The Ubiquitous Mr. Collins
921430
I first bought this album in 1970 and loved it. I don't recall anyone by the name of Phil Collins among the credited musicians. At the time of recording, Phil was an obscure drummer in an obscure band called Flaming Youth and hadn't yet joined another obscure band called Genesis (with whom I had yet to make my acquaintance). Another soon-to-be-famous drummer on ATMP was Alan White, later of Yes, who had been doing session work for John Lennon and Joe Cocker.
3458313
This is part of a series and is as good as all the others I have read in this series.  Mr. Collins has a easy to read style that blends fact and fiction seamlessly and keeps you interested.  The last chapter reveals fact and fiction so don't read it first.  I really like the way he makes the author a real person and not just a name on a book.  I highly recommend this book.
1648271
Mr. Collins is without a doubt my favorite guitarist.  If you want to play in Texas, you have to play music people can dance to, and this influence is evident in Albert's live music.  His Telecaster set up produces a more powerful sound, and his sense of humor can be detected in all his CDs.  His potent blues riffs cut "way down deep into your soul".

This is a good CD with some soul piercing blues as well as some foot tapping good time tunes.  The Master is accompanied by a small backup band.  It's a gritty, all out jam.
1928258
One could not have written it any better than Mr. Collins. Whether you are starting out your life after college or you are at a stage in life where you are thinking of retirement, pick up this book and gain insight into the fundamentals of wealth-building. You won't be disappointed !!
3452939
A beautiful compliation. Collins' voice is more exquisite than it has ever been.  I saw her first (live) in 1966!  She is on this album as she was then: with a purity of voice and a clarity of phrasing that adds a poetic quality to the music.  I give the album a 4 star because her gentelmen collaborators are not always of the same quality as is Collins.
4707490
This  is an interesting twist about Mr. Collins' personality and why he acts like he does in P&P. I was skeptical about reading it, but was pleasantly surprised. A fun piece of fluff.
2690358
Finally our hero Barney (if it is still the same man) has made it to the the Scottish Riviera and quickly becomes ensconced in his very own barber's shop looking out over the beautiful grey sea to Largs, the glamorous holiday hot spot of the West of Scotland where an ice cream and a one-armed bandit add to the holiday excitement for the octogenarian population.
With his new trusty sidekick, Igor, the mute hunchback, an eloquent man, Barney soon becomes inveigled into the seedy goings on of Millport's business elite. As ever, our hero has to deal with body parts, (once again frozen) nicely juxtaposed with a ghost who craves the relief in death of a good pee, something his wife, who was forever in the bathroom, denied him in life. There is a strange comfort and familiarity in The Last Fish Supper, a feeling of dj vu that made me think that perhaps elements of the story have appeared in other illustrious films or blockbuster books, but I'm sure this is just my imagination. The plot surrounds the search for the holy grail which has the power of resurrection, restoring the bloodline of Christ himself. Only a select band of 12 of Millport's finest share this secret. You see, familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it.

Book 5 in the Barney Thomson series sees Lindsay at his satirical best, the conversations in the barber's shop are a joy and the introduction of the Lothario Igor is comic genius.
The series is required reading if you are at all interested in the highest standard of writing. Lindsay makes storytelling seem so easy but don't be fooled, making crime funny, having such wonderfully observed characters and being a total mischief takes real talent which Mr. Lindsay has in bucket loads.
4054575
I got this for a friend who is also a fan of the series.  One of Collins' best characters....along with Quarry....
4550095
This is a charming book for any child in your life who has some loose teeth. The story is quite sophisticated and even grown-ups will enjoy reading the clever and amusing text. The illustrations are charmingly detailed and will delight children who are eager to solve the mystery and learn the truth about Mrs. Watson. Perfect for 5 to 7 years-olds with wiggly teeth and any kid entering first grade.
1396392
I've been a staunch fan of Mr. Sousa's life, band and music for 50 years, and during that time have traveled, read and met people that feel the same. This fine book belongs on every devotee's shelf. A treasure.
2425449
Phil Collins is a difficult artist to get next to, at once quite friendly and yet also remote and distant. He has such an affable manner that it takes a while to recognize that he allows only limited proximity to himself and his own thoughts and feelings. Of course, he was enormously successful in the eighties and nineties both commercially and critically, and he was, for a while, at least, seemingly everywhere one looked.  What he offers here is a collection of hits from that period.  And quite a collection it is.
From the opening "Another Day In Paradise", a take on the economic and emotional contradictions modern society represents, to "True Colors", an offer to bare one's soul to a friend, this is an engaging song cycle.  Collins is nothing if not modern, and his take on issues as in "Easy Lover", Two Hearts", and "I Wish It Would Rain" are provide interesting commentary on the state of emotional relationships in contemporary society. Then we have more calculated commercial efforts such as "Against All Odds", written for the movie of the same name, and a wide range of numbers such as "Sussudio", "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven", and "Both Sides Of The Story" which were huge commercial hits.
So too we have interesting numbers such as "Separate lives", "One More Night", and my personal favorite, "Something In The Air Tonight". He rounds out the gretest hits collection with "Dance Into The Light", a cover of the old hit "A Groovey Kind Of Love", and "Take Me Home".  All in all, this is a very well-constructed collection of Phil Collins hits, and a fairly concise recapitulation of his solo work. I always like listening to it, and I think you will, too. Enjoy!
2419272
The basic plot is fun, though reminiscent of 'you've got mail'.

However the way mister Collins is portrayed is beyond the pail. His behavior and Mr Bennett's tolerance of it would have compromised lizzy and she would have been forced to marry him.

What's more, Collins would have had too much respect for Mr Bennett to ignore his strictures.
27128
At last--a multi-faceted perspective of the complex man who possessed the ring, the cane, the cloak and the commanding voice of Dark Shadows! This book finally introduces Frid's loyal fans to the complicated man who developed and delivered the complex persona of Barnabas Collins to millions of TV viewers daily.  Appreciative of his fans' continued support, Frid preferred to be perceived  as a consummate actor, as well as an ordinary human being with personal strengths and flaws-- NOT as an occult figure!

Frid is portrayed as an intelligent, educated man who was full of contradictions.  Polite and reserved in public, yet spontaneous and celebratory when entertaining acquaintances, Frid chose a semi-sequestered Manhattan lifestyle that afforded him his privacy, as well as the freedom to pursue various creative projects at will.  At the same time, he cultivated and maintained an enduring network of loyal friends/fans/employees who adored, assisted, and protected him throughout most of his life in New York, on the road, and finally in Hamilton, Ontario.  Those who belonged to his inner circle describe him as a perfectionist who demanded much from those around him, but also as a warm and caring man who rewarded them often with thoughtfulness and a generosity of spirit. The book is an entertaining read and a fascinating window into the personality of the man known to generations of Dark Shadows fans as the Canadian actor Jonathan Frid!
1856618
Interesting and unique voice, with poetry for everyone to enjoy, Collins embraces his moods and turns them into poetry gold. Highly enjoyable!
2273308
I have been lucky enough to meet Bill Harley and participate in a storytelling workshop of his, and he is a genuinely nice guy. I have been lucky enough to be part of a small audience to whom he told one of the stories on this CD, "Mrs. Ammons and the Boys' Bathroom."  Nothing can replace the direct connection I had listening as he described his feats of magic in the bathroom stall, holding my sides along with fellow audience members as we fell apart into laughter.  But this CD comes close!
  Bill is a master of what he teaches; he paints the broad scene, then gets into the story and brings us back to that broad scene in the end.  Most of us can relate to many of the experiences he tells about, whether it is strict substitute teachers, buddies who dare you to sled down the hill-FAST!-or the joys and trials of staging neighborhood productions.  It is this commonplace sense that he uses so well to allow his listeners to fall into the story and see the images he paints so well for us.
  I've used this CD as a lead-in to helping 7th graders write personal narratives.  All of them can picture the substitute teacher, and often name our district's version of Mrs. Ammons! It is a great way for kids to start thinking about how the ordinary events of their lives can be material for a story. It is also a great way to simply sit back and enjoy stories of a childhood, well-told.  Highly recommended for all ages.
1821
Billy Collins has a conversational style that has a simple veneer, but each image carries weight. In one poem, he is reciting captions from the Victoria's Secret catalog, being the blue collar man reacting.  Then later, musing about marks and spots on the margins of a book's pages.  Those images are ethereal. It was an appropriate choice that he was named Poet Laureate of the United States.  He speaks in a contemporary way, in a jargon that on one hand might raise the hackles of your neck thinking it's just more pap - but then - with a word or a twist he blows an image our way to tell us his vision.
1720188
Always outstanding is Mr. P. I love everything he touches. If you've missed a book, you've missed a prize. I hope there are always more.