5 comments about Darklore Manor.

1. the remastered version is were its at. it actualy sounds eerie.



2. The first album by Nox Arcana is a wonderful audio tale of a haunted manor in Gloucester, Massachusetts. This manor, built by one Edmund Darklore, has a history of tragedy and death behind it. Each track tells another small part of the whole tale. The entrance song "Legend" is done in Joseph Vargo's always eerie deep voice and brings a shudder to you as you wonder if setting foot inside is a good idea or not; the haunting words of "Nursery Rhyme" are performed by the lovely and talented Christine Filipak and are sure to raise goose bumps on your arm; the notes of "Omen" will have your blood turning cold; "Seance", with its' chillingly whispered words, sounds extremely creepy and would not be out of place in any ghost movie out there today and feeling as if an icy wind has caressed your flesh, leaving you to never feel warm again. The chanting on "Beyond Midnight" has a distinct and sinister quality to it. Darklore Manor is an excellent tale to listen to and is perfect for any haunted house that is certain to be set up for the Halloween season and will leave you with a desire to sleep with the lights on.



3. What can I say? If you yearn for dark and mysterious music, make your way to the Darklore Manor. This creativity is not just for Halloween anymore.



4. A must have soundtrack for the home of any goth.A beautiful arrangement of dark soundscapes and overall creepy ambiance for any dark and stormy night.



5. Wow. Wow. Wow. I am Enedelia's 13 year old daughter. I was stupid enough not to get this album as my first Nox Arcana CD. I was lucky to get the remastered version of this CD. It sounds stunning! I can't tell you how impressed I was by this album. This whole album reminded me somewhat of the story of Dark Shadows. From the first few seconds of the first track, I felt in a completely different realm.
   
   Legend- The sound of wind starts this piece. Some low pitched gentle and elegant strings then enter. Joseph Vargo speaks in this piece with the following narration: "Along a dark, forsaken road, there stands a stark and grim abode. An old manor house looms black and tall, to cast a grave and deathly pall. Beyond the ancient-wrought iron gate, a thousand nightmare lie in wait. For dark things dwell in this house of fear, and none but the dead dare trespass here."
   
   Darklore Manor- Male choir and flowing strings begin this song. There is also pipe organ that comes in. Gentle female choir softens the piece as Latin Chants add a sense of an ancient presence.
   
   Threshold of the Dead- The strings bear a slight choral sound to get the sense of entering a place of antiquity and wonder. It's brilliant and beautiful.
   
   Trespassers- The sound of a creaking door opens this song. this tune is march like, but a bit slower in pacing. There are times when you detect a slight choral sound. We get a heavy and ominous feeling when we "enter through the ancient door" like we are not welcome here and that we may not leave this manor alive...
   
   Veil of Darkness- Gently drifting piano start this piece as male choir and strings come in to add a darkened sense to it. For we have stepped beyond a veil to partake in the darkest secrets of the night
   
   Sancuary of Shadows- Low pitched strings begin this piece, and once again you get a slight choral sound. Stately pipe organ enters. The pipe organ turns to freely flowing and Latin chants soon come in as well to give sense of dread.
   
   The Grande Hall- This piece is just plain beautiful. Smooth and lovely strings start this piece and tolling bells and soft female choir then waltz with it. The bells get a chance to sing the melody while pipe organ dances around it. The bells and strings waltz in harmony till the end of this wonderful piece.
   
   Remnants- Elegant harpsicord and strings start this piece. The strings will soon bear the choral sound again. This tune gives you a sense of the grandeur of the mansion that has fallen to shadow and disrepair. Nox Arcana does a splendid job of blending woe, tragedy and elegance.
   
   Phantom Procession- This piece is primarily tolling bells and choir
   
   Belladonna- Here we get sad. This is an ode to Damon and Elizabeth Darklore's beautiful daughter Belladonna. Strings and the choral sound start this piece, and mournful piano enters. This piece laments the loss of a beloved daugher, lost to shadow and darkness.
   
   Nursery Rhyme- This piece was just a tad creepy. The voice of Christine Filipak is altered to sound childlike while reciting this rhyme: "Sandman, come to me tonight, comfort me till morning light. As darkness falls and shadows loom, I bid you welcome to my room. Rest your bones beside my bed, lay your hands upon my head. Cast your spell of slumber deep, and stay beside me as I sleep. If I should die before I wake, I grant to you my soul to take."
   
   Music Box- This piece is music box like tones, which give this tune its namesake. You hear a child singing and laughing, giving this piece a sad and tragic edge.
   
