a pinnacle of English 17th century music. Purcell had a genius for spinning musical gold out of the most leaden lyrics (check out his Odes and Welcome Songs on Hyperion if you don't believe me), and he does the same with the song texts in these plays.

Hogwood and the AAM offer clean, listenable performances, and the sound on these old analog discs has been cleaned up and brightened--although they were pretty good, even in the late 70s. As with most Hogwood, emotional extremes are kept to a minimum, so the "otherworldly" nature of late 17th century music, so often emphasised in more recent Baroque performances, doesn't come across here. It would be interesting to see what a group like The King's Consort would do with this music, but this set fills the major gap in the Purcell canon quite nicely.

My only beef with the reissue, as with many reissues, is that the liner notes are rather thin for a 6-cd set--the lyrics to the songs, for example, are especially missed. Still, it's a worthwhile set, and a must for fans of Purcell, English Baroque music, or anyone who just wants to experience a taste of the last days of the Restoration stage.

Average customer rating: enjoyable

Guitar Classics Manufacturer: Golden Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Chopin | Chopin, Frédéric | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Dowland | Dowland, John | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Nocturnes | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Lute | Instruments | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Guitar | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Lute | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Brouwer: Guitar Music: Danza Caracteristica/Elogio De La Danza/El Decameron Negro/Tres Danzas Concertantes/Rito De Los Orishas ASIN: B00013D5EO Release Date: 2004-02-10

Tracks:

1. Bach Recital: Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006 "Gavotte on Rondeau" - AndrSegovia
2. Bach Recital: Partita No. 2 in D Major, BWV 1004 "Chaconne" - AndrSegovia
3. Bach Recital: Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012 "Gavottes I & II" - AndrSegovia
4. Bach Recital: Lute Suite in E Minor, BWV 996 "Sarabande" - AndrSegovia
5. Bach Recital: Lute Suite in E Minor, BWV 996 "Bourree" - AndrSegovia
6. Bach Recital: Prelude in C Minor, BWV 999 - AndrSegovia
7. Bach Recital: Suite No. 6 in C Major, BWV 1009 "Courante" - AndrSegovia
8. Bach Suite No. 1 in G Major: Prelude - John Williams
9. Bach Suite No. 1 in G Major: Allemande - John Williams
10. Bach Suite No. 1 in G Major: Courante - John Williams
11. Bach Suite No. 1 in G Major: Sarabande - John Williams
12. Bach Suite No. 1 in G Major: Minuetto I & II - John Williams
13. Bach Suite No. 1 in G Major: Gigue - John Williams
14. Bach Suite No. 3 in C Major: Prelude - John Williams
15. Bach Suite No. 3 in C Major: Allemande - John Williams
16. Bach Suite No. 3 in C Major: Courante - John Williams
17. Bach Suite No. 3 in C Major: Sarabande - John Williams
18. Bach Suite No. 3 in C Major: Bouree I & II - John Williams
19. Bach Suite No. 3 in C Major: Gigue - John Williams

Tracks:

1. Lovely Memories - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
2. Slow Flow - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
3. Romantic Affairs: Symphony No. 4, 2nd Movement - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
4. Lachrimae Antiquae Pavan - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
5. Two Guitars - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
6. Teen's Ballad - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
7. Venetian Boat Song, From "Songs Without Words" Op. 30/6 - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
8. Kalinka - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
9. Air for Guitar & Strings - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
10. Valse Pour Madame - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
11. Take My Word - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
12. Fantasia E Minore - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
13. Venezia E Napoli - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
14. Nostalgic Air - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
15. Berceuse - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
16. Nocturne Op. 37/1 - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
17. On the Road to Romance - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
18. Melancholy Song - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
19. Sweet Liberty - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra
20. Pavane - Alvaro Pierri, Rias Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

enjoyable.......2003-12-23

This CD is pretty good. It has some nice classical guitar music. I like disk #1 better than disk #2, but I guess that is just a personal preference.

Average customer rating: Gilbert and Sullivan......In Tears An Eye-Opener! The best of King's Singers meets the best of G&S looks pretty good Amazing work from the worlds' foremost a cappella group.

