Feeling (You're My Everything)/Paradise [CD-single]

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Marianne Guss has been singing almost all of her life. Today Marianne brings us a new flavor in R&B/Hip Hop music! She has just recorded a new single called "Paradise" that is getting a lot of great response in her hometown of Walla Walla, WA, and recently has released a new song called "Feelings (You're My Everything)." Power 99 One (KUJ 99.1 FM) in Tri-Cities/Walla Walla and I-91 FM in Tacoma/Seattle are currently playing her new single and are accepting requests for her music.

Product Description
Marianne's first single "Paradise" was debuted on Power 99 a while ago and it reached #1 on the Top 10 most requested songs of the day countdown. Now is your chance to get it on CD along with her new song "Feelings (You're My Everything)." The single also includes a bonus track featuring Pedro & Alex Crispin Rapping and a FREE poster too! Marianne is currently working in the studio to produce her new full length album which will be in stores April or May. Keep an eye out for it!

Feeling (You're My Everything)/Paradise,Marianne,The Orchard,Pop,Rap,Rap & Hip-Hop

Feeling (You're My Everything)/Paradise [CD-single]

Average customer rating:

Randy & Joe Cruisin

"Feeling Good" Randy Crawford/Joe Sample

Feeling Good in Istanbul

Jazz at its finest.

Excellent combination

Feeling Good
Randy Crawford , and Joe Sample
Manufacturer: Pra Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
General | R&B | Styles | Music
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Givin' It Up

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Stay with Me

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White Sand

ASIN: B000MGUZKM
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Tracks:

Feeling Good
End of the Line
But Beautiful
Rio De Janeiro Blue
Lovetown
See Line Woman
Tell Me More and More and Then Some
Everybody's Talking
When I Need You
Save Your Love For Me
Last Night at Danceland
All Night Long
Mr. Ugly

Amazon.com

The first thing that strikes you about Randy Crawford's performance on Feeling Good is the soulful ease with which she moves through the songs, whether sh''s bluesily channeling Nina Simone on Billie Holiday's "Tell Me More and More and Then Some" or recasting Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talking" as a bouncy confection. The second thing that impresses you is how well she plays off the spare but supple acoustic piano of Joe Sample, who contributed the lively arrangements and co-produced the album with Tommy LiPuma. Nearly 30 years since she teamed with Sample and the Crusaders on the hit, "Street Life," both artists have left any stylistic excesses behind to deliver one of their breeziest efforts. Though the material is nothing if not eclectic--the Leo Sayer hit, "When I Need You," the Newley-Bricusse Broadway classic, "Feeling Good," and the jazz standard "But Beautiful" are also in the mix--Crawford's gospel-fed strength and not-to-be-underrated jazz phrasing hold the center. In bassist Christian McBride and guitarist Anthony Wilson, she has two name jazz players behind her, in addition to studio veterans Dean Parks and Ray Parker Jr. on guitars and Steve Gadd on drums. --Lloyd Sachs

Album Description

Randy Crawford and Joe Sample's new collaboration is certain to impact the world as did their first collaboration, the international hit "Street Life." The CD, produced by two (2) time Grammy winner for Record of the Year, Tommy LiPuma, is an amazing duet between Randy's incredible voice and Joe's impeccable piano. The songs, all classics in their own right combine older standards such as "Feeling Good", "All Night Long," and "But Beautiful," with the more contemporary "When I Need You" first recorded by Leo Sayer, and Peter Gabriel's "Lovetown" from the movie Philadelphia. Steve Gadd-drums, and Christian McBride-bass, round out the trio.

Customer Reviews:

Randy & Joe Cruisin.......2007-07-27

This album is one in which hits every mood, like a long drive's theme. Randy has taken old songs and put them together with the music & style of Joe Sample, all you need is a glass of wine. You will not be dissapointed.

"Feeling Good" Randy Crawford/Joe Sample .......2007-07-13

In general, I am always very pleased with music by Randy Crawford, and this CD which has her paired with Joe Sample is superb. It is a blend of previous recordings and new songs which have all be arranged by Sample. I cannot say enough good things about this CD. Any money spent to purchase a copy is money well spent!

Feeling Good in Istanbul.......2007-07-13

I attended their concert last night in Istanbul, Turkey. They played their songs from this album and expectedly, Street Life, and some other tunes. I had a great time and the music was a feast. The crowd was enchanted by Randy's voice, and Mr. Sample had a very good connection with the audience. My favorites were her interpretations of Feeling Good and Tell Me More and More. I hope she sings a lot more in the years to come.

Jazz at its finest........2007-06-17

I am a big Randy Crawford fan and a big Joe Sample fan. However, I did not know they had collaborated previously. I was first introduced to Randy while on a business trip to Anchorage just prior to the release of the Cajun Moon album. I was listening to a smooth jazz station while returning to my hotel from dinner, when this absolutely captivating song came on. I sat in the hotel parking lot till it finished in the hopes the station would tell me what I had just heard. Alas, it was Cajun Moon. I have subsequently bought all of her albums, and not one disappoints.

Although I had heard Joe Sample previously, I really became a big fan while listening to WJZZ in Philadelphia while on another business trip. They played X Marks The Spot from the Pecan Tree album, which I ran right out and bought.

As I have continued to listen to these two stellar performers I have always hoped they might one day do a project together. When I found Feeling Good on Amazon.com recently it was like a dream come true. This is truly jazz at its very finest. Silky smooth from beginning to end. For anyone not familiar with the work of these two fine performers, here is your chance to hear the very best the world of jazz has to offer.

Excellent combination.......2007-06-11

I have played this CD until I will probably have to buy another one. Randy and Joe really compliment each other. I look forward to more CDs by them.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Once More, with Feeling

Average customer rating:

I played it over and over and over...
Defeintly worth listening to!
I wish for a CD of suites
Soundtrack CD not as good as Music in the actual episode
Sing along

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Once More, with Feeling
Various Artists , Joss Whedon , Sarah Michelle Gellar , and Christophe Beck
Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

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Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Album (1999 Television Series)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Radio Sunnydale
Angel: Live Fast, Die Never - Music from TV Series
Music for Elevators
Angel - Season Four (Slim Set)

ASIN: B00006J3WH
Release Date: 2002-09-24

Tracks:

Main Title
Overture/Going Through the Motions
I've Got a Theory/Bunnies/If We're Together
The Mustard
Under Your Spell
I'll Never Tell
The Parking Ticket
Rest In Peace
Dawn's Lament
Dawn's Ballet
What You Feel
Standing
Under Your Spell / Standing (Reprise)
Walk Through the Fire
Something to Sing About
What You Feel (Reprise)
Where Do We Go From Here?
Coda
End Credits (Broom Dance/Grr Argh)
Suite from "Restless
Suite from "Hush"
Sacrifice (from "The Gift")
Something to Sing About (demo)

