Every Summer

Editorial Reviews
Bruce Brodeen, Not Lame dot com
10 perfect tracks!

About the Artist
I've been in this game from the age of 15 playing bars and clubs as a drummer for a regional band by the name of Airborne - there is still a website out there for them. We placed 2nd in a Miller High Life thing in the Binghamton NY area in a Rock to Riches contest years ago with a tune I wrote. It was on (gasp!) a vinyl album with ballots inside (I have a large family...). That lead to jobs opening for various bands (sadly) on their way down including Badfinger (huge heroes of mine) and even... read more

Album Description
A note from Jim Huie at Paisley Pop: I first heard Stephen Lawrenson last December when I received a 4 song EP in the mail from Susquehana, Pennsylvania. While initially my expectations based on the pretty straightforward song titles was low, on first listen, I was immediately impressed with Stephen’s songs and production. At first, they reminded me in some ways of early ELO without the strings. Something about his voice had a similar quality to John Lennon’s on "Across the Universe". Stephen and I corresponded, and I encouraged him to put together a full-length album for me to release. The results are "Every Summer", a collection of infectious jangly pop meets post punk. Playing all the instruments and recording the whole thing on his own, the results are surprisingly sonically sophisticated. Lawrenson’s hooky-but-rollicking melodies pay audible tribute to his great love for mid-'70s rock and ‘80s-‘90s jangle pop.

Every Summer

Every Summer, Music, Stephen Lawrenson, Power Pop, Jangle Pop from Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Jerry Hadley - Golden Days - Tenor hits from the Golden Age of Operetta
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    Jerry Hadley - Golden Days - Tenor hits from the Golden Age of Operetta

    Manufacturer: RCA
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    3. Show Boat (1988 Studio Cast Highlights)
    4. A Song of Naples - Neapolitan Songs
    5. Show Boat (1988 Studio Cast): Von Stade; Hubbard; Hadley; McGlinn

    ASIN: B000003FQQ
    Release Date: 1994-08-16

    Tracks:

    1. Song of the Vagabonds
    2. I'm Falling in Love With Someone
    3. Streets of New York
    4. Neapolitan Love Song
    5. Desert Song/One Alone
    6. Every Day Is Ladies' Day with Me
    7. Donkey Serenade
    8. Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise
    9. Drinking Song
    10. When You're Away
    11. I Love to Go Swimmin' With Wimmin
    12. I Might Be Your Once-In-A-While
    13. Marianne
    14. Serenade
    15. Indian Summer
    16. When I Grow Too Old to Dream
    17. Gypsy Love Song
    18. Golden Days - Jerry Hadley, Mario Lanza
    Andrew Lloyd Webber: Now & Forever
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • I waited for this for five years
    • Excellent collection but BIG PUBLISHING MISTAKE!
    • ONE OF LLOYD WEBBER'S BEST COMPILATIONS, DESPITE A FEW FLAWS
    • SUCH MAGICAL MUSIC OF THE NIGHT!
    • A Must Have for Sir Andrew fans
    Andrew Lloyd Webber: Now & Forever
    Various Artists
    Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    1. Gold: The Definitive Hits Collection
    2. Andrew Lloyd Webber - The Royal Albert Hall Celebration
    3. The Very Best Of Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Broadway Collection
    4. Evita (Original London Cast)
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    ASIN: B00005R5UJ
    Release Date: 2001-11-20

    Tracks:

    1. Jesus Christ Superstar: Overture - Andrew Lloyd Webber
    2. Jesus Christ Superstar: Everything's Alright - Yvonne Elliman/Murray Head/Ian Gilllan
    3. Jesus Christ Superstar: I Don't Know How To Love Him - Yvonne Elliman
    4. Jesus Christ Superstar: Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say) - Steve Balsamo
    5. Jesus Christ Superstar: Superstar - Murray Head
    6. Evita: Oh What A Circus/Sing You Fools - Antonio Banderas
    7. Evita: I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You - Elaine Paige/Joss Ackland
    8. Evita: Another Suitcase In Another Hall - Barbara Dickson
    9. Evita: Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Julie Covington
    10. Evita: High Flying, Adored - Mandy Patinkin/Patti LuPone
    11. Cats: The Jellicle Ball - Andrew Lloyd Weber
    12. Cats: Memory - Elaine Paige
    13. Cats: Gus: The Theatre Cat - Susan Jane Tanner/John Mills
    14. Cats: Mr Mistoffelees - Paul Nicholas
    15. Song And Dance: Take That Look Off Your Face - Marti Webb
    16. Song And Dance: Tell Me On A Sunday - Marti Webb
    17. Song And Dance: Unexpected Song - Sarah Brightman
    18. Song And Dance: Nothing Like You've Ever Known - Sarah Brightman
    19. Song And Dance: Introduction - Andrew Lloyd Webber
    20. Song And Dance: Variations 1 -4 - Andrew Lloyd Webber

    Tracks:

    1. Starlight Express: Starlight Express - El Debarge
    2. Starlight Express: Crazy - Greg Ellis/Reva Rice/Caron Cardelle/Samantha Lane/Voyd
    3. Starlight Express: Next Time You Fall In Love - Reva Rice/Greg Ellis
    4. Starlight Express: I Am The Starlight - Lon Satton/Ray Shell
    5. Starlight Express: Light At The End Of The Tunnel - The Company
    6. Requiem: Hosanna - Placido Domingo
    7. Requiem: Pie jesu - Sarah Brightman/Paul Miles-Kingston
    8. The Phantom Of The Opera: The Phantom Of The Opera - Michael Crawford/Sarah Brightman
    9. The Phantom Of The Opera: The Music Of The Night - Michael Crawford
    10. The Phantom Of The Opera: All I Ask Of You - Sarah Brightman/Steve Barton
    11. The Phantom Of The Opera: Entr'acte - Andrew Lloyd Webber
    12. The Phantom Of The Opera: Masquerade - The Company
    13. The Phantom Of The Opera: Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again - Sarah Brightman
    14. Aspects Of Love: Aspects Of Aspects - Orchester Der Vereinigten Buehnen Wien
    15. Aspects Of Love: Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
    16. Aspects Of Love: Seeing Is Believing - Michael Ball/Ann Crumb
    17. Aspects Of Love: The First Man You Remember - Kevin Colson/Diana Morrison
    18. Aspects Of Love: Anything But Lonely - Sarah Brightman
    19. Aspects Of Love: Chanson D'Enfance - Sarah Brightman

    Tracks:

    1. Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Any Dream Will Do - Jason Donovan
    2. Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Joseph's Coat - Maria Friedman/Richard Attenborough/Donny Osmond
    3. Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Close Every Door - Donny Osmond
    4. By Jeeves: Travel Hopefully - John Scherer/Martin Jarvis/Don Stephenson
    5. By Jeeves: When Love Arrives - Steven Pacey/Diana Morrison
    6. By Jeeves: Half A Moment - Sarah Brightman
    7. Sunset Boulevard: With One Look - Glenn Close
    8. Sunset Boulevard: New Ways To Dream - Glenn Close/Alan Campbell
    9. Sunset Boulevard: The Perfect Year - Glenn Close/Alan Campbell
    10. Sunset Boulevard: Sunser Boulevard - Alan Campbell
    11. Sunset Boulevard: As If We Never Said Goodbye - Glenn Close
    12. Whistle Down The Wind: Whistle Down The Wind - James Graeme/Lottie Mayor
    13. Whistle Down The Wind: Cold - Everly Brothers
    14. Whistle Down The Wind: No Matter What - Children/Adult Chorus
    15. Whistle Down The Wind: The Nature Of The Beast - Marcus Lovett/Lottie Mayor
    16. The Beautiful Game: Overture - Andrew Lloyd Webber
    17. The Beautiful Game: The Beautiful Game - The Company
    18. The Beautiful Game: Our Kind Of Love - Hannah Waddingham
    19. The Beautiful Game: Dont Like You - Josie Walker/David Shannon
    20. The Beautiful Game: Let Us Love In Peace - Josie Walker/Omagh Youth Community Choir

    Tracks:

    1. Oh What A Circus - David Essex
    2. Memory - Betty Buckley
    3. The Phantom Of The Opera - Sarah Brightman/Steve Harley
    4. All I Ask Of You - Sarah Brightman/Cliff Richard
    5. Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
    6. Any Dream Will Do - Donny Osmond
    7. Amigos Para Siempre (Friends For Life) - Sarah Brightman/Jose Carreras
    8. As If We Never Said Goodbye - Barbra Streisand
    9. The Perfect Year - Dina Carroll
    10. With One Look - Petula Clark
    11. You Must Love Me - Madonna
    12. The Heart Is Slow To Learn - Kiri Te Kanawa
    13. A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste - The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra
    14. Whistle Down The Wind - Tina Arena
    15. No Matter What - Boyzone
    16. The Vaults Of Heaven - Tom Jones
    17. Try Not To Be Afraid - Boy George
    18. Pie Jesu - Charlotte Church

    Tracks:

    1. Make Believe Love - Wes Sands
    2. Down Thru' Summer - Ross Hannaman
    3. I'll Give All My Love To Southend - Ross Hannaman
    4. Believe Me I Will - Sacha Distel
    5. Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1969 Radio Luxembourg Commercial) - Joseph Consortium/Pete Murray
    6. Try It And See - Rita Pavone
    7. Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You - Time Rice And The Webber Group
    8. Goodbye Seattle - Paul Raven
    9. John 19:41 - The Andrew Lloyd Webber Orchestra
    10. What A Line To Go Out On - Yvonne Elliman
    11. Disillusion Me - Gary Band
    12. The Ballad Of Robert And Peter - Tim Rice
    13. Christmas Dream - Maynard Williams
    14. It's Only Your Lover Returning/All Through My Crazy And Wild Days/Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Julie Covington
    15. It's Easy For You (1977 Jungle Room Session Version) - Elvis Presley
    16. Magdalena - Tony Christie
    17. Buenos Aires - The Roja Rockers
    18. Pollicle Dogs And Jellicle Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber
    19. Mungojerrie And Rumpleteazer (Live At The Sydmonton Festival 1980) - Gemma Craven
    20. I Could Have Given You More - Petula Clark
    21. I've Been In Love Too Long - Marti Webb
    22. Benedicite - The Stephen Hill Singers

