5 comments about Asalto Navideño.

1. If you found this because you knew what you were looking for.....well you probably know what I am gonna say. If you accidentally stumbled upon this read on. This is a 2 record set of the best Christmas music in any language you will ever hear. To put it mildly and generically, the music rocks. Guaranteed, you will listen to this CD well into July!!! The salsa has an edge reminiscent of the way salsa should be played but seldom is. From those of us who grew up with this playing every December and Hector, Willie, Yomo & Co., welcome to music that will truly put the celebration in your party. Purchase both CD's and enjoy.



2. This Cd is the crowning achievment of Willie Colon's career. This is the best Christams Album of all time... and I'm not exagerating. All of these tracks a umbelievably great. Canto a borinquen is hands down a classic. I really don't know what more i can say. Please respect this album for the greatness that it is. I love this album....



3. Es muy raro que usted vaya a una fiesta de navidad en Borinquen y no oiga este disco. Desde el 1972 ha sido consistentemente unos de los mayores disco de ventas tanto en el catalogo de Willie Colon como en el de Hector Lavoe. La combinacion de Hector Lavoe, Willie Colon y Yomo Toro es espectacular. Ademas, la secuela (Asalto Navideno Vol.II) es del mismo calibre.



4. I had heard very good comments of this production since long ago and, in many opportunities, I was close to get one of those old vynil-made records but I didn't. For more than 30 years, I have listened to hundreds of times songs like "Canto a Borinquen", Traigo la Salsa", "La Murga Panameña" and the song which I like the most: "Aires de Navidad" (far the most famous of all of these group of salsas in my country, Perú). However, it is not the same to hear these songs evenly one here and other there than hearing all of them together, in the sequence presented in this CD. The context of them is really impressive and this makes the difference. This CD is really an outstanding production. The sound recorded is original all along and the presentation of the CD is quite illustrative, accompanied by a small brochure that gives us a good view of the history of these salsas and their meaning as a part of the culture of Puerto Rico. Dear friends, if you are fans of Salsa, buy it new or used but don't lose the pleasure of listen to all this precious music and let you be "assaulted" by Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe and their friens of Fania,no matter if Christmas time has gone..



5. Excellent CD for Puerto Ricans and latinos alike. Awesome Pefecto para las navidades. Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe the perfect combination with YOMO Toro on this CD all at once. Trust me it's a great buy at any cost.

5 comments about Sinatra Family Wish You a Merry Christmas.

1. When I was a kid growing up my dad bought this album on 8-Track tape and I must have played it till the tape broke - O Bambino and The Twelve Days of Christmas just to name a couple - all of the songs are wonderful. I'm so glad I found it again, now my children can enjoy it too (Tradition!)



2. This is a 24 Karat Gold CD, so it costs more than the average CD. I honestly can't notice any difference in sound quality between gold CDs and regular ones, but maybe that's just me. But gold CD is the only way this album is available, so it's that or nothing. It's a decent album, with Christmas songs by Frank Sinatra and his three kids. Three songs are sung by the whole family, with "I Wouldn't Trade Christmas" being the best one. Frank sings two songs, "Whatever Happened to Christmas?" and a remake of "The Christmas Waltz", both of which are very good. Nancy sings two songs, which are pretty good. Tina sings one song, which is okay. Tina actually sounds a lot like Nancy, but with an untrained voice. Nancy and Tina also sing a duet together, which kind of sounds like Nancy with her voice double tracked. And then there is Frank Jr., who sings the okay "O Bambino". This isn't the greatest Christmas album ever, but it's certainly passable, and Sinatra fans will probably enjoy it.



3. This album is really a treat for those of us who can't get enough of Sinatra during the holidays. If you don't fall into that category, you may still enjoy it. The truth is, you probably already know if you'll like it or not just by looking at it. I got it last year, after hearing some of the cuts from the album on 2004's Christmas Collection. Some would contend that the best of SFWYAMC is sampled on that collection, but I feel the concept works better as a whole. I like the play between family members on the joint efforts, and most of the songs are pleasant. Most people think this is the definitive version of the Christmas Waltz - I disagree (I favor the Jolly Christmas version). Save this for last in your Sinatra C-mas purchase list, not because it's extremely inferior, but simply because if you don't like Frank's higher profile efforts, you certainly won't like this. I'm not sure how long this is going to be available. It's on limited edition gold disc right now, and like other reviewers, I don't hear the superior sound quality that's supposed to bring. I think it's safe to say this album has a decicated, if small, following. Grab it now if you think you might want it, the new and used prices for it seem to inflate from year to year. Of course, if you're of an old-school mind, there are vinyl copies available from Amazon as well. If you like Frank at the holidays, GET IT NOW, and make up your own mind. I recommend this cd.



