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by (Composer: various traditional composers) (Conductor: John Nichols) (Performer: Laurie Macintosh) (Performer: Jeff Cruikshan A.K.A. Pelican Groove) (Performer: Quincy Choral Societ)
ISBN: B0000CAQ4K
Audio CD
Condition: Used: Like New
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. Disk and original case in like new condition. From private collection. ALL DISKS ARE CHECKED PRIOR TO LISTINGS.
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Customer Reviews
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Be thankful! Don't buy this!
Rating  (1)
Date: 2008-11-25
I wanted a collection of thanksgiving songs that I could play in the office this week. I should have spent my money on the Tabernacle Choir. Even "Over the river and through the woods" sounded bad. The kids did not know all the words for their songs. One song had the background music in a different tempo and rhythm than the singers. I heard wrong notes and off key sounds periodically. Finally the suprano crucified Amazing Grace with her screeching voice.
One reviewer wrote that it sounds like church music, but the average person on the street can sing better than this. I agree with the reviewer --who wrote after I bought this--that said it should have never been published nationally. I would go so far to say maybe not at all. Be thankful, but don't waste your money.
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A Pig in a Poke
Rating (1)
Date: 2006-11-24
0 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
This was a very disappointing CD. I was excited to get a "recommended" CD coupled along with another I had purchased. Unfortunately this is a collection of poorly produced and poorly performed music by a local church choir. Whlie there is certainly good reason to produce and offer a CD to one's own congregation, this one should never have been marketed nationally. Save your money on this one.
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May We Be Truly Thankful
Rating  (5)
Date: 2005-11-04
4 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
"Come, Ye Thankful People, Come" is the experience of a church music service without actually going to church. There are very few CDs out there that are specifically dedicated to Thanksgiving, but this one is a good outing.
The Quincy Choral Society presents a program that might be performed in your local church on Thanksgiving Eve. It is a good mix of traditional hymns, carols and popular songs. The program suggests an autumn setting complete with rustic backdrops and a plentiful harvest.
The CD sums up the program with the following message: "We in America live in an extraordinary time of bounty. Never before in history have so many people had so much: nutritious food, ample clothing, spacious housing, good health. For all this we should be thankful every day. Let us consciously reject destructive influences in our society, and instead embrace a thankful attitude for the good fortune we enjoy in our country -- not just at Thanksgiving in November, but every day throughout the year."
When listening to this CD, my mind wanders back to my early childhood and memories of church concerts at Thanksgiving: memories of friends and family gathered around the supper table; memories of the wonderful smells and aromas from the kitchen as my mother prepared Thanksgiving dinner; thoughts of the coming Christmas season; my feeble attempts, in grade school, at making a paper turkey from a drawing of my hand (!); and of all the things we have to be thankful for.
The description indicates Ludwig Van Beethoven as the author. He did write the music for "Ode to Joy" which is included in this CD, but there are many composers and authors represented in this program, both classical and contemporary.
The performers include: The Quincy Choral Society, Johanna Nichols (flute), Marilyn Whipple (piano and organ), QCS Kids & Friends, Jeff Cruikshank (guitar and vocals), Laurie Macintosh (vocals), and AKA Pelican Groove (a capella vocals). The performances were recorded at various churches and schools in Quincy and Milton, MA.
Thanksgiving is certainly a time to reflect on the bounty and richness of life, and this CD will certainly bring out those memories. If you enjoy choral music, you will count your blessings and be thankful you purchased this CD of Thanksgiving hymns and carols. Highly recommended.
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by (Composer: Anna Netrebko) (Composer: Andrea Concetti) (Conductor: Vincenzo Bellini) (Performer: Gaetano Donizetti) (Performer: Giacomo Puccini) (Orchestra: Giuseppe Verdi) (Performer: Claudio Abbado)
by Sascha Reckert, Sara Mingardo, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Saimir Pirgu
ISBN: B000295TXC
Audio CD
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. Original case and artwork. CD in very good listening condition. ALL DISKS ARE CHECKED PRIOR TO LISTINGS. EX LIBRARY copy with library stamps.
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Customer Reviews
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Netrebko-magnificent
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-04-08
1 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
Anna Netrebko,s singing is just wonderfull,like Mario Lanza,Maria Callas and Guiseppe di Stafano before her.Called "Singing from the heart".
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I am in love with Anna
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-05-14
2 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
Did you see her in the Met's big screen broadcast of I Puritani? Then you know what I mean. Here is a just stunningly, impossibly gorgeous woman with a voice of liquid fire and gold who can sing with passion and precision while she's bending over and crawling around on the floor! If she weren't real I would guess she was the invention of the overinflamed imagination of a heterosexual opera queen (if such a being exists).
