In brief, here's what I got from this book:
1) Politicians (from Bush to Clinton) are all controlled by party agendas and do NOT have lily-white records.

2) Dishonest/slanted news reporting is not good for the country

3) The rise of secularism and the decline of religion in our society has resulted in explosions in illegtimate births, drug use, and crime among other things (as a high school teacher, I have experienced some of this first hand in our nation's youth, and I'm not even that religous)

4) The Catholic Church dropped the ball in a big way in its coverup of pedophelia amongst its clergy (anybody who disagrees with this assessment should seek counseling)

5) It's irresponsible for defense lawyers to knowingly and enthusiastically defend someone whom they KNOW is guilty of a serious crime.

6) You have a Constitutional right to be a moron as long as you are willing to accept the consequences

This is just the tip of the iceberg. The point I'm trying to make is that very little in this book is deserving of the harsh personal attacks against O'Reilly I've seen in some of these interviews. Hell, he even calls Bush on the WMD issue!

It is my belief that the vast majority of one-star reviewers haven't even read the book. They just see the name "Bill O'Reilly" and immediately sharpen the critical knives. If you pinheads want to bash the book, then you need to read it first! Some of the so-called "reviewers" here even claim that they bought the book, read it, and were completely offended by it! My response to those people is this: most ACTUAL readers of this book are already familiar with O'Reilly's style and should in no way be "shocked" or "outraged" by this book's contents.

Many of these reviews are the equivalent of me "reviewing" Michael Moore's latest "work" without reading it and decrying it as hysterical left-wing tripe. Well, I HAVEN'T read it and I will NOT pass judgement on the book, although I think that Moore himself is a spoiled, whiny, uninformed hack (based on seeing him in interviews and at the Oscars). I'm not going to review his book based on that view, though, and I believe that Who's Looking Out for You shouldn't be judged in the same manner.

To close, this book is essential reading for anybody honestly concerned about the direction in which the country is headed. If you are a far-left, close-minded Frankenlover, then don't bother.

Also, I have always believed, even when I was a registered Democrat, that the Clintons (especially Hillary) were grandstanding attention mongers (being from Arkansas, I spent a lifetime listening to the drivel spewed from their mouths over the years).

What I've heard in so many of the "1-Star" interviews has nothing to do with the merits of the book itself. It has to do with the vicous ramblings of desperate liberals who, in the immortal words of Nicholson, "can't handle the truth."

Yes, the truth may be presented in a manner which many may find shrill or even offensive, but GET OVER IT!! If you hate Sean Hannity so much, why are you reading the book!? Actually, I don't think that 90% of the negative reviewers here actually DID read the book.

It's fine to disagree but some of the shrill, vicous reviewers here are only serving to further alienate liberals from the rest of the population (please refer to the recent CA recall for a prime example).

Cheers!

I first tested my new speakers without the Powerbar. Later, I hooked up the powerbar, plugged all of my components into it, and listened again. The difference in audio quality was immediately noticeable. There was enhanced clarity in the mid- and high ranges and the bass was much deeper and more defined. Next, I tried the television picture. Again, the clarity of the picture was remarkable (as was the clarity of the DVD picture).

Finally, I tried radio reception. While there was slight difference in clarity in the FM stations, the AM stations came in CRYSTAL CLEAR, with absolutely zero interference from the TV or air conditioner.

All of this in addition to the enhanced protection from severe power surges. If there was any negative criticism at all, it would be the sheer length of the power stip itself (almost 2 feet long), which is necessary to effectively separate the audio protection from the video protection.

All in all, though, definitely worth the investment!

Disc One is hyped as containing unreleased stereo masters from the 50s. In reality, the tracks are primitive binaural mixes of songs from his first gospel album and the movies "Jailhouse Rock" and "Loving You". In addition, these are not and were never intended to be master recordings. They were backups recorded on a two-track machines. Most egregious is the inclusion of 3 versions of "Young and Beautiful", 2 versions of "I Want to Be Free", 2 versions of "Treat Me Nice", 2 versions of "Loving You", and 2 versions of "Don't Leave Me Now" (none of which were exactly standouts in Elvis' recording career). In all, disc one boasts only 14 actual songs.

Disc Two "treats" the listener to 25 alternate versions of songs from Elvis' first 4 post-army films. While not really bad, there is nothing here that's particularly memorable. One should check out the 2-CD -Command Performances- for better renditions of his 60's movie songs.

Disc Three, the strongest of the four, contains highlights from Elvis' Nashville sessions of 1960-1967. Unfortunately, the best outtakes from this era are available elsewhere (Disc 5 of the stunning -From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential 60s Masters I- box set and the criminally out-of-print -Such a Night: The Essential Elvis, Vol. 6-). Highlights include the bouncy "Make Me Know It" as well as "Marie's the Name" and the pre-comeback "U.S. Male"

Disc 4 consists of a complete 1972 performance from San Antonio, Texas, excerpts of which were included in the film "Elvis on Tour". Unfortunately, this was not a particularly good night for Elvis. He sounds tired, distracted, and not a little bored. Much better examples of Elvis live in '72 can be found on the exciting -An Afternoon at the Garden- and the -Burning Love- compilation. There is one stunning exception, however. Towards the end of the show, Elvis launches into a rough-and-tumble version of "Burnin' Love", which at the time of this concert had yet to be released. Other than that, there's nothing remotely memorable here.

On the plus side, the entire box boasts crystal clear sound and well-written, thorough liner notes. That is not enough, however, to hide the fact that, with this release, BMG has begun a slide into a level of blatant Elvis exploitation not seen since the late '70s. Pass this one up.

The packaging of this set is wonderful, easily the surpassing that of the Concepts and Complete Reprise Studio Recordings sets. Since this box was released in the early '90s, we have the music packaged in 12 jewel cases (say what you will about today's extravagant packaging, the immortal jewel case is still the most practical packaging method) and is accompanied by a hardcover book which gives wonderfully detailed session information. This alone would make this box set a treasure chest for the Sinatra collector. It also boasts wonderfully remastered sound, not noticeably improved by subsequent late-90s remasterings of some of this material. The sound here is about as good as it gets. Now to the music itself....

I must stand by my prevoius opinion of Sinatra's Columbia recordings. They are definitely the most dated and least interesting of his career. That doesn't mean they're bad, though. The Voice is there. Like another teen idol who would rise to superstardom in the 1950s, Frank can take even the worst dreck (ie. "Mam'selle", "The Tennessee Newsboy") soar with his incredible singing. And this is where the main problem lies. Under the mismanagement of Columbia uberproducer Mitch Miller, Sinatra was subjected to some of the worse material written in the 1940s and early 1950s. And it's all hear in its bleeding eardrum glory. Of course, there are also many, many great songs with great performances. Two versions of the immortal "Nancy (with the Smiling Face)", the stunning patriotic recitation "The House I Live In", and the early swinger "Saturday Night (is the Loneliest Night of the Week)" just to name a few.

Other notable performances are a strong early recording of "Soliloquy" (re-recorded by Sinatra in 1963) and a surprisingly strong "The Birth of the Blues" from one of his last Columbia sessions.

Do not expect to hear the classic swinging Sinatra of the '50s and '60s in this collection. The vast majority of these recordings are standard 1940's-era big band balladry which serve to date this box set much more than other Sinatra collections. It's not until discs 11 and 12 where we start to hear what Sinatra will give the world during the Capitol years of the 1950s.

This is definitely NOT a set for someone just getting into Sinatra. Newcomers to his Columbia music will be better served by either the 4-CD Best of the Columbia Years or the new "remastered" (but doncha believe it) single-disc Essential Frank Sinatra (The Columbia Years).

Granted, there are some great, great songs here. "Migration", "Tin Cup Chalice", and "Havana Daydreamin'" perfectly capture the careless hedonism of early Buffett while the oft-overlooked "Cowboy in the Jungle" and "Fins" represent the late-70s country-pop star in his prime. Even the 80s are well-represented with "Coconut Telegraph", "We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us About" (another overlooked gem from 1983), and "Last Mango in Paris". The 90's are represented with quite possibly his finest songs from that decade ("Schoolboy Heart" and "Fruitcakes")

There are some questionable song choices, though. "Creola" is long, meandering, and, quite honestly, boring. "Floridays" would have been a much better track. "Bob Robert's Society Band" shows Buffett being mellow almost to the point of being comatose.

The re-recordings are what really sink this set. With the stunning exception of "Saxophones", none of these tracks come close to improving on the originals. "Son of a Son of a Sailor" suffers mightily from a sappy monologue at the beginning followed by a clumsy duet with a female singer. Not good. The re-recordings of "He Went to Paris" and "Knees of My Heart" are adequate, but what's the point of trying to improve on perfection? The most egregious offender of all is the faux-reggae disaster of "In the Shelter". This is Jimmy's third studio recording of the song (1971, 1977, and now 2003) and this is by far his worst. A lovely country-folk tune has now become a calypso nightmare straight from the 80s. Again, not good.

The two new songs (actually covers) also leave much to be desired. Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'" was done to much better effect by Harry Nilsson back in the late 60s. WARNING!!! Do NOT judge "Sail On Sailor" as a song using Jimmy's recording! He sounds like a middle school choirboy reading the lyrics from a lyricsheet. No feeling at all! His version pales in comparison to the Beach Boys original from 1973. Check it out if you ever get the chance.

