5 comments about A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector.

1. There was a time when Christmas CDs weren't put out on an assembly line. There didn't seem the need to put out a Christmas album for every flavor of the day artist just to be contemporary and not miss out on money making opportunities. That's not to say there aren't good modern CDs of the holday category. It's only to emphasize how special and enduring some Christmas CDs are. "A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector" is just that type of CD. It's why you hear it so widespread at the holidays, at such a wide variety of stores and radio stations. It's flawless. It has all the classics. It's pointless to go through them one by one since they're all fabulous. There's not one rendition of any song that isn't recognized by any generation. This is like "A Charlie Brown Christmas," which not only is as esssential to the holiday season as the Christmas tree, but is magical in the sentimentality and nostalgia it evokes. There are many other Christmas standards that fit into this category- Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Rosemary Clooney and Stevie Wonder to name a few have all put their stamps with their interpretations of Christmas classics. But for comprehensive collectioins, Phil Spector's Christmas CD is almost unmatched. It's why you hear most of it wherever you go during the holidays. It brings out the little kid in all of us at Christmas.



2. First off let me say if you only own one x-mas cd it has to be this one. So we all know Phil Spector is a little crazy, but who cares! This album is absolutely fabulous. It creates a timeless mood for the holidays that cannot and will not ever be matched. Like I said in the title it is amazing how these traditional christmas songs can be made so enjoyable. There are only two thing I look forward to every holiday season. I feel terrible saying this, but those two things are not family and gifts. They are this classic album and National Lampoons Christmas Vacation!



3. 
   I'm by no means an expert on music...but Christmas would not be the same in my house without this album. It's fantastic - I could listen to it in the middle of August.



4. Orignally released in 1963 (as "A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records"), this classic "Wall of Sound" production from Phil Spector has stood the test of time. If you don't believe me, check out Mariah Carey's rendition of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" or the TV special "A Diva's Christmas Carol", which featured a cover of the Ronettes' "Sleigh Ride". In my opinion, the original versions on this album are superior. "Frosty The Snowman" in particuiar is a standout, due to the instrumentation and enthusiastic (almost innocent-sounding) vocals. A template for countless Christmas pop albums that followed, and arguably better than most of them.



5. A Christmas Gift for You might be Phil Spector's greatest work, and is probably the best and most influential ensemble Christmas album ever made. I myself first heard of A Christmas Gift for You as part of the publicity campaign for the Very Special Christmas series that began in 1987, the first of which included U2's cover of Darlene Love's Christmas (Baby Please Come Home). U2's version of Christmas, along with Bruce Springsteen's Santa Clause Is Coming to Town and Dean Martin's Marshmallow World, are for my money the only versions of these songs to rival Spector's. Released for the holidays in 1963, the album also delivers a final burst of American Rock and Roll before the British Invasion and might also explain why the Beatles' own Christmas albums were works of comedy: not even they could have topped Spector and his group of very young artists. My personal favorites are Love's White Christmas and Marshmallow World, and the Ronettes' Frosty the Snowman, Sleigh Ride, and I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. On a few occasions the production overwhelms the vocals, but so what? The Wall of Sound has never sounded better.

5 comments about Merry F#%$in' Christmas.

1. At the time of this writing, Denis Leary has only made 2 full albums, "No Cure for Cancer" and "Lock N' Load". He's got more material out there though, including certain routines from his very early stand-up performances (rants on rap music, the Morton Downey Jr. show, etc.), stand-up from his Boston shows in recent years, emcee work for some of the stand-up shows he's hosted, his Mtv commercials, comedy roasts, etc. "Merry F#%$in' Christmas" is simply a mix of new, previously released, and previously unreleased material.
   
   I see some reviewers here have overlooked the fact that this is an EP. So naturally, it's going to be half as long as most other albums and at half the price. If you don't know the difference between the terms EP and LP, go look 'em up on Wikipedia! Again, there was a lot more they could have put on here, but an EP's an EP. Now on to what's here.
   
