Good, But Far From Best
596932
Revival follows the interactions of  Jamie Morton and a small town reverend, Charles Jacobs, over the span of several decades. Jamie and Charles first meet when Jamie is a young boy. Jacobs is the new reverend at their local church. He infuses new life into the church, and things are going great until tragedy strikes Jacobs and his family. Everything begins to crumble at that point. Jacobs loses faith, and so does Jamie. But not before Jacobs apparently healed Jamie's older brother's voice with electricity.

Time goes by, and Jamie runs across Jacobs again at a state fair. Jacobs, having always been fascinated by electricity and lightning, is running an attraction at the fair, involving electricity and photography. Not exactly fake, but not exactly real, either. Jamie is strung out, addicted to heroin, having just been kicked out of his touring rock band. When he passes out at Jacobs's demonstration, he awakes to find himself in Jacobs's RV.

Jacobs eventually convinces Jamie to travel with him to his workshop in Oklahoma, where Jacobs administers a sort of shock therapy to him. Jamie will never touch drugs again. This is just the beginning, though.

Later on, Jamie encounters Jacobs once again. He seems to have returned to his religious roots, running a healing ministry. Again, electricity is involved. The intensity gains force as the story goes on, and strange things begin to happen to a number of people that Charles Daniel Jacobs has "healed." Things that are not good.

All of this comes to a head with one big event, toward the end of the book. Jacobs blackmails Jamie into helping him by offering to heal his first love from his teenage years, who is dying from cancer. Jacobs is intent on seeing what is behind the "door" that many of his "patients" have seen, immediately after their "healing." He finds out. I'm sure he wishes he hadn't.

I enjoyed the book, although it is far from a favorite. As has been the case more than once, I was a bit disappointed in the ending. But it held my attention, and I enjoyed the character development and interaction.
4547167
I bought this album based on an advertisement I heard on the radio for it, because I love The Band, and I'm a pretty big fan of many of the artists on this album. The album was a bit of a let-down, though. The artists featured on the album do a good enough job with their chosen songs, but I haven't found any of these artists' renditions to be nearly as good as the originals. The Band was truly a collection of musical geniuses, and it's just hard to top their versions.
3225048
This one kind of fell flat for me. It was good, but not great. I think a lot of it came down to Joe Hill overusing things like "they closed the door, and then it never opened again" at the end of many chapters. It's an interesting device, but it was so overused it got to be annoying.

The world of the story was interesting, and the plot was solid as well. The Dragonscale was a really creative idea, and it's clear he had a lot of fun playing around with it. The main thing that drops it down to 3 stars for me is that the characters are feel relatively flat. You can guess what they're going to do well ahead of time, and there are only a couple of major surprises.

Don't let me dissuade you though, this is a good book, and totally worth your time. I think 3-stars is buyable.
2531710
Simak wrote some memorable novels and short stories.  "Project Pope" is not, in my view, among his best efforts.  The plot is long on talk and short on action, which would be acceptable if the dialogue were more substantial.  However, the psychic explorations of the galaxy by sensitives, and the reflections of the robots in their enclave, don't yield any clear discoveries about reality to make plodding through the tale ultimately rewarding.  I thought much was promised but not delivered.  If you haven't read "City," "Way Station" or "Ring Around the Sun," read them before spending time on "Project Pope."  They are far more rewarding to read.  Also watch out for collections of short stories with "Immigrant," and "Beachhead" in them:  classic stuff.
1504064
This DVD set is best at giving a general history of the Russian Tsars, and would be a great introduction for someone new to this place and time in history. However, as someone who already knows quite a bit about Russian history, not many new things are presented here, and I've even noticed a few errors, such as the creators using a picture of Ivan the Terrible holding his dead son to represent the victim of a completely different Tsar. And being the History Channel, you can expect the theatrical music and tone to bias you toward feeling one way or another about a certain person or event, as opposed to giving you the facts and leaving it at that.

