Compilations Music

I wish I had known that it was a continous track cd.As a dj I want to mix tunes myself and not to play it premixed!Otherwise it is ok.There are areas where a track is played repeatedly in one area which would not sound good when you are playing in the dancehall.I have to do it myself depending on the mood of the people at a particular time.Just Ragga 5

The reviews of those who don't remember most of these songs being "hits" on 'their' radio stations got a chuckle out of me. Up until 1982 I lived in Iowa. Even on my college radio station I heard nothing like these tracks. Then I moved to New York City.

Being an underground record collector I had already heard about the fabled WLIR / WDRE on Long Island. A high point of the move (aside from regular outings to CBGBs in Manhattan) was finally being able to regularly hear new wave 24 hours a day on one of the 2 stations in the US that actually played European music (the other being KROQ in California)! Come On Eileen was in regular rotation at LIR about a year and a half before it hit the US pop charts, as was the original foreign language version of 99 Luftballons.

I recorded just about every track on this CD off WLIR back in the day, along with many other wonders, and the tapes (reburned to CD) are still my favorite mixes- especially when doing late night artwork or writing. The only tracks I don't remember hearing there were the 999 and Stranglers tracks. Since I own about every release of both of those two bands, it's a pleasant surprise to see some of my favorite heavier 'punk' in with the new wave hits (on LIR at least!) represented here.

This collection is an awesome overview of New Wave- and I finally know the artists whose names I didn't catch on the radio...

I remember all of these songs and love most of them! But, I am not looking for mainstream 80s stuff, a lot of the songs on the Living in Oblivion series were hits on MTV or in the postpunk/new wave clubs or college radio. Anyone who hit these types of clubs at the time should know these. A great collection for the true fan of new wave/club music.

I bought this 5 cd set years ago and I still get it out often. True, I wasn't familiar with all of the songs (which is strange since I was a teenager in the 80's), but there are enough great songs to justify the purchase.
Most compilations rely on the same 15 songs (yawn). This set reminds you of some songs you may have forgotten and introduces you to some you may have never heard before.
If you love the energy and the off-beat style of 80's new wave, this is a great start.

The Living In Oblivion series of CD compilations does something that many similar compilations do NOT do: they give us some great variety of "hits".

There is no doubt that "Mickey" by Toni Basil was a huge hit. There's also no doubt that "Our Lips are Sealed" was a break out hit for the Go Go's, but the Funboy Three version wasn't. But what about "Living in a Box"? It only hit the Billboard top 100 at #89 in 1987. So why is it here? Why are a large number of these songs? They're not top 10 hits, right?

Wrong!

I'm sick to death of so many compilations relying on top 40 hits from the 80's. The U.S. music tastes are typically very different from those of Europe. Just because a song doesn't make the U.S. Billboard top 40 doesn't mean that it isn't a hit in other countries. And although I'm an American, my music tastes have always run more in line with those of Europe.

I'm delighted that the Living in Oblivion series (and the Pop and Wave series) have incorporated a variety of hits from the U.S. and Europe.

I also like that some of the more obscure groups and their songs are available on these compilations. There are several songs on these albums that never were released on CD (as they hadn't come into being at the time of the groups' albums initial releases), so albums such as these are the only place where you can find these hits. The Boys Don't Cry song "I Wanna Be a Cowboy" hit the Billboard charts at #12 in 1986, but the group disappeared soon thereafter. Then all of a sudden a dance version of that same song came out in the early 2000's and rocketed up the dance charts.

Don't be misled, the Living in Oblivion series is one of the absolutely best series for a variety of music from the 80's. If you want to hear run of the mill, top 40 only hits from the 80's, well, then you'll just have to look elsewhere.

Also, the liner notes and pictures of the groups included in the jewel box are really clever. You get to find out what the chart position was for the songs in the compilation and see what the groups looked like at the time of the song's release. My only issue with these liner notes is that the author of them seems to be disparaging the very music which these albums are espousing. Apparently many believe that the music from the 80's was vacuous and devoid of emotion. One need only listen to the song "The Promise" by the group "When in Rome" (Living in Oblivion Volume 5) to know that such a statement is false. While that group only had this one hit and then faded into obscurity, "The Promise" made the Billboard Top 100 at #11 and the Billboard Dance Chart at #1.

