Don't Come Easy [Import]

Don't Come Easy [Import]

Don't Come Easy [Import]

Track Listings
 
1. Forever Young
2. Wings
3. Burning Down Inside
4. Seasons
5. Standing Alone
6. Lay Your Body Down
7. Walk On Fire
8. Nothing But Love
9. Strip Me Down
10. Sail Away

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Japanese exclusive reissue of the 1991 hair metal classic.

Don't Come Easy,Tyketto,Universal,Heavy Metal
Don't Come Easy
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • what are you guys smokin'?
  • Best. Album.of.the.Genre
  • Melodic Rock Masterpiece
  • Pretty Good Stuff
  • I heard Tyketto in the mid 80's...
 Don't Come Easy
Tyketto
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000074M8
Release Date: 1995-04-11

Tracks:

  1. Forever Young
  2. Wings
  3. Burning Down Inside
  4. Seasons
  5. Standing Alone
  6. Lay Your Body Down
  7. Walk On Fire
  8. Nothing But Love
  9. Strip Me Down
  10. Sail Away

Album Description

Japanese exclusive reissue of the 1991 hair metal classic.

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars what are you guys smokin'?.......2007-05-15

this is metal? this cd makes bon jovi look like judas priest. there is no metal on this album. there is 20% rock on it. the rest is pop music. it's horrible. if you like metal or rock music don't waste your time.

5 out of 5 stars Best. Album.of.the.Genre.......2007-02-19

I have had this album for a few years, and I just listened to it on my iPod for 5 days straight at work, and I'm still not sick of it. Talk about amazing songwriting and performance - these songs groove. I totally disagree with reviewers who say Tyketto has nothing else to offer over "similar" bands. I would put them at the top of the heap.

5 out of 5 stars Melodic Rock Masterpiece.......2006-08-09

Of all the bands that were unjustly overlooked in the early 1990's, none deserved the spotlight more than Tyketto. The band's debut album Don't Come Easy was an AOR/melodic rock masterpiece, embodying everything good about that style of music, and should have vaulted the band into the same arena as bands like Damn Yankees, Bad English, Firehouse, and Giant. Instead they went largely unnoticed.

Released in 1991, Don't Come Easy grabs you from the first song and doesn't let go. This is first class AOR all the way, led by Danny Vaughn (ex-Waysted) and his amazing voice. He has such a warm and powerful voice that I would consider as one of the best in the business.

With a couple of exceptions, the songs on Don't Come Easy are extremely well written. I don't care for the Warrant-esque Lay Your Body Down or Strip Me Down, but the rest of the album is close to perfection. In fact, every song on the album's first side could have been hit singles. They would have if the band had received the attention they deserved, at any rate.

Don't Come Easy remains not only the best Tyketto album, but one of the better AOR/melodic rock albums of that era. If you enjoy the bands listed above, or old-school AOR acts like Journey and Foreigner, you're definitely going to want to add this to your collection. It's not cheap, but sometimes the best things "don't come easy."

3 out of 5 stars Pretty Good Stuff.......2006-06-30

The disc is enjoyable but forgettable in the end. The first 5 songs are standouts with Standing Alone being the best. You have to be a hardcore glam metal fan to truly enjoy.

5 out of 5 stars I heard Tyketto in the mid 80's..........2006-05-28

I had heard Tyketto in the mid to late 80's... I bought their first album that I had heard with the song "Forever Young", fell in love with the band instantly! A freind of mine took me to a concert at the Salt Palace in S.L.C, UT... Tyketto opened up for Nelson. Tyketto being an opening band just blew away the audience... The lead singer had such strong vocals and the keyboard player was absolutely amazing!!! I had bought 3 of their tapes only to have so called freinds borrow them without returning them... I have searched for years to find the album, cassette, or CD!

It still stands the test of time!
Some Things Don't Come Easy
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Awesome cd
  • It's too difficult to decide!
  • some gems here, but not a particularly great value at the current list price
 Some Things Don't Come Easy
England Dan & John Ford Coley
Manufacturer: Wounded Bird Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0009E324I
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Tracks:

  1. Some Things Don't Come Easy
  2. If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight
  3. You Can't Dance
  4. Who's Lonely Now
  5. Hold Me
  6. We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again
  7. Lovin' Somebody on a Rainy Night
  8. Beyond the Tears
  9. Calling for You Again
  10. Wanting You Desperately
  11. Just the Two of Us

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Awesome cd.......2007-01-23

This cd by the best duo of our time do it again & there harmony i& playing of there guitars is just awesome. Id go out & buy this cd right away. George

3 out of 5 stars It's too difficult to decide!.......2006-06-26

I agree with Dave, "Missing person".~When comparing my BEST OF cd with compilations such as THE VERY BEST OF, and ESSENTIALS V. 1, I find I have about 75% of the songs already. Which leads me back to reviewing the track lists for the individual 4 albums listed as Atlantic recordings. There are so many songs that I never tired of listening to because they DIDN'T get airplay. But I like more bang for my buck, so until I can find a boxed set of these 4 albums at a reasonable price,($30)(It's been done with James Taylor albums) or a special "2fer" offer, or a lower NEW price, I will just have to miss out on some really great music. I wonder if my turntable still works...

3 out of 5 stars some gems here, but not a particularly great value at the current list price.......2005-07-28

England Dan & John Ford Coley's "Some Things Don't Come Easy" album originally came out in March of 1978--it's their third in a string of 4 proper albums for Big Tree/ Atlantic Records in the latter half of the '70s, all of which have been issued on CD on the Wounded Bird label in May of 2005. There are a bunch of compilation CDs out there for England Dan & John Ford Coley--there's Rhino's "The Very Best Of England Dan & John Ford Coley", Atlantic's "The Essentials", plus another one titled "Essentials" on WEA. If you were actually to have bought each of those aforementioned discs, you'd have 6 of the 11 tracks on this album, as well as a lot of overlapping tracks. Now, I have no complaints about Wounded Bird putting out these England Dan & John Ford Coley albums on CD--to my knowledge, the "Some Things Don't Come Easy" album had never been released on CD before in its entirety; however, at the current list price of $14.98, with the total running time of the album clocking in at around 35 minutes, plus with much of the album being good-but-not-great, it's not a particularly great value.

The sentimental soft rocker "We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again", which was a top 10 US hit, is here--this song was previously done by Deardorff & Joseph and appears on their self-titled 1976 album, but ED & JFC's terrific version here is a substantial improvement. There are other great tunes as well... The Dan Seals-penned title track is an edgy and really catchy mid-tempo pop-rocker. "Who's Lonely Now" is a sumptuous melancholy acoustic ballad. "Just the Two of Us" features John Ford Coley singing lead, and it's a curious match of wistful lyrics with arresting, moody music including an atmospheric electric piano part.

As for the rest... The album is very much in the usual ED & JFC mold, and most of the remaining tracks are at least decent while failing to be truly transcendant. To put it another way, you just feel like there's something missing, a lack of passion or something. The uptempo, sax-laden pop-rocker "Calling For You Again" again features Coley singing lead, and it is a nicely catchy tune, though it's rather ho-hum. "You Can't Dance" is somewhat dorky, though it's admittedly quite catchy and has undeniable 'dumb fun' appeal. The uptempo "Lovin' Somebody on a Rainy Night" is also corny and feels kind of tossed off, though it is reasonably catchy. The mid-tempo pop-rocker "Wanting You Desperately" has a by-numbers feel to it, although it is nicely melodic. The ballad "Beyond The Tears" has a fairly memorable chorus melody, but the song is quite dull and a little weepy (Art Garfunkel subsequently did this song on his 1979 album "Fate For Breakfast"). "Hold Me" is a little syrupy, but it's an admittedly nice ballad with an emotional buildup that really gets under your skin.

