BEST FROM THE NEW WAVE ERA

In the late seventies, after the demise of disco, new wave or punk rock made its presence felt. Among those were The B-52's, Debbie Harry, The Police and Boy George And Culture Club. I wasn't really a particularly  big fan of new wave for I find them much too loud but gradually I heard beyond the noise and grew to like them for their great melody.

THE COMPLETE PICTURE : THE VERY BEST OF DEBORAH AND BLONDIE : Blondie was the most melodic of the New Wave group. Riding on the tail end of disco they scored big with 'Heart Of Glass'. This CD is filled with New Wave classics like ' Call Me', from the movie "American Gigolo", ' Sunday Girl' which is a firm favorite on the dance floor, 'French Kissin' In The USA' and 'Rapture' credited to be the first ever rap song. They scored another big hit with the reggae version of 'The Tide Is High', a song that will forever remind me of my college days 'cos I use to play it when I was sleeping. My all time favorite is the rocking 'Picture This'. And the fact that Debby Harry is drop dead gorgeous made liking her even easier. DOP : 8th December 1991.

BLONDIE SINGLES COLLECTION : 1977-1982 : I stole this or rather I bought it at so cheap a price that I may as well have stolen it. I've always being fascinated by Deborah and Blondie and when I found this double selling at a ridiculous price of $9.90, I grabbed it. Consisting of nearly the entire Blondie singles and B sides, this is quite good. I enjoyed the B sides tremendously. There's a French version of 'Sunday Girl' one of my all time favourite. A longer version of ' Call Me' and an instrumental version of 'Heart Of Glass'. All in all in actuality a steal. There's a slight downer. The CD cover looks like it was rescued from a sewerage tank and the paper sleeves even stuck onto the casing. Still, at such a price I'll just have to grin and bear it.
DOP : 29th March 2013.


THE B-52'S : TIME CAPSULE : SONGS FOR A FUTURE GENERATION :  Yoko Ono was said to be the inspiration for this group.I was not ready to embrace new wave and  I would have miss this altogether if not for my friend's insistence that I give it a listen. The first two songs got me converted. 'Rock Lobster' and 'Planet Claire' was the kind of songs that you either hate or love and happily it was the latter for me. I remember being in my element during my time in the disco when this two songs were playing. Others that are listenable are 'Private Idaho' and '( Meet) The Flintstones' from the movie of the same name. Two songs that I like in their debut album were not here. Their wacky version of Petula Clark's Downtown' and 'Lava'. I will get this CD if I can find it cheap. DOP : 24th December 1998.

BOY GEORGE AND CULTURE : AT WORST...THE BEST OF : I've always believe that Boy George was a victim of the image that he tried to portrait. People tends to look at him as a novelty act rather than a serious music maker. But look beyond his image and you'll find some hidden gems here. The greatest of them all of course was their million selling 'Karma Chameleon', the song must associated with Boy George and Culture Club. Elsewhere you'll find 'Do You Really Want To Hurt Me', 'Love Is Love' and his version of Bread's 'Everything I Own' and 'The Crying Game'. I especially like 'Generations Of Love ( La La Gone Gaga Mix )', Bow Down Mister ( A Small Portion 2B Polite Mix )' and 'Sweet Toxic Love ( Deliverance Mix )'. I don't think you can find this three songs in any of his other collection. DOP : 4th December 1993.

THE POLICE : THEIR GREATEST HITS : Of all the punk wavers that emerged from the late seventies, the greatest is The Police. Made up of the charisma and prolific Sting,  Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, they are generally regarded as one of the first punk group to achieve mainstream success. I bought this CD out of curiosity. I was not so into The Police and know not much of their music during this time. Nevertheless, I find this CD enjoyable and something new in my collection. Undoubtedly,  The Police and Sting's greatest moment was 'Every Breath You Take'.  Most of the songs here are first rated. 'Rozanne', 'Can't Stand Losing You', 'So Lonely'. However, the version of 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' was not the original one that I've heard the first time. The version here is slightly slower but I prefer the original. My other favorite are 'De Do Do Do De Da Da Da' and 'Wrapped Around Your Fingers' . DOP : 2nd December 1991.

