Steve Edwards

The music of "Lord of the Rings" reminds me so much of Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle. Well, the entire story of LOTR reminds me of The Ring Cycle. But apples and oranges aside, the musical themes (or leitmotifs) here are dazzling. From the "Orc Industry" to "The Fellowship" to "Hobbiton", they all so diverse and so distinctive. I love every minute of it (except for some overly bombastic parts that are very irritating to the ears). Kudos to Howard Shore, and to Peter Jackson who hired Howard Shore.

With the release of the Complete Recordings, Peter Jackson and Howard Shore gave their fans the opportunity to return into the mystics of middle-earths music deeper than before. While the ordinary soundtracks only had some selected parts of this epic score, fans are now able to listen to every single note, Shore wrote for this fantastic trilogy. You are able to learn everything about the history of the music, with lots of informations about the different musical themes, which you can hear through the 3 hours of music.
A fantastic CD-Box!

my wife is a big fan of the movie. this music is right from the movie. It is not music inspired from the movie like some of those disapointing cd i have atained in the past. it's right from the movie so if you watch the movie you have heard the music before. I don't like the wall art that media player wants you to look at as the music plays but in a cd player it sounds great. It is exactly what you would expect.

Even if you don't like the films, this soundtrack will take you to Middle Earth.

Prompt shipping, item came as described. My husband LOVES it and couldn't be happier with it! I'll have to buy the rest of the recordings soon!

Charlotte Church is truly amazing, she has such a lovely angelic,magical,and beautiful voice. I have all of her cd's and they are all truly wonderful. This is worth owning to as is everything Charlotte Church comes out with. It as all of her songs that we're put out as singles and that was on the charts. No one can touch Charlotte Church at all her voice ranges higher than so many singers that she just will always be the top to me. Charlotte truly deserves to have this best of album and it is good to hear all of her music from the beginning up to some of her later stuff all on one terrific album.

I was introduced to Charlotte Church's music when I saw one of her concerts on PBS. This cd is a good collection of her music.

Her music ranges from opera to Broadway to traditional Celtic to pop.

Let's forget for the moment the unfortunate repertoire and lifestyle choices, and just listen to this recording.
"Pie Jesu, "Amazing Grace," and "The Prayer" with Josh Groban remind us of the sweet little girl with the "voice of an angel." That she was, in spite of the reviewers who say "too much, too soon."
Other tracks here--"Bridge Over Troubled Waters," "Ave Maria," "She Walked Through the Fair"--continue the style, with a bit of added maturity.
The problems come in when she moves to selections that are too heavy for her voice at this time. The "Habanera" is most unfortunate, with a stylized accompaniment that forces her to strain to be heard above it.
Perhaps "Issues and Tissues" was a learning experience for her. She has recently indicated her intentions to return to her earlier classical/semi-classical roots. Hopefully, with care, we can once again anticipate "the voice of an angel/"

I personally really loved this CD. I am especially impressed that she was extremely young when recording this CD...and while she still has room for improvement, that can pretty much be said about anyone. I was astounded by "Dream a Dream" (with Billy Gilman, who was especially young at that time). I think this was a good purchase and don't regret it at all.

My only other experience with Charlotte Church was seeing part of a PBS special on her, where she sang songs like "Some Enchanted Evening". I actually enjoy her voice on this style of music.

I love her rendition of "Amazing Grace". She also did good on covering "Bridge Over Troubled Water", though I was disappointed she didn't try the high note on the verses as Garfunkel did. My favorite on the project was "It's the Heart That Matters Most".

If I want some beautiful sounding music to relax to while I'm working, this would be a very good project for that.

I was trasnfixed by some of the music in this movie. I was happily surprised to see this soundtrack was available. I play this often at home. It is restful music. Highly recommended for those of you who loved the music from this movie as I did.

i've been looking for the song that's playing when diane lane goes to the womans house and she's getting her portrait painted, there's this almost jazz sounding song, and i cant find it. please help!!!

I was in Italy for two glorious weeks in 2007. This CD takes me right back to relive the sites, sounds and memories.

Lots of food references. The DVD was much more pleasing as it involved the landscapes and people who are very interesting to see more than the story line of the actual novel. A switch to find the movie better than the book

I HAD BEEN TRYING TO BUY THIS CD IN AUSTRALIA BUT WAS UNABLE TO FIND IT. I WANTED THE CD BECAUSE I LOVED THE MOVIE SO MUCH. THE CD WAS EVERYTHING I EXPECTED. I LOVE IT.

