Life Is Sweet

Product Description
2003 reissue of the ex-Lone Justice frontwoman's 1996 solo album that's unavailable domestically. Spectrum. 2003. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Life Is Sweet,Maria McKee,Geffen Gold Line Sp.,Alternative Pop/Rock,Country-Rock,Pop,Popular Music,Rock

Average customer rating: spiritual americana Rich Heritage Superb Can't walk away from it! Mana from Heaven

American Angels Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr. ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems Anonymous 4 | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Folk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anonymous | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Gloryland Wolcum Yule: Celtic and British Songs and Carols - Anonymous 4 with Andrew Lawrence-King 1000: A Mass for the End of Time / Anonymous 4 A Portrait Of Anonymous 4 The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen ASIN: B0001ADB4Q Release Date: 2004-02-10

Tracks:

1. Holy Manna
2. Abbeville
3. Wondrous Love
4. Sweet Hour Of Prayer
5. Jewett
6. Dunlap's Creek
7. New Britain
8. The Morning Trumpet
9. Resignation
10. Poland
11. Wayfaring Stranger
12. Sweet By And By
13. Blooming Vale
14. Idumea (I)/Idumea (II)
15. Sweet Prospect
16. Shall We Gather At The River
17. Amanda
18. Invitation
19. Parting Hand
20. Angel Band

Amazon.com

This, Anonymous 4's final recording, is a break from their usual "early music" periods and locations; it presents American music, religious in nature, from the 18th and 19th centuries. And it's absolutely beautiful from start to finish. Their normal, exquisite technique and purity here blend to sound the way we imagined the ladies' choir in church meetings in America past might have sounded: sweet, sincere, and with harmonies recognizable yet somehow fresh. Some of the songs begin with the women singing "fa, so la" exercises, which was called "shape note" singing because some places taught singing with notes as shapes--circle, rectangle, diamond, triangle. But it's the music that counts, and there are treasures here. They include two versions of "Amazing Grace," one familiar, one with an unusual melody and a piece called "Blooming Vale" which is as sophisticated as anything on their previous albums. "Shall We Gather at the River" is performed with a clarity and loveliness that makes us forget that it's normally sung as background to movies about the Great Depression. The foursome sometimes sing in rich harmonies and occasionally alone or in pairs or trios. This is glorious Americana and highly recommended. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

spiritual americana.......2007-01-06

I have some of the older Anonymous 4 recordings which are more medieval
and gregorian in style (I love them!). They move on to cover spiritual
basics of the 1800s. If you like classical music, perfect harmonies
and spiritual americina, then you will be blessed!

Rich Heritage.......2006-10-11

Anonymous 4 consistently produces exquisite and authentically beautiful recordings and this one presents early American hymns in ways few groups can manage. Some tunes are highly recognizable while others are 'new' to me but a refreshing reminder of the singing heritage of religious societies in times past. For those who enjoy old hymns and authentic renderings, this is a must buy.

Superb .......2006-08-07

This collection of American Christian music is not only an enthralling musical experience but a spiritually uplifting one as well. Anonymous Four have transferred their luminous vocal quality to a new space with perfect success.

Can't walk away from it!.......2006-08-07

My only "complaint" about the CD is that I absolutely HAVE to sit and listen to the entire thing whenever I start it up! I usually have music playing in the background while doing other things, but not this one! There are no tracks that I find myself wanting to skip over as in most collections. In fact, I usually find myself going back and listening to selected tracks again (and again and...) after taking the hour+ to listen to the whole thing through once.

These four ladies produce a unique and remarkable sound. I can't recommend it enough.

Mana from Heaven.......2006-05-08

I think the title of this CD is perfect. I first heard an interview for this CD on Public Radio and fell in love. I had never heard Anonymous 4 before then but look for all I can find of their music now. The title is perfect as the women sound like Angels and the music lifts the spirit. I find myself singing the old version of Amazing Grace all the time now. Incredible and a huge blessing to all who hear it.

Average customer rating: A musical treasure-box a beautiful journey into melancholy

Dowland - The Collected Works / The Consort of Musicke, Rooley John Dowland , Anthony Rooley , Emma Kirkby , Christopher Wilson , The Consort of Musicke , Colin Tilney , Anthony Bailes , Jakob Lindberg , Nigel North , Glenda Simpson , Peter Holman , and John Donne Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Byrd, William | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Dowland | Dowland, John | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Holborne, Anthony | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by White | White, Robert | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Sacred & Religious | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems Ballets & Dances | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Recorder | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Lute | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Byrd, William | ( B ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Dowland, John | ( D ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Holborne, Anthony | ( H ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music White, Robert | ( W ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Bargain Box Sets | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Bargain Box Sets | Opera & Vocal General | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Opera & Vocal General | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Dowland: Complete Lute Works, Vol.1-5 William Byrd: Consort Songs Bach: The Landowska Recordings Britten Conducts Britten Janácek: Operas ASIN: B000004CYV Release Date: 2007-03-13

Tracks:

1. First Booke Of Songes: I. Unquiet Thoughts
2. First Booke Of Songes: II. Who Ever Thinks Or Hopes Of Love
3. First Booke Of Songes: III. My Thoughts Are Wing'd With Hopes
4. First Booke Of Songes: IV. If My Complaints Could Passions Move
5. First Booke Of Songes: V. Can She Excuse My Wrongs
6. First Booke Of Songes: VI. Now, O Now, I Needs Must Part
7. First Booke Of Songes: VII. Dear, If You Change
8. First Booke Of Songes: VIII. Burst Fourth My Tears
9. First Booke Of Songes: IX. Go Crystal Tears
10. First Booke Of Songes: X. Think'st Thou Then By Thy Feigning
11. First Booke Of Songes: XI. Come Away, Come Sweet Love
12. First Booke Of Songes: XII. Rest Awhile, You Cruel Cares
13. First Booke Of Songes: XIII. Sleep, Wayward Thoughts
14. First Booke Of Songes: XIV. All Ye, Whom Love Or Fortune Hath Betray'd
15. First Booke Of Songes: XV. Wilt Thou Unkind Thus Reave Me
16. First Booke Of Songes: XVI. Would My Conceit
17. First Booke Of Songes: XVII. Come Again: Sweet Love Doth Now Invite
18. First Booke Of Songes: XVIII. His Golden Locks
19. First Booke Of Songes: XIX. Awake, Sweet Love
20. First Booke Of Songes: XX. Come, Heavy Sleep
21. First Booke Of Songes: XXI. Away With These Self-Loving Lads

Tracks:

1. Second Booke Of Songs: I. I Saw My Lady Weep
2. Second Booke Of Songs: II. Flow My Tears
3. Second Booke Of Songs: III. Sorrow, Stay
4. Second Booke Of Songs: IV. Die Not Before Thy Day
5. Second Booke Of Songs: V. Mourn, Mourn, Day Is With Darkness Fled
6. Second Booke Of Songs: VI. Time's Eldest Son
7. Second Booke Of Songs: VII. Then Sit Thee Down
8. Second Booke Of Songs: VIII. When Others Sing Venite
9. Second Booke Of Songs: IX. Praise Blindness Eyes
10. Second Booke Of Songs: X. O Sweet Woods
11. Second Booke Of Songs: XI. If Floods Of Tears
12. Second Booke Of Songs: XII. Fine Knacks For Ladies
13. Second Booke Of Songs: XIII. Now Cease My Wand'ring Eyes
14. Second Booke Of Songs: XIV. Come Ye Heavy States Of Night
15. Second Booke Of Songs: XV. White As Lilies Was Her Face
16. Second Booke Of Songs: XVI. Woeful Heart
17. Second Booke Of Songs: XVII. A Shepherd In A Shade
18. Second Booke Of Songs: XVIII. Faction That Ever Dwells
19. Second Booke Of Songs: XIX. Shall I Sue
20. Second Booke Of Songs: XX. Toss Not My Soul
21. Second Booke Of Songs: XXI. Clear Or Cloudy
22. Second Booke Of Songs: XXII. Humour Say What Mak'st Thou Here

