Yes, MUCH better than 2 stars!
934801
Heartwarming book from the perspective of a preschooler classifying [a budding librarian!] the creatures in her house, two cats and three people.
"Two who lick each other. Five who kiss each other."
"One who sings loud at night." (one of the cats)
"One who sings loud in the morning." (Dad)
All of her cat-egories (sorry) are just exactly the categories a preschooler would come up with:
"Four who like to eat fish...two who like to eat mice. Only one who likes to eat beets."
And the pictures...perspectively-challenged, muddy pastel-ie montages from Bogacki...are perfect. If you haven't discovered his solo work, seek it out. This would make a great game starter for a family OR a storytime OR a classroom.
2969898
Like many other reviewers of this double-cd, I was beginning to feel that Mr Oldfield had lost his touch.  Upon first listening to this album, I found it to be ok, not great, but ok.  But being a die hard fan, I kept coming back to it, and it grew on me.  I came to quite enjoy both cd's, especially the "Light" cd, with its standout, sensational songs "Our Father" and "Sunset".  The second cd takes a few more listens, but I have come to like it just as much.  Be patient folks; not every album is an instant classic!  Give this one a fair chance, and if you are a fan of Mike's music, you will find yourself rewarded with lots of great tunes.
3346787
The thing is, with a Tarantino flick, you basically know what you're getting into.  Yeah, Vol 1 is quirky, and lots of violence, and maybe even cheesy at times, but after seeing Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Jackie Brown, etc, what do you expect?

I've had discussions with friends who think the 2nd volume is better, and their main argument is that Vol 2 "has more plot!"

Let's make a distinction: Plot and dialogue are NOT THE SAME. Both have the same plot.  That's why it's a two volume movie.

The choreography was better in the 1st Vol.  The cinamatography is way(!) better in the 1st (Consider the final showdown between Thurman and Lucy Liu -- case-in-point.)  And let's face it:  It was way more Tarantino-esque than the 2nd Vol.

But the 2nd Vol does have pros:  If you've seen the 1st, you MUST see the 2nd.  Admit it, you need the closure!  The 2nd does a nice job of putting everything in its place without being too over-explanatory.  Also, character development.  The dialogue and background scenes are needed to develop the characters, and make it more personal for the audience.  Also, it's very funny to see Michael Madsen play a let-himself-go loser, when we're so used to seeing him as the badass guy you love to hate!
4634033
As a quick survey of the reviews of this book indicate, this book has been panned as a poor sequal to Clarke's classic Rendezvous with Rama.  Many of the other reviews contain plot summaries, which I won't repeat.  In this review I want to make the case that this book is not as bad as some of the most negative reviewers make it out to be.  First, RWR was one of best sci-fi novels ever written, and I think that it would have been nearly impossible for any sequel to have lived up to the first novel.  If Rama II seems like a poor second child, this is due, in part, to the unparalleled heights achieved by its elder sibling.  Second, and perhaps more importantly, Rama II is very different from its predecessor in two important ways that have turned off many readers.  First, Rama II is character driven, whereas RWR was `exploration' driven.  In the first novel, each chapter revealed some new and interesting facts about Rama.  It was really as if we were exploring the alien artifact for ourselves simply by turning the pages.  In Rama II, we learn about the characters, their lives, their thoughts, their dreams.  It is almost 2/3 of the way through the book before we really learn anything new about Rama.  We learned very little about any of the characters in RWR.  Second, Rama II contains significant religious overtones (both Catholic and traditional African).  These play a key role in the development of the story, particularly near the end.  I suspect that centrality of religion (and its importance to the main characters) is very offputting for many readers of sci-fi, and clearly represents a significant change in tone over RWR.  If you are looking for a sequel that is written in the style of RWR, you will be sadly disappointed.  Rama II is a decent, if not uniquely outstanding, story, but it is VERY different in style and tone than RWR.  This work is probably more comparable to `The Grand Tour` series of Ben Bova in style (with a very different spin on religion, of course) than to other works by Clarke alone.  Contrary to one of the most negative reviews, I didn't find the characters to be cliched, and I certainly wasn't expecting a peglegged Pirate or an Eskimo!  Finally, don't expect a clean, well-defined conclusion at the end, this book lead right into the next in the series, the Garden of Rama.
1981899
After just one listen, it is very apparent to me that the sound mix for this isn't the greatest around.  Someone here noted that it sounded too compressed.  Well, it does.  The bass is very low in the mix and only the lead guitars are above the fray of instruments.  The vocals are very good and tight with the music.

