EMI Comedy [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
2003 compilation includes sketches & songs from 1945 & 1946 for the entertainer described as a comedy team rolled up into one person. 8 tracks. Copy Controlled. EMI Gold.

Tracks:

Una Voce Poco Fa - Sherrill Milnes
Dunque Io Son - Sherrill Milnes
Contro Un Cor - Sherrill Milnes
Ah, Qual Colpo Inaspetatto! - Sherrill Milnes
E Il Sol Dell'anima... Addio! Speranza Ed Anima - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Gualtier Malde... Caro Nome - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Tutte Le Feste Al Tempio... Compiuto Pur Quanto... Si, Vendetta - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
V'ho Ingannato... Lassu In Cielo - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Quel Guardo Il Cavaliere... So Anch'io La Virtu Magica - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Pronta Io Son... Vado, Corro - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Via, Caro Sposino - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Tornami A Dir Che M'ami - Ambrosian Opera Chorus
La Morale In Tutto Questo - Ambrosian Opera Chorus

Tracks:

Vilia - Beverly Sills
Ah! Je Suis Seule... Dis-Moi Que Je Suis Belle - Beverly Sills
Cielo! Che Diverro?... Si, ferite... Dal Soggiorno... Ah! Che Spiegar - Beverly Sills
Libiamo Ne' Lieti Calici - John Alldis Choir
Un Di Felice, Eterea - John Alldis Choir
E Strano... Ah, Fors'e Lui... Follie! Follie!... Sempre Libera - John Alldis Choir
Pura Siccome Un Angelo... Ah! Dite Alla Giovine - John Alldis Choir
Che Fai? - John Alldis Choir
Addio Del Passato - John Alldis Choir
Parigi, O Cara - John Alldis Choir

Amazon.com

Beverly Sills hardly needs an introduction. She sang on the radio as a child and on the operatic stage as a teenager; her meteoric international career was launched by appearances in several virtually unknown bel canto operas at the New York City Opera. This compilation of arias and ensembles from some of her signature roles, recorded in the 1970s, with splendid partners like Nicolai Gedda, Alfredo Kraus, and Sherrill Milnes, displays her unique vocal and dramatic artistry at its peak. Her voice, effortlessly produced over an enormous range, is bright, pure, infinitely variable in color, inflection and intensity. Her intonation is impeccable even in huge leaps, and her breath is endless. The coloratura roulades are like strings of perfect, luminous pearls, clearly articulated in seamless legato. But this stunning technique (whose only flaw is a sometimes wide, wobbly vibrato) is never used for show; every note has life and expression, serving the music and the dramatic situation. Indeed, her characters are flesh-and-blood human beings, whose thoughts, emotions and interactions, from inwardness to ecstasy, from lamentation to overflowing joy, she projects with riveting concentration. Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville is a charming, mischievous minx who succumbs to delighted tenderness; Pamira's great scene from his Siege of Corinth shows clearly why her Metropolitan Opera debut in that role was a sensation. In Verdi's Rigoletto, Gilda's hopeful innocence turns into hopeless despair: she dies, palpably, on a floating, celestial pianissimo. In his La traviata, Violetta's initial cool, hesitant restraint gradually melts as she opens herself (and her voice) to Alfredo's ardor and the bliss of love. The vocal balance in their final duet is uncanny; its tremulous tenderness in the shadow of death breaks the heart, as does her duet with Germont. Massenet's Thais is sensuous; Donizetti's Don Pasquale and Lehár's The Merry Widow provide comic relief. --Edith Eisler

Album Description

Details TBA. EMI. 2005.

Customer Reviews:

Beverly Sills - The Best.......2007-04-01

What a voice. No coloratura can compare, and she makes it seem so easy.

Beverly Sills' highs are breathtaking!.......2006-09-18

Adio del Passato is incredible! Beverly's high, floating coloratura is no less than ethereal which takes you to another world. Her voice has given me so much joy that it is hard to say one recording is better than another because I love her Mozart album equally with her Bellini/Donizetti. It is so wonderful to have these recordings captured on CD! Enjoy!

THE 2005 OPERA CD OF THE YEAR.......2006-08-19

THIS CD WAS THE BEST OPERA CD ISSUED LAST YEAR, AND HAS CAUGHT THE WORLD'S EAR IN NO TIME. I WAS BUSY WRITING IN SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL, WHILE THE STATEOWNED FM RADIOSTATION, DEDICATED TO CULTURE, WAS SOFTLY PLAYING OPERA ARIAS IN THE BACKGROUND. SUDDENLY I HEARD THE MOST FANTASTIC RENDERING OF "SEMPRE LIBERA" FROM "LA TRAVIATA". I GOT UP, SAT BY THE RADIO AND WAITED TO KNOW WHO WAS SINGING... THEN GOT BACK TO THE COMPUTER TO ORDER THIS CD FROM AMAZON! INCREDIBLE: ONLY 17 BUCKS FOR THIS, WHILE QUITE A BIT OF TRASH IS SOLD FOR 30.40 AND MORE...
A LADY FRIEND ONCE TOLD ME SHE COULD NOT LISTEN TO THE DUET IN "MADAMA BUTTERFLY" WITH MIRELLA FRENI AND LUCIANO PAVAROTTI (RECORDED IN 1974, BY VON KARAJAN) WITHOUT CRYING. WELL, YOU CANNOT LISTEN TO SILLS IN "LA TRAVIATA" DRY-EYED, NO MATTER WHO THE TENOR IS. SHE PROJECTS THE SAME DRAMATIC FEELING OF "LA DIVINA" CALLAS WITHOUT THOSE SHRIEKED HIGHNOTES; SHE OFFERS THE SAME COLORATURA VOCAL GYMNASTICS AS "LA STUPENDA" SUTHERLAND BUT WITH WARMTH... WHEN BEVERLY SANG, AS IN EVERYTHING ELSE SHE DID, SHE ALWAYS GAVE HER UTMOST. SHE WAS "LA GENEROSA" TO BE SURE.
DON'T JUST SIT THERE READING WHAT OTHERS THINK.
ORDER THIS CD NOW AND MARVEL AT HOW THIS GREAT AMERICAN LADY, IN SO MANY OTHER WAYS, ALSO COULD SING!

EMI Does It Again: Beverly Sills - A Tribute.......2005-07-22

EMI's "Very Best Of" series are perfect introductions to operatic singers of the 20th century. Once you hear these artist tribute albums (much like The Singers series) you will get hooked on the singer and seek out their full-length studio recordings. Beverly Sills was the first truly famous American opera star. One may argue that she was not, that she was merely a continued tradition of American divas such as Mary Garden and Lily Pons and which still continues today with Renee Fleming, Elizabeth Futral and Susan Graham. Beverly was raised in New York City, which is still her home, and which is the home of the New York City Opera and the Met, opera houses which rocketed her to fame. Her first success (not featured in this recording...UH WHY ?) was Cleopatra of Handel's Julius Caesar, a performance she sang opposite the illustrious baritone Norman Treigle. Those performances were legendary because coincidentally at the same time the Met was opening its new theatre and season with what became a disastrous Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra starring Leontyne Price in an overblown, big-budget, epic fiasco. The great roles that followed the 1965 Cleopatra were Manon, Queen Elizabeth I in Roberto Deveraux, Maria Stuarda and Anna Bolena in the Donizetti Tudor Queen operas, Pamira in The Siege of Corinth (which were Sill's La Scala and belated Met debut. None of the Queens are featured in this recording, though its supposedly the Very Best Of. An aria from Rossini's Siege of Corinth is featured here however. What we are treated to however are fine lyric roles- Beverly Sills shone brightly and acted convincingly as Gilda in Rigoletto (the final scene is featured here) as Violetta in La Traviata, Thais, The Merry Widow (the beautiful Vilja is featured here)and the ingenue role of Norina in Don Pasquale is also showcased here. To each of these roles, Beverly Sills delivered an authenticity and dramatic interpretation, not ot mention beautiful, sweet tone. I love her pianissimos, her high notes, her chest register. It was the voice of Beverly Sills who first hooked me into opera. For a recording that should showcase her best work, Manon is not featured nor any of her prized French heroines- Marie in The Daughter of the Regiment and the heroines in Tales of Hoffman. Also not in here is the role that was her first success- the Broadway opera Ballad of Baby Doe. Even as such, the arias here are gorgeous. The Barber of Seville is in here and as Rosina she is playful and charming. Sills was a modern singer, with a voice that was beautiful but willing to sacrifice beauty for the sake of dramatic content. When Sills was once asked what she thought of the supposed rivalry with Joan Sutherland (which was never real and only gossip from partisan fans) Beverly said something to this effect -Joan and I are apples and oranges in our take on opera, we are Picasso and Monet. She would do anything for the effect of beauty and tone, I'd sacrifice beauty for the sake of dramatic text. Even as such, I see no ugliness to any of the roles here. All of them are beautiful to hear, full of rich floating celestial tones. It would have been nice to hear the roles that did call for Sills to step up the tense drama - Norma, will her recording ever be reissued by EMI ? Also, few people know that Beverly Sills sung role most would consider dangerous for her voice (though she sang them long before her career even took off)- Aida and Carmen!!

Glad To Be The First Review- Beverly Sills Treasury Of Arias.......2005-04-29

At last EMI's "The Very Best Of" series has issued some of the finer recorded documented arias of the incomparable soprano Beverly Sills. Fans of this down-to-earth, warm patron of music and the most unique lyric-coloratura-dramatic soprano, will be in Heaven. Sure, this is only some of the arias in only a small number of the many operas Sills performed. To be truthful, this is not what I'd personally regard as the best of Beverly Sills. Other albums of hers do use greater vocal masterpieces she sang- the best being "The Singers" Series, and another EMI edition called The Art of Beverly Sills Volume 2 and then there's the rare and brilliant "Sillsiana". Nevertheless, this album has its charm and appeal. Beverly Sills sings arias from Rossini's Barber of Seville, Verdi's Rigoletto and Traviata. This recording seems to highlight mostly her mastership of the bel canto repertoire and Verdi. Gilda and Violetta were roles she sang with supreme dramatic integrity and sweetness and purity of vocal line. Yet, it is hardly "the best of". Where are scenes from the masterful interpretations of Donizetti, truly Sills strongest suit- Lucia Di Lammermoor, Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda and Roberto Devereaux, where is Sills' Manon, which even she hails as her best ? And when will her recorded Norma ever see the light of day ? Sills also excelled in the French repertoire- Faust, Thais, La Fille Du Regiment, The Tales of Hoffman and she was an incredible Queen Shemakha in Korsakov's Coq D'Or. True, Sills had a light, girlish, delicate voice, bright and small, but this worked in her favor in tragic roles. Dramatically, she could get into character as passionately and convincingly as Maria Callas. When she could darken her voice and use her chest voice for dramatic effect it was often thrilling. This is the latest recording in a number of recordings that are coming out, further promoting a great singer of the past. Beverly Sills. She was the working man's soprano. She worked hard to get to the top. She was the reigning singer of the NYC Opera where she starred in such great operas as Handel's Giulio Ceare Sills as Cleopatra (also not on this recording) and Tales of Hoffman singing opposite the great but underrated bass Norman Treigle. Sills is a wonderful human being and she has a beautiful voice that I cannot get out of my mind. She will always be the greatest to me. She got me hooked into opera.

