5 comments about The Who: The Ultimate Collection.

1. I've been a fan of theirs since the mid 60's and always felt their earlier recordings to be the most exuberant, spontaneous and foppishly creative. After their peak with Who's Next (1971), they took themselves way too seriously with Quadrophenia and then after that they sounded angry and lost their youthful innocence, which was so charming to begin with. To me, the first CD is the best, it features early quirky gems like: The Kids Are Allright, Happy Jack, Boris The Spider, I'm a Boy, Pictures of Lilly, I Can See For Miles, Substitute, I Can't Explain and others through the Tommy opera and parts of Who's next. CD 2 picks up with some of Who's Next then finishes through Quadrophenia, By Numbers, and Who Are You. I hardly listen to CD 2. For me, early Who is the best. Keith Moon was a very original drummer. I could never understand however, why they would destroy their instruments. If someone put a smudge on my guitar, I couldn't sleep at night. Yet, Townsend would smash his Les Paul or Strat to bits for effect. Maybe back then, it was for rebellious shock value, but today it looks stupid, senseless, violent and wasteful. The music is still very cool however. In my opinion, the three Who CDs to own are this one, The Who Sell Out (1968) and Who's Next (1971). Live at Leeds (1970) is also highly recommened if you'd like to catch their live jamming at their peak too. This collection however is ESSENTIAL for any rock fan or historian.



2. This has to be the greatest collection of songs from The Who , a lot of classic's like who are you and the rest of your favorites , great collection , highly recommended.



3. Recently, what's left of The Who (Daltrey and Townshend) showed that they could still produce interesting music, with their "Endless Wire." A great album? No, but a solid one. And this collection of 35 cuts in all provides a terrific introduction to The Who's oeuvre. There can be questions about why certain cuts were included and others were excluded, but this is not one of those flawed compendia with idiosyncratic selections. The 2 CD set begins with "I Can't Explain" and ends with "Eminence Front," with a lot of music in between.
   
   A sampler:
   
   "My Generation." An anthem of the 60s generation for many. A certain poignancy in this phrase:
   
   "Talkin' bout my generation,
   Hope I die before I get old."
   
   Two of The Who did die before their time (Keith Moon and John Entwistle). The instrumental work is raw and pulsating. Roger Daltrey's vocal work is an exemplar of rock and roll. One of their earliest hits--and it still sounds good today!
   
   "Boris the Spider." Come on, how could I leave this quirky song off this brief description of my reaction to a few cuts! An odd little number (one of the few not written by Townshend--in this case Entwistle did the job). The focus is on Boris the Spider, "crawling up the wall." Nice guitar work and cool singing.
   
   Then, "Pinball Wizard." This is from the rock opera, "Tommy." What a toe tapper! Daltrey's singing is excellent; he shows a lot of growth as a singer from the early days of the group. This is about a character who "sure plays a mean pinball." Didn't Elton John later have a hit with a cover of this song? I recall his version being fine, but this is the real deal.
   
   "Baba O'Riley." I used to think that the name of this song was "Teenage Wasteland," for references to that phrase in the latter part of this 5 minute piece of great music. The sound shows a maturing of The Who as a group. The keyboard in this song adds a delicious element t5o the music. The guitar work is neat, Moon's drumming is great, and Daltrey's singing measures up. Again, a great 5 minutes of rock and roll.
   
   And on it goes. . . . "Won't Get Fooled Again," "The Kids Are Alright," "Happy Jack," "I Can See for Miles," "Summertime Blues," "Long Live Rock," "Squeeze Box," "You Better You Bet," "Who Are You?," and so on.
   
   Who could resist such a plenitude of The Who?



4. All the big hits and some lesser known tunes as well. A must for devotees of the British Invasion era.



5. I was recommended this collection as the best compilation of The Who hits. And indeed, the selection of songs is great.
   
   But what does that matter when the listening experience is dull and flat. If you turn it up, everything is getting loud and tiresome with no impact. If you turn it down there is still no impact, and it is still tiresome and dull. I simply can not listen to this. It may work as background noise when you are cleaning your house, but for an enjoyable listening experience, go digging for original, non-remastered releases.
   