   The Forgotten- This piece was just tolling bells, pipe organ and piano. It was a simple piece, but effective.
   
   Nightmare- This tune was simple and effective as well. we have a dance of strings, tolling bells, piano, and that haunting choral sound to give a sense of spinning into the insanity of pure terror in your darkest nightmare.
   
   No Rest For the Wicked- Low pitched strings and latin chants to depict the people who have commited blasphemous acts and wicked deeds have no rest in the afterlife...
   
   Omen- Joseph Vargo once again narrates with the darkest omen anyone could ever hear: "Ghostly wispers fill the air, chanting omens to beware. Shadows stir in the candlelight, then rise to prowl the dead of night. Spirits lurk within these walls, and wander these unhallowed halls. Cursed to haunt this dark domain, where mortal woe and sorrow reign."
   
   Seance- This is my second favorite piece next to the Grande Hall. We have the choral strings play for us again and ghostly voices talking to you beyond the grave. "We are among you... Beware the darkness... Lift this curse... End our suffering... Release us... Leave this place... Turn back..." the piece is ended with silence and a chilling laugh from Joseph Vargo.
   
   Beyond Midnight- this piece definately a march tune. It has quick paced strings along the beat, chior, and pipe organ. It give you the sense of seeing the Darklore bloodline surround you, not letting you leave.
   
   Darkness Immortal- Male choir starts this piece and stately pipe organ enter. You get a mix of choir and the choral sound with the pipe organ.
   
   Incantation- A sound resembling a heartbeat starts this piece as Joseph Vargo chants an INCANTATION: Ab Aeterno,
   Ad limina Mortem et extra,
   Abyssus Abyssum invocat--
   E tenebris,
   Veteris vestigia flammae ardere denuo--
   Iure Sanguinis,
   Mors tua, vita mea aeternum--
   Terra es, terram ibis--
   Ecce quomodo Moritur,
   Hoc sustinate Damnosa hereditas--
   
   Translated from Latin:
   From the beginning of Time,
   To the threshold of Death, and beyond,
   Hell calls upon Hell--
   Out of the darkness,
   Remnants of an ancient flame burn anew--
   By the rite of Blood,
   You must die, so that I may live eternally--
   You are dust, you shall return to dust--
   Behold the way of Death,
   And endure the inheritance of the Damned--
   
   Resurrected- Dark and brooding strings, pipe organ and latin chants are the primary things in this piece. After a minute or so of silence, you hear a phonograph playing a piano version of Remnants, after which Joseph Vargo gives us another chilling laugh. Joseph then speaks as Damon Darklore in a confession: "Woe befalls all who dwell within Darklore Manor, for those who have met their fate within this blighted place are cursed to forever wander its unhallowed halls. Within this sancuary of shadows, the restless dead can find no surcease from their eternal suffering. I have brought this curse upon myself, as did my ancestors before me. I hereby confess my guilt, for I have conspired in blasphemous acts and have commited grievous and ghastly deeds. And though I be the last of the Darklore Bloodline, this curse shall not end with my death, for we have awakened a great darkness, and it hungers cannot be quenced."
   
   
   I really enjoyed this album. I really didn't know what to expect. One listen to this album can change you. For you too, may wander into the unhallowed halls of Darklore Manor...
   
   There will be no returning on this night. Nothing will ever escape these walls again...

5 comments about Miracles: The Holiday Album.

1. I had a robbery at my home and several of my favorite CDs were stolen. Two of my favorites, Miracles and Faith by Kenny G, were taken and I could not find either of these in any store. Amazon.com came through for me and I was able to get these two easy to listen to CDs replaced.



2. I have admired the instrumental talents of Kenny G. This selection of Christmas favorites is just a nice addition to anyone's collection of favorites. My favorite on this C.D. is Winter Wonderland! Enjoy!!



3. Why is it the people that give kenny 1 star ratings seem to be so bitter? I discovered this cd last year and it has been a staple in my collection. I'm only sorry I didn't buy it sooner. I play it year round cause it's so beautiful and innocent. Thank you kenny for all of the wonderful music you make.



4. Several years ago, I was visiting a friend's home, where this album was playing in the background. While I am not an avid light jazz listener, neither do I dislike most of it. But I liked this enough that I immediately bought the recording. Every year, I take it off the shelf for the Christmas season.
   I really enjoy Christmas and winter holiday music. However, I grow weary of the "same old same old;" yet neither do I care for arrangements that leave me using my imagination trying to hear the melody. Kenny G's interpretations are a nice mix of the usual and the tastefully out of the ordinary. The instrumental backgrounds add to the interest, without making you forget that this is a saxophone recording.
   I will continue to enjoy it for a few more days, then put it away to be reclaimed again next December.