THE BEST OF STING : Sting's magic stops working for me since The Police disbanded. There are 17 tracks here but only one 'Fields Of Gold' sounds good to me. Maybe he was trying to distance himself from the sound of The Police or maybe this kind of music just doesn't appeal to me. One day I will play it again to see if I am able to appreciate it. I do this every few years but the music have still yet to connect with me. DOP : 2nd December 1994.





ELVIS COSTELLO : EXTREME HONEY : THE VERY BEST OF THE WARNER BROS. YEARS : Arguably, one of the greatest artists to emerged out of this grene is Elvis Costello. Personally, I don't really get his music. But even Paul McCartney formed a short partnership with him during the eighties so that made him okay in my book. Elvis don't play by the book in the sense that his song don't get as much airplay as his contemporaries 'cos they are not that really pleasing to the ears or maybe to my ears. My personal favourites are of course the two tracks that he composed with Paul McCartney 'Veronica' and 'So Like Candy'. The first one gives him his first US Top Twenty hit. The others that are quite listenable are 'Sulky Girl', '13 Steps Lead Down', 'The Other Side Of Summer', 'Kinder Murder' and 'London's Brilliant Parade'. Elvis Costello at times does reminds me of John Lennon which was why I figured Paul was attracted to him. I have a habit of writing down the date of purchase on every CD or books that I've purchased. This was given to me  a year after my marriage.  It was written there, a gift from my lovely wife. My, how time changes.... DOP : 9th February 1998.

PAUL WELLER : HI PARADE :  THE JAM / THE STYLE COUNCIL / PAUL WELLER : Got this real cheap too. I would have got it if not for the price for I've never heard any song by this guy or any of his group. Not bad but the songs are not very memorable too. Been listening to this for a few days in my car but my mind just can't contain the songs. There are a few nice tunes though such as ' Town Called Malice', 'Going Underground', 'The Eton Rifles' and 'That's Entertainment.' Guess I need a few more spins to get into the hang of things. DOP : 2nd April 2013.

 THE BEST OF SQUEEZE : I must confess that before I got this Cd, I know nothing about The Squeeze nor heard any of their songs. I've came across this Cd times and times again and only this time I've decided to buy it 'cos it only cost $5.00. I must admit that I find this much more enjoyable than most of the recent Cds that I've bought. The first track 'Take Me I'm Yours' set the stage of what to expect. 'Goodbye Girl' is nice with a nice beat while 'Cool For Cats' is so distinctively British as was 'Up The Junction.' Interestingly there were once hailed as the heirs to the Lennon / McCartney's throne but I think that's pushing it. 'Another Nail For My Heart' is plain good if only for the maniacal guitar playing in the background. 'Pulling Mussels [From The Shell ] sounds like it was written in the same sessions but it's doesn't sounds any less interesting. 'If I Didn't Love You' and 'Is That Love' is not bad either. These is the ones most girls will like and guys like me too. 'Tempted' sounded more Rock than New Wave. 'Black Coffee In Bed' is probably my favorite track here. 'Annie Get Your Gun' although not entirely bad sounds lesser due to the among of good tracks here. DOP : 9th August 2013.

GREASE IS FOREVER THE WORD

GREASE : THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK FROM THE 
MOTION PICTURE : Grease, what can I say about this movie. It was released during the time when I was in college and it was showing in Kuala Lumpur for almost 6 months. Me and my friends were crazy about the movie and I watched it 8 times in the cinema, causing me a small fortune. Since then I've watch it umpteen times on DVD. I could never get "Saturday Night Fever" but "Grease" was phenomenal to say the least.The whole of Side 1 which consisted of 5 songs were released as singles. This CD was sold to me at below the market price by a friend who somehow unbelievably doesn't like it. The songs were mesmerizing to say the least. The titled track 'Grease', 'Summer Nights', 'Hopelessly Devoted To You' , the joyful 'You're The One That I Want' and the heart wrenching 'Sandy', not to mentioned 'Beauty School Dropout' , the rock and rolling 'Grease Lightnin' sung by a then young and dashing John Travolta. Yeah this is one CD that's so good that I've run out of adjectives to describe it. There was a time when my eldest daughter was so caught up with the movie, that she have to watch it at least once day and these goes on for a month or two.There's a new version of this CD in the market that have another CD of unreleased tracks. I am toying with the idea of getting it but first I have to get rid of this first. DOP : An exchange of sort from an old friend.

