I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
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Audio CD (20 June, 1995)
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Editorial Review

This is the album on which Aretha finds her voice. She'd previously recorded for another label, but this Atlantic debut created the sound that has come to define her. The tracks read like a greatest hits collection: "Respect," "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," "Dr. Feelgood," "Baby, Baby, Baby," "A Change Is Gonna Come," and the title track. She's alternately pumped full of soul or scraping her inner being to find more. A classic. --Robert Gordon ... Read more

Reviews (23)

the Queen, indeed
So much has been written about this album that it's really tough to add anything new. And the term "classic" is thrown around so much these days that it's hard to put it into any useful perspective. But the bottom line is this: any serious fan of music should have a copy of this; it trascends all labels, all boundaries. It is a must have. And there is a reason Rolling Stone Magazine gives this 5 stars and calls this "the Best Soul Album Ever Recorded" ( it says so right on the cd package.) From the instantly recognizable sass and strut of "Respect", to the blues belter "Dr Feelgood", through the Bossa Nova-flavoured"Don't Let Me Lose This Dream", every song is a winner.Miss Franklin even had a hand in writing severalof the tracks on this album, showing she is much more than just "the world's greatest soul singer." There are more classic songs on this album than you can shake a stick at. Just read the tracklisting and see for yourself. Franklin is backed by the Muscle Shoals house band on this album, although only one song ( the incredible title track ) was recorded entirely in the famous Alabama studio, and they really deliver the goods. As good as some of her mostly overlooked Columbia Records material was ( and a lot of it was very good, although it was more "adult" in that it was more jazz oriented ) her Atlantic debut has a passion -grit and soul- that had never before been captured on tape. And Franklin has a gift of interpretation ( only hinted at during her 5 years with Columbia Records, where she mostly sang big band, jazz, blues, soul and pop covers, as well as a small handfull of self-penned originals ) that is unequaled in the world of popular music. Her covers ofOtis Redding's "Respect, of "Drown In My Own Tears" ( previously recorded by both Dinah Washington and by Ray Charles ) and of Sam Cooke's beautiful ballad "A Change Is Gonna Come" make you forget the orginals. The Reign Begins Here.

You Are Not A Critic Unless You Praise This Album!
I don't really know how to put this amazing classic into aspect,all I can say is it is amazing,and I'm actually kind of sure that's all that needs to be said.Aretha's voice,the catchy songs,the meaningful tracks,and,most importantly,the soul.This album is just breathtaking,the most breathtaking tracks being the singles,which is almost every single track on the album.This album contains classics such as the mega-hit "Respect",the vocal-filled title track,"Do Right Woman,Do Right Man"...and everything else,for that matter.I don't have a verdict for this album,but I clearly don't need one.Just buy it while you are still alive!

A Chiseled-In-Stone Masterpiece
Like `nevermind' below, I too worry about my command of English in assigning this album its propers. Released March 10, 1967 (as Atlantic LP No. 8139), less than three months before the Beatles magnum opus, "I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You," is the equivalent in the soul music realm as "Sgt. Pepper" is in rock and roll. It's as simple as that.Hard to believe now, isn't it, that "Respect" waited in the album for single release (as Atlantic 2403) until April 16th?!

I confess that as a 13-year-old in 1967,I somehow missed the chart run of the title song, which came first. But "Respect" was simply a song NO ONE could ignore or dislike. It crossed all cultural, racial, gender and age barriers as a song urging one to confident self-assertion, and still does.The company's honchos must have been thrilled that early summer of 67 when "Respect," along with the Young Rascals "Groovin'," kept Atlantic releases owning the top of the pop chart for six consecutive weeks.

A startlingly brilliant artist had arrived and minted me as one more fan that spring as the trees blossomed. Aretha is going to be 62 this year and I'll be 50, but she can still count on my money. This is the album that started it all, and if it's possible that you have no Franklin material in your collection, this is the place you MUST start. ... Read more

Asin: B0000033IS
Subjects:  1. Deep Soul    2. Memphis Soul    3. Pop    4. R&B    5. Soul    6. Southern Soul    7. United States of America   

Billie Holiday - Greatest Hits (Sony)
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Audio CD (17 November, 1998)
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Editorial Review

Curiously, yet not surprisingly given the enormity of his sway, Billie Holiday's greatest vocal influence was "Pops"--Louis Armstrong, whose trumpet was his first signature (though he's often credited with being the first great jazz singer as well). One hears Armstrong in Holiday's sense of phrasing, timing, and the warmth she invests in a lyric. This package, containing such touchstone Holiday renderings as "I Cried for You," "Body and Soul," and "When a Woman Loves a Man" (poetic, given the fact that Billie was notoriously unlucky at love), also boasts her signature song, "God Bless the Child." Her accompanists are a hall-of-fame lot, including trumpeters Roy Eldridge and Buck Clayton; saxmen Lester Young (with whom she had a close relationship), Ben Webster, Johnny Hodges, and Harry Carney; drummers Cozy Cole and Jo Jones; bassists John Kirby and Walter Page; and her frequent pianist, Teddy Wilson. --Willard Jenkins ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (13)

Fave Jazz Album!
Every tune is fab! Thankfully, the remastering has not diminished the old scratchy sound typically found in recordings from this era.

This is why I hate most modern jazz. This has genuine feeling, a raw sound, natural flow, and catchy licks--things lacking these days, IMO.

Pick this up if you are not a huge jazz collector, but just wish to add something worthwile to your otherwise ecclectic collection of music.

Early greats from Lady Day
I heard this CD while I was walking around Borders and just had to have it.These are early recordings - the music is fresh and joyous - the vocals are superb.I especially love the recordings of "Miss Brown To You," "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" (a treat), "Some Other Spring" and my very favorite, "I Can't Get Started."I have other Holiday recordings.However, this is the one I play again and again.I only wish that it had "Good Morning Heartache" on it.Oh, well.

A great place to start, an album with a special treat!
Almost everything Billie Holiday recorded, and maybe everything Billie recorded before 1941, like these sides, was great. Certainly, this collection doesn't have any of the very important work Billie Did during WWII for Commodore, nor does it have some of th exciting Jazzy recordings Billie did for Verve in the late 1940s and 1950s.Nor are any of the outstanding live performances by Billie for Jazz at the Philharmonic or in her Carneige Hall concerts on this CD.

With Billie who recorded for about 30 years on a lot of labels, the tendency was, particularly back in the days of LPs, for every owner of some Billie material to put out whatever they could crip together as Billie's greatest hits.

I have to say that I was introduced to Billie's greatest work, that in the 1930s, by owning this collection on Vinyl. This is nice fun and engaging music. On some of the great standards, she really makes it.Like all of her recordings for Columba and its ancestors back then, John Hammond Sr, gathers togethersome of the masters of Black and white swing Jazz to join her. Very shortly after she started recording, the greatest names in Jazz would flock to her sessions and play on her recordings for litte because of the innovation and creativity Billie showed as a jazz creator in her own right.
One special treat here is "I can't get started" with the Count Basie Orchestra.Billie was the first female singer with Count Basie's band, but because she was booked to Columbia and the Count had been shanghied by Decca, there were no studio recordings of Billie singing with the Basie Orchestra.This is an enormous loss to human culture. "I can't get started" is one of the two air checks (recordings made off of radio broadcasts) we have of Billie with the Baseities. The other "Swing it Brother Swing" is available on an album with air checks from a Basie broadcast from the Savoy Ballroom.