Over all, this is a fairly pleasant collection to listen to if you can get past the unnecessary re-recordings. Newcomers should probably just pass this one by and dive right in with "Boats Beaches Bars Ballads".

Great book! The CDs, though, are tightly packed in cheap cardboard slipcases in the cover. The CDs are guaranteed to get scratched as you sweat and struggle to remove them. You can do one of three things: Place the CDs in standard jewel cases, make backup copies, or both (like I did). This is too great an investment to needless damage the CDs just by taking them out of the package.

Several of early the tracks feature only Mick Jagger backed by some quality session men cutting Jagger/Richards demos for other artists (The heavily orchestrad "Out of Time" is the most famous example of this). In fact, there is really nothing notable on this disc until Track 10, a stunning cover of Stevie Wonder's "I Don't Know Why", reputedly recorded the night Brian Jones died. Other highlights include "Jiving Sister Fanny", a hilarious bit of southern boogie and "Downtown Suzie", a good natured acoustic romp courtesy of Bill Wyman (it really should have made the final cut for Beggar's Banquet).

On the down side, we have "Sleepy City" which sounds like a third-rate Beach Boys knockoff and a rushed, almost robotic-sounding take of "Memo from Turner". The closer, "I'm Going Down", is a fantastic piece of rock and roll (originally recorded for Let it Bleed in 1969) ruined by a horrible mix which renders the vocals all but inaudible.

As for sound quality: INCREDIBLE!!!

In the end, this will be a highly welcome addition to any hard-core Stones fan's collection (like me).

It's ILLEGAL for an insurance company to change coverage on a patient without first notifying that patient. With this in mind, there are at least two scenarios....

1) Mr. Archibald realizes this and threatens to file a lawsuit. IN THE REAL WORLD, this would most likely result in an extremely rapid settlement resulting in full coverage for the kid's transplant.
OR
2) It was clearly stated in Archibald's policy that he would be demoted to Tier Two coverage when he dropped under a specified work load. Now, obviously, John was aware that he was no longer working 40 hours a week. If he was familiar with his policy (ie. took the time to read it), he should have understood his position before the crisis which forms the basis of this movie.

That said, this joke of a movie ignores reality and trades it for almost two hours of shameless, sickening propaganda. Wealthy heart recipients are portrayed as uncaring morons while John Q, the totally irresponsible center of the story, is suddenly worshipped by the trampled masses for "taking the law into his own hands". Also, any authority figure (police, hospital administrator, etc.)is represented as a heartless ogre. Give me a break!

The whole premise of the pathetic excuse for a movie is that EVERYBODY is entitled to free or reduced healthcare. Never mind that "John Q" by all rights should have known beforehand that his son's transplant would not be covered. Only noted TV pinhead Bill Mahr makes the point towards the end of the movie that government health care would come from OUR POCKETS.

Before anybody starts to accuse me of hating this movie because I disagree with it, I want to point out that I love MASH (movie and series), Bruce Springsteen, and many other entertainment media which I disagree with ideologically. I watch movies and listen to music to be entertained. The reason John Q fails so miserably is its heavy-handed and unrealistic approach. It also plays the movie-seeing public as a bunch of unthinking chumps (which may unfortunately be true after reading some of the previous reviews).

Canada has universal health care, but how many Canadians do you hear bragging about it? How many Canadians end up moving to America to escape the Candadian health care system. Look it up, you may be surprised.

Finally

Surprisingly, most of the recordings hold up well. The obvious highlight is the 1956 live Little Rock recording on disc one. Also noteworthy are 1959 home recording of "The Fool" (recorded by Elvis some 11 years later for Elvis Country) and a spectacular 1969 live recording of "Funny How Time Slips Away".

Mostly, though, these alternate takes don't really sound that different from the released masters. In several cases, these takes are significantly inferior to the released versions. Examples include a plodding take of "The Next Step is Love" and a simply pathetic early take of "For the Heart", which gives credence to the popular argument that late-period Elvis was a doped-up has-been (This is NOT the case! Just listen to the Moody Blue and Promised Land CDs). And then there are the miserable-sounding (quality-wise) takes of "Doncha Think It's Time" and "Got a Lot of Livin' to Do" which add absolutely nothing to any understanding of Elvis' 50's material.

Finally, I would like to point out that, although this is at least 3rd "alternate" take that has been released in recent years, the recording of "In the Ghetto" presented here is at least as good as the original master.

Over all, this recording will go a long way towards pleasing hard-core fans (like myself). Everybody else, however, would probably be well advised to pass this one by.

As far as single-disc collections go, this is not bad. Yes, everybody out there could probably think of a song that should have been included, but, with five strong studio albums, one has to pick and choose when making selections. My personal gripes are the afore-mentioned absence of "Don't Do It" and the presence of the weak cover of "Ain't Go No Home" in the place of the great "Mystery Train" from Moondog Matinee.

This collection works for two groups of people. It's ideal for those who own nothing by The Band and have no idea where to begin. There have been many comments about the heavy leaning of the set towards the first three albums. This is justified in that The Band recorded their strongest material on those three albums. After all, who would want a Dylan compilation with equal numbers of tracks from Blonde on Blonde and Under the Red Sky? All of their "hits" are here in one handy little package.

The second group (I'm included in this category) consists of those people who want a quick road trip CD. This really is a great, concise CD to play when you're on a trip with people who have (gasp!) never really heard The Band.

It's almost guaranteed that most who hear this collection will want to delve deeper into The Band's catalog. After all, every one of their studio albums has something to offer. So, instead of overly criticizing this collection, we should be encouraging people to give this a spin. Who knows where it could lead from there...

As far as modern so-called country music goes, this isn't a bad album. Unfortunately, that's not really saying a whole lot. What once set Garth apart from the rest of the pack was his ability to sing AND WRITE memorable songs. With each new album, he relies more and more on Nashville hacks. It's reached the point now where he is virtually indistinguishable from the slew of annoyingly untalented hat acts that have crept out of the woodwork in the last ten years.

Again, let me point out that this is NOT a bad album. It's just not up to the high standard that he set back in the early '90s. Believe it or not, I am also a big Garth fan. But I will not automatically give every one of his new releases 5 stars like so many of the other reviewers. Maybe he has another groundbreaking album in him, maybe he doesn't. _Scarecrow_ is definitely not one. I expected more from him after a four-year absence (not counting the Chris Gaines fiasco).

Oh, and haven't we heard this "I'm retiring after my next album" stuff before. I think so...

For those unwilling to buy multiple compilations featuring Gram's music(including a pricey Byrds box set), this is the best place to get the cream of the crop.

First, the oft-neglected 1967 International Submarine recordings and his 1970's solo recordings are presented in sparkling remastered splendor. Second, most of the tracks that were recorded with the Byrds are present in their original Gram-sung mixes (instead of the inferior rehearsals and alternate takes which plagued the reissue of Sweethearts of the Rodeo)

A problem this reviewer often has with multi-disc compilations is that perfectly worthy tracks often neglected. That's not the case with this collection. All the best of Gram Parsons is here, including the highlights of his work with the ISB, the Byrds, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Not a single great Parsons song was left off.

Finally, the package includes a stylishly put-together booklet stuffed with rare photos, a brief biography, and track-by-track information.

Whether you're a casual listener wanting to introduce yourself to the birth of so-called "country-rock" or a fan of Parsons, this compilation is an essential addition to your music library.

The original 1970 release contained six rock masterpieces which showed the rough side of the Who. Amazingly, given the growing public appetite for garish double live albums that was beginning to gain momentum at this time, the original Live at Leeds album was not even thirty minutes long. It was this release that came to be known as perhaps the greatest album ever recorded.

In 1995, the original album was generously expanded to over twice its original length with the restoration of performances form the concert which showed the poppier and more experimental sides of the Who. It also sounded better than ever. This beautiful release only increased this album's already giant stature.

Now in 2001, we get the "deluxe edition" of this classic which now contains the complete performance of Tommy from this same show. One could debate the placement of Tommy out of its original performance sequence by placing the entire thing on disc two, but I don't really think that this is a problem.

Personally, while I have always had a great amount of respect for Pete Townshend's first masterpiece, I've always considered it overblown, pretentious, and slightly dated (I've always considered Quadrophenia to the the better of the two).

On its own merits, the previous incarnations of Live at Leeds were perfect albums for anyone with more than a passing interest in rock and roll or the blues. It is therefore appropriate that the original tracks be relegated to disc one. It makes for easier listening. These same casual fans may not really appreciate the pomp of Tommy on disc 2(although, in all fairness, it IS a really good performance).

In short, casual fans will definitely be more appreciative of the non-Tommy tracks and may be better served by purchasing the less expensive '95 reissue.

With 36 previously unreleased tracks, this box is a virtual gold mine for the serious (and not-so-serious) Buffalo Springfield fan. Perhaps the biggest deal for this reviewer was the unearthing of a multitude of pristine Neil Young demos. The most notable of these are the heart-wrenching "There Goes My Babe" from 1966, the proto-"Broken Arrow" track "Down Down Down", "The Rent is Always Due" from 1967, and the practically unrecognizable 1967 demo of "The Old Laughing Lady" (later to resurface on Neil Young's epynomous solo debut).

The first three discs basically present a chronological musical history of the band from its earliest demos in 1966 to Stephen Stills' April 1968 demo of "Four Days Gone". In between are contained a slew of unreleased demos and studio recordings, several of which were recorded for the infamous unreleased second Buffalo Springfield album.