   The title track "Merry F#%$in' Christmas" is, as you can probably guess, a very happy sounding Christmas song with not-so-happy lyrics. And it works, with Leary's own angrily sarcastic-toned singing style. Both a studio and a live version are included. There are also two studio tracks from the "Lock N' Load" album. I love them both, but I'm not sure why "Deaf Mute Cocktail Party" and "Insane Cowboy (In Africa)" were specifically chosen.
   
   This leaves three tracks of live stand-up material and three bizarre studio recordings. The stand-up stuff ("Fat Guy on the Plane", "Jack Goes to School", and "Dogsledding") are all great. The three other studio tracks, "WWWW", "Coffin Rap", and "The Theme from Jesus & The Gang" sound like the bizarre songs you'd hear in between tracks on "Lock 'N Load". Not surprisingly, "WWWW" was taken from the "Lock 'N Load" sessions.
   
   If you love the two Denis Leary albums and can't get enough, I'd say this EP is definitely worth buying. The title track and new stand-up material justifies the measly $6 or $7.



2. After getting the first 2 cds years ago: No cure For Cancer & Lock N Load. I was hooked on Denis Leary.. He was one of if not my favorite comedian.. I was big on Adam Sandler's "They're All Going Laugh at You" but the other ones weren't as good.. Much like The latest from the cigarette smoking, coffee drinking mad man Denis Leary.. Merry F#%%$in' Christmas lacked something... It left me going "that's it?" It's lucky if its 40mins long. It's not really that great either. His previous two were ALOT better. If you're a major fan of his work you can get it.. but don't say I didn't warn you..



3. Perhaps there is no person more of a Denis Leary fan than I am and I give it one star. This cd reminds me of the product put out by record companies after the artist has left their label. They throw together whatever was left on the editing floor and hype it as "new" from the artist. At least I hope that is what this disaster is. I hate to think that someone as talented as Denis Leary could have put much, if any, effort into the project.
   For some reason, I don't know, the video didn't come through for me. At least that would have been fun to watch!



4. This is an EP featuring Denis Leary's Christmas song "Merry F#%$in' Christmas". It is a very funny song, and there are two versions of it, a "regular" version made in a recording studio and a "live" version. The rest of the CD features skits and outtakes from his album Lock 'N Load, plus a few live stand up performances. Most of it is moderately funny, but it doesn't have anything to do with Christmas.



5. If you are a Denis Leary fan this then is an essential purchase, however Denis has slowed down quite a lot as this CD could have had a lot of new material, is there any need to repeat parts of Lock N Load, after this many years. I know he has a busy time with Rescue Me (worth at least 10 stars) however this CD is worth it for the title track which you can practice in your car/truck for Christmas and sing at the family gathering as you plug your IPOD into the HiFi system.

5 comments about On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets.

1. 'On Yoolis Night' is a collection of motets, carols, hymns, antiphons and a few other pieces in honour of the nativity - this is a medieval Christmas album. During the Middle Ages, when Europe was swept with adoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, many of the songs around Christmas would be as much around her character as with Jesus. These works deal with the various legends, biblical and extra-canonical, as well as the traditional stories of Christmastide, primarily taken from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries. However, the earliest piece dates from the fifth century (A solis ortus cardine) to the polyphony of the fifteenth century, which means that this disc in fact contains a thousand years of history. Also included are a few anticipatory pieces from Advent, such as the Vox clara chant (the voice of him crying in the wilderness...).
   
   These are beautiful pieces, stunning in performance and quite remarkable - compared to modern Christmas carols, these are pieces with depth and richness, certainly devoid of much of the mercantile and later accretions that have overlaid holiday seasons in the Western world.
   
   This is definitely a holiday album with a difference.
   
   -- Liner Notes --
   This text accompaniment to this disc is very full, so much so that the booklet is not contained within the jewel case, but rather within a slipcover in which both the CD/jewel case and the booklet reside. The liner notes include a description of the work, a brief piece about the quartet, and the lyrics of the songs both in original language and in translation - all repeated in English, German, and French sections.
   
   -- Anonymous 4 --
   Contrary to the implication of their name, the Anonymous 4 are not anonymous. This is a vocal quartet made up of Ruth Cunningham, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer, and Johanna Rose at the time of this recording (Ruth Cunningham will later go on to a solo career early, and another member will join - Jacqueline Horner). They came together as a formal group in 1986, and have been ensemble-in-residence at St. Michael's Church in New York City, giving concert series in New York as well as throughout North America. They have been featured a number of times on national media in North America as well as Germany. They then went on to yet more success, eventually performing more that 1000 concerts worldwide.
   
   Their specialty is working with chant, monophonic and polyphonic music, and working with medieval texts. According to one source, 'The group takes its name from an anonymous music theorist of the late 13th century, Anonymous IV, who is the principal source on the two famous composers of the Notre Dame school, Léonin and Pérotin.'
   
   The group ended a touring career of nearly two decades in 2004.



2. `On Yoolis Night' performed by the quartet, Anonymous 4 is another collection of works dedicated to the worship of the Virgin Mary from medieval England. Unlike `An English Ladymass' and `a Lammas Ladymass', these are more like `incidental' music for the Christmas season or, as the subtitle states, `medieval carols & motets'. Thus, these do not comprise a complete mass and there is very little polyphony. There is much more singing in unison and `chanting'.
   
   Six (6) of the 23 tracks are in Old or Middle English and may not be much more understandable to our modern ear than the 17 tracks in Latin. While seven (7) of the works are described as `carols', including one entitled `Ave Maria', not one will be known to either your neighborhood Christmas carolers or to the Shubert fans among us. In fact, it would be very interesting to compare this `Ave Maria' with that of Shubert and to determine the history of this particular title through the ages.
   
   This is a great change and relief for our Christmas listening after being drowned in `Silent Night' and `Away in the Manger'.
   
   A generous 68 minutes of a different kind of Christmas music.



3. Quite accidentally I discovered the Anonymous 4, thanks to the feature on Amazon.com that permits one to listen to an excerpt of the cd. I immediately became a big fan of this group. Now I am disappointed that they split up, but I intend to collect all of their works. An amazing talent.



4. On Yoolis Night. Medieval Carols and Motets. Performed by Anonymous 4 (Ruth Cunningham, Martha Genensky, Susan Hellauer, Johanna Rose). Recorded in November, 1992, at the Campion Center, Boston, Massachussetts. Harmonia Mundi HMU 907099. Total time: 68'03".
   
   Record companies who dare to publish CDs with medieval music are often glad if they can manage to sell a few hundred copies; this CD, the second by Anonymous 4, stormed to the top of the Billboard charts when it first appeared in 1993. And not because it compromised or attempted any kind of "crossover", but simply because both the music and the performance (four delightfully pure, unaccompanied, vibrato-less female voices: three sopranos and one alto) are so beautiful that even the uninitiated can catch something of the spirit of joy and peace that this disk captures so eminently well. Yes, there are seven pieces of Gregorian-type chant here, and chant was "in" during the early 90's, but my feeling is that it was probably the polyphonic motets and carols that made this recording an early music hit. The sound is difficult to describe; the only comparison that comes to mind is the swirling, many-voiced and often extremely beautiful, but also highly volatile, effect of "singing in the spirit" or "sung glossalalia" in some well-ordered charismatic and pentecostal churches where one can, on occasion, feel translated into heavenly regions. Much the same can be said of this disk, which, as one might imagine, contains exclusively Christian material from what are generally known as the "Dark Ages" from the 5th to the 15th centuries A. D. Well, judging purely by the music presented here, those ages were, perhaps, not so dark as we moderns sometimes imagine. And the Christmas texts sung here so deliciously by Anonymous 4 are, surprisingly, much less Mary-orientated and much more directed towards Jesus than those on, for example, "An English Ladymass" (the group's first CD), thus being a lot less offensive to my evangelical sensibilities and providing well over an hour of rapt listening, and that not only at Christmas time. Absolute five-star plus rating!