I really love the way her singing interplays with the backing particularly from the reed section, and love the sinuous solo Lester takes which is more mellow and romantic than the one he takes in the small group Billie Holiday recording of "I can't get started."

All of this is nice music. If you are not ready to take the plunge and get everything from the 1930s and early 1940s (to be followed by everything from the 1940s and then most of the stuff from the 1950s) this is as good as any place else to start. Nice fun, wonderful music, great jazz in both her voice and in the way that the sidemen swing in her honor. ... Read more

Asin: B00000FC7M
Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Classic Female Blues    3. Jazz    4. Pop    5. Swing    6. Traditional Pop    7. Vocal Jazz   

Pearl (Exp)
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (31 August, 1999)
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Editorial Review

Janis Joplin made the blues her own. Though she didn't live to finish this album before her 1970 death from a heroin overdose, her intense passion and frantic cries of pain and ecstasy were enough to make Pearl one of the most memorable recordings of her era. Her band does fill up some vinyl with the instrumental "Buried Alive in the Blues," but it's the vocals that make this album worth hearing these many decades later. Listen to the tortured heartbreak of "Cry Baby" or the hopeful declarations of Kris Kristofferson's "Me & Bobby McGee" and understand why Joplin remains an essential, if tragic, figure in pop. This reissue of Joplin's final album includes four live bonus tracks recorded during the 1970 Canadian Festival Express Tour. --Steve Appleford ... Read more

Features

• Extra tracks

Reviews (21)

Great music
Before the album was completed, she died of a drug overdose in 1970 when she was twenty seven. This was her First Number One album. "Get it while you can" is a Beautifull song. Recomended.

Great, But What If?
Janis Joplin's PEARL is a great solo album that makes you wonder if it might have been even better if she had been able to finish all of her vocals before she died. The two best songs are "Move Over" and "Me And Bobby McGee", but there's plenty of other good stuff here, too. Get PEARL and CHEAP THRILLS together if possible.

timeless
the word "classic",in my opinion ,has been way over used in describing noted records.but if there ever was one,this is it!Janis' best and one of rock n'rolls best.the right songs,the right band and janis.timeless.full tilt boogie really took these songs where the (pretty lousy) big brother never could have.if janis had lived,the sky would've been the limit.her heart and soul in every song.a truly great work. ... Read more

Asin: B00000K2VZ
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Diana Ross and the Supremes - The Ultimate Collection
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (07 October, 1997)
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Editorial Review

The title is a bit of a misnomer: The Supremes are anthologized in more comprehensive fashion on Motown's three-volume Greatest Hits series, while this package is denser, and has a higher hit-per-track ratio. But if you'd rather pick up one collection than three, and if you want a good, thorough skimming of cream from the group's catalog, this is the better choice. All of the familiar songs are here, with no major omissions--and they're packed in with a liberal helping of second-magnitude hits. For a collection that samples only the extreme top end of the Supremes' output, there's Every Great No. 1 Hit, also on Motown. It's missing a lot, but it delivers exactly what it promises. --Gavin McNett ... Read more

Reviews (44)

Awesome songs, bad audio
No sense repeating the extensive reviews regarding how influential and entertaining this music is.It's truly astounding, and the music is brilliant.

However...

In remastering these recordings, the audio engineers have apparently done what I always call a "boost and compress," which reduces dynamic range, increases overall apparent loudness, and often increases distortion.Back in the 60's, the tendency was to mix songs with vocals much louder than the accompanying music, and with very little deep bass.Nowadays the tendency is right the opposite, with electronically generated deep bass notes, and vocals barely peeking over the music.To give the Supremes a more modern sound, they seem to have compressed these tracks to bring up the music, especially the bass.The result is distorted and unnatural vocals, and compressed dynamic range, especially on the older songs.It's really a shame.

If you can't tell the difference between mp3's and CDs, you won't care.If you're an audiophile, you'll be disappointed.

Superb Sound, Supreme Mixes
Each time I play this CD, I'm amazed at how one group put forth so many hit records in a row: 23 Top 40 hits in 5.5 years including 12 #1's. Each hit record is reproduced here faithfully and exactly as they originally sounded as they topped the charts. That's why I scratch my head at why Motown, famed for it's greedy, shameless re-issues, wwould stoop so low as to bastardize the sound of these classics on "The 1's" - the most recent collection. This is the true sound of the group as the public snapped them up by the millions and the producer's intended. The Ultimate Collection is the ONLY way to go. You will LOVE it!

The Essential Diana Ross And The Supremes
Diana Ross and the Supremes broke down many racial barriers during their eventful reign in the 1960's. Rivalled by only Elvis Presley and The Beatles, their remarkable acheivements included 12 ground-breaking chart-toppers. Motown boss, Berry Gordy, intended to use his roster of artists to appeal too not only blacks but to break into white culture too. Diana Ross And The Supremes were easily the most successful act at Motown to find acceptance in white culture whilst also shrewdly retaining their wide black base also.

There are popular misconceptions about The Supremes, that Diana Ross stepped all over Mary Wilson and the groups founder, Florence Ballard in a bid to be the sole star of the group. Mary Wilson had a breathy, seamless, pleasant-sounding soprano whilst Florence Ballards startling vocal delivery was more raw and earthy and indeed possessed a higher volume level than Diana Ross. But with Diana Ross, they immediately had a unique sound that set them instantly apart from other Motown acts. Her soft, soulful voice which was crystal-clear and neatly surfboarded along Motowns complex musical arrangements, conveyed raw elements of vulnreability and naievity that proved immensley popular to the sound of young America. She had a regal presence and was in a class and style of her own and this evidently is what Berry Gordy spotted in her when he signed her to Tamla Motown Records in January 1961.

As the civil rights wars continued across America, the sound of Motown offered seemingly light at the end of the tunnel with their racial-crossing music. Though The Supremes had very few hits in the early 1960's, their collobaration with Holland Dozier Holland began in 1963 and marked the beginning of an explosive era.....

1. When The Lovelight Starts Shinin' Through His Eyes
This classic packed a wallop like none of their other recordings had to this point. Containing an effective conga beat, the track basically had all the elements of that classic Motown sound. Dianas impressive performance is assertive and vastly solid. Her sassy charm gels well with the over-all production. When The Lovelight became The Supremes break-through recording where it climbed to No.23 on the U.S charts.

2. Where Did Our Love Go
This proved a ground-breaking landmark for The Supremes. Mary Wilson apparently detested the song and too add insult too injury, the track had already been turned down by Motowns premier female group, The Marvelettes (who helped put Motown on the map by delivering the labels first No.1 hit in 1961 with Please Mr. Postman) with lead singer, Gladys Horton labelling it "junk". Dianas evocative performance is effective, sultry and very sexy. She simply oozes sensuality on all of these early classics. The repetive rhythm (something of Motowns trademark in the 60's) and simplistic lyrics caught onto the public like a magnet and became the first in a long river of chart-toppers.

