James Morrison

I first heard a cut of this CD on a college radio station. I liked it so much I bought the CD. Wow, great feel good music. A cross between Rod Stewart and Otis Redding. Lots of good tracks on this CD. Think I'll buy his first one too.

I thoroughly enjoy James' first album, feeling he is a really unique artist, and could hardly wait for his second album.

His songs are very mature, dealing with relationships, hardships, emotions and he belies his youth. I could hardly believe such deep, touching lyrics flowed so easily from him. One aspect I really love about his vocal style is his emphasis, where he growls and hums. You really hear that a lot on his first album, it just adds to his distinct style.

Here on the latest album, he still sounds fabulous but all but one song are stripped of this emphasis, which is too bad. I wonder why.

The duet with Nelly Furtado I could do without. I'm not really famililar with her artistry, but the nasal vocal is not to my taste.

All in all, a good second effort but the first album's still my favorite of the two.

Love the stories in the songs and the melodies are just so cool. Morrison is the man!

Winner of last year's best British male at the Brits, James Morrison burst into the public consciousness in 2006 with his debut album Undiscovered.
It went straight to the top in the UK album chart, produced five singles and sold more than two million copies worldwide.
Morrison's second album sticks quite closely to the same tried and tested recipe that bagged him his Brit award, and that's no bad thing.
Big ballads, introspective lyrics, a husky voice and collaboration with various talents (probably most notably with Nelly Furtado on "Broken Strings") mean that the new album should enjoy similar success to "Undiscovered".
Often compared to James Blunt or confused with Chris Martin, Morrison's latest offering suggests there's more to this boy from Rugby than sugary pop tunes.
In reality, it owes more to the earnest style of James Blunt than the pure, often magical universal accessibility of Coldplay, but there's certainly plenty of charisma, lots of emotion, and even a decent collaboration.
Fans will not be disappointed, but it's not just a fans' album.
Once again the singer/songwriter shows his mainstream appeal but with a bit of edge.
Morrison is defined by his husky set of vocals (that occasionally sound like Rod Stewart, especially on album opener "The Only Night"), but is clever enough to adapt his style so that few songs sound the same. He also persists in keeping things more upbeat than songwriters such as Blunt, couching his sentiment in songs that are capable of being enjoyed.
"Songs for You, Truths for Me" is far from hardcore. But for the most part it's on the right side of sweet and let's face it, there's something distinctly brave about wearing your heart on your sleeve like that.
"Nelly Furtado partners on the little over-produced, hit-bound "Broken Strings" and his sister is the focus for the uplifting "Dream On Hayley", but it's the ups and downs of Morrison's relationship with his grilfriend Gill that provides the raw material for many of the songs.
The hot and harried "Nothing Ever Hurt Like You", the prayerful "You Make It Real" ('like holy water, washing over me') and the testifying organ-stoked "Precious Love" explore the emotional landscape in a way fans will appreciate.
The album has an endearing earthiness and honesty".- The Mirror
Highlights : "Save Yourself", "Broken Strings", "Nothing Ever Hurt Like You", "Dream On Hayley", "Love Is Hard".
All the Lost Souls
Continuum
Viva La Vida

Great sophomore effort. Soulful but not depressing. Even the sad love sony with Nelly Furtado was quite soulful.

James Blunt 0 James Morrision 2

I was employed at Macy's and this was one of the artist on the Cd's in rotation. I knew the words for This Boy and Undiscovered before I even knew the artist name. I looked up the song...took a chance and purchased the cd. I was highly impressed. Not only did all of the songs have a meaning, they all had this soulful voice behind them. I haven't heard a lot of rants and raves about him but he is def. one to watch for.

beautiful rusty voice.life experience lyrics.Will not getting you dancing but sure will get you thinking.
i love the:"i'm not lost just undiscovered" part.

This CD is amazing. Just what you are looking for if you need to express yourself or get away from all the hard rock music. It's relaxing and great for all ages. It is really hard to explain how this CD is great. I used his "Undiscovered" song for a school project and everyone loved it. I highly recommend this CD for anyone who likes a good calm voice and some amazing instrumental music.

Really good CD. Like a more poppy version of Ray Lamontaigne. Definitely worth checking out a few of the songs to see if you like the style. If you do, then you will like the whole CD. I think this guy is really talented.

I saw a grainy video of James Morrison playing "You give me something" and was so impressed by the truthful emotion in which he sang that I purchased "Undiscovered" by chance. I sometimes will make music purchases of new artists that impress me just because I want to be one of few that "discover or find" them. I was right. Morrison's music is touching. His voice, combined with his emotion create a wonderful listen. His music seemed almost immediately "familiar", although uniquely new. I let others take a listen and they too were enthralled and became fans. I found him and others will soon too.

