5 comments about Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits.

1. Listen Scrooge! Buy this album, it will put you in the Christmas spirit. And that's a good thing.



2. Vince guaraldi often gets a bad wrap from jazz critics, claiming that his music is soft and not deep enough to be considered great. I couldnt disagree with them more, after thelonius Monk he is the easiest jazz pianist to recognize upon listening to. His playing sings with a sense of joy unlike anybody else. And his best music was written for the peanuts cartoons.
   However, this is not the peanuts disc to get. Most of the songs while charming and fun are short and underdevolped, surfin snoopy for example is energetic and catchy, but it sounds like it is just one short riff being played over and over again for 1:30. the songs that will best bring back the Holiday memories can all be found on " A Charlie Brown Christmas". I would also recomend that you buy " A Boy named charlie Brown " if you want even more peanuts music.



3. Don't waste your money. I would send it back but my dad threw it away.



4. Excellent disc, something you can listen to not only during the holidays. I would recommend this purchase to anyone. We like this disc more than the Charlie Brown Christmas one.



5. If you love Vince Guaraldi's music for the Peanuts shows as much as I do, you'll probably enjoy listening to "Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits." But as some reviewers here point out, this is certainly not the CD to start with if you're new to this music. I'm making my own compilation of Guaraldi's Peanuts music, so this CD is valuable to me for providing some tracks I didn't have, especially since there is not a lot more of this music on the market other than "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas." However, start with those two soundtracks if you don't already have them. Also, the 1989 CD "Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown" on the GRP label, which is music mostly by Guaraldi re-recorded by other artists, is also worth considering. "Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits" is good for completing your collection, but 5 of the tracks on it are from those earlier soundtrack CDs, and of the 9 new tracks here, 7 are in mono, some are quite distorted too, and overall the music is not as good. Still, I'd say this is an enjoyable CD, and helps to complete your collection if you've already got "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

5 comments about Joy to the World - Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra.

1. A truly great collection of classical Christmas music. Highly recommended.



2. This wonderful CD has everything to celebrate the great joy of the Christmas season. Recorded in the early 1970's it still sounds as fresh and timeless as it did way back then.
   The orchestrations are majestic and imaginative without being mushy or too symphonic in structure.The addition of the chorus in most of the carols is an added bonus. The singers and orchestra blend wonderfully without either dominating the other too much. The programme of selected songs is excellent and with some lovely orchestra only tracks the CD is not tiring to listen to creating a well balanced programme.
   Maestro Eugene Ormandy conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra with great zeal and a passion for the music that is felt by the listener.The chorus master is the very talented Robert Page and the carols are arranged and orchestrated by the great Arthur Harris.
   The sound quality is excellent and the CD has been beautifully remastered without any loss of crispness or dynamics.The stereo balance and instrument placement sound superb with the singers centre stage.
   This is a remarkably good CD from the RCA Gold Seal range and is a must for lovers of really good seasonal music played with love and passion for the joys of the Christmas season.
   Thank you for taking the trouble to read my review and I wish one and all much enjoyment from this lovely CD.
   
   Happy listening!



3. Since I am a musician and director of music also, I really get into the listening of music. Christmas music is my favorite next to religious choral pieces we do in my church. This particular CD ranks quite high on my list because of the fullness of the music and the selection of pieces. The use of dynamics is quite effective as well. It really puts me into the spirit of Christmas and in particular, the reason for Christmas, the birth of Christ. Enjoy!!



4. I have always preferred classical Christmas music as opposed to something like Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas is You" and the 10,000 versions of "Silver Bells" so this album really fit the bill. Great pick if you prefer classical music to pop Xmas songs.



5. This music represents what Christmas joy is all about,the thrill of old favorites presented in top quality form. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

5 comments about Partridge Family Christmas.

1. I was thrilled to see this available on CD .......... it is the most delightful Christmas 'album' of it's time & IT CONTINUES TO DELIGHT! I purchased several and gave to friends for Christmas - every single receipient was immediately thrilled to have this 'album' on CD stating, 'this was my favorite, where'd you find it?" Great gift!



