Duffy

I bought it for the song Mercy, after listening to it, all the songs on the CD are good. Well worth the purchase.

Although many of you are already familiar with some of Duffy's songs (such as the brilliant Warwick Avenue and the already classic Mercy), listening to the record in full is a phenomenal musical experience. her distinguished bitter-sweet voice touches your soul in every song of this album, and after many hours of listening you rediscover some really fantastic yet unfamiliar (for now) songs such as Rockferry and Hanging On Too Long. highly recommended!

I have listened to this CD repeatedly since receiving it. It has a wonderful folksy, old-soul sound to it! I bought it after seeing the Mercy video on tv one weekend. I was pleasantly surprised by the rest of the CD. I look forward to other releases from her. I honestly had no idea of what to expect when I bought this CD and wasn't let down by a one-hit production! I love the song Mercy, but would have a hard time picking my favorite song on the CD!

I had never heard of Duffy before going to see Coldplay in Philadelphia this past weekend. She opened for them, and while I am absolutely in love with Coldplay, I have to agree with Chris Martin in saying there may come a time when they open for her. Not only is her album amazing, but she's an amazing live performer, which now-a-days is hard to come by. As for her comparisons with Amy Winehouse- I personally think Duffy blows Amy out of the water.

I heard this artist and CD in Ireland and thought she was amazing. This CD is full of deep throaty and sexy sounding songs - perfect for background music or even to have on your Ipod...whatever. She's great.

I purchased this CD to get the non-album "Put it in Perspective" and it was well worth the price just for that song. "Warwick Avenue" is my favorite track from Duffy's album so I didn't mind having that on the CD as well.

Both songs have great lyrics, melody, and sound quality. "Warwick Avenue" is filled with some intense emotion (watch the music video to see the emotion Duffy feels while singing the song) and great vocals help the audience to feel what she me have been feeling when she wrote the song. "Put it in Perspective" is a great upbeat, poppy song giving contrast to the previous track.

When this CD was first released my partner and I listened to it every night and sometimes twice. We thought what a perfect vehicle for Patti and you could tell it was written for her vocal range. All the characters were fabulous and George Hearn as Max was cast in stone.~~~~~New Year's Eve and Glenn Close stopped into Andrew Loyd Weber's party where all were celebrating the success of Sunset Blvd. Close got up on the piano, cleavage showing, and sang one of Patti's songs. ~~~~~~~ Patti was replaced, handsomely, but with a slap from a girl who should have never left her side of the tracks. ~~~~~~~ So here we are with Patti soaring as she did from the start. She made this show. It was stolen. All that remains is her voice as Norma Desmond. ~~~~~ Webber, go pet your cats!Sweeney Todd in Concert

this is an exellent product!! has exellent qualaty and very good singers. its has diologue so it's like having the "thearter play" right in your own cd player!!

Sadly, I haven't seen the show on stage. I found it quite enjoyable on CD. Enough of the dialogue is included to follow the story. Plus both versions include printed lyrics and dialogue.

This is a terrific dramatic musical. I give 4 stars to Lloyd Webber, et al, for songs and lyrics. I would have gone 5 stars, but there are a few songs where they get a good angsty mood going, then suddenly turn to a softer, sweeter mood. I felt they could hold the angst longer. Example: Joe singing to Betty in the final scene (after the phone call).

I purchased both London and Los Angeles CDs. I listened to each carefully and tried not to imprint on one version. Result: I favor the Los Angeles cast, because they do a better job of conveying the emotion. I also recommend L.A. if you like a darker, angsty tale. London is good if you prefer a younger, more innocent Joe & Betty.

** London (4 stars)
1. Patti LuPone (Norma) has a better voice than Glenn Close.
2. Kevin Anderson (Joe) has a sweeter, younger, higher voice.
3. Meredith Braun (Betty) has a sweeter, higher voice.

** Los Angeles (5 stars)
1. Glenn Close (Norma) does a fabulous job of conveying emotion through her voice. Because she plays a "fading" 50-something, her less perfect voice didn't detract.
2. Alan Campbell (Joe) has a deeper, darker, smoother, more adult voice. He sings most of the songs and he's better at carrying the show.

Technical note: A Windows Media Player v 11.0 bug affects the London version: you can't easily rip all the songs into Media Player, because several have the same title. There may be a work-around, but I didn't find it.

Los Angeles Version Link:
Sunset Boulevard (1994 Los Angeles Cast)

Of the two cast recordings of Sunset Boulevard available, this original version got it right the first time. There is a perfect flow and rhythm. In particular, "The Lady's Paying" is much tighter here than in the Glenn Close recording, which screws with the momentum by adding a couple of humor changes that are unnecessary and do not add to the enjoyment of the song. Patti LuPone is spectacular, sad and maddening. The first act CD is cut just perfect. A perfect blend of song, lyric, and book.

Great cd. just a shame it took so long to get to me....however when i wrote in, amazon customer services did rectify this and get the product to me in a matter of days.... thanks Amazon.

I bought it for the song Mercy, after listening to it, all the songs on the CD are good. Well worth the purchase.

Although many of you are already familiar with some of Duffy's songs (such as the brilliant Warwick Avenue and the already classic Mercy), listening to the record in full is a phenomenal musical experience. her distinguished bitter-sweet voice touches your soul in every song of this album, and after many hours of listening you rediscover some really fantastic yet unfamiliar (for now) songs such as Rockferry and Hanging On Too Long. highly recommended!

I have listened to this CD repeatedly since receiving it. It has a wonderful folksy, old-soul sound to it! I bought it after seeing the Mercy video on tv one weekend. I was pleasantly surprised by the rest of the CD. I look forward to other releases from her. I honestly had no idea of what to expect when I bought this CD and wasn't let down by a one-hit production! I love the song Mercy, but would have a hard time picking my favorite song on the CD!

I had never heard of Duffy before going to see Coldplay in Philadelphia this past weekend. She opened for them, and while I am absolutely in love with Coldplay, I have to agree with Chris Martin in saying there may come a time when they open for her. Not only is her album amazing, but she's an amazing live performer, which now-a-days is hard to come by. As for her comparisons with Amy Winehouse- I personally think Duffy blows Amy out of the water.

I heard this artist and CD in Ireland and thought she was amazing. This CD is full of deep throaty and sexy sounding songs - perfect for background music or even to have on your Ipod...whatever. She's great.

Excellent service and excellent music, Enjoyed re-living my night at the 5th Avenue theatre enchanted by the musical.

This is another example of the genius of Andrew Lloyd Webber. The music is haunting and the story is involving. There are some differences between this version and the version now touring the U.S. The songs have been changed a bit, and although the lead (Marcus Lovett) has a good voice, he can't hold a candle to the young man currently appearing as "The Man" in the touring company, Eric Kunze. Still, it is a wonderful addition to any Broadway collection. If you get a chance to see this play in person, it is well worth the price of the ticket.

I bought this CD (that was rejected by Broadway) for curiosity sake. I knew I had made a big mistake after listening to it. It is a patchwork of mismatched scenes, characters and songs and should come with a 400 page book to read entitled Whistle Down the Wind: An Explaintation Of How To Decipher and Listen to My CD by Andrew (who cares what I release I'm loaded) Llyod Webber.
One reviewer suggested reading the original book, seeing the original movie, downloading info and then listen to it a few times and you'll get it. Why should a listener and once big fan of ALW do all this work to enjoy a cd? If it truly was 5 stars then I should be able to listen and lavish it like Evita or Phantom of The Opera. Those classics didn't need you to take a class to enjoy them. They are ALW's best. Even Sunset Blvd was absolutely fantastic till Glenn Close destroyed it. (Who said she could sing?) If I sound mean-spirited it's because I'd like a refund.
Time for AWL to retire? I think so. "Andrew, bow out gracefully while you still can."

When I saw Whistle Down the Wind on London's West End, I was amazed by the vocals with the exception of the man who played...well...The Man.

However, when I bought the soundtrack to the original cast (not the one I saw), I was very disappointed by the actress who plays the part of Swallow. Her voice has a very whiny, crying quality about it that is not intentional, and this is very noticeable as she sings. Her voice also does not fit the innocence of the 15-year-old lead, nor does it attempt to.

There is also a song on the soundtrack called Wrestle with the Devil, and one of the female soloists messes up badly with the lyrics: "He's anything he wants to be/but he's never WHAT HE SEEMS!" The female soloist screams hoarsely and accidentally, and I'm surprised that they did not try to redo the song or at least touch it up in the recording studio. I have to quickly turn down the volume every time I hear this part coming up.

The children in this musical are pretty impressive for their age, though they have a habit of belting everything, no matter how unnecessary (they did this when I saw it on stage too). When it comes to the song No Matter What, I haven't seen such a wussy attempt at hitting low notes since my high school tried to do Miss Saigon.

One song I thoroughly enjoy, however, is Tire Tracks and Broken Hearts. Candy has an unusual, sassy young voice, and Amos fits well with her. This song is incredibly catchy and is easily my favorite in the whole musical, though Cold is a close second.

The fake-Southern accents, however, made me cringe. This is proof most British people cannot do Southern accents. There is some speaking at the end of A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing to Waste that proves this:
Amos: What's in the package that's so important?
Swallow: Promise you wouldn't tay-yell. Say it! Promise you wouldn't tay-yell
Amos: Ah promise. Ah promise Ah wouldn't tay-yell.
The word "tay-yell" instead of "tell" made me cringe, and the accents were so blatantly obvious I'd rather if they dropped it.

