Can You Hear Me [Live] [Import]

Product Description
Budget Release from the Art/Prog Rockers.

Can You Hear Me,Renaissance,Disky Records,Pop,Prog-Rock/Art Rock,Rock

Average customer rating: Bleck! Voice of an Angel!! fun cd Good? Yes. Great? No. Over-rated? HECK YES! Enchantment Indeed!

Enchantment Richard Rodgers , Michel Legrand , Leo Delibes , American Traditional , Erik Satie , British Isles Traditional , Jerome Kern , Johann II Strauss , Lucy Simon , David Foster , Sian Edwards , John Clark , Eric Rigler , Frank Ricotti , John Parricelli , Mark Hammond , Paul Keogh , and Michael Thompson Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Delibes, Léo | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Satie | Satie, Erik | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Strauss Jr., Johann | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Church, Charlotte | ( C ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Prelude: The Best of Charlotte Church Voice of an Angel Charlotte Church Dream a Dream Tissues and Issues ASIN: B00005OWEJ Release Date: 2001-10-09

Tracks:

1. Tonight
2. Carrickfergus
3. Habanera
4. Bali Ha'i
5. Papa Can You Hear Me?
6. The Flower Duet
7. The Little Horses
8. From My First Moment
9. The Water Is Wide
10. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man
11. The Laughing Song
12. If I Loved You
13. A Bit Of Earth
14. Somewhere
15. The Prayer

Amazon.com

Of course, we couldn't expect time to freeze its relentless path and forever preserve the Welsh sensation Charlotte Church in a chrysalis of precocious youth. And yet, at 15 and now taking bolder steps into expanding her repertory on Enchantment, the soprano remains a marvel of a prodigy. Here, she scours a wider range of sources than on her previous albums. Church moves with breathtaking ease from classic Broadway (West Side Story, Show Boat, South Pacific) to traditional Celtic, film ballads, and even a couple of high-operatic numbers. Church's straightforward approach to the melody of "La Habanera" may not exactly be what Bizet had in mind for his Carmen, but fans will get double pleasure out of the singer's exquisite duet with herself on the haunting "Flower Duet" from Delibes's Lakmé. What's more, there's a greater freedom of expression and sense of how to shape a phrase in many of these tracks--notice how much there is to savor, for instance, in "The Water Is Wide" and "Carrickfergus." It all adds up to a widely varied course, demonstrating the continued growth of a singularly gifted young artist. --Sarah Chin

Customer Reviews:

Bleck!.......2007-05-30

Charlotte has a producing voice, not quite mature, but it's bearable. I don't really appreciate opera unless your name is Sarah Brightman, Hayley Westenra or Holly Stell. Carrickfergus and Somewhere are decent for her voice, but "The Prayer" and "The Water is Wide" is very damaging to my ears due to the fact, her Italian sucks, her range is not wide enough in "Water".

Voice of an Angel!!.......2007-02-05

I enjoy listening to this cd by Charlotte Church! She has such a lovely voice. I especially love listening to Habañera and The Flower Duet as both are sung beautifully by Ms. Church!!

fun cd.......2006-12-29

I love this cd and have had it quite a while. I was just enjoying it again today and thought I'd write a review because I do enjoy it so much. It's just a fun, enjoyable album. Pretty orchestration, a lovely voice, nice to sing along with. Especially at the top of my lungs in the car (alone when no one can hear me!)
I really don't know why one would NOT enjoy this cd.

Good? Yes. Great? No. Over-rated? HECK YES!.......2006-12-15

I bought this CD when I was still in high school, singing soprano I & II in choir. It's not bad but she does much better than even some older kids attempting soprano. I think due to the popularity she gained this poor girl has endured much harsh criticism. True, we can't cut her slack JUST because she is a little girl but on the other hand for someone to sing opera at that age her work IS superb. Whether she's a prodigy or victim of over-ambitious parents & media, she deserves credit where it's due. At least she DID break out as some-what of a mainstream artist & exposed this type of music to those who stereotyped it as fat ladies w/powder-white make-up belting out notes that would shatter glass. Some say the same for Josh Groban who broke into the scene as a mainstream tenor/baritone vocalist. As far as skills & talent, he not the greatest either but many people adore his music. The same credit should go to Charlotte Church.

As far as feedback on the quality...
It's VERY hard to believe the deliverance of her performance. A 15-year-old (even younger on her debut cd) singing songs about love & being able to see the world seems silly. Cracking voice? Yeah, you can really tell she had a difficult time hitting the high note in The Laughing Song because it got all air-y. Honestly, some trained sopranos over-shoot their high notes too & get extremely SHARP so I didn't mind her air-i-ness. I think she did a great job on The Flower Duet though. It still has the same relaxing quality as some other versions I've heard from various movie soundtracks. But compare this to the likes of professionals - real professionals - she's merely tolerable. Try Sarah Brightman if you want to listen to some nice musical sopranos. She even has some pretty remakes of modern songs.

Enchantment Indeed!.......2006-08-20

This CD is simply amazing! However, I am sick and tired of people pressuring her to be someone that she's not! Trying to fit into today's popular music scene, Charlotte has turned to pop, and her career isn't flying well because of it! Her voice is simply amazing for opera, and I will not hear another insulting word about her!

Anyways, the CD is genius! Tonight from "West Side Story" is beautifully sung. Carrickfergus, Habanera, and Bali Ha'i are sung with a hypnotizing beauty. Papa, Can you Hear Me and The Flower Duet are amazing as well!

However, on The Flower Duet, Church's vocals seem strained a bit. The Little Horses is a decent piece, a remake of the standard English folk song. I prefer it straight instead of a varied beat, so that Church's voice could soar on and on.

From my First Moment is a fairly nice song, but The Water is Wide is simply amazing! Her vocals are soaring and mezmerizing!

Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man is NOT the song for her, because she puts a weird accent on the song, like she's trying to sound like a hoodlum! The Laughing Song is something that SHOULD NOT be tried by children, because the vocals are so strained! If I Loved You is a simple yet wonderful piece!

A Bit of Earth and Somewhere are both beautiful pieces, with excellent work from the orchestra.

Overall, this CD is very beautiful! BUY IT!

Average customer rating: The Who Classic Masterpiece AS YOU NEVER HEARD BEFORE A Landmark Classic Now Made Even Better. A Milestone of Early Rock! I Love it ! The Who's classic rock opera gets a 35th birthday celebration fit for a king!

Tommy Manufacturer: Geffen Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Supergroups | Classic Rock | Styles | Music General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Who's Next (Deluxe Edition) Live At Leeds [Deluxe Edition] My Generation (Dlx) (Dig) Avalon Quick One (Happy Jack) ASIN: B0000DJZAH Release Date: 2003-10-28

Tracks:

1. Overture
2. It's A Boy
3. 1921
4. Amazing Journey
5. Sparks
6. Eyesight To The Blind (The Hawker)
7. Christmas
8. Cousin Kevin
9. The Acid Queen
10. Underture
11. Do You Think It's Alright
12. Fiddle About
13. Pinball Wizard
14. There's A Doctor
15. Go To The Mirror!
16. Tommy Can You Hear Me?
17. Smash The Mirror
18. Sensation
19. Miracle Cure
20. Sally Simpson
21. I'm Free
22. Welcome
23. Tommy's Holiday Camp
24. We're Not Gonna Take It
25. See Me Feel Me/Listening To You

Tracks:

1. I Was
2. Christmas (Out-Take 3)
3. Cousin Kevin Model Child
4. Young Man Blues (Version 1)
5. Tommy Can You Hear Me? (Alternate Version)
6. Trying To Get Through
7. Sally Simpson (Out-Takes)
8. Miss Simpson
9. Welcome (Take 2)
10. Tommy's Holiday Camp (Band's Version)
11. We're Not Gonna Take It (Alternate Version)
12. Dogs (Part 2)
13. It's A Boy
14. Amazing Journey
15. Christmas
16. Do You Think It's Alright?
17. Pinball Wizard

Customer Reviews:

The Who Classic Masterpiece AS YOU NEVER HEARD BEFORE.......2007-06-12

The Album is a masterpiece of all time rock n roll, even if this is "the less Who album" of the Who... but nevermind!
The Sound in both Stereo (from the original master tape discovered in the vault of UMG) and 5.1 (mixed by Pete Townshend himself) is great...
As you put the disc in your player you'll hear the great differences from the 1996 reissue even if you have only a "simple" CD player..
If You're a great Who fan and you a have SACD player buy ABSOLUTELY this album and enjoy it 'til the laser of your player won't work anymore...
The second disc is clearly for fans only but the quality of some track even if are demos or outtakes is very very good!!

