Album Description

Budget-priced hits collection for the '80s pop/ new wave sensations spanning the years 1985-1991. 19 tracks including 'Walking On Sunshine', 'Going Down To Liverpool' and 'Do You Want Crying'. 1997 release. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Summertime, Summertime, Sum, Sum, Summertime!
Summer will be here before you know it and you don't want to be caught another summer without this Katrain & the Waves compilation because "Walking on Sunshine" remains THE summer anthem.

But if you think that "Walking on Sunshine" is all there is to this band you are in for one MAMMOTH surprise. "Game of Love," "Going Down to Liverpool," "Que te Quiero" and the SCORCHING "Mexico" are all just a few of the other songs on the CD that just scream SUMMER. It ain't summer until you hear them.

Walking on anything else is a waste of time!
From the time i peeled off the celophane to my sock-footed dance through the apartment as I listened to Katarina walk on sunshine for the second time, this album, trough and through, makes me wet as manilla in the monsoon season. The earthy tones and guttural feel provide an intensity not felt since the J.Giels Band laid down their epic track "Centerfold." Comparisons begin with Lakeside and end with the Pretenders!

second only to the PRETENDERS
great disc. of course there were no discs, when this was a celebrated brindisi at the fraternity house.

"walking on sunshine" is a timeless work; contains all the classical elements, while retaining its free composition. has been highly debated because of Katrina and her Waves striking semblance to the PRETENDERS.

One of the best female voices in modern music
most of us only know Katrina for the hit "Walking on Sunshine" but the numerous tracks on this greatest hits set are just as catchy and uplifting. Katrina knows how to rock out and have fun. "Sun Street" is reminiscent of the Beatles and "That's the Way" makes you want to jump up and start clapping and shaking your fist in the air. They do a superior version of "Going Down to Liverpool" which was written by a member of the Waves and was later covered by the Bangles. One listen and you will be hooked. It's a fun CD! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This is the Cure album to start with. Robert Smith and company's best and most coherent statement, The Head on the Door is a successful, if schizophrenic, synthesis of the best of '80s rock, boasting danceable Eurobeat anthems ("In Between Days"), world-music-flavored exotica ("Kyoto Song," the Latin-tinged "The Blood"), and more sullen statements of post-modern angst from the band that gave you such downer epics as Faith and Pornography. More than any other Cure album, Head rewards those who don't subscribe to the darker side of the group's ethos. The use of Spanish guitar and other colorful arrangement touches help to create a rich dynamic. The softer, more introspective cuts (like the claustrophobic "Close to Me," Smith's confessional classic) are also far more effective for them. --Don Harrison ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Pure Cure...at its finest!
Whenever I hear the first drum beats of this album, I get a smile on my face. Since listening to this album for the first time in the winter of '86, I've savored every note, every word, every emotion, every second. It is truly one of the finest releases of the '80's, yet the music really is timeless. It's a happier Cure than found on "Faith", "Pornography", or "Seventeen Seconds". Don't get me wrong, those albums are excellent, but "Head On The Door" was a new direction for Robert Smith and company. The lyrics on this album are still dark, twisted, and thought provoking like earlier albums, but they are matched with a lighter, happier sounding music. Even on tracks like "Sinking", and "A Night Like This" where the images are dark and brooding, the music is unlike any they've done before. I love this album. It always seems fresh and vibrant...even after all these years (15 to be exact) "The Head On The Door" still makes me happy to be a Cure fan.

Track highlights from "The Head On The Door"? Hmm, they're all great but if I had to pick..."InBetween Days", "Six Different Ways", "A Night Like This", "Push", and "Kyoto Song". Some of the Cure classics by far.

Although the Cure has come to the end of the road in what has been an amazing musical career, I thank the musical gods that looked upon Robert Smith, Laurence Tolhurst, Porl Thompson, Simon Gallup and Boris Williams during the making of this excellent album. Five stars? Nah, I give it six.

Idiot pop at it's best!
Simple, honest, passionless but worth-while all the same. This was the first Cure record I purchased. I was 10, the year was 1985. When you hear this CD you will know that it was made in the 80's. Still, it IS a Cure classic and for the most part I still love it. Now that I bought the CD version from Amazon it sounds even better than the record ever did. You'll instantly fall in love will "Inbetween Days" and the longest intro ever to a song "Push". It's got a cool version of "Close to me" on it. This version doesn't have the horns at the end like the single version that you always hear does. "When a baby screams" and "Screw" will also grow on you as will "Six different ways". The finale is "Sinking" which seems to be either a throwback to Faith or a stepping stone for Disintegration. Anyway, if you buy it, and listen to it, you WILL love it. Let the keyboards and over-toned guitars take you away.

almost 20 years gone by...
Wow, hard to believe. I grew up with this album.

The new album "The Cure" has me breaking out my Cure collection. This album is a masterpiece of pop songcraft, and still has enough of an edge to keep it intriguing all these years. The production sounds a bit dated and tinny, but that should be fixed real soon as The Cure get ready to release the re-masters later in 2004.

There's not a bad song on this album. It's a great place to start if you are interested in getting into The Cure. This is the album that they splashed big with in the US. Then you could work your way backwards and forwards to fill in the gaps. I would give it 5 stars, if not for what was to come in the future...

Solid from start to finish.
An upbeat solid work, all the songs are memorable, if you only want one CD from The Cure, this is it.

Can't get tired of it!
This isn't the best Cure album by any means, but boy is it good. It's one of those RARE albums where every track is listenable (and re-listenable). I disagree with those who say THOTD is incoherent, part of it's charm is the fact that it takes you to different places. However, this is an exceptionally short affair, and when the final track "Sinking" closes out, it leaves you wanting more. Just listen to "Push", "The Blood", or "The Baby Screams" and realize that you will never be that creative. Best songs are all of them, end of story. If you don't own THOTD, you should! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The arrival of The Singles demonstrates perfect timing. With the impulse to treat 1980s pop with irony finally dying and cutting-edge American bands such as the Rapture and the Faint directly sourcing Brit synth-pop, this lavish box set now sounds like a key dance-rock primer. Unlike the other major players in the early 1980s British Invasion of America, Simon Le Bon, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Andy Taylor, and Nick Rhodes weren't afraid to rock. They rocked hardest on their early singles, as the glossy black box of the first 13 singles, lovingly recreated for CD, proves. The first eight--from the turbo-powered disco of "Planet Earth" to the synthetic Beatles-influenced pop of "Is There Something I Should Know?"--work on the tension between the band's mega-pop ambitions and their rudimentary instrumental skills, creating an eerie, erotic desperation. The full compliment of B-sides--particularly a hysterical, uber-youth club stab at David Bowie's "Fame"--charm with their gung-ho ridiculousness. "A View to a Kill" may be slick Bond theme, but this set is so evocative of strange pop times that you'll end up with "Rio" and "The Wild Boys" on a permanent mind-loop. --Garry Mulholland ... Read more

Reviews (61)

Here's the tracks not on their albums, or "Night Versions"
If you're like me, you don't have every single and 12" released by Duran Duran, or a ton of the foreign releases (though I do admit to having several singles, I know I'm still missing stuff). The packaging is very nice, reminds me of the Beatles EP set I bought a few years ago. The first thing I did was of course copy these to my hard drive to make a "B-sides collection" which would have been cheaper to buy, and easier to listen to. Here are the songs not covered by the albums, or the essential "Night Versions" CD that came out a few years ago, roughly in chronological order:

Late Bar
Khanada
Fame
Faster Than Light
Like An Angel
Careless Memories (Live Version)
My Own Way (Single Version)
Hold Back The Rain (12' Re-Mix)
The Chauffeur (Blue Silver)
Rio (Part Two)
Faith In This Colour
Is There Something I Should Know? (Monster Mix)
Faith In This Colour (Alternate Slow Mix)
Secret Oktober
Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) (Recorded Live At Hammersmith Odeon)
(I'm Looking For) Cracks In The Pavement (1984)
New Moon On Monday (Dance Mix)

A Duranie's Dream Comes True: The Best CD Box Set Ever.
To help celebrate the reunion of the five original members of Duran Duran, Capitol/EMI decided to box together Duran Duran's first 13 singles, recreating the artwork and exact track line-up's of each vinyl 12-inch single. They have done a remarkable job! Each single comes in a slim cardboard sleeve, and each cd's artwork (the actual art on the cd) recreates the original record labels that appeared on each vinyl record. Someone has painstankingly worked on finally giving Duran Duran their due: one of the most underrated groups of all time finally has a collection that they can be completely proud of.

Past Duran Duran greatest hits collections have been nice, but haven't been as thorough as they should have been. "Decade" left off the important hit "New Moon On Monday"; "Greatest" presented "Save A Prayer" in a horribly edited version. "Greatest" also had confusing and uninspired artwork which the band reportedly hates. Both cd's left off important singles "Meet El Presidente" and "Do You Believe In Shame?"- which don't appear in this box set because they were released after 1985.

Everything about this singles box set is perfect. The small box that the cd's are housed in easily fits on a cd shelf. The box isn't ill-fitting or cumbersome like a lot of cd box sets. The cd's have all been remastered. These songs have never sounded clearer. If you have the much coveted "Essentials: Night Versions" (which is now out of print) or the import-only "Strange Behavior" (both cd's are remix collections), you still need this box set. There are a lot of non-album b-sides that have never been released on cd before domestically (there was a 2 cd Japanese import that collected four Duran Duran e.p.'s that was released well over a decade ago that contained the b-sides here, but that set has long been out of print). If you are any sort of Duran Duran fan at all, you know that their b-sides are always brilliant.

The U.S. edition of the box set is the same exact edition that was released overseas. The artwork that is contained on the "Is There Something I Should Know?" and "The Reflex" cd's are the same as the import 12-inch singles (the American artwork was different.)

Also included inside the box is a fold-out poster/booklet. One side is a picture of Simon, Roger, Nick, John, and Andy; the other side is the track listing.

Here's hoping that Capitol/EMI plans on following up this release with a second box set, starting off with the "Notorious" singles.

Make sure you look out for the reissues of "Duran Duran" (the first album) and "Seven And The Ragged Tiger" (with restored album packaging just like the version of "Rio" that was released last year) coming this fall!

A must have for any Duran Duran Fan
This box set is a must have for any real Duran Duran fan. I was so happy it included some rare tracks such as Like An Angel, Khanada and Late Bar. I was also happily surprised to hear an unplugged version of Sing Blue Silver which was brilliant. If anyone doubts the talent of Duran Duran they should listen to this. I saw these guys in concert in 1984 and they still have it today.