2. If you are a fan of those great early Partridge Family albums, then you owe it to yourself to get these, the 1993 Razor & Tie versions and not the recent re-masters of 2000 and 2003. Why? Razor & Tie did not tamper with the sound quality, as a result, Razor & Tie CD's sound like the records you remember. I made the mistake of buying the re-masters thinking they would sound even greater; NOT!



3. I love the Partridge Family and have good memories of their music. This didn't sound like them nor was it very good Christmas music. Got the impression someone else was trying to make money on some very good music.



4. Have loved this album since it was first released. I ordered it many years ago on cassette tape. However have played it so much the tape is wearing out. Wanted to order a CD as this will last me forever.
   Christmas isn't the same without this album.



5. This is my wife's favorite CHRISTmas album and she only had it on an audio cassette made from the original record album(big black CD, lol). The quality was diminishing on the cassette, so I looked for it on CD and found it at AMAZON. My wife was so so happy to have her favorite CHRISTmas Album on CD in such great quality!!!! Great way to keep building those family memories!!

5 comments about A Winter Garden: Five Songs For The Season.

1. Everyone considers Loreena McKennitt's "To Drive the Cold Winter Away" her Christmas album. I ask people not to call it that, it is more than that, it is music for the whole season from leaf-fall to buds and sprouts in the spring.
   
   This, then, is her Christmas album. Although short, at only five songs, it is a well thought-out album, and a definite "Must-Have" and a "Keeper". The songs here are wonderful, not your standard fare for Christmas, so it is a fresh experience, something always welcome with music for this time of the year, don't you think? Her accompanyment, here, is harp only, so everything is light and open, just right, and soothing after all the crash and bang regular Christmas music......I mean, how many times can one listen to Silver Bells, Jingle Bells, and Here Comes Santa Claus before you just wanna scream "STOP!", huh?
   
   Pick this album up, take it home, and slip in between some other Christmas albums, and be prepared to go "WOW!....That's Nice!", and to also find a new favorite Christmas album. ~operabruin



2. This is great to have in addition to her classic "To Drive the Cold Winter Away" CD. This has slightly more "traditional" selections but they are flavored more heavily with the Loreena sound that has become so popular the world over. And for good reason. Even though this CD doesn't contain a large selection of songs, the ones that are on here are amazing. It feels like Loreena and the musicians that accompany her on this have spent years gearing up for this one release. ENJOY!!!



3. Albeit short, this album is a perfect companion piece to Loreena McKennitt's "To Drive the Cold Winter Away", a sparse, classic album of older Christmas /Solstice songs while this presents a shorter, very soothing and lush recording. Kind of like a glimpse into what a full length Christmas CD by McKennitt might sound like if she incorporated the sound she and her band have cultivated over the years. Every Christmas season we look forward to hearing these albums. There just seems to be so much commercial sounding holiday-overload tunes, obsessed with Jesus and forgetting that this time of year is based in an older tradition of the seasons changing and forgetting the wonder of a winter sky at sunset... Even Enya's few Christmas tunes last year (with the exception of the haunting "Christmas Secrets") seemed hollow. This however is a well-thought and expertly crafted EP. It is not long but the songs are quality. If you are a serious fan then you no doubt own this already but if you are interested in Loreena McKennitt or non-traditional Christmas/Solstice CDs then you can't beat this.



4. This woman can SING. This CD, rather short of course since it has only 5 songs, is a wonderful Christmas CD.
   
   Song 1, Conventry Carol, is my least favorite, but that may be because it is a depressing story which is being told about King Herod killing all the babies in Bethlehem.
   
   Song 2, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, is a good arrangement of the traditional Christmas song.
   
   Song 3, Good King Wenceslas, tells the story of the good king and how he helped a peasant on a cold day. It too is nicely sung.
   
   Song 4, Snow, is my favorite. I can imagine the snow falling as she sings this song. Archibald Lampman's lyrics are as good at imaging a snowy evening as Robert Frost's are in "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening." "White are the far-off plains, and white the fading forests grow" is the first line of the song and it builds from there.
   
