You Are My Flower

You Are My Flower

Track Listings

1. This Little Light of Mine

2. You Are My Flower

3. John the Rabbit

4. 1 Day, 2 Days, 3 Days Old

5. Freight Train

6. Shoo-fly

7. Little Sack of Sugar

8. Rock and Roll

9. Jingle Bells

10. Lovers Lane

11. Sylvie

12. Pony Boy

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Elizabeth Mitchell goes with what she knows on You Are My Flower. Here a selection of sturdy, old-fashioned songs are delivered with a clear, clipped voice accompanied by a single guitar. The result is an album most parents would make for their own kids if they possessed Mitchell's talent. Mitchell delivers unsullied renditions of songs from the oeuvres of Woody Guthrie, Elizabeth Cotten, and the Carter Family, and tosses in a version of "Jingle Bells" that would be welcome in June. Pop the CD in and a lovely, simple, peaceful vibe swells inside. --Tammy La Gorce

Tracks:

This Little Light of Mine
You Are My Flower
John the Rabbit
1 Day, 2 Days, 3 Days Old
Freight Train
Shoo-fly
Little Sack of Sugar
Rock and Roll
Jingle Bells
Lovers Lane
Sylvie
Pony Boy

Amazon.com

Elizabeth Mitchell goes with what she knows on You Are My Flower. Here a selection of sturdy, old-fashioned songs are delivered with a clear, clipped voice accompanied by a single guitar. The result is an album most parents would make for their own kids if they possessed Mitchell's talent. Mitchell delivers unsullied renditions of songs from the oeuvres of Woody Guthrie, Elizabeth Cotten, and the Carter Family, and tosses in a version of "Jingle Bells" that would be welcome in June. Pop the CD in and a lovely, simple, peaceful vibe swells inside. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

Not as good as Elizabeth's You Are My Sunshine cd.......2007-05-12

All the songs are really great, but it's not as entertaining as the Your Are My Sunshine cd. Elizabeth Mitchell has a great voice and makes it easy and fun to listen to kids' music.

Even nanas love it!.......2007-05-12

My 2 year old grand daughter loves Elizabeth Mitchell. Every time we talk on the phone we sing "Freight Train" and "Shoo Fly". Elizabeth Mitchell is intentional in her love and respect of kids. Her music is simple and sweet. It is totally void of merchandising and her appeal crosses generations. I ordered "You Are My Flower" for myself!

Not my favorite.......2007-04-07

I have all of Elizabeth Mitchell's CD's and this one is my least favorite. There are a couple of cute songs on there, but we hardly ever listen to it, b/c my son absolutely loves her other CD's better (Little Bird & You are my Sunshine). If you're deciding which one to get, I'd go with the two above that I mentioned!

Great cd kids and adults love it! .......2007-01-18

I just heard about EM and I love it so do my kids. It is very pleasant to listen to she has a beautiful voice. There is one bad son - it sounds just like somebody forgot to stop recording while her kids were playing but other than that 1 I love it.

I hate Amazon though becuase I put things in my shoppin bag in early Decmber and each week they went UP in price as it got closer to Christmas. THe shipping took a while and everything seemed to come in separate boxes. I have had better luck with Ebay or other retailers through Amazon.

Great Music.......2007-01-12

Elizabeth Mitchell is kids music that adults can listen to over and over again without losing their minds. My daughter is a year old and we have been listening to Elizabeth Mitchell since she was born and we are not tired of it yet. We have all her cds and our favorite is her latest release, You Are My Little Bird.

Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)

Average customer rating:

Fabulous for any Broadway-lover
Top Shelf
TERRIFIC CD'S
Great Collection of Broadways greatest Songs
Great Compilation!

Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Best of Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)
Broadway: The American Musical
Broadway: The American Musical
Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)
Somewhere over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals

ASIN: B00064ADMK
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Tracks:

Give My Regards To Broadway- Joel Grey
Swanee- Al Jolson
When The Moon Shines On The Moonshine- Bert Williams
A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody- John Steel
My Man- Fanny Brice
Fascinating Rhythm- Fred Astaire, Adele Astaire
If You Knew Susie (Like I Know Susie)- 78rpm Version Eddie Cantor
Someone To Watch Over Me- Gertrude Lawrence
Bill- 78 rpm Version Helen Morgan
Ol' Man River- Paul Robeson
Ain't Misbehavin'- Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra
Ten Cents A Dance- Ruth Etting
Body And Soul- Libby Holman
Brother, Can You Spare A Dime- Bing Crosby
Night And Day- Fred Astaire
Heat Wave- Ethel Waters
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes- Tamara
You're The Top- Ethel Merman
Summertime- Anne Brown
September Song- Walter Huston
My Heart Belongs To Daddy- Mary Martin
It Never Entered My Mind- Shirley Ross
Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered- Vivienne Segal
Oh, How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning- Irving Berlin
Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'- Alfred Drake

Tracks:

New York, New York- Cris Alexander,Adolph Green,John Reardon
If I Loved You- John Raitt,Jan Clayton
Come Rain Or Come Shine- Ruby Hill,Harold Nicholas
There's No Business Like Show Business- Ensemble
How Are Things In Glocca Morra? From "Finian's Rainbow"- Ella Logan
Once In Love With Amy- Ray Bolger
Wunderbar- Alfred Drake,Patricia Morison
Some Enchanted Evening- Ezio Pinza
Lost In The Stars- Todd Duncan
Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend- Carol Channing
Luck Be A Lady- Robert Alda,Guys
Getting To Know You- Gertrude Lawrence
Who Cares?- Jack Carson,Betty Oakes
Stranger In Paradise- from " Kismet" Doretta Morrow,Richard Kiley
Ballad Of Mack The Knife- Gerald Price
Hey There- from "The Pajama Game" John Raitt
Whatever Lola Wants- Gwen Verdon
I Could Have Danced All Night- Julie Andrews
Standing On The Corner- from "The Most Happy Fella, 1956" Shorty Long,John Henson,Alan Gilbert
The Party's Over- Judy Holliday
Glitter And Be Gay- Barbara Cook
Tonight- Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence

Tracks:

Seventy-Six Trombones- Robert Preston
I Enjoy Being A Girl- from "Flower Drum Song, 1958" Pat Suzuki
Everything's Coming Up Roses- Ethel Merman
My Favorite Things- from "The Sound Of Music" Mary Martin
Put On A Happy Face- from "Bye Bye Birdie" Dick Van Dyke
Try To Remember- Jerry Orbach
Camelot- from "Camelot" Richard Burton
Love Makes The World Go 'Round- Anna Maria Alberghetti
I Believe In You- Robert Morse And Co.
The Sweetest Sounds- Diahann Carroll,Richard Kiley
Comedy Tonight- Zero Mostel
What Kind Of Fool Am I?- Anthony Newley
As Long As He Needs Me- Georgia Brown
Hello, Dolly!- Carol Channing,Cast
People- Barbra Streisand
Anyone Can Whistle- from "Anyone Can Whistle" Lee Remick
If I Were A Rich Man- Zero Mostel
Night Song- Sammy Davis, Jr.
The Impossible Dream- Richard Kiley
If My Friends Could See Me Now- Gwen Verdon
Open a New Window- from Mame Voice

Tracks:

Willkommen- from "Cabaret" Joel Grey
Let The Sunshine In- James Rado,Lynn Kellogg,Melba Moore,Cast
I'll Never Fall In Love Again- Jill O'Hara,Jerry Orbach
The Ladies Who Lunch- from "Company" Elaine Stritch
Tea For Two- Roger Rathburn,Susan Watson
I'm Still Here- Yvonne De Carlo
I Don't Know How To Love Him- Yvonne Elliman
We Go Together- Adrienne Barbeau,Barry Bostwick,Walter Bobbie,Cast
Corner Of The Sky- John Rubinstein
Send In The Clowns- Glynis Johns
Ease On Down The Road- Stephanie Mills,Tiger Haynes,Ted Ross,Hinton
One- from "A Chorus Line" Cast
All That Jazz- Chita Rivera,Ensemble
Tomorrow- Andrea Mcardle
Don't Cry For Me Argentina- Patti Lupone
Come Follow The Band
Lullaby Of Broadway- Jerry Orbach
And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going- Jennifer Holliday
The Bells Of St. Sebastian- Raul Julia

Tracks:

Memory- Betty Buckley
I Am What I Am- George Hearn
Move On- Bernadette Peters,Mandy Patinkin
Do You Hear The People Sing?- Michael Maguire,Cast
The Music Of The Night- Michael Crawford
You're Nothing Without Me- James Naughton,Gregg Edelman
The American Dream- Jonathan Pryce,Cast
Doctor Jazz- Gregory Hines,Company
With One Look- Glenn Close
On Broadway- Adrian Bailey,Frederick B. Owens,Ken Ard,Victor Trent Cook
Le Jazz Hot- Julie Andrews,Ensemble
Seasons Of Love-
Hakuna Matata- Max Casella,Tom Alan Robbins,Scott Irby-Ranniar,Jason Raize
I Wanna Be A Producer- Matthew Broderick,Ensemble
Dancing Queen- Louise Plowright,Jenny Galloway
Good Morning Baltimore- Marissa Jaret Winokur
Movin' Out- Michael Cavanaugh,Band
I Go To Rio- Hugh Jackman,Company
Defying Gravity- Kristin Chenoweth,Idina Menzel

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous for any Broadway-lover.......2007-01-30

Packs into 5 CD's a sampling of Broadway tunes from the 20's thru (almost) today, mostly from original cast recordings. Includes not just well-known hits, but also some lesser-known gems. Sound quality is first rate, booklet is informative too. Have given this as a gift to several friends with rave reviews.

Top Shelf.......2007-01-04

This is THE definitive collection of Broadway hits. I have other collections, and none of them measure up. A great deal of care was obviously taken in compiling and presenting this box set. It covers a lot of ground, starting with some long-forgotten but still very enjoyable hits from the days of yore, and finishing with present-day favorites. To the best of my knowledge, the recordings are by those who made them famous. You won't be disappointed.

TERRIFIC CD'S.......2006-03-23

THESE BROADWAY MUSICALS CD'S ARE A BROADWAY LOVERS DREAM. WITH EACH SONG, MEMORIES COME FLOODING BACK. BOTH THE FAMILIAR AND THE FORGOTTEN SONGS ARE A TRUE LISTENING PLEASURE. IF YOU LIKE BROADWAY, YOU'LL LOVE THIS SET.

Great Collection of Broadways greatest Songs .......2005-06-14

This Collection was perfectly made it has almost all the most famous Broadway songs on this 5 cd set. The Music is great and has Broadways greatest treasures like "Memory""People""With One Look""Give my regards Too Broadway" just to name a few of this numerous cd set with over 100 songs. This is a great buy if you like musicals or The music of Broadway

Great Compilation!.......2005-01-17

If you are a fan of the Broadway Musicals, this is a collection that you should purchase. Since I got the 5 disc set I've enjoyed listening to it. The majority of the songs are done by the original singers. The collection is priceless considering that you will have over 100 songs from popular musicals since the beginning of Broadway

Average customer rating:

Introducing the Greatest Voice of All Time
The Greatest Tenor of the 20th Century.
Easy listening
Lanza of the joyous voice!
Not bad as an introduction to Lanza

Lanza: Greatest Hits

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Christmas with Mario Lanza
Mario Lanza Sings Songs From The Student Prince & The Desert Song / Romberg
Sixteen Most Requested
Mario Lanza: At His Best!
You'll Never Walk Alone

ASIN: B000003FVZ
Release Date: 1995-04-11

Tracks:

The Toast Of New Orleans: Be My Love
Because
Very Warm For May: All The Things You Are
The Student Prince: Serenade
Rigoletto - La Donna e Mobile
Pagliacci: Vesti La Guibba
O Sole Mio
The Student Prince: Beloved
South Pacific: Younger Than Springtime
The Great Caruso: The Loveliest Night Of The Year
Carousel: If I Loved You
Carmen: Flower Song
The Student Prince: Golden Days
Spring Is Here: With A Song In My Heart
The Land Of Smiles: Yours Is My Heart Alone
Because You're Mine
Cavalleria Rusticana: Adido Alla Madre
Aida: Celeste Aida
The Lord's Prayer
Granada

Customer Reviews:

Introducing the Greatest Voice of All Time.......2007-03-13

A new generation of music lovers deserves to know, understand and appreciate the greatness of Mario Lanza. Five decades after his passing, millions of lovers of "grand voices" still are held in awe by the power, passion and beauty of his voice.

