Customer Reviews

Joy to the World

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Good, but not the best. Every top "AM" station in the country played Andre's LP "Tracks" every day from Thanksgiving through Christmas. Yes, it's 35 years old, but some of these arrangements are timeless {especially "Sleigh Ride"). Good music is still good, no matter what the latest style or format. Andre passed away in 1980. His music was later criticised as easy listening, or elevator music, but compared to other 60's contemporary music, there was no equal. This is Christmas music done in a symphonic style. Don't expect anything else. Enjoy it, like life, for what it is. Savor the moment.

Every track is good. Nothing to fast forward through or skip.
This record IS Christmas music. Not a bunch of lame covers by current "pop" artists who are more about visual stimulation than MUSIC!

Contrary to the info given above, this album was originally released on Columbia Records (with different cover art) in 1959, not 1967.

This is a good specimen of the type of pop-instrumental Christmas album that was omnipresent in the late '50s and early '60s (see also Percy Faith, Ray Conniff, etc). Those of a certain age will undoubtedly have memories of hearing this stuff on radio or in department stores during the Decembers of their youth.

Kostelanetz's second seasonal LP (1963's WONDERLAND OF CHRISTMAS) is even better, but that one unfortunately has never made it onto CD. Still, if you can track down a copy of this long-OOP title, I would highly recommend doing so. His "Sleigh Ride" alone is worth the purchase.

A true classic in the best sense of the word!

I happen to love this CD! I've searched for this version of "Away in a Manger" for a very, very long time. It's the one from the Yule Log and it's gorgeous. The male soloist on that song is amazing. It just has that old-time feeling that makes me feel five again, carefree and waiting for Santa Claus. What Child is This is also really great.

The EXACT same songs are in the "Great Songs of Christmas" Album II, but the latter is of much better quality, as they are not a remix. "Joseph Toner, Broadway Legend" is unquestionably the singer, falsely named "Earl Wrightson". Even the IMDb states that "Earl", when singing as an "operetic baritone", IS SINGING TO RECORDED MUSIC. We found that recored music.

Regarding this album first. It is hard to say when the original was recorded. Most likely it was done in the early 60's due to the tremendous power and range, the usual passion of Joseph Toner, in the album named above.Originally the medely was not present, just "Joseph-Toner" singing the two pieces Silent Night and Joy to the World. The voice recognition is just proof positive.

Apparently Mr. Wrightson could sing somewhat, but he was sent off Broadway, far off, on tours. The way Wrightson writes his own history is not at all what is written up by the IMDb, and totally out of sync with the original albums that spawned the re-mixes with Hunt. She was NOT in the original albums, but that will be mentioned later.

This remix, well, it doesn't work. If you like instumentals, it's fine. But it is a shadow of the voice of "Joseph Toner, Broadway Legend".

In the major albums selling on Amazon with "Joseph Toner" as Wrightson, including "A Night with Rudolph Film/Shakespear's greatest hits", and "A Night With Jerome Kern/A Night With Sigmund Romberg" they were orginally NOT FOR DISTIBUTION, All RECORDED INDIVIDUALLY with ONLY JOSEPH TONER, and another album is mentioned, Kiss Me Kate. However, I have a much much earlier old 78 set of The Student Prince, with this so called Earl Wrightson, who is Joseph Toner, not even made on vinyl, not singing with Hunt, but a screechy soprano of the old style, which goes against every story told of Wrightson, and he is about 20 to 25 I would guess on the album.

It is in mono, with lots of static, and nothing like what anybody would think Wrightson ever made. But he did. It is his face, but Joseph Toner's voice, on a couple of tracks. It was released about 1943. (based on when the stated current hit play was) The band is Al Goodman, just like in the music of Victor Herbert, suggesting it was done about the same time, and never re-mastered.

In addition, Joseph Toner's daughter was taken outside by Tom Bosley, during Fiorello! and said something to the effect, " But OHHHH! Your Father, Mr. Toner, he is just,,,,,so, so great, nobody can believe he can still sing like this at 70!" Abbott had wanted Joseph Toner to do his next play. And he wanted someone who could do it Unplugged.

What has Fiorello! to do with this? It was under the Shubert's, as they are specifically mentioned on the album back of the orginal vinyl of: "Shakespeare's Greatest Hits", (an album that WAS NOT TO BE REALEASED) it was part of a series, NONE Of which included or even mentioned Hunt. They included:

2)A Night With Sigmund Romberg
3)A Night with Jerome Kern
4)A Night with Rudolf Firml
5)An Enchanted Evening on Broadway
6)Soldier of Fortune
7)Kiss Me Kate

They had all been recorded, and NONE with Hunt! She was added later! HOW IS THAT FOR A SHOCKER?

The only experience in 1964 that was attributed to "Earl Wrightson" was "Kiss Me, Kate", recorded and taken on Tour. (which Joseph Toner recorded). Somehow they forgot all the recordings from the 40's that eventually showed up, and guess what? All recorded just at the end of the time Joseph Toner was still in AFTRA, and then when he came back for "Fiorello!" But then all the stuff from 1940's started to show up so a new history had to be made up. It is perfectly obvious that these did not have permission for release. Hunt was a co-conspirator. So is Harnick. So was Abbott, who got Joseph Toner into a studio, offering the next big project as lead, wanting an unplugged performance. Why else would this be right after Fiorello! and not to be released?