One of the most disappointing things, however, was the lack of speakers, specifically ones from Russia. All but two or three (in the five episodes on the set) are from the US or UK, and most of those are from less than known Universities. It feels like they were simply there to give the narrator a break at times, since most information is given from the voice over. The reenactments were also disappointing, because many scenes were used over and over, becoming repetitive very fast. The three episodes on the second disc (Which were specifically based around Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, and Rasputin) didn't have much more information than the two episode series on the first disc. In fact, the only one where anything new or different was presented was the Rasputin episode, and that's only because he wasn't a Tsar.

Despite these numerous flaws, this set is good for what it is, and stays focused on the topics presented. I wouldn't necessarily recommend purchasing it because you could easily find all the information online or in a book, just without the mostly mediocre reenactments.
1023436
This CD is decent, but certainly not as mind-numbingly awesome as most of her work.  It almost seems forced and the song selection just didn't do it for me.
With that said, I must add that I absolutely love Sarah Brightman.  From the moment I first heard her, I had to own every single album she's ever done.  Yet, with this album, I was expecting so much more.  I wanted to be floored the way I was when I first listened To Dive, or Phantom, or pretty much any of her others.  But this just lacked the power and beauty I've come to expect from her, and left me searching the case to see if the real CD was in there.
It's not bad, but it's just not up to the level Sarah Brightman has given us in the past.  But, there's always next time... (and I will buy it).
3308566
These performances exhibit the same symptoms as the Auryn's set of op. 20 quartets -- they're very smooth and pretty, but their conception fails to project the essence of what are among Haydn's greatest early scores. The Auryn's approach is restrained, not to the point of blandness, but to its edge in many instances. Listen, for example, to how laid back they sound in op. 33 no. 2 compared to the Borodins, who are hardly overly assertive. There are too many similar examples to cite in the Auryn's semi-pasteurized Haydn, a disappointment given the mostly positive reviews this set has received. Separately, the recorded sound is very good, but not up to the spectacular sonics afforded to the Borodins, who are my top choice (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Haydn-String-Quartets-Op-33/dp/B004HEDGM4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Haydn: String Quartets Op. 33</a>).
3241798
Pleasant reading, not as good as it should have been. Literature is based on conflict, ( man v. self; v. man; v. nature) but this one had too little.  It is apparent early on that Our Hero leads quite the charmed life, and what is apparent is that what is important to Him is all that matters - duty, chain of command, etc. is not important.  The detail of life in the ship, etc. is good and entertaining but the overall themes suffered.  I am reading Mr. McDowell's book on British Infantry in 1805, and see that it is very similar: a good picture of life in the Army in 1805, but character development, etc. suffers.  In one scene an Admiral boards a transport ship containing the Army soldiers, recently arrived from a long trip.  The Army officers greet the Admiral effusively, then they proceed below to meet the much-less important Captain of the transport ship.  The Captain was waiting below?  In what Navy at what time?  Seems like little things, but they take away from the reality of the book.
4288200
This recording has its good points and its not-so-good points. Overall, I'd say the good outweighs the bad, but you may see things differently.

The good: A terrific performance, a historical recording, and a pretty darn good bargain at under $2 for a complete performance (1 hour, 48 minutes) of the Gurrelieder by a top-flight orchestra.

The not-so-good: It was recorded in 1932. The recording was state of the art for its day, but there were some important fundamental limitations in the sound technology. It's a bit muted and dull-sounding -- the brightness and clarity just isn't there. I haven't heard 1932 sound much better than this, but it's still very far from modern standards.

Stokowski took pride in bringing avant-garde pieces from Europe to America, and he was one of the big early popularizers of Schoenberg and Stravinsky in the US. This recording is a memorial to that history, and to the kind of exciting thinking that was going on in music back in the early Depression era.