Average customer rating:

Andy Griffith Can Split Your Sides With Laughter
Original Andy Griffite
Down Home With Andy
Andy Griffith
Andy Griffith - Wit & Wisdom of Andy Griffith

Wit & Wisdom of Andy Griffith
Andy Griffith
Manufacturer: EMI Special Products
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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I GUAR-RON-TEE
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ASIN: B000002T6S
Release Date: 1998-04-10

Tracks:

What It Was, Was Football (Parts 1 And 2)
Conversation With A Mule
The Preacher And The Bear
Andy And Cleopatra
Romeo & Juliet (Parts 1 & 2)
The Discovery Of America
Love Poems: To The Lovely Juanita Beasley
Swan Lake
Opera Carmen
Silhouettes

Customer Reviews:

Andy Griffith Can Split Your Sides With Laughter.......2007-05-08

Andy has his own way of making people laugh and his wonderful down-home southern heritage doesn't hurt matters either...definitely worth listening to.

Original Andy Griffite.......2007-01-18

I still remember listening to "What It Was Was Football" and "Romeo and Juliet" with my Mom, in the 50's, when Andy was a newcomer to radio. How we laughed our fool heads off! Some of his phrases, like "...big aahranj draank..." and "...I'm rat cheer..." became part of our family vernacular, and still are.

I love it!

Down Home With Andy.......2007-01-11

We watched Andy when he first began to guest on various TV shows and thoroughly enjoyed his routines. Due to the fact that his body language and facial expressions were a large part of his humor we had to recall that aspect but listening to the CD made us laugh all over again.

Andy Griffith.......2007-01-11

I bought this for my father, who was a fan of Andy's back in the day. He really seemed to like this CD, since it brought back a lot of memories for him.

Andy Griffith - Wit & Wisdom of Andy Griffith.......2007-01-07

Good Fun. What is Was, Was Footbal is a classic like Abbott and Costello's Who's on First. Highly recommend this CD.

Average customer rating:

Don't Duplicate
Review of disc AND Amazon reviewers
Comedy before you needed to be vulgar!
Fans of Woody this does not disapoint
Woody Allen genus shines once again

Nightclub Years 1964-1968
Woody Allen
Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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In Retrospect
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Child of the 50's

ASIN: B000003PX2
Release Date: 1999-01-12

Tracks:

The Nightclub Years Part 1
The Nightclub Years Part 2

Tracks:

The Nightclub Years Part 3
The Nightclub Years Part 4

Amazon.com

A lot of this CD's worth lies in its documentary value, which might seem like faint praise except for the great period that's being documented. For Woody Allen it was the transition between his writing-for-hire (not only for television, but early movie work such as What's New Pussycat?) and his filmmaking career, which would begin in earnest with 1969's Take the Money and Run. Dated or not, "The Moose" never fails to crack me up. --David Wolf

Customer Reviews:

Don't Duplicate.......2006-02-23

Both 'Nightclub Years' and 'Stand Up comic' are brilliant - but almost identical in content. Buy one or the other - but not both!!!

Review of disc AND Amazon reviewers.......2006-02-15

I had this as a double-LP set when it was first issued and enjoyed it immensely. As favorite recordings go, it got pretty scratchy from repeated listenings. When the CD era came, I always wanted to replace my worn out vinyl and just never got around to it. Lucky for me!

This material has been reissued on CD as a single disc. From reading many AMAZON customer reviews I learned that the single CD was really badly edited from the existing 93 minutes to fit onto a single disc. That single disc is the one which comes up readily in searches. Reading AMAZON reviews helped me to avoid that mistake and steered me to this EMI double CD set. This double EMI set is the only complete CD issue of the double LP set. Moreover, the producer/engineer nicely segued the album sides 1 and 2 so they flow together as one longer performance. Same with 3 and 4 as one longer presentation on CD disc 2. They're still broken up into 4 parts but flow together. Bravo to the producer/engineer for that!

The material is classic Woody Allen in his stand-up years. 1964, '65 and '68. This was before he got fully into movie-making and his brilliance is evident. Very funny stand-up comedy for the sophisticated audience. Long before other comedians broke the language barriers and forever changed comedy - not necessarily for the worse - comedy relied on colorful expression and not shock-value language to convey the story. Woody was a master at that as he honed his skill on the way to becoming the celebrated film-maker he obviously did become.

If you are a fan of comedy, buy this. DON'T buy the single CD version! Even at very inexpensive used prices, you're going to get noticably edited (sometimes in the middle of stories) routines, from what I've read.

Again, thank you to all the AMAZON REVIEWERS and AMAZON.com for having this forum available for sharing that very critical information!!

Comedy before you needed to be vulgar!.......1999-06-21

In a nutshell this Woody Allen complilation of his early years is by far one of my favorites in my comedy collection. The bit about The Moose is a classic is are the other finely crafted bits of dialouge. I have listened to this recording with my friends and family for years and we never fail to get a laugh out of this comic genius' timing and subject matter.

Fans of Woody this does not disapoint.......1999-01-25

For fans of Allen (especially Bananas thru Annie Hall) this album is great, some of the references are dated, but if you're like me the voice alone is enough to keep you laughing

Woody Allen genus shines once again.......1999-01-20

This recording is true brillance. Woody Allen's standup is truly funny. Fans who loved films such as Annie Hall will find a fimiliarity about this recording. One of the things I most enjoyed about this cd was the fact that It was very clean and still retains all the humor, which to me enhances the enjoyment to the listener. There are humorous jewels buried throughout, often the listener will find a vein. If you are a fan of Allen or just like to laugh this is the perfect cd.

