So Good [Enhanced]

Track Listings

 
1. Perfect Thing
2. Come Back
3. So Good
4. Don't Wanna Be Lonely
5. Just Another Day
6. Wade in the Water
7. She Was, He Is
8. Chez Don't Geeve Opp!
9. You
10. I'll Be Waiting

So Good,The Katinas,Maranatha,Contemporary Christian Music,Latin,Latin CCM,Pop,Religious / Contemp. Christian


So Far So Good
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Bryan Adams - So Far So Good
  • Canada can rock
  • Gravel-Voiced Canadian's Best
  • A 'How To' On Writing Great Songs
  • Bryan Adams CD
So Far So Good
Bryan Adams
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002G26
Release Date: 1993-11-09

Tracks:

  1. Summer Of '69
  2. Straight From The Heart
  3. It's Only Love
  4. Can't Stop This Thing We Started
  5. Do I Have To Say The Words?
  6. This Time
  7. Run To You
  8. Heaven
  9. Cuts Like A Knife
  10. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
  11. Somebody
  12. Kids Wanna Rock
  13. Heat Of The Night
  14. Please Forgive Me

Amazon.com

So Far So Good offers up 13 of his previous hits plus a new song, "Please Forgive Me," a gooey, Michael Bolton-like ballad. The album starts out with "Summer of '69," the appealing autobiographical song about the 10-year-old Adams learning to play his first guitar in Ontario, and includes "(Everything I Do) I Do for You," the synth-laced ballad that wound up in the Guinness Book of World Records after topping the British singles charts for 16 weeks. With its over-the-top, gravelly vocals, So Far So Good reminds one of Rod Stewart's 1980s work when he was coasting on past achievements. Unfortunately, Adams has never had a period like Stewart's glory years in the '70s. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Bryan Adams - So Far So Good.......2007-07-03

The quintessential Bryan Adams album. His music, his voice, his style. Like Sting and Rod Stewart, what makes him unique is that voice - but his music is this! This album.

4 out of 5 stars Canada can rock.......2007-05-25

This is a good Bryan Adams compilation and will please any fan. It's got his good rock stuff from the 80s. You know, strong vocals and a strong guitar. Definitely rock, but not heavy metal. Good music to have on the car radio as you're cruising along. The ballads he did back then, which are on here too, were good. Bryan's later stuff doesn't measure up. This is the heart of his music.

4 out of 5 stars Gravel-Voiced Canadian's Best.......2007-03-20

I'm sure that the '05 release, "Anthology," covers more of his career, but for folks like myself who enjoyed Bryan Adams' career in the 80's and early 90's, "So Far, So Good" is probably the best compilation out there. Adams takes a lot of heat for his music and, frankly, I don't understand why. He's a very talented musician as his multiple hit songs can attest to, so I see very little room for major criticism. If you don't like him, don't listen to him.

I like him and have to say that this disc is one of my favorites when I want to remember the good ol' days. The disc starts off with "Summer of '69" and then rolls right into "Straight From The Heart." From there we are treated to a nice helping of Adams' best rockers and ballads. Personal favorites include "Cuts Like A Knife," "Run To You," "Can't Stop This Thing We Started" and "Heaven. It also has "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You," which many consider the beginning of the end for Adams. He went on to release a few other soundtrack tunes and moderately popular hits like "The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me (Is You)" after the release of this hits compilation and they are included on the later "Best Of Me." Hardcore fans may want to pick up that title or the aforemetioned "Anthology."

For those of us who only want the bulk of Adams' biggest tunes, stick with "So Far, So Good." It won't let you down.

5 out of 5 stars A 'How To' On Writing Great Songs.......2007-02-12

Let the critics say what they want,Bryan Adams knows how to write a great hook filled song! This CD is one of the few in my vast collection that I give a perfect '5' star rating to and it earns every star

I'm a metal head,I grew up on Dio,Motley Crue,Poison,Kiss etc.. so why am I raving about Bryan Adams? Because he's that good.
If you look music of any kind from heavy to country to romantic ballads,any kind of music you will find something you can love in his music,it's timeless and his voice is never going to be considered the best of the best but that's okay because it fits this music perfectly,he sounds like the every day guy next door that lives and breathes these experiences

The CD starts off with 'Summer Of '69' which is just about the ultimate driving song ever written (the only competition is Don Henley's 'Boys of summer),it is perfect and I'm sure makes just about everyone out there remember their own favorite summer,from there it goes to 'Straight From The Heart' a beautiful love song,from there is one of my personal favs,"It's Only Love" a duet with himself and Tina Turner,this song rocks,it really overflows with feeling and fun,from there the only song on the CD that I feel was overplayed 'Can't Stop This Thing We Started' it is a great song but the radio over played it (it's not Bryan's fault his songwriting is so good that radio over did it),then another beautiful love song 'Do I have To Say The Words' and this and every ballad has a different feel and emotion which is rare in this musical climate,after that is 'This Time' which is about as much fun you can have with a song and still be legal,then 'Run To You' which has atmosphere and such emotion in the lyrics that you just know he (or someone he knows) has lived through that experience...then my favorite Bryan Adams ballad 'HEaven' which they used to play at my middle school dances so it will live forever in a special place in my heart,and then 'Cuts Like A Knife' which was one of the very first videos I ever saw on MTV,they played it a lot but it never got old,great song and still sounds as fresh today as when it first came out,then 'Everything I do,I do it for you' another beautiful ballad with a beautiful message,personally I always think of Robin Hood the movie when I hear this song (the arrow going into the tree is a visual that will forever go with this song),another great fun rocking song follows 'Somebody' and then right into 'Kids Wanna Rock' it's almost impossible to not smile when you hear these songs,and it's followed with a true gem 'Heat Of The Night' which is the absolute perfect atmosphere song (right alongside 'Def Leppard's "foolin")...my only criticism of this perfect CD is why would they choose to end such a fun CD with a ballad...'Please Forgive Me' is a beautiful song but should have been in the middle,they should have ended it with 'Heat Of The Night' let it end on a rocking note..but that aside this is what rock and roll and songwriting in general should be....it should be noted that Bryan has released a few other greatest hits packages over the years but don't be fooled this is the best of the best,his next attempt 'The Best Of Me' is very weighted down with ballads and almost ignores his rocking side...this is a perfectly balanced CD that will appeal to any fan of fun rock and roll

The Upside - This is how to write songs...Bryan is an expert...and it is also proof of why producers are so important to an artist,Mutt Lange is a genius (as his track record proves) the songs sound perfect,warm and yet crisp..there are no show off moments,just great singing and musicians that above all highlight the songwriting,what can I say other then perfection

The Downside - There is none

The Bottom Line - If you are a songwriter,or want to be,buy this CD to learn how it should be done...This CD is everything that is missing in almost all modern music and it can be summed up in one 3 letter word - FUN! This CD is fun ....run out to buy this,especially at this price,donutman says so!!!

3 out of 5 stars Bryan Adams CD.......2006-02-22

So Far So Good is an excellent mix of Bryan Adams music, with several of his best songs on it.
Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Wonderfully American
  • A Gersh-winner
  • Interesting... but I think I'd prefer a good Gershwin interpreter
  • Gershwin's playing overated
  • The jazzy Gershwin. What a CD!!!!!!!
Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000005J1I
Release Date: 1993-11-09

Tracks:

  1. Sweet And Lowdown
  2. Novelette In Fourths
  3. That Certain Feeling
  4. So Am I
  5. Rhapsody In Blue
  6. Swanee
  7. When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em...
  8. Kickin' The Clouds Away
  9. Idol Dreams
  10. On My Mind The Whole Night Long
  11. Scandal Walk
  12. An American In Paris

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Wonderfully American.......2007-05-14

I've had a copy of this CD for years and love it. The power and optimism of the music is really quite remarkable... regardless of who or what is actually playing here. The arrangement of Swanee is light but rich with major chord trains like you just want to go marching around the room. And American In Paris leads you on a swaying, dischordy journey the deeper you go, as the narrative begins to trade delicacy for passion. (and I love renditions where you can hear the MUSIC and the instruments don't get in the way, like four-voice midi versions of Bach which reveal the eloquence).

When I listen to this CD now, and which is most surpring to me, I hear a profound pride in America - back "before." I play it when I have people over and we put burgers on the grill. This CD is the song of sitting in my back yard with the clouds blowing by and for the moment things feel OK.

"Before" - OK, there is no old perfect Amercia; but I'm thinking of the time before we learned to distill petroleum into toxic pollution, before pride meant vanity and thuggery, before hate-filled invective became public amusement, and before presidents went to war because it was good for business.

4 out of 5 stars A Gersh-winner.......2007-01-07

George Gershwin had a long association with the mechanical device known as the player piano. At the age of ten, Gershwin used a neighbor's pianola to teach himself how to play, by very slowly pumping the foot pedal that advanced the hole-punched rolls, and placing his fingers on the depressed keys. His parents were so impressed by his abilities they enrolled the boy in formal piano studies when he turned 13. Thus, an American genius was born.

The existing films of Gershwin (who died of a brain tumor at age 38 in 1937) show him to be a virtuoso at his instrument. His 1924 acoustic recording of Rhapsody In Blue (with the Paul Whiteman orchestra) is further evidence of this. But no film or recording has what is contained within the album GERSHWIN PLAYS GERSHWIN: THE PIANO ROLLS, and that is-- full fidelity range.

The CD comes in a standard jewel case packaged in a heavy paper slipcover. Biographical liner notes are included along with details on the rolls. The earliest performance in this set is from 1916, made when Gershwin was an 18-year-old song plugger. My favorites here are "Swanee," from 1920, and "An American In Paris," from 1933, which is undoubtedly one of the last significant piano rolls ever made.

Gershwin's dynamic performances are not in the least obscured by the few extra notes added to the piano rolls (such practice was standard in those days). Listening to these recordings is like sitting next to this brilliant man, observing his fingers fly over the keys as he plays some of his best work.

TOTAL RUNNING TIME -- 60:36

4 out of 5 stars Interesting... but I think I'd prefer a good Gershwin interpreter.......2006-05-14

Composers are not necessarily the best performers of their own work. A songwriter's songwriter like Jules Shear or Jimmy Webb comes to mind -- surely the best representations of their songs are on other artist's albums.