This selection of recordings has a number of fine selections that give a small "flavor" of his fantastic talent and skills. It is a good beginning for someone who wants to know "The American Caruso."

The Greatest Tenor of the 20th Century........2007-01-21

In a professional career that lasted just a bit over ten years Mario Lanza created more memorable recordings, broadcasts, concert perfomances and feature films than any other major vocalist in the classical and pop-jazz music genre. He was a man blessed with arguably the finest tenor voice in recorded music. Fans of Caruso, Pavarotti, Jan Peerce, Placido Domingo or Careras may argue that their tenor interpreted a particular aria better than anyone else but few if any can argue against the sheer beauty, power and emotion of Mario Lanza. He achieved worldwide success too fast and his penchant for the good life: wine, women and good food got the best of him in the end. It is so sad, when one contemplates Lanza's short but brilliant career and what might have been, that he was gone at age 38, an age when some tenors are just beginning to hit their stride. This album is a fine overview of some of his most memorable heavy classics as well as lighter operetta standards and showcases his voice so well. Nearly fifty years have transpired since his untimely death in 1959 and there is yet to appear on the scene a tenor with the power, charisma or sheer beauty of Lanza's voice. I highly recommend this album to the Lanza novice or those just starting their Opera CD collections.

Easy listening.......2006-02-27

I have always liked Mario Lanza and the album is wonderful and relaxing.

Lanza of the joyous voice!.......2005-07-14

This album has some really splendid songs, and yes, it's a good introduction to the King of the high last notes. I grew up with one of Lanza's albums and more or less learned to sing by singing along with his wonderful warm voice. What good energy he had... and too bad he died so young (sigh). It certainly lifts my spirits to listen to his music again and I hope anyone reading this will take a chance and get to know him too.

Not bad as an introduction to Lanza.......2001-11-13

I recommend this collection as a good starting point for those interested in this extraordinary tenor. It's not a complete representation of the man by any stretch of the imagination, but it includes a handful of unforgettable recordings that will make newcomers to Lanza sit up in astonishment.

Highlights include the immortal Serenade & Golden Days from The Student Prince, Beloved (from the film version of the Student Prince, and arguably Lanza's best English-language love song), Because You're Mine, If I Loved You, and the stirring Addio Alla Madre from Cavalleria Rusticana. If love songs seem a little over-represented at the expense of arias and (notably) Italian & Neapolitan Songs, then blame BMG for their habitual neglect of Lanza's more serious side. In any event, this is essentially a one-CD version of the three-CD set, The Mario Lanza Collection. All of the renditions are the same as on the earlier CD, as are the sound sources. With the exception of The Student Prince Serenade, most of the selections here have never sounded better.

Be aware, however, that several of the arias are in fact retakes of more familiar versions. Vesti La Giubba, for instance, is an alternate take from Lanza's May 1950 session, and although the tenor is in great voice, the orchestra lets him down on the climactic phrase by moving on before he has finished his High A on the word "infranto". The Flower Song is even more unrestrained than the familiar take - great fun, but not the kind of recording you'd want newcomers to Lanza to hear! (Lanza never quite "nailed" this aria, but his heart was in the right place.) La Donna E Mobile is the familiar 1950 version in the first half, but is replaced by an inferior retake in the second half, followed by an edited-in High B ending (on "pensier") from the original recording!

The only truly bad recording is the inexplicably popular With A Song In My Heart. Lanza is unfocused, and strains his way throughout the piece. Yours Is My Heart Alone is somewhat better, but is easily surpassed by the tenor's 1956 recording with the conductor Henri Rene (and currently unavailable on CD).

Tracks:

Be My Love
I'll Never Love You
Because You're Mine
The Song Angels Sing
Drink, Drink, Drink
Serenade
The Loveliest Night of the Year
La Donna E Mobile
Because
For You Alone
Golden Days
Deep In My Heart, Dear
If I Loved You
Yours Is My Heart Alone
One Night Of Love
Beloved
Beautiful Love
With A Song In My Heart
You Are My Love
Call Me Fool

Tracks:

All The Things You Are
My Song,My Love
Love Is The Sweetest Thing
Will You Remember
Granada
Lolita
Serenade
Temptation
Lygia
Lady of Spain
This Land
Lee-Ah-Loo
Tina-Lina
Boom Biddy Boom Boom
The Bayou Lullaby
The Lord's Prayer
And Here You Are
Song of Songs
Somewhere A Voice Is Calling
I Never Knew

Tracks:

Ciribiribin
Wonder Why
Come Dance With Me
O Sole Mio
Younger Than Springtime
For the First Time (Come Prima)
Never Till Now
Arrivederci, Roma
If You Were Mine
Behold!
A Night to Remember
Love in a Home
Do You Wonder
Softly as in a Morning Sunrise
One Alone
Aida:Celeste Aida
Carmen: Flower Song
La Traviata: Brindisi
Rigoletto:Questa O Quella
Pagliacci:Vesti La Giubba
Cavalleria Rusticana: Addio Alla Madre

Customer Reviews:

Selections from the Greatest Voice of the Last Hundred Years.......2007-03-13

Mario Lanza was, arguably, the greatest tenor and greatest singer of this and the last century. It is difficult to appreciate him without listening to a variety of selections. This collection has some of his best recordings and exhibits the versatility and variety that he possessed that permitted him to "crossover" from opera to popular music with a ease.

