The first Zeppelin LP to showcase their English folk side, "III" is usually overshadowed by "II" and "IV", the two monolithic metal records that bookend this blues-folk masterpiece. Indeed, the record is appreciated more today that at the time of its original release. The heart of the album is its second side (in LP terms). Traditional English ballads, acoustic guitars, and Delta blues dominate the 2nd half of the record and make this one of the more understated, even subtle, records of Zeppelin's career, foreshadowing the acoustic and mythical worlds they would later explore in more depth.

The title "H2O" does the record justice: it is indeed formulaic. The much-maligned "Maneater" opens the proceedings and serves to remind us how bad 80's pop could get. "Family Man" and "One on One" were the other 2 singles from this disc (both barely listenable), while the remaining tracks take up digital bits, not much more. The duo's previous albums, "Private Eyes" and "Voices", were decent pop confections with some new wave overtones, but "H20" did much to damage the Hall and Oates legacy.

No one plays the Strauss waltzes like the Vienna Philharmonic. From their signature lilt to their shimmering polish, this music is in their blood. This collection presents the legendary Boskovsky recordings in a nice mid-price package, and despite the German-only track listings (where's my dictionary!) it's the ideal choice for collectors worldwide.

After 20+ years, this remains a demonstration-quality CD and one of the best "Pictures" and "Nights" available. One of Telarc's crown jewels.

This revival did not seek to preserve Kiss Me Kate as a museum piece, which in itself is not a terrible goal. However, in the process of 'modernizing' the score, Paul Gemignani has instead given us breezy, breathtaking tempos and jazz-inflected arrangements that turn this wonderful score into a cheesey musical revue. How sad, because this score in its original form was a landmark of American musical theatre. In fact this show has never received a decent revival, and the movie version of the 50's is so watered down and sanitized that it barely resembles the original show. If you can find it, I recommend the John McGlinn studio recording of the early 90's on EMI (now sadly out of print, but occasionally available on Ebay) which faithfully reproduces Robert Russell Bennett's original orchestrations and gives the listener a much better souvenir of Porter's masterpiece.

A first-rate performance of the symphony, but the real treasure here is the "Gesang der Geister uber den Wassern" -- a gorgeous vocal piece for male chorus and orchestra that will leave you lost in wonder. Viva Gardiner!

I was appalled at the homophobia in the song 'America Again', although not surprised by it. After all, that sort of rhetoric is the cash cow of the religious right. What a shame that American Christianity has degenerated into such a closed-minded, theocratic mindset.

The rough garage band sound of "Pinkerton" is present on "Maladroit", along with a wider variety of musical styles. Instant classics include "Dope Nose", the epic "Slob", and "Love Explosion". Other standouts include "Fall Together" which borders on classic rock, the funk-lite "Burndt Jamb", and the retro-punk "Possibilities." Midway through the proceedings is "Death and Destruction", a slow crawl through Rivers Cuomo's apparently endless relationship troubles. The closing "December" is a singalong with some downright positive lyrics (by Cuomo standards at least). The band's sound throughout the record is aggressive yet melancholy, introspection bordering on narcissism. Several video clips are included, mostly of live performances, and the initial pressings include a serial number gold-embossed on the back cover (Mine is 357007, hardly a collector's item). "Maladroit" is another winner from the best nerd party band around.

Completely overshadowed by early 90's grunge, Extreme's 3rd album is an indulgent (perhaps too much so) masterpiece that found a quick death both on radio and album charts of the time. In hindsight, it is a briliant hair-band concept album. Lyrics cover politics, religion, and philosophy, and musically the record ranges from metal-funk to acoustic ballads. Virtuoso guitarist Nuno Bettencourt gets to shine during the first "side" of the disc, vocalist Gary Cherone indulges in perhaps too many acoustic ballads during the second half of the proceedings, and the final "side" features a suite complete with string quartet. Clearly, not a typical hair band album; but then, Extreme were not a typical hair band. Now that Gary's brief Van Halen stint is over, perhaps Extreme will re-unite, if for no other reason than to tour and re-create their unique sound.

A companion album to '91's "BloodSugarSexMagik", effectively wiping out their mid-90's album "One Hot Minute", which tanked commercially and critically. Certainly John Frusciante's return is a major factor in this album's success, as is Rick Rubin's consistent production. My one reservation is that the record is front-loaded: all the singles and strongest tracks appear at the beginning of the disc. Still, a solid alterna-rock album and one of their best so far, although not quite the classic that "BloodSugar" was.