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Echoes is a double-CD collection of some of Pink Floyd's bestsongs. It's also a fascinating document of the band's history. They began lifeas Syd Barrett'sphantasmagoric plaything before clasping the wings of Icarus and ascendingtoward the sun on an epic space-rock odyssey, eventually turning left once theyreached the dark side of the moon and burning up on reentry, crash-landing onevery earthlings' home hi-fi. And it's all here--30 years of the Floyd's awesomeback catalog trimmed down to two handsome CDs. It's worth remembering that,despite a fondness for pyrotechnics, Pink Floyd were never a prog-rock band.Sure, some of their songs are a bit long, and they never released singles (atleast not for 11 years), but the same could be said for Led Zeppelin. Clinicallydevoid of the faux-classical overtures and vainglorious musicianship of thatera, Pink Floyd were a pole apart; Meddle's epic maritime tone poem"Echoes" remains the Floyd's apogee. But here, on this collection, "thealbatross" which "hangs motionless upon the air" has had its wings clipped--seven full minutes are missing, but you'd never be able to tell. The sonarbleeps, the screeching seagulls, the howling winds are all retained, and whoeverwielded the editorial axe, Eugene, did so carefully.

Interestingly, the album's nonchronological track listing works--thesummery, childhood enchantment of "See Emily Play" is right next to the schooldiscipline of "Happiest Days of Our Lives"--and at least this way no one willswitch off when material from A Momentary Lapse of Reason comes around.Despite the curious omission of "Atom Heart Mother," this really is the verybest of the Floyd--from the throbbing "One of These Days" to the pop operatic"Great Gig in the Sky" to the genius silvery fluidity of Dave Gilmour's guitarwork. This is timeless, as many members of Sigur Rós, Radiohead, and the Beta Band will attest. --Kevin Maidment ... Read more

Reviews (336)

A confused compilation
Compiling an anthology of the best of Pink Floyd is a fool's errand at best. Many of the band's best moments are just not as compelling when removed from the context of the albums that spawned them. Not to mention the fact that the band has had at least three seperate and distinct eras that don't necessarily compliment one another. The early days (pre-"Meddle" 1971) feature original leader Syd Barrett and his psycadelic influence even after he left the band. From 1971-1983, Floyd was a Roger Waters dominated concept album band. After Waters left in 1983, the band has been led by guitarist David Gilmour, and has been merely a shadow of its former self.

Though to be admired for liberally including songs from the early days, the album makes a tactical error in not being programmed chronilogically. For example, the previously unreleased track "When The Tigers Broke Free" appeared in the movie version of "Pink Floyd The Wall." It's a fine song, but standing alone outside of "The Wall's" story line it doesn't have the same impact.

Overall, there is nothing wrong with the music on this collection. Of course, it could also have included about a dozen more songs, but then it would be of unweildy size. Hardcore fans probably already own most, if not all, of the material. Those just getting to know Floyd would be better off purchasing the original albums, starting with "Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wall."

Buy Floyd's albums, not songs
Although this album has some great songs, I recommend buying their albums, not their individual songs. The meaning is lost on songs from "The Wall" and "Animals," among others, because the entire album is more like one song, telling a story. Each song, like "Comfortably Numb" and "Mother," are only segments of these terrific pieces of art, so it appears that the songs have no meaning. And even if you disagree, where are other classic hits, like "Dogs?"

great stuff
I'm a 17 year old kid. Most of my life Ive listened to the same things that everyone my age listened to. Modern rock, some rap, you know what I mean. However just recently when going through the radio I happened to hear the song "Wish you were Here". I didnt know who sang it but I knew that I liked it. I hadd heard it a good three times (without ever gettin sick of it) on the radio before I found out that it was actually Pink Floyd who sang it. The song "Time" was the second of Pink Floyd's songs I heard on the radio and I began to think to myself, wow these guys are really good. So I purchased this album. I wanted a greatest hits compelation because I wanted to know their whole deal and not just one part of their recording career. After five minutes I knew that I knew that I had just bought something by one of the greatest bands I had ever heard in my life. This album is amazing. Despite what any of these other critics are saying. If you want a good way to know what these guys are all about buy this album. Amazingly the songs run together seamlessly, like a huge double album, so you can have a song from their album "Meddle" right next to something from "The Wall". All of the songs on this set are incredible but their are only a few that really truly stuck with me for days after I listened to this. "Hey You" being the first one that appeared on it. The entire selection from "The Dark Side of The Moon" album is brilliant although I do wish they had included "Brain Damage" in the place of maybe "Jugband Blues". The song that I like the most however is "Shine On You Crazy Diamnod". On the album "Wish you were Here" this song is seperated into two party, 1-4 and 5-7. On this album it is one huge song titled 1-7. And it works very well. Then of course there is "Wish you were Here" which at my heart is the one which started me off. And it truly is a great song, probobly the best piece of songwriting put out by Pink Floyd. This album is amazing. One of the best greatest hits sets I have ever had the privilage of purchasing.

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD RECORD, YES IT IS BAD
THIS IS BAD. PERIOD. BAD BAD BAD.
REALLY REALLY BAD. OR WORSE. BUT IT IS BAD.
This music you are so hooked to call it is BAD. Period. Bad.
BAD BAD BAD. Period. BAD. PERIOD. BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD.
Unbearable to listen to. Yuk hippie slime. It will ruin your hunger and sleep. (...)

very interested
this double disc compilation is among my favourite compilations and i must played it to death by now and as i have said a million times over pink floyd are one of the greatest bands ever.buy this today ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

While they took their name from blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council when they started out as an R&B combo in the mid-60s, Pink Floyd's leader, guitarist Syd Barrett, soon began piloting the band through unprecedented sonic excursions typified by the title of their 1967 debut album's most celebrated track--the outsized instrumental "Interstellar Overdrive." Equally adept at composing catchy-sounding, Gothic-themed pop songs such as "See Emily Play," "The Scarecrow" and "The Gnome," Barrett seemed destined for greatness--that is, until psychedelic drugs got the best of him, and he abandoned the band to bassist Roger Waters and new guitarist David Gilmour. The rest, as they say, is history. --Billy Altman ... Read more

Reviews (278)

Things Cannot Be Destroyed Once and For All
Along with the first albums of Jimi Hendrix, Traffic, Led Zeppelin, Roxy Music, the Allman Brothers, the Velvet Underground, the Doors and a few others, Pink Floyd's THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN is one of the great debut albums in classic rock history. All the songs are great, and the album is just dripping with tone color, haunting imagery, inspired eclecticism and unforgettable, deceptively simple tunes. It is a masterpiece of psychedelia that even today sounds fresh, brashly experimental and beguilingly STRANGE. Nothing else in rock sounds quite like it. Along with UMMAGUMMA and ATOM HEART MOTHER, it is the most avant-garde-sounding album that Floyd ever produced, though whereas the former was uneven in its studio cuts (the other disk is one of the great live rock recordings) while the latter had a more "mainstream side" to balance out the experimentalism, PIPER is a full-blown, uncompromising masterpiece. And, while I don't think singer/songwriter/guitarist Syd Barrett -- or, for that matter, anyone else in rock history -- was a "genius," for my money rock doesn't get any better than this. In my opinion it should be included in the top-ten list of all-time great rock albums.

That said, PIPER isn't necessarily going to appeal to your average Pink Floyd fan because the group that recorded it was a different animal from the one that recorded DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, WISH YOU WERE HERE and ANIMALS, with a completely different esthetic agenda that is simply going to sound too radical (and too English) for certain ears to assimilate. However, I would still encourage all Floyd-heads to give it a few careful listens. Who knows, some of them might eventually come to love what they hear.

THE BIRTH OF PINK FLOYD!!
You could tell there was LSD involved in making Pink Floyd's first album Piper at the Gates of Dawn. PATGOD is filled with playful lyrics, chaotic instrumentals, hippie sound effects of the time like space travel, fantasy, and natural sounds, and British whim.

Syd Barrett, the main guitarist and vocalist, wrote the songs on PATGOD. A lot of people think today that if Syd Barrett hadn't had to leave Pink Floyd after PATGOD due to emotional breakdowns, that Pink Floyd would have been better off. I have to disagree. David Glmour was a great replacement to Barrett, who probably would have kept Pink Floyd from reaching it's popularity and Hard-Psychadelic Rock genre, instead keeping the band's Pop-Psychadelic Rock genre. But, there is no doubt that PATGOD is a very special and fantastic album.

"Astronomy Domine" begins with a crackling radio and builds up to a well played, crazy, sound effect-galore, outer space song. "Lucifer Sam" is a fun track with cool guitar riffs. "Flaming" is a childish song with obvious British whim. "Pow R. Toc H." is filled with odd vocal noises and percussion. "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk", with funky guitar, is an undescribable highlight of PATGOD. "Interstellar Overdrive", my favorite track on Piper, is a crazy freak-out of a song. "The Gnome" is a short child song. "Chapter 24" is a nice relaxing song containing a lot of synthesizer. "The Scarecrow" is yet another child song. "Bike" rounds off Piper with magical sounds at the end of it.

This is not a must-have CD, but it makes a good element of your Pink Floyd collection if you have it. I have it and give it 4 stars.
-Tabucky

a fantastic debut album
piper at the gates of dwan was one of the greatest debut albums produced by any band which was equalled only by the debut albums of led zeppelin and black sabbath.songs likw astronomy domine,interstellar overdrive,matilda mother are great songs and among my favourite syd barret era songs.dont overlook this masterpiece if you like classic rock as this was the album which started the golden floydian era.highly recommended.

A Delicate Musical Tension
Before The Wall, before Wish You Were Here, before Dark Side Of The Moon, before Meddle, before David Gilmour, there was the magical, psychedelic masterpiece that was Piper At The Gates of Dawn. An album which captures Pink Floyd at its most experimental and challenging, Piper At The Gates of Dawn embraces the essence and pushes the limitations of the psychedelic sound. Written almost entirely by guitarist Syd Barret, whose penchant for wild and reckless experimentation extended far beyond the purely musical, Piper At The Gates Of Dawn takes on a life wholly independent of other Pink Floyd albums.

It is a difficult, almost feral, album filled with songs that project a view of the world that is almost childish in its naiivety, and yet, at the same time, maintains a very dark, menacing edginess. It is an album which manages, somehow a very delicate tension between the whimsical and the sinister, a tension which, perhaps, reflects the personal turmoil of Syd Barret himself.

Tough to say what might have transpired had Barret not lost the edge. Perhaps his psychological collapse (brought about by the over-use of psychotropic drugs), was necessitated by the nature of the art he created: a brilliance not made to last, like a star going nova. Conjecture aside, Piper At The Gates of Dawn remains a unique artistic statement, wholly unlike anything that would be produced by the subsequent incarnation of the group following Barret's departure. It is an album which captures, in a very real way, the nature and essence of psychedelic music, and may in fact be the best Pink Floyd album.

[NOTE: for the casual Floyd fan, the incarnation of the band present on Piper At The Gates Of Dawn is the Pink Floyd you know and love in title alone. Consequently, Piper At The Gates Of Dawn make take some getting used to, particularly for those either unfamiliar with late 60's psychedelic rock or those expecting a Darkside-esque album.]

The piper must have been smoking something funny in his pipe
I am a pink floyd fan but I do not like this album or any of pink floyd's early (experimental is I think the word used to describe their early music) albums including PATGOD, ASOS, AHM, UG. I only like pink floyd albums from Meddle onwards cause this was the stage when pink floyd must have sobered up or dtoxed or grew up because their early experimental albums sound like they were recorded when the band were drunk or stoned.

I watched the DVD pink floyd: the syd barrett story and they were portraying syd as a genius or a pioneer. I only thought why? Anybody could play the guitar rubbing objects along the stings and fret to produce wierd irritating noises and play out of beat and out of tune.

Don't get me wrong, it is sad that syd suffered the problems he had or still has but I don't really sympahize with people who willingly take experimental drugs.

If you really want to listen to good pink floyd then have a listen to albums like dark side of the moon, the wall, wish you were here, animals just to name a few. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

For all that menacing, hatchet-happy growl at the beginning of Meddle's opener, "One of These Days," Pink Floyd really weren't about to "cut you into little pieces." Meddle did, however, show that the reigning British monarchs of 1970s-era psychedelia could rip into galloping jams. It also showed what its predecessor, Atom Heart Mother, promised--that the band could excel in long, breathtaking suites that revealed strains of late-classical music, Sun Ra-inspired space explorations, and a patchwork approach to colliding sounds that together took on acid-drenched proportions. And if all that isn't enough, "San Tropez" revealed a playful side of the band, playing footsy with loungy jazz and having good fun in the process. --Andrew Bartlett ... Read more

Reviews (271)

Echoes - the peak of symphonic rock
It's to say that the album has two very separate halfs. One is very early 70's sounding, with the heavy-rocker 'One of this Days' and the soft 'A Pillow of Winds' as highlights, really a very experimental and unique side, if not reaching the standards for a Pink Floyd's album side, and the other half.