Tracks:

1. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: I. Farewell, Too Fair
2. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: II. Time Stands Still
3. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: III. Behold A Wonder Here
4. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: IV. Daphne Was Not So Chaste
5. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: V. Me, Me, And None But Me
6. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: VI. When Phoebus First Did Daphne Love
7. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: VII. Say, Love, If Ever Thou Didst Find
8. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: VIII. Flow Not So Fast, Ye Fountains
9. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: IX. What If I Never Speed?
10. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: X. Love Stood Amazed
11. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XI. Lend Your Ears To My Sorrow
12. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XII. By A Fountain Where I Lay
13. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XIII. O What Hath Overwrought
14. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XIV. Farewell, Unkind
15. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XV. Weep You No More, Sad Fountains
16. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XVI. Fie On This Feigning!
17. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XVII. I Must Complain
18. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XVIII. It Was A Time When Silly Bees
19. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XIX. The Lowest Trees Have Tops
20. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XX. What Poor Astronomers Are They
21. Third Booke Of Songs 1603: XXI. Come When I Call

Tracks:

1. A Pilgrimes Solace: I. Disdain Me Still
2. A Pilgrimes Solace: II. Sweet Stay Awhile
3. A Pilgrimes Solace: III. To Ask For All Thy Love
4. A Pilgrimes Solace: IV. Love, Those Beams That Breed
5. A Pilgrimes Solace: V. Shall I Strive Wih Words To Move?
6. A Pilgrimes Solace: VI. Were Every Thought An Eye
7. A Pilgrimes Solace: VII. Stay, Time, Awhile Thy Flying
8. A Pilgrimes Solace: VIII. Tell Me, True Love
9. A Pilgrimes Solace: IX. Go Nightly Cares
10. A Pilgrimes Solace: X. From Silent Night
11. A Pilgrimes Solace: XI. Lasso vita mia
12. A Pilgrimes Solace: XII. In This Trembling Shadow Cast
13. A Pilgrimes Solace: XIII. If That A Sinner's Sights
14. A Pilgrimes Solace: XIV. Thou Mighty God
15. A Pilgrimes Solace: XV. When David's Life
16. A Pilgrimes Solace: XVI. When The Poor Cripple

Tracks:

1. A Pilgrimes Solace: XVII. Where Sin Sore Wounding
2. A Pilgrimes Solace: XVIII. My Heart And Tongue Were Twins
3. A Pilgrimes Solace: XIX. Up Merry Mates
4. A Pilgrimes Solace: XX. Welcome Black Night
5. A Pilgrimes Solace: XXI. Cease, Cease These False Sports
6. Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Lachrimae Pavane
7. Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Can Shee
8. Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Paduana
9. Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: The Frogge
10. Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Frog's Galliard
11. Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Pavana And Galiarda
12. Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Paduana Lachrymae
13. Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Can She Excuse
14. Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Pavion Solus cum sola
15. Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Dowland's Almayne
16. Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Piper's Paven And Galliard
17. Keyboard Transcriptions Of Dowland's Music By Other Musicians: Pavan Lachrymae

Tracks:

1. Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: I. The Lamentation Of A Sinner
2. Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: II. Domine ne in furore
3. Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: III. Miserere mei Deus
4. Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: IV. The Humble Suit Of A Sinner
5. Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: V. The Humble Complaint Of A Sinner
6. Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: VI. De profundis
7. Mr. Henry Noell Lamentations: VII. Domine exaudi
8. Lachrimae: Lachrimae Antiquae
9. Lachrimae: Lachrimae Antiquae Novae
10. Lachrimae: Lachrimae Gementes
11. Lachrimae: Lachrimae Tristes
12. Lachrimae: Lachrimae Coactae
13. Lachrimae: Lachrimae Amantis
14. Lachrimae: Lachrimae Verae
15. Lachrimae: Mr. John Langton's Pavan
16. Lachrimae: Mr. Nicholas Gryffith His Galiard
17. Lachrimae: Sir John Souch His Galiard
18. Lachrimae: Semper Dowland Semper Dolens
19. Lachrimae: Mr. Giles Hobies Galiard
20. Lachrimae: The King Of Denmark's Galiard
21. Lachrimae: Sir Henry Umpton's Funerall
22. Lachrimae: Mr. Henry Noell His Galiard
23. Lachrimae: The Earl Of Essex Galiard
24. Lachrimae: Mr. Bucton His Galiard
25. Lachrimae: Mr. George Whitehead His Almand
26. Lachrimae: Captain Digorie Piper His Galiard
27. Lachrimae: Mr. Thomas Collier His Galiard
28. Lachrimae: Mrs. Nichols Almand

Tracks:

1. Sacred Songs: Sorrow, Come!
2. Sacred Songs: I Shame At Mine Unworthiness
3. Sacred Songs: An Heart That's Broken And Contrite
4. Psalms: Psalm 100: All People That On Earth Do Dwell
5. Psalms: Psalm 38: Put Me Not To Rebuke O Lord
6. Psalms: Psalm 130: Lord To Thee I Make My Moan
7. Psalms: Psalm 104: My Soul Praise The Lord
8. Psalms: Psalm 100: All People That On Earth Do Dwell
9. Psalms: Psalm 134: Behold And Have Regard
10. A Prayer For The Queen's Most Excellent Majesty
11. Instrumental Music: Solus cum sola pavan
12. Instrumental Music: Lachrimae
13. Instrumental Music: Galliard
14. Instrumental Music: Pipers Pavan
15. Instrumental Music: Lachrimae
16. Instrumental Music: Lady Rich Galliard
17. Instrumental Music: Earl Of Essex Galliard
18. Instrumental Music: If My Complaints
19. Instrumental Music: Lachrimae Doolande
20. Instrumental Music: Lord Willoughbie's Welcome Home
21. Instrumental Music: My Lord Chamberlaine His Galliard
22. Instrumental Music: Comagain
23. Instrumental Music: Pavan Lachrymae
24. Instrumental Music: Sorrow Stay

Tracks:

1. Lute Music: Preludium
2. Lute Music: Lachrimae
3. Lute Music: Can She Excuse
4. Lute Music: Dr. Case's Pavan
5. Lute Music: Melancholy Galliard
6. Lute Music: Sir John Smith, His Almain
7. Lute Music: Fantasia
8. Lute Music: A Dream
9. Lute Music: Almain
10. Lute Music: The Queen's Galliard
11. Lute Music: Coranto
12. Lute Music: Resolution
13. Lute Music: Mrs. Vaux Galliard
14. Lute Music: Almain
15. Lute Music: Mr. Dowland's MIdnight
16. Lute Music: Fantasia
17. Lute Music: Loth To Depart
18. Lute Music: The Most Sacred Queen Elizabeth, Her Galliard
19. Lute Music: The Earl Of Essex, His Galliard
20. Lute Music: Pavan
21. Lute Music: John Dowland's Galliard
22. Lute Music: Aloe
23. Lute Music: The Lady Clifton's Spirit
24. Lute Music: What If A Day
25. Lute Music: Mr. Giles Hobie's Galliard
26. Lute Music: Come Away (Song arrangement)
27. Lute Music: Galliard
28. Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)

Tracks:

1. Lute Music: Lachrimae (Basic Version)
2. Lute Music: Galliard To Lachrimae
3. Lute Music: [Jig]
4. Lute Music: Galliard On 'Wasingham'
5. Lute Music: Complaint (Ballad Setting)
6. Lute Music: Mignarda (Galliard)
7. Lute Music: Semper Dowland Semper Dolens (Pavan)
8. Lute Music: The Frog Galliard
9. Lute Music: A Fancy (Fantasia)
10. Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)
11. Lute Music: Piper's Pavan
12. Lute Music: Captain Digorie Piper's Galliard
13. Lute Music: Lady Laiton's Almain
14. Lute Music: Dowland's Galliard
15. Lute Music: Dowland's First Galliard
16. Lute Music: Tarleton's Jig
17. Lute Music: Walsingham (ballad Setting)
18. Lute Music: Lord Willoughbie's Welcome Home (Ballad Setting)
19. Lute Music: Sir Henry Guilforde, His Almain
20. Lute Music: Pavan (Related To 'Lachrimae')
21. Lute Music: Mr. Langton's Galliard
22. Lute Music: Mrs. Clifton's Almain
23. Lute Music: Galliard
24. Lute Music: Lady Hunsdon's Puffe (Almain)
25. Lute Music: Galliard
26. Lute Music: Go From My Window (Ballad Setting)
27. Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)

Tracks:

1. Lute Music: Pavana Johan Douland
2. Lute Music: Mrs. Brigide Fleetwood's Pavan (Solus sine sola)
3. Lute Music: La mia Barbara
4. Lute Music: Sir Henry Umpton's Funeral (Pavan)
5. Lute Music: Lachrimae
6. Lute Music: Farewell Fancy (Chromatic Fantasia)
7. Lute Music: Farewell (On The 'In Nomine' Theme)
8. Lute Music: The King of Denmark's Galliard
9. Lute Music: Mrs. Vaux's Jig
10. Lute Music: Mrs. Nichol's Almain
11. Lute Music: Galliard
12. Lute Music: Lord Strang's March
13. Lute Music: Mrs. Winter's Jump
14. Lute Music: Can She Excuse (Galliard)
15. Lute Music: The Shoemaker's Wife, A Toy
16. Lute Music: Mrs. Norrish's Delight
17. Lute Music: Galliard
18. Lute Music: Mrs. White's Thing (Almain)
19. Lute Music: Mrs. White's Nothing
20. Lute Music: The Frog Galliard
21. Lute Music: Solus cum sola
22. Lute Music: The Lord Viscount Lisle, His Galliard
23. Lute Music: Orlando Sleepeth (Ballad Setting)
24. Lute Music: Robin (Ballad Setting)
25. Lute Music: Galliard (On A Galliard By Daniel Bacheler)
26. Lute Music: Forlorn Hope Fancy (Chromatic Fantasia)

Tracks:

1. Lute Music: The Lady Russell's Pavan
2. Lute Music: Fancy (Fantasia)
3. Lute Music: Sir John Langton's Pavan
4. Lute Music: Earl Of Derby, His Galliard
5. Lute Music: A Coy Toy
6. Lute Music: Fortune My Foe
7. Lute Music: [Almain]
8. Lute Music: Mr. Knight's Galliard
9. Lute Music: Sir John Souch His Galliard
10. Lute Music: Tarletone's Riserrectione
11. Lute Music: The Lady Rich, Her Galliard
12. Consort Music: Lachrimae Pavan
13. Consort Music: Can She Excuse Galliard
14. Consort Music: Captain Piper's Pavan And Galliard
15. Consort Music: The Frog Galliard
16. Consort Music: Round Battell Galliard
17. Consort Music: Fortune My Foe
18. Consort Music: Dowland's First Galliard
19. Consort Music: Katherine Darcie's Galliard
20. Consort Music: Tarleton's Jigge
21. Consort Music: Almain a 2
22. Consort Music: Mistress Nichols Almain a 2
23. Fullsack And Hildebrandt: Auserlesener Paduanen und Galliarden: Susanna Fair (Galliard)
24. Haussmann: Rest von polnischen und andern Tanzen: Mistress Nichols Alman a 5
25. Opusculum: Mr. John Langton Pavan And Galliard
26. Opusculum: La mia Barbara Pavan and Galliard
27. Opusculum: Lachrimae Antiquae Novae Pavan and Galliard

Tracks:

1. Consort Music: Mistress NIchols Almain
2. Consort Music: Volta a 4 ('Ioh. Douland')
3. Consort Music: Were Every Thought an Eye
4. Consort Music: Lady If You So Spite Me
5. Consort Music: Pavan a 4
6. A Musicall Banquet: I. My Heavy Sprite (Anthony Holborne)
7. A Musicall Banquet: II. Change Thy Mind Since She Doth Change (Richard Martin)
8. A Musicall Banquet: III. O Eyes, Leave Off Your Weeping (Robert Hales)
9. A Musicall Banquet: IV. Go, My Flock, Go Get You Hence (Anon.)
10. A Musicall Banquet: V. O Dear Life, When Shall It Be? (Anon.)
11. A Musicall Banquet: VI. To Plead My Faith (Daniel Bacheler)
12. A Musicall Banquet: VII. In A Grove Most Rich Of Shade (Guillaume Tessier)
13. A Musicall Banquet: VIII. Far From Triumphing Court
14. A Musicall Banquet: IX. Lady, If You So Spite Me
15. A Musicall Banquet: X. In Darkness Let Me Dwell
16. A Musicall Banquet: XI. Si le parler et le silence (Pierre Guedron)
17. A Musicall Banquet: XII. Ce penser qui sans fin tirannise ma vie (Pierre Guedron)
18. A Musicall Banquet: XIII. Vous que le Bonheur rappelle (Pierre Guedron)
19. A Musicall Banquet: XIV. Passava Amor su arco desarmado (Anon. Spanish)
20. A Musicall Banquet: XV. Sta notte mi sognava (Anon. Italian)
21. A Musicall Banquet: XVI. Vuestros ojos tienen d'Amor (Anon. Spanish)
22. A Musicall Banquet: XVII. Se di farmi morire (Domenico Maria Megli)
23. A Musicall Banquet: XVIII. Dovro dunque morire? (Giulio Caccini)
24. A Musicall Banquet: XIX. Amarilli mia bella (Giulio Caccini)
25. A Musicall Banquet: XX. O bella piu (Anon, Italian)

Customer Reviews:

A musical treasure-box.......2006-09-10

Both the music and this actual product are masterpieces. John Dowland's collected works here - covering 12 compact discs - exhibit the depth and power of this composer, a composer who many now regard as suffering from clinical depression. I doubt that the issue of the diagnosis of Dowland's depression can ever be settled, however, it is certainly obvious from his music, so completely on display here, that he was a man with very dark depths and corners in his mind. Dowland's various manifestations and "takes" on his own tune, "Flow my tears"/"Lachrimae" are here. This tune has haunted me ever since I first heard it when I was a child. It seems to sum up Dowland's feelings - at least Dowland seems to have thought so.

The First, Second, Third and Fourth Bookes of Songes, A Musicall Banquet, the keyboard transcriptions, all the lute music, consort music are here and virtually everything else written or supposedly written by John Dowland. Anthony Rooley and The Consort of Musicke perform this music with style and feeling throughout. This 12 CD set is something of a monument to the ensemble - I only wish they'd finished their collection of Monteverdi madrigals, which was equally good (La Venexiana are currently doing a magnificent job of recording all Monteverdi's books of madrigals for the GLOSSA label).

This is an expensive set, however, you will probably never need to buy another John Dowland CD again after buying and listening to this collection.

I bought this CD set on a mild Summer evening of 1998 and listened to it while sitting in my sun room - which a glorious orange sunset in progress, and a glass of wine. It brought back so many memories.

a beautiful journey into melancholy.......2001-06-15

I'm amazed at how many people tend to associate John Dowland's music with a tragic sense of drama. While no doubt this is art highly based on sadness, the "tragic" sense of it is more a legacy from the Romantic period. During the Renaissance, however, sadness was undestood as a very aesthetic way of approaching life. That is also the reason why Shakespeare's tragedies appear more sophisticated than his comedies.

Dowland, a contemporary of Shakespeare, discovered that meditating on a sad theme is, at the same time, a way of discovering a special beauty that we tend to avoid (maybe because of the "tragic" heritage of the Romantics). So, in the end, meditating on sadness is an uplifting experience! This box set is a journey into melancholy that includes songs, chamber music, pieces for lute, some rare sacred music and -as a highlight- Dowland's beautiful collection of seven pieces for viola which he called "Lachrimae" (Tears).

Average customer rating: A mixed bag of romantic offerings The best tenor ever The greatest singer of all time!

Be My Love Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Herbert | Herbert, Victor | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Romberg, Sigmund | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | 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 Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Lanza, Mario | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Schubert, Franz | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Rodgers, Richard | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Anonymous | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Brodszky, Nicholas | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Kern, Jerome | H to L | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Hardelot, Guy d' | H to L | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Herbert, Victor | H to L | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Denza, Luigi | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Capua, Eduardo di | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Curtis, Ernesto de | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Folk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Classical 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: You'll Never Walk Alone Lanza: Greatest Hits Mario Lanza Sings Songs From The Student Prince & The Desert Song / Romberg Christmas with Mario Lanza For the First Time/Mario Lanza Sings Caruso Favorites ASIN: B000003F3C Release Date: 1991-01-18

Tracks:

1. Be My Love (The Toast Of New Orleans)
2. Serenade (The Student Prince)
3. Temptation (Going Hollywood)
4. Wanting You (The New Moon)
5. I'll Be Seeing You (The Royal Palm Revue)
6. With A Song In My Heart (Spring Is Here)
7. Without A Song (Great Day)
8. Danny Boy (Londonderry Air)
9. My Wild Irish Rose
10. And This Is My Beloved (Kismet)
11. Because
12. Only A Rose (The Vagabond King)
13. Funiculi, Funicula
14. Come Back To Sorrento
15. Maria Mari'
16. O Sole Mio
17. Neapolitan Love Song
18. Arriverderci, Roma
19. Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life (Naughty Marietta)
20. Look For The Silver Lining (Sally)
21. Memories
22. The Song Is You (Music In The Air)
23. Ave Maria
24. You'll Never Walk Alone (Carousel)

Customer Reviews:

A mixed bag of romantic offerings.......2001-12-17

BMG's Lanza collections are usually a mixed bag, and this album of love songs is no exception. Interspersed with some magnificent performances are an assortment of the good, the bad, and the mediocre. Part of the problem, I suspect, is that BMG simply doesn't appreciate what treasures it has buried in its recording vaults. It's enough to bring back Lanza from the grave, swearing in High C (as Time Magazine once tut-tutted) at the injustice of it all.

Lanza, in fairness to BMG, was an inconsistent performer. In the earlier part of his brief career, he had a tendency to sing sharp, and at times his approach to various arias and songs lacked sensitivity. That's not to say he couldn't get it right. At his best he was extraordinary, combining one of the most powerful voices on record with just the right degree of melting mezza voce and a dazzling array of vocal colours. His sense of phrasing was, as Enrico Caruso Jr noted, "instinctively right", and his ability to get into the heart of a song was unquestionable. Even at his roughest, his singing was usually compelling, and one could never label any of his performances "boring".

The bad recordings generally fall into three periods of his life: the Coca-Cola Radio shows of 1951-52, the disastrous Lanza on Broadway album of 1956, and the illness-affected stereo remakes of his Christmas Carols and Student Prince albums, both recorded in 1959, the year of his death. The present CD includes material from the first two periods.

The "Coke" shows, as I've opined in a number of other reviews, produced some amazing performances of both arias and love songs. Unfortunately, however, lack of rehearsal time coupled with poor arrangements often led to the kind of wild, unrestrained singing that Lanza's detractors love to attack (while at the same time overlooking his great performances). On this CD, a number of Coke recordings were released for the first time: Danny Boy; My Wild Irish Rose; Neapolitan Love Song; and Torna a Surriento. The first two are lovely, notwithstanding a poor ending on Danny Boy and some uncertain moments in the tenor's lower register in this song. Victor Herbert's Neapolitan Song contains some piercingly sharp singing, a rough ending and some agreeable mezza voce. Torna a Surriento is too fast, too unpolished and not a patch on the piano accompaniment-only version that Lanza recorded three years later for the movie Serenade.

Among the other Coke selections is the sublime Memories, and the alternately touching and thrilling I'll Be Seeing You, with a B Flat climax that will knock your socks off. Wanting You is rough and exciting in equal measure - ditto the powerhouse Ah Sweet Mystery of Life with its ridiculously fast tempo.

Two songs from the ill-fated Lanza on Broadway album have been inexplicably included, though it must be said that at least these represent the better moments from this dreadful session. You'll Never Walk Alone contains more sharp singing, uneven rhythm and a certain bleariness, while the Borodin-adapted And This Is My Beloved is alternately belted and seductive. Incidentally, Lanza recorded a superior version of You'll Never Walk Alone for his Coke Shows; this is featured on the CD of the same name.

The real highlights for me are the immortal Serenade from The Student Prince; a thrilling Only a Rose (recorded three months after the Lanza on Broadway session and featuring a completely different voice); the aforementioned My Wild Irish Rose & I'll Be Seeing You and a mature rendition of Schubert's Ave Maria. Fans will also enjoy Arrivederci, Roma, and the ubiquitous Be My Love.

All in all an enjoyable hour, but if only more thought had been put into some of the selections...

The best tenor ever.......2001-03-01

Mario Lanza is indeed my favourite of all tenors either living or not. I must have almost everything he ever recorded. This album has a whopping 24 tracks including 5 previously unreleased recordings, which make this a must for any true fan of Lanza. This album has some of his most romantic songs, mostly from stage and film. You won't find any opera here, which is fine, there's plenty of his other albums that have that. These are songs that are guaranteed to stir your heart and soul while Mario's voice will melt them. This is a must-have and at this price there's no reason not to have it.

The greatest singer of all time!.......2000-06-29

This is one of the greatest compilations of Tenor Mario Lanza, The Voice of the Century, ever made. Mario Lanza had such a broad, well focused voice and he is represented to good measure here on songs like "Wanting You", "Neapolitan Love Song", and "Without a Song". On these selections one hears how the Lanza voice had a largeness, depth, and warmth from the bottom all the way to the very top. One will never hear songs like "O Danny Boy", "My Wild Irish Rose", "You'll Never Walk Alone", "Torna Surriento", "O Solo Mio", and "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" sung any better or with more feeling. My favorite on this CD, "And this is my Beloved" from Kismet displays the full Lanza Range. This, in my opinion, is one of the greatest single recordings ever made. Here Mario sings the most melting pianissimo and builds to an exciting, full bodied, heart stopping fortissimo High B flat. What passion! The particular recording of "Only a Rose" on this album has been regrettably absent from the catalogs for quite some time. It is a shame too, because Lanza makes this Vagabond King selection sound free and effortless like only Mario Lanza could. Lanza takes the listener through a guided tour, so speak, of truly the greatest singing the world has ever heard. After hearing the final selection, "You'll Never Walk Alone", there won't be a dry eye in the house. This, along with the "Don't Forget Me" Lanza CD, is one of the greatest single CD collections ever put together of Mario, or anyone else for that matter. Lanza was the greatest singer of all time and this is a must have album. The sooner you own this one, the better.

Average customer rating: The definition of Musical Genius Epistolary reflections on Costellian themes... Beauty? Truth? You Can't Handle Either!! Deep and moving music from Elvis Costello. Give it a Try

The Juliet Letters Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Chamber Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music Baroque Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: For the Stars North Brutal Youth All This Useless Beauty When I Was Cruel ASIN: B000002MI4 Release Date: 1993-01-19

Tracks:

1. Deliver Us
2. For Other Eyes
3. Swine
4. Expert Rites
5. Dead Letter
6. I Almost Had A Weakness
7. Why?
8. Who Do You Think You Are?
9. Taking My Life In Your Hands
10. This Offer Is Unrepeatable
11. Dear Sweet Filthy World
12. The Letter Home
13. Jacksons, Monk And Rowe
14. This Sad Burlesque
15. Romeo's Seance
16. I Thought I'd Write To Juliet
17. Last Post
18. The First To Leave
19. Damnation's Cellar
20. The Birds Will Still Be Singing

Amazon.com

Good on Elvis for risking the ridicule of a blinkered pop world with this unprecedented (for him, certainly, and most anyone short of Kurt Weill) and quite lovely album of bitchy, wise, and funny art songs accompanied by strings. His freshest, most evolved work in years. --Jeff Bateman

Customer Reviews:

The definition of Musical Genius.......2007-05-22

If/when this ever is reprinted you MUST purchase it. It is beautiful in ways that I can't describe. For a writer/musician who is known for writing some amazing pieces, this is his pinnacle.

You will sob. You will laugh. You will rage. You will be haunted.

From a purely musical perspective, when you listen to this CD you are in the presence of great genius.

Listen to it alone, at least at first. Listen in the dark and let the imagery flow over you like fog.

Epistolary reflections on Costellian themes..........2006-01-16

Elvis Costello (Declan MacManus) has done his fair share of collaborations in the past decade. From the Grammy-award winning project with Burt Bacharach in 1998 to 2001's subdued "For the Stars" with Anne-Sophie von Otter Costello has branched out from his rock roots in diverse directions. "The Juliet Letters" from 1993 was the first in a long line of such collaborations. Costello and the Brodsky Quartet were brought together by mutual appreciation (Costello went to Brodsky Quartet concerts while the Brodsky Quartet attended Costello concerts). And Costello's now ex-wife Cait O'Riordan provided the epistolary theme for the project. She spotted a newspaper article about a professor that responded to letters addressed to "Juliet Capulet". Costello then presented the article to the quartet for inspiration. The group of five ended up writing all of the music and words (though much of the music is credited to "MacManus"). The results fall somewhere between classical song cycles and Beatle-inspired "string rock" (a la "Yesterday" and "Eleanor Rigby"). Feelings of melancholy and anger pervade most of the songs. The strings punctuate these feelings perfectly. Fans of Costello's rock music probably won't find much to appreciate here. But the album contains many of the same classic Costello themes and vocal styles utilized in his rock.

Like a Richardson novel, letters provide the basis for the project. Failed and frustrated relationships abound. "Thank you for the flowers / I threw them on the fire / And I burned the photographs that you had enclosed / GOD they were ugly children" Costello sings venemously on the driving "I Almost Had a Weakness". After all, nothing seeps loneliness more than an unanswered love letter. But more than love gets the treatment here. Other songs include a suicide note ("Dear Sweet Filthy World"), a letter from a soldier to a stranger ("I Thought I'd Write to Juliet"), a bizarre experiment in selective exhumation ("Damnation's Cellar"), a reflection on separation ("Why?"), and a letter full of hope in the face of despair ("The Birds Will Still Be Singing"). Many songs explore the sad one-sided nature of letter writing. And no song responds to any other song. This fills the songs that deal with ineffable questions with an almost desparing isolation. But not everything is doom and gloom. "This Offer is Unrepeatable" picks up the mood with a humorously exaggerated letter from a scam artist (and it more than a little resembles the Tom Waits' classic "Step Right Up"). The final song injects some hope into the stark themes in the manner of "Old Man River": "Banish all dismay / Extinguish every sorrow / If I'm lost or I'm forgiven / The birds will still be singing". So in the end, things aren't as bad as they seem. The world goes on regardless of our ephemeral concerns. And as long as the world goes on hope exists.

This CD contains a lot of very beautiful and moving music. Two violins, a viola, a violincello, and voice provide all of the instrumentation. Costello branched out into something very different here. And not all of his fans appreciated it. Regardless, in retrospect "The Juliet Letters" pointed to the future. This year Costello will tour orchestra halls. Not only that, he also wrote a full orchestral score ("Il Sogno"). Strings appear more frequently in his recent music. And year by year he seems to embrace "classical" music more intensely. Still, he hasn't abandoned rock and pop (as "When I Was Cruel" and "The Delivery Man" testify). Though this early collaboration remains somewhat underappreciated, it nonetheless fully showcases Elvis Costello's diverse, adaptable, and broad musical scope. Costello will doubtless appear somewhere on the list of accomplished twentieth and twenty-first century musicians.

Beauty? Truth? You Can't Handle Either!!.......2006-01-06

The reason the Costello/Brodsky collaboration "Juliet Letters" is such a difficult listen is also why its the MOST SINGULARLY BRILLIANT ALBUM IN THE ENTIRE ELVIS COSTELLO DISCOGRAPHY! And this declaration is coming from a man who could write a thesis on "Armed Forces" and "Imperial Bedroom" in his sleep! The idea of setting "letters" to music has certainly been done before, but Costello sticks his neck out, both as a composer and singer in ways he'd never done before. Accompanying yourself with just a string quartet (no snarling guitars or euphonious keyboard filigrees,) is the surest way to test your mettle as a vocalist. And sure, sometimes Costello's voice isn't exactly the strongest, but like say, Billie Holliday it always seems to occur precisely when the lyric calls for it: check out "Who Do You Think You Are?" or "The Birds Will Still Be Singing" and you'll hear exactly what I mean. Even his ode to a chain letter, "This Offer Is Unrepeatable" serves up a cheeky bit of satire worthy of "Three Penny Opera." Of course, you can only experience this album sporadically - could anyone watch "Death Of A Saleman" or "Long Day's Journey Into Night" repeatedly without losing one's mind? Emotionally-wrought exercises like "Letters" take a lot out of you, even when you're merely the observer (or listener,) rather than the participant. But that's what makes the journey, however bittersweet, one worth taking.

Deep and moving music from Elvis Costello........2005-06-18

The Juliet Letters is a moving colaboration from Elvis Costello and the Brodsky String Quartet. His deep vocals are complemented by the string quartet. This album is
neither fish nor fowl (classical or pop) it's just a musical
exercise. The strings are some of my favorite compositions,
(viola, cello and violin). Elvis Costello not only got the Brodsky Quartet a bigger audience but he inspired them to
write their own music (a third of the songs are composed by the Quartet).

While it might not be everyones cup of tea, the music is brilliant and Elvis reaches octave levels I thought I would never imagine he could ever attain. Maybe sometime in the near future he'll work with them again. I applaud him for taking such a bold step in making a non-commercial album.

Highly recommended.

Give it a Try.......2004-03-03

I've been listening to a lot of Philip Glass and Steve Reich lately,and its caused me to go back to this album to give it another go.Previously I thought that it was an interesting experiment which hadn't worked out very well.Now I think that it is a good album for rockers and classical music lovers to use to stretch their ears a little.So called crossover albums are usually horrifying-does anyone else remember that album that Procol Harum did with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra? Elvis flatly denounces the concept in the liner notes.And not everything on this album works.It isn't the brilliant work that some of the other reviewers seem to think that it is.But it is a worthwhile experiment and a work that should be given a fair chance.Rockers and classical music lovers tend to be snobbish and dismissive of one another.This is a good work for them to live with for a while.When Elvis and the Brodsky's click-on "Jackson Monk and Rowe" or "Romeos Seance"-the results are as beautiful and valid as anything either of them have ever done.
Three stars because some of this simply doesn't work. But this is a work anyone who likes Elvis or the Brodsky's should have in their collection.

Average customer rating: Too cool for some Ethereal and Hauntingly Beautiful

The English Lute Song Manufacturer: Dorian Recordings ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ferrabosco, Alfonso (II) | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Renaissance (c.1450-1600) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Lute | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Madrigals | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Greensleeves: A Collection of English Lute Songs Heavenly Love, Earthly Joy ASIN: B000001Q7S Release Date: 1993-08-02

Tracks:

1. This Merry Pleasant Spring
2. Woods, Rocks And Mountains
3. April Is In My Mistress' Face
4. No More Shall Meads Be Deck'd With Flow'rs
5. Lute Solo: The French King's Masque
6. Come My Celia
7. O Death, Rock Me Asleep
8. Where The Bee Sucks
9. Full Fathom Five
10. Come Away, Hecate
11. The Willow Song
12. Lute Solo: Alman, 'Hit And Take It'
13. Dear, Do Not Your Fair Beauty Wrong
14. Come Hither You That Love
15. Have You Seen But A White Lily Grow
16. I Must Complain
17. Nothing On Earth
18. Fain Would I Wed
19. Miserere, My Maker
20. O That Mine Eyes
21. Lite Solo: Alman
22. Care, Charming Sleep
23. Cupid Is Venus' Only Joy
24. O Let Us Howl
25. As Life What Is So Sweet
26. Turn, Turn Thy Beauteous Face Away!
27. Take, O Take Those Lips Away

Customer Reviews:

Too cool for some.......2005-02-22

Julianne Baird is breathtakingly good at what she does: intelligent, stylistically convincing, technically brilliant ornamentation, in a sweet, phenomenally accurate voice. I love it. Those not accustomed to this sort of thing, though, may find it lacking emotional immediacy. Consider also Kathleen Battle with some of the same material: not that she's better, but the appeal is more directly sensual rather than intellectual.

