CD-Charts Position 1
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Handel: Messiah /Gritton · Röschmann · Fink · C Daniels · Davies · Gabrieli Consort & Players · McCreesh

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from: Universal Classics

Release Date August 09, 2004
I agree with the other reviewers in that there are some very good things in this recording, but the overall performance is, for me, very disappointing. It gets off to a bad start with the first recitative "Comfort ye" being taken at a funereal pace, and followed by "Ev'ry valley" sung as though the last train was due in a few minutes, and everyone had to be through in time to catch it! Other tempi are likewise somewhat, to say the least, unusual, and the setting of the words in the aria "The trumpet shall sound" is completely bizarre. The soloists are, on the whole, good, though soprano I is inferior to soprano II, and the contralto is variable. The orchestra and chorus are good, but it is the overall performance that, for me, is not satisfactory. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
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Classic Blues From Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

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by: Various Artists

Release Date March 31, 2003
I agree with the other reviewers in that there are some very good things in this recording, but the overall performance is, for me, very disappointing. It gets off to a bad start with the first recitative "Comfort ye" being taken at a funereal pace, and followed by "Ev'ry valley" sung as though the last train was due in a few minutes, and everyone had to be through in time to catch it! Other tempi are likewise somewhat, to say the least, unusual, and the setting of the words in the aria "The trumpet shall sound" is completely bizarre. The soloists are, on the whole, good, though soprano I is inferior to soprano II, and the contralto is variable. The orchestra and chorus are good, but it is the overall performance that, for me, is not satisfactory. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

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Great Arias and Ensembles from Your Favourite Operas, Volume 2

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by: Various Composers

Release Date September 10, 2001
I agree with the other reviewers in that there are some very good things in this recording, but the overall performance is, for me, very disappointing. It gets off to a bad start with the first recitative "Comfort ye" being taken at a funereal pace, and followed by "Ev'ry valley" sung as though the last train was due in a few minutes, and everyone had to be through in time to catch it! Other tempi are likewise somewhat, to say the least, unusual, and the setting of the words in the aria "The trumpet shall sound" is completely bizarre. The soloists are, on the whole, good, though soprano I is inferior to soprano II, and the contralto is variable. The orchestra and chorus are good, but it is the overall performance that, for me, is not satisfactory. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

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Handel: Messiah

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from: Double Decca

Release Date September 18, 1995
The singers in this recording deliver beautiful performances, both the soloists and the chorus - good phrasing, diction, and ensemble singing. However, I didn't realize before buying this CD that, as the liner notes say, "Neville Mariner's recording is based on the first London performance of 1743, and several numbers are markedly different from the more familiar later versions." Some pieces are sung by different voice parts, and others include bars of music that Handel cut or changed later. The most disappointing part for me was "But who may abide," (sung by bass instead of alto) which lacks the prestissimo "refiner's fire" section that most of us are used to (and which I really enjoy!) This would certainly be an excellent ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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Final Fantasy X-2

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by: Original Game Soundtrack

Release Date June 15, 2004
If you plan on buying this album to play on a CD player, then yeah it is good and you should get it.

So why 2 stars?

Well, if like me you play all your music on your pc, this album is not worth the trouble, it has some copy protection that basicly doesnt let it work on a pc. It does auto-install a player to your pc that will work it...and after some very unhealthy noises from my disk drive during the instalation and a very scratched looking disk afterwards, I got the player working. However...the player only plays a compressed version of the songs at 48kpbs and the sound quality really sounds dreadful.

So overall the music is good if you play it on a CD player or find a program to rip it off the CD at a decent quality and gets ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

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Final Fantasy X-2

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by: Original Game Soundtrack

Release Date June 15, 2004
If you plan on buying this album to play on a CD player, then yeah it is good and you should get it.

So why 2 stars?

Well, if like me you play all your music on your pc, this album is not worth the trouble, it has some copy protection that basicly doesnt let it work on a pc. It does auto-install a player to your pc that will work it...and after some very unhealthy noises from my disk drive during the instalation and a very scratched looking disk afterwards, I got the player working. However...the player only plays a compressed version of the songs at 48kpbs and the sound quality really sounds dreadful.

So overall the music is good if you play it on a CD player or find a program to rip it off the CD at a decent quality and gets 4 stars, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

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Final Fantasy X-2

Search: Leave
by: Original Game Soundtrack

Release Date
If you plan on buying this album to play on a CD player, then yeah it is good and you should get it.

So why 2 stars?

Well, if like me you play all your music on your pc, this album is not worth the trouble, it has some copy protection that basicly doesnt let it work on a pc. It does auto-install a player to your pc that will work it...and after some very unhealthy noises from my disk drive during the instalation and a very scratched looking disk afterwards, I got the player working. However...the player only plays a compressed version of the songs at 48kpbs and the sound quality really sounds dreadful.

So overall the music is good if you play it on a CD player or find a program to rip it off the CD at a decent quality and gets 4 stars, the ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

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Still Lives

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by: Lucier, Nonken, Mizutani, Kubera

Release Date August 26, 2003
If you plan on buying this album to play on a CD player, then yeah it is good and you should get it.

So why 2 stars?

Well, if like me you play all your music on your pc, this album is not worth the trouble, it has some copy protection that basicly doesnt let it work on a pc. It does auto-install a player to your pc that will work it...and after some very unhealthy noises from my disk drive during the instalation and a very scratched looking disk afterwards, I got the player working. However...the player only plays a compressed version of the songs at 48kpbs and the sound quality really sounds dreadful.

So overall the music is good if you play it on a CD player or find a program to rip it off the CD at a decent quality and gets 4 stars, the ... Read More: