A Family Affair
Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Betty Johnson's first career in music coincided with the music career of her family, the Johnson Family Singers. Starting in 1938 and throughout the 1940s, the young soprano sang hymns with her parents and three brothers. The family had a daily broadcast on the powerful WBT radio in Charlotte, North Carolina and appeared at churches, military bases, and all-night sings throughout the South. Singing in the vein of the Carter Family and Speer Family, the Johnsons garnered enough attention to appear on the Grand Ole Opry and record for RCA-Victor and Columbia records. As the 1950s dawned, Betty charted a course that would take her away from the Johnson Family Singers and toward popular music stylings. In New York City, Johnson shared the top prize on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts and also found a regular Sunday evening radio job singing with the CBS orchestra as well as a Saturday morning spot on the Galen Drake Show.
Betty Johnson's career took a decided turn upward in 1954 when she joined the Csida-Grean management company which handled the careers of Eddy Arnold and Bobby Darin. Charles Grean of Csida-Grean would produce much of her music over the next few years.
The organization helped her find her first hit in November of 1954, "I Want Eddie Fisher For Christmas." Betty then recorded for RCA and then Bell Records. But Johnson would have better luck at her next stop, Bally Records, in Chicago. Bally, a young label in 1956, was owned by the famous pinball and slot machine, and would release the biggest hit of Johnson's career, "I Dreamed." At the time, Johnson also appeared regularly on Don McNeil's Breakfast Club and Eddy Arnold Time.
Johnson posted other hits in 1956 -- "I'll Wait" and "Clay Idol" -- and she frequently appeared on programs hosted by Bob Newhart, Jack Benny and Perry Como. Television viewers could also often catch her on The Ed Sullivan Show and Jack Paar's Tonight Show where she was featured as the regular girl singer.
Johnson kept a breathless pace. In addition to her recordings and television, she was the spokeswoman for Borden dairy products and starred in summer stock performances of Brigadoon, The King And I and South Pacific. She met live dates at the Copacabana in New York, the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, the Drake Hotel in Chicago, the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, the Sands in Las Vegas, the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, and other clubs around the nation.
Betty scored two more hits in 1957, "Little White Lies" and "1492." In 1958, Betty Johnson joined Atlantic Records and hit the pop charts with "The Little Blue Man." It camped on the charts for four months. Later in the year, she racked up two more hits -- "Dream" and "Hoopa Hoola."
Betty Johnson continued to make regular appearances on television and the club circuit, and longed to more pop standards. "I wanted to do more of the standards, and I would do standards in my personal appearances," explains Johnson. "But recording-wise, your A&R people really were in charge. You could sneak a few [in]." In 1958, Johnson did just that. Atlantic released the LP Songs You Heard When You Fell In Love which included "Red Sails In The Sunset," "Dancing In The Dark" and "Always." In the late 50s, Johnson entered Gotham Studios in New York City to record a series of radio shows for the U.S. Marine Corps to be aired on Armed Forces Radio and U.S. commercial radio stations. The shows featured pop standards such as "You Go To My Head" and "Just In Time."
Throughout the late 1950s and early '60s, Betty concentrated on personal appearances where she found steady employment. It was a personal appearance in 1962 that would bring the end of her second career and, in effect, pave the way for her third. Johnson met her future husband, Arthur Gray, after a nightclub show.
The two married in 1964 and settled into a life of familial normalcy, a new experience for Betty. Betty avoided public life and set about raising her and Arthur's two daughters. By 1993, family raised, she returned, debuting at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City to approving reviews. An interview she gave to National Public Radio's Fresh Air program opened a floodgate of requests for her music, and she has since continued to record music, perform, and act (she had small roles in the films Reversal Of Fortune and Good Fellas).
Betty Johnson works hard on her third career in music, a career that's defined by pop standards and cabaret performances. Betty draws from the Johnson Family Singers who groomed her voice and a 1950s solo tenure that proved her ability to sell whimsical pop records in the midst of the rock revolution. She presses on in the 1990s. "I feel like I'm about 23 years old. I feel very young because this is all so challenging for me and a little scary and very rewarding." -- Adapted from Discoveries Magazine
Album Description
When Betty Johnson returned to the limelight in 1993 after a thirty-year pause, she reminded America that she had come from a singing-family tradition. A Family Affair, the first release of new Betty Johnson material after her comeback, featured prominently her daughters Lydia and Elisabeth. Professional singers in their own right, their lovely and sophisticated voices left no doubt that they dwelt vibrantly in the Johnson Family realm. It was natural that Betty Johnson featured her daughters on the album as Betty herself had sung in a family fold as a child. Betty first touched audiences in the late 1930s and 1940s as a member of the popular Johnson Family Singers. Throughout the South and beyond, the Family sang sacred music with unchained enthusiasm, becoming one of the most popular family acts of the era.
