3 comments about The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection / Encore.

1. Both of these discs afford great pleasure. The Lloyd Webber compilation presents many of his biggest hits in fine performances by his ex-wife. The Encore disc gives fascinating glimpses of worthy but little known pieces from musicals. Arrangements are wonderful, and Sarah Brightman is in excellent voice throughout. At times she has a tendency to wax a bit operatic, but she certainly does have the chops to bring it off successfully, so I'm not complaining. Obviously, Ms. Brightman was trained in the classical tradition, and she knows how to use her voice to best advantage in service to the material. In short, she has musical integrity.



2. Before she was a sparkling pop/classical diva, Sarah Brightman was a Broadway star and the onetime wife of the legendary Andrew Lloyd Webber. This two-disc set that includes her "Encore," a collection of songs from mostly-obscure musicals, and "The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection," several of Webber's songs (mostly picked from "Songs That Got Away" and "Surrender").
   
   "Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection" starts off with the gothic "Phantom of the Opera," but quickly moves on to lighter fare in the airy "Unexpected Song," a soaring duet with Cliff Richards in "All I Ask Of You," the sparkling "Love Changes Everything," and some tepid forays into the shrill "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" and "Memory."
   
   "Encore" is far more ethereal and steady. The piano-led "Whistle Down The Wind" starts it off on a strong note, before the aching "Away From You," operatic "Think of Me," affectionate "If I Ever Fall in Love Again," and the symphonic "Nothing Like You've Ever Known." A particular highlight is the sparkling "What More Do I Need," a little tune that celebrates how love brightens up even the most dingy little apartment, in the most miserable weather. "With your love/what more do I need?"
   
   Sarah Brightman was obviously on solid footing with these two CDs. It might leave a bad taste in some fans' mouths that "Collection" is mostly compiled from a pair of other Brightman albums, but if listeners don't have "Surrender" and "Songs That Got Away," this two-disc set would be an excellent way to acquaint themselves with it.
   
   "Encore" is steady and well-suited for Brightman's voice, as well as having a sort of Victorian-garden air. "Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection" has the most flaws of the two -- some of the songs like "Memory" aren't suited to Brightman's voice, and she comes across as shrill and uneasy. But in songs written for her talents and "Encore," her voice alternately soars and murmurs in an airy soprano.
   
   Sarah Brightman reached her artistic pinnacle so far in the velvety "Eden," but her stuff here is still quite beautiful. "The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection/Encore" two-pack is a satisfying look at some of Brightman's Broadway-based songs.



3. Yes, it's true. Sarah has nothing to do with these cds, but her voice. It's another record that Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really "not that" Useful Group release to make money. Those two cds are very good though. If you have one of them, i suggest to get the other separatly.

No comments about A Box of British Humour.

5 comments about Judy.

1. Judy Garland had those legendary genes from the beginning of her incomparable & remarkable career and if one needs proof today just look at the still amazing careers of her two supremely talented daughters Liza Minnelli & Lorna Luft...both great singers and incredible performers still touring in stellar form as of now and making Mom very proud as they are both giving amazing performances winning numerous Standing Ovations nightly in World Class venues around the globe!
   Through a true labor of love, producer Joel Dorn put together this fascinating Box Set of Judy Garland from the beginning of her tremendous career as a brilliant young singer wonderfully charming & complete vocal perfection to the grand finale where Judy acheived status as the a world-class performer and greatest singer of her generation and beyond...beautifully illustrated with a fascinating Aretha Franklin interview where Lady Soul herself calls Judy Garland the greatest Soul Singer & this gem of a box set is so brilliant that true connoisseurs of this entertainment wonder will be in musical heaven as the range and full scope of Judy's recorded work are on brilliant display along with a stunning video sampling from the legendary CBS Television series...again a lavish booklet contains a number of interesting stories & interviews but Aretha Franklin exclaiming Judy as the Ultimate Soul Singer has the ring of truth to it as Judy more than earned this high compliment with a legacy of quality great vocals throughout her wondrous career that were always sung with heart and soul and a great amount of passion!
   Those lucky to secure this entertainment treasure chest will marvel at the peerless career of Miss Show Business who was the greatest of them all for a number of decades and the late classy producer Joel Dorn, God Bless him, realized this and gave us this great treasure...Bravo to Joel and to Judy!!!



2. This Judy Garland box set, which is simply entitled Judy, gives us so much to enjoy. We get four fantastic CDs; and the sound quality is excellent. There is a VHS video; this gives people some of the highlights from Judy's critically acclaimed weekly television series. In addition, you really do get a 100 page booklet with great information about Judy.
   
