CD-Charts Position 1

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British Light Classics I & II

by: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Release Date July 03, 2006

CD-Charts Position 2
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British Light Miniatures - Vintage TV & Radio Classics

by: Various Composers

Release Date February 26, 2007
You may not recognise many titles here but an unexpectedly large number of items will be familiar to many, having been used on radio and TV. The programme has been exceptionally well chosen to include some lesser-known items and avoid too much duplication with other collections in this genre. Many will be glad to find the axed Radio 4 early morning folk-tune collage kept for posterity here. The RPO sounds a little thin in places, especially in the transcribed military marches, but plays its programme with unmistakable affection and much warmth. At such a low price this deserves a place in the collection of every light music buff.

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

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American Light Music Classics

from: Hyperion

Release Date June 01, 1998
You may not recognise many titles here but an unexpectedly large number of items will be familiar to many, having been used on radio and TV. The programme has been exceptionally well chosen to include some lesser-known items and avoid too much duplication with other collections in this genre. Many will be glad to find the axed Radio 4 early morning folk-tune collage kept for posterity here. The RPO sounds a little thin in places, especially in the transcribed military marches, but plays its programme with unmistakable affection and much warmth. At such a low price this deserves a place in the collection of every light music buff.

CD-Charts Position 4
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The Music of Eric Coates

by: Eric Coates

Release Date March 06, 2006
You may not recognise many titles here but an unexpectedly large number of items will be familiar to many, having been used on radio and TV. The programme has been exceptionally well chosen to include some lesser-known items and avoid too much duplication with other collections in this genre. Many will be glad to find the axed Radio 4 early morning folk-tune collage kept for posterity here. The RPO sounds a little thin in places, especially in the transcribed military marches, but plays its programme with unmistakable affection and much warmth. At such a low price this deserves a place in the collection of every light music buff.

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

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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
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European Light Music Classics

from: Hyperion

Release Date January 05, 1998
There used to be a ready market for fanciful, colourful, evocative little orchestral items such as these. You could find almost all of them available in countless versions in the 78s catalogues. Some of the items represented calling cards for Marek Weber and His Orchestra in Europe, and Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops in the USA.

Well, here they are, marketed now as "classics" in beautifully recorded, slightly English-accented performances. Gounod's own orchestration of his piano piece "Funeral March of a Marionette" is one of the stand out items here, seeming all the more unusual for not being much heard these days. Joseph Hellmesberger's "Ball Scene", a test for the string section of the orchestra, receives ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
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British Light Music Classics, Vol 4

from: Hyperion

Release Date November 04, 2002
Many record companies are currently reporting great success with issues and reissues of British light music dating from the first half of the twentieth century. This Hyperion issue is the fourth in such a series, and it gets a welcome and a recommendation from me.

Here are 17 items altogether, offering 78 minutes of quality light entertainment, and a hint that the bottom of the barrel has not been reached yet by any means. Of course, Eric Coates and Albert Ketèlbey are represented, and there is the highly distinguished “Petite Suite de Concert” by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. A favorite of mine, dating from the days of 78s, is the Doge’s March. It also, in more recent years, proved a popular item to include in the repertoire of a ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
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The Music of Charles Williams, including Devil's Galop, Jealous Lover, High Adventure

by: Roderick Elms BBC Concert Orchestra Barry Wordsworth

Release Date July 22, 2008
Many record companies are currently reporting great success with issues and reissues of British light music dating from the first half of the twentieth century. This Hyperion issue is the fourth in such a series, and it gets a welcome and a recommendation from me.

Here are 17 items altogether, offering 78 minutes of quality light entertainment, and a hint that the bottom of the barrel has not been reached yet by any means. Of course, Eric Coates and Albert Ketèlbey are represented, and there is the highly distinguished “Petite Suite de Concert” by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. A favorite of mine, dating from the days of 78s, is the Doge’s March. It also, in more recent years, proved a popular item to include in the repertoire of a ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

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The British Light Music Collection

by: Various Composers

Release Date April 09, 2007
Many record companies are currently reporting great success with issues and reissues of British light music dating from the first half of the twentieth century. This Hyperion issue is the fourth in such a series, and it gets a welcome and a recommendation from me.

Here are 17 items altogether, offering 78 minutes of quality light entertainment, and a hint that the bottom of the barrel has not been reached yet by any means. Of course, Eric Coates and Albert Ketèlbey are represented, and there is the highly distinguished “Petite Suite de Concert” by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. A favorite of mine, dating from the days of 78s, is the Doge’s March. It also, in more recent years, proved a popular item to include in the repertoire of a ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
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New Tricks : Complete BBC Series 4 [2007]

starring: Amanda Redman, Dennis Waterman

Release Date September 01, 2008
Here in the States,only a few Public Broadcasting stations show New Tricks on their Friday mystery nights. Luckily, San Jose, which serves San Francisco, is one of them. In my opinion, next to Inspector Morse, New Tricks is the best mystery show to come out of the UK. The acting and writing is superb, the cast is so compatible, I wonder if they have to pay them to act together. The plots are interesting and the mixture of humor, pathos, serious topics and straight drama is a mixture that must have been concocted by a genius. Amanada Redman proves that sexy and clever comes in many packages and her ability to work with the cast of characters in her unit are most admirable.Unfortunately, all DVD's available here are only for Region 2 so they don't play very well ... Read More: