Customer Reviews

A Prairie Home Companion 25th Anniversary Collection

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I purchased this 25th anniversary collection with great anticipation and, have to say, I was surprised and disappointed to find that this compendium consists ONLY of Garrison's monologues with a few musical selections thrown in. This collection has none of the short skits, Guy Noir bits, or cast-inclusive pieces of brilliance that punctuate and vary the pacing of the live radio show. Don't get me wrong, Garrison's stories are wonderful in themselves and quite enjoyable, but I feel that a 25th anniversary collection should consist of more than just this one aspect of the show. If, like me, you want a more rounded Prarie Home experience, you'll need to buy some of the other Prarie Home CD releases to suppliment this purchase which, I think, is a shame. This collection should be clearly labelled as monologues & music, not as an overall collection of the show.

Garrison Keillor is nothing less than a genius. I listen to his stories while I clean my Northwoods cabins and they take me completely away from the fact that I'm making 33 beds and scrubbing kitchens and bathrooms. They whisk me to the lovely place known as Lake Wobegon and make me laugh out loud. I highly recommend this collection.

Michele Cozzens, Author of I'm Living Your Dream Life and The Things I Wish I'd Said.

Whether heard over the radio or read on the page, Garison Keillor never fails to delight. He's literally a national treasure and his insights, humor, and brilliant storytelling make life a little easier to get through.

Also recommended: A Walk in the Woods and Bark of the Dogwood by Jackson McCrae

This collection does a good job of mixing in old classics and newly released stories. Many people prefer only stories, and I can't blame them, but if you appreciate all phases of "A Prarie Home Companion," the n you will enjoy this compilation.

We listened to this CD set on a recent trip between California and Colorado. The time just flew. Garrison Keillor moves so smoothly from hysterical silliness to poignant truth-telling. He's an absolute master storyteller... we keep thinking he just can't get any better, but he does.

The unique genius of Garrison Keillor is shown to be ever present in this audio collection. This is the latest compilation collection in the "A Prairie Home Companion" series. The only way not to consider purchasing this is if you only wish to have a series of stories instead of the music and other skits, which I think are also splendid.

Make no mistake about it-- the stories were not disappointing at all. What is misleading and lacking is the sense of a radio show. The music and connecting conversations were edited out. A "music only" CD was made in addition to the "story" CD. The "collection" therefore made the sum much less than its parts. Very disappointed in not getting a sample of the best shows.

The title is a little misleading, as A Prairie Home Companion: 25th Anniversary Collection is essentially a collection of Garrison Keillor's closing "News from Lake Wobegon" monologues from over the years. And for a supposedly representative collection, there are only about fifteen of them with a good quarter of the time taken up with musical interludes (which are not my favorite part of the show).

But, even given that, A Prairie Home Companion: 25th Anniversary Collection is an excellent collection. Keillor's humor has obviously matured over time and this is a "time capsule" with which to revisit those older days. Although I would have liked a few of the funny commercials and some Guy Noir episodes sprinkled in for good measure, I really enjoyed listening to Keillor's soothing baritone tell about the ostensibly fictional but so real-feeling people of "my hometown."

Now you don't have to wait for Saturday evening (or Sunday afternoon) to enjoy A Prairie Home Companion. Just pop this in whenever you yearn for that homespun feeling and want to revisit the town "where the women are strong, the men are good-looking, and the children are above-average."

Garrison Keillor may be the plainest funny man in America, but he's also the funniest man in America.

You can't go wrong with this excellent compilation.

Not only did this collection arrive ahead of predicted time (as a Christmas surprise), but the content has been savoured and appreciated so much by the recipient. The dialogue is excellent and the leads to further recommendations by Garrison Keillor were very good - particularly as there are no recordings of his currently available in Australia.