3. Baby Love
"Baby Love/ I Need You/ Oh-ho Miss Kissing You". 3 minutes of pure perfection! Baby Love is just so touching in its simplicity and Diana sparkles here with her warm, passionate and overly sensual voice. Everyone knows the words to this classic and it became another key landmark in their career. Baby Love rapidly hit No.1 on both sides of the Atlantic.

4. Come See About Me
More tails of love lost here, though this is a more sassy offering where Diana is joined in a capella by Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson at various points throughout the recording and it merley adds to that dazzling, magical effect. If anything their work was much more group orientated at this point. Come See About Me became another chart-topper.

5. Stop! In The Name Of Love
Now something of a karaoke essential! Dianas sweet, genuine sounding voice is just so adorable that its impossible to fault. She sounds so angelic and you really detect that yearning naievity in her strikingly unique delivery. Another chart-topper!

6. Back In My Arms Again
Their sound was maturing now and this classic is sharper than their previous output. Though Diana still has that vulnreable sounding voice here, she delivers this in a stronger tone than usual and sounds fabulous in the process. Another chart-topper!

7. Nothing But Heartaches
A delightful confection of pop/r&b that is a little formulaic with its musical arrangements vastly similar to Back In My Arms Again, but still is an over-all winner. This track broke the staggering sequence of No.1 hits where it peaked at No.11.

8. I Hear A Symphony
A glossy combination of r&b/pop with undertones of jazz. Well-crafted production and striking vocal performance from Lady Motown - Diana Ross. This propelled to No.1.

9. My World Is Empty Without You
Wow! This song is just breathtaking. Hauntingly atmospheric, Diana whips along the stark musical arrangements with such conviction with her tone fittingly raw, earthy and soulful. One of their best recordings. A Top 5 seller in the U.S.

10. Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart
Sassy, sexually-charged and electric, this rip-roaring classic, which became a Northern Soul hit in the 1970's, is one of their most forceful, dynamic and infectious recordings. Dianas delivery is impeccably strong. A Top 10 hit in the U.S.

11. You Can't Hurry Love
Though later covered by Phil Collins, The Supremes version easily remains the most definitive. Diana throws her voice around the upbeat arrangements, sounding remarkably effective. Another U.S chart-topper!

12. You Keep Me Hanging On
A step away from the sweet love tunes of their earlier phenomenon with Diana sounding more aggressive and assertive, especially at the exalting climax of the track when she sings "Go On/Get Out/Get Out Of My Life/And Let Me Sleep Tonight". Motowns instrumental band was known as The Funk Brothers and they are behind this raging classic as well as the majority of the classics on here. You Keep Me Hanging On became another chart-topper!

13. Love Is Here And Now You're Gone
Diana Ross and the Supremes were just amazing. They just kept pumping out No.1 hit after No.1 hit and this offering from 1967 was another chart-topper to their credit. Dianas delicious delivery is beautifully dripping with real gutsy emotion and she effectively talks through various part of the recordings which really emphasised her stylish, sensual voice. The musical arrangements are glorious on this number with subtle hints of jazz gelled neatly into the production.

14. The Happening
Swinging, sassy fun here. Dianas playful delivery ignites the recording with some wonderful backing support from Florence Ballard (her last recording with the group as she was fired soon afterwards and was replaced by Cindy Birdsong who previousy was a backing vocalist for Patti Labelle and The BlueBelles) and Mary Wilson. Deservedly another chart-topper!

15. Reflections
Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles perharps defined the ultimate, swirling psychedelic sound of the 1960's but Motown certainly made a significant contribution with this being one f their more adventurous and diverse offerings. Opening with weird, bizarre, synchronised sounds, the track soon leads into a pounding, soulful affair with Dianas stirring delivery being impressivley razor sharp. One of my own personal favourites. The track hit No.2 on the U.S Charts. This incidentally was the first recording to be billed under Diana Ross And The Supremes, a change that sparked off more bitterness between these three ladies behind the scenes.

16. In And Out Of Love
Returning to a more traditional Motown sound here as the Holland-Dozier-Holland momentum was beginning to wear thin now and times were changing. Still vastly infectious regardless. In And Out Of Love became another Top 10 hit.

17. Forever Came Today
A highly underated soul classic that encapsulates that swirling psychedelic vibe effectively. Dianas performance is dazzling on this atmospheric recording that was enduringly experimental for its time. Forever Came Today steadily climbed into the lower reaches of the Top 40 charts. It was also the last track to be produced by the genius Holland-Dozier-Holland who really helped create that ultimate Motown sound. The song-writing trio departed from the label after a bitter feud with Berry Gordy over royalty payments.

18. Somethings You Never Get Used To
After the swift departure of Holland-Dozier-Holland came Ashford and Simpson who were most defintely Motowns hottest "in-house" production teams Motown had after them. Their first collaboration with The Supremes was a spectacular affair even though initally not quite having the immediacy of their previous output. This track, with its rollercoaster musical arrangements and a dynamic performance from Diana, makes this another winner.

19. Love Child
Their very best classic! Raw, soulful and earthy, Love Child offered profound social commentary that was oddly perceived as highly controversial at the time though is tame by todays standards. Dianas strong performance is fantastic! Another No.1 smash hit!

20. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (With The Temptations)
A dynamic tour de force here as Diana Ross and the Suprems joined up with The Temptations for a host of spectacular television specials and a series of albums. The splitting of lead vocal duties between the lush harmonies of Diana Ross to the exuberant, sweet falsetto from Eddie Kendricks makes for an enjoyable transistion. By far, their greatest recording together.

21. I'll Try Something New (With The Temptations)
A lush ballard where vocals are alternated between Diana Ross and Eddie Kendricks though features an effective interlude from the deep, husky voiced, Melvryn Franklin. A smooth, soulful affair.

22. I'm Living In Shame
An attempt to repeat the tried and tested formula of Love Child. Though not quite re-capturing the momentum, the track has individual merits of its own and again offered social commentary. Dianas gritty delivery is stunning! A top 10 smash hit.

23. The Composer
Written and assembled by the genius Smokey Robinson, this song all the more surprisingly is considerably lacklustre in comparison to the rest of the album lacking force and immediacy.

24. No Matter What Sign You Are
Diana sounds positively stunning and electric on this highly underated classic. Her tone is so pure, soulful and earthy and really gives startling ignition to the complex arrangements.

25. Someday We'll Be Together
And finally the dream came to an end when Diana Ross left The Supremes after this classic became their twelth and final No.1 hit. Another one of my all-time favourite Diana Ross recordings as she breathes fire and soul into this timeless, truly touching recording that can just move you to tears. Dianas breathtakingly beautiful delivery gives me goose bumps!

An excellent representation of the most successful female group in history! The strong impact of their music has continued through four decades and their immortal legacy lives on. Diana Ross and The Supremes were perharps the American dream.