Amazon.com

While the idea of infusing a weekly TV series with a Broadway musical ethos isn't exactly a new one--think Randy Newman's ambitious Cop Rock--it became something of a turn-of the-century television mini-trend. But few have reached as far--or succeeded--like this November 2001 episode of Fox Network's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Penned by series creator-producer Joss Whedon and performed by Sarah Michelle Gellar and cast, it's a loving, loopy musical pastiche that takes potshots at everything from Andrew Lloyd Webber to alt-rock. Paralleling the show's lovable pop culture tweaking, the musical styles here (the episode's musical conceit is a curse visited upon Buffy's hometown of Sunnydale) range from a patent footlight chorus of demons being interrupted by Gellar's hard-rocking stake thrusts on "Going Through the Motions" to Spike the Vampire's goth-metal complaint "Rest in Peace," with everything from parking tickets and mustard stain removal to climactic duels with the supernatural getting the Broadway send-up. Also includes strong orchestral score-suites from three other episodes, as well as Whedon and wife Kai Cole's demo for "Something to Sing About." --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

I played it over and over and over..........2007-08-06

Once More with Feeling was the first "Buffy..." episode I had seen. My daughter forced me to watch it on her computer screen last fall (2006), as I sat uncomfortably on the edge of her bed, waiting to spring up in annoyance at any moment.
When the end credits rolled, I was still singing along. I fell in love with the characters immediately. What I had initially thought of as sophomoric nonsense had actually entertained me...impressed me.
It was not that I was opposed to ridiculous plots and fantastic tales, just that I had not connected to the whole idea of vampire humor. Spending more time with my 18-year-old daughter and her highly emotional girlfriends (who are usually stretched out all over my flat) has allowed me to relax and see the beauty in undead dramedy.
I bought this soundtrack, the whole series box set, and (eventually) the Angel box set as well. After 4 months of Buffy, Angel, Giles, Spike, Cordy, Willow, Anya, Gunn, and Xander each night, I am still in love with the Buffyverse and this soundtrack. It has taken on a life aside from the actual episode from which it sprang.
I recommend this CD to any Buffy fan, musical/rock opera fan, Joss W. fan, or fellow music fan.

Defeintly worth listening to!.......2007-07-21

I've got a theroy- is one of my faveroit songs on here you get to hear almost everyone voice in one song the styles switch as different people sing!
Rest in Peace- spike sings here apparently hes got a awesome voice theres a pull to this song and its just fun to listen to you hear his passion for Buffy!
Dawns Lament-Dawn has a sweet high voice but not a lot of singing parts I really liked this cause it showed her vocal maturity! It also shows her doubt in the love from her friends!
What you Feel- Wow very jazzy and upbeat. The dancing demons voice is deep it sounds good you get to hear dawn again!
Standing- Giles and Tara sing its very emotional (i don't like Giles voice as much as Taras voice)
Under your spell (reprise)- You get to hear Tara's voice she has some range in this song thats nice. She also has a very good lyrics!
Where do we go from Here- the end of the battle this song is sung you hear everyone in this song. Its got a melcoly underbeat but its kind of sad and nostalgic as well as got the feeling of not being defeated! Its a good song!

I wish for a CD of suites.......2007-07-08

In all honesty, this is a fun CD. Maybe these aren't all professional singers, and maybe some of them have some pretty awful voices (some have lovely ones, though. Let's remember that), but listening to this CD brings back the images from the episode. They're catchy songs, easy to listen to and sing along. Some are better than others, some are silly ("The Mustard" and "The Parking Ticket" just make me laugh, but aren't really that important...), and some give me a momentary spasm of pain ("Dawn's Lament", nasal and painful - good thing the ballet piece is so nice it drives this out of your mind).

I think this is probably only good for fans of the show. I can't see some random person who has no previous love of the episode wanting these songs. They aren't of high quality. They're simply enjoyable for those who love the episode and want the option to sing along and have fun to it. It's a great CD - for some people.

But then you hit the end. Three spectacular tracks that, if you ask me, are what make this CD actually worth it. In addition to the songs from "Once More with Feeling", we get three scores.

The first suite is from another great episode: "Restless". Here, each theme comes out solidly. "Willow's Nightmare" is a creepy, confusing, sort of Middle-Eastern piece with a very nice feel to it, all taken straight from the episode, bringing to mind the wonderful images. The rest of the suite brings together creepy, intriguing singing and lovely sounds that end with the images fresh on your mind. The very ending is perfect - you can almost hear the words from the episode hiding behind the music, barely spoken and breathed aloud. "You think you know. What's to come. What you are. You haven't even begun." A perfect atmosphere and beautiful music with it.

Next, we're presented with a suite from the incredible episode "Hush". Each moment brings to mind matching scenes from the episode. There is the perfect air of mystery, fear, and that eerie sense of something creepy about to happen. There's the sort of choir-like moment, blending into the lovely, romantic "First kiss" part, and ending on a wholly creepy and terrifyingly wonderful note. A superb episode has this excellent score to add to its wonder.

Finally, we're presented with the incredible "Sacrifice", from the episode "The Gift". This is the direct piece used in that incredible episode and it's impossible to listen to it without feeling your heart move. If there was ever a better piece to put on a CD of Buffy music, this is it. You can see everything that happens, and it's just so perfect and complete you can almost cry. The whole piece is just bound to give you chills and bring back those wonderfully painful memories from the episode.

Honestly, while I do love "Once More with Feeling" and the great, fun songs it has, I find that I play the orchestral pieces here much more often than the others. It's those pieces that invoke the great memories and bring tears to my eyes. They're inexplicably powerful in a way that only one song of the musical can match ("Under Your Spell/Standing (Reprise)", without a doubt one of the best songs of the musical). The songs you can get in the episode. The suites are less accessable. I'd opt to buy this just for that.

In summary: No, this isn't spectacular. It's not of extremely high quality. But it's fun and any Buffy fan can appreciate it. Overall, it's great to sing along to, and the scores and suites are a HUGE bonus. Certainly recommended to all fans of the show, but perhaps not to others who can't quite understand all of the jokes and humor.

But I still wish for some more suites...

Soundtrack CD not as good as Music in the actual episode .......2007-06-21

I am very surprized that nearly 300 people reviewed this, and not one person seemed to notice that the songs on this CD are not exactly the same as what actually appeared in the Once More With Feeling episode. Some of the songs are slightly edited, have different mixes, even different vocals and the major thing that disappointed me is that there was some important dialogue that was deleted that they should have kept as part of the songs. For example, Dawn's line "The hardest thing in this world to do, is to live in it" nor is the part where Sweet (the Demon) realizes that Buffy is Dawn's sister and says something to effect "The Slayer, bring her to me, I want to see the Slayer Burn" was also omitted.

Get your Koombayayas out - 76 bloody trombones... (that wasn'y included either....

Play the DVD - the soundtrack is much better.

