Kakaku：699 saved$6.99
Image Entertainment
Usually ships in 24 hours 『In this fast paced new comic special Al Ducharme takes a look at married life, and you're going to love what he sees. Featuring outrageous impersonations and uproarious parodies, Al Ducharme proves he may have lost his spine, but at least he still has his sense of humor.』
Kakaku：7499 saved$74.99
Modern Video / Noise International / Fotodisk
IPhone 3G used's review (The only video release from Switzerland's finest music export) 『"No More Color-Live In East Berlin" is the only official video release from the sadly defunct Swiss legends Coroner.As the title suggests,it was recorded on 4th March 1990 in East Berlin,and this set was part of the Noise Records "Thrashing The Wall" festival which came about to celebrate the destruction of the Berlin Wall.German thrashers Kreator were headline act,and Germany's own beer-swilling protagonists Tankard&England's medieval-themed Sabbat completed the festival bill line-up.Fotodisk (the company that produced this video) released the full concerts of each act seperately&simultaneously,as well as the Noise compilation CD "Doomsday News III:Thrashing East Live",which featured highlights from each of the bands' setlists.And it is blatantly obvious on the CD that even though only a three-piece,Coroner is the most sophisticated&musically superior act of the whole show.They were in a league of their own.It features tracks from predominantly 1989's landmark "No More Color" opus&it's predecessor from '88 "Punishment For Decadence",with one track from the debut "R.I.P."&their upbeat cover of Hendrix' "Purple Haze" as set-closer.Unfortunately,due to the time of recording,nothing from the revolutionary "Mental Vortex" or "Grin" albums but the show is still a classic nevertheless.This deserves a long-overdue DVD release,which could be complimented with Coroner's 3 official music promo videos,but don't hold your breath.Coroner is still one of metal's most important yet most overlooked bands.Plus there's nothing like the old power trio!』
(One of the greatest!) 『Coroner are surely one of the most underrated metal bands of all time and this is one of their masterpieces. A perfect blend of gothic power, emotion, melody and technical prowess. This band and especially this album define what is best in metal. No metal collection is complete without it.』
(Well Produced Technical Thrash!) 『Much better produced and a shining example of the uncharted (and, unfortunately, unnoticed) path to technicality-without-pomposity that Coronor was soon traveling, 1989's No More Color is a great stop-gap to the near-perfection of Mental Vortex. "Die By My Hand" is a absolutely killer opener leading into a treasure trove of monster riffs that does not let up for the rest of the album. An essential thrash document from a band you've probably never heard of but most likely will never forget.』
(Life is Full of injustice) 『Back in the eighties the critics loved them, fellow musicians raved about them, they were called the Rush of thrash and they blew away bands like Slayer and Metallica. It never helped them achieve the following they deserved. If they do have any form of a cult following it would be based around Tommy T Baron's sensational guitar work which by the way reaches it's apex on this album. It's progressive it's technical but it's catchy it has songs that generally clock in around 4 minutes. Coroner is exemplified by the song D.O.A absolutely stunning stuff. Music lovers know a metal band has never been as underated as Coroner.』
(this is a great speed metal vhs) 『I agree with everything the previous reviewer said..
Kakaku：396 saved$3.96
Mastervision
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Audubon VideoGuide to 247 Water, Prey&Scratching Birds of North America, Vol. 1) 『Overall, I really like this video guide. It's great to see and hear the birds, and the explanations are helpful. I wish there was another level of indexing to make it easier to maneuver within the DVD.』 『Studio: Mastervision Release Date: 07/27/2004』
Kakaku：199 saved$1.99
Concord Records
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Poor Quality DVD) 『The DVD would not play on my DVD player but only on my computer. In addition, you can tell it was spliced because of the poor video playback. I would not recommend this DVD.』
(Show Biz not enough Skating) 『I wish I could get my money back on this. It was all about entertainment and the pianist whose personality I found grating. A showy night club like atmosphere, not at all what I expected with fine skaters and classical music. The camera kept cutting back to the musician and the whole mood was Las Vegas like and not world class skating.』
(Wonderful program) 『Scott Hamilton is a genius on ice&this shows that to perfection. I love the others he has picked to join him as well. I think ice skating is a beautiful sport to watch&I love it.』
(More skating, less Feinstein) 『Please - a real figure skaing fan wants to see skating not Michael Feinstein hamming it up. Very disappointed in this DVD. This seems to be a trend - guess the real fans aren't protesting enough!!』
(An Evening with Scott Hamilton&Friends) 『I really enjoyed the DVD. I am a big fan of Scott Hamilton. It also included people like Brian Orser, Ekaterina Gordeeva, and others that I enjoy watching. The music selection from Michael Feinstein was nice and gave it an elegant touch. I would recommend it. I would also recommend the Stars on Ice Volumes I, II, and III with Scott Hamilton and other really good figure skaters.』
Kakaku：1698 saved$16.98
Breakbeat Science
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Amazing) 『I once wrote in amazon that Roni Size's "New Form"-album is my all-time favorite DnB-album. Well, that's still true, but High Constrast's "True Colors" has joined this very small club. I think, New Forms was the groundbreaking album of the 90's, but True Colors is the groundbreaking album of the 00's.
