CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

.

King Of The Delta Blues Singers

by: Robert Johnson

Release Date January 18, 1999
Being a great fan of Robert Johnson I own most of his cds and this one has without doubt the best sound quality of them all. My only reservation is that unlike some of the other cds it does not include all of his tracks which is a pity. For true Robert Johnson fans I would recommend "The Complete Recordings", the sound quality is not quite as good but it is more comprehensive and in my opinion represents better value.

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

.

The Complete Recordings

by: Robert Johnson

Release Date April 14, 2008
I regret buying this. Yes, it's very interesting to compare the duplicate versions, especially wondering about the old arguments about the speeding-up (or not) of the original recordings...but now when I come to play this out of simple love for this wonderful music, I'm annoyed at having to skip over the unwanted duplicates, and wish I'd stuck to buying CDs of the original two separate 1961 LP versions. In pretty well every case, I think they got it right, which version to choose etc.

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

.

Crystal Tears - John Dowland and his contemporaries (Andreas Scholl/Concerto di Viole)

from: Harmonia Mundi

Release Date May 26, 2008
Delightful, exquisite. Some echo, but otherwise lovely sound. It took me a while to accept the countertenor sound as anything other than a good party trick. But I now love the sound as much as the output from any decent tenor, baritone, saoprano or mezzo.

There's been some criticism that Scholl might be overstylised for this material - but that is just Scholl's wonderful technique. If you want a more informal style, then try Sting's take on Dowland. Personally - I like both.

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

.

The Very Best of English Song

from: EMI Classics

Release Date June 02, 2003
Understated, underrated.

Understated is one thing, underrated is another.

In fact, it's a masterly selection. Why doesn't it have more reviews? Why isn't it top of the pops? Oh, I see. Not good Enough for the Great British Public. Silly of me not to realise.

A rich range, containing Home and Away, Sea and Empire, war and love, history. Should be a compulsory part of the National Curriculum. Bet there's plenty of stuff they could ditch that covers the same ground [or less] much more boringly.

The music shows the man: one who knew his country and loved it.

I didn't know the English had so many good songs. I knew they had a few, but thought the Celts were the only ones in these islands ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

.

The Great British Experience

from: EMI

Release Date November 10, 1997
Other reviews will tell you of the close links (well documented with this double disc) of the light music pieces on this splendid compilation with famous radio and television shows of the (our? certainly my)past. What they don't mention is that a lot of these recordings have simply not been available to the public, but came from music publishers catalogues and CDs (the Bosworth discs are good).
The source material is superb here, the quality fantastic...
These are discs to be sought and savoured.

They truly do not compose or perform music like this any more.

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

.

The Essential Emma Johnson

from: ASV

Release Date July 21, 2008
This CD is wonderful and has been exceptionally usefull for my A2 performance investigation; she plays so differently from many clarinettists and so gives me plenty to talk about. Hearing the 5 Bagatelles has been really good for my own performances too; I've learnt a lot by hearing another play the pieces.

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

.

Me and the Devil Blues

by: Robert Johnson

Release Date April 07, 2003
This CD is wonderful and has been exceptionally usefull for my A2 performance investigation; she plays so differently from many clarinettists and so gives me plenty to talk about. Hearing the 5 Bagatelles has been really good for my own performances too; I've learnt a lot by hearing another play the pieces.

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

.

Bream Edition, Vol.1 - Golden Age of English Lute Music

from: Julian Bream Edition

Release Date October 02, 1993
This disc comprises 24 pieces recorded during the 60's by Bream then sporting a fine head of hair. The first 15 were done in the Decca studios in London in 1960, the other 9 are from two separate live recitals in America in 1963, and there is applause after track 19 and track 24. Despite the age of the recordings, the quality (particularly in the studio) is good enough to satisfy all but the most exacting experts. As for the playing, the niceties of 'authenticity', whether regarding the instrument that Bream uses or the style he adopts, seem to me transcendentally unimportant. What I find a lot more significant is the beauty of tone, the subtlety and alertness of rhythm, the infallible-seeming finger-technique, the variety and resourcefulness ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

.

Golijov - Oceana; Tenebrae; 3 Songs

by: Elizabeth Remy Johnson, Jamie Haddad, Jay Anderson, Gwinnett Young Singers, Dawn Upshaw

Release Date July 16, 2007
This unique fusion of baroque and post-minimalism, with hints of the composer's Jewish and latin heritage, is a heady cocktail that is impossible to resist. Lush, sensuous and compelling, Osvaldo Olijov (b.1960) is the leading composer of his generation, and possibly one of the all-time greats.

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

.

The Complete Recordings: All 41 Recordings

by: Robert Johnson

Release Date October 22, 1990
I Have never felt the need to write a review before but that Robsome & Jerome comment, It has got to be a joke, hasen't it, very surreal, certainly made me laugh out loud! Anyway I have had this collection for quite a few years now, and it's outstanding of course, as anyone with more than a passing interest in the blues already knows, (cost a lot more when I first bought it) but I was just wondering if this is a remastered version, does anyone out there know? I might just have to buy another copy, at this bargan price for an important piece of musical history, why not?