Reviews etc.
Introduction
I've been reviewing for music magazines since 1974. When the Amazon review system first came along, it was excellent, with good organisation, provision for comments on the reviews, and discussion groups; so I started also posting my reviews there too, and from 2008 to 2015 was a Top 1000 Reviewer in the US (Top 500 in the UK).
Since then the Amazon system has disintegrated into a total shambles, wherein it can be next to impossible to locate particular reviews (and don’t be surprised if you find them attached to the wrong products); so I now present an index to mine here. For the same reason, most of the book-review links point to Goodreads.
In addition, Amazon user content that has vanished totally includes Lists and So You'd Like To… guides; so I now present my guides here. Lists have been pretty much superseded by Wikipedia.
So You'd Like To…
Listen to Great Masters of Flamenco — the excellent series of CDs from Le Chant du Monde.
Listen to Julian Bream’s lute recordings — a guide to both the LPs and CDs.
Read Leslie Charteris’s Saint books — a few considerations.
Read the Molesworth books — a glossary of some terms in Willans & Searle’s classic 1950s books that may now be unfamiliar.
Reviews
As on Amazon, sheet music is listed under Books (since the dividing-line is sometimes blurry).
As well as my opinions (which may of course be of little or no interest), many of the reviews of recordings and non-fiction books also contain contents-listings.
The reviews are divided into these categories:
• Bluegrass/Oldtime• Classical, 97% of which is guitar music
• Early
• Flamenco
• Folk
• Jazz
• Pop/Rock
• Singer/Songwriter
• Other, including everything non-musical
Bluegrass/Oldtime
Type | Perpetrator | Title | Stars |
---|---|---|---|
Book | Burke | Old Time Fiddle Tunes for Banjo | 3 |
Book | Scruggs | Banjo Songbook | 5 |
Book | Scruggs | The 5-String Banjo | 5 |
Book | Wernick | Bluegrass Banjo | 5 |
DVD | Scruggs | Family & Friends | 3 |
DVD | Seeger | Rainbow Quest—NLCR/Greenbriar Boys | 4 |
DVD | Various | Bluegrass: Country Soul | 4 |
Recording | Stanley | Bound to Ride | 5 |
Recording | Various | The Bluegrass Hall of Fame | 4 |
Recording | Various | Bluegrass ’96 | 5 |
Classical
The asterisked titles are a mixture of both classical and flamenco guitar.
Type | Perpetrator | Title | Stars |
---|---|---|---|
Book | Bach | 3 Sonatas (Barrueco) | 5 |
Book | Duarte | 6 Friendships for Two Guitars | 4 |
Book | Duarte | To Name But None | 5 |
Book | Geck | Bach | 3 |
Book | Granados | Spanish Dances 1, 3, 4 & 12 | 5 |
Book | Granados | Spanish Dance Nº 6 | 5 |
Book | Handel | Chaconne, Fugue & Allegro (Lagoya) | 5 |
Book | Lagoya | Rêverie | 5 |
Book | Noad | The Baroque Guitar | 5 |
Book | Rodrigo | Concierto de Aranjuez | 5 |
Book | Söllscher (arr.) | 12 British Songs for Guitar | 5 |
Book | Scarlatti | 4 Sonatas (Barrueco) | 5 |
Book | Scarlatti | 6 Sonatas (Lagoya) | 5 |
Book | Serb | Music Theory for Guitarists | 4 |
Book | Williams | Spanish and South American Folk Songs | 5 |
Recording | Abreus | BBC Recital 1970 | 4 |
Recording | Abreus | The Guitars of (AoD) | 5 |
Recording | Abreus | The Guitars of (CBS) | 5 |
Recording | Amsterdam Guitar Trio | Bach/Debussy/Fauré/Chopin | 5 |
Recording | Aussel | 20th Century Music | 5 |
Recording | Barrueco | Bach Sonatas | 5 |
Recording | Boyd | Best | 4 |
Recording | Boyd | Classical Guitar | 5 |
Recording | Boyd | First Lady of the Guitar | 5 |
Recording | Boyd | Guitar Artistry | 5 |
Recording | Bream | Essential (2008) | 3 |
Recording | Bream | Essential (2013) | 2 |
Recording | Bream | Fret Works | 5 |
Recording | Bream | Lute Music of Dowland | 5 |
Recording | Bream | Lute and Guitar Recital | 4 |
Recording | Bream | Baroque Guitar recital | 5 |
Recording | Díaz | Guitarra de Venezuela | 3 |