A Landmark Classic Now Made Even Better........2006-12-26

One of the most important, groundbreaking amd influential albums in the history of rock and roll, The Who's 1969 magnum opus "Tommy", a rock opera about a deaf, dumb and blind kid who sure plays a mean pinball, is now better than ever thanks to the brilliance of SACD and DSD remastering techniques.

Every song on the cd sounds like it was recorded just yesterday. It is 100 % crystal clear, perfectly remixed and remastered. It gives you a clearer view of the story as well as a more pleasurable than ever listening experience. Pete Townshend and the people involved in this truly put their hearts into making "Tommy" better than ever.

The bonus disc is also worth it. A lot of awesome raritis. The liner notes are an interesting read, and the album itself is of course a masterpiece nobody should be without.

A Milestone of Early Rock!.......2006-09-29

"Tommy" is beyond question one of the big milestones of early rock. Musically the band were at the peak of their creativity.

All band members were obviously extremely talented musicians and both Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend were/are great singers. Apart from few exceptions like "Cousin Kevin" all songs are outstanding; and it's really great to have the whole story on one CD - compared to the old double vinyl album.

Though the storyline may seem a little weird today ( to me it always did ), there is so much great music on this album.

The second bonus CD gives a very interesting insight in the developement of some of the songs. Though the sound quality is exellent CD 2 will mainly be of interest to hard-core Who fans. None of these alternate versions are better than the ones chosen for the album, though a few come close. The studio version of "Young Man Blues" which did not appear on the original album is a nice addition too!

I Love it !.......2006-09-06

I was so blind-sided by this reissue - really. I have looked at this for a few years now, but I never picked it up. My impression of this was that it had some very good music along with some dated sounding tracks, so it wasn't a high priority. I'd been having very good luck buying hybrid SACD's even though I don't own a SACD player; the CD layers benefit greatly from the DSD mastering, making them stand head and shoulders above the latest PCM remasters (there are a few exceptions), so I decided to take the plunge.

The CD layer is stunning. I must have been sitting there with my mouth open after "Overture" began. I experienced emotion that wasn't there on previous listens to this on CD and vinyl. Yes, some of the tracks still sound dated, but most of this album is very good indeed, and this remaster is so incredible. If you own a great stereo rig, I highly recommend buying this - in fact, even if you don't have a great rig, I recommend it!

The Who's classic rock opera gets a 35th birthday celebration fit for a king!.......2006-08-13

The Who's fourth studio(and fifth overall) album Tommy was released in May of 1969.
The Tommy album by The Who was the make or break for the group because if Tommy had failed, The Who would have probably disbanded due to lack of funds despite their concerts selling out based on Pete Townshend's guitar smashing and Keith Moon's drum kit demolishing at the end of each gig.
Guitarist Pete Townshend, under the gun after I Can See For Miles failed as a single in the UK(although it was their biggest ever hit here in the US) came up with a rock opera about a deaf, dumb and blind kid named Tommy whom becomes those aforementioned things after witnessing an event as a child that traumatized him(his father killing his step-father whom he considered his father).
Originally considered to be a single length album, the band felt it didn't make sense so they expanded it into a double album and the result is one of rock's Top 10 greatest double studio albums in history(alongside other classic double albums like the then-already released Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland and The Beatles' White album and would help pave the way for more classics like The Rolling Stones' 1972 masterwork Exile on Main Street, The Who's 1973 release Quadrophenia, Elton John's 1973 classic Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Genesis' 1974 masterwork The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Led Zeppelin's 1975 classic Physical Graffiti, Pink Floyd's 1979 masterpiece The Wall and Bruce Springsteen's 1980 classic The River among many others).
Alot of classics appear on this album like the Overture, the classic Top 20 hit Pinball Wizard, Amazing Journey, the Underture(best instrumental on here which is basically a repeat of the album's other instrumental Sparks), Go to the Mirror, I'm Free, Cousin Kevin(one of bass player John Entwistle's greatest compositions), Fiddle About(about the perverted Uncle Ernie), Tommy's Holiday Camp(another excellent ditty written by drummer Keith Moon whom did an excellent rendition in the film version of Tommy in 1975) and the classic finale We're Not Gonna Take It/See Me Feel Me.
The other tracks on the album It's a Boy, 1921(You Didn't Hear It), Eyesight to the Blind, Christmas, The Acid Queen, Do You Think It's Alright, There's a Doctor I've Found, Tommy Can You Hear Me?, Smash the Mirror, Sensation, Miracle Cure, Sally Simpson and Welcome are all great pieces as well though tend to be overlooked.
The album made The Who legends for good and peaked at #4 on the Billboard chart and was their first Gold seller(eventually Platinum).
In 1996, the album was re-released as a remastered CD but used different masters for the remixed reissue.
In October of 2003(just in time for Tommy's 35th Anniversary), Geffen Records(formerly known as MCA) re-released the album as a 2-disc Hybrid SACD with the original mix on the CD layer and a killer 5.1 mix on the SACD layer and this version uses the very original tapes that were found in Universal's vault after being said that the original tapes were destroyed by Kit Lambert in a fire. As a result of the discovery of the original tapes, the sound quality is amazing on here.
Disc two has great outtakes and demos like I Was, The Who trying to record Sally Simpson with hilarious results and instrumental versions of Tommy Can You Hear Me and Tommy's Holiday Camp among many other rarities plus a cool booklet with rare photos.
Highly recommended.

Average customer rating: Fabulous for any Broadway-lover Top Shelf TERRIFIC CD'S Great Collection of Broadways greatest Songs Great Compilation!

Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series) Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Porter | Porter, Cole | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Weill | Weill, Kurt | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mancini | Mancini, Henry | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Best of Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series) Broadway: The American Musical Broadway: The American Musical Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series) Somewhere over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals ASIN: B00064ADMK Release Date: 2004-10-19

Tracks:

1. Give My Regards To Broadway- Joel Grey
2. Swanee- Al Jolson
3. When The Moon Shines On The Moonshine- Bert Williams
4. A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody- John Steel
5. My Man- Fanny Brice
6. Fascinating Rhythm- Fred Astaire, Adele Astaire
7. If You Knew Susie (Like I Know Susie)- 78rpm Version Eddie Cantor
8. Someone To Watch Over Me- Gertrude Lawrence
9. Bill- 78 rpm Version Helen Morgan
10. Ol' Man River- Paul Robeson
11. Ain't Misbehavin'- Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra
12. Ten Cents A Dance- Ruth Etting
13. Body And Soul- Libby Holman
14. Brother, Can You Spare A Dime- Bing Crosby
15. Night And Day- Fred Astaire
16. Heat Wave- Ethel Waters
17. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes- Tamara
18. You're The Top- Ethel Merman
19. Summertime- Anne Brown
20. September Song- Walter Huston
21. My Heart Belongs To Daddy- Mary Martin
22. It Never Entered My Mind- Shirley Ross
23. Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered- Vivienne Segal
24. Oh, How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning- Irving Berlin
25. Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'- Alfred Drake

Tracks:

1. New York, New York- Cris Alexander,Adolph Green,John Reardon
2. If I Loved You- John Raitt,Jan Clayton
3. Come Rain Or Come Shine- Ruby Hill,Harold Nicholas
4. There's No Business Like Show Business- Ensemble
5. How Are Things In Glocca Morra? From "Finian's Rainbow"- Ella Logan
6. Once In Love With Amy- Ray Bolger
7. Wunderbar- Alfred Drake,Patricia Morison
8. Some Enchanted Evening- Ezio Pinza
9. Lost In The Stars- Todd Duncan
10. Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend- Carol Channing
11. Luck Be A Lady- Robert Alda,Guys
12. Getting To Know You- Gertrude Lawrence
13. Who Cares?- Jack Carson,Betty Oakes
14. Stranger In Paradise- from " Kismet" Doretta Morrow,Richard Kiley
15. Ballad Of Mack The Knife- Gerald Price
16. Hey There- from "The Pajama Game" John Raitt
17. Whatever Lola Wants- Gwen Verdon
18. I Could Have Danced All Night- Julie Andrews
19. Standing On The Corner- from "The Most Happy Fella, 1956" Shorty Long,John Henson,Alan Gilbert
20. The Party's Over- Judy Holliday
21. Glitter And Be Gay- Barbara Cook
22. Tonight- Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence

Tracks:

1. Seventy-Six Trombones- Robert Preston
2. I Enjoy Being A Girl- from "Flower Drum Song, 1958" Pat Suzuki
3. Everything's Coming Up Roses- Ethel Merman
4. My Favorite Things- from "The Sound Of Music" Mary Martin
5. Put On A Happy Face- from "Bye Bye Birdie" Dick Van Dyke
6. Try To Remember- Jerry Orbach
7. Camelot- from "Camelot" Richard Burton
8. Love Makes The World Go 'Round- Anna Maria Alberghetti
9. I Believe In You- Robert Morse And Co.
10. The Sweetest Sounds- Diahann Carroll,Richard Kiley
11. Comedy Tonight- Zero Mostel
12. What Kind Of Fool Am I?- Anthony Newley
13. As Long As He Needs Me- Georgia Brown
14. Hello, Dolly!- Carol Channing,Cast
15. People- Barbra Streisand
16. Anyone Can Whistle- from "Anyone Can Whistle" Lee Remick
17. If I Were A Rich Man- Zero Mostel
18. Night Song- Sammy Davis, Jr.
19. The Impossible Dream- Richard Kiley
20. If My Friends Could See Me Now- Gwen Verdon
21. Open a New Window- from Mame Voice

Tracks:

1. Willkommen- from "Cabaret" Joel Grey
2. Let The Sunshine In- James Rado,Lynn Kellogg,Melba Moore,Cast
3. I'll Never Fall In Love Again- Jill O'Hara,Jerry Orbach
4. The Ladies Who Lunch- from "Company" Elaine Stritch
5. Tea For Two- Roger Rathburn,Susan Watson
6. I'm Still Here- Yvonne De Carlo
7. I Don't Know How To Love Him- Yvonne Elliman
8. We Go Together- Adrienne Barbeau,Barry Bostwick,Walter Bobbie,Cast
9. Corner Of The Sky- John Rubinstein
10. Send In The Clowns- Glynis Johns
11. Ease On Down The Road- Stephanie Mills,Tiger Haynes,Ted Ross,Hinton
12. One- from "A Chorus Line" Cast
13. All That Jazz- Chita Rivera,Ensemble
14. Tomorrow- Andrea Mcardle
15. Don't Cry For Me Argentina- Patti Lupone
16. Come Follow The Band
17. Lullaby Of Broadway- Jerry Orbach
18. And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going- Jennifer Holliday
19. The Bells Of St. Sebastian- Raul Julia

Tracks:

1. Memory- Betty Buckley
2. I Am What I Am- George Hearn
3. Move On- Bernadette Peters,Mandy Patinkin
4. Do You Hear The People Sing?- Michael Maguire,Cast
5. The Music Of The Night- Michael Crawford
6. You're Nothing Without Me- James Naughton,Gregg Edelman
7. The American Dream- Jonathan Pryce,Cast
8. Doctor Jazz- Gregory Hines,Company
9. With One Look- Glenn Close
10. On Broadway- Adrian Bailey,Frederick B. Owens,Ken Ard,Victor Trent Cook
11. Le Jazz Hot- Julie Andrews,Ensemble
12. Seasons Of Love-
13. Hakuna Matata- Max Casella,Tom Alan Robbins,Scott Irby-Ranniar,Jason Raize
14. I Wanna Be A Producer- Matthew Broderick,Ensemble
15. Dancing Queen- Louise Plowright,Jenny Galloway
16. Good Morning Baltimore- Marissa Jaret Winokur
17. Movin' Out- Michael Cavanaugh,Band
18. I Go To Rio- Hugh Jackman,Company
19. Defying Gravity- Kristin Chenoweth,Idina Menzel

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous for any Broadway-lover.......2007-01-30

Packs into 5 CD's a sampling of Broadway tunes from the 20's thru (almost) today, mostly from original cast recordings. Includes not just well-known hits, but also some lesser-known gems. Sound quality is first rate, booklet is informative too. Have given this as a gift to several friends with rave reviews.

Top Shelf.......2007-01-04

This is THE definitive collection of Broadway hits. I have other collections, and none of them measure up. A great deal of care was obviously taken in compiling and presenting this box set. It covers a lot of ground, starting with some long-forgotten but still very enjoyable hits from the days of yore, and finishing with present-day favorites. To the best of my knowledge, the recordings are by those who made them famous. You won't be disappointed.

TERRIFIC CD'S.......2006-03-23

THESE BROADWAY MUSICALS CD'S ARE A BROADWAY LOVERS DREAM. WITH EACH SONG, MEMORIES COME FLOODING BACK. BOTH THE FAMILIAR AND THE FORGOTTEN SONGS ARE A TRUE LISTENING PLEASURE. IF YOU LIKE BROADWAY, YOU'LL LOVE THIS SET.

Great Collection of Broadways greatest Songs .......2005-06-14

This Collection was perfectly made it has almost all the most famous Broadway songs on this 5 cd set. The Music is great and has Broadways greatest treasures like "Memory""People""With One Look""Give my regards Too Broadway" just to name a few of this numerous cd set with over 100 songs. This is a great buy if you like musicals or The music of Broadway

Great Compilation!.......2005-01-17

If you are a fan of the Broadway Musicals, this is a collection that you should purchase. Since I got the 5 disc set I've enjoyed listening to it. The majority of the songs are done by the original singers. The collection is priceless considering that you will have over 100 songs from popular musicals since the beginning of Broadway

Average customer rating: "Lord, How Come Me Here" WOW! uhm......yeah right!! scadalise my name Broadway takes on the spiritual ...

Spirituals in Concert Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Amazing Grace: Jessye Norman The Essential Leontyne Price: Spirituals, Hymns & Sacred Songs Kathleen Battle · Wynton Marsalis ~ Baroque Duet / Anthony Newman · Orch St. Luke's · Nelson Kathleen Battle & Christopher Parkening ~ Pleasures of Their Company So Many Stars ASIN: B000001GDC Release Date: 1991-03-08

Tracks:

1. In That Great Getting Up Morning
2. Sinner, Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass
3. Over My Head/ Lil' David
4. Oh, What A Beautiful City
5. Lord, How Come Me Here
6. I Believe I'll Go Back Home-Lordy, Won't You Help Me
7. Ride On, King Jesus
8. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot-Ride Up In The Chariot
9. You Can Tell The World
10. Scandalize My Name
11. Great Day
12. Oh, Glory
13. Calvary-They Crucified My Lord
14. Talk About A Child
15. Gospel Train
16. My God Is So High
17. There Is A Balm In Gilead
18. He's Got The Whole World In His Hand

Customer Reviews:

"Lord, How Come Me Here".......2007-06-18

I must add, to the praises above, that Kathleen Battle's "Lord, How Come Me Here" is the best "quick" explanation of the long-lasting effects of slavery that I can think of. The line, "They sold my children away," says it all.

And the VERY funny "Scandelize My Name" is also worth the price of the total album!

Alinde O'Malley

WOW!.......2007-03-22

You know, after owning both the CD and VHS of this performance, and having been coached by Sylvia Olden Lee herself, it is no wonder why spiritual mean so much to me. And these two ladies bare their souls and bring these masterpieces to life! WOW!!!

uhm......yeah right!!.......2006-06-21

Clearly you are mistaken. I don't know who that guy is-the person below recommended-but there is NO COMPARISON to JESSYE NORMAN AND KATHLEEN BATTLE!!!! Jessye Norman herself has *30* HONARY DOCTRATES from places like Harvard, Juliard, Yale, Cambridge....I mean HELLO!!!! That guy had no where near the ease, the musicality or even the breath support as these two veterans show!! It is a beautiful CD though it came out in 1991 and I HIGHLY recommend it.

scadalise my name.......2004-10-29

this isn't that good specially after hearing William Warfeild sing it. You can find him at www.wlym.com

Broadway takes on the spiritual ..........2004-01-29

... takes it on and puts it on the canvas by the end of the first round.

I'm going to be the dissenting voice here: thank goodness I signed this disk out of the public library 'cause I'm sure not going to listen to it twice.

There is nothing wrong with the performances. Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle sing beautifully, and there's no problem with the pick-up orchestra under James Levine.

The problem, and it's huge, is the conception of the show and the musical arrangements. To make the video marketable, I suppose, the producers decided that the concert had to be big: big names, big arrangements, big effects. So we have eighteen spirituals given the musical theatre treatment, with a philharmonic chorus providing chain-gang sound effects, big brass, and big percussion -- including a chinese gong. A chinese gong in a spiritual??? Spare me! Almost every track turns out sounding like either a curtain-raiser or a big, end-of-act production number with cute and predictable modulations between some of the stanzas and the sort of curly-cue orchestral ornamentation typical of Broadway shows.

And you know what? It all kills the spirituals stone dead. The spiritual is one of those musical forms where less is more and very little is best of all. That's how they started, after all. That's how and why they worked for their original audiences, and that's why they were powerful enough to make the transition from folk song to art song. If you want to hear Battle sing spirituals that are irresistible, listen to the set on her Salzburg recital CD, also with Levine (ASIN B00000E31B). There, the music speaks for itself and speaks with a strength and a beauty that the tracks on this disk never approach.

Average customer rating: And Then There's BEA! Golden Girl Shines Brightly Alive and Unforgettable A trip down memory lane... A Truly Remarkable Accomplishment

Bea Arthur on Broadway - Just Between Friends Bea Arthur Manufacturer: Drg ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Previn, André | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Weill | Weill, Kurt | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Cabaret | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Broadway & Vocalists | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Golden Girls: A Lifetime Intimate Portrait Series Maude - The Complete First Season The Golden Girls - The Complete Fourth Season The Golden Girls - The Complete Sixth Season Mame ASIN: B00005YTRL Release Date: 2002-02-12

Tracks:

1. Lamb Recipe
2. Fun To Be Fooled
3. Introduction
4. What Can You Get A Nudist For Her Birthday?
5. Auditions
6. Isn't He Adorable
7. Fiddler on the Roof
8. Let's Face The Music And Dance
9. Bosom Buddies
10. Angela Lansbury
11. Threepenny Opera/ Pirate Jenny
12. It Never Was YOu
13. And Then There's Maude
14. Some People
15. The Soup Ladle
16. Where Do You Start
17. Bernie Schwartz
18. If I Can't Sell It, I'll Keep Sittin' On It!
19. Personal Hygiene
20. Who Cares
21. Fifty Percent
22. The Nun's Story
23. You're Gonna Hear From Me
24. The Chance To Sing
25. The Man in the Moon is a Lady

Amazon.com

More comedy monologue than musical performance, Bea Arthur's one-woman show Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends collects memories from the silver-haired star's life on Broadway (Fiddler on the Roof, Mame, The Threepenny Opera) and television (Maude, The Golden Girls).

"I wanted to see if I had the guts to just come and be myself," Arthur says in this performance recorded in front of a live audience in December 2001. Alongside co-creator and pianist Billy Goldenberg, she offers wry and often funny anecdotes about her career and the people she's worked with (Angela Lansbury, Pia Zadora). When she does sing ... well, even decades ago Arthur didn't have a beautiful voice, but she's well-suited to the comedy songs. And her versions of Kurt Weill's "Pirate Jenny" and Goldenberg's own "Fifty Percent"--while they won't make anyone forget Lotte Lenya or Dorothy Loudon--are effective in their own right. Bea Arthur on Broadway is definitely more Bea than Broadway, but it's a career well worth remembering. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

And Then There's BEA!.......2007-01-20

Thank goodness this is available on CD. I saw the show twice in Manhattan and once in P-town MA. She is an American treasure. What's nice is that you don't need to have had seen the live performance to enjoy this CD. (Though I'd love to have it on DVD.) Just Bea, Billy, a piano and yet so much more!!!!!

Golden Girl Shines Brightly.......2005-10-21

For anyone who has ever laughed as Bea Arthur deftly put people in their place with her lightning quick wit as Dorothy on the "Golden Girls", they will not be disappointed with this CD. Arthur, some 9 years after leaving the small screen, returns triumphantly to her professional roots, the stage, and does not disappoint. Mixing antedotal stories with classic songs, all to the accompianment of Billy Goldenburg, Arthur weaves her life in a brillant 90 minute tapestry so that the listener regrets ever reaching the end. Anyone who has ever seen Arthur perform on stage, or as Maude or Dorothy, they will not regret purchasing this CD. For that rare minority of people who have not have the privilage of seeing Arthur previously should find out what they have been missing of this American icon.

Alive and Unforgettable.......2004-11-21

Bea Arthur. Nearing 80. And yet, her continuing vitality is blatantly obvious in this live recording. I will tell you this--I bought this disc with no expectations whatsoever. I like Golden Girls as much as the next chap, and I was slightly curious about what Bea had become.

The simple truth was that I was stunned. Completely stunned. Again, this sounds as the same, alive, malicious woman who portrayed those "affirmative women" on TV (per her own words). She mocks her own voice, recalling the humiliation of being mistaken for the man of the house through the phone ... and some--who buy this disk with the intent of getting a faultless musical performance--might agree (and according to some reviews her, HAVE agreed) that her voice is perhaps too deep, too cutting, not pure enough. But this is NOT (and I stress it) a musical performance per se, it is not a perfectly rounded voice singing perfect standards.

What this disc is? A drama performance. The songs are intermissed with speech interludes, during which Bea narrates anecdotes from her past experience as an actress--and that's is PRECISELY what is MAGIC. You feel as though she's inviting you to witness the high points of her life, and it's a very nice place. The songs, seem alive as rarely before, because they are performed. She renders them with life, and make the most of her abilities.

I really appreciated some of the smaller things. You get to recognize her trademark, slightly embarassed, `You know' ... She'll make you laugh with good natured reminiscence ("A Mother's Ingenuity"!); some of the songs are delightfully imperfect, (I learned to love the half-sung/half-spoken "What Do You Start" ...), some others are wonderfully dynamic ("What Can You Get a Nudist For Her Birthday?", "Threepenny Opera/Pirate Jenny" ...), but all are very enjoyable ...

Be it "Isn't He Adorable?" or "If I Can't Sell It, I'll Keep Sittin' on It" ... every track on this disc will have you fondly reminisce or curiously discover the career of one helluva woman.

You really can't be disappointed. I promise.

If only we could have a visual as well!

