2 comments about For Christmas with Love.

1. After the Seekers broke up i never bought any of their
   records because I had them all,but latley becuuse of getting
   into computors to support my music collection i am thrilled
   to have found out through e-bay,musicstack and amazon that
   judith kept on recording and I have now 3 of her recordings
   since the brake up.Great Voices are worth collecting,they
   never scease to please,like Jim Reeves,Eddy Arnold,Patsy Cline
   to name A few,And Groups like The Shadows,The Beatles and
   The Moody Blues, It's a double blessing when people like
   Judith and Cliff Richard give their hearts to Jesus and
   sing about God's Love for us and what He wants us to do so
   that we too, will truly know the love that He has for us.
   You dont have to be a great singer,just ask Him in.



2. I bought this CD recently because i wanted to hear what Judith sounded like after leaving the Seekers.
   This is an example of Judiths excellent vocal talents.
   Its quite a good CD,some realy good gospel - Xmas songs here.
   Her voice is realy good here and its a very good collection of songs.There is also the surprize of a couple of additional tracks recorded in 1994.
   But most of the Cd was recorded in 1968.The 2 songs recorded in 1994 were Amazing Grace and Somewhere A Child Is Born.She was very busy at the time with the reunion of the Seekers as well as various solo releases.
   In all a very good CD,but i cant help but miss the boys in the background on some of the songs.
   There was alot of her albums released from 1968 up to the mid 70's.Whereas in the 1980's there was nothing at all im aware of released.
   This is the type of music that she sings so well.

No comments about Merry Merry Doo Wop Christmas.

1 comments about A Composer's Christmas.

1. This is a very interesting album of familiar Christmas Songs played in the styles of famous classical composers, but all done on multi-layer synthesizer by a single player. The melodies are intertwined with familiar but altered sonics of famous orchestra and piano pieces. Extremely well done and extremely subtle. Its great to play this album in the background and watch the faces of people as they realize that it is a christmas album. I highly recommend this album to anyone with a like for classical music, and it is especially good for children to listen to and learn about classical styles. Can't wait for the inevitable Volume II!

5 comments about Bummed Out Christmas!.

1. "Bummed Out Christmas" is a collection of Christmas songs that are are considerably less cheerful or uplifting than the type of music usually associated with the holiday season. But these songs are not really all "bummers."

   Some of the songs express the hope of optimism in spite of a minor problem, as in "Somebody Stole My Santa Claus Suit". Some others tell funny stories of holiday setbacks such as "Santa Came Home Drunk" and "Christmas in Jail". Still others are hauntingly beautiful and poignant, such as "Christmas Eve Can Kill You". And "Don't Believe in Christmas" is a rather catchy song of cynicism and disdain for Christmas.

   There are two songs on this disc that merit special mention because they are so wretchedly awful. "Santa Got a DWI" is a rather stupid novelty tune about the jolly fat man being arrested for drunk driving in his sleigh. Sherwin Linton's vocal is so irritating that I wish the police would beat him with a rubber hose. "Lonely Christmas Call" is a godawful old George Jones number that is so depressing it will have rednecks and trailer park denizens everywhere crying in their beer.

   Some of these songs will bum you out. Others will make you laugh. Still others will just annoy you with their stupidity. This is what you get in "Bummed Out Christmas".




2. The people at Rhino Records have put together some great collections over the years, and you can count this one among them. They always seen to find songs that you just can't get anywhere else. I bought this just for one song, the 50's doo-wop "Christmas In Jail" by The Youngsters, but I ended up liking almost the entire disc. The songs range from the 50's to the 80's and cover all sorts of musical styles tied together by the common theme of a less-than-merry Christmas. The only clunker is the hokey "Santa Got A DWI". Just ignore that one and enjoy the rest of the great songs here. In addition to "Christmas in Jail", there is also a zydeco version of John Prine's "Chistmas in Prison". There are two smokin' garage-rock songs from 1966 by two bands from Tacoma, WA; "Don't Believe In Christmas" by the Sonics, and "Christmas Spirit??" by the Wailers (not the reggae band). The Everly Brothers "Christmas Eve Can Kill You" may be sad, but it sure is pretty. And The Staple Singers' gospel song "Who Took The Merry Out of Christmas?" is done so well, they make it seem uplifting. The disc may be called "Bummed Out Christmas", but you'll be glad to own it.



