No comments about Purenrg Christmas.

2 comments about The Complete EMI Sessions, 1928-1939.

1. I could not afford this seven-disc box, but my dear friends Jim and Cindy Clark of Kansas, realizing that I am the only Robeson fan they are ever likely to meet, gifted me with this. I am extremely grateful. I "discovered" Paul in 1959, when I was 14, via a Vanguard folk sampler I checked out of the Trenton, NJ Public Library. The song was "Get on Board, Little Children" and lasted all of 77 seconds, but it changed my life. (On the same set, I "discovered" Cisco Houston, and that track also changed my life. What a great trip to the library that turned out to be.)
   
   I went on to eventually own 11 Robeson LP's, the videotape of James Earl Jones doing a one-man show as Paul, a hardcover full-length biography, and a dozen or more newspaper or magazine articles about him. Most of those items are gone now, and my collection was down to two CD's and a 78 RPM box set of his "Ballad for Americans" on RCA from 1940. Then EMI remastered these 1930's recordings from London, and the Clarks played Santa for me. (Pay attention to the "new or used" line in this listing, because you can find this at a much better price than the one shown.)
   
   Here one gets 170 tracks, about eight hours' worth of Robeson. There are a lot of repetitions here, including three versions of "Old Man River" which became Paul's signature tune for his "classical" fans. One of those versions was for the London cast recording of "Showboat" in 1928, and it leads off the package in great style.
   
   Paul actually began his recording career in the USA in 1927 with a package of spirituals. Those sessions were reissued back in the 1960's on an LP, and most of them were re-recorded in London over the subsequent few years and do appear on this set. The Robesons lived in London for most of the 1930's, because Paul found more concert and film work there than in America. Since these beautifully remastered performances end in 1939 with the outbreak of World War II and Paul's return to the USA, the ten-minute "Ballad for Americans" is NOT included here. Neither is "Joe Hill" which is Robeson's signature song for his "folk-oriented" followers.
   
   If you buy this box, or whine until a friend gives it to you as a present, you will find much that is outdated, even junky by today's standards. Here there are some novelty songs which hold little interest to modern ears, and many plantation/darky songs which are more offensive now, even to black ears. However, the sparkling gems definitely outweigh the drab stones in these 170 slices of Paul's British life 70 years ago.
   
   I'll conclude by listing some of my favorites on each disc:
   
   CD One gives us the 1928-29 sessions (at what is now the famous Abbey Road Studio)and I like: Old Man River, Scandalize My Name, I Want to Be Ready, My Lord What a Morning, Git On Board, Li'l Children, Dere's No Hiding Place, and Oh, Didn't It Rain.
   
   CD Two (1930-31) brings you Go Down Moses, (one of Paul's favorites), Old Folks at Home, Poor Old Joe, My Old Kentucky Home, River, Stay Away From My Door, and Bear The Burden.
   
   On Disc Three, I especially enjoyed Nearer My God to Thee, Roll De Chariot Along, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, On My Journey, Bye and Bye, and the two four-minute song medleys which conclude the CD.
   
   For Disc Four, 1933-36, the winners are Water Boy, Steal Away, the eight-minute medly that is track 16, Shenandoah, Ezekiel Saw The Wheel, and Joshua Fit de Battle of Jericho.
   
   The fifth CD in the bos brings us Song of Freedom, Oh, No, John, Li'l David, and Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child, along with 22 other rarities and re-recordings. These sessions were held at Abbey Road in 1936-37.
   
   On Disc Six, the 1937-38 bookings at the studio, you will enjoy Dere's A Man Going 'Round Takin' Names, and No More, Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel? and the surprisingly lovely Silent Night, Holy Night. (Paul did not record many "Christmas Songs" in his career.) I also loved All Through the Night and Every Time I Feel The Spirit and Loch Lomond.
   
   Finally, CD Seven brings us his studio work during 1939, and the diamonds here are Jerusalem and Deep River. The other tracks include songs from the film "Proud Valley", a handful of plantation numbers, and several songs previously unknown to me, which are interesting to hear but perhaps not compelling enough to hear repeatedly.
   
