Music as a Money Grab
591330
I grew up on East Coast rap such as Schooly D, Public Enemy and BDP, but I never thought that it would bias me in any way towards quality hip hop. I must be wrong because people love this CD and I don't. The sound that emanates from the "dirty south" is all about being gangsta and spending money foolishly... topics that I found tiresome in the early 90's when it was still relatively fresh.

There is one song that makes an attempt to address social issues, but it comes off as contrived due to the rest of the album's topics of interest. How can you rap about local politics forcing one into a life of crime as being a bad thing when you glorify the fruits of your "labor" the rest of the album?
4536139
Gresham's Law states, basically, that "bad money drives out good money...."  Most unfortunately, to some extent, there is a valid analogy in music.  So much tasteless junk has risen to the top of the charts in recent generations going back to the 1950s.  Arthur Prysock, who had the deepest baritone among pop singers, deserved more success.  He was a very effective ballad singer.  His voice did not seem suited to swing.

I found this album, sealed, for $1.99 about 25 years ago.  Unlike with many LPs that have a couple of good songs, I found that I willingly absorbed every cut on this LP.  The album consists entirely of ballads, but there is nothing depressing about it.  The arrangements often feature a subdued organ (Hammond B3?) in the background along with strings, an acoustic guitar and interjections by a pleasant vocal group.  Some of the tunes are: Sunny, Jean, Didn't We, Secret Love. More Than You Know, Yesterday and Our Day Will Come.  I've listened to the album many times and like every song.  If you're stuck in heavy traffic, this is perfect music.  It's relaxing but not monotonous and dull because Arthur Prysock really knew how to sing.

Some of Mr. Prysock's Verve material has been made available on CD.  This was released on King.  Demographics being what they are, there is no incentive to issue this on CD.  That's a shame because this is a hidden pop vocal treasure.
803699
Can't beat this price. My band uses these to have freebies to hand out at shows. This makes it a small investment and we're able to get our music in the hands of 100 people for around 20 bucks. That's an excellent ROI!!
400145
...
Q: Why on Earth---during a so-called digital music revolution---are the Godfathers of portable music (Sony) trying so hard to regulate themselves out of a booming market?
A: Greed.  Ever since Sony got mixed up in the business of signing and marketing artists, they've forgotten that they're best at selling hardware.  They've taken sides with Metallica, Garth Brooks, and the rest of the paycheck artists, and written software that will not allow you and me to use the music we've legally purchased in the ways that best suit us.
I bought my mini-disc player because I'm a lover of the mix tape.  Mini discs are mix tapes---just 4-times bigger.  So big, in fact, that it can be baffling. Perfect, right?
Wrong. Anyone who loves mixes understands that the same song can sound radically different from itself, depending on the context.  So, it's conceivable that you might want to include the same song on a number of different discs.  But, Sony's software will not allow you to use the same song twice.  ...
When I got by MD player, I converted my entire CD collection to MP3s into my PC.  To get started---to build a quick collection of mini-discs---I created huge, 5-hour "Greatest Hits" collections of many of the artists in my collection.  It's great, but everyone knows that Greatest Hits can grow old quickly, and the lover of the mix tape wants variety.  But now, in order to make a mix that spans my collection, I have to erase all of the "Greatest Hits" collections in order to use any of those songs on a mix disc.  That is foul play, Sony.  Fix your software, or watch everyone move to MP3 playersand iPods---a much more valuable alternative.  Fix your software to allow users to edit songs.  (I.e., if I like the last "numbered" song on an album and want to include it onto a mini disc, I also have to include the hidden track attached to it, along with however many minutes of silence that lie between the two.)  Set your customers free, Sony, or watch them scurry for alternatives.  So many already exist.  The genie is out of the bottle.  Evolve with us.  Find creative solutions.  Not reprimands. Not rules. Not regulations.
Join the revolution. Post software updates now.
2852445
This mp3 sounds great so my complaint is not about sound quality. However, this song is usually presented as a pairing 'This Beat Goes On/Slippin' To Glide' and it usually happens in a seemless manner. These songs are cult classics and I'm sure the fans out there would love these to be presented in the normal seemless manner. To me it seems like breaking them in two is just a ploy to generate extra revenue. Still, I'm sure fans would pay $2 to have this be one peerless piece of music. I will compare this this to ZZ Top's 'Waitin' The Bus/Jesus Left Chicago' or Queen's 'We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions' - you really shouldn't hear one without the other.
887444
I will listen in the car while I commute.  My car is very old and the sound system isn't good so I don't pay much attention to how this version of songs are far worse from original ones like other reviews indicate.  Besides it is just two bucks for whole album.
I never owned the CD, instead, a country I used to live has rental CD stores so I listened to it by renting it.
it reminds me 90's.  Awesome deal!!
3955450
Not exactly encore stuff as the record company would like usbelieve as a number of single releases such as Don't Answer Me andPrime Time have been excluded, while a number of album cuts fromalbums released between 1979 to 1982, when Alan Parsons Project weremost successful chart-wise, have been included. Personally, if theyhad wanted to fill this compilation with album cuts, I would haveliked The Turn of a Friendly Card and Old And Wise to be in. Thesesongs would certainly improve the listenability-factor of the CD andup the rating by another star. Still, there are enough big ones likeEye In The Sky, Time, Games People Play and Damned If I Do to motivatethe discerning buyer to part with $ for this budget CD.
4776933
Oh Well I guess They Make More Money, but the music is much worse.
817729
This is an enjoyable album.  I like the rhythms and you do need to listen to entire songs to get it.  Buying this is not taking a chance, especially at this price.