5. I have 13 of their CD's . This one is the best . Four exquisite voices , painstaking research , facinating liner notes , all of their music has this in common . What sets this apart is the clairity of the recording . Each of these ladies have amazing voices that come alive with a good set of speakers . All of the reverberations and harmonics are there , and in phase . Turn it up and listen to the crispness of each voice on every note . This is one of my favorite CD's of all time .

5 comments about Mannheim Steamroller - The Christmas Angel: A Story on Ice.

1. This definitely has to be near the bottom of the barrel when it comes to Christmas specials, although it seems not to prevent this monstrosity from blighting the airwaves every Christmas season. It is so bad on so many levels --- a typically cheesy good vs. evil Christmas story, mundane "stars on ice" skating, and of course the always godawful music of Mannheim Steamroller. In a day & age when the airwaves are littered with embarrassingly tacky holiday specials, "The Christmas Angel" dexterously combines several dreadful elements which result in a holiday experience which will burn itself onto your memory --- unfortunately --- for all time. If you like this sort of stuff, you may be grateful for this, but if you possess a modicum of good taste, you may want to avoid this like the plague.



2. This was an excellent production and enjoyed by our 8 and 10 year old grand daughters. We previewed the DVD first and then prior to showing it to our grand daughters talked about good and evil in life and that there was good and evil in what they were going to see. We thought the devil looking skaters would bother them.



3. GREAT ALBUM! Not quite as BIG as Trans Siberian but still a keeper!



4. when i saw this on TV the first time i knew i had to own it. its Dorothy at her absolute best. she is a gem in the skating world and she really shines in this production, along with the wonderful cast and my favorite Christmas music. we watch it every holiday season as well as throughout the year. thanks, Chip!



5. Thoroughly enjoyable DVD. I have long followed the skaters and skating shows. So I am familiar with the cast of this show. The addition of Mannheim Steamroller music adds to its uniqueness. I bought a sample of this DVD last year and decided I must have the complete show. Well executed wih a cute story line. Randy Gardner's choreography is amazing.

5 comments about The New Young Messiah.

1. Let's see. Take one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, and turn it into bubble-gum pop tripe? People need to learn how to appreciate good music, rather than dumb down great music and call it wonderful. If you want to write something new, feel free. Do it in the "spirit" of the Messiah, even. But don't destroy a great work of art just to sell CDS to an unsophisticated listening audience.



2. I loved the original Young Messiah which was able to preserve much of the beauty of the original sacred work while updating it for the modern ear. This newest release renders a number of the pieces almost unrecognizable. The New Young Messiah is unfortunately a gilded lily. Most disappointing despite the awesome line-up of musicians!



3. This family of classical musicians has never laughed so hard at a recording of the Messiah made in earnest. This is almost as funny as a good PDQ Bach album.
   
   The best track on the album is #3, "Every Valley" - it starts out with a fine string ensemble, easily fooling the listener into expecting a more traditional rendition of the song, but the instrumentation changes completely right as the singer makes his entrance. It's a great gag track to play for your friends from community choir!
   
   Now of course I can't let the producers get away THAT easily, so here is some real criticism for you:
   
   None of the singers have any of the vocal fortitude that Handel obviously had in mind when he wrote the Messiah. The keys have been changed fit the voices of whoever the producers felt should perform the song. It's even worse than listening to Andrea Bocelli...there's quite a bit of "going where no vowel has gone before".
   
   Rather than a tribute to the Messiah or even to the oratorio as an art form that can praise God, each track is a vanity piece for the "artist", as the booklet so kindly refers to the anemic singers (who are standing on the shoulders of giants, in the form of many talented studio musicians), made entirely independent in execution from the other tracks, with the original music exploited and made subservient to the cutting-edge, commercially-manufactured wall of sound characteristic to Christian Contemporary Music. At least they didn't have to write the lyrics or the melody...quite a time-saver.



4. Having sung Handel's original work and this one, I'm blessed to have found both to be in praise of the Messiah. For those who find any interpretation other than the composer's original sacriledge, I'd skip The Young Messiah. But for those of us who find beauty in music based in scripture, this should not disappoint. It's upbeat, moving and clearly still tells the greatest story ever told. My favorites were BeBe and CeCe Winan, Larnelle Harris, 4Him and Michael English. I will soon need a new CD. I play mine thoughout the year, not just at Christmas. Thanks to Ralph Carmichael for this wonderful and inspiring moment of music.