Now some positives:  The guitar-work, I find to be very, very good.  I've gotten 3 CD's and 3 album downloads from Yngwie over the last 6 months and his guitar playing is very good, once again, for this album, despite the less than stellar sound to the music and mixing of instruments' volumes, etc.  I rate this at 4 stars, because, you'll look far in today's annuls of music to find much better!
Some of the songs really rock out, while some of them are more ballad oriented, but most are the rocking type of heavy metal he's know more for.  I believe, if you like to rock out and sometimes mellow out, this is a great album and a great mix of songs, tempos and styles, even though it's not the best sounding album around.  You can always adjust the mix of bass and so on, if you'd like, for those who have an EQ or iTunes EQ, but you don't need to.  This is a very good album.  Not a great album, but certainly better than 2 or 3 stars, as it's a lot better than your average album out these days.
463524
After spending over 77 minutes (!) with new reissue from the Real Gone reissue label, I was ready to post a detailed review but I see two reviews here before me and I have to say that I really cant add much more except to take points from both of them. Yes, Bettye Swann had really only one major hit on the Atlantic label (and was far from a Top Ten hit) and she only made a few singles so the Complete Atlantic catalog under her name consists of album and a few previously unreleased singles. And many of them are cover songs. But the lady had a great voice and so you can forgive a few less than stellar performances among the generous 23 tracks here.

One of the two reviewers (The Noomz83) provides details on Swanns career but was annoyed by the monochrome images of some of the record labels in the 16-page booklet (with nine page essay/liner notes), but, honestly, that is certainly no reason to not pick up this set. Im giving it four  stars because  though this is not a CD of hits  the folks at Real Gone are at least making the COMPLETE recordings available (including the unissued material) in a decent package with useful liner notes and track info and great transfers, not to mention giving us WELL over an hour on a single CD.  This may not be a CD Ill play that often, but when Im in the mood for some soulful female vocals, this will serve the purpose.

I hope you fo0und this review both informative and helpful.

Steve Ramm
Anything Phonographic
3956077
This is a very good album. Against the word of all my friends, who told me this was a bad album, I bought it a few weeks ago from a used CD bin, as I'd heard "AM Radio," "Brown-Eyed Girl," and "Wonderful" on the radio quite a bit over the last few years and liked all of them. Who'da thunk these were three of the weaker tracks on the album? My friends, surprisingly, were very wrong about this album.

It starts out very well, with the title track, a mellow little number, and keeps getting better as it goes along. The best track on here is "Unemployed Boyfriend." It's an awesome song, basically summing up the whole 'Love at first sight' experience very well.

This is a good album. Be forewarned, however, it doesn't sound like a normal Everclear album. It's a bit more 'poppy.' But it's all the better for it, I say.
770541
All the Brahms Variations on two discs--what a terrible programming idea! Well, at face value, it certainly looks so. Nevertheless, with Ohlsson at the keyboard--and I am delighted to say it, being an avid admirer of his--this Hyperion twofer makes for 107 minutes of terribly good Brahms playing.

Okay, for the sake of objectivity, I will give away the main caveat immediately: Ohlsson's Paganini Variations cannot compete with Yuja Wang,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Kissin/dp/B0000064YB/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Kissin</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Michelangeli/dp/B00166QKJ2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Michelangeli</a>&nbsp;for digital dazzle; on the other hand, that is clearly not Ohlsson's intention. The Gramophone reviewer called it 'perhaps the most musical performance on disc in recent years', which is a very apt description indeed. My younger self would not have paid much attention to such an approach to what appears to be aimed at showing off Brahms as the virtuosic equal of Schumann, Chopin and Liszt. However, the more I know of Brahms the serious perfectionist, the less convinced I become as to the accuracy of that notion. Be that as it may, as much as I get thrilled by Wang and Kissin, I am now happy to accept Ohlsson's performance as the ideal antidote.

At the other end of the spectrum, Ohlsson's Schumann Variations is predictably ravishing and pensive. This is one of the young Brahms's most tragic creations, written at the time of Robert's mental breakdown as a kind of (weird as it may appear) tribute of Robert to Clara; and Ohlsson does nothing to create any artificially jolly atmosphere. His performance is intensely moving, stretching the music to new regions of profound elegiacness--the common 16-or-so minutes become nearly 22, which is most extraordinary in music that can tend to wander in lesser hands.

What Ohlsson succeeds at doing is to make Brahms's often dense writing sound greater than usual; I believe the reason being that few great pianists bother beyond the Third Sonata, Two Rhapsodies and a handful late pieces. Thus, his Variations on an Original Theme, Variations on a Hungarian Song and Theme & Variations in D Minor (after the Op 18 String Sextet) are easily the best I have heard.