4. I bought this CD because I listened to it for most of my childhood. My mother had it. I had to purchase it on CD because technology sure has changed, however, the quality and beautiful songs have not. I will listen to this CD every Christmas from now to eternity. My daughter, hopefully, will pass this selection on as well. It is lively yet mellow at times. The songs really make you think about family and togetherness and prepare you for a great Christmas season.



5. This is a beautiful gold cd of the lp by the same name. I highly recommend it to all Sinatra fans & Collectors.

5 comments about Elvis' Christmas Album.

1. This was Elvis's first Christmas album, recorded in 1957. It's a certifiable classic. Side one featured Elvis doing secular Christmas songs. "Santa Claus is Back in Town" is an awesome blues song that features D.J. Fontana's best drumming ever, arguably. "White Christmas" is a fine performance that owes a lot to the Drifters' version. "Here Comes Santa Claus" is a cool rockabilly style performance. "I'll Be Home For Christmas" is a good ballad. "Blue Christmas" is Elvis's best Christmas song, and it made everyone forget the original Ernest Tubb version. Side one closed with the original pop rocker "Santa Bring My Baby Back". Side two of the album featured religious songs. However, only two of the songs are actual Christmas songs. The last four songs are taken from the previously released "Peace in the Valley" EP. But when the songs are as great as these four are, why complain? I highly recommend this CD.



2. When Elvis' christmas recordings were reissued on CD, there was apparently some mixing and matching going on. While I totally love this CD, it is not the same one I listened to that my mom had on LP when I was little. It has several additions and omissions from that one, most notably the lack of "If Everyday Was Like Christmas". That song can be found on a CD of the same title, but the track listing of another one called "It's Christmas Time" by Elvis looks more familiar as the one I liked as a kid. Elvis' stuff is always great, though, so I still recommend this one, too.



3. This is the original Elvis Christmas Album as released in 1957. It was considered very controversial when it was released (as were most Elvis releases during that time), but it was still a huge hit commercially, hitting number 1 on the Billboard album charts (before they created a separate category for Christmas albums).
   
   Eight Christmas songs were included in his original 1957 Christmas album along with the 4 Gospel songs from the "Peace In The Valley" EP. His original Christmas album was repackaged and re-released in 1970 with the 4 Gospel songs being replaced by "If Every Day was Like Christmas" (which was originally released as a single in 1966) and the non-Christmas song "Mama Liked The Roses". The 1970 edition was then re-packaged and released on CD as "It's Christmas Time" a few years ago.
   
   Elvis' performance on the songs here are excellent! Several of these recordings have become Christmas classics, still receiving significant radio airplay nearly 50 years after they were recorded!
   
   While this was a great album in its day, it has since been superceeded. All the songs on this album are currently available on the Elvis "White Christmas" CD along with "If Every Day was Like Christmas" and "Mama Liked The Roses" and every song from his "The Wonderful World of Christmas" album which was released in 1971. Unless you just want to buy this CD for its historical significance, I would recommend that you spend a few extra bucks and buy the Elvis "White Christmas" album instead. You will get a lot more Christmas cheer!



4. To reviewer Bon Jovi Fan a bit of history. This CD release contains the exact songs that appeared on the first Elvis' Christmas Album, released in 1957 on RCA Victor LOC-1035. The one you recall with the same title was released in 1970 on RCA Camden CAL-2428, containing a mix of some of the earlier tracks with new ones, including If Every Day Was Like Christmas. Written by Red West, it was recorded on June 11, 1966 in Nashville and first released that year as a single b/w How Would You Like To Be?
   
   As another reviewer points out, this one, when first released, became the target of that element of society self-righteously "scandalized" by the "vulgar hip-swinging degenerate" who was "corrupting our children" led by the son of C&W legend Hank Snow, one Jimmie Rodgers Snow, the most pious of them all. In other words, those yabos who were doing all they could to kill R&R at birth. Of course, the R&R DJs, when playing anything from the album, had zeroed in on tunes like Blue Christmas (which actually dates back to 1949 by Ernest Tubb, Russ Morgan, and Hugo Winterhalter) and Lieber & Stoller's driving Santa Claus Is Back In Town.
   
   Only when they eventually heard his mellow tones on White Christmas and I'll Be Home For Christmas, the carols Silent Night and Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem, and the four gospel tunes included (especially Take My Hand, Precious Lord), did some of them - not all, mind you, but a few - admit that they had perhaps over-reacted. Snow, thankfully, just faded into obscurity.
   
   The sound reproduction is excellent, and although there are no liner notes with the insert, you do get nine pages of vintage colour photographs of Elvis. No collection of Christmas music is complete without this one.



5. What can I say that hasn't been said before about The King? His voice, the arrangement of the songs, his musical directors, song selections are all outstanding. Elvis is right up there with Mozart, Bach, and so on. The CD is the CD issue of Elvis' first LP. Nice to hear clean recordings and what an easy way to play the recording. There is a bonus on the CD that many have missed and that should be noted. The bonus is not available on Elvis' original LP. The Christmas song, White Christmas, includes studio chatter. The studio chatter White Christmas is available only on this CD.

5 comments about Yule B Swingin'.

1. A great collection of upbeat, happy and swingin' tunes from (my guess) mid -to- late forties to fifties. Even if you are a "modern" rock&roller, this is definitely a "hip-o" record for the holidays. No sad songs here, but Lous Prima swinging with Santa, Louis Armstrong having fun in New Orleans, Kay Starr swinging with the Santa man, etc. It's funny, but all ages of hipsters really dig this album (very rare with everyone's diverse tastes). No joke, buy this one.



2. My husband and I picked up the CD a couple of years ago on the sale rack. What a find! We love it, and I am buying it to send to my mother this year for Christmas. This one will please multiple generations - our kids love it too!



3. This retro album never gets old. Many of the artists seem to be winking at the listener, almost making fun of the whole idea of Christmas music. Kay Starr's Everybody's Waitin' for the Man With the Bag sounds like the kids are waiting by the chimney for their drug dealer.

   If you like upbeat holiday music, this is a great choice. The only song that isn't cheerful is the sad, haunting What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? by Nancy Wilson. So have a cup of Christmas cheer and dig this crazy Yule CD.




4. 14 clear tracks. Our favs are Louis Prima & Louis Armstrong, #1& #2. They're upbeat, fast & different. Then it bogs down. Kind of loses the "Swingin'" concept and moves into a jazzy feel. But, still a good listen if you find a copy cheap enough.



5. One reviewer ventures a guess that these songs emanate from the late 1940s to early 1950s and in that assumption is partially correct. But the opening tune by a young Louis Prima dates all the way back to 1935/36 when he was billed as Louis Prima & His New Orleans Gang. It can also be found on the CD 1935/36 by Louis.
   
   What passes for liner notes (a two page listing of the selections and that's it)provides dates for only three, but from that list we discover that track 8 by Kay Starr goes back to 1959, while tracks 13 (Nancy Wilson) and 14 (Dean Martin) date from 1963 and, again, 1959. I would venture a guess too that the Pete Fountain cut (track 10) is from his early 1960s heyday.
   
   I do know that the Glenn Miller version of Jingle Bells, with vocals by Tex Beneke, Ernie Caceres (relating a hilarious experience with Christmas in Mexico), and The Modernaires was a # 5 hit in 1941. As for the rest, your guess is as good as mine but I agree that they do have that late 1940's/early 1950s feel to them.
   
   Whatever, this is a happy little album sure to bring sheer delight to both young and old during the holiday season. Grab a copy now.

5 comments about Kidz Bop Christmas.

1. To the person writing the review "repugnant trash for mentally retarded 3 year olds," shame on you! That's a terrible thing to say. Retardation is nothing to joke about or to use as an insult.
   
   To anyone interested in buying this cd: My kids--all under the age of 5, really enjoy it...mostly because it has lively tunes...as opposed to Children Sing for Children which is full of slow and boring traditionals. The music on this cd is very jazzy and certainly not for everyone, but surely a mature grown-up can tolerate the tunes for 30 minutes at a time.



2. yes, it's true. I would rather listen to a collection of all the rejects from American Idol, even the rejects from the auditions, than this crap. The two front teeth song is supposed to be sung by a five-year-old. Since all their other crap is sung by five-year-olds, you think they could manage that. WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!they pull in teenagers! geez, they need to learn exactly what talent is. Free voice lessons to all the suckers who sing this!!!!!!!



3. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALLS!!! :-D :-D We used to celebrate festivus in my daycare in Pennsylvania (!!!) but I would start with the airing of greevencees, and we would all end up in tears. :-( BUT THAT'S OKAYYYYEEE!!! :-D :-D WHY?? BECAUSE WE CELEBRATE THIS CHRISTMAS THING NOW, AND I JUST GOT... oh... :-D... KIDZ BOP CHRITMAS FOR DE KIDDIES!!! :-D :-D :-D YAYYY!!!!!!
   