5. I saw this performed years ago and bought the CD and the VHS tape. I was actually looking for a DVD of the performance and found this CD rating. First, I love the Messiah in the original. It is the ONLY church cantata or music performance I have ever wept over. The Messiah is a very moving piece of work. When a friend asked me to go to the Young Messiah I was quite interested yet shocked after the interlude by the difference between the traditional and this work. While I would mention that there are two songs that I believe do not do justice to the original and are not well done, It would be notable to point out that the rest of the songs are done quite well. Anyone who is familiar with gospel artists Sandi Patti and Steve Green will find them both in this recording as well as other well-known artists. Mr. Green's song, Refiner's Fire, will move you as does Steven Curtis Chapman's rendition of Who Shall Stand. Nice CD.

5 comments about Gates of Delirium.

1. "Gates of Delirium" is the CD that set the stage for the band's CD "The 13th Hour." Even though I was introduced to "The 13th Hour" first, I really enjoy this CD & it really allows you to picture the haunted asylum. Great music mixed with the minimal sounds of crazed laughter and ghostly effects, it can quickly create goose bumps all over your body. I realized after listening to it over and over again, that this is the music being used at two haunted houses in my area last fall.
   
   If you are looking for a mysterious, dark, haunting orchestral CD, this is a must have.



2. Listening to this muscial masterpiece as I type this, I'm astounded to find that I have never placed my review of this Incredible CD on this page and I've owned it for years.
   
   Allow me to correct that mistake right now.
   
   Everyone...this is one FUN FUN FUN CD!
   
   Just listening to this music now, there is so much more freedom and artistic openness to the arrangements from the previous two CDs.
   Both Born of the Night and Realm of Shadows are Awesome CDs in thier own right and ANY Midnight Syndicate fan should have them in thier collection (if they can still obtain a copy seeing that both recordings have been discontinued) but there is an *oppression* present that I can't put my finger on.
   I can't explain it.
   But in THIS recording...Midnight Syndicate Band Mates Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka BUST LOOSE and become the Artists that they are destined to be. This musical tour relies VERY LITTLE on sound effects and those that are there are very well and appropriately placed. Never over done...never under done. Your imagination is ALLOWED to take over and see what it wants to see...and sometimes things that you don't, but your brain takes you there anyway! lol!
   The music is lush, darkly alluring and carries you through the asylum of scared, misunderstood and mistreated patients at the mercy of the facility's sadistic Dr. Haverghast! *Don't worry! you don't hear anything *BAD* but like I said, this CD-so good- your brain just takes you there!
   I have never tired of this recording. It's complete "Mind Candy" and carries you away to another time.
   This is why Midnight Syndicate are the Masters of the Genre that they created... Gothic Halloween CDs for the Imagination and they just keep getting better and better with time.
   
   Now....go buy this CD and let yourself be taken away....
   down the hall, dragged, screaming for your life as the metal door slams shut behind you as your helpless screams die away in the distance.....



3. 
   The dark magic faded fast after this album was released. Everything they did afterwards just seemed to become redundant. No newer album ever merited any improvements or aroused any special new nuances. Their newer material just started to sound like previously rejected filler material that they started to release afterwards as whole albums. So, I guess, nowadays, Midnight Syndicate is just sitting in limbo hoping to conjure up some new fresh ideas. Probably just licking their wounds from last years backlash of discontinuing the availabilty of their best albums, and releasing a shoddy re-recording of key tracks.
   
   When I first started buying the CD's of Midnight Syndicate, I was pretty excited about having this dark moody classical outlet to add to my music library. Before the Midnight Syndicate, I only use to find small episodes of the kind of music that the Midnight Syndicate does.
   
