20th Anniversary

Track Listings

1. Que Rico Mambo

2. Cerezo Rosa

3. Lupita

4. Rico, Caliente & Sabroso

5. Mambo de la Telefonista

6. Patrici

7. Mambo en Sax

8. Guantanamera

9. Mambo del Toconazo

10. Caliente, Caliente

11. Mambo del Ruletero

12. Mambo del Politecnico

13. Mambo No. 8

14. Pachito d'Eche

15. Mambo No. 5

20th Anniversary,Perez Prado,Sony International,Arranger,Big Band,Big Band Latino,Composer,Cuba,Latin,Latin Continuum,Leader,Mambo,Salsa,Tropical

Latin

Music

Jazz

Music

20th Anniversary

Tracks:

Thanksgiving
Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head
Joy
Prelude
Carol Of The Bells
Night-Part One: Snow
Night-Part Two: Midnight
Night-Part Three: Minstrels
Variations On The Kanon By Pachelbel
The Holly And The Ivy
Some Children See Him
Peace
A Christmas Song
Sleep Baby Mine

Amazon.com essential recording

December holds the distinction of single-handedly putting Windham Hill on the map and being the new age album most likely to find its way into music collections of all ilk. In spite of being relentlessly overplayed during the holidays, the solo piano recording has aged quite well. Winston shapes holiday war-horses and original compositions into a captivating contemporary statement. His spare, understated style captures the feel of the dark season, employing ample resonance to evoke a reflective spaciousness. The album's straightforward simplicity conveys both the celebration and quietude that characterize the best of the Yuletide spirit. --Richard Price

Amazon.com

A quintessential example of George Winston's "folk piano" style, December speaks to the spirit of the season. Mixing traditional carols, a couple of classical works, and his own originals, Winston drops notes with icy clarity into a winter silence, rippling through "Carol of Bells" and coaxing dark, introspective moods from his own suite, "Night." The pianist's liner notes are also a trip as he cites the numerous sources for his music. Who would've thought that the gentle melodies of "Peace" were inspired by the soundtrack to TV's The Outer Limits? This 20th anniversary edition, which includes two bonus tracks, is a vast sonic improvement over previous releases. --John Diliberto

Customer Reviews:

Twenty Years later... Still Excellent!.......2007-05-28

December, Piano Solos: 20th Anniversary Edition, by George Winston is about as close to perfect as you can get. Winston phenomenal interpretations and originals form a masterpeice. Classified as a Holiday album, I agree with many of the other reviewers that this is an album to enjoy all through the year. Although each selection here is very good, Variations On The Kanon By Pachelbel is simply a wonderful piece. I did have the pleasure of seeing George Winston in concert and I would receommend that any fan try to experience the music live with introductions by the pianist.

An outstanding 5 star CD.

a must have for a musical library.......2007-03-26

this cd album is extremely moving and has value because of the evocative power of some of the pieces it contains.

George Winston's December.......2007-03-09

I have a copy of the vinyl since it was released. Though I love the quality of the vinyl, I want to bring December with me wherever I go. The two additional cuts in the anniversary issue are lovely, but I would have been equally happy with the original.

Love this CD.......2007-03-08

Perfect for the holidays (but I listen to it all year)! Anything by George Winston is fabulous.

Multi-mood music.......2007-01-29

I love this CD! The best part about this music is that I can listen to it regardles of what mood I'm in and the music fits perfectly. The Sheet music for "Variations of the Kanon by Pachelbel" is a great bonus.

Autumn (Windham Hill 20th Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

Windham Hill album review
Outstanding
Fall for the Piano
CAPTURED FEELINGS
Good deal

Autumn (Windham Hill 20th Anniversary Edition)
George Winston
Manufacturer: RCA Victor
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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December, Piano Solos: 20th Anniversary Edition
Winter into Spring
Summer
Forest
Montana: A Love Story

ASIN: B00005NBR9
Release Date: 2001-09-11

Tracks:

Colors/Dance
Woods
Longing/Love
Road
Moon
Sea
Stars
Too Much Between Us

Amazon.com essential recording

The precursor to 1982's commercial breakthrough, December, George Winston's 1980 Windham Hill debut boasts all the lyrical power and poignancy of its follow-up. A simple, clear recording for solo piano, Autumn finds Winston developing simple melodic motifs with studied left-hand underpinning, on hypnotic pieces like "Woods," which moves from a brisk rhythmic figure to rubato minor-key runs. Leaving pauses and breaths in all the right places, Winston suggests the play of color and light, the comfortable melancholy, and the encroaching slow-down that characterizes the fall season. Full of memorable themes, sure pacing, and whiffs of classical grandeur, Autumn is a timeless album that belongs to the firmament of the new age canon. --James Rotondi

Amazon.com

In 1980, Keith Jarrett was the best-known solo pianist, with his string of ECM albums including the Köln Concerts and Facing You. George Winston took the lyricism and mood that made Jarrett's music so popular and refined them into what he called "folk piano" on his first Windham Hill album, Autumn. It launched a million solo pianists. As you listen to this 20th anniversary edition, it's easy to hear why. The opening "Colors/Dance" rings with the open clarity of the Montana plains, where Winston grew up. "Woods," with its quasi-classical arpeggios, seems to dance in the air. And so it goes throughout Autumn as the pianist unfolds his melodies in what sounds like spontaneous reverie. The anniversary edition includes illuminating liner notes from Winston, who cites everyone from the Doors to John Coltrane as influences on particular songs. The CD ends with a bonus track, a melancholy cover of Procol Harum's "Too Much Between Us." --John Diliberto

Customer Reviews:

Windham Hill album review.......2007-07-22

It's a replacement for a cassette tape version. The recording is very clear and lifelike.

Outstanding.......2007-06-05

Autumn by George Winston is a truly exceptional listening experience. It is oustanding that we now have the crisp & clear album available on CD. This is a really excellent CD that is not to be missed. Whether you are a longtime fan, or a new listener to George Winston, this is a 5 star must have CD.

Fall for the Piano.......2007-04-28

I figured it would be impossible to find a George Winston CD that supersedes the cult-status of "December," but "Autumn" is every bit that beautiful album's equal and maybe even its better. The first selection (SEPTEMBER) consists of three pieces, all evocative of that bittersweet feeling you get while walking through woods passing from summer into autumn. You get sound reminiscent of wind and leaves and even the gong of church bells, all evinced from the keyboard.

This is followed by OCTOBER, which is broken into four sections. The first piece ("Road") makes Winston's piano sound like a lackadaisical young boy bouncing down a dirt roadway on an early, sunny Saturday. It's that sing-songy and full of possibility -- a short and happy piece that wants to light out for the territories like Huck Finn. My other favorite is the final piece of the OCTOBER quartet, "Stars," which is as haunting as the summer constellations of Sagittarius and Scorpio sagging to the south in the ripened, night-time skies of October.

This 20th Anniversary issue includes over 5 minutes of bonus music with the new track, "Too Much Between Us." Altogether, a versatile album that's suitable to read by, dine by, or, best of all, enjoy a glass of wine, shut your eyes, and listen alone in the dark by...

CAPTURED FEELINGS.......2007-02-02

As a musician I would lend my voice to say that this album captures every mood imaginable. It leave's you pondering, searching and wondering, but with a brilliant pose! It is a wonderful album to play when you are puzzled or even troubled. I feel it relates to all we endure from day to day, yet we get through it. George Winston captures moments that allows you to live them with a strive to survive. Excellent therapy album I would say. My wife introduced me to George Winston, and I must admit apart from her he's captured my heart and soul many times.
If you need something to clear your mind,
this album offers something of a different kind.

Brilliant!
Cheers
Billy Clinton Jr. Seattle WA

Good deal.......2007-01-25

I have been listening to an old worn out cassette tape of this album for years. I grew up listening to the record of it with all the crackles and pops. It is nice to finally have a good recording. I love it.

Average customer rating:

Excellent effort!
The Rippingtons 20th Anniversary CD
NOT a "return," but a tiny step in the right direction
Re-sounding.
Great music

20th Anniversary
The Rippingtons
Manufacturer: Peak Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000FNNI6A
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Tracks:

City Of Angels
Celebrate
Costa Del Sol
Bingo Jingo
Eternity
Six Four
Rainbow
Twenty
Anything
A Kiss Under The Moonlight
20th Anniversary Tribute: Moonlighting/Black Diamond/Weekend In Monaco/Welcome To The St. James Club/Morocco/Tourist In Paradise/I'll Be Around/Curves Ahead/Brave New World
Bonus Track 1

Customer Reviews:

Excellent effort!.......2007-06-30

I became aware of the Rippingtons when I was traveling to Las Vegas on an audit assignment in 1992. The jazz station there played "Welcome to the St. James Club" on their morning show, and I actually called the radio station from my hotel (something I had never done in 35 years of listening to music). Since then I've stayed a Ripps fan through the band's various player changes and moves (LA to Rocky Mountains to Miami). The new album takes a look back with new music--the percussion on "Six Four" is reminiscent of "Kilimanjaro"--and the group continues to expand its appeal with its music. The compilation track is amazing, and brings together many of the musicians that developed the Rippingtons' sound when the band first began. The companion DVD helps broaden understanding of the various changes the group has undertaken over the years, and includes one of the cuts from the "Live in LA" VHS recording. Altogether another top-notch project. A must-have.

The Rippingtons 20th Anniversary CD.......2007-03-06

Although this CD doesn't break any new ground, it's still a pleasure to listen to this new compilation.

NOT a "return," but a tiny step in the right direction.......2007-03-04

On the opener, Russ Freeman takes a more central role on guitar. However, the relentlessly honking horn section is right there with him. It has more of a "classic Rippingtons" feel than the faux-Santana tripe Russ has been peddling in recent years, but it's not all that memorable. "Celebrate" sounds like theme music for a bland daytime talk show...SASSY! (Probably not what Russ intended). "Costa Del Sol" is a Fourplay ripoff. Plain and simple. If I were Nathan East, I'd be phoning my attorney right now. "Bingo Jingo" is the second nod toward "classic Rippertons." Not bad...not the cure for cancer, but not bad. "Eternity" is a somnambulistic Flamenco number. "Six Four"...goes nowhere. "Rainbow"...everyone takes a solo, but so what? "Twenty"...NOTE TO RUSS FREEMAN: MORE tracks like this. This kind of song is what keeps the Ripps fans coming back. Buy this track on iTunes if you can. "Anything"...imagine the worst song Marvin Gaye ever recorded, with the Rippingtons as his backup band. "A Kiss Under The Moonlight"...pretty, nice. Another classic track. "20th Anniversary Bonus"...featuring a flaccid "I'll Be There." 2 excellent, solid tracks in a sea of dreck...which has become Russ Freeman's par for the course. What a shame.

Re-sounding........2007-01-21

Russ Freeman's Smooth Jazz iconic group celebrate 20 years recording with this archetypal Rippingtons album.
Having followed Russ Freeman & his Rippingtons since the beginning, I must admit that I miss the 'good old days'.
This band practically invented the smooth jazz genre but after some stunning albums, they ran out of steam and their brilliant signature texturing and soudscaping with the album "Sahara".
More albums followed but they all lacked memorable and significant catchy melodies.
Now they're back and in radiant shape. At last !!
Kicking the CD off with "City Of Angels", memories are brought back - especially the final guitar/sax chase in the end resembles the former hit "Dreams of the Sirens".
The mix of smooth grooves, Jazz, R'n'B and West Coast rock remains with cuts like 'Costa Del Sol' and 'Bingo Jingo'.
A host of luminaries such as David Benoit on acoustic piano, Dave Koz, Kirk Whalum, Brandon Fields and Paul Taylor on saxes, Steve Reid on percussion, Tony Morales on drums, Greg Karukas on keyboards join in and bring their distinctive wails to Russ' compositions on this commemorative set.
Standout is the Soul cut 'Anything' that features Brian McKnight in fine fettle, but it's Freeman classical guitar that remains the main draw.
I have been playing it continously for a week now.
I am never tired of it.
This is a must have cd if you're a dedicated Rippingtons' fan.

Great music.......2007-01-15

I love this CD and wish I could listen to it more, but my husband always has it in his car! Great music. The Rippingtons have put a collection and a collage af their greatest hits and it is fabulous.

Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection: The Greatest Novelty Records Of All Time

Average customer rating:

Why Does Music Have To Be So Seroius?
Lots of fun
Perfect
A "Must-Have" For Dr. Demento Lovers
The funniest CDs ever!

Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection: The Greatest Novelty Records Of All Time
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dr. Demento: The Very Best of Dr. Demento
Dr. Demento Presents: Greatest Christmas Novelty CD
25 All Time Novelty Hits

ASIN: B0000032MK
Release Date: 1991-05-21

Tracks:

Delicious! - Jim Backus & Friend
The Scotsman - Bryan Bowers
Junk Food Junkie - Larry Groce
Eat It - 'Weird Al' Yankovic
Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavour (On The Bedpost Overnight) - Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group
Wet Dream - Kip Addotta
Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh! - Allan Sherman
Wappin' - Darrell Hammond & Christopher Snell
The Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley
Monster Mash - Bobby 'Boris' Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers
Cocktails For Two - Spike Jones & His City Slickers
Transfusion - Nervous Norvos
Beep Beep - The Playmates
St. George And The Dragonet - Stan Freberg
Witch Doctor - The Music Of David Seville
Gitarzan - Ray Stevens
Earache My Eye-Featuring Alice Bowie - Cheech & Chong
Dead Puppies - Ogden Edsl

Tracks:

Dancin' Fool - Frank Zappa
Star Trekkin' - The Firm
The Time Warp - The Rocky Horror Picture Show Cast
Masochism Tango - Tom Lehrer
The Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun - JULIE BROWN
The Ballad Of Irving - Frank Gallop
The Battle Of Kookamonga - Homer & Jethro
King Tut - Steve Martin & The Toot Uncommons
Der Fuehrer's Face - Spike Jones & His City Slickers
Fish Heads - Barnes & Barnes
Poisoning Pidgeons In The Park - Tom Lehrer
Sahra Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out - Shel Silverstein
The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati - Rose & The Arrangement
Surfin' Bird - The Trashmen
Pencil Neck Geek - Freddie Blassie
Ti Kwan Leep/Boot To The Head - The Frantics
Existential Blues - Tom 'T-Bone' Stankus
They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! - Napoleon XIV

Amazon.com

Pop has a good time eating itself on this collection of Doctor Demento favorites. The tunes on this stylistically varied double CD send up a plethora of pop culture phenomena. The perpetrators come from every imaginable entertainment background. Pro wrestlers, folk singers, comedians, actors, garage bands--you never know who's liable to produce a novelty song. Here it doesn't matter if a respected composer or a one-hit wonder recorded the ditty; all sorts of tracks jostle each other on this funny collection. The material covers quite a time span, ranging from Spike Jones's "Der Fuehrer's Face," released in 1942, to "Wappin'," an unreleased track by Darrell Hammond and Christopher Snell which was a hit on Demento's radio show at the tail end of the 1980s. The 20th Anniversary Collection is quite an assortment of the corny, goofy, wacky, and wild. --Fred Cisterna

Customer Reviews:

Why Does Music Have To Be So Seroius?.......2007-06-27

This album is just plain fun. It's great to have a nice collection of novelty songs to sprinkle in during a party or when making compilation discs for long drives or just and evening of fun with some friends.

Dr. Demento's collection surely won't be one of those precious "desert island" albums, those must have albums one would never be caught without, but in the context of a complete collection, it's good to have a few laughs here and there.

You'd really have to be a baby-boomer to appreciate the full context of this album as many are from the before the 1970's, still have some fun, why not?

Lots of fun.......2007-06-27

My son suggested this as a birthday gift to his older sister, from him to her - I think I've listened to it more than either of them.

Perfect.......2007-05-19

I've been looking for some of these songs for a loooong time. Not only do I get to relive my adolescence, but I'm able to introduce my daughter (who shares my sense of humor) to some of my old favorites (G rated, of course)

A "Must-Have" For Dr. Demento Lovers.......2007-04-20

Unbeknownst to my conservative mother, my brother and I (born in the late 60's) listened to a wonderful radio program called "Dr. Demento" growing up. I told my mother about that recently, and her remark was that if she had known it was on the radio, she wouldn't have let us listen to it! LOL Anyhow, this collection has the vast majority of MY old favorites, such as the otherwise unavailable "Existential Blues", and many others unfamiliar to me to enjoy. It comes in two CD's of 18 songs each. I have happily imported it into my iPod and can't wait to hear everything!

The funniest CDs ever!.......2007-03-08

I used to have this CD collection back in college, and something recently reminded me of a song and I knew exactly where to buy it. I am very pleased with this collection of songs.

Famous Blue Raincoat: 20th Anniversary Edition

Average customer rating:

Famous Blue Raincoat: 20th Anniversary Edition
Jennifer Warnes
Manufacturer: Shout Factory
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Traveling Wilburys (2CD/1DVD, Deluxe Edition)
Preludes
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ASIN: B000OPO6WY
Release Date: 2007-08-07

Tracks:

First We Take Manhattan
Bird On a Wire
Famous Blue Raincoat
Joan Of Arc
Ain't No Cure For Love
Coming Back To You
Song Of Bernadette
A Singer Must Die
Came Do Far For Beauty
The Night Comes On
Ballad Of the Runaway Horse
If It Be Your Will
Joan Of Arc

Amazon.com

Since Ella Fitzgerald never produced a songbook of Leonard Cohen songs, Jennifer Warnes's plush 1986 tribute is the next best thing. The sleekly seductive "First We Take Manhattan" is gilded by the guitars of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robben Ford. Warnes doesn't add much to an evergreen like "Bird on a Wire," but she lays claim to the noirish title song with a confidential vocal that complements the chamber-pop arrangement. "Song of Bernadette" is a ripened gem, and the selection where Warnes lets down her refined vocal technique to reveal deep emotions. More often, Warnes is as professionally accomplished on this well-chosen set as her band of studio pros. --John Milward

Album Description

On Famous Blue Raincoat: The Songs of Leonard Cohen, Jennifer Warnes rearranged and reinterpreted some of Leonard Cohen's greatest songs for a unique album that remains the ultimate tribute to Cohen's music. It was greeted with rave reviews, and made numerous year-end best-of lists. This deluxe new reissue contains four previously unreleased songs and a 24-page booklet with rare photos from Warnes' personal collection.

Best known for such pop hits as the Oscar- and Grammywinning duets "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," with Bill Medley, from the film Dirty Dancing, and "Up Where We Belong," with Joe Cocker, from the film An Officer and a Gentleman, Jennifer Warnes has earned her greatest acclaim for Farmous Blue Raincoat, considered by many to be one of thebest albums of the '80s

Features four previously unreleased recordings

Digitally remastered from the original analog tapes

Deluxe booklet that tells the story behind one of the most acclaimed albums of all time

"Her voice is like the California weather--filled with sunlight , but there's an earthquake behind it." --Leonard Cohen

The Layla Sessions : 20th Anniversary Edition

Average customer rating:

Technical review of the remix...
Inspired jamming!!
Removing The Veil
Better than most "Deluxe Editions"
For Collectors

The Layla Sessions : 20th Anniversary Edition
Derek & the Dominos
Manufacturer: Polydor / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Live at the Fillmore
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ASIN: B000001FZ5
Release Date: 1990-08-31

Tracks:

I Looked Away
Bell Bottom Blues
Keep On Growing
Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out
I Am Yours
Anyday
Key To The Highway
Tell The Truth
Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad
Have You Ever Loved A Woman
Little Wing
It's Too Late
Layla
Thorn Tree In The Garden

Tracks:

Jam I
Jam II
Jam III
Jam IV
Jam V

Tracks:

Have You Ever Loved A Woman (Alternate Master #1)
Have You Ever Loved A Woman (Alternate Master #2)
Tell The Truth (Jam #1)
Tell The Truth (Jam #2)
Mean Old World (Rehearsal)
Mean Old World (Band Version, Master Take)
Mean Old World (Duet Version, Master Take)
(When Things Go Wrong) It Hurts Me Too (Jam)
Tender Love (Incomplete Master)
It's Too Late (Alternate Master)

Customer Reviews:

Technical review of the remix..........2007-02-17

Originally, I purchased the single Anniversary Mix disc that had been separated from the rest of it's set at a used CD store. Hey, I was in college at the time and was trying to broaden my palette. So, this newer mix was what I got to know over the years and really was none the wiser to the original.

Now, being 10 years after first having purchased the CD, I am comparing the two mixes side by side, switching between the two, and have come to a personal conclusion that is at odds with most of the other reviewers.

It's pretty clear to anyone who does a comparison between the two where you can rapidly swap between the two mixes, that the original mix is more dynamic; it just jumps out at you more. It also contains more high frequency content. There are a couple of possible reasons for this.

Someone probably surely more about the actual equipment history of this album. But from what I can gather, Criteria Studios at that time should have been outfitted with MCI consoles and tape machines built by Jeep Harned with "philosophical direction" provided by Tom Dowd. While the MCI consoles that became marketed later across the world (which later evolved into Sony's consoles) are solid state designs, it is possible that these early MCI consoles that Layla would have been recorded and mixed through were tube designs. Again, I might be wrong here and it is strictly open for conjecture from someone who absolutely knows for sure. For recording engineers like myself, older (more simple) console designs of that period and before are revered for their unique sonic character.

Now that brings us to the studio where the Anniversary CD was mixed: The Power Station. Today, The Power Station is now Avatar Studios in New York and Studio A (housing a very good sounding Neve 8068 console) has been mostly left the way it was in the days of the Power Station, with the exception for whatever the flavor of the month is when it comes to recorders. However, the time period of the late 80's and early 90's was a time when digital mixing was rampant (it's back unfortunately) and this is most certainly the case with the Anniversary Mix with it's ADD designation (the second D denoting that it was mixed to a digital format). The original mix was definitely an analog reel to reel (either 1/4 or 1/2 inch master) tape.

This is significant for when you mix to analog tape, an interesting phenomenon called "crosstalk" alters the mix ever so slightly. What happens is that the left and right channels of magnetic information stored on the tape interacts with one another as higher bursts of energy on each track often co-mingle in the space between them (and sometimes even bleed over to the other track ever so slightly). The result is, believe it or not, a much more strong center image which, when done properly, creates an even sound field. A technical engineer would say that this is a negative and undesirable side-effect of analog mixing since it is not what the engineer was hearing at the console outputs. However, a musical engineer would recognize that crosstalk is a beneficial thing to the music and the listener and would listen to the mix through the repro heads on the machine as it is being recorded so as to know exactly what is being committed to tape.

Digital mixes of the time of the remix are often sterile and severely lack the dynamic range and character present on that old "inferior" analog tape. What I have noticed in the Anniversary mix is a more cautious mix that fears sounds that jump run and play. The original tracks and comps were so good and whole (as well as limited; the drums were premixed to L and R tracks only) that only balancing, some compression here and there, and some time based effects were needed to complete the remix. However, the compression is perhaps a tad overdone, thusly preventing the mix to "live" as much as the original.

The original mix's reverb (really noticeable on the guitars) take more risks (and wins) and is either an EMT plate reverb or a live chamber (if Criteria had one). The predelay on the reverb might have been provided via a spare mix deck's repro head before the signal went to the reverb. While digital reverb was the rage at the time of the Anniversary Mix, I feel that it is likely that a plate reverb was used, but that the highs were rolled out more than on the original mix.

Give them both a comparison side-by-side and decide for yourself. Be sure to use a good copy of each (I would use at least a recent printing [Re-Master] of the original mix since the Analog to Digital converters and digital clocking are MUCH better now than at the dawn of the CD age - perhaps yet another strike against the Anniversary Mix).

Inspired jamming!!.......2007-01-17

I must be one of the few middle-aged people not terribly familiar with the original recordings. Sure, I've heard Layla (you'd have to live in a cave to have missed it) but had not given the full album much of a listen. The remastering is a dramatic improvement in sonic quality. But, the real bonus in this boxed set are the jams, especially the second disc. The interplay is inspiring and makes for just plain great listening pleasure now, nearly 30 years later, and probably 30 years from now.

Removing The Veil.......2007-01-07

I would have to disagree with the gentleman below who likes the Original better. I have the original CD & the MSFL gold CD. I am currently listening to the SACD Hybrid which is undoubtedly the source for this remastered double CD (Disk 1). Man it is so much smoother. The veil is lifted. You can not put treble back where there was none but nevertheless this goes down like Johnny Walker Blue Label. Smooth. I much prefer this to the original. I have lived with the original for 30 years & I like it but todays electronics are so much better. Thanks to whoever spent the time to restore this classic album. This & Wheels of Fire sort of define an era. EC will be here in Bangkok the night of Jan 15 2007. Yeehaw!! Love you Duane.