Yet, the very apex of this twofer is the vast Hndel Variations--Brahms's greatest work in the genre by a good margin. On first hearing, I thought I detected some heaviness and stiffness in his attack; played back on a more high-end system, it became clear that Hyperion not only supplied an unusually powerful Steinway instrument but also an exceedingly full and detailed recorded sound--caught at Wyastone Estate Concert Hall, Monmouth, in December 2009. What deserves special mention about this performance are its crystal clarity, vast amplitude of dynamics and tone colour, and above all the great, magnetic Fugue--brought to close with marvelous excitement.

Gramophone has certainly not made much effort to promote Ohlsson in the past. In the spirit of Britishness, this could hopefully change now that he seems to have been accepted in the magazine's favourite stable: 'Ohlsson's playing not only persuaded me to appreciate the two Op 21 works but actually to listen to both discs all the way through in a single sitting. He is that good [...] This is a great Brahms recording that elevates and illuminates the music with a lightness of touch and heart that eludes many [...]'

Therefore, it is with even further delight that I note Ohlsson's complete Weber Sonatas will be released as a Hyperion Dyad in March 2011.

REFERENCES: Paganini--<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Wang/dp/B0035F0MTG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Wang</a>; Other--This One
3733956
"VIP/Authority Stealing" is a very good CD, but with the plethora of Fela reissues now available it is better to start somewhere else. Take your pick of "Opposite People," "Shuffering and Shmiling" or "Zombie," then if you love what your hear, pick this (and others) up. This reissue does not get a fifth star in my opinion for two reasons. First, even though this reissue series prides itself in coupling two albums for one low price on one disc, it clocks in at only 44 minutes! The liner notes make it clear that there are more recordings from the live performance in Berlin that yielded VIP which have not been released. Why not include them here to beef up the length, or will they be reissued later -- 40 minutes this time for another $17! Second, to further eat into our lack of length, the first six minutes of VIP is spent on various political monologues by Fela and others, which is cool but wears on repeated listenings. Additionally, the live sound is good but not as rich as the sound on "Fela and Ginger Baker Live." "Authority Stealing" is from a studio session and is better soundwise, but the composition is not as strong as "VIP."  Despite these criticisms, Fela is an amazing musical force and pretty much everything he did with Afrika 70 is worth getting. Just get a few other recordings under your belt before this one.
1743349
I think i'll review this album in list form, that should be fun!  1. Ok, first of all, this album is very tounge in cheek and if you don't understand that, then you probably hate it.  How can people honestly think they sincerely write lyrics like "celebrate and Dance so free."  Yes, they know it sounds dated, that's the point.  But at the same time, they blur the lines, so you never know where the joke begins and ends.  They trick you into admitting you love the ridiculous.  2. Still, the music is really beautiful.  They can take ignorant lyrics, terribly cheesy sounds, and make them beautiful.  How? Who Knows?  3. Homework was Dance Music also!  I'm not sure why people think it was some deeply sacred piece of music, but it wasn't.  It also was about having fun, and because of that, I don't see Discovery as some huge departure.  4. Discovery varies from homework mainly in the amount of variety of song structure.  I love Homework, but you have to admit, the songs were all structured in a similar way. Discovery is full of surprises, and because of that I believe it is (gasp) a better album.  5. Short circuit IS a good song.  6. Daft Club is a brilliant idea, and the first track released is pretty cool.  7. If you love cheesy music, that is actually good underneath, buy Discovery, lock yourself in your room, and just wallow in it. Feel no shame.
2257064
After Works 1, it wouldn't have been surprising to write off ELP for good. Works 1 was the ultimate in the band's pretention and ego: not only did it include FOUR greg lake love ballads and one greg lake rocker, it also included an entire piano concerto by Keith Emerson. And if that wasn't bad enough, it also had six FUSION pieces heavily featuring the boggling percussion work of Carl Palmer. If that wasn't bad enough, it also had the band's longest classical adaptation, Fanfare for the common man and the band's blandest epic to date, Pirates.

What's next?! An quadruple album with a full blown keith emerson symphony? A lounge album with Greg Lake crooning your favorite bing crosby hits? Carl Palmer collarborating with brand x, including at least four drum duets with phil collins, and also featuring the entire band the eagles on one country western blues song? and why stop there: why not adapt BEETHOVEN's 9TH SYMPHONY to a rock format, and then write an epic, 43 minute piece about an ant hill. i mean why not? Who wasn't expecting something like this to come out of ELP?

What is surprising is what did come out of ELP. Instead of all of the above, and probably more, ELP threw out a short (ONE ALBUM) disc of scott joplan covers, out takes from other albums, and goofy, short songs. And don't get me wrong: I'm perfectly aware this is obviously a contractual obligation album.

However, ELP somehow picked the absolute best songs they could, to create not only the most diverse ELP album, but the most fun. The classical adaptations are not really adapted so much as just played by Keith: and more power to him. I couldn't fathom hearing Maple Leaf Rag with moaning and swoooping synth sounds over top. Not one song isn't well constructed and interesting. No epic material? No problem! The band already showed they were running out of ideas on the last album with the borderline crappy Pirates. If they did another album like this, I'd be worried but they didn't. In fact, they never did an album after this. I stress: THEY NEVER DID AN ALBUM AFTER THIS! Love Beach was made by robots.

Negatives: no epics. This might turn off long time fans. A bit light weight, and mostly contractually obligatory, so not real "artistic" merit to the album.

Postives: all of those are blown away by the sheer fun of hearing the band play these goofy songs. I do not suggest starting here: start with the first ELP album, actually, then just go all the way through. That is actually the best way to approach the band, chronologically.
1177368
This is better than Green Day's Dookie, Incubus' first 3 CDs (the putrid Fungus Amongus, overrated to the High Heavens, S.C.I.E.N.C.E. and the sporadically magical Make Yourself). It's also a tad better than Make Yourself by the same band.

This is the Maroon 5 that I miss. True that it's still TOO, too early to hear their signature sound, seeing as they've just released a second disc in May 2007, but I still can't help but wonder what pressure caused them to "suit up" (literally) and take themselves WAY too seriously?!?!?!

It confuses, angers and saddens me, all in one try!

I miss songs such as Harder To Breathe, She Will Be Loved, Tangled, The Sun, Through With You and my favorite, the sexy and sultry, Secret.

I have the import version, with mixes of This Love. None of the extra songs are good, save for Rag Doll, which is full of bluesy emotion.

Cover Art: A++
Songwriting: B-
Vocals: C+
Production: A-
Length: A
Overall: B

4 stars for the band that ONCE could...
3165440
I've never been a huge fan of Yung Joc, but I heard from other people that his latest album Hustlenomics is much better than his first album. I didn't hear his first album, but I listened to THIS and while there are some good moments, there are more moments that are not-so-good.

But first, the good news: Joc has really improved his style for the most part. He shines on songs like "Cut Throat" (featuring Jim Jones, who also sounds better than he usually does; and the Game, who actually DOESN'T name-check anyone), "Play Your Cards" and the necessary honey-sings-the-chorus track, "Livin' the Life". The Jazze Phizzle productizzle "Momma" is also pretty decent except that, well, I guess people still don't realize that it sounds a little weird to want a woman that's like your mother. Also good is the title track, but considering that Joc keeps saying "welcome to Hustlenomics", it would make sense if it were the opening track; instead, it's the closing track -- well, depending on what version of the album you have (more on that later).

Now, the bad news. Joc often raps alongside his alter-ego Pak Man, a habit that tends to get pretty annoying (T.I. vs. T.I.P., anyone?). This is especially evidenced on "Pak Man", but it is also shown on the overrated "Coffee Shop" as well as "Hustlemania", a pointless game show skit. Speaking of "Coffee Shop", though, Gorilla Zoe is on that song, and when he shows up elsewhere on the album with screwed and chopped choruses, he doesn't hold much weight (see "Coloso" or "Bottle Poppin'"). "BYOB" is a filler track, and "Brand New" has Joc and Rick Ross completely butchering the Stylistics' "You Make Me Feel Brand New" with their sing-along chorus -- and although Snoop Dogg kicks a nice verse on that song, his talking at the end is stupid. And the otherwise dope "I'm a G" suffers from a painfully weak chorus ("I'm the seventh letter of the alphabet/I'm a G"???).

I also wonder what version of the album I have because I don't have "Hell Yeah" or a few of the skits; instead I have "Coloso" and some different skits. Hustlenomics isn't wack, but it isn't the crash course you need to get educated in the game, so if you're not a fan of Yung Joc, leave it in the store.