Here's a Howdy Do: A Gilbert & Sullivan Festival Arthur Sullivan , Christopher Laurence , Wild Ray Snurck , Robert [ , and The Kng's Singers Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music King's Singers | ( K ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: The King's Singers Original Debut Recording Madrigal History Tour A Little Chrismas Music: Kiri Te Kanawa; The King's Singers Kids' Stuff Sacred Bridges ASIN: B000003FLI Release Date: 1993-09-14

Tracks:

1. HMS Pinafore: A British Tar
2. The Mikado: The Sun Whose Rays
3. The Gondoliers: Take A Pair Of Sparkling Eyes
4. Ruddigore: The Ghosts' High-Noon
5. The Pirates Of Penzance: Ah, Leave Me Not
6. The Mikado: A Wand'ring Minstrel I
7. The Pirates Of Penzance: The Pirate King
8. The Mikado: Tit Willow
9. The Pirates Of Penzance: With Cat-Like Tread
10. The Mikado: Brightly Dawns Our Wedding Day
11. The Mikado: A More Humane Mikado
12. The Gondoliers: Rising Early In The Morning
13. Gilbert & Sullivan Medley
14. Patter Matter
15. The Mikado: Here's A Howdy Do

Customer Reviews:

Gilbert and Sullivan......In Tears.......2001-03-14

Once again we discover that amatures should not attempt to emulate what the classical artist "would" have wanted. This poor attempt at a "comical" view of the music of G&S only reiterates to this listener.....Don't Go There... I'm sorry I did and wish that the King's Singers......had never said..."Howdy Do", to me. Though I will keep searching for a true and respectful rendition of H.M.S. Fortunately, this version, makes a great coffee cup coaster......

An Eye-Opener!.......2000-06-23

This delightful album is the kind of work which will make the listener search for MORE by the artists and the composers. If you are not a fan of The Kings Singers, you will become one. If you don't know much Gilbert & Sullivan, you will want to learn! Highest praise.

The best of King's Singers meets the best of G&S.......1999-09-23

This one is a natural for me. The King's Singers are my favorite group, and Gilbert & Sullivan are my favorite shows. The King's Singers are the perfect group for G&S music, too, with their unique blend of serious musical study and just plain fun. Their medly and patter trio are two wonderfully crafted examples of G&S music, and the rest of the songs are very skillfully presented. I only wish this wonderful group would do another Gilbert & Sullivan recording.

looks pretty good.......1999-09-20

this looks pretty good, but i don't know because i haven't bought it ye

Amazing work from the worlds' foremost a cappella group........1999-08-29

As a lover of both G&S and the King's Singers, I was positively tickled by this wonderful recording. The King's Singers have managed to breath new life into songs that have sunken into obscurity, or worse, cliche'. "Pirate King", "Tit Willow", and "Here's a How-dee-Doo" are especially delightful. The tonal range of this group never fails to amaze me. From the sweetness of David Hurley on top to the astounding Stephen Connelly thundering forth as the Mikado, they are a joy to listen to.

Average customer rating: The best? I think not. can't understand the words

The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Operas | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Operas | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Broadway & Vocalists | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Soundtracks | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Ultimate Gilbert & Sullivan Collection Gilbert & Sullivan - Highlights from The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, Trial of Jury The Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures Topsy-Turvy - The Music of Gilbert & Sullivan: From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Gilbert & Sullivan Favourites ASIN: B00004W5AD Release Date: 2000-08-08

Tracks:

1. H.M.S. Pinafore: Ov - Orch Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr/John Owen Edwards
2. H.M.S. Pinafore: We Sail The Ocean Blue - Tom McVay/Gordon Sandison/Yvonne Barclay
3. H.M.S. Pinafore: Never Mind The Why And Wherefore - Tom McVay/Gordon Sandison/Yvonne Barclay
4. The Yeomen Of The Guard: When Maiden Loves She Sits And Sighs - Janine Roebuck
5. The Yeomen Of The Guard: Here's A Man Of Jollity - Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
6. Iolanthe: Tripping Hither, Tripping Thither - Yvonne Patrick/Madeliene Mitchell/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
7. Iolanthe: The Law Is The True Embodiment - Richard Suart/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
8. Iolanthe: When I Went To The Bar - Richard Suart
9. Iolanthe: Strephon's A Member Of Parliament! - Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
10. Iolanthe: When Britain Really Rul'd The Waves - Lawrence Richard/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
11. Iolanthe: Finale Act Two: Soon As We May - Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
12. The Pirates Of Penzance: Ov - Orch Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr/John Pryce-Jones
13. The Pirates Of Penzance: Poor Wand'ring One - Marilyn Hill Smith/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
14. The Pirates Of Penzance: I Am The Very Model - Eric Robertson/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
15. The Pirates Of Penzance: When The Foeman Bares His Steel - Simon Masterton Smith/Marilyn Hill Smith/Patricia Cameron/Eric Robertson/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte...
16. The Pirates Of Penzance: With Cat-Like Tread - Gareth Jones/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
17. The Mikado: If You Want To Know Who We Are - Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
18. The Mikado: The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring - Bonaventura Bottone/Eric Roberts/Deborah Rees/Thora Ker/Malcom Rivers
19. The Mikado: On A Tree By A River - Eric Roberts
20. Patience: The Soldiers Of Our Queen - Donald Maxwell/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
21. Patience: If You Want A Receipt For That Popular Mystery - Donald Maxwell/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
22. Patience: Am I Alone And Unobserved - Simon Butteriss
23. Patience: If You're Anxious For To Shine - Simon Butteriss
24. The Gondoliers: We're Called Gondolieri - David Fieldsend/Alan Oke
25. The Gondoliers: From The Sunny Spanish Shore - Richard Suart/Jill Pert/Elizabeth Woollett/Philip Casey
26. The Gondoliers: For Ev'ry One Who Feels Inclined - David Fieldsend/Alan Oke/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
27. The Gondoliers: Take A Pair Of Sparkling Eyes - David Fieldsend
28. The Gondoliers: Dance A Cachucha - Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr

Customer Reviews:

The best? I think not........2004-01-11

This disc includes some songs that, while I like them, are not what people might consider the "best" of G&S. Of course, anything by G&S is good, it's still not the "best of the best."

There has got to be something that better represents the G&S canon.

can't understand the words.......2004-01-08

Don't know about those other reviewers, but I just can't make out very much of the lyrics. Maybe those folk have better CD players or better hearing, but it's pretty much a blur to me. I strongly recommend "The Ultimate Gilbert and Sullivan" instead.

Average customer rating: Great gems from musicals that dissapeared some gold mixed with dross

Unsung Musicals - The Ultimate Collection Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: Unsung Musicals II (Studio Cast) Unsung Sondheim Lost in Boston 110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast) Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast) ASIN: B00005K9SG Release Date: 2001-06-05

Tracks:

1. Smile (from "Smile") (Hamlisch-Ashman) - Harry Groener et al.
2. Hero (from "Babe") (Menken-Ashman) - Debbie Gravitte
3. Didin't Leave It Here (from "Brownstone") (Larson-Rubins) - Kristine Fraelich and Jolie Jenkins
4. Starfish (from "La Strada") (Lawrence-Charnin) - Judy Kuhn
5. Sherry! (from "Sherry!") (Rosenthal-Lipton) - Christine Baranski and Jonathan Freeman
6. Smashing New York Times (from "A Broadway Musical") (Strouse-Adams) - Jason Graae
7. Silverware (from "We Take the Town") (Karr-Dubey) - Lee Wilkof and Timothy Jerome
8. Hundreds of Hats (from "Diamonds") (Sheffer-Ashman) - Jason Workman
9. At the Same Time (from "Freaky Friday") (Rodgers-Forster) - Tammy Minoff and Patrick Levis
10. When It Happens to You (from "The Red Shoes") (Styne-Stryker) - Lynne Wintersteller
11. Lawyers (from "A Broadway Musical") (Strouse-Adams) - Gregory Jbara and Lee Wilkof
12. At My Side (from "Welcome to the Club") (Coleman-Hotchner) - Sally Mayes and Michael Rupert
13. In a State (from "A Wonderful Life") (Raposo-Harnick) - Brent Barrett
14. Disneyland (from "Smile") (Hamlisch-Ashman) - Jodi Benson
15. Reveille Sun (from "Here's Where I Belong") (Waldman-Uhry) - Glory Grampton
16. The Memory of Tonight (from "Arthur, The Musical") (Skloff-Kauffman-Crane) - Carolee Carmello and Gregg Edelman
17. Stomp the Blues Away (from "Honky Tonk Nights") (Valenti-Allen-Campbell) - Melba Joyce et al.
18. New Words (from "One, Two, Three, Four, Five") (Yeston) - Liz Callaway

Customer Reviews:

Great gems from musicals that dissapeared.......2004-11-30

Songs from 1987's "Smile" make this well worth the price. The previously unreleased material from the late, great Howard Ashman deserves to have it's moment in the spotlight.