Better than most "Deluxe Editions".......2006-03-07

Unlike the Disraeli Gears and Blind Faith "Deluxe" expanded reissues (both of which I loved) all of this material is previously unreleased. The first disc is all remixed and I love it. The second and third discs are all unreleased material that is mind blowing Clapton at his very best. I cannot endorse this collection highly enough. Anthony Yanow, Music.com

For Collectors.......2006-03-02

The Layla Sessions 20th Anniversay is for people like me who cannot get enough Eric Clapton.
Layla is his finest solo effort of his career.
What you get is a re-mastered version of the original release.
The sound is great, and of course you get the songs we have all come to know and love.
You also get a CD with different jam sessions. Personally I find this particular CD not interesting. Some of the guitar work is nice.
The Real gem in the box is the Alternate Master, Jams and outtakes.
You get two versions of Have you Ever Loved a Woman. You get two versions of Tell the Truth.
You get three versions of Mean old World with Duane Allman.
The best of the lot are When Things Go Wrong (It hurts me Too).
Tender Love is another good song.
He finishes with a fabulous version of It's Too Late, that is very similar to the version on the album. There are not background vocals and I like the slide guitar solo.
This box set is for Collectors like myself who want to hear everything they can get their hands on...Enjoy

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: The 20th Anniversary Edition

Average customer rating:

This Soundtrack is Great !
Heartfelt, Adventurous, Purely Magnificent
Splendid remastering of wonderful music
John Williams
Awesome Soundtrack, Timeless Themes

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: The 20th Anniversary Edition
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Mca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Jurassic Park: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
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Batman: Original Motion Picture Score

ASIN: B0000639AI
Release Date: 2002-03-19

Tracks:

Main Titles
Far From Home/E.T. Alone
Bait For E.T.
Meeting E.T.
E.T.'s New Home
The Beginning Of A Friendship
Toys
'I'm Keeping Him'
E.T.'s Powers
E.T. And Elliott Get Drunk
Frogs
At Home
The Magic Of Halloween
Sending The Signal
Searching For E.T.
Invading Elliott's House
E.T. Is Dying
Losing E.T.
E.T. Is Alive!
Escape/Chase/Saying Goodbye
End Credits

Amazon.com

While director Steven Spielberg has sometimes termed his blockbuster hit E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial a loose sequel to his similarly themed Close Encounters of the Third Kind, that notion only underscores the breadth of John Williams's talents as a composer and tempts the listener to consider this score a sort of second, more nakedly emotional movement to his CE3K music. As in his epic Star Wars work, the musical touchstone is early-20th-century Russian romanticism, a link that becomes even clearer with the restoration of three fragile, largely atmospheric cues ("Main Titles," "Meeting E.T.," and "E.T.'s New Home"). While Williams has often suffered odd accusations of emotional manipulation--which is, after all, precisely the job of a film composer--his E.T. music is still some of his most compelling, recalling Herrmann's delicate, pastoral touch on The Magnificent Ambersons in its first half, then steadily ratcheting up the tension as the score's insistent brass motif intrudes ever more ominously. Two decades later, the 15-minute sweep of "Escape/Chase/Saying Goodbye" remains one of Williams's most powerful and memorable film-music achievements. This edition also features an illustrated booklet with a new interview with the composer. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

This Soundtrack is Great ! .......2006-08-01

Through watching this film I felt that the music made it what it is. I only just decided to listen to the soundtrack a few days ago and i think it is interesting and varied. I have to say that the older edition of the soundtrack is in my view the better, in comparison with the remastered version. I really have enjoyed listening to the soundtrack i feel that John williams captures the character of the film with just the right approach. Many people will know of this theme through the famed grandeur of the Flying scene. However my preferred tracks are the ones which have captured that relationship between E.T. and Elliot. When i listen to Track 16 E.T. is alive it always seems to make me emotional, I really adore the way that the melody of the strings glides. I also really enjoyed the end credits , mainly because of the piano solo, which i think its utterly amazing!

Heartfelt, Adventurous, Purely Magnificent.......2006-06-01

John Williams, the best composer of our generation (and a personal favorite), creates one of the greatest film scores ever. He won a well-deserved Academy Award for this magical feast for the ears. The beauty is that this score represents so many genres of film score, inlcuding adventure, romance, mystery, and many more. I would have to say that the last track in this Anniversary Edition, entiteled 'End Credits,' is by far one of John Williams' most emotional and moving pieces of music. The start of the track is of a piano, but the piano is played so perfectly well and is paced and toned more of a heartfelt tune. This is truly the best part of the track, and is a perfect ending for the magical film, directed by Steven Spielberg. It satisfies the audience. Then, Williams gives the tone of the "Flying Theme' of the film and brings us adventure and excitement, beautifully composed with violins and trumpets. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial is flawless, and John Williams at his best.

Splendid remastering of wonderful music.......2006-01-17

First of all, I always wondered why this recording, dating from 1981 - when digital recording was already possible - was being done with analogue machinery. Anyhow, one could (almost) not tell the age of the original recording when listening to this remastered version: so much more of orchestral detail has become apparent that could hardly be heard on the original LP, really opening up the sound-picture, with very little noticable tape hiss.
Firstly, some reflections concerning the film and the music. I must confess, that after seeing this movie as a child, my soul had been affected in ways which I cannot fathom. This may all sound pathetic, but it is true nonetheless. In certain ways, this tragic story of frienship and ultimate loss (we will all die ultimately, however strong the connections between befriended souls may be) 'changed' me as a person, from then on looking out into the world with a somewhat shifted focus. In a more intellectual kind of way I kind of detest this motion picture, with its (over-)emotional sentimentalities, so perfectly and grandiloquently translated into music by maestro Williams. But at the same time it resonates with the strings of the heart (mostly John Williams to blame?) and its deep truths cannot be ignored. The little boy in me screaming: why the hell could these two soulmates NOT be united! Why would these two friends have to be separated! Why did Steven Spielberg have to be so cruel! Well, because life is not so soothingly simple, and because in the end, we all have to go our separate destinies, while our hearts always ring out to the other, maybe only after passing the 'Big Doorway to Another World' being reunited in the light of 'Eternal Love' ;-)
Anyhow, the music in itself is pure, vintage Williams in its ability to weave veritable webs of orchestral colors and emotions. Indeed, where would ET be without John Williams! As Steven Spielberg himself once said: John Williams IS ET!
I personally feel no need to ever again watch the movie itself though (lodged as it already is in my memory), but I do regularly listen to some of the music, evoking for me all the necessary images, emotions and sensibilities from the film. John Williams to me remains maybe the greatest film music composer, and his music for ET remains one of my all time favorites (beside his music for Jurassic Park, which I consider to be even better).

John Williams.......2005-09-12

This CD is great!!! The last 2 songs are two of the most beautifull i've ever hear, as a fan of JW i sure can tell you that the oscar was fair enough by chossing this soundtrack as the best...

Thanks for the marvelous soundtrack John Williams...

Mario Simoes - Brazil - Cuiaba/MT

Awesome Soundtrack, Timeless Themes.......2005-08-17

E.T. is quite simply the best score of the eighties, or nineties, maybe it's still the best score.

Anyhow, this soundtrack will try it's hardest to move you emotionaly, and this will work every time you slide it in.

The soundtrack has many sides, dark, horror, mystery, excitement, love, childlike themes, and a grand ending theme that will blow you away.

The addition of Yoda's theme in track 13 was extremely clever.