   Song 5, Seeds of Love, is a new one for me. I'm not sure it belongs on a Christmas CD as it talks about spring and summer, but of course, the reason for Christmas is love, so I'll let it be.



5. We bought our original copy of this album at a crafts fair, years ago. It quickly became a new favorite. My folks and I look forward to listening to this album all year long. It contains well loved favorites like "Good King Wenceslas," and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Yet Loreena McKennitt also sings two other hardly known favorites like "The Coventry Carol," and "Snow." Her rendition of "Seeds of Love," brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. I highly recommend that you add this to your holiday collection. You won't regret it one bit.

5 comments about Handel: Messiah (Complete Oratorio); Battle, Quivar, Aler, Ramey, Davis.

1. What a recording! This is the best of the large scale offerings. A powerhouse! Try it! It'll blow you out of the house!



2. This is a truly superlative recording of the Messiah. The soloists are all first rate. John Aler could not have done a better job as the tenor, and Samuel Ramey is surely the world's best ever coloratura bass. His voice is big and black and incredibly flexible! And the bass has twice as many arias as anyone else, so this is very important when choosing a Messiah recording. Kathleen Battle is in ravishing voice and the "talk" about her not being emotionally involved is just nonsense. Florence Quivar is a superb mezzo who is not nearly as famous as she should be. She does an excellent job. The conductor also does a superb job, bringing all the forces in line with just the right tempi and dynamics.
   My only complaint about this recording is that I think the chorus is merely OK. Personally, I like my choruses to sound like the chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, where every singer could also be a soloist. You won't find that here--it is more on the line of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Good enough, but not great voices.



3. I selected this recording of Handel's Messiah because of the featured artists and also because it has the complete Oratorio, which not all versions have. It is excellent.



4. a wonderful performance blending delicate treatments for the solos and large scale forces for the big choral numbers. The soloists are all divine especially Samuel Ramey. As a Canadian, I am especially happy to find support this as one of the best Messiah's out there. :-)



5. This is the most exquisite version of "Messiah" I have heard to date. Although I am not a professional musician, I have a good ear and these artists are simply flawless! I particularly appreciate the occasional personal flourish at the end of some arias--a tiny bit of artistic license that still respects the glorious work of Handel. My only complaint relates to the production side of this CD set: the overture and all solos are so quiet, I have to crank up the volume, yet when any chorus begins, the sound is nearly deafening. This peculiar lack of balance is truly disappointing, but something I can live with for the stellar quality of the music.

5 comments about Come on Christmas.

1. I love the combination of Country and Christmas music. However, Dwight Yoakam did not seem like the obvious choice, having a voice that's more suited to lonesome material, rather than the festive fare usually associated with Christmas. Being absolutely mad about Dwight and bit of a completist this album finally did wound up in my mailbox. And I'm glad it did! Trust Dwight to make this anything but standard material. The closing track "Santa can't stay" tells of a drunk dad dressing up like Santa throwing presents at mom's new boyfriend. See what I mean? Lyrically, the other songs are more conventional as Dwight resurrects some classic Christmas songs. However, it's the arrangements that make it really work. "Away in a manger" and "Silent night" prove that Dwight really ought to bring the world a Gospel album. "Silver bells" is hauntingly beautiful because of the harmony vocals of Beth Andersen. "Here comes Santa Claus" has a Rhumba feel to it, which can't help but make you smile. Overall, this is a surprisingly original Christmas album. If only more Christmas albums were this innovative.



2. Wow! I can play Dwight at Christmas time. Stellar performance, however, more traditional Carols please!



3. excellent CD, not available in shops. Fast and prompt delivery. Excellent service!!!!!!!



4. i bought this at a garage sale years ago, and lost it recently. It is by far the most fun christmas album that exists!! Dwight makes it so much fun, you have to have it!! My kids know when they hear this, mom is in the christmas spirit!!