Ian Phillips

... Read more

Asin: B000001ANZ
Subjects:  1. Girl Group    2. Motown    3. Pop    4. Pop-Soul    5. R&B    6. Rock    7. Soul    8. United States of America    9. Uptown Soul   

The Best of the Song Books
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (21 September, 1993)
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Editorial Review

Trying to cull a single-CD "Best of" from the 16-CD set of The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books may seem like a daunting task, but it's also foolproof. The complete set is a monument to the century's greatest songs and, arguably, its greatest singer, and this selection is a series of gems programmed to simulate a Fitzgerald performance, carefully sequencing joyous uptempo swingers and moving ballads. Recorded between 1956 and 1964, Fitzgerald's finest years, the CD includes arrangements by Nelson Riddle, Billy May, and Buddy Bregman, as well as a superb rendering of "I've Got It Bad" with the Ellington orchestra and Johnny Hodges. Balancing the orchestral settings are some intimate small-group performances, including a witty rendition of Cole Porter's "Miss Otis Regrets" and Rodgers and Hart's "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered." This is an ideal introduction to the "Song Books," a selection so good it will appeal to owners of the box sets. --Stuart Broomer ... Read more

Reviews (28)

The Great Songbird of the Great American Songbooks
Is there any song in the Songbooks that she did not record?

She was the First Lady of Jazz, she was a multi-Grammy awardee, she was a terrific and versatile singer who has worked with almost all of the jazz giants, the Count, the Duke, the King, the Goodman, the Gillespie, the Ol' Blue Eyes, and the list goes on and on, she has recorded thousands of songs, she was a melody's best friend...the legendary Ms. Ella Fitzgerald.

This is one of the best compilations of the Songbooks series. It features a repertoire of 16 classics.The Top Five tracks for me are: Gershwin Brothers' "Love Is Here To Stay," "'S Wonderful" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me"; Irving Berlin's "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm"; Rodgers and Hart's "Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered." My second choices are: Arlen's "Hooray For Love" and "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea"; Cole Porter's "Every Time We Say Goodbye" and The Duke's "I've Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)." Not to mention two Johnny Mercer-penned lyrics, "Midnight Sun" and Something's Gotta Give." These two tracks were beautifully arranged and conducted by the great Nelson Riddle.

This CD is a gem. I highly recommend it. It's a great addition to Great American Songbook collection.

Ella at her best
It seems unfair to give this masterful collection four rather than five stars for what can only be termed religious reasons, but there you go.An outstanding CD, capturing Fitzgerald in all her perfection.If you love her, it's all here, but I find myself wishing she put more personality, more emotion, more soul into her music.In that spirit, I take one star and give it to Sarah Vaughan, my favorite jazz vocalist of them all.

The Best of the Best of the Best
It has been awhile since I have read all of the wonderful reviews for this CD. As the man who chose the songs, sequenced them and wrote the album notes, it is one of the high points of my career that so many of you love listening to this CD as much as I did making it. It was indeed a difficult assignment, narrowing down all the songs from Ella's songbook series to just these, but I hope I put in something for everybody. I agree that as a collection, there is no better representation of the best of singing, songwriting and musical arranging available.

Before I sound egotistical about it, remember that the reason the collection is so good is because Ella Fitzgerald is singing; Gershwin, Porter, Rodgers, Hart, Berlin, Ellington, Arlen, Kern and Mercer did the writing; and Bregman, Riddle, May, Strayhorn and Weston did the arranging.

What could possibly be better? ... Read more

Asin: B0000046R2
Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Big Band    3. Cool    4. Jazz    5. Pop    6. Standards    7. Swing    8. Traditional Pop    9. Vocal Jazz   

Diamonds & Rust
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
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Editorial Review

Perhaps the most outstanding folk album of the 1970s, this collectionrepresents Baez's blossoming from a girlish folk icon into a mature interpreter of folkmusic. The title track (and, to a much lesser degree, "Dida" and "Children and All ThatJazz") showcases her songwriting, but the intimate spin she puts on the music of others iswhat makes this the remarkable work it is. On Jackson Browne's "Fountain of Sorrow,"Dylan's "Simple Twist of Fate" and John Prine's "Hello in There," the purity of Baez'sclear soprano (deeper and mellower than on her early albums) expresses the gentle painsof nostalgia and what-might-have-been. The medley of "Jeannie with the Light BrownHair/Danny Boy" reminds us that no matter what other directions she moves in, Baez willalways be a masterful singer of traditional folk music. --Barrie Trinkle --This textrefers to the Audio CD edition. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Baez at her best.
Diamonds and Rust (D&R), is perhaps Baez's most reflective work.Rather than rely solely on her soprano power with the obligatory Dylan tune thrown in, reaches deep into her psyche and soul in this collection of "folky" type songs.There is the Dylan tune for sure ("Simple Twist of Fate"), where the songstress mimics Dylan's voice for a verse and hits it pretty close to dead on.The album contains two "finger pointing songs" about Bobby."Wings of the Old Days" is clearly about Dylan,("I read that the prince had returned to the stage"), however the cover song could be about her ex David Harris although the lyrics seem to suggest a link to Dylan and their love affair.She covers John Prince ("Hello in There") and provides plenty of material for the folk crowd.The strength of D&R does not come from the individual songs but rather from the collection as a whole.Taking us back to the early '60's, through Vietnam, then redemption and finally acceptance of what we went through.Baez released D&R around the same time Dylan released "Blood on the Tracks", and a year or so prior to the Rolling Thunder Tour in which Baez was so prominantely featured.The tradegy perhaps is that she will always be linked to Dylan and is trapped in the folk "protest" era.Dylan escaped due to the force of his talent and with his artistic integrity intact.Baez can't really rock but she can sing with the best of them and D&R proves it.

an old favorite
I discovered this album at a country fair 20 years ago, and while the music seemed a little foreign to me back then, in my teens, the more I listened , the better it got. Now I continue to hum these tunes hauntingly like a mind mantra, in my now middle age. It has a magic to it.

Far from Baez's greatest folk material!
Despite many positive recommendations of this album, I do not like the material, the singing and the accompaniment. As a folk aficionado, I prefer Baez's true folk singing, especially when she accompanies herself on the guitar. There she really shines. Her contemporary material lacks the power and beauty of her earlier folk singing. ... Read more

Asin: B000002GBM
Subjects:  1. Contemporary Folk    2. Folk    3. Folk & Traditional    4. Folk-Rock    5. Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter   

Blue
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $8.99
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Editorial Review

Joni Mitchell would go on from this '71 recording to make more popular, more ambitious, and more challenging albums, but she's never made a better one. Working with minimal accompaniment (Stephen Stills and James Taylor are two of the four sidemen), the Canadian thrush summoned an involving song cycle of romance found and lost. Though Blue is an uncommonly intimate representation, it's also astonishingly open and gracious. Songs such as "All I Want," "Carey," "California," and "A Case of You" work equally well as poetry and pop music. --Steve Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (187)

Nothin' like first impressions..
I just bought this album a couple weeks ago. It was my first Joni Mitchell album, and certainly not my last.

"Blue" is a wonder. It's melancholy, sparse, and quiet..yet, it's totally inviting. The songs range from folky, accoustic guitar songs to piano ballads; and not much in between.

"Carey" and "California" both fall into the former category, and are two of the more upbeat moments to be found. Both contain nice pop hooks; the latter sounds very James Taylor-ish, and I believe he played on this album.

Songs like "The Last Time I Saw Richard", and the title track fall into the latter category; both are haunting and beautiful at the same time. "River" is another sad, gorgeous piano ballad.

"A Case Of You" seems to be an 'essential' Joni Mitchell song; it's another gentle, beautiful folk song with some really excellent lyrics. Equally as essential in my view is "My Old Man".

Other highlights include the brooding "This Flight Tonight", the delicate "Little Green", and the opener "All I Want", which hooked me within the first 20 seconds, and never let up..

Now, to purchase some more Joni Mitchell albums..

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!
This is an absolutely brilliant work of art right here.Joni Mitchell is just a great artist all around and she brings a level of depth to her work that is rarely seen.Unfortunately, being a profound musical artist is generally something that is not valued or appreciated by most, so many just won't get Joni Mitchell.Joni possesses a truly rare gift as a lyricist, and she is able to paint extremely vivid, rich and effective pictures with her pen.She is also one of the greatest composers ever.She has created some of the most complex and beautiful arrangements and melodies that I've ever been lucky enough to hear.Her arrangements are generally pretty intricate, so if your simply looking for some catchy poppy tunes to bob your head to, then you are really looking in the wrong place.Joni Mitchell is one of the few artist that I've heard that I can honestly describe as a genius and she shows why througout this entire album.This album is a totally engulfing experience from beginning to end.It can be a tough nut to crack at first if you don't already listen to this "type" of music ( I use that word very loosely because I really don't like to categorize music into "types"-the only types that I care about can be measured in degrees of quality :-), but man is it rewarding once you get it.It was a challenge for me at first, but I've learned that the best albums are not the ones that are fully grasped on the first listen, but ultimately are the ones that are just as powerful and rewarding no matter how many times you listen to them, and those albums often take a few listens to grasp.So, I continued to listen, and now I would put this in the top 5 albums that I have ever heard.It is stellarly written, superbly composed and just so moving, powerful, and effective an experience, that it gets better with each listen.The tone of this album is pretty somber all througout, although it does have the occasional radiant burst of sunshine such as 'Carey' and the oh so rockin' 'This Flight Tonight'.Well, I guess that I can't really describe 'This Flight Tonight' as radiant, but it is an energetic break from the melancholy somberness of most of the album.Ultimately, the best albums are the ones that are the most rewarding, and I have heard very few albums in my lifetime that are anywhere near as rewarding as this one is.

Follows you all through your life
32 years ago I was sitting on a beach with a girl and she said to me "There is a line in a song that goes 'Just before our love got lost, you said "I am as constant as the northern star" and I said, "Constantly in the darkness.Where's that at!If you want me I'll be in the bar." And I was hooked!I listened to the album ("Blue") and it has followed me through my life - as an anthem - a paean of the sweetest poetry - a melody to life.My youngest daughter heard it some years ago and now Blue has become her companion.This is unrepeated beauty and the sweetest companion in love and sadness. Mitchell has done a lot of great stuff since but nothing that quite matches the exquisite emotional subtelty of this musical masterpiece.Give it a try. If you have the ear you won't regret it.If not, that's ok. ... Read more

Asin: B000002KBU
Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Folk-Rock    3. Folk/Country Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Singer/Songwriter   

Vagabond Ways
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (11 April, 2000)
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Editorial Review

"Oh, doctor please. I drink and I take drugs. I love sex and I move around a lot." These are the opening words of this album, and as the summation of a gloriously misspent youth, they're kind of hard to beat, cementing Marianne Faithfull's claim to the title of Greatest Living Englishwoman. Her first album since 20th Century Blues offers up a diverse collection of material. An old Roger Waters composition, "Incarceration of a Flower Child," opens with a musical phrase he would revisit, 15 years later, in "Your Possible Pasts" (from the Final Cut album). Faithfull interprets it as a simple lament to lost innocence, the days of "good dope and cheap wine"--though its chorus rather deliberately punctures the dream ("It's gonna get old in the 1970s"). And with its mocking air of self-pity, its ruined grandeur, Leonard Cohen's "Tower of Song" might have been written with her in mind. But it's that title track and "Electra," two ruthless slices of self-examination ("You'd think she owns the streets of Dublin"), which truly compel attention. Singular, magnificent. --Andrew McGuire ... Read more

Reviews (13)

An Awesome return to Form
I had mixed feelings about A Secret Life and 20th Century Blues.I could have sworn on its release that A Secret Life was going to be Ms. Faithfull's final recording, and while it was a good record, it was way too light and airy for my tastes.20th Century Blues was interesting but I could never get into old standards.The reason I'm talking about these two albums was because Vagabond Ways hit shelves without warning.This is Marianne Faithfull at her finest.No old covers or swampy, over-bearing orchestrations here.Her voice takes front and center with a production that accompanies it beautifully.Everything on Vagabond Ways is either pretty or amazing, mostly amazing though.The title track and Incarnation of a Flower bring this singer back to darker roots, then using that same ragged voice for the absolutely moving Wilder Shores of Love and For Wanting You.Voices like Christina Aguilara and Joss Stone, with all their range and vocal pristine, can't come close to evoking as much emotion as this woman.My only gripe was After the Ceasefire, but it hardly spoils such a masterful piece.

UG!
Marianne Faithful is famous for some reason, it ain't because of this album.

Amazing How This Woman Can Keep My Attention
The Marianne Faithfull part of my music collection stretches for a long distance.I liked her back when she had the little girl voice doing the folkie and light folk/pop things in the mid-60s.I liked her harrowing version of "Visions of Johannah" recorded at a time when she was completely strung out on junk and virtually homeless.I LOVED her first three albums on Island, when she was more-or-less back in one piece and taking responsibility for her choices of material.And everything since has been quite fascinating, from Hal Wilner's torch explorations to Kurt Weill revivals to the brilliant Angelo Badelamente album.On "Vagabond Ways," it feels as if Marianne has revisited a number of her records in the past twenty years or so.The classic approach of her first three Island albums ("Broken English," "Dangerous Acquaintances," and "A Child's Adventure") is used on the title track, and on "Electra," "Wilder Shores of Love," the Daniel Lanois-arranged "Marathon Kiss" and the utterly perfect interpretation of Leonard Cohen's "Tower of Song."This latter number is such a perfect match of song and singer that I wonder whether she's ever considered doing a full album of Cohen's songs;she could do any of them--even "Don't Go Home with Your Hard-on."On the other hand, tracks like "For Wanting You," "Great Expectations" and "After the Ceasefire" remind of "A Secret Life."The only criticism is that Marianne can veer dangerously close to self-parody, such as on the title track.I can live with a bit of Marianne Faithfull's self-parody.

