Best Scandinavian Music
ABBA GOLD (JEWEL BOX).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"However, my memory has softened and I need to hear ABBA and the BeeGees, and Donna Summer and Karla Bonoff once in a while."
"Was deliberating on getting one of the Mamma Mia soundtracks, and then figured it would be better to actually purchase this greatest hits album which contained all of those songs and more."
"Great memories from my teenage years listening to this music."
"I got this in preparation for seeing Mama Mia!"
"A great album with all of Abba's hits."
"This is the perfect round up of all your favorite abba songs!"
"Friends gave me an old CD I could not get to transfer to my Kindle, so I purchased this so I could enjoy this delightful collection on-the-go."
"Abba Gold - Their Greatest Hits all on Lp Album."
The package includes an extensive booklet with new sleeve notes, photos and details about the band.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Century Child is the fourth album by symphonic metal masters Nightwish released in 2002."
"Also, it's kinda cool that the CD for the UK Bonus Tracks edition features digital reprints of the band's signatures."
"Century Child showcases Nightwish at some of their heaviest moments; Slaying The Dreamer rocks hard."
"I found tarja's vocals wonderful on century child full of power,emotion and beauty at the same time."
"Although, as much as I love Nightwish, this is my least favorite album from them. Songs: "Bless The Child"- Great opener, but I feel it's kind of bland. Although, I love the lyrics to this song, I like the instruments tied along to it... but something still feels flat. "End of All Hope"- I really get energized with this song, honestly. "Slaying the Dreamer"- I find this song interesting. Everything's great once again, but like "Bless the Child," I feel something is missing, and I'm not quite sure what. "Ocean Soul"- Lyrically, this is amazing. I find this cover really good, and I like Tarja and Marco's vocals on it. Beauty of the Beast- A great closer for the album. The first part, "Long Lost Love" I found okay, but then getting into "One More Night To Live" the song is amazing from then out. I find something missing in "Long Lost Love" but after that, this song is amazing. Bonus Tracks: Lagoon- Ehhh, I don't really care for it. Nothing really special in this song, I see why it's a bonus track and not on the album."
"This is wonderful, powerful music."
"Century Child and Once are at the top of Nightwish's best albums to date."
The Finnish symphonic metal band's sophomore album comes with four pieces that didn't appear on the original issue: The previous Japanese-only track 'Nightquest', an alt version of 'Sleeping Sun', 'Swanheart' and 'The Pharaoh Sails to Orion'.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Nightwish is ALWAYS SUPERB."
"Thanks, great album my only disappointment is the cover had been poorly handled as it has a bend in it."
"When I saw Yes in concert last, they eschewed their popular, well-known numbers for a lot of back-catalog lengthy solo prog rock. (I also don't care for fully half of Led Zeppelin's music for the same reason, so you can see my sophistication here.). Bottom line, if you like Trans-Siberian Orchestra, but wish they did something other than Christmas music (aside from Beethoven's), then Nightwish is the next best thing."
"The most amazing music album, of all time."
"My 16 yr old son got me listening to Nightwish...I was not looking forward to it at first you know how kids are nowadays."
"beyond all i can imagine.i am interested in power meatal for a long time!the most beautiful album!so perfect!the song"stargazers" is absolutly my favourite song!"
"Great album to get if you're interested in listening to classic Nightwish, this is the album that defined their older style."
"The eclectic combination of genres from ballad, movie, pop, rock, metal, and even opera is masterful far surpassing the simplistic music of top 100 groups heard on radio today."
Best Finnish Music
The Finnish symphonic metal band's sophomore album comes with four pieces that didn't appear on the original issue: The previous Japanese-only track 'Nightquest', an alt version of 'Sleeping Sun', 'Swanheart' and 'The Pharaoh Sails to Orion'.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Nightwish is ALWAYS SUPERB."
"Thanks, great album my only disappointment is the cover had been poorly handled as it has a bend in it."
"When I saw Yes in concert last, they eschewed their popular, well-known numbers for a lot of back-catalog lengthy solo prog rock. (I also don't care for fully half of Led Zeppelin's music for the same reason, so you can see my sophistication here.). Bottom line, if you like Trans-Siberian Orchestra, but wish they did something other than Christmas music (aside from Beethoven's), then Nightwish is the next best thing."
"The most amazing music album, of all time."
"My 16 yr old son got me listening to Nightwish...I was not looking forward to it at first you know how kids are nowadays."
"beyond all i can imagine.i am interested in power meatal for a long time!the most beautiful album!so perfect!the song"stargazers" is absolutly my favourite song!"
"Great album to get if you're interested in listening to classic Nightwish, this is the album that defined their older style."
"The eclectic combination of genres from ballad, movie, pop, rock, metal, and even opera is masterful far surpassing the simplistic music of top 100 groups heard on radio today."
