No comments about Christmas Adagio.

5 comments about Genuine Houserockin Christmas.

1. I got this CD for my husband who is a Blues lover. He loves it and we rocked to it all through Christmas. I highly recommend this!



2. When you have had your fill of the local radio station fare, and when you grow tired of the Time Life classic collection, pull out the Genuine House-rockin' Christmas disc for an evening of blues-inspired holiday fun! This is not the first collection you will want to pull out to get you in the Christmas mood as the jingle bells of tradition are replaced with the accordion and fiddle of a hopping Zydeco party, but it sure is a great change of pace during the holidays that gets better with repeated play. While I still enjoy the classics that I grew up with (including Ray Conniff and Mitch Miller...), this is one of the discs I pull out when I want to take a break from the cocoa in front of the fire and want to put my dancing shoes on. It is great for Christmas parties, and many friends have heard it and gone on to get it for themselves. So if you are wondering if it is your cup of tea, take a listen to the sample tracks here, and if you like what you hear don't hesitate to add it to your collection.



3. Everyone has an opinion, and looks like I am in the minority about this cd. I'm a long time blues fan and what I hear here is a collection of poorly produced cuts. The common thread seems to be Bruce Iglauer as producer on most of the cuts that struggle. I bought this cd because I have enjoyed 'Alligator Records Christmas Collection' for years. I have given that cd away as gift's and recommended it to a lot of friends. The Houserockin' cd seems to be collection of folks going through the motion for the most part. There are some exceptions, Marcia Ball almost saves the cd by herself, Roomfull of Blues, Saffire the uppity blues women, and Coca Montoya all do good work. One of my favorite live acts, Little Charlie and the Nightcats with Charlie Baty doing some great guitar work, loses out to Rick Estrin's lyrics that are almost impossible to understand (as usual). If you don't have the Alligator Christmas Collection, buy it, if you do, check around for some other blues Christmas offerings. And yes I know Bruce Iglauer produced many of the cuts on Christmas Collection. Go figure.



4. If you get tired of hearing the same old Christmas songs every year then you need this album! What I love about these songs is that they are strikingly original and unique. The old classics remind me of Christmas and tradition but I love to shuffle these songs into the mix to keep it fresh .... and these songs get noticed and help start conversations. Many people have heard nothing but the Christmas standards all their life. Then they hear one of these funky blues tracks and notice the Christmas lyrics and always ask about it.. Nobody ever wants to talk about Jingle Bells or Silent Night, but play Shemekia Copeland's Stay A Little Longer, Santa (or anything on this album) and people notice it. I downloaded the MP3 album version and it worked fine into my Apple i-book G4 running i-tunes.



5. ... then your guests are either Chamber Music enthusiasts ... or they're dead.
   
   Here are 16 tunes performed by artists currently employed by Alligator Records, an independent blues label started up in Chicago in 1971 by one Bruce Iglauer, who began what is now one of the top indie operations on a shoe-strong in 1971. Over the years he has gathered together some of the best contemporary blues artists on the planet, and in this 2003 release they lend their talents to one of the liveliest Christmas-themed albums currently available.
   
   Leading off with her own Have You Heard The News? is the Queen Of The Blues, Ko Ko Taylor (born Cora Walton on September 28, 1935 in Memphis), delivered with her patented rough and powerful voice. She's followed by Carey Bell (born Carey Bell Harrington on November 14, 1936 in Macon, Mississippi) performing his own composition as well, Christmas Train. In addition to the vocals, Carey blows a mean harmonica in the Chicago Blues style he was so famous for before tragically passing away on May 6, 2007. Arkansas-born guitarist/vocalist Michael Burks, a W.C. Handy Award nominee for Best New Artist in 2000, does a nice job on Christmas Snow, while Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials give us a driving rendition of Christmas Time. Born in Chicago on April 4, 1955, vocalist/slide guitarist Ed Williams co-wrote the tune with his bassist James "Pookie" Young and Iglauer.
   
   Next up are Shemekia Copeland (born in New York City on April 10, 1979 and the daughter of vocalist/blues guitarist Johnny Copeland) with her sultry Stay A Little Longer, Santa which she wrote in conjunction with several others, and The Holmes Brothers from Tidewater, Virginia doin the Clarence Carter classic Back Door Santa. Lead vocalist Wendell Holmes, also on guitar and organ and vocalist/bassist Sherman Holmes, are hoined by drummer Popsy Dixon and vocalist/tambourine player Catherine Russell. W. C. Clark (born Wesley Curley Clark on November 15, 1939 in Austin, Texas) is a former member of the Joe Tex band and known, as you will quicky discern from Christmas Party, as the "Godfather of Austin Blues."
   