    Album Description

    Disc 1: Selections from Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, and Song and Dance

    Disc 2: Selections from Starlight Express, Requiem, Phantom of the Opera, and Aspects of Love

    Disc 3: Selections from Joseph nad the Amaziong Technicolor Dreamcoat, By Jeeves, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, and The Beautiful Game

    CD 4: 1. "Oh What a Circus" --David Essex 2. "Memory" - Betty Buckleey 3. "The Phantom of the Opera" -Sarah Brightman, Steve Harley 4. "All I Ask of You" --Sarah Brightman, Cliff Richard 5. "Love Changes Everything"--Michael Ball 6. "Any Dream Will Do"--Donny Osmond 7. "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life)"--Sarah Brightman, Jose Caerras 8. "As if We Never Said Goodbye"--Barbra Streisand 9. "The Perfect Year"--Dina Carroll 10. "With One Look" --Petula Clark 11. "You Must Love Me" 12. "The Heart Is Slow To Learn" --Kiri Te Kanawa 13. "Whistle Down the Wind"--Tina Arena 14. "A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing To Waste"--The Metal Philharmonic 15. "No Matter What"--Boyzone 16. "The Vaults of Heaven"--Tom Jones and Sounds of Blackness 17. "Try Not To Be Afraid"--Boy George 18. "Pie Jesu"--Charlotte Church

    Disc 5: (All tracks available for the first time) 1. "Make Believe Love"--Wes Sands 2. "Down Thru' Summer"--Ross Hannaman 3. "I'll Give All My Love to Southend"--Ross Hannaman 4. "Believe Me I Will"--Sacha Distel 5. "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: 1969 Luxembourg Radio Commercial--The Jospeh Consortium, Pete Murray 6. "Try It and See"--Rita Pavone 7. "Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You"--Tim Rice and the Webber Group 8. "Goodbye Seattle"-- Paul Raven 9. "John 19:41"--The Andrew Lloyd Webber Orchestra 10. "What a Line To Go Out On"--Yvonne Elliman 11. "Disillusion Me" --Gary Bond 12. "The Ballad of Robert and Peter"--Tim Rice 13. "Christmas Dream" --Maynard Williams 14. "It's Only Your Lover Returning/All through My Wild and Crazy Days/Don't Cry for Me Argentina--Julie Covington 15. "It's Easy for You" (1977 Jungle Room Session version)--Elvis Presley 16. "Magdalena"--Tony Christie 17. "Buenos Aires"--The Rioja Rockers 18. "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats"--Andrew Lloyd Webber original demo 19. "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" (Live at Sydmonton Festival 1980)-Gemma Craven 20. "I Could Have Given You More"--Petula Clark 21. "I've Been in Love Too Long"--Marti Webb 22. "Benedicte"-- Stephen Hill Singers

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars I waited for this for five years.......2006-06-30

    Between Amazone, Ebay and Napster, I don't usually buy CDs anymore, and I usually wait till I can buy them cheaper "new and used". When this set came out, I was excited, mainly by Disc 5, but wasn't going to spend $70 on it. I waited till it was cheap enough, and got it for Father's day this year.
    It was worth the wait.

    The concept is great. The packaging is great. The recording is great. Disc five is really cool for an ALW aficionado. There are a few real gems on it; my favorites are Petula Clark's "I Could Have Given You More" and "Benedicite."
    I've always thought "Gus the Theatre Cat" made a great medley on the piano with "Unexpected Song" and "I DOn't Know How to Love Him," but wished there was an alternate lyric to match the other two songs. Now that I know there *is*, and it's a good lyric, it's a dream come true.
    The melody of "Benedicite" is one of my favorites from _Sunset_ (the book mis-identifies it as "SUrrender"; it's actually "The Lady's Paying" and "Eternal Youth is Worth a Little Suffering"). The lyrics are the canticle from Daniel 3, which comes up every odd Sunday in the Divine Office, so it's nice to have cool music to sing it with.

    I haven't bought _By Jeeves_ or _THe Beautiful Game_ yet, to it was great to sample them.

    There are other parts of the CD taht aren't found in my collection. I like CD 4 "The Hits."

    But the selections on CDs 1-3 don't make sense.

    First, any self-respecting ALW fan has the Original London Cast of _Phantom_, so six tracks are totally useless. Why not draw from the Canadian cast with Colm Wilkinson? Or pull out some obscure recordings never published.

    Why two different tracks with Michael Ball singing "Love Changes Everything", yet they're hardly any different?

    On Disc 5 is "It's Only Your Lover Returning," sung by Julie Covington. It's an early draft of the song (Lloyd Webber and Rice went through several suggested titles) and quite nice. The very thing one expects on a Boxed Set.
    So why have the Julie Covington "Don't Cry for Me" on disc 1?? The only difference is a few words, but it's otherwise identical. Why not Elaine Paige or Patti Lupone or Madonna?

    The _Evita_ section is otherwise the best, choosing a sample from each major recording, though I'd have chosen slightly differently (as above).

    There is a great selection of "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" from the Sydmonton festival, using the original music that was changed when _Cats_ went to Broadway_. It would have been nice if they'd included more recordings from Sydmonton, like the original lyric of "All I Ask of You" shown on the second DVD to the _Phantom_ movie.

    With so many great actress-singers who've played Norma Desmond, why does the collection beat us over the head with Glenn Close?

    Paul Miles Kingston must be set for life in royalties, for the number of albums the original recording of "Pie Jesu" has appeared on. "Amigos Para Siempre" is nice, but it reminds me of Shari Lewis's "The Song that Doesn't End," especially when it's been used on so many compilations.

    In short, this is a great collection for the obscure material, if you can get it cheap. But for a boxed set, it's a poor sampling, drawn mostly from the most familiar recordings.

    5 out of 5 stars Excellent collection but BIG PUBLISHING MISTAKE! .......2006-01-10

    Please beware they made a mistake on this. It's actually the shortened Ray Shell version of STARLIGHT EXPRESS from the original 1984 London cast - NOT the El Debarge single from 1987 like it says on the box. I don't know how they let that goof pass. Sorry to Ray Shell. Having said that, this is an outstanding compilation of Lloyd Webber's greatest hits.

    4 out of 5 stars ONE OF LLOYD WEBBER'S BEST COMPILATIONS, DESPITE A FEW FLAWS.......2005-03-21

    Regardless of the fact that some of his latest efforts (most notably, The Woman in White) are disappointing, there can be little doubt that Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the greatest composers ever to work in the musical theatre. Ever since his "Jesus Christ Superstar" hit the stage in the early 70-is, it was clear that the conception and perception of musicals are never going to be the same again. Many of his songs became standards not only in the theatre history, but also as tops on the charts. Even though he's British, his influence on the shape of the modern musical theatre expanded over the West End boundaries long ago and has thus made an enormous impact on Broadway. Two of his shows ("Cats" and "The phantom of the opera") hold the record as two the longest running shows in the history of Broadway. He has also been the only composer to have three of his shows running at Broadway concurrently. Some of his awards include three Grammies, a Golden Globe, an Oscar and a bunch of Tony awards. But perhaps most of all, Lloyd Webber is responsible for bringing the musicals and the theatre appealing to the wide audiences, who in different circumstances would not consider seeing a musical. The secret of his success is probably the mixture of beautiful and catchy melodies, interesting subject matter (though some, like Starlight Express, are too thin) and grandiose staging.

    Over the years many compilations of his work have emerged. In the late 80-is and early 90-is it was the "Encore" series and lately the one-disc collection called "Gold". The one in question here can be considered one of the best currently on the market. First, it includes a 3-disc selections from all of his shows, minus the latest one, i.e., "The Woman in White", which, considering the triviality of the score, is no great lost. The fourth disc covers some of his most known songs sung by the famous artists. Then, there is the fifth disc with previously unreleased material, most of which are the songs ALW wrote with Tim Rice for various artists during the 70-is. The disks are all neatly packed in a hardcover book that features 67 pages of pictures and text with information about each of ALW's shows. One of the other assets here is the perfect sound quality, since all of the tracks have been digitally remastered.

    Here are my basic impressions and comments regarding the material on the discs:

    * Disc #1 has the selections from "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Evita", "Cats" and "Song & Dance". The Superstar material mostly comes from the Concept Recording. Although the songs sound beautiful as always, their orchestration is a bit dated now. Only Steve Balsamo's "Gethsemane" from the 1996 revival cast has a modern rock sound. "Evita" comes with the material from all of the major recordings: London, Broadway and the movie productions, as well as the Concept album. No objections here; since this is one of ALW's most satisfying works, every song is just perfect, although Patti LuPone, the Broadway and overall the best Evita, is left with only a couple of lines. With the selections from "Cats", however, I have some doubts. A plus to the choice of the "Jellicle ball" impressive orchestral sequence from the 1998 movie version and "Mister Mistoffelees" from the 1981 London cast. One of the best known ALW's songs, "Memory", also comes from that album. It's a pretty version and Elaine Paige's rendition cannot be matched, but why include this when the definite version, featuring an 80-piece orchestra and Elaine Paige with much better interpretation, can be found in the same movie version. Thusly, one has to buy Elaine Paige's latest 2-disc compilation "Centre Stage: The very best of Elaine Paige" to get that one. And "Gus the theatre cat" is more a recital than a song, so there was not much point in including that. Marti Webb brings her vocal charm to the "Song & Dance" sequence, Sarah Brightman sings "Unexpected song" with her famous soprano, but as much as I like her version, Bernadette Peters, who was in this show on Broadway is strangely left out here.

    * Disc # 2 starts with "Starlight Express". This was never one of my favorite ALW's shows; the plot is even lighter than in "Cats" and the 1984 original cast recording is terribly dated. Yet, here we have one terrific duet, "I am starlight" from the original together with three songs from the later revivals and it seems that fresh orchestrations were just the thing Starlight needed. My favorite remains a touchy ballad, "Next time you fall in love". "Requiem" is the most solemn of all ALW's compositions, written in 1985 to commemorate the death of his father. Placido Domingo's tenor rides together with the chorus all the way through the strong "Hosanna", only to be joined by Sarah Brightman in the final moments of this song. She then gives an echoing deliverance of "Pie Jesu". What can be said of ALW's next show, "The Phantom of the Opera"? A phenomenon in its own right, it's easy to see from the six numbers included here why this is one of the best and most beloved musicals of all time. The cast, the music, the story - everything is perfect. Although "Aspects of love" was never a popular hit, it does have some of the most beautiful love melodies ALW has ever written. "Love changes everything" sung by Michael Ball is probably one of the best tunes ever about love. The rest of the selected material here has a dreamy love flavor and the melodies find their way into your brain in the best Lloyd Webber way.

