Barbarella [Import]

barbarella [import]

Track Listings

1. Barbarella

2. Goodnight Alfie

3. Spaceship Out of Control

4. Ski Ride

5. Hungry Dolls

6. Love, Love, Love Drags Me Down

7. Pygar Finds Barbarella

8. I Love All the Love in You

9. Labyrinth

10. Pygar's New Wings

11. Fight in Flight

12. Entrance into Sogo

13. Hello Pretty Pretty

14. Pygar's Persecution

15. Black Queen's Beads

16. Dead Duck

17. Pill

18. Smoke (Viper Vapor)

19. Sex Machine

20. Chamber of Dreams

See all 30 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Soundtrack for 1968 Sci-Fi thriller starring Jane Fonda. The space-age pop score has influenced contemporary musicians like Duran Duran & Matmos. The lyrics & music are by Bob Crewe & Charles Fox. Includes free Jane Fonda as Barbarella poster! Import only.

Barbarella,Various Artists,Harkit,Film Music,Soundtrack,Soundtracks,Space Age Pop

Barbarella [Import]

Average customer rating:

Revival Musical Hits the Mark
Check out Company!
This recording disappoints, especially in relation to the live performance
GOOD COMPANY
Maybe I am partial to Esparza

Company (2006 Broadway Revival Cast)

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Spring Awakening (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast)
Grey Gardens - A New Musical (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast)
A Chorus Line - The New Broadway Cast Recording (2006 Broadway Revival Cast)

ASIN: B000LV6R4G
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Tracks:

Opening
Company
The Little Things You Do Together
Sorry-Grateful
You Could Drive a Person Crazy
Have I Got a Girl for You
Someone Is Waiting
Another Hundred People
Getting Married Today
"What did I just do?"
Marry Me a Little
Side by Side by Side
What Would We Do Without You?
Poor Baby
Barcelona
The Ladies Who Lunch
"You have a good third husband, Joanne"
Being Alive

Amazon.com

There may be no original Broadway cast recording more iconic than 1970's Company, with its funky organ sound and Elaine Stritch's not-quite-there high notes, but the December 2006 Broadway revival makes its own mark. For Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's piece about a single man observing the benefits and follies of marriage, director John Doyle borrows the same controversial concept he used for his 2005 Sweeney Todd: the actors playing instruments on stage (now referred to in many circles as "Doyle-izing," and not always with affection and delight). But when you're listening to a cast recording, as Bobby would say: What do you get? For one thing, you'll have to adjust to some different sounds created by Doyle and his music supervisor, Mary-Mitchell Campbell. It's a benefit in "Side by Side by Side," which begins with a jazzy double-bass line. It's a drawback in "You Could Drive a Person Crazy," in which the trio's doo-doots are replaced by their saxophone lines. You also get "Marry Me a Little," cut from the original show but by now very familiar and welcome, as well as a lot of the contextual dialogue before, between, and even within numbers. Finally, the strong cast led by Raul Esparza makes this the best-sung Company we've ever gotten (and they play very well too), and Stephen Sondheim's score is still a landmark in musical theater. There will never be a replacement for the original Broadway cast recording, but this revival recording can stand on its own and in some respects may be more flat-out enjoyable to listen to. --David Horiuchi

Album Description

Maverick British director John Doyle, a 2006 Tony Award winner, enjoyed a surprise Broadway hit last year with his radical reworking of Sweeney Todd. He dispensed with the pit orchestra and handed all the instruments over to his on-stage performers, who doubled as musicians in between their turns acting and singing. Doyle has taken a similarly unorthodox approach to his revival of another Stephen Sondheim classic, the revered yet notoriously difficult to stage Company. As with Sweeney Todd, the results of this theatre-as-concert have entranced both critics and audiences. Linda Winer of Newsday called it "the very best revival that Broadway has ever seen of Stephen Sondheim's landmark 1970 musical."Variety described it as "striking, revelatory and thoroughly compelling." For Sondheim fans, the recorded score to Company has long been as much an object of adoration as the six-time Tony-winning play itself. Company on disc functions as a deeply moving song cycle, even apart from George Furth's libretto, about the vicissitudes of marriage and the joys and trials of the single life, seen through the eyes of the coolly dispassionate Manhattan bachelor Bobby on the occasion of his 35th birthday. This is truly the stuff of sex and the city - wry, sophisticated, painfully honest and deeply melancholy, even in a comic seducing-the-stewardess duet like "Barcelona." As with Sweeney Todd, which featured a bravura performance from lead actor Michael Cerveris, Doyle has found in rising star RaÃºl Esparza (Cabaret, Taboo, The Normal Heart) an extraordinary singer and actor who, in the words of the New York Times' Ben Brantley, gives Company "the most compelling center it has probably ever had." "Mr. Doyle and his invaluable music supervisor and orchestrator, Mary-Mitchell Campbell, have shaped Company into a sort of oratorio for the church of the lonely," says Brantley. He also praises the work of the entire ensemble - playing five married couples, three single women and one deeply ambivalent, unmarried man: "It's their work as a team that sounds new depths in Company in ways that get under your skin without your knowing it." Variety's David Rooney concurs: "Angel Desai's `Another Hundred People' nails that quintessential New York song; Heather Laws lands every laugh in the mile-a-minute `Getting Married Today' with amazing speed and clarity; and Barbara Walsh is bone-dry as brittle, world-weary Joanne. She reveals the emotional hunger beneath the character's hard shell and adds fresh nuances to `The Ladies Who Lunch,' a song indelibly associated with Elaine Stritch." As Time Out New York put it, "Sondheim's expert musical etchings, his acid craftsmanship, remain unmatched." Sondheim fans will note that this new version of Company, to be released by Nonesuch and PS Classics, restores the original act one closer, "Marry Me A Little," which was dropped from the show before its 1970 Broadway debut; the song has since taken on a life of its own as an orphaned Sondheim gem. The Company cast album is produced by PS Classics co-founder Tommy Krasker (Sondheim's The Frogs, Saturday Night, Assassins, and Sweeney Todd, among others). Along with Company, Nonesuch has also released the original cast album to Doyle's 2006 production of Sweeney Todd and the Tony-nominated A Light in the Piazza, which features a score by Nonesuch artist Adam Guettel.

Customer Reviews:

Revival Musical Hits the Mark.......2007-07-13

Raul Esparza's performance in this revival makes the album a must have. What a talent! What a show! Well worth the cost.

Check out Company!.......2007-07-11

I fell in love with this show when I saw it in NYC and I promptly bought the cast recording upon my return. This was one of those shows that I'm sure will resonate with me for the rest of my life. Although the show doesn't seem to make much sense by listening to the cast recording, you understand what its about and even though this show was written more than 40 years ago, its still relevant today. The theme of marriage and domestic partnership is still something that remains in the minds of all people; whether married or single. This cd airs out all of the thoughts that we all have likely heard or felt in our lifetime.
This cd is truly beautiful and by far one of my favorite Broadway cast recordings of all time.

This recording disappoints, especially in relation to the live performance.......2007-07-07

I am going to assume for a moment that anybody reading this and the other reviews is already a fan of Sondheim and Company. I am also going to assume that most people reading this are familiar with multiple recordings of this show and, hopefully, multiple performances. This is the best and truest means of judging a show, its score, and its recordings. Of course this isn't always possible, but in regards to this show, I have to say this new recording of Company is probably the weakest of the bunch ESPECIALLY after first seeing the show live. I also saw the "Doyle" Sweeney last year and think the new orchestrations were brilliant and translate well to recording. Imagine my surprise when I recently saw the new Company and found it to not only equal but SURPASS the impact of the Sweeney staging. I had purposely delayed the purchase of the new cast recording until I had first seen the show live and unfortunately the CD doesn't contain the excitement, originality, and freshness that was portrayed by the actor/musicians on stage. I think Company is nearly the ideal show for this minimalistic approach but on the recording, it just seems... empty? The listener is also drawn to shortcomings in the musical performances (instrumentally) that I didn't notice (or forgave) when I was in the theatre because the experience in and of itself was so moving and direct. I also don't want to get caught up in an argument of whether this is the best sung version or not, because it all depends on your personal preference/prejudice. The singers in this show may be the best *trained* from a technical standpoint, but the passion portrayed by the singers of the OBC will never be paralleled. All in all this is a decent recording but certainly not definitive and not the one I would recommend to someone who has never heard the show before.

GOOD COMPANY.......2007-07-01

If you're a Sondheim fan, or if you just like lyrics that challenge the listener, this version of COMPANY is a must. I saw this production on Cincinatti before it moved to Broadway, and it was perhaps the most enjoyable theater experience I've had. The soundtrack is a great listen, even if it's all familiar, much of it having been covered by other artists since the show's first soundtrack in 1970. It all builds to a powerful emotional climax when Raul Esparza sits down at the piano and sings "Being Alive". Magical. Buy it--you won't be sorry, only grateful...

Maybe I am partial to Esparza.......2007-06-29

I love the revival of this show. I think its a beautiful version of Company with lovely vocals. I might be partial to Esparza but I truly think that this was a great revival. I think its a wonderful rendition of the Sondheim classic.

Average customer rating:

barbara better thab barbra
Perhaps the most exquisite recording of her career
The Beauty of Musicals
The best
She never stops amazing you

No One Is Alone
Barbara Cook
Manufacturer: Drg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast)
110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast)
Company (2006 Broadway Revival Cast)
Barbara Cook at the Met with Special Guests
Legends of Broadway

ASIN: B000NI3FKG
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Tracks:

Something's Coming
Never Never Land
The Surrey With the Fringe On Top
Medley: Long Before I Knew You/I Fall In Love Too Easily
Nobody Else But Me
Some Other Time
No One Is Alone
You're What I Need
Medley: One More Kiss/Goodbye For Now
I Wish I Could Forget You
Lover, Come Back To Me!
No More
Make Our Garden Grow

Customer Reviews:

barbara better thab barbra.......2007-07-13

Now in her mellow old-wine years, Barbara Cook continues to amaze. She weaves her voice through well=chosen songs with honey-sweetness leaving the growls and bombastics to the "other" barbra.

Perhaps the most exquisite recording of her career.......2007-07-07

Forget the fact that Ms. Cook is celebrating her 80th birthday in October. This recording is breathtaking for its vocal and emotional artistry and integrity, and any student of the vocal art will be blown away by her total mastery of this baker's dozen group of songs. Impossible to pick the highlight; perhaps Sondheim's "No More," or her amazing connection of his "One More Kiss" and "Goodbye for Now" (two songs that have sadly had few recordings). Certainly the final duet with the equally remarkable Kelli O'Hara of "Make Our Garden Grow" from CANDIDE, Ms. Cook's triumph of over 50 years ago, should bring chills and tears to the hardest of souls.

The Beauty of Musicals.......2007-07-05

Barbara Cook wraps her gifted voice around a number of favorites from the world of musicals, everything from Passion to Peter Pan. The arrangements are simple but heartfelt and will stay in your ear long after the CD has stopped playing. A must buy for fans of Barbara Cook or musicals!

The best.......2007-07-05

This is the best Barbara Cook CD in a long time. The choice of material is outstanding and Barbara is in great voice.

She never stops amazing you.......2007-06-14

This most recent CD reveals that Barbara Cook's interpretive powers have only grown: how could you not be moved by "Something's Coming" from West Side Story, with a wonderful combination of Bernstein's upbeat tempo and some lovely, reflective moments. With Sondheim's "No One is Alone" and "No More" from "Into the Woods" and some pieces from "Passion, a little Rogers and Hammerstein and finally ending up with "Make our Garden Grow" from Bernstein's "Candide," fans of Cook's miraculous artistry are in for a never-too-soon fix. Those of you who love musical theatre and don't know this glorious treasure have a huge treat in store. Don't wait. Push that button now!

Average customer rating:

AWESOME!!
MacRae and Jones soar in this tragic R&H musical
Great Music
Response to David Pabian's review below
Gummed up an Original

Carousel (1956 Film Soundtrack)
Shirley Jones , Claramae Turner , Robert Rounseville , Cameron Mitchell , Barbara Ruick , Robert Rounseville , Richard Rodgers , Oscar Hammerstein II , and Gordon MacRae
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Oklahoma! (1955 Film Soundtrack)
The King and I (1956 Film Soundtrack)
South Pacific (1958 Film Soundtrack)
Camelot (1960 Original Broadway Cast)
The Music Man (1962 Film Soundtrack)

ASIN: B00005A7XD
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Tracks:

Introduction - Gordon MacRae/William Le Massena
Main Title: The Carousel Waltz - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
You're A Queer One, Julie Jordan - Barbara Ruick/Shirley Jones
When I Marry Mr. Snow - Barbara Ruick
If I Loved You - Shirley Jones/Gordon MacRae
June Is Bustin' Out All Over - Claramae Turner/Barbara Ruick
June Is Bustin' Out All Over Ballet - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
Soliloquy - Gordon MacRae
Blow High, Blow Low - Cameron Mitchell
When The Children Are Asleep - Robert Rounseville/Barbara Ruick
A Real Nice Clambake - Barbara Ruick/Claramae Turner/Robert Rounseville/Cameron Mitchell
Stonecutters Cut In On Stone - Cameron Mitchell
What's The Use Of Wond'rin - Shirley Jones
You'll Never Walk Alone - Shirley Jones/Claramae Turner
Ballet - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
If I Loved You (Reprise) - Gordon MacRae
You'll Never Walk Alone (Finale) - Shirley Jones
Carousel Waltz (LP Version) - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman

Amazon.com

Richard Rodgers always considered Carousel his favorite score, even though it didn't generate the number of popular hits of some of the other shows he produced with lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. Their adaptation of the Ferenc Molnar play Liliom is marked by three especially sublime moments. "The Carousel Waltz," Rodgers's alternative to the traditional Broadway overture, serves as an orchestral backdrop to the opening scene and is one of the best miniatures ever written for the theater. "If I Loved You," which establishes the romance of carnival barker Billy Bigelow (Gordon MacRae, a late replacement for Frank Sinatra) and nice girl Julie Jordan (Shirley Jones), is a musical minidrama in which the pair's discussion of how they are not in love reveals just how much they are in love. "Soliloquy" is Billy's powerful solo that foreshadows the action to come in Act II. Add the inspirational anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone," and you have Rodgers and Hammerstein's most extraordinary, near-operatic score. On the soundtrack for the 1956 film, MacRae and Jones are in exceptional voice (following their success in 1955's Oklahoma) and the orchestra sounds glorious, but unfortunately some of the numbers were shortened, most notably "If I Loved You." Extensive production notes, an interview with Jones, and a synopsis are included. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

AWESOME!!.......2007-05-12

LOVE SOUND TRACTS FROM OLD MOVIES - SING ALONGS AND THE BEST ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE TRAVELING AND CAN SING LOUD. IT IS A KEEPER

MacRae and Jones soar in this tragic R&H musical.......2007-02-11

This film adaptation of Carousel came shortly after the Oklahoma! film and reunited Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones. Although the film was not well-received at the box office, the soundtrack shows MacRae, Jones and the superb cast performing their roles to their heart's content. Their performance helps bring out the pathos in this tragic R&H musical, which Rodgers himself considered his favourite of all his works.

MacRae shines vocally as Billy Bigelow, bringing an open-hearted musicality and sincerity to his stout-hearted portrayal. MacRae stands out in Billy's pivotal Soliloquy, which some reviewers have considered one of the finest vocal performances of the 20th century. He is well-partnered by Shirley Jones, who lends her tender voice and personality to her portrayal as Julie. Listen to the chemistry they exude during the pivotal If I Loved You duet, as if they're overcoming their shyness and drawing sustenance from each other with their love. The supporting cast also gives its all in performing their roles. Claramae Turner's hearty Nettie brims with sincerity, warmth and tenderness, and she leads a rousing rendition of June is Bustin' Out All Over and renders You'll Never Walk Alone touchingly. Barbara Ruick and Robert Rounseville are superb as Carrie and Mr. Snow, although I admit I would have liked a little more humour. I also admit I would have liked Cameron Mitchell as Jigger to sound more sinister, like Fisher Stevens did in the 1994 Broadway revival recording. But even as it is, everyone sings gloriously and is given sumptuous backing from Alfred Newman's superb arrangements and the 20th-Century Fox Orchestra, when it shines out in the ballets.

If I'm adding to the praise of these critic-proof performance, you'll wonder, why am I giving only 4 stars? Well, it's because the extra sound effects from the unreleased sequences tend to jar after a while. I know some of you are complaining that the dance sequences are plagued by extraneous sound effects and noise. I share the same feelings too and also wish that the producers had utilised the original studio pre-recordings for a sumptuous listening experience. However, let us at least be grateful that Didier Deutsch and his production team have made these unreleased sequences available on a soundtrack CD reissue. At least it's a step in the right direction before the entire canon of R&H film soundtracks (yes, including South Pacific and The Sound of Music) gets its due as deluxe 2-CD sets, complete with underscore.

However, don't let this gripe dissuade you from buying this soundtrack. It offers a complete musical experience that one could only dream of in the previous CD reissues of the soundtrack. And it demonstrates the element that Rodgers & Hammerstein were discovering in their musicals.

Great Music.......2007-01-04

Rogers and Hammerstein were in a different league when it came to writing musicals. Their music, lyrics and story are never alike. These two partners were exceptional and their music shows it. Carousel is a tragic story but also shows that human nature can rise above adversity. The music is wonderful and the characters believable. A great movie.

Response to David Pabian's review below.......2004-06-30

Response to David Pabian's review:

My review was not in error, as Mr. Pabian expects. The review was for the original CD release, not this expanded version. Amazon lifted it out of that spot and dropped it here, which of course makes it anachronistic. Why they did it without reading it is certainly an inept decision.

Gummed up an Original.......2003-06-10

This overblown "completeitis" has got to stop. The original soundtrack album Carousel Waltz is now relegated to Appendix status, and terrible sonics accompany dancers' footstomping in the "new" expanded musical sequences, taken directly from the soundtrack rather than from still-existing musical tracks. There was a reason soundtrack recordings were studio performances. The proportions were right, the timings were correct for an overall BALANCED listening experience. These gawdawful expanded editions, often with dialogue thrown in, completely throw off those balances. An argument might be made for expanded sequences appropriate to a CDs longer playing time than the standard L.P. 45min., but possibly only if those sequences are from their original studio-recorded, pre release-print mix -- which could have easily been done in this case. A quick word on one of the above reviews: This is not the first time the complete Carousel Waltz is heard in stereo. There were two previous CD remasterings of the original soundtrack whereon it was included. And the reprise of "If I loved You" was part of every soundtrack release, mono and stereo.

The Music Man (1957 Original Broadway Cast)

Average customer rating:

Music Man
One of This Country's Finest Musicals Beautifully Re-Mastered
We need a new remaster, nonetheless
Accept no substitutes!
Preston and Cook are the best ever

The Music Man (1957 Original Broadway Cast)

Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Classic Musicals | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

My Fair Lady (1956 Original Broadway Cast)
South Pacific (Original 1949 Broadway Cast)
Camelot (1960 Original Broadway Cast)
West Side Story (1957 Original Broadway Cast)
Guys & Dolls: A Decca Broadway Original Cast Recording (1950 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B00000DQTY
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Overture/Rock Island
Iowa Stubborn
Ya Got Trouble
Piano Lesson
Goodnight My Someone
Seventy Six Trombones
Sincere
The Sadder-But-Wiser Girl For Me
Pick-A-Little/Goodnight Ladies
Marian The Librarian
My White Knight
Wells Fargo Wagon
It's You
Shipoopi
Lida Rose/Will I Ever Tell You
Gary, Indiana
Till There Was You
Finale

Amazon.com

Although Robert Preston and Barbara Cook put in stellar performances, it's the music that's the star of this hugely successful document of the 1958 Broadway smash. Written entirely by Meredith Willson, it drew from memories of his childhood in a small Midwestern town. Preston plays a traveling salesman/con artist, while Cook is the dull spinster "Marian the Librarian," whose love for Preston's character makes her come alive. "Seventy-Six Trombones" has become a marching band standard, while "Ya Got Trouble" (featuring dizzying fast-talk from Preston) and "'Til There Was You" (with a gorgeous vocal from Cook) remain well known even among those who have never seen the show. The latter was also a favorite of the Beatles, who covered it on their first album. --Dawn Eden

Customer Reviews:

Music Man.......2007-02-09

The original cast recording brings back the memory of the live production I saw which will always be superior, in my opinion, to the movie version. However, the movie was one of the better "reproductions" of this genre.

