Old but still great - with a few caveats
588799
I have used the 3D Home Architect application in this suite for over 15 years in my residential home remodel and new construction
business - very satisfied. It is easy to learn, fast, and has a basic 3d capability.  It won't do curved walls and the 3d views are far
from photo-realistic, but for easy and fast basic room and overall home planning nothing I have used is better. My biggest gripe
is that it won't print larger than 8 1/2 x 11, but I have exported to TurboCad and AutoCAD to print larger format.
The interior design application seems OK; a little closer to photo-realistic and more choices in finishes and furnishing, but I
haven't had much use for it in my construction work.
This suite is worth much more than I paid.
4269851
A blast from the past but a good way to work up a sweat to some oldies
914804
I think the book is great for its purpose, that of summarizing beautiful old technology.  It has a lot of beautiful photography and the layout of the book is awesome.  While including estimated cost to acquire the technology items may have been helpful at the time of publishing, that information was quickly outdated and probably not that useful today.

It's a great collage of old technology.  I love the inclusion of many vintage computers and programmable calculators, which is a hobby of mine.
3887960
It's sad that the "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" reissue series has not gotten more notice on www. Amazon.com and in other places, because it has my vote for the best reissue program thus far of the 21st Century. Drawing from the archives of all the major classical labels (EMI, Sony, BMG, DG, Decca, Philips, Supraphon, etc.), EMI and IMG Artists have assembled a wonderful series of affordable two-disc sets by the leading conductors of the last century. And unlike its counterpart, "The Great Pianists of the 20th Century," which are basically compilations of material already available on other CDs, the "Great Conductors" features rare and, for the most part, previously unreleased performances!

This particular CD, Volume 13, features the great Eugene Ormandy. With so many of Ormandy's recordings available in the Sony Essential Classics series and on RCA/BMG, you would think there could not possibly anything left to release on CD. Well, guess again. Ormandy recorded a Brahms cycle in the late 60s for CBS, but to date they have only issued the first two symphonies on CD via a Sony Essential Classic "Take 2." Someone like me, who is relatively new to classical and can't go thumb through dad's old vinyl collection, has been left to dream at the prospects of Symphonies 3 & 4. Well, at least here we get number four, and it is a giant! I have nearly a dozen recordings of the Brahms 4, and Ormandy's is every bit as good as my personal favorites by Kleiber, Dorati and Szell. Speaking of Sony Essential Classics "Take 2" CDs, Ormandy also did all of Rachmaninov's Symphonies with Philadelphia during his time with CBS, but the version presented here was done for RCA in 1973, and it was Ormandy's first recording of the complete original version of the work. This set also features the world premiere recording of Anton Webern's "Im Sommerwind." But if those three items are not enough, then use this set as a rare opportunity to hear Ormandy away from the Philadelphians. Ormandy joins the Bavarian RSO for two live performances -- Struass' "Don Juan" in 1959 and Kabalevsky's "Colas Breugnon" Overture in 1965.

Whether you are a serious collector of classical music or a beginner, the "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" has something for everyone. If the prized, rare performances previously unreleased on CD (or ever!) doesn't excite you, then use this as an opportunity to check out one of the greatest conductors ever recorded. Since stores are offering increasingly homogenized classical music sections, this conductor may not be in your collection, and that would truly be a shame.
4977186
I wish I had bought ALL of these two-fer CDs when Capitol released them more than 20 years ago. I've always enjoyed The Kingston Trio, and especially the At Large album. The sound quality is better than I would have imagined for a recording that's 55 years old, but this is top notch. I had been cautioned that the reissue of these two-fer recordings on the Collector's Choice label were not quite as good technically, so the other early albums have not been bought. I am a little reluctant to try them.
3037773
This is one of the great recordings of Mozart's music for solo piano - I have no criticism of Uchida's performance (who am I to criticize her, anyway?) or of the sound.