   "The History Of My Life Is In My Songs" starts the first CD with this tune from Judy's 1955 LP entitled Miss Show Business. Judy sounds very strong and her voice is warm, vibrant and full of positive energy. Great! "Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart" is an older recording from Judy's recording years at Decca; she sings this flawlessly with the grace and style of a much more seasoned chanteuse. Judy also does a smash-up job on "(Dear Mr. Gable) You Made Me Love You;" this comes from the film Broadway Melody Of 1938. In addition, "For Me And My Gal" features Judy again at her best; this song remained a concert staple for Judy during her concert years after she left MGM.
   
   On the second album, "Get Happy" comes from Summer Stock; and Judy aces this effortlessly. "The Man That Got Away" comes from the soundtrack of A Star Is Born from 1954; and Judy sang this so passionately it easily became one of her signature songs. "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe" again features Judy front and center--and she loved this song because her son was named Joe. In addition, "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody" was another concert staple for Judy during her concert years; this Al Jolson hit sounds even better when Judy sings it!
   
   On the third CD, "What'll I Do?" gets the royal treatment; Judy sings this with great sensitivity. "On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe" showcases Judy's ability to perform this MGM classic tune during the latter years of her career; Judy sings this so well she truly owns this song. "Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again" showcases Judy Garland doing a magnificent duet with Barbra Streisand; it was very rare that these two great songbirds worked together.
   
   The fourth CD rounds the track set out nicely. "Swanee" gets a fine treatment; this also was a concert staple for Judy; her adoring fans loved how Judy could really let loose during this tune to deliver it with all her might. "By Myself" comes from the movie I Could Go On Singing;" and Judy again performs this to perfection seemingly without any effort whatsoever. Great! There's also "Old Man River;" this tune from the 1960s couldn't sound better.
   
   Of course, there's that 100 page booklet. The photos of Judy are wonderful; and you can read fascinating essays by Joel Dorn, Will Friedwald and Scott Schechter. There's also an interview with Mort Lindsey, who conducted Judy's orchestra for years.
   
   The videotape has numerous highlights of Judy's TV series. We see her perform "Swanee;" "Almost Like Being In Love;" What'll I Do;" "Come Rain Or Come Shine" and other songs. It's wonderful; and the image is crisp.
   
   This may no longer be the latest or the most complete Judy Garland box set; but a diehard fan will still want this. This remains an excellent retrospective of Judy Garland's illustrious career.



3. This box set seemed like the definitive Judy Garland collection when it first came out. Not only does it offer all her hits including a few rare outtakes in the studio (one of her laughing like crazy), an early recording with her sisters, and a few solo recordings made when she was 7 years old, it includes a 100-page booklet and a video featuring a few songs from her 1960s television series (including the memorable "Battle Hymn of the Republic" recorded soon after John F. Kennedy's assassination). The video also includes a couple of old commercials; one for Lucky Strike cigarettes ("separates the men from the boys...but not from the girls), and Contact with the Wizard of Oz characters.

   However, five years later Garland's TV episodes are all being released on DVD and, with so many books and CDs out there, this collection does not look as strong. The booklet has a lot of nice photos, but is a hodgepodge of memories and interviews with different people (including Aretha Franklin) about Garland. It is also a little inconvenient to have the track listings in the booklet and not with the CDs, although I enjoy the brief histories on some of the tracks offered in the booklet. It is nicely packaged, with classy looking cases for the book, CDs, and video. If you want a taste of audio, video, photos, and text in one compact set, this might be the one for you; but if you are really getting into the career of this legend, there are many other collections out there.




4. Believe it or not the people who put this together actually CUT part of a song from the Carnegie Hall album because they didn't like it! When people are disrespectful in that kind of way to the integrity of the material you know you're not getting top quality stuff.

   There are some good things scattered through the album--maybe some of it is not available elsewhere. The book that comes with it has some wonderful pictures and a hodge-podge of essays, some good/interesting, some poorly written.




5. Of all the Judy Garland purchses I've made [and believe me I've made many], this box set has probably brought me the most joy. Not just hearing the fantastic variety of Garland music [and a special surprise on Disc 2 of Judy's absolutely infectious laughter ], but the video and the small book that comes with it leave you crying out for "more". I was genuinely devastated when both the video and the book ended. But they're kept in a special place where I can pick them up and watch, read and listen as much as I want; and I never tire of any of the collection!

5 comments about Classic Disney.

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 audio suicide. 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 First Lady of Song.