Recording | Díaz | Spanish Guitar | 5 |
Recording | Duodecima | Music for Two Guitars | 5 |
Recording | Gómez | Romantic Guitar | 5 |
Recording | Galbraith | French Impressions | 5 |
Recording | Garrobé | Eduardo Sainz de la Maza | 5 |
Recording | Grondona | La Guitarra de Torres | 5 |
Recording | Henry | Virtuoso Guitar | 3 |
Recording | Korhonen | Bach: Partitas | 2 |
Recording | Lagoya | 40 Ans de Succes | 5 |
Recording | Lagoya | Art | 5 |
Recording | Lagoya | Asturias | 5 |
Recording | Lagoya | Bach/Scarlatti/Weiss (abridged) | 1 |
Recording | Lagoya | Bach/Scarlatti/Weiss | 5 |
Recording | Lagoya | Joue Albéniz etc. | 4 |
Recording | Lagoya | La guitare est mon maître | 5 |
Recording | Lagoya | Lagoya | 5 |
Recording | Lagoya | The Spanish Guitar | 5 |
Recording | Lagoya | Triomphes | 5 |
Recording | Lausanne Choir et al. | Colonna: Mass in Five Parts | 5 |
Recording | Lieske | Albéniz | 5 |
Recording | Lieske | Guitarra Española | 5 |
Recording | Lieske | La Catedral | 5 |
Recording | Oistrakhs | Beethoven & Bruch Violin Concertos | 5 |
Recording | Oliva | La Guitarra del Amor | 4 |
Recording | Parkening & Brandon | Virtuoso Duets | 4 |
Recording | Parkening | Bach and Others | 4 |
Recording | Perroy | Bach—Transcriptions | 4 |
Recording | Pomponio/Zárate | Guitare Plus, Vol. 29 | 5 |
Recording | Pramanik | Gli Spiriti | 5 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | Œuvres pour deux guitares | 5 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | Œuvres pour Guitare | 1 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | Baroque Music | 5 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | Classical Guitar Music | 5 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | Concertos (Mercury) | 5 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | Duo | 1 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | IDIS Recordings, Vol. 1 | 5 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | IDIS Recordings, Vol. 2 | 5 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | IDIS Recordings, Vol. 3 | 5 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | L’Extraordinaire Duo | 5 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | Masters of the Guitar | 5 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | Music for the Classic Guitar | 5 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | Complete Philips Recordings | 5 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | RCA 75.080 (EP) | 4 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | RCA Recordings | 5 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | Romantic Guitar Duets | 5 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | Spanish Music | 5 |
Recording | Presti/Lagoya | Virtuose Musik Für zwei Gitarren | 5 |
Recording | Ragossnig & Feybli | The Latin American Guitar | 5 |
Recording | Ravizza | Dominico Alberti: 8 Sonatas | 5 |
Recording | Söllscher | Bach—Lute Suites | 5 |
Recording | Söllscher | Bach—Lute Works Vol. 1 | 5 |
Recording | Söllscher | Bach—Lute Works Vol. 2 | 5 |
Recording | Söllscher | Bach—Transcriptions | 5 |
Recording | Söllscher | Werke für Gitarre | 4 |
Recording | Söllscher | Greensleeves | 5 |
Recording | Segovia | Collection Vol. 1 | 3 |
Recording | Segovia | Collection Vol. 2 | 3 |
Recording | Segovia | Collection Vol. 3 | 3 |
Recording | Segovia | Unique Art | 4 |
Recording | Teicholz | Music and Food of Spain | 5 |
Recording | Tsiboulski | Australian Guitar Music | 4 |
Recording | Various | Latin Guitar Festival | 5 |
Recording | Various | Masters of the Guitar* | 4 |
Recording | Various | Spotlight on Guitar | 3 |
Recording | Various | Spanish Guitar* | 5 |
Recording | Yang | Sarasate Vol. 2 | 5 |
Early
Flamenco
The asterisked titles are a mixture of both classical and flamenco guitar.