However, I do have a minor quibble: on the original releases, Uchida had recorded some music that is not included here: the Rondo in D, K. 485; the fragment of the Fantasia in D minor, K 397; the Adagio in B minor, K. 540; the Gigue in G, "Eine kleine Gigue," K. 574; and the Rondo in A minor, K. 511. They couldn't have found room for those five tracks?
430780
I love radio dramas. The BBC still runs a few of note overseas, but we're strapped for anything of the like in the US which is what makes these releases of the old Shadow shows such a treasure. The stories are enjoyable fun even if a bit kitchy by today's standards. There were several different actors to portray the shadow during its long run and this collection does a decent job of capturing quite a few of them. Each episode is a fun joy to listen to...

...except the one major flaw is that these aren't remastered in any way. They have that grainy ripped from LP sound on some of them and on the few tracks previously mentioned by another reviewer, you can tell they weren't even recorded from that. Those three episodes are very difficult to listen to with 'a Pass to Murder' being nearly impossible.

That said though, it's still worth the price and an enjoyable collection overall. I definitely have recommended it to friends and played some for others. Hopefully, you'll enjoy as well.
565616
This recording of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro has strengths and weaknesses. The recoding is accompanied by the complete libretto, artist profiles, essays, and rich historical information. But be aware that the recording technology in 1937 was somewhat limited, and listeners who are accustom to more modern recording technology may be distracted by these limits. The performance itself, is of course, outstanding.

My 3 star rating here reflects the limits of the 1937 recording technology vs a more modern version, everything except this limitation is excellent.
2138586
I bought this because there was a great deal on it and I was shopping for some vinyl to go with my new AT-LP120. The Mp3s I have of the Centennial Collection sound a bit better, but this is still a very enjoyable set. Sure, it's not like the original 78s, but it's cool to put on a Johnson record.

Another minor complaint is that this lacks the alternate cuts of the songs which have 2 cuts. Thus, it's not truly complete. Since it lacks the alternate cuts, I have to deduct some stars from this. The Centennial collection is available on CD with better sound and is truly complete, so just get that. You can probably find it cheaper.
1593080
First the good news--we get a solid transfers of early Hitchcock with some minor and major classics early in his career. Studio Canal has done a nice job with these and while the transfers aren't scratch free, they look quite good given the age of the source material and quite a bit better than some of the earlier releases of public domain sources. This boxed set (once you open it) looks like an old bound copy of a script. The outside has a photo of Hitch (which reminds me of a deathmask)from the Universal archive.

The first two films in the set "The Ring" and "The Manxman" were made the year after the success of "The Lodger" (which would been shelved when studio executives thought it a disaster. Luckily, Michael Balcon stepped in a man who championed Hitch early in his career and the film was a wild success). "Murder!" is an early talkie (sadly the German version isn't included. It would have been nice to see for comparison sake as it was shot with a different cast on the same sets).  In the early days of film alternate versions were shot for other markets where they might be popular usually with a different director. Hitch spoke German since he worked early on in that country shooting films and absorbing much of the early German expressionist styles that he would reference throughout his career)so directed it himself. "The Skin Game" and "Rich and Strange" (the latter an early Hitchcock classic) are also included. A pity that "Blackmail" (Hitch's first talkie that was also shot to be shown as a silent film) isn't included as well.

The bad news is that we don't get any feature length commentary tracks by Hitchcock historians and film scholars (which is just as well if these things bore you). We do, however, get a new 15 minute featurette focusing on Hitchcock's early life, his collaboration with his wife Alma (who is often overlooked--we must remember that it was team Hitchcock collaborating which consisted of Hitch, his wife Alma and whomever their current favorite writer was)and the development of his early style. It features interviews with USC Hitchcock Professor Drew Casper, director Peter Bogdanovich, Hitch's daughter and screenwriter/film historian Steve Haberman. We have a generous amount of clips from the set illustrating their points. I do wish that "The Lodger" had been included in this set but that's a pretty minor point (although honestly it does belong here as an example of his developing sense of style). Also missing is Hitch's "Number 17" which would have been a natural to include in this set even though the plot is a bit confusing, it's a fun ride.