The real Wrightson was on tour in 1967, in something called Silk Stockings. Mr. Wrighson could sing somewhat,but he was primarily an actory. Wrightson was not an operatic baritone, but doing something called lipsinking, when using Joseph Toner's voice.

Pieces of Joseph Toner's music have ended up all over the place, including standing up next to Mario Lanza, (though not Joseph Toner's best work, he still had the title song "Only a Rose" by Various Artists).

Insiders have known what was going on all along. Every day, every minute. Is it any wonder, that upon learning of Joseph Toner's demise in the mid 80's a few years were waited and suddenly all these albums were reissued? Most remastered, and Joseph Toner sounds just fantastic. Our audio engineers are removing Hunt's seperate track as we speak.

Why so much of Rudolf Friml? As it turns out, under the name Macaulay (look it up on the IBDB)and by the way, a lot of the Macauley's are Macaulay's, after Joseph Toner was blackmailed by the Shubert Org. (see the Music of Victor Herbert and it's photos), and according to an operetta expert and member of ASCAP, Joseph "Macaulay" was Friml's protoge'.Through the national theatre database, sure enough, Joseph Toner was this man.

We found that under this name, Joseph Toner played Frilm's plays in the National Theatre. That includes a 1930 revival of the Vagabond King. Why so many pseudonyms? If you had a known monopoly on Broadway, and were as unscruplous as the Shubert Org, who blackmailed Joseph Toner, so they could get him cheap; then took over the National Theatre to eliminate him, the question is answered.

Despite all these statements the Shuberts remain totally silent. They had Joseph Toner for 40 years. THINK HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST YOU TO AFFORD HIM? Joseph Toner was a star at age 6, and a huge star at that. Without his performance there would never have been the film The Wizard of Oz! Joseph Toner was the scarecrow, which in the musical version was the co-star with the Tin Man.

A major New York firm has taken the case, totally convinced with the documentation. We demand all of his music, all that the IBDB has, his movies, with all that music, and any album he was illegally put on! That includes Fiorello! The value is worth a minimum of a QUARTER OF A BILLION Dollars.

It is a crime to steal one's life's work. It is a felony to wipe out someone's past. Even Dead. But we will make Joseph Toner available to everyone, and do something good with it as well, by starting a charitable foundation, renaming one of the NY theatres that the Shuberts own, and make them pay to set up the foundation's headquarters. They'll survive. A lifetime for a lifetime. And we will help pay for the Arts in Education that the government cannot afford.

We ask Amazon to have their partners, the IMDb, fix the true history of Wrightson, AND CREATE A TRUE HISTORY OF JOSEPH TONER, AS REPEATEDLY REQUESTED, meeting with our approval. Thus far they won't do so, have failed to contact our attorneys, and are asking for a subpoena. We know the history of Joseph Toner, the major plays and parts, but the IMDb have the backfiles to create the history of Joseph Toner in about 2 minutes. Joseph Toner was a member of AFTRA, SAG, and AEA, and if the IMDb cannot do this, then they are just lying, and what good are they?

Why should we pay to do this when they have the information at their fingertips? So far they have responded when incontraverable documentation has been presented, but only then, after damage has been done to the National Theatre as they sat by and said nothing. Let them know that it is significant that the same person who created the oh, 1.5 million hits for the fake Hornaday, with direct ties to the IMDb, for which I have huge amounts of internet code, happens to be the EXACT same "person" who put out a whole lot of documents on eBay re: Wrightson! And wouldn't you know it, this guy hacked Wickipedia for months, and now the first hit when one writes in "Joseph Toner, Broadway Legend"'s last pseudonym "Earl Wrghtson" is Wickipedia!When a person's name comes up with a million hits, it's a "Bot" or hacking device creating false documentation. No person has that many hits.

We told the IMDb they could turn state's evidence if they were co-operative. This is not sufficient. So ask them to do better. They know the story. Well I must be off to make a report to the Huffington Post, and forward it to my Senator!

Let this be a lesson to everyone in the world. Big corps can try and hurt you, but persistence and the truth always pay off. Here on Amazon we wish to announce that we have demanded many things for what was done to Joseph Toner. Many things. But we will start a foundation to help aid public schools, which the state is not able to afford and will cut the arts. We have chosen to make albums of all types, love songs, Broadway classics, (we might even put politics and poker in there, MAYBE, and Harnick is going to be paying a whole lot back), Gilbert and Sullivan, and an album with just Mario Lanza and Joseph Toner, side by side.

The best Baritone at 70, and Lanza at his prime. Naturally a Chistmas album. Joseph Toner never signed an agreement to release these recordings, but they pop up almost everywhere.

Do NOT buy these albums. When the time comes, you will be able to hear what you are missing!Amazon will not let me put in product inserts. It is not that they are not there, I just saw them!Born Free / Windmills of Your Mind