Ethereal and Hauntingly Beautiful.......2003-11-05

How could you go wrong with the clear seraph voice of Julianne Baird accompanied by the delicate skill of Ronn McFarlane on the Lute. Not only is the talent exceptional but the composed works of Lute music divine.

You listen to each song and are carried away to time/place devoid of any worry let alone any task other than to listen to Julianne and Ronn execute perfection. You truely feel part of the Elizabethan Court listening to this CD it is both beautiful and dark simutaneously.

Another fabulous feature to this CD is the simplicity of the recording of only lute and vocals with no special effects. To retain the warmth and purity of the composition it was recorded on location in 'The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall' in Upstate New York and is one of the finest acoustical settings in the world. Unlike modern pop music Lute music as written needs no manipulation or adjustment in the studio if executed by skilled artists and musicians in an acoustical atmosphere and this recording does exactly that.

I highly recommend this CD of beautiful music. It truely will evoke deep feeling and emotion.

Average customer rating: Awful One of my favorite Maria McKee cds Addictive Listening Major Misstep From a Great Singer Jagged Little Diva, or Ziggy McKee, or in Utero Mariae?

Life Is Sweet Maria McKee Manufacturer: Geffen Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Country Rock | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: You Gotta Sin to Get Saved High Dive Maria McKee Peddlin' Dreams Shelter ASIN: B000000OUN Release Date: 1996-03-26

Tracks:

1. Scarlover
2. This Perfect Dress
3. Absolutely Barking Stars
4. I'm Not Listening
5. Everybody
6. Smarter
7. What Else You Wanna Know
8. I'm Awake
9. Human
10. Carried
11. Life Is Sweet
12. Afterlife

Album Description

2003 reissue of the ex-Lone Justice frontwoman's 1996 solo album that's unavailable domestically. Spectrum. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

Awful.......2007-07-13

Awful. You Gotta Sin To Get Saved is by far a much better record than Life Is Sweet, there's some real gems on You Gotta Sin To Get Saved but also a lot of filler-album tracks. I'm glad I got Life Is Sweet out of the library and didn't spend my hard earned money on it. And believe me, my money is hard earned. Not like that you sicko, get your mind out of the gutter.

One of my favorite Maria McKee cds.......2007-04-24

I saw her perform this album in Austin Tx. She has the voice of an angel and the song writing is pretty good too.

Addictive Listening.......2006-02-24

"Life is sweet, bittersweet, and the days keep rollin' along ..." Where once the absolutely sweet Maria conquered the rough terrains of country-rock, this 1996 foray feasts on feedback, discordant chords and lyrics that at first listen make little sense, all wrapped inside a package of glitter rock that's far rawer than anything the Zig-meister ever released. You gotta love it. What makes this so great is the music itself, which pushes, punches, grabs and kicks with all of the ferocity of Maria's muscular live shows, which have always rocked much, much harder than her studio albums. Lyrically, too, she discards straight ahead explorations of life and love of her previous releases in favor of the scarred lovers, damaged psyches and shattered souls shunted aside by society. In so doing, she's shaped an album that's more than just a rewarding listen. It's a reflection of the jagged, subconscious streams that course through all of us--though we may be loathe to admit it.

Major Misstep From a Great Singer.......2005-03-21

Always a remarkable vocalist, Maria McKee really dropped the ball with this one. It isn't the absence of the country edged rock she made with her band Lone Justice (sort of Dolly Parton fronts the Blasters), nor is it that this one distances itself from the more polished sound of her first two solo efforts. The problem here is that few of the tracks on "Life is Sweet" can even be identified as songs. The production is far too overbearing that it drowns any melodic or lyrical interest that might have been present with a more comprehensive approach. The most die hard of McKee fans might want this to complete their collection, but newcomers should, without question, pass this one by.

Jagged Little Diva, or Ziggy McKee, or in Utero Mariae?.......2004-07-11

One of the other reviewers commented on how successful this album was at annihilating Maria McKee's commercial fortunes. Given the rich roots music repertoire and homey-but-sultry phrasing and vocal tone she had built up with Lone Justice and in her solo career, that's understandable. Why destroy a blueprint that works so beautifully? Well, in this case, it's because the new plan is also preciously valuable.

This album has absolutely zilch to do with anything that Maria had ever done previously in her career. Gone are almost all traces of country or RnB influence. She replaces that with the distorted guitar (played by Maria!) cum orchestral arrangements approach Mick Ronson used on such David Bowie albums as The Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory, and Ziggy Stardust, while her lyrical and vocal approach here mirrors the nearly-psychotic confessional fury of Alanis Morisette, or, more accurately, Kurt Cobain, and uses a generally thinner tone in quieter moments than she used earlier in her career. Jarring rhythm shifts and vocal howls. Bracing guitar work. Most of the songs here reflect an obsession with abandonment, betrayal, pain, and multiple personality disorders. Not easy listening by any means! However, for the most part, the album resonates.

A track-by-track assessment:

1) Scarlover (9/10) - An angry whammy-bar riff, growling vocal savagery, and a soaring chorus very highly reminiscent of Bowie's early '70s space-rock shenanigans. Although I'm sure most Maria fans threw things at the stereo in dumbfounded dismay at hearing this, it's very good for what it is. Also, the bridge, with the Little Diva cooing in her "old voice," takes the song over the top.

2) This Perfect Dress (8/10) - One of the quietest songs on the album. The spaghetti western instrumental track and vocal restraint make this the song on this album which most closely resembles her prior career.

3) Absolutely Barking Stars (10/10) - What a great song - Maria croons like a female Chris Isaak in the verses, howls like Alanis at her most desperate in the chorus, and coos the title like Juliana Hatfield. And the fantastic distorted guitar riffs - the great chorus riff stolen from the bridge of "Ziggy Stardust" and the wailing break - that's Miss "Show Me Heaven" rocking out! Wow!!!

4) I'm Not Listening (7/10) - The most abrasive cut on the album, dramatically contrasting the quiet, piano-driven verses with the jaggedly angular choruses, building up to a break in which Maria scream-shouts her guts out like Kurt in "Scentless Apprentice." This one has grown on me over time.

5) Everybody (8/10) - Relentlessly unsyncopated pounding in the verses combined with a remarkably catchy chorus. This is the most radio-ready thing here - it's quite easy to imagine it on mid-90s radio, but of course Geffen Records viewed this album as a piece of manure and had no desire to market it, so.....

6) Smarter (8/10) - Another soaring Bowiesque chorus. Roiling guitar work.

7) What Else You Wanna Know (6/10) - Midtempo, interesting riff.

8) I'm Awake (7/10) - The closest thing to a ballad here. Smooth orchestral texture.

9) Human (6/10) - Another midtempo number with a brooding guitar riff. Maria uses her falsetto to good effect.

10) Carried (4/10) - Yet another midtempo song, bland chorus, by far the most forgettable thing here.

11) Life is Sweet (10/10) - After all the bitterness, anger, anxiety, and anguish of the rest of the tracks, Maria unleashes her valentine to humankind, a moving manifesto of compassion using detailed lyrical snapshots of her objects of affection. (Note: the only misstep in this masterpiece of a song, Maria's favorite in her own catalogue, is "this one is for the girl who says those voices in her head never leave her alone.... you're not crazy." Um, Maria, that would be the very dictionary definition of crazy....) She accompanies herself with subdued, clipped electric strumming while delivering one of her most impassioned vocals in a lullaby half-whisper. This track has a vulnerability reminiscent of Paul Westerburg's desperate romantic confessionals with the Replacements.