This is an excellent collection of early minor classics as Hitch developed his film style. It's clear that he was influenced by seeing other directors such as Fritz Lang and FW Murnau but he had already begun to develop his own distinctive voice as a film director. This is a good set to get and is a pretty inexpense handsome package for fans.
4384310
This is a great movie, I've loved it since I was a kid.  As for video quality, they have digitized and remastered it, but you're aware it's an old movie when you watch it. Video quality is as good as it can be, but it's not today's standard. That being said, it's great that some of these old movies are being preserved in this way, it would be a shame to lose them altogether.
646567
This game though now quite dated with its graphics and perhaps not entirely realistic with its cockpits, is still a great game and one that can be played nicely through Dosbox (0.73 version is best, unless one knows what to tweak in order for it not to crash on 0.74 version)
It is challenging more so than other helo-sim games in terms of the player really needed to work out how to get in close to the enemy without being targeted with AA and SAMs - you can fly down below the banks of some rivers in gorges and ravines and there are even train tunnels and no shortage of ridge lines.
If you get a version with or install the Islands and Ice expansion that improves some of the features and also adds in new commands and functions.
1362947
I had recorded this off of a radio broadcast back in 1989, so I only had it on cassette.  It's good to have (most) of the concert on CD.  There are just a few minor quibbles.  The track listing does not include 1983's "Nightbird", although it's listed on the back as track # 13.  Also, unlike the Amazon listing, it does not include "Juliet" from 1989.  The picture of Nicks in concert on the front looks to be circa 1983, with the back cover borrowed from 2014's "24 Karat Gold".  I wish the producers had included a picture from 1989, even if only a still from the videos "Rooms on Fire" or "Whole Lotta Trouble", either of which feature Stevie at the microphone.

I thought the sound quality was fine, especially compared to my version on tape.  There is a one second pause between songs that made me think the power was going out.  Stevie is in especially good voice here.  "Gold Dust Woman", "Alice", "Beauty and the Beast", and "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You" are stellar.  The last two sound as good as the dubbed ones from 1987's "Live at Red Rocks" from 1986's Rock A Little Tour.
341514
This will be a brief capsule review.  The pressings are superb.  The sound is clean and, at first blush, perfect given the age and source material.  However, in comparison with the original issue from 1994, differences become evident.  The 1994 version seems a tad more natural and ambient.  But this comes with sonic artifacts, such as sibilance, which have been digitally removed wherever possible in this 2013 remastering.  This renders this 2013 version crisper, but only in some respects.  In this 2013 version, at times, say in "Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!", Ringo's bass drum is more "there", but his snare lacks the power and snap found in the 1994 version.  But shouldn't they be both present in the 2013 version?  There's one possible answer, but we won't go there.

Perhaps, the best way of summing up the merits of the sound of the 2013 version might be this: The more analog you are, the more you "may" gravitate toward the 1994 version, sonic warts and all.  Also, if you own the 1994 pressings, and they are in excellent shape, some thought, and further investigation, might be given before purchasing this collection, especially given the cost and the limits of the source material.