The weakest song is the forgettable "If The World Ran Out of Love Tonight" which has really lame and crass lyrics, and musically, it's a rote ballad.

Ultimately, although this is a highly listenable album that rarely offends, there are just too many songs that get stuck in that 'pleasant background music' vibe.

Like I said about the "Dowdy Ferry Road" album as well, it's really unfortunate that "Some Things Don't Come Easy" didn't get paired up with one of the other albums and released as a twofer--even if that meant raising the list price a couple dollars, it'd still have made for a considerably better bargain than having it released singly for this current list price.
Andrew Lloyd Webber: Now & Forever
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • I waited for this for five years
  • Excellent collection but BIG PUBLISHING MISTAKE!
  • ONE OF LLOYD WEBBER'S BEST COMPILATIONS, DESPITE A FEW FLAWS
  • SUCH MAGICAL MUSIC OF THE NIGHT!
  • A Must Have for Sir Andrew fans
 Andrew Lloyd Webber: Now & Forever
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005R5UJ
Release Date: 2001-11-20

Tracks:

  1. Jesus Christ Superstar: Overture - Andrew Lloyd Webber
  2. Jesus Christ Superstar: Everything's Alright - Yvonne Elliman/Murray Head/Ian Gilllan
  3. Jesus Christ Superstar: I Don't Know How To Love Him - Yvonne Elliman
  4. Jesus Christ Superstar: Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say) - Steve Balsamo
  5. Jesus Christ Superstar: Superstar - Murray Head
  6. Evita: Oh What A Circus/Sing You Fools - Antonio Banderas
  7. Evita: I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You - Elaine Paige/Joss Ackland
  8. Evita: Another Suitcase In Another Hall - Barbara Dickson
  9. Evita: Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Julie Covington
  10. Evita: High Flying, Adored - Mandy Patinkin/Patti LuPone
  11. Cats: The Jellicle Ball - Andrew Lloyd Weber
  12. Cats: Memory - Elaine Paige
  13. Cats: Gus: The Theatre Cat - Susan Jane Tanner/John Mills
  14. Cats: Mr Mistoffelees - Paul Nicholas
  15. Song And Dance: Take That Look Off Your Face - Marti Webb
  16. Song And Dance: Tell Me On A Sunday - Marti Webb
  17. Song And Dance: Unexpected Song - Sarah Brightman
  18. Song And Dance: Nothing Like You've Ever Known - Sarah Brightman
  19. Song And Dance: Introduction - Andrew Lloyd Webber
  20. Song And Dance: Variations 1 -4 - Andrew Lloyd Webber

Tracks:

  1. Starlight Express: Starlight Express - El Debarge
  2. Starlight Express: Crazy - Greg Ellis/Reva Rice/Caron Cardelle/Samantha Lane/Voyd
  3. Starlight Express: Next Time You Fall In Love - Reva Rice/Greg Ellis
  4. Starlight Express: I Am The Starlight - Lon Satton/Ray Shell
  5. Starlight Express: Light At The End Of The Tunnel - The Company
  6. Requiem: Hosanna - Placido Domingo
  7. Requiem: Pie jesu - Sarah Brightman/Paul Miles-Kingston
  8. The Phantom Of The Opera: The Phantom Of The Opera - Michael Crawford/Sarah Brightman
  9. The Phantom Of The Opera: The Music Of The Night - Michael Crawford
  10. The Phantom Of The Opera: All I Ask Of You - Sarah Brightman/Steve Barton
  11. The Phantom Of The Opera: Entr'acte - Andrew Lloyd Webber
  12. The Phantom Of The Opera: Masquerade - The Company
  13. The Phantom Of The Opera: Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again - Sarah Brightman
  14. Aspects Of Love: Aspects Of Aspects - Orchester Der Vereinigten Buehnen Wien
  15. Aspects Of Love: Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
  16. Aspects Of Love: Seeing Is Believing - Michael Ball/Ann Crumb
  17. Aspects Of Love: The First Man You Remember - Kevin Colson/Diana Morrison
  18. Aspects Of Love: Anything But Lonely - Sarah Brightman
  19. Aspects Of Love: Chanson D'Enfance - Sarah Brightman

Tracks:

  1. Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Any Dream Will Do - Jason Donovan
  2. Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Joseph's Coat - Maria Friedman/Richard Attenborough/Donny Osmond
  3. Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Close Every Door - Donny Osmond
  4. By Jeeves: Travel Hopefully - John Scherer/Martin Jarvis/Don Stephenson
  5. By Jeeves: When Love Arrives - Steven Pacey/Diana Morrison
  6. By Jeeves: Half A Moment - Sarah Brightman
  7. Sunset Boulevard: With One Look - Glenn Close
  8. Sunset Boulevard: New Ways To Dream - Glenn Close/Alan Campbell
  9. Sunset Boulevard: The Perfect Year - Glenn Close/Alan Campbell
  10. Sunset Boulevard: Sunser Boulevard - Alan Campbell
  11. Sunset Boulevard: As If We Never Said Goodbye - Glenn Close
  12. Whistle Down The Wind: Whistle Down The Wind - James Graeme/Lottie Mayor
  13. Whistle Down The Wind: Cold - Everly Brothers
  14. Whistle Down The Wind: No Matter What - Children/Adult Chorus
  15. Whistle Down The Wind: The Nature Of The Beast - Marcus Lovett/Lottie Mayor
  16. The Beautiful Game: Overture - Andrew Lloyd Webber
  17. The Beautiful Game: The Beautiful Game - The Company
  18. The Beautiful Game: Our Kind Of Love - Hannah Waddingham
  19. The Beautiful Game: Dont Like You - Josie Walker/David Shannon
  20. The Beautiful Game: Let Us Love In Peace - Josie Walker/Omagh Youth Community Choir

Tracks:

  1. Oh What A Circus - David Essex
  2. Memory - Betty Buckley
  3. The Phantom Of The Opera - Sarah Brightman/Steve Harley
  4. All I Ask Of You - Sarah Brightman/Cliff Richard
  5. Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
  6. Any Dream Will Do - Donny Osmond
  7. Amigos Para Siempre (Friends For Life) - Sarah Brightman/Jose Carreras
  8. As If We Never Said Goodbye - Barbra Streisand
  9. The Perfect Year - Dina Carroll
  10. With One Look - Petula Clark
  11. You Must Love Me - Madonna
  12. The Heart Is Slow To Learn - Kiri Te Kanawa
  13. A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste - The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra
  14. Whistle Down The Wind - Tina Arena
  15. No Matter What - Boyzone
  16. The Vaults Of Heaven - Tom Jones
  17. Try Not To Be Afraid - Boy George
  18. Pie Jesu - Charlotte Church

Tracks:

  1. Make Believe Love - Wes Sands
  2. Down Thru' Summer - Ross Hannaman
  3. I'll Give All My Love To Southend - Ross Hannaman
  4. Believe Me I Will - Sacha Distel
  5. Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1969 Radio Luxembourg Commercial) - Joseph Consortium/Pete Murray
  6. Try It And See - Rita Pavone
  7. Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You - Time Rice And The Webber Group
  8. Goodbye Seattle - Paul Raven
  9. John 19:41 - The Andrew Lloyd Webber Orchestra
  10. What A Line To Go Out On - Yvonne Elliman
  11. Disillusion Me - Gary Band
  12. The Ballad Of Robert And Peter - Tim Rice
  13. Christmas Dream - Maynard Williams
  14. It's Only Your Lover Returning/All Through My Crazy And Wild Days/Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Julie Covington
  15. It's Easy For You (1977 Jungle Room Session Version) - Elvis Presley
  16. Magdalena - Tony Christie
  17. Buenos Aires - The Roja Rockers
  18. Pollicle Dogs And Jellicle Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber
  19. Mungojerrie And Rumpleteazer (Live At The Sydmonton Festival 1980) - Gemma Craven
  20. I Could Have Given You More - Petula Clark
  21. I've Been In Love Too Long - Marti Webb
  22. Benedicite - The Stephen Hill Singers

Album Description

Disc 1: Selections from Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, and Song and Dance

Disc 2: Selections from Starlight Express, Requiem, Phantom of the Opera, and Aspects of Love

Disc 3: Selections from Joseph nad the Amaziong Technicolor Dreamcoat, By Jeeves, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, and The Beautiful Game

CD 4: 1. "Oh What a Circus" --David Essex 2. "Memory" - Betty Buckleey 3. "The Phantom of the Opera" -Sarah Brightman, Steve Harley 4. "All I Ask of You" --Sarah Brightman, Cliff Richard 5. "Love Changes Everything"--Michael Ball 6. "Any Dream Will Do"--Donny Osmond 7. "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life)"--Sarah Brightman, Jose Caerras 8. "As if We Never Said Goodbye"--Barbra Streisand 9. "The Perfect Year"--Dina Carroll 10. "With One Look" --Petula Clark 11. "You Must Love Me" 12. "The Heart Is Slow To Learn" --Kiri Te Kanawa 13. "Whistle Down the Wind"--Tina Arena 14. "A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing To Waste"--The Metal Philharmonic 15. "No Matter What"--Boyzone 16. "The Vaults of Heaven"--Tom Jones and Sounds of Blackness 17. "Try Not To Be Afraid"--Boy George 18. "Pie Jesu"--Charlotte Church

Disc 5: (All tracks available for the first time) 1. "Make Believe Love"--Wes Sands 2. "Down Thru' Summer"--Ross Hannaman 3. "I'll Give All My Love to Southend"--Ross Hannaman 4. "Believe Me I Will"--Sacha Distel 5. "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: 1969 Luxembourg Radio Commercial--The Jospeh Consortium, Pete Murray 6. "Try It and See"--Rita Pavone 7. "Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You"--Tim Rice and the Webber Group 8. "Goodbye Seattle"-- Paul Raven 9. "John 19:41"--The Andrew Lloyd Webber Orchestra 10. "What a Line To Go Out On"--Yvonne Elliman 11. "Disillusion Me" --Gary Bond 12. "The Ballad of Robert and Peter"--Tim Rice 13. "Christmas Dream" --Maynard Williams 14. "It's Only Your Lover Returning/All through My Wild and Crazy Days/Don't Cry for Me Argentina--Julie Covington 15. "It's Easy for You" (1977 Jungle Room Session version)--Elvis Presley 16. "Magdalena"--Tony Christie 17. "Buenos Aires"--The Rioja Rockers 18. "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats"--Andrew Lloyd Webber original demo 19. "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" (Live at Sydmonton Festival 1980)-Gemma Craven 20. "I Could Have Given You More"--Petula Clark 21. "I've Been in Love Too Long"--Marti Webb 22. "Benedicte"-- Stephen Hill Singers

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars I waited for this for five years.......2006-06-30

Between Amazone, Ebay and Napster, I don't usually buy CDs anymore, and I usually wait till I can buy them cheaper "new and used". When this set came out, I was excited, mainly by Disc 5, but wasn't going to spend $70 on it. I waited till it was cheap enough, and got it for Father's day this year.
It was worth the wait.

The concept is great. The packaging is great. The recording is great. Disc five is really cool for an ALW aficionado. There are a few real gems on it; my favorites are Petula Clark's "I Could Have Given You More" and "Benedicite."
I've always thought "Gus the Theatre Cat" made a great medley on the piano with "Unexpected Song" and "I DOn't Know How to Love Him," but wished there was an alternate lyric to match the other two songs. Now that I know there *is*, and it's a good lyric, it's a dream come true.
The melody of "Benedicite" is one of my favorites from _Sunset_ (the book mis-identifies it as "SUrrender"; it's actually "The Lady's Paying" and "Eternal Youth is Worth a Little Suffering"). The lyrics are the canticle from Daniel 3, which comes up every odd Sunday in the Divine Office, so it's nice to have cool music to sing it with.

I haven't bought _By Jeeves_ or _THe Beautiful Game_ yet, to it was great to sample them.

There are other parts of the CD taht aren't found in my collection. I like CD 4 "The Hits."

But the selections on CDs 1-3 don't make sense.

First, any self-respecting ALW fan has the Original London Cast of _Phantom_, so six tracks are totally useless. Why not draw from the Canadian cast with Colm Wilkinson? Or pull out some obscure recordings never published.

Why two different tracks with Michael Ball singing "Love Changes Everything", yet they're hardly any different?

On Disc 5 is "It's Only Your Lover Returning," sung by Julie Covington. It's an early draft of the song (Lloyd Webber and Rice went through several suggested titles) and quite nice. The very thing one expects on a Boxed Set.
So why have the Julie Covington "Don't Cry for Me" on disc 1?? The only difference is a few words, but it's otherwise identical. Why not Elaine Paige or Patti Lupone or Madonna?

The _Evita_ section is otherwise the best, choosing a sample from each major recording, though I'd have chosen slightly differently (as above).

There is a great selection of "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" from the Sydmonton festival, using the original music that was changed when _Cats_ went to Broadway_. It would have been nice if they'd included more recordings from Sydmonton, like the original lyric of "All I Ask of You" shown on the second DVD to the _Phantom_ movie.

With so many great actress-singers who've played Norma Desmond, why does the collection beat us over the head with Glenn Close?

Paul Miles Kingston must be set for life in royalties, for the number of albums the original recording of "Pie Jesu" has appeared on. "Amigos Para Siempre" is nice, but it reminds me of Shari Lewis's "The Song that Doesn't End," especially when it's been used on so many compilations.

In short, this is a great collection for the obscure material, if you can get it cheap. But for a boxed set, it's a poor sampling, drawn mostly from the most familiar recordings.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent collection but BIG PUBLISHING MISTAKE! .......2006-01-10

Please beware they made a mistake on this. It's actually the shortened Ray Shell version of STARLIGHT EXPRESS from the original 1984 London cast - NOT the El Debarge single from 1987 like it says on the box. I don't know how they let that goof pass. Sorry to Ray Shell. Having said that, this is an outstanding compilation of Lloyd Webber's greatest hits.