There are a few major flaws/problems that need to be addressed, however. First, if you're going to spend the better part of ten years working on a collection like this, you should at least take care to get song running times correct. For example, "Broken Arrow" on disc 3 is listed as 2:40, which suggests that this could in fact be a significantly shorter alternate version of the song. Oops! Same recording, wrong running time.

Next comes perhaps the most controversial aspect of this collection: The complete first two albums presented in their original running order, resulting in the repetition of 23 tracks. Personally, I think that, on its own merits, this is a great idea. But, if your going to have "Bluebird" on there twice, why not present it on disc two in its legendary 9-minute version instead of the standard version repeated on disc 4? Yeah, I know that Neil and Stephen both hate it, but what about the fans? Also, the first album is presented on disc 4 in its original mono mix. This is great, but why not place the stereo mixes of these tracks on discs 1 and 2? At least this would have reduced the pain of repetition.

Finally, why not include the missing three songs from _Last Time Around_ if only for completion's sake? There was certainly enough room left on disc 3 to do this.

At the end of the day, is this box set really worth the hefty price tag? Given the reduncancy of disc three, probably not. Had this collection not been on sale for $44.99 at another retailer who shall remain nameless, I probably would not have rushed out to buy it. The music, however, is undeniably wonderful.

Now for the critique...

The compilers pretty much culled all of the essential tracks from their album as the Iveys and from their first album as Badfinger (except for maybe "Crimson Ship" from _Magic Christian Music_) The same goes for the tracks from their second album, _No Dice_. One can never tire of the likes of "No Matter What" or "We're for the Dark". The inclusion of the "rare""I'll Be the One" is a nice surprise.

The selections from _Straight Up_ and _Ass_ are, however, highly suspect. Yes, we have "Day After Day", "Baby Blue" (simply the best power-pop song ever recorded by anyone), and "When I Say". But what possessed the producers to replace the majestic piano-driven _Straight Up_ take of "Name of the Game" with a highly inferior guitar-based recording from the same sessions? This is NOT the way for the casual listener to be introduced to such a great song!

As for _Ass_, why does Capitol insist on mistreating this highly underrated album so much?! First, they choose not to reissue it in the U.S., then they practically ignore it on this collection. "When I Say" is a great song, but what about "Apple of My Eye", "I Can Love You", or "Timeless"?

The big news here, of course, is the inclusion of several WB tracks, all of which are worth the price of admission, especially "Love Time" and the stunning medley "Meanwhile at the Ranch/Should I Smoke".

I recommend this collection to anyone who's never really heard Badfinger aside from there few hits. From here, though, the listener is advised to check out their individual albums, especially _Straight Up_, _Ass_ (good luck!), and _Wish You Were Here_.

The songs on this collection range from the extremely light-hearted ("Odds and Ends", "Ruben Remus") to the sinister ("Clothes Line Saga") with stops at every point in between. This is a great teaser for the true treasures which lie unearthed in the vaults.

Unfortunately, _The Basement Tapes_ also represent a botched opportunity. With so much quality material as yet unreleased, why did Columbia succomb to Robbie Robertson's re-writing of history? The eight tracks performed by the Band on this album are not true Basement Tapes. They are polished studio recordings intentionally "lo-fied" to give the impression that they were recorded in a basement. The Band tracks are good but they have no business being here. By 1975, when this collection was first released, The Band no longer needed Bob Dylan as a crutch, which makes the inclusion of these tracks all the more puzzling.

For those of you who don't have a lot of money to spend, _The Basement Tapes_ MAY serve to whet your appetite for these legendary recordings. A much more accurate snapshot of these sessions, however, can be found on the _Genuine Basement Tapes_ bootleg (if you have about a hundred bucks just lying around, that is).

Let us start by defending this set. For twenty years, it has been unfairly maligned by such "authorities" as Rolling Stain magazine (Anybody ever read the original review? Ruthless!) This collection is not bad. We get such milestone events as Elvis' disasterous first Vegas appearance from 1956 and the USS Arizona Memorial Benefit show from 1961 (his last public performance until 1969). From a strictly historical point of view, these recordings are essential for almost any Elvis maniac.

Other high points include highlights from Elvis' 1969-72 Vegas appearances (including the most hysterical version of "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" ever committed to tape) and a "complete" 1975 Elvis show from Dallas, TX, which demonstrates that he could still conjure up some onstage energy late in his career.

This collection is also the only place to find the 1977 single version "Unchained Melody", a vastly superior version than the one which opens the _Moody Blue_ album.