Score: XOX - 20th Anniversary World Tour Live with the Octavarium Orchestra

Average customer rating:

I have GOT to see these guys live someday...
VERY DISAPPOINTED
Blown away
A fantastic live recording
10 stars!

Score: XOX - 20th Anniversary World Tour Live with the Octavarium Orchestra
Dream Theater
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dream Theater - Score: 20th Anniversary World Tour Live with the Octavarium Orchestra
Systematic Chaos
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Snakes & Arrows
Gigantour

ASIN: B000G7PMD2
Release Date: 2006-08-29

Tracks:

The Root Of All Evil [Disc 1]
I Walk Beside You [Disc 1]
Another Won [Disc 1]
Afterlife [Disc 1]
Under A Glass Moon [Disc 1]
Innocence Faded [Disc 1]
Raise The Knife [Disc 1]
The Spirit Carries On [Disc 1]

Tracks:

Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence: [Disc 2]
I. Overture [Disc 2]
II. About To Crash [Disc 2]
III. War Inside My Head [Disc 2]
IV. The Test That Stumped Them All [Disc 2]
V. Goodnight Kiss [Disc 2]
VI. Solitary Shell [Disc 2]
VII. About To Crash (reprise) [Disc 2]
VIII. Losing Time/Grand Finale [Disc 2]
Vacant [Disc 2]
The Answer Lies Within [Disc 2]
Sacrificed Sons [Disc 2]

Tracks:

Octavarium: [Disc 3]
Intro [Disc 3]
I. Someone Like Him [Disc 3]
II. Medicate Me [Disc 3]
III. Full Circle [Disc 3]
IV. Intervals [Disc 3]
V. Razor's Edge [Disc 3]
Encore: [Disc 3]
Metropolis [Disc 3]

Album Description

This album marks the grand finale of the 20th Anniversary World Tour Live with the Octavarium Orchestra--a tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of the members of Dream Theater meeting at Berklee School of Music. The recording was captured live at Radio City Music Hall on April 1st, 2006.

Customer Reviews:

I have GOT to see these guys live someday..........2007-07-24

Okay, I'll start with the bad stuff. It sounds like one of the violinists in the orchestra is out of tune. And John Petrucci's backing vocals are simply awful; I've yet to hear a live DT recording where he stayed on key. OTOH, I can live with that because it's one of those little things that markes this album as a live recording. The backing vocals aren't coming from a tape, they're coming from actual humans.

But overall, this is a great set. The live Dream Theater is every bit as tight as the same band in the studio. The second and third discs, with the backing of the orchestra, sound great as well, although "Metropolis Pt. 1" sounds a little cluttered in spots. While I could complain that a few of my favorite tracks are not in this set, I won't; how many live versions of "Pull Me Under" or "A Change of Seasons" do they really need to record? ;)

This is definitely a great set, and one of the best live albums I've heard in years.

VERY DISAPPOINTED.......2007-05-26

3 DISC SET..1 DECENT CD..2 CRAPPY CD'S..THEY COULD HAVE @ SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALOT BETTER !!!!!!!!!!!!

Blown away.......2007-04-29

This is the first Dream Theater record I ever heard and I couldn't believe how blown away I was with it. I popped the first CD in the car and listened to the first 2 songs and couldn't believe the quality of music so I went back and listened to the first 2 songs again. The same thing happened after I listened to 'Afterlife' (track 4) -- I went back to the beginning and listened to the first 4 songs again. It took about a week before I even got to the second CD.

The second CD is the 41 epic tune, 'six degrees of inner turbulence. A song about, well, the inner turbulence of life. There is a spot around the 15 minute mark where I find it too dissonant, and there is an instrument in the orchestra that is flat, but this is a very weak criticism for a absolute work of art including the fantastic 'solitary shell' and powerful climax.

The find the 3rd CD ok but not anywhere near the first 2. Octivarium takes too long to get going and 'Metropolis' starts out so promising but the wonderful keyboard riff that kicks off the song is drowned out in the dissonance.

The keys are great, the guitar playing is great, the percussion is great and the vocals are out of this world outstanding.

One of the top 3 live albums off all time on my list along with Iron Maiden's "Live after Death" and Rush's "All the Worlds a Stage."

A fantastic live recording.......2007-04-06

Simply put, this may be the best collaboration between a heavy metal rock band with an orchestra that has ever been recorded. Separation of sound is very difficult to achieve when you are dealing with high volume but here the engineers manage to pull it off exceedingly well. If you don't know about this group by now then this is as good an introduction as you will find. If you are a fan then you will appreciate the excitement that the live audience adds to the band's performances even if you know most of the songs by heart. If you can't appreciate how incredibly good these musicians are then you have my condolences.

10 stars!.......2007-04-03

Awsome, great set list. Performance Flawless!

The whole group do a great job (like always) and the orchestra does fantastic following the whole six degrees album (side 2) and octivarium and metropolis and more! They do their classics great! Buy this, and if you dont know about Dream Theater... Your world will change, proceed to buy all their albums :)

Star Trek: 20th Anniversary Collectors' Edition [Holographic Slipcase]

Average customer rating:

Holographic Slipcase
Love the Soundtrack
Let's Face It ...
Great album -- not the Holographic Slipcase edition
Simply mesmerizing.

Star Trek: 20th Anniversary Collectors' Edition [Holographic Slipcase]
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Star Trek V: The Final Frontier - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
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Star Trek - Nemesis
The Best Of Star Trek: 30th Anniversary Special! Original TV Soundtrack [Enhanced CD]

ASIN: B00000FC5P
Release Date: 1999-01-26

Tracks:

Ilia's Theme
Main Title
Klingon Battle
Total Logic
Floating Office
The Enterprise
Leaving Drydock
Spock's Arrival
The Cloud
Vejur Flyover
The Force Field
Games
Spock Walk
Inner Workings
Vejur Speaks
The Meld
A Good Start
End Title

Tracks:

Star Trek Theme
Introduction: Nichelle Nichols
Inside Star Trek
William Shatner Meets Captain Kirk
Introduction To Live Show
About Science Fiction
The Origin Of Spock
Sarek's Son Spock
The Questor Affair
The Genesis II Pilot
Cyborg Tools And E.T. Life Forms
McCoy's Rx For Life
The Star Trek Philosophy
Asimov's World Of Science Fiction
The Enterprise Runs Around
A Letter From A Network Censor
The Star Trek Dream (Ballad I/Ballad II)
Sign Off: Nichelle Nichols

Amazon.com

After a decade of nascent cult fanaticism, Star Trek was finally reborn in 1979, given new life by an epic-sized feature-film production that all but squashed the quaint humanity that had been one of the original television series' most compelling elements (the producers got it right on Wrath of Khan and seldom looked back). Jerry Goldsmith's score, alternating robust heroics with alien mystique, is arguably the most memorable element of Star Trek: The Motion Picture; indeed, its main theme has heralded the voyages of the Enterprise in TV and film adventures ever since. This slipcased new edition resequences Goldsmith's music and supplements it with 25 minutes of previously unreleased, typically masterful cues. The set's "bonus" disc, Inside Star Trek with Gene Roddenberry, appeals to more polarized audiences: veteran Trekkers and shameless lovers of pop-culture kitsch. This 1976 artifact (previously unreleased on CD) was one of the first "official" efforts to address the show's burgeoning postcancellation popularity and features Trek creator Roddenberry ruminating earnestly about the show's origins and meanings with the likes of William Shatner and DeForest Kelley (who gives an eerily prescient lecture on the foibles of modern health care). Also features new narration by Nichelle "Uhuru" Nichols. Bonus points: Shatner doesn't sing! --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Holographic Slipcase.......2007-05-07

The disc is as advertised but I did not get the holographic slip cover instead I received the slip cover from Star Trek the Motion Picture.
This is a minor disappointment but the music is still the same.
If you purchase this disc you may or may not receive the Holographic Slipcase as advertised.

Love the Soundtrack.......2007-04-03

Best soundtrack of the motion picture. A great edition for any star trek fan. Love the music. Jerry Goldsmith is the best.

Let's Face It ..........2007-03-11

although Trekkers and Trekkies have aired their fair share of gripes and complaints about the overall plot of 1979's STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, any fussing and nit-picking about the movie's various weaknesses is silenced when the discussion turns to Jerry Goldsmith's amazingly beautiful orchestral score.

"Ilia's Theme", which opens the 20th Anniversary Collectors Edition soundtrack, is beautiful and haunting, much like the character of the Deltan navigator who followed her heart to be with the man she loved. Every time I hear this song I get teary-eyed; it's lilting, gentle and marvelous.

And then ... we move from the lyrical and lovely to the rousing opening credits theme, which was adopted by "The Next Generation" (at Gene Roddenberry's insistance), and from there, it's on to an unpleasant enounter with V'Ger in "Klingon Battle". I'd never heard a "blaster beam" before, and after I heard it in this song... another flock of goosebumps settled on my arms.

Goldsmith's theme for the starship "Enterprise" is majestic, awe-inspiring and gives me a flock of goosebumps. When we see the Enterprise as Adm, Kirk sees her for the first time, the rich brass and well-tempered strings lend just the right touch of awed amazement to the moment.

That sense of awe and wonder continues in the cues which tell the story of the Enterprise's enounter with V'Ger, the living machine which is in search of its creator, and once again, Goldsmith's music gives us a sense of fear, awe and wonder, especially in "V'Ger Flyover" and "The Cloud".

One of the advantages of the 20th Anniversary Collectors Edition soundtrack is that many of the cuse which weren't included in the original printing of the soundtrack album are included, and these additional cues, including "Total Logic", which takes us on a musical journey to Vulcan, add to the overall enjoyment of the album.

The second CD, which is chock-full of interviews with many members of the Original Series cast, is interesting to listen to for the various insights on why STAR TREK has managed to keep its appeal for so many years, but the principal reason to get this set is for the expanded soundtrack.

I think I can safely say that Goldsmith's score for ST: TMP will become a classic soundtrack, because it's wonderful soundtrack which tells a story of fear, awe, faith and hope.

It is truly one of Jerry Goldsmith's masterworks.

Great album -- not the Holographic Slipcase edition.......2006-11-17

I ordered this item from Amazon and the tracks are great. However, the CD I was sent does not have the holographic slipcase, but the regular cover with graphics from the movie. If you want the holographic case, order from another source!

Simply mesmerizing........2006-04-12

I can't think of any other movie that I've ever seen where the soundtrack did so much to make the movie special (except perhaps for "Forbidden Planet" with its brilliant electronic score).

Where would Star Trek: The Motion Picture be without this music? About an hour too long maybe? A subject of ridicule on some future revival of Mystery Science Theater 3000? I don't know.

There's a lot to be critical of in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, but all the criticism turns to awe when we get to the subject of the music. Really, I think if this soundtrack was released just as a musical composition then someone would have to make a movie just to use the music.

I own a lot of CDs, but there are precious few of them where I can just put them in the player, kick back near one of my two stereo systems, or put on a nice set of heaphones, and be transported away from everything I obsess over and worry about. This is the kind of music that can do that.

If people are still watching this movie 100 years from now on their holographic movie crystals, or whatever, it will likely be thanks to this brilliant soundtrack.

Forbidden Broadway (20th Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

Doesn't Compare to the Show
I Love This
25 parodies, half brilliant, half clever but overlong...
A MUST HAVE for any B-Way fan!
One score and seven shows ago....

Forbidden Broadway (20th Anniversary Edition)
Original Off-Broadway Cast , and Terri White
Manufacturer: Drg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Forbidden Broadway, Vol. 8 - Special Victims Unit
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Forbidden Broadway: Unoriginal Cast Recording, Volume 2 (1991 Revue Compilation)

ASIN: B00004TJ9X
Release Date: 2000-06-27

Tracks:

Forbidden Broadway (from Vol. 1)
The Music Man - Trouble in New York City (Vol. 3)
My Fair Lady - Import-Gavotte (previously unreleased)
Annie - Tomorrow (Vol. 2)
Cameron Mackintosh - My Souvenir Things (Vol. 4)
Elaine Stritch - Stritch (Vol. 4)
The Lion King - Circle of Mice / Can You Feel the Pain Tonight? (Vol.5)
Patti LuPone - Patti LuPone / I Get a Kick Out of Me (Vol. 2)
Martin Guerre - It's Martin Guerre (previously unreleased)
Julie Andrews - I Couldn't Hit the Note (Vol. 3)
Into the Woods - Into the Words (Vol. 2)
Chita-Rita - America (Vol. 2)
Mandy Patinkin - Somewhat Overindulgent (Vol. 2)
Les Miserables - Les Misera-blah / End of the Play / I Dreamed a Show / Bring It Down (Vol. 2)
Carol Channing - Imitation Is the Highest Form of Flattery (Vol. 3)
Old Revivals - Old Revivals! (previously unreleased)
Merman & Martin - It's De-Merman (Vol. 1) / Old Fashioned Ballad (Vol. 3)
Ragtime - Gagtime / A Really Long Note (Vol. 5)
Sarah Brightman - Time I Said, "Goodbye" (previously unreleased)
Aspects of Love - I Sleep with Everyone (previously unreleased)
Screamgirls - And I Am Telling You I'm Not Screaming (previously unreleased)
Liza Minnelli - Liza One-Note (previously unreleased)
Back to Barbra - On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (Vol. 3)
Cats - I Enjoy Being a Cat / Memory (previously unreleased)
Fiddler on the Roof - Ambition (Vol. 1)

Amazon.com

It's hard to believe that the Great White Way has now suffered through 20 years of abuse from the legendary off-Broadway revue Forbidden Broadway. Since June 1981, the formula has been the same: take the most familiar and popular numbers from Broadway shows, add wickedly hilarious lyrics by creator Gerard Alessandrini and spot-on impressions by talented performers, and put the audience in stitches. Obviously, parodies of specific people (Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin, Julie Andrews) and specific shows (The Lion King, Les Miz, Ragtime) can get dated quickly, but because so many of the original performances are preserved on recordings, Broadway fans should recognize most, if not all, the references. This 20th-anniversary edition includes highlights from the first five volumes (though the medleys have been slightly truncated for this 74-minute recording), making it an excellent introduction for novices, plus seven previously unreleased tracks that longtime fans won't want to miss, including some old targets (Sarah Brightman) and some new ones, such as Martin Guerre ("Look, I'm Martin Guerre / And I confess, this show's a mess, just like my hair") and Liza Minnelli's 1999-2000 comeback show. Those who think of Broadway and its stars as sacred institutions might be offended by Forbidden Broadway, but fans who recognize the all-too-human foibles of their favorite music and stars will find that laughing at them doesn't mean they love them any less. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Doesn't Compare to the Show.......2007-03-09

I've seen two of the Forbidden Broadway shows and enjoyed them both very much. This album is a poor substitute for seeing the shows. The songs don't hold up very well without the ingratiating stage performances and costumes of the typically excellent cast. It is very hard to understand the lyrics on most of the songs on the CD.

I Love This.......2006-03-12

I love this!!! The best numbers are Circle of Mice and Chita Rita. A CD for all to enjoy. Also listen to I Enjoy Being A Cat. This is the coolest CD!!!

25 parodies, half brilliant, half clever but overlong..........2004-03-13

I grew up just a one-hour train ride from Broadway, and from the age of 14 to 27, I saw a handful of musicals and a double handful of dramas. My big-time theatrical history begins with seeing "My Fair Lady" from the cheapest balcony seat, and ends with Danny Kaye in "Two-by-Two" in 1971. I fell in love with it all, and dreamed of getting a public-relations job in that neighborhood. Alas, not meant to be. I moved 2,000 miles away in '71, and never went back. But I would have loved to attend the nearly annual "Forbidden Broadway" revue that began in 1981. I knew nothing about it until a couple of weeks ago, when I heard four selections from this CD on National Public Radio. I bought my own copy the next day. It is a hoot, but as with most comedic offerings, not one you need to keep in your collection for years, or play often. Once you have heard it twice, and played your favorite tracks for friends, it makes a nice gift to someone who can't afford to buy it. That's what I plan to do with mine soon. Meanwhile, I will hear the funny take-offs on "Music Man" and "My Fair Lady" and "Annie" and "Into the Woods" and "Les Miserables" and "Aspects of Love" and "Cats" and "Fiddler on the Roof" a few more times. There is also a wonderful and long-needed parody of "America" from "West Side Story" which explains the differences between Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno. Those of us who came of "theatre age" in the late '50's will recall that for a decade or more, every new musical had either Chita or Rita on stage. At least, it seemed so. Humor is a matter of taste, and not every track here is powerful or kind, but the main reason I gave this four stars instead of five is the absence of a lyric sheet. Some of the clever words are simply too difficult to discern, especially in the choral pieces. If you like Broadway shows, have some familiarity with the ones spoofed in this compilation, and possess a sense of humor (Les Miz is a favorite show of mine, but the criticisms in the spoof are also deadly accurate), you will enjoy this disc.

A MUST HAVE for any B-Way fan!.......2002-12-06

After having seen Chrstine Pedi, star of Forbidden Broadway, on the London stage, my mission was to own every CD produced since Forbidden Broadway emerged in 1992. A master of voices, Christine appears in most of the releases, however, the cast is so extraordinary, you will be amazed at their portrayals and Gerard Alessandrini's writing and the talent that pulls off the most scathing and insider lampooning of Broadway you will ever hear! As the "Capitol Steps" is to Washington, Forbidden Broadway will make you smile and blush as they prove no B-Way classic or Diva is immune to their taunting. Creative parody and insightful criticism provides entertainment with every track. If you want a sample, buy the 20th anniversary edition which provides a "best of" array of songs. You will eventually own all of them! Every time I listen I hear a new masterful vocal portrayal or insider joke that not only causes me to smile but also reinforces my belief that Gerard and Christine and Co. are some of the most amazing unsung talents off-off-off-off-Broadway! If you know the shows, you WILL indeed enjoy!

One score and seven shows ago...........2002-08-18

It's hard to believe Forbidden Broadway has now been leaving no show unturned for over 20 years. Not only does this make for a great Best-Of album, marking the show's 20th birthday, but it brings out some previously un-released gems to the die-hard fans. How were we able to survive before the release of Liza One-Note!? Also previously un-released are "Import-Gavotte," a terrific parody of the British invasion of theatre set to My Fair Lady's "Ascot-Gavotte"; "I'm Martin Guerre," set to "It's Martin Guerre,"; "Old Revivals," a nod to war-horses such as Oklahoma, whose title song is warped for this parody; "Time I Said 'Goodbye'," which finally attacks Sarah Brightman; "I Sleep With Everyone," one of my favourites set to "Love Changes Everything,"; A divine Screamgirls number, and another jab at Cats, "I Enjoy Being a Cat" (another favourite of mine).

Aside from releases from the vaults, a lot of the numbers here are taken from Volume 2, with an even distribution of knocking Andrew Lloyd Weber, Stephen Sondheim, Chita Rivera, Les Miserables, and Ethel Merman. If you're just discovering Forbidden Broadway, this is a pretty good introduction to the earlier stuff (there isn't too much from Volumes 4 and 5, and was released before Volume 7). Otherwise, it's still worth the money for the stuff you otherwise couldn't get.

The ultimate bad-mood buster, Forbidden Broadway has always been guaranteed to please, and this recording is the icing on the cake.

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