Boyzone

This CD is fantastic with Boyzone's original hits, and 2 new songs. The new songs - "Love You Anyway" - which is, after hearing it once or twice, stuck in my head! "Better" is a beautiful ballad and the boys voices have never sounded, well, better! This is a grown-up/mature Boyzone and both the guys themselves, and their vocal talents have aged well!

Their original hits are always great to hear, and put together on this CD makes us fans of the Irish boy band glad to have them back!

great album and for a great cause

This is one of the most beautiful CD's I have ever heard. The combination of Pavarotti, Mirah Carey, BB King, Lionel Richie and the children's choir is magnificent!!! Listening to those children singing in Italian was very beautiful.

I am a big fan of Pavarotti and have been for years. I have given this CD to many friends as a gift and they have all enjoyed and loved it. The Italian songs brought back memories of growing up in NY and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

As always, Pavarotti and 'his friends' have made another great album. This time he is joined by such diverse acts as Mariah Carey, Ricky Martin, B.B.King, Joe Cocker, Lionel Richie, Gloria Estefan, and Boyzone, among others. These benefit concerts are a great way to raise money for children in war torn countries, as a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this album goes to 'War Child'. The 28 page book is packed with photos from the night, and of some of the children who will benefit from this. Recommended.

After accidently seeing the PBS show I rushed to find the CD and soon after found the video at Amazon. What an entertaining show and as all others have said, Ricky Martin shined and sang Mamma in Italian perfectly. Pavarotti blended in so beautifully with every guest and you should especially listen to Boyzone who are from Ireland but in my ears top the Back Street Boys and all other American boy groups. The only singer who really needs some developing was Laura Pausini of Italy. All in all, I highly reommend this CD and I will enjoy it for years to come.

I listen to Pavarotti while I do household chores...his voice adds an elegance to the humdrum duties, and this album provides a brilliant blend of talent. This is my first of his series of benefit albums and I'm off to purchase more...a brilliant must for the PAvarotti library...Brava to Gloria Estefan and Frank...they are fabulous with the Master Tenor!

I bought several copies of this CD so I'd have it forever. I never get tired of the songs, blasting them from my music system at least once a week. Tom Jones is at his best with Vaults of Heaven. You'll be tapping your toes and singing along. Boyzone's best song, "No Matter What" is on here, as well as Donny Osmond's version of "If Children Ruled the World". Every track is sung with feeling. Then, of course, there is Michael Ball singing "Unsettled Scores." That in itself makes this CD worth buying.

"Whistle down the wind" was Andrew Lloyd Webber's first fresh work after "Sunset Blvd" premiered in 1993. With this musical he decided to get back to his rock and roll roots that made him famous with "Jesus Christ Superstar", after which he was mostly known for his big, soaring and lush scores of "The phantom of the opera" or "Sunset". The result is very satisfying. Jim Steinman, the lyricist of "Meat Loaf" is credited with the lyrics and the director is Gale Edwards, who directed a very successful run of "Superstar" in the West End in 1996.

When it became known that ALW and Jim Steinman are working together on a new musical, an idea arose about a non-cast recording album of the material, featuring the artists ALW and Steinman have been separately collaborating for years. So what we have here is an album with the songs from a musical recorded in their own right, outside the context of the show, with totally different orchestrations more suitable for the occasion. This is actually something ALW has done in the past with most of his shows, when he would release the main songs with different orchestrations as the singles, usually sung by famous artists.

This album thus boasts the artists from the ALW's world like Elaine Paige, Michael Ball and Donny Osmond, together with the ones brought in by Steinman: Bonnie Tyler, Meat Loaf, Tina Arena and Tom Jones. There are a few others and one of the main assets of this album is the fact that all of the singers here have very strong vocals and a unique way of interpretations. Be it Elaine Paige's mature soprano, Michael Ball's famous warm voice or the husky vocals of Tom Jones and Bonnie Tyler, each of the songs is a little pop masterpiece. Some of them, like Michael Ball's rendition of "Unsettled scores", are actually better here than on the subsequent cast album.

Another benefit is the very good orchestrations, echoing the original sounds of the score, but in a more suitable pop and rock environment. Some of the songs, like Boyzone's "No matter what", topped the chart for a considerable time.

Besides being a remarkable pop album, this set of songs is another proof of the fact just how masterful composer ALW really is, the one that has no problem moving between the genres of the modern musical theatre and the contemporary pop. One would like to think that the days when a musical could produce a hit tune are not altogether gone. And ALW has written plenty of them.

This album, therefore, should have no trouble in finding its owners, be it the musical theatre devotees such as myself, the fans of a good pop piece or both.