This one contains an only track, 'Echoes' which is for me the biggest achievement from Pink Floyd as a track, maybe along with 'Shine on You Crazy Diamond'. Not only that, but maybe it's one of the long tracks that will have to be exhibited in the future to explain people what "was" symphonic rock. The theme starts with a submarine-radar sound lost in the immensity of the ocean's silence. Some sonsensy keyboards start to groove and a beautiful guitar from mister Gilmour draws a slow and sinuous melody, and the band starts playing over Nick Mason's lazy drum beating. So the vocal part appears with a nice and sensitive harmony between Gilmour and Wright. Everything develops to an almost pre-funky jam and after that the music starts disappearing under a scary and breathtaking sinfony of what is like underwater screaming creatures. That lasts for some minutes, and so a muted electric guitar leads the way gradually from silence to what is one of the most beautiful, energetic and full of emotion musical crescendos a band has ever achieved. Find out the rest of it for yourselves!!!

Great if you're in a relaxing mood, kinda boring otherwise
Having read many reviews about this CD recently, I was slightly disappointed when I bought it just a few days ago. But, let me tell you: if it's raining outside and you're just relaxing, then I wouldn't recommend any other album over Meddle. Overall, Meddle is a little more boring than Dark Side and very quiet, and the tunes aren't exactly the kind you'd hum in the shower (except maybe for Echoes). Here's my song-by-song analysis: 1. One of These Days - A bright, energetic spot on an otherwise dull first side of the album. This is a great instrumental piece, and great music for jogging, if you put in on repeat several times. The beat and energy is very similar to another Pink Floyd song, Sheep (found on Animals), which I'm also quite fond of. Rating: 4.5 (out of 5). 2. A Pillow of Winds - the best song on this album to listen to when it's raining, since it's about the coziness of home and bad weather and such. But, once again, not very entertaining otherwise. Rating: 3.5 3. Fearless - some people say this song has a great melody, but I don't quite see it. I think the vocals here are too soft compared to the drums, although the calm vocals and obstinate, determined lyrics match quite nicely. Rating: 3.5 4. San Tropez - this is actually a nice surprise - a "tropical paradise" song. It has a good, catchy tune, but still very quiet. Rating: 4 5. Seamus - Weird song which can be disregarded since it's only 2 minutes long, while the backing vocals are provided by a fairly talented dog. Rating: 2 6. Echoes - Instantly one of the best Pink Floyd songs, as soon as you hear it for the first time. So far, I've only listened to it four or five times, and I'm sure it'll grow on me. However, I still think that Time and Shine On You Crazy Diamond (parts 1-5) are better because they sound more, shall I say, assertive. I think the difference is that Gilmour's guitar is featured more prominently in those 2 songs. But, to its credit, Echoes is far from a drag and doesn't seem like it's 23 minutes long. In short, this is probably the closest that I've heard rock-'n-roll resemble good classical music, except using guitars and keyboards and other layered sounds instead of orchestral instruments. Rating: 5

Perhaps Pink Floyd's best pre-Dark Side album
Meddle was the Pink Floyd album were they seemed to have finally gotten rid of many of the '60s psychedelic gimmicks and started going for a more '70s progressive rock sound. Most of the first half of the album (side one if you own the LP) is like the second, more song-oriented half of Atom Heart Mother, although I felt the stuff on Meddle was definately better executed. Some of the more undesirable experiments of Atom Heart Mother (specifically "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfeast") had been luckily thrown out the window. The album starts off with "One of These Days", always been a favorite. It's a really heavy piece, with loud use of bass. I have always felt this was the closest to heavy metal the band ever did. "A Pillow of Windows" is an organ-dominated ballad with acoustic guitar with plenty of that '70s Pink Floyd trademark. Roger Waters' "St. Tropez" is a rather upbeat number, although the album does feature one one misstep and that was Wright's "Seamus". It was basically a misguided attempted at doing country blues complete with a howling dog. It sounds so un-Pink Floyd. I guess the band wanted to be less serious here. But I had always felt the album's other crowning achievement (aside from "One of These Days") was the 23 minute side-length epic "Echoes". A lot of the style which would make them famous with "Dark Side of the Moon" could be found here. The album starts off with Richard Wright's use piano. Here you get to hear David Gilmour use this spacy slide guitar, which became a Pink Floyd trademark. When the vocals come in, you hear many of the same vocals harmonies that you recognize on albums like "Dark Side of the Moon". In fact this part of "Echoes" sounds like a pre-cursor to "Time". Then the band starts going in to a lengthy instrumental passage which then fades in to some truly bizarre use of wind sounds and electronic seagulls. Eventually those wind and seagull sounds fade with just spooky organ from Richard Wright, then Waters comes in with his bass, then the whole band kicks in before the main vocal themes return. Eventually the song ends once again with those wind sounds. This had been always my favorite pre-Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd album. There is no doubt if you're in to this band, you need this album.

Experimental Floyd
I wouldn't recommend getting this as your first Floyd album just cause it might throw you off track. This is a great CD but not quite up to par with Dark Side or maybe Wish you were Here. But the closer "echoes" makes it a close call. It is an astonishing 23 minutes of great lyrics, musicianship and interesting soundscapes and moods. Another highlight is the sleepy "A Pillow of Winds" and "Fearless". Hell, every song on the album is great except for Seamus, which seems a little out of place.
But If you're a Floyd fan and dont own this album, do yourself a favor and buy it NOW.

this gets five stars
meddle was the fourth best floyd album in my opinion after the big triumvartate of the dark side of the moon,the wall and wish you were here mainly because of great songs like one of these days and the 23 minute opus echoes.very highly recommended. ... Read more

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A glimpse of the future, and not because of its huge influence and umpteen million sales. The poor-little-rich-boy protest "Out ta Get Me" intimates that Axl Rose's egotism and martyr complex were soon to grow bigger than his head; still, Appetite's night-train wreck of punk and metal sounds and sensibilities make it more than just an emblem of its time. Whether GN'R are dancing with Mr. Brownstone, penning a callow kiss-off letter to some chick named Michelle, or passing out on somebody else's sofa, this was and remains a savage journey to the heart of the American--or at least the Hollywood--dream. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (478)

It *really* is a classic
It was the record that kick started the re-birth of hard rock in the late eighties. The orginial Guns N Roses line up of Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan and Steven Adler only managed one actual full studio album before things started to fall apart and the personnell began to change. But what an album it was, and well over a decade since its release, it is still a bona fide classic.

Rose is not the greatest vocalist in the world, but it is clear that as a song-writer he pulls no punches. The almost-metal assualt of 'Welcome to the Jungle' and 'It's So Easy' are perfect showcases for what GnR are all about. Slash demonstrates why he was to become one of the most respected gutarists of his age while the Adler/McKagan/Stradlin combination give the lead guitarist a powerful rhythm to hang his memorable hooks on.

Even though they are raucous, there is a definite Stones/Aerosmith groove about GnR's music. 'Nightrain' is bluesy, 'Mr Brownstone' could almost makes you dance and 'Think About You' is a crooning rock classic.

When they do slow it down a little, the results are equally as memorable. 'Sweet Child O' Mine' with it's acoustic melody and seering lead licks is an all time classic, while 'Rocket Queen' successfully mixes a hybrid of styles before roaring off to a rocking conclusion.

'Out Ta Get Me' and 'You're Crazy' are fast and furious, 'My Michelle' and 'Anything Goes' fall into the more whimsical category of hard rock but are just as enjoyable as the rest of the album.

No turkeys, just twelve magical slices of rock music.

A classic of course, but...
For its impact alone this album deserves 5 stars. It had 3 major hits with "Sweet Child O' Mine", "Welcome To The Jungle", and "Paradise City" which actually cover every facet of big rock bands. The ballad, the hard rocker, and the bombastic anthem. What makes it a great album though is that "It's So Easy", "Night Train", "Mr. Brownstone", and "My Michelle" swagger with attitude and scenes of a seedy lifestyle and Axl Rose's ego. "Outta Get Me", "You're So Crazy" and "Rocket Queen" work well too, although they don't have quite the same strut. "Rocket Queen" is an especially strong track. "Anything Goes" is a toss-away about sex. But the thing I've always wondered is why "Think About You" is on the album. It has NONE of the standard Axl swagger or ego, and isn't even a self-obsessed dirge. It's simply a love song played really fast. It has none of the power of "Sweet Child" and quite honestly the only reason I can think of for it being on the album is that someone thought there should be 12 songs. Of course with CD players it's easy enough to avoid this one clunker. And with the rest you get the album that was THE tour de force of late 80's hard rock.

Appetite for Amazement
"Appetite for Destruction" is a CD in a league of it's own. It surpasses "Led Zeppelin IV" and "Back in Black" by far. It is the best CD's ever by one of the best bands ever. Guns N' Roses came into the spectrum at the height of hair metal band faz. Such as Def Leppard, Poison, and Motley Crue were all the rage. Not that these bands don't rock, it's just that GN'R does so much better at it than them. This CD is the third best selling rock CD in the nation (behind the 2 earlier mentioned), and it is hard to see why it isn't numero uno. It definitely is in my book.

First off, there is Saul Hudson (Slash) on lead guitar. The best guitarist of all time. He has his own distinct style and has the speed to keep up with Eddie Van Halen and Toni Iommi. Although he has had his problems with drugs (he was clinically dead for over 30 seconds), what Rock-star hasn't. Next there is the amazing frontman Axl Rose (Bill Baily). That is simply all you have to say about Axl. Amazing. Although he doesn't have the best voice in the buisness, he makes up for it in stage presence and attitude. He has to be one of the best frontmen of all time. While the other members of the band aren't as prominent as Axl and Slash, they still deserve to be mentioned. Izzy Stradlin (Jeffrey Isabel) on rythym guitar. Steven Adler on Drums. And Michael "Duff" Mckaegen.

These songs were instant classics. Who can resist that opening to "Welcome to the Jungle." Or the emotion behind "Sweet Child of Mine," (plus the best guitar solos ever). This debut CD for the band was all about their lives, the good and the bad. Such tracks as "Mr. Brownstone," "Paradise City," and "Rocket Queen," have obvious drug and partying references behind them, and rock just much as they should.

This is the CD that spawned millions of fan-clubs and websites all about the band. It is one of the essential rock CD's to have and of course I recomend it.

One of Rock n Roll's greatest debut albums!
In the time of hair metal, Guns N Roses came crashing onto the scene with their hard rocking, gritty debut album "Appetite for Destruction" bringing great Rock n Roll back to life in an era of techno crap and a lot of faceless pop/hair metal bands. Appetite starts with the feriocious opener Welcome to the Jungle, and runs through twelve classic tracks. Every song on this album is a winner, and at lease half of them are classic rock radio staples to this day;Sweet Child O'MIne, Paradise City, Mr.Brownstone,etc all sound great pumping out of the stereo.Instead of going to the music store for the newest radio hits, pick up "Appetite for Destruction" instead,you won't regret it.

Best Album Ever
Appetite For Destruction was the first album I ever got and amazingly it has always been my personal favorite. The entire thing is just plain stunning in its stylistic diversity (for a metal album), its raw energy and feeling and utter perfection throughout. Nothing more to say except that this is one of rock n roll's greatest albums and I recommend it to anyone. ... Read more

Reviews (117)

THE definitive Joel Collection
Billy Joel has always been better as a singles artist than he is at recording albums. By condensing the highlights from the best part of his career (1973-1985) onto two discs, it hightlights the reason for his massive popularity during that time period. The album starts out with a selection of his best pre stardom songs, including, of course, "Piano Man," but also other strong cuts like the teenage loser anthem "Captain Jack," "Say Goodbye to Hollywood," and "The Entertainer." Then comes a generous helping of songs from his 1977 breakthrough album, "The Stranger," including the massive hits "Just the Way You Are," and "She's Always a Woman." The second disc is then mostly a run through of Joel's succession of late 70s and early 80s hits, starting with the teenage independence ode "My Life" and ending with 1985's "You're Only Human."

All in all, this is the perfect collection of Joel's music for the casual fan who doesn't want to splurge for all of the original albums.

Covers this era exceptionally well!!!
This two-disc set is loaded with huge singles, but some of Joel's very best songs are album cuts which Casey Kasem never got to comment about. "Piano Man" is the all-time favorite of many Joel fans, but the lovely "New York State of Mind" is a strong ballad from his early days. "Captain Jack" is an eye-opening description of a Generation Xer from his generation, and it's powerful. His finest song might be "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," however, and it's here, too--all of the aforementioned tracks are on Disc One.
Disc Two begins with hits from the "52nd Street" LP and continues through the mid 1980's. Highlights include the three tracks from "The Nylon Curtain"--"Goodnight Saigon" is a haunting reminder of Vietnam, and "Allentown" scored a bullseye in its description of steel mining woes in the northeast. Joel was a hit-making machine by this time, and although there was no drop in the content of his albums, Disc Two primarily concentrates on the hits. The final two songs were new at the time: "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" is a throwaway, but it was a substantial hit. "The Night Is Still Young" is a lost gem, however--this failed single is a soaring tale of hope and optimism and is one of his very best songs.
Nearly all of Joel's studio albums are worth owning, but this is an excellent starting point for the younger fan who isn't as familiar with his first decade of recording. And it's nice to hear these great songs after a fine remastering process.

Billy Joel Greatest Hits -- Vols. 1& 2 (enhanced)
The "enhanced" audio CD sucks. To listen to the music, it is necessary to load "Apple Quicktime" from the CD to your computer. It is not possible to load the CD into a computer and simply listen to the music. I wanted music on my computer, not clutter on my hard drive. Avoid buying the "enhanced" versions of Sony music CDs unless you want a lot of hassle.