All in all, a great album ... Read more

Asin: B00004SBMI
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Horses
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 June, 1996)
list price: $13.98 -- our price: $13.98
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Editorial Review

On her 1975 debut, Smith was full of piss and vinegar, seriously interested in bringing together high art and low three-chord rock & roll.As a result, her free-form poetry meshes with covers of "Gloria" and "Land of a Thousand Dances," and the album centers on two long, highfalutin' pieces, including the three-part suite (warning! warning! art!) "Land." (The CD version appends a messy live take on The Who's "My Generation.") Led by Richard Sohl's piano, the arrangements don't exactly rock, and some of Smith's songwriting gets buried in its stylistic affectations (there's a great song under "Redondo Beach"'s fake reggae). But the point of Horses was Smith's persona of volume, cunning and exile, and it comes through distinctly. --Douglas Wolk ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (48)

misplaced joan of arc meets late-night joan of arc, love
It gives me great pleasure to think that if anyone ever tried to cover any of the songs they would be making a complete joke of themselves. Ironically, "land of a thousand dances", a cover of a song made popular by wilson picket, and van morrisons "gloria" have got patti's guts all over um. If Neil Young was about one thousand times sexier maybe his "down by the river" could be a male equivalent. But, Patti Smith transends any gender issue despite the fact she and janus will never be matched in the female frontman category. If I had to attempt to show anyone the power of rock and roll I would just play "free money" and walk away. Also, the ballad "birdland" despite its 9 minute and 14 second span is probably the most captivating song on the album. She is simply put, fierce and fearless. Too many of our precious baby boomers missed this classic album in 1975 and now they scratch their heads as their own precious little one's slam good charlotte and simple plan into thier sad souls.

Mass with the High-priestess
SIX STARS
For me this was the most important album of the seventies.
Patti Smith's debut album Horses came on the scene with a fury.
Eight songs (plus a bonus track) take you on a long mystical journey.
Patti Smith initially fell into the broad catagory of punk but Patti Smithis in a catagory all of he own. Her lyrics are very literate and poetic and yether words and music can at times have the raw power of punk.

This Beat/Punk mass begins appropriately with the song "Gloria" and with the same "appropriateness" begins with the line

"Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine"

It starts out slow but then Patti begins to rock. Patti comes across like an icy blue Janis Joplin because like Janis she puts heart and soul into every song.

The second song "Redondo Beach" is somewhat down beat and slightly morbid but through out the album an atmosphere is established - and through the joy and the pain expressed one is reminded of many of Allen Ginsberg's poems.

The third song "Birdland" is by far the most moving. And here takes us from the lows to ecstasies it is intricate both lyrically and musically and to my mind is the best example of Patti Smith at her craft. The song inspired by the son of Wilhelm Reich takes off as though part incantation part revival meeting. If you listen to this song alone and give it your complete attention you will find yourself emotionally exhausted by the end of it. The first portion of lyrics are as follows (limitations of the space given prevent me from printing out the entire lyrics here but it must be heard to truly appreciate its vision. There are parts of the song that literally give me chills up my spine.

Birdland

His father died and left him a little farm in new england.
All the long black funeral cars left the scene
And the boy was just standing there alone
Looking at the shiny red tractor
Him and his daddy used to sit inside
And circle the blue fields and grease the night.
It was if someone had spread butter on all the fine points of the stars
'cause when he looked up they started to slip.
Then he put his head in the crux of his arm
And he started to drift, drift to the belly of a ship,
Let the ship slide open, and he went inside of it
And saw his daddy 'hind the control board streamin' beads of light,
He saw his daddy 'hind the control board,
And he was very different tonight
'cause he was not human, he was not human."

Oh my.

The fourth track "Free Money" gives us somewhat of a break from the tension and the artistic and literary references but only slightly and is sung by its end with great urgency.

The fifth track "Kimberly" is a beautiful poemsparsely backed up by music. Once again we feel as though we are in the hands of a master.

The sixth track "Break it Up" Smiths voice goes from pleading to sweeping and one point even singing while she pounds on her throat. It is as if like Harry Partch, Patti smith is out to create her own form of music.

The seventh track "Land/Horses" is perhaps Patti Smith's most ambitious and once again the priestess pulls out all of the stops as story teller, conjurer and giver of rapture.

The eight track is Elegie. As the title suggests it is somber but Patti again does some marvelous things with her voice to emphasize every phrase.

There is one more track but at this point stop. The last track is quite worth while but my advice it to letthose 8 songs linger in your mind for a while before yougo on to the next.

The last track is My Generation the famous Who song. But in my opinion Patti does a better job with it.

Best to be listened to loud with the lights off and a few candles lit.

beautiful and arresting, punk aspect inherent
this is Smith's first, and best, album.Her voice is so terrific in its sarcastic drawl I can't beleive it.I never heard another person sing so effortlessly like she does, it contrasts and uplifts the beautiful piano oriented music backing her up.The whole cd is oriented around a lilting piano/arrangement, with punk-rock type subjects, but then changes to complete punk on their live cover of "my generation."THis is a strange and beautiful creation, and a true rock classic.If you want to expand you cd collection with unusual and thrilling music, get this now! ... Read more

Asin: B000002VQQ
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Ball N' Chain
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (30 November, 1993)
list price: $16.98 -- our price: $16.98
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Reviews (4)

The classic 1960's Arhoolie sessions!
Although these are not as powerful as her Peacock recordings of teh 50's, one should not overlook her Arhoolie sides fro mthe mid 60's(to late 60's).Ball b' Chail is a classic, as well as the Gospel tinged Wade In The Water and Sweet Little Angel(covered fro meveryone from BB King to Etta James).This is a powerfu lset of rockin' blues, and a couple of slower ones too ,but for the most part this is great jump blues and the msuic swings, stomps, and jumps, as well as rocks!Even the slower stuff rocks!Big Mama dodn't recrd too much that wasn't worth listening to ,and aside from her Peacock recordingd. these are her msot essential sides, and are a major highlight of a long lustrious career as a blues diva!Also Mama Thornton has influenced everyone from rock singer Janis Joplin to new blues diva Candye Kane.Thornton was a powerful singer, and this cd should not be overlooked, and should be essential to blues fans.Even myself, strictly a fan of rockabilly music, love all of Thornton's work from the 50's and 60s'.

Exellent rockin' blues and rollicking r&b and jump blues
This cd features Mig mama Thornton hollerin' her way thru a versitile set of jump blues, slow drags, and rockin' blues.Although if you want to make a 1st purchase of Mama thornton start with Hound Dog-The Peackock Recording, as a 2nd purchase you can't go wrong with these somewhat later sessions.Lot's of fun, rough and roudy blues.

there ain't enough stars in the universe .
There just ain't enough stars in the universe when it comes to
rating Big Moma Thorton. ... Read more

Asin: B0000001FF
Sales Rank: 77783
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Electric Texas Blues    3. Juke Joint Blues    4. Pop    5. R&B    6. Texas Blues    7. West Coast Blues   

Surrealistic Pillow
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $17.98
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Editorial Review

When she joined the Jefferson Airplane in 1966 as replacement for original vocalist Signe Anderson, Grace Slick brought with her two songs she'd performed in her previous band, the Great Society: "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit." Featured on this classic 1967 album, they became Top 10 hits, and helped establish both the San Francisco and the emerging counterculture they celebrated. With Jorma Kaukonen's sinewy guitar, Jack Casady's probing bass, and Spencer Dryden's inventive drumming swirling around Slick and co-vocalists Marty Balin and Paul Kantner on songs like "She Has Funny Cars" and "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds," Surrealistic Pillow virtually defined the communal spirit of Summer of Love hippiedom.--Billy Altman ... Read more

Reviews (42)

Bueno, pero lejos de ser un clásico
En casi todas las listas de los mejores discos de los 60's Surrealistic Pillow aparece al lado de Sgt. Pepper, Are you Experienced, Astral Weeks, Pet Sounds, Forever Changes o el debut de los Doors, pero en mi opinión ni siquiera es el mejor trabajo de los Airplane (After Bathing... lo supera con creces y Crown of Creation por poco. Aún asi seguirá siendo la obra maestra del grupo y contra eso poco se puede hacer. Ahora mis razones.

