Franz Ferdinand

This CD is brand new and -- YAY -- didn't arrive with cracks in the case! Very happy with this purchase.

Toma una dimensión distinta de Mozart cuando escuchas sus mejores temas.

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I was extraordinarely ignorant when I purchased this recording. I thought,"WOW!! Look at all the music you get in this CD set. The price cannot be beat!" When I received the CD, I discovered that you don't really get any music at all. This is a great sample CD, and should be bought by a person brand new to classical music. However, if you have any experience with classical music, you will want to pass on this CD.

Each of the pieces are hacked apart to the point of it being comical. It's interesting to listen to the greatest music in the world, only to have the development cut. All of a sudden I was thrust into a new key, I thought my ears were going crazy. Perhaps an effort by a decent high school orchestra, but this music is not up to snuff with any other recording.

Do yourself a favor and go out and purchase real recordings of Mozart, and not watered down stereotypes.

Very pleased with product, delivery, cost and service. Will use this vendor again.

I found this to be a nice collection of favorites, especially to keep in the car and listen to. It is a variety of well known compilations. Although not encompassing, it is perfect as a review for driving, relaxing, and enjoyment. Plus, the price is right!

2 1/2

These boys managed to do the whole indie retro thing without much humiliation, but only but only a few years later, the Euro-snootiness masquerading as witty band interplay which embedded this debut with heavy buzz has seemed to wear thin, making the band's limitations seem even more apparent.

I find it funny that Sony actually got me into FF, with their one of their first PSP commercials that had Take Me Out in it.

From then to now, I've got this and their more recent CD. This CD is amazing and it should definitely get a listen by any fan of the genre. Keep on the lookout for their new CD...

These four young men who met at art school in Glasgow lay claim to an unfairly forgotten lineage of Scots post-punk pop. A timely conflation of snappy art-funk and spiralling guitars, Darts of Pleasure, the best three-track debut single since Suede's The Drowners, narrowly missed out on a top 40 placing last month. January's follow-up, Take Me Out, will almost certainly take the band on to Top of the Pops.

Franz Ferdinand were one of the best bands to make it big during the post-Strokes Indie rock revolution of the early 2000s (i.e., now). They had all the right ingredients: tight, catchy songs with angular guitars vaguely funky rhythms, just the right combination of punk, dance, and pop influences, and a hipper-than-hip aesthetic that combined everything that was cool between 1975 and last month. As a result, their debut album garnered a heap of critical praise and great sales. And they say that good music doesn't get any recognition these days.

Here's the thing: Franz Ferdinand, although it may be derivative, and not exactly 100% perfect, is still a fantastic album. One of the shining lights of the past seven years, as a matter of fact. It isn't just that the songs are catchy or smart or ridiculously exciting (even though they are certainly all of those things)- it's that they breathe new life into the whole grimy, post-grunge, post-90s, post-O.K. Computer, post-everything rut that the mainstream had been stuck in. Just listen to "The Dark Of The Matinee," the way it combines a lush, seductive vocal with a stomping, just-plain-raucous rhythm and elastic guitars. Listen to "Jacqueline," to its slashing, apocalyptic guitar chords and hedonistic lyrics. Listen to the tightly meshed melodies and shape-shifting stomp of "Take Me Out." And then there's the spastic cool of "Darts of Pleasure," and the gorgeously erotic "Michael." "This Fire" is an offbeat anthem.

As I said before, it isn't perfect. There aren't any truly bad songs, but after a while the album's formula does get a bit thin- it's hard to listen to this music for a full forty minutes without starting to feel like every song sounds like a slight variation on the one before it. That's not always a bad thing, but it does mean that the album tends to drag a bit in its last half, in spite of some truly inspired performances. Fans of alt-rock after Nirvana should love this.

I love this CD. It is rare that I find one that I like every track on it, but this one is great. The lyrics are smart, the music is catchy and complex without being pretentious. Mostly, it's fun.

Being a big fan of Franz Ferdinand's first piece of work, especially the classic "Take Me Out," I checked out their follow-up album to see if they could avoid the sophomore slump and provide us some more rock anthems. This album has a problem though in the lack of variety. Either their sound doesn't permit a great deal of variety, or the vocals don't permit it. Either way, it's a very monotonous record.

