Best Indie Music
The vinyl edition of Nirvanas hit album, NEVERMIND, which helped usher in the Grunge era of the 1990s.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"What can I say about Nirvana's Never mind CD?"
"Grew up with Nirvana and GLAD to get my hand on this Deluxe Edition Duel CD!!!"
"Im not sure the remastered version sounds any better than the original but it does sound good."
"My album collection is purely for my enjoyment, I don't worry at all about potential resale value."
"Bought for my Daughter...Big Nirvana fan!"
"I love this album now as much as when it first came out."
"Great rock band, great music!"
"Sigh."
Save for renditions of 'All Apologies' and 'Come As You Are', the adventurous material includes brooding covers of the Meat Puppets' 'Lake of Fire', 'Plateau', and 'Oh Me' as well as harrowing versions of David Bowie's 'The Man Who Sold the World', and the Vaselines' 'Jesus Don't Want Me for a Sunbeam'.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I guess having been to Kurt Cobain's childhood home and his favorite hangout place when he lived in Aberdeen WA, helped me to relate to his music."
"My favorite Nirvana cd... so sad Kurt Cobain wasn't around much longer after this performance."
"I purchased this as a gift."
"The inside center of the case was cracked, so the CD slides around inside, but it didn't damage the CD & is easy to replace."
"Great recording and song list..."
"I've always loved everything that Nirvana did!"
"The music speaks for itself."
3 AM
Arctic Monkeys release their fifth album, entitled AM .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Love this band."
"This was actually my favorite album of 2013.. which consisted of some really great and lesser known artists coming out with some really great albums."
"You sometimes forget that such talent exists in music now-a-days and listening to the album reminds me that there are true artists out there still."
"I did notice while listening to the CD that eight songs were in the three to four minute range, one song was roughly about two and half minutes long, while the other three songs were in the four to five minute range. Funny song title with even funnier lyrics because we all know someone in our lives that fits this song and it's lyrics. Knee Socks is another good beat song about a common item everyone wears around the house listen to lyrics might even laugh some like I did at particular lines in the song. I wanna be Yours is the last song on the album and is a good closing song because in our lives we all have someone we desire to be theirs at some point in our lives."
"I have always loved the Arctic Monkeys - just got this CD to have a tangible copy."
"This album is addictive."
"But with "AM", Arctic Monkeys have finally produced a sound that is unique to them, and after this record, I believe most criticisms of this band trying to "rip off" other artists will cease."
Best Alternative Rock
Contrary to most pop experimentalists, NMH songs stretch way past the two-minute mark: "Two Headed Boy" transforms from a Guided by Voices-ish romp into a New Orleans big band funeral march, "The Fool" is as catchy as anything Poi Dog Pondering ever produced, and "Holland" builds up to a crescendo of saw, Uillean pipes, a chorus of voices, and fuzzed-out guitar.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I've always loved this album and am happy to have it on vinyl!"
"Delivery was fairly quick, but the one thing I'd say is that the packaging wasn't great - the plastic on the album cover was quite badly cracked on both sides."
"Saw them live at Markarth, amazing, moved me to tears."
"Bought this on a whim after reading all the positive reviews and it did not disappoint."
""On Avery Island" is also good, but I feel that this album is probably the most essential to any Neutral Milk Hotel fan."
"These guys are one of those little known who skated by the flood of success with this exquisite album, who all but disappeared from the scene for years, only to come back to droves of fans who've been simmering with this album, waiting and wanting for more more more."
Best Blues
Hoodoo Man Blues is considered by most blues aficionados and fans to be one of the best blues albums of all time. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and was chosen by the readers of Living Blues magazine as a top ten Desert Island Blues disc. If you have no experience of the blues and are looking for an entry point or, if you're a blues fan and have yet to come across this stone-cold classic, then grab this release as soon as you can but do it using this vinyl version.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I heard about this album from a thread I started about R&B music I should check out: http://www.amazon.com/forum/music/ref=cm_cd_rvt_np?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1YA4ZE83NG9MC&cdPage=3&cdThread=Tx2G16Z4SBCWZD2#CustomerDiscussionsNew. I don't know anything about Buddy Guy so I googled him. The first thing that came up was: 2015 Lineup | Summerfest, The World's Largest Music Festival. summerfest.com/2015-lineup/Summerfest. Summerfest Artist."
"This is right up there with Otis Rush's late '50s Cobra singles (which weren't created as an album), his Cold Day in Hell (live in Japan in '75), and Howlin' Wolf's '50s music."