This album is charming in its own way -- a taste of the music and performance style of a bygone era. Someone complained that these rolls were edited. So what? I'm going to review the final product, now how it was made. Do you eat sausage? Ask not what's in it!

I like to listen to this CD in short bits -- a few songs at a time. For some reason I find it to be fatiguing if I listen for more than 20 minutes or so. I'm not absolutely sure why this is so. Possibly the meter is just a little too metronomic on many of the songs. This lends a "mechanical" quality to the performances.

Additionally, I felt that the dynamic range was restricted. The music does get louder and softer, because of the piano rolls themselves and because of the computer programming used to read the piano rolls -- the dynamics were deliberately adjusted by the record producers in some spots, if I read the liner notes correctly. And yet. And yet. Still these songs do not dynamically "breathe" fully in and out the way they ought to. I find this disappointing, but I think it has something to do with inherent limitations in piano roll recording technique. I'm guessing.

Taken for what it is, it is an interesting concept, and the sound quality is very pleasant. The performances are very good for piano rolls, but fall short of what a good interpreter could do. Take, for example, the Rhapsody in Blue from Woody Allen's Manhattan soundtrack. Listen specifically to the piano part -- the dynamics and variations in rhythm. This is not by any means the best performance of Rhapsody, but it is better than the Gershwin rolls.

2 out of 5 stars Gershwin's playing overated.......2006-04-09

After I heard this cd I bought Gershwin plays Gershwin on the naxos label which arn't piano rolls. Any pianist can tell that many of these rolls are heavily edited and can't be played by a pianists with two hands. On the naxos album that has some of these same songs Gershwin's actual playing doesn't sound very good. Many of Gershwins contempories such as James P. Johnson, Eubie Blake, Luckey Roberts and even Zez Confrey were much better pianists than he was, however they didn't have his melodic gifts as a composer. I would recommend Artis Whodhouse's
transcriptions of Jelly Roll Morton's piano rolls (on the same label) instead because most of those are exactly how he played them and in my opinion Morton was a better musician in every way than Gershwin.

5 out of 5 stars The jazzy Gershwin. What a CD!!!!!!!.......2006-02-23

I got this CD as a gift. I am all for the austrogerman post- romantic music and as imagined Gershwin is not my favourite composer. I know him from his best known works such as the 'Rhapsody", the 'American' and his great songs. This CD is a treasure as mentioned from other reviewers of this site. Gershwin full of passion, his music being jazzy to the very end and that great feeling you get after a great live performance is present all over the length of this 'treasure'. No question about the presence of the music. Not to be missed
Feels So Good
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • CD Case
  • Doesn't it though......
  • Feels Sorta Good
  • Chuck's my 1st introduction of Jazz
  • Feels So Good!!!!!!!!
Feels So Good
Chuck Mangione
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002GB6
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

  1. Feels So Good
  2. Maui-Waui
  3. Theme From 'Side Street'
  4. Hide & Seek (Ready Or Not Here I Come)
  5. Last Dance
  6. The XIth Commandment

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars CD Case.......2006-03-15

The plastic case for the CD was damaged; the CD was undamaged but part of the purchase is a CD Case to protect the CD.

5 out of 5 stars Doesn't it though.............2005-10-07

I remember hearing the song "Feels so Good" every once and a while as a child in the late 70s/early 80s, and it's one of those songs that simply stays with you. Fast forward a couple decades (holy cow! almost thirty years!!!), it sounds as good today as it did so many years ago. The entire cd is outstanding. I just wish the Theme from "Side Street" was a few minutes longer. Definitely a must have.

2 out of 5 stars Feels Sorta Good.......2005-10-04

The only problem I've ever had with Chuck Mangione is that he plays sharp all the time. Other than that- I love his stuff. I also agree that the title track is fab, but especially the guitar solo is stellar. He, unfortunately, gets cut off right as he's starting to cook. Quite frustrating!

5 out of 5 stars Chuck's my 1st introduction of Jazz.......2005-01-15

This is definitely my favorite albums and the first jazz album I got inspire and influenced in jazz. Chuck Mangione was the first jazz endeavor I ever experienced when I was a child. I actually love his playing and love how he sounds. He does his men playing along with him Grant Geissman, Charles Meeks, James Bradley Jr. and Chris Vadala. they all sound great knahmmean.

I luv every song that he did on this album and this is definitely going into the Jazz Hall of Fame or the Top List of Jazz Albums.

I recommend the following albums:

1. Miles Davis- Kind of Blue

2. Maynard Ferguson- Conquistador

3. Herb Alpert- Rise

4. Freddie Hubbard- The Best of Freddie Hubbard, First Light, Above & Beyond, Hub-Tones, Straight Life, Life Flight, etc.

5. Chet Baker- The Best Thing for You/You Can't Go Home Again

6. Grover Washington, Jr.- Winelight, Come Morning, Mister Magic, The Best of Grover Washington, Jr.

7. Marvin Gaye- The Best of Marvin Gaye (Motown Anthology Series)

8. Miles Davis- Live Around the World, Tutu, Doo-Bop, Aura, The Man with the Horn, Bitches Brew, etc.

9. Marvin Gaye- Dream of a Lifetime, Romantically Yours, Vulnerable (3 great final releases from the legendary Marvin Gaye)

10. Barry White- All-Time Greatest Hits, The Ultimate Collection, Can't Get Enough, The Icon is Love, The Man is Back, etc.

Just to name a few list I can recommend to this album. He sounds a bit like Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Chet Baker, Donald Byrd, Art Farmer whom I listen to the most.

5 out of 5 stars Feels So Good!!!!!!!!.......2004-10-30

This album is the most famous Chuck Mangione album, and one of his best. His beautiful flugelhorn playing, his magnificent leadership, and his brilliant song writing skills all make this album a true masterpiece. Everything in this album flows! Mangione clearly knew how to write music with feeling, and boy could he play! His band, sure had something to do with the magic of this album.
Chris Vadala:
On tenor and soprano saxophones, alto, and c flutes, and piccolo. He is without a doubt, one of the best reedists Mangione ever had in his band lineup. Gerry Neiwood was the other master! Chris Vadala's playing is so unique and his sound is extraudinary, and soulful. His magic adds so much more to the music of this album. His solo on Feels So Good is magnificent. I still find myself humming it over and over, hours after I've played it.
Grant Geissman:
On acoustic, electric, classical, and 12 string guitars, Grant Geissman, just might of played one of the greatest guitar solos in jazz history. Yes, you guessed it; the solo on Feels So Good. It's a wonder, he didn't spend hours and hours working it out, since it's so melodic.
Charles Meeks:
Funky, "Meet Man" Meeks. One of the grooviest bass players ever! He adds some hippness to the album.
James Bradley Jr:
Every drummer should learn from this master. Although some might not call him a master at this time, because he was only 18 years old. Well accomplished, who had a role in Cool Hand Luke when he was 7, was a child prodigy on the drums. He cools it down a little bit, on this album, but makes up for it, in color. Some nice conga playing on 11th Commandment.
The first song, Feels So Good, is Mangione's classic! Still, after 25 years, it's still loved by pop and jazz fans alike.
Here, the way it originally was issued, the full 9 minute version. With the edited version, so much magic was lost, and until this day, gone forever. Next up, Maui Waui. One of the most melodic songs ever; Chris Vadala's flute playing adds to the warmth and beauty of the piece. Theme From Side Street, is one of the greatest songs by Mangione, ever! The melody, the hook, the groove, it's all there. Number 4 is, Hide And Seek. Another classic. Great solos by all! I particularly love Vadala's soprano solo, and Geissman's guitar solo. Last Dance, is another pretty piece. It has a beautiful acoutsic guitar solo, by Grant Geissman. The last piece, 11th Commandment; another classic. Charles Meeks, and James Bradley Jr. are featured soloists here. Meeks's bass solo is really blusey and down to earth. After some splap bass by Meeks, the piece picks up. James Bradley Jr's solo is perfect for this particular piece. Not too over powering, not at all, boring, just right! This is a classic album, and is still enjoyed by many. This album put Mangione on the map, and if you enjoy any fusion, or early contemporary jazz, you'll love Mangione's music!
Instruments of the Orchestra
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!
  • Beginner or Expert
  • Very Informative and Enjoyable
  • Frank's view
  • Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra
Instruments of the Orchestra
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006O0NT
Release Date: 2002-12-03

Tracks:

  1. Overture To 'Tannhauser'
  2. Domna, Pos Vos Ay Chausida
  3. We Don't Merely Use Instruments, We Play On Them. And They Play On Us.
  4. Hungarian Dance No.7
  5. The Violin Is One Of The Most Tender And Beautiful Instruments Ever Invented.
  6. Violin Concerto In D Major (Adagio)
  7. But For A Long Time It Was Seen As The Instrument Of The Devil.
  8. The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March Of The Devil
  9. The Manipulative Seductiveness Of The Gypsy Violin.
  10. Csardas Music
  11. The Violin And The Initiation Of Nature
  12. The Four Seasons (Spring, Mvt 1)
  13. Birds Are Again Evoked In The Second Concerto, Especially Music's Natural Favourite.
  14. The Four Seasons (Summer, Mvt 1)
  15. Like The Devil, The Violin Is A Master Of Disguise.
  16. Old Viennese Dance No.3 'Schon Rosmarin'
  17. The Menacing Sensuality Of Ravel's Tzigane: A Very Different Side Of The Violin:
  18. Tzigane
  19. Do We Now Have The True Measure Of This Instrument? Not Just Yet.
  20. Caprice No.24
  21. The Many Effects Of The String Tremolando: Brandenburg Concerto No.4 (Last Mvt)/From Joy To Fright/Quartettsatz In C Minor/The String Tremolo Practically Spells The World Agitato.
  22. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No.7)
  23. Prokofiev's Tremolo In Romeo And Juliet Should Not Be Heard Just Before Bedtime.
  24. Romeo And Juliet: Act IV
  25. Vivaldi Use It To Illustrate The Shivering Of Travellers Crossing The Ice.
  26. The Four Seasons (Winter, Mvt 1)
  27. The Violin Muted
  28. Clair De Lune
  29. The Gentleness Of Muted Strings Persists Even When A Whole Orchestra Plays.
  30. Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467 (Slow Mvt)
  31. The Pizzicato Violin
  32. Pizzicato Polka
  33. In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, The Accompaniment Is Pizzicato.
  34. Violin Concerto No.2 In G Minor (Slow Mvt)
  35. Varieties Of Pizzicato: Colas Breugnon (The People's Feast)/Now A Drier, Leaner, Hungrier Pizzicato. There's Not A Lot Of Comfort Here./Capriol Suite (Tordion)/The Use Of Pizzicato As 'Percussion'/Romeo And Juliet (Act I)/Mahler Used Pizzicato...
  36. The Planets (Mars - The Bringer Of War)
  37. The Technique Of Double-Stopping Enables The Violin To Play Duets With Itself./Sonata No.3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Violin (Fugue)/Now A Later Example Of The Same Technique
  38. Hungarian Dance No.4
  39. Double-Stopping Is A Standard Feature Of A Lot Of Folk Music.
  40. The Four Seasons (Autumn, Mvt 1)
  41. Now The Same Technique, But The Sound Might Have Come From Another World.
  42. Bolero
  43. Double-Stopping Can Only Approximate The Sound Of A Real Violin Duet.
  44. Cadenza To The Violin Concerto By Brahms
  45. Now Compare That With A Real Violin Duet.
  46. Forty-Four Duos (No. 1: Teasing Song)
  47. Another Duo By Bartok, Demonstrating The Violin's Rich Lower Register
  48. Forty-Four Duos (No.2: Maypole Dance)
  49. And Now What May Be The Most Beautiful Accompanied Violin Duet In History
  50. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
  51. The Soul Of The Violin Is In Song; But What About This Weird Passage?
  52. Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major (Mvt 2)
  53. The Use Of Harmonies In The Orchestra Can Be Both Magical And Unsettling.
  54. Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 1, Opening)
  55. Tchaikovsky's Use Of Harmonics In The Sleeping Beauty Is Both Strange And Darling.
  56. The Sleeping Beauty (Act II, No.15: Entr'Acte)
  57. Ravel's Harmonics In Mother Goose Effect A Magical Transformation.
  58. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
  59. Stravinsky's Harmonics In The Firebird Transport Us Almost Into Another World./The Firebird (Introduction)
  60. The Natural Upper Notes Of The Violins Have A Unique Emotional 'Grab'.
  61. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Of The Afterworldsmen)
  62. Still In Their Upper Register, The Violins Unleash The Energy Of A Young Colt.
  63. Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge (No. 4)
  64. Elsewhere, Britten Uses The Same High Register To Create A Very Different Mood.
  65. Four Sea Interludes (Dawn) From 'Peter Grimes'
  66. To End This Outing With The Violins, A Charming Little Elfin Dance
  67. Elfenreigen

Tracks:

  1. Introduction To The Viola
  2. Viola Concerto (Mvt 1)
  3. Khatchaturian Gets A Very Different Sound From It: Fuller, Fruitier, More Exotic.
  4. Gayane Suite No.1 (Armen's Solo)
  5. Very Nearly The Whole Of The Violin's Upper Register Is Also Available To The Viola.
  6. Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'
  7. The Viola Can Bring A Special, Rich Twanginess To Pizzicato That The Violins Lack./Don Quixote/Berlioz Drew Sounds From It That Retain Their Metallic Strangeness Even Today.
  8. Harold In Italy (Mvt 4)
  9. The Muted Viola: Intimate, Gentle, Poignant In Dvork
  10. Cypresses (No.9)
  11. The Massed Violas Of The Modern Symphony Orchestra In Mahler
  12. Symphony No.4 (Mvt 3)
  13. The 'Period' Viola In Bach
  14. Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (Last Mvt)
  15. The Cello: A Voice Of Unique Nobility
  16. Suite No.1 For Unaccompanied Cello (Prelude)
  17. Brahms And The 'Soul' Of The Cello
  18. Piano Concerto No.2 In B Flat Major (Mvt 3)
  19. Most Orchestral Composers Tend To Emphasize The Cello's Lower Register.
  20. Cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben', BWV 147 (Soprana Aria: Bereite Dir, Jesu)
  21. In The Time Of Beethoven The Cello Remained As Fundamental As Ever.
  22. Symphony No.3 'Eroica' (Finale)
  23. But The Cello Is Not Condemned To Spend Its Life In The Basement.
  24. Elfentanz, Op.39
  25. Not Only In Recital Showpieces Like That Is The Cello Is Used In Its Highest Register.
  26. The Protecting Veil (Opening)
  27. A Cello With An Identity-Crisis: The Pizzicato Flamencan
  28. Flamenco
  29. Double-Stopping In The Lower Reaches Of The Cello's Range
  30. Solo Suiet For Cello And Piano (Sardana)
  31. It's In The Middle Register That The Cello Really Comes Into Its Own.
  32. Oriental Dance, Op.2 No.2
  33. It Was To The Cellos That Beethoven Gave Two Of His Most Famous Themes./Symphony No.5 (Mvt 2)/Still More Famous Than That Theme Is This One From The Ninth Symphony.
  34. Symphony No.9 (Finale)
  35. Introduction To The Double-Bass
  36. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Elephant)
  37. But The Double-Bass Can Be Intensely Expressive And Graceful.
  38. Elegy No.1 In D Major
  39. The Range Of The Double-Bass Is The Greatest Of All The String Instruments/Allegro Di Concerto, 'Alla Mendelssohn'/And It's Also Capable Of Very Considerable Virtuosity.
  40. Capriccio Di Bravura
  41. Double-Bass Solos In Orchestral Scores Are Rare But Often Memorable./Symphony No.1 'Titan' (Mvt 3)/In His Third Symphony Mahler Makes A Very Different Use Of The Instrument./Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1)
  42. The Double-Bass Muted In Prokofiev/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Kije's Wedding)/In Another Work Prokofiev Uses The Double-Bass To Enhance The Winds./Romeo And Juliet (Act III)/And He Combines The Bass Clarinet With A Shivering Tremolo From The Double-Basses....
  43. Symphony No.5 (Mvt 3)/So Much For The Strings/On Now To The Winds

Tracks:

  1. The Antiquity And Magic Of The Flute
  2. Prelude A L'Apres-Midi D'Un Faune
  3. The Versatility And Agility Of The Flute
  4. Orchestral Suite No.2 In B Minor (Badinerie)
  5. The Flute In Fifteenth-Century Spain
  6. Sa'Dawi
  7. Other Flutes: The Bass And Alto
  8. Chamber Music No.II
  9. The Piccolo - Aptly Named
  10. La Naissance D'Osiris (Mvt 6)
  11. From A Piccolo Of The Eighteenth Century To One Of Its Descendants In The Twentieth
  12. Suite No.1 For Small Orchestra (Valse)
  13. A Variety Of Techniques
  14. Chamber Music No.II
  15. Flutter-Tonguing. But Tchaikovsky Got There Eighty Years Before.
  16. The Nutcracker (Act II, No.2: Scene)
  17. From The Transverse To The Vertical: The Baroque Recorder
  18. Recorded Suite In A Minor (Menuet II)
  19. An Unfamiliar, Early Vision Of The Instrument
  20. Naelden, Naelden
  21. The Bachian Oboe
  22. Cantata 'Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott', BWV 80 (No.7: Duetto)
  23. Introduction To The Cor Anglais Or 'English Born'
  24. Symphony No.9 'From The New World' (Mvt 2)
  25. The Loneliness Of The Cor Anglais
  26. The Swan Of Tuonela
  27. The Cor Anglais Joins The French Horn In Haydn.
  28. Symphony No.22 'The Philosopher' (Opening)
  29. Introduction To The Oboe D'Amore, Beloved Of Bach - But Also Of Ravel
  30. Bolero
  31. The Clarinet Family: Boxing The Compass, From The Depths Of The Bass Clarinet.../The Egyptian (Violence)/...To The Raucous And Squealy.../Taras Bulba (The Death Of Ostap)/...To The Shrill And Complaining...
  32. Petrushka (No.8: Peasant With Bear)/...To The High Sprits Of A Playful Puppy./Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)/And To The Downright Jazzy/Romeo And Juliet (Act II)
  33. As The High Clarinets Tend To Be Loud, So The Bass Tends To Be Soft:
  34. Gayane Suite No. 1 (Mvt 5)
  35. The Bass Clarinet Is Used By Most Composers Mainly As A Colouring Agent.../Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/...But It Does Occasionally Get A Whole Tune To Itself./Iberia (Almeria).
  36. The Range Of The Normal Clarinet Parts Goes Quite High...
  37. The Snow Maiden (Scene 5: Melodrama)
  38. ...And Quite Low.
  39. Peter And The Wolf (The Cat)
  40. The Clarinet As Concerto Soloist
  41. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
  42. But That's Not The Instrument Mozart Wrote It For; This Is:
  43. Clarinet Concerto In A Major (Rondo)
  44. Introduction To The Saxophone
  45. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 4)
  46. The Soprano Saxophone Has Quite A Different Feel To It.
  47. L'Arlesienne Suite No.1 (Minuet)
  48. The Little Sopranino Sax Goes Even Higher.
  49. Bolero
  50. The Most Famous Use Of The Saxophone Is In An Orchestration By Ravel.
  51. Pictures At An Exhibition (The Old Castle)
  52. The Saxophone Can Be Quite Contagiously Good-Humoured.
  53. Sax-O-Phun
  54. The Puffa-Puffa Image Of The Bassoon
  55. Peter And The Wolf (Grandfather)
  56. The Bachian Bassoon, In Accompanimental Mode
  57. Cantata 'Weichet Nur, Betrubte Schatten' ('Wedding Cantata'), BWV 202 (Aria No.1)
  58. Bizet Leaves The Puffa-Puffa Image Out, Allowing The Bassoon To Sing./Carmen Suite No.1 (Les Dragons D'Alcala)
  59. And Ravel, Also In Spanish Mode, Does Likewise.
  60. Bolero
  61. The Bassoon As A Voice Of High Seriousness, Indeed Desolate Loneliness
  62. Symphony No.3 (Opening)
  63. The Eerie Bassoon In Its Highest Register
  64. The Rite Of Spring (Opening)
  65. Stravinsky Now Draws On Its Lowest Register, Lonely And Melancholy.
  66. The Firebird Suite (1919, Berceuse)
  67. The Bassoon As Concerto Soloist, Avoiding All Exaggeration
  68. Bassoon Concerto In G Minor (Finale)
  69. The Deep-Voiced Contra-Bassoon, As A Fairy-Tale Beast
  70. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Beauty And The Beast)
  71. The French Horn Under Its Woodwind Hat
  72. Wind Quintet, Op.43 (Last Mvt)
  73. Now A More Prominent Role, In A Woodwind Quintet From An Earlier Era
  74. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Mvt 2)
  75. The Horn In Harmonious Blend With Strings In Another Quintet
  76. Horn Quintet, K.407 (Finale)