1. "First Lady of Song" is a great starting point for Fitzgerald looking for sampling of her work while on the Verve label from 1956 to 1966; probably her most seminal and memorable work, not to slight her Decca recordings in the decade before. Verve gave Ella the freedom to do what she wanted and Ella pursued that with a vengeance, releasing a series of landmark recordings covering the "Songbooks" of American Pop Standards that may never be equaled. Ella covered them all, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Rogers and Hart, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Harold Arlen, and Jerome Kern. "First Lady of Song" covers all those songbooks and whole lot more including her recordings with Louis Armstrong, Nelson Riddle, and others. While this is a great sampler it's more of a survey of what Ella was up to at Verve and if anything only whets your appetite for more. Her vocal prowess, agility, and versatility are neatly showcased here and it makes you wonder if there was anything she couldn't sing. I frequently found myself wishing to hear more of Ella in particular style, be it Ellington, Porter, or even her very swinging Christmas record. True, Ella lacked the drama of Billie Holiday, the sass of Sarah Vaughn, but she more than made up for it in a willingness to take gambles and risks that more often that not paid off. This collection will leave you begging for more!



2. Your rating system does not have enough stars available to rate this collection. The sound of Ella's voice, the music selected to make this compilation and the engineering that has re-mastered her earliest recordings is just simply ten stars!



3. I was torn when trying to choose my first CD by Ella. If funds had allowed I would have gone for a boxset. Still might save my money for awhile and buy the Complete Songbooks Boxset. That one could keep me busy for awile I think. This CD is great fun to listen to. I've only had it about 2 weeks, and already it is one of my favorites. There is not one song on here that I don't sing along to. The music is mostly sunny. There are three Ella and Louis duets here. Ella and Louis are perfection together. I'm glad they recorded together more than once. I have to sing the praises of mp3 downloading right now because without it I don't think I'd have found Ella. A troubling thought! Downloading the songs for free let me listen to an ENTIRE song as much as I wanted and to whichever song I wanted to, before I bought.



4. The world lost a great asset with the passing of Ella Fitzgerald. Luckily her legacy lives on in her recordings. There are a plethora of recordings of Ella Fitzgerald, so why get this one? Because here in a simple three disc set is the great cross section of Ella. There is the soft, cooing Ella who wraps her silky voice around Summertime, Angel Eyes, and How Long Has This Been Going On?. There is the high energy bopping Ella with It Don't Mean a Thing (if it Ain't Got That Swing), Something's Gotta Give and Too Darn Hot. And there is the most personalble Ella doing her fresh and honest attempt at Mack the Knife. There is nothing new here really - most of these songs are available on other CD's. But this is the package that brings so many facets of a great lady together into one extremely loving and listenable package.

   If you don't know Ella - buy this and listen repeatedly to it - you'll be richer for the experience.

   If you know and love Ella - this is simply a great package to put on the stereo, sit back and enjoy one of the finest singers ever to grace us with her voice.




5. Ella Fitzgerald was simply the best. No two ways about it; that's the best way to describe her. And this boxed set showcases nothing but her very best recordings, pulled from the best years of her career at the Verve Jazz label. Starting in 1949 and going through the late '60s, there are three CDs and nearly twenty years of pure perfection to enjoy here.

   All the ones you've always heard about are here. Her heartbreaking "Angel Eyes," "April in Paris" with Count Basie and His Orchestra, and the untouchable recording of "Summertime" with Louis Armstrong. You can't listen to that one and not think, "Wow." Satchmo and Lady Time do one of the greatest duets in jazz with "Can't We Be Friends." Her "Lady Be Good" is included, with the brassy classic "After You've Gone." The two best tracks from her concert set with Duke Ellington at the Cote d'Azur, Jobim's popping "Jazz Samba" and Duke's rowdy "It Don't Mean a Thing," are present also; listen to how saxophone-like she sounds in her scat session on "Samba," and how she wails like one of the trumpets and becomes one of the band on "Don't Mean a Thing." "Let it Snow" represents her 'Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas," one Christmas CD every jazz fan should own; and yes, the legendary live Berlin version of "Mack the Knife," where Ella forgets the words halfway through and goes through a mean scat before launching into her crowd-pleasing Louis Armstrong impression, as well as the unbelievable scatting on the track that followed it, "How High the Moon," which sealed that song into Ella's repetoire along with "Mack."

   Good helpings of Ella's 'Great American Songbook' series are here. Her treatment of Cole Porter's "Too Darn Hot" matched with that great arrangement is jazz perfection. From her kingly Duke Ellington Songbook album, "Just a Lucky So and So" is one of Ella's best, bluesy and soulful, with letter-perfect solos by Duke and the marvelous Johnny Hodges. She has great fun on "Get Happy," and the beautiful arrangement of Arlen's "Heart and Soul" (you know, the song from 'Big'), with its heavenly waterfall of strings in the intro, gives Ella just what she needs to make this one a keeper. Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" is Ella at her finest, swinging free and easy, as the song starts off light and builds to a screaming climax.