In A Family Affair, Betty has carried on the tradition, bringing the Johnson Family sound into its seventh decade. Highlights from this collection include "The Very Thought of You," "Today I Love Everybody," and "How Deep is the Ocean" (which Betty sang on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts in the early 1950s).
A Family Affair, Music, Betty Johnson
Average customer rating:
- Pure Country Gold
- Great old honkytonk... lost gold from the 'Sixties
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A Family Affair
Carl & Pearl Butler , and Johnny & Jonie Mosby
Manufacturer: Koch Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Country
| Styles
| Music
Honky-Tonk
| Country
| Styles
| Music
General
| Traditional Country
| Country
| Styles
| Music
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- The Very Best of Nat Stuckey
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ASIN: B0006UEW62
Release Date: 2005-02-22 |
Tracks:
- Honky Tonkitis
- Don't Let Me Cross Over
- Loving Arms
- Too Late to Try Again
- My Tears Don't Show
- I'm Hanging Up the Phone
- Forbidden Street
- We'd Destroy Each Other
- Just Thought I'd Let You Know
- Our Ship of Love
- Little Pedro
- Punish Me Tomorrow
- I Never Got Over You
- We'll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning
- Don't Call Me from a Honky Tonk - Johnny Mosby, Jonie Mosby
- Trouble in My Arms - Johnny Mosby, Jonie Mosby
- Who's Been Cheatin' Who - Johnny Mosby, Jonie Mosby
- Keep Those Cards and Letters Coming - Johnny Mosby, Jonie Mosby
- How the Other Half Lives - Johnny Mosby, Jonie Mosby
Customer Reviews:
Pure Country Gold.......2006-10-28
If you think Faith & Tim Hill are the epitome of Country Duets, then you may as well pass this one by. But, if you are a true fan of real Country Music, then this is one CD you must have. You will never hear country music this orginal or pure on today's "country" radio, unless you are fortunate enough to pull in WSM on you radio dial late at night. The first 14 tracks on this CD will take you back to the Golden days of country, with the hits: "Honky Tonkitis", "Forbidden Street", and their biggest hit "Dont Let Me Cross Over". It just doesn't get any better than this. The last 4 songs are by the little known duet Johnny and Jonie Mosby. While they are not Carl and Pearl, their sound is impressive and far better than anything you'll hear from today's "Artists". I believe you'll especially enjoy their take on "How the Other Half Lives". The sound is absolutely superb; Koch knocked this one out of the park. I suggest you also check out the other Carl and Pearl CD's available, as they are well worth your time and money.
Great old honkytonk... lost gold from the 'Sixties.......2005-08-14
Pure, classic, joyful hard-country from the 1960s... This disc collects the best work of two husband-wife duet groups from the 1960s. Carl and Pearl Butler were a duo whose soulful, rootsy honkytonk records have been criminally neglected by the major labels... (There is a Bear Family disc out that covers Carl's early work, but the duo's classic material from their Columbia years is almost entirely unavailable... Until now, that is.) This disc gathers over a dozen vintage tracks from their 1960s prime, including their biggest hit, "Don't Let Me Cross Over," which hit #1 back in '62, along with all their other significant chart entries, all of which is music that's been cherished by vinyl-rich honkytonk fans years. Every song on here is a winner; it'd be nice if someone could produce a more extensive collection of their work, especially one that included some fo their singles-only hard country gems. In the meantime, though, if you pick this disc up, you will have struck gold. Ditto with Johnny and Jonie Mosby... They were another underrated husband-wife team whose work has been forgotten over the years, and the four tracks here were the cream of their brief (but richly rewarding) stint on Columbia, whereafter they jumped ship to Capitol, where they stayed until they broke up in 1973. It's unlikely the Mosbys will ever get a best-of of their own (they weren't really that great, although I do have a soft spot for their work...) so it's nice to see **something** of theirs in print. If you're a lover of real, good honkytonk, then you really owe it to yourself to check this disc out. It's mighty good.
Average customer rating:
- Disappointed
- another good offer of hip hop R&B!
- another average song
- Great Trax from the Original Mary Jane Girl....
- Mary J. Blige is back!