If you are looking at this item thinking it is a feelgood ALW score, DO NOT BUY IT. That is not to say it is bad, quite the contrary. However, its subjects are tough and hard to consider. This score forces us to consider what love is, how there are many different kinds of love, the impact of grief on the mental state of humanity, and what the true nature of humanity is, good or evil. Although the music is fabulous, there is no real "chorus line song" to make us feel good, such as ALW's "Go Go Go Joseph!". It is at times a violent score, but not unrealistic. In short, it is a fabulously compelling work, altough it is not what you would expect from the creator of Cats and Joseph.

Very disappointing - Nothing like Riverdance Would not recommend and I am avid fan

After listening to the soundtrack of Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, and Feet of Flames, Celtic Tiger is in some ways the "same old music", but in other ways, very different and original and seems to have something that the previous three soundtracks lack. This CD doesn't just give you modern Celtic music; it goes through all of the stages of music in our time, from Celtic, classical, hip-hop, jazz, rock, pop etc. As the CD progresses, the music goes from soft and traditional to more modern, and more diverse as it explores different genres of music. So, contrary to what someone said, Celtic Tiger isn't what you would expect and it's not what you heard before. In fact, I was planning on not buying it, after seeing how it wasn't going to be another Lord of the Dance. This CD is like the others, but for the most part, stands from the others.

To give you a better idea, here's a breakdown by song:

ST. PATRICK (ANGULUS): Remember how in the past, there would be one song on the CDs mentioned above, that was sung in another language (for example, Shivna in Riverdance, High Priests and Hell's Kitchen in Feet of Flames, and the chorus to Sula Ruin in Lord of the Dance)? Well, here's your song for Celtic Tiger. This song is not sung in the English language(I'm positive it's Latin). When translated, you will see that the song has a religious theme to it(in the show, Celtic Tiger, the song was about the beginning of Roman Catholicism in Ireland). The song is also very dark, and sounds gothic but it's pretty good. It sends chills down your spine.
THE VIKINGS: This song, like a lot of the other songs on here, starts off slow and calm, and then as it progresses gets stronger and stronger till it hits a climax. In this song, they use the same tune over and over again for about 75% of the song, and the tune gets stronger and stronger as time passes (get it?). This works well with this song, and this is one of my personal favorites on the CD.
THE GARDEN OF EDEN: Now this is my favorite song on here. Now, that's something unusual for me to say, since I usually don't care for the slower songs. But I really do love this song, it sort of reminds me of Celtic Dream from LOTD. It's sort of a meditation song. How do I describe this song? Well, if there's a song that plays in Heaven, then the song would probably sound kind of like this.
THE REDCOATS: Another personal favorite, starting with drums, and then the rest of the song is Michael Flatley on flute along with many other instruments (the violin, fiddle, drum, bell, and even piano). The beginning is very sweet, but the end is very energetic.
THE FAMINE: Another vocal in another language (I'm guessing...Gaelic?). Once again, when translated, there is some religious theme in the song. The emotions that you find in the song is desperation, sadness and fear so it's another song on the darker side.
THE BANSHEE/A NATION ONCE AGAIN: This is a very confusing little song. The first part of the song, it's just a woman crying--like a banshee. ( Yes, this song is one of the weaker ones. In fact I would go as far as to say that the CD wouldn't suffer if this song was taken out). And THEN, three minutes into the song, they start singing "A Naaaaation Oooonce Agaaaain!" Very, confusing, and very random, since the vocal just came out of nowhere. But, it did help the song.
FREEDOM: Now this song is the beginning of the "modern songs" on here. But I have to warn you: this song is pretty....random. First it starts off with a nice, soft fiddle tune and then out of nowhere, it's replaced with this disco, 70's-type music, and then once again, it's randomly replaced with this strip tease tune. Yes, this song is indeed very random, and...amusing.
A NEW WORLD: Another song that explores different types of music besides Celtic. You will listen to flamenco music, jazz, hip-hop, ballet and ballroom music, and then finally, the song will finish with this poppish Celtic tune that is very enjoyable to listen to.
THE LAST ROSE: This is another song with Flately on flute. The song sounds very sad, light, soft, and it reminds me of Whispering Wind from Feet of Flames. It's a beautiful song, but there's one problem: this song is very ill placed in the sequence of tracks on this CD. The song doesn't fit in at all and kind of throws you off, leaving you a little confused.
CELTIC KITTENS: What a cute title for an equally lovely song! It's a mix of Celtic violin and this modern poppish dance beat and the results are very good. It's another personal favorite and don't be surprised if you find yourself dancing to it.
CAPONE: This is another personal favorite. Completely straying away from being anything that has to do with Celtic music, this is, for the most part, a jazz number. It's...cool, and sexy, and fast and almost perfect.
CELTIC TIGER: This song finishes the CD, with electic guitar with tapping feet in the background. It's very energetic, and for the most part, pretty good.