3. This compilation album focuses on the unhappy side of Christmas. The songs tackle the subject in a variety of styles and with varying degrees of seriousness. For instance, the first song, "Somebody Stole My Santa Claus Suit", is a jug band song and it's played for laughs. While the second song, "Christmas Eve Can Kill You", is played seriously and is about the saddest Christmas song I ever heard. Both songs are great, however. In fact, there are a lot of great songs here. The only song I hate is "Santa Came Home Drunk", which is a slurred blues song that is basically an excuse for the singer to slip the names of as many brands of whiskey as possible into the lyrics. Anyway, if you are looking for a different kind of Christmas album, this may be for you.



4. Bought this as a cassette in 1989, after both New Kids On The Block and The Jets released their Christmas albums before Labor Day of 1989 (Yes, that happened!). Helped me through a number of ugly Christmases.
   
   My favorites on this CD are:
   Christmas Eve Can Kill You (about being alone)
   Santa Came Home Drunk (love the way he fits the liquor names in)
   Don't Believe in Christmas (A spoonful of cynicism makes the medicine go down...)
   Santa Got a DWI (I like this song, don't know why so many others hate it)
   Who Say There Ain't No Santa Claus (dig the punchline)
   Christmas Spirit (the Xmas song Bob Dylan should have done but didn't)



5. I bought this Cd, because I wanted to expand my musical taste about the holidays. I love the song of "Somebuddy Stole My "Santa Claus Suit". It's really funny, and I can listen to it over and over again. I also like the other songs on this Cd, such as "Santa Got A DWI", "Christmas In Jail", "Christmas Spirit?", "Christmas In Vietnam", "Santa Came Home Drunk", "Lonely Christmas Call", "Don't Believe In Christmas", and "Christmas In Prison". I also love the song "Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas". It's a good song, even if I don't know what it's about. This Cd comes highly recommended if you are sick and tired of the holiday music you hear in shopping malls, and department stores and want something to ease the stress about the holidays. All the emotions are in this Cd. Go out and buy it. You won't be disappointed. This Cd is meant for adults, so make sure that kids don't hear it, because this Cd may not be suitable for them.
   
   Happy New Year!

No comments about Eternity Shut in a Span: Music for Christmas.

2 comments about Spirit of America.

1. Surprised that no one has reviewed this yet. Amazon.com doesn't give much info on this release, so I thought I'd rectify that. This is the second brand-new release on the "Mormon Tabernacle Choir" label, following their April 2003 release of "Consider the Lilies." Again, several of the arrangements are by Mack Wilberg, with direction by Craig Jessop and accompianment by the Orchestra at Temple Square. The track list is as follows:

   1 America the Beautiful
   Music: Samuel A. Ward

   Text: Katherine Lee Bates
   Arrangement: Mack Wilberg (Oxford University Press) 4:30
   
   2 Bound for the Promised Land
   Music: American folk hymn.
   Arrangement: Mack Wilberg (Oxford University Press) 2:35

   3 This Land is Your Land
   Music: Woody Guthrie
   Text: Woody Guthrie
   Arrangement: Percy Faith & Michael Davis 2:40

   4 Shenandoah
   Music: American folk song.
   Arrangement: Mack Wilberg (Oxford University Press) 4:48
   
   5 Battle Hymn of the Republic
   Music: William Steffe
   Text: Julia Ward Howe
   Arrangement: Peter J. Wilhousky (Carl Fischer, Inc.) 5:19
   
   6 Distant Land
   Music: John Rutter
   Text: John Rutter
   Arrangement: John Rutter (Hinshaw Music, Inc - ASCAP) 4:41
   
   7 They, the Builders of the Nation
   Music: Alfred M. Durham
   Text: Ida R. Alldredge
   Arrangement: Mack Wilberg (Deseret Book Co.) 3:28
   