... was my reaction to the music, a few numbers into the LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (when they still were playing the full overture). After performing for some months on a cruise ship - and bearing in mind what is said about how you enjoy your travels even more when you remember them - that's exactly what I said to a companion: it feels like travel.

There's not much to add to the favorable words elsewhere in these pages,but a few thoughts:

Some like barbecue, some like sushi, some like both. Good thing to remember when voting for President,by the way.

I will say that my favorite scores are those that keep growing on me (WEST SIDE STORY as well as THE MUSIC MAN) - and LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA reveals something new at every listening.

Besides evoking that travel experience,PIAZZA comes mighty close to answering Cole Porter's question,'What Is This Thing Called Love?' by contrasting three more experienced, unhappy couples with one pair of 'youngsters' who can't be bothered to ask. This presentation is both classic and quirky - we LIKE quirky. If there are occasional bumps in the lyric-setting, there are also many poetic and provocative insights, here in Craig Lucas' territory.

Over the years I've learned not to spoil my own good time by straining too hard to find that 'catchy' tune. And here's a news flash -
The musical theater hasn't generated any Billboard hits in a very long time (HAIRSPRAY has that old top-40 sound, very clever tunesmithing in fact, but only one of its lyrics is liftable from the story - "I Know Where I've Been"). Barbra Streisand managed to find something like a 'hit' in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE by opening her Broadway Album with "Putting It Together",which became widely familiar as a result; that, and however many foursquare Lloyd Webber ballads have been sold by concert singers, is about as close as Broadway gets to a hit song anymore.

So the 'no hits' charge is moot, got it? Or one may settle for such as JEKYLL & HYDE, whose composer (Frank "I don't need to worry about plot or character" Wildhorn) knocked himself out to write 'hits' that never got beyond some piano bars and minor cabaret venues. Singable,yes...and empty. Broadway, these days, is so full of 'been there, heard that'.

Have I committed one complete PIAZZA song to memory? So far just one, but so many other beautiful and surprising passages keep rebounding within the brain! If it's not material for my piano bar, so what -- there is always MY FAIR LADY or FOLLIES, CHICAGO or SOUTH PACIFIC for quality singalongs. I'll be very happy if and when someone writes a good new singalong score (David Yazbek might yet pull it off); meanwhile
I'll save "La Passegiata"(edited) for a restaurant...enjoy the bistecca Fiorentina and the pretty melody.

Another important point is to admit (when asking rhetorically what everyone else is raving about), that one may not be quite getting something, and to be careful not to arrive at conclusions before a second hearing, at least (to think that I once recoiled at CANDIDE - now I can't get it out of my head!). Praise to the NY Times' Charles Isherwood for rethinking his opinion of Adam Guettel's score for PIAZZA.


On repeated hearings,LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA exceeds even my delighted first impressions. You may feel differently, but until you've listened at least twice, I can't HEAR you......

This is an unusual story to be made into a musical. Many good musicals from similar sources have just not made it--witness "Cry for Us All" in 1970 and "I Remember Mama" in 1979. And those were from a time when Broadway tended more toward the book musical.
It is also an unusual approach to music. As several others reviews have noted, it is somewhat operatic in style. While there are wonderful musical moments, there are no songs that stand out and have become popular.
Whatever the "unusualities," this is certainly refreshing in the midst of the "Spamalots" and "Spelling Bees."
To appreciate the work initially, it is necessary to follow the libretto, which fortunately is included with the cd. Later, it can be heard as good background music--such as on headsets while taking your walk.
Since I do not have access to Broadway, I am grateful for the "Live from Lincoln Center" television presentation. This has given me a more complete reference for following the plot.
While this is not the number one favorite in my collection of musical recordings, it will certainly remain an important part.

Adam Guettel's "The Light in the Piazza" is a wonderfully refreshing and complex masterpiece that rightly earned the Best Score Nod at the 2005 Tony Awards. Having seen and heard Guettel's earlier "Floyd Collins" I was well acquainted with how innovative his music was.Because "Piazza" is a romantic melodrama with Firenze,Italy as its location, Guettel's music evokes the 1950's Era with grace,elegance and ingenuity.The opening title is a rhapsodic ode to love and the breezes twirling the leaves in the piazza is vividly acute under Guettel's pen.Victoria Clark has the most accomplished and cultured female voice currently on Broadway.Her rendering of 'Dividing Day' is heart-crushingly poignant.Clark's voice is accurate always and true in pitch and vibrato.She blends perfectly with the thinner voiced Kelli O'Hara in the opening.O'Hara's voice is a lighter, less mature sounding coloratura, but is perfect for the part she plays.An outstanding choice to counter balance other Broadway offerings.Clark's new solo cd "Fifteen Seconds of Grace" is highly recommended.
RATING A+

My daughters and I had the good fortune to see this musical shortly before it left Chicago. We love musicals and all agreed that this is one of the best we've seen in many years. Why?
First of all, the story is simple, yet basic to everyone. It's about finding love and embracing it to the greatest extent possible. For Margaret, it's about losing a passion for someone that once existed, but recognizing it's not too late to help your daughter find hers. Most of all, it's about the simplicity of pure love in a complicated world and how it can break down all language, cultural, and even physical barriers to conquer all.
The composers matched characters and emotions perfectly, from Clara's cries from her heart in "The Light in the Piazza" to Fabrizio's love at first site in "Love to Me". How can you not love the beginning lyrics in "Love to Me"? ("The day we meet. The way you lean against the wind, and do not know that you are beautiful.)
Or Margaret's lament in the reprise to "The Beauty Is". The lyric ("If I could, then I would paint it over. I would be there and I wouldn't turn away. If I only had a chance to not turn away... and the beauty is, and the beauty is, the beauty is.")is a statement about everyone's life and the decisions they make and regret.
"Say it Somehow" is one of the most beautiful songs about the fact that love transcends language and cultural barriers.
One reviewer missed the entire point of Clara's tirade scene. Her passion to protect her love is just that, pure passion, not checked by proprieties. It is a reaction that is understood in all languages, a reaction from the heart to someone who is posing as a threat to take her love away from her. We should all be so passionate when our love is threatened.
Thank you Adam Guettel for a show and album that we will enjoy for the rest of our lives. We need more musicals like this one. I am sure that it will endure the test of time. It is a universal story of love coupled with music for the soul.

The only thing more sleep inducing than this cast album is sitting through the actual show. The music is very pretty but too similar and will lull you into a deep coma!

This is a splendid cd if you enjoy movie themes. Original performances that bring back fond memories of the films. Many selections included.

If you love movies and movie music, you can't go wrong with this two cd Paramount Anniversary set.

Normally I have a lot to say in my reviews, but not this time. The main problem with this collection is that all the most memorable film scores are just on one disc, with the second used mostly to play out stuff from the last ten years that, really, musically isn't very memorable and only includes three pieces anyone will recognize just because, like the movies they come from, they're based on old TV shows - The Addams Family, Star Trek, and Mission: Impossible.

And that brings up another problem. With all due respect to the late Jerry Goldsmith, who has provided some truly great classic movie scores, was it REALLY necessary to include TWO versions of the SAME Star Trek march in this collection? This seems evocative of the milk-it-for-all-its-worth attitude Paramount has had lately toward its now-tarnished crown-jewel franchise. Where's James Horner's theme music from Star Trek II and III? If they're gonna put Star Trek on here twice, they should have provided a little diversity. It wouldn't have taken much, I'm sure.

I'm sure that Paramount's had other films with far more memorable music (even Harold Faltermeyer's Top Gun Anthem could have helped on Disc 2). This just seems like a lazy attempt at something that really could have been great.

There are some really great songs on this 2 CD set. However, those really great songs seem to be lightly interspersed amongst a large number of forgettable songs whose main purpose seems to be to remind you of those movies you enjoy(ed) so much.

It seems a little odd to me that out of 90 years of film making the most memorable scores have been largely released within the last few years. I was pleased to find themes from the Godfather, Indiana Jones and Witness. I was perplexed with the inclusion of songs from Rugrats, both Mission Impossible movies (one would have been more than enough) and Tomb Raider (memorable???).

This is my own personal bias, but I do prefer movie soundtracks that evoke a feeling of excitement. With this collection I just couldn't get excited. I kept finding myself being let down by songs that didn't in some way complement the preceeding song.

There are certainly some great tracks here, but overall I was disappointed. My advise would be to look elsewhere.

This one was a pleasant surprise! I thought- how could any CD that had "Baby Elephant Walk" be all that good? This one is. Lots of great scores- classics and a few hidden treasures. After hearing the beautiful title score for "Children of a Lesser God", I had to buy the entire soundtrack - very soothing. There are a few that may seem too overplayed ("Love Story", "Raiders of the Lost Ark",), but most are a welcome addition to any compilation. Try NOT loving "Building the Barn" from "Witness" or the "Hymn to the Fallen" from "Saving Private Ryan". Hours of great listening.

Between Amazone, Ebay and Napster, I don't usually buy CDs anymore, and I usually wait till I can buy them cheaper "new and used". When this set came out, I was excited, mainly by Disc 5, but wasn't going to spend $70 on it. I waited till it was cheap enough, and got it for Father's day this year.
It was worth the wait.