One of This Country's Finest Musicals Beautifully Re-Mastered.......2006-11-23

THE MUSIC MAN opened on Broadway on December 19, 1957 to rave reviews from the critics, adulations from the captivated audiences, and the beginning of a long run. This wondrous musical is an 'opera' of sorts in that the piece is not a series of songs connected by the usual musical comedy spoken dialogue. Meredith Willson wrote the music and lyrics in such a way that there is not an extraneous note or word that doesn't contribute to the totality of the work.

Despite the multiple reincarnations of this brilliant show both on film and recording, none of them compares to this original cast. Imagine Barbara Cook (lithe, and new) as Marian the Librarian: Cook still reigns as one of our finest voices on the stage and cabaret rooms today. Robert Preston is not only rich in personality he also delivers the immensely complex patter songs with deft authority. And the Buffalo Bills add the multiple barbershop quartet numbers with authentic sound and professionalism.

This musical holds all of the joys and imaginations and longings that we all hold so dear in our memories of how things used to be - and it is so terrific to return to that stage of ecstasy again. This is a must own CD. Grady Harp, November 06

We need a new remaster, nonetheless.......2006-10-22

A very interesting photo on the liner booklet's back cover demonstrates the one real flaw in this otherwise classic recording: it shows Robert Preston at the album sessions singing at two mikes, a fat Neumann with a Capitol flag and a skinny one, probably an AKG. This can only mean Capitol recorded this in simultaneous mono and stereo takes. With all that knob twiddling the balance had to go off, a problem not entirely corrected by the reissue engineer Bob Norberg, whose remasterings of Ol' Blue's Capitol mono output have earned scorn from some Sinatraphiles for their slight fake echo and stereo effects. (He remastered just about every album in the Broadway Angel series; the monos all appear to have the echo and stereo.) I guess we should be happy to have this in any form at all given how the other majors turned it down. Capitol was late and indifferent to the cast album trade, and it only had three hits before making its monumental closing botch of "Follies." However the label approached it it's still a great and exciting score perfectly performed. Who could have imagined a hit musical with a barbershop quartet? And if only all women could sing like Barbara Cook! Who says you can have too much of a good thing?

With the show's fiftieth anniversary coming up (!) now would be a good time for a remaster. (I know, I know, I'm tired of paying repeatedly for the same product too, but this deserves it.) It should include a second disc with the 1959 Capitol documentary LP "And Then I Wrote 'The Music Man'", where Meredith Willson and his wife Rini detail the eight years of trials and rewrites behind the show. Nor would it hurt to have bonuses like Willson's original take on "Till There Was You" (called "Till I Met You," which Fran Warren evidently first sang on "The Big Show") or a few licensed pop balladeers of the day -- and maybe examples like the 70s jingle for the late lamented Oldsmobile ("Oh ho the new Oldsmobile is a -- comin' down the line...."). It must also include Willson's contentious JFK physical fitness tune "Chicken Fat", recorded about the time "The Music Man" was filmed and available only on oddball Web music sites, where Preston yells and grunts himself into an athletic -- passion. (I keep thinking Allan Sherman recorded a full version of his notorious parody "76 Sol Cohens", but I guess he didn't.) The whole thing should end with a live public-radio performance from 1980 or 1981 where Willson led the superb Detroit Concert Band in "76 Trombones" and "The Stars and Stripes Forever" -- an apt and brilliant finish.

No, I have not forgotten the Beatles, but I fear neither have their lawyers.

Accept no substitutes!.......2006-08-22

This the best version of "The Music Man" available, especially if you're looking for the Broadway cast. The performances here are all terrific, the recording and mastering are great, and the liner notes are informative and thorough. "The Music Man" is available in several other versions and forms, including other releases of the same original cast recording, but without the good mastering or liner notes found here. My wife and I, hoping to listen to this great show with our kids, first purchased other versions that were easier to find (e.g., on iTunes) and those were major disappointments. Buy this CD (Broadway Classics from Angel) and accept no substitutes.

Preston and Cook are the best ever.......2006-07-15

Yes, the film is a delight, and Shirley Jones is certainly good as Marian. But the original cast album of this wonderful musical remains the best version ever, mostly thanks to Barbara Cook, whose voice was and remains a miracle of rare device to listen to.

For years I thought I was the only person who was in love with her voice, wearing out vinyl LPs of this musical with replaying. Then, in the early 80s I saw Cook in a one woman show in London, and discovered I was part of a fanatical following! The other reviews here on Amazon confirm the truth: there is only one truly great Marian, Madam Librarian.

Watch the movie, which is a terrific adaptation of the stage show, go to professional and amateur revivals of the musical, but buy this recording of the score for repeated listening. There is nothing better.

Average customer rating:

Beethoven Lives upstairs
beethoven lives
Such lovely memories come back....
You won't regret this purchase
You will not regret this purchase

Beethoven Lives Upstairs

Manufacturer: Children's Group
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Mr. Bach Comes To Call
Mozart's Magnificent Voyage
Mozart's Magic Fantasy: A Journey Through 'The Magic Flute'
Vivaldi's Ring Of Mystery
Tchaikovsky Discovers America

ASIN: B00000212L
Release Date: 1995-03-20

Tracks:

Symphony #7, Mvt.2
Symphony #5, Mvt.1
Medley: Piano Sonata, Op.90, Mvt.2/Flute Serenade, Op.23, Mvt.3/Violin Romance #1, Op.40/Symphony #2, Mvt 4
Medley: Pathetique Sonata, Op.13, Mvt.2/Contradanse #1 In C
Medley: Symphony #5, Mvt.2/Piano Sonata, Op.14 #2, Mvt.2/Flute Serenade, Op.23, Mvt.1
Medley: Polonaise/La Marmotte/Country Dance In A/Fur Elise/Flutnuhr
Medley: Sonatina In G/Minuet In G/Violin 'Spring' Sonata, Mvt.1/Ecossaise
Moonlight Sonata, Op.27 #2, Mvt.1
Flute Serenade, Mvt.2
Symphony #6, Storm Scene
Nel Cor Piu Variations
Medley: Piano Concerto #1, Mvt. 1/Piano Concerto #5, Mvt.2
Medley: Bass Excerpts From Symphony #9/Violin 'Spring' Sonata, Mvt.4/Rage Over A Lost Penny/Symphony #6...
Symphony #9, Mvt.4
Sonata Opus 49 #2, Mvt.2
Symphony #6, Shepherd's Theme