I recommend this for those who already know Lanza to some extent but want to go into more depth and understand his marvelous skills.

A Must Have .......2006-12-12

I had forgotten what a beautiful voice Mario Lanza had. This collection contains opera and pop selections that exhibit the power yet sweetness of his voice. Fortunately, we have his CD's and videos so we can remember and listen to his gorgeous, vibrant voice and personality. I highly recommend this collection along with his wonderful movies, especially The Great Caruso.

The Mario Lanza Collection.......2006-11-10

I had forgotten just how beautiful a voice from the past was. It is a wonderful collection

The MARIO LANZA Collection.......2006-08-19

extract from most important LPs. Brilliant sound quality from RCA. Also included are soundtrack recordings from some of his movies. The are several reissues from Mario Lanza but this one is a collection you should have.

WONDERFUL!!!!!.......2005-10-19

The Mario Lanza Collection is a three CD set and it has 61 songs and they all sound great. The mastering on this set is excellent and the song choice is very very good. It would have been perfect if they added a forth CD with more Arias, Italian songs and Sacred Arias. BUT still this set is a great introduction to Lanza. Lanza's voice was powerful and beautiful; if you are a fan of great singing, you will love Lanza. Highlights on this CD set are; Be my Love, Because your Mine, Serenade, With a Song in My Heart, Temptation, The Lord's Prayer, Ciribirbin, O Solo Mio, Ariverducci Roma, and on and on. They are many many great songs on this set, and I highly recommend it.

Rodgers & Hammerstein: Songbook for Orchestra (Orchestral Suites)

Average customer rating:

Irresistible
"Some Enchanted Evening" with Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops
Excellent!
Great Arrangments

Rodgers & Hammerstein: Songbook for Orchestra (Orchestral Suites)

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Classics of the Silver Screen

ASIN: B000003CXQ
Release Date: 1992-01-28

Tracks:

Oklahoma!
Carousel
State Fair
South Pacific
The King And I
Cinderella Waltz
Flower Drum Song
The Sound Of Music

Customer Reviews:

Irresistible.......2005-07-29

From beginning to end this CD is pure delight. A great recording has great music, a great performance, and great sound; this one scores on all three counts.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals dominated Broadway in the 1940s and 1950s, and American musical theater has produced no more consistently eloquent and durable voice than Richard Rodgers. From his fertile genius flowed a surprising number of memorable songs, many of which have passed into and become an accepted and beloved part of modern American culture.

This well-filled CD (77:36) features symphonic arrangements (all but two by Robert Russell Bennett) of the music from Oklahoma (1943), Carousel (1945), State Fair (1945), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), Flower Drum Song (1958), and The Sound of Music (1959). All the great tunes are here in suites from each musical that average 10-12 minutes in length. The arrangements are expert: rich, varied, and colorful. The performances are polished, idiomatic, and irresistible; Kunzel and this orchestra are thorough masters of this kind of material. And Telarc's sound (recorded 1991) is state-of-the-art (engineer Michael Bishop deserves to take a bow).

In short, there's nothing here to cloud your listening pleasure (the only quibble I can imagine is that some of your favorites may not last long enough), so it's hard for me to envision anyone with ears and a taste for music who wouldn't enjoy this CD. Warmly recommended. Finally, if you like this one as much as I do, you might want to know that the same team has produced a companion volume, the Lerner & Lowe Songbook for Orchestra.

"Some Enchanted Evening" with Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops.......2003-12-26

Erich Kunzel's Rodgers and Hammerstein anthology with the Cincinatti Pops Orchestra is one of the best and most ravishing instrumental Rodgers and Hammerstein albums of all time. With sumptuous arrangements and warm, natural Telarc recording, this glorious 77-minute CD presents sweeping, melodic arrangements of over 60 Rodgers and Hammerstein selections, spanning eight scores, and Kunzel allows the Pops to play with a characterful and polished understanding of the Rodgers and Hammerstein idiom. The disc is enough to cheer you up on a dull day and make you smile, and it might even want to make you feel like a convert to Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals.

This CD has all the scores arranged chronologically. The OKLAHOMA! suite that opens this disc promises a feast for the senses, Kunzel ably evokes the territory's "bright, golden haze" in the way he conducts the various excerpts, until you feel the atmosphere of the country charm of the show, and the love-affair between Curly and Laurey. Then, in CAROUSEL, he ably evokes the pathos of this tragic R&H masterwork, especially in the truncated Waltz, but he leads a wonderfully melodic "June is Bustin' Out All Over" and a devotional "You'll Never Walk Alone." Although this suite does not include Billy's pivotal Soliloquy, it includes "If I Loved You" as an expression of his love for Julie, and within minutes you could be soaked in the ups and downs of the show's mood.

After a brief STATE FAIR suite, with sweeping renditions of "It Might As Well Be Spring" and "It's a Grand Night for Singing", we are brought into the disc's showstopping highlights. These highlights are the excerpts from SOUTH PACIFIC, THE KING AND I, and THE SOUND OF MUSIC. But yet Kunzel conducts the rest of the disc until the various suites amount to a series of showstoppers. These three suites present wonderfully-arranged versions of their many familiar classic songs, with well-played solos. The SOUTH PACIFIC suite presents the songs in chronological order, yet preserves the atmosphere of the show at the same time. Kunzel ably brings out the romance in "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Younger than Springtime," and contrasts it with the exotic and dreamlike "Bali Hai'i" and the comic "There is Nothing like a Dame" and "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair". Although the suite ends quietly with a reprise of "Dites-Moi" rather than the reprise of "Some Enchanted Evening," within minutes we are swept into the KING AND I suite. Kunzel ably brings out the Oriental pathos in this score, and he captures the warmth of Anna's rapport with the King's Siamese children in "Getting to Know You", and with the King himself in "Shall We Dance." There is also romance in the love ballads "I Have Dreamed" and "We Kiss in a Shadow." Similarly, in the selection from THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Kunzel conducts this until the orchestra soaks itself in the atmosphere of this Austrian R&H score. This SOUND OF MUSIC suite has more of a feel of the score compared to the bonus track on Sony's reissued version of the Broadway recording. You can almost feel as if you are following the progress of the Trapp family and how it lifts its spirits with the joy of music. Kunzel gives us a soaring version of the title song, and spirited versions of "Do-Re-Mi" and "My Favourite Things." He balances it with the open-air quality of "Edelweiss" and "The Lonely Goatherd." Although this suite could have included "Something Good," the love ballad written for the film, the three recollections of the songs that were cut from the movie only last for a while. And, the towering version of "Climb Every Mountain" crowns this portion of the disc, and this sumptuously-produced recording. But, I should also mention the infectuous FLOWER DRUM SONG medley, where Kunzel turns this underrated score into a work of art, until it convinces you to buy the cast recording. And, don't forget about the brief CINDERELLA WALTZ, too, when Kunzel conducts it magically, until you feel like you are in the company of Cinderella and the Prince. He is able to show how this R&H score marked a comeback for R&H after the failiures of Me and Juliet, and Pipe Dream.

Overall, this glorious Rodgers and Hammerstein recording is guarunteed to make you want to pucker your lips out for a whistle or sing along (to paraphrase another revew for Kunzel's Disney Spectacular disc) - even if this recording is music only, and as long as you know the words to the songs (and you might know a large handful of them already.) There is always a certain magic in this fine CD that makes you feel like you're sitting in the theatre watching these musicals, until it makes you feel like it is truly, to borrow two R&H song titles, "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Something Wonderful" to be in Kunzel's company for this R&H offering. It would certainly be one recording that could make you feel willing to buy the complete cast recordings of the shows. And I guaruntee that it will make you feel willing to pull out your existing copies of the cast recordings to listen to them again. I also guaruntee that it will be a cornerstone in any Rodgers and Hammerstein collection, just as it is in mine. Recommended heartily to any Rodgers and Hammerstein enthusiast and to fans of Erich Kunzel's work. And, you can play it while reading the Richard Rodgers biography, Musical Stages, until Rodgers himself would count this as his favourite disc in the afterlife.

By the way, most of the arrangements for the suites on this CD were done by the veteran R&H orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett, and it surely adds to the appeal of this recording. This itself is enough to amount to the icing on the cake, since Kunzel conducts them well on here, and since this recording still allows the suites to have the original theatrical atmosphere. And, although this recording is like the Mauceri collection of the Rodgers & Hammerstein overtures in compiling orchestral suites of Rodgers & Hammerstein, I think that I like the Kunzel recording even more because Kunzel has more magic in his conducting of these suites.

Excellent!.......2003-04-08

This is one of the best Erich Kunzel/Cincinnati Pops collections we own! A must for Rodgers and Hammerstein fans, too.

Great Arrangments.......2001-09-02

This is a first rate album with great arrangments and orchestrations. If you're a Rodgers and Hammerstein fan, you can't afford to miss this specatacular album

Average customer rating:

What's happened to Debbie?
A Taste of Broadway
OUCH!
(Deborah Gibson ) AT HER BEST!!!!
Deborah delivers deliciously

Colored Lights: The Broadway Album
Debbie Gibson , Jule Styne , Charles Strouse , Michael John LaChiusa , Peter Allen , Claude-Michel Schoenberg , John Harold Kander , George Gershwin , Richard Rodgers , William Finn , Ron Abel , John Krovoza , Ruth Bruegger , and Steve Orich
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Naked
M.Y.O.B
Deborah
Dust Off and Dance
What You Want

ASIN: B0000DJYNR
Release Date: 2003-11-04

Tracks:

Let Me Entertain You (Gypsy)
Blame It On The Summer Night (Rags)
Raise The Roof! (The Wild Party)
I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love (The Boy From Oz)
On My Own (Les Miserables)
Colored Lights (The Rink)
I'm The Greatest Star (Funny Girl)
Who Are You Now? (Funny Girl)
They All Laughed (Shall We Dance?)
Sex (Skirts)
Maybe This Time (Cabaret)
I Enjoy Being A Girl (Flower Drum Song)
Anytime (I Am There) (Elegies: A Song Cycle)

Customer Reviews:

What's happened to Debbie?.......2005-04-15

I am not a staunch Gibson fan like most of the drooling 5-star reviews here. But I loved her in the 80's and think her to be a talented singer-songwriter who puts modern pop moppets to shame. I thought it was awesome when she broke into Broadway and made a steady career of it.
Then I heard 'Colored Lights'.
I ask, Debbie!(sorry, DEBORAH), what has happened to you??
Like others here, I applaud her choice to include lesser-known songs. But in doing so, it really behoves her to SELL them as great songs, not rework them for her own interpretation. I felt like I was listening not to the pure-toned, crystal voice of our favourite teen idol, but someone doing a bad impersonation of her. There is hardly a single line she sings which isn't punctured by bad ennunciation, poor phrasing or a lack of respect for the intent of the composers.
There were no gravelly growls(meant to sound sexy, no doubt, but too overdone to succeed), breathy sighs, uneven tone, lacklustre dynamics, excessive scooping, wavery pitch and lack of top range in the Debbie Gibson I remember. But her voice on this album is such a mere shadow of its youthful self that she resorts to these irritating vocal bandaids to get through the song. Any track that had a 'big finish' invariably caused her to run out of steam long before she got there. A belter, Deb is not.
(and I know what I'm talking about, I'm a trained singer myself. If Deborah has a singing teacher, he/she should be shot).

This album was a huge disappointment for me. I love Broadway, but Deb fails terribly to give these songs the great renditions they deserve.
I should add, I have never had the fortune to see Deb sing live, so for all I know, maybe she COULD have done these songs justice had she avoided the pop slant. But this album shows neither the songs nor any talent she still has to advantage at all.