The concept is great. The packaging is great. The recording is great. Disc five is really cool for an ALW aficionado. There are a few real gems on it; my favorites are Petula Clark's "I Could Have Given You More" and "Benedicite."
I've always thought "Gus the Theatre Cat" made a great medley on the piano with "Unexpected Song" and "I DOn't Know How to Love Him," but wished there was an alternate lyric to match the other two songs. Now that I know there *is*, and it's a good lyric, it's a dream come true.
The melody of "Benedicite" is one of my favorites from _Sunset_ (the book mis-identifies it as "SUrrender"; it's actually "The Lady's Paying" and "Eternal Youth is Worth a Little Suffering"). The lyrics are the canticle from Daniel 3, which comes up every odd Sunday in the Divine Office, so it's nice to have cool music to sing it with.

I haven't bought _By Jeeves_ or _THe Beautiful Game_ yet, to it was great to sample them.

There are other parts of the CD taht aren't found in my collection. I like CD 4 "The Hits."

But the selections on CDs 1-3 don't make sense.

First, any self-respecting ALW fan has the Original London Cast of _Phantom_, so six tracks are totally useless. Why not draw from the Canadian cast with Colm Wilkinson? Or pull out some obscure recordings never published.

Why two different tracks with Michael Ball singing "Love Changes Everything", yet they're hardly any different?

On Disc 5 is "It's Only Your Lover Returning," sung by Julie Covington. It's an early draft of the song (Lloyd Webber and Rice went through several suggested titles) and quite nice. The very thing one expects on a Boxed Set.
So why have the Julie Covington "Don't Cry for Me" on disc 1?? The only difference is a few words, but it's otherwise identical. Why not Elaine Paige or Patti Lupone or Madonna?

The _Evita_ section is otherwise the best, choosing a sample from each major recording, though I'd have chosen slightly differently (as above).

There is a great selection of "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" from the Sydmonton festival, using the original music that was changed when _Cats_ went to Broadway_. It would have been nice if they'd included more recordings from Sydmonton, like the original lyric of "All I Ask of You" shown on the second DVD to the _Phantom_ movie.

With so many great actress-singers who've played Norma Desmond, why does the collection beat us over the head with Glenn Close?

Paul Miles Kingston must be set for life in royalties, for the number of albums the original recording of "Pie Jesu" has appeared on. "Amigos Para Siempre" is nice, but it reminds me of Shari Lewis's "The Song that Doesn't End," especially when it's been used on so many compilations.

In short, this is a great collection for the obscure material, if you can get it cheap. But for a boxed set, it's a poor sampling, drawn mostly from the most familiar recordings.

Please beware they made a mistake on this. It's actually the shortened Ray Shell version of STARLIGHT EXPRESS from the original 1984 London cast - NOT the El Debarge single from 1987 like it says on the box. I don't know how they let that goof pass. Sorry to Ray Shell. Having said that, this is an outstanding compilation of Lloyd Webber's greatest hits.

Regardless of the fact that some of his latest efforts (most notably, The Woman in White) are disappointing, there can be little doubt that Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the greatest composers ever to work in the musical theatre. Ever since his "Jesus Christ Superstar" hit the stage in the early 70-is, it was clear that the conception and perception of musicals are never going to be the same again. Many of his songs became standards not only in the theatre history, but also as tops on the charts. Even though he's British, his influence on the shape of the modern musical theatre expanded over the West End boundaries long ago and has thus made an enormous impact on Broadway. Two of his shows ("Cats" and "The phantom of the opera") hold the record as two the longest running shows in the history of Broadway. He has also been the only composer to have three of his shows running at Broadway concurrently. Some of his awards include three Grammies, a Golden Globe, an Oscar and a bunch of Tony awards. But perhaps most of all, Lloyd Webber is responsible for bringing the musicals and the theatre appealing to the wide audiences, who in different circumstances would not consider seeing a musical. The secret of his success is probably the mixture of beautiful and catchy melodies, interesting subject matter (though some, like Starlight Express, are too thin) and grandiose staging.

Over the years many compilations of his work have emerged. In the late 80-is and early 90-is it was the "Encore" series and lately the one-disc collection called "Gold". The one in question here can be considered one of the best currently on the market. First, it includes a 3-disc selections from all of his shows, minus the latest one, i.e., "The Woman in White", which, considering the triviality of the score, is no great lost. The fourth disc covers some of his most known songs sung by the famous artists. Then, there is the fifth disc with previously unreleased material, most of which are the songs ALW wrote with Tim Rice for various artists during the 70-is. The disks are all neatly packed in a hardcover book that features 67 pages of pictures and text with information about each of ALW's shows. One of the other assets here is the perfect sound quality, since all of the tracks have been digitally remastered.

