Rose & The Ostrich Feather - Eton Choirbook Volume I

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
The Eton choirbook (Eton College MS. 178), the leading source of late fifteenth-century English music, is a splendid production with fine illuminated initial letters and an attractive use of red ink for coloration and the text of solo sections. It is unique among manuscripts of its period in still being preserved in its original home. The Eton choirbook is by far the most important of the few English sources surviving from the period: in fact it is unquestionably one of the greatest monuments of English music in any age.

Although there are serious losses from the manuscript, the remains are sufficient to give a good picture of the large-scale votive antiphon and the alternatim Magnificat in the last quarter of the fifteenth century. Without them we should know nothing of the work of that truly great composer John Browne, have no complete composition by Richard Davy, and only two pieces by Walter Lambe.

Tracks:

Heaven Have A Mercy
Milord
Rien De Rien
La Foule
Cri Du Coeur
La Vie En Rose (English version)
Padam Padam
Mon Dieu
L'Hymne A L'Amour
Mon Manege A Moi
Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien
L'Eveil
Mon Legionnaire (piano solo)
Lisieux
La Mort De Leplee ("Mon Legionnaire")
Apparition
L'ABC
L'Arrestation ("Mon Legionnaire")
L'Idylle
Derniere Nuit
Mon Homme (interpreted by Jil Aigrot)
Les Momes De La Cloche (interpreted by Jil Aigrot)
Les Hiboux (interpreted by Jil Aigrot)
Fascination (interpreted by Maya Barsoni)
Il M'a Vue Nue (interpreted by Mistinguett)
La Poupee
Vie En Rose (accordeon)

Amazon.com

As befits the soundtrack of a music biopic, most of the heavy lifting here is done by the movie's subject: iconic French singer Edith Piaf. She was the Gallic Judy Garland, a natural performer who overcame one personal tragedy after another and was never more alive than on stage, forging an uncommon bond with both material and audience. Since actress Marion Cotillard lip-synchs in the film, the first 11 tracks on the CD are by Piaf herself, and give a good overview of her biggest hits (though we get the English version of the title track) and her feverish, ultra-dramatic style. But Piaf wasn't only a tragedienne of song: Her lighter side is represented by "Rien de Rien" and "Mon Manège à Moi," which she infuses with wonderful flair. Tracks 12-20 are made up of Christopher Gunning's richly symphonic original score (check out "La Mort de Leplée"). The last third of the album offers Piaf without Piaf, with contemporary singers Jil Aigrot and Maya Barsoni performing her songs (apparently because the originals' poor sound quality meant they would have stuck out in the movie). Watch out, however, for Mistinguett's hilarious "Il m'a vu nue," a slice of French music-hall history preserved in amber. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Album Description

Official motion picture soundtrack to the film La Vie En Rose, the dramatic real-life story of French chanteuse Edith Piaf, starring Marion Cotillard and Gerard Depardieu. This release contains 27 tracks featuring 11 of Piaf's most popular songs remastered including "La Vie En Rose", "Hymne A L'amour" "Milord" and "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien", plus the original score by Christopher Gunning.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Period Music.......2007-07-20

Having seen the movie La Vien Rose, I knew I had to get the CD. Both are terrific. If you haven't listened to or seen the movie I suggest you do both. Excellent music/performances. Bill

La Vie en Rose.......2007-07-06

The soundtrack to the movie by the same title is excellent. The restoration was superb. The voice of Edith Piaf is masterful.

Average customer rating:

like red in a rose
Great Album
Not as country as I always thought Alan was.
Alan Jackson Great singer
Could be better

Like Red on a Rose
Alan Jackson
Manufacturer: Arista
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Country | Country | Styles | Music

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Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

It Just Comes Natural
These Days
Precious Memories
Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing
Let It Go

ASIN: B000HDZKAA
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Tracks:

Anywhere On Earth You Are
Good Imitation Of The Blues
Like Red On A Rose
Nobody Said That It Would Be Easy
Don't Change On Me
The Firefly's Song
Wait A Minute
Had It Not Been You
A Woman's Love
Don't Ask Why
Aa Lovely As You
Where Do I Go From Here (A Trucker's Song)
Bluebird

Amazon.com

The idea of twang king Alan Jackson pairing up with Alison Krauss for an album of love songs might seem heretical to some, especially if they heard only the first cut, the adult-contemporary ballad "Anywhere on Earth You Are." But producer Krauss, whom Jackson approached to make a traditional bluegrass record, always knew there was a sensuous heart beating beneath his aw-shucks demeanor, one that would fit perfectly with the intimate repertoire, genre-bending musical framework, and virtuoso players she'd always chosen for herself. (Robert Lee Castleman, one of Krauss's favorite writers, weighs in with four tunes, and Ron Block, Jerry Douglas, and Dan Tyminski, Krauss's Union Station cohorts, anchor the band.) Jackson, it turns out, also wanted a chance to reflect on the ups and downs of his long marriage, apart from 1998's daring, spoken-word hit "I'll Go On Loving You," a far lustier admission than anything included here. If there's a downside to this brilliant, if unlikely pairing, it's that Krauss's somber program could benefit from something a tad more libidinous or uptempo. But what is here is so beautifully chosen and performed (with spare, affecting harmony vocals by Lee Ann Womack, Cheryl White, Sidney and Suzanne Cox, and Krauss herself) that it's hard to quibble. Throughout, and especially on the ballad "Wait a Minute" and his own dusted-off "A Woman's Love" (1998), Jackson, who explores his rich, lower register more frequently than in the past, comes across like Don Williams in his prime. He's a middle-aged man taking stock of what and who matters most to him in life, and speaking his heart without artifice. In the title track, a song so bone-marrow deep it might bring you to your knees, Jackson declares, "I love you like all little children love pennies." That line that may sound odd and superficial by itself, but in Jackson's nuanced reading, it takes on a nearly spiritual yearning. This album, like the gospel Precious Memories before it, proves that while Jackson--the most nominated performer in CMA history--may be nearing 50, he's not ready to quit challenging himself as an artist. --Alanna Nash

More from Alan Jackson

Precious Memories

A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love)

When Somebody Loves You

Drive

Under the Influence

Greatest Hits 2

Customer Reviews:

like red in a rose.......2007-07-01

its a great cd but the first track is scratch so it does not play. but other than that it is a great cd.

Great Album.......2007-06-16

I am listening to the album for the third time as I am working on the computer. I almost didn't buy the album because of some of the negative reviews on Amazon, but I figured I liked the title track and A Woman's Love from the radio so I bought it. I don't know what some of the negative reviews are talking about. If all you like to hear is the same sounding Jackson, put in one of the CDs you already have and listen to it a hundred times. The songs are kind of mellow, but they are country.

Not as country as I always thought Alan was........2007-06-04

The first time I heard the song "Like Red on a Rose", I thought that it was very different from Alan Jackson's previous songs and wasn't entirely sure that I liked the shift.

Then I borrowed the album from a friend of mine to give it a listen; I intended to give Alan Jackson a chance.

I knew quickly that I didn't like the overall tone and sound of the album.

I classify country artists in three categories based on their sound and the themes of their songs: people who have more of a country theme, people who sound more country, and then those who clearly have both. I like to refer to the third group as "pure" country. And I love pure country the most. Alan Jackson has always fallen into that category for me.