   The pace picks up considerably with Zydeco Christmas, written and performed by Clayton Joseph Chenier, son of the legendary Clifton Chenier, alternately described as "the crown prince of zydeco" and "the best living zydeco singer and accordionist," and then slows back down with Christmas Day Blues, composed by vocalist/guitarist John Cephas, one half the duo of Cephas & Wiggins along with harmonica player Phil Wiggins, who both hail from Washington, D.C. It then picks up again with one of my favourites on the album, Christmas Fais Do Do, done by the writer, and vocalist/pianist extraordinaire Marcia Ball (born March 20, 1949 in Orange, Texas)
   
   Santa Clause (Do You Ever Get The Blues?), written by guitarist Chris Vachon, comes from the large horn-driven band known as Roomful Of Blues, first formed in 1967 in Westerly, Rhode Island by guitarist Duke Robillard and pianist Al Copley. Then comes the driving Really Been Good This Year, written by pianist/vocalist Ann Rabson, one-third of the delightful trio Saffire-The Uppity Blues Women from Washington, D.C. that also includes guitarist/vocalist Gaye Adegbalolo and vocalist.mandolin player Andra Faye.
   
   
   Guitarist/vocalist Lonnie Brooks (born Lee Baker Jr. in Dubuisson, Louisiana on December 18, 1933) performs his own composition, All I Want For Christmas, and on A Bluesman's Christmas, written by Dave Steen we hear the former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Coco Montoya (born Henry Montoya in 1951 in Santa Monica, California). The jump tune, It's Christmas Time Again, written by harmonica player/lead vocalist Rick Estrin, comes to us from Little Charlie & the Nightcats, a four-piece combo that includes Estrin, guitarist Little Charlie Baty, drummer Jay Hansen, and bassist Lorenzo Farrell. Closing out the album is guitarist/vocalist Dave Hole, originally from Heswall, Cheshire, England, who performs the self-penned Fattening Up The Turkey.
   
   The sound is excellent and in the fold-out insert you get 8 pages with photos of each artist/group and a list of their back-up musicians.

No comments about The Johnny Cash Christmas Special 1978.

No comments about Mixed Nuts (Lifesavers).

5 comments about Holiday Classics.

1. I have been listening to James Last since I was 4 years old ( I am now 31 ).All his music is brilliant and this xmas cd is no exception . James Last is a great person with a wonderful outlook on life and this comes through very clearly in his music .Beautiful music that will leave you with the feeling that life truly is magical and playful despite all the problems the world seems to be experiencing .Sit back and let a musical genius entertain you with his amazing orchestra .



2. If you like beautiful Christmas music this is the cd for you.All of these songs are lush and also have Christmas bells in them.A lot of these got played on WKTZ in Jacksonville Florida last Christmas.Their website is jones.edu and you click on the wktz icon to listen.This is the kind of Christmas Music you use to hear on beautiful music stations.You don't hear this type of Christmas music on most radio stations anymore except for Wktz in Jacksonville Florida and Sunny XM'S Beautiful Music Channel 24.Wktz and Sunny has most of the instrumental Christmas artist like Last,Faith,Lex De Azevedo,Ingman,Chacksfield,Mancini and others.I highly recommend this cd if you like beautiful Christmas music.



3. In the review of this CD, Bill has his history correct, and Jeff and Murmick have their recommendations correct. The JL genius comes through again. It's an invitation to queue it up and decorate your Christmas tree!



4. My wife Pat, had this music originally on an 8-track tape from many years back. No 8-track players around now, for a good number of years, and we had looked high and low, but could not find it. Finally found it on Amazon.com. Really GREAT CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!! and we are listening to it now, as I type this review.
   Thank You.



5. This Christmas CD will get a lot of play this year around my house during the Christmas season. The mixture of religious and other Christmas music seems to be a perfect mix. If you like European Christmas music, this CD will be perfect for you. Well done music, typical (and masterful) James Last style.
   
   These are full-length songs with a good medley featuring "White Christmas" as well.

5 comments about Christmas Treasures.

1. There is a unique, festive and well done instrumental CD, the music and arrangements are absolutely beautiful. This is a favorite in our home at Christmas. We start playing this holiday music around Thanksgiving. I use it to start the `trim' and `get into baking'. Often called new age music. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentleman is the reason I bought the tape, first hearing it over the speakers in a CD shop on the mall. Be prepared for the most beautiful version of God Rest Ye, Merry Gentleman that you will have ever heard. Enjoy. :-)



2. Christmas is time for sharing, families and celebration. Traditions like baking Christmas cookies, visiting Santa and singing Christmas Carols are no doubt a part of many families' holiday festivities.
   
   Speaking of Christmas Carols, there is certainly a great variety of albums from the classics to more contemporary titles, but there is one album that is truly unique...
   
   Before I go any farther, let me say that as a child my mother played Christmas records all day every day from December to mid January. If I had a dime for every time I had to listen to The Brothers Four singing The Little Drummer Boy, I'd be a gazillionaire. Other favorites were Perry Como, The Carpenters and even The Beach Boys.
   