First album I ever bought
Just buy it because you know all of the songs and can make your husband crazy singing them all out of tune in the car...

A great best of album
Billy Joel inspired my about 4 years ago at a young age of 17. My physics teacher would put him on during class and after a short time of listening I came to realize that Billy Joel is great. It is stereotypical to say that Billy Joel is not for the younger generation but anyone, no matter what age, who has an appreciation for good music would love Billy Joel. I am just about to turn 22 and graduate from college and Billy Joel is still cranked in my car and junky little apartment. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Fans of the Moody Blues hungry for the band's intoxicatingly rich arrangements and soaring melodies need look no further than this terrific compilation. What it lacks in depth this collection makes up for in breadth, spanning the band's 30-year history of hits from "Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)" to "Your Wildest Dreams." Featuring some of Justin Hayward and John Lodge's best songwriting and packed with performances truly worthy of the superlative adjective greatest, this collection of hits delivers the goods. --L.A. Smith ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Great CD, worth every penny.
[One CD, with a running time of 78:22] This collection of Moody Blues hits would better be called, "The Moody Blues Through The Years." The songs run from their early Go Now (1964), through I Know You're Out There Somewhere (1988). Along the way, we get the touching Isn't Life Strange, the haunting Forever Autumn, the radiant The Voice, and many other great songs.

My one and only complaint is that Nights In White Satin is included without Graeme Edge's spellbinding poem Late Lament. I have always found that poem to be a fantastic epilogue to the song. But that's such a minor complaint. This is a great CD, and well worth the money.

By the way, the sleeve includes a one or two-sentence story of each song, and a conversation between John Reed and Justin Hayward, which tells the story of the band. Nice bonus!

A worthy introduction to a great band
The Moody Blues have been making fantastic music for more than 30 years, and this cd probably has everything of theirs you have ever heard on the radio. From the stunning epic "Nights in White Satin" to the rollicking "Ride My See-saw", the mermerizing "Story in Your Eyes", the sweeping "Voice" and the soaring "I Know You're Out There Somewhere"... with lots in between. There's even a couple of great Justin Hayward side projects, "Blue Guitar" and "Forever Autumn", thrown in for good measure.

It's not a perfect collection. For one thing, this collection came out more than ten years ago, so the two studio albums and two live albums they've released since then are not covered. For another, there are four excellent songwriters in the band (five during their classics period) and only two, Justin Hayward and John Lodge, have their works featured here. But, every single that the Moodies have ever put out has been penned by either Hayward or Lodge, so the compilation can hardly be faulted for that. Granted, the Hayward side projects (as much as I love them) don't really belong here, and "Go Now," which came out before Justin Hayward and John Lodge even joined the band, when they were a hack R&B group, is out of place. The elimination of these could have made room for some songs written and sung by other members of the band, such as "Legend of a Mind", a 1968 classic written and sung by flutist Ray Thomas which to this day is a quintessential part of their live show.

I am a die-hard Moodies fan who has in his collection all of their studio material and officially-released live material (which is a lot) as well as a multitude of solo albums from the band members (totalling nine albums.) My love affair with the Moodies started with a little now-out-of-print greatest hits package that was a lot like this one, only with less songs. And that one sure got me going! So this is a perfectly great collection to introduce oneself to their music, unless of course you want to spring for the comprehensive double-cd "Anthology."

Great Collection, but buy the Anthology
I am a devoted Moody Blues fan, and find that this is a great hits compilation. Having seen the Moodies recently in concert, I am reminded of how great they are, and I can confidentally give this CD 5 stars. The Moody Blues are on par with the Beatles, Stones and Who in my estimation. It is a disgrace and travesty that they are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, especially when so many lesser acts and one-hit wonders are. But to return the Very Best of The Moody Blues CD, I do not think it is their best compilation available; The 2-Disc Anthology, and the now out-of-print Legends of A Band: The Moody Blues Greatest Hits (1989), are each much better sets in my estimation. The latter does not have Go now, Blue Guitar or Forever Autumn, but it does have 12 of their best singles, and covers well the span of their career through the Sur La Mer CD. Go Now is okay, was a great single for 1964, but it pales in comparison of the material that the Moodies would be producing once Haywood and Lodge joined the team. Blue Guitar and Forever Autumn are great tunes, but they arise from solo projects, and I believe this set should stick to the group material. There is group material left off that is better, anyway. This set, the Very Best of the Moody Blues, would have been better with the same track listing as Legends of a Band, plus 3 out of these four titles: Driftwood, Blue World, Lean on Me, and English Sunset (English Sunset came out after this compilation, but should be the chronological finale in any future single disc Moody Blues CDs).

Overrated
Many times have I dreamily listened to "Nights in White Satin." I was intrigued enough to buy the album, but what followed was a gradual disappointment in the cd as each song progressed. I found myself cutting songs short in the vain hope that the next would redeem the album. No such luck. I'm not thrilled with their sound. If I want psychadelic rock, I'll listen to Pink Floyd. If I want mellow rock, I'll listen to Procol Harum. I shall NOT listen to the Moody Blues.

Better than "Your Wildest Dreams".
This is a cd I picked up expecting to know about three hits, and ended up knowing half the disc, well. Plus, what I didn't know, I also grew to like. Besides the big hits like "Nights In White Satin", "Tuesday Afternoon", and "Ride My See-Saw", this includes "I Know You're Out There Somewhere", "Voice", "Question", and "Your Wildest Dreams". All these songs most people will know, even if not by title. Yes, a few tracks are edited, but I doubt the casual fan will notice, or care. Overall, it's a great collection, that any level of fan should enjoy. ... Read more

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Bruce Springsteen followed his muse on this haunting 1995 release. Perhaps that's why it barely made a dent in the marketplace, even while it thrilled the faithful who were willing to take another dark, Nebraska-like journey with him. It's abundantly clear that Springsteen had been soaking himself in the work of John Steinbeck and Woody Guthrie during the writing of The Ghost of Tom Joad, but their combined influence is found on more than just the title track. It's all over these windblown songs (including the haunting "Dry Lightning" and "the seminal "Youngstown") and their hard-scrabble protagonists. Not the Boss's biggest record, but certainly one of his best. --Michael Ruby ... Read more

Reviews (83)

A Stunning American Classic
Don't get me wrong, I am primarily a maniacal fan of Bruce's rock 'n' roll masterpieces and his stupendous live shows, but his acoustic work shows equally important facets of his genius as a songwriter/musician/poet. These "Tom Joad" recordings have the haunting quality of Appalachian folk songs with the lyric depth of the poems of Federico Garcia Lorca or Dylan Thomas. I honestly can't think of another musical artist that has captured the heartbreak, complexity and hope of the American experience in the way that Springsteen has. "Galveston Bay" talks with quiet irony of way in which our nation of immigrants tends tragically to discriminate against each latest wave newcomers. And yet, by the end of the song, the antagonists finally relent and allow new blood to reinvigorate and replenish the American dream. "Across the Border" captures the mix of hope and illusion that draws so many to "El Norte." "Youngstown" speaks achingly of the betrayal of the American working man and woman. "Dry Lightening" paints a word picture of the itchy, discomforting freedom promised by true love and the unending horizons of western plains. I could go on and on. I never tire of this album. It still has the ability to change my life just a tiny bit for the better each time I hear it. If you don't love "Tom Joad" on first bounce, play it again and let its power seep into your soul. You'll never be sorry.

There won't ever be another CD like this
When 'The Rising' came out I went back and bought all of Springsteen's past collection. I came across 'The Ghost Of Tom Joad' and sat down to listen to it, not really knowing what is was about. It really blew me away, and for the first time I actually felt like I was pulled in to the album, thanks to Bruce's brilliant song writing. You listen to an album like this, which is so beautifully crafted, and then listen to basically any song from pop bands, you will be put into a new light. This is how music is suposed to sound, intimate, fun, and emotional. I can honestly say, if you buy this record you won't be sorry.

Out on a limb? It's artistic genius!
Bruce Springsteen's a reliable rocker. His lyrics aren't always the best, and his voice could use a little touchup, but people love him anyway. Why? He sings about the common man. And he's talented as hell.

On "The Ghost of Tom Joad," Springsteen finds himself at his peak--even if he had to leave the rock arena to do it. Sure, his electric guitar-fueled rockers are superb (find one rocker who's had a more lasting impression on various generations, past and present, than the Boss; and if you say McCartney, I'm gonna hit you). However, these gentle (mostly) acoustic numbers are sublime--graceful folk/country songs that sound the bells for the downtrodden (and Springsteen's multi-instrumental talent).

"Straight Time," for example, deals with a former criminal who can't seem to live a decent life; "Highway 29", about a fateful Bonnie and Clyde couple; "Youngstown," about a factory worker who needs a reprieve; "The Line," about a border guard who falls in love with a refugee; "My Best Was Never Good Enough," a darkly humorous tune about a man who just can't win, no matter what advice he's been given; and several other songs, most about immigrants and their troubles.

Yeah, it's a little opressing at first. Springsteen can be that way, when he's writing from his soul. And the album never really picks up, tempo-wise. It's not something you're gonna party to; but if you want good quality music, that'll make you think about yourself and the world, and shine a better light on your relations with others, then "The Ghost of Tom Joad" is your album.

A Masterpiece
As far as I am concerned, this is the best album Bruce has ever made. As I own practically every album he has released, I am speaking with some knowledge.

An amazing sequel to Nebraska
The Ghost of Tom Joad is one of the most haunting albums I have ever listened to. It was in fact listening to this album that I noticed the tremendous influence he has had on so many of our great singer/songwriters. The music on Ghost is tremendously affecting. It is Springsteen without his pop-enthusiasm. The songs are bare, and his tremendous talents as a songwriter really stand out for all to see. Ghost is a great album that showcases the considerable talents of one of our great songwriters. ... Read more

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Their first-ever album, raw and rough and still very rock & roll. Lennon and McCartney begin to flex their writing muscles and had already scored two UK hits when this appeared, but they still relied heavily on the cover material to see them through. Their insecurity about their own abilities seems curious in hindsight since they'd pulled the title song and "I Saw Her Standing There" (with thanks to Little Richard) out of their hats. But they were an unknown quantity, still to launch a million bands and take pop music to places it had never dreamed off. A small step for four men, a giant leap for music. --Chris Nickson ... Read more

Reviews (165)

BEATLEMANIA BEGINS RIGHT HERE
As a child of just 6 years old at the time, the music of The Beatles had a major impact on my life and continues to do so over 40 years later. Recorded in very short time - 12 hours "Please, Please Me" is a remarkable album that captures the spirit and vibrance of 4 working class guys just wanting to make music together. At the time Producer George Martin decided to record their stage act as it was then. Contrary to Tony Barrow's album liner notes at the time, Lennon-McCartney DIDN'T have enough songs tucked away to last till 1975! Hence the 8 cover versions of songs by artists (some obscure) that were major influences on the boys at the time...Motown, Girl Groups (Shirelles, Donays etc), Arthur Alexander and Isley Brothers among others. (Except for "A Hard Day's Night", they would continue to record covers up until the "Help!" album). Of The 6 originals, 4 tracks, the title song, "P.S. I Love You", "Ask Me Why" and "Love Me Do" had been released on the 2 previous singles though the last-mentioned song was remade for the album. The opener, "I Saw Her Standing There" still stands, over 40 years later, as one of music history's supreme rockers and sets the tone for the rest of the album. "Twist & Shout" is John Lennon's "one-take wonder". A remarkable performance, you can hear a flu-ridden John tear shreds off his voice as he puts everything into the lead vocal. It's little wonder they recorded this track last. The quality this first Beatles LP is all the more remarkable given the short recording time allowed...EMI still weren't prepared to invest too much time in a relatively new group despite the huge success of the "Please, Please Me" single in the UK. However that would soon change to the point that the band would start pushing the envelope and stretch what were once normal studio limitations. The best was yet to come...and then some!
This CD (and the next 3 albums) were remastered and released in Mono and it sounds all the better for it. The audio quality of all Beatles albums was never in question though thanks to George Martin. Remember stereo was pretty much an afterthought in 1963, mainly to be used on Classical and jazz recordings. As a starting point for new fans, I recommend this album as a wonderful testament to how joyful and exuberant music can be. It will also bring tears of joy to those that grew up with these guys and want to revisit the music of the Beatles.

The Birth Of The Beatles
1963's "Please Please Me" was the album that started it all for the world's most beloved band of all-time, The Beatles, and the music world would be forever changed. An outstanding 33 minutes of pure rock 'n' roll fun, the album was recorded in a single day, with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison & Ringo Starr blasting through their live repertoire of originals & cover songs as quickly as producer George Martin could record them. Lennon/McCartney originals such as "I Saw Her Standing There," "Please Please Me," "Love Me Do," and "Do You Want To Know A Secret" are all immortal Beatles classics, but the group also had the magical gift of making anyone else's song they covered totally their own, such as "Anna (Go To Him)," "Boys" (featuring Ringo's debut lead vocal), "Baby It's You," and, last but definitely not least, the Fab Four's barnburning treatment of "Twist And Shout." Great songs, classic vocals & harmonising, Lennon & Harrison's jangly guitars, McCartney's strong bass-playing, and Ringo's slap-happy drumming, it's all here on "Please Please Me." Has it really been *40 years* since the Fab Four made this classic album? It hasn't aged one bit. I've always wondered what the music world would've been like had the Beatles never come around. Thank God they did with "Please Please Me."