"Should be in every Blues Collector's collection, it's a great CD."
"Junior Wells is one of the most soulful blues musicians that ever lived."
"Junior Wells on his harp along with Buddy Guy great album."
"He is accompanied by other first class musicians Budy Guy (Guitar), Jack Meyers (Bass) and Billy Warren. I'm sure this and other music had an influence on Bob Dylan's evolution from traditional (but always original)folk music to his reincarnation as a folk rock & something more musician--and who plays a mean harmonica too. At Newport. Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: Muddy Waters. The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions. Live in Cook County Jail. Let's Roll. The Skeleton Key (Widescreen Edition)."
Best Broadway & Vocalists
To celebrate 10 years as the world's most popular musical, the cast of Les Misérables threw a phenomenal birthday party at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1995.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This concert version is by far the best cd of the wonderful Les Mis."
"This particular cd/music is my husbands favorite...ever!"
"Its combination of rousing ensemble songs and poignant solo, duet and trio ballads is just right and this version includes some great extras, like 18 Jean Valjeans from around the world singing "Do You Hear the People Sing" in turn and together."
"This particular CD is full of beautiful voices and because it is the entire audio of the show, when listening you can fell you are sitting in the audience watching the show."
"Given as a gift and it was loved."
"Greatest musical of all time."
"I saw the 10th anniversary performance on PBS several years ago and just recently saw the movie."
"...it will spoil you for all other versions, no doubt about it and l have seen and heard them all including the latest movie atrocity version catering to name recognition, obviously not singing abilities."
Best Children's Music
Teachers and families who have children with special needs will find that Bean Bag Activities can be a wonderful resource.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I just began using songs from this with a new batch of preschoolers."
"The tunes stay in your head for days, which is great for kids, not so great for me, lol!"
"Great CD!"
"I will use this as a part of a my morning meeting routine!"
"Love the songs they will be lots of fun for my classes."
"Such a waste of money!"
"I wanted a happy collection of movement and bean bag songs for my classroom and this is just a headache."
Best Christian & Gospel
Revival In Belfast captures the passionate worship of Robin Mark and the Christian Fellowship Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY ROBINS WORK, I OFTEN WOULD USE THESE SONGS IN MY CONCERTS AND THE FOLKS WOULD SING WITH ME. I MADE IT VERY CLEAR, THE WERE NOT SPECTATORS AT A RELIGIOUS CONCERT, BUT PARTICIPATORS IN A WORSHIP SESSION FOR JESUS CHRIST OUR KING, HIGH AND LIFTED UP."
"5 stars are not enough!"
"But add the message of Jesus to the simple, singable nature of much Irish song, and you have a mix that can't be beaten. "Garments of Praise," "Shout to the North," and Revival, the first 3 tracks, all have hooks I catch myself singing sometimes on my daily walk to work."
"If you love Christian music, you deserve to own this album."
"Every piece is a statement and a prayer for the people, the land, and revival. This particular album was used in prison ministry in Fort Worth, Texas, and proved to be invaluable."
"This is a unique, uplifting, utterly brilliant worship album. The message in the songs is uplifting and spiritual, and the music itself is wonderful."
"Beautiful & soul inspiring!"
"It is a lovely blend of the Celtic sound of pipes and violins with the beat and words of the best praise music."
Best Classical
I have always enjoyed carols ever since I first sang them as a member of my school choir, and it was not long before I began to write carols of my own-in fact my first two published compositions were the Nativity Carol and the Shepherd's Pipe Carol.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great album. But I still recommend this album to Christians."
"Any lover of John Rutter's work will love this recording."
"Not a single dud on the whole CD."
"John Rutter has a genious for composing Christmas carols."
"Good collection of Rutter's songs sung beautifully."
"I you've never heard John Rutter's music, start with this."
"There is no one today writing choral music like John Rutter, and this collection of his Christmas music is beautifully sung."
Best Country
After his career peaked with one of the most unlikely top five hits ever, the gloom-laden 1976 narrative "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," Lightfoot's production tailed off sharply, though this anthology's "Stay Loose" ('86) and "Restless" ('93) are testament to his enduring skills as a songwriter and performer.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"We watched a CBS Sunday morning interview with Lightfoot, which shared his continued devotion to native Canada and his type of ballads and story songs."
"Brings back a lot of good times cant go wrong with this one."
"Great collection of many of his favorites."
"Always loved his ballads."
