Album Description

Originally a Goth-flavored post-punk outfit, the Cure evolved into one of the truly seminal bands of the '80s, and ultimately one of modern rock's most celebrated and influential acts. Guided by creative visionary Robert Smith, the Cure's signature sound balances a dreamy pop savvy with a dark, brooding majesty and fuses superbly crafted, literate songs with a feverish emotional intensity. The band's early catalog-newly remastered and expanded wtih a wealth of rarities-is a series of masterpieces that laid the groundwork for their phenomenal and enduring popularity. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Good drug music?
This record came out in the summer 1982 after I graduate high school. I was loaded on a lot of substances when I first heard it. The Cure's Pornography was the band's darkest work and most negative to date. It became a Top 10 hit in the U.K. and went on to become an essential album in the Goth rock canon. The 14-song bonus disc features music that is available on CD for the first time including five previously unreleased songs, previously unreleased studio and home demo versions as well as live performances from 1981-1982. This is one of the albums that didn't age well. Besides a few songs here and there, it is really the last album of the early version of the Cure. There was a lot of drug use in the band and they soon broke up. They reformed temporarily to do the "Let's Go To Bed" and "Love Cats" singles, and develop into the more internationally known pop group. After Robert Smith had dealt with alienation with religion on Faith, this album had a bunch of vague lyrics about relationships, alienation, the media, and general disgust with everything. It was a spooky record to hear when you were hopped up on LSD. The bonus CD has some live tracks that sound pretty muddy. There are some interesting bits here and there. I remember when I read Spin Magazine gave this album a low rating. My memory of this time was that Pornography was a great album. Revisiting this great early trilogy, it is obvious that Seventeen Seconds was their great early album, while Pornography is a distant second.

I am very happy and excited!
So I went to my local independent record store yesterday, looking for something worthwhile. They didn't have the Siouxsie album I was looking for...bummer. As I was about to leave, I remembered hearing about the re-released Cure albums, so I checked and they had all the ones released thus far. Not having enough cash to purchase them all, Pornography in particular seemed to glow magnetically before my lusting eyes. The mastering on the old version sounded pretty flatland, but I usually remedied that by cranking it up so loud it wasn't as noticeable. Well, now I don't have to do that, because the re-mastering is crisp, and beautiful at any volume. I'm listening to it very loud right now, and it's taking me a long time to write this, because the music keeps taking me away to a new strange and exciting world. The musical brilliance of this album is now further complimented, with updated sound quality that offers tons more depth, texture and beauty. First time I listened to this version all the way through, my jaw dropped almost to the floor as I listened. Then I got my old version out and listened to it...and you know what? I was so blown away by the difference in sound quality, I think the old version should re-titled "Pornography, the Un-Mastered version". Old-school Cure fans who are scanning reviews to see if it's worth spending their money on this verson of Pornography, do it soon! Do it now, if you have the time. On this one, it's much easier to hear the changing textures wrap around you like a burning blanket from hell. Hmm, maybe my metaphysical imagery is irrelevant, BUT getting to the point...remember when you first heard Pornography? And you were blown away by it's brilliant intensity, yes? Of course you were! So was I, and now I feel as if I'm hearing the album as it was meant to be heard for the first time. I've only listened to it twice through (third time right now) and trust me, there's a LOT more detail on this album that can be heard on the original. This is what struck me the most. As you might guess, like most Cure fans, I've heard the original Pornography thousands of times, and STILL if I listen closely, I keep noticing sounds that pop up on this re-mastered version that are new to me. On the old version, I noticed that those same parts were either muffled, or buried by the frequencies of other instruments. There's SO much more space and texture here. And the bonus disc? INCREDIBLE! I don't understand why some people have been complaining about it...boo-hoo the audience-recorded live performances don't sound professional enough, blah blah blah. I think they sound bleak and really pretty. I like the stark sound-quality, and really, who cares if it's not perfectly-bootlegged (few, if any, bootlegs are)...we're talking about the masters of mood here! We, fans, got the amazing Join the Dots box set, and now re-mastered versions of early Cure albums with an extra bonus disc? Shame on ye who dares to complain! Well, I am VERY happy with my purchase, and I am very excited about listening to this MANY, MANY more times! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

When Rhino puts out a deluxe edition, they always deliver
What's the 4-1-1?
Rhino Records have gone into The Cure vaults along with Robert Smith to bring you Deluxe Editions of two of their most memorable releases. Both are remastered and appear on CD for the first time. In addition to the complete albums, each disc comes with a bonus disc of rarities and unreleased material. Seventeen Seconds contains rarities from 1979-1980 and Faith contains rarities from 1980-1981.

Genre
Post-punk / alternative / gothic / rock

The Good
Highlights from Seventeen Seconds
Drab and dreary piano set the tone of the album on the opening instrumental cut "A Reflection". Eerie background tones help underscore the track. "Play for Today is made up of an up-tempo drum beat, glassine-like keyboards, and watery guitar tones. An infectious little guitar hook goes a long way on "In Your House". I would liken the tone of the song to a hazy dream. "A Forest" employs haunting tones and melodies, backed by thought-provoking lyrics. Fuzzy guitar tones and creepy synths dominate "At Night". Seventeen Seconds" sums up the last moments of your life after committing suicide.

The rarities disc contains "I'm a Cult Hero" and "I Dig You" from Robert Smith's side project Cult Hero. It's more hopeful than any of the tracks Smith penned for The Cure. There are two rough home demos, an alternate mix for Three, and live tracks for every song that appears on the album; even a live version of "I'm a Cult Hero".

Highlights from Faith
" The Holy Hour" begins with a rather indulgent bass line. Robert Smith blends in nicely with his clean guitar tones and his trademark tortured vocals. Driving rhythms run rampant on "Primary". The track is more up-tempo than the usual Cure track, but the story being told is no much on the up-side. Percussion accented by warm keyboard tones prevail on "All Cats are Grey". Smith seems off in the distance as he inflicts his eerie vocals. I wasn't really surprised that church organ tones could be heard throughout "Funeral Party". To keep the mood going, Robert sings like his delivering a eulogy.

The rarities disc contains the unreleased tracks "Drowning", "Going Home Time", "The Violin Song", and "A Normal Story", two raw instrumental demos of "Faith", "The Holy Hour" and "Doubt", live tracks of songs from the Faith album to include a ten minute version of "Faith" and a nine minute version of "Forever", the rare single "Charlotte Sometimes, and an alternate version of "Primary" among it's fifteen tracks.

The Bad
Nothing

The Verdict
When Rhino Records puts together a Deluxe Edition, they always deliver the goods. Not only are you getting rare and unreleased material, which is always a plus, but you're also getting to hear the songs at their best possible quality. It's fun to hear how they went to rough demo to final composition. All of the depressing, sad, and heart-broken moments of your youth can be summed up by the latest remasters by The Cure.

Did You Know?
Rhino has also released The Cure's Pornography as a two CD deluxe addition. I would have reviewed it but after listening to these two, I was ready to slit my wrists.

Go over the edge in better sound
Another excellent and much-needed remastered Cure album appearing this year, Pornography is the last in a tremendous trilogy that includes Seventeen Seconds and Faith.

Like those rereleases, this is definitely worth it and a bonus for fans of the classic sink-into-despair album.The sound has the punch and new warmth of good remastereds, as opposed to the original AAD disc which was flatter and muddier.More liner notes, plenty of pictures, lyrics, and some brief history of the album and the period when the band was (obviously) miserable, doing the drugs, doing the booze, fighting, etc, etc.And once again in rock history, another band made a classic album while wanting to kill each other and possibly themselves.

While these sets are a little pricey, it's still a treat for the fan.The extras are nice as well.The live tracks are decent quality, audience, while the old demos and rough takes are interesting, too, they're totally different.

Certainly the darkest of that early trilogy, it's not to everyone's liking as the mopiness may wear on some, but it's an excellent, complete album from Smith and Co.

Pornographic Material.
1982's "Ponography" is so distinct an album, that's it's hard to imagine how the Cure would sound in 2005 without it.Most likely, the band would have never reached the artistic heights of 1989's "Distintegration," which introduced the band to a whole legion of wannabe suburban goth teens.After three albums under their belt, Robert Smith was able to articulate despair in a manner that raises goose pimples on even the toughest skin.Wailing guitars, distorted synths, and rubbery bass created a musical landscape of dread on tracks like "A Hundred Years," the single "The Hanging Garden," and the chilling title track.Many albums recorded in 1982 sound like it, but "Pornography" sounds timeless and never dated.It's been wonderfully remastered with an extra disc carrying a bevy of demos and live tracks, and sound purists will approve of the sonic upgrade this CD richly deserves."Pornography" is that rare disc that elevates mope to the level of art. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"Why do people who read Dostoyevsky look like Dostoyevsky?" The Go-Betweens return in good form on Oceans Apart, their third post-reunion disc. Relatively modest next to towering achievements such as Tallulah and 16 Lovers Lane, the disc is a grower, impressive and moving in its glimpses of truly human moments. The sturdy, rootsy backing here allows wry Robert Forster and unaffected Grant McLennan to range across familiar territory while finding new, small delights there. A handful of songs rise to the top, sure to make their places on fans' mix tapes; among them are McLennan's "Boundary Rider" and Forster's "Born to a Family" and "Here Comes a City." Early copies of Oceans Apart contain a bonus disc with live versions of a half dozen Go-Betweens classics. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The Go-Betweens strongest post-reunion album yet.
The Go-Betweens were a critics' darling in the 80's, and broke up in 1988, only to get together with all but the original drummer in 2000.Their first two releases since they got together have been solidly above average, but lacking the flair of their previous work.Oceans Apart regains that flair.They just play...amazingly well together as a group, creating a sort of very immersive new-wavey atmosphere that signifies the possibility of getting another Go-Betweens album as good as their last pre-breakup album, '16 Lovers Lane' (Which I highly recommend, by the way).The only problem is...the songwriting sounds very forced at times.The vocals for any given song rarely cover more than half an octave, and they're all grouped together in the same trite, predictable pattern.Luckily, the instrumentation is so immersive that you enjoy the badly written songs regardless.Oceans Apart is among the stronger albums of the year, particularly if you like new-wavey pop/rock.If you liked the other post-reunion albums, Friends of Rachel Worth, and Bright Yellow Bright Orange, you'll probably like this one more.

IN A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
If you're looking for the type of popular music that the citizens of Brisbane, Australia are able to conjur, this is it. Without doubt the Go-Betweens are the sunblessed city's most original and prodigious songwriting exports, and though one might look to Seattle, New York, London or California for the songs that define musical preference, the Go-Betweens take their place among the finest in their field.

When Forster and McLennan made the decision in 1977 to form a rock band, few who knew them then could have imagined their artistic odyssey would still be rattling along so swimmingly 28 years later. Through sheer weight of committment to a collective dream, their journey took them from three song gigs at dance halls in their city of origin to the famous CBGB's in New York, to support engagements with REM then cult appeal in England, Europe and the US. A swag of critically acclaimed albums in the eighties delivered the Go-Betweens a place in the pantheon, but for all the effort they were denied acclaim where it might have mattered most - on the charts. So too was the Beach Boys classic "Pet Sounds" at the time of its release. Get the picture?

It's a situation that's always failed to distract the pair from their vision and we, the fans are more fortunate for it.
They stepped back for a time, delivering a handful of solo albums during the nineties, but they've returned in a big way here, acknowledging the sum of the parts is a more fulfilling route to take.

"Oceans Apart" is the second album produced by the quirky and imaginative creative talents of Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, since they re-united in 2001 for their (in my opinion) best album to date "The Friends of Rachel Worth", and it continues their career-long quest to achieve widespread appeal.

Reviewers agree, with superlatives like "masterpiece" and "triumph" flooding the critical landscape. Again the pair have written five songs apiece with "Here Comes the City" among Forster's best, a tune that rings with the universality of the Go-Betweens best known song "Streets of Our Town".

You buy this album because McLennan and Forster are poets and musicians of unique talent and drive, who create music wholly unaffected by the cult of celebrity, that has seen the contempory landscape littered with talentless and pretty (but rich) stooges. They're still "hungry" and it shows. With "Oceans Apart" they are poised to move beyond the respect and admiration of the peers.Play it once it's good but like any great album, play it a second and third time it might even reduce you to tears. Castles in the South of France beckon, at last.