Seeds of greatness
I was a young teenager when this was released. It's good to have a digitally enhanced version of this classic available; as much of a period piece (actually way beyond the times) as timeless talent. The harmonies, tight rhythm and bass, and just plain fun abound here. The "Taste of Honey" is haunting; "Boys" is raucous youth unleashed, Beatles style. Their maturity (for a first album) is also evident (c.g. "Anna"). Very good rock and roll (you know them). I'm glad that I was a teeny-bopper (never really grown to date) to experience this superior level of music.

yes, please
not quite as good as i thought it would be, but i figured it was something i needed. if nothing else, it's fun. just nowhere near the quality of, say, rubber soul.

"do you want to know a secret" is still one of my all-time favorite oldies, and i do believe that this version of "twist and shout" is not only the definitive version, but also one of the beatles' most successful vocal performances.

Under-rated classic
"Please Please Me" may be eclipsed by the Beatles later efforts, but their debut is a fine one. They had been gigging for a good few years with material, so it's no surprise they were confident and tight enough to blast out most of this album in less than ten hours. What this results in is a very energetic and consistent album. Due to this, it all flies by in an incredible rush that makes it easy to ignore just how great the music is. The covers are all very well chosen and perfectly sum up the group's influences, but what is most surprising is that their originals are just as good as anything the artists they covered could have cooked up. This results in a very smooth flow of consistently high-quality pop rock. "I Saw Her Standing There" is a great attention-getter, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is the track they opened their club gigs with (indeed, the "one two three four!" shout of Paul McCartney is one of the most recognizable album introductions ever). "Misery" and "Ask Me Why" recall their favorite girl groups, the title track could have been written for Roy Orbison, and "Twist and Shout" is a screaming end to the album. Oh, sure, some of the material has aged ("P.S. I Love You", for example), but with grace and charm. Even if the Beatles made many better records than this, it still stands its ground as a classic debut and a great, great pop album.
~ John Ballantyne ... Read more

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Although it seemed the Boss had put writing rock anthems behind him after Born in the U.S.A., his longtime fans knew if any artist could write anthems addressing September 11, 2001, and not make them sound jingoistic, it would be Bruce Springsteen. The numerous anthems on his much-anticipated first full-length album with the E Street Band in 18 years are subtler than those of the Born to Run era. But the elements are all there: the joyous rocking strains of "Countin' on a Miracle," "Mary's Place," and "Waitin' on a Sunny Day"; the dark overtones of "Further on Up the Road"; the stunning guitar solo that closes "Worlds Apart," a dramatic Arabic-tinged piece detailing star-crossed love between a Muslim and an "infidel." Although most of these songs deal with death and tragedy, they still inspire. But while the lyrics are intriguing, what's more remarkable is how well The Rising works as epic rock & roll as it draws from rockabilly, soul, doo-wop hard rock, country, and even industrial. To skewer a cliché, when The Rising is good, it's great. And even when it's not great, it's still awfully good. --Bill Holdship ... Read more

Reviews (539)

Everything's All Right
Bruce is one of only a few artists who could pull off a collection of songs inspired by 9/11 - and do it without draping himself in an American flag and shouting "We're number one!" (Bono is another who comes to mind- at least he put the American flag inside his jacket.)

What we have here, plain and simple, is a masterpiece. A soulful, soul-filled opus, which may very well be the defining work of Mr. Springsteen's career. On one level, it sounds great. Pop this baby in the car CD player, roll the top down and you're cruisin' - just like a real like rock album is supposed to do.
From the opening riffs of Lonesome Day, to the Li Li Li's of The Rising, the hip-hop beat of The Fuse, and the exuberance of Mary's Place, Bruce and his E-Streeters have re-created the lexicon of American rock music, paying homage to familiar sounds, while keeping it identifiably E Street.

I want to hear Van Morrison sing My City in Ruins, and Smokey Robinson do Let's be Friends - these songs seem to be written for them. On the other hand, Mary's Place could have been found from the missing tapes of the Born to Run sessions. The gospel revival choir of My City in Ruins, the Middle Eastern chants of Worlds Apart, the twangs of Into the Fire, - all rich chocolate candy for the ears. I wonder how much of the credit for this goes to Brendan O'Brien - a wise choice, Bruce.

And the lyrics... Bruce has masterfully found the delicate balance between standing face to face with the deep, desperate, ultimate despair that's still hanging in the air, and hoping that things can, and will, get better. "Things are bad," he is saying, "as bad as they have ever been." And he puts it right out there for us...

"Hell's brewin' dark sun's on the rise..."

"Sky falling, streaked with blood,"

"It's raining, but there ain't a cloud in the sky"

"Can't see nothin' in front of me, ... nothing coming up from behind..."

"Can hear the organ, but the congregation's gone"

What Bruce also does here, is get to the poignant specificity of personal loss...

"Coffee cups on the counter, jackets on the chair
paper's on the doorstep, but you're not there"

"I heard you calling me,
then you disappeared into the dust"

"Without you,
I'm workin' with the rain falling down"

Bruce is telling us it's OK to grieve, we have to grieve. He is helping wade through the darkness.

But there is hope. There is light. We will be alright...

"I'm gonna find my way
through this lonesome day"

"Meet me at Mary's Place,
We're gonna have a party"

"Let's take the good times as they go
and I'll meet you further on up the road"

You can here him lifting us up on his back...

"Come on up for the rising"

"Come on Rise up!
Come on RISE UP!"

In classic Bruce lyrical style, recurrent themes appear throughout the songs, a la Nebraska. Seems fascinating to me, though, that the song that sums it most up succinctly, My City in Ruins, is the one was written before the tragic
events that inspired the rest of the album. Not sure what that means - a testament to the genius of Bruce?

Hardly - just evidence that the themes that Bruce writes about are universal and iconic: Love, Hate, Despair, Fear, Grief, and Hope. But in the end, with a little Rock and Roll to help along the way, it's gonna be alright.

THE BOSS IS STILL A BOSS!!!
Bruce Springsteen is getting older...and what about his music? It's always the best! Just listen to "The Rising" and tell if I'm wrong...
As you hear this song for the first time, your attention will probably focus on the contrast between the cheerful melody and the sad events it talks about. It may be difficult to accepte the fact that the collapse of the Twin Towers, and the death of thousands people from all over the world, are sung on such an happy rhythm and with such "lalala"...
Nevertheless I think that Bruce Springsteen has found a very good way to talk seriuosly about a difficult situation, because he also manages to give hope and faith in a better future to his nation: That's his mission, his responsibility towards his nation! And that's why, like the fireman of the song, Springsteen wears "the cross of (his) calling", too.
The message of the song is a very positive one, also because it doesn't mention neither anger nor will to revenge. "The Boss" tell us that terrorists have not won, that America could "rise up" and overcome this tragedy if its people will be UNITED, if they will stay "together as one". Through the music and the lyrics of "The Rising", we can only perceive the amazement and the sorrow of a shocked nation, that has now the need to be encouraged.
Furthermore this text is an important tribute to many unknown heroes who have lost their lives to rescue other people: the firemen.
To sum up, "The Boss" has given us, with this song, a further demonstration of his ability. And I can only say, once again, that

„THE BOSS" IS STILL A BOSS!!!

It's great for young fans, but only good for old fans
The reason I say this is only great for young fans is because it's a typical rock and roll record that you can play in the car and sing along to. The likes of which we rarely see these days. But if youre an old fan and you were excited about The Boss bringing out new material (finally) then you could be disappointed by a couple of tracks. Y'see there isn't any room on an eagerly awaited album for 'filler tracks' yet 'The Rising' does have 'em. The title track is the strongest one on there and other favourites of mine are 'The Fuse' and 'Waiting On A Sunny Day.' You should buy it anyway, simply because I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't Springsteen's final record. He has the talent but just doesn't push himself. Sorry Bruce.

Born To Run.....................& HIDE!
There's a reason this CD is $1.00 right here on Amazon or maybe $0.25 on ebay; it's just not very good. In fact as we approach the summer of 2004 it will mark the 20th anniversary of Born In the USA and it's time to face the musical hard facts: For the past 20 years Springsteen's music has not improved. By all measures it has devolved into a downward spiral morass of meaningless political ideals and lightweight pseudo rock and roll. If this sounds harsh simply listen to everything from Greetings through Born in the USA and then listen to everything after that up until the Rising. If that's not deterioration I don't know what is. It will not be easy for fans to admit this because of the love affair we have with his live performances. However, if you are truthful you have to admit the thrill of seeing him isn't quite what it use to be. Because of age and his lackluster new material this is a trend that will continue on to his next album and tour. The early rumor is that his next CD will be an angry rant against conservatives, George W. Bush in particular. If that's true then Bruce is not getting the best possible advice. The idea that he or any other rock star will have a cultural impact in a concert hall to an audience that is predisposed to liking him is just foolishness. Think this through for a moment before getting steamed, isn't it the epitome of arrogance to preach socialism from a stage made possible from capitalist cash? What he's saying is that capitalism is okay for him, but the rest of us are too stupid to achieve success independently. I don't buy that and neither should you.

An Admirable Attempt that Could be Stronger
It's very difficult to write a commentary on tangible reflections of human tragedy without ruffling a few feathers. I live in PA, so while I wasn't directly hit by the 9/11 chaos, I wasn't too far removed from it and all of the ramifications. Soon comes Bruce with his legitimate offering to the American people of the best thing he has to offer: music.

Knowing that Bruce has close ties (to say the least) with the areas hit hard by the tragedy, combined with the experiences of seeing him perform these songs live on his subsequent tour, the first task is easy - that is to state definitively that "The Rising" was not merely a financial cash in, as some critics inevitably propose. The whole purpose of what Bruce Springsteen is all about can be simply summed up by one raspy snarl of his voice, or one look at his stretched and twisted face as he draws in a breath of passion at the mic. That purpose is one of the best, most honorable purposes there is: to reach out and connect and relate on an emotional level with other flesh and blood.

Look at some of these lyrics. "Into the Fire," "Nowhere Man," and "You're Missing" are all very sensitive, poignant, touching bits of poetry that function very well as writing alone. The problem comes in with Bruce The Musician. I suppose many who find this review disagreeable are those who have so much respect for the message, the simple chug-chug-chug-along chords The Boss employs on his guitar to accompany his anthems are only bonus feathers in the cap, and they find it satisfying enough. Don't get me wrong, I find the CONCEPT of what he has done worthy of the highest respect, but it can't hit a homerun in the execution department unless all elements are at a high level - and musically, The Rising is lacking.

So I guess I'd better start explaining myself - well, look no further than album opener "Lonesome Day." The message of hope is stirring, but it falls somewhat flat against the bland melodies and chord progressions. The music is directionless, and while all of the songs on this album have moments to shine, the main meat-and-potatoes of the songwriting is definitely lacking in creativity. This opening song plods along at a boring 4/4 tempo that sounds like minutes of monotony. If it weren't for the lyrics, I would think it completely not worth my time. Again, there are some interesting guitar climaxes and whatnot, but far from enough.

Later songs like "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" and "Let's Be Friends" continue the theme of Bruce strumming benign and repetitive guitar chords under heartfelt words. It's just off balance. This is further evidenced by the near absence of the E-Street Band. Where's the Big Man? Where's Roy Bittan? They're there, but horrendously underplayed and undermixed. There's nothing wrong with a violin, (which gets much more time than Clarence's Sax) but if the heart and soul of all of those talented players were more in the forefront, this album might project much more spirit.

That leads me perfectly to the next issue; the RECORDING. Produced by Brendan O'Brien, more from "alternative" fame than straight up rock and roll, the album tries unnecessarily to have the "sound" of a boyband record. Keep in mind - I'm not talking about the music here, but the actual mixing techniques. Don't believe me again? For a real obvious example of the butchering, go directly to the tacit parts in "The Fuse" (where it's only Bruce). Hear that? That's the result of Mr. Springsteen's mighty vocal cords being squashed through compressors and sounding dead and lifeless. Reverb was the trend of the 80's and now it's all about smacking the levels up as high as modern technology will take them without blowing up the console. A BIG no-no for an album that SHOULD be produced to stand the test of time.

Alright, you've been patient, so here's the exceptions to the dominant musical mediocrity of the album: "Worlds Apart" and "Further Up the Road." There's nothing to say other than that it's worth buying the album for these two songs alone. The groove, the drive, the heaviness - the latter which gives much more help to lyrics that are heavy themselves - it's all there. They rock as good rock should, and just make you explode with profound energy. I give some points to Bruce just for being as diverse as he is, or else we wouldn't have some of the truly remarkable moments he's given us over the years.

If a simple beat and simple melody is all you need to accompany your songs, you'll appreciate this album much more. In fact, I really wish I was like that as well, as I don't like having to criticize good intentions. But in a time where you're guaranteed to get millions sold and all the press attention you could want, why not put some more thought into that other half of songwriting - the music? ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A terrific collection for mild fans!
I have enjoyed Bonnie Raitt's work since I first heard her on the radio in 1990, but I have never been a HUGE fan. And I think this is a great CD for anyone who has even mildly enjoyed Raitt's music. It has all the great hits ("I Can't Make You Love Me," "Have A Heart," etc.), and it omits the ones of questionable integrity ("Rock Steady" and "You Got It").

