Awesome --- but the CDs are mandatory for full appreciation
348726
It took me a while to appreciate this book because in the early stages of learning, it came across as boring and difficult to read.  However, after learning the basics from other more elementary sources, when I returned to this, I was amazed how wonderful of a teaching program it is.  The real value of this book is in the recorded CDs (purchased separately).  They are essentially the answer key to all of the exercises in the book.  They take you through verb and grammar drills from all different angles until you finally say "I get it already, enough!".  It is beautiful when you realize that you are not memorizing or even passively listening, but actively thinking in the language.  I listened to the CDs every night for 6 months while falling asleep.
4420097
The content of this CD is wonderful.  Blues great Jimmy Reed playing roots rock & blues like very have ever been able to.  And as a great bonus, you get to hear him actually talk about the songs and his life.  It's more than music, it's a an involving entertainment, a show.

BUT:  Whoever remixed the tracks must be nearly deaf, because he jacked the treble up to super-shrill levels.  The harmonica parts shred your ears.  Turning down the treble fixes this, fortunately, but be prepared to do that.  Or if you put your music on the hard disc, as I do, you have the option of rolling off the treble with an audio editing program.  I did that, because I think music itself is fabulous enough to spend a few minutes tweaking it.  I recommend having such a program in general, because then you can clip off unwanted applause, etc.  Or, as with this CD, you can separate Jimmy's talking into separate tracks, as I did, to skip easily between them and the songs.  A program like Nero will do the trick.

Overall, a terrific CD, with uniquely engaging personal insights.  But roll off the treble.  Five stars once you do that.
96273
Great Sound quality. Great Music content. A MUST have!!!!
A perfect example that CD quality can, sometimes, surprise you on the good way.
Of course the musical contents is also top but this is subjective mater - I love it :-)
3053813
An amazing total 61 songs on just two CDs.  The sound is very good, not hissy or scratchy.  All the songs that were hits on the Billboard 100 charts are included.  Liner notes are good.  Having said all that, it's hard not to give five stars.  I feel I'm commenting on the CDs per se, not the Hilltoppers themselves.

I'm not a big Hilltoppers fan, but I wanted their main hits for my deejay inventory.  I felt that a lot of the tunes on these CDs were not keepers, but a true Hilltopper fan might be tickled pink.

This CD package was produced in the Czech Republic, and it has a nice appearance.  I did find that the CDs were a bit difficult to remove from the case.
4009930
You've read some reviews here. This CD has some classic material. I can't really add much to what you've read, except this. These are full-length versions of the material, not abbreviated "hit" versions. These are the songs you remember (or not) the way they were meant to be herd.

I don't know what Sony did, or how they did it, but they achieved the ultimate in digital sound with this series. I've been buying CDs since 1983, looking for all my old favorites. This CD (and the other three in the series)represent an example of perfection in audio reproduction.

You MUST get your hands on this collection!
4068089
Ive been a Vast fan since the beginning. Always ready for more music from them, I was excited to get this double cd set (yes, I prefer a disc). Its interesting the way Jon Crosby let his fans choose which songs made it to the record. I think the fans chose wisely because the Audience Selected cd is fantastic. It sounds just like Id expect from them. I really love the cd from start to finish. I cant stop listening to it!
However, I think they should have left Audience Unselected out. The second cd doesnt sound like Vast to me and I won't be listening to it much just too weird. Great job on the first one, though.
1259010
This was my Christmas gift this year, and I just finished listening to all 50 CDs this morning.  I have about an hour round-trip commute which has been turned into an epic and exciting journey through this music for the last few months.

As others have mentioned, the recordings are all first-rate, highly regarded issues from the DG and Decca catalogs.  All of these recordings are superb.  Many are for sale here on Amazon individually, rated highest of their competition, and priced around $15 or $17 per disk.  The value for money here is just silly.

I think that this box set would be a perfect gift for someone like me with a good knowledge and appreciation of the instrumental classical warhorses but with more limited exposure to the sacred choral repertoire.  So many of these compositions are pinnacles of Western art but are rarely heard.  This was my first time to hear Monteverdi's Vespers, Bach's St. John Passion, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, Rachmaninoff's Vespers, and, I'm embarassed to say, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.  Works like these simply don't get the airplay of the symphonic and concerto masterworks.

Like some other purchasers, I did have problems with skipping and unreadable passages on 4 or 5 disks.  This is disappointing largely because people of my vintage think of DG issuing superb vinyl and generally being at the top of the heap in regards to physical quality of both media and packaging.  But I still have no hesitation in giving the set 5 stars.  Even if there were only half the disks, the set would still be superb value for money.

