2 comments about Musical Massage: A Soothing Sensual Collection.

1. I feel so good listening to this cassette, I really don't want to switch back to the rock CD's. At least not for a while. My stomache just feels so much better.

   I have the cassette. Really need a CD so I don't have to keep turning the cassette over. It isn't 8-track. My unit doesn't automatically switch direction (it will automatically kick in a 2nd cassette on the "A" side, but that is another story).




2. The music will flow over you like hot running water. It was almost as relaxing as a sit in a hot tub!

3 comments about Daytrippers: 50 Classic Tracks from the Sixties by Original Artists.

1. The DRESSED TO KILL label, purveyors of punk and other nihilistic stuff, dabbles in some Sixties retro with their three disc compilation, "DAYTRIPPERS." The Sgt. Pepperish cover art collage includes such notables as Prince Charles, Paul Newman, Morris the Cat, Charlie Chaplin, Frankenstein's monster, Marilyn and Liza, a lit up jack o' lantern in silhouette and the infamous O.J. Simpson mugshot.
   
   Some of the music here is almost as strange as the programming juxtapositions. A gentle early Donovan folk tune is followed by Captain Beefheart, Dave Davies comes just prior to the Lemon Pipers sole top 10 hit, Status Quo's "Pictures Of Matchstick Men" rocks out and then we get a schlocky Gene Pitney side.
   
   The Beatles are here ("Cry For A Shadow") as is an interview snippet of John Lennon. Great originals like "Itchycoo Park," "Summer In The City" and "For Your Love" share space with total obscurities and odd cover versions. Jimi Hendrix, in his early lounge lizard persona appears, as do the pre-psychedelic Moody Blues.
   
   A more eclectic mix of tunes can rarely be found. Altogether one interesting set. (No liner notes with this one.)
   
   TOTAL RUNNING TIMES --
   DISC ONE -- 60:48
   DISC TWO -- 56:00
   DISC THREE -- 60:47



2. I have never written a review before on this site but couldn't help myself when I saw the rather absurd single review posted up until now about "Daytrippers". If you are looking for an introduction to 60's rock, better to get something a little more commercial like the "Forrest Gump" soundtrack. If on the other hand you were actually alive in the 60's and already know the music from that era, this is a great collection of lesser-known gems and/or interesting nuggets. The comment by the other reviewer that the sound quality is poor is, again, relative. The sound is fairly typical for 60's rock, not terrible and not great. I would definitely recommend this collection for anyone who likes 60's rock but is tired of the re-treads played over and over on classic rock radio stations.



3. This is so poor it is laughable. Some of the tracks seem to be live bootleg, sound quality is generaly very poor throughout. Some big names here but don't get fooled as they are lesser known tracks and some of the artists you will ask, who? A low price point for a low quality set.You can find tracks by these artists elsewhere with much better production.

2 comments about Relax With Thundering Rainstorm/Desert Winds/Sailboat.

1. These recordings are relaxing -- but they are "enhanced with music(?!)." I found the music distracting. Based on the little information provided at this site concerning the contents of the CDs (there are three), I thought I was ordering nature sounds without music. If that's what you're looking for, look elsewhere.



2. I love these tracks and have used all three after work to reduce my stress level, along with some scented candles. The desert thunderstorm has a softly swelling and fading cadence that is soothing with the rhythm of the rain. Listening to it, I can almost smell the rain hitting the earth. The sailboat sounds are also soft and relaxing, with far-off gulls in the background. Glad I found it on CD!

2 comments about This Is Space.

1. Main reason I'm giving this 4-CD box set release a five-star rating is because of the 'real $teal' asking price.Looks to be a re-pressing of the Cleopatra's earlier titles,'Space Daze' 2-CD,it's follow-up 'Space Daze 2000' and a bonus CD for disc four,which is a full length release by Klange(never heard of them),but they seem to be like 'dreamy ambient'.Not a bad find.No matter,on the first three CD's,you get key tunes and some 'deep album tracks' of the greats,like Kraftwerk, The Orb, Legendary Pink Dots, Delerium, Ozric Tentacles, Hawkwind, Tangerine Dream, Nik Turner, Future Sound Of London, Melting Euphoria, Dilate among many others. Over five solid hours of music here. Great to listen to on a Saturday night when you have nothing else going on.



2. Cheers to all who can appreciate this distinctly strange, anti-pop music. This is a superior compilation, each disc spanning well over 70 minutes, (is the bonus ambient CD still included?) and it connects one with so many roots which a casual listener as myself did not know to exist. The selections of self-proclaimed "ambient space-rock" range from clearly melodic rock (as with Roxy, Eno) to danceable electronica (DIN, Anubian Lights) to inaccessible dissonance from Aphex Twin. All is otherworldly, and it will transport the listener to a new, bizarre soundscape with every track. An outright steal now, but you'll probably end up buying some of the excerpted albums, which I suppose is the ploy of any compilation.