   True musical enjoyment is impossible with this release.

5 comments about The Essential Bruce Springsteen.

1. this is a great album for what it is and it is a career spanning compilation and as such is meant to include the finest tracks and is meant to give a sampler of an artist work which it does exceptionally well. no it doesn't have all his best tracks and yes everybody has their little probelems,but for those uniniated or just starting out with a minimal springsteen collection its a great starter i guarantee you'll come back too time and again. its just plain great music



2. I bought 'Greatest Hits' when it came out. And I was REALLY disappointed. Why did it start with 'Born To Run'? Where were his early classic albums like 'Greetings From Asbury Park'? Those questions I never could answer. But this set makes up for the below average single disc.
   
   And, unlike the mediocre single disc, THIS IS A CAREER SPANNING RETROSPECTIVE!!! It's about time Bruce release a collection like this! It's simply amazing. It spans 1970-2002, his best period, and other than the omission of the huge radio hit 'Pink Cadillac' and the great album cut 'Ain't Got You,' this set is flawless.
   
   'Blinded By The Light,' 'Born In The USA,' 'Rosalita,' 'Born To Run,' 'Jungleland,' 'Thunder Road,' 'The Rising,' and 'Atlantic City' all appear on this great 2 (limited editions 3) CD set.
   
   This is an awesome Bruce set and it remains the best on the market. A must have for a new or casual Bruce fan. And, Columbia remastered the songs, so the sound quality is awesome!
   
   Highly recommended. ENJOY!!!



3. This is the ultimate collection of songs from Springsteen. Takes you from his early roots to his newer material. 3rd disk is some obscure songs from his duet and blues ventures, very good. Couple this with his new release 'Magic', and you are set. Just saw Bruce in concert in Indy, and playing this collection now revisits that night, which was special seeing Danny with a surprise 3 song performance that turned out to be his last. Highly recommend!



4. The two disks of actual greatest hits are the reason to buy this set. They trace Bruce from the days when he was more of a songwriter for others (Manfred Mann "For You" and "Blinded by the Light") to his first major hit "Born To Run" where you get the unpolished Bruce, to "Darkness on the Edge of Town" where you get the same gravelly voice but with a certain fluidity to the songs, up though "Born in the USA" and "Human Touch" after which his career begins to fade and he rests on his earlier laurels. Disk three is one of those typical "bonus" disks that make you realize there is nothing special about any of these songs other than you now know why they were left off the original releases.
   
   But Bruce has been an influence for thirty plus years, and in his heyday he could capture the essence of small-town and blue collar America akin to Don Henley, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, and John Prine. His songs resonate with casual listeners but moreso with those who actually read the lyrics. When you read the lyrics, you see a side of Bruce that recognizes personal struggles with daily issues: war, divorce, job loss, and religion to name a few. No one person can put all of life's struggles into verse, but Bruce does a pretty good job of raising the bar for others to follow.



5. I am neither a hardcore fan nor a casual listener. I like a lot of artists in the singer-songwriter vein. Having said that, I find Springsteen's music more exciting, emotional and poignant than most artists. I gave the CD package 5 stars because of the quality of the
   artistry AND I feel it represents his career well.
   
   Hardcore fans might disagree that it leaves out a lot of good songs.
   I agree. His albums tended to have more than a few great songs which
   sound out of context on a compilation. However, it would seem that this CD package might be aimed at those who, like myself, did not buy every Springsteen release through the years, but, perhaps, had one or more of his truly great albums such as Born to Run, Darkness or The Wild...
   
   His carreer has been a long one. During that time (1973 to the present) his style, focus and sound have gone through changes and then sometimes they fall back to earlier days. My point here is that a package such as this will do a great service for those who want to become familar with Springsteen material outside of his more well-known releases without (or perhaps, before) purchasing his other releases.
   
   Another plus for all fans (especially newbies) is that the track order is chronological, making it easy to see where he was coming from and where he has gone.
   
   The first two CD's are all from his previously released albums. The third CD is a bonus. It collects out-takes, B-sides and live cuts.
   Most of it sounds just as good as the first two CD's and its fun to listen to.

