3 comments about We All Live Together.

1. I am a teacher at my local Head Start program, and my students love Greg & Steve. We usually listen, dance, and sing to a song from this cd at least once a week. The ABC rock is an excellent active learning tool to teach language arts skills. We use Vol 2 much more, however!



2. Ok, I admit it; I'm an old dude, but Greg & Steve rock! They've been around about as long as me (they first showed up with their music in the 1970's), but all of their songs have aged VERY well.
   
   I am now a preschool special ed teacher, and I have every volume of what they have available. Each volume is great in its own way, with some really fantastic stuff mixed with a few that just don't work for me. But that is OK: each CD is worth the price of even one of their best songs. Luckily they always have several that shine.
   
   Wonderful song writing, fun remakes of classics, great guitars, keyboards and drums for us old rock'n'roller's turned yuppie taking care of the little ones. Buy them all, you will find something you love on every "album" (OK, they were albums before they became CD's), and so will all the kids from birth to, well, 40-something, like me.



3. Being a Pre K teacher, I am always searching for fun ways to teach skills. I enjoy using the We All Live Together CD. The children love to sing to the songs as they play and they are learning and don't even realize it!

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!!!

4 comments about Disney's Princess Christmas Album.

1. There are a few Christmas songs on this CD that are traditional, but are given a Disney twist. Most are original. They're not bad, and any princess fan would enjoy this. The songs are sung by the original voices, of Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine, and they have new voices for Cinderella, Snow White, and Aurora, for obvious reasons. Snow White is actually better, the other two are up to par.



2. I bought this album and listened to it just a day or two ago, a long time before Christmas of course. I was so happy and excited, because Christmas is a very important festival to me, and one of my favourites. This album with lyrics such as snow, mistletoe and trees and so on made me felt as if Christmas is coming!
   There were many traditional and new songs for Christmas. It made me associate this album with the soundtrack of "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas". One of the reasons why I love this album so much is that it featured many my favourite vocals, such as Jodi Benson's, Paige O'Hara's and Lea Salonga's. Jodi Benson's voice will always be the most beautiful in my opinion.
   I think the best song in this album was "Christmas is coming". I love songs which all the princesses sang together, just like "If you can dream". This song made me felt a little cold, but I could feel the happiness Christmas brings. I felt it as if I see the princesses were giving presents to each other to make the world filled with happiness, warmth and magic. One of the traditional songs named "Twelve days of Christmas" was sung by all the princesses too. The princesses sang their own stories in this song, with new lyrics of course. "Christmas in the Ocean" of Ariel was very funny, because this song was featured with Sebastian. This song made me dream of a Christmas which is not so cold, just like Ariel's! I was surprise and felt a little strange that Mulan sang a song named "The holly and the ivy" in this album. There is no holidays during Christmas in China, maybe it's because that there is only a few Christians in China, although I'm a Chinese Christian. But this song was still good!
   Generally speaking, I love this album very much, and it fits for young and old who love Christmas and Disney Princess.



3. We just got our copy of this yesterday, and I bet we have already played it 20 times at least! We bought it for our 2 year old daughter, who is obsessed with the princesses, but we have all five enjoyed this cd. The songs are all good, and a good mix of older songs and newer, princess songs.
   Our little girl has been thrilled with this album, and since this is the first Christmas she has really been old enough to notice music, I am so glad we bought this. Our other two children, ages 10 and 5, also enjoy it.
   My favorite selection from the cd is Silver and Gold, but they are all good. Ariel's Christmas Island is cute, and since we are used to hearing this on Jimmy Buffet's Christmas Island cd, it was fun to hear Ariel sing it.
   If your little girl enjoys the princesses, this will be great to add to your collection.



4. I consider myself a pretty hardcore Disney fan. As an adult with no children I usually buy this sort of thing for myself and I enjoy it tremendously.
   
   I'll be honest here, while I do purchase almost all of the music I own, I will sample music via "shared" MP3s online from time to time. Especially with Disney now a days, the Princess franchise hits all kinds of highs and lows. There is no guarantee anymore that Disney automatically equals quality. I found a webpage online that enabled me to sample the first 8 tracks of this album in their entirety. I dodged a bullet here. Obviously some of the original princess voices actors are no longer living, and that's not to beheld against this album. In past sequel films they've made some decent replacement choices. However I didn't think they did a good job here.
   
   
   Snow White's singing is horribly grating and Cinderella's isn't much better. In many songs they try and include all the background characters, like the 7 dwarfs and Cinderella's mice but they aren't the original voices either. I don't see why they chose to put in sub-par replacements of secondary characters when they didn't really have to. You might not notice Snow White isn't the original, and that won't detract from the album, but you're going to notice the 7 dwarfs are way off the mark once they join in. Etc. This album would have been MUCH better if they had just gone with a more classical one character approach, rather then try and cram handfuls of what is unnecessary poor voice work into each song.
   