Sing along.......2007-05-28

Funny thing is you would never notice the plumbing contractor in his construction vehicle belting out the tunes of this CD. Well thats me, i cant help myself. the series has become such an important part of me... the music resonates my memories and feelings of the series in its entirety not only the content of each song. Where do we go? from here..............
Thankyou Josh

Average customer rating:

I Should Have Known Better
Hooked From The Start!
Sneaky catchy
Power Pop Masterpiece
Left me with an empty feeling

Twelve Stops and Home
The Feeling
Manufacturer: CHERRYTREE Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Costello Music
Memory Man
Undiscovered
Yours Truly Angry Mob [Deluxe Edition CD/DVD Combo]
Life in Cartoon Motion

ASIN: B000MM1FAU
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Tracks:

Sewn
Never Be Lonely
Love It When You Call
Fill My Little World
Kettle's On
I Want You Now
Strange
Anyone
Rose
Same Old Stuff
Helicopter
Blue Piccadilly

Amazon.com

With "indie" rapidly becoming a by-word for "whinging", it's refreshing to hear an album like the Feeling's debut. People who come to this album having only heard the catchy-yet-downbeat single "Sewn" might find the jaunty, upbeat tone of the rest of this album a refreshing surprise. Twelve Stops and Home is pure, summery optimism, with most tracks bouncing along at a happy, head-nodding pace, and packed to the brim with simple, singalong lyrics, including the liberal use of "la-la-la" and "na-na-na". Sure it's lightweight, but that's no bad thing--it cuts like a ray of sunshine right through the knee-hugging depression of contemporaries Coldplay and Keane, with whom the Feeling are sometimes, bizarrely, compared. Instead, Twelve Stops and Home is a pop album straight out of the 1970s, played by young men with guitars and a piano. Which explains why "Fill My Little World" and "I Want You Now" are so cheerful, sounding like Squeeze would have if they sang about puppies. On Twelve Stops and Home, the Feeling may not be out to change the world, but they're happy to make it a bit brighter. --Ted Kord

Album Description

THE FEELING's debut release "TWELVE STOPS AND HOME" has shipped close to 800,000 albums outside the U.S. and is already double platinum in the UK. They were also the MOST PLAYED BAND ON UK RADIO for 2006!

As they release their 5th single in the UK, THE FEELING are ready to launch their debut single and album in the U.S. with VH1 in full support. TOUR: * Supported THE FRAY in the U.S. in October 2006

* VH1 - YOU OUGHTA KNOW TOUR - CONFIRMED FOR MARCH 2007 - With Mat Kearney and Rocco DeLuca

* COACHELLA Festival performance confirmed.

Hometown: London, England

ALSO AVAILABLE: Four Stops and Home - EP (released in October 2006)

"The Feeling may very well have recorded the album of the year. Twelve Stops And Home is an outrageously tuneful, joyful, loving album. Its 12 tracks play, almost without exception, as a greatest hits set of AOR power ballads and FM pop singles." - THE WORD (UK)

"Dangerously addictive stuff." - SUNDAY TIMES [STYLE] (UK)

"Soft Rock is the new Punk and the Feeling are its Sex Pistols." - THE TIMES (UK)

"Soft rock titans-in-waiting with a bagful of soaring tunes." - Q MAGAZINE (UK)

Customer Reviews:

I Should Have Known Better.......2007-08-02

After hearing The Feeling's performance at the concert for Diana, against my better judgement, i ordered their debut cd. Outside of I Love It When You Call, it is a pretty dull affair. Perhaps with a different engineer and producer, they might have sounded like a band comprised of living beings instead of zombies.

Hooked From The Start!.......2007-07-09

I gave up on radio years ago, with its narrow-minded playlists and excessive talking. So the challenge for me is how do I find new music? Reading these reviews is one way, but I found The Feeling by watching some of the tribute to Princess Diana concert on VH1. My daughter was watching and as soon as The Feeling started playing, I was hooked. I just loved the vibe they gave off.

I've read some of the comparisons to other artists, which I don't wholly agree with. For me their music has elements of the less quirky side of Squeeze and Beatles era Paul McCartney. It's very hook-filled British pop at its best. However, it's not eclectic enough to compare to Queen or some of the other groups mentioned.

If you like good Brit-pop, buy this and enjoy!

Sneaky catchy.......2007-07-06

I bought this album after watching the video for "Sewn" every morning on VH1 for about three weeks. I didn't listen to it much aside from that single, but then my daughter kept playing it in the car and before I knew it, that was all either of us wanted to listen to. It's turned out to be a fantastic drivin' and singin' CD, and now I will always and forever associate the summer of 2007 with these songs.

Wonderful disc, highly recommended.

Power Pop Masterpiece.......2007-05-22

Surprise (but no surprise) that this group is #1 in the UK. Every song is hook filled and magnificently produced. This album harkens sounds of the late 60's and early 70's reminiscent of late Beatles, Badfinger, Pilot, 10cc, Queen, ELO, Elton John, (okay, some 80's) The Knack, REO/Styx, Tom Petty, John Miles. These guys are a great band. I wonder if they'll get any airplay in the US outside of satellite? Oh well, the FM oligarchs are insignificant today anyhow. We find our own music, buy it, and make our own mix CD's and playlists on our MP3 devices. If you like this CD you would probably also like The Land of Pure Imagination by Robert Joseph Manning Jr. of Jellyfish.

Left me with an empty feeling.......2007-05-09

I decided to purchase "Twelve Stops and Home" after falling in love with "Sewn." The album sounds reminicent to the likes of Queen, 10cc and such. There was something peculiar about the lyrics in the songs that left me wondering.

Feeling Good: The Very Best of Nina Simone

Average customer rating:

blues/jazz
World Class Music from a World Class Talent
SOME THE BEST THE WORLD HAS TO OFFER
Musical Gumbo from a Class Act
Excellent Choice

Feeling Good: The Very Best of Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Manufacturer: Umvd Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

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The Very Best Of Nina Simone, 1967-1972 : Sugar In My Bowl
The Blues
Nina: The Essential Nina Simone
After Hours
The Best of Nina Simone

ASIN: B000026LUP
Release Date: 2004-03-29

Tracks:

Feeling Good
My Baby Just Cares for Me
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Ne Me Quitte Pas (If You Go Away)
Take Me to the Water
I Put a Spell on You
Don't Explain
Mississippi Goddam
Don't Smoke in Bed
I Loves You, Porgy
Work Song
Love Me or Leave Me
Strange Fruit
Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out
I'm Going Back Home
Other Woman
Sinner Man
Mood Indigo
I'm Gonna Leave You
See Line Women

Album Description

Fantastic collection from Universal featuring 20 of her most memorable tunes. Highlights include, 'I Put A Spell On You', 'See Line Woman', 'My Baby Just Cares For Me', 'Feeling Good', 'I Love You Porgy' and many more. Polygram International/Universal. 1994.

