1 comments about Hits of '48.

1. I have to admit that 1948 is a special year in music for me, as it was the first year I was listening to popular music. (I was only 6, but I knew a woman in my boarding school who liked popular music and turned me on to it.) So part of what I liked on this CD is because these songs were my first taste of pop music. But this means, of course, that I can really tell how representative it is. It has all my early favorites: "You Can't Be True, Dear," "You Call Everybody Darlin'," and the Doris Day/Buddy Clark duet of "Love Somebody." The only misstep is that it has an Ella Fitzgerald version of "My Happiness" rather than the Jon & Sondra Steele version that was the big hit of that year.

   I really enjoyed this CD -- it will really take you back to 1948!

5 comments about Eartha Quake.

1. This is really a great set if you are a newbie(-ish) Eartha fan, and great packaging too.
   
   It has all the really hard to find tracks,that you can't get anywhere else. There maybe one or two of them sprinkled in the track listing of the dozen or more "greatest hits" packages out there, to get you to buy all the same standards over and again.
   
   Also lately I noticed there's a double set out with quite a few of these ones, but it's hardly what I would describe as anywhere near as comprehensive.
   
   This has pretty much everything, all collected together, excepting perhaps 30 or so other tracks that Eartha has especially recorded for albums like "Cafe Argyle" and "Sentimental." The other good one to buy which has hard to find tracks is the recently released 24 track "The Collection" (2006) with the big sepia face shot on the cover.



2. For those collectors looking for the rarest of rare in musical theater and ready to pay for it, this box set is the only current way to get one of the Holy Grails of musical recordings, "Mrs. Patterson". In addition, you get most of her hits from her first stage outting in "New Faces of 1952."



3. This collection of Eartha kitt songs is the best.You get every importent song of her career.The sound ,the sleeve design is fantastic.
   It is expensive but it's worth the money.This box shows Miss Kitt at her best.You get all the hits and some diffrent verisons of some of the hits.This is my birthday present to myself.
   Eartha kitt is the best singer out there today.She is fantastic!!!
   Miss Kitt is sexy without ever beeing sleesy.It's a sexiness of the old world.
   Miss Kitt,thank you for everything you have done!!!You are the greatest!!!!!!!!!!!!



4. This is really the most fabulous box set. It represents Eartha over many years, doing the same song at different ages, and she only improves with time. Saw her in Seattle at Jazz Alley, when she admitted to being, well, nearly old as my mother. She signed the box set for me, very gracious. I took two friends, a man in his 20's, and his 30 something wife..they'd never heard any of Eartha's music before, and the young macho man went nuts, jumping up - whistling and yelling. To him, and ME, she's every bit as sexy as when I saw her on Ed Sullivan in th 50's & 60's. This IS her finest collection. Forget CD #5 tho, eh....but the other four are worth the price, and more. Also buy eartha in person at The Plaza, it is her very best LIVE recording. YOU NEED THEM BOTH !!!! too marvelous for words...



5. This collection reflects the many moods of Miss Kitt in all her sultry splendor. From "I Want To Be Evil" to "C'est Si Bon" to "Jonny" (in English and German), to "Do You Remember" and "Lullaby Of Birdland" and into her blues selections, the cuts from "Mrs. Patterson" and the ultimate in Eartha-ness: "Monotonous", this 5 CD set is worth every penny! While I came along many years after these recordings, I find myself enchanted with every track. If only I were 30 years older!

1 comments about Cats (Selections from the 1982 Original Broadway Cast Recording).