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Family Affair
Mary J. Blige
Manufacturer: Mca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
Contemporary R&B
| R&B
| Styles
| Music
General
| R&B
| Styles
| Music
General
| Soul
| R&B
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B00005QVZV
Release Date: 2001-10-16 |
Tracks:
- Family Affair [LP Version]
- Family Affair [Remix]
- Family Affair
- Family Affair [Acappella]
- Checkin' for Me [LP Version]
Customer Reviews:
Disappointed.......2002-08-12
If the tracks listing, including details on each version, were available, I would not have bought this CD-single which I think it's just a waste of money.
another good offer of hip hop R&B!.......2001-12-22
she did it again, the queen of hip hop with her latest single from her latest album, "family affair" has a real hip hop style of arrangement, i just shake my butty when i hear the song!!!
i never really get in touch with her music but this time, it click and i love the song very much, it has been much airplay at all the radio station as well as music store, get a good listen with this and i'm sure u'll enjoy it!
another average song.......2001-11-04
I use to Kinda dig Mary J.Bliege but after a while Her tracks went down&Her Vocals became Yikes.this Song is so Predictable.Dr.Dre has that tired Beat in the Background.I'm glad Michael Jackson&Him didn't end up working together because Dre ain't Bringing nothing new to the Mix here.it's Danceable but a far Cry from Her First Album which had far tighter Grooves.
Great Trax from the Original Mary Jane Girl...........2001-10-28
....the lyrics say it all. The beat says more. Or, to paraphrase
it in my own way (almost) "Free Your A**, Your Mind/Soul Will Follow. Life is but a dance anyway, so leave the drama on the Soaps and/or out the house and JAM." There's a lot to dance for.
Thanks, M.
Mary J. Blige is back!.......2001-10-18
Mary J. Blige is definitely one of the best hip hop and R&B artists out there. This song, "Family Affair", is definitely her best yet. I love the beat, and the lyrics are positive and cool. Mary J. Blige's vocals are really good, too. If you're a fan of Mary J. Blige, then I definitely recommend this CD single. Also, get her album, NO MORE DRAMA. It rocks!
Average customer rating:
- A must-have for your library
- Tribute To New York
- Encouraging
- Hezekiah Walker= god's blessing
- Hezekiah Walker is a man of the word
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Family Affair 2: Live at Radio City Music Hall
Hezekiah Walker , and Love Fellowship Crusade Choir
Manufacturer: Verity
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
Gospel
| Christian & Gospel
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
- Love is Live!
- Nothing But the Hits
- Family Affair
- 20/85 The Experience
- Live in Atlanta
ASIN: B00006FIBS
Release Date: 2002-08-20 |
Tracks:
- We Made It
- The Lord Will Make A Way Somehow (Featuring Kim Burrell)
- Calling My Name
- Any Way You Bless Me
- What A Mighty God We Serve
- I'll Make It (Featuring John P. Kee)
- He's On Your Side
- Never Gonna Let You Go
- When We Get Over There
- Don't Wait
- Breakthrough
- I Need You To Survive
Amazon.com
Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Choir show no signs of slowing down. This mostly live release, recorded in New York's Radio City Music Hall in February 2002, finds Walker and his choir making a powerful statement that they won't be denied, despite enduring the 9/11 attacks and the personal challenges to Walker's ministry. He lays down the gauntlet with the opening "We Made It," a muscular I'm-still-standing proclamation, if ever there was one. Walker calls upon old friends throughout the release to lead on vocals, such as Kim Burrell on "The Lord Will Make a Way Somehow" and Heather Covington on "What a Mighty God We Serve." The one constant is the forceful presence of the Love Fellowship Choir, which exemplifies contemporary choral excellence. Walker even mixes it up a bit with the hip-hop-flavored studio track "Don't Wait." --Michael Lyttle
Customer Reviews:
A must-have for your library.......2007-01-16
This one is absolutely fantastic. If you are already a Hezekiah fan, this one reminds you of why he's a staple in your music library. If you're not a Hezekiah fan, this one is a good place to start. It's got something for everyone (akin to a gospel sampler). Upbeat/up-tempo praise, traditional praise, thought-provoking worship, funky-grooves for the young & young-at-heart. Solid lyrics, outstanding music. A great gift for non-Christians!!