4 out of 5 stars ONE OF LLOYD WEBBER'S BEST COMPILATIONS, DESPITE A FEW FLAWS.......2005-03-21

Regardless of the fact that some of his latest efforts (most notably, The Woman in White) are disappointing, there can be little doubt that Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the greatest composers ever to work in the musical theatre. Ever since his "Jesus Christ Superstar" hit the stage in the early 70-is, it was clear that the conception and perception of musicals are never going to be the same again. Many of his songs became standards not only in the theatre history, but also as tops on the charts. Even though he's British, his influence on the shape of the modern musical theatre expanded over the West End boundaries long ago and has thus made an enormous impact on Broadway. Two of his shows ("Cats" and "The phantom of the opera") hold the record as two the longest running shows in the history of Broadway. He has also been the only composer to have three of his shows running at Broadway concurrently. Some of his awards include three Grammies, a Golden Globe, an Oscar and a bunch of Tony awards. But perhaps most of all, Lloyd Webber is responsible for bringing the musicals and the theatre appealing to the wide audiences, who in different circumstances would not consider seeing a musical. The secret of his success is probably the mixture of beautiful and catchy melodies, interesting subject matter (though some, like Starlight Express, are too thin) and grandiose staging.

Over the years many compilations of his work have emerged. In the late 80-is and early 90-is it was the "Encore" series and lately the one-disc collection called "Gold". The one in question here can be considered one of the best currently on the market. First, it includes a 3-disc selections from all of his shows, minus the latest one, i.e., "The Woman in White", which, considering the triviality of the score, is no great lost. The fourth disc covers some of his most known songs sung by the famous artists. Then, there is the fifth disc with previously unreleased material, most of which are the songs ALW wrote with Tim Rice for various artists during the 70-is. The disks are all neatly packed in a hardcover book that features 67 pages of pictures and text with information about each of ALW's shows. One of the other assets here is the perfect sound quality, since all of the tracks have been digitally remastered.

Here are my basic impressions and comments regarding the material on the discs:

* Disc #1 has the selections from "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Evita", "Cats" and "Song & Dance". The Superstar material mostly comes from the Concept Recording. Although the songs sound beautiful as always, their orchestration is a bit dated now. Only Steve Balsamo's "Gethsemane" from the 1996 revival cast has a modern rock sound. "Evita" comes with the material from all of the major recordings: London, Broadway and the movie productions, as well as the Concept album. No objections here; since this is one of ALW's most satisfying works, every song is just perfect, although Patti LuPone, the Broadway and overall the best Evita, is left with only a couple of lines. With the selections from "Cats", however, I have some doubts. A plus to the choice of the "Jellicle ball" impressive orchestral sequence from the 1998 movie version and "Mister Mistoffelees" from the 1981 London cast. One of the best known ALW's songs, "Memory", also comes from that album. It's a pretty version and Elaine Paige's rendition cannot be matched, but why include this when the definite version, featuring an 80-piece orchestra and Elaine Paige with much better interpretation, can be found in the same movie version. Thusly, one has to buy Elaine Paige's latest 2-disc compilation "Centre Stage: The very best of Elaine Paige" to get that one. And "Gus the theatre cat" is more a recital than a song, so there was not much point in including that. Marti Webb brings her vocal charm to the "Song & Dance" sequence, Sarah Brightman sings "Unexpected song" with her famous soprano, but as much as I like her version, Bernadette Peters, who was in this show on Broadway is strangely left out here.

* Disc # 2 starts with "Starlight Express". This was never one of my favorite ALW's shows; the plot is even lighter than in "Cats" and the 1984 original cast recording is terribly dated. Yet, here we have one terrific duet, "I am starlight" from the original together with three songs from the later revivals and it seems that fresh orchestrations were just the thing Starlight needed. My favorite remains a touchy ballad, "Next time you fall in love". "Requiem" is the most solemn of all ALW's compositions, written in 1985 to commemorate the death of his father. Placido Domingo's tenor rides together with the chorus all the way through the strong "Hosanna", only to be joined by Sarah Brightman in the final moments of this song. She then gives an echoing deliverance of "Pie Jesu". What can be said of ALW's next show, "The Phantom of the Opera"? A phenomenon in its own right, it's easy to see from the six numbers included here why this is one of the best and most beloved musicals of all time. The cast, the music, the story - everything is perfect. Although "Aspects of love" was never a popular hit, it does have some of the most beautiful love melodies ALW has ever written. "Love changes everything" sung by Michael Ball is probably one of the best tunes ever about love. The rest of the selected material here has a dreamy love flavor and the melodies find their way into your brain in the best Lloyd Webber way.

* ALW's first musical, "Joseph and the amazing Technicolor dreamcoat" was more successful in its revival form than the original from the 70-is. The three songs included here are sung by the show stars, Jason Donovan and Donny Osmond. Maria Friedman was not a lucky choice to play the narrator, as the track from the 1998 movie version shows. "By Jeeves" was ALW's only big flop when it came to the stage in the 70-is. The 1995 revival sounds much better though, full of funny numbers in the best manner of the musical comedy. "Travel hopefully" remains one of the show's highlights on this compilation. "Sunset Boulevard" comes next. "Sunset" remains for me one of Webber's best scores; lush and beautiful. I listen to the original cast recording with Patti LuPone all the time. However, here most of the songs are performed by Glenn Close. A big mistake. If you've ever listened the American premiere recording with her, you'll know what I am talking about. She may have a strong stage presence, but her vocal abilities are too limited, and her aggressive approach to the role lacks any subtlety. Therefore, the two big numbers from this show, "With one look" and "As if we never said goodbye" are ruined by the fact she can't sing. The same goes for the American Joe Gillis, who was played by Alan Campbell. Luckily, Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson, the original Norma and Joe from the London production, make their brief entrance here with the "Perfect year"; enough to show how better they are. The funny thing is, on the jacket and inside of it, Glenn Close and Alan Campbell are credited as performers in this song as well. If this was a mistake on ALW's part, it was a good one. The next ALW's show, "Whistle down the wind" was never a critic's dear and yet the audiences rushed in to see it in London. The score brings back ALW to his rock and roll roots of the seventies and the story is quite interesting. But the selections here are not the happiest, since the cast recording boasts with much better songs. And finally, "The Beautiful Game". Again, we have one of those ALW's shows that is worth in its individual parts rather than as a whole. "Our kind of love" and "Let us love in peace" are two catchy ballads. The latter is a nice amalgam version not available elsewhere. The two other tracks here I could live without.

* Disc # 4 has the songs from all the above shows performed by different artists. The assembled tracks have their pros and cons. For example, we have some previously unreleased stuff, like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's operettic rendition of "The heart is slow to learn", or a stunning and epic "A kiss is a terrible thing to waste" from "Whistle down the wind", performed by The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra. Then again, what was the point in including almost identical tracks as the ones on the previous disks? So we have Michael Ball again singing "Love changes everything" with only a bit different orchestration; Sarah Brightman comes out again with the same Phantom duets, but only with the different male singers. It would be much more appropriate to include tracks from the Toronto Cast of the Phantom, with Colm Wilkinson. Other pop deliverances (Tina Arena's "Whistle down the wind", Barbra Streisand's "As if we never said goodbye", Boyzone's "No matter what" and many more) were wisely chosen. Patti LuPone is again nowhere to be found and Petula Clark's "With one look" sounds too worn-out.

* The last disc is probably the one that will be of most interest to Lloyd Webber aficionados. It consists of entirely previously unreleased material ALW for the most part wrote for various artists during his early years, with Tim Rice. Some of these tunes, not successful as a singles, were later used in his shows. Thus "Down thru' summer" became "Buenos Aires"in Evita, "Try it and see", an unsuccessful attempt for the Eurovision was used for "King Herod's song" in "Superstar" and so on. Some of these songs are nicely made pop songs: "Make believe love", ALW's first recorded composition, for which he provided the lyrics; "Goodbye Seattle", sung by Paul Raven, who later became Gary Glitter; "Come back Richard, your country needs you", from a never made musical, sung here by Tim Rice, or Latin flavored "Magdalena", with Tony Christie singing. My all time favorite here is a song called "It's easy for you", sung by none other than Elvis Presley himself. Lloyd Webber and Rice sent him a demo recording that he accepted and recorded this live version a couple of weeks before he died. It's amazing to hear how his voice remained in the perfect shape. Also, there is a track of Andrew Lloyd Webber singing "Policle dogs and Jellicle cats" while plying the piano. His voice doesn't sound bad at all.


Taken as a whole, this compilation makes a perfect birthday or Christmas present to any fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows, or just anybody interested in some of the best tunes from the modern era of the musical theatre; despite the flaws I mentioned above. To the former, it may just be the final addition for the Andrew Lloyd Webber collection.

5 out of 5 stars SUCH MAGICAL MUSIC OF THE NIGHT!.......2003-01-19

"Evita." "Sunset Blvd." "Starlight Express." "Jesus Christ Superstar." "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." "Requiem." "Aspects of Love." The man who is the most recognized composer in the history of the musical theatre, the man who has won more Tonys than any other composer, the man who boasts the best-selling show of all time ("The Phantom of the
Opera") and the longest-running show of all time ("Cats"), the man whose homes are filled with three Grammys, five Oliviers, a Golden Globe, and Oscar and too many other honors and hosannas to mention, the man knighted in 1992 certainly doesn't need an introduction. Now Decca Broadway pays tribute to Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber with "Now and Forever," a spectacular 5-CD set compiled and produced by Sir Andy himself. It's cheaper than a
ticket to "The Producers" ... and more much exciting. This treasure trove contains highlights from all of Webber's shows, and a bonus disc of tunes sung by Betty Buckley, Barbara
Streisand, Jose Carreras, Boy George, Charlotte Church, Madonna, Tom Jones, Petula Clark, even Elvis! A must for lovers of theatre---and good music.

4 out of 5 stars A Must Have for Sir Andrew fans.......2002-05-21

This five-CD collection of Andrew Lloyd Webber's career is fantastic. It leaves virtually no stone unturned. I have no doubt that diehard Webber fans will love this, especially for the 5th disc entitled "From the Vaults." This disc alone is worth the price as it contains tunes never before heard by the typical fan. Who knew Elvis did a Lloyd Webber tune?!? I didn't! Also the tune "Benedictine" which the composer wrote for his most recent marriage is not only pretty, but it has the same medley as "The Lady's Paying" from "Sunset Blvd." which I found highly enjoyable. Another great track is the composer himself singing a cut song from "Cats" entitled "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats" which has the same tune as "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats," but to hear Sir Andrew sing is a blast...he sounds a lot like Al "Year of the Cat" Stewart.
The cuts from the musicals are great but are likely owned by ALW fans as they are on the original cast albums. And I'm glad that there were tunes included from the composers most recent efforts which have yet to make it beyond London (Whistle Down the Wind, Beautiful Game).
My only complaint is the inclusion of way too many tracks by Sarah Brightman. She must've received a great divorce settlement that included having tunes on any ALW collection until the end of time!! Her interpretations of some of the tunes were limp and uninspired. I would've much rather heard casts from around the world rather than yet another song by this disdainful soprano! How about Colm Wilkinson's version of "Music of the Night" from the original Canadian cast of "Phantom"? Or Michael Crawford's version of "Unexpected Song"? What? No Betty Buckley from "Sunset Blvd."? And of course there are songs you KNOW are going to be on the collection before you even listen to it as they have been on EVERY ALW collection for the past decade or so.
A great collection but too much Sarah Brightman!
Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • As Always, Hilarious
  • Spoof Odessey worth the laughs!
  • better to be "Lost in Space"
  • Stretched Thin
  • Do the Math
 Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey

Manufacturer: Drg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Forbidden Broadway Cleans Up Its Act!: The Unoriginal Cast Recording, Volume 5 (1998 New York Cast)
  2. Forbidden Broadway, Vol. 8 - Special Victims Unit
  3. Forbidden Broadway (20th Anniversary Edition)
  4. Forbidden Broadway, Vols. 1-4
  5. Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back!: Another Unoriginal Cast Recording, Volume 4 (1996 New York Cast)

ASIN: B0000584UL
Release Date: 2001-02-13

Tracks:

  1. Forbidden Broadway 2001: Another Op'nin, 'Another Show
  2. Futuristic Stewardess/Usherette: Come Fly With Me
  3. Judi Dench: Why Can't The English?
  4. Trouble In New Tork City: Trouble
  5. The Music Man Revival 2001: Till There Was You
  6. Cole Porter: You're The Top/From The Moment On
  7. Kiss Me, Kate Revival 2001: Wunderbar
  8. I Hate Ben - Marin Mazzie: I Hate Men
  9. Cheryl Ladd In Annie Get Your Gun: There's No Business Like Show Business
  10. Miss Saigon Farewell: Why God Why?
  11. Saturday Night Fiasco: Stayin' Alive
  12. Gwen Verdon & The Fosse Dancers: I'm A Brass Band/Steam Heat
  13. Liza Minnelli 2001/Alan Cumming in Cabaret: Wilkommen
  14. Let's Run Times Square Again: Let's Do the Time Warp Again
  15. Ethel Merman & Elton John: I've Got Rhythm/Old Fashioned Wedding
  16. Beauty's Been Decreased: Beauty And The Beast
  17. Being Lupone: Being Alive
  18. Sondheim's Blues: Buddy's Blues
  19. Streisand's Farewell Tour: Happy Days Are Here Again/Mame
  20. Les Miz 2001 - Edith Piaf/Milord
  21. Aida - Amneris Intro: Every Story Is A Love Story/Heather Headley/It's Cheesy: Easy As Life
  22. Elaborate Sets (Aida Cont.): Elaborate Lives
  23. Angela Lansbury: I Don't Want To Know
  24. The Full Monty: Let It Go
  25. 76 Hit Shows: 76 Trombones
  26. Bows-Ta-Ta Folks: Another Op'nin, 'Another Show
  27. Joseph And The Amazing High 'C': Any Dream Will Do

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars As Always, Hilarious.......2007-05-03

This is so funny! Like all the Forbidden Broadway cds, its another knock-out. I feel like such a crazy person when I am in the car driving and I just burst out laughing. Its great and a must have for any Forbidden Broadway fan.

3 out of 5 stars Spoof Odessey worth the laughs!.......2002-04-14

I enjoyed "Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey." This recording has some truly genius material, and although these actors' impersonations of famous Broadway stars aren't as strong as they have been in the past, the CD has a lot to recommend it.

Particularly strong is Track 16, "Let's do an old fashioned show tune," featuring Elton John and Ethel Merman duking it out over AIDA, which Merman says is "putting everyone here through hell." Likewise, Track 15, "Let's Ruin Times Square Again," tickles my funny bone. Also wonderful are the satires of Beauty and the Beast, Angela Lansbury, and the Full Monty; Gerard Alessandrini's done a tremendous job with these! In addition, this CD's introductory song is much stronger than those on the previous volumes of Forbidden Broadway. It really sets the tone for the best parts of this recording.

Unfortunately, with a few notable exceptions, the first half of the CD is a bit thin, which is why I give this recording 3 out of 5 stars: Even though it entertains me, there's a lot I have to skip over. For example, the Liza Minelli spoof annoying (though, I admit, a little funny), and in the Music Man revival satire, their Robert Preston impersonator sounds *nothing* like the original. (In earlier recordings, the actors *did* sound like the people they claimed to be.)

The good news is that the CD has 30 tracks in all, so even though there are 13 that I dislike, I just love the rest... I do recommend it!

2 out of 5 stars better to be "Lost in Space".......2001-12-31

First and foremost, this CD is really for diehard fans of Forbidden Broadway, those of us who want the good, the bad and the ugly on the cd rack. I was extremely unimpressed with the latest offering.

While I agree with some of the other reviewers that there is some nice work, I don't know that Saturday Night Fiasco and Sondheim's Blues are sufficient to carry the rest of the tracks. Not much seems new or worse yet, important. Disney isn't new, nor is Les Miz. And while pointing out what is stale and pedestrian on Broadway was amusing on the last couple of releases, this Forbidden Broadway spoof clearly has joined the list of stale and pedestrian.

While there is some nice material on this disc, I really didn't laugh out loud, and that is why I have always bought these in the past.

If Alessandrini reduces the show to the same complaints of the same shows and then replaying lightly tweaked versions of past numbers, Trouble and Alan Cumming in Cabaret specifically, then he has himself is on the becoming a revival - and we know what he thinks of revivals.

The repeats might even be acceptable if there was something fresh in the perfomance, but both were done much better on their respective discs. I think Danny Gurwin is a great comedian, but he doesn't shine in either of these numbers. We also need a recording with no Ethel Merman or Liza numbers - give them a rest already. And why bring back Streisand with such a poor imitation? The earlier Barbara's were dead on vocal impressions as well as speech patterns. If you aren't going to improve on it, then don't drag it back out.

Alessandrini suggests that this is one of the best casts he has ever worked with. I don't know what he bases that on, but I beg to differ, either cast with Bryan Batt was significantly better, although they worked with fresh, clever material. Still, those recordings had verocious talent that brought Gerard's stinging wit to life for those of us who can't see every new production of FB.

Maybe it is time to go to off Broadway productions, or to the radio or the movies for some new ideas. Or else promise no references to the Gap, Disney, or Chorus Boys, (way over used on this recording), along with a Merman and Liza free season. Start from scratch. That might give us hope that Forbidden Broadway too might not be dead.

3 out of 5 stars Stretched Thin.......2001-03-26

I just saw the stage production of Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey. I agree with the other reviewers who feel that Alessandrini is no longer at the top of his game. Perhaps he should lay off for a year or three and let Broadway present new things for him to lampoon - as it always will.

The opening sequence is forced and unfunny, and clearly in place only to batter the listener with the "2001" theme. Unlike a previous reviewer, I found the Judi Dench parody hysterical, though I question its accuracy.

The "Trouble" parody is, as it always was, incomplete and thin. My dear friend John Kenrick (...) did a better job with it - included the segments of the original song that GA left out, and in a funnier fashion. The Cole Porter parody is marginally amusing, but the Brian Mitchell/Marin Mazzie parody is dead on the mark, and VERY funny.

The parody of Cheryl Ladd remains in the show, although she's no longer in "Annie Get Your Gun" - Reba McIntyre is now in the role. Similarly, he stabs at Alan Cumming, who is no longer playing the Emcee. These numbers, while funny, lack punch. On the other hand, he once again skewers long time target Patti LuPone with an hysterical new parody of Being Alive. I suppose she's innately funnier, after all these years, than Alan Cumming, who is, after all, a relative newcomer.

The Rocky Horror parody is amusing, and the observation that sex has moved off 42nd Street and onto the Broadway stage is not without merit. The Beauty parody is amusing, and apt, but as has already been noted, GA has been clobbering us with the Disnification of Broadway for years now. I suppose he finds some glee in the fading success of this particular show.

I must say that while Gurwin is not the greatest singer, "Sondheim's Blues" is the most brilliant piece I've heard from Alessandrini in years. It's absolutely dead on. The friends I was with had never seen nor heard "Follies" and completely missed the point, but I was in stitches.

The "10 Years More" (which does not appear on this album, but remains in the show) has really begun to wear thin, especially with the closing this year of Cats and Miss Saigon. The Cameron Macintosh British mega-musicals are finally releasing their grip on Broadway, and this isn't as funny any more.

Broadway, despite the naysayers, will never die... and apparently, neither will Forbidden Broadway. I don't think it should - but I do think it needs a rest.

2 out of 5 stars Do the Math.......2001-03-15

Four CDs cover the first 20 Years of Forbidden Broadway, Gerard Alessandrini's viciously witty satire of New York Theatre. The last year has seen Three new CDs, FB "Cleans Up Its Act" "20th Anniversary Edition" and now "2001 a Spoof Odyssey". Do the math.

Alessandrini is running out of ideas, and is spreading the remaining ones too thin. . Sanitized Time Square - Been there. Disnified Broadway - Done that, and so many times. Asinine casting faux pas, plotless pointless set-monster musicals, and Ethel Merman and Liza. We've heard it all before - and last time, it was funnier.

Now normally when a writer (or director or actor) has truly entertained me on numerous occasions, I'll forgive the odd show that disappoints. This would be the case here except for two things: Alessandrini is in the vicious parody business - he's never spared anyone else Besides, if he's going to actually include couplets like: "If lyrics are no longer witty... Then I don't want to go " he's inviting the pans.

When you hear the AIDA lampoon, you'll be reminded of the dim bulb in Cyrano de Bergerac who taunts the hero with the brilliant witticism: Your nose is very large

Yes, there are a few true Forbidden Broadway tracks on Spoof Odyssey. Dame Judi Dench singing "Why can't Americans do theatre like the Brits?" (with apologies to My Fair Lady), I Hate Ben (with apologies to Kiss Me Kate) and about 1/3 of "Let's Ruin Time Square Again" (no apologies necessary to Rocky Horror which understands how easy it is for good parody to go bad). Oh yes, there is one absolutely true Forbidden Broadway track: TROUBLE - yes, the same Trouble from Volume 3 which was just re-released on the 20th Anniversary compilation - and it's back again with a more hackneyed Robert Preston impersonation and all of 4 words changed. Granted it's one of the better bits, more worthy of rerunning than say, referring to Miss Saigon as Viet-Numb, but oh, he reran that gag too
Out of This World
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Failed Ideas
  • Simply Exquisite
 Out of This World
Harold Arlen , Herbert/ Arlen, Harold ("Hal") Stothart , Allan Schwartzberg , Joe Beck , Cyro Baptista , James Saporito , Jeffrey Harris , and Mike Renzi
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
ClassicClassic | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
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  1. The Music Never Ends - The Lyrics of Alan & Marilyn Bergman
  2. Naughty Baby
  3. 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Maureen McGovern
  4. With a Song in My Heart: Greatest Songs of Rodgers & Hart
  5. Another Woman in Love

ASIN: B0000TAZ5Q
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Tracks:

  1. Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home
  2. Come Rain or Come Shine
  3. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive/Get Happy
  4. It's Only a Paper Moon
  5. Let's Fall in Love [*]
  6. Sleepin' Bee
  7. Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead
  8. Optimistic Voices [*]
  9. Over the Rainbow
  10. Let's Take a Walk Around the Block
  11. Don't Like Goodbyes
  12. Right as the Rain
  13. Out of This World
  14. Man That Got Away/Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)/Blues in
  15. My Shining Hour

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Failed Ideas.......2004-12-09

Maureen McGovern is a national treasure. Her Naughty Baby CD to me is the 2nd coming of Christ. By comparison Out of this World is quite disappointing. Mostly either Harold Arlen or MM's uninspiring interpretations and/or Renzi's arrangements don't seem to suit MM on this CD. The drums and percusion are sometimes schlocky. The screechy sax is always terrible. Also not working for me are the electric keyboard/synthesizer, the electric guitar and the cello. Even Renzi's piano playing is sometimes a let down. Jay Leonhart's great bass work seems to be the only thing that you can depend on here. Did MM do this to herself or is Renzi mainly responsible? Spend your money instead on: Naughty Baby, The Music Never Ends, The Pleasure of his Company and Christmas With MM. All wonderful music.

5 out of 5 stars Simply Exquisite.......2003-12-01

I'd forgotten what a beautiful, supple vocal instrument McGovern has. Here, she sings blues- and jazz-flavored tunes, torchy ballads, and more--all Harold Arlen--including "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Over the Rainbow," "Let's Take a Walk Around the Block," "The Man That Got Away" and "Come Rain or Come Shine." Her "Optimistic Voices" (from The Wizard of Oz) is worth the price of the entire CD. It is simply exquisite, like a fine jewel, polished and gleaming with feeling.
Rabbit Don't Come Easy
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • A change for Helloween, but a neutral one...
  • Not Their Best But FAR From Another Chameleon
  • What the #%#@%^# happened?!!!
  • I Love The Title
  • Rabbits DO come easy...that's why there are so many of them.
 Rabbit Don't Come Easy
Helloween
Manufacturer: Nuclear Blast Americ
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
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  1. The Dark Ride
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  3. Pink Bubbles Go Ape
  4. Better Than Raw
  5. Metal Jukebox

ASIN: B00008XRTC
Release Date: 2003-05-19

Tracks:

  1. Just A Little Sign
  2. Open Your Life
  3. The Tune
  4. Never Be A Star
  5. Liar
  6. Sun 4 The World
  7. Don't Stop Being Crazy
  8. Do You Feel Good
  9. Hell Was Made In Heaven
  10. Back Against The Wall
  11. Listen To The Flies
  12. Nothing To Say

Album Description

Their last release, The Dark Ride, was a much darker album that experimented with different styles and themes. Rabbit Don't Come Easy is a much more positive, vintage relrelease that harkens back to the sound and style Helloween pioneered in the 80's.

Album Description

The German power metal act's 2003 album featuring 12 tracks to mark the triumphant return to their beloved sound. Nuclear Blast.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars A change for Helloween, but a neutral one..........2007-07-30

Andi Deris is firmly ensconced in Helloween as lead singer at this point. The "new" Helloween has lost nothing with the departure of Michael Kiske. Deris is capable of reaching the high notes quite well and is more aggressive, but still very melodic in the Helloween tradition of speed metal.

Most recently, we have the departure of Roland Grapow as the main guitarist handling the leads. In his place is Sascha Gerstner. The main thing I notice is that Sascha's style is more like that of Michael Schenker. He plays with a lot of feeling and possesses a good vibrato and some nice little tricks. I feel with this CD and the most recent "Keeper...Legacy" with him contributing quite a bit, the band has scored some more commercial singles with tunes like "Mrs. God" and "Invisible Man" etc. This particular CD does not have songs quite on that level, but it's very good... I think it's a trade off, somewhat, because I don't hear that Gerstner can play as fast Grapow or Kai Hansen could, but again, he has a lot more melodic sense than Grapow had. Whether this will be good or bad, I'm not sure. My feeling is that it doesn't make any difference. The band is still producing fantastic stuff and if you listen to the recent "Keeper...Live in Sao Paulo" release, you can hear that Gerstner and vocalist Deris do a fantastic job on both the old and new material. This CD is four stars. This, "Master of the Rings" and "Time of the Oath" are all four star performances (both of which had Grapow).

The only release that tops them is "Better than Raw" (Grapow on that CD) and "Keeper...Live in Sao Paulo" (Gerstner on that CD). Those two releases are five star classics.

4 out of 5 stars Not Their Best But FAR From Another Chameleon.......2007-07-13

Well Now, Here is an interesting addition to the pumpkin-head catalog...Now me being a huge Helloween fan, (Even finding enjoyment within the dismal Chameleon album) I can honestly say that I am a bit lost with this album, I was promised something back to their roots, And while this is a decent attempt, It didnt completley fufill my ambitions, However, It is a solid album. The problem with this one though, Is that there are amazong songs, good songs & sucky songs. It does include 2 of my favorite Helloween tracks. ("Liar", and my all-time favorite Helloween Song, "Do You Feel Good?")
I can easily reccomend this album to any Helloween fan, But It IS NOT Another Walls Of Jerhico or Key-Keeper album.
Oh, the reason i dont like this album is "Sun For The World," and "Don't Stop Being Crazy" I'm not very partial to the "Egyptian" tone they both let off.

Killer Songs Include:
Just A Little Sign, Open Your Life, Never Be A Star, Liar, Do You Feel Good, Hell Was Made in Heaven.

GOOD Songs Include:
The Tune, Back Against The Wall, Nothing To Say

Sucky Songs Include:
Don't Stop Being Crazy, Sun For The World, Listen To The Flies & Far Away
ENJOY THE HEADBANGING!!!

2 out of 5 stars What the #%#@%^# happened?!!!.......2007-01-03

I really hate doing this and I mean I REALLY hate doing this. Helloween Is in my top 5 bands but this album sucks. I wanted to finish out my collection with this and Better than Raw but I don't know why I waited so anxiously waiting on this one. The lyrics suck (and I love Deris) and the music is mostly mediocre. There are a couple of songs on here that have some good soloing but there is no consistency and no rememberable songs. Basically, this is an easily forgetable cd that really has nothing to do with Helloween much like the latter Kiske albums, I hate to say.

There has hardly anything to do with their usual subject matter and it has a lot of songs about male/female dynamics which has NEVER been in a Helloween song, outside of Metal jukebox which doesn't count. I'm just really dissapointed in this and hope I like Better Than Raw better than this.

5 out of 5 stars I Love The Title.......2006-09-16

Most People Dont, Dunno Why, Oh well Return To A From Yes, Old School Kiske Helloween From No Almost But No, The Time Of The Oath Form However I Must Say This Is The Form They Returned Too. Most People Took One Look at The Title And Deemed This Crap ut I Enjoyed It (As I Do Pink Bubbles Go Ape..Chameleon However Well Not So Much..) All In All The TRakcs Are Solid Much Better Than The Dark Ride If You Wanna Get A Look into Newer Helloween Start Here

5 out of 5 stars Rabbits DO come easy...that's why there are so many of them........2006-08-18

Rabbit Don't Come Easy is billed as Helloween's triumphant return to their old style, but I must say that I'm a wee bit puzzled by that statement. They might have returned to touring North America for the first time since 1989, but let me assure you my friends, Helloween never left.