   
   
   They couldn't even get some of the living princess voice actors to sign on which I feel says something about the product. Paige O'Hara, who was the voice of Belle in the original Disney film, is ~not~ on this album. She was replaced by Susan Egan who played the original Belle on Broadway. Egan does have an excellent voice and makes an excellent Belle anyway, but she is not the original. (Coincidentally Susan Egan was the voice of "Meg" in Disney's original animated film Hercules and it may further confuse the kiddies about which princess is actually singing in my opinion)
   
   
   
   A few tracks with Broadway's "Belle" and "Pocahontas" are really quite good by themselves, but I'm not willing to pay $10 for ~a few tracks~. From my point of view not many adult Disney fans will find this up to par, and not many parents are going to want to be subjected to Snow White's voice via the listening habits of a toddler who might think this is just great and listen to it over and over.
   
   
   
   As far as the celebrities....I seriously doubt a toddler knows or cares who Wayne Brady & Jim Brick man are.
   
   
   
   I think you're better off mixing Disney movies and old Christmas favorites like The Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer, or the Grins soundtrack if you're in a Disney/Christmas mood. Or hey, ...break out Mickey's Christmas carol. If you're hell bent on dipping into the Princess franchise pick up one of those "Greatest Hits" Cds Disney has which has a mix of all the popular princess songs from the original films. If you're feeling really frisky many of the voice actors of the contemporary princesses have made their own non-Disney solo albums covering all sorts of kid friendly songs.

5 comments about Old Rivers/Twas the Night Before Christmas...Back Home.

1. My husband and I are "old school TV" buffs and this brought back so many memories of Grandpa McCoy...just to hear his voice made us feel like kids again. This CD is packed with down-to-earth, grassroots, common-people selections that touch the very heart of what makes this country a wonderful place. Some selections make you laugh, others make you cry, but all touch some part of your heart. A "must" for sentimental, memory-reliving enthusiasts!



2. I purchased this CD as a gift. I remember listening to it when I was young and it was a fantastic storytelling CD with many moving moments. I no longer celebrate Christmas so I don't listen to it myself these days. Regardless of that. Any one looking for a great CD around the holidays I would recommend this one. As for hte Old Rivers part, I haven't heard it but the person I purchased it for loved it.



3. This album has an interesting history in my family. My mother used to play it constantly (the Christmas album) constantly back in the late 60s and 70s and it just became part of my family's Christmas - like the music or not, when Christmas rolled around each, Walter Brennan would be stacked on the record player with other Christmas favorites. After I left and got married, my children would visit their grandparents during the Christmas Holiday, and got to know and expect to hear the album at my parents' house. My mother passed away in the early 90s, but every Christmas, we had to trot out old Walter. Hearing him brings back some very sweet memories, knowing how much my mother liked his music. Our first copy of the album was on reel-to-reel made from the LP, then on a cassette from the same old LP. We no longer have an LP turntable (for the time being), and for whatever reason - we could not find our copies of the tapes this year. So - we're thrilled that Walter Brennan has entered the digital age! My daughters were regaled, once again this past Christmas, with the touching homey Christmas performance by Walter. His music and style might not be standard stuff, and might not be everyone's taste, but my family has gotten to like it. We've been listening to it for a long time, and it holds a place in our hearts and traditions.
   I give it a big plus for the happiness that it brings in my home.



4. Came on time in great condition. Walter Brennan was great back in his day.



5. Have always loved Old Rivers, but is hard to find in the stores, but Amazon has everything! Very inspirational album. Brings the past to life for me, that mule, old rivers and me.

5 comments about Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Celebration.

1. Still my favorite Holiday Music. I have purchased this item more times than I can remember. My friends here it and want a copy so it becomes a standard instant Christmas gift. Can't wait for next years' surprise.



2. Both my sister and I really loved this CD. The music of Mannheim Steamroller is very masterful... The instrumentation is perfect! We both highly recommend you purchase this CD.



3. I thought I had heard some collections of Christmas music that were varied, but "Christmas Celebration" by Mannheim Steamroller really takes the (fruit) cake! Not only are the arrangements radically different from track to track, so is the instrumentation. Everything in their arsenal of sounds from soft acoustic instruments (Lute, Dulcimer, Violin) to Synthesizers and boisterous percussion instruments is represented here. You get a whole range of musical emotions, from the unbridled joy of "Deck the Halls" and "Good King Wenceslas", to the quieter and more introspective "Veni Veni" and "Away in a Manager". Two tracks in this collection stand out from the others in my mind. The first, their rendition of "Carol of the Bells", for which they sampled the sounds of handbells then fed them into a synthesizer and used them in suprising new ways. The second track is the closing number "Stille Nacht (Silent Night)". The simple elegance of a violin carrying the melody, a chorus singing softly in the background and finally the sound of a child's toy piano. The track (and the CD) ends with the whoosh of synthesizer (falling snow perhaps?) and the sound of sleigh bells jingling as the sound fades out slowly. A well done collection of songs done as only Mannheim Steamroller could. You will want this CD for your collection. It's worth the money.



4. Anyone who has heard Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas music knows that it is enjoyable. Buy it--enough said.