Greatest Box Set !!!
This is far better than the Beatles box set. Duran Duran need to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Every track on these terrific CD's takes you right back into the early 80's, when Duran Duran first hit the new wave scene with "Planet Earth". This box set is an absolute masterpiece for any fan of Duran Duran or not. The next singles box set 1986-1990 is going to be by far "The greatest accomplishment of all mankind". Simon, Nick, John, Andy, and Roger are the most talented and brilliant musicians the "Planet Earth" has ever had for my generation and many more generations to come. 100 years from now, Duran Duran will still be honored and remembered as the band that started new wave music forever. Gems like these box sets will live on and be handed down and appreciated by future generations of Duran Duran fans from across the world. A definate must have for any retro 80's time capsule. You must buy and own this box set TODAY!!!

turdan turdan gives me the 'roids
This garbage makes me want to scratch my throat and amputate my ears just to make it stop. Avoid this and other things recommended by the reviewer pogo: she's a jokester. Everyting she recommends is actually bad and the stuff she despises is actually good. Probably some depressed and spoiled teeni-bopper. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

"Bizarre love triangle" is great, rest average
It's not a bad album, but in my opinion "Brotherhood" remains one of New Order's worst efforts. The band was badly messed up on drugs and alcohol in the mid-'80s, and pretty much of this album has this distant and weird feel to it. They make an attempt to go back to their punk roots, and that's why this album doesn't come up with some new sounds or great songs like "Blue Monday" or "True faith". The first half of this album contains up-tempo guitar rock songs which sound much too similar to each other. The second half is a bit more varied, featuring the hit single "Bizarre love triangle" and the moody "All day long", but even this basically beautiful song is ruined by distorted guitars and squeaky synth cascades. All in all it's not an unlistenable album, but it's a far cry from the melodic power of "Power, corruption & lies" or the experimental approach of their excellent compilation "Substance".

All pop should sound like this!
I got this the other day and as with all the others I have, I've fallen in love with it. It reminds you of how pop used to sound before the charts became overrun with boy bands and little girls. Stand-outs for me include State Of The Nation (I first heard it on Substance and it sounds even better in the context of this album), Bizarre Love Triangle and All Day Long - surely one of the saddest songs the Order have ever recorded. Then again, that's one thing I like about them - it's synth-pop with a social conscience. Every Little Counts is second only to Fine Time as the funniest tune they've made. It's pretty mad - somebody keep Bernard away from the Sunny Delight, he sounds a little 'hyper' on this one!

Overall, this is another classic album. But then I didn't expect anything else because it's New Order - one of the best bands ever. If they happen to be reading this out there, I'd just like to say this: nice work, keep the (true) faith, guys! And to other listeners, I say: join the Brotherhood today. As the band themselves would probably say, it's nothing you'll regret!

Deserves a second listen, at least
This album tends to get maligned, I think, and with good reason. Offset by two very strong singles, Paradise and Bizzare Love Triangle, the lyrically-dull guitar tracks which make up a good deal of the album seem like rank filler. 'As It Was When It Was' tries for a delicate sound, but the lyrics are too horrible to stomach. 'All Day Long' has a similiar problem, made worse because it tries to tackle the subject of child abuse with its second-(or third, of fourth)-rate poetry. The only non-single song which I liked at first listen was 'Angel Dust,' a very intense three minutes with better-than-average lyrics and a strangely effective Middle-Eastern theme. As for the other songs, though, beginning with the two very similiar rock songs, 'Way of Life' and 'Broken Promise' (which I always mix up because the titles have very little relation to lyrics which make little sense), I tried to give the album a second chance. In the end, I think, it does have some value; the loud, clean sound on 'Weirdo' and 'Way of Life/Broken Promise' is uplifting, and the two singles plus Angel Dust count for a lot ('Bizzare Love Triangle' does suffer from a particularly bad case of singlitis; anyone who's heard the single mix on Substance will lose a lot of esteem for this trimmed version). As for the final track, I just don't know what to do with that. "Every second counts / when I am with you / I think you are a pig / you should be in a zoo"-and then he breaks down laughing. Yes, with the tapes running. Benefit of the doubt; I'll chalk it up to clever self-satire.

simple the best album from new order
the best new order album, in the middle of the 80's, 80's rules!

Don't bother. For die-hard fans only.
I love some New Order records. Movement. Power Corruption and Lies. Technique is good. Substance is pretty good.

My advice is pick any of the above. If you're a really mainstream person who listens to Paula Abdul, get Substance or possibly Technique. If you like the Cure, try the first two. Power Corruption and Lies is probably the definitive New Order record. Movement is in its own genre. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

This disc represents the bridge between Talking Heads' first two herky-jerkier albums and the next two funky ones. Fear of Music is more than just a bridge, though. It's the water under the bridge, the air, the animals, the cities the river flows through, and the heaven on top of it all: "...a place where nothing ever happens." Plenty happens here, however. The CD starts out with its feet off the ground and both arms in the air: "I Zimbra" is all-out celebration. The rest of the songs are pretty much exercises in simplicity: one-word titles with music to match. (Witness the lightness of "Air," the trippiness of "Drugs," the "ooga"-ness of "Animals.") David Byrne's artful naiveté ("Hold the paper up to the light/Some rays pass right through"), coupled with the whole band's musical playfulness (for example, the tuba on "Electric Guitar"), makes for fun fun fun. --Dan Leone ... Read more

Reviews (50)

An Underrated Materpiece
I feel that, although many think Remain in Light is Talking Heads' best, that this distinction clearly bleongs to the brilliantly paranoid Fear of Music. It starts off with King Crimson's Robert Fripp joining the band African tinged funk of "I Zimbra". Next comes "Mind", a catchy little song with a cool guitar line and some amazing lyrics. "Paper" is a funky number with lyrics about, you guessed it, paper. Only Talking Heads could pull off a song like this. "Life During Wartime" is probably the classic off of this album if you haven't heard it you probably shouldn't be here. Next is "Cities" which is one of the catchiest songs I've heard in my life. It's also neck and neck with "Life During Wartime" as my favorite song on this album. "Memories Can't Wait" has a really cool atmosphere and features a paranoid and crazy chorus that only David Byrne could deliver. Next is "Air", a new wavey song that is a classic paranoid David Byrne rant about pollution. "Heaven" is also definitly up there with "Cities" and "Life During Wartime" as my favorites. If I was a better writer I would try to describe the beauty of this song, but I can't so I won't. Then comes "Animals", its funny that there is a song with this title on this album because I always thought this album was to Talking Heads as Animals was to Pink Floyd, thier underrated masterpiece. Anyways "Animals" is a hilarious and paranoid song that seems to be a protest song against animals. Again only David Byrne could pull this off and make it song cool. "Electric Guitar" is the only weak song on here but that is complety made up for by the next song. "Drugs" is an awesome and atpmospheric song about drugs. Brian Eno plays a huge role in elevating this song.

I loved this album and (if your a Talking Heads fan) so will you (plays Reading Rainbow segue).

Still Mindblowing after all these years
I am a talking heads fan, and this is my favorite album. It strikes the balance between Just enough quirky garage sound, and just enough Brian Eno "treatments". At the end of the day it embodies what would seem to be an oxymoron: Intelligent pop music! (notice the Disco riff on "Paper") It perfectly captures the high-treble new wave sound of the 80's without beeing screechy. This is the sound that IS early 80's new wave. The only other album that comes close to this sound is Eurithmics "love is a stranger" and/or "sweet dreams".

Another reviewer mentioned some similarities between this album and Radiohead... Is radiohead influenced by the Talking Heads? They named themselves AFTER A TALKING HEADS SONG! ("Radiohead", on "True Stories")

Anyway, this is a great album to listen to when it's too hot to bear and you take off your shirt and lie on the icy lynoleum and listen to "cool" songs. Not for TH beginners, but sooo worth the money. And yes, it holds up like the great wall of china, still standing after all these years! Pure Sonic Goodness.

Fear of Music proves George Clinton was right
Fear is the dominant mood here, and I recall how hearing Life During Wartime seemed to fit perfectly to reading Gravity's Rainbow back when this record was released. On other tracks, Cities explores the ups and downs of dispossession, Mind probes the profound problems of disagreement, the round-about chanting of Animals surrounds the listener within a forest, and Drugs has brilliant insights on the social effects of altered states. But nothing in the TH ouvre expresses existential ambivalence more beautifully than Heaven, where nothing ever happens.

Aside form the stunning songs, this album offers the most enduring sonic structures that TH would offer until Little Creatures, since Remain in Light was even gloomier and over-edited and Speaking in Tongues is marred by loopy synthesizer dance riffs that were nearly obsolete before they were recorded. This rare mix of profound lyrical observation over a panorama of hard-rock groove-scapes perfectly follows the famous George Clinton prescription: free your mind and... (you know the rest)

Talking Heads is on a pinnacle with Fear of Music, and thats a very high position in rock history.

Claustrophobicmachinemusic
This album sounds like Brian Eno's vision of what Talking Heads should sound like - it's funky, superficially danceable and catchy, but simultaneous with those elements is a darkness that hadn't really been seen in their music before (well, come to think of it, they did have a song called 'Psycho Killer', but still...). Take Life During Wartime, for instance: the band is at its funkiest with a great synth riff and solid, pumping drums, and over the top you have David Byrne yelling out deeply menacing lyrics that on at least one interpretation are from the point of view of a terrorist.
Courtesy of Brian Eno, these dark sentiments are echoed by the production - the band is so heavily treated that the music sounds like it's coming straight out of the heart of a machine; Eno was of course recording with the Heads around the same time he was working on the Berlin trilogy with David Bowie, and it shows. The darkness gets most intense with the closing Drugs, based around a sparse, pulsating beat that sounds like slow death. At the end, an atonal, frightening guitar solo bursts out of the gloom, ending the album in a state of total madness.
Amongst all this alienation, however, lies some of Byrne's most affecting work. I'm thinking in particular of Heaven, a song which imagines the afterlife to be a state of unending repetitive bliss rather like that depicted in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World - if indeed Byrne is really talking about the afterlife, the song being equally applicable to many utopian visions of how this world could be shaped. The chorus, the best one he ever wrote, simply runs 'Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens'.
A year later, in 1980, Talking Heads would release Remain In Light, embracing African rhythms with great success (the experiment had already started on this album with the Dadaist I Zimbra). Although that album is possibly the one I recommend you start with, this is a worthy addition to any music collection.

essential part of a comprehensive collection of great rock
A perfect album. I can say no more. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Even the musical wasteland that was the '80s did offer up a few beacons of hope, and LA power-poppers the Plimsouls were one of them. Granted, they're primarily known for one song, "A Million Miles Away," one of the decade's musical highlights, but they had a lot more good material up their sleeve. "Shaky City," the title track, and "Play the Breaks," also stand out, and the quality never dips below wonderful. Led by Peter Case, they coulda been contenders; certainly their wiry pop music was appealing enough. For one reason or another, it never happened. But time has finally caught up with them (and that perfect song), and the world is finally ready for the Plimsouls. --Chris Nickson ... Read more

Reviews (23)

One of the top ten power pop albums of all time
Proof that not all '80's music is pure cheese. Yet, I can't quite say this album transcends the '80's. It does sound "dated," but in a good sense. It has a very '80's power pop sound and some of the best songwriting in the genre.

The Plimsouls never were so much about style over substance like a lot of "New Wave" of the day. They just played some great, somewhat minimalistic, music.

Songs like "Oldest Story in the World," "Play the Breaks," and "Everywhere at Once" can't be denied. Buy this; it's great!