I'm a diehard fan of country music. I enjoy many other types of music, but country has always been my favorite. Alan Jackson's pure country sound and theme has always been one of my favorites. "Like Red on a Rose" is a solid letdown from that. It doesn't seem to have any of Alan's usual pure country self. The sound of the album is far from it, and the themes too seem out of the range of usual country songs. To me, the album isn't really country.

I do like artists who explore their sounds, but this seems to be a fruitless exploration. And besides, if you're such a hitmaker as Alan Jackson, pray tell, WHY would you EVER want to change your sound so dramatically? I also don't understand how such a bluegrass wonder as Alison Krauss, while producing on this album, let Alan slide so far from his usual sound.

Apart from the sound that I dislike, the albums songs themselves don't seem to be up to par either. Usually when I listen to an album, a few songs will immediately leap out at me on the first listen-through, and they'll slowly become my favorites. I gave "Like Red on a Rose" FOUR listens, and never once did any of the songs leap out at me. The whole album was one single monotonous, boring blur to both my ears and mind. If you were to ask me now about any of the individual songs on the album, I wouldn't be able to tell you a thing. They were simply that forgettable.

The whole album would be that forgettable if its blatant contrast to Alan's usual sound and quality didn't make it noteworthy. And I honestly wish that the album was forgettable or non-existant.

Alan Jackson Great singer.......2007-05-28

I could listen to this CD over and over and never tire of it!
He always puts out winners and this one is too!
You will not be disappointed!

Could be better.......2007-05-15

I love Alan Jackson But this cd was not nearly as good as any of the past ones he has brought out. I was very disappointed with this one. It just did not do anything for me. All the songs sound too much the same.

Carreras · Domingo · Pavarotti ~ the three tenors in concert / Mehta

Average customer rating:

delivery went ok
A knockout performance
The night that started it all!
Great singing from the three tenors
Excellent. Like summer sunshine. manna from heaven!

Carreras · Domingo · Pavarotti ~ the three tenors in concert / Mehta
Francesco Cilea , Giacomo Meyerbeer , Giacomo Puccini , Franz Lehar , Vencenzo De Crescenzo , Salvatore Cardillo , Ernesto de Curtis , Agustin Lara , Pablo Sorozabal , Umberto Giordano , Leonard Bernstein , Vincenzo d' Annibale , Anonymous , Andrew Lloyd Webber , Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomizhsky , Juan De Dios Filiberto , Louis Louiguy , Ruggiero Leoncavallo , Rudolf Sieczynski , Joseph M. Lacalle , Eduardo di Capua , Zubin Mehta , Plácido Domingo , Luciano Pavarotti , and José Carreras
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The 3 Tenors in Concert 1994
The Best of the Three Tenors
Three Tenors: In Concert
The Three Tenors Christmas
Romantica: The Very Best Of Luciano Pavarotti

ASIN: B0000041XX
Release Date: 1990-09-05

Tracks:

Il Lamento Di Federico
O Paradis
Recondita Armonia - Luciano Pavarotti
Dein ist Mein Ganzes Herz
Rondine Al Nido - Luciano Pavarotti
Core 'ngrato
Torna A Surriento - Luciano Pavarotti
Granada
No Puede Ser
L'impovviso
E Lucevan Le Stelle
Nessun Dorma
Finale Medley: Maria - Tonight, 'O paese d' 'o sole, Cielito lINDO
Memory, Ochi tchorniye, Caminito
Mattinata ; Wien, Wien, Nur Du Allein, Amapola, 'O sole mio
Encore: 'O sole mio
Encore: Nessun Dorma

Amazon.com

Magic was created one starlit night in July 1990, when Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and José Carreras met onstage at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome and became the Three Tenors. They eschewed competitive instincts and cooperated in the spirit of mutual admiration to create one of the greatest musical events ever. This concert is an awe-inspiring orgy of the greatest hits for the tenor voice. Domingo and Pavarotti sing perfectly. The audience wins as these vocal supermen compete to seduce the hearts of the audience. One moment Domingo brings thrilling fire and pain to "E lucevan le stelle" from Tosca; the next, Pavarotti rises to heavenly heights in an inspired rendition of "Nessun dorma" from Turandot. Carreras is the competent little brother, one step behind the greatness of the big brothers from opera's Ponderosa. His singing isn't as captivating as that of the big boys; but his enthusiasm and passion are unrivaled. Mehta exquisitely captures the largeness of this bonanza through the grandiose orchestra. --Barbara Eisner Bayer

Customer Reviews:

delivery went ok.......2006-11-14

the item was delivered to me on-time and with no problems. however,i was looking for a DVD and not a audio Cd. might be good to clearly differentiate when the product is being advertised or shown.

A knockout performance .......2006-05-28

Like so many of the reviewers here I am not an opera aficionado. But I sensed immediately the night I saw this concert on television that this was one of those 'remarkable' artistic events. Domingo and Pavarotti both have such strength and beauty in their voices that they overwhelm. Carreras adds flavor and enthusiasm.
One of the most remarkable music performances I have seen.

The night that started it all!.......2005-11-02

You can read the technical information about the contents of this CD above. That is not what this review is about. I became intrested in opera about 1 1/2 years ago because of happening upon Mario Lanza. Since then, I have experienced many great truly operatic voices, including the "King," Pavarotti.
If you are just discovering opera, suffice it to say; Buy this album!!! It was the concert that launched the 3 Tenors phenomenon. It is full of uplifting, heart- tugging favorites, and you will find yourself listening to it over and over. Buy the dvd as well. It imparts absolute electricity! I am a young pianist and vocalist, and this concert is truly inspiring to me! You won't regret one penny you spend on this!

Great singing from the three tenors.......2005-06-23

This cd is a must-have for anyone interested in opera - or beautiful singing. And when you're at it - why don't buy the dvd from the concert? It will make you appreciate the cd even more.

First of all I have to comment on the editorial review of this cd. I felt the reviewer is "belittling" José Carreras here by saying he's one step behind the big brothers and his singing isn't as captivating as that of the big boys.....?!?!? Of course I can only speak for myself, but I feel she's way out of line. And I'm starting to wonder if she's been listening to the cd at all? In my opinion you have to be dead not to be touched by his rendition of "Lamento di Federico" and "L'improvviso". If anybody can deliver a line it has to be Carreras. When it comes to his interpretation of "Granada" even conductor Zubin Mehta was gobsmacked. Watching the dvd you can see him putting down his baton and applauding. He even steps down from his podium to hug José.

I have to say I'm not too keen on the two other tenors, although I have to admit I loved Pavarotti's "Torna a Surriento" and "Rondine al nido". The thing about Pavarotti is that he has a great singing technique and he's also in possession of this "push-button" which make him sing a lot of high notes, but that alone isn't enough to stir emotion.

As for Domingo, even if he's giving it all in every song, and his "No puede ser" was great,I think he's a bit too much on the nasal side. He's okay when they all perform together, but his "E lucevan le stelle" is sending shivers down my spine - and not of delight. I'm practically unable to sit still and listen to his solos. If you really want "fire and pain" you should check out Carreras in the Tosca-recording from -80, or his recording from -76. It's really breathtaking and I promise you'll end up in tears!

