5 comments about A Christmas Festival.

1. Arthur Fieldler takes you to "A Christmas Festival" where he will lead you on a "Sleigh Ride" to a "Winter Wonderland" to celebrate an absolutely beautiful "White Christmas" with the Boston Pops Orchestra and Chorus.
   
   Make it a "Silent Night" and listen to some of the classic Christmas carols of all-time - "The Nutcracker: Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy," "What Child Is This?" and a host of heavenly chorus singing a "Christmas Medley" of "Here We Come A-Caroling," "O Christmas Tree" and "I Saw Three Ships."
   
   This is one my favorite Christmas music of all-time. The music of Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra has been a part of our very musical household when I was growing up. Likewise, this recording takes me back to my cherished memories of Christmases in the past. This is Christmas music at its best. The arrangements are perfectly done, the orchestration is superb, the choice of material is truly impeccable, and the chorus is outstanding.
   
   Merrily recommended for your Holiday listen and let your ears capture its magic.



2. I'm a Christmas music junkie and I absolutely love the Boston Pops! My favorite on the CD is Sleigh Ride. This would be great background music for a Christmas party or gathering. I recommend it!



3. As far as I'm concerned this is a "must have" for any Christmas music collection. I also own two other Boston Pops Christmas CD's conducted by John Williams and Keith Lockart which are newer and also great but this one from Artur Fiedler is the "Master". Over an hour of pure classic holiday pleasure. Christmas music like fine wine only improves with age.



4. 
   Our whole family enjoyed this CD very much. It was the first CD we played on the 1st of December as the family tradition has been to play the first Christmas CD in the early hours before sunrise. I especially liked the range of music from tradiitonal favourites to more contemporary sounds.Each piece was unique. Truly a musical feast!



5. I like Christmas music that I can play and replay without getting tired of it. This certainly fits that criteria. I listened to it frequently during the season and enjoyed it every time.

5 comments about Merry Christmas With Love.

1. As a Clay Aiken fan I adore anything he sings! But when he sings his Christmas songs he is just breathtaking! Nobody in the music world today touches me the way Clay does! All anyone would have to do is listen to him and if they were honest they would have to admit, he is the greatest!



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



3. 
   My whole family voted hundreds (probably thousands) of times for Clay when he was on American Idol. We joined his fan club and keep in touch with what he is doing through "claymation" PLUS we have all read his book. Guess we are REAL fans (oops.. we also have one of his larger posters on our kitchen door so he joins us for dinner each day (really... we're NOT crazy). . We recently heard he was gfoing to be in a play on on Broadway called SPAMALOT... Anyway... our review is we love anything Clay does! Wish we could tell him directly how proud we are of him. Sincerely, Sharon The Paul Hudson, Peterson families.



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



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

5 comments about This Is Tom Jones Christmas.

1. I just finished watching "This is Tom Jones Christmas" and it took me back to my youth! What fun. I like it that has two complete Christmas shows; one from 1969 and one from 1970. It's a great historical snapshot of 1969 and 1970's fashions and attitudes. But, above all of that, it showcases Tom Jones and his awsome talent. The man can sing! I especially loved his reading of "A Child's Christmas in Wales" and listening to the angelic voices of the Welsh Choir. The video quality is good with only a couple of ragged patches. I give it a whole-hearted five stars and will be purchasing this DVD as gifts for Christmas!



2. I have waited more than 35 years for this! I could never forget Tom's breathtaking rendition of Scarlet Ribbons and his marvelous reading of A Child's Christmas in Wales (Richard Burton could not have done it better!)! It is a tremendous thrill to finally have it! There's never been a voice that touches his or that moves me so deeply. Check out the stunning version of Brother Can you spare a dime! and enjoy this Christmas treat! My only complaint is that there is not enough of Tom-how could there ever be?- and I could sure do without the Ace Trucking Company! I wish ALL Through the Night was on there with Tom singing, because I remember him doing that one with that great choir.BUt I am very happy! VERY!
   Mrs. Connors



3. ... but unfortunately I didn't. I clearly recall the '60's and the '70's and I also remember far better Christmas shows than the two included on this disc. Both episodes, one from 1969 and one from 1970, contained too much "variety" to be considered Christmas shows and too much Christmas to be just regular episodes of Tom Jones variety show. While I certainly expected these programs to be dated I was totally shocked at how dated they really were. I've watched black and white episodes of Ed Sullivan and the Hollywood Palace as well as the color Sonny & Cher Christmas collection that were better representative of the period. The budget for these two shows must have been almost nonexistent as the sets were terrible and the "boat" shown during one of Ella Fitzgerald's songs was so cheap looking as to distract from my enjoyment of the song. I know there is better material out there both representative of the holiday season and of the talent of Tom Jones. Unless you are a dyed in the wool fan of Mr. Jones I really think you'd do better with other material. If you've just got to have this disc I would suggest purchasing as good used copy at the lowest possible price. Disc reproduction quality is in my estimate only good as there is some color bleeding and less than sharp picture. I really wanted to like this DVD as I collect holiday programming from the 1950's through the 1980's but I can't imagine ever putting this disc in my player again.