5 comments about Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic.

1. I was 67 years old , when I began listening to these wonderful Disney songs. And when the last song ended, it seemed that I lost 50 years. I believe that this wonderful music brings back old wonderful memories that is like true magic. Alas my hair has now turned black , and all my wrinkles are now gone away. Also just chased my wife around Southern California. She told me to stop listening because she said she can't keep with me anymore. I owe it all to these 5 magical albums.



2. There really isn't anything else that can be said for this awful box set full of meaningless gobbledock and inane twee that's arranged from sounds. Disney music is the worst thing that music has ever experienced. kidz bop may be something that comically states the downfall of music even worse. soulja boy is there for me when I feel crappy, because I realise that people just suck worse at life than I do. I take sadist laughs at people who listen to Nickelback. All of those others are so crappy you can't just help and laugh at them.
   
   But not for Disney. There's nothing funny about this. It's grave. Grave my friend. It's not like disney ever had the potential to be nothing more than a horrible company the day that idiot walt disney founded his _______ dream, but the biggest failure was even trying to touch music. Maybe if he would have realized that his taste in picking composers is lame. How does disney keep messing up music anyway?
   
   Anyway, disney music fails for a lot of reasons. Let's debunk it with the music first. The generic orchestra, irritating, timid music, it's so twee it makes me barf. It's very boring, actually. It's mearly short comed as it's just there because it has to be. Yeah, lot's of the music I listen to has the same kind of thing. But the reason why it's good is because of the vocals, the lyrics.
   
   Ah, the lyrics. Awful. Nonsensical, twee, twee, and twee. This stuff is so damn forced and twee that it makes anybody cringe. It makes sense, because it's supposed to. There's no confrontation, there's no realism. A whole new World, sorry, but love ain't just that. It's a beautiful, complex thing, not a twee thing. I hate the way, and it just gets on my nerves.
   
   Of course,this is disney, and it's millions of browbeaten followers will defend such garbage that anybody that's not spoiled sees right through. Oh well. You poons.
   
   ----/10



3. This collection of Disney music is perfect for any Disney fan. My family loves Disney, and this couldn't have been better to get for our drives to our favorite home away from home. Our daughter listens to it in her room all of the time. If you love Disney, you will love this collection.



4. I bought this for my daughter and I to sing along with in the car. It has all of our favorites and then some. If you can find a copy of the set you won't be disappointed! I'm here now looking for a replacement since mine have long since been scratched to death after many many hours of heavy rotation.



5. This collection has almost every song from every Disney distributed moved up to 1995. Each cd contains around 25 songs. I purchased this collection as a gift for a niece of mine and she loves it (I must admit I got a big kick out of it too). If you're concerned about young children watching too much tv/dvds yet want them to enjoy music this is a definitely a product worth looking at.

5 comments about Beethoven - The Complete String Quartets / Alban Berg Quartet.

1. I guess I'm just used to Haydn and Mozart, because these string quartets were just too dissonant and untraditional for me - one who loves the Beethoven symphonies. To each his own, as they say. The recording itself is terrific - great engineering.



2. All the performances on this set of the Beethoven String Quartets are of the highest quality. Particularly outstanding is the performance of Op 59 no 1
   Intonation, expression, the ability of the players to meld together, and the dynamic range is all superb.
   One small flaw (nothing to do with the playing)
   In the very last track, the final movement of the B flat quartet (not the great fuge, but the movement Beethoven replaced it with), there is a continual flapping sound - I don't know where it came from, but it is very irritating, and I'm surprised that EMI let it through.



3. This boxset has everything you need to know about String Quartets.
   If this is not enough to mention, we can also remember that the musicians here are one-of-a-kind, and Beethoven wrotes the most rich and precious Opuses for String Quartets.
   Enjoy yourself!



4. A great job by the Berg quartet.
   
   I started with the old Columbia LP of the Budapest's version of the final quartets, but it would be a false note for the Berg quartet to try to recapture the feeling of disaster that pervades the Budapest versions, made as these were during the world war period; no "l'art pour l'art" hot air could convince me that music (a most social art, indeed sociological in Adorno) can be independent in its making from horror.
   