Also, there's Judy Kuhn's beautiful performance on "Starfish", Christine Baranski's vampy turn on "Sherry".

Finally, there's" New Words" from "One, Two, Three, Four, Five". This show has been restaged, by small theatre groups, under the title "History Loves Company". "New Words" is by far the best number of this show and Liz Callaway's voice fills with love as she sings this lullaby.

For a consummate musical theatre fan who's heard it all, this disc is a refreshing look at what has been lost over the years.

some gold mixed with dross.......2003-12-21

Some of these songs desrve to be unsung. But then you get a showstopper like Sherry and you wonder how could this show have flopped? That number alone makes this cd worth purchasing.I also enjoyed Marvin Hamlisch's toe tapping title song - Smile.There are also a few other lovely melodies which makes this cd a nice addition to a Broadway collection.

Average customer rating: A beguiling album Broadway FLOP yields a HIT original cast album a classic cult musical Straight from Broadway's Golden Age: It's Goldilocks! Worth your investment - A real delight!

Goldilocks (1958 Original Broadway Cast) Joan Ford , Walter Kerr , and Jean Kerr Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast) Jennie (1963 Original Broadway Cast) Pipe Dream (1955 Original Broadway Cast) Bajour (1964 Original Broadway Cast) The Happy Time (1968 Original Broadway Cast) ASIN: B0000027WO Release Date: 1992-05-19

Tracks:

1. Act I: Overture
2. Act I: Lazy Moon
3. Act I: Give The Little Lady
4. Act I: Save A Kiss
5. Act I: No One'll Ever Love You
6. Act I: Who's Been Sitting In My Chair?
7. Act I: There Never Was A Woman
8. Act I: The Pussy Foot
9. Act II: Lady In Waiting
10. Act II: The Beast In You
11. Act II: Shall I Take My Heart And Go?
12. Act II: I Can't Be In Love
13. Act II: Bad Companions
14. Act II: I Never Know When
15. Act II: Two Years In The Making
16. Act II: Heart Of Stone

Customer Reviews:

A beguiling album.......2004-10-31

Someone had a brilliant notion in getting Leroy Anderson to write a show. (It wasn't the first time; he was hired for "Wonderful Town" but was ditched in favor of Leonard Bernstein.) That it didn't quite work may owe to the fact that he was largely written out, the best of his imperishable vest-pocket tone poems long in the past. Still, this is an utterly captivating score, superbly interpreted. If you want a complete idea how it sounds you might want to get MCA's budget two-disc anthology of Anderson conducting his own music, including several of the show's dance numbers; they almost make you forget how great Arthur Fiedler was with this master of the pops.

Broadway FLOP yields a HIT original cast album.......2004-02-13

This is another splendid original cast recording from Goddard Lieberson and Columbia records. Great score by Leroy Anderson by a fine cast headed by Elaine Stritch who is in great voice here. Don Ameche is her nemesis/love interest and Pat Stanley nearly steals the show with her first act number "The Pussy Foot."

The record is short (45 minutes) and does not include the dance pice "The Town House Maxixe" which can be heard on MCA's Leroy Anderson collection. What is on the CD is quite delightful and Sony has done a first rate job coaxing excellent sound from the early stereo tapes. The booklet gives a good essay on the history of the trobled show and a detailed plot summary.

a classic cult musical.......2002-10-19

GOLDILOCKS is one of my all-time favorite 'lost musicals'. It struggled through three months and 161 performances on Broadway, only to close after scathing reviews and dwindling audiences.