Here are my basic impressions and comments regarding the material on the discs:

* Disc #1 has the selections from "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Evita", "Cats" and "Song & Dance". The Superstar material mostly comes from the Concept Recording. Although the songs sound beautiful as always, their orchestration is a bit dated now. Only Steve Balsamo's "Gethsemane" from the 1996 revival cast has a modern rock sound. "Evita" comes with the material from all of the major recordings: London, Broadway and the movie productions, as well as the Concept album. No objections here; since this is one of ALW's most satisfying works, every song is just perfect, although Patti LuPone, the Broadway and overall the best Evita, is left with only a couple of lines. With the selections from "Cats", however, I have some doubts. A plus to the choice of the "Jellicle ball" impressive orchestral sequence from the 1998 movie version and "Mister Mistoffelees" from the 1981 London cast. One of the best known ALW's songs, "Memory", also comes from that album. It's a pretty version and Elaine Paige's rendition cannot be matched, but why include this when the definite version, featuring an 80-piece orchestra and Elaine Paige with much better interpretation, can be found in the same movie version. Thusly, one has to buy Elaine Paige's latest 2-disc compilation "Centre Stage: The very best of Elaine Paige" to get that one. And "Gus the theatre cat" is more a recital than a song, so there was not much point in including that. Marti Webb brings her vocal charm to the "Song & Dance" sequence, Sarah Brightman sings "Unexpected song" with her famous soprano, but as much as I like her version, Bernadette Peters, who was in this show on Broadway is strangely left out here.

* Disc # 2 starts with "Starlight Express". This was never one of my favorite ALW's shows; the plot is even lighter than in "Cats" and the 1984 original cast recording is terribly dated. Yet, here we have one terrific duet, "I am starlight" from the original together with three songs from the later revivals and it seems that fresh orchestrations were just the thing Starlight needed. My favorite remains a touchy ballad, "Next time you fall in love". "Requiem" is the most solemn of all ALW's compositions, written in 1985 to commemorate the death of his father. Placido Domingo's tenor rides together with the chorus all the way through the strong "Hosanna", only to be joined by Sarah Brightman in the final moments of this song. She then gives an echoing deliverance of "Pie Jesu". What can be said of ALW's next show, "The Phantom of the Opera"? A phenomenon in its own right, it's easy to see from the six numbers included here why this is one of the best and most beloved musicals of all time. The cast, the music, the story - everything is perfect. Although "Aspects of love" was never a popular hit, it does have some of the most beautiful love melodies ALW has ever written. "Love changes everything" sung by Michael Ball is probably one of the best tunes ever about love. The rest of the selected material here has a dreamy love flavor and the melodies find their way into your brain in the best Lloyd Webber way.

* ALW's first musical, "Joseph and the amazing Technicolor dreamcoat" was more successful in its revival form than the original from the 70-is. The three songs included here are sung by the show stars, Jason Donovan and Donny Osmond. Maria Friedman was not a lucky choice to play the narrator, as the track from the 1998 movie version shows. "By Jeeves" was ALW's only big flop when it came to the stage in the 70-is. The 1995 revival sounds much better though, full of funny numbers in the best manner of the musical comedy. "Travel hopefully" remains one of the show's highlights on this compilation. "Sunset Boulevard" comes next. "Sunset" remains for me one of Webber's best scores; lush and beautiful. I listen to the original cast recording with Patti LuPone all the time. However, here most of the songs are performed by Glenn Close. A big mistake. If you've ever listened the American premiere recording with her, you'll know what I am talking about. She may have a strong stage presence, but her vocal abilities are too limited, and her aggressive approach to the role lacks any subtlety. Therefore, the two big numbers from this show, "With one look" and "As if we never said goodbye" are ruined by the fact she can't sing. The same goes for the American Joe Gillis, who was played by Alan Campbell. Luckily, Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson, the original Norma and Joe from the London production, make their brief entrance here with the "Perfect year"; enough to show how better they are. The funny thing is, on the jacket and inside of it, Glenn Close and Alan Campbell are credited as performers in this song as well. If this was a mistake on ALW's part, it was a good one. The next ALW's show, "Whistle down the wind" was never a critic's dear and yet the audiences rushed in to see it in London. The score brings back ALW to his rock and roll roots of the seventies and the story is quite interesting. But the selections here are not the happiest, since the cast recording boasts with much better songs. And finally, "The Beautiful Game". Again, we have one of those ALW's shows that is worth in its individual parts rather than as a whole. "Our kind of love" and "Let us love in peace" are two catchy ballads. The latter is a nice amalgam version not available elsewhere. The two other tracks here I could live without.

* Disc # 4 has the songs from all the above shows performed by different artists. The assembled tracks have their pros and cons. For example, we have some previously unreleased stuff, like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's operettic rendition of "The heart is slow to learn", or a stunning and epic "A kiss is a terrible thing to waste" from "Whistle down the wind", performed by The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra. Then again, what was the point in including almost identical tracks as the ones on the previous disks? So we have Michael Ball again singing "Love changes everything" with only a bit different orchestration; Sarah Brightman comes out again with the same Phantom duets, but only with the different male singers. It would be much more appropriate to include tracks from the Toronto Cast of the Phantom, with Colm Wilkinson. Other pop deliverances (Tina Arena's "Whistle down the wind", Barbra Streisand's "As if we never said goodbye", Boyzone's "No matter what" and many more) were wisely chosen. Patti LuPone is again nowhere to be found and Petula Clark's "With one look" sounds too worn-out.