At a time when everybody said DnB is dead, High Contrast came out with this album and proofed everybody wrong. Combining influences from Jazz, Funk, House, Dancehall, ambient,... he has created a new sound of DnB which is highly musical, highly artistic, and has revolutionized the whole scene. I actually think that thanks to him and his colleagues at Hospital Records, DnB is fresher and better than ever.
True Colors is very atmospheric, very liquid, very smooth, but at the same time preserves the edge, the roughness and the "underground" feel of a typical DnB-album. You can here it at home, dance to it in a club, or play it at a private party (where everybody will come up to you and ask you for the CD - even those who never had any contact to DnB) or in a lounge.
The album comes as a 2CD set, the first with the full tracks, the second with a mix-version. By now I actually prefer the mix. I have had this CD for a while, but still I listen to it regularly. Its really addictive.
If you like this sound, and you likely will, you should actually buy all High Contrast albums. Also look at the other Hospital-crew members, especially Nu:Tone or, of course, London Elektricity.』
(High Contrast just keeps getting better) 『True Colours was an undoubtedly ground-breaking album. High Contrast blasted the drum and bass scene with different, rich, innovative samples and melodies. True Colours contained instant classics like "Return to Forever" and "Global Love" but some songs like "Expose" and "Savoir Faire" seemed out of place. True Colours had a strange flow; a bit too diverse to swallow from beginning to end.
It had to be difficult for Barrett to come up with new innovative material. Coming up with a worthy successor to True Colours had to be a real challenge. However High Society not only matches the musical quality of True Colours but excels as a truly amazing drum and bass album. It picks up where True Colours ended and, following its predecessor, contains instant classics. The difference is that High Society has a real flow to it. The song arrangement makes sense from start to finish. This is definitely one of the top ten DNB LPs of this decade. It is remarkable how High Contrast keeps getting better. 』
(Got over my preconceptions of D&B) 『I bought this album over a year ago, and to be honest, it sat in my crate-unplayed-for just about the whole time. I was (and still am to a certain extend) a D&B fan that cringed when I heard any lyrics (except old school ragga toasting). To me, it is all about the beat/bassline. Don't get me wrong, I loved "Return of Forever" right off the bat. I struggled through "Music is Everything" (diva vocals). By the time I got to "True Colors" and its gay (not that there is anything wrong w/ that) filtered disco lyrics, that was the end for me. I recently came across it and decided that maybe my musical vocabulary had expanded and it would sound better the 2nd time around. Holy Sh** was I right. "True Colors" (the track)actually has one of the sickest beats once you get through the first couple minutes of fluff. Once I got to the last track ("Mermaid Scar"), I was hooked. Anyway, the more I listened, the more I saw what all the fuss was about over this record and this artist. This dude really has some serious talent. To make a short story long, I am now a huge High Contrast fan.』
(Terrific) 『I spend hours upon hours looking for "this", regardless of the genre. Worth the ~$13 bucks; Return of Forever is unbelieveable. If you like True Colors, most definitely check out High Society, in fact the entire rest of the Hospital crew.』
(True Colours rocks) 『A brilliant album, marking the coming of the young prodigy Lincoln Barret, otherwise known as High Contrast. It is amazing to hear drum&bass so mature coming from someone so young. Every track is an anthem. Buy it! (p.s. the drum&bass on this album is of the soulful, 'liquid funk' variety.)』 『Cardiff-based DJ-producer Lincoln Barrett (a.k.a. High Contrast) builds new beats and pieces into the once majestic style known as drum and bass, combining color-saturated technique, warm studio technology, and clever samples for a spectacular two-disc debut. Many producers try to bring a more song-oriented approach to drum and bass, but Barrett pulls a few old-school tricks with a new-school view that beats them all silly. The warp-speed "Make It Tonight" sounds like Mary J. Blige time-stretched and tipsy. "True Colors" fuses bracing math rock with warm R&B sensibilities, while "Passion" combines corny atmospherics with breathy females and smooth-jazz sonics. "Return of Forever" is full-on sleaze funk, with a groove as deep and sweaty as a Brazilian street parade. With his magician's programming skills and dazzling tune sense, Barrett ups the ante for drum and bass wannabes the world over. Disc No. 2 includes alternate mixes and two additional tracks, "Remember When" and "Full Intention."--Ken Micallef』
Kakaku：5698 saved$56.98
Rhino Handmade
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Neon Philharmonic) 『These were even better than I had remembered. I wanted Morning Girl and I had forgotten how cool the rest of the songs were as well as Gant's wonderful voice. It's a bit dated these days but surprisingly still relevant. SS』