Average customer rating:

Amazon is the greatest!
Love this album
Great CD!
Identical to "The Royal Guardsmen Anthology"
Snoopy vs. the Red Baron

The Best of the Royal Guardsmen
The Royal Guardsmen
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron/Snoopy & His Friends
The Return of the Red Baron/Snoopy for President
Ballads of the Green Berets
The Best of the 1910 Fruitgum Company: Simon Says
25 All-Time Greatest Bubblegum Hits: The Ultimate Bubblegum Collection

ASIN: B00004TLSQ
Release Date: 2000-02-01

Tracks:

Snoopy vs. the Red Baron
Return of the Red Baron
Airplane Song (My Airplane)
Any Wednesday
I Say Love
Snoopy for President
Baby Let's Wait
Leaving Me
It's Sopwith Camel Time
Biplane "Evermore"
Shot Down
Searching for the Good Times
Smallest Astronaut
Mother, Where's Your Daughter
Down Behind the Lines
Om
I'm a Man
So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star
As Tears Go By
Snoopy's Christmas

Customer Reviews:

Amazon is the greatest!.......2007-05-14

After months, no years, of searching for this album, I am delighted to have a copy in my possession! I have yet to try out the cd, but tonight looks like a great chance to do just that. Thank you so much, you guys deliver consistently good service and the options are enormous.

Love this album.......2007-03-11

Listen to it over and over again. I've been searching all over for a CD of the Royal Gaurdsmen. I wanted to download it to my ipod and only have albums from when I was a kid. So Happy that Amazon had it.
A BLAST FROM THE PAST!

Great CD!.......2007-01-10

This CD was great. My husband and I love the Snoopy and the Red Baron song and were thrilled that all of the Snoopy vs. the Red Baron songs we were looking for were on the CD. If you are looking for nostalgia this is the CD for you!

Identical to "The Royal Guardsmen Anthology".......2006-08-23

This CD is essentially identical to the earlier Anthology so only a real completist need buy both. However, even owners of both of the CD re-releases of the Royal Guardsmen's 4 albums: Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron/Snoopy & His Friends and The Return of the Red Baron/Snoopy for President will want to buy one of these anthology CD's because they contain two not included singles, "Mother, Where's Your Daughter?" and the last Snoopy song, "Smallest Astronaut". Unfortunately, the version of "Snoopy For President" included on these CD's is a defective one, the edited version, which cuts out the words "in '68", destroying the meter of the first line in a pathetic attempt to make the song appear less dated. In order to obtain a non-butchered version of "Snoopy For President", you will have to buy the second album re-release: The Return of the Red Baron/Snoopy for President. In addition, the "Story of..." fake radio broadcasts that precede the 3 Snoopy versus the Red Baron songs on the third album are missing. For those you must purchase either the first album re-release Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron/Snoopy & His Friends or for an indefective consecutive track version, an old CD re-release of the third album: Merry Snoopy's Christmas or Snoopy's Christmas.

Snoopy vs. the Red Baron.......2006-03-18

This psychedelic romp into 60's bubble-gum pop was mostly a satisfying listening experience. Though it tended to be a bit tedious and repetitive with at least 3 Snoopy songs. I really think they should have left well enough alone and just included the Snoopy vs. The Red Baron song and concentrated on the rest of the Royal Guardsmen's catalogue.

Average customer rating:

Gorilla
Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tadpoles
Doughnut in Granny's Greenhouse
Keynsham
Let's Make Up and Be Friendly

ASIN: B000PITXY6
Release Date: 2007-07-16

Tracks:

Cool Britannia
Equestrian Statue
Jollity Farm
(I Left My Heart) In San Francisco
Look Out, There's A Monster Coming
Jazz, Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold
Death Cab For Cutie
Narcissus
Intro And The Outro
Mickey's Son And Daughter
Big Shot
Music For Head Ballet
Piggy Bank Love
I'm Bored
Sound Of Music
My Brother Makes The Noises For The Talkies (Bonus Track)
I'm Gonna Bring A Watermelon To My Girl Tonight (Bonus Track)
Ali Baba's Camel (Early Version) (Previously Unreleased) (Bonus Track)
On Her Doorstep Last Night (Bonus Track)
Alley Oop (Bonus Track)
Button Up Your Overcoat (Bonus Track)
Craig Torso Show (Bonus Track)

Album Details

Neil Innes and Vivien Stanshall, were the Back Bone of this Band Formed in the 60's by Art School Students. They Started Life as the Bonzo Dog Dada Band, Then Becoming the Bonzo Dog Doo-dah Band, and Then Finally Just the Bonzo Dog Band.

Average customer rating:

"...And the Dude Ate It!"
Good, but too short.
HILARIOUS!

Bill Cosby Collection
Bill Cosby
Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Country Comedy | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
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It's True! It's True!
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Why Is There Air?

ASIN: B00005J8SM
Release Date: 2001-01-12

Tracks:

English Language
Henry Kissinger
UFO
My Father Confused Me
Glazed Donut Monster
Mothers Enunciate
FCC and Mothers
Mothers Will Hit You for Nothing
Fathers Are the Funniest People
Marriage and Duties
New Husbands Kill Things
Lizard and the Mouse
Dudes on Dope
Dentist

Tracks:

Roland and the Rollercoaster
Puberty
People Who Drink
Frisbies
Chinese Mustard
Famous People
Let's Make a Deal
Cars
Illegal Drugs
Parents and Grandparents

Album Description

Exclusive Australian-only two CD set featuring a pair of Bill Cosby's albums that are currently out of print in the U.S.! This double disc set contains two complete releases that were originally issued on Capitol Records: Bill's Best Friend (1978) and My Father Confused Me. What Should I Do? (1977). EMI.

Album Details

Includes "Bill's Best Friend" and "my Father".

