Top shelf all the way
349264
Franklin Mint's "Greatest Recordings of the Big Band Era" series are truly some of the highest quality LPs ever made. Packaging is deluxe: sturdy hinged boxes covered in textured dull silver paper. Each collection includes an eight page album-sized booklet printed on glossy heavyweight paper. Inside are photos, bios and data on each track that includes singers and soloists.

The discs are what makes these collections so exceptional. They're a dull translucent red color and made of the purest "virgin" vinyl. Although over three decades old, my Franklin Mint LPs have whisper quiet surfaces, the finest one could ever hope for. Records are stored in plastic lined paper sleeves. All dubs of antique 78s, masters and transcription discs are monaural, with little or no filtering.

The first volume in this series,  Glenn Miller / Will Bradley / Orrin Tucker / Don Redman, has a few of surprises. Undoubtedly other sets do, as well.

The last track on the Glenn Miller disc is from the band's final remote broadcast before Capt. Miller went off to the Army Air Force and his magnificent orchestra was dissolved. This performance of "Jukebox Saturday Night" has guest Harry James standing in for himself. When the song ends, Glenn announces that starting next week, Harry and band will take over Miller's three night a week radio show. Perhaps knowing this is their last hurrah, Glenn's boys play the show-closing "Mooonlight Serenade" at a near-dirge pace. In hindsight, this was a sadder parting than any of them could possibly know.

Most Big Band collections that include Will Bradley's "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" only offer Side A of the 78. Here, the flip has been seamlessly edited on for a five-plus minute performance. The same has been done with "Chattanooga Choo Choo." This movie soundtrack performance includes the usual vocals plus a refrain from Dorothy Dandridge and the Nicholas Bros. Miller's "Star Dust" is a band remote, "Tuxedo Junction" from a "Make Believe Ballroom" show. "I Dreamt I Dwelt in Harlem" is a Cafe Rouge air check, "Little Brown Jug" a Chesterfield broadcast made over three years after the original record, yet it's arguably a superior version.

One note of less-than-ideal condition: Orrin Tucker's "Billy" has surface crackle and some whoosh.

RECORD 1 - SIDE A: GLENN MILLER & orch.
[3:22] Moonlight Serenade - (4/4/39)
[3:34] In the Mood - (8/1/39)
[4:13] Tuxedo Junction - (2/8/40)
[4:47] I Dreamt I Dwelt in Harlem - (12/21/40)
[7:46] Chattanooga Choo Choo - (Spring 1941)
[3:58] Star Dust - (11/6/41)

RECORD 1 - SIDE B: GLENN MILLER & orch.
[3:46] A String of Pearls - (11/8/41)
[3:21] Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree - (2/18/42)
[3:25] Serenade in Blue - (5/20/40)
[3:03] At Last - (5/20/42)
[2:58] Little Brown Jug - (6/2/42)
[4:41] Juke Box Saturday Night (9/24/42)

RECORD TWO - SIDE A: WILL BRADLEY & orch.
[3:18] Think of Me - (1/30/41)
[5:05] Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar: Parts 1 and 2 - (5/21/40)
[3:17] Celery Stalks at Midnight - (1/17/40)
[3:03] Scrub Me Mama, With a Boogie Beat - (9/18/40)
[2:54] You're Lucky to Me - (10/26/39)
[3:04] Strange Cargo

RECORD TWO - SIDE B: ORRIN TUCKER & orch.
[2:37] Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh! [ (8/20/39)
[2:43] Billy - (4/2/39)
DON REDMAN & orch.
[3:14] Chant of the Weed - (9/24/31)
[2:39] Shakin' the African - (10/15/31)
[3:12] Tea For Two - (6/30/32)
[3:14] I Got Rhythm - (6/30/32)

TOTAL TIME: 87:14
4353187
Anyone desiring a nice shelving unit should purchase this.  Fo r the price ...its great.  Even I could put it together
2533482
I absolutely  LOVE this shelf.  It has enabled me to make my bedroom into a bedroom instead of a warehouse. It is good quality. pretty and sturdy!  I have ordered many shelves similar to this, but this is the best quality of any of them.
Thank you!
3497499
Now that it's installed, I see that this is really a "must have" in a child's bedroom or playroom.  Will not only accommodate tall children's books (and a lot of them), but can also serve as a handy place to stick a few loose toys, stack the next morning's clothing outfit, display a photo, etc.  . . . not to mention the handy storage cabinet in the bottom, which can serve as an out-of-sight "junk" stash, or a special place for special items.

Looks super, with the barn-like roof giving a real animal farm feel.  A totally painted, detailed finish.  Sitting on the floor, it is easily accessible by the little ones (usually a good thing).