"He has been a favorite of mine for years... this collection brings not only memories and the feelings from long ago, but a new interpretation of the classics he has given us through his long career."
Best Dance & DJ
"Digital Love" starts off silly and gets sillier, but the monosyllabic lyrics lull the senses just right, allowing the song's summery groove to grab hold with authority. "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is a resounding standout amidst the retro/Vocoder deluge that transpired after Cher's Believe turned the kitchy disco device into a worldwide pop music trend, spinning a clever groove around an ever-escalating string of computerized seduction.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I could listen to this forever, And vinyl really does bring out all the nuances, And I will love it more when I get a new needle for me player."
"The art work upon opening the LP is interesting and the LP's are finely pressed... Ok, the songs are stellar and sort of flow into one another making for one cohesive listen... STANDOUT TRACKS: Face to Face, Digital Love, Harder Better Faster Stronger, Something About Us & Aerodynamic..."
"Unfortunately, after receiving my copy of this record, I found a rather unpleasant click/pop that occurred at the beginning of Aerodynamic. To clarify, I borrowed my friend's copy of Discovery and the clicking/popping did not occur as in my two copies!"
"Review for the Music: Amazing."
"Nothing wrong with my copy far as I can tell."
"Love it."
"Obviously the album itself is gold, but vinyl buyers beware - you're not gonna be happy with how this sounds."
Best Folk
Rock's first great double-album and home to many of Dylan's finest songs: Rainy Day Women #12 & 35; Visions of Johanna; I Want You; Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again; Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat; Just Like a Woman; Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine), and the side-long epic Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The first time I heard "Everybody must get stoned," from "Rainy Day Women # 12 & # 35," I was at Lardano's Pizzeria in Peoria, Illinois, while attending Bradley University, having a pizza (what else?). Later, as I aged, I came to see it as a great Bob Dylan song ("I was so much older then; I'm younger than that now"). Just so, the album on which this song was located, "Blonde on Blonde." Part of a great run of Dylan albums, reflecting dramatic changes in his art, among which were "The Times They Are A-Changin'," "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan," "Subterranean Homesick Blues," and "Highway 61 Revisited" (perhaps one of the five best rock and roll albums ever made??). Some of the songs--"Rainy Day Women # 12 & # 35," "Pledging My Times," "Visions of Johanna," "One of Us Must Know," "I Want You," "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues again," "Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat," "Just Like a Woman," "Most Likely You Go Your Way and I Go Mine," "Temporary like Achilles," "Absolutely Sweet Marie," "4th Time Around," "Obviously 5 Believers," and "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands." "Visions of Johanna" is an elegiac song, poignant, very different from "Rainy Day Women."
"After enjoying reviewing Johnny Cash/Willie Nelson VH1 Storytellers yesterday ****, thought it would be fun to review one of Bob Dylan's seminal records "Blonde on Blonde." But I usually listen to tracks off it randomly not the album as a whole, so this will be fun. Rainy Day Women #12 & #35 -- The carnival rambunctiousness of everybody get stoned, as it's often known. Visions of Johanna -- One of Dylan's more underrated songs. Captures the wonderful, surreal spirit of this album. I just love the playfulness of Dylan's voice on this song. And "I want you, I want you, I want you, so bad" sounds like a trite line, but totally works. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again -- A song I don't listen to enough. Reminds me of one of my favorite Dylan songs "Ballad of a Thin Man." I don't mind him cheating on me, but I'd sure wish he'd take that off his head, you brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) -- A lot of long titles on this album. Absolutely Sweet Marie -- The playfulness and great melody is back. Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands -- Dylan is good at the long, storytelling song. There is a reason Bob Dylan is my all time 2nd favorite music performer to Johnny Cash. So many great songs on this record in ranking order (4 stars plus): Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat, Just Like a Woman, Visions of Johanna, Absolutely Sweet Marie, I Want You, Rainy Day Women #12 & 35, Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands, Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again."
"This has to be in the top three although in saying that I also must add that Bob has at least 7 or 8 five star albums so add this to the very long list of master works."
""Everyone Must Get Stoned" brings it all back home!"
"Great CD."
"No Dylan fan should be without Blonde on Blonde."
Best Jazz
Fronted by pianist Thomas Lauderdale, Pink Martini is the real article--a band that approaches the music with unwavering seriousness yet never forgets the fun at the heart of it.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is my first CD from Pink Martini and it was theirs; the CD has both vibrant upbeat and more mellow romantic tunes."
"Love it."
"You don't have this in your collection already?!?"