Tracks:

  1. The Trumpet As Virtuoso Soloist
  2. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Last Mvt)
  3. The Special Brillance Of Paired Trumpets
  4. Concerto In C For Two Trumpets, RV537 (Mvt 1)
  5. The Ceremonial Trumpet
  6. Fanfare For The Common Man
  7. Trumpets And Drums - An Incomparable Alliance
  8. Messiah (The Trumpet Shall Sound)
  9. The Versatility Of The Trumpet, From The Most Public To The Most Lonely
  10. Piano Concerto In F (Slow Mvt)
  11. The Trumpet As The Voice Of The City/An American In Paris/The Trumpet As Recruitment Officer/The Soldier's Tale (The March)/The Trumpet As Swaggerer
  12. Carmen Suite No.2 (Habanera)
  13. The Trumpet As The Voice Of Strength And Courage
  14. Carmet Suite No.2 (Toreador's Song)
  15. The Trumpet Muted/Petrushka (No.4: The Blackamoor)/Lieutenant Kije Suite (Opening)/The Trumpet As The Voice Of Weariness
  16. Billy The Kid
  17. The Trumpet As Character Actor
  18. Pictures At An Exhibition (No.6)
  19. The Trumpet As The Voice Of God
  20. Mass In B Minor ('Et Exspecto')
  21. The Birth Of The Trombone
  22. Aenmerckt Nu Hier
  23. The Birth Of The Brass As A Family
  24. Canzon 12 In Double Echo
  25. The Trombone In The Eighteenth Century
  26. Trombone Concerto In B Flat Major (Finale)
  27. The Tone Of The Tenor Trombone/Romance For Trombone And Organ/The Memorable Voice Of The Bass Trombone/Requiem (Mvt 2)/But The Bass Trombone Is More Than An Instrumental Bullfrog.
  28. Hosannah
  29. The Trombones Become Part Of The Orchestra.
  30. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
  31. The Wagnerian Trombone:/Overture To 'Tannhauser'
  32. The Trombone As Caricaturist
  33. Pulcinella (No.19: Vivo)
  34. The Trombone As Raspberry/Concerto For Orchestra (Intermezzo)
  35. The Horn And The Hunt
  36. Horn Concerto No.4 In E Flat, K.495 (Finale)
  37. The Challenging Horn Of The Baroque
  38. Abaris Ou Les Boreades (Menuet)
  39. The Scarcity Of First-Rate Players In Handel's Time
  40. Walter Music (Minuet 1)
  41. The Horn As Magician/The Firebird Suite (1919, Finale)
  42. Horns And The Sound Of Nobility
  43. Overture To 'Tannhauser' (Opening)
  44. The Special Sound Of The Horn In Its Higher Register
  45. Mass In B Minor ('Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus')
  46. The Trumpet-Like Sound Of Massed Horns
  47. Symphony No.3 (Mvt 1, Opening)
  48. The Tuba - Unfairly Maligned?
  49. Symphony No.6 (Mvt 3)
  50. The Tuba Perfectly Cast By Ravel
  51. Pictures At An Exhibition (Bydlo)

Tracks:

  1. Introduction. And We Begin With A Bang.
  2. Fanfare For The Common Man/The Bass Drum On The Battlefields/Wellington's Victory, Op.91 (Opening)
  3. At The Opposite Extreme Is The Triangle.
  4. Piano Concerto No.1 In E Flat (Scherzo)
  5. Categories Of Percussion: Tuned And Untuned. The Side Drum
  6. Overture To 'La Gazza Ladra' - The Thieving Magpie (Opening)
  7. The Side Drum In An Effective But Unexpected Role/Clarinet Concerto (Mvt 1)
  8. The Tambourine. One Of The Oldest Instruments In The World
  9. Den Hoboecken Dans
  10. Even Older Is The Originally Oriental Gong.
  11. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
  12. No Single Instrument Can Match The Gong In Evoking The Breaking Of Waves./Passacaglia, Op.33b From 'Peter Grimes'/But Gongs Don't Have To Be Struck To Be Effective.
  13. Gymnopedie No.2
  14. The Cymbals Are Generally Discovered Early In Life./The Sanguine Fan/And They Do More Than Clash Together Loudly. They Can Be Clashed Together Softly./Studio Example: But They Needn't Be Clashed Together At All/Studio Example: They Can Be Lightly...
  15. Other Untuned Percussion Instruments Include The Whip.: Piano Concerto In G Major (Opening)/And Here Are No Fewer Than Twenty, Cracked By Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Act I, Scene 5)
  16. More Versatile Than The Whip Are The Wood Blocks.../Studio Example/...Which Crop Up All Over The Place In Twentieth-Century American Music.
  17. Rodeo (Hoe-Down)
  18. Related To The Wood Blocks, By Sound, Are The Castanets./Jota Aragonesa/But The Castanets Were Also Used By Monteverdi Back In The Seventeenth Century.
  19. Scherzi Musicali (Damigella Tutta Belle)
  20. A Still Earlier Example From Fifteenth-Century Spain
  21. Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire
  22. The Birth Of The Bongo
  23. Symphonic Dances From 'West Side Story'
  24. From The Streets Of New York To The Blacksmith's Shop/Il Trovatore ('Anvil Chorus')
  25. Desert-Island Decibels: Grand Canyon Suite (On The Trail)/Arcana
  26. From One Vegetable To Another: The Humble Squash, Or Marrow/Huapango
  27. Onwards To The Tuned Percussion. First, The Timpani
  28. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
  29. But The Drum Roll Can Be More Effectively Frightening Than The Big Bang.: Symphony No.2 'Resurrection' (Mvt 3)
  30. Not One Drum Roll, But Many/Grand Canyon Suite (Sunrise)/Symphonie Fantastique (Last Mvt)
  31. Taking Advantage Of Tunability
  32. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Mvt 2)
  33. The Russian Composer Rodion Shchedrin Takes A Downward Turn./Carmen Suite (Changing Of The Guard)/Tuned, Yes; But For The Truly Melodic We Must Look Elsewhere.
  34. Introducing The Glockenspiel/Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
  35. Saint-Saens And The Xylophone
  36. The Carnival Of The Animals (Fossils)
  37. Ravel And The Xylophone
  38. Ma Mere L'Oye - Mother Goose (Laideronette)
  39. Introducing The Marimba/Carmen Suite (First Intermezzo)
  40. Introducing The Vibraphone
  41. The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Narange Dolce)
  42. The Vibraphone Goes Russian.../Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)/...And Is Joined By The Marimba./Carmen Suite (Carmen's Entrance And Habanera)
  43. Introducing The Hungarian Cimbalom
  44. Folk Dances
  45. The Cimbalom And The Symphony Orchestra
  46. Hary Janos Suite (Mvt 3)
  47. Introducing The Tubular Bells
  48. Hary Janos Suite (Viennese Musical Clock)
  49. A More 'Up-Front' Approach From Rodion Shchedrin
  50. Carmen Suite (Introduction)
  51. But The Bells Can Also Make The Sinister Even More Sinister./Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
  52. Introducing The Celeste
  53. The Nutcracker (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy)
  54. Magic, In The Use Of Collective Percussion
  55. Miroirs (La Vallee Des Cloches)
  56. Plucked Instruments: The 'Undercover Percussion'/Carmen Suite (Scene)
  57. A Prime Case In Point Is The Harp, Irresistible To The Romantics./The Nutcracker (Act II, No.1: Scene)/The Non-Solo Harp As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
  58. The Traditionally Subservient Role Of The Harpsichord In The Baroque Orchestra
  59. Brandenburg Concerto No.2 (Slow Mvt)
  60. The Piano: King Of The Tuned Percussion/Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Mvt 3)/And A Quarter Of A Century After That:
  61. Petrushka (Russian Dance)
  62. The Anti-Romantic Piano As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra
  63. Music For Strings, Percussion And Celeste (Last Mvt)

Tracks:

  1. Keyboard Instruments In The Orchestra - The Most Powerful Of Them All:
  2. Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Finale)
  3. But Things In Handel's Day Were Very Different.
  4. Organ Concerto In B Flat, Op.4 No.3 (Last Mvt)
  5. The Organ Is Difficult To Classify.
  6. An Unexpected, Organ-related Guest
  7. Concerto Pour Zampogna (Last Mvt)
  8. Peasant-Fancying... And A Touch Of The Roaming Cowboy
  9. Les Miserables (Drink With Me)
  10. Outside Artefacts And The Power Of Association
  11. Mahler's Sleighbells
  12. Symphony No.4 (Opening)
  13. A Roll-Call Of Some Unusual Guests/The Typewriter/Parade
  14. Chains, And More/Integrales/An American In Paris/Sandpaper Ballet
  15. Purpose-Built Oddities: Wind Machines/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Opening)
  16. Don Quixote (Variation VIII)
  17. National Calling Cards: The Guitar For Spain/Concierto De Aranjuez (Finale)
  18. And The Guitar's Poor American Relative, The Banjo/Washington Breakdown
  19. And Poorer Still, The Mouth Organ/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Packing Up)
  20. The Balalaika For Russia/Romeo And Juliet (Act II: No.14)
  21. The Maracas For Mexico/The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (El Desayuno)
  22. The Bongos And Congas And A Whole Wealth Of Other Drums For Africa And Central America/Studio Example
  23. The Sitar Of India/Evening Raga: Bhapoli
  24. The Accordion For France (Especially Paris)/Paris Canaille
  25. The Zither For Vienna/The Third Man (Theme)
  26. The Cimbalom For Hungary/Folk Dances
  27. The Guitar As An Integral Part Of The Orchestra/Rondena
  28. There Are Whole Orchestras Of Balalaikas./Sveit Mesiats
  29. The Effect Of The Wordless Human Voice, Used Purely As An Instrument/Symphony No.7 'Sinfonia Antartica' (Mvt 1)
  30. Nocturnes
  31. Instruments And the Imitation Of Nature. The Clarinet As Cuckoo
  32. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Cuckoo)
  33. The Flute As An All-purpose Aviary
  34. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aviary)
  35. The Oboe As Duck
  36. Peter And The Wolf (The Duck)
  37. The Recording Of Reality. Does It Work As Well?
  38. The Pines Of Rome (The Pines Of The Janiculum)
  39. The Recording Of Reality Electronically Reborn In New Guises
  40. Cantus Articus - Concerto For Birds And Orchesra (Mvt 2)
  41. Beethoven Turns Avian: Cuckoo, Nightingale, And Quail
  42. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral' (Andante Molto Mosso)
  43. Some Improbable Casting: The Violin As Braying Donkey
  44. The Carnival Of The Animals (Persons With Long Ears)
  45. A Truly Orchestral Hee-haw To Be Reckoned With
  46. Overture To 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
  47. A Thunderstorm In A Million
  48. Symphony No.6 'Pastoral (Allegro-Allegretto)
  49. the Instrumental Depiction Of A Silent World
  50. The Carnival Of The Animals (The Aquarium)
  51. Saint-Saens' Menagerie Takes A Curtain Call.
  52. The Carnival Of The Animals (Finale)