Should've Been a Top Ten Hit !!
Imagine, if you will, that the Beatles had stayed in their "Hard Day's Night" phase forever -- hard-drivin' guitars, splashy cymbals, killer vocals and hooks -- well, they'd probably sound a lot like the Plimsouls. This album's so energetic, it's almost as if someone lit a stick of dynamite in the studio and told these guys to play. "A Million Miles Away" is a classic -- it should've been a major hit. Peter Case sings with such passion and fervor, that by the time he screams "There was nothing left to bring me back...", you wonder if the poor guy's voice is gonna hold up. Then Boom! The whole band grooves into that heavenly refrain: "A Million Miles Away..." and we all get swept away in one of rock's greatest moments. It really doesn't get any better than this. But, oh man, the whole album is devastatingly great. "Play the Breaks" is a raunchy rave-up that would make the Stones proud. On "Inch by Inch", Case doesn't merely sing -- he pleads and growls like a desperate man. The most somber track on the disc, the sentimental "Oldest Story in the World", is the most powerful of the set. It's sheer 12-string heartbreak with a blazing harmonica solo to boot. Other highlights include "Shaky City", "I'll Get Lucky" and the dynamic title tune --- all classic 3-minute barn-burners. If you doubt the greatness of these guys, just go out and rent "Valley Girl" and watch them blow the roof off some Hollywood dump.(Plimsouls are featured in two scenes of that 1983 cult-classic) After that, I bet you'll be sold on the Plimsouls. Essential Power Pop!

A stunningly great power pop album
The Plimsouls second album was very nearly as great as the first. Not since Big Star cranked out #1 RECORD and RADIO CITY a decade earlier had American pop seen music that was so edgy and melodic at the same time. The prime mover behind The Plimsouls was the great songwriter/guitarist/singer Peter Case. He enjoyed a find solo career after leaving The Plimsouls, but he never wrote as many spectacular songs as he did for their two albums together.

I'd love to share my favorite cuts on the album, but I would simply end up reduplicating the contents. But the best of the best stand comparison with any of the great power pop singles of the entire decade, or indeed of any decade. While I have some personal favorites like "The Oldest Story in the World," I would like to see anyone who isn't moved by the power of a song like the title track or the amazing "A Million Miles Away," which just might be the Plimsouls single greatest song. But there aren't any weak cuts on this album. Every song is distinguished by good lyrics, taut playing, stellar guitar lines (though very little in the way of solos-the guitar work consisted primarily in countering the vocal melodies and in brilliant texturing), and superb melodies that will hook you and keep you hooked.

Over the course of time, I have encountered one amazing band after another-Big Star above all, but also bands like Thin White Rope, Eleventh Dream Day, the Rave Ups-that should have been huge, but weren't. I hate to turn this into a diatribe against the music industry, but with downloading and file sharing threatening the existence of the record companies, I'm wondering if it wouldn't be a good thing if they went by the board. Though not entirely, a great deal of the fault with the untimely demise of so many of these great bands has to be laid at the feet of the record companies who failed to properly support these great artists, their pushing instead a host of inferior and second rate performers who possessed little or no artistic merit, and the narrow refusal of horrid airwave monopolies like Clear Channel (a satanic organization if ever there was one, politically as well as aesthetically). If you got rid of the record companies, I suspect the cream would be allowed to rise on its own to the top. I truly do think that record companies have outgrown their usefulness.

What the 80's were really about
They are a true 80's phenomenon! Their music is classic Hollywood and brings back many memories of what underground music in LA wa all about. Their lyrics are great and the album is underrated. They Rock!!!

For Plimsouls Fans Who Want To Own The Nerves' Recordings
This is one of the best power pop albums ever made, with great songs like "Oldest Story in the World", "Inch By Inch", and of course the classic "A Million Miles Away". A little history: in 1976 a band called the Nerves, made up of Peter Case (later of the Plimsouls), Paul Collins (later of the Beat, a.k.a. Paul Collins' Beat), and Jack Lee, recorded a 4 song EP. One of the songs was Jack Lee's "Hanging On The Telephone", which became famous in 1978 when a cover version by Blondie became a hit. By this time the Nerves had broken up, with the various members each gone their separate ways. Jack Lee released a solo album, "Greatest Hits Vol. 1", in 1981 on an obscure label, Maiden America records. Paul Collins' band, the Beat, made 2 albums and 1 EP. Peter Case's band, the Plimsouls, made an EP followed by 2 LPs, the best of which is this album, "Everywhere At Once". Both Case and Collins had subsequent solo albums, and the Plimsouls reformed for a later album in the late '90s, "Kool Trash". So there is a wealth of material for fans to track down for their collections. Much of it has never been issued on CD, and some of it is very hard to find. Now for the good news: in 2001 a Spanish label, Penniman Records, reissued the original Nerves 4-song EP, combined with 2 other Nerves studio tracks, on a 10" vinyl-only collection called "25th Anniversary". Only 2000 copies were issued, I don't know if it is still available but if you can find it, I highly recommend it - great stuff. There was also a French reissue in the late '80s, now long since out of print, of the same 6 Nerves songs, plus 4 more live tracks. Anyway, I had been searching for those Nerves songs for years before finally finding the Penniman Records release just a few weeks ago. If anyone reading this has been searching for the Nerves like I had been, I hope this helps you find it. Beware, though, of recordings by a different band also called the Nerves, which has made a few albums recently. Check the record label or personnel info carefully. For further collecting, the Paul Collins stuff is still not too hard to find on vinyl, but the Jack Lee album is very rare. ... Read more

Amazon.com

With pop song-collection soundtracks becoming an increasingly popular way for artists and labels to market new music, the connections to the films they're supposed to be supporting becomes increasingly tenuous. Witness Trainspotting #2;. Inspired by the success of director Danny Boyle's bleakly hilarious tale of a band of smacked-out Scottish louts and the strong pop collection that underscored it, #2 is nearly as thematically compelling, if artistically suspect. These are songs that, as the producers put it, "inspired the filmmakers or (have) been inspired by the film." Thus we get star Ewan McGregor's memorable "choose life" monolog sampled and looped over the dance music of PF Project or Joy Division's "Atmosphere" simply because the director "always wanted Joy Division in the film." What's next?Gone With the Wind featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird"?--Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (12)

you OWE this to yourself, best collection of hard-pop/techno
Amazing, Brilliant, and better than it's predecessor. There was so much good music crammed into the super-successful movie "Trainspotting", That one CD alone just couldn't do.

This CD is a sequel for the succesful soundtrack taken from "Trainspotting". This also helped familiarizing the "Soundtrack Sequeling" in the record industry, which proved later on by "Hackers 2", sequeling the soundtrack to the movie "Hackers", also with Johnny Lee-Miller.

On this CD, The filmmakers were kind enough to insert the tracks that were on the movie but were cut from the original Soundtrack CD (Dark Train, Underworld). The filmmakers added cuts from songs that were on the movie (A Final Hit, Leftfield), Tracks that inspired the filmmakers (Atmosphere, Joy Division), Tracks inspired BY the filmmakers (Choose Life, PF. Project), and extra-additional cuts.

If money's of no limitation, there's only one way to recreate the experience of "Trainspotting"... That is to view the movie with the latest of surround technology on an ultra-wide screen. The alternative is mounting this CD on your stereo and re-experience every second from the movie. That will do just fine.

Only half of a soundtrack, the rest is filler...
This is not much of a soundtrack when one has to consider that most of the songs on this album were not used in the film, or if they were they were different mixes. Notable is the inclusion of the other Underworld song, "Dark & Long (Dark Train Mix)," which was used during Ewan MacGregor's sobering up scene, and was for some reason absent from the first soundtrack CD. The other tracks on this album that were in the film (exclusing the first track, Ewan's "Choose Life" narrative) were Ice MC's "Think About the Way," and Heaven 17's "Temptation." Mixes of songs from the first CD include a Darren Price remix of Underworld's "Born Slippy," which is still a pretty good mix, but might have been better suited for a single release merely because of the extemporaneous nature of this second CD altogether. There's also the full-length version of Leftfield's "A Final Hit," which is actually a welcome track, a remix of "Nightclubbing," as well as Iggy Pop's "Passenger," and David Bowie's "Golden Years," neither of which were in the film anywhere, nor are they listed in the end credits soundtrack listing. Sleeper and Primal Scream had songs on the first CD, so here they each have two new tracks, and because they probably couldn't get another New Order song to fit in the feeling of "Transpotting," they got Joy Division. While I love "Atmosphere," I fail to see the reason or logic behind its inclusion on this CD. But then again, this second CD was just meant to capitalize on the success of the first CD anyway, so...whatever. If you like this, get it and listen to it. I'd only listen to half of the songs here, but that's me.

Great album, but falls short of the first one
I enjoy this album very much, however I don't like it near as much as the first one.

The remixes aren't as good as the original tunes and there are a handful of tunes tossed in that seem out of place here. Habanera? Golden Years by Bowie? Huh?

I loved it
The tracks on this CD are expecially great when running on the treadmill!

Complements Its Predecessor Well
"If truth be telt," as Begy would say, give or take a few songs from each CD, one Trainspotting soundtrack would suffice. I for one find this soundtrack to be vastly better than the "orange" (first) Trainspotting soundtrack. Although Trainspotting #2 has its pros and cons, its pros greatly outweigh its cons, resulting in my giving it a 5-star review. OK, let's get to the best bits first (titles are in 3 classes [best, worst, ordinary] followed by track-order). "The Passenger" by Iggy Pop is a catchy little ditty which, though not included in the film, definitely merited inclusion/is even worthy to replace Pop's "Lust for Life" as Trainspotting's theme song; "Dark & Long" [Dark Train Mix] by Underworld is the song that's playing when the lead character, Renton, is having bizarre nightmares in the teenage bedroom of his parents' house. It is one of Underworld's many electronic epics and I can't praise it enough; "Golden Years" by David Bowie is a classic and was included on this album because it was the original track that Diane was to sing to Renton as he was coming off heroin in the aforementioned bedroom. Fair enough;"A Final Hit" [full-length version] is just a "prolonged" version - only by a minute or so - of the edit which is on the orange soundtrack. Still great;"Temptation" by Heaven 17 is the song playing in/outside the club when Renton is accosting Diane;"Our Lips Are Sealed" by Fun Boy Three is a great tune à la New Order, and the reason it is included is because it was going to be used in the film but the correct spot for it could not be found (the director and producer felt that they related strongly to the group of friends in the story);"Atmosphere" by Joy Division was only included on the album because director Danny Boyle is from Manchester. It's very dark yet melodic, like most Joy Division songs;"Inner City Life" by Goldie is a great song in itself but its inclusion on this soundtrack is questionable: it was only included on the album because author Irvine Welsh stated that "It's what the characters would be listening to now";Born Slippy Nuxx [Darren Price Mix] by Underworld is possibly the best (re)mix of this song, and I've heard many, including the brilliant Deep Pan mix. Now to the two not-so-good tracks - sod it, they're just plain awful: "Choose Life" by PF Project is Renton's "Choose life" monologue superimposed on incredibly long, tedious, cheesy techno music; "Nightbclubbing" [Baby Doc Remix] is ineffably awful: just think of what would happen if you played incredibly amateur techno music with the lyrics and music from "Nightclubbing" at the end, albeit in an almost unrecognizable incarnation. The remaining tracks on the album, which I would rate half-decent are: "Habanera from Carmen", the classical music playing while Renton is citing the list of items needed to withdraw from heroin; "Statuesque" by Sleeper can best be described as "chick rock which really rocks", I believe it was used very briefly in the film; "Think About the Way" by Ice MC is the dance music playing when Renton moves to London. It's quite good; "Come Together" by Primal Scream is the epitome of 90's rock and, according to the liner notes, its admission in the album is the same as "Our Lips are Sealed" by Fun Boy Three. I'll consummate my review with an apposite quote from the late Frank Zappa: "Rock journalists are people who can't write, writing about people who can't play, for people who can't read." ... Read more

Album Description

Gold disc pressing of 1986 release, a 14 track 'best of' featuring George Michael & Andrew Ridgeley's holidayhit 'Last Christmas' (Pudding Mix), plus 'Young Guns (Go ForIt!)' and all seven of their U.S. top 40 hits, 'Wake Me UpBefore You Go-Go', 'Careless Whisper', 'Everything SheWants' (Remix), 'Freedom', 'I'm Your Man', 'A DifferentCorner' and 'The Edge Of Heaven'. Comes in a standard jewel case housed inside of a full color die-cut slipcase cover (similar to the packaging of DCC releases). 1999 release. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

If you're pub guy or club guy... This one's for you!
Review dedicated to the memory of Cassie Miller.