In fact, the first track is the best track, and it's the best gauge to see if you're going to like the rest of the album, because if you love the song, then you can stand listening to the whole album in one sitting. Otherwise, you're out of luck. Not to say it's a bad album, it just could have used more depth to it. So, hardcore fans unite, everybody else find other means.

Real Score: 2.5

This album is appropriately named, because you honestly can do so much better than this album. Their prior album was very good, but with the exception of a few tracks, this one is bland. I listened to it maybe 10 times after buying it when it first came out and didn't listen to it again until today, hoping I would have a different opinion of it. But I haven't changed my mind. If you liked their first album, I would recommend the Arctic Monkeys, which is a fantastic band. Both of their albums are superior to anything Franz Ferdinand has done.

Franz Ferdinand was very consistent in this album... Wonderful from start to finish, it's a permanent fixture in my ipod now, I could listen over and over. Just makes you want to dance and moves your day along!

I am a huge Franz fan and I loved this album. If yall are franz fans too then you should definitely consider Rikki Rocket's new album "glitter 4 your soul" it is a masterpiece comprised of music that will add glitter to your soul...literaly! so check it out if yall like franz

While not as fond of this release as their first, it's still a frequently played catchy sound. Their energy is refreshing and doesn't feel contrived. All-in-all I like it.

i can't believe this set is selling for $80 here. i bought this set years ago at circuit city for $35. last time i visited, there was still one on the shelf. *shrug* i would definitely try and find it cheaper, but even at this price you're not getting ripped off completely. all of the recordings are of good quality and the selections are actually pretty damn good compared to other "best of" sets.

The variety of composers on this compilation is great. From Bach to Stravinsky and quite a few in between. I am not a huge fan of classical music nor is my knowledge of it wide, but I enjoy popping one of the CDs and expanding my musical repitoire. My brother who is a classical musician agreed that this is a great introduction to those who want a wide sampling of classical music.

I have been trying to unravel all of the differnt types of classical music for years now.... Information is hard to come by and I thought I would give this set a try. I like that on the inside of each CD there is a brief life story of each artist. This is a wonderful collection of classical music.

I bougth this item to start my classical songs collection and I'm very satisfied with the product. It's a good overview of 20 of the greatest composers. The sound recording is excellent. The best buy I could have made to suit my purpose. I recommend it to anyone who want to start listening classical music.

I bought this set wanting an introduction to a bunch of composers, many of whom I have heard very little if not nothing at all from, and expected to enjoy about half of the discs in this set. What I did not prepare for was having my rear end rocked off by one great piece after enough, leaving me in a state of undeniable bliss. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I know a lot about the composers in this set, and I can tell you nothing about the circumstances under which each piece was written. I also admittedly do not "know better," though I know enough to realize that what you get on these CDs are snippets of larger, greater works. This is just a great collection of enjoyable music for people who want to get their feet wet. Every CD in this set is great, and the performances sound superb to my ears. Yet the snots will undoubtedly still complain about omissions, poor selections, or buyers "not getting it." You gotta start somewhere, and I've yet to see a better introduction. Plus it's cheaper than your average four-CD box set of derivative rock from past-their-prime fossils. What are you waiting for? Shouldn't you whip out your credit card and purchase this, NOW?

The pieces on this disc represent some of the more intersting and dynamc overtures, very suitable for music appreciation classes to point out use of classics and neo-classical music in contemporary culture

This CD has a nice mix of the familiar and unfamiliar --- but all are upbeat and fun to listen to. Well worth the price.

Suppe's Light Calvary and Poet and Peasant Overtures were absolutely grand, as were Daniel-Francois Auber's Fra Diavolo, Herold's Zampa, Reznicek's Donna Diana, Offenbachs Orpheus in the Underworld, and the magnificent William Tell Overture by Rossini. One word of caution: this CD will really test your stereo, the bass actually thunders, and will blow your socks off. Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Orchestra did a fine job, I would recommend this CD to anyone who loves the thunderous music of an orchestra, you cannot go wrong buying this CD, I love it on the car stereo and at home.