5. Listening to this disc brought back many memories to me and my husband. He was so thrilled that I was able to find it at such a good price.

5 comments about David Bowie Narrates Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf".

1. The material is just wonderful. Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" is a gem. David Bowie does a nice job because he doesn't act like Bowie. Very understated. My five-year old loves it and likes to fall asleep to it. The other scores are great, too. Kid-friendly scores by Britten and Bernstein. Definitely a great intro to classical music for kids. Adults will like it, too.



2. This CD has been a FAVORITE in my family since it first came out... Every year, at Christmas time, someone inevitably asks me for another one because they've worn theirs out... This CD raises the imagination to new heights and stimulates the heart and soul with the amazing music, David Bowie's INCREDIBLE voice, and the vivid scenes one is able to create mentally from the story being told. I've heard several versions of Peter and The Wolf. This being the best rendition I've heard, by far. I gave one to some friends of mine, a few years ago, who have an autistic daughter... I believe she's on her fourth or fifth CD now. "Mom" says it is the only thing that calms her at times. The additional music is WONDERFUL as well. I have nothing but PRAISES for this CD!!!



3. My kids love to listen to this story. Since we bought it for them for Christmas I can't count how many times we have listened to it. They like everything on it, not just Peter and the Wolf!
   
   The only problem I have with it is that when the narration is on it is really quiet. So we have to go back and forth with the volume. You have it loud enough to hear David, then the music comes back and it is too loud. Other than that, like I said my kids love it!



4. I got this for my daughter who remembered it from when she was a child. She wore out the tape as a child. It is still great



5. Peter and the Wolf is a great way to get the kids to listen to classical music. It's fun and very entertaining.

5 comments about Christmas with Dino.

1. If you're a Dino fan this is the Christmas album for you.
   
   It's a great album that puts you in the Christmas mood, but with a splash of Dino.



2. I really wish I had read about this cd a bit more before I got it. Finding out that some dreadful contemporary american country "superstar", has had the nerve to think she can sing along with the legend Dean Martin, was so upsetting, my mood took a nosedive. And on the song I bought the cd for no less!
   
   I remove one star due to this, I should have removed all, but Dean Martin is after all the king of songs like this, so that would be almost as insane as letting this woman linedance across Dean Martins coffin.



3. I love Dean Martin and adding Martina McBride in the mix was great. Great CD and was delivered promptly.



4. Christmas just wouldn't be the same without this classic. CD was in perfect condition and recieved promptly. Thank you so much.



5. Last year I purchased Christmas with the brat pack. This year, I decided to try Christmas with Dino. This CD is one of the best holiday CD's that I have heard. His voice is rich, melodic and soothing. I highly recommend having this holiday cd in your repetoire.

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 December.

1. "December" is a recording that must be added to your Holiday Collection. The selection of songs is Marvelous!



2. 
   "DECEMBER" is a GREAT CHRISTMAS ALBUM. I recently ordered this CD and have played it numerous times already. I LOVE each song. The MOODY BLUES at their best as always. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this CD. Beautiful songs. Beautiful lyrics.



3. All of us Moody Blues fans already know that though they play Rock 'n' Roll, they do so with an orchestral flair that no one else can match. Thus it is with their Christmas offering. It's now 5 days after Christmas and I'm still listening to this album. They do, as expected, a great job on the classics, but I really love the original material on here such as 'Don't Need A Reindeer'.
   
   For true music lovers, this is one to buy and savor each 'December'.



4. I loved this CD before I even got it in the mail. For every Moody Blues fan, this is a Must Have. Beautiful and eloquent!



5. It is truly great to hear some new Christmas seasonal music, and some of the songs are really amazing. We first heard the song "December" in concert this March 2008, and I like the live version more, but it is a beautiful song nonetheless. I would love to hear more of these songs during the holiday season, instead of the same old stuff we are bombarded with for the 2 months before Christmas everywhere we go, now atleast I can at home.

5 comments about A Christmas Album.

1. I always have and still do love this CD! I used to have it on cassette, then had the CD. This Christmas, I couldn't find it anywhere, so I had to order a new one!



2. I was given the cassette many years ago and it has been a favourite ever since. I'm glad I can now get it on CD as my cassette has just about had it!
   Let the music and words wrap you in the magic of Christmas! A must for any Christmas collection.
   
   Home for Christmas



3. All the songs on this album were great, it'll be the perfect idea to use in the show at my school that's coming up real soon.



4. This Amy Grant Christmas cd is really fantastic and it one of my absolute favorite Christmas cds. It has a great mix of uplifting and inspiring songs as well as some classics. My favorite is "Love Has Come" and Tennessee Christmas. This is a great cd for any collection and Amy's voice is fantastic.



5. This is simply my favorite Christmas album. Keep in mind this was 1980's but the production still holds today and the arrangements are superior. Amy Grant never claimed to be God's gift to singing but she does a great job of delivering just what the songs needed. An essential CD to own if you love Christmas music. It helps to be a fan already.