   8 The House I Live In
   Music: Earl Robinson
   Text: Lewis Allen
   Arrangement: Michael Davis 3:26
   
   9 America, the Dream Goes On
   Music: John Williams
   Text: Alan and Marilyn Bergman 3:18
   
   10 Give My Your Tired, Your Poor
   Music: Irving Berlin
   Text: Emma Lazarus
   Arrangement: Roy Ringwald (Shawnee Press, Inc. - ASCAP)
   Orchestration: Michael Davis 3:01
   
   11 God of Our Fathers, Whose Almighty Hand
   Music: George W. Warren
   Text: Daniel C. Roberts
   Arrangement: Mack Wilberg (Oxford University Press) 4:12
   
   12 Hymn for America
   Music: Stephen Paulus (Paulus Publications)
   Text: Michael Dennis Browne 3:08
   
   13 The Pledge of Allegiance
   Music: Charles Osgood
   Text: Francis Bellamy
   Arrangement: Michael Davis 2:39
   
   14 Cohan's Big Three (Yankee Doodle Dandy, +below)
   Music: George M. Cohan
   Text: George M. Cohan
   Arrangement: Floyd E. Werle
   +Give My Regards/Brdway, You're a Grand Old Flag 3:53
   
   15 Goin' Home
   Music: Antonin Dvorak
   Text: William Arms Fischer
   Arrangement: Jay Welch 4:36
   
   16 God Bless America
   Music: Irving Berlin
   Text: Irving Berlin

   Arrangement: Roy Ringwald (Shawnee Press, Inc. - ASCAP)
   Orchestration: Michael Davis 3:44
   
   17 The Star-Spangled Banner
   Music: John Stafford Smith
   Text: Francis Scott Key
   Arrangement: Robert Russell Bennett 2:21
   
   18 Call of the Champions
   Music: John Williams
   Text: Olympic Motto 4:47

   The sound on this release is, if anything, even cleaner than the previous release, with the Choir and orchestra very evenly balanced. The programming includes a mix of both traditional and brand new songs, a couple of which (Stephen Paulus's "Hymn For America," and Charles Osgood's "The Pledge of Allegiance") were commissioned especially for this recording. Additional note: several of these songs were included on the Choir's 2003 Northeastern States tour, which was a huge success. I highly recommend this recording!




2. This is an excellent CD. The music, both voices and orchestra, is superb. The content of the lyrics is inspiring. It reminds me of so many reasons I'm proud to be American.

3 comments about Monster Rock 'n Roll Show.

1. This is a compilation CD featuring monster or horror themed songs, with old radio commercials for horror movies in between the songs. What's cool about this CD is that it doesn't feature all the same "monster" songs that are on every other CD like this. True, it does have Bobby Pickett's "Monster Mash" and Sheb Wooley's "Purple People Eater", but most of the other songs are pretty obscure. "Haunted House" is here, but it isn't the familiar hit version by Jumpin' Gene Simmons, it's the original version by Johnny Fuller (which is admittedly inferior to the hit version, but it's nice to hear it). There are a lot of really cool songs here that you probably never heard before; like "Midnight Stroll", "Werewolf" and "The Green Slime". It's a kick hearing the old horror movie commercials, too! This would be a good CD to get for your Halloween party.



2. The previous reviewer is right and what made it special for me is the tribute song to Dr. Morgus! (www.morgus.com) Yep, it's by Frankie Ford, The Clowns (of Huey Piano Smith) and Dr. John!
   Check out this CD< it's better than Halloween itself!!!



3. I'll keep it short and just say that everything here is classic and the audio commercials are fabulous. It would get 6 stars out of 5 if it were a 2 c.d set because there are many more of these old "monster" hits in addition to many sequels. Buy this c.d. if you can find it. Our family starts playing it a lot throughout October and it just gets better every year. Steve Hoffman, top tier engineer, remastered the songs for this collection so that they sound great too.