Wham! burst onto the music scene in the wee early years of the 1980s with their "take no (pop) prisoners" attitude. They were all about youth and having fun and falling in love. This brilliant collection chronicles the rise and untimely end of Wham!

The album opens up with a post-disco dole-boy anthem "Wham! Rap (Enjoy What You Do)". Obviously inspired by the Sugar Hill gang and the burgeoning rap scene in NYC, George Michael dives into this pure party track with total abandon. Following the opener is "Young Guns (Go For It!)" another party track this one with, guess what, a party theme... "let's hang and have a good time bud, but don't be talking serious about getting heavy with your girl, eh?" Then there's "Bad Boys", the first song I heard by this group via NBC's FRIDAY NIGHT VIDEOS programme- remember that one folks? The last track from the album FANTASIC is "Club Tropicana".

Enter the worldwide hits... "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Careless Whisper", "Everything She Wants" and "Freedom". What else can be said about these songs. They were part of our lives everyday from 1984-1985. "Everything" and "Freedom" appear here in their single versions- sporting additional lyrics and horn and synth flourishes that gave them a little something that their album counterparts were lacking.

"Last Christmas" is represented here by "the Pudding Mix". Many U.S. listeners won't understand the mix title as this was the only version released in America. The rest of the world was graced by a much shorter (3 and a half odd minute version)- this was the 12" version.

"I'm Your Man" is a slight departure from the MAKE IT BIG tracks as it has a slightly more aggressive sound. Its MOTOWN leanings shows George Michael's growth as a songwriter and singer. Much more soul delivered here!

"A Different Corner" was released, like "Careless Whisper" as a George Michael solo single. A very understated piece, "A Different Corner" shows the direction George is headed with his music. It has a very mature and lush sound that was unlike anything we had heard on the radio before. Groundbreaking for its time!

This collection closes out with tracks from the "Edge of Heaven" EP, which was released on 12" vinyl and a 7" double-pack. Again, the U.S. was treated to a different release of the last tracks... MUSIC FROM THE EDGE OF HEAVEN was a virtual compilation of everything we had been missing plus the new songs. "Where Did Your Heart Go?" is a brilliant cover of a rather mediocre Was(Not Was) track sung by singer Sweet Pea. The Wham! version has a more polished sound and immensely improves on the original. "Edge of Heaven", like "I'm Your Man" had the more aggressive sound, but still recalls the feel of "Wake Me Up". "Battlestations" was a favourite of mine when I purchased the original EP- very different indeed. With its whispered verse recitations and obvious drum machine backing, "Battlestations" would have served up well as a George Michael solo track. To close this out... the only thing that disappointed me with this release is that it actually paled in comparison to its original vinyl and cassette counterpart. "Why?", you may ask. It's because the CD just contains the single versions. The original vinyl and cassette had the 12" versions of "Young Guns (Go For It!)", "Bad Boys", "Careless Whisper", "Freedom", "Everything She Wants", "I'm Your Man" & "A Different Corner" as well as the original studio version of "Blue (Armed With Love)".

Still... this is a stellar offering that should not be overlooked!!!

Their Greatest!
This is George Michael/Wham's greatest album. The tracks are chronologically listed, so you can see how George's songwriting and vocals improve with every song. The leather jacket bad-boys days were the first 4 songs. From "Wake Me Up" onwards, its their new clean look, and anyone can note the incredible change from disco to just brilliant pop tunes. Of course, Wake Me Up was the hit that launched their worldwide success, especially in US. This album includes a new different and improved version of the brilliant "Freedom", a real catchy tune that Abba would love to write and sing. Careless Whisper will blow you away as you see how talented George can be. "Last Christmas" is everyone's favourite Wham song I suppose, everybody I know has heard that one. Simply Briliant!

Heavy hit of High School Nostalgia
This is one of those CDs that gets a good playing at my place. It has all the tracks that made this UK pop outfit huge through out the 1980's.

Formed in 1981, The original line up of Wham included George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley and backing vocals from Pepsi and Shirley.

Their first Australian hit was "the Wham Rap" which debuted in Christmas 1982. Their awesome chain of hits continued with Young guns, Bad boys, Wake me up, Careless Whisper, Freedom, Everything she wants, I'm your man, Where did your heart go and the edge of heaven.

Yepppp!!! I'm a die hard WHAM! fan. There has been some other wham compilations released since this one, None of them come close to the great selection of tracks on this one.

Only small picking bone with this album is the drawn out version of "last christmas". Would of preferred the original radio mix, hense the four star rating.

Popular compilation
If you are looking for a good comprehensive WHAM album, this is the best one available as of right now (February 2004).

Say WHAM! Say BAM!
This is the definitive greatest hits collection for fans of WHAM! You needn't buy their albums if you get this for all the hits are here. As a bonus you also get "Careless Whisper" and "A different Corner." Two solo efforts on the part of George Michael. These songs will bring back memories of going to discos, first loves and first times. I personally fell in love with George , he was my first crush until I discovered Culture Club. At any rate highly recommended. Its great to listen to, to dance to and to work out with. I held back one star by the way for it would have been nice to add a never before released track or some updated version of an old one. Still, its great! Now say WHAM! Say BAM! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Another brilliant set of obsessive musings pried from Robert Smith's fuzzy navel. Epic elegies ("From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea") and tuneful romps ("Friday I'm In Love") are classic Cure cuts--Jeff Bateman ... Read more

Reviews (59)

The last, good Cure album
Hard to believe it's been 10+ years since this album was released. I first purchased it on cassette in 1992 and later on CD when the cassette literally wore itself out. To me "Wish" is the last, really good album by this group, with later efforts like "Wild Mood Swings" badly missing the mark. Often mis-classified as a Goth band, I rather think Robert Smith and The Cure simply tap into the quiet veins of sorrow and tragedy that run through every human life. It's not a bad thing, it's not a Goth thing, it just is. And while "Wish" is punctuated with occasional uppy songs like "Friday I'm in Love", the pieces that really soar are (of course) the sad ones: "Apart", "Letter to Elise" and the epic "To Wish Impossible Things". I once told someone that The Cure is the greatest break-up band of all time, and I stand by that assertion. "Wish" is a grand demonstration of everything that makes The Cure great, right before things started to go downhill. I've since heard rumors that The Cure are no more, that "Bloodflowers" is their last hurrah. If so, I choose to remember "Wish" as their last, best effort.

One Of The Best Cure Albums........................
This is one of my favorite Cure albums. Just as I thought that The Cure had matured greatly with "Disintegration", I was hit with "Wish". I have always loved Robert Smith's slow, sad, dark, passionate songs and this album delivers my very favorites. "Apart" is song that if you have experienced a broken heart, you are guaranteed to cry. "Trust" is song that will make you thinking about THE ONE. It is a perfect wedding song. "To Wish Impossible Things" is a song that makes you think about the LOVE that we are looking for that may not exist. I have my moments with all three songs and they have always made me cry, especially at low times. Robert Smith sings out of passion and with every song, it seems that he is truly feeling what he is singing about. There are not many groups with such passion. "Open", "From The Edge Of the Deep Green Sea", "Cut", and "End" are both very dark and powerful. "High" and "Friday I am In Love" need no introduction since they are singles of the album. "Wendy Time", "A letter to Elise" and "Doing The Unstuck" are fantastic to relax and listen to. THis is a must have for all and not just the die hard fans like my self.

Dark meets Pop
I think this is the CD where the band reaches the pop frontier.
Songs are great from the first to last one. Here they show that they can make really up and happy songs as they can go down the hill with ultra dark and heavy tunes like Apart or End. It's really weird if you realise that tracks like "End" and "Friday i'm in love" are part of the same disc. This was the cd that really made me like Cure, because I wasn't used to their prior works. After this I started liking all of them, but this one is special for me.

I WISH all music could be like this
The only reason this CD gets 4 stars and not 5 is b/c of the exclusion of This Twilight Garden. I'm a believer that all Cure albums are good/great in some way, and Wish is great. From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea will knock you on your a*s every time you hear it, it's that good. Open, Apart, End, Cut (yea!), and To Wish the Impossible Things are all classic Cure tracks. This is the best "starter" CD for new Cure fans - not as depressing as Disintegration, and not as frightening as [adult relations]. If you don't this, what are you thinking?

BEST OF BOB
ALTHOUGH I KNOW THAT MOST CURE FANS WILL DISAGREE, "WISH" IS PROBABLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE CURE CDs. OK, SO "FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE" IS A LITTLE TOO COMMERCIAL FOR MY TASTE; IT IS FUNNY! AND I, FOR ONE, CAN USE THE COMIC RELIEF WITHIN THIS STRANGE AND DARK JOURNEY THROUGH ROBERT SMITH'S MANIC-DEPRESSIVE MIND.

THIS IS MOSTLY A VERY DARK CD (BUT AREN'T THEY ALL, REALLY?)--LONLINESS, LOSS, DESPAIR, "FORCED" DRUNKENNESS, HATRED.... SMITH EXPRESSES DESPAIR AT WHAT HIS LIFE (AS AN MUSICICAN/POET) HAS BECOME, REMORISE AT HOW HE MUST BEHAVE IN ORDER TO MAKE OTHERS HAPPY (LOVERS, MANAGERS, FANS, ETC.).

BUT MY FAVORITE SONG ON THE ALBUM IS "LETTER TO ELISE." IT IS SO SAD, SWEET AND DELICATE, LIKE A VICTORIAN-ROMANTIC POEM OF LOST/UNREQUITED LOVE. IN FACT, IT REMINDS ME, UNCANNILY, OF MY FAVORITE POET, CHARLES ALGERNON SWINBURNE'S POEM "FELISE?" COINCIDENCE? I DON'T THINK SO...EITHER WAY, "LETTER TO ELISE" IS BITTER-SWEET, TEAR-INSPIRING, SADLY PERMENANT....