5. This is my favorite of all my Christmas cd's. I think the music is beautiful.

5 comments about Greatest Cowboy Songs Ever.

1. By far, the best instrumental of Western songs I have heard. Very well done! Truely does make you feel you are back in the Old West spiritually!



2. i really like the CD. it has nice instrumentals of many classic cowboy songs. the quality is very good too. the only downfall is that the CD is only about 30 minutes long so it is quite short. but other than that, i recommend it for anyone wanting to hear these nice classic songs.



3. a very pleasant and somewhat haunting cd, easy listening at it's best for western songs,cd only has 10 songs on it but they are all very good and easily worth the price.This cd would be good to play for background music also.I would like to see more of these cd's.



4. I didn't realize that when I bought this that it was just instrumental. However my husband loves it wordless and all. If your looking for background music or relax music this is definitely the cd for you.



5. It has a great variety of songs. They are well orchestrated and fun to listen, too.

5 comments about These Are Special Times.

1. I like the CD. Celine is nice and mellow for Christmas. I didn't know there was also a DVD included. I was surprised to see that there are different songs on the DVD. They are not the same ones as on the Christmas CD.



2. One of the best Xmas CD there are. Beautiful. Awesome. Great. I bought it a number of years ago but I wanted to see the DVD that goes with it. Great. Really good.



3. This is a must-have collection specialy for Celine's fans.Great Christmas music and the holiday performance live in this DVD.I like the part where Celine visited Charlemagne and recalled her humble beginnings.The only thing is suggest/wished that the DVD covers from the entire concert and there was no cuts,although the highlights were there.If we watch any of Celine's performance,it should be to the max.Otherwise,DO NOT miss this collection.



4. This is the most excellent album specially for holiday.
   
   I love Celine so much!



5. This album is so cozy and it's so family oriented. She actually has her family members sing with her. The Prayer became one of my favorite songs of all time as a result of Celine's duet with Andrea Bocelli. This album can be enjoyed year round.

5 comments about A Very Special Christmas.

1. I actually wanted this CD when I was in junior high, when it was released. I never did get it, but this year was adding to my Christmas CD collection and thought it was about time!
   
   You will recognize at least half of the songs from what you hear on the radio during Christmas. Great songs by Bon Jovi, John Cougar Melloncamp, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, The Pointer Sisters etc. I think this is a great addition to any Christmas CD collection!



2. This CD had alot of my favorite Christmas songs on it. I love it!!!



3. I really enjoyed this CD over the Christmas Holidays. It features all the original artists. I especially enjoyed Santa Baby by Madonna. I have heard other versions that I don't like as well. When I ordered it I didn't expect it so soon. It came within a week. Great Service.



4. I REALLY PURCHASED THIS CD SPECIFICALLY FOR STEVIE NICKS RENDITION OF SILENT NIGHT WHICH I THINK IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL OTHERWISE, THE REMAINDER OF THE CD IS QUITE NICE



5. The original "A Very Special Christmas". I remember buying the LP when it first came out and loved it so much that I decided to get the CD recently. Still a classic. Great Album.

5 comments about Dr. Demento Presents: Greatest Christmas Novelty CD.

1. Dr Dementos Greatest Christmas Novelty CD was entertainingly funny for my whole family. Its fun to have a little non-traditonal Christmas music at the holiday season. Pure fun, fun, fun.



2. Great novelty CD. Had this one for a long time and lost it, so I had to get a replacement.



3. Good product for a child in Elem School. It arrived promptly and was what I expected.



4. product suited the need and reason for purchase. pleasantly surprised by some of the other novelty songs on cd.



5. I honestly bought this CD for one song and that was "all I want for x-mas is a hippotamus". I love that song and Alvin and the Chipmunks. For me the rest of the songs sucked and they arent worth anything to me. But I couldnt find the song I wanted as a single at the time. Just make sure that you read the songs included list before you buy.

5 comments about Beyond the Season.

1. No matter who's doing the singing, most Christmas albums have the same ol' same ol' that we've all heard countless times at Christmas parties, in department stores, on Christmas movies and the radio from the end of November to the end of December. As a former salesperson in a retail store who had to listen to those songs 8 hours a day, six days a week, it's a wonder I can stand any Christmas music. At least with Garth you get a talented singer and some great versions of the same ol' same ol'. My personal favorite on the album is Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy. This is the only single artist Christmas album I own and I think it will stay that way.



