3 comments about Doo Wop Christmas.

1. I'm biased since my dad is part of the 5 Boroughs. So of course you know which one is my favorite song.



2. Wow! This is a fantastic album. I have boutght seven copies to distribute to friends. These songs are upbeat, uplifting, high-qualaity recordings. This album is, in my humble opinion, MUCH better than the Rhino album of the same name. Buy it. You will not be sorry.



3. If you are thinking of a Christmas Ball, and want something a little unusual, this is a good choice for two tracks. You can dance Foxtrot to the Jaguars' "Happy Holiday." You can dance swing to Jimmy Beasley's "Christmas is here again." Almost everything else here is predictably doo-woppin' slow, and so you could dance nightclub two step or just cuddle dance to it. Hmm.
   
   Title, duration, suggested dance if any, artist(s):
   Happy holiday 3:17, Foxtrot, Jaguars
   More than enough for me, 3:39, -, Johnny Staton & the Feathers
   Christmas is here again, 2:28, Swing, Jimmy Beasley
   Like a kid at Christmas, 4:03, -, Jimmy Beasley
   Only at Christmas, 3:04, -, Five Boroughs
   At Christmas time, 2:28, -, Castelles with George Grant
   Ride on Santa, 2:34, -, Johnny Staton & Feathers
   Christmas time is coming, 3:28, -, Story Teller
   I want you for Christmas, 3:04, -, Rudy West & Five Keys
   Please come home for Christmas, 2:43, -, Sonny Knight
   Merry Christmas darling, 2:17, -, Jaguars
   White Christmas, 4:14, -, Vicky & Al
   Merry, merry Christmas baby, 2:30, -, Tune Weavers
   What are you doing New Years Eve, 3:56, -, Tune Weavers

No comments about 100 Greatest Hymns & Carols.

No comments about Christmas Presence.

No comments about For Christmas.

3 comments about My Favorite Place.

1. This is not a review of the entire CD, because the only song I ever listen is 'paid in full.' I have no doubt that this is the single greatest song of all time.



2. If you grew up (like I did) listening to gospel music on TV just before church, you will love this CD. These guys are the best, especially for a trio. You will not regret getting this or any of their other CDs.



3. I have listen to I think every cd these guys have put out and they have the best sound. I have got to meet them at one of there concerts and they are the kindest most sincere people I have ever met. My favorite Place is one of my favorite cd's but I could say that about all of theirs!

No comments about Country Legends.

5 comments about The Empire Strikes Back: Symphonic Suite From The Original Motion Picture Score.

1. Superb CD. I knew it was a selection from the score, but i had this CD for a long time without actually realizing it was'nt the original 'recording'. When years later i obtained the Special Edition recording of the original,i actually found myself going back to this one much more (and still do). Its a far far superior performance of the music (and Williams himself agrees on the sleeves that they are beautiful suites of his score). Gerhardt gets the full ooomp and brassy power out of the orchestra and this makes for a stunningly powerful performance of Empire strikes back's main themes and cues. The Asteroid field is 10 times better here than on the original recording where its infact quite weak and incidental background quality. This version will leave you with you hair sticking up and a sound blasted face. Incredible power. Williams himself is not a fan of full released scores and prefers to release "Selections from" CD's of his scores. I,like many JW fans used to grumble about this no end, but more and more i appreciate why he and Jerry Goldsmith prefer this. It makes for a much more balanced,well paced,and enjoyable listening experience. The 2 disc Phantom menace score from Sony was an example of how "ALL" the music in the film on disc is not quite as enjoyable as you would of imagined. Give this CD a try and i can guarantee you'll prefer this one anyday.



2. Even though I had owned the original soundtrack recording of John Williams' score for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on vinyl LP and cassette, but when Polygram released that soundtrack on compact disc, I was less than thrilled. The tracks were out of sequence and fewer in number...so it was a bit of a gyp. So when I found this wonderful album of the Empire Strikes Back Symphonic suite on CD, I was ecstatic.

   Basically, this 13-track album consists of the basic Concert Suite (The Imperial March, Han Solo and the Princess, Yoda's Theme, and The Asteroid Field), supplemented by several other cues from the film score, including Alfred Newman's Fox Fanfare, Main Title/The Imperial Probe, and Training of a Jedi Knight.