    * ALW's first musical, "Joseph and the amazing Technicolor dreamcoat" was more successful in its revival form than the original from the 70-is. The three songs included here are sung by the show stars, Jason Donovan and Donny Osmond. Maria Friedman was not a lucky choice to play the narrator, as the track from the 1998 movie version shows. "By Jeeves" was ALW's only big flop when it came to the stage in the 70-is. The 1995 revival sounds much better though, full of funny numbers in the best manner of the musical comedy. "Travel hopefully" remains one of the show's highlights on this compilation. "Sunset Boulevard" comes next. "Sunset" remains for me one of Webber's best scores; lush and beautiful. I listen to the original cast recording with Patti LuPone all the time. However, here most of the songs are performed by Glenn Close. A big mistake. If you've ever listened the American premiere recording with her, you'll know what I am talking about. She may have a strong stage presence, but her vocal abilities are too limited, and her aggressive approach to the role lacks any subtlety. Therefore, the two big numbers from this show, "With one look" and "As if we never said goodbye" are ruined by the fact she can't sing. The same goes for the American Joe Gillis, who was played by Alan Campbell. Luckily, Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson, the original Norma and Joe from the London production, make their brief entrance here with the "Perfect year"; enough to show how better they are. The funny thing is, on the jacket and inside of it, Glenn Close and Alan Campbell are credited as performers in this song as well. If this was a mistake on ALW's part, it was a good one. The next ALW's show, "Whistle down the wind" was never a critic's dear and yet the audiences rushed in to see it in London. The score brings back ALW to his rock and roll roots of the seventies and the story is quite interesting. But the selections here are not the happiest, since the cast recording boasts with much better songs. And finally, "The Beautiful Game". Again, we have one of those ALW's shows that is worth in its individual parts rather than as a whole. "Our kind of love" and "Let us love in peace" are two catchy ballads. The latter is a nice amalgam version not available elsewhere. The two other tracks here I could live without.

    * Disc # 4 has the songs from all the above shows performed by different artists. The assembled tracks have their pros and cons. For example, we have some previously unreleased stuff, like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's operettic rendition of "The heart is slow to learn", or a stunning and epic "A kiss is a terrible thing to waste" from "Whistle down the wind", performed by The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra. Then again, what was the point in including almost identical tracks as the ones on the previous disks? So we have Michael Ball again singing "Love changes everything" with only a bit different orchestration; Sarah Brightman comes out again with the same Phantom duets, but only with the different male singers. It would be much more appropriate to include tracks from the Toronto Cast of the Phantom, with Colm Wilkinson. Other pop deliverances (Tina Arena's "Whistle down the wind", Barbra Streisand's "As if we never said goodbye", Boyzone's "No matter what" and many more) were wisely chosen. Patti LuPone is again nowhere to be found and Petula Clark's "With one look" sounds too worn-out.

    * The last disc is probably the one that will be of most interest to Lloyd Webber aficionados. It consists of entirely previously unreleased material ALW for the most part wrote for various artists during his early years, with Tim Rice. Some of these tunes, not successful as a singles, were later used in his shows. Thus "Down thru' summer" became "Buenos Aires"in Evita, "Try it and see", an unsuccessful attempt for the Eurovision was used for "King Herod's song" in "Superstar" and so on. Some of these songs are nicely made pop songs: "Make believe love", ALW's first recorded composition, for which he provided the lyrics; "Goodbye Seattle", sung by Paul Raven, who later became Gary Glitter; "Come back Richard, your country needs you", from a never made musical, sung here by Tim Rice, or Latin flavored "Magdalena", with Tony Christie singing. My all time favorite here is a song called "It's easy for you", sung by none other than Elvis Presley himself. Lloyd Webber and Rice sent him a demo recording that he accepted and recorded this live version a couple of weeks before he died. It's amazing to hear how his voice remained in the perfect shape. Also, there is a track of Andrew Lloyd Webber singing "Policle dogs and Jellicle cats" while plying the piano. His voice doesn't sound bad at all.


    Taken as a whole, this compilation makes a perfect birthday or Christmas present to any fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows, or just anybody interested in some of the best tunes from the modern era of the musical theatre; despite the flaws I mentioned above. To the former, it may just be the final addition for the Andrew Lloyd Webber collection.

    5 out of 5 stars SUCH MAGICAL MUSIC OF THE NIGHT!.......2003-01-19

    "Evita." "Sunset Blvd." "Starlight Express." "Jesus Christ Superstar." "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." "Requiem." "Aspects of Love." The man who is the most recognized composer in the history of the musical theatre, the man who has won more Tonys than any other composer, the man who boasts the best-selling show of all time ("The Phantom of the
    Opera") and the longest-running show of all time ("Cats"), the man whose homes are filled with three Grammys, five Oliviers, a Golden Globe, and Oscar and too many other honors and hosannas to mention, the man knighted in 1992 certainly doesn't need an introduction. Now Decca Broadway pays tribute to Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber with "Now and Forever," a spectacular 5-CD set compiled and produced by Sir Andy himself. It's cheaper than a
    ticket to "The Producers" ... and more much exciting. This treasure trove contains highlights from all of Webber's shows, and a bonus disc of tunes sung by Betty Buckley, Barbara
    Streisand, Jose Carreras, Boy George, Charlotte Church, Madonna, Tom Jones, Petula Clark, even Elvis! A must for lovers of theatre---and good music.

    4 out of 5 stars A Must Have for Sir Andrew fans.......2002-05-21

    This five-CD collection of Andrew Lloyd Webber's career is fantastic. It leaves virtually no stone unturned. I have no doubt that diehard Webber fans will love this, especially for the 5th disc entitled "From the Vaults." This disc alone is worth the price as it contains tunes never before heard by the typical fan. Who knew Elvis did a Lloyd Webber tune?!? I didn't! Also the tune "Benedictine" which the composer wrote for his most recent marriage is not only pretty, but it has the same medley as "The Lady's Paying" from "Sunset Blvd." which I found highly enjoyable. Another great track is the composer himself singing a cut song from "Cats" entitled "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats" which has the same tune as "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats," but to hear Sir Andrew sing is a blast...he sounds a lot like Al "Year of the Cat" Stewart.
    The cuts from the musicals are great but are likely owned by ALW fans as they are on the original cast albums. And I'm glad that there were tunes included from the composers most recent efforts which have yet to make it beyond London (Whistle Down the Wind, Beautiful Game).
    My only complaint is the inclusion of way too many tracks by Sarah Brightman. She must've received a great divorce settlement that included having tunes on any ALW collection until the end of time!! Her interpretations of some of the tunes were limp and uninspired. I would've much rather heard casts from around the world rather than yet another song by this disdainful soprano! How about Colm Wilkinson's version of "Music of the Night" from the original Canadian cast of "Phantom"? Or Michael Crawford's version of "Unexpected Song"? What? No Betty Buckley from "Sunset Blvd."? And of course there are songs you KNOW are going to be on the collection before you even listen to it as they have been on EVERY ALW collection for the past decade or so.
    A great collection but too much Sarah Brightman!
    Very Best Of Kiri Te Kanawa
    Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    • Genial, pero...
    • GREAT TE KANAWA !
    Very Best Of Kiri Te Kanawa

    Manufacturer: EMI Classics
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    Similar Items:
    1. Duets: An American Classic

    ASIN: B0000AHEAZ
    Release Date: 2003-09-02

    Tracks:

    1. Signore, Ascolta
    2. Ecco: Respiro Appena. Io Son L'Umile Ancella
    3. La Mamma Morta
    4. Attendo, Attendo...Addio Del Passato
    5. Je Marche Sur Tous Les Chemins...Obeissons Quand Leur Voix Appelle
    6. Depuis Le Jour
    7. Elle A Fui, La Tourterelle!
    8. Me Voila Seule...Comme Autrefois
    9. Ach, Ich Fuhl's
    10. Dich, Teure Halle
    11. Wie Nahte Mir Der Schlummer...Leise, Leise, Fromme Weise!
    12. Da Geht Er Hin, Der Aufgeblas'ne Schlechte Kerl
    13. Gluck, Das Mir Verblieb
    14. La Flute Enchantee
    15. L'Invitation Au Voyage
    16. Le Manoir De Rosemonde

    Tracks:

    1. Somebody Loves Me
    2. Love Is Here To Stay
    3. Embraceable You
    4. Summertime
    5. Long Ago And Far Away
    6. A Fine Romance
    7. The Song Is You
    8. Let's Face The Music And Dance
    9. What'll I Do?
    10. They Say It's Wonderful
    11. I've Got You Under My Skin
    12. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
    13. True Love
    14. I'll Be Home For Christmas
    15. Silent Night
    16. Come To The Fair
    17. The Last Rose Of Summer
    18. The Keel Row
    19. Comin' Thro' The Rye
    20. Greensleeves
    21. Danny Boy
    22. Hoki Hoki Tonu Mai
    23. Po Ata Rau (Now Is The Hour)
    24. The World You're Coming Into

    Customer Reviews:

    1 out of 5 stars Genial, pero..........2005-04-19

    Me parece que el arte vocal de Kiri posee muchas fortalezas y sòlidos atributos: brillantez, claridad, riqueza de colores, excelente fraseo, perfecta colocación y afinación, expresividad. Sin embargo, también carece de una mejor respiración para poder contrarrestar el excesivo vibrato que aplica a su canto. Sobre algunas de las obras interpretadas, recomiendo: Der Rosenkavalier: Schwarzkopf; Wagner: Kirsten Flagstad.