   I dunno how you peeples can listen to those loud unhearable Soundgardens :-O when we have KID'S BOP!! :-D The xmas carols beeing played shouldn't be the versions by those old guys, Bing Cosby and Jean Autry! They should be a thousand little screaming kiddies!!!! I LOVE HEARING JINGLE BELLS SUNG BY DE LITTLE TYKES!!! :-D My mean neighbor, Roy, keeps yelling at me to "TURN DAT MUSIC OFF!! IT'S GRATING MY EARS!!!!!" <:-( But I tell him "But ROY!! <:-D IT'S CHRISTMASTIME!!!" The other day, tho, he trew a brick at me. :-( The doc sayed I might have something called "dain bramage" BUT THAT'S OK!!! :-D :-D BECAUSE KIDS BOP!!
   
   I'd give it a higher rating, but that brick really hurt. :-( But THAT'S ONLY A MINOR COMPLAINT AND/OR GRIEVANCE!!! :-D BUY KIDZ BOP CHRITTMITT!!!!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
   
   FROM YOUR PAL MERVIE!!!!!!!!!!



4. Come on, folks. If you're going to put out a CD, how hard is it to get the words to the songs correct? For example, every piece of sheet music and every recording I've ever hear has Rudolph starting off, "You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen". That would be the same order they are in Clement C. Moore's Night Before Christmas. But not on this CD. It mixes them all up. Maybe they just wrote them down in the order they could remember them. There are also other songs where words are incorrect; replaced by words that sound similar. Kind of like the person who wrote down the words for this one did so by listening to carols on an AM radio and couldn't quite understand some of them. An example from We Need a Little Christmas: It should be "carols by the spinnet" (a type of piano), NOT "carols and the spirit". I can't put this one on for my toddler because I don't want him to learn the wrong words. And I can't listen to it myself because it grates on my nerves to hear carols done WRONG.



5. Children love to hear other children sing, all the more reason my 4 year old LOVES this cd. She is in pre-k, and lot of these songs are very familiar to her. So when I popped this in for the first time in the car, she was thrilled...plus I get the pleasure of hearing her sing along with all of her "favorites"!!

1 comments about 27 Christmas Classics.

1. Just a note. This was a gift for a blind sister. Igave it to her for the hollidays. The joy in hearing such beautiful christmas music made her very happy. Thanks to Amazon for this service.Joe

5 comments about Handel - Messiah / Vyvyan · Sinclair · Vickers · Tozzi · Royal PO · Beecham.

1. We live in an era when purity of intent and respect for composers' works is at an all time high. Not only are we blessed with superb 'authentic' performances on period instruments and with small choruses and countertenors and state of the art bel canto singers for Handel's evergreen "Messiah", there are many superlative recordings that are as polished as any one work on current recordings. Supposedly we are hearing Messiah the way Handel envisioned it. Perhaps so, but who is to say that had Handel the resources available today he wouldn't have jumped for joy at the drama of the old British Choral Societies version that Sir Thomas Beecham conducts on this anything but dusty recording from many years ago. The 'Old School' had its good points.
   
   Beecham goes all out with an orchestration, while attributed to Sir Eugene Goosens is also probably some of Beecham's own inimitable tinkering, that adds instruments not only in numbers but also in color and depth of sound. Winds double strings, percussion includes the full battery instead of just tympani, the big cello and viola sound stand equally with the big violin sound, etc. The chorus is huge, and while this allows the big dramatic moments to be intense, the fine diction Beecham demanded remains solidly intact.
   
   The soloists are in an operatic class of their own. Jennifer Vyvyan and Monica Sinclair were major singers when this recording was made and their singing is big and well ornamented. Jon Vickers and Giorgio Tozzi bring Verdi into the room and he is a welcome visitor to Beecham's vision of this work.
   
   For this listener, who prefers the 'correct, authentic' performance, this recording and others even older that celebrate the BIG Messiah are a delight. And that just proves that performance standards, no matter the interpretation of the conductor, are paramount: Beecham gives a solid, convincing interpretation to the operatic Messiah. It is lush, and huge, and absolutely wonderful to hear again! Grady Harp, December 06



2. Here's the famous Messiah from Thomas Beecham and forces that uses crashing cymbals, enhanced timpani and brass to make it sound like a collusion between classical forces, a rock band and Canadian Brass. Listen to second CD excerpt from "Hallelujah!" for the opening cymbal crash to get an idea of what's going on.
   
   Fans have debated for almost 50 years whether this performance is musically adept, musically correct, an exemplar of the English choral tradition, or just a big old batch of romantic fun at Handel's expense. I first owned this during a time when I also owned a recording Handel's "Royal Fireworks Music" featuring 40 woodwinds. The two made roughly an equal amount of noise.
   