Tracks:

  1. The Grouping Of Instrumental Families. An Additive Approach. First, Two Violins
  2. Forty-Four Duos (No.4)
  3. A Great Contrast, Of Both Pitch And Character: Violin And Viola
  4. Duo For Violin And Viola In B Flat Major, K.424 (Finale, Vars 1 & 2)/Studio Example
  5. Arrival Of The Standard String Trio: Violin, Viola, And Cello
  6. String Trio In B Flat (Menuetto)
  7. The String Quartet: Two Violins, Viola, And Cello
  8. String Quartet In F, Op.18 No.1 (Mvt 3)
  9. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Viola
  10. String Quartet No.5 In D, K.593 (Adagio)
  11. The String Quintet - When The Extra Instrument Is A Second Cello
  12. String Quintet In C (Mvt 3)
  13. The String Sextet: Two Violins, Two Violas, And Two Cellos
  14. String Sextet In B Flat (Mvt 2)
  15. The String Octet: The Standard String Quaret Times Two
  16. Octet In E Flat, Op.20 (Mvt 1)
  17. Double The String Octet: A Fully Fledged String Orchestra
  18. String Symphony No.2 (Finale)
  19. The Massed Strings Of A Symphony Orchestra
  20. Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
  21. Contrasts Of Pitch And Instrumental 'Colour' In The Woodwind Section
  22. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Op.100 No.5 (Theme)
  23. In The First Variation It's The Horn That Gets The Lion's Share.
  24. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 1
  25. In Variation Two The Torch Is Handed To The Bassoon.
  26. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 2
  27. In Variation Three The Oboe Leads.
  28. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 3
  29. Variation Four: Conversation Before Returning To A Solo-dominated Texture
  30. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 4
  31. And Variation Five is Dominated By The Clarinet.
  32. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 5
  33. The Next To Be Featured Is The Virtuoso Flute.
  34. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 6
  35. Individual Farewells And A Closing Chorus
  36. Wind Quintet In A Minor, Variation 7
  37. A Mixed Group: Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, String Quartet, And Double-Bass
  38. Octet In F (Mvt 3)
  39. The Early Classical Symphony Orchestra Of Haydn And Mozart
  40. Symphony No.29 In A, K.201 (Finale)
  41. Strings, Wind, But No Brass. What Haydn And Mozart Never Knew
  42. Canzon 28
  43. Beethoven's Fifth: Two Horns, Two Trumpets, And Three Trombones Join The Team.
  44. Symphony No.5 (Finale)
  45. From Beethoven To The Massive Orchestras Of Berlioz, Wagner, And Mahler
  46. Beethoven Changed The Face Of The Symphony And The Orchestra Forever
  47. Symphoy No.6 'Tragic' (Mvt 1)
  48. The Cult Of Orchestral Elephantiasis Reaches Its Peak.
  49. Symphony No.1 'Gothic' (VI: Te Ergo Quaesumus)
  50. When Large Doesn't Necessarily Mean Loud: Debussy
  51. Images (Gigues)
  52. A Crisis Of Confidence; The Orchestra's Survival Hangs In The Balance, But It Still Develops. The Ondes Martenot:
  53. Turangalila Symphony (Chant D'amour 1)
  54. The Advent Of The 'Early Music' Movement Brings A New Vitality And Freshness.
  55. Balle De Xerxes (Gavotte En Rondeau)
  56. Computer And Synthesiser: Friends Or Foes?
  57. Concerto In D Minor For Two Violins (Largo)
  58. A Speculative Look Ahead/Mass In B Minor ('Dona Nobis Pacem')

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Instruments of the Orchestra - Great Reference Material!.......2007-04-04

This set lends itself to greatly enhancing one's knowledge of the orchestra, instruments in it, and their usage. I am a huge music buff, and I still picked up a great deal I previously did not know. I highly recommend this for all who wish to understand the origin of music, as well as the processes that are employed to create music!

5 out of 5 stars Beginner or Expert.......2007-03-12

This CD is excellent for the beginner or expert! To be able to haear the instrumets separately and then together really provides a good education. and/or refresher. The book thaty comes with the CD is alomost worth the price by itself!

5 out of 5 stars Very Informative and Enjoyable.......2006-11-20

Whether you're a music novice or pro, "The instruments of the Orchestra" is a very worthwhile purchase. The 7 CDs, with a total of 8 hours, are expertly narrated by Jeremy Siepmann. He's a great speaker, very much like the late Leonard Bernstein was. Mr. Siepmann takes you on an unforgetable musical journey covering the origins and use of the various orchestral instruments throughout musical history. The balance between his narration and a wealth of musical examples, which range from snippets to entire movements, is superb. The comprehensive enclosed booklet is excellent and faithfully follows the 7 CDs in content. Even with my 40+ years of music training I still learned new things from this wonderful collection. Considering the excellence of the content, and a cost that translates to about $5 per disc, this collection is a great value. Grab it, you won't regret that you did. Five solid stars!

3 out of 5 stars Frank's view.......2006-08-19

This boxed set of CD's with booklet achieved all I had hoped that it would. There are good samples of individual instruments and well done commentary on each. The only drawback was that some of the samples were too brief and could have been longer, hoiwever I guess this fits in with time constraints of the medium. It has given me a lot of clues as to future purchases of CD's for listening to individual instruments. Altogeth a satisfactory purchase and a welcome addition to my collection.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent Intro for Those Not Familiar with the Orchestra.......2003-11-08

I've listened to classical music for years and am interested in composition. I bought this CD set to learn how an orchestra and its instruments work. I thought the CDs would be a nice but boring lecture. They aren't! Not only are they FUN but they are informative as well. I learned a huge amount from each CD and couldn't wait to listen to the next one.

The narrator and writer is a great speaker and holds your attention well. He is definitely knowledgeable. He provides musical examples for each point he makes, so you get to "hear" what he just talked about. I'd say the CDs are about 65% music and 35% narration. You'll learn about the range of instruments, some history, different ways to play them, how they sound, and how they are used in the orchestra. This CD set was a great learning experience and is sold at such a low price!

I recommend this CD for those who want to learn about classical music and those who know about it but are interested in learning more about the inner workings of an orchestra. You'll learn much useful information. For instance, the Rite of Spring (with that eerie start) is written for bassoon! I never knew a bassoon could sound like that but now I do.

The one complaint I have is the last CD. This deals with the orchestra. I wanted more of a tour of how the orchestra has been used through history up to the present. Instead, it was a tour of how different groups of instruments sound. I thought it could have been better. The other 6 CDs are excellent.
Denial Feels So Good
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • To Live Without It = Best.
  • You can't deny it. Sorry. . .
Denial Feels So Good
The Spill Canvas
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000OYC7AI
Release Date: 2007-05-01

Tracks:

  1. Staplegunned
  2. Gold Dust Woman
  3. To Live Without It
  4. Appreciation and the Bomb
  5. Catch the Wind

Album Description

Honored as one of the 100 Bands To Watch for 2007 by Alternative Press, The Spill Canvas primes the poppunk pump with Denial Feels So Good, an EP preceding the band's full-length major-label debut album expected in the fall. After earning fans from Los Angeles to the U.K. with acclaimed indie albums and emotional live performances, The Spill Canvas is ready to make a big-time splash on the rock scene.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars To Live Without It = Best........2007-06-05

To Live Without it MAKES this EP. SUCH A GOOD SONG! Whole EP is great of course, even the covers and the remix, but that song is the best song, like, ever. HIGHLY recommended for fans of Spill Canvas

5 out of 5 stars You can't deny it. Sorry. . ........2007-05-02

If there's one thing wrong with Ep, it's that it's an Ep and not a full-length. Five songs just don't seem to be enough. I was hoping, when I heard about its release, that they'd put "Rock Bottom" on this. Sadly, it is missing, and those who did not get that free download last year, will have to live without it. (Yet another pun. I apologize.) It's a shame really, because five songs seem so short, and one extra song might have rounded it off perfectly.
That being said how are the songs that ARE on the Ep? They're good. Very good. It starts off with a "remix" of their first single off of One Fell Swoop: "Staplegunned." This is so similar to the original that it hardly qualifies as a remix, so if you like the original, you should have no complaints about this remix. Following that is a Fleetwood Mac cover "Gold Dust Woman." I've not heard the original version of this song, I'll admit. Still, it sounds so different from typical Spill Canvas that I have to wonder if they didn't leave it quite the same. It's more blues than I'm used to hearing from this band, but Nick Thomas pulls it off quite well. It's track three that really makes this Ep worth buying. It's the first really new song on the Ep called "To Live Without It." I don't think I've ever heard Nick's vocals sound this good before. This song only makes me want to skip summer so I can get to the release of their full length faster. If you're a fan of their heavier stuff, you should love this song. After that, they slow it down for the rest of the Ep with "Appreciation and the Bomb." Nick's song writing abilities are so amazing. This song is so open, so melancholy. I would say that this song could be his best song ever. The Ep ends with another cover. This time it's of folk-singer Donovan. I'm not a big fan of Donovan, but I have heard the original of this version. I believe TSC pull is off masterfully. It is just a quick little folk song.
So, in short, Denial is perhaps not for a newcomer to The Spill Canvas, but for us fans who have been around since Sunsets, this is a gem. It may not hold off the pangs of longing for another full length, but it will certainly whet the appetite.
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Yankee Doodle Dandy Review
  • Yankee Doodle Dandy
  • Amazing! Wonderful! Just buy it - you won't be sorry!
  • What a find!!
  • A Soundtrack Every American Should Own
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Yankee Doodle Dandy (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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  5. The Unsinkable Molly Brown

