I have often been intrigued by this multitalented Icelander since her days with the Sugarcubes. Selmasongs is a nice package for the listener who wants a change of pace from the tiring pop music that is so often geared to specific age groups or audiences.

Even attempts at cultural and musical format crossovers by many have not impressed me. A country superstar who takes on an alter ego to be a rock star? Ha! Or the artists that you can't tell if they are more inclined to rap or rock-and-roll? I am not awe-inspired!

I cannot offer Bjork the quality of praise of those reviews already issued by my predecessors, but I can say that Selmasongs is evident that this star wants to grow as both an artist and creative individual, even possibly at the expense of sacrificing opportunities to go multi-platinum several times over.

Perhaps this release will one day go down as a Year 2000 classic counterpart to a masterpiece that was not commercially received at first but yet contained the kind of ingenuity of effectively mixing great harmonies and vocals with orchestrations and other sound effects in the nature of barking animals and oncoming trains to eventually earn praise as being arguably the greatest album in rock history. And I am referring to the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds.

Haunted is a very nice release that follows up to her amazing Hello from 1995. The sounds are spectacular and the instrumental arrangements cover virtually every facet of recorded music.

There are tracks containing elements of trip-hop that would please any Portishead fan. Nice guitar riffs reminiscent of Oasis are present in "Terrible Thought" and "5 1/2 Minute Hallway".

In a recent interview, Poe said that another release will come to be in the near future. Hopefully, that will be so. She is one of the most creative artists to have come out in the last 10 years.

It is sad to have read that of all the reviews that Poe can recall, the undeserved two-star rating of Haunted from Rolling Stone (What kind of stuff does this guy like, anyway? Obviously stuff that I would not enjoy.) is the one that stands out in her mind the most.

Don't listen to the browbeaters, Poe!! Just keep up the good work!

The Beatles 1 relives the most successful of the Beatles' several hits from 1962 to 1970. A very nice chronology that highlights what music fans have either loved or hated about popular music from years past.

There is really nothing new to add here, except that the most significant improvement in the recording technology I noticed was in "Day Tripper". If you purchased and listened to Past Masters Volume 2 as I did back in 1988, you will notice a slight glitch in the song, as if a 0.25 second portion of the tape either "twisted or thinned out". In The Beatles 1, this particular error is corrected.

All in all, the Beatles 1 will very likely have a little something for all audiences to enjoy. My best friend is not a Beatles fan, but even he praised it as an enjoyable CD.

To me, Abbey Road is the best Beatles Album and is perhaps the greatest rock and pop album of all time.

Though survey after survey would seem to suggest that the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the greatest album of all time, I might agree that it is at least the greatest conceptual piece in rock and roll history, but all in all, I have to rank Abbey Road above it.

After comparing and contrasting the various works of the Beatles for several years, I regard the earlier albums as masterpieces in their own right. Some might say that Rubber Soul is the Beatles' best; however, I have come to perceive this great album as one that was released when the songwriting and musical talents of the Fab Four had room for further development.

Some might even say that the Beatles were at their best during the experimental years of 1966 and 1967. True, the Beatles were prolific with sights and sounds never attempted by other artists. Nonetheless, if I were younger and did not understand the music of that time, I would probably regard Revolver, Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour as overproduced pieces.

But with Abbey Road, you hear original work done by the Beatles at their best (i.e. in 1969, when their musical abilities had ripened and come full circle). The album is fantastic and it shows that the Beatles could curtail the orchestrations and instrumentations without eliminating one ounce of brilliance.

This is one CD I enjoy listening to over and over again. Though it is nearly four years old, Hello, to me, is still as entertaining today as it was when '90s alternative was in its heyday.

"Angry Johnny" compelled me to by this package. Its lyrics as well as those in the other tracks reveal a highly creative individual who can put herself inside so many characters of so many different personalities.

It stands out as a classic on its own. Though it is often categorized in sections labeled ALTERNATIVE, it is a grave injustice to place POE's material alongside issues of alternative grunge groups whose only purpose has been to revamp the cheesy '80s metal themes of human depravity while leaving out the Big Hair and Glam rock image.

May POE's next release arrive soon. I'm waiting, POE!!!!!

This is definitely a well presented volume I would highly recommend for those interested in music from that particular era.

It is a brilliant summary of a large portion of the musical genres, formats, and marketing strategies that existed during the 1960s. Even a reader who is not particularly a Beatles fan will likely find this book fascinating and enlightening.

This is a most dynamic piece of work. Not only does it give sound advice on money management and priority organization, but it also reminds individuals of how important it is to take time and reflect on where they have been and where they want to go.

The portion concerning investments and bonds was, however, overemphasized. Though I earn money in savings, it would take a very long time and a lot of luck for me to obtain a yearly interest income that would equal that of a full-time job. If I were to follow this book to the letter, I would definitely benefit monetarily, but I do not think that I would achieve the kind of financial independence that is described. But perhaps anything is possible.

Nevertheless, it is one of the most outstanding works I have read on human nature. I praise the concrete examples it has given on how we can repair our finances and to become more conscious of our spending habits (many of which if we think about will come to realize that our fiscal disparities are mostly created by our lack of focus and good judgment).

The sections about how Westerners have lived before, during and after the Industrial Revolution were very well-presented. I found it quite noteworthy that it is because of our human nature in this part of the world that we have allowed high standards of living to breed even higher standards and that this pattern has been destructive economically, environmentally and socially, as well-depicted by Dominguez and Robin.

All in all, I give the book 5 stars, because it provides a whole new way of looking at our world and ourselves. Perhaps the most stark question I have asked myself during and after reading this bestseller is: Do I want to reorganize and restructure both my finances and my time to provide myself opportunities to be the kind of person I want to, or am I doomed to spend too large a portion of the most healthy and productive years of my existence doing someone else's agendas on someone else's terms?