5 comments about To Drive the Cold Winter Away.

1. This is an amazing CD. It is very sparse yet beautiful and seems to capture the mood of a winter's evening perfectly. Loreena's voice and musical offerings through the years have increased in complexity and multi-cultured flavorings.....a wonderful evolution for a deep artist. But on returning to this album you get a very stripped down Loreena, lotsa tracks with just her and maybe 1 or 2 instruments while she sings very old Christmas/Solstice songs.....Strangely, this is not only my favorite Christmas/Solstice CD but also my favorite album by her in general. It just,,,,,speaks to anyone who has spent Christmas/Solstice in the quiet countryside and witnessed the true miracle of the season....the stillness and beauty of winter in the country.



2. This is not my favorite of Loreena's CDs but it is still worth a listen. The songs were somewhat alike, and nothing really stands out like some of the cuts on An Ancient Muse or Live in Paris and Toronto. If you are a Loreena fan, however, you will definitely want to add this to your collection.



3. I've had a couple of copies of this; the first one the ex took upon separation, the second went for a forgotten birthday present just in the nick of time. Anyway, this is an atmospheric cd, having the feeling of hearing music in an open hard wood environment, which is pretty much as it was recorded. It has a sharp quality to it, but I've liked that characteristic of the recording ever since hearing it, and of course tone controls can taylor it to your liking and room environment. This is a recording that(my perspective) can be enjoyed during not only the Christmas season, but during the dark, dreary cold days of winter. It has a classic quality to it that doesn't meet any conventional descriptions, with Lorenna's sharp, rich voice and the open chamber quality of the recording making it unique.



4. This one is just as good as all the others I have. Her music is so peaceful and wonderful to listen to. If you haven't bought any of her works, then do so, you will enjoy it also!



5. Every year has a Christmas; I don't think "to drive the cold winter away" will disappear in the future.

5 comments about Halloween: Monster Mix.

1. I was lucky to find someone at work who had this. I was contemplating buying this and thought that I would giive it a listen first. I am so glad I did! A few songs and a bunch of sound effects that are neither scary or alarming. Chip Davis must have thought that this would would be good for something but I can't figure out what. The songs either have that drum machine sample beat played throughout the song just making it sound so synthetic and cheap. Like something played at the mall on a $50 casio keyboard. I am glad that I didn't waste my money on this and am telling you to be careful and do the same. I wonder if the double CD Halloween is any better at 23 songs over 2 discs than this at 16 tracks. I doubt it. This clocks in at just over 40 minutes, could not both discs been combined on one, we really don't need two different versions of this. It is neither scary, spooky, nor exciting but it is boring. You can find a way to spend 40 minutes better than this.



2. This CD was hyped as an excellent ,'Halloween Treat'.Well,I was one of the many who were 'Tricked' into buying this crappy CD.Listener Beware!Recycle it! Avoid It ! Nuff said.



3. Good seller. Item was shipped quickly. It was damaged, but the seller was willing to replace or refund.



4. Long Review:
   Considering the wonderfully fresh and innovative interpretations of traditional Christmas music that this Techno-Classical New Age ensemble has put out in the past couple of decades, the news that the Steamroller was coming out with an album of macabre Halloween ditties seemed diabolically delicious--a fresh kill for lovers of Halloween to feast on at last. Sadly, the children of the night still hunger.
   
   Either composer/arranger/band leader Chip Davis has lost his touch, or he simply is not in contact with the true "spirit" of Halloween. As every "body" knows, the music for celebrating All Hallows' Eve should be macabre, creepy, or dreary. Certain passages should even make your skin crawl or your spine tingle. However, even though some inspired spooky standards appear on this album--HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING and NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN, to name a few--the fact is, most of Mr. Davis' arrangements are just too sweet, light, or downright cheery!
   
   In truth, this is just a rehash of the two-disc set released by the band's American Gramophone label the previous year. Because it has one less disc, it does have fewer songs and only a few of the sound FX offered on the first release, but most of the offerings are the same...with a few new tracks to try to hook those who purchased the first edition into yet again parting with their hard-earned green stuff. The reduction in the number of sound FX on this re-issue is actually a blessing, as Mr. Davis' computer-generated night noises are obviously created with a synthesizer and, frankly, just aren't that convincing nor are they particularly scary.
   
   Short Review:
   The reputation of Mannheim Steamroller and the cool jack-o'-lantern on the jacket art promise much more than this CD--either the first two-disc version or this one-disc rehash--actually delivers.



5. Ok, yes, most Halloween music is creepy and macabre. However, its kind of nice to have beautiful Halloween music for dinner and cocktails. Nobody ever said all Halloween music had to scare the heck out of you. Its actually All Hallows Eve - not "let's all be creepy" day.

5 comments about A Very Special Christmas 3.

1. I found many songs I like on the other "Very Special Christmas" albums, but front to back this is easily my favorite. Maybe because it includes alot of "adult-alternative" artists, but probably just because the songs are sooo good. Just look at the tracklist. Sting, Natalie Merchant, and Sheryl Crow all do great covers, and I also love the songs done by Tracy Chapman and Enya. As far as originals go, I was really impressed by the tracks from Smashing Pumpkins and Blues Traveler, both are excellent, and both sound very seasonal. My reason for purchase however was for "Ave Maria". Chris Cornell (Soundgarden/Audioslave) does an amazing job with it, and it's really quite moving. The rest is good at the least. As the holidays approach, I already can't wait to play this. I also suggest "The Edge Of Christmas" and "You Sleigh Me: Alternative Christmas Hits".



2. The artists who stuck to the classics always come out better on these albums. It is a dangerous thing to write a new one unless you can come up with something really significant. Sadly "Christmas Time" by Smashing Pumpkins is not. It's maudlin (meaning sickly sweet and whingey) and the words are worthless. "Christmas time is fun presents for everyone" Ohhh please. Perhaps Bob Geldof and Bono could teach some wealthy rockstars that not everyone gets presents at Christmas and it ain't always fun for those whose families have difficulties or who are under persecution or war. Better to teach the real meaning of Christmas- that Christ was born to offer a new start to everyone. This makes every difficulty you are under fade and is a much better message than "presents for everyone".
   Sorry for the diehard pumpkins fans. I actually like their stuff, but Christmas Time is pumpkin pulp. hohoho



3. This cd is very good and should be in anybody collection



4. This is obviously the third volume in the highly successful Very Special Christmas series. It came out in 1997 and most of the performers here are ones that were popular at that time. Most of the performances are good, with nothing being flat out terrible, which is always a bonus. Which ones you like best will depend on your taste of course. Personally, I think I like the songs by Sting, Natalie Merchant, No Doubt and Chris Cornell the best. But that's just me, you might like some of the others better.



5. Several very good songs and many forgettable ones. I enjoyed songs from Sting, Natalie Merchant, No Doubt, and Chris Cornell...and found myself skipping the others to listen to the favorites.

5 comments about A Brad Paisley Christmas.

1. Great Christmas music for the season. I would recommend this to all who love Christmas music for the holiday.



2. Enjoyed listening to the CD specially the young Brad and the song he wrote. With that song He put the magic of Christ back into Christmas.



3. Brad knows how to make you smile on this cd. His talent continues to give me hours of music listening pleasure!



4. The album is an overall great Christmas record. It combines new country with tradtional Christmas music in a "something for everyone " format, including Brad's comedy spoof on the Merry Christmas versus Happy Holidays debate.



5. Aside from your everyday Christmas songs, this also has a song Brad wrote and performed when he was 13. The Kung Pao Buckaroo snag too and that was hilarious. I don't who they are but they are but what a great ending to the CD. This CD adds holiday cheers to our cookies baking and decorating. A very Merry Christmas!