Product Description

CLASSICAL KIDS: Beethoven Lives Upstairs -- a tale of genius and childhood THE STORY: Young Christoph exchanges letters with his uncle about the chaotic arrival of Mr. Beethoven into his house. In the end, he is won over by the music and true incidents from the great composer's life. THE MUSIC: Over two dozen excerpts, including Symphonies#5-9, the "moonlight and pathetique" Sonatas, Violin "Spring Sonata", Flute Serenade, and pieces children play: Sonatina in G+, Minuet in G+, Fur Elise.

Customer Reviews:

Beethoven Lives upstairs.......2007-05-12

I bought this product as we the whole family are spanish spoken and we find this type of products very helpfull to maintain and further develop our english language skill continue to growth while entretained.

beethoven lives.......2007-01-10

the cd brings the power of beethoven's music and life story to all who will listen. you don't even need to be a musician!

Such lovely memories come back...........2006-11-21

I owned this on cassete as a kid and I am so sad to have lost it. I fell asleep to this tape as a kid, and now Beethoven has an almost nostalgic feel about him. WONDERFUL album!! :D

You won't regret this purchase.......2006-04-07

This is a wonderful CD. It's narrative is quite pleasing and of course the music is fantastic. We listen to this in the car and my 7 yr old daughter just loves it. It has sparked some interesting conversations. I am very pleased with it and will most definitely purchase others in the series.

You will not regret this purchase.......2004-09-11

I bought this CD and the others in the series - Mr. Bach Comes to Call and Mozart's Magical Adventure and my oldest son, who is 4, will put this CD in first thing in the morning and listen to it and all the others 2-3 times a day. They all are charming and intelligent enough that I don't mind listening to it over and over again with him. All of the CDs in the series have well told stories that integrate the music beautifully and give you a brief but complete history of these musicians and what life was like for them. Enjoy!

Hildegard von Bingen: Canticles of Ecstasy

Average customer rating:

Simply awe inspiring and amazing
Ecstatic Music, Ecstatically Performed.
canticles of Ecstay
Hildegard von Bingen: Canticles of Ecstacy
Devine Music For Tranquil Hearts

Hildegard von Bingen: Canticles of Ecstasy

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Feather on the Breath of God
Hildegard von Bingen: Voice of the Blood
Vision: The Music of Hildegard von Bingen
Hildegard von Bingen: Heavenly Revelations
Luminous Spirit

ASIN: B000001TYF
Release Date: 1994-12-13

Tracks:

O vis aeternitatis - Sequentia
Nunc aperuit nobis
Quia ergo femina mortem instruxit
Cum processit factura digiti Dei
Alma Redemptoris Mater
Ave Maria, O auctrix vite
Spiritus Sanctus vivificans vite
O ignis spiritus Paracliti
Caritas habundat in omnia
O virgia mediatrix
O virdissima virga, Ave
Instrumental
O Pastor Animarum
O tu suavissima virga
O choruscans stellarum
O nobilissima viriditas

Amazon.com

Although Hildegard von Bingen's music has been around for 900 years--and recordings of her music for decades--it seems that only now, as we approach the turn of another millennium, the time is right for the world to pay attention. In this first-rate traversal of her music--the most popular of several volumes released by the early-music ensemble Sequentia--we hear music that resulted from Hildegard's legendary visions, which often included song texts that she subsequently collected and dispensed to her religious community of women. As rendered here by the voices and instruments of Sequentia, her music invokes an unobscured sense of mystery, conforming to Hildegard's belief that music was our bridge to the harmonies of the heavens. Whether or not we're experiencing that "heavenly harmony" here, the simple, direct, beautifully turned melodies, sung by pure, finely tuned, warm-colored women's voices, often eerily accompanied by an instrumental drone, is heavenly enough. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

Simply awe inspiring and amazing.......2007-05-20

One would have to listen to this music to understand the power it will hold over you. Ethereal and almost eery, yet full of power, grace and triumph, this will be a mainstay in your collection. The only thing resembling it that the mass public would be aware of is Gregorian Chant, although this is it's own beast and so much more. It's not expensive, buy it and see for yourself.

Ecstatic Music, Ecstatically Performed........2007-05-13

I had first heard this performance of St. Hildegard of Bingen's "Canticles of Ecstasy" on sound cassette and loved it.

The music is sublime. The female voices are heavenly, without a hint of sentimentality.

When you listen to "Canticles of Ecstasy" you will know how this medieval nun and composer felt about things.

Caution. They could make a believer of you.

canticles of Ecstay.......2007-03-23

This is a very good CD I highly recomend it if you love chant. I am glad to have it in my collection.

Hildegard von Bingen: Canticles of Ecstacy.......2006-07-25

This CD will transport you to another space and truly put you in touch with the sublime! If you are a massage therapist,I recommend it for use during your sessions. Anyone can use it as part of his or her meditative spiritual practice regardless of your particular faith.

Devine Music For Tranquil Hearts.......2006-02-23

I have searched through many composers, performers and albums... in search of this one sound. It only existed in my heart and mind until Hildegard von Bingen's work was recorded by this talented group. This music makes you feel like you are floating on your back - in the ocean - staring at the moon.