Tribute To New York.......2006-07-11
Hezekiah Walker delivered a tribute to New york and the victims of 9/11 and this was really a tough time for him as well.I like many other fans wondered what happened to monique, and in a recent article i read in essence, Hez and Monique seperated in 2000, around the time of the first family affair. This album definitely has some hits. "We made it" is a declaration of faith and speaks not only of New york but Hezekiah personally. The colaboration of "Pastor Hez and Pastor Kee" is pure excellence. I need you to survive is an encouraging ballad that reminds us to pray for one another. Hezekiah walker was struggling personally during this time and i think you can sense it in this recording, but through that you still hear songs that will minister to your hearts, most notibly "We made it",'' I;ll make it, I need you to survive, and The lord will make a way somehow
Encouraging .......2006-04-07
This cd is Encouraging. I just bought this one and I cant stop listing to it. This cd is amazing. I love it. Hezekiah walker did an awesome job on this One. You can to get it if you are felling down this will lift up your spirit
Hezekiah Walker= god's blessing.......2005-10-24
This album will remind you of how good God has been to you. Just take a listen and you will see what I mean. To Hezekiah, keep doing God's will; keep creating music that touches the soul. Some of my favorite songs are 1, 4, 6 7, 10 and 12. Btw,five takes a little getting used to but you'll like it.
Hezekiah Walker is a man of the word.......2005-09-08
This album touches ones heart, and brings in the convicting love of Jesus.
Average customer rating:
- Good Opportunity Blown!!
- A good choice for those trying to collect pre-Stax Staple Singers
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The Ultimate Staple Singers: A Family Affair
The Staple Singers
Manufacturer: Kent Soul
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Country
| Styles
| Music
General
| Traditional Country
| Country
| Styles
| Music
Gospel
| Christian & Gospel
| Styles
| Music
General
| R&B
| Styles
| Music
General
| Soul
| R&B
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
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- Mavis Staples/Only for the Lonely
- A Piece of the Action
- Freedom Highway
- Let's Do It Again
ASIN: B0002QPSW2
Release Date: 2004-09-06 |
Tracks:
- Hammer and Nails
- Nobody's Fault But Mine
- Too Close
- Uncloudy Day
- Won't You Sit Down (Sit Down Servant)
- I Wish I Had Answered
- Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
- Swing Low
- This May Be the Last Time
- For What It's Worth
- Be Careful of Stones That You Throw
- Why (Am I Treated So Bad)
- It's Been a Change
- Will the Circle Be Unbroken
- Ghetto
- Long Walk to D.C.
- God Bless the Children
- (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
- Gardener
- When Will We Be Paid for the Work We Did
- Who Took the Merry Out of Christmas
- John Henry - Roebuck "Pops" Staples
- You're Gonna Make Me Cry
- Solon Bushi
Tracks:
- This World
- I Have Learned to Do Without You - Mavis Staples
- Respect Yourself
- Trying Times - Roebuck "Pops" Staples
- Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom-Boom)
- I'll Take You There
- You've Got to Earn It
- Only Time You Ever Say You Love Me - Mavis Staples
- Oh la de Da
- If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)
- City in the Sky
- I Got to Be Myself
- Touch a Hand, Make a Friend
- Trippin' on Your Love - Mavis Staples
- Let's Do It Again
- New Orleans
- Love Me, Love Me, Love Me
- I Honestly Love You
- Slippery People
- H-A-T-E (Don't Live Here Any More)
Album Details
A Long Overdue Salute to the First Family of Gospel Soul.
Customer Reviews:
Good Opportunity Blown!!.......2006-07-31
Finally a Comprehensive Staples Anthology is here, One that includes Gems from their Early Gospel Period along with The Stax Classics AND "Let's Do it Again"...However...The Single Versions of these Tunes are used, not the Longer, decidedly Superior Album Versions; Regrettably I Must Reccomend Against Purchasing this Set, I Wish I could Love it, but perhaps with all the Consolidation going on With Big Record Companies We will get a Proper Staples Collection Soon....Still Waiting...
A good choice for those trying to collect pre-Stax Staple Singers.......2005-08-29
I happen to prefer the pre-Stax period of the Staple Singers with their raw gospel/blues numbers. This CD is the only modern compilation I have yet seen that concentrates a little less on their more well known later pop songs and has the classics from their church days. Pops' guitar shines along with those powerful voices we all love. I would spend the extra few bucks to get this one over the other "Best of" collections. The next best thing to having the original albums.
Of course, there are some post-Stax selections included, too.
Average customer rating:
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A Family Affair
Manufacturer: Jericho Beach
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Blues
| Styles
| Music
General
| Blues
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
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ASIN: B00006JRYZ
Release Date: 2004-02-03 |
Tracks:
- Oh Had I A Golden Thread
- Sylvie
- Look Over Yonder
- Five Hundred Miles
- Love Like A Good Song
- Let Me Fly
- Deep River / I've Known Rivers / Mirey
- There's A River
- Turn On All The Lights
- Look Inside Your Heart
- Fields Of Gold
- Balm In Gilead
Album Description
A Family Affair' captures a truly remarkable father/son collaboration - Leon and Eric Bibb. The elder Bibb is a well-loved pillar of Vancouver's theatre community. Leon appeared in three films with Sidney Portier, and since making Vancouver his home in 1.Jerico Beach Music.2004.
Average customer rating:
- Annette'a Review of "A Family Affair"
- Good Contemporary Jazz Sampler
- Funky (Or So You Thought)
- His best one?
- Great album
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A Family Affair
Christian McBride
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
Bebop General
| Bebop
| Jazz
| Styles
| Music
General
| Jazz
| Styles
| Music
Smooth Jazz
| Jazz
| Styles
| Music
Jazz Funk
| Funk
| R&B
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
- Gettin' to It
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ASIN: B000009QU1
Release Date: 1998-08-11 |
Tracks:
- I'm Coming Home
- A Dream Of You
- Family Affair
- Theme From Our Fairytale
- ... Or So You Thought
- Summer Soft
- Brown Funk (For Ray)
- Open Sesame
- Wayne's World
- I'll Write A Song For You
Amazon.com
On his third outing as a bandleader, Christian McBride exhibits the skills that make him one of finest young bassists in jazz. Produced by George Duke and accompanied by Tim Warfield on tenor saxophone, Charles Craig on keyboards, and Greg Hutchinson on drums, McBride indulges in a mixed bag of styles. Jumping from straight-ahead jazz to funk and '70s soul classics, McBride's imposing ability unifies his diverse musical repertoire. Playing both acoustic and electric bass with equal aplomb, he indulges in fusion instrumentals and sweet jazz ballads. Vocalists Will Downing and Vesta contribute soulful vocals and McBride interprets familiar songs by Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, and the Spinners. While occasionally venturing into the lite-jazz realm, there are plenty of vivid musical moments on this recording. --Mitch Myers
Customer Reviews:
Annette'a Review of "A Family Affair".......2006-08-12
I heard this project when it first came out and still love it today!
Christian is the best bassist out there. Pianist Charles Craig is great. I love his style, especially on "That Jazz Thing". Will Downing and Vesta are terrific vocalists. I did not know much about them at the time, but have since bought some of their other works. I heard Christian perform live on BET. He pulls you into the music. Great CD to have when entertaining with friends and family.
Good Contemporary Jazz Sampler.......2006-07-21
Christian McBride as a bassist takes a back seat to nobody, including Ray Brown (to whom he includes a tribute on this album), Ron Carter, or even Jaco Pastorius.
The first track on the album, "I'm coming Home," is by far the most enjoyable. In R & B style, it features mainly tenor sax man Tim Warfield and eclipses 98% of everything I've heard in this style before. Not to say that Warfield impresses with pyrotechnics on this cut (as he does elsewhere), but the happy invitation to dancers to get out on the floor is irresistable. McBride's bass solo may be the best one using a bow that I've ever heard.
If all tracks on this CD were as fun as the first, the album would easily rate five stars. But I was not as disappointed with the rest of the CD as I was afraid I'd be. The title tune, third in order, was nice, and some of the other cuts were enjoyable, including the Will Downing vocal. Though he mostly sings ballads and is often heard on the so-called "smooth jazz" stations (which play too much music that isn't jazz at all), Downing's style is distinctive enough and his vocal work impressive enough to qualify him as a bonafide jazz singer.
Those hoping to hear George Clinton- or Bootsie Collins-style funk may be a bit disappointed, but if you can just take the "funk" cuts as they are, they are enjoyable enough. My biggest diappointment was with a couple of slow, backgroundy-sounding cuts that would fit right in on a "smooth jazz" station.
Overall, this is a good "starter CD" for those just getting into REAL contemporary jazz, as it features a diversity of modern styles.
Funky (Or So You Thought).......2005-12-04
Christian McBride proves once again that he is tremendous talent in the contemporary jazz world, demonstrating a great deal of technical virtuostiy and harmonic maturity on his third outing, "A Family Affair." The first track, the strongest on the record, swings hard, featuring thoughtful solos from all. It is unfortunate that this level of tastefulness does not persist throughout, however, for McBride's effort to move into a funk styling proves fatal. Why is it the fate of so many virtuosic bassists to embrace the "cheese factor?" I'd love for some one to explain this interesting phenomenon, as I am dumbfounded. Please give these guys a record by The Meters or The J.B.s . I'm sorry, but a wah pedal and a rehashed neo-soul drum groove just doesn't make good funk. McBride obviously knows his fusion and bop and is certainly an inspirational improviser. What he lacks is that certain greasy effe uuuu ennnnneeee kkkkkaaaaaaay...FUNK brotha...
