The Entertainer - The Very Best of Scott Joplin
The Entertainer - The Very Best of Scott Joplin
Customer Review: Tired and listless
Well, I have to disagree with the other reviewers. I thought this was very disappointing. Mr. Rifkin may be a very competent pianist but he just doesn’t have a “feel” for ragtime. The recordings here are plodding and pedestrian and while they may be technically very competent, there is no real personality here and no sense of fun, which is what ragtime is all about. If you like your ragtime sanitised and homogenised, this CD is for you. If you like it raw and rebellious, the way it was meant to be, give this one a miss.
Customer Review: Rifkin plays Joplin’s rags majestically
Personally, I’ve always preferred the slightly slower tempo at which Rifkin plays these rags. Most other performers speed them up (as if to ‘jazz them up’?) and they then lose their charm. The more sedate tempo brings them into the realm of a Chopin sonata.
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Country Music Association - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Barry - The Collection - 40 Years of Film Music
John Barry - The Collection - 40 Years of Film Music
John Barry is one of the best represented film composers on CD, but this four-disc collection outdoes everything that’s come before with tracks from more than 50 film and TV projects. Of course there are the biggest names you’d expect. James Bond is acknowledged by 10 of the infamous themes and a couple of suites. There’s the Western romance of Dances with Wolves, the sultriness of Body Heat, the jazzy highs at The Cotton Club and the encapsulation of the 1960s by The Ipcress File. But this collection’s strength is in not just concentrating on well-known classics such as Born Free or The Lion in Winter. There’s also smaller fare that rarely gets heard, such as The Dove, High Road to China, The Deep and also his “Romance for Guitar and Orchestra” from Deadfall. After four hours of listening to Barry’s laid-back romantic style, you’ll be in no uncertainty that all those other collections were justified. It’s just a shame this didn’t come first. –Paul Tonks
Customer Review: Movie music magic all in one place
This grand compilation of John Barry’s movie music from almost 40 years in the film business may offend some purists because it may not be exactly as the music appears in the films or as Barry himself might have conducted it - but it is still quintessentially John Barry’s own stirring, romantic, melodic, movie music. Where else can you get in one place unexpected gems like ‘the Dove’ and ‘Raise the Titanic’ alongside the peerless ‘Zulu’, many of the Bond themes and the sly and spooky ‘Ipcress File’ which conjures up a tango amongst spies in Cold War Berlin? (I watched the film recently just to hear the music in context and the music is the best thing about the film which otherwise is a less than convincing conspiracy thriller - set entirely in London!).
Customer Review: An Amazing Collection of Movie Music
This was never intended to replace the actual movie soundtracks for which John Barry wrote the music. On the other hand, by creating an orchestrial arrangement, the CDs emphasise the extraordinarily high quality of the melodies Barry has written over the eyears, and are superb pieces of music in their own right. A truly remarkable and very large music collection.
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The Essential Marty Robbins 1951-1982: Columbia Country Classics
The Essential Marty Robbins 1951-1982: Columbia Country Classics
Country’s jack-of-all-trades, Marty Robbins handled so many musical styles so well. The common threads were his shivering, fragile tenor; an ability to tastefully emote; and of course, an uncanny knack for appealing to popular tastes. From his earliest heart-rending ballads to his Western sagas, rockabilly romps, country-politan crooning, standards, and even his kitschy pop, Robbins lent them all a grace and civility that was simply hard to resist because he never (well, rarely) confused accessibility with shallowness. Though best known for bringing the cowboy uptown, Robbins helped expand the parameters of what a “country” artist could do, his choices defined by quality of material and performance, not genre. –Marc Greilsamer
Customer Review: An extremely versatile performer
Marty Robbins was a major country singer over three decades, beginning his recording career and establishing himself quickly. He maintained a high level of consistent success throughout the fifties and sixties and also had some notable successes in the seventies. This set covers his entire recording career. Originally released in America in a long box format with two separate CD jewel boxes and a large booklet inside, it was released in Europe in a two-door jewel case and later in a slimline double-CD case. I imported the original boxed set many years ago. I don’t know which packaging is current in America, but the music remains the same.
Marty’s early recordings often became successful in both the country and pop charts in America. He only had limited success in the UK pop charts but he was the first to record Singing the blues, Knee deep in the blues and Story of my life, all of which became massive UK hits for other singers. On this set, you can hear further evidence of his ability to rock’n'roll via That’s all right, Maybelline and A white sport coat and a pink carnation.
I love Marty’s rock’n'roll music but he was even better singing western songs. His biggest success came with El Paso, one of the best western songs ever recorded. This collection also features a couple of sequels - Feleena from El Paso and El Paso city. Plenty of other examples of Marty’s western songs are included here, though if you are really keen there are plenty of compilations devoted exclusively to Marty’s western music including a Bear family boxed set including all of them.
Marty was also capable of doing excellent versions of pop standards, as shown here by his versions of September in the rain, All the way and Unchained melody. He also recorded Hawaiian music and that is also represented here. Listen to his interpretations of Beyond the reef and Hawaiian wedding song. Marty also did his share of conventional country songs, including Devil woman, Ruby Ann, Tonight Carmen, You gave me a mountain and My woman my woman my wife.
This set (in whatever packaging) shows that Marty was a man of many talents, able to sing any type of song. If you only want one Marty Robbins collection, this is the one to go far, but be warned - you may end up buying more of his music to explore some aspects of his career in greater depth.
Customer Review: It`s outstanding,essential says it all.
This set has Marty`s big hits and also has some I had not heard before.Whether, you like Marty Robbins,or you like country, you can`t go wrong.