Pocas canciones de la época me parecen tan sobrevaloradas como Somebody to Love, un tema sin fuerza y mejor logrado en el original de Great Society. Al contrario, White Rabbit es lo mejor del disco y donde Grace Slick demuestra que aparte de ser apta para estar al frente cantando también puede componer. Los pastorales My Best Friend y How do you Feel no resisten repetidas escuchas, aunque en el mismo contexto Comin' Back to Me y Today son dos puntos altos. Lo cierto es que con contadas excepciones el disco no logra sonar sicodélico, la instrumentacion es demasiado ortodoxa para una de las bandaras líderes de San Francisco y en ese sentido parece más cercano al folk y no al revolucionario estilo que ese mismo año con distintos matices mostraban entre otros Moby Grape o Country Joe & The Fish. A lo mejor no pretendían sonar aventureros y ácidos, y el probema es que no siendo compositores muy dotados tienen que echar mano a otros recursos, algo que en Surrealistic evitaron, pero cuando quisieron hacerlo en sus siguientes entregas los resultados mejoraron ostensiblemente, aunque al respecto las opiniones seguirán estando divididas.

One masterpiece made for the Summer Of Love...
It's an album that gave a generation some amazing music to listen to. It's an amazing album, with those 2 big hits from the Airplane; "Somebody To Love", and "White Rabbit", which were probably two of the many tunes being played on radios in San Francisco during the summer months of 1967, or better known as the Summer of Love, mind you the Airplane were not-so-much-competing but on the same plane (no pun intended) with the likes of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Greatful Dead, etc. when this record came out. But it gave people something to think about, how could a rock and roll band incorporate so much different types of music into their sound, like folk, acid rock, pop, jazz, and psychedelia? It's an amazing mix, folk musicians Marty Balin and Paul Kantner, rock vocalist Grace Slick, Blues enthusiasts Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, and jazz-influenced drummer Spencer Dryden, add a little drugs, some long hair, and a little peace, and what do you get, The Jefferson Airplane. If you are a person who enjoys folk, rock, or psychedelic music, buy this album it will make love to your ears, and make you ears wanting to come back for more.

Here's a list of some more music for your ears to make love to:

Jefferson Airplane:
Takes Off
After Bathing At Baxter's
Crown Of Creation
Volunteers

Pink Floyd:
The Piper At The Gates OF Dawn
A Saucerful Of Secrets
Ummagumma
Any Live Bootlegs from '68-'71 you can find

The Beatles:
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Revolver

The Greatful Dead:
Aoxomoxoxo
Anthem Of The Sun
Live/Dead

The Velvet Underground:
The Velvet Underground & Nico

Good Tunes But The Psychedlic Tone Could Vary A Little
Don't get me wrong.There are some very strong tracks on this release.The Grace Slick sung Somebody To Love and White Rabbitt are excellent mesmerizing tunes with some awesome instrumentation.She Has Funny Cars and Your My Best Friend are fairly catchy as well.And the instrumental Embryonic Journey is certainly quite ear pleasing with some nice guitar effects.

However ther psychedelic tone could vary a little.The arrangements sound fairly similar and the drums don't kick hard in any one song.Whereas there are some very good guitar solos, there are some moments when the guitars don't do anything special for me.And tracks like Commin' Back To Me, Today, and How Do You Feel are really quite dull.There is very little tune to any of them.I prefer the live version of Plastic Fantastic Lover to the one included on Surrealistic Pillow(although this version is certainly not bad).

Diehard fans of the Airplane should pick this one up, but moderate fans should consider a compilation such as Worst Of which really has all the essential songs. ... Read more

Asin: B000002W5J
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Rumours
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $13.99
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Editorial Review

With the pop sense of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks now leading the band, Fleetwood Mac moved completely away from blues and created this homage to love, Southern California-style. Each songwriter makes his or her presence known: Nicks for her dreamy, mystical reveries ("Dreams," "Gold Dust Woman:); Christine McVie for her ultra-catchy slogans ("Don't Stop"); and Buckingham for his deceptively simple pop songs ("Second Hand News," "Go Your Own Way"). "The Chain," written collectively, is the Mac at their most dramatic. But it's the ensemble playing, the elastic rhythms, and lush harmonies that transform the material into classic FM fare. --Rob O'Connor ... Read more

Features

• Enhanced

Reviews (215)

Piece of my heart.....
"Songbird" is enough reason alone to buy this magnificent album and i dedicate it eternally to my friend Rosebud.

One of the Best Selling Albums of all time!!
The new lineup that Fleetwood Mac successfully unveiled with their eponymous 1975 album became even more successful with the multi-platinum Rumours, which became the band's most celebrated album and one of the best-selling albums of all time. To be sure, this was a very different sounding Fleetwood Mac than the blues-rock outfit of the late '60s. This edition of the band generally wasn't well received by rock critics. But as commercial and slick as Rumours is, the music has a lot of heart and never comes across as insincere. From Christine McVie's optimistic "Don't Stop" (which President Bill Clinton used as his campaign theme song in 1992) to Lindsey Buckingham's remorseful "Go Your Own Way," Rumours is consistently memorable. And the folkish "Gold Dust Woman" (covered by Courtney Love and Hole in 1996) and the melancholy hit "Dreams" made it quite clear just how much depth and substance Stevie Nicks was capable of.