At the end of this concert the three tenors perform a medley together. Their voices blend perfectly and it's powerful to listen to them giving it all. A lot of people are talking about their mis-pronounciations. I for one, think it only adds to the charm of the performers. Pavarotti has some problems with the English songs (okay, big problems..), Domingo stumbles in the words in the beginning of "Wien Wien nur du allein", and (this you'll see in the dvd) in the same song Carreras is actually reading the text from a piece of paper as he's singing and his facial expressions when getting his head around the German words are really hilarious. O sole mio as an encore is fabulous when Pavarotti pushes his button and shakes out all his high notes.... And I love it when the two other join forces and repeat his stunt to perfection.

All in all this is a wonderful album. And well worth 5 stars.... José alone gets 10 stars!!!

Excellent. Like summer sunshine. manna from heaven!.......2004-05-28

This CD is terrific on so many levels. In celebration of one of the world's great sporting events - the World Cup of football (soccer to us stateside), three great tenors and one masterful conductor (Zubin Mehta) were brought together in one of the world's great cities - Rome -- for a special evening that we are blessed to have been able to listen to again and again.

The concert was held during the World Cup in 1990 at the Baths of Caracella, which are ruins of the once great Roman baths. In this beautiful setting Luiciano Pavrotti, Jose Carreas and Placido Domingo came together for one of the best CD's ever made.

The singing is exquisite. The passion of the crowd in this live performance should equal the reaction of the listener. This is art at its highest level. It is a celebration of great music, not just of opera, but in my opinion, the soaring human spirit. What power to move the soul! You don't need to be an opera fan to enjoy this music. If you like any kind of music, you cannot help but be affected by the power of this special evening. And what an evening, those in attendance were lucky to have been there!!

The casual listener will already know some of these arias, as they are from some the great operas of all time. However, I believe even the most hardenend opera fan, unless he or she is a real stiff, cannot be helped to be but moved by this music.

Tracks:

Crazy
Kiss From A Rose
Killer
Prayer for the Dying
Waiting For You
Don't Cry
My Vision
Love's Divine
Walk On By
Get It Together
Fly Like An Eagle
Human Beings
Future Love Paradise

Amazon.com

It's fair to assume that if you're a Seal fan, you prefer your pop shot through with substance. Using that as a guiding principle, you'll want to glide right into Best: 1991-2004 where you will encounter, throughout two discs and 27 songs, scarcely a second of musical fluff. All the expected goosebump-raisers come on disc one--"Don't Cry" follows "Prayer for the Dying" follows "Kiss from a Rose" follows "Crazy"--and they're interspersed with deeper cuts from Seal IV such as "Get It Together" and "Loves Divine" as well as a couple of covers that, in a lesser vocalist's hands, might have been catastrophic. Seal plays it subtle and sweet and Burt Bacharach's "Walk on By," sidestepping any instinct to belt, and the help he gets from Mikey Dread on Echo & the Bunnymen's "Lips Like Sugar" settles the song into a snazzified reggae-pop celebration. (Also included is Seal's soaring cover of Steve Miller's "Fly Like an Eagle," which proved his prowess as a cover artist with its chart success). Though "best" collections aren't normally upheld for their surprise elements--nobody likes a package that challenges with armloads of new stuff--disc two pulls off a neat stunt. It's a complete acoustic album, again encompassing the major radio hits but stretching to include tracks like the impossibly tender "Touch" and the meltingly gorgeous "Colour." Their unplugged presentation, with the artist on guitar, sets an up-close-and-personal tone that suits Seal. More to the point, it suits his fans, who'll take all the intimacy with the singer-slash-heartthrob they can get. --Tammy La Gorce

Album Description

Multiplatinum selling, Grammy winning, critically acclaimed Seal unveils his first greatest hits collection with Seal Best 1991-2004. But there's even more-along with the single-CD edition, with original album versions of 12 of his hits and best-loved tracks plus a cover song newly recorded by Seal ("Walk on By"), a double-CD package adds a disc of newly recorded acoustic versions of nine of those cuts (and four others). For fans of the pop, dance, urban and adult contemporary, Seal Best 1991-2004 is the quintessential Seal experience.

Customer Reviews:

I love this music!.......2007-07-20

I'm usually buy only R&B, but I decided to try a different type of an artist. I love listening to Seal! His style is cool, unique and very sexy. Definately a Seal fan!

I love love love this guy! .......2007-03-16

This album is one I can play over and over and not get tired of. His music is fun, inspirational, romantic and just beautiful. Highly recommended for those who just want to relax and comtemplate things with a nice sound in background, or turned up loud, it makes you smile and want to dance.

Seal it with a Kiss.......2007-03-11

Nobody does it better. All of Seal's greatest hits in ONE CD. Does it get any better than that?

"Greatest Hits" album could have been "greater".......2007-03-08

I would consider myself among the top 31 (arbitrary number, of course) Seal fans in the known world, and this greatest hits album is dynamic because it's Seal, but could have been better with a few missing songs. "Newborn Friend" is a lesser known hit to those who may not be as well-versed in Seal, and it definitely should have been included. It's one of his finest works and a far cry from "Kiss from a Rose" or "Crazy", his two most well-known hits. Also, a track or two extra from "Human Beings" would have been nice. I'm not sure why Seal seems hell bent on ignoring this album, which I still prefer over Seal IV, for some reason. He doesn't even seem to perform off of it much in concert. I could have done without "Lips Like Sugar", too. It just seems like filler. For what it's worth, though, the acoustic album that comes with the special edition of the greatest hits disc is stellar and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Now how about Seal V?

essential seal.......2007-02-06

if you like Seal, this is a great compilation to add to your collection. always relaxing yet refreshing, I listen to this CD along with music by Sting, Sarah McLachlan, Phil Collins & Peter Gabriel for a nice afternoon of relaxation with my MMOs or RPGs like Sims2.

Average customer rating:

tried and true
I can't say enough ...
Jack White's homage to true Country Music
An album that is as brilliant as it is improbable
AWESOME

Van Lear Rose
Loretta Lynn
Manufacturer: Interscope Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Get Behind Me Satan
The Definitive Collection
De Stijl
White Blood Cells
Broken Boy Soldiers

ASIN: B0001XASDA
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Tracks:

VAN LEAR ROSE
PORTLAND OREGON (DUET WITH JACK WHITE)
TROUBLE ON THE LINE
FAMILY TREE
HAVE MERCY
HIGH ON A MOUNTAIN TOP
LITTLE RED SHOES
GOD MAKES NO MISTAKES
WOMEN'S PRISON
THIS OLD HOUSE
MRS. LEROY BROWN
MISS BEING MRS.
STORY OF MY LIFE

Amazon.com

Garage-rock hero Jack White producing honky-tonk legend Loretta Lynn? And Lynn comparing him to renowned Nashville producer Owen Bradley? Yes, we all know the world is rapidly shrinking, but now we've seen everything. Most stunning of all--they nailed it. For the first time, Lynn has written all of an album's songs, and her lyrics are as cutting and incisive as ever. On the powerful, biting "Family Tree," she brings her babies to the home of her husband's mistress so that they can see the "woman that's burning down our family tree." Throughout she cunningly tackles tried-and-true honky-tonk themes of love gone bad, drinkin', cheatin', and murder. Lynn even offers a compelling slice of theological fatalism ("God Makes No Mistakes"). White's production--mostly stark and atmospheric--ranges from more-traditional country to straight-up White Stripes, with most tracks falling somewhere in between. White duets with Lynn on the rousing one-night-stand story "Portland, Oregon," but he does not need to sing to leave his personal stamp. At 70, Lynn seems thoroughly engaged and delighted; at times she delivers some of the most emotionally potent singing of her career. A decade earlier, Johnny Cash turned to rock and rap producer Rick Rubin, and the move resuscitated Cash's career. Now, Jack White has done the same for Loretta Lynn, another country legend whose music is simply too raw and honest for the contemporary country crowd. Van Lear Rose exceeds all expectations--a bold collaboration in which artists from two different musical universes forge a memorable work that neither could have created alone. --Marc Greilsamer

Album Description

Loretta Lynn "Van Lear Rose" Produced and Arranged by Jack White of the White Stripes

Customer Reviews:

tried and true.......2007-04-17

I can't really add to what's already said concerning this album, except to say that I think its an important album in one very important regard. Country music in the '80s started pulling away from their elder statesmen, in a most baffling and disrespectful manner. No other genre is this classless or callous. Every other genre of music embraces their pioneers and still includes them in their playlist. Country radio on the other has a severe case of ADD. This pass-the-black-hatism is still in full force today, as most country fans have never heard the Van Lear Rose album, even a track of it, on country stations.