ASIN: B000066RM7
Release Date: 2002-06-18

Tracks:

  1. Main Title: Warner Bros. Signature/Yankee Doodle/Yankee Doodle Boy/Mary's A Grand Old Name/Off The Record - Warner Bros. Orchestra
  2. Early Years Sequence: Columbia The Gem Of The Ocean/The Dancing Master/While Strolling Through The Park One Day/At A Georgia Camp Meeting - Walter Huston
  3. I Was Born In Virginia - Walter Huston
  4. The Warmest Baby In The Bunch - Sally Sweetland
  5. Harrigan - Sally Sweetland
  6. Yankee Doodle Boy - James Cagney
  7. Little Johnny Jones Sequence: The Yankee Doodle Boy/Good Luck Johnny/Little Johnny Jones Special/Finale Special/All Aboard For Old Broadway/Rocket/Give My Regards To Broadway - James Cagney
  8. Medley: Oh, You Wonderful Girl/Blue Skies, Gray Skies/The Belle Of The Barber's Ball - Walter Huston
  9. Mary's A Grand Old Name - Sally Sweetland
  10. Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway - James Cagney
  11. Fay Templeton Medley: Mary's A Grand Old Name/Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway/So Long, Mary - Irene Manning
  12. You're A Grand Old Flag - Walter Huston
  13. Over There - Frances Langford
  14. Medley: In A Kingdom Of Our Own/Love Nest/Nellie Kelly, I Love You/The Man Who Owns Broadway/Molly Malone/Billie - Frances Langford
  15. Off The Record - James Cagney
  16. Finale And End Cast: Over There/Yankee Doodle Boy - James Cagney
  17. You Remind Me Of My Mother (Outtake) - James Cagney
  18. Medley: Oh, You Wonderful Girl/Blue Skies, Gray Skies/The Belle Of The Barber's Ball (Piano Only Version) - Walter Huston
  19. Give My Regards To Broadway (Rehearsal) - James Cagney
  20. You're A Grand Old Flag (Rehearsal) - James Cagney

Amazon.com

When one thinks of musicals from Hollywood's golden age, the initials MGM come almost instantly to mind. Indeed when veteran song-and-dance man George M. Cohan was negotiating a film based on his colorful life story, his first choice was Metro--until a falling out with studio chief Louis B. Mayer. But L.B.'s loss eventually became Warner Brothers'--and film history's--gain when the Burbank studio's Cohan musical became a massive, patriotic hit in the opening months of World War II. As chronicled in this vibrantly restored, first-ever complete soundtrack for the film, it was a compelling twist of fate. James Cagney turns in one of the screen's most ostensibly unlikely--and ultimately indelible--musical performances (netting him his only Best Actor Oscar ®), teaming with studio music director Roy Heindorf to update Cohan's once-quaint turn-of the-century patriotic ditties ("You're a Grand Old Flag," "Over There," "Yankee Doodle Boy") and infectious vaudevillian chestnuts ("Give My Regards to Broadway," "Harrigan") with bracing dollops of the studio's '40s orchestral sass--and, just months after Pearl Harbor, some crucial historical parallels. Also included are four bonus tracks that remarkably survived the film's preproduction, including an outtake of "You Remind Me of My Mother" and voice-and-piano-only rehearsal versions of "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "You're a Grand Old Flag" that further underscore Cagney's deceptively effortless ability to sell a song despite his limited musical gifts. It's a long overdue showcase for a true American film musical gem. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Yankee Doodle Dandy Review.......2006-11-03

It's an old movie with an old soundtrack, but I loved the movie, I love the music, and I'm very happy with my purchase.

5 out of 5 stars Yankee Doodle Dandy.......2006-06-30

Excellent in black and white and color. James Cagney also got a medal from a President. (President Reagan!} If you like entertainment...this is it!

5 out of 5 stars Amazing! Wonderful! Just buy it - you won't be sorry!.......2005-03-05


I am so very glad I bought this CD. I own the DVD of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and watch it all the time, so I almost didn't buy this, wondering if I really needed yet another CD.

Well, thank God I didn't pay any attention to that dumb idea!

If you love "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and Cagney, you just have to buy this soundtrack. It's like being able to take the movie with you anywhere ... it's not just the songs - as others have said - but also includes bits of Cagney's voice-overs, even the tap-dancing from the end of "Little Johnny Jones." And since the audio system in my car is better than my TV's, it all seemed even bigger, richer and better. (George M. would love that!)

Wonderful, wonderful stuff!

5 out of 5 stars What a find!!.......2003-06-15

I haven't been able to see this movie on TV since Turner bought it (don't get TCM), but if you've seen the movie several tims, as I have, listening to this CD is very nearly as good as watching it all the way through. (I'm so delighted with it that I'm even willing to forgive TCM for putting a paper ad inside with the disc.)

Monumental effort must have gone into this soundtrack, given the age of the original recordings. The tracks here are crisp, clear, and bright, with no evidence of how long ago they were first put down. The editors were also generous in their inclusion of dialogue that ties some of the tracks together (for example, we hear the man tell Johny Jones to watch for the skyrocket, then we hear the skyrocket as it leads into "Give My Regards to Broadway"). There are a couple of places where the endings are slightly abrupt but this is because, in the movie, the music fades into extended dialogue.

The only bit of dialogue I expected to hear in a song, but didn't, is in "Over There" near the very end of the film, when Cagney/Cohan has fallen in step with the soldiers going off to WWII, as they're singing "Over There", when the soldier nearest him says something like, "What's wrong, old timer, don't know the words?" and Cagney says, "Seems to me I do" and starts singing along. That's minor and pales next to how wonderful the rest of this soundtrack is.

One of the biggest treats on this CD is that we get to hear some of Cagney's tapping, notably in "Give My Regards to Broadway", "You're a Grand Old Flag", and - one of my favorite moments in movie history - when he dances down the White House stairs to "Yankee Doodle" near the end).

The outtake is not a humorous one, simply a track they decided not to use. It and the rehearsal tracks are all just the performers voices with piano accompaniment. I especially enjoyed hearing Cagney rehearsing "You're a Grand Old Flag".

If you like Cagney, if you like Cohan's music, if you like movies "the way they used to make them", or if you're not ashamed to get a little choked up with patriotism once in a while, you will not be disappointed in this CD!

5 out of 5 stars A Soundtrack Every American Should Own.......2002-09-23

Finally! If you own that Hollywood Soundstage abomination of the "Yankee Doodle Dandy" soundtrack you can finally pitch it. Here is the real article. Rhino (Turner Classic Movies Music) lovingly restored the music from the beloved "Yankee Doodle Dandy" motion picture starring James Cagney. This soundtrack sounds astonishing considering it's 60 years old. It's very obvious some loving care was taken in it's production for which we all should be greatful. The liner notes also are great with informative text and wonderful photos from the movie. The marvelous George M. Cohan songs gives one goosebumps and bring tears to the eyes. We all need this type of patriotic pep rally, especially in these tough times. As I've said, this soundtrack belongs in every American's home just as much as that "Grand Old Flag"! I believe there are plans to release the movie on DVD, hopefully soon.
So Far, So Good...So What!
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Hook in Mouth!
  • Megadeth in transition...
  • Outstanding effort from Megadeth.
  • So Far...So Good
  • Not as good as the origional.
So Far, So Good...So What!
Megadeth
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?
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ASIN: B0002EXH4A
Release Date: 2004-07-27

Tracks:

  1. Into The Lungs Of Hell
  2. Set The World Afire
  3. Anarchy In The U.K.
  4. Mary Jane
  5. 502
  6. In My Darkest Hour
  7. Liar
  8. Hook In Mouth
  9. Into The Lungs Of Hell (Paul Lani Mix) - previously unreleased
  10. Set The World Afire (Paul Lani Mix) - previously unreleased
  11. Mary Jane (Paul Lani Mix) - previously unreleased
  12. In My Darkest Hour (Paul Lani Mix) - previously unreleased

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Hook in Mouth!.......2007-07-11

The album between the two Megadeth's biggest classics "Peace Sells..." and "Rust in Peace" can't be that bad...or can it? Well, at least the intro is quite good and "Set the World Afire" is one of their heaviest songs..."No survivors...set the world afire..."...one of their best songs at least lyrically. "Anarchy in UK" is the cover from Sex Pistols. I like Megadeth's version more...maybe because I like more Dave Mustaine's voice. "Mary Jane" and "In My Darkest Hour" are both quite sad songs lyrically and musically. "In My Darkest Hour" is a popular live track too. "Mary Jane" was released as a single like "Anarchy in UK" was too. "502" and "Liar" are quite fast songs too. "Hook in Mouth" is my favourite..it has the lyrics against the goverment and it is kinda rebellious and violent. "F is for fighting, R is for red..." FREEDOM is an important thing and there's never too many songs about it. I would say that ideas of the songs are excellent and the quality is awesome! Megadeth rocks!
Stars: Hook in Mouth, Set the World Afire, In My Darkest Hour, 502, Into the Lungs of Hell

4 out of 5 stars Megadeth in transition..........2007-07-11

So Far, So Good...So What! (1988.), Megadeth's third studio album

Dave Mustaine and his band Megadeth were bought to critical acclaim with the release of their second album `Peace Sells...But Who's Buying' in 1986. Mustaine, the man who swore revenge on his former band Metallica had a created a force to be reckoned with and their second release showed they were very much a big part of the Bay Area thrash metal scen. However, like with so many other bands, the road to greater success was to be a tough one. Megadeth had managed to sustain the same line-up for their initial two albums, however towards the end of the `Peace Sells' tour, Mustaine fired guitarist Chris Poland and drummer Gar Samuelson due to their drug abuse (culminating in Poland selling some band equipment to aid his drug habit!) This, as expected destroyed a lot of the chemistry within the band and left Mustaine and bassist Dave Ellefson looking for a new drummer and axeman. However, following recruiting drummer Chuck Behler and guitarist Jeff Young, Megadeth were once again ready to jam out some kick ass heavy metal. `So Far, So Good...So What!' was released in January 1988 and has gone on to become the Megadeth album which has split fan opinion down the middle...

