Unabridged LOTR Recording is Pure Bliss
37196
I've read the Lord of the Rings at least two dozen times or more, and it is far and away my favorite book of all time.  Although each time I've re-read it I have gotten yet more and more out of it, listening to this unabridged reading has made me appreciate the work even more, if possible.  Listening to it without the printed page before your eyes renders everything so much more vividly it is truly astonishing.  It also modulates the pacing of the experience, since it takes longer to read aloud than to read silently in your head.  And you can appreciate the nuances of Tolkien's elegant and stately prose style so much more this way, too.
Rob Inglis's reading is wonderful.  His vocal characterizations are excellent, particularly for Gollum, Treebeard, Gimli and Gandalf.  His emotional range is a bit narrow, unfortunately, and some of his intonations can be a bit repetitive or occasionally off, but this does not really detract from the whole.  An especially nice thing is that he actually sings each of the songs that are interspersed throughout the story.  I don't know where the melodies came from, but they are very fitting, with a sort of English folk-music style that fits in perfectly with the ambience of the whole.
Listening to these CD's has been absolutely delightful in every way.  I am going to be so, so sad when I get to the end, I must just turn right around and start them over again!
3445782
Having made an earlier mistake of buying 2 C.D.'s which were not original soundtrack, I can truthfully say these are the best.  If you are a Lord of the Rings fan, look no further - no one does it better than The London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the composer Howard Shore.  You will be back in Middle Earth reliving all those wonderful scenes.  I bought only The Fellowship of the Ring and The Return of the King from Amazon.com because I already had the Two Towers from Amazon.co.uk and I would recommend all three - magical.
198839
I checked some of the 1-star ratings of this particular product listing and it seemed that some people received the abridged, radio performance of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. If that is the case with this product, I cannot in good faith advocate it. However, if it is, in fact, the recording by Robert Inglis, I can say that this is an excellently produced, unabridged adaptation of the book. First hearing it on cassette in high-school, I have to have listened to this book and its 2 sequels over a hundred times. Despite never having 'read' the books, I know them as well as many dedicated enthusiasts, I dare say, and well enough to find the movies tiresome and tritely commercial adaptations. I personally found Robert Inglis' performance to be very engaging, though I can see where some listeners may not think this is the case. Considering the length of the whole trilogy (56 hours in total, or close to it, I believe), you better like hearing Inglis' voice. However much it may seem like posturing, however, I found it more relatable than the narrator of the audiobook of The Silmarillion. I found Martin Shaw's performance to be debilitatingly affected, to the point where it deeply detracted from the text for me. Inglis' performance is tasteful, his interpretation of the songs is charming (he came up with the melodies himself) and his pronunciation of Elvish is, for the most part, consistent. A must-buy for the true Tolkien fan!
4864862
I can't believe how much i love the extended version of these movies. It really is so great. Obviously if your looking at this you like LOTR. Just get it. its worth it.

The packaging is beautiful. I love the cases and will probably keep them forever.

As far as the Blu-ray, of course that is great.
499778
Back in the late 1970's, in an era when radio drama was disappearing from public radio, the American prodcution of "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" were created with a full cast of voice actors along with music and sound effects.  Reminiscent of the radio dramas of the 1940's and 50's, these productions were usually aired on Sunday afternoons, when a family could listen and enjoy the week's story.  Released on Jabberwocky Audio on cassette tapes, I remember the Christmas when I received the entire collection of Jabberwocky's stories on tape.  From "The Hobbit" to "Alice in Wonderland" to "The Red Badge of Courage," all were classic tales.  They even re-released on cassette some of the original radio productions, such as "War of the Worlds" and "The Gift of the Magi."  These stories were designed to get the listener interested and promote reading the books the productions were based on.  They were not designed for an adult audience, but rather for children and families to share.  Wonderfully edited and masterfully performed, many modern audiences find these old productions a little silly or even perhaps dated, but play it for a child, and they will listen in rapture, just as I did 25 years ago when they were new.  Of all my collection of the Jabberwocky tapes, "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" are the only ones that I have trouble playing today, because they have been played so many times over the years that they are worn out.  We would play them in the car on road trips, I would play them in my room while putting together a puzzle, and I played them for my friends, who enjoyed them as much as I did.  I am delighted to have it on CD to listen to over and over again.  At seven years of age, I had not yet read the books when I first listened to the tapes.  But the tapes were perfect for a small girl just getting interested in reading.  If only all the rest of the old radio dramas were also on CD!  I would buy them all.  It was unfortunate to come to this website and see the poor reviews written by people who have no understanding of the history of the production or what demographic it was originally intended for.  I look forward to the day when I can play these CD's for my own children and see the wonder and delight in their faces when they hear the same stories that I grew up with.
1563373
These extended editions just keep getting better and better!  I had been waiting almost a year to see the Saruman/Gandalf confrontation scene, and I was definitely NOT disappointed!  Also, the confrontation between the Witch King and Gandalf was most exciting as well.  Most of the extra 50 minutes of added footage aids in understanding character development and battle scenes.  However, the addition of the Gandalf/Saruman, Gandalf/Witch King, and Mouth of Sauron scenes both wrap up loose ends and add new meaning to the entire film.  Unlike the other two films, after watching the extended edition, it is almost impossible to watch the theatrical version of ROTK now.  While I am saddened that this is the "end" of the trilogy as it may, I am still firmly convinced that these movies will become instant classics in the tradition of the Star Wars or Indiana Jones franchises.  This is a MUST OWN DVD for all movie collections.
3459778
I never fully appreciated the brilliance of The Hobbit until I listened to this recorded version. Rob Inglis is a genius--he really is! A story I previously thought of as juvenile has layers of complexity that hearken back to the Silmarillion and Tolkien's background mythology! It's a stunning achievement!
3822744
This disc has become better each time I've played it. I can truly say I've never heard anything like it. The depth, the range, the emotion of Peter Hollens' voice, and what he can do with it are amazing, and the collaborations are fantastic!