This set is far from perfect, however. The USS Arizona Benefit recording suffers from at times dismal sound quality while the "Movie Years" portion of the set is entirely dispensable apart from Elvis' studio cutups. The "TV Specials" section is confusingly assembled. For example, we get "Welcome to My World" (1973) followed by a powerful 1977 performance of "Trying to Get to You" after which we go back to 1973 with "I'll Remember You." This section would have been much more effective if it had been presented in chronological order.

Finally, many of the "lost singles" on Disc 3 are no longer lost and can be found on better compiled, less pricey collections than this.

In the end, this is not the disaster that many music critics have declared it. Nor is it the masterpiece that others have hailed it. It is simply another middle-tier Elvis compilation.

The 1989-90 Flowers in the Dirt Tour was Paul's grand opportunity to announce he was back and to warmly embrace his musical past (compare with the Beach Boys in the early '70s). With its winning mixture of 60's, 70's, and 80's hits, _Tripping_ successfully ushered McCartney into the 90's.

A mere three years later, we're presented with this, Paul's THIRD live album of the decade. With two relatively strong recent studio albums under his belt (_Flowers in the Dirt_ and _Off the Ground_), it should not have been hard to come up with a great live album of RECENT material. Instead, we get so-so reworkings of Paul's 60's and 70's hits (what happend to the 80's, Paul?) with nothing from _Flowers_ represented and a mere five tracks from _Off the Ground_ (compare with the Beach Boys in the mid-70's to the present). Of the _Off the Ground_ tracks, Paul even managed to choose the three worst songs from that album (WHY did you have to subject us to a second version of "Biker Like an Icon", Paul? Why?)

Even his choices of "classic" material are largely uninspired. "My Love" and "Live and Let Die" had already appeared on two other McCartney live albums and the performances of "Let Me Roll It", "All My Loving", "Michelle", and "Lady Madonna" are completely unmemorable.

Not that there aren't any highlights. "Magical Mystery Tour" and "Penny Lane" are delivered with energy while "Hope of Deliverence" and "C'Mon People" are actually two of the stronger tracks on _Off the Ground_.

At least the Rolling Stones have made attempts to pull some rarely-played gems from their catalog on their recent tours. Paul McCartney, like the Beach Boys, seems to have decided to lean almost exclusively on those classics which made him great. With the enormous size of his songbook, that's just too bad.

You can read about the Dust Bowl years in any American History book. But these songs actually take you there. Having grown up in Oklahoma (hardest hit dustbowl state) and having lived as a "Dustbowl Refugee", Woody Guthrie sang many of these songs from experience.

Woody takes you there with such harrowing tales as "The Great Dust Storm", "Dusty Old Dust", "Dust Bowl Refugee", and "Vigilante Man". Fortunately, Woody also had a sense of humor ("Talking Dust Bowl Blues").

Now to the burning question. Most of you who are reading this probably already own these same recordings on the out of print Rounder CD from the late '80s. Why should you buy them again? For the bonus track? Not really. While pleasant enough, the alternate take of "Talking Dust Bowl Blues" introduced here doesn't offer any revelations.

You should buy this for the remastering. There is hardly a crackle or a pop to be heard anywhere on here. The sound quality obviously isn't perfect, but it is an amazing improvement over the Rounder CD. It's almost as if you're in the room with Woody as he sings these tales to you.

Finally, Woody's original liner notes have been restored in all of there glory. These notes are as much a part of these recordings as the music itself.

This is simply the greatest collection of folk ballads ever assembled on one CD. Enjoy!

After the successes of Elvis' 1968 comback special and 1969 return to live performing, it was inevitable that something even bigger was going to happen. That something was the stunning live documentary film "Elvis: That's the Way it Is". A soundtrack album to the film was released in tandem with the film and for a long time stood as on of the highlights of Elvis' '70s career. Cut to thirty years later...

BMG has now released a "special edition" of _That's the Way it Is_. Instead of merely reissuing the original album with five or six bonus tracks, they have supplemented the original album with TWO DISCS of top notch unreleased performances.

The first twelve tracks on disc one are the original album remastered. Here, we have a stunning mixture of 1970 Nashville studio recordings and live Las Vegas recordings. Studio highlights include the pastoral "Mary in the Morning", "The Next Step is Love", the joyous "Stranger in the Crowd" and the glorious recording of Simon and Garfunkle's "Bridge Over Troubled Water". The live highlights are "I Just Can't Help Believin'" and an incredible rendition of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling".

Disc One is rounded out by seven additional performances which later turned up on _Love Letters from Elvis_ (1971) and _Elvis Now_ (1972). I was somewhat disappointed that they didn't include the studio versions of "I've Lost You" or "Patch it Up" but I guess I'll live...