Well it was much better than the London Cast Version. This is the one you really should get. The singers sound better with more emotion and it doesn't have to whole script being said in the middle of songs like the London version does. So this one is the better way to go.

Tina Arena is really unbelievable! Her voice is great!

Don't be afraid of buying this one, it's wonderful. I got interested in the songs from ALW 50th show. No regrets here.
Tom Jones is great, and Michael Ball never disappoints. I like
the combination of different style vocals.

This is a compilation of music from Webber's WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND, done in pop style, released before the 2-cd cast album. I much prefer this version. Tom Jones presents an incredible opening gospel number, followed by my favorite, and to me one of Andrew's best songs WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND, performed by the very under-rated Tina Arena. This is one incredible balled. It builds, and she blets. What a match! Other incredible songs are TIRE TRACKS, done in the true Bonnie Tyler form, KISS IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE, a perfect song for MEATLOAF, and to me one of his best ever. Boyzone's NO MATTER WHAT is tops, I think their best song. I wish Andrew Llood Webber would continue to write albums like this between his shows for pop music stars, because this is one of the best CD's of pop music I have bought in a long time. There is no way you can be sorry you bought this one! Other artists provide great performances including Michael Ball, Elaine Page, and many more. DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS ONE!

A wholesome and talented boy band who were pretty commercially successful but never quite received the mass exposure that some of their counterparts did. Though the band's style is less dance-oriented than that of some other groups, Boyzone is one of the best at sincere, heartfelt, boy-band ballads. Well arranged throughout, with great songwriting and rich melodicism, especially on "And I," "You Flew Away," and "Walk On (So They Told Me)." Solid proof that not all boy bands are cheesy.

Love this CD, some of the songs are great, others are really great.

I discovered this group on an Andrew Lloyd Webber live concert. My favorite song is "No Matter What" - It is a very catchy tune. I don't think this group has ever performed in the USA. I wonder why.

The songs and lyrics are OK.....not as good as some of this groups other hits! A few of the songs are dreadful! As a fan of this group, I have to honestly say that I was more than a little let down by this CD. If I had to do it all over again, I would not pay full price.....I would find and purchase a used copy! Recommended for Boyzone fans, but with reservation.

I dont think we could get a better irish pop band anywhere else, some people would disagree with me and say westlife are, but to me boyzone rules them all out!!!!

This album, is absolutly brilliant, it shows the lads can write their own songs!!!!

Sad to see them go in 2000, but the boyzone will never die in my heart!!!

Rebecca

Out of all the boybands from the 80s and 90s, my favorite was Boyzone. This CD, "By Request", is their greatest hits CD. It is a nice mix of original songs and cover songs. While a lot of the other boybands' music was aimed mainly at teens, Boyzone's music was more mature and could appeal more to adults. Listen to their covers of "You Needed Me", "Father and Son", "Words" and their originals such as "Isn't It A Wonder", "Different Beat", and "No Matter What" to see what I mean. Highly recommended.

I am not a boy band fan though. Boyzone is a cool band from Ireland. Their first hit was Love me for a reason. Every other hits are included here. Most of their songs are covers like Baby can I hold you tonight (Tracy Chapman), Words (Bee Gees), You needed me (Anne Murray) and my most favorite song When you say nothing at all (Keith Whitley). I am not sure of the others though whether original or covers but they are catchy and songs that you can sing along with. No matter what is a wonderful song so is Key to my life and When the going gets tough. I bought this CD a couple of years ago but now it has been flicked by somebody. I lost a prized possession.

I've loved listening to Boyzone's tracks again and again and have to admit that I miss them now that they have splitted up. "By Request" is a great CD that must be a collector's item by each and every account. I couldn't find a single song that is lacking in serenity or depth and all of them,absolutely all of them,have a vivacity of rhythm that make this boyband as famous and great as it was and still is. "Words" is my favourite as it exposes the fascinating voice of Ronan Keating and is underlined by deep emotions. Songs such as "Father and Son","You needed Me" and "Baby Can I hold You" are soft soothing music to the ears and combined with the ethereal and fully poetical lyrics of "All That I Need" and "When You Say Nothing At All" make this CD a massively relishing one. The songs are all love ballads and explore the various facets of love.

Boyzone are one of the most respected groups of all time and they sell millions and billions of records worldwide. They have the sort of critical acclaim that many classic rock acts can only DREAM of having. This CD has all their hits. Does it get any better than Boyzone? I'm afraid not, kids!

It was supposed to a new cd, but was a used one. Little disappointed. However, played very well