1. Because of the careful abridgement of the complete 2-CD set of the CATS Broadway Soundtrack, a cheaper version of the show has been presented here on this disc. In one foul swoop, the entire essence of the musical is captured in an hour-long condensed version of the score, making this the purr-fect introduction to generally the evergreen long-running musical and specifically the best English-language CATS soundtrack in the world. All the major songs and scenes are included, and every cast member is given a chance to shine here. Betty Buckley's portrayal of Grizabella gives me the impression that she is better than Elaine Paige, and the former's gorgeously-sung rendition of "Memory", presented here, is convincing and powerful enough to make you feel that the Tony award she won in 1983 was well-deserved. Up to her standard is Ken Page's sonorous Old Deuteronomy. He is a perfect fit on the role, and his sonorous, bell-like voice gives the character the deserved reality. He gives a breathtaking rendition of "The Ad-Dressing of Cats." The rest of the cast, Timothy Scott, Terrence Mann, Harry Groener, Anna McNeely and Stephen Hanan, among others, who all do justice to their portrayals of the respective cats, all are given a deserved place on this disc, even those who don't feature very often in the musical itself such as Stephen Hanan's Gus: The Theatre Cat, whose portrayal of the part is MUCH better than Sir John Mills. However, this release fails to provide a good packaging, with the absence of a libretto. Yet I still recommend that you should buy this version of the show, then go on to the complete 2-CD set. This single CD is enough to introduce the beginner to the musical, and the Broadway cast is able to capture the quintisential Britishness of the score. This is nevertheless a splendid opportunity for the "Memory" to relive itself again.

1 comments about Goethe Lieder.

1. More and more our sophisticated musicians are electing to create recordings that program interrelated works rather than opting for the chance to rehash old warhorses that are more likely to guarantee sales! This recording dates back to 1993 when Dawn Upshaw was in very fresh voice and was blossoming with her sensitive recitals paired with pianist Richard Goode. The fact that the recording continues to sell well is a fine omen, one that suggests audiences are more adventuresome than once was the case.
   
   In this particular recital each of the works performed is a setting of the poetry of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The settings are by Schumann, Schubert, Wolf, and Mozart. Many of these works are well known: Schubert's 'Gretchen am Spinnrade' and 'Suleika', Schumann's 'Nachtlied', Wolf's set of four selections. But the joy is discovering the less well-known works by these composers. Upshaw's voice is a bit light for the texts at times but she is always musical and involved. Richard Goode's contributions are superb. In keeping with the concept of the recital the program closes with Mozart's setting for Goethe's 'Das Veilchen' demonstrating the power of Goethe's poetic durability over many years. Recommended. Grady Harp, July 05

1 comments about God Bless America.

1. The voices of the Tenor Douglas Jimerson and the Soprano Sheryl Cohen are a good choice for these tunes. It is well sung and in harmony with the orchestra. It is a good CD at an affordable price.

1 comments about Drowning in Reality.

1. this cd is full of good songs, great singing, and playing. the singer sounds like phill collins and peter gabriel with his own original flavour.

2 comments about Bachelor in Paradise: Cocktail Classics from MGM Films (Soundtrack Anthology).

1. I loved the lounge craze, the authentic lounge craze, the esquivel,the baxter, the real stuff. Not glib, not tongue in cheek pseudo-hipsters but full on real, period stuff. This is the real thing. Oh that opening tune(what that woman wants is your parking place) to a old man river rhumba,and the amazing aruba liberace, and one of my all time favorites, Sunday in New York done here by Mel Torme... and as an added perk, you have Ann_Margaret's amazing Appreciation(see my review of Viva Las Vegas.) Sit back, relax, and have a cocktail for me I wonder what a drink called an aruba liberace would be like



2. great cd if you just want to sit back and relax at sunset with a cocktail or three.girl from ipanema and aruba liberace alone make it worth buying.

1 comments about American Songbook Series: Cole Porter.

1. authentic styling and voices. Cole Porter as written and played on Broadway. It's a look into the past that is still relevant. I'm happy I have it.

5 comments about Naked Boys Singing! (Original Cast Recording).

1. I think that most gay men would really enjoy this video. I had not heard of this musical before, although I guess it has been around for a few years. The tunes are catchy, and you have to give these guys "A" for courage getting up in front of a live audience stark naked. Outstanding are "Naked Maid", "John's Song", and "Perky Little Porn Star". The guy singing Porn Star is really cute. It has been a couple of weeks since I have watched this video, and I frequently find myself singing one of the tunes to myself, although when I do so I am usually dressed.