From the first notes of Allegri on disk one to the final surprise (to me at least) of the final cut on disk 50, this set truly transports the listener through an epic journey of wondrous music.  Whoever curated this set has an incredibly encyclopedic knowledge of this repertoire.  I wonder what was reluctantly cut out!

I have learned an incredible amount, enjoyed and been enraptured by and sometimes been combative towards a tremendous range of music.  This set has helped me understand the history of classical music better.  The long chronology of these selections makes quite clear why we apply the term "Baroque" to a certain period of music.  I understand better now why I dislike the 19th century British composers.  I have heard styles rise up, play out, and morph into the next period.  It's all quite amazing, really.

Having worked through this set, I'm highly tempted to see what other massive compilations DG has to offer.
3933986
5 star music...3 star collection (because it's missing so much great stuff)for an average of 4. Let me explain why I'm giving thisonly 4 stars...While this is a great collection of CCR songs the two "Chronicles" CDs cover the band's style and best music better than this two CD set. Additionally, you'll get more music there and the artwork is quite a bit better with notes discussing CCR's career. Although the sound quality on the "Chronicles" sets aren't the best (the only place to get the best sounding CCR remasters are to buy either the individually remastered sets, boxed set and/or Steve Hoffmann's terrific remasters of the CCR albums "Born on the Bayou", "Green River", "Willie and the Poor Boys" and "Cosmos' Factory".

With the boxed set (if you decide to invest that much)you get every track the band recorded and that was released including a 25 track disc that the band recorded when they were known as Tommy & The Blue Velvets and The Golliwogs. While the former tracks are decent some of The Golliwogs tracks such as "Fight Fire" could hold their own with the best swamp music John wrote.