Customer Reviews:

"...And the Dude Ate It!".......2006-08-23

"The Bill Cosby Collection" is a double CD containing two Bill Cosby comedy records: "My Father Confused Me..." (1977) on the first CD and "Bill's Best Friend" (1978) on the other. Though it's not the best bunch of Bill Cosby routines I've heard, they're still pretty decent and the package is good value. I picked up my copy at a locally, here in Australia, and for a rock bottom price.

Bill, in these stand-up routines talks about everything from intellectuals, languages, parents and parenthood, marriage, Chinese restaurants and cars, as well as a story or two from his childhood. He also speaks about puberty, drugs and alcoholism, which came as a surprise to me, though it's still funny stuff. Bill puts on voices, makes sound effects, and really gets you involved in the stories he's telling. The way he describes everyday activies (like going to the dentist) is really accurate too.

I have a couple of minor quibbles to make about this collection. First of all is the presentation of the tracks. Every track fades out before the end, which kind of disturbs the flow and the rhythm of Bill's material. Sometimes (like in "Puberty" on the second disc) it fades out in the middle, suspiciously like it was two routines from two different nights stuck together. I don't know if that was the case, just bugs me is all.

The CD booklet, though very thin, is rather interesting, as it has two covers to choose from, one on the front of the booklet (the purple one with a little cartoon Bill Cosby head and the title) and one on the back (an orange one with a big Bill Cosby head and no title). I prefer the orange version of the cover, so I keep it flipped that way on my CD rack.

Overall, worth a listen, but if you're a newcomer to Bill Cosby, I'd recommend one of his earlier records, like "Revenge".

Good, but too short........2004-06-03

If I'm buying a two-disc CD set, I typically expect at least an hour and a half of material. Neither of these CDs stretches much longer than a half-hour, however, and just by removing one or two tracks, they probably could have fit the whole thing on one disc.

That said, the stuff you get here is magnificent, classic Cos. Roland and the Rollercoaster, the Dentist, Puberty... some great routines that remind you of one of the great stand-up comics of all time, back in a day where they didn't throw in profanities every seven seconds in a routine. (In one bit Cosby even says that his favorite swear word was an innocent "Goooooood DANG!") This really is a lot of fun. I just wish there had been a bit more to it.

HILARIOUS!.......2004-04-15

I loved this CD! I especially like the first track, 'english language' and 'chinese mustard' very accurate, we all have to try the mustard once! I definatly would reccomend this! You'll love it!

Average customer rating:

old and still good
Not What it Claims to be
Good Memories!!
Witty, clever and a joy to listen to

At the Drop of a Hat
Michael Flanders & Donald Swann
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

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That Was the Year That Was

ASIN: B000026GPR
Release Date: 1999-07-15

Tracks:

A Transport Of Delight
Song Of Reproduction
The Gnu Song
Design For Living
Je Suis Le Tenebreux
Songs For Our Time
A Song Of The Weather
The Reluctant Cannibal
Greensleeves
Misalliance
Kokoraki
Madeira M'Dear?
Too Many Cookers
Vanessa
Tried By The Centre Court
The Youth Of The Heart
The Hippopotamus Song

Customer Reviews:

old and still good.......2005-02-20

I count myself a rare American who appreciates this recording. My uncle sent it to me on tape when I was quite small. my mom, ever handy with the censor's razor blade, let it go--untouched--in spite of the song about madeira, which I now know is about an old man doing the nasty to a young innocent lass. back then, of course, I thought it was about cake! with both mom and uncle passed on, I wanted to buy up what music of theirs I could locate, and I fortunately found the Complete Flanders and Swann, apparently no longer available. i bought up the copy and didn't get scalped, somehow. 45 years after the songs were sung, "Transport of Delight," "Soung of Reproduction," and "reluctant Cannibal," and yes even "Song of the Weather," still reverberate in my mind. i used to sing "The Gas Man Cometh," from the "At the drop of Another Hat" show album, in performances as a teen-ager, and sometimes even got good results. any of their albums are money well spent.

Not What it Claims to be.......2004-12-10

For those of you who grew up with the UK recording of "At the Drop of a Hat" be warned - in spite of what it says on the box this is NOT the recording of the 1959 show at the Fortune Theatre. This is the Broadway show.

The identity of the recording can be determined in the first minute from Flanders' introduction of Swann as "noted composer, pianist, linguist, also contains lanolin" - in the Fortune Theatre recording he is introduced as "noted composer, pianist, linguist, and all round egghead". There are substantial differences in the two performances, not least of which the pace which is a lot quicker in this recording, lacking the elegant timing which characterised the UK performance and which is comparable to the available CD of "At the Drop of Another Hat" (which WAS recorded in the UK).

Many of the jokes and asides are different - for instance in "Have Some Madeira", the Fortune Theatre recording includes an aside "He slyly inveigled her up to his flat, to view his collection of stamps [aside] All unperforated! ha ha ha ..." clearly this was regarded as too risqué for the US performance.

The songs are the same vintage and hilarious Flanders and Swann but the presentation, to me, is nowhere close to the quality of the earlier performance - it sounds to me like they were by this stage tired of the material and "going through the motions" for an audience that they did not relate to in the same way as an English audience.

Incidentally - Too Many Cookers, Vanessa, Tried by the Centre Court and The Youth of the Heart were not on the original LP recording and judging from the acoustics these were recorded elsewhere. The sleeve notes identify these as being recorded in 1957, 2 years prior to the Fortune Theatre performance.

Good Memories!!.......2000-12-05

My father used to work in the kitchen, cooking or cleaning, with music playing in the background. One of his favorites was this album by Flanders & Swann. He had seen the show and loved the record. I sang the songs through my childhood and now I sing them to my children, my co-workers, my friends! I only just realized that I can get the original album on CD. WHAT JOY!!!