A trip down memory lane..........2003-10-19

Bea Arthur, one of the finest performers of her time.
Bea is most known for her role on the sitcoms Golden Girls and Maude, but she's done so much theater work as well.
She was in the cast of the original U.S production of "Threepenny Opera" starring Lotta Lenya, and in the original cast of "Fiddler On The Roof" and "Mame". But Bea started her theater career in a show called "The Shoestring Revue".
Bea stoled the scene every night when she performed as yente the Matcmaker on "Fiddler On The Roof" and she also got a hole lot of response as Vera Charles on "Mame", starring Angela Lansbury. In this live performence Bea performs a collection of songs chosen by herself, such as, "Let's Face The Music And Dance", "Isn't He Adorable", "Fifty Percent" and her theme song from Mame "The Man In The Moon". Bea is absolutely one of our time finest performers, with her witty sence of knowledge and her indefiable voice she has establised herself as a broadway legend, alongside Judy Garland, Elaine Stritch, Mary Martin. She is one of the last broadway female legends alive. And still going strong, Bea is rounding 80, but you wouldn't notice.
Do yourself a favour and take a trip down down memory lane, it's your chance to hang out with the last female broadway legend around.

A Truly Remarkable Accomplishment.......2003-06-16

As a huge fan of Bea Arthur's, I was very excited when I heard she would return to Broadway to do a one-woman show. Not since winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for "Mame" has Bea Arthur been on stage. Well, what a way to follow up! This cd (which was recorded during a live performance) Bea gives fans an intimate look into her show business life. The stories are very funny and touching, and the songs (which Bea picked out herself) are fun, beautiful, and magical. A favorite part of this cd for me, is when Bea talks about her days on TV. She was the star of two very successful and groundbreaking sitcoms, "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" I am a huge fan of "The Golden Girls" and Bea's character Dorothy was always my favorite. This cd is a must for any Bea Arthur fan, but the appeal of this amazing show goes beyond her hardcore fans. Any fan of classic Broadway and cabaret songs will love this cd. This is one of the favorite cds I own, and should be treasured by more people. And finally, as a sidenote, Bea's one-woman show was nominated for a Tony Award in 2001 in the category of Best Special Theatrical Event.

Average customer rating: Patinkin Live Sondheim recital Also a very dissapointed fan Adequate performance; poor entertainment a very disappointed fan

Sings Sondheim Mandy Patinkin Manufacturer: Nonesuch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Similar Items: Dress Casual Mandy Patinkin Experiment Oscar & Steve Kidults ASIN: B00006JP2C Release Date: 2002-10-29

Tracks:

1. Opening
2. Lesson #8
3. Another Hundred People
4. When?
5. Someone Is Waiting
6. Johanna
7. Green Finch and Linnet Bird
8. Pretty Women
9. Finishing the Hat
10. If You Can Find Me, I'm Here
11. Live, Laugh, Love
12. Live Alone and Like It
13. Everybody Says Don't
14. Rich and Happy, Part 1
15. Our Time
16. Broadway Baby
17. Rich and Happy, Part 2
18. Uptown, Downtown
19. Liaisons
20. Send in the Clowns
21. Live, Laugh, Love (reprise)
22. You Could Drive a Person Crazy

Tracks:

1. Free
2. Company
3. Waiting For The Girls Upstairs
4. Pleasant Little Kingdom/Too Many Mornings
5. Not While I'm Around
6. All Things Bright and Beautiful
7. It Takes Two
8. In Someone's Eyes
9. Beautiful
10. Losing My Mind
11. Take the Moment
12. Sunday

Amazon.com

Recorded live at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia, this double CD is one heck of an extensive tribute to Stephen Sondheim. Backed only by Paul Ford on piano, Mandy Patinkin gets through nearly three dozen songs penned by the Broadway master. Some are obvious (excerpts from Sunday in the Park with George, in which the singer created the title role), others less so ("If You Can Find Me I'm Here" from Evening Primrose). Patinkin is often mocked for his shivering falsetto, but here, it's actually when his voice explores a lower register that it falters. What's more interesting is when he tackles songs usually sung by women, such as Follies' "Broadway Baby" and Company's "Another Hundred People" and "You Could Drive a Person Crazy"--the latter hammed up so much that you can hear the chewing of the scenery. A distinctively mannered interpreter, Patinkin remains an acquired taste, but fans of his will be in heaven with this set. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

Patinkin Live.......2007-07-19

I am a huge Mandy Patinkin fan, and this is, without a doubt, one of the best CDs in my collection. The transitions between songs are excellent and seamless, plus the song selection was top-notch.

Sondheim recital.......2007-01-22

Probably the best way to approach these disks is to treat them like a recital in a concert hall. Rather as you would listen to a Schubert or Schumann song cycle. Taken together this way, we come to hear Sondheim as one of our finest composers, serious, comic, manic, depressive, always dead on target no matter what the subject matter. And Patinkin is perfect for these songs; he understands the meaning and value of every note and every word, just as a fine concert singer would do, and he makes his listeners understand, too. One of the most intriguing concept albums in recent memory, and a joy all the way through. Bob Finley, Palm Springs, CA.

Also a very dissapointed fan.......2003-08-22

I too LOVE Mandy and Stephen Sondheim and own just about everything both has ever made! I also have been to 6 of Mandy's live performances. This was truly a big dissapointment to me. Every concert I have seen Mandy in has been filled with emotion and his personality just grabs hold of you for an evening of wonderful escape-ism. This to me was very un-entertaining and I actually became irritated after awhile of listening to it. It seemed to drone on with out the wonderful feelings and emotions and soaring voice that Mandy typically puts into his music. I gave this as a gift too (since my friend and I had missed Mandy at his Sondheim review in DC last year) and felt badly that I had. There are so many other great recordings of Mandy...Kidults, Saturday in the Park with George, The Secret Garden, Mandy sings Rogers & Hammerstien and Sondheim. This one has just sat on my shelf after I played it through twice hoping to warm up to it...while my other recordings are very worn out with years of playing!

Adequate performance; poor entertainment.......2003-05-04

I received this disc the same day a "Philip Quast Live at the Donmar". The Quast disc has its own flaws (and I dont wish to compare the two performers) but it has been strung together in a more thoughtful manner, with witty imagination and using a more dangerous in the choice of songs, which is really where this disc fails. The songs here are generally enjoyable though rather standard, and the lack of cohesion (running the songs together doesnt count) means I just dip into the discs listening to a few favourites, rather than enjoying the whole show.

a very disappointed fan.......2003-02-05

I have every recording Patinkin appears on, even if he's only on one track; I adore his voice, his flair, his emotion, his ability to deliver a song.

But (much of) this recording is disappointing, mainly because Mr. Patinkin's voice in the lower range sounds muddled and forced, as though he's lost ability to control it (however, the more falsetto sounds are as clear and sharp as ever).

And I don't care for the format of this performance. Live recordings should have live audience reactions: one (often unrelated) song after another without applause had me wondering when--if ever--was the audience was going to be allowed to react.

Also, while I've never had the privilege of attending a Patinkin concert, I imagined that--above all-- he would be passionate. Perhaps he was. But what (mostly) comes across on the CD is a somber--almost technical--performance.

I hope he's healthy, that mixed quality of singing on this recording was just a fluke, and that his next CD will be a Five-star as all his previous ones have been

Average customer rating: The Country Gentlemen did it again.

Can't You Hear Me Callin' The Country Gentlemen Manufacturer: Rebel Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Traditional | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Bluegrass | Country | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Bluegrass | Country | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Country | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Folk Songs & Bluegrass Country Songs Old & New Live in Japan On the Road (And More) 25 Years ASIN: B00008DKB3 Release Date: 2003-02-18

Tracks:

1. Can't You Hear Me Callin'
2. Bringing Mary Home
3. You Left Me Alone
4. Knoxville Girl
5. Brown Mountain Light
6. Matterhorn
7. Amelia Earhart's Last Flight
8. Girl Behind The Bar
9. The Convict And The Rose
10. Many A Mile
11. Katy Dear
12. Blue Ridge Cabin Home

Customer Reviews:

The Country Gentlemen did it again........2006-11-06

If you like Country close harmony and/or Blue Grass, this album is for you. It is really well done.

Average customer rating:

Best of Michael Crawford: Mother's Day Version Michael Crawford Manufacturer: Wea International ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Broadway & Vocalists | Imports | Stores | Music Pop | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Very Best of Michael Crawford A Christmas Album Favorite Love Songs In Concert With Love ASIN: B00005Y2C6 Release Date: 2006-02-20

Tracks:

1. Memory
2. Music Of The Night
3. Somewhere In Time
4. In The Still Of The Night
5. Counting Up To Twenty
6. Love Changes Everything
7. Ave Maria
8. West Side Story Medley (Maria/Tonight/Somewhere)
9. Papa, Can You Hear Me?
10. When You Wish Upon A Star
11. Phantom Of The Opera
12. Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say)
13. When I Fall In Love (Live)
14. You'll Be In My Heart
15. Irish Medley (Galway Bay/I'll Take You Home Again Kathl
16. Amazing Grace
17. Power Of Love

Album Description

This is the first ever definitive Best Of Michael Crawford featuring all his greatest songs from all albums and includes a bonus track, 'The Power Of Love'. Aussie exclusive. 17 tracks. 2001.

Album Details

'best Of' Has Be Re-released by Warner Music Removing the Christmas Track 'o Holy Night' and Replacing it it with 'the Power of Love'.

Average customer rating: Sawyer Brown Hits Home....Again The Problem with Hearing The Boys are Back! Can You Hear Me Now - Sawyer Brown's Best Music Yet! Great Stuff!

Can You Hear Me Now Sawyer Brown Manufacturer: Curb Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Country General | Country | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Country General | Country | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Country | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: True Believer This Thing Called Wantin' & Havin' It All Outskirts of Town Drive Me Wild Somewhere in the Night ASIN: B0000645K9 Release Date: 2002-06-11

Tracks:

1. Can You Hear Me Now
2. I Need A Girlfriend
3. Circles
4. Where Was I
5. Hard, Hard, World
6. I Got To Have You Girl
7. When The Sun Don't Always Shine
8. Someone
9. Come Back Baby
10. I Got A Plan

Amazon.com

After 20 years and 18 albums Sawyer Brown, country's rowdy twentysomething party boys of the '80s and early '90s, have become downright serious in middle age. In fact, their fine new collection could easily be subtitled SB Get Soulful & Sentimental. Sure, lead singer Mark Miller and his bandmates still know how to boogie, and they boogie in spades on spirited but tender raves like "I Need a Girlfriend" and "She's an I've Got to Have You Girl." Yet Miller, also the group's principal songwriter, confidently leads the band into deeper waters on songs like the philosophical "Circles" (one of five cuts cowritten by Dave Loggins), the anguished title track (cowritten by Loggins and Miller), a gospel ode called "I Got a Plan" (Miller/Loggins), and an earnest blue-collar anthem penned by Jamie Hartford called "Hard Hard World." --Bob Allen

Customer Reviews:

Sawyer Brown Hits Home....Again.......2002-07-17

I am completely Sawyer Brown byist...or at least that is what everyone who knows me would say. However, that doesn't change the fact that "Can You Hear Me Now" is one of the best efforts of Sawyer Brown to date. "I Need A Girlfriend," "She's an I've Got to Have You Girl" and "Come Back Baby" are all fun, rock-style cuts on the album. The title track and the other soulful songs about the conditions of love and desire: "Where Was I," "Hard Hard World," and "Someone," deeply move me. In my life, I have been unable to find the words to tell someone how I felt about him, waited for love, lost in love and (hopefully) learned so each of the Sawyer Brown love ballads touches me, as the songs would anyone who has been through the same thing. "Circles" is such a moving song about the things we take for granted and how eternity and love touches our lives that I quoted it in my graduation/valedictorian speech. "I Got A Plan" sends the most amazing message about what people really need to consider in their lives that it is unforgettable. For me, this just another Sawyer Brown album that hits home.

The Problem with Hearing.......2002-07-02

In the early 1990s, Sawyer Brown could do no wrong. They kept churning up hit after hit. And it's not a mystery why: they have the guts to deal with real-life issues such as struggling farmers ("Cafe on the Corner"), infidelity ("All These Years"), fatherly affections ("The Walk"), and really fun issues about falling in love ("Some Girls Do"). The band certainly had caused it's dent in country music, and rightly so.

However, as with many artists from the 80s and 90s, as soon as the millenium turned, they were struggling at radio. The harder the struggle, the less inspired they were. This new CD, in all honestly, is a disappointment. While Sawyer Brown had always been on the cutting edge with their kind of rock/country music, on this CD, they have just recycled what they have done in the past. To make matters worse, the melodies this time round are not that strong. With its numerous rock tunes, this CD at times sounds like bad 70s rock.

"I Need a Girlfriend" is a cheeky attempt to carbon copy "Some Girls Do," but unlike "Girls" it fails to have a strong melody line. "She's An I've Got to Have You Girl" is as clumsy as the title suggests.

As the band progressed through time, Sawyer Brown has had become more and more serious, perhaps trying to move away from the boyband image. They have succeeded in the past with inspirational odes such as "The Walk," "The Dirt Road," and the underrated "Homestead in My Heart." This time around inspirational songs abound: the best of which is "Hard Hard World"--a nice tribute to love in the midst of tribulation. The song is set at a slower pace--which gives the listener a break after the numerous uptempo numbers. "Circle," the debut single from this album, cleverly plays around the metaphor of circles, a symbol of unity. It's perhaps one of the most meaningful songs on the CD. "I need a Plan" is Sawyer Brown in more gospel territory; the song is upbeat and positive but again not too memorable.

Overall, there are some pleasurable moments on the CD, but they are far and between. Maybe Mark Miller (the lead man of the group) is just trying too hard. Maybe more outside songs (for the best of the songs here are not written by Miller, "Circles" and "Hard Hard World") would help and a fresher production that's more adventurous might do the group good. Here's hoping Curb Records will give the boys another chance. They have potential.

The Boys are Back!.......2002-06-27

This is just an awesome CD from Sawyer Brown! Like the other reviewers have stated, there is not a bad song on this CD. My personal favorite is I Need A Girlfriend. Another real great track is I Got to Have You Girl. The last track, I Got a Plan is just an awesome song to end a fantastic CD!

Thanks Guys!

Can You Hear Me Now - Sawyer Brown's Best Music Yet!.......2002-06-26

Sawyer Brown's latest cd, "Can You Hear Me Now" is some of the best music of their careers. As a 17 year fan of the band, I have listened as they have gone through different musical phases and grown as musicians, performers and most importantly, songwriters. The material on "Can You Hear Me Now" is diverse - from the upbeat and fun "I Need a Girlfriend" to the mellow ballad "Somewhere Out There" to the soothing "I've Got a Plan". Sawyer Brown's vocals are mature and full bodied. Definitely one of their best projects to date!

Great Stuff!.......2002-06-16

This is a great album! It's some of the best music they've had out in a while. There's a great mix of emotion-stirring ballads and typical Sawyer Brown rockers. This is sure to be a classic.

Average customer rating: Blue Grass Music You're bound to discover something new about the genre Sony Doesn't Understand Bluegrass! Nice, far-ranging overview...

