Best Traditional British & Celtic Folk
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Wonderful, relaxing holiday music."
"Gorgeous music!"
"CD had a great collection of songs!"
"Great collection."
"I gave this as a Christmas gift and the receipient was charmed by the sounds of the Middle Ages."
"A Feast of Songs is a gorgeous journey through a millennia of different cultural takes on the Christmas theme."
2 Loud
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It has a very strong, fast drum beat overlayed with bagpipe music. I almost held it against them but realized they love the music and are determined to promote it... and they're good. They like these ancient instruments and even found an Irish horn from the bronze age."
"It's Celtic music with a kick. Seriously, though, if you enjoy Celtic music, you might want to give this album a listen."
"These musicians are genius in their approach to a Celtic art of music that sometimes gets lost in modern time rock and roll."
"Love everything Wicked Tinkers do !"
"So I saw an ad for "Loud" by something called the Wicked Tinkers in the back of a Scottish goods magazine. Let's just say that they play with passion and abandon, whacking away at the drums, and I pretty much agree with all of the other reviews. I wish the current crop of tattoo'd and souless "rockers" out there would take note of this music."
"Really enjoy their music and their wonderful skills."
"Bagpipes...modern style and traditional."
"All the energy, talent, and fun that these guys project comes across on the album."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. at first listen, but my spirit was enriched & I found myself playing several songs over & over, just filling. myself with the lovely new experience!"
"One of my favorite Christmas albums--beautiful songs and arrangements."
"A perfect combination of beautiful old Celtic tunes and classic Christmas music."
"This album contains some traditional Christmas music but is intermingled with some Irish tunes that I had not heard before but which were quite beautiful."
"This CD is simply beautiful."
"Being an extreme traditional Celtic music fan, this is the Christmas CD I had been looking for."
"I love this group --first heard Joanie Madden alone --then found out about ' Cherish The Ladies' --. ~ They are on tour .. ~."
"Love this group and this album is beautiful."
Best British Invasion
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Takes me back to growing and mum loving to dance and singe~bless."
"All my favorites and variety of through the years."
"ooh the memories, classic."
"The first CD begins with Frank Sinatra performing a sublime rendition of "Birth Of The Blues;" Frank adds a few lines at the beginning to put his own stamp on this ballad and when Frank goes into the main lyrics of the song it really takes off like a jet! Listen for Andy Williams to sing "Moon River" with panache; this always amazes me! I love this tune by Scott. Moreover, "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Blood, Sweat & Tears combines a soft rock style with a smooth jazz flavor to make this number very strong; I could never forget this awesome number. Simon and Garfunkel also do a timeless, moving ballad that was so well associated with them; "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is a very tender love song that never fails to move me with its beauty. Looking Glass does good on "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl);" this tune tells the story of a young woman who wants love from one of the sailors who come to port where she works--but, sadly, she doesn't get what she wants."
"Like any collection, it is missing many pieces that you or I might have chosen to include, but let's face it...there is so much music to choose from and a limted number of songs that can fit on 2 CDs!"
"While almost all of the first disc is of that style (Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, et al.), the second disc shows the growth from the more optimistic folkish style, and ends with the more soulful R&B music of the end."
"This is a superb review of a superb musical era."
"DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND DON'T GET THIS I MEAN THERE'S NOT 1 JIMI HENDRIX SONG ON HERE I MEAN I KNOW THIS IS POP COLLECTION BUT HEY 1951-1975 WHO ARE THE AMETURES THAT PUT THESE TOGETHER I AM THE ONLY ONE HERE WHO CARES ABOUT MUSIC..?"
Best Traditional Folk
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"At the present moment I'm not sure what to say about this album other than that it is absolutely the Music of the Elves, and that if you're at all interested in the properties of Elf-power you'd do well to buy this recording and listen to it in whichever format fills you with the most peace and joy."
"I have been a fan of the ISB since this album came out over 40 years ago."
"Always loved this album."
"When I listen to this album, I know that even the parts of my life that haven't been a success really don't matter."
"Some other listener wrote that hearing the songs was a meditation experience, or something to that effect."
"This is a strange and beautiful classic folk music album from the '60s."
"These guys are great, and difficult to explain."
"I absolutely love this album."
Best Jewish & Yiddish Music
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Very clear vocals, so easy to learn the songs."
"Love this CD!"
"The liner notes provide English transliteration of the Hebrew lyrics which is also really useful for those unfamiliar with the songs."
"I needed an album just to help me renember some words to holiday songs."
"I bought it for assisted living residents and they sing a lot with it and love it."
"Here is a collection, basically Hebrew - there are some English and Yiddish songs too - for a year of Sabbaths and Holidays."
"He is a wonderful Jewish performer and singer."
"They lack the holiday spirit!"
Best Contemporary Folk
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Figuring the name of the song was "Shiver Me Timbers" I searched Amazon's music and found that the song is on a 1974 album by Tom Waits called The Heart of Saturday Night, and it is titled "Shiver Me Timbers.""
"Just sit back and absorb all of the sounds of this album,the next thing you know your very relaxed and wanting more."
"when I read the discription, on this posting, that said "The SHM-CD [Super High Material CD] format features enhanced audio quality through the use of a special polycarbonate plastic" I thought this had some fantastic new sound but nowhere on this cd or the jacket(inside or outside) does it say anything about this SHM-CD."
"The sonics on this particular CD certainly reveal much that is available to the discerning (and demanding) audiophile."
"This was a gift that was much appreciated from a Tom Waits' fan."
"As good as Nighthawks at the Diner."
Best Compilations
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Wonderfully arranged CD, capturing the spirit of Christmas."
"Old world Christmas tunes played with old world instruments and some wonderful harmonies as in "What Child is This", this is a wonderful addition to any Christmas music collection."
"It has a lot of good tracks with nice acoustic guitar playing."
"Buy this!"
"Dan Fogelberg has one of the voices that is made for Christmas music."
"Beautiful, joyful, haunting, reverent -- everything true Christmas music should be: a classic of Christian spiritual music for today."
"Had no idea he had done a Christmas album or that he personally enjoyed Celtic music."
"It's old (1999) but excellent!"
Best Live Recordings
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The Vietnam War, the assassinations of public figures, and seeing part of my city burn the previous summer during riots-- it was a lot to handle. The first side of the record ends with the sad longing and fears of Old Friends, who sit on a park bench and reminisce together. The fears and sadness of 1968 are long past, but a final memory remains: As I lay in bed early that Christmas Eve, the colored glow of tree lights seeped into my room. Off in the distance were disembodied television voices of Apollo astronauts circling the moon-- they read passages from the book of Genesis, and wished well the "people of the good Earth.""
"The Vietnam War, the assassinations of public figures, and seeing part of my city burn the previous summer during riots-- it was a lot to handle. The original first side of the record ends with the sad longing and fears of Old Friends, who sit on a park bench and reminisce together. The fears and sadness of 1968 are long past, but a final memory remains: As I lay in bed early that Christmas Eve, the colored glow of tree lights seeped into my room. Off in the distance were disembodied television voices of Apollo astronauts circling the moon-- they read passages from the book of Genesis, and wished well the "people of the good Earth.""