Here Comes a Classic (Sort Of)
The arrival of a new Go-Betweens album is always a hugely exciting event.For what its worth, I agree that this album fits best in the catalog of the Go-Betweens the first time around, more so than the latest two efforts.I'm one of a few, though, who regards Friends of Rachel Worth as one the better albums of the past few year, by anybody.As usual its best to first parse the record into Robert Forster's and Grant McLennan's numbers.RF contributes tracks # 1, 3, 6, 7 and 10.GM chimes in with # 2, 4, 5, 8 and 9.The balance between Forster's edgy and challenging songs and the jangling soft melodies of McLennan are still evident and it works well.RF's eclecticism is evident by a recent interview in which he named Pride and Prejudice, On the Road and Confederacy of Dunces as among his favorite books.Few albums have ever started off with the excitement of the first notes of Here ComesA City, and it manages to extend the headlong rush most of its 3:25.It deserves to become a major single and live show favorite, and has already been heard here in the US on satellite radio channels.It sounds like a train rushing headlong in the night through the outskirts of a city, which is what it purports to describe, prettied up with a killer, unforgettable guitar riff.The only downers in the song are that it could be longer and that it fades out with a whimper rather than a bang.I hope at some point we see an extended version of what is an instant classic and right up there with the best GB songs of all time.Another RF beauty is Darlinghurst Nights, which evokes all the pain and joy of the memory of leaving home and going to a strange new town."And always the traffic, always the lights, climbing that hill star studded nights" evoke dead on memories of Sydney Eastern suburb nights.The Mountains Near Delray is a dirge and is my least favorite while Born to a Family evokes too many memories of other similar Forster melodies.But Lavender is another strong combo of melody and lyric, showing off Robert's great sense of humor.Grants songs are a mixed bag but Boundary Rider (the only song recorded in Brisbane, not London) is great (also too bloody short!) and could also be a great single.This Night's For You - while not exactly as kick ass as Neil Young's This Notes For You - is riveting when played loud.So this album was well worth the wait and like greeting an old friend, even if it hasn't pushed the boundaries too much.The huge and deserved buzz for Here Comes a City should guarantee some airplay for the album in Oz and abroad.The extra disc with six live songs is a nice but not essential bonus from a band who doesn't have much published live material (prior to the re-release of the older albums anyway ....).

Oh . . . My . . . God!
I have been a huge fan of the Go-Betweens' '80s stuff since, well, the late '80s. But I drifted away from Forster and McLennan during the '90s, not paying too much attention to their uneven solo careers, and when the first reunion album came along, I didn't even check it out, though I did go see them live.

But I recently picked up the second reunion album, since I'd heard so many raves about it. It was good, but still not up there with their very best. And so now this new album. I must admit, the hype (MOJO rated it a "MOJO Instant Classic") lured me in, and I made sure I got a copy the day it came out. Listened to it three times in a row, and boy am I hooked. Forster is in rare form, and while the jury is still sort of out on McLennan (where is that melodic genius that displayed in the '80s and lost in the '90s?), as a whole the album is up there with their best. I need to give it a bit more time so that the McLennan songs sink in better, but I'm thrilled to have a record this challenging and engaging at this point in their career.

And I haven't even gotten to the bonus live disc yet! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Beck brags here that he's "got two turntables and a microphone." He also has a sweeping aesthetic that sees no reason why musical allusions to hip-hop, the Beatles, James Brown, punk, Gram Parsons, cool jazz, and Dylan can't coexist in the same song. Throughout, he rap-sings with sincere irony--I bet he laughs at the sight of a jump-suited Elvis, then cries when the King starts to sing--and Odelay's rich collage of sound may very well prove a prediction of the future. If he ever finds the courage to can the loopy metaphors and just tell a story, he could take over the world. --David Cantwell ... Read more

Reviews (144)

One of the jewels of '96!
1996 was one of the best years in popular music ever. The Smashing Pumpkins' absolute MASTERPIECE "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" was reaching it's peak. Everclear's "Sparkle and Fade" amazed everybody (even though it's follow-up was even BETTER). Of Squirrel Nut Zippers' "Hot" was realeased, a breath of fresh air in a world of synth-techno crap and cheesy Bush and Nirvana rip-offs. Then, of course, there was Beck's "Odelay". I didn't think it could get any better (or funnier) than "Mellow Gold", but it did! This is about 50 years worth of popular (and unpopular) music and street culture crammed onto one disc. Distorted, noise-drenched punk-rock guitars, funky breakbeats and dusty turntable scratching, steel guitars, banjos, ray-gun synthesizers, jazzy bass, assorted percussion, vintage 60s pump organs, pounding drums, nonsensical, often funny lyrics ("you can't lose in your razor blade shoes"), and the strangest samples you've ever heard (who's sampled Mr. Cool and Haydn all in the same song?) are all on this CD, just to name a few. You can breakdance, mosh, swing, or even just relax with this album. It's the ultimate party record.

Bizarre and magnificent
When most people write about Beck they usually know exactly where to start - his diversity. Generally regarded as Beck's best experimental album before his latest, more serious record Sea Change, as well as a general classic of the 90's. And I don't mean experimental in an inaccessible way. Everything here is accessible to the average listener and gloriously bizarre and interesting. Odelay stands as a melting pot of different genres. From the edgy opening track Devil's Haircut to the soul of Hot Wax to country on Sissyneck and rap on Where It's At, Beck defies all attempts to pigeonhole him as anything but different.

Although the album is highly consistent, there are several stand-out tracks, though these will probably depend on your faovured genres of music. The New Pollution is too eclectic to be put into words, the gentle Jackass is brilliant - ending in a donkey's bray - and of course Devil's Haircut and Hot Wax are true classics. Sampling other songs Beck eschews a variety of pop culture references so that Odelay often seems like he's taking you on a journey of pop culture of the last few decades musically. The real credit though is that all of the songs here merge so well and Beck never comes across as being pretentious or arty. What he's produced here is amazingly original and something that no artist, not even him, has really been able to rival. It showcases Beck's diversity better than the previous Mellow Gold or the later Mutations and occassionally misguided but still fantastic Midnite Vultures. With Beck set to take a more serious note - his lyrics here are often indecipherable or just plain silly - given his last album Sea Change, it's well worth taking a chance to listen to his other masterpiece. Indeed, when seen alongside the intelligent lyrics and mastery shown on Sea Change, Beck's diversity on Odelay seems even more impressive. This is an artist that feels free to flow free with his musical moods, sometimes even within the same songs, and Odelay is Beck at his pinnacle.

I Came Here to Tell You About the Rhythms of the Universe...
...and tell us, Beck does, in this sublime mix of hip hop, alternative, country, jazz, rock and pop, with even a Beatle-ish Sgt. Pepper homage tacked to the very end.

Critics of Odelay accuse Beck of being overly indulgent and WAY-overly derivative, but isn't that the whole point of the CD? Beck has stolen the key to Fun Factory and is determined to play with every toy in the building before security throws him out.

Over 13 tracks, Beck (with a big assist from the Dust Brothers) treats us to a music mixer's wet dream, from the chronically hook-y ("Devils Haircut," "The New Pollution," "Where It's At") to the startlingly touching ("Jack-Ass," "Ramshackle") to the just plain silly ("Sissyneck").

Odelay holds its place as one of the essential CD's of the 90's. Years later it still continues to entertain and excite. This is a joyous celebration of music, period . . . and Beck's best album by far.

blech
This album is overrated. I put it on, and the first impression I got was that Beck really wanted to make a "cool" album.. and he and his producer thought that in order to do this, the songs shouldn't make any sense, there should be few melodies, and the production should be wacky and aloof. It sounds like it's trying way too hard, and I couldn't enjoy any of it.

So Much Was Made of So Little
Is this album, called groundbreaking and classic when it was released, going to matter to anyone in 10 years? Of course not.

ODELAY was embraced at a time when American culture was drenched in irony and pop-culture regurgitation. Not surprisingly, the ironic-nostalgia fad ran SO deep that no one stopped to think about how the music would age once the retro-waves it was riding crashed on the sand...hence the blind worship of this record.

Beck also benefited from the bizarre notion that "blending styles" was an inherently noble act. Didn't matter if the styles were blended clumsily. It was all about the musical blender, man. Basically, it was multi-culturalism dogma creeping into the music scene, and the results weren't pretty.

Once rocks fans clear their heads of all the bad irony and musical crossbreeding forced on them in the past ten years, ODELAY's status is going to take a serious tumble.

That said, the record isn't all bad. "Jack-Ass" is a timeless tune, "Derelict" is damn catchy, and "Novocane" is a nice jolt of adrenaline. Otherwise though, there are a lot of forgettable moments on ODELAY, which precludes it from being deemed a masterpiece. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2000

The foursome come roaring out of the blocks with their latest collection. The album's first single, "Beautiful Day," raced to the No. 1 slot on the U.K. singles charts and received a similar rapturous reception stateside. From its shimmering preamble to its sweeping, infectious chorus, it perfectly stakes out the middle ground between the anthemic U2 of the '80s and the more grounded group of the '90s. With Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno sharing production chores again after having taken a break with Pop, the U2 team enters the new millennium with their lineup--and mission--intact. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (1216)

A Return to Roots, Just Not Their Own...
Forget everything you've heard about this album heralding a return to the days of 'Joshua Tree' and 'Unforgettable Fire'; this is U2 looking for what they still haven't found by looking deep within their soul, with "soul" being the operative word. Over their 2+ decades making music, U2 have explored various music styles, almost all successfully (with the Delta blues of the R+H era being a possible exception). Here, U2 reaches back for a soulful, almost mid-tempo Motown-esque sound, while still sounding, as always, a little ahead of the game. Bono does the Rev. Al Green and Marvin Gaye proud on the gorgeous "In A Little While", followed by a Stones-esque (or is it Wallflowers-esque? I haven't decided) rollicker, "Wild Honey". It's amazing, almost miraculous, that U2 have managed to capture the sentiments of passionate joy so clearly. While the general theme of uplift is captured throughout the album, there isn't quite the continuity of craft found on earlier albums (including the much-maligned but amazing in its own right 'Pop'), but I think that's because each song on 'All That...' is so strong that they can't quite be linked. It almost sounds like a greatest hits package by a band who made these sort of soulful sounds for thirty years. Not every band can make individual albums that both stand alone as incredible testaments of state-of-spirit, and also combine to form an incredible autobiography of musicians who never seem to lose the thrill of making music together. As appreciators of music, we are truly lucky, no, *blessed* to have been granted artists like U2, and there seems to be no stopping them. U2 have delivered their most intimate, beautiful, and uplifting album of their career with 'All That You Can't Leave Behind'.

Music for a New Generation
When U2 first emerged, they were hailed as the rock voice of a generation. Now, two decades later, they are providing the soundtrack to the lives of those original fans' children - truly making music for a new generation. "All That You Can't Leave Behind" is what introduced the Irish rockers to Generation X, and it's as incredible as the band's past work.

With a lead voice as unmistakable as Bono's, deeply touching lyrics, and elegantly-crafted songs, this album is easily one of U2's best. Sure, it doesn't have the impact of "The Joshua Tree" or "Achtung Baby", but it is far from mediocre. Continuing in the styles that they have made so famous in the past, U2 has once again raised the bar on how great rock albums can be.

It's hard to describe everything on this incredible work, but I'll give you the highlights:

'Beautiful Day': The perfect opening to the album, 'Beautiful Day' is an anthem-laced track about embracing life with all its difficulties. An ideal song to lift your spirits.

'Stuck in a Moment...': Though grossly over-played as a tribute song in the wake of the September 11 attacks, 'Stuck in a Moment...' is a wonderful piece when taken in context. A bit lighter and poppier than the rest of the album, it is nevertheless great.

'Peace on Earth': Perhaps the sequel to the rocky 'Sunday Bloody Sunday', this track is a pleading look at needless violence in the world, examining its roots and futility.

'Walk On': Of all the U2 songs I've heard, this is probably my favorite. Easily one of the best songs the band has ever come out with, it is truly in the spirit of great hits such as 'Pride', 'One', and 'Where the Streets Have No Name'. A great message and touching melody - all elements that have made U2 great.

Perhaps the most startling revelation about this album is how short it is. There are so many great tracks here (not one is bad), I thought it contained at least 15 songs instead of a mere 11. However, each track is so beautiful and well-performed, that you won't mind it's length. After all, this is classic U2.

You Sure Can Leave It Behind
A bland and average set of innofensive rock songs, "All That You Can`t Leave Behind" has little to recommend. While there`s nothing truly horrible here, most of the moments are merely passable and far from memorable. "New York" is probably the best track, and even that is far from stunning. This record offers nothing new to the current music scenario, presenting weak compositions that lack originality and innovation. It certainly doesn`t deserve all the overexposure it got, since it has been awhile since U2 created something truly remarkable and cutting edge. This album may please die-hard fans of the band, but those who search for intriguing music will probably be disappointed.

Passable and forgettable.

Blandness
This is one of the most overrated U2 albums ever. It did not deserve to win so many grammys and I'm glad it did not win the grammy for best album of the year. However, it is not one of the worst; it is good compared to the rest of the junk on the pop charts. ATYCLB is a safe U2 album, so safe that it's nearly sunk down to the level of adult contemporary and adult alternative hits, pleasant and uninteresting filler.

Bono's voice is horrific, a pain to the ear, especially on such tracks as In A Little While and Elevation. His lyrics are uninspiring, mostly reduced to simple maxims, such as "Believe in yourself!" and "Everything will be all right," which is apparent on Stuck In A Moment and Walk On. Bono realizes that life isn't that easy on better, previous U2 songs that urge people to find their own solutions and leave the door open for interpretation. Of course, complexity doesn't sell nowadays in pop music and that's why U2 has to feed mainstream listeners the answers to common problems. Also, the poor guitarist's talent is hardly visible. Wild Honey doesn't allow for him to do anything earth-shattering. Grace is possibly one of the dullest U2 tunes in all of the band's history.

Fortunately, Kite, though relatively mellow, is the exception to the rule, one of the only songs on ATYCLB that matches the previous high quality work of U2. A song about immortality and life, it is emotional and a soaring anthem. If the next U2 album takes its cues from this song, I will be one happy U2 fan.

yet again, greatness
Ok. So I didn't really start listing to much u2 until the "Pop" album. Their most artsy, darkest, and least liked album. I loved that album and have become a huge fan of U2 since then. Now, onto the album review. Don't get me wrong, I've heard better versions of some of the songs on here (e.g. the single version or live version of Walk On, or the live version of Elevation), but overall this is another masterpiece.

Anyone saying that u2 is aging or "losing it" is probably sitting around wishing for the Joshua Tree days to come back. Nothing wrong with that, I mean, the Joshua Tree is incredible. But really, there is really nothing to criticize here. There are always multiple versions of u2 songs (from every album), and occasionally non-album versions are slightly better than album versions. Basically though, every song on this album is great.

ATYCLB kinda goes in 3 cycles to me... the first 4 songs kinda kick the album off in full gear, very upbeat for the most part (Beautiful Day, Elevation, Stuck in a moment, Walk On). "Stuck in a Moment" being the mellowest of the four. The next few songs are great as well, but more mellow and acoustic-y (Kite, Wild Honey, and In A Little While). Then, "New York" spices things back up a bit and the last few songs (Grace, Peace on Earth, and When I Look At The World) kinda settle into some sort of religious feeling that Bono often conveys in his lyrics. Personally, I like the first four and last four songs of the album the best, but most of my friends who are more pop-oriented like the middle few. hm.

Great album. Great tour. Probably the best album that came out in 2000. 5 stars easy. Older u2 fans may not like it as much as some of their prior work, but honestly, this album is just as strong as anything they've ever done. Don't get stuck in a rut. Give this album a chance, and u2 will again prove themselves the greatest band on Earth. ... Read more

Reviews (136)

Ha ha
Limp Bizkit produced a new album. I forgot about them 4 a while then they suddenly came out with this. They got Wes back, which is good, and this album does not dissapoint. Only thing is that there are only 7 songs (??) but i guess the second part (i guess they're comin out with another one)will make up 4 that. I like Limp Bizkit a lot but a lot of people hate them. They're a "Hate 'em or Love 'em" type of band and i happen to be a love em person. Fred Durst does a pretty good job in this album (though he is definitly NOT the best part Wes Borland is). I like this rap-metal type of music though its pretty outdated now. I hope that they make a music video 4 any of their songs on here. No publicity either.
-Remember this is My opinionLil Slim

rubbish
Just more proof that a big chuck of modern rock is just
for nerds and teenage high school outcasts. It doesn't
get anymore patheic than Fred Durst. He is supposed to
be a rock star, but the loser can't even get any chick
he wants.

the unquestionable truth...limp bizcit sucks
Come on people, its time to quit kidding yourselves. The results are in; 37,000 copies sold the first week (ouch!). I respect you guys for being so loyal to these guys for so long, but its time to 'sober up'. Limp Bizkit was never good. In fact, they may be the worst band that ever lived. Their first hit song was a cover tune, that should tell you all you need to know. All of their 'original' songs are just old catch-phrases turned into cheesy, generic sing-along garbage. Seriously, even you die-hard Durst fans have to admit that his "rap" with Method Man was one of the most laughable moments in music history.

So now they have released a new record... and SUPRISE! It's a political statement record. Haven't seen that one before! I can see Fred Durst in a board room right now: "well, it got Green Day back on the map... maybe Limp should try it too".Nice try Fred, but you're the last person anyone's gonna seek for political guidance. You're the guy that is best known for lying about sleeping with famous women and leaking a sex tape & then going to every news outlet that will still listen to you & saying it was stolen. You should have asked around about the idea of releasing a cheesy political album, & maybe someone would have clued you in that the formula fails way more often than not. Madonna failed at it, Ministry failed at it, and now Limp Bizkit has failed miserably at it. I think even Justin Guarini's album sold more than yours.

So please, do the world a favor & take the hint. Please go away. Just enjoy your millions & leave us in peace.



by the way, to see fred's amazing guitarmanship, look for the "fred shred" video floating around the internet.it's an instant classic.

Much harder!
First off, for those people who keep comparing the new Limp Bizkit sound to Rage Against the Machine are off their rockers!Although this is one of Limp's harder albums, I just don't see them as having the same sound as Rage.This album is closer to metal than to anything that they, or Rage have done before.

I like this album for the sole reason that it is very un-Limp Bizkit like - it's much harder, and not as "poppy".For the price, it's a decent buy, and as a person who is not the biggest of Limp Bikit fans, I certainly enjoyed it!

Great but needs more
I think the new album is great but it needs more than just 7 songs.I am glad that Wes Boreland is back and they returned to their old form.Looking Forward for more. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

The Gorillaz claim to have found their motley crew of cartoon characters sleeping in Leicester Square, but Blur's Damon Albarn (a.k.a. 2-D) and cult cartoonist Jamie Hewlett (Murdoc) aren't fooling anyone. As the ultimate experiment in manufactured image, the Gorillaz are a virtual cartoon-character-based hip-hop band who bring together witty, silly lyrics and talented musicians. Infectious old-school hip-hop rhythms, rhymes, and effects courtesy of Deltron 3030's Kid Koala and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien (Russel) are combined with Albarn's passion for chugging lo-fi and edgy melodies to create a seemingly raw but ultimately slick blend of styles. This is nowhere more evident than on the hit single "Clint Eastwood," which is carried along by the sound of 2-D's slurred voice and a bluesy harmonica melody interrupted by Russel's punching rhymes. But the surprises don't stop there: Ibrahim Ferrer's appearance on "Latin Simone" could have come straight from Buena Vista Social Club but for the obvious Blur-influenced piano style, while the spooky intro to "M1 A1" wouldn't sound out of place on Michael Jackson's Thriller. Backed by Jamie Hewlett's death-wish character on bass, Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori (Noodle) on guitar and occasional hyperactive vocals, and produced by Dan "the Automator" Nakamura, it's hardly surprising that Gorillaz is marked both by a sense of playfulness and a passion for experimentation. --Caroline Butler ... Read more

Reviews (289)

It's About Time for the Pendulum to Swing Back
Hip-hop's getting boring. Rock's getting boring. Everything's getting boring a la 1989 with Milli Vanilli and C+C Dance Factory being replayed by Nsync and all that other crap out there. THIS ALBUM IS NOT BORING. It's the first new band I've tried that I sat and listened to the entire CD the night I put it in. I saw the video (Clint Eastwood) and being a Flash designer, graphic artist and Clint Eastwood fan, I dug the it! (Although, there is no cartoon Clint in the video). The animation rocks. But, being a musician, I also heard the groovy beat and reverbed harmonica and thought, wow, this is great. I picked up on the Blur connection when I heard the first song - good acoustic guitar. The second half of the album gets a little weak, but it ends strong. Think "It's a Wonderful Life" (Buffalo girl won't you come out tonight) for the tune of track 17 - Left Hand Suzuki Method. I hope this doesn't get overplayed 'cause my friends think I've found the score of the summer. Shh - don't tell anyone! :)

Gorillaz rule! (PLEASE READ MY REVIEW)
If anyone thought Gorillaz, the first animated band, would be bad, YOU THOUGHT WRONG! Let me show you why:

Re-hash(10/10)A great easy-listening song. Should be a single.

5/4(10/10)A great song and one of my favorites!

Tomorrow Comes Today(9/10)This is an OK song. Not good enough for a single, though.

New Genious(Brother)(8/10)I don't see the purpose for this song.

Clint Eastwood(10/10)Not quite the best on the allbum, but good enough for a 12" single.

Man Research(Clapper)(10/10)A perfect song!

Punk(10/10)The best song off of the album!(well, 1 of 'em, at least).

Sound Check(Gravity)(8/10)OK.

Double Bass(10/10)Read what I said for "Punk."

Rock The House(10/10)Read what I said for "Punk."

19-2000(10/10)Great beat and great lyrics. Better than "Clint Eastwood."

Latin Simone(4/10)BAD!

Starshine(6/10)BAD!(well, the lyrics and voice are both bad, but, hey, nice beat!)

Slow Country(100/10)Better than "Punk," "Double Bass," and "Rock The House!" VERY best off of the album!

M1 A1(10/10)Great song and fit for a single. I even like the "HELLO?!" part.

Dracula(9/10)OK.

Left Hand Suzuki Method(7/10)Most of the lyrics(XCGRHGGGBNBGBHFGHGGHGGGFF...)I don't understand, but awesome beat(...)

Unidentified, excellent, music.
Before Gorillaz I had never heard of Damon Albarn, or Blur, or anything like that. But I had heard of Del Tha Funky Homosapien who raps on Clint Eastwood and Rock The House. I also knew Dan the Automator who produced the Gorillaz Self-titled debut. I'm a pretty big rap fan but I like rock as well. So being a big Del fan I heard he was going to be involved in a brand-new, experimental rock band. It sounded cool so I awaited the album. Then I started hearing Clint Eastwood on the radio. What an excellent song. A dark sounding hip-hop beat with an incredible piano loop. I loved the sleepy vocals on the chorus and Del's rhymes were tighter than ever.

After that I had to pick up the album. I went out that day and got it. And to tell you the truth I didn't like it that much. I was expecting an album of "clint eastwood" thinking Gorillaz was a hip-hop band. But after getting over that and listening to the album more it grew on me and I fell in love with it. This is truly one of the most creative and abstract albums i've heard. I like all kinds of music and that's one of the reasons why I love this album. So many sounds come together in this album. Hip-hop, blues, jazz, rock, reggae it's all there. Even the idea behind the band and image is great. The idea of a cartoon band with each member being represented by a crazy cartoon is excellent. This also makes their videos pretty awesome.

So if you're looking for something new, and are open minded I would suggest this album. Over anything else. It's got the best from so many different kinds of music it's hard not to love it. One problem though, I need the second album!!

the best hip hop rock dub cartoon band ever!
I have never heard Damon Albarn before, i found about this album from a combination of play on mtv and knowledge of past projects including Dan the Automator and Del, a unique halfway underground rapper who pops up in the strangest places. Anyone coming from my perspective will be surprised by this album - hell, anyone will be surprised by this album. It is an utterly effortless fusion of delicious lo fi hip hop, relaxed dub, and energetic punk rock. The combination of such bold and surefooted experimentation and the catchy hooks that got it on mtv in the first place is unprecedented.
The album is varied and it has a few slow points (Man Research, Sound Check), but they don't really get in the way, they just give breathing room between the joyful and dark whirlwind of culture. As for good tracks, there is the rhythmic gimmick of rock joint 5/4, the impenetrable lyrics and the pure punk power of Punk. Clint Eastwood (why is it called clint eastwood?) is a perfect single, with its catchy hook and Del's paced lyricism, and Rock the House and Double Bass are excellent bits of rhythmically infections production. Latin Simone is a great song, and the whole Cuban thing comes out of nowhere, and M1 A1 - well, I don't get it, but I can't help singing along with what I think Albarn is saying.
All in all, this Gorillaz project is a total success of an experiment. The persona of the band is fascinating and adds to the fun and humorous but kind of dark atmosphere of the most delightfully weird pop cd ever made.

gorillaz are simply the best ever ever ever ever ever!
Okey, let me start off by saying this, if you love great music then you will positivly LOVE gorillaz.
Gorillaz have made some of the best music in the world.It is unique, catchy, amazing, and fresh.All the songs on the album are great!Dan the Automater is possibly a better producer than the Neptunes AND Kanye West put together( because he is better than each one of them alone ).The band is also interesting because they aren't actually really alive.What I mean is this, the people behind the scenes are real but the characters they play are not.Another thing about this is that there are more than just four members of the band( as the fake cartoon versions would have you know ).There are acually many more including the likes of:Kid Koala, Dan the Automater, Damon Albarn, Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Miho Hatori, Jamie Hewlett, Phi Life Cypher, and Ibrahim Ferrer.There are more like Tina Weymouth and U Brown but the list would go on forever.Lots of DJs have worked with gorillaz including:Kid Koala, The Spacemonkeys, Soulchild, and The Wiseguys House Of Wisdom.The really cool thing about gorillaz is that no one else sounds exactly like them, there are a few that are close( Deltron 3030, and Dr. Octogon )but no one ever actually can ever copy exactly the kind of magical feeling you get from listoning the gorillaz.

Here is a list of the songs and my ratings on them:

1.Re-Hash-***** Great, but repetitive intro to a great album.

2.5/4-***** Old school ska mixed with new age DJing. Unusual mix but still flies very high, in fact, this song was the fifth hit off the album.

3.Tomorrow Comes Today-***** It's a hit and you can tell! It's got kind of a trip-hop feel but Damon Albarn's lo-fi singing makes it something else.

4.New Genious(brother)-***** Sounds like Bruce Lee movie opening mixed with Dr. Frankenstein's lab. One of my favorites.