LIVE CDS THAT SHOULDN'T BE RELEASED BUT DID ANYWAY

Sometimes there are some live albums that were never meant for public consumption but sometimes partly because of public demands and mostly 'cos of the money factor, these are inevitable released to the fans. For good or bad it's up to the individuals. Sometimes the artists involved are so big that the fans will lap up anything the record companies can come up with. If the artists involved have their ways, these CD would probably never sees the light of day.

THE GOLDEN SLOW ROCK : LIVE IN CONCERT : This was the one I meant that was not meant for public consumption. The titles will pleases any music lovers but there are all live versions but not so nicely recorded in term of sound quality. The artists would never have let these be released but here being Malaysia, anything goes. I have all these songs featured here in studio recordings but it gives me a kick to listen to the alternative live versions. 'Ready For Love', 'Wind Of Change', one of my all time favorite 'I'll Be There For You' and 'Tears In Heaven' are all a joy to listen to, live or not. DOP : 22nd January 1996.

THE SUPERSTAR COLLECTION : LIVE & STUDIO. VOLUME ONE : This is a legitimate collection made for charity. for The Prince's Trust. I love this CD for the two ex Beatles' tracks. George Harrison's 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', 'Here Comes The Sun' and Paul McCartney's 'Get Back'. It would be swelled to have Ringo Starr here as well but he's featured in Volume Three of this series. Some people just don't get it. Other note worthy tracks are 'Money For Nothing', 'Better Be Good To Me', and 'Sailing'. I couldn't get my hand on the other two volume, otherwise it's make a nice collections. DOP : 19th December 2002.

THE ONE TRUE KING OF POP, MICHAEL JACKSON

Michael Jackson. The King of Pop. Not since The Beatles have any groups or singers generated the kind of adulation the way Michael Jackson have. Hate him or love him but you just can't ignore him. I've always wanted to purchase Michael Jackson's whole CD collection but kept putting it off. His sudden demise hasten my decision. I present to you now, my Cd collection of the late great Michael Jackson.

MOTOWN'S GREATEST HITS : I've never really like Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5 early recordings. Matter of fact, between The Osmond Brothers and The Jackson 5, guess who were my favorite group. Anyway, I got this CD for the solo Michael Jackson songs that I need. The only Jackson 5's song that I like is the beautiful 'I'll Be There' which of course was later covered by Marey Carey and became a hit all over again.  The rest of the tracks that I like here are all Michael Jackson's solo outputs. 'One Day In Your Life', 'Rockin; Robin', the touching 'Ben' and his wonderful version of 'Ain't No Sunshine'. DOP : 16th July 1995.

OFF THE WALL : SPECIAL ADDITION : This was the first album from the adult Michael Jackson. When he was part of The Jackson 5, he have no artistry control over his recordings. On this CD, he played a big role in the producing, composing and selection of the songs. The hit here is his own composition 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough', which you can't escape if you were to visit any disco in town. He even got Paul McCartney to composed a song for him, 'Girlfriend' which Paul himself later recorded on his album 'London Town'. All in all, this was the album that made the world sit up and prepare for the second coming of Michael Jackson. DOP : 11th August 2009.