    5 out of 5 stars GREAT TE KANAWA !.......2004-02-19

    THIS IS A GODD OVERVIEW OF KIRI TE KANAWA`S TALENT,THIS COMPILATION INCLUDES GREAT OPERA ARIAS,AMERICAN SONGBOOK CLASSICS,MAORI SONGS AND MORE,DIGITALLY REMASTERED. REALLY ENJOYABLE.
    Baroque Festival
    Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    • Excellent Baroque collection - everyone should have this!
    • Entry level baroque
    Baroque Festival

    Manufacturer: Compendia
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    QuartetsQuartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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    ASIN: B000003QWD
    Release Date: 1994-10-18

    Tracks:

    1. Fanfare ('Masterpiece Theatre' Theme)
    2. Canon In D Major
    3. The Four Seasons, Op. 8 'The Spring' In E Major, No. 1: Allegro
    4. The Four Seasons, Op. 8 'The Spring' In E Major, No. 1: Largo e pianissimo sempre
    5. The Four Seasons, Op. 8 'The Spring' In E Major, No. 1: Allegro: Rustic Dance
    6. The Four Seasons, Op. 8 'The Summer' In G Minor, No. 2: Allegro non molto
    7. The Four Seasons, Op. 8 'The Summer' In G Minor, No. 2: Adagio: Presto
    8. The Four Seasons, Op. 8 'The Summer' In G Minor, No. 2: Presto: Impetuous Summer Storm
    9. The Four Seasons, Op. 8 'The Fall' In F Minor, No. 3: Dancing &Singing Of The Peasants: Allegro
    10. The Four Seasons, Op. 8 'The Fall' In F Minor, No. 3: The Sleeping Drunkards: Adagio
    11. The Four Seasons, Op. 8 'The Fall' In F Minor, No. 3: The Hunt: Allegro
    12. The Four Seasons, Op. 8 'The Winter' In F Minor, No. 4: Allegro non molto
    13. The Four Seasons, Op. 8 'The Winter' In F Minor, No. 4: Largo
    14. The Four Seasons, Op. 8 'The Winter' In F Minor, No. 4: Allegro
    15. Toccatta And Fugue In D Minor, BMV 565
    16. Xerxes: Largo
    17. Oboe Concerto In D Minor: Andante e spiccato
    18. Oboe Concerto In D Minor: Adagio
    19. Oboe Concerto In D Minor: Presto
    20. Gigue

    Tracks:

    1. 'Brandenburg' Concerto No. 2 In F Major, BWV 1047: (Allegro)
    2. 'Brandenburg' Concerto No. 2 In F Major, BWV 1047: Andante
    3. 'Brandenburg' Concerto No. 2 In F Major, BWV 1047: Allegro assai
    4. 'Brandenburg' Concerto No. 3 In G Major, BWV 1048: (Allegro)
    5. 'Brandenburg' Concerto No. 3 In G Major, BWV 1048: Allegro
    6. 'Brandenburg' Concerto No. 5 In D Major, BWV 1050: Allegro
    7. 'Brandenburg' Concerto No. 5 In D Major, BWV 1050: Affettuoso
    8. 'Brandenburg' Concerto No. 5 In D Major, BWV 1050: Allegro
    9. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
    10. 'Messiah': Overture
    11. 'Messiah': Comfort ye
    12. 'Messiah': Every Valley
    13. 'Messiah': And The Glory Of The Lord
    14. 'Messiah': Glory To God
    15. 'Messiah': Hallelujah!
    16. 'Messiah': And The Trumpet Shall Sound

    Tracks:

    1. 'Water Music' Suite: Overture
    2. 'Water Music' Suite: Adagio
    3. 'Water Music' Suite: Allegro; Andante; Allegro
    4. 'Water Music' Suite: Minuet
    5. 'Water Music' Suite: Air
    6. 'Water Music' Suite: Minuet
    7. 'Water Music' Suite: Bourree
    8. 'Water Music' Suite: Hornpipe
    9. 'Water Music' Suite: Allegro moderato
    10. Royal Fireworks Music: Overture
    11. Royal Fireworks Music: Bourree
    12. Royal Fireworks Music: 'The Peace:' Largo alla Sicillana
    13. Royal Fireworks Music: La Rejouissance: Allegro
    14. Royal Fireworks Music: Minuet
    15. Royal Fireworks Music: Minuet
    16. Rondeau
    17. Tune In D major
    18. Arioso for Brass
    19. Allegro for Brass
    20. Prelude And Fugue In C Major, BWV 846
    21. Sleepers, Wake

    Tracks:

    1. Trumpet Voluntary
    2. Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067: Ouverture
    3. Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067: Rondeau
    4. Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067: Sarabande
    5. Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067: Bourree
    6. Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067: Polonaise: Lentement
    7. Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067: Menuet
    8. Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067: Badinerie
    9. Orchestral Suite No. 1 In C Major, BWV 1066: Ouverture (Grave; Allegro)
    10. Orchestral Suite No. 1 In C Major, BWV 1066: Courante
    11. Orchestral Suite No. 1 In C Major, BWV 1066: Gavotte
    12. Orchestral Suite No. 1 In C Major, BWV 1066: Forlane
    13. Orchestral Suite No. 1 In C Major, BWV 1066: Menuet
    14. Orchestral Suite No. 1 In C Major, BWV 1066: Bourree
    15. Orchestral Suite No. 1 In C Major, BWV 1066: Passepied
    16. Air For The 'G' String
    17. Symphony from 'The Fairy Queen' Act Four: Allegro marziale
    18. Symphony from 'The Fairy Queen' Act Four: Canzona
    19. Symphony from 'The Fairy Queen' Act Four: Largo
    20. Symphony from 'The Fairy Queen' Act Four: Allegro maestoso
    21. Symphony from 'The Fairy Queen' Act Four: Adagio
    22. Symphony from 'The Fairy Queen' Act Four: Allegro maestoso
    23. 'A Hero's Music': La Vaillance
    24. 'A Hero's Music': La Grace
    25. 'A Hero's Music': L'Armenet
    26. Joy To The World

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Excellent Baroque collection - everyone should have this!.......2002-06-18

    This is a remarkable collection of Baroque music. I've heard a lot of Baroque music and I am very discriminating about performance and sound quality. This set is a winner and a fantastic bargain... Somehow they've managed to choose what is truly "best" from the period (for example I've always felt Bach's Brandenburg Concertos # 2, 3, 5 were the best of the six, while 1,4,6 were relatively weaker - and lo and behold this collection includes 2,3,and 5) while missing very little if anything that "should have" been here (of course a 10 or 12 CD collection would have been even better, but you have to stop somewhere).

    The performances here are excellent, and the recording quality is very high. I disagree with the person who claims this isn't "audiophile quality", because I don't think it could get much better unless it were on another medium such as SACD. I didn't particularly notice coughing on Handel's "Messiah" but Messiah fans would likely prefer a complete performance of that particular work anyway (the excerpts from Messiah here are complete pieces, but this set doesn't include the entire 2 hour or whatever Messiah). These do not sound like "outtakes", what kind of a comment is that? Somebody worked very hard to put this collection together, and they did a fantastic job (and I have zero affiliation with this, I just feel the truth as I see it should be told).

    Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" is presented in it's entirety (ok, it's not the entire Vivaldi Opus 8, but it is the entire Four Seasons as normally found on any "Four Seasons" CD). There are so many great works here, which a lot of people will recognize even if they didn't know the actual piece or composer (or even that it was from the Baroque era). There's even the Mouret fanfare made famous as the "Masterpiece Theater" theme music. Yes this is a great "introduction" at a great price - which might get people to explore Baroque music further, but it's also a fairly complete collection which will suit a lot of people as such (i.e. for everyone who appreciates most any type of music these works should be "essential", but also the 4 CD collection might be all that a casual listener would "need" from the Baroque era). I feel that most people would be thrilled with this set; about the only way it might have been better would be to include information about each piece and about the Baroque era in general (there is no "text" at all with this set).

    2 out of 5 stars Entry level baroque.......2001-01-11

    Nice cheap way to get into Baroque music. Unfortunately it's not the best recording you can get but it should be adequate enough for a non-audiophile. I've been unable to bring myself to listening to it again since I noticed that someone coughs in the background (very noticeably) during Handel's Messiah. Wonder if this is an outtakes CD.
    Halcyon Days: A Treasury of British Light Music
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Halcyon Days: A Treasury of British Light Music

      Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      BalletsBallets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music
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      General ContemporaryGeneral Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
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      London Philharmonic OrchestraLondon Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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      ASIN: B0000Y37NI
      Release Date: 2004-02-24

      Tracks:

      1. Overture
      2. Lento, Ma Non Troppo
      3. Gaily, But Not Quick
      4. Cantilena
      5. Vivace
      6. Miss Melanie
      7. Raf March Past
      8. Very Slow
      9. Maestoso; Alla Marcia Funebre
      10. Fairly Slowly, But Evenly Flowing In Strict Time
      11. Allegretto Rubato
      12. Overture, Op.52
      13. Fantasia On 'Greensleeves'
      14. Country Dance: Allegretto E Leggiero
      15. Burlesco: Allegro
      16. Adagio
      17. Sarabande: Maestoso
      18. Bourree: Vivace
      19. Rondo In A Flat
      20. Allegro
      21. Lento Moderato
      22. Con Brio

      Tracks:

      1. March
      2. Plymouth Hoe (A Nautical Overture)
      3. Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square
      4. Tower Hill
      5. The Horse Guards, Whitehall
      6. Rotten Row
      7. Covent Garden
      8. Westminster
      9. Knightsbridge March
      10. No.1 Wheatly Processional
      11. No.2 Constant Billy
      12. No.4 Jockie To The Fair
      13. No.5 Ladies Of Pleasure
      14. No.6 Princess Royal
      15. Malltraeth (Pastorale)
      16. Cemaes (Scherzo)
      17. March Of The Bowmen
      18. City Of Lincoln March
      19. Overture, Op.3
      20. Londonderry Air

      Tracks:

      1. The Devil's Galop
      2. Sailing By
      3. High Adventure
      4. The Watermill
      5. Loch Laggan
      6. Psalm 23 - CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR
      7. Southern Rhapsody
      8. Ecce Homo - CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR
      9. Girls In Grey
      10. Halcyon Days
      11. March Glorious
      12. An English Overture
      13. Spitfire Prelude And Fugue
      14. Carry On Suite
      15. Carry On Up The Khyber
      16. Andante Expressivo
      17. The Dam Busters March
      18. Tarka The Otter
      19. The African Queen

      Tracks:

      1. Caramba
      2. Two Interlinked French Melodies
      3. Kanikani
      4. Preambule
      5. Barcarolle
      6. Provencale
      7. By The Sleepy Lagoon
      8. A L'ombre D'un Buissonet
      9. Triste Est Le ciel
      10. Allons Gay
      11. A Mountain Tune
      12. Tambourin
      13. Passepied
      14. Sarabande
      15. Farandole
      16. Petite Promenade
      17. Andante/Medium Beguine
      18. Song Dance
      19. Fado
      20. Kolo
      21. In The French Countryside
      22. Carpet Dance
      23. Slow Waltz
      24. End Titles

      Tracks:

      1. Miniature Overture (Help!)
      2. March (When I'm 64)
      3. Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy (Can't Buy Me Love)
      4. Arabian Dance (It's For You)
      5. Chinese Dance (Ticket To Ride)
      6. Dance Of The Reed Flutes (She Loves You)
      7. Waltz Of The Flowers (From Me To You)
      8. Pas De Deux (All My Loving)
      9. Sarabande
      10. The Reception
      11. The Orgy (Rondo)
      12. Danza Gaya
      13. Scene 1
      14. Malaguena (Vivace)
      15. Habanera (Moderato)
      16. Tango (Vivace)
      17. The Hiring Fair
      18. Carousing
      19. Round Dance
      20. Pas De Deux
      21. Hornpipe
      22. March
      23. Doll's Dance
      24. Round Dance
      25. Bobby Shaftoe
      26. The Keel Row
      27. The 98th Jacks Listed!
      The Columbia Album of Victor Herbert
      Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
      • Inauthentic Herbert/authentic Percy Faith
      • disappointment
      • "music giants come together ~ Herbert & Faith"
      • Herbert in good hands with Faith renditions
      • Percy Faith-Columbia Album Of Victor Herbert
      The Columbia Album of Victor Herbert

      Manufacturer: Collectables
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

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      Similar Items:
      1. A Night With Jerome Kern/A Night With Sigmund Romberg
      2. A Victor Herbert Showcase: The Greatest Hits of the Father of American Popular Song
      3. The Sound of Music/South Pacific
      4. A Night with Rudolf Friml/Shakespeare's Greatest Hits
      5. Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life: The Songs of Victor Herbert

      ASIN: B0000996GF
      Release Date: 2003-09-16

      Tracks:

      1. Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life
      2. Spanish Serenade
      3. Dream Girl
      4. Because You're You!
      5. Toyland
      6. March of the Toys
      7. Gypsy Love Song and Romany Life
      8. Kiss in the Dark
      9. I Want What I Want When I Want It
      10. When You're Away
      11. Cuban Serenade
      12. Indian Summer
      13. Every Day Is Ladies' Day with Me
      14. Kiss Me Again
      15. Habanera
      16. To the Land of My Own Romance
      17. Dagger Dance
      18. Italian Street Song
      19. Sweethearts
      20. Yesterthoughts
      21. Streets of New York
      22. I'm Falling in Love With Someone
      23. Thine Alone

      Album Description

      Percy Faith was the master of distilling the best of melodies and in this collection from 1958, Percy rescues us from the images that Victor Herbert melodies tend to evoke - the operetta, and the "erstwhile lady singing (belting out?) Herbert tunes at the piano." With this in mind, Percy's early stereo spectacular brings us the best of the Victor Herbert tunes - with the grand voice of the orchestra to bring out the beauty of each song - twenty-three Victor Herbert songs in this collection! (Bill Halvorsen)

      Album Description

      Full Title - The Columbia Album Of Victor Herbert/And His Orchestra. Pianist Percy Faith, a pioneer of the Easy Listening genre, had a successful and lengthy career as the in-house conductor and arranger for Columbia Records. Faith was renowned for his musical interpretations of Broadway and motion picture music. These 2 albums on 1 CD were originally released in 1958. 23 tracks. 2003 Collectables reissue.

      Customer Reviews:

      1 out of 5 stars Inauthentic Herbert/authentic Percy Faith.......2006-09-03

      If you love the Percy Faith orchestral style, you will certainly
      enjoy this typical example. The disc is full and the selections are numerous and varied, including characteristic pieces, operetta
      excerpts, and even a couple of excerpts from one of Herbert's
      grand operas.
      BUT - if you're primarily interested in the music of Victor Herbert, then the advice has to be to avoid this seemingly tempting item. The combination of anachronistic arrangements, altered harmonies, and orchestrations foreign to anything Herbert would have imagined or countenanced ends by falsifying the charm and character of Herbert's music. In essence it's more like "1950's Fantasies Loosely Based on Certain Herbert Themes."

      1 out of 5 stars disappointment.......2006-08-14

      This is a very poor rendering of the music of Victor Herbert. I am very disappointed in it and would not have ordered it if I realized that there were no vocals.

      5 out of 5 stars "music giants come together ~ Herbert & Faith".......2004-02-09

      Now we have something that only Percy Faith could tackle "The Columbia Album of Victor Herbert", composer Victor Herbert has all the elements that Mr. Faith was looking for, and what a workout the award winning Percy Faith Orchestra has in store for them, look at the result...pure satisfaction and then some ~ "TOYLAND" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written, Percy's arrangement comes from the heart and weaves a magic spell over the listener ~ "MARCH OF THE TOYS", once again the signature arrangement comes to the surface of each cue that Mr. Faith records, very stimulating performance ~ listen to this cue and visualize the toys coming to life ~ "A KISS IN THE DARK" and "KISS ME AGAIN", once again the magic prevails with soft and sweeping strings, The Percy Faith Touch comes to the forefront ~ and Percy was always there to record the music whenever the time presented itself, and it is here and now.

      Two great giants in the music world Victor Herbert (1859-1924) and Percy Faith (1908-1976), brought together by Columbia Records and originally released in 1958 (C2S-801), received wonderful reviews from the music critics. This is an historic event for Faith fans, a double LP that has all the ingredients is now released on one single compact disc ~ with all the sonic clarity you could ask for.

      Great job to all who were involved in bringing this to listeners of fine music ~ very impressive with all original liner notes and recording cues intact. This has to be in the top five of Faith's re-issues, keep them coming, cause there is an audience out there crying and craving more of the same...gotta love it!

      Total Time: 73:46 on 23 Tracks ~ Collectables 7565 ~ (9/16/2003)

      5 out of 5 stars Herbert in good hands with Faith renditions.......2003-10-08

      Percy Faith, the easy listening music arranger and conductor, pays homage to composer Victor Herbert (1859-1924) and in doing so offers us a remarkable recording of Herbert's oft-forgotten music. Faith interprets Herbert's music with his signature lush strings and sound orchestral arrangements that provide a light buoyancy to the compositions. Especially good are Indian Summer, Spanish Serenade and Gypsy Love Song. But all tracks are impressive and offer good testimony to Herbert's compositions and Faith's tuneful arranging. This is one of the better Faith re-releases from Collectables to date.

      5 out of 5 stars Percy Faith-Columbia Album Of Victor Herbert.......2003-09-18

      This is one of Percy Faith's most beautiful albums and it is finally on cd.Most of this album is beautiful and lush but there is a few songs that are brassy,2 Christmas songs and 1 Semi classical song.Here is the song list.

      The Columbia Album Of Victor Herbert-1958(Liner Notes Included)
      1)Ah Sweet Mystery Of Life-Lush
      2)Spanish Life-Brassy
      3)Dream Girl-Lush
      4)Because Your You're You-Lush
      5)Toyland-Lush Christmas This is the most beautiful version of toyland I have ever heard although Johnny Mathis has a pretty good version too.You should play Percy's version during the Christmas season off of this cd.
      6)March Of The Toys-Brassy Christmas with Drums interspursed.Percy's version of this song is great and should also get a lot of play during the holiday season.
      7)Gypsy Love Song and Romany Life-Semi Classical
      8)A Kiss In The Dark-Lush
      9)I Want What I Want When I Want It-Brassy
      10)When You're Away-Lush
      11)Cuban Love Song-Light Strings
      12)Indian Summer-Lush
      13)Every Day Is Ladies Day With Me-Brassy
      14)Kiss Me Again-Lush
      15)Habanera-Brassy
      16)To The Land Of My Own Romance-Lush
      17)Dagger Dance-Brassy
      18)Italian Street Song-Brassy
      19)Sweethearts-Lush
      20)Yesterthoughts-Lush
      21)Streets Of New York-Lush
      22)I'm Falling In Love With Someone-Light Strings
      23)Thine Alone-Lush

      All 23 Songs are just with orchestra and no chrous.Also the two Christmas Songs on this album are not available on his other 3 Christmas albums only here.You may also like Percy Faith's Columbia Album of George Gershwin if it's still available,if it's not Collectibles will probebly be reissiuing it eventually.If you like beautiful music this album must be in your collection.Doubtless a lot of these songs probebly got played on beautiful music stations before beautiful music died out on the radio.
      Songs to Shakespeare
      Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
      • One of my Favorite CDs
      • Melodious Shakespeare
      Songs to Shakespeare
      John Addison , John Addison II , William Aikin , Thomas Arne , Sir Henry Rowley Bishop , Benjamin Britten , Geoffrey Bush , John Clifton , Henry Balfour Gardiner , Franz Joseph Haydn , Mervyn Horder , Herbert Howells , John Ireland , William Linley , John Major , Sir Charles H.H. Parry , Roger Quilter , John Christopher Smith , Charles Villiers Stanford , Michael Tippett , Ralph Vaughan Williams , Graham Johnson , and Anthony Rolfe Johnson
      Manufacturer: Hyperion
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

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      ASIN: B000002ZP7
      Release Date: 1993-11-19

      Tracks:

      1. You Spotted Snakes
      2. No More Dams I'll Make For Fish
      3. On A Day, Alack The Day
      4. She Never Told Her Love
      5. O Mistress Mine
      6. Lawn, As White As Driven Snow
      7. If Love Make Me Forsworn
      8. O Happy Fair!
      9. If Music Be the Food Of Love
      10. Farewell, Thou Art Too Dear For My Posessing
      11. When In Disgrace With Fortune And Men's Eyes
      12. Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day?
      13. The Rain It Raineth Every Day
      14. Orpheus With His Lute
      15. Come Away Death
      16. Fear No More The Heat o' The Sun
      17. Take, O Take Those Lips Away
      18. It Was A Lover And His Lass
      19. Winter
      20. When Daffodils Begin To Peer
      21. Under The Greenwood Tree
      22. Songs For Ariel - I. Come Unto These Yellow Sands
      23. Songs For Ariel - II. Full Fathom Five
      24. Songs For Ariel - III. Where The Bee Sucks
      25. Who Is Silvia?
      26. Francie
      27. Sigh No More Ladies

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars One of my Favorite CDs.......2004-02-19

      In this wonderful collection of Shakespeare settings, Mr. Rolfe-Johnson creates a magical atmosphere using his unbelievable musicality and gorgeous, gorgeous voice! The songs themselves range from the sweet and charming "No more Dams!" to the heavenly interpretation of "She Never Told Her Love", but for me the high point of the whole CD is his incredible performance of the early version of Vaughan Willams' "Orpheus with his Lute"...this song alone is worth the price of the album! Mr. Rolfe Johnson is truly one of the worlds most exquisite tenors! A must have for every fan of English Song!