His best one?.......2003-10-11
I like this album best of all..the vocalists Vesta and Will Downing(never heard of them) really complement his music. Some of his albums are almost too lowkey for a guy who has tremendous rhythm and spirit...and huge talent.
Great album.......2001-11-07
This is a wonderful album mixing contemporary jazz and r&b. Two of the tracks are vocals, featuring two great R&B vocalists. Will Downing sings on "A Dream of You" and Vesta sings on "...Or So you Thought". Most of the tracks are originals, but there are a few r&b tracks, including a Stevie Wonder song that are given the jazz treatment. The first track "I'm Coming Home" is my favourite. It's got a great party atmosphere about it and you can't help but groove along. But the whole cd is excellent and I highly recommend it.
Average customer rating:
- it could have been so much more...
- One Interesting Song, One Excellent Song , Fourteen Bad Songs
- WORTHY, IN SPITE OF ITS SHORTCOMINGS . . . . .
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A Family Affair
Manufacturer: Drg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
Musical Theater
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Musicals
| Broadway & Vocalists
| Styles
| Music
General
| Broadway & Vocalists
| Styles
| Music
General
| Soundtracks
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music
| Forms & Genres
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
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- Inside U.S.A./The Band Wagon
ASIN: B000AXWHA8
Release Date: 2005-10-18 |
Tracks:
- Overture
- Anything For You
- Beautiful
- My Son The Lawyer
- Every Wants To Get Married
- Right Girls
- Kalua Bay
- There's A Room In My House
- Football Game
- Harmony
- Now Morris
- Wonderful Party
- Revenge
- Summer Over
- What I Say Goes
- I'm Worse Than Anybody
Customer Reviews:
it could have been so much more..........2006-12-07
While the songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb gave us some of the all-time great theatre scores ("Cabaret", "Chicago", "Kiss of the Spider Woman"); they also wrote some middling failures like "Flora the Red Menace", "The Happy Time" and A FAMILY AFFAIR.
A FAMILY AFFAIR (featuring a book by James Goldman) starred Eileen Heckart and Shelley Berman, two performers with little experience in musicals. It's certainly a novelty hearing acclaimed actress Eileen Heckart croaking her way through "My Son the Lawyer" and "Summer is Over". Stand-up comedian Berman reveals a reasonable tenor voice in his numbers.
Filling out the supporting roles are tried-and-true musical theatre veterans Rita Gardner ("The Fantasticks"), Cathryn Damon (who'd later get a bigger role in the duo's "Flora the Red Menace"), Bibi Osterwald (later Carol Channing's original standby in "Hello Dolly") and Larry Kert (the original Tony in "West Side Story").
While the score isn't the best ever written by the team, songs like "Right Girls", "Wonderful Party", "Anything For You", "What I Say Goes", and "Now Morris" are quite enjoyable. "Summer is Over" is a quiet little 11 o'clock number for Heckart's character of Tilly Siegel. By all accounts, the show wasn't much to write home about, and it shuttered after 65 performances.
The sound quality on this 1962 cast album is average, with hiss and flutter evident throughout the recording. Because this was one of the first (and last) cast albums preserved on 35mm magnetic film stock, the stereo fidelity of the recording has badly-deteriorated over the years, creating a harsh sonic tone on this CD premiere (refer to Mark Andrew Lawrence's review).
Nevertheless, die-hard collectors will want this title, and we should thank DRG for bringing it back into the catalogue. [DRG 19068]
One Interesting Song, One Excellent Song , Fourteen Bad Songs.......2006-08-11
John Kander is a great composer. However, before he met up with the equally great lyricist, Fred Ebb, he composed this trite, forgettable score. It isn't entirely Mr. Kander's fault that the score is bad. No, his melodies are sometimes lovely, sometimes exiting and show promise. That doesn't mean their especially memorable though. However, the lyrics really are insipid and awkward in this show. William and James Goldman (the latter to write the book to Sondheim's brilliant Follies) are not great lyricists unfourtunately.
However, there are two songs on this album that make it worth purchasing. The first is an odd little song called "My Son the Lawyer" which is quite inventive. However, the greatest song of the score is "Harmony", a very tuneful, musically inventive song. Even the lyrics aren't too bad here.
So if you like buying albums for a few songs, go ahead. However, if you're looking for an overall excellent piece, this is not for you.
WORTHY, IN SPITE OF ITS SHORTCOMINGS . . . . . .......2005-10-28
Don't let the 3-star rating discourage you from buying this album. If you're a serious student of the American Musical Theatre and/or a collector of Broadway musicals, this is a must, in spite of my low rating.
