Finally, Howard's REAL genius shines...
347139
I've collected many copies of old, worn out, out of print paperback books that had Robert E. Howard's Conan stories...edited and co-authored by Lin Carter or Sprague de Campe.
I love those books...and cannot stand the modern ghost-writers, like Robert Jordan.  Let alone what people have done to the Conan story with regards to the movies, though as far as Barbarian flicks go, I do like Arnie's first Conan movie...
Anyways, this book is superior to the old out-of-print books I already owned.  Howard's stories are published as originally published and in the order of publication.  No re-organizing, no editing, no creative writing of the editor.  Pure 100% Robert E. Howard's Conan.
This book is the best purchase I've made in years!
2324765
Great read by the self proclaimed king of all media, and lets be honest, he has tackled it all.  It's a wonderful inside look at everything Howard Stern.
1047267
I noticed that it had been a while since anyone had written a review for this piece, and can only assume that most people are simply stricken dumb with awe by its sheer magnificence.  For example, how can one listen to the bowel-evacuating strains of "Is Everybody Happy" (or, for that matter, the particularly good "Hot Shot City") and not need a twelve-step program to recover afterwards?
I was not the only person who was surprised when a Nirvana reunion was announced, but I was certainly not at all surprised when it was announced that Hufflepuff had been chosen to front the group.  Indeed, in an odd bit of foreshadowing, the B-side of the "Save the World" single, from "Looking For-Best of David Hasselhoff [IMPORT], is actually an over-the-top cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit."  Brilliantly executed, if you listen very closely, you can hear overweight menopausal housewives moshing in the background.  It is this raw and gritty attitude that keeps us fans always yearning for more.
We look fondly on the brilliant and evocative music that Heffalump has given the world; music that has stretched back over the years, yet still remains timeless and universal. Indeed, Hollyhock has worked his way into the very fabric of our lives and inspired an entire generation of listeners to aspire to hitherto unattained heights of Hunknosity.
The superlatives, perhaps, come easy when speaking of Hirkenstock and his music.  David has been called, alternately, a superstar, a prophet, a visionary, and a revolutionary artist (yet, oddly, never all at the same time).  This is not, however, mere hyperbole. He and his buttocks are some of the most charismatic performers of our time.
111270
It's like Howard Shore looked directly into my brain and picked out all of the parts of the Lord of the Rings soundtracks that I loved the most.  This was such a joy to listen to, and I can listen to it in two hours instead of 9 or 10 for the complete recordings... absolutely glorious.  I was a little thrown off by a few of the singers, since I'm used to the soundtrack voices... I especially missed Annie Lennox singing Into the West and Viggo Mortensen singing his little Elvish bit.  But besides that, this is absolutely amazing.  A must-have for die-hard Lord of the Rings fans!
1641769
In the interest of open disclosure:

I love Howard. I've been in four, no five of his classes. I like watching the way he thinks (digresses?) on his feet. I love the way he finds connections where other people never even begin to look. I think this book is a gift, and it's about as close to sitting in his class as you can get.

Which, as some have pointed out here, could be a problem. Especially if you're looking for a prescriptive, how-to write the great screenplay, direct the great film, get an agent to return your phone call kind of book. In fact, if your brain tends toward the tawdry, practical, get it done and sold right now, then you'll probably be disappointed in Howard's book.

This a collection of aphorisms, seemingly extemporaneous thoughts on film. At first read they seems simple. Too simple at times, especially if you haven't had the benefit of sitting in one of Howard's classes in which he teases you along as you discover the connections between apparent non-sequitors of jesus, mcihael corleone and the significance of uniforms in one flew over the cuckoo's nest.

So there's definitely some assembly required if you're going to get the most you can out of it. Two printed chapters side by side do not a montage make. You could try to put it all together, or you could just let it be a fun read filled with "I never thought of that before" moments.

Others who will likely be disappointed with this book: Academics. Especially deridda-spewing, post-pre-modernist deconstruction-bent, angels-dancing-on-the-heads-of-pins crowd.

If anything, this book is anti-academic. It's written in clear, declarative sentences (thank you Cecelia Fannon, editor and midwife to this book). It's organized alphabetically. No discourse is more than three pages long.

And worst of all, from an academic point of view, it's the product of an empirical observation of one type of film (and only one): american popular movies that have hung around in our consciousness for more than ten years. So you're not going to read about Meshes of the Afternoon or Window Water Baby Moving or even (gasp) a single French auteur.

In fact, there isn't a single obscure film in Suber's cannon. Suber looks at films that the north american box office, the academy awards, gross revenue (including domestic and foreign tv), afi and imdb top picks and simply tries to figure out what they have in common.

And what he finds is that these films the snob in us (all of us, let's face it) dismisses as the lowest common denominator, run on the same juice that powered Homer and the writers of Gilgamesh, the themes and rhythms of bill shakespeare, the heat from Puccini, the darkness in Conrad and yep, even the humor and absurd sacrifices in Beckett.

So, if you want to think about film and plays and novels and operas and religion and government and pretty much the whole construct of what it means to be a human in a society-- pick up this book. You won't regret it.
1289371
Holy Clarity! What a genuine pleasure. The picture and sound quality is nothing short of marvelous here. Experiencing this collection is tantamount to entering a time machine and becoming eight years old again, soaking up the Batman reruns. It's a hoot, plain and simple. The vivid colors of costumes and props and sets nearly explode, and the Nelson Riddle music score swells. The interiors of stately Wayne Manor are much larger than I recall, and more sumptuous.

Seeing all these guest stars is a delight, as they give life to their wacky characters and cause all matter of mayhem in Gotham City. I'm sure every celebrity wanted to make an appearance as a villain on this show in the 1960's. And the comedy of "Batman" seems even funnier now, so tongue-in-cheek ... I mean, the Gotham City Museum actually has a "Hall of Fabulous Jewels". And while driving to vanquish an arch enemy, Batman makes Robin practice his high school Spanish lessons. These writers had a blast, obviously.

This boxed set is a prize, a true jewel for any classic television collection. It took a long time to get released on home video, but the result is a joy to behold.
3739138
OK HERE WE GO--For countless Todd fanatics across the land, this is finally the collection that so many die-hard fans have truly been waiting for.  If you are a Todd fan, you may have noticed that there has been literally years of inconsistency about the proper CD release of Todd's original Bearsville label albums from the early 1970's through to the early 1980's.  The original Rhino remasters from the late 1980's and early 1990's truly sound awful.  These early Rhino CD releases suffer from excessive EQ adjustments, resulting in very harsh high end, etc....in short, fans have had to shell out for import remasters that at least provided better dynamic range up and down the spectrum.  But FEAR NO MORE, this wonderful body of musical work is now safe to buy again, and knowing these recordings as well as I do, I can assure everyone even mildly interested that you will get every penny's worth in the most important area--THE SOUND QUALITY.  These remasters sound absolutely wonderful--the sound is warm, clear, remarkably devoid of excessive tape hiss, so full, clean and sonorous, you will think someone put the original master 2-track on a reel, and played it days after it was mixed and mastered. If you need quick proof, please put in CD one of SOMETHING/ANYTHING? and let "I Saw The Light" kick in.  The track never sounded so full, so rich, so even in the dynamic range, so UN-harsh, yet never muddy---a wonderful and perfect remastering job.  A THOUGHTFUL, careful remastering job has been done here, and these masterworks of music can know be fully appreciated the way they were originally recorded.  The first four albums (RUNT, THE BALLAD OF...., SOMETHING/ANYTHING? and A WIZARD, A TRUE STAR) still represent such a high-water mark of late 20th century creative songwriting, arranging and production, artists today are still bowing at the altar of Todd, and what groundbreaking work he created so consistently.  They contain some of the most original and stylistically varied compositions and pieces ever put to tape, and the world is grateful.  This is neither hype nor hyperbole.  The only downside to this particular release is the clear lack of detailed cover art and liner notes.  The gatefold sleeves are there, but all you get is the bare bones of the outside and inside sleeves, non of Todd's dry, witty comments on the SOMETHING/ANYTHING? album, no lyrics, etc...I am sure that obsessive, die-hard fans will be disappointed with less to read and pour over as they ogle this set, but I for one can forgive it all just because of the amazing remastering done here.  A highly recommended purchase, that is also very kind on the pocketbook, while delivering definitive sound.
2921661
If you know Proops's podcast, "The Smartest Man in the World," then you know what to expect from this book, as it could stand as a transcript of the weekly production.  But that in no way hinders the complete pleasure that the Smartest BOOk turns out to be.  For me, the various baseball dream teams stand out both for humor and insight (which are two elements that the book shares with the 'cast), and the plans by which famous works of art can be stolen are sheer genius.

If you don't already listen devoutly to Smartest Man, then this book is the perfect way to jump on board.

As for Proops himself, he's sort of Will Rogers meets Spalding Gray meets Lenny Bruce.  He's one of the best comics working today, as well as perhaps the most articulate and, yes, smartest liberal voices of this generation.

Buy the book and listen to the podcast.
3087021
Regardless of what the rest of the world has to say about Elvis, Chuck wrote all his own songs, never copied anyone else's style and not only supplied the aforementioned Elvis with blockbuster hits [i.e. Promised Land] but wrote many of the milestone songs that immediately come to mind when rock'n'roll is mentioned! He is and will always be the true "King Of Rock'n'Roll" in my mind. That title is deserved by no other.
That said, just about every monumental song penned by this genius is captured on this disc in the incredible fidelity we've come to enjoy from the folks at Bearsville Records. The sound quality is absolutely exquisite, almost like having Chuck in your living room. "Johnny B. Goode", "Maybeline", "Too Much Monkey Business" and "Nadine" have never been heard before in such clarity.
713257
Believe-it-or-not, humour without vulgarity, popularity without beautiful people or nudity.
This great British comedy serial is possibly the single best TV serial of all time.
The performances by Paul Eddington (as the bumbling, bumptious but likeable Minister & then Prime Minister), Derek Fowlds (as his very likeable Private Secretary), and of course Nigel Hawthorne (as the supercilious, conniving & of course hugely entertaining Permanent Secretary) were all outstanding. It was unfair in the extreme, incidentally, that only two of the three (Eddington & Hawthorne) were awarded OBE's for their performances, but poor Derek Fowlds wasn't.
The scriptwriters excelled themselves, producing an absolutely fascinating insight into the world of British beuraucracy, yet managing a laugh a second.
The production values were outstanding, as was the supporting cast.
Even twentyfive years later, this serial remains entirely up-to-date, and could well have been written just last month.
All-in-all, a rare gem, and a must-have for any DVD collection.
3389550
"A Hard Day's Night" and "Abbey Road" take the #2 and #3 places on my all-time list, right behind this spectacular gem.  The SEARING impression this album made on me has as much to do with the events of my young adulthood at the time as it does with the brilliant music I was hearing from the LP on my turntable.  I won't bore you with details but here's the basics: my friend Jon turned me onto this album; it had recently been released and I had just broken up with the first person I ever truly fell in love with....and you know how dramatic/traumatic these things are to a 19-year old!  The album perfectly mirrored my feelings in a particular time & place as no album had before or since.  I don't mean to suggest that this is a set of maudlin "break-up" songs best suited for jilted 19-year olds; on the contrary, it runs a broader gamut of musical stylings and displays a bolder sophistication than had been present in his recordings up to that time....but it still includes his trademark savage guitar attacks and pointed, acid-tongued lyrics.  The production is flawless, unique and quite striking.  The essence of this album's profound effect on me is the seemingly effortless way that raw, hypersensitive, uncommunicatable emotions are magically transformed into aural beauty of the absolute highest quality.  When the album first "got hold of me", I was listening to it literally 2 or 3 or 4 times a day....and this went on for months and months.  Obsessed?  You bet.