Anthony Rupert
1857142
.  .  but this ain't bad.  As for disc 1, it's *****5 stars all the way, but as for disc 2, I'd have to give it only ***3 stars, so over all it rates ****4 stars for me.  There are some real gems here.
1812304
"Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is an excellent sequel to the adequate "Motion Picture." Khan in my opinion is one of Trek's greatest villains; he's out for revenge on Kirk after a freak accident in  the system he was placed on rendered his world a barren wasteland. This is  one cool thing right here: He doesn't want galactic conquest, he doesn't  want another world to settle on (despite Joachim's suggestion that they use  the Reliant to settle on another world), he wants only revenge on Kirk.  He's more imbalanced than Matt Decker was in TOS's "The Doomsday  Machine," IMHO.
As for the DVD. Sure it only has a theatrical  trailer as an extra feature, but the 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen re-master  is excellent, and it's been re-done; the colors are so much sharper. I even  compared it with the VHS pan-and-scan copy that I've watched for a long  time...BIG MAJOR IMPROVEMENT!  I never saw the movie fully on widescreen  until now. And the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is excellent!
Two  words: BUY IT!
Okay two gripes - Chekov wasn't in "Space  Seed" although we can assume he WAS on the Enterprise in that  episode.
And of course the reactor room that looked a bit like a disco  floor.
3303695
I hate reviews that rave and then never describe the music. So I set out to correct this. This was a pretty good album overall, with weak and strong spots.
Second Chapter - a brief intro that is an Enigma trademark, flows nicely into Eyes of Truth, which is an excellent track. However, the unwavering repetition of the vocals in the 2nd track could have been changed to deliver more impact. Oh well, maybe next time.
Return to Innocence is a classic, what can I say. Beat, voice, chanting, you name it, you got it.
I Love You, I'll Kill You starts off slowly and dangerously, morphs into guitars that don't belong there, and then slide back into drums and vocals that save it and wrap it up. This better come back as a cool remix someday!
Silent Warrior - this one was weak, with a 'rainforest' sound that don't match the mood of the whole CD. This one could get tossed
Dream of the Dolphin is very piano-ish, I don't know where it came from. It doesn't fit either
Age of Lonliness and Out From the Deep are both solid songs that echo the theme of renewal, innocence and change
The Cross of Changes - good solid vocals and music. Does this sould slightly bitter to anyone? It fits the theme, but I would not have chosen to end the CD this way.
Overall, the shining tracks are 2, 3, 4. The rest blend and fade into the background if you are not paying attention. Worth a listen.
966474
If you bought THE EXCEPTIONALLY OUTSTANDING Vol. 1 of Fania All Stars Live At The Red Garter, and you said: "Great!" Let's now find out about Vol. 2"! 'You'll fall from a Coconut tree'! (Like we say at home!...) You won't believe the disappointment! Why? Because the original Fania owners of the era decided to include ALL that boogaloo & Shing-A-Ling 'Anglo-American' junk "Latin" sort of music that was the fashion of the era!...

(IF YOU'RE A REAL FANIA RECORDS COLLECTOR, OR YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR FROM THIS CD, GET IT, OTHERWISE, AVOID IT!...)

The only 2 good songs from this album are the 1st two.
The 8:30 mins Son Cuero y Boogaloo from Ray Barretto which is actually not that Anglo-American and does sound pretty good (although there's by far a better version of it in Barretto's second Fania Album Hard Hands (also from 1968) which is definitely shorter, but better quality) and the second song from Larry Harlow: Noche (7:07 mins) which is quite exceptional, I think! (I've heard clips from it, as it's the only song that doesn't work on the faniarecords website! (They had to screw it with THE best song from the album!...)
Then you get the 'Okayish' Charlie Palmieri Kikapoo Joy Juice song which eventually gets better after the English vocals from the song finish...
You also get Charlie soloing on Piano!...

Then, the rest, is BELOW average!... Don't bother... (Get it of a friend and record on CD, 2, or MAXIMUM 3 songs.)

Sound quality: I haven't bothered to get the chance to hear the songs from this Cd, but from what I think, it's above average, if not, pretty good, so there, it's not an issue AT ALL. The sound quality is good enough, I THINK...

I would also like to take the opportunity to 'thank' V2 Music for having re-made SUCH a MEDIOCRE album for the U.K/Europe at the cost of leaving out the historically classic Fania recordings from the 1970's!
If they at least had also released Vol. 1 of the Red Garter, then it would've been more bearable for me, but excluding Vol. 1 to replace it for Vol. 2 is a SCANDALOUS decision!
They don't SEEM to want to promote the pure & propre contemporary classic style of Latin music from Fania, but the Anglo-American 1960's stuff!...
They seem to think that the golden era of Latin music was in the 60's, but as we all real salsa listeners, and obviously the experts know, the golden age of Salsa was IN THE SEVENTIES! It's just SO OBVIOUS!...