I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED ROBERT SMITH TO BE A MUSICAL AND POETIC GENIUS, AND THIS ALBUM PROVES IT, ONE MORE TIME, AS SURELY AS "DISINTEGRATION" AND "FAITH." ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Originally released as a 10-track live album in the late 1970s when live albums were all the rage, At Budokan neatly summed up this oddball power-pop/hard rock band with the added ferocity a live show brings. Tracks such as "Hello There," "Surrender," "I Want You to Want Me," and Fats Domino's "Ain't That a Shame" were infused with a power their studio versions only hint at. Twenty years after the original concert in April 1978, the classic live album has been expanded to include nine additional tracks that make this a must-have for fans of the original. --Rob O'Connor ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Cheap Trick at Budokan: The Complete Concert
Is Cheap Trick the finest rock band America has ever produced? Listen to Budokan: The Complete Concert and decide for yourself. Many rock critics place the 1979 Live at Budokan show in their list of best-ever live rock recordings, and this new release arranges all the songs in their original order, with enhanced digital mastering. Cheap Trick is the diva of American power pop; give them a taste and you'll detect satisfying hints of the Beatles, The Who, and The Sex Pistols. Cited by icons Kurt Cobain and Billy Corrigan as a major influence, Cheap Trick is more fun, less angst. In addition to Cheap Trick's familiar radio anthems "Surrender", "Ain't That A Shame", and "I Want You To Want Me", you'll find undiscovered gems like "Lookout", "Oh Caroline", and "California Man". You also get two mini-videos from those amazing Budokan shows on this 2-disc set, to enjoy on your computer screen. A must for all rock and roll collections!

Absolutely Essential
There are just some albums that everyone must own. "Cheap Trick at Budokan" is one of them. This is one of the 3 best live recordings ever (The Who's "Live at Leeds" and "Frampton Comes Alive" being the others). Now it has become even greater, and all the more essential, in this new version including all the material off of "Budokan II" and re-arrainged in the original set-list from the concert. The sound quality has never been better (even rivaling the gold edition floating around); Columbia/Legacy have built a good reputation in their fine remasters. And this is no exception, especally with the added material. You are THERE, in the crowd. Tom's bass sounds positivly chunky, Bun E.'s drums are crisp & deep, Rick's guitar soars & Robin is truly amazing. From the opening scorch of "Hello There" thru the all-out assult on "Clock Strikes Ten", the crunch of "Auf Vedershen" & "Surrender" and the pop jump of "I Want You to Want Me", it's all here. The defining pop/rock sound that is often imitatded, never been duplicated. This is the sound that all of the 90's wanna-be alt-rockers have been trying to emulate (Billy Corigan & Kurt Cobain freely admitted it). If you're a serious rock fan, you need to own this. If you have the original, time to trade up. It all starts here. Truly timeless kickin' rock & roll.

"Budokan" Showed the Western World What They'd Been Missing
After spending a large part of their early career opening for the likes of Kiss, AC/DC, and Queen to name a few, the unusual foursome known as Cheap Trick undertook a highly successful tour of Japan, becoming unlikely superstars in that country. The stellar live recording "At Budokan" documented their new-found fame in Japan and ironically became their commercial breakthrough in the States.
The album presented every part of the one-of-a-kind formula that made Cheap Trick so entertaining to begin with; their unique and often erratic musical style was matched only by their visual gimmick: Vocalist Robin Zander and bassist Tom Petersson both resembled pin-posters one might find in a teenage girl's locker, clashing with the exact opposite of guitarist Rick Nielsen's goofy wardrobe and the cigarrette-smoking depressed looks of drummer Bun E. Carlos. But the music, not the image, made the band. By this time, Rick Nielsen had laid out the blueprint for the plan that struck a chord with audiences; intentionally radio-suiting pop melodies brilliantly combined with raunchy, eardrum shattering guitar hooks. "At Budokan" is the live testament of this successful match. For the first part of this combination, refer to 'Surrender' and even the otherwise upbeat pop ballad 'I Want You To Want Me.' And for the second part, look at 'Hello There' and the exhilirating 'Ain't That A Shame'--Cheap Trick's version of the Fats Domino classic is one of the hardest rocking renditions ever spawned.
The shrieks and screams of thousands of fans don't lie; Cheap Trick's often oddball approach in form hit the jackpot, and rightfully aquired the recognition the group deserved. Here in its remastered form with a slew of tracks cut from the original release, "At Budokan" is an essential for lovers of in-concert recordings.

They Should Have Left It Alone
It's very simple; the added material may be of interest to utterly hardcore Cheap Trick fans, but it slows down the concert, and robs the original LP of much of its impact. More isn't necessarily better, and whomever edited the original LP version selected the best cuts, in the best order, and came up with a real fast, compact record. My advice: if you remember the original LP, then buy the CD of the original LP, not this version.

The definitive desert-island album.
If I were on my way to a desert island and had to choose just one album to take with me, CHEAP TRICK AT BUDOKAN would be it. If I had to choose just one disc, it would be Disc 2, because it contains my favorite tune, NEED YOUR LOVE.
I originally bought the LP when I was 13, because I liked the cutesy I WANT YOU TO WANT ME. It quickly became my least favorite song. As for the rest of the music, I was bowled over by the raw and powerful guitar sound and vocals, and by the sheer energy of both the band and the audience. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A testament to the Cure’s explosive creativity, Join the Dots is also an ode to the band’s remarkable consistency. Spanning the group’s entire career, it’ll keep fans happily burrowing away for hours; days, even. Disc 1 concentrates on Robert Smith’s early growth spurts, when his jerky goth-pop blossomed with depth and savvy. Disc 2 recycles some of Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me’s motifs (there’s a touch of "A Thousand Hours" in "Breath," for instance), and pays tribute to their early-90s Mixed Up Madchester phase with "Harold and Joe." Elsewhere, there are covers of "Young Americans," Depeche Mode’s "World in My Eyes," "Purple Haze," and three versions of the Doors’ "Hello I Love You," as well as more recent material like an acoustic version of "Maybe Someday" from 2000’s Bloodflowers. The handsome packaging features a complete career retrospective partially narrated by Smith himself. As a capstone to a brilliant career, Dots is a sublime walk down memory lane for tortured hearts and melancholy moods. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (64)

the cure's b-sides and other rareties
When I heard that the cure was going to release their b-sides I was excited about the box set.CD one is probably the least favorite of mine. CDs three and four are probably the best of the 4 cds. Japanese Dream the radio edit is the not as good as the 12"inch mix. It would have been nice if they would have included the remix instead of the edit. Hello I love you, the world in my eyes, purple haze were great covers with the cures psychedelic feel too them. Out of this world, maybe someday, just like heaven were all great remixes. One of my favorite songs is "burn" from the crow soundtrack. There are a lot of good songs on this box set. Overall, this is a great collection of songs from the cure which I know everyone will enjoy.

An Excellent Set
Robert Smith (and all the Cures - past and present - with whom he has collaborated) offers a gem of a collection with this release.

Unless you were lucky enough to find some of these songs on the cassette version of the "Standing On A Beach" collection or on import vinyl 12" singles, many will be brand new to you. But whether you have heard bits and pieces or not, this collection is truly amazing in its scope and sound quality. Hearing the early songs "cleaned up" for compact disc makes this set well worth the price of admission.

Also, some Cure fans will no doubt remember a handful of these songs as the "in-between bits" from the VHS "Staring at the Sea -The Images" (especially "Throw Your Foot" which showed Robert walking around in what appeared to be a drug-induced state) and having them all in one place really is a treat.

Standout tracks are "I'm Cold", "Throw Your Foot", and "2 Late." Disc four gets a bit indulgent: the Depeche Mode re-make is interesting and signifies well on the original, but it's a bit severe. I do not, however, feel that this detracts from the set as a whole. After all, isn't The Cure rather severe?

All in all, there is plenty by which to be impressed. This will be a welcome addition to any Cure fan's collection (and even to collections of neophyte Cure fans).

Definitely worth buying. No doubt. Order it today.

Get it for the remastering alone!!!!!!!
I have never, ever rated anything on Amazon, but I couldn't wait to review this. If you are a Cure fan, you simply MUST buy this box set! The remastered B-sides alone are worth the money. I can't remember how many times over the years I've longed for a better quality sound than the analog--now you have it. You can finally hear what the undertones are on some songs. Amazing...what a wonderful collection and high quality, I just can't recommend it enough. Get it for yourself or your favorite Cure fan. I PROMISE you you will not regret it!!!!!!!!!!!

You can't go wrong with this box set!
If you are a lover of The Cure you need this! It has some songs you might not have heard before, and some remixes of familiar favorites like A Forest, Just Like Heaven, etc. This will keep me occupied until their new CD comes out this month :)
It comes in a lovely hard cover book format. It has 2 CD's in front, 2 in back, and 76 pages of various photos, as well as notes and stories on the songs included.

It's Awesome! I only have two complaints :)
Where is "Cult Hero" and "I Dig You". Those songs rock and there now where to be found. I see some people don't like the review, but I was just curious as to why those two songs were not included that's all. ... Read more

Reviews (100)

Depeche Mode's most acomplished work of art!
I bought this album the week it came out back in 1993 and I have gone through 3 copies of it since, that's how much I've listened to it. I've always been a huge DM fan, but this album reminds me JUST how much I love them. Martin Gore has written the most beautiful, poetic songs of his career and Dave Gahan sings them with a force, they will bring shivers up your spine. This was a very dark period for the boys... Dave was at the peak of his heroin addiction during the recording of this album, and Allen Wilder left after the SOFAD tour was over, but I think this album really reflects how turbulent things were, and you can tell they really put a lot of heart and soul into making it. It's still my favourite cd of all time. If you're a DM fan and you have not heard this album, I suggest you pick it up. Some fans don't like it though, it is a little dark but an amazing work of art nonetheless!

DM at their finest ... worth six stars on a five-star scale
Depeche Mode is my favorite band, but compared to some, I'm relatively new to the genre. I can barely understand why many DM fans don't seem to like it -- maybe they just don't get it -- the band has changed and grown tremendously since Martin Gore took over. They aren't likely to record another "Pimpf", "More than a Party", or (thank God) "Pleasure, Little Treasure".

Don't get me wrong -- many of DM's best songs are on their earlier albums. But listening to CONSTRUCTION TIME AGAIN after hearing SONGS or ULTRA, you'd swear it was Gahan's voice in a completely different band. Certainly the technology behind synth music has come a long, long way since 1981, but the musical development of the band itself actually outpaces the improvements in their equipment.

Martin Gore's compositional and lyrical talent, scarcely evident in early albums, hit the mainstream with VIOLATOR but finally matured as with SONGS. Every single track is rich with the dark, foreboding forces of essential humanity.

This is the first DM album I bought, and by far the best.

What can I say...
What really IS there to say? This album is truly amazing. Everyone has their fav DM album, at the same time i don't truly understand why a lot of DM fans HATE this album. I like the fact that the band wanted to create the music to "force" Dave's voice to sound more powerful and melodic despite the heroin addiction really messing up his voice. In some ways the raspy voice in some parts compliments the mood of the album.

I Feel You- Great start.

Walking In My Shoes- Probably one of the best DM singles imo

Condemnation- wow. dave sounds painful in this one

Mercy In You- guitar riffs are awesome, ok song.