I love this disc! And it's a MUST for any LOTR and Hobbit fan!
3165064
The sound quality is much better than I feared. I had a bootleg CDR called Middle Earth which was horribly reverb drenched, probably recorded with open mics, possibly to a standard 1/4" cassette. (think "Turns On" series)

This CD however, actually is a line recording and is as clean as a 1967 Soft Machine performance possibly could have been. I would love to have such a fine document of the band *with* Daevid Allen, but until then, this is a welcome addition to my collection and above average quality in comparison to similar recordings of its kind.
1714010
If you liked the 1 CD soundtrack made by Howard Shore, this 3CDs + 1 DVD (with full score in Dolby 5.1) will translate you to the Middle Earth and let you live the Ent's March, The Wolves of Isengard's Attack, The Helm's Deep Battle and Aragorn's past as he faces his Dunedain nature, with no cuts and with all the exact parts of the film's soundtrack.

Is like watching the film in audio (but without SFX!! XD)...

You won't regret!
4506693
I played the Hobbits in my high school band, and since then, it inspired me to read The Hobbit and The LOTR.  Gandalf the Wizard is an excellent interpretation, with its bold power and its mournful lamenting.  This is  the best LOTR music I've heard, and I've listened to a lot.  I'm not so  fond of 4, but Gollum really grows on you.  I love the Hobbits, the way it  changes styles, from bouncy to troublesome to peaceful-(nice flugelhorn  solo! )-to victorious.  You must buy this!
3867798
I am so glad I bought the MP3 version of this disc.  It is so wonderfully spacious and well recorded.  The orchestra uses MANY plucked instruments such as Theorboes, Archlutes, Chitarrone, etc that give it all a wondrous rich and woodsy quality.  I had hoped the Bianchinni/Ensemble 415 version on Harmonia Mundi would sound like this, but it is recorded so poorly.  Evidently Corelli used large forces for grand occasions in Rome for these Concerti.  This recording certainly captures that.  My only complaint is that this recording is only excerpts of Op. 6 and I heartily beg the NEW DUTCH ACADEMY to consider recording the rest of it all and release it.  It is all so deliciously played.  I cannot recommend it enough.  You won't get all the concerti, but what is here is sumptuous.

Update:  I recently purchased the CD.  I am finished with MP3s.  The quality of sound of the SACD is so far superior to anything else!  I cannot say enough about how marvelous this recording is.  It makes me smile, it makes my dogs smile, is IS a smile!  It restores ones faith in humanity, pours light into your soul, and did I mention it is played and recorded so perfectly?  Do yourself a soul favor and get this disc!
3716175
Many years ago, I listened to about 1/3 of this unabridged on CD reading, but never got through it.  Later in life I picked up and put down the novel, reading all words in between.  (That was a bit of a loyal, grueling effort!)  A couple months ago I started listening to the CD again, and finished this morning.  Let me just say that Martin Shaw totally gets Tolkien.  The accent, the pronunciations, even the different voices.  The story came alive through his narration, and with the listening of this CD set the words I'd read long ago came alive again but this time managed to stick in a way that I can truly say that now _I_ get The Silmarillion.  Bravo to JRR Tolkien and his son the editor for letting us enjoy this history of the world Tolkien created.  And bravo to Mr Shaw for a masterful storytelling that left me longing for more.  The dramatic music at the start and close of each major section was the icing on the cake of this wonderful unabridged audio book on CD.
2856255
I have a long commute (45-60 minutes each way) to work and am constantly looking for engaging distractions.  You couldn't ask for a better way to spend an hour in the car twice a day than listening to this outstanding production.  The Lord of the Rings is perfect material for the audiobook format - and Rob Inglis does an excellent job of performing the book (not just reading the text).  I couldn't imagine reading or listening to a digest of the book so this edition - unabridged - is worth the extra investment.  For those who have read the series (as I have long ago) or those who have enjoyed the films, this is a terrific way to experience the story again.  I quite expect to listen to all 46 CDs again!
2057382
Just to let people who DON'T care about the EE's know, the audio and video quality of these disks compared to the DVDs is amazing (particularly ROTK)! If you don't particularly care about seeing the inferior opening sequence from the EE or Merry getting eaten by a tree, then these are the way to go. The only thing I really miss is the Mouth of Sauron scene, but the vast increase in quality certainly makes up for it. The first scene with Denethor and the Ride of the Rohirrim look AMAZING in 1080P. Don't let the haters talk you into missing out. It's time to move on, people!
3452371
The performance by Rob Inglis is spectacular.  He has a different voice for each character and you get to know and love each one.  I actually look forward to driving to work so I can listen to him.  I listened to samples of other audio book recordings of the Hobbit but they do not compare to this version.  I am planning to try the Rob Inglis version of the Lord of the Rings trilogy next.
2919236
I'm a long-term Tolkien fan, having started with Lord of the Rings at age eight, but I always struggled with the Silmarillion.  I found the text dry and hard to follow, and eventually gave up.

However, after receiving this set in cassette form and listening through it, I have to say that this is by far the BEST possible way to get into the Silmarillion.  Martin Shaw's narration is fantastic, with pitch-perfect pronunciation of all Tolkien's language, and a clear passion for what he's reading.  It's a throwback to an older tradition, and listening to this narration, you can hear what Tolkien heard.  The Silmarillion is written in a style that is meant to be listened to, and now, years later, I can read the books and hear Shaw's booming voice narrating it.

This is strongly recommended for any fan of Tolkien's works, young or old.