The CD blends her best hits with some great lesser-known material, like the shocking but great "Spit Of Love" and the gorgeous, tear-jerking ballad "You." (My only complaint with this CD is that it left off "I Ain't Gonna Let you Break My Heart Again," which is my favorite Bonnie Raitt song. But the CD is still an extraordinary listening experience without taht song.)

I don't know what hardcore fans think about this collection, but I think it's one of the best "hits" albums I have heard in a long time. So if you've had a passing flirtation with Bonnie Raitt's infectous blend of blues and rock, pick this CD up. You won't be sorry. It's terrific!

Awesome collection!!

I picked this collection up when I saw it in the store, I have always been a 'kinda' Bonnie Raitt fan and this is a good way to get all the songs I like in one place, along with some I didn't know before. My favorites include the almost island vibe of "Have a Heart", the sassy "Something to Talk About" and the melancholy "I can't Make You Love Me". I have been playing this in my car non-stop and love it, love it!! There are so many emotions displayed throughout and Miss Raitt's longevity is nothing to sneeze at either. If you are a 'kinda' fan like I was, pick up this CD!!

Some of her best.
Overall this is a pretty good collection from "Bonnie Raitt". It's missing a few tracks of course, but most of the good stuff is here. The first 4 songs are off her huge "Nick Of Time" album, and are some of her best known. Plus this also includes "Something To Talk About" and "I Can't Make You Love Me", which is one of my favorites, as well as many other great, but lesser known songs. I really wish this also had "Cry On My Shoulder", but with 18 tracks it's hard to complain. This should please most casual fans of this redhead, and of soft rock/blues.

Please, no more!
I'm sorry, I know a lot of people love her, but some of her songs are the most unredeeming maudlin depressing garbage I've ever heard. Truly depressing! "love is gonna make you bleed"??
"i can't make you love me"? All sung in that lifeless prozac voice. I can't listen to it. She should just stick to old blues, the stuff she does best. Great guitar player, but keep the singer songwriter stuff to James Taylor... PLEASE!

A Pure Pleasure
Not only is Bonnie Raitt an attractive woman, she can play a mean guitar and her singing is nothing to sneeze at. This compilation is a great introduction to those who are interested in hearing more of her, and a great add to those who only have an album or two by her. The CD shows off her bluesy side, her rockabilly and her somber moods and the songs are perfect for showing off her talents. ... Read more

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After plundering the Yardbirds' legacy and Willie Dixon (among others) for their blues-riff-heavy first two albums, Jimmy Page and company surprised many listeners with the strong acoustic/folk sensibility displayed on III. Page aficionados shouldn't have been caught off guard; the guitarist had toyed with similar sensibilities and modalities during his brief tenure with the Yardbirds (most notably "White Summer" from the Little Games album). Ever the creative thieves, Zep kick off the album by nicking the riff from "Bali Ha'i" no less, with Robert Plant wailing it to punctuate the thundering FM warhorse "Immigrant Song." Even other electric rockers like "Celebration Day" and "Out on the Tiles" have an inventive, offbeat musicality to them that suggest the band was already wary of stereotyping. But it's the decidedly mellower acoustic groove of the album's latter half that's the news here, from the graceful beauty of "That's the Way" and "Tangerine" to the raw, folksy charm of "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp," "Hats Off (to Roy Harper)," and the traditional "Gallows Pole." --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (170)

MY FAVORITE LED ZEPPELIN ALBUM
Well, this is the best zeppelin album for me. You get everything with this cd: rock, blues and traditionnal-folk songs. Things kicks off with the powerful classic 'Immigrant song'. What a great riff from Page and what an awsome bass part by Jones! Then comes 'Friends' which features excellent acoustic guitar melodies and strings arrangements. It's quite an unusual song. It's followed by a good driving rocker 'Celebration day'. Brilliant riffs and a fine-sounding guitar solo. Then Robert Plant shines on the C minor blues 'Since I've been loving you'. What a great vocal performance! It also features a moody organ part played by Jones.The multi-riffing 'Out on the tiles' close the first half. Then comes the Leadbelly number 'Gallows pole'. You have it all here; acoustic & electric guitars, mandolin, banjo, wonderful lyrics and vocals, pounding drums and bass. My favorite.Then, two beautiful, simple acoustic songs, 'Tangerine' and 'That's the way'. They both show talent and feel.

Then one of the funniest song I've ever heard 'Bron-y-aur stomp'. It's kind of an old style dancing country folk song. Watch your feet stomping and and shoulders swinging! The album closes with the gem of this album 'Hats off to Roy Harper'. It's actually an old blues song called 'Shake 'em on down', which was played by delta bluesmen like Bukka White. On the left side of the stereo, you hear Jimmy Page pounding the blues like crazy on his acoustic and on the right side, man, what an out-of-this-world vocal performance.Cool vibrato effect! 'Give my baby , a 20 dollar bill, if that don't gets her I'm sure my shot-shot-shotgun will, yeah...' Plant really shows his power and his feel on this one. Amazing.

Well, on this record, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones and Robert Plant deliver diversity, passion, musicianship, pure talent and , of course, fantastic memorable songs. GREAT!

One of Led Zeppelin's top three
Now there's been a lot of negative reviews for this LP when it came out (see Rolling Stone) and ever since. Most complaints were related to the fact that after the first two hard-rockin' albums this one was a 80% acoustic piece, very much inspired by celtic folk sounds. Well, I consider it some of Page and Co's best work. LZ III is never quite what you expect and you never listen to it the same way twice. The record kicks off with blitzkrieg riffs of Immigrant Song and typically zeppellinesque Celebration day (let's not forget track 2 'Friends'). N.4 'Since I've been loving you' is one of the major gems on this record and in my opinion the most powerful Led Zep blues ever. The album is worth buying even if it was only for that song. But it gets better, unleashing Page's acoustic power with four classic Zep tracks: Gallows Pole, Tangerine, Bron-y-aur Stomp and That's The Way (recently on Cameron Crowe's 'Almost Famous' soundtrack). It would probably take me a thousand words each to describe these songs so my advice is go out and get it, whether you're starting a LZ collection or you just want to listen to some excellent acoustic rock.

Amazing
This is an amazing album. Some of my favorite songs are the "Immigrint Song" with the traditional rock sound, "Gallows Pole" and "Thats the Way" with a more bluesy sound, and "friends" which i dont know how to explain but is one of my favorites. Like the person above said this album did not get the appreciation it should of because people were still caught up with the first two albums which were also good. This album has a little of everthing and i think it has a little something that everyone will enjoy. This is a must buy for any Zepplin fan and even for people that arent in to Zepplin.

an underrated zeppelin masterpiece
led zeppelin was their masterpiece in a row after their hugely succesful debut and second albums.this album is great because of the presence od songs like immigrant song and a few folk rock hits.a must for your collection.very highly recommended.

Cover nice, that all
Cover of CD nice. It interesting. Music not good. First song sound like band trying to scare people. And man who sing songs, not understanding why people like him. He look a like a man, but he too much sound like woman. Pretty sure he a hippie too. It sound like they use cheap guitar on songs. Sound not clear, it just very loud. Maybe they make some money first and buy better guitar. Songs not very understanding either. Not good!! ... Read more

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Clapton caught the "unplugged" trend just at the right time, when the public was hungry to hear how well rock stars and their material can hold up when stripped of elaborate production values. Clapton himself seemed baffled by the phenomenon, especially when picking up the armload of Grammys Unplugged earned him, including Record and Song of the Year for "Tears in Heaven," the heart-rending elegy to his young son, Conor. That song and a reworked version of "Layla" got most of the attention, but the rest of the album has fine versions of acoustic blues numbers such as "Malted Milk," "Rollin' & Tumblin', and "Before You Accuse Me" that make it worth investigating further. --Daniel Durchholz ... Read more

Reviews (100)

Acoustic Slowhand
MTV's Unplugged series started out as a curiosity to viewers who tuned in to see artists play their songs in acoustic versions. Many artists rose to the challenge of unplugging and playing their songs in the barest of forms. In alot of cases, the results were not only entertaining, but inventive and groundbreaking. Eric Clapton's Unplugged appearance falls into that category. Stripping away many songs to their core and reinterpreting old blues numbers, Mr. Clapton. The most startling song is "Layla". The original is a classic rock staple, thanks in large part to one of the most memorable guitar solos and codas in rock history. Stripped down to a shuffling blues riff, the song takes on a new meaning. The original was about unrequited love and you could feel the singers pain through the music. The new version is more of a man begging for a second chance. The big hit from the album is the haunting and beautiful elegy to his son, "Tears In Heaven". The song became a huge hit peaking at number two and went on to win Grammies for Record & Song of the Year. Other standout tracks include "Running On Faith" that has some wicked dobro playing, a Layla and blues chestnut "Nobody Knows You When You're Down & Out", "Malted Milk", & "San Francisco Bay Blues". The album became his first top ten hit since 1981's Another Ticket and his first number one album since 1974's 461 Ocean Boulevard in addition to "Tears In Heaven's" Grammies, it won Album of the Year.

Unplugged above all unpluggeds
This album created a trend that wouldn't go away, at least for a couple of years. This is the finest work of Clapton, and one of the most mesmorizing performances ever. My sophmore year of high school I listened to this disc for the first time, and it still is quite captivating today.

All the tracks on here are worthy of listening to. They are wonderfully constructed pieces, and very easy to listen to. They defined what "unplugged" was supposed to be. And they made Eric Clapton thrust back into the limelight where he belonged. Among the discs best tracks are "Before You Accuse Me", the wonderful sad song about his son's death "Tears in Heaven", the slow version of "Layla" (this is the first version I actually heard so I am partial to this one instead of the version by Derek & the Dominoes), "Runnin' on Faith", and "Malted Milk". This is Eric Clapton at his best, and a great testament to a great guitar player. And it's a great introduction to blues music along with Stevie Ray Vaughan's Greatest Hits, Jimi Hendrix Electric Ladyland, and BB King & Eric Clapton's Riding with The King. Almost any recording by John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, or Muddy Waters as well. Pick up this disc today you will not regret it.

Unplugged [LIVE]
Unplugged [LIVE]~ Eric Clapton is a very good album. But it is not great and that has nothing to do with the music. I have always thought that Eric Clapton can sound very prententious in his choice of lyrics. Like he wants to write like Dante but then makes a poor copy of it. Beside this, it is a very good album.

Fantastic
Clapton is fantastically versatile. From the Yardbirds through Cream and The Dominos, everyone who grew up in the 60s knew Eric as the best modern guitar player ever (forget it, Jimi) but even more than that, he speaks directly to every member of his audience through his music in a riveting way.

Here, on acoustic guitar, accompanied by one of the greatest pianos you'll ever hear, Eric Clapton sings the blues. Alone onstage to the world.

I don't understand why Eric Clapton and Doc Watson have never gotten together. THAT would be something for the ages. But in the mean time, you'll have to buy separate CDs.

Fans!
Fans call this one "Bodge on the Highway" because they listen to it in teh car on the way to a Bodge concert!

Now you know... ... Read more

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Warren Zevon died in 2003, a year after learning he had an inoperable form of lung cancer. He took that year to wrap up loose ends, recording a moving coda to his up and down collection of albums, while being heralded by legions of admirers. This 14-song tribute to the singer-songwriter, coming out a year after his passing, allows for a cooler assessment of his gifts and, guess what? He was one hell of a songwriter. One part fierce rocker, one part slightly abashed sentimentalist, Zevon's lyrical arsenal included humor, sentiment, menace, and general weirdness, all of which he mixed and matched in wild ways. The early hits "Lawyers, Guns and Money" (done here by the Wallflowers) and "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" (recreated by Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt) turn bravado on its ear with witty self-deprecation. Pete Yorn’s take on a later gem, "Splendid Isolation," captures Zevon's gift for leftfield pathos, while Jill Sobule’s whispered "Don’t Let Us Get Sick" allows one to bask in Zevon's hardboiled sensitivity; he wanted to allow his spirit to show, but he didn’t want to get stupid about it. This compilation from his last record label was co-produced by Zevon’s son, Jordan (who performs a previously unheard number, "Studabaker") and longtime cohort Jorge Calderon (who movingly recreates Zevon’s so-long song, "Keep Me in Your Heart"). The duo bring together the likes of Bob Dylan, the Pixies, Steve Earle, and Bruce Springsteen to tip their hats to an artist who's songs deserve to live on for decades after his death. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

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As emblematic of its time as of its sorcerer-like creator, 1967's Are You Experienced unleashed Jimi Hendrix onto a world in the midst of such cultural and musical shakeups that it really didn't seem as "far out" as it actually was. It wasn't just Hendrix's virtuosic skill as a pure player that was so impressive; it was, even more, the range and scope of sheer sound that he coaxed, cajoled, and ripped out of his instrument. "Purple Haze," "Manic Depression," and "I Don't Live Today" filled ears with indelible sonic images, and songs like "Foxey Lady" and "Fire" pointed the way toward a new brand of rock-charged soul music. And how about a hand for drummer Mitch Mitchell? --Billy Altman ... Read more

Reviews (193)

If you want to get high...GET HIGH ON THIS ALBUM!!!
I may not be very old, but I know that the music of Jimi Hendrix will never die. It has somehow, been injected into my veins and projected into my ears. His earth shattering performances have grasped the hearts of young rock and roll fans all over the world.
What a debut to start with...Wow!!
I don't think there has ever been a more inspirational debut album than Are You Experienced? It doesn't take a music expert to work out that this album means business and with songs such as 'Purple Haze' and 'Foxy Lady', I think Mr Hendrix meant business.