Disc Two is the complete midnight performance from August 12, 1970. Finally, we have a complete document of one of Elvis' legendary 1970 concerts and it was worth the wait! This is now the best Elvis live album on the market. In addition to energetic and playful performances of "Hound Dog", "Heartbreak Hotel", and "I Was the One" (Elvis hadn't yet completely tired of performing these songs), we are treated to stunning renditions of "Walk a Mile in My Shoes", the Bee Gees' classic "Words", the swamp funk of "Polk Salad Annie" and thoroughly enjoyable medleys of "Mystery Train/Tiger Man" and "Little Sister/Get Back". This incredible performance was quite possibly never equalled before or after.

Disc Three starts off with nine additional concert performances from the summer of 1970. The undisputed highlight is the medley of "Don't Cry Daddy" and "In the Ghetto". On a humorous note, Elvis introduces "Twenty Days and Twenty Nights" by telling the audience that he doesn't really like the song, but will sing it because it's on the program.

The set closes with a series of rehearsals from summer, 1970, some of which were included in the "That's the Way it Is" film". Here, Elvis is extremely relaxed while running through some of his hits and more recent tracks with his band (minus orchestra and backup singers). Highlights include "It's Now or Never", "Such a Night", "Little Sister/Get Back", "Johnny B. Goode", and a slow bluesy take on "Santa Claus is Back in Town". On an interesting note, Elvis' arrangement of Leadbelly's classic "Cottonfields" sounds curiously similar to the Beach Boys recording of the same song the previous year.

Overall, this (along with the excellent _Elvis Country_ album) is the definitive document of Elvis in 1970. An essential purchase for any serious music fan.

_Levon Helm_ is a complete departure from the feel of his earlier albums. As the CD's liner note point out, this was Levon's most commercial recording to date. Unfortunatly, Levon's style does not translate well to the slick 80's production.

To make matters worse, there is not a single memorable song on this album. "Willie and the Hand Jive" is passable but it doesn't hold a candle to Eric Clapton's 1978 recording of the song. The telling "You Can't Win Them All" and "Lucrecia" are sub-par songs awash in overly slick electric guitars and echoed drum tracks.

Only one thing prevents _Levon Helm_ from being a one-star album: his voice. Even with the horrible production and lousy songs, the voice is THERE.

Overall, this is by far the weakest album to have Levon Helm's name on it. If you need your Levon fix, it is recommended that you try out _RCO All-Stars_ or _American Son_. Even better, check out the three '90s Band albums.

Unlike every other Monkees album, there is not one stinker on this beautifully executed hodge podge of songs, poems, and movie dialog. Micky Dolenz contributed the finest vocals of his career to the dreamy "Porpoise Song" and the wonderful "As We Go Along" while Mike Nesmith rocked as never before or since on the masterful "wall of sound" piece "Circle Sky".

Ultimately, though, it is the pair of songs written by Peter Tork which stand out the most. "Can You Dig It" (sung by Micky) is quite simply the finest Tork song ever laid to tape while the proto-metal "Do I Have To Do This All Over Again" is not far behind.

Some of the bits and pieces from the movie cannot be fully appreciated unless you've seen the movie, but ultimately this stands as perhaps the Monkees' finest recorded moment.

What does this set offer that _From Elvis in Memphis_ doesn't? Well, to begin with, tons of alternate takes. In addition to previously released alternates of "Suspicious Minds" and "In the Ghetto", the listener is treated to previously unreleased recordings of "Kentucky Rain", "I'm Movin' On", and "After Loving You", just to name a few.

There are also a number of previously released gems that were not included on the recent single-disc reissue. "Stranger in My Hometown" and the somewhat ridiculous "Rubberneckin'" are quite possibly the funkiest tracks that Elvis ever laid down. Other highlights not included on _From Elvis in Memphis_ are the lovely "And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind" and the majestic "This is the Story".

It's the numerous forgettable alternate takes that ultimately keep this from being a five-star collection. Who really needs to hear TWO versions of such relatively forgettable tracks like "Without Love", "You'll Think of Me" or "It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'"? The cover of the Beatles' "Hey Jude" is entertaining but sloppy and the incomplete (ie. 12 second-long) take of "Poor Man's Gold" is a complete waste of time.

Also, there's been a fair amount of criticism concerning the mixing of this collection. When the Beach Boys' immortal _Pet Sounds_ album was remixed and released in stereo for the first time a couple of years ago, there was a universal negative outcry from fans. The same thing happened when an echo effect was added to many of Elvis' sun sides in the mid-80's. These recordings are presented in their historically accurate mixes and should not be tampered with in any way. End of discussion.

In the end though, it's such classics as "Wearin' That Loved On Look", "Long Black Limousine", "In the Ghetto", "Suspicious Minds", and "Gentle on my Mind" (just to name a few!) that elevate this collection to its deserved reputation as some of the best music that Elvis ever recorded. Enjoy!