5.Clint Eastwood-***** Del's rap is great, Damon's chorus is great. Overall a great song( a bit over played on MTV and the radio though ).

6.Man Research(clapper)-***** It's dub reggae at its best!

7.Punk-***** It's old school punk at its best!

8.Sound Check(gravity)-***** Kid Koala really shines on this song, it has amazing DJ work on it as well as kick-@$$ voice samples. One of my favorites.

9.Double Bass-*** A miner flaw on the album but not TOO bad.

10.Rock the House-***** Del raps again with flying colours. Superb.

11.19-2000-**** Great song with awesome vocals but it kinda gets annoying after a few listons.

12.Latin Simone-*** Great music but I don't like Ibrahim Ferrer's vocals. The English version on the gorillaz album "G-Sides"is much better.

13.Starshine-***** Great, but repetetive.

14.Slow Country-***** I just love the piano part on this song and the lyrics are funny. Damon"s vocals again make this song perfect even apointless chorus is brought to life by him.

15.M1-A1-**** This song could possibly have the worst intro ever made. but once you get by it( if you can bear it )the song is good. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In an era when pop nihilism fulfilled its dark promise all too regularly, Pearl Jam not only survived, but thrived to become one of rock's greatest bands. This 33-track double-disc career retrospective documents the arc of a career that went from arena and radio triumphs in the early 90's (while Nirvana's promise imploded in the wake of hype, Pearl Jam's crowd-pleasing fame only burgeoned) to the uncompromising, core audience-focused tack that carried the band into the 21st century. Shrewdly compiled by the band into an "Up" disc that chronicles the band's driving, Stone Gossard-Mike McReady fueled hard rock dramatics (including such early career landmarks as "Jeremy," "Alive" and "Even Flow" alongside more aggressive fare like "I Got the Shit Down" and "Spin the Black Circle") and a "Down" side that focuses more on Eddie Vedder's brooding, often darkballads ("Old Woman..," "Yellow Ledbetter," their unlikely hit cover of the oldie "Last Kiss"), it's a collection that underscores both the band's range and musical integrity. Though centered on the band's pre-Vitalogy studio era and containing no new material, longtime producer/collaborator Brendan O'Brien contributes remixes of "Once," "Alive" and "Black" that offer new insights on the familiar, while non-album tracks like "Man of the Hour" and "State of Love and Trust" considerably enhance the overall listening perspective here.--Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Amazon.com

This big rock candy mountain of an album justifies some if by no means all of the poses and pretentious statements made by Manchester's natural-born rock & roll deities. A dramatic attempt to rekindle the flames of the original British Invasion, Morning Glory rolls 30 years of Britpop tradition into one irresistible (if achingly self-conscious) whole. "Wonderwall" can be read as a Beatles tribute, "Don't Look Back in Anger" feels like a Mott The Hoople anthem and "She's Electric" and "Morning Glory" are chewy pop confections.--Jeff Bateman ... Read more

Reviews (321)

Rock n Roll for the 90's
I don't buy into the hype and put on labels that are so common in today's music. I had heard about this upcoming band back in 94 and was a bit intrigued. When Morning Story came out and Wonderwall was the big single, I started to like what I hear, but Champagne Supernova was the clincher for me.

Spearheaded by Noel and Liam Gallager, Oasis has been hailed as the new Beatles etc etc. That I certainly don't buy, but they are certainly influenced by the Beatles, The Who and The Rolling Stones. Morning Glory is simply a great melodic Rock N Roll album, and one of the best albums of the 90's. After enduring the depressing era of grunge and cheezy pop songs, Oasis is a real breath of fresh air.

The guitars are forceful and loud yet retaining melodic hooks, Liam's vocals have the right mix of attitude and sincerity. Alan White is a terrific drummer. Paul McGuigan & Paul Arthurs fill out the band nicely, albeit they're no longer in Oasis now.

Standout songs include Hello, Roll With It, Wonderwall, Cast No Shadow, Morning Glory and Champagne Supernova. Put aside the mindless hype, and if you're looking for Rock music with a real sense of melody and respect for the classics then Oasis is among the best of today.

The Definitve 90's Release
When the dust finally settles, and we're all able to objectively look back at the 90's, I believe that "(What's the Story) Morning Glory" will emerge as the decade's best known and, arguably, greatest CD. Why? Because songs like "Wonderwall", "Don't Look Back in Anger", "Cast No Shadow" and "Champagne Supernova" are among the best-written and most memorable tunes of the '90's. And perhaps more importantly, with this album, Oasis nearly single-handedly saved the dying genre of classic rock-n-roll. Oh sure, they had a little help from their friends (oops...enemies) Blur, but Oasis, at least here in the United States, emerged as the World's Greatest Rock-n- Roll Band.

In 1995, US airwaves were suffocating from lethal doses of Grunge, tuneless Alternative and Gangsta Rap. Then, late in the year, something wonderful happened-- another British Invasion!! Suddenly, airwaves rang with the friendly British accents of Oasis, Blur, Cast and Pulp who, unlike their Grunge/Alternative counterparts, could actually sing and play their instruments well. More importantly, these guys wrote killer songs with unforgetable hooks. In an eerie coincidence, at the very same time, yet another wave of Beatlemania swept America in wake of the Anthology TV series and the single "Free as a Bird". Seemingly every Fall issue of every music magazine featured the Fab Four on its cover. Inevitably, those same magazines all ran the obligatory story touting Oasis, Blur, etc. as heir-aparents to the Beatles throne. Of course, no one dethroned the Beatles, but what did happen was that "Morning Glory" dominated US radio like no album had in recent years. You couldn't go anywhere in Fall 1995 without hearing Liam's wonderfully nasal drone on mega hits "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova".

Oasis' songs are straight out of the classic British Rock mold. While Liam and Noel always cite the Beatles as influence numero uno, one can easily hear echoes of Mott the Hoople, the Stones and T-Rex. Oasis isn't afraid to make their influences obvious. "Wonderwall", the album's most grandiose and arguably best song, is the title of George Harrison's first solo album. The haunting "Don't Look Back in Anger" opens with a piano bit which is eerily reminiscent of John Lennon's "Imagine". The intro of the bouncy "She's Electric" unashamedly quotes the Lovin' Spoonful's "Do You Believe in Magic". (The catchiest song on the CD, "She's Electric" should've been released as a single.) While many have criticized Oasis for borrowing from classic songs, I believe they, more than any other band, understand the importance of preserving the artform of pure rock-n-roll. Oasis is not attempting to break new ground. They are merely carrying on in the tradition of their rockin' forefathers. On "Morning Glory" Oasis nailed it perfectly. The songs are a tuneful marriage of styles both old and new-- a style which emerges, ironically, as Oasis' own. I doubt that Oasis will ever top "Morning Glory". That's not a putdown, it's merely confirmation of this album's greatness. Very few bands have ever released a bonafide classic which will live on eternally. When all is said and done, "Morning Glory" will earn its proper resting place among the likes of "Revolver", "Pet Sounds", "Who's Next", "What's Goin' On", "Parklife" and a select few others residing in the rarified air of Rock's Kingdom.

Hopeless
It is hopeless to keep searching for a good song by Oasis. I have to announce that I'm tired of listening to the same bad-fake-beatlelike-sound. I do not recommend this cd to anyone. Looking for good rock of the 90's, listen to Pearl Jam, Alice, Pilots and Peppers. More soft stuff listen to REM and Hottie

One of the best albums ever.
All you need to do is listen to this album and realise how great it is.
Its sheer brilliance, it also shows that rock can have proper tune while making a loud noise also.
While Oasis for a while lost it a bit with their two following albums, many songs off Heathen Chemistry (their 5th album) prove that they have still got what it takes, and without question Oasis WILL return to form and blow away all this rubbish music thats cluttering up the place.

Tasty Britpop
Despite Oasis' big claim to be a much better band than The Beatles (lead singer Liam Gallagher even went as far to verbally attack George Harrison in an interview), as well as proclaiming to be the best band in the world, they have made some excellent, tasty music that's hard not to love. If you can ignore most of the embarrassing (and often laugh-out-loud hilarious) behavior attached to the band's mystique, you may just enjoy their music, too.

_(What's The Story) Morning Glory?_ is a non-stop train of tasty, ear-pleasing rock candy, with that, add in a little bit of swaggering attitude, and you have Oasis' niche. Songwriter (and sometimes, singer) Noel Gallagher has an excellent ear for melody.. even if most of his musings seem to be, more or less, stolen from The Beatles and their British Invasion contemporaries. If you're a music lover who is lamenting the lack of Britpop/British Invasion spin-offs in the popular music pantheon these days, or if you just want some loud, good-old fashioned rock n' roll, look into this album, and some of Oasis' other offerings. That's basically it for this review. ... Read more

Album Description

ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS : The Modern Rock #1s are "Give It Away," "Soul To Squeeze," "My Friends," "Californication," "Otherside" and "By The Way" (also Top 40 Pop). The Top 20s are "Higher Ground" and "Suck My Kiss." ... Read more

Reviews (106)

Good...but they should have done something different
Most of the songs on this CD are excellent and the Peppers put their huge hits on this CD. There are clearly some great songs missing on this CD. However I believe that the Chili Peppers should have instead of this CD made a CD entitled:
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Greatest Hits 1991-2003, since they already have What Hits out that covers their 80s stuff (and Under The Bridge).
I would include 18 songs on this CD, including the 2 new ones.
It would go something like this:
1. Under The Bridge
2. Give It Away
3. Scar Tissue
4. By The Way
5. Aeroplane
6. Soul To Squeeze
7. Otherside
8. Can't Stop
9. Suck My Kiss
10. Love Rollercoaster
11. Californication
12. My Friends
13. Around The World
14. The Zephyr Song
15. Breaking The Girl
16. Parallel Universe
17. Fortune Faded
18. Save The Population

I believe these are the Greatest Hits from 1991-2003 for RHCP. Of course, they have so many amazing songs it's hard to create the perfect greatest hits album.
As for the one they have out, it's missing some but it does cover their best.

great compilation but missing a few songs
this set is awesome but its missing a few songs and it also has a few songs that shouldn't be on here like road trippin and universally speaking. this is what the track listing should have been.
1. give it away
2. under the bridge
3. suck my kiss
4. breaking the girl
5. soul to squeeze
6. warped
7. my friends
8. aeroplane
9. love rollercoaster
10. scar tissue
11. around the world
12. otherside
13. californication
14. parallel universe
15. by the way
16. zepher song (sorry if i spelled it wrong)
17. can't stop
18. dosed
19. fortune faded
20. save the population
if this is too many for one disc kick out parallel universe since it was only barely made the modern rock chart. anyway if this would have been the track listing this would have been the only chili peppers disc most casual fans would need. nevertheless this is a great greatest hits album and is a perfect introduction to the band. (actually anything from blood sugar sex magik on is a great introduction to the band with the exception of one hot minute, depending on your view of the album)

Addictive
This CD is one of the best compilations ive ever heard. EVERY track on the cd is awesome. I never get tired of listening to this masterpeace. The two new songs are also very worth being put on the greatest hits cd, my favorite being Save the Population. The ending of the song is very well done. If you are a fan of the Peppers or simply a fan of good music, you owe it to yourself to buy this cd.

Beware - This is the Best of the Warner Bros. Years
I don't know why everyone's complaining about this Greatest Hits compilation not having any material, other than Higher Ground, from the pre-BloodSugarSexMagik Chilis. Has anyone taken into account the fact that all of that material is still owned by EMI, the Chilis label from 1984 (Red Hot Chili Peppers) to 1989 (Mother's Milk)? I think that this is a pretty good history of the Chilis from BloodSugarSexMagik to the present, with the exception of a Rick Rubin-remixed "Higher Ground". (Really, listen to it - it's not the same version that appeared on "Mother's Milk" or "What Hits?!".) Granted, there is some stuff missing - for instance, I own the Greatest Hit and Videos version of this album, and I can't help but wondering why "Aeroplane" is on the Greatest Videos DVD, but not on the Greatest Hits album itself. All in all, this is a pretty solid Greatest Hits album. If you want any Chilis material from pre-1991, then check out thier "What Hits ?!" album, released under EMI records - THAT'S the album with classic songs such as "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes", "Backwoods", "Johnny Kick a Hole in the Sky", and "Behind the Sun".

Curious, but solid
I do not own this cd and don't plan on it since I already own the majority of these songs on Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Californication. However, for a beginner to the band, this would be all you need. Sure, with any greatest hits collection, there's going to be a couple of songs missing (Can't Stop, Aeroplane, Around the World) but those weren't my very favorites so it isn't a big deal to me personally. What I can't understand though is why their 80's catalog is almost completely ignored (only Higher Ground is listed). Granted, this was their only big hit at that time.. but there are several "non-hits" on this cd from the 90s and current. Sure, their previous compilation "What Hits?" contained mostly 80's material, but why did that include Under the Bridge? So, RHCP now has 3 cds with Under the Bridge on it... not that that's a bad thing!