THRILLER : SPECIAL ADDITION / THRILLER : 25TH ANNIVERSARY : THE WORLD'S BIGGEST SELLING ALBUM OF ALL TIME :  This was the album that made the world stop spinning and listen. This was the album that changed the rule on MTV music videos on TV. This was the greatest selling album of all time and it won a record breaking eight Grammy Awards at the 1984 Grammy. 'Billie Jean', 'Beat It', and 'Thriller' all made their first appearances here. All in all, seven singles were released from this album.  I got this on album but funnily enough, I was not caught up in the Michael Jackson wave. My sole reason for buying this album was his duet with Paul McCartney, 'The Girl Is Mine' which is absolutely delightful. I got two version of this CD, the Special Edition version and the 25th Anniversary version which came with an additional DVD of the featured videos and selling at a ridiculously low price of RM 9.90, which I feel is an insult to Michael Jackson. Still, insults or not, I can't resist that. DOP : 29th August 2009 / 12th December 2011.

BAD : SPECIAL EDITION : The follow up to "Thriller" was the usual Michael Jackson songs. The hits continued in ' I Just Can't Stop Loving You', 'The Way You Made Me Feel', and my favorite 'Man In The Mirror'. Although this album produced 5 No.1 hits, this album somehow doesn't quite connect with me. This remastered album comes with 3 bonus songs 'Streetwalker', a Spanish version of 'I Just Can't Stop Loving You' and 'Fly Away'. DOP : 30th August 2009.

DANGEROUS : SPECIAL EDITION : This is, by far my favorite Michael Jackson album. My favorite songs are 'Remember The Time', the touching 'Heal The World' which is a sequence of sort to his iconic 'We Are The World', and the stunning riff filled single 'Black And White'. The video of this song is even better. The goodies doesn't stop here. There's the awe inspiring 'Will You Be There' and the closer titled song 'Dangerous'. Both these songs were not on his Greatest Hits Collection so these songs were essential to me. During the promotion for this album, there was a contest on radio where you have to answer five straight questions on Michael Jackson. It was a piece of cake for me and I even got a few more of the T shirts for my friends. I answered for them of course. DOP : 19th July 2009.

HISTORY : PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE : BOOK 1 :  This was the first Michael Jackson CD that I bought. Most of his big hits from 'Off The Wall " through the "Dangerous" album are here. He should have included 'We Are The World' but he didn't. This was a double CD that coupled the hits with a CD of new songs. The new ones that impresses are 'Scream', a duet with his sister, Janet Jackson, 'They Don't Care About Us', and 'You Are Not Alone'. Of the non hits, I like 'D.S.', and his version of Charlie Chaplain's 'Smile'. I don't care much for his version of The Beatles' "Come Together' though. DOP :  18th June 1995.

BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR : HISTORY IN THE MIX : This was the time of Michael Jackson's fall from grace which he have never recovered from. Tied up with law suites and pressured by the record company to come up with a new album, Michael Jackson came up with this CD. A few new compositions and the rest are made up of materials from his previous albums with various mixes. A drip in creativity if you asked me but still, in spite of this, he is still the great Michael Jackson and it doesn't stop the CD from becoming the best selling remixes CD ever released. DOP : 29th September 2009.

INVISIBLE :  This was the least successful of all Michael Jackson's CD and it was a pity 'cos it was not as bad as some of the reviewers said. Personally I like it more than his previous more phenomenal albums Caught between his battle with Sony Records and his on going lawsuit problems, this CD was never promoted like his previous CD. The first song that struck me was 'Speechless' I like this song so much that I even have it on my hand phone. The rest of the songs are enjoyable and listenable. This was the last album released in Michael Jackson's lifetime. DOP : 29th September 2009.

MICHAEL : The first post Michael Jackson CD of original music.. I wanted this CD for the longest time but I wasn't willing to spend  full CD price on an artist that I am not truly a fan of. Thus when I saw this going for a song at RM 9.90, I almost tripped over myself to get my own copy. Consisting of a miserly 10 tracks, this CD was surprisingly good and enjoyable. Had I bought it at full price, I wouldn't be pulling my hair in exasperation. Bet they are holding on more materials for future releases. DOP : 28th May 2012. 

 THIS IS IT : THE MUSIC THAT INSPIRED THE MOVIE : I found this Cd selling at a ridiculously low price> I have always wanted to buy this but I have most of the songs here and I am not spending a full Cd price for it so this was just what the doctor ordered. This Cd was selling at $15.00. The seller told me to get another Cd and this two will cost $10.00 instead. I choose a triple Cd and so got 5 Cds for $10.00. If this is not a sign that Cd is on the way out, I don't know what is. Anyway, the first Cd consisted of 16 tracks of which the ones that I don't have are 'Shake Your Body [ Down To The Ground ) which was recorded by The Jacksons and two versions of 'This Is It' the titled and only new song of which one was with vocal and the other with orchestra backing which I found to be the better version.. Had Michael Jackson lived, I doubt this song would gather much excitement. Some of the hits included here are 'They Don't Care About Us,' Beat It', 'Black And White' and 'Billie Jean.' The second Cd consisted of only 4 tracks of which are demo versions of 'She's Out Of My Life,' Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', 'Beat It' and a recitation of the lyric of 'Planet Earth.' originally found in the album ' History.' Boring.Considering that I have most of the songs here, I guess the packaging which includes a colorful booklet is far more attractive to me than the Cds unsurprisingly. DOP : 28th July 2013.

IMMORTAL : I've been waiting to get this Cirque du Soleil's reworking of  Michael Jackson's music for quite a while but the price of it puts me off until I saw this on discount in Singapore. How could I not get it. I've The Beatles and Elvis Presley. I cannot pass Michael by. Anyway I'm glad I got it on discount 'cos I don't really enjoy this at all. I'm baffled  by the choice of materials. There are a wealth of materials from Michael Jackson but I find most of the songs  here unfamiliar. As you can see, I have most of Michael Jackson's albums when he metamorphosed from child star to mega star but yet I find the the songs here unfamiliar. 'Workin' Day And Night', 'Dancing Machine / Blame It On The Boogie', 'This Place Hotel', 'Is It Scary / Threatened' are all lost on me. The familiar ones are 'Childhood' which is not really that great of a song, 'Smooth Criminal', 'Dangerous', 'Thriller', and the usual hits. Still, I can't find the one tune that convince me that I want to listen to it again. Of the three Cirque de Soleil's CD, The Beatles, Elvis Presley and now Michael Jackson, I found Elvis Presley to be the most enjoyable. DOP : 12th February 2012

MORE VARIOUS ARTISTS CDS

More various artists collections here. Some of these are bona file collection that the record companies take pain to compile while some are complied with one thing in mind, money. Nevertheless they are all good value for money.

BUDGET LINE SERIES : MERCURY COLLECTION :  Initially I bought this for 'A Groovy Kind Of Love' and 'Sea Of Love' but of course since then I've had these two songs in various CD. There's ‘Do It Or Die' by Atlanta Rhythm Section and 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye' by Steam. 'Shadow Dancing' and 'Venus' are also here. All are originals. DOP : 25th December 1993.

THE BEST OF ORIGINAL HITS : Without a doubt, the best song here is Timothy B. Schmit's 'So Much In Love', which I've discovered when I bought this CD. I like Bette Midler's ' Night And Day' too which was not included in her greatest hits CD. And then there is 'Beautiful Girl' by Jose Mari Chan. This is not a budget price CD. Paid in full but well worth it. DOP : 12th June 1994.

EAST WEST UNION VOL. 2 : This is an odd collection. The songs alternate between Chinese songs and English songs. There's the original version of 'I Can Love You Like That' by John Michael Montgomery which was made famous by Men 2 Boys who also covered  his 'I Swear'. 'Masterpiece' and 'Don't Know Much' are also here but my favorite here is the old Joe South's 'Games People Play' by Inner Circle. DOP : 4th August 2003.





SOMETHING EAST SOMETHING WEST : This is another queer one. I bought it for its queerness. This is a double CD with one CD made up of Mandarin songs that have no connection whatsoever with the other CD which is make up of Western songs that includes '25 Minutes', 'It Must Have Been Love', 'You Needed Me','Circle In The Sand', etc. 12 songs in all. The same with the Mandarin songs. Initially, I thought there were the Mandarin version of the Western songs but nope, they weren't and so I was left with this queer CD but at RM 9.00, I'm not complaining. DOP : 28th December 2012.