If you're interested in early Stokowski, or just a cheapskate, this recording is a great deal. Just know what you're getting into.
2180025
I have been a fan of Kamelot for five years now and this is far from thier best work. Don't get me wrong, the cd does grow on you the more you listen just like most of thier work. If you want to hear this band at the top of thier game i would suggest the forth legacy or karma.
3327852
Robin had done a great service by recognizing other great songwritings with this collection. However, as 'good' as this album is, it should have been fantastic. "Please" excels and is the appropriate single choice, but the other songs seem terribly bland and ill-fitting the voice of veteran Robin Gibb. There are no high-end fast paced songs and only one true power ballad. Granted, the production is well orchestrated, if not overproduced technology, but the songs just seem to drag. There just was no reason to re-record, "Wish You Were Here" or "Lonely Night In New York" - they are remarkable already. But then again, "Don't Wanna Wait Forever" shows promises with a great beatmix and "Inseparable" is a close second. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if "Inseparable" was the next single.  Robin's intentions are good and I will play this album. It's just that I expected way too much.
1941849
Much better than good, but still lower quality than I expected.
4363373
I am a great Kunzel fan, and have over three dozen of his CDs. This album is the only one I regret buying. It is not the kind of music I am used to from Kunzel, nor is it the kind of playing I expect from him. Usually, he does it better than the original artist, or even the composer, but on this one, he is little better than a generic cover band. They do come alive a little on Simple Gifts, but even Malaguena falls flat. Even Carmen Dragon never failed to electrify with that one.

Even the usual Telarc sound seems just so-so, but maybe that is a result of the lackluster, almost rote, performance, with even the sound engineers losing interest
4373931
I'd been listening to the band on last.fm for quite a while before I finally decided to buy one of their albums.  The songs that I heard from this album on last.fm were the far and away best songs on the album.  The rest just didn't compare.  Those few songs I'd heard are quite good indeed, but I wouldn't suggest buying the whole album.
4298296
This has flashes of Clash greatness, but it is nowhere near as great as, for instance, "London Calling" or as audacious as "Sandinista." Nonetheless, it is still a CD well worth listening to, as we see the Clash winding down as a creative force.

Given comments by some reviewers, I am almost embarrassed to say that two songs really do stand out--a softer song, "Should I Stay or Should I Go" and the funky "Rock the Casbah."  The first was a hit, and seems like a bookend for the wonderful "Train in Vain." The latter had an infectious beat and some amusing lines.

Still, there are also other songs worth some note. "Overpowered by Funk" is an interesting change of pace; "Straight to Hell" is another good piece.

This marked the decline of the Clash, as Mick Jones and Joe Strummer were going their separate ways, with differing visions of the direction the Clash should take. But it was not a bad album.  No, it was not "London Calling," but very few CDs are at that level.
1014281
I love this band, but I think this is the weakest of their albums.  The sound engineering is poor, especially on vocal tracks accompanied by music, where the vocals sound distant and weak.  The a capella songs are fine.  The arrangement and execution of the music seem a little bit rushed.  Nevertheless, you should get their other albums: If you think this album is OK, the others are better, and if you think this is great, the others will blow you away.

The engineering is particularly evident on "Ninety Miles an Hour", which is a fun song that deserves better treatment.  The vocals don't hold up to the accompaniment.  The arrangement itself fails some, too, in that it ends immediately after the last verse instead of carrying through another round of music, which would have been a better choice by a band whose strong point is instrumental music.
1779482
I'm not really gonna deviate from the consensus about this one - compared to the work of groups like Kool & the Gang or Rick James (I have nothing against either act, just offering a point of comparison), it's the voice of god. But compared to Prince's later work, it's completely insubstantial. Basically, the record just drifts along, occasionally really taking off (the funky, dirty classic "Soft and Wet"; the rocker "I'm Yours"), and there are some marvelous guitar solos on "Just as Long as We're Together" and "My Love is Forever". But most the rest is uneventful, though never bad - the standard song is slow, slightly funky, with heavily sexual themes and quirky synthesizers. "Crazy You", "In Love", "Baby" and "So Blue" are, on an objective basis, decent yet forgettable songs. However, for classic-era Prince, "decent" is "weak", and I knock the rating down a bit merely because it can't reasonably be judged against Purple Rain or Dirty Mind. Hell, even the self-titled second record is such a big improvement over this one I couldn't ever rate them equally.