1 comments about Deanna Durbin - Ultimate Collection: 24 Greatest Hits.

1. I have several recordings of Deanna Durbin and I figured there
   was nothing more that I could add to my collection. When I
   purchased this recording, I realized I was wrong. The songs
   on this CD are very lively, different and happy. Other stars
   record songs that sound one like the other and it becomes dull
   to listen to. This recording wasn't like that. The variety
   of the selections was great. Many of the songs I had never
   heard befor and this was refreshing. I am vry pleased to add

   this recording to my collection and if you are a Deanna Durbin
   fan I am sure you will too.

5 comments about Man of La Mancha (Original Cast 2000 Covent Garden Music Festival).

1. If you want the best recording of Man of la mancha, look no further than this recording. It's the best of them all and it's complete.



2. I was unfamiliar with this recording until I stumbled across it on Amazon.com and read the reviews. I was familiar, however, with the original Broadway cast recording ( with Richard Kiley, Joan Diener, and Irving Middleton) and with the earlier London version that is largely complete, with dialogue as well as music. Despite the reviews below, this version suffers in comparison to both of these earlier versions. Ultimately, the quality of the voices--both in terms of absolute musicality and in terms of dramatic characterizations--in this version are inferior to the earlier ones. In particular Kim Criswell is wooden, both as an acress and as a singer, so she makes a collosally unimpressive Aldonza/Dulcinea. Ron Raines is functional but insufficiently inspiring when he sings the role of Quijote/Cervantes---his "Impossible Dream" sounds like a well intentioned college freshman. Only the orchestrations and dramatizations of the muleteers' songs are interesting.

   Stick to the original Broadway cast recording, or if you want a nearly complete version, go to the earlier London recording. Stay away from this one.




3. Thanks to this complete recording, with all the music and dialogue, the full impact of this amazing work is now fully realised. The production of this recording is one of the best I have ever heard in any cast recordings. It is like you are in the theatre listening to a great performance of Man Of La Mancha by the wonderful cast of Ron Raines, Kim Criswell and the rest. I used to have the old London cast recording which purports to be complete but it was not the case because a lot of the music and scenes were not recorded and are missing from the recording. If you want a truly complete and best recording of La Mancha, this is the only recording to get. 5 stars and no less.



4. The new recording of Man of La Mancha is a mixed affair. The songs are beautifully sung with the exception of Kim Criswell. Which was a surprise.

   I felt that Criswell under played her role of Aldonza. Although her performance was technically very good, I felt that her characterization of Aldonza was lacking in other performances of the the role that I had heard or seen. I was wondering if she was directed this way. I have her two solo albums and in my opinion she is much better on those two recordings.

   Ron Raines is at the top of his game and it is a shame that there is no place for a performer of his stature on Broadway these days. He gives a stunning version of The Impossible Dream.

   The other quibble I have is the spoken dialogue. I found the readings to be flat, dull and uninspired. I wonder if the cast was in the studio at one time. The spoken dialogue lacked spark and characterization. I had no idea at times who was speaking as there was no real distinction in the speaking voices.

   Thankfully one can program out the dialogue and just lisen to the music. Always critized as a one song show (The Impossible Dream) the score has a lot to recommend. It's a shame the composer and lyricist were never able to follow up with a successful show.

   I recommend this recording with 4 stars for its technical excellence, the complete score and for most of the performances. I normally find Jay's complete recordings to be at the top of their game and an important part of any collection. I have nothing but high praises for 110 in the Shade, Cabaret, Nine and Lady in the Dark which are part of my collection. This recording of Man of La Mancha just misses the mark of being perfection.




5. If you are a fan of this show, if you want to hear it in it's fullest context and if you definetly want your money's worth then this is the recording of "Man of La Mancha" that you should get. The three leads are fabluous, especially Ron Raines(wait to you hear his rendition of "The Impossible Dream"), are excellent and the fact that all the dialogue and underscoring is here makes this like being able to watch the complete show every night. Believe me if you want this show this is the best recording "on a whole" that you can get your hands on.

1 comments about Best of Broadway: Some Enchanted Evening.

1. This album takes you on a stroll down memory lane, enchanting all the way. It is relaxing and soothing listening, and will be great background music for a candlelit dinner for two, an evening party with a mix of ages and backgrounds, or just to sing with while you get some work done. The orchestration is excellent and the performances wonderfully smooth. A hit for everyone!

1 comments about The Best of Dean Martin.

1. Make no mistake, Dean Martin was probably one on the coolest persons ever to live. My son, who likes Rob Zombie and Green Day even likes Dean Martin. This is an awesome four CD box set that contains some of Dean's finest work. The sound quality is excellent and the selections are great. If you enjoy Dean Martin, you must get this set right away!

3 comments about Shiny and New.

1. If you grew up (or drove a car with a radio) in the 70s, this album should have a special place in your collection. Jonathan Rayson interprets classics with thoughtful introspection, exuberant energy, and a beautiful voice. Some of the arrangements are faithful renditions of the original recordings, while others take on whole new life with a change of tempo and spot-on backup vocals. Rayson's voice ties it all together with emotion, originality, and openheartedness. 'Listen to the Music' is fantastic!



2. When great arranging merges with great performances and is refined through great production, a truly notable recording results. Such is the case with Jonathan Rayson's Shiny and New. Rayson's voice is a subtle tenor, and his delivery is even, never forced, as if he prefers to caress a lyric rather than attack it. Shiny and New features covers of singer/songwriters classics from the 70's, including Billy Joel's "Summer, Highland Falls," the Carpenters' "I Need to Be in Love," Dan Fogelberg's "Part of the Plan," and Cat Stevens' "Oh Very Young." The best tracks feature a mesmerizing interweaving of Rayson's vocals and Dan Chouinard's perfectly arranged keyboards. Joni Mitchell's "River" and Bachrach and David's "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" get such treatment and captivate the listener's ears. But not all the tracks are ballads. The Doobie Brothers' "Listen to the Music" gets the upbeat, energetic treatment it deserves, as does Carol King's "Beautiful." All in all, the album is an example of great artists capturing the essence of great songs. Highly recommended!



3. I love the way Jonathan has taken some favorite songs from when we were growing up and given them a new life, a new interpretation, making them even more wonderful. Hearing "Raindrops" as a ballad lets you really hear the lyrics and gives the song new meaning...the gospel rendition of "Beautiful" gives my day a kick start. The up-tempo songs are a great addition to my workout mix and the ballads are touching and soulful. I love listening to his voice. Definitely tops my list of best buys!

5 comments about The Four Freshmen Live at Butler University with Stan Kenton & His Orchestra.

1. Not only do I own the vinyl to go along with the CD, but I was there for both concerts at Butler University. My family has always been big Kenton fans as well as The Four Freshmen fans. For my birthday, my father took me to see both concerts...they performed two nights in a row! Definitely a highlight I will never forget. You won't regret adding this one to your collection!



2. I have a large collection of the Four freshmen. This collection dates back to lp's.
   This CD is the favorite of my entire collection.



3. The jokes and funtalk with this concert is somewhat dated. But the sound is great.
   I heard these folks short after the concert in Holland. Numbers like -there never be another you- are fantastic. I still love the group after 50 years.



4. I still enjoy the Four Freshmen, and was inspired to buy some more of their music after meeting Ross Barbour at a Stan Kenton concert recently. I like the content of this CD, but as sometimes happens with live recordings,the narration is so soft the sound must be turned up high. Then the music can blow your head off if you aren't ready. Their sound is amazing, as always, and I'm happy that the tradition is being carried on by the newer Freshmen. They are great, too. I can't seem to get enough of that smooth sound.



5. Stan Kenton and Four Freshmen are among the best in music of their time.I am a big fan of both them, so very reluctantly I have to admit my disappointment. Unfortunately, this concert does not live-up to their reputation. A lot of talk, which may be entertainig in concert itself, but in CD, it is a great waste of time ! And in those few minutes of actual music - none of their great songs . A pity!
   Personaly I think , it does not give you a good value for your money. Listen to the samples - you will get the idea.

5 comments about Cats (1982 Original Broadway Cast).

1. The greatest musical of all time is now the best sound track of all time! Fans of CATS the musical will definately love the soundtrack, espeically those who were privaleged enough to see the original cast in action. Andrew Lloyd Webber's CATS will forever be immortalized with the CATS soundtrack!



2. This is a Great musical. It has great fun songs, but it also has some really good ballads. It is my fourth favorite musical.(1st:The Phantom of the opera, 2nd:Wicked, 3rd:Evita, 4th:Cats) Another Great musical from Andrew Llyod Webber!



3. I bought the CD for my granddaughter's birthday. She had just seen the play but was unable to get the CD. Needless to say she was very happy to now have the CD as a keepsake. Fast and timely delivery, as always, with Amazon!