Listen to some Idina Menzel if you want a pop-feel voice that can also out-Belt them all.

A Taste of Broadway.......2004-10-13

I've been a fan of her since God only knows. I know she's not just talented but she is very passionate of (her) music. Knowing that she moved herself into broadways, it's rather of a challenge for me to listen to the songs especially when I'm too familiar with her pop genre. But after a while, I'm used to it coz Debbie is still Debbie to me. She's not afraid of re-arranging the original song to her style, at least she knows what she's doing and again she's proven it. My most favourite track is "Colored Lights", it's light, cheerful, somewhat witty and, in a way, brings up my imagination of seeing her (and the casts) on stage performing the song. All in all, Debbie still has a class and style for us to share.

OUCH!.......2004-08-23

Deborah Gibson is a talented rock star. With a good musical director, she has proved herself to be a wonderful musical theatre performer. This album, however, is a very uneasy marriage of the two genres. She sings every showtune on the album as if it's a pop tune with horrendous bubble gum arrangements. I have seen Miss Gibson in two musicals and have heard her sing showtunes live on other occasions- she knows how to sing showtunes. On this album, however, she's trying to pander to her pop audience and in the process, she created an album that fails as a pop album and as a showtune album. I can only hope that Miss Gibson finds a better musical director the next time she decides to record showtunes.

(Deborah Gibson ) AT HER BEST!!!!.......2004-04-23

Deborah really sing's her heart out on this cd
and it is a must for all of Deborah's Fan's.
Please take the time out and listen to some clip's
of some of the song's from the album. Thank's.

Love You Deborah!!!!
You are the Best!!!!

Deborah delivers deliciously.......2004-02-13

After more than 15 years in the business, Deborah Gibson has learned many lessons and fulfilled many dreams. After 2001's horrifyingly misguided "M.Y.O.B.," she returns to the adult contemporary sound that landed her two number one hits on the Billboard charts, and turns that up a couple of notches. By selecting 13 showtunes from varying Broadway musicals, Gibson satisfies immensely, and delivers a unique compilation worthy of at least one full listen.

"Colored Lights" is not meant to be a showcase of hit tunes; many of the songs on this opus aren't radio hits. Instead, Gibson puts together a delicious smorgasbord of rhythmic melodies and heartfelt ballads that complement her voice (that, strangely enough, hasn't seemed to change that much after more than a decade in the industry).

What is also important to consider in one's evaluation of "Colored Lights" is that, while comparison with the original works/performers is inevitable, we should also take the time to consider that Gibson's pop sensibilities will always shine through. Perhaps it is for that reason, that Gibson has had the best of both pop stardom and Broadway success, that she gives new dimension to these melodies.

The standouts on this collection include "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love," which radio would do well to pick up, as the soothing melody and heartfelt delivery will find AC audiences easily; "On My Own," off "Les Miserables," where Gibson as Eponine sounds both heartbroken yet hopeful; the playful title track, from "The Rink," which features some of the most whimsical lyrics I've heard off Broadway thus far; "Raise the Roof," which is truly enjoyable in its pseudo-Latino reincarnation in Gibson's hands (yes, it does beg for a house remix; Gibson's gay audience will see to its success), and "Anytime (I Am There)," which is heartbreaking in its stark delivery, and is easily one of my top five Gibson tracks of all time.

Admittedly, Gibson can't overcome comparisons to the definitive versions of some of the songs. Let's face it: Debbie ain't no Barbra. Her versions of "I'm the Greatest Star" and "Who Are You Now?," while stellar on their own, just fall flat when compare to Streisand's. "Let Me Entertain You," off "Gypsy," ironically, isn't very entertaining, and "Blame It On The Summer Night" drags on.

All in all, "Colored Lights" puts together a collection of songs that are quite distinct and classy, and is easily one of the more worthy albums in Ms. Gibson's discography. She would do well to continue producing albums along this line instead of trying to fight the Britney's and Christina's, because those fads fade, and only the classics remain. Trust in "Colored Lights" to earn a well-deserved place in that section of your record collection.

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Great Hits from Sigmund Romberg

Great Hits from Sigmund Romberg

Manufacturer: Pearl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Romberg, Sigmund | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Music of Sigmund Romberg

Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life: The Songs of Victor Herbert

A Victor Herbert Showcase: The Greatest Hits of the Father of American Popular Song

Deep in My Heart

The Desert Song / The New Moon

ASIN: B000000X26
Release Date: 1992-06-12

Tracks:

The Desert Song: It
Maytime: Waltz Medley
Girl Of The Golden West: Who Are We To Say?
The New Moon: Introduction - Stout Hearted Men - Lover Come Back To Me - Girl On The Prow - Try Her Out At Dances - Wanting You - Softly As In A Morning Sunrise - One Kiss - Finale
Nina Rosa: The Gaucho March
The Desert Song: Waltz
Viennese Nights: Introduction - I Bring You A Love Song - Here We Are - You Will Remember Vienna - Regimental March
Blossom Time: Song Of Love
My Maryland: Introduction - Dixie - Boys In Grey - Mother - Silver Moon - Your Land Is My Land
Bimbo: In Old Granada
The Desert Song: Introduction - Riff Song - One Flower In Your Garden - Waltz - The Foreign Legion - Romance - One Alone
Maytime: Farewell To Dreams
Nina Rosa: Your Smiles, Your Tears
The New Moon: Marienne
The New Moon: Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
Nina Rosa: My First Love, My Last Love
Viennese Nights: I Bring A Love Song
The Night Is Young: When I Grow Too Old To Dream
The Student Prince: Intorduction - Arrival Of The Prince - Serenade - Deep In My Heart, Dear - Drinking Song - Just We Two - Students' March Song

Customer Reviews:

Great Hits from Sigmund Romberg.......2007-01-04

Excellent audio product, especially considering its age and the state of technology.