A quick note on critiquing the deal of the day:  Do it in a different forum or email support.  It doesn't make sense to knock it in the review.  Go do that on iTunes.  That seems to be the main form of critique there.  Don't buy it and move on.  Don't flame out the artist for this fact.  Please review the music if you listen to it.  Just because you don't know the band or would like something else, doesn't mean it's a one star.  Thanks.
818220
It may be unlimited music. But it does not have some everyday songs. Also the songs may be a different verso then played on the radio. The price is a tad bit high.
4612349
People today consume music in a vastly different way compared to just two decades ago. Pretty much any song you can to name can be heard for free on the internet, and sales of CDs are way down (but live music seems to still be going strong). Stephen Witt's HOW MUSIC GOT FREE explores how this shift happened. Witt chooses to alternate from chapter to chapter between three phenomenon that started gaining speed in the mid-1990s: 1) the development of the MP3 format at the Fraunhofer research institute in Germany, 2) Doug Morris' stint as CEO of Universal Music during a time of incredible expansion and then contraction, until he ultimately saved the day by linking music to advertisement revenue, and 3) the Rabid Neurosis group of file sharers, who managed to leak many new releases with the help of members working at a North Carolina CD pressing plant.

I found this a very informative book. I started trading music with others in 2000 during the days of Napster, and I thought I had got in early, but Witt reveals that an internet sharing scene had already existed for years at that point, just under the radar. The focus on North Carolina leaker Dell Glover and music mogul Doug Morris give us two protagonists with challenges to overcome, so that the book almost reads like a suspenseful novel.

However, HOW MUSIC GOT FREE also reads like a magazine article expanded to a full book instead of the more detailed study that many readers might have appreciated. Furthermore, as I was reading the book, I was constantly thinking how this isn't the whole story, this is just Witt's focus on just a small slice of what was going on. The book lacks an international perspective, though interesting things have always been happening with regard to sharing music files outside the United States. Most of Witt's examples of how free sharing of MP3s changed music are almost entirely drawn from hip-hop, and while the author having his own favourite genre is fine, one does wish for some mention of music sharing's impact on other kinds of music.
1707934
It's OK.  Better to select individual songs than to buy the album. The sample you can hear on line is a good way to select.
2843561
As there is virtually no musical group for which I would buy entire album of music, I can find myself listening to a wide variety of artists. Most specifically everyone's music choices are there own. This happens to be one of mine.
1368482
Hmmmmm....$29.99 for the CD or $8.99 for the download. Hmmmmm. Decisions, decisions. Well, maybe if your driving a friggin' Humvee you have wads of cash to blow out your wazoo. But for me, limited funds and and obsession for great music, I have to make my buck stretch as far as I can. That leaves me another $21.00 dollars to purchase other great albums like this. These guys rock and my favorite song right out of the gate is 'Under The Sky'. What a friggin' awesome track. The whole album is great and getting 26 tracks is a steal for $8.99 downloaded. Check these guys out and also Roadstar.
4805951
I sometimes buy music when I shouldn't.  Oh lord help me with my habits and my clicking on the buy now button.
4377514
The mainstream music industry doesn't make music like this anymore.  That's why they aren't making money.  The same goes for the auto industry.  If you make bad quality products, you will make bad sales.  Joe Hedges is like the Porsche, or BMW of music ; such amazing quality writing.  Keep it up Joe.  We need you.
2799320
you can tell that Choking a 50 Million Dollar deal runs over into selecting musical guests for this Project.alot of Has-Beens or Could have acts featured here. that Comedy Central Contract if Signed would have probably brought more legit Music Acts.