      5 out of 5 stars Melodious Shakespeare.......2001-01-24

      This CD consists of a collection of settings of Shakespearian lines by composers ranging from the 18th to the mid-20th centuries. It is an ideal vehicle for finding a new way to enjoy these writings of Shakespeare and also experience the work of a number of British composers, some well-known and some not so well-known
      Coates: By the Sleepy Lagoon; Summer Days; London Suite
      Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
      • Charming Coates Recordings
      • Ah, Nostalgia!
      • Eric Coates Conducts His Own Music.
      Coates: By the Sleepy Lagoon; Summer Days; London Suite

      Manufacturer: Naxos
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

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      1. Eirc Coates: 10 Orchestral Pieces; The Enchanted Garden
      2. Eric Coates: London Calling
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      4. Elizabethan Serenade: The Best of British Light Music

      ASIN: B00005MAPN
      Release Date: 2001-08-21

      Tracks:

      1. By The Sleepy Lagoon
      2. Summer Days-Ste: In A Country Lane - The New Queen's Hall Light Orch/Eric Coates
      3. Summer Days-Ste: On The Edge Of The Lake - The New Queen's Hall Light Orch/Eric Coates
      4. Summer Days-Ste: At The Dance - The New Queen's Hall Light Orch/Eric Coates
      5. Wood Nymphs - Valsette - The Queen's Hall Light Orch/Eric Coates
      6. The Jester At The Wedding: March
      7. The Jester At The Wedding: Valse
      8. Symphonic Rhap On 'I Pitch My Lonely Caravan' - Hon. W. Brownlow
      9. Symphonic Rhap On 'I Heard You Singing' And 'Bird Songs At Eventide'
      10. London Ste: Tarantelle 'Covent Garden'
      11. London Ste: Meditation 'Westminister'
      12. London Ste: March 'Knightsbridge'
      13. Summer Afternoon - Idyll
      14. Cinderella - A Phantasy
      15. London Bridge - March

      Customer Reviews:

      4 out of 5 stars Charming Coates Recordings.......2007-02-16

      The best of British light classical music in the first half of the century, represented particularly by Eric Coates and Alfred Ketelbey, is a glimpse of a vanished era. Coates' music is largely forgotten in the U.S. today. Record-collectors, however, quickly discovered Coates' wonderful recordings via the numerous 78-rpm discs he made for Columbia and Decca/London, released in both the U.K. and the U.S. Fortunately, Naxos has digitally remastered some of the best of these delightful performances.

      Coates was a gifted melodist and orchestrator. He was also a very competent conductor, as these recordings demonstrate. It is a real treat to hear him conducting his own music, some of which was recorded in stereo by Frederick Fennell for Mercury Records. These are truly light classical gems, much in the "pops" vein, and can be enjoyed both classical music lovers and those who prefer the lighter classics.

      5 out of 5 stars Ah, Nostalgia!.......2001-11-20

      Although I'm sure there are those that would disagree with me, I consider this the Mecca of all Eric Coates CDs. To be able to hear the works not only written by the composer but conducted as well...What can I say? The fact that during the reengineering of the original recordings not all of the hisses, cracks and pops were removed only adds to the charm and enjoyment of these fabulous and historic recordings. Best on the disc: bands 10, 11 and 12, "London Suite," recorded in March of 1933.

      4 out of 5 stars Eric Coates Conducts His Own Music........2001-10-05

      Eric Coates wrote light music that was very good music. A very experienced practitioner, he was highly regarded by his public, his publishers, his colleagues, and by record companies. He recorded his own works extensively, and inimitably.

      Peter Dempsey, working from original 78s issued between 1926 and 1940, has produced and annotated this welcome addition to the Naxos catalogue devoted to Eric Coates conducting his own music. The orchestra, usually named "Symphony Orchestra" on the original labels and in this Naxos issue also, was frequently the London Philharmonic Orchestra - no less. This was the case with Tracks 2 - 5, 9 - 12, and 14.

      You'll hear an hour of delightful music here, well transferred and presented.
      Every Summer
      Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
      • Every Summer!
      Every Summer
      Stephen Lawrenson
      Manufacturer: Paisley Pop
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
      Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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      GeneralGeneral | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
      ASIN: B0006L5P44
      Release Date: 2004-11-09

      Tracks:

      1. 4U
      2. Town
      3. Laughter & Tears
      4. Harmonee
      5. Mind
      6. Stairway
      7. Too Far
      8. Out There
      9. One More Try
      10. That Way
      11. Town (acoustic)

      Album Description

      A note from Jim Huie at Paisley Pop: I first heard Stephen Lawrenson last December when I received a 4 song EP in the mail from Susquehana, Pennsylvania. While initially my expectations based on the pretty straightforward song titles was low, on first listen, I was immediately impressed with Stephen's songs and production. At first, they reminded me in some ways of early ELO without the strings. Something about his voice had a similar quality to John Lennon's on "Across the Universe". Stephen and I corresponded, and I encouraged him to put together a full-length album for me to release. The results are "Every Summer", a collection of infectious jangly pop meets post punk. Playing all the instruments and recording the whole thing on his own, the results are surprisingly sonically sophisticated. Lawrenson's hooky-but-rollicking melodies pay audible tribute to his great love for mid-'70s rock and `80s-`90s jangle pop.

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars Every Summer!.......2006-03-14

      Every Summer is a fantastic "hook-laden" pop debut release from Stephen Lawrenson. A big "Wow". This cd is filled with tunes that you find yourself humming for days thereafter. It serves-up elements of classic Beatlesque pop that is both retro and refreshing in an Adrien Belew kind-of-way. This is self-production at its best... every note preformed by Stephen himself; the vocals, harmonies, instrumentation, phrasing, lyrics... the works! Buy this cd! It has all the stuff that great pop music is... and it is.
      The Essential Leontyne Price
      Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
      • A Long Time Coming...
      • Her Best Album
      • Price At Her Peak
      • of course world class
      • the greatest american soprano of the 20th century
      The Essential Leontyne Price

      Manufacturer: RCA
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

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      ASIN: B000003FWD
      Release Date: 1996-08-13

      Tracks:

      1. Aida: Act I: Ritorna vincitor!
      2. Aida: Act I: E l'amor mio?
      3. Aida: Act I: I sacri nomi di padre, d'amante
      4. Aida: Act III: Qui Radames verra!
      5. Aida: Act III: O patria mia
      6. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act II: (Prelude)
      7. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act II: Ecco l'orrido campo
      8. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act II: Ma dall'arido stelo divulsa
      9. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act III: A tal colpa e nulla il pianto
      10. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act III: Morro, ma prima in grazia
      11. Il Trovatore: Act I: Che piu t'arresti?
      12. Il Trovatore: Act I: Tacea la notte placida
      13. Il Trovatore: Act I: Di tale amor che dirsi
      14. Il Trovatore: Act IV: Siam giunti
      15. Il Trovatore: Act IV: D'amor sull'ali rosee
      16. Ernani: Act I: Surta e la notte
      17. Ernani: Act I: Ernani! Ernani, involami
      18. Ernani: Act I: Tutto sprezzo che d'Ernani
      19. La forza del destino: Act II: Son giunta! Grazie, o Dio!
      20. La forza del destino: Act II: Madre, madre, pietosa Vergine
      21. La forza del destino: Act II: La Vergine degli angeli
      22. La forza del destino: Act IV: Pace, pace, mio Dio

      Tracks:

      1. Cosi fan tutte: Act I: Come scoglio immoto resta
      2. Madama Butterfly: Act II: Piangi? Perche?; Un bel di vedremo
      3. Madama Butterfly: Act III: Tu? tu? piccolo Iddio!
      4. TOSCA: Act II: Vissi d'arte
      5. Manon Lescaut: Act II: In quelle trine morbide
      6. Manon Lescaut: Act IV: Sola, perduta, abbandonata
      7. Dialogues des Carmelites: Act III: Mes filles, voila que s'acheve
      8. Don Giovanni: Act I: Don Ottavio, son morta!
      9. Don Giovanni: Act I: Or sai chi l'onore
      10. Don Giovanni: Act II: Crudele? Ah, no, mio bene!
      11. Don Giovanni: Act II: Non mi dir
      12. Turandot: Act I: Signore, ascolta!
      13. Turandot: Act III: Tu che di gel sei cinta
      14. Ariadne auf Naxos: Es gibt ein Reich
      15. Antony And Cleopatra: Act III: Give me my robe

      Tracks:

      1. Otello: Era piu calmo?
      2. Otello: Mia madre aveva una povera ancella (Willow Song)
      3. Otello: Ave Maria
      4. Fidelio: Act I: Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin?
      5. Suor Angelica: Senza mamma, o bimbo, tu sei morto!
      6. Carmen: L'amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera)
      7. La Traviata: Act I: E strano, e strano !
      8. La Traviata: Act I: Ah, fors' e lui
      9. La Traviata: Act I: Sempre libera
      10. Le nozze di Figaro: Act III: E Susanna non vien!
      11. Le nozze di Figaro: Act III: Dove sono
      12. Die Agyptische Helena: Act II: Awakening Scene
      13. La rondine: Ore dolci e divine
      14. Salome: Finale

      Tracks:

      1. Eugene Onegin: Act II: Puskai pogibnu ya
      2. Eugene Onegin: Act II: Ya k vam pishu
      3. Eugene Onegin: Act II: Net, nikomu na svete
      4. Eugene Onegin: Act II: No tak i byt'!
      5. La rondine: Act I: Chi il bel sogno di Doretta
      6. VANESSA: Act I: He Has Come, He Has Come!
      7. VANESSA: Act I: Do Not Utter A Word
      8. Carmen: Act I: Pres des remparts de Seville (Seguidilla)
      9. Manon: Act II: Allons! il le faut!
      10. Manon: Act II: Adieu, notre petite table
      11. Macbeth: Act IV: Sleepwalking Scene: Vegliammo invan due notti
      12. Macbeth: Act IV: Sleepwalking Scene: Una macchia e qui tuttora
      13. La Boheme: Act IIII: Addio. Donde lieta usci (Mimi's Addio)
      14. Die Frau ohne Schatten: Act II: Empress's Awakening Scene
      15. Dido and Aeneas: Act III: Thy Hand, Belinda!
      16. Dido and Aeneas: Act III: When I Am Laid In Earth
      17. Don Carlo: Act V: Tu che le vanita conoscesti del mondo

      Tracks:

      1. Otello: Act I: Gia nella notte
      2. Otello: Act I: Quando narravi
      3. Otello: Act I: Venga la morte!
      4. Cosi fan tutte: Act I: Ah, guarda, sorella
      5. Madama Butterfly: Act I: Bimba, bimba, non piangere
      6. Madama Butterfly: Act I: Bimba dagli occhi
      7. Madama Butterfly: Act I: Vogliatemi bene
      8. Requiem: Recordare
      9. Porgy And Bess: Act II: Bess, You Is My Woman
      10. Norma: Act III: Me chiami, o Norma
      11. Norma: Act III: Mira, o Norma
      12. Ernani: Act II: Tu, perfida!
      13. Ernani: Act II: Ah, morir, potessi adesso
      14. Cosi fan tutte: Act II: Sorella, cosa dici?
      15. Cosi fan tutte: Act II: Prendero quel brunettino
      16. Aida: Act IV: La fatal pietra sovra me si chiuse
      17. Aida: Act IV: Presago il core della tua condanna
      18. Aida: Act IV: Vedi? Di morte l'angelo
      19. Aida: Act IV: O terra, addio

      Tracks:

      1. Un Ballo in Maschera: Act II: Teco io sto!
      2. Aida: Act III: Ciel! mio padre!
      3. Aida: Act III: Rivedrai le forest imbalsamate
      4. Aida: Act III: In armi ora si desta il popol nostro
      5. Aida: Act III: Padre! a costoro schiava non sono
      6. Requiem: Angus Dei
      7. Manon Lescaut: Act I: Oh, saro la piu bella!; Tu, tu, amore?
      8. Cosi fan tutte: Act I: Soave sia il vento
      9. Porgy And Bess: Act II: I Loves You, Porgy
      10. Aida: Act II: Silenzio! Aida verso noi s'avanza
      11. Aida: Act II: Fu la sorte dell'armi
      12. Aida: Act II: Pieta ti prenda del mio dolor
      13. Aida: Act II: Alla prompa che s'appresta
      14. Il Trovatore: Act IV: Udiste?
      15. Il Trovatore: Act IV: Mira, di acerbe lagrime
      16. Il Trovatore: Act IV: Vivra! Contende il giubilo
      17. Madama Butterfly: Act II: Scuoti quella fronda di ciliegio (Flower Duet)
      18. Carmen: Act IV: C'est toi! - C'est moi!
      19. Carmen: Act IV: Ou vas-tu? - Laisse-moi!

      Tracks:

      1. Les nuits d'ete, Op.7: Villanelle
      2. Les nuits d'ete, Op.7: Le spectre de la rose
      3. Les nuits d'ete, Op.7: Sur les lagunes
      4. Les nuits d'ete, Op.7: Absence
      5. Les nuits d'ete, Op.7: Au cimetiere (Clair de lune)
      6. Les nuits d'ete, Op.7: L'ile inconnue
      7. Four Last Songs: Fruhling
      8. Four Last Songs: September
      9. Four Last Songs: Beim Schlafengehen
      10. Four Last Songs: Im Abendrot
      11. Clair de lune, Op.46, No.2: Clair de lune
      12. Notre amour, Op.23, No.2: Notre amour
      13. Au cimetiere, Op.51, No.2: Au cimetiere
      14. Au bord de l'eau, Op.8, No.1: Au bord de l'eau
      15. No.1, Cinq melodies de Venise, Op.58: Mandoline
      16. Main dominee par le coeur
      17. Miroirs brulants No.2: Je nommerai ton front
      18. Miroirs brulants No.1: Tu vois le feu du soir
      19. Ce doux petit visage

      Tracks:

      1. Knoxville: Summer Of 1915, Op.24: Knoxville: Summer Of 1915
      2. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: Seit ich ihn gesehen
      3. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: Er, der Herrlichste von allen
      4. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: Ich kann's nicht fassen
      5. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: Du Ring an meinem Finger
      6. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: Helft mir, ihr Schwestern
      7. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: Susser Freund, du blickest
      8. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: An meinem Herzen, an meiner Brust
      9. Frauenliebe und -leben, op.42: Nun hast du mir den ersten Schmerz getan
      10. Widmung (No.1, Myrthen, Op.25): Widmung
      11. Mignon (No.28, Liederalbum fur die Jugend, Op.79): Mignon
      12. Volksliedchen, Op.51, No.2: Volksliedchen
      13. Schone Wiege meiner Leiden (No.5, Liederkreis, Op.24): Schone Wiege meiner Leiden
      14. Er ist's (No.23, Liederalbum fur die Jugend, Op.79): Er ist's
      15. Heiss mich nicht reden (No.5, Lieder und Gesand aus Wilhelm Meister)
      16. Lust der Sturmnacht, Op.35, No.1: Lust der Sturmnacht
      17. Allerseelen, Op.10, No.8: Allerseelen
      18. Schlagende Herzen
      19. Freundliche Vision, Op.48, No.1: Freundliche Vision
      20. Wie sollten wir geheim, Op.19, No.4: Wie sollten wir geheim
      21. Der Gartner (Morike-Lieder No.17)
      22. Lebe wohl (Morike-Lieder No.36)
      23. Morgentau (From An Old Songbook)
      24. Geh, Geliebter, geh jetzt (Spanisches Liederbuch No.34)

      Tracks:

      1. Ev'ry Time I Feel The Spirit - Various Artists
      2. Let Us Break Bread Together On Our Knees - Various Artists
      3. His Name So Sweet - Various Artists
      4. 'Roun' About De Mountain - Various Artists
      5. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot - Various Artists
      6. Sit Down, Servant - Various Artists
      7. Were You There - Various Artists
      8. He's Got The Whole World In His Hands - Various Artists
      9. Deep River - Various Artists
      10. Honor! Honor! - Various Artists
      11. My Soul's Been Anchored In De Lord - Various Artists
      12. On Ma Journey - Various Artists
      13. A City Called Heaven - Various Artists
      14. Ride On, King Jesus - Various Artists
      15. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free - Various Artists
      16. Sinner, Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass - Various Artists
      17. Sweet Little Jesus Boy - Various Artists
      18. There Is A Balm In Gilead - Various Artists
      19. Let Us Cheer The Weary Traveler - Various Artists
      20. Ev'ry Time I Feel The Spirit - Various Artists
      21. My Way Is Cloudy - Various Artists
      22. Nobody Knows The Touble I've Seen - Various Artists
      23. I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray - Various Artists

      Tracks:

      1. Holy, Holy, Holy
      2. Lead, Kindly Light
      3. Blessed Assurance
      4. Ave Maria
      5. What A Friend We Have In Jesus
      6. Amazing Grace
      7. The Lord's Prayer
      8. Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour
      9. The Church's One Foundation
      10. Bless This House
      11. I Need Thee Every Hour
      12. Fairest Lord Jesus
      13. I Wonder As I Wander
      14. Ave Maria
      15. Porgy And Bess: Summertime
      16. America The Beautiful
      17. Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing
      18. A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
      19. Battle Hymn Of The Republic

      Tracks:

      1. Chants tziganes, Op. 103: He Zigeuner
      2. Chants tziganes, Op. 103: Hochgeturmte Rimaflut
      3. Chants tziganes, Op. 103: Wisst ihr, wann mein Kindchen
      4. Chants tziganes, Op. 103: Lieber Gott, du weisst
      5. Chants tziganes, Op. 103: Brauner Bursche
      6. Chants tziganes, Op. 103: Roselein dreie in der Reihe
      7. Chants tziganes, Op. 103: Kommt dir manchmal in den Sinn
      8. Chants tziganes, Op. 103: Rote Abendwolken
      9. Adriana Lecouvreur: Act I: Io son l'umile ancella
      10. This Little Light O'Mine
      11. Interview With Leontyne Price By John Pfeiffer

      Amazon.com

      This 11-CD set, one might say jokingly, contains all the music ever written for the soprano voice and a bit for mezzo as well. And indeed, it's a staggering collection: In addition to her great Verdi heroines (the two Leonoras, Aida, Amelia, and Elvira in Ernani), Price is heard in her Puccini roles--Manon Lescaut, Butterfly, Tosca--and at least two dozen other roles, most of which she never sang on stage. Here are her heroic, secure Leonore in Fidelio, Strauss's high-flying Egyptian Helen, Purcell's Dido, Barber's Cleopatra, Bellini's Norma, Ariadne, Verdi's Violetta and Desdemona, Bizet's Carmen, Mozart's Countess, and Fiordiligi. Some are, naturally, more successful than others; almost none are embarrassing (Carmen comes close). In addition, she sings songs by Schubert, Schumann, and Strauss--none of them as well as say, Janet Baker or Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, and Barber's Knoxville, etc.--quite beautifully. Berlioz's Les Nuits d'été is not very good, but a group of spirituals is. In all, however, this is an amazing display by one of the century's greatest sopranos. There may be no new depths plumbed here, but the singing is a knockout. --Robert Levine

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars A Long Time Coming..........2006-03-30

      This compilation of Ms. Price's career is almost as complete as anything I've ever come across!!
      An American Icon....I will forever be a loyal fan and admirer!!