(To the late Don Gant) 『I love this stuff Who would ever think to mix a steel guitar with a harpsicord! wow those days are sadly gone this album states that cotton candy clouds with ice cream dreams are, and will be a forever reality Bernie Whirlybird』
(Great stuff!) 『This is great stuff - with "Morning Girl" being the hit single that anyone who listens to "oldies" on the radio will know. However, unless you are a true fan of the band (i.e., interested in hearing every possible available item), you'd do just as well (and come out about $40.00 ahead!) to go with the band's "The Moth Confesses" - also available via Amazon.』
IPhone 3G used's review (Trio featuring an evolved Alphert) 『I was expecting Alphert's timeless trademark sound, and was pleasantly suprised when his sound had evolved with the times. I like the modern sound and the other musicians complement the selections well. I would have liked more original songs of Alphert's instead of the many remakes of others. Nevertheless, this compilation is a keeper.』
(THREE OF THE BEST MUSICIANS ON THE PLANET.) 『HERB,WILL CALHOUN (PERCUSSION), DOUG WIMBISH (BASS, GUITAR AND EFFECTS) CREATE MAGIC TOGETHER. THIS IS A KEEPER. PLAY LOUDLY AND LISTEN INTENTLY. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.』
(Some are a bit too conventional to understand this.) 『Herb is a genius, simply just that. Extremely underrated by many. It's unfortunate that most people don't give him credit for his versatility. He plays everything from his legendary hits with that old latin brass sound, to Salsa, to this new amazing style. I'm not sure exactly how to characterize this album, but it's a sort of urban-jazz-brass fushion. Colors is so amazing not just because it's unique, but of course it sounds beautiful. Most may note that this album has a serious increase in low-level frequencies compared to most brass albums, which only makes everything sound more spectacular altogether. This "full sound" only makes his trumpet sound more expressive against the beats. When the legendary artist in brass is still here 30 years later taking this form of music to the next level, I'm extremely impressed. Don't expect conventional brass, we know Herbs done a lot of that already. This is a far more abstract and modern creation.』
(Colorful Tones And Rhythms Abound) 『Herb Alpert's music is so pleasing. The Colors CD is no exception. Definitely like the special drumming on the record. The drum effects bounce very creatively off the booming bass.
Nonetheless, Herb's use of the trumpet and flugelhorn is certainly creative and very tuneful. Fairly strong on the passionate side as well. Just listen to track #5 Think About It.
Outside of a couple of somewhat boring tracks, this release is almost as good as his Tijuana Brass days. Give it a listen.』
(Herb Albert plays "colors" anywhere he goes!) 『Going places! He should be travelling around, alone or with the Tijuana Band and have us all swoon and swing to the gorgeous music he makes with his trumpet-playing. I'll already in love with this CD because the music pieces give you already a taste of what is coming your way! Cheers! I'd love to fly with him!』
Kakaku：250 saved$2.50
KULTUR VIDEO
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Revelatory film for Bartok lovers) 『Unfortunately, you have to know a bit about Bartok, his significance to 20th-century classical music, and his last years in America before he died of leukemia to appreciate this film. Otherwise, it will be confusing, even boring.
But if you do know the above, the film offers lots of details about Bartok's last years, with a number of interviews with key individuals who knew the family at the time. Excerpts of the music written in America also are heard, with clever cuts to shots of symbolic importance.
My favorite revelation is that the Bartok family was cheated by the mortuary who sold them the coffin in New York. It was supposed to be stainless steel, so it could be moved at a later date back to Hungary. But when it was dug up in 1988, it had disintegrated. As an ongoing theme, the film covers the transfer of Bartok's remains back to his homeland.
The film shows all the places where Bartok lived in the U.S., even his notes where birdcalls were captured in North Carolina and later incorporated in his Concerto for Orchestra. But the film is not a triumph of organization or clarity. It's best to read a summary of Bartok's life beforehand to get your bearings before seeing the film.
The film should be a must-see for conservatory students and anyone fairly familiar with Bartok and his music, but I'd be leery of recommending it to the general public--it's too specialized.』 『It s as though we ve been caught in a storm at sea and blown to shore with no more than the clothes on our backsSo wrote the great Hungarian composer Béla Bartók (1881-1945) on his arrival in New York in 1940, after losing his luggage on the voyage from war-torn Europe and finding himself sadly lost in an unfamiliar culture. He was to spend the last years of his life there, fighting sickness, poverty and failure. Nevertheless, consoled by the cycles of nature, his last five years produced some of his greatest and most moving music.