5. Dwight brings the Christmas spirit to you via this CD. I would have given this 5 stars but the first song is slow and depressing. Who starts off a CD with a slow song? Anyway, the rest of the music is great and creative and it is priced right.

5 comments about The Ave Maria Album.

1. Other CD's have various versions of Ave Maria, as does this one. What distinguishes this CD is the quality of the recordings, the reverent tone of the vocalists, and the impressive blending of the singers and orchestras. Some versions inpsire an awesome silence, attracting our focus on these hymns and their solemnity. Ave Maria continually provides a respite from the world--it is so intense. These Ave Maria hymns are captivating enough by their music alone. The meaning adds the intended spiritual dimension. This album comes highly recommended.



2. Some very good renditions of various versions, but some were rerecordings and not remastered, so were grainy and sounded like old 33.3 RPM recordings. I was disapppointed in those, but most were excellent for my purpose in becoming familiar with the music.



3. This CD was a gift for someone who loves the classic Ave Maria, and it delivers an assortment of the most beautiful recordings of the hymn ever made. Just lovely!



4. Excellent quality CD. Case was flimsy but the CD was in great shape and everything it was claimed to be. Sound quality is great.



5. One of the best I have heard a variation of Ave Maria. I had been looking for and Ave Maria Album. This filled all my need the different vertions. Deep and Holy Divine Mother. Thank you Great.
   
   Sincerely.
   A Friend

5 comments about Songs of Angels - Christmas Hymns and Carols.

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



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



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



4. I am something of a purist, and prefer my Christmas Carols without all the bells and whistles provided by orchestral accompaniments: I like simple SATB acappella singing. This album has it, and it is, of course, conducted by the great American conducting genius, Robert Shaw. Priceless.



5. I really enjoy this CD, it reminds me of the music I grew up. I was looking for something to just have on in the background, in my home during the day. I was disappointed that there were too many songs I didn't know, but this was the best choral music CD I could find so far that included both religious carols and non-religious carols.

5 comments about Home for Christmas.

1. I must be getting sentimental since having children, but this is the only Christmas CD I routinely put on. It is so good, I bought a replacement one this year when either I lost it or my 3 year old confiscated it...only time will tell what happened. Amy Grant really can sing the xmas stuff.



2. This is one of my favorite Christmas CD's! I love every song on it!



3. Although I have known about Amy Grant for some years, I did not have any of her recordings in my collection. Then I heard the song "Breath of Heaven" on the radio and it absolutely captured my attention. "Home for Christmas" is a wonderful collection of Christmas standards and some songs which may not be as familiar to you. All are well produced and recorded. Amy's voice is as smooth and rich as honey and every song is done to perfection. Even if you already have a large collection of Christmas music, make room for this one. It's definitely worth your money.



4. I first bought the tape of this many, many years ago as I am a huge fan of Amy Grant's christian music. I have since listened to this (now CD) every year during the holidays and my Christmas would not be complete without it. The songs are beautiful and very meaningful. It's a great album for "little ears" to listen to as well. I highly recommened this CD to anyone looking for a warm and cozy Christmas album to enjoy the holidays with.



5. This is Amy Grant's second Christmas album, and it's a lovely effort. It's full of fun, spiritual, and sweet Christmas songs. From "It's the most wonderful time of the year" to "The Night Before Christmas", it's wonderful christmas songs all the way through. Amy sounds especially good on "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" (Written by herself and another writer), and "Grown-up Christmas List", as well as "Winter Wonderland." It is a beautiful Christmas album, one that the whole family can enjoy.

5 comments about How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2000 Film).

1. This was purchased for my mother but I got to listen to it as well. Nice Holiday CD with plenty of great musicians to choose from.



2. Loved the cd look forward to listening to it every holiday season!!! Fast shipping and great communication Thanks a bunch!!!!



3. A fantastic compilation of songs and memorable moments from the movie that will make you laugh!



4. I was looking for a single song in particular but the entire CD is wonderful.



5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2000 Film)
   
   Exactly as described. Received much quicker than I expected. Would gladly buy from these folks again.