No plot summary appears in the liner notes, so I dug out my old LP only to discover none exists there either. Therefore, the following synopsis is courtesy Music Theatre International, the show's publisher:
"Gerry Siegal and Sally Nathan, a young suburban Chicago couple, decide to get married... thereby setting off a marital World Ward III! Between Sally's Uncle/Mother/Father Alfie Nathan and Gerry's extensive extended family, the couple's wedding arrangements could prove more difficult than anything their marriage might ever present. It's the biggest family feud since the Montagues and Capulets, as caterers, dressmakers, rabbis, florists, photographers and a domineering wedding planner are put through the proverbial wringer in the looniest wedding this side of `Father of the Bride!'
"An early work by John Kander (`Cabaret,' `Chicago'), James Goldman (`Follies,' `A Lion In Winter') and William Goldman (`Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid,' `The Princess Bride'), `A Family Affair' is a neurotic, tuneful, wickedly funny and universally appealing picture of what really goes into the smiling wedding portrait in the family album."
With music by John Kander, book by James Goldman, lyrics by William Goldman, a stellar cast (stand-up comedian Shelley Berman, Academy Award winner Eileen Heckart, Larry Kert, Rita Gardner, Broadway veterans Morris Carnovsky and Bibi Osterwald), and direction by Harold Prince, why did it last for only 65 performances?
Well, for one thing, the music isn't very original, and definitely not the caliber of Kander's later shows with Fred Ebb, especially their score for KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN. It seems that, this being Kander's first show, he is relying too much on formula: the lover's optimistic duet ("Anything for You"), contrapuntal ensemble piece ("My Son the Lawyer"), a march ("Right Girls"), a fight song ("Football Game"), prerequisite waltz ("Now Morris"), the look-back-and-reflect-on-my-wasted-life soliloquy ("Summer Is Over"). Other songs are derivative. Compare "Harmony" with "Quarrel-tet" from WHOOP-UP (1958), and Alfie's show-stopping, "Bolero"-inspired "Revenge" would not have been out of place in JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS. Was it necessary to include the embarrassing telephone schtick, al la "Inside Shelley Berman," near the end of "Revenge"? What motivates Gerry's suddenly cruel, ultra-macho (though well-sung) "What I Say Goes"?
HOWEVER, the incredible cast triumphs over less-than-stellar material. Shelley Berman is a surprisingly good singer; Morris Carnovsky is brilliant in his final Broadway show, a career that began in 1922; Rita Gardner is wonderful, even if she isn't given as much to sing as in THE FANTASTICKS or CELBRATION; Larry Kert is in better voice even than in WEST SIDE STORY; and I can never get enough of Eileen Heckart. Having her "Tillie Siegal" preserved on CD is reason enough for this reissue. Thank you, DRG.
The show boasts many "firsts" in the history of Broadway. It was the first musical score for John Kander, Harold Prince's first directorial effort (a producer of many hit musicals in the 50s and 60s, Prince would later direct CABARET, FOLLIES, SWEENEY TODD, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, EVITA, and COMPANY, among others), Eileen Heckart's first musical role, Linda Lavin's Broadway debut, James Goldman's first musical book, brother William Goldman's only set of Broadway lyrics, and the first original cast album to be recorded on 35mm magnetic film.
"Through this method of recording a signal to noise ration and reduction of hiss has been achieved that was never before possible. Practically all flutter has been eliminated resulting in the most lifelike tone quality ever achieved. This is, in fact, the most perfect method of reproducing actual music and vocal sound possible." (- from the original LP jacket) Well, something must have happened to the original masters, because the CD has sonic problems, especially in regards to Miss Gardner's voice. Her voice is distorted most of the time, horribly so on "Anything for You." I'm sure DRG would have solved the problem had it been possible to do so.
All in all, I urge you to add A FAMILY AFFAIR, with all its faults, to your collection. After listening to it, I dare you to avoid humming "I'm Worse Than Anybody," the show's final song. Do you know of any other song lyric that includes "schlemiel"?
(...)
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Family Affair
Manufacturer: Thorp Records/Ka
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
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General
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ASIN: B00006JY9F
Release Date: 2002-10-29 |
Customer Reviews:
good stuff .......2005-12-01
if your into just good old fashion hardcore this is for you
Average customer rating:
- Pastor's BEST album
- HEZZIE HEZZIE HEZZIE HEZZIE
- Hezekiah Walker & Love Fellows
- Always the Best!!!
