Reviews (12)

It has no equal
The availability of this CD phenomenon with a $3.98 price should be shouted from the rooftops. Milstein outperforms everyone on both concertos; the Brahms is sublime, and the recording quality is excellent throughout. Push the purchase now key without further delay. It doesn't get any better than this, ever!

Possibly the biggest steal in all of recorded music !
As one who grew up adoring the Jascha Heifetz/Fritz Reiner recordings of these two great concerti, and certain they had set a standard of musical excellence impossible of being equalled, much less bettered, imagine my surprise upon hearing this fabulous disc.
Milstein is spectacular here!
As many reviews have been written about this disc, I'll try to keep it short and mention the things that I like about this CD most.
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Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Classical Composers    3. Classical Music    4. Concerto    5. Violin Concerto   

Editorial Review

What a story there is behind this recording! When Van Cliburn won the InternationalTchaikovsky Competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War with his playing of this concerto, itcreated an international sensation. The recording followed immediately thereafter, and Cliburn waslaunched on an international career of unprecedented celebrity for a classical musician. Perhaps theattention was too much, too soon, given his subsequent burn-out and retirement from public life.Fortunately, we have these unique recordings to document what was, by all accounts, a genuinephenomenon. This is the disc "heard 'round the world." Read more

Reviews (41)

An all-time classic!
Get it for the coupling of two piano masterpieces!Get it for the performance by a legend!Get it for its historical significance!But, for Pete's sake, get it!
The standard
I wanted a good piano recording and after a lot of web searching and reading reviews, I decided on this Van Cliburn recording.What sold me was that it was Van Cliburn at his prime, with this recording done only days after winning the Tchaikovsky competition.I am very satisfied with the CD as a whole.
One of classical music's best back in SACD
Van Cliburn's famous rendering of the Tchaikovsky concerto, recorded just days after the tall Texan won Moscow's Tchaikovsky competition in 1958, has been one of classical music's most famous and endearing recordings since the day it first appeared on vinyl.
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Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Classical Composers    3. Classical Music    4. Concerto    5. Orchestral & Symphonic    6. Piano Concerto   

Editorial Review

Is it chance or serendipity that Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic timed their new recording of Holst's Read more

Features

• Enhanced

Reviews (6)

A recording of "The Planets" worth owning.
I was very anxious and curious to hear this new recording of The Planets. The reasons? Simon Rattle recorded The Planets almost at the same time that the Berlin Philharmonic was recording it 20+ Years ago with Herbert Von Karajan and Colin Davis. The Karajan recording was dismal in places. The Davis recording was pretty good, but the Rattle recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra was lackluster. Flash forward to 2006. Sir Simon Rattle has now recorded The Planets with the Berlin Philhrmonic and has achieved a recording that surpasses all three of the afore mentioned recordings.
Big names produce lacklustre results
A website, a "making-of"enhanced CD feature, a rave review in Gramophone (it is Rattle, after all) - expectations for this issue are highly strung. Unfortunately, the sounds as such do not live up to them. This is a strangely bloodless traversal of the planetary system, with Rattle seemingly determined to go all subtle and turn the music into some kind of Rococo filigree. As in his Mahler recordings, the result can sound deliberate and mannered. Granted, at times it is definitely successful: Venus is simply breathtakingly beautiful, and Mercury's fleet-footedness is dazzling. But Mars is without menace (and without organ too, by the sound of it); Jupiter is unexhilerating, Uranus just OK but nothing more (and again, not a trace of the organ even in that spectacular upward glissando); Saturn and Neptune, finally, are seriously lacking in any sense of mystery. I suspect the recording itself is partly to blame; EMI engineering is, in my experience, rarely top notch, and the Berlin Philharmonie notoriously difficult acoustically speaking. On CD, there is lack of detail, the dynamic range does not expand quite as widely as one would hope, and strings can sound strangely lacklustre and thin. Worse though is the distancing of the woodwinds, who at times sound as if they were sent out of the hall to keep the female choir company. Then again, that choir, sounds too near rather than distant.
Space Junk
Rattle disappoints in a perfunctory reading of one of the most familar of concert warhorses. Mars is a bit "oogie-boogie" scary, not terrifying. Venus sulks in a warm bath of ultra-rubato. Rattle himself seems slightly embarrassed by the great central hymn of Jupiter, calling it "a nostalgic look at an England that never existed - the England of cricket fields and warm beer and bad cooking". Well, then - guess that shows US. But the most egregrious offense is cobbling together unwanted bits to, in Rattle's own words, "make a calling card for the orchestra". This is essentially make-work for a group of completely unrelated compositional styles and the results are underwhelming in the extreme. It's bad enough that Pluto has been "downgraded" from planetary status - it now has to suffer the insult of being tagged "The Renewer" (for entirely obscure reasons) and having a tacky, alternately whispy and annoying six-minute noise-bomb associated with it. (The composer, Colin Matthews, is far better known as the producer of the Nonesuch recording of the Gorecki Third Symphony than as an orchestral composer.) Adding this piece after the ephemeral fade-out of Neptune makes as much sense as sticking chrome-plated plastic arms on the Venus d'Milo.
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Subjects:  1. Chamber Music & Recitals    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Orchestral    5. Orchestral Music    6. Suite for Orchestra   

Editorial Review

It's as if composer Danny Elfman's fertile relationship with director Tim Burton had been building up to this, their 11th collaboration and perhaps the one that best encapsulates their shared aesthetics: It's hard to think of a subject better suited to the two men than an adaptation of Roald Dahl's Read more

Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (85)

Unbelievable underscore; but undercooked, unmelodic, unmemorable songs
For me, Danny Elfman is among the most brilliant film composers of all time, so it disappointed me that the songs written for this film just couldn't in fairness be said to be good.
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory...
Mysterious and haunting, this darken soundtrack is easy to listen to as Danny Elfman did another excellent job of conducting a dark and beautiful score. Some of it is fast paced while some of the other tracks are slow paced, giving the score a balance. Danny Elfman was perfect for the job on this score, for he has composed a lot of scores that "The Wonderful" Johnny Depp was in. The music is a little simular to the Casper 1995 original score, a haunting and melodic score. This soundtrack is highly recommended along with the other eerie scores of Mr. Danny Elfman.
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
The movie was great! If your a Johnny Depp Fan (after 21 Jumpstreet), you would love the movie!It's funny and magical! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Film    2. Film Music    3. Pop    4. Soundtrack    5. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (41)

SERENITY-FIREFLY
What a terrible loss to television, this movie based on the television series "FIREFLY" was the best scifi on television. The wit and humor was neverending and the charactors were like watching an old western in space. It is beyond me why all excellnt type scifi series bite the dust and they leave on sex, drugs type dramas that basically cater to delusional minds....what were they thinking by pulling this off the air...Buy this DVD you wont be sorry if you like excellentScifi.

unknown
I bought this from a friend's wishlist. I do not own it and have not heard it. Why are you asking me about somthing Amazon should know was a gift? I gave it 5 stars because I am guessing it is good, and it would not let me leave it blank.

Get the Firefly soundtrack, it's much much better
My kids and I are huge fans of Firefly and Serenity, but this was a huge disappointment.Believing that this soundtrack would be an excellent one like the Firefly soundtrack, I purchased it.It was/is awful.As others have said, there's basically only one really good track which lasts about 20 seconds.The rest are beautiful scores riddled with incredibly loud jolting noises that are offensive and can quite seriously make you drive your car into the ditch (they're that loud).If they were this loud in the movie, I wouldn't have left the theatre.Why they overdramatized these noises for the soundtrack is beyond me.It ruined it.I would not recommend it, but if you want it, please don't pay much.You'll be hugely disappointed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Film    2. Film Music    3. Movie Themes    4. Original Score    5. Pop    6. Soundtrack    7. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Editorial Review

Compared with the Broadway cast recording, the 1956 soundtrack to the film version of Read more

Features

• Cast Recording
• Original recording remastered
• Soundtrack

Reviews (30)

great album
Great songs for kids to learn to sing along, instead of bubble gum fluff.

a classic
A true musical theater classic.Wonderful melodies that will last for years to come.
"I Have Dreamed"
As an avid collector of Broadway Cast Recordings and Original Soundtracks I have dreamed for years for complete recordings (including underscoring) of soundtracks to film versions of Broadway musicals.The one advantage to soundtrack recordings of film versions of Broadway musicals is access to large studio orchestras and Hollywood's best arrangers and orchestrators.The most satisfying result of this for me is the sound of each production number.What the large studio orchestra does is mirror the visual action of the large (or small) production number.The original LP versions of these soundtracks rarely included the orchestral tracks due to space limitations.I cite one example to illustrate this point though there are many others.That example is the dance preceding the barn raising in the soundtrack to "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers" included on the wonderful Rhino disc.This CD of "The King & I", along with other Angel releases, "Carousel" and "Oklahoma!" also feature generous portions of orchestral tracks.For this reason alone (though there are others)this CD is a must for any R & H fan. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cast Recordings    2. Music Theater    3. Musical Theater    4. Musicals    5. Pop    6. Soundtrack    7. Soundtracks    8. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (32)

My Fair Lady Isn't So Fair
I am a die-hard Julie Andrews fan, so that alreadybrings it down a notch. I also really like Audrey Hepburn and the fact that she didnt do her own singing makes it seem fake.
The Rain in Spain stays Mainly in the Plain
This movie film soundtrack of 'My Fair Lady' is magnificent. Trust me, You'll love it. I already know I love it. Audre Hepurn and Rex Harrison. WOw. ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS IT'S WONDERFUL

A Great Soundtrack
The music is sweeping and wonderful.It makes you want to sing and dance along.There is a wonderful mix of classical and songs with lyrics.The tracks go in the order from the film, and if you have seen the film, you can picture it wonderfully in your mind as you let yourself take in this marvelous collection of songs from My Fair Lady. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Film    3. Film Music    4. Musicals    5. Show Tunes    6. Soundtrack    7. Soundtracks    8. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Editorial Review

The concluding chapter of director Sergio Leone's epochal Man With NoName trilogy ushered film scorer Ennio Morricone into the pop mainstreamcourtesy of a hit cover of its main title by AmericanHugo Montenegro.More importantly, it both showcased the composer'sspectacularly inventive range and set him up for even greater triumphsto come with Leone and others. Butaficionados of Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered
• Soundtrack

Reviews (17)

4 1/2 rounded up; Great PerformanceWith Some Problems In Recording Quality
I have always thought of "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" soundtrack as an artwork in itself, apart from the movie--a symphony or tone poem.This expanded version worried me a bit, since the new pieces broke up the order in which I was used to hearing the songs on the old soundtrack.But they seem to blend in seamlessly, not least because the themes established in the first two songs---"Il Buono, il cattivo, il brutto", and "Il tramonto" are repeated throughout."Sentenza", for example, starts out with eerie strings, evoking shimmering mirages on the desert, changing to variations on the main theme. "Il ponte di corde" revisits a theme from "Il tramonto."
Music That Lives in Your Heart and Mind
Ennio Morricone is without a doubt the best musician to ever compose a Western Movie soundtrack.I have loved the movie The Good, The Bad and The Ugly ever since I was a child, and it wasn't just the stylish visuals, and the great story, but more so the music that grabbed me, and transported me back to the Old West.
Good Music! Famous Theme Song! This Expanded Edition Rocks!
Some other reviewers find this Expanded Edition of THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY SOUNDTRACK to be inferior to a certain imported version. Whether that is true or not, I don't know; but I do know that I thoroughly enjoy this Expanded Edition CD!
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Subjects:  1. Film    2. Film Music    3. Original Score    4. Pop    5. Soundtrack    6. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Editorial Review