Anyway... I can't recommend this album and its entire series any more! It's simply awesome! Before believing those who would disparage this series of albums, please check the Billboard charts and you'll see that these songs were in fact hits.

GET IT!

I bought this CD used for about $2.00. I did that on purpose because out of 18 songs, I like (& know) only 8 of them. However those 8 are great ones. My favorites being "Talk,Talk" and "The Politics of Dancing" which alone are worth $2 to me!! I recommend listening to the samples first and see for yourself what you think.

I have purchased several dvds and cds from your company, all from the artist Engelbert Humperdink.

I am unable to purchase products by this artist in Australia and I find your service excellent.

The latest cd I purchased is the best yet. May Engelbert and Amazon keep the good times coming

So many different songs to showcase the unbelievable endurance of the musical ability of this incredible talent. Engelbert's personalization of every song he sings, together with his musical sense of phrasing, and tuneful, heartfelt delivery of beautiful lyrics makes for wonderful listening. Plus, he throws in a mix for fun! A perfectionist of his art with a voice that keeps calling us back.

This one of 5 Enge cds that I listen to every night as I go to sleep. The older Enge gets the better his voice becomes. This is a must listen to with headphones. The best song that Enge has done is "Can't You See" If I had only one Enge song to listen to it would be this one. Use headphones for a "Totally Amazing" experience of Totally Amazing, the
sound effects are great. As much as I like the more popular songs the less heard ones are the best.

Lots of classic greats, some songs from live albums, and new songs never heard before, two of which were penned by Engelbert himself along with his daughter Louise.

What a wonderful find! His opening song on the website played one of these songs and it brought me to this site to make the purchase (Thank God) Wonderful to listen to and Ive played it over and over! His voice simply got better with time........Easy listening to such a beautiful voice! Truly one of a kind.......Will wait for more soon............Hopefully a new dvd !! Love your site!!

i bought this cd by error - i had it in my collection from last year already. i returned it unopened.

1. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
2. Be Without You - Mary J. Blige
3. Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Rae
4. Waiting On The World To Change - John Mayer
5. Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers
6. Sexyback - Justin Timberlake
7. Not Ready To Make Nice - Dixie Chicks
8. Jesus Take The Wheel - Carrie Underwood
9. Hide And Seek - Imogen Heap
10. Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera
11. Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
12. You Can Close Your Eyes - Sheryl Crow
13. Stupid Girls - Pink
14. Black Horse And The Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall
15. You're Beautiful - James Blunt
16. Save Room - John Legend
17. Jenny Wren - Paul McCartney
18. Bad Day - Daniel Powter
19. My Humps - The Black Eyed Peas
20. I Will Follow You Into The Dark - Death Cab For Cutie
21. Over My Head (Cable Car) - The Fray
22. Is It Any Wonder - Keane
23. Stickwitu - The Pussycat Dolls

THIS CD IS THE best since 2004 thank god someone knock since into the grammys put better songs now that's what i call grammys!!! although I would of liked to see nellly furtado and kelly clarkson with walk away but thats alright the cd is good enough! YA GRAMMY are back and rockin!

This CD Sucks. I mean Bruce Springstein is such a has been. Dude retire please! U2 also another has been group. I think someone needs to revamp the Grammy nominations and choose some really great music. Ya know songs that will last forever and never grow old!!!

I love having a variety of artists and their best songs all on one disc without having to burn it myself! Great cd!!

This CD is a terrific blend of popular songs and songs that I didn't even know existed but have come to love! If you like pop hit radio, this CD is for you!

If you love the movie, the soundtrack will evoke images of the scenes. This is really some beautiful music....

This soundtrack is the dialogue of major scenes beautifully enhanced with background music. Focus is on Shakespeare's words rather than music.

I have the original music soundtrack (music only) on CD! It was a rare find and it took me 25 years to find it. This CD has the music from the lost, original Nina Rota score. I loaded this music into my iTunes library and it is great to listen to it from time to time. Beautiful music soundtrack from the movie. The CD with music and dialog is also very nice, but it is sweet to have the CD with just the music.