   To avoid repetition of familiar material, composer John Williams, conductor Charles Gerhardt, and producer George Korngold present some of the compositions with different arrangements. The Imperial March, for instance, leads off with material used while Han Solo is being frozen in carbonite. The new intro adds menace and malice to the already dark and jeering theme for Darth Vader.

   My personal favorite twist is the rendition of the love theme (Han Solo and the Princess). It is presented here with new orcheestrations and no sudden cut to Vader's theme as in the film soundtrack. As it goes through the theme and variations cycle, little quotes of Princess Leia's Theme from the first film appear, first subtly by plucked harp strings, then more boldly by the violin and wind sections.

   Gerhardt and the National Philharmonic do a magnificent job on this amazing film score. Williams fans should run, not walk, to get this recording.




3. Charles Gerhardt and the NPO released many CDs on RCA Victor, mainly of golden age film scores, but also a Star Wars/Close Encounters CD and Return of the Jedi. For whatever reason, RCA passed on Gerhardt's recording of Empire Strikes Back, but no fear, Varese Sarabande picked it up. I love all of the Gerhardt recordings, and this is my favorite of the three. While it doesn't have all the cues that the 1993 Anthology or 1997 sppecial editions had, it still has most of the major themes and is performed superbly by the National Philharmonic.
   
   George Korngold (producer) and Charles Gerhardt (conductor) did a huge favor for film score fans with the Classic Film Score series, and of course the Star Wars trilogy recordings.



4. This re-recording of the music of John Williams for the film "The Empire Strikes Back" by Charles Gerhardt and the National Philharmonic Orchestra is, in many ways, even better than the two-CD Special Edition Original Soundtrack. I must first add that the Special Edition is an absolute must for fans of John Williams (particularly fans of this score) as it contains every minute of music Williams composed for the film, including some really essential themes that did not make it onto the Gerhardt recording, and given an outstanding performance by the London Symphony Orchestra. As this score is one of Williams' very best of all time, fans should certainly have the original recording. That said, the Gerhardt recording presents an even more enjoyable listening experience, as it contains suites of the very best music from the film, performed (generally) even better than the original recording, with superior sound quality. Additionally, the Concert Suites have an advantage over the original recording in that the Suites are arranged to maximize the audio experience, leaving out the repitition of themes and "background" music from the original, which are better suited to accompanying the scenes in the film for which it was written, than for our listening enjoyment. The Suites also avoid the choppiness inherent in duplicating for CD music which was meant to accompany the rapidly changing action on the screen.
   The Han Solo and the Princess Suite found on this CD is surely the greatest performance of this music ever recorded, very powerful and harmonized beautifully, a sort of 20th century version of the "love music" from Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture. The Asteroid Field Suite is even more exciting than the original recording as is Battle on the Ice, particularly since the original Ice Battle track is over 15 minutes long, switching between themes to accompany the action in the film, often without any organic connection between the themes. The re-recording contains just the battle music, performed thrillingly.
   The Imperial March Suite is superior to the original since it starts with music from the Carbon Freeze scene and switches to the original march, which is performed faster than the original, making it more exciting, if perhaps a bit less manacing. The music for the Training of a Jedi Knight sounds more magical than you've ever heard it before, while Yoda's Theme lilts more than in the original. The only music which is slightly better in the original is the Through the Window music (a drop too fast here) and the beginning of the closing credits music (the brass has slightly more oomph in the original). Otherwise, hearing this music in Suite form, performed magnificently, and with excellent digital sound (the original recording is analog and contains slight background hiss) makes for an immensely enjoyable and unforgettable listening experience.
   In summation, while fans should certainly get the Special Edition, if I had to pick one, I'd go with the Gerhardt recording. You will find yourself listening to this CD over and over again. This is a true must-own CD for fans of John Williams and 20th century classical/orchestral music in general. Get it now before it goes out of print.