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Scott Joplin: Piano Rags [IMPORT]
Scott Joplin: Piano Rags [IMPORT]
Customer Review: Proper Joplin
Rifkin was the first musician in modern times to accord Joplin’s music proper respect. His three LP records for Nonesuch in the 1970s, appeared around the same time as Joplin’s music was used to great effect by Marvin Hamlisch in the film “The Sting”.
For probably the first time in any recording, Rifkin brought serious ability, musicology, and respect to these piano pieces, and helped to establish their significant place in the canons of music and of social history.
Rifkin plays the music “properly”, as written, and imposes no faddish styles or embellishments of his own. The recorded sound and the quality of the piano are good.
Those seriously interested in the music of Joplin should have Rifkin’s recordings. There are other good recordings now too (and plenty of bad ones), but Rifkin’s work has an important place in the history and restoration of this music.
Customer Review: One of the greatest ever performances
I cannot sufficiently praise this album - it is simply one of the greatest ever recordings of any music by anybody. It is as near to perfection as one gets in this world.
The music is wonderful, the performances lyrical and strong, the sound is rich, the atmosphere joyous and wistful. I have listened to this album literally hundreds of times, I am listening to it now - it never palls.
The only sadness is that Rifkin did not record more of Jopin’s work - and that this CD is an incomplete selection of pieces from three LPs which are now unavailable - although I am lucky enough to posses the second one which has several gems not on the CD including Rose Leaf Rag which is Joplin at the peak of his powers.
I bracket Rifkin playing Joplin with Gould playing Bach and Bream playing Dowland in my personal Hall of Fame.
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I’m 10,000 Years Old: Elvis Country - Remastered
I’m 10,000 Years Old: Elvis Country - Remastered
Customer Review: country boy
A country boy at heart he would spend alot of the seventies singing it. This album with one or two exceptions is superb. I washed my hands is down and dirty and its your baby top notch country.
Elvis a country singer you cry? yes indeed and a great one at that.
If you want them all without the i was born in between each track buy the seventies box set.
Customer Review: Landmark album - one of his best
This is really a great album. One of the few albums that really capture Elvis as a great recording artist. Though Elvis was a great recording artist, his albums were way too often not well constructed. Great songs were lost as a single b-sides etc. But here there’s no weak songs. Every performance is stellar and inspired. Still this might not be the Elvis you know. Not really a rock’n roll album or not the Elvis singing those over sentimental songs of loneliness and regret that became his “trademark” as the 70’s proceeded.
Though in my opinion this isn’t straight country album, it is quite “rootsy”. These performances are spirited and “live”. This might the album that could really turn Elvis skeptics into respecting the King, because here Elvis did what he wanted to do and knew how to do it. These were done during those days before he lost himself into the world of chemicals, depression and slow selfdestruction.
Once again a reminder of what Elvis was capable of doing.
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Message from the Country
Message from the Country
Customer Review: Gem
If I could pass laws. I’d pass a law that prohibits musicians from designing their own album covers unless they could produce compelling evidence to the contrary. But, that aside: lets look at the music. Some could argue that this album sits uncomfortably between the gravitas of prog-rock and the trivia of superficial pop . Bollocks. This album is a period classic, combining the urge to experiment, tempered by solid, and unashamedly, pop sensibilities.
Customer Review: Roy Wood at his best
Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood could have stuck together and saved us from ELO and Wizzard!
This album plays like a classic, an experimental mish-mash that promises even greater things, although they morphed into the Electric Light Orchestra soon after.
All the songs are very clever, nicely melodic and some are very comical in a Goon Show sort of way.
Bev Bevan sounds great singing on Don’t Mess Me Up, and Roy Wood uses some great sounding shawms on It Wasn’t My Idea to Dance.
Pretentious, yes, but melodic and lots of fun.
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Wild in the Country
Wild in the Country
Customer Review: Beautiful songs, but was this ever an original issue???
Follow that dream records, the collectors division of RCA have done it again with another superb re-packaging in their latest series of original LP re-issues. Turning their attention to the 1961 “Wild In The Country” movie soundtrack. A classic film, one of the last serious roles for Elvis, a slow paced film by all accounts but one with some great actors and acting. I enjoyed watching this one many times over, yet its not a film that is that well known generally. The songs were made to fit into the movie plot far more on this occasion, and they did not spoil the more serious tone of the movie. The songs are generally fairly low key gentle ballads. They are beautiful songs though. The exception is “I slipped I stumbled I fell” being the most rockin track on the set. This was of course featured on “ELVIS SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY” LP later that year 1961.
This 7″ gatefold CD includes booklet and outtakes from the movie songs. Many unreleased previously. I love the early takes of “Wild In the country” Elvis really lets loose on the vocal, unfortunately the takes are incomplete but had they of used the early takes to make up the master it could well have surpassed the actual final version of the song.
Overall a great purchase for the collector, I am however a little confused by this release as I thought RCA (Follow That Dream) 7″ gatefolds were only re-issuing LP’s and EP’s that were originally issued in Elvis’s lifetime, and that are no longer available. I dont recall this EP ever existing originally, so therefore its a new release rather than a re-issue. Odd but I am not complaining.
Not the best FTD release to date, its really not great value for money when they issue a 4 or 5 song EP, but the alternate takes always make up the running time and the presentation and packaging is second to none. As I say not the best but nice none the less.
Paul
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The (US23 Kentucky) Country Music Highway Magazine and Information …
Creating Country Music: Fabricating Authenticity - Google Books Result
by Richard A. Peterson - 1997 - Music - 306 pages