This is a great introduction to Florence and the Machine.
580082
An excellent collection displaying a superior talent.  This CD inspired me to look into other CDs by this talented new artist.
3451239
Twelve track compilation CD of material from Can's first six (6) lp's, 'Monster Movie' ('69), 'Soundtracks' ('70), 'Tago Mago' ('71), 'Ege Bamyasi' ('72), my personal favorite 'Future Days' ('73) and 'Soon Over Babaluma' ('74). Simple a GREAT introduction to anyone who hasn't heard much (or any) of this trend-setting and highly influential German progressive band. Highly recommended.
404412
Nina Simone is someone that put out so many albums, it would not be financially practical to try to collect them all. This compilation CD does show her wearing many different hats through different eras of music. For example, she does some good Blues work on "Do I Move You?" and a good live performance on "Mississippi Goddamn."

Some pieces are more vocal, and others are more piano driven/ instrumental, and that versatility is enjoyable.

For me, this has been a good introduction to Nina Simone and likely all of her that I will need to buy. I believe that this compilation has been sufficiently broad to stand on its own in a CD collection.
3850604
The opening song "Burn" makes for a powerful start, but also "Mistreated" and "Lady Double Dealer" come off really well, very exciting. But, "You Fool No One" is the real masterpiece here, sounding much stronger than the studio version, with a great keyboard opening from Jon Lord and some brilliant soloing from Ritchie Blackmore and furious drumming from Ian Paice. To close out the disc is an excellent version of "Strombringer."

Made In Europe a solid listen throughout, but it isn't quite on the level of Made In Japan, but what is?

Note: Made In Europe and Mark III The Final Concerts (Archives Alive in U.S.A.) are two completely different releases. Both recorded in April 1975 and consist of the last three concerts with Blackmore. Mark III The Final Concerts consists of unreleased tracks left off of Made In Europe and contains the entire setlist (with two alternative versions) in the right order.
4349902
This is a great book about the Basement Tapes, one of the seminal periods in rock history. There is a lot of detail about Bob Dylan and The Band members, whom he greatly admired. It's amazing how Dylan shows up with a pot of coffee, and his tattered, footnoted Bible - his energy and inspiration - and writes songs. In a way, Dylan taught The Band folk music and songwriting; The Band taught Dylan rock and roll (I know he'd already worked with Bloomfield, Kooper, and Harvey Brooks). Keep in mind this book is restricted to about a six month period in 1967 in Woodstock. More biographical reading is necessary to learn about the other 73 years of Dylan's life.
4432186
I am normally not a fan of classical "greatest hits" type albums, but I make a deserved exception for this CD. This CD is an excellent introduction to all the different styles Mozart is famous for; it has slightly over 75 minutes of music contained in its 25 tracks. The selections were largely well chosen, although to be nitpicky I would have preferred slightly more representation of his sublime horn concertos. Having said that, I unabashedly recommend this CD to anyone who wants a good overall overview of the works of Mozart. My particular favorites on the CD are "The Marriage of Figaro", "The Magic Flute", Horn Concerto Number 3 in E-flat", and, of course the always beautiful "Symphony Number 40 in G Minor."

The amazing thing about this CD is actually not the music presented, but the unbelievably low asking price for the CD, particularly considering that the recording quality is excellent with little to no background noise detectable, even at fairly high volume. This CD is highly recommended to anyone.
470599
It's Florence. Enough said. If you haven't heard of Lungs...where have you been? This is a must-own cd. So wonderful.
2566173
This is a great introduction to the Hellboy/BPRD universe.  As it does collect several older shorts, fans may have seen some (most?) of these before.  I'd seen about half myself.

Still, they capture the full range of Hellboy - from the very short and very simple plots to the complex weavings of Hellboy and legend, this book contains all the basic tonal elements of the short Hellboy works.