These 1977-78 recordings are Karajan's best Brahms--better than his somewhat mannered digital set. The Berlin Philharmonic, as ever, is amazingly smooth and accomplished, playing with great class without losing any power--as an example, just listen to the finale of the second symphony. DG's engineers have turned this always-good recording into something truly magnificent to hear, and, at the price, this is a sure bet. Read more

Reviews (17)

Symphonic Heaven
Karajan is largely considered the greatest exponent for mainstream symphonic works- Mozart, Brahms, Tchaikovsky Mahler, Dvorak and Bruckner. This collection is a terrific buy and it's affordable. You can't go wrong. Recorded in 1977 and 1978, Karajan delivers all the rich melody, grace, grandeur and musical harmony that Brahms suffused his four symphonies with. The Berlin Philharmonic are trained so that even the strings move with miraculous exactitude. The only other worthy set is Solti's. This one has everything one can hope for in Brahms symphonies.
A great part of your collection!
This is an easy, afforable way to get all four Brahms symphonies on two great quality cds.Each symphony is recorded with the passion and fire you get from Brahm's music, although I have heard better recordings of the symphonies,I would still buy these cd's for the price.
The greatest Brahms twofer you could imagine
DG's catalog is overflowing with Brahms performances from Karajan, and although this late-Seventies cycle of the four symphonies is not esteemed as highly as his earlier analog recordings, the truth is that Karajan had few real competitors in these works during the postwar era--except himself. He was the greatest Brahms conductor after Walter and Furtwangler, bar none, and these are outstanding performances in every way.The best are the First and Thrid symphonies, two works that Karajan was peerless in. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Classical Composers    3. Classical Music    4. Orchestral & Symphonic    5. Romantic Symphony    6. Symphonic   

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• Soundtrack

Reviews (17)

KA is *theater*, not circus... and it's awe-inspiring!
Prior to KA, I had seen Saltimbanco. I wasn't even going to watch KA, because I'm not too fond of circus in general, even though Saltimbanco is very good at that.
not what I expected
of course, since it's from Cirque, I should know better than to have expectations. The CD's music is darker than I expected, so it wasn't quite what I was hoping for.If you've seen this show, you probably know what to expect, but if you haven't, this isn't as light as many of their other CDs.

It's about the Effects, NOT the Performances
I have seen 3 other Cirque's, Mystere (fantastic), O (great) and the one in Orlando (Okay). This one was a total disappointment. It was all about smoke, grunts, lights and the stage. In fact, the stage was the star of the show.
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Subjects:  1. Circus Music    2. Ethnic Fusion    3. Music Theater    4. Musical Theater    5. Pop    6. Soundtrack    7. Soundtracks & Film Scores    8. Worldbeat   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (18)

I Wish Dennis Brain Had Been Born So That His Performing Powers Peaked in 1995
I purchased The LP in 1953 and proceeded to 'wear it out.' No, I have not yet thrown it out.
A Master Performs a Master
I'm not much of a classical music reviewer.I've been exposed to a lot of music, but I tend to stick to favorite performances, so I don't have the depth needed to really be authoritative.Except perhaps for oboe, and that's because I grew up listening to John De Lancie and Marcel Tabuteau - and once you hear really good, you know what's what.This album is a similar case.Dennis Brain wasn't a 'good' French horn player, he was probably the best that there ever was or will be.
Mozart: Horn Concert
Great recordings of the century, and that is what it is.
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Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Classical Music    5. Concerto    6. French Horn Concerto    7. Orchestral & Symphonic    8. Quintet For Piano And Four Woodwinds   

Reviews (22)

Viva Italia, excellent
The CD was used as part of an Italia Fiesta we organised in Albury NSW, Australia. The music helped in setting the party atmosphere for the evening. The evening was held as fund raiser for the Murray Valley Sactuary Refugee Group. The evening was very successful.