Once again, Steve Jablonsky has made a true movie score. It is not his absolut best work, which has to be the score of Transformers, yet it belongs to a 5-Star Moviescore. He gave a true personal touch to this work and this makes the difference between a movie soundtrack and a movie score. Probably one of the most gifted componists right now.

This album is absolutely worth 19 dollars. After watching the movie, I knew I'd have to lay my hands on the score as soon as possible. All the tracks are fantastic, although I don't think that the track 'Mass Vehicular Carnage' has anything to do with the rest of the CD, because it's basically a rap song.
My favourite tracks are 'The Island Awaits You', 'This Tongue Thing's Amazing', 'Mass Winnings' and 'My Name Is Lincoln'. I'd say that if you like Hans Zimmer's music, this CD is definitely a good buy for you.

My quest to find this soundtrack (though at the time, I didn't know this was the one I was looking for) began when I saw the Flyboys trailer a while back. The music in the trailer was amazing, and I was determined to find where it came from.

My search led me here, to Steve Jablonsky's The Island, and specifically track 14; My Name Is Lincoln.

Even if 'Lincoln' was the only track on the score, it may be worth the full price. Okay, not quite, but the song is VERY GOOD! Unfortunately, the rest of the score isn't quite as good, though it isn't terrible. It does not offer any strong themes or particularly memorable moments, it's kind of just there. I'm also not a huge fan of the last song, which I deleted from my mp3 player.

One should buy 'The Island' for 'My Name Is Lincoln,' then one should check out the Transformers score, Jablonsky's masterful work...that one is very good!

I agree with all of the other reviews about the depth of Jablonsky's work and the complexity of these titles.

It is missing the background music from the highway chase with the Black Wasp's and train car wheels, that methodical synthetic metal drum isn't on the CD. If I'm wrong or if it is on another audio CD then please correct me.

The haunting theme played during the credits is Track 4 "Starkweather" and is the second half of the CD track, but for some odd reason it is interrupted by what can only be described by an eight second violin waul then reverts back. At first I wondered if my CD player was skipping but it does this on every player I have. You're better off just recording the audio off the DVD while playing the credits.

#14 "My Name Is Lincoln" and #10 "This Tongue Thing's Amazing" are worth the price of the CD. At the time of this writing this review in late August of 2007, I can't find this CD or even variations of the song on iTunes.

The brooding post modern industrial feel to the songs on this soundtrack give it a feel of epic proportions. I simplely love it!!!...dark,foreboding, and eerily brilliant on every track....thank you Mr. Jablonsky!

This is Thomas Newman at his very best with lush orchestration and sublime chords that are his trademark. The eerie vocals add a somewhat mysterious flavour to the album and embellish it enormously. Can't wait to now see the film .

Most of us know Thomas Newman for his work on his more famous films like American Beauty, Shawshank Redemption, Scent of a Woman and Meet Joe Black, but this soundtrack to the HBO film is right up there with his best pieces of work. The whole album goes through various feelings, shades and emotions, the best tracks for me being Mauve Antarctica and Tropopause. If you're a Thomas Newman fan then you need this in your collection.

Love the film, the play and the soundtrack. If you find the topics of Angels in America interesting, thought-provoking and warm to your heart, you will LOVE this. As a man battling HIV, I find it outstanding. Thanks Amazon, for offering all the Angels in America products.

There are not enough stars on the selection for me to say how good this CD is! It is so beautiful and like classical music. I listen to it all the time!

...well, to only write a review is not enough to describe the impressive sound in this record. it is necessary to listen to it. Thomas do not scrimp in efforts to assemble this wonderful musical work. in fact, each one of the melodys, agreed, and instruments (mainly those of wind and strings) even are perfectly connected and performed in litle some more of 70 minutes of music. Transitions from the quietness of a melody to the loudest human chorus, may be hear is this soundtrack (tipically from the original Serie, that I have too in DVD). But everything is not perfect. Must be had included the Henry Mancini song: "Moon River" contained in one of the most sentimental scenes in the film/serie (that i think at least). In a plus, if you are an lover of this kind of productions, it does not have to lack in its collection the "Angels in America Soundtrack". Buy and enjoy it..!

I enjoy all of Rebecca Luker's albums, and this Aria series does not disappoint. It's soothing and relaxing, and her voice is, of course, lovely.

review review review review blah blah blah blah and stuff, man.

I have never liked opera, but this music is a gentle introduction with enough contemporary addition to pique my interest. Very well done. I have also purchased the first Aria CD and also number 3.

This CD speaks to the heart. It expresses powerful emotions of longing, grief, and tenderness. A baring of the soul with such beauty. Clair Marlo's vocals in Lullabye (Sviraj) are absolutely divine. It sends me. Here we are treated to at least three different vocals, not just Rebecca Luker, and they blend and flow so beautifully. It's just wonderful. What a treat. Can't say enough about this CD. I love it.