Average customer rating:

A thoroughly fascinating piece of work
A passed experiment

Steve Nieve: Welcome to the Voice

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Balls
Sky Blue Sky
Back to Black
Release the Stars
A Tribute To Joni Mitchell

ASIN: B000MGB3DU
Release Date: 2007-05-15

Tracks:

Prologue Of Dionysos
Song Of the Ghost Of Carmen
Medley: Grand Grand Freedom: A) Dust And Contempt/B) Grand Grand Freedom/C) We Are the Workers
Unfailing Welcome To the Voice
Song Of the Ghost Of Butterfly
Song Of the Ghost Of Norma
To Be Is Strong
Perfume Song
The Desire Of Dionysos
Troublemaker
Don't Touch Him
Distanciation
Happiness?
Despair
The Unlikely Duet

Amazon.com

Composed by longtime Elvis Costello keyboardist Steve Nieve and set to a surreally episodic, multilingual libretto by his life partner, Muriel Teodori, this singspiel/dramatic oratorio describes the obsessive passion of an opera-loving steelworker of Greek extraction (Sting) for a diva (Barbara Bonney), a not-unheard-of situation in either real or reel life. Although Dionysos (the hero) seems to hover on the edge of becoming a textbook psycho-stalker (the cover photo of a hard-hat kissing his saw does little to dispel this impression), all ends well, if unbelievably. Blue-collar boy not only narrowly avoids incarceration (Elvis Costello appears as a police officer) but even gets next to the ermine-collar girl. Scored for string quartet with piano and reed improvisations, the work's avowed raison d'être was to allow voices from various backgrounds, classically trained and otherwise, to encounter one another on a level playing field. This might have been more successful if the singers were better matched in terms of texture and production. As it is, the sopranos soar effortlessly, allowing the music to do the work, while the male pop stars take the opposite approach, working up a sweat at the drop of an emotion. Musically, despite arresting juxtapositions between conventionally melodic power-pop and 20th-century atonality--to say nothing of a blazing concluding "yes" sung by all involved--the composition comes across more as a study in parallels rather than a unifying force. But even so, the point does get across, and so ambitious and heartfelt an adventure is always worth checking out. --Christina Roden

Customer Reviews:

A thoroughly fascinating piece of work.......2007-06-12

In the few weeks I've had the disc I've only heard it in part ; in the background as I worked , reading etc. This evening, for the first time, I played it through in full, no distractions except for occasional glances at the sun setting over the distant Wicklow mountains and trees behind Foyle mansions. Such undivided attention brought in to focus a thoroughly fascinating piece of work. A collection of voices blend with the subtlest of instrumentation to tell a simple story. Once it's accepted that no hugely groundbreaking piece of social commentary is part of the package ( I mean that as a compliment) it is possible to get totally lost in it.

Earlier 'distracted' listening had me thinking Elvis Costello's contribution was too loud and just not right. However it's with his abrasive introduction from track 10 - 'Troublemaker' ( such an apt title!) - onwards that the show really kicks into gear. He is the 'grit' that contrasts so tellingly with the artfulness of the other contributors. It leads into a six track sequence that, in it's build up of emotion, is stunning.

Robert Wyatt is the star of the show. All the others are excellent but it's contribution that keeps popping up in my memories , especially 'Happiness'.

In short this is a album that has to be listened to in full to get it's proper effect. None of your in-ear , train/car journey etc. background listening ; in a room , on speakers , loud. It's a circumstance that can be a bit of luxury in the frantic pace of life but , in this case, well worth the effort. Sympathetically produced, it would make a great stage-show. Well done, one and all.

A passed experiment.......2007-05-25

Steve Nieve and Muriel Teodori spent 10 years on this project. Very well spent time! They had a lot of hard times, obviously it wasn't a simple project. Bringing together great classical and jazz-pop artists to record an "Opera" isn't a thing you can easily do. But for their and our luck they finally succeded. I had to check twice who was singing the first track, 'cause I couldn't believe it was Sting. And notice I love Sting from 1980. The most moving track is number 3, Grand Grand Freedom. It is sung by Robert Wyatt plus Sting and others. I found myself almost in tears from commotion. His fragile voice is so poignant, so evocative you can't remain insensible. And Sting singing "and Mozart" during the Workers song is simply sublime. The story is simple but multi-layed. I strongly recommend it. Just don't expect a simple song's collection, but don't be scared by the idea of a modern Opera. Chapeau to Steve Nieve and Muriel Teodori and all the great singers and musicians that realized the recording. I wished there will be a teatrical representation sooner or later!

Average customer rating:

Wonderful!!!
Relaxes your mind.
Relaxing music from a great composer
Better than just an introduction
Great CD

Grieg: Greatest Hits

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Debussy's Greatest Hits
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Rimsky-Korsakov: Greatest Hits
Liszt: Greatest Hits

ASIN: B000002A21
Release Date: 1994-08-09

Tracks:

Peer Gynt Suite No. 1: Morning Mood
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1: Ase's Death
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1: Anitra's Dance
Peer Gynt Suite No.1: In The Hall Of The Mountain King (Peer Gynt Suite #1)
Piano Concerto In A Minor, Op. 16: I Allegro molto moderato
Norwegian Dance, Op. 35 No. 2
Sigurd Jorsalfar: Homage March
Jeg elsker dig, Op. 5: Jeg elsker dig, Op. 5 (Ich liebe dich)
Lyric Suite, Op. 54: No. 3: Norwegian March
Two Elegiac Melodies, Op. 34: No. 1: Heartwounds
Two Elegiac Melodies, Op. 34: No. 2: The Last Spring
Lyric Suite, Op. 54: No. 4: March of the Trolls
Peer Gynt Suite No. 2: I The Abduction of the Bride - Ingrid's Lament (Peer Gynt Suite No. 2
Peer Gynt Suite No. 2: II Arabian Dance
Peer Gynt Suite No. 2: III Solvejg's Lullaby
Peer Gynt Suite No. 2: IV Peer Gynt's Return Home

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful!!!.......2007-05-14

I bought this for my husband but fell in love with it myself. I had never heard of it but now consider Edvard Grieg my favorite composer. It is magnificent.

Relaxes your mind........2005-12-30

The peer gynt suite is very delicate and it relaxes me. Whenever I hear the first movement of Peer Gynt, I feel as if I am walking along the forest at dawn with sunshine passing through the tall trees. It calms me and I usually close my eyes to imagine Grieg's creative masterpiece. What also interests me the fourth movement. It starts with slow and quiet and then slowly the music accelerates with power. Like the title, "Mountain King," says itself, you can feel the grandness of the music toward the end.

The piano concerto in a minor is my favorite. This music seem to convey the full spectrum from quiet and delicate or gracious feel of music to more powerful and magnificent all proportionally adequately. It is very enjoyable. Whenever I listen to this music, I feel as if I am resting in the high mountainn looking at the full panorama. Anyway, that's just my imagination I feel from his music and of course, yours can be very different from mine.

As for the CD quality, I hear no distraction sound and it is recorded well, I think. The little cover booklet can be informative about Grieg. Also nice price from Amazon.

Relaxing music from a great composer.......2005-08-02

I absolutely loved the string music on Track 3. I remembered it from an old PC RPG called Quest for Glory IV. I was disappointed to find out that Track 4 was only a minute and a half long, because I grew up loving that song from the various places I heard it (Fantasia and a kid Detective PC game from the late 80's).
Overall, though, Grieg's greatest hits is a must-have for collectors of classical music. Grieg is revered as Norway's greatest composer of all time and he certainly has a knack for creating imagery of bustling fjords and majestic mountainsides with interlaced river ravines.