Now having stated that, is this the greatest country album of all time...no. That's an scewed assesment since country has never been album oriented save for a scant few gems. This may well be Lynn's best album, but that's not a huge accomplishment by country standards, since country has always been a 'singles' oriented business, unless of course its a best of compilation. It is very much a Loretta Lynn album in that she is still capable of writing frankly about infidelity. Lynn was the first female to address the other woman in a cheating song and she does so here very poignantly in "Family Tree", where she takes her children to the house of the woman who is "sleeping" with her husband to let the children see the woman who's "burning down the family tree" and stating "I'm not here to fight...I wouldn't dirty my hands on trash like you". This isn't new territory for Lynn but it is a path that she blazed and quite frankly, she still the only one who seems to do it well (unfortunately for her, she's had first hand experience in these matters).

It's also important to make a distinction from this album and the last few works of Johnny Cash, with whom this effort is constantly compared. Cash's last efforts were not country albums, but Lynn's is every bit as country as anything she's ever recorded and save for a few thrashy guitar flourishes by Jack White, this effort would fit right along side of anyhting she's done. She's not a powerhouse vocalist anymore, but she represents herself very well and is not the aquired taste that Cash was on his last few albums.

The few poor reveiws this album will recieve here are the result of people not appreciating Lynn's style in the first place and those who wanted a White Stripes styled album. Again, Lynn didn't need to mine any new territory since she still owns the territory and has no equal in an era of pefabricated paper dolls and black hats. This is a great country album that exhalts country music, a genre which deserves no credit for this album's existance.

I can't say enough ..........2007-01-12

I can't say enough good things about this album. Up front, I'm a huge Jack White fan and his hand in it alone made me want to buy it. I grew up on Loretta and like most mountain girls "Coal Miners Daughter" was a song I began singing in the shower when I was five. So I was eager to see what the partnership produced.

I waited on this for a year (after hearing it was in the works). Lynn is as magical as always and that she chose to go in such a different direction, especially at her age (my grandfather is sorely disappointed) and at this point in her career was a brave move. But it worked. I don't do album reviews, and I'm no music guru. But I like what I like. White Stripes fans will love the album. So will country music fans who can appreciate the new twist.

Jack White's homage to true Country Music.......2007-01-02

Jack White appreciates classic country and bluegrass music. This is evident with his involvement in Goober and the Peas, contibuting to the Cold Mountain soundtrack, and even the sounds in his band, the White Stripes, particularly his latest album, Get Behind Me, Satan. Jack White also loves his own sound but not in a narcissistic way. In my opinion, this album has nothing to do with Loretta Lynn, specifically. Jack White wanted to give back to classic country and bring it back to modern radio for a whole new audience. He knew he could not do this alone, however. If he came out with a classic country sounding album, he could possibly alienate his rock fans, and the country music listening community would not respect it, nor him. Thus, Loretta Lynn comes into the picture. She is his muse because she IS classic country. From her upbringing to who she is today, she epitomizes all that classic country makes itself to be. She is simple, humble, earnest, and genuine, a true classy country woman in every way (he showcases her personality and spirit in her "story" Little Red Shoes).

Now in terms of classic country, the songs Loretta Lynn wrote are not groundbreaking. She covers a myriad of situations that have been done before by other artists, as well as herself, but don't let that stop you from taking a listen. Though the songs may seem cliche, that's what Jack White wanted. He wanted her to write from her country heart her country life experiences in a heartfelt, simple, and honest way, encompassing the aura of classic country. He took it upon himself to give it his own personal style to give it a modern flair, and he created an album that takes the listener on an emotional journey, from foot stomping hand clapping joy to lamentful heart-wrenching sadness. He did an excellent job capturing the true spirit of Loretta Lynn and re-introducing classic country to an audience who isn't familiar with it.

An album that is as brilliant as it is improbable.......2006-08-31

Who'd a thunk it? Loretta Lynn, the grande dame of country music, retired for most of a decade with only a single mediocre album to show for her return to the business after her husband's death, teaming with punk-garage genius Jack White to produce the best album of her career. I only recently discovered this beauty of a disc. I had Lynn's MCA collection ALL TIME GREATEST HITS, which contained about all of the Loretta Lynn I ever expected to own. But going on a White Stripes binge lately it suddenly inspired me to sample the album I remembered he had done with Lynn. It simply bowled me over.

Before country outsider Willie Nelson started attempting to record true albums in the seventies, the rule in country music had been to produce a couple hit singles and then surround them with rapidly recorded schlock, figuring that fans would buy the albums for the two or three gems, ignoring the rest. As a result, there are very, very few great or even very good country albums before the seventies and eighties. Almost every country artist (George Jones is one of the few exceptions) is best collected via the hits anthology since their albums mainly consisted of filler. Jack White, however, comes from a different background. In indie rock the tendency is to make every song count and there are scores of albums on which all or nearly all of the cuts on a disc are first rate or at least interesting.

What is amazing here is that Lynn excels at producing an entire album of original material. On no other album has she ever contributed so many original songs. Jack White, on the other hand, seamlessly adjusts to country. This is no surprise, since he seems to possess and almost limitless musical vocabulary. Here he keeps the production simple and to the point, always keeping Loretta's voice clearly at the center of things. His guitar playing calls less attention to itself than on White Stripes recordings but instead uses it to brilliantly and tastefully enhance every song.