Judas- beautiful

In Your Room- I actually like the singles version more but it's still pretty good

Get Right With Me- eh..it's aight i guess

Rush- This song kicks

One Caress- Martin has a great voice, love the song

Higher Love- this song is uplifting to me...love it

BUY This album!! If you're open about music then sit and listen to this!!

A warm blooded crossroad...
A lot of bands does this kind of album, ten years on, the momentum build up and a solid fan base a lot of bands change direction in their music, 9/10 fail to keep their fan base and even more fail to keep their musical integrity. However this is most definently not the case with this album, this album got soul! (Not that their others lack of it but...) I've been to a lot of conserts but i have never seen a song that really hypnotized me as much as "i feel you" does, i'm not saying that it's the greatest song on earth but on of them. Comdemnation is the song however that really captures the soul of the band, and the best vocals ever layed down by gahan, it's ridicuelesly good! And the adrenalin of "rush", the dramatic "one caress", In your room and so on... This album is one of the few that i really would recommed everyone to feel, because this is a album with soul that you dont just hear, you feel it deep down.

A Revolution for the band!!!
This album marked the end of an era for Depeche Mode. Every album up to this one was primarily synthesizers, keyboards, and a drum machine. This marked the beginning of the band using live percussion and they took the focus away from the keyboard. Although the keyboard is still extremely important in this album, they tried to focus on guitar use more than ever before. The songs are different from the band's earlier sound, but still great:

1. I Feel You - The song that starts the album was also the first single from the album. It's a fairly repetative song with a great beat that is fun to move to.

2. Walking in My Shoes - The second song on the album and the second single from it. This, in my opinion, is one of the best songs on the album. It has a great chorus line and the lyrics are wonderful.

3. Condemnation - The third single from the album, I find it to be, musically, the weakest song on the album. I'm sure I'll get shunned for saying this, but it is how I feel.

4. Mercy In You - My favorite song on this album, hands down. This song is wonderful. The rhythm and beat are great, the lyrics are great... Did I mention it is great?

5. Judas - A very powerful song, as the name would imply. Martin does the singing on this one to bring a very eerie sound of betrayal. Love the stuff!!!

6. In Your Room - Another single from the album. David's vocals on this echo in your head for hours. This song is great. It is the perfect center piece for the album.

7. Get Right With Me - A solid piece of music. This song perfectly fits after "In Your Room" as a transition into "Rush".

8. Rush - This is tied for second with "Walking In My Shoes" on my favorite list for this album. David's power vocals bring this song an energy you have experience to understand.

9. One Caress - Like Condemnation, I'm not too fond of this track. It fits real well, but it doesn't move me the way some of the other songs do.

10. Higher Love - Depeche Mode has always had a way of ending albums perfectly and "Songs of Faith and Devotion" is no exception. Higher Love is the perfect way to conclude this album. Powerful musically, this brings a wonderful album to a great conclusion.

"Songs of Faith and Devotion" shocked me when it first came out. I was expecting another "Violator". At first I didn't like it, but over the years it has grown on me. It's worth the money. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

The More Mature of Their Albums
This cd is a definte departure from the earlier Beat cds. The earlier cds are more where the Fine Young Cannibals went back to, while this cd marks the beginning of General Public. The songs "Save it for Later" and "I Confess" are two of their best, but lack the wildness of the quintessential Beat style that Fine Young Cannibals recaptured. This, oddly, is the best Beat cd. Odd because it seems an accident in the face of the break-up of the band that followed its making. It has a refined Jazz feel with the marked Beat raggee sound forced on it, as opposed to the other albums which have it just the other way around. Out of all the albums that The Beat, The Fine Young Cannibals, or General Public made this, I think, will survive the test of time.

One of Beat's Best...
This c.d. is absolutley astounding ! From the first track to the last there is not a single flop or disappointment; Even the album cover conveys a sense of coolness and sophistication. I had only heard the name English Beat growing up but never ventured to listen to their music thinking it was another heavy-synth new romantic band by it's name alone. Now, I am glad I've heard them ! Their mixture of ska, reggae, pop, and a few other styles will surely capture any avid music collector's attention. Also, the vocals of the lead singer are very reminiscent of Colin Hay's from Men At Work (another '80s great group). Although the album originally was released in 1982 I can see or hear why it firmly stands up to the test of time !

One of my all time favorites
I loved this CD since college, when it was just vinyl. I'm listening to it today in my office, and it just really stands the test of time. The lyrics are so clever and the beats interesting. Really, how many times have we all "done too much of both types of w(h)ining"

Highly recommended! A great 80s classic.

Classic English Beat
The best songs are the poppy ones that you know already ("Save it for later", "I Confess") but the other tracks are pretty solid. Not as great as "Whap'pen" or the first album (name escapes me), but good none the less. If you only buy one English Beat album, buy one of the first two or the greatest hits album. If you're a fan and already have the others, buy this one to complete your set.

To Beat this, You better beat me first
If there is a better overall cd by the Beat i dont know what it is. This is actually one of the best cd's ever, by anyone save perchance Debbie Gibson or Tiffany (hardy har har). Thats not subjective opinion either thats objective fact. My grandpa agrees. On the real though this is the serious a$$kicker with great songs like Jeanette and the untouchable Save it for later. Please. Plus it feature toasting by Pato Banton - buy it just for that if for no oher reason. ... Read more

Amazon.com

General Public's debut is arguably the ska supergroup's best work. Fresh out of the English Beat, Dave Wakeling recruited vocal partner Ranking Roger, as well as bassist Horace Panter (the Specials), keyboardist Mickey Billingham (Dexy's Midnight Runners), and veteran sax man Saxa for this set of shiny pop that is virtually all as infectious as the album's Top 40 hit, "Tenderness." Sure, the English Beat's best grooves found their way into the Fine Young Cannibals, but Wakeling and Roger's breathless vocals and undeniable hooks still shine on this undervalued album. --Bill Forman ... Read more

Reviews (14)

80's Music At It's Best
This CD sure takes me back to my high school days, when videos were creative and music was fun. "Tenderness" - I love that song. "Are You Leading Me On" is another hot one. Lyrically and musically fun.

too damn good not to have
I came of age in the eighties, and this is one of the albums I cut my teeth on. This is smart power pop on par with Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson, with ska inflections that will make your leg twitch. In fact, the toughest thing about listening to this album is figuring out whether to groove to the music or soak up the lyrics. I would give it five stars, but there are a few weaker tracks. But 'Never you done that','Tenderness', and 'Where's the line' make up for those. If you like ska, eighties music, or good, smart lyrics, I STRONGLY recommend "All The Rage".

Uff da!
I bought this, listened to it and now wish to sell it. It's not the quality of the English Beat that's for sure. You might like to have it as a novelty item.

Excelent
I Love this msic because it reminds my age between 14 and 17 years old in college

UNSATISFIED
I WOULDN'T KNOW I NEVER GOT MY CD AND ITS BEEN OVER TWO MONTHS ... Read more

Album Description

13 track 'best of' features both the original & extendedversions of the hits 'The Safety Dance' & 'Where The BoysGo', as well as the top 20 'Pop Goes The World' and more!1996 release on Aquarius Records. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Tongue-In-Cheek Dance Music
This is "heavy dance" music that still can make anyone who grew up in the 80's laugh out loud! It is trance-dance oriented, and almost every song in this greatest hits package is excellent. The higher price made me wait a while before I bought it, but if you are a 80's Dance fan of such bands like Dead or Alive, you would get into this.

MEN WITHOUT HATS - MEN WITHOUT TALENT
Another talentless band riding the New Wave, with one or two hits, then faded into the limelight. If you do like them, (poor soul),then this would be the better choice then the US version.

However if you just want "Safety Dance" go for a compilation.

Just make sure that when you SAFETY DANCE you clean your shoes afterwords.

However, they do have a following, (?lemmings?) so they must have something! Stick with Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Duran Duran, or Reflex.

If a DJ, a good album to have because of the extended version of the main song SAFETY DANCE, which is very popular with the +30 crowd.

half listenable / half perishable
As far as "BEST OF" collections go, this is not one of my favourites. There are too many other HATS songs that could have made this CD a true gem (just listen to "POP" and you'll know what I mean). Whenever I listen to this CD, I have to skip over half of the tracks. But there are some definite winners here: Safety Dance, Living in China, I Got the Message, Pop Goes the World, On Tuesday, and a great remix of Freeway. All in all, if you're just getting into HATS and looking for a fun/groovy/pop CD, then it's probably a good starting point.

Essential stuff by a great, overlooked band
The selection on this compilation improves on the American best-of collection by including the rare 'Freeways' (one of their best ever, a pulsing, driving song) and the rocky 'Sideways' (the title track of their underrated 1991 'guitar' album). The brilliant hooks, playful melodies, and thoughtful lyrics make this a terrific record and underscore just what a good band this was. ... Read more

Album Description

2003 remastered reissue of the classic 1980 album packedwith 30 bonus tracks, 'I Stand Accused' (AlternateVersion), 'So Young', 'Girls Talk', 'Human Touch'(Alternate Version), 'Temptation' (Alternate Version),'Motel Matches' (Alternate Take), 'Clowntime Is Over No.2', 'B Movie' (Alternate Version), 'Girls Talk' (AlternateVersion), 'Getting Mighty Crowded Watch Your Step'(Alternate Version), 'Dr. Luther's Assistant', 'GhostTrain', 'New Lace Sleeves' (Alternate Version), 'HooverFactory', 'Just A Memory', 'I Can't Stand Up For FallingDown' (Alternate Version), 'New Amsterdam' (Olympic StudioVersion), 'Black & White World' (Demo), 'Riot Act' (Demo),'5ive Gears In Reverse' (Demo), 'Love For Tender' (Demo),'Men Called Uncle' (Demo), 'King Horse' (Demo), 'SevenO'clock' (Demo), 'High Fidelity' (Live), 'Opportunity'(Live), 'The Imposter' (Live), & 'Don't Look Back' (Live), ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Elvis Costello's artistic pinnacle
Elvis Costello was explosively prolific and consistent through his first five albums, from "My Aim is True" in 1977 through "Trust" in 1981. He remains a highly valuable and relevant artist, but what he accomplished in those first four years makes even the Beatles look relaxed.

To me, his fourth album "Get Happy" is his masterpiece. The first three were brilliant, but if you didn't like that punk/New Wave sound, they were hard to appreciate. On "Get Happy," Elvis began the stylistic stretching-out that he has continued to the present day. The fact that he moved on from the harsh, angular, almost stereotypically "angry" stance of his initial discs to encompass thoughtfully a range of traditional styles is the reason why we still listen to EC, and why we don't listen to most of the other New Wavers who burst on the scene with him in the late 70s.

"Get Happy" was the first one to take that step, embracing 60s soul music, especially the "sounds" of the Supremes, Booker T and the MGs, Dionne Warwick, and the Four Tops. A few songs almost sound like parodies of those styles, while on others, the influence is more subtle. But beyond the musical trickery, the grafting of soul music onto his clever lyrical wordplay and harsh insights into romance and political betrayal had the much-needed effect of rounding out his sound, giving Elvis himself a lot more "soul."