In this film many of the composer's friends and colleagues, including Yehudi Menuhin and Georg Solti, join his sons Peter and Béla Jr to tell the story of these last years of exile. The music is performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ervin Lukacs and Sir Georg Solti, with György Sándor (piano) and Laszló Barsony (viola).
An affecting portrait of a composer, who, they say, rarely smiled and spoke little but - in the words of Georg Solti - had the aura of a holy man.The Guardian
A detailed and often revealing portrait of the last five years of the composer's life.The Times』
Kakaku：246 saved$2.46
Video Artists Int'l
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (A "keeper"!) 『What a treat to watch Dmitri Hvorostovsky in concert! He is a very emotional singer, showing the music is coming from deep within him, at times to the point where he appears to be unaware of his surroundings. It is a joy to watch his intense and very personal facial expressions which reflect the story and tone of the music he is singing. Often, upon finishing singing a piece, he comes out from within it, his face lighting up with his wonderful smile as he accepts bouquets of flowers from his admirers. At the end of the concert he distributes the bouquets to members of the orchestra. An incredible baritone, Mr. Hvorostovsky is always and ever a joy to listen to and watch in performance. Highly recommended!』
(Simply Amazing!) 『This is a concert Dmitri Hvorostovsky performed at Le Festival International de lanaudière in 1998. It opens with Mussorgsky's "Songs and Dances of Death", which are four dark and chilling songs that depict death as a character who sings and dances around the lives of his victims: a sickly baby (Lullaby); a fatally ill young woman (Serenade); a drunk peasant (Trepak); and soldiers inthe war field (The Field Marshal). I've heard Hvorostovsky singing them on CD before, but seeing him performing in concert is transfixing! His lush, dark voice is made for these songs, and his delivery, with gripping theatrical sensitivity, would draw you into the dark scenes with him. Another major part of the program is dedicated to Verdi, with arias from "Un Ballo in Maschera", "Il Trovatore", and "Don Carlo" included. And what depth and refinement Hvorostovsky brings to Verdi's characters! "Eri tu" is a master delivery when all the fine elements of his voice - the dramatic expressivenessand the enchanting lyricism - are blended perfectly. In "O carlo, ascolta", Rodrigo's death scene from "Don Carlo", as he finishes the long verse of "Io morrò, ma lieto in core..." the second time with one breath, a slight plaintive choke can be sensed, which seems to be more spontaneous than tactical - it is truly a thrilling and heartfelt rendition that wins a standing ovation from the audience. At the end of the program Hvorostovsky dazzles the audience with "Largo al factotum" from Rossini's "Il barbiere di Siviglia". His rich, honey toned baritone, as sturdy as it can be, is also enviably flexible. It is a most brilliant "Largo al factotum" I've heard, and very fun to watch, too. The regret, if there were regret with the concert, would be that it's a bit short. The encore piece is Russian folk song "Dark Eyes", which, if you're already familiar with that wonderful version Hvorostovsky sang with authentic Russian traditional instruments accompaniment, may sound a bit mellow.
In the middle of the program, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal performs an orchestral piece - the last movement (The Pines of the Appian Way) of Respighi's "Pines of Rome", which is a wonderful dramatic piece that couples very well with the rest of the program. Charles Dutoit, whose conducting reminded me of the fluidity of Tai Chi, drives the music with strength as well as grace. 』
(A Real Man's Concert) 『For those who prefer the dark timbre of lower voices, especially baritones, do not miss Dmitri Hvorostovsky who shines in this 1998 concert with Charles Dutoit conducting a brilliant Orchestra symphonique de Montréal. Hvorostovsky's voice is in full prime (now and then), and he excels in both the Russian and Italian repertory presented on this DVD.
His rendition of Mussorgsky's Songs and Dances of Death should not be missed for its rich, soulful passion and convincing interpretation, and he delivers a bravissimo performance of "Eri tu" from Un Ballo in Machera, conveying the ardor of Renato's conflicting emotions between love for Amelia and hate for Riccardo. Hvorostovsky performs other Verdi arias and a selection of traditional Russian songs with equal distinction, but his "Largo al factotum" is the perfect finale for its rousing virtuosity and endearing comic performance.
Mr. Hvorostovsky realizes his full talents onstage, both in concerts and operatic performances, and though he is radiant on his numerous recordings, he must be seen to be believed. As an old-timer, I point to Dmitri Hvorostovsky when aging opera fans claim "no one sings like that anymore," referring to vocal stars of previous generations. If his Lincoln Center concert with Reneé Fleming would be released on DVD, even those nostalgic for some imagined operatic "golden age" may realize that the operatic arts are alive and soaring. 』
大満足！北国のホタテ・いくら・ボタンエビがぎっしり！