2. I've heard much said about the commercialization of Christmas. People go back and forth on the issue and, as far as I can tell, nothing, as far as music is concerned, has been effectively settled.
   
   Enter Garth Brooks and his Christmas offering on the album, BEYOND THE SEASON. My purpose here is not to weigh in on whether Brooks should have or should not have added Christmas music to his stellar discography. Rather, looking at the album flat on, we see one of the best Christmas albums available for celebrating the season country style.
   
   Brooks is in perfect voice as he presents traditional favorites like "Go Tell It on the Mountain", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", "White Christmas" and "Silent Night." Add to that new offerings like "The Friendly Beasts" and "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy" and you have a Christmas tradition for this season and many more to come. Great collection of country Yuletide music.
   
   THE HORSEMAN



3. I was very happy with the speedy arrival of this cd, because I had ordered it as a gift for my mother. I wanted her to be able to enjoy it throughout the Christmas season, and it arrived quickly enough to make that possible. The cover WAS cracked, which is something that I didn't expect, but I'm sure that if I had sent it back, it would've been replaced. I chose to keep it so that my mother could have the cd now. And as little as I paid for this CD, I really can't complain about a small crack!



4. This is one of my favorite Christmas cd's. Garth brings out the magic and glory of the Christmas Season in a big way! He brings forth traditional carols like "Go Tell It On The Mountain", "Silent Night", and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", along with ones not heard much before that are sure classics to me. He tells the beautiful Christmas story in "Unto You This Night". In the song "The Gift" which has been done before, he sings about an orphan girl who brings an injured bird in a cage as a gift to the Baby Jesus, to lay by the manger scene of a church on Christmas Eve , and "The Friendly Beasts", which is really a sweet song about the various animals in the stable on that Divine night 2000 years ago when Jesus our Savior was born. It's made to sound like the animals are singing the song, about Jesus, Joseph, and Mary. I prefer this Christmas cd to his other one, "Garth Brooks and the Magic of Christmas", which sounds too jazzy to me.
   
   I highly recommend "Beyond the Season"! It's a must for anyone's Christmas music collection.



5. Fantastic CD. I lost my original after several and HAD to buy another coper and would do it again. Songs are great.

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 Home Alone: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

1. If you enjoyed Home Alone 1 and 2 like I did, you'll enjoy this soundtrackt, epecially the original music by John Williams; a must for every collector who enjoys Christmas music!



2. This makes for wonderful background music if you are making your own home movies with family and friends for Christmas. A must for any music lovers collection.



3. This CD is FANTASTIC, just what I was wanting. It follows the sequence of the movie perfectly, and it great.



4. this is a great cd to listen when doing almost anything. i had bought it for my sister for Christmas and she has been listening to it 24-7 when studying for her college midterms. great cd i would recommend it



5. Home Alone has a great score and the music is original. The use of the different variety of bells really captures a christmas spirit. However, a lot of the themes are repeated over, and over ,and over again. Especially "somewhere in my memory". Don't get me wrong, I love this piece, but i don't need to hear it in almost every single score track of the soundtrack. "Holiday flight" is very good. It captures exactly what it feels like to be rushing and sets a hectic mood.
   
   The choir versions of "star of bethlehem" , "carol of the bells", and "O holy night" are very good. It is also nice to have a few of the vocal tracks like "White christmas" are nice too.
   
   Overall, this is a good soundtrack to have in your collection, just don't look for a lot of different unique tracks.

5 comments about Barenaked for the Holidays.

1. After not finding this CD not in stock at any local stores, I thought it must
   really be good. We ordered it and was very disappointed that we did not
   like more than a couple of their songs.



2. Has a very amateurish, unpolished sound. Not what I was expecting based on the one song played so frequently on the Christmas Music Radio Stations. If I'd listened to the CD prior to purchase I wouldn't have wasted my money.



3. I ordered the CD for one song. I did not think the rest of the Cd lived up the quality of the one song.



4. I purchased this as a Christmas gift for my 19-YO grandson at his request and he loved it!



5. This may not be the best ever Christmas album, this may not be the best ever BNL album, but if you like the band, have a sense of humor, and want a great album for the holidays, this is for you. The first season, I listened to it well into February (and, no, my tree wasn't still up.) I like that it covers Christian and Jewish celebrations, I like that it sings Happy Birthday to Jesus, I like the silly and the somber mix of songs.
   
   I love BNL, and I really like this album.