Better than just an introduction.......2004-04-28

This CD goes beyond just introducing Grieg. It is a truly beautiful and for me, invaluable collection of this excellent composer. Grieg had an inimitable gift for exploring emotion, often sadness and nostalgia. However, he also had a large touch of the virtuoso, as demonstrated by the famous Piano Concerto. True, the last 2 movements are not included here; however, the first is still stunning. The Peer Gynt Suites are wonderfully played, and Ase's Death and Heartwounds are especially noteworthy - the lush orchestral sounds of these gorgeous pieces unfold exquisitely. Homage March is a nice change of pace, upbeat and with a memorable theme, and Leonard Bernstein moves at a devilish pace in March of the Trolls. This CD will not disappoint you - buy it today!

Great CD.......2002-01-29

For an intro to Greig, this is great. The "hall of the mountain king" is done very well.

Average customer rating:

This should never have worked at all
A GREAT AND OFTEN OVERLOOKED MUSICAL FROM THE 80-IS
Chess
One of my favorites!
Concepts get better with practice

Chess
Bjorn Ulvaeus , and Tim Rice
Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Chess (1988 Original Broadway Cast)
Miss Saigon (Original 1989 London Cast)
Evita (1978 Original Broadway Cast)
A Little Night Music (1973 Original Broadway Cast)
Sweeney Todd (2005 Broadway Revival Cast)

ASIN: B000002GLR
Release Date: 1996-07-23

Tracks:

Merano - The Ambrosia Singers/Anders Eljas/Murray Head
The Russian And Molokov/ Where I Want To Be - The Ambrosia Singers/Anders Eljas/Tommy Korberg/Denis Quilley
Opening Ceremony - The Ambrosia Singers/Anders Eljas/Bjorn Skifs
Quartet (A Model Of Decorum And Tranquility) - Elaine Paige/Tommy Korberg/Denis Quilley/Bjorn Skifs
The American And Florence/Nobody's Side - Elaine Paige/Murray Head
Chess - LSO/Anders Eljas
Mountian Duet - Elaine Paige/Tommy Korberg
Florence Quits - Elaine Paige/Murray Head
Embassy Lament - Tommy Korberg/The Ambrosia Singers/Anders Eljas
Anthem - Tommy Korberg

Tracks:

Bangkok
One Night In Bangkok
Heaven Help My Heart
Argument
I Know Him So Well
The Deal (No Deal)
Pity The Child
Endgame
Epilogue: You And I / The Story Of Chess

Amazon.com

Chess is a musical that sounds like it shouldn't work but instead succeeds surprisingly well. This is the original concept album that was recorded before the musical was staged in London. Chess is the story of a love triangle told against the backdrop of an international chess tournament during the height of the cold war. The composers are Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (the Bs in ABBA) and the lyrics are by Tim Rice, who supplied the words for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, as well as Disney's Aladdin (with Howard Ashman), The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. The six-member cast does a beautiful job with the songs, which are a combination of ballads, rock, and operatic choruses. Murray Head's version of "One Night in Bangkok" became a surprise hit in the mid-'80s and it still turns up on the turntables in dance clubs around the world. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews:

This should never have worked at all.......2007-06-18

And on that basis alone, you've got to cut it some slack. Fortunately, not all that much slack turns out to be necessary.

While "Chess" may be a document of an era that no longer exists, there's a lot more going on than the surface metaphor. It holds up very well indeed. When it aims for humor, it generally succeeds, and likewise when it aims to devastate. What more can you ask for?

A GREAT AND OFTEN OVERLOOKED MUSICAL FROM THE 80-IS.......2007-03-04

`Chess' is a musical that should be counted among the best of what the 1980-is had produced: side by side with `Cats', `The Phantom of the Opera', `Les Miserables' or `Miss Saigon'. The score as heard on this concept album, written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (formerly of ABBA) and with the exceptional lyrics written by Tim Rice, stand proof to this. And yet, due to various reasons, like the changing of the director half way through London staging; a heavy rewrite for Broadway and a pan review from Frank Ritch (a.k.a. `The Butcher of Broadway'), `Chess' seems to be unjustly neglected.

This concept album is the main reason why the show has so many ardent fans until this day. Tim Rice wanted to write the show with the main plot revolving around chess for years and after his long time partner Andrew Lloyd Webber remained uninterested, he found the new collaborators in Ulvaeus and Andersson. The subject matter follows two international chess players in a championship, a Russian (Tommy Körberg) and an American (Murray Head) and a woman called Florence (Elaine Paige) who is a manager to the American but falls in love with the Russian. The story also draws a parallel between the game of chess and the cold war/real life situations.

This concept album was recorded in 1984, two years before the original London production took place. As the authors noted in the accompanying booklet, it was a work in progress and thusly the story is not quite readable here from the musical numbers alone. Despite that fact (which is amended by the synopsis included in the booklet), this album remains a winner. The score (played here by the London Symphonic Orchestra) itself makes an intriguing bland of the famous ABBA sound, the classical; the rock and the pop enhanced by the orchestral solo passages and the strong choral parts. The lush orchestrations add an epic touch to it and on the whole it is melodic and hummable, packed with great tunes. Some of the songs achieved huge success outside the musical: `I know him so well', a duet between Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson, held the number one spot on the UK singles charts for 4 weeks in February 1985 and won Ivor Novello Award as the Best Selling Single; Murray Head's `One night in Bangkok' became one of the biggest dance hits of its time, often heard today. Some other notable tunes include `The Anthem' (Russian's deliberation on his homeland); the soaring rock songs `Where I want to be' and `Pity the child' (in the former, the Russian reflects upon his life under the spotlight; in the latter, the American ponders about his own unhappy childhood) or the gentle `Heaven help my heart' (in which Florence weighs up her relationship with the Russian).

A special reference must be made to Tim Rice's excellent lyrics. With `Chess' he managed to keep up to the high standards he set himself in `Jesus Christ Superstar' and Evita'. Again in this case he shows he is a lyrical wizard, with his familiar cynical touch. `The story of chess', in which he gives a history of the game in a couple of crafty verses, is a pure masterpiece. The same can be said of the song `I know him so well', where the two women reexamine their relationship with the same man. As a whole, `Chess' owes a lot of its appeal to Tim Rice's written word.

The cast on this album ranks the high standard of the material. The principal parts (sung by Elaine Paige, Tommy Körberg and Murray Head) are delivered in a strong and impeccable fashion.

This 2-disc edition comes with a booklet containing a note from the authors, a text about chess, a full synopsis and a libretto, together with the photos of the principal singers.

Anyone interested in the modern musical theatre should find `Chess' to be a great score with great lyrics, which should be enough to satisfy any aficionado.

Chess.......2007-01-15

A magnificent musical, i have enjoyed the music since i first heard it and read the storyline. Had been unable to find it in our local music stores.Very pleased to find it on your site.

One of my favorites!.......2007-01-12

I love "Chess"! I still remember the first time I heard the single "One Night in Bangkok" on my car radio. I thought it was so unusual and so very cool, so I tracked down the album and bought it. Then I taped it onto a cassette, which is what I've been listening to for years, so I finally broke down and got it on CD. Of course, it's on my iPod now. I've seen the musical, and I loved that, too.

Concepts get better with practice.......2006-11-27

I love this show! That said, I do not care for this version of it. The inclusion of the word "concept" in the title means it is just that. This was, thankfully, not the final version of the show that would later spawn the hit song, "One Night In Bangkok".

With most Broadway musicals, the musical numbers tell the basic story of the show. If you listen to the recordings of Phantom, Mama Mia, Beauty and the Beast, you can discern the basic storyline of the show. Listening to this particular recording of Chess, though, will leave you wondering "What was that?" The Broadway arrival of Chess saw a much needed reworking of the storyline and arrangement of the musical numbers. This recording seems too much like a mish-mash of songs that don't really relate to each other.

For musical fanatics (like myself), I say "yes, you should have this recording in your collection", if only to understand how much work went into the show before it opened on Broadway.

If you are only buying the album because of "One Night In Bangkok", purchase the Broadway recording instead; you'll be much happier with the performance by Phillip Casnoff rather than Murray Head.

Average customer rating:

Excellent Collection
Barbara Mandrell rocks
One Of A Kind
Sonic Perfection!
An excellent overview of Barbara's career

Ultimate Collection
Barbara Mandrell
Manufacturer: Hip-O Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Cowboy | Country | Styles | Music

General | Country | Styles | Music
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She Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool: A Tribute to Barbra Mandrell
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Best of Barbara Mandrell
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Christmas at Our House

ASIN: B00005MK9X
Release Date: 2001-07-31

Tracks:

Tonight My Baby's Coming Home
The Midnight Oil
Standing Room Only
Married But Not To Each Other
Woman To Woman
Tonight
Sleeping Single In A Double Bed
(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Wanna Be Right
Fooled By A Feeling
Years
Crackers
The Best Of Strangers
I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool - live duet with George Jones
Till You're Gone
In Times Like These
One Of A Kind Pair Of Fools
Happy Birthday Dear Heartache
Only A Lonely Heart Knows
There's No Love In Tennessee
Angel In Your Arms
Fast Lanes And Country Roads
No One Mends A Broken Heart Like You
I Wish That I Could Fall In Love Today

Album Description

Barbara Mandrell is undoubtedly our greatest country music ambassadress. Her career, which has spanned over 30 years, has not only included a massive amount of hit recordings, but her TV show (Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters) in the early '80s - probably the last truly successful variety show - gave the genre incredible exposure, and brought her so much notoriety that she not only won prestigious country music awards, but also the more broad-based People's Choice Awards - nine of them!

Her appeal was far and wide because she not only sang, she played many instruments, which was extremely unusual for a woman in the '70s. Audiences responded to her music because it encompassed all styles, even though she was categorized as country. Early on, she adopted Duke Ellington's famous statement that "there are only two kinds of music - good and bad." That assertion governed the way she chose her songs and the manner in which she elected to record them as evidenced by such cover choices as "Married But Not To Each Other," "If Lovin' You Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Right" and "Woman To Woman" in which she struggled to perfect the beginning spoken intro.

"I remember saying to my producer Tom Collins, 'I can't do a recitation,'" Mandrell recalls. "He said, 'I don't ever want to hear, 'I can't.' I always say I don't want to hear that either, so I had to do it."

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Collection.......2007-03-15

Excellent collection of Barbara's greatest songs. What wonderful memories this cd brought back.

Barbara Mandrell rocks.......2007-01-10

Gave this to my sister for her birthday and bought one for myself - excellent!!!!!!!!! We both enjoyed it so much!

One Of A Kind.......2006-02-27

Where to start.. where to start.. Barbara Mandrell is one of the best and most beautifuly loved female country musicians of all time. Her untimely unforgettable raspy voice brings back the memories we all once shared in the 70's and 80's. What were you doing when these songs came out? I remember watching The Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters show on TV. hearing her talented voice in each song on the radio. And this collection certainly brings back those memories of each song. Whether you were "SLEEPING SINGLE IN A DOUBLE BED", "BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL", having an "ANGEL IN YOUR ARMS", or "LIVING IN TIMES LIKE THESE", this collection is right for you. I say go buy the cd.. It's the best Barbara Mandrell has out there, where else can you find a collection with as many of her songs on one cd? Buy the cd you won't be disapointed!

Sonic Perfection! .......2005-09-21

I have enjoyed Barbara Mandrell my whole life. Much more that a great musician, she is a superb entertainer. With her determination, moral strength, and courage. She is a great lady and it saddens me that you can not walk into the local music store to purchase her albums; whiel most albums today will become forboten songs tomorrow, hers are not dated.

An excellent overview of Barbara's career.......2003-10-11

Barbara is my favorite pop-country singer - I don't count Dolly as a pop-country singer, as most of her recordings are traditional - and this compilation of some of her music shows why.

Twenty of the songs here were recorded during her long spell with MCA, but the set begins with two of her early tracks recorded for Columbia and ends with I wish that I could fall in love today, the biggest hit that she had after she left MCA.

Barbara tackled every type of song, or so it seemed, but she had a soft spot for R+B classics. Her biggest hit came via a cover of an R+B song (If loving you is wrong) and it suits her well. On this collection, my favorites are Married but not to each other, Standing room only, Years, Woman to woman and Sleeping single in a double bed, but every song here is a masterpiece. Barbara is equally good with up-tempo rocking songs (Crackers, In times like these, Fast lanes and country roads) as ballads, many of which are on the sad side. The saddest song of all is The best of strangers, about a marriage gone wrong although the couple are still living together. However, the last ballad here, No one mends a broken heart like you, is much more optimistic.

This is a brilliant collection of Barbara's music.

Music:

Music

music

1. Barbarella
2. Goodnight Alfie
3. Spaceship Out of Control
4. Ski Ride
5. Hungry Dolls
6. Love, Love, Love Drags Me Down
7. Pygar Finds Barbarella
8. I Love All the Love in You
9. Labyrinth
10. Pygar's New Wings
11. Fight in Flight
12. Entrance into Sogo
13. Hello Pretty Pretty
14. Pygar's Persecution
15. Black Queen's Beads
16. Dead Duck
17. Pill
18. Smoke (Viper Vapor)
19. Sex Machine
20. Chamber of Dreams
See all 30 tracks on this disc