Customer Reviews:

blues/jazz.......2007-08-03

vintage nina, some very good songs mixed with some not so good songs, tried to cram too many songs in one cd

World Class Music from a World Class Talent.......2007-05-29

The great author James Baldwin once stated that "the artist has always been a disturber of the peace in some way." When we hear Nina Simone sing with composed outrage such songs as "Mississippi Goddam," and "Work Song," in protest against the overt racism practiced during the 1960s in the southern U.S., we know that hers was indeed a politically charged consciousness. The singer's recording of "Mississippi Goddam" was so controversial when first released that Simone would come to attribute the decline of her career in the U.S., and her relocation to France, to the fallout that followed. However, the 20 songs gathered here on FEELING GOOD, THE VERY BEST OF NINA SIMONE, demonstrate that the greater range of her musical talents went far beyond social or political protest.

Trained as a classical pianist at the famed Juilliard School of Music, Simone was an extraordinary interpreter of song lyrics as well as of musical genres. In the title track of this CD, she draws listeners into an inspired celebration of life with a song that dozens of artists are now covering in 2007 (please note review of Randy Crawford's "Feeling Good.") She can croon seductively and vulnerably in songs like "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," "Ne Me Quitte Pas," and "I Put a Spell on You." And yet she can also go straight to church on the gospel presentations "Take Me to the Water" and "I'm Going Back Home." Talent of such amazing caliber doesn't pop up every decade. This generous sampling of Simone's genius makes one very glad she came along and gave the world as much as she could when she did.

By Author-Poet Aberjhani
Author of I Made My Boy Out of Poetry
And Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History)

SOME THE BEST THE WORLD HAS TO OFFER.......2007-05-13

AIN'T MUCH ANYMORE THAT PUTS A CHILL DOWN MY SPINE. THIS LADY DOES. SHEER PLEASURE TO HEAR THIS VOICE! COME ON FLUSH THE C**P OUT OF YOUR HEAD. POP THIS CD INTO YOUR PLAYER AND JUST LISTEN...

Musical Gumbo from a Class Act.......2007-04-06

I bought this CD right after seeing the Doolittle girl (American Idol 2007 favorite) perform "Feeling Good". That song hooked me! "Feeling Good" (soul), "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (pop), "I Put a Spell on You" (blues), "Love Me or Leave Me" (jazz) are my favorites and worth the price of this CD. "Mississippi Goddam" (awful) is the low point of this "disjointed" compilation disc. This CD is also interesting for Simone's excellent interpretations of Billie Holliday's classics, "Don't Explain" and "Strange Fruit". Stir in a little French a' la Edith Piaf, "Ne Me Quitte Pas", and gospel, "Take Me to the Water", and the listener has musical gumbo from one classy lady that defied all catagories.

Excellent Choice.......2006-11-10

Trying to get to know Nina's music more and this was an excellent choice.

Average customer rating:

Don't let this be your first Belle and Sebastion
"It Only Happens Once A Lifetime..."
"And he remembers Roxy Music in '72" (* * * * 1/2)
Awesome stuff
Damn, Where's the minister

If You're Feeling Sinister
Belle & Sebastian
Manufacturer: Matador Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dear Catastrophe Waitress
The Crane Wife
The Soft Bulletin
Loveless
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

ASIN: B00000JHAU
Release Date: 1999-06-23

Tracks:

The Stars Of Track And Field
Seeing Other People
Me And The Major
Like Dylan In The Movies
The Fox In The Snow
Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying
If You're Feeling Sinister
Mayfly
The Boy Done Wrong Again
Judy And The Dream Of Horses

Amazon.com

There are several schools of thought about Syd Barrett, the early leader of Pink Floyd. Some think he was a genius songwriter, even when he was utterly whacked out. Others think he was just a druggie tosspot (those people are wrong). If you subscribe to the former school, you need to hear Belle and Sebastian, who seem to inhabit a musical universe close to Syd's. Songs seem to fly off the cuff, as attractive as a summer day when you were 16. We're not talking self-conscious strangeness here, but just natural, organic weirdness with melodies that make these songs work. --Chris Nickson

Album Description

Whimsy and preciousness is an integral part of 'If You're Feeling Sinister', along with clever wit and gentle, intricate arrangements - a wonderful blend of the Smiths and Simon & Garfunkel, to be reductive. A Matador Records release.

Customer Reviews:

Don't let this be your first Belle and Sebastion.......2007-05-22

I gave this only 3 stars not because it's not good but because it doesn't come close to some of their better albums. If your a big fan go ahead and get this CD but otherwise pass and get a better Belle and Sebastian album.

"It Only Happens Once A Lifetime...".......2007-04-29

So do you want talk of the music first or do you want The Theory?

Music? Okay.

It starts innocently enough, quietly enough. 'The Stars Of Track And Field' building softly to its confident acoustic climax - hints of pop purity amidst its (meaningful) meandering. There is nothing obvious about this but its beauty is - like all this - just that.

'Seeing Other People' is more immediate and kind of sums up why I love this album, this band. Lyrically it's very clever, about growing up ("We lay on the bed there/Kissing just for practice/Could we please be objective?/Cause the other boys are queueing up behind us...") and the stories we tell ourselves ("A hand over my mouth/A hand over the window/Well, if I remain passive and you just want to cuddle/Then we should be okay and won't get in a muddle/Cause we're seeing other people/At least that's what we say we are doing...")but I love this bittersweet gender blurring and then it's just plain funny ("You're going to have to change/Or you're going to have to go with girls/You might be better off/At least they know what they are doing..." - I love that pay-off line). There's nothing flash about the song though and musically it just draws you in. Before you know it you're hooked.

Candidates for best song on the album flow thick and fast.

'Like Dylan In The Movies' not only has a great title but just rolls along beautifully, so sure of itself, so sure of all of this. This was the first song I really adored on this album but now it's joined by 'The Fox In The Snow' (the repeated refrain of "What do they know anyway?/You read it in a book..." just gives me goosebumps)and the music merges with those great lyrics to form this mystical whole. I'm either sat there with tears in my eyes or this massive grin on my face.

It's joined by the self-deprecating glory of 'Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying' ("You could either be successful or you could be us...") and that is then joined by the Nick Drake of 'Mayflower' with its opening "Lovesick on a sunny afternoon..." which kind of nails the mood of much of this ("He had the moves to save the day/But you would love him anyway..."), a kind of celebration of the day to day, of the days as they go past with all the reasons how or why they change us, elate us or just leave us as we think we are.

The best is saved till last though. 'The Boy Done Wrong Again' and 'Judy And The Dream Of Horses' combine to round off this marvellous album in truly dreamy fashion. 'The Boy Done Wrong Again' sounds like a dream itself as it hypnotises ("All that I wanted was to sing the saddest song/And if you would sing along, I will be happy now...") and then the upbeat finale. "Judy wrote the saddest song..." is how it begins - see how everything just fits, how theme leads to theme and all moves to where you are or where you should be or where you want to be. "You dream of horses" is how it ends. In between you have pop perfection.

And then it's over. all too soon. So you have to stop and play it all again. Everything drifting...

And the theory? Sorry, The Theory? Oh,it's something and nothing. Well, compared to the music. Just something about how Belle & Sebastian almost singlehandedly saved indie (as in independent) music at a time when the greatness of Nirvana had inadvertantly ruined it, having ushered in an era where every indie band was being signed by the majors and then spat out after an album when the expected 'units' weren't 'shifted'. Creativity stifled and any idea of independent thought gone, just little things like a band being allowed to develop...whatever. Belle & Sebastian changed all that. A wilful independence, a refusal to acknowledge the game let alone play it...and then the change. Indie. Independent.

But then, come on, you can save your theory, all theories. Nothing much matters next to the majesty of this music. Play it again and play it louder each time. Yes.

"And he remembers Roxy Music in '72" (* * * * 1/2).......2007-02-17

In my review of Belle & Sebastian's CD The Boy With the Arab Strap, I described the 1996 release If You're Feeling Sinister as the "better" album. I think that I was pretty much going along with the conventional wisdom that holds this to be true. At this point, however, I am not sure that I agree with this assessment. I am not now claiming that The Boy With the Arab Strap is better one, just that it is not by any means necessarily the lesser one. So to split the difference, let us say that they are equally good. Interestingly, about as many would disagree with this as would agree with it. I read a review of their 2006 CD The Life Pursuit which claimed that the band never fully capitalized on the momentum they developed with If You're Feeling Sinister. Granted, their 2000 and 2002 albums showed a sharp decline in the quaility of the band's output. However, to discount The Boy With the Arab Strap and 2003's Dear Catastrophe Waitress as subpar efforts is simply ludicrous.

Anyway, If You're Feeling Sinister was the band's first record to be given wide release, and was therefore the one which introduced the lucky few to the elements that have made Belle & Sebastian the beloved cult band that they have been ever since. Those with only a passing knowledge of Belle & Sebastian might be inclined to associate them with slow and pensive songs. These are indeed an essential part of their reportoire, as demonstrated on this album by "The Stars of Track and Field", "The Fox In the Snow", "The Boy Done Wrong Again", and "Judy and the Dream of Horses". (These titles themselves are indicitive of the whimsy that is also invitably - and rightly - associated with the band.) However, the band ventures just as naturally into uptempo territory on "Seeing Other People", "Me and the Major", the title track, and "Mayfly". This contrast keeps the record from sounding too much like a collection of bedtime stories, even though IYFS is less dynamic than some of their other records.

When I first heard "Me and the Major", I mistook those words as "me and the midget". Thus, I misheard one of the lyrics as "Me and the midget don't see eye to eye". While this was a humorous mistake, it made sense to me that such a lyric would come from Belle & Sebastian, as they are quite keen with their word play and verbal imagery, eg, "She was into S&M and Bible studies". Musically, Belle & Sebastian's sound is based primarily on strings and delicate acoustic guitars, to the almost complete exclusion of electric guitars. This combination is decorated by non-traditional pop instruments such as harmonica, trumpet, and saxaphone. The band uses these to full effect without making the songs sound like exercises in the genres more commonly associated with these instruments. This sound - along with the lyrics - deliberately invoke melancholy. In fact, the last two songs on the album refer to someone writing or wanting to write "the saddest song". And as lead singer/songwriter Stuart Murdoch sings on "Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying", "I could kill you sure/But I can only make you cry with these words".

But still, as I said in my review of The Boy With the Arab Strap, Belle & Sebatian's music is much more life-affirming than it is depressing. Moreover, Stuart Murdoch is not as brooding or woe-is-me as say, Morrissey. Having gotten in B&S in a somewhat backward fashion (I heard Dear Catastrophe Waitress before anything else), I missed the female vocals present on later albums but absent from IYFS. This does not make it a lesser album, but rather, it helps keep other releases from sounding too much like it. Thus, IYFS was a fine springboard for future ideas from Belle & Sebastian, and it is every bit as good as - but not better than - anything the group has ever recorded.

Awesome stuff.......2006-11-05

Belle and Sebastian are a very recent discovery of mine, but I am severely addicted to their music. This album got me started, but I really don't think it's a five star album - but at the same time, it's not as low as a four star, so I had to round up. There are better albums out there, sure, even some by B&S... but this one is fantastic nonetheless. I highly recommend it.

Damn, Where's the minister.......2006-07-29

Belle and Sebastian's "If You're Feeling Sinister" is an album of extroardinary folk songs that becomes an extraordinary experience when you listen through your heart. The lyrics are a thoughtful ballad of pain, hate and tyranny. Each song will drive you wild with the soft yet brilliant guitar strum and a dark and cold voice that is somewhat uplifting. Stuart Murdoch would be the ringleader of this circus and I like it... This album was a part of what I stood for in the 90's and still is listenable today because of the jagged edges that made me simultaneously happy on each listen.

Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls

Average customer rating:

Wonderfully American
A Gersh-winner
Interesting... but I think I'd prefer a good Gershwin interpreter
Gershwin's playing overated
The jazzy Gershwin. What a CD!!!!!!!

Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls, Vol. 2
Essential George Gershwin
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue - Piano Concerto in F - An American in Paris
Levant Plays Gershwin
George Gershwin: Greatest Hits

ASIN: B000005J1I
Release Date: 1993-11-09

Tracks:

Sweet And Lowdown
Novelette In Fourths
That Certain Feeling
So Am I
Rhapsody In Blue
Swanee
When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em...
Kickin' The Clouds Away
Idol Dreams
On My Mind The Whole Night Long
Scandal Walk
An American In Paris

Customer Reviews:

Wonderfully American.......2007-05-14

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

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

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

A Gersh-winner.......2007-01-07

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

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

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

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

TOTAL RUNNING TIME -- 60:36

Interesting... but I think I'd prefer a good Gershwin interpreter.......2006-05-14

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

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

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

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

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

Gershwin's playing overated.......2006-04-09

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

The jazzy Gershwin. What a CD!!!!!!!.......2006-02-23

I got this CD as a gift. I am all for the austrogerman post- romantic music and as imagined Gershwin is not my favourite composer. I know him from his best known works such as the 'Rhapsody", the 'American' and his great songs. This CD is a treasure as mentioned from other reviewers of this site. Gershwin full of passion, his music being jazzy to the very end and that great feeling you get after a great live performance is present all over the length of this 'treasure'. No question about the presence of the music. Not to be missed

Average customer rating:

Easy does it
The potential was there
I've got a "Good Feeling"
Great music!
TRAVIS = GOOD MUSIC

Good Feeling
Travis
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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12 Memories
The Man Who
The Invisible Band
The Boy with No Name
Singles

ASIN: B000002BZD
Release Date: 1997-10-07

Tracks:

All I Want To Do Is Rock
U16 Girls
The Line Is Fine
Good Day To Die
Good Feeling
Midsummer Nights Dreamin'
Tied To The 90's
I Love You Anyways
Happy
More Than Us
Falling Down
Funny Thing

Customer Reviews:

Easy does it.......2005-02-27

This cd is so complete. I didnt like it much when i first heard it, but i realized that they put alot on the plate. Falling Down is the most beautiful song theyve ever written...Except that Christmas song.

The potential was there.......2005-02-20

This CD showed what Fran Healey was capable of. I find it such a shame that, since the success of The Man Who, they felt they had to leave the rockier side behind them. Turn Turn Turn, Sing Sing Sing - come on Fran, all we wanna do is rock!

I do love The Man Who, but, to me, this album knocks the spots off it. From the rockathon numbers, to the typical (at the time) Britpop numbers - such as Happy and Tied to the Nineties, it's nothing but uplifting; his voice seems to carry any cliche, any nuiance of datedness. Listen to Good Feeling, the title track, and the use of the piano that almost takes to back to a 1940's pub with the knees up piano.

I have to admit, I prefer the single version of More Than Us - the strings (whether over-produced or not) just make it that more beautiful. And better than anything since this album.

I let a friend in Denver listen to this album when they went "big" with Driftwood, and he hated it. To me, that makes me like this album more. Travis, to me, are now a dead band; I've lost interest. Fran showed he had the potential to be something big, but he (and the band) "sold out".

I wanted more, and expected it, from them (I was massively into them from the start), but now all I feel is wishy-washy niceness. If you want to hear what they really had, buy this album. If you're into magnolia, buy everything since.

I've got a "Good Feeling".......2005-02-14

Travis is best known for being one of the most downbeat Britpop bands in existance, but their debut "Good Feeling" is Brit-rock -- happy rock, depressed rock, evenly divided between melancholy and joy. It doesn't have the musical polish of their later efforts, but it does have the infectious exuberance of a young band.

"Hey/I would really like to talk to you/girl/all I want to do is rock!" Fran Healy announces happily at the start of the album. That sentiment carries through the first half of the album, full of uptempo powerpop that ranges from the fuzzy "Good Day To Die" to the swirling melody of the title track. What they lack in experience, they make up in gung-hoety.

When it hits the midway mark, "Good Feeling" changes in tone -- it becomes less about wanting to rock, and more poignant and plaintive. Despite the bouncy poppiness of "Happy," the second half is overwhelmingly melancholy ballads, usually about the fragility of love. While not as much fun as the powerpop, these piano-led ballads are extremely beautiful.

Most bands sound awkward when they're still figuring out what kind of music they want to do. Travis wasn't one of those bands -- they sound equally good when they do sad ballads, and upbeat catchy pop. And though Travis later decided to do the melancholy music, if you listen to "Good Feeling" it's hard not to wish that they could include a few uptempo numbers too.

For a beginner band they were remarkably polished -- the piano melodies are exquisite, and they do some remarkable things with crunchy guitar riffs and some reverbing basslines. The songwriting is one of the few stumbling blocks -- the downtempo numbers are prettily written ("I think you should be framed/in some fine art gallery/I know you'd disagree with me/but I love you anyways"), but the pop numbers contain some real groaners ("I'm a foot without a sock").

Those groaners are admittedly hard to notice, though -- Fran Healy sings these as if he's been doing it all his life, and he adds some extra life to an already solid album. One minute he's purring along and happily yelling along to the riffs, then he's softly murmuring along to the piano.

The style of "Good Feeling" got left behind by Travis, but their debut remains a solid Britpop album that mixes solid powerpop with exquisite ballads. Definitely worth checking out.

Great music!.......2005-01-11

This is the most recent cd of Travis' music I've bought...and I was surprised that the music on this cd is more rock. In a way I prefer 12 Stories and The Man Who, since those albums are more mellow....but this cd is still good music!

TRAVIS = GOOD MUSIC.......2004-12-31

First I want to say that Travis is one of the best British bands ever, they have become popular in a lot of places and they deserve it. This CD is like the early Travis, when they were more like a "rocker" band, and this isn't bad, but for Travis fans that only know their mellow songs and like them for that type of songs this could be like a dissapoinment, but for me it wasn't.This CD is full of young energy, it has good lyrics and generally good music, but for me it doesn't compares to "The man who" or "The Invisible Band" as a complete CD, but some songs like "Good felling", "more than us" and "I love you anyways" could be even better than some Cds of their next albums. So this is an excelent choice for knowing better Travis.

With a Song In My Heart (from the 1952 film)/ Pal Joey (with 1952 cast members)

Average customer rating:

with a song in my heart/pal joey sound tracks
With A Song In My Heart CD
A Jane Froman double feature.
"Pal Joey's" Pal
another great twofer from DRG

With a Song In My Heart (from the 1952 film)/ Pal Joey (with 1952 cast members)

Manufacturer: Drg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Jane Froman: With A Song In My Heart / Yours Alone - Original Recordings 1930-1952
My Heart Speaks
I'll Cry Tomorrow
I'll Cry Tomorrow
Susan Hayward Double Feature: Smash-Up/Tulsa

ASIN: B0000AGWH6
Release Date: 2003-08-26

Tracks:

Opening
It's A Good Day
Tea For Two
Blue Moon
That Old Feeling
Embraceable You
Get Happy
I'll Walk Alone
They're Either Too Young Or Too Old
I'm Thru With Love
An American Medley
WIth A Song In My Heart
Overture
You Mustn't Kick It Around
I Could Write A Book
Chicago
That Terrific Rainbow
What Is A Man?
Happy Hunting Horn
Bewitched
Pal Joey
The Flower Garden Of My Heart
Zip
Plan You Now, Dig You Later
In Our Little Den
Do It The Hard Way
Take Him
Bewitched (Reprise)
Finale

Album Description

First time collection on CD! This Jane Froman package features the 1952 Broadway Revival of "Pal Joey" (where Jane provided the lead vocals for Vivienne Segal) along with the original soundtrack to "With Song in My Heart" - the 1952 film starring Susan Hayward in the life story of Jane Forman (Jane provided vocals for the film). The classic Rodgers & Hart "Pal Joey" album also features a standout performance from a young Elaine Stritch singing her showstopper "Zip." Digitally Remastered.

Customer Reviews:

with a song in my heart/pal joey sound tracks.......2007-03-31

I actually was so pleased to see a CD available because I have been longing for the movie "with a song in my heart" to become available on VHS and then on DVD, and it never has, so now at least I can enjoy the songs from the movie. The cast track from Pal Joey was just an added bonus.