1 comments about Bombazo Navideno, Vol. 3.

1. Los temas de merengue y plenas son buenos y los de salsa regular. Esperemos algo mejor la proxima vez.

5 comments about Halloween Party Music.

1. This is not the best Halloween Party music, butI guess it's ok. I just don't think that you should buy this CD, you won't get your money's worth!



2. Not only are none of these the original recordings of the songs in question, but they aren't even decent remakes! The TIME WARP is an especially poorly butchered piece.



3. Ditto to what everyone else said. The songs are all remakes, (poor ones at that) and many of the songs on this CD do not belong on a halloween track. I wouldn't buy it if you are looking for a good Halloween CD. But it's decent if you like Disco.



4. First of all, these songs are all remakes, and not very good ones at that. Second, where did anyone get the idea that "Macho Man", "Let's Go Dancin'", and "Disco Inferno" are Halloween songs? All in all, I was very disappointed in this cd. Save your money- this is not worth it.



5. I bought this a couple years ago. Half the music on this CD has nothing to do with Halloween. Whatever happend to 'Thriller', 'Werewolves of London' and other timeless classics? They are not on this CD.

4 comments about New Joy - Orthodox Christmas Music.

1. If you liked "The Powers of Heaven", or their recent recording "Da Pacem", you will love the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir's latest collection of soul-wrenching Russian Orthodox music. The massive bass section is the first thing you'll notice, complimented by an incredibly strong and pristinely-intoned soprano section. The tenor section is not as strong as on Powers of Heaven, but as far as I'm aware, this is still the best choir in the world, bar none. I've only listened to the disc a couple times, I'm still letting it all sink in.
   
   Additionally, solos by soprano Kaia Urb are amazing as usual, as are the Russian chant intonations by tenor Tiit Kogerman and basso profundo Vladimir Miller. Listen to the final track for a molars-rattling display of basso profundo magic that surpasses even their recording of Rakhmaninov's All-Night Vigil. The version of "Carol of the Bells" is a nice surprise as well, as are both "6 Psalms" tracks and "Bells Rang Early in Jerusalem".
   
   This is a sublime collection by a fantastic choir. Both the performances and the repertoire put to shame every other vocal ensemble currently recording, and the Estonians continue to be the gold standard against which I measure all other choirs.



2. I would like to second Jacob Williams' opinion on this CD and add- buy this or download it in time for Christmas (though it can be listened to at any time of year, of course). Paul Hillier leads the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir in a spellbinding recording of Eastern Orthodox Choral music. There's something about Orthodox choral music that has a unique feel to it and is hard to describe; it could be the rich chordal style, or the way the melody moves through the force of the slavonic text. Whatever it is, it makes the music a pleasure to listen to.
   
   "A New Joy" includes some music that will be familiar to most listeners, such as Nicolas Kedrov's Our Father and the Leontovych's "Carol of the Bells" (appropriately sung in Ukrainian). In addition, there is music that has never been recorded before, such as Georgiy Izvekov's "festive canon for the Nativity of Christ". Izvekov was a Russian Orthodox priest executed in 1937 by the Soviet government. The "canon" offers a chant-based set of eight short hymn-like "odes" (plus a refrain) notable for their beautiful melodies and affecting, brilliant harmonies.
   
   One would be hard-pressed to find a CD devoted to Christmas music in the Eastern Orthodox tradition- "A New Joy" is such a recording. It's truly a standout, and will raise your spirits and set your mind at ease.



3. "A New Joy" is a very, very special CD. You will never tire of listening to it, unlike so many Christmas albums. You'll want to play it during any season of the year!
   
   Lou



4. I listened to the samples and decided that I must have the album for Christmas. Though it came after that, the music did not lose its power to convey the beauty of the Advent message. In fact, I was captivated by the beauty of the Orthodox choral rendition of the familiar Christmas story. I was especially moved by the accounts of how some of the composers lost their lives for the music I was listening. That really gave me greater appreciation for the music that was at once familiar and different from the usual Western Christmas carols.