This album has various textures, moods and styles ranging from classic rock and roll to blues.
The explosion of 'Fire' and 'Can You See Me', makes you want to shut your eyes and imagine yourself in a 60's club, going crazy in front of the stage, doing air guitar all night long. 'Love or Confusion' is a magnificent psychedelic road trip of colours, which sends your mind and ears totally out of control. 'Manic Depression' is defiantly manic, with Mitch Mitchell and Hendrix almost trying to compete with each other, in a 'Who's the daddy!' competition.
All albums need a distinction, and with slow, calm tracks such as 'May This Be Love', 'Remember' and the blushing blues track 'The Wind Cries Mary', it shows that Hendrix knew how to write an awfully good slow tune. Blues of course, is found in the form of 'Hey Joe' and 'Red House'. Both very traditional with the occasional need for a 'crazy guitar moment' and provides the listener with the sound of the Deep South and the musical realism of Hendrix and his unique style of playing.

The title track is extraordinary, and complex, using the guitar layer technique to achieve a very broad and overdriven sound, that totally blows your mind straight out of the window.
'I Don't Live Today' is very strong and bold, and makes a statement right from the beginning. With the 'revving' of the guitar and use of the whammy bar, it creates a psychedelic, criss-cross of movement, colour and sound. <----(This just means the band members are going crazy)
Smooth and articulated track, 'Third Stone From The Sun' is very clean and long, unlike most of the other songs on the album. Defiantly a song to play on a cold day in.
All in all, this album is bold, stylish and LOUD! Oh yes, Hendrix knew how to turn on amps and send vibrant vibrations pulsating through the floor into our naked ears.

If you want 60's rock and pop, this album is for you. If you want a psychedelic road trip, this album is surely for you. If you want some damn good music to listen to on a rainy day, just buy this album, it is definitely for you!

Hendrix takes the world by storm
Are You Experienced (1967.) Jimi Hendrix Experience's first album.

Jimi Hendrix. When one thinks of guitar masterminds, this guy automatically comes to mind. His style of playing was way ahead of its time, and his music never failed to please. Even to this day, many years after his death, his music is still enjoyed by rock and roll fans as much as ever. It was in 1967, along with his band the Jimi Hendrix Experience, that he released his first album - the appropriately-titled Are You Experienced. Read on for my review.

As you may have seen from the tracklist, many of Hendrix's big hits first appeared on this album. Among these is his biggest hit of all, Purple Haze. This is one of the earliest truly successful hard rock songs, and it's been a huge influence to various rock stars - beautifully demonstrated by the number of times it has been covered over the years. Hey Joe, another big hit, is a much more bluesy number, but it's no less excellent than Purple Haze. Fire and Foxey Lady also became huge hits, and why not? They're regular masterpieces. The last of the fairly popular songs is The Wind Cries Mary, which is a slower track. It's the least-known of the hits, but still excellent. And then we have the songs that were never hits at all, but still won't fail to please listeners. Among these we have the rocker Manic Depression, the lengthy Third Stone From The Sun, and, of course, the title track. In the end, this album stands as a hard rock masterpiece.

This compact disc reissue of the album does more than just remaster it - it adds six bonus tracks. Tracks 1-11 were the original album, and tracks 12-17 are bonuses. Many of these tracks were released as B-Sides to Hendrix's singles. For being B-Sides, these are remarkably good. What's astonishing is that they don't disrupt the "flow" of the regular album at all. The original album was sequenced almost perfectly, and it fades into these bonus tracks very well - if you're a casual Hendrix listener, you might not even know that these weren't on the original LP! I really wish the record company would have made it more clear which songs are B-Sides and which ones were original album tracks, but I'm not complaining.

Jimi Hendrix is a guitar god, and his first album stands as solid proof of that. While not necessarily his best (it's hard to play favorites with this guy), it is still excellent. If you're a fan of classic and/or hard rock, do not hesitate to purchase this album!

Never you mind about some Sgt. Pepper
I heard this, and Sgt. Pepper, and to me it's R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. I heard Jimi for the first time at the tender age of 12. It was "Foxey Lady" that graced my ears, and so I left Disco behind. I finally had a chance to hear the album in it's entirity when I was 14. From the intro of "Purple Haze" to the final notes of "Are You Experienced?" this was the "CLASSIC" album in Rock and Roll. Mind you they reissued this album in 1993, and it includes some bonus tracks that were released on the imports, but if you can "BUY AMERICAN". The only good bonus track is "Stone Free" the rest was all junk, so buy the American release from September of 1967 if you can find it; It's short and sweet 11 tracks, and no filler. It has some of Hendrix's most creative pieces like "Love Or Confusion", "Third Stone From The Sun", and "May This Be Love?". It shows Hendrix at his most happy, and most creative. "Axis", and "Electric Ladyland" were good too, but this was a Rocky Mountain High. I don't feel, or think that any other rock album will come as close to a creative crescendo as this.

You'll Never Hear Surf Music Again
With Hendrix's debut I feel like I am listening to a focused artist who has at least a couple albums under his belt. I must feel this way because it has gotten so much critical acclaim since its release. When I think of debuts, I think of albums that seem before their time and in turn lack the stand-out tracks that spawn commerial success. This album however, though it does contain those nessasary album tracks that I would expect to see on a debut, it also has many hit singles on it. Though hits mean success, the hits are also what more quickly fade away in terms of charm and listenability. That said, this album is certainly an eye opener but not for the reasons I would normally expect.

It opens my eyes because of the guitar playing mainly. It is a guitarist's pop record. It many times opens my eyes for its brilliant song writing too. This the the real reason I love the record. Hendrix was best at writing songs in my opinion. His first two records never captures his brilliance as a guitarist. They were/are good because of the great songs.

If this record were to have great song after another on it it would get five stars. It doesn't though. The "original" singles, the songs that sparked his success, are the songs that lack. Sure, Fire and Purple Haze have pleasing riffs but they lack depth. Even Foxey Lady gets boring after repeated listens. It is instead the songs like the fantastic cover of Hey Joe, The Wind Cries Mary, Manic Depression, and Thrid Stone From The Sun that shine through and through.

The rerelease adds 6 more songs that both are good and great. Though 2 of them are on Hendrix's latest "best of", it is a good bonus since the original record was only 40 minutes or so long.

Get the record for whatever reason you wish because it is definatly essential. Just know that if you can't appreciate its inner beauty, it will get old. Nothing old was ever attractive.

Not As Good As Ya Might Think
Everybody goes "Ooh, Jimi Hendrix" just because he died. I don't think his music is particularly good. In fact, some of it stinks!!! And, I'm sick and tired of people calling hard rock or metal. HE IS NOT!!! Why can't people get used to that fact. He's just really soul with some rock influnces. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but I'm tired of seeing heavy metal lists with him in them. Some of the songs on this album are okay, like 'Purple Haze' and 'Fire', but a lot of them are not really rock at all. Psychedelic trash, some of it is. ... Read more

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Strummmmm! That dramatic guitar chord that kicks of A Hard Day's Night (album, song, movie) still jumps right out at you, slaps you in the face, and jump-starts your heart. And you know what?Both the music and the film are still as crisp and lively as they were in 1964. Of course, only the first seven songs are actually in the movie (and they are the strongest of the bunch, from the rousing rock & roll of the title track and the hit single "Can't Buy Me Love," to the beautiful ballads "If I Fell" and "And I Love Her"). But nobody's going to complain about having songs like "I'll Cry Instead" and "Things We Said Today" in the second half of the record; they sure don't feel like leftovers. Yet another high-point for John, Paul, George, and Ringo--four fab fellows who hit the highest heights imaginable. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (177)

Solid for the Beatles, spectacular for anybody else
The album starts out in good, loud style with Lennon's "A Hard Day's Night" and "I Should Have Known Better." I love the latter, although some people find it a bit annoying. However, anybody who knows anything about the Beatles is well aware that the songs after which their albums are named (A Hard Day's Night, Help, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine) are never the best songs on their respective albums. They just serve to kick off the party for your listening pleasure. Such is the case here, where the real gems are the few McCartney songs later in the album - Can't Buy Me Love, Things We Said Today, and especially And I Love Her. When I say that this album is only solid for the Beatles, I mean that it has "only" about six great songs, which is about three times more than the average album spit out by any other band, past or present, that I can think of. Note that most of the other songs, which I did not mention, are good as well.

"The Beatles Covered A Lot Of Style Man"-John Lennon, 1974
To the idiot that said the Beatles "stuck" to a style...have you listened to their work? Unclog your ears and listen to the R&B influences(Got To Get You Into My Life), Rockabilly(What Goes On, I'm A Loser), Psychedelia(Tomorrow Never Knows), Power Pop(Hard Days Night, Ticket To Ride), Heavy Metal(Helter Skelter), Ballads(Yesterday, If I Fell). HOW MUCH MORE STYLE DO YOU WANT?

As far as Hard Days Night goes, it's the first in the Beatles "Power Pop" era. George Harrison practically invented the use of the 12 string Rickenbacker electric in rock, a style later picked up by Pete Townshend, Roger McGuin, and Tom Petty, to name a few. He demonstates his virtuosity on this album(I wish he hadn't given it up so quickly...I loved that sound). In fact, it's George's guitar playing that means the most to me on this very inspiring recording. The melodies, harmonies, and songwriting are all first rate.

Yes, the lyrics are about boy-girl relationships. Who the hell cares? Would you rather sing about death, taxes, and the reality of life?

My preference is for the later Beatles material, from Rubber Soul on, but this is the best of their early period, sans some of the songs on Beatles for Sale.

A Hard Day's Night is GREAT to find! Not to be missed!
The strong opening note of the CD album grabs the listener's attention-although it doesn't take much extra effort to KEEP the listener's attention as this CD is one of The Beatles' finest outputs of music. The first seven songs are from the movie (now on DVD) of the same name; the collection of songs and ballads on this album is striking and reflects the youthful excitement and optimistic energy of the early Beatles' work.

A Hard Day's Night is the first song and this is a phrase coined by Ringo as he reflected on a previous all-nighter pulled by the band when they were under great pressure to turn out some hits. He is known to have said that the foursome had worked through "a hard day's night;" and thus the main line of the title song (as well as the title itself) was born!

Of particular note is the moving ballad "If I Fell." The ballad is beautiful and shows a man's (not just a woman's) vulnerability in a romantic relationship.

The sound quality is excellent and the cover pictures are photographic stills from the end of the movie of the same name.

This Beatles CD is indeed full of the "classic songs" another reviewer refers to and I highly recommend it as a must-have for any Beatles fan as well as lovers of this type of music. Moreover, this is an excellent starting point for those of us who are more accustomed to the "traditional" sound of the crooners or other music genres if these listeners want to get a first class introduction to early 1960s rock.

So good, it's hard to believe
Although they were gigging, recording singles, writing, *and* filming a movie, the "Fab Four" were able to put out what was undoubtedly their absolute best record yet - "A Hard Day's Night". Their first two LPs left them with quite a track record, but this release takes everything that was good about them and amplifies it ten-fold, while taking anything that was remotely sub-par about them and obliterating it entirely. All the Beatles albums are five-star classics, but this one is the first of five albums that I call the "Platinum Series" of Beatles albums. To qualify for a Platinum Series album, the album has to be a straight-through perfect listen. Not one track can be even ever-so-slightly sub par. Every song not only has to be brilliant, but it has to be just as good as the song before and after it. That is what happens here - the whole record flows like honey and not a solitary note is out of place. A big part of the reason why this album achieves that title is because every song on here is an original. The covers were the only thing dragging "With the Beatles" down, so they just got rid of them. And, remarkably, every track is a masterpiece. Even so, I suppose I could pick "the best" songs. The title track is excellent, as is the impressively sophisticated "If I Fell". "I'll Cry Instead" features some of their best lyrics to date, and "I'll Be Back" is a masterpiece in every possible aspect. From that list, it's clear that this is obviously John's album (unlike the McCartney-driven later works), but Paul lets loose with his own excellent tracks. "And I Love Her" is wonderful (with an incredibly infectious bridge) and "Can't Buy Me Love" features some great and original chord changes. I suppose if I absolutely *had* to gripe about something, it's that Ringo doesn't get to sing anything. But that doesn't stop the album from earning my "Platinum Series" title. Overall, "A Hard Day's Night" is the best Beatles album to date, and one of the best Beatles albums in general.
~ John Ballantyne

First all original Beatles album
I'm not as keen on this one as their first two! But then there are many songs I love, like If I fell, And I love Her, I should have known better, Can't buy me love and the title track! I have always loved If I fell, it has such a beautiful melody and harmony. And I love her is a really sweet sort of song. Also a fantastic melody. The same can be said of I should have known better. Can't buy me love and Hard days night are spirited and fun. I personally don't dig the rest, but a must have as The Beatles were moving away from pop and into more unusual territory. ... Read more