Folk
Type | Perpetrator | Title | Stars |
---|---|---|---|
Book | Carolan | A Harvest Saved | 5 |
Book | Fox | Here’s How: Peter, Paul & Mary | 1 |
Book | Kennedy | The Fiddler’s Tune-Book, Vol. 1 | 4 |
Book | Kennedy | The Fiddler’s Tune-Book, Vol. 2 | 4 |
Book | Lawlor | Irish Harping 1900–2010 | 5 |
Book | Mitchell | The Dance Music of Willie Clancy | 5 |
Book | O’Neill | The Dance Music of Ireland | 5 |
Book | Reavy | Collected Compositions | 5 |
Book | Renbourn | Guitar Pieces | 5 |
DVD | Danú | One Night Stand | 5 |
DVD | Dervish | Midsummer Night’s Session | 5 |
DVD | Various | Folk Rewind | 5 |
Recording | Bays & Landes | House to House | 5 |
Recording | Carthy & Swarbrick | Both Ears and the Tail | 5 |
Recording | Carthy & Swarbrick | No Songs | 5 |
Recording | Carthy & Swarbrick | Rags, Reels and Airs | 5 |
Recording | Carthy & Swarbrick | Selections | 4 |
Recording | Coope, Boyes & Simpson | Hindsight | 4 |
Recording | Craobh Rua | If Ida Been Here, Ida Been There | 5 |
Recording | Dé Dannan | Best | 4 |
Recording | Dé Dannan | Selected Jigs Reels & Songs | 5 |
Recording | Danú | The Road Less Traveled | 5 |
Recording | Danú | Think Before You Think | 5 |
Recording | Dervish | The Boys of Sligo | 5 |
Recording | Dubliners | Best (Legacy) | 4 |
Recording | Dubliners | Best (Passport) | 4 |
Recording | Dubliners | Greatest Hits | 5 |
Recording | Finest Kind | For Honour & for Gain | 4 |
Recording | Finest Kind | Silks & Spices | 4 |
Recording | Fowlis | Cuilidh | 5 |
Recording | Gavin & Finn | Frankie Gavin & Alec Finn | 5 |
Recording | General Humbert | II | 5 |
Recording | Glackin | In Full Spate | 5 |
Recording | Gourley & Abarta | Copley Street | 5 |
Recording | Halliard | Broadside Songs | 5 |
Recording | Halliard | The Last Goodnight! | 5 |
Recording | Heritage | Living by the Air | 4 |
Recording | Johnstons | Colours of the Dawn | 2 |
Recording | Johnstons | Give a Damn/Bitter Green | 3 |
Recording | Johnstons | Johnstons/Give a Damn/The Barleycorn | 5 |
Recording | Johnstons | Sampler | 4 |
Recording | Johnstons | The Johnstons/The Barleycorn | 5 |
Recording | Kingston Trio | Best | 4 |
Recording | Llan de Cubel | Cabraliega | 5 |
Recording | Llan de Cubel | IV | 5 |
Recording | Mann & Jones | Secret Orders | 4 |
Recording | Marin/Marin | Mot Hagsätra | 5 |
Recording | Moher | Over the Edge | 4 |
Recording | Molloy | Matt Molloy | 5 |
Recording | O’Driscoll | So There You Go | 4 |
Recording | O’Flynn | The Fine Art of Piping | 5 |
Recording | Ossian | Best | 4 |
Recording | Ossian | Dove Across the Water | 5 |
Recording | Ossian | Seal Song | 5 |
Recording | Press Gang | The Press Gang | 5 |
Recording | Providence | A Fig for a Kiss | 4 |
Recording | Shirota | From There to Clare | 3 |
Recording | Various | 5th Irish Folk Festival | 4 |
Recording | Various | Bayside & Benside | 5 |
Recording | Various | Irish Folk Favourites | 4 |
Recording | Väsen | Live på Gamla Bion | 5 |
Recording | Voice Squad | Good People All | 5 |
Recording | Xenofontos | The Best of Greece | 5 |
Jazz
Type | Perpetrator | Title | Stars |
---|---|---|---|
Book | Baden Powell | Songbook Vol. 1 | 5 |
Book | Baden Powell | Songbook Vol. 2 | 5 |
Pop/Rock
Type | Perpetrator | Title | Stars |
---|---|---|---|
Book | Brown | 150 Glimpses of The Beatles | 5 |
Book | Carlin | Catch a Wave | 4 |
Book | Einarson | Mr. Tambourine Man | 4 |
Book | Williams | Long Distance Call | 4 |
DVD | Cliff & the Shadows | The Final Reunion | 5 |
DVD | Sting | The Journey & the Labyrinth | 5 |
DVD | Various | Bluesland | 2 |
Recording | Earl-Jean | I’m into Something Good | 5 |
Recording | Harris & Meehan | Best | 3 |
Recording | Ferrat | Les Plus Belles Chansons | 5 |
Recording | McFarlane | One Morning | 2 |
Singer/Songwriter
Type | Perpetrator | Title | Stars |
---|---|---|---|
Book | Bensusan (Ed.) | DADGAD Guitar | 5 |
Book | Bensusan | The Guitar Book | 5 |
Book | Drake | The Nick Drake Song Collection | 3 |
Recording | Flanders & Swann | Complete | 5 |
Other