   If you possess this one box, you might say with a high degree of accuracy that you have everything worthwhile that Robeson recorded in the first half of his long career. Beyond 1939, he has a brief period of adulation in America, due to the "Ballad for Americans" and some other patriotic numbers. However, his love for Russia lasted beyond the period in which we were allies in World War II, and that led, in the early 1950's, to Robeson being labelled un-American, and blacklisted, along with the Weavers, Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston, and many of their leftist fellow artists. Paul had one great comeback in him, however, and after he won back his passport rights in 1958, he not only recorded again in England and traveled to Russia and Germany, but he staged several farewell concerts in New York City which were preserved on vinyl for Columbia, and stand among his best-recorded works. Between 1940 and his retirement in 1963, he recorded in the USA about 80 percent of the contents of this box set. Paul died in 1976, having suffered a form of dementia during his last six or seven years of life. He was not an active presence in the civil rights turmoil of the Sixties, but he worked for civil rights for the four decades prior, and without his grace and courage, that movement might not have succeeded when it did.



2. I was introduced to the glorious voice of Paul Robeson by way of my grandfather's 78s, and he would have wept tears of joy at this superlative presentation from EMI Classics, which I've been playing in concentrated bursts ever since it arrived.
   
   Three versions of "Ol' Man River" are included, the first being the Columbia recording from the Drury Lane production of "Show Boat", which was not released at the time because Robeson was under contract to Victor/HMV. That is the opening track of the first CD, which is fitting, because Robeson's role as Joe launched his career in England. The importance of the song to his career merited some care in its background description. The play had been adapted from Edna Ferber's novel, with Oscar Hammerstein II writing book and lyrics, and Jerome Kern providing the score. It comes as a shock, therefore, that in the discography the song is credited solely to Jerome Kern (as is the later "I Still Suits Me" in which he duets with Elisabeth Welch), and the opening of Patrick O'Connor's liner note refers to "Jerome Kern's musical play"!
   
   That's not the only bit of carelessness; both "Roll, Away Clouds" (Jack Waller, Joe Tunbridge) and "Sonny Boy" (de Sylva, Brown & Henderson) are credited as "Trad. Arr. Paul Robeson" whilst Nat Shilkret's life has been curtailed by 50 years. Finally, it is disappointing that the 23 pages of discography carry no details about the original releases. On the other hand, the booklet is well-produced with some fascinating photographs.
   
   Turning to the recordings themselves, many which reflect Robeson's religious background as the son of a preacher were accompanied by pianist Lawrence Brown, although Jack Hylton & his orchestra backed the 1931 medley of spirituals. But Robeson also recorded many traditional songs, and some of the popular songs of the day, which appealed to an extremely wide audience, and continue to do so. He sang similar fare on the concert platform, and the majority of these recordings have never been out of the catalogue.
   
   The debate about some of these songs has been well rehearsed: suffice it to say here that the controversy generated centred on Paul, rather than the lyricists concerned. A clear case of shooting the messenger! NOTE: the second version of "Ol' Man River" kicks off with the N word, but Robeson amended it for the later recording and performances.
   
   For me, this is a spellbinding collection, the hidden delights of which reside in those tracks (mainly the then current popular songs) which were accompanied by the HMV studio orchestra. Its directors, mainly Carroll Gibbons and Ray Noble, were able to call upon the cream of London's musicians. Thus we hear Max Goldberg's muted trumpet accompaniment on several songs, including "River, Stay `Way From My Door", and some splendid guitar work on "Lazy Bones".
   
   As to the quality of the transfers, the volume generated in "Roll Away, Clouds" by the orchestra and chorus seem to have defeated the recording engineers, because the acoustic sounds boxy and the peaks of sound are uncomfortable to my ear. Certain tracks suffer also from surface noise, some more so than others, but overall the standard is extremely high

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

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



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



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



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



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

5 comments about Merry Christmas With Love.