The Telarc label does it again. This is the perfect disk for showing off your sound system. Great recordings and great selection of overtures. I've been listening to this CD for about 15 years now and the Orpheus in the Underworld track still sends chills up my spine.

Couldn't ask for anything more from a CD full of famous overtures. Kunzel and co. rock my world yet again.

I owned the LP of this back in the early 1960s (the cover showed a bright red apple with a target painted on it) and played these pieces over and over. The music is wonderful, the performances among Bernstein's best, and the sonics spectacular. I wish I still had my vinyl copy, however, because I would love to compare it to this CD-for sonics, I suspect the LP would win.

Not that the CD is bad, but Columbia LPs in those days were produced with a very recognizable equalization that is not apparent here. And as I remember, there was somewhat more detail on the LP, especially in the strings and in the many bells that decorate these quickly recognizable, entertaining pieces. (Each of the five compositions held a firm place as background music for Warner Brothers cartoons.)

However, the CD is entirely listenable (and certainly contains no pops or scratches). I will be interested to hear the SACD version if Columbia ever produces one. From what I have heard, Columbia's few SACD reissues sound more like the LPs. In any case, the product labeling is poor. The front cover says, "Digitally mastered analog recording," while the back cover informs us that the disc is AAD. (The disc itself says AAD, but it wouldn't be the first mislabeled CD.) No date of production whatsoever appears, though we learn that the cover was designed in 1981. (Give me the apple with the target on it.) The interesting liner notes are what appeared on the back of the LP, no more, no less.

It's not an expensive disc, and some of the pieces, oddly, are not easy to find. Get it!

This disc which is aptly named "Favorite Overtures" captures Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic at the peak of their creative powers during the 1960's. Each of the five overtures are gems, but of particular delight are the Mignon and Raymond Overtures by Ambroise Thomas. The Raymond Overture with it's galloping opening motive is a hidden treasure which has not been recorded very often. Thankfully, Bernstein gives us a rendition of Raymond that could only be described as definitive. The other overtures on this disc are Zampa, Poet and Peasant, and William Tell. Not only are they expertly played, but their sound is in the demonstration class which is amazing considering that they were made nearly forty years ago. The fact that this disc has remained in circulation for so long speaks for itself. My highest recommendation.

I'm likely giving an extra half-star due to bias, but really, this double-CD is a lot of fun. The bonus disc's full of songs that are easily as good as the main album and actually bring more of the band's personality into light. They take from many influences: one minute they sound like the Kinks (or the obvious Talking Heads tint), the next I'm hearing the Jewish folk song, "Hava Nagila"!

Yet what I find these guys do especially well is create an atmosphere. There's dark, flirtatious humor in Alex Kapranos's voice, and his writing is rather witty. They also know how to make each and every song catchy, and at once just far enough from the mainstream edge to be considered by music lovers of all kinds. So while this album isn't technically a masterpiece, I find it another in a line of those which respects music for what it is: an art form that represents the musician. You may not dig their sound, but at least it's authentic.

Highlights: The Dark of the Matinee, Come On Home, This Fffire.

Franz Ferdinand's music is incredibly powerful and unique. There's just something about it that makes you want to just stand up and dance. This "Special Edition" of the bands self-titled debut comes with a bonus disc containing five tracks that were left off of the original pressing. The five tracks are "This Fffire", which is a remix of the single found on the original album. Next up is the funky b-side "Van Tango" which, as the title suggests, is a great song to dance to. Track three on the second disc is another b-side which was left off of the album, "Shopping For Blood". This a great song, with a great beat, and great lyrics. Next up is yet another b-side, "All For You, Sophia". The final track found on this bonus disc is an alternate take of the single "Darts Of Pleasure" retitled from the song lyric "Words So Leisured". I personally find this second disc to be a waste, considering the fact that these tracks could just be part of one CD.
The Original Album: From the minute you hear the opening guitar strum of "Jacqueline" you know that you will be in for a treat. Suddenly, out of the acoustic guitar melodies of the intro, the bass kicks, then so does heavily distorted guitar. Magnificently composed. Track number two, "Tell Her Tonight" is a highly infectious, funky track with a great guitar riff. The Singles: The very first single we heard from Franz was the smash hit "Take Me Out". No wonder this song became a hit! From it's opening lyric "So if you're lonely. . ." you are hook. Right before the chorus begins, the instrumentation breaks down to a crawl, and then the fun begins. "The Dark Of The Matineè" was released as a single as well. Probably the most controversial single released from this album has to be "Michael". The song seemed to be a homosexual, erotic theme for the gay community, and law officials were certain to point that out. In all reality, the song was written about one of the bands friends who got drunk at a bar and began hitting on a man. "Darts Of Pleasure" comes next. "This Fire" was the very last single to be released from the album, and proved to be a hit.
This is a great album and I highly recommend that you try it out.