Though the band has been through various line-up changes throughout the years, core members Markus Großkopf and Michael Weikath remain firmly ensconced in the band they formed almost 20 years ago with Gamma Ray's Kai Hanson and the late Ingo Schwichtenberg.

Rabbit Don't Come Easy is Helloween's 15th (depending how you count, I usually omit Best Of's) album since the band first appeared on the radar in 1985 with their eponymous EP and tore into the metal scene with a vengeance with albums Walls Of Jericho and Keeper Of The Seven Key's Parts 1 and 2. It was during the Keeper Of The Seven Keys era when the band was riding high on the metal scene and had introduced Michael Kiske, an 18-year-old vocalist with more range and power than even Iron Maiden's Bruce "The Air Raid Siren" Dickinson. Helloween toured the US and elsewhere and at the time seemed unstoppable.

After having replaced Hansen with guitarist Roland Grapow and having received much criticism for their forays into humor, pop and prog in the early 90's with albums like Pink Bubbles Go Ape and Chameleon, the Teutonic Metal Meisters seemed to fall in disfavor with the US audiences and, much to my chagrin, were pretty much relegated to touring Europe and South America.

Following the suicide death of original drummer Ingo SchwichtenbergMichael Kiske shortly thereafter, Helloween regrouped and returned to their heavy roots with new force, this time adding singer Andreas (Andi) Deris and original Gamma RayUli Kusch. Albums Master Of The Rings and The Time Of The Oath melded pop sensibilities with pounding rhythms and super speed. Still feeling the need to push pop aside and rebuild their metal following, Helloween added even more octane to the gas tank, which resulted in making albums Better Than Raw and The Dark Ride their heaviest and darkest to date. and the loss of defining vocalist drummer

If anything, Rabbit Don't Come Easy is Helloween's return to yet another line-up change and yet another fantastic studio album. Whether heavy, slow, pop or progressive, Helloween has consistently released quality albums filled with monster playing and killer songwriting. This time, however, rather than dedicating a full album to one musical exploration, Rabbit Don't Come Easy melds the best of all worlds.

The album begins with the band's trademark brief orchestral fanfare before launching into the thunderous Just A Little Sign augmented by moonlighting Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee who first appeared on King Diamond's 1986 opus Fatal Portrait. The Scandinavian Skin Basher reportedly had only three days to learn, write and record his parts for the album, but it sounds like he had been playing with Helloween since day one. Though new drummer, Stefan Schwarztmann, plays on a couple of tracks, I would strongly suggest that Mikkey Dee is contracted to record on subsequent Helloween studio releases as, in this writer's humble opinion, Dee is the premier metal drummer and I will deny anyone who refutes this statement without proper documented proof. For all of Schwarztmann's talent, unfortunately, he's no Mikkey Dee.

New guitarist Sascha Gerstner's writing makes an appearance on the next track Open Your Life, a wonderful piece that jumps between a prog intro, superb breakdowns, a fantastic pre-chorus and a thrashing power chorus and defines the best of everything Helloween has done in the past two decades.

One of my personal favorites is the humble Never Be A Star, a song whose premise is that even though the band will never be superstars, they are very content with their position in the rock and roll stratosphere. One of the track's highlights is Markus Großkopf's middle section bass groove, which is probably one of his best since Chameleon's Revolution Now and the band's b-side version of Grand Funk Railroad's Closer To Home. Throughout the years Großkopf's fantastic playing is always hidden beneath a wall of drums and guitars, so it's nice to hear him shine on occasions like this. Though he is frequently compared to Iron Maiden's Steve Harris (my idol), Großkopf is his own man and has way better time and groove.

Another outstanding contribution by newcomer Gerstner is Sun 4 The World, featuring a rich middle-eastern sitar intro before launching the band into a power groove and double kick chorus. Again, another great song deeply rooted in metal, but still chock full of various styles and influences. I was initially reluctant to another line-up change, but having now listened to the album and seen the band live, I feel Gerstner's contribution to Rabbit Don't Come Easy and the band in general is a much needed and welcomed shot in the arm.

The rest of the album is delightfully consistent and my only criticism would be that the Japanese version contains a cover of Accept's Fast As A Shark, a song considered by many to be the first thrash metal song, and the US release does not.

So, if rabbits don't come easy, then why are there so many of them? Yes, Helloween is triumphant, yes they have returned and yes, against all odds, they've pulled yet another magic rabbit out of their hat. For those of you that never heard of them or lost track along the way, then let me strongly suggest that Rabbit Don't Come Easy will either win you back or start you on the journey of discovering one of metal's most definitive and influential groups.
Words Just Don't Come Easy
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Words Just Don't Come Easy
    Jesse Rivera
    Manufacturer: Olinda Road -- Navarre --
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
    HawaiiHawaii | Pacific Islands | International | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B00004T0DV
    Release Date: 2001-07-10

    Tracks:

    1. Words Just Don't Come Easy
    2. If I Dream
    3. Pu'u Anahulu
    4. To Live as One
    5. Praise the Lord
    6. Annie's Song
    7. You've Got to Be Real
    8. Here I Go Again
    9. Take Your Life and Leave Mine Alone
    10. My Dad
    Don't Come Easy [Japan Import]
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Don't Come Easy [Japan Import]
      Tyketto
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B000NZIOW8

      Product Description

      1991, Victor records Japan. Out of print, superior first pressing from Japan on Victor records Japan. Catalog: MVCG-29. Out of print and unavailable in Japan since 1992.
      Songs of Yesterday for Today
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Songs of Yesterday for Today

        Manufacturer: Romeo Records
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        All Works by BernsteinAll Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        Duke, VernonDuke, Vernon | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        All Works by GershwinAll Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        All Works by PorterAll Works by Porter | Porter, Cole | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
        Easy ListeningEasy Listening | Compilations | Pop | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
        ASIN: B0007OP0YA
        Release Date: 2005-03-01

        Tracks:

        1. By Strauss
        2. So in Love
        3. Alone Together
        4. I'm Old Fashioned
        5. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
        6. Man I Love
        7. Way You Look Today
        8. Here's That Rainy Day
        9. I Can't Get Started
        10. Lucky to Be Me
        11. How Deep Is the Ocean?
        12. But Beautiful
        13. You're Nearer
        14. Come Rain or Come Shine
        15. Nearness of You
        16. After You
        17. There Will Never Be Another You
        18. Shadow of Your Smile
        19. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
        20. You Don't Know What Love Is
        Good Friends Don't Come Easy
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          		Good Friends Don't Come Easy
          The Apprentice
          Manufacturer: Future Destination Records
          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD
          ASIN: B000NZ6QD2

          Product Description

          The follow up to the critically accliamed album "An American Portrait." Produced by Matt Malpass (Rookie of the Year, Gasoline Heart, Copeland). Song list: 1. Tonight 2. Hardened Criminal Man 3. Clint Eastwood Complex 4. Be My Home 5. Good Friends Don't Come Easy 6. Life Will Pass You By

          Music Track:

          1. Empires
          2. Enemies of Reality
          3. Formulas Fatal to the Flesh
          4. Future World [Import]
          5. Give Us Barabbas [Import]
          6. Glorified Dirt/The True Face of Panic
          7. Have a Nice Day [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]
          8. Helping the World to See [Enhanced]
          9. Imaginos
          10. In Trance

          Music Track

          music track

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