As always, I dread assembly and this bookshelf requires total owner assembly.  However, the pieces are numbered (with removable stickers) and the illustrated instructions are unusually logical and clear.  No reason why any adult with a screwdriver should not be able to get this together ok.  Not quick, but at least with this layout and instructions there should be minimal frustration.  Also, I noticed the nice fit - no gaps, hard to match joints, or off-square corners.

As another reviewer mentioned . . . gender neutral color scheme.

In all, very nicely done, nice looking, and serves a great utility purpose.  A superior bookshelf and storage choice.
209885
These shelves are extremely well mad and easy to put together.  They are more than I expected and I am very please with them.
316891
This shelf was easy to assemble, sturdy, highly modifiable, and holds my entire BD/DVD/CD/Video game collection with room to spare. Kudos!
4937694
This corner shelf is fantastic!  My "to-read" pile was a disorganized mess. This shelf was exactly what I needed.  It was the easiest piece of furniture to assemble!  One screw and one leg on the bottom shelf.  Easy.  The wood is very pretty.  It holds more books than I thought it would.  Prime-eligible.  Love it!
4857884
Fantastic shelf unit! Could not have been easier to assemble. No tools needed (except if you anchor unit to wall). If I needed another shelf unit, I would not hesitate to go with a Cosco product.
1351987
Love this desk shelf so much!!! Holds all my junk, and looks so much nicer than the one provided by my university. Super easy to put together, will definitely recommend it to friends!
1035962
Very solid top shelf, easy to install, good quality product.
4038493
Fantastic shelf, love them, great quality! They were easy to install, and everything turned out better than I hoped. Recommended.
2778821
This shelf is amazing.  It is so applicable to so many styles that include that stain of wood.  It can hold so many small objects individually, and caters to minimalism in such an important way.  The angles are unique, which makes it totally worth $120 for a simple frame shelf.  I ordered ten of them since I am a single working woman with little to do but put all my money into decor, in order to express myself and appease my insecurities.  God damn, these shelves are incredible at that.  Definitely worth the expense.
453731
Love love love this shelf. Seriously. It looks gorgeous and was so easy to put together. It took under 10 minutes, no instructions needed. We bought one for the spare bedroom, but loved it so much we bought two more! One to put knick-knacks on and one to put pantry items on in the kitchen.
619038
Beautiful shelf, real wood, easy to assemble. It fits perfectly in the corner of our kitchen and holds all of our recipe books. For the price, the quality is really amazing. We're really pleased with it.
315481
This shelf is very well designed, every single hole lined up with every other hole that they were supposed to. There was no fiddling needed everything went together perfectly. Really great!
1503803
For the longest time I could not find a shelf big enough in an affordable price range. This one is it! Assembly was super easy! Mostly durable (I can see it falling with the right amount of force). My only complaint was that when it arrived the backing for the shelf was torn down a seam. BUT it's nothing I couldn't fix with duct tape. Who looks at the back of the shelf anyway? I'm sure if I would have wanted to return the shelf it would not have been a problem but since it was so easily fixed I kept it. It's beautiful and well worth buying! I'm considering buying another to store because I'm sure I will fill it up in no time.
146354
This holds a massive amount of books.  I selected this bookcase because I thought I could replace the wood shelves with 2 x 16 inch pine boards from Lowes if the shelves sent from the manufacturer eventually warped.  I was surprised at the quality and don't think I will have to go this route though.

Often furniture that is shipping via UPS arrives in damaged condition and I can say this product was very well packed. The shelves were packed "face" to "face" and individually wrapped in paper so there are no scratches on the surface of the shelves.  The corners of the shelves were padded with cardboard so this prevented the wood from denting. In addition, there was styrofoam packing to protect the corners of the shelves.

Color: there is a slight blue cast to the metal. The shelving is solid pine with some slightly uneven staining.  The "fumes" some that some consumers are referring to is a standard wood varnish and once the box was opened it dispersed nearly immediately. There are very few knots in the wood - which I think adds industrial character.

The directions for assembly were exemplary and there were actually stickers on the surfaces of the shelving unit thus removing any doubt as to "what goes where."  It took 20 minutes to assemble.  To assemble this item it was easiest to:
1.  Lay one metal shelf bar face down on your floor (on its side), align the wood shelf and partially screw in. Note well there is a front and a back to this shelving unit - so make sure you are facing the best side of each wood shelf to the front
2.  Repeat for the other 5 shelves.
3.  While the shelving unit is laying on its side you can then attach the second metal shelf bar, and screw in each wood shelf

It comes with a wall safety strap.

Overall I am very pleased with the item and will probably order a second shelf.