It's your choice but I would suggest going for the "Chronicles" set or one of the others I mentioned as the music sounds so much better. One other option is the CCR/John Fogerty single disc set which also sounds great AND includes some new live tracks as well.
4415084
This is a nice way to cap off what has been the BVSC phenomenon of the past 10 years with a lovely 2-CD set of the Carnegie Hall concert featured in the hit documentary.  All the familiar voices are here, the songs sound wonderful, and there is a handsome booklet to go along with the CD's. The only problem is that the two CD's probably could have been squeezed onto one as you get barely more than 90 minutes of music with little in the way of extras. Seems to me that the way to have gone here is with a CD-DVD set that provided a much fuller testament of this breathtaking concert in its entirety.  But, I imagine that will come with the next anniversary of this event.
2893798
Don't read this. Order the CD. Thank me later. This is, quite simply one of the best discs in my collection. And I have 7000+'discs on the shelves. This one won't  get filed away. Play it and play it and play it. You gotta buy it. The packaging and video are great too. So glad they're producing such great art. Great songs. Stunning production. Play it loud through a great home audio system. Put the puny earbuds in the drawer. You have to feel this set, not just listen on a jog or bus commute. Sorry....I'm taking time from you submitting your order. Response is appreciated.
736752
Neil is in fine voice for this wonderful CD package.  The CD includes the entire show from the tour that he did across most of the States in 2008.  I was lucky enough to see two of the shows and the CD's bring back wonderful memories.  I only question the timing of the release. The shows were a year and half ago and most of the hype is pretty much gone by now. It would have made for sense to release it along side the DVD release and TV special from last August.  For Neil collectors, try and get the import set of this CD (released many months ago and available on Amazon) for it includes one extra song (Lady Oh, Antwerp 2008). That song is not on the US release. Though the extra cuts on the US release don't appear on the import. So to be complete, you need both sets.  The UK version has a different cover.
2873500
This collection of recordings is really outstanding.  The other reviewers have done an excellent job of articulating the strengths and minor weaknesses of the renditions, so I will not duplicate their efforts here.  My main point is that at about $400+ for this series of CDs I would recommend that you first check you local library for a copy, and if they do not have it yet in their collection encourage them to do so (from Amazon of course!).  That way you can sample an entire play or two before you pluck down your cash for the complete set.  Unfortunately for those of use who prefer to listen now to their audio via an MP3 player, you will find that the titles on the disks are done very inconsistenly, and occasionally just wrong.  So make sure that you check each disk after you make the conversion to ensure that the titles are correct and in a form that you can properly use. Don't forget about donating a set to your local libarary too, to share this great set of recordings with those who are just discovering Shakespeare.
4579126
I am in a 6 months long listen to these "Collector's Edition" Depeche Mode CD's.  The releases in the USA contained only the Remastered CD & the DVD in 5.1 of the Music (along with extra tracks and the film about the band at that time period) The UK Collector's edition's contained the SACD version of the CD in 5.1 as well as the DVD. For me, the SACD versions sound better than the DVD multi-channel version. On this quest to get these versions, I suddenly re-discovered the band. I also rediscovered things I already new all over again. These SACD discs are so great, and sound great. If you are a Depeche Mode fan, they are a must own in this multi-channel format. The music on "Exciter" is somewhat subdued. But again, one of the things I discovered all over again was how great they really are all over again!
3773934
There have been plenty of comments that detail the particular shortcomings of this set: the lack of liner notes, the loose fit of a few of the album sleeves, and so on.  While these are valid points (and entirely true; I was grateful for the warning when Time and a Word started to fall out and I remembered to catch it just in time), they are incredibly minor points compared to all of the positives here.  Here  are the first 12 studio albums for an UNBEATABLE price.  (I found a new set at $42 including shipping, which brought the price down to $3.50/album!)  And not only is all of the music of the first 12 included, but as a bonus you get album sleeves that faithfully reproduce (in miniature) the original record covers, CDs that (presumably) mimic the style of the original LPs, a clam-shell case which is gorgeously illustrated (and also a handy solution to not having CDs flying everywhere due to the loose cases!), and a TON of bonus tracks--62 in all, I think.  (And a tiny poster of the box art, but we need not mention that.)  Some of these bonus tracks, admittedly, are pretty dull--do we really need 3 remixes of Rhythm of Love?--but some of them are fantastic additions and fascinating run-throughs.  (We get a lot of the singles and B-sides that have shown up on previous boxed sets, like "America" and "Something's Coming," and I'm glad to have them here.)  I've only listened through a few of them--mostly catching up on older releases like the debut that I had barely heard before--but those sound great.  (I am pretty excited to listen to CTTE and Tales.)  For a younger guy like me who came around long after the LPs were still being released, looking through the original sleeves has been like looking through a museum, and it is SO nice to have ALL of the original album art.  For this huge Yesfan (who, antithetically, only owned a physical copy of one of these 12 albums?), this was a fantastic find.  Highly recommended for it's fantastic value!
1801394
Great box,great music AND some extras in the form of introduction CD's & a CD-ROM!
3033054
This is a beautifully done box set. The new remastering sounds great - not too loud and squashed - the vocals sound clearer and bigger, there's great detail and separation without sounding sterile - Wonderwall is fascinating if you haven't heard it before - and the other albums all sound infinitely better than they did before (I believe "All Things Must Pass" is exactly the same as the 2000 reissue).
Some people have complained that this set should have been released before the Dark Horse box but apparently it's taken this long to sort out the legal issues with the other owners of Apple Records...
The discs are made as mini albums similar to the Beatles In Mono Box with George's quirky artwork and the Extra Texture cover does indeed have extra texture like the original vinyl.
The booklet is hardcover and has a lot of new photos, handwritten notes, tape boxes etc. and is written by Kevin Howlett.
The only slight negatives I could think of are that the pages of the booklet, being printed on glossy, photo-type paper, were slightly stuck together at first although no damage done - and I feel that the bonus tracks on "All Things Should Pass" should be at the end of the second disc - as with the 2000 reissue they appear in the middle of the triple album and - in my opinion - throw off the continuity of the album - they're great tracks and worth having, I just wish they were AFTER the original album tracks...but those are two very small gripes on one of the best box sets I've bought.
A lot of George's music was very unfairly treated by critics at the time ("Transcendental Mediocrity" etc.) so it's great to have it re-released with the care and respect it deserves.
1859074
For me this collection is a gift, it's really wonderful. Fine ok it doesn't include all the original full length mixes but you can imagine that things like these cost money to the label and you know they haven't sold many of these. But focusing on the content on the cd, I cannot do anything but praise it. I have fallen in love with this singer. I love Salsoul and Loleatta Holloway is a fantastic vocalist.
I think that the second cd might even be stronger than the first one, where her emotion really shines through, the emotion... I feel the ballads or love songs on the cd are really, really amazing.
Also a note to that reviewer who complains that ride on time and good vibrations are not on here...erm, ride on time "by" black box was an illegally sampled song and is not a Loleatta recording, nor is the other sampling on the marky mark & the funky bunch song, they would have NOTHING to do on here! lol