Best Norwegian Music
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I'm not a big fan of the other Einherjer's albums, but in my search for music that instantly makes me think of the viking era I came across this EP, and this really has a viking aura over it."
"Don't buy from some metal head who knows a lot, buy from a high volume "this is garbage I want to get rid of it" type of person."
Best Swedish Music
ABBA GOLD (JEWEL BOX).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"However, my memory has softened and I need to hear ABBA and the BeeGees, and Donna Summer and Karla Bonoff once in a while."
"Was deliberating on getting one of the Mamma Mia soundtracks, and then figured it would be better to actually purchase this greatest hits album which contained all of those songs and more."
"Great memories from my teenage years listening to this music."
"I got this in preparation for seeing Mama Mia!"
"A great album with all of Abba's hits."
"This is the perfect round up of all your favorite abba songs!"
"Friends gave me an old CD I could not get to transfer to my Kindle, so I purchased this so I could enjoy this delightful collection on-the-go."
"Abba Gold - Their Greatest Hits all on Lp Album."
Best Sardinian Music
Key to the sound are the rough-hewn su basso and sa contra singers, whose guttural quality defines everything else about the music. It's an acquired taste for those who are used to simple harmonies and tight choral arrangements, but given a chance, the sound can be quite addictive.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I lived in Sardinia for a while and became a fan of this type of music."
"Polyphonic Singing from Sardinia served as an introduction for me to this traditional style of singing that I had never known. The sustained pitches bend around a slow spiraling void."
Best Eastern European Music
The sleeve photo of a crocodile's eye with a faint image of Rodrigo and Gabriela superimposed, suits the artists' desire for something which didn't shout "Mexican guitarists" or "Couples." Orion - This epic reworking of the Metallica song is the second time Rodrigo y Gabriela have covered Messrs Hetfield, Ulrich & Co: "A tribute to the style of music we love, it's what kept us playing the guitar through all those Spinal Tap years". Enter Mr John Leckie, legendary producer of Radiohead, The Stone Roses and Muse, to name but a few; to midwife Rod & Gab's musical vision into what you hear today. The story begins back in their homeland, where Rodrigo Sanchez (lead guitar) and Gabriela Quintero (rhythm and guitar-top hand percussion) met as teenagers. And no wonder -- their eruptive mixture of Central and South American folkways, with its propulsive rock rhythms, plus grooves reminiscent of The Gipsy Kings' crowd-pleasing Catalan rumbas, is incredibly infectious. "Ixapa," in which the pair are joined by noted Hungarian Roma (Gypsy) fiddler Roby Lakatos, has a wicked, pan-European swing, while the impossibly fleet "Juan Loco" should delight all comers -- once they catch their collective breaths! Produced by John Leckie (Radiohead, The Stone Roses, Muse), the USA release includes a DVD containing interviews, live performances and other extras.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Personally like 11:11 more."
"Considering I paid no more than $9.00 for the CD DVD all original in packaging that's pretty awesome. That is why I will always prefer Amazon because you can buy the hardcopy music and enjoy it how you like."
"Rod mostly solos with a pick and plays scalar melodies over Gab's percussive/harmonic expressions. I'm very happy I bought this, both for the music and for the DVD that came with it which offers, among other things, an entertaining glimpse of Gabriela's -- ehm -- "irreverent" character."
"So album is good, bonus dvd is good."
"Their work is almost impossible to categorise with aspects of flamenco rock and jazz present."
"Their albums include their individual spin on classics such as "Stairway To Heaven" and "Take Five" as well as their own original heart thumping & sometimes tender creations."
"While Rodrigo provides the melody and lead, Gabriela, in my opinion, is actually the more talented of the two, provides both support and all of the precussion without anything but her guitar."
"These maestros definitely know their stuff...and they take acoustic guitar playing to the next level, by incorporating metal guitar riffs and bits and pieces from just about everywhere-from jazz, rock, classical guitar, and flamenco, into their repertoire."
Best Continental European Music
"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!"
"Nothing wrong with my copy far as I can tell."
"Love it."
"best daft punk album!way better then newer lp."
"Obviously the album itself is gold, but vinyl buyers beware - you're not gonna be happy with how this sounds."
Best Music of British Isles
The classic original Beatles studio albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In fact, much of the album was written in India."
"I wrote this review in order to assist the general consumer make an informative decision when purchasing a product that they can't touch prior***."
"It's the Beatles' White Album - what else is there to say?"
"It has Bungalow Bill, Back in the USSR, Rocky Racoon, and Blackbird plus a lot more."
"A 2 CD "mini-box" with a picture book, and a small version of a collage poster that may have been part of the original album all those years ago."
"Awesome tunes written/performed by 4 awesome talented me."
"Album cover was slightly warped, but other than that it was sure nice to hear these old songs again."
"I could go in depth about this album in my review, but don't need to: This mono issue has different versions of many tracks that cannot be heard anywhere else, including the Anthology series."