No comments about The Best of Ravel & His Time.

3 comments about Legendary Charley Pride.

1. If you dig Charley Pride like I do you will appreciate the completeness of this collection, all in the original recordings.
   
   I scoured alot of record shops for a long time trying to replace the selections from my vinyl albums like Charley Pride's Greatest hits #2 but I could never find some tunes like 'I Ain't All Bad' and others which are all included on this CD.
   
   For most of us it will be the last Charley pride CD we buy because it is so complete.



2. Whether you're a country fan or not, you can't discount the sheer talent that Charley Pride posessed. And in this particular collection you can find all of his singles from his early days, to his last gasps.

   Charley hasn't gotten the props he deserves of late, but that's due to change at some point. Until then, you can always pick this up and tell everybody "I told you so!" when the time does come.




3. Charley Pride had nearly thirty number one hits on the American country charts, as well as many other big hits, yet his music his poorly represented on CD in comparison with much less successful singers. This Australian set is the most comprehensive collection available. It would seem that Charley is better remembered in Britain and Australia than in his homeland. For those who do remember, there is much pleasure to be had from the fifty tracks here. The collection covers the whole span of his years at RCA from the sixties to the eighties.

   Everybody has his or her own favorites. Crystal chandeliers (the final track here) was not released as a single in America, but it has become his most famous song elsewhere. The other tracks will be familiar to Americans and include Mississippi cotton picking delta town, All I have to offer you is me, Just between you and me, Is anybody going to San Antone?, Kiss an angel good morning, I'm just me, Does my ring hurt your finger? and Snakes crawl at night.

   With songs like these, how is it that there seems to be so little interest in Charley's music compared to some of his contemporaries? I can't answer that, but it is likely that this will remain the strongest collection of Charley's music on CD.

5 comments about Genie - Complete 4 CD set.

1. The Genie four CD set is a wonderful way to collect all four of Genie's beautiful albums. The material is beautiful, each album is unique, and besides, the set is a bargain!
   When I tell you the material is beautiful, I'm not kidding. Genie has a voice that's as sweet as birdsong, delicate as flower petals, and as gentle as freshly fallen snow. Plus her songs are beautiful, well written and / or arranged, and well crafted. But hey, don't take my word for it... listen to the sound clips!
   Each album is unique, and has it's own special personality. Wildflowers is an album of love songs, and not only romantic love either... also love of family, pets and God are explored.
   Higher Than The Heavens, meanwhile, is an album of songs about Genie's love for God and God's love for the world. Both these albums include instrumental versions of the vocal tracks, which are perfect for singing along with or just for relaxing to.
   Angels All Around is a beautiful album of traditional (and not so traditional) lullabies, sure to be enjoyed by listeners of all ages. It certainly relaxes this reviewer after a long day!
   Whisper is another soothing album of heart-felt songs, which includes beautiful arrangements of well-known Christian texts, and some other favorites sure to be enjoyed by all!
   Though all of these albums include some Christian contexts, one doesn't have to be Christian to enjoy them, as all are very lovely and extremely serene and peaceful! (For more information on the four albums, please see my separate reviews for each of the recordings.)
   If you still aren't convinced, think about how economic you'll be by purchasing all four at once... come on! It's $30! You're saving at least $30! Plus you get to enjoy all of Genie's great music for an incredible price!
   Genie's four CD set is a wonderful purchase for anyone who wants to have some lovely and serene music to delight and relax them. This set would also make wonderful gifts for any occasion, and for anyone who wants to feel calm and refreshed. What are you waiting for? Treat your friends! Treat yourself! You'll be glad you did! Highly recommended!



2. All four of Genie's best work in one box set for a great price? You can't lose! Genie is always welcome over the airwaves at my place. I usually use it for bedtime though. Her voice is angelic, really great for music about God and heaven. It puts me in a good and secure mood before I drift off to sleep.



3. Solid product.
   
   I'm very pleased.
   
   GOod value.
   
   Great songs.



4. I'd give it 10 stars!

   GENIE IS THE BEST!

   You really haven't heard it all until you've heard Genie, especially the two new CD's, they're awesome.

   I've bought the 3 CD set for all my friends. It's such a good deal. Their eyes pop open when they see those four beautiful cvers. They think I spent alot more money than I did. At this price, it's a no-brainer easy decision.

   Genie even says she'll give people their money back if they didn't love it. But I bet that never happens.




5. What an awesome deal!
   I was having such a hard time deciding which of Genie's CD's to buy because I only wanted to spend less than $35. This is such a cool deal.

   When the CD's arrived, they were all bundled together in their FULL original shrink-wrapped cases, so even though I already owned two of Genie's awesome CD's, I gave the other two as gifts.

   WHAT A DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Genie is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 comments about Wagner: Götterdämmerung.

1. This is a live recording of Wilhelm Furtwaengler conducting at La Scala in the early 1950s. The house band is not up to the standards of Bayreuth or Berlin but serves well enough.

