Moments from My Life [Import]

1. Broken Wings

2. As Tears Go By

3. When I Need You

4. Dust In The Wind

5. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me

6. Ain't No Sunshine

7. I Will Survive

8. To Love Somebody

9. You Keep Me Hangin On

10. Free The People

11. We've Got Tonight

12. I'll Never Find Another You

13. Come Softly To Me

14. Those Were The Day

Editorial Reviews

Product Description:
Compilation featuring Songs Like "as Tears Go By", "do You Really Want to Hurt Me", and "Those were the Days".

Tracks:

Please Say You Will - Richard Zimmerman
A Picture Of Her Face - Richard Zimmerman
The Great Crush Collision March - Richard Zimmerman
Harmony Club Waltz - Richard Zimmerman
Combination March - Richard Zimmerman
Original Rags - Richard Zimmerman
Maple Leaf Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Swipesy - Cake Walk - Richard Zimmerman
Sunflower Slow Drag - Richard Zimmerman
Peacherine Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Augustan Club Waltz - Richard Zimmerman
The Easy Winners - Richard Zimmerman
Cleopha - Richard Zimmerman
The Strenuous Life - Richard Zimmerman
I Am Thinking Of My Pickanniny Days - Richard Zimmerman
The Ragtime Dance - Richard Zimmerman
A Breeze From Alabama - Richard Zimmerman
Elite Syncopations - Richard Zimmerman

Tracks:

March Majestic - S. Joplin
The Entertainer - S. Joplin
Something Doing - S. Joplin
Weeping Willow - S. Joplin
Little Black Baby - S. Joplin
Palm Leaf Rag - S. Joplin
The Favorite - S. Joplin
The Sycamore - S. Joplin
The Cascades - S. Joplin
The Chrysanthemum - S. Joplin
Rosebud March - S. Joplin
Bethena - S. Joplin
Leola - S. Joplin
Sarah Dear - S. Joplin
Binks Waltz - S. Joplin
Eugenia - S. Joplin
Antoinette - S. Joplin
Snoring Sampson - S. Joplin

Tracks:

Gladiolus Rag - S. Joplin
Searchlight Rag - S. Joplin
The Nonpareil (None to Equal) - S. Joplin
When Your Hair Is Like The Snow - S. Joplin
Rose Leaf Rag - S. Joplin
Heliotrope Bouquet - S. Joplin
School Of Ragtime - S. Joplin
Fig Leaf Rag - S. Joplin
Sugar Cane - S. Joplin
Pine Apple Rag - S. Joplin
Wall Street Rag - S. Joplin
Solace - S. Joplin
Pleasant Moments - S. Joplin
Country Club - S. Joplin
Paragon Rag - S. Joplin
Euphonic Sounds - S. Joplin
Stoptime Rag - S. Joplin
Felicity Rag - S. Joplin

Tracks:

Highlights From Treemonisha - Richard Zimmerman
A Real Slow Drag - Richard Zimmerman
Prelude To Act 3 - Richard Zimmerman
Frolic Of The Bears - Richard Zimmerman
Lovin' Babe - Richard Zimmerman
Scott Joplin's New Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Kismet Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Magnetic Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Reflection Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Silver Swan Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Lily Queen - Richard Zimmerman
Sensation - Richard Zimmerman

Customer Reviews:

Available at retailers for about $18.......2006-12-21

Excellent collection - but there are re-sellers listed here that are selling this for as much $50 or $60. Yikes, most major retailers are selling this complete set for $18 - so beware.

A classic compilation.......2006-10-07

This collection is one of my most treasured possessions. (My father gave me the original 5-album set in the 70's when it was originally released on vinyl.)

This is the definitive collection of Scott Joplin's work. Richard Zimmerman provides wonderful performances that accurately reflect Joplin's intentions. (As evidence beyond my personal opinion, I submit the recent releases of digital recordings made from Joplin's piano rolls.)

A few points to consider regarding negative comments you may encounter in other reviews:
* This is a digital recording from an analog master. Lack of quality in the recording does not imply a lackluster performance.
* This is a complete collection. Some similarity is due to Joplin re-exploring melodic themes. But some is due to the fact that these are "rags". One might as well complain that all 50's doo-wop (or all 70's disco) sounds the same.
* Many pieces of the period exhibit formal musical structures, such as the marches of John Phillips Sousa. (Both Sousa and Joplin performed at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.) Actually, Joplin is responsible for extending the formal boundaries of ragtime to concert waltzes (Bethena) and opera (A Guest of Honor, Treemonisha)
* This is probably one of the few collections which will include selections from "Treemonisha". It is my understanding that after the initial release, one of Joplin's descendants made a copyright claim that was upheld in court. (I presume the issue was that Joplin had to finance "Treemonisha" himself, and therefore the customary performance clearances did not cover those selections.)

For ragtime students and enthusiasts, this is a "must-have" collection at a very affordable price.

A dis-service to Joplin.......2006-02-01

Sadly, the only virtue this set possesses is completeness.

The pianist does not play Joplin's pieces "as written", the piano is of poor quality, and not properly in tune.

This is emphatically NOT the set to buy. A far better set, beautifully annotated and well played on a good concert grand piano, is the complete works played by Guido Nielsen on the Basta Label.

This set is a dis-service to Joplin and his music. He deserves better, and gets it elsewhere.

Unique .......2004-10-19

I have several cd sets of Joplin's music: Rifkin, Arpo, Nielsen, and Zimmerman. All have their excellent qualities. What sets Zimmerman's set apart is the inclusion of excerpts from Joplin's opera, Treemonisha---especially "A Real Slow Drag." Why the other sets do not include excerpts from Treemonisha, I don't know---because they are some of his most beautiful and joyful pieces of music. Of course, you can hear the orchestrated version of Treemonisha in the Houston Grand Opera recording, and it is spectacular. But Zimmerman's piano version, especially of "A Real Slow Drag," is not to be missed.

Great set.......2001-10-16

I guess this will be a rather one sided review. I have been a fan of Scott Joplin since I first learned to play a piano.

I was shocked to see that one reviewer thought it all sounded the same. How silly. All of Frank Sinatra's music sounds like Frank Sinatra. All of Led Zeppelin sounds like Led Zeppelin. So, if the songs were drastically different, I would question if the same author composed them. As it is, though, each song on this set is fantastic!!

I don't know that I have heard of Richard Zimmerman, and I was a little leary as to what I would be getting, I certainly was impressed. Without a doubt the best renditions of "Weeping Willow" and "Bethena" I have heard, and at least a dozen songs I didn't know Joplin wrote.

Tracks:

Lonely Town
Why Did I Choose You
Moment Musical Opus 16 No.3 In B Minor
In Love In Vain
Ruth's Waltz
Scenes From A Silver Screen
I'm Gonna Laugh you Right Out Of My Life
You My Love
Prelude En La Mineur
The Folks Who Live On The Hill
Easy On The Heart
Theme For Charlie
Wayfaring Stranger

Amazon.com

Bassist Charlie Haden was an integral part of Ornette Coleman's pioneering avant-garde groups in the '50s and '60s and led his own equally forward-thinking Liberation Music Orchestra. His ensemble Quartet West, with tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts, drummer Larance Marable, and pianist Alan Broadbent, revealed a sentimental side of his musical personality that surprised many. This recording, with string arrangements by Broadbent, sounds like a soundtrack to a Raymond Chandler film as Haden's sturdy bass tones make him a worthy supporting actor. But although Shirley Horn's ethereal voice sparkles on "Lonely Town," "In Love in Vain," and "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Life," and crooner Bill Henderson's towering pipes are radiant on "Why Did I Choose You," "Ruth's Waltz," "You My Love," and "Easy on the Heart," all of the material is in pretty much the same ballad tempo, which, compounded by the time length of the CD, robs it of the romantic resonance it could truly shine on the listener. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews:

Age breeds a shining moment.......2003-11-20

The criticisms miss the point. This is an effort that does a rare thing - it brings together men and women who can put the experience of life to judicious use in their art. Unlike listening to the deterioration other performers have faced, in later years, at the hands of studio production teams that no longer know what to do with them, Charlie Haden has found a way to create a beautiful volume of space in which to let the years of these venerated performers shine through. It is in this space you shall hear the notes of lives lived and savored.

Nice but dismissable........2001-08-09

Haden's pleasant miscellany of neglected but deserving ballads is indeed a mixed bag, but somehow his focus, purpose, and method elude this listener. Neophyte writers are frequently enjoined to compose with a sharp, definitive, unified "thesis." Haden could have used a bit of coaching along these lines before producing this collection. Even drawing upon a common composer (as opposed to ranging from Kern to Rachmaninoff to public domain) might have provided the needed coherence to the project.

In any case, it's always a welcome experience to hear Shirley Horn; the revival of a touching ballad like "In Love in Vain" merits our appreciation; and though I was never a big fan of Bill Henderson (an acquired taste), he deserves to be recorded based on the evidence of this recording.

In sum, this album is more than anything else a "sampler" and should have been priced accordingly.

Disappointing by Quartet West standards.......2001-05-09

The outstanding Quartet West album is 'Always Say Goodbye'. On that CD, Broadbent demonstrates his skills at orchestral arrangement, and Haden deftly selects great oldies to intermingle with some of his own superb compositions. Haden also takes some historic performances -- such as Jo Stafford on vocals -- to bring a resonance to the new covers. The experiment was very successful.

You can see the logic behind this subsequent album: instead of using dusty old recordings, why don't we use today's state-of-the-art production to capture the voices of several current artists? And why don't we let Alan orchestrate the whole album?

The trouble is that the orchestration, beautiful though it is throughout, constrains the band terribly. And the vocals swamp the album. (Actually the Jo Stafford track on 'Always Say Goodbye' is one of the weakest on the album.) They say that the saxophone is the instrument closest to the human voice, and it is Ernie Watts who suffers most on this album, The sax is simply crowded out by all the singing. It is only on the stand-out track, 'Prelude en la mineur', an instrumental re-working of a Ravel piece, that Watts finally gets a chance to let rip.

Shirley Horn's vocals are fine, particularly on 'Lonely Town'. But I simply cannot listen to any of the tracks containing Bill Henderson's voice, and sadly, there are four of them.

The most touching song is the last one, where Haden himself bravely takes the vocal lead. It's a song his mother used to sing on the radio, back in the early 1940s, when the entire Haden family would appear on KWTO Springfield. It is a farewell to the dead, and also a reassurance that one day they will meet again.

If you want a quick survey of this CD, check out tracks #1, #9 and #13. It's a long way from the days of Haden's playing with Ornette Coleman and the Liberation Orchestra, and it's very mellow.

If you breathe and have ears, buy this record!.......2001-04-15

I first heard of Charlie Haden on Dublin's best radio music show - The Mystery Train presented by John Kelly on RTE Radio 1. I bought this CD and it has never been off my current play list. This is beautiful music that touches the heart. Listen to Wayfaring Stranger, Lonely Town, I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Life, or Ruth's Walz after a tough day at the office or jammed in traffic and you will be back in touch with the good things in life. As someone who has evolved though Thin Lizzy, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Queen, U2, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, BB King, Grant Green etc, Charlie Haden is proof of my graduation. After since buying other and even better Haden CD's, I am looking forward to seeing him in concert with Quartet West here in Dublin on April 29. BUY IT NOW!

A Night and a Lonely Town.......2000-05-24

Despite its problems, I think this album still deserves a five-star rating. Seemingly inspired by the music of moody classic cinema, a listener might well envision a seedy nightclub in a fog-swept black & white San Francisco of the 1940s or a tearful Ingrid Bergman about to board a twin-propellor leaving Rick and Casablanca behind her forever.

Regardless of which side of the Atlantic you envision on your moody musical journey, this is definitely a lounging type of music, perfect for lazy Sunday afternoons, after-theatre drives around town on warm summer evenings, warm candle-lit baths, or romantic dinners for two. The beautifully romantic ballads range from the longing "Lonely Town" to the mostly-resolute "I'm Going to Laugh You Right Out of My Life" to the quietly complacent "The Folks Who Live on the Hill." Interspersed with these great standards, however, are wonderful instrumental pieces which frame the remaining vocals with stunningly dramatic moods.

The only flaw is the rather unappealing voice of Bill Henderson, who seems to be suffering from a weak set of lungs, if not from lack of enthusiasm. Henderson seems to strive for the vocal capabilities of Shirley Horn, who sings on 1, 4, 7 and 10, but is incapable of achieving those same dramatic pitches of his fellow artist. Nevertheless, he does an adequate job on "Ruth's Waltz" and "Easy on the Heart" even if "Why Did I Choose You" is downright painful to listen to. Haden, who sings on 13, seems similarly incapable of reaching Horn's heights, but "Wayfaring Stranger," the traditional song he chose to render, is capable of carrying itself with the slow somber tone it evokes in the listener.

Regardless of its faults, this remains a beautiful album. I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves the kind of sit-at-home music it captures so very well in its beautifully jazzy tunes that are, at the very least, easy on the ears.

My Heart Soars: A Canadian Celebration of Life, Laughter, Love and Praise
Average customer rating:
My Heart Soars: A Canadian Celebration of Life, Laughter, Love and Praise

Manufacturer: Marquis Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Electronic | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music | Computer
General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003WHS
Release Date: 2007-01-08

Tracks:

I'se the B'y
The Blooming Bright Star Of Belle Isle
Song for the Mira
Cape Breton Lullaby
Away from the Roll of the Sea
Four Songs of Early Canada: Ah! Si Mon Moine Voulait Danser
Four Songs of Early Canada: The Wreck Of The Steamship Ethie
Four Songs of Early Canada: Morning Star
Four Songs of Early Canada: Savory, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Moments In Time: Laughter
Moments In Time: Clouds
Moments In Time: Orders
Moments In Time: A Spider Danced A Cosy Jig
Moments In Time: Moments In Time
Keewaydin
The Blue Eye of God
Pie Jesu
My Heart Soars
Cantate Domino

Amazon.com

Some children's choirs achieve a professional level of performance, and among these the Toronto Children's Chorus is at the top of the list. This disc's subtitle says it all--after listening to this celebration your heart will truly soar. This is a virtuoso program of modern works that demands--and delivers--exceptional intonation, keen rhythmic sense, and well-developed vocal technique and musicianship. --David Vernier

The Complete Works of Scott Joplin, Vol. 1-5

Average customer rating:

Wilmot
Delightful colletion of Scott Joplin's music
Avoid
One Star for Pity
The Complete Works?? I think not

The Complete Works of Scott Joplin, Vol. 1-5

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Ragtime | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music

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Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Chants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Complete Piano Music of Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin: The Complete Rags, Marches, Waltzes & Songs
James Scott: The Complete Works 1903-1922

ASIN: B000001VWW
Release Date: 1993-11-30

Tracks:

Please Say You Will
A Picture Of Her Face
The Great Crush Collision March
Harmony Club Waltz
Combination March
Original Rags
Maple Leaf Rag
Swipesy-Cake Walk
Sunflower Slow Drag
Peachtree Rag
Augustan Club Waltz
The Easy Winners
Cleopha
The Strenuous Life

Tracks:

I Am Thinking Of My Pickanniny Days
The Ragtime Dance
A Breeze From Alabama
Elite Syncopations
March Majestic
The Entertainer
Something Doing
Weeping Willow
Little Black Baby
Palm Leaf Rag
The Favorite
The Sycamore
The Cascades
The Chrysanthemum

Tracks:

Rosebud March
Bethena
Leola
Sarah Dear
Binks Waltz
Eugenia
Antoinette
Snoring Sampson
Gladiolus Rag
Searchlight Rag
The Nonpareil (Equal To None)
When Your Hair Is Like The Snow
Lose Leaf Rag
Heliotrope Bouquet

Tracks:

School Of Ragtime
Fig Leaf Rag
Sugar Cane
Pine Apple Rag
Wall Street Rag
Solace
Pleasant Moments
Country Club
Paragon Rag
Euphonic Sounds
Stoptime Rag
Felicity Rag
Lovin' Babe
Scot Joplin's New Rag

Tracks:

Highlights From Treemonisha
A Real Slow Drag
Prelude to Act 3
Frolic Of The Bears
Kismet Rag
Magnetic Rag
Reflection Rag
Silver Swan Rag
Lily Queen
Sensation

Customer Reviews:

Wilmot.......2007-01-10

Well done, with the only drawback that Joshua Rifkind is not at the piano. Sometimes the pace is too frenetic.

Delightful colletion of Scott Joplin's music.......2006-08-17

This is a wonderful collection of Scott Joplin's music. Delightful to own, to play over and over and over.

Avoid.......2004-10-30

I have to agree with "A music fan" is his review of March 2003.

The piano used is poor, and not even all that well in tune. The recorded sound quality is muffled and 'processed'-sounding.

And the playing, I am afraid, is an insult to Joplin. What a pity to produce so full a set, and to do it so badly. A travesty.

If you want a superb Joplin set, played "as wrote", on a good concert grand and played with verve and style, and well-recorded, it's got to be the new Guido Nielsen 4 CD set on the Basta label (Basta 30-91262).

For a really fine single CD recorded on a top-notch piano and with playing that brings out all the elegance in Joplin's music (which it isn't wrong to do - Joplin put it in there), try the new Naxos CD played by Alexander Peskanov (Naxos 8.559114).

The Zimmerman set, I am afraid, must be consigned to the dustbin. A pity.

One Star for Pity.......2003-05-05

My review in two statements: DON'T BUY IT. EVER.

One star for pity - and for the effort of going to the trouble of learning Scott Joplin's complete works. I know it must have been quite a task getting the sheet music for these works and it must have been quite a task learning them, but I cannot honestly say that this is a good recording. Richard Zimmerman plays these works on a piano with bad quality sound, and he plays these works with his own embellishments and in his own style. If you're going to take liberties with a written score, you'd might as well not even try to play it at all. Either play it as written, or don't play it. Why can't people understand that?

The Complete Works?? I think not.......2002-08-06

I bought the CD entitled the Complete Works of Scott Joplin but upon receiving it I found that it only contained 14 tracks from the Complete Works book. The CD at the price is certainly a good buy even with the 14 tracks but it should be more correctly labled as the "Almost" complete works - "Sort - Of" Complete works or maybe A Partial Compilation of the Complete Works but a Complete Works it is not. It appears that a more Complete Works also has the same label.. Or maybe I am missing something..

Average customer rating:

An amazing album
Look What She's Done To Their Songs Ma
What a stunning album!!!
It Has It's Moments
A Beautiful Concept.....Unfulfilled

Moments from My Life
Melanie
Manufacturer: Disky Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

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Pop | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Triple Treasures
Crazy Love
Photograph
Melanie The Ultimate Collection
On Air

ASIN: B00008UZNJ
Release Date: 2006-06-22

Tracks:

Broken Wings
As Tears Go By
When I Need You
Dust In The Wind
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me
Ain't No Sunshine
I Will Survive
To Love Somebody
You Keep Me Hangin On
Free The People
We've Got Tonight
I'll Never Find Another You
Come Softly To Me
Those Were The Day

Album Details

Compilation featuring Songs Like "as Tears Go By", "do You Really Want to Hurt Me", and "Those were the Days".

Customer Reviews:

An amazing album.......2006-08-08

Melanie is one of the music's world's finest performers and deserves a much wider contemporary audience. Her writing skills and utterly amazing voice combine on this album of her very best contributions over the years. Every song is brilliant, the execution and use of her unique voice makes this album a true masterpiece. It is worth buying the album just to hear "Pebbles in the Sand". Buy it and enjoy it over and over. I am doing just that.

Look What She's Done To Their Songs Ma.......2006-08-02

It's always interesting to see how different artists approach well-known material; what their take is on it. This album is a real ear-opener and great fun. Melanie comes on strong and sensitive in her treatments of these rock standards and favorites with a flamenco version of "I Will Survive", a bluegrass version of "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" and a rock ballad version of "You Keep Me Hangin' On" that sounds reminiscent of "Nights In White Satin". There's lots more here to show that Melanie has grown older but retained her fine, powerful voice and brings the emotion needed to make it all work. So, look what she's done to their songs Ma. You won't be sorry. She sings them in a brand new key.

What a stunning album!!!.......2006-07-05

As usually Ms. Melanie sings at her best and this album is of course amazing. Her powerful voice takes your breath away. She is unique and if you don't know her, you can buy this CD and you will realize what I am talking about.

It Has It's Moments.......2005-11-17

Melanie, the songwriter, is grossly under-rated. She is a prolific and exceptional songstress. Her vocal instrument, once her ace in the hole, has lost some of its range and power, at times she sounds as if she is growling. This cd contains nothing but covers. Melanie has done some exceptional covers in the past, "Wild Horses", "My Rainbow Race" & " Chords of Fame" come to mind. But, she covered those songs when she was in full command of her voice. " Ain't No Sunshine" is gorgeous and her voice is the powerful instrument it once was. But, most of these songs are buried under pretentious arrangements and sung in an almost monotone manner. She needs to invest in vocal training. Her voice is still there, but she doesn't know how to use it to its full advantage. The only cd, in recent memory, that serves Melanie well and showcases her tremendous talent is "Crazy Love".

A Beautiful Concept.....Unfulfilled.......2005-04-19

When I first stumbled upon this release, I was really jazzed...one of the strongest, most unique singer/songwriters of the last 35 years covering songs that had moved, impressed or influenced her...how could such a cool concept fail? Sad to say, much of MOMENTS FROM MY LIFE does, indeed, miss the mark. Not nearly as good as 2003's excellent CRAZY LOVE, and only marginally better than last year's disappointing PALED BY A DIMMER LIGHT, this 2002 release is loaded with overwrought vocals and musical miscalculations that fail more often than they succeed (In all honesty, if it was possible to award half stars, I probably would have given the disc two and a half). Things kick off with Mr. Mister's "Broken Wing." A tasteful jazzy/folk mix, Melanie's vocals sail over the pulsating bassline and twinkling guitar. It's not until the African chorus comes in halfway thru the song that you realize things have taken a 180 degree turn. By song's end, the track seems overproduced and busy. Sadly, the missteps continue with "Tracks Of My Tears." This is a song that Melanie should have NAILED and, in most cases, would have. However, this version is just underwhelming... the resignation, hurt and pain that is at the core of this gorgeous classic is barely present, replaced by a bored passivity. A delicate, encrossing arrangement is also marred by an extra warbly vocal. Leo Sayer's "When I Need You" is honest and unaffected, but certainly could have been edited down by a full minute, while Kansas' "Dust In The Wind" is the first major misfire...the pseudo-flamenco arrangement comes across as almost pretencious, while Melanie's vocal is flat and devoid of any bite (Once again, the song goes on WAY too long). Next up is the disc's biggest white elephant...Culture Club's "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me." The song itself has not stood the test of time, while the segue from smokey jazz club intro to Appalachian front porch toe tapper is one of the biggest production miscalculations I've heard in my 35+ years of musical fandom. It's not very often I'm this critical of someone's art or talent, but this track is truly dreadful. Things rebound on a strong note, though, with the hypnotic "Ain't No Sunshine" and the powerful "I Will Survive." Unlike "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me", "I Will Survive" has managed to hold it's own over the years and, in this case, even improve. Melanie strips the song of it's disco beat and allows the words to tell their story, while her beautiful, heartfelt vocal is full of strength, awareness and knowledge. She absolutely captures this cut...awesome! Things continue on the right track with "To Love Somebody", which is just dripping in emotion, and "You Keep Me Hanging On." True, I would have preferred the latter to have a bit more of an edge and a little more spunk (after all, this is from a woman who recorded a song called "Spunky!")...it's subdued acoustic arrangement borders on lethargic, costing the song some of it's immediacy (Something more upbeat and energetic, along the lines of her excellent version of "Knock On Wood" from the late 70's, would have been more like it!). Still, Melanie's vocal is honest and unaffected, and the song ultimately proves to be a good match for her. "Free The People" is a nice, strong album track, with hints of bluegrass. "We've Got Tonight" is delivered in muted shades of hopefulness, tenderness and just the smallest pinch of coyness (Special note has to be made in regard to the gorgeous guitar work, both acoustic and electric, which perfectly accents Safka's controlled vocal). Another high point. I would have loved to have heard "I'll Never Find Another You" done a cappella....Melanie would have aced it. As it is, the quiet arrangement is nice enough. The disc wraps things up with a hit and a miss, the miss being an ultimately unsatisfying dance version of "Come Softly To Me." What is it nowadays with all these aging chanteuses - Cher and Cyndi Lauper (among others!) instantly come to mind! - who are trying to reinvent themselves as dance divas?!? A lighter, airier version, closer to the breathy innocence of the original, would have worked much better. Another major misstep. The hit is "Those Were The Days", which captures all of the pain, regret and resignation that is at the core of this classic. Melanie delivers the cut with equal parts sadness, wistfulness and wiseness. By the end of the song, you ARE in a small European tavern, eavesdropping on this woman as she tries to convince her friends - and herself - to look on the bright side...they've learned some hard won lessons, they still have their memories and, heck, they're still here to toast each other! So...my ultimate advice on MOMENTS FROM MY LIFE? If you're a die hard Melanie fan, pick it up...there are a few real gems that make it worth having in your collection. Everyone else? Pick up the far superior CRAZY LOVE (also reviewed elsewhere!).

Average customer rating:

Time to Open My Heart

Manufacturer: Hidden Poet Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAGBGU
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Average customer rating:

Solo Piano (Moments From My Life )
Kalman Olah
Manufacturer: Binder
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B00000JOCQ
Release Date: 1999-03-12

Album Details

Hungarian Folk Artist.

Music Album:

Music Album