Christmas Hymns & Carols: You Do Something to Me

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A Perfect Introduction to Mario Lanza

Christmas Hymns & Carols: You Do Something to Me

Manufacturer: Collectables
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Christmas with Mario Lanza
You'll Never Walk Alone
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Lanza: Greatest Hits
Mario Lanza ~ Opera Arias & Duets, from Andréa Chenier · La Bohème · I Pagliacci · Madama Butterfly · Otello

ASIN: B0002DRDGO
Release Date: 2004-07-27

Tracks:

You Do Something to Me [From Because You're Mine] - Mario Lanza
Sylvia - Mario Lanza
Some Day [From the Vagabond King] - Mario Lanza
Beloved - Mario Lanza
Song of India - Mario Lanza
Lolita - Mario Lanza
You Are My Love - Mario Lanza
Lygia [From Quo Vadie] - Mario Lanza
Flower Song [From Carmen] - Mario Lanza
Che Gelida Manina (Your Tiny Hand Is Frozen) [From the Great Caruso] - Mario Lanza
O Tu Che in Seno Agli Angeli (Thou Heavenly One) [From LA Forza ...] - Mario Lanza
Joy to the World - Jeff Alexander Choir, Mario Lanza, Henri Ren His Orchestra
O Christmas Tree - Jeff Alexander Choir, Mario Lanza, Henri Ren
Lord's Prayer - Jeff Alexander Choir, Mario Lanza
First Noel - Jeff Alexander Choir, Mario Lanza
O Come All Ye Faithful - Jeff Alexander Choir, Mario Lanza
Away in a Manger (Luther's Cradle Hymn) - Jeff Alexander Choir, Mario Lanza
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Jeff Alexander Choir, Mario Lanza, Henri Ren His Orchestra
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Jeff Alexander Choir, Mario Lanza, Henri Ren His Orchestra
O Little Town of Bethlehem - Jeff Alexander Choir, Mario Lanza
We Three Kings of Orient Are - Jeff Alexander Choir, Mario Lanza
Silent Night - Jeff Alexander Choir, Mario Lanza
Guardian Angels - Jeff Alexander Choir, Mario Lanza
I Saw Three Ships - Jeff Alexander Choir, Mario Lanza, Henri Ren His Orchestra
O Holy Night - Mario Lanza, RCA Victor Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

A Perfect Introduction to Mario Lanza.......2004-11-28

What a pleasure to find two excellent Lanza LPs on one CD. The compilation album You Do Something To Me, first released in 1958, was arguably the best sampling of Lanza's versatility that RCA ever put together. Whether by accident or design, the album offered stunning examples of Lanza's prowess in different genres: popular ballads, operetta, opera, and Italian song. While one might quibble at the absence of Neapolitan songs, it should be noted that at the time of this album's release, Lanza had not yet recorded his finest collection of that genre - the album Mario! (now available on the CD Mario! Lanza At His Best).

The standout tracks from You Do Something To Me are the title song; the thrilling (and rarely heard) Some Day from a 1951 radio show; the song Beloved from the film version of The Student Prince; and a sublime rendition of Che Gelida Manina from La Boheme. There are also impressive renditions of the aria O Tu Che in Seno agli Angeli from The Force of Destiny; the lovely Sylvia; Song of India; and the exciting Lolita. Unlike many of RCA's other Lanza compilations, there is nothing downright bad on the album, though Lygia and the over-exuberant Flower Song should have been remade.

The other album featured here is Lanza's first (and best) album of Christmas songs and carols, originally released in 1956. (Note: the same renditions also feature on the BMG CDs Christmas With Mario Lanza and Christmas Hymns and Carols.) Recorded between 1950 and 1956, most of the numbers showcase the tenor in fine vocal fettle. Ignore the moments of sharpness on O Holy Night, The Lord's Prayer, and Joy to the World, and instead revel in the beauty and commitment that Lanza brings to his singing here.

All in all, a splendid introduction to a vocal phenomenon.

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English is an asset and a drawback
You Will Love Opera After Hearing Carmen In English
A wholly credible "Carmen" -- finally!
I love Carmen!

Carmen (Sung in English)
Bizet , Bardon , Gavin , Plazas , Magee , and Parry
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00007JGRN
Release Date: 2003-03-11

Tracks:

Prelude
In The Plaza
Just Look At That Delicious Morsel
Here Come Our New Soldier Boys
Jose! There Was A Girl Here Looking For You Just Now
Off With You Old Soldier Boys
Corporal! Sir!
We Have Heard The Bell Summon Us To Meet Here
Ah, Just Look!
But Why Hasn't She Come, Our Carmencita?
Love's A Bird Wild As Any Rebel
Carmen! We Will Follow You High And Low!
The Cheek Of It!
Give Me News Of My Mother!
Your Dear Mother And I Were Leaving Church This Morning
I See My Mother's Face!
Wait A Moment - I'm Going To Read The Letter
Come And Help
So, Corporal: Tell Me What Happened
Well, Carmencita: What Do You Have To Say For Yourself?
Where Are You Taking Me?
There's An Old Bar In The City
Careful - It's Lieutenant!
Entr'acte
From Far Away Mysterious Sounds
Bravo, Bravo! More! Keep Dancing!
Hurrah! Hurrah! The Torero!
Who's That? It's Escamillo, The Bullfighter From Granada
Hurrah! Hurrah! The Torero!
You're Most Kind
We'll Come With You, Senor Torero
Toreador, Be Ready!
At Last! We Got Rid Of Them As Quickly As We Could
There's A Little Job That We're Starting!
Being In Love Is Not A Reason

Tracks:

To Bid You Welcome To Our Bar
La La La La La La La La...
Back To Camp!... Go At Once!
That Flow'r You Threw To Me I Treasured
No, It's Not Love At All!
Hello! Carmen!
Lieutenant Fair, It's True
The Sky Above The Open Road
Entr'acte
Keep Going, Dear Old Friend, Kep Going!
Right! Let's Stop For A While
Shuffle! Cut Them!
In Vain You Would Avoid The Bitter Things They're Saying
You're Back!
As For That Man, It Should Be Easy!
Is This The Place?
I Say That There's Nothing To Fear
It's Him! I'm Sure It's Him Over There!
Escamillo Is My Name, And I Come From Granada
She Had A Lover Here
Hola! Hola! Jose!
You Should Take Care, Carmen
Alas! Jose, Your Mother Is Ill
Entr'acte
A Few Cuartos! A Few Cuartos!
Here They Come! Here They Come!
If You Love Me, Carmen
It's You! It's Me!
Viva! Viva! What A Corrida!