As for the  music, these lads could play from the get-go and knew their influences, all of which is evident from the first second of this collection.  If you've never heard this music, you'll be able to obtain a hint of the thrill and joy that captivated the world over 50 years ago.
3556826
Not bad. It's Bach for gosh sake; but one thing I didn't realize (and that isn't well-publicized, that in fact appears to be positively suppressed) about the set is that virtually all of the recordings are from the late 1950s, with a few sprinkled in from the early 1960s. The good news is that if you have other Hanssler CDs or their big Bach box set, this is unlikely to repeat the more contemporary performances on them; the bad is that the fidelity is just a hair under current standards. Not bad but not fantastic either. Treble rolled off and sharp just a tad. But let's not forget that it is Bach. The greatest of the great, the supremo master of masters. And it is a group of absoutely, unquestionable, indisputably top flight performers (Richter, Rilling, Gould, Rostopovich) from the period. (Well, to tell the truth, Gould may not actually belong in that company, but he is is only on book 1 of the Well-Tempered Clavier, and the other peformers are some of the best of the period, or any period.) P.S. One additional admittedly minor weirdness and inconvenience: Believe it or not, each disk is packed in a sealed envelope. Sealed with glue. You will have to cut each of the 35 disks out, or attempt to undo the glue very carefully. (Careful as I was, I was unsuccessful at opening every envelope by peeling back the glued flaps and ended up tearing more than a few in the attempt and resigning myself to cutting several others with a knife to get at the disks.) How weird is that as a packaging strategy? Gluing the disks inside the evelopes, yikes.... who designed this packaging?
942678
Filmed some 30 years ago, the picture and sound are not the best one would like to have. But they are not too bad either or even quite acceptable. It's in decent colour and the sound is more than sufficient to carry all the meaning of the notes to say the least. But the running time is rather short, about the same as any CD and no more.
It strikes one that the appearance of Brendel isn't much different from "In Portrait" filmed some 30 years later save that in the more recent one, he had some six fingertips in bandage whereas in the earlier one only 4 -- but the sound of the latter is most wonderful.  But as far as his playing is concerned, I rather prefer the younger Brendel: so much more spontaneous in the sense that the binding of phrase to phrase is so natural, and each note seems to carry a meaning of its own and not at all at the expense of the full drama or the forcefulness of the whole piece -- save a few bars in the slow movement of Hammerclavier where the sense of structure is not equally convincing. His Bagatelles is appealing too.
We also have a bonus footage of Julius Katchen.  He had the most pliant and most supple  (and hairy ) hands on DVD , even more so than Arrau. As far as his fingers are concerned, one might even compare them to those of Horowitz's. Yet the sound and picture is just barely acceptable as a result, I enjoy his Brahms violin sonata with SuK more. It's a shame that EMI didn't reditalize it before release.
3765335
For me the great value of this recording is in the recognition of the original score as a classic that is worth keeping in the living repertoire. As other reviewers have pointed out here, however, it is patently untrue that Nino Rota's original score has been lost. It is readily available online, as is indeed the original soundtrack, without dialogue, and conducted by the composer himself. That recording has been out of print for probably a decade, but a few sellers still offer it occasionally. I'm guessing that the myth about the "lost" score must be a marketing ploy for this one aimed at creating an aura of mystery and "better get it now while you can." I'm frankly a little put off by the idea that manipulative huckstering is required to sell a masterpiece, and to me that diminishes the value of this recording somewhat.

That said, this is a creditable re-creation, if not entirely faithful. The discerning ear will note some departures from the original that may or may not be problematic, depending on individual preferences. For example, this recording has an immediacy, a presence, not heard in the original soundtrack. Sometimes that immediacy works well, as in cases where it allows you to hear individual instruments clearly (the harp, for instance).  Modern listeners will likely appreciate the clarity and crispness of a digital recording, as well. But in some cases, such as in the monks choir when Romeo is visiting Friar Laurence, a sense of distance and remoteness enhanced the storytelling in the original recording. That is lost on this version. Changes in specific chords, harmonic underpinnings, chord progressions and instrumentation may also be less pleasing if you particularly liked the original.

The most egregious substitution, in my opinion, is the use on this recording of a vibrato-heavy adult mixed choir on the "Ave Maris Stella" sung at Juliet's funeral (the original soundtrack featured a boys choir). It feels clumsy and heavy-handed and entirely inappropriate for the delicacy that was surely intended. Similarly, the female soloist on the same piece in the wedding scene does a lovely job and has excellent vocal control. But her voice lacks the haunting timbre of the original soloist, whose voice tugs at the heartstrings and lingers in the memory.

I'm ambivalent about the soloist for the new version of "What is a Youth?" The original voice was breathier but more agile. This one is more resonant but more ponderous on the fairly simple melismas. And frankly, I always thought that this song was really the one throw-away number from the entire score. (Please do not write me angry letters! That's just my opinion.) The fact that it became the most popular track probably says something about popular tastes; but I also think this mediocre number got a free ride from the sheer magnificence of the rest of the score. The melody of Rota's achingly beautiful theme becomes somewhat trite when it is turned into a pop-style ballad, and the words are pretty insipid. Why would anyone think these lyrics would stand up well in a movie featuring those of the great Bard himself?

In short, if all you are looking for is a decent, solid performance of an exceptionally beautiful composition, this is probably going to suit. It's reasonably priced, easy to find, and readily available. Die-hard purists may enjoy it as well, but will probably want to think of this as a good supplement for the rare, hard-to-find original.