   Instead the Berg quartet seems to me to be more technically proficient, not that I give too much of a damn about this; I have never understood why we think we deserve the first rate reproduction at all times, and the second or third rate reproduction can reveal much more (I'm thinking in this connection of the version of *Kunst der Fuge* made for Naxos by a guy who used to play in my church, Wolfgang Rubsam: there seems to this layman to be a lot of Rubsambato in it but it reproduces for the modern listener the risk of dissonance implicit in fugueing tunes).
   
   To meet the price point, EMI has the quartets in a completely screwed up, if not kittywumpus, order, probably to reduce the disk count. But when you buy the CDs for immediate copying to iPod, you can then put them in the "right" order, by quartet number within opus number.
   
   Be advised, though, that the superb liner notes mention that the opus and number order doesn't reflect Beethoven's order of composing the quartets, but give the correct order.
   
   Listening in either order is a long, spiritual journey, because LVB used the quartet as a laboratory for risky experiments that an orchestra wouldn't be able to play. You discover the origin of the slow movements, the visions of eternity, in the late quartets in the Rasumovsky quartets and in general how Beethoven, like Shakespeare as seen by Gary Wells, didn't finish "finished" works once and for all, but was troubled by aporias and untried alternatives and would screw around with them until the late quartets, when it appeared that Beethoven decided to be hanged for a sheep as a lamb, and used the quartet for distinctly Modernist experiments.
   
   Modernist, in the sense of clearing out the concert hall as the more typical music "lovers" fled in horror in the middle of the Grosse Fuge, in which he gave himself license to cock a snook at a society of pompous fools that had taken his best and given him jack s*t.
   
   Adorno (yeah, Adorno) felt that you can't understand music except as a dialectical logic. This is the opposition of thesis and antithesis and the production of a synthesis containing both, in a nondialectical formulation which drops most of the dialectic on the floor: the dialectic has to be lived and may be sheer Blarney: but it pervades our reception of all music worth more than one listening.
   
   The fact is that I stopped being able to listen to David Bowie's Helden (Heroes) despite this being my favorite rock and roll anthem, but never fast forward past the Grosse Fuge.
   
   In the late quartets, the magnificence (sublimity) of utter loss of control somehow contained is followed by slow movements which constitute sincere and loving apologies for smashing the crockery. Beethoven's irreconcilability to himself and the unacceptability of being raised by an alcoholic (which is what his Dad was) was also his relation to his family and society as a whole. It makes great cinema as two recent movies (Immortal Beloved and Copying Beethoven) have shown.
   
   My fat pal Adorno was puzzled by the theological implications of the late Beethoven and never managed to stop writing about it, his writings being themselves a search for the solution to this mystery: Bach is only with difficulty shoehorned into an ad maiorem dei gloriam Procrustean framework, and the theology of the Dangkegesang is something pre-Christian, a sacrifice for a fleeting sense of material well-being. Pain isn't celebrated in the late quartets.
   
   Beethoven didn't go back to Bach, but like most advanced musicians of his day, including Mendelssohn, he was fascinated by "learned" music, music that almost (but not quite) is meant to be read in a score, and not played at all by a cafe orchestra...or if played by a Wolfgang Rubsam, to be played, as he plays, without excessive respect for the text, and some abandon.
   
   Frank Zappa said that most rock and roll writing is written by those who cannot write for those who cannot read. Most classical music reviews on Amazon seem to affirm this also for classical music and its dialectical potential: on the one hand, one wants to shake the theological respect people have for classical concerts out of them by farting loudly, on the other hand, one is enraged by the lack of respect underlying the excessive respect (a lack of respect shown by the actual material treatment of the members of actual symphony orchestras, neatly and dialectically answered by their alienation, which was noted early on by Aaron Copland).
   
   Oh Freunde, nicht dieses Tonen. Enough! Ess muss sein.