      5 out of 5 stars Her Best Album.......2006-01-01

      Along with the equally extensive "Prima Donna Collection" this is Leontyne Price's best album. Anyone who wants to become familiarized with her vocal technique and her art on record should own this album. It features her best work ever recorded. A lot of these arias and their respective soprano roles were not roles she sang on stage. Leontyne Price was not only a consummate artist, but a cautious one. The reason these arias, Lieder, Gospel and spirituals sound so beautiful and technically brilliant is because Leontyne was smart enough to sing them infrequently and in concert form. She did not take on new roles other than her repetitive Aidas, Leonoras, Butterfly, Toscas and Madame Lidoins, etc, because she was afraid of ruining her glorious voice too soon as many of her contemporary sopranos. Like soprano Zinka Milanov, Leontyne Price preserved the freshness and vitality of her voice through "operatic abstinence". Thus, the Norma, Salome, Manon, Lady Macbeth and even Traviata we hear on this album are well-rendered because she did NOT sing them on stage. She would have worn out her beautiful voice if she sung so many roles.

      This collection is overwhelming. Leontyne Price proves herself to be a masterful artist of diverse repertoire. Pity she didn't really sing these on stage because she would have put Maria Callas and all the reigning divas before and after her to shame. Listen to her remarkable, unsurpassed Mozart repertoire. This she did sing in opera houses, probably because Mozart does not require a true lyrico-spinto heavyness and smaller opera houses can accomodate Mozartian voices that do not often rise above the staff/orchestra. She sang exquisite Fiordiligis at the Met. The arias from Cosi Fan Tutte here - Soave sia il vento, O Guarda Sorelle and the fiendishly difficult vocal showcase "Come Scoglio" with its vertiginious scales are all fine samples of Miss Price's artistry. She sang Susanna and Donna Anna with beauty and bravura. The Salome excerpt is quite thrilling. She would have made a terrific Salome but the role is quite difficult and it would have surely killed her voice. Leontyne Price was the number one Verdi soprano. Every opera cognoscente will tell you that. When you hear the excerpts from Verdi operas here - Lady Macbeth's Sleepwalking Scene, Aida's arias, Leonora's arias from Trovatore and Leonora's arias from Forza Del Destino, particularly La Virgine Del Angeli and the ravishing Pace Pace Mio Dio- are the best renditions of Verdi soprano singing. Anyone who wants to study how to sing in the letter-to-letter Verdi lyrico spinto style should hear these arias. A voice like Leontyne cannot be easily imitated. Maria Callas's own voice can be imitated as Romanian diva Angela Gheorghiu has proven. Leontyne was in a class of her own, a voice that is both dramatic and beautiful to hear. However, most people find fault in her lack of dramatic interpretation. I say they're not hearing hard enough. Yes, there is excessive beauty in her singing but she understood that the opera heroines should sound beautiful because they are beautiful and though I never saw her on stage, from the recordings I hear she sounds dramatic and character-driven enough for me to be satisfied. For a devoted fan of Leontyne Price, this album is the Holy Grail. She sings the most beautiful Norma, Madame Butterfly, Tosca, Aida, Violetta, Madame Lidoin, Suor Angelica, Susanna, Dona Ana, Gilda, Fiordiligi, Desdemona and countless other heroines. The last cd is a collection of Gospel, spirituals and patriotic songs. These "American", non-opera selections find her in beautiful voice and she is actually paying tribute to her roots. She was not only African-American, but a Southerner from Mississippi. Her voice must have been heavenly to hear in Church! This is the album that made me love Leontyne.

      5 out of 5 stars Price At Her Peak.......2005-05-02

      Originally a Gospel singer, Leontyne Price rose to the heights of operatic superstardom in the 60's and 70's. She enjoyed the same success Maria Callas did in the 50's. Although Callas will forever be most people's idea of the greatest soprano of the 20th century, Leontyne Price was not a force to be reckoned with. In my opinion, and this is just me, she outshone Callas and was the greater singer as far as techinicality and musicianship. Leontyne Price's best work is recorded in this album. It is her best album, together with the Prima Donna Collection. The price is expensive but it's worth every penny. Prepare to be riveted and blown away by the dynamic strength and passion of her voice as it blasts through yours stereo. While many often point out that Leontyne Price was not much of an actress, from a purely operatic/vocal level, her voice was faultless and virtuosic, powerful, passionate, beautiful, lyrical, soulful. Never have I heard a soprano so richly endowed with strong chest register- she could sing the low octaves that are found in the roles of mezzo-soprano voices or contralto voices. But she was a dramatic soprano and that's dramatic with a capital D- all the high C's were there, perfectly in place, and she was a thrilling singer when reaching for the stratosphere with her voice.

      This album contains arias from operas that I didn't even know she performed- La Traviata (yes, Leontyne Price as Violetta is a moving and powerful interpretation, executed with sublime beauty. She finds herself the equal to Callas in the role- for Callas had a big voice for a role that calls for the "dying" effect. Thus, Price, like Callas, could sing roles that call for beauty and not just dramatic vigor. It's unfortunate that unlike the stars that were rising in her time- Joan Sutherland, Beverly Sills and Montserrat Caballe- Price never mastered the bel canto repertoire - Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini (although she sang a sensational Norma, excerpts are found in this recording). But her strongest suit was Verdi. She had the voice Verdi was looking for in a soprano- rich, dramatic, beautiful, able to fill up the lines with smoky and velvety hues and a gleaming high top. Check out her Amelia in Un Ballo In Maschera, her Leonora in Trovatore, her Leonora in La Forza Del Destino. Of course, her greatest role, her signature role, and one which she connected with on a personal/ancestral level was that of Aida. The first selections in this recording are from that masterpiece. As Aida, she was at her best. It was easy for her somehow, when most other sopranos tackle the role with difficulty. She conveys grace, nobility, passion and spirituality in the role of the tragic Ethiopian princess.

      Further roles she excelled in that are on this recording is Desdemona in Otello, which she sung opposite Placido Domingo. Their masterful voices blend together harmonically and gloriously in the Act 1 Love Duet. She's quite the ground-breaking artist. Most Violettas in Traviata or Desdemona in Otello are Caucasian lyric soprano (Desdemona was white, Otello was black, that was Shakespeare's intention) but in opera, race does not matter and Leontyne Price's voice made her a star in a time when it was incredibly difficult for a black woman to sing opera. From the start of the century, opera was always associated with white Europeans and later on Americans. But Leontyne Price followed the inspirational example of the gutsy contralto Marian Anderson, who suffered a lot of rejection in opera due to skin color in pre-Civil Rights Movement 30's, 40's and 50's. Finally in the late 50's, Anderson, after a lifetime of singing only in private concerts and recitals, debuted at the Met as Ulrica in Un Ballo. Leontyne Price immediately picked up where she left- singing all the soprano diva roles typically associated with white singers - especially Tosca. Her Tosca is second to her Aida. As Tosca, she encompasses the diva who dies for love in the most thrilling way.

      Other than Tosca, Puccini heroines were just as magnificent vehicles for her voice. She sang Madame Butterfly to great acclaim. I dont know how she did it but she suddenly ceased to be herself and became the frail, naive, lovesick Japanese Geisha. Softness and fragility is also mixed with the maturity of a woman in love, with passion and dramatic vocal color. She sang La Rondine with equal success, though this role is more along the lines of Violetta/Traviata. She sang Suor Angelica, she sang in modern works such as Barber's Antony and Cleopatra- in that infamous Zefferelli production- she sang Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, she sang in Dialoge of the Carmelites. All these are on here, along with her Baroque specialties- Dido in Dido and Aeneas. Her Mozart voice is also the best I've heard, really, even with a more dramatic and beautiful charm than other singers I've heard. She sang the acrobatic role of Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutte, both Dona Ana and Donva Elvira in Don Giovanni. I prefer her as Dona Ana, she is all fire, despair, intensity and repressed desire, but she sings a hysterical and lovesick Elvira with a passion as well. She even sang the Countess in Le Nozze Di Figaro. But the sky was the limit to Price. She even sang, in a Jessie Norman way, the Wagner role of Isolde. Her "Liebestod" is the greatest I've heard since Birgit Nilsson, with a passion that stemmed from her religious Gospel heart.
      This is a great album and I recommend it to any fan of Price and any fan of opera in general. If you have never heard Price and want to start somewhere, start with this one. This one or the Prima Donna Collection.

      5 out of 5 stars of course world class.......2000-08-14

      Price is amazing. I will have to also mention that Joan Sutherland in the 1960 is even more incredible, if that's possible. Check Dame Joan out, you will not be sorry. But Price is a D flawless diamond set by Cartier, in my opinion.

      5 out of 5 stars the greatest american soprano of the 20th century.......1999-12-12

      This collection of arias, art songs, and spirituals is truly amazing for the sheer breadth and depth of this soprano's artistry. It is hard to imagine any Verdi soprano after Ms. Price who could offer us the smoky richness of her vocal color, and there are so many wonderful selections, many of them being roles she did not perform on stage. Among my personal favorites are her scene from Dialogues of the Carmelites, the Letter Scene from Eugene Onegin, and the drama of her Lady Macbeth. For those of us who heard Ms. Price over the years in opera and concert, this collection brings back wonderful memories...It is truly a must-have for any serious opera lover.

      Music:

      1. Exottica
      2. Focus
      3. Friday Night Disco
      4. Generator [CD-single] [Import]
      5. Give Me Sanity
      6. God Says You Can
      7. Going Nowhere
      8. Gold Metal
      9. Happy Today
      10. Horse Penis Pants

      Music

      music

      Music

      Kiss Of The Goddess

      Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky; Cinderella Suite

      Mozart Recordings, 1924 - 1933

      Rendez-Vous: The Sound of the Mediterranean [Import]

      Quagmire, Vol. 8 [Import]

      Rock N Roll Party

      Oscar's Trashy Songs

      Scriabin: Piano Concerto

      Snake Still Rockin After All These Years

      Postales

      Relaxation for Children...The Pleasure of

      Musica Andina [Import]

      One Nation, Vol. 3 [Import]

      Fish Ain't Bitin'

      Love of My Life: The Best of Dan Hill