The original LP had 20 songs, and to fit that many discrete songs onto a vinyl LP, Elvis had to make each song short and sweet--again, to the tremendous benefit of the listener, who can be absorbed into these miniatures, feel all the emotion, enjoy the studio wizardry and brilliant musicianship (where would Elvis be without the keyboardist Steve Nieve?), and then bang, song's over, onto the next. There is not a single wasted moment on this disc, and -- again somewhat in contast to the first three discs -- this disc has a lot more fun on it. There are fewer people being turned into lampshades or submitting to Hitler's will on this disk. Instead, he is building entire songs around puns about money, setting them to the most infectious beat in town, and otherwise entertaining us while still retaining his emotional focus. I've loved this album for 20+ years, and it still sounds fresh today. Bravo.

Soul...Pure Soul.
Simply put, Elvis Costello is (in my humble opinion) one of the greatest song writers ever to ever record an album. "Get Happy" is (for the most part) a nod to the R&B and Soul music that he loves, including a handful of covers. This edition of "Get Happy" is a must for any collector of great music. There are thirty songs on the bonus disc alone, and fifty songs all together. If you love Soul, buy this album. The influences are usually obvious, and some of the more subtle ones are pointed out by EC in the liner notes. If you are looking to get into EC, check out "My Aim Is True", "This Year's Model", or "Armed Forces" to start with. If you can't get enough of those, then by all means, "GET HAPPY"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Breathtaking
GET HAPPY was introduced to me by a co-worker back in 1980. At that time, I only had a handful of Elvis Costello singles (remember 45s?) but no albums. After the moment my co-worker lent me the album, I never stopped listening to Elvis Costello and to this album in particular. The rush of twenty two-minutes-and-change songs was breathtaking and still is. Its mix of passionate love tunes, whimsical poppiness, and downright raw soul was unprecedented.

I only wish I could reach back across the decades to shake that guy's hand for lending me GET HAPPY.

Who killed the 80s?
Elvis Costello did! How can you possibly go wrong with two cds and 50 songs? By turning on your cd player - don't so it! No stars. Want great British music? Buy any Bananarama cd instead; they're far more talented.

Happy Happy Happy
Having been a Costello fanatic since day one (Stiff 11 - Less Than Zero), I will always put this one at the top of my list. It is the most infectious album and I have been singing these songs forever and still feel the power. Let me name a few favorites. Motel Matches makes me cry, Temptation, New Amsterdam, I can't stand up for falling down, Riot Act (wow), I stand accused, High Fidelity, Opportunity, Possession, King Horse, The Imposter, Man Called Uncle. Those songs are the best lyrical/musical songs I have heard in 30 years. Very few artists come close to that kind of power in their entire careers and EC did it on one album. THEN, he did it on the the previous three and again on Imperial Bedroom, King of america, Blood & Chocolate and I even have grown to love North. I am so glad he is still around and I get to see him perform live every few months. The Beatles and The Kinks gave it up, so there is only Elvis left. God Bless him.

The second disc is wonderful. I love the alternate takes. GREAT stuff. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Cars' blend of New Wave experimentation and trad-rock values made for nearly ubiquitous radio presence in the late '70s and early '80s. Often jumpily ambivalent and marvelously pop-wise in the same moment, Ric Ocasek captured the zeitgeist for people to whom even Talking Heads didn't matter much. Kicking off with one of the all-time great singles, "Just What I Needed," then winding its way through seven more years of singles including the then-brand new "Tonight She Comes," Greatest Hits is one, um, well-oiled pleasure machine. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (31)

Classic Cars - Excellent Greatest Hits Collection
As a band, The Cars released one outstanding album (their AMAZING self-titled debut) and a number of other excellent and catchy singles. If this album has a weakness, its that it draws only two songs ("Just What I Needed" and "My Best Friend's Girl") from the debut record. Nevertheless, there are plenty of Cars classics on this album, including four from "Heartbeat City," ("Magic," "Drive," "You Might Think" and the title track) their most popular album. The Cars are one of those rare bands able to put out a greatest hits collection in which nearly every song WAS in fact a hit. This collection is a solid representation of their career.

Good CD For Cars Fans
The majority of tracks on The Cars' "Greatest Hits" should satisfy most fans of this '80s new wave band, though there are a few good songs missing, like "Hello Again," the first song I heard in elementary school that made me a Cars fan for the past 10+ years. Other favorites are "Drive"--probably because it's not as pop-ish/upbeat as most of their other songs--and "Tonight She Comes."

The Cars' "Complete Greatest Hits" remedies this aforementioned missing track--as well as a few other missing tunes--but if you're a diehard Cars fan, then I'd recommend the double-CD "Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology", which includes several additional hits and obscure tracks. Compared to these other two CDs, this greatest hits album isn't the best, but it still gets the job done, hits-wise.

Take'er For A Spin
"The Cars-Greatest Hits" is the perfect example of catchy hooks and pop rock prowess. The songs herein are simply pop rock hit after pop rock hit. "Just What I Needed," "You Might Think," "Magic," "Let's Go," and "Shake It Up" can all be found here. The rest of the playlist is fun to listen to and even more fun to recall good times with old friends.

This is the type of album that can be played at a party and no one will complain. The Cars knew how to make pop hits, that's all I can really say. There songs are fun, catchy and you'll find it hard to say anything bad about them.

My favorite song on this album, however, is probably the most serious one out of the bunch: "Drive." But that's what is so amazing about these guys. They cranked out a ton of hits and still managed to throw in a successful ballad. Fortunately for them, they haven't been thrown into that bottomless pit with bands like REO Speedwagon, Styx, and Boston as commercial sellouts. For some reason, the yahoos at the music magazines get off on trashing these bands, but the Cars have remained out of their crosshairs so far(maybe because Ric Ocasek's wife is so hot).

Throw this one on for a good time. It's highly recommended.

A very good collection but not the best collection to own
I've had this collection for years. It offers many great songs "Just What I Needed," "My Best Friend's Girl," "Good Times Roll," "Let's Go," "Touch and Go," "Shake It Up," "You Might Think," "Drive," "Magic," and a new song in 1985 "Tonight She Comes." However, you can do better by purchasing Cars - Complete Greatest Hits, which contains 7 more classic songs not featured in this collection (You're All I've Got Tonight, Bye Bye Love, Moving in Stereo, Dangerous Type, Hello Again, Why Can't I Have You, and You are the Girl). I would definitely recommend that you purchase The Cars-- Complete Greatest Hits instead of this collection. Besides being more comprehensive, it is less expensive as well.

Get Complete Greatest Hits instead
The Cars were one of the greatest classic rock/new wave bands of the late seventies and early eighties. Ric Ocasek, Ben Orr, and all the other guys knew how to rock and roll, so it's no surprise that the band has released more than one hits compilation over the years. This one, simply entitled Greatest Hits, came first. Read on for my review of it.

PROS:
-If you're a casual fan of the band, or you're just seeking an introduction to their music, this is a good place to start. Big hits like Just What I Needed, Good Times Roll, My Best Friend's Girl, Let's Go, and Shake It Up are all here for your listening pleasure.
-In addition to the hits, there are many underrated tunes present on this compilation. Like with any band, there is way more to the Cars than just their hits.
-It's an affordable, single-disc compilation.
-Many stores carry this compilation, so you shouldn't have too difficult a time tracking down a copy.

CONS:
-WAY TOO MANY HITS ARE MISSING! Where are Moving In Stereo, Bye Bye Love, You're All I've Got Tonight, It's All I Can Do, Candy-O, and Dangerous Type!? So many omissions is unforgivable.
-The compilation doesn't fill the compact disc to the maximum eighty minute limit. They could easily have fit a few more tracks on here.
-The new single-disc retrospective, Complete Greatest Hits, renders this one obsolete. It doesn't cost a whole lot more, It has many more tracks, and is more readily available. Get THAT compilation instead.

OVERALL:

Overall, I feel the Cars are a great band, but this just isn't a very good retrospective. Get Complete Greatest Hits or Just What I Needed - The Cars Anthology instead. Hits compilations often fail to capture the essence of the band they represent, and sadly, this is no exception. ... Read more

Album Description

Remastered reissue of 1984 album features 17 tracksincluding 8 bonus tracks, 'Angels & Devils', 'All You NeedIs Love' (Alt. Version), 'The Killing Moon' (Alt. Version), 'Stars Are Stars' (Alt. Version), 'Villiers Terrace' (Alt.Version), 'Silver' (Alt Version. - prev. unreleased), 'MyKingdom' (Live - prev. unreleased), & 'Ocean Rain' (Live -prev. unreleased). 25th anniversary expanded editionfeatures new liner notes & unseen photos. Slipcase. WSM.2003. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

They called it "The Best Album Ever Made."
Like the placid water and serene blue of the album's cover photography, the fourth recording from Echo and The Bunnymen conveyed a retreat into a calmer space. After the relentless aggression on "Porcupine," the change in direction to midtempo, texture heavy songs on "Ocean Rain" was a surprise to those who came to the table once they'd heard "The Cutter." Gone was the brute force, and in was a sudden rush of romanticism. It made for an intriguing set of songs, and certainly for a major shift in the perception of the band (and in leader Ian McCulloch).

It also lead to a batch of incredible songs. "The Killing Moon," "Crystal Days" and "Silver" are awash in strings and romantic allusions. In the liner notes, McCulloch recalls that he "fell in love with Paris" while the band was recording there, and the spirit of "Ocean Rain" reflects that. The tones are often muted - DeFreitas uses brushes and other odd percussion to spectacular effect. On the other hand, McCulloch was still not beyond self-aggrandizing overstatement. His "Thorn of Crowns" will prove that.

"Ocean Rain" also sports some of the Bunnymen reissue series' better bonus selections. The five songs from "Life At Brian's" are interesting in that the band sounds loose and relaxed, and the recording of The Beatles' "All You Need is Love" show a sense of humor. There's also a pair of live cuts (including Mac's comment about "the greatest album ever made") that shows E&TB as a first class concert act.

While I am hard pressed to decide which Echo album I like more, "Ocean Rain" or "Porcupine," the days I give the nod to "Ocean Rain" are when I listen to "The Killing Moon," which I consider to be one of the finest songs to emerge from the whole 80's liverpool scene. This album is worth having for that one song alone.

Bunnymen at their peak
Ocean Rain finds the lads from Liverpool hitting their stride on the brink of superstardom in 1984. The album is lush with orchestration (strings, cellos, etc.) and features the best Bunnymen tunes: "Killing Moon" and the title track "Ocean Rain". McCulloch reached his own as a singer here and guitarist Sargaent provided the blueprint for the always solid rythym section of Pattison and Defrietas. The result was a collection of songs textured with majestic beauty as provided by a band that had matured, but had always possessed a special chemistry from the very start of their careers. This record is probably their most accessible up to this point and for anyone that does not own a recording from these guys, I would recommend Ocean Rain over any other record in the Bunnymen catalogue.