Disappointed in this CD
We were very disappointed in this CD. We are always looking for good CDs to play at the Italian events we plan. This is not one of them. The songs are so old without exciting instrumentation. More than half the songs on the CD are instrumentals that sound like they are from the 50s (Montavani-style). We shouldn't have had to pay as much as we did for these old versions. Sorry, can't recommend.

Italian Classics CD offers great selections!
This is a fantastic CD offering a variety of Italy's best music! I purchased the CD to play during an Italian Dinner Party and was so impressed with the selections and variety! It offers a little bit of everything and is perfect for entertaining! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 50's    2. 60's    3. Art Song (General)    4. Film    5. Film Music    6. Int'l & World Music    7. Italian    8. Italian 20th/21st Century Opera    9. Miscellaneous    10. Miscellaneous Music    11. Opera    12. Pop    13. Solo Voice(s) and Orchestra    14. Vocal    15. Vocal Music    16. World Music   

Editorial Review

"How about a bad title?" wonders Spencer Kayden's Little Sally in "Too Much Exposition." "That could kill a show pretty good." It's a tribute to the skill deployed by the Read more

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (81)

Now my favorite CD, EVER!
After reading Urinetown (never having seen it), I wondered what on earth it sounded like.Most of the book is just lyrics, and I had no idea what they sounded like.When I finally listened to the music, I found an incredibly complex, catchy, and moving CD.
I'm not sure I liked any of this score!
I gave this score a couple of listens, but now it is relegated to the "never to be listened to again" pile.

Best Show in Years
If you are a dark musical fan than this is the show for you.Unlike most musicals that have been written and recorded in the past twenty years this story really doesn't have a happy ending.The music is wonderfully sung and excellent.It is a very dark show with lots of sarcasm.If you are a fan of musicals this is the one for you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cast Recordings    2. Music Theater    3. Musical Theater    4. Original Cast Recordings    5. Pop    6. Showtunes / B'way   

Editorial Review

Whether Tom Cruise's portrayal of a 19th century American soldier cum samurai warrior will be remembered with the same pangs of pop-cultural bemusement that befell John Wayne playing Genghis Khan remains to be seen. But its musical soundtrack does mark an auspicious occasion: pop musician-turned-composer Hans Zimmer's 100th score since beginning his film career in 1988. A pioneer of fusing both the electronic and orchestral and the Westernized with the indigenous, Zimmer does both here with skill, drawing heavily on samples of the traditional Read more

Features

• Enhanced
• Soundtrack

Reviews (77)

Zimmer, Shore, and Williams. The 3 Best.
Hans Zimmer and The Last Samurai. Now To me a great movie soundtrack is something even those who hated the actual movie can love, and i did enjoy this movie though many did not. I believe Hans Zimmer is obviously one of the better known composers of our time. Some of his works are a hit and some are sadly a miss. But The last Samurai is without a doubt one of Han's best works to date. The first track alone, "A way of life" makes it worth buying this album. And yes some might call this entire score slow or boring, however i believe those who do have no appreciation of the beauty of what music can represent, this is truly Zimmer at his best. Now truthfully Howard Shore, with the LOTR soundtracks is the only composer, yes John Williams is damn good too, who might outshine Zimmer overall. But Shore, Zimmer, Williams, to me it is so hard to pick a favorite since they have all done brilliant and memorable scores. But the soundtrack to The Last Samurai is something true fans of beautiful music will want to own whether they liked the movie or not.