The most surprising thing about the album is how strong the songs are. Very, very few performers continue to write new material as they approach seventy. Ray Charles for the last couple of decades of his life merely recycled the hits of his creative decades, producing little or no new material. One would hardly have blamed Loretta Lynn if her comeback had consisted merely of performing the huge number of hits from her catalog. Instead, she has created a set of songs that stand comparison to anything she has created. The title track is simply brilliant, and there are a string of absolutely stellar cuts from beginning to end. "Family Tree," "High on a Mountain Top," "God Makes No Mistakes," and "Trouble on the Line" are all vintage Loretta Lynn. "Miss Being Mrs." is almost unbearably personal, as she sings about her departed husband. Country songs are stuffed to overflowing with spouses leaving spouses, but knowing that her husband left her by dying brings a deep poignancy to this song. She is absolutely brilliant in the ultra feisty number "Mrs. Leroy Brown," all the way down to the end when she suddenly says, "Come on Jack, let's get out of here." But the highlight of the album for me is unquestionably "Portland Oregon," which tells of two people meeting in a bar. Though Loretta Lynn is listed as the writer of the song, it is so thoroughly embellished with classic Jack White touches he should get co-credit. This is the only song where the two switch vocals and the results are just exquisite. Who would have thought a 30-year-old punk rocker and the 70-year-old grandmother could kick it like this? White's guitar work is brilliant, while Lynn's lyrics are simply delightful, as well as being delightfully inscrutable. The very first words of the song are:

Well Portland Oregon and sloe gin fizz
If that ain't love then tell me what is

The rest of the song tells of a man and woman meeting in a bar for a night of passion, driven by great guitar, wonderful vocals, and great lyrics. For instance, Loretta sings:

Well sloe gin fizz works might fast
When you drink it by the pitcher and not by the glass

Some might wonder how strong Loretta Lynn's voice is. After all, she was nearly 70 when this was recorded. She clearly isn't as strong a singer as she was in the sixties, and her age shows when she tries to sustain a note for any length of time, but all in all her voice is amazingly strong. If you compare her work here to any of Johnny Cash's work with Rick Rubin, she is in vastly better voice than Cash was. Cash adjusted wonderfully to aging, making the changes to his voice work wonderfully with his material. He clearly was a different kind of singer than he was in the rest of his career. Loretta Lynn, on the other hand, is pretty much the same singer she always was and stylistically has had to make no concessions to age.

This album has to go down as one of the great and unexpected delights in the history of music. I'm hoping the two of them can get together for an encore. If we don't, at least we got this one brilliant collaboration.

AWESOME.......2006-07-16

Loretta Lynn rocks. Awesome cd. "Portland Oregon" is one of the best songs I have heard in a long, long, time. No one says "Oregon" like Loretta. Rock on, Loretta!

Average customer rating:

spiritual americana
Rich Heritage
Superb
Can't walk away from it!
Mana from Heaven

American Angels

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Gloryland
Wolcum Yule: Celtic and British Songs and Carols - Anonymous 4 with Andrew Lawrence-King
1000: A Mass for the End of Time / Anonymous 4
A Portrait Of Anonymous 4
The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen

ASIN: B0001ADB4Q
Release Date: 2004-02-10

Tracks:

Holy Manna
Abbeville
Wondrous Love
Sweet Hour Of Prayer
Jewett
Dunlap's Creek
New Britain
The Morning Trumpet
Resignation
Poland
Wayfaring Stranger
Sweet By And By
Blooming Vale
Idumea (I)/Idumea (II)
Sweet Prospect
Shall We Gather At The River
Amanda
Invitation
Parting Hand
Angel Band

Amazon.com

This, Anonymous 4's final recording, is a break from their usual "early music" periods and locations; it presents American music, religious in nature, from the 18th and 19th centuries. And it's absolutely beautiful from start to finish. Their normal, exquisite technique and purity here blend to sound the way we imagined the ladies' choir in church meetings in America past might have sounded: sweet, sincere, and with harmonies recognizable yet somehow fresh. Some of the songs begin with the women singing "fa, so la" exercises, which was called "shape note" singing because some places taught singing with notes as shapes--circle, rectangle, diamond, triangle. But it's the music that counts, and there are treasures here. They include two versions of "Amazing Grace," one familiar, one with an unusual melody and a piece called "Blooming Vale" which is as sophisticated as anything on their previous albums. "Shall We Gather at the River" is performed with a clarity and loveliness that makes us forget that it's normally sung as background to movies about the Great Depression. The foursome sometimes sing in rich harmonies and occasionally alone or in pairs or trios. This is glorious Americana and highly recommended. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

spiritual americana.......2007-01-06

I have some of the older Anonymous 4 recordings which are more medieval
and gregorian in style (I love them!). They move on to cover spiritual
basics of the 1800s. If you like classical music, perfect harmonies
and spiritual americina, then you will be blessed!

Rich Heritage.......2006-10-11

Anonymous 4 consistently produces exquisite and authentically beautiful recordings and this one presents early American hymns in ways few groups can manage. Some tunes are highly recognizable while others are 'new' to me but a refreshing reminder of the singing heritage of religious societies in times past. For those who enjoy old hymns and authentic renderings, this is a must buy.

Superb .......2006-08-07

This collection of American Christian music is not only an enthralling musical experience but a spiritually uplifting one as well. Anonymous Four have transferred their luminous vocal quality to a new space with perfect success.

Can't walk away from it!.......2006-08-07

My only "complaint" about the CD is that I absolutely HAVE to sit and listen to the entire thing whenever I start it up! I usually have music playing in the background while doing other things, but not this one! There are no tracks that I find myself wanting to skip over as in most collections. In fact, I usually find myself going back and listening to selected tracks again (and again and...) after taking the hour+ to listen to the whole thing through once.

These four ladies produce a unique and remarkable sound. I can't recommend it enough.

Mana from Heaven.......2006-05-08

I think the title of this CD is perfect. I first heard an interview for this CD on Public Radio and fell in love. I had never heard Anonymous 4 before then but look for all I can find of their music now. The title is perfect as the women sound like Angels and the music lifts the spirit. I find myself singing the old version of Amazing Grace all the time now. Incredible and a huge blessing to all who hear it.

Average customer rating:

Nice songs from this album
Not bad
The best from the three greatest...
Just Like the Real Thing!
Powerful and moving!

The Best of the Three Tenors
Luciano Pavarotti , Placido Domingo , Jose Carerras , Zubin Mehta , and James Levine
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Three Tenors Christmas
Carreras · Domingo · Pavarotti ~ the three tenors in concert / Mehta
Romantica: The Very Best Of Luciano Pavarotti
The 3 Tenors in Concert 1994
Pavarotti: Greatest Hits

ASIN: B00004UB8A
Release Date: 2002-06-11

Tracks:

'O sole mio
Funiculi, funicula
Libiamo ne' lieti calici (Brindisi)
Sous le ciel de Paris
Torero quiero ser
Parlami d'amore, Mariu
Manha de Carnaval
Lolita
Dicitencello vuie
Core 'ngrato
Because
You'll Never Walk Alone
Singin' In The Rain
Maria
Tonight
'O paese d' 'o sole
Cielito lindo
Ochi tchorniye
Caminito
La Vie en Rose
Mattinata
Wien, Wien, nur du allein
Amapola
Lippen schweigen
Brazil
Sous les ponts de Paris
Torna a Surriento
Nessun dorma
La donna e mobile

Amazon.com

Back in 1990, three of the world's most celebrated tenors--namely, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti--combined forces to create the Three Tenors, now celebrated on a best-of CD. They gave their first concert in Rome. The event was recorded and went on to become one of the best-selling classical titles of all time.

This latest release brings together tracks from that night in Rome (including "Nessun dorma" and a competitive rendition of "O sole mio") with music performed in a 1994 concert in Los Angeles and at the 1998 event in Paris where the Three Tenors sang to an audience of thousands with the Eiffel Tower as their backdrop.

The 22 tracks making up The Best of the Three Tenors range from operatic standards, such as the joyful "Brindisi" from La Traviata, to popular songs like "Singin' in the Rain" and "You'll Never Walk Alone" (from Carousel). There are no solos on this disc; each piece is performed by all three singers. And with plenty of applause and cheering to be heard, not to mention the sense of fun in the singers' voices, the disc captures the atmosphere of these extraordinary musical events. --Rebecca Agnew

Customer Reviews:

Nice songs from this album.......2007-07-22

This is the first album I have acquired of the Three Tenors, and it was wonderful. The selections were easy to listen to and familiar to me. None of the heavy operatic selections. It is the best. I will buy more albums of them.