   While these albums are okay, they are all essentially the same songs over and over and over again. Kind of tedious after the millionth time, especially when I'd much rather have heard John Denver and the Muppets, A Christmas Together. I was a kid after all, right. The Muppets featured dialogue, comedy and unique Christmas music, but my kids aren't really familiar with the characters and have no idea that John Denver was someone other than the author of Alfie the Christmas Tree.
   
   Not wanting to be a Scrooge, I knew there had to be a good holiday album that was neither boring nor too babyish. I was right, and I found it.
   
   MEHDl has two Christmas CDs and they are both good all the way through, which cannot be said of all CDs these days. They are entirely instrumental and maybe that's why they don't get tedious after listening to them over and over again. Buy both Christmas Treasures 1 & 2 you won't be disappionted !



3. Mehdi's composing style in Christmas Treasures I is truely mind soothing album featuring flute, guitar and piano interleaved with striking hand percussion which is one of the mehdi's techniques. My favorite tracks are "God rest ye merry gentleman", "The First Noel" and "O come all ye faithful". I listened to this album through my PC sound card (Creative SB X-Fi XtremeMusic) after ripping it into lossless APE Monkey's Audio format and using Sennheiser HD595 headphones for truely live experience. This album is way better than Christmas Treasures II in soothing the mind.
   
   I'm waiting for the real music of mehdi next release of instrumentals (probably Vol.8) of DVD-Audio version for absolutely live soul transportation experience.



4. I came across this album by chance. It is a fun collection of upbeat tracks of classic holiday tunes. Not a lot of heavy enstrumentation, but a good album for background music during the holidays.



5. If you need a good rhythm for cleaning toilets and Saturday housework, this will work. Musically, it was really disappointing. It had gotten such great reviews--even compared to Mannheim Steamroller--that I was expecting something really awesome. When I heard it the first time, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry (over my lost money). Let's just say, it sounds like an intermediate keyboardist on a cheap electronic piano, accompanied by a cheap electronic drum set. The whole CD sounds the same, just different tunes, and there is nothing musically challenging or inspiring. The kiddies will love hopping around to it as you clean the house.

5 comments about Paris 1998.

1. First of all, the change of the conductor. We were used to the thundering conducting of Mehta. Then, Pavarotti is not the same man that he was in '94 and in '90. His range fell a lot. Then, he dared to sing a song that is traditionally sang by Domingo (Granada) It lacks opera arias. Not a good purchase. Buy the first or the second albums.



2. I found this is one of my favorite of all "The Three Tenors" recordings. I would have loved to have been present one the night of this concert. I want to say all of the tenors do a superb job. I cannot understand why people put down Carreras because he proves here how much he appreciates his gift. Domingo is almost flawless. I have been a fan of Pavarotti since I 1980 (when I was just 12). Here is my personal favorite, Caruso.



3. I was blessed to have a chance to be in Paris at that time, and really one of the reasons I went to the City of Romance was because I was so eager to go to the Three Tenors Concert. I managed to get a very good seat at the front in order to really experience and enjoy the concert that I had been dreaming to go all my life, because I am so madly in love with classical and opera music. Also I am a great fan for all of these three tenors, particularly Placido Domingo.

   Having watched the Three Tenors Concert in Los Angeles, which was so great and inspiring, I was hoping this one can turn out to be greater and more successful. However it really failed my expectation and turned me into disappointment. Several mistakes were made which surely caused this concert to be a failure.

   First, the choice of the conductor. James Levine was really the wrong choice for the position which is actually the heart of such an important event. His style of conduct and taste of music was proven unsuitable. It did not make you feel excited, but at sometimes made you feel uneasy and uncomfortable.

   Second, something seemed to be limiting Domingo's ability and talent to be fully expressed. In fact he appeared to be much older and less energetic. The usual powerfulness and beauty of his voice really disappeared somewhere that can be hardly known.
   As for Pavarotti we can only give him an average mark for his performance.

   Third, lack of common sense. Even three years old child knows Granada has to be and is best to be sung by Domingo, just like Nessun Dorma has to be by Pavarotti, but I just can't understand why the organiser or the music directors did not realize this? Were they too commercially motivated or too careless???

   Jose was the best and played an instrumental role to keep this concert going, my admiration towards him grow more after this event. Anyway huamns do make mitakes including the famous and popular ones. Although this concert was not their greatest my support for them will still remain.