This was a great album i like every song on this cd, i have not bought their sophmore cd hopefully a slump is not in the future.

There is not a single song that can be described as bad on this album. Sure, the background singing in TELL HER TONIGHT is terrible, but besides that, what is there to complain about? I've noticed from the reviews that a lot of people love this album or just don't get it. Luckily I am one of the love-it people, and maybe you are too if you give the album a chance.

JACQUELINE--This song starts out slow and soft and you're not sure if you care to listen to the rest of the song. But 40 seconds into the song, it picks up and turns itself into an awesome rock song with some serious guitar playing and drumming. Featuring vocals by Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy.

TELL HER TONIGHT--While this song is the worst song on the original album, it still maintains not being bad nevertheless. The "home demo" on the album DARTS OF PLEASURE, however, is so bad that it's hilarious. Featuring vocals by Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy

TAKE ME OUT--This was the song that Franz Ferdinand performed on one of the worst episodes of Saturday Night Live that I've ever seen that got me into the band's music. The awesome lead guitar and great tune are perfection. A must to hear. Featuring vocals by Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy.

THE DARK OF THE MATINEE--The best song on the album. It even outdoes TAKE ME OUT. The lyrics are a bit soft, but the chorus is awesome and so is the music. Featuring vocals by Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy.

AUF ACHSE--This is the softest song on the album, and it still is good nevertheless. The singing, piano, and bass all add up to make a good song. Featuring vocals by Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy.

CHEATING ON YOU--This fast paced song is probably better than TELL HER TONIGHT, but nothing else on the album. Featuring vocals by Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy.

THIS FIRE--A very good song. Very fast paced, though not nearly as much as CHEATING ON YOU. The drums go very good with the guitar rythem. Featuring vocals by Alex Kapranos, Nick McCarthy, and Paul Thompson.

DARTS OF PLEASURE--This song is also very good, but not quite as much as THIS FIRE. It transits well between the soft rock and the hard rock. Featuring vocals by Alex Kapranos and Paul Thomson.

MICHAEL--This song was based on an experience of a friend of the band's. It has good rock, especially the lead guitar playing. Featuring vocals by Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy.

COME ON HOME--A relatively good song, though the chorus isn't that great. It's no match for TAKE ME OUT or THE DARK OF THE MATINEE, but it's still a good song. Featuring vocals by Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy

40'--I was first introduced to this song from the trailer of IN GOOD COMPANY, and recognized it immediately when I heard it. It's a pretty good song, featuring the soon-to-become- frequent la-la-la-la-la-las. (They are featured frequently in the next Franz Ferdinand album, YOU COULD HAVE IT SO MUCH BETTER). Featuring vocals by Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy.

THIS FFFIRE--I really don't see much of a difference between this song and THIS FIRE. The assemblance of the lyrics is a bit different, but otherwise it almost sounds exactly the same. Featuring vocals by Alex Kapranos, Nick McCarthy and Paul Thomson.

VAN TANGO--The only Franz Ferdinand song so far to not be sung by Alex Kapranos. And it's a bit evident why. Nick McCarthy's voice isn't bad for singing, but he sings the song with a high pitch and lazy sound. He works better for backup, though it is always interesting to hear a song not sung by the lead singer. Featuring vocals by Nick McCarthy, Alex Kapranos, and Paul Thompson.

SHOPPING FOR BLOOD--Okay, probably the worst song on the album. I haven't listened to it much, but I don't like it from what I've heard. Alex Kapranos's voice just wasn't meant to sing so low and rough. Featuring vocals by Alex Kapranos, Paul Thompson, and Nick McCarthy.