Customer Reviews:

English is an asset and a drawback.......2004-07-20

The best thing about this recording of Carmen is the libretto. Conductor David Parry penned this facile and dramatic English translation. He avoids the pitfalls of literal translation to achieve an idiomatic flow that matches the rhythm of the original lyrics. I use this as a reference libretto for any of the French Carmens.

Unfortunately, the performance suffers from being sung in English. The singers declaim their parts with such proper British diction that Carmen comes across as a school marm. The spoken dialog is delivered beat for deliberate beat and is dripping with reverb. It makes the plaza, tavern and mountain pass all sound like a sewer pipe.

This is a good first Carmen for someone trying to understand the work. The libretto itself is a good investment for further listening. For an enjoyable performance with an emphasis on character and action, I recommend Regina Resnik on the London Double Decker set.

You Will Love Opera After Hearing Carmen In English.......2004-02-09

What a perfect introduction to opera. This newly released recording will surely get you hooked into opera. Carmen, a French opera by Georges Bizet, is the most recognizable and most popular in the opera world. It's famous melodies- the overture, the Habanera, The Toreador Song have all been featured in everything from cellular phone ring tones to Superbowl Commercial (last year's Superbowl with The "Opera In English" label has been making Italian operas into English for a number of years now. Also on the market are Verdi's La Traviata in English (with soprano Valerie Masterson as Violetta) Handel's Julius Caesar with Janet Baker and even Wagner's epic Ring Of The Nibeling sung in English. This is a terrific recording and I highly recommend it if you want to get into opera. Listen to this version first and then try the real, original French version Bizet had written. Patricia Bardon is sensational, sexy and dramatic as Carmen.

The real strength of this version is the dynamic drama. With the advantage of being sung in English, we get better insight on characters' emotions and motives, and we understand the drama a lot better. Carmen is all about great drama. Bizet drew the plot from the French writer Prosper Merimee's dark short story. Carmen is the ultimate femme fatale- a devil-may-care, sexy Gypsy living in Spain, seduces the conservatively raised soldier Don Jose, stealing him away from his fiancee, the passive Micaela, living a life of underground smuggling and rowdy taverns. "Habanera" and "The Gypsy Song and Dance" are very expressive of Carmen's extraordinarily liberal lifestyle. Don Jose, however, has fallen deeply in love- as he shows us in his song/aria "The Flower Song". But Carmen soon becomes tired of his constancy. Don Jose wants a committed, monogamous relationship with Carmen. But Carmen will not submit to love, since she is first and foremost a carnal creature. Eventually, she falls for the handsome Toreador Escamillo. Don Jose, consumed by jealousy, stabs Carmen at a bullfight after Carmen declares her love for Escamillo and rejects Don Jose's love. Don Jose's crazed, obscessive personality shines through in the English version as well. This tragedy has been done in English before so don't think this is the first time. Back in the 50's, there was a film, starring black actors "Carmen Jones" which was treated the same way as this opera- more like an English Broadway musical and with the dubbed singing voice of Marilyn Horne as Carmen. All in all, this recording is excellent.

A wholly credible "Carmen" -- finally!.......2003-09-17

This recording really sells "Carmen" as a drama. Although I have two other recordings of this opera and have seen it performed several times, it never quite worked for me dramatically. But thanks to the fine performances, conducting, and translation here, I've become a "Carmen" convert. Producing a good English-language performance of a foreign opera, especially a warhorse like "Carmen," is much more difficult than it might appear. You need performers who not only can sing the parts (of course) but also can sing *English* and make it halfway intelligible and make it sound like English and make it dramatically convincing to English-speakers. The singers on this recording do an excellent job all around. Don't be put off if you don't recognize their names -- they are up to the task musically and (especially) in their acting. Admittedly, as with *all* English-language recordings, some passages are very hard to understand without reading along, but most of the time the words are clear and effective. I would recommend this recording to any opera beginner or opera lover, even those who normally turn up their noses at performances in translation.

I love Carmen!.......2003-08-15

I do. I can think of no other opera with more melodic inventiveness, and few others with so sure a dramatic pulse. Carmen is popular and it thrills me to say that it is also a very good opera - not always true of popular things.

And what of this recording? Carmen sits well in English, so it is good to hear in translation, although some of the detais in the text jar. Escamillo refers to Jose as "my dear", which sounds rather peculiar, and the guide's line to Micaela: "it's not exactly inviting, is it?" sounds distinctly Middle England rather than Rural Spain. Some of the performers, not least Carmen herself, make the words work, although there are long tracts, especially with the chorus, where the language is distinctly indistinct.

The soloists are, by and large, strong. Patricia Bardon's deep, Handel-friendly voice adapts well to Carmen and she colours the music with phenomenal detail, sounding sexy and provocative from the start with an edge of pride and anger that emerges as the show goes on. She is out of her depth above the stave, though, and some extra top notes in the second act don't show her off to her best advantage. I have previously said that Julian Gavin is poorly served by recordings, though here he sounds much more even and gives a thrilling and musical performance (but his wooden spoken lines let him down). Mary Plazas is a lovely Micaela, rich-voiced and sincere (and word-perfect), but Garry Magee sounds miscast as Escamillo, lacking the ballast at the bottom of the voice to do justice to this tricky role.

The supporting cast is good (Mary Hegarty seems to do nothing but Frasquita these days!) but the really treasurable thing is the conducting. Stepping out of Italian Ottocento, David Parry turns his hand to this French Comedie with an appropriate lightness of touch. His pacing and handling of the set pieces is exemplary and the enrtractes go with a real swing.