Do not buy the CD with Label by SILVA! That is an imitation disc with a horrible vocal by an unknown singer for the song: What is a youth? No one can sing this like Glen Weston!

As a teenage boy of 17 when this film came out I, along with my girlfrend of 16 saw this movie a dozen times in the still standing Baronet in Asbury Park NJ. I purchased the LP. We both knew the dialog by heart. 30 years later I purchased the CD that was only the music. A wonderful soundtrack but I missed the dialog. Yet, suprise here it is. I scooped it up right away.
Both this CD and the music only are superb. Olivia, you are still a beauty and although my youthfullness has faded I recall this time fondly. I can only wonder if my high school sweetheart feels the same way all these years later.

Let me begin by saying that most of the previous reviews were negative because they simply failed to read the lable where it clearly states "Dialogue Highlights with Original Score." It's visible right there on the cover illustration.

The original LP was a relic of it's time, where Shakespearean films and faux-Shakespearean films (like Beckett) often spawned albums which showcased dramatic scenes and dialogue highlights, backed by the score.

The liner notes for this CD even say that it was a phenomenon when teenagers of the 60's would put aside their pop albums and devote 45 minutes in rapt attention listening to actors their own age performing Shakespeare (BTW: There was another pressing issued at the time -a deluxe four LP set with illustrated booklet in a box featuring the entire film's audio track, issued to schools and libraries).

My only gripe (and it's barely even that) is that the music used is often not that which accompanied the scene. There are moments where music from another scene has been repositioned to bridge the edited dialogue sequences. It makes for a better "flow" but I miss some of the familiar "hits" that Rota worked into his score to accompany certain lines (like the discordant squeal when Lady Capulet appears).

Summing up, this is an excellent CD and should actually be in every home library along with the DVD of the film. It is far superior in most respects to the Leo & Claire version under any circumstances. It may come across as 'Shakespeare Lite' to some purists, and it is not the MUSIC soundtrack album, but it stands very well on its own.

The sound is clear and "present" -marred only by the excessive dubbed-in sound of the original film's dialogue tracks. The stereo separation preserves the spread of the music as well as the 60's period left-right channel spread of sound effects, movement and dialogue.

For those who want the music only, there are two CDs out there you can look for (both of which I own).

The actual motion picture soundtrack in stereo is available on the Cloud Nine lable (deep red cover with a still of R&J touching palms at the feast).

A digital re-recording of the complete score was issued by Silva Screen and while it is very nice in that it presents every cue and in very clear sound, it fails to compare to the original in terms of performance (the vocals are awful) and lack of "feeling."

For the serious collector and R&J fan, you can also hunt down the deluxe 4 LP set [SWDR-289] Romeo & Juliet - The Complete Motion Picture Soundtrack Recording (which of course I also own). Transferred to CD it fits nicely on two CDs, so I don't know why some record company hasn't done so already.

The labor movement is part of our history as a country and of those who have struggled. Whatever the origins of the movement were, or said to be, labor songs and the spirit of the working man needs to be respected, studied and taught. Another great CD.

Joe Glazer had done quite a few albums devoted to the "American Labor Movement." He wrote and performed a number of the songs assembled here, and you get a real sense of what he was all about.

Paul Robeson kicks the collection off with a fantastic and truly classic rendering of "Joe Hill."

Maybe unintentionally, though, many of the remaining songs testify to the sad state of the labor movement today. Tunes like "VDT" and "Automation" establish, rather than disestablish, that unions today serve virtually no purpose in the face of comprehensive goverment oversight of workplace practices, antidiscrimination laws ("Too Old To Work") and (as something like a general premise) the more enlightened practices of business leaders.

Unions cannot prevent Enron, Worldcomm or subprime lending...and I'm waiting for some great songs about that.

Are there still greedy, corrupt business leaders? Sure. But some of (even) them "create value" for consumers.

Starbucks is proudly non-union, for example. Does that mean that we should not buy coffee there?

American labor is "flat on its back," in the words of the author of the classic book "Which Side Are You On." The recent GM "Strike" gives evidence of the obsolescence of American labor's social theory. The conditions creating labor's purpose have passed away. Important history, but it's just that: history, not something alive today. All that seems left is bitterness, passive-aggressive claptrap, undifferentiated anger and a sense of collective futility replacing pride.