Witty, clever and a joy to listen to.......2000-08-30

I first encountered Flanders and Swan on the LP version of this recording forty years ago. Loved it then, love it today. These two inventive and joyful British devils have delighted theatre audiences for years and their "Hippopotamus Song" has become something of a children's classic. This is the original cast recording of their first hit London show and is a marvelous performance. Can't say enough good about it but best of all my wife and I have been humming the songs and quoting the lyrics to one another now and then ever since we got the LP as a wedding present.

Average customer rating:

Lake Wobegon Loyaly Days
Garrison keillor
Keillor At His Best
The Great Garrison Does it Again
Gentle, Tasteful Humor

Lake Wobegon Loyalty Days
Garrison Keillor
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Spoken Word | Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

A Prairie Home Companion With Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor & The Hopeful Gospel Quartet
Now It is Christmas Again
Winter: Stories from the Collection News from Lake Wobegon
Pretty Good Bits

ASIN: B000002SNB
Release Date: 1993-04-15

Tracks:

Hello Love
Loyalty Days
Whoopi Ti-Yi-Yo
Sons Of Knute - Loyalty Oath
Sons Of Knute - March
Some Words From Powdermilk Biscuits
Powdermilk Biscuit Theme
The Young Lutheran's Guide To The Orchestra
The Radio Announcer
The Lake Wobegon Hymn
Song Of The Exiles

Amazon.com

"Most Lutherans aren't musicians; they're choir members," says Prairie Home Companion creator Garrison Keillor. In "The Young Lutheran's Guide to the Orchestra," he further comments, "Cellists seem like such nice people. The way they put their arms around their instruments, they look like parents at a daycare center, zipping up snowsuits." Such is the droll National Public Radio humor he embodies; listeners either adore or disparage him for his pedestrian slice of Midwestern nostalgia. Here in 1989, in front of a hometown audience with the majestic Minnesota Orchestra, Keillor holds court, bearish baritone intermingling with French horn and strings. He dishes on everything from patriotism to Powdermilk Biscuits to orchestral instruments in the context of Christianity and good Christians, particularly that ever dry hot-dish-eating Lutheran sect in the Minneapolis region. Keillor is like big brother home from college, poking fun at his family upon seeing them with fresh eyes. Delightful. --Paige La Grone

Customer Reviews:

Lake Wobegon Loyaly Days.......2007-02-13

This record by Garrison Keillor is both subtle and also hilarious. The anthem of the Sons of Knute stands out as a comic masterpiece. It is closely follwed in quality by the tale of the Radio Announcer which incorporates Garrison Keillor's brand of quiet desperation with comic genius. The record audience is clearly Keillor addicts and completely in his thrall, as the listener soon is too.
One can play this record over and over and still find new subleties in its construction. This is a rare American comic genius who can pull quiet fun at America in the kindest way.

Garrison keillor.......2006-08-14

I have been a big fan of Garrison for about 20 years. I loved his first works. This last one I purchased 'Lake Wobegon Loyalty Days has too much music and not enough story telling, which he does best.

Patricia Corbari

Keillor At His Best.......2005-10-26

This is one of my favorite Keillor CD's. It reminds one of a more simple, peaceful and happy time.

The Great Garrison Does it Again.......2004-06-24

After shuffling this CD around for some time (I had sort of "inherited" it from my father, and just hadn't gotten around to listening to it), I finally gave it a go on the stereo...and was utterly delighted. Here is a wonderful example of Keillor's work - warmly poking fun at his home state, making his classic commentary on Lutheranism, and peeking a little into his past. It makes for great comedy, and wonderful listening.

Let's go through this sequentially, shall we? The "Whoopi Ti-Yi-Yo" piece is great - the song about a humorist's work, set to cattle-rustling music is such a clever concept, you'll have to hear it for yourself. Just the fact that he mentions his "hand-carved, hand-tooled ballpoint" makes it an instant Keillor classic. The "Sons of Knute", set to Grieg's Homage March is wonderful, as well - such silly lyrics ("Sons of Knute, marching to freedom...") set to such a noble composition - it's a marriage made in heaven. "The Young Lutheran's Guide to the Orchestra" will surely go down as one of the great Keillor works - it's pure genius. His description of each instrument's sound, and what one should associate it with, is guaranteed to draw laughter from the stodgiest curmudgeon. And, of course, the analysis of each instrument's player - priceless. "The Radio Announcer" is classic Keillor nostalgia, touched with hilarity, and bittersweet memory - the outcome of his college radio career is absolutely knee-slapping. Finally, the "Song of the Exiles" shows Keillor at his best - almost hypnotizing in his ability to capture in words the character of a place, time and surrounding experience. Here is where his work truly shines, and it is the perfect way to wind up the album. Through it all, the Minnesota Orchestra accompanies beautifully, enhancing perfectly Keillor's written word. Everything falls into place seamlessly.

I can honestly say that this CD is among my top twenty, and is never far from my stereo. It fits my every mood, and I never tire of it. If you're a fan of Keillor, it's a must-have. If you're new to his work, here's a good place to start.

Gentle, Tasteful Humor.......2003-04-17

Heard "Young Lutheran's Guide to the Orchestra" on the radio and just had to have it. Along with this great cut, discovered other material in the same great vein as Keillor's other stuff.

"The Radio Announcer" piece is but one such example, here his story of young college kid who wants to impress Renee, but finds future life's work in so doing. "And now, without commerical intervention, J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion" Off to the library! Hilarious and entertaining.