GOLDILOCKS was written by theater critic Walter Kerr as a love-letter to the silent movies that had captivated him as a child. The story concerns sardonic silent-actress Maggie Harris (Elaine Stritch) who has a stormy love-hate relationship with her cocky director (Don Ameche). Complications arise in the form of beautiful Lois Lee (Pat Stanley), who sets out to steal him for herself. Maggie decides to make one more picture under the assumed name of Goldilocks, and makes one last grab at romance...

The reason why the show failed so miserably was the weakness of the book, which was magnified a thousand times over by the greatness of the score; which features "Lazy Moon", "Lady in Waiting", "The Pussy Foot", "Where is the Beast in You?", and my personal favorite "I Never Know When to Say When".

Through its lovely cast album, the musical has a devout cult following and no wonder. Elaine Stritch in her first Broadway leading-role (after years of supporting work in revivals of PAL JOEY and ON YOUR TOES) and the sparkling score of Leroy Anderson is fantastic stuff. Highly recommended.

Sony Music.

Straight from Broadway's Golden Age: It's Goldilocks!.......2001-06-29

I first discovered Goldilocks through the double draw of Leroy Anderson and Elaine Stritch. Elaine Stritch I already knew as Joanne in Company singing "The Ladies Who Lunch", and Leroy Anderson was one of my favorite composers, known for such light programmatic and novelty orchestral pieces as The Syncopated Clock, Belle of the Ball, Bugler's Holiday, The Typewriter and Plink, Plank, Plunk. That combo of names caught my eye as I was flipping through the record bins one day, and as I scanned the album cover I saw the names Don Ameche, Nathaniel Frey and Margaret Hamilton which absolutely clinched the deal. I left the store with the record and went straight home to play it. From the moment I dropped the needle (yes, I've had it that long) I was captivated, and it has since become one of my perennial favorites.

The score is top notch, particularly in the material for Stritch and the perfectly cast Don Ameche. It does sag a bit in the material for the secondary couple, but I think that's because it's the primary couple who are the comedians while the secondary couple gets stuck with the sappy side of romance. Yes, there are book problems. Walter Kerr later admitted that they kept beefing up the comedy at the expense of the love story, and reading through the book (which through an incredible stroke of good fortune I found at a local Half Price Books) that's a fair criticism. But this weakness doesn't overwhelm the show and make it unworkable. I have to agree with the assessment that with The Music Man already running featuring a slightly more lovable con artist and a sweet rather than brassy leading lady, Goldilocks wasn't able to measure up to the competition. Taken on its own terms though, Goldilocks works wonderfully.

To mention particular favorites of mine in the score, I have to start with Stritch's Act 2 torch song, "I Never Know When To Say When". Why didn't this become a standard? It stacks up with the best Broadway has to offer. You can hear the pain in Stritch's voice as she laments the mess she's made of her relationhips. "Give the Little Lady" near the top of Act 1 doesn't really cover much in the realm of plot, but it's just so much fun, and "The Beast In You" never fails to get me laughing. All of these feature Stritch alone or with the chorus, but her duet with Ameche, "No One'll Ever Love You", is just as good, and Ameche's solo number, "I Can't Be In Love", in which he discovers to his astonishment that he is indeed in love, is priceless. Then on top of that is "Bad Companions" for Don Ameche's shady sidekicks Nathaniel Frey (an excellent comic character actor who appeared in many better known shows such as Damn Yankees and She Loves Me) and Margaret Hamilton (the Wicked Witch of the West sings!) which is a hoot from start to finish. These are the standouts in my book, but the whole score is eminently listenable, pleasant and tuneful. Of course with Leroy Anderson writing the music it couldn't be anything else.

I sometimes wish I had been born 30-40 years earlier so I could have actually seen what I am only able to get the barest hint of from reading the libretto and listening to the cast album. I strongly recommend to anyone who has had enough interest to wind up here reading these reviews to make this show a permanent part of your collection. More people need to know this show!

Worth your investment - A real delight!.......2001-01-14

Having learned about the life of Leroy Anderson through the recent PBS story on his career,I was very interested to hear this famous composer's only Broadway show.

This original cast recording is a gem. The majority of the songs are first rate, the perfomers are all first rate and the recording quality sounds as fine as anything on the market today. What a shame that the show had such serious problems, such as a weak book and opening with such hits as West Side Story and Music Man already running on Broadway.