4. Once again, the Tenors electrified the world. It was estimated that over 1.6 billion viewers saw this extraordinary display of musical genius.
   The Pavarotti rendition of "Nessun Dorma" was breathtaking as he "hit" his famous high C with VINCERO!!!
   With the exception of "Nessun Dorma & Caruso", I felt that it
   was Domingo who carried the show. His voice style changes so dramatically to fit the mood and melody of each song.
   Carreras, I felt, was lacking the "oomph" in his solos on this tour. However, no one can top Carreras when a line needs to be delivered that has "deep-gut" emotional feelings, almost mad sounding, i.e. the song "Because" -- listen when he sings "his love makes mangle of devile...", you'll understand what I mean.
   Combine the Three together and you have pure brilliance. Listen to the song "You'll Never Walk Alone" is almost patriotic like.
   "O' Sole Mio" and the show stopper "La Donna Mobile" left the people standing and cheering.
   The Paris setting was spectacular. James Levine was his normal go lucky conductor self as he makes the viewing audience and the orchestra feel at ease with his upbeat facial expressions.
   An awesome addition to your collection. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see why the world has labled them "The Three Tenors." BRAVO



5. The last of the great tenor concerts that is worth watching!

2 comments about Holidays & Special Times.

1. My multicultural class LOVES the song "A Man Named King." We would like to help it become a national theme song. It follows the spiritual genre and is one of those tunes that you cannot stop singing! We love the other holiday songs, but this is our favorite. How can we get this wonderful song some national exposure?



2. My first graders have enjoyed this song for many years when learning about MLK in January. The musical beauty of the song along with its deep emotion and optimistic message mesmerises the children in a special way. They seem to understand the story the song is telling before learning the lyrics or discussing its meaning within the class. Their little faces brighten up during the first half of the song and then wither towards the end of the song when "Martin sang no more..." Every teacher (K-2nd grade) I have shared this song with has had a similar experience with their students. I highly recommend this CD for this song alone. Greg & Steve are the best with young children's music!!!

2 comments about Musical Christmas Tree.

1. What a wonderful album. Morton Gould's arrangements and tasteful conducting never disappoint. Too bad this CD is buried on this site under Xmas instead of Christmas. I had a hard enough time trying to find this CD on Amazon, until I tried Xmas! There isn't any filler on this album....but get it while you can, because I'm sure this thing is out of print. Great late night music to have in the background for the holidays, and a wonderful alternative to the schmaltzy new age inflected tunes put out by today's so called artists.



2. If you find it cheap, snatch it up. This cd is excellent. The musical arrangements are wonderful. This is a rare gem.

5 comments about Saint Säens: Christmas Oratorio/Britten: Ceremony of Carols.

1. This bargain-basement recording has more than its share of shortcomings. A competent but uninspired performance of the Saint-Saens is by far the highlight. But Britten's _Ceremony of Carols_ is sung in German instead of the original Middle English, and it comes off as something of a fiasco.

   The absence of liner notes means that you won't know what the choir or soloist is singing at any given time, so much of the subtle word-painting will be lost on most listeners. All vocal soloists are unidentified.

   I've recommended this recording only because it is at present the only one of the Saint-Saens available. But it's high time for something better. Naxos, are you listening?




2. Having had no previous experience of either piece of music, I'd say this recording is well worth its low price. Sound quality is very high for a budget recording. If this is still the only recording of the St. Saens oratorio, I'd say don't think twice - just grab it, before it goes out of circulation.

   I can see how it might come across as uninspired, as the previous reviewers mentioned, but I think the gentle approach suits the music well in most spots.




3. I don't find anything wrong on these recording. Both the Christmas Oratory and Britten's carols are beautifully performed.It is of special interest Saint-Saens Christmas Oratory since personally, I had never heard it before, but after listening to it I can fully recomend it.



4. I think this album is worth buying for the Oratorio alone. Saint-Saens' Oratorio is way too underrated and underperformed, and I hadn't heard of it myself until my fine arts program put on a production of it this semester. It's a small scale work written only for strings, harp and organ (and chorus and soloists of course), nevertheless it is absolutely gorgeous. Even the recitative is beautiful! My personal fav's are the Soprano and Baritone duet (in which the soprano hits a high C without shattering the windows), the Tenor, Soprano and Baritone Trio which in itself is one of the most beautiful and haunting pieces of music that I've heard, and the Quartet for Alto, Soprano, Mezzo, and Bass. I don't know anything about Britten's ceremony of carols, but I would still buy this album even if it were solely for the Oratorio. And regardless of what others have said, I think this particular recording of it is marvellous.



5. I don't usually disagree with prior reviews but here I have to. I have owned this CD for at least 8 years, maybe longer. And I love it. The Saint-Saens is a very special piece of music and I am totally dumbfounded why nobody ever plays it. It does not sound difficult, so a church chior and orchestra could easily take a stab at it. Instead, we get one Handel Messiah after another at Christmas. And this performance sounds just perfect to me. True, there are no texts but remember, this a super budget CD and your are lucky to get performer's names sometimes. As for the Britten, it is a piece I have little love for. And so I will not comment on the performance.