5 comments about Children Sing for Children: 25 Christmas Songs.

1. This cd of children singing is very nicely done. They all sing very well and all in tune!! They are accompanied by a piano, nothing else, but it sounds really good. You can easily understand what the kids are singing. My kids just love it (4 & 2)....I hear them singing these songs a lot to themselves.



2. My wife and I love Christmas time. What a great season, and time of year. We are always looking for quality Christmas music, and each year purchase about 5 new CDs. We purchased Children Sing for Christmas about 3 years ago and love it. It is in top rotation around our house, alone with the music from Charlie Brown's Christmas.
   
   If you are looking for a good Christmas CD to add to your collection - one that you won't regret purchasing - than this CD is a best bet.
   
   Whatever your style of musical tastes, everyone in your family will enjoy Chidlren Sing for Christmas. My wife and 2 daughters love it.



3. Finally! A CD for children and adults that you can actually understand what they are saying! The children can learn the words to the songs very quickly even our 2 year old. Great music, overall just perfect.



4. I bought this CD as I figured I couldn't go far wrong for this price. I am EXTREMELY pleased with the CD. I would say it's one of the best Christmas CDs I own, and especially perfect for children. It features children singing---TALENTED children that sing on-key and seriously. However, when a song warrants it, adults do much of the singing, such as in O Holy Night, which I just can't picture being done by kids! This CD also takes a unique spin on Christmas carols that have 2 tunes, such as Away in a Manger and O Little Town of Bethlehem---it does a verse in each tune! I loved that! The songs included are the ones you would probably really want your children to hear and learn---the only one I wasn't sure I loved was Jolly Old St. Nicholas, and even that was very nicely done. The songs had enough emotion that my 3 year old didn't want to hear We Three Kings---as it sounds sad! I would certainly say this CD is worth the money---with 25 tracks, it's more than worth the money!



5. This CD had a very nice selection of children's Christmas songs. They were easy to learn and sing and the price made it an excellent buy.

5 comments about Ray Conniff - We Wish You A Merry Christmas (6 Medley songs).

1. Another tape that brought back so many happy memories. Great melodies and a tape loaded with the classics. You won't be disappointed!



2. Great CD, it brought back many childhood Christmas memories, but I liked his other CD "Christmas with Coniff" which had more memorable songs. I got both CDs for my parents as well as for myself. They loved them, too. Unlike my father's albums and cassette tapes he made in the 70's, both were crystal clear CD quality audio.



3. The harmonies of the Ray Conniff singers can not be matched. Every song is a great reminder of a great time.



4. A classic collection of MANY Christmas favorites. A great mix of both Religious and seasonal songs. Great background music at parties and family get togethers.



5. My dad had these kinds of records when I was a very small child. I also heard this type of music at my grandma's as a young child also and by the mid 1980s they were still playing this type of music around xmas time and this kind of music makes it really feel like xmas for me. This does not sound 'old" to me in anyway. Hearing kenny g or mariah carey or adam sandler or some hip hop artist during xmas makes me want to vomit. Why can't radio stations play this good quality music during the xmas season?
   
   I guess Ray Coniff isn't politically correct enough to get played during the xmas season anymore because they still play other older xmas songs but they won't play Ray Coniff.
   
   Ray Coniff really knew how to make some really melodic music which was great adult contemporary music. Just as they have retro disco and retro alternative and retro country music stations they need to have retro adult contemporary station on cable tv's music channels.
   
   On this cd ,the voices of the singers seem too prominent and the background instruments and sounds seem like they were faded to make the voices sound louder. I hate when they mess with old recordings and do this type of thing. Usually on music cds they unfairly make the bass more prominent as if it were a soul or motown cd where bass is so important but in this case it is the voices.

5 comments about Harry for the Holidays.

1. I'm deluded from the track list.
   Few classics and not nery notable too.
   But the talente of Harry is not discutible.



2. This is a great CD that my kids look forward too every year for the holidays. There are a lot of great "full jazz band" songs .