In conclusion: I was left with very little disappointments! Surprisesm yes (from all of the random songs) but for the most part, I don't regret buying this CD! If you're a person who's as passionate about music as I am, then I recommend you get this CD. You'll love it.

I love anything Michael Flatley does he is the best Irish dancer in the whole wide world. He was born to dance. He has made my dreams come true by coming back to dance.

This was the best show i have ever seen plus a fantastic soundtrack.THE BEST PART WAS I ACTUALLY GOT TO SEE MICHAEL FLATLEY LIVE WHICH HAS BEEN MY DREAM SINCE FOREVER!!!!!!!! I'm an irish dancer and would love to be in this show when i'm old enough!!!!

I just want to say that this show, like his previous, is AMAZING.
And the soundtrack is the same. For most of you reviewers before me, who rated this low, I ask why ? If you just like rhythmic toe tapping then i agree, this is not for you, but how can M Flatley have a non stop irish gig? This show deals with the struggles, and many deaths of the Irish people. So i ask, how can he be upbeat and smiling the whole show ? If you just want to see tap dance for 2 hours, please, do look elsewhere.
But if you want QUALITY and have ANY interest in TRUE Irish heritage, and history, you will love this CD.
If you just want to see Irish dancers flailing about, go see RIVERDANCE, or any of the "Other Up and comers". And when the Dust settles, it will be Michael Flatley creating that dust,
and working on ANOTHER great project.

Runout Groove is yet another gem by the wonderful musician/lyricist Stephen Duffy and his band The Lilac Time.Listen to this beautiful album a few times and chances are you will see what i mean!

Hmmm...where to start. I have been a Stephen Duffy fan for many, many years. The opening lines of "American Eyes" from Paradise Circus had me hooked. I love all of the early LT albums (especially Astronauts) and his first few solo albums post-LT up through I Love My Friends (which I consider to be his best work of all) That said...other than a few tracks on Looking for a Day in the Night and "My Forest Brown" from 6, the latest incarnation of the LT is leaving me flat and I'm not sure I can express why. To me, the last few albums seem a bit short on melody and dynamics...it's like every song just kind've comes and goes without much impact. Go back through your collection and pick out his best tunes: "Return to Yesterday", "I Went to the Dance", "The Darkness of Her Eyes", "The Deal", "If the Stars Shine Tonight"...etc, etc. If you are honest (like I'm trying to be here), it will be tough for you to find anything on the past three albums that can rub shoulders with that company. I love Duffy for what he is and does...I would prefer that he move away from the tried and true pedal-steel LT quandry and bring some new dynmaics to his work. Perhaps I'm living too much in the past...but his work sounds like second-rate home recordings to me now whereas they used to send shivers up my spine. My two-cents worth...

If you have a bottle of champagne on ice for the day Bush leaves office, and a stack of CDs that you're spinning during the waning days of, for want of a better word, the "regime," you might consider adding _Runout Groove_ to the stack.

Don't let the sepia-toned photograph on the cover mislead you; there's anger in them thar pastoral hills of olde England. There's supposed to be a "concept" behind all of the photos, but I don't know what it is so I won't comment. Maybe the accompanying book of lyrics and song "explications" that's due out soon will shed some light?

On to the songs themselves...

"Another Time" begins with, "Here they come, the belligerent/I don't know what they do/With every shade of ignorance/They only make me blue..."

However, at about the same tempo as the opener to _Lilac 6,_ "Another Time" is a weak start out of the gate. And I have no idea what Stephen means by, "I'm glad that I live in another time." There is, however, a clever rewording here of a famous lyric by (early) The Who.

With the second track clouds disperse, we hold hands and the sun shines as we sing the chorus to "Driving Somewhere." This one's a winner, its lyrics seemingly penned by a disenchanted Jack Kerouac. Musically, it sounds like Fleetwood Mac at their poppiest. Sweet pedal steel sounds are a great touch here. The album could have done with another up-tempo number like this, since "Happy Go Lucky" seems pretty forgettable even after repeated listenings.

"A Dream of a Girl" is a sweet love song.

"Aldermaston" takes aim at the masters of war. More sublime lyrics: "When Franco died the shops in Barcelona ran out of champagne/And I was born under a peace sign, sheltered under the hard rain"

Of musical interest too is "Pruning the Vine," which sounds like Brian Jones popped in during the recording session and helped with the arrangement. And God, for lovers of words in and of themselves, it's crazy good to hear Stephen enunciate "patent leather boots."

Really, Stephen Duffy's lyrics are the strongest feature on this disc. Just pop in the disc and pretend you're at a beat poetry reading...in another time.