If you love getting great voice, buy this.
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simple stunning
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-05-10
having just found this young womans CD in our local speciality store I was transformed from the mundaine life to the peak of ecstasy with her wonderful voice and the intense colours created by her own intensity.Here is a woman who can fill the heart with words that are pure gold and like velvet on the mind ,a truly wonderful voice and a stunning person to go with it .Here at last is a worthy successor to Dame Joan and others who gave opera to the world ,now we have in Anna Netrebko someone to give the passion and drama of opera to a new audience with the fire and fun of the pleasure this style of music can give.It is great to at last have an opera singer of this caliber who is unafraid to be herself and to let her own warmth and passion come through LONG May she continue to be the standard for others to attain.May she never change her love of singing and life
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Ok but not a bel canto singer
Rating  (2)
Date: 2007-03-20
7 out of 10 customers found this reveiw helpful
Anna Netrebko's I Puritani selections are way below the art and skill of Callas, Sills, Sutherland, Caballe, and Gencer. She has no passion, no trills, no high notes that are deep and rich. Her best is in the Russian repertoire and possibley some undemanding Mozart.
Her broadcast from the Met Live of the I Puritani was alright, but scooping, avoidance of repetitions, running through passages like a locomotive, and an ending that would have brought the wrath of most opera houses in the world..scooping again, and a tight awful sounding high note. The same tentativenes is also here on this CD.She should know this. Her beauty and acting and allure are what interest the masses, not the voice, which is forgiven everything.
Too bad; she could be a lovely Tatyana some day.Also too, the Traviata is not that great; Anna Moffo , Renee Fleming, M. Caballe, and of course Maria Callas..Listen to these and hear the difference.
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Having It All
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-01-21
12 out of 16 customers found this reveiw helpful
This is a remarkable CD by the current "it" soprano. Anna Netrebko has it all. She is a wonderful singer, and a beautiful woman. Any star on the rise, particularly one with this much physical beauty and commercial promise, will always fall victim to criticisms that are more or less trivial. Believe me, I get it. When I first saw Anna, I wanted to be judgemental. After all, maybe she was just another pretty face being pushed by a record company. Then I heard her "Sempre libera" and became a fan.
There are criticisms of her trill, or her lack of a trill. Renee Fleming doesn't have a trill, and she has been the acclaimed queen for some time. Because of Anna's trill issues, she's criticized as lacking something that a coloratura should have. Well, she's not a coloratura. A good bel canto singer does not have to be a coloratura. There are criticisms of Anna's repertoire choices. You know why she picked this interesting melange for this CD? Because these are difficult scenes and arias, and she can do them. The only aria I didn't think "fit" is the "O mio babbino caro". She does it well, I just can't figure out what it's doing on this CD.
The "La Traviata" scene that starts the CD is absolutely magnificent. She is a wonderful Violetta, and sings this demanding scene with panache. She does the high E-flat at the end. Of course, she was coached by Scotto on this aria. Nice coaching if you can get it. No less remarkable are her scenes from "La sonnambula" and "I puritani". Her "Qui la voce" was beautiful. To listen to that gorgeous singing, and only focus on whether or not she has a trill is to miss the point of the music. I can definitely see why the Met is giving her the "Puritani" this season. Her scenes from "Lucia di Lammermoor" were technically perfect, and her mad scene very well done. The "Otello" scenes were amazing, particularly the floated pianos and pianissimos in the "Ave Maria". Abbado and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra are wonderful collaborators.
Ignore the criticisms and buy this CD! You'll be glad that you did. Highly recommended.
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by (Composer: Joby Talbot)
ISBN: B0007Z9RDY
Audio CD
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. ALL DISKS ARE CHECKED PRIOR TO LISTINGS. EX LIBRARY copy with library markings.
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Customer Reviews
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ah-HA ... Quite a pleasure, really.
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-03-04
2 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
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If you enjoyed the movie [and we will assume that you did since you're here] you will love this soundtrack! It's got Everything!
Much of the work is orchestral. Some of it is techno. There are a couple of pop tune, and Perry Como [it works, trust me].
The Opening Theme "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish" is a gloriously funny show tune. It was funny on screen, but here you can pick out the lyrics. It's even more fun when you can sing along.
It's got the theme from the original radio play "Journey of the Sorcerer", banjo and all. [so did the movie].
Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is mellow enough to blow your mind.
"Huma's Hymn" about the Coming of the Great White Handkerchief is nothing more then Holy.
The "Planet Factory Floor" is ...Well, it's just plain Huge!
And Stephen Fry rapping. Stephen Fry, Man!! Reginald Jeeves of "Jeeves and Wooster" fame! If you are familiar with Stephen Fry, then the absurdity of him rapping makes this even more fun to listen to. He does the last track called "Reasons to Be Miserable (His Name is Marvin)", and he pulls it off so well!
It's enough to make you want this album!
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A Pleasant Surprise
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-11-12
The Hitchhiker's Guide movie,for all its stupendous obserdity, had a surprisingly good score that one doesn't usually find in a comedy.
The silly tracks are in there too, and they're just as entertaining as the more traditional stuff. I love the music that is emitted from the Guide; its digital tones sound like a cell phone (except way less annoying and way cooler). Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is really awesome; it's like chilled Guide techno.
The slower tracks are equally nice. Tea in Space, Love, The Whale, and Space are all so simple and very pretty.
Then there are a few scores that are really big and just plain awesome. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish (and the intro about dophins) is so hysterical...I love how it's all put together. The Journey of the Sorcerer is fantastic. The only thing that's different about this version from the film is the addition of drums, but it's not a bad change at all. Planet Factory Floor is filled with such wonder and hugeness that's perfect for Magrathea. It's followed by the equally awesome Earth Mark II.
The only thing I didn't like about this CD was the addition of
Reasons to Be Miserable (His Name is Marvin). It was just....annoying and incredibly bad. But it's at the end of the CD, so I just don't listen to it. Not a big problem.
If you've seen the movie and enjoyed the music, this CD is definitely worth it. Who knew a comedy could have such epic music in it?
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That's It --- I'm Voting for Beeblebrox!
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-11-03
7 out of 8 customers found this reveiw helpful
By now, you've probably seen the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" movie in a theater, or at least on DVD (if not both.) Now check out the movie's amazing soundtrack.
The two major standouts of this album in my opinion are "Journey of the Sorcerer" and "Vote Beeblebrox." Anyone who's more than a casual fan of "Hitchhiker's" will immediately recognize "Journey of the Sorcerer" as the classic "Hitchhiker's" theme by the Eagles played on both the radio and television versions and now the movie as well. This version is enhanced and sounds great. It was a treat hearing it at the theater and it's awesome on this CD as well. "Vote Beeblebrox" --- I about died laughing when I heard this one. This is a sort of campaign song for Zaphod Beeblebrox that unfortunately never made it into the movie. "Don't believe the rumors / don't believe the vicious lies" it says, talking about how Zaphod isn't stupid. It continues in this vain with a hilarious spoken part from Zaphod saying that he "y'know, just wants to say all the things that presidents say, y'know." Has to be heard to be believed.
Following close behind these are definitely both versions of the wondrous "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish." Personally, I prefer the second version, a sort of upbeat lounge number, but both are great. "So long and thanks for all the fish / So sad that it should come to this / We tried to warn you all, but oh dear."
This album also includes a couple of what I guess could called Golden Oldies --- "Shoo-Rah! Shoo-Rah!" and "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)." Of these two, I thought "Shoo-Rah! Shoo-Rah!" was definitely better and more fun.
The bulk of the CD is the instrumental tracks from the film. Composed by Joby Talbot, these tend to suit the scenes they come from well. Enjoy some memories from the movie, or just enjoy listening to the music.
Finally, one last thing to mention --- "Reasons to be Miserable (His Name is Marvin)." Performed by Stephen Fry, this is a redo of a song by "Marvin himself." Wanna know what it's like to be Marvin? "In everything he has to do, he finds the world condemning / If he had his time again, he'd rather be a lemming." Yep, that Marvin's sure depressed (and depressing), but the song is fairly fun to listen to.
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So long, that's all
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-10-01
1 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
When I saw the film and heard that catching tune "So Long & Thanks For All the Fish" I immediately decided to have this soundtrack, no doubt. So I rushed to buy the recording and, well brother you've bet, I fell in love with the whole disk. Get this, now, today! You won't be disappointed! You're gonna love the title song!
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Zarquad! What A Hoopy Soundtrack!