4. Tom does his best, as always, with some lovely Christmas songs. His voice is truly amazing and so heartfelt. A lovely treat for us all!!



5. How can you go wrong with the winning combination of Tom Jones's vocals covering your favorite Christmas songs? Not to mention getting to see him doing it live on his very own television show with some popular vocalists of that time period. Wonderful gift for the Tom Jones fan any day of the year, but especially nice to find underneath your Christmas tree. It will certainly put you into the spirit of the season!

5 comments about Circus Clown Calliope.

1. Good CD, has most of the best stuff on it.



2. The sound is authentic, the recording has fidelity, and the cadence is perky.
   
   But this album is not the match for some of my older calliope collections on vinyl (I know: I'm a dinosaur, but I'm trying to evaluate the music, not the recording technology).
   
   While trying to collect some newer calliope CDs, I purchased this. But all the tunes seem to be played in a single octave, with a few notes below that.
   
   Alternate recommendations are welcome. Most reviewers seem to like this CD, recorded 1973+, so don't take me too seriously. It's just food for thought.



3. my daughter loved calliope music at the fair so i got this, she likes it and it's nice gentle happy background music for our daily playtime or whatever...some nice recognizable tunes too...



4. I cant wait to listen to this cd while driving around with the windows down this summer. Awesome tunes



5. this tape was exactly what I needed for my Halloween Clown theme.. great calliope music.. set the circus theme perfectly.

5 comments about Backstreet Boys - Video Hits, Chapter One.

1. This movie was GREAT! I've seen this and "Back Street Stories" and this ranked way higher than that movie. I'm tellin' ya if you want to buy a Backstreet Boy movie that has no Bad motions, cuss words or sexual content this is the one to get.But there is one song that parents might want to listen to first. It's called "EveryBody [Backstreets Back]" and it says.."Am i The Only One" "Am I SEXUAL" "Am I everything You better Rock your Body right." I know my parents don't like that But thats preety much it. I hope i didn't spoile it for you. That is just one song so your ok. My parents didn't buy this for me but we rented it & if i did get it I would watch it EVERYDAY OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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!



5. 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 comments about Time-Life Music: Treasury of Christmas - Holiday Memories.

1. I am a music lover and to me and my family the Christmas season is a time that the joyful and heartfelt music of the time should be heard from near and far, this collection fits the bill to do just that. In it you will find so many songs that you grew-up with and hearing them will touch a cord in your heart and bring to memory the joy of the season. I highly recommend this collection and hope you will be as enriched with it as my family is. Merry Christmas!



2. I purchased this item from the television ad the year it was released directly from Time-Life. As a result of getting divorced, I needed to repurchase this great set I had bought from Time-Life years ago. After seeing the price for the bundle and recognizing the album covers, I was elated to finally get a new set for myself. Upon receipt, I immediately discovered that it is not "As Seen on TV" at all. the song selection is a fraction of the original, with a different discograpghy, but still the same album covers.
   The songs are indeed great classics, however, if you have experienced the original "As Seen on TV" set that was released in 2001 you, too, will be as disappointed and left feeling rather robbed.



3. I enjoy Méhdi"Christmas Treasures",Charlie Brown Christmas ,Mannheim Steamroller etc.and this a magnificent production that I also enjoy just as much. Time-Life Treasury of Christmas: Holiday Memories collects 24 classic tracks of the holiday genre spread out over two discs, including "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" by Nat King Cole, "Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt, "Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms, "I Believe in Father Christmas" by Greg Lake, and "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. Many of these artists will appeal to a broad range of ages, making it perfect for family gatherings.



4. The CD - Treasury, from Time-Life was not the one I wanted. I wanted the first Time Life Christmas collection.



5. This CD has a good selection of traditional Christmas songs from the original artists that I remember from my childhood. You know, when it was still OK to say "Merry Christmas" to someone on the street. I played this CD and the other Time-Life Christmas CD all December long. I want my kids to have these songs as their Christmas memories as I do.

5 comments about Songs for Christmas.

1. Cool and ambitious takes on old and new tunes...plus fun packaging that makes the "hard copy" well worth it (actually, a steal.)



2. great twist on the classics and beautiful orginal compositions, though the collection is 5 CDs deep it is not a chore to listen through all, each song has wonderful holiday sentiments and melody. Sufjan continues to brighten the standards with his signature.



