Jacob Miller

I've just finished my second listen of to 'Kingdom of Heaven.' Being such a Zimmer fan, it was delightful to hear an entire work by one of his protoges. I need another several listenings to really peel back the layers, but I thought I'd offer up a few initial thoughts.

One can definitely hear the influence of Zimmer in this score, especially in his use of brass and solo vocals. It should be noted that there were similarities between the movies of 'Gladiator' and 'Kingdom of Heaven,' so it should be no surprise that the sound of this movie is reminicent of 'Gladiator.' On a quick side note, I really think 'Gladiator' set a standard for score composition, regardless whether one thinks that standard is good or bad; one need but take a look at almost any epic movie made since then to hear echoes of it's influence.

Despite these influences, Harry Gregson-Williams makes this score his own. I was particularly impressed with his softer touch, as it could have been easy to let the lead out on nearly the entire score, but HGW uses a softer touch, especially in the beginning. I was very happy with his use of choir, in what I believe is a step beyond the often solid walls of faceless sound heard in Zimmer scores. The choral dexterity allowed for a greater emotional dexterity, something needed in the first half of the movie. Brad was right to point out the penultimate track, 'Path to Heaven.' I had to listen to that track multiple times in a row to convince myself HGW hadn't ripped a line directly from Palestrina, Tallis, or Byrd. Regardless, it is a simply ghosty Agnus Dei, similar to what might one might have heard in the late medieval period. I'd say the modulations were a little more complex than was possible for the time - more like those seen in early Renaissance music than in anything just after the turn of the millenium, when these crusades were at their height. In essence for the purposes of the picture and score, such details are irrevelant I believe. I would also have liked to hear more from Natacha Atlas, the singer of the last track - her entire piece lacked a little je ne sais quoi. Perhaps I'm just wishing for a shadow of Ofra Haza, but I would have preferred a song with more vocal range and weight. Maybe I need further listenings.

I was dissapointed with the lengths of the tracks. I realize this might be due to the pace at which the movie moved, or maybe I'm just spoiled by the much-longer tracks of 'King Arthur,' but I only had a brief time to appreciate a theme or melody before it was over. I would have liked to see what HGW could have done in developing some of the stronger portions of this score. This brings me to another point. For all the really excellent parts of this score, especially in the beginning, I felt that several tracks were excessively whispy and passed by my ear almost without notice. I realize a composer's choices are heavily influenced by cinematic plot, but Zimmer has shown an ability to arrest the listener's ear even in the off moments, keeping you solidly engaged in the music first, and the movie second. I would have liked a little more depth to match the impressive breadth.

Overall I was very impressed with this score. HGW shows an ability to form his own voice while using the talents and strengths gained under Zimmer's guidance. Morever, he shows an ability to step beyond some of the aspects that sometimes hold Zimmer's music back from being greater. HGW's only been composing for a little over ten years and I look forward to see how he grows as a composer.

It is the type of music that transport you to another time and dimension. Excellent music for reading, meditating and making love!

When viewing a film and you feel you ARE THERE *and* have a good story, you have a Masters work.
None of the film betrays Scotts trasparent direction more than his attention to details.
I could have watched a 5 hour version

And the score sounded like a 'seperate' entertainment-likes sitting down to listen to Sibelius-yet it never intruded into the film-and the angelic choir theme was gorgeous

I received this CD in excellant shape but was disappointed that the CD did not have all the music on it from the movie. I have watched the movie several times and I purchased the CD just so I could have all the music from that movie. I was very disappointed to discover that some of the music is not on the CD but is in the movie.

due to purchasing this CD, and, after listening to it (which rendered it unreturnable) discovered that the soundtrack is incomplete: specifically the counter-tenor sequence that plays when Sybilla comes to view Baldwins' body, is missing.

Had not seen the show, but love a good musical. i could not get into this one.

This product was excellent. It's everything I expected from it when I ordered it, AND MORE, even had all the lyrics, every single word from the movie, and I get to enjoy it even when I'm not around a tv screen. Thanks!!!!!!!!!

The music of A Christmas Carol - The Musical is absolutely amazing, and so moving that watching/listening to the musical version offers a completely different type of experience from simply watching the original play. It is touching, captivating, and catchy, and gets you in the Christmas spirit immediately!!! Perfectly cast, terrific voices.

If you want to get in the Christmas spirit you have to get this. I first saw this musical on television in 2004 and purchased the DVD in 2005. I enjoyed it so much that I purchased the audio CD in 2006 so I can listen to it while driving. I think I know why I like this so much. Its because the music was written by the same guy who wrote the music for Disney's Beauty and the Beast (one of my other favorite musicals) during the early 1990's. This Alan Menken is an incredible music writer. Very inspirational! Very upbeat! Very uplifting!

I received this album from Amazon the day before yesterday, and since then, it has barely left my computer's music player once--I kid you not.

Every time I listen to this album, I'm reminded of the soaring feeling I had watching the TV production starring Kelsey Grammer and company the Christmas before last. Menken and his co-workers have created an adaptation of Dickens' tale that not only brings forth the wonder of the season in audio form, not only makes me wish the real London could be like that, but to top it all off, _someone_ has finally captured the way I have imagined the Ghost of Christmas Present ever since I first read the novel in third grade! "Christmas in July," indeed!

Kudos, Mr. Menken! You and your all-star cast have created a Christmas show that deserves to be rerun on TV for decades to come, right up there with "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and the many Rankin-Bass specials--truly a holiday classic!

I really love this collection of Baroque music! Back in the 1990s, when Naxos was a new company, there was a lot of talk about their recordings not being as good as those of some other music labels, but I believe that Naxos has much improved, and terrific collections like this are testimony to the fact. There's a very nice balance on these CDs in terms of style, types of performers, and in presenting pieces that span the entire Baroque era from about 1600 to 1750. The tempos also balance nicely, though perhaps there's a slight emphasis on slower pieces, so the overall effect on me of hearing this music is peacefulness and serenity, while the etherial choral works add to that sense.

So much of the Baroque music that is performed often - mainly J.S. Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi - is actually from the end of that era, so Naxos has wisely included many pieces by earlier and also lesser-known but still excellent composers such as Allegri, Gabrielli, Schutz, Charpentier, Lawes, Monteverdi, Lully, Corelli, and others. And Naxos has avoided repeating most of those Baroque chestnuts that have been played to death. For instance, instead of Pachelbel's "Canon" (which is heard so much it's as though that was all he wrote), we get instead his "Toccata in C major" for organ. Likewise, there's nothing here from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," but we hear movements from one of his flute concertos and the choral work "Beatus Vir." And nothing from Handel's "Water Music" either, though we do have a movement from Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto Number 2" and "For Unto Us a Child is Born" from Handel's "Messiah." Wouldn't want to avoid ALL the most famous pieces!

Furthermore, all the music on these discs is performed with much finesse, and recorded well, although there does seem to me that there is some inconsistency of sound level such that I sometimes turn the volume up or down, though much of that is due to the nature of the music itself. Also, Naxos has been very generous in providing about 79 minutes of music per CD, and the booklet too is an unusually generous offering at about 130 pages. Some other reviewers have gone into detail about the booklet, so I won't repeat them, but will concur that Clive Unger-Hamilton has written very helpful background information on the Baroque era, and in a manner that is neither overly dry and scholarly nor overly superficial. This set is also an incredible value at less than $10. In short, it is not possible to praise DISCOVER MUSIC OF THE BAROQUE ERA too highly! Get it and enjoy!

A good, diverse selection of songs. On a few, the quality is not the greatest (i.e. some slight vibration, echo, background noise) but overall the selection is of good quality.