   There are other artists such as Cradle of Filth, Yello, Vangelis, Rick Wakeman, Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, and Jean Michel Jarre and various types of horror soundtracks (John Carpenter, Giorgio Moroder, Goblin, etc.) that would give you one or two really cool dark classical instrumentals that just made you wish there were more. When Midnight Syndicate came out with "Born of the Night", that was the album that represented all that I was looking for in a complete sound concept that captured and embraced my more sinister side but in a subtle way. Just like when Hitler had Wagner, and Alex (A Clockwork Orange) had Beethoven, the Midnight Syndicate gave me that atmosphere that empowered my darkest moods and made me feel that there was a kind of music out there that understands me.
   
   This album of "Gates of Delerium" is their fourth project and probably one of the easiest ones to buy. Their first three CD's are discontinued and out of print. It's unfortunate because "Born of the Night" and "Realm of Shadows" were their best two albums. I got them, Thank God, but new fans will never know their most creative years. After "Gates of Delerium" their appeal really began to drop because their music wasn't really growing or going anywhere new and adventurous. They started to record dull uninspiring stale classical passages which all sounded all alike all through their albums. Each album just started to get even more boring from one album to the next. Their last respectable project was "The 13th Hour". So if you get "Gates of Delerium" and "The 13th Hour", that is all you really need from the Midnight Syndicate. Their other albums (including their retrospective CD) are just so bland and uninteresting. But, of course, if you see them "used" somewhere selling for about the price of an empty jewel box, that may be worth it. If you see "Born of the Night" and "Realm of Shadows" used somewhere (but I doubt it, nobody would give them up), definitely jump on them. And check out Nox Arcana too if you want to check out more music similar to "Gates of Delerium" (and especially the sound of "Born of the Night" and "Realm of Shadows"). They haven't released anything since their "Out of the Darkness" CD. I guess they are still suffering from the repercussions of that major mistake. I sure hope they'll bounce back with something new soon.



4. the midnight syndicate's "gates of delerium" is an amazing album; this is perfect for all haunters and anyone who enjoys the dark gothic classical music that is the midnight syndicate. the haunted house i work at will be playing this album for our 2007 season, we have contacted the midnight syndicate and recieved posters for the haunted house; these guys fully support the haunt community. I have friends who are classical piano players who love this album for it's amazing musical quality.
   
   please, do yourself a favor, buy this album. if you have never heard the midnight syndicate, i recomend you look at their myspace page and listen to their music.



5. While Midnight Syndicate has probably done better albums ("Born of the Night" and "Symphonies from the Crypt" come to mind), they haven't done one that's any creepier! By now it's hardly a secret that while there were asylums in Queen Victoria's day (usually for the wealthy) where the inmates were treated with at least some compassion, often Victorian asylums and sanitariums were simply "snakepits", warehouses where people dumped mentally ill friends and relatives (and sometimes inconvenient spouses and children who were sane but unable to defend themselves) so they'd be out of sight and out of mind. In such places, the inmates were often treated brutally, given unsanitary food and water and virtually no medical care, and at times chained up and left there to die to free up the space for someone else.
   
   It is this world that Midnight Syndicate has re-created, adding to their excellent Gothic music the screams, howls and meaningless babbling of the terminally mad. The result is good background music for either reading ghost stories or for the more Gothic varieties of role-playing (e.g., World of Darkness or Call of Cthulhu), as long as you don't think too much about the fact that places like Haverghast Asylum not only really existed, but were, until the early Twentieth Century, almost the norm for care of the incurably insane in some states and countries.

5 comments about Soul Christmas.

1. The original "Soul Christmas" lp said it all, this reissue not only adds filler that dilutes the original, its missinf Booker T's Jingle Bells, which is an utter disgrace.
   
   Otherwise, pick up this cd, if you don't have the lp. Many classics. Otis Redding's "White Christmas"? He just took that song from Bing Crosby. Badda Bing, badda boom.



2. I play this album over and over in the car, I look forward to the Christmas season so I can bring out this CD and enjoy these songs - esp. New Year's Resolution



3. Found this at 50% off post xmas and what a find!.....Donny Hathaway's classic "This Christmas" is hard to find on any CD and virtually not played anymore (At least in my region) by the Clear Channel corporate media conglomerate, yet this original version is better than just about all of the covers done by others of the same tune.
   
   "This Christmas" is worth the price of admission (as a forgotten rarity), but this Atlantic collection has other un(der)played gems that won't get pass the focus group review panels that now dominate AM/FM radio content.....listen for yourself to find out what is missing on the air waves?!.....
   
   I can listen to the Atlantic label's stable of artists and relisten to them again and again.
   
   A highly recommended "soulful" collection "Buy It Now"



4. Number 3-Carla Thomas "Gee Whiz It's Christmas" made the album complete. The whole album made the holiday complete.



5. Soul Christmas is definitely one of the best Christmas Compilations of all time. My Mom bought this CD a little over 10 years ago and it's been a Christmas tradition in our home ever since. I decided to buy it myself this year and after a LONG hunt, I finally found it (and at a wonderful price too!) on Amazon.com. Listening to Soul Christmas will definitely continue to be a holiday tradition for many more years to come.

5 comments about Christmas Ep.

1. Why in the heck is Enya (sorry Enya, I do love all of your other albums) releasing an album with only 5 tracks and, the first two tracks are available for 99 cents each on Itunes. If you really want to hear some modern groups (bands from the 80's & 90's)sing some new renditions of Christmas classics then purchase "A Very Special Christmas: Volume 3" this has the Smashing Pumpkins, No Doubt, Enya (Oiche Chiun), Sting, and Blues Traveler, & many more.
   
   Oh, the song is a good song, just not worth the cost of the album so that's why I gave it 3 stars.



2. Why in the world would I pay 40 bucks for a cd with oly 5 tracks, let alone 4 of those tracks can be found on your other cd's.(And make a real Xmas cd next). And those of you who bought it and complaint afterward, well you're an IDIOT.
   
   I still love you Enya.



3. This is Enya's Christmas CD. It starts off with a beautiful rendition of "Silent Night" sung in Gaelic. The rest of the CD is also in Gaelic, other than the last track which is an instrumental. These songs are ok, but they don't seem to have anything to do with Christmas.



4. I am a HUGE Enya fan, and I felt that with this EP, it was definitely a good buy. The best thing about this CD is it has a couple songs of hers that ARE NOT on any of her albums. So, if you're like myself, you're better off getting this Single to complete your Enya music library.



5. What a rip off. Very little music for the money. Recycled music at that.

5 comments about Holiday Songs and Lullabies.

1. I am a HUGE Shawn Colvin fan, so when this album came out, I ran out and bought it, as I do for every new album Shawn Colvin records. I also love Christmas, so I was doubly happy. Somehow, though, this CD never got much play. I like the songs - I think Shawn Colvin's renditions of old and new classics are beautiful - but it's so mellow, and I always preferred to pop in more upbeat holiday tunes.
   
   Flash forward to 2005, when I had my first baby. My baby was born on September 29, so just around the time when I wanted to get her used to sleeping through the night, the holidays were approaching. I didn't have any baby lullaby CD's, but I remembered this CD being titled "Holiday Songs and LULLABIES"! So I put it on, and to my amazement, it worked like a charm. This CD is now part of our bedtime routine every night. Usually, my baby closes her eyes by the middle of "Christmastime is Here", and then I let the CD finish so that it can help her fall asleep if she happens to wake up soon after being put down.
   
   I know most people reading these reviews are looking for recommendations in terms of Shawn Colvin's artistry. I do love the songs on their own - and would rate the CD 5 stars just for that - but I love them even more because of how they help my baby. If you stumbled upon this CD while searching for "lullabies" for your baby, this really is a find. Christmastime or not, this CD will be lulling my baby to sleep year-round!



2. Soft, beautiful songs sung by the great Shawn Colvin. Listening to these songs gives you a very cozy feeling. "In The Bleak Mid-Winter" is a classic.



3. OK, before any of you Shawn Colvin fans out there slam me, I want to tell you that I too am a huge Shawn Colvin fan, and I eagerly awaited this CD's release. I am also a huge Christmas CD collector.
   
   So I was very disappointed when I listened to this CD for the first time, and pretty much every time since. Shawn was 8 months pregnant with her daughter Caledonia (the Latin name for Scotland) when she sang these tunes, and it really shows. Her voice is normally high-pitched and delicate, but on these tunes it was downright weak and often atonal. Her rendition of In The Bleak Midwinter is particularly grating, as she shuffles through it like she's about to fall asleep. This is most unfortunate in the initial track on the CD, as it ruins the effect of the rest of the CD. Her tone is cheerier but out of breath and staccato in Christmas Time Is Here, and sounds syrupy. To me it is a sacrilegious cover of Vince Guaraldi's masterpiece. Maybe she's trying to sound hushed and gentle, but it's annoying. Many of the songs are sweet but forgettable, and the first two tracks ruin the entire disc for me.



4. Almost 10 years after its initial release, Shawn Colvin's "Holiday Songs & Lullabies" wears well. "Chirstmas Time Is Here" goes down like a fine wine before the fireplace, "Snowflakes in the air, Carols everywhere, Olden times & ancient rhymes of love & dreams to share, Sleigh bells in the air, beauty everywhere." Colvin's delivery is timeless and wistful. She sings "All Through the Night," one of my favorite songs that is not often considered a Christmas song, but my family has often played it at holiday time, "Sleep my love & peace attend thee all through the night, guardian angels God will send thee." It's such a gentle lullaby with Colvin's tender reading. "Love Came Down at Christmas" is another sweet track, "Love be yours & love be mine, love to God and all of us." This quiet CD is soothing and gentle, a perfect disc to play while watching the lights twinkle on the Christmas tree. Enjoy!



5. I had never heard of Shawn Colvin, but I like Christmas music, so I picked this up.
   
   Weak, thin, shaky voice with limited range. Commonplace arrangements.
   
   Feh. I have close to 100 Christmas albums of all kinds, and this is the second worst of them.

5 comments about Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights.

1. i loved this cd, and the movie, i think, is the funniest movie this year! you gotta buy this cd! even if you didnt see the movie!



2. How many remakes of the "Chanukah Song" do we have to endure! I never liked the song in the first place simply because it really isn't funny. I only saw the movie because it was so overly promoted that I anticipated it would be something great, which it was not. Were the producers in a hurry to get this out for Chanukah? The Christophopic overtones is outragious and it simply was not funny!



3. This is what Adam Sandler was made for. He made one of the funniest movies of 2002. How does this man make up all these hilarious songs and do most of the chachter's in the movie. This is a wonderful CD packed with the great songs from the movie. I think it is well worth the 10 or so bucks to get and i promise you will laugh so much when listening to this. Adam is awesome!!!!!!!



4. This cd should be called another Sandler album, rather that just a soundtrack. Yes, it includes all of the songs from "8 Crazy Nights," so, in that sense it is a soundtrack... but all of the songs are written and performed by Adam Sandler. They do include other people, but so do songs from his other albums. So, in that sense it should also be called a Sandler album. Call it both... but anyway, this is a very good cd, short (only 8 songs), but the songs are great.
   
   The most memorable songs include:
   
   "Davey's Song"
   "Technical Foul"
   "Bum Biddy"
   "Chanukah Song, Part 3"
   
   Wether you collect Soundtracks from movies, or you collect Sandler albums, this cd deserves a spot in your collection.



5. For those of you that think this movie is unfunny, you obviously haven't seen Adam Sandler's mind-numbing appearance in Punch Drunk Love. His character Barry Egan was so pathetic and boring. It is unmistakable that Adam Sandler is a comedian, so why would he try a romantic film?
   Having said that, I think Eight Crazy Nights is hilariously funny, but this is not really a kid's movie, but more of a cartoon for adults. It is a nice holiday movie, Sandler's first animated movie, but hopefully not his last. It was also the first real movie to focus on the Jewish holiday of Hanukah. This movie I think is very underrated. The music, animation, and the added vocals of Alison Krauss for the singing voice of Jennifer was a nice touch.