Greatest Album Ever Written
"Rumours" is an unbelieveable album, anyone who has heard it will agree with me. "Rumours" is a great album beacue it was written in the right band at the right time.
This version of Fleetwood Mac was formed in 1975, when Mick Fleetwood(drums), John McVie(bass), and Christine McVie (keyboards and vocals) recruted guitarist and songwriter Lindesy Bukingham and his singing and songwriting partner Stevie Nicks.
In 1975 the debut album "Fleetwood Mac" was released. It sold over five million copies and gave us great songs such as "Landslide", "Rhiannon", "Say You Love Me", "Monday Morning," and "World Turning".
In 1977 the long term relashionship between Stevie Nicks and Lidnsey Buckingham fell apart and Christine and John McVoe were getting a divore. These events fuled "Rumours" into being one great album.
Every single song on "Rumours" is great. It starts with Lindsey's song "Second Hand News" a good song with great guitar work. Next is Stevie Nick's "Dreams" a melincholy song that shows off Stevie's vocal power. The third song is "Never Going Back Again" a short, sweet, Bukingham song. Next is "Don't Stop" a positive, upbeat Christine McVie song that will put a smile on your face. After that is "Go Your Own Way" another great Lindsey Bukingham song where he shows off his guitar. After that is "Songbird", a slow, Christine McVie, lo
ve song that is played almost entirely on the paino. The next song is "The Chain" hands down the greatest song ever written. It's credited to all five members of the band and is made great by using the vocals of all five and giving a solo to both John McVie and Lindsey Buckingham at the end. Next is another Christine McVie song "You Make Loving Fun", it's a very positive love song. Next is "I Don't Want to Know" a Stevie Nicks song that fetures her and Lindsey Bukingham on lead vocals. Next is another slow Christine McVie song "Oh, Daddy". Finally there's "Gold Dust Woman" a haunting Stevie Nicks ballad.
Of those eleven songs nine became top forty hits (the only tow that didn't make it were "I Don't Want to Know" and "Oh Daddy") And twenty years later a B song that didn't make the final cut, "Silver Springs" became a hit off the live album "The Dance".
"Rumours" is still one of the highest selling albums of all time and is the acne of Fleetwood Mac's carrer.
Following "Rumours" Fleetwood Mac released the experimental album "Tusk" in 1979. "Tusk" failed to achive "Rumours" commerical success, but is still a great album with songs like "Tusk", "Sara", and "Think About Me". In 1984 Fleetwood Mac came back and relesed "Mirgae". The album was much more commerical than "Tusk", with songs like "Gypsy", "Hold Me", and "Love in Store". In 1987 the band released "Tango in the Night". Another great album with songs like "Big Love", "Caroline", and "Little Lies." In 1997 the band came back together and released the concert album "The Dance", which included four new songs most noteablr among those were "Silver Springs" and "My Little Demons". In 2003 Fleetwood Mac (minus Christine McVie) released "Say You Will" with songs like "Say You Will" and "Peacekeeper"
In conclusion Fleetwood Mac is a band that (in my opinion) has never relased a bad song. But if you want to get the difintve Mac album this is it. But I still recomend all the Fleetwood Mac works.
... Read more

Asin: B000002KGT
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Pop    3. Pop/Rock    4. Rock    5. Soft Rock   

Tragic Kingdom
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (10 October, 1995)
list price: $13.98 -- our price: $9.99
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Editorial Review

No Doubt's 1995 release, Tragic Kingdom, brought Southern California's ska scene to a national stage while elevating the band to star status. An irresistible mix of reggae, punk, and power pop, Tragic Kingdom scored several hits, among them "Spiderwebs," "Just a Girl," and "Don't Speak." Singer Gwen Stefani's looks made the group MTV shoo-ins, but her soaring voice is the real star, as evidenced by such songs as "Happy Now?"--a classic you'll-regret-you-dumped-me anthem that recalls Blondie--and the bouncy "Sunday Morning." Despite recurring themes of pain and regret, Tragic Kingdom manages to somehow feel sunny throughout. --Courtney Kemp ... Read more

Reviews (251)

Im not under 13 it just wont let me review otherwise
hmmmmm 10 million records sold says it all dont you think?

Incredibly Impressive
This is definately No Doubt's best album to date. The songs are bouncy, catchy, and just plain fun to listen to. The band made wonderful hit songs without being dirty and without cursing every other lyric (something I find very cool and interesting...).

THE BEST ON THE CD:

Happy Now (4/5)
Hey You (5/5--they used a sitar or harpsichord, or something. anyway, the solo is amazing!!)
Sixteen (5/5 for the chorus)
Don't Speak (of course...6/5!)
Tragic Kingdom (4/5--I wish I could shave off the last 2 minutes of this song, cuz it really goes on, but it's an interesting view on Disneyland!)

All in all, this is THE No Doubt CD to buy. Amazing in every way!

Changed the face of music
Up until "Tragic Kingdom", Ska/Pop type music was unheard of in the mainstream.After the release of the song "Just a Girl", all of that changed.It opened the floodgates for a wide variety of bands with horns.

Back around 1995, when this album was released was when I actually liked Gwen Stefani.Her voice was excellent (has gone downhill since), and she just had an attractive energy about her.She was the single reason why No Doubt surfaced on the scene.

This album, Tragic Kingdom, was a masterpiece.I can listen all the way through, without skipping a song.Standout songs are, "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", "Sunday Morning", "Don't Speak", "Happy Now", and "Different People".

A must have! ... Read more

Asin: B000001Y79
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Pop    3. Post-Grunge    4. Rock    5. Ska-Punk    6. Third Wave Ska Revival   

The Best of the Ronettes
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (22 September, 1992)
list price: $17.98 -- our price: $13.99
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Reviews (28)

Good mono, even better in stereo
Anyone who is a Phil Spector fan of the "wall of sound" will really enjoy this CD. Wisely, Spector chose not to go digital with these classic recordings, as not to alter the original sound. It's just too bad the Stereo versions of nearly all the original Philles "Presenting" cuts of the album by the Ronettes were not made in Stereo for this CD. I have the original Stereo Ronettes album, and the songs "Baby, I Love You" and "I Wonder" sound really spectacular in stereo, all that orchestration is very detailed, while somewhat muted in the mono version. Hal Blaine's opening drum solo on "I Wonder" is absent on the mono version. In any event, I love playing this CD in the car, it brings back a lot of memories. Someday, maybe the Stereo masters (if they are not lost) will be re-issued.

No Stereo - a response
Rieuwert Buitenga may like to know that the deleted German CD import The Ronettes - All The Hits (Cedar CD CRB 560) includes stereo mixes of all the tracks that made up their only original album, the greatest album of all time.
They originally appeared on a British vinyl release in the seventies, prepared by Phil Spector. The remainder of the 20 tracks are mono. It may still be found by mail order. I got mine from Finbarr International, Folkestone CT20 2QQ, UK.
Of course the Ronettes records were made in the early sixties and originally released in mono, as Spector intended. Indeed, the box set of his collected works is entitled Back To Mono.

Best pop group ever...
The Ronettes never achieved the fame of some other r&b/60's pop groups did...but they sure are a hell of a lot better than most of those other groups anyway.

I don't consider myself a big fan of this style of music...I mostly go for punk/alt. country.But this group was amazing, and what is captured here, a collection of "hits", is absolutely bad ass.Sounds like sex in musical form. ... Read more

Asin: B000003BDO
Sales Rank: 6877
Subjects:  1. Brill Building Pop    2. Drums    3. Girl Group    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Rock   

Supa Dupa Fly (Clean)
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (15 July, 1997)
list price: $9.98 -- our price: $9.98
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Reviews (13)

I would like to pay with a money order
i do not have a credit card and i like this cd a lot but i would like to pay with amoney order how i do that

I have the explict version....
...and it is okay, but totally not some of her best work, it is kinda stupid in my opion, because I mean, "BEEP BEEP, Who got the keys to the jeep, vroooooom" how stupid can you get?...

Who Said?
Who said clean versions coudn't be good. OKay, so the rap part was taken out of BEEP ME 9!No big deal. This is a clean classic. I love it. Perfect summer music. ... Read more

Asin: B000002HQS
Sales Rank: 156707
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rap & Hip-Hop