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-06-02
17 out of 19 customers found this reveiw helpful
Joby Talbot's score for the film version of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy is phenomenal. I mean, wow! Really incredibly phenomenal! I mean, you may think Danny Elfman's score to Spider-Man 2 was phenomenal, but that's just peanuts to this score! Okay, I may be exaggerrating a bit, but that should not distract from the fact that this is a great score for a wonderful film. Not only does the music work well with the film, but I would suggest it as a companion to other versions of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy you may come across. Try listening to it while reading one of the books, for instance. Or playing the text adventure from Infocom.
Some notable points:
The introduction about Dolphins, read by Stephen Fry, who of course played the voice of the Book in the film. And of course, the brassy, Broadway-style show-stopping musical number "So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish" which serves as a wonderfully ridiculous setpiece for the opening credits. The melody appears several times throughout the score, usually whenever Arthur or Trillian are thinking of Earth. It is also reprised as a slow, jazzy, lounge singery song during the first part of the closing credits.
The cue from when the Vogons destroy the earth, which is appropriately tense and dramatic, and climaxes with a panicked-sounding string section playing imposibly high, abrubt notes, and ends abruptly as the earth is destroyed.
To fans of the original radio and TV series, I say to you Don't Panic, because Bernie Leadon's "Journey of the Sorcerer" (Which, for those of you that don't know, served as the theme to both the TV and radio series) is on the soundtrack with a faithful and reverent arrangement, complete with banjo. It is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and I listen to it along with the following track, which shares its name with the film's title, and the title of one of the most wholly remarkable books in the universe: The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
Another great track is the music for the whale that is suddenly called into existance over the planet of Magrathea. It is filled with unwarranted optimism, and pathos, and gives the scene the necessary emotional edge, which I think is something Douglas Adams himself would have enjoyed immensely, since he created the whale in response to cop shows where innocent bystanders are meaninglessly killed as a result of conflicts or car chases that they had nothing to do with, and the audience doesn't care about them since they were only on the screen for two seconds. So Douglas wanted to create a character who would only exist as a character for a very short time, but make him extremely sympathetic so the audience would feel actual emotion when he is killed. And it works, and has worked in every version of the Hitchhiker's Guide I've been exposed to.
Another great track is "Huma's Hymn", which sounds so authentically like a church song that you could swear you'd be able to find it in your church's song book. (But you won't, so don't go looking for it.) As I understand it, most of the chorus singing the song consists not of professional singers, but of fans and other random people who happened to be walking by the church where the song was recorded, to give it that extra level of authenticity that other filmmakers probably wouldn't care about.
Overall, this is a very evocative and wonderfully fantastic score. Mr. Talbot displays much originality, but at points seems to channel other great composers of SciFi movie music. I hear traces of John Williams' scores for the Star Wars films and Superman the Movie, Jerry Goldsmith's Star Trek: The Motion Picture, James Horner's Star Treks II and III, and even Nobuo Uematsu's Final Fantasy soundtracks. Just listen to track 8 and you'll see what I mean.
Just so you know, there are three tracks that are not part of the score of the film. I suppose you could call them "Pop" tracks, but they're not tracks that have been popular in the past 10 years, at least. Only one of them: Perry Como's "Magic Moments" was in the film, at least that I could tell. It was used as source music twice, once in the pub near the beginning, and once near the end. That's all I can say about that without spoiling the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it. (And if you don't recognise the name of the song, it's been used in several movies, so you've probably heard it before.) The other two songs are Betty Wright's "Shoo-Rah! Shoo-Rah!" and Al Green's "Here I Am (Come And Take Me)". While the inclusion of these songs on an otherwise orchestral soundtrack may seem odd, they definitely fit the film. Even if "Shoo-Rah! Shoo-Rah!" and "Here I Am (Come And Take Me)" don't appear in the film, you can imagine that they'd be the next songs to be cued on the jukebox in the pub near the beginning of the film, and so they help establish the mood for the scene. Some fans may be surprised or disappointed in the non-inclusion of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World", but if you see the film, you will see that the scene during which that song played in the radio and TV series is not in the film. But no biggie, if they make a sequel (and there's no reason they shouldn't) perhaps that scene will make it in.
Overall, I'd say that this is a soundtrack that no fan of the Hitchhiker's franchise should be without. So buy it now, before the earth is demolished to make a hyperspace bypass!
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What customers are saying…
Amazon.com Feedback Rating:
4.9 stars over the past 12 months (953 ratings)
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Recent Feedback
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4 out of 5: 2009-01-07
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5 out of 5: 2009-01-07
Pleased
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5 out of 5: 2009-01-07
On time and as described! Thanks!
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5 out of 5: 2009-01-06
everything as promised
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5 out of 5: 2009-01-06
Excellent service
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