Bucking the trend here,BUT IT'S B-O-R-I-N-G
This is among the most BORING soundtrack albums that I have ever encountered.Oh yeah,sure,there are other boring,bad,unlistenable items available but most of those are the products of unknown and/or untalented composers...this BORING soundtrack is by Hans Zimmer,a major player in soundtrack-land..The film was an action adventure story,but there is almost no action-adventure to be found on this snoozer...Instead we are subjected to endless cues of new-age type minimalism played on japanese wood instruments..The Yanni crowd will love this disc(although,to be sure,even Yanni employs a full orchestra ,and some of his music is NOT sleep-inducing,as is this score)...The trend here,in most of the reviews for this soundtrack applaud it,as if it was/is the next best thing since canned food..It isn't good...it isn't even mediocore..but for those who are already drowsy I would certainly suggest that they purchase this product and put it on ...no doubt they will be slumbering comfortably before the third cue...as for the star system employed here to rate an item,it is too bad there are no"0" stars,or,better yet-0 stars,because this score certainly merits such ratings

Reliving the moments through the music
I was drawn to purchase this soundtrack, from the influence of another powerful movie/soundtrack - Memoirs of a Geisha. I just only recently saw Memoirs and was touched by the beauty and the feelings the film evoked. The Last Samurai also starred the amazing Ken Watanabe, as did Memoirs, and though the roles in each movie were very different, I found his gentle spirit and passion were what touched me so deeply about both of these movies. I've watched the movie The Last Samurai several times and it always moves me to tears as he draws his last breath on the battlefield, whispering "they're all perfect..." those who have seen the movie will know what he's talking about.
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Subjects:  1. Film    2. Film Music    3. Original Score    4. Pop    5. Soundtrack    6. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Editorial Review

You needn't see the film of Read more

Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (231)

I hate to rain on your parade, but...
Most peole rank this score higher than they should (in my opinion).They give it 5 stars because John Williams wrote it (so it must be good, right?) or because it's part of the Harry Potter franchise, which is reason enough to declare that it is wonderful for some.For me, this album was a huge let-down.Yes, the theme is recognizable (does that mean it's great?), but not enough for me to say this score is anything but okay.Track 2 IS wonderful, and some of the final tracks are excellent, but this score is plagued by wall-paper music throughout the rest of it--it's just there--it doesn't do anything for me.If you want a great score for a children's film by Williams, go for ET or Hook, if you want a great score for a H.P. film, go for Prisoner of Azkaban, or Goblet of Fire.This one did okay, but that's about it as far as I'm concerned.

Year One Begins!
I have been a John Williams fan for some time now.Since his music in Star Wars, E.T., Jaws and Indiana Jones grabbed my ears and my attention, I have followed the music where ever it played.When he did Harry Potter though, I was a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, John Williams is incredibly talented in movie scores, but the first Harry Potter he slipped a bit.
Still the best
This is still the best score out of all the movies. Don't get me wrong each film has it's own tone and needs to vary, but this score hit the mark perfectly. Anyone who tries to tell you that it's unoriginal because of small 3 second sections that resemble what another master has done is just an idiot. My response is, "welcome to the world. Nothing is fully original anymore. You take what has worked in the past, adapt and perfect (in rare cases). That's what's made film scores work for years now. There isn't one music writer who hasn't taken from another, who either influenced them in the past or just had something great. If you don't like it, don't watch anymore movies. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the 'Aliens' soundtrack show up in either a film or trailer at random." Anyway, the other films' soundtracks are good, but not like this. This was perfect like "Star Wars," "Jaws," and "Indiana Jones." There's just a certain magic to how it flows. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Film    2. Film Music    3. Halloween    4. Original Score    5. Pop    6. Soundtrack    7. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Editorial Review

It's well known that Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice cut their teeth on Read more

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (30)

Joseph... Come on!
It's interesting to note that Rice and Webber got their start in Church Musicals, and to this day Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph remain two of their most pleasing efforts, crafty worsk which generate applause from much more then their religious target audience.Of the two, I've always though Superstar was the superior, but then you really can't compare them beyond their subject matter.Both are entertaining, but Joseph is entertaining in a different way from Superstar.Where Superstar was dark, moody, controversial, hip, and ultimately tragic, Joseph was, well, fun.It has such a small scale, take me or leave me goofiness to it that you can't help but fall in love with.yes it's a no brainer, but it's a good no brainer.How often do you get that?

Joaeph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat
The seller was very fast and the quality was exactly what was promised.