Anyway, enough of the petty stuff. All in all, a good overview of one of the better bands of the past 15 years. If you already have all their albums though, it is a bit of a waste being that the 2 new songs aren't anything special. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Smashing Pumpkins' greatest-hits album, Rotten Apples, tracesthe band's evolution (or devolution, depending on your feelings about the band'sradical sonic shift in the mid-'90s) from its early days to its status among thekings of alt rock. For fans of the Pumpkins' beginnings as a tripped-outindie/art rock act, Apples opens with some of the band's strongestmaterial. "Siva" and "Rhinoceros" (from Gish, the Pumpkin's first--andarguably best--album) seamlessly mixed dream pop with noisy goth-rock as primeexamples of the Pumpkins' early '90s sound. Apples also showcases threestellar tracks ("Cherub Rock," "Today," and "Disarm") from Siamese Dream, the Pumpkins'breakout album. This disc makes the band's mid-'90s directional swing obvious,though, starting with "Bullet with Butterfly Wings," the aggressive alt rock/altmetal concoction released on Mellon Collie and the InfiniteSadness. Fans of songs like "Zero," "Tonight, Tonight," and "TheEverlasting Gaze" will be happy to know that pretty much every cage-rattling hitmade it to this disc, along with the previously unreleased dream pop track "RealLove" and an untitled new track (that sounds a lot like the SiameseDream-era Pumpkins) to round out the mix.--Jennifer Maerz ... Read more

Reviews (54)

A Smashing CD
I was more than happy when the Smashing Pumpkins came out with a greatest hits record. The CD "Rotten Apples" comes complete with all of the classic Pumpkins songs from over the years.

From their first CD "Gish", you have the songs Siva and Rhinoceros.
From "Siamese Dream", you've got Cherub Rock, Today, and Disarm.
From the disc of B-Sides, "Pisces Iscariot", there is the cover of the Fleetwood Mac song, Landslide.
From "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness", there is Bullet with Butterfly Wings, Tonight Tonight, 1979, and Zero.
From "Adore", you have Ava Adore and Perfect.
From "Machina/The Machines of God", there is The Everlasting Gaze and Stand Inside your Love
And two songs not released on Pumpkins CD's in the past but put on other soundtrack albums are Drown and Eye.

Some other bright spots are the two previously unreleased tracks that close the album, Real Love and Untitled. Real Love sounds much like the version put on the Machina II album, and internet release that many fans never got to hear. Untitled is a very strong track and a good closing track that has the radio-friendly sound the band masters at.

If you were lucky to get the Bonus CD of rarities and b-sides also known as Judas-O with your Rotten Apples disc, you will most definately enjoy the over 15 previously unreleased songs, that is just as good as the greatest hits disc and is sure to be a hit itself.

The Smashing Pumpkins have come a long way since their first album, and you can listen to the growth and change in sound over the years throughout this disc. It is well worth the money and even if you're not a Pumpkins fan yet or are thinking of giving them a listen, go with this CD, it is sure to be a favorite in your collection for years to come.

Excellent collection but not their best album.
This is great if you want Disarm and Bullet With Butterfly Wings on one cd but I think Mellon Collie is still the best album to buy as your first Pumpkins album.Mellon Collie is a little pricey but worth it cause there are 2 cds.

Still A Great Collection, But An Incomplete Collection.
First of all, I've got to tell you that I am a huge Pumpkins fan. I think The Smashing Pumpkins have been one of the greatest influences on rock 'n' roll. If you want to get to know who The Smashing Pumpkins are and the beautiful music they created together, then this is a great album for you. My only complaint is that, as a Pumpkins fan, I believe that this is a bit incomplete. This is my revised track list:

Disc 1:1991 - 1996
1.) I am one (from the album Gish)

2.) Siva (from the album Gish)

3.) Rhinocerous(from the album Gish)

4.) Drown (from the soundtrack album Singles)

5.) Cherub Rock (from the album Siamese Dream)

6.) Disarm (from the album Siamese Dream)

7.) Today (from the album Siamese Dream)

8.) Rocket (from the album Siamese Dream)

9.) Lanslide (from the b-side complication album Pisces Iscrairiot. Fleetwood Mac cover)

10.) Bullet With Butterfly Wings(from the album MCIS)

11.) 1979 (from the album MCIS)

12.) Zero (from the album MCIS)

13.) Tonight, Tonight (from the album MCIS)

14.) Tonight(reprise.acoustic.From the box set The Aeroplane Flies High))

15.) Thirty - Three(from the album MCIS)

16.) Here Is No Why(from the album MCIS)

17.) Cupid De Locke(from the album MCIS)

18.) Galapogos(from the album MCIS)

Disc 2:1997 - 2000
1.) You're All I've Got Tonight(A Cars cover.From the box set The Aeroplane Flies High)

2.) Clones(we're all. Alice Cooper cover.From the box set The Aeroplane Flies High)

3.) The End Is The Beggining, Is The End(from the soundtrack album Batman and Robin)

4.) The Beggining Is The End, Is The Beggining(from the soundtrack album Batman and Robin)

5.) To Sheila(from the album Adore)

6.) Ava Adore(from the album Adore)

7.) Perfect(from the album Adore)

8.) Eye(from a soundtrack album.Sorry, don't know title of album)

9.) The Everlasting Gaze(from the album MACHINA/the Machines of God)

10.) Raindrops + Sunshowers(from the album MACHINA/the Machines of God)

11.) Stand Inside Your Love(from the album MACHINA/the machines of God)

12.) Try, Try, Try(from the album MACHINA/the machines of God)

13.) Real Love(previously unreleased)

14.) Untitled(previously unreleased)

That is, as a fan, I think the track list should be. Some fans may diagree. I recommend this album for any Pumpkin fan. Enjoy!

No Mayonnaise, Rockets and Thirty-Three
Great CD for SP hardcore fans. Little disappoint that there's no song like Mayonnaise, Rockets, and thirty-three

All the Pumpkins best songs can be found here...
This is a great collection of the Smashing Pumpkins work. It has some great early songs such as "Siva" and "Rhinoceros" (both off their debut CD Gish) and a few off their best CD Siamese Dream. "Cherub Rock" and "Disarm" are my favorites off that one. "Landslide" is a neat cover of an old Fleetwood Mac tune and that originally appeared on their B-sides collection. You also get 4 songs off their double album Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness, "Tonight Tonight" is my favorite from that bunch. Their later stuff is pretty good too. Definately worth checking out... ... Read more

Album Description

Originally released in 1994, Trent Reznor created THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL as both a concept album and modern day classic. This influential 90’s classic is Trent Reznor’s industrial cum-tragic opera view of the world and the soul’s sonically detailed fall from grace. The Downward Spiral delves into despair and anger with hard guitars and brutal beats.

DUAL DISC VERSION (CD & DVD on one disc)

CD SIDE: Includes entire album in Re-Mastered CD Stereo

DVD SIDE: * Video in surround sound and Stereo of "Closer" * Videos of "March of the Pigs" and "Hurt" * Entire album in Stereo and Advanced Resolution Surround Sound * Entire album in Dolby Digital Surround Sound and Stereo * Image Gallery * Complete Discography * Random DVD menus * Surround Sound mixes by Trent Reznor ... Read more

Reviews (422)

Best Album of the New Millennium, so far...
If this does not win best album of the year, then there is something sincerely wrong with modern music and its fans. There hasn't been music this earnest, sincere, and beautiful since before I was born. Yes, Beck is sad, miserable, it sounds like, but this album transcends emotion. This album is so great, it makes me feel good, despite its down-tempo arrangements and depressing subject matter. It's enlivening just to hear an album this great. Stand-out tracks include "The Golden Age", "Paper Tiger", "Lonesome Tears" [my personal favorite], and "Sunday Sun".

Hype aside, you will regret not buying this album. In a week or so when everybody starts to talk about Sea Change and its greatness, you'll feel silly for not running out for it before Gideon Yago or Kurt Loder or whoever tells you to.

Beck and God(rich) work wonders
Much has been said about Beck's mercurial nature. In the context of a follow-up to 1999's Midnite Vultures, Sea Change could be considered a polor opposite to that album's over-produced and unquestionably danceable tracks. Similarly, the lyrics on this effort actually make sense and are unabashedly poignant, while Midnite Vultures invited the listener to be "turn[ed] over to the highway patrol" and have his soul massaged.

Placed in the context of Beck's ever-shifting and decidedly mood-swing-inclined career, however, Sea Change seems completely natural. It re-pairs Beck with Nigel Godrich, who produced 1998's similarly dark Mutations (also a "surprising" follow-up, when placed in line with the commercial success of 1996's Odelay!). Never one to retread, however, this time Beck is joined by string arrangements (called "sweeping" in almost every review) put together by his father and also introduces a much more mature voice and more direct songwriting style to the world.

And oh the things that voice has to say. Easily Beck's best-written work, Sea Change never pretends not to be The Break-Up Album in Beck's eclectic canon. The titles alone are indications of the melancholy that pervades this album, but the beautifully somber imagery turns the singer/songwriter's sadness into the listener's gold.

Before releasing this album, Beck toured solo, playing acoustic shows dominated by the material from this album. Many of the songs blossomed in that raw environment and now seem almost stifled by the (albeit beautiful) production value with which this album surrounds them. The strings are indeed "sweeping" and an interesting choice, but could be criticized as being a detriment to the personal nature of this album.

In short, this is a wonderful, wonderful album. Highlights include "Lost Cause", "Lonesome Tears", and the opener "The Golden Age".

I don't think so
I came into this album with 0 expectations. I heard it was good, I heard it was bad, whatever. So i bought it, listened to it and found out what its deal was. People love saying Beck has matured - that's ok, as long as the music is good...But the truth is this: the first song is great, the second one took awhile to "grow" on me, it's about a 7 out of 10. The 3rd, 4th and 5th songs are ok and...to be honest, the rest of it is pretty bland. I think it's ok to change sounds, as long as it's good music as a result. You may think I'm just being crucial, but I'm warning you, if you buy this album, it will be a big disappointment.

What happened to you, Beck?
Wow. Has Beck ever changed. This "Yer Cheatin' heart" style music is hard to listen to.It's so depressing. It's like someone ripped the creative spark from Beck's brain. Sure there's still musical genius there, but the point of listening to music is enjoying it or connecting with it. Oh well, Beck always does his own thing. I can't bear to give him one star when all of his other CDs are fivers.

I'm gonna lock myself inside my room and listen to this
I'm gonna lock myself inside my room and listen to this--for a long, long time. That's all I can say. Its gonna be a long year. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Those rankled by the seeming cynicism of Billy Idol willfully re-embracing the vintage, hit-making sonic cliches of "Dancing With Myself" and Rebel Yell should look on the bright side: It could have been Flock of Seagulls instead. Stepping back into the spotlight with veteran guitarist Steve Stevens and producer Keith Forsey (key architects of Idol's career-making hits) again in the fold, the now 50-something Rock of the '80s icon offers up a slate of fist-pumping, not-so-new wave here that manages to echo the original's sound and fury--and more than a few of its faux rock rebellion cliches. With a voice that no longer particularly strains to sound like nine yards of beef gristle, Idol gnaws and gnashes his way through rawk-hard anthems like "Scream" with improbable conviction, abetted as on "Rat Race" and "Super Overdrive" by the familiar, careening metallic fretwork of Stevens. A left-field cover of the goofy trucker's lament "Plastic Jesus" argues the lads are still all-too-human, yet "Lady Do or Die" proves there's still a little seductive purr lurking 'round the Idol tonsils, with Stevens gratifyingly making more like Brian Setzer than hair-band Hercules in the bargain. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (64)

Idol Never Left...
Being in awe with Idol for over 20 years, I was thrilled to hear a couple of these songs live 2 years ago in concert.When I realized a new CD was in the works, I was excited to say the least!This CD blew me away.You think 'Scream' is awesome, wait til you see him and Stevens perform it live!The CD is absolutely rockin'.Idol's range is amazing and Steve still is one of the most brilliant guitarists ever.Billy never left, he was just waiting for the right time.What's cool about this CD is Idol stuck to his roots, but at the same time, venturing out a bit.I hear people complaining about "Yellin' At the Xmas Tree."It's a fun song, simply put.I've waited for this CD for a long time and it was worth the wait!If Billy, Steve and the Boys come to your city, please do go.You will have the time of your life.

"DOWNwith the devil"...
OK Im 35 yrs old and used to be a big Billy Idol fan in the 80's. So here's my 2 cents:
The lyrics are ridulcously SHALLOW (most of them anyway)
The music and chorus work is very catchy.Steven Stevens sounds as great as ever, and Billy definetly wants to take us all back the 80's hard rock sound (not that it's such a bad idea).

HERES WHAT I DONT GET.
Why are so many of these songs ANTI-church and in favor of the devil?!


Surely Billy Idol could've selected better subject matter when it comes to writing songs then to pay homage to Satan?
WHAT A WASTE of talent this is!!!

While I'm not an overly religious person (about going to church etc).I do believe in Jesus, and in His power to save me from my sins.While I understand Idol's song: "Plastic Jesus" has nothing to do with the real Jesus, I still think Billy is foolish for naming his album: "Devils Playground"and for paying any respect to satan at all in his song lyrics.
It's all so unbelievably MORONIC!