The "Masterpiece?" campaign for the album definitely hit the nail on the head with this one.  Not discounting the brilliance of his earlier, tougher albums (which I got into only after hearing "Imperial Bedroom"), Elvis & the Attractions turned a corner with this recording and climbed to staggering heights of musical greatness.

Elvis was armed with an unparalleled batch of new songs.  Produced by one-time Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, and with the Attractions at the top of their game, the album absolutely soars from the first note to the last.  Elvis's lyrics here are as wicked or as tender as ever and are unquestionably some of the finest of his career; additionally, he displays a striking, previously-unheard range of vocal stylings.

I play this album with a commitment to not interrupt it.  It MUST be listened to as one continuous piece of music.  I know it's difficult for most people to find an extra hour to pay undivided attention to music, but it's worth the effort.  It's almost impossible for me to choose "standout" tracks from this album, but here's my short list:

"Man Out Of Time" - staggeringly majestic, absolutely perfect, possibly my very favorite Elvis song

"Little Savage" - incredibly infectious, endlessly clever

"Pidgeon English" - brutal and tender, funny and sad, all at the same time; devastating lyrics

"You Little Fool" - aaahhhhhhhhhh: CLASSIC Elvis wickedness!

"Town Cryer" - beautifully orchestrated, touching sentiments

There's so much more to Elvis than his earlier "angry punk" catalog....and he'd be the first to remind us of that.  There's plenty of that attitude here, but by crafting a unique, unexpected and unforgettable album it was also a giant step forward for Elvis & The Attractions.  This recording turned me into a lifelong Elvis fan....and, with this album, I turned my sister into one, too.  She's probably more rabidly devoted to Elvis than even I!!  "Masterpiece", indeed...!!

By the way: I wore out three cassettes of this recording in 2 years.  I've literally listened to "Imperial Bedroom" at least 400 times over the last 24 years and I've played it in every format: LP, cassette, CD.
2720641
Have read some other reviewers' comments about how blown away they were by the album, and I have to say I'm with them. This one's been in the CD player constantly since I got it a few days ago! All I can say to those who don't "get it" is do some research on Elton's music and esp. listen to "Captain Fantastic..." - this album must be experienced to be appreciated. It's every bit as good as anything in his 70s stable of albums - and no I'm not just gushing, it's THAT GOOD!

They've been building to this for the last two albums ("Songs From the West Coast" and "Peachtree Road"), both of which are sadly underrated, but Elton and Bernie (thanks, Taupin, for this incredible brainstorm) have aligned the stars and summoned all their creative magic to this occasion and done the impossible. Musically and lyrically, this album WORKS - PERIOD. There's not a weak song on the album (all killer and no filler, as some have said), and each is more mindblowing than the one before.

Davey and Nigel (who both played on the '75 counterpart), are fantastic, as are fellow bandmates Bob Birch, John Mahon and Guy Babylon. Elton's playing and singing are passionate and virtually flawless. Production mirrors the original's work by the late Gus Dudgeon (I think he'd be pleased with how this one turned out, too).

I remember being mesmerized by the "Captain Fantastic" concept in 1975, and am so phenomenally impressed at how great the second chapter in Elton and Bernie's musical autobiography turned out. The original, despite what anyone says about "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," is Elton's best album, but "The Captain and The Kid" is a worthy followup that can stand shoulder to shoulder with its larger than life predecessor.

Good going, boys! I'm damn proud of both of ya! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to listen to "another tale about the Captain and the Kid!"
1016563
"Bunnies" is a musical masterpiece with Howie's use of the sound pedals.  He does not disappoint.  This album in addition to hes others comes hiighly recommended.
1878740
Ah David Hussendorf... If you've never heard any of his albums, you are missing one of the great experiences that life can offer you. Actually you are missing out on something that is so indescribable that almost 1000 people have tried to put into words the emotions that come welling to the surface when listening to Dustin's astonishingly fabulous album 'Looking For-Best of David Hasselhoff [IMPORT]'. Since first laying ears on this mystical/magical piece of staggering musical genius, it has never left my CD player. I have it in my clock radio as well so it's the first thing i hear every morning, and the last thing I hear at night, such is the grip it exacts on my psyche. It can only be described as... it is too much for me... it cannot be described... you simply MUST experience it for yourself.