3. I am a huge HC fan, and it's hard for me to objective, but this album is just not up to his usual standard. While I enjoyed the different take on 'Silver Bells' and the up-beat jazzy spin on 'Frosty' and "Santa Claus is Coming," too many of tracks are waaaaayyyy too far away from the traditional. Some of the interludes contain melodies and instrumentation that just don't fit. Sorry, Harry.



4. Great CD. Lots of original music and different styles of old favorites. Harry's renditions of the classic Christmas music re-ignites interest in your old, sometimes overdone, favorites. Fun and catchy tunes such as "The Happy Elf" and "I'm going to be the first One" are original and entertaining. If you love Christmas music this CD is a must have



5. We've about burnt a hole in this disc, we've played it so many times. It has a great mix of hymns, holiday and children's music. "The Happy Elf" is a family favorite and "Silent Night" will give you goose bumps every time.

5 comments about Give Love at Christmas.

1. This recording has been played on Christmas by my family for years, so I decided to give each daughter their own for Christmas.
   This recording never grows old, it is a tradition in my family for the Christmas season.
   As my daughter said, "Christmas is not Christmas without the Temps."



2. This CD has been our family tradition all of my life. I was SO happy I was able to download purchase it. Instead of having to buy the actual disk, and have it shipped to me.



3. THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME ORDERING FROM AMAZON AND I REALLY ENJOYED THE EXPERIENCE. I GOT MY PACKAGE ON TIME AND EVERYTHING WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND WORKED PROPERLY. THANK YOU.



4. One of The Finest CD Albums You can Buy for Christmas!
   The Temptations Sing Your Favorites in a Style Only The Temptations can Deliver!



5. Product was just what I wanted to order, came in excellent condition, and price was not out of line.

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 Backstreet Boys - Video Hits, Chapter One.

1. I love Backstreet Boys - Chapter One. I enjoy watching them over and over again. If you are a big fan of the Backstreet Boys you will totally enjoy watching all of these videos.



2. I bought this DVD from Amazon. I would say, this DVD is a excelent video collection. All the music lovers should have this DVD. Do not miss this DVD.I'm very happy to purchased it.I gurenteed about the satisfaction as a music lover.



3. This DVD is a great compilation of the hit songs and their music videos the Backstreet Boys have produced over their first three albums: Backstreet Boys, Millennium, and Black & Blue. You can watch a progression of their music and style in this video alone.
   
   The only reason why I give this DVD a 4-star rating instead of five is because of the fact that the region 1 disk here only has the American/ Canadian hits. Hits like We've Got It Goin' On or Get Down (You're the One For Me) aren't present. Another disappointment would be the lack of the new song on The Hits CD - Drowning. The music video for Drowning isn't on this DVD, so if you wanted to buy this DVD for that purpose, you should look elsewhere for it. The DVD is amazing, though, and included my favourite video: The Call. Check it out!



4. With 12 videos from their first three cds. Backstreet Boys, Milennium and Black and Blue.
   
   Backstreet Boys:
   
   Quit Playing Games With My Heart
   As Long As You Love Me
   Everybody (Backstreet's Back)
   All I Have To Give
   I'll Never Break Your Heart
   
   Milennium:
   
   I Want It That Way
   Larger Than Life
   Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely
   The One
   
   Black and Blue:
   
   Shape of My Heart
   The Call
   More Than That
   
   Total running time for the DVD/videos is 55 minutes. But with this at your disposal you can watch any of their vids at anytime and for a pretty good price as well.



5. I find this is a great video! I love all they're songs on this video and that's unusual for me to love ALL the music videos on one disc! They really did a great job of compiling they're videos to get the best of the best. Also, I prefer not to have concert scenes, they can do that in a seperate disc. If you love the Backstreet boys, you've got to get this DVD! I love it and I'm 46 years old! So its just not for a certain age group! Great DVD!