I feel sorry for Billy, who may find out one day that these things are gonna actually mean something when he goes to meet his Maker (just like the rest of us) who will give account for what we do while we are here on earth.

I HAVE NOT bought this CD, nor will I.
I got to see the lyrics and listen to it compliments of my public library.

Thank God for the public library

Real rock & roll is not dead!!
Being 34 years old, I am very familar with Billy Idol's career but I never got into him enough to buy any of his albums.I heard "Scream" on the radio and being starved for some real rock I decided to buy the album.It is one of the best I've heard in a long time.It's got a great variety of music: rock, punk, rockabilly, pop and even a Christmas tune (just in time for summer!?) I would recommend this to fans my age as well as younger fans that need to hear some straight ahead rock.(Yes, with guitar solos) This is the way rock used to be played.I respect Billy and Steve for sticking to their guns.I've been hearing "Scream" alot on the radio so I guess the album is selling.Let's hope this caliber type stuff comes back and squeezes out the empty pop and rap that saturates the radio.

Great Album - Great Tour
This is a great album and I have been to two current Tour concerts and both have been awesome. I have been going to see Idol live since 2001 when Steve Stevens got back together with Billy after 13 years apart. Every concert has been one of the best I have attended in ages.

Billy and Steve really seemed focused again. Hopefully more great new songs and concert are to come the next several years.

Father of Punk Rock Still Got da Beat
Just recently I got to see Billy Idol in concert.WOW!!!! After all these years he still looks great, sounds great, and gives his all in concert as well as the recording studio.This album is vintage Idol, with the Christmas song a real suprise.My fav is "Scream"is so very Idol.What I would like to point out here is that his longtime guitarist, Steve Stevens, is an awesome player.He is very underappriciated and has real talent.He really rocks in person.This is a great album, with a more sedate Idol.Thats OK, he's grown up, so have we.Rock on Billy...your my Idol. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Iron & Wine is Sam Beam, a back-porch Florida singer-songwriter whose sad little songs pack a helluva wallop. Beam's immediately likable tunes paint such clear pictures that songs like "Southern Anthem" and "Muddy Hymnal" are more akin to short stories by Raymond Carver and Flannery O'Connor than to your average pop ditty. Recorded in his living room on a vintage four-track, The Creek Drank the Cradle co-stars cassette hiss, ambient room sound, and Beam himself. A stripped-down, one-man band, Beam contributes delicious Delta-flavored slide guitar, passable banjo, and deliriously beautiful harmonizing. Beam isn't just a songwriter the equal of Will Oldham and Leonard Cohen (really--and it'll be a surprise if folks don't immediately start covering him), the boy can sing. His melt-in-your-head-but-not-in-your-ears voice is instantly recognizable and will certainly please fans of Nick Drake, Lou Barlow, and Elliott Smith.--Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (49)

The Real Thing
Let me be the first to offer some remarks on this remarkable disc. Working alone in a home studio, Sam Beam has put together a low budget wonder, a collection of songs written, performed and sung by Beam alone, overdubbing himself to create the illusion of a full band. Sub-Pop is to be congratulated for recognizing this low-fidelity, home-spun masterpiece and making available to a wide audience.
The music is stark, simple and emotional. Beam's voice is soft, almost breathy, as he sings with tentative passion about love, life & loss. While this might be enough for some to classify him as one of the all-too-common breed of folksy modern singer/songwriters, Beam transends his ostensible genre in both material and performance. Singing his strange, sad ballads with the intensity of Nick Drake, Beam occasionally adds a layer of slide-guitar blues that makes some songs sound as if Drake had sat down to play with with Son House. Melodic lines overlap and separate with subtle skill and beauty, making the fact that the disc was a one-man-show all the more amazing. The best cut, to my mind, is 'Weary Memory', a sweet and haunting ode to what is past and lost to all but remembrance.
'The Creek Drank the Cradle' is a low-budget recording, and the songs are of uneven quality, but it is the sort of extraordinary musical achievement that may eventually lend itself to a good deal of hype. Do yourself a favor, if anything I've said here reaches you, check it out before Beam gets manhandled by the media. This music is pure.

Junkmedia Review - Best new artist of 2002
Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce the Best New Artist of 2002: Sam Beam, the one-man band who makes up Iron & Wine. I know, I know, the whole "Best New Artist" thing doesn't hold much weight these days. After all, if you know your pop music history, most performers who are crowned with such a superlative usually fall short before long. But Iron & Wine's debut album, The Creek Drank The Cradle, is worthy of any superlative you can throw its way.

Beam's music was brought to Sub Pop's attention by the Ugly Casanova himself, Modest Mouse frontman and lately Sub Pop's A&R guy Isaac Brock, whose taste is turning out to be the most trustworthy in indie rock. The last band he suggested the label sign was a little Albuquerque, New Mexico, band called the Shins, who, as you may recall, released Junkmedia's favorite album of 2001. So when Isaac recommends something, we all ought to lend him our collective ear.

Now, have you ever seen a big, full Pink Moon (a la Nick Drake) rising over the Mississippi Delta? Try to picture it. That's what Iron & Wine is the sonic equivalent of. With its whispered vocals, bluesy slide guitar work and beautiful vocal harmonies, The Creek Drank The Cradle sees Beam creating a minor masterpiece with extremely limited resources.

The entire record was recorded on 4-track in Beam's home in Miami, Florida, meaning that tape hiss and room noise are a constant presence throughout. But the sound is remarkably intimate and warm, like a distant radio station you have to hold your ear up to the speaker to hear. Beam's day job is teaching film to college students, and it's evident in his song arrangements: he uses sounds like a film editor uses images. A banjo here, a menacing slide guitar figure there, it all conjures up a striking mood of melancholy and reflection.

The centerpiece of the album is "Upward Over The Mountain," a long, meditative number that is at once impossibly sad and still somehow hopeful. "Mother, don't worry, I've got a coat and some friends on the corner," Beam sings in his most fragile voice. "So may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten / Sons are like birds flying always over the mountain." Unlike most self-obsessed bedroom pop auteurs, Beam's vision manages to be both private and expansive at the same time. Listen to the celestial vocals on "Southern Anthem," another standout cut: Iron & Wine's predominant mood may be one shrouded in darkness, but some sunshine does break through the clouds.

So even if the promise shown by this debut is proved false by future releases, it doesn't matter. The Creek Drank The Cradle is a gem of an album all on its own. And Iron & Wine will still be the best new artist of 2002.

Tyler Wilcox
Junkmedia Review

consistent, to a fault
I like this album, there really isn't a bad song on it. Unfortunately, there really isn't any song that jumps out to the forefront either. Its mellow, folky, introspective, bittersweet- all those adjectives used in previous reviews. But its hard to tell when one song ends and the next begins. But its really nice to turn the lights down and nurse a couple Guiness.

mixed feelings
this might be rant-y or ignorant. feel free to ignore it. I think Iron & Wine is some decent music but for some reason i have major problems with it. for one it is boring. all the songs are languid, bittersweet, same instruments, same energy level in vocals and instrumentation. taken on an individual basis the songs are good, some original lyrics, very lulling. I actually like his cover of the Postal Service's "such great heights" more than any of these album tracks. it is great stuff to fall asleep to.

that said I find his 'image' to be sort of fake and annoying. Sam Beam is portrayed as a 'back-porch', folksy person, a relic of the past, both by the media and by himself through music and lyrics. However he is a graduate of FSU's film school. it seems like he is playing the aforementioned aspect of his personality up a lot, he couldn't possibly have remained that removed after 4-8 years at a huge university.

I also saw him opening for Ugly Casanova before I had heard any Iron & Wine records. He seemed very conceited, he kept on asking the audience to 'quiet down', a somewhat selfish and ridiculous request in a club setting (not to mention that the only noise was conversation-level talking).

Despite all this I still enjoy his music sometimes, but it's not pure genius and it doesn't explore a wide range of feelings or musical ideas.

Gorgeous, flawless.
I find it hard to understand how the (very few) detractors of this album don't see/hear the simple beauty behind this album. No, none of the songs demonstrate any kind of show-offy virtuosic skills (*I* can play many of the songs, which says alot) ... but technical complexity is not the same thing as beauty. The Postal Service and the Shins are the only two recent bands who have had the same effect (not that they sound anything like Iron & Wine). The comparisons to Elliott Smith and Nick Drake aren't about a musical similarity. Indeed, if Iron & Wine were simply Nick Drake all over again, I wouldn't love this album as much - not because Nick Drake isn't one of my favorite musicians, but because it wouldn't be as origina). Iron & Wine is breathtakingly beautiful in a similar way as those artists - as shockingly original as them, but still wholly original. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Can prolific, heartfelt singer-songwriter Sam Beam do any wrong? The title track to this six song EP continues much in the same vein as 2004’s exceptionalOur Endless Numbered Days. Recorded with Red Red Meat alum Brian Deck, Woman King subtly opens the sonic palette up to include more percussion, piano, and wait is that an electric guitar? "Grey Stables" and "Evening on the Ground," have gorgeous fiddle playing, while the pacing and multi-limbed percussion of those songs and "Freedom Hangs Like Heaven" are very Allman Brothers (that’s a good thing.) It’s not all slowly stewing nouveau Southern rock, however.The sweet, vocal-fueled "Jezebel" would easily have fit on the first album, while the lovely ballad "In My Lady’s House" demonstrates further why siblings should sing together, as Sam and sister Sarah hit ideal harmonies. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (19)

immediately warm and recognizable, like a long lost memory
It's really difficult for a musician to develop a distinct sound, and then to progress from record to record in such a way, that your 'sound' continues to grow and change without losing the elements that made it so unique and personal in the first place. Sometimes, if you like a band enough, you don't mind if every record sounds the same, ten more songs that sound like the last ten songs you absolutely loved can only be more of a good thing, right?

But it's the folks who do manage that delicate balancing act of moving forward but remaining true to their original vision that continue to truly inspire and blow me away. Iron & Wine happen to be one of those bands. After two full lengths and one ep in about two years, this newest ep takes Iron & Wine's hushed melancholia, with its gently strummed guitars, Sam Beam's whispered/sung breathless vocals, sweetly miserable arrangements, and brings the songs' emotional urgency to the fore, where before it was only hinted at lyrically and alluded to in minor key melodies and bleak lyrical imagery.

This new batch of songs is much more aggressive in tone, reflected by more percussion, more propulsive tempos and a bigger reliance on different instrumentation (violin, piano, etc.) adding a sonic veil of death and despondency to this already mournful / melancholy song cycle. But even without these changes, there seems to be no end to Sam Beam's songwriting genius. Every song is a new dreamlike world, populated by pain and sorrow, hope and happiness, love and loss, immediately warm and recognizable, like a long lost memory from your childhood, or a song you already love and cherish, but at the same time each song is a wholly unique new musical discovery full of unlikely melodies and gorgeous musical landscapes that stick with you, as if the song is an experience you lived through and remember, catchy, timeless and totally unforgettable.

Just trying to weigh in
I'm not in the mood to write tonight, but this EP is solid.It's too bad that Iron & Wine don't get more attention.

Review of Woman King at ThreeImaginaryGirls.com
The written word succeeds best when it is not approached as a narrative, but when it is approached as a mosaic of images and actions which when put together, form a complete idea, emotion, story. Poetry is essentially brief glimpses of a scene or emotion, painted or sculpted in words with a pleasing rhythm, pleasing brushstrokes. Novels can do the same thing but on a much larger scale, and usually employing more of a focus on a resulting narrative.

And because he approaches composing songs from a somewhat different angle than perhaps most singer/songwriters do, Sam Beam (aka Iron and Wine) is one of today's most talented lyricists - not because he writes stories in his songs, but because his songs paint pictures with brief images that serve as intimations to some grander, ambiguous idea behind what he is showing you.

Iron and Wine's most recent release is the six-song EP, Woman King. The songs on the record deal with some of Beams favorite images - the shapes of sleeping women, the wings of birds, a delicate noise of countryside.

Miami-based Beam taught cinematography and screenwriting at the college level for some time, and there is no hiding his photographic sensibilities in the structures of his songs. Polaroids of his imagination would be velvet and watercolored.

At once brilliantly intimate in his acoustic guitar and soft voice, Beam invites the listener to enter a surreal world on his new EP - more successfully on Woman King than on any of his previous records. Having already recorded the delicious Our Endless Numbered Days in the studio setting two years ago, Beam shows a new comfort in the ways of a studio as opposed to tracking over instruments himself - as he did on his first two releases.

The new record begins with the title track. Beam sings a call-and-response between images of an old, glorified South - "Blackbird claw, raven wing/ Under the red sunlight/ long clothesline, two shirt sleeves/ waving as we go by" - and a chorus which proposes the idea of a woman taking on the role of a king - "Hundred years, hundred more/ Someday we may see a/ Woman king, sword in hand/ Swing at some evil and bleed."

The record moves on to "Jezebel," a sweetly sinister ballad about the Biblical Queen of Israel who tried in the most evil of ways to impose her heathen beliefs on those she ruled. In Beam's world, however, Jezebel is shown as a helpless and lost individual being chased by a pack of dogs, metaphors for perhaps gods or perhaps her people. Beam asks, "And who's seen Jezebel?/ She went walking where the cedars line the road/ Her blouse on the ground/ Where the dogs were hungry, moaning."