Already Peaked out
This album was the Bunnymen's 4th, following Porcupine. After owning and listening to their first three over and over, I found only two songs on "Ocean Rain" up to their previous high level- "Crystal Days" and "Seven Seas". For some reason, the Bunnymen got away from their incredible guitar/drum driven sound into lush keyboards and strings which felt out of character for them. Their fresh use of strings in "Never Stop" on the previous LP totally rocked. They lost something here in this record, became overblown, too full of themselves, or something, which is why I think they took a 3 yr. break before their next LP (Self-Titled), which was viewed at the time as a bit of a comeback, because I think there was some kind of split after "Ocean Rain". This is a great band, with incredible lyrics and guitar playing, and their first 3 albums will richly let you in on this.

Career high from 1984.
While Crocodiles (1980) remains my personal favourite Bunnymen album, it is without a doubt that Ocean Rain remains their most accomplished album and their career high. The albums that had followed Crocodiles had been miserable (Heaven Up Here) & messy (Porcupine) though there had been a wealth of great songs: Never Stop, Back of Love, Zimbo, Show of Strength, Clay, The Cutter...

Recorded mostly as Studio Des Dames in Paris (the location of The Cure's Lovecats recording also), it found the Bunnymen with Gil Norton, Adam Peter & Jean Yves crafting an orchestrally-accompanied classic. Probably the best Scott III influenced album till Suede's Dog Man Star! The strings & experimentation of the flawed Porcupine pay off here, as they pretty much deliver the proposed 'greatest album ever made' (this statement has worn thin with overuse by McCulloch to every subsequent release, no matter how mediocre).

McCulloch's lyrics are suitably nonsensical, the right balance between Lear and Le Bon- Crystal Days is gorgeous stuff, though the opening single Silver has a breezy quality that suggests seasons other than the autumn or winter that dominated the feel of the early recordings. Nocturnal Me ("bury me internally") is the miserablism of Heaven Up Here given a more original direction- this is the greatest night-time music! Pity this edition doesn't get across the greatness of the album cover- this & Porcupine need to be owned on LP just for the brilliant covers which perfectly render the contents of the recordings in visual form.

It's the latter four songs of Ocean Rain that really stand out, often cited by journos as the greatest album side in history (fair enough I suppose!), what's left of The Bunnymen still play all four of these songs in a row live. Pity the extra tracks at the end don't have all four songs in a row/live (just My Kingdom & Ocean Rain). The Killing Moon is probably the greatest Bunnymen song, later covered by Pavement on Major League & featured in the cult classic Donnie Darko (as well as so so nostalgia flick Grosse Point Blank). The third single Seven Seas is a breezy acoustic driven slab of beauty- this would be the template for the disappointing Bunnymen album that would follow in 1987. It was not bettered. My Kingdom explores a sound that recalls and advances on Love's timeless Forever Changes; but it's the title track that blows the mind:"All at sea again/and now my hurricans bought down this ocean rain...screaming from beneath the waves/all hands on deck at dawn/sailing to sadder shores/your port in my heavy storms/harbours the blackest thoughts..." Quite simply this song, and this side, need to be heard- listening to them makes clear what words don't seem capable of: this is godlike stuff!

The extra tracks are pleasant- classic b-side Angels & Devils, a few live takes and alternate versions of songs from the 'Life at Brians' sessions that preceded the 'Crystal Days' series of gigs where the Bunnymen decided they were The Beatles (an idea ripped off by Oasis later...) Hence the cover version of All You Need is Love- though to be fair the live medley of Do It Clean/Ticket to Ride etc found on The Cutter 12" is much better! The alternate versions of Killing Moon & Silver are fine, though don't touch the album originals; nice to see some old Crocodiles songs- Villiers Terrace & the sublime Stars are Stars are returned to- almost suggesting that the band cite Crocodiles as the closest album to this in terms of quality (which it is).

Ocean Rain is a fantastic album, one of the greatest albums ever made- up there with any candidate you could name (e.g. Sulk, Closer, Low, 154, The Queen is Dead, Dust, For Your Pleasure etc); it's hard to work out what went wrong- surely global domination should have beckoned? Like The Smiths, the Bunnymen fell by the wayside & U2 ended up taking it all with The Joshua Tree. After this, the Bunnymen would release the dire eponymous album of 1987 (from which De Freitas went absent to form the Sex Gods- see Julian Cope's Repossessed), then McCulloch would leave the band. Then De Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident. Then McCulloch released the rather good Candleland solo album (which would have been better had it been a Bunnymen album) as Sergeant & Pattinson ploughed on with a new line-up from Irish band St Vitus Dance (a bad idea in retrospect) The Bunnymen could never get close to this again- the reformed Bunnymen (which featured the Electrafixion duo of McCulloch & Sergeant, alongside Pattinson- who would leave after 1998's Evergreen) did some nice stuff, but not great stuff. & it was demeaning to see them have to accept the patronage of mediocre bands like Coldplay, Fun Lovin Criminals & Oasis in order to get noticed. Hopefully this set of reissues will get them noticed for the right reasons- for being one of the greatest bands of the 80s and producing two of the greatest albums ever made... ... Read more

Amazon.com

Having apprenticed with '60s band Kippington Lodge and '70s pub-rock pioneers Brinsley Schwarz, Nick Lowe became a shining beacon of traditional pop values--wit, concision, unbanishable tunes--amidst the punk furor of the late '70s. This collection is a generous 25-song single-CD selection from eight albums and a few stray singles spanning almost a decade. It may be too generous--the inclusion of a number of so-so songs and failed experiments hampers its playability. But there are still well over a dozen gems here, including his sole hit, the sparkling, textbook classic-pop masochist's anthem "Cruel to Be Kind;" the ominous voodoo breakdown "Cracking Up;" and the delightfully perverse "Marie Provost," a sumptuous power-pop tune affixed to the horrific tale of a silent-film actress who dies alone and is eaten by her starving dog. There are also at least two songs exploring Lowe's strange obsession with backstage guest lists (first single "So It Goes" and the stately "Little Hitler"), the best version of the pub-rock classic "Switchboard Susan" (containing every conceivable phone/sex double entendre), and a number of crisp rockers abetted by Rockpile, the brilliant band that, credited or not, played on much of members Lowe and Dave Edmunds's best work. --Ken Barnes ... Read more

Reviews (12)

All Time Lowe
Nick Lowe may be best known as the producer of the best of Elvis Costello's 70's & early 80's albums, but he has crafted some the smartest & wittiest music around. Lowe came out of the early 70's English pub-rock scene, playing in the genre's biggest group, Brinsley Swarz. After he left the band, he released his first solo record, "So It Goes". It was also the first ever release on the seminal label Stiff Records. The song set the mold for which Lowe would follow for much of his career. The lyrics on the surface appear to be somewhat humorous but underneath they are laced with cynism. Other great songs include "American Squirm", "Marie Provost" which tells of an old movie star who died and the police found her half-eaten by her dog, "Little Hitler", "Cracking Up", "Heart Of The City", the reggae remake of his Rockpile song "Heart", the rockbilly of "Half A Boy, Half A Man", the pretty country-flavored "Without Love" and his only hit in America, "Cruel To Be Kind", which is one of the most overlooked hit songs of the 70's. The album is sequenced in chronilogical order and some the later songs are weak, especially compared to the early stuff, but one cannot complain when you get 25 songs on a single cd. If you love Nick Lowe, this album is indepensible and if you are unfamiliar with him, it is more than worth checking out.

Timeless Pop (for "now people" too)
The first Lowe song I can remember was "Cruel to Be Kind" (which oddly enough reminds me of someone I once dated who often slapped me around) with its smooth rhythm guitar and biting lyrics. Soon after, I got into "So It Goes" (with that solid bottom), "Little Hitler" (I suppose Elvis Costello's "Two Little Hitlers" was an answer of sorts), "No Reason" (great reggae fill), "Heart of the City" (more solid rhythm guitar) and "Marie Provost" (for some reason he pronounces it "Mary"). The guy was just a machine when it came to writing good songs with car-radio-type hooks and solid beat. Why he wasn't a bigger star is a mystery to me.

Now along comes this album, covering most (but not all) of his career and now I have to add "Half a Boy" and "The Rose of England" to my list of faves. Just a notch below would be "When I Write the Book".

Let my add my voice to the chorus praising this album. Nick Lowe, along with Elvis Costello, were the two supreme talents to come out the "new music" period (I can't call it punk, not when there are melodies this good) of the late 70's. This CD is priced like a single album, but you get 25 tracks, uncommon value. You won't regret buying this one, especially if you liked British rock and pop of the 60's and 70's.

.....It's All True
What other reviewers have written is all true. "Basher" hits all the high spots of Nick's most "commercial" period, from late 70's to the late 80's. That is if ANY part of Nicks carreer can be called "commercial". Others have pointed out that 14 tracks come from his first two solo albums, which are definately his strongest, but if you only have the cash to get one Nick Lowe CD, "Basher" is it.
Something to consider: Nick had already been "Bashing" it out in the pubs for over 10 years, produced Elvis Costello, produced the Damned, and as in-house producer/engineer at Stiff Records, been one of a handful of people that catapulted the D.I.Y. ethos of punk into the mainstream of the listening public.... All of this BEFORE the release of his first solo effort. Also make note of Nick's "supergroup" resume, both Rockpile, AND Little Village
Nick is not the songwriter Elvis Costello, or Bob Dylan is, but he is a journeyman at his craft. He can groove a bassline, put a hook to it, and weave some catchy words in, and before you know it, you are singing along, even if it is more "campy" than "classic" (A La current popsters Fountains of Wayne). Nick was not above borrowing from others' (a riff here, a hook there), but did so out in the open, and was up front about it. Many of his songs were written with tongue firmly in cheek, with a kind of British wit, that I have to do a double-take on, to check if he is joking or not. Truly an underappreciated artist of the punk/new wave era. Go buy this record.

Pure pop than rockabilly...you decide
Basher has 25 Nick Lowe tunes from 8 different recordings. 14 of them are from Lowe's first two albums. This should probably tell you something about Lowe's career arc. The further he moved from the power pop of his early career to the rockabilly of his later work; the less focused his work became. But for a good overview of Lowe's work through the late 80's, Basher does the job. Lowe doesn't waste time, literally most of his songs clock in at about 3 minutes! There is a lot of good stuff here, "Cruel to be Kind," the sick humor "Marie Provost" (A true story sad to say) and many other gems. Basher is worthy intro to Lowe's work, but as this Greatest hits package shows, it is on his first two works, Jesus of Cool (Pure Pop for Now People in the U.S.) and Labor of Lust that Lowe's humor and style had their greatest impact.

Play it into the dirt
Lots of folks who came out of the pub-rock-Stiff scene of the 70s ended up bigger stars than Nick Lowe. This shows the injustice in the music business as well as anything. Listening to this album, and taking his songs in concert with his production of and writing for Elvis Costello and Dave Edmunds, Lowe seems one of the greats of rock and roll.

Pop songs get no better than So it Goes, Cruel to Be Kind, and When I Write the Book. But even later material like The Rose of England shines, easily brighter than a good tune by a great writer like John Hiatt (She Don't Love Nobody). Lowe writes classicly hooky pop, with just enough twist in perspective and arrangement to avoid being boring. Everyone should own Pure Pop for Now People and Labor of Lust, but as a package of pop masterpieces, it's hard to think of a better collection than this one. ... Read more