Can't You Hear Me Callin' - Bluegrass: 80 Years of American Music Various Artists Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music Old-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music Bluegrass | Compilations | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Traditional | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Bluegrass | Country | Box Sets | Stores | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Classic Bluegrass From Smithsonian Folkways Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways Hand-Picked: 25 Years Of Bluegrass On Rounder Records Appalachian Stomp: Bluegrass Classics Bluegrass: A HISTORY 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (Music in American Life) ASIN: B0002YCVR4 Release Date: 2004-09-28

Tracks:

1. Soldier's Joy - Gid Tanner And His Skillet Lickers
2. Don't Let Your Deal Go Down Blues - Charlie Pool And The North Carolina Ramblers
3. White House Blues - Charlie Pool And The North Carolina Ramblers
4. Bill Mason - Charlie Pool And The North Carolina Ramblers
5. Cannon Ball Blues - The Carter Family
6. D Blues - THe Blue Ridge Ramblers
7. Keep On The Sunny Side - The Carter Family
8. What Would You Give In Exchange (For Your Soul)? - The Monroe Brothers
9. I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes - The Carter Family
10. Great Speckle Bird - Roy Acuff And His Crazy Tennesseans
11. Orange Blossom Special - Roy Hall And His Blue Ridge Entertainers
12. Ida Red - Roy Acuff And His Smoky Mountain Boys
13. Pretty Polly - Coon Creek Girls
14. Lonesome Old River Blues - Roy Acuff And His Smoky Mountain Boys
15. Mule Skinner Blues - Bill Monroe And His Blue Grass Boys
16. Wreck On The Highway - Roy Acuff And His Smoky Mountain Boys
17. The Drunkard's Grave - The Bailes Brothers
18. Rocky Road Blues - Bill Monroe And His Blue Grass Boys
19. Searching For A Soldier's Grave - The Bailes Brothers
20. Blue Moon Of Kentucky - Bill Monroe And His Blue Grass Boys
21. Dust On The Bible - The Bailes Brothers
22. I Heard My Mother Weeping - Molly O'Day And The Cumberland Mountain Folks
23. Will You Be Loving Another Man? - Bill Monroe And His Blue Grass Boys
24. Blue Grass Breakdown - Bill Monroe And His Blue Grass Boys
25. It's Mighty Dark To Travel - Bill Monroe And His Blue Grass Boys
26. Molly And Tenbrooks (The Race Horse Song) - Bill Monroe And His Blue Grass Boys
27. Black Mountain Rag - Roy Acuff And His Smoky Mountain Boys

Tracks:

1. Can't You Hear Me Callin' - Bill Monroe And His Blue Grass Boys
2. Foggy Mountain Breakdown - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs And The Foggy Mountain Boys
3. Poor Ellen Smith - Molly O'Day And The Cumberland Mountain Folks
4. The Drunkard's Hell - The Stanley Brothers And The Clinch Mountain Boys
5. The Lonesome River - The Stanley Brothers And The Clinch Mountain Boys
6. On The Banks Of The River - Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper With Their Clinch Mountain Clan
7. The Fields Have Turned Brown - The Stanley Brothers And The Clinch Mountain Boys
8. The White Dove - The Stanley Brothers And The Clinch Mountain Boys
9. Sunny Side Of The Mountain - Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper With Their Clinch Mountain Clan
10. I'm A Man Of Constant Sorrow - The Stanley Brothers And The Clinch Mountain Boys
11. I Wonder How The Old Folks Are At Home - Mac Wiseman
12. Uncle Pen - Bill Monroe And His Blue Grass Boys
13. Stoney, Are You Mad At Your Gal - Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper With Their Clinch Mountain Clan
14. When The Angels Rolled The Stone Away - Molly O'Day
15. Earl's Breakdown - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs And The Foggy Mountain Boys
16. Don't Get Above Your Raising - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs And The Foggy Mountain Boys
17. Are You Missing Me? - Jim & Jesse And The Virginia Boys
18. Why Did You Wander? - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs And The Foggy Mountain Boys
19. Flint Hill Special - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs And The Foggy Mountain Boys
20. I'll Go Stepping Too - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs And The Foggy Mountain Boys
21. Love And Wealth - Carl Story And The Rambling Mountaineers
22. 20/20 Vision - Jimmy Martin
23. My Lord Keeps A Record - Carl Story And The Rambling Mountaineers
24. I Love The Hymns They Sang At Mother's Grave - Carl Story And The Rambling Mountaineers
25. Reunion In Heaven - Carl Story And The Rambling Mountaineers
26. Don't You Hear Jerusalem Mourn - Carl Story And The Rambling Mountaineers
27. Hitch Hiker's Blues - Jack Youngblood

Tracks:

1. The Martha White Theme - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs And The Foggy Mountain Boys
2. Don't Let Your Deal Go Down - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs And The Foggy Mountain Boys
3. Seven Year Blues - The Webster Brothers
4. Get Down On Your Knees And Pray - Bill And Mary Reid And THe Melody Mountaineers
5. Somebody Touched Me - Carl Butler
6. Feudin' Banjos - Arthur Smith
7. Ruby, Are You Mad - The Osborne Brothers
8. Knoxville Girl - The Louvin Brothers
9. Once More - The Osborne Brothers
10. Twin Banjo Special - Joe Maphis (King Of The Strings)
11. Gosh, I Miss You All The Time - Jim & Jesse And The Virginia Boys
12. You Don't Know My Mind - Jimmy Martin And The Sunny Mountain Boys
13. Rank Stranger - The Stanley Brothers
14. My Empty Arms - Jim & Jesse And The Virginia Boys
15. Foggy Mountain Top - Earl Scruggs
16. Beautiful Moon Of Kentucky - Jim & Jesse And The Virginia Boys
17. Stoney Creek - Jim & Jesse And The Virginia Boys
18. She Left Me Standing On The Mountain - Jim & Jesse And The Virginia Boys
19. Sunny Side Of The Mountain - Jimmy Martin And The Sunny Mountain Boys
20. Just Joshing - Arthur Smith
21. (It's A Long, Long Way) To The Top Of The World - Jim & Jesse And The Virginia Boys
22. Cotton Mill Man - Jim & Jesse And The Virginia Boys
23. Since Wedding Bells Have Rung - Don Reno
24. Rosalee - Grandpa Jones
25. No More Goodbyes - Sara And Maybelle Carter
26. The Ballad Of Jed Clampett - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs And The Foggy Mountain Boys
27. Rabbit In The Log - Jim & Jesse And The Virginia Boys
28. Rocky Top - The Osborne Brothers
29. Mountain Dew - Grandpa Jones
30. Dueling Banjos - Eric Weissberg

Tracks:

1. Turn Your Radio On - Grandpa Jones
2. Black Mountain Rag (Soldier's Joy) - The Byrds
3. Pretty Boy Floyd - The Byrds
4. Bristol Steam Convention Blues - The Byrds
5. Farther Along - The Byrds
6. Contentment - Don Reno
7. Can't You Hear Me Callin' - Herb Pederson
8. Cora Is Gone - Herb Pederson
9. Choking The Strings - Don Reno
10. Uncle Pen - Ricky Skaggs
11. Till The End Of The World Rolls Round - Earl Scruggs
12. A Vision Of Mother - Ricky Skaggs
13. Big Country - Edgar Myer
14. If I Could Be There - The O'Kanes
15. So Long, So Wrong - Alison Krauss
16. BP - Edgar Meyer
17. The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn - Alison Krauss
18. Little Maggie - Bluegrass Reunion
19. Carrie Brown - Steve Earl And The Del McCoury Band
20. Tortured, Tangled Hearts - The Dixie Chicks
21. Walls Of Time - Ricky Skaggs
22. Is The Grass Any Bluer - Rhonda Vincent
23. Daniel Prayed - Patty Loveless
24. Twelve Gates Of The City - Ralph Stanley
25. Soldier's Joy - Mark O'Connor

Amazon.com

No musician in modern times has cast a greater shadow over a genre of music than Bill Monroe. Indeed, the father of bluegrass's sway over the music he nurtured is so overwhelming that the casual fan might forget that his predecessors laid the groundwork for his revolutionary innovations, while his many disciples have refined and modernized his teachings in the decades since his breakthrough. Can't You Hear Me Callin' demonstrates the span of the music Big Mon defined, tracking its development from the early days of the recording industry (the oldest selection here is Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers' 1925 track "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down Blues") to 2002's pop-inflected "Tortured, Tangled Hearts" by the Dixie Chicks. Four discs and more than 100 songs strong, the box draws from parent label Columbia's rich vaults, but also raids the stockpiles of Mercury, RCA, Capitol, and Rounder to round out an appropriately broad perspective. Billy Altman's sharp liner notes polish off a package that now stands as the definite overview of a genre that has survived the passing of its avatar and established itself as a great American music. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

Blue Grass Music.......2007-01-09

I have been a lover of Bluegrass almost from its beginning and have a rather large collection of it. Can't You Hear Me Callin' is a collection that would be hard to beat, a new Bluegrass fan as will as old timers like me would do well to acquire a copy, it spans Bluegrass from the beginning to recent, if I should lose my collection, this album would be the first I would attempt to replace. No I don't work for the recording company, I just find this work to be outstanding. The Dixie Chicks are the only losers and fortunately they have but one song.