5. I find the lack of not-so-great reviews here a bit amazing, really. Now I claim Empire as the greatest film ever, and I listen to the soundtrack on a regular basis. But that's not to say I can't enjoy a different interpretation of the score. But this just is not very good. For starters, by making this a "suite," an attempt has been made to join parts of the score that were originally interrupted by different themes due to the on-screen action. In the movie, sometimes the scene changes suddenly and the music reflects that, so this album tries to "fix" that, to change it into something you could just go to the symphony concert and hear played. And while John Williams himself worked on this "suite," it's really a terrible job. The new changes sound forced and are no less jarring than the original. I expected a smooth, flowing interpretation and this is anything but. But worst of all is the musicianship. These guys are just NOT that good. I heard at least three trumpet flubs on this CD, guys just trying to hit high notes and flat-out MISSING. And the cymbal player... I kid you not, on a couple of songs it sounds like they got a middle school kid off the street to play the cymbal. I honestly was thinking to myself, "can this guy not count?" I knew this wasn't THE soundtrack when I bought it, and I understood the idea behind it and it had the potential to be good. It's just... not.

5 comments about This Is the Time: The Christmas Album.

1. I played the original CD so much I wore out thus I am ordering a new one tonight. Michael Bolton has found the right medium in expressing himself through Christmas songs. This CD provides the right atmosphere for the holiday season. Should be played at every holiday party.



2. This album is great if you enjoy Christmas songs. Michael does what he does best: He takes classics and makes them his own. These are new, refreshing renditions, instead of the boring, conventional style you usually hear in these songs. A good album for fans at Christmas.



3. A classic, but with a special touch from the great voice of a great performer like Michael Bolton.



4. One of the most notorious, most successful thief in modern music history.
   But give this singing charlatan & his handlers credit! They have made off with more dinero than even most banks could count.
   Surely, most of the mega-millions that he has lured into his Cayman accounts has been female money; but I digress, maybe there are guys out there who are so accustomed to forgery, that the real thing " is a thing of the past."
   I just saw a picture of this vandalizer & was wondering who he's ripped-off lately. Does he have his eyes set, on a say, Justin Timberlake, the late Robert Goulet, a Brad Pitt " Retrospective, " or maybe a duet with Barry Manilow singing, " Mandy?"
   Women, like everyone else, have to grow-up & if you're from the 60's then there is No hope for you.
   But if you are content with this very poor facsimile, then you get everything you deserve.



5. Since I adore Michael Bolton and his beautiful voice. I loved this CD and would readily suggest it to other Michael Bolton fans. It's beautiful and great for Christmas.

5 comments about All I Want for Christmas Is You.

1. The title song makes the whole cd worth the price. I don't know how many times I heard it before I found out who it was. We saw them live a couple of years ago, but the lead singer had changed. It made a big difference. LeAnn Rimes has felt the need to remake this song, but you are way better off sticking with this one. This is not to be confused with the different Mariah Carey song of the same name. While it's good too, the Vince Vance is way superior.



2. I got this item in great condition. Packing CD is really important.
   The Cd is Great!!! All the tunes are right in line with the Holiday!
   
   Mike



3. I thoroughly enjoy this CD every time I play it. I especially enjoy All I Want for Christmas. I heard it on the radio and I really wanted the CD. I am so happy that Amazon carries it as I don't think I have seen it in any of the stores where I live. Very, very pleased with it. Ordering was simple and easy as well and I received it in record time.



4. This Christmas album was purchased because of the title track heard on local radio. I was really pleased to hear the whole album because it was fresh and fun.



5. this cd was a xmas present and it was a nice gift. the songs are good and it could only be found online. The first song is the favorite of all the songs on this cd.

1 comments about Christmas at Luke's House.

1. This album features recording artists that recorded for Luke Records, run by the notorious Luther "Luke" Campbell, of 2 Live Crew fame. The groups featured are H-Town, U-Mynd and the Gospel Music Ministry Choir. H-Town is the only one of these groups to score a hit, which was called "Knockin' Da Boots". All the groups here are good singers, but the arrangements are pretty boring. It's standard 1990s "slow jams" R&B. The "highlight" is probably H-Town's "Knockin' Boots for Christmas", which is of course simply a retread of their big hit. I can't recommend this CD, although fans of 1990s R&B will probably enjoy it more than I did.