* The last disc is probably the one that will be of most interest to Lloyd Webber aficionados. It consists of entirely previously unreleased material ALW for the most part wrote for various artists during his early years, with Tim Rice. Some of these tunes, not successful as a singles, were later used in his shows. Thus "Down thru' summer" became "Buenos Aires"in Evita, "Try it and see", an unsuccessful attempt for the Eurovision was used for "King Herod's song" in "Superstar" and so on. Some of these songs are nicely made pop songs: "Make believe love", ALW's first recorded composition, for which he provided the lyrics; "Goodbye Seattle", sung by Paul Raven, who later became Gary Glitter; "Come back Richard, your country needs you", from a never made musical, sung here by Tim Rice, or Latin flavored "Magdalena", with Tony Christie singing. My all time favorite here is a song called "It's easy for you", sung by none other than Elvis Presley himself. Lloyd Webber and Rice sent him a demo recording that he accepted and recorded this live version a couple of weeks before he died. It's amazing to hear how his voice remained in the perfect shape. Also, there is a track of Andrew Lloyd Webber singing "Policle dogs and Jellicle cats" while plying the piano. His voice doesn't sound bad at all.


Taken as a whole, this compilation makes a perfect birthday or Christmas present to any fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows, or just anybody interested in some of the best tunes from the modern era of the musical theatre; despite the flaws I mentioned above. To the former, it may just be the final addition for the Andrew Lloyd Webber collection.

"Evita." "Sunset Blvd." "Starlight Express." "Jesus Christ Superstar." "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." "Requiem." "Aspects of Love." The man who is the most recognized composer in the history of the musical theatre, the man who has won more Tonys than any other composer, the man who boasts the best-selling show of all time ("The Phantom of the
Opera") and the longest-running show of all time ("Cats"), the man whose homes are filled with three Grammys, five Oliviers, a Golden Globe, and Oscar and too many other honors and hosannas to mention, the man knighted in 1992 certainly doesn't need an introduction. Now Decca Broadway pays tribute to Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber with "Now and Forever," a spectacular 5-CD set compiled and produced by Sir Andy himself. It's cheaper than a
ticket to "The Producers" ... and more much exciting. This treasure trove contains highlights from all of Webber's shows, and a bonus disc of tunes sung by Betty Buckley, Barbara
Streisand, Jose Carreras, Boy George, Charlotte Church, Madonna, Tom Jones, Petula Clark, even Elvis! A must for lovers of theatre---and good music.

This five-CD collection of Andrew Lloyd Webber's career is fantastic. It leaves virtually no stone unturned. I have no doubt that diehard Webber fans will love this, especially for the 5th disc entitled "From the Vaults." This disc alone is worth the price as it contains tunes never before heard by the typical fan. Who knew Elvis did a Lloyd Webber tune?!? I didn't! Also the tune "Benedictine" which the composer wrote for his most recent marriage is not only pretty, but it has the same medley as "The Lady's Paying" from "Sunset Blvd." which I found highly enjoyable. Another great track is the composer himself singing a cut song from "Cats" entitled "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats" which has the same tune as "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats," but to hear Sir Andrew sing is a blast...he sounds a lot like Al "Year of the Cat" Stewart.
The cuts from the musicals are great but are likely owned by ALW fans as they are on the original cast albums. And I'm glad that there were tunes included from the composers most recent efforts which have yet to make it beyond London (Whistle Down the Wind, Beautiful Game).
My only complaint is the inclusion of way too many tracks by Sarah Brightman. She must've received a great divorce settlement that included having tunes on any ALW collection until the end of time!! Her interpretations of some of the tunes were limp and uninspired. I would've much rather heard casts from around the world rather than yet another song by this disdainful soprano! How about Colm Wilkinson's version of "Music of the Night" from the original Canadian cast of "Phantom"? Or Michael Crawford's version of "Unexpected Song"? What? No Betty Buckley from "Sunset Blvd."? And of course there are songs you KNOW are going to be on the collection before you even listen to it as they have been on EVERY ALW collection for the past decade or so.
A great collection but too much Sarah Brightman!

You get what you want from this. All of the epic music from Peter Jackson's 2005 King Kong film. Highly recommended to hardcore fans.