12) Afterlife (8/10) - "Life is Sweet" erupts into this coda of squalling reverb guitars, sweet strings, tribally pounding tom-toms, and Maria's wailing glossalalia. Other fans have compared this to My Bloody Valentine, which isn't fair to that band's artistry. Most folks assert that the redux of "Life is Sweet"/"Afterlife" on Maria's next album, High Dive, is inferior, but that is, in my opinion, mostly because her vocal on that album until the coda is too restrained and mannered. I think that "Afterlife" is far, far better on High Dive, because it gives a greater centrality to Maria's vocalizing and provides much more convincing instrumental evidence that life is indeed sweet.

What more can I say about this album? that its commercial fortunes were tragically unfair. that Maria fans tend to be far too critical of what is a near-masterpiece just because it doesn't sound like the Maria they first warmed up to. that, although it's not what she'll be remembered for, it's the best thing in her catalogue. that you should write to Geffen and lambast them for deleting it. that you should write to the Little Diva and tell her thank you. Purchase used and enjoy.

Average customer rating: They don't write music like this anymore an elegant and sensitive treatment of classic favorites! He deserves better A valuable addition to recorded Americana

Victor Herbert: Beloved Songs and Classic Miniatures Manufacturer: Naxos American ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Herbert | Herbert, Victor | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs Under $7 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music $6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Herbert, Victor | ( H ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Victor Herbert: Columbus Suite/ Irish Rhapsody/ Auditorium Festival March A Victor Herbert Showcase: The Greatest Hits of the Father of American Popular Song Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life: The Songs of Victor Herbert Victor Herbert: Babes in Toyland; The Red Mill Victor Herbert: The American Girl ASIN: B000042ODX Release Date: 2000-01-25

Tracks:

1. Babes In Toyland: Toyland
2. The Fortune Teller: Romany Life
3. Badinage
4. Orang Blossoms: Kiss In The Dark
5. The Enchantress: Art Is Calling
6. Pan Americana
7. Molly
8. Al Fresco
9. The Red Mill: Moonbeams
10. Naughty Marietta: Italian Street Song
11. Eileen: Thine Alone
12. Cannibal Dance
13. Mile Modiste: Kiss Me Again
14. The Only Girl: When You're Away
15. Royal Sec
16. The Dream Melody: Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life

Customer Reviews:

They don't write music like this anymore.......2006-12-31

Who cares if a soprano is singing songs written for a tenor or Thine Alone was written as a duet? This is a perfectly lovely album, and I've never heard my two favorites--Thine Alone, Toyland--sung more beautifully. The soprano, Virginia Croskery, takes no liberties with the music--sings it lovingly and as it was written. Refreshing in our self-indulgent times when singers seem to think it compulsory to "make a song their own" or whatever it is they think they're doing.

an elegant and sensitive treatment of classic favorites!.......2004-01-13

Totally enchanted with this CD. The soprano supremely gifted and the orchestra - stunning. I highly recommend it for the sensitive music lover!

He deserves better.......2000-02-29

This new Victor Herbert is a disaster. The soloist is bad and destroys Romany Life. Her other songs aren't much better. Most of the vocal music was written with a chorus in mind. No chorus. Over half the vocal selections are mutilated. 2/3rds of Kiss Me Again is gone, about 1/2 of Moonbeams cannot be found, the second verse of A Kiss in the Dark is among the missing, etc. Thine Alone was written as a duet. Molly was written for a tenor. They are sung by a soprano. Herbert wrote so much music beautiful music but onl;y his most famous can be found here. Three or four orchestral selections are all that can be recommended. Until John McGlinn or Richard Bonynge realize that Herbert once existed he is in trouble. Naxos and Brion are not the answer.

A valuable addition to recorded Americana.......2000-01-19

It is a Good Thing that Naxos is starting an American Classics series at their usual budget price and that Victor Herbert is featured on two of them. We have as of this writing the purely instrumental (8.559025) and its sequel (8.559026). The latter features soprano Virginia Croskery and the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra under Keith Brion. Yes, this offers an interesting comparison with the old Beverly Sills offering of much the same material. Ms. Croskery's vocalizing is very good indeed and perhaps more in keeping with the kind of voice for which much of this music was composed; but while Ms. Sills' voice is quite thrilling, it is perhaps a touch too operatic for this lightweight material. On the other hand, the Naxos sound is far beyond what the older set can give us. Of the 16 selections on this CD, 5 are instrumental. Of the vocals, not all were written for the soprano voice ("Toyland" for example); but most were and we have here what you would expect: "Romany Life," "Kiss in the Dark," "Italian Street Song," "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life," and so on. Some listeners might have some trouble with the singer's very top notes; but at this price and for lack of anything competitive that is still available, this is still a very good purchase. This disc makes a fine companion piece, not only to the other Naxos set, but also to a concert of Herbert and Romberg duets on Newport Classic label titled "Sweethearts."

Average customer rating:

Baker Sings Gluck, Lully, Marcello, etc. Manufacturer: BBC Legends ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Finzi, Gerald | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gluck | Gluck, Christoph W. | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Lully | Lully, Jean-Baptiste | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Benedetto Marcello | Marcello, Benedetto | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Purcell, Henry | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Vaughan Williams, Ralph | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Warlock | Warlock, Peter | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Purcell, Henry | Composers | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances General | Vaughan Williams, Ralph | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | 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 Baker, Dame Janet | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Britten, Sir Benjamin | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Gluck, Christoph W. | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Purcell, Henry | M to P | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Folk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Philips and Decca Recordings, 1961-1979 (Limited Edition) ASIN: B00008OP2A Release Date: 2003-05-20

Tracks:

1. O Del Mio Dolce Ardor
2. Bois Epais
3. Il Mio Bel Foco - Quella Fiamma Che M'accende
4. Lauds (Among The Leaves)
5. O Lurcher-Loving Collier
6. What's In Your Mind, My Dove
7. Eyes Look Into The Well
8. Carry Her Over The Water
9. Come Away, Come Away, Death
10. Who Is Sylvia?
11. Fear No More The Heat Of The Sun
12. O Mistress Mine
13. It Was A Lover And His Lass
14. Let Beauty Awake
15. Tired
16. Silent Noon
17. Linden Lea
18. The Sally Gardens
19. O Can Ye Sew Cushions?
20. O Waly, Waly
21. Come You Not From Newcastle?
22. Sleep, Adam, Sleep And Take Thy Rest
23. Lord, What Is A Man
24. Sleep
25. Pretty Ring Time
26. Rest, Sweet Nymphs
27. The Jolly Sheperd

Average customer rating: The Greatest Tenor THE GREAT MARIO SINGS BEAUTIFULY! The good and the bad in one collection New Fan Another CD from the best!