With A Song In My Heart CD.......2007-03-19

I saw the film, "With A Song In My Heart" when I was twelve or thirteen years old and have wanted the sound track for many years. As an impressionable teenager in the 1950s, I have collected over time many of the films from that time on VHS or DVD, to satisfy my memories of the period. I regret that this particular film is not available on VHS or DVD, but, this CD is the next best choice. It is really enjoyable to hear the richness and depth of the voice of Jane Froman, who was one of the best singers of the time. I can still recall many scenes from the film and this CD revives the memories so well.

A Jane Froman double feature........2006-09-16

This DRG CD pairs two recordings starring Jane Froman.

WITH A SONG IN MY HEART

Susan Hayward played Jane Froman in the film but Froman herself dubbed the vocals. This album of songs was originally issued as a 10" Lp. None of the tracks are taken from the film: They are all studio re-recordings. Later, Capitol re-released it as a 12" LP with two extra songs added. It is that expanded [program included here. Froman is in great voice, though the orchestrations are overly lush and string heavy. Still, the songs include such standards as "It's a Good Day", "Get Happy", and "Embraceable You" making for an enjoyable mini-concert.

PAL JOEY

Capitol's cast album of the 1952 revival has long been a collector's item. The original Lp was deleted in 1960 and did not resurface until Broadway Angel released it on CD (briefly) in 1993. As the stars of the revival Harold Lang and Vivienne Segal had already made a studio cast album for Columbia - an album that helped inspire the revival - they were unable to re-record their songs for Capitol, and the label turned to Jane Froman and Dick beavers to fill in. The revised orchestrations sound dated now, but here is a chance to hear Elaine Stritch singing "Zip" and to enjoy the lusty voice of Helen Gallagher early in her career.

In the end it's the WITH A SONG IN MY HEART selections (making their debut on CD here) that make this CD worthwhile. For PAL JOEY the studio recording (available from SONY) is preferable, however if one is so inclined you can assemble your own cast album of the '52 revival by combining tracks from both releases.

"Pal Joey's" Pal.......2006-07-30

While the legubrious and over-orchestrated songs from the film "With a Song in My Heart" are typical of their era (and Jane Froman's stilted renditions are what once stood for emoting) the "Pal Joey" cast recording is an absolute delight. The orchestrations are bouncy and jazzy in a way that has long been forgotten, and the performances (except for the aforementioned Ms. Froman, whose Vulgnarian renditions are at times quite disconcerting, and who hits the sonic notes like lazer beems but misses the emotional ones by a country mile) are exceptional. Helen Gallagher deserved her Tony from the evidence of this recording, with Elaine Stritch not far behind her. But the overall impact surpasses any recording of "Joey" including the historic one that lead to this revival. There's energy, intensity and a whole lot of fantastic song writing (leave it to to Rogers and Hart) to satisfy any musical theater fan. A must have for anyone who loves "Old Broadway."

another great twofer from DRG.......2004-01-21

Jane Froman was one of the top vocalists of her era. Froman's greatness is celebrated in this new 2-on-1 album, which comprises the film soundtrack of WITH A SONG IN MY HEART as well as the 1952 Broadway revival cast album of PAL JOEY.

WITH A SONG IN MY HEART was the life story of Jane Froman, with the lovely Susan Hayward in the lead role. Froman herself supplied the singing for the film. Numbers include "It's a Good Day", the bittersweet and humorous "They're Either Too Young or Too Old", "Blue Moon", "Get Happy", "Tea for Two" and "I'm Thru with Love".

The 1952 Broadway revival of PAL JOEY was the result of the huge success of a studio album released by Columbia the year before (which featured Vivienne Segal reprising her original role of Vera and Harold Lang as Joey). Segal and Lang headlined the new revival with Helen Gallagher (SWEET CHARITY, HAZEL FLAGG) as Gladys Bumps and Elaine Stritch (ON YOUR TOES, GOLDILOCKS) as reporter Melba Snyder.

Having already recorded their roles for the Columbia album, Segal and Lang saw little need in re-recording them for the revival album on the Capitol label. Instead, the roles of Vera and Joey were covered by Jane Froman and Dick Beavers.

The cast album suffers on many levels. First, the absence of Segal and Lang is quite distracting, and secondly the new Overture can't even compare with the scintillanting original.

The Columbia studio album is the version to buy in addition to this, though both albums have their strong and weak points. As per usual, Elaine Stritch brings her impressive and formidable comic timing to the fore in the show-stopping "Zip", and Helen Gallagher's silvery voice is perfect for "That Terrific Rainbow".

Tracks:

I've Got That Old Feeling
Dark Skies
Wish I Still Had You
Endless Highway
Winter Of A Broken Heart
It's Over
Will You Be Leaving
Steel Rails
Tonight I'll Be Lonely Too
One Good Reason
That Makes One Of Us
Longest Highway

Amazon.com essential recording

At 14, child prodigy Alison Krauss signed to Rounder records, wooing critics and beguiling both bluegrass and country stalwarts with her nimble-fingered champion fiddling and inimitable otherworldly soprano. Though 1995's Now That I've Found You is credited as her mainstream breakthrough, 1990's I've Got That Old Feeling bridges her remarkable career into adulthood, capturing the public's interest in bluegrass. Barely past the threshold of womanhood, Krauss possesses musical agility far beyond her years, as well as the soft sweetness of the girlhood blush. The efficacy with which she and her band approach each song is marrow deep and tenderly precise, be it on the banjo rave-up "Will You Be Leaving" or the multi-string delay-beat of "Winter of a Broken Heart." Witness to the promise of a stellar future is the Floyd Cramer-esque piano-led "Tonight I'll Be Lonely Too," in which Krauss shines like the sun, her splendidly emotive tone and phrasing somewhat reminiscent of a young Dolly Parton. --Paige La Grone

Customer Reviews:

Best of the early years.......2006-07-12

If you just stumbled across this album and gave it a listen, you might be forgiven for thinking that it's a greatest hits CD. At this point, AK already had a couple of albums under her belt, and it shows. The music is straight bluegrass and country, you won't find any of the later pop infusions (which is fine music itself!), and the song selection is first rate. The instrumentalists are in fine form, and her voice still has most of that thin,reedy quality that you associate with bluegrass. But if you listen, it's just beginning to warm up some and lose that young-girl quality ...

So if you're already an AKUS fan, you can scoop this one up and enjoy every lick! And if not, this is as good a place as any to test the waters.

Bluegrass Queen Alison Krauss Reigns on this Recording.......2004-06-26

On her 3rd CD Alison Krauss does not break stride. "I've Got That Old Feeling" is chock-a-block FULL of the beautiful ballads that have made her famous with her angelically emotive voice, but it is also perhaps the best showcase for her ability to perform more up-tempo pieces, such as "Dark Skies" and "Will You Be Leaving?" The supporting cast here performs perfectly.

How many albums do you have that have perhaps a few good songs on it, but just as many songs that are just filler - instantly forgettable and barely listenable? This is a CD with NO filler. Every cut is a "keeper" and I could just listen to the whole thing back to back over and over again.