If you enjoy Broadway musicals and don't know this show, buy this recording. You will not be disappointed!

Average customer rating: Annette Hanshaw: An Underrated Talent! Excellent overview of 20's jazz singer

Girl Next Door Annette Hanshaw Manufacturer: Take Two Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Nostalgia | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Tin Pan Alley | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Lovable & Sweet: 25 Vintage Hits Twenties Sweetheart It Wa So Beautiful: Annette Hanshaw's Last Recordi Ain't She Sweet Sweetheart of the Twenties ASIN: B000008B5T Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

1. It All Depends on You
2. My Blackbirds Are Bluebirds Now - Annette Hanshaw, Annette Hanshaw & Her Novelty Orchestra,
3. I Can't Give You Anything But Love - Annette Hanshaw, Annette Hanshaw & Her Sizzlin' Syncopators,
4. In a Great Big Way - The Connecticut Yankees, Annette Hanshaw
5. Lover Come Back to Me
6. You Wouldn't Fool Me Would You
7. Button Up Your Overcoat
8. I Get the Blues When It Rains - Annette Hanshaw, New Englanders
9. That's You Baby
10. Big City Blues
11. My Sin - Annette Hanshaw, New Englanders
12. I Think You'll Like It
13. Daddy, Won't You Please Come Home
14. I Love a Ukulele - Frank Ferera & His Hawaiian Trio, , Annette Hanshaw
15. Am I Blue - Annette Hanshaw, New Englanders
16. (I'm a Dreamer) Aren't We All - Annette Hanshaw, The Three Blue Streaks
17. I Have to Have You
18. Happy Days Are Here Again - Annette Hanshaw, Male Chorus
19. Ho Hum
20. Say It Isn't So

Customer Reviews:

Annette Hanshaw: An Underrated Talent!.......2005-10-30

Annette Hanshaw was an important artist of the 20s and 30s. She is as much of that era as Ruth Etting, Helen Kane, and The Boswell Sisters. Annette had an extremely plaintive voice but she was certainly not a sugary sweet singer. On this CD are a few songs in which she does an uncanny Helen Kane impersonation.
I am fond of Helen Kane, but let Helen be Helen and let Annette sing like herself. There are many gems on this CD not available on other compilations such as "It All Depends on You", "My Blackbirds are Bluebirds Now", "I Can't Give You Anything But Love". There is a blues feeling with "Big City Blues" and "My Sin". Annette's rendition of "Button Up Your Overcoat" is on an equal par with Ruth Etting's version which is better known. This is a CD well worth having and it includes many songs from early talkies of 1929. I am so glad to have discovered this CD which has excellent sound quality. My favourite, if I had to choose one, would be "Say It Isn't So" which is poignant and heartfelt. Annette Hanshaw's music is a delight and I am grateful for the legacy that she left behind in a career that seems to have been too brief.

Excellent overview of 20's jazz singer.......2000-01-18

One of the few listenable singers from the 20's, has a highly appealing and swinging style which puts her in the same category as Ethel Eaters in the 20's. Some excellent jazz singing with excellent jazz musicians bacing her(The Dorsy Brothere, Manny Klein, Joe Venuti, Bunny Berrigan, exe...)

Christian Music:

1. Testimony
2. The Best of Brick
3. The Best of Ray Parker Jr. [Import]
4. The Bitch Git It All [Explicit Lyrics]
5. The Collection [Import]
6. The Facts of Life/I Don't Know What the World Is Coming To [Import]
7. The Soul Years
8. There's Gonna Be a Showdown [Original recording remastered] [Import]
9. Triple Value: Soul [Import]
10. Tyrone Davis - Greatest Hits [Brunswick]

Christian Music

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Christian Music

Dance El Ritmo

Delius: The Walk to the Paradise Garden

Far Side Tour

Wild & Blue

Dome Ibiza Chillout Sessions V.1 [Import]

Continuum

En el Comienzo [Import]

Ease Down the Road

Ep Collection [Import]

Chopin: Etudes/Preludes/Polonaises

Divine Madness [Import] [Original recording remastered]

Doo Wop Gold [Import]

Cada Latido...Cada Ti Quiero

Lost Blues Tapes/More American Folk Blues Festival

Another Fine Day