5. What a fantastic set of cds! The recordings are superb. I have listened to this set repeatedly and it is always fresh! The Alban Berg Quartet plays the music with sensitivity and polish. I listen to the music with my headphones and am transported to a different place. It's just me and the quartet...and the music! The price for this journey is less than a good meal at a fine restaurant. If you like the idea of enjoying hours of music at a price that is astounding, this is the box set for you! Go ahead order the set-you deserve it.

5 comments about How the West Was Won.

1. These are a set of live recordings that were rediscovered in 2003 and re-mastered.
   They sound fantastic and are a must-have for any zeppelin fan. I've recently had
   to start driving to work one day a week and these cds have made me look forward
   to the ride (which is otherwise miserable).



2. Legendary performances by legendary rock icons. Thought not known as one, LZ certainly qualifies as a "jam band" as evidenced here. A must have for any and every fan of classic rock. Masters at the top of their game.



3. Not that you needed another five-star review to think about getting this, but I have to chime in. This is one of the finest live albums I've ever heard. Zep were in their prime here (the material for this album was taken from two concerts in June of 1972, one in Los Angeles and one in Long Beach) and boy, does it show. My favorite song on the album is "Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp" which the fellas play with a great deal of energy and the appreciative crowd enthusiastically claps along. Their big hits from that era are here, like "Black Dog", "Rock And Roll", "Immigrant Song", and of course "Stairway To Heaven." If you're even kind of a Zep fan, this album is absolutely essential.



4. This is a very mixed up set in terms of quality of version. Some of these it's like, "Yeah, this is alright." Some are like, "Eh, whatever." And some are like, "No, that was bad." Like the acoustic songs, Robert Plant sounds kinda like he's bored! Now maybe its just me, but I don't like it when they drag out Whole Lotta Love. It's one of those songs where it's just fine at the length that it is. The only REALLY good song here is Immigrant Song. If you want to get it, go ahead, but don't really recomend it.



5. This is an excellent album. If you have not heard this, you have missed a big part of what Led Zeppelin is about. What I especially liked about it is that shows sides of Led Zeppelin which you do not hear if you buy greatest hit compilations. I personally like Led Zeppelin best up to this stage. What came later is not as good - in my view.

5 comments about Playback.

1. GREAT BUY IF YOU LIKE TOM PETTY. NICE HEARING NEW STUFF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD A MILLION TIMES. 5 STARS IN MY BOOK.



2. Playback contains all the classics which made Petty and the Heartbreakers famous, as well as the lesser known songs. A sure bet to please even the most discriminating Tom Petty Fan.



3. I bought this after reading "Conversations With Tom Petty". I really like TP & the HBs and have every album/CD, so it's no surprise that I quite enjoy this set too. Fun hearing different takes on songs I know and hearing new material as well. Perfect for the TP fan-



4. Let me start out by saying Tom Petty is a national treasure when it comes to music in general and rock and roll in particular. The man has consistently written and recorded great songs for more than 30 years, both solo and with the Heartbreakers. The Heartbreakers are simply one of the finest rock and roll bands ever; Petty and crew don't receive the credit they deserve for whatever reason. It's seems since he's so consistent that people take him for granted, which is a shame. Even his latest, Highway Companion, holds some wonderful music. This box set holds a whole lot.
   
   You can't beat this box set for the cost. It covers Petty and the Heartbreakers career from 73-93 and it includes almost all the hits, a great selection of album cuts, and many songs that were never released for one reason or another. The most glaring omission I found was "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." It's here in demo form, but not the hit version with Stevie Nicks.
   
   As with all box set, you can complain about what track was left off, but there's so much great music here that you can't find anywhere else. Disc Six "Nobody's Children" is a treasure-trove of unreleased songs. I was skeptical about this set because it's six discs, with three of them rare or unreleased material, but the unreleased material stands up to what came out.
   
   You'll find Petty's version of "Ways to be Wicked," which Lone Justice recorded. The version here rocks! The set has several gems from the "Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)" period, and, just as much of that album, rocks harder than much of the Petty's other material. Some other gems include "You Get me High," "Turning Point," and "Keeping me Alive," both of which were left off the Long After Dark album. Also, there is a fantastic accoustic version of "King's Highway" that you can't find anywhere else. It's such a beautiful song, and this version really highlights the lyrics. It rips the version on Into the Great Wide Open to shreds.
   
   If you're trying to figure out if you like Petty and the Heartbreakers, then obviously a greatest hits is the way to go. If you like it, then grab this because it sums up his early career a lot cheaper than buying all the discs. If you are a fan and don't own this, then get it! You won't regret it because it has too much good music to ignore.



5. There is no way to believe the amazon official review which Geoffrey Himes wrote for this BOX-SET! Just believe your ear,that is all you have to do. I am not a heavy listener of Tom petty & the Heartbreakers at all. I got this BOX-SET as a Christmas Gift from my friend. I opend this,and played this without any information about the music in there. Who said he sings like Dylan? Who said this band sounds like The BYRDS? Tom petty & the Heartbreakers sound like no other Rock'n'Roll band. I do not know how much my friend paied for this,but I do believe I enjoy this BOX-SET more than my friend expected. If something "clicked" in your mind, get this BOX-SET. Soon you will realize Geoffrey Himes did not tell us the truth. If you did not like this, do not criticize. Give it somebody else. It may give them big fun like I got.

5 comments about Mozart: Piano Sonatas.

1. Mozart's piano sonatas are like listening to ice cream. They are just music. And I mean this in the most positive sense. Mozart's good artistic taste manifests itself in being profoundly unpretentious and self-effacing. As Raymond Chandler said, "There is no great and important art; there is only art... and precious little of that."
   Mozart's music is inconsequential as music so rarely is. It asks very little of the listener and provides so much. It is for this reason that it is perfect background or atmospheric music. It GOES with things in the way that Schubert (e.g.) does not. I recommend eating vanilla ice cream while listening to Mozart piano sonatas. This will afford you an experience of synesthesia that blows the mind.



2. The quality of these recordings is terrific and the price is right! I play the CDs on my office computer for background music that energizes me and doesn't distract me from the details of my work. This music is perfect for that!



3. This is my favorite set of Mozart piano sonatas, next to the Mitsuko Uchida collection from Philips. Eschenbach's performance is unadorned by needless trivialities, revealing a deep reverence for Mozart' score. Instead of taking liberties with the music, Eschenbach provides a pleasurable listening experience that can be relied upon again & again. Both his playing & the DG sound are impeccable, making this set of Mozart piano sonatas a thoroughly worthwhile acqusition.



4. Fabulous music. Simple, direct, un-affected peformances that are a delight to listen-to over and over again. At times the playing is utterly sublime. These performances are technically perfect in a smooth sense - and totally absorbing.



5. If you were to clump all of the composers of the classical era together, mix them up, and listen to them willy-nilly in a blind hearing test, you'll never be able to tell the difference between them... until you hear Mozart. Mozart's era was not rich in harmony. To me, Haydn wrote the same symphony over and over. Stamitz and Gossec... love 'em, but they were also prisoners of this classical harmony. But Mozart was able to put his fingerprint on all of his music. You can pick his music out blindly with ease because it is unmistakingly Mozart. That's why we have a mostly Mozart festival and not a mostly Kraus (who?) festival.
   
   As this cd shows, Mozart's music was sublime. But even he struggled with using this "harmony of the day". If you were to study the catalogues of Mozart's symphonies, sonatas, and chamber music, let's face it; you would hear a lot of turkies before you made it to the peacocks. We would have to wait until Chopin until the harmonies fattened up a little.
   
   Having said that, you have to completely hail Mozart for taking what was available to him in his day and creating some of the most sublime music with it. It would be like for the next ten years all the world had available to eat was peas, and 200 years from now one man became immortal for the many interesting ways he was able to manipulate peas into a meal.

5 comments about The Central Park Concert.

1. Great album, I like DMB very muchDave Matthews Band - The Central Park Concert



2. perfect take ! So fast to get it from the US and then enjoyable in my sedan...



3. The whole 3-disc set is so amazing. This is a must-have for any DMB fan. Twenty bucks is worth the money. Anyways the drum solo on two step is the most technical and craziest drum solo ever!!!! It will blow ur mind away!!!! Carter blows the whole song away and takes the spotlight.