Not bad.......2006-03-18

This is a good recording. If you don't like the 3 tenors, then look else where. It's that simple. These are recordings from concerts where they WERE supposed to show off. This ain't opera. If you want opera, go out and attend one.

The best from the three greatest..........2005-08-11

The first thing we must establish here is that this is not meant to be opera. This is three exceptionally talented tenors enjoying themselves and giving tremendous joy to those listening by singing mostly popular "evergreens" and also some operatic arias. The beauty in music lies in the diversity, in my opinion. One can better appreciate one type of music when one knows about the others. And why should we limit ourselves to listen to just one genre in music. It would be the same as having steak for dinner every day for the rest of your life, wouldn't it? So why should we limit three wonderful tenors to only sing operatic arias for the rest of their lives? If so we wouldn't have "Maria", "You'll never walk alone", "Singing in the rain" or any of the evergreens on this recording and that would be a shame.

There are no solos on the cd. I think I've read somewhere that they felt there had been enough "three tenors cd's" and if they were to release yet another one it would be one containing what the audience demands, the three of them joining forces and performing together in the songs.
The result, in my opinion is highly recommendable. The three voices blend perfectly together. I have to admit that I have a personal favourite among the tenors and that I would never buy an entire recording featuring only one of the two others, but I recognize their talents and -as stupid as it may sound- since they are performing together I can also appreciate the other two. (I like them too, but in smaller doses....)Some people have commented on their problems with mastering the english language. If anything, I think it just adds to their charm. By the way, who is perfect??

The songs on this cd is a mixture of beautiful songs, heartwrenching songs, toe-tapping songs and powerful songs. It's wonderful to just listen to the beauty in the three voices. It's fun hearing Pavarotti pushing his "high-note-button" in "O sole mio" and Carreras and Domingo copying his stunt. I have no idea what they're singing about in "Manha de Carnaval", but boy does it sound romantic...... And "Dicitencello vuie" brings tears to my eyes (even if I'm still left in the dark when it comes to understanding the meaning of the words...) In "Because" Carreras takes my breath away when singing "because God made thee mine, I'll cherish thee...through light and darkness, through all time to be, and pray his love may make our love divine...." (What woman wouldn't like to hear those words..??!?) Their rendition of "You'll never walk alone" should satisfy some of the soccer-fans since it's the anthem of a European football-club and "Nessun Dorma" will probably satisfy the rest of the soccer-fans, being the antheme of the 1998 world soccer championship. In short, there should be something for every taste on this cd.

It's a very "versatile" cd. You can play it almost everywhere. You can sing along to it in the car, you can dance around the house to it while doing your chores, you can put your feet up and unwind after a hectic week. Or you can write an Amazon review while listening to it.... (Feel free to add suggestions of your own here.....)

To make a long story short - a very enjoyable cd!

Just Like the Real Thing!.......2005-07-14

A few years ago I was lucky enough to actually see a Three Tenors concert. The experience was amazing. Later I bought this CD. I was so happy when I listened to it because the CD captures the mood of being present at the concert. I like the variety and every time I play it, I am taken back to my personal experience at the concert. Hearing the audiences on the CD really gets you excited about hearing this amazing trio.

Powerful and moving!.......2004-10-21

I got this CD as a gift and it changed my life! I was always a rocker and liked classical music, but never was much into this genre of music. This album changed all of that. Since getting the three tenors I've found a whole new world out there. Thank you guys!

Average customer rating:

Beethoven for Babies
Nicest classical CD I have found for my baby (& me)
Ode To Beethoven
Pseudoscientific crap, but some of the music is good here
Nicest classical music CD I've found for my baby (& me)

Beethoven for Babies

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Mozart Effect - Music for Babies - Playtime to Sleepytime
Build Your Baby's Brain
Mozart for Mothers-To-Be: Tender Lullabies for Mother and Child
The Mozart Effect: Music For Babies: Nighty Night

ASIN: B000009OU6
Release Date: 1998-08-11

Tracks:

Six National Airs With Variations, Op. 105: The Cottage Maid (Welsh)
Six National Airs With Variations, Op. 105: The Last Rose Of Summer (Irish)
Six National Airs With Variations, Op. 105: Chiling O'Guirg (Irish)
Six National Airs With Variations, Op. 105: English Bulls (Irish)
Ten National Airs With Variations, Op. 107: St. Patrick's Day (Irish)
Ten National Airs With Variations, Op. 107: O Mary, At The Window Be (Scottish)
Ten National Airs With Variations, Op. 107: Oh, Thou Are The Lad Of My Heart (Scottish)
Ten National Airs With Variations, Op. 107: Fur Elise
Ten National Airs With Variations, Op. 107: Piano Sonata No. 8 In C Minor ('Pathetique') - Adagio cantabile
Ten National Airs With Variations, Op. 107: String Quartet No. 13 In B-Flat - Alla Danza Tedesca. Allegro assai
Ten National Airs With Variations, Op. 107: Piano Sonata No. 7 In D - Menuetto (Allegro)
Ten National Airs With Variations, Op. 107: The Creatures Of Prometheus - Finale. Allegretto
Ten National Airs With Variations, Op. 107: Piano Sonata No. 18 In E-Flat - Menuetto (Moderato e grazioso)
Ten National Airs With Variations, Op. 107: Piano Sonata No. 20 In G - Tempo di menuetto
Ten National Airs With Variations, Op. 107: Symphony No. 8 In F - Allegro scherzando
Ten National Airs With Variations, Op. 107: Symphony No. 9 In D Minor ('Choral') - Ode To Joy
Ten National Airs With Variations, Op. 107: Piano Sonata No. 15 In D ('Pastoral') - Rondo (Allegro ma non troppo)
Ten National Airs With Variations, Op. 107: Symphony No. 6 In F ('Pastoral') - Hymn Of Thanksgiving

Amazon.com

For the parent looking to ease their child into a familiarity with classical music, this is a very well chosen set of Beethoven works. It begins with a generous selection of airs composed late in the composer's life. The presence of the flute as the lead instrument on these selections has a soothing quality that moves the ear in an ideally subtle way, especially as it gives way to the more excited piano sonata pieces. Zoltán Kocsis's reading of "Pathétique" is followed by Claudio Arrau's take on the 7th, 15th, and 18th sonatas and Sviatoslav Richter's lyrical take on the 20th ("Pastoral"). Programmed amidst the piano pieces, which are great studies in dynamics and musical spacing, are some fine orchestral snippets, none longer than five minutes. The collection does a fine balancing act, condensing works that don't inherently lend themselves to shortened renditions and carefully managing moods, entry, and egress to each segment. This is fine anthology work. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Beethoven for Babies.......2007-05-21

My baby and I really enjoy this CD. It is so fun to feel the baby get excited when I play it. I have a pillow speaker and just place it right up against my stomach. It evens helps me to get in a nap or just rest for a while.

Nicest classical CD I have found for my baby (& me).......2005-09-01

This is a very pleasant CD to listen to, and I think the quality of the music is excellent. I enjoy listening to this with my 10 month old son, and we also listen to the radio and lots of modern music. I recently purchased 5 of the classical "Baby Einstein" CDs and I consider them to be inferior to this Beethoven for Babies CD. The Baby Einstein are very synthesized sounding and I think they are annoyingly mellow and kind of dopey. This Beethoven CD is beautiful. In fact I'm going to buy 1 or 2 more from this series.