BEST OF MOVIE HITS : Like the title suggested the songs here are all from various movies and most of them are not the usual songs that you find in other compilations. There's 'Shy Guy' from Diana King, 'Hazy Shade Of Winter' by The Bangles, 'Brown Eyed Girl' by Van Morrison and 'Take My Breath Away' by Berlin. The well known songs are 'Oh Pretty Woman', 'Footloose' and 'When I Fall In Love' by Celine Dion and Clive Griffin. DOP : 25th May 1996.

 PURE MOVIES : This one s much better. The perfect CD to place in your player when you are going on a trip. 'Love Is All Around', 'How Deep Is Your Love', Lady In Red', and 'Up Where We Belong'. For better value for money there's even 'Unchained Melody', 'Dream A Little Dream Of Me', 'Flashdance', and ' I Just Called To Say I Love You'. DOP : 10th July 1996.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST ATTRACTION OF THE DISCO ERA

In the late seventies, one of the most unlikely groups to top the charts were Boney M. I love Boney M. They were a manufactured group that was formed by Frank Farian who was the brain behind it all. They were also one of the disco oriented pop acts which dominated the European Charts throughout the late seventies and early eighties, with a string of hits still remembered to this day. I saw them performed once in a shopping complex but they were way past their sell by date then.

GOLD : 20 SUPER HITS : Looking at the titles, one couldn't help being excited  anticipating more than an hours of enjoyable music. But hold your horses, 'cos this is one time when quantity definitely loses out to quality. Most of the songs here are edited versions. While not all of them are noticeable to the normal ears, it's quite obvious to me. All their big hits can be found here. 'Their first hit 'Daddy Cool', right through 'Sunny" 'Rasputin', 'Brown Girl In The Ring' 'Rivers Of Babylon' and one of the biggest Christmas hit of all time 'Mary's Boy Child ' Oh My Lord'. There's even a mega mix of 'Rivers Of Babylon / Sunny / Daddy Cool / Ma Baker / Rasputin thrown in for good measure. Strictly for casual fans. DOP : 18th March 1994.

MORE GOLD : 20 SUPER HITS. VOL. 2 :  More of the same. The gems here are ' Bahama Mama', 'I See A Boat On The River' and 'Ribbons Of Blue'. One thing I can never forgive the record companies was the way they've butchered one of my favourite Boney M's song 'I'm Born Again'. This was a beautiful song with gospel overture but they've edited it so brutally that even the key and tune are not in the same beat. My favourite song and I can't even bear to listen to it. There are also a new version of 'Ma Baker ( Remix '93 )' and four new songs. DOP : 2nd April 1994. A gift from Miss Rebecca



THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS SONGS IN THE WORLD : This time the title says just exactly what it mean. This really is the most beautiful Christmas songs of all. Beautifully arranged and sung by the current top group of them all, 'Oh Christmas Tree', 'Joy To The World', ' When A Child Is Born' and their smash hit 'Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord'. This is however a slightly altered version from the record version which I have. Their version of 'Feliz Navidad'  here is inferior than the version on the record. Somehow it lacked the bite that's on the record, which sounded more urgent with a pounding beat. Still, this is an enjoyable CD and  a more beautiful Christmas CD you'll be hard pressed to find. DOP : 23rd January 1999.

RIVERS OF BABYLON : PRESENTING...BONEY M : I bought this for the original and unedited version of the songs. Almost all the hits are here. 'Rivers Of Babylon', 'Ma Baker', 'Daddy Cool' and 'Belfast'. The cream of the crop is a more than 7 minutes version of 'Rasputin ( 12" Version )' and a near 9 minutes version of 'Gadda-Da-Vida ( 12" version )'. This is the way disco music should be heard, unedited. DOP : 22nd June 2008.