1. Clay should have won American Idol, but this is also the only good album he's made yet. He does the classics well. It's your standard Christmas album, take the songs as is, use the Clay voice, and it's a hit. The originals on the album stink, which is why his other stuff is no good, he has bad original songs. But his covers are very good. "O Holy Night", "Mary Did You Know", "Winter Wonderland", are among the highlights.
   
   Overall, if you're looking for an original album, look elsewhere. These are just Christmas songs with the Clay voice. That said, he has a great voice. So if you're looking for the Christmas standards, look here, looking for something more original? Grab Relient K's Christmas album.



2. 
   My whole family voted hundreds (probably thousands) of times for Clay when he was on American Idol. We joined his fan club and keep in touch with what he is doing through "claymation" PLUS we have all read his book. Guess we are REAL fans (oops.. we also have one of his larger posters on our kitchen door so he joins us for dinner each day (really... we're NOT crazy). . We recently heard he was gfoing to be in a play on on Broadway called SPAMALOT... Anyway... our review is we love anything Clay does! Wish we could tell him directly how proud we are of him. Sincerely, Sharon The Paul Hudson, Peterson families.



3. Beautiful music from Clay. I bought it especially for "Mary did you Know" and was not disapointed. Rest of the songs are very lovely too.



4. It's always Christmas in my heart and for 2 months a year I get to drag out the Christmas music. And who has a more angelic voice? I love this album. I had to buy 3 more to give as gifts to foreign exchange students who had never heard of him before and fell in love.



5. I bought this for one song, "Mary, Did You Know?", but they are all good.

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 Playing Favorites.

1. I love Greg & Steve for my Pre-K classroom. My class favorites from this CD are "The Three Little Pig Blues" and "Down By the Bay". When you need a calm song nothing beats "Brown Bear". Just hand the kids the book and let them "read" the song.



2. I have lost our cassette but am buying this as a gift and for our new (adopted 6 year old) son. My now 8-year old wouldn't eat when she was 7 months old unless it was playing. It is the most pleasant kids music ever. A bluesy big bad wolf, a wonderful brown bear brown bear (Eric Carle book you should buy if you don't have it.)
   
   I can stand Raffi and Wiggles and some others, but these guys are actually pleasant to listen to. The kids LOVE them too.
   
   I've heard them hundreds of times and this is my favorite bar none.
   
   Signed, Mom of girl age 8 1/2 and boy 6 1/2



3. There is so much variety on this Cd; however; I must confess that Three Little Pig Blues is one of my favorites. I am an early literacy consultant and recently visited a college class where I played this for early education students. they also enjoyed it



4. Most of the songs on this CD are great. However, the lyrics of one song have been altered in such a manner as to make it ridiculous at best, and likely offensive to many. Instead of "He's got the whole world in His hands," it has been re-worded to "You've got the whole world in your hands." I understand that Greg & Steve may want this to be played in public school classrooms (which is where I first heard it), and some schools don't want any reference to God in the classroom, but then why not just leave this song off? Changing the words not only disassociated it from God, but the new words don't make any sense. And some children may grow up thinking those really are the words to that song. It would have been much better to have just chosen another song for their collection.



5. Greg & Steve CDs have become the favorite music for me and my 4 year old grandson. All are good, but this one is truly a "favorite". We know it is good because we traveled for hours playing it and didn't want to scream after two plays or two hours....in fact, we found ourselves singing the tunes well after the music was over. And my grandson has learned the words because you can actually hear what is being said. A must have!

5 comments about Smooth Jazz Christmas.

1. Another great CD by Dave Koz and Friends - he seems to have alot of them! This CD really gets you in the Holiday Spirit.



2. If you liked this, do a search for Terry Zylman. His CD "Moods of the Season" is wonderful. While it contains many of the Christmas classics, my favorite songs are the ones you won't find on other CD's. "Joseph's Song" is incredibly poignant and moving while "Fireplace" is dreamy and soothing. Many of you will recognize "Christmas Time is Here" from "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Mr. Zylman is an incredibly gifted musician, who has created a timeless listening experience you will enjoy for years to come. Amazon will link you to MP3 downloads where you can enjoy a sampling, or download the entire 16 track CD. "Smooth Jazz Christmas" is one of my favorites during the holiday season, and my favorite of Dave Koz' Christmas CD's. Not only do you get to enjoy Koz, but several other talented artists as well. I think my favorite track is "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" but the "Smooth Jazz Christmas Overture" medley is terrific. Happy Holidays!



3. I usually love the music and styling and Dave Koz. I expected this to be exactly what the title said --- Smooth jazz, but it's more an assorted mix of styles. I played it one time, ended up burning the 3 titles I did like to a Christmas CD, and will probably never listen to the original CD again.



4. This album is filled with inconsistency. Even within a single song, the artist moves from mellow to racing. This is across songs. Vocals could be left out altogether, and what was there was not good work.



5. This is a good CD for the holidays. It offers a different twist on the classics. It will make a nice addition to anyone's smooth jazz holiday collection.

5 comments about A Stained Glass Christmas with Heavenly Carols (Widescreen) [Blu-ray].

1. I played this to get myself ready for Christmas next month and fell in love with it! I will definitely get my money's worth. The best thing about this disc is that there is an option to play a soundtrack of traditional Christmas songs or Handel's Messiah. Each song is accompanied by amazing and ultra vivid Christmas stained glass scenes. I will play this every year. A+



2. I've only viewed the HD side of the disc.
   
   Some closeups are finely detailed but overall, it does not have the crispness of, say, Planet Earth. I watched this disc on both a 65" 1080p dlp rptv and on a 106" screeen with 720p front projector.
   
   But it is sharper than a typical sd disc and is just as sharp as many hd movies. So a 4 star for video.
   
   It is highly recommended to play as background for a holiday party and the constant changing of images can hold your attention.
   
   Although 5.1 DD, mostly the front 3 channels are used. Not much lower subwoofer output.
   
   Switching between the Christmas Carols and the Messiah, the video is the same for each of them. And if you change the music selection mid disc, it resumes from the exact video point you left with the other audio. But you would be hard pressed to remember all the visiual images if you played each music track in sucession so it can play for several hours.
   
   The audio plays fine through hdmi, 6 channel input or coaxial digital audio cable but will sputter constantly and is unlistenable through Optical digital audio. So just 2-3 stars for audio as many folks only have optical audio connection. And loses stars for not being in Dolby True HD or DTS HD formats.
   
   It's a keeper for background Christmas celebrations or just for a tour of many beautiful pieces of religious stained glass panels.



3. We are playing this disc for about 3rd time - Fantastic picture quality - music is very timely for this time of the Year. Hightly Recommended. I'll be buying another copy for my parents.
   
   Merry Christmas.



4. The glowing praise in the reviews here at Amazon were what prompted me to purchase this HD-DVD. Unfortunately, I cannot agree with it.
   
   The majority of the "scenes" are simply photos that are panned over, not actually video. We all could just do a photo slideshow of our own Christmas photos for the same effect, but with more personality. The small amount of video that is there is shaky and not as sharp as the photos. Clearly not a professional production.
   
   This could almost be looked over if the scenes were of some gorgeous European cathedrals, but all of the locations are in and around Chicago. Definitely not what I would consider "the world's most beautiful stained glass Nativity artwork, holiday scenery and churches". If you, like me, were hoping for shots of ancient stained glass, you won't find them here.
   
   My last complaint is with the bible verses displayed between scenes. I found them very distracting, out of place, overly religious and preachy. Obviously a work about Christmas and art in churches is inherently religious, but I felt this was a bit over the top in execution.
   
   The music is decent. Not fantastic, but enough to bring my score to two stars.
   
   I cannot recommend this title.



5. I purchased this for our 2007 Christmas Family Reunion. Wow! Very beautiful! As our guests arrived they were greeted with the lovely music and colorful stained glass photos. We have a 46' LCD 1080 and the blu-ray disk makes everything look so crisp, clear and colorful. It really filled the home with the TRUE meaning of Chistmas. My children who are 7 and 4 LOVED it, not to mention the guests. I highly recommed it. This will now become a family tradition.

5 comments about Halloween Horrorscapes.

1. Halloween Horrorscapes is the perfect CD in the evolution of Halloween soundscapes. The superior sound quality at a high volume and the right lighting will leave the bravest of Halloween enthusiasts looking over their shoulder.
   
   Each track tells a story with only sounds...SCARY SOUNDS.
   
   The mix of old-school and modern sound techniques makes Halloween Horrorscapes a must for your collection. I am proud to have it in my collection.
   
   Larry McKenzie
   TheHalloweenNetwork.com



2. This is a great CD, perfect for the Halloween party or even at a Haunted House. A must have!!!



3. "This CD is great to create a scary backdrop for trick or treating or a Halloween party. While other CD's have cheesy sound effects and music this one has a fluid story line and cinematic feel. We plan on having the best house on the block with the help of this CD."



4. This is the GREATEST Halloween CD since Monster Mash. It is fun, entertaining and really puts you in the Halloween mood. The sound quality is impressive and the story line flows seamlessly track to track making for a compelling, enjoyable listen. More producers and writers should make an effort like this - this is Halloween entertainment!



5. Have added this to my arsenal of Halloween stuff and love it! Very high quality and very scary. Definitely one to sit and listen to with the lights off and stereo turned up. Looking forward to using it at my party coming up in a few weeks. THUMBS UP!

5 comments about Ultra-Lounge: Christmas Cocktails, Part One.

1. Nothing can be finer that Ultra Lounge - never a bad thing to say.



2. Am I the only one who can't seem to download the music into iTunes? My computer won't even acknowledge the existence of the CD. Grrrrrr - that's not the true Christmas spirit... (or IS it?)



3. Christmas Cocktails, part one gives you twenty-one awesome tracks to make you feel toasty warm all over this holiday season! The quality of the sound is excellent and anyone who likes lounge music is bound to want this album.
   
   There are several highlights of this album. The first track is Billy May's "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer Mambo." This tune's Latin beat uses the brass, percussion and perfect timing to make a great arrangement. Peggy Lee's "Winter Wonderland" is another track I really like; her excellent diction bolsters her performance. Moreover, listen for Ray Anthony's medley of "Christmas Trumpets/We Wish You A Very Merry Christmas;" this one's wonderful, too.
   
   The incomparable Julie London does a perfect job on "I'd Like You For Christmas;" her voice conveys all the romance a man could ever want from a woman. Of course, Kay Starr's excellent "(Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man With The Bag" features Kay singing at her best; the big band style arrangement lacks nothing, either.
   
   Dean Martin croons his way through "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm;" and Jackie Gleason and Jack Marshall give us a great medley of "I'll Be Home For Christmas/Baby, It's Cold Outside." Now THIS is mood music!
   
   Nancy Wilson performs a charming, sensitive rendition of the classic "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?;" and the immortal Nat King Cole performs "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)."
   
   There are three bonus tracks. I especially liked the one that features several different artists encouraging people to contribute to "Toys For Tots;" and Billy May's eclectic version of "Jingle Bells" is a cute way for Capitol Records to wish us all a Merry Christmas.
   
   The liner notes feature an essay by R. J. Smith; and we get two drink recipes--including one of the famous Hot Toddy. The artwork is excellent.
   
   In short, if you like lounge music--and especially pop Christmastime music from the 1950s and 1960s--you have got to get this album. It's worth every penny you'll spend on it.



4. This is such a hip Christmas disc! Every one who hears it loves it. It is one of our favorite holiday discs.



5. It is what exactly what it says it is. Nice jazz renditions of Christmas classics. Pour your self an eggnog and enjoy