You're bound to discover something new about the genre.......2005-01-07

This 4-CD box set with 109 songs captures the American bluegrass music tradition. This is quite an undertaking. Consider their objective to cover 80 years of music. Old-timey seeds planted by Gid Tanner and Charlie Poole in the 1920s are included. Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, and Flatt & Scruggs are well-represented with about 20% of the tracks. But so are the Carter Family, Roy Acuff, Carl Story, Arthur Smith, Osborne Brothers, Jim & Jesse, Jimmy Martin, The Byrds, Herb Pedersen, Ricky Skaggs, Blue Ridge Ramblers, Coon Creek Girls, Bailes Brothers, Molly O'Day, Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper, Mac Wiseman, Carl Butler, Louvin Brothers, Joe Maphis, Don Reno, Grandpa Jones, The O'Kanes, Mark O'Connor, Dixie Chicks, and Alison Krauss. What, they're not all bluegrass! I guess it's all in how you define the genre.

Songs from nearly two dozen record labels is included. A 58-page booklet comes with the CDs, and it has some excellent liner notes by Billy Altman and Ralph Stanley. This set was chosen by Shoreline Community College instructor Tom Moran for his on-line "History of Bluegrass" distance learning class. The anthology compiled by Gregg Geller is broad and expansive, and it's a major milestone in the promotion of bluegrass music for a large label with the reputation of Columbia/Legacy to support such an endeavor. My hat's off to them. Of course, every person's 100 tracks documenting the "history of bluegrass" would be different. And the main question to ask about "Can't You Hear Me Callin'" is does it adequately cover the main bases? With more than fifty different groups and solo artists sampled, I'd say that it does pretty well, but it certainly would've been exponentially enhanced with even 2-3 more CDs in the set.

Special rare tracks include some by The Coon Creek Girls ("Pretty Polly"), Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper ("On The Banks Of The River," "Sunny Side Of The Mountain," "Stoney, Are You Mad At Your Gal"), Carl Story & the Rambling Mountaineers, Don Reno.
Three previously unreleased songs include Carl Story's "Don't You Hear Jerusalem Mourn," Roy Hall & His Blue Ridge Entertainers'1938 version of "Orange Blossom Special," and Sara & Maybelle Carter's "No More Goodbyes" from 1966.

This is a fascinating and erudite collection that every bluegrass music lover could study for months. You're bound to discover something new about the genre that you didn't know before. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

Sony Doesn't Understand Bluegrass!.......2004-12-03

This is a stupid box set given its stated objective. The back cover of the box states, "All the major figures of bluegrass, and a number of the music's most intriguing, if lesser-known, purveyors, are here." Granted, there is some great music here, but what is the point? Any serious fan of bluegrass and old-time country music will have about 60% of these recordings; the remaining 40% or so are mostly a curiosity.

The Byrds never made a bluegrass record, so why does Sony/Columbia include 4 tracks by them but none by Don Reno & Red Smiley (there is some later work here by Reno)? Why include the O'Kanes but ignore the Country Gentlemen? Why present the Dixie Chicks but not Emmylou Harris?

Alas, this box set also features no Jim Eanes, no Earl Taylor (the first bluegrass artist to play Carnegie Hall), no Buzz Busby, no Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, no Lilly Brothers & Don Stover; no Hylo Brown, no Doc Watson, no Mac Martin & The Dixie Travelers; no Charlie Moore, no Larry Sparks, no Norman Blake, no Seldom Scene, no Hazel Dickens, no Tony Rice, no Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver; no J.D. Crowe & The New South; no Johnson Mountain Boys, no Gillian Welch, and the list goes on...

Sides by the Carter Family, Charlie Poole, Roy Acuff, and other old-time country music artists are a nice touch but why no Jimmie Rodgers (the source for Bill Monroe's "Mule Skinner Blues," Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs' "I'm Lonesome And Blue," and several other bluegrass warhorses)?

The booklet here is visually way too busy and thus, difficult to read; the graphic designers got carried away. The photos are great, but most of them have been published many times before. Billy Altman's text is fine, providing an overview of bluegrass, folk, and country music at large, but doesn't drill down into the specific tracks presented here.

The Bill Monroe cuts here are questionable, as only 1 of the 9 selections here are from his 40 plus years with Decca/MCA ("Uncle Pen"). The other 8 are from the Columbia label. So we don't hear Monroe at his most lonesome. Same problem with the Stanley Brothers; we get 5 Stanleys Columbias and 1 Starday (no essential Mercurys and Kings). So we don't hear the Stanleys with their best drive. Dumb.

I'm glad to finally have a recording by the obscure duo of Bill & Mary Reid, but why give us their cover a Monroe song rather than one of their originals ("Get Down On Your Knees And Pray")? Too bad that Monroe's incredible 1951 version of that song isn't here, as it was one of only 4 that he recording with the great Carter Stanley playing guitar and singing lead (and, of course, we get none of those 4).

I won't further quibble with the song selection with but one exception. Where is the song "Angel Band?" The Stanley Brothers' 1955 Mercury version is included on the incredibly popular the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack but arguably the finest version of "Angel Band" ever waxed was by Carl Butler & The Webster Brothers for Columbia about a year prior (a version that includes all 3 verses). The exclusion of that recording from this box set is unfortunate.

Hard-core fans of bluegrass and old-time music will still want this set for a the otherwise hard to obtain tracks by the Coon Creek Girls, Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper; Carl Story, the Reids, Jack Youngblood, Carl Butler & The Webster Brothers (instead of "Angel Band" we get "Somebody Touched Me"); and the Webster Brothers (the Webster Brothers recorded with Butler and on their own; they're on there own here covering the Louvin Brothers' "Seven Year Blues"). But these dozen or so rare sides pale in comparison, both in terms of importance and listening pleasure, to the best work of Jimmy Martin, Mac Wiseman, Don Reno & Red Smiley, the Country Gentlemen, Charlie Moore, Doc Watson, Jim Eanes, Buzz Busby, the Seldom Scene, and many, many others (Martin and Wiseman are here, but under-represented).

Those looking for a proper introduction to bluegrass music are much better served by Time-Life Music's new CD "Legends Of Bluegrass" or the fine compilations on the Rhino label (2 CDs in the "Appalachian Stomp" series).

Nice, far-ranging overview..........2004-09-29

An impressive 4-CD collection that spans eight decades and draws heavily on the Sony vaults, including material from their Columbia/CBS/Epic/Monument/Sony Classical back catalog, as well as a generous helping of tracks from other labels, such as Acoustic Disc, ARC, Bluebird, Capitol, Decca, Dot, E-Squared, OKeh, RCA, King, Mercury, MGM, Monument, Rounder, Sugar Hill, Vocalion and Warner Brothers... Obviously, this is not the "ultimate" bluegrass collection, but that elusive item is probably something best left to individual collectors to assemble in the privacy of their own homes... But for a major-label overview, this is pretty darn cool. Many of the major players and foundational artists are included: The Carter Family, Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, Jim & Jesse, Carl Story, The Osborne Brothers... And flanking this pantheon on either side are early pre-grass stringband artists such as Roy Acuff, Molly O'Day, Charlie Poole and Gid Tanner, or young'uns who have carried on or modernized the tradition -- The Byrds, The Dixie Chicks, Alison Krauss, Mark O'Connor, et al. The list of omissions and second-guessing about which tracks to have included is, of course, near-endless. I'll leave it to the purists and crabby at heart to rip Sony a new one for their criminal actions, but from where I sit, particularly knowing how hard it is to assemble reissue material in the first place, and how small the audience really is, I'd say: job well done. It's twangy as all hell and diehard fans or newcomers alike should find this a valuable and compelling collection.

(Too bad they couldn't get any Blue Sky Boys songs, though!)

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6. Early on [Import]
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