ULTIMATE BONEY M : LONG VERSIONS & RARITIES : Yet another Boney M CD. This one contains all the extended versions of their hits including 'Help! Help!' by Gilla which I've always suspected to be Boney M in disguise 'cos it sounds suspiciously like them. Most of the songs here are in the other CDs that I've have but in the longer versions. The extended version of 'Help! Help!' however does not improved on the shorter original. Matter of fact, the original is much better. The rest of the tracks 'Rivers Of Babylon', Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord', 'Gotta Go Home', 'Bahama Mama' and 'I See A Boat On The River' never sounded so good. Still after having 5 Boney M's CD, I am still missing one classic song. The simply wonderful 'Plantation Boy'. Sign. I don't understand why they left this song out after so many compilation. I am willing to buy a whole CD just for this song. DOP : 11th September 2008.

CDS DESIGN TO BRING OUT THE CHILD IN YOU

Sometimes there are artists who carter for the children or the child in us. A lot of artists have songs that appeal to children. The Beatles too have many songs that recalls to the child in us.

THE ROLF HARRIS COLLECTION : Rolf Harris is a real entertainer in every sense of the word. I remember seeing him on television. He sings, he acts, he jokes and most of all he paints from scratch. This CD which I got someone to buy for me from Australia is a real rare CD. You'll find Rolf Harris in many moods. For the children there's his unofficial Australia anthem 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport', the hilarious 'I've Lost My Mummy', the character which he played in his TV series ' Jack The Peg' which could just killed you with laughter. On the serious side, he have ' Two Little Boys' and the touching 'Hurry Home'. Only song missing criminally is the oh so beautiful 'English Country Garden'. Somehow the exclusion of this fine song rendered this CD not so essential for me. Look up this song from the net. I promise it's worth your while. DOP : 31st Marach 2003.

RAY STEVENS CHRISTMAS : THROUGH A DIFFERENT WINDOW : Ray Stevens is another singer who speclises in novelty songs. His songs like 'Bridget The Midget' , 'The Streak' were bit hits in their days. He, did however managed to produced a big serious smash in 'Everything Is Beautiful'. This Christmas album is unlike any other Christmas you can find in the market. Titles like 'Guilt For Christmas', 'I Won't Be Home For Christmas', and 'Nightmare Before Christmas' will ensure that this is a Christmas CD with a different. My favorite is hilarious 'The Little Drummer Boy Next Door'. Word of advice : Don't listen to this with a full stomach, you may just throw up with laughter. This was a CD I got on discount. DOP : 9th May 2005.

HAVE YOURSELF A LOONEY TUNES CHRISTMAS : Well, like what the titles suggested, this is a Christmas CD with songs, some new and some traditional being sung by your favorites cartoon characters. Given the cartoons format and contents, I was expecting some mindless fun with this CD. Unfortunately I couldn't detect any element of fun at all here. Incredibly it's pretty boring. Thankfully I got this on discount or else I'll be pulling my hair in exasperation. DOP : 5th June 2011.

CHRISTMAS AT HOME : Now this is more like it. At least you got the Christmas spirit here with this CD. Donald Duck, Goofy and the rest of the gang at Disney sharing vocals on such Christmas classics like  ' Deck The Hall', 'White Christmas' and the ever reliable 'The Twelve  Days Of Christmas'. It would have been swell had it all be Donald and the gangs but unfortunately, probably due to the non professionalism of the people involved in the making of this CD, Donald and his friends only sang until the 5th tracks. After that it's all children's vocal till the end. A rip off I would say but I'll settle for the first five tracks. DOP : 15th Novembere 2012.

THE MEN AND THEIR GUITARS

Singers with a guitar in hand have always fascinate me. The pose, think Elvis Presley, Bryan Adams, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen and George Michael in his video Faith. The followings are the CD of the guitar men that I have in my possession.