While I expected a certain amount of powerful action music--in keeping with the fact that King Kong is an action film--I felt this cd soundtrack focused excessively on action music, and that the touching and beautiful selections in the film's more tender scenes were woefully ignored. They are there, but in what feels to be abbreviated forms, as though the powers behind the cd decided to add them as a brief afterthought. If you found the more sensitive music in the film is what drove you to consider the cd (as I did) then you'll find this cd too abrasive for too long to just enjoy easy listening. The quality of the musical compositions is not lacking--it's good action music--but this is not a cd comfortable to listen to for long periods. If you are producing a back yard play, and need some pounding action music that goes on and on, then this cd is for you. They ought to release a secondary cd that contains only full-scale versions of the beautiful instrumentation present in more sensitive scenes. Now THAT'S a cd I'd enjoy.

I watched the Extended Deluxe Edition of King Kong recently. When the opening credits ran I knew I HAD to get the soundtrack. I found it here and ordered it. When I recieved it I was very pleased. It has become one of my favorite scores by Newton Howard.

After Lord of the Rings collaborator Howard Shore had his fully written score rejected due to the ever popular "creative differences" in Peter Jackson's film, James Newton Howard stepped in and had about a month and a half to write a monumental amount of music. He stepped up to the challenge and wrote a blowout score that awes and amazes at each turn. I can only imagine what kind of score he would have come up with if he had a much longer period of time to write the score, but in any case, he succeeds all the same.
King Kong has an established theme throughout the score, represented by a 7-note motif that is both ominous and bold. It is featured whenever the big ape is on screen, as well as when he is somewhere lurking about on the island. Since the film takes place in the 1930s, Howard wrote some period music in many cues of the first half of the score, which feature appropriate pianos and jazzy woodwinds.
As the crew makes their way to the island, the music shifts into a more ominous and more action-oriented approach, as they try to survive and capture the beast. The music throughout the majority of the second half of the album is awe-inspiring, resilient, and frankly breath-taking. The orchestra is strident, the chorus is bold, and the percussion is propulsive. "Tooth and Claw" is a very impressive action-oriented track with plenty of fast-paced, heavy brass lines, whirling strings, and racing percussion. The "awe-factor" is present in most of the cues, such as "It's Deserted", where you can only imagine viewing the island for the first time as the ship nears its destination.
The grand finale consists of "The Empire State Building" as well as "Beauty Killed the Beast" (not how the Disney film ended as you may recall...). Here the orchestra and chorus give everything they've got, building and building to an emotional and powerful climax as the great beast falls to his demise.
This is one of James Newton Howard's finest works, which proves that he is one of the best composers out there. A highly recommended score with 74 minutes of outstanding music. You would be a fool to pass this one up!!

Not the best score I've ever heard. Certainly not bad, some tracks were very nice. Unfortunately, a good deal of them are too action-oriented for my liking, or simply boring. The best piece of music from the film, the beautifully haunting female chorus played over the spider pit scene (best part of the movie!), is sadly nowhere to be found on this disc. I don't doubt Howard's talent as a composer, but the music for King Kong, sadly, doesn't have the same bite as the movie.

For War of the Worlds, John Williams reached for something not of this earth and composed a score that you feel on your skin, even before you become aware that you are actually hearing it. He has laid down a musical foundation of atmospherics and textural events, achieving a rhythmic propulsion that is so utterly primal it crawls up inside you and makes you wonder how one composer could make such a radical departure of style from such masterworks of melodic phrasing as the flying theme from E.T., to the enduring themes of the Star Wars series and come up with a new sound that gives War of the Worlds much of its ultra-realism. But that is the genuine genius of John Williams and the many characters he has played throughout a musical career that will never be equaled.

John Williams, like his contemporary, the late Jerry Goldsmith, is responsible for some of filmdom's more memorable scores ("Jaws," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Star Wars," "Superman-The Movie," the first three "Harry Potter" films, and so many others). Just the mention of the composer's name brings smiles to the movie fans worldwide and his album sales and critical acclaim attest to his popularity.

Williams's three-decade association with Steven Spielberg has produced some of the aforementioned as well as other scores that have been the best collaborations between director and composer since the days of Hitchcock and legendary Bernard Herrmann.

While John Williams has made beautiful and awe-inspiring music for Spielberg productions in the past, he's had a couple of subpar (for Williams) compositions; and, sadly, "War of the Worlds" falls into this category.

The measure of a movie score lies in its ability to stand alone apart from the film for which it was composed. This particular work needs the movie's images and action to support its lack of listenability. Like the earlier "Minority Report," the music to Spielberg's adaptation of the Wells' classic does not feature any distinct melodies, little drama, or even thrills that are necessary to tell a story about malevolent aliens attempting to wipe out mankind.

It's as if the composer took the term "incidental music" to heart and just provided little more than something in the background.

Maybe he was attempting to be subtle, but the story deserved something a bit more dynamic and frightening.

We, his fans, all know that he is more than capable to come up to the plate.

Perhaps, on his next pairing with Steven...