4. This is an awesome cd! If I could give 10 stars I would have! I have seen so many Broadway shows over the last 10 years I can't even begin to count how many. There is something about a play that just draws you into another world. The actors and actresses are so gifted and have an amazing ability to capture the audience. Even if you do not like theatre as much as I do... you should go to just one. I would reccomend "Cats". It is a good begining musical and truly shows all aspects and emotions of a great play. If you have the chance to go see it.. I can assure you it is worth the time.



5. I saw "CATS" at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway in July 1987 when I was 13, and it made an impression on me that is with me to this day. The songs, costumes and makeup were breathtakingly fantastic, and being a cat lover, I had an instant affinity for the subject matter. This soundtrack is SUCH a pleasure to listen to, and I never tire of it. Each and every song is performed with enthusiasm, emotion, and a sense of fun. My personal favorites are "MungoJerrie & Rumpelteazer", "Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat", "The Jellice Ball" and, of course, "Memory". I also own the London Cast Soundtrack, and I despise it. The vocals are weak, unenthusiastic and almost indifferent. I definitely prefer Betty Buckley's interpretation of Grizabella to Elaine Paige's, and Ken Page gives a MUCH more heartfelt and robust performance as Deuteronomy than Brian Blessed does. To sum up, the Broadway version is the ONLY version of "CATS". It will always be a delight for the ears.

3 comments about I Wish You Love.

1. My husband were priviledged to catch Keely live in a one-night concert at the Cerritos Center in Southern California recently. She performed a 90 minute show based on the Prima years @ The Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas. With Nelson Riddle arrangements and a smokin' ensemble backing her up, Keely was ALIVE and her voice has not aged at all. She is slated to sing on Valentine's Day 2007 in Palm Desert @ the McCallum Center. If you're a Baby Boomer like myself and was too young to hear Keely live in the Rat Pack era. This is a rare opportunity. Don't miss Keely now.



2. Behind every man there is a good woman, or so the saying goes. In this case the woman behind, alongside and eventually stepping in front of bandleader and husband Louis Prima, was Keely Smith. Louis Prima somehow has not been given his proper dues in jazz circles(because it wasn't pure even though it was New Orleans influenced) but this duo, along with the with the Witnesses, were the jazzy, creative and exciting pulse of live early Las Vegas acts. Stemming from an early High Fidelity recording from back in the day(60's?) Keely Smith was paired with the magical arrangements and conducting of Nelson Riddle for this her first solo release. The results are a recording for the ages that was obviously good enough to have Capital dig into it's vaults and spruce it up a bit with some alternate tracks for an added dimension is sound. The new interest in Keely Smith is due to her own cotinued recording and recent releases such as her successful tribute disc to Sinatra. Keely Smith is a wonderful talent who displays all the classic characteristics of a fine jazz songbird. Her ability to gently swing in a provacative seductive style sucks the listener in to her smoky voice. The title track is absolutely amazing as she renders the lyrics to the classic song, "I Wish You Love. " This particular song captures the essence and demonstrates the epitome of Keely Smith. Another beautiful song(they all are) is "If We Never Meet Again" that is a suttle reminder of her elegance and charm as she croons the lost love ballad. In the song she vows to let the "birds of spring" and "the roses" remind her of her everlasting love. She must have been a romantic at heart because all the the playfullness demonstrated on her recordings with Louis Prima is absent; it is all business and straight up ballads here. "Fools Rush In" is a beautiful collaboration with the band of Nelson Riddle where the give and take is a perfect marriage. Without a doubt she has one of the voices that melts a mans heart, stretching her notes and softly carresing you with her pillow talk voice. Her voice can be a bit difficult to pin down because it flucuates in range from a thick Cher(bad comparison but you get the point) like voice to a whispery songstress in the style of all the great songbirds who came before her. Her voice is the real draw but the work by Nelson Riddle and the great big band sound that interupts is a welcome treat. The band moves and swings but Keely Smith is stirrng this sleek vechicle down the musical road. This was a departure album for Keely Smith, one intended for her to show her stuff without the rousing husband and wife act she put on with Louis Prima that made her famous to the Las Vegas crowds. She has a marvelous voice that rivals or exceeds many of today's more contemporary female vocalists. Her voice is one that comes across effortlessly a though nothing is forced; she is an underrated female vocalist who belongs on a short list of great American twenty first century singers. Her breezy style has influenced a long list of contemporary singers. In any event this is a very good disc, especially for those unfamiliar with Keely Smith who was more than just the singing sidekick and wife of Louis Prima. Highly recommended for people that like swinging music that has stood the test of time. A truly classic recording then and now.