   With one exception, the cast is serviceable -- and probably better than anything likely to be assembled today. The Siegfried, Max Lorenz, is adequate (no small praise) but not especially memorable. The exception, of course, is the great Kirsten Flagstad, who here sings wonderfully well.

   The sound of the 1950s live mono recording is is about what you might expect. If mere reproduction is the most important thing for you, go elsewhere. If a brilliant conductor and a unique artist in one of her signature roles interests you, give this a try.

   Furtwaengler and Flagstad = five stars.




2. I came to this recording with certain expectations, and none of them were met. (1) SOUND QUALITY: Given that this is an Opera D'Oro release of a live performance, I expected the sound quality to be less than optimal. (Some of their recordings are OK sound-wise, such as their "Don Carlo" from the Vienna State Opera.) But the sound here is mediocre at best, and in some places (like the first several seconds of the prelude), it is just plain awful. The sound quality of the 1951 Bayreuth "Parsifal" is better than this. I think I heard the prompter a few times, but I'm not sure. Plus the audience noise can be quite distracting at times; at least a couple of people in attendance had really nasty coughs. (2) SINGING: I love Ludwig Weber's Gurnemanz on the aforementioned "Parsifal," but I'm not sure he has the kind of bite necessary for Hagen. I had never heard Max Lorenz before, but his Siegfried is lazy and sloppy. Alois Pernerstorfer makes an interesting Alberich; he sounds more like a lyric baritone than the kind of sinister voice one would expect in this role, like Hermann Uhde or Ekkehard Wlaschiha. (3) ORCHESTRAL PLAYING: The playing is pretty sloppy, too, and this is not just a function of the sound quality. In La Scala's defense, the Bayreuth orchestra a year later didn't sound any better. (4) CONDUCTING: I don't quite get the fuss about Furtwängler being the greatest Wagner conductor ever. There's certainly no evidence of that in this recording. (Furtwängler fans, don't flame me. I'm not interested.) BOTTOM LINE: If you're only going to get one recording of this opera, spend three times as much and get the Levine, Karajan, Barenboim, or Solti. This is for historical interest only.

1 comments about 3 CD Box.

1. I love Ana Grabriel's songs, because she inspire me to love.........

5 comments about Dmitri Shostakovich: 24 Preludes And Fugues For Piano, Op. 87.

1. The prodigal hands and astonishing spirituality of Tatiana Nikolayeva has been submitted of intense analysis in the spheres of the Western World. She seemed a legitimate heiress of past traditions, that characterized the creative atmosphere generated by them at the same time to play just the first bar.
   
   Curiously she is scantily known in spite of by her winning performances of Johan Sebastian Bach. So since that state of things it is so easy to understand these Shostakovich ' s preludes are so wonderful and fabulously played; impeccable phrasing, earnest expression, dramatic breath and first order inspiration. Somehow she was a muse for Dimitri at those hard times of oppression and struggling environment; where the art went much further.
   
   The eternal debt of these Preludes are because Bach, but represent to my mind the highest legacy bequeathed by Shostakovich for this instrument.



2. Tatiana is not so popular to American audience but she was a big name in Russia: A teacher, a pianist, and a composer in Moscow Conservatory. She died in 1994 in the US recital tour. Unluckily, there's not much her records. This set is one of her wellknowns and can be thought as the best (compare to others, like Schebakov or Ashkenaszy). This set was Gramophone winner, Prix Maurice Fleuret's top 100 best CDs all time. May say Tatiana lived and died with these preludes and fugues. She died while playing these in a performance in SanFrancisco, 1994. You also can listen to Tatiana's Goldberg Variations of Bach, that is a really nice one too. I strongly recommend this set.
   
   Someone prefers to Keith Jarrett in Shostakovich's Preludes and Fugues. Do you think a jazzman can reach to the peak of classical? No. They're in two different worlds. Like a Classical pianist cannot play "Functional" like T. Monk.



3. These are some of the most beautiful piano pieces of the 20th century! And they're being performed here by the pianist that Shosty wrote them for. Not sure why these haven't been reissued. I lucked out and found all 3 volumes !



4. There have been quite a few recordings of Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues for Piano ~ This particular interpretation, by Nikolayeva, has once again failed to capture the true essence of Shostakovich's music. Her playing is obviosuly exceptional, but that is not important here, since, as good as it may be, it is not suited for Shostakovich at all. The humourous and tragic tones of Shostakovich's preludes and fugues are not expressed properly...at times overexpressed, and at other times, ignored. "Too much nonsense" to put it roughly. The best recording of the preludes and fugues, stays with KEITH JARRET, and no-one will ever come close to his genial interpretation of this great Soviet masterpiece.



5. I have dropped hints for the passed 10 years to friends and family, that I all I would want for Christmas/Birthday is a copy of T. Nikolaeva playing these preludes and fugues.

   After a long wait I finally treated myself to an early Christmas present. I should have bought it years ago.

   J. Chapman