Read the rest of the review: http://www.threeimaginarygirls.com/ironandwine05mar.asp

more to love from sam beam
My only complaint about this EP is that it is not a full-length cd.I could definitely stand to hear more new music from Iron and Wine.This EP is decidedly different from his previous releases, mainly because the recording itself sounds neater and cleaner than the old-record quality of Creek Drank the Cradle.In "Woman King," we witness a very striking beat in the background, created not by drums but what sounds like sticks beating on a wooden table.Then there is the sweet-sounding "Jezebel," which is reminiscent of earlier works, except for the subtle background vocals.On the whole, Beam uses a lot more instruments in this recording than in previous ones.In addition to the stock acoustic guitar and banjo, this recording uses drums, hand drums, tambourine, maracas,cowbell, the lovely backing vocals of Sarah Beam, piano, keyboard, and yes, even electric guitar.The songs themselves range from toe-tapping country blues, to the gentle folk ballads that are characteristic of all Iron and Wine albums.While fans are sure to be shocked by the blatant burst of distorted guitar in "Evening on the Ground," it does not detract from the song.Though Beam may be making a break from his more traditional roots, the aura of Southern-tinged folk is still very present, and the banjo is still there.The EP is a refreshing change of pace for those who are familiar with his prior releases.Beam's music continues to forge a fresh path in the underground, creating albums that seem to transcend the flow of American music and bring us back to its roots.

By Imaginary Correspondent Joe
The written word succeeds best when it is not approached as a narrative, but when it is approached as a mosaic of images and actions which when put together, form a complete idea, emotion, story. Poetry is essentially brief glimpses of a scene or emotion, painted or sculpted in words with a pleasing rhythm, pleasing brushstrokes. Novels can do the same thing but on a much larger scale, and usually employing more of a focus on a resulting narrative.

And because he approaches composing songs from a somewhat different angle than perhaps most singer/songwriters do, Sam Beam (aka Iron and Wine) is one of today's most talented lyricists - not because he writes stories in his songs, but because his songs paint pictures with brief images that serve as intimations to some grander, ambiguous idea behind what he is showing you.

Iron and Wine's most recent release is the six-song EP, Woman King. The songs on the record deal with some of Beams favorite images - the shapes of sleeping women, the wings of birds, a delicate noise of countryside.

Miami-based Beam taught cinematography and screenwriting at the college level for some time, and there is no hiding his photographic sensibilities in the structures of his songs. Polaroids of his imagination would be velvet and watercolored.

At once brilliantly intimate in his acoustic guitar and soft voice, Beam invites the listener to enter a surreal world on his new EP - more successfully on Woman King than on any of his previous records. Having already recorded the delicious Our Endless Numbered Days in the studio setting two years ago, Beam shows a new comfort in the ways of a studio as opposed to tracking over instruments himself - as he did on his first two releases.

The new record begins with the title track. Beam sings a call-and-response between images of an old, glorified South - "Blackbird claw, raven wing/ Under the red sunlight/ long clothesline, two shirt sleeves/ waving as we go by" - and a chorus which proposes the idea of a woman taking on the role of a king - "Hundred years, hundred more/ Someday we may see a/ Woman king, sword in hand/ Swing at some evil and bleed."

The record moves on to "Jezebel," a sweetly sinister ballad about the Biblical Queen of Israel who tried in the most evil of ways to impose her heathen beliefs on those she ruled. In Beam's world, however, Jezebel is shown as a helpless and lost individual being chased by a pack of dogs, metaphors for perhaps gods or perhaps her people. Beam asks, "And who's seen Jezebel?/ She went walking where the cedars line the road/ Her blouse on the ground/ Where the dogs were hungry, moaning."

Next is "Gray Stables," a song which recalls misty images of Ophelia and medieval forests in its harsh tribute to a "brave lady" - "Brave lady, I could see you through the mosses/ laid, shameless in the sun...gray stables and the horses of the/ righteous/ pray daily for the brave."

Then there is "Freedom Hangs Like Heaven," an epic track which takes Beam into the rock-and-rollingest territory he's ever been, all the while talking to the Virgin Mary, "carrying her babe" whilst the oil lamps sing to her, "freedom hangs like heaven over everyone."

The best song, however, the song which let me feel the blood in my veins, is "My Lady's House." It's a short and simple, acoustic guitar love ballad, akin to the tear-conjuring "Naked As We Came" from his last album. Halfway through the ideal finger-plucks on his guitar, a piano enters and takes the song into an entirely new aesthetic. The sweeping gorgeousness of the written words are complemented by the rhythm and timbre of the voice and instrumentation to make the verse when Beam sings, "It is good in my lady's house/ every shape that her body makes/ love is a fragile word/ in the air, on the length we lay."

For those fans already familiar with Iron and Wine, the six songs on Woman King will be the logical next step in an already impressive catalogue. For those who know Iron and Wine only for his cover of the Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" on the Garden State soundtrack, then the intimacy found in the soft recording for Zach Braff and Natalie Portman will only be multiplied in this brilliant EP. ... Read more

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This album arrived shortly after singer Andy Bell's revelation that he had been living with HIV for more than six years, suffering from debilitating pain. It's no wonder the music carries a more somber tone than the sugar-smacked synth-pop of '80s hits "Chain of Love" and "Blue Savannah." But it's hardly a gloomy affair. Yes, there is a more ominous tone to lyrics like "The tears that are falling, there's no room for doubt." And yes, the choruses aren't quite as chaotic. But for the most part this is vintage Erasure, right down to the Casio-sounding keyboards that permeate tracks like "Here I Go Impossible Again" and the ABBA imbued cheek of "Don't Say You Love Me." Erasure is clearly a band too engrossed by life to be knocked down by its mundane realities. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (82)

20 years too late?
Oh please. This is a very good album (perhaps not great). I hardly think that the correct criterion to apply to it is whether it fits in with the crap music that rules on the charts these days... And before you lump Erasure in with cheesy 80's Top 40 bands, you must be too young to remember that Erasure hardly got lots of radio play. They have a lot more cred than that, which is more than I can say for the played out rap, American idols, boy bands, and the like that seem to be ruling the charts these days. About the only time a song seems to have any staying power at all is when it's a cover of a decent song from the (gasp) 80s or earlier. This album is very good as I said, and the boys have proven they are still capable of writing some decent songs.. I guess that would be an alien concept to you "oh i'm so hip this is like OLD stuff" children.

Does it come Sugar Free.
Man, my teeth are stinging form the sugar.Put me in some neon colored clothes and drop me right back in the 80's. This would have been great it's just 2o years late.Move on.

WHO KNEW.....?
I had long ago given up on buying anything from Erasure...but for some reason decided to give "nightbird" a try....i have to say i was completely floored by how incredibly good this CD is, easily one of their best, if not their best. The songs are so catchy, yet somehow steeped in a feeling of melancholy which makes them even more effective and resonant. I cannot stop listening to it....

*******
I HAVE BEEN AN ERASURE FAN SINCE THE BEGINING...BUT I HAVE NOT LOVED TOO MANY OF THEIR ALBUMS IN THE 90'S. "NIGHTBIRD", I THINK IS THEIR BEST ALBUM SINCE "CHORUS". THIS ALBUM JUST FLOWS SO WELL FROM BEGINING TO END. I CANT TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I'VE LISTENED TO THIS ALBUM IN THE PAST 5 MONTHS. AT LEAST A COUPLE TIMES A WEEK IN ITS ENTIRETY. THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT HOW GOOD THIS CD IS. THEIR LAST ALBUM, LOVEBOAT WAS SUCH A DISSASTER, THAT I DIDNT THINK THEY'D EVER GET IT RIGHT AGAIN. THIS CD CONTAINS SOME SONGS THAT I LOVE AS MUCH AS MY FAVORITE ERASURE SONG, "SHIP OF FOOLS". BUY IT AND ENJOY IT.

Nightbird
I just love Nightbird. Our son got us interested in Erasure years ago and we own every one of their cds and most of the singles. Their music has the ability to put me in a better mood no matter how bad the real world is sometimes. Don't know if we are their oldest fans at 55, but hey, we are going to their concert on May 18 and I'm ecstatic.Buy this cd,you'll love it. P&D ... Read more

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Named in honor of the three-word codes used by short-wave radio operators, Wilco's fourth album sounds like a late-night broadcast of some weirdly wonderful pop station punctuated by static and the sonic bleed of competing signals. Songs that begin with simple, elegiac grace--"Ashes of American Flags" and "Poor Places"--end in a cathartic squall of distortion. The results can be initially jarring, but it's these tracks more than the sturdy jangle pop of "Kamera" or "Heavy Metal Drummer" that demand, and reward, repeated listens. Mixed by studio experimentalist Jim O'Rourke and produced by the band, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot harkens back to a time when the words "pop" and "sonic adventurism" weren't mutually exclusive. The Beatles and Kurt Cobain knew this, and clearly so do Jeff Tweedy and company. --Keith Moerer ... Read more

Reviews (539)

one of the many glowing reviews
..lots of talk out there about this being a classic, a must own, one of the best albums to come out in ten years, on par with the white album, the kid a of alt-country...

...sigh...alright, let me try and gather myself...

upon the first few listens I didn't think much of this album. That's not saying much, because usually great albums do not reveal themselves in the first few listens. The album is rather soft throughout...it starts out rather minimalistic in instrumentation with the background noise driven "I am trying to break your heart". Tweedy's voice blares out, distinct amoungst the sparseness of the surrounding bass line and (awesome) drum-riff. It's a powerful song when you give it the time. The album picks up a bit, getting (almost) poppy on "Kamera" and then later on "War on War", "Heavy Metal Drummer", and "Pot Kettle Black", but stays rather somber throughout. "Radio Cure" relies heavily on Tweedy's voice as it's centerpoint, with Microphones-ish bass-drum and guitar rising and falling every few seconds. The highlight here in my opinion is "Poor Places", the piano is simply beautiful as it twirls with Tweedy's sad/optimistic lyrical sway.

This isn't typical Wilco faire, but that shouldn't detract from the experience. The band seems much more interested in post-production and song as experience, instead of churning out catchy hook driven music with a few ballads thrown in, as they've done in the past.

Finally!!! and worth the wait.
As you probably have heard, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" by Wilco was a long time coming. The music on this CD is dark and stunning, with many dimensions to it, much like a multi-faceted jewel. Wilco's innovative experimentation in the studio has resulted in a recording that's worth listening to over and over again.

But never fear -- while the music on this recording is "cutting edge," it's easily accessible. For example, the dissonance of the first track quickly reveals an underlying melody tying it together.

As this demonstrates, although songwriter Jeff Tweedy has definitely departed from alt-country, his creativity and gift with a melody line shine still through. Interestingly, his fascination with short-wave radio is also apparent -- not just in the title of the band and album, but also in some of the staccato rhythmical patterns interlaced within the individual songs.

If you're hesitant about buying this album, then download the free songs Amazon is distributing on the band's behalf. I think you'll like what you hear. Even though this is a recording that in many ways defies descriptions and classification by genre, I highly recommend it. Order your copy today!

Tweedy's Uncompromising Sonic Beauty
Since so many people have reviewed this album already, I have no illusions about saying something for the first time nor plan on repeating what has already expressed fully and well.
I do still -specially for those people reading this after listening to YFH's follow-up the also impressive "A Ghost Is Born- need to point to a couple of important things that this album show about Wilco's consistently surprising output.
This album clearly demonstrates that Jeff Tweedy's musical vision and commitment to shed songwriting skins is remarkable and an inspiration, specially in the current midst of so many Rock and Pop icons continuing to repeat themselves, who at best flavor their "butter" differently but go on churning the same formula, forgetting to take the kind of risks that made them important in the first place.
Now, unlike many people have mourned earlier, I don't think this album is an absolute departure from what Wilco has been hailed for before. Although this is not "Summerteeth" or "Being There," Tweedy's love for Pop has not been renounced, "Kamera," "Heavy Metal Drummer" and "Pot Kettle Black" proved that.
More than abandoning former song-glories, Tweedy has evolved, has taken all that he can do and pushed it further into a new atmosphere. Where Jay Bennet was so instrumental in what the albums that preceded this one sounded like, Jim O'Rourke is now Tweedy's full musical partner.
And O'Rourke is no Yoko breaking a great band -actually Yoko did not either!- but rather someone who helped Tweedy say well what he was already prepared to say. His production deepens and thrusts these songs to a higher level. " Ashes of American Flags," "I am Trying to Break Your Heart" and "Radio Cure" are magnificent examples of a composer and a producer making music together that reaches farther that either one would have managed on his own.
This is a great album, not the end of a certain Wilco but the evolution of a sound into brave, new and exciting new possibilities.