ALL FOR YOU, SOPHIA--This song is rather repeatative, but it is appreciative after the last song. The chorus really goes deep into being repeatative, with the same four words being being repeated over and over and over again. Featuring vocals by Nick McCarthy and Alex Kapranos

WORDS SO LEISURED--This song takes some of the words from DARTS OF PLEASURE, and puts them to a slow, soothing melody. However, I think they overdid the soothingness and slowness. It's just not enough of a song now. Featuring vocals by Alex Kapranos.

Franz Ferdinand is another entry into today's trendy "new-wave-influenced-alternative-pop-rock". Their first self-titled album is full of fun and catchy songs, but they aren't interesting or thought-provoking enough to truly make it a classic and an essential own (the album doesn't seem to have much soul to it). I can't put my finger on it but there's also something about the songs that make it kind of cheesy (they don't sound..."serious", and this hurts the rating). A lot of the songs are memorable lyrically simply because they're simple and catchy (it's easy to sing along) - they're definitely not deep, though. The musicianship is occasionally interesting but in a generic kind of way. All things aside, however, there is a high probability that you'll like this album, so for that reason alone I'd recommend buying it. The bonus tracks help, but not by much. Not an essential album but worth getting if you have the extra cash. Recommended.

Highlights include:
the whole album!

Este CD doble es una maravilla, la famosisima Berliner Philahrmoniker que en este caso se reduce a algo asi como seccion de vientos de la berliner philharmoniker nos deleita con un conjunto increible de marchas de todos los tipos y para todos los gustos, solo se unen en la genial interpretacion.
La orquesta se reune en forma completa para entregarnos excepcionales versiones de la Marcha Eslava de Tchaikovsky y la Marcha de la Victoria de Wellington de Beethoven que incluye grabacion de artilleria (increible y fantastica).
La marcha Radetzki es genial, asi como alguna pequeñeses de Beethoven, marchas compuestas por emperadores y otros extraños compositores que hacen de este CD un deleite para los amantes de estas sincopadas obras musicales. Disfruten un CD genial.

Here is a collection of mostly German march music that is well worth the price! The performances are crisp and clean. One selection I was very surprised to find in this collection is the "Nibelungen Marsch" by Gottfried Sonntag. As the title implies,this march is based on Wagnerian themes. While this march was written decades before Hitler came to power in 1933, it became closely associated with the Nazi Party and it was always played in the Kongresshalle during the massing of the banners at the Nuremburg Rallies. As a result, the "Nibelungen Marsch" was banned from any sort of live or recorded performance after 1945 by the Allies. It must be remembered that this is NOT a Nazi march. It was, like many other marches, adapted by the Nazis for their own purposes. I'm glad to see that it is played here as the fine piece of classical music that it is. Again, this collection of marches is among the best and shouldn't be passed by!

Rather than an album of marches by a band or orchestra, this is a compilation, recorded between the late '60's and early '80's, of popular marches by the wind players of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and classical marches by the full orchestra, brilliantly performed under the baton of maestro Herbert von Karajan (two numbers conducted by Hans Priem-Bergrath).
A comparison may be made with another album, "Prussia's Glory", by two British military bands, since the two have about a half dozen marches in common. The playing on this CD seems to me to be a bit lighter and more melodic, in other words, a little less "military", which makes sense, given the nature of the two groups. Which is "better", on the other hand, depends on the listener (I slightly prefer this group). And this disc wins on sheer quantity, being two CD's for the price of one, and does have more variety - classical pieces and a few non-German marches, but the other has much more complete liner notes, with information on each composer and selection. Of course, if you really like one, perhaps you would also want the other.
It would have been helpful if English translations were provided for each piece - most are in German, with the last several in French, to understand the meaning of each title, such as "Old Comrades" in addition to "Alte Kameraden", or "The Glory of Prussia" added to "Preussens Gloria".
A highly recommended collection of German and Eastern European marches, masterfully performed.

This is purely the best March tape I have ever bought. Not only does it offer 38 songs which is at least 18 more than most good CDs, it has extremely high quality sound recording and listing of the songs. I would strongly recommend this to anyone who likes Marches and more so to any fellow German!