`SFSG...SW' is very much Megadeth's transitional album in more ways than one. It first and foremostly marks a bridge between the rawer, pure thrashy stuff that the first two albums had and the much more technical arrangements that are found on `Rust In Peace'. Secondly, the band itself is in transtion. Guitarist Jeff Young and drummer Chuck Behler do a good job on this album however in many ways they are a temporary bridge between the early line up and the classic line-up (with Marty Friedman and Nick Menza) who would fill their roles following this studio outing. As a consequence of these changes occuring within Megadeth and with their sound, this album produces some interesting results. Some people hold this album with very high regard, often citing it as Deth's best. Indeed I can respect this opinion to a degree, afterall some of Megadeth's finest songs are on here such as `In My Darkest Hour' and `Set The World Afire'. On the contrary, there are Megadeth fans who cite this work as a poor show, lacking consistency and impact. Again I can see where these fans are coming from - the original album's sound came across as very stale (although this is vastly improved on the remaster) and there are also some quite substandard tracks for a band of Megadeth's quality. I personally think the album `JUST' about deserves the 4* rating I've given it as it contains some exceptionally good tracks. It is however an album of choppy inconsistencies with the good songs being marred by tracks such as `502', `Anarchy In The UK' and `Liar'. These songs often come across as rushed, somewhat uninspired and juvenile. Indeed given Mustaine's level of drug abuse at the time and the state he was in during much of the recording sessions, it is not surprising this album is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of quality.

Following Megadeth's re-union in 2004 with the release of 'The System Has Failed', Dave Mustaine personally helped remaster the band's back catalogue. With 'So Far, So Good...So What!' the remaster is excellent. The sound quality on the remastered version is much clearer as opposed to the rather stale production which plagued the original release. The remaster of the album also has demos for 'Into The Lungs Of Hell', `Set The World Afire', `Mary Jane' and `In My Darkest Hour'.

`Into The Lungs Of Hell' opens the album and what a cool opener this is. A stately opening gives way to a blisteringly quick instrumental song with awesome riffs aplenty! Following the opener is one of my personal favourite Megadeth tracks `Set The World Afire'. This was the first post-Metallica song Mustaine wrote and what a thrash metal classic this is. Some fiery, tripletly riffing gets the song going before Mustaine comes in with the vocals over one fantastic guitar line. For a song with power, aggression and vigour look no further. So at this stage, it is `So Far, So Good' however we are then graced by the `So What' aspect of the album with `Anarchy In The UK'. A cover song which has divided fan opinion, I personally don't think it works that well at all. The whole song sounds quite tired and lifeless (even on the remaster!) and Mustaine even gets some of the lyrics wrong. However the album picks itself up again next with `Mary Jane', an atmospheric song with some great, signature Megadeth riffs.

The choppy waters of this album re-emerge with `502'. Another substandard track with a theme of cop car chases. The siren sounds on the track get annoying after a while and the lyrics are pretty uninspired and juvenile. Then following this, we are treated to another classic `Deth song in `In My Darkest Hour'. This 6 minute beast has a great acoustic opening before some great chugging riffs come in. The track builds to a climax towards the end as it garners speed. Mustaine gives an excellent vocal performance in this song which was dedicated to fallen Metallica bassist Cliff Burton. Then we have `Liar'. Musically I find this track pretty good (save the chorus) however the lyrics really let the song down - an attack on former guitarist Chris Poland, it is just that bit childish and laughable. However Mustaine hits the mark lyrically in the closing track `Hook In Mouth'. Another classic song, it is a `1984' inspired track which also attacks the PMRC musical sesoring movement. The guitar work is snarling and the `F-R-E-E-D-O-M' chorus is especially great.

All in all, `So Far, So Good...So What' is a mixed bag which for me is fortunately held together by 3 extremely strong tracks. Some love it, some hate it, its one of those albums. If you are a fan of Megadeth, I would recommend this album as it contains some great material in parts. However if you're new to the band then `Rust In Peace' is the place to start as it is the album that displays the Megadeth sound at its technical and creative best. With `SFSG...SW' the band is rediscovering it's direction. This album is a key part in the development of Megadeth however it is consequentially a mixed one.

MY RATING: 7/10

5 out of 5 stars Outstanding effort from Megadeth........2007-03-30

So Far, So Good...So What! has been drastically improved upon since the original had a slightly dissapointing low production, on this re-mastered version the sound quality is very high. Anyway this album is considered a dissapointing followup to Peace Sells among Megadeth fans which I personaly don't understand since this album was excellent and quite good with great aggresive and highly thrashing songs I don't see why anyone would be upset with this. This is still a definitive album from Megadeth, the lineup was changed for some reason it seemed like guitarist Chris Polland and drummer Gar Samuelson were both fired and replaced by Jeff Young and Chuck Behler and it also seemed like Mustain was going through alot of drug problems that effected the writting of this album especially with the silly lyrics for 502 even though it wasn't really a bad song. There are very few flaws in this album but I still consider this to be an underrated masterpiece the album starts of with the brilliant instrumental song Into the lungs of hell with a loud explosion sound effect then the song Set the world afire which is a technicaly fast and speedy track and is one of my favorites, its the first song Dave Mustain wrote after he was kicked out of Metallica. Anarchy in the U.K. is the only bad song on this album and the one that I thought was a dissapointing cover of the original done by The Sex Pistols, it almost ruins the flow and continuity of the album then theres the song called Mary Jane which has a very nice melody to it and the riffs were terrific its very catchy and you would probably know what this songs about from the title.

502 wasn't so bad except for the silly lyrics about a high speed chase with a bunch of cops but the following song In my darkest hour is probably the highlight of this album and is one of the greatest Megadeth songs ever, a song inspired by the tragic death of his friend and fellow Metallica bandmate Cliff Burton and presented here with an improved accoustic intro I would describe this song as a ballad that increases with speed and then becomes more intense towards the end which is amazing then theres the song called Liar another good track which seems to be an attack towards a former member of Megadeth (I think its maybe towards Chris Poland I'm not so sure). The closing song Hook in mouth was an incendiary assualt on the PMRC at the time and an overall attack on censorship in the media, but then again who cares since its a great thrash song. If you ask any Megadeth fan and they will tell that this album has some of the best songs Megadeth ever recorded despite all of the problems Dave was going through you he still managed to pull of this great masterpiece of thrash metal, you cannot call yourself a true Megadeth fan without owning this album.

4 out of 5 stars So Far...So Good.......2007-03-26

So Far So good, but not their best, Being 8 tracks long this album still spawned classic megadeth tracks such as Set the world afire and in my darkest hour. The former being Mustaine's first composition after leaving metallica, was done with the intent of being faster and harder than his former band could achieve, and also gave rise to the band's name. The opening track (into the lungs of hell) is also killer, and is fashioned after the poem 'the charge of the light brigade' which is work based on St. Michael's offensive on hell after lucifer's exile from heaven. Other notable tracks include Mary Jane, Anarchy in The UK (a sex pistols cover), and Hook In Mouth which is a catchy tune aimed at music censorship.

2 out of 5 stars Not as good as the origional........2007-03-08

So Far, So Good...So What! (in it's origional form) used to conjure feeling. The remastered edition sounds like a group of studio musicians tried to remake the album and just didn't quite hit the nail on the head. If you bought this album on cassette when it came out in the late 80s, get your hands on that version.
Songs of Angels - Christmas Hymns and Carols
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Much Anticipated
  • A Taste of Heaven
  • The Energizer Bunny
  • Great Seasonal Album
  • The Most Beautiful Sounds I Have Ever Heard
Songs of Angels - Christmas Hymns and Carols
Robert Shaw , and Robert Shaw Chamber Singers
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. A Festival Of Carols / Robert Shaw Chorale
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  5. The Many Moods of Christmas (1963 RCA Victor Version) Robert Shaw Chorale and Orchestra

ASIN: B000003D0G
Release Date: 1994-10-18

Tracks:

  1. God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
  2. Angels We Have Heard On High
  3. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
  4. How Unto Bethlehem?
  5. The Boar's Head Carol
  6. O Tannenbaum
  7. Masters In This Hall
  8. My Dancing Day
  9. Away In A Manger
  10. Good Christian Men, Rejoice
  11. The Holly And The Ivy
  12. Good King Wenceslas
  13. Wassail Song
  14. Bring A Torch, Jeannette, Isabella
  15. Fum, Fum, Fum
  16. Mary Had A Baby
  17. Hacia Belen Va Un Borrico
  18. Christ Was Born On Christmas Day
  19. March Of The Kings
  20. Coventry Carol
  21. Deck The Halls
  22. The Cherry Tree Carol
  23. We Three Kings Of Orient Are
  24. Toruo-Louro-Louro!
  25. So Blest A Sight
  26. I Saw Three Ships
  27. What Child Is This?
  28. Susanni
  29. In The Bleak Midwinter

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Much Anticipated.......2007-01-26

I have been looking for this CD for years!! Our family had a Shaw Chorale LP which contained almost all the songs on this CD. We had a number of excellent holiday albums and played all of them often, but we wore the Shaw Chorale album out! Not only are the musical renditions excellent and very similar to earlier Shaw recordings, the nostalgia evoked for this listener is incomparable!

5 out of 5 stars A Taste of Heaven.......2007-01-18

I received this recording on cassette from a choral teacher, and played it so often that I wore it out! I especially appreciate the purity of sound and the arrangements in this recording. Lovers of choral music will feel as though "Songs of Angels" brings them a taste of heaven!