For example, do we really need yet another one-minute throwaway live version of "Hound Dog"? What about "Little Sister" or "A Big Hunk O' Love"? The answer to all of these is a resounding "NO!" The other live tracks (all recorded in Feb. 1972) included in this collection benefit from the fact that they were relatively new to Elvis' set list at the time. This results in performances of "You Gave Me a Mountain", "Never Been to Spain", and "An American Trilogy" which are vastly superior to the later versions of these songs included on _Live at Madison Square Garden_ and _Aloha From Hawaii_.

As for studio cuts, they range from abolutely outstanding ("Burning Love", "It's Only Love", "Always on My Mind) to forgettable ("I'm Leavin'", "For the Good Times", "It's a Matter of Time")

At the time the studio tracks were cut, Elvis' personal life was in the embryonic stages of the downward slide which would finally end on August 16, 1977. Not the least of these problems was the fact that Elvis' marriage was in deep trouble. Tracks such as "Fool", "Seperate Ways", "Always on My Mind", and especially "You Gave me a Mountain" brilliantly illustrate the pain that Elvis must have been feeling at the time. On the other hand, Elvis seems extremely distracted by these same problems on the weaker cuts on the CD.

Over all, this is easily the best overview of this period of Elvis' life.

The original 1970 release of _From Elvis in Memphis_ contained 12 tracks, with "In the Ghetto" as the torch-bearer. The new reissue pads the original 12 tracks with another 8 which were initially released as singles around the same time. The result is perhaps the best single Elvis CD ever released.

While the King is generally regarded as a "country boy", it is the R&B tracks which are most memorable. "Wearin' That Loved On Look" kicks off the proceedings with a fiery energy which sustains itself throughout the entire CD. "Long Black Limousine" and "Power of My Love" easily justify Elvis' title as the King of Rock n' Roll. These are the performances of a man reborn; a man eager to reclaim his place in the rock and roll hierarchy.

No Elvis record is complete without a country influence. This CD does more than satisfy. "It Keeps Right On a-Hurtin'" and "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road" both come across as heartfelt performances while Glen Campbell's "Gentle on My Mind" gives this reviewer goosebumps.

The true centerpieces of this incredible CD are the three smash hits culled from the '69 sessions: "In the Ghetto", "Suspicous Minds", and "Kentucky Rain". Need I say more?

While Elvis would go on in the 70's to reach new isolated musical heights (the _Elvis Country_ album, "Burning Love", "Promised Land", "Way Down") this would be the last time that he would be so consistent in the quality of his output.

If you're an Elvis completist, you'd probably be better served by _Suspicous Minds_ or _From Nashville to Memphis_. But if you want to get to the core of what Elvis was all about circa 1969, this is the one to get!

Of course, apart from _Elvis Country_, Elvis and RCA were never known for their sense of careful album planning. Enough bitterness...

These performances capture Elvis at a misunderstood period in his life. Yes, he was overweight, unhealthy, and bored with the superstar life. That did not, however, stop him from laying down consistently strong performances. "Way Down" is probably Elvis' most convincing rocker since "Burning Love" while "She Thinks I Still Care" and "He'll Have to Go" are two of his best country tunes since his final Nashville sessions in 1971.

Other highlights of this package include the King's haunting rendition of "Danny Boy", the great "Love Coming Down", "For the Heart", and "Solitaire".

Unfortunately, a handful of true stinkers weigh this collection down. The three remaining live tracks from _Moody Blue_ ("Let Me Be There" was left off even though there was still plenty of room on the CD for it. Plus, it was already available on a previous live album) are generally forgettable. "Unchained Melody" is okay, but reminds the listener of the shakiness of Elvis' final live performances. "If You Love Me" is barely decent but "Little Darlin'" may well be the worst song Elvis dared to release during the 70's.

Finally, there's the schmaltzy "The Last Farewell". If "Way Down" and "Burning Love" were reminders that the 70's Elvis could still rock with the best of them, the hideously overproduced (even by Elvis standards) "The Last Farewell" strongly supports the widely-held belief that Elvis was a washed-up, overweight Vegas crooner by 1976.

Overall, though, this is a very listenable compilation which would probably get three and a half stars it that were an option. A half star, however, was docked because of the screwed-up billing of this collection.

Everything you want is here. "Sweet Baby James" and "Fire and Rain" are just incredible while "Mexico" supplies some easy fun. Also, "Country Road" is a keeper (especially after you've listened to it driving down the highway alone in the middle of the night). The only downside to this otherwise outstanding collection is that the original Apple recordings of "Carolina in My Mind" and "Something in the Way She Moves" were replaced with relatively weak 1976 remakes.

Overall, a great collection! Get this along with _Sweet Baby James_ and _JT_ and you have the best of James Taylor at your fingertips!