The song 'Hot Shot City' is particularly good!
4569456
This book finally hits its stride with this volume.  These are modern classics, truly epic-feeling stories that define favorite characters.  It is illuminating to read Tower of Babel, featuring art by Howard Porter, and then Divided We Fall, with art (mostly) by Bryan Hitch.  What a difference a great artist can make!

Bryan Hitch is an exceptional artist.  Each panel is expressively composed to convey the story and the emotional content.  The figures and facial expressions are carefully rendered.  When the characters use their powers, you can feel the energy and drama crackle from the pages.  The panels featuring "establishing shots" of the watchtower, or Earth seen from the moon, have true grandeur and scale.

Mr. Hitch also possesses a great creative imagination- his interpretations of fictional and mythic creatures, the characters of the "Into the Woods" storyline, are striking and fearsome.  When rendering conflict on an earth-shattering, cosmic level, Mr. Hitch effectively conveys the scope and power involved, with dazzling light effects and dynamic compositions.

Certainly, the nuanced writing of Mark Waid also contributes to the refreshing feel of this book.  As brilliant as Grant Morrison has shown himself to be, with his work on X-Men, Batman, JLA/Earth2, All-Star Superman, and of course his many works for Vertigo, he made a complete mess of his run on the JLA.  He was not getting any help from the straightforward, clunky, even abrasive artwork of Howard Porter, either.  I suspect that his writing on JLA might look a bit different if his blitzkrieg, go-for-broke style was tempered by an artist of greater subtlety than Mr. Porter.

This material by Mark Waid is what should really be getting the "Deluxe Edition" reprintings.  No doubt the marvelous artwork by Bryan Hitch would look even better on glossy, oversize pages.  These are great super-hero comics.
1890610
This is Kool Keith's Keith album. He takes control of the beats and steers them right into New York where he can shoot his priceless words dead-on-target.
Everyone expects something different from what this album is--that was the point! Keith knew that people would listen to it and go "I can't believe he's doing this", but this is a Keith Thornton album. Doing what he does without all the costumes, his lyrics seem even more impressive without a theme. This proves that he doesn't have to rely on his wig and spaceship style. Keith's lyrics are as self-defacing and humorous as ever.
In a way, it's also one of the funniest things he's done. The lyrics depict more reality while proving to be Kool-Keith-hilarious.
Raw minimalism meets lyrical genius though simplicity. The man has a gift. Who else can say "F**k You.... Muthaf**ka!" as a chorus and make it more than well worth the time? Nobody!
KEITH!
1242314
GENIUS !!! STEFAN SCOTT NELSON is a genius, and we live in a world where this kind of genius struggles for recognition. It's a sad, sad situation. But if you want to celebrate that inequity in a manner that actually MATTERS to the these great unknown artists, it's easy to do so. just BUY this amazing LP, and be AMAZED. Is this release as great as his previous Second-Shimmy release, "DRUM BRAINS & AUTOMOBILES"? Gee. I guess it is! or maybe it's even better. It's hard to measure one against the other. they're both nearly perfect.

Nelson has been hard at work for years in collaboration with another LA-based genius in a band called HOWARDAMB, but their music is so different from Nelson's solo efforts, it's hard imagine that both musics come from the same people.

If you're looking for an artist who never once made a "B" song, look no further. Nelson makes only "A-sides", and each one is a world unto itself. Every song is a masterpiece. KUDOS to KRAMER for finding and releasing such amazing, killer music...for over 3 decades now.

Mastered by KRAMER for his 21st Century Shimmy-Disc download-only label, SECOND SHIMMY.