Ode To Beethoven.......2005-05-13

The actual reason I bought this cd is for "Fur Elise" but it turned out to be much more than I bargained for. Before road rage sets in while sitting in a traffic jam during rush hour, play this. If you need to take it easy and escape from your reality, play this. Need something to play at work that's not explicit or offensive, play this. Of course, it's not Beethoven himself, but if you need some quiet time, play this. Even while you read, you could play this. If you want some authenticity to your collection, get Beethoven for Babies.

Pseudoscientific crap, but some of the music is good here.......2004-05-27

The 3 stars is only because the hucksters that put this together at least had the decency to tracks featuring Arrau & Richter on this CD. A lot of these "turn your baby into a genius with classical music" CDs and tapes feature only lousy musical performances from hack musicians you have never heard of.

That having been said, if you are stupid enough to believe any of this "Mozart Effect" horse manure --- which continues to have no support in any sort of controlled test environment --- then your babies will probably inherit your limited intellectual capacities & no amount of Beethoven & Mozart will ever be able to help them.

If, on the other hand, you are introducing Junior to classical music, you could do worse --- but you could also do better. Go get Arrau's complete Beethoven sonatas & concerti, get the Berg Quartett's complete Beethoven quartet cycle, and get John Eliot Gardiner's complete Beethoven symphonies --- just for a start. Also, don't stop with Beethoven & Mozart. My 9-month old daughter gets a diverse exposure to a thousand years of music, and very little is off limits. She got acquainted with the Bartok Quartets within her first couple of months, and it doesn't look like we have created an axe murderer or anything like that.

Anyway, if you want to create a classical music lover, do it right and go the distance, rather than doing it piecemeal with CDs like this. Your baby may still be a moron, but at least will be a moron with exquisite taste.

Nicest classical music CD I've found for my baby (& me).......2003-11-23

Average customer rating:

mullet mccartney
Getting Your Wings.
Essential Wings material, but only for a few cuts
Paul's Best
Paul's Best, After McCartney

Red Rose Speedway
Paul McCartney , and Wings
Manufacturer: EMI/Parlophone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Venus and Mars
At The Speed Of Sound
London Town
Wild Life
Back To The Egg

ASIN: B00000721M
Release Date: 1993-06-08

Tracks:

Big Barn Bed
My Love
Get on the Right Thing
One More Kiss
Little Lamb Dragonfly
Single Pigeon
When the Night
Loup (1st Indian on the Moon)
Medley: Hold Me Tight/Lazy Dynamite/Hands of Love/Power Cut
C Moon [*]
Hi, Hi, Hi [*] - Paul McCartney, Paul McCartney & Wings
Mess [Live][*]
I Lie Around [*]

Amazon.com

You could trawl the rock & roll archives all the way back to the start and never find an album quite like Red Rose Speedway. Which is not to say that it's great. Just that it's... weird. Though it's a Wings album, it's entirely irradiated with Paul McCartney's personality--to the extent that virtually the entire band left him while attempting to rehearse for the supporting tour, claiming they couldn't operate in his huge, overbearing shadow. You can see where they were coming from. Red Rose Speedway, right down to the cover shot of Macca with a rose in his mouth, is about Paul McCartney, specifically his unique ability in the '70s to pump up slight, pretty songs to the scale of "Hey Jude," seemingly unaware or unworried that that didn't necessarily make them as good as "Hey Jude." The high spot is the saccharine sauciness of "My Love," a lurching soft-focus ballad about his wife's sexual excellence. The rest of it--lazy, lushly produced rock, sometimes sweet, sometimes just cloying, but always unmistakably Macca--is worth hearing if just to ponder: "What the hell did he think he was doing?" --Taylor Parkes

Album Description

Digitally remastered reissue of their top 10 1973 EMI album featuring the #1 smash 'My Love' & four bonus tracks: the hits 'C Moon' & 'Hi, Hi, Hi', plus 'The Mess' and 'I Lie Around'. 13 tracks total. 1993 EMI release.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Edition of Wing's Third Album that Includes a Revised Booklet with Artwork from the Original LP Release plus all the Song Lyrics, Including the Bonus Tracks: ' C Moon', 'hi Hi Hi', 'the Mess' and 'i Lie Around'.

Customer Reviews:

mullet mccartney.......2007-07-06

Yes,Linda was the one who wanted the mullet,at least that's what I read once. Anyway,RRS is another effortless showcase of Macca's musical genius.
"My Love"-another great love song off the assembly line.
Only one more kiss" and
"Single Pigeon"- both songs for those who participate in the male-female conflagration that is also known as marriage. It appears that the ideal couple that Paul and Linda were could also throw some fists once in a while.The Abbey Road-like medley...it's all here. McCartney showing us all how it's done.Someday,Macca will get his due.I was a Lennon-Harrison guy before,but I am beginning to see just how much McCartney propelled the Beatles along,especially in the later years.In a limited sense,Macca WAS the Beatles.

Getting Your Wings........2007-05-05

Not a great album, but one with a few hidden treasures and worth a listen. Wings were on the verge of bigger and much better things. This was the beginning of their successful run in the charts going all the way to #1.

1. Big Barn Bed - A stomping and raucous effort that hinted Wings stadium rock prowess.

2. My Love - Overplayed ballad that was a #1 hit for Wings.

3. Get on the Right Thing - Picked up where he left off from on RAM. Fun pop song.

4. One More Kiss - Sappy love song.

5. Little Lamb Dragonfly - Beautiful acoustic based song.

6. Single Pigeon - A charming little song, I like it.

7. When the Night - A gospel sounding number. Brilliant vocals from Paul. Nice harmonies from the band.

8. Loup (1st Indian on the Moon)- experimental and dispensible.

9. Medley: Hold Me Tight/Lazy Dynamite/Hands of Love/Power Cut - A clever ending medley of songs. I will single Hands of Love it is a killer and should have been a single, its a pleasure to listen to. This medley on a whole ends the album on a hopeful note but goes nowhere near Macca's medley on the end of Abbey Road, which many think he was going for here.

Bonus tracks/singles

10. C Moon [*] - Silly but groovy

11. Hi, Hi, Hi [*] - Infamous Wings rocker, great song of the times.
12. Mess [Live][*] - Early Wings rock.
13. I Lie Around [*] - instrumental.

Essential Wings material, but only for a few cuts.......2007-04-05

OK, any Wings fan must pick up this album, cuz the first side is quintessential; however, Paul makes one of his few missteps as Wings frontman for the ENTIRE second half. Fortunately, the 4 bonus tracks from around the same time period resurrect the listener's eardrums, and remind us of Paul's typical standards of excellence.

Big Barn Bed -- A catchy rocker which showcases much of the energy Wings would channel in their following album (Band on the Run). Paul and the band scream and wail about sex, with a great hook chorus that never lets go. You pretty much have to get out of your seat and dance to this one.

My Love -- For whatever reason, Paul threw away all that energy, and now showcases an exquisite ballad about Linda, SMOTHERED with gorgeous orchestration. This is GOOD slow Macca, as opposed to the later half of the album.