Yet another great bargain-priced package from Naxos effectively provides an overview of the rich Baroque period with two discs containing more than 2 ½ hours of music and a comprehensive, 140-page primer booklet. Compiled by music historian Clive Unger-Hamilton, the collection is well-chosen to represent the many different facets of the era without recycling the more obvious candidates like Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons". The quality of the playing and singing is top-notch throughout, and the program contains quite a smorgasbord of pieces from dramatic opera arias to harpsichord pieces (sometimes played on authentic instruments, other times on modern grands) to full-blown choruses. Standout tracks include Allegri's "Miserere mei" with an ethereal boy treble soloist; two arias sung by soprano Ingrid Kertesi, in particular, Almirena's lament, "Lascia ch'io pianga" from Handel's "Rinaldo"; and a lovely "When I am laid in earth" from Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas" performed by soprano Kym Amps. The choral pieces can be astounding from Bach's "St Matthew Passion (BWV 244)" performed by the large Hungarian Festival Chorus and full symphony orchestra to the eight voices that wrap themselves around "For unto us a child is born" from Handel's "Messiah".

The booklet itself provides great value as you listen to the selections. There is a well written 85-page essay by Unger-Hamilton, who manages to encapsulate an enormous amount of information about this period which leaves a novice like me with a more solid basis of understanding the music of the Baroque era. In fact, what is quite valuable is that Unger-Hamilton provides a specific historical reference for each piece on the recording in his essay. There is also a very helpful glossary and an intriguing timeline which covers musical milestones relative to similar milestones in history, arts and architecture and literature. Moreover, there is an alphabetical list of the key Baroque composers and an accompanying map of Europe with important music centers and the composers associated with these cities. The thoughtful presentation of this package really makes the $8.98 price tag one of the great bargains here.

This is one of a series of the 'Discover ...' 2 CD sets -- at super-budget price -- from Naxos that makes use of complete movements of music from the era in question. It is accompanied by an excellent booklet - a thick one! - with an explanatory essay that gives background on the music as well as blow-by-blow descriptions of the music being presented. All the selections (from such composers as Monteverdi, Handel, Bach, Scarlatti, Schütz, Purcell, Corelli, Pachelbel, Charpentier, et al.) are from Naxos's extensive library of recorded music and as far as I can tell all the performances are top-notch.

In addition there is a Timeline of the Baroque Era that includes material about the music, history, art, architecture and literature of the times. There is a map of Europe that shows where various composers lived and worked. There is a list of composers (more than just those whose music provides the audio examples) with their dates and locations. There is a glossary of common musical terms. There is also an extensive list of music suggested for further listening. I can easily imagine this set being the springboard for a newcomer to baroque music to begin a lifetime of enjoyment of these and similar works.

The presentation is thoughtfully done and the whole thing is in a slipcase that will preserve the CDs as well as the booklet for years to come.

Scott Morrison

This album is a must have for any true roots reggae fan. If this album is not in your collection you need to stop everything and get this today. This album is a fantastic combination of Jacobs smooth vocals and lovely reggae tunes. If you are unsure of Jacob Miller as an artist, this is a great cd to start with. I'm sure once you listen to this, you will be a Jacob Miller fan for life.


Please buy this today.

When I was a child in the late 50's and 60's, the evening meal was eaten at the dining table, with the whole family gathered together. We always had music playing ... usually Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra. This great collection of Arthur Fiedler's works includes many of Fiedler's favorites, but also many of my family's favorites, too.

I have my entire CD collection in ITunes, and added this compilation to the others. I now have over 16 Fiedler CD collections, which total over 28 CD's. I am surprised at how many pieces are not duplicated from other CD's or CD collections in "100 Fiedler Favorites."

When I first played these 7 CD's, I was thrilled. However, when I compared the duplicates from this collection to the other CD's, I was greatly disappointed in the tonal quality.

When I mentioned this to someone who has used ITunes longer than I have, he suggested that I re-import my entire collection at 320 kbps, instead of the default setting (128 kbps) that I had used. Some hours later, I was glad that I had taken the time.

While I can still hear a SLIGHT difference in the sound quality, it is minimal. Unless you bounce back and forth between two recordings of the same piece, it IS NOT obvious. I am once again delighted with this collection.

Based on it's name, one would expect to have 100 pieces in this collection. Yet, in true Fiedler fashion, there is an encore, making a total of 101!



If you enjoy this, I would also recommend the Fiedler Legacy collection, as a supplement to 100 Fiedler Favorites. (If I could only have one, I would PROBABLY choose "100 Fiedler Favorites" but The Arthur Fiedler Legacy, as a set, is pretty spectacular, too) The Arthur Fiedler Legacy is not sold as a set; each of the 5 CD's is sold separately.

"The Arthur Fiedler Legacy: Stars and Stripes: An American Concert" includes 76 Trombones, Trumpeter's Lullaby, The Entertainer, Bernstein's Music from Mass, variations on America, etc. (Not found on Amazon on 5/7/08.)

"The Arthur Fiedler Legacy: Symphonic Spectacular" includes 1812 Overture, Sabre Dance, Bolero, Bach's Fugue in G Major, Danse Macabre, etc. The Arthur Fiedler Legacy: Symphonic Spectacular

"The Arthur Fiedler Legacy: Evening at Pops" includes Aquarius from "Hair", Blue Danube, Gypsy Baron March, Tubby the Tuba, In the Hall of the Mountain King, Dream Pantomime from Hansel & Gretel, etc.The Arthur Fiedler Legacy: Evening at the Pops

"The Arthur Fiedler Legacy: From Famous Broadway to Hollywood's Reel Thing" includes medleys from Fiddler on the Roof, Mary Poppins, Star Wars Theme, Alfie, Midnight Cowboy and Day by Day from "Godspell," etc. The Arthur Fiedler Legacy: From Fabulous Broadway to Hollywood's Reel Thing

"The Arthur Fiedler Legacy: Superstars and Songbooks" includes I think I love you, King of the Road, Do you know the way to San Jose, Leaving on a Jet Plane, etc. Superstars and Songbooks: Pops by Arrangement


Those 5 Legacy sets, each with 2 CD's, when added to "100 Fiedler Favorites," make a total of 265 pieces, for a total of nearly 21 hours of listening! Yet I only see 8 duplicates: Little Fugue in G minor, Stardust, Jalousie, Dream Pantomime from Hansel and Gretel, Sabre Dance, Days of Wine & Roses, Blue Danube and, of course, Stars and Strips Forever.


My only disappointment in either 100 Fiedler Favorites or the Legacy collections, is the arrangement of the songs. I understand why Arthur Fiedler Legacy CD's are packaged the way they are: The title of the CD explains the style of music.

With the 100 Fiedler Favorites, the first 3 CD's are a nice mix of Light Classical music. CD #4 is mostly Strauss waltzes and polkas, with a waltz by Lehar and Waldteufel thrown in for good measure. CD #5 is mostly marches, including, but not limited to, patriotic marches. CD #6 features American composers who lived in this century: Gershwin, Copeland, Gould, Rodgers, Anderson and Cohen. CD #7 is primarily a mix of more "current" songs (Bearing in mind that Fiedler died in 1979, "current" is current for his time: Mancini and the Beatles, Stevie Wonder; I Left My Heart in San Francisco; The First Time I Saw Your Face; Smoke Gets in Your Eyes).

I personally would have preferred a mix of all of these, rather than straight CD's of one type of music. (Which is why I like ITunes!)

If you are a Fiedler fan, or enjoy the light classics, this is a "Must Have" set.

Favorites from my youth, wonderful to hear again. Fine selection, musically and technically high class. We listen to them often.

This is a great compilation recorded in the days of "The Boston Pops" greatest director Arthur Fiedler. You will be delighted in listening long and forgotten recordings by Fiedler's Pops, like Gershwin, "Cuban Overture", "Prince Igor, Polovetsian Dances" etc. etc. A must have for all classical music and Boston Pops Fans. This great compilation makes one reminisce of old times Boston and its silver shining cold autumn afternoons and strolls on the Boston Common. The days when Arthur Fiedler's Boston Pops presence was felt in "The Hub". Don't miss this great CD album set.

Who can deny Arthur Fielder was the most charismatic American conductor of the Century? . This acknowledgement goes far beyond the fact his countless efforts for bringing the academic music to wider audiences. His gifts as conductor have deserved him several insurmountable versions ( Liszt' Preludes, De Sousa, Strauss ` Thunder Polka, Mendelssohn' s Fingal cave, Gershwin's works and so many other radiant performances) .

Fielder got simply to express with major level of Dionysian euphoria, showy elegance, pristine brilliantness, and orchestral coloratura, the sense and heartfelt conviction about the meaning of the works he used to conduct.

Don't miss these jeweled performances.

Now, if you are a music-lover, and you like The Boston Pops & Arthur Fiedler. You should get it as soon as posible.
I cannot find any reasonable objection to this product.

I love this cd because the music has substance. It gets the substance from Lawes use of counterpoint and fugue to increase the complexity of the music. This is a nice cd. Most music I hear from this period in England has a similar level of complexity.

The lyrics in my opinion are great. If you like roots reggae this is your cd.
The songs are mostly about collie and the chalice but if your into that you should again like this cd. Do not buy this if you want just a Caribbean sounding xmas cd. Though the songs are about Xmas this cd can be listened to year round. RIP Jacob Miller

Tired of Xmas muzak? Reprogram your brain by listening to the Xmas classics broken free of their settings. Next time you hear "Silver Bells," you'll have a whole new context for it.

Brings back memories of xmas in the caribbean. The lyrics are not great but the rhythym and the feelings they invoke are all worth it. Anyone who grew up in the Caribbean will love it

A sampling of everything from hymns, to revival reggae, high energy and spiritual. A must have in the discussion of the evolution of reggae! His defining collection.

Jacob Miller was one the BEST reggae artists of all time. Although he wasn't around for long due to his untimely death at the age of 28, he still left behind music that could have made him a super star. I don't think he gets the reconition he deserved for being such a talented and energetic artist. Currently all you can find is articles and paragraphs about him, no biographies are published to date. If you are a true roots reggae fan you will not be dissapointed with Jacob "Killer" Miller.

Jacob Miller, the rastaman who some say was a threat to Bob Marley musically , never hung around to prove us right or wrong. This album for the most part; ( exclude tracks #4 & #7 remix of Disc #1 ) is a fitting tribute to his journey through babylon , it captures the political economic and social struggles of Jamaica in the 1970s. Formerly of the now popular group Inner Circle along with his original rasta roots Jacob Miller educates through his music and his original firebrand performances the rites of His Imperial Majesty to read a Chapter a Day, from the good book to ward off evil . He takes his peers to task with the track 80,000.careless Ethiopians ,the anology to which Bob Marley and Burning Spear did sometimes earning the wrath of their equals "If you live in the house of JAH and are disobedient you will suffer" taken from Bob Marley Interviews and Winston Rodneys "No door peep shall not enter". Comedy was not far from Millers lips, Jamaicans would be lifted back in time with this compilation ( All night ) drifting through the sweet and sour of the 70s. All others who would like to know the true events and feel of that infamous Manley era which was so powerfull on the world scene need look no more . This collection preaches unity, perseverance and the value of a upfull and right life before JAH,never looking back.If you like anything from Bob Marley,Peter Tosh and Burning Spear with even one album by UB40 in your collection, Jacob Millers SONGBOOK is a must....a serious plus on your CD rack. Forward Ever JAH JAH Children Backward Never.

This is just about the best you can do if you're looking for a great period performance version of this. Hogwood is definitely one of the greats in the period performance movement. Neville Marriner's version might barely beat this one, but that one is played the traditional way. One caution: It say's here on Amazon that this is a single cd which is quite untrue. This always takes two discs no matter what version. I bought the last reasonably priced set at about close to $13.00 with shipping included. There is only one left, and at like $64.95 that's way way to much to pay for this. Just wait this crazy bozo out and he may reduce the price, so just be patient. Also, there might be someone who may come along and sell this for about $20.00, which is about what it's worth. Don't forget about the aformentioned Marriner version because I think it's easier to get at a very reasonable price.

P.S. Now this is available at about $17.50, so go for it now. You won't be disappointed.

Another P.S. This is now only $7.99 so definitely go for it!!!