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The Best of The Doors delivers exactly what it promises. Rather than relying solely on the hits, this collection also mines the darker, and often richer, recesses of The Doors material resulting in a fairly representative statement. The hits are here: "Light My Fire" with Ray Manzarek's keyboards on a dizzy, psychedelic spree; "People Are Strange," with Morrison's tortured psyche barely being held in check; "L.A. Woman," with its bluesy sexuality. More important, favorites of fans are here, like the controversially (at the time) explicit "The End," which was one of the first of Morrison's forays into narrative poetry. In hits like "Break on Through," "Hello I Love You," "Roadhouse Blues," and others, The Doors melded psychedelia, blues, hard-edged rock, and poetry from the edge like no other band before. The Best of The Doors is a trip in every sense of the word. --Steve Gdula ... Read more

Reviews (137)

the best of the Doors
im Steve and i think This album was great, On the first cd you have break on through and light my fire , then crystal ship, people are strange to strange days , love me two tiems , alabama song, Five to one was i think Jim s favorite, waiting for the sun , spanish caravan then when the musics over , great cd, amazing songs, and all the hits , my favorite on this one is light my fire. the 2nd cd includes hello I love you , Roadhouse blues, one of my favorite , La Woman , my other favorite, then Riders on the storm , touch me the love song, love her madly, the unknown soldier, and then the strange song called the End , its 11 minutes and 41 seconds. for a great Doors colector this cd is a essential for a classic rock colection , get this one if you love the Doors like i do. amazing album

Very interesting rock album...Timeless? That's Debatable!!
Yes, I bought all the original Doors LPs long ago,though after HELLO I LOVE YOU,they had a real falling off which still shows.CRYSTAL SHIP is,I believe, their best song ever, whether it's a drug trip or what have you. Listen to all sounds in this one, and you may agree. LIGHT MY FIRE, way over-rated. The STRANGE DAYS tunes here still seem a little trippy, and a little like a gypsy street carnival as on the original cover. And this group's use of the eerie sounding organ broke new ground at he time. WHEN THE MUSIC'S OVER should have been eliminated for 2-3 others from STRANGE DAYS.RIDERS ON THE STORM is an interesting twist on old blues,and after 30 years,having listened recently, I figured out what the song means (never really listened before). THE END is a very heavy handed 3-chorder updating Freud for those who can listen all the way through.SPANISH CARAVAN is another strong one,perhaps unique in the rock repertoire. Many of the rest are throwaways,plain and simple. And the DOORS' attempts at serious poetry and lizard-driven philosophy tend to get a little silly over time.

cool stuff
i dont listen to too much of it, but this band influenced alot of the better rock of the 90s like Pearl Jam, so i truly appreciate the essence of this music

Where is End Of The Night?!
Raiders On The Storm, The End, Cristal Ship, Roadhouse Bluse but where is End Of The Night?! The Doors compilation with no End Of The Night?! Im still looking for the Doors copmpilation that has all of their clasic songs, but this one is good to.

PS: Ray Manzareik RULES!

Good compilation, but missing some lesser-known gems
This is a good introduction to the Doors music for newbies, but it doesn't include some of my personal faves, like Wintertime Love. Still, you'll find many of the best songs here, including Light My Fire and The End, both absolute masterpieces of R&R music, in any decade or era.

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes" ... Read more

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It's relatively easy to launch a comeback. It's far harder to maintain one. The follow-up to 2001's warmly received (by critics, anyway) Songs from the West Coast indicates Elton John is committed to following through on his late career critical renaissance. Entirely self-produced and featuring his trusty band on each song (and have any sidemen been more stalwart than Davey Johnstone and Nigel Olsson?), Peachtree Road's noble ambitions aren't entirely realized. Starting strong with the telling "Weight of the World" ("Happy to play with the weight of the world off my back") and Americana-flavored "Porch Swing in Tupelo," the 12-song set loses momentum as it progresses. Overproduction rears its glitzy head most egregiously in "All That I'm Allowed." Still, the young Elton John who took the singer-songwriter movement to new heights in the early '70s with the likes of Tumbleweed Connection and Honky Chateau is in evidence on Peachtree Road. He's laid the groundwork to totally throw caution to the wind and make a truly great album. Next time, perhaps? --Steven Stolder ... Read more

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Bursting with ideas and energy, Jimi Hendrix's second album release of 1968 (following Axis: Bold as Love) was a double-LP set that showcased virtually everything the guitar genius had to offer: blistering blues ("Voodoo Chile"), galaxy-patrolling space jams ("1983... A Merman I Should Turn to Be"), psychedelic soul ("Crosstown Traffic"), and skyscraping rock ("Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"). In the midst of all this was even a hit song--Hendrix's remarkable reading of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," featuring a series of baton-passing guitar solos, all distinct and brilliant. Seemingly diffuse when first released; in hindsight, kaleidoscopically eclectic. --Billy Altman ... Read more

Reviews (152)

The Jimi Hendrix EXP's Voodoo Electric Masterpiece!
Then pinnacle of your Hendrix EXP collection is you owning this CD!(Assuming you already own Are you Experienced? and Axis:Bold as Love) From beginning to end Jimi's final album with the EXP is most definitely a masterpiece! The first three tracks "...And the God's Made Love","Have You Ever Been(To Electric Ladyland?)" smoothly bring you in before blasting off into Crosstown Traffic I love the opening riffs they are killer! Voodoo Chile has got to be the most powerful amplified blues track on this album! "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" to "1983...(A Merman I Should Turn To Be)" are great in showing Jimi's songwriting and creativity behind the mixing boards with Eddie Kramer. The seagulls that you hear on "1983...(A Merman I Should Turn To Be) are from Jimi's guitar playing! (I thought they were real seagulls silly me.) The last four tracks forever cement Jimi Hendrix as a guitar god nobody can touch! "Still raining,Still Dreaming is a cool reprise of "Rainy Day,Dream Away"(Sing this little ditty in yur sweeties ear and watch the sparks fly!) "House Burning Down" begins the Jimi Hendrix EXP's journey into rock immortality. From here on in turn your stereo dials to full blast if you haven't done so already! Everybody has someone they looked up to and one of Jimi's idols was Bob Dylan;his covering of "All Along the Watchtower" will do wonders to your biorhythms.(To think Jimi didn't think he could pull it off; he had to be talked into it by one of his girlfriends.)The final track "Voodoo Child(Slight Return)" sears and rips your soul apart.(In a good way!) If I was to enter a building or whatever social gathering I want this track playing at full blast to announce my arrival! This entire CD is in my book a masterpiece rush and get it and I'll meet y'all in next world! \m/

Voodoo Chile alone is worth the price
Electric Ladyland is one of my top 5 rock and roll albums. It is simply the greatest work that Hendrix ever produced. It's sort of his "Sgt. Pepper", immensely experimental and creative. Electric Ladyland not only contains some of Jimi's best guitar work (Voodoo Child Slight Return, All Along The Watchtower, Come On Part 1, Voodoo Chile) but also contains some of his best songwriting. His lyrics on Are You Experienced were great, even better on Axis, but truly brilliant on Electric Ladyland. Check out Gypsy Eyes, Long Hot Summer Night, Burning of the Midnight Lamp, and 1983 to see what a great songwriter Jimi was. On top of all that, you get his electric blues opus, Voodoo Chile (track #4). This 15-minute jam features Steve Winwood on organ and Jack Casady on bass. On this song, Jimi produces some of the most mind-blowing guitar soloing you'll ever hear. This one track alone is worth buying the album for. Sadly, Electric Ladyland turned out to be Jimi's last completed studio album, but really it's hard to imagine him doing anything greater than this album.

The Best!
Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland stands to be one of the greatest studio albums in rock n roll history. The tracks on the entire record represent so much. I think for the must part this album was well finished being in its idenity it was a double lp and back in the sixties a double lp was a big deal. Jimi Hendrix experiments with so much on this album including on And The Gods Make Love......reversed guitar sounds and on Crosstown Traffic hendrix slows the speed down on the guitar with overdubed kazzo sounds. Hendrix also in the process recorded alot of things backwords by reversing the tape backwards. On All Along The Watchtower jimi hendrix gets such a clean sound out of his guitar a very important song on the album. One of my very favorties is Voodoo Chile (slight return) wow I can say much more than this is a must have for anyone looking for some good music please enjoy!

Greatest rock album of all time?
This is one of a handful of contenders for greatest rock album of all time. It contains unsurpassed richness, variety and beauty, best illustrated by these three: the experimental jazz of Rainy Day Dream Away, in which guitar licks turn to dripping raindrops, the manic, sizzling blues of Voodoo Child (Slight Return), and the epic oceanic adventure of the ponderously titled 1983 (A Merman I Should Turn to Be) / Moon Turn the Tides (Gently, Gently Away). Between these three tracks can be found the genius of Jimi Hendrix in full scope, and a demonstration of what wonders can be done with the guitar. The lengthy 1983/Moon at times seems like a multisensory extravaganza, not merely music. Listen to it carefully, and follow Jimi from a war-torn world of bombs and arguments into an undersea paradise where a new civilization dawns and "man is full of cheer", then back above the water's surface where only a dead landscape remains, a lonely seagull cries, and the moon orbits above, turning the tides through eternity. Can music paint pictures? In Hendrix' hands, it certainly can, and he will make you feel strong emotions of grief, wonder and joy that perhaps offer a glimpse into the elusive soul of the man himself. While the above three songs make this the best Hendrix album ever, there are at least five other 5-star songs: "All Along the Watchtower", "Come On", "Gypsy Eyes", "House Burning Down", "Crosstown Traffic" - and still more! And guess what? Nobody talks about Hendrix' vocals, but he shines as a singer as well as a guitarist. Just listen to the second verse of "Watchtower" - he is powerful and precise while conveying conversational spontaneity, bringing to urgent life Dylan's words "no reason to get excited" and "the hour is getting late". As I said, this album is unsurpassed, or - to use a quaint 1968 phrase that is apt here - mind-blowing.

Always and forever #1
Never before and never again. It is what it is: the greatest collection of music ever created on or off this planet. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

A mix of old favorites and buried treasures makes this edition of Who's Next a definite must. One of the defining albums of 70s hard rock from one of the 60s most successful bands, the original album includes some of The Who's best-known work, such as the anthemic "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again", the by turns sorrowful and angry "Behind Blue Eyes", and perennial favorite "My Wife". The new tracks on this album are equally worth hearing, including "Pure and Easy" (an alternate edition of which is available on Odds & Sods) and the original version of "Behind Blue Eyes". A hard rock classic, Who's Next is required listening for rock fans of all ages. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Reviews (270)

Way too good!!!
The album "Who's next" has been made from the Pete townshend's dream project "Lifehouse" project. "Lifehouse" project would have been unique in its idea and concept, but according to Pete Townshend himself 'it was like the Brabazon aeroplane of the 50's: magnificent in concept and appearance but too big to get off the ground. Musically it is almost flawless. Here are the some of the songs those will fetch a 5/5.

Baba O'riley: Magical Intro ... and drumming? Toooo good. It's an everything's great song.

Love ain't for keeping: Acoustic sound. A touch of sorrow in Daltrey's voice... Lay down beside me ... Love ain't for keeping.

The song is over: Sadness in the air. A break up song ... Wonderfully teamwork. You will certainly feel sad when the song is over.

Behind blue eyes: Another slow, downbeat song. This song is in the album twice. Different version though.

Won't get fool again: Superb intro again. Nice sweet rock n' roll track. Pete ... picks his guitar and plays ... Just like yesterday. Simply classic.

Pure and easy: Best of this CD. So smooth a song, it just flows like water ... the song name itself describes it all. Superb guitar work.

Baby don't you do it: Straight forword rock.

Too much of anything: A mellow, melodic song. One of the best in the CD.

Overall it is "an way too good CD", actually One of the most appreciated CDs of all time. What I want to say is "Don't call yourself a rock lover if you don't have this (or haven't listen this)".

WHO Needs This Album? Everyone!
As Pete Townshend once pointed out, Rock & Roll is about promise. But unfortunately, it has delivered only more promises, not solutions. And the cover of 'Who's Next' just about sums it up: Wishing for change and the promise of a better world is not enough. It is as futile as... You must DO, not just wish. Pete Townshend wrote and Roger Daltrey passionately sings about a 'teenage wasteland', as if predicting the stereotypical Generation X'ers more than 20 years ahead of time. This album had its' origins in a film script by Townshend called 'LIFEHOUSE', about a distopic world where pollution, crime and war makes it difficult to travel or participate in events. So; do it all from the safety of your home with the help of technology. Sound familiar?! And this was written in 1971... Townshend shelved the full 'LIFEHOUSE' concept and instead kept just the main songs with their spirit of anger, promise and hope intact. Roger Daltrey is the most insightful interpreter of Townshend's lyrical and musical genius, and here his voice is at its' most powerful and resonate. Keith Moon's unique drumming underpins and accents every vocal and every intricate Jon Entwistle bassline. And Townshend creates guitar power chord mortar for every musical brick and tile here. The end result is a solid structure that will weather the changes of popular music to join the classical music of this 21st Century. 'Who's Next' is, perversely, one of the most celebrated AND underrated albums in rock history. And that means there are many who have heard its' message and there's many more who need to. Rock on (with brains), man!