   Along with the famous ones, this set is also notable for so many great Ella recordings that cannot be found on CD elsewhere. This includes the stomping eight-minute-plus Jazz at the Philharmonic All-Stars version of "Perdido," with Roy Eldridge, Charlie Parker, and a bandful of greats backing Ella, a gorgeous live "Lullaby of Birdland," a Latin cover of "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" from the 1950s, the breezy "Swingin' Shepherd Blues," and Ella's superb "Don't Be That Way." Other not-so-well-known treats are a smooth, poetic "Night in Tunisia" that rivals Dizzy's wild original; Ella blowing every other version of "Black Coffee" out of the water; sugar-rush scatting on "Air-Mail Special"; the blues with Wild Bill Davis on organ with "Hear Me Talkin' to Ya"; and a seductive and swinging "Hernando's Hideaway," with lyrics set to the tune of the popular tango melody. Ella's "Makin' Whoopee" is, I guarantee you, one of the funniest songs you'll ever hear. It goes on and on, drawing bigger laughs with each verse, and Ella sings it with a wink and milks it for every laugh, especially that last verse! Perhaps the best, and most sadly little-known, recording here is Ella wailing through a bold, brassy arrangement of "Can't Buy Me Love." While Ella's reading here is nowhere near the golden treatment she gave it on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' in 1964, the arrangement never fails to stun, and is still one of the best jazz arrangements I've ever heard.

   There will never be another Ella. Buy this set, and see just why.

5 comments about The Civil War: The Complete Work.

1. I bought this because I thoroughly enjoy Frank Wildhorn's work. It is somewhat true to what one would expect from the creator of The Scarlet Pimpernel and Jekyl and Hyde but mostly it is a completely independent experience. My biggest complaint was that I am not a country music fan and Civil War is full of it. All in all I would say this is a stirring, unique and surprising oratorio from Frank Wildhorn who shows some greater depth in research yet lesser depth in composition.



2. The civil war cd was so amazing, i felt like i was back at the show.thanks Kay



3. After seeing a local performance of this musical, I started looking for a copy of the soundtrack and came upon this version. I loved it. I am not a civil war buff nor do I call myself a music know-it-all but this music is moving and inspirational. The many, varied well known artists only add to the ambiance- out of many walks of life do we share the history of the civil war- it is one of those historical events that bring us all together. I'll listen to this often.



4. I saw the play in Pgh. several yrs. ago and bought both cds. I wish EVERY American could see this show and learn about the Unbelieveable sacrifice of war. Pray for peace!



5. Being both a musical theater fan and an obsessive Civil War nut, I loved seeing the two combined in this great album. I've got to admit, I was a little put off when I saw that they had Hootie and the Blowfish, Travis Tritt, and a dozen other pop artists masquerading as historical figures, but the whole thing works surprisingly well. The music is closer to stuff you'd here on your local pop or country radio station than stuff you'd hear a bunch of Union Army personnel humming around a nineteenth century campfire, but it's very moving at times, and even funny at other times. And the lyrics are awesome! I can really tell the writers did their homework on this. Most of these songs were copied, almost verbatim, from old Civil War era letters and speeches. Bottom line is, this music is beautiful, and you might even learn a few things while you're listening to it.

No comments about The Rodgers & Hammerstein 50th Anniversary Collection.

1 comments about Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Collection.

1. This Box Set is for fans who have missed out on CD recordings of my musicals.It contains songs from The Phantom of the Opera like Phantom of the Opera,All I Ask of Ya,Music of the Night and Phantom Overture,songs from Cats like Magical Mr.Mistoffelees,Memory,and Jellicle Ball,songs from Evita like Don't Cry for Me Argentina,Another Suitcase in Another Hall,A New Argentina,And The Money Kept Rollin In(and Out),and Peron's Latest Flame,songs from Jesus Christ Superstar like Superstar and I Don't How to Love 'Em and songs from my other hit musicals. This Box Set is for Andrew Lloyd Webber fans,freaks and maniacs.

No comments about Lucky to Be a Woman.

1 comments about The Hollywood Musicals: The American Musicals Anthology.

1. Got this for my mom and she's listening to this 3 CD set like there's no tomorrow. It has lots of favorites she hasn't heard in years, and it brought back many memories for her of movies she saw long ago, some as a kid, some as an adult.
   
   If you have a friend or relative (maybe born in the 20's or 30's) especially one who likes AMC or Turner Classics- this could be a great gift.