"Revolution?" "And if you want money for people with minds that hate, all I can tell you is brother you'll have to wait."

Mind you, the songs are all over the place. From a pretty dreadful song about Carpal tunnel syndrome and a silly song written "by" the little piece of paper that's your union card, to Paul Robeson's "I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night." A bunch of songs sung by Joe Glaser, who I don't think I'd heard before (odder than it sounds). And the New Harmony Sisterhood band updating "Union Maid," then switching into a wild klesmer version.

It was the CD in the truck for a hundred mile trip over the weekend. I ended up skipping maybe just those two songs the second, third, and fourth times through. But sighing happily to hear Robeson each time. And the variations on Union Maid.

You would expect that since this collection is a Smithsonian Folkways Recording it would be better than most. And it is! I have listened to many work/labor songs CD's and found that the quality and varation of the songs in this collection much better. And there are not 12 or 16, but 27! Of course, there are a few male and female singers that I always pass up, but, still, just a few. Having been a union shop steward/building representative at my school for many years (and walked several picket lines), I can relate to the messages herein. They are really inspiring--and I don't tire of listening to them, as the previous reviewer seems to say, too. You will love the voices of Paul Robeson, Pete and Mike and Peggy Seeger, Joe Glazer (four tunes), Larry Penn, Eddie Starr, Kenny Winfree, John O'Connor, Anne Freeney. These "artists" are on other collections in the same genre, but those version and their quality do not match this.

Love this CD!!! I put it on when I am having a stressful day or when I just want to have some soothing background music....it will relax you!

Leaving aside the nit picking, and which cuts should be in or out, just
listen to this disc for the sure enjoyment of hearing this wide selection of New Orleans music. The songs are wonderful. The overrriding theme is that of joy, and it is fascinating to hear the different styles which express this joy. Highly recommended.

This is a very comprehensive look at New Orleans for someone who has been there many times and wants to reminisce.

This box of New Orleans music is the essence of the mossy City that Care Forgot. Each song reveals a particular characteristic of the city and her distinctive sound; quirky, high-spirited and strong. Wish amazon did oyster poor boys.

This is a great collection that could be improved through a few substitutions (I would have chosen Johnny Adams' "Reconsider Me" and Irma Thomas'"I Done Gone Over It", instead of the ones The Shout Factory made) but that's nitpicking. It's a great collection, it sounds great and a wide range of New Orleans music is represented. Well done.

This is a complilation of New Orleans best at their best. I am a New Orleans native living in Colorado and this anthology made me home sick! This is a wonderful collector's item and I recommend it to everyone. Enjoy New Orleans' very own Doctor's Professors, Kings and Queens.

Ok, this is a once in a lifetime show grouping together a bunch of Roadrunner artists making a helluva metal party on stage. So what? Some exceptions apart (more on that later), if you are into stock metal from the 90's, with downtuned guitars, uninspiring and sparse guitar solos, grungish choruses and monotone, rap-like verses, this might be for you and you'll be more than pleased.

However, if you like the superb work of Roadrunner battleships of the late eighties (such as Annihilator and King Diamond), when metal used to be more daring and still very musical and powerful, well... you really get very few of that here. Luckily enough, when Tim "The Ripper" Owen kicks in with Jeff Waters and James Murphy on guitars, their performance is no less than stunning. Maybe just their rendition of the Annihilator classic "Alison Hell", Mercyful Fate's "Curse of the Pharaohs" and King Diamond's "Abigail" is worth the whole entry price. You bet The Ripper can sing! Nevertheless, besides those climatic points, all the other stuff here is quite forgettable.

Ok, other cool moments for some listeners (not me) might be Sepultura's "Refuse/Resist", as well as the festive ambience of the closing song "Roots Bloody Roots" -- also a Sepultura's song, but covered here by many musicians on stage, including The Ripper again.

I don't think anyway this DVD will get a lot of playtime in my DVD player. Don't get me wrong though, as I don't want to disrespect the excellent job done by the backing band led by Dino Cazares. No doubt these musicians can play, but to me it's not only about how great you can play, but also about *what* you play.

Besides that, the production is pretty decent, though quite often the camera focuses on the rhythm guitar while the other guitarist is spitting his solo out -- what the...!? 8-|

The extra DVD has cool interviews and I kind of enjoyed it more than the whole concert. It's a shame Jeff Waters don't get as much screen time as James Murphy -- talk about an underrated TRUE guitar hero! ...in any case, the overall thing is quite enjoyable.

Finally, I give to this release 3 stars just for its documentary value and its good-enough production. Shamefully, I can't squeeze it more than that. At least two thirds of the music showcased here is completely non-transcendental, in spite of the aforementioned more-than-five stars performance from Tim Owen with Waters and Murphy. Other than that, this is just for unschooled modern metalheads. Thanks for reading this far!

I bought this tonight and I must say I disagree with the 2 stars given by the other reviewer (nothing against him) I see this as an amazing living history of Roadrunner Records, and I have been a fan since I bought the first Decide CD. It does a good job of giving a good live history of some of the bigger acts to come out of Roadrunner over the 25 year history; Type O, Deicide, Obituary, Slipknot, Stone Sour, King Diamond, Annihilator, Sepultura, Soulfly, SOD, Biohazard, Life of Agony and more are represented musically here. There are notable exceptions to the people playing the music, even though Ripper Owens does a good job it sucks King Diamond wasn't there, Glenn Benton trying to do John Tardy of Obituary is ok but John has a way different idea of vocals than Glenn and he says he didn't want to do it but he decided to since they pushed it. The camera play is ok except for the wide shots where it looks like someone brought a $200 camcorder and set it up on the back wall but it doesn't show up much. The class of metal musician live during the concert is awesome with James Murphy, Andreas Kisser, Joey Jordison, Steve Asheim, Jeff Waters, Dino Cazares, Keith Caputo, Robb Flynn, and many many others playing some killer tracks. The bonus DVD is a documentary of the concert and it does an awesome job of showing what they went though and even killing some bad blood out there about aboutt Roadrunner and some of the people who played that night. I also did not see an issue with the aspect ratio but since I have a projector the size of the picture is never an issue for me. SO you might want to watch that one if you have a smaller television. But otherwise if you are a fan you need to buy this it is an awesome live set..

Words can't describe the awesomeness contained on these two disks. The documentary is both insightful, enjoyable, and funny, and the concert was beyond phenomenal. No more to say. My only regret was that I missed the show. It was 4 months before my first concert, in the same venue. :(

What we have here is a piece of Metal history that is not likely to be duplicated any time soon. The fact that roadrunner released this at all is a blessing. The concert itself was amazing. The song choices were great and the musicians were great. This was more of a celebration of musicianship than a celebration of a record label. Some of the performing stars aren't even on this label. If you don't already have the CD, I highly suggest that you get it. So what are the down sides to this package. First is the actual packaging. Very cheap flimsy case like I have never seen before. Spill your coffee on it and it's ruined. Something so special should have come in a nice jewel case. The picture quality was an A- due mostly to poor lighting and the camera work was an A- as well because you never get a real good view of the drummers ever. Plus the one who shot it must not have known the songs because too many times during the solos the camera is on the wrong guy. Maybe that is why that were not going to release it. On the plus side, you really don't notice or care. The sound quality is perfect. A+. I am going to have to figure out how to rip is to cd so I can listen to it in my truck. Whats great is that this was released because fans wanted so badly to see it. I don't think anyone who buys it will be disappointed. As for the second DVD (documentry) it's interviews with the musicians looking back to that night and giving their thoughts and memories. A very fun watch.

I wasn't sure what to expect when i received this DVD, i preordered it because i thought it would be something cool, but it surpassed my thoughts. I watched the documentary first which basically shows all the roadrunner guys saying how great that night was. This shows highlights of the show and the studio where most of the practicing happened. Then i went over to the concert itself which was just plain awesome. So many great artists playing so many great songs. There is 25 songs total live which is quite a bit of great music. The video and sound quality is great which i was a little skeptical of because i heard they were not going to release this footage. I used to go out and tape band so i really appreciate the quality of this DVD and its a great buy for any roadrunner fan.