"It's my same question with regard to music from Latin America, Europe et al. You would have to be a big time sampler of music throughout the world to find these gems."
"They can take a song like "Que Sera Sera" and turn it into a beautiful symphonic childlike ballad with a slightly edgy, off-kilter sound achieved by a singing major-key melody over a harmony that chromatically varies back and forth. If you like classical, latin, jazz, standards, and 30s-50s era pop music, then this is a CD you need to check out."
Best Latin Music
This twentysomething, Mozambique-born beauty of Portuguese, Spanish, German, African, and Indian descent rapidly rose from the Mouraria district of Lisbon to become fado's newest and brightest star.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"BEAUTIFUL!!!"
"Wonderful voice...beautiful...soothing when listening."
"Mariza is one of the great Fado singers."
"Mariza has a lovely voice."
"As a singer of Fado, she ranks amongst the best."
"As I've written before, Mariza is the best."
Best Miscellaneous
THE MOST RELAXING MUSIC FOR SLEEP RELAXING MUSIC FOR KIDS MEDITATION MUSIC CD YOGA MUSIC CD THE MOST SOOTHING MUSIC FOR BABY MUSIC THERAPY SONGS and MUSIC THERAPY FOR DEPRESSION SPA MUSIC CD RELAXING MUSIC FOR DOGS AND CATS MEDITATION MUSIC FOR KIDS MASSAGE MUSIC CD MEDITATION MUSIC FOR RELAXING AND DREAMING THE MOST CALMING MUSIC THERAPY FOR CHILDREN and MUSIC THERAPY IN SCHOOLS MUSIC FOR STRESS RELIEF THE MOST RELAXING MUSIC CD YOU WILL FIND. The songs on Calm Within: Music for Relaxation of Body and Mind are designed to bring on a sense of ease through repetition of musical phrases, and positive memory association, initiated to bring listeners to a happy space making this the ideal SOOTHING MUSIC CD perfect for SPA MUSIC FOR MASSAGE , MASSAGE MUSIC FOR DEEP RELAXATION , SOOTHING MUSIC TO SLEEP TO and MUSIC THERAPY GIFTS .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Lovely soundtrack that I play in the therapeutic suite where I work."
"I play relaxation music, at night, for peaceful sleep."
"This is very relaxing music."
"I listen to this CD when I'm in my sauna."
"I love this cd."
Best New Age
At times, the analog synthesizers used in this 1984 recording sound dated and a little cheesy, particularly on "Deck the Halls" and "Good King Wenceslas." As pleasant and soothing as a Willard Scott birthday wish, Christmas does offer one selection that truly merits "classic" status: the reverent, prayerful, slow-motion interpretation of "Silent Night" ("Stille Nacht") for piano and strings that closes the album--a beautiful and heart-touching work.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"arrived faster than expected and is perhaps my favorite manheim steamroller album played all the way through with out any notice of scratches as well."
"love all mannheim steamroller."
"Wouldn't be Christmas without it."
"Great music , but I should have looked at what the songs were."
"My favorite Christmas cd!"
Best Opera & Vocal
Aria ~ Aria.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Closing the gap in time and recognizing beauty in a relationship between the rhythms and sound effects of 21st century techno combined with the timeless passion of 19th century opera is an incredible concept!"
"Sexy."
"I had this cd in high school and lost it somewhere along the way."
"Strange new renditions of well-known classic arias, performed with great precision."
"Good quality audio."
"3 CD set."
"You've never heard interpretations such as are recorded here."
"Paul has a wonderfully classical, yet fantastic touch with these pieces, as I've come to expect from him."
Best Pop
Maroon 5 aren't the first band to fuse R&B and rock, but they certainly are one of the most convincing.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Absolutely beautiful splattered vinyl."
"But it sounds like trash on vinyl."
"I'm a confirmed baby-boomer and usually buy only 60's and 70's music, but after I got XM radio in my new pickup truck I started hearing a few newer songs that I liked and almost all of them were sung by "Maroon 5". The beat is usually relentless, the chord and key shifts beautiful and often unexpected, and the high vocal harmonies (wish there were more of them) are as precise as Lennon-McCartney or Heart."
"Great music to listen to anytime."
"Buy this CD!"
"I know price shouldn't be a factor, but I found this for just $4 while browsing Amazon's MP3 department."
"Some songs never go out of style and create a mood...and Mr. Levine does it well!"
"I mainly got this album because it was pretty cheap and I love Maroon 5."
Best R&B
Endtroducing... is the debut studio album of American music producer DJ Shadow, released on November 19, 1996 on the record label Mo' Wax.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I have not listened much to the bonus disc material but for a few spins, it's pretty good, but can't really judge it; it's an alternate version of the album basically, mostly alternate takes of the album songs."
"DJ Shadow's undeniable sampling masterpiece."
"I guarantee that if you do not get into it in the first listen, you will catch on with one song....then the next song......then you will figure out that you liked that one song....then you figure out that the album is meant to be listened to in one go."
"DJ Shadow's Endtroducing is without a doubt the crown achievement in sample based instrumental break beat music."
"My favorite tracks are: #2 "Building Steam with a Grain of Salt". #4 "Changeling". #6 "What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 4)". and, the best song on the album, (#13) "Midnight in a Perfect World"."
"Basically, anyone who's interested in turntablism ought to check this out along with Coldcut's "Journeys By DJ - 70 Minutes Of Madness" and Kid Koala's "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome" (though this one not as much)."
"This is the best album by DJ Shadow."
"You'll see certain comparisons pop up again and again: The Dust Brothers produced Beastie Boys' album Paul's Boutique, Tricky's Maxinquaye, Aphex Twin. Of course, it is also different than each of those albums--lacking vocals for the most part and much more musically lush and dense than the sparse and etheral Selected Ambient Works Volume 1. As late great British DJ John Peel said in his intro to the Diminishing Returns import, "you may find this hard to believe but you stand poised on the brink of hearing the mix of the year, fronted by command much given to frank and furious and usually accurate condemnation of the awful beings that inhabit the world of popular music--DJ Shadow--the celebrated San Franciscan weirdo.""
Best Rap & Hip-Hop
The very first double album in rap, "All Eyez on Me" was a critical and popular success, shooting all the way up to number 1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"No matter what your background is- most of his fans can relate to something in his lyrics."
"i am so happy with my cd purchase."
"One of my Favorites out of my Tupac album collection."
"Very good product 100% recommended, 2 thumbs up!"
"Excellent price!!!!"
"great product arrived on time!"
"my favorite album would buy it again if i need to."
"I bought the vinyl version of this album as a Christmas gift for my son."
Best Rock
Arctic Monkeys release their fifth album, entitled AM .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Love this band."
"This was actually my favorite album of 2013.. which consisted of some really great and lesser known artists coming out with some really great albums."
"You sometimes forget that such talent exists in music now-a-days and listening to the album reminds me that there are true artists out there still."
"I have always loved the Arctic Monkeys - just got this CD to have a tangible copy."
"This album is addictive."
"But with "AM", Arctic Monkeys have finally produced a sound that is unique to them, and after this record, I believe most criticisms of this band trying to "rip off" other artists will cease."
"Good verging on great, I still prefer other artists in this genre, but the 'Arctic Monkeys' have earned a place on my playlist."
"Kicking it off with Do I wanna know and then goung on to tracks like R U Mine and Arabella ,this album just delivers . Going on to some later tracks it slows down a bit , then catches up again when "why do you only call em when you're high' which I had to replay a couple of times before moving on to the next song ."
Best Soundtracks
This is a production rife with odd pairings: English actor Daniel Day-Lewis joining up with the Mohawks; James Fenimore Cooper adapted by Michael Mann; disparate composers Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman teaming up.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is THE BEST MOVIE SOUNDTRACK EVER!"
"Out of all the tracks I've been listening to, The Kiss, Cora, and Massacre/Canoes are my favorite bits of score."
"Love this album."
"Original music is priceless."
"My favorite track is "The Kiss"; we recently saw a very talented violinist named Christian Hebel perform this work live, which introduced me to the score as a whole."
"Perfect condition."
"I have never seen the movie and just bought this for the music."
"I am addicted to this soundtrack for years."
Best World Music
Most touching are the string-backed laments that open and close the album, "Hawai'i '78 Introduction" and "Hawai'i '78," initially a reflection on his father's death, later on the passing of Hawaii's native culture. Best known is his medley "Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World," which played over the closing credits of the film Meet Joe Black .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I stumbled across Israel while I was looking for a copy of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and when I sampled it I said to myself "yes, this voice is from somewhere over the rainbow" The combination of his voice with his ukulele is simple in content yet profoundly deep and resonant in it's spirit."
"Terrific music."
"No problems or complaints."
"Excellent product as advertised."
"Purchased as gift."
"Love this CD it's beautiful music."
"Izzi combines traditional with modern songs on this album."
"I only like one song on it."