4. Awesome album with lots of good songs, however if by any chance you don't have your ipod in the car its a pain to find a specific song from the Cds, you have to browse thru 3 disks!!!



5. If you're a Dave Matthews Band fan, this is a "must have" incredible DVD. The sound stage whether in pure stereo or 5.1 Dolby Digital puts you in the middle of Central Park. Every song is better than the previous song. There is no getting tired of this DVD. Best drummer, violinist, sax, etc. Pure music enjoyment.

5 comments about Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies and Piano Concertos.

1. In Ms. Quinn's review of this Klemperer Beethoven set, she refers to Bruno Walter's Beethoven symphony set on Columbia,which she describes as done with the "?Chicago Symphony". I believe she's referring to the late 1950s Columbia/Walter stereo set made in LA with the "Columbia Symphony", a pickup orchestra of LA"s best studio musicians. Columbia's producer assembled that orchestra specifically for Dr. Walter, thereby giving that great conductor an opportunity to record what turned out to be his last thoughts on Beethoven, Brahms, and others. I believe this Walter set deserves to be placed alongside Klemperer's, von Karajan's (1962 series), and Toscanini's (1949-1952 series) as an exemplar of surpassingly great Beethoven performances. I grew up with the Toscanini set and still listen to it---but there is no one way of playing these symphonies.
   
   To give just one example: Each of the four Eroicas in these sets presents a unique view of this greatest of all symphonies. Von Karajan and Toscanini offer unstoppable forward momentum while treating the even-numbered movements differently. Walter sees in the score a beauty that I haven't heard elsewhere; and Klemperer shows how inevitable the Eroica is when you can hear all the notes. If I had to live with just two, I'd choose one of the two EMI Klemperers: Either this stereo Klemperer or the 1955 mono Klemperer (available separately in EMI's Great Recordings of the Century series)---and my other choice would be the 1949 Toscanini Eroica. I don't believe that I can live with just one Eroica.



2. I had to get this set after trying to get through the ninth on the Cluytens set, which I found to be a total disaster, though I liked the 5,6 and 7th. I'm holding off on the rest of that set, but, has anyone noticed two very odd sounding brief passages about 3/4 of the way into the first movement of the Klemperer recording of the 5th? I've liked the 6th, 7th and 8th, and haven't gotten to the rest. Somewhat slow at times, but that has never been an issue for me, and they all have a kind of thrust and weight that the Cluytens lack though I like both approaches. So, I'm interested in hearing from people about these two odd passages in the latter part of the 5th, first movement, where there is a sharp loss of volume and an emphasis on a brief passage that repeats twice and isn'tlike any other I've ever heard. Thanks, Gary



3. For me, this is the top choice for stereo Beethoven cycles. Klemperer conducted with a grandeur that is sadly not to be found among today's conductor's. His "Eroica" is still among the best around alongside Furtwangler, Abendroth & Weingartner. His 9th is easily a top 10 choice, behind a couple by Furtwangler (of course), Weingartner, Reiner and Fricsay. The rest of the set is also very solid, especially 4 and 6 (one of the very best, after Walter and Bohm) without a subpar performance in the bunch. As an added bonus, you get a high caliber set of the piano concertos by Barenboim and Klemperer, though not quite of the quality of Fleisher/Szell or Kempff/Van Kempen. When you factor in the cost (You can usually find it for under $40) this great set is a steal.



4. These are classic, fine performances of the Beethoven symphonic and piano concerto canon by one of the great artists of the 20th century. They are not necessarily the most passionate or electrifying of Klemperer's recorded legacy; those belong to many of the live performances recorded from the early 1950's through the early 1960's. So why get this set (besides the price, which is a steal)?
   
   The answer is that these are by far the best recorded of Klemperer's Beethoven performances and showcase his extraordinarily meticulous attention to balance, phrasing and dynamics. Always present is the nearly unique command of long-term tension and release, the command of the structure of each symphony or concerto as a whole, and the innate sense of musical drama which makes his performances so satisfying. The Philharmonia is ideally suited to Klemperer's vision, with its sure-footed brass, solo-quality first-chair winds and elegant but light strings. Klemperer may not have cared particularly about orchestral sound - his was most often called granitic -- but the results are certainly beautiful. And the recorded sound allows us to hear all of this. EMI lavished its skills on these recordings, making them in the marvelous acoustics of Kingsway hall; they sound warm, detailed and natural.
   
   Klemperer's vision of Beethoven is powerful and uncompromising. Yes, the tempi are slow in the faster movements, but there is a fierce intelligence and indominable spirit that radiates through these performances and makes them towering and, at their best, earth-shaking. Klemperer had a special affinity for Beethoven. Both men's lives were compromised by chronic health issues and pain: for Beethoven, the deafness and chronic indigestion and bowel-problems; for Klemperer, the brain tumor, resulting partial paralysis, broken bones, and the manic-depression. Both men were notoriously cranky and crabby. And yet both men created (or recreated) music which expresses the human spirit's triumph over adversity as well as music of extraordinary beauty.
   
   No-one would call Klemperer's Beethoven crisp or fleet. Even though he was a truly 20th century conductor in eschewing the rhetorical gestures of romanticism and focusing on the holy writ of the score, he was enough of a child of 19th century Germany to favor a massive and hortatory approach, with prominent brass, thundering tympani and dramatic underlining.
   
   In the concerti, the young Barenboim and the old Klemperer seem to cancel out each other's idiosynracies to produce some of the finest performances of the concerti on record. Again, these are recorded in splendid sound which barely shows its age.
   
   At this price, there is no reason not to purchase this set. Whether this will be your favorite Beethoven symphony set will depend on your personal taste; but it is important enough to reward your careful listening, even if it's only from time to time.



5. Otto Klemperer... I admire him very much. Because, he conducted and performed the music just it should be, in the manner directly of composer. He didn't add his personal feelings to music, like Karajan. He just interpreted in the way, how it must be. And his majestic, grand character directly touches the soul of the listener.
   
   Especially, in Beethoven and Mahler (who personally know him), he is really referance. In that box-set, you will find the darkest, most noble, unsentimental but so deep, most philosophic readings of the Beethoven Symphonies. Klemperer, as you know, sometimes takes the tempi slower than normal, but because of the all notes must be heared cleanly and the all notes must have an meaningful expression. You will impressed especially when you listen 3 (Eroica), 5 and of course 9th Sym. By the way, this set includes so impressive Leonore No. 3 and dramatic Coriolan Overtures, they are really worth to listen and experience the majesty of Klemperer.
   
   By the way, Piano Concertos are very good too. Barenboim is a good pianist, who have a very beautiful color when he's playing. He has a deep character too, but everyone is not love always his performances. OK, he is not Wilhelm Kempff, but anyway, he is a great musician.
   
   But, you should buy that, especially for Klemperer's performances of Symphonies. Highly recommended.

5 comments about The Complete Studio Recordings Mississippi John Hurt.

1. Mississippi John Hurt is the best blues performer of all times. No leser show, no smoke, no big talk, but MUSIC!!!
   Music that comes from his personality and soul!!!



2. This is a fantastic collection that ANYONE with even a passing interest in folk should own. Mississippi John Hurt's music is so powerful and so delicate, so raw and beautiful at the same time. I love the way he frequently finishes his vocal lines with his guitar, making the instrument an extension, or rather an essential part of his voice. Don't hesitate, if you found your way to this page you will enjoy this album.



3. Am enjoying Missisippi John Hurt very much. Very relaxing. Was very happy that he lived to see the fruits of his wonderful labor of love.



4. His singing and guitar playing is just as good as on the early recordings.



5. C H I C K E N
   That's how you spell chicken!
   
   This won't be a particularly helpful review because I don't "know" music. All I can say that ever since seeing The Blues Brothers, I have enjoyed listening to blues without knowing much about it. Favorites include Howlin' Wolf and Robert Johnson... and John Hurt.
   
   He had a great voice. Cool vocals + cool lyrics = really listenable music. I am so greatful to my Yahoo!Music player for introducing me to him. :)