If you're curious about whether or not you'd like Hellboy, this is a great place to find out.
1434166
A good mystery tour of Florence. I wish I had read it before I visited Italy. There are places in the book that I wish I had visited.
Looks like another trip there is needed.
780833
Overall this is an excellent introduction to the history and offerings of Delft. Just a few notes here. First, the Prinsenhof is currently being renovated and will reopen in February 2016. The Porselyn Fles, now with signage marked as the Royal Delft experience, has been redone as a multimedia tour and is well worth the admission. Likewise, we felt that the Vermeer Centrum which the author wasn't as keen on is definitely worth the experience. While she is correct that they don't have the original Vermeer paintings there , the Centrum provides an outstanding overview of Vermeer's life or at least what little is known of it and the history and development of his painting.

 The food section we found less useful although we did find excellent food in Delft. I would heartily recommend De Waag which offers a fixed price 3 course "chef's surprise" for around 40 euros. A bit pricy but outstanding in taste, creativity and presentation.

- read via Kindle Unlimited.
2653785
I read this in anticipation of seeing Elektra on-stage. It did a good job of introducing the opera's production history, it's genesis on paper, and it's musical framework. Some of the papers on the tonal/musical theory of the opera were beyond my scope of understanding, but I remain far removed from the field of musical theory. Others might find them highly readable.

The work also contains a great plot summary. I only wish it contained the text (and hopefully an English translation, too), but that might be asking too much of one volume.
2956690
A fine fun read!  A great introduction to Italy (and a bit of Switzerland) for those who are armchair travelers, and a reminder of Italian places, habits, quirks, and customs for those already familiar with the country.  The ride is equal or superior to the destination, and you'll arrive at the denouement feeling you want to know more about Pete Pescatore's world and that of his cronies.  So curl up with a cafe corretto and enjoy the ride, er, read.
3574331
These two CDs correspond to discs number 16 and 17 in Brilliant's Boccherini Edition. If you want to sample this music before you invest in the 37 disc set the Opus 11 quintets are great place to start. The music is beautiful and incredibly inventive. The variety of sounds which the composer and players are able to achieve is incredible. The music is very relaxing and a pleasure to listen to. The group La Magnifica Communita are to be congratulated on their efforts to record all the string quintets.  According to other reviews they are about half way there. I hope they are able to finish the project.
2546928
I listen to this all the time. It includes great solos by Inqwie,,, Steve and Joe, with a super jam included on both the dvd and cd. Exemplary backup by Tony Mcalpine and Billy Sheehan for Mr. Vai. The cd collection is a double package with each performer , on cd 1 and the g3 jam on cd2. Inqwie does baroque and rock, red house and does tremendous work on Rockin in the Free World ( they all do). I brought this out for younger listeners and we played the dvd 4 times in one week. A great introduction to the talents of these guys to a younger generation who never get it from mainstream media. Im sure most of you know this already so enjoy some more.
1695596
This is a wonderful look at early work by the band.  I only gave it 4 instead of 5 stars because their work continues to get better and better.  Songs such a "Marilyn, My Bitterness" and "Monsters" have an amazing blend of rhythm, melody and lyrics that sound just as beautiful the millionth time as they did the first.  And do see them live if you can (unless you live on the moon, no trip to the concert is too far) - it's a religious experience.
1621710
"Maisy Goes to the Hospital" is a part of a new line of books called the "Maisy First Experiences" books (part of a line called "My Friend Maisy.") In this story, Maisy must pay a visit to the hospital when she hurts her leg after bouncing on a trampoline. She learns just what happens at a hospital and even makes a new friend.

Maisy gets an x-ray and stays overnight at the hospital. She misses her friends, but later they come to visit her. They even get to sign her cast.

Overall, I think this story is a great introduction for any kid that would have to go to the hospital. Each experience is unique, but this provides a good idea of the basics. Definitely recommended for all "Maisy" fans and as an introduction to this particular "first experience."
1684191
A great 'all in one' compendium of classical music. I would have given it five stars if the listings were better. the names of the pieces are there, and who is performing them, but not always the original composer information, so it can get a little confusing.
A great introduction to classical, as well a great library of masterpieces.