   There isn't much question this performance is completely out of step with the way Handel is performed in most venues today. Check out the wonderful Jon Vickers' highly operatic opening aria, "Comfort ye", then compare that to any leaned-out period group you've heard. You'll get another idea of the dimension of Beecham's project.
   
   While not on the agenda of the Flat Earth Society, the main interest in a performance like this -- especially having to pay for three CDs when just about everyone else puts it on two -- is nostalgia or history, whichever happens to be the case for you.
   
   My personal favorite is Paul McCreesh's version on DG; I also enjoy the 4-CD box of "Messiah" and "Israel In Egypt" where Andrew Parrott leads his Taverner Choir & Players and some of the best early music singers. These are both historic versions that don't directly compete with Beecham or his style. If you like Sir Thomas's high cholesterol romantic approach, you surely will not enjoy the two I recommend.



3. If you want a Messiah as big as the planet, but with style, get this famous Beecham version done with romantic ornamentations. It's awesome!



4. While I am not by any means an original instrument/performance purist, even I find myself balking at the leisurely swagger of so many of the tempi adopted here (although Sir Thomas scampers through "For we, like sheep" as if he cannot wait to be rid of the embarrassment of it) and the rather disconcerting woodwind twiddles, flutey noodlings, lush horns and timpani bashings with which the Goossens orchestration (or was it more the work of Beecham himself?) graces us - yet I will readily admit that I really enjoy this rendering of Handel's inexhaustible masterpiece, done con amore as only Beecham could do it. The slow tempi certainly allow a clear articulation and a grandeur of utterance which are not unbecoming to such theologically elevated music.
   
   The soloists are very fine, especially the men; Vickers obviously has a heroic tenor very different from the rather hooty, throaty tenorino so often wheeled out these days for this music (I mention no British tenors whose weedy sound is so inexplicably prized...) and he articulates the recitative with real depth of feeling. Tozzi, likewise, is a tower of strength - you can just luxuriate in the smooth treacle of that bass. The women are stalwarts of that era; fine artists both.
   
   It's not the only "Messiah" you will want to hear; there is room for a less reverential, more animated and generally more lightly sprung interpretation but in many ways it brings you closer to the emotional heart of this music than many an underpowered, chilly and spare "original instruments" version. (Actually, Beecham's orchestra and choir are not that big compared with the Victorian blockbuster style which preceded it; it's just the ponderous tempi and extra orchestration which create an impression of additional weight.)
   
   So buy this - it's very reasonably priced and beautifully recorded for its 1959 provenance - and enjoy it for what it is: Beecham's tribute to a master composer.



5. This is music from the angels! Perfect, perfect, perfect is all I can say - you won't be disappointed with this CD. Great to listen to all year, but especially at Christmas.

2 comments about One Special Christmas.

1. Fabulous, lush performances of Christmas music that will lift your spirits. David Clydesdale's orchestration is simply amazing. We purchased this CD because it is the exact musical recordings played at Disney's EPCOT theme park as accompaniment to their dancing fountain and "Lights of Winter". Highly recommended, if you can find a copy.



2. This album feature the best rendition of "Do you hear what I hear?" that I have ever heard. It sends chills up my spine every time I listen to it.

No comments about Merry Christmas Memories.

4 comments about Christmas in America.

1. I highly recommend this to anybody who loves Christmas music. It has some of the best christmas songs of all time and Kenny Rogers does a incredible job on this album.



2. Kenny Rogers has released a plethora of Christmas albums, and of the ones I have this is the best. The title song is a very appropriate mix of patriotism and Christmastime-a seemingly odd combination that works very, very well.

   Except for this genre-bundling selection which is reprised throughout the disk, all the other songs are well-known Christmas standards.

   In addition to the title track's uncommon concoction, the disk also departs from the norm by featuring a snippet of this tune between all the other songs and having the music play constantly; there are no silent pauses between cuts.




3. As another reviewer has already said, Kenny Rogers has released many Christmas CDs, and this is probably the best with "Once Upon a Christmas" with Dolly Parton a close second. I have this album from its original release on tape, and I was pleased to find it now on CD; also, it is because it came out at the time that CDs were young that "Christmas in America" has a reprise--on the tape, it's the beginning of Side 2. It's also interesting to note that the title song was written by Dolly Parton. This is a great collection of mostly traditional Christmas songs sang as only Kenny can.



4. I have admired the contributions Kenny Rogers has made in music through the years. This Christmas collection proves just that. The title track gets me a little emotional at times when I hear it. I do enjoy his rendition of Winter Wonderland. Good Christmas sounds from The Gambler!