Get On The Right Thing -- This a catchy rock song, with Wings' voices making it all come together (and make you sing along too). The lyrics don't make any sense, but that never stopped Paul! ;) You'll thump your foot to this one for sure

One More Kiss -- This is Paul's silly side, i.e. You Gave Me The Answer and Baby's Request. And, like those other later titles, it is quite endearing and likeable. A little bit of country twang here sonically.

Little Lamb Dragonfly -- Haha, this is it! This is probably Wings' second-best song (first would be Maybe I'm Amazed). This song = utmost beauty. A long, mystical dip into the afterlife, the lyrics here are Paul's best out of any song. Definitely worth the meager price you have to pay :)

Single Pidgeon, When The Night, Loup, Medley -- HORRIBLE! Abysmal. Evidently Paul overexerted himself lyrically, sonically, melodically, ANYTHINGcally in the first side of the disc. All 4 of these songs bite. Paul gets a quite unmusical, short phrase, and repeats it over and over again all throughout Single Pidgeon, When The Night, and Medley -- as I mentioned earlier, this is BAD slow Paul, and casts darkness over the entire album. Do yourself a favor and NEVER listen to this trash.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, the Bonus Tracks come and renew the listener's liking of Sir McCartney.

C Moon -- A singable reggae jive. Great, with a cute kid's choir.
Hi, Hi, Hi -- Sensual, suggestive lyrics line this hard rocker. Reminds us of Wings' ability to rock.
The Mess -- A catchy rocker with nonsensical lyrics
I Lie Around -- Vaudeville, but lacking. Not bad though

And that wraps up the album. Definitely worth picking up for the outstanding first half and C Moon and Hi,Hi,Hi. ALso, the cover is trippy and gritty, I love it.

Paul's Best.......2006-11-30

This Wings line up was the best ever and the writing on this album is Paul's best as a solo in my opinion. It has aged very well. Band on the Run and Ram seem a little light weight to my ears now and all three of those albums were favorites of mine as a teenager. Red Rose is just a classy album. It only has one bad song and anyone who loves the album knows which one I'm talking about.

Paul's Best, After McCartney.......2006-06-12

George is my FAVORITE Beatle, but Paul is the one that continuously released the best post-fab-four albums. I have loved Red Rose Speedway since I was 12 years old. I listen to it often, and am re-purchasing the CD, mine seems to have mysteriously disappeared. (Three teenage daughters who were brought up right to LOVE the Beatles, yes I think one of them has it.) Little Lamb Dragonfly is awesome. Get on the Right Thing--fabulous. The medley of Hold Me Tight/Lazy Dynamite/Hands of Love/Power Cut is worth buying this CD alone!

The Rose: The Original Soundtrack Recording

Average customer rating:

Mother of Pearl is Divine!
A gut wrenching portrayal
Bette Midler's moment in the sun
two thumbs up way up!
Bette Midler sings herself to an Oscar nomination

The Rose: The Original Soundtrack Recording
Bette Midler
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Rose
The Divine Miss M
Bette Midler - Greatest Hits-Experience the Divine
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ASIN: B000002J5A
Release Date: 1995-08-29

Tracks:

Whose Side Are You On
Midnight In Memphis
Concert Monologue
When A Man Loves A Woman
Sold My Soul To Rock 'N' Roll
Keep On Rockin'
Love Me With A Feeling
Camellia
Homecoming Monologue
Stay With Me
Let Me Call You Sweetheart
The Rose

Customer Reviews:

Mother of Pearl is Divine!.......2006-10-05

Bette Midler's voice has an almost shamanic power in her career-making "Rose" based on Janis Joplin's fast and hard life. Raw, potent, and sulty .... enough to put the listener into an altered state. A vocal tribute to the legendary troubled and deeply tormented Texas Rose.

A gut wrenching portrayal.......2006-05-20

A gut wrenching vocal portrayal of a life engulfed in insecurities, self-doubt and low self-esteem, Bette Midler shines in the semi autobiographical songs that one could imagine Janis Joplin singing in writing. Bette's strong and powerful vocals tug at the heartstrings, bring laughter to the tip of your tongue and sorrowful moments in your heart. Hauntingly familiar yet vaguely distant, her gutsy renditions of the songs lead a lasting impression in your mind. This is a must-have for your CD collection.

Bette Midler's moment in the sun.......2005-08-17

If Bette Midler ever gets inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame, she can call "the rose" her ticket in. Her performance in this movie, both as an actor and as a singer, reached new heights, and she has probably never been better at either. Blues and rock'n roll suit her so well you have to wonder why she didn't go this route again. High point: her version of "When a man loves a woman" which gives a well known, done-to-death classic a new spin. Midler AC fans will also bask in the light of the main theme. Ignored at the academy awards (although Bette's performance wasn't) the song did win the Golden Globe months before becoming a big radio hit.The soundtrack also earned Bette the Grammy for best female pop performance of 1980.

two thumbs up way up!.......2004-11-07

This is an grammy album.You will get to hear the most amazing album in rocknroll history.This album not only shows the vocal talents of the divine miss m.But shows how bette midler works her butt off on this album.THis is what kicked off Bette Midler's showbiz career.This is two thumbs up.

Bette Midler sings herself to an Oscar nomination.......2003-10-18

The soundtrack for this 1979 film is the most paradoxical album of Bette Midler's career. "The Rose," the album, is arguably the best of Midler's live albums, but the songs are all new and more in the mode of rock 'n' roll ala Janis Joplin than the 1940s boogie woogie and other song types that brought Midler to prominence. As if to underscore the point, "The Rose," the song, plays to Midler's strengths as a vocalist while running counter to all the other songs on the album. It is a beautiful song and there really is a sense in which it is the only true Bette Midler song on the album, because the rest are being sung by Mary Rose Foster, a.k.a. "The Rose," the singer. But overall, the soundtrack is basically the best parts of the film.

With "Midnight in Memphis" Midler proves she could be a pretty great blues signer and "Stay With Me" takes on almost epic proportions as the Rose self-destructs on stage before her hometown audience. The flaw of this album, if you want to call it that, is that these songs are performed in character. You have to pity the person who pickes up this soundtrack without having seen the film and does not understand why Midler's voice goes through some serious deterioration in the final set of tracks. Compare "Stay With Me" with her cover of "When a Man Loves a Woman" and you have a sense of what might have been (or the version on "Divine Madness"). Still, there is something to be said for staying faithful to the film in this regard, which is why it is a pity the concert monologue has been sanitized. Of course, if you have seen the movie then you have to wonder why the tour de force version of Bob Seger's "Fire Down Below," which the Rose does with a bevy of female impersonators, was ommitted from the soundtrack because there is no way it would be considered the least worthy song from the film.

This album was produced by Paul Rothchild, who also did "Pearl," Joplin's final studio album, which certainly explains how Midler manages to capture the Joplin sound during the concerts recorded in the summer of 1978. You have to wonder what sort of demons Rothchild exorcised in putting this album together. The album made it to #12 on the Billboard charts while the the cover of "When a Man Loves a Woman" made it to #35 and then the title song made it to #3 as a single after Midler got her Oscar nomination (how it avoided hitting the top I do not know). In retrospect it seems there was no place for Midler to go but down after her smash film debut, but while she has never had a cinematic success to rival "The Rose," this is the film that put her on the A list of performers, a spot that she still inhabits. Final Note: I always liked "Camellia," the instrumental piece that Steve Hunter wrote as the Rose's introduction music. Like most of the songs on this album, it is one when the images of the film and the music are entwined in my mind.

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