- Music that Ministers
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Family Affair
Hezekiah Walker & the Love Fellowship Crusade Choir
Manufacturer: Verity
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Christian & Gospel
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Gospel
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- Nothing But the Hits
ASIN: B00002EPM6
Release Date: 1999-11-09 |
Tracks:
- Power Belongs To God
- Ain't Nobody Like Jesus
- Ain't Nobody Like Jesus (Reprise)
- The Will Of God
- Never Leave Me Alone
- Wonderful Is Your Name
- Patiently Waiting
- Oh I Feel Jesus
- I've Got A Reason (Draper's Legacy)
- Let's Dance
- He Can
- More Like Him
- Give'em Your Life
- Finally
Customer Reviews:
Pastor's BEST album.......2007-01-31
After considering every project by Pastor Walker & Love Fellowship, it must be said that "Family Affair" is his greatest release. Although he surprised us on this one with 5 studio tracks; stepping away from a completely Live recording, this still remains the BEST.
With Great hits such as Power Belongs To God, Ain't Nobody Like Jesus, &, Never Leave Me Alone, Pastor & Love Fellowship truly do not dissapoint. This CD has the whole package; Exellent Production from Pastor Walker, and, a range of great, fresh cover pictures and graphics,
Pastor Hezekiah Walker & The Love Fellowship Crusade Choir - "Family Affair", is a MUST HAVE!!!
HEZZIE HEZZIE HEZZIE HEZZIE.......2005-09-23
HEZEKIAH WALKER DID AN EXCELLENT JOB ON THIS PROJECT. I WAITED A LONG TIME TO GET THIS CD AND I NOW I AM GLAD THAT I HAVE THIS CD. THIS IS THE BEST OF HEZZIE. THEY JUST LET THE LORD USE THIS IN A MIGHTY WAY. IF YOU DONT HAVE THIS THEN YOU NEED TO GET IT. YOU ARE GETTING YOUR MONEY WORTH.
"POWER BELONGS TO GOD" this song is awesome. I remeber listening to this on the radio and even though I did not know what they were saying i knew that this was a great song. The band and the background vocals are the best that i have ever heard. this choir is anoted by God. They way that they get taking the song up another key is awesome. If you heard this song before then you know what I am talking about. this is one of the best song.
"AINT NOBOBY LIKE JESUS" is one of my favorite song. The band and the choir is off the chain. I love this song. The reprise is great. I love how he got different singer to do some ablib. This makes it a great song.
"THE WILL OF GOD" is one of my personal favorite song. Monquie Walker(Hezekiah Walker's Wife) can really sang. On this song she is doing the will of God. She came to one youth confrence and I went and she sang. I almost shouted. She has touch my life thorugh her sing. This song proves it. The range that this song has and the choir is just as good as she. The choir is off the chain. This is one of the best song on this cd.
"NEVER LEAVE ME ALONE" is also one of my favorite song. Kury Brown once again let the Lord us him in a mighty way. I love this song.
"Wonderful is your name" is the best song on this cd. I love the lyrics. It's amazing. "Patienly Waiting" is a nice song. I love how the choir modulates. They know how to hold a note. That is just wonderful. "Oh I fell Jesus" is a nice worship song with Donald Lawrence on Narration. I like it. "'ve got a reason" is another great song. I love it when Hezekiah does songs like this. It make you want to shout. I love it.
"Let's Dance" is an amazing song. i like it. "He can" is a nice worship song. I like the lyrics. They really ministers to me.
"More Like him" is another song that I like because of the lyrics. "give'em your life" really doesnt work with me."Finally" is the perfect song to end this great cd
This is the best album that Hezekiah Walker put out. I love it.
Hezekiah Walker & Love Fellows.......2005-03-03
I recieved the CD in atimely mannor. But the CD was scratched mid way through the last of the 4 to 6 songs I am not able to enjoy it is going to cost me more to buy an CD REPAIR KIT then what i paid for the CD shipping and handling. I COULD HAVE BROUGHT IT NEW. RALEIGH NC
Always the Best!!!.......2001-06-14
I really love Family Affair. Each song is uplifting and inspirational. I love the quote Pastor Walker gives and I think if so true "Because God is the Greatest Power we shall not be defeated"
PRAISE THE LORD!!
Music that Ministers.......2001-05-01
As usual, Hez delivers the P&W that made LFC Choir known around the world. While this work reflects the influences of our hip hop culture, Hex masterfully fuses it with traditional vibes to influence gospel music lovers young and old. LFC is not about heavy bass riffs; but the compilations will break the heart of any sinner, and encourage the lowest of saints. So next step, add this one to your collection.
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Family Affair
Leo W Rev Daniels
Manufacturer: Atlanta Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
Gospel
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Gospel
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Release Date: 2002-08-14 |
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