3. For all the hype of the packed rooms in Vegas over the years and from the time she hooked up with husband/bandleader/crazy Italiano Louis Prima, Keely Smith was a chanteuse in the waiting.  When the idea was pitched that she could in fact compete in a market with other female songstresses, Smith was thrilled to do so.  Husband Louis Prima let his songbird fly freely and advised Capitol bigwigs to let her do whatever she wanted, so long as she had the best to work with.  Capitol willingly obliged to Prima (and Keely) in a big way, pairing her with the incomparable Nelson Riddle for her first outing, I WISH YOU LOVE. (They would collaborate again for another package, included on the Collectables release POLITELY / SWINGIN' PRETTY)
   The tale's been told by Keely many times of how her signature recording came to be:  Capitol producers brought her a stack of songs, lastly, I WISH YOU LOVE, a French song that "would never amount to anything". Labeled as a throw away, Keely immediately fell in love with it and bargained that if allowed to record it,  she'd do whatever other numbers Capitol wanted.  With all this agreeing going on, it's no wonder Keely Smith fans call this album her very finest!  But there's more to this album than history or a stunningly gorgeous torchy title track.  Nelson Riddle wrote some great charts for Keely to swing with as well; DON'T TAKE YOUR LOVE FROM ME being one of them, as well as WHEN YOUR LOVER HAS GONE.  Two songs from either side of the "love-line", both classics read with style here. Keely's dreamy version of IMAGINATION inspired all others to follow.  With an ethereal sound from the woodwinds, and Keely's trademark plaintive voice soaring just when it needs to over this lovely Burke / Van Heusen evergreen, it runs a close second to the title track as the album's best offering.  The heartfelt reading Keely and Nelson provide of the old Louis Armstrong chestnut, IF WE NEVER MEET AGAIN (recently recorded by Tony Bennett and Kd Lang with equally lovely results as a duet.) sits right in the middle of the album, and is not to be missed.  Nelson Riddle was a master at his craft, perhaps one of the best arrangers to have ever lived, and he always got the most out of any singer he ever worked with (he had Peggy Lee hitting high notes in full voice years after her breathy phrasing became her trademark sound; and Shirley Bassey hit notes on Riddle charts she never accomplished again)  I point to the lovely song I UNDERSTAND on this album and direct your attention to the tag on the ending.  Riddle ushers out the orchestra and the chorus sings a refrain, compelling Keely to answer in a lovely high noted closing tag that caps off the song perfectly. Ever a fan of the Jerome Kern evergreen ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE, I was amazed at the fresh approach Nelson and Keely take to make a swinger of this one.  This is probably the best of the bonus tracks (it was inexplicably omitted from the original LP) but the stark yet moving 'original' version of I WISH YOU LOVE definitely gives we fans a chance to do the comparison and judge for ourselves, and also offers insight as to the work and thought put in by all parties involved to get the "proper" version of the song out, which brings us now to full circle.  Without running on any further, this album IS Keely's finest hour, and well worth the waiting for.

3 comments about Jerry's Girls (1984 Original Cast).

1. folks,

   Herman's Jerry's Girls might be pretty familiar to you, for us germans it's new. Not that we don't know the tunes of "Hello Dolly" and "La cage aux folles" (those two belong to the most played musicals in germany and have at least about 10 different productions per year) but musicals like "mack and mabel" just had last year it's german premier. Nevertheless I try to convince my producer that "Jerry's Girls" would be the right thing for our small dinner-theatre (aside of the big one, where we just have the tour of "stomp" playing) for autum and winter 2000. So, do me a favour! For germany we have to give different information than for the states. Little things like "in how many different languages was dolly translated" etc. will gonna help me to make my "very budget-minded" producer believe and trust in that "Jerry's Girls" is the right thing for our theatre. Okay, it's up to you now to keep me well-informed. :-)))) Marcus




2. I saw this musical in Denver, Co. when I was 17 (I'm 33 now, ugh!). I've been a long time fan of Andrea McArdle, & spent every dime I had just to see her (AND Carol Channing) in person. I have never had a better night then that, before or since. I bought the album (yes, ALBUM) the next week & played it to death! If you like Broadway, alot of fun (Carol), beautiful voices (Leslie) & just downright, "blow ya outta your seat" powerful vocals (Andrea), then this CD is for you!



3. You don't need to see this musical to appreciate these Jerry Herman broadway classics. Leslie Uggams, Carol Channing and Andrea McArdle all have unique qualities to their voices which make their renditions both exciting and entertaining. I saw the show only once, but I've listened to the music hundreds of times. I always find the songs humorous and touching... they always uplift me. Buy this CD!

No comments about Collectables Classics (4-CD Box Set).