I'm the Man Who Loves YHF
Like most listeners, it took me several listens before I could even really tolerate many of the songs on YHF. Now I consider it brilliant and truly beautiful. I assure anyone concerned that people only like this album because it's different that my love for the album is genuine. Two years later and the songs still seem to connect more with each listen. The lyrics are sometimes cryptic but make more sense over time and have a distinctive flavor. The song-writing is not really as groundbreaking as some might proclaim, but the production of the songs is brilliant. Although the songwriting certainly comes from a different angle, I can't avoid the comparison to Pink Floyd with the incorporation of extraneous soundeffects into the flow of the songs. Ashes of American Flags is particularly brilliant in this regard, with two stunning but simple guitar parts cutting through out of the swirling static. The result of the production is that even lines of music that essentially amount to pop gain an otherworldly glow; Pot Kettle Black is another great example of this, as is I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. I would also be doing an injustice if I didn't mention how much I love I'm The Man Who Loves You, with its swelling conclusion. This is a collection of songs that would be good without the magical glow of the brilliant production, but which gains a unique appeal in its combination of swirling dissonances and common sense melodies. Buy this album! There's a decent chance you won't like it, but it will become a cherished possession if you do; it occupies a completely unique space in music and will move you more with each listen.

Greatness needs to be appreciated and encouraged
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have in our presence an album that breaks ground much the same way Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of The Moon" did. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is a mind blowing experience that takes Wilco from alt-country to art. Finally burying the legacy of being a piece of the former Uncle Tupelo, this record works on all levels. The songs are well written and meaningful, except perhaps for Heavy Metal Drummer, but even intense drama needs a laugh to lighten the air. This is on my top ten of all time list along with The Beatles "Abbey Road", Pink Floyd's "Dark Side", The Replacements "Let It Be" and a few others. Buy this record! ... Read more

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When you're a prolific band that also happens to be mighty friendly to your obsessive compulsive collector fan base, you wind up releasing a lot of singles and EPs with material that's otherwise unavailable on your albums. And here, for the price of a Japanese pressing of the Fluorescences EP on an auction site alone, you get Stereolab's eight Elektra EPs, from 1993's Jenny Ondioline to 2001's Captain Easychord. The "groop"'s collaborative EPs ( Crumb Duck, Uilab) are not included, but there is a DVD with rarely-seen videos and television performances. This box set serves far more than a plug-the-gaps exercise for trainspotters; as with the singles collections Switched-On volumes one, two and three (did we not mention this band is prolific?), it's an intriguing retrospective of the band in their mature years. And unlike those comps, this set often highlights the band's more lengthy, experimental songs. "Les Yper Yper Sound," for instance, John McEntire's distorted, delightfully repetitious reworking of "Yper Sound" from Emperor Tomato Ketchup, is spine-tinglingly awesome.--Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Stereolab-'Oscillons From The Anti-Sun'(Too Pure)3-CD/1 DVD
'Oscillons...' gives fans a real treat,a three audio disc and one DVD box set.Total of 35 songs,of which 28 will be new to most Stereolab followers EXCEPT for those die-hards who put out big $$ to purchase past import releases.Despite it's cheap-o packaging,this box set is very nice to have.Most of the tracks are lesser known singles and B-sides.The DVD is great,with it's live performances,video clips and other visual surprises.Should appeal to fans of Air,Yo La Tengo,Spacemen 3,Mouse On Mars and Tortoise.

God Bless Stereolab!
This box set is a welcome addition for the die-hards AND casuals, and it's nice having all of these EP's and singles in one place. I have no idea why others are having such a hard time opening their boxes however; it's really not that hard! And aside from one tiny little split in the corner, my box seems really sturdy and finely made.

The sticker set is a wonderful addition to this box collection, so make sure and get your box set now before it goes into a second pressing and they disappear! The set includes eight (8) 4x4 inch stickers with great art work. Suitable for framing! At just around twenty bucks for 35 tracks and a DVD, you just can't go wrong with this. Even if you've not heard one single lick of a stereolab song and if you're a semi-casual fan of electronic music, try them out!

Damn That Packaging
I really do like this latest compilation from Stereolab but I do have to knock a point off for the packaging that the band insists on providing.I thought the last two Switched On compilations were annoying with their flimsy cardboard but this one beats them both (although my copy of S.O. 3 did fall apart about a minute after I got it so I couldn't put the disc in with out it falling out).With "Oscillons...", Stereolab gives us an incredibly difficult to open as well as bulky box with cheap sleeves inside to hold the discs, including the DVD.C'mon, are you so against simple plastic jewel cases?Well, other than the box it comes in, I do indeed recommend this latest compilation from Stereolab even like many other fans, all of the trouble we went through to get those import EPs and singles seem to have lost its shine now that a proper domestic collection is out but at least you had them before a lot of others and thus got the pleasure of hearing some of the band's finer material years before a lot of people did.

Ketchup in a box!
Ok, I kid - it's actually "catch up" for all those of us who discovered Stereolab later rather than sooner.I'm sure I'm not alone - my first Stereolab CD was 2004's sublime Margarine Eclipse, which prompted me to search for the earlier CDs and EPs.My advice to fellow latecomers: dive into this box set!As other reviewers noted, this is a great collection.

A few thoughts about the DVD included in this set: one of the first things I heard about Stereolab was that they were exceptional in concert, and I was disappointed that I could not find any DVDs of their shows.The DVD in this collection has eight "promos" followed by three live performances from UK television.With the exception of Jenny Ondioline, the promos are not typical music videos.They are more like surrealistic dreamscapes (think Dali, backed by synthesizers, broadcast on early PCs - a hoot) set to music.Next, the first live video is a superb, driving rendition of French Disko, gone a bit trippy with TV special effects (think Austin Powers).And then come two gems from the Later...with Jools Holland show (ca. 1996).For all those of us who were late to the party, here's proof that Stereolab -- in addition to being electronic, cerebral, political, carefully crafted, etc., etc. -- are terrific live.These performances of Cybele's Reverie and Les Yper Sound are a great glimpse of what we missed, including the late, lamented Mary Hansen.We can only hope that there are more live performances in the vault and destined for future DVDs, and look forward to the band's future tours.In the meantime, I highly recommend the videos and three CDs in this box set.

A final note for the old-time Stereolab fans who already own the EPs collected here, but not the Jenny Ondioline promo: there's a moment in that video, when the always serious Laetitia Sadier starts to smile and turns away from the camera and toward Mary, who's smiling back...talk about a perfect moment. As a previous reviewer said, Mary, rest in peace.And long live Stereolab!

have to agree with the first 2 reviewers..
...but elaborate a little bit on both. The music on this is beyond cool, I can't say enough about it, so I'll leave it at that.

But... the packaging is *extremely* tough to open - mine's already pocked with fingernail marks from trying to pry it open, and the cardboard box seems to be splitting at some of the outside joints. And I've had it for all of 18 hours. It's not enough really to knock a star off of my review, but it's more than a little irritating.

And yes, like reviewer #2 said, it is a bit frustrating now for me to look over the hundreds of dollars worth of import cd's that have now been rendered obsolete by about $23. Have I had $100's worth of enjoyment over the years that I would have otherwise spent without this music? Well, that's debatable, but I'll say "yes, I have."

The stickers of all the various single covers are very cool - I'm tempted to plaster my guitar case with them, but then they'd get messed up. What's an OC (obsessive completist) to do??? ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

After flirting with heavy guitar rock ("The Man Who Sold the World") and lighter pop ("Hunky Dory"), Bowie found middle ground on Ziggy Stardust. The creation of the Ziggy Stardust persona would live on well after Bowie shed the alien skin, marking the first rock concept album by a sexually ambiguous, artistically bent musician who confounded critics at every turn. A blend of dramatic strings, swaggering saxophones, jagged guitars, and theatrical arrangements, the album's darker rock numbers like "It Ain't Easy," "Moonage Daydream," "Ziggy Stardust," and the irresistible "Suffragette City," still serve as solid excursions into the future (then and now) of rock. The buoyant "Hang on to Yourself" and the dreamy "Star" offer hints of optimism in Ziggy's bleak world. The dramatic "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" and the image-heavy "Star Man" ("he'd like to come and meet us but thinks he'd blow our minds!") no doubt provided plenty of stage-worthy moments when Ziggy toured in the '70s, but years later they still thrill. Bowie blew our minds!--Lorry Fleming ... Read more

Reviews (117)

Starman or Candyman?
For some reason Ziggy Stardust is always referred to as a concept album. But let's track that plot for a second: the world's going to end in five years, so a starman becomes a rock star and then commits suicide. O-kay, Dave, that's a story with mythic resonance. So let's face facts. There's a reason this has never been made into a movie: it's a concept album lacking a unifying concept. There. The cat's out of the bag. Now let's move on, shall we?

Musically, this is an interesting album because it really demonstrates how much a strong instrumentalist can add to a song. David Bowie writes wimpy, Anthony Newley-esque showtunes - and this album is full of them - but Mick Ronson's guitar turns these slight throwaways into muscular rock anthems (of a sort). His guitar solo in Moonage Daydream makes it worth suffering through the song itself. If this album was just about Bowie and his melodramatic songcraft I'd give it maybe two stars and try to avoid ever hearing it again, but Ronson and the Spiders From Mars miraculously pull it out of the trashbin.

Let the children boogie
David Bowie's arrogant excursion into concept albums paid off handsomely with "Ziggy Stardust". Five years before the end of the earth, a space-travelling rock star called Ziggy Stardust and his band the Spiders from Mars, came to this planet to rock out. Ziggy played fantastic songs, became famous, and Ziggy killed himself. Hmmm, interesting correlation between Ziggy and Kurt Cobain? Or is that just me...
David Bowie has had a long career of making fantastic albums, and though this album is his most well-known, it isn't necessarily the best one. However, there is no disputing the fantastic rock/glam/pop songs that Bowie was writing at his zenith (remember, he was producing Iggy Pop's "Raw Power" and Lou Reed's "Transformer" at this time). An essential part of rock history that spawned countless imitators, but never an equal. Don't lean on him man, cuz you can't afford the ticket.

One of Bowie's finest efforts
The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (1972.) David Bowie's fifth album.

By the time 1972 came into being, David Bowie had already experimented with more musical sounds than most artists end up experimenting with in their entire careers! His 1967 self-titled debut featured oldies-style pop reminiscent of Donovan, 1969's Space Oddity featured somewhat of a folksy-rock sound, 1970's The Man Who Sold The World experimented with a harder rock sound in many places, and 1971's Hunky Dory experimented with the popular pop stylings of that era. Although these were all good albums, it was pretty obvious that Bowie had yet to discover his sound. It was in 1972 that Bowie switched over to the subgenre of rock that would make him a living legend - classic glam rock. 1972 featured the release of what would be his biggest album released to the time - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (could he have possibly come up with a longer title?) Would his first attempt at glam rock be an earth-shattering success, or would it leave Bowie out in the cold? Read on for my review.

This was David Bowie's first true five-star album. Some musical artists come of age as soon as their career starts, but some of them are seriously late bloomers. David Bowie is a late bloomer, but after listening to this album, you'll agree - it was worth sitting through four mediocre albums just to be able to hear this one! Two huge hits emerged from this album, the most obvious one of which being the title track. This is a stripped-down, acoustic track - not what you'd expect Bowie to do, but he does it excellently. The other fairly big hit is Suffragette City, one of my favorite Bowie songs of all time. It's a fast paced hard and heavy blues-based rocker with a backing piano track. Why can't every artist makes songs as cool as this one? Bowie explored many styles on his earlier albums, and this album brings all of those stylings together in perfect harmony. Many people say that this album is to the early seventies glam rock uprising what The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper was to rock and roll of the late sixties, and I agree with this. In the end, Ziggy Stardust stands as one of Bowie's crowning achievements.

This album has been released a ton of times over the years. But the three main versions of the album available (as of June 16, 2004) are the standard domestic version, the two-disc deluxe edition, and the foreign Rykodisc reissue. Dont bother with the Rykodisc reissue, it only has a couple of bonus tracks, and it isn't worth the inflated import price. If you're just getting into Bowie, the standard, single-disc edition of the album will do just fine. But if you're a big-time Bowie fan, and you want to experience some lost treasures, shell out the extra cash and get the deluxe version.

David Bowie released a number of popular albums throughought the course of the seventies, but he'd never release another Ziggy Stardust. He'd come very close with several of his releases, but this is an album all in a league of its own. If you're new to David Bowie, this album would make an excellent starting point in your collection. If you only buy one classic glam rock album this year, make it this one.

Glam Classic
The early 1970's: hippie fashion was dying, heavy metal was beginning, and the British glam rock craze was at its peak. This weird mix of pop and hard rock was all the rage at this time. And nobody did it better than David Bowie. Bowie's mix of piano, heavy guitars, and saxophones made a perfect mix. And on this album, he probably hit his peak. This is a concept album about an alien rock star who wins the hearts of all who hear his voice. Some of then tracks are really weird like the opener, Five Years, which is about the destruction of the Earth or something like that. The most pop tracks are 'Soul Love' and 'Lady Stradust'. The most rock tracks are 'Suffragette City', 'Star', and the title track. This is a glam rock classic and everyone should own it.

A Rock and Roll Classic
I'm not a huge Bowie fan, but any fan of early 70's rock should have this. Suffraget City is worth the price of admission alone, and the album is solid throughout. An easy addition to the "essential" list. The CD version sounds great, too. ... Read more