Tracks:

Cool Britannia
The Equestrian Statue
Jollity Farm
I Left My Heart In San Francisco
Look Out, There's A Monster Coming
Jazz, Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold
Death Cab For Cutie
Narcissus
The Intro And The Outro
Mickey's Son And Daughter
Big Shot
Music For The Head Ballet
Piggy Bank Love
I'm Bored
The Sound Of Music
We Are Normal
Postcard
Beautiful Zelda
Can Blue Men Sing The Whites
Hello Mabel
Kama Sutra
Humanoid Boogie
Trouser Press
My Pink Half Of The Drainpipe
Rockaliser Baby
Rhinocratic Oaths
II Mustachioed Daughters

Tracks:

Hunting Tigers Out In 'Indiah'
Shirt
Tubas In The Moonlight
Dr. Jazz
Monster Mash
I'm The Urban Spaceman
Ali Baba's Camel
Laughing Blues
By A Waterfall
Mr. Apollo
Canyons Of Your Mind
You Done My Brain In
Keynsham
Quiet Talks And Summer Walks
Tent
We Were Wrong
Joke Shop Man
The Bride Stripped Bare By 'Bachelors'
Look At Me I'm Wonderful
What Do You Do?
Mr. Slaters' Parrot
Sport (The Odd Boy)
I Want To Be With You
Noises For The Leg
Busted

Tracks:

My Brother Makes The Noises For The Talkies
I'm Going To Bring A Watermelon To My Girl Tonight
Alley Oop
Button Up Your Overcoat
Mr. Apollo (Single Version) (German Version)
Ready Mades
The Strain
Turkeys
King Of Scurf
Waiting For The Wardrobe
Straight From My Heart
Rusty (Champion Thrust)
Rawlinson End
Don't Get Me Wrong
Fresh Wound
Bad Blood
Slush
Labio-Dental Fricative - Vivian Stanshall Sean Head Showband
Re-Cycled Vinyl Blues - Neil Innes
Trouser Freak - Roger Ruskin Spear & His Giant Orchestral Wardrobe

Album Description

Import exclusive compilation for the British psychedelic act that combined elements of rock & comedy to great success. The Intro comprises the groups first two albums, Gorilla and The Doughnut In Granny's Greenhouse and recounts their history up to 1968. The Outro combines Tadpoles and Keynsham and continues the story to 1970, when the band was dissolved. Dog Ends features their reunion album, Let's Make Up And Be Friendly, as well as several non-album releases, some solo material and a text which brings their adventure up to date. Three standard jewel cases housed in a slipcase.

Album Details

Mammoth Triple Disc Box Set of Recordings from the Hilarious Comedy Rock Band that Featured Members Neil Innes, the Late Viv Stanshall, Roger Ruskin Spear, Rodney Slater, Dennis Cowan and "Legs" Larry Smith.

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Awesome!!!.......2006-03-17

As a 13 year old in 1982, I had by chance tuned in to a local radio show that spotlighted an hour of music by the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. I was in awe about their musical delivery, style, and humor. I learned a brief history of the band, and discovered that among the members was one Neil Innes, mastermind behind the music of the Rutles. I looked in vein for their studio albums, only to find 2 decent compilations that gave me different song line-ups of their "most popular" tracks. Although they were great to have, I always felt that there was more to the band than "Urban Spaceman" and "The Intro and the Outro." Cornology includes everything I had on those compilations, plus everything else from their studio albums. 24 years later, I have a more complete picture of the wonderful zaniness that was the Bonzos. The first 4 albums were a revelation in the songwriting skills of Innes and Bonzo madman Viv Stanshall. The two writers balanced each other very nicely. Innes provided twisted contemporary pop while Stanshall kept the band in its original roots of music hall tunes plus bizarre English humor. What a great combination. Their early singles (i.e. "My Brother Makes The Noises for the Talkies") and the first CD (Gorilla) are great examples of their original style, while "Doughnut At Granny's Green House," "Tadpoles," and "Keynsham" are excellent at showcasing the Innes/Stanshall balance. Although their last "band" effort is not as balanced, "Let's Make Up . . ." is worth more than a few listens.

Overall, this compilations bests all others, primarily because it fills in the musical blanks, and paints a more complete picture of this wonderful group of musicians. The most surpising aspect was definitely the sound. After years of scratchy vinyl, it's great to hear every nuance of their brilliance without the "rice krispie" effect. For those people new to the Bonzos, I would suggest "HIstory of the Bonzos," which is how I started so many years ago. But then, why go into the "kiddie" pool if you want to swim the ocean? Go for it! Get Cornology, and get slightly demented!!!!

Why did I wait so long?.......2005-12-24

I can't believe that I waited this long (2005) to make an effort to listen to the music and comedy stylings of the Bonzo Dog Band. I've been a fan of Monty Python since the early 1970s. Neil Innes' musical and acting contributions to Monty Python have always been apparent. I loved the Rutles when the TV movie and LP came out. So here I am just now listening to this fine three CD set! Actually, what got me to purchase this CD set was the fact that the Bonzo Dog Band are a constant onscreen presence on the DVD release of the British TV show "Do Not Adjust You Set", which I purchased in order to see four of the six members of Monty Python. Thus, I had the extra bonus of seeing and hearing lots of the Bonzo Dog Band. At that point I felt it was finally time to hear their recordings on CD.

This group demonstrates a major developement in British group humor in that the previous noteworthy British comedy group, Beyond the Fringe, which had broken up just two years prior to Bonzo releasing its first record, was around just too early to have a psychedelic vibe whereas the Bonzo Dog Band is awash in it.

The British accents and references are so strong I get the impression that this group aimed at a domestic audience and may not have set sites on international acclaim. Dunno. Just an idea.

delightfully dotty dada stuff.......2004-09-27

This set has almost everything you'll need by the Bonzos, an anarchic, daft, dotty, and hugely enjoyable set of art students who made a handful of albums and some memorable live performances in the late 1960s and early 1970s before they split and went their separate ways. This set has all their five albums, although the remixing is sometimes a bit odd (Tadpoles notoriously mixes Monster Mash into Urban Spaceman, and ditches the 'sequins' version of Canyons for a different one). You'll find 'Gorilla', 'The Doughnut in Granny's Greenhouse', 'Tadpoles', 'Keynsham', and 'Let's Make Up and Be Friendly', as well as the A and B sides of their first two singles from 1966 and some post-Bonzo solo work from Vivian, Neil, and Roger.