This score is like nothing else I have heard from Williams and that is an awesome thing! I am always impressed with the work that Williams does but this score really surprised me. The score uses many modern and avant garde classical methods to truly convey an expression of fear. Rather than focusing on charactar based themes, as Williams generally does, he instead uses musical textures to convey the emotion of the film. This textural technique of composing reminded me of the works of Gyorgy Ligeti. Though this is a great listen, this score may seem "unpleasent" to listen to if you aren't used to heavy/modern classical music, which is a contrast to the usual scores that Williams composes. Though I must say, the unpleasant feeling score was exactly what a film like War of the Worlds needed. Bravo John Williams!

For this soundtrack, it is real awesome. It is so good to listen to it. All the sound effects in this album are so good and fill with a lot of tense moments. The composer of this album is John Williams. He is always the best for the movie music. He makes a lot of good music in his past movies. This one is no exception at all. When I listen, I feel the tense moments. So, this album is good overall and you should get it.

I will begin by telling you that this score is either for people with interesting taste, or a film score fanatic. I fit in both categories.

This soundtrack is extremely dark, atmospheric, and at times tragically beautiful.

Tracks 5 and 3 are sure to bring a tear to your eye. The others will have your heart racing, pumping your blood quickly as you EXPERIENCE the suspense of the film in a way only John Towner Williams can simulate.

A must have.

I have had this CD a while and it hasn't gotten old. I like the rhythm and the energy of the songs. I can visualize Antonio on Tornado when I listen to it.
I'm a fan of James Horner. This one doesn't disappoint.

I was a tad disappointed in this CD even though I listened to the little cuts on each song before I ordered. Actually, I was looking for the soundtrack to "Zorro the Gay Blade" and this sounded real Spanish/Mexican/whatever, so I took a chance on it. Kinda boring for Spanish type music. It's not something I will listen to very often though.

The Legend of Zorro is the perfect follow up to The Mask of Zorro. It uses it's the themes and moods from "Mask" but also utilizes a much larger and more epic feel. The love theme as orchestrated for this score stirs the same emotions from me as Arnold's "Stargate Overture" or Williams "Across the Stars." So wonderful is this score, that I have hardly wanted to hear anything besides it since I bought it.
If you are a fan of James Horner, epic scores, or music that will make your skin turn into goose flesh... this is a must buy!

Oscar Winner composer James Horner, follows his musical saga for ZORRO

This CD makes you want to put a rose in your teeth and flamenco dance.

Many reasonably sophisticated American and European musiclovers still think there are really no American classical music composers of note other than perhaps Gershwin and Copland. It is to the credit of the Naxos label, via their 'American Classics' series, that the lie is put to that notion. Each month there are new issues from Naxos containing music by American composers. And it was a brilliant idea for them to take selections from their dozens of releases of this music to put together this sampler of such music to illustrate a 100+ page essay on the subject by an eminent writer on music, Barrymore Laurence Scherer. The combination of 2 CDs of music tracks, Scherer's essay, a chronological outline, suggestions for further listening, even a map showing where various composers were born helps the 'student' learn much about our nation's musical heritage.

There are selections by twenty-eight composers stretching from the amazing Wagnerian 'Macbeth' Overture by William Henry Fry (1813-1864) to the very recent 'Rapture,' a percussion concerto by Michael Torke (b. 1961). Some selections are complete movements, others are shorter passages from larger works. Included are such gems as the first movement of Arthur Foote's Piano Quartet, the third movement of Henry Hadley's Fourth Symphony, Charles Ives's 'The Unanswered Question,' 'King Cotton' by John Philip Sousa, 'Maple Leaf Rag' by Scott Joplin, a passage (the exciting Spanish Waltz) from Walter Piston's 'The Incredible Flutist,' the finale of Copland's 'Billy the Kid,' the opening of Samuel Barber's luminous 'Knoxville - Summer of 1915,' 'Tonight' from Bernstein's 'West Side Story,' the opening of George Rochberg's masterful Violin Concerto, and John Adams's incredibly popular 'Short Ride in a Fast Machine.' Plus selections by Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Edward MacDowell, George Whitefield Chadwick, Amy Beach, Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Charles Wakefield Cadman, George Gershwin, George Antheil, Zez Confrey, William Schuman, John Cage, Gunther Schuller, Alan Hovhaness, Elliott Carter and Philip Glass. The performances are more than acceptable and in some instances ('Knoxville,' Rochberg's Violin Concerto) definitive.

I would heartily recommend this set (especially at its superbudget price) to anyone wanting to know more about the history of American classical music -- Scherer is a master of cogent, clear prose -- and wishing to hear examples of the broad range it has taken over the past couple of centuries. I can easily imagine this set being used in a music appreciation course. And I am sure it will spark interest in the newcomer to this branch of classical music.

2 CDs TT=ca. 160 mins.

Scott Morrison