NEIL YOUNG GREATEST HITS : I like Neil Young from the songs that I heard sung by other artists such as Linda Ronstadt's 'Love Is A Rose', The New Seekers' 'Dance, Dance, Dance' and Nicolette Larson's 'A Lotta Love'. As for Neil Young himself, I was not familiar with his work at all and  'Heart Of Gold' is the only one I know. So given his reputation, I bought this CD with big expectation. Regretfully, none of the songs that the other artists sang were here. And unfortunately still, being new and unfamiliar to Neil Young, the first two tracks, 'Down By The River' and 'Cowgirl In The Sand' were close to 10 minutes long. Quite a task for any body to listen to. So verdict, this CD falls way short of my expectation. Only track I like is 'Heart Of Gold'. DOP : 28th January 2009.

YESTERDAY, TODAY , TOMORROW : THE GREATEST HITS OF KENNY LOGGINS : I first became aware of Kenny Loggins from his partnership with Jim Messina. Since Kenny Loggins went solo, nothing much was heard of Jim Messina. There's not much I like here except for his smash hit 'Footloose'. and 'Danger Zone' from the movie Top Gun. The other worthy track here is 'For The First Time', a beautiful ballad from the movie 'One Fine Day', starring Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney. DOP : 18th June 2007.

BRYAN ADAMS : SO FAR SO GOOD : Now Bryan Adams I like. He knows just what button to push, which string to pull to have you rooting for him. His mega hit from the Kevin Costner starred movie "Robin Hood, Prince Of Thieves" '( Everything I Do ) I Do It For You' and his follow up 'Please Forgive Me' testified to this.  Before this two songs, I know not much of Bryan Adams. From this CD, I've discovered gems like 'Summer Of '69", 'Straight From The Heart' and 'Heaven'. This CD is not complete though. Before long, he came up with 'Have You Ever Loved A Woman' which regretfully is not here. I have it in other form though. Bryan Adams is a pro with it comes to portrait with a guitar. Pity this cover does not show that. DOP : 18th December 1993. 

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN GREATEST HITS : I was got to know Bruce Springsteen through other artists' interpretation of his songs. The Pointer Sisters' 'Fire', The Hollies ' Sandy ( 4th July, Asbury Park ) and the songs performed by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. I would love to have Bruce Springsteen performing this few songs here but unfortunately he didn't. Still, this is quite an enjoyable CD, the favorites being 'Hungry Heart', 'Dancing In The Dark' and 'Born In The U.S.A.". A single CD just do not do Bruce Springsteen justice at all. Here's hoping for a Volume Two of this CD from The Boss. DOP : 19th March 1995.


JOHN MELLENCAMP : THE BEST THAT I CAN DO. 1979 - 1988 : John Mellencamp started out as a Bruce Springsteen clone but somehow managed to find his own place in rock history. His two smashes of 1982 'Hurt So Good' and 'Jack And Diana' are worth the price of this CD. However, apart from these two greats, the other tracks like 'I Need A Lover', 'Ain't Even Done With The Night', 'Crumblin' Down' and Pink Houses' are as good as it get. All in all, a winner all the way. DOP : 3rd December 1997.



THE BEST OF DARYL HALL + JOHN OATES : LOOKING BACK :  Two guys with guitars. I was never into Daryl Hall and John Oates but I do prided myself in recognizing a great song when I heard one. I remember liking 'Every Time You Go Away' before Paul Young nicked the song for himself and turned it into a mega hits. Other songs that I quite like here are 'Kiss On My List' their version of 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling' and 'Maneater'. DOP : 5th January 1992.

 RICHARD MARX : BALLADS ( THEN, NOW AND FOREVER ) Richard Marx started his career with the classic "Right Here Waiting'. He followed that up with 'Hazard', a song about racist and murder, and then the guaranteed girl pleaser, 'Now And Forever'.  My sister-in-law have this song played at her wedding again and again till I wanna scream. Just in case you don't get the message, there's another version of this song here, live. After these three songs, he was off the radar. I've a fondness for song with a girl's name but 'Angelia' somehow sounded rather forced for me. I much preferred the two covers that he've included as 'new' songs. The Tom Jones' hit '( It Looks Like ) I'll Never Fall In Love Again' and Elvis Presley's 'Can't Help Falling In Love'. DOP : 28th January 1995.