WHO'S BEST Is More Like It
WHO'S NEXT should have been titled WHO'S BEST. This album was released in between the overly weird TOMMY and the later Who and Pete Townshend solo albums, all of which forced me to confront uncomfortable things. This album, however, has none of that, even if the music and lyrics are quite trenchant. "The Song Is Over" is one of those songs that encapsulates my reasons for skipping food-related reunions at my old school, and "Won't Get Fooled Again" sounds like a rebel anthem, but actually serves as a reminder to hang on to your roots, musical or otherwise. These are just two highlights of an album that's full of them.

A TRUE ROCK AND ROLL CLASSIC!
From the cover art of the band just finishing urinating on that concrete pillar to the last note of the last song, WHO'S NEXT is an all-time Rock And Roll classic must-have CD!!!!
I first discovered 'Behind Blue Eyes' from this album when I found, circa 1974 a 45 rpm copy on the original Decca label laying on the ground, discarded by someone. It was in amazing condition! I loved the song immediately and later bought the LP.
Many of the tunes on the CD are Classic Rock Radio standards, such as 'Baba O' Riley' with one of the first uses of a MOOG synthesizer as its' opening, and the great line 'Teenage Wasteland' (which was spray painted on a wall at my High School, by the way!) This is an album in which you can truly say that 'It's All Good!' It's an all-time great album!
This album was played at many of the Junior High/High School parties I attended, along with Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, etc.
I think that certain tunes on this album are nearly 'burned out'in a lot of people's minds by continuous radio play, but when you listen to the CD as a whole album, it still stands the test of time, in my humble opinion.
It's also nice to hear an alternate take on 'Behind Blue Eyes' on this remastered version of the CD. It's a cool version!
A 'MUST HAVE' FOR CLASSIC ROCK FANS!!!!

Not a bad note on the entire album
Although Led Zeppelin IV was more popular (and maybe even more important) this album by Townshend, Daltrey, Entwistle, and Moon is unmatched in terms of overall performance and album making. The songs build wonderfully from the incredible intro (Baba O'Riley, not Teenage Wasteland) to Bargain (religious overtones by Pete) to the resigning Love Ain't for Keeping. And then the after Getting in Tune, Going Mobile, and Behind Blue Eyes, you have the antidote to Stairway to Heaven, Won't Get Fooled Again, which unfortunately is not true. The Who as prophets were not as good as the Who as Rockers. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

If you need some pointy-headed pundit to sell you on the merits of Pet Sounds, your money might be better spent on an ear specialist. Brian Wilson's gift to 20th-century music elevated this pop album into a beguiling musical and emotional cogency that still operates outside pop culture's fickle space-time continuum--and limited critical lexicon. There's never been another record to compare (Rubber Soul, its inspiration, is close; Sgt. Pepper's, its response, misses the point), and certainly no album has been as dissected, overanalyzed, and predigested for public consumption. In 1997 Capitol Records devoted an entire four-disc box set, The Pet Sounds Sessions, to its thorough deconstruction. The techno-marvel centerpiece of that project--the album's first true stereo mix, painstakingly conjured out of multitape session sources by producer-engineer Mark Linett (under Wilson's supervision)--was at once heresy and revelation. Now the label has gratifyingly seen fit to offer both mixes on a single disc (along with alternate versions of "Hang On to Your Ego," the original title of "I Know There's An Answer"), an idea that should please the orthodox and heretics alike. And while the album has always clearly been The Brian Wilson Show featuring the Beach Boys, David Leaf's concise new notes attempt to be more inclusive of a wider band perspective. The result (three of the five band members claim credit for the album title) sometimes resembles Rashomon. If Pet Sounds forever crystallized the band's various creative (in)differences, it also became Wilson's grand karmic joke on his band mates; its burgeoning reputation (Mojo magazine's panel of pop experts once elected it greatest album of all time) guaranteed they would sing its songs--and praises--until the end. And if putting two different versions of the same album on one disc seems like overkill, look at the bright side: it's a perfect excuse to listen to the glorious Pet Sounds twice. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (178)

A Fun and Carefree Record, But, At Times, Artificial.
After seeing The Beach Boy's Pet Sounds recurrently ranking in the top five on the "Best 100 Albums of All Time" lists, I finally decided to check it out. I've heard their hits, and--unimpressed with their mindless California style--was a little reluctant in listening to this album. Once I listened to it, though, it was better than I expected, but at the same time, exactly what I expected. I anticipated an album mainly superficial and stale, but I really was quite entertained by Pet Sounds as a whole--it's a good record for background music for a crazy summer activity--like going to the beach! The Beach Boys' sound is a little over-the-top in its jollity, but it was revolutionary back in the formative years of rock and roll, so I won't hold that against them. Though the lyrics ARE loaded at times--filled with avowals of romance and true love--they aren't nauseatingly unoriginal and false, but are childish--in a pretty good way--and nice and dreamy ["Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "Sloop John B"]. There are a couple songs, however, like "I Know There's An Answer" and "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times," where the Beach Boy's abandon their happy-go-lucky lyrics and try for something a little more "socially pointed"--something, you know, "deeper:" Here's a nice excerpt for you: "I know so many people who think they can do it alone. They isolate their heads and stay in their safety zones...What can you say that won't make them defensive? ...How can I come out and tell them the way that they live could be better?" It's funny--I don't hate them when they sing about beach girls and sunny love, but I really do begin to detest them when they try to be intelligent--like teachers or something. Sorry, Brian Wilson, but you're good at writing attractive pop TUNES, not awesome and profound LYRICS. I know of my blasphemy--I am, of course, saying this about The Second Best Album Ever Recorded. But trust me, folks: Pet Sounds is probably not even one of the twenty best records ever made. It's fun, it's breezy, it's light, and it's enjoyable, but--to use a once popular but now archaic term--Pet Sounds doesn't "pack any punch." It doesn't hold any innovative social views that can stand the test of time, the songs sound the same sometimes, and the Beach Boys even admit to worshiping the Beatles. Why not, then, listen to the Beatles? This record is nice, I say, but unnecessary.

Pet Sounds
Well, Pet Sounds may not be the best album of all time, but the best isn't the Beatles' Revolver either. There just aren't enough good songs on Revolver to stand up to Wouldn't It Be Nice, Don't Talk, God Only Knows, Caroline No, and the great harmonies of Sloop John B. At the other end of the spectrum, Pet Sounds has nothing near as bad as Yellow Submarine. So, the argument just doesn't add up. Oh, and, neither does it work for Sgt. Pepper (gag) or Rubber Soul (yawn).

Why "Pet Sounds" isn't the greatest album of all time
First of all, I would like to preface that I am a big fan of this record, and to this day am absolutely blown away by Brian Wilson's innovative production and profound songwriting. The music is wonderful, no band ever did harmonies better than the Beach Boys. The gulf between their early "fun in the sun" recordings and this masterpiece is a wide, deep chasm.
I will not dwell on the technical merits of this album, although there are many, and will only pinpoint a few songs. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" is a powerful, instantly addictive album opener, "Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)" is a dreamy piece with exceptionally moving and beautiful lyrics. And "God Only Knows" is, well...enough said - the subtle instrumental layers behind the chorus tantalize the listener until the harmonies kick in at the end in a marvelous climax.

What is disturbing to me is this strange glorification of "Pet Sounds" as the BEST album of all time. It all apparently stems from this major competition between the Beatles and the Beach Boys in the mid-60s. Still, I find it absurd and close to infuriating when the Amazon reviewer dares to characterize "Sgt. Pepper" as "missing the mark." Since when do bands make records to please music pundits' dogmatic characterizations? Should we judge every album based on how close it comes to the "perfection" of "Pet Sounds"? Of course not.

The main reason why I think "Pet Sounds" can never be the greatest album of all time is that both Brian Wilson and the staunch defenders of the album continue to reference the Beatles. Always, even six or seven times in the liner notes, it's all about how they are better than or inspired by the Beatles, even a lengthy quote by Paul McCartney extolling the virtues of "Pet Sounds." The reason is simply a deep insecurity about the title of "greatest album of all time." Greatest albums stand on their own, and do not justify their greatness by constantly comparing it to albums of a rival band. It is strange and a bit silly.

And since I know I will get many votes by offended Beach Boys fans and reactionary anti-Beatles, might I take this chance to offer my choice for the best album of all time, the one that escaped the loop of competition between Wilson and McCartney. The story goes like this: "Rubber Soul" inspires Wilson to do "Pet Sounds," which in turn inspires McCartney to suggest "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." In the meantime, outside of all this madness, the Beatles made THE recording of history, "Revolver," which in terms of musicianship, variety, experimentation, lyrics, and especially production beats any album from any generation and any popular music style.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, I love "Pet Sounds," but I simply find the intense determination by its loyal devotees to have it crowned a subjective and irrelevant title to be slightly paranoid and certainly very much overdone.

One Of The Greatest Achievements In Music History
After reaping huge success , both commercial and critical, with "The Beach Boys Today", leader and producer Brian Wilson set out to make an album even better than that. What he came up with has been called the greatest album of all time.

1966's "Pet Sounds" was the least successful Beach Boys album up to that time, barely hitting the top 10 (it peaked at 10) and not going gold. So it's no small irony that it remains their best and popular album of all time. Under Wilson's guidance, the group became more experimental, moving out of their signature "surf rock" realm and writing songs that dealed with real - life issues such as maturity ("Wouldn't It Be Nice"), love ("Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)", "You Still Believe In Me"), rejection ("Here Today", "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times", "Caroline No"), even death (the ethereal "God Only Knows", with Carl Wilson's angel - like vocal and Brian's stunning production). The only song that seems even remotely like their earlier work is "Sloop John B". But while this one has to do with the ocean they loved so much, it is more of a distress call than an ode to summer fun. The two instrumentals, "Let's Go Away For Awhile" and the title track are great. The former is carried on by the gentle, slightly mysterious vibraphones and great strings, while the latter is a sidewinding instrumental workout. "I Know There's An Answer" is a crackerjack keyboard workout with a fierce chorus and scorching lyrics. The bonus track, another version of the song entitled "Hang On To Your Ego" is just the same song with just the title line changed.

"Pet Sounds" now comes with a beautiful booklet filled with pictures and track information. Brian Wilson provides a wonderful inroduction, and the essay is beautifully written. verall, this is what I conisder the greatest album of all time. For me, to be a great album, the album has to really speak to you, and "Pet Sounds" speaks to me because, as I mentioned earlier, it talks about the issues in our lives. If you want an album, look no further than "Pet Sounds".

One of my all-time favorites
I say that but I hate how fanboy-ish Pet Sounds lovers are. I'll try to avoid excessive use of superlatives when describing this album, however.
Where to start? I love the almost "wall of sound" on this album. Anywhere and everywhere there is an instrument being played or a sweet harmony being sung. I read the liner notes for this and was impressed at how ahead-of-the-times the recording of this record was. I'm not going to discuss the influence of this record, though, just how flawless nearly ever song here is.
Everybody knows "Wouldn't it Be Nice". I love the harmonies on this song, and the accordion during the verses. There's the piano-melody on "You Still Believe in Me" and the great beat on "That's Not Me". I know Brian Wilson collaborated with someone (whose name escapes me at the moment) on the lyrics, so I'll just say the lyrics are great. They're very simple and express simple things but the way Brian sings-it's just amazing. That's why a song like "That's Not Me" works, it's a very simple "I'm leaving my past behind for a girl" song but it's just sung greatly. "Don't Talk (Put Your Head on my Shoulder)" is one of the sweetest songs I have ever heard. It has no percussion-it's like a dream, a hazy dream, you can picture it in the background during some lazy afternoon get-together with your girlfriend/boyfriend whatever. And what about that bass? It's great. I love "I'm Waiting for the Day", again a very simple song that's just brought to life with the singing. I love listening to this album on headphones (the stereo version is amazing, I must say, it seems superfluous at first but it's worth it). I like but don't love both instrumentals.
And I hate people who say "Sloop John B" is the best song here. It was not recorded for Pet Sounds and it's probably the worst song on the album. It's great pop but it's simplistic in musical structure and the lyrics are from an old traditional song about sailing. Who doesn't know the lyrics to "God Only Knows"? It's more about expressing love rather than capturing the feeling of it (like "Don't Talk" does). The lyrics to "I Know There's an Answer" are probably my favorite on the whole album. And the chorus is amazing.
"Here Today" is great; again, great lyrics. Every teenager who has this album has probably memorized the lyrics to "I Just Wasn't Made for these Times". My favorite line on this record is "they say I got brains but they ain't doing me no good". In the liner notes Brian says his voice on "Caroline No" is his favorite vocal performance ever. It's awfully good and I love the song.
There's been so much written about Pet Sounds. It's a musical tour-de-force (argh, I hate that word but still). I love the drums on "Here Today" and the harmonies are great all around. This is just pop perfected. I don't find the songs soulless at all, I find them the complete opposite. It's lighthearted but serious at times, happy and in love at times but alienated and remorseful at others. I don't care if the lyrics aren't as "important" as the Beatles or if technically the album really isn't "rock and roll" at all. This isn't Brian Wilson moping, it's him making the album he wanted to make for himself. Probably not "best. album. ever." but it's close. ... Read more