2. I watched the Naked Boys perform in Provincetown Mass. and it really was a wonderful show. The songs stick with you and I just had to have the CD. It's great quality and really not a foul form of entertainment. It's an art-form, and the way that the songs weave in and around the topic of nudity is incredible.



3. "Naked Boys Singing" was a disc that came up on a web site search I did for "sounds like Bette Midler." Well, this certainly isn't Bette, but she would've had fun if they'd written her into the show! Actually, never having heard of this show much less having seen it, I found the music hilariously funny. From the opening chorus of "Gratuitous Nudity" -- that sounds like an opening intro to "Company" -- it's obvious that no holes will be barred, "Tonight we show no remorse or apology; Tonight we sing Billy Graham a doxology." "The Naked Maid" is so utterly silly that it sounds like a companion piece for "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" from "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "An odd scenario, some say it's scary-o; it's naked stand-up comedy, except you use a broom." The mood shifts to sentimental with Vincent Zamora's "Window to Window." "Fight the Urge" is hysterically funny about unwanted elevations at inappropriate times, "Don't, please don't, don't do it, think of really ugly girls & the smell of body odor and your parents having sex, ooo!" "Robert Mitchum" is a silly homage to the real man. "Jack's Song" is a delightfully naughty ode to guys who seek relief at their own hands, punctuated by a tap dance. "Nothing But the Radio On" loads with double entendre, "Marilyn Monroe posed without clothes for a backroom calendar, one of those, the nation was shocked, mama called her a sleaze, but she sold a million calendars and tripled her fees." This soundtrack is charmingly naughty & puts a smile on your face and is so tongue-in-cheek that it ought to appeal to both genders and any orientation. Enjoy!



4. What a show! Whether seen in NYC, Ptown, LA, Chicago or LA this is a superb show. Could they dare put it out on DVD? I would buy it in a heartbeat. Just saw it twice this past weekend in Chicago. What a great cast. Entertaining, attractive, energetic and simply a joy! The blend of humor, dramatic, and emotional moments is terrific. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. The CD brings wonderful memories of a great show. Loved the add on song in Chicago called PIZZA BOY! Hey guys...CHICAGO CAST CD perhaps?



5. For a change, this disk bettered in many ways the performance of NBS! I saw in the Village in NYC. Perhaps without the visual distractions, one can concentrate on / appreciate the wry humor and pointed insights that abound in the lyrics. Every song on this disk diplays a strong performance, much talent, good to excellent singing and excellent sound engineering at the recording studio. In fact, given the scattershot review style of NBS!, one can certainly enjoy and appreciate this disk without ever having seen the show. Get a copy soon!

1 comments about Transcriptions.

1. First things first: that odd title. "Transcriptions" refers to independent transcription services of the 1930-40s which supplied radio stations with "live" recordings meant for broadcast only. In those days, the broadcast of live music played by musicians in the studio was favored over the playing of commercially available records in the belief that listeners were unlikely to buy a record they could hear on the air for free (how times have changed). Transcription services rose to fill broadcast time when live music, network shows and local-affairs programming wasn't enough. From the enclosed booklet: "These sessions were usually a little more informal than phonograph record dates and often boasted a higher level of material because artists were not trying to cut the latest song-plugger's tripe in search of a hit."
   
   The booklet is right: this music is excellent. Yes, it's true: Nat Cole's best work is with the Trio, before his pop solo career. No full appreciation of Cole's music can be realized without the amazing Trio. The collection contains a fairly even distribution of vocal/instrumental tracks, and there's not a bad one in the bunch. My only quibble -- and the reason for four stars instead of five -- is the two repeated tracks on Disc One: "Just You, Just Me" and "I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)." Unnecessary "first" and "alternate" versions are included, and who cares except an archivist? All I know is that I have to hear the same darn two songs AGAIN a few minutes later. I hate it when record producers do that.
   
   I like this collection, but I would recommend it for the dedicated fan only. The more casual fan can find a more broad selection at a better value with other titles (COOL COLE is a good example). I chose TRANSCRIPTIONS because it fits well, with little repetition of tracks, with the other titles in my King Cole collection.