Two Words, One Answer.
Jerry Hadley
 Tailgating in the Big Ten $9.50 This book rocks. I want to party with Jerry and Greg. All Big Ten Grads, Students and anyone who loves Keith Jackson should own this book.  In the Real World $16.98 There was only one review when I bought this CD, and the complaint of the reviewer was that the songs were too sad, and this was why he killed himself. This CD came out in 1994! If the reviewer had bothered to read Jerry Hadley's blurb, he seemed very proud of this CD and referred to it as a song cycle, mentioning among others, Frank Sinatra's Only the Lonely and Schubert and Schumann. What about the people who sing Die Schone Mullerin. Are they depressed? This is a beautiful CD. Orchestra music is not my favorite as a whole, but this orchestra does a wonderful job, and Jerry Hadley does an incredible job on each and every song. I particularly like "I Don't Remember Christmas" possibly because I have never heard it before, and it is so expressive. Breaking up and unhappy love affairs are the mainstays of songwriting. Why is "Blues" such a popular genre otherwise. Although to be truthful, you really have to listen to the words to see if a song is sad, as Jerry Hadley's voice just sounds beautiful, not necessarily sad. We have really lost a great singer, and I am sorry. I am also sorry that his CDs have not been reissued. I cannot afford the huge prices that the sellers are putting on these CDs. Probably others disagree with me, but it seems a little like raising the price of bread or rice when there is a shortage, and peopel go hungry. Of course, people are not always hungry for music, but some of us are. Sorry, about that bit of complaining. Do not let it put you off of this CD. I bought it because it was the only one I could afford, and it turned out to be one of the best CDs I have bought in ages!  Jerry Hadley and Thomas Hampson - Famous Opera Duets (Tenor/Bass) $16.98 This is a wonderfully varied album, one which I've given to several opera neophytes among my friends, as well as to my mother who has been an opera fan since the 1930s. The excerpt from Bizet's Pearl Fishers is gorgeous, everything the other reviewers say, but my personal favorite is the one from Don Carlo for its rollercoaster emotional dramatics (be sure and read the notes to this one so you know what's going on!), a showcase for the versatility of the performers. Hampson's performances here are subtly nuanced, self-assured, and sophisticated without losing a sense of fun, while Hadley's lovely tenor contains an irresistible ebullience. They are great foils for each other, and I'll bet they had a fine time making this album. |
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