5 out of 5 stars The Energizer Bunny.......2007-01-18

Alas that Robert Shaw is no longer with us. Throughout his long and varied career he gave us choral music with exactness,good pacing,and proper execution though not all musicologists would chose his renditions.
In "Songs of Angels" recorded in 1994 he shows us that even in later years he just kept going and going. Giving us stellar performances of masterpieces such as "Elijah","The Creation" and other large choral works. Yet in this album he shows the same attention to detail and
enraptures us with that special beauty of tone and ensemble which was
was to be Shaw's watermark on his life's offering.

5 out of 5 stars Great Seasonal Album.......2006-01-16

This is one of the most impressive period albums I own. Wonderful for the holiday season. Will miss it during the rest of the year.

5 out of 5 stars The Most Beautiful Sounds I Have Ever Heard.......2003-02-04

A fluid and seamless piece of heaven that transcends all classical and holiday music. This is an OUTSTANDING non-traditional Holiday CD!!! Many voices come together as one in these enchanting verses sung in languages other than English. It is just enough language mix to appease and intrigue the soul but not too much so that the listener does not understand the lyrics. For example, the English verse is sung then a verse in German and then back to English. Emmanuel is written this way. Other languages include French (Angels we Have Heard on High) and even Catalan which is a dialect of Spain.

Several of the songs were not traditional Holiday songs (at least for my generation), yet they were intriguing to learn and now I feel I know them just like the traditional ones. This CD offers a healthy mix of traditional and non-traditional songs on this CD.

If you can picture the most beautiful sounds you have ever heard you can come close to the joy this CD will bring you. It is February and I can't stop listening to it. You will not regret purchasing it&the only regret you may have is not buying all of Robert Shaw's holiday CDs.

I am writing this review to share the joy with you!
So Far So Good: Best of the Paul Thorn Band Live
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Asronishing talent
  • Worth it for the DVD alone.
  • Too good to be true, but it is....
  • Live is the best
  • A Special Performer
So Far So Good: Best of the Paul Thorn Band Live
Paul Thorn
Manufacturer: Thirty Tigers
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Blues RockBlues Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music
Roots RockRoots Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Mission Temple Fireworks Stand
  2. Ain't Love Strange
  3. Are You With Me?
  4. The Devil You Know
  5. Snake Farm

ASIN: B000FZEU7O
Release Date: 2006-07-11

Tracks:

  1. Heart With 4 Wheel Drive
  2. Lovers Vacation
  3. Burn
  4. Down The Trailer Park
  5. Every Little Bit Hurts
  6. Thats All I Know Right Now
  7. Mood Ring Thats A Lie
  8. A Lot Of Good Reasons
  9. I Have A Good Day
  10. Hammer & Nail
  11. Rise Up
  12. High
  13. Aint Love Strange
  14. Mission
  15. Temple Fireworks Stand
  16. Something Out There
  17. Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Asronishing talent.......2007-03-23

My wife and I just caught Paul Thorn live (solo acoustic) opening for David Bromberg and The Angel Band (featuring David and his quartet backing up his wife's amazing a capella trio). Amazing, astonishing, inventive, and utterly charming. His songs are great - his stories even better. I was grinning like a fool through the entire performance and had a brief but thoroughly enjoyable chat with him during the set break. I listened to the CD on the drive dome and his sound with the band is quite different but every bit as enjoyable.

If you have a chance to see this man perform live - do it. In the mean time, if you enjoy great storytelling, strong southern blues, and rocking guitar work, pick up this DVD/CD. It's a great value and will be an often played addition to your library.

5 out of 5 stars Worth it for the DVD alone. .......2007-02-06

I discovered Paul Thorn by accident in the fall of 2005 when he was opening for Huey Lewis. I have since acquired every bit of his music I can lay my hands on, and have seen him live once. The DVD gives a flavor of his live performances by including some of his many stories...it seems each song has a story.

Paul Thorn is an amazingly talented and versatile songwriter. He can make you laugh with songs like "Burn Down the Trailer Park" and "Viagra", then turn around and make you cry with "I Have a Good Day" and "Things Left Undone". Besides his skill with lyrics, the music is sometimes bluesy, sometimes country, sometimes rock. He can't really be categorized.

The CD contains many of his standards. If you have not been introduced to Paul Thorn, this combo set is an excellent place to start. You will find yourself checking his schedule on his website for an opportunity to see him live.

1 out of 5 stars Too good to be true, but it is...........2006-11-04

Paul and the band give you a dose of what's in store for you if you ever get the chance to catch 'em live.A great mix of story-telling, humor, pathos and musicianship all wrapped up in one roaring good time. If you can watch this without laughing out loud, tapping your feet, and just plain, old feeling good, you've got a hole in your soul. So watch it twice and let Paul work his magic. You won't be disappointed....

5 out of 5 stars Live is the best.......2006-09-07

This is really a DVD with a bonus CD. If you have never seen Paul in concert this is a must have set, if you have seen him you will want to add this to your collection. This was recorded in Atlanta and I found the DVD is to be a good substitute for being there. I have been enjoying Paul's work for a while now and this is the best offering of his yet.

5 out of 5 stars A Special Performer.......2006-09-04

Paul Thorn is a man of many hats; a talented musician, singer, songwriter, stand-up comic & "inspirational leader" (oh, and a former boxer). Thorn and his talented band cruise through a fun set of bluesy rock, interjected by his good-spirited, often self-deprecating humor. Guitarist Bill Hinds proves equally adept at blistering blues-rock ("Heart With 4 Wheel Drive"), feather-light slide guitar a la Lee Roy Parnell ("Every Little Bit Hurts") and everything in between. Keyboardist Michael "Dr. Love" Graham adds a somber organ to the latter tune, & propels the energetic stomper "Mission Temple Fireworks Stand" with his rock'n'roll piano. The band lays down a wickedly funky groove on the deliriously silly "Ain't Love Strange", while the bouncy "Lover's Vacation" coasts along with carefree abandon.
A reocurring theme in Thorn's songwriting is, not surprisingly, the idea of continually getting back up after being knocked down, and the hope of better things ahead ("I'd Rather Be A Hammer Than A Nail", "Rise Up", "I Have A Good Day", "There's Something Out There"), which may further explain his charismatic appeal. He is a champion of the underdog who can relate to his audience, while not taking himself too seriously.
Don't make the mistake of thinking Thorn is simply a novelty act. He's an original artist who deserves to be discovered. And at this price, this CD/DVD package is a bargain.
Can't Sit Down ... 'Cos It Feels So Good! The Complete Modern Recordings
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Can't Sit Down ... 'Cos It Feels So Good! The Complete Modern Recordings

    Manufacturer: Kent U.K.
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | R&B | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music
    Similar Items:
    1. Complete BBC Sessions
    2. A Fine Time!: The Southside of Soul Street
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    5. Can't Find Happiness - The Sounds of Memphis Recordings

    ASIN: B000O5917O
    Release Date: 2007-06-05

    Tracks:

    1. Can't Sit Down 'Cos I Feel So Good
    2. Fine, Fine, Fine
    3. Don't Feel Sorry For Me
    4. Through With You - Venetta Fields
    5. You Can't Have Your Cake And Eat It Too (Previously Unissued)
    6. I'm So Thankful
    7. You're Trying To Make Me Lose My Mind
    8. Cheater - Venetta Fields
    9. Sally Go Round The Roses
    10. Blue With A Broken Heart - Flora Williams (Previously Unissued
    11. Peaches 'n' Cream
    12. I'm Leaving You - Venetta Fields
    13. Never More Will I Be Lonely For You
    14. The Biggest Players
    15. Camel Walk
    16. Give Me A Chance (Try Me) - Venetta Fields
    17. Not That I Recall
    18. How Come
    19. Your Love Is Mine
    20. You're Still My Baby - Venetta Fields
    21. Nobody Loves Me
    22. It's Been So Long
    23. The Loco-Motion (Previously Unissued Take 11)
    24. Sha La La (Previously Unissued Take 9)
    25. Da Do Ron Ron
    26. Never More Will I Be Lonely For You (Alternate Take 11 Of Modern 1015)
    27. Camel Walk (Previously Unissued Take 1)

    Album Description

    20 years after the original Kent UK LP...and it's time for an update!

    Highlights include two previously unissued songs and several previously unissued takes as well as an alternative take of 'Never More Will I Be Lonely For You'.

    Most of the tracks are remastered directly from the original three track tapes and there is some fantastic studio back-chat featured.

    The gorgeous booklet has a brand new comprehensive sleeve note that features interviews with all three Ikettes and also many previously unseen pix, including the front cover shot of the correct line up.

    This glorious package is a complete overview of the Ikettes Modern recordings and replaces and updates our previous collection, now long out of print.

    Album Description

    20 years after the original Kent LP and it's time for an update! Highlights include two previously unissued songs and several previously unissued takes and an alternative take of 'Never More Will I Be Lonely For You'.Mostly remastered directly from the original three track tapes and there is some fantastic studio back-chat featured. KENT 2007

    Latin Music:

    1. Sonidero Non Stop 2000
    2. Temas Para Adoloridos, Vol. 1
    3. Ten Years of Tejano Music
    4. Tierra Sin Tiempo
    5. To Mixeao Bachateao
    6. Trios: 30 Grandes Exitos
    7. Tropi Ondas Sonideras, Vol. 2: 20 Exitos
    8. Un Dia Sin Ti
    9. Ven a Bailar
    10. Ven Ven Ven

    Latin Music

    latin music

    Latin Music

    Beautiful Morning [CD-single] [Import]

    Elgar: Symphony 2; Sospiri

    Concerto En Si Bemol

    Music: Ave Virgo gloriosa

    Gypsy (1962 Film Soundtrack) [Extra tracks] [Original recording remastered] [Soundtrack]

    Greatest Hits [Explicit Lyrics]

    Delicate Sound of Thunder [Live]

    Kspace Recordings Compilation (V1)

    Determinacao [Import]

    Elena Kuschnerova

    For Real [CD-single]

    Fuloresta Do Samba [Import]

    Frat Brothers Get Loose

    The Master's Voice: Noel Coward, His HMV Recordings 1928 to 1953

    Beautiful Freak