This is seriously good stuff, whether the jaunty pop stuff Neil Innes was so keen on (particularly coming to the fore on 'Keynsham'), or the slightly more edgy stuff which tipped from the increasingly unhinged mind of the multi-talented Viv Stanshall - together they were a fabulous combination to front a memorable band.

Buyer Beware: contents may baffle the uninitiated.......2004-04-17

A basic problem with reviews found here is that they are clearly not a sample from a cross section of "objective" listeners. Nostalgia reigns where "vintage" recordings are concerned. I could see myself waxing equally poetic over any number of personal favorites, but here I will be a voice of dissent. Twenty five years ago at my alma mater's FM broadcast station I was briefly exposed to the Bonzos. "The Intro and the Outro" was one of the funniest pieces of whacked out musical humor I had heard (then, or since). Upon seeing the rave Amazonian reviews for this BOX set (of late, the only CD collection available) I couldn't resist. But I should have. I've listened to the entire set three times now and must conclude that "I just don't get it." I'm a sincere fan of British humor (Python, Fawlty, Good Neighbors, Butterflies, The Young Ones, Red Dwarf, The Rutles ... I.E. - pretty wide ranging stuff) but the Bonzo boys leave me truly baffled. Be particularly careful of assuming that if you love Monty Python you will feel the same about BDB. While a few Bonzo bits are as accessible as, say, "The Lumberjack Song", Python was a comedy troupe, anchored in absurdist humor, which occasionally expressed itself musically. BDB are a strange mix of musical miscreants (I mean that in a nice way) who seem to yearn for a simpler time (the era of vaudevillian entertainment parlors) but the targets for their satiric skewers seem oddly mundane. Python's hit & miss humor was generally executed with sledge hammers - the Bonzo's lampoons seem to be of a far more subtle (?) nature. Also keep in mind that BDB precedes Python by almost a decade. There are some pure music tracks here, stuff that was anacronistic then, and now, and this set is ripe for sampling if you do a radio show, produce commercials or just have a "thing" for oddities. If you're a fan, then by all means buy the box. While not exhaustive, the supporting materials seem to adequately document the history of BDB, and the overall quality of the sound and packaging is very good. But, for the novice, think twice before diving in. If I ever figure out what they were on about, perhaps I'll rebut myself.

A Remarkable Journey.......2004-02-22

Well, the only song I remember hearing contemporary to its release was Mr. Apollo. This was not similar to anything on American radio at that time. I suppose this was the peak for the Bonzos, but this chronology shows that they made an incredible musical journey.

The early stuff is built around English music hall performance. So, it's partly songs but the songs are really part of a show. Obviously, you won't get that just from the songs, but it's worth noting. The 'group' were all fairly disciplined and trained artists. The most talented member, Stanshall, wanted to be a painter. The 'da da' name reflects a painting style brought to music, and it is the only way to understand this group.

Take the song the Beatles put in Magical Mystery Tour, "Death Cab for Cutie". It's kind of an Elvis send-up, but it's also a film noir style from the 30's. This group did style, but mostly they played with style in the early days, like songs from the early 20th century. There is a link to later British comedy like Python or 'The Rutles' but the Bonzos were never just about being funny. With Bonzo you never know.

The later albums reflect more of a rock band style, but they really stretch the limits of music. There are lighthearted pieces like "I Want to Be with You" and "I'm the Urban Spaceman". Then, there are brilliant little dramas set as music like "Sport, the Odd Boy". The problem with this group is that they always reached for the limit of music, which took them way away from music. But, no one has ever done more.

One of the more interesting songs is called "King of Scurf" It's about a boy with acne and bad dandruff (scurf). It is rather poignant. How many artists could write a song that lasts 6 minutes about a boy with dandruff. It's comedy, basically, but it's not a bad view of adolescence, either.

The last bits are very close to the edge, songs like Fresh Wound. It's sort of a song about a relationship, but not any relationship that would normally be examined in a song. It starts out asking how love can be expressed, but then asks about truth. There's a narrative on top of the music, but the narrative is sort of out of synch, asking:

"Truth is just a word and words are just
Words are words but truth is what we trust
How can we know if words fill our brains?
How can we show if blood fills our veins?
Truth in words is like our blood congealed
Words like turds escape but truth is sealed
Analysis

Transplant has gone wrong
Paralysis
Now you don't belong

This is an interesting song, to say the least. It has a power that most music does not possess. Or, perhaps, should not possess. Is this what we want from music? There are somewhat less extreme examples, like "Bad Blood". "Don't Get Me Wrong is perhaps a bit more extreme.

So, it was an interesting journey. They knew how to craft words and their musical ability got progressively better. Innes is still around, writing music. Stanshall is dead, but had some interesting projects after Bonzo.

Tracks:

Hunting Tigers Out In India
Shirt
Tubas In The Moonlight
Dr Jazz
Monster Mash
I'm The Urban Spaceman
Ali Baba's Camel
Laughing Blues
By A Waterfall (Footlight Parade)
Mr Apollo
Canyons Of Your Mind
Boo! (Previously Unreleased) (Bonus Track)
Readymades (Previously Unreleased) (Bonus Track)
Look At Me I'm Wonderful (Bonus Track)
We Were Wrong (Bonus Track)
Craig Torso Xmas Show (Bonus Track)

Album Details

Music:

Music

Music