Artists of the Century Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Donizetti | Donizetti, Gaetano | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Herbert | Herbert, Victor | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Leoncavallo | Leoncavallo, Ruggiero | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Meyerbeer | Meyerbeer, Giacomo | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Ponchielli | Ponchielli, Amilcare | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Puccini | Puccini, Giacomo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Romberg, Sigmund | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | 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 Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Lanza, Mario | ( L ) | 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 Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Donizetti, Gaetano | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Gounod, Charles | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cardillo, Salvatore | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Denza, Luigi | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Capua, Eduardo di | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Curtis, Ernesto de | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Kern, Jerome | H to L | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Hardelot, Guy d' | H to L | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Herbert, Victor | H to L | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Lara, Agustin | H to L | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Brodszky, Nicholas | A to B | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Folk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Classical 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 ASIN: B00000J915 Release Date: 1999-06-15

Tracks:

1. Be My Love
2. Drink, Drink, Drink
3. Rigoletto: Act IV: La Donna E Mobile
4. Danny Boy
5. Granada
6. Because You're Mine
7. Ave Maria
8. Valencia
9. The Loveliest Night Of The Year
10. Song Of India
11. Because
12. O Sole Mio
13. The Donkey Serenade
14. I Paggliacci: Act I: Vesti La Giubba
15. Serenade
16. Funiculi, Funicula
17. Golden Days
18. Arrivederci Roma
19. You'll Never Walk Alone
20. Beloved
21. Come Prima
22. Tosca: Act III: E Lucevan Le Stelle
23. Santa Lucia
24. I'll Walk With God

Tracks:

1. And This Is My Beloved
2. Cielo E Mar (La Gioconda)
3. If I Loved You
4. Deep In My Heart
5. Core 'Ngrato
6. Una Furtiva Lagrima (L' Elisir D'Amore)
7. Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life
8. Canta Pe' Me
9. Santa Lucia Luntana
10. Memories
11. With A Song In My Heart
12. O Paradiso! (L' Africana)
13. Temptation
14. Aida: Act I: Celeste Aida
15. Feneste Che Lucive
16. A Night To Remember
17. Non Ti Scordar Di Me
18. Somewhere A Voice Is Calling
19. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
20. All The Things You Are
21. Passione
22. One Night Of Love
23. La Danza

Customer Reviews:

The Greatest Tenor.......2004-05-25

I'm more a fan of classic popular standards than of classical music, but as the classical numbers give Mario Lanza a little more opportunity to show off his glorious voice, I find myself enjoying these fully as much as the popular selections.

His approach to popular song is admittedly on the operatic side, and it's fascinating to hear how well such pieces translate into a more classical orchestration. And Lanza's versions stand as equals alongside the popular versions (by such greats as Perry Como, Frankie Laine, Kate Smith, Georgia Gibbs, Dean Martin, Vic Damone and Vaughn Monroe) that have been among my favorites for many years.

The spoken introductions on the selections from his show are an added bonus, and (contrary to one of the reviews below) these songs are beautifully done. The fact that they are live and only minimally rehearsed only makes them all the more amazing.

The 2-cd set consists of high quality recordings of 47 songs and is a real bargain at the price.

THE GREAT MARIO SINGS BEAUTIFULY!.......2002-03-03

THIS IS A WINNER THE MUSIC GREAT! THIS IS A REALY GREAT CD! HE SINGS SO WELL IN ALL THE MUSIC. I GAVE IT 4 STARS. ENJOY!

The good and the bad in one collection.......2001-09-02

This is (unintentionally, I'm sure) a warts-and-all illustration of Mario Lanza. True, there are magnificent recordings scattered throughout (Serenade, Beloved, E Lucevan Le Stelle, Passione, etc) but the overall impression one is left with is of a sloppy and undisciplined singer who just happened to possess a great voice. The fault lies squarely with BMG and their predilection for selecting the very worst of Lanza, and placing it next to the best. Many of the inferior choices come from Lanza's Coca-Cola radio show, recorded between 1951 and 1952, and featuring prominently on Disc Two. (Disc One is a more consistent selection, and repeats the same tracks from the British one-CD set "The Ultimate Collection", reviewed elsewhere on this site.)

The "Coke" shows were generally under-rehearsed, and represent what in many respects was the most chaotic period of Lanza's short life. Thus it's not surprising that the tenor often sounds unfamiliar with his material, is sometimes off-key, and also makes numerous stylistic lapses. Never intended to be heard beyond their initial broadcast, these supposedly "one-off affairs" nevertheless did produce the occasional gem, but one needs to look elsewhere for examples of those. The three exceptions on this set are the gloriously romantic If I Loved You, One Night of Love, and the poignant Memories. Danny Boy also deserves honorable mention, although the ending should have been remade.

O Paradiso, Somewhere a Voice is Calling, Core 'Ngrato, Deep in My Heart, and With a Song in My Heart represent low points from the Coke Shows. Other poor choices include And This is My Beloved, from the disastrous Lanza on Broadway LP; a rough-as-old-boots Una Furtiva Lagrima; and an off-pitch Cielo E Mar (ironically the one studio recording on this set that *is* inferior to Lanza's Coke Show rendition).

Mario Lanza was blessed with the most spectacular natural tenor voice of the 20th century. Is it too much to expect for BMG to honor his memory more selectively? Where are Lanza's sublime recordings of Che Gelida Manina from "La Boheme", his M'appari, the Improvviso from Andrea Chenier and his unsurpassed Otello Monologue? Or the fabulous Some Day, the gorgeous 'A Vucchella and Lanza's own favorite recording, the haunting Voce E Notte? For the very best of Mario Lanza, buyers will need to look elsewhere.

New Fan.......2000-08-27

I am an 18-year old student. I bought this album after I heard a few of Lanza's songs in the Peter Jackson film, "Heavenly Creatures" and I must say that it is one of the best albums I have ever bought. Lanza was a master of his vocal instrument, drawing every ounce of feeling and energy from the notes and words to create a masterpiece of every song. The resulting pieces in this album combine to make up a beautiful and varied work, with something for every mood you may be in. The classics (such as "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life"), are obviously appealing, but the lesser-known pieces (my favourite: "Una Furtiva Lagrima") make this a wonderfully enlightening experience. This is a truly Great album.

Another CD from the best!.......2000-03-18

When I heard that Mario Lanza had died so many years ago, I was a college student who already owned five or six LP's of his songs. I was truly brokenhearted We had lost such a fine singer at such an early age. This CD is one of the best because of the diversity of songs, all marvelous.A fine addition to any collection.

Average customer rating: Another decent single from Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons life IS sweet You need the Daft Punk remix.

Life Is Sweet The Chemical Brothers Manufacturer: Astralwerks ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Big Beat | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Trip-Hop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music House | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music Electronica | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Dance & DJ | 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: Elektrobank Out of Control Block Rockin' Beats Let Forever Be Leave Home ASIN: B000003RXL Release Date: 1996-02-26

Tracks:

1. Life Is Sweet (Album Version)
2. Life Is Sweet (Remix 2)
3. Life Is Sweet (Daft Punk Remix)
4. Leave Home (Terror Drums)
5. Life Is Sweet (Remix 1)
6. If You Kling To Me I'll Klong You
7. Chico's Groove (Mix 2)

Customer Reviews:

Another decent single from Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons.......2004-07-23

The Chemical Brothers have come a rather long way with their singles. Their best has to be 'Setting Sun' and 'Block Rockin' Beats' along with 'Out Of Control'. The 'Life Is Sweet' single was kind of dull though. The 'Album Version' from their acclaimed album 'Exit Planet Dust', is a very good song, but it creeps me out now ever since I saw the video to the song *shiver*. The 'Remix 2' mix of the song was a different beat combining 'Delik' in the background as the song progresses. The 'Daft Punk Mix' got me bored out of my mind with its never-changing beat and a voice saying 'Daft!' non-stop ( >. < ). 'Remix 1' was another excellent one, but it was not the best as the second remix. 'Leave Home (Terror Drums)' was a lot like the second remix of 'Life Is Sweet' as it combines the background sounds of the original version of 'Leave Home' in it. 'Chico's Groove (Mix 2)' to me was another boring choice of a song to MIX UP. This single has it's ups and downs, but in the end it was worth it as well. Thanks!

life IS sweet.......1999-05-20

what better way to listen to the greatest song in history than play it over and over again in different formats........

You need the Daft Punk remix........1999-03-29

Though the single available here doesn't have the Daft Punk remix of Life is Sweet, I would reccomend it to any techno/dance/big beat/house fan out there. I am a huge Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk fan and when I heard that Daft Punk had remixed this song I was in heaven. The actual mix doesn't sound anything like the album version, but I didn't care. The CD is only 8 bucks so go out, get it, and enjoy.

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1. Little Brother Big
2. Live at Ulu [Live]
3. Live [CD-single] [Live] [Import]
4. Long Shot Novena
5. Love Stinks [Original recording remastered] [Import]
6. Maria McKee
7. Maximum Janet Jackson: The Unauthorised Biography of Janet Jackson [Import]
8. Night on Fire [Import]
9. No Matter What You Say: The Best of Butch Engle & the Styx
10. Paper, Pencil & Glue

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