ARIA volume 1 was certainly a winner and this follow-up CD is fantastic. I liked the first CD so much that every time I went to the record store or online at Amazon I would look to see if Paul Schwartz and written a sequel. Schwartz selects wonderful works from classical music and re-arranges them so that they maintain the essential spirit and intent of the original but are made accessible for the ears of contemporary listeners. Thus, you owe it to yourself to listen to these gems.

Rebecca Luker's super voice is wonderful as she weaves a mystical mood with Monteverdi's Lament of Arianna; Catalani's "Ebben ne Andro Lontano" from La Wally; "Addio" from Verdi's La Traviata; "Barcarolle" from Offenbach's Contes De Hoffman and "Ave Maria" by Caccini. I looked Luker up on the web and found that she has starred in various Broadway productions. Her voice is incredible and Schwartz integrates her angelic sound into the electronic instrumentation. The "Ave Maria" is somewhat odd, with the strong precussions, but the choir and Rebecca Luker keep it within bounds.

This CD differs from the first ARIA in that we are treated to several instrumental works arranged by Schwartz. "Horizon" is a moody composition anchored by viola and cello. "Cantilena" is a piano solo played by Schwartz, a charming piece that echoes back to Verdi's "Addio" as well as the Croatina Lullabye sung by Clair Marlo.

A second outstanding singer, Clair Marlo, delivers "Sviraj, a Croatian Lullabye" which Schwartz offers in two distinct arrangements, once in Croatian and then again in English.

Faure's "Pavane" is very well done with Marc Antoine playing the guitar solo. The work is improvised so that a contemporary jazz interpretation is offered.

Steve Barton's voice, accompanied by the oboe, offers us "Leiermann" from Die Wintereise by Schubert. This is a dreamy sad odd spacey work with lyrics about a freezing ancient shoeless hurdy-gurdy man. The work is full of mystery and retains Schubert's complexity.

Paul Schwartz makes the outstanding compositions of previous generations come alive for contemporary audiences.

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!

I'm not sure what bollixed up Ms. Mulcahy's order -- she has my sympathies -- perhaps a data base error that has since been fixed. In any case, if what _you're_ looking for is delightful "light classical" music of the brass variety -- think Canadian Brass or Empire Brass -- this is a CD you will certainly enjoy. One of the pieces, the Quartet for Brass by Steve Scott, was recently used as a segue on NPR's "All Things Considered," and seduced me totally in thirty seconds. If the sound of brass brightens your day, give NBV a try.

Andrew Lloyd Webber has sunk to new lows with this boring adaptation of the novel. The music just goes on and on with tuneless melodies and mock-classic arrangements. The lyrics are just rambling sentences with little rhyme or reason.

He hasn't written a good score sense "Sunset Boulevard." He needs to find a good lyricist and stop plagarizing Puccini.

If you enjoy Andrew Lloyd Weber, then Woman in White is for you. The music and story are great. The cast (including Michael Crawford) sing with tremendous energy.

I love this story - I really enjoyed reading the book. I enjoyed some parts of this soundtrack more than others - there are a couple of songs I really loved and a few themes that I got really tired of by the end. I was especially disappointed by the change they made to the "secret." In the book, Sir Percival Glyde's secret is something entirely different from what it is in the play - I understand the need to adapt the book to the play - but I was disappointed in this particular change. Overall, I enjoyed hearing the story through music - there are definitely some songs I will enjoy listening to over and over!

The soundtrack to the Woman in White has "grown on me" over time, and I now find that I enjoy it very, very much. It is not Phantom or Superstar, but it is it's own thing--and it just totally "works." If I had to rate it today, I would give it 4 stars out of 5. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed the music so much that I bought the sheet music for piano. An excellent score Andrew, thanks!
Best numbers: Trying Not to Notice,I Believe in My Heart, Lammastide,You Can Get Away with Anything, The Holly and the Ivy, If I Could Dream this World Away (which starts of great but goes downhill in quality), All for Laura (MAGNIFICENT), Evermore Without You, a song with the lyric "Sweet Tension Fills the Air," and the Finale of Act 2, and the Seduction. Also, the book that this musical is based on by Wilkie Collins is phenomenal. Another Lloyd Webber classic. I've worn out my CD player...again.

Since "Sunset Boulevard" opened in 1993 and closed soon after, Webber's works have followed an incline downward. "The Beautiful Game" opened on the West End in 2000 and many audiences questioned if the Master of Musicals had lost his flare. Now, in attempts to re-create another "Phantom", Webber has teamed with lyricist David Zippel (Why not stay with Tim Rice?) to transform Wilke Collins' classic tale of romantic suspense into a broadway operetta. The plot follows the marriage of a young girl, Laura Farlie, to a sinister man, Sir Percival Glyde. Haunting her, is the spector known as the woman in white who bears a striking resemblance to the beuaitful bride. In attemtps to create a love triangle, the drawing master, Walter Hartright, falls in love with the young bride, but the jealous sister, Marian Holcombe, forces him to leave his post and return to the slums of London. Seeking his help, after the death of her sister, Marian seeks out Hartright in the city, only to team up with him to uncover the secret behind her sister's death and who really is "The Woman In White"?
Though, the music is fair, it cannot compare to any other Webber musical I know. I might reccomend this buy due to a few great songs:
"You Can Get Away With Anything"
"I Hope You Like It Here"
"Lost Souls"
and "All For Laura"
Though it is not "Phantom of the Opera", it might interest you to accpet this offer of Webber's latest piece of work.

At the risk of not being Politically Correct, the London cast, while not bad, is simply not as good as the American cast. It's that simple.

This remake is crisper, and slightly different than the original, but I still like the original better.

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, the cheerfully-mindless musical by the Sherman Brothers, was mounted for the West End stage in 2002, opened at the London Palladium and enjoyed a run of nearly three and-a-half years (the subsequent Broadway production fared less well). The Sherman Brothers score sparks either rapture or revulsion depending on whom you ask, but the musical does offer some quaint charms.

The stage version of CHITTY operates almost like a glorified pantomime, the story remains the same but the score has been re-jigged and altered. In this cast album of the original 2002 London Palladium cast, Michael Ball adds his own special touch to the eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts, with newcomer Emma Williams as Truly Scrumptious. Ball is at his best with the plaintive lullaby of "Hushabye Mountain". Emma Williams doesn't get all that much to warble as Truly (her big movie number "Lovely Lonely Man" was mercilessly cut from the stage score), however Williams has a charming way with "Doll on a Music Box".

Brian Blessed and Nichola McAuliffe push the 'camp' gear into overdrive with their performances as Vulgaria's hideous Baron and Baroness ("Bombie Samba", one of the additions to the stage score, has to be heard to be believed). Richard O'Brien of ROCKY HORROR fame plays the equally-odious Child Catcher with yet another bland addition, "Kiddy-Widdy-Winkies". Carrie Fletcher and George Gillies play Jeremy and Jemima. Stage veteran Anton Rodgers is wonderful as Grandpa Potts.

Happily though, all the best movie songs ("Me Ol' Bamboo", "Toot Sweets", "Posh", "The Roses of Success" and the Oscar-nominated title song) are all here, making the new additions to the score even more inferior by their presence.

[Sony Music/Chitty Records MRBB001]

Sickly, effeminate broadway adaptations of the movie soundtrack. The rendition of Hushabye Mountain is... it makes me sick thinking about it. Don't purchase if your looking for anything remotely similar to the original movie soundtrack. When in a rush, I mistakenly purchased thinking it was the original.

WOW!! I have no clue what is happeneing to broadway? What is with the boring show of this year like, Little Women, The Light in the Piazza, The woman in White and this crap, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Now just from the title this show should be a romping, roaring, good-time musical. Instead we get half-assed atempts at being cute which in turn are syrupy enough to keep New York in pancakes FOR-EV-ER! The sappy-ness goes way overboard when the KIDS, sing "Truly Scrumptious" to , you guessed it! Truly Scrumptious.
Other AWFUL songs include:
You Two
Them Three
Toot Sweets
Think Vulgar!
Hushabye Mountain
Come to the Funfair
Me Ol' Bamboo
Posh
Vulgarian National Anthem
The Roses of Success
Kiddie-Widdie-Winkies
Teamwork
Chu-Chu Face
The Bombie Samba
Doll on a Music Box/Truly Scrumtious (Reprise)
You Two/Chitty Prayer
Chitty Flies Home

The only good song in the entire show is the title one and it came from the original movie, As did some of the others but you would never be able to tell because they are done so badly.

PLEASE SAVE YOU MONEY AND GET A GOOD MUSICAL FROM LONDON'S WEST END LIKE
MARY POPPINS OR ALMOST ANY THING FROM ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER.
OR SOME GOOD ONES FROM BROADWAY LIKE
SPAMALOT
DIRTY ROTTEN SCOULDRELS
THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
AVENUE Q
WICKED
HAIRSPRAY...ANYTHING!!!