Alison Krauss is a national treasure, and this recording is one reason why.

Brilliant early album full of great songs.......2003-12-15

Alison Krauss has done much to popularise bluegrass in recent years. Her early recordings were pure bluegrass - this (from 1990) might just be the best album of that phase of her career, although they are all brilliant and it's hard to choose a particular favorite. Her more recent albums have included other influences but I enjoy those too, in a different way.

There are no really famous songs on this album, but the quality of all the songs is high. Sidney Cox (of the Cox family, a noted bluegrass group with which Alison recorded a gospel album) wrote four songs including the title track (a bright, upbeat song) and Tonight I'll be lonely too (an outstanding ballad). Other favorites of mine include Steel rails (a brilliant train song), Endless highway, Will you be leaving and One good reason, but there are so many great songs here and it may be that your favorite is one I haven't mentioned. The overall feel of the album is bright and upbeat.

If you are unfamiliar with Alison's early music, I recommend that you buy Now that I've found you - A collection, which I've already reviewed. That includes one track from each of her early albums, plus tracks not available on any of her other albums so far. If you have that collection and you are looking for more of Alison's early music, you will enjoy this.

Forever a Classic.......2003-02-27

Alison Krauss is by far my favorite artist. Getting this CD has been a treat. She brings such flavor to bluegrass like no other artist. Not only is her voice that brings spirit, but her violin playing has emotions and feeling. Alison and Union Station's mixtures of songs such as ballads and up beat toe tapping Blue grass shows the range of talent this lady and group has. I hope they continue to produce this special music. I just have one more CD to buy and I have all her CD...which are getting quite worn.

Not my cup of tea.......2003-01-21

This CD is okay, but lacking the depth I tend to enjoy. Something about the songs is a little too sing-songy and Allison's voice actually grates on me if I'm in the wrong mood. I thought I'd try her out, but she's just not my cup of tea. For the record, I bought Dolly Parton's Little Sparrow at about the same time, and I'm enjoying that immensely.

Average customer rating:

Memories
1990s Sleeper Hit ****
Beautiful
Feeling Strangely Fine=Shrineworthy
One of the most influential albums from the '90s

Feeling Strangely Fine
Semisonic
Manufacturer: Mca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000062XN
Release Date: 1998-03-24

Tracks:

Closing Time
Singing In My Sleep
Made To Last
Never You Mind
Secret Smile
DND
Completely Pleased
This Will Be My Year
All Worked Out
California
She Speads Her Wings
Gone To The Movies

Amazon.com

The second record from this Minneapolis trio firmly established them as one of the most promising hard-edged pop bands to surface in the 1990s. The leadoff track, the modern rock radio hit "Closing Time," neatly encapsulates everything that makes Semisonic special, from its irresistibly catchy chorus to an ingeniously minimalist keyboard riff to a simple lyric that speaks volumes to the 20-something nightclubbing set. Elsewhere, the band broadens its base with touches of psychedelic production ("California"), boogie-woogie- influenced piano ("Never You Mind") and tender string accompaniment ("Gone to the Movies"). The disc drags a bit in the middle with less memorable tracks such as "Completely Pleased" and "This Will Be My Year," but overall, Feeling Strangely Fine finds Semisonic blooming radiantly. --Peter Blackstock

Customer Reviews:

Memories.......2006-08-07

This CD pretty much contains every memory of the year it came out that I have. It's wonderful to just listen to on repeat while crashed out on the floor of your best friends' room while discussing everything and nothing at all. I love the ambience of the disk, and would recommend it to anyone at all.

1990s Sleeper Hit ****.......2006-04-01

Something you have to understand about this reviewer is I like to dabble a lot in weird types of music; psychedelic, prog rock, indie rock, jam bands, Southern Rock. I consider bands like Radiohead, My Morning Jacket, Death Cab for Cutie, Porcupine Tree, and The Shins to be some of the best bands of the 2000's. It's also interesting to note that above everything else, I'm a pop-rock fan. I grew up with 90's music. If it's not catchy, I'm not interested. For my money, the 90's was the best decade for music; Toad the Wet Sprocket, REM, Live, etc.

I'm not a huge Semisonic fan, and I don't need to be. I don't really have any interest to be, since the amount of money I spend on music is limited. However, the band's "Feeling Strangely Fine" reminds me of how simple life was in high school. People bought Tonic's "Lemon Parade." No one cared about their politics, about whether or not Rolling Stone considered them cool. People liked them because *gasp* they actually liked their music, because it was good. Nowadays, no band's played on the radio that doesn't consider middle American states bigots and inbred. "Music fans" have to ensure that a band disapproves of the War in Iraq, and gets an "okay" from Pitchfork and other pretentious internet music critics before buying a CD. It's ruined our media, morals, and music.

I love this CD. Because they don't layer the songs with pretention. They just wrote good pop songs and people got that. The songs were for entertainment, to enrich the listener's life, not to completely define it. "Closing Time," of course, got the airplay, but "Singing in my Sleep" was twice the single. "Never You Mind" and "DND" had great melodies. And "Gone to the Movies" sold me on the CD. It defined EXACTLY how I felt during break-ups in high school. It remains one of the most meloncholie (spelling?) songs of the 90's. The CD is also on the of the decade's best; because of its simplicity and remeniscent qualities. How ironic that I listen to it all the time on my iPod.

Overall: 8 out of 10.

Beautiful.......2005-08-03

This has become one of my favorite CDs. This is a band with that all to rare combonation of instrumental, lyrical AND vocal talents. It has a pace perfect for a Saturday Morning. It'll get your butt out of bed and put a grin on your face. It's clever, upbeat and most certainly catchy. What a find!

Feeling Strangely Fine=Shrineworthy.......2005-02-17

I first heard Semisonic through a mix tape given to me 4 years ago, and the one song that always stood out to me was 'Singing In My Sleep.' It took me a while to find this album, and when I did, it did not leave my CD player for a very long time. It is an amazing piece of rock genius by the rock genius himself, Dan Wilson. Every song on this album is a standout, especially 'Singing in My Sleep,' 'Never You Mind,' 'Secret Smile,' and 'California'(my favorite song right now off this album.) I love this album so much. It has gotten me through many tough times and has helped me realize the promise of a better day. I have even convinced my friends to love this album. I am always going to love it and listen to it, and it really is shrineworthy, in a sense. Semisonic is a shrineworthy band. Pay homage.

One of the most influential albums from the '90s.......2004-10-14

I have owned this album since it came out, and I still listen to it regularly. This has to be one of the best purchases I have ever made, not to mention one of the most influential in my life. Whatever mood I'm in, this CD has something to offer for me. Semisonic is easily one of my favorite bands of all time, and I recommend them to anyone who likes alternative rock, '90s music, or just music in general. Check out their other albums, which don't quite live up to the standard set by Feeling Strangely Fine, but are quite good too.

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