3. All five cd's are fabulous, I played them the entire holiday and gave this as a gift to everyone. A perfect blend of classics and new songs.



4. This box set is full of fun times as soon as you open it. Besides the amazingly complex yet honestly raw christmas songs, there are short stories that we can all relate to about the materialism of christmas and the coming together of dysfunctional families, as well as chords and lyrics to all of the songs so you can sing and even play along. My mother and i sang together for the first time ever when i put these CDs in the player.



5. This is what introduced me to Sufjan (and I have never been the same!). My mother, who is in her mid 50s, loves this set. I secretly look forward to Thanksgiving because I can put the album in my cd player for the next couple of months...and we play it while we're taking our tree down so we can enjoy it one last time before putting Christmas stuff up. It has many traditional Christmas songs, as well as some he has written, and some stellar renditions of old hymns that will be familiar to many. This has to be the best Christmas album ever.

5 comments about Christmas Carols.

1. This is a great cd for kids. I bought one for my children for Christmas and they love it. The songs are fun, upbeat, and timeless.



2. The children loved these songs and they were easy to teach and to use, especially with the split tracks.



3. Purchased this to do the Children's Church Christmas play and it was exactly what we needed. It has the version with the words to practice with the kids and then the version to play during the actual show with music only so the kids can sing. Highly recommend for this purpose!



4. Great for Sunday School kids. We listened to it every sunday. Made my kids a copy to listen to as well. We all enjoyed it.



5. This is a good product and a great sing along cd for children (and adults to for that matter). It could do without a repeat of all the songs though. I have no idea what "spilt track format" is supposed to add. Including the lyrics and coloring activities is a nice touch.

5 comments about Mannheim Steamroller: Christmas Song.

1. I LOVE this Band!!! This Album was another best by this group. I Would highly recommned.



2. I like very much this CD, I like the music and perfomrance. I like the intevention of Olivia and Johnny. This album have the "touch" of Chirstmas songs of the past century. I'm very happy to include in my collection.



3. This CD is the best of their Christmas Albums so far. I have them all - but this is spectacular!



4. My husband and I love the Manheim Steamrollers. We love this CD. The music is just awesome. I am so glad that we purchased it. We always try and buy any new Christmas music CD that they put out. We have always been pleased with their music.



5. I listen to Christmas music all year as part of my favorite playlist list. By August I'm using my Christmas playlist over half the time. The Mannheim Steamroller collection is always on the top of my listening list. So I was excited to see this new one. It may not be as bad as my rating if it were the first Mannheim Christmas offering. At this stage of their collection, it's a poor selection of the same sound, same beat, same modulations, with the feel of a musical caricature done by a struggling, starving artist. With the wide array of Christmas songs available, I expected a lot more from one of my favorite artists. If they do another recording, I'll probably still buy it. But none of the tracks on this one made my playlists.

5 comments about Peace Like a River.

1. This album is all beauty and solace. The singing is pristine, the arrangements lush and often stirring--never saccharine. As with the previous reviewer, my first listing of "Peace Like a River" brought me to tears (especially "Peace Like a River," the sopranos in "Swing Low," and the bagpipes in "Thou Gracious God"). Buy this one.



2. However, the rating scale has a limit of five. I own over 700 CDs of virtually every type of music. Peace Like A River belongs in a class by itself! I've never written a review before but, after listening to this STUNNING performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, I feel compelled to share my praise with that of the five other reviewers. If I were limited to one word, I would use the word "SUPERB" to describe this beautiful and moving CD. SIX stars for Peace Like a River! BRAVO!!!



3. It Is Well With My Soul is one of my favorite-favorites and that is the main reason why I bought the CD; it turned out to be a huge let down on this album, they rearranged it so much that I almost didn't recognize it. Be Still My Soul is another reason why I bought it and it's good, but not great. Swing Low Sweet Chariot is where it starts to get good. The last two songs "Thou Gracious God, Whose Mercy Lends"
   and "Come, Let Us Anew" are very good reasons to buy this CD, they each have truely powerful passages and make the CD worth having. The Mormon Tabernacle Choirs 2006 release entitled Then Sings My Soul is by far the best that I've heard from them.



4. This CD is a must have for any Mormon Tabernacle Choir fans. The music is very reverent and gentle, and should also appeal to those not from the LDS church, seeing as how most of the music is common to the wider Christian community. This CD is a fantastic addition to any music collection.



5. This CD is one of my favorites to listen to when I feel the need to be closer to the Spirit. Mack Wilberg is a master at transforming old hymns into glorious